Sharanagati Deepika - 02

August 6, 2008

Sri:Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:

Shriman Nigamanta Mahadeshikai: anugrihitam

Sharanagati Deepika

Shloka 2:

nityam shriyA vasudhayA cha niShevyamANam nirvyAjanirbhara dayAbharitam vibhAti |vedAnta vedyamiha vegavatIsamIpe dIpaprakAsha iti daivatamadvitIyam ||

Meaning:

dIpaprakAsha - The Lord Vilakkoli (Deepa Prakasha), nityam - who is alwaysniShevyamANam - togethershriyA - with SridevivasudhayA - and Bhudevi, dayA bharitam - who has complete mercynirvyAja - that needs no cause nirbhara - and is without limits, vedyam - who is to be understoodvedAnta - by the Vedantas, daivatam - who is the divinityadvitIyam - that has no parallel, iha - herevegavatI samIpe - is present near Vegavati river.

Vyakhyana Saram:

Vilakkoli Perumal is in the divyadesam of Thiruththanka inkanchipuram near the Vegavati river. Just as the ParamapadaNathan is near the Viraja river, so too is Deepa Prakasha.And just as He has no equal, so too Vilakkoli Perumal has noequal. However, unlike Paramapada Nathan or even the vibhavaavatara emperumAns, this archa mUrthy emperumAn is alwayshere and visible to everyone. That is why it is being saidthat His mercy has no bounds and that it flows without needing a cause (nirhetuka krupa).Swami Desikan says daivatam advitIyam to show that He is the height of everything and has no equal - so that no one can say that He has no equal but may have someone above Him. Azhvar did not stop at "oththAr ilaiyAya mAmAya!"; instead he said "oththAr mikkAr ilaiyAya mAmAya!" - Thiruvaymozhi 2-3-2.

In other sampradhayams, advitIyam means that there is no one but Him. In our sampradhayam, it means that there is no one equal to or above Him. That is, the prakruti and the jIvatmasall exist, but underneath and supported by Him. The example used here is: if a King is praised as having no equal, it does not mean that his family, children, subjects and kingdomdo not exist; it only means that there is no one equal to him.

Azhvar Emberumanar Jeeyar Thiruvadigale Sharanam