The Vaibhavam of Sri Sudarsana(Narasimha) BhagavAn

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs:

 

we recently had discussions on Sri Sudarsna

Kavacham . The Text is now available thanks to

the dedicated efforts of Srimans Sunder Kidambi

of Massachusetts and Dr.M.N. Ramanuja of the Indian

Institute of Science , Bangalore.

 

As adiyEn browsed through the Text of Sudarsana kavacham ,

adiyEn was thinking about why Swamy Desikan composed

Sri SudarsanAshtakam and ShOdasAyudha SthOthram for

our benefit .

 

At this time , the SathAbhishEkam Malar of Poundarikapuram

Andavan , HH PravAkkOttai GopAla Desika MahA Desikan

arrived in the mail . As adiyEn opened it,the first article

that I came across was the one entitled

" Sudarsana Mahimai " by GhOstipuram Sri RaamAnujAchArya

Swamy . A flood of memory overtook me from boyhood

to school days in Thirukkudanthai , when adiyEn

used to attend the uthsavams of Sri Vijayavalli

samEtha Sri ChakrapANi PerumAL at Thirukkudanthai

(KumbakONam ) . Sevai of that Uthsava Moorthy

on top of a small hillock at the end of big

street in Thirukkudanthai came flooding in the memory

channels. Our Sri Sampath Rengarajan , a native of

Thirukkudanthia is more familiar with the temple history

and Sthala PurANam . Sriman Murali Rangaswamy has also

written earlier about the Sudarsana Narasimha Moortham

and its significance .

 

adiyEn wants to take this opportunity to reminesce about

the Vaibhavam of Sri Sudarsana BhagavAn , who is also

revered as HEthi Raajan , RaTAngadhuryan , Para: PumAn ,

ChakriNa: param Chakram ,HEthIsvaran , PraharaNa Indhrasya

Prabhu and Aayudha Indhran by Swamy Desikan.

 

My grand father was a Sudarsana UpAsakar. adiyEn

could see the power of Sudrsana Manthra Japam in

him . At Sudarsana Homams , adiyEn has seen

the aavirbhAvam (Appearance) of Sudrsana Chakram

in the Yaj~na KunDa Agni (scred fire of the Homam).

This is very similar to the aavirbhAvam of Sri Nrusimhan

in unique Yaj~nams conducted by Vaikunta Vaasi U.Ve. SalakshaNa

GanapADi , MukkUr Lakshmi NrusimhAcchAr of sacred memory.

 

With all these as background , adiyen thought it would

be good to post a few articles on the Mahimai of Lord Sudarsanan

and His importance in Sri VaishNava sampradhAyam as

attested by the many salutations to Him in SthOthrams

like Sudarsana sathakam , Sudarsana Ashtakam ,

ShOdasAyudha Sthothram and in many Paasurams of

the AzhwArs .

 

adiyen will focus first on the summary of the essy by

Sri GhOshtipuram RaamAnujAcchAr Swamy in this first article

which describes His Mahimai through an attempt to answer

the following FIVE questions:

 

1) Who is referred to by the name " Sudarsanan " ?

 

2) What is the meaning of the " Sudarsana " Naamam?

 

3) What are the benefits to us by understanding

the glories of Lord Sudarsanan?

 

4)Is it sufficent to know about His Mahimai?

Must we do some thing in addition ?

 

5) If there are some anushtAnams , how many kinds

are there ? Is it confined to one or more ?

 

adiyEn will continue with the answers to these

questions given by GhOshtipuram Swamy.

 

Before concluding this first posting , adiyEn

thinks with reverence of Thirumazhisai AzhwAr ,

who is the amsam of Sudarsana BhagavAn and seeks

His anugraham to write about Sri udarsana BhagavAn .

He spent His last days at Thirukkudanthai and had His

nithyAnushtAnam at Cauvery river , which is not too far

from Thirukkudanthai ChakrapANi Sannidhi (Sudarsanar

Sannidhi) and devoted His life to the worship of

Lord Saaranga PaaNi (AarAvamudhan ). His life could

be visualized as a shuttle journey between the two temples.

This great AzhwAr , who established unconditionally

the Supermacy of Sriman NaarAyaNan in His Naanmukhan

ThiruvandhAdhi has saluted Sri Sudarsana Bhagavan

in his paasurams .adiyEn will try to cover these

AzhwAr Salutaions to Sudarsanar in subsequent postings.

 

Sri SudarsanAya Nama:

 

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan