VarALi Pancha rathnam --Part

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Isvara Samvathsaram , Thai First day

Makara SankarAnthi ( Pongal Pandigai ) Dinam

UttarAyaNa PuNya Kaalam

Pushya Nakshthram ,

DvithIyai thithi , Jan 14 , 1998

Vangak Kadal kadaintha ThiruppAvai Dinam

 

Dear BhakthAs of Sri RaamachandrA :

 

After performing divya NaamArchanA to his Lord

in the third charaNam of the VarALi pancha rathnam ,

Saint ThyagarAja moved on to celebrate one of the greatest

bhakthAs of Sriman NaarAyaNA , who engaged in the rUpa--

dhyAnam of the PeethambharadhAri ( Kaanchith Kaanchana

Kaanchi lAnchitha lasath PeethAmbharAlampini ) and had

his sorrows and sufferings destroyed ( Aarthicchidham

tava mUrthim ) from the fruits of such a dhyAnam . This great

bhakthA is no other than the five year old , child DhruvA , the son

of king UtthAnapAdA and grandson of SvAyambhuva Manu .

Bhaktha DhruvA's success in gaining the anugraham of

Sriman NaarAyaNA is described in the fourth skhandham

of Srimadh BhAgavatham .

 

The fourth charaNa vAkhyams relating to the legend of

DhruvA from the fourth Skhandham are as follows:

 

sApathni mAthayou SurichichE karNa sUlamaina mAta veenula

jurukkana taaLaka Sri Harini dhyAninchi sukhimpaka lEdhA ?

( Kana Kana RuchirA , Kanaka Vasana ninnu )

 

Here , Saint ThyagarAjA recalls with great reverence the blessings

conferred by Sri Hari on the bAlan , DhruvAn , from rUpa dhyAna

soubhAghyam . DhruvA's step mother Surichi rebuked Dhruvan

sharply for wanting to sit on the lap of his father . Her cruel words

describing DhruvA's unfitness to sit on his father's

lap like her own son , Utthaman drove him to tears . Surichi reminded

Dhruvan that he should perform penance to Sri Hari to have

the boon of being born as her own son to qualify for

the honor of being seated on theb lap of his father . Dhruvan prostrated

before Surichi and retired to the jungle and performed austere penance for

SIX MONTHS . He meditated on the divya rUpam of Sri Hari

in the manner described by sAsthrAs and purANAs :

 

yath thrilOkya maheeyasOpi mahitham , sammOhanam

mOhanAth , kaantham kaanthi nidhAnathOpi , madhuram

mAdhuryadhuryAdhapi , SoundharyOttharathOpi

Sundara taram tvadh rUpam

 

Sriman NaarAyaNA was immensely pleased with the ardour

and intensity of Dhruva swAmy 's penance and appeared before

him with the form that has been celebrated as the most sacred

one to worship , the most charming of all charming entities to

attract the mind , the most radiant among all resplendent jyOthis ,

the sweetest among all sweets , the most beautiful among all

beautiful forms . Dhruva swami was so immersed in the Lord's

rUpa dhyAnam that he did not recognize the Lord standing in front of

him with his physical eyes . He woke up from his dhyAna samAdhi ,

when the touch of the Lord's Paanchajanyam ( divine conch )

brushed against his cheeks . He opened his eyes and saw

the Lord , whom he saw until then in his hrudhayAkAsam , standing now

in front of him and blessing him with His TejOmaya darsanam .

He fell at the Lord's feet and was elevated to Dhruva Mandalam ,

a seat more lofty and sacred than that of his father's lap .

 

Saint ThyagarAjA recalls this incident and says in this charaNam :

 

" Oh Lord , who ran to the side of DhruvA in great haste to bless him !

When I think of Your sundara thirumEni , my mind gallops off like

a horse that has been released from its shackles . When I see

your aprAkrutha subhAsrayam , the mind of mine rises in rapture

like the waves of the ocean on the PourNami day " .

 

There is a specific reason for Saint ThyagarAjA's reference to

DhruvOpAkhyAnam in the context of his AanandhAnubhavam

from witnessing the Lord's soundharyam . The five year old

boy performed severe penance and realized the darsana soubhAgyam

of the Lord in the short span of six months . Great sages in contrast

could not become eligible for such a parama bhAgyam even after

penance in many janmams . Saint ThyagarAjA thinks of the unique

anugraham conferred by the Lord on Dhruva Swamy and seeks

such a quick response of Sriman NaarAyaNan ( Sri RaamAvathAran )

for the conferral of the blessings similar to that enjoyed by

the child bhakthan .

