Prakrutham Srimath Azhagiya Singar's approaching 79th Thirunakshathram :: Bangalore , Dec 10, 2005 :Tributes to MahA Lakshmi : Part V

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

PaarTiva Samvathsaram , Simha Maasam ,

Sukla Paksha Chaturdhasi , Sathaya Nakshathram

KanyA PourNami , PurattAsi Maasa PiRappu

 

Dear BhakthAs of Sri Lakshmi Narasimhan :

 

The First slOkam of Sri Sthuthi is recited for

the copious flow (PathinettAm Perukku PravAham )

of MangaLam coming our way (Home , Community , Nation):

 

Sri Sthuthi SlOkam 1

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MaanAtheetha praTitha vibhavAm MangaLam MangaLAnAm

Vaksha: peeDeem MadhuvijayinO bhUshayantheem svakAnthyA

prathyakshAnuSravika-mahima prArTithineenAm prajAnAm

SrEyO mUrthim Sriyam aSaraNa: ThvAm SaraNyAm prapadhyE

 

(Meaning) : AdiyEn performs Prapatthi to MahA Lakshmi ( the refuge

for all the beings of the world / SarvalOka SaraNyai) as one , who has

no other refuge . She is the Mistress of the widely spread and limitless

Iswaryam ( wealth). She is the MangaLam (Auspiciousness ) of all

MangaLa vasthus and Tatthvams . She is the embodiment of all MangaLams.

She adorns the chest of Her Lord with Her divine and incomparable JyOthi .

She is the Vara Lakshmi ( boon-granting Lakshmi) for all , who are eager to

gain Her anugraham both in this and the other world .

 

Additional Comments on individual sections of the slOkam :

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Vaikunta Vaasi Sri V.N.SrirAma DesikAcchAr Swamy of Oppiliappan Sannidhi

influenced me immensely as a boy. adiyEn will therefore follow quite a bit

his lucid commentary on this Swamy Desika SthOthram .

 

Essential Message of this slOkam

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The key passage in this slOkam is " SrEyO Moorthim SaraNyAm Sriyam ThvAm

aSaraNa : PrapadhyE " . Even more condensed version of this prayer is

" SaraNyAm ThvAm aSaraNa: prapadhyE ". This is the classical PurushakAra

Prapatthi , where we perform our Prapatthi to the Divine Mother as practised by

AchArya RaamAnujA in His SaraNAgathy Gadhyam at the beginning .

 

She is the embodiment of SrEyas ( " NanmayE vadivu koNDavaL") . She is

"SaraNyA " , One who protects unfailingly those , who seek Her protection .

 

The Six definitions of Sri Devi's names

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The SrEyas (MangaLams) that She confers come under six broad categories

as indicated by Her name : SrI DEvi (Sriyam : One who has the name of SrI ) .

These Six aspects of SrI Sabdham ( SreeyathE , SrayathE , SruNOthi , SrAvayathee,

SruNAthi and SreeNAthi ) stated in a different way are :

 

(1) She is attained by those who wish to be redeemed and uplifted .

(2) She approaches Her Lord Herself for that purpose. She pleads with Him .

(3) She out of Her compassion listens to the appeal by chEtanams to protect them.

(4) She invites the attention of Her Lord about the plight of the Jeevans and

appeals to Him to overlok their multitudinous trespasses .

(5) She chases away the prApthi VirOdhis , that stand in the way of

the fulfilment of SaraNAgathy .

(6)She brings to perfection the aathma guNams of those , who seek Her rakshaNam.

 

Swamy Desikan has all of us , the helpless beings in mind , when he invokes

the word of "aSaraNa: " ( Puhal onRum illAthavan ) , One without any protector

and recourse . In that state of ananyagathithvam , Swamy Desikan performs

his Prapatthi and shows us the way ( ThvAm aSaraNa: prapadhyE ) .

 

Seven Salutations associated with Swamy Desikan's Prapatthi

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Rest of the First slOkam celebrates some of Her many vaibhavams

and can be split and enjoyed along this way :

 

1. Maana atheetha vibhavAm ThvAm PrapadhyE :

 

2. MangaLAnAm MangaLam ThvAm PrapadhyE :

 

3. Madhuvijayina: Vaksha PeeDeem svakAnthyA

bhUshayantheem ThvAm PrapadhyE :

 

4. Prathyaksha AanuSravika mahima prArTineenAm PrajAnAm

SrEyO Moorthim ThvAm PrapadhyE

 

5. SrEyO Moorthim SaraNyAm ThvAm PrapadhyE

 

6. Sriyam ThvAm PrapadhyE

 

7. ThvAm aSaraNa: PrapadhyE .

 

Specific comments on each of the above seven statements

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1. Maana atheetha vibhavAm ThvAm prapdhyE : Maana means limit or boundary .

Maana atheetha means then limitless or having no boundary or finiteness.

It is infinite . This limitless keerthi (Fame ) of Her auspicious guNams is

very well known ( PraTitham ). It is not like a lamp , whose lustre is hidden

by a lamp shade . It is like a JyOthi on top of a hill and is recognized and saluted

from every where and by every one of Her bhakthAs .She is of that caliber of

"praTitha vibhavA " ( well known glories ). She is "Nithya Pushtai" ( She is

the abode of all Iswaryams , MangaLa vasthus and aathma GuNams )

She is "anugrahaparA " ( One who has the inherent nature of showering

Her anugrahams ). She is "Dharma nilayA " (abode of all righteousness ,

dharmams). She is lOka SOka VinAsini ( destroyer of the sorrows of the world)

and most of all , She is Hari VallabhA ( very dear to Her Lord , Sriman NaarAyaNan ).

2. MangaLAnAm MangaLam ThvAm prapadhyE : She is the root cause of

the MangaLam ( auspiciousness) in all MangaLa vasthus . They become auspicious

and desirable because of Her conferral of auspicousness on them .Their acquiring

the status as MangaLa vasthus is solely due to Her vaibhavam .

 

3. Madhuvijayina: vaksha: peeDeem sva-kAnthyA bhUshayantheem ThvAm PrapadhyE :

Swamy Desikan now has the vision of His upAsana Moorthy , Sri Lakshmi HayagrIvan.

He visualizes Sri Devi on His auspicious chest ( Madhuvijayina: VakshasTala Peetam)

seated on Her lotus throne . Lord's sacred chest itself becomes the house of residence

for Her . There She is radiant with Her Svayam JyOthi and adorns that seat of residence.

Madhu vijayan is Lord HayagrIvan , who won over and destroyed the asuran

by the name Madhu . Sri HayagrIvan becomes Lakshmi HayagrIvan , when

Sri Devi chooses His broad chest as Her seat for eternal residence . She illumines

that chest region and all around with Her Svayam prakAsam and adorns it .

 

4. Prathyaksha AanuSravika mahima prArTineenAm prajAnAm SrEyOmoorthim

ThvAm PrapadhyE : Some of Her Prajais ( Her children ) pray for different kinds of

wealth of this world ( prathykasha mahima): Children , dhAnyam , dhanam ,

cattle, house et al to enjoy here . There are a select few , who discard the worldly

wealth and seek from You the Superior phalans of the other world (Svargam et al )

topped by the Parama PurushArTam of Moksha Sukham . These categories of

SaadhakAs seek from You " AanuSravika mahimaam PrArTayanthE " . You grant

the kinds of "sukham" that chEtanams seek in this world as well as in the other .

As Vasu dhAriNee , the holder of all kinds of wealth , You grant them the boons

they seek .You are Vara Lakshmi . You grant from transient worldly wealth to

imperishable (Saasvatham) Moksham ( apunar-janmam and nithya kaimkaryam

in Your Sri Vaikuntam ) . Such is Your glory and that is why adiyEn performs

this Prapatthi to You.

 

5. SrEyO Moorthim SaraNyAm ThvAm PrapadhyE : adiyEn performs prapatthi to You ,

who is the embodiment of all auspicousness ( SrEyO Moorthy) and who is

SaraNAgatha Rakshaki ( One who has vowed to join with Your Lord to offer

protection to those , who perform SaraNAgathy unto You ).

 

6. Sriyam ThvAm PrapadhyE : Here Swamy Desikan invokes the power of

Dhvaya Manthram . SrI PraSna Samhithai reveals that SrI: is the First

letter ( PraTamAksharam) and MakAram ( the letter M ) is the dhvitheeyAksharam ;

together they form "Sriyam " . Dhvaya Manthram has 25 aksharams and its deep meanings

are commented on by Paadhma Samhithai . Swamy Desikan structured Sri Sthuthi with 25

slOkams in rememberance of those 25 aksharams. This dhvaya manthram is UpAya-UpEya

roopa arTa dhvayam with 25 aksharams . In Srimath RaamAyaNam , LakshmaNa

known for His Kaimkarya Sri invokes the dhvaya MantrArTam , when He says :

 

" BhavAmsthu SAHA VaidEhyA ----aha, sarvam karishyAmi jAgratha: svapatasccha tE"

( adiyEn will perform Kaimkaryams to You united with SithA Piratti at all times ) .

 

That is the Manthra PrabhAvam of Dhvayam with SrI sabdham and Swamy Desikan

hints at that Prapatthi aimed at Dhivya Dampathis through his Prapatthi .

 

Swamy Desikan also reflects on aakAra Thraya Sampannai , Sri Devi and

and addresses his Prapatthi to Her as " Sriyam PrapadhyE " . He thinks of

the upadEsam of AruLALa PerumAL EmperumAnAr here :

 

AakAriNasthu vij!nAnam AakAra-Jn~Ana poorvakam

tEnAkAram SRIYAM jn~AthvA jn~thavyO BhagavAn Hari:

 

(Meaning) : The Vaibhavam / VisEshaNam / Uniqueness has to be understood

FIRST before knowing the object . For understanding BhagavAn , His PradhAna

visEshaNam ( top most visEshaNam/ Qualifying attribute ) , SrI Devi , has to be

understood first . Only after that , one has to get to know BhagavAn .

 

7. ThvAm aSaraNa: parapdhyE : adiyEn without any other gathi seeks You as

protection and perform my Prapatthi. The pramANams to remember in the context of

ananya SaraNan , ananya gathi are found in many sthOthrams . They are addressed

to Sriman NarayaNan and could be readily extended to Sri Devi as well because of their

anyOnya Seshithvam :

 

1. Ahirbudhnya Samhithai(37.30) / Lord SivA's declaration :

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aham aparAdhaanAm aalayO akinchanascchanOagathi:

 

(Meaning ) : I am the abode of all aparAdhams/ transgressions .

I do not have the means to protect myself ; I am in a state , where

I am not in need of any vasthu other than You for my rakshaNam .

 

2. Swamy AaLavanthAr's famous SaraNAgathy in SthOthra rathnam

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akinchanOananyagathi: SaraNya ! Thvath PAdhamoolam SaraNam prapadhyE

 

(Meaning of the total slOkam ): adiyEn has not practised Karma Yogam ;neither

Jn~Ana or Bhakthi Yogams . Oh SaraNyA ! adiyEn reaches Your sacred feet

as the object of protection in adiyEn's state as one without any other means

as akinchanan without any other vasthu to attain as PrApyam .

 

3. JithanthA SthOthram : 2.15

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akinchanOananyagathi: SaraNya ! gruhANa mAmm klEsinam AmbhujAksha !

 

Oh Sarva lOka SaraNyA ! adiyEn is a helpless akinchanan . adiyEn has no other

means except Your Paadha Kamalam as refuge . Oh Lotus eyed One ! Please

hold this worried one agitated by SamsAric fears !

 

4. Swamy NammAzhwAr's SaraNAgathy (ThiruvAimozhi: 6.10.10)

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" Puhal onRumillA adiyEn Unnadikkeezh amarnthu puhunthEnE "

adiyEn with no rakshakan (protector) and upAyam have taken the refuge of

Your sacrd feet .

 

Aakinchanyam is the inability to practise Bhakthi Yogam with the two other yOgams

which will assist them (Karma and Jn~Ana Yogams). ananya gathithvam is inability to

seek other UpAyams for protection or disinterest in seeking phalans other

than Moksham and not trusting anyone other than the yEka-sEshithva

dhivya dampathis for Moksham .

 

Although much more can be written about the individual words chosen by

Swamy Desikan in the slOkams of Sri Sthuthi , adiyEn will resist the temptations

in view of the length of these postings. We have 24 more SlOkams to cover

the Vaibhvam of MahA Lakshmi with "MaanAtheetha Vaibhavam " .

 

An Appeal to AaasthikAs to support this Kaimkaryam for AchAryan

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Follwing Srimath Azhagiya Singar's niyamanam , adiyEn has initiated this

Kaimkaryam on Sri HayagrIva Jayanthi ( Sep 14) . We have recieved sofar pledges

and matching funds to hte tune of $3250 .

 

adiyEn requests all the sishyAs and abhimAnis to take part in this kaimkaryam

and to honor one of the greatest YathiswarALs to continue with His many

MalOla PaadhukA sevaka kaimkaryams as He approaches His 79th Thirunakshathram .

 

Please let me know of your pledges to the limit of your abilities .You can send

your tax deductible checks to Ahobila Mutt , North America now or at a futuere

date not later than the Third week of Novemebr 2005 . At this time , adiyEn is

mostly interested in your pledges . Thank you .

SrImath Azhaagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan ,Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan