SthOthra Rathnam : SlOkam 21 ( Part III )

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear BhakthAs of Swamy AlavanthAr :

 

Today , we will conclude the final part of the commentaries of

Swamy Desikan and PeriyavAcchAn PiLLai on the 21st slOkam of

the SthOthra Rathnam of Swamy AlavanthAr with FOUR NamaskArams

that includes 8 Nama: sabdhams .

 

The first of the four namaskArams are : " Vaang-manasAthibhUmayE

namO nama:". The word "Thubhyam "( to you ) is hidden in this and

the other three NamaskArams . To You , who is unreachable by mind

or speech by those , who wish to comprehend You with their own

efforts (Sva-yathnam) . He becomes the abhUmi for them . "yathO vaachA

nivartantE aprApya manasA saha " (TaittirIya AaraNyakam 9.1). For those with

ahankAra Svaroopam , He is far from reach by mind or speech . When one has

the svaroopam free from ahankAram denoted by the Nama: sabdham , He becomes

within easy reach . VishNu PurAnam ( 1.9.59 ) salutes the Lord , who is the abode

of the Universe and who is the PrApyam (Goal to be attained) with ahankArm free

Nama: sabdham :

 

YannAyam BhagavAn BrahmA jAnAthi Paramam padham

tannathA: sma JagaddhAma Tava sarvagathAchyutha

 

Oh Achyutha! Oh all pervasive Sarva VyApi ! We salute Your Svaroopam

that is the supreme abode of the Universe and its entities and which is not

known even by BrahmmA as the most lofty PrApyam .

 

"AthibhUmayE " really means athikrAntha bhUmayE or the limitless Svaroopam ,

which is beyond the ken of the mind and speech according to Swamy Desikan .

" parama yOginAmapi vaang-manasAbhyAm aparicchEchEddhyam ".

It is beyond the mental and oral efforts of even Parama Yogis unless they

are freed from ahankAram .

 

Swamy AlavanthAr wants to point out thru the first namaskAram how difficult it

is to reach Him by mind or speech ; He does not mean that the Lord is totally

unattainable . If that were to be so , it would clash with Sruthi : " SarvE VedA

yathraika Bhavathy " ( TaittirIya AaraNyakam:3.11.29) , " SarvE VedA Yath padham

aamananthy " ( KatOpanishad 1.2.15) , " NathA: sma SarvavachasAm prathishDA ,

yathra Saasvathee " (Ahirbudhnya Samhithai) . Further , the Lord says :

"Vedaisccha Sarvai: AhamEva Vedhya: " ( Geethai 15.15) . Now Swamy AlavanthAr

rushes with the second namaskAram to reveal that there is a sure way to experience His

blissful svaroopam by our Manas and Vaak : " Vaang manasa yEka bhUmayE

namO nama: ". Yes, He is experiencable by those who have no interest

in anything other than Him . He is comprehendable by those , who are

blessed to be shown the way by Him to establish their foundation of

blissful experience of Him with mind and speech . Even for the Gopis ,

who did not know the right hand from the left hand , He became

available thru their ego free approach that led them to their SaraNAgathy

at His sacred feet .

 

Swamy Desikan comments about the the state of mind of the Gopis : " aprasAdha-

bhAjAm Gopa-gOpikAdheenAmapi " VaangmanasayO: yEka vishayam bhUtAyEithyarTa:

VishayAnthara-vaimukhya-vyanjanArTamyEka padham ". Our Lord was the only

object of their contemplation ( yEka vishayam) , nothing else ( vishayAnthara

Vaimukhyam- - ) .PeriyavAcchAn PiLLai comments further : ' Kaatak-kaaNpArudaya

vaang-manasuhaLukku nilamAy irukkiRa unakku ' ( He becomes within the reach of

the mind and speech of those , who have been shown the way by Him and His AchAryAs) .

In Bhagavath Geethai ( 10.5) , the Lord stresses this tattvam : "

Bhavanthy bhAvA bhUthAnAm mattha yEva pruTakvidhA : " ( The

manObhAvams of the Jeeva Raasis like Jn~Anam arise from My sankalpam

alone ) .

Bhagavan"s Anukoola sakthi sankalpam is referred to here as the basis of Vaang-manasaika bhUmi .

 

Third NamaskAram : " Ananatha mahA vibhUtayE NamO Nama; " . NamaskArams to You ,

who is " aparicchEdhya Ubhaya MahA VibhUthi Naathan " . The Iswaryams of the Lord

( Leelaa and Nithya VibhUthis ) are anantha ( limitless) and anavadhikaa. Swamy Desikan

quotes Brahma Soothram ( 3.2.21) here : " PrakruthaithAvathvam prathishEdhathi tathO

Braveethi cha bhUya: " ( The text denies that-muchness of Brahman(described earlier)

and says more than that ) .There is nothing greater to Brahman either by nature or by

Qualities . His Iswaryam (VibhUthi) is limitless . So are His Svaroopam and GuNams .

He is anantha MahA VIbhUthi Naathan . SaraNAgathy is made to Him through the nama:

Sabdham .

 

Fourth NamaskAram : " anantha dayaika sindhavE namO Nama: "

NamaskArams to Your aparicchEdhya ( limitless) Daya ,which makes You

yEka bhUmi for Vaak and Manas .

PeriyavAcchAn PiLLai refers to the VishNu PurANa slOkam here( 5.6.14) to illustrate

that anavadhika dayaa of the Lord : "----yati saknOshi gaccha thvam athisanchala chEshtitha"

Yasodhai chided the crawling KrishNan , who was annoying her .She tied Him , the Lord of all

worlds , the Ubhaya VibhUthi Naathan with a piece of rope to the mortar and threatened Him:

" Oh Little One with all sanchala chEshtais! Try if you can to free Yourself from this mortar

and go " . Out of His limitless Daya , SarvEswaran let Himself bound ( KaNNInuNN siRu tAmpinAl

kattuNNappatta perumAyan " . This is the niravatikathvam (endlessness) of His Krupaa .

NamaskArams to that unique Dayaa ! Once again SaraNAgathi is made here with that

Nama: sabdham .

 

This Dayaa is described as the mighty ocean (Sindhu:) that can not be agitated ( kalakka

mudiyAthathu ) .It is firm (sTiram) .That sindhu is the abode (aasrayam) for Dayaa . That Dayaa

destroys the asurAs and protects the aasrithaas . It is like the removal of the weed from

the crop to keep latter protected .

 

Repeating Four times, the NamaskaraNam ( NamO Nama:)

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Swamy Desikan comments that the repeating of the NamaskaraNam four times

is to ceebrate the Lord's (1) Parathvam / matchless Superiority over all (2) Soulabhyam /

ease of access inspite of His Parathvam (3) Praapyathvam ( Being the ultimate Goal for

attainment ) and (4) SaraNyathvam ( Being SarvEswaran and Sarvarakshakan ) .

These are the four Svaroopa sOdhanams for the four namaskArams . The Nama:

sabdham is associated with the Phalan from the SaraNAgathy to the Dayaika Sindhu.

BharanyAsa roopa Prapatthi is succinctly referred to by the Nama: sabdham .

 

Swamy Desikan blessed us with a slOkam in the anushtup meter to explain

the significance of NamOshtakam ( using Nama: eight times) :

 

adhikArE prapithsoonAm-upAyOttharakruthyayO:

phalE cha paaratnatryAdhi BhOdhyamathra NamOshtakE

 

Swamy Desikan points out here that the SaraNAgathi with its 5 angams is being

done here thru the 8 Nama: sabdham . He observes that the goal of following

Nivrutthi dharmam (viz)., gining Tathva Jn~Anam and Nirmamathvam is firmed up thru

the utterance of " NamO Nama: " four times and PanchAnga Prapatthi is thus performed .

 

One may ask : Why there are multiple SaraNAgathis here , when SaraNAgathi is

to be done only once ? Why so many aavrutthis (repetition ) ? Swamy says

that the situation is like, when Sage VyAsa lifted his hand and said "sathyam "

three times for asserting ( sThireekaraNam) the greatness of VedAs and

the Supermacy of the Lord : "Sathyam Sathyam Puna: sathyam -- na dhaivam

KesavAth Param " . Repeated usage of "Nama: " sabdham is for SthireekaraNam

of the SaraNAgathy anushtAnam and not for multiple performance .

 

Swamy Desikan concludes His masterly vyAkhyAanam with profuse

quotations from many ParvAs of MahA BhAratham and Ahirbudhnya

Samhithai dealing with the power of Nama; sabdham standing in for

SaraNAgathy : Damayanthi , Dhroupathy and MaarkandEya vruthAnthams .

Swamy's quotation from Ahirbudhnya Samhithai (37.37) serves as a crown for

the commentary on this profound slOkam of Swamy AlavanthAr :

 

" Samith-saadhanakAdheenAm Yaj~nAnAm nyAsamAthmana:

namasA yOakarOdh dEvE sa svadhvara:ithiritha: "

 

One can perform yaagams (adhvaram) with samith ; the Yaj~nam

performed with namaskAram as aahUthi ( samith) is by far the most excellent

and auspicious adhvaram among all adhvarams (Su: + adhvaram) .

Nama: sabdham has the meaning of Phalan here ( PrArTayishmANa parama

PhalOpakshEpArTOyam Nama: ithi ) . This is the " MaRRai namm KaamangaL

MaaRRu " prayer of ANDAL in Her ThiruppAvai Paasuram .

 

In the Next slOkam , Swamy AlavanthAr performs direct SaraNAgathy

at the sacred feet of the Lord :

 

na dharmanishtOsmi , na chAthmavEdhee ,

na bhakthimAmsthvaccharaNAravindhE

akinchanO-ananyagathi: SaraNya !

ThvathpAdhamoolam SaraNam PrapadhyE

 

Swamy AlavanthAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan

 

P.S : adiyEn's dhandavath PraNAmams to HH Srimath

Srirangam PeriyANDavan for His most beautiful KaalkshEpam

on this important slOkam of SthOthra Rathnam .