Sri VenkatEsa SthOthram : Part 1

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs :

 

There are eleven beautiful slOkams that are

housed in Sri VenaktEsa sthOthram .They are

a delight to recite and reflect upon .

The endearing affection with which this bhakthan

eulogizes the Lord and describes his aakinchanathvam

have few parallels . The Taalam patterns (chantham)

woven into slOkams 1-5 and 8 are remarkable.

The MahA VisvAsam in the Lord of seven hills

and the personal prayer for His grace captured in

SlOkam 9-11 are one of the most moving appeals

in the annals of SthOthrams.

 

(1) KamalA-kucha-chUchuka-kumkumathO

niyathAruNithaathula nIlatanO !

KamalAyatha-lochana !LOkapthE !

Vijayee bhava ! VenkatasailapathE !

 

Oh Lord of VenkatAchalam ! Oh Lord of

the Universe ! Oh Lord with long eyes

reaching almost to Your ears and reminding

us of the softeness and beauty of lotus flower !

Oh Lord whose matchless dark hued body is

renderd red always with the vermillion (Kumkumam)

marks from the front portions of the breasts of

MahA Lakshmi ! Victory be always to Thee!

 

(Comments): The Lord's dark bluish body has

a lasting redness due to the sambhandham with

Sri MahA Lakshmi's saffron and kumkumam paste

worn on Her breasts as beauty marks .The Lord's

body is thus visualized as " KamalA kucha chUchuka

kumkaumathO niyatha aruNitha athula neela Tanu".

The anyOnyam of the divya dampathis is celebrated

here . ThAyAr's intimate sambhandham is hinted

as the reason why the Lord of the Venkatam hills

will forgive our trspasses due to the intercession

of our most benevolent Mother united with Him in an

inseparable manner . AhalahillEn Paasuram of Swamy

NammAzhwAr has to be remembered by us in this context.

 

(2) sachathurmukha shaNmukha panchamukha

pramukAkhila dhaivatha mouLimaNE !

SaraNAgathavathsala ! SaaranidhE !

ParipAlaya maam VrushasailapathE !

 

Oh Lord of Vrusha sailam ! Oh Crown Jewel

of all DevAs and Gods like the four-faced

BrahmA , the five-faced Sivan and the six-faced

KumAra Swamy ! Oh Lord immensely attached

by the bonds of love to those , who seek

Your protection ! Please protct me !

 

(Comments): Oh Lord of VrushA hills ! You

overlook the deficiencies of those , who

perform SaraNAgathi at Your holy feet

and look upon that SaraNAgahti as a vyAjam

to come to their rescue and bless them fully.

Just as poor people at times of grinding poverty

access their savings , we come to You at times

of great distress to save us . May You known

for such vaibhavam as Saara Nidhi (matchless

treasure )and SaraNAgatha Vatsalan protect me.

 

(3) athivElatayA thava dhurvishai-

ranuvEla kruthair-aparAdha sathai:

bharitham thvaritham VrushasailapathE

parayaa krupayaa paripaahi HarE !

 

Oh Lord of Vrusha Giri! May Thou befitting

Your name as Hari extend to me Your immense

dayA and protect me , who is guilty of committing

limitless and unbearable sins without let .AdiyEn

has now rushed to Your paadha kamalam with the full

trust in Your matchless compassion to overlook my

unforgivable trespasses and protect me .

 

(comments) Oh Hari! " ParayA krupayA maam Paahi"

is the moving prayerful appeal to the Lord .He is

Para Brahmam and hence His Krupai (grace )is

also Para Krupai . It is a grace for which

there are no equals or superiors. The SaraNAgathan

is brimming (bharitham ) with AparAdha Sathams

and is scared about what is going to happen to

him .Therefore , he rushes ( thvaritham ) to

the Lord's Thiruvadi and prays " HarE KrupayA

paripAhi ".He does not say "Paahi" , but appeals

one step higher with the request , "ParipAhi ".

 

(4) adhivEnkata sailam udhAramathEr

janathAbhi mataadhika dhAnarathAth

ParadEvathayA gadhithAn nigamai:

KamalaadayithAn na param kalayE

 

Oh Lord of Sri Devi ! Oh Lord who is saluted

as the God of Gods by VedAs and Upanishads !

adiyEn does not recognize anyone as being superior

to You ! Oh Lord residing in Venakata Giri !

Your generosity is unmatched and You always bless

Your bhakthAs with more than what they desired .

 

(Comments): "Tvath param na KalayE" .There is none

who is superior to You in the sense that the Lord

is " SamAdhika daridhran " . He is poor in the sense

that there is no one , who is His equal or superior .

Sri VenkatEsan is saluted here as " UdhAra mathi " and

" janathA abhimatha adhika dhAnarathan" . His generosity

is unparalleled and as a result , He always enjoys

blessing people with more than they prayed for.

 

(5) kalavENu ravAvasa gOpavadhU

SathakODi vruthAth smarakODi samath

prathi vallavikAbhimathAth sukhadhAth

VasudEva suthAn na param kalayE

 

adiyEn does not recognize anyone other than

KrishNA ( Lord SrinivAsan as VenkatakrishNan)

as a superior God. Sri VenkatEsan in His

KrishNAvathAram is the one ParamAthmA ,

who is surrounded by hundreds of crores of

Gopis , who have lost themselves totally

in the charming music coming out of His divine

flute . This son of VasudEvan is far more beautiful

than the combined beauty of crores of ManmathAs

and is desired by each and every Gopi maiden

and He in turn blesses them with all pleasures that

they desire individually including Moksha sukham.

 

(Comments): The power of KrishNA's VeNugAnam

has been movingly described by both PeriyAzhwAr

and Swamy Desikan (GopAla Vimsathi slOkams).

This slOkam touches on that Vaibhavam .

The leelAs of "Gopa kanyA Bhujangan" are

hinted here as well .

 

To be continued ...