Swami Desikan"s Daya Sathakam : Part 1

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Dear Members of the Prapatti Group :

 

This stotram celebrates the auspicious Quality

(Kalyana Guna ) of Mercy (Dhayaa) of the Lord of

Thiruvenkatam. Of All the Kalyana Gunaas of

Venkataadhri Sekhara Vibhu , His Dhayaa is the

most important one for the uplift of the Chetanaas.

The concept of Prapatti and Thiruvenkatamudayaan"s

Dhayaa to realize the fruits of that Prapatti is the subject

of Venkatanatha Kavi in this "Satakam".

 

The structure of this stotram containing 108 slokas

( one for each of the Divya Desa Archaa Murthys of

Sriman Narayana perhaps ) is extraordinarily impressive

even by Swami Desikan"s standards of poetic excellence .

Our Acharya has used ten plus different meters to compose

the ten groups of slokas , each of which house " ten" slokas.

The numbers of slokas and their poetic meters are as follows:

 

1. Slokaas 1-10 : Anushtup meter

2.Slokaas 11-20 : Aryaa meter

3.Slokaas 21-30 : Oupacchandhasikam

4.Slokaas 31-40 : Maalini

5.Slokaas 41-50 : Mandhaakraanthaa

6.Slokaas 51-60: Nathkutakam

7.Slokaas 61-70: SikariNi

8.Slokaas 71-80 : HariNi

9.Slokaas 81-90: Pruthvee

10.Slokaas 91-104: Vasantha Tilakaa

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11. Slokaas 105& 106 : Maalini again

12.Slokaas 107& 108 : Sardhoola Vikriditham

 

In the tradition of my Maanaseeka Acharya , each set of the ten

slokaas have the essence of the ten Patthus of Thiruvaimozhi

of Nammazhwaar. According to this tradition , every set of ten

reveals a particular meaning, which together covers the

Ananatha KalyaaNa GuNaas of the Lord of Thiruvenkatam.

The ten meanings associated with the ten sets of ten slokas

have been summarized by my Manaseeka Acharya , Srirama

Desikaacchaar Swamy this way:

 

1.The Lord of Thiruvenkatam is the one , who can

give Mokshaanugraham .

2.He comprehends everything and He is capable of

carrying out whatever He chooses to do.

3.He destroys the enemies of those, who surrender

unto Him and thereby seek His help.

4.He is the means for attaining ALL worthwhile goals.

5.He is the fruit of ALL worthwhile endeavours.

6.He can be reached easily thru the glorious means

of Prapatti.

7.He will rush to the help of the lowest and the highest

with same speed, when they appeal to Him sincerely for help.

8.He is the Supreme principle standing on top of Thiruvenkatam.

9.He is the one, who took the incarnations of Rama and Krishna.

10.He is the one, who can offer the happiness associated with

Moksha right here on this earth.

 

Swami Desikan goes on to describe in detail the Anantha

Kalyana Gunaas of Sriman Narayana in his Taatparya

RatnaavaLi and Dramidopanishad Saaram . He is thus

paying his tribute to Nammazhwaar"s Thiruvaimozhi in

all of these three works .We will illustrate the ten essential

meanings of Daya Satakam in the subsequent sections as

revealed by Srirama Desikaacchaar Swamy in the tradition of

his Achaarya, Navaneetham Krishnamaacchaar Swamy of

Oppiliappan Koil.