A doubt in SrI ashTabhujAshTakam of swAmi dESika

[Guest guest]

Dear SrI VaishNavas,

 

A friend raised a question regarding a verse from swAmi dESika+IBk-s SrI

ashTa-bhujAshTakam (a stOtram) to me in a personal communication. I replied to

him. I wanted to share that reply with all of you. Please find

my reply appended in this mail as given below.

 

------- My reply is as follows --------

I received your mail expressing doubt about the need for performance of

prapatti (sAnga prapadanam +IBM SaraNAgati +IBM bharanyAsam). You have quoted

the following verse of swAmi dESika and you have based your doubt on the

same. It seems that the following verse has been interpreted by someone

such that " performance of bharanyAsam is not required (and must not be

done) and this what swAmi dESika has categorically stated in the verse " .

This interpretation is not valid and let us see the actual meaning of the

verse with proper references and with respect to the context in the light

of bhagavath rAmAnuja darSanam.

 

tvadEka tantram kamalA-sahAya

swEnaiva mAm rakshitumarhasi tvam |

tvayi pravruttE mama kim prayAsai:

tvaiyappravruttE mama kim prayAsai: ||

 

The above verse is the 6th verse is in SrI ashTa-bhujAshTakam. SrI

ashTa-bhujAshTakam is a stOtram composed by swAmi SrIman nigamAnta mahA

dESikan on Lord SrIman nArAyaNan who is worshipped at a divya-dESam called

+IBw-aTTa-bhuya-karam+IB0 in SrI kAnchi puram vicinity. The Lord is seen there

in

that divya dESam with eight hands, holding various divine weapons. The

name aTTa-bhuyan {ashTabhuja:} signifies this aspect.

 

When the entire SrI ashTa-bhujAshTakam stOtram (8+ACs-2) verses are carefully

studied, the following purport gets ascertained.

 

swAmi dESika (on our behalf) says that he was initially attracted by

mundane worldly pleasures. Then he says that by the mercy of SrIman

nArAyaNan who is worshipped in SrI aTTa-bhuya-karam, he got immense

benefits (tatva hita purushArta jgyAnam). Then he explains the

unparalleled and unsurpassed supremacy (paratvam) of Lord SrIman

nArAyaNan and the Lord+IBk-s easily approachable and available nature

(sowlabhyam). Then he proceeds to explain that the Lord accepts the

bharam (ie., does bhara-swIkAram) when a soul does prapatti (bhara-

nyAsam) and grants whatever the prapanna wishes. swAmi dESika

then firmly states his unshakable faith in the Lord that he will not go

for anyone other than the Lord SrIman nArAyaNan for his protection and

completes the stOtram by doing a prArtana (prayer) at the divine lotus

feet of the Lord that the Lord should grant impeccable SrI kainkaryam

till his last second in this world. These are ascertainable clearly from

the first eight verses (ashTakam). The last two verses are pala-Sruti. In

those verses, swAmi dESika glorifies and states that ashTa-bhujAshTaka-

anusandAnam will bless us all kshEmam.

 

Now coming to the verse stated in the beginning of the mail, let us see

the meaning of the verse.

 

In the verse +IBw-tvadEka tantram.. .+IB0, swAmi dESika says

+IBw-aTTa-bhuya-kara

SrIman nArayaNa! I am totally dependant (para-tantra) only on you. I am

your dAsan. You are the only one who can protect me. Further, SrI mahA

LakshmI (my mother) is there for recommending my case to you. Not only

that, she is inseparable with you and is also upAyam (means) like you.

Therefore you along with her is my only upAyam {ie., upAyam the divya

dampati SrI & nArAyaNa:}. When I have already surrendered (done sAnga

prapadanam +IBM prapatti +IBM saraNAgati) at your divine lotus feet and when

you are protecting me because of that, there is absolutely no necessity

for me to take any effort to approach dEvatAntarams. Even if you have

nigraha sankalpam, then even if someone takes such effort to approach

dEvatAntarams, those efforts will definitely fail. Therefore, SrIman

nArAyaNa! the responsibility of protecting prapanna is absolutely on

you!+IB0.

 

The sentences +IBw-tvayi pravruttE mama kim prayAsai: tvaiyappravruttE mama

kim prayAsai:+IB0 when comprehended in the proper context of the stOtram,

never negates performance of prapatti. The very first slOkam of this

stOtram +IBw-gajEndra rakshA+ICYgHQ clearly shows the performance of prapatti

+IBM

bhara-nyAsam by the the jeevan by the verb +IBw-prapadyE+IB0. Further, the first

line of the first slOka echoes the meaning of dwaya mantra+IBk-s first line

clearly. The second verse +IBw-tvadEka sEshO+ICYgHQ clearly shows nirbharatvam

and kruta-krutyatvam of the jeevan after he performed prapatti. The third

verse +IBw-swarUpAstra+ICYgHQ enjoys the quality sowlabhyam of the Lord which is

exhibited by the Lord in the first place so that the jeevan easily

approaches Him and then surrendered. The fourth verse +IBw-tvadEka sEshO+ICYgHQ

clearly shows that paramAtma SrIman nArAyaNa does bhara-sweekAram +IBM

accepts the responsibility of protecting the jeevan as soon as the jeevan

does bhara-nyAsam. This is very clear from the line +IBw-nirviSankam tvath

dAsya hEtO: tvayi nyasta AatmAnam bhAram bibharshi+IB0. The fifth verse

+IBw-abhIti+ICYgHQ shows the mahA viSwAsam that gets firms established in the

heart of prapannan. The sixth verse +IBw-tvadEka tantram+ICYgHQ (which was

discussed above) shows dEvatAntra-sparSa-varjanam and thus ananya-

gatitvam. The seventh verse +IBw-samAdhi+ICYgHQ shows Aakinchanyam. The eight

verse

+IBw-prAptAbhilAsham+ICYgHQ shows pure kainkarya prArtanai of the jeevAtman in

prapatti. The ninth and tenth verses are phala-Sruti. Thus the entire SrI

ashTa-bhujAshTakam of swAmi dESika is a condensed manual of sAnga

prapadanam - prapatti and advocates prapatti perfectly. The doubt which

was cited in the beginning gets perfectly cleared. The performance of

prapatti as per SAstra is therefore fully prescribed in the stOtram.

Also, a jeevAtman who has realized his ananya-gatitvam and Aakinchanyam

has to adopt only prapatti to attain mOksham.

 

When Sriman Narayana is said to be the upAyam, it does not

mean that we (jeevAtma) should not do anything for moksha.

Even for bhakti yogins, SrIman nArAyaNa is the upAyam (Refer " bahunAm

janmanAn antE ... vAsudEva sarvam iti ...... " ;

vAsudEva is sarvam => Both upAyam and upEyam for the bhakti yogin).

Lord is siddhOpAyam and we need to perform the sAdhyOpAyam. Also, the

sAtvIka tyAga aspect also has to be understood here. It also does not

mean that one has to relinquish performing that activity (Infact that is

rejected as tAmasa tyAga).

 

Philosophical understanding is explained in SrImath rahasya traya

sAram. All these stotras of swAmi dESika are to understood in the proper

light as explained in other works like SrImath rahasya traya sAram.

-------- My reply Ends here -------

Thanks & Regards

M.S.HARI rAmAnuja dAsan (mshari)

[Guest guest]

(My earlier mail in the same subject had some special characters

as the text was typed MS Word and pasted. The following text of the same

mail may not have the those characters)

===============================================================

Dear SrI VaishNavas,

 

A friend raised a question regarding a verse from swAmi dESika+IBk-s SrI

ashTa-bhujAshTakam (a stOtram) to me in a personal communication. I replied to

him. I wanted to share that reply with all of you. Please find

my reply appended in this mail as given below.

 

------- My reply is as follows --------

I received your mail expressing doubt about the need for performance of

prapatti (sAnga prapadanam-SaraNAgati-bharanyAsam). You have quoted

the following verse of swAmi dESika and you have based your doubt on the

same. It seems that the following verse has been interpreted by someone

such that " performance of bharanyAsam is not required (and must not be

done) and this what swAmi dESika has categorically stated in the verse " .

This interpretation is not valid and let us see the actual meaning of the

verse with proper references and with respect to the context in the light

of bhagavath rAmAnuja darSanam.

 

tvadEka tantram kamalA-sahAya

swEnaiva mAm rakshitumarhasi tvam |

tvayi pravruttE mama kim prayAsai:

tvaiyappravruttE mama kim prayAsai: ||

 

The above verse is the 6th verse is in SrI ashTa-bhujAshTakam. SrI

ashTa-bhujAshTakam is a stOtram composed by swAmi SrIman nigamAnta mahA

dESikan on Lord SrIman nArAyaNan who is worshipped at a divya-dESam called

" aTTa-bhuya-karam " in SrI kAnchi puram vicinity. The Lord is seen there

in that divya dESam with eight hands, holding various divine weapons. The

name aTTa-bhuyan {ashTabhuja:} signifies this aspect.

 

When the entire SrI ashTa-bhujAshTakam stOtram (8+ACs-2) verses are carefully

studied, the following purport gets ascertained.

 

swAmi dESika (on our behalf) says that he was initially attracted by

mundane worldly pleasures. Then he says that by the mercy of SrIman

nArAyaNan who is worshipped in SrI aTTa-bhuya-karam, he got immense

benefits (tatva hita purushArta jgyAnam). Then he explains the

unparalleled and unsurpassed supremacy (paratvam) of Lord SrIman

nArAyaNan and the Lord+IBk-s easily approachable and available nature

(sowlabhyam). Then he proceeds to explain that the Lord accepts the

bharam (ie., does bhara-swIkAram) when a soul does prapatti (bhara-

nyAsam) and grants whatever the prapanna wishes. swAmi dESika

then firmly states his unshakable faith in the Lord that he will not go

for anyone other than the Lord SrIman nArAyaNan for his protection and

completes the stOtram by doing a prArtana (prayer) at the divine lotus

feet of the Lord that the Lord should grant impeccable SrI kainkaryam

till his last second in this world. These are ascertainable clearly from

the first eight verses (ashTakam). The last two verses are pala-Sruti. In

those verses, swAmi dESika glorifies and states that ashTa-bhujAshTaka-

anusandAnam will bless us all kshEmam.

 

Now coming to the verse stated in the beginning of the mail, let us see

the meaning of the verse.

 

In the verse " tvadEka tantram.. . " , swAmi dESika says " aTTa-bhuya-kara

SrIman nArayaNa! I am totally dependant (para-tantra) only on you. I am

your dAsan. You are the only one who can protect me. Further, SrI mahA

LakshmI (my mother) is there for recommending my case to you. Not only

that, she is inseparable with you and is also upAyam (means) like you.

Therefore you along with her is my only upAyam {ie., upAyam the divya

dampati SrI & nArAyaNa:}. When I have already surrendered (done sAnga

prapadanam-prapatti-saraNAgati) at your divine lotus feet and when

you are protecting me because of that, there is absolutely no necessity

for me to take any effort to approach dEvatAntarams. Even if you have

nigraha sankalpam, then even if someone takes such effort to approach

dEvatAntarams, those efforts will definitely fail. Therefore, SrIman

nArAyaNa! the responsibility of protecting prapanna is absolutely on

you! " .

 

The sentences " tvayi pravruttE mama kim prayAsai: tvaiyappravruttE mama

kim prayAsai: " when comprehended in the proper context of the stOtram,

never negates performance of prapatti. The very first slOkam of this

stOtram " gajEndra rakshA... " clearly shows the performance of prapatti

- bharanyAsam by the the jeevan by the verb " prapadyE " . Further, the first

line of the first slOka echoes the meaning of dwaya mantra's first line

clearly. The second verse " tvadEka sEshO... " clearly shows nirbharatvam

and kruta-krutyatvam of the jeevan after he performed prapatti. The third

verse " swarUpAstra... " enjoys the quality sowlabhyam of the Lord which is

exhibited by the Lord in the first place so that the jeevan easily

approaches Him and then surrendered. The fourth verse " tvadEka sEshO... "

clearly shows that paramAtma SrIman nArAyaNa does bhara-sweekAram -

accepts the responsibility of protecting the jeevan as soon as the jeevan

does bhara-nyAsam. This is very clear from the line " nirviSankam tvath

dAsya hEtO: tvayi nyasta AatmAnam bhAram bibharshi " . The fifth verse

" abhIti... " shows the mahA viSwAsam that gets firms established in the

heart of prapannan. The sixth verse " tvadEka tantram... " (which was

discussed above) shows dEvatAntra-sparSa-varjanam and thus ananya-

gatitvam. The seventh verse " samAdhi... " shows Aakinchanyam. The eight

verse " prAptAbhilAsham... " shows pure kainkarya prArtanai of the

jeevAtman in prapatti. The ninth and tenth verses are phala-Sruti. Thus

the entire SrI ashTa-bhujAshTakam of swAmi dESika is a condensed manual

of sAnga prapadanam - prapatti and advocates prapatti perfectly. The

doubt which was cited in the beginning gets perfectly cleared. The

performance of prapatti as per SAstra is therefore fully prescribed in

the stOtram. Also, a jeevAtman who has realized his ananya-gatitvam and

Aakinchanyam has to adopt only prapatti to attain mOksham.

 

When Sriman Narayana is said to be the upAyam, it does not

mean that we (jeevAtma) should not do anything for moksha.

Even for bhakti yogins, SrIman nArAyaNa is the upAyam (Refer " bahunAm

janmanAn antE ... vAsudEva sarvam iti ...... " ;

vAsudEva is sarvam => Both upAyam and upEyam for the bhakti yogin).

Lord is siddhOpAyam and we need to perform the sAdhyOpAyam. Also, the

sAtvIka tyAga aspect also has to be understood here. It also does not

mean that one has to relinquish performing that activity (Infact that is

rejected as tAmasa tyAga).

 

Philosophical understanding is explained in SrImath rahasya traya

sAram. All these stotras of swAmi dESika are to understood in the proper

light as explained in other works like SrImath rahasya traya sAram.

-------- My reply Ends here -------

Thanks & Regards

M.S.HARI rAmAnuja dAsan (mshari)