28th day of Marghazhi : Part 2 --GodhA Sthuthi

[Guest guest]

Dear Members of the Prapatthi Group :

 

In Part 1 of today's posting , I covered the Tamizh and

Sanskrit Dhyanam slokams for GodhA Piratti . In this

posting , I will elaborate on 11 slokaa from Swami Desikan's

GodhA Sthuthi . The slokas in the order of describtion would be:

 

11 , 8 , 10 , 17 , 18 , 20 , 21 , 24 , 25 and 27 and 1 .

 

1. Slokam 11: The Distinction conferred on the Southern Disai

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dhik dakshiNAapi paripakthrima puNya lAbhAth

sarvottarA bhavathi dEvi tavAvathArAth I

Yathriva RangapathinA bhaumAna poorvam

nidhrALunA apniyatham nihithA; kataakshA : II

 

(Meaning ) : O GodhA dEvi ! The southern direction has also excelled

over the northern direction as a result of the ripened puNyam arisng

from your birth in the south (at Srivilliputthur ) . Your Lord

Sri RanganaathA's glances were directed there with great respect

even when He was engaged in Yoga NidrA (at Srirangam ) .

 

(Comments ) : Srivilliputthur in the south was at a stage of ripened

puNyam , when You incarnated there under a Tulasi plant . Your Lord

sleeping at Srirangam in Yoga NidrA is looking in the direction of Your

place of birth out of His great affection for You . The hidden meaning is that

Sri RanganathA , the bride groom was eagerly looking at His bride-to-be ,

the moment She was born. He woke up from His Yoga NidrA time and again

to cast His glances in that direction to see the growth of AndAL . It appeared

as though he could not wait for Her to finish Her Thiruppavai and

NaachiyAr Thirumozhi , which needed to be done before She could

join Him at Srirangam .

 

The other hidden meaning centres around the choice of the Word ,

UttarA ( Dhik DakshiNa api sarva UTTARAA bhavathi ) . Uttaraa has

double meanings . In one context , it means the Northern Direction ,

where Sri Rama and KrishNa were born . Hence the northern direction

is venerable for us. As a result of GodhA's birth , the southern direction

became more venerable than the Northern direction. In another context ,

the words , " Dik DakshiNA sarvOttharA bhavathi " suggests that the

southern direction became the northern direction known for its superior

glory as a result of the avathArams of RamA and KrishNA there . In one

context , the south exceeded in glory and in the other , the distinction between

south and the north directions disappeared .

 

Slokam 8 : AzhwAr's imitation of GodhA

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bhokthum tava priyatamam bhavatheeva gOdhE

bhakthim nijAm praNaya BhavanayA gruNantha : I

ucchavachai : viraha sangamajai : udanthai :

srungArayanthi hrudhayam gurava: tvadheeyA : II

 

(Meaning ) : O GodhA dEvi ! Your elders like Your father

wanted to enjoy the Lord , who is very dear to You , just

as You did .In this context , their hearts were fileld with

SringAra Bhavam ( love sentiments ) and they enhanced their

true Bhakthi for the Lord through conversations with Him ,

which reflected their moods of bliss , while united with Him

and intense sorrow , when separated from Him .

 

(Comments ) : O GodhE ! You by birth are a woman and as such

it was NATURAL for You to relate to and enjoy the Lord as a Man .

Your elders like Your father had intense desire to enjoy the Lord

as their lover , just as YOU did . It was however not easy for them ,

since they were born as males . They thought of a trick to overcome this

limitation . They dressed as women , gave themselves the names

such as ParakAla Naayaki and ParAnkusa Naayaki and enhanced their

love for the Lord through expresion of the Samslesham--Vislesham

sentiments in their Paasurams. The mood of sorrow from their

separation with the Lord , " their consort " and elation on union with Him

as " their husband " came out in their thoothu vidal and Madaloorthal

acts. They sent birds and bees as messengers to the Lord for

appraising Him of their sufferings and to beg Him to come to their

side . They threatened to embarass Him by publicly exhibiting

themselves as abnadoned women . Such acts were impressive

anbd yet did not ring as true as in Your case , because You were born

as a woman and Your sentiments of relating to the Lord as a Purushan

were much more realistic and thus rang true .

