Sri RanganAtha PaadhukhA Sahasram(RPS) : Part 14.15

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Dear BhakthAs of the Divya Dampathis of Srirangam :

 

I will cover the five slokas of RPS from 466 to 470 in

this posting . They deal with the prayer of Swami Desikan

to the PaadhukhAs to help him during his last moments

on this earth. On this Panguni Utthram day , one can not but

remember Sri Ranganatha's command to Acharya RamAnuja

to rest at the shade of His Lotus feet adorned by the PadhukhAs

(Swami NammAzhwAr ) at Srirangam until the last moment

of his life .

 

Verse 86 of the Naadha Paddhathi/slokam 466 of RPS

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Here Swami Desikan begs the PaadhukhAs to come to

his side and chase away the elements that frighten him

during the last moments of his life , when his limbs and faculty

would not be in tact. He says : " O PaadhukhE ! During those

moments of life , my limbs will be weak and will not obey me.

I will be crying out of delusion and make incoherent prattlings.

I will be terror sticken over the thought of what is waiting for me .

Please drive away the servants of Yama then through your holy naadhA

and bring your Lord close to me . I need your naadham during

my last moments to chase away the fears that would grip me .

 

 

Verse 87 of NAdha Paddhathi/Slokam 467 of RPS

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karaNa vigama kaalE kaala hoonkAra sankhee

dhruthapadham upagacchan dattha hastha: priyAbhyAm I

pariNamayathu karNE Ranganaatha: svayam na :

praNavamiva bhavathyA: paadhukhE ! manjunAdham II

 

(meaning ) : O paadhukhE ! During the final moments on

this earth , Yama himself may elect to terrorize us with

his hoomkAra sabdham to express his anger at our

intolerable sins . Your Lord RanganAtha would rush to our side

with His Devis on your back because of His worry that Yama

might arrive first and terrorize us . May we hear through your

sweet sound the rapid approach of the Lord to banish our fears !

 

Verse 88 of Naadha Paddhathi /Slokam 468 of RPS

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kamalavana sakeem taam koumudheem udhvahantham

savidham upanayanthee thaadhrusam Rangachandram I

praLaya dina samutthAn paadhukhE ! maamakeenAn

prasamaya parithApAn seethaLai: sinjithai: svai : II

 

(Meaning ) : O PaadhukhE ! Sri RanganAtha united with His consort

Sri RanganAyaki is like the moon united with its cool rays. Please bring

that moon and the inseparable nectar-like rays to my side during the last

moments of my life to cool me off from the scorching heat of my taapAs .

Please announce their arrival through your sweet naadham so that

I can hope for the onset of the relief for my sufferings .

 

(Comments ) : Here Swami Desikan appears to have

deep thoughts about Sri RanganAyaki . He brings in

the analogy of the moon and its cool rays. The divya dampathis

are inseparable like the moon and its lustre (Nilavu ) .

He compares Sri RanganAthA to the Chandran ( Ranga chandran)

and MahA Lakshmi( KmalA vana sakhee), the friend of

the Lotuses and the ponds , Where they blososm in big clusters

like forest growth . Swami Desikan compares Maha Lakshmi

to the cool moon rays ( Kaumudhee) or Nilavu . It is not easy

to separate the cool moon from its refreshing rays . It is hard

to know , which is which and how they are integrated as

a seamless unit (Tila Tailavath ) .

 

In the very first rk of Sri Sooktham , Sri RanganAyaki is

addressed as " ChandrAm HiraNmayeem Lakshmeem --".

Her residence in the Lotus forests ( Kamala Vana Sakee )

and her being awakened by the trumpeting of elephants

is saluted in the third rk of Sri Sooktham : " hasthinAdha

prabhodhineem " . In the fifth rk , RanganAyaki , who is

none other than Sri Devi is invoked as " ChandrAm

prabhAsAm YasasA Jvalantheem--" . She is visualized as

the moon shining with the lustre of Suddha satva dravyam .

 

In the 13th rk of Sri Sooktham , we get a clue about the

theme of this slokam of the RPS . This 13 th Rk is :

 

aardhrAm pushkaraNeem pushtim

pingaLAm padhma maalineem I

CHANDRAM HiraNmayeem Lakshmeem

JathavedhO ma aavaha II

 

(meaning ) : O MahA VishNu (RanganAthA ) possesing

all auspicious KalyAN aGuNAs ! May Thou make it possible

for us to have Your Consort , who is the appropriate object of

meditation for ALL to be near us always ! She is the one , who

with her cool glances reduces the heat of caused by the

taapa trayAs . She is the one , who offers worship to You

with the lotus flowers from Her place of residence . She is

of golden hue. She is adorned with lotus garlands and is the

treasure house of gold and all other kinds of wealth .

May Thou bless us to have her presence next to us as

the cool moon !

 

The invocation to the PaadhukhAs to bring the Divya dampathis

next to him during his last moments by Swami Desikan and

a playful comparison of them to the cool Moon and its rejuvenating

rays is a testimony to the poet's skills and deep devotion .

 

Verse 89 of Naadha Paddhathi/Slokam 469 of RPS

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Swami Desikan is still thinking about his last moments

on this earth and how the PaadhukhAs can help him . He

appeals to their help in this slokam also . He says :

" O PaadhukhE ! Your Naadham is majestic and is known

around the world for the assurance it provides to protect

one and all .Your travels (SanchArams) help to maintain

the continuity of that message of Yours . There is no secret about

the message that your Naadham brings . I have a personal request

to you . Please bring Sri RanganAthAy to my bed side

during my last moments and banish all my fears .

 

Verse 90 of Naadha Paddhathi/Slokam 470 of RPS

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Swami Desikan begs the PaadhukhAs to plead with

Sri RanganAtha during the last moments of his life .

He says : " O PaadhukhE ! When I am about to leave this

world , I will feel the touch of Yama on my neck and shoulder.

I will be terror stricken over that thought and expeience .

Delusion will set in . At that time , your Naadham is vital to me ,

since it would signal the arrival of your Lord to free me from my

terror and to grant me the blessings of Moksham . If RanganAthA

does not take quick steps at that time to come to my side , please

increase the volume of your naadham , so that He will know that you

can travel faster and permit Him to rush to my side " .

 

Panguni Uttaram day , 1997

 

Sri Ranganayaki Sametha Sri RanganathA !

SaraNAgatha RakshakA ! Thubhyam namO nama:

Oppilaippan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan