Copy of: MM"s YathirAja Vimsathi : Second Slokam

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V. Sadagopan, 75041,3037

TO: OM, INTERNET:BHAKTI

DATE: 3/15/97 8:41 PM

 

RE: Copy of: MM"s YathirAja Vimsathi : Second Slokam

 

SECOND SLOKAM OF YATHIRAAJA VIMSATHI

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In this beautiful slokam , MM connects the AchArya paramparai

from Sri Ranganatha down to KuratthAzhwAn, the dear disciple

of Sri RamAnujA . The sound effects of reciting this slokam are

beautiful . The poetic skills in Sanskrit of MM is abundantly clear.

It is a pity that he elected to write mostly in Tamil .

 

The Second slokam is as follows :

 

SrirangarAja charaNAmbhuja rAja hamsam

Srimadh ParAnkusa padhAmbhuja brungarAjam I

Sri BhattanAtha parakAla mukhAbhja Mitram

Srivatsa chi(h)nna CharaNam(SaraNam) YathirAjameedE II

 

(Meaning ) : I eulogize the emperor of SanyAsis , RamAnujA ,

who has chosen the lotus feet of Sri RangarAja as the seat of

his permanent residence , just as a king swan would seek

a beautiful lotus for its place of rest . I salute Sri RamAnujA , who is

resting on the beautiful paadha kamalam of NammAzhwAr like

a honey-sucking bee sitting on the fragrant lotus flower full of

pollen and honey . I offer my homage to YathirAjA , who is like a Sun

to the lotus-like faces of PeriyAzhwAr and Thirumangai AzhwAr, whose

faces blossom forth at the sight of Sri RamAnujA . I bow before

the BhashyakArar , who is the refuge for KurEsa ( or who has KurEsa

as his Thiruvadi ) .

 

SLOKA LINE :

SRI RANGARAAJA PADHAAMBHUJA RAAJA HAMSAM

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Lord RanganAtha broke His ArchA samAdhi and spoke

to RamAnujA AT sRIRANGAM on a panguni uttaram day and

suggested that RamAnujA stay at his side in Srirangam

until his last days ( Yavaath Sareerapaadham ATHRAIVA

SrirangE SukhamAsva ) . With great affection , Sri RanganAtha

accepted RamAnujA's prapatthi ON THAT SPECIAL DAY ;

the Lord used the word "Athraiva " to indicate that

He wanted RamAnujA to stay right there at His sacred feet .

RamAnujA stayed there as a rAja hamsam on a beautiful

lotus flower until his last moment at Srirangam .

 

COMPARISON OF RAMAANUJAA TO A KING SWAN

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The comparison of RamAnujA to a Swan is to hint that

like a Swan that has the power to separate milk from

water in a mixture , this great AchAryA is known for

separating sAram from AsAram and for focusing

on the Saaram (essence ) of the SaasthrAs .

 

ADDITIONAL REASONS FOR SUCH A COMPARISON

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The comparison of RamAnujA to a Hamsam also

hints at his Parama Hamsa ParivrAjaka Acharyathvam .

Hamsam floating on the muddy rice fields does not ever

have its feet come into contact with the mud of the rice field.

PrathivAdhi Bhayankaram ANNangaAchAriar (PBA ) swamy has

quoted in this context the NammAzhwar's Thiruviruttham

pala sruthi passage , which states that those , who recite

and understand the true meaning of the 100 verses of

his poem would not have their feet stuck in the mud of

SamsAram . PBA bases his VyAkhyAnam on the saying

" Na BadhnAthi Rathim Hamsa: KadAchidh karthmAmbhasi ".

 

The final reaon for MM's choice of hamsam as a similie for

RamAnujA is based on his engagement in PurushakAra

kruthyam (act of pleading / intercession ) with the Lord

like the Consort of the Lord , Sri RanganAyaki . ThAyAr's

steps (nadai/NADATTHAI ) are imitated by hamsams . Similar to that,

AchArya RamAnujA followed the prime duty of MahA Lakshmi

(viz) ., pleading with Her Lord to forgive the aparAdhams of

the jeevan and grant Moksham to the PrapannAs . Sri Vedantha Desikan

is quoted by PBA swamy here to illustrate this point ( DhatthE Rangee

nijamapi padham DesikAdesa kAnkshee ) .

 

SWAMI DESIKAN'S COMPARISON OF RAMAANUJAA TO A HAMSAM

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I am reminded of the 22nd slokam of YathirAja Sapthadhi of

Swami Desikan , where he also compares RamAnujA to

a Raja Hamsam . But , this time , he is visualized as

the Raaja Hamsam sitting in the heart caves of the BhakthAs

of Sri RanganAthA . The slokam is as follows :

 

mulE nivisya mahathAm nigama dhrumANAm

mushNan prathAraka bhayam dhrutha naikadhanda: I

Rangesa Nhaktha jana MAANASA RAAJA HAMSA :

RamAnuja: SARANAMASTHU Muni: svayam na : II

 

Sri BhasayakArar is equated here to a king swan with the wings

of J~nanam and Bhakthi . The rAja hamsam lives acording to

legend in Maanasaoravar , a lake in high HimaalayAs .

This Raaja Hamsam (RaamAnujA) however lives in the lake of

the minds of Sri RanganAtha bhakthAs. They meditate on him always.

He holds the tridhandam and chases away their fears caused by

the foes of these devotees of Sri RangEsa .These foes of the

devotees of the Lord cause anguish by intrepreting wrongly

(Viparitha bhAshyam ) the true meanings of the VedAs .

 

SLOKAA LINE:

SRIMADH PARAANKUSA PAADHAAMBHUJA BRUNGA RAAJAM

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In the first slokam , MM identified RaamAnujA as

PARAANKUSA PAADHA BHAKTHAM . Here , he salutes

RaamAnujA as SRIMADH PARAANKUSA PAADHAAMBHUJA

BRUNGA RAAJAM . The salutation of the 1st slokam has been linked to

SVAROOPA PRAYUKTHA DAASYAM aspect . The salutation

housed in the second slokam is understood as being connected to

GUNA PRAYUKTHA DAASYAM . Just as the honey bee recognizes

the nourishing food in the flower and hovers over the flower to

taste that honey , RaamAnujA stays at the lotus feet of NammAzhwAr

to enjoy the nectar-like bhagavadh anubhavam enshrined in

the AzhwAr's Thiruvaimozhi and other aruLiccheyalgaL .

NammAzhwAr has explained the purpose of composing his

Paasurams this way : " thondarkku amudhuNNa sol maalaigaL

sonnEn " .

 

Like Thondaradipodi"s " Vandinamuralum " the honey bees go from flower

to flower in search of honey . They do the act of "muralvathu " .

So does the honey bee described as RaamAnujA travels from

one paasuram to the other of NammAzhwAr and enjoys the taste of

the nectar contained in them . Such is the nature of the activities of

the king bee, Acharya RaamAnujA according to MM .

 

SLOKA LINE :

SRI BHATTA NAATHA PARAKAALA MUKHAABHJA MITRAM

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Bhatta NaathA is Bhattar Piraan , PeriyAzhwAr . Para KaalA

is Thirumangai AzhwAr. Mukham is face . Abhjam is the lotus.

RaamAnujA is compared to the Sun that is the friend for the faces

of PeriyAzhwAr and Thirumangai . RaamAnujA made their lotus faces

blossom with joy , since he followed their foot steps in performing

Tulasi kaimkaryam to the Lord ( like PeriyAzhwAr ) and constructed

prakAram and Gopuram (like Thirumangai ) . That is one NirvAham

(intrepretation ) . According to the other NirvAham , RaamAnuja followed

the sacred path of the two AzhwArs and conducted anushtAnams

to enrich their traditions and made them happy ..

 

SLOKA LINE : SRIVATSA CHIHNA SARANAM( CHARANAM )

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Srivatsachinnar is Kuresar ( KuratthAzhwAn ) . He had a special

relationship to RaamAnujA . Although EmbAr and other sishyAs

were dear to RamAnujA , Kuresa was the one , who was trusted

with the colloboration in writing Sri Bhashyam . He was RaamAujA's

intellectual sparring partner , who went to the unfriendly king's court

to defend his AcharyA's darsanam . Kuresa is known for his utter

devotion to his AchAryA . He took RaamAnujA's sacred feet as

his refuge (SaraNam ) . That is why KuresA is saluted as

" perum puhaZhAn vanjamukkurumbhAmkuzhiyai kadakkum

NANKURATTHAAZHWAAN ". Our dear KuratthAzhwAn is the

endearing description. PBA SwamigaL in a 50 year old commentary

on YathirAja Vimsathi that I am using states that there is another

intrepretation to this slokA line . If one uses the version ,

" SRIVATSA CHIHNA CHARANAM " instead of " SRIVATSA CHIHNA

SARANAM " , then KuresA is considered as the THIRUVADI OF

RAMAANUJAA . Important disciples are described usually as

the supporting feet of the achArya . For instance, Thirumangai is

considered the Thiruvadi of NammAzhwAr , just as KuresA is

described as the Thiruvadi of RamAnujA .

 

SLOKA LINE : YATHIRAAJAM YEEDE

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MM concludes the slokam with the salutation , YathirAjam

yeedE . I slaute such a glorious Acharya , who sits at the

lotus feet of Sri RangarAja as the Raja Hamsam , as a honey bee

at the feet of SatakOpA , shines as a SUN to the lotus blossoms

of PeriyAzhwAr and Thirumangai .

 

AzhwAr , AchAryAL thiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan