Sri Vilakkoli Perumal, Thoopul/ThirutthaNkA dhivya Desam: Nithya AarAdhana kaimkaryam for VilakkoLi PerumAL and Swamy Desikan : Part XVIII: Fifteenth SlOkam

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear BhakthAs:

 

Today , adiyEn will cover the Fifteenth slOkam

of Sri SaraNAgathi DhIpikai , where Swamy Desikan

describes how our most compassionate Lord DhIpa PrakAsan

wakes up the chEthanams form their " sleep " out of His DayA

PravAham and empowers them to follow the righteous path

of Prapatthi prescribed by the VedAs:

 

nidhrAyithAn nigamavarthmani chArudarsee

prasTAna-sakthi-rahithAn prathibhOdhya janthUn

jeerNa-sthanadhaya-jada-andhamukhAnivAsmAn

nEthum Mukundha yathasE dayayA saha Thvam

 

--SrI SaraNAgathi DhIpikai: SlOkam 15

 

(Meaning): ViLakkoLi EmperumAnE ! People of the world

(Janthu:) should know the way to conduct themselves in

this world.They should also have the energy to undertake

that journey. Similarly one needs jn~Anam and Sakthi to

follow the path prescribed by the VedAs. Many do not have

the discriminating intellect. Those who have Jn~Anam

are found deficient in their resolve to follow the Vedic path.

Oh DhIpa prakAsa PrabhO! We have neither the Jn~Anam and

the Sakthi to seek this righteous path .We are in a state

similar to that of infirm weakling , tiny children ,

fools and the blind ,who need the helping hand of others

to be shown the way for such a journey. We are in a state of

sleep (torpor). It is necessary to wake up us (such people)

when such an important journey has to commence. Oh Bhagavann !

You take pity on us and use Your limitless DayA and gently

shake us out of our deep slumber.Your intent is to help us

through this awakening process. After waking us up, You

show us the auspicious path of Prapatthi and make us

travel on that road.Is it not that the ordinance of

the VedAs? You take particular interest in us becoming

qualiifed to be adhikAris for Moksham . How can one

thank You for Your compassionate benovolence ?

 

Additional Comments :

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

The Lord of ThirutthaNkA is saluted here as

" ChAru Darsee " or the One with " nalla nOkku "

( most auspicious intent and outlook for our

Yoga-KshEmam). He is also saluted as " Mukundhan "

or the Moksham-conferring Lord.Swamy Desikan's

salutation is " Mukundha! Thvam ChAru-darsee " .

We, the JanthUs (ChEthanams) are like JeerNa :

( dilapidated ones overcome with the effects of age),

Sthanandhaya: ( infants ), JaDa: ( ignoramus),

andha: ( blind ones) . As a result of our slumber

born out of TamO guNam , we are totally unaware of

Your saasthrams and are far removed from the practise

of Vedic rules. You have limitless compassion

(aparimitha dayA guNam ).Hence , You catch hold of us

and shake us out of our torpor which prevents us

from following the auspicious ways prescribed by Your

VedAs ( nigama varthmani nidhrAyithAn asmAn PrathibhOdhya).

You shake us and wake us and commence Your efforts

to set us up on our travel along the auspicious and ancient

route of Prapatthi to attain You ( asmAn prathibhOdhya

nEthum yathasE).

 

Swamy Desikan asks : " What propells Him to engage in

such a merciful act instead of ignoring us ,

the slumbering ones ?Nigamaantha MahA Guru answers :

" It is His DayA guNam. The anukampA of DhIpa PrakAsan

is behind this effort by Him " .

 

To comprehend the power and nature of this DayA GuNam,

we have to refer to the passages of the magnificent

sthuthi of Swamy Deikan revered as " DayA Sathakam " .

Here, Swamy Desikan visualizes the Lord's DayA as DayA devi ,

one of His divine consorts , who wakes up the slumbering

janthus ( achith visishtAn JanthUn avalOkya jaatha NirvEdhA

bhavasi).Let us seek further references from Swamy

Desikan's Dhivya Sookthi of DayA sathakam to comprehend

His DayA GuNam (anukampA , KaruNA )behind this act of

rescue by Him .

 

The Lord's DayA

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

The Lord's compassion has been compared to the vastness

of the Ocean ( DayAmbOdhi). It has been described as

KaaruNya GangA ( Cool and nourishing flow of Compassion),

KaruNA VaruNAlayam ( Ocean of Mercy) in DayA Sathakam.

Swamy Desikan visualized that compassion to take

the special form of DayA Devi. That DayA is like

the treasure for those who are impoverished

(akinchana: nidhim iva). That DayA is the growing field

for the harvest of Moksham and the other three purushArtams

( apavarga thrivargayO: soothi).Our Lord's compassion

propels Him to protect the suffering/slumbering janthus ;

the other guNams of His like Sakthi , Balam et al complete

the task of rescuing the helpless janthus lost in slumber.

Due to the bundle of paapams accumulated ,the jnathus(jeevans )

are in a state of trance ( dhuritha moorchanA jushtam );

the Lord's dayA wakes them (the jeevans) up (Janthum

prabhOdhayathi). That DayA of the Lord lifts us

out of the ocean of SamsAram , where the danger of drowning

is imminent ( SamsAra TaariNi).The ever-growing DayA of

the Lord is like a kalpakA creeper for the helpless

janthus( krupaNa jana kalpa lathikA).With great affection

and concern (samAhitha snEhA ), DayA Devi blesses them

with the dhIpam of appropriate SaasthrAs ( anuguNa-dasA

arpithEna saasthra-mayEna sTira pradhIpEna) and thru

the prakAsam of that dhIpam destroys the darkness of

nescience ( saasthra-mayEna sTira pradhIpEna prajAnAm

tama: samayasi).Swamy Desikan describes the DayA guNam

of the Lord is innate(DayE ! Thvam svabhAva bhUthA).

The Lord becomes DayALu because of You ( KamalA Nilaya:

ThvayA DayALu:).Swamy Desikan pays the highest compliments to

DayA Devi by saluting Her as the Empress of all

the GuNams of the Lord ( Thvam GuNEshu SaarvabhoumI).

 

The 39th slOkam of DayA sathakam has close links to

the irreplacable and matchless help of DayA Devi

waking up the slumbering jeevans and taking

them to the bazzar of Vedams and pointing out

the right Vedic upakaraNams (nigama vipaNi madhyE

BhavathyA vyanjitham , nithya muktha anushaktham

Vrusha Giri Harineelam )to enjoy the Bluish

effulgence of Hari NaarAyaNan surrounded by

the NithyAs and MukthAs. DayA Devi takes on

the form of SaddhEsikAthmA ( taking the body

of a sadAchAryan ) and prepares the Jeevan

with Upadesams from the VedAs and SaasthrAs

and helps with the performance of Prapatthi

for Janma Saapalyam.

 

Such is the glory of DayA Devi and Her power

over Lord DhIpa PrakAsan standing near the banks of

Vegavathi river at the Dhivya Desam of ThirutthaNkA!

 

Sri Maragathavalli SamEtha Sri DhIpa PrakAsa ParabhramaNE Nama:

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam,

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SaThakOpan(Sadagopan)

 

P.S: adiYen continues to appeal to you all

to support the NithyArAdhana Kaimkaryam at ThUppul,

the avathAra Sthalam of our beloved AchAryan ,

Swamy VedAntha Desikan. Please contact me about

status of the Kaimkaryam and details on how you

can support this once-in-a-life time Kaimakryam

to our ThUppul Desikan , the incarnation of the Bell

of ThirVEnkatamudayAn and SrI DhIpa prakAsan .

 

P.P.S: In this month's Nrusimha PriyA , a beautiful

image of the Parama MangaLa Moorthy, SrI DhIpa PrakAsan

with His divine consorts adorns the inside of the cover.

Please have His darsana soubhAgyam there .