Sri D.Ramaswamy Iyengar"s Thiruppavai Andhathi

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Bagirath : It is so wonderful to read

the Bhagavadh Anubhavam of " Sri D.R.SwamigaL".

It was infact thrilling to experience how he connected

the meaning of the first lines /words of AndAL's Thiruppavai

to form a cogent message . His Bahkthi

for AzhwAr's AruliccheyalgaL and Swami Desikan's

Sri Sookthis as well as Lord VaradarAjA of Kanchipuram

are legendary. He was a great friend /

patron of Oppiliappan Koil Sri Vangipuram Navaneetham

Srirama DesikAchAr Swamy . I think I must have met

him during his visits to Oppiliappan Koil as a small boy.

 

I have a copy of Sri D.R.SwamigaL's Nyasa Tilakam

published in 1980 with its outstanding commentary.

I will post excerpts from it at a later date to share with

our members the excellent insights that he shared with us.

Going thru my library , I also came across Sri D.R.SwamigaL's

translation and commentaries on Dehaleesa Sthuthi and

Achyutha sathakam and Nyasa Dasakam . These are treasures

and are in English for the benefit of all of us . Even transcribing

the origianl text of NyAsa Dasaakm might be very useful for

those , who wish to benefit from this magnificient ten verses

covering the essence of Prapatthi .

 

To quote Sri D.R. SwamigaL , " NyAsa DasakA is the shortest

of the above mentioned ( NyAsa DasakA , NyAsa Vimsathi ,

NyAsa Tilakam , SaraNAgathi DeepikA , Abhaya PradhAna Saaram ,

Nikshepa RakshA and Adaikkalappatthu ). As the name itself

indicates , it is a work of ten slokAs about NyAsA ,which is considered

by several as one of the Brahma VidyAs. The contribution of Vedanta

Desika is the postulation of NyAsa as a perfect scientific system ,which

can be adopted by one and all irrespective of caste, creed ,colour or

proficiency in the relam of Jnana or knowledge . The system thus

promulgated by Vedana Desika is not a new one , for it is founded

on the upanishads , the intutive experiences of the Alwars

and the sastraic expositions of the AcharyAs like Alavandar

and Bhagavad-Ramanuja . They had all left it to Desika to systematize

and doctrinise prapatthi as a MokshOpAyA , or a direct means of

attaining MokshA . The earlier AcharyAs had not so categorically

formulated the theory or practice of Prapatthi .

 

One can see the several details about Prapatthi , its nature ,

the qualifications , the modus operandi and so on in the several

works of Vedantha DesikA . They are seen stated very briefly and

crisply in NyAsa DasakA . Evidently , the great AcharyA , whose

compassion towards humanity knew no bounds , must have given

to us this NyAsa DasakA of ten slokAs with the idea that every day

we should read or recite these slokAs , imbibe the spirit underlying

them and enjoy the spiritual exhilaration flowing form a contemplation

of their meaning and significance ". This translation and commentary

was completed by Sri D.R.SwamigaL in 1965 on Panguni Uttaram day

made famous by Acharya RamAnujA's saraNAgathi to the Divya Dampathis

at Srirangam celebrated through his SaraNAgathi Gadhyam .

 

Beautiful indeed are the translations and commentaries of Sri D.R. SwamigaL

of many other works of Swami Desikan referred to earlier.

The thoughts of Swami Desikan are profound . Sri D.R.SwamigaL

and Sri Srirama DesikAchAr brought these thoughts out in perfect

pitch in English and Tamil respectively.

 

I will conclude this posting with another example of a translation/

commentary of a slokam from Achyutha Satakam (Verse 81 )

by Sri D.R.SwamigaL ::

 

kohma kim karaNeeyam

pariharaNeeyamapi kimithi jaanAsi sarvam I

saknoshi cha taddhitham mama

tridheswara ! kurushva nija hrudhaya nikshiptham II

 

(Translation ) : O DevanAthA ! Who am I ? What has to be done ?

What have to be avoided ? Thou knowest them all ; and Thou hast

the power to do them . Therefore please do that which is calculated

for my welfare and which Thou hast in Thy mind .

 

With His scholarship of the Naalayira Divya Prabhandham

and other Sri VaishNavA literature,

Sri D.R.SwamigaL brings out the Periya ThiruvadAdhi paasuram of

NammAzhwAr and links it to the thoughts expressed by the section

of JitantE sthothram:

 

yadh hitam mama DevEsa ! tadh AgjyApaya Madhava ! "

 

The NammazhwAr's periya Thiruvandhadhi Paasuram

forming the basis for the thoughts of Swami Desikan

in Achyutha Satakam is :

 

IvaianrE nalla ivaianrE theeya

ivaienrivai arivanElum --ivai yellaam

yennAl adaippu neekoNAthu IraiyavanE

yennAl seyarpAlathEn --- Periya Thiruvandhadhi : Paasuram 3

 

(Meaning ) : " I know What all are good and what(are) bad. But , I am

unable to adopt the former and renounce the latter. My Lord !

What can I do ? In respect of such one O Lord ! You know best

what to do , Pray do what is calculated for my ultimate welfare ".

 

In this context , I am reminded of Swami Desikan"s genius

in taking the Bhagavadh Anubhavam of NammazhwAr in

Thiruvaimozhi and converting it with his own embellishment

in to chaste Sanskrit and bringing out that experience for our

benefit. A case in point is the Nadha Paddhathi

Slokas of Sri Ranganaatha PaadhukhA Saharam where

the Naadham associated with the sanchAram of the MaNI

PaadhukhAs are equated by Swami Desikan as being

identical to the sound of NammAzhwAr's Thiruvaimozhi .

It is generally conceded that the100 slokAs of Naadha

Paddhathi of Sri Rangatha PaadhukhA Sahasram

are the distillation of the essence of the ten decads

of Thiruvaimozhi of NammaazhwAr.

 

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan