Yatiraja Vimsathi -Part 3

[Guest guest]

Dear Members of the Prapatti Group:

 

I will conclude the comments on Yatiraja Vimsathi

with this posting. Prior to that let us reflect on the

adoration of Embaar and Swami Desikan on the

verses that they used to meditate on the beautiful

body and commanding presence of Yatiraja.

 

the last two lines of the 8 lined verse of Embaar are

as follows:

YEPPOZHHUTHUM YATIRAASAN VADIVAZHAGU YENN IDAYATTIL ULATHAAL

ILLAI YENAKKU YETIR ILLAI YENAKKU YETIR ILLAI YENAKKU YRTIREH

 

Here, Embar confesses that there is no one equal to him, because he has

the memory of Sri Ramanuja"s beautiful body enshrined in his heart forever.

In the other six lines, he goes onto describe the lotus feet of his Acharya,

his tender fingers like a creeper, sacred ochre dress befitting that of a Yati,

scared thread, tridhandam, his merciful upadesam, his beautiful and

ennobling smile symbolizing mercy, the beautiful eyes full of compassion,

his thick tuft and the tucking of it in a bundle . The adoration and the Dhyanam

of an

Acharya and his Svaroopam is an integral part of the salutations that

a disciple offers to guide him in his daily activities.

 

Swami Desikan, who is known as the Kavithaarkika Simham( the lion among poets

and logicians) melts over the thought of Sri Ramanuja and praises the

beauty of Ramanuja with great emotion:

 

UPAVEETHINAM URDHVAPUNDRAVANTHAM

TRIJAGAT PUNYAPHALAM TRIDANDAHASTHAM

SARANAAGATHA SAARTHAVAHAMEEDEH

SIKHAYAA SEKARINAM PATIM YATHEENAAM

 

Here, Swami says that he praises the king of Sanyaasis,

who has the Yajnopaveetham, Urdhva Pundram , Tridhandam

and recognizes him as the sum of the fruits of the Punyam ofthe three worlds .

He points out that this Acharya with the most beautiful tufted

hair is the leader of those, who has offered Saranaagathi at the

feet of Sriman Naraayana.

 

With these invocatory thoughts on the sacred memory of Sri

Ramanuja, we will continue with the rest of Yatiraja Vimsathi.

>From verse 6 to the Twentieth concluding verse, ManavALa Maamuni is

overcome by the greatness of Sri RamAnujA and his unfitness as a

follower of the lofty teachings of the AchAryA and describes in moving verses

his inadequacies and pleads for the grace of Sri RamAnujA to save him.

 

VERSE 6:

 

O Yatiraja Arya! ( O Paramount Yati ) , Dayaa Eka Sindho ( O Ocean of

Mercy), I do not have enduring devotion at your lotus feet. My infatuation

with sensory delight increases daily. What can I do? The basis for this

deplorable state is my Paapam ( Amushya Nidhaanam Math Paapam

Eva). There is no other reason. Please destroy my sins .

 

VERSE 7:

 

O Yatindraa! I have the body of a human, but my conduct is

that of an animal devoid of reason( Aham tu Nara Vaphu:, Vrutyaa Pasu .

Here he reminds of the statement "Jnanena Heena:, Pasubhi: Samaana: ".

Inspite of this deficiency, others praise me as an expert in Vedaas and

as one who is the treasure house of auspicious conduct . I am deceiving

these people, who are not aware of my deficiencies. Please guide and save me.

 

VERSE 8:

 

O Yatiraja! I call myself as a Prapanna and mingle with your devout

disciples and pretend as though I am an evolved one and hide my

inauspicious tendencies. I sadden your heart. I am a Murkan. Please

have mercy on me!

 

VERSE 9 :

 

O Yatiraajaa! I ama satan. I am filled with Sata Vaayu. I move with your

devoted disciples as though I am having utter faith in Acharya, the

mantram that he blessed me with and the devotion to the Devathaa

behind that Mantram. I am a bold one , who fearlessly struts around

inspite of my deficiencies. Please save me! I ma indeed a Murkan that

deserves to be saved!

 

VERSE 10:

 

O Yatiraajaa! I engage constantly in committing Apachaaraas

with my mind, body and speech. I carrry on with acts that

sadden your heart. I pretend like a Aanukoolya Sankalpan

(the one , who carries out acts approved by Saastraas ). I keep

on spending my time this way. I am a Murkan! What a sad lot that

has befallen me! Please have mercy on me and save me.

 

VERSE 11:

 

O Yatirajaa! Normally people fear about the consequences of

their sinful deeda and are ashamed over them and desist from

them for fear of entering Narakam. For me , there s eems to no

such restraint. I am not afraid or contrite. I keep on doing more

of the prohibited acts. My state is deplorable! Please rescue from

this recidivism.

 

VERSE 12:

 

ANTHAR BAHISCCHA SAKALAVASTHUSHU SANTHAM

EESAM ANTHA: PURA: STHITHAM IVA AHAM aVEEKSHAMAANA:

GANDHARBHA VASYA HRUDHAYA: SATATAM BHAVAAMI

HANTHA TVAT AGRA GAMANASYA YATINDRA! NA ARHA:

 

O Yatindra! I am like the one , who is blind from birth. Such a

man can not seethe objects infront of him. I am like him in

the sense that I am unable to comprehend the Lord, who

pervades all both inside and outside. I am full of passion and

delight in sensory objects and stray from the cognition of the Lord

(VIswaantharyaami, Antharbhaisccha tat sarvam Vyaapya Naraayana:

sthitha: ). How can I feel fit to appear before You?

 

VERSE 13 :

 

O Yatiraaja! Even if I wallow in the sorrowful ocean of the

three afflictions(Taapaas), I repeatedly indulge in sensory

delights. I have no desire to escape from repeated births. My accumulated

sins are the cause of this deplorable behavior. O My Acharya! Please

banish all those sins with your powerful glance and rescue me quickly!

( Tvameva Hara Tat Yatiraaja! Seekram ).

 

VERSE 14:

 

Here, Maamuni refers to the Naicchaanusanthaanam thoughts tnat

Kuratthaazhwaan included in his Vardaraja Sthavam and Vaikunta Sthavam.

There, Aazhwaan, the most sacred disciple of Sri Ramaanujaa is in a

mood of self-depreceation and cries out about his deficiencies. Maamuni

is reminded of those cries of a great soul and says that What Azhwaan

referred to fits him to a tee. He appeals therefore to Sri RamaanujA that

he and he alone should be the object of the mercy of Yatiraaja instead

of the great Bhagavatha like Aazhwaan.

 

VERSE 15:

 

In this and the previous verse, Maamuni appals to Yatiraaja this way:

Karunaiva tu madh gathi: teh = teh karunaa yeva madh gathi: ).

He says that the great Acharya"s limitless mercy is the only rescue.

Here he says that the Naiccham statements of AalavAndhaar,

AazhvAn , Parasara Bhattar an dothe r Achaarya Sikhamanis

have found their home in him . Therefore, he says that he should be

the object of Yatirajaa"s compassion .

 

VERSE 16:

 

Here, he appeals to the Nirhetuka Karunaa of Sri RaamAnujA.

He prays for the destruction of desire for the sensory delights and

the uplifting of him to a state of Sarama with thoughts full of

the Bhakthas and disciples of Sri Yatiraaja.He wants to reach that

saramaavati state and stay there.

 

VERSE 17:

 

Here, Maamuni answers Sri Ramanuja"s question on why

Maamuni is pressing for this kind of help. Maamuni says that the

Lord Of Srirangam stands as Videhayan ( Yatokthakari ) to Ramanuja.

Reference here is to incidents like the one, where Ramanuja brought

the Vaishnava Dhobi in front of Ranganatha and appealed to the Lord to

accept the beautiful Parivattam cleansed and prepared by the clothes washer.

Ranganatha opened his eyes and looked at the Lovely Parivattam and

accepted it and blessed the Dhobi and blessed him from his Apachaaram

during Krishnaavatharam . The name of the Dhobhi of Mathura nagaram

was Rajakan. Krishna and Balarama confronted him and asked him to

give them the beautiful clothes he was carrying for delivery to Kamsaa.

Ranganatha pardoned the Dhobhi brought before him by Ramaanuja

for his trespasses during his life as Rajakan in a previous aeon.

 

VERSE 18:

 

Here again , he reminds Ramanuja about his special powers that

derive from his closeness to Ranganatha. He says that the Lord alone

can destroy the sins committed by mind , body and speech in the

present, past and future. Sri RamaanujA offers protection to his

disciples through his power of intercession with NamperumaaL.

Aacharya Sambhandham and the the Acharya Nishtai as a form of

Saranaagathi is referrd to here.

 

VERSE 19:

 

Here, Maamuni pays tribute to his Immediate Acharya , Thirumalai

Azhwaar or Thiruvaimozhi PiLLai or Sri Saila Nathan. He acknowledges the

command of his Acharya that led to the composition of Yatiraaja

Vimsathi. He acknowledges that his Acharya

introduced him to the worship of Sri Ramanuja"s lotus feet.

He pleads for the blessing of freedom from all obstacles that

interfere with the seva for those Lotus feet.

 

VERSE 20:

 

Here, Maamuni hails RAmAnujA as Dhayaa Ambu Raaseh! He

recognizes the great Aacharya as the ocean of mercy. He asks

RaamAnujA to accept his Vigyapanam or appeal. He says:

Vigyapanam Tat Anghikurushva. He cites the reasons why the Acharya should

accept his appeal. The reasons are the lack of knowledge that Maamuni

possesses regarding Tattva, Hita and Purushaarthaas. His lack of

Aatma Gunaas . His state of helplessness . He asks RamaanujA to take

these factors into account to accept his appeal and come to his rescue.

 

I will conclude this posting with a slokam from Yet anothe rcomposition of

MaNavALa Maamuni known as DEVARAAJA MANGALAM ,which was created

by him at kanchipuram, when he was receiving instructions on Sri Bhashyam from

the disciple of Brahma Tantra Swatantra Swami. One day, Maamuni was standing

in front of Varadaraaja PerumaaL and he was overcome by the blessings

of that ancient Archaa Murthy , who spoke to THirukkacchi Nambi and

gave the six instructions to Sri Ramaanuja as well as the object of great

affecton of Swami Desikan.The twelve verses of Devaraja mangalam

poured out of his mouth. The twelfth slokam , which is used by us in our

Sattumurai everyday is as follows:

 

MANGALAASASANA PARAI: MADHAACHARYA PUROGAMAI:

SARVAICCHA POORVAACHARYAI: SATKRUTHAAYAASTHU MANGALAM

 

Our Poorvaacharyaas celebrated as Asmathaacharyaas had the singing

of the praise of the Lord (Mangalaasaasanam ) a stheir profession. To

that Lord praised by them, Hail to Him! Hail to HIm! Pallaandu to Him!

Following the ancient Aacharyas , who preceded me, I am offering

Pallaandu to HIM withthis Devaraaja Mangalam.

 

MANGALAM VEDHASOH VEDHIMEDHINEE GRUHA MEDHINEH

VARADHAYA DAYAADHAMNEH DHEERODHAARAYA MANGALAM

 

AZHWAAR, AACHARYAAL THIRUVADIGALEH SARANAM

 

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan

 

Pr