The usage of Ka Varga SabdhAs by Swami Desikan in Varadaraja Sthavam

[Guest guest]

Dear Devotees of Lord VaradarAjA :

 

I mentioned in my earlier posting that Ka sabdham is

Brahma Sabdham as per Aadhi Sankara. He has written

a brilliant commentary on Sri LalithA Trisathi . There are 300 nAmAs

in Sri Lalitha in this Trisathi . These 300 nAmAs are elaborations of the

15 letters of AmbhAL ' s PanchadasAkshari manthram ,

which is also known as SRI VidyA manthram .

 

The first of the 15 salutations are connected with the first

BheejAksharam of the manthram (Viz) Ka .

Each of the 15 aksharams of this powerful manthram has

20 salutations each and thus (15x20 ) add up to the Trisathi(300 )

count in the sthothram . Sri lalithA trisathi starts majestically with

the words " Kakaara Roopa KalyANi -----" . The trisathi archanA

starts with Om KakAra RoopAyai Nama : , Om KalyANyai Nama , -----

 

Aadhi SankarA at the outset of his commentary reveals that

the Aksharam " Ka " is synonomous with Brahman .

When we deal with Kakaaram , we are dealing with

the Infinite; therefore the Ka varga sabdhAs are used ,

when one is unable to describe adequately

the anantha KalyANa guNAs of the supreme .

 

In the Sri VaishNavite Tradition , one of MahA Lakshmi's naamam

is KalyANi . Her chakram ( geometrical form ) is Sri Chakram .

That is why the Ahobila Matam coin celebrating ashta Lakshmis

has Sri Chakram with nine interpenetrating triangles

on one of its two sides . " Sreem " is the BheejAksahram here .

KamalA is another name for MahA Lakshmi.

That also starts with Ka varga sabdham .

 

Let us now focus on the use of Kamapi, Kimapi , KOapi , Kim , Ka: ,

and Kaa api in VaradarAja PanchAsath of Swami Desikan

in response to Sri Mani's query .

 

Prior to that , let me dwell on one or two slokaas of

VaradarAja Panchaasath to illustrate the depth of

involvement of Swami Desikan regarding the indescribable

beauty of Lord VaradarAjA . The 49 th and 50th slokams of

this sthothram are very good illustrations of Swami Desikan's

frame of mind as he enjoys the Lord's special beauty .

 

Fourty Ninth Slokam

**********************

 

nirantharam nirvisathas dvadheeyam

asprushta chinthApadhamAbhiroopyam I

satyam sapE VaaraNasaila naatha

VaikuntavaasEpi na meh abhilAsha : II

 

In this verse set in UpajAthi meter , Swami addresses

the Lord of Atthigiri AruLALan and says that His sarvAnga

sowndharyam is beyond the ken of description and that he

is blessed to enjoy that supreme beauty without let . Swami

Desikan states that he asserts before every one that he has

no desire to enter Sri Vaikuntam and live there in preference

to spending his days at VishNu Kaanchi enjoying without

interruption the indescribable beauty of the Lord in His ArchA form .

 

Fiftieth Slokam

****************

 

This slokam is set in the more complex meter of MandhAkrAnthA .

 

vyAtanvAnAtaruNa tuLasee dhamabhi : svAmabhikyAm

mAtangAdhrou marakatha ruchim pushNathee mAnasE na : I

Bhogaisvaya priyasahacharai : KAA API Lakshmee KatAkshai :

bhooya: syAmA bhuvanajananee DevathA sannidhatthAm II

 

This prayer at the very end of the salutations to Lord VaradarAjA

has this request to Him :" KAA API DEVATHAA NA: MAANASE

SANNIDHATTHAAM " . The prayer is to the most mysterious

Lord VaradarAjan , whose beauty defies all descriptions

to reside always in our heart .

 

The rest of the verse tries to describe some of the wonderous

attributes of the Lord of dark bluish hue ( neela Meghan ) .

The expanded meaning of this portion of the slokam is as follows :

 

Lord VaradarAjan has the natural hue of

blue similar to the clouds of the rainy season . That special hue is

enhanced multifold by the fresh green Tulasi garlands that adorn Him .

The glances of PerundEvi ThaayAr , which blesses one with boons

in this and the other world fall on Him . She is trying as it were to

devour that extraordinary , indescribable beauty of Her Lord.

Those glances of Hers further enhance the bluish hue of the Lord

and that supreme bluish effulgence spreads all over the Hasthigiri . That

makes one wonder whether this hill is entirely made up of Maragatham

( Karu neela pacchai ) .

 

Swami Desikan prays for the Lord known for this extraordinary bluish color

arising from the intensification of His own natural hue with those of the fresh

Tulasi garlands and the auspicious glances of His consort to reside and

preside in our hearts always !

 

First Verse :

**************

The portion of the verse contining the word " kO api "

in the anvaya kramam is as follows : syAmaLa :--havya Vaaha:

kO api kaaruNya raasi: na: kusalam kalayathu .

 

(meaning ) : May that dark-hued one appearing in the flames of

the yAgam of BrahmA looking like Agni Himself bless us with

auspiciousness ! May that vilakshaNan ( Extraordinary one =kO api )

representing the embodiment of mercy confer on us all

blessings including Moksha Sukham !

 

Fourth Verse :

***************

Here Swami Desikan confesses that he is a man

of limited intellect and asks rhetorically " SthuthayE

KIM vyAharAmi ? KATHAM vaa ? " He asks how can I , whose

intellectual lustre is as tiny as that of a fire fly describe your

limitless glory ? In what manner can I go about it given

my minimal capabilities ?

 

Fifth Verse

************

 

The word KIM is used thrice in this slokam set in

the Vasanthatilakam meter .

 

macchakthi maatra gaNanE KIM IHAASTHI sakyam

sakyE na vaa tava kareesa KIMASTHI saadhyam I

yadhyasthi saadhaya mayaa tadhapi tvayaa vaa

KIM vaa bhavEth bhavathi KIMCHIDH aneehamAnE II

 

(meaning ) : O Lord of Atthigiri ! When I take stock of my

entire capabilities , I recognize how precious little that I

am capable of doing . Even if I can accomplish something

(related to eulogizing You ) , what great benefit is that to You ?

If there is any , please use me as your agent and have it

accomplished . Even that would have been realized by

your power . What can one hope to accomplish , when you

have no desire to fulfill that effort ( with your blesings ) ?

 

Verse 14: Here Swami Desikan recognizes the Lord of Hasthigiri

as the creator , protector and nourisher of the dEvAs and the vEdAs .

Overwhelmed by the countless ways in which the Lord

serves and functions , Swami gives up the counting

and ends this slokam with a wonderous question :

KIM NAAMA NA ASI ? He asks the Lord the question ,

what is that Thou art not ?

 

Veres 21 and 22 : In these two verses , Swami asks the Lord

in a state of awe as to how he managed to occupy the tiny

space in the heart cave and reside there . How come You desire

such a cramped place ? How does Your mighty form fit in there ?

The relevant passages of the Slokams are ;

Idham susukshmam sushiram katham aadharaNa aaspadham

jaatham ? ( verse 21 ) . Tadh adhbhutham vaarahm roopam

katham prabhutham ? Hantha ! ( verse 22) . In the latter verse ,

Swami Desikan wonders about the mystery of the Lord holding the

entire creation in his stomach , when he floated on the leaf of a pupil

tree during the time of MahA praLayam . The very same universe was

contained the gigantic body of the Lord , when he incarnated as

the Varaham . Swami wants to know how this mystery was accomplished .

 

Verse 34 : Here Swami Desikan compares his status to that of

a blindman floundering around in the forest of SamsAram . Lord came

to his help , when he was in that helpless state and took him by hand as it

were up to that point in life. Swami pleads with Lord VaradarAja

for taking care of him for the remaining short time on this earth .He asks

the Lord whether that is too much of a burden for Him . The slokam

portion containing this request is : DhayALO ! sesha adhva lesa nayanE

athibhAra: KA iva?

 

Verse 37 : Here Swami asks another question . He says : O Lord !

What is the use of seeking Nitya Naimmitthika dharmams as external

help for my protection , when your jagadh RakshaNa sankalpam is there

as the strongest support ? dharmAdhi baahya sahakAri GavEshaNEna

KIM vaa? (tava ) sankalpa yeva bhavathO nipuNa: sahAya :

 

48th Slokam of VaradarAja PanchAsath

********************************************

 

I will conclude this posting on the supreme beauty of the Lord

of Hasthigiri celebrated by Swami Desikan with the recollection

of the 48th slokam of VararAja PanchAsath . Here Swami celebrates

the MahOthsavams of the Lord , when He has distinctly different

umbrellas , fans and dresses . He (Varadaraja) comes on bhavani

on the back of the horse , Garudan . He is also carried in the palanquin

or he adorns His ThirutthEr ( Car festival ) .On each of these

occasions , His beauty is distinct , different and delectable.

Swami Desikan states that the possession of two eyes are not

enough to enjoy the multifaceted beauty of the Lord. He therefore

prays for the boon of many eyes to enjoy His beauty and also

the blessings of eyes , which do not shut down even for a moment

during such enjoyment . He wishes to have eyes that do not

wink and lose thereby the sukham of enjoying the Lord's

sowndharyam without let .

 

Such is the quality of celebration of Lord VaradarAjA's beauty

by Swami Desikan that inspired Appaya Dikshithar !

 

Sri PerundEvi Sametha VaradarAja ParabrhamaNE Nama :

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

[Guest guest]

On 13 Mar 1997, V. Sadagopan wrote:

> Dear Devotees of Lord VaradarAjA :

>

> I mentioned in my earlier posting that Ka sabdham is

> Brahma Sabdham as per Aadhi Sankara. He has written

 

In this connection, here are a few of my observations.

 

Many upanishads mention that the letter Ka stands for Brahman. Ka also

stands for AkASa among the pancabhUtas. The reason for this is that Ka is

the first in the list of consonants. In Mantrasastra, all consonants are

considered to be denoted by Ka. Therefore, Ka is Brahman, the first.

Similarly, the vowel "A" is equated with Brahman also, because it is the

first vowel. In recent times, Muttuswami Dikshitar describes Goddess

Kamalamba as "a-ka-ca-Ta-ta-pa-adi varNA" - denoting that all the letters

of the alphabet are contained in Her.

 

Such resonances are important in all Mantras, including the most basic

one, Aum, which also denotes Brahman. Similarly, Aim denotes Vagdevi or

Sarasvati, the Vedamata. Hri, Kri, Kli, Sri etc. denote various aspects of

the Goddesses. These Mantras are a very ancient legacy. E.g. the Purusha

Suktam makes "Hri" the patni of the Purusha.

 

S. Vidyasankar

[Guest guest]

Sriman Vidyasankar writes:

> Many upanishads mention that the letter Ka stands for Brahman.

> Ka also stands for AkASa among the pancabhUtas.

 

This brought to mind the Chhandogya Upanishad vaakya which

teaches this explicitly:

 

kam brahmA, kham brahmA

 

yad eva kham, tad eva kam

 

kam is understood as bliss; kham means the AkASa, colloquially

the sky (Sanskrit scholars please correct me if I am wrong!).

 

That which is limitless and infinite like the AkASa is Brahman,

and that very same Brahman is the abode of all bliss. What is

Infinite is blissful, what is inherently blissful is Infinite.

This is a restatement of the Bhuma-Vidya which also occurs in

the Chhandogya, as also the Taittiriya which so forcefully

states "satyam jnaanam anantam brahma" -- "Brahman is Truth,

Knowledge, Infinity."

 

Mani

[Guest guest]

On Fri, 14 Mar 1997, Mani Varadarajan wrote:

> Sriman Vidyasankar writes:

> > Many upanishads mention that the letter Ka stands for Brahman.

> > Ka also stands for AkASa among the pancabhUtas.

>

> This brought to mind the Chhandogya Upanishad vaakya which

> teaches this explicitly:

>

> kam brahmA, kham brahmA

>

> yad eva kham, tad eva kam

>

> kam is understood as bliss; kham means the AkASa, colloquially

> the sky

 

Yes, kham is indeed understood as the sky. That is why Garuda, and

in general any bird, is called Khaga (kham gacchatIti khaga:), by virtue

of which there is the name KhagavAhana.

 

Vidyasankar