The Supreme God And His Expansions

My Amma reads Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya written by Sri Madhwacharya, to me most nights. I was very excited to know about the first 5 expansions of Almighty. I came to know a lot after listening to Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya. My Amma helped me to write this article. I could narrate what I knew. But it was difficult to type this as an article. So, we did a team work in presenting this article. I happily narrated the expansions of Lord Almighty while she typed. I am also learning to chant 1000 names of Lord. That sloka's name is Sri Vishnu Sahasranama. My Amma says I have been learning this since when I was 4 years old. Until 4 years, she says I was listening to her chant.

Srimad Ananda Theerta (Sri Madhwacharya) says in Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya

नारायणाय  परिपूर्ण  गुणार्णवाय |

विश्वोदयस्थितिलयोन्नियति प्रदाय  |

ज्ञानप्रदाय   विबुधासुरसौख्य दुःख  |

सत्कारणाय वितताय  नमो  नमस्ते  |

nArAyaNAya paripUrNa guNarNavAya |

vishvodaya sthitilayonniyati pradAya |

gyAnapradAya vibudhAsurasaukhya duHkha |

satkAraNAya vitatAya namo namaste |

Meaning - NârâyaNa, who is an ocean of complete virtues; Who causes the
rise, sustenance, and fall of the universe; Who gives knowledge,
and joy and suffering respectively to the good and the evil; Who
is a Benevolent Cause, and is completely beyond comprehension:
Him, I salute over and over.  -----Information Source - http://www.dvaita.org

'Ocean of complete virtues' - here Ocean is used as a metaphor.

Vocabulary
Virtues - behaviors with high moral standards, very good behaviors
Benevolent - well meant and kindly
Completely beyond comprehension - to comprehend is to understand the meaning, so beyond comprehension is unknowable, one can not understand

The Supreme

Purusha Sukta visualizes the Universe as the cosmic person. The Universe visualized in the human imagery is the Purusha. This Adi (first) Purusha is the prajapati, creator of everything.

Narayana, the Supreme is filled with excellent qualities. He is unknowable. He is superior even to Lakshmi Devi who is his consort. He alone existed even before the creation of this Universe.


He desires to give all beings that were resting in His stomach by giving them physical frames. All the souls who reside in the stomach of the supreme get a physical body. But some souls were fit to be in heavenly abodes, some were fit to be in hell, some souls were to be released. 

So Lord Narayana assumed the name of Vasudeva to sustain(to protect) the released souls. Here, Sri Lakshmi assumed her second form called Maya.So, Maya Pati is Narayana. Pati means 'husband' or companion. Consort means also companion.

Again, the same Lord Narayana became Shankarshana whose body is the cause of destruction. Under His command, Goddess Lakshmi now became Jaya. So, Jaya Pati is Shankarshana.

Then, the Lord assumed the form of Pradyumna for the sake of creation and Goddess Lakshmi took the form of Kriti. So, Kriti Pati is Pradyumna.

For the sake of sustenance, meaning to protect, Lord assumed the form of Anirudha. Goddess Lakshmi took the form Shanti for Anirudha. So, Shanti Pati is Anirudha. 

Lord Narayana took these forms and remained quiet for one thousand human years. I feel surprised when I read that Lord was quiet for 1000 years.

Lord of creation Pradyumna handed over all the souls kept in his stomach to His last form Anirudha. The souls are united together and remains in Anirudha’s stomach with beginningless karma. Meaning, the souls as yet did not do any karma at all. But they remain without their physical bodies, like many atoms stuck together. Anirudha gradually gave physical bodies to all the souls beginning with the self born Brahma, Prana, Sesha, Garuda, Shiva and others.

So, there was only one Narayana and there was no Brahma or no Rudra. Brahma and Rudra are only born from Narayana. Brahma is Narayana, Shiva is Narayana, Indra is Narayana, the directions are Narayana, everything is Narayana. There is only one divine being called as Narayana. 

Apart from the forms Vasudeva, Shankarshna, Pradyumna and Anirudha, the Almighty took twelve more forms beginning from Kesava. They are 

Keshava, Narayana, Madhava from the source Vasudeva and the consorts or Shakti are Sri, Vagheeshwari and Kanthi respectively.

Govinda, Vishnu and Madhusudhana from the source Shankarshana and the consorts are Kriya, Shanti and Vibhuti respectively.

Trivikrama, Vamana, Sridhara from the source Pradyumna and the consorts are Iccha, Priti, Rati respectively.

Hrishikesha, Padmanabha and Damodhara from the source Anirudha and the consorts are Maaya, Dhi, Mahima respectively.

Then, the Almighty took twelve more forms beginning Shankarshana. He also took the 10 forms or avataras (incarnations) called as Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parasurama, Rama, Krishna, Bhouta . The last of this form Kalki is yet to happen.  The Almighty also expanded into 100 forms beginning with name Narayana and one thousand forms beginning with name Vishwam (These names come in the Vishnu Sahasranama that I am learning currently, I have learnt 70 slokas, 38 more to be learnt).

Jai SrIman NaRayanA

References

Mahabharata Tatparya Niranaya composed by Sri Madhwacharya and translated by B. Gururajah Rao

www.sreenivasaraos.com