Tributes to MahA Lakshmi : Part II

[Guest guest]

SrI :

 

Dear Sri Devi BhakthAs :

 

SrI Sooktham , Sri Nanjeeyar's BhAshyam for it , Swamy Desikan's BhAshyam

for ChathusslOki ,ShraddhA Sooktham , Adhithi Sooktham are other PramANams

for understanding the Vaibhavam of SrI Devi celebrated in Swamy Desikan's

SrI Sthuthi , which arose in front of MahA Laskhmi at Kaanchipuram or Srirangam

are additional references for understanding MahA Lakshmi Tatthvam .

 

Let us focus on Adhithi Sooktham , Vaag Sooktham and NaacchiyAr SambhAvanA

Manthrams today in this context .

 

1. Adhithi Sooktham

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Adhidhi Sooktham is in celebration of Adhdhi Devi , who is none other than

MahA Lakshmi . One version of the Adhidhi Sooktham is housed in AruNam

Prachnam 1-13.4 . The other versions are at TaitthirIya Upanishad , the First KaaNDam

of Samhithai . They all salute MahA Lakshmi or Her VibhUthi , BhUmi Devi .

Vaag Sooktham is about VaaNi , who is the dharma Pathnee of Lord HayagrIvan

in SrI HayagrIvAvathAram .

 

Sriamthy Subha Venkatesan of Thiruvenkatam list sent us recently

the Tamil translations from an out of print Text of Adhithi , SraddhA ,

Vaag Sookthams as well as commentary in Tamil on the individual

names of Sri Lakshmi AshtOttharam . adiyEn will draw from them to

comment on Swamy Desikan's SrI Sthuthi .

 

"Adhithi-dhyour-anthariksham , Adhidhir-MaathA sa PithA sa Puthra: ,

VisvEdEvAAdhithi: panchajanA: , Adhithir-jAthamadhithirjanithvam "

 

The above is the Text of Adhithi Sooktham about MahA Lakshmi .

 

(Meaning): Adhithi is Svarga lokam as well as anthariksha lOkam

( that between heaven and Earth ). She is SarvAthmikai ( present in

all forms ) as Mother , Father and Son .The Five kinds of people or

Jnan~Endhriyams are manifestations ( VibhUthis) of Her . Nanjeeyar

identifies the Pancha Janams as the five Jn~Endhriyams and SaayanA

relates the Pancha JanAs to the five kinds of Jaathis : Brahmin ,

Kshathriya , Vaisya , Soodhra and NishAdha Jaathi people . She is

of the form of all that has been created and those to be created yet.

 

2. NaacchiyAr SambhAvanA Manthram

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gruNAhi

 

gruthavathee SavitharAdhipatyai: payasvathee ranthirASA nO asthu

dhruvA diSAm VishNupathnyagOrAasthyESAnA sahasO yaa manOthA

 

BruhaspathirmAthariSvOtha Vaayu: sandhuvAnA vAthA abhi nO gruNanthu

vishDambhO dhivO dharuNa: pruTivyA asyEsAnA JagathO VishNupathnee

 

( Meaning ) : Oh JyOthi who is fundamental to all chEtanAchEtanams !

May Your grace bless us to be abundant with Milk, ghee etc in whichever

direction we look ; May those Iswaryams grow and grant us the capability

to nourish and protect our Bandhus and Friends ! Periya PirAtti , who blesses us

with freedom from fear is the One who also grants the power of forbearance

through Her graceful rememberance of us . May She stay firmly rooted everywhere !

May the AchAryan for the DevAs and Mukhya PrANan along with the other

PrANans be empowered by that grace to create auspicousness for us !

That Mahaa Lakshmi is aadharam (base) for both heaven and Earth .She is

the SahadharmiNi for the all pervasive VishNu . She has the rights to command

the entire Universe .

 

3. Vaag Sooktham

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This is housed in 2nd ashtakam , 8th PraSnam , 8th anuvAkam .

 

ananthA manthAdhapi nirmathAm maheem

YasyAm dEvA adhadhurbhOjanAni

yEkaksharam dhvishadhou shadpadhAm cha

Vaacham dEvA upajeevanthy visvE

Vaacham GandharvA: paSavO manushyA:VaacheemA visvA bhuvanAnyarpithA

Saa nO havam jushathAm-indhrapathni

Vaagaksharam praTamAruthasya

vEdhAnAm mAthAmruthasya nAbhi:

Saa nO jushANopayaj~namAgaath

avantheedEvee suhavA mE asthu

yaamrushayO mantrakruthO maneeshiNa:

anvaicchan dEvathAstapasA SramENa

Thaamm dEveem Vaachagum havishA yajAmahE

Saa nO dhadhAthu sukruthasya lOkE

 

Nanjeeyar's comments on the specific Manthra BhAgams

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In his SrI Sooktha BhAshyam , Nanjeeyar comments on the key

words of the Vaag Sooktham to reveal the identity of Vaag Devi as

MahA Lakshmi ( wife of Lord HayagrIvan in that avathAram of Her Lord ).

 

Najeeyar intreprets "ananthAm " to mean that SrI Devi is not limited by

Desam , Kaalam and Vasthu . He intreprets " VaachAm dEvA: " as

the One Iswari Tatthvam to be worshipped by all chEtanams including

the DevAs . The word " YaamrushyA: " in this manthram also refers to

Her being the fit object of worship by all ." Vaachee mE VisvA: " is

understood as the basis for all the Universe . " Amruthasya Naabhi:"

according to Nanjeeyar means that She is Sarva Rakshakai . By the salutation ,

"Indhra Pathnee" , She is recognized as the Supremely rich VishNu Pathni .

 

Meaning of the Vaag Sooktham according to SaayanaachArya :

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The dEvAs thrive through the Vaak " Indhraaya SvAhA ". They earn

their food ( bhOjanam) through food offered in the homam invoking

the mantram : "IndhrAya SvAhaa". The reason(factor) behind their food is

Vaak . Therefore , the havis offering consecrated with this manthram

becomes the life-sustaining cause for the dEvAs . There is no kaala-

dEsa-Vasthu limitations to that Vaak (Vaag Devi). The utterer is

Deva Guru Brahaspathy ; the listener is Indhran , the king of DevAs.

Thousand deva ayanam is the time for reciting Vedams and yet dEvAs

do not reach the end of the time for adhyayanam ( Vedic recitation ) .

It is bigger than ParamEswaran .That Vaak is of PraNava Svaroopam .

It is of two kinds : samskrutham and apasabdham and is united with

six languages : PrAkrutham , PaisAsam et al . Therefore , it is very big.

As mentioned before , all the dEvAs sustain themselves with the Vaak

invoked at the time of AahUthi. GandharvAs also sustain themselves

with that Vaak. The animals also sustain themselves with that HambhArava

roopa Vaak. Therefore all chEtanams carry on with ther sustenance

and existence through the grace and power of that Vaak (Vaag Devi) .

 

May that Vaag Devi, the protectress of IndhrA accept our Havis !

Vaak is the imperishable Brahmam . She is the Mother of Vedams .

She is the cause for attaining the status of DevAs . May She arrive at

our Yaj~nam with affection ! May She become my protectress and

respond to my call to arrive here and protect me ! May She be of

easy of approach and rspond readily to my call ! The intelligent sages like

VasishtA and other rishis (Mantra sampradhAya PravartakAs )

use with effort the power of their fierce penance to attain Her .

We offer our worship to that Sri DEvi of such eminence . May She bless

us and place us in the lOkam , which is filled with PuNyams .

 

We will study SraddhA Sooktham ( 2 Versions ) next and then plunge in to

the anubhavam of Swamy Desikan's SrI Sthuthi next .

 

SrImath Azhagiya Singar Thiruvadi ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan (SaThakOpan) .