Sri Vegaa Sethu Stotram -- Part 2

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SRI VEGAA SETHU STOTRAM OF SWAMI DESIKAN

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SRIMAN VENKATANAATHARYA: KAVITHAARKIKA KESARI I

VEDHAANTHAACHARYA VARYOH MEH SAMNIDHATTHAAM SADHAA HRUDHI II

 

YEKAM VEGAVTHEE MADHYYEH

HASTHISAILEH CHA DHRUSYATEH I

UPAAYAPALA BHAVENA SVAYAM

VYAKTHAM PARAM MAHA : II

 

Swami Desikan chose Anushtub metre for this beginning

verse . It is traditional to use the short metre of Anushtub

for aphoristic statement of theological truth .Saardhoola

vikriditham metre is generally used for elaboration of the

theological truth.Inview of our Acharyaa's interest to celebrate the Puranic

story here and the centrality of one of the Vaishnava principles

-- Bhaktha DaakshiNyam of the Lord -- Swami elected not to use

too many lengthy metres in this short stotram . He deliberately

chose Anushtub for the first verse to point out

the UPAAYA --PALA BHAAVAM -- of the Lord of Thiruvehhaa.

This stotram has 10 verses set in 7 different poetic metres

in accordance with the rules of Alamkaara saasthram ..

Swami Desikan uses anushtub metre for the second and tenth verse

as well .

 

The other metres used by Swami with specific purpose in mind are :

Aaryaa ( verse 3) , Upajaathi ( verse 4 ) that is used for imparting

Puraanic flavor , Oupacchandasikam ( Verse 5) , Vasanta Tilakam

(Verse 6 ) for poetic fancy , Maalini (Verses 7 and 8 ) and Mandaakraanthaa

( verse 9 ). Thus Swami Desikan used 7 metres in a stotram consisting

of 10 verses . His skills as a poet are abundantly evident here .

 

In the first verse , he refers to the Svayam vyaktha svarupam of the Lord

as " SVAYAM VYAKTHAM PARAM EKAM MAHA : " This mighty effulgence

that manifested itself out of His own Sankalpam to neutralize the anger of

His daughter in law is saluted here. He states that this Mahaa Tejas at

Thiruvehhaa and the other illustrious Tejas that arose from Brahma's

sacrificial fire on Hasthi giri have the complimentary relationship of

means ( Upaayam ) and fruit ( Palan ) . One is in the middle of

river Vegavathi (Saraswathi ) and the other is on the top of the

sacred hillock known as Hasthi Giri .

 

VERSE 2 :

 

yeeshteh gamayithum paaramesha sethurabhangura : I

yatra saarasvatham srothO visraamyathi visrungalam II

 

Here Swami Desikan describes the Lord , who took the form of

a dam to obstruct the intent of Saraswathi to destroy her consort's

Yajnam . Swami describes that indestructible and immovable

dam (Sethu ) as" Abhangura: Yesha Sethu " . He points out that

dam has the power to serve as an unfailing bridge to get one

across the dangerous and turbulent ocean of SamsArA to the other side

recognized as Moksham or Parama Padam . Swami Desikan

pays tribute to this Maha Tejas beyond describtion by humans as

the dam where the power of human speech finds its halting place.

"Saarasvatham Visrungalm Srotha :" refers to both the halting of

the floods of Saraswathi as well as the the end to the flow of words

that one uses in an attempt to praise the Lord through eulogies.

" Yatho Vaachaa Nivartanteh , Apraapya manasaa saha: "

is the mood of our Acharya here .

 

VERSE 3 :

 

Jayathi jagadekha sethu : VegavathimadhyalakshithO Deva : I

prasamayathi Ya: prajaanaam prathithaan samsArajaladhikallOlAn II

 

Here Swami Desikan recommends that we perform Prapatthi

and cross the dangerous floods of SamsAram by travelling over

the safe bridge of the Lord , who took the form of the Dam in the

middle of the swift flowing river Vegavathi . He salutes the Lord of

ThiruvehhA as " Jagadekha Sethu : "( The unmatchable , one and only

Sethu ) . Swami Desikan salutes the Lord"s kalyana gunam of

Jagath Rakshakthvam and supreme power by pointing out that

He saves the people of the world from the dangers associated with

the tall and ferocious waves of the ocean of SamsArA by subjugating

them .

 

VERSE 4 :

 

vibhAthu meh chatesai Vishnusethu:

vegaapagaa vega vigAtha hetu : I

Ambhoja YOnehr yadhujnamaaseeth

Abhanga Rakshaa hayamedha Dheekshaa II

 

The salutation here is to the Vishnu Sethu ,

which is Vishnu in the form of a dam ( Sethu) in

the middle of Vegavathi river ( Vega Aapagaa) to

serve as the means to arrest the fast flowing floods

( Vega Vigaatha Hetu: ) . Swami wants that Vishnu Sethu to

shine in his mind . In the second half of verse set in UpajAthi

metre to hint at the Sthala PurANam , he salutes the special route

that the Lord took to protect his lotus-born Son "s (Ambhoja YOneh : )

Aswamedha Yaagam ( Hayamedha DeekshA)

to an uninterrupted conclusion trhough His protective intervention

(Abhanga Rakshaa). There was hence no Bhangam ( risk/danger )

to that Yajnam . Swami salutes the means taken by

the Lord as Yadh Upajnam to resonate with the

word Yajnam .

 

V.Sadagopan