Sri GuNa Rathna KOsam : SlOkam 6

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SrimathE RanganAyakai Nama:

 

Dear BhagavathAs:AdiyEn will cover

the sixth slOkam in this posting.

 

SlOkam 6:

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sthOthAram tamusanthi dEvi ! kavayO

yO visthruNeethE GuNAn

sthOthavyasya tathasccha tE sthuthidhurA

mayyEva visrAmyathi I

YasmAdhasmAth amarshaNIya phaNithi

svIkAratastE GuNA:

KshAnthyoudharya dayAdhayO BhagavathI!

svAm prasruveeran praTaam II

 

Translation of the Meaning by Dr.V.N.VedAntha Desikan:

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Oh Bhagavathi! The world of scholars would acknowledge only

that man , as a poet of worth , who is capable of publicizing

the great virtues of the subject (that he is praising).

Under this criterion , no one is better suited to praise

you(than me).Yes. Because Your forbearance , pity,

graciousness , bounteousness and similar qualities

would stand out in prominent perspective only when

I am their target. I am the lowliest person;

my words are poor and defective. But , Your qualities

shine at their best only with regard to me. So, I declare

that I am the fittest panegyrsit for You.

 

Additional Comments from Dr.V.N.V

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Oh Bhagavathi! In this world of Yours , one is

recognized as a " SthOthA " by the learned people,

when he can illuminate well the atributes of

the subject that he is eulogizing. Under this criterion,

the burden and responsibillity to be Your SthOthA

will rest solely with me. Why ? There are important

atributes that You possess such as forbearance ,

generosity , dayA et al. There is no object fitter

than me for all those auspicious attributes of Yours

to be targetted. My words are poor and deficient .

Hence , You should take compassion on me and

let Your showers of mercy fall on me to become

suitable to attempt this effort of praising You.

Therefore , no one else is more appropriate

than myself to be the object of Your mahA

KalyANa GuNams.

 

Observations by V.SatakOpan (V.S):

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ParAsara Bhattar was an expert in Tarkam .

His arguments regarding his qualifications

for being the best poet to praise Sri RanganAyaki

is laid out here in a clever manner. He starts

by conceding that it is an accepted practise

to judge a poet's excellence by the skills he

displays to illuminate and elaborate well

the attributes of the object of his sthOthram .

If he has that prowess, then he is called

a SthOthA ( Tamm sthOthAram usanthi) .

 

This poetic excellence should amply demonstrate

his power to expand on and celebrate the GuNAs of his

object of praise( ya: guNAn visthruNeethE ).

 

SthOthA is Bhattar. SthOthavyaa is Sri RanganAyaki.

Bhattar connects now the SthOthA and SthOthvyaa

and the responsibility of the sthOthA to engage

in his efforts to praise Sri RanganAyaki (sthOthavyaa).

 

Bhattar now accepts full responsibility as

the sthOthA of the Divine Mother with the statement:

" sthuthi-dhurA mayyEva visrAmyathi " ( the full

responsibility to pay adequate tribute to You

rests solely with me as Your sthOthA).DhurA means

a burden or a load . That burden rests with me

and me alone as a result of undertaking such

important duties to be Your SthOthA .Thus ends

the first two paadhams of the sixth slOkam .

The case has been laid out and the duties

and the onus of responsibilities has been

clearly stated .

 

In the second paadham of the slOkam , the clever

ParAsara Bhattar reveals how he is going to become

fit for his duties. He says : " KshAnthyoudhArya-

dayAdayO Bhagavathi ! YasmAdhasmAth amarshaNIya

phaNithi sveekArathas tE guNA: " .

 

First, Bhattar addresses Sri RanganAyaki as

the embodiment of auspicious attributes

like KshAnthi ( patience and forbearance) ,

oudhAryam ( generosity )and dayA (Compassion )

and reminds her that She is indeed Bhagavathi

( the abode of other six gunams such as Isvaryam,

Balam , Tejas , Sakthi , Veeryam et al).

 

Next , Bhattar states that the power

of Her illustrious GuNAs will nullify his

poor and defective vaak(speech) and then

sanctify it to become fit to engage in

Her sthuthi and thereby qualify to be

recognized as Her famous sthOthA.

 

He says: Because of the nature and power of Your

KalyAna GuNams , they towered over my

lowly self and my " amarshaNIya PhaNithi "

and identified me as the right target

for the torrent (prasravaNam )of Your

KaruNai and soaked me in ecstasy . Therefore

adiyEn, the fittest object of Your dayA ,

declares myself now to be the best among

Your sthOthAs ( panegyrists).

 

In the next two slOkams , ParAsara Bhattar

prays to the divine Mother for Her further

blessings for the conferral of the full poetic

power befitting the occasion.

 

Sri ParAsara Bhattar ThiruvadigaLE Saranam ,

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan