Sri Guna Rathna Kosam : Part 58: slOkam 49

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs of Sri RanganAyaki ThAyAr:

 

In the 49th slOkam , Swamy ParAsara Bhattar

pays tribute to Sri RanganAyaki ThAyAr as

the MahA Lakshmi , who through Her smile and

glances reduced the fatigue of the Lord during

His efforts to churn the milky ocean to release

Amrutham .In the context of Her Lord's many avathArams ,

amrutha MaTanam is taken as an example here to

illustrate how the Divine Consort of the Lord

helps Him during KoormAvathAram intended for

helping with the churning of the milky ocean

with Vaasuki as the rope and Mandra malai as

the Churning rod :

 

skalitha kaDaka maalyai: dhOrbhiraBdhim MurArE:

Bhagavathi dhadhimATam maTnatha:ShrAnthi Saanthyai:

Brahmadhamrutha tarangA: varthatha: prAthurAsI

smitha nayana sudhAbhi: simchathI ChandrikEva

 

--Sri GuNa Rathna KOsam : SlOkam 49

 

Oh Bhagavathi ! Oh RanganAyakI of Six auspicious

attributes (ShADguNya paripoornai)! Your Lord churned

the milky ocean one day . He would not have any aayAsam

(Fatigue ) from that monumnetal effort , since He is

BhagavAn (ShADguNuya ParipoorNan ). Even with that

certainity , His sport would not have given Him

satisfaction ,if He did not show the aspects of exertion

as revealed by His AbharaNams and flower garlands

slipping from His limbs. That is how we view the scene!

He churned the milky ocean like those churning milk

in a clay pot with a wodden churning rod to bring out

the butter.Only the dimensions of the operation

were different in His case .

 

Oh MahA LakshmI ! You arose from a whirlpool (Suzhi)

in the middle of the Ocean to give Him relief from

His exertions as it were ! With Your captivating smile

and auspicious glances, You drove away Your Lord"s exertions .

You soaked the Lord in Your moon-ray like nectarine

coolness and drove away His fatigue .No Wonder You

are known as Amrutha SahajA (PeNNamuthu) as a result !

 

Additional comments:

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The Lord's KaDakam , Valayam , Maalikais and Maalyams

slipped away from His limbs as He churned the milky Ocean

with both hands . KshIrArNavam ( Milky ocean) was like

the dhadhi that was churned to release Nectar. He was

acting as though He was fatigued from the effort.

Then MahA Lakshmi appeared ( prAdhurAsi)to chase away

the ShrAnthi of the Lord and to produce ShAnthi.

This She accomplished effortlessly with Her

Smitha-nayana-sudhAbhi:( with her waves of nectarine glances

and smiles(manthhAsam). Like nectarine waves , those smiles

and glances of MahA Lakshmi soaked the Lord , comforted

Him and energized Him to complete His self-appointed task.

His ultimate reward was the PeNNamudhu , MahA Lakshmi ,

while the DevAs got just nectar.

 

Indran, who lost all his Isvaryam due to the curse of

Sage DhurvAsar approached the Lord for help thru BrahmA

for restoration of that lost wealth . That led to amrutha

maTanam described inthe 8th Canto of Srimadh BhAgavatham.

After the DevAs and the asuraas gave up their efforts ,

the Lord Himself took over the churning :

 

maTayamAnAtthtaTA sindhO: DevAsura varUTapai:

yadha SudhA na jaayathE nirmamanTAjitha: SVYAM

-- BhAgavatham : 8.7.16

 

Our Lord is saluted here as Ajithan , One who is

not conquered by anyone. He Himself took over

the churning .Many auspicious things came out of

His effort (e.g): KaamdhEnu, Kousthubha rathnam ,

Kalpaka Vruksham , IrAvadham et al.

 

Finally , the Supremely effulgent SthrI Rathnam ,

MahA LakshmI arose out of the milky ocean illuminating

all directions with Her lustre .She was like a creeper of

lighting flashing through the directions :

 

tathascchAvirabhUth sakshAcchchIramA Bhagavathparaa

ranjayanthi disa: kaanthyA vidhyuthsoudhAmani yaTA

---Bhaagavatham: 8.8.8

 

(meaning): Thus appeared before all , SaakshAth Sri Devi,

who is MahA Lakshmi just like a creeper of lightning

illumining all directions . She appeared from the Milky

Ocean and had limitless affection and love for BhagavAn.

 

Her Thirumanjanam and alankAram are described by

Swamy Desikan (Sri Sthuthi: agrE Bharthu:)and Srimath

BhAgavatham. Indra is blessed by Her and he recovers

his Isvaryam and eulogizes Her in Indra Sri Sthuthi.

 

Just as Srimath RaamAyaNam described the inseperability of

the Lord and His PirAtti as " BhAskarENa PrabhA yatha",

(Suryan and its effulgence), this SlOkam of Bhattar

pays tribute to the Sriranga Dampathis as Chandran and his rays

(Chandra-ChandrikA), which are inseparable.

 

One of the PaancharAthra Samhithais , JayAkya Samhithai

attests furhter to the inseperability of this divine couple

this way:

 

Sooryasya RasmayO yathvAth

OormayasyachAmbhudhErivaa

Sarvaisvarya PrabhAvEna KAMALAA

SrI tEstathA

 

(Meaning): MahAlakshmi stays united with Her

Lord , Sriya: Pathi in an inseperable manner

just as the rasmi (lustre ) of Sooryan is

inseperable from it and just as the waves are

inseparable form the Ocean .

 

Sri RanganAyaki ThAyAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SaTakOpan