Sri Ranganatha PadhukhA Sahasram (RPS ): VaithAlika Paddhathi --Part 9

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Dear Members of the Prapatthi Group :

 

We will devote this posting to the VaithAlika Paddhathi of

RPS . This ninth Paddhathi has only ten verses . It is constructed in

the form of the court singers waking up Sri RanganAthA and

requesting Him to adorn His holy PadhukhAs and get ready

to conduct His daily duties . Court poets or bards appointed for this

function are known as Vandhis or VaithAlikAs or BodhakArAs . The title

for the paddhathi drives from that nomenclature .

 

Swami Desikan suggests here that the VaithAlikAs , who announce

time in Sri RanganAthA's court are none other than the Upanishads .

The ten verses of this Paddhathi address Sri RanganAthA Himself

indirectly ,since He alone has the two states of being awake and engaging

in Yoga NidrA . The invitation is extended to Sri RanganAthA to adorn

His PadhukhAs and to come to the DarbAr and conduct His duties of

protecting His devotees and punishing their enemies. Some of the verses

remind one of Thondaradipodi"s ThirupaLLiyezucchi paasurams

addressed to Sri RanganAthA .

 

The first Slokam of this Paddhathi appeals to the PadhukhAs this way :

 

namasthE paadhukhE ! pumsAm samsArArNava sEthavE I

yadhArOhya vedhAnthA vandhi vaithAlikA : svayam II

 

(meaning ) : O PadhukhE ! I salute you , who cut asunder the cycles

of births and deaths of the people . The Upanishads are waking up

your Lord through their eulogies and appealing to Him to adorn you .

They have taken on the role of court bards to announce the different

times and divisions of the day and night for your Lord to adorn you

and to travel to the appropriate places to perform His duties .

 

In the second slokam , The upanishads praise Sri RanganAthA

and remind Him of His early morning duties . They say : " O Lord

of Srirangam ! As the dawn is breaking , BrahmA , SivA , Sage SanakA

and others are waiting at your outter court at the request of VishvaksEnA .

Please wear Your gem-bedecked PadhukhAs on waking up and

come near the assembled Gods and Maharishis to bless them .

Please wear your PadhukhAs for Your travel to the outter court .

Your PadhukhAs are the first among those enjoying the bliss of Your

kingdom through uninterrupted service to You . Please bless them

first by ascending on them and then join the assembled Gods and Sages

to confer Your blessings " .

 

In the third slokam , the upanishads as VaithAlikas appeal to the

Lord further this way : " O RanganAthA ! May the PadhukhAs be united

with Your holy feet comforted so far by MahA Lakshmi during Your Yoga

NidrA . It is now the turn of Your PadhukhAs to have their sambhandham .

Dawn is advancing and Your (lotus ) eyes are half open just as

the lotuses in the ponds at this early morning hour before sunrise.

The Lotus on Your navel housing Your son is also half open at the

sight of your half open eyes , which are the Sun and the Moon .

Your servants have assembled now and are waiting for You

to open your eyes fully and to command them about the discharge

of their assigned duties. May Your servants have the blessings of seeing

your half open eyes and the half open lotus on Your navel .

Afterwards , please open Your eyes fully so that You can adorn

Your waiting PadhukhAs comfortably .

 

In the fourth verse , Swami Desikan says that the Lord is now fully

awake. The Upanishads praise Him and remind Him that the time

has come for Him to ascend His PadhukhAs to initiate the day's festivities.

The eulogizing upanishads say : " O RanganAthA ! The auspicious

period of fourty eight minutes (MuhUrtham ) set for Your travel according to

the rules of astrology established by AdisEshA has approached . Therefore ,

let Your beautifully jingling sound of the PadhukhAs announce your adorning them

so

that the assembled kings , DevAs and servants will know that You have started

Your journey to the hall of festivities, where they are waiting for You .

 

The fifth verse describes yet another appeal by the Upanishads as

the day progresses . In the last verse , the Upanishads invited Him

to come to the hall of festivities wearing His paadhukhAs and ascend

thereafter on His Vaahanam (mount ) of GarudA . RanganAtha did that

and proceeded on GarudA's back to the hall of festivities. The Upanishads

describe what happened after arriving at the Festival hall this way :

" O RanganAthA ! When You participated in your Uthsavam at the Uthsava

Mantapam on the back of GarudA , Your son BrahmA officiated at that

festival . At the conclusion of the Uthsavam , BrahmA placed Your PadhukhAs

on the heads of the prostrating VedAs and returned them back to Your sacred

feet . The PadhukhAs are ready now to carry You back to Your AasthAnam

to remove any fatigue You might have had from the journey on the back of GarudA

 

to the Uthsava Mantapam . Your PadhukhAs are soft like lotus petals and

they will give You great comfort . Please ascend on them ."

 

In the sixth verse , The Upanishads suggest to Lord RanganAthA that

the noon has arrived and it is time for His mid day sacred bath . They

remind Him that he has descended form GarudA , taken His stroll on

the back of the PaadhukhAs , blessed His devotees and the next item

on the daily agenda is His sacred bath due at noon time for performing

MadhyAhnikham . The Upanishads according to Swami Desikan say :

" O RanganAthA ! The day at Srirangam is half done. Duirng the period upto

noon, You sat on Your throne with Sri Devi , Bhu devi and NeeLa Devi and

conducted the affairs of Your State . You dispensed justice. Now , the second

half

of the day is about to start. NeeLA Devi has sent Her assistants to place Your

PadhukhAs in front of You so that You can adorn them and travel to perform

Your abolutions prescribed by the SaasthrAs for the noon time .

 

In the seventh slokam , Swami Desikan Visualizes the approach of

the Saayam SandhyA (Evening time ) . The deepams are lit and brought

by the ladies to The Lord's sannidhi .. KsheerAnna Nivedanam follows .

The MangalAratthi ceremony proceeds thereafter. Swami Desikan

prays to Lord RanganAthA through the medium of Upanishads to

participate in the NeerajAsanam ( worship with the Deepams )

performed by the divine damsels (Apsaras women ) . The Upanishads

address Sri RanganAthA according to our AcharyA this way : " O Lord !

We request You to participate in the MangaLAratthi ceremony . We request

You to adorn Your paadhukhAs and walk to the hall , where the Apsaras

women are waiting with the lamps (deepams ) in their beautiful hands.

Your PaadhukhAs will bring You over there with their

customary grace and elegance .

 

In the eigth slokam of this Paddhathi , reference is made by the Upanishads

in their role as VaithAlikAs to the remaining three of the six types of

aasanAs constituting the daily aarAdhanam for the Lord. The previous

verse covered SnAnAsana , AlamkArAsanA and NeerajAsanA . Here ,

the Upanishads request the Lord to travel to the different sites on the back

of the PaadhukhAs to receive the remaining aasanAs , where they are being

readied to be offered . The Upanishads as ViathAlikAs request the Lord

to accept the PadhukhAs presented by BrahmA for such a travel .

 

In the ninth slokam , the upachArams appropriate at the time of

the approach of the night is described . VaithAlikAs eulogize

the Lord and advise Him that the servants of the inner chambers

(Antha: puram ) of His palace have sent ManmathA (Kama DevA )

to request Him to join Your consorts there . ManmathA stands before

the Lord with folded hands to grant this request . The VaithAlikAs say :

" O RanganAthA ! please grant ManmathA his request so that Your

consorts will be pleased . May Thou approach Your PadhukhAs ,

which are ready to trasport You with elan to the inner apartments

of Your palace , where Your bed rooms are located ."

 

In the past eight verses , PadhukhA"s service to Lord RanganAthA

from dawn to night were described. In this tenth and final verse ,

Swami Desikan points out that RanganAthA enjoys His consort's intimacy

only at night , where as He enjoys the union with His PadhukhAs

many times during the day . Here Swami Desikan hints that the union

between the Lord and SatAri Suri (NammAzhwAr / PadhukhA ) is more

frequent and intense than that of the Lord with His own consorts.

Swami Desikan says : " O PadhukhE ! Lord RanganAthA is cued in by

the VaithAlikAs about the different occasions during the day and night ,

when He should unite with you . The Lord benefits from these promptings

and joins you , the PadhukhE , with great affection .

 

Sri RanganAtha MaNi PadhukhE ! Thubhyam Nama :

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan