Sri RanganAtha PaadhukhA Sahasram : Samnivesa Paddhathi (SAMP) -Part 1

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Dear RangapriyAs :

 

In this 25 th paddhathi , Swami Desikan describes

the Samnivesam or the Roopam / form of

the PaadhukhAs . He deals with the intimate

physical conenctions of the PaadhukhAs with

that of the Lord's sacred feet in His different

incarnations . The changes in the forms of

the paadhukhAs during those occasions are

described . There are 20 verses in this paddhathi .

 

Slokam 1 of SAMP/ Slokam 781 of RPS

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aNOraNeeyAmseem VishNO : MahathOapi maheeyAsAm I

PrapathyE paadhukhAm nityam tathpadhEnaiva sammithAm II

 

I surrender my self to the PaadhukhAs , which fit

the holy feet of the small sized VishNU ( VamanA )

and the gigantic sized VishNu (TrivikramA ) equally well .

They are samller than the smallest and larger than

the largest and fit the Lord's feet exactly at all times.

 

Slokam 2 of SAMP / Slokam 782

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O maNi PaadhukhE ! Your Lord is consecrated in you ,

and henceyou are equal in holiness to His sacred feet .

His status becomes preeminent through the union of

His holy feet with you . He wears you at all times

independent of whether He is walking or not .

You adorn His feet . Rest of His accoutrements

( ParicchadhA : ) like the umbrella , fan , jewellery

and dresses do not have the same intimate

relationship that you have with Him . The others are only

relevant to announce His wealth and soverignity .

 

The inner meaning is that there is nothing in the Lord's

accoutrements that are as useful as AachAryAs( PaadhukhAs )

in saving the PrapannAs .

 

Slokam 3 of SAMP / Slokam 783 of RPS

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Tava Ranga NarEndra PaadharakshE !

prakruthissannapi bhakthi pAratantryAth I

bahvatheem vahatheeva pannagEndra:

prathitha svasthika lakshaNai : sirObhi: II

 

O RangarAja PaadhukhE ! AdisEsha has taken your

form because of his great respect for you .He wears you

on the back of his thousand hoods as a mark of

auspiciousness. (AdisEshA wears a symbol known

as Svasthi on his hoods , which has the form of two linked

paadhukhAs of the Lord) . Even if AdisEshA has taken your form

alrady by entering into you , he still wears the sign of svasthi

out of his respect for you .

 

AdisEshA respects his own avathAram (PaadhukhAs ) and

hence he carries on his hoods the symbol of the paadhukhAs .

AchAryAs are the incarnations of Nithya suris and yet

the Nithya suris celebrate the AchAryAs .

 

Slokam 4 of SAMP/ Slokam 784 of RPS

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parasya pumsa: padha samnivEsAn

prayunjathE bhaavitha pancharAthrA : I

aghapratheepAn apadhisya pundrAn

angEshu RangEsaya paadhukhE ! tvAm II

 

O Ranganaatha PaadhukhE ! Sri VaishNavAs conversant

with PaancharAthra aagamA wear you on their foreheads

and upper parts of their bodies. Those twelve marks ( Urdhva

Pundarams ) are for reminding themselves about you , who

carries the Lord's holy feet . Those marks representing you

remove all their sins by their presence on their bodies .

 

Slokam 5 of SAMP/ Slokam 785 of RPS

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In the previous verse , Swami Desikan pointed out that

the twelve insignias worn by Sri VaishnavAs on their bodies

are the representations of the paadhukhAs of the Lord . Here ,

he states that the paadhukhAs are present in a symbolic form

in the auspicious jewelery worn by married women around their

necks .

 

Swami says : " Sri Ranganayaki wears you on Her forehead .

Knowing this , the wise ones make the brides wear jewelery

containing your form during the time of their marriages " .

 

Swami Desikan refers to the ceremony before binding the auspicious

thread around the neck of the bride by the groom during the wedding

celebrations . A piece of jewelery containing the representation

of the paadhukhA is placed along with a yoke on the head

of the bride . This symbolic act follows the tradition set by Sri Devi .

 

Slokam 6 of SAMP/ Slokam 786 of RPS

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vahanthi RangEsvara paadharakshE !

dheerghAyushAm darsitha bhakthi bhandhA : I

aasAdhipaanAm avarOdha nArya :

tvan mudrikAm mangaLa hema soothrai : II

 

In the earlier verse , Swami Desikan referred to

the tradition of the new brides carrying the jewelery

containing the representation of the paadhukhAs on

their heads . At the high moment of their marriage ,

the bridegrooms tie the auspicious thread around

the neck of their brides , which has at its center the

jewelery containign the form of the PaadhukhAs

( ThirumAngalyam ) . Thus they become sumangalees

and enjoy their auspicious married status for a long time as

dheergha sumangalees . Swami Sesikan goes on to

say in this slokam that the wearing of the Thirumangalyam

is not confined to the women of this earth . He observes that

the wives of the DevAs , who wish long lives with their husbands

also observe this practise .

 

In this context , Swami Desikan says : " O RanganAtha paadhukhE !

