SrI SundarabAhu Sthavam : Part VII (SlOkams: 22-23 )

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear BhakthAs of SundarabAhu PerumAL of ThirumAlirum ChOlai :

 

We will study the SlOkams 22-23 of SundarabAhu Sthavam today .

 

SlOkam 22

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Gunajam guNinO hi mangaLathvam

pramitham pratyutha yathsvaroopamEtya

tamananta sukhAvaBOdha roopam

vimalam SundarabAhum aasrayaama:

 

Introductory Comments: This slOkam is modelled after

KurEsar's slOkam ( guNAyattham) in Sri VaradarAja Sthavam

and the slOkam ( Sarvasya chaiva hi) in AthimAnusha Sthavam .

 

The above two slOkams and this slOkam cover the vishayam

commented upon by SrI BhAshyakArar in the JanmAdhyadhikaraNam

of His SrI BhAshyam : We praise a human being as GuNasaali to indicate

that he has auspicious guNams and anushtAnams . In the case of BhagavAn ,

the situation is opposite . There is no glory for the Lord because of the links to

the auspicious guNams . On the contrary , the guNams attain their glory because of

association with the Lord . This situation in loukeekam is similar to the case ,

where the money accumulated by a unpious man that gets spent on ungodly

projects . In that case , we conclude that his wealth did not have the good fortune

to be spent on auspicious kaimkaryams and therefore it has dhurbhAgyam .

When the money reaches a human being , who is adhering to the injunctions of

Bhagavath Saasthrams and he spends the accumulated wealth on sath kaimkaryams ,

then we say that the wealth had the soubhAgyam of being spent on auspicious

projects to gain eminence .

 

That is what KurEsar says : " GuNina: mangaLathvam guNajam pramitham hi " .

The pramANams point out that the guNmas through their attachment to a man

makes him earn the name of guNinan ( GuNasaali) . In the case of the Lord ,

the guNams have the reverse effect . They do not increase His MangaLathvam .

The guNams attain instead mangalathvam through their association with the Lord

( Yath Svaroopam yEthya pratyutha pramitham ) . The situation is opposite

in the case of the guNams that get linked to the dhivyAthma Svaroopam of

the Lord .GuNams now gets elevated due to their links to the Lord and not

the otherway round .

 

In the 3rd and the 4th line of this 23rd slOkam , KurEsar states that he has

taken refuge at the sacred feet of that SundarabAhu PerumAL of ThirumAlirumchOlai ,

( SundarabAhum AasrayAma: ) , who is devoid of any deficiencies ( Vimalam)

and possessing the dhivyAthma svaroopam noted for its limitless bliss and

Jn~Anam ( Tamm anantha sukha avaBOdha roopam vimalam SundaraBAhum

aasrayAma:) .

 

Our Lord's guNmas are thrividha ParicchEdham ( not limited by dEsam , Kaalam

and Vasthu) . Therefore they are " anantham " . His Svaroopam is aanandha mayam .

Jeevan does not come anywhere near the Lord in these aspects . He is "amalan aadhipirAn ,

and Vimalan" . The Lord does not have the dhOshams and aj~nAnam like us . KurEsar

addresses the Lord as Sundara Baahu to indicate that the Lord of this dhivyAthma

svaroopam , where the guNmas become ennobled has a dhivya MangaLa vigraham

as well with sundara ThOLL (Beautiful shoulders). This reference to one of His

beautiful limbs sets the stage for the coming slOkams dwelling on His dhivya

MangaLa vigraham .

 

The metre for this slOkam is Vasantha Maalika .

 

SlOkam 23

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athipathitha avadhi sva-mahimaanubhavaprabhavath-

sukha krutha nistaranga jaladheeyitha nithya dasam

prathibhaDamEva hEya nikarasya sadhA apratimam

Harimiha SundarAhvam upayAmi VanAdhritaDE

 

Extended Meaning of SlOkam 23

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adiyEn has sought the refuge of the Lord of ThirumAlirumchOlai .

He is SaakshAth Hari with the name of Sundaran ( Azhagar) here .

The name Hari is acquired by the Lord because the Lord swallows

the whole world to protect them ; The name Hari comes from the root " Hr"

to take away .

 

The PaancharAthra and VaikAnasa Samhithais ( Bhagavath Saasthrams)

describe the state of the Lord in to two categories: NithyOdhitha dasai

and SaanthOdhitha Dasai. The current slOkam deals with the NithyOdhitha

dasai of the Lord . In this dasai , the Lord reflects on His limitless , auspicious

attributes and stays still like the waveless ocean ." AathmAnam VasudEvAkhyam

chinthayan , nithyam nithyAkruthidharam " is one of the PramANams here . This

NithyOdhitha, SaanthOdhitha dasais are displayed in all the five roopams of the Lord:

Para-VyUha -Vibhava-Haarta nd Archaa . Enjoying the archai of VaasudEvan at

ThirumAlirumchOlai , KurEsar realtes to His nithyOdhitha dasai in this slOkam.

The first two lines of this slOkam deal with the salutation to the nithyOdhitha dasai:

 

" athpathitha avathi sva-mahimA anubhava prabhavath

sukha krutha nistaranga jaladheeyitha nithya dasam "

 

In the 3rd and the 4th lines of this slOkam , KurEsar salutes the state

of the Lord , which is always the opposite of the assembly of inauspicious

guNmas that needs to be rejected ( sadhA hEya nikarasya prathibhaDamEva ).

This Lord has no equal ( yeppOthum Tann oppArillappan= sadhA yEva

aprathimam ) ." na TathsamascchAbhyadhikasya dhrusyatE ) .He is the Hari

( Hari: harathi PaapAni) adorning the name of Sundaran at the dhivya dEsam of ThirumAlirumchOlai . adiyEn has sought the refuge of this Vana Giri NaaTan :

 

" prathibhaDamEva hEya nikarasya sadhAapratimam

Harimiha SundarAhvam upayAmi VanAdhritaDE "

Swamy KurEsar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

SrimathE SrIvaNN SaThakOpa NaarAyaNa YathIndhra MahA DesikAya Nama:

Daasan Oppiliappan KOil VaradAchari Sadagopan