Mukunda Maala- Part 3

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends: I was busy appreciating the

beauty of Yatiraja Vimsathi and almost forgot about

the subsequent verses of Mukunda Maala. Sri

Rangaswamy"s moving note this morning on Sri Krishna

Bhagavan as his Ishta Daivam brought me back

to the delectable task of completing the comments

on this beautiful sthothram.

 

I will cover verses 8 to 13 in this posting .

 

VERSE 8: UNCEASING MEDITATION ON LORD KRISHNA

 

CHINTAYAMI HARIMEVA SANTATAM

MANDA MANDA HASITA AANANAAMBHUJAM I

NANDAGOPA TANAYAM PARAATPARAM

NAARADHAATI MUNI BRINDHA VANDITHAM II

 

Here, Kulasekhara states that he meditates always on Hari,

the destroyer of all of our sins. That Hari worshipped by celebrated

saints like Naaradhaa has a radiant smile like a blossoming lotus.

He is the supreme most among the Gods and that Hari is none

other than Krishna, who came down to this world as the son of

Nandagopa of Gokulam .

 

VERSE 9: HARI AS A COOL POND REMOVING THE HEAT OF SAMSAARAM

 

Here, Kulasekhara is nourished by the meditation on the beautiful

limbs of the Lord and equates that invigorating experience to that of taking

a deep dip in a cool pond in the middle of scorching summer. He compares

the hands and feet of the Lord to lotuses blooming in that cool pond.

He recognizes the fish swimming in the pond as the two eyes of the Lord.

The waves of the pond remind him of the inviting shoulders of the Lord.

He is reminded of the deep Bhagavat Tatvam , when he thinks about the

depth of the pond .

 

The refreshing and joyous experience of immersing in that pond known

as Hari and drinking its nourishing waters makes him think that, that

experience is comparable to the state of a traveller in the torrid and dry

dessert

sighting a cool pond in the middle of all of that waste land and getting relief

from

his sufferings by dipping into that inviting waters. His afflictions are gone.

The afflictions are the sorrows of samsaric life caused by the Taapa Thrayam .

Dipping in the Hari Saras is the sure way to quench those Taapaas .

Kulasekhara states that the dip in the cool emerald pond (Hari Saras) has

cured him of the afflictions .

 

Poets have used the analogy of a cool emerald pond in a summer to

describe the invigorating and relief giving qualities of the meditation on the

Lord. Following this tradition, Swami Desikan states in Devanayaka Panchaasat,

" MAMA DHEE: BHAVANTAM GREESHMEH TATAAKAMIVA SEETHAM

ANUPRAVISHTAA" . He states that his mind attained rest and vigour

through meditation on the auspicious attributes of the Lord of

Thiruvahindrapuram, just a sone gets relief from

the scorching summer heat by the act of dipping in a cool pond. One Azhwaar

has described Rama as "Dayarathan Perra Maragada Mani Thatam ( Rama, the

emerald pond born as the son of Dasaratha ) ".

 

VERSE 10 : EXHORTATION TO THE MIND

 

SARASIJA NAYANEH SASANKA CHAKREH

MURABHIT MAA VIRAMA SVACCHITTAI RANTHUM

SUKATARAM APARAM NA JAATU JAANEH

HARI CHARANAAMRUTHENA TULYAM

 

In this beautiful verse, Kulasekharaa reveals that the thought of

the holy feet of the Lord is similar to the joyous experience of

drinking nectar.It is an experience that is not surpassed in its

Sukham by any other experience . Therefore, he appeals to his

mind to dwell on the lotus eyed Lord bearing the disc and the

conch , who destroyed the evil Muraasura. He asserts that there is

no joy that can match the exhilarating joy of meditation of the Lord"s

lotus feet.

 

VERSE 11: LORD IS OUR MASTER; DREAD NOT YAMA DANDANAI !

 

MAABHEER MANDAMANOH VICHINYTYA BHAUDHA YAMI CHIRAM YAATANAA

NAHMEE NA: PRABHAVANTI PAAPA RIPAVA: SWAMI NANU SREEDHARA:

AALASYAM VYAPANEEYA BHAKTI SULABHAM DHYAYASVA NAARAAYANAM

LOKASYA VYSANA APANODHANAKAROH DAASASYA KIM NA KSHAMA :

 

HERE, Kulasekhara appeals to his mind and asks it not to be

afraid of the torment of Yama Deva due to worry over the commitment

of many sins over a long time. He says that these sins will not hold

Lordship over you, since our true Lord is Sridharan. O my poor mind!

please shake off your procrastrination and meditate on the Lord. He is

the remover of the sorrows of the world. You are His servant . He will hence

come to your rescue and save you from the punishments of Yama Raja.

 

VERSE 12: VISHNU AS THE DIVINE BOAT TO CROSS THE SAMSAARIC OCEAN

 

BHAVA JALADHI GATAANAAM DWANDHVA VAATA AAHATAANAAM

SUTA DUHITRU KALATRA TRAANA BHARA ARTHINAAM

VISHAMA VISHAYA TOYEH MAJJITHAANAAM APLAVAANAAM

BHAVATU CHARANAMEKOH VISHNU POTOH NARAANAAM

 

Here, Kulasekhara describes the state of Chetanas. He says that

a majority of them have fallen into the deep and dangerous ocean of

Samsaaraa. They are buffeted by the wild winds of shallow pleasures

and great sorrows. They are sinking under the load of responsibility

to protect their children ,wife and relatives .They do not see the shores

during this struggle for survival. Kulasekhara points out that for those

desperate chetanas, the boat known as Vishnu is the sole hope for

escape form the torments of the ocean of Samsaaraa and to reach the

kingdom of the Lord.

 

VERSE 13: BHAGAVAT BHAKTHI AS THE SURE MEANS TO ESCAPE SAMSAARIC TERRORS

 

Here, Kulasekhara comforts his mind and assures it that there is no

need to fret and fear over the ways of crossing the deep and dangerous

ocean of Samsaaraa through its own feeble efforts. He says that the

deep devotion for the Lotus-eyed Lord , who destroyed Narakaasuran

would surely transport it over the dangerous waters of the sea of Samsaaraa.

AandaaL's Nacchiyaar Thirumozhi verse, " TUNBA KADAL PUKKU VAIKUNDHAN

ENPATHOR TOHNI PERAATHU UZHALHINREHN ", is an example of similar

feeling-state. Here , AandaaL says that she is struggling hard in the ocean

of sorrow for the want of the safe boat to known as Vaikuntanathan to ferry her

across.

 

In the next posting , I will cover the verses 14 thru 20.

 

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan

 

 

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