Experiencing Swami Desika - 25

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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:

 

Shri Manakkal Nambi successfully brought

Shri Yamunacharya out of materialist life and

made Shri Yamunacharya realise and surrender

at the Lotus feet of Shri Ranganathan.

 

Shri Yamunacharya - also fondly known as Alavandar -

realised that there is nothing in loukeekam and there

is everything at the feet of Lord Shri Ranganathan.

On realising this, Shri Yamunacharya's bhakthi knew no bounds.

 

Alavandar records this in his Stotra Ratna thus:

 

"Tvadangri muddisya kadapi kenachit

Yada tadha vapi sakrut krutonjalihi

Tadaiva mushnat ashupanya sheshathaha

subhani pushnani na jathu heeyate!!"

 

Shri Yamunacharya states in the above-mentioned

sloka as:

 

When a person starts meditating on the Lotus feet

of Peria Perumal, he / she instantly is relieved

of all his / her sins. Just a single performance of

Anjali namaskaram to Azhagia Manavalan is enough

to destruct all sins and increase the Bhakta's

prosperity and will keep the bhakthi eternal.

 

Shri Alavandar establishes the soulabhyam of our

Lord and states that when a person surrenders to

our Lord, our Lord melts like a liquid,

thinking "What do I do to such a Soul"!

 

Here, in Adiyal's opinion, Anjali namaskara refers to

surrender - Prapatti. Once Prapatti is done at lords

feet all the sins are destructed ( ..thee yinil Thoosakum ...).

Alavandar did Prapatti to our Lord in this soul stirring

stotram - Stotra Ratna.

 

Shri Alavandar having realised the Lord and his duties to

the Lord, focussed his thoughts & actions towards kaimkaryam

to the Sriya:Pathi. Shri Alavandar also started teaching

and preaching the tenets of Shri Vaishnavism.

 

There are quiet a few parallels between Swami Desikan

and Shri Alavandar that has been visible in various

works:

 

In Swami's Saranagathy Deepika:

 

"SwamY dayAjalaniDirmaDuraha kshamaVan

shIlaadikaha shitavashaha shuchiratyudharaha!

Yethani hAthumanadho na kilaaharsi tvam

vikyaathimanthi birudhani mayaa sahaiva!!"

 

Swami Desikan says that Our Lord cannot afford to

give up the well known titles of his namely

(i) Swamy

(ii) Ocean of Daya

(iii) Sweet Person

(iv) One who has forbearance

(v) exceedingly free in mixing with all - sausElyam

(vi) One who is a slave to his votaries

(vii) pure

(viii) Liberal to a fault and

(ix) bereft of blemish - to give up all these along with me.

 

Swami Desika's bhavam is worth enjoying. Swami says to the Lord,

"If you do not protect me, you will not only lose me but also

unlikely to get another of my worth who richly deserves

protection at your hands".

 

Swami in his work Varadaraja Panchasat tells the lord that

he will loose his title "SharanAgatha samrakshitA" if the

Lord does not protect him. But it will be interesting to

note that in the above mentioned Saranagathi Deepika, Swami

states that the Lord will loose Nine titles if he fails to

protect him.

 

Shri Alavandar too has poured out his emotions in a similar way,

"DayanIyaha tava nAta durlabaha"!

 

Swami Desikan gets into this mode of "threatening" the Lord

as and when he chooses. Well, it could be easily looked at

as the child does to its mother on a few occasions.

 

.......to be continued!

 

AlavandAr tiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

 

dEsikan tiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

 

Praveena nAmni Ramanuja dasi

30th Jun 1999