Copy of: PrakeerNa Paddhathi -- Part 4 : Slokams 851-860

[Guest guest]

Retransmittal .

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

 

V. Sadagopan, 75041,3037

TO: OM, INTERNET:BHAKTI

DATE: 6/26/97 10:13 AM

 

RE: Copy of: PrakeerNa Paddhathi -- Part 4 : Slokams 851-860

 

Dear Fellow PadhukhA SevakAs :

 

It is not clear to me whether I should include the transliterated

text of PaddhukhA Sahasram in my postings . I will just comment

on the meanings from now on unless there is any special reason

to add these slokams .

 

Slokam 851 of RPS / Slokam 21 of PKP

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

 

(Meaning ) : Oh , PadhukhE ! The founder of the kulam of Raghus is

none other than Surya and hence this vamsam is hailed

as Surya Vamsam . At the time of your coronation bath ,

You helped Suryan to regain His energy through the brilliant

lustre of your rubies. He got rejuvenated and lost His fear of

RavaNA as an indestructible demon . This in turn made SuryA

dim the lustre on the moon-like face of Mandodhari , the principal

wife of RavaNA .

 

(Comments ) : The sun " lends " a portion of His lustre to the Moon

at night time. During the day time , Sun dims the lustre of the Moon

due to its own brilliance. Swami Desikan takes the poetic liberty

in suggesting that before the coronation bath of the PaadhukhAs ,

Sun was full of fear of RavaNA and was unable to diminish the lustre

of the moon-like face of Mandodhari . Once the PaadhukhAs ascended

the throne of Raghus , the Sun got confident that RamA will destroy

RavaNA . The Sun shed its fears and shone brilliantly and thereby

diminshed the lustre on MandOdhari's face in anticipation of RavaNA 's

destruction .

 

Slokam 852 of RPS / Slokam 22 of PKP

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

 

Swami Desikan celebrates here the dark blue lustre of

the sapphires adorning the PaadhkukhAs . He states that

the PaadhukhAs are like the shadow of RanganAthA

as He moves in and out of His inner chambers .

Thus the PaadhukhAs are considered by Sawmi Desikan

to be not only the reprsentative of the Lord"s feet , but also of

His whole body . He says : " Oh , MaNi PaadhukhE ! You are

celebrated by the entire world for your brilliant blue rays

emanating from your dark sapphires . You are united like

a shadow at the feet of RanganAthA and follow Him through

all His roamings in the inner chambers of His palace .

 

Swami Desikan describes the sweet movements of the Lord

in the inner chambers as " Antha: purEshu RanganrupathE :

laLithAni gathAgathAni tvam anuvarthasE " .

 

The inner meaning is that AzhwArs and AchAryAs follow the Lord

as if they are His shadow . They never leave the side of the Lord .

 

Slokam 853 of RPS/ Slokam 23 of PKP

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

 

Sri Devi is of golden hue ; Bhumi Devi has the bluish-black

color of the sapphire . When Swami Desikan thinks of these

two colors coexisting in the paadhukkAs due to the presence of

Gold and sapphires , he is reminded of the PaadhukhAs as a joint

representation of both the Devis of the Lord . He says :

" Oh , PaadhuukhE ! You have taken the residence at the Lotus feet

of Lord RanganAthA and shine with a golden and bluish lustre

through your gold and sapphires adorning you . Great poets have

therefore celebrated you as the combined form of both Sri Devi

and Bhumi Devi ( tvam SaamAnya Moorthiriva Sindhu sudhA

DharaNyO : ) " .

 

The inner meaning is that the SadAchAryAs are the embodiment

of both DayA (Sri Devi )and forbearance ( Bhumi Devi/KshamA ) .

 

Slokma 854 of RPS/ Slokam 24 of PKP

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

 

Swami Desikan compares the Lord's sacred feet with

that of the PaadhukhAs from the aspect of their attributes .

He points out many similarities between them . He states :

" Oh , PaadhukhE ! You and Your Lord are both worshipped by

the DevAs with flowers . Both of You fulfill the wishes of

Your devotees. Like your Lord , You confer auspiciousness

on those , who bow before You . The tender creeper-like

fingers and nails on Your Lord' s feet resemble the rubies

and pearls on You " .

 

The inner meaning is that AchAryALs are BhagavAn's

Thiruvadi . SishyAs are AchAryA 's Thiruvadi . That is why

a Sri VaishNavA responds to the queries on whose Thiruvadi

he or She is by adding the name of his/her AchAryA before

the word Thiruvadi and describe themselves in this manner.

 

Slokam 855 of RPS / Slokam 25 of KPK

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

 

In the previous verse , Swami Desikan pointed out the close

relationship between the PadhukhAs and the Lord's holy feet .

Here , he describes PaadhukhA as the mistress , who enjoys

the pleasures of bathing , decorations with flowers , smearing

with sandal paste and other upachArams along with the Lord.

He points out that the PaddhukhA must be the Lord's mistress ,

since no other property of the Lord achieves this exalted status

of the PaadhukhA . He states : " Oh , MaNi PaadhukhE ! After

your sacred bath, your servants wipe you dry. They smear you

with perfumed powders . They cover you with garlands made

up of fresh and fragrant flowers .You set out next with your Lord

on His jaunts .This way , you stand out as His dearest mistress.

Your status is never acheived ( ananya Labhyam ) by any other

jewelery of the Lord " .

 

Slokam 856 of RPS/ Slokam 26 of PKP

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

 

Swami Desikan focuses on the vision of AdisEshA

enjoying the sound and sight of the PaadhukhAs

with his two thousand eyes in this slokam . It is

generally believed that the eyes of snakes act as

the organ of sight as well as hearing . Swami Desikan

states here that AdisEshan is intently enjoying the

sight of the beautiful gait of the PaadhukhAs and the

sweet naadham generated by them at the same time.

He says : " Oh , PaadhukhE ! AdisEshA can not wait

even for one second to enjoy both your beautiful

mobile form and delectable sounds created by you

as you move around to the accompaniment of the jingling

gems on you . He wants to take in both your beauty and

the naadham simultaneously and uses his two thousand

eyes to accomplish this task . As a result His eyes become

known for their sense of hearing besides seeing . "

 

Slokam 857 of RPS/ Slokam 27 of PKP

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

 

Swami Desikan describes here , the special blessings

conferred by the PaadhukhAs as Suryan on its prime

devotee , MahEsvaran . He equates the PaadhukhAs

to Surya BhagavAn , since the PaadhukhAs have thousands of

rays emanating from its gems as well as mobility like the latter.

He says : " Oh, PaadhukhE ! You shine with thousands of rays and

move in the skies with your Lord. At that time , you resemble Surya ,

who is one of the eight forms of MahEsvarA , your foremost devotee .

You confer your blessings on MahEsvarA in this manner " .

 

The inner meaning according to Srirangam Andavan

tradition is that the Brahma Tejas of the AchAryAs banish

the spiritual darkness. As the sandals (PaadhukhAs) of

the Lord , the AchAryAs are deeply attached to the Lord's

holy feet. Thus they shine like the Surya BhagavAn .

 

Slokam 858 of RPS/ Slokam 28 of PKP

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

 

After describing the blessings conferred by the paadhukhAs

on AdisEshA and MahEsvarA , Swami Desikan shifts his

attention to the wives of the sages of the forest . He says:

" Oh , PaadhukhE ! Your central concern is to protect and help

all the people , whether you are travelling with your Lord in

the forest or sititng on the throne in AyodhyA . In the forest ,

you blessed the Rishi pathni , AhalyA and transformed her

back into the state of a woman from that of a stone. All the wives

of the sages of the forest recall with affection your help to

AhalyA and prostrate before you daily for your

compassionate act " .

 

Slokam 859 of RPS/ Slokam 29 of PKP

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

 

In this verse, Swami Desikan points out that the sages

of the forest enjoy the PaadhukhAs as Surya Mandalam

( the orbit of the Sun God ) . He says : " Oh , PaadhukhE !

You shine with your thousands of rays like the Sun's orbit.

Your sounds during your movement resemble the sounds

of recitation of the three VedAs at the time of dawn , noon

and dusk . Your Lord sits at the center of that orbit as

Surya NaarAyaNa Moorthy and is recognized and saluted by

the sages as the Veda Purushan housed by you " .

 

The inner meaning suggested for this verse by NammANdavan

of Srirangam is that the Lord is always accompanied by

the AcharyAs , who are like the crown of the VedAs ( Upanishads) ,

just as Surya BhagavAn is always accompanied by the three VedAs.

 

Slokam 860 of RPS/ Slokam 30 of PKP

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

 

Oh, PaadhukhE ! You destroy the false arguments of

the demented and prove that Lord NaarAyaNA is the supreme

principle of the Universe. You prove that the PurushA at the center

of the Sun's orbit is none other than the eternal RanganAthA .

You touch His sacred feet with your thousand rays and highlight

His eternal and unique role as the creator , protector and

destroyer of the universe as eulogised by the VedAs . You

proclaim and assert that Hari is the central power that pervades

all the sentient and insentient beings . You silence the false

scholars about their opinions to the contrary " .

 

A side Note on the translations of RPS Slokams

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

 

I have been following the commentaries of both

Utthamoor Abhinava Desikan , Sri VeeraraghavAcchAr

Swamy and that of the Srirangam Aandavans known

as Sri RanganAtha PaadhukhA sevakAs .

 

Sri ThErazhundoor Aandavan revered as NammANdavan/

Sri VedAntha RaamAnuja MahA Desikan was the first

Aandavan to bless us with the VyAkhyAnam for Sri RanganAtha

PaadhukhA Sahasram . He completed his commentary upto

the 860th verse and was unable to complete the task of

translating all of the 1008 slokams of Swami Desikan's work .

His illness interfered with his labor of love. He commisioned

his disciple and successor, Aakkoor Aandavan

( Sri SrinivAsa MahA Desikan ) to complete the commentary

on the remaining 148 slokams. Aakkur Aandavan was a great

Yathi , who had studied under the feet of NammANdavan

and had acquired SakalArtha GrahaNam form His AachAryan.

He rose to the occasion and completed the task assigned to him.

 

I will summarize the Guru ParamparA of Srirangam Aandavans

and Poundarikapuram Aandavans in a subsequent posting .

Sri Anbil Ramaswamy of our group had sent me a most

informative calendar for Isvara Varsham

and this Acharya Paramparai is included there by the author :

Sri SevA SwamigaL , a great devotee and illustrious scholar of

Swami Desikan's works .

 

I thought many of you belonging to one or other of these two

great Guru ParamparA might be interested in this information .

 

Sri RanganAtha Divya MaNi paadhukhE ! Thubhyanm Nama:

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Oppiliappan Kovil VaradachAri Sadagopan