The wives of the long-lived masters of the eight directions

demonstrate their devotion to their husbands by wearing

the auspicious golden chain around their necks that contain

the medallions bearing your representation .

 

Slokam 7 of SAMP/ Slokam 787 of RPS

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VyuhakramENa prathitAramagrE

sandarsayantheem maNipaadhukhE ! tvAm I

paathum thrilOkeem padhapadmabhajam

soudarsaneem sakthimavaimi SowrE : II

 

O PaadhukhE ! BhagavAn VaasudevA , SankarshaNA

and the other Vyuha moorthis are shown by you on your

body (i-e) ., they wear you on their holy feet . This way ,

they protect the world in your company . You appear like

Sudarsana Yanthram intent on protecting the three worlds.

The presence of Vyuha murthys on Sudarsana chakram

has been described in an earlier posting of Sri Rangaswamy .

 

Sudarsana Yanthram is the symbolic picture form of

the Sudarsana Manthram ( sound form of Lord SudarsanA ).

Swami says : " O MaNi paadhukhE ! the Sudarsana yanthram

has incorporated yourself and the lotus marks in itself . That

yanthram made up of two intersecting triangles , lotus petals

and tongues of flames reveals at its center your representation

in a six fold manner. That power of Sudarsanam is indeed yours ,

which has descended from the Lord to protect the worlds and

to reveal Himself through you . The Sudarsana yanthram

has come closer to your Lord by incorporating yourself

and the lotus petals in its geometric form " .

 

It is well known that the Lord's holy feet contain symbols of chakrA (disc)

and padmam (lotus ) and rekhAs (lines ) indicating the closeness

of the paadhukhAs to Sudarsanam .

 

Slokam 8 of SAMP / Slokam 788 of RPS

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bhaddhAsikA kanaka pankaja karNikAyAm

madhyE krusA MurariphO : maNipaadhukhE ! tvam I

samdhrusyasE sarasijAsanayA gruheetham

rupAntharam kimapi Ranga VihAra yOgyam II

 

Here Swami Desikan imagines that the form of

the paadhukhAs is such that it is like an avathAram

of MahA Lakshmi desirous of moving around Srirangam .

Swami Desikan compares PaadhukhAs to Sri Devi in three

respects. He notes that Sri Devi and the PaadhukhAs have

the following three common features : (1) They are both narrow at

the middle portion of their bodies (slender-waisted )

(2) Both are seated on a golden lotus (3) both enjoy

the company of Lord RanganAthA .

 

In this context , Swami Desikan says : " O Madhusudhana

PaadhukhE ! You resemble the slender -waisted Sri Devi

on the golden lotus enjoying the intimate company of

Her Lord RanganaathA . Therefore , I think you are another

from of Sri Devi because of your resemblence to Her in

all of the above three aspects " .

 

The inner meaning is that the AachAryAs are the incarnations

of Maha Lakshmi because of their DayA and forbearance .

 

Slokam 9 of SAMP / Slokam 789 of RPS

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O PaadhukhE ! You are slender at your center portion as

though you have absorbed the fatigue of your devotees .

You remove the fatigue and despair of your devotees

and absorb their fatigue inside you and thereby acquire

the form that looks like one carrying those burdens in

the middle portion of your body . Your devotees become

care free and overcome poverty . They become famous for their

scholarship and righteousness . Your compassion

for them and intervention to save them are indeed remarkable !

 

The inner meaning is that there is no care for those ,

who are fortunate in acquiring a sadAcharyan for

their prapatthi .

 

Slokam 10 of SAMP/ Slokam 790 of RPS

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madhyE krusAm ubhayatha: prathipanna vrutthim

manyE sameekshya bhavatheem maNipaadharakshE !

nithyam Mukundhapadha sangama viprayOgou

niscchinvathE kruthadhiya : sukha dukkha kAshtAm II

 

O MaNi paadhukhE ! I conclude that the learned scholars

intrepret correctly that your mid-portion is slender and

your front as well as back portions are of ample proportions .

They connect the slenderness of your mid-portion to sorrow

in not having intimate connection with your Lord's holy feet ;

likewise , they relate the ample dimensions of your front and back

sections to the strong imprint of the Lord's feet in those regions " .

 

Swami Desikan suggests that the separation and association

with the Lord's feet at the different sections of the paadhukhAs

are connected to the leanness born out of sorrow and the healthy

ampleness arising from the joy of intimate contact . Lord's inner feet

has the shape of the shell of a tortoise according to the texts of

saamudrikA lakshaNam . Therefore , the midportion of His feet

are elevated like the roof of the tortoise shell and do not

come into contact with the mid portion of the paadhukhAs . On the other

hand , the weight of the Lord's body is well distributed through

the front and hind portions of His feet , which in turn makes those

portions come into intimate contact with the upper and lower portions

of the paadhukhAs .

 

The subtler meaning is that the AzhwAr ( SatakOpan ) is very happy

when he is deeply immersed in the meditation of the Lord. He is

beaming with happiness and is represented by the ample proportions

of the front and rear of the PaadhukhAs . When the AzhwAr's dhyAnam

is lost , then he is immensely unhappy and looks slender in form

like the middle portion of the PaadhukhAs .

 

( To be continued )