Alavandhar & Desikan

[Guest guest]

Sri:

 

Dearest Sisters and Brothers,

 

Sri Sadagopan has written so crisply and beautifully on Yamunacharya.

Simply excellent posts on the Great AchArya.

 

Here's my ramble on Alavandhar.

 

It is he who spotted Emperumaanaar- Udayavar- Ramanujar

saying " Aaam mudhalvan ivan " ..

 

His (Alavandhar's) sthOthrams are the two beautiful ones namely,

ChathuslOki on PiraaTTi and SthOthra Rathnam. ChathuslOki (4 slOkams)

is on the most ausipicious attributes of PiraaTTi, and decsribed the

theme of Purushaakaaram Prapatthi and Eka sEshithvam principles.

He mentions that the Divine Consort of Emperumaan Sriya: Pathi Sriman

Narayanan possesses the KalYANa guNAs., jnAnam, Bhalam, Aishwaryam,

Veeryam and tEjas, like Emperumaan. Paraasara Bhattar says " Oh Lord!

Even though You dress like PiraaTTi, in Mohini avtaar, Your (butter

Thief- thiruttu) eyes have failed You!

 

SthOthra Rathnam is the most excellent one and is the forerunner for all

Other AchAryAs' works..

 

Each of these 65 excellent slOkas of sthOthra Rathnam, the

anubhavm , emotion filled work of Sri Yamunacharya suits each one of

us so well, that when we read them, we will feel that the sthOthram is

written for us (and not for Alavandhar!). I was reading Sri Abhinava Desika

Utthamoor Swami's excellent commentary on this sueprb sthOthram. It really

captivates one's heart.

 

Some great ones which come to my mind readily:

 

1. When Alavandhar says, " I had committed lot of sins in the past and

they have started acting and yielding dividends. I am scared of those

sufferings. Please save me, and bless me for no more births.. I shall attain

Your Lotus Feet! Lord says ... " Wait.. Wait.. Not to worry. I will grant you

more pleasures.. You will not feel

pains. Alavandhar replies.. " Oh No! then, I shall dissolve them and again

have to undergo for the paapams committed.. None will opt for a boat (when

he is sinking) to the river bank (if it is visible and easily accessible..)

Don't put me in a boat.. Take me

to the shore (i.e You..)

 

2. When Alavandhar says.. " I don't want anything except serving Your Lotus

Feet " , the Lord responds... " AlavandharE! Are you sure your mind says that?

Or is it lip service? " Alavandhar says.. " I think it is form my heart.. But

You are Sarvagnan; Sarva Shakthan; You know better. Let it be so. Still, You

alone can enable my heart

to get transformed.. - What a narration! Simliar to Ramanujar's SaraNAgathy

Gadyam!

 

3. There is one slOka, where Alavandhar says " There is no paapam (sin) in

the world that is not committed by me.. (What a naichyanusanthanam-)-

ahamasmi aparaadha Chakravarrtthi - says Swami Desikan in Dayasathakam.

 

4. Alavandhar also says (*in his 62nd slOkam- as mentioned by Sri Sadagopan)

" amaryaatha kshoodra:. - Amaryatha: The one who has crossed (or

transgressed) the VarnAshrama dharmam- may be he feels bad that he performed

saayam sandhyavandhanam one day at 7.00 p.m- that's why he laments?? where

do we go?? - we are personification of amarytaatha:) Khsudra: aRpan.

neechan. He also calls himself with various lowly adjectives, similar to

ThirumangaiAzhwAr's naayEn vandhadaindhEn; NammAzhwAr's seelamilla siRiyOn;

siRiya jnAnatthan..- If one does not feel moved by this sloka (after knowing

its meanings), he will not get any heart problem at all! -

implies no heart..)

 

5. His namO namO.. and nadharma nishTosmi is so great that one can easily by

heart and recite everyday during morning prayers..

 

Let me reproduce these two slOkams for

your ready reference and reading..

 

slokha 21 :-

 

Namo namo vaan-manas'aati bhumaye

namo namo vaan-manas'aika-bhumaye;

namo namo'ananta-mahaavibhutaye

namo namo'ananta day'aika sindhave.

 

Obeisance again and again to you who are beyond

the reach of speech and mind; obeisance again and

again to you who are the sole object of speech and mind;

obeisance again and again to you of infinite great powers;

obeisance again and again to you, the one ocean of infinite

mercy.

 

slokha 22 :-

 

Na dharma-nishtho'asmi na c'aatma vedi

na bhaktimaan tvaccaran'aaravinde;

akincano'ananya-gatih saranya!

tvat-paada-mulam saranam prapadye.

 

O you worthy of being sought as refuge! I am not one

established in Dharma, nor am I, a knower of the self.

I have no fervent devotion to your lotus-feet. Utterly

destitute as I am, and having none else for resort, I

take refuge under your feet.

 

Alavandhar ThuiruvadigaLE SaraNam

 

Narayana Narayana

 

Narayana dAsan

 

 

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