SRI STHAVAM 5: "DESIRELESS AZHWAN DESIRES WEALTH !"

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhagavatas

Here is the last SlOkam (11th SlOkam) of Sri Sthavam, in which the AzhwAn who

gave up his "Darsanam" for the sake of our "Darsanam" and who renounced

wealth for the sake of DevAdhirAjan appears to pray for wealth!

Let us see what wealth the desireless AzhwAn desired from ThAyAr.

Dasoham

Anbil Ramaswamy

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SRI STHAVAM 5: "DESIRELESS AZHWAN DESIRES WEALTH !"

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YasyAh: katAksha veekshA kshaNa lakshyam lakshithA mahEsA; syu:/

Sri RangarAja mahishee sA mAmapi veekshathAm lakshmee://

(Sri Sthavam SlOkam 11)

 

MEANING:

"Let the Srirangam Periya PirAtti (Sri RangarAja mahishee) with whose

millionth part of a microsecond (kshaNa lakshyam) of benign glance

(katAkshaveekshA) blessed those on whom it fell (lakshithAh:) to dizzy

heights of wealth (mahEsAh:), shower me also (mAmapi) with Her graceful

glance (veekshathAm)"

 

COMMENT

A cursory reading of this 11th and the last SlOkam of Sri Sthavam, might

appear as if AzhwAn who was a "Parama Viraktha" who despised material wealth

sought the same from Periya PirAtti.

 

The word "mahEsA" used by AzhwAn has the same connotation as the Vedic

statement "Sah: SwarAT bhavathi" which refers NOT to material wealth but to

the "Kainkarya Sri" enjoyed by Nityasooris,

 

It should be remembered that AzhwAn who was as rich as Kubera himself

renounced all his belongings and dedicated everything of his worldly

possessions at the feet of Lord DevapperumAL of Kancheepuram. He retired to

Srirangam and preferred to eke out his existence by "Uncha vritti" with a

begging bowl, on the streets of Tiruvarangam as per the tradition expected of

and followed by Vedic Brahmins of his days. He could not have and did not

pray for material wealth from Thiruvaranga ThirumagaL

 

It has been the traumatic experience of AchAryas like BhAshyakArar,

KoorathAzhwAn and SwAmi Desikan to live in exile away from the Srirangam

Divya Dhampathis for one reason or the other. There could not have been a

greater tragedy for them than this deprivation of kainkaryam to the Lord.

 

It was in a bout of misery caused by such "VislEsham" (separation from the

Lord) that Swami Desika wrote his "Abheethi Sthavam" when he had to live in

exile at SatyakAlam village as a sequel to ravages of Srirangam by Muslim

marauders. His prayer at the end of the Sthavam is to grant him again the

company of Bhagavtas to engage in Kainkaryam to the Lord.

 

These great souls were not "afraid of death" as suggested by some; they were

"afraid of life" bereft of the opportunity to serve the Lord. They deemed

this deprivation so traumatic as to be worse than even death.

 

AzhwAn who gave up his entire possessions and gave up his "Darsanam"

(eyesight) for the sake of our "Darsanam" (doctrine) could not have asked for

mundane wealth but only this "Kainkaryasri".

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SRI STHAVAM CONCLUDED

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