Sri Garuda Dhandakam Translation and comments

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In this stotram, Swami Desikan covers the FOLLOWING topics to illustrate the

glory , power and status of Garuda as one of the foremost Nitya Sooris serving

Sriman Narayana in Sri Vaikuntam:

 

1.Vedas praising Garuda Bhagavan.

2.Garuda"s service to Sriman Narayana as His Vehicle and Flag

3.His matrimonial status with his two wives(Rudrai and Sukeerthi)

4.His adornment of great serpents as his jewellery on his limbs

5.His heroic deed in bringing nectar from Indra Loka

6.His other heroic deeds in battles on behalf of his Lord

7.His splendour as the Amsa(aspect) of Para Vasudeva(i-e) his Sankarshana

swaroopam

8.His manifestion in five individual forms

9.His conferral of Vedhanta Vidya to his aspiring devotees(i-e) his status as

Acharya

10.The worship of him by learned scholars and saints

11.His power as the Garuda Mantra Moorthy

12.His power to bless one with the 4 Purusharthas (goals ) of Life

13.His incarnation as Garuda as a result of the prayers of the Vaalakilya sages

14.His power to bless on e with the True knowledge or Brahma Vidya

 

It is generally believed that the recitation of this Dhandakam daily would

protect one from the harms caused by poisonous aimals such as snakes, scorpions

et al.

 

Poetic Structure of this Dhandakam

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In sanskrit poetry , each of the 4 Paadas of a sloka can have 26 letters.If the

letters of each Paadas increase to 27,30,33,36(other multiples of 3 beyond 27),

then this slokam is recognized as a Dhandakam. The 3 lettered unit is known as a

Gana. Thus a 27 lettered Paada will have 9 Ganas.There is generally no

restriction on the length of the Paada in a Dhandakam.Swami Desikan chose Paadas

with 36 Ganas or 108=(32X4 )letters for the four Paadas of Garuda Dhandakam.

 

The poetic genius of Swami Desikan is abundantly evident in this

Composition.The Paadas of this Dhandakam parsed by its 144 Ganas make

intricate swoops in the air and make sharp turns like the high soaring Pakshi

Raja(Garuda). The grammar of the flight movement of this Dhandakam is defined by

Naganas and Raganas.At the beginning of each Paada,the first two Ganas are made

up of Naganas and the remaining 34 are made up of Raganas. Naganas are those

Ganas ot triads of Aksharas/Syllables,which are laghu in character; Raganas are

those, where the middle Akshara is Laghu and the remaining two are Guru. The

genius of Swami Desikan as a poet is revealed from the study of this Dhandakam,

where he scrupulously adheres to the rules of the Dhandakam construction ,

including the nuances of meter and Ganas constituting them.

 

METERS

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THE FIRST SLOKA (Nama: Pannaganaddhaya) IS SET IN THE VEDIC METER KNOWN AS

ANUSHTUB WITH 32 SYLLABLES.THE LAST SLOKA (VICHITRA SIDDHA:) IS ALSO SET IN THE

SAME METER.THE SLOKA PRIOR TO THE LAST ONE IS SET IN AARYA VRITTHAM.THE REMAINIG

SLOKA FORMS THE BODY OF THE DHANDAKAM WITH ITS FOUR PAADAS AND EACH OF THE

PAADAS CONTAINING 36 GANAS.

 

 

SRI GARUDA DHANDAKAM

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*

 

Srimathe Nigamantha Maha Desikaaya Nama:

Sriman Venkatanaatharya: kavithaarkika Kesaree I

Vedanthaacharya Varyome Sannidhattaam sadha Hrudhi

II

 

Sloka 1

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Nama: pannaganaddhaaya vaikunta vasavardhineh I

Srutisindhu Sudhotpaadamandaraaya Garutmathe II

 

My salutations to Garuda with the beautiful wings.His limbs are adorned by the

mighty serpents, that he has conquered in battle. They are his jewellery. He

does all the intimate kainkaryas to his Lord and is His Antharanga Daasa. Garuda

is devoted always to the Lord and His services. He is adept like the Mandara

mountain in churning the milky ocean of Vedas and to bring out the Brahma

Vidyas. We can get the benefits of these Brahma Vidyas by offering our worship

to him. My salutations are to him.

 

Dhandakam : Paada 1

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Garudamakhila Veda Needhadhirootam Dwishad Peetanothkantithaakunta

vaikuntapeetikrta skandhameedhe Svaneedhaa gatipreetha Rudraa Sukeerthi

sthanaabhogakatopakuta sphuratkantakavraata veda vyataavepamaana

dwijihavaadhikalpa vishpaaryamaana spataavatikaa ratna rochischataa raaji

neerajitham kaanti kallolinee raajitam I

 

Garuda Bhagavan has designed the Vedas as his cage and uses that cage as his

seat. (This suggests that the Vedas sing his praise). His Lord Sriman Narayana

is bent upon destroying the Enemies of His devotees.No one can stop Sriman

Narayana in these endeavours. When He sets about to destroy the enemies of His

devotees, he uses the shoulders of Garuda as his transport. When Garuda

transports his Lord on His missions, his wives-Rudrai and Sukeerthi-- miss his

absence from home. When the Lord"s mission is successfully concluded, Garuda

returns to his wives and they embrace him intimately with affection . In that

ecstatic state, the hairs on the body of Garuda become stiff like thorns.This

in turn hurts the serpents, which are covering his body.The serpents are

overcome with fear and they raise their hoods. On those occasions, the ratnas

positioned on their hoods radiate their brilliant red rays. That splendorous

group of red rays appear at that time as the mangala Aaratthi to Garuda and he

sparkles in that flood of red light.

 

Dhandakam : Paada 2

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Jaya Garuda Suparna Darveekaraahaara Devaadhipaahaarahaarin diwowkaspati

Kshipta Dambholi Dhaaraa kinaakalpa Kalpaantha Vatoola Kalpodhayaanalpa

Veerayithoodhyacchamatkaara Daityaari Jaitra Dhwajaarohanirdhaaritotkarsha

Sankarshanaatman Garutmun Marutpanchakaadheesa Satyaatimurthe na Kascchit samas

te namaste punaste nama: II

 

O Garuda Bhagavan! You have been named Suparna, because of the beauty of your

wings. Serpents of immense size serve as your food. You brought Nectar - the

food of the Devas- from Indra Loka to release your mother from the bonds of

servitude. Indra got angry at you during that time and threw his Vajra weapon

at you . The sharp edge of that powerful weapon caused wounds on your wings and

rest of the body . the welts from those wounds look today as pieces of jewelery

on your body and attest to your heroic deed in defeating Indra. Your other

heroic deeds stand out like the mighty winds that sweep the universe during the

time of the great deluge. You are sitting on the flag of your Lord , which

denotes His victory over His enemies and from your position on the flag of your

Lord, we are able to infer your glories. You have incarnated as Sankarshana

among the four Vyuha Murthys of Sriman Narayana , which are Vasudeva,

Sankarshana, Pradhumna and , Aniruddha. You have divided yourself into five

forms-- Satyar, Suparnar,Garudar, Taarkshyar and Vihageswarar-- and matched

those five forms with the five Vayus(Praanan, Apaanan, Samaanan,Udaanan and

Vyaanan) and shine thereafter as a supreme Devan. O Lord with the most

exquisitely beautiful golden Wings! There is none , who is equal to you.I offer

my salutations to you first and then again repeat my salutations.

 

V.Sadagopan

 

P.S: the remaining Paadas& the rest of the Dhandakam will be covered in the next

posting.