Sri HayagrIva SthOthram : Part XXXI-- SlOkams:23-25

[Guest guest]

SrimathE RaamAnujAya nama:

 

Dear BhakthAs :

 

From SlOkams 19-22 , Swamy Desikan was absorbed

in the enjoyment of the lotus feet of Lord HayagrIvan

and their powers of anugraham.In slOkams 23-25 ,

the subject of this posting , Swamy Desikan shifts

his attention to the lower right and left hands of

Lord HayagrIvan . The upper right and left hands of

the Lord adorn Sudarsanam and Paanchajanyam .

 

The right lower hand holds the Upadesa Mudhrai

and the garland of beads (Japa Maalai) and the left

lower hand holds a pusthakam ( book ), while embracing

MahA Lakshmi .

 

SlOkam 23: VyAkhyAna (UpadEsa) MudhrA & the right hand

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SanchinthayAmi prathibhAasAsTAn

santhukshayantham samaya pradhIpAn

vij~yAna kalpadhruma pallavAbham

VyAkhyAna mudhrA madhuram karam tE

 

(Meaning): Oh Lord HayagrIvA ! Your right hand is

resplendent with the Jn~Ana mudhrai intended for

performing Jn~Ana Upadesam for Your BhakthAs.

This Jn~Ana mudhrai is instrumental in instructing

efficently all the saarArthams ( essential and

deeper meanings ) of SiddhAnthams that has to be

grasped by your devotees with sharp intellect( medhai

as invoked by MedhA Sookthi) .

 

In this matter , Your sacred right hand serves

as the tender instrument to kindle the wick (mEdhai)

found in the lamps ( dheepams ) known as VedArthams.

Your Jn~Ana-maya ThirumEni is the Kalpakaa tree

that grants all the boons that your BhakthAs seek

during their intense meditation.adiyEn thinks

intensely of Thy sweet and creeper-like tender right

hand ( Madhura-pallavAbha hastham ) , which performs

Jn~Ana-upadesam for Your UpAsakAs .

 

The sweet right hand of Lord HayagrIvan holding

the Jn~Ana mudhrA pose is beautiful to behold.

It is soft like the tender shoot of a KalpakA

tree and is an embodiment of Jn~Anam . It kindles

the eternal lamps of Vedic knowledge lit with

the wick ( dasAsTAn )of bright and sharp intellect

(mEdhai). This is the akhanda dheepam that is

nourished and protcted by the Lord . VyAkhyAna

Mudhrai is the symbol of that act of upadEsam

of the siddhAnthams.

 

Sri D.Ramaswamy Iyengar invites our attention

to Swamy Desikan's adoration of the UpadEsaMudhrA

found in the hand of Sri RaamAnujA ( YathirAja

Sapthathi, slOkam 24 ) , which removes the darkness

of Ajn~Anam. Swamy Desikan's own VyAkhyAna Mudhrai

holding hand has been saluted by his son , KumAra

Varadha Desikan in PiLlai AndhAthi this way :

" Vaazhi VykkhiyA muddhiraik Kai " .

 

SlOkam 24: The Japa MaalA found in the Right hand

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ChitthE KarOmi sphurithAksha maalAm

savyEtharam Naaatha Karam TvadhIyam

Jn~AmruthOnjana lampaDAnAm

leelA gaDI YanthramibAsrithAnAm

 

(Meaning ): Oh Lord HayagrIvA ! I etch in my mind

Thy right hand that also holds a Japa Maalai, which

resembles a ghatee-yanthram , a machine used for

pumping water from the well for irrigation purposes.

The movement of the beads of Japa Maalai in Your

right hand is blessing Your upAsakAs by bringing up

of the nectar of Jn~Anam from Your inner depths.

 

The ghatee yanthram is known as " Kavalai yERRam " .

It is a configuration of buckets tied together

with a rope over a rotating wheel. As it dips into

the well , water gets filled in the first bucket

and comes up for distribution to the irrigational

canal ; at the same time , the next bucket goes down

to fill itself with water and this event repeats

itself continously . Copious amounts of water

are drawn from the well with this simple mechanism

used by the farmers. Swamy Desikan compares

the movement of the beads of the japaMaalai on

the right hand of Lord HayagrIvan to the operation of

this Ghatee Yanthram. In Lord HayagrIvan's case ,

the nectar of Jn~Anam is brought out from His

inner depths for the benefit of His UpAsakAs.

When we think of Sri Srirama DesikAcchAr Swamy's

use of the words , " Muhanthu Muhanthu VeLiYil

kottuvathu pOl ) one is reminded of ANDAL's

ThiruppAvai Paasuram passage praying to Aazhi Mazhaik

KaNNan for aruL Maari ( the life giving waters in

the form of rain ,which is AchArya SadhupadEsam ):

 

" Aazhi Mazhaik KaNNA ! --AazhiyuL pukku MUHANTHU

kodArtthERi --thAzhAthE Saarngamudaittha Peru Mazhai

pOl Vaazha Ulahinil peythidAi " .

 

Our DesikEndhran is Lord HayagrIvan and His movement of

Japa MaalA in His right hand like Ghatee Yanthram is

a salutation to His Parama KaaruNIka AchAryakathvam.

Those who are objects of Lord HayagrIvan's kaaruNyam

thru His manthrOpadesam becomes " mithunavAn " , a blessed

One fit to enjoy the bhOgams in this and the other world

(iha-para sukha anubhavams).The term " MithunavAn "

is found in AruNa KEthukam Passage in TaittirIya

AaraNyakam (22nd anuvAkam ).

 

SlOkam 25:The Left hand of the Lord Holding Pusthakam

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prabhOdha SindhO: aruNai: prakAsai:

pravALa sanghAthamivOdhvahantham

vibhAvayE Deva SAPUTHAKAM tE

vaamam karam DakshiNam aasrithAnAm

 

(meaning ): Oh Lord HayagrIvA ! In Your lower right hand

(embracing MahA Lakshmi ) , You adorn a book (pusthakam ).

The redddish hue of Your left palm is spreading like

jaathi pavazham (coral bead assembly )brought out

from the depths of the ocean of Jn~Anam .AdiyEn

reflects always on the power and glory of this left hand ,

which blesses Your upAsakAs with all desired boons.

 

The red halo of the pusthakam-holding left hand

reminds Swamy Desikan of the radiance of a cluster

of quality corals (semm-PavaLam )harvested from

the deep ocean of Jn~Anam .

 

The red halo seen emanating from the left hand

reminds Swamy Desikan of AruNOdhayam ( Jn~AnOdhyam)

coming to the rescue of those , who sought the feet

of Lord HayagrIvan as refuge. AruNOpanishad (AruNamEva

PrathibhAdhyathi) and Soorya NamaskAra manthrams

hailing the Soorya-NaarAyaNa SvarUpa Sri HayagrIvan

are to be associated with the red halo associated

with the pusthakam-holding left (vaama Hastham )

that is uniquely capable (dakshiNam ) of removing

the Aj~nAnam of upasakAs.

 

Bhadram KarNEbhi: sruNAyama DevA:

Bhadram pasyEma akshibhir yajathrA:

sthirarairangais thushtuvAgumsas: tanUbhi:

vyasEma devahitham yadhAyu:

 

(Pranavam) Saanthi: Saanthi: Saanthi:

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan