Bhagavath GuNAnubhavam : Part III

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Dear BhakthAs of Swamy NammAzhwAr :In the previous posting , I

referred to Swami Desikan's deep attachment to NammAzhwAr"s

Thiruvaimozhi and how many of those sentiments expressed by the

AzhwAr inspired Swami Desikan in his many works in general & Daya

satakam in particular.I will be following closely the Commentaries of

Uttamur Swamigaland that of Dr. V.N. Vedantha Desikan ( AzhwAr

ThiruvuLLam ) as wellas the Sanskrit works of Swami Desikan (

Dramidopanishad Saaram and Dramidopanishad Taatparya RatnAvaLi ) ,

MaNavALa Maamuni"s Thiruvaimozhi Nurrandhathi & Azhagiya ManavALa

PerumAL NayanAr'sAcharya Hrudayam . As I have indicated earlier , I

have been deeplyimpressed by the monumental work of Dr.V.N.

Venkatanathan , my neighbor at Oppiliappan Koil Sannadhi Theru . I

will refer first in an overview fashion the various references to

theDaya/Arunaa / Anukamopaa/Krupa/ Kshamaa of Sriman Narayanain

Thiruvaimozhi and indicate the appropriate echoes in the works of

Swami Desikan that have connections to the above auspicious qualities

of the Lord Of Thiruvenkatam eulogzed in Daya Satakam .Let us start

this series with a salutation to Kuruhur Satakopan :BHAKTHAAMRUTHAM

VISWAJANAANUMODHANAMSARVAARDHATAM SRI SATAKOPA VAANGMAYAM ISAHASRA

SAAKOPANISHAD SAMAAGAMAMNAMAAMYAHAM DRAAVIDA VEDA SAAGARAM II

Thiruvaimozhi: The First Decad (Patthu )

******************************************Here AzhwAr sets the stage

for the celebraton of the KalyanaGuNAs of the Lord. Here, he points

out that Sriman NarayaNais the supreme means (UpAyam ) for us. He is

easy to meditate and the GuNaanubhavam of the Lord is similar to that

of tastingnectar. He also dwells on the Mukunda Tatthvam or the

Moksham-Conferringpower of BhagavAn. In the very first verse, Azhwaar

states that BhagavAn blesses us with Jnana-Bhakthi faculty to overcome

the weakness of the intellect thatcan lead us astray through doubts,

confusions and arguments. He points outthat all chetanas , Achetanas

, Devas and all else are Him and Him alone.He is the indwelling soul

, niyanthaa and ultimate source of the power ofall other Gods that

people elect to worship . He asks us to surrender our soul ( offer

Prapatthi) to Him and secure Paramapadam .In verse 1.2.5 & 6, the

upadesam of AzhwAr about the mercy of the Lord surfaces up first . He

refers to the Aasritha Premam (Affection for those who seek refuge at

His lotus feet ) and states unequivocally that He will show His MERCY

to ALL equally , once they become aligned withHim through SaraNaagathi

.. AzhwAr refers to the concept of Sambhanda Jnaanam ( We are part of

his splendour ) in his role as an Acharya and invites us to surrender

unto Him and become the object of His Dayathrough the practice of

subservience (Seshatvam ) to Him.. In Verse 1.10.8, Azhwaar

celebrates the Daya quality of "Selva NaaraNan".He indicates that

Selva NaaraNan is an Avyaaja Suhruth ( One who does nothave a

specific reason to be our well wisher and friend ) . Azhwaar says :"

Hisis a masterly game. The Lord with abundant KlayaNa guNaas appears

to havestriven , day and night , to secure me -- Now , He has joined

me inseparably. Unlike me who searches for Him intermittently , He

has sought me uninterruptedly. And so he has caught me " . This is

His Sowseelya guNam and Daya guNam in action . He concludes this

decad by stating that his effort to forget the Lord has conceded

victory toHIS effort to remain implanted in his memory. That is a

direct result of His unique Dayaa svabhaavam .The first 22 verses of

Thiruvaimozhi is considered the essence ofthe message of Vedas,

Vedanthas ( Upanishads) .

Sri RamAnujA , Swami Desikan and Kanchi Azhagiya ManavALa PerumAL

Jeeyar have used these verses as the basis for their works :Brahma

Sutra Bhashyam, Dramidopanishad -- Taatparya RatnAvaLi and Sri

Bhashya Dravida Aagama Aadhya Dasaka Dvandhva IykaKantyam .His

Kshamaa guNam is celebrated in decad 1.4 as Nissesha Ahassahanor the

one who through His Kalyaana GuNam of Kshamaa forgives alwaysall of

our tiring trespasses . He provides Sarvaanga Samslesham through His

KalyANa guNam of Krupaa and makes the Azhwaar enjoy His sweet

presence in every one of his limbs. His daya also results in His

being AvyAja UdAran or who gives Himself without any particular

reason. His Daya is celebrated more intensely in the subsequent

decads byNammAzhwAr . AzhwAr , Aacharyan Thiruvadigaleh SaraNam

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan