Experiencing Swami Desika - 13

[Guest guest]

SrI:

Shrimate Shri Lakshmi Nrusimha Parabrahmane Namaha:

Shrimate Shri Seetha Ramachandra Parabrahmane Namaha:

Shrimate Shri Ramanujaya Namaha:

Shrimate Nigamantha Maha Desikaya Namaha:

Shrimate Shrivan Satagopa Shri Narayana Yateendra Mahadesikaya Namaha:

 

Rivers form a very important aspect in our

Sri Vaishnava Tradition. The "Koil" -

Srirangam Shri Ranganathaswamy Koil - is

situated on the banks of Kaveri and Kollidam

rivers. The basic duties of a Sri Vaishnava

are supposed to be performed on the river banks.

 

Our Swami Desikan, in Subhasita Nivi, has done

extensive comparison of the river flow &

human behaviour.

 

Some humans who take up bad behaviour are generally

born in noble families [like the rivers that spring

from high mountains], but follow a mean path because

of sins [like rivers flowing down-stream].

 

Rivers tend to take torturous path as humans

take crooked decisions and humans tend to show

indifference towards the good-natured. This is

compared to river water making, even areas uneven

and making uneven areas even.

 

The bad elements are compared by our Swami to the

river flow in other aspects where one transgresses

the virtuous path for gain as overflowing rivers

change course and cause distructions, breaking

dams and banks.

 

Swami Desika records in Daya Sataka too, some

significance to riverflow:

 

Aseshavighnasmanam-anikesvaram-asreye!

Srimatah Karunambhodhau Siksasrota ivotthitam !!

 

-- Daya shatakam 5

 

As tributaries branch out of oceans, there are branches

to our Lord's ocean of Daya. Our lord's daya includes,

preaching, 'bug fixing' and even punishment. It is

interesting to note our Swami's view that our Lord's

Punishment is also a form of daya - "thiruthip panikolvan..."

Our Lord does not punish for the Jiva to suffer, instead

our Lord punishes to rectify the error and take the

Jiva into his abode.

 

It is astonishing to note that our Swami had found

and established this Daya of our Lord and I am

bewildered to praise either the Lord's Daya or our

Swami's knowledge that establishes our Lord's Daya.

 

Our Lord has assigned the function of Preaching the

sampradaya to Shri Vishvaksena - the Senai Mudaliar or

the Commander-in-chief. Shri Vishvaksena metes out

punishment to wrong-doers and helps them change as

desired by our Sriya Pathi. This goes to prove that

punishment to Jivas is part of our Lord's Daya.

Shri Vishvaksena clears all obstacles and protects the

good Jivas and hence it is our samparadaya to offer

the Aradhana to Shri Vishvaksena.

 

Our Swami in his Daya Satakam salutes Shri Vishvaksena

and no wonder Daya Satakam makes a wonderful reading.

 

....To be continued!

 

dEsikan tiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

 

Praveena nAmni Ramanuja dasi

18th Jun 1999