Padhuka Sahasram-912

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Sri:

 

SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

 

Translation by U.Ve. Dr. V.N. Vedanta Desikan Swamin:

 

912. shruNu thE pAdhukE! chithram chithrABhirmaNiBhirviBhO:

yugakramaBhuvO varNAn yugapadhvahasE svayam

 

Oh Paaduka! I shall tell You an interesting feature about You. The

Lord is well known to have the complexions, white, yellow, green, and

black, respectively, in the four yugas. But You have all the colours

on You at the same time.

 

Namo Narayana,

 

SriMuralidhara Dasan

 

Special Notes by V.Sadagopan (V.S):

 

SlOkam 912

 

1. UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam: Swamy Desikan joins artha chithram

known as apasabdhAbasa chithram and requests the PaadhukAs to hear

this Chithra paddhathi . When one hears the word "SruNutE (SruNu

tE ) " used in this slOkam, one would think that the word "SruNOthi"

should have been used instead. This potential confusion between what

is being stated and what should perhaps be there is called

apasabdham. Therefore, this strange situation is described as an

aabhAsam (ApasabdhAbhAsam).

 

Swamy Desikan observes here : "Oh PaadhukE ! Please hear the chitra

Paddhathi that I have composed in Your honor.Also, please hear about

this unusual situation about You! You possess something that the Lord

Himself does not possess. He has one color for each of the four

yugAs of the Universe (Krutha, TrEthA , DhvApara and Kali) . During

each of these four YugAs, His divine body's color changes from Krutha

yugA'sWhite to red in TrEthA to golden in DhvApara and to Black in

Kali. Your Lord displays just one color in each of these four yugAs ,

whereas You demonstrate many colors in the same yugA through Your

multicolored gems. This Your Lord can not do!

 

2. The miracle of the PaadhukAs exceeding the Lord in its display of

many colors in the same Yugam is the subject here to celebrate the

glory of the PadhukAa (Swamy NammAzhwAr). The great AchAryan like

Swamy NammAzhwAr removes the Yuga Vaishamyam and instructs us on the

easy to practise means ( sulabhOpAyam ) of SaraNAgathy in every

yugam. BhagavAn in contrast has to devise unique aarAdhana prakArams

(methods) that are suitable for each of the Yugams in deference to

the Yuga Vishamyam (disparities of each yugam). Thus Padhukais (

Swamy NammAzhwAr as the merciful AchAryan ) is unique and excells

the Lord .

 

3. Swamy Desikan addresses the Paadhukais and requests it to "see"

its varNa chithrams . Instead of using the word "pasya " to see ,

Swamy Desikan uses the word "SruNu ", which has the meaning

of "hear ". VyAkaraNa Saashtram supports the use of "SruNu " ,

where " Pasya" is meant. The PaadhukA is of Suddha SatthvA form and

for such forms, one sensory organ can serve as another sensory organ.

This has been cited to defend the use of "SruNu" in place of " Pasya".

 

Lord's orderly changes in color during successive yugams ( VibhO:

yuga kramabhuva: varNAn ) to display four seperate colors is outdone

by the Paadhukais , which displays multiple colors at the same time

( kramabhuva: varNAn yugapath svayam vahasi).