Part 2: Bhagavd Dhyana Sobhanam & Amalanaadhipirans

[Guest guest]

Dear Members of the Prapatti Group: I will concentrate on the "Bhagavad Dhyana

Sobhanam" of

Swami Desikan in this posting.

 

SWAMI DESIKAN AND SRI RANGAM

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Swami Desikan spent many years of his long life at Sri Rangam. Sri Ranganatha

and Ranganayaki were very dear to him. The Lord of Sri Rangam gave him the title

of Vedanthaachrya

and Sri Ranganayaki recognized him as Sarva Tantra Swatantra.He composed many of

his

celebrated works such as Padhuka Sahsram at Sri Rangam. He enjoyed most of all

the blessings of being able to offer his worship to Sri Ranganatha daily and

enjoy the divine beauty of the Lord resting at Sri Rangam on the couch of Adi

Sesha.

 

SWAMI DESIKAN AND AMALANAADIPIRAN

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He particularly relished meditation on the ten verses of Thiruppaanaalvar

dealing with his Bhagavad Anubhavam of Sri Ranganatha. In his ten verses, the

Alvar sings movingly about the indescribable beauty of the limbs of the Lord

of Sri Rangam from His lotus feet to his welcoming face inquiring about the

Yoga Kshemam of His devotees. Swami Desikan felt that the Verses of the Alvar

dealt with the essence of the Vedas and particularly covered the esoteric

meanings of the Divyaaksharam known as Pranavam and Rahasya Tryam.. He

recognized that the Alvar included the 5 states of the Lord (Param, Vyuham,

Vibhavam,Archa and Antaryaamitvam ) as summarized by the Veda Mantram-- ,

Ambasya Paareh, Bhuvanasya Madhyeh-- in his verses.

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Further, the verses of the Alvar covered succinctly many of the Vaishnavite

doctrines such as Kainkaryam, Prapatti, Ananya Bhakti , the role of Jivan as

Vishnu-dasa and Vishnu as the supreme goal of life. All of the above doctrines

have roots in the Vedas and Upanishads. That is what attracted Swami Desikan

to the ten verses of the Alvar.

 

SWAMI DESIKAN AND NAALYIRA DIVYA PRABHANDAM AS TAMIL MARAI(VEDAM)

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Both at Kanchipuram and Sri Rangam, Swami defended the sacredness of the Tamil

Marai as being on a par to the Sanskritc Vedas. He defeated his critics ,who

held that the Naalyira Divya Prabhandam does not have the same sanctity of the

Sanskritic Vedas and as such should not be included as part of the Recitations

infront of the Lord during His annual festivals. Swami Desikan established

that the verses of the Alvars are strictly based on the Vedas ( Parama

Vaidheekam ) and silenced the overzealous critics. Sri Varadaraja of Kanchi

and Sri Ranganatha approved the arguments made by Swami in defense of the

sacredness of the Naalayira Divya Prabhandam. The Lord of Kanchi went as far as

to give one of his two Thirucchinnam used to announce his arrival during

festive occasions to Swami Desikan as a reward for this defense... Even today,

there is only one Thirucchinnam used at the kanchi temple because of this

happening.. The deep reverence that Swami Desikan had for the compositions of

Alvars in general and particularly to Thiruppaanaalvar in particular was the

reason for his stout defense of the sanctity of the 4000 verses as having the

status of Tamil Marai or Vedam. Swami Desikan composed a stotram on Sri

Ranganatha called Bhagavad Dhyana Sobhanam to celebrate the Anga Soundharyam

(the Beauty of the limbs of Ranganatha) in the manner in which Thiruppaanalvar

joyously described. Swami also gave us a commentary (Rahasya Grantha) called

Munivahana Bhogam , which discusses the inner meanings of the ten verses of the

Alvar extolling the beauty of the Lord of Sri Rangam. We will focus on the

twelve verses of the Bhagavad Dhyana Sobhanam set in the beautiful

Mandhaakrantaa meter.

 

THE VERSES OF BHAGAVAD DHYANA SOBHANAM& ITS LINKS TO AMALANAADHIPIRAN

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This stotram inspired by the Thiruppaanalvar"s composition is like a series of

steps(Sobhaanam) to climb to perform meditation (Dhyanam) on the Lord of Sri

Rangam and his beauty as well as

auspicious attributes (Bhagavad Vishayam). Therefore, it is aptly named as Sri

Bhagavad Dhyana

Sobhaanam.It closely follows the format of Thiruppaanalvar in that it adopts the

Paadaadi

Kesaantha varnanam of the Lord of Sri Rangam. Poets usually adopt the

describtion of the

beauty of Gods and Goddesses from their Lotus feet to their head (paadaadi

Kesantham ) or

Kesaadi Paadaantham. Out of the great affection and reverence that the Alvar had

for Sri

Ranganatha, he lifted his adoring eyes slowly from the holy feet of the Lord

and let them travel

longingly and slowly to His upper limbs.Swami Desikan followed this method

used by the Alvar in his stotram.

 

First Slokam: Antar Jyothi: kimapi Yaminam---

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In the first verse, Swami Desikan offers his homage and general salutation to

the Lord of Sri

Rangam. He pays obesiance to the brilliant effulgence that shines in the middle

of Sri Rangam and in the heart cavities of the Yogis like the Alvar. He states

that the effulgence found in Sri Rangam is the one that unfailingly blesses

human beings with bhogam (enjoyment) in this universe and Moksham (freedom from

the cycles of births and deaths) in the hereafter.He says THAT effulgence is

the Lord of Lords Himself , Sri Ranganathan , who blessed the Alvar with the

vision of His beautiful body (Subhaasryam). He adds that the effulgence

recognized as Sri Ranganatha removes the miseries of the weak and those, who are

orphaned and serves as the divine eye to appreciate the immense texts of the

holy Vedas.

 

Second Slokam: Homage to the Lotus feet of the Lord ( Velaatita sruthi

parimalam-------)

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Here , Swami acknowledges that the lotus feet of the Lord is reflected in the

pool of his memory . Then he goes on to describe the significance and greatness

of those Holy feet of the Lord. The countless Veda Mantras are ceaselessly

saluting those feet and impart their fragrance to them. The Tamil Vedas created

by the Alvars , which can be sung by one and all , are also saluting them and

add their own unique fragrance to the very same lotus feet. Those holy feet

have descended on the sandy shoals of Cauveri River , where the swans play.

Gods like Indra, Brahma , Siva and other Devas place those holy feet on their

heads as a token of their reverence. Those lotus- soft feet are pressed gently

by Maha Lakshmi and Bhoomi Devi to remove the stress arising from His

exertions.

 

The Alvar acknowledged that the sacred feet of the Lord entered into and

merged with his eyes.

Swami Desikan describes the Lotus feet as being reflected in the still waters

of the pool of

his memory.

 

Third Slokam: Salutatons to the section fom the ankle to the knee(Chitraakaaram

kataka ruchibi:---)

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The portion of the body between the knee and the ankle is known as Jangha. Here

Swami offers his salutations to that portion of Sri Ranganatha"s beautiful

body. The Alvar moved his gaze

from the lotus feet of the Lord to the reddish silk garment worn by Him around

His waist. He skipped as it were the lower legs of the Lord. Swami Desikan seems

to be more leisurely and includes this portion of the Lord"s body in his

salutations.He says that the lustre from the gems

adorning the ankle jewelery of the Lord bathes the region of the body from the

ankles upto His knees.

 

These very same beautiful legs went on a mission of peace on behalf of the

Paandavaas to the

court of Kowravaas. The power of the ankles made Him rush quickly to that court

in pursuit of His

mission. The lower portion of the legs appear to serve as a vessel to hold and

capture the

flood of beauty that overflows as he Moves around.When the beauty of the Knees

join with that of the ankle and lower leg, the resulting beauty is multiplied

many times over.Swami Desikan in his own brilliant way concludes this verse by

stating that the worship of the beautiful Jangha of the Lord

of Sri Rangam leads to the mindless of wandering of his own Jangha due to

samsaric worries.

 

4.Fourth Verse: The salutatons to the beauty of the Thighs (Kaama Rama sthira

Kadhalikaaaa---)

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Here Swami Desikan says that his mind enjoys the beauty of the powerful thighs

of the

Youthful Sri Ranganatha. He compares the two thighs of the Lord to those of the

two lovely Banana plants cultivated by Manmatha himself in his garden with

care and affection. These thighs are covered with the most beautiful

silk garment .They act as pillows for His consorts,

when they get tired after pressing His feet.They also reflect the radiance of

the gems embedded

in His waist belt. These beautiful thighs seperating at His hip appear to be

the two branches

of a river of beauty. Swami says that his mind is deeply absorbed in enjoying

the power of the

beautiful thighs of the ever youthful Lord.

 

5.Fifth slokam: Beauty of the Navel (Sampreenathi---)

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The Alvar paid tribute to the Navel of the Lord in his third verse. Swami

Desikan catches up with

the Alvar in his fifth verse, when he offers his own salutations to the deep

navel , which appears

to hide many worlds in its depth during the time of the Universal deluge. He

points out that the

pollens falling from the petalsof the big lotus flower arising out of the Lord"s

beautiful navel

have the power to create many Brahma Devans. As the Lord"s beauty swirls about

His body, it appears to form lovely eddies around His navel and creates

additional beauty to observe. Swami

concludes by saying that the beauty of the Lord"s navel is deeply etched in his

mind and causes him great joy every moment of his life.

 

6. Sixth slokam: The Chest region ( Sri Vatsenah pratita Vibhavam---)

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The Alvar confessed in his fifth verse that the Lord"s chest , beautified by

Maha Lakshmi and the ever green vana Mala known as Vaijayanthi has wholly

bewitched him and enslaved him .Swami

Desikan's verse in celebration of the beauty of the chest region of the Lord is

a literal echo of the

Alvar"s thoughts with additional embellishments. The factors contributing the

beauty of the

chest region are identified by Swami as follows: (1) its glory is revealed by

the mole known as

Sri Vatsam (2) It is glorified as a place for the foot rest of Maha Lakshmi

residing there (3) Its lustre is enhanced by the splendid red gem known as

Kousthubha (5) Its cool beauty is enhanced by the Vanamalai containing a

generous portion of green and young Tulasi leaves and (6) beautiful pearl

necklace , which has the inimitable whiteness of the full moon. Swami concludes

this verse by confessing that the beauty of the chest region of the Lord removes

all the afflictions of his mind.

 

7 Seventh Slokam:Beauty of the Hands of the Lord ( Ekam Leelobahitamitaram---)

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After enjoying the beauty of the chest region of the Lord, The Alvar moved on to

describe the

beauty of the throat region of the Lord. Swami Desikan is however in no hurry.

He focussed

on the beauty of the two hands of the Lord after saluting the beauty of His

chest. He compares

the Lord"s two hands to a unique Kalpaka tree , which can grant the boon of

Moksham to

those, who performed Prapatti. The traditional Kalpaka tree in the garden of

Indra can bless one

with many things, but does not have the power to grant Moksham.One of His

hands is providing support for His head ; the other one is stretched all the way

to His knee. Swami states that his mind reflecting on the beauty of the two

hands of the Lord is intoxicated with that enjoyment

and is like a female elephant in the state of rut. He points out that his mind

is however kept

in a bound state by the many resplendent rays of the jewelery of the Lord ,

which serve as

many ropes to keep his mind under control during the state of that joyous

inebriation.

 

8.Eigth Slokam: Describtion of the beauty of His Face (Saabipraya smitha

Vikasitham---)

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Swami Desikan"s description of the facial beauty of the Lord is one of the most

moving word pictures.This slokam is full of grace and celebrates the

extraordinary compassion of Sri

Ranganatha for His devotees, wherever they happen to be geographically. Here,

Swami describes the meaningful and benevolent smile of the Lord and His sweet

red lips that house the

unforgettable smile. the Lord"s warm and welcoming eyes seems to inquire about

hte welfare of even people scattered in distant lands. Swami concludes this

slokam by stating that the beautiful smile, the compassionate eyes and the

golden dot on the forehead of Sri Ranganatha will be embedded in his mind

forever.

 

9.Ninth slokam: Beauty of His crown: ( Maalyrantha: sthira parimalai:----)

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After saluting the beauty of the chest of the Lord, Alvar went on to describe

the beauty of the

throat, rosy red lips and His beautiful eyes. Swami Desikan took the route of

the enjoyment of

the arms, face and Crown of the Lord after saluting the beauty of the chest

region. In the ninth

slokam, Swami revels at the beautiful gem-studded crown sitting on the naturally

curly black

hair of the Lord. He points out that His tresses are decorated with fragrant

flower garlands by

the beautiful hands of his consorts. Swami uses an analogy to describe the

curliness of the Lord"s tresses. He says that they are splendidly curly like the

speech of the young girls of Chola land,

when they get angry. He notes that the lustre of the gems adorning his head

region mingle with the lustre of the gems in His crown and creates a wonderful

panoply of colors. Swami says that the

experience of watching the beautiful crown sitting on the curly black tresses of

the Lord of

Sri Rangam tames his erstwhile turbulent heart and makes him like a house wife

obedient to

her lord.

 

(10) Tenth Slokam: Enjoyment of the entire body of the Lord: (Paadambhojam--)

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The Alvar described his feeling state at the end of enjoying the entire body of

the Lord Of

Sri Rangam in his ninth verse. Swami describes his experience of the same in his

tenth slokam.

In this magnificient slokam soaked with emotions, Swami summarizes brillaintly

his attraction to

the divine beauty of the body of the Lord and its many limbs.In this slokam,

he equates his mind to that of a woman , who appreciates the beauty of her

beloved consort. As the mind of Swami takes on a fminine approach to enjoy the

beauty of the Parama Purusha, we experience the emotional depth of the

appreciation of our Acharya for the unmatchable beauty of the Angas (limbs) of

Sri Ranganathan. In a feminine and tender mood, Venkatanayaki touches gently

the lotus feet of the Lord;She worships the anklets with firm and

single-minded devotion; she elevates her gaze and gets absorbed in the masculine

beauty of the muscular and strong thighs;she glances for a second at the

navel and is overcome by the beauty ,she sees there.She elevates her gaze to

the broad and beautiful chest of her Lord; then she concentrates on the powerful

shoulders and let her gaze stay there a little longer. She then drinks the

divine beauty of the Lord"s face with her eyes and finally rests her attention

on His splendid crown.

 

(11) Eleventh Slokam: The Beauty of the Utsava Murthy: (Kanthotarairayamiha

bhujai:---)

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Swami Desikan slowly shifts his attention from the celebration of the beauty of

the reclining

Moola Murthy of Sri Rangarajan to the Utsava Murthy in front of the Moolavar. He

says the Lord with his beautiful, strong and generous hands marked by the

welts from the chord of his Mighty bow Sarangam calms our fears with His

abhaya Mudra. That Lord of Sri Rangam takes the

form of Utsava Murthy with His two consorts and stands in front of His

reclining Moolavar form.

Swami Desikan concludes this slokam by stating that the very same Utsava murthy

form of the Lord of Sri Rangam is standing forever in his heart

cavity. The Alvar was so overcome at the end of his enjoyment of the entire

body of the Moolavar that he merged with HIM , before paying his salutations to

the Utsava Murthy of Kasturi Rangan. Swami Desikan was so eager to enjoy the

beauty of the Lord of Sri Rangam for a much longer period and therefore , he

seems to have

kept his request for immediate Moksham under control. Sri Ranganatha was also

interested

for the Vedanthacharya to continue his service to the strengthening of Sri

Vaishnavism for few

more Years and therefore postponed granting the boon of Joining His holy feet .

 

(12) Concluding slokam about the fruits of recitation of this

stotram:(rangasthaneh---)

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Here, Swami Desikan states that Sri Rangam is a sacred place , where abound the

Bhagavathaas

deeply devoted to the service of the Lord. He was priveleged to live in Sri

Rangam and that he

was able to compose the Stotram on the Beauty of the Lord in the style of

Thiruppaanalvar due

to the blessings of his acharya , Kidambi AppuLLar. Swami reveals that the

recitation of this stotram on Lord Ranganatha will grow rapidly the devotion

(Bhakti) for the Lord. Those, who aspire to ascend the ladder (Sobhanam ) of

Moksham will easily attain their wish and become proficient

practioners of Bhakti Yogam, which in turn will lead to the attainment of the

supreme blessing of

Moksham.

 

Srimatheh Nigamaantha Maha Desikaaya Nama:

Sri Haya Vadana Parabrahmaneh Nama:

 

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan

 

Yuva Samvatsara , Krittika Month, Kaisika Ekadasi

Revathi Nakshatram (the Nakshatram of Sri Ranganatha).

 

Errata in the first part: three of the Four Tamil pasurams of Swami Desikan

referred to should be claasified as three from Amrita Suvadhini and he fourth

from Prabhanda Saaram. It was erroneously stated that all the four are from the

Prabhanda Saaram.