Nava Raathri Season / Fund Raising for the Priest's quarters at Sri RanganAtha Temple : Part IV( Third Day of NavarAthri)

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Sunday, October 17, 2004 10:03 AM

 

Nava Raathri Season / Fund Raising for the Priest's quarters at Sri RanganAtha Temple : Part IV( Third Day of NavarAthri)

 

SrI :

 

(PraNavam) Samadarsinyai Nama:

(PraNavam) Hari-bhadrAyai Nama:

(PraNavam) Sarva MantrAthmikAyai Nama:

(PraNavam) BhavyAyai Nama:

(PraNavam) Sarva-ranjinyai Nama:

(PraNavam) lOka-Swaminyai Nama:

(PraNavam) SadhguNOjjvalAyai Nama:

 

On this third day of NavarAthri , adiyEn seeks your participation

and support in the kaimkaryam for realizing the living quarters

for the ArchakAs of Sri RanganAtha Temple . Please take part in

this special project with your financial support , the details of

which are covered at the Temple Web Site ( http://www.ranganatha.org).

 

In the previous posting , we studied the meanings of " KaanthastE

PurushOtthama: " section of the First slOkam of ChathusslOki .

 

On this third day of NavarAthri , adiyEn will focus on the commentaries of

VyaakhyAna Chakravarthy Sri PeriyavAcchAn PiLLai and KavitArkika Simham

regarding the next set of words in the first half of the first slOkam:

 

KaantastE PurushOtthama: PhaNipathi: sayyA vaahanam

vEdAthmA vihagEswarO yavanikA MaayA JaganmOhini

 

PhaNipathi: SayyA

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

PVP says : A king may have a lady whom he might like and

as such would meet her once in a while . She is called "abhimathai ".

He will not invite her to share his royal bed. The king's royal bed is only

for the Queen , who is not only abhimathai but is also anuroopi

( sharing attributes in the most desirable way) . The ideal king and

queen have to match each other in every way . If that were to be so

for ordinary kings and queens , we can comprehend the anyOnyam

between the JagannAthan and Jagadheeswari .The extraordinary

match in all aspects between Sri DEvi and Her Lord is saluted by

these pramANams : " BhagavannArAyaNa abhimatha anuroopa

svaroopa roopa- - - - " .

 

Their mutual match is saluted again by

Sage Vaalmiki :

 

tulyaseela vayOvruddhAm tulyAbhijana lakshaNAm

RaaghavOarhathy VaidEheem tamm chEyamasithEkshaNAm

 

(Meaning): VaidEhi is the right match for Raaghavan since She has

identical lakshaNams with Him in guNam , youth , conduct and

kulam . Vaidehi with dark beautiful eyes is the most matching

wife for Raaghavan .

 

Swamy NammAzhwAr celebrates in his ThiruvAimozhi (10.10.6)

the extraordinary match between PirAtti and Her Lord this way:

" unakkERkkum kOlamalarppAvai " . Oh Lord ! She is the most beautiful ,

utthama naaree , who is the best match for You . They are the ideal

divine couple (dhivya miTunam ) demonstrating the closest

abhimatham and anuroopam . Therefore , They share the common bed,

AdhisEshan , the most exalted among the servants /sEsha jeevans .

 

Swamy Desikan comments that Yaanuna Muni chose the Nithyasoori

PariBruDan ( chief among the eternally liberated Jeevans ) , AdhisEshan

as the one serving as the bed for the divine couple . Swamy Desikan

observes further that the PhaNipathy ( Lord of the MahA Sarpams

like Vaasuki, Dakshakan et al ) sabdham implies the beautiful ,

wide , soft , cool and fragrant nature of an ideal bed fit for the divine

couple ( Surabhi-SukumAra-SeethaLa- VisAla- UnnatatthvAdhi roopA: ).

That AdhisEshan is Her Bed as well as Aasanam is referred to by

the following pramANams :

 

" BhOgapriyA BhOgavathee BhOgheendhra SayanAsanA "

--- Sri LakshmI Sahasra Naamams

 

VishNu PurANam points out that none can describe adequately

the beauty and power of AdhisEshan , who is serving as the bed

for Sri Devi and Her Lord.Such is the Vaibhavam of AdhisEshan

serving the divine couple, Naree MaNi and PurushOtthaman

as Her Kaanthan .

 

" Aasanam Vaahanam vEdAthmA VihagEswara: "

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

Sri Devi's seat/throne (aasanam) and transport vehicle

( vaahanam ) is none other than the Veda Svaroopi ,

Garudan ( VihagEswaran). Such is Her loftiness !

Since Sri Devi is not only abhimathai and anukoolai

but she is also the anugrahai as She sits with Her Lord

on the seat of Garudan and flies off with Her Lord for

blessing devotees : " VaikunTE thu parE lOkE SriyA

sArddham Jagathpathi: " . Her Nithya VIbhUthi sambhandham

is referred to here . She is entitled to the seat , bed and

Vaahanam of the Lord such as AdhisEshan and Garudan.

 

As VihagEswaran , Garudan is one of the Pancha PrANAdhipathi.

