A question on Padhuka Sahasram

[Guest guest]

Dear bhAgavAthas:

 

Let us enjoy what Swami Desikan has to describe about Sri Ranganatha

pAdukA. I have found the following from the web, posted in one of our

siste website or message groups. At the end I have a question.

 

388. shruthiBhi: paramam padham* murArE:

anidhankAramanEvamithyupAttham

idhamitThamithi bravIShi nUnam

maNipadhAvani! manjuBhi: praNAdhaI:

 

In the matter of the nature and greatness of the Lord* (the Lord's

abode, the Lord's Feet), which is not comprehensible even to the

Vedas so that they only say "it is not this" and "it is not like

this", You Oh Manipaaduka!, pronounce, in sweet tones, clearly, "it

is this" and "it is like this".

 

*'Padam' can mean all the three given.

 

Namo Narayana,

 

SriMuralidhara Dasan

 

Special Notes by V. Satakopan (V.S.)

 

(1) Sri UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam: Oh Mani PaadhukE! VedAs are

unable to describe the divine qualities of the lotus feet of Your

Lord. The glories of the Lord's feet are so profound and beyond

description that the VedAs fail in their attempts to characterize

them as this or that . Where the VedAs have failed , it appears

that

You are able to define the auspicious qualities of the Lord's lotus

feet through the sweet sounds emanating from You.

 

(2) Srimath Andavan's anubhavam: The Svaroopam of perumAL and the

Svaroopam of His Supreme abode , Sri Vaikuntam are beyond the ken of

Vedams. They give up their attempts to describe them. AzhwAr's

ThiruvAimozhi however describes them clearly for our comprehension.

The sweet Naadham enmanating from You is that ThiruvAimozhi

explaining the two Svaroopams.

 

(3) "murAre"s Paramam Padham Sruthibhi: anidhamkAram" (It is beyond

the power of the VedAs to describe the Svaroopam of the Lord's Sri

Vaikuntam). When they have failed , Oh PaadhukE , Your sweet Naadham

precisely describe the nature of Your Lord's Parama Padham and His

Svaroopam ( thvam manjubhi: PraNAdhai: idham ittham ithi

braveeshi ).

Such is the power of Your PaadhukA naadham....V.S.

 

 

The question is this: What does Swamy Desikan mean when he says the

Padhu dwani describes all his auspicous qualities? Is there an

earlier reference in the purAnAs he is pointing to? Adiyen follows

the emotive power with which Swami describes the pAdhukA. However

I am looking for the other literary references Swami is alluding

here.

 

 

Thanks.

dAsan,

RTV Varadarajan