Sri Guna Rathna Kosam : Part 52: slOkam 41

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs of Sri RanganAyaki ThAyAr:

 

In this slOkam , Swamy ParAsara Bhattar continues with

his celebration of the eye-glances of SriranganAyaki:

 

AnandhathAthmabhirIsa majjana madha kshIBhAlasai: aagala-

prEmArdhrairapi koolamudhvaha krupA samplAvithAsmAdhrusai:

PadhmE! tE prathiBhindhu Bhaddakalika BrahmAdhi vishkambhakai:

IsvaryOtthama gadhgadhair-asaraNam maam paalayAlOkithai:

 

Meaning according to Dr.V.N.VedAntha Desikan:

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Oh Goddess (seated) on the Lotus! May the flood-stream

of Your eye glances flow on me, this worthles wretch !

This flood that flows is virtually the solid concretization

of the abstract principle called Joy; this flood stupefies

the Lord Himself like the liquor and makes Him look tired and

relaxing ; This flow is neck-deep , wet immersion in love-flood

for the devotee; it is the one that would breach all banks;it

will therfore , be capable of swelling the sand-mounds that we

people are on the shores.It is the one each speak of , which could

engender in it a great figure such as emperor , IndhrA, BrahmA,

etc. It is a flood that would create a few more mounds in

the path that would cause a disturbance to the walkers-by

(The mounds are figurative ; they imply affluence-heights.

They will naturally cause stumbling to the walkers).

 

Additional Commnets:

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The flood waves of Sri RanganAyaki's eye-glances

and their power on devotees to Her Lord Himself is

celebrated here. Swamy ParAsara Bhattar prays for

those waves to drench him . He says that these floods

of eye-glances are of the form of Aanandham (bliss form).

Besides immersing us in that flood , it drenches Her Lord

Himself and drives Him to the heights of ecstasy , which

makes Him some what stupefied. That flood soaks the devotee

upto his neck and flows upstream like a dam that has

opened its sluices. In each of the drops of joy originating

from Sri RanganAyaki , the potential of great kings ,

IndhrA and BrahmA to be born is there.Since those floods

cause mounds of Isvaryam , makes one who is walking stumble

due to the non-level nature of the ground caused by ThAyAr's

flood of eye-glances. Swamy ParAsara Bhattar begs his

Mother , Sri RanganAyaki to cast Her eye-glances on him

and bless him .Bhattar says: Oh Compassionate Mother !

I am asaraNan ( protectorless);adiyEn is "RakshakAnthara-

Soonyan"( devoid of any One to offer me protection ).

Maam Paalaya ( Please protect me through directing Your

rejuvenating and uplifting eye glances on me!). AruL

VeLLam of Sri RanganAyaki is thus celebrated.

 

Selected Sanskrit Passages oft his slOkam

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Here Bhattar addresses SriranganAyaki as "PadhmE!".

PadhmE stands for Padhma VaasinE or One who lives on

a divine lotus.

 

"AanandhAthmabhi: Isa majjana madhakshIBhAlasi:":

Oh PadhmAlayE ! Your SvarUpam is aanandha mayam

(AvaL Inba VadivAnavaL). Your Lord (Isa:) gets

Thirumanjanam from those aanandha lahari ( aanandha

waves of eye-glances)and becomes as a result intoxicated

as it were .That is the effect of the anbu VeLLam on

Your Lord. We are soaked upto Your necks in the dense

flood of Your affection-laden eye-glances( aagala

prEmAdhrai: aakaNDam , prEmyA preethya aardharai:

sisirErapi).Each of these glances become like mounds

of Isvaryam and stands as obstacles (Vishkambakaa:)

and makes one stumble .They are overpowering .

 

Bhattar is overwhelmed and gives up with a prayer

for the KrupA RoopiNI , Sri RanganAyaki to protect

him , since he has no one else to protect him

( asaraNam maam paalaya).

 

SlOkam 42

*********

 

With extraordinary poetic skills, Bhattar visualizes

the SoukumAryam ( matchless beauty ) of Sri RanganAyaki

in this slOkam :

 

PaadhArunthudhamEva pankajarajascchEDihrusA lOkithai:

angamlAniraTAmbhA ! Saahasavidhou leelAravindhagraha:

DOlA tE vanamAlayA HaribhujE haa kashta-sabdhaAspadham

kEna SiI!RathikOmalA tanuriyam vaachAm vimadhakshamA

 

Meaning according to Dr.V.N.VedAntha Desikan

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Oh RanganAyaki! When we speak of Your delicate sensitive

nature , we have to remember that even lotus pollen gains

would feel rough to Your delicate feet . Your form will

wither, as though , if Your attendants eagerly look at it

with fond admiration ; I would fain say that the toy--

lotus head in Your hand would strain Your physique!

The vanamAlA garland on the chest of Your Lord serves

as the swing for You to enjoy --but then , we would

fear it would cause strain to Your body . Oh Mother !

I rather feel my mental contemplation on You to compose

a verse would itself would affect Your form and cause

a shade of strain ! Oh what a pity ! My hymn becomes a

veritable tormentor to that sensitiveness . My heart

throbs in fear at the very thought of it. Would Your

all-too delicate physique suffer , unable to sustain

a praise-hymn on it ? I think so !

 

Additional Comments:

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Oh Sri RanganAyaki ! How can I describe Your peerless

beauty ? Your super-delicate body can not put up with

many strains . When You walk, eeven the lotus pollen

grains bruise Your soft feet. When Your ladies in attendance

look at Your beauty with unclosed eyes , Your divine limbs

suffer like a flower exposed to the heat of the midday Sun.

We see the lotus flower in Your hands and worry whether

the weight of them is too much to bear by Your slender

arms . We lamnet about the hardness of the flowers of

the vanamAlai garland , when You use that as an oonjal

for Your sport.We fear whether those forest flowers

will bruise Your body. adiyEn dreads to think of

the ill effects of my speech intended to praise You

and what harm they might do to Your most tender ThirumEni .

 

Such is the loving affection of Swamy ParAsara Bhattar

for Sri RanganAyaki that he is afraid even to praise

Her lest his vaak will make Her fade like a flower

under the hot rays of the Sun. This is extraordinary

RasAnubhavam of a great poet and Bhakthan of MahA Lakshmi.

MahA kavi KaaLi dAsan described in Raghu Vamsa SlOkam

that the flowers falling from the trees caused so much

pain to the tender body of one of the queens of Raghu

Vamsam (Dileepan) that She fainted.Bhattar beats KaaLi dAsan

in his poetic skills !

 

Comments on the Sanskrit words chosen by Bhattar

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"PaadhArundamEva Pankaja Raja:" : The pollen dust from

the lotus flower on which You are sitting is like a sharp

thorn bcause Your sacred feet are so tender to touch.

 

" chEDi bhrusa lOkithai: angamlAniraTambha sAhasa vidhou

leelAravindhgraha:" : If Your parijanams look at You

intensely to enjoy Your soundharyam , the ShObhai of

Your limbs will fade like a flower experiencing the midday

heat (vaadip pOhum );the lotus bud that You hold in Your

hand sportively is a strain on Your tender hands

( "ViLayADu malar sumartthal arum cheyalE").

 

"DhOlA tE VanamAlayA HaribhujE haa Kashta-sabdhAspadham":

In Your dear Lord's broad chest hangs Vaijayanthi garland.

You like some times to use it a swing for sport . That

effort is a difficult one because Your athi-kOmala ,

athi-soukumAra limbs can not put up with the hardness

of the flowers in the garland. As a result, that dolai (swing)

becomes a painful seat(aaspadham) for You.Your tanu (body)

is athikOmalam ( extremely tender and soft). My words

of praise ,however softly worded, would rub harsh on

Your tender ears because of their(ear's) softness. My words

therefore needs to be excused for their unintended

harshness ( VaachAm vimardha KshamA: "athisukumArasya

SthrI-Vapusha: purusha-vachastavanam ayuktham ithi Bhaava:").

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE Saranam ,

Daasan Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan