Panguni Uttaram

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Dear Friends,

 

On this most sacred Panguni Uttaram day, I wish to share a few

thoughts on the Divince Couple of Srirangam. Panguni Uttaram is

the Tirunakshatram of Sri Ranganayaki Thayar. The month of Panguni

is sacred since the Tirunakshatram of Lord Ranganatha, Lord Rama

and Sri Ranganayaki Thayar occur during this month. A number of

important events transpired on this day. The marriage of Lord Rama

to Sita Piratti was solemnized by sage Vashishta at Mithila on

this day. Some accounts of the Ramayana state that Hanuman returned

from Lanka on this day and provided the glad tidings of locating

Sita to Lord Rama. It is also believed that Lord Rama on this very day

offered prayers to his Kula Dhanam (Lord Ranganatha) and began his

campaign to destroy Ravana. This is the only day on which the Divya

Dampatis of Srirangam are seen together in Utsavam. The Utsavam

takes place at the royal court located at the western entrance of

the great Temple of Lord Ranganatha. Interestingly, this is the only

entrance which does not have a Rajagopuram. It is incredible that

Sri Ramanujacharya chose this blessed day for delivering the Gadya

Trayam. Perhaps our Paramacharya was greatly influenced by the

extreme sacredness of this day to bless us with the cardinal

doctrine of unconditional surrender to the Lotus feet of the Lord

and derive the bliss of eternal Kaimkaryam to the Divine Couple.

 

Sri Ramanujacharya returned from Tirunarayanapuram to Srirangam.

On the blessed Panguni Uttaram day, he gathered his disciples and

visited the great Temple of Lord Ranganatha. Our Paramacharya was

greatly moved by the majestic sight of the Divya Dampatis beautifully

decorated in Utsavam at the Royal Court of Lord Ranganatha. As a

result of this Anubhavam, Sri Ramanujacharya poured out his heart

in an extremely soulful, highly intimate, and deeply intense

SharaNagati in the Sharanagati Gadyam and the Sri Ranganatha Gadyam.

As a result, he was blessed with an exquisite vision of Sri Vaikuntam

which he brilliantly described in the Sri Vaikunta Gadyam. The Gadya

trayam is our Paramacharya's Svanishtai Prapatti at the feet of the

Divine couple. Sri Madhava Kannan provided a brilliant translation

of the Gadya Trayam in the SharaNagati journal. Repeated reading of

these excellent works of our Paramacharyan only serves to increase

one's desire for an Anubhavam of the Acharya and reinforce one's

faith (MahavisvAsam) based on the Lord's assurance to our Paramacharyan.

 

The Gadyam form of salutation is a prose-poem eulogy in which long

strings of adjectives and epithets are interspersed with shorter

strings to provide a mesmerizing effect on the both the listener and

the person rendering it. This form of salutation is unique to

the Srivaishnava tradition. Besides the Gadya Trayam, I am familiar

with the Raghuveera Gadyam by Swami Desikan, the Srinivasa Gadyam

and Narasimha Gadyam. Gadyam when recited along traditional lines

with carefully selected stopping points tends to create a lilting

effect on the ear. Examples of such salutations are

"TadanubhavajanitAnava dhikAtishaya PrItikAritAsheshAvastOchita

SheshAsheshataikarati Rupa

Nitya KinkarO Bhavani" of the Sri Ranganatha Gadyam, "Tanutara Vishika

VithAdana ViGhataita VisharAru SharAru TatakA TatakEya" of the

Raghuveera Gadyam, "Sheshachala Garudachala, Vrishabhachala

Narayanachala Anjanachaladrishikari MAlAkulasya" of the Srinivasa

Gadyam and "BheeshaNa Bhadra Simha Jaya Simha Roopa Simha, RaNa Simha

Veera Simha" of the Narasimha Gadyam.

 

The SharaNagati Gadyam and Sri Ranganatha Gadyam are unparalleled in

establishing the primordial doctrine of SharNagati, fundamental to

Bhagavad Ramanuja Darshanam. Several references from Shruti can

be associated with salutations contained in the Gadya Trayam. For

example, the salutation "Sthairya" denoting the eternal and permanent

nature of the Lord is reflective of the Narayana Sooktam Rk

"Patim VishvasyAtmeshvaragam Shashvatagam Shivamachyutam". The ultimacy

of Lord Narayana declared in the Gadya Trayam arises from

the Narayana Sooktam salutation "Narayana Param Brahma Tatvam Narayana

Para:" and the Narayana Upanishad salutation "NishkaLo NiranjanO

NirvikalpO NirAkyatha: Shuddho Deva Eko Narayana: Na DvitiyOsti

Kaschit". The eulogy "Evam Bhoota Bhumi NeeLa Nayaka" can be

related to the Purusha Sooktam Rk "HrIscha TE LakshmIscha Patnyou"

The Shuddha Satva permeating Sri Vaikuntam glorified in the Sri

Vaikunta Gadyam is reflective of the Purusha Sooktam Rk "Tamasa:

ParastAt". The act of unconditional surrender to the lotus feet of

the Lord is described in the Narayana Upanishad as "Narayana

SayujyamavApnOti Narayana SayujyamavApnOti". As a result of

attaining the Lotus feet of the Lord one is blessed with the eternal

bliss of Bhagavad and Bhagavata Kaimkaryam serving at the pleasure

and for the pleasure of the Lord. This is described in the Vishnu

Sooktam salutation "TadvishNoh Paramam Padagam SadA Pashyanti

Soorayaha" and the Taittriya Upanishad salutation "Sa YekO

BrahmaNanandA" The Saama Vedam greatly glorifies this aspect of the

Lord.

 

H.H. Swami Rangapriya Mahadesikan of Bangalore gave an excellent

Pravachana Seva on Gadya Trayam during Adiyen's visit to his Asramam

last year. One key point of note from Swami's Pravachana Seva was

the disctinction between service rendered as a servant and service

rendered as a slave. Swami said "A servant is one who works for

wages. He has a separate existence, separate life, home, and family

from his master. He only pleases his master for earning money and

and asks "Kim Kuru Kim Kuru?". However, one who has surrendered to

Lord Narayana is eternally bound to the Lord like a slave. He has

no separate existence, home, life or family from his master and most

importantly does not desire or receive wages for his Kaimkaryam.

He serves exclusively for the pleasure and at the pleasure of the Lord."

One can see this from Sri Ramanujacharya's desire for eternal

Kaimakaryam in the Sri Ranganatha Gadyam salutation

"Nitya KaimkaryaikaratirUpa Nitya DAsyam DAsyatIti VishvAsapUrvakam

Bhagavantam Nitya KinkaratAm PrArthayE".

 

The most detailed exposition and commentary on the Gadya Trayam was

undertaken by Sri Periya VacchAn PiLLai in Sanskrit. Our Bhakti list

archives and the SharaNagati journal contain fairly detailed

translations of the Gadya Trayam. Therefore, I shall briefly outline the

salient aspects of the three Gadyams in this note. The SharaNagati

Gadyam commences with a eulogy of Sri Ranganayaki Thayar. In it

our Paramacharya seeks the blessings, support and grace of Thayar

for his Svanishtai Prapatti to the Lord of Srirangam. The salutation

Akhila Jagan Mataram Asman Mataram is noteworthy because, prior

to seeking the favour of his father (PitAsi Lokasya), the Acharya

points out that it is imperative to obtain the blessings and support

of the Supreme Mother of the Universe. This also points to the exalted

role of Mahalakshmi Thayar in the process of granting Prapatti. The

process of granting SharaNagati is a Yajna performed by the Lord. In

this Yajna, Thayar offers her help and support to the Lord as

VishNu Patni. Her merciful glances filled with Vatsalyam urge the

Lord to rush to the succour of the Baddha JivAtma. It is this blessing

that Sri Ramanujacharya seeks of Thayar in the opening salutation

of the SharaNagati Gadyam.

 

Having successfully received Thayar's Anugraham, our Acharyan proceeds

to glorify the Lord splendidly. Our Acharya extols the Lord's limitless

auspicious attributes, various ornaments and jewels which adorn his

Tirumeni (Kaustubha, PitAmbara, KarNa Kundala, MuktAdamodara). The Divya

Ayudhas (Shanka, Chakra, Gada, Saranga, and Nandaka) are exquisitely

praised. This is followed by NaichyanusandAnam on the part of the

Acharya in which he confesses all of his shortcomings and traces it to

his inextricable association with Karma on account of being immersed in

the endless ocean of Samsara. He also admits to commiting Bhagavad

Apacharam, Bhagavata Apacharam and

Nanavida Apacharam and seeks the Lord's forgiveness for all his sins.

The Acharya then requests the Lord for Para Bhakti, Para JnAna and

Parama Bhakti and glorifies the Dvaya Mantram as he formally surrenders

to the Lord's Lotus feet. The Acharya's

request for Para Bhakti, Para JnAna and Parama Bhakti was granted when

the Lord of Srirangam broke his Archa Samadhi and addressed the

Acharya thus "DvayamArthAnusandhanEna Saha Sadaivam VaktA YavatSharira

PatamAtraIva SrirangE SukhamAsva" (Remain in Srirangam

engaged in constant recitation of the Dvaya Mantram until thy body

falls to the earth). It is extremely heartening to see Sri Madhava

Kannan Swamin's post encouraging us to constantly recite this blessed

Mantram. The conclusion of the SharaNagati Gadyam contains important

salutations from the Ramayana (Ramo DvirnAbhi BhashatE)and Srimad

Bhagavad Gita (Charma Shlokam). These are meant to reinforce

MahAvisvAsam in all his ShishyAs.

 

As a result of this Anubhavam and the Lord's command, our Paramcharya

derived supreme bliss. He then craves for more of the same. Fearful of

being disturbed from this esctatic state, the Acharya seeks a method for

continued Bhagavad Anubhavam. He resolves that the best

way of continued Anubhavam is by being of exalted service to the Lord

at all times in all forms under all circumstances (Tadanubhava

JanitAnavadhikAtishaya PreetikAritAsheshAvastOchitAsheshAsheshataikarati

Rupa). Accordingly,

he requests this of the Lord in the Sri Ranganatha Gadyam.

The structure of the Sri Ranganatha Gadyam is similar to the

SharaNagati Gadyam in that it commences with a eulogy of the Lord

and his limitless auspicious attributes, followed by a confession of

shortcomings on account of association with SamsAra in a mood of

intense Naichyanusandanam (the salutations Tila Tailavat Daru

Vandivat and SamastAtma Guna Viheena: reflect this), as a prelude to

the formal SharaNagati to the Lord's Lotus feet at the conclusion of the

Gadyam. As a result of this, the Acharya was blessed with a

beautiful vision of Sri Vaikuntam which is brilliantly described

in the Sri Vaikunta Gadyam.

 

The Vaikunta Gadyam is a description of Sri Vaikuntam through the

eyes of a liberated one (Mukta Jivan). In it is contained the

important message that Surrender to Lord Narayana's Lotus feet

(Narayana Sayujyam) results in SAlOkyam (attaining the abode of

Lord Narayana), SarUpyam (Shuddha Satvam) and Sameepyam (remaining

close to the Lord). These aspects are brought out by our

Paramacharyan with consummate effect. The eternal Kaimkaryam

performed by Nityasooris like Ananta, Garuda, Vishvaksena and the

Dwara Palakas to Sri Vaikuntam is most delightful.

 

Everything correctly stated in this note is entirely due to the

grace and Anugraham of my Acharyan, H.H. Srimad Andavan Swamigal of

Srimad Paundarikapuram Asramam, and my mentor, Sri Rangapriya

Mahadesikan Swami, of Bangalore. All errors and shortcomings are

mine alone.

 

Namo Narayana,

 

Sri Ranganayika Sametha Sri Ranganatha ParabrahmaNe Namaha,

 

Muralidhar Rangaswamy

 

 

 

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