Vairagyapanchakam of Desika

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Jai Srimannarayana!

 

(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

sathakam 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.

 

Jai Srimannarayana!