bhagavad dhyAna sopAnam - Slokas 1 to 3

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SrI:

SrI Lakshminrusimha ParabrahmaNE namaha

SrI Lakshminrusimha Divya PAdukA SEvaka SrIvaN SaThakOpa-

SrI nArAyaNa yateendra mahAdESikAya namaha

 

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SlokA 1 :

 

antarjyOtihi kimapiyaminA man-jNanam yoga drstehe

chintAratnam sulabhAmihanassidhimoksAnurUpam |

dEnanAthA vyasanasmanam davivatam devatAnAm

divyam chaksussrutiparisAdAm drshyate ranga madhye || 1 ||

 

" In the pilgrim centre, Sri Rangam, the holiest of the holy, there is a

wonderful object,bearing the name ranganAtha - the splendour,

unsurpassed. This splendid object is envisioned by the yogis, enshrined

in the lotus of the heart ( hrdaya kamalam). It is a vision of rare

brilliance which can hardly be noticed by the ordinary folks unless

their eyes are smeared with the special collyrium, handed out by the

siddha purusAs. ' chinthAmani ' - is a rare gem in 'devalokA', which is

said to dole out boons,of sorts, to the seekers of it's bounty. But it's

greatest shortcoming is that it cannot grant mokshA. . On the other

hand, chintAratnam here in the form of ranganAtha, it the donor par

excellence, towering all above the rest. This ruby can grant moksha even

to those who have no spiritual aspirations, if and only if they look up

to ranganAtha as the sole means and goal of salvation. He(ranganathA) is

the cynosure of all vedas. Likewise he is the god of all gods (

DaivatAnam daivatam), reposing in sri rangam,is the cynosure of all

eyes. "

 

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SlokA 2 :

 

velAthIthaSrutiparimalAm veedhasAmouli sevyAm

parAdurbhUtam kanakasaritassaikatehamsajuSte

lakshmIbhUmyAh karasarasijaih lAlitam rangA bhartuhu

pAdAmbhOjam pratiphalatime bhAvanAdIrghi kAyAm

 

(Lord Ranganatha's feet are decribed in this SlokA)

 

Swami Vedantha desika has highlighted, in this slokA, the over whelming

superiority of the lord's lotus feet, as follows :

" (1) The lord's lotus feet possess the combined heavenly fragrance of

the Samkruta Veda and Dravida Veda of boundless magnitude; (2) The

earthly lotus, with it's watery habitat, has it's origins in the bed of

the lake; it cannot grow on sadn or on sandy soil whereas the " lotus " ,

symbolising the lords' feet is blooming on the sandy banks of the kaveri

river where the swans play merrily( the swans are symbolic of the great

achAryas like Sri Yamunacharyar , Yathirajar, and others); (3) the

lord's lotus feet are far more tender and soft than the earthly lotus.

thAyar, who is the very picture of great tenderness and care, herself

takes utmost care of the lord's feet "

 

It is also note-worthy that the lord's lotus feet never fade out like

the earthly lotus; on the other hand, the lord's lotus feet, eyes, lips

and palms are ever fresh like the red lotus in fresh bloom. It is a

matter of common knowledge that the earthly lotus folds up at night and

blossoms only at day break, but the lord's lotus feet are in full

blossom for-ever.

 

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slokA 3 :

 

chitrAkArAm katakaruchibihi chAruvrttAnupUrvAm

kAlwdoutyadrytataragatim kantilIlakalAchIm

jAnucchAyA dvugunAshubAngam ranhabharturmadAtmA

janghAm drshtvAjanapadavI jAnghikatvam jahAti

 

(This slokA decribes the beauty of Lord Ranganatha's ankles and the

charming anklets decorating them)

 

The anklets are round, reflecting the splendour of the multi coloured

gems inside. Further, this charm gets enhanced by the proximity of the

ankles to the lovely shind, just above. The ankles, viewed in

juxta-position with the rising shins, resemble a lovely vessel, a

reservoir,as it were, of robust energy that the swift-moving lord's legs

needed when the lotd as krishna went on a peace mission for the pandavas

to hastinapura before the great mahabharata war.

 

By worshipping the lord's ankles, Swami Vedantha Desika acknowledges

that the devotee ceases to get tossed up by the cyclic waves of samsAra.

By implication, following his foot-steps we can attain liberation from

samsAra.

 

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To be continued....................

 

adiyen sri malola narsimha dasan,

 

Malolan Cadambi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

adiyEn sri mAlola narasimha dAsan,

 

Malolan Cadambi

 

 

 

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