Copy of: Adiakkalap patthu of Swami Desikan : Part 1

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Dear Members of Bhakthi Group : FYI .

V.Sadagopan

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V. Sadagopan, 75041,3037

TO: SR, INTERNET:Srengara

CC: vas, INTERNET:vasanthi

DATE: 12/5/97 10:26 PM

 

RE: Copy of: Adiakkalap patthu of Swami Desikan : Part 1

 

Dear Members of the SaraNAgathi Group :

 

Recently I wrote about NyAsa dasakm of Swami Desikan .

Those ten quintissential slOkams are in Sanskrit . They

are sacred and we recite them every day during

the ThiruvArAdhanam for the Lord . In this posting I will

cover Swami Desikan's reverential prapatthi

to Sri VaradarAjA of Hasthigiri in Tamil , which crytallized

as eleven verses including the pala sruthi verse of

ADAIKKALAP PATTHU housed in Desika Prabhandham .

These verses are equaly sacred in purport .

 

Swami Desikan's ArAdhana Murthy was VaradarAjan .

Time and again , he has offered his profound salutations

to Atthigiri AruLALan through his sthOthrams such as

Sri VaradarAja panchAsath , meyviratha Maanmiyam ,

ThirucchinnamAali and Sri Hasthigiri MahAthmyam .

 

Swami Desikan was born in Thuppul not far from

the temple of VaradarAjan , which is known as PerumAL

Koil . It is revered as one of the seven mukthi KshEthrams .

The Lord stands on top of a small hill here saluted as

Atthigiri in Tamil and Hasthi Giri in Sanskrit . Here , he

responds most affirmatively to all auspicious vrathams

of devotees and hence this kshEthram is known as

Sathya Vratha KshEthram . The Lord's greatness is

saluted as Meyviratha mAnmiyam .

 

The Lord of Hasthigiri is saluted from time immemorial

as Varadhan , DevarAjan , Devap PerumAL , AruLALan and

PeraruLALan . He is saluted as KaaruNya Raasi

( the embodiment of Mercy and DayA ) by Swami Desikan .

He is recognized as avyAja Vatsalan ( One Whose natural

disposition is affection for His devotees ) . He is recognized as

Varadhan or the boon giver par excellence. The beauty of His

divya MangaLa vigraham has been enjoyed by Swami Desikan

without any satiety .

 

Swami Desikan has described Sri Varadan as a matchless

vessel to cross the tumultous ocean of SamsArA ( SamsAra

vAridhi nidhi santhraNaika pOtham ) .He is saluted as the end

statement of ALL words ( Sarva VachasAm avasAna seema : ) .

In a most majestic salutation , Swami Desikan has recognized Him

as " Nithyam param Sarva Gatham SusUkshmam nishpandha-

nandhathu mayam Bhavatha: svarUpam ) . Swami Desikan

untypically is at a loss for words and tries to describe the Lord's

form as " eternal , superior to every thing , all pervasive ,

unobstructed in its power and an embodiment of unalloyed Joy ) .

Swami recovers from his state of being overwhelmed and

comes back to his fluent self and salutes the Lord as

" Visva AdhisAyee Sukha rUpan " ( the unmatched embodiment

of beauty in all the three worlds ) .

 

Swami Desikan's salutaion of Atthigiri AruLALan

as the tree with its eastern branch as VaasudEvA , Western

branch as PradhyumnA , Southern Branch as SankarshaNA

and the Northern Branch as AniruddhA and Himself at the very

center of the Chathur VyUhams is a moving tribute ( Satthvavantha:

----tava Chathurshvapi sthAnEshu api sAkA vibhAga chathurE

chAthurAthmeyE jaagrathi ) . Here Swami says that the pious ones

deeply concentrate in the enjoyment of Him as the Chathur vyUha

Moorthy . Swami goes on to adore Him as the emerald resting

in the casket made up of all Upanishads as their SaarArtham

( nikhila Upanishad maneeshA manjUsjikA marakatham ) .

 

In the VaradarAjA panchAsath , Swami salutes Him as

dasAvathAra SvarUpan , as the antharyAmi as well

as ArchAvathAran . Swami Desikan reminds the Lord that

his own anjali is the shield against the Lord's shafts of anger

over his sins . Our AchAryA melts the heart of Varadhan by

describing HIm as the faultless dam over the ocean of

SamsAram ( tvAm yEva abhangura: sEthu asi ) . He invites

the rejuvenating glances of VaradarAjan to bring him back

to life after experiencing the scorching rays of the summer

sun of samsAram . Swami reminds the Lord that it is not

a big effort for Him to take care of him during the remaining few

years on His earth ( sEshathva lEsa nayanE ka: iva

athibhAra : ? ) .

 

Frightened over his accumulated sins and their effect

on him , Swami Desikan cries out and begs for the Lord's cool

and merciful glances to fall on him ( madhurA: DhayALO:

tE katAkshA : mayi pathanthu ) .He calls Him as KarisailadhAman

( One who has Hasthigiri as His place of residence ) and begs

Him to bless him to travel by archirAdhi maargam at the end

of his days . Swami wants from VaradarAjan the boon of

anthima smrithi about HIm ( AlOhitha amsukam tvAm anusmarEyam ) .

He confides to Varadhan that the enjoyment of His beauty

in ArchAvatharam at Kanchi makes him conclude that the stay

in Sri VaikunTam is not so tempting . Swami concludes his

salutation to VaradarAjan with a prayer for unceasing

rememberance(Dhruva smruthi ) of Him as

a resident of his heart cave .

 

In the divya prabhandham , Hasthigiri MaahAthmyam ,

Swami Desikan rightfully concludes that Kanchi has

become the KshEthram that totally cuts asunder all

the sins of devotees because of its sanctity arising

from the association with Sri VaradarAjan ( atthigiri

bhatthar vinai tottaRa aRukkum aNi AtthigiriyE ) .

The Lord appeared in the uttara vEdhi of BrahmA's

yAgasAlA under the PuNyakOti vimAnam as the

effulgent radiance . Swami states that the nithya sUris

raised the mangaLa naadham from their Thirucchinnams

during that auspicious occasion ( kAhaLi nAdhEna

karNEshvamruthasEchanam ) . Swami Desikan is

immersed in the sweet memories of the Lord

appearing before BrahmA as a golden mountain

in the middle of the fire of the yajnam . Wave after wave of

memories about the Lord's glories wash over Swami

Desikan and he declares with elation his nectar-like

experience over those thoughts :

 

atthigiri aruLALap perumAL vandhAr

-- karutha varam tharum Dhaivap perumAL vandhAr

--umbhar thozhum kazhaludayAr vandhAr

--vAnEra vazhi tanthAr vandhAr thAmE

 

Swami Desikan celebrated thus " the trilOka

mahaneeyam Sathyavratha mahAthmyam "

in his prabhandham in a glorious manner .

The auspicious sound raised by the NithyasUris

from the Lord's Thirucchinnam reminded him of

the comforting sound of mUla Manthram . The praNava

sabdham reminded him once again of the rakshakathvam

of Lord VaradarAjA . The accompanying UkAra ,

MakAra sabdhams and that of the fourth case

as well as the nama: and the NaarAyaNa sabdham

with its own chathur vibhakthi engulfed our AchAryA

into an ocean of bliss . He performed his prapatthi

immediately to the Lord of Hasthigiri in grateful

appreciation of that extraordinary experience

and out poured the ten verses of Adaikkalap patthu .

 

We shall cover the meanings of these blessed verses

in the concluding posting on Adaikkalap patthu .

 

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan