The Peerless Pedestrian

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

The Peerless Pedestrian

 

 

To the newborn infant, which would you say is the most attractive part of the

mother's anatomy? The baby is unable to focus yet on the mother's face, which is

wreathed in smiles, nor is it able to look her in the eye and encounter the

brimming love and affection it reflects. Nor even is the little one aware of her

warm hands holding it with all gentleness. The one and only part of the mother

the baby is instinctively and immediately aware of is her breast, which serves

as its sole source of sustenance.

 

 

 

Now, putting ourselves in the position of the babe (which, in any case, people

like me are, in terms of wisdom and maturity) and picturising the Lord as the

mother (which also shouldn't be difficult, considering His being the progenitor

of all beings), which would we find to be the most important part of His

tirumEni, in terms of affording us the greatest bliss, security, sustenance and

succour? Whole volumes might have been written on the beauty of the Lord's

captivating eyes, His blooming countenance, His broad and beautiful chest

housing Sri Mahalakshmi, His long and sinewy hands holding weapons which serve

at once as destroyers and adornments, and so on. However, to suffering mortals

like us steeped in sin and blundering eternally in the mundane maze, which would

be the part of the Lord's torso that is most useful to us, that affords us the

most relief and bliss and ultimately serves as a beautiful boat ferrying us

across the treacherous waters of Samsara?

 

 

 

Much more than any other part of His glorious tirumEni, the Lord's holy feet

("Tiruvadi") are the ones that find repeated mention in the Shruti, which is,

for us, the ultimate authority on any matter under the Sun. The SamhitAs and

BrAhmaNAs are replete with adulatory references to these Tiruvadis. Here are a

few, for a sample-

 

 

 

"VishNO: padE paremE madhva utsa:"

 

 

 

The incredibly sweet and glorious feet of the Lord secrete nectar, says the

Shruti, which Sri Nammazhwar translates thus-"un tEnE malarum tiruvadi tAmarai".

When we consider that these tiruvadi are likened to freshly bloomed lotuses

("PAda pankajam", TAmarai adikkaL", "Pankaya TAL", etc.), there is nothing

strange or unnatural about their secreting nectar. While ordinary Nectar

obtained from the depths of the Milky Ocean is supposed to confer immortality on

the consumer, the nectar emanating from the Lord's feet afford eternal bliss and

emancipation, which are a billion times more desirable than mere immortality.

Sri Alavandar too confirms that the Lord's tiruvadi is the source of this

incredible secretion-"Tava amruta syandini pAda pankajE".

 

 

 

Talking of secretions, it is worth remembering that the Lord's feet were also

the source of the holiest of all rivers, the Ganga. Legend has it that when the

Lord's feet, in their conquering spree during the TrivikramAvatAra, visited

SatyalOka, BrahmA performed tirumanjam to it with water from his "kamandalu",

which then became a veritable torrent, later brought to the mundane worlds

through the marathon efforts of the IkshvAku Emperor BhagIratha. "VishNu pAdAbja

sambhootE, GangE! Tripada gAminI" is a tribute to this sacred river, indicating

its holy origins.

 

 

 

Why should the Lord's feet be likened to the lotus, when there are any numbers

of other blooms? There are several similarities between the Lord's tiruvadi and

the TAmarai. For one thing, both are a bright and beautiful red. Both are

incredibly soft and supple. Both secrete delectably sweet juices, the former

nectar and the latter, honey. Both bloom at the prompting of external stimuli,

the lotus at the rising sun and the Lord's feet at the proximity of devotees.

Just as a bee, which has tasted the pollen from the lotus, would never ever look

again at a thorny shrub, one who has been fortunate to savour the flavour of the

divine tiruvadi would look askance at any other mundane pleasure.

 

("tava amruta syandini pAda pankajE

 

nivEsitAtmA katham anyat icchati

 

stitthEravindE makaranda nirbharE

 

madhuvratO na ikshurakam hi veekshatE"

 

--Sri Alavandar).

 

 

 

It is not only Nectar and the Ganga which owe their origins to the Lord's

feet-even this big, broad world and numerous others like it, along with the

innumerable galaxies and universes, originated from the holy tiruvadi, says the

Purusha Suktam-"PadhbhyAm Bhoomi: disa: shrotrAt". These were again the

incredible feet, which transformed a dust-coated wayside stone into an extremely

beautiful Rishi patnI (AhalyA). (So much so that the boatman Guha had initial

reservations about letting Sri Rama set foot on his boat, lest the ferry be

transformed into a bewitching feminine form.)

 

These again were the holy feet, which gave life to UttarA's foetus, which was

reduced to a handful of ashes and were thus responsible for the very life and

breath of ParIkshit Maharaja. And these are the tiruvadis which SreedEvi and

Bhoomi Piratti massage gently with their soft hands, says Swami Desikan-

 

 

 

"PAshANa nirmita tapOdhana dharma dAram

 

bhasmani upAhita narEndra kumAra bhAvam

 

samvAhitam TridasanAtha! RamA MaheebhyAm

 

sAmAnya daivatam usanti padam tvadeeyam"

 

 

 

The most-talked about exploit of the Lord's tiruvadi is, of course, the

measuring of the worlds above and below, during the Trivikramavataram. The tiny,

delicate feet of the VAmana Brahmachari grew into colossal ones capable of

spanning the entire universe with one giant step. And in the process of

measuring the world, these sacred tiruvadis, which only the Divine Consorts have

any hope of seeing or touching, placed themselves on the heads of all beings,

right from the most exalted of Emperors to the humblest of menials, with

absolutely no distinction as to caste, creed, colour, economic or social status.

Even non-sentient objects were favoured by this purifying contact with the holy

feet, which they could not dream of in innumerable births. Sri Alavandar, who

was not around when the Trivikramavataram took place, longs for a momentary

touch of the Lord's triuvadi on his head-"Trivikrama ! tvat charaNAmbuja dvayam

madeeya moordhAnam (kadA) alankarishyati!". And it is this exploit that the

Shruti chronicles time and again, making this the most talked-about avatara-

 

 

 

"TreeNi padA vichakramE VishNu: gOpA adAbhya:"

 

"trEdhA VishNu: urugAyO vichakramE"

 

"VichakramE prithivImEsha EtAm" etc.

 

Thus, it is the Lord's glorious feet and their exploits that afford Him the

distinction of repeated mention by the Shruti.

 

 

 

When we come to think of it, in the process of Asrita RakshaNam (protection of

the sAdhUs) it is the Lord's feet which are put in use the most and are also the

part of the divine torso which strain the most. The event that comes to our mind

immediately is the long walk of Chakravartthi Tirumagan, from Chitrakootam to

Lanka, roaming throughout the jungle trails of DandakAraNyam, strewn with sharp

stones and thorns. Though the Prince of Ayodhya did have sandals on His feet

when He set out for the jungle sojourn, Sri Bharata took them away at

Chitrakootam, with the result that the entire remaining journey was completed by

the Purushottama on bare feet. Just think of it, a Prince of the celebrated

IkshvAku dynasty, used to all the magnificent comforts of the palace, unused to

the hardships of the inhospitable forests, traversing the interminable distance

between Chitrakootam and Lanka on foot, barefoot that too, with the delicate

soles, unused to hard surfaces, being exposed to stones, thorns and whatnot,

besides being forced to walk in hot sun, numbing cold and pouring rain!

 

 

 

Even in Sri Krishnavatara, the Lord walked a lot at the bidding of His devotees,

we are told. When the PandavAs, as a last ditch effort to avoid war with the

KauravAs, needed someone to carry a message of peace and compromise to the

latter, it was Sri Krishna they chose, because none else could represent their

viewpoint with absolute commitment and wisdom. And Sri Krishna accepted this

assignment with all enthusiasm, despite the rather low profile that a messenger

carries, and walked with the message from the Pandava camp to that of the

Kauravas-"Daruman irandadu isaindu chendrana" says Swami Desikan, referring to

the Lord's feet, which engaged themselves in the lowly occupation of a

messenger, at the request of the Pandava.

 

 

 

Are the Lord's feet capable of only such innocuous deeds? Do they play no part

in proactive destruction of evil elements, which pose a threat to the good and

holy? Indeed they do, says Sri Andal, ("pondra sakatam udaittAi pugazh pOttri")

recounting the Lord's childhood exploit of kicking a wheel and breaking it into

pieces-"uru sakatam udaya oru kAluttru uNarndana". This was no ordinary wheel,

but a messenger of death dispatched by Kamsa to eliminate Sri Krishna. Upon

being administered a well-aimed kick from the Lord's lotus feet, the mortally

wounded asura regained his natural form and fell down dead.

 

 

 

And then there is the episode of the kutti Krishna subduing the venomous serpent

KALiya, by dancing on the latter's head-- "adal uraga padam madiya Adi

kadindana". The normally lotus-soft feet of the Lord acquired an unbearable

heaviness and punch, and each step of Krishna's ballet descended on the

serpent's hood like a bolt of lightning, taming the snake in no time at all.

 

 

 

>From all the aforesaid, it is clear that the Lord's feet have indeed undergone

untold strain. Is it because of all this strenuous walking and other exercise

that He adopts a recumbent posture, ask Azhwars-

 

"andru iv ulagam aLanda asavE kol?"

 

 

 

Sri Nammazhwar too poses such a rhetorical question to the Lord,

querying Him as to the reasons for His apparent tiredness-

 

"KodiyAr mAda KOLuragatthum PuLingudiyum

 

MadiAdhu indrE nee tuyil mEvi magizhndadhu tAn

 

adiAr allal tavirttha asavO andrEl ip

 

padithAn neeNdu tAviya asavO, paNiyAyE"

 

"You were after all a young boy during Vamanavatara. Still, your

holy feet had to traverse the entire universe and the heavens too.

Has this been so much of a strain on you that You had to lie down to

rest? Or are You fatigued by attending to frequent calls for succour

from distressed devotees?" enquires Azhwar , seeking the reason for

the Lord's supine posture.

 

 

 

"nadanda kAlgaL nondavO?" inquires Tirumazhisai Piran too.

 

 

 

A more modern poet, expanding on the Azhwar's theme, adduces a

variety of possible reasons for Emperuman's kidandha tirukkOlam.

Could it be due to the strain of covering innumerable miles on foot

during the vanavAsa as Sri Rama? Or is it due to running after the

elusive MArIcha, who, in a bid to isolate Sri Mythily, dragged Sri

Rama quite far from His Ashrama in hot chase? Or is it due

to the constant roaming in the hot sun, tending to cows, in the

boisterous company of gOpa brats? Listing all these, the poet

plaintively asks the Lord-"En paLLi koNdeer IyyA?"

 

 

 

It is to cure the Lord's feet of all the possible ache and pain the aforesaid

activities must have caused, that Sridevi and Bhoodevi massage His feet gently,

with their soft and supple palms. Even their extremely spongy palms leave

Emperuman's indescribably delicate feet red, says the Venkateswara Prapatti-

 

"sa prEma bheeti KamalA kara pallavAnAm

 

samvAhanEpi samatikramam AtatAnou

 

KAntA vAngmanasa gOchara soukumAryou

 

Sri Venkatesa charanou sharanam prapadyE"

 

Swami Desikan confirms this-"Malar MagaL mai varuda malar pOdil sivandana"

 

 

 

Be all this as it may, we are more interested in learning what the Lord's feet

mean to us mortals. We are told that Emperuman's tiruvadis are our ultimate

refuge, a sanctuary par excellence, a safe haven from the jungle of Samsara

filled with terrifying wild animals, an admirable asylum from the pursuing

predator of Karma and a shady shelter from the scorching sun of TApatrayam (the

three kinds of heat that make us dehydrated spiritually). It is a place of

eternal peace, rest, relaxation and recuperation for souls battered by the

constant buffeting of the winds blowing across the mundane morass. It is in the

comforting shadow of these divine feet that we can experience the unique and

unprecedented bliss that only the Lord can afford us.

 

 

 

It is due to all these reasons that we seek refuge in Emperuman's tiruvadi, as

ordained by the magnificent Dvaya Mantram. However, this is an esoteric

formulation, obtained only by the elite few. What about the rest of the

suffering masses who do not have access to this magnificent Mantra? To all those

in the latter class, Emperuman at Tirumala reveals the secret of happiness in

this and other worlds, by pointing His right palm at His holy feet, indicating

to us that it is only through surrender to them that we can rid ourselves of our

mundane coils and attain liberation.

 

 

 

When a thousand slokas could be composed on the sandals adorning the Lord's

feet, how many million verses could be devoted to the actual tiruvadis

themselves! Let me end this piece with just one of them, from Swami Desikan's

NavamaNi Malai, which boasts of a lovely, lilting metre-

 

 

 

"oru madhi anbar uLam kavarndana

 

ulagam adanga vaLandu aLandana

 

oru sadai ondriya Gangai tandana

 

uraga padangaL arangu koNdana

 

 

 

Darumam uyarndadu idu enna nindrana

 

Daruman irandadu isaindu chendrana

 

Sakatam udaindu kalanga vendrana

 

TamargaL arundum marundu idu enbana

 

 

 

TirumagaL seyya karangaL ondrina

 

Tigazh tuLavu undu maNam kamazhndana

 

Chezhu maNi konda silambu ilangina

 

Selai tanil andru oru aNangu umizhndana

 

 

 

Varu marai andam amarnda paNbina

 

Ayan mudi tannil amarndu uyarndana

 

AruL tara eNNi ayindai vandana

 

Adiyavar meyyar malar padangaLE"

 

 

 

Srimate Sri lakshmINrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

dasan, sadagopan