Thuppul PiLLai- 33- Daya sathakam- Brilliant 108 verses on Lord's dayA [Grace]

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SrI:

SrImathE Nigamantha Mahadesikaya namah:

SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |

vedAntAcArya-varyo me sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||

 

May the glorious Venkatanatha, the greatest of teachers of Vedanta, and the

lion among poets and debaters, reside forever in my heart.

 

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

Let us begin to enjoy the sthOthra granthas of Swamy Desikan [in

alphabetical order]

Daya Satakam

 

Daya Sataka is a stotra in 100+8 slokas on the mercy of Lord Srinivasa of

Tirumala Tirupati. In this Stotra, Mercy, which is a quality is defined as

the Supreme Goddess as being above Bhoomi, Neelaa and even Lakshmi the Chief

Consort of Bhagavan Narayana, who is Svayam vyakta (Self-manifest) in

Tirumala. It is stated that it is under her behest the Lord himself

discharges His duties as the Creator, Protector and Liberator. The ever

flowing streams of clear and pure water in Tirumala is a concrete example of

the ever flowing beneficient Mercy of Lord Venkateswara.

 

In the opening Mangala sloka, Swami dEsika eulogises the Mount tirumala

itself as the solidified form of the Lord’s Mercy and pay obeisance.

“Prapadye tan Girim praya Srinivasa anukampayaa yanmoortya Ssrkaraayitam”).

In the next nine slokas of the first of the ten decades in the centum he

refers to the Acharyas, Alwars, and Ancient Sages. Vishvaksens, Lakshmi,

Bhoomi, Neela and even Lord Venkateswara Himself as the forms of Daya-devi.

 

 

In the entire stotra, Daya is portrayed as superior to all things in the

world here and hereafter because of Her qualities mentioned in the ten

decades as follows.

 

1.Daya is the bestower of all fruits including Moksha; 2.She is the

omniscient goddess; 3.She removes the enemies of her devotees; 4. she is the

ever-successful and never failing means for all fruits; 5. she is the

unsurpasses goal of attainment; 6. she is the refuge for all who seek

protection; 7. She is easily accessible to all; 8. Daya is also the

transcendent deity; 9. she manipulates the different incarnations of

Bhagavan as Fish (Matsya) and Tortoise(Koorma), Boar (Varaha) and Man-lion

(Narasimha) to come down and liberate the souls in bongage; it was under Her

command that the Bridge(setu) for Lanka was constructed by Sri Rama , the

very sight of which confers emancipation and Bhagavad Gita was taught by Sri

Krishna which are the permanent records for the work of Daya; 10. She

bestows the bliss of moksha in this world itself on those who pray for it.

 

Daya-devi is the Empress seated on the chest of the Lord as on the throne.

All the qualities are her attendants-Knowledge as the torch-bearer goes in

front; power and vigour are followers. But for Daya all these qualities will

not have a good name since they will get enlisted in the list of defects.

“Vrishagiri Griha Medhi Gunah

Bodha-bala-aiswarya-veerya-sakti-mukhaah!

Doshaa-bhaveyur-etc

Yadi naama Daye Tvayaa vinaa- bhootaah”

 

Sri Vedanta Desika reveals that he was but an unlearned boy; the Merciful

Lord proclaimed that the boy was really Vedanta Desika ( The Upanishadic

Preceptor) and sung the sweet-sounding stotra through him as though playing

upon Veenaa through Daya

 

“Vedanta-Desika-pade vinivesya baalam

Devo Daya-satakam etat avaadayat maam

Vaihaarikena vidhinaa samaye grheetam

Veenaa-viseshamiva Venkata sailanathah”

 

Sri Vedanta DEsika concludes by saying that the Lord of the Venkatesa Hill

is pleased with the stotra and will silence the fault-finding critics since

the lOrd himself has produced this welcome lyric(108).

 

The Daya-satakam of Swami Sri Vedanta DEsika has shown his skill in writing

the slokas in different metres beginning from the short Anushtub-metre and

gradually increasing the size of metres with every following decade we shall

give below the serial number of the decads and the names of the metres in

which they are composed..

 

1. anushtup meter (eight syllables in each quarter)

2. aaryaa

3. aupacchandasika (11, 12, 11, 12)

4. Maalinee (8+7) [also slokas 105 and 106]

5. Mandaakranthaa [4 + 6 +7 ]

6. Natkulakam [8 + 9]

7. Sikhaarinee [ 6 + 11]

8. Warinee [6 +4 +7]

9. Prthvee [8 +9]

10. Vasantha thilaka [ 8 +6] also 101-104

11. Saardoola Vikreeditam [12 +7] 107 and 108

 

Thus Daya sathakam shows that Swamy Desika is great poet and philosopher.

[From the Life and works of Sri Nigamantha Mahadesikan- by Prof Sri A

Srinivasaraghavan]

 

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo narayana

dAsan

kavi-tArkika-simhAya kalyANa-guNa-SAline |

Srimate venkateSAya vedAntagurave namaH ||

 

Salutations to Sri Venkatesa, in whom all perfections reside, who is the

teacher of Vedanta and the lion among poets and debaters

 

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