H.H. the 44th Jeeyar of AhObila Matam : AvaNi HASTHAM

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs :

 

Today is the blessed day of the Thirunakshthram of

H.H , the 44th Jeeyar of AhObila Matam , Sri VaNN

SatakOpa Sri Vedantha Desika YathIndhra MahA Desikan .

 

He ascended the throne of Ahobila Matam at the age of

63 and occupied that sacred sthAnam for 35 years .

His kaimkaryam to build the southern Raaja Gopuram

fro Sri RanganaathA will always be etched in the memory

of Bhaktha kOTis .

 

Sri Jaganathan had translated and posted one of this

Jeeyar's Upadesams today . It is an example of the scholarship

of this great AchAryan . His parents had the names of

Sri RanganAthan and Srimathi RanganAyaki( of the Sriranga

Divya Dampathis ) . Our Jeeyar was born when

the constellation of Hastham was in ascendance

during the Simha (AvaNi) maasam of ManmathA year .

That year in the Western calendar was 1895 .

This Soumya (Azhagiya) Simham(Singam ) reached the Lotus

feet of his divine parents , Sri Ranganaathan and

Sri Ranganaayaki at Srirangam on August 16, 1992.

He was 3 years short of reaching the Veda PrAyam of 100 .

 

He has blessed us with 8 Sri Sookthis to remind us

of the AshtAksharam . The 44th Jeeyar had performed his

SaraNAgathi at the sacred feet of the 41st Jeeyar ,

Sri VaNN SatakOpa Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha SatakOpa

YathIndhra NahA Desikan ( 1854-1923) and was close to

the Injimedu , DevanarviLagam Jeeyars (42nd and 43rd

Jeeyars ) and performed Kaimkaryams for them and

received their choicest blessings .

 

I will celebrate the constellation of HASTHAM

( the thirteenth lunar mansion , HasthA )under which

he was born . Hastham or HasthA also means Hand as well as

the trunk of an elephant (Hasthi ) . The Lord's abode

in KanchIpuram is on a hi;;ock having the form of a

hasthi and hence is known as Hasthigiri in Sanskrit

and Atthigiri in Tamil . We will focus on the symbolism

of the meaning of Hastham or the Hand .

 

Acharya Hastham

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

 

An AchArya is known for his Hastha MudrA , which is

recognized as hamsa MudrA or UpadEsa MudrA . The Hamsa

MudrA ( signet ring ) in the hands of NammAzhwAr

was given to the first Azhagiya Singar , Adhi VaNN

SatakOpa Jeeyar by NammAzhwAr himself and is worn

by every Jeeyar of Ahobila Matam on their fingers .

Here the Hamsa MuidrA merged with the Upadesa MudrA

formed by the union of the thumb and the index finger .

These Acharya paramparai carries then the title of

Parama Hamsa ParivrAjakas.

 

Hatha Mudrais of BhagavAN and Devotee

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

 

Abhaya, Varadha , AahlAvana , Kati mudrais

are generally seen on the HASTHAMS of the Lord

at different divya desams .

 

The Hastham of Sri RangarAjan holds the Abhaya

MudhrA and assures us not to fear . SaraNAgathi

Saasthram is taught by that hand gesture of our Lord .

That very same Abhaya Hastham advises us not to do

SaraNAgathi again .

 

The Bhakthan responds to that Abahya Hastham

with Anjali Hastham (mudrai ) or folded palms . It is

said that the Heart of the Lord melts , when He sees

the Anjali MudrA of the Bhakthan . In this context ,

smruthi says :

 

anjali: paramA MudhrA kshipram DevaprasAdhinI

( Anjali MudhrA is nmost effective to result in

very quick anugraham from the Lord ).

 

This hastha mudhrA is indicative of our KaarpaNyam ,

an essential angam of SaraNAgathi . Aakinchanyam

and ananya gathithvam are indicated by the mumkshu

and the Lord responds very quickly to that Hastha

mudhrA . This Hastha MudhrA of the devotee results in

the removal of all anishtams ( Inauspiciousness)

that stand in the way of Moksham . Their happy

status is described by the Passage from Saanthi

Parvam of MahA Bharatham :

 

baddhAnjalipuDA hrushtA : nama ithyEva vAdhina:

 

(Meaning ) : Those who were blessed to see the Lord

in SvEtha DhvIpam rising like thousands of AdityAs

in effulgence , folded their palms in Anjali MudhrA and

stood wiht joy expessing Nama: sabdham .Anjali of

the Bhakthan is answered by the Lord with Abhaya

Hastha Mudrai and accepted asBhakthan's prArhtanA pUrvaka

vij~Apanam for RakshaNam .Anjali Hastham ( mudrA ) of a

devotee has prapatthi garbham ( holds Prapatthi prayer

inside) according to Swami Desikan , who has blessed us

with a special Rahasya Grantham called Anjali Vaibhavam .

The power of this anjali mudra formed by folding

the two Hasthams in unison is indicated by the five

fruits that it earns from the Lord :

 

aasu karithvam( Yielding fruit immediately )

asEsha DhOsha Nivarthakathvam ( Removal of all dhOshAs)

asEsha KalyANa kAraNathvam ) Yielding all auspiciousness)

anuBhandhi Rakshakthvam ( protecting all the kith and kin)

akshaya pala Prathatvam ( yielding undiminishing fruits )

 

Anjali mudrA is therfore understood as am+jalayathi or

the hastha mudrAi that melts the Lord's heart into water.

Swami Desikan prays for this Abhaya Hastham to shine

forever in his heart .This prayer is addressed to

Sri DevanAthan of ThiruvahIndhrapuram :

 

nithyAparAdha chakithE hrudhayE madhIyE

dhatthAbhayam spurathi DAKSHINA PAANI PADMAM

 

AhlAvana MudrA Of Telliya Singham

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

 

Bhagavan NarasimhA invites His dear Bhakthan ,

PrahlAdhan to come near with this Hastha Mudrai

at ThiruvallikkENi . NO body dared to go near

the Lord after HiraNyakasipu"s vadham . The most

merciful Lord singled out His parama Bhakthan and

invited him to come near .

 

hastha Mudhrais of Sri Oppiliappan and SrinivAsan

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

 

with His dakshiNa ( Right ) hastha mudrai , the Lord of

BhUmi Devi shows His feet as the refufge for the Prapannan .

With His left hastha mudrai ( Kati hastham ) , He points

out that for those who have sought His rakshakam , the

samsAra Saagaram (ocean ) is only thigh deep and can be

waded comfortably to reach Him on the other shore .

 

One can celebrate the KarAvalampanam by the Lord to

lift us up from the terrors of SamsAram and getting

us close to His feet in parama Padham .Such is the Power of

Hastham of the Lord and the AchAryA , who leads us

to the Lord .

 

I offer my deep salutations to the Mahaan , who

was born under the constellation of hastham to

lift us up an ddeliver us unto the feet of

Parama Padha Naathan in His Sri Vaikuntam .

 

AchAryan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Tattai VaathUla SadagOpan