Sri GuNa Rathna Kosam: Part XVI-- SlOkma 7

[Guest guest]

SrimathE RanganAyakyai Nama:

 

Dear BhakthAs :

 

In the seventh slOkam , ParAsara Bhattar

makes a sincere appeal for Sri RanganAyaki's

auspicious glances to fall on him to realize

a sthuthi on Her , which will pay the most

befitting tribute to Her anantha kalyANa guNams.

 

The Seventh SlOkam

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

 

Sookthim samagrayathu svayamEva LakshmI:

SriRangarAja MahishI madhurai: kaDAkshai:

Vaidhagdhya-varNaguNa-gumbhana-gouravair yaam

kaNDUla karNa guharA: kavayO dhayanthi

 

The Meaning by Dr.V.N.Vedantha Desikan(V.N.V)

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May Goddess Sri RanganAyaki , Herself ,

confer Her benign glances to make this work

of OURS (Hers as much as mine !) perfect

and replete with the admirable virtues of

richness of content , use of choice words,

happy combination of all beauties , so that

discerning connoisseurs of poetry will eagerly

listen to the work with rubbed ears , whetted to

the hearing process!

 

Additional Comments by Dr.V.N.V

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

Oh The divine consort of Lord RangarAjA!

Are n't You my Mother ? You should bless me

with Your auspicious glances and help me to

complete this Sthuthi on You.I dream that

the fruits of this effort would be the creation

of a Sthuthi with an integration of Vaidhagdhyam

( insightful meanings) ,varna-guNam (( distinction of

housing the flow of choice words) , Gouravam

( guruthvam or majestic nature) and the seamless

blending ((gumbhanam) of all of the above features.

The learned aasthikAs will devour such a nectarine

sthOthram through their ear cavities.

 

These learned people are rasikAs of poetry

and literary creations. When they experience

the sweetness (maadhUrya rasam )of the Sthuthi

about You , their ears will long more and more

to hear this sthuthi.Their ears will never be

satiated.It will be aparyApthAmrutham for them.

Oh RanganAyaki blessing us as MahA Lakshmi in

archai form at Srirangam ! My prayers are for

Your dayA to create this Sookthi and help.

When You participate in this manner actively,

then the resulting Sookthi will be OUR Sookthi

instead of being just mine!

 

Observations by adiyEn (V.S)

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

 

Here, ParAsara Bhattar co-opts Sri Ranganaayaki

to be the creator of the sthuthi about Herself

in the spirit of Swamy NammAzhwAr's paasurams

as pointed out by Dr.V.N.V :

 

" To get sung of Himself , He became myself.

He had the work composed by me without any

error. Had I done it myself , it would have

been imperfect ;errors would have crept in.

When He did it Himself through me as a tool ,

all was well done...... " ThiruvAimozhi:VII.9.4

 

" Yennal tannai padhaviya inn kavi paadiya

Appanukku yethuvum onRumillai seyvathu

ingumangE " --ThiruvAimozhi:VII.9.10

 

(meaning): " To One ,who made me --a nobody

before--a poet to sing of Him in sweet verse ,

He would Himself sing , if He were to do it--

I feel I can do no adequate return here or

elsewhere " .

 

ParAsara Bhattar pleads with Sri RanganAyaki:

" na: sookthim samagrayathu " . Samagra means

complete. Samagrayathu means then let it be

completed. What should be completed ? Our

(Yours and mine or our Joint effort ) should be

completed .Who should be completing this task ?

" SvayamEva LakshMI: , SrirangarAja MahishI

na: sookthim samagrayathu " . May Thou ,the

divine consort of SrirangarAjA , LakshmI ,

compete this task all by Yourself. How

will You complete this task? You will get

it done thru me by resting Your sweet and

and auspicious glances(Madhurai: kaDAkshai:)

on me.

 

What will be the end result of the anugraha

sakthi of Your Madhura KaDAksham? A Sri Sookthi

full of deep meanings , choice word groups and

serving as KarNAmrutham for the rasikAs will result .

The ear holes of those rasikAs will taste the nectarine

sweetness of this Sri Sookthi of ours and will be

aching to taste more. The experience would be

an insatiable one for them.

 

Bhattar seeks the boon of a Sri Sookthi

that has Vaidhagdhyam( skill, dexterity

and proficiency in arrangement of words

in appropriate poetic metres) , VarNa GuNam

( the perfect order of arrangement of words

or gathi kramam),Gumbhana ghouravam ( loftiness

based on the union of the above features) .

 

When such a delectable Sri Sookthi is tasted

by the ears of the learned poets , those

ears will itch to devour more and more of

" our " Sri Sookthi says Bhattar.

 

In the next slOkam , ParAsara Bhattar elaborates

on the supreme quality of the Sri Sookthi to be

realized and prays for Sri RanganAyaki " to open up

multitudes of vistas " for his poetic power.

 

DaasOsmi, DhanyOsmi , anugruhithOsmi,

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan