ThiruvahIndhrapuram RathnAngi Series:Part 71: SlOkam 21-22 of Sri DevanAyaka PanchAsath

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear BhakthAs of Lord Dhaiva Naayakan :

 

Twenty First SlOkam ( The Ears of the Lord)

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aahu: sruthim viBhudhanAyaka TaavakeenAm

aasAgana prasava hEthumadheetha vEdA:

aakarNitE tadhIyamArtharEva prajAnAm

aasA: prasAdhayithum aadhisathi svayam ThvAm

 

Extended Meaning

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Oh DhaivanAyakA! The Vedic scholars refer to Vedams

pointing out that the directions were born out of Your

ears( " Disa: srOthrAth " ... Purusha Sooktham). Those sacred

ears of yours persuade you to chase away the sorrows

and sufferings of the ChEthanams who cry out movingly

about their plight in front of You and You bless

the chEthanams with auspiciousness based on the influence

that Your ears hold over You. You come to their(ChEthanam's)

rescue. Thus Your ears render great service to

the suffering chEthanams.

 

Additional Observations:

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Here, Swamy Desikan refers to the service rendered by

one limb of the Lord(i-e)., the Ears. The laments by

the people come from all directions . As sensitive antenna

assemblies , the ears pick up these moving cries of

the ChEthanams and bring them to the attention of

their Lord and stimulate Him to come to the help of

these suffering chEthanams.

 

Swamy Desikan uses the double meanings of the word ,

" AasA " .This word can mean directions or wishes.

In identifying the birth of the ten directions

from the Lord's ears as pointed out by the four VedAs ,

Swamy comments: " ThavakeenAm Sruthim aasA gaNa

prasava hEthum aahu: " . Swamy Desikan also uses

the double meaning of the word " Sruthi " .This word

can mean Vedam or Ears . " aasa gaNa prasavam "

refers to the birth of the groups of ten directions.

After referring to " aasA " to indicate directions in

the first paadham of the slOkam , Swamy Desikan

identifies " aasA " with wishes in the second paadham:

" iyam sruthi: prajAnAm aartaravE aakarNithE aasA

prasAdhayithum svayam ThvAm aadhisathi " . When these

ears of Yours hear the heart-rending cries of the suffering

samsAris , they persuade You to redress their sorrows

and fulfill their wishes and give them sadhgathi.

" Adhisathi " means the kindling of some thing . The Lord

had the intent to help but did not execute it.

The ears kindled and stimulated His interest to come

to the rescue of the suffering SamsAris.

 

SlOkam 22 ( The Description of the Lord's Kundalams)

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kandharpa lAnchana tanus-Thridasaika nATa

kAnthi pravAha ruchirE Tava karnapAsE

pushyathyasou prathimukha sTithi darsaneeyA

bhUshAmayee makarikA vividhAn vihArAn

 

(Extended Meaning): Oh DhaivanAyakA! The Makara Kundalams

( the fish-shaped ear ornaments) provide a beautiful sight

to those , who stand in front of You to be blessed with

their darsana soubhAgyam. It has been said that Manmathan

has the fish as a symbol for adorning his flag. When the fish

swim against the tide, their fast moving silvery appearance

is beautiful to watch. Oh Lord ! In asimilar manner, when Your

face moves in different directions to look at the Bhaktha Janams

assembled before You , the lustre of Your kundalams generate

a flood of beauty.In that flood of jyOthi, Your kundalams

swim like the fish in aquatic flood and engage in lot of

sports ( vividhAn vihArAn pushyathi).

 

Additional Comments:

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Swamy addresses the Lord of ThiruvahIndhrapuram as

Thridasa yEka NaaTa here to salute Him as the matchless

Lord of the DevAs. He has no superior or equal in power.

Swamy Desikan is overcome by the beauty and lustre of

the Fish shaped aabharaNam for the ears (MakarikA) and

the flood of jyOthi flowing (kAnthi pravAham) from them.

He is reminded of the flag of Manmathan with the fish emblem

embedded in it kandharpa lAnchana tanu:). Swamy is standing

right in front of the Lord 's kundalams(prathimukha sTithi

darsaneeyA) and enjoying the flood of jyOthi originating from

the Lord's ear ornaments (Makara Kundalams). He is overcome by

the beauty of the Kaanthi pravAham associated with those

Makara Kundalams and visualizes the many enchanting sports

performed by the fish , when they swim against flood with

their shining scales ( Asou makarikA kAnthi pravAha ruchirE

Tava karNa pAsE vividhAn vihArAn pushyathi).It is like

a everchanging Kaledioscopic display of insatiable

aanandhAnubhavams (blissful light show).

 

In the 27th slOkam of SrI VaradarAja Sthavam , KurEsar

describes the joy those makara kundalams of the Lord of

Kaanchi(DevarAjan) confer on him :

 

karNikA Tava Kareesa! kimEshA

karnabhUshaNam ? uthAsamvibhUshA?

amsa lamByalaka bhUshanam aahO!

mAnasasya mama vaa parikarma?

 

One of the PerumAL's name is Makara Nedum kuzhai

Kaathan. KurEsar has four questions relating to

the Lord's ear ornament. He wonders whether

(1)they are decorations for the ears( KarNa bhUshaNam

kim ?)(2) Are they decorations for the upper shoulder?

( utha amsavibhUshA kim?).(3) Are they enhancements to

the beauty of curly locks of hair dangling over

the shoulders?( amsalambi alaka bhUshaNam kim?).

(4) or are they there to serve as objects of

beauty for my mind ( atha vaa mama mAnasasya

parikarma kim?).KurEsar concludes that among all

these four possibilities , the fourth option is

the correct one and the Lord's makara Kundalams

are there for enchanting and overpowering his mind

with their JyOthi and Soundharyam.

 

In the next slOkam , Swamy Desikan enjoys

the beauty of the brows of the Lord of Thiru Ayindhai.

 

NamO SrI DevanATAya,

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan