Sreemaan

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

Sreemaan

 

 

 

I received an invitation addressed to " Sriman U.Ve.Sadagopa Iyengar

Swamy " , soliciting my presence at some function or the other. I felt immediately

that those who knew me well could take objection to at least three of the

honorifics in the address- " Sriman, U.Ve. and Swamy " . Neither am I a Ubhaya

Vedanta Vidwan, nor a Sriman nor a Swamy, in the strict sense of the terms. I

know people are generous in using such terminology, but all the same they appear

incongruous when applied to people like me. It reminded me of a Tamizh

newsreader of All India Radio, who used to refer to even foreign dignitaries

with the honorific " Sreemaan " -Sreemaan Nixon, Sreeman Chou-en-lai etc. Doesn't

it really sound strange? Thinking of such things led me to muse on the real

purport of the word Sreemaan and the contexts in which the same has been

employed in various bodies of scripture.

 

 

 

In its broadest sense, the term Sreemaan indicates one with Sree, just as

Keertimaan denotes someone with fame and Shaktimaan refers to one with an

abundance of strength.

 

 

 

In its real sense, Sri indicates Mahalakshmi and consequently, Sreemaan refers

to the proud possessor of Mahalakshmi. And who else can this be but Emperuman

Narayanan?

 

 

 

And the suffix " maan " in the word Srimaan is known in Sanskrit as the " Matup

pratyayam " and indicates inseparability ( " Nitya Yogam " ). Thus, the composite

term Sreemaan denotes Narayana, to whom the Divine Consort Sri is inseparably

attached.

 

 

 

It is interesting to note that the tirunaamam " Sri " , applied to the Divine

Consort, has no less than 6 profound purports:

 

 

 

" Shrinaati nikhilaan doshaan shreenaati cha gunai: jagat

 

Shreeyate cha akhilai: nityam shrayate cha tata: param

 

Shrayanteem shreeyamaanaam cha shrinanteem shrinvateem api "

 

(Ahirbudhnya Samhita)

 

 

 

1.. " Shrinaati nikhilaan doshaan " -Sri Mahalakshmi rids us of our deep-seated

ignorance, which is the real reason for our wallowing in this Samsaara. She

removes all the hurdles blocking the way of those who surrender, including the

baggage of karma accumulated over countless births. Azhwar indicates this as

" Veri maaraada poo mel iruppaal vinai teerkkume "

 

 

2.. " Shreenaati cha gunai: jagat " -Not only does the Divine Consort banish the

gloom of ignorance: She, out of Her infinite mercy, endows us with blemishless

wisdom and other auspicious attributes, which eventually lead us to ceaseless

service to the Divine Duo.

 

 

 

 

3.. " Shreeyate cha akhilai: nityam " -She is attained/ resorted to by all

jeevaatmaas desirous of liberation, as the Supreme Mediatrix or Purushakaaram.

It is in Her role as the Purushakaaram that Sri Mahalakshmi intercedes with the

Lord on our behalf, reminding Him of the inalienable relationship of Master and

slaves subsisting between Him and ourselves, converting His displeasure with us,

(caused by our incessant and interminable sins) into pity for our helpless state

and jogging the infinite mercy of the Lord which always lurks just behind the

surface, so that He forgives even the grossest of our sins and bestows on us the

ultimate reward of Moksham.

 

 

4.. " Shrayate " -The Divine Mother resorts to the Lord constantly, to ensure the

emancipation of all those who come to Her. She doesn't hesitate to employ Her

feminine charms and wiles, in order to make Emperuman turn a blind eye to our

peccadilloes. Through Her infinite beauty, She winds the Lord around Her little

finger, to ensure that He doesn't take cognizance of our misdemeanours- " Alli

malar magal bhoga mayakkugal aagiyum nirkkum Ammaan "

 

 

 

 

5.. " Shrunoti " -Just as the mother listens to the prattling of her children

patiently and with great interest, the Jagan Maataa too is all ears for the

numerous applications of Her progeny, listening with especial care to our

pitiful words of helplessness and supplication. She never turns a deaf ear to

any one's cry for help, however undeserving be the applicant.

 

 

6.. " Shraavayati " -She makes the Lord listen to our prayers, telling Him in the

most persuasive of words that there is none in the world who has not sinned and

that He should not forsake or punish His own children, simply because they have

erred. In interceding with Him on our behalf, She awaits the opportune moment

for conveying our entreaties, pleading with Him to forgive our follies and to

reckon only our minimal good deeds. When we, as children, with a none-too-good

progress report from school, quaked in fear of our father for the sure

punishment that would follow, it was our mother, who apprised him of the bad

news at an opportune moment when he was in a good mood and made him let us off

with a mere warning for better performance next time. Similar is the

intervention of the Divine Mother, on our behalf.

 

 

The tirunaamam " Sri " is thus extremely profound in purport-so much so that

Sri Alavandar says, " All your glory is summarized in the single word 'Sri'. When

you have this as your great name, what more can we say in your praise! " - " Sree:

iti eva cha naama te Bhagavati! Brooma: katham tvaam vayam? " Sri Ramanuja too

calls the Divine Mother " Bhagavati " , indicating that She possesses all the

innumerable auspicious attributes that qualify the Lord for the name Bhagavaan.

 

 

 

Having seen the purport of the term " Sri " , we find that the suffix " Maan " (in

the word Srimaan) too is of great significance. It indicates the eternal and

inalienable connection subsisting between the Lord and His Consort. This

connection is such that whatever be His state, Emperuman never parts with Her

even for a second. For instance, even during the Vaamana avataaram, when it

would have been inappropriate for the Lord to have been accompanied by His

Consort (having assumed the form of a brahmachaari), He did sport Sri

Mahalakshmi on His chest, but hid Her from the view of others with the aid of a

strip of deer skin worn around His shoulders- " krishnaajinena samvrinvan vadhoom

vaksha: stthalaalayaam " . Not only does the Lord not part with His beloved, She

too has sworn not to be apart from Him even for a microsecond- " akalakillen

irayum endru Alarmel Mangai urai maarba! " . Describing the inseparability of the

Lord from His Consort, the Vishnu Puraanam says- " Nitya eva eshaa Jagan Maata

Vishno: Sri anapaayinee " . Anyone who tries to separate the Divine Duo and

worship the Lord to the exclusion of His beloved Mahalakshmi, or adulates only

Her, ignoring Emperuman, is destined to the fate of Shoorpanakha and Ravana, who

tried these unsuccessfully, says Sri Periavaacchaan Pillai- " icchertthiyai piriya

kandaar undaakil, Raavananum Shoorpanakhayum pattadu paduvaarkal " .

(Incidentally, I remember elders decrying the practice of some Srivaishnavas

wearing only Srichoornam on their foreheads, quoting the aforesaid dictum)

 

 

 

And what purpose does it serve for us to know the inalienable connection between

the Lord and His Consort? It enables us to seek the Lord's protection without

any misgivings as to His supremacy and the possibility of His awarding

commensurate punishment for our sins. It assures us that the Divine Mother would

definitely intercede with Him on our behalf and ensure that we are forgiven our

accumulated baggage of sins and acquire eligibility for eternal bliss in the

company of the celestials and of Sriman Narayana.

 

 

 

While we learn all the aforesaid from Srimad Rahasyatrasaaram of Swami Desikan,

Sri Paraasara Bhattar has his own unique definition for the tirunaamam

" Sreemaan " . The Acharya avers that Srimaan refers solely to Sri Nrisimha.

Interpreting the term Sri to mean immeasurable beauty, loveliness and other

similar qualities, Sri Bhattar tells us that Sri Nrisimha's man-lion torso was

so perfect that those who witnessed it would feel an aversion to seeing a simple

man or a simple lion. The unique combination of man and beast was so enchanting

and glorious that the component forms of whole man or whole lion would singly

have been indeed unappealing. In saying this, Sri Bhattar is obviously guided by

Sri Nammazhwar's delight with this avataaram and his singling out Sri Nrisimha

for rhapsodizing His beauty- " Azhagiyaan taane, ari uruvan taane " . When

" Sreemaan " occurs for a second time in the Sahasranaama Stotram, Sri Bhattar

interprets the same conventionally as the Lord who is inseparably associated

with Sri Mahalakshmi. The name is considered so significant that it occurs

thrice in the Sahasranaama Stotram.

 

 

 

It is interesting to note that Sri Valmiki too delights in calling Sri Rama

" Sreemaan " . He is so enamoured of this epithet that within the space of ten

slokas, he employs it twice to describe his hero- " Buddhimaan neetimaan vaagmee

Sreemaan shatru nibarhana: " and again- " Prajaapati sama: Sreemaan Dhaataa ripu

nishoodana: "

 

 

 

There is a beautiful slokam from Hari Vamsam, which many of us recite during

Mantrapushpam-

 

 

 

" Esha Narayana: Sreemaan ksheeraarnava niketana:

 

Naaga paryankam utsrijyahyaagata: Mathuraam pureem "

 

 

 

The commentary of Sri Periavaacchaan Pillai for this slokam is indeed beautiful

and enjoyable. The Acharya tells us that the word Sreemaan is indicative of the

Lord's unqualified eligibility for being paid obeisance to and His extreme and

eternal enjoyability- " Sreemaan engira itthaale aashrayaneeyataiyum bhogyataiyum

tottrukiradu " .

 

 

 

How does " Sreeman " indicate that Emperuman is the only one to be revered and

resorted to? Because it sets the Lord apart from other deities like Brahmaa and

Rudra and establishes Him as the Supreme Parabrahmam. Only that deity which has

Sree as its Consort qualifies for definition as the Ultimate and it is only

Narayana who is credited with having Sri as His inseparable better

half- " Hreescha te Lakshmeescha patnou " says the Purusha Suktam. Deities who lack

this Sri are not to be worshipped, according to Azhwar- " Tiru illaa devarai

terelmin devu " . Thus, it is Sri Mahalakshmi who enables us to establish the

identity of the Paramaatma.

 

 

 

The suffix " maan " in the word Sreemaan indicates the Lord's constant association

and inseparability from His principal Consort, just as fragrance cannot be

separated from a flower, says the Acharya, commenting further on the endless

auspicious qualities that are seen as accruing to Emperuman because of His

association with Sri. Sri Mahalakshmi is such a perfect depository of all that

is auspicious that She is even superior to Emperuman- " Isvaranilum kaal vaasi

ettram udayaalaai iruppaal orutthi " . Sri Pillai further comments that the Divine

Consort is so enamoured of Her Lord and Master that even the soft petals of the

lotus prick Her like thorns, after Her super-soft seat on Emperuman's glorious

chest. Dwelling on the glory of Sri, Koorattaazhwan tells us that the true

measure of Her glory is not known even to the Lord- " Devi! Tvat mahimaavadhi: na

Harinaa naapi tvayaa gyaayate " . It is this Mahalakshmi who is the inalienable

possession of the Lord, making Him an extremely appropriate and enjoyable entity

for us to surrender to. She is the " Swaroopa Niroopaka Dharmam " , the

distinguishing attribute, conferring upon the Lord His identity as the

Parabrahmam. And for getting to know Emperuman, we have first to know Sri

Mahalakshmi well-without knowing and propitiating Her, it would be impossible

for us to get even a glimmering of what the Lord is like. This is because She

forms the principal attribute of Emperuman, only by knowing whom the latter can

be known, says Sri Arulaala Perumal Emperumaanaar-

 

 

 

" Aakaarinastu viggyaanam aakaara gnaana poorvakam

 

Tena aakaaram Sriyam gyaatvaa gyaatavyo Bhagavaan Hari: "

 

 

 

Another sloka from the Mahabhrata tells us another reason for the Lord being a

Sreemaan-because He is the Creator of all beings and objects-

 

 

 

" Anaadi nidhanam Sreemaan Hari: Naarayana: Prabhu:

 

Sa vai srijati bhootaani stthaavaraani charaani cha "

 

 

 

This sloka implies that even at the time of universal Creation, the Lord is

accompanied and inspired by Sri Mahalakshmi. Sri Kooraattazhwan supports this

view by confirming that the Lord, in engaging in the creative process, is

prompted by the benign glances of His Consort- " Yasyaa: veekshya mukham tat

ingita paraadheena: vidhatte akhilam "

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming back to " Sreemaan " , it is this word (or its derivative) that figures in

both the sentences of the esoteric and sacred formulation known as the " Dvayam " ,

confirming that it is Narayana, accompanied by Sri, who forms the goal to be

attained and also the strategy or upaayam therefor. The Mantra also tells us

that all kainkaryam has to be performed to Narayana, along with His Divine

Consort.

 

 

 

Such is the greatness of the word Sreemaan. Shall we see how exactly the

dictionary, Amara Kosam, defines " Sreemaan " ?

 

 

 

" Lakshmeevaan Lakshmana: Sreela: snigdhastu vatsala:

 

syaat dayaalu: kaarunika: kripaalu: soorata: samaa:

 

 

 

According to this sloka, Sreemaan refers to one who possesses Sri, to Lakshmana,

and to one who is merciful, compassionate and sympathetic. We can observe that

all these criteria fit the Lord and only the Lord, thereby making Him the only

one truly entitled to be called Sreemaan.

 

 

 

However, the word " Sri " is also used to denote excellence, perfection and

auspiciousness in all forms, with the result that " Sreemaan " too is used in

several senses other than denoting Emperuman.

 

 

 

For instance, Sri Valmiki uses the word in a host of places to indicate entities

other than Sri Rama. " Antariksha gata: Srimaan " says the poet of Vibhishana,

describing the Rakshasa's sudden departure from Ravana's court, leaving behind

his wife, progeny and brothers, severing relationships of a lifetime, to

surrender at the lotus feet of Sri Raghava, camping on the beach of

Tiruppullaani. We wonder-Vibhishana has left behind all his riches, his pivotal

position in the Lankan kingdom and all his valuable possessions and is a mere

pauper, when he hangs around Sri Rama's camp, with his acceptance by Sri Rama

and His associates a huge question mark--how then can he be called " Srimaan " ?

 

 

 

The answer is that Sri Vibhishana developed Svaroopa Gnaanam, realizing that

surrender at Sri Rama's lotus feet was the only option open to him, if he were

to save his Atma. It was this wisdom about the self, the Ultimate and the

strategy for the former to reach the latter, with which Vibhishana was endowed,

that makes the poet call him " Sreemaan " .

 

Later in the Yuddhakaandam, Vibhishana is again described as Sreemaan, along

with reasons therefore, his being the personification of Dharma and the greatest

among Raakshasaas-

 

 

 

" Dharmaatmaa rakshasaam shreshtta: sampraaptoyam Vibhishana:

 

Lankaisvaryam dhruvam Sreemaan ayam praapnoti akantakam "

 

 

 

Similarly, Sri Lakshmana, who had accompanied Rama to the jungle, leaving behind

the pleasures of the palace, all riches and comfort and his own newly-wedded

wife, having chosen a life of servitude to Rama, is called " Sreemaan " by

Valmiki. This instance is somewhat special because Sri Rama Himself calls

Lakshmana " Sreemaan-

 

 

 

" Anujastu esha me bhraataa sheelavaan priya darsana:

 

Sreemaan akrita daarascha Lakshmano naama veeryavaan "

 

 

 

Here, Rama Himself mentions several auspicious qualities of Lakshmana, which

entitle him to the sobriquet Sreeman-handsomeness, virility, bravery and innate

goodness. Apart from all these, Lakshmana was endowed with the greatest of all

qualities-an unquenchable thirst for Kainkaryam-which is the greatest wealth one

can ever hope to attain. It is hence no wonder that he is called Sreemaan, by

Rama Himself. And it is definitely understandable for Kubera, the possessor of

untold riches, to be called Sreemaan-

 

 

 

" Tasyaam Vaisravano raajaa vichitra aabharana ambara:

 

stree sahasra aavrita: Sreemaan aaste jwalita kundala: " (Sri Mahabharata)

 

 

 

Prahlada and Mahabali too are addressed as " Sreemaan " in Srimad Bhaagavatam,

despite being raakshasaas, very obviously due to their redeeming qualities and

their having been blessed by the Lord in His Nrisimha and Vaamana avataaraas-

 

 

 

" Atha Kasyapa daayaadaan daiteyaan keertayaami te

 

Yatra bhaagavata: Sreemaan Prahlaado Bali: eva cha "

 

 

 

Among the Paandavaas, Arjuna is singled out for description as Sreemaan, being

the greatest of archers and being the closest to Sri Krishna-

 

 

 

" Dharmaat Yudhishttiro jagye Maarutaat tu Vrikodara:

 

Indraat Dhananjaya: Sreemaan sarva shastra bhritaam vara: "

 

 

 

Even the month of Chitra is called Srimaan, because it was the fortunate month

fixed for the coronation of Sri Raghava-

 

 

 

" Chaitra: Sreemaan ayam maasa: punya: pushipita kaanana:

 

Youvaraajyasya Ramasya sarvam eva upakalpyataam "

 

 

 

The beautiful Panchavati, where Rama, Sita and Lakshmana spent many an enjoyable

moment, is also described as Sreemaan, due to its fertility and greenery-

 

 

 

" Deso bahu mriga: Sreemaan Panchavati iti abhi vishruta: "

 

 

 

Another instance of an inanimate object qualifying for the title Sreemaan is the

Choodaamani, which Sri Sita sends to Sri Raghava through Hanuman and which jogs

all sorts of nostalgic and pleasant memories in Sri Rama's heart- " Esha

Choodaamani: Sreemaan mayaa te yatna rakshita: " . The bridge across the waters to

Lanka, built by Nala, is also termed Sreemaan, because of its yeomen service to

the cause of Sri Rama. Sri Valmiki is so enamoured of the Setu that he calls it

Sreemaan twice-

 

 

 

" Sa Nalena krita: Setu: saagare makaraalaye

 

Susubhe subhga: Sreemaan Swaatee patha iva ambare "

 

 

 

Even the Malaya Parvatam is called " Sreemaan " , because of its beautiful reddish

peak, richness and greatness among mountains-

 

 

 

" Taamra varna: shiro Raajan! Sreemaan Malaya parvata: "

 

 

 

After going through all the aforesaid, my daughter is of the opinion that as

even inanimate objects have been addressed as Sreemaan, there was nothing wrong

in the epithet being applied to me. However, I still have my own reservations,

as even the objects referred to above had Bhagavat sambandham, unlike me.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimah divya paadukaa sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

dasan, sadagopan