 

Fifth CharaNam

******************

 

The charaNa vAkhyams are as follows:

 

mrugamadha lalAma subha nitila vara JatAyu Moksha Paladha !

PavamAna Suthudu needhu mahima delpa SiTA delisi valachi

sokkalEdhAyAreethi ninnu ( Kana Kana RuchirA )

 

Saint ThyagaraajA covers two incidents from Srimadh RaamAyaNam

in this charaNam . The first one is about His bhaktha dhAkshiNyam

for the king of Eagles , JatAyu . The second is an incident at

AshOka Vanam described in Sundara KhAndam .

 

Oh Lord , You blessed JatAyu with MokshAnugraham by

performing the anthima kriyai ( the last rites) for him . This blessing

did not even come the way of Your own father , Emperor DasarathA .

You prooved Your Bhaktha DaakshiNyamm and Bhaktha

Vaatsalyam to king JatAyu , who waited to tell you about the cruel

deed of RavaNA and his valiant fight to prevent him from

kidnapping SitA Piratti . Oh Lord who has been saluted by

Swami Desikan as : " vikrama yasO lAbha vikreetha jeevitha

grudhra Raaja dEha didakshA lakshitha Bhaktha jana

dAkshiNya ! " . Oh Jaanaki ramaNA ! Sri RaamA ! Oh SrungAra

mUrthy with the beautiful KasthUri tilakam on Your forehead !

Oh anupama mOhanAngA ! Oh Lord of unmatched beauty !

The more and more I take in Your divya Soundharyam , my

mind is experiencing indescribable bliss !

 

In AshOka Vanam , AnjanEyA described the great deeds

performed by Her Lord in giving mOksham to JatAyu ,

protection of the sages of DandakAraNyam and SiddhAsramam .

When SitA piratti longing for union with Her Lord heard His

sucharuithram , She swooned from the reminiscences about

Her Lord's mahimA . Sri RaamA to Her was ' RupoudhArya

guNai: pumsAm dhrushti chittApahAriNam " . She swooned from

the unbounded prEmai for Him and His celebrated beauty and

auspicious attributes . AnjanEyA's narration comforted Her and sent Her

into raptures . Saint ThyagaraajA recalls this incident of the Lord's

consort swooning over the thought of Her Lord's beauty and states

that his mind is jumping all over in an uncontrollable manner

over the darsanam of the beautiful limbs of the Lord and His

sarvAngha Soundharyam .

 

Sixth CharaNam

******************

 

Saint ThyagarAjA's brahmAnandham knew no bounds and

outpoured the nAmArchanAs once again in a copious stream .

They form the body of the sixth CharaNam :

 

SukhAspadha ! VimukhAmbhudhara pavana ! vidEha

mAnasa viharAptha ! Sura pUja ! Maanitha guNAnga !

ChidhAnandha ! Kakaturanga dhrutha rathAnga !

Parama dhayAkara ! karuNArasa varuNAlaya !

bhayApahAra ! Sri RaghupathE ! ( Kana Kana RuchirA --)

 

Every one of these naamAs chosen by the Saint can be

transformed into nAmArchanAs . For instance , the first

salutation is " Om SukhAspadhAya nama: " . Here , the saint

recognizes the Lord as the basis of all sukhams . He describes

Him as the abode of all sukhams . With his smaraNa

darsanAnandha janitha prEmai , he saluted " the Srikara

kOti vibhAkara bhAsa sudhAkara vadhana KaruNAkara mUrthy "

with affectionate nAmAs .

 

In the next salutation ( vimukhAmbhudhara pavanan ) ,

the saint compares the Lord to the sUrAvaLi kARRu

( powerful blast of wind ) , which drives away the dark clouds

of mOham , madham , mAtsaryam , krOdham et al .

 

In the third nAmArchanam , he recalled Sri RaamA as

the Lord , who sports with joy in the heart temple

of Sri VaidEhi ( VidEha Maanasa vihAra ApthA ) .

 

He saluted the Lord further as the one worshipped by

the dEvAs ( Sura pUja! ) , as the home of celebrated auspicious

attributes ( Maanitha guNAnga ) , bliss conferrer for the mind

( chidhAnandha ) , Garuda Vaahanan ( kaka turanga dhrutha

rathAnga ) , the most merciful one ( parama dhayAkara ) ,

the ocean of KaruNA ( karuNArasa VaruNAlaya ) and the

banisher of all fears ( BhayApahAra ) through His SaraNAgathi

vratham . He concluded this charaNam with another restatement

that his mind is running amok over the divyAnubhavam of

the Lord's supreme beauty.

 

Sri Raamachandra ParabrahmaNE Nama:

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan