KurEsar's Sri VaradarAja Sthavam: Part VIII: Taniyan and SlOkam 1

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Dear BhakthAs:

 

KurEsar's Taniyan was composed by his son,

ParAsara Bhattar .This slOkam appears as

the First slOkam of the Poorva sathakam of

Bhattar's SrirangarAja Sthavam:

 

Srivathsa-chihna-misrEbhyO nama-ukthimadhImahE

yadhukthaya: thrayeekaNDE yaanthi MangaLa-soothrathAm

 

(meaning): We repeatedly perform our salutations to that

MahAn with the ThirunAmam of SrivathsAnga Misrar( koora NaaTan),

just as we do VedhAdhyananam by reciting Vedha manthrams.

His Sri Sookthis are like ThirumAngalyam for

the SoubhAgyavathi , who is the embodiment of

Rg, Yajur and Saama vEdhams.

 

SrivathsAngAcchAr Swamy has commented that for

the bride of Sruthi (vEdhams and their Upanishads) ,

KurEsar's Sri Sookthis ( pancha Sthavams )are like

the auspicious Mangala abhAraNam of ThirumAngalyam .

He observes further that Swamy Desikan's Sankalpa

SooryOdhaya slOkam (2.46) houses similar thoughts

with respect to the bride (VadhU) of the Sruthis

and AchArya RaamAnujA Sookthis ( Sruthi-vadhU

vaidhavya-khEdham prAcheenAm naya Paddhathi).

Swamy Desikan points out here that the bride of Sruthi

will be a widow without the nine AchArya RaamAnuja

Sookthis serving as the sacred thread around

(ThirumAngalyam) Her(Vedha MaathA's) neck.

 

Sri VaradharAja Sthavam: SlOkam 1

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

 

Svasthi HasthigirI-mastha-sEkhara:

SanthanOthu mayi santhatham Hari:

NissamAbhyadhikam abhyadhattha

Yam Devam Oupanishadhee Sarasvathee

 

(Genearal Meaning): May the Lord PraNathArthiharan

standing on top of Hasthigiri as its AabhraNam confer

on me all auspiciousness always ! May that Lord ,

who has been described as the Supreme One with out

equal or superior by the Upanishads shower me with

mangaLams always !

 

SrivathsAngAcchAr Swamy's(SVC) Commentary: adiyEn will be

following closely the scholastic commentary of Sri SVC

in Tamil. adiyEn understands that he has written even

a grander commentary in Sanskrit for the Pancha Sthavams.

adiyEn has no access to them at this time.

 

adiyEn's additional thoughts on individual words

and passages will be added , wherever appropriate.

These will be identified as thoughts from adiyEn (VS)

and will follow after coverage of SVC's bhAshyam

on individual slOkams.

 

Sri SVC's Commentary

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

This slOkam is considered as a salutation to both

Sri PerumdEvi ThAyaar and Her Lord VaradharAjan .

The Lord is addressed as Hari or the One , who

takes away (steals) the anishtams ( dhurbhAgyams )

of all .In another AchAryan's Sri Sookthi , Lord

VaradarAjan is also addressed as Hari:

 

VegavathuttharE theerE PuNyakODyAM HARI: Svayam

Varadha: SarvabhUthAnAm adhyApi paridhrusyathE

 

(Meaning): On the northern bank of the river Vegavathi,

Hari NaarAyanan has appeared with His PuNyakODi VimAnam.

That Lord , who grants the desired boons to every one

and hence known as Varadhan is seen even today by all

on top of the Hasthigiri.

 

Kuresar points out that Varadhan is " nissama-abhyadhikan "

and has no equals or superiors . He is known as " SamAbhyaahdika

Daridhran " . No one equals Him or exceeds HIm in vaibhavam.

Swamy NammAzhwAr points out this Tatthvam at two places in

his Prabhandhams:

 

(1) " Tann OppAr-illappan " about ThiruviNNagarappan

(2) OppAr-MikkAr ilayAya MaayA ! "

 

Swamy Desikan has succinctly stated this matchless

tatthvam of Lord Varadhan as: " AruLALar ThAmyeninum

TamakkovvArE " .

 

The Upanishads state in unison that Lord DevarAja

PerumAL (PeraruLALan /Varadhan) has no equals or

superiors : " Yamm Deavam Oupanishadhee Sarasvathee

nissama-abhyadhikam abhyadhattha " . This declaration is

based on the Sruthi Vaakyam: " Tamm thu Oupanishadham

Purusham PrucchAmi " .

 

Lord Varadhan is addressed at the very beginning of

this Sthavam as " Svasthi " or " Su:+asthi " That His vaibhavam

(irukkum iruppu) is well established as Deva Raajan. None of

the others have any claim to this title as ThEpperumAL.

 

Svasthi also refers to the Lord's consort ,PerumdEvi or

MahA Devi .It is also Her name. Hence Kuresar salutes

the dhivya dampathis of Hasthigiri together here.

 

Atleast five Rg Veda Manthrams start with the auspicious

word of Svasthi .SrivathsAngAcchAr Swamy refers to one of

the five Rks in his vyAkyAnam:

 

Svasthi na IndhrO VruddhasravA:

Svasthi na PooshA VisvavEdhA:

Svasthi nasthArkshyO arishtanEmi:

Svasthi nO Bruhaspathir dadhAthu

 

This veda manthram points out that all

these names refer to Him only and seek His

aasirvAdham.AdiyEn will cover this and other

four Svasthi manthrams of Rg Vedham in the

next posting in this series .

 

KurEsar addresses the Lord of Hasthigiri

with a very meaningful ThirunAnaamam:

" Hasthigiri-mastha sEkahara: " Hasthi Giri means

Elephant Hill; " Mastha " stands for masthakam

or Head or crest or peak . " sEkhara: " means

abhAranam . Lord VaradarAjan stands as the crest

jewel of the Hasthi Giri. SrivathsAngAcchAr Swamy

gives six intrepretations for this ThirunAmaam :

 

(1) The Lord on top of the Hasthigiri was once

worshipped by the dhig-Gajams ( elephants/hasthi

that guard the directions): " DhingnAgai: architha:

tasmin purA VishNu: SanAthana: " . The name Hasthigiri

originated form this incident.

 

(2) Hasthigiri got that name because it was surrounded

by roaming elephants around that hill(hasthi-yUTAvruthO yathA).

 

(3) Gajendhran worshipped the Lord here with lotuses

and He came later to its rescue , when its leg was tightly

held by a crocodile ( GajEndhra: kascchith aagathya

... Poojayan PurushOtthamam);hence this mountain was

named Hasthigiri after the king of Hasthis, GajEndhran.

 

(4) The lord incarnated on top of this hill , when

Hastha nakshathram was in ascendance;hence , the Lord is

addressed as Hasthee and His hill is referred to as

Hasthi Giri.

 

(5) Lord VaradarAjan is known for His boon granting

abhaya PrahAnan HASTHAM and it is for this hand gesture,

He is known as Hasthee and His hill is known as Hasthigiri.

 

(6) Swamy Desikan salutes His might as the mgihty

mountain ,which made the mountain (on which He was

standing ) bend under His weight ( " Malai kuniya

ninRa malai " ). That is why this mountain is called

Hasthigiri.

 

With Vedhic references and with the authority of

PurANams , Kuresar prays in this slOkam to

Sriman Hari NaarAyanan standing on top of Hasthigiri.

 

adiyEn will add furhter insights in the next posting

about the mangala vaakyams used by Swamy KurEsar in

this first slOkam and conclude the discussions on it.

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar Thiruvadi,

Daasan , Oppilaippan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan