Sri RanganAtha PaadhukhA Sahasram(RPS ) : NaadhaPaddhathi --Part 14.9

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Dear Members of the Prapatthi Group :

 

There was a slight mistake in the numbering system.

The last two postings were given the same number( Part 14.7) .

Please consider this posting therefore as Part 14.9

Thanks . I will cover verses 47 to 50 of the Naadha Paddhathi

in this posting .

 

Verse 47/ Slokam 427 of RPS

 

nityam vihAra samayE nigamAnuyAthai :

vikshepa tAndavitha garbha maNi prasuthai : I

naadhai : svayam naraka mardhana paadharakshE

naadhAvasAna nilayam vadhaseeva naatham II

 

" O Paadhukhe of the Lord who destroyed NarakAsurA !

During His time of travel with you , RanganAthA stops

at selected street junctions to accept the homage of the

assembled people . The Steady naadham arising from

the regular trotting of yours stops at that time.

The VedAs which were following the Lord recognize the

cessation of your naadham and stop as well . Until then ,

they were following the even tone set by your

Naadham resulting from your measured gait . "

 

The reference here is to the experience of Yogis and NaadhopAakAs.

Yoga Saastrams state that the Yogis hear ten kinds of Naadham

in their bodies as they meditate on the Lord . When that Naadham

stops , the Yogis are blessed with the darsanam (Maanasa

SaakshAthkAram ) of the Lord and experience a blissful state.

The situation described in this slokam is similar to the

experience of the Yogis. AzhwAr's divya Sookthis are rooted in the VedAs.

At the end of his recitation of Thiruvaimozhi , AzhwAr experienced

the presence of the Lord and got still .

 

Scriptures also state that the Lord or the UpasanA Murthy

becomes visible at the end of worship through

NaadhOpAsanA . When RanganAthA was moving ,

the PaadhukhAs and the VedAs were practising NaadhOpAsanA .

One could clearly hear the Naadham , but it was rather difficult to

see the Lord clearly . Once the Lord stopped , the NaadhOpAsanA

came to a halt and the assembled people could feast their eyes

on Him as revealed by the scriptures .

 

Verse 48/Slokam 428 of RPS

 

In this slokam , the poetic imagination of Swami Desikan

blossoms forth . He imagines a Kalaham (dispute ) between

the two paddhukhAs as the source of the Naadham that we

hear , when the Lord is transported by them .

 

The reference is to the time , when the Lord measured heaven

and earth as Trivikrama. He was wearing His PaadhukhAs during

that occassion . The Lord took three steps. The PaadhukhA adorning

the right foot measured the earth . The PaadhukhA on the left foot

measured the heavens . During the third step , the PaadhukhA on

the right foot rested on the head of emperor MahA Bali . Hence , the right

PaadhukhA had the good fortune to be used twice by the Lord in contrast

to the left PaadhukhA that was used only once in this great feat .

The left PaadhukhA iniitated a quarrel with the Lord over the privelege

extended to the right PaadhukhA . The right PaadhukhA responded and

recommended that the left PaadhukhA settle this matter with the left

foot of the Lord. Using his poetic imagination , Swami Desikan

says that this ancient disputation proceeds in a musical manner

(operatic fashion ) even today , when the Lord has his sanchArams

on the back of His paadhukhAs . Swami says : " O PaadhukE ! When

Lord measured the universe with his three steps , both of you had

an argument as to who was more priveleged (NyunAnAdhikathvam )

to serve the Lord. When I hear the sweet Naadham generated by

both of You now , I wonder whether this is the continuation of

the old dispute between you ."

 

Verse 49/Slokam 429 of RPS

 

Swami Desikan shifts his attention now to another

dispute of a similar kind that questions the Lord's

partiality to one or other of His Devis. Here the disputants

are the Lord's three consorts complaining about

the imagined or real preferential treatment

meted out by the Lord to them . This slokam is

another beautiful one :

 

prAya: padhAvani ! vibhO: praNayAparAdhE

maana graham samayithum mahishee janAnAm I

ucchArayanthi ninadhaistava garbha rathnAni

udhgAtham aksharam upAsraya BharatheenAm II

 

(meaning ) : "O PaadhukhE ! The gems embedded

(garbha rathnAni ) in you generate PraNava naadham

without stopping. That Naadham seems to overpower

the goblins arising from the anger of the consorts of the Lord.

Their anger arose from the occasional preferential treatment

that the Lord showed in His relationship with one of the three consorts .

Your PraNava Naadham seems to serve as calming Vedic Incantations

that subdue (Samayithum ) the demon of anger ( Maana graham )

and create peace among the Devis " . Swami describes the PraNava

naadham as " BharatheenAm udhgAtham aksharam " ( That PraNavam,

which precedes all Vedic Utterances ) .

 

Swami Desikan visualizes a special delicate scene.

He sees that the consorts are deeply in love

with the beauty and KalyANa guNAs of their Lord. He finds out

that this affection makes them doubt the depth of attachment that

their Lord has for them over the other consort ( Saha KaLathram/

SakkaLatthi kalaham ) . That PraNaya AparAdham creates

maana graham ( demon of anger ), which in turn is subdued

by the PraNava Naadham coming out of the Garbha Ratnams

of the Paadhukhais.

 

The inner meaning is that the samsAris are angry at the Lord

during the times of their distress. That anger goes away , when they

recite SatAri Suri's divya sookthams and gain thereform a clearer

understanding of the true nature (Parama Kaaruneeka SvabhAvam )

of their Lord and His dayA .

 

Verse 50/Slokam 430 of RPS

 

In the previous verse , Swami Desikan described the power

of the PraNava Naadham . Here he describes the benefits

that PraNava Naadham confers on the Yogis . He says :

" O PaadhukhE ! Yogis adept in the control of their breath

(PrANAyAma) control their minds . They reach single minded

concentration through this yogic practise and hear PraNava

Naadham and recognize that sound as originatng from you .

That recognition makes them conclude that the Lord is

not too far away and is hastening to bless them with

His darsanam . "

 

Swami calls these Yogis " AbhijnAs " or those who

have the insightful knowledge . The experience of the Yogis

enjoying the PraNava naadham of the PaadhukhAs at the

end of their control of their prANa vaayu through successful

prANAyAmam is described here.

 

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan