Sri AparyApthAmrutha DhyAna sOpAnam : Part

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs :

 

In this posting , I will restart the earlier efforts to cover

the tribute of Thirukkudanthai Desikan to Sri KomaLavalli

SamEtha AarAvamudhan of Thirukkudanthai .

 

The Many Connections and the depths of Meanings

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This powerful sOpAnam derived its inspiration from

ThiruppANAzhwAr's " AmaalanAthi pirAn " , Swami Desikan"s

'Bhagavadh DhyAna sOpAbnam " and " Muni Vaahana BhOgam " .

 

The depths of meanings are profound and it is easy to get

lost in the comparitiive study of the individual slOkAs . I will

cover one slOkam at a time of this unique eulogy

on the AparyApthAmutha Parabrahmam of Thirukkudanthai .

 

I will be following the commentary of the seventh generation

grandson of Thirukkdanthai Desikan , Sri ILayavalli SrinivAsAchArya

Swami , my next door neighbor at KumbakONam during my

boyhood days . Thanks once again to Sri Sampath Rengarajan

of Michigan for providing me with the rare copy of the sthuthi

and its vyAkhyAnam to create these postings .

 

SALUTATIONS TO THIRUKKUDANTHAI DESIKAN

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SrimathE GopAla MahA DesikAya Nama:

 

Sri munithraya siddhAntha PadminyullAsa BhAskara:I

GopaladEsika : SrimAnn jEjeeyath santhatham bhuvi II

 

( May the glory of Gopala Desikan of auspicious attributes --

--the Sun that makes the lotus of Munithraya sampradhAyam

blososm and joyous --be victorious on this earth forever )

 

Sri KumbhakONapathi SaarnginuthEsccha

VaisvadEvAgni nirNayatha Agama mowli sUrE : I

nAmnAm sahasrakruthitha: kruthAsadhAbhAgyam

GopAladEsikam SaraNam prapadhyE II

 

( I take refuge at the sacred feet of Sri Gopala Desikan ,

who created the sahsra nAmams for SwAmi Desikan ,

composed the eulogy for SaarangapANi of KumbakOnam

and who blessed us with the monograph determining the

exact Agni to be used for the performance of VaiswadEvam )

 

KesavAdhi Vandhanams

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Chathuscchakram namasyAmi

Kesavam kanaka prabham

 

SlOkam 1 : ( Kesava Vandhanam )

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sathyam jyOthi sruthi parshadhAm apramEyam pramEyam

kalyANAnAm avikala gruham pavanam pavanAnAm I

AavirbhUtham Kanaka sarithO dakhshiNE theera bhaagE

SaarngEsAkhyam vinatha SaraNam bhAthu chitthE sadhA mE II

 

(Anvaya Kramam ) : Sruthi parishadhAm apramEyam pramEyam

kalyANAnAmavikala gruham pavanAnAm paavanam Kanaka saritha:

dakshiNE theera bhAgE AavirbhUtham vinatha SaraNam

SaarngEsAkhyam sathyam JyOthi: mE chitthE sadhA bhAthu

 

Word by Word meaning

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Sruthi parishadhAm = to the assembly of the VedAs

 

apramEyam = immeasurable

 

pramEyam = being a target

 

klayANAnAm= for auspiciousness

 

avikala gruham = being a perfect home

 

pavanAnAm = for the most pure

 

pavanam = the most sacred (pure )

 

Kanaka saritha: = for the river known as the Golden one ( Ponni )

 

dakshiNE theerabhAgE = being on its southern bank

 

aavirbhUtham = that which manifested

 

vinatha saraNam = for those , who worship Him

 

SaarngEsAkhyam = with the name of SaarangarAjA

 

sathyam jyOthi : = the true and eternal effulgence

 

mE chitthE sadhA bhaathu= may that (effulgence )

shine forever in my mind .

 

The summary Meaning

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( Meaning ) : May the supreme effulgence with the name of

SaarangapANi , who is the target (lakshyam ) of countless sruthis ,

who is the purest among the pure , who manifested on the

south bank of the river CauvEri and is the unfailing protector

of His devotees , may that eternal jyOthi shine in my mind always !

 

Interrelationships among the sOpAnams, AmaalnAdhipirAn

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This slOkam is the first of the TWELVE slOkams of this

sOpAnam . The thirteenth is the palasruthi . Swami Desikan's

Bhagavdh DhyAna sOpanam has 12 slOkams and BhANa

Naathan's "Amalanadhi piraan " has 10 paasurams . Both

Swami Desikan and his aparAvatharam chose 12 slOkams

to praise the Lord as VaasudEvan with His 12 lettered manthram

( Sri DwAdasAkshari ) and with dwAdasa nAmams starting from

Kesavan and ending with DaamOdharan . Interestingly enough ,

the Tamil prabhandham of Swami Desikan ( Panniru ThirunAmam )

has 13 paasurams including pala sruthi just as in

the case of AparyApthAmrutha sOpAnam . One can

compare the 12 slOkams of the sOpaanam

of Thirukkudanthai Desikan to the 12 nAmAs of the Lord saluted

in " Panniru ThirunAmam " by Swami Desikan earlier .

 

Observations and comments on selected words of the SlOkam

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1 . AarAvamudhan ( AparyAptha parabrahmam ) appeared out of His

own volition on the south bank of the golden river CauvEri to teach a

lesson to the arrogant Sun and to marry Sri KomaLavalli , the daughter

of Hema Rishi . He took the form of Gopalan ( Kudanthai Kovalan )

for ANDAL and was eulogized by seven AzhwArs with 53 paasurams

including ThiruvEzhukUrririkkai by Thirumangai . This is the reference to

" DakshiNE theerabhAgE aavirbhUtham " in this verse . Thirukkdanthai

Desikan prays for that SarNyan and Rakshakan to His devotees

( Vinatha SaraNam ) with the name of SaarngapANi ( SaarngEsAkhyam )

to shine as a great beacon of truth and timelessness in his mind

forever ( Sathyam JyOthi: mE chitthE sadhA Bhaathu ) .

 

2 . Sri SaarangapANi is resting on AdisEshA under Vaidhika

VimAnam at KumbakONam . His many auspicious attributes

are saluted by Thirukkudanthai Desikan with the chosen words :

Sathyam JyOthi : sruthi parishadhAm apramEyam pramEyam ,

kalyANAnAm avikala gruham , pavnAnAm paavanam " .

 

3 . We will focus on two groups of words that Thirukkudanthai

Desikan used here for elaboration . These are : (1) Sathyam

JyOthi: (2 ) PavanAnAm paavanam .

 

3.1 : The references to these words are to be found in the first

slokam of Sri Bhagavdh dhyAna sOpAnam of Swami Desikan

and the first paasuram of AamalAnAdhi pirAn by BhANa Naathan ,

which was commented on by Swami Desikan in Muni Vahana

BhOgam . Thirukkudanthai Desikan as the aparAvathAram of

Swami Desikan at the command of Sri Oppiliappan convincingly

chooses the words that he used in his compositions of the

earlier avathAram . Let us enjoy these two references :

 

anthar JYOTHI : kimapi yaminAm anjanam yOgadhrushtE :

chinthArathnam sulabham iha na : siddhi mOkshAnurUpam I

dheenAnAtha vyasana samanam dhaivatham dhaivathAnAm

divyam chakshu: SRUTHIPARISHADHAM dhrusyathe RangamadhyE II

--- SLOKAM 1 of Sri Bhagavadh DhyAna sOpaanam

 

amalan aadhipirAn ---vimalan -- nimalan ninmalan

-- words form the first paasuram of ThiruppANaazhwAr

matching " kalyANAnAm avikala gruham , paavanAnAm

paavanam " .

 

Sathyam JyOthi :

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Sathya Sabdha Vaachya JyOthi is the splendorous

effulgence , AarAvamudhan . Sathya Sabdham is the celebrated

sabdham in the VedAs , Upanishads and Divya Prabhandhams .

 

Upanishadic Examples referring to Sathyam & JyOthi :

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1 . SATHYAM Jn~Anam anantham BrahmA

 

2. Na tathra SuryO BHAATHI na Chandra Taarakam

nEmA vidhyuthO bhAnti kuthOyamagni : I

tamEva bhaantham anubhAthi sarvam

tasya BhAsA sarvimatham vibhAthi

 

3 . atha yathatha: parO dhivO JYOTHIR deepyathE

 

4. Tacch subrham jyOthishAm JYOTHI :

 

5. SATHYAM tvEva vijignaasithavyam

 

Divya Prabhandham Examples of Salutations to JyOthi (sOthi)

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1. SUDAR oLiyAi nenjinuLLE thOnrum yen Nampi

 

2. Ulahinil thORRamAi ninRa SUDARE

 

3. SOTHIYAATHA SOTHI

 

4. paNiyAi yennakku uyyum vahai PARANJYOTHI

 

5. mudicchOthi , MuhacchOthi , adicchOthi , padicchOthi

katicchOthi -- NammAzhwAr 's words on the JyOthi svarUpan

 

6. paranchudar cchOthi

 

Swami Desikan"s own salutations to JyOthi Brahmam( Maha : )

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1. yeedimahi Maha : 2. Svayam vyaktham param Maha :

3. Parama vyOma Bhaskara: 4. Sthira JyOthi: ( On the Natha

Sathyan of Thiruvaheendra Puram ) 5. Rangathuryam Maha :

6. Anthar JyOthi:

 

Those are the references to the " sathyam JyOthi: " ,

the two words used by Thirukkudanthai Desikan ,

who is the aparAvathAram of Swami Desikan .

 

The words PavanAnAm Paavanam

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The references to SaarngapAni of Thirukkudanthai

as the parama paavanan are as follows :

 

1. pallaNdenRu PAVITHIRANAI paramEttiyai

Saarngamennum villANdAnRannai " -- PeriyAzhwAr

 

2. PaalAlilayil thyuil konda PARAMAN -- ANDAL

 

3. parunthAL kaLLiRRukku aruL seytha PARAMAN --ANDAL

 

4. selvam malhu thenn Thirukkudanthai ,

anthaNar manthira mozhiyudan vaNanga ,

aadaravamaLiyil aRithyuilamarntha PARAMA "

 

5. AparyApthAmurtham smruthvA sathyas SUDDHA : bhavanthi

-- KumbakONa Sthala PurANam

 

6. anya kshEthrE krutham paapam puNya KshEthrE vinasyathi

puNya kshEhtrE krutham paapam VaraNAsyAm vinasyathi

VaraNAsyAm krutham paapam KumbakONE vinasyathi

KumbakONE krutham paapam KumbakONE Vinasyathi

--- SEsha Dharmam about the parama Paavanan .

 

Such are the abundant references to the chosen words of

Thirukkudanthai Desikan ( PavanAnAm Paavanam ) .

 

Thirukkudathai Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan