Sri HayagrIva SthOthram : Part XXVII: SlOkam 17-18

[Guest guest]

SrimathE RaamAnujAya nama:

 

Dear BhakthAs :

 

In the 16 th slOkam , Swamy Desikan referred

to the aanandAnubhavam of the fortunate ones , who

through their dhyAnam have the SaakshAthkAram

of Lord HayagrIvan and experience horripulations

(pulaka anubhandham ) from that anubhavam.

 

In the 17th slOkam , Swamy Desikan states that

the aanandhAnubhavam of the HayagrIva bhakthAs

finds an outlet through their eyes in the form

of aanandha bhAshpam.The slOkam describing

the state of the bhakthan with copious flow of

tears of joy is as follows:

 

SvAmin prathIchA hrudhayEna dhanyA:

tvath dhyAna chandhrOdhaya VardhamAnam

amAnthamaanandha payOdhi mantha:

payObhirakshNAm parivAhayanthi

 

(meaning ): Oh My Master ! Oh Lord HayagrIvA !

The minds of few bhAgyasAlis pull their attention

from external objects , just as a tortoise pulls

its neck inwards. Their mind turns inward instead of

outwards. In that state of deep dhyAnam , they

visualize Your auspicious form . At that time ,

the joy experienced by their minds lifts up

just as the Ocean rises on seeing the rise of

the Moon (ChandrOdhayam ). That immense wave of

aannadham could not be contained inside anymore

and it spills over like a dam that is broken .

The eyes serve as an outlet for that paramAnandham

and a flood of aanandha bhAshpam flows .

 

The indescribable bliss that arises out of

the HayagrIva SaakshAthkAram (Darsanam

of the form of Lord HayagrIvan in their hearts

by the yogis) results in uncontrollable flood

of tears of Joy associated with that aanandha-

anubhavam. These are the dhanyA: or the blessed

ones. Their focus is inward (prathIchA hrudhaya:)

through Indriya nigraham (control of senses).

They are engaged in dhyAnam of the form of their

UpAsana Moorthy.Their mental state filled with

bliss is like the state of the joyous Ocean

(aannadha payOnidhi) that rises uncontrollably

(amaantham) , when it witnesses the Chandra-Udhayam.

The bhakthan's eyes are flodded with tears of Joy

( akshNAm payObhi: parivAhayanthi)that flow

out without interruption .

 

Sri KulasEkara AzhwAr's prayer to Lord RanganAthA

longing for His darsanam and his ardent desire

to have his eyes filled with tears as a result of

the aanandham arising from that dharsana-janitha-

sukham ( yenn KaNkaL neermalha yenRu kolO niRkum naaLE )

is referred to by Sriman D.Ramaswamy Iyengar in

this context.

 

The Rg Vedic manthram section , " ChandramA manasO

jaatha:- " (Rg Vedam-Canto X.90.13) has some

connection to this anubhavam . The HayagrIva-

ChandrOdhayam and its effect on the mind of

the UpAsakan is alluded to here.

 

Sri HayagrIva SthOthram :SlOkam 18

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

The effect of Sri HayagrIva dhyAnam by

the truly evolved bhAgyasAlis is

the subject matter of the 18th slOkam:

 

svairAubhAvAs-tvadhadheena bhAva:

samruddha veeryAs-tvadhanugrahENa

vipascchithO Naatha taranthi maayAm

vaihArikIm mOhana pinchikAm tE

 

(Meaning ): Oh Lord HayagrIvA ! Those Jn~Anis

( Vipascchitha:) place their minds at Your

disposal (Tvadhadheena BhAva:) and become

great ones with inherent glory (Svaira

anubhavA:). They become VairAgyasAlis

(dispassionate ones) . Their minds are rooted

firmly at Your feet leading to immense

strength (Samrudhda VeeryA:)and they cross

then Your MayA , which hypnotizes the humans

like the bunch of peacock feathers used by

magicians to perform their hypnotizing act .

Your anugraham permits these Jn~Anis to cross

this difficult-to-transcend MaayA of Yours

effortlessly (tE maayAm tvadhanugrahENa taranthi ).

 

The BhAvam and the anubhAvam of the Jn~Anis

is described here. Their BhAvam is " Tvadh adheenam "

being under the power of the Lord as charamAvathi-

daasan . The resulting anubhAvam is " svaira anubhAvam "

or matchless inherent glory as sEsha BhUthan of the Lord.

 

The MaayA referred to in this slOkam has nothing

to do with the Maaya as advaithins understand that term .

To them , MaayA is " yaa maa saa mAyA " ( That which is

not is MaayA ). It means illusion or hallucination .

Te VisthAdvaidhic concept of MaayA is Prakruthi or

matter that is enchantingly seductive.Our Lord Himself

has decreed Prakruthi to be this way (maayAm thu

prakruthim vidhyAth maayinam thu MahEsvaram ).

 

AchAruya RaamAnujA has explained the term MaayA as

the marvellous power of the Lord (Asccharya sakthi) .

This MaayA has an unshakable grip and no one can

escape from that grip without the anugraham of

the Lord Himself . The observance of Bhakthi or

Prapatthi Yogam melts the heart of the Lord and

that helps the bhaddha Jeevans to cross His MaayA.

 

Sri D.RamaswAmy IyengAr refers to a passage from

AchArya RaamAnujA's SaraNAgathi Gadhyam regarding

BhagavAn's MaayA , which needs more detailed study :

 

" madheeya anaadhi karma pravAha pravrutthAm Bhagaavth-

SvarUpa tirOdhaana-kareem , viparItha Jn~Ana jananeem ,

svavishayAyasya bhOgya buddhErjananeem , dEhEndhriyathvEna

bhOgyathvEna sookshm aroopENa avasthithAm ,DHAIVEEM

GUNAMAYEEM MAAYAAM , " DaasabhUtha: SaraNAgathOsmi

tavAsmi daasa: ithi vakthAram MAAM TAARAYA " .

 

Sri Sudarsana Soori's commentary as translated

by Abhinava Desika Sri UtthamUr Swamy for

the above passage is:

 

" Oh Lord ! I am Thy servant. I have surrenderd

myself unto Thee. Help me, Thy servant , to cross over

Your Moola Prakruthi (MaayA ) of three GuNAs ,

which flows like a swift current of beginningless

and endless karmA, which hides from my vision Thy

natural form , and produces in me perverted knowledge

about Thee and a sense of (false) satisfaction in

me regarding the enjoyment of material things existing

(in the world ) in all manner of forms , subtle

and gross -in body , senses and objects of enjoyment. "

 

Those who perform SaraNAgathi to Lord HayagrIvan

in the above fashion cross His own MaayA and He blesses

them with Para Bhakthi , Para Jn~Anam and Parama Bhakthi

and qualifies them to perform nithya kaimkaryam

to Him in His Supreme Abode, Sri Vaikuntam .Such is

the result of crossing the Lord's MaayA , which is

realized only thru the practise of either Bhakthi or

SaraNAgathi yOgams .

 

Swamy Desikan uses the next slOkam to elaborate

further on how to secure the Lord's anugraham

to enable the chEthanam to cross His MaayA .

 

(PraNavam) MaayA-Vikruthi kruthE nama:

( " ) VidhyA SahAyAya nama:

( " ) HrudhayEsAya nama:

( " ) KaarayithrE nama:

( " ) KaaraNAya nama:

( " ) SankalpathAya nama:

( " ) MaayAvinE nama:

( " ) MaayAthigAya nama:

( " ) Nara-NaarAyaNAkruthyA Guru-sishyathvam-

aasthithAya nama:

( " ) Sarva Bhaya HarthrE nama:

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan