Vairagyapanchakam of Desika

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4.dhureeSa dhvaara bahiH vithardhikaa

dhuraasikaayai rachitho ayam anjaliH

yadhanjanaabham nirapaayam asthi me

DhananjayasyndhanbhooshaNam Dhanam

 

When I have the indestructible wealth which is dark in colour and decorated the chariot of Arjuna, I bid goodbye with folded hands to the residence on the outer porch of the gate of the base kings.

 

Desika says that in order to please the mean kings, dhureeSa, one has to dwell, dhuraasikaa, on the porch, dhvaarabahiH vithardhikaa, of their palaces for ever waiting to get audience, all for the sake of getting wealth which is impermanent and thus this way of living has to be resorted to for ever. On the other hand the wealth which is permanent and indestructible, nirapaayam, is available to the devotees. It is dark in colour, anjanaabham, that is,Krishna, the neelameghaSyaama, who adorned the chariot of Arjuna , Dhananjaya syandhanabhooshaNam,as Parthasarathy. Hence Desika bids good bye to the patronage of the kings with folded hands, rachithaa ayam anjaliH.

 

Vithardhika- verandah

 

Dhuraasikaa- aasikaa means sitting, Desika calls it dhuraasika because it despicable.

 

 

5. sareerapathanaavadhi prabhunishevaNaapaadhanaath

abinDhanadhananjaya praSamadham Dhanam dhanDhanam

Dhananjaya vivarDhanam Dhanam uDhooDa govarDhanam

susaaDHanam abaaDhanam sumanasaam samaaraaDhanam

 

The wealth that appeases the jataragni, intestinal fire which has water as its fuel, necessitates praising the kings till the end of life and hence it is useless. That which made Arjuna rise to fame, which held the Govardhana mountain and which is the means of joy for the good, that is the real wealth, that is indestructible.

 

Sareera pathana avaDhi- end of life. avaDhi means the limit or boundary and that is till the fall of this body, sareerapathana

 

aapaadhana- happening

 

prabhunishevaNa- resorting to the rich.

Resorting to the rich for wealth, happens till the end of life is the meaning.

 

Dhanam dhanDhanam that wealth is useless,

 

abinDhanadhananjaya praSamadham- because it helps only to appease the intestinal fire which only burns more by water.The meaning is that the jataragni, which is called dhananjaya , only burns more with water which helps one to digest, implying that the water which quenches the fire normally, here, makes the fire burn more.

 

While, dhananjaya vivarDhanam, the wealth which has increased the glory of Arjuna, Krishna who brought him victory by being his charioteer,

 

uDhooDagovarDhanam- and that which held up the Govaradhana mountain is susaaDhanam the means of salvation, abhaaDhanam, indestructible and sumanasaam samaaraaDhanam,the real wealth to the pure hearted devotees. Thyagaraja asks his mind under the similar circumstances, when the king sent messengers with gifts to ask him to come to court, sang `nidhi tsaala sukhamaa, raamuni sanniDhisevaa sukhamaa nijamuga palgu manasaa,' asking his mind to tell the truth whether the riches of the world brings joy or the service to the Lord Rama gives happiness. This is the attitude of all the saints and devotees. The word Dhanam is used by Desika 11 times in different formations and meanings, showing that he was indeed kavithaarkika simha.

 

6. naasthi pithraarjitham kimchith na mayaa kichith aarjitham

asthi me hasthi Sailaagre vasthu paithaamaham Dhanam

 

I do not have any inherited property, not have I earned any my self. But there is my wealth of my ancestors on the hill of Hasthi which is real.

 

VedantaDesika concludes by saying that He does not have either inherited or self-earned wealth except that which stands on the hastigiri, meaning the Lord Varadaraja, who, he says is his heirloom handed over to him by his ancestors. Here by the word pithamaha, he means Brahma who installed the idol of Varadaraja and also his ancestors by which he could have meant the clan of devotees as said in the sloka `matha cha lakshmeedhevee pithaa dhevo naaraayaNaH, baandhavaaH vishNubhakthaaH cha vasuDhaiva kutumbakam.' For a bhaktha his parents are the divine couple and his relatives are the other devotees and his family is the whole universe.