Thiruvaheendhrapuram RathnAngi Kaimakryam: Part 138 ( Desika Prabhandham-- XXIX: Taniyans for this Desika Prabahndham

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear Swamy Desika BhakthAs:

 

The next few postings will be on Parama Padha SopAnam .

 

Swamy Desikan has blessed us with a detailed MaNipravALa

ChillaRai Rahasyam with the name of " Parama Padha SopAnam " .

This Desika Prabhandham carries the same name and has

21 Paasurams set in chaste Tamizh . It summarizes the content

of the larger ManipravALa ChillaRai Rahasyam .

 

SopAnam means the steps of a ladder . One travels on the steps upwards to

reach the rooms upstairs . Swamy Desikan has described the anubhavam of

the Muktha Jevan travelling up via nine steps (sopAnams) to reach the

highest sTAnam , Parama Padham of the Lord (SrI Vaikuntam ) to perform

nithya kaimakryam there to the Dhivya Dampatis.

 

These nine steps identified by Swamy Desikan are:

 

(1) Clear comprehension of the threee Tatthvams and their Svaroopams

(2) becoming despondent over the SamsAric sorrows (3) Developing

VairAgyam over worldly pleasures (4) Fearing the consequences of

th sins accumulated (5) Performance of the Prapatthi UpAyam to gain

Moksham (6) the Jeevan exiting from the physical body (7) Travel of

the liberated Jeevan via archirAdhi mArgam (8) Reaching the dhivya

lOkam of SrI Vaikuntam and (9) Enjoyment of ParipoorNa

BrahmAnandham at SrI Vikuntam there in the company of

the Dhivya Dampathis.

 

adiyEn's detailed postings on the MaNipravALa ChillaRia Rahasyam

of Parama Padha sOpAnam are archived in the SaraNAgathy Journal

through 7 seaprate postings :

 

http://www.Srivaishnava.org /sgati

 

Parts 1-7 on this grantham starting from the January 3 , 1997

to 30 May, 1998 are archived there .Please refer to them

for details .

 

Taniyans for Parama Padha SopAnam

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

There are two Sanskrit Taniyans and one Tamil Taniyan

for this Desika Prabhandham . Let us study them .

 

The first Sanskrit Taniyan

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

vyAjikruthya vimukthi-soudha-padahvaI - sOpAna-sadhvarNanam

SarIrArNava-rathnajAtham-iha ya: prAchIkasath sarvasa:

Tasmin thishtathi VenkatEswara-kavou SrIbhAshyakArOpamE

yamm kanchith purusham hyAupAsithumayE mAgA mana: svasthi tE

 

(Meaning ): Oh My Mind ! When the great poet and logician ,

SrI VenkatEsa Kavi resembling SrI BhAshyakArar shines with

all his glories , why would you need to worship simple souls of

inconsequentail achievements ? Please do not go anywehre else .

May all auspiciousness come your way ! Swamy Desikan used as

an excuse , the description of the nine steps to ascend Parama

Padham , to bless us on this earth with the entire assembly of gems

from the ocean of VedAntha Saaram .Oh My Mind ! SeerAr ThUppul

ThiruvEngadamudayAn ThiruvadakalE SaraNam yena ninai .

 

Comments on the Taniyan

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

Swamy Desikan's creation of this Prabhandham is saluted as

Sadh-varNanam ( the Description of the auspicious subject ) of

the steps to climb to reach SrI Vaikuntam . The author of the Taniyan states

that Swamy Desikan used that Sadh-varNanam as an excuse ( VyAjeekruthya)

to shed the light on the splendour of the assembly of gems collected from

the ocean-like , vast VedAntha Saasthrams for the benefit of

the residents of BhUlOkam ( iha SareerArNava-rathna-jAtham

sarvasa: prAchIkasath ). The author salutes Swamy Desikan as

equivalent to SrI BhAshyakArar in his MahOpakAram

to chEthanams (Tasmin BhAshyakArOpamE VenkatEsa Kavou ).

While this MahA Desikan is available , Oh my mind , do not seek

any insubstantial people for adoration ( VenkatEsa Kavou thishtathi ,

yamm kanchith purusham hi upAsithum maa gaa: ). If you were to follow

this suggestion , all auspiciousness will come your way ( tE Svasthi: ).

 

The Second Sanskrit Taniyan

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

Tasmai NamOastu GuravE thAdhrusa-vibhavAya VenkatEsAya

prAvarthayath janAnAm Bhoomou Paramapadha-harmya-sOpAnam

 

(meaning): May our salutations be to SrI VenkatEsa Guru of such

well known Vaibhavam ! He is the compassionate one , who revealed

the nine steps to ascend to the upper lokam of SrI Viakuntam to enjoy

ParipoorNa BrahmAnandham there by us .

 

The Tamil Taniyan

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

tEn yERu thAmaRayAL ThirumArbhan-tann

thiNN aruLAl Avan adiyil vivEham peRRu

inghu oonERu bhavakkuzhiyai veRuthathaR-pin

oor viratthiyudan vinayin thiraLukku anjik-

koon yERu piRai iRayOn sApam theertthAn

kurai kazhalE saraN adainthu kurambai vittu

vAnERum vazhip-padikaL adaivE kaNda

VaNN pukazh ThUppul VaLLal aruL peRROmE

 

(meaning ): Due to the never failing and powerful grace of the Lord

with the lotus-abode divine Consort , MahA Lakshmi in His

VakshasTalam , we attained the discriminating intellect (vivEkam )

about the auspicousness of His Sacred feet . We gained true Jn~Anam

and VairAgyam to empower us to reject the deep and dangerous

ditch of SamsAram. After that , we trembled with fear about the limitless

bundles of sins that were weighing us down and sought the protective

Thiruvadi of our Lord , who removed the curse attached to His grand son

with crescent Moon on His Jatai, Lord Sivan . Next we became

the object of mercy of SrI VenkatEsa Kavi of illustrious fame and

boundless generosity , born in ThUppul agrahAram , who revealed to

us the nine steps climbed by a Jeevan step by step to reach our Lord's

Supreme abode and to eternally serve Him there as Muktha Jeevan .

 

Comments on the Tamil Taniyan

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

The choice of words and assembly of those chosen words

by the author of this Taniyan in to beautiful passages are

resonant with deep tatthvArTams covered in Swamy Desikan's

Prabhandham . Here are some examples of the skills of the poet ,

who composed this Taniyan to pay his tribute to Swamy Desikan's

Prabhandham :

 

(1) Mahaa Lakshmi is saluted here as " tEn yERu ThAmarayAL "

( the auspicious lady with AakAra Thrayam having the beautiful

lotus flower as Her chosen abode . That lotus flower is

dripping with honey and sampath due to Her association

(Sambhandham). Wherever She looks, the assemblies of

wealth compete with each other to take their positions

according to Swamy Desikan 's SrI Sthuthi slOkam .

The Veda Manthram of SrI Sooktam also echoes in our mind

with this visualizationof the Lotus Lady as " ThAmarayAL " :

 

" Padhma-PriyE Padhmini Padhma HasthE

PADHMAALAYE Padhma-dhaLAyathAkshi

VisvapriyE VishNumanOanukoolE Thvath

Paadha Padhamam mayi sannidhathsva "

 

(2) The next salutation is to the Lord as SrInivAsan :

" ThAmarayAL Thiru-mArbhan " . SrInivAsa

Tathvam of the Lord with MahA Lakshmi residing

on His vast chest reminds us of the Salutation of

AchArya RaamAnuja to SrInivAsan at the beginning of

His SrI BhAshyam. His rakshA dheekshai (vow to protect

us ) is made possible by Her proximate presence on His chest :

 

" akhila bhuvana janma-sTEma-bhangAdhileelE

vinatha-vividha-bhUtha-vrAtha-rakshiaka dheekshE

SRUTHI SIRASI VIDHEEPTHE BRAHMANI SRINIVAASE

bhavathu mama parasmin sEmushi bhakthiroopA "

 

In offering their salutations to Lord SrInivAsan , the ArchakAs at

Thirumalai recite the VakshasTala Lakshmi SthOthram to remind us

about the Lord's lakshaNam as SrInivAsan . The author of this Taniyan

follows this traditon here and addresses the Lord as " ThAmarayAL

ThirumArbhan " .

