Padhuka Sahasram-921

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Sri:

 

SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

 

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

 

921. sA BhUpA rAmapArasThA viBhUpAsthisapArathA

thArapA sakrupA dhuShtipUrapA rAmapAdhukA

 

Oh That Paaduka! How potent it is! It constitutes the very extreme

limit of a worship-ritual of the Lord, since no such worship is

regarded as complete without homage to the Paaduka. It protects the

Lord (who is implied in the pranava mantra), during His strolls from

thorn and stone. With great pity on us, it drinks off all our defects

and sins. So great is Rama Paaduka. It is at the feet of Rama-it is

the most delectable object of enjoyment for a soul.

 

Namo Narayana,

 

SriMuralidhara Dasan

 

Special Notes by V.Sadagopan (V.S):

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SlOkam 921: This verse is set in the chithra Bhandham known as

Muraja Bhandham . Muraja means a large drum . Muraja bhandham

refers to a verse arranged artificially in the form of a drum . The

32 words

of this verse split across four paadhAs consisting of 8 letters each

and takes on an architecvture of a long drum with its charactrestric

symmetries of the leather ropes seen on the body of the drum :

 

Saa bhU paa raa ma paa ra sTA

vi bhU paa sthi Sa paa ra thaa

thaa ra paa Sa kru paa dhu shDi

poo ra paa raa ma paa dhu kaa

 

 

Please enjoy the view of a long drum anchored at

third and sixth letters of each of the four Paadhams

with the letter " Paa " .

 

Please also enjoy another symmetry with the words " ra " ,

" bhU " , " dhu " and " ma " across the four paadhams .

 

Meaning of the slOkam is tightly woven in by Swamy Desikan ,

while constructing this marvellous Muraja Bhandham in the slOkam:

 

Saa bhUpaa RaamapArsTA vibhUpaasthisapArathaa

taarapaa sakrupaa dhushDipoorapaa Raama paadhukaa

 

1) UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam:Those Raama PaadhukAs

are saluted by the VedAs ; they are engaged in adoring the Lord's

feet with Their eulogies. The Lord's PaadhukAs have compassion as its

characterestric virtue and drinks up all the dhOshams of its

devotees. Those PaadhukAs returned to Raama's holy feet after ruling

the kingdom for fourteen years as the Lord's representative.

 

2) SrImath Andavan's anubhavam:In the previous slOkam , it was

suggested that the Paadhukais travelled on their own for fulfilling

the prayers of those , who sought its refuge . In this slOkam ,

the reason is given for such an initiative . The intense compassion

(Parama Krupaa) of the Paadhukai is identified as the reason .

 

The PaadhukAs have many attributes possessed by their Supreme

Lord ( Parathva Soochaka Jn~Ana Sakthi Vaibhavams) . Instead of

hiding them from those who seek thier refuge , the Paadhukais

shower them with their intense compassion . AchAryAs are like

the Lord's Paadhukais . They are also deeply rooted in their Lord

(Sthira Prathishtai in Para Brahmam) and are under the influence of

their Lord to establish His Saasthrams and injunctions.They chase

those who advocate nonadherence to veda maargam and defeat

their arguments to strengthen the way of the VedAs .( The AchAryaas

like the Lord's Paadhukais remove our sins by casting their kayNA

KatAkshams ( Tadh dhrushti gOcharaa: sarvE muchyanthE sarva-

kilBhishai: ). Among all the auspcious attributes of the AchAryAs

and the Paadhukais , the Dayaa guNam is the most prominent one) .

 

3) The key instruction here is : " Saa Raama PaadhukA sakrupA "

(i-e)., The revered Raama PaadhukAs of limitless auspicious attributes

have indescribale and intense compassion (DayA) for us . What are

some of these auspicious attributes and functions of the PaadhukAs?

What indeed are they noted for ?

 

The Raama Paadhukais unite with the Lord to establish the maryAdhais

given to Vedam and our sanAthana dharmam and they protected Bhumi ,

the middle lOkam , when Raama was away on exile ( bhUpaa Raama

pAra sTA ). It is established in Raamaa with special recognition and

has influence ; They serve as boundary to Raama guNams ( Raama

PaarasTA ).

 

The Paadhukais serve as the final limit (yellai nilam , Kaashtai) for

Bhagavath upAsanam ( Vibhu: upAsthi sapArathA) . Bhagavan's

dhivyAthma svaroopam is pervasively present everywhere befitting

His name as " Vibhu " . The final point of the UpAsanam of that Lord is

Dhivya PaadhukA dhyAnam . One arrives at that final step after

travelling

step by step thru the stages of : dhivyAthma svarropa dhyAnam ,

dhivya mangaLa vigraha dhyAyanam , dhivya charaNAravindha

dhyAnam culminating in Dhivya PaadhukA DhyAnam. The dhyAnam

about the Lord's Paadhukai is the last among the steps for UpAsana.

 

The PaadhukAs are also: " Taara paa " . The word " Taara " denotes

BhagavAn , who is PraNava Svaroopi. The PadhukAs protect

the sacred feet of that Lord and becomes " Taara paa " . It is also

" dhrushti poora paa " . Dhrushti stands for dhOshams . Dhrushti poora

stands for the abubdant ( flood of ) dhOshams . " Paa " means one who

drinks it all . Therefore like the sage Agasthyar , who drank the

oceans with one sip from his cupped palm , the Paadhukais through

their Mangala dhrushti drinks up all the dhOshams of those , who seek

their protection. Those Raama PaadhukAs are intensely compassionate (

Saa Raama PaadhukA Sakrupa , SakrupA , SakrupA ).....(V.S).