Commentaries on Desika's hymn - Book Review from The Hindu- Hayagreeva sthothram

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Commentaries on Desika's hymn

 

V.K.S.N. Raghavan

 

Vedanta Desika's hymn on Hayagriva with exhaustive

commentaries in Sanskrit and Manipravala with

explanation in English

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SRI HAYAGRIVA-STOTRAM — Edited with two Sanskrit and

Manipravala (Sanskrit-Tamil) commentaries, along with

detailed Tamil gloss and English explanation by V. N.

Vedanta Desikan: Pub. by Srimad Andavan

Poundarikapuram Swami Ashramam, 43-A/13, Ashramam

Salai, Srirangam-620006. Rs. 50.

 

In continuation of the six Stotra (devotional hymns)

publications of Sri Desika Stotra Vyakhyana Mala

(Bhagavad dhyana sopanam, Gopala vimsati, Dasavatara

stotram, Abhiti stavam, Goda stuti, and Sri Stuti) V.

N. Vedanta Desikan has brought out Vedanta Desika's

Hayagriva stotra with two commentaries each in

Sanskrit and in Manipravala.

 

This edition is very much valuable as the English

explanation and the other commentaries are exhaustive

and in many places revelatory of the significant role

of Lord Narayana's incarnation as Lakshmi Hayavadana.

 

Nammazhvar in one of his verses of Tiruvoimozhi says,

"Lord Hayagriva forms both the content and purport of

all speech forms found throughout the world."

 

Commentary

 

 

While explaining verse 13, Velamoor Srinivasacharya

quotes the Bhagavad Gita (Ch.9 v.22) in his Sanskrit

commentary, for Desika says, "Great learned people

meditate on Your (Hayagriva's) glorious divine form in

their heart (to gain the ultimate goal of

liberation)."

 

Commenting on the first verse `Jnananandamayam',

Vasudevacharya says, `Ananda' may be `Jada' or inert

bliss, whereas Hayagriva's divine image is an

embodiment of self-luminous bliss.

 

On the 7th verse, the editor exhorts the devotees of

Lord Vishnu not to get overwhelmed by the other

deities; "You can seek good benefits from the Divine

couple; the hundreds of works of savants like Vedanta

Desika's are not to go as a cry in the wilderness."

 

Explaining the supremacy of Hayagriva, the translator

adds, `Vishnu maya' would baffle even the gods,

"Imagine the fantasy He created at the time of the

distribution of nectar."

 

Explaining verse 23, the editor comments, "How lovely

is the right hand of Lord Hayavadana! How potent it is

to awaken our vision, our realisation of supreme

knowledge! I deeply deliberate on this charming hand,

without any interruption and thereby, derive the

benefit of this meditation."

 

The inclusion of many attractive colour photographs of

Lord Hayagriva and Vedanta Desika add to the grandeur

of this splendid volume.

 

A welcome addition to Sanskrit and Srivaishnava stotra

literature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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