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

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear BhakthAs:

 

We just got past the 10 Laks stage of assembly

of funds for Uninterrupted NithyArAdhanam to

Swamy Desikan and SrI DhIpa PrakAsa DampathigaL

at ThUppul/ThirutthaNkA dhivya dEsam with your help .

Thank you all!

 

We just need another 5 Laks of Rupees to complete

this kaimkaryam . adiyEn appeals to every one of you

to help with whatever you can to reach Kaimakrya Poorthi.

adiyEn appeals to You all with folded hands to support

this kaimkaryam as much as you can.

 

Today , adiyEn will cover the Twenty Second slOkam

of Sri SaraNAgathi DhIpikai , where Swamy Desikan

focuses on the SaalamBana yOgam practised by mahAthmAs

of pure and pious minds (aathmavantha:) and the fruits

that they gain from such dhyAnam about the Lord's SubhAsrayam

(MangaLa ThirumEni accessible by SaalaBana yOgam)):

 

PadhmAbhirAma vadhanEkshaNa pANi-paadham

dhivyAyudhAbharana maalya vilEpanam ThvAm

yOgEna NaaTa subhAsrayam Aathmavantha:

saalamBanEna parichinthya na yAnthi thrupthim

 

--SrI SaraNAgathi DhIpikai: SlOkam 22

 

(meaning): Oh ViLakkoLi PerumALE ! Oh my Master!

Those with pious minds meditate on Your subhAsrayam

( mangaLa ThirumEni with its beautiful limbs , divine

weapons and AabharaNams ) with ease through SaalamBana

yOgam. They experience the nectar of Your dhivya ThirumEni

and do not get satiated. They thirst for more and more of

that divine experience of You as AparyApthAmruthan.

 

Additional Comments:

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

In the previous slOkam , Swamy Desikan referred to

the yOgis percieving the Lord through both Saviklapaka

and nirvikalpaka SamAdhi ( Santha: sTira-dhAraNA:

SamAdhi yugaLEna ThvAm vilOkayanthi).

 

In this slOkam , Swamy Desikan describes how the yOgis

of pure mind (aathmavantha:) meditate on the Lord of

MangaLa ThirumEni through SaalamBana yOgam . There are

two kinds of yOgam : SaalamBanam and nirAlamBanam.

ThirumEni dhyAnam is SaalamBanam . Lambhanam means

hanging on to or dependent upon . These yOgis depend on

the dhyAnam about the lotus soft countenance (Padhma-

abhirAma Vadhanam) , the eyes that are beautiful like

just-blossomed lotus ( Padhma abhirAma IkshaNam) ,

lotus-like hands and feet ( Padhma abhirAma PaaNi-

Paadham). Such progressive dhyAnam on the Lord's

mind-stealing beauty (chittAbhahAram) of limbs

are like steps on the ladders to the first plateau of

aananadhAnubhavam. Next the yOgis reflect upon

the dhivya aayudhams and aabharaNams , garlands

decorating the Lord ( TuLasi, VanamAlai Vijayanthi)

and reach the next plateau of bliss . The fragrance of

the divine sandal paste (vilEpanam)smeared on the Lord's

chest takes them to the next step of nectarine experience

of SubhAsrayam of the Lord and recognize Him as insatiable

nectar ( AparyApthAmruthan). They reflect on the deeper

tatthvams behind the Lord's Aayudhams and Aabharanams.

 

The practise of SaalamBana yOgam is what ThiruppANar

engaged in and that flowed out in the form of the Dhivya

Prabhandham of " AmalanAdhi Piran " , where He enjoyed

the beauty of Lord RanganAthA's ThirumEni from Thiruvadi

to Thirumudi.

 

Swamy Desikan composed SrI Bhagavath DhyAna sOpAnam

in the same way. The best of the enjoyment of the Lord's

ThirumEni through SaalamBana Yogam by Swamy Desikan

is recorded in SrI DevanATa PanchAsath.The poorNa soundharyam of

Lord DevanAtan's ThirumEni at ThiruvahIndhrapuram

is celebrated from slOkams 14 to 45 . Here again Swamy Desikan

states that the experience of the SarvAnga Soundharyam of

the Lord makes his eyes want more and more of that

delectable experience ( Prathyanga Poorna sushumA

subhagam tE vapu: dhrushtvA mE dhrusou na thrupthayantha:).

 

Yogic practise of SaalamBana dhyAnam expands to recognize

many tatthvams assoicated with His ThirumEni and the weapons

as well a sthe Abharanams found on that ThirumEni . For instance ,

it is not only the beauty of the limbs of the Lord that

they enjoy , but they also recognize that those limbs

created the entire universe as visualized in Purusha

Sooktham. Further , the yOgis meditate on the divine

weapons and AabharaNams beautified by the Lord and

reflect on the Tatthvams behind them ( SrI Deva Naayaka

PanchAsath:slOkam 13):

 

tathtvAni yaani chidhachith pravibhagavanthi

thrayyantha vruddha gaNithAni sithAsithAni

dheevyanthi taani Ahipurandhara dhAma NaaTa

dhivyAsthra bhUshaNatayA Tava vigrahEsmin

 

(meaning): The AchAryAs have enumerated the tatthvams

associated with ChEthanam and achEthanm as twenty five.

Some of them are self-luminous and the others are not.

These 25 tatthvams are : pancha bhUthams, pancha

TanmAthrais, five Jn~Endhriyams , five karmEndhriyams,

Manas , ahankAram , MahAn, Prakruthi and Jeevan. Some

of these 25 tatthvams shine on Your SubhAsraya ThirumEni

as Your divine weapons and divine AabharaNams .

 

In our siddhAntham , Jeevan is considered as the Kousthubha gem

on the Lord's chest; Prakruthi is the divine mole, SrIvathsam;

the five BhUthams and the five tanmAthrais are the flowers of

the never fading VanamAlai, Vaijayanthi; the MahAn tathtvam is

the mace, KoumEdhaki; the ahankArams take the form of

the bow , Saarangam and the conch, Paanchajanyam;

manas is the disc, Sudharsanam; the ten Indhriyams are

the arrows inside the quiver; the sword nandakam is

the Jn~Ana tatthvam and ajn~Anam is the quiver .

 

In this Twenty second slOkam of SrI SaraNAgathi DhIpikai,

Swamy Desikan refers to the direct and extended anubhavam

of the yOgis engaged in SaalamBana dhyAnam of the Lord's

ThirumEni , His beauty-drenched limbs, the dhivyAyudhams

and DhivyAbharanams and connects them to deep tatthvams

assoicate with Chith and achith .Swamy Desikan

concludes that the yOgis engaged in the nectarine

anubhavam of SaalamBana yOgam/dhyAnam never ever

get satiated by that enjoyment and thirst for more

(ThvAM saalamBana yOgEna parichinthya thrupthim

na yaanthi).

 

SrI Maragathavalli SamEtha SrI DhIpaprakAsAya nama;

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SaThakOpan/V.Sadagopan