Challenge 3.03. "STILL HUNGRY?"

[Guest guest]

SwAmi VEdAnta DEsika's "NaichyAnusanthAnam" and

"SAtvika AhamkAram"

(As gleaned from his StOtras.) -

Part 3 - SWAMI CHALLENGES!

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Dear Bhagavatas

Kindly refer to "Part 3 - SWAMI CHALLENGES! An Introductory Note" - posted on

10th October 99. I am leaving out this to avoid repetition You may read this

to appreciate this posting in the proper perspective.

Dasoham

Anbil Ramaswamy

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Challenge 3.03. "STILL HUNGRY?"

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outhsukhya poorvam upahrithya mahAparAdhAn

mAtha: prasAdhayithum ichchathi mE manas tvAm /

aalihya thAn niravasEsham alabdha tripthih:

thAmyas ahO!! vrisha gireesa dhruthA dayE tvam //

(DayA Sathakam SlOkam 97)

 

Meaning

 

"Oh! DayA DEvi!

You are my mother. Like a dutiful son, I want to keep you happy by feeding

you fully with what you like.

 

What is that you like and which I can give you?

The only food you like and which I can offer is the unimaginably huge pile of

my sins.

 

I have offered the entire stock and you have also devoured everything

voraciously. But, how come, in spite of this, you seem to be still hungry?

 

You are the great queen of the Lord having married into the royal household

of TiruvEnkaTanAthan. It does not behoove your status to thus feel hungry all

the time.

I am astonished at your insatiable hunger!

 

I am further astonished to see that you seem to have taken seriously my

trivial act of "Prapatti" as most valuable and seem to feel sorry that you

have not done enough to compensate me! What a strange attitude!"

 

Comment:

 

Continuing on the theme of offering his sins as food, Swami brings in a new

dimension to the concept.

 

First, he refers to DayA DEvi's insatiable hunger despite being fully fed

with enormous amount of food in the form of sins.

 

Then, he taunts her how it was so unbecoming of a queen to feel hungry all

the time, with the Lord of the entire universe as her husband.

 

The next twist is to extol the quality of DayA DEvi in feeling inadequate in

compensating for the act of Prapatti done by SwAmi.

 

All compressed in a single SlOka!

 

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(To Continue) Challenge 3.04. "YOU HAVE DROWNED YOUR LORD!"

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