VaraLi Pancharathnam -- Part 5

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Isvara samvathsaram , Marghazhi Maasam , 29th day

Punarvasy Nakshthram , BhOgi Pandigai

January 13 , 1998

 

Dear Rama BhakthAs :

 

Saint ThyagarAjA was immersed in brahmAnandham

over the darsana soubhAgyam of his Ishta dhaivam as he

sang about the unparalled beauty of his SaakEtha Raaman.

 

The saint was transported to the darbAr of PattAbhi Raaman

in distant AyodhyA . The scene shifted from the banks of Cauveri

to Sarayu . There , Saint ThyagarAjA immersed himself in

the exquisite beauty of the Lord's peethAmparam , madhura

sambhAshaNai and the supreme radiance of the chakravarthy-

thirumahan seated on His throne . He was overcome with great

Joy and performed archanA to the Lord with carefully selected

nAmAs . Thus was born the third charaNam with the following

sAhithya vAkhyams :

 

BaalArkAbha suchEla ! MaNimaya mAlAlankrutha kandhara !

SarasijAksha ! VarakapOla ! surichara kireetadhara !

santhathampu manasAraga ( Kana Kana ruchira

kanaka vasana ninnu )

 

He celebrated the lustre of the peethAmparam that adorned

the waist of the Lord . The reddish hue of the peethAmparam

reminded him of the rising Sun at dawn . He began the nAmArchana

with " Om BaalArka SuchElAya nama : " .

 

Next , the saint 's eyes rested on the resplendent navarathna

necklace on the broad chest of His Lord . The second nAmArchanA

followed : " Om MaNimaya mAlAlamkutha kandharAya Nama: "

 

The saint's eye wandered from the chest region to the face of

the Lord and took in the most compassionate and beautiful

eyes resembling that of a beautiful lotus . The third nAmArchanaa

took its place as , " Om SarasijAkshAya nama: "

>From the eyes that were overpowering him , the saint shifted his

gaze to the cheeks of the Lord that were shining like a polished

mirror . The fourth namArchanA followed : " Om Vara KapOlAya nama: " .

 

Now , the saint 's eye rested on the beautiful gem-bedecked crown

( MaNimaya makutam / kireetam ) adorning the Lord's head and

that enjoyment transported itself to transform as the fifth namArchanam ,

" Om surichara kireetadharAya Nama : " . This experience of

Saint TyagarAjA reminds one of ThiruppANAzhwAr's anubhavam

of the beauty of Sri RanganAthA from the lotus feet to the shining crown .

 

After travelling from the waist region admiring the peethAmparam ,

the saint 's eyes moved upward and rested at the kireetam adorning

Pattabhi Raaman's head . He described his anubhava janitha aanandham

with the statement , " santhathampu manasAraga kana kana ruchirA ,

kanaka vasana ninnu " . He declared that he was forever enjoying

to his heart's content this darbAr sevai that the Lord blessed him with .

 

This vision and the darsana soubhAgyam of the Kanaka vasana Raaman

has been celebrated by the Saint in many of his other krithis and serve

as an echo to his experience described in the VarALi pancharathnam's

third charaNam . For instance , he priased the most beautiful combination

of the Lord's bluish hue with the dawn-red color of the peethAmparam

on His waist region this way : " neelAkruthi gala nee lAvaNyamu

neelAgathi gani bhimbhavE , BaalArkhAbha suchElAvrutha " . The tejas

of the Baala SUryan is invoked here again to describe the hue of

the divya peethAmparam . He offered his salutations to this suprakAsa

Sundara mUrthy and eulogized Him as " Surichara kireeta dharan " and

" MaNimaya makuta virAjamAna Manmatha kOti samAna sundarAngan " .

 

In his Bhairavi krithi , " UpachAramulanu chekonavayaa" ,

he saluted His Lord resplendently attired in the shining

peethAmbharam as " Chapala kOti nipAmbharadhara Sri Jaanaki Pathi " .

He recognized the Lord as the one wearing the peethAmbharam

having the lustre of crores of lightning bolts .

 

In his DevaghAndhAri krithi , " KoluvaiunnAdE Kothandha PaaNi " ,

saint ThyagarAjA enjoyed the beauty of the darbhAr scene and shared it

with us :

 

kanaka patamu sOmmulanu dharinchi vEdhOkthamaina

Sanaka vachanamulachE thOshimchyAsrithulu bhOshimchi

( KoluvaiunnAdE KothandapANi )

 

He invites us to come to the darbhAr hall of Sri PattAbhi Raaman.

He says : " Please come and see our Lord , the VEdha Purushan ,

listening to the vEdha pArAyaNam of rishis like SanakA while

adornig the tEjOmaya peethAmbharam and blessing all those ,

who performed saraNAgathi to Him " . He invited us to enjoy this rare

sight .

 

In one of his SourAshtra Krithis , Saint ThyagarAjA celebrated

the beautiful way in which Sri RaamachandrA travelled to the darbhAr

to bless the assembled citizens , kings , sages and dEvAs :

 

meruga bhangAru sElamighuvondha mariya ,

nUpuramulu bhakthulagani KaruNAmrutha sallaka ,

YOgula daharamula jallanaka vEnjEsina

( Yenthanuchu varninthunE yee IndirA RamaNuni nE )

 

( Meaning ) :Thus arrives my Lord with the shining peethAmparam moving

gently , with the bells on His ankle aabharaNam sounding " gal , gal , "

with His glances showering nectar over His devotees and

cooling the heart cavities of the yOgis ( jil Jil ena ) .

Thus the RaajAthirAjan , SithApathi travels to His darbhAr .

How can I adequately decribe the exquisite beauty of

this scene ?

 

The describtions of the shiny peethAbharam , the gem-bedecked

kireetam and navarathna maalai adorning his chest described

in the third charaNam are echoes of the passages found in

the above-quoted krithis :

 

" maNimaya makuta virAjamAnO " --- JangAradhvani krithi

 

" Chapala kOti nipAmbharadhara Sri JaanakI pathi" -- Bhairavi krithi

 

" Kanaka patamu sommulanu dharinchi " --dEva ghAndhAri krithi

 

" Meruga bhangaru chElamiruvonthamariya " --SourAshtra Krithi

 

I conclude this BhOgi Pandigai posting with the salutation ,

" Om BaalArkapi SuchElaa maNimaya mAlAlankruthta

sarasijAkhsha Vara KapOla suruchira kireeta dharAya Nama: " .

 

Sri Ramachandra ParabrahmaNE Nama:

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan