Sri Ranganatha PadhukhA Sahasram (RPS) --part 8

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Dear Members of the Prapatthi Group :

 

We will offer our homage to Sawmi Desikan"s

8th paddhathi of RPS known as NIRYAATHANAA PADDHATHI

in this posting .

 

This paddhathi is all about the NiryAthnOthsavam .

NiryAthanam means returning some thing to the original

owner . Here BharathA returns to Sri RamachandrA His

PadhukhAs that ruled on His behalf the kingdom of KosalA .

The festival related to the reunion of the Lord with His padhukhAs

is celebrated in the 30 verses of this paddhathi by Swami Desikan .

 

In the first verse , NigamAntha MahA Desikan salutes those sacred

padhukhAs which were worshipped by BharathA ( BhavyAm

Bharatha DevathAm thAm Vandeh ) .

 

In the sixteenth verse of this paddhathi , VedAntha Desikan sees

with his mind's eye the scene that took place at Nandigram , when

BharathA carried the Rama PadhukhAs on his head and placed

them next at the feet of his brother. SitA Devi was standing next to her

Lord at that time . With great affection and respect , SitA Devi looked

at her Lord"s PadhukhAs and offered her salutations to them , which

had already been coronated . Swami describes the scene of the public

homage performed by SitA Devi this way :

 

purvAbhishekha vibhavAbhyuchithAm SAPARYAAM

MadhyE sathAm akrutha MyhtilirAja KanyA

 

She recognized that the PadhukhAs had PurvAbhishekha

Vaibhavam .Therefore she performed a pujA befitting the

exalted status of the sacred padhukhAs in front of

the assembled elders and learned people .

 

In the 22nd slokam , Swami Desikan links RamAvathAram

with Sri RanganAtha . He says :

 

nirvruttha rAkshasa chamU mrugayAvihArO

Rangeswara: sa kalu Raghava Vamsa gopthA I

vamskramAdh upanatham padham aadhadhAnO

mAnyam pnasthvayi padham svakeeyam II

 

(Meaning ) : O PadhukhE ! Sri RanganAtha took the incarnation

of Sri RamachandrA , went to the forest , destroyed the evil

rakshasAs including RavaNA and then returned home to AyodhyA

and ascended his heriditary throne and gave YOU back

His holy feet again .

 

In the 26th slokam , Swami Desikan addresses the PadhukhAs

and states : O PadhukhE ! You bore the burden of the earth on

your shoulders for 14 years , while your Lord was away on exile.

When He returned home after completing His AvathAra Kaaryam ,

You placed the Earth on His shoulders and then carried your Lord ,

who was carrying that Earth on His shoulders. Swami Desikan

points out that The sacred PadhukhAs of Sri RamA carried now

on its back the Lord , who in turn was carrying the earth

(Loka ParipAlanam ) on His powerful shoulders as

the newly coronated Chakravarthi .

 

Sri RanganAtha MaNi PadhukhE ! Thubhyam Nama :

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan