Padhuka Sahasram-55

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>Sri:

>SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

>Translation of Paaduka Sahasram by U.Ve. Sri V.N. Vedanta Desikan Swamin

>

>55. shamadhamaguNadhAnthOdhanthavaIdEshikAnAm

> sharaNamasharaNAnAm mAdrushAm mADhavasya

> padhakamalamidham thE pAdhukE! rakshyamAsIth

> anudayaniDhanAnAmAgamAnAm niDhAnam

>

>Oh Paaduka! For people like me, who are ever distanced from qualities

>like control of senses, mental restraint, quietness of behaviour within

>scriptural sanctions, etc., are helpless and are only saved by the lotus

>feet of the Lord-which feet are treasured by the Vedas that are without

>a beginning and without an end. And those feet of the Lord are in the

>safe custody of You.

>

>Namo Narayana,

>Adiyen,SriMuralidhara Dasan

 

NOTES BY V.SADAGOPAN

*********************

 

(1) UtthamUr Swamy " s anubhavam:

Oh Lord's PaadhukhE ! Your Lord's holy feet are

the refuge for all and they protrct the SaraNAgathAs

without fail. You protect those holy feet and thus

attain a status that is greater than those sacred feet.

Thus Your glory is even greater than that of Your Lord's

Paadha kamalam . Eternal VedhAs sing the glory of Your

Lord's sacred feet and salute them as their treasure.

The very same holy feet are Your refuge as well .Thus Your

Vaibhavam is greater than that of Your Lord's celebrated

sacred feet.

 

(2) Srimadh Andavan's anubhavam: Oh PaadhukhE ! We do not have

the power to control our karmEndhriyams and mind . We are

not rich in Bhakthi and bhUtha dayai . In fact , we do not

possess any redeeming features . Only the Lord's holy feet

celebrated by the VedhAs come to our rescue as we wallow

in our world full of deficencies .You protect THOSE great

Thiruvadis. The inner meaning is that the people of

the world would not realize any auspiciousness , if

our Lord is not present in ArchA form at His koils .

Our Lord is there for AzhwArs and AchAryAs and that presence

is the causative factor for our well being .Not many recognize

the Saannidhyam of the consecrated ArchA form of the Lord

as one of his five forms in the divya desams . Our Lord

exists there for the sake of even one of His bhakthAs ,

who undrstand His archAvathAra Tattvam .

 

(3) Swami Desikan touches here on the importance of ArchA

form of the Lord and the placement of the Lord's Sataari

(SatakOpam ) on one's head in His sannidhis . As ArchA

moortham , He is present in the manner described by

Poygai AzhwAr in the Muthal ThiruvandhAthi: " Tamar

uhandadu yevvuruvam avvuruvam thAnE " ( In whatever

form the devotees wish , the Lord assumes a body

in that form to be near His bhakthAs ). This anugraham

of the Lord is revealed by Him in Sri Bhagavath Gitai

as well: " yE yathA maam prapadhyanthE taam tathaiva

BhajAmyham " . The worship of the Lord in Archa form

is the easiest for people at every level of control

over their IndhriyAs .This is the easiest way to

develop Bhakthi , come into contact with AchAryan

through adorning the SatAri on their heads by BhakthAs.

As Saattva samhithA passage states , " God enters into

the idol by assuming a body corresponding to the ArchA

form made by a BhakthA and becomes indistinguishable

from it like water in the milk " . The SatAri brings

the holy feet of the Lord even closer to us in His

sannidhis and in His Raaja Veethis .Swami Desikan points

out in this PaadhukhA PrabhAva Paddathi slOkam that

the Mahimai of the PaadhukhAs (AchAryAs)are greater

than that of their Lord ......V.S

 

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Dasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradachAri SadagOpan