Sri RanganAtha PadhkhA Sahasram(RPS): Naadha Paddhathi -Part 14.2

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Dear Members of the Prapatthi Group :

 

We will cover the slokAs 11 to 15 of the Naadha

Paddhathi of Sr Ranganaatha PaadhukhA sahasram

in this posting .

 

Verse 11/391

 

In the 391st slokam of RPS (the 11 th slokam of

the Naadha Paddathi ) , Swami Desikan requests the holy

PaadhukhAs to bring Sri RanganaathA with MahA Lakshmi

and Bhu Devi to his bed side at the time of his last moments

on this earth. This is a beautiful and moving slokam :

 

sravasOrmama pAraNAm disanthee

maNipAdhAvani! manjuLai: PraNAdhai : I

RamayA KshamayA cha dhattha hastham

samayE RangadhuriNAm anayEthA: II

 

(Meaning ) : O RanganAtha PaadhukhE ! During my last moments

on this earth , please make my ears happy with your special Naadham,

when You bring Your Lord RanganAthA close to me. During that

unique occasion , He would be holding the hands of Sri Devi

and Bhu Devi with His two hands . You should bring Him

to me in that way and please my ears with Your sweet sounds

indicating the Lord's arrival with His ubhaya NaacchiyArs .

 

Swami Desikan hints that he needs the help of both the consorts

to plead his case to RanganAthA . Bhu Devi would appeal to Her Lord

to forgive the previous trespasses and not get angry at Swami Desikan .

Sri Devi would recommend to Her Lord to bless Swami Desikan

with Moksham .

 

The Naadham of SatAri Suri"s Thiruvaimozhi is equated to the PaaraNam

for the ears. PaaraNam is the bhojanam ( partaking of food ) after fasting.

This is same as the Dwaadasi PaaraNam after Ekaadasi Upavaasam .

That delectable sound serving as the feast for the starved ears is described

by our AchAryA as " ManjuLai : PraNaadhai : " .

 

Verse 12 /392

 

This is another beautiful verse where the imagery of the nectar flowing from

the Lord is connected to the cool and invigorating Naadham generated by

the PaadhukhAs . Swami Desikan addresses the gem-bedecked PaadhukhAs

of the Lord as " RANGACHANDRA MANI PAADHU " . The sound raised by

them is described here as "JANKRUTHAM " . Swami assoicates the sweet,

cool and comforting Naadham( Jaum, Jaum --) to the JankAradvani experienced by

the NaadhOpAsakAs. He points out that the JankAra Dvani Visesham

has the features of the immortal Chandra Kalaas (Nectar -like rays of the moon

).

Swami states : " O PaadhukhE ! Your cool and sweet NaadhA is equivalent to

the nectar flowing from the Moon of Sri RanganAthA . That PraNavA-like

majestic NaadhA arising from you is heard by the Yogis and that makes them

immediately free from old age and death "

 

SaastrAs say that the rays of the Moon are nectar and the DevAs

attain immortality and eternal youth by consuming them . AcharyAs

have pointed out that the Naadham arising from your sanchAram

is also nectar-like in conferring Moksham to those , who have the good

fortune to hear it. The inner meaning is that those blessed to

recite and understand NammAzhwAr's Thiruvaimozhi attain the

boon of being close to Sri RanganAthA' s holy feet .

 

Verse 13 /393

 

In a previous verse , Swami Desikan pointed out that the PaadukhA

Naadham made one attain " Ajaraamaratvam " ( freedom from old age

and immortality ) . That state is reached by the Muktha Jeevans after leaving

this earth (at parama padham) .

 

In this verse , our AcharyA focuses on

the benefits obtained in this life from hearing the sunaadham of

the paadhukhAs of the Lord. He says : " O PaadhukhE of the enemy of

the asurAs known as Madhu and KaitabhA ! Please banish away all

the sins arising through our organ of hearing (SravaNEndhriyam ) .

May Thou with Your power to remove our sins

accumulated from listening to harsh words,

fruitless discussions , hateful words which attack others ,

boastings and slanders " .

 

The categories of sins arising from listening to many kinds

of offensive pronouncements are listed as ParivAdham ( decrying others ) ,

Paisunam ( Telling tales about others/ kOzhi solluthal ) and Vikatthanam

(Boasting/aathma sthothram ) . Swami condemns these activities as

fruitless (Anarthakam ) and begs the PaadhukhAs to chase the sins

accruing from these engagements throughthe power of its sweet sounds.

 

The inner meaning is that all great sinners (MahA paapis )

should be able to shed off their sins through Thiruvaimozhi sevai .

The sacred sound of the SatAri Suri's Thiruvaimozhi is

the same as the Naadham of the Ranganaatha PaadhukhAs .

 

Verse 14/394

 

The guDArtham of this verse is that one can infer that

the Lord has arrived at the side of the person , who recites

the Paasurams of Thiruvaimozhi of NammAzhwAr.

This slokam is as follows :

 

PaadhukhE parijanasya dhooratha :

suchayanthi kalu taavakA : svanA: I

leelayA bhujaga talpam ujjatha:

Srimatha: thri chathuraan padha kramaan II

 

Swami Desiakn says : " O PaadhukhE ! The servants of the Lord

from your Naadham that the Sesha Saayee has left His serpent

bed and He is taking His first three or four steps.These sevants

of the Lord (kinkarAs blessed with kaimkarya Sri ) are alerted by

your unmistakable sunAdham and prepare themselves to be of

service to your Lord .

 

The Krama Paatam of Vedam is hinted here and linked with the steps

of the Veda Purushan . When we hear the distant Veda PaarayaNam

during uthsavams ( Thiruvaimozhi in front of the Lord and the Arya

Vedam following His foot steps ) , we get ready to offer upahAram

to the Lord and receive His blessings.

 

Verse 15/395

 

Here Swami Desikan links the Naadham generated by

the PaadhukhAs to " Viswa MangaLa visesha soochakam "

omens(Saakunams ) .The Naadham is described as Rutham

by our Acharya here. That is a sound linked to fast moving objects

as they travel through space . The occasion is Sri RanganAthA's

quick departure from His AasthAnam on the back of His PaadhukhAs

to punish the wicked and protect the saadhu JanAs . The slokam is as

follows :

 

dEvi ! daitya damanAya sathvaram

prasthithasya maNi paadhukhE prabhO: I

viswa mangaLa visesha Soochakam

saakunam bhavathi taavakam rutham II

 

Swamy says here : " O dEvi PaadhukhE ! O Gem-bedecked Queen !

Lord Considers your Naadham(Rutham ) as an auspicious omen , when He

starts on his missions to destroy the wicked asurAs . Your Naadham

becomes equivalent then to the sound of Veda urushan , GarudA and

the mangaLa vaadhyams (musical instruments like Naadhasvaram )

associatd with your Lord's uthsavams " .

 

The inner meaning is that one who recites the Sri Sookthis

of Thirukkuruhoor Satakopan ( PaadhukhAs of the Lord )

will attain all auspiciousness and Sri RanganAthA will

remove the kama , Krodha , Madha , Matsaryaadhi dhoshams

of that Jeevan and most assuredly grant Moksham .

 

The choice of the word "Rutham " for this special Naadham

is very suggestive of the the Lord"s eternal and never-failing

Ritham (Rithagum Sathyam Param Brahma purusham

KrishNa PingaLam ) . That ritham or eternal law is the sound

of the Lord's PadhukhAs . In a verse devoted to creation

(Rg Vedam X.190.1-3 ) , Vedam describes the connection

between this ritham and the rest of the Lord's creation

and their interconnectedness :

 

ritham cha satyam chAbhidhAth o;

samudrAdhdarNavaAdhadhi o ;

suryachandramasou dhAthA o ;

 

(meaning ) :From TAPAS ( the fervor , the tickling of

Rajas(desireful intense activity ) or dust raised by

the travelling padhukhAs of the Lord )

kindled to its height , ETERANL LAW (RITHAM ) and

Truth (Satyam ) were born . Thence was the night (Raathri ,

the Tamas ) produced and , and thence the billowy flood of

sea (Samudhra -arNava , the ocean of cosmic intelligence ,

the MahA -tattvA ) arose .

 

NammaazhwAr's experience of deep longing for samslesahm

with the SamudhrArNavam of the Lord through his Tapas

based on the reflections on His ritham /eternal law and his

sorrows during the long night of separation from the Lord

(VislEsham ) expressed in the many decads of Thiruvaimozhi

links closely to the jevan's search and finding of the MahA Purushan

and the understanding of the MahA tattvam of this cosmic person

celebrated by the ancient Rg Vedic mantram .

 

Sri RanganAtha Divya MaNi PaadhukhE !

Thubhyam namO nama :

 

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan