Copy of: Sri Ranganatha PaadhukhA Sahasram : Sesha Paddhathi (23rd chapter)

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends ; This posting might have gone astray .

I am retransmititing it for that reason . If you have received it,

Please disregard . Thanks ,

V.Sadagopan

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

 

V. Sadagopan, 75041,3037

TO: OM, INTERNET:BHAKTI

DATE: 6/3/97 9:30 PM

 

RE: Copy of: Sri Ranganatha PaadhukhA Sahasram : Sesha Paddhathi (23rd

chapter)

 

Dear PadhukhA Sevakaas :

 

The twenty third Paddhathi is known as the sEsha Paddhathi (SP) .

It has ten verses in all. After describing the mahimai of the gems

and the golden form of the PaadhukhAs of the Lord , Swami Desikan

turns his attention to the indwelling power of the PaadhukhAs . He reveals

to us that the empowering force of PaadhukhAs is none other than

Adhi SeshA , who serves as bed for the Lord in the milky ocean .

He suggests that AdisEshA has taken the form of sandals at

Srirangam to serve his Lord. I will cover all the ten slokams.

 

Slokam 1 of SP / Slokam 751 of RPS

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

 

O PaadhukhE ! AdisEshA thought that he should protect

the Lord's feet on earth and incarnated as your indweller .

I celebrate you , who remind me of the concept of SeshA

and Seshin to depict the relationship between the Self ( Jeevan )

and the Lord ( IswarA ) .

 

Slokam 2 of SP /Slokam 752 of RPS

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

 

O PaadhukhE ! MahA Lakdhmi gets a great pleasure

by pressing Her Lord's feet . She however has contact with only

a small portion of those sacred feet . AdiseshA wanted to derive

a greater pleasure than the Lord's consort and took your form

to enjoy those holy feet during every moment of His travel

on you . AlawandAr has already attested to AdisEshA taking the form

of the Lord"s paadhukhAs in his Sthothra Rathnam ( YaamunEya :

tvAm Seshasya ekAm bhumikAm abraveeth )

 

Slokam 3 of SP/Slokam 753 0f RPS

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

O Mother ! O Kesava PaadhukhE ! The king of serpents ,

AdisEshA attained the form of PaadhukhAs and gained

the supreme status of Seshathvam ( Kaimkaryam ) thereby .

Others could not come near that status throught their services

to your Lord. That is why , everyone wears the AdiseshA in

the form of PadhukhAs on their heads with reverence . Through

his supreme service to his Lord , AdisEshA attained not only the

supreme status as SeshA to the Lord (Seshi ) , but he also

confers on others such a status and gives them seshathvam .

 

The inner meaning is that the service to AchAryAs is even more

auspicious than kainkaryam to the Lord. Having the SatAri on one's

head and bending with humility to receive it is even more sacred

than standing upright and saluting the Lord with Anjali mudrA

 

Slokam 4 of SP/ Slokam 754 of RPS

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

 

O MaNi PaadhukkhE ! Thinking that you should give relief to

the stress of Mother Earth ( Bhumi Devi ) , Who bears the weight

of the Lord on you , you have taken the form of PaathALa Seshan

( Adi SeshA of the lower world ) to bear Bhumi Devi on your head .

 

Slokma 5 of SP/Slokam 755 of RPS

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

 

In the previous verse , Swami Desikan suggested that

PaathALa Seshan chose his strength ( Balam ) over

intellect (Jnanam ) to render his service to Bhumi Devi ,

who bears the weight of the Lord moving with His PaadhukhAs .

In this verse , he continues with that thought . He says :

" PathALa Seshan and the PaadhukhAs have equal

strength . Ramachandra of unfailing words knew very well

about the strength of the PaadhukhAs and therefore ordered

them to bear the unbearable (awesome ) burden of

Raajya Lakshmi during His absence form AyOdhyA

( SatyavachasA RaamENa AnanyavAhyAm Vasumatheem

vodhum purA Bhavathi NiyukthA ) .

 

Slokam 6 of SP / Slokam 756 of RPS

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

 

O MaNi PadhukhE ! Even when your Lord sleeps and you are

separated physically from His lotus feet , you are at the foot of

His bed and do not lose your Seshathvam ( Service as His devoted

servant ) . This is understood well by the VedAs and AagamAs .

They consider themselves as the young children of yours as you rest

at the foot of the Lord 's bed as the chaste wife waiting to serve her Lord ,

the moment He awakens .

 

Swami Desikan suggests that NammAzhwAr (SatAri ) protects

the VedAs like a dutiful mother. If AzhwAr had not composed

his divya prabhandhams , the meanings of the VedAs would not

have come out . VedAs would be equivalent to being dead , had

the AzhwAr not brought out their meanings . A chaste wife protects

her child through the strength of service to her husband. Similarly ,

AzhwAr understood the real meanings of the VedAs through his

service to the Lord and thereby had the power to protect the VedAs .

 

Slokam 7 of SP /Slokam 757 of RPS

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

 

O PaadhukhE ! When you were returned from Nandigramam to

AyOdhyA on BharathA's head , LakshmaNA , who is your other

form (incarnation of AdiseshA ) bowed to you tenderly even from

a distance. Was not that strange that LakshmaNA offered salutations

to himself at that time ? Come to think of it , it really is not that strange.

Did not Ramachandra , who is none other than RanganathA worship

RanganathA as the titular deity of His family ? When the elder brother

Himself worshipped Himself in AyodhyA , it is not surprising that

the younger brother LakshmaNA saluted his other form , the PaadhukhA

at Nandigramam .

 

The inner meaning is that when the Lord and the Nityasuris

incarnate in this world as humans , they behave like the people,

who are guided by SaasthrAs and perform the appropriate duties

defined by the SaasthrAs . This conduct is to instruct the people

of the importance of the SaasthrAs and to point the way .

 

Slokam 8 of SP / Slokam 758 of RPS

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

 

O PaadhukhE ! During the time of MahA PraLayam ,

out of your Lord's volition (sankalpam ) , all the appointed

Gods disappear like bubbles at the end of their regimes.

They disappear like the bubbles that burst. Another age of

the world sets in . Even then , you do not disappear. Being a

Nitya Suri , you continue to serve your Lord. You transform from

being a PaadhukhA (AdiseshA ) to that of a pupil leaf to serve

as His bed . Later , when the deluge has subsided and the world

has been released from the stomach of the Lord , You transform

yourself from that of a pupil leaf to that of a great serpent , AdiseshA

to serve your Lord as His bed , seat and umbrella as he rests ,

sits and walks .

 

Slokam 9 of SP/ Slokam 759 of RPS

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

 

aheenAthmA RangakshithiramaNa paadhAvani ! sadhA

sathAmittham thrANAth prathithanija satthrathva vibhavA I

avidhyA yaaminyA: sorusasi punarEkAha padhaveem

krathunAmArAdhyA krahturapi cha sarvathvamasi na: II

 

O Ranganaatha PaadhukhE ! As the king of serpents ( Aheena : ) ,

you become the Soma Yaagam known as Aheenam and protect

the righteous . You also take the form of another Soma Yaagam

known as Sattram and help to cross the dark night of nescience.

Through another of your forms , you become the third Soma Yaagam

( Ekaaham ) . Thus , you are worshipped not only as the three yaagAs,

but you transform yourself into these yaagAs and bless the performers

with the fruits of performance of these YaagAs . It is amazing to know

as to how many diverse roles you play .

 

Swami Desikan uses the three meanings of the word AheenA here.

First , Aheena means the king of serpents (AdiseshA ) . Second ,

Aheena is the name for a Soma YaagA . Third , AheenA means

blameless. Swami Desikan cleverly weaves the multiple meanings

of AheenA in this verse to relate AdisEshA/PaadhukhA to the Soma

YajnAs such as EkAham ( JyothistOmam ) , Aheenam and Sattram .

Swami suggests that the PaadhukhAs signify the essence of the above

three Soma Yaagams , which offer the SomA juice as the sacred offering.

A Soma Yaagam done for a day is EkAham . When it is extended from

two to twelve days , that Yaagam becomes Aheenam . When it goes

beyond twelve days , the same Soma Yaagam acquires the title of

Sattram . Swami Desikan suggests that the purpose of doing all

these elaborate Soma YaagAs is to gain the Lord's PaadhukhAs

for our AarAdhanam that leads to Moksham .

 

Slokam 10 of SP/ Slokam 760 of RPS

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

 

bahumukha bhoga samEthai: nirmukthatayA visuddhimApannai: I

sEshAthmikA padhAvani ! nishEvyasE sEshabhoothaistvam II

 

O PaadhukhE ! Created by AdisEshA , you assume many roles

and bless those , who worship you with the boon of eternal service

to the Lord .

 

AdisEshann is indeed " Bahumukha bhOga SamEthan " .

BhOgam means the body of a serpent. AdisEshan has

thousand heads and hence it is appropriate to recognize him

as Bahumukhan ( Multi-headed ) bhoga samethan . PaadhukhA

is also Bahumukha Bhoga samethan in that it accepts many

offerings (BOgAs /upachArams ) such as sandal paste, flowers ,

camphor ( dhoopam ) et al . Those who worship paadhukhA/

AdisEshA get the blessings of enjoying many earthly bhogAs

(pleasures) . Both AdisEshA and the PaadhukhAs are eternal servants

of the Lord. When AdisEshA sheds his skin , he has a blemishless ,

white body , which is known as suddha sattvam or unalloyed

purity . When PaadhukhA is bathed , it attains a pure body. Those who

worship the paadhukhAs after abhishEkam and take in the

abhishEka theertham shed their paapAs and PuNyAs and reach

a state of Suddha Sattvam . Thus , all become Seshanmayam

or servants of the Lord , the Seshi.

 

Sri RanganAtha Divya MaNi PaadhukhE ! Thubhyam Nama:

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Oppiliappan Kovil VaradAchAri Sadagopan