Swamy AlavanthAr's SthOthra Rathnam : SlOkam 21/ Part II

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SrI:

 

Dear SrI VaishNavAs :

 

The " Namas " sabdham is heard 8 times in this (21st) SthOthra Rathna slOkam

and each pair of " namas " sabdham stars with " NamO NamO " . This use of

the word with the same meaning is known as ParyAyam (i-e) one word is

ParyAyam to the other . Usage of the word with the same meaning

contigously is known as Veepsai . Here the Nama: sabdham is used

more than once in the spirit of Veepsai . Overcome by the adhisaya

anubhavam of the limitless Iswaryam , Compassion and the KalyANa

guNams of the Lord , Swamy AlvanthAr makes the multiple namaskArams

like the SvEtha dhvipa Vaasis and Swamy NammAzhwAr , when they admitted

defeat by the soundharyam and the anantha KlayANa guNams of the Lord

and extended their namskArams to Him multiple times ( Veepsai prayOgam) :

 

JithantE PuNDareekAksha ! namastE ViswabhAvana !

namastE asthu HrusheekEsa ! MahA Purusha ! Poorvaja !

 

JitantE SthOthram ; Verse 1

 

The experience of SvEtha dhvIpa Vaasis was felt by Swamy NammAzhwAr ,

when BhagavAn displayed His adhi adhbhutha Soundaryam and won the AzhwAr

over and asked the AzhwAr teasingly as to who won between them . AzhwAr

admitted excitingly : " thORROm mada nenjam EmperumAn NaaraNaRkkE "

( ThiruvAimozhi: 2.1.7).

 

NamaskAra PrakaraNam

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

Through this " NamaskAra PrakaraNam " , " nama: " sabdham and its

significance in the context of amamathA ( freedom from ego and

the samarpaNam of every karmaa and their Phalans to the Lord ) is

celebrated . " na Mama mamathA asthi thaasu , Bhagavatha yEva

thaa: , amamOham bhagavathy , ahamapi na mama, Bhagavatha yEvAham

asmi ithyEvamamathAm yOjayatheethyathO NAMA : " Swamy Desikan

quotes thus from RahasyAmnAya BrAhmaNam here . The meaning for

this passage is provided further down in this coverage .

 

Nama: Sabdham & Dhvaya Manthram

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

Nama: sabdham is an important part of Dhvaya Manthram . This word

celebrates " the negation of Selfishness " , when doing Kaimkaryams to

the Lord . AndaL refers to this approach with Her famous declaration :

" UnakkE Naam-aatcheyvOm " ( our servitude is to You only ). She emphasizes

the performance of Kaimakryams devoid of ahankAram and MamakAram .

Such an attitude will result in the banishment of enemies to Bhagavath

Kaimkaryam ( Kaimkarya VirOdhi nivrutthi) . PeriyavacchAn PiLLai observes

in this context : " kONN pOy , Paaratantryam prakAsitthAliRE kaimkarya-

rasatthukku yOgyamAvathu " . kONN here means the misshapement

of the spine as in the case of Kooni , the maid servant of KaikEyi .

When that twist of ahankAra-MamakAram is straightened out , one

becomes fit for enjoying the bliss of Kaimkaryam to the Lord .

 

Nama: Sabdham & Srimath Rahasya Thraya Saaram

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

The meanings of " Nama: " sabdham has been elaborately dealt with by

Swamy Desikan in Srimath Rahasya Thraya Saaram . The NairapEkshyam

( not expecting any thing for the Bhara SamarpaNam ) and svarakshaNa

nirbharathvam ( freedom from worries about their protection by themselves

and leaving it totally in the hands of the Lord) . When Bhara SamarpaNam is

done with the offering , " (aham) SrImathE NaarAyaNAya " and concluded

with " na mama " , two aspects of SaraNAgathy are emphasized :

the responsibility ofSvarakshaNa Bharam ( the burden of portection of

oneself to be taken over by the Lord ) and SvarakshaNa phalam

( the fruits arising from such a protection to bne nejoyed by the Lord) .

Both are laid at the sacred feet of the Lord during BharanyAsam .

 

Nama: sabdham & NyAsa Dasakam

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

With the Nama: sabdham , the total disassociation with aathma-aathmeeyams

(mAmm Madheeyam ) and SvarakshaNa tathphalams as described in the two

slOkams of NyAsa Dasakam are dedicated to the Lord :

 

aham madhrakshaNabharO madhrakshaNa phalam taTaa

na mama SrIpathErEva ithyAthmAnam nikshipEth bhudha:

**********

Here , the aathma SamarpaNam (SaraNAgathy) done with the conviction

that the rakshaNam of the Aathmaa and the fruits arising from that

rakshaNam does not belong to me ( na mama ) but only to the SaraNyan

is emphasized .

 

mAmm madheeyam cha nikhilam chEtanAchEtanAthmakam

SvakaimkaryOpakaraNam Varadha sveekuru Svyam

 

Here , the prayer is for the Lord to make His own all that belongs to

the jeevan ( the jeevan in the embodied state) in the world as well as

the Jeevan itself .

 

Speaking of the difference between " mama " made up of two letters

and " na Mama " made up of three letters , the Saanthi Parva slOkam from

MahA BhAratham (13.4) gives this profound insight :

 

Dhvayaksharasthu bhavEn-mruthyu: thryaaksharam BrahmaNa: padham

mamEthi dhvayksharO Mruthyu: na mamEthi cha Saasvatham

 

(Meaning) : The one with the two letters ( Mama) becomes the cause of

the SamsAric sufferings . The one with the three letters ( na Mama ) becomes

the cause for attaining the Supreme Brahman and Moksham from the cycles

of births and deaths .

 

Nama: sabdham stands in for svaroopam ( inherent trait) free from

ahankAram .

 

Nama: Sabdham & RahasyAmnAya BrAhmaNam

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

Swamy Desikan quoted in this context from RahasyAmnAya BraahmaNam :

 

" ahamapi na mama , Bhagavatha yEva ahamasmi ithyEvam amamathAm

yOjayathyathO nama ithi "

 

(Meaning) : I am not my owner . Lord is the Owner of this Jeevan .The

thought

like this disavowing ahamkAram and negating MamakAram is understood as

the meaning of Nama: sabdham . With this , Swamy Desikan comcludes

his comments on NamaskAra PrakaraNam and moves on to celebrate

NamaskAra Prabhavam ( the glories of NamaskAram to the Lord with

the Nama: sabdham ) .

 

NamaskAra PrabhAvam

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

Swamy Desikan quotes from VishNU dharmam , Saanthi Parvam of

MahA BhAratham and VishNu purANam to instruct us on the power of

NamaskaraNam thru Nama: sabdham to the Lord :

 

dhurga-samsAra-kAnthAram apAram abhidhAvathAm

yEka KrishNa namaskArO mukthi theerasya Desika:

 

For those striving intensely to cross the limitless and fearsome forest

of SamsAram , the one salutation made to Lord KrishNa will get him

across to the sukham of Mukthi .

 

yEkOapi KrishNa: sakrtutha: praNAmO dasAswamEdhavabhruthEna tulya:

dasaasvamEdhi punarEthi janma , KrishNa praNAmi na punarbhavAya

 

Even one PraNAmam to KrishNa has the phalan of doing ten asvamEdha

Yaj~nams ; the yajamAnan who performed the ten asvamEdham however

will not escape rebirth, where as one who performed NamaskArams to

Lord KrishNa escapes rebirth .

 

athasee-guccha sankAsam peethavAsa samachutham

yE namasyanthy Govindham na tEshAm vidhyathE bhayam

 

For those , who perform NmaskaraNam to Lord KrishNa with

PeethAmbharam and having the hue of KaayAmpoo , there will

never ever be fear from anything.

 

praNamya dhaNDavath bhUmou namaskArENa yOarchayEth

sa yaam gathim avApnOthy na thaamm krathu-sathairapi

 

The One who falls flat on ground like a rod and performs the aarAdhanam

of the Lord gains the phalan that is superior to hundreds of Yaj~nams .

 

Harim amaragaNArchithAngripadhmam praNamathy ya: ParamArTathO manushya:

tammapagatha samastha paapa bhandham vraja parihruthya yaTAgnimAjyasiktham

 

That human being , who performs namaskArams to the Lord's sacred feet

worshipped by the assembly of DevAs will be rid off all paapams and

bonds and be purified like the aahUthi united with Agni .

 

Such is the Vaibhavam of NamaskAram implied by " the NamO NamO sabdham "

used FOUR times in the 21st slOkam of Swamy AlawanthAr's SthOthra Rathnam :

 

1. Vaang-manasa athibhUmayE namO namO

 

2. Vaang-manasa yEka bhUmayE namO namO

 

3. anantha mahA vibhUthayE namO namO

 

4. anantha dayaa yEka sindhavE namO namO

 

adiyEn will focus on the meanings of these four NamaskaraNams with

a total of 8 Nama: sabdham in the next and final posting on this slOkam .

 

Swamy AlawanthAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

SrImath Azhagiya Singar Thiruvadi