Thirumalai Srinivasa and Purandara Dasa --Fourht Krithi (part 2 )

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Dear Bahkthaas of Thirupathi VenkataramaNan :

 

Dasar used Thodi Ragam to make saranaagathi to

the Lakshmi RamaNan standing on the peak of the

seven hills. Here he states that he has become blessed

by the Darsana Bhagyam of His Subaasrayam . O Lord

who has Vynatheya as your vehicle ( Pakshi Vahanaa) !

O Lord who destroys the Asuraas ! O lotus eyed one !

O KaruNaamurthy who took a message to Duryodhanaa's

court and pleaded the case of the Paandavaas ! Please

cast a glance on me and protect me . These thoughts are

summarized in the following Pallavi and Anupallavi VAkyams:

 

PALLAVI :

 

NINNA NODI DHANYANAADENOH HEY SRINIVASA !

 

ANUPALLAVI :

 

PAKSHIVAHANA LAKSHMI RAMANA LAKSHYA KOTTU

NODO PAANDU PAKSHA SARVA DAITYA SIKSHA

RAKSHISENNA KAMALAAKSHA ( NINNA NODI )

 

In the charana vaakyams , he asks a question of Sri Venkatesa

consistent with the Daasa Vrutthi that he has chosen( Tamburi

Meetithava --TaaLava tattitava--gejjaya kattitava --gaanava maaditava):

O VenkataramaNaa! Govindaa! Am I not a servant of yours as I go from

place to place singing your praise and being overcome by that moving

experience ? Do not you know that in my heart of hearts I want to be

protected by you from the Samsaaric ills ? Jagadheesaa ! Please show me

the sanmaargam and get me across this fearsome ocean of Samsaaraa.

Please have Dayaa and take me-- who is sinking in this ocean-- by Your

hand and lift me up . Daasar performed SarANAgathi in this manner in

the Thodi raga krithi . The charaNa vakhyams containing these thoughts

are as follows :

 

desa desa thirigi naanu aasa bhaddha naateh

swami daasanu naanalava Jagadheesa kaayO

srinivasa kanthu kanaka kelO yenna

antharanga daasayennu antaravillateh

paalisu SRIKAANTHA , Purandara VittalO

 

Here , Daasar addresses the Lord on whose chest resides

Sri Devi as Sri Kanthan in charaNam . Earlier in Anupallavi,

he addressed Him as Lakshmi RamaNaa to remind himself and us

about His status as the one who gives immense Joy to Sri Alamelu Mangaa

presiding over Her temple at Thirucchaanur. Thus Daasar makes

SaraNAgathi in the classical way prescribed by the Acharyas of

one Sri Vaishnava sampradhaayam.This Prapatthi to Jaganmaathaa

and Jagannaathan at the same time reminds us of the first two verses

of Sri Venkatesa Prapatthi . The two verses are as follows :

 

IsaaNaam Jagadhoasya venkatapathehr Vishno: parAm preyaseem

tadh vakshasthala nityavaasa rasikAm tadhkshaanthi samvardhineem I

Padmaalankrutha PaaNi pallava yugAm PadmAsanasthAm SriyAm

vatsalyAdhi gunOjwalAm Bhagavtheem vandeh Jaganmaataram II

 

Sriman KrupAjala Nideh sritha sarvaloka

Sarvajna saktha natha vatsala sarvaseshin I

Swaamin Suseela Sulabhaasrita PaarijAtha

Sri Venkatesa charaNou saraNam Prapathyeh II

 

The first Prapatthi slokam salutes the consort of Lord Srinivasa

as PadmAsani , who resides in the chest of the Lord and increases

His forbearance(Kshaanhti ) for our trespasses as our compassionate Mother .

She is saluted here as the ocean of Vaatsalyam (endearing affection )

for us and is resplendent with that KalyANa gunam

as the mother of ALL the beings of this Universe.

 

After this salutation to Sri Devi in the traditional manner,

The second slokam goes on to offer Prapatthi at the Lotus feet

of the Lord. This slokam addresses the easily accessible Paarijaatha

pushpam standing on the top of the seven Hills as Sarva Seshin ,

Sarvajnan , Krupaajala Nidhi , Sakthan and SwAmin . Each of the Naamas

incorporated in this verse are powerful reminders of the Lord of

Alamelu Mangaa , who has Dayaa as His cardinal Kalyaana GuNam.

Each of these Naamaas can be connected to Dayaa DEvi saluted

by Swami Desikan in his Daya Sathakam. Swami Desikan has

invoked Lord Srinivasa's Dayaa as a Devi and conversed with Her

through the Slokas of DayA sathakam. Purandara Daasa is one of the

"KAMALA VAASA KAARUNYA EKAANTHINA : KRUTHINA : " . Swami

Desikan had Azhwaars in mind , when he chose the above words to

describe the twelve Bhagyasaalis some two hundred years before the

birth of Purandara Daasa. Latter is indeed fit to be considered as one of

the great devotees of Srinivasa , who immersed deeply (azhwaar ) in the

Kaarunya Gangaa of Kamalaa Kanthan ( KAMALAA KAANTHA

KAARUNYA GANGAA PLAVITHAR) . Daasar performed SaraNAgathi

to that Sri Devi , the mother of the Universe in Her role as the

embodiment of the Daya of Srinivasa ( SRYEASEEM SRINIVAASASYA

KARUNAAMIVA RUPINEEM ) .

 

In this Thodi krithi as well as in the earlier Bhairavi and Siva KalyAN

krithis,

Daasar captures the essence of the above two slokAs of Sri Venkatesa

Prapatthi . He salutes the self-manifested ocean of KaruNaa , which is

limitless and offers the bhagyam of Darsanam to us at the environs

of Vrisha sailam in a manner evocative of Swami Desikan's ninth

verse of Daya Satakam ::

 

KAMAPYANAVADHIM VANDEH KARUNAAVARUNAALAYAM I

VRISHA SAILA TATASTHAANAM SVAYAM VYAKTHIMUPAAGATHAM II

 

SRI SRINIVASA CHARANOU SARANAM PRAPATHYE

 

Oppiliappan Koil Vardachari Sadagopan