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Dear Members,

 

Due to a configuration error on my part, it looks

like one or two of Dr. Sadagopan's posts did not

get broadcast to the list. I am resending the

ThiruppaaN Azhvaar and Bhagavad Dhaayana Sopanam

emails that Dr. Sadagopan sent out.

 

Thanks,

Mani

 

------

 

V. Sadagopan

 

Yuva Samvatsara,Karthigai Month

Kaisika Ekadasi Day, Dec 2, 1995

 

Dear Members of the Prapatti Group:

 

Yesterday, A number of Postings covered the Aruliccheyal of

Thiruppaanaalvar known as the Amalannadhipiraan. Today, on this

sacred day revered as Kaisika Ekadasi day, I will post a note on

the importance of the ten stanzas of the Alvar and add some

thoughts on how the Alvar"s Bhagavad Anubhavam moved many of the

Vaishnava Acharyas. These ten verses are housed in the Sixth

Prabhandam of the Mudalaaiyram of the Naalaiyra Divya

Prabhandam.This Alvar by tradition is considered to be Ayonija or

one, who is not born of mortal human beings. He is also

considered as an Amsa of (Sri Vatsa mark, the mole on the chest )

of Sriman Narayana. He was brought up however as a foster-child

by a childless couple of the Paanar caste (wandering ministrel

caste Like that of Neelakanta Yazhpaanar, who accompnaied Thiru

Gyana Sambhandar).

 

Swami Desiakn was moved very much by the Composition of this

Alvar and wrote a commentary called Munivahana Bhogam in

Sanskritized Tamil (Mani pravaalam). He also composed four verses

in Tamil in His Prabhanda Saaram to elaborate on the significance

of the Contribution of this Alvar. He went on to compose a

Stotram in Sanskrit known as" Sri Bhagavad Dhyana Sobhaanam" to

praise the matchless beauty of the Lord of Sri Rangam in the

spirit of the Alvar"s experience accounted for in the immortal

verses of Amalanaadhipiran. We will now summarize the earthly

life of this great Alvar and his Anubhavam of the Lord of Sri

Rangam, which inspired Swami Desikan and the Acharyas before him.

 

Thiruppanar was a resident of one of the 108 divya desams known

as Kozhi or Nisulapuri, which is on the banks of cauveri river ,

very close to Sri Rangam. He used to come to the banks of Cauvery

and sing about the glory of Ranganatha and lose himself in a

trance like state. On one of those days, when he was totally

oblivious to his surroundings, the temple priest of Lord

Ranganatha came to the river to collect water for the Sacred bath

of the Archa Moorthy .He saw our Alvar and thought that latter

was a man of lower caste and therefore, he should move away to

permit the collection of the water for the daily abishekam of Sri

Ranganatha without pollution. The name of the Ranganatha

Purohita(Priest) was Loka Saranga Muni. He was called a Muni by

the residents of Sri Rangam because of his piety and

scholarship. He devoted every moment of his life to the service

of the Lord at Sri Rangam.

 

The Alvar was lost inthe thoughts of Sri Ranganatha and did not

hear the shouts of Loka Saranga Muniasking him to move away. The

preist got angry at nonresponse and threw a small pebble at the

Alvar to wake him up from his trance. The pebble missed the water

and hit the Alvar in on the forehead and opened a wound from

which blood began to gush. The Alvar woke up and realized the

situation, apologized for his unawareness and moved away. The

Priest collected the water in his golden pot and reached the

inner sanctum of Lord Ranganatha. There , he saw to his sorrow

and astonishment blood oozing from the forehead of the Lord at

the same site, where the Alvar had a wound earlier.The Muni

recognized his apachara and went home and had restless sleep. In

his dream appeared the Lord of Sri Rangam and commanded the

Priest to bring the Alvar to the temple as a praaya

chittam(expiation ) for the apacharam (grave misdeed) to his dear

devotee. The priest woke up at that dawn and rushed to the banks

of Cauvery and saw the Alvar pouring his heart out to Sri

Ranganatha through his songs. The Muni conveyed to the Alvar ,

the message of the Lord to come to HIS temple. The Alvar refused

, since he felt that as a man of lower caste, he was not fit to

set FOOT in the holy city of Sri Rangam or enter the most sacred

sanctum of the Lord there. Loka Saranga Muni was desparate to

make amendments for his boorish act and persuaded the Alvar to

ride on his back to the sanctum of the Lord to avoid touching the

sacred ground of Sri Rangam. The Alvar was thus transported to

the sanctum and earned the title as Munivahana. .During this

ride, the Alvar closed his eyes thinking about the blessings of

the Lord. On reaching the inner court of the Lord of Sri Rangam ,

the Alvar descended from the back of the elderly priest , opened

his eyes to feast on the beauty of the Lord and burst forth in a

song known as Amalanaadi Piran, which is a reflection of the

Sampoorna Bhagavd Anubhavam of the beauty of the Lord from HIS

Lotus feet to HIS crown. At the end of this tribute , the Alvar

declared that his eyes will never rest on anything else, after

seeing the Lord of Sri Rangam and he merged with the Lord right

there and then.

 

Loka Saranga Muni learnt about the greatness of the devotees of

the Lord inspite of the superficial accidents of life such as

caste or Scholarship. The Lord of Sri Rangam demonstrated to one

and all the importance of HIS Bhakthas ,just as He would do later

, when Thyaga Brahmam stood at one corner of Chitra veedhi during

HIS Brahmotsavam. At that time, Sri Ranganatha halted His

procession to let every one know that a great Bhaktha of HIS was

standing aside without any recognition.. He halted his procession

on the Raja Veedhi of Sri Rangam, only after Thyaga Brahmam came

close to HIM and received His blessings and Maryadhai(honor).

 

Loka Saranga Muni was deluded like Adi Sankara at Kasi

Kshetram,when latter was hastening to offer his worship at the

Temple of Lord Viswanatha. The great Acharya shouted at a

"Chandala with four accompanying Dogs" blocking his way in a

narrow street to get out of his way , so he wont be polluted

through bodily contact. . When the "Chandala" questioned the

Acharya as to whether he should remove his physical body or the

eternal Atman inside ,Adi Sankara realized his folly and

understood that the Chandala standing before him was none other

than the Lord of Kasi Kshetram and the four dogs were the four

Vedas.

 

Sri Vaishnavite Acharya"s tributes to Thiruppaanaalvar

************************************************************

Mahapurna or Periya Nambi composed the Taniyan (invocatory Verse)

in Sanskrit in praise of this work of the Alvar, which begins

with the words: Aapaada choodam anubhuya Harim Sayaanam----

 

Dr.V.K.S.N.Raghavan"s translation of this Taniyan is as Follows:

" Let me contemplate on Tiruppaanaalvar (Munivahana, the saint

who was carried to the precincts of the shrine of Lord Ranganatha

, by Lokasarangamamuni on his shoulders) ,whose inner soul

(antaratma) became enraptured at the sight of the reclining Lord

Hari(Ranganatha) betwixt (the two streams of ) the river Kaveri

,and who ,having experienced (the vision of the Lord) from the

feet to His head declared that his eyes would not see other

objects (except the Lord).

 

The second Taniyan in Tamil is said to be composed by Thirumalai

Nambi or Srisaila Purna, who summarized the Alvar"s composition

in a quintissential manner.The translation given by Sri Raghavan

for this verse is as follows:

 

"Let us sing in praise of the holy feet of Sri Tiruppaanaalvar

,who entered (the holy shrine of Lord Ranganatha) riding on the

shoulders of the sage (Lokasaranga-Mahamuni) saw( the Lord in

full) and sung (in praise) HIM limb by limb ,as the Lord showed

to him ,i.e., the lotus feet , the silk garment, the navel, the

waist band of rare excellence, the holy chest, the neck, the red

mouth(with rosy lips) ,the eyes of unfading (red lotuscharm) and

the (whole divine) Archa form."

 

Sri Vedantha Desikan was so moved by the Ten verses of

Amalanaadhipiraan that he paid multiple tributes to the Alvar. He

put together a Manipravala commentary known as Munivahana

Bhogam. Swami Desikan was overwhelmed by the profound Bhagavad

Anubhavam of the Alvar that he declared the ten verse compendium

to be the essence of countless Vedic texts. Swami went on to

compose 4 verses in Tamil to praise the work of the Alvar in his

Prabhanda Saaram. The translations of these 4 Tamil verses are as

follows:

 

1.We are liberated from our accumulated sins and defects ,after

understanding the true nature of Lord Krishna, whose twin

charactrestrics are His paramountcy (Root cause of the Universe

and its beings) and his overlordship ( role as the emperor of the

Universe and its controller). This is what Thiruppaanalvar

revealed to us in his ten verses and thus brought out the true

meaning of the important teachings of the Vedas in Tamil

verses. Swami describes the Lord revealed by the Alvar as

"Kaavalanum , Kanavanumaai kalandhu ninra Kaaranan". He salutes

the Alvar as the "Tamil Marayin Payaneh konda Paan Perumaal".

 

2. In the second verse, Swami states that the work of the Alvar

as an extraordinarily unique poem that has to be learnt ,studied,

explained and meditated upon. He describes the poem as a true

summary of all discourses on the Vedas given by all learned

scholars. An understanding of this poem is tantamount to an

understanding of the essentials of Vedantha. Swami claims that

the Alvar is his Paanan , who has seen the Lord of Sri Rangam ,

the ocean of Daya and limitless grace at HIS sanctum sanctorium

and sung about HIS greatness in ten stanzas containg the essence

of the Vedas and Vedantha...

 

3.In the third verse, Swami Desikan offers his highest tribute to

the Alvar and his Verses. He says: " Pannperumal is the one , who

spoke only of the supreme Brahman(Kannan) after having seen HIM

(directly) as Ranganatha,neglecting everything else as nothing to

be seen or spoken of; the Alvar had unsurpassed devotion towards

the Lord ; his songs are acclaimed to be the essence of the

beginningless Vedas (and we adore them).I (Vedantha Desika) got

the title of Vedanthaacharya from the Lord of Sri Rangam in this

world ,surrounded by the vast sea ---- it is my submission that I

abhor ego and am devoid of pride; whatever greatness is spoken of

me, it is only the fruit of the perceptor"s blessings and so I

ever resort to the great teachers (like the Alvar) for their

instructions on the good and evil."

 

4. In the fourth and final verse on the Alvar , Swami

Desikanstates that the Verses known as Amalanaadhipiran are the

essence of the innumerable Vedic Texts and prays for the Alvar"s

blessings to understand their full meaning .

 

Dr. Raghavan"s translation of the ten verses of Thiruppaanaalvar

***********************************************************************

 

For the sake of completeness, I will now include the excellent

translation of Dr.Raghavan, who is a Reader in the Department of

Vaishnavism at he University of Madras. This translation closely

follows the Muni Vahana Bhogam of Swami Desikan:

 

(1) Amalanaadhipiraan---- : He, the Lord Vishnu is blemishlesss,

the foremost God, and the resplendent one that has made me serve

His ardent devotees; He, the Lord of Nityasuris(Celestial,

eternal Arch angels) has taken His abode at the Venkatam hill

surrounded by fragrant groves; He, the immaculate Lord is the

ever pure, sacred God; (now I look at) Him, the overlord of

supreme justful heaven (Vaikuntham or Vaan) ,and the divine God

(Ranganatha) of Sri rangam (girt with ) long ramparts. (As I see

Him), His sacred lotus FEET enter into and become merged with my

eyes.

 

(2) Uvanda ULLattaanay-----: Lord Ranganatha (Arangatthu Ammaan)

who has with His heart full of pleasure, mesured the worlds

(earth and heaven) (in His descent as Trivikrama) shines with His

tall and lofty crown. He ,whose sharp and piercing arrows

destroyed (devoured) the demons (night -wanderers) who came to

fight Him that day(i.e,. In His descent as Rama), is the scion of

the race of Kakutsa. He is the Lord of Sri Rangam full of

(flowery and) fragrant gardens; now my mind becomes immersed with

the Lord"s Reddish SILK GARMENT worn by Him around His waist.

 

(3) Mandi Paai Vada Venkata Maamalai--------: The Lord ,

Ranganatha ,who reclines on the serpent couch (Adi Sesha) in Sri

Rangam ,is the same Lord Vishnu ,(Srinivasa) who has stood in the

north at the great Venkatam hills, where monkeys jump from one

tree to the other. Lord Srinivasa has stood there for the sake of

Gods , who come to worship Him; the sweet core (inner soul) of my

heart rests on the twilight colored garment of the Lord and on

His beautiful NAVEL, above it (the garment) -the great NAVEL that

created the four faced God Aja (Brahma Devan).

 

(4) Cadura Mamadil Soozh---: The Lord of Sri Rangam (full of

Woods) ,where sweetly singing bees hum and great peacocks dance

(happily) ,is the same as the Lord Sri Rama of (life-bestowing)

ocean hue; Lord Rama vanquished Ravana ,the king of Lanka

surrounded by Massive and square ramparts; after driving him out

(Once from the battlefield), Lord Rama later aimed an invincible

sharp arrow at Ravana and made his ten heads fall down

(simultaneously cut off); The WAISTBAND (of this Ranganatha)

found on His beautiful belly makes plesant strolls within my

heart.

 

(5)Paaramaya Pazha Vinai-----: The Lord of Sri Rangam has cut

asunder all my burdensome old sins (ripe and heavy); He has now

made me His (exclusive) servant;further ,He has also entered into

my heart;What a wonder! I do not know how much severe and great

penance I have done to acheive such a great fortune of the Lord"s

immense grace over me.The Lord"s CHEST ,beautified by the Goddess

Lakshmi and the great garland Vaijayanthi , indeed has wholly

captured and enslaved me.

 

(6) Tunda Venpirayan------: My master, Lord Ranganatha , has His

abode in the holy city of Sri Rangam surrounded by groves,wherein

live the swarms of bees with fascinating wings; He is the One

,who has removed the sufferings of Lord Siva with the crescent

moon on His head ( when a skull got stuck in His hand).Lord

Ranganatha "s throat (in days of Yore) consumed in full the whole

Universe comprising (a) many worlds inhabited by Andar( a

category of people) (b) the higher and the nether worlds © this

massive and vast earth (d) all the seven Kulaachalas (Ezhu maal

Varai, the seven mountains balancing this earth); Harken! Such a

THROAT of the Lord indeed has saved me.

 

(7)Kaiyinar Curi canganal aaliyar------: The Lord of the

beautiful city of Sri Rangam and the one supreme God,Mayan

(beyond the ken of all the ordinary individual souls) ,who

reclines on the serpent couch Adisesha holds on His hands ,the

Conch Paanchajanyam with winding rekha and the chakra (disc

Sudarsanam) that emits fiery sparks; His divins body (archa form)

is like a lengthy mountain range ; He is our father and saviour

,who has a very long crown smelling exuberently with the

fragrance of Tulasi leaves ! His beautiful RED MOUTH (with rosy

lips), aye!(Aiyoh) has captivated and enraptured my mind and

heart.

 

(8) Pariyanaahi vanda AvuNan------: The blemishless Lord of Sri

rangam is the Supreme Being(i.e,. the foremost creator and

benefactor) ,who made the advent as Narasimha and tore into

shreds the massive body of the demon king(Hiranyakasipu) that

came to assault Him; Lord Narasimha was (and also is)

unapproachable and inaccessible to the Gods (Brahma, Siva,Indra

et al); in the face of Lord Ranganatha , there are those wide

eyes, which are very much black,broad and extensive towards the

sides ,glittering (restless) , with ruddy lines(rekhas) running

across and very much lengthy; these EYES of the Lord have made me

a fool (and I am stupefied).

 

(9) Aalamaa maratinilaimel oru balakanaai------: Lord Ranganatha

reclining on the serpent couch Adisesha in Sri Rrangam is the one

who (long ago) having devoured the seven worlds ,was seen (by the

sage Markandeya and found to be) lying on the leaf of a great

banyan tree as (an exquisite) Child, incomparable; the Lord

Ranganatha is adorned with beautiful garland studded with

peerless gems and pearl necklace; His holy body (archa form) of

blue diamond lustre is of enormous beauty and excellent

complexion; such a divine BODY of God has, aye(aiyoh) outweighed

my mind (i.e,. the Lord showing His whole body full of beauty has

taken away every thing from me-my mind, heart and soul).

 

(10) Kondal Vannanai Kovalanaai ------:Lord Ranganatha is the

Overlord (supreme Soverign) of the whole world and all the people

(residing there); Him-who is of the black color of the clouds as

well as the nature of the clouds; who ,as Lord Gopala (Kovala

alias Krishna) ,ate butter with His mouth; who has stolen my mind

and heart; and who is my immortal ambrosia-; my eyes

that have looked at His beauty; (I swear ) these eyes of mine

,that have seen Him , will never see anything else.

 

The next posting will cover the Stotram of Swami Desikan (Sri

Bhagavad Dhyana Shobanam) , which is a describtion of the

enjoyment of Sri Ranganatha by this Acharya in the manner

immortalized by Thiruppaanaalvar.Kaisika was of a "low caste"

like the Alvar and he obtained the boon of Moksham on this day by

observing the Ekadasi Vratham (fasting) all through his

life. That is the reason for this Ekadasi of the month of

kartigai being named as Kaisika Ekadasi.

 

V.Sadagopan

 

 

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

*****************************************

 

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

************************************************

 

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. - 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)

*********************************************

 

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

************************************************************************

 

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---

***************************************************

 

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-------)

***************************************************************************

 

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:---)

*******************************************************

 

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---)

***************************************************************************

 

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---)

*************************************************************

 

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---)

*****************************************************************************

 

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---)

************************************************************************

 

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---)

*******************************************************************

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:----)

********************************************************************************\

*

 

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--)

***************************************************************

 

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:---)

***************************************************************

 

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---)

***************************************************************

 

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.

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