Padhuka Sahasram-847

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Sri:

 

SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

 

Translation by U.Ve. Dr. V.N. Vedanta Desikan Swamin:

 

847. samBhAvayanthi kavayaschathuraprachArAm

manjusvanAm mahithamoUkthikapathraLAngIm

svADhInasarvaBhuvanAm maNipAdhukE! thvAm

rangADhirAjapadhapankajarAjahamsIm

 

Oh Manipaaduka! Poets praise Your gentle gait, sweet voice, pearl-

white wings and Your capacity to keep all the worlds under Your

suzerainty. Your being on the lotus (of the Lord's feet) befits Your

being a Royal Swan. And the water-birds admire the above traits and

acknowledge the swan as their head. You are thus veritably the Royal

Swan playing on the lotus.

 

(Hamsa or swan is a perfect representative of Acharyas. Paaduka is

one such Acharya. Indeed Nammazhvar is our first Acharya in this

world).

 

Namo Narayana,

 

SriMuralidhara Dasan

 

 

Special Notes by V.Sadagopan (V.S)

 

SlOkam 847

 

1) UthamUr Swamy's anubhavam: Swamy Desikan states here

that the PaadhukAs are the pair of swans residing at the lotus feet

of the Lord. He points out that the beauty of the walk and the sweet

sounds associated with the PaadhukAs make them resemble the swans.

Further, both the PaadhukAs and the swans have the freedom to move

all around the universe. Both are lauded by the poets . The PaadhukAs

are thus recognized as a pair of swans residing at the lotus feet of

the Lord .He says: " Oh MaNi PaadhukE! the all knowing water birds

see Your rows of pearls and conclude that they are like the feathers

of white swans; they hear the sweet sound you make during your

movements and conclude that those are sounds raised by white swans.

Putting two and two together , they recognize you as a pair of swans

worshipped by all the world and residing at the lotus feet of the

Lord " .

 

2) SrImath Andavan anubhavam: Oh PaadhukE ! You generate

a very plesant naadham during Your sanchArams. High quality and

dazzling white pearls are enmeshed on Your surface . All the world

is under Your control. You stand as the Hamsam ( female White Swan )

for the lotus feet of Your Lord. Just as the Hamsam that does not

part with the lotus , You do not part with the sacred feet of Your

Lord. This is the assessment of the poets of discriminating intellect.

 

3) Oh MaNi PaadhukE ! You show the features of a female

Raaja Hamsam (i-e)., red beak and feet as well as white body

(Raajahamseem SambhAvayanthi). The poets with sharp intellect

(Kavaya: ) equate you to the Raaja Hamsam sitting at the lotus feet of

Your Lord ( ThvAm RangAdhirAja padha pankaja rAja hamseem

sambhAvayanthi). What are their reasons to characterize You as

a female Raaja Hamsam ? Their reasons are: (1) You have a delightful

nadai/sanchAram ( chathura: prachAram) , (2) You generate a delightful

sound ( manjusvAnam), (3) a radiant white body hue like the high

quality pearls ( mahitha moukthika pathraLa angeem) , (4) You have

all (the watery) worlds under Your control ( svAdheena sarva-

bhuvanAnAm). On adding all these up , they conclude that

You are a Raaja Hamsam at Your Lord 's lotus feet ...(V.S).