Padhuka Sahasram-241

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Sri:

 

SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

 

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

 

VaithALika Paddhathi: Navami

 

241. namasthE pAdhukE! pumsAm samsArArNavasEthavE

yadhArohasya vedhAnthA vandhivaIthALikA: svayam

 

Oh Paaduka! My prostrations to You who is served by the Upanishads

acting as panegyrists and

announcers, say, at the time of the Lord wearing You who is the

bridge for humans to cross the

ocean of samsara.

 

Namo Narayana,

 

SriMuralidhara Dasan

 

Special Notes by V.Sadagopan(V.S):

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(1)This ninth paddhathi has ten slOkams . This paddhathi

has been constructed in the form of court singers waking up

Lord RanganAthA and requesting Him to adorn His holy PaadhukAs

to conduct His dialy duties. Court poets or singers appointed

for waking up a king are known as Vandhis or VaithALikAs

or BodhakArAs. Tis paddathi derives its name from that

of the vaithALikAs waking up Sri RanganAthan ...V.S

 

(2) In this verse , Swami Desikan indicates that

the court singers , who wake up RanganAthA in

the morning hours are none other than the Upanishads

and VedAs.The ten verses of this paddhathi address RanganAthA

Himself , since He alone enjoys the two states of being

awake and engaging in Yoga NidhrA . PaadhukAs on the other

hand do not experience the above two states ..V.S

 

(3) Much of the references in these ten slOkams about

the ThiruppaLLi Yezhuchci of RanganAtha will have echos in

the Ten Pasurams of ThoNDaradippoDi AzhwAr's

ThiruppaLLIyezucchi Paasurams.. V.S

 

(3) Sri UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam: " Oh PaadhukE ! You

are the bridge to cross the ocean of SamsArA. AdiyEn's

salutations to You for serving as such and helping

the populace .

 

The Upanishads themselves assume the form of court singers

to announce the different divisions of time of the day

and night for RanganAthA and request Him to adorn

the Paadhukais in the context of performance of His duties.

These VaithALikAs serve as reminders of the time and

occasion for RanganAthA to mount the Paadhukais for

His many travels to protect His bhakthAs and punish

their enemies.

 

(4) Srimath Andavan's anubhavam: Oh PaadhukE ! AdiyEn

salutes You, who removes the cycles of births and deaths

of the people. Upanishads wake up Your Lord and eulogize

Him .

 

Through these salutaions ,Upanishads exhibit twin

functions (viz)., vandhis (eulogizers) and VaithALikAs

( Those who provide the wake up call ).

 

(5) Swami Desikan salutes the Paadhukais as " SamsArArNava

Sethu " or the dam over which people travel to escape from

repeated births and deaths .Upanishads have a dedicated

role in RanganAthA's court . Their goal is to request

the Lord to wake up, adorn His Paadhukais to conduct

His daily duties ( Yath aarOhasya VedAnthA: svayam

vandhi-VaithALikA .