Gayathri Japam Day: Sri Hayagrva SthOthram : Part V, SlOkam 1 (Continued)

[Guest guest]

MahA asva SirasE Nama:

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

 

Dear BhakthAs: Yesterday , adiyEn focused on

the " Jn~Anandamayathvam " with particular emphasis

on the Aanndha Maya SarIram of Sri HayagrIvan. Today ,

we will discuss the Jn~Anam, Nirmalam and

the SpatikAkruthi aspects saluted in the first

Paadham of the First slOkam :

 

" Jn~Ananda Mayam Devam nirmala spatikAkruthIm "

 

In an earlier posting ,adiyEn pointed out that

JnAnathvam is one of the five defining guNams of

Isvaran and it is a SvarUpa NirUpaka VisEshaNa guNam .

With this Isvarathvam of Sri HayagrIvan in mind ,

Swamy Desikan saluted right away the Lord in front of

him as the embodiment of Isvara Tatthvam with

the words : Jn~Ananada Mayam Devam " . The choice of

the word " Mayam " after " JnAnandha " is very important.

He (Lord HayagrIvan ) is not just of the form (indicator)

of Knowlege-Bliss principle, but He is full of it

( Jn~Ana and Aanandha MAYAN).

 

DEVAN: He is indeed Devan ,DevAthi Devan, DevanAthan

and Deva Raajan. He is Deva adhinAthan .He is

" Dhvisath niyanthu( One who commands and directs

the DevAs and protects them ); He is Anantha-

GaruthmadhAdhyai: aj~nAtha seemakan " ( The Devan

whose glories are not fully understood even by

the nithyasooris like AdhisEshan and GaruDan).

He is " amara adhipathi " . He is " ViBhudha yEka

Naathan " ( TannoppArillappan). He is Thridasa Naathan.

He is Nirjara Pathi . He is Sura pathi.He is

Suparva Naathan (Deva Naathan). He is VaimAnika-

Adhipan( Lord of those celestials , who travel

in the Sky). Such is the power behind the mild

looking word , " Devan " chosen by Swami Desikan

to salute the " Jn~Ananda Maya Devan " . Swamy

Desikan had the Sevai of DEvanAtha perumAL of

ThiruvahIdhrapuram prior to sitting under

the pupil tree on Oushadha Giri to meditate upon

Sri HayagrIvan. Hence, the many words used

by Swamy Desikan to salute Deva Naatha PrerumAL

in Deva Naayaka Panchasath are relatable to

this Jn~Anandha Maya dEvan , Sri HayagrIvan.

 

NIRMALAN: " JnAnandha Mayam devam nirmala

SpatikAkruthim " is the first Paadham of

the first slOkam . AdiyEn will focus now on

the choice of the word " Nirmala " Devan by

Swamy Desikan

 

" Nirmala " resonates with the words of

used by ThiruppANAzhwAr in the first

paasuram of His AmalanAdhipirAn .

There AzhwAr uses the words " Amalan,

Vimalan and Nimalan " .The word used by

Swamy Desikan in his " Sri HayagrIva SthOthram "

(viz)., " Devam Nirmalam " means that Sri HayagrIvan

is blemishless in His GuNams .He is " Mala-prahtibHaDan "

( Opposite scale of DhOshams ).

 

According to Swamy Deesikan, Nirmalathvam indicates

Moksha Pradhathvam ( Power to grant Moksha Sukham).

As Nirmalan , He is sarvOpakArakan.

He is Nithya NirdhOshan ( For ever free from

deficencies).He is Ubhaya Linga VibUthi Naathan

(with Two identification marks). One of them is

" Akhila hEya prathyaneekathvam " (untouched by

impurities or dhOshams of any kind: nirmala dEvan ).

The other is " anantha KalYANa guNAkarathvam "

( abode of infinite auspicious attributes).

This is the way that the Ubhayalinga AdhikaraNam

of Brahma Soothram describes " the Nirmala dEvan " .

BhakthAs are referred to two excellent articles by

Sri M.S.Hari in SaraNAgathi Journal ( Volume 3.8 and 3.9,

archived at http://www.sivaishnava.org/sgati).

 

NIRMALA SPATIKA AAKRUTHIM Devam :His hue is that of

a blemishless, spotless White (Thooya PaLinku).

He also wears a spotless white Vasthram unlike

the golden-hued pIthAmbharam that is worn by

Sri RanganAthan . The references for the PeethAmbharam

are: " andhi pOl NiRatthAdai " of ThiruppAnar and

" padichOthiyAdaiodum palkalanAi ninn

paimpoRkaDicchOthi kalanthathuvO " of

Swamy NammazhwAr .Swamy Desikan states clearly

that Sri HayagrIvan's hue is a spotless

white clad in a spotles white vasthram

as the First Lord of Vidhyais.

 

Swamy Desikan salutes thus the Upanishad Saaram,

Sri HayagrIvan as " Jn~Anandha Mayam Devam ,

Nirmala SpatikAkruthim HayagrIvam UpAsmahE " .

This is very much in the spirit of the Brahma

Soothram 3.3.11 ( AanandhAdaya: PrahdAnasya ).

This Soothram points out that Bliss (Aanandham),

Knowledge (Jn~Anam ) , stainlessness (Nirmalam)

etc are the essential attributes of the One and only

SavisEsha Brahman and any meditation of such a Brahman

should include the Jn~Anandha Nirmala GuNams ,

which are part of the SvarUpa NiruPitha VisEshaNa

guNams of One , who is Isvaran.

 

Such is the grandeur of the Vision of Swamy

Desikan as he starts his salutation of

Lord HayagrIvan .

 

In the next posting , adiyEn will foicus on the

" AadhAram sarva VidhyAnAm " aspect of Sri HayagrIvan

and conclude the discussions on the First slOkam

of Sri HayagrIva SthOthram.

 

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan