Vairagyapanchakam of Desika

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Vairagyapanchakam

 

By Vedantadesika

 

(On this day which is the thirunakshathra of Swami Desikan, I wish to offer my salutations to the great acharya by writing on his vairagya panchakam and offer it to the bhaktha samooha.)

 

Vairagya means detachment from worldly possessions and desirelessness. Vidyaranya , a friend of Vedantadesika wanted him to become prosperous and sent word to him to come to the court of Krishnadevaraya where he was the Astanavisvan. Desika refused but Vidyaranya insisted and Desika composed five slokas and sent it to him and they are known as Vairagyapanchakam.

 

 

1.kshoNeekoNa SathaamSa paalanakalaa dhurvaaragarvaanala

ksubhyath kshudhra narendhra chaatu rachanaadhanyaan na

manyaamahe

dhevam sevithum eva nischinumahe yo asou dhayaaluh puraa

Dhaanaamushtimuche kuchelamunaye Dhatthe sma

vitthesathaam

 

We do not respect those who praise the kings, who are masters of a fraction of a hundredth part of the earth, and consider themselves fortunate. We are intent on serving only the Lord who gave the status equal to Kubera to Kuchela simply by partaking a fistful of husked rice brought by him.

 

Desika in this sloka and the rest ridicules the desire of wealth showing that he was leading a simple life by choice. His friend Vidyaranya thought that a person as wise and learned as Desika should get all the honours he deserved which could come only by bringing his greatness to the notice of the king. But to Desika it was like the pebbles on the shore of the sea which abounds in precious gems as made out in the Gita `yaavaanarTha udhapaane sarvathaH sampluthodhake ,' as the water in the well when there is flood everywhere.

 

Desika says that he will not praise anyone except the Lord who could make Kuchela into a Kubera. The poor Brahmin, Kuchela who was the childhood friend of Krishna approached him with nothing else except few fistfuls of husked ice and the Lord accepted it with relish and gave Kuchela all riches, enough to make him like a Kubera, the god of wealth. The fact that he had not given wealth to His devotees is because they do not want it, as Thondaradippodi azvar said, `icchuvai thavira yaan poy indhiralokam aaLum acchuvai perineum vEnden.'

The kings expect themselves to be praised by those who approach him and favours them with gifts. But the Lord does not expect anything from His devotees as it is said in Mahabharatha, `anyath poorNaath apaam kumbhaath anyath paadhaavanejanaath anyath kuSalasampraSnaath na checchathi janardanaH,' He expects no more than a pot of water that washes His feet and words full f devotion. He has said in the Gita, `pathram pushpam phalam thoyam yo me bhakthyaa prayacchathi thadhaham bhakthyupahrtam aSnaami prayathaathmanaH,' I will accept a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water which ever is given to me with a heart full of love. It is only through His grace the kings enjoy their wealth and when one has Him in the heart where is the necessity to go and beg the kings? This is the idea expressed in the sloka.