Bhagavath GuNa anubhavam : Part IV

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Sri:

 

Dear BhakthAs of Sri NammAzxhwAr :

adiyEn will cover the references to Dayaa in AzhwAr"s third decad of

Thiruvaimozhi in this posting. The third decad focuses on the fact

that Sriman NarAyaNan , the means and the goal ( Upaaya Upeyan )

makes Himself easily accessible to bhakthAs through His Archa

Avathaaram. Through His Archa rupam ( presence at Temples as

Consecrated Vigraham ) and His Subhaasrayam ( Subham+ Aasrayam = that

which is auspicious and is also within reach of meditation and

enjoyment ) , permits us to enjoy Him readily . This is part of His

Daya. He knows that His other states such as Param , Vyuham, Vibhavam

andAntharyaamitvam are not easily approachable by mere mortalsand

hence out of His Daya and Anukampa for us He makes Himself available

to us as ArchA rupi . He descends as it were to our plane of grasp

and enjoyment .Decad 3.3 and 3.6 are the sections that are connected

to the Dayaa aspect of the Lord . Decad 3.3.1 ( OZHIVIL

KAALAMELLAAM--) : The first Paasuramstarting with the words ,

"Ozhivil Kaalamellaam " is consideered the life breath of Sri

VaishNava Sampradhaayam . Pages and pagescan be written about it.

This verse gets special attention fromSwami Desikan in the final

chapter of Sri Rahasya Trya Saaram. Swami Desikan concludes that

those who respond to the Daya initiative of the Lord (of

Thiruvenkatam ) would be blessed with " Sarva Desa , Sarva Kaala ,

Sarva Avasthochita , Sarva Vidha Kaimkaryas to the Lord ".Dr .V.N.

Vedantha Desikan's translation of this magnificient verse is as

follows : " We, I , my heart , all my circle of people,must go and

stay close to the Lord of Thiruvenkatam and also serve Him all the

time , without any gap, without a flaw, with no end in mind,except

the service; the Lord who is of beautiful and brilliant form and who

is the father of even our forefathers , to whom alone we are bound to

be subservient ; the Lord who has taken the abode in the hill

resounding with the voices, as if it were, that emanate from the

falls and streams that make the place lovely and livable . I would

say that this is the great goal of life that any one should cherish

to uphold avidlyand unswervingly ." In 3.3.3 (ANNal Mayan--) : Here

Azhwaar salutes the literally countless auspicious attributes of the

Lord and hints that it is His dayaa and Sowlabhyam that stand out and

make Him accessible to us readily .In 3.3.4 ( Isan Vaanavarkku enban

--) : Here Azhwaar points out that the Lord's unique trait of making

Himself readily " accessible to the lowly and downtrodden , to the

rustic forester and the nomadic tribal---to which class I belong ,

having nomerit-- -with which He has shown a doting love on me ,

endearing me that way ----." In 3.3.5 , Azhwaar praises the

"simplicity and the magnanimous grace " of the Lord of Thiruvenkatam(

the essence of Daya Sathakam ) and states that Hepatiently stands on

top of Thiruvenkatam hills waiting for Prapannas , unmindful of the

merits or demerits of them. He is not satisfied even when a large

number of those sought His refuge are redeemed . He waits for moreto

grant them the bliss of Moksham .3.6.4 ( Vaimmin Num Manatthenru ) :

Here , Azhwaar says that the Lord of Thiruvenkatam will show His

grace (Daya )to us even when we are unable to maintain an unmotivated

,spontaneous love for Him.3.6.7 ( Yezhumaikkum Yenathaavikku --) :

Here , Azhwaar describes the Lord as His precious gem that

neverthelesscondescends to the level of His dear ones due to his Daya

and Anukampa for them . The two pointers that Swami Desikan gives us

regarding this decad are : (1) The Lord is Svecchaa Sevyakaaran(The

one who takes whatever form the Aasrithaas request )and (2)

Labhyaarcha Vibhavan ( The one who takes the form requested by the

Aasrithaas and then blesses them) . MaNavaaLaMaamuni follows the line

of thought of Swami Desikan and concludes that among the five states

in which the Lord exists ( Param, Vyuham, Vibhavam, Archaa and

Antaryaami ) , He ismost readily accessible to us as Archaavatharan

out of his magnanimous Dayaa (grace) .Azhwaar Thiruvadigaleh

SaraNamOppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan