Faith | Gunavaan

Lord Narayana reclines in the Milky Ocean, from where He takes His vibhava avataras. This ocean is like a nursery, where seeds are planted, take root, and the seedlings are later transplanted to a field. Since the Lord takes His avataras from this ocean, it may be considered a nursery of seedlings.

Kooratazhvan’s Atimanusha stava focuses on the Lord’s vibhava avataras, said Elayavilli Sriram, in a discourse. In the very first sloka, Kooratazhvan talks of the Lord’s quality of ‘seela.’ This is nothing but the quality we know as sauseelya. It is His most significant quality. In the Ramayana, sage Valmiki asks Narada, who in this earth, may be said to be gunavaan, veeryavaan (person of valour), dharmavaan (adherent of dharma), kritagnya (one who remembers goodness shown to him), satyavaakyah (speaks only the truth), and dhridavrittah (has determination). Gunavaan could refer to any quality, which makes Him virtuous. But what is that particular quality which is His distinguishing feature? That quality is sauseelya, and that is what Valmiki is referring to here, when he says ‘gunavaan.’

For all other qualities of the Lord, we say the quality of courage, or the quality of patience. But when we just say guna, without qualifying it further, it is a reference to His sauseelya. It was this quality that made Him befriend Guha and Sugreeva. He even welcomed into His camp Vibhishana, the brother of the demon who had abducted Sita. Not only did He make friends with Guha, but also saw him as yet another brother. Most importantly, whether in the Rama or the Krishna avataras, when He was friendly with simple people, without a high rank in society, He never thought that He was descending to their level and doing them a favour. He was on equal terms with them.