The other four ar eHis other forms : Sathya: , SuparNa: , Taarkshya:

and Garudan . Such as a VihagEswaran , where all the Vedams

abide is Your Vaahanam !

 

AdhisEshan is the head of the serpents and Garudan is

the head of all birds and thus both belong to viruddha jaathis

and yet are Nithyasooris serving the Lord ; as such they

are worthy objects of worship by others . Such lofty ones

serve Sri Devi .

 

"YavanikA maayA JaganmOhini "

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

Sofar , Sri Devi's links to nithya VibhUthi (Sri Vaikuntam)

and the kaimkaryams there by Nithya Sooris were discussed .

Now the attention shifts to Her other VibhUthi ( LeelA

VibhUthi) of which She is a Joint owner with Her Lord.

Swamy AlavanthAr refers to the most -difficult-to-cross

MaayA of Bhagavan in this context :

 

Dhaivee hEyshA guNamayee Mama mAyA dhurathyayA,

MaamEva yE prapathyanthE mAyAmEthAm taranthi tE

-- Bhagavath Geethai: 7.14

 

(meaning): This MaayA commanded by Me as its Lord

has the three guNams.This MaayA of mine can not be

crossed over easily. Only those , who surrender unto

Me unconditionally will be able to cross My MaayA .

 

Maayaa JaganmOhini tE yavanika

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

That MaayA of the Lord is Her curtain. This wondeful

MaayA (Moola Prakruthi) used by the Lord for creation

of the world and its beings is the YavanikA for Sri Devi

and become Her servant (sEshan) .This vasthu known as

VishNu MaayA performs the act of creating vipareetha

Jn~Anam (JaganmOhanam) through the operation of

the thriguNams and becomes Her servant in its role as

Her curtain ( TirodhAnakari) .

 

BrahmEsAdhi suravrajas sadayithas Thvad dAsa-dAsee gaNa:

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

Oh Sri Devi ! Your vaibhavam can be understood also from

the fact that the residents of the seven lokams from BhU lOkam

(BhOgavathy) to Sathya lOkam as well as the residents of atala , vitala Sutala ,

Mahaatala , Rasaatala and Paatala lokams have VISHNU PATHNI

SESHATHVAM. All of them including the BrahmAdhi DEvAs and

the others are bound by karmAs ( karmavasyALs) and deluded

by the karmAs(mohithAnAm) and the GuNAs driving those karmAs.

In additon to Brahma , the dEvAs , and wives (sadayitha) also form

the assembly of servants ( daasa-daasee gaNa:/AaNaDimai and

PeNNadimai ) .

 

SreerithyEva cha Naama tE BhRuma: kaTam ThvAm vayam ?

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

Sofar , the slOkam dwelled on the tatthvam of Periya PirAtti

becoming Seshan to Her Lord out of Her own choice

( aham SishyA cha dhAsi cha BhakthA cha Tava Maadhava in

VarAha PurANam ) . She is also the Seshi for all vasthus in Nithya

and LeelA VibhUthis with Her Lord . She is therefore saluted in

SrI Soktham as " Iswareem SarvabhUthAnAm " , Bhagavathy and

" asyEsAnA jagatha: " in NeeLA Sooktham . Just as the Lord is

addressed as " Bhagavan NaarAyaNa" , She is invoked as

" Bhagavatheem Sriyam Deveem ". Thus the Naamam " SrI "

arises for Her ( SreerithyEva cha nAma tE ). The six MahA nirukthis

relating to Your name , "SrI: " ( SruNAthi , SrayathE , SreeyathE et al) .

She is the blemishless fountain of nectar for anubhavam by

Her aasritha janam ( akaLanga amrutha taarA ) .

 

Bhruma: kaTam ThvAm Vayam ?

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

Swamy Alavanthar goes on next to celebrate the Parathvam

(Supermacy) of PirAtti on a par with Her Lord .When one

with limited intellect or even VedAs attempt to describe

Her anantha KalyANa guNams they flounder in their efforts

to eulogize Her adequately ( yathO vaachA nivartantE aprApya

manasA saha) . Her Supermacy is beyond grasp by the humans ,

celestials as well as by the VedAs . Of this NirdhOsha MangaLakara

Moorthy , Swamy AlavanthAr confesses that the aasrithALs are

incapable of eulogizing Her and comprehendign Her limitless

Sakthi and gives up ( KaTam BhrUma: ThvAm Vayam ? ).

"ThvAm" here is intrepreted by Swamy Desikan as " VishNu PathnithvEna ,

Tadhidhara-sarva-sEshithvEna , tadhuchitha naamadhEyAdhi

yOgEna Prasiddham" ( You are well known in all worlds with

appropriate NaamAs as implied by Your role as VishNu Pathni ,

Sarva Seshi with Your Lord . "Vayam " here stands for the entire

assembly of BrahmAdhi dEvAs and ManushyAs , who are of

limited intellect to adequately understand Her anantha kalyAna

guNams and DayA Svaroopam . It is through Your anugraham , they

make an attempt to eulogize You and persist in such efforts .

Otherwise , how can we try to engage in this impossible act

( Vayam kaTam Bhruma : ?).

 

Thus ends the first slOkam of ChathusslOki in a glorious note .

 

SrImath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan