JitantE StOtram Commentaries for Fund raising for Sri Ranganatha Temple, Pomona , NY: Iyppasi RohiNi / ThiruppANa AzhwAr Birth day :Part 1

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SrI:Dear SrI RanganAtha BhakthAs : JitantE StOtram is one of the most ancient stOtrams , whose history is lost in the tracks of time . It is said to be linked tothe Khila bhAgam ( supplementary section ) of Rg Vedam.

The entire text of JitantE stOtram is found in the Paancha-Raathram texts . We recite sections of Jitante stOtram

at the end of Bhagavath AarAdhanam . The audios on

the entire JitantE stOtram are at :http://www.prapatti.com

 

Sriman Sundar Kidambi has recited these slOkams

with his clear and delectable voice .Please enjoy

listening to these audio files.

 

Organization and content of JitantE StOtram

********************************************************There are six sections (Six JitantEs ) to the JitantE stOtram . There are a total of 128 and half slOkams housed in these six JitantEs . The first JitantE has 20slOkams , the second has 40 , the third has 16 ,the fourth has 17 , the fifth has 20 and the sixth has 15 and half slOkams . These 128 and half slOkams distill the esssence of Sri VaishNavA's approach to Sriman NarAyaNa in the most devotional bhavanA (mood) . The six sections of

the Jitante stOtram have been linked by

the commentators to the Pancha Kaala PrakriyA

of ParamaikAnthis . The sixth JitantE can be recited

at all times outside the PanchakAla dinasari ( Five assignedtime periods like Abhigamana , Ijya , UpAdhAna ,SvAdhyAya and Yoga ) of SrI VaishNavAs. Swamy Desikan has summarized in ten slOkams the PanchaKaala PrakriyAs based on the nithya grantham blessed to us by AchArya RaamAnujA :http://www.sundarasimham.org/ebooks/ebook36.htm

 

Pancha kAla PrakriyAs & JitantE StOtram

****************************************************The Commentators of the six JitantE stOtrams have suggested that the first 5 JitantEs have to be recited at each five of the Pancha kaalams:The 20 slOkams of the first Jitante for instance is to be recited at the end of the first of these 5 Kaalams(abhigamanam) ... the fifth Jitanteis recommended for recitation at the Yoga Kaalam( just before resting for the night ) , the final kaalamof the VaishNava Dinasari .The sixth JitantE once againcan be recited and reflected upon at any time of the day or night .Individual slOkams from the 5 JitantEs associated with each of the Pancha Kaalams are :1) slOkam 2.14 at the end of Abhigamanam2) SlOkam 2.40 at the end of Ijyaa3) SlOkam 3.16 at the end of UpAdhAna 4) SlOkams 4.15 and 4.16 at the end of SvAdhyAya 5) SlOkam 5.20 at the end of Yoga priod .

 

JitantE SlOkam as Mahaa Mantram

*********************************************The well known First slOkam of the First Jitante

is considered as a Mahaa mantram :JitantE PuNDareekAksha ! namasthE ViswabhAvana !namastEasthu HrusheekEsa Mahaa Purusha Poorvaja This slOkam ( Jitante 1.1) is seen three times more among the 128 and Half slOkams of the six JitantEs :Jitante 3.1 , 5.1 and 6.1 The first slOkam of the 2nd and the 4th JitantEs areclose to the Jitante 1.1 :JitantE PuNdareekAksha PoorNa-shADguNya Vigraha ParAnandha Parabrahman nasatE ParamAthmanE -- Jitante 2.1JitantE PuNDareekAksha namastEasthu VisvabhAvana namastE VaasuudEvAya SaanthAnandha chidhAthmanE--JitantE 4.1The commentaries for the JitantE stOtram :*****************************************************The most elaborate and scholarly one is by VyAkyAna Chakravarthy , Periya VaacchAnPiLLai ( b 1228 C.E) . He is considered as

an avathAram of Lord KrishNa and He blessed us with

the commentaries for the first 14 JitantE slOkams .

It is our dhurbhAgyam that Pariya VaacchAn PILLai did not complete the commentaries on the rest of

the 114 and half slOkams . The MaNipravALa

commentaries of PeriyavAcchAn PiLLai for

the first 14 slOkams have been translated into English

skillfully by Dr. M.N.Ramanuja of Bangalore

at adiyEn's request and are accessible at:

 

http://www.acharya.org/vyakyanam/jitante/index.htm

During the last hundred years , Vaikunta Vaasis ,PutthankOttakam SrinivAsAcchAr Swamy andMadhurAnthakam T.E. VeerarAghavAcchAr Swamyhave assembled brief commentaries on all the slOkams of JitantE stOtram . The most recent commentary of Jitante StOtram is bySrimathy Padma Sudarshan of Chennai and it has been released by the VisishtAdhvaitha PracahraNi Sabha ofChennai two years ago . It has English translation and brief notes on each of the slOkams . Dr.S.Padmanabhanof the Department of Sanskrit has added Tamil translations for each of these slOkams . The copies of this monographcan be obtained at VisishtAdhvaitha PracharaNi Sabha ,27 VenkatEsa AgrahAram , Mylapore , Chennai 600 004 .

 

Attempts at a New Commentary

****************************************adiyEn seeks the anugraham of the dhivya damapthis ofSrirangam residing as ArchA Moorthys at their temple inPomona , NY to undertake the task of providing traditionalcommentaries on the 114 and half slOkams that have notbeen commented upon in detail sofar . adiyEn would attempt

to bring out the central message of JitantE StOtram summarized by Swamy ParAsara Bhattar in one ofHis Mugdhaga SlOkam :avidhyAthO dEva pariBrudatayA vaa vidhithayAsvabhakthEr bhUmnA vaa jagathi gathimanyAmavidhushAmgathir gamyAschAsou Haririthi jitantAhvaya manO:rahasyam vyAjahrE sa khalu BhagavAn Sounaka Muni:(Meaning): Sounaka Rishi revelaed for us the central meaning of the mantram revered as "JitantE " . He revealed that Hari is the one and only UpAyam ( means) and UpEyam(goal) for all , be they ignorant ones about the Bhagavath Vishayam or experts in Bhagavath vishayam or prominent practioners of Bhakthi yOgam .That Hari is the Gathi and Gamyam is the secret revealed by the JitantE Mantram .Lord Hari is the sole refuge for us all , when it comes togaining freedom from the cycles of biths and deaths . Healone can bless us to reside with Him at His Supreme abodeand grant us the incomparable nithya Kaimkarya SaamrAjyamat Sri Vaikuntam .

 

AshtOtthara Satha NaamArchanai based on JitantE slOkams

*************************************************************************In the next posting , adiyEn will start with an AshtOttharaSatha NaamArchanai for Lord Hari from the Text of the six JitantE stOtrams . Our prayers are to bless

the major fund raising campaign for Capital Improvement

and Modernization at the Pomona , NY Temple of

Lord Ranganatha .

 

Please visit the Temple web site and make your generous pledges :http://www.Ranganatha.org and have the Darsana SoubhAgyam of the ArchA Moorthys at the 8 sannidhis of the Temple .NamO SrI RanganAthAya ,Oppiliappan KOil VaradachAri Sadagopan