Padhuka Sahasram-168

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Sri:

SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

Translation by U.Ve. Dr. V.N. Vedanta Desikan Swamin:

 

168. rajAsanE chEdhBhavathI niShaNNA

rangEshapadhAvani! thanna chithram

yathrADhirUDA: kramasha: purA thvAm

utthamsayanthE raGhusArvaBhoumA:

 

Oh Ranganatha Paaduka! That You sat on the throne of

kings is no wonder. For all the kings of the Raghu Vamsa

had cherished You with devotion on their heads

(Ranganatha was the family deity for the Raghus).

 

Namo Narayana,

SriMuralidhara Dasan

 

(1) Sri UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam : Oh RanganAtha PaadhukE !

You were seated on the throne of Raghus.It is not surprising ,

since the successors of RaamA are carrying You on their heads

and offer their individual worships , while being seated on

their traditional throne , where You once sat .

 

(2) Here , Swamy Desikan answers the doubts of some about

placing the Paadhukais of RaamA on the venerable seat

adorned by the great kings of the Surya vamsam (IshvAku ,

Raghu , Dileepan , Dasarathan and others).He points out that

it was not at all a strange thing to seat the Paadhukai in

that honorable seat (throne of Raghu Vamsam )although

it was a mistake for the kings to be seated on the throne ,

while the Paadhukai desreved the seat . He points out that

the kings should have adorned the Raama Paadhukais like

Bharathan , while standing before it with reverence as

Bharathan to carry out the royal duties . Swamy Desikan

addresses here the doubts expressed by some about

the fitness of Swamy NammAzhwAr to be revered as

an AchAryan because of being born in alower caste .

Swamy asserts that there is no AchAryA , who is

equal to NammAzhwAr ( the Paadhukais of the Lord).

 

(3) Swamy Desikan had gone to battle twice with those

who minimized the importance of NammAzhwAr and Tamizh

MaRai and held the view that Sanskritic Vedams were far

superior . Both at Kaanchi and Srirangam , Swamy Desikan

defeated these biased scholars with sound arguments and

proved without doubt the equality of the Sanskritic Vedams

and Tamizh Vedams (Dhivya Prabhandhams). The Lord of Kaanchi

was so pleased with Swamy's defense that he presented

Swamy with one of His two Thiruchinnams . Such is the glory

of NammAzhwAr ! ...V.S