Sri Gopaladasara devaranama- hyAMge mADalaiyya krishnA

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Hare Srinivasa!srI gOpAla dasa gurubyoh namah!Tomorrow 18/01/2009, is Sri Gopaladasara aaradhana. A little chintane on one of his compositions, but before that a short prayer to this great Dasaru.bharaiyya

bhAgannane ennaya manake

gOpalaviTTalana

bhajakanE

umapati

suta balu tyAga sheelane

shApadi

noMda srInivAsappage

 

Apara

Ayushyavittu salhida dAsaryane

 

 

"O

bhaganna , the worshipper of Gopalavittala, I entreat you to grace

me by letting me contemplate on your worthy deeds. You are the son of

Umapati-Ganesha and you are the embodiment of sacrifice, the most

unselfish. This is proved by your grace on your disciple Srinivasa

whom you gave away half your life within out a thought upon receiving

instruction from your elite guru Sri Vijayadasaru."

 

 

 

Such

is the great sacrifice of Gopaladasaru. Just thoughts of this great

dasaru can purify one.

 

 

In

this composition, Dasaru laments about the passage of time and the

awakening of this fact in one's life ,leads to relooking at the way

one has spent it,so far. The awareness of a shortage of time,coupled

with the longing to seek God's grace, triggers a list of things that

one did not do, but should have done. It also forces into memory all

those things that one did ,but should not have done. It is a

check-list of things that one needs to keep and check against

periodically in order to toe the track laid out by elders and gurus.

 

 

 

hyAMge

mADalaiyya krishna hogutide Ayushya

 

 

maMgalAnga

bhava baMga biDisi ninna

 

DiMgarIgana

mADo anaMgajanakA

 

 

"O

Lord with the pure limbs, please break my knots of samsaara and free

me from bondage and make me Your sevaka , O Lord the father of

Manmatha."

 

 

maMgalAnAm

cha maMgalam - This is how Bheeshma describes the Lord before

he chants the Vishnusahasranama .

 

gAMgAdi

sakala theerthaMgaligadhika sri hariya nAma

hiMgade

nenevarge maMgala padavIva hariya nAma

"

The name of the Lord Hari is purer than the purest theetha on earth

ie Ganga and it can bestow an auspicious position to those who change

it incessantly."

 

 

The

Lord exists in everything and is the efficient cause for the bondage

of the souls, but He is not affected by the impurity that one sees in

the world. He is completely different and unique and is difficult to

comprehend as pure because in the world ,we are affected by anything

we come into contact with, even breifly. So it is difficult for us to

imagine the possibility of purity in the midst of dirt and grime. To

lead one into such thoughts of the Lord, Dasaru starts of with the

address 'maMgalAMga'. He is maMgalAMga because thinking of Him can

purify one's indriyas. Thinking of Him in this way, the indriyas come

under the influence of satwa guna which propels the indiryas into

satvic activities. The more one contemplates on this guna, the more

sadhana can be accomplished because the Lord says in the BG

"satvAtsaMjAyate

jNAna"

14.17. Satwa guna brings worldly and divine knowledge.

"

Urdvam

gachchaMti satvasta"

14.18 . Those settled in Satwa go to the higher worlds.

 

 

esu

janumada sukritada phalabo tAnu janisalAgi

bhusuradehada

janumavu enage saMbhavisideyAgi

modathIrthamata

chiHnitanAgade dOshake olagAgi

lEsha

sAdhanava kANade dussahavAsadiMdale dinadina kalede

 

 

"

O , how many good deeds in countless births has led me to get this

sadhana shareera Instead of making good use of this opportunity to

study and become an ardent follower of Madhva siddanta, I have

accumulated imperfections and defects."

The

human birth is not easy to comeby. The journey of the soul is ardous

and traverses many life forms before it is endowed with the elevated

form called 'human being." This is repeatedly told in "Srimad

bhagavatham" and in many devaranamas too.

 

 

labdhvA

sudurlabhamidam bahusaMbhavAMte mAnushyamarthadamanityamapIha dhIraH

|

tUrNa

yatet

na patedanumrityu yAvanniH shreyasAya vishayaH khalu sarvataH syAt ||

11/9/29

 

"Embodied

in human form hard to obtain after foregoing many lives, the

enlightened one should in all haste endeavour for emanicipation

before one's time on earth is over. The emphemeral earthly delights

can be had in every life."

 

 

Sri

Purandara Dasaru says

"

narajanma

baMdAga nAlige iruvAga krishnA ena bArade"

"When

you have got a human form with the tongue to chant, can you not say

'Krishna'?"

In

one devaranama glorifying Vayudevaru and asking him to protect one

from untimely death, and the reason for asking for a long life is

"sAdhana

shareera vidu nI dayadhi koTTaddu

sAdharaNavalla

sAdupriyane"

"This

is a body with which sadhana has to be done and one should be

grateful to the Lord and Mukya prAna for making one do the sadhana

and has to treat one's body with respect and protect it from danger

as it is not something which is ordinary, but is the instrument for

obtaining moksha."

 

 

shashimukhi

kanakada Ashege beretu vasupati nimmaDiya

hasanAgi

ninna neneyade kripeya galisade keTTenaiyyA

nishihagalu

stiraveMdu tanuvanu pOshisalAshisi jIya

usirida

nelevo sarvakAlavu ninnODetanaveMbuva bageyanu ariyade

"I

have been hankering after sensual pleasures and wealth and have

forgotton to remember Your lotus feet. Thinking that the day and

night are eternal for me, I have always lived to serve my bodily

needs, I never understood the total dependence of my life breath on

Your great benevolence and now I begin to feel a pang when I remember

that time is passing . Will I ever be able to make up for it?"

 

 

Here

one has to connect the address for the Lord 'anaMgajanakA' used in

the anupallavi. The father of Kama is talked of by Dasaru to remind

everyone that any such time spent on the desires of senses is also

put in place by the Lord Himself and so it is apt to beg Him for

mercy. Realisation of such severe wrongs committed by oneself

throughout life is indeed an awakening which is necessary to jolt one

back on to the path of sadhana. Understanding that one has to become

contented with the material aspects of life if one has to pursue

adhyatmic sadhana is also a step which can become a great leap in

sadhana when actually implemented in life. Understanding the

independence of the Lord on these aspects of life are also necessary

to become detached from them . The feeling of contented acceptance

coupled with gratitude is a fertile ground for spiritual thought.

 

 

nere

naMbida pAvaTigaly ella saidu pOdavallA

maraLi

I pari janumavu baruvA bharavaseyaMtu illA

paripari

vishayada Aseyu enage piridu AyitallA

hariye

jagadi nInObbanallade porevarinnAru illavallA

 

 

"I

had all along thought of certain things(like acquiring a family, a

house,wealth etc) as steps to increase my happiness, but my belief in

these things as the cause of happiness is dwindling. I'm not sure

anymore whether they are the real cause of happinees and whether they

will take me upwards. Oh, What shall I do? Will I ever get another

human birth? I am beginning to have doubts on this. Inspite of all

these confessions of not using my time properly due to being a slave

of my sense organs, I am not able to toe the line of discipline. I am

still not able to control my senses. Desires are again springing up

in my mind. O Lord Hari, you are the only one is the entire universe

who can uplift me and there is no one like You. You are unique and

compassionate."

anaMga

janaka is an appropriate guNa anusandhana

for the Lord here as it means the father of the seed of desire(father

of kAma) is the Lord Himself and He can tune the desire towards

spiritual progress rather than towards ephemeral pleasures.

 

 

avaniyolage

puMyakeshtra charisuva havanike yenagillA

pavanAtmakagurumadhvashAstrada

pravachana kElalillA

tavakadiMda

guruhiriyara sEvisi avara olisalillA

ravinaMdana

kElidaruttara koDe vivara saraku oMdAdarillA

 

 

"I

never had nor do I have any good desire like going for a theertha

yatra, I have not listened to the discourses of the Madhva siddantha

which is given by none other than Hanuman. (Madhvacharya is the third

avatar of Vayu). I have not done any diligent service to gurus or

elders and earned thier blessings. I don't have anything to show in

the court of Yama (the son of Ravi ie son of Sun). O what shall I do

now that time is slipping by?"

 

 

anaMga

janaka is valid here too. After all,the Lord who is the father of

Kama ie the generator of desire , is prayed to for good kamane ie

wishing to do the good things dictated by scriptures is also Kama

and the Lord is known as 'kAmada' in VSN implying that He grants the

desires of His devotees as per thier eligibility. Dasaru is listing

the good things that one should aspire for when one has obtained this

human birth which is hard to come by .

 

 

bhAgavataroDaguDi

upavAsa jAgara oMdina mADalillA

rAgadi

shukamuni pElda harikatesaMyOgaveMbodillA

nIgurvaMta

bhava bhayava bhakuti vairAgyaveMbodillA

yOgivaMdya

gOpAlaviTTala talebAgi ninnane bEDikoMbe

 

 

 

"

I have not mingled with Your devotees and have not done any upavasa

or jagarna , not even for a day did I do these things. I did not have

the good taste to listen to the nectar of Bhagavatham recited by Sage

Shuka to Parikshita. I don't have the bhakthi and vairagya which can

remove my fear of samsaara and release me from bondage. All in all, I

have done nothing to please You but I bow my head with reverence and

beg of You O Lord gOpAla viTTala, revered by the knowing sages,

Please show mercy one me."

 

 

Here

Yogi is the one who knows the path to God. One who has understood the

Lord as per His capability. Dasaru begs Gopala vittala on our behalf,

Just as You have been revered before by yogis, please make me also

rever You and make my life on earth a unique and worthy one.

 

 

Kanaka

Dasaru says in one of his devaranamas

srI

rAma nAmava nene manave

 

 

chiMtane

yella ottaTige iTTu

aMtaraMgadali

dhyAnisuta

kaMtu

pita kAgi neleyAdi keshavana

yenthAdaru

nI biDa beDa manave

 

 

'Leave

all your concerns and turn your attention inwards, contemplate on

Keshava and don't leave Him ,come what may.

 

 

Do's

and Don't from the above song:

Do's

Do

guruhiriyara seva. Service to Guru and elders

paves the path to moksha.

Madhvashastra

pravachana shravana. Listening is the first

step to acquire knowledge.

Theertha

yatre of Punya keshtras . Yatre of punya

kshetras makes positive vibrations touch one's heart and mind and

lifts our thoughts upwards.

Upavasa

and Jagarane with Satsangha - Tapas of the

body with other devotees encourages and motivates the sadhaka to do

more. It is a great way to understand that the body is fragile and

should not be trusted. It also improve mental discipline and

encourages study and reflection.

Listening

to Bhagavatha - Removes the six diseases of

mind- kama krodha, moha,,

moha,mada, matsarya . Sri Vyasarajaru says,'lAbhavahudu

harikAtamrutha-arishadvargagala taridu......"

Devoloping

bhakhi ,vairagya. Listening leads to

knowledge, devotion to God. This love of God removes the worldy

attachment and desires automatically and is referred to as Vairagya.

Surrendering

to the Lord Goapala vittala - Finally

understanding that we are instruments in the hands of the Lord and

seeking His aid ,protection and guidance with this knowledge of His

independent control is the final step .

 

 

 

 

Don'ts

Don't

over indulge in sensual and material pleasures considering them as

the sole aim of life.

Don't

neglect prayer and chanting the Lord's names

Don't

misuse this great human birth for just material acquisitions

Don't

underestimate the value or worth of this human birth

Don't

think that Time is standing still. Time and Tide wait for no man.

Don't

forget that one's very existence depends on the Lord and

Creator-Hari

Don't

beleive in the permenance of body or relationships with your loved

ones

Don;t

think that satisfying one last desire will stop one from going after

more desires. The chain of desires gets a

tighter hold on us with every fulfilled desire just as a raging fire

engulfs firewood instantly and hungers for more things to burn.

Dont

forget that there is no one other that the Lord to protect and

uplift one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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