 

3) " ThAmarayAL tann tiNN aruLAl Avan adiyil vivEkam peRROm "

says the author of the Taniyan in the first two lines. The powerful and

firm (Unwavering ) KrupA of the Lord is recognized here as the primary

cause for the birth of VivEkam (discriminative intellect about sAram

and asAram ) to develop bhakthi at the SarvalOka SaraNyan's

sacred feet .

 

4) That Jn~Anam about the redemptive power of those sacred feet of

the Lord led to our rejection of samsAric attachments that increases

our fondness for the perishable sarIram and thereby throws us in to

the deep pit of SamsAram and keeps us there in a hopeless, helpless

state. These thoughts are housed in the third line of the Paasuram :

" Avan adiyil vivEkam peRRu inghu oon yERu bhavak-kuzhiyai veRutthu "

All that VivEkam arose only because of the Krupai of the Lord .

 

5) The question arises as to what happened after developing this distaste

for staying in the SamsAric pit . The composer of the Taniyan answers

this question in the next line of the Paasuram: " Verutthathan pinn oor

viratthiyudan vinayin tiraLukku anjinEn " . After developing disinterest in

SamsAric " padhu kuzhi " , vairAgyam spread and fear about the power of

the bundles of accumulated sins also grew .

 

6) That fear about the effect of the sins drove me (the jeevan) to

the sacred feet of the Hara SApa VimOchana Moorthy , SrIman

NaarAyaNan . In a fit of anger, Sivan plucked the fifth head of His father,

BrahmA. The skull from that fifth head of BrahmA got stuck in the palm of

Haran (Sivan) and SrIman NaarAyaNa blessed Sivan to be rid of

the Saapam given by Brahma DEvan , when Sivan performed

SaraNAgathy to Him . Sivan is described here as " koon yERu

piRai iRayOn " , the One adorning the crescent Moon on his matted

locks (Chandra Sekharan) . Our Lord , the anugraha Moorthy is saluted

as " Koon yERu piRai iRayOn sApam theerthavan " . The author of

the Taniyan says that he performed SaraNAgathy at the sacred feet of

the Lord , who came to the rescue of Sivan ( iRayOn sApam theertthAn

kurai kazhalE saraNam adainthu ) . " Kurai kazhal " of the Lord is

the Thiruvadi, which generates the delectable nAdham from

the ankle ornaments .The author of the Taniyan says that he

performed SaraNAgathy at those auspicous feet.

 

7) Next followed the help of the Lord to exit the Jeevan

via the Brahma nAdi at the end of the earthly existence

and the ascent to Parama Padham by archirAdhi mArgam

(kurambai vittu vAnn yErum ).

 

8) The nine steps to ascend Parama Padham were revealed by

the most compassionate and generous AchAryan , Swamy Desikan

to us all. The author of this beautiful taniyan acknowledges the krupai

of Swamy Desikan in revealing this upward journey through climbing

the nine steps : " vann yERum vazhip-padikaL adaivE kaNDa vaNN

Puhazh ThUppul vaLLal aruL peRROm " . That Swamy Desikan

saw and described the nine steps sequentially is referred to as

" Vazhip-padikaL adaivE kaNDa " . Swamy Desikan is thanked

for His mahOpakAram in revealing these flight of steps for our

upliftment as " VaNN puhazh ThUppul VaLLal " . The Taniyan

concludes in a grateful mode : " ThUppul VaLLal aruL peRROm " .

We became objects for the grace of the most generous AchAryan ,

who incarnated in ThUppul agrahAram .

 

In the next posting , adiyEn will start with the First of the Twenty one

paasurams of the Prabhandham , " Parama Padha SopAnam " .

 

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan

 

Srimate Sri Laksminrisimha Divya Paduka Sevaka

SrivaNN Satakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama: