GodhA Sthuthi : Part IV (SlOkam 1 Continued )

[Guest guest]

Namo Narayanaya !

 

Dear BhakthAs :

 

In Part III , adiyEn shared some thoughts about

the rich meanings of the first of the four paadhams

(lines)of the first slOkam of Swamy Desikan's celebrated

GodhA Sthuthi: "Sri VishNuchittha Kulanandana Kalpavalleem"

>From here on until August 2 , the avathAra dinam

of GodhA PirAtti , adiyEn will focus on the rest of

the text of Swamy Desikan's moving tribute to Godhai.

May She as "GodhA "bless adiyEn with the power of Vaak

to complete this task!

 

Inview of the shortness in time to cover all

the 29 slokams of GodhA Sthuthi , we shall

adopt a standard format , where the translations will

be given first. Next,the integrated anubhavams of

Desika Bhaktha Rathnam , Sri SevA Swamigal and Sri U.Ve.

Sri Srirama DesikAchAr Swamy will be added for each

slOkam . AdiyEn will blend additional points ,

wherever appropriate. It will not always be

possible from the point of brevity and flow to identify

specifically the inputs of individual commentators .

AdiyEn is only attempting to bring the essence of

the anubhavams of different commentators . Let us

complete the rest of the first slOkam today .

 

 

GodhA Sthuthi First SlOkam :

****************************

 

Sri VishNuchittha Kulanandana Kalpavalleem

Sri RangarAja Harichandana yOga dhrusyAm

SaakshAth KashamAm KaruNayA KamalamivAnyAm

GOdhAm ananya Sarana: SaraNam PrapadhyE

 

(Meaning): GodhA Piraatti is the wish-granting

Kalpaka tree in flower garden of the kulam of

Sri VishNu Chitthar; She is most beautiful as

She gives us Her darsanam as the Karpaka creeper

united with Her Lord Sri Rangarajan standing

majestically as the Harichandana tree in that

Nandavanam ; She is the incarnation of BhUmi Devi

known for Her auspicious qualities of forbearance ;

indeed ,Godhai is the embodiment of forbearance;

When it comes to the quality of Her Mercy, Godhai is

a veritable MahA Lakshmi (KamalA). AdiyEn , who

has no other refuge seek Her as my sole refuge.

 

1. SRI SRIRAMA DESIKACCHAR'S ANUBHAVAM :

 

The pleasure (flower ) garden in the deva lOkam of

Indran is known as Nandavanam(nandayathi ithi Nandanam ).

In that pleasure garden is found a tree

known as KaRpakaa tree, which has the power to

grant all that one wishes for. That tree is

always associated with a gentle creeper . PeriyAzhwAr's

kulam is that Nandavanam (Nandanam) and Godhai is

the golden KaRpakA creeper , who blessed

that Nandavanam (Kulam of PeriyAzhwAr) through Her

avathAram. Lord RanganAthA is like the Harichandana

tree (One of the five varieties of KaRpakA trees) there ,

which grants the wishes of His adiyArs , who

seek refuge at His sacred feet . Godhai is united

intimately with that HarichandanA tree as the dependent

KaRpaka creeper and blesses us with Her eye-filling ,

soul-satisfying darsanam with Her Lord .Godhai is like

the embodiment of forbearance as the incarnation of

BhUmi PirAtti.Godhai appears at other times like another

incarnation of Sri Devi ,when one thinks of Her dayA

for us. AdiyEn (Swami Desikan )performs SaraNAgathi at

Her feet as One , who has no other recourse .

 

SRI SEVA SWAMIGAL'S ANUBHAVAM :

 

GodhA Sthuthi is a SthOthra Kaavyam.ANDAL's

avathAram and ThirukkalyANam are summarized in

the first two lines of the First slOkam .

 

Swamy Desikan indicates in the first line that ANDAL ,

the golden KalpakA creeper adorning the kulam of

VishNucchitthar was born at the Nandanam at SrivilliputthUr

(Sri VishNucchittha Kula Nandana Kalpavalleem ).

 

In the second line , Swamy Desikan describes

the joyous marriage scene of ANDAL standing

united with her Lord (Sri Ranganathan ):

"Sri RangarAja Harichandana yOga dhrusyAm" .

ANDAL gives us Her blessed darsanam embracing Her

Lord standing as the glorious HarichandanA

tree in that nandanam of VishNuchitthA . Nandanam is also

a name for the Lord saluted by one of the Sri VishNu Shasra

Naamams : "aanandhO nandhanO nandhi --"

 

A creeper reaches its fulfilment, when it is

united with a supporting tree .It is customary

for the poets to describe men as supporting trees

and the women as the dependent creepers .KaaLidAsan

compares the union of Sakunthalai with King

Dushyanthan as the Union of a creeper (Sakunthalai)

with the Mango tree (Dushyanthan) in his famous

drama known as Saakunthalam .

 

One meaning of Yogam is union . Andal"s yOgam

is with Sri RangarAjan , who is the Harichandana

tree at Srirangam.That Hari has chandana yOgam .

He has chandana yoga dasai due to that union .

That cooling chandanam for Hari is ANDAL .Through

Her union (samslEsham ) , She cools down the heat

(taapam ) of seperation for Her Hari , who waited

and waited for Her avathAram .

 

She is "Yoga DhrusyAm ". When Godhai unites

with Her Lord , She offers her darsanam as

a Mithunam (dampathi) .She does not become

adhrusyAm (invisible).On the other hand , She

becomes immensely visible (dhrusuyAm) in her

state of blessed union as a kalpaka creeper with

Her Harichandana tree of Srirangam .

 

Third Line:" SaakshAth KshamAm , karuNayA KamalAmivAnyAm "

 

Here Swamy Desikan identifies Godhai as "SaakshAth

KshamA ". She is BhUmi Devi Herself and not an amsam like

SitA piratti , who is traditionally considered as a

daughter of BhUmi devi. "KshamA " is a name synonomous

with BhU Devi since She is "Sarvam sahA " ( One who bears

with all aparAdhams of ours and yet pleads with

Her Lord on our behalf). She prayed to Her Lord

to show the easy way for the upliftment of the suffering

jeevans (Laghu UpAyam vadha: prabhO ).She was the cause

of the VarAha Charama SlOkam .ANDAL as SaakshAth

BhUmi Devi argued with Her Lord and revealed to us

the laghu (easy to practise) UpAyam to get the blessings

of Her Lord in her ThiruppAvai :

 

"senRu naamm sEvitthAl , aavaavenRu aarAyntharuL "

 

" umakkE naamm aatccheyvOm " .

 

KarunayA KamalAmivAnyAm:

 

When one assesses the limitless DayA

of Godhai , one wonders whether She is another form

of MahA LakshmI .PeriyAzhwAr described his raising

of Godhai this way: "ThirumahaL pOl valartthEn " .

Swamy Desikan saluted Godhai as " Thooya ThirumahaLAi

Vanthu" in his Prabhandha Saaram . These are the supports

for saluting Godhai as " KamalAmivaanyAm ".

 

Fourth Line: GodhAm ananya saraNa: saraNam prapadhyE

 

The etymology of the name GodhA has been discussed

extensively in the earlier articles on ANDAL's

Vaibhavam . The emphasis here is in Her power

to bless us with Vaak (divine speech).

 

ananya SaraNa : SaraNam prapadhyE : Swamy Desikan

follows here the path shown by AchArya RaamAnujA

in SaraNAgathy Gadhyam , where he performed

SaraNAgathy at the feet of Sri RanganAyaki :

" asaraNya SaraNyAm ananya saraNa: saraNam PrapathyE".

 

Swamy Desikan follows this path shown by AchArya

RaamAnujan in his performance of Prapatthi for the three

devis of the Lord in his Sthuthis ( Sri Sthuthi, BhU sthuthi

and GodhA Sthuthi). We hear the echos of Udayavar's

SaraNAgathy Vaakyams in his pleas for Prapatthi :

 

" Sriyam asaraNa: thvAm SaraNyaam prapathyE"..Sri Sthuthi

 

" VisvambharAm asaraNa: SaraNam prapathyE "..BhU Sthuthi

 

" GodhAm ananya saraNa: saraNam prapathyE "..GodhA Sthuthi

 

In his SaraNAgathy appeals , Swamy Desikan recognizes

Sri Devi as SrEyO Moorthy ( Sarva MangaLa Moorthy) ,

BhU Devi as VisvambharA ( the One , who bears the weight

of the Universe) and GodhA devi as Vaak giver according to

Sevaa SwamigaL.

 

ANDAL ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs :

 

Sri Muralidhar Rangaswamy has some perceptive

insights on the significance of the two words chosen by

Swami Desikan in this slOkam ( yogam and dhrusyAm ).

 

I am sure that you will enjoy his excellent analysis.

 

V.Satakopan

 

>Sri:

>

>SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

>

>Dear Sriman Sadagopan Swamin,

>

>Thank you very much for your marvellously insightful summary from

>the Anubhavams of U.Ve. Sri Ramadesikachariar Swamin and

>U.Ve. Sri Seva Swami. It is most appropriate that this series

>gets underway as the 100th Tirunakshatram of U.Ve. Sri

>Ramadesikachariar Swami dawns on us. A special tadiaradhanai for

>this occassion has been arranged at Srimad Poundarikapuram Ashramam

>on July 30 (Adi Punarvasu Nakshatram).

>

>Kindly permit Adiyen some indulgence here. The term "Yoga dhrushyAm"

>deserves further examination. Yoga can mean attainment of something

>that one has lost or gaining something that one has never had. Both

>of these make sense in the context of a Baddha jivatma being

>inextricably bound to Samsara by the rope of Karma since

>(1)The baddha jivan has not secured release from the bondage of Karma

>(2) As a result of (1), the baddha jivan is steeped in an endless

> ocean of sin from which there is no reprieve. Consequently,

> the jivan has lost knowledge of its true identity, i.e., that

> the jivan is a sesha of Lord Narayana and that everything

> associated with the jivan is the rightful belonging of Lord

>Narayana.

>

>Godha Piratti united with Lord Narayana facilitates the yogam

>by means of which the Baddha jivan attains knowledge of its true

>identity and enables the Baddha jivan to cross the ocean of Samsara

>through the margam of SharaNagati.

>

>Godha Piratti is the personification of Kshama or forgiveness. She

>is saluted as the consort of Lord Narayana in the Purusha Sooktam

>Rk "HrIschathE lakshmIscha pathnyoU". The Sama Vedam benediction

>rendered during weddings is "Etath thava hrudayam hrudayam mama

>Etath mama hrudayam hrudayam thava", i.e., the Dampatis are in unison

>in the innermost desires of each other's hearts. In this context,

>the Lord and His consort exemplify this salutation in that everything

>that is dear to the Lord's heart is dear to His consort and vice

>versa. The innermost desire of Godha Piratti's heart is for the Lord

>to forgive all trangressions of Her children and to provide

>them with eternal bliss through Kaimkaryam for the Divine Couple at

>their command and for their pleasure. The Lord is fully aware of

>this desire and fully intends to comply with it. Accordingly, He

>performs the Yagam of SharaNagati, i.e., providing refuge to a

>desirous supplicant through the path of unconditional, total

>surrender. Bhumi Devi renders the Yaga shala fertile through her

>appeals to the Lord to forgive all sins committed by the supplicant.

>

>Consequently, the union between Andal and the Lord results in the

>Yogam of Moksham for a baddha jivatma through the margam of

>SharaNagati.

>

>The connection between Sri Ramanujacharya's prapatti to Thayar and

>Swami Desikan's PrapadyE Vakyams in the Sri Stuthi, Bhu Stuthi, and

>Godha Stuthi is special. The Desika Mangalam salutes Swami Desikan as

>"Sri bhashyakAra panthAnam atmanA darshitam punaha". This probably

>sheds light on how closely Swami Desikan followed the path of Sri

>Ramanujacharya

>

>Namo Narayana,

>

>SriMuralidhara Dasan

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>Srimate Sri Laksminrisimha Divya Paduka Sevaka

>Srivan Satakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

>

>

>