The Staff

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

The Staff

 

 

 

When we are queried as to what items the Lord holds in His hand, we

might immediately list out the Discus, the Conch and the Mace, for He is the

"Shankha Chakra GadA pANi". We might also remember the SArngam or bow as an

afterthought. Most of us would however omit an important item, which adorns the

Lord's right hand- the Regal Staff or SengOl. The Staff, which is usually held

by all Kings of note, is an indicator of their power and control. When ordinary

Kings, whose writ extends over limited land masses, hold a staff, shouldn't the

Lord, who is the Emperor of all Emperors ("RAjAdhi RAja:sarvEshAm")? He does,

says Sri AndAl- "SenkOludaya Tiruvaranga SelvanAr". The RangarAjA is the Lord of

this entire Universe and others, and as such holds a regal staff stylishly in

His hand, as an indicator of His Paratvam. It is not only at Srirangam that we

see this-at Thiruneermalai too, to mention but one, the Lord sports the SenkOl.

 

 

 

When Emperuman came down to the world as the kapata VAmana, He was loathe

to let go of this SenkOl, and transformed it into the palAsa dandam that all

brahmachAris are supposed to hold at all times. With the staff and water jug

(kamandalu) in one hand and an umbrella in the other, the diminutive Emperuman

made such a bewitching sight that everyone, from exalted dEvatAs to hard-hearted

asurAs, wanted to take Him into their arms and shower endearments on Him.

 

 

 

It is not only Emperuman who holds a SengOl-His Prime Minister and

Cmmander-in-Chief, Sri Vishvaksena too holds a staff in his hand. Like the

Conductor of an orchestra, Sri SenApati Azhwan too conducts the affairs of the

Cosmos with mere waves of his staff, says Swami Desikan-"yat vEtra shikhara

spandE visvam Etat vyavastthitam".

 

 

 

We are fond of saying that Acharyas are superior to Emperuman. Perhaps as

a token of this conviction, our Sampradaya endows all its YatIsvarAs with not

one, but three staffs, tied together and called the Tridandam. This is an

important feature that distinguishes Sri Vaishnava YativarAs from sanyAsIs of

other persuasions-others sport an Eka (single) dandam. To whatever denomination

the Yati might belong, the Tridandam is his inseparable companion, never to be

forsaken in life. This practice has its roots Dharma Shastras and has been

scrupulously adhered to by all YatIsvarAs of our Sampradaya, right from Sri

Alavandar to the venerated present day Acharyas belonging to the fourth

Ashrama, that of renunciation. The TolkAppiam, the earliest Tamil work

available, speaks about "MukkOl bhagavar", obviously referring to Sri Vaishnava

SanyAsIs. The importance of the Tridandam is thus clear from not only sectarian

literature but ancient and secular writings also.

 

 

 

The DhAtee Panchakam, said to have been authored by Sri KoorattAzhwan

or an equally distinguished disciple, describes the greatness of the Tridandam

held by Sri Ramanuja, in the following sloka-

 

 

 

"PAshanda shanda giri khandana vajra dandA:

 

pracchanna bouddha makarAlaya mantha dandA:

 

VEdAnta sAra sukha darsana deepa dandA:

 

RAmAnujasya vilasanti munE: tridandA:"

 

 

 

The Tridandam held by the Bhashyakara is not a mere collection of three

sticks. It is verily the VajrAyudham capable of cutting through bohemians and

nihilists who stand strong and invincible like mountains. It is a drill churning

and drying up the deep waters of advaitic philosophy. It is verily the guiding

light for all those interested in imbibing the true purport of VEdAnta Shastra.

 

 

 

The next sloka too extolls the glory of Sri Ramanuja's Tridandam-

 

 

 

"ChArithrOddhAra dandam, chatura na pathAlankriyA kEtu dandam

 

SadvidyA deepa dandam, sakala kali kathA samhatE: kAla dandam

 

Trayyanta Alamba dandam, tribhuvana vijaya cchatra souvarna dandam

 

DhattE Ramanujarya: prati kathaka shirO vajra dandam tridandam"

 

 

 

The Tridandam held aloft by Sri Ramanuja forms the supporting staff for the

Shruti. The Shruti is likened to a creeper and Sri Ramanuja's tridandam to the

tree around which it twines itself for support. This brings out the yeomen

service of the Bhashyakara in condemning the misinterpretations of Veda vakyas

by various opposing schools of thought and providing it a strong base and

support by furnishing correct and plausible purports, in tune with the Veda

PurushA's tiruvuLlam. The Tridandam is also held aloft as a gesture of victory

over prativAdis the world over, whose heads (signifying their viewpoints) are

severed by the Tridandam with as much ease as the Vajrayudha of Indra.

 

 

 

Swami Desikan says that Sri Vishvaksena himself was born into this world as

YatirAja. And the nitya suri's staff, which is inseparable from him, took

avatara as Sri Ramanuja's Tridanda-"VishvaksEnO Yatipati: abhoot, Vetra sAra

Tridanda:"

 

 

 

While painting an enthralling picture of the Bhashyakara's handsome tirumEni,

 

Swami Desikan pays tribute to the ever-present Tridandam adorning the former's

hand-

 

"upaveetinam oordhva pundravantam trijagat punya phalam tridanda hastam"

 

Here, by an appropriate alignment of the words, we can derive the meaning that

the Tridandam resplendent in Yatiraja's hand is the result of the combined

penance and prayer of the three worlds-"trijagat punya phalam". Another Acharya

says that the Tridandam imparts matchless splendour to the hand of Sri Lakshmana

Muni-"danda traya ujjvala karam". Sri MudaliyAndAn, the poorvAshrama nephew of

Sri Ramanuja was considered so close to and inseparable from his uncle that he

was verily called Yatiraja's Tridandam, just as Sri Koorattazhwan came to be

known as his "pavithram".

 

 

 

Now let's see what exactly the Tridandam signifies, according to Manu, who is

hailed by none other than the glorious Shruti, as a Universal Benefactor-" yat

vai kincha Manu: avadat tat bhEshajam". The twelfth chapter of the Manu Smriti

has a wealth of information on the subject. The three components of the

Tridandam represent respectively the resolution to control speech, mind and the

body.

 

 

 

Speech control implies that the sanyasi eschews all untruth, abuse and insults

to the Lord and His votaries, the Bhagavatas. Self-praise or boasting, blessing

sishyAs by word, telling tales and secular speech incompatible with the exalted

Ashrama, are all included in the above.

 

 

 

Control of the mind enjoins upon the Yativara to focus his thoughts only on the

Lord and His auspicious attributes, sishyAs and their spiritual welfare,

meditation on the Rahasyatrayam (AshtAksharam, Dvayam and CharamaslOkam) along

with its enthralling purport etc. Though the mind is as difficult to control as

the wind ("VAyOriva sudurgraham"), the SanyAsi is supposed to keep his mind off

all unwanted thoughts, by filling his mind with Bhagavat guna anubhavam.

 

 

 

Control of the body refers to adoption of appropriate food habits and observance

of fasting on requisite occasions, engaging the limbs and other parts of the

body in Bhagavat kainkaryam, etc. In short, YativarAs should eschew

inappropriate conduct as outlined by Sri Thirumangai Mannan-"nenjinAl ninaitthum

vAyinAl mozhindum needi allAdana seidum".

 

 

 

Kullooka Bhatta, in commenting upon the aforesaid sloka of Manu, avers that the

aforesaid purports of the Tridandam should be strictly followed by SanyAsis, if

they are to reap the real stature and fruits of renunciation, and mere sporting

of three staffs would not make a person a real Yativara- "na tu danda traya

dhAraNa mAtrENa TridandI iti uchyatE".

 

 

 

Such is the glory of the Tridandam, which is said to be the Yati's closest

friend and constant companion, as is evident from the mantra for picking it

up-"sakhA mE gOpAya". Its significance can be gauged by the fact that it is the

only outward symbol, apart from the ochre robe, which sets the Sanyasi apart

from others.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dasan, sadagopan