YathirAja Vimsathi (YRV ) of Sri MaNavALa MaamunigaL

[Guest guest]

Dear Members of the Bahkthi Group :

 

I will try to complete the translation of the remaining

slokas (13-20) of YRV in this posting . May the Great

AchAryA's blessings support me in this effort .

 

Slokam 13 :

 

taapathrayee janitha dukkhanipAthinOpi

dehasthithou mama ruchisthu na tannivrutthou I

yethasya kaaraNamahO mama paapameva naatha !

tvameva hara tath YathirAja seegram II

 

(meaning ) : O King among SanyAsis ! Even if my body is

afflicted by the sorrows caused by the three kinds of TaapAs ,

and I can not bear the sufferings caused by them , I have no

deep desire to leave this body. Actually , I nourish this body .

My accumulated sins are the reasons behind this attitude of mine.

What a pity ! O my ParamAchAryA ! Please banish my sins quickly

so I can be freed from the sufferings caused by the Taapa ThrayAs .

 

(Comments ) : Sri MaamunigaL states here that he is guilty of

thinking about the sufferings caused by the Taapa ThrayAs as

pleasures due to the influence of his sins . He appeals to YathirAjA ,

who has the power to see the Lord 's presence inside and outside

of all His creations to take pity on him and banish his sins and

save him from the sufferings caused by the Taapa ThrayAs

( AadhyAthimikam , Aadhibowdhikam and Aadhidaivikam ) .

 

The first of the three TaapAs is from the sins committed by

the limbs such as the hands and legs . That breaks up into

the two categories of Sareeram and Maanasam . Sareeram

is understood as Vyathi (disease ) and Maanasam is understood

as Aadhi or ancient disease . These two diseases together

constitute the Taapam (affliction ) of AadhyAthmikam .

 

The second of the TaapAs is the one caused by the animals,

humans , rakshasAs et al . This is Aadhibowdhikam .

 

The third one is caused by wind , cold , rain , climatic changes.

This type of suffering is known as Aadhidaivikam . All the three

cause dukkham or sorrow to the humans . This is the " Taapa

thrayee janitha Dukkha: " referred to in this slokam .

 

Slokam 14

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

 

vaachaam agochara mahAguNa Desika agrya

koorAdhinaatha kathitha akhila naichya paathram I

Yesha: aham yeva na punar jagadhi yeedhrusas

tath RaamAnujArya ! karuNaiva thu madhgathistEh II

 

(Meaning ) : O Arya RaamAnujA ! I am indeed the one ,

who fits in this world the complete description of the person

with all the condemnable attributes ! There is no one else ,

who can answer to that description . That is why , I conclude

that your compassion is most suited for me and to lift me

up from my morass .

 

The great AchArya and the direct disciple of RamAnujA ,

KooratthAzhwAn condemned himself as a great sinner

in a mood of self-depreciation in Sri VaradarAja sthavam

and Sri Vaikunta Sthavam . This type of self-condemnation

before the Lord by AchAryAs are done not because they have

the despicable qualities they assign themselves ; it is because

the AchAryAs have us in mind and plead to the Lord on our

behalf for forgivance for our trespasses .

 

Sri MaamunigaL salutes the great KurEsa here as

" VaachAm Agochara MahAguNa Desika agrya : " .

He describes KurEsa here as the one , whose limitless

auspicious qualities are beyond the power of description

by one's tongue. The many NaichyAnusandhAnams

stated by KurEsa in the latter section of the above two

sthavAs have no relevance for this great AchAryA . He had

it for the benefit of AsmadhAdhi's anusandhAnam ( our

benefit ) after his time .

 

Sri MaamunigaL says that " KooradhinAtha Kathitha akhila naichya

paathram jagadhi yesha : aham yeva " . I am indeed the true character

in all the worlds fitting to a tee the entire NaichyaanusandhAnam

that KurEsa attributed to himself . Hence , O RamAnujArya !

there is no one more fitting for the Object of your mercy than

myself .

 

This prayer for the mercy of RamAnujA is the echo of

the statement by AmudanAr in His RaamAnjua

NooRandhAdhi : " niharinRi niRa venneesathaikku

ninnaruLinkaNanri puhal onRumillai , arutkumahtE puhal ".

 

Slokam 15:

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

 

Here also , MaamunigaL continues with the thrust of

sentiment that he expressed in the previous verse. He

repeats that the Mercy of RamAnujA has no better target

for redemption than him .

 

Suddha Aathma Yaamuna Gurootthama kooranAtha

bhattaakhya Desika vara uktha samastha naichyam I

adhya asthi asankuchitham yeva mayee iha lOkhE

tasmath Yatheendhra ! karunaivathu madhgathis tEh II

 

(meaning ) : O YathirAjA ! All of the sentiments of

self-condemnation recorded by the grat and pure

AcharyAs like AaLavandhAr , KurEsA , Parasara Bhattar

are possessed by me in its entirety . Therefore , O YathirAja!

Your mercy has me as the most appropriate target .

 

Here Maamuni hints htat these great AcharyAs are

SuddhAthmAs , who were blemishless independent

of the fact that they went on record as great sinners ,

when they sought the protection of Sriman NaarAyaNA

resident as ArchAmurthys at Srirangam and

Kanchipuram .

 

In his sthothra Rathnam , AaLavandhar

described his unfitness in the following two slokAs :

" Na Nindhitham karma Tadhasthi lOkhE " and

" AmaryAdha: Kshudra : " . Here , the great AaLavandhAr

described himself with us in mind as the one , who has

practised every despicable act condemned by SaasthrAs

and went on to say that he was an arrogant and lowly one.

 

KurEsa went on record through more than twenty slokAs of

his sthavam about the sins that he had committed starting

from the one , which begins : " TaapathrayeemayadavAnal

dahyamAnam " . MaamunigaL expressed his sorrows earlier

as " Taapathrayee janitha dukkham " .

 

In his moving prayer to Sri RanganAthA , ParAsara Bhattar

described his " despicable " status as : " Garbhajanma -

JarAm^ruthi asannikrushtasya nikrushta JanthO --" .

 

Swami Desikan has performed NaichyAnusandhaanam

in number of his sthothrams . These are heart-breaking

statements made in a mood of repentance over his deficiencies

in his conversation with the Lord of Thiruvaheendrapuram .

In one slokam , Swami states :

 

aj~nana vaaridhim apAyadhurandharam

aj~nyA vibhanjanam akinchana Saarvabhoumam I

vindhan bhavAn vibhudhanAtha samasthavedhi

kim naama paatramaparam manutEh krupAyA : II

 

(Meaning ) : O DevanAthA ! I am indeed the ocean of

aj~nanam (ignorance about the true meanings

of Saasthram ) . I am in the front of those , who vow to

committ sins . I am a transgressor of your commandments

amd am the first among the helpless . I am indeed thus

most qualified to be the object of your mercy. You are

all-knowing ( Sarvaj~nan ) . Why then should you consider

anyone as more deserving of your compassion than Me ?

 

Elsewhere Swami Desikan has described himself as the

emperor of all AparAdhAs in a mood of Naichyam and begged

for the Lord"s mercy.

 

Slokam 16:

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

 

sabdhAdhi bhOga vishayA ruchi : asmadheeyA

nashtA bhavathi iha bhavadh dayayA yatheendhra I

tvadh daasadaasa daasa gaNanaa sarama avathou

tatthdAsadhaika rasatha mama aviratha asthu II

 

(Meaning ) : O YathirAjA ! May Thou bless me to be rid

of desires to enjoy the transient pleasures associated

with the use of my limbs ! May Your DayA banish my taste

for such pleasures that only cause misery later ! May You

make me an enduring servant of the servant of the servant of

your servant and reach the saramA state. I have nothing to

offer at your altar. It is only your nirhethuka karuNA that I

am looking for as my saviour.

 

Slokam 17 :

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

 

Sruthyagra Vedhya nija divya GuNasvarupa:

prathyakshataam upagatha: iha RangarAja : I

Vasya: sadhA bhavathi tEh YathirAja tasmAth

saktha: svakeeya jana paapa vimochanE tvam II

 

This slokam is set as a response of MaamunigaL to

Sri RaamAnujA's protestation on the inappropriateness

of the former in pressing him (RamanujA ) for banishing

the sins . RaamAnujA seems to point out that it is the Lord of

Srirangam and not him , who can confer the boons requested

by MaamunigaL . Latter reminds RaamAnujA that it is a well

known fact that Sri RanganAtha is under the influence of

RaamAnujA and hence it is appropriate for him(Maamuni)

to knock on RamAnujA's door for mercy .

 

(meaning ) : O YathirAjA ! Sri RanganAthA is presenting Himself

at Srirangam for all to enjoy Him . He has the auspicious

attributes (KalyANa GuNAs ) that can only be understood

through the declarations of the VedAs . That RanganthA

of matchless power and glory is under your control . Therefore ,

O Acharya Saarvabhouma ! You are indeed capable of removing

my miseries .

 

The references are to the dialog between RamAnujA and

Sri RanganAthA in SaraNAgathi Gadhyam and an incident

related to the washerman of the Lord's clothes at Srirangam .

 

A SrivaishNava Laundryman had cleaned and pressed

the Lord's Parivattams and showed them to Sri RamAnujA .

The AcharyA was so pleased with the kaimkaryam of the

dhobhi that he took the dhobhi (VaNNAn ) to the Sannidhi

of Sri RanganAtha and requested the Lord to bless his servant.

Sri RangarAjan opened His eyes and blessed the VaNNAn as

requested by the AchAryA and then told RaamAnujA that he has

now forgiven the VaNNAn for his apachAram during

His krishNAvathAram , when this VaNNAn refused to give

KrishNA and BalkarAmA the clothes that they requested of

him in MathurA . This VaNNAn was the royal dhobhi in the court

of KamsA then . That is the type of power Sri RamAnujA had

that MaamunigaL alludes to here.

 

Slokam 18

***********

 

kalathrayEpi karaNathraya nirmithathi

paapagriyasya saraNam Bhagavadh Kshamaiva I

sa acha tvayaiva KamalAramaNE arthithA Yath

Kshemassa yeva hi Yatheendhra ! bhavathsrithAnAm II

 

(Meaning ) : O RaamAnujA ! For the one , who has committed

limitless sins through mind , body and speech , the Lord of

Srirangam is the sole refuge in the past , present and future.

Our protection is indeed that prayer of yours to the Sri RanganAthA

on a panguni Uttaram day through your SaraNAgathi.

That is our invaluable and only protection .

 

The reference here is to the response of Lord RanganaathA

to the prayer housed in the SaraNAgathi gadhyam of

RaamAnuja . The Lord responded to the prayer of AchaaryA

and declared that it is not only RamAnujA but any one

having his Sambhandham would be automatic objects

of His mercy . This is the boon that MaamunigaL refers to .

This is our adhrushtam ( good fortune ) as a result of

the saraNAgathi performed by Achaarya RaamAnujA

at Srirangam and accepted by the Lord on that

Panguni Uttaram day .

 

Slokam 19 :

 

Sriman Yatheendhara ! Tava divya padhaabhja sEvaam

Srisailanaatha karuNA pariNAma dhatthaam I

thAm anvaham mama vivathaya naatha ! tasyA :

kaamam viruddham akhilam cha nivarthaya tvam II

 

(Meaning ) : O My Lord RamAnujA ! Please increase my

blessings to have the darsanam of your lotus feet daily .

That blessing was conferred first on me by

my own Acharya , Thirmali AazhwAr , out of the great

compassion that he had for me . Please banish any other

desire that stands in the way of the darsana bhaagyam

of your lotus feet .

 

The reference here is to the request of MaamunigaL's own

Achaarya , Thiruvaaimozhi PiLLai ( Srisaila Naathar ) asking

his disciple to compose a sthothram on Sri RaamAnujA .

 

Slokam 20 :

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

 

vij~apanam yathithadhya thu maamakeenam

ankikurushva YathirAja DayAmbhurAsE I

Aj~na : ayam aathmaguNalesa vivarjithasccha

tasmaath ananyasaraNO bhavathi ithi mathvaa II

 

(meaning ) : O YathirAjA ! O Ocean of Mercy !

Please recognize me as an ignoramus , who does not

know much about Tattva, Hitha , PurushArthams and as

a helpless one without any redeeming qualities

(Aathma GuNAs ) .Please accept my prayerful request

for your grace and protection and bless me .

 

MaamunigaL housed his many prayers and pleadings

for help from the thrid verse ( VaachA Yatheendhra ! manasA)

to the 19th verse . In this final slokam , he concludes his

prayers and begs for acceptance of them and the showering

of Acharya RaamAnujA' s blessings on him .

 

Subhamasthu .

 

Sri MaNavALa MaamunigaL ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan