Naama 630-643: Archa Avataram, the Lord in the temples and in our homes

उदीर्णः सर्वतश्चक्षु रनीशः शाश्वतस्स्थिरः ।

भूशयो भूषणो भूतिरशोकः शोकनाशनः ॥ ६७ ॥

udīrṇaḥ sarvataścakṣu ranīśaḥ śāśvatasthiraḥ |

bhūśayō bhūṣaṇō bhūtiraśōkaḥ śōkanāśanaḥ || 67 ||

630. udīrṇaḥ · उदीर्णः

The one whose pleasing and splendid form is clearly visible to the eyes of His devotees.

(oṃ) udīrṇāya namaḥ

From this naama, Sri Bhattar describes the Lord's archa form, the form in which He is present in the idols of the temples and of our homes.

631. sarvataścakṣuḥ · सर्वतश्चक्षुः

The one who is visible to the eyes of all, even to ordinary people like us.

(oṃ) sarvataścakṣuṣē namaḥ

He was visible to the people of His time when He came as Rama and Krishna. Today, He is visible to all of us in His archa form in the temples and in our homes. This is how He removes all our doubts, as described in the previous naama, by giving His devotees His complete darshanam.

632. anīśaḥ · अनीशः

The one who does not display His lordship when it comes to His devotees, but is completely subservient to them.

(oṃ) anīśāya namaḥ

In His archa form, the Lord depends on us to bathe Him, to dress Him, and to feed Him. Nammazhwar recalls how the Lord, who had eaten the butter, pretended to weep and cry before Yasoda at the very thought that she might be angry with Him.

633. śāśvatasthiraḥ · शाश्वतस्थिरः

The one who assumes the various archa forms, which remain forever and are directly perceptible to the eyes at all times.

(oṃ) śāśvatasthirāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar quotes the Saattvata Samhita: "Assuming a form similar to that of the image fashioned by us, He enters into it and remains there" (bimba ākṛtyā ātmanā bimbē samāgamya avatiṣṭhatē). The Lord stays permanently in His archa form, out of His love for His devotees.

634. bhūśayaḥ · भूशयः

The one who, at the request of His devotees, appears in this world in different archa forms and stays there, lying down permanently in order to bless them.

(oṃ) bhūśayāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar mentions the different kinds of archa forms: svayam-vyakta forms, in which the Lord has manifested Himself of His own accord (such as Srirangam, Tirumala, and Srimushnam); daiva forms, installed by the devas; saiddha forms, installed by the sages; and maanusha forms, installed by human beings. In every case, He is fully present for His devotees. Think of Lord Ranganatha reclining in Srirangam, or the Lord of Thiruvanandapuram, lying down on Adisesha, waiting for His devotees to come to Him.

635. bhūṣaṇaḥ · भूषणः

The one who adorns this earth with His archa forms, by agreeing to come down from His supreme position to be easily accessible to all.

(oṃ) bhūṣaṇāya namaḥ

For the Lord, His easy accessibility (saulabhyam) is the greatest of all ornaments. In the Saranagati Gadyam, Sri Ramanuja describes the countless divine ornaments of the Lord, but it is His willingness to come down to us that truly makes Him shine.

636. bhūtiḥ · भूतिः

The one who is wealth, in every way, to those who have completely surrendered to Him.

(oṃ) bhūtayē namaḥ

Nammazhwar captures this when he says that, for him, the Lord is his mother, father, wife, children, and all his great wealth (sēlēi kaṇṇiyarum perum selvamum nan makkaḷum mēlāt thāi thandhaiyum avarē).

637. aśōkaḥ · अशोकः

The one who has no cause for sorrow, because He never abandons anyone who has no other help and seeks His refuge.

(oṃ) aśōkāya namaḥ

One may ask, "Lord Rama grieved deeply when He was separated from Sita. How can He be called the one without sorrow?" The commentators explain, quoting the Srimad Bhagavatam, that the grief Rama displayed was part of His human role, shown to teach the world, and also revealed the depth of His love for Thaayaar.

638. śōkanāśanaḥ · शोकनाशनः

The one who removes the sorrow of devotees who suffer from separation from Him, by helping them cross the ocean of samsara.

(oṃ) śōkanāśanāya namaḥ

While all the wealth of this world eventually causes sorrow, the Lord is the only wealth that removes sorrow. Thirumazhisai Azhwar says, "He becomes our father, our mother, and our Lord, puts an end to our countless births, and takes us into His service" (attan āgi annai āgi āḷum empirānumāi).

अर्चिष्मानर्चितः कुम्भो विशुद्धात्मा विशोधनः ।

अनिरुद्धोऽप्रतिरथः प्रद्युम्नोऽमितविक्रमः ॥ ६८ ॥

arciṣmānarcitaḥ kumbhō viśuddhātmā viśōdhanaḥ |

aniruddhō’pratirathaḥ pradyumnō’mitavikramaḥ || 68 ||

639. arciṣmān · अर्चिष्मान्

The one who has a great lustre that He reveals to His true devotees, giving them the vision to enjoy it.

(oṃ) arciṣmatē namaḥ

Ordinarily, people are unable to realise His greatness. But to some, like Arjuna, He gave the divine eye so that they could see Him as He is. He reveals His splendour to each devotee at just the level that the devotee can enjoy. This naama is also understood to refer to the glow of the Lord in His archa form.

640. arcitaḥ · अर्चितः

The one who is worshipped in His archa form.

(oṃ) arcitāya namaḥ

All the qualities described so far are consistent with His being worshipped in this form. His other incarnations are limited by time (like Rama and Krishna, who lived in a particular age) or by place (like His para form in Sri Vaikuntham). But the archa form is not limited in any way; it is available to all of us in holy places, in temples, and even in our homes, at all times. The mysterious truth about the archa form can be learnt from the Pancharatra Agamas, the Bodhayana Smriti, the Vaishnava Purana, and other scriptures.

Our Acharyas describe the archa form as the greatest expression of the Lord's mercy, because in it He makes Himself available to everyone and accepts even our simple and imperfect service with love.

641. kumbhaḥ · कुम्भः

The one who is the object of desire for His devotees. He is also the one who shines in this world (ku) through His presence in the archa form in the holy shrines.

(oṃ) kumbhāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar quotes several texts that speak of the sanctity of the areas around the holy shrines and of the power of His presence in the temples.

642. viśuddhātmā · विशुद्धात्मा

The one who is of a pure nature, because He gives away all that He has to those who have resorted to Him.

(oṃ) viśuddhātmanē namaḥ

The Azhwars call Him "amalan" and "vimalan", the spotless and pure one. Thiruppaanazhwar begins his Amalanadipiran with this very word, "amalan."

643. viśōdhanaḥ · विशोधनः

The one who purifies those who give up their body in a holy shrine and makes them fit to attain Him.

(oṃ) viśōdhanāya namaḥ

Nammazhwar says, "My Lord took hold of me, drove away all my sins, and made me His own" (ennaik koṇḍu en pāvam tannaiyum pāṟak kaitthu). The very remembrance of the Lord purifies us by destroying our sins.