dhATee-panchakam.

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dhATee-panchakam attributed to Sri koorat-t-AzhvAn.

 

[[A sa-hR*daya (friend) in Srirangam suggested that I follow up my short

note on the 'panchakam' with the full text and paraphrase in English.

 

[[ I have taken the liberty of introducing pada-vicchEdam (separation of

constituent words of a phrase or 'samAsam') for easier readability in

transliteration.

 

[[ I have entirely relied on the surpassing Tamil commentary of kAnchi

Prativadi-bhayankaram Annangaracharya svami, though I confess to my own

inability fully to translate into English his rich and excellent

annotations in Tamil.]]

 

INTRODUCTORY.

 

The 'pUrvAchArya-stOtra-mAla' printed (1949) by Prativadi-bhayankaram

Annangaracharya Svami carries a one-line credit of 'dhATee-panchakam' to

 

Sri kUrattAzhvAn [and, reportedly, others]

~~ Srivatsachihna-miSrAdibhi: anugr.heetam iti prathitam.

 

In his subsequent comprehensive commentary, Anna Svami makes the

following opening observations:--

 

"Some hold this five-verse tribute as composed by kUrattAzhvAn; there

are otbers who consider that this was strung together with a verse

authored each by AzhvAn, ANDAn, embAr etc. Be that as it may, this

'stOtram' is dulcet to the ears and has long been included in the

protocol of daily recitation ('nityAnusandhAnam'). The name

"dhAtee-panchakam" is quite appropriate to this five-verse tribute to

the

verity [of the theology and philosophy] of emperumAnAr."

(Added: 'dhATee' meaning victory.)

 

On a personal note it occurs to me that, going by the unity of its

diction, this could just be a single-author composition. It shares

the unique characteristics of AzhvAn's "pancha-stavam", namely, the

vedic

flavour, strident phrasing, specific allusions, and the emotional

richness of references to the noble AchArya.

 

The succinct delineation of Ramanuja's exposition of the

'vEdAnta-sUtram' as contained in the 'panchakam' could have come only

from someone like AzhvAn who had intimate seminars with the AchArya

even as he spoke out his unrivalled SribhAshyam to his privileged

amanuensis. [EngaL AzhvAn ~~ vishNuchitta, the AchArya of naDatUr ammAL

~~ too had a like privilege subsequently when he was commissioned by

Emperumanar to assist him in writing out the concluding part of

SribhAshyam, after Emperumanar returned to Srirangam from Tirunarayana

Puram, and found that AzhvAn had gotten blinded by the rabid Saiva

chOzha. Anyway, Engal AzhvAn's assitantship in SribhAshyam

composition was of shorter duration than that of AzhvAn.]

 

It is important to remember that our AchArya personages did not give

room to wasting emotions when their protocol and place of worship

suffered disturbance and, instead, concentrated on alternative positive

 

programmes. Thus, during his 'exile' to Tirunarayanapuram, Ramanuja got

the 'pancha nArAyaNa pratishThA' executed by mudali-ANDAn, with the

support of the hoySaLa ruler vishNu-vardhana. Parasara-bhattar gave us

the enchanting Sriranganatha stotram [beginning,

"sapta-prAkAra-madhyE..."] while he had to leave Srirangam for

tirumAl-irum-SOlai. Vedantacharya devised his protective incantation

'abheeti-stavam' when he had to seek shelter in Satyamangalam during the

 

savagery of Malik Kafur's brutes in Srirangam during 1310-1320 (?).

 

During his long years in Tirunarayanapuram, it was a routine with

Ramanuja incessantly to recite his incantation,

 

"Sriman ! Sriranga-Sriyam, anupadravAm, anu-dinam samvardhaya!"

 

as the standard invocation for the well-being and security of the holy

city of Srirangam [and, by implication of the expression

'Sriranga-Sri',

all the other divya-dESam and the surpassing values associated with

them];

AzhvAn, for his part, had possibly composed the 'pancha-stavam'

after he was disabled from the SribhAshyam assistantship, and as he kept

 

emitting his 'Arti' (distress and deprivation in being separated from

Ramanuja) in the direction of Tirunarayanapuram where his AchArya had

reached. This is my own surmise on a re-reading of the famous 'taniyan'

~~ "yO nityam achyuta-padAmbuja-yugma-rukma-vyA-mOhata:" ~~

which happens to be the opening verse of AzhvAn's

'Sri-vaikuNTha-stavam'. It is possible that the phrase

"jainEma-kanTheerava:" (in the 'dhATee-panchakam') is a specific

reference to Ramanuja's prevailing over the horde of Jaina debaters

in Tondanur.

 

It is thus plausible that the 'dhATee-panchakam' could well have been

the tribute paid by AzhvAn to his AchArya, composed during his

separation from him, and being excited by reports of Ramanuja's

philosophical 'conquests' in the 'foreign' territory of Hoysala.

 

===============================

"dhATee-panchakam" tribute to Sri Ramanuja.

===============================

 

SlOkam (1) is an adoration of Sri Ramanuja as the very standard of

victory of Lord Sriranga.

(2) - (3) detail the values symbolised by his triple staff [

'tri-daNDam' / 'mukkOl ' ].

(4) speaks of his sanctified thread ( ' brahma-sUtram ' ).

(5) is the concluding tribute ~~ the ' SAttu-muRai '.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

pAshaNDa-druma-shaNDa dAru-dahanaS chArvAka-SailASani:

bAuddha-dhvAnta nirAsa-vAsarapati: jAinEbha-kaNThee-rava:

mAyAvAdi-bhujanGa-bhanGa-garuDaS trai-vidya-chUDAmaNi:

Sri-ranGESa-vijaya-dhvajO vijayatE rAmAnujO/yam muni: (1).

 

Saint Ramanuja is (like unto) the bush-fire that lays desolate the

clumps of wild growth, like the cynics and heretics (pAshaNDa). [[

Such orgistic or life-denying cults are enumerated with very appropriate

and colourful epithets in verse 99 of rAmAnuja-nURRantAdi. ]] ;

 

he is the thunder-bolt ('aSani:') that pulverises ungainly eruptions of

human thought, as of the 'chAru-vAka' who spins out an elaborate sophist

'logic' on the single premise ('pratyaksham-Ekam chArvAka:), Truth is

just what you can see;

 

the sun that banishes the envelope of darkness ('dhvAntam')

characterised by 'buddhist' agnosticism; the roaring lion that

slaughters the wild tuskers of 'jaina' atheism; the brahminy kite

('garuDa') that swipes off the reptilian nihilism ('mAyA-vAdin').

 

He, this Ramanuja, is the crest-jewel of those who cultivate the lore of

the (triple) vEda. Glory unto him that is the winning ensign of Lord

Sriranga !

 

[in his yatirAja-saptati, Vedantacharya comes down equally heavily on

the mushroom of so-called religions which distract mankind ~~

"tathAgata-kathA-Satai: tadAnusAri-jalpai: api, pratAritam idam

jagat...", meaning, the world is led astray by the several books of

tathAgata, buddha gautama, and by the prattles that arise therefrom!]

 

pAshaNDa-shaNDa giri-khaNDana vajra-daNDA:

pracchanna-bAuddha makarAlaya-mantha-daNDA:

vEdAnta-sAra sukha-darSana deepa-daNDA:

rAmAnujasya vilasanti munE: tri-daNDA: (2).

 

He charges the hosts of craggy hills of heresy as with Indra's

thunderbolt. He stirs and scoops out the very sea-bed of the negative

crypto-buddhist ('pracchanna-bAuddha') logic. His triple-staff

('tri-daNDam') is held very like a light to discern the essence

('sAram') and culmination of the vEda ('vEdAntam').

 

chAritrOd-dhAra daNDam chatura-naya-pathA/lankriyA kEtu-daNDam

sad-vidyA deepa-daNDam sakala-kali-kathA-samhR*tE: kAla-daNDam

tray-yantA/lamba-daNDam tri-bhuvana-vijaya chhatra-sauvarNa-daNDam

dhattE rAmAnujArya: prati-kathaka-SirO-vajra-daNDam tri-daNDam (3).

 

The great preceptor Sri Ramanuja wields his staff as seems to touch the

disciples with character and observances. It is the direction post

towards logical integrity, the lamp-pole that lights up the esoterics

(embedded) in the vEda, the weapon that exterminates the entirety of

dark falsehoods ('sakala-kali-kathA'). And the smart cane of the

vEdAnta-spirit that subdues wily misinterpreters; the golden handle of

the victory-canopy in all the three worlds. And the stick that firmly

comes down over the heads of futile debators.

 

[Vedantacharya in yatirAja-saptati refers to the disciplining cane, '

vEtra-sAras-tri-daNDa: ' ]

 

trayyA( mAnGalya-sUtram tri-yuga-pada-yugA/rOhaNa/lamba-sUtram

sad-vidyA deepa-sUtram sakala-kali-kathA samhR*tE: kAla-sUtram

prajnA-sUtram budhAnAm praSama-dhana-mana: padminee-nAla-sUtram

rakshA-sUtram muneenAm jayati yati-patE: vakshasi brahma-sUtram (4).

 

He wears his yajnOpaveetam thread ('sUtram') like it is the sacred chain

of wedlock-pendant of the Lord's spouse, the vEda. The thread is the

rope-ladder that one climbs to reach the feet of bhagavAn**, also the

wick lighting the lamp of right learning (that is, the esoterics of

vEda). It is the noose flung to capture the horde of dark

falsehoods. The sacred thread of Sri Ramanuja, the chief of ascetics,

constitutes the talisman of knowing. It rises like the stem of lotus

in the pellucid streamlet of thoughts of the noble personages revered

for their qualities of self-restraint. His sUtram webs around such

noble ones protectively. This is how the brahma-sUtram glistens on

his chest.

 

[** 'tri-yuga-pada-yuga' ~~ the feet of bhagavAn. 'tri-yuga' for twice

three, meaning six. This is one of the names of the Lord. The name

triyuga-nArAyaN would be familiar to those who have visited

badarikASramam on pilgrimage. The name 'triyuga' signifies the six

unique characteristics collectively known as 'bhaga', hence of

'bhagavAn'. The six qualities are Universal Lordship, heroism, fame,

glory, wisdom, detachment. "AiSvaryasya samagrasya veeryasya yaSsa:

Sriya: , jnAna-vairAgyayOS- chaiva shaNNAm bhaga iteeranA".

vishNu-purANam 6-5-74.]

 

pAshaNDa-sAgara mahA-baDabA-mukhAGni:

SriranGa-rAja charaNAmbuja-mUla-dAsa:

Sri-vishNu-lOka maNi-maNDapa mArga-dAyee

rAmAnujO vijayatE yati-rAja-rAja: (5).

 

He, the chief of the leaders of ascetics, shall be the submarine volcano

(the horse-faced 'baDabA' fire) in the ocean that dries up and calms the

tossing waters of heresy. Yea, he, Ramanuja is the devotee of the

lotus feet of Lord Sriranga-rAja. He leads you over the path to the

crystal chamber in the heavens of Sri Vishnu. Glory unto Ramanuja !

 

[The epithet <SriranGa-rAja charaNAmbuja-mUla-dAsa: > is almost quoted

by Vedantacharya in the yatirAja-saptati

<rangESa-bhakta-jana-mAnasa-rAjahamsO>, and by Manavala-ma-muni in the

yatirAja-vimSati <Sri-ranGa-rAja charaNAmbuja-rAja-hamsam> ~~ the royal

swan that reposes in the lotus feet of Lord Sriranga-rAja'.]

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja-dAsan,

Sundara Rajan

at Srirangam.