Saranagathi SrivilliputthUr Aadi Pooram : August 8, 2005/ Part XII (GodhA Sthuthi)

[Guest guest]

Sri:

 

GodhAm udhArAm sthuma: ( Let us eulogize the Generous GodhA ) !

 

Andal Mutthangi Kaimkaryam is making progress . Please take part

in this kaimkaryam and recieve ANDAL's blessings !

 

SlOkam 11: The Supermacy to the South thru GodhA's avathAram

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Swamy Desikan declares here that the Southern direction became

Superior ( uttharA ) to all other directions as a result of Godhai's

avathAram at SrivilliputthUr , which is located South of Srirangam :

 

" DEvi ! Tava avathArAth dakshiNaa dhik api sarva uttharaa bhavathy ".

 

How did that happen ? Your incarnation in the TuLasi vanam at

SrivilliputthUr is the reason ( Tava avathArAth sarva uttharaa bhavathy) .

The Southern direction got ripened with the PuNyam of Your avathAram

( Paripakthrima puNya labhyAth , Tava avathArAth sarva uttharA bhavathy)

and became superior to every thing .

 

Even though Lord RanganAthan is enjoying His yOga nidhraa at Srirangam

( Yathra yEva RangapathinA nidhrALunA api) , He repeatedly opens his eyes

with affection and with a great sense of anticipation to see if You have taken

Your avathAram yet ( NidhrALunApi BahumAna poorvam niyatham kaDAkshA:

nihithA : ) . As a bridegroom , he is looking at the southern direction to check

whether his brids has appeared on the scene .

 

SlOkam 12 ; The glory attained by Godhavari

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River GodhAvari has the name of GodhA associated with it . Swamy Desikan

points out that the sanctity of Godhavari that enables it to cleanse all of

our sins through immersion in it arose because of its Naama sambhandham

with GodhA ( Devi ! Godhaavari bhavathee vyapadEsa yOgAth idham

jagath payasaa prAyENa puneethE ) . GodhAvari becomes empowered not only

to cleanse the humans of their sins but it also cleanses the other rivers like

Ganges , when they come to unite with GodhAvari ( YasyAm Bhaageerathee

prabrudhaya: api samayEshu samEdhya chiram nivAsAth puNyA: bhavanthy) .

During their theerthADanams , humans leave behind their sins in rivers like

Ganges and they get impure . They travel to GodhAvari , immerse themselves in

latter and become cleansed of all the impurities left by the humans .

 

SlOkam 13 : The Friends of GodhA making fun of Her for choosing an Old Man

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In the Svaymvaram , Godhai chooses the ancient Lord of Srirangam over

all the other dhivya dEsa EmperumAns as Her bridegroom . The dear friends of

GodhA tease Her choice of the old Ranganathan and pose these questions to

ANDAL : Oh GodhA with such a beautiful body ( Sutanu) ! How did you go for this

old man ( PurANa Purusha:) , who has the snake as His bed(nAgEsaya:) and

a bird for His transport ( PakshiraTa: ) . How are you persuaded to choose Him

in Your Svayam varam ( KaTam tE PurANa Purusha: svayamvara Pathi: Jaatha : ?).

The friends of Godhai , who teased Her became persuaded that Godhai made

the right choice because of the depth of Her love for Lord RanganAtha

( BhavathyA: samuchitham praNayam sandarsayanthy ) .

 

SlOkam 14 : The garland worn by GodhA becomes superior to Vyajayanthy Maalai

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The bees were attracted by the divine fragrance of Vyjayanty ( Vana Maalai)

and were circling it in a tight circle . Once PeriyAzhwAr brought the garland

adorned by ANDAL and presented it to Vadapathra Saayee , He wore it on

His siras . The bees sensed immediately that the dhivya gandham of GodhA's

Maalais was superior to that of Vyjayanthy Maalai and abandoned latter

and flocked now to the Maalai of Godhai adorning the Lord's crown

( BhrungA: Vyjayantheemapi hithvaa , Thvath bhuktha maalya surabheekrutha

Tava Pathyu: chAru mouLE lOlA : ) . This is the testimony of the rasikAs .

