Experiencing Swami Desika - 30

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SrI:

Shrimate Shri Lakshmi Nrusimha Parabrahmane Namaha:

Shrimate Shri Seetha Ramachandra Parabrahmane Namaha:

Shrimate Shri Ramanujaya Namaha:

Shrimate Nigamantha Maha Desikaya Namaha:

Shrimate Shrivan Satagopa Shri Narayana Yateendra Mahadesikaya Namaha:

 

" SrimAn VenaktanAthArya: kavithArkika kEsarI!

VedAnthAchArya varyO mE sannidhatthAM sadhA hrudhi " !!

 

We dealt with two kAvyams, pAdukAsahasram and yAdavabhyudaya

which exhibited Swami's inaccessible eminence. There are

three other kAvyams of Swami viz. SrI Hamsa sandhesham,

subhAshita nivi and sankalpa sooryOdayam.

 

Hamsa sandhesham is a small devotional kAvyam. It contains 110

Slokas divided into two parts called Ashvasa => 60 + 50

Slokas.

 

When AnjanEya (siriya tiruvadi) arrived as Malyavan, and said

" kanDen Sitayai " , he revealed that sIta's residence has been

located. And thus removed the worry of " where " Sita was!

This was not the end because the worry of not being near

was still existing.

 

SandEsham means ambassador. Hanuman says that sIta was kept

in the Asokavana at Lanka by Ravana. Because a Swan was sent

as a ambassador, it has become hamsa sandEsham.

" HamsamukhEna prEshita AshvAsAsatta karma hamsasandEsha: !

ata yEva sargayO: AshvAsa yiti nAma !! " says Abhinava Desikan.

The word AshvAsa leads to two groupings. Separation

is also named as AshvAsa.

 

The first AshvAsam has 60 Slokas telling the route to the swan

to reach Lanka. The 2nd 50 Slokas deals with meeting sIta and

the message to be communicated to her.

 

Here, Swami Desika uses a swan to communicate rAmA's assurance

to sIta to release her from captivity. Rama hence chooses to send

a message through a swan. So, the swan is given the direction

for its journey!

 

Kanchi, Tirumalai, Tiruvellarai, Tiruvellarai, Srirangam

and Tirumalirumcholai are described as places of visit to the swan.

Swami describes Kanchi alone in eleven Slokas and Tirumala in two

unique Slokas. Swami does not stop here.. He explains about the

forests, and the ocean and the other regions lying around them.

The first sixty Slokas end here.

 

Lanka is described in the second part. The description further

includes the asOka's grove, sIta and delivery of rAmA's message.

 

Towards the end, Swami has given us two Slokas.

 

The former mentions rAmA's killing of rAvana and his return

to Ayodhya with sIta and his Kingship there.

 

In the latter Sloka Swami has instructed us to study this best

gem Hamsasandesa dealing with life of sIta and rAmA!

 

This is a kAvya with a lot of Vedanta meanings. Swami himself

has mentioned this as hamsa sandEsha ratnam!

 

This posting has been based on the write up of Vaduvur

Shri R. Veeraraghavan and from the book The Life and works of

Shri Nigamanta Maha Desikan by Prof A. Srinivasaraghavan.

 

" Kavi Taarkika Simhaaya Kalyaana guna SaalinE!

SrimatE VenkateshAya VedAnta Gurave nama !! "

 

....To be continued!

 

dEsikan tiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

 

Praveena nAmni Ramanuja dasi

30th Aug 1999