Sri Ranganatha PaadhukhA Sahasram : Part 6

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Dear Members of the prapatthi group :

 

I will cover in this posting the fifth and the sixth Paddhathis

known as PrathiprasthAna and AdhikhAra Parigraha Paddhathis.

 

***** THE FIFTH PADDHATHI : PRATHISTHAANA PADDHATHI

 

There are twenty slokAs in this chapter that deal with the return

of the PadhukhA to AyodhyA and the reasons for its return . Swami

Desikan is moved by the noble gesture of the PadhukhA in leaving

its Lord and returning to AyodhyA and he salutes them in the first

verse of this Paddhathi :

 

prasasthE RamapAdhAbhyAm paadhukhE paryupAsmahE I

aanrusamsyam yAyOrAseedh aasrithEshu anavagraham II

 

(meaning ) : We meditate on the Rama PaadhukhAs , whose

protection of those that seek refuge in them is absolute and

unquestioned. They never fail to bless their devotees . In this regard ,

they are slightly superior to the Lord's feet themselves. BharathA got

the blessings of the Lord's lotus feet only after fourteen years , whereas

the PadhukhAs provided their protection unceasingly.

 

Swami Desikan points out that the grace and compassion

of the PaadhukhAs is unobstructed ( tangu tadangal illaathathu )

to those , who seek refuge in them . The inner meaning is that

the compassion of the AchAryAs is more than that of the Lord ,

since the Lord can become angry at times at the jeevans ,

who time and again break His sastraic injunctions.

The compassionate and ever forgiving AchAryA never gets angry

at our foibles and fickle behavior and comes to our rescue.

 

In the second slokam , Swami Desikan gave one of the reasons

for the return of the PadhukhAs with Bharathan to AyOdhyA .

He says: " I desire those PaadhukhAs , which once returned

to AyodhyA since it was unable to reject the sorrowful prayers

of BahrathA . RamA's feet however rejected those prayers and

proceeded towards the forest . Rama paadhukhAs could not

however do that out of its compassion for BahrathA and the sorrowing

citizens of AyodhyA . They bade farewell therefore to RamA's feet

and returned to the city. Swami Desikan is slightly upset with the

harsh rejection of BharathA's appeal by Rama at Chitrakootam .

Again Swami Desikan suggests that the AcharyAs are more

compassionate than the Lord Himself regarding the trespasses

made by us and come to our rescue .

 

In the seventh slokam of this paddhathi , Swami again points

out the extraordinary sufferings that the AchAryAs undergo to

make the Jevans secure the boon of Moksham . He refers to

the special sufferings of the PaadhukhAs in this context . Swami

Desikan states that both SitA Devi and the paadhukhAs had to

be separated form their Lord for the sake of RamA fulfilling

the purpose of His avathAram (incarnation as the son of king

DasarathA ). SitA Devi was heart broken with sorrow and waited

it out at Asokha Vanam. The paadhukhAs conducted the affairs

of the state at AyodhyA with greater sorrow. Swami Desikan suggests

that the sorrow of the PadhukhAs was greater than that of Sita Devi

since the PadhukhAs had to conduct the affairs of the state, look

after the welfare of the people and participate in many of the auspicious

functions of the state and put on a happy face for the sake of the people,

while it greived over the separation from the Lord's feet. It is generally

agreed that the requirement to conduct an unavoidable auspicious

event in the middle of personal calamity is the worst that could

happen to anyone.

 

In the thirteenth sloka , Swami Desikan visualizes the return of

Rama PaadhukhAs on the back of the court elephant to the

accompanimnt of the Saamara (fan ) kaimkaryam of respectful

BharathA and the shower of parched rice from the ladies of AyodhyA .

The ladies were showering parched rice on the PadhukhAs from

vantage points as a sign of auspicious welcome to the ruby-inlaid

PadhukhAs of RamA travelling on a seat of honor on the back of

the court elephant , Sathrunjayam . Swami Desikan says that the scene

was like the occasion of the Laaja homam (Offering of parched rice

in the sacred fire ) during a Vedic marriage ceremony . BharathA

is visualized here as the bride groom and the paadhukhAs as the bride

with the name of Keerthi . The white rain of parched rice on the red

rubies of PaadhukhAs reminded Swami Desikan of the parched rice

descending on the VaidheekAgni of the marriage during the Laaja homam

section of the marriage .

 

Swami Desikan concludes this paddhathi with a beautiful analogy .

He says that the PaadhukhAs returned to AyohyA just as a cow

returns with great aathuram (longing ) to its calf at the end of the

day ( Vathsam dhEnuriva abhajatha ) . He says: " O PadhukhE !

Just as a cow will think of its calf at sunset and rush from the forest

to feed it , You thought of the citizens of AyOdhyA and rushed

back home with BahrathA to nourish and nurture the suffering citizens

of AyOdhyA . You returned to AyOdhyA out of your own spontaneous

and matchless spirit of compassion . "

 

****** THE ADHIKAARA PARIGRAHA PADDHATHI

 

This paddhathi has fourty slokAs and celebrates

the acceptance of the responsibilities to rule the land

by the PaadhukhAs as the deputy of Lord RamachandrA .

 

Swami Desikan celebrates the Vaibhavam of the PadhukhAs

sitting on the throne of KosalA kings . Befitting his title as

KavithArkika Simham , Swami Desikan uses the rule of logic

known as Anvayam and Vyathirekham to prove the greatness

of PaadhukhAs in this paddhathi . Anvyam is positve assertion

(eg) wherever there is smoke , there is fire .Vyathirekham is

the negative assertion , (eg) wherever there is no smoke ,

there is no fire(Dhooma: and Vahni ) . Approaches based on

agreement and contrariety are used as logical steps to arrive

at the universal proposition (VyApthi ) about the greatness

of Rama PaadhukhAs. Infernce is made through this approach

of anvayavyathirekham . Mill's treatise on Logic uses

the terms " agreement and difference" to denote anvayam

and Vyathirekham .

 

In the first slokam , Swami Desikan refers to this agreement and

difference highlighting technique to win his arguments to prove

the greatness of Rama PaadhukhAs . He says that the very same

PaadhukhAs , whose glory (vaibhavam ) was inferred by

the citizens of AyOdhyA through the use of Anvaya and

VyathirekhA techniques , are also his supreme Goddess .

 

The central theme of this paddhathi is that the Vaibhavam

of the PadhukhAs is intrinsic to it . For instance, when thePaadhukhAs went

to the forest with their Lord , the citizens of AyOdhyA were grief stricken.

When they returned with BahrathA to the capital , the same citizens

were joyous and celebrated that return as a MahOthsavam .

 

There are many instances of celebration of the Vaibhavam of AcharyAs

in this paddhathi in the guise of homage to the PadhukhAs . In the fourth

slokam , Swami Desikan points out that BharathA's aarAdhanam

of the paadhukhAs without seeking any specific fruits gave him

the blessings of governing the state as its deputy . Similarly ,

the aasrayaNam (refuge ) at the feet of a sadhAchAryan without

anticipation of any fruits would result in the accumulation of

the most noble purushArthams.

 

In the tenth slokam , Swami Desikan asks a question .

He addresses the Rama PaadhukhAs and asks as to who

would have protected the land of Kosala at thesorrowful time of

DasarathA's passing away and RamA"s exile , if You

had not accepted the responsibilities of governing by

stepping into the void . Here again , Swami Desikan hints

that there will be no auspiciousness and comfort in this

world , if there are no sadhAchAryAs to guide the suffering

jeevans .

 

In the final slokam of this paddhathi , Swami Desikan states

that the PaadhukhAs accepted the responsibilities of

rulership of Kosala Desam during the time of Sri RamA's

exile to the forest . As a result , the great sorrow of the

citizens of AyOdhyA over the separation from their

beloved RamA was banished just as the Sun's rays banish

the darkness of the night . Swami Desikan hints that the

darsanam of a SadhAchAryan banishes the sorrows and

the sufferings of the Jeevan caught in the snares of SamsArA .

 

Sri Ranganatha DivyaMaNi PaadhukhE ! Thubhyam Nama:

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam .

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan