Dasar and Venaktachalapathy --Krithis ( Part 6)

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Dear devotees of the Lord of the Seven Hills :

 

In the third krithi set in Ragam Kaambhoji ,

Dasar takes Srinivasa to task for not heeding to

his request to bless him with Darsana Bhagyam.

 

In the krithi starting with the Pallavi " Naanegi MaadithenO

Venkataraya Nee yenna kaya BeghO " , he queries Venakatarayan

this way : O Lord ! What did I do to deserve this utter neglect

and indifference by You ? Why wont You come to my side ?

O Deena Rakshakaa! " Manaabhimaanavu Ninnadhu , Yenakkenu ? "

(Anupallavi vaakyam ) . It is your problem to worry about your

abhimaanam (attachment cum affection ) for your Bhakthas

and the consequent worry to protect them as well . It is not

my concern to worry about the harm to your reputation as Bhakta Vatsalan,

if you do not execute your self-avowed duties as protector of

your bhakthas in times of their dire need and distress . I have

done Baranyaasam to You and the burden of protecting me is your

responsibility . I am not therefore worried . Even if I am free of

worry , I still do not understand a few things . Please explain them to me."

Dasar goes on to describe the matters that confuse him in three CharaNams:

 

CharaNam 1 : Kari raja karisitaneh Drowpathi devi

peratoleh kaLusitanen

rishi rajapatni kallaghi sthreeyaghitadhu

yee jagavalla ariyarenoh Govindaa (Naanenu )

 

CharaNam 2: rakkasatalananeh kelO Dhruva raayanu

sikkavanallavenoh

ukki paruva karmamaaditha AjaamiLa

ninnakkana nahanenO Govindaa (Naanenu )

 

CharaNam 3 : ommadi avalikkeh yaatatantha avanikkeh

oppi kottayO bhagyavaa

sarpa sayana Sri Purandara Vittalaa

aprameyaneh salahO Venkataraayaa (Naanenu )

 

( Free translation ) : O Venkataraayaa ! You are running around

boasting the name of Deena Rakshakan . Did Droupathi write

a letter to you at the time of her distress asking you to save her

from humiliation at the court of evil Duryodhana ? The whole

world knows that you transformed the Rishi patni Ahalya through

your Paada sparsam ( contact with the dust associated with your

holy feet ) from the state of stone to her former beautiful self .

O Lord who destroys the Rakshasaas ! Did you not bless the

little child Dhruva and respond to his intense penance ?

Did you not save AjaamiLan , who was intricately bound in the net

of his Karmaas ? How do you expalin your partiality (DaakshiNyam )

for him ? Was he your nephew ? You gave the wealth of all the worlds to

your boyhood friend Kusela in return for a handful of pounded rice .

What is the mystery here ? O Lord resting on your serpent bed !

O Seshadri Sekhara VibhO ! Why wont you show mercy to me ?

Waht wrong did I do ? Why this utter indifference ? Thus asks

the angry Dasar with salugai in the spirit of Nindaa Sthuthi in

this Krithi .

 

In the next song , Dasar's anger is reduced and he addresses

the Lord with affection . In the Pallavi and Anupallavi Vakhyams ,

he begs the Lord of seven hills to show him the sanmaargam:

" O Srinivasa! O Asritha Jana Rakshakaa! O Nada Brahmam !

O VeNugopAlaa! O Mukundaa! O the essence of Vedas and

Vedanthaa! O The embodiment of eternal bliss ! You alone can

and must save me. Please grant me the boon of following

sadaachaaram and the right path. The pallavi and anupallavi

Vakhyams containing these thoughts are as follows :

 

Pallavi :

 

SRINIVAASAA NINEH PAALISo SRUTHA JANA PAALA

GAANA LOLA SRI MUKUNDANEH

 

Anupallavi :

 

DhyaanamaaLpa sajjara maanathim paripaalisuva

VeNugopaala Mukunda Veda Vedyaa nityaanandhaa

(Srinivasaa )

 

In the first charaNam , He asks " Yeshtu Dina kashtapaduvathO

Yasodhaa gandhaa ? ". O Yasodhaa Bhagyam ! How long should

I suffer from these samsaaric afflictions ? " . Won' t you cast your

benovolent glances at me( Drishtiyintha nodha Bharateh ) ?.

" Mutti ninna bhajisalaareh ketta nara janmatava dhushta

kaaryamaaditaakyu ishtanaagi kayyapidiyO , Srinivasa ? ".

was the next appeal of the dejected Dasar. O Srinivasa !

It is not clear to me that in this human birth one can attain You

by devoting one's life to nama sankeerthanam about Your kalyaNa

GuNaas . Please do not abandon me even if I might have done

many worst deeds.

 

In the final charaNam , Dasar makes a moving appeal to

Srinivasa in the spirit of utter meekness symbolizing his performance

of SaraNaagathi . He says : " O Lord ! You know very well that

I suffer daily from the disease of Samsaara. I am not sure that I

have the courage and endurance anymore to bear the scorching

flames of the fire of Samsaara. I do not have the strength. Your cool

and saving glances should fall on me just as abundant rain falls on

the parched/scorched land. O Lord of the Universe !

Please do not forget to come to my rescue ". With great humility

and meekness , Dasar thus performed saraNaagathi at the lotus

feet of Srinivasa and repented for his short temper . The Lord of

the seven hills could not hold himself back from his dear devotee

any more and appeared before Dasar along with Saraswathi Devi.

Dasar was overjoyed with the blessings of Lord Srinivasa and composed

many immortal songs thereafter .

 

On the eve of this DeepaavaLi celebration of Dhaathu Samvatsaram ,

it is a blessing for all of us to think of the Bhaktha Daakshinyam of

Sriman Narayana standing atop of the seven hills and offer our prayers

a la Purandara Dasar and other bhakthaas that followed him to the

sannidhi of Srinivasa like Mutthuswami Dikshitar (Seshachala Naayakam

BhajAmi Visesha Pala PradhAyakam ) and Sadguru Thyaga Brhamam

( Terathiyaga Raadhaa loni Thirupathi VenkataramaNa matsaramanu) .

 

I will conclude this series of Postings on Purandara dasa"s krithis

on Sri Venkatesa with the first two slokas of Sri Venkatesa Sahasra Naamam

and a few select Venkatesa ashtotthara Naamams :

 

VENKATESOH VIRUPAAKSHOH VISVESOH VISVABHAVANA: I

VISWASRUDVISWA SAMHARTHAA VISWA PRAANOH VIRAT VAPU : II

 

SESHAADRINILAYOH ASESHA BHAKTHA DU:KKA PRANAASANA: I

SESHASSTHUTHYAS SESHASAAYEE VISESHAJNOH VIBHUSSVABHOO : II

 

OM CHINTHITAARTHA PRADHAAYAKAAYA NAMA:

 

OM GANA SAARA LASAN MADHYA KASTHURI

TILAKOJVALAAYA NAMA:

 

OM HAYAGREEVAAYA NAMA:

 

OM AARTHA LOKA ABHAYA PRADHAAYA NAMA:

 

SRIYA: KAANTHAAYA KALYAANA NIDHAYEH NIDHAYEHARTHINAAM I

SRIVENKATANIVAASAAYA SRINIVAASAAYA MANGALAM II

 

Srinivaasa Para Brahmaneh nama :

 

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan