"dhATee-panchakam" tribute to Sri Ramanuja.

[Guest guest]

Sri Sadagopan svAmin,

 

The 'pUrvAchArya-stOtra-mAla' printed (1949) by Prativadi-bhayankaram

Annangaracharya Svami carries a one-line credit of 'dhATee-panchakam' to

Sri kUrattAzhvAn [and, reportedly, others]

~~ Srivatsachihna-miSrAdibhi: anugr.heetam iti prathitam.

 

In his subsequent comprehensive commentary, Anna Svami makes the

following opening observations:--

 

"Some hold this five-verse tribute as composed by kUrattAzhvAn; there

are otbers who consider that this was strung together with a verse

authored each by AzhvAn, ANDAn, embAr etc. Be it as it may, this

'stOtram' is dulcet to the ears and has long been included in the

protocol of daily recitation. The name "dhAtee-panchakam" is quite

appropriate to this five-verse tribute to the verity [of the theology

and philosophy] of emperumAnAr." (Added: 'dhATee' meaning

victory.)

 

On a personal note it occurs to me that, going by the unity of its

diction, this could just be a single-author composition. It shares

the unique characteristics AzhvAn's "pancha-stavam", namely, the vedic

flavour, strident phrasing, specific allusions, and the emotional

richness of references to the noble AchArya.

 

The succinct delineation of Ramanuja's exposition of the

'vEdAnta-sUtram' as contained in the 'panchakam' could have come only

from someone like AzhvAn who had intimate seminars with the AchArya

even as he spoke out his unrivalled SribhAshyam to his privileged

amanuensis. [EngaL AzhvAn ~~ vishNuchitta, the AchArya of naDatUr ammAL

~~ too had a like privilege subsequently when he was commissioned by

Emperumanar to assist him in writing out the concluding part of

SribhAshyam, after Emperumanar returned to Srirangam from Tirunarayana

Puram, and found that AzhvAn had gotten blinded by the rabid Saiva

chOzha. Nevertheless, Engal AzhvAn's assitantship in SribhAshyam

composition was of shorter duration than that of AzhvAn.]

 

It is important to remember that our AchArya personages did not give

room to wasting emotions when their protocol and place of worship

suffered disturbance and, instead, concentrated on alternative positive

programmes. Thus, during his 'exile' to Tirunarayanapuram, Ramanuja got

the 'pancha nArAyaNa pratishThA' executed by mudali-ANDAn, with the

support of the hoySaLa ruler vishNu-vardhana. Parasara-bhattar gave us

the enchanting Sriranganatha stotram [beginning,

"sapta-prAkAra-madhyE..."] while he had to leave Srirangam for

tirumAl-irum-SOlai. Vedantacharya devised his protective incantation

'abheeti-stavam' when he had to seek shelter in Satyamangalam during the

savagery of Malik Kafur's brutes in Srirangam during 1310-1320(?).

 

During his long years in Tirunarayanapuram, it was a routine with

Ramanuja incessantly to recite his incantation,

 

"Sriman ! Sriranga-Sriyam, anupadravAm, anu-dinam samvardhaya!"

 

as the standard invocation for the well-being and security of the holy

city of Srirangam [and all the other divya-dESam and the surpassing

values associated with them; this connotated by the expression

'Sriranga-Sri']. AzhvAn had possibly composed the 'pancha-stavam'

after he was disabled from the SribhAshyam assistantship, and as he kept

emitting his 'Arti' (distress and deprivation in being separated from

Ramanuja) in the direction of Tirunarayanapuram where his AchArya had

reached. This is my own surmise on a re-reading of the famous 'taniyan'

~~ "yO nityam achyuta-padAmbuja-yugma-rukma-vyA-mOhata:" ~~

which happens to be the opening verse of AzhvAn's

'Sri-vaikuNTha-stavam'. It is possible that the phrase

"jainEma-kanTheerava:" (in the 'dhATee-panchakam') is a specific

glorification of Ramanuja's prevailing over the horde of Jaina debaters

in Tondanur.

 

It is thus plausible that the 'dhATee-panchakam' could well have been

the tribute paid by AzhvAn to his AchArya, composed during his

separation from him, and being excited by reports of Ramanuja's

conquests in the 'foreign' territory of Hoysala.

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja-dAsan

T.S. Sundara Rajan

at Srirangam.

 

=======================================================================

Sadagopan wrote Tue, 9 Oct 2001 08:35:29 -0400 (EDT):

 

Dear Sri Sunder Kidambi:

I am requesting Sri Thirumajnam Sundararajan Swamy of Srirangam

to shed light on this subject of authorship of Dhaattipanchakam (Swamy

MudaliyANDaa or Not). Sriman Sundararajan Swamy is a highly regarded

scholar on Srirangam traditions in general and Mudali Andan Vamsam in

particular.

>Dear Sri Sadagopan Swamin,

> As mentioned in my email to Sri Anand my source is a text published

>in the Sri Ramanuja Vani. However if you are of the opinion, which I

>thoroughly respect, that Sri Dhaatiipanchakam is the work of Sri

>Mudaliaandaan, I would be more than happy to change it.

>Sunder Kidambi >www.prapatti.com

> >-

> >"Sadagopan" <sgopan

> >"Anand Rangarajan" <anandr

> >Cc: <mnr; <sunder.Kidambi

> >Saturday, October 06, 2001 8:27 PM

> >Re: Fwd: Re: Dhaattipanchakam>

> >> Dear Anand:

> >> Dr.M.N.Ramanuja has included this Panchakam at his web site.

> >> By copy of this note, I am requesting him to comment

> >> on your query. If I remember correct,he belongs to

> >> the Mudali AaNDAN AchArya paramparai.

> >>

> >> BTW, Dr.Ramanuja is at the Physics Dept at IISC, Bangalore.

> >> Best Wishes,

> >> V.Sadagopan

> >>

> >> At 09:45 PM 10/3/01 -0700, you wrote:

> >> >Dear Sri Sadagopan mama,

> >> >I am sure I have heard on two occasions that Dhaati panchakam is on

> >> Ramanuja's defeat of some people in a discussion, and was written by

> >> MudaliAndaan. Can you clarify?> >> >

> >> >anand

> >> >

> >> >------- Start of forwarded message -------

> >> >"Anand Rangarajan" <anandr

> >> >Re: Dhaattipanchakam

> >> >"Sunder Kidambi" <sunder.kidambi

> >> >Wed, 3 Oct 2001 06:02:39 -0400

> >> >Dear Sri Anand,

> >> >Greetings and thank you very much for your note. I have commentary on

Dhati Panchakam. The title of the article is "Dhati Panchakam of Kuratalvan" by

(Late) Sri. S. Satyamurthi Ayyengar. This article appeared in Sri. Ramanuja

Vani in 1998.

If you feel your source is authentic, I would be more than happy to

change the author. Please let me know.

Adiyen > >> >Sunder Kidambi > >> >www.prapatti.com

> >> >-

> >> >"Anand Rangarajan" <anandr

> >> ><sunder.kidambi

> >> >Wednesday, October 03, 2001 2:10 AM

> >> >Dhaattipanchakam.

> >> >> Dear Sri Sunder Kidambi,

> >> >> I think this particular sthothram was written by MudaliAandaan

and not Kuresa as your

webpage at http://www.prapatti.com/slokas/mp3.html

indicates. > >> >> anand > >> >>