Sri DevarAja MangaLam of MaNavALa Maamuni-- Part 2

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Verse 8 :

 

kanchanAchala srunghAgra kaLameghAnusAriNE I

suparNAmsAvadhamsAya surarAjAya mangaLam II

 

This slokam is based on a Thiruvaimozhi pAsuram that begins

with the words : " kAicchina paravai oorndhu ponmalayin meemisai

kArmuhil pOl " . Varadaraaja"s Garudothsavam is a famous uthsavam.

On this day , He comes out of the western gopuram of His temple

sitting on the shoulder of GarudA . Maamuni is reminded of that

sevai of the Lord. He compares the Lord in this slokam to a dark

rainy cloud sitting on the peak of a golden mountain (viz.).,

the shoulders of Veda svarupan, Garudan with his golden wings .

This slokam is also connecteed to the MangaLAsAsanam of

BhuthattAzhwAr ( AtthiurAn PuLLai oorvAn ) .

 

Verse 9 :

BhogApavargayOrekham vAnchatbhyO dhadhatE dwayam I

Srimadh VaradarAjAya mahOdhArAya MangaLam II

 

There are two kinds of BhOgam . One is Iyhikam and the other

is aamushmikam. One belongs to this world( Leela Vibhuthi )

and the other to Sri VaikunTam ( Nitya Vibhuthi ) . Some may

wish the wealth and enjoyment in this world . Others may desire for

the bliss of Nitya Kaimkaryam to the Lord in Sri VaikunTam . Even if

one boon--seeker wishes only one of the two bhOgams, the supremely

generous Varadaraja grants both the blessings . MangaLam to that

KaruNA murthy ! This slokam can also be intrepreted to mean that He gives

His Dvaya manthram to those who wish the boon of either of the Bhogyams.

That powerful blessing however ends up in the boon-seeker realizing

both the bhogams.

 

Verse 10 :

matangajAdhri tungAgrassrunga srungAra varshmaNE I

mahAkrupAya madhrakshA dheekshAyaasthu MangaLam II

 

PallaNdu to the jewel on top of Hasthi giri which decorates

the peak of that hill with its beautiful limbs ! MangaLam to

that great ocean of compassion and mercy , which has

taken a vow to protect me and the other devotees !

 

Swami Desikan calls the most beautiful Varadaraja

as Viswa AdhisAyee suka rupan ( the supreme bliss form

which has no equal in all the three worlds ) . As a MohAndhakAran,

( destroyer of the false knowledge and AjnAnam ) , Swami

indicates that He fulfills His vow to protect us (Bhaddha Deeksha: ) .

He blesses the ones possessing sattva guNam by residing in their

hearts in the form of jnAna svarupi ( Satvavantha ; HrudayE

chinmayatayA rutasya ) . His mahaa krupA encourages

Swami Desikan to beg for those nectar-like, life giving

glances to fall on him ( Tvadheeya: KaruNA amrutha dhrushti Paatha:

jeevAthu asthu ) .

 

Verse 11:

Sri KaanchipurNamisrENa preethyA sarvAbhibhashaNE I

athithArcchAvyavasthAya hasthadhreesAya MangaLam II

 

PallaNdu to that Lord of Hasthigiri , who broke the ArchaavathAra

protocol (silence ) and spoke at all times with Thirukkacchi Nambhi

with geat affection n an exception basis . The vow of the Lord

during ArchaavathAram is not to speak

directly to any one. He broke that self-imposed silence to speak

with his beloved Kaanchi PurNar and sent word to RamAnujA

through His six responses to the queries of the latter. The special

blessings that KanchipurNaa received led to him being

recognized as DevarAja DayA pAthram ( Invocatory verse of

DevarAjAshtakam) . The grateful KanchipurNa addressed

therefore the Lord of hasthigiri as " samastha PrANi

santhrANa praveeNa ! Devaraja DayAsindhO ! Deva Deva !

Jagath pathE ! Vilasanthu KatakshAstE mayyasmin jagathAm

pathE ! ( I have coverd the essence of Sri DevarajAshtakam in

a posting housed in Sri VaishNavA home page ) .

 

Verse 12 :

asthu Sristhana kasthuree vasanAvAsithorasE I

Sri Hasthigiri NAthAya DevarajAya mangaLam II

 

May all auspiciousness befall Lord VaradarajA characterized by

the lingering perfume of Kasthuri on His chest arising from

His affectionate and close embrace of PerundEvi ,

His inseparable consort.This passage of Kasthuri

perfume on the Lord's chest reminds us of the NaachiyAr

Thirumozhi pAsuram section of ANdAL : " Kongai

mEl kumkumatthin kuzhambhazhiya puhundhu

oru nAL tangu mEl yennAvi tangumenru urayeerE ".

 

Verse 13 :

mangaLAsAsanaparai: madhAcharya purogamai : I

sarvaisccha purvairAchAryai: SathkruthAyAsthu mangaLam II

 

This is the famous verse used by us in our daily sAtthumurai .

Here , Maamuni states that he is following the well-trodden path

of the aachAryas , who went ahead of him in invoking MangaLam

to the Lord of Hasthigiri. Those AchaaryAs had their livelihood

as singing pallAndu to the Lord. He says that he is follwing the

tradition of his own AcharyA ( Thiruvaimozhi PiLLai aka Srisaila

PurNar) and his AcharyA's AchAryA , PiLLai LokAchaarya and

other purvAchAryAs going back to PeriyAzhwAr and NammAzhwAr.

 

Sri PerundEvi Sametha HasthigireesAya MangaLam .

Sri MaNavALa Maamuni thiruvadigaleh SaraNam.

 

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan