Yathiraja Vimsathi - Sloka 2

[Guest guest]

Swami Sri Manaval Mamunikal’s

YATHIRAJA VIMSATI

 

Author: Sri S.Satyamurthi Iyengar

Yatiraja vimsati

 

 

 

Sloka 2

 

shrIra~NgarAjacaraNAmbujarAjahaMsaM *

shrImatparAN~NkushapadAmbujabhR^i~NgarAjam |

shrIbhaTTanAthaparakAlamukhAbjamitraM *

shrIvatsacihnacaraNaM yatirAjamIDe || (2)

 

 

I adore YATIRAJA, the refuge of Koorathazhvan,

The steadfast Bee on Nammazhvar’s lovely lotus feet,

The majestic Swan reposing in Lord Ranganatha’s lotus feet,

The glorious Sun that blossoms forth lotuses like Periazhvar and Thirumangai

Azhvar.

 

Notes:

In the preceding sloka, the poet wished to make his head worth its while by

bowing unto Ramanuja and now the tongue is sought to fulfill its due purpose by

singing the praise of that king of ascetics (Yatiraja). Note the words in bold,

i.e., Bee, Swan and Sun. Ramanuja has been referred to in this manner in

keeping with the usage in the Divyaprabandham where the Azhvars, unable to stand

their separation from their most beloved Lord, employ bees, swans etc, as their

emissaries to carry messages to the Lord, which, in essence, would denote only

the great Acharayas interceding between the frail humans, at this feeble end and

the Super-abundant Benefactor at the other end. It is particularly appropriate

to refer Ramanuja as:

 

1. Swan-abiding for ever at the lotus feet of Lord Ranganatha even as the

Rajahamsa dwells in the lotus flower; Even as the swan is endowed with the

peculiar faculty of separating milk from water, Ramanuja could highlight the

salient features of the Sastras(Scriptures), eschewing the bewildering maze of

relatively non-essential aspects; Even as the Lord appeared as a swan to

disseminate the Vedas, Ramanuja propagated the Sastras among the vast multitude

of his disciples; Even as the Swan is terribly averse to staying on marshy land,

Ramanuja would not allow himself to be bogged down by the slushy terrain of

worldly life (c.f. stanza 100 of Thiruviruttam) and, therefore, became a

‘Paramahamsa’; Even as the swan is said to imitate the elegant gait of the

women folk, c.f. Peria Thirumozhi 6-5-5, Ramanuja emulated the Devine Mother,

Sri Maha Lakshmi, the unfailing intercessor between the ‘Jiva’ and God, pleading

effectively with the former and enticing the latter into admission of the former

unto the latter’s protective fold, c.f. Vedanta Desika’s “Ukthe Rangee

nijamapipadam desika desakamkshee”, denoting Ramanuja’s part in securing

salvation for all his votaries, from Lord Ranganatha. Similar comparisons

between swan and Ramanuja could be multiplied.

 

2. Bee- drawn to the honey-like sweet qualities of Saint Nammazhvar even as

the bee hankers after the honey in the lotus flower; like unto the perennial

humming of the bees, Ramanuja was always reciting the mellifluous hymns of

Thiruvoimozhi.

 

3. Sun- blossoming forth the lotus flower- here, two Azhvars have been

mentioned, in particular, namely Periazhvar and Thirumangai Azhvar, as the lotus

flowers being lit up by Ramanuja, the Sun. The former Azhvar established the

supremacy of Lord Vishnu over all the other Deities and also indulged in

disinterested love of God for God’s sake, praying for His well-being instead of

his own, while the latter Azhvar built the gigantic temple at Srirangam with its

colossal towers and turrets, spacious mantaps, etc. By following in their

footsteps and perpetuating those very activities, Ramanuja pleased them so much

that their flowery faces brightened up like the lotus blooming at the sight of

the morning Sun. Such a response to ‘Ramanuja divakara’ could well be the case

with all the other Azhvars and the selective mention of the two Azhvars could be

taken as their standing for the entire galaxy of Azhvars, the fountain-source of

inspiration for Ramanuja.

 

 

 

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Retyped from the book by Sri Kesavan Srinivasan of Chicago

(The Grandson of Sri U.Ve. Satyamurthi Iyyengar.)

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