Naama Mahima -- part 3: Gowlai pancha rathnam

[Guest guest]

Dear Rama BhakthAs :

 

I will continue with the Anupallavi of this Krithi now.

The Anupallavis is :

 

kaDu durvishayAkrushDai -gaDiyaku ninDAru

( duDuku gala )

 

Anupallavi also begins with Rishbha Svara PrAdhAnyam .

 

In the Anupallavi , Sadhguru Swami explained his pitiable

state , which has arisen from his servitude to many earthly

pleasures and his sensory attractions to them . He cried out

loud about which Dorai Mahan is going to come to his rescue.

 

He says here that he is suffering every minute from the pull of

vishaya sukhams and he laments that he does not know

the identity of that powerful prince , who is going to pull him

out of his misery . He indicated indirectly that Sri Ramachandran ,

the son of the emperor Dasarathan is the only one , who can

surely save him . His mahA visvAsam in Sri Rama coming to

his rescue inspite of the many trespasses reminds one of

the beautiful SthOthra Rathna SlOkam of ALavandhAr :

 

Raghuvara yadhabhUthsthvam tAdrusO vAyasasya

praNatha ithi dayALur yaccha chaithyasya KrishNa : I

prathibhavamaparAttUrmuktha sAyujyathObhu :

vadha kimapadhamAgastasya thEsthi kshaamAyA : II

 

( Anvaya Kramam ) : Oh , Raghuvara ! tvam thAdhrusa :

vAyasasya praNatha:itth dayALu : yath abhU : muktha !

KrishNa , Prathibhavam aparAtthu : chaithyasaya

sAyujyatha: ApUcchayath , tasya thE kshamAyA :

apadham kim asthi vadha !

 

( Meaning ) : Oh , Raghu kula sreshta Swamin ! You were

profoundly merciful to the mahAparAdhi , the crow , who

committed the most unpardonable offense against

your pirAtti for the simple reason that it fell at your feet .

You took pity on it and protected it from your own unfailing

arrow . Oh , KrishNA of nirdhOsha svarUpam

( kuraivu onrumillatha GovindhA !) Out of Your

incomparable dayA , You forgave SisupAlan and blessed

him with sAyujyam , although he spent his life in every one

of his janmAs hating You and offending You ! For the DayA-

mUrthi like You , who blessed even these mahA pApis , is

there an offnese or trespass that is beyond Your kashamA

( patience and forgiving ) ? Therefore I conclude that You

are the only one , who can come to my rescue and forgive

me and lift me out of my miseries .

 

CharaNa Vaakhyams of Gowlai Pancharathnam: General Comments

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This krithi has 10 charaNams like the Nattai Pancharathnam.

Through these charaNams , Sadhguru performs SaraNAgathi

or Prapatthi at the sacred feet of Sri Ramachandra . Earlier , we

have understood that the word SaraNAgathi is made up

of the two words , SaraNam and Agathi as per NadAthUr

ammAL's definition . Here saraNam means upAyam and Agathi

means arrival . SaraNAgathi is therefore the end of the search

for upAyam , when the jeevan comes to the conclusion that

the Lord and the Lord alone is the upAyam for its salvation .

Jeevan reaches the maturity based on the clear realization that

ther are no other upAyams to save it from samsAric calamities

except the Lord .Then , it surrenders the responsibilites for its

protection , the fruits of that protection and its svarUpam

to the Lord and becomes free of concerns about its

salvation .The jeevan thus recognizes the limitless power

of the Lord as unmatchable and sets at the feet of the Lord

its aathma rakshaNam and becomes a true prapannA .

 

Among the five angAs of SaraNAgathi prescribed by

the SaasthrAs , Sadhguru focussed on KaarPaNyam

anf Gopthruva VaraNam in the ten charaNams of

this Gowlai pancha rathnam .

 

Sri ThyagarAja Swami followed the thought line of

Swami Desikan , when he performed his saraNAgathi .

That slOkam of Swami Desikan is as follows :

 

karthavyamithyanukalam kalayAmyakruthyam

Swamin akruthyamithi kruthyamapi thyajAmi I

anyadh vyathikramaNa jAthamanathamartha--

sthAnE dhayA bhavathu thE mayi Saarvabhoumi II

 

( Meaning ) : Oh , Raghava Swamin ! I am engaged

in the performance of acts that are prohibited by

sAsthrAs all the time as though these are permitted

by sAsthrAs .This I do with glee and relish ! I reject

those that are prescribed as if they are not recommended.

I have now collected bundles of sins as a result of

these wanton acts of mine . I am in a terrible state of

suffering . I do not know the way for my salvation .

At this time of great sorrow of mine , May Your limitless

dayA become the upAyam and bear fruit and save me !

 

Our Sadhguru followed the words of Sri RamA , when

he declared at the side of the ocean that He will unfailingly

protect anyone , who performed prapatthi to Him even once

and asked for His protection ( sakruth praNatha rakshaNa

prathitha samvidha : samvidha: ) . That was His public

vow on the shores of sEthu as VeerarAghavan . Sadhguru

took Him upon His words offering hope and protection .

 

Saint ThyagarAja"s prayer reminds one of many passages

from Swami Desikan's sthOthrams dealing with his

performance of Prapatthi . Sadhguru followed the route

of Sri VaishNava AchAryAs and appealed to Sri Ramachandran :

 

Oh Lord , who declared that it is Your chief vow (Vratham )

to come to the rescue of those , who sought Your protection

even once !

 

I have peformed many karmAs without stopping to think

about their effects one way or the other and as a result

have acculmulated enormous bundles of sins ( atharkitha

hitha , ahitha krama visEsham ) . Please bless me to become

free of the performance of vipareetha kaaryams ( Samitha

prathikUla vrutthim maam kuru ) . Please bless me to

attain unity of the three karaNAs ( thought , speech and body )

in performing kaimkaryam to You ( Kaimkarya labdha karaNa

thraya sAmarasyam ) .Please make me totally rooted in You

so that I will not be distracted by any others ( tvadanya vimukam )

for my protection or adoration ( ananya bhakthi ) .

 

Oh RamachandrA ! You are known for your unbounded

affection for those , who has performed saraNAgathi at

Your lotus feet. There is nothing that is beyond your reach

and sankalpam . You can in one small fraction of a second

destroy the multiple crores of sins ( brahmAnda sathakOti

gaNAnanthAn , yeka kshaNE viparivarthya vilajjamAnAn ) ,

if you desire to bless the SaraNAgathan . I pray to You

to come to my rescue as the Dorai mahan . Thus prayed

Saint ThyagarAja in his ten charaNams of the Gowlai

pancharathnam .

 

In the first charaNam , Saint ThyagarAja followed

the traditional route of SaraNAgathi , which starts with

MahA Lakshmi . Approaching the Lord through His dear

consort is the ancient Sri VaishNava sampradhAyam .

Approaching the sakala lOka maathA for intercession

with Her Lord , saint ThyagarajA performed his prapatthi .

 

The sAhithya Vaakhyams of the first of the ten

charaNams of GowLai pancharathnam are :

 

Sree VanithA hrudh kumudhAbhjaAvAngh maanasa

gochara ( duDuku kala nannE )

 

I will cover the meaning of this charaNam in the next

posting .

 

Sri SeethA LakshmaNa Hanumath samEtha

Sri Ramachandra ParabrahmaNE Nama:

 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan