Swamy Desikan Thirunakshthram : PurattAsi SravaNam --Part 1

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SrimathE NigamAntha MahA desikAya nama:

 

Dear BhakthAs :On this auspicious occasion of the 730th

birth anniversary of Swamy Desikan's birth day , I join

with Sri MadhavakkaNNan and Sriman Anbil Ramaswamy to

pay my tributes to this great AchArya of Sri VisishtAdvaitham .

 

I thought one way to remember the substanitve and voluminous works

of this AchArya extraordinaire would be to take a phrase or passage

from as many of his works in Sanskrit and Tamil as possible and

highlight them and enjoy their fragrance across centuries .Before I

engage in this effort , let me summarize the two most

important contributions of our revered AchAryA .

 

The blessings of Vatsya Varada Guru ( NadathUr ammAL ) for

this five year old child , Venkatanaathan was fully realized .

AmmAL was so fascinated by the Brahma tEjas of the small

child stopping by at his KalakshEpa Ghoshti with his uncle

at the Kanchi PeraruLALan Temple , that he burst forth

with this blessing : " May you establish the VedanthA on a

firm basis , vanquishing the theories of the rival schools

of thought ( prathikshApita Vedaanatha: , prathikshipta

Bhair Matha: ). may you become the respected among

the orthodox vedanthins and become the abode of abundant

auspiciousness ( bhUya: traividhyA maanyasthvam

bhUri kalyANa bhAjanam )."

 

Vaatsya VaradaachArya was recognized verily by Kanchi

VaradarAja PerumAL as His own mother for the solicitaiton

with which Vaatsya VaradAchAr served Him hot milk at the right

temperature as a part of his kaimkaryam at Bhagavaan"s

sannidhi . Thus , the blessings of " the mother of

Kanchi PeraruLALan "( ammAL) came true because of

" the son"s krupA " ( Lord VaradrAjan's krupaa).

 

Thanks to those blessings of the NadAthUr AchaaryA ,

the author of Prapanna Paarijaatham , Sri Venkatanaathan

fulfiled two important missions in his blessed life of

101 years : (1) The establishment of VisishtAdvaitham as

a sound and irrefutable system of philosophy (2) The larger

task of producing a coherent and detailed exposition of

the fundamental doctrines of VishitAdvaithA for demonstrating

their soundness against other systems of philosophy .

 

In this context arose , the dialectical gem, Satha DhUshaNi

as a response to the mayA vaadA of Aadhi Sankara , the elaborate

text known as Tatva Muktha Kalaapa and the commentary on

latter known as SarvArtha Siddhi , Rahasya traya Saaram

and numerous philosophical treatises , rahasya granthAs

and most enjoyable sthOthra granthams .Almost 130 works

arose from the blessings of his AchAryA and Sri LakshmI

HayagrIvan . In these texts are covered the full gamut of

"the epistemological , ontological , cosmological and

eschatological doctrines of VisishtAdvaithA " in all their

splendour as indicated by Dr.S.M.S.Chari in his many

brilliant monographs on Sri VisishtAdvaitham .

 

Now let us get on with the pleasant task of quoting

and reflecting on selected works that Swami Desikan

has bequeathed to us as our Kula dhanams :

 

1.Sri HayagrIva sthOthram :

 

Visuddha Vij~yAna ghana svarUpam

vij~yana visrANa Bhaddha DhIksham

DayAnidhim dEhabruthAm SaraNyam

Devam HayagrIvamaham prapathyE ( Slokam 5)

 

(MEANING ) : Lord HayagrIvA's divyAthma svarUpam

is the embodiment of the purest Jn~Anam . Since , He

is an ocean of Mercy , He engages in the task of

turning the chEthanAs towards the auspicious path

leading to Him .He commits Himself to bless these

bhaagyasAlis with aathma svarUpa Jn~Anam and Moksham.

He stands firmly as the succor and support to these

prapannAs .I ( Swami Desikan ) seek refuge at

the lotus feet of this Lord of true knowledge .

 

2.DasaavathAra sthOthram

 

dEvO na: subham aathanOthu dasadhA nirvarthayan bhUmikAm

RangE dhAmani labdha nirbhara rasai: adhyakshithO bhAvukai:

( purva bhAgam of the First slOkam )

 

(Meaning of this section ): May Sri Ranganathan , who

has taken the ten kinds of vEsahms(attires) at Srirangam

and who is enjoyed with great aanandham by His rasikAs there

bless us with all subha mangaLams !

 

3. Sri Bhagavadh DhyAna SOpAnam

 

Subject :The enjoyment of the beautiful face of Sri RanganAthan:

 

saabhiprAya smitha vikasitham charu bimbhAdharOshtam

dukkApaya praNayini janE dhura dhatthAbhimukhyam

kaantham vakthram kanaka thilakAlankrutham Rangabharthu:

svAnthE gADam mama vilagathi svagathOdhAra nEthram (SlOkam 8)

 

In Lord RanganaathA's face flourishes a beautiful

smile indicating His affection for His adiyArs .

His face is lit with a joy arising out of that

meaningful smile. His lips are red like a ripe bhimbhA

fruit . He casts His glances at His bhakthAs even if

they are at quite at some distance and turns His face towards

them to remove their distresses . The beautiful golden tilakam

on His forehead shines splendidly on this occasion and

beautifies His face . When we look at the majestic looks

of His eyes , those eyes seem to welcome us near Him with

great affection . Such a beautiful face of Lord

RanganaathA is deeply etched in my(Swami Desikan"s) heart .

 

4.Sri Abhithi Sthavam

 

Ramaa dayitha RangabhUramaNa KrishNa VishNO HarE

Trivikrama JanArdhana Thriyuga Naatha NaarAyaNa

itheeva subhadhAni ya: patathi naamadhEyAni tE

na tasya yamavasyathA naraka paatha bheethi: kutha:?

(SlOkam 7)

 

(Meaning ) : O RanganAthA ! Where is the fear of falling under

the sway of Yama devan and fear of falling in narakam for those ,

who read aloud Your divya naamAs (viz)., Oh Lord of RanganAyaki !,

Oh Lord who has elected Srirangam as Your cherished abode ! ,

Oh KrishNA !, Oh all pervasive VishNu ! , Oh Sin-removing Hari !

Oh globe measuring Trivikrama ! Oh the Lord , who banishes rebirth

in this samsAram as per Your name Janaardhana ! Oh Lord of six guNAs

( ShAdgunya Vigraha) , Oh NaathA , the master of ALL ,

Oh NaarAyaNA et al .

 

5.DayA sathakam

 

kamapya anavadhim vandhE karuNA varuNAlayam

Vrusha saila taDasthAnAm svayam vyakthimupAgatham

(SlOkam 9)

 

I salute that immense ocean , which is a perrenial source of

enjoyment for those , who live near that ocean of bliss .

The water of that ocean are the form of DayA . This ocean

is the sea of anukampaa (mercy ) known as ThiruvEnkatamudayAn .

This ocean can not be measured correctly by place , Time and

material( Idam , Kaalam and Vasthu) .

 

6.Sri VaradarAja PanchAsath

 

-- Hastheesa sarva vachasAm avasAna seemAm

tvAm sarva kaaraNam usanthi anapAya vaachA :

(Uttara Bhaagam of SlOkam 12)

 

(Meaning ) : Oh Lord of Hasthigiri ! the eternal

and unfailing Veda vAkhyams longingly describe

You as the reason for all existence (chith and Achith )

and as the limitless end of all vaaks .You are sarva

KaaraNan and the boundary of all words and meanings

represented by the speech .

 

(To be continued )

 

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Oppilaippan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan