Sri Guna Rathna Kosam : Part 57: slOkam 48

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs of Sri RanganAyaki ThAyAr:

 

In the 48th slOkam , Swamy ParAsara Bhattar

pays tribute to our ThAyAr MahA Lakshmi in

the context of Her Lord's many avathArams :

 

yadhi manujathirascchAm leelayA thulyavrutthE:

anujanuroopA Devi! naavatharishya:

asarasamabhivishyan narma NaaTasya Maatha:

dhara-dhaladharavindhOdantha kaanthAyathAkshi

 

MEANING ACCORDING TO Dr.V.N.VEDANTHA DESIKAN

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

 

Oh Mother MahA Lakshmi, whose eye-charm is

the only phenomenon that would be recalled by

anyone perceiving , lotus in the nearest blooming

stage! The Lord takes many births --not like all

else by reason of Karma, His births are avathArAs

adopted by Himself out of His own will , to suit

a need . He wished to weave a certain sweet sport

that would please all .Whenever He takes a birth

like this as an avathArA , it is a descent into

the world from His Supreme Abode , You too take

a suitable matching avatArA . If only You had not

done so , the whole sport of the Lord schemed

to be enacted in the world would have been dull

and dreary , devoid of a flavour or taste for all--

You, Your consort-- and all discerning devotees too!

You add a flavor to His sportive exploits.

 

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

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

The beauty of Sri RanganAyaki's eyes are compared

to the beauty of about-to-blossom lotus flower.

This stage of lotus is described as " Ishadh-vikasitha

PuNDarIkam ". The lustre of the broad eyes (VisAlAshi)

of our Mother is compared to the special lustre of

the lotus at that stage of blossoming .

 

What our Mother SriranganAyaki does during the avathArams

of Her Lord is next described. She never leves Her Lord's

side ever ( ahalahillEn iRayum yenRu AlarmEl Mangai

uRai MaarbhA ).She accompanies Him in a suitable form

in all His avathArams to gladden His heart through Her

Nithya sambhandham. That Mithunam (Couple ) is our

Object of surrender .

 

She is "anapAyinI " according to VishNu PurANa Vachanam:

" NithyaivaishA JaganmAthA VishNO: SrI: anapAyini".

The combination of the two words , "NithyA and anapAyinI "

point out that are never ever separated from each other .

The Lord Himself reminds us of this tatthvam : " Mama

SarvAthmabhUthasya NithyaivashA anapAyinI" .Therefore

MandOdhari saluted MahA Lakshmi (Sithaa PirAtti ) as

"Nithya SrI".PerumAL and PirAtti are "Nithya Yukthars"

( always United). They are together in the states of Param ,

VyUham , Vibhavam, Archai and AntharyAmi .

 

In this slOkam , ParAsara Bhattar dwells on

the avathAra rahsyam of the Lord elaborated

by BhagavAn in His GithOpanishad and goes on

further to reveal the avathAra Rahasyam of PirAtti.

She takes the appropriate forms in each of His

avathArams ( SeethA during RaamAvathAram ,

RukmiNi during KrishNAvathAram ). Her avathArams

like Her Lord's are not under the control of karma

as in the case of DevAs, Humans, animals and plants.

These avathArams are because of their own Sankalpam.

 

Sri U.Ve. NavalpAkkam RaamAnuja TaatAchAr Swamy

quotes the PerumAL sambhAvanai manthram from

TaitthIrIya BrahmaNa Manthram . Portion of

the Manthram is : SamujjAnayE VishNavE dhadhAsathi--

bruhatthE VishNO Sumathim BhajAmAhE ". The key word

has been identified by the NavalpAkkam Swamy as

" SamujjAnayE " . He quotes the Saayana BhAshyam

for this important word : " sushtu maadhyanthI

HrushyanthI LAKSHMYAAKHYAA jaayA yasyAsou

SAMUJJAANI: Tasmai ". For the greatest of the Lord,

She is the inseparable companion in all states and

She gladdens His heart through Her eternal presence

as anapAyinI.

 

Sri VishNu PurANam celebrates this inseperable

presence of MahA Lakshmi with her Lord in avathArams

as well:

 

RaaghavathvEabhavath SethA RukmiNI KrishNajanmani

anyEshuchAvathArEshu VishNO: SriranapAyinI

 

In RaamAvathAram , She took the avathAram of

SeethA Devi; in KrishNAvathAram , She incarnated

as RukmiNI. In all avathArAs of Her Lord , She

takes an anuroopam and the Lord is never without

Her presence . Swamy Desikan salutes this union

as " NithyAnapAya Dhvandhvathvam ".

 

VaikAnasa Aagama expert , Dr. S. Mutthu Bhattar

quotes in the recent special issue of HayagrIva

PriyA Journal on Sri Tatthvam a passage relating

to Sri Devi's avathAra rahasyam :

 

BhrugO: khyAthyAm Samuthpanna

Sripooravamudhathou puna:

Deva Dhanava yathnEna

prasoothAmrutha amndhanE

YATH YATHA JAGATH SWAMI

DEVADEVO JANAARDHANA:

AVATHAARAM KAROTHYASHAA

TATHAA SRISTATHSAHAAYINI

--Sri VaikAnasa ArchanA NavanItham: 5.28& 29

 

(meaning): She was born as a result of

Bhrugu Maharishi first and took on the name of

BhArgavI. When the DEvAs and AsurAs churned

the milky ocean for nectar , She was born again

as Sri Devi . Whenver the Lord of the Universe

takes on an avathAram , Sri Devi also takes

an appropriate avathAram to be near Him as

Saha DharmachAriNI .

 

Dr. Mutthu Bhattar quotes another slOkam

in this context:

 

dEvathvE dEvathEhEyam manushyathvE cha MaanushI

punasccha Padma sambhUthA AaddhithYabhUth YathA Hari:

 

(meaning): If PerumAl incarnates as a Devan , MahA Lakshmi,

His consort will incarnate as Deva SthrI. If PerumAL

incarnates as a human , She will take an anuroopam

as a human lady. PerumAL -PirAtti sambhandham is

thus inseparable and well matched .

 

After completing the series on Sri GuNa Rathna kOsam ,

adiyEn hopes that Sri RanganAyaki ThAyAr will bless me

to summarize the highlights of the Sri HayagrIva PriyA

Special issue on the Vaibhavam of Sri DEvi . We have

61 slOkams in GuNa Rathna Kosam .We have covered 48 sofar.

After this coverage ,hopefully adiyEn would have the Bhaagyam

of highlighting the most informative commentaries of

great VidhvAns on Sri Tatthvam in the Special issue of

Sri HayagrIva PriyA .

 

Sri RanganAyaki ThAyAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan, Oppilaippan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan