GodhA Sthuthi: Part IX: SlOkam 6

[Guest guest]

Namo Narayanaya !

 

Dear BhakthAs:

 

In the fifth slOkam , Swami Desikan described

the gains obtained by us from the PaamAlais

( garland of verses) and PoomAlais ( garland of

flowers ) of Godhai. Here, Swami Desikan visualizes

Godhai as Six puNya (sacred) nathikaLs (rivers)

flowing swiftly and majestically . These sacred rivers

are :SONA , Thungabhadhrai, Sarasvathi , Virajai ,

GodhAvari and NarmadhA .Swamy Desikan once again

uses his samathkArAm (clevenrness))as a kavi-

Saarvabhouman to achieve the comparsion of the limbs

and attributes of Godhai with the specific features of

the six individual rivers.

 

The Sixth SlOkam :

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

 

sONAdharEpi KuchayOrapi ThungabhadrA

VaachAm pravAha nivahEapi SarsavathI thvAm

AprAkruthairapi RasairvirajA svabhAvAth

GodhEapi Devi kamithurnanu NarmadhAsi

 

(Meaning ): Oh Devi GodhE ! Thou art like

rivers SONA ,ThungabhadhrA , Sarasvathi with its

swift currents, the clear VirajA of Sri Vaikuntam ,

GodhAvari and NarmadhA . The inner meaning is

that Godhai's lips ar red like the waters of SONA

river . Her breasts have a majestic appearance

as ThiungabhadrA river. Her necatarine speech is

like the veritable Sarasvathi river also known

as Vegavathi (One with speedy flow ).Her Prabhandhams

are full of anubhavams based on the Satthva guNams

like a veritable VirajA river , which is outside

this prakruthi mandalam. She is like GodhAvari

in being naturally gracious and is like river NarmadhA ,

which gladdens the heart of Her Lord through

teasing speech.

 

There is a double meaning behind the name of

each of these six rivers.adiyEn has added

special meanings beyond the vykhyAnam

of Seva SwamigaL know as ParimaLam .The Vedic

aspects of the names of the rivers have been

added especially.

 

(1) SoNai is a river , which has red colored waters.

It originates in Gondavana and merges with GangA

near Pataliputra.SONathi means to move , to go forward

and to become reddish in hue. Godhai's lips are

referred to here , when the image of SONai is invoked.

The red color symbolizes the Raagam ( longing , desire)

of Godhai for Her Lord expressed beautifully in

NaacchiyAr Thirumozhi.Typically the beautiful red

lips are equated to ripe (red) BhimbhA fruit or

red coral . Swamy Desikan equates them here to

the red river,SONai.

 

(2) Godhai is also Tunga-bhadra, a river resulting

from two separate streams in KarnAtakA . One is

Tunga and the other is BhadrA . Godhai's two

majestic sthanams are invoked by the imagery

of Tunga-bhadhrA . Tungam means high, elevated

or lofty. It is saamudhrikA lakshaNam for Padmini

ladies to have lofty breasts as a mark of beauty.

Bhadra(m) is a celebrated Vedic word( Bhadram

KarNebhi: SruNAyAma:). Bhadra means happiness,

prosperity , welfare and auspicousness. The

saying is " Bhadram bhadram vithara BhagavAn

bhUyasE mangaLAya " . The Vedic significance

of Bhadram is celebrated in atleast half a dozen

Rg Vedic Verses. Let us enjoy one of them , which

happens to be the shortest Rk in the whole of Rg

Vedam ( Bhadram nO api vaathaya Mana:/Rg .X.20.1)

with ten syllables. Bhadram here is meant as a

propitiation according to Saayana BhAshyam

( Sambhandi sthOthra karaNE prEraya / Let us

be inspired to eulogize you and Your associated

auspicious attributes). One who has Bhadram is BhadrA

or BhadrAvathi. Godhai is clearly BhadrA with

utthunga sthanams .Hence , She is aptly

addressed as TungabhadrA.

 

Seva SwamigaL says that the people of ShimOga

call TungabhadrA as " PaalARu " . He extrapolates

the meaning as Jn~Ana Paal AaRu ( the river of

Jn~AnappAl or the milk of Jn~Anam).

 

(3) Sarasvathi: " VaachAm PravAha nivahE Sarasvathi

Thvam " is the salutation of Swamy Desikan . He says

that Godhai is indeed Sarasvathi (Sarasvathi Thvam)

due to the pathinettAm Perukku like flow of the

assembly of Her speech . Sarasvathi again is a Vedic

metaphor . She is one of the three Speeches:

Sarasvathi , ILA , Bharathi . Near Kaanchipuram,

She flowed with immense speed and got the name of

Vegavathi and the Lord had to take the role of a Sethu

(dam ) to control Her fury. Sarasvathi generally

refers to the Goddess of speech and learning. It is

also a antharvAhini river, which is flowing hidden

under the sands of the great desert .During the Vedic

age, Sarasvathi was BahirvAhini. Sarasvathi is also

the name of a plant mentioned in Atharva Vedam as

JyOthishmathi or the One with supreme JyOthi .Such

are the rich connotations of the word Sarasvathi.

 

(4) VirajA River: " aprAkruthai: rasai: VirajA " is

the mangaLAsAsanam of Swamy Desikan. VirajA is not

of this world and it flows at the border of Sri

Vaikuntam. Viraja means free from dust or passion.

Viraja is also an epithet for Lord VishNu. The

river that flows in Sri Vaikuntam is suddha satthvam

and is totally devoid of RajO or TamO guNams .

The soul ascending to Sri Vaikuntam takes a dip

in the VirajA river to cleanse itself and transform

itself to be " akarma Vasyan " (beyond the influence

of KarmAs . A dip in the VirajA river makes the Jeevan

manifest in its own nature ( SvEna rUpEna

abhinishpadhyathE-ChAndOgya Upanishad ). A dip

in the VirajA like Prabhandhams of Godhai makes

us qualified to become Muktha Jeevans traveling

in the archirAdhi maargam.

 

(5) GodhAvari River: " SvabhAvAth GodhEapi thvam "

is the mangaLAsAsanam of Swamy Desikan. The many

meanings of GodhA have beeen covered in earlier

articles of adiyEn. GodhAvari is the name of

the river in Andhra PradEsh , which has been

mentioned in Srimath RaamAyaNam. SithA Piratti

sported with Her Lord on the banks of GodhAvari.

" Varivas " is a Vedic word meaning wealth, pleasure

and Happiness . " Variman " means excellence ,

superiority and pre-eminence . Swamy Desikan

seems to say that Godhai is by Her very nature

(svabhAvAth GodhAvari) because She is Varivath and

Varivas . Because of blessing us with pre-eminent

Prabhandhams , She is GodhAvari.

 

(6) NarmadhA River: " Devi Kamithu: nanu NarmadhAsi "

is Swamy Desikan's salutation. Kamithu: means the Lord,

EmperumAn. " Kamithu: NarmadhA asi nanu " queries Swami

Desikan . Are not You the NarmadhA river for Your

Lord ? NarmadhA is a river ,which rises in

the VindhyA mountain and joins the ocean at

the gulf of Cambay . The other meaning of NarmadhA is

ParihAsam or Jestful or amorous past time . Narma is

also a kind of Vaak , ParihAsa Vaak. Godhai's skills

in wining over Her Lord through Her amusing ways

is symbolized by the choice of NarmadhA-suhrudh

svarUpam .

 

SevA SwamigaL points out that the first two lines

of this Sixth SlOkam includes three rivers(SONA,

ThungabhadrA and Sarasvathi) and the the last two

lines house three more rivers ( VirajA , Godhavari

and NarmadhA). The first three rivers dealing with

the Adharam (lips), Sthanams and Vaak represent

PrAkrutha rasam and the other three rivers deal

with AprAkrutha (other worldly) rasam . Thus ,Godhai

shines with apraakrutha rasam in archai and vibhavam

and is by the side of Her Lord as Narmadhai always .

 

SoodikkodutthaL ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

PaadikkodutthAL ThiruvadigLE SaraNam ,

adiyEn, RaamAnuja Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil SatakOpan