 

SlOkam 15 : The Superiority of GodhA's Maalais over Vyjayanthy

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The VanamAlai adorning the Lord's chest is forever fragrant

( SadhA aamOdhavathy ) , dear to the Lord by its proximity to

His chest ( HrudhayangamA ) , and has a softness (laLIthA)

and enchanting red color ( raaga anvithA ) . It has thus many

superior attributes (GuNa UttharA) . Inspite of these positive

factors , the garland adorned erstwhile by GodhA and now

resting on the crown of the Lord defeats the Vyjayanthi thru

its superior attributes( Mukundha kireeDa-bhAjA Tava MouLi

SrajA , Vyjanthy maalAm adharithA khalu bhavathy) .

 

16) The Bees raising auspicious Naadham for Andal"s svyamvaram

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GodhE ! It was the time of Your Svayamvaram . The honey bees were

tasting the honey from the garland adorning the Lord's crown , which was

originally worn by You and then presented to Your Lord . They were in

a state of exhuberance from partaking that honey ( Svacchandha kalpitha

sapeethirasa pramOdhA: Madhu liha: ) . They had a sweet humming that

created a plesant naadham ( Manju svanaa madhu liha: ) . They sensed

the occasion as Your Svayamvaram and therefore raised an auspicious

Naadham simulating the playing of the mangaLa vaadhyams ( Madhu liha:

tE svAyamvaram kamapi mangaLa thUrya ghOsham vidhadhu:) relevant

for the occasion .

 

17. The respect of RanganAtha for the garlands worn by ANDAL

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Oh GodhE ! Your Lord has many celebrated features that generate

specific fragrances : (1) His Naabhi kamalam has fragrant pollens,

each of which has the power to rule the world ( VisvAyamAna rajasaa

kamalEna naabhou ) , (2) His chest has the markings of the fragrant

sandal paste worn on the breasts of MahA Lakshmi ( Kamalaa sthana

chandhanEna vakshasthalE cha) (3) The fragrance of the VedAs

at the sacred feet ( Nigamai: angri yugmE ) .Inspite of all these exhilirating

fragrances associated with Him , He reveres the special fragrance

associated with the gralands having Your dEha sambhandham

and accepts it with a bent head ( tEshAm aamOdhitha: api , Tava

mouLi maalAm nathEna sirasA dhatthE ) .

 

18. RanganAthan getting elevated by the dress and garlands of GodhA

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Your dear Prabhu adorns His crown with the garland , which had

association with Your black tresses and which was brough to Him

by PeriyAzhwAr wrapped with your upper garment !( GodhE ! Tava

utthareeyam Thvath aLakai: adhivAsya dhatthAm maalam api

chUDApadhEna parigruhya Bhibharthi ). This Lord of Yours attains

the fitness to the wealth of auspiciousness to adorn Your garlands

( yEsha: Rangapathi: soubhAgya sampath abhishEka mahAdhikAram

prAyENa Bhibarthi ) .

 

19. RanganAthan gaining special fragrance by wearing ANDAL's garlands

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The garlands worn and presented to Your Lord have their own

unmatched fragrance . Your Lord adorns those garlands on His

crown and gains a special fragrance that is unparalleled because

of their sambhandham with Your dark and curly tresses

( Sa: Thvadheeya kuDila aLaka vaasithAbhi: maalikAbhi:

anyam aamOdham adhigacchathy ) . This is the Lord , whom

Upanishads as sarva gandhan with all kinds of fragrances

free from links to Prakruthi . Your garlands on the Lord's

crown outdo any fragrance attributed earlier to the Lord by

the Upanishads ( akruthrima gira: tungai: utthamAngai:

yamm sarva gandha: ithi svayam saadharam udhvahanthy ).

 

20. ANDAL glancing the crown of the Lord adorning Her garlands

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Your Lord is wearing with pride the garland worn by you on His crown.

This Lord of the Universe feels that He is blessed to wear them .

(Thvath mouLi maalya bharasambharena dhanyE samastha

jagathAm pithu: ) . Your glances fall on His siras wearing the crown

with affection ( JagathAm pithu: utthamAngE ThvadheeyAni

aakEkarANi bhaumAna vilOkithAni ) . The effect of those glances

falling on Your Lord's crown is like covering it with a garland made up

of blue lotuses ( ThvadheeyAni vilOkithAni bhooya: indhIvara srajam

aadhadhi iva ).

 

Our SrivilliputthUr ANDAL ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan