Guest guest Posted December 11, 1995 Report Share Posted December 11, 1995 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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