 

Slokam 10 : The Glory attained by VishNuchitta through His daughter, GodhA

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thaathasthu madhubidha: sthuthi lesa vasyAth

karNAmruthai : shtuthi sathai : anavAptha poorvam I

tvanmowli ghandha subhagAm upahruthya maalaam

lEbE mahatthara padhAnuguNam prasAdham II

 

(Meaning ) : O GodhE ! Your Lord is easily pleased by

even a small eulogy . He becomes overcome as a result

with affection for the one , who sings His praise . Your

father , Bhattar PirAn and the other AzhwArs before You

had sung His praise through many pleasing songs . He did not

however respond to them too much . Your father however took the garlands

worn by You and presented them characterised by their divine fragrance .

He immediately became very much attached to Your father . He praised

Your father for his welcome kaimkaryam and honored him with the name ,

"PeriyAzhwAr " or the senior most AzhwAr and became

his son-in-law later . Thus , Your Lord"s great affection for You , GodhE ,

inspired Him to confer the honorofic title of PeriyAzhwAr on

Your father . He had heard Your father's Paasurams before and

was not sufficiently moved to do something extraordinary

such as conferring the title befitting Your father's unique kaimkaryam .

 

Slokam 17 : The Lord's high regard for the Garlands worn by GodhA dEvi

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viswayamaana rajasA kamalEna naabhou

vaksha: sthalE cha kamalA sthana chandhanEna I

aamOdhithOapi nigamai : vibhurangriyugmE

dhathtE nathEna sirasaa tava MowLi maalaam II

 

(Meaning ) : Your Lord has the Lotus in his Naabhi .

The pollen dusts from that sacred lotus have a divine fragrance

that fill the air . MahA Lakshmi is seated on His chest region. The

fragrance of the sandal paste worn on Her breasts is enjoyed by Him as well.

The divine frgrance of the Arya Vedhams and the TamiL marai

saluting the glory of His sacred feet is also enjoyed by Him .

Thus , His whole body is covered with these divine fragrances and Yet ,

He seems not to be fully satisfied . He waits eagerly for the garlands

worn by You and receives them from Your father with his head

bent out of love for You and becomes filled with a superlative fragrance

that finally satisfies Him .

 

Slokam 18 : Auspiciousness acheived by the Lord

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chooDApadhEna parigruhya tavotthareeyam

maalaamapi tvadhaLakairadhivaasya dhattAm I

prAyENa rangapathirEsha bhibharthi GodhE

sowbhAgya sampath abhishEka mahAdhikAram II

 

(Meaning ) : O GodhE ! Your Lord , RanganAthA wears

with great affection Your upper garment as Parivattam

on His crown . Next , He wears with great affection , the

divinely fragrant garalnds associated with Your curly ,

black tresses . Through these two acts , He enhances His

auspiciousness and achieves the capabilities to confer

auspiciousness on His devotees . His enrichment is a

direct result of the vaibhavam of Your upper garment and

the flower garlands worn by You !

 

Slokam 20 : The effect of GodhA 's glances falling on the Lord

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dhanyE samastha jagadhAm pithurutthamAnghE

tvanmowLimAlya bhara sambharaNEna bhooya : I

indeevara srajamivAdhadhithi tvadheeyAni

aakEkarANi bahumAna vilokithAni II

 

(Meaning ) : O GodhA pirAtti ! Your Lord is the father of the universe .

His siras becomes blessed by wearing the garlands worn by You

earlier . You become joyous over His expression of affection

rsulting from Your Kaimkaryam . You cast Your shy glances at

His crown decorated with Your garlands .At hat time , it appears

as though an additional dark blue lotus garland has been overlaid

on the existing garlands there .

 

(Comments ) : Swami Desikan hints that the charmingly beautiful

and dark eyes of GodhA piratti rested on the garland-decorated crown

of Her Lord and appeared as though another garland of blue lotusflowers

were added .

 

In the next posting , I will cover the rest of the selected verses of GodhA

sthuthi.

 

AndAL ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan