Form of Visnu as guru

[Martin Gansten]

>Many of the verses in this section state, through punning, metaphors etc.
>(good religio-philosophical poetry), that a spiritual teacher or the
>author's teacher is superior to the customary great gods. The cited verse is
>written in similar vein. One should not, therefore, try to look for a
>particular incarnation or (teaching) form of Vi.s.nu in it. 

I would disagree with this. Even if the verse is a eulogy on the author's
teacher, it is hardly a coincidence that he chooses to speak of him as
conquering Madhu and Kaitabha, two demons killed by Vishnu as Hayagriva. I
find it quite likely that the author had this particular form in mind, as
it is also the one most naturally associated with a teacher (represented as
displaying the teaching mudra and holding a book, etc).

>A similar ruupaka exists in the
>expression mok.sa-lak.smii. The intention behind using this expression is to
>suggest that the spiritual guru-vi.s.nu excels the deity Vi.s.nu who bestows
>only a lak.smii that binds one to the world.

Interpreting the metaphor to suggest that the guru actually excels the
deity seems to me to be overstating the case, unless it is borne out by the
remaining verses (which I have not seen). It is, after all, not the case in
puranic and other religious lore that 'Vishnu bestows only a lakshmi that
binds one to the world'; on the contrary, Vishnu is said to grant moksha
even to the demons killed by him.

Martin Gansten