Sri KurEsar's VaradarAja Sthavam: Part I

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri VaradarAja perumAL's BhakthAs:

 

Some time ago , adiyEn mentioned about covering

the most moving tribute of Sri KurEsar to

Lord VaradarAja perumAL of Kaanchi . With

prayers to Sri PerumdEvi SamEtha PeraruLALa

PerumAL , adiyEn starts today on this sacred

journey .

 

Lord VaradarAjan is Varam Tharum PerumAL. He gave

as gift RaamAnujA , Swamy Desikan to Lord RanganAthan .

He responded to the prayers of Swamy AlavandhAr

to bless RaamAnujA to become the magnificent

perceptor of Sri VaishNava samprahdAyam .

He received from His ThiruvAlavatta (Fan)

Kaimkaryaparar , Thirukkacchi Nambi , the magnificent

Sri DevarAjAshtakam housing the Kulakam ( a string of

five great connected slOkams).

 

Kaanchi PerumAL gave the MaanasIka eyes to KurEsar after

the atrocities committed by a ChOLA king. More about it

later.He protected RaamAnujA from the evil plans of

Yadhava prakAsA and safely brought RaamAnujA back to

Kanchi from the terrible forest of VindhyA mountains.

He and His divine consort partook the Saalaik KiNaRu

Theertham brought to Them by a grateful RaamAnujA

for their MahOpakAram .

 

He broke His ArchA SamAdhi to speak with Thirukkacchi Nampi

and sent His six point reply through Nampi to RaamAnujA's

questions. Lord Varadhan was witness to the initiation

of RaamAnujA into SanyAsAsramam . He received from

His dear Bhakthan, NadAduR AmmAL, whom He elevated

to the status of His Mother , the MangaLAsAsana SthOthram

eulogizing Him . Glorious indeed are VaradarAjan's

generous gifts to Sri VaishNava sampradhAyam !

 

As a native of ThUppull , the hamlet near His

dhivya dEsam , Lord VaradarAjan received wonderous

tributes from Sri VenkatEsa GhantAvathAran ,

Swamy Desikan , who in turn was inspired by

KurEsar's Sri VaradarAja Sthavam . The many Sri Sookthis of

Swamy Desikan about his Ishta Dhaivam , VaradarAjan are:

(1) Hasthigiri MahAthmyam (2) Sri VaradarAja PanchAsath

(3) Dhivya Desa MangaLAsAsanam (4)NyAsa Dasakam

(5) Aadaikkala Patthu and (6) ThirucchinnamAlai.

 

After Swamy Desikan , Sri MaNavALa Maamuni had

the SamarpaNam of "Sri DeevarAja MangaLam ".

Most recently , Vaikunta Vaasi SevA SwamigaL

had a sacred offering to Lord of Kaanchi known

as VaradhAbhimAna Sahasram . One of the SlOkams

of this sahasram is a moving one eulogizing

the Lord as Prapanna Jana samrakshakan and

as the One , who has the Vaibhavam of keeping

bright the dheepam of Sri Vaishnava Sri :

 

" Prapanna jana samrakshA-DhIkshithAya Nirandharam

Sri VaishNava SriyOtthdhIptha vaibhavAyAsthu MangaLam "

 

The magnificent boon giver's KshEthram is known

as Sathya Vratham ( Mey Viratham) since all the Vrathams

observed in His KshEthram will yield immediately and quickly

the fruits . His KshEthram is also known as Kaanchipuram

( the Waist-belt or OttiyANam for the world) , Hasthigiri

and PerumAL Koil.

 

There are many SthOthrams and SamarpaNams by AchAryAs

over the years . The honor of being the first in the series of

AchArya Sri Sookthis belongs to KurEsar's Sri VaradarAja Sthavam.

 

In the next post , adiyEn will cover the circumstances

behind the origin of this magnificent SthOthram composed

in presence of AchArya RaamAnujA and Lord VaradarAjan

at His sannidhi .Thereafter , adiyEn will proceed with'

the coverage of the 101 SlOkams of this great Sthavam .

adiyEn will be following the commentaries of Sri U.Ve.VidvAn

PaiyaampAdi ChEtlUr Sri VatsAngAcchAr Swamy and add

other quotations from Swamy Desikan's and other AchAryAL's

Sri Sookthis ,wherever appropriate.

 

adiyEn concludes this first posting with the prayer of

Vaikunta Vaasi Sri SevA SwamigaL :

 

KaayEna VaachA manasEndhriyair vaa

BhudhyAthmanA vaa prakruthE's svabhAvAth

KarOmi Yadhyath SAKALM Parasmai

DevAthirAjAya SamarpayAmi

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan

[Guest guest]

Srimathe Ramanujaya namaha

 

Just to add to Sri Sadagopan's excellent preface on Sri Devaperumal,

vyAkhyAna chakravarthi Sri Periyavachhan pillai, attributes the First 10

pAsurams of Thiruvaimozhi and also the first pAsuram of Thiruviruttam to

this perumal only.

 

In the first decad, Sri Nammazhwar starts, "..... ayarvarum amarargaL

adhipathi yevan avan thuyararu sudaradi thozhudhezhu en manane". "amarargaL

adhipathi" means Devathirajan. He is none other than Varadarajan of Kanchi.

Also as Sri Nammazhwar says "thozhudhezu EN manane", the vigraham of Swami

Nammazhwar in Kanchipuram is having the "Gnana mudra" point to his heart.

It is said that when the Vigraham was made, with the "Gnana mudra" in usual

position, the hands turned towards his heart, no matter how many times it

was repeated only to glorify the first pAsuram of ThiruvAimozhi.

 

Similarly in Thiruviruttam Azhwar says, "..... ImayOr thalaivaa..." which

also is attributed towards this perumal only.

 

One more important leela of this perumal is, when Thirumangai Azhwar was

arrested by the then King for using all the funds towards building the

"MadiL" for Srirangam temple, it was none other than Sri Varadaraja Perumal

who came in Thirumangai Azhwar's dreams and asked him to take the necessary

wealth from Vegavathi. Immediately, Thirumangai Azhwar came to this

Satyavratha Kshetram and found the treasure and paid the king his dues and

constructed the remaining part of the "MadiL".

 

Such is the contribution of Sri Devaperumal towards our Srivaishnavam.

 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,

 

Thirumalai Vinjamoor Venkatesh

 

 

 

 

 

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