[Advaita-l] Iswara Darshanam - 6

[Sujal Upadhyay]

_________
PART - III
_________

----------

*DeSa*

----------

Word 'desa' or 'desam' occurs in 8.21, 8.28, 15.6



Sri Ramanuja and Sri MAdhava gives definition of dhAma as luminosity which
means prakASa (prakash) and prakASa means Jnana (Knowledge)


Sri Ramanuja says: BG 8.21 Or the term 'dhama' may signify 'luminosity'.
And luminosity connotes knowledge. The essential nature of the freed self
is boundless knowledge, or supreme light, which stands in contrast to the
shrunken knowledge of the self, when involved in Prakrti. The description
given above is that of Kaivalya, the state of self-luminous existence as
the pure self.



Sridhara Svami says



The six causative case by the word mama meaning my is used in the sense of
identity as when one states Rahu's head which is all that remains of Rahu,
it means only that. *Therefore Lord Krishna, Himself is the paramam
gatim and no other. *This is the purport.



While commenting on the verse BG 8.28, none of the acharya-s have explained
the meaning of 'desha' or 'deSa'



In BG 15.6  Sri Ramanuja explains light (Prakasha
)
i.e. Knowledge as



The supremacy of this light (i.e., individual self) consists in its
capacity to illumine the light of knowledge. Knowledge alone can illuminate
all things (including the light of the sun which sheds only physical light
on objects.).



>From the above explanation, what I have concluded is that the param pada,
dhAma is light, which is knowledge, which is state of consciousness.



-----------

*Vishnu*

-----------

Another thought occurs to me on the word 'Vishnu'.



As you have mentioned Vishnu means 'all pervading'.



1. Vishnu stays in Vaikuntha. This means that Vaikuntha is also all
pervading.

2. Vishnu / Krishna stays in our heart. Hence our heart is Vaikuntha.

contd ...