Sri NyAsa dasakam of Swami Desikan : Part 1

[Guest guest]

SrimAn VenkatanAthArya: kavithArkika kEsarI I

vEdAnthAchArya varyO mE sannidhatthAm sadhA hrudhi II

 

 

Dear Members of the SaraNAgathi/Bhakthi Group :

 

The subject of SaraNAgathi is a vast one . One of

the most moving and beautiful summary of SaraNAgathi

is housed in Swami Desikan's NyAsa Dasakam . This

magnificient work has ten slOkams , which are rich in meaning

for the SaraNAgathi literature . From the height of his Ubhaya -

VedanthA perspective , our most merciful AchAryA has blessed

us with the distilled essence of the doctrine of SaraNAgathi .

 

We recite it daily because of its terse brilliance , depth of

allusions to NammAzhwAr's paasurams and the need to

reflect upon the meaning of each of the words that Swami

Desikan has chosen to assemble this garland of exquisite

fragrance divine !

 

Any discussion on the subject of SaraNAgathi can benefit from

its start with the ten inspired and inspiring verses of Swami

Desikan .

 

He has blessed us many other works on SaraNAgathi to

help us understand the procedure related to and the actual

performance of Prapatthi . This sacred grantham was composed

by Swami Desikan during the occasion of his performance

of Prapatthi at the lotus feet of Sri VaradarAjan (pEraruLALan )

of KanchIpuram .

 

The ten slokams comprising this short sthothra grantham

covers the following topics : (1) the method of performing

SaraNAgathi ( prapatthi , Bhara SamarpNam or Aathma

NikshEpam ) -- (2) the five limbs of SaraNAgathi (3) the

method of performing Saatvika thyAgam (4) prayer for

the boon (varam ) of Moksham from the king of boon givers

( VaradarAjan ) (5) another prayer for the boon of kaimkarya

Sri during the rest of the life after Prapatthi and (6) A moving

appeal to forgive the trespasses and sins committed knowingly

or unknowingly after Prapatthi .

 

This extraordinary scope of this sthothram on the most important

subject necessitates us to recite it and to reflect on it daily during

the occasion of the ThiruvArAdhanam for the Lord at our homes .

 

I will follow the commentary tradition established by my

MaanasIka Guru , Sri Vankipuram Navaneetham

SrirAma DesikAchar Swamy and the the additional

commentary made by Dr.V.N .Vedantha Desikan (VNV)

in his brilliant work with the title of AazhwAr ThiruvuLLam .

 

Dr. V.N.V cites the paasurams of NammAzhwAr , which might have

inspired Swami Desikan to make reference to them in his

Sanskrit sthOthra grantham , NyAsa Dasakam . I will elaborate on

these paasurams of NammAzhwAr to extend the commentary for

a more detailed study of the ten slokams of NyAsa Dasakam .

I will try to interlace the thoughts from other works of Swami Desikan

to illustrate how our great AchAryA blessed us again and again to

gain a clear and full understanding of the doctrines of SaraNAgathi

as revealed by his predecessors .

 

SLOKAM 1 :

 

aham madhrakshaNabarO madhrakshaNa palam tathA I

na mama SripathEvEthi aathmAnam nikshipEth bhudha : II

 

Here Swami Desikan points out the procedure to be adopted by

one with discriminating intellect ;such a person has grasped fully

the essence of Tattva, Hitha and purushArthams at the sacred feet

of a qualified AchAryA and is desirous of seeking Moksham through

the act of Prapatthi . How does such a person perform Prapatthi ?

Swami Desikan divides the act of Prapatthi or SaraNAgathi

into its three parts :

 

(1) SvarUpa SamarpaNam (2) Bhara SamarpaNam and (3) Pala

samarpaNam .

 

Swami Desikan states that one has to surrender SvarUpam ,

RakshaNa bharam and RakshaNa palam at the lotus feet of

the Lord and declare ( anusandhAnam ) without any

shred of doubt that ,

 

(1) the Lord is the owner of his or her aathmA and that he or she

is not an entity gifted with svathanthram/svarUpa samarpaNam

 

(2) The total responsibility to protect me is that of

the Lord alone and that I have no role to play in that

responsibility /bhara samarpaNam

 

(3) The fruit that results from protecting me also belongs

to the Lord and Lord alone .I have no right to claim any of

that fruit /pala SamarpaNam .

 

The terse statement of these three anusandhAnams

are covered in the first paadham of this slOkam set in

the Anushtup metre : aham na mama ( SvarUpa SamarpaNam) ,

madh RakshaNa bhara: na mama ( Bhara samarpaNam )

and tathA madh rakshaNa palam na mama ( pala SamarpaNam ) .

 

He completes the thought behind these three anusandhAnams

in the second paadham of the slOkam with the decalration :

"(Aham , madh rakshaNa bharam , tathA madh RakshaNa

palam ) SripathErEva , na mama " . This triad of samarpaNam

is entirely controlled by the Lord and not by me is the way to

perform prapatthi according to our AchAryA . He points out that

this is how a vivEki ( Bhudha : ) should surrender his aathmA at

the lotus feet of the Lord ( SripathErEva ithi budha: aathmAnam

nikshipEth ) . This is the right royal way to perform Prapatti to gain

the supreme boon of Moksham says Swami Desikan at the very

outset of NyAsa Dasakam .

 

Dr. VedAntha Desikan translates this slokam as follows :

" A refined and discerning person must surrender himself--

his aathmA , his protection and the fruit of his protection as the

Lord"s . They are all HIS and His will is carried out .

Aathma -samrpaNam , Bhara-SamarpaNam and Pala-

samarpaNam are thus carried out " .

 

Dr. VNV cites the following two paasurams of NammAzhwAr

as context for the text of Swami Desikan :

 

1. ThiruvAimozhi 2.3.4 : yenathAvi yaar? yaanAr?

thantha nee kondAkkinayE !

 

Here NammAzhwAr Engages in a dialog with SaraNyan .

He says : O Lord ! You have pervaded my soul ( aathmA )

and preside there . This is an ancient happening ! My aathmA

has been Yours from time immemorial . What a tragedy

that I had mixed up things and had the deluded thinking that

this aathmA , a property of Yours is mine . When I say now that

I am surrendering MY aathmA at Your feet , I am committing

aathmApahAram ( stealing of the object that is Yours and

pretend that I am giving to You what is mine ) . Oh , My Lord !

You indeed are the owner of this aathmA . You are the Lord of

me and the aathmA . I am now cleared of my mix up about

the ownership of the aathmA . How can I repay You for helping

me out of my confusion ?

 

Earlier in this pasuram , AzhwAr points out to the Lord

in a mood of utter submission that he will surrender

his aathmA to the Lord and Lord alone and asserts

that the aathmA belongs to the Lord totally and he has

no claims whatsoever on it . He says : " YenathAvi tanthu

ozhindhEn " . He makes a statement thereafter ,"

" ini meeLvathu yenpathu uNdO ? " . AzhwAr states here that

he has no thought whatsoever on reclaiming what he has

just surrendered to the Lord as His property . This is

SvarUpa samarpaNam at its best .

 

ThiruvAimozhi 8.1.10

 

Second Paaaadham : Yennyuirai aRavilai seythanan sOthi !

--- tamiyanEn PeriyavappanE !

 

Here the AzhwAr is supremely elated after svarUpa samarpaNam.

In that mood of blissful joy , he says : You have granted Thy feet

exclusively for my enjoyment . How can I repay You for Your

mahOpakAram ? There is however one thing . My cherished

possession is my aathmA . I now make a clean , unconditional sale

of it to You . It is my gesture of gratitude for Your paramOpakAram .

Oh Lord ! what is happening to You now that You have accepted

my aathmA , which has always been Your property . You seem to

have attained a special effulgence ( jyOthi ) as a result of

accepting my svarUpa samarpaNam . Oh Great benefactor !

You have paid very little in this commercial transaction of

mine . I sold you my aathmA ( svarUpam ) . The price paid by You

is the enjoyment of Your lofty lotus feet . You are now beaming with joy

over this transaction , where You have gained an upper hand .

You have got back your property and you seem to be recalling

with great happiness your statement in the GithA , J~nAni thu

aathmA yeva matham " .You are considering me as Your aathmA .

What a great fortune that befell me thru this SvarUpa samarpaNam ?

Thus pours out our Kulapathi his sense of joy over the act

of SvarUpa SamarpaNam .

 

These thoughts are captured by Swami Desikan in his

first slOkam of NyAsa dasakam .

 

( To be continued ) .

 

Daasan ,

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan