Chillarai RahsyangaLs of Swami Desikan & Sri ParAsara Bhattar's GuNa Rathna KOsam SlOkams

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs:

 

As adiyEn gets deeper into preparing the postings of

Swamy Desikan's ChillaRai RahasyangaLs , adiyEn is not

sure whether the esoteric nature of the topic

would be of wide interest to the majority of the audience

of the Bhakthi List . Hence , I am leaning towards

the presentation of Sri ParAsara Bhattar's

GuNa Rathna KOsam , as an alternative .

Sri GuNa Rathna Kosam is a tribute of Sri ParAsara

Bhattar to Sri RanganAyaki ThAyAr of Srirangam .

 

If some one is deeply interested in receiving

the postings of ChillaRai Rahasyangal, please let

me know so that I can send them as needed

on an individual basis .

 

Sri MahA Lakshmi Tattvam is very important to us

as Sri VaishNavAs . Sri GuNa Rathna Kosam deals

brilliantly with the unique and divine attributes of

our ThAyAr MahA Lakshmi (Sri RanganAyaki ) as

the Empress of Srirangam and the dearest consort

of Lord RanganAthan.

 

Sri ParAsara Bhattar was the pet child of

the divya dampathis of Srirangam and they

raised him " litreally " in their ThirumAmaNi

MaNTapam . They set up a cradle for him in

front of their sannidhi and watched over him .

 

Dr.V.N .VedAntha Desikan of Oppiliappan Sannidhi

known for his great contributions to the growth of

our SampradhAyam has just started the coverage of

th Sri GuNa Rathna Kosam slOkams through a series of

postings in Nrusimha PriyA Magazine. AdiyEn will use his

translations as a base to elaborate on the great Tathvams

behind MahA Lakshmi as revealed to us by Swamy

ALavandhAr ( ChathusslOki), KurEsar (Sri Sthavam),

Sri Sooktam ( khila Rk from Vedam ) , Sri Sthuthi

(VishNu PurANam ) , SaraNAgathi Gadhyam passages

of EmperumAnAr , Sri LakshmI ashtotthara sthOthram,

Sri Lakshmi Sahasra Naama SthOthram , Sri Sthuthi of

Swamy Desikan , Sri DevanAr ViLAgam PadmanAbhAcchAr

Swamy 's monograph (Ph.D Thesis ) on ParAsara

Bhattar , AzhwAr's aruLiccheyalkaLs , Lakshmi

Tanthram and Srimath Prakrutham Azhagiya Singar's

KaalakshEpams on our ThAyAr's unique glories .

 

The format will be similar to the postings on

Sri RanganAtha PadhukA Sahasram where We (Sri

MuraLi Rangaswamy and myself) take off from

Dr.V.N.VedAntha Desiakan's translation and

adiyEn adds other anubhavams ( Abhinava Desikar,

HH Srimath Andavan and adiyEn). There are 61 slOkams

in Sri GuNa Rathna Kosam . AdiyEn will cover them

one or two at a time.

 

Dr.V.N. Vedantha Desikan has referred to the majestic gait,

deep thoughts and apoorva tatthvams embedded in

the slOkams of Sri GuNa Rathna KOsam. This is indeed

a rare treasure chest of the gems ( divine attributes

of ThAyAr, Sri RanganAyaki )arising from the blissful

guNAnubhavams of Her son , ParAsara Bhattar. We will

touch upon the Vibhuthvam, UpAyathvam and PurushakArathvam

aspects of Sri RanganAyaki ThAyAr (MahA Lakshmi ).

 

Dr.V.N.Vedantha Desikan points out that

Mother RangsanAyaki's " divine Qualiites are

Unique ; it reveals the intimacy that the author

(ParAsara Bhattar ) enjoyed with Sri RanganAyaki "

as Her pet child .The slOkams are " majestic ,

the dictum is magnificent and the ideas are emotive".

 

DevanAr ViLAgam Dr.S.PadmanAbhan points out that

Sri GuNa Rathna Kosam is a SthOthram of "lyrical beauty ,

while it abounds in philosophical statements , which are

unique to the VisishtAdvaithA System of philosophy".

 

AdiyEn has covered extensively the seven Krithis composed

by Sri Mutthuswamy Dikshithar on MAHAA LAKSHMI in

a series of postings archived in may 96 chapter

of Bhakthi archives. These krithis are set in

Raagams Maadhava ManOhari , DhanyAsi , LalithA ,

Desi SimhAravam, Naayaki , MangaLa Kaisiki ,

and SourAshtram .

 

Additional articles on the greatness of MahA Lakshmi

are archived in September 96 ;Two postings on

adiyEn's personal saraNAgathi to Lord RanganAthA

on a Panguni Uttharam day inspired by AchArya RaamAnujA's

Sri Sookthi are housed in the April 1 , 1996 postings.

KurEsA's Sri Sthavam is housed in the Feb 1996

Bhakthi archives.

 

With these introductory remarks , adiyEn will

start the series on Sri ParAsara Bhattar's

GuNa Rathna Kosam ( The treasure house of gem-like

qualities of Sri Devi)in the next posting .

 

May Sri RanganAyaki ThAyaar blessing us

while seated on ardha ParyankAsanam and

displaying abhaya MudhrA bless adiyEn

in the completion of this kaimkaryam !

 

May this SarvAnga Soundharyavathi , the Empres

of Srirangam , Sri RanganAyaki ,adorning

Kanaka rasanA ( golden ottiyANam at Her slender

waist ) , muktAhaarA (Pearl necklace around Her neck) ,

TaatankA ( ThOdu) LalAtikA ( ornament on Her forehead ),

MaNisArA ( gem necklace around Her shoulders )and

TulAkOti ( sweet sounding anklets on Her legs )

bless us all with Her karuNA KatAkshams !

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan