Lord RanganAthA's Thirumanjana KattiyambySwamyParAsara Bhattar:Part VII/SlOkams 7 & 8

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SrI :

 

Dear BhakthAs of Periya PerumAL :

 

SrI RanganAtha ParabrahmaNE Nama:

 

On an AvaNi SravaNam day , Swamy ParAsara Bhattar arrived to take

part in the Thirumanjana uthsavam . Bhattar was overwhelmed by the dhivya

Soundharyam of the Lord that he praised the glory of SravaNa Nakshathram

(Sri VishNu Nakshathram) as the Lord of all Nakshathrams . He explained that

Lord RanganAthan as the Lord of all the Universes is the athidEvathai for

that Nakshathram ( SrONO nakshathram Vishnur dEvathA ) and recognized

its Prasastham ( Superiority ). Lord is said to start on His vijaya Yaathrais

to destroy the asurAs on SravaNa nakshthram days . On this avaNi avittam

(SraavaNi) day , adhyayana aarambha kaalam arrives . SishyAs search AchAryAs

to commence the adhyayanam . Sri RanganAthan is our PraTamaachAryan .

He also follows His own edict of performing all KarmAs even though He has

nothing to gain by it . He observes therefore AvaNi SraavaNam as well

after His early morning Thirumanjanam .

 

The 7th SlOkam of Thirumanjana Kattiyam is :

 

saardham dhvijas-srAvaNakarma Rangin

kalpOchitha-snAna vidhim karOshi

Sruthi-smruthibhyAm vyapadhisyamAnam

svayam mamaaj~nAm anuvarthayAmi

 

Dr.S.Padmanabhan's Comments : During the constellation of SraavaNa , which is

very auspicious for VishNu , Lord RanganAtha is given a sacred bath in the early

morning (KalpOchitha snAnam) , being accompanied by many twice-born

(saardham dhvijai: ) reciting Vedam and dhivya Prabhandham . This according to

the poet , indicates that the Lord is putting into practise what He Himself

has commanded others to do through the Sruthi and Smruthi Texts (Sruthi

Smruthi MamaivAj~nA ) . He Himself practises SraavaNa karmaa to demonstrate

that He follows His command to the others in performing nithya karmaas .

 

SlOkam 8 : Thirumanjanam on Sri Jayanthi day

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Bhattar arrived once on a Sri Jayanthi day to particpate in the Lord's

Thirumanjanam . As he started to eulogize the Lord of Srirangam ,

He was distracted by the significance of that day and ended up saluting

the glory of Sri Jayanthi day (Ashtami) and compared it to the VedAs

(Thrayee) :

 

Samunmishath padhmaja-tAra samsrithaa

TavaavathAra-krama paaDa-tathparaa

Thrayeeva RangEsa samarTyatE janai:

asou Jayantheeth-udhitEyam ashtamee

 

Meaning according to Dr.S.PadmanAbhan: Bhattar uses pun (double meaning)

to identify the Lord's JanmAshtami marked by the Jayanti constellation (Characterising

KrishNAvatAram) with the Vedic lore (Thrayee) . The VedA has as its source ,

the TaarA ( the OmkAraa) , which was pronounced by Brahmaa( Padmajaa)

first . It has different ways of chanting the Vedic texts such as Krama ( Krama Paatam)

during the process of its evolution (avatAraa) . In the case of Lord RanganAtha ,

He manifested ( as Sri KrishNa) under the constellation of RohiNee (Taaraa) ,

which has Brahmaa ( Padmajaa) as its presiding deity . Lord is also known for

His commitment to evolve Himself in a series of avataarAs ( avatAra-Kramaa) .

 

VyAkyAnam of Swamy Parasara Bhattar : Samunmishath Padmajataara Samsrithaa:RohiNee nakshthram is associated with Brahmaa ( PrajApathi). The paryAya sabdham

( another word meaning the same ) for PrajApathi is Padhmajaa ( Srashtaa PrajApathir-Vedaa) .VasudEvar of Mathuraa is the amsam of Kaasyapa PrajApathi and can be

considered hence as a Prajaapathi . Using VasudEvar as a nimittham (KaaraNam) ,

Oh Lord , You were born on the Jayanthy Ashtami day . Therefore , VasudEvar can also be recognized as athidEvathai for RohiNi just as Padmaja/PrajApathy .

 

TavAvathAra-krama paata-tathparaa : NaayantE ! Vedam deals with Your avathAra kramam

and is therefore elaborately involved in eulogizing that avatAram ( TathparamAi irukkum) .

For instance Vedam salutes Your ThrivikramAvathAram : " ThreeNi padhaa vichakramE

VishNOr gOpaa athAbhya: " . Vedam also salutes : Kramu PadhavikshEpE " . Kramu means

step by step. Paadha vikshEpam is placement of the foot . Thus the ThrivikramAvathAram

is celebrated by the VedAs . Thrayee salutes Your avathAram ( Tava ThrivikramAvathAram )

elaborately ( padha tathparaa) and particularly Your Padha VikshEpam to measure the Universe

and the sky with two steps .

 

Your avathAram on this Jayanthi ashtami is decribed as " YasyAm JaathO JagannAtha: Kireetee Kousthubhee Hari : ". This is done without mentioning Your avathAra Kaalam lest Kamsan

gets wind of it . This ashtami day is therefore known without specifics just "Thrayee " ( Thrayeeva RangEsa samarTyatE janai: asou Jayantheeith-yutitEyam ashtamee ) . Your avathAra prabhAvam

( the glory of Your incarnation) led to that ashtami day being known as Thrayee .

 

SrI RanganAtha ParabrahmaNE Nama:

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

http://www.sadagopan.org