Padhuka Sahasram-105

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>SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,>

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

>Swamin:

>

>105. rAmAthmana: prathipadham maNipAdharakshE!

> vishvamBharasya vahanEna parIkshithAm thvAm

> vishvasya devi vahanE vinivEshayiShyan

> visrabDha Eva BharathO BhavatIm yayAchE

>

>Oh Paaduka! Bharata had evidently sought You as a gift from Rama with

>great confidence in You (in regard to the ability to reign over the

>land), because he had well become satisfied, on examining You bearing

>the Universe-sustaining Superlord in the form of Rama, at every step

>of walking.

>

>Namo Narayana,Adiyen, >

>SriMuralidhara Dasan

 

NOTES BY V.SADAGOPAN(V.S):

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

 

(1) UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam: Here Swami Desikan points out

the reason for BharathA's request for the bequeathing of

the PaadhukhAs as gift from his brother. Swami says :

" Oh Gem-bedecked ( Kallizhaittha ) PaadhukE ! Oh Empress!

You have carried RaamA , the ruler of the worlds during all

His missions . On those occasions , Your performance has been

checked out and found to be perfect at each one of the steps

you made for Him. Therefore , BharathA had a lot of trust

in Your power toadminister the affairs of the world and therefore

asked RaamA to give You as a gift to him to enable him to

conduct the affairs of the state as His (RaamA's)

representative (adhikAri) " .

 

(2) Srimath Andavan's anubhavam :The inner meaning of this slOkam

is: When a sishyan selects an AchAryan for pancha samskAram and

prapatthi , he examines the auspicious qualities of the AchAryan

and then with unalloyed faith (VisvAsam , Nambikkai) , the sishyan

adopts the sacred feet of that AchAryan for his protection .

The sishyan from then on is utterly loyal to the AchAryan that

he has chosen . There are also those , who go through the motion of

prapatthi to an AchAryan for the sake of the ritual. The faithful

Sishyan however knows fully well that the Lord responds to

his AchAryan and will accept that SadAchAryan's recommendation .

Therefore , he leaves all his worries behind and celebrates his

AchAryan always.

 

At the time of receiving the Paadhukhais , Bharathan requested

his brother to step into the Paadhukhais ( AdhirOhArya PaahdAbhyAm )

suggesting as though he was testing those PaadhukhAs prior to

accepting them . Swami Desikan uses therefore the word " ParikshithAm

thvAm " to indicate that Bharathan did not simply accept

the Paadhukhais. He tested them out and then fully satisfied

about their prowess , accepted them with MahA visvAsam .

 

(3) BharathA's mind set at the end of testing the Paadhukhais

and accepting them for " visvambhara Vahanam " ( to rule

the world) is described as " VISRABDHA: " by Swami Desikan .

The choice of the word " Visrabdha: " is a testament to

the SaraNAgathi Saasthram . Visrabdha: means a state of mind

completely free from anxiety , a state of utter trust or

MahA VISVAASAM . Both Visrabdah: and VisvAsam have the prefix

" Vis " in them . The state of Nirbharam ( fearlessness and

state of freedom from worries about his rakshaNam) arises

from the Visrabdha state to begin with . Lakshmi Tanthram

is Quoted by Swami Desikan in Srimath rahasya Thraya Saaram

in this context: " RakshayishyathIthi VisvAsAth abhIshDOpAya

Kalpanam " . BharathA had that feeling of Visrabdham or

VisvAsam in Paadhukai of Lord RaamachandrA...V.S

 

(4) AdiyEn is also reminded of the latter half of the concluding

slOkam of the 14th chapter of Srimath Rahasya Thraya Saaram

(SvanishtAbhijn~Ana adhikAram ) here :

 

" tatthvOpAya prabhruthi vishayE SWAMI DHATTHAAM SvanishtAm

SeshAm kruthvA SIRASI KRUTHINA: sEsham aayu: nayanthi "

 

Here Swami states: " These blessed souls hold aloft on

their heads the nishtai gifted to them by the Lord

(through AchArya Mukham ) in the matter of Tattvam ,

upAyam and PurushArtham and leads the rst of their

lives without fear in a state of utter visvAsam " .

The nishtai here is the Raama Paadhukhai held aloft on

BharathA's head as a parivattam for the next fourteen

years .Bharathan thus became a kruthinan or krutha kruthyan .

He also received the adhikAram through his clear understanding of

the SvarUpa, UpAya , PurishArtha nishtais.....V.S