Experiencing Swami Desika - 86

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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 have dealt with two kAvyams in our earlier postings,

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 at Malyavan, and said

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

located. Hanuman says that sIta was kept in the Asokavana at

Lanka by Ravana. 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. 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, 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, 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 Asokavana, 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 Hamsa sandesa dealing with the 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