Rahasya Navaneetham: SathAbhishEkam Series : Part 12.1

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Today is PurattAsi SravaNam . This is the blessed day when

we celebrate the avathAram of Sri VenkatEsa GhantAvathAran,

Sri NigamAntha Mahaa Desikan .adiyEn thought of placing

the Chillarai Rahasyam of " Rahasya Navaneetham " at

the Thiruvadi of ThiruvEngadamudayAn as He enjoys

His BrahmOthsavam at Thirumala .

 

Rahasya Navaneetham

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

Navaneetham is a parama bhOgya vasthu for KaNNan .With this in mind ,

Swamy Desikan churned the quintessential meanings of the three rahasyams--

Thirumanthiram , Dhvayam and Charama SlOkam-- like churning for VeNNai

to create Navaneetham and named this rahsya grantham as " Rahasya Navaneetham ".

 

This Sri Sookthi starts with an AchArya Vandhanam :

 

utthi thihazhum urai moonRin mummUnRum

chittham uNarat-terivitthAr --mutthi tarum

moola maRayin mudi sEr Muhil VaNNan

Seelam aRivAr silar

 

(Meaning) : Our Lord , MokshadhAyaka Mukundan , has the most beautiful

blue hue of the rainy day cloud.He is the One celebrated in the Upanishads ,

which appear at the end of the Vedams . The few AchAryAs , who comprehend well

His adhyAsccharya guNams have blessed us with their upadEsams on the three

meanings associated with the three rahasyams : Moola Mantram , Dhvayam and

Charama slOkam .

 

Swamy Desikan salutes Sriman Narayanan as " Moksha DhAyakan ( Mutthi tarum

Muhil VaNNan). He is celebrated by VedAntham/Upanishads that shows us the path to

Mukthi ( Mutthi tarum Moola MaRayin mudi sEr Muhil VaNNan) by developing Jn~Anam

about the three tatthvams , hitham and PurushArTam .There are three essential meanings

for each of the three rahasyams and they add upto nine meanings altogether ( urai moonRin

mummUnRum) . The great AchAryAs , who are fully conversant with the anantha kalyANa

guNams of MOksham granting Mukundan have instructed us clearly about these nine

meanings of the three rahasyams .

 

What are these nine essential Meanings for the three rahasyams ?

 

Thirumanthiram

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

For Thirumanthiram/Moola Manthiram/AshtAkshari , which is sakala Veda Saaram ,

the three menaings are: (1) Svaroopa SamarpaNam ( the placement of our Svaroopam

as His SEshabhUthan at His sacred feet , (2) Bhara SamarpaNam ( the samarpaNam of

the burden of our protection at His Thiruvadi) and (3) Phala SamarpaNam ( presentation of

the fruits of that protection to Him ).

 

Dhvayam

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

The three meanings here are : (1) Our Lord Sriman NarayaNan as the UpAyam( Means

for Moksham) , (2) Our Lord as the Phalan( UpEyam , Goal) and (3) Removal of

the enemies that stood in the way of realizing this PurushArTam ( VirOdhi ozhihai) .

 

Charama SlOkam

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

The three essential meanings here dealt with are: (1) The anushtAnam ( sacred observance)

to be performed by the one desiring Moksham ( Mumukshu) , (2) the act of the Lord for that

chEtanam seeking the Lord's protection thru SaraNAgathy and (3) the conduct , the way

of life to be followed by the Prapannan during his Post-Prapatthi period .

 

A Summary of the Nine Meanings of the three rahasyams

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

In a rich Tamil Paasuram , Swamy Desikan summarizes these 9 Meanings :

 

yenakku uriyan yenathu bharam yenn pER yennAthu

ivai anaitthum iRai illaa iRaikku adaitthOm

Tanakku iNai onRu illAtha ThirumAl Paadham

Saadhanamum payanaum yenac-chalankaL theernthOm

unakku itham yenRu oru Paahan uraitthathu uRROM

utthamanAm avan udhavi yellAm kaNDOm

inikka varum avai kavara vikanthOm SOkam

imayavarOdu onRuini nAmirukkum naaLE

 

First Two Lines dealing with Thirumanthiram

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

Yenakku uriyan = I am my own Master

 

yenathu bharam = the responsibility for my protection rests with me .

 

yenn pERu = the phalan of that protection also belongs to me .

 

yennAthu = not thinking in this wrong way

 

ivai anaitthum iRai illA iRaikku adaitthOm = adiyEn placed the svaroopam ,

bharam and Phalan at the sacred feet of our Matchless Lord .

 

Third and the Fourth Lines dealing with Dhvayam

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

Tanakku iNai onRu illAtha ThriumAl Paadham = Convinced that

the incomparable sacred feet of the Lord alone

 

saadhanamum payanumena= as the UpAyam (Means) and Phalan( Fruit thereof)

 

salankaL theernthOm = we stopped from engaging in the self-destructive deeds.

 

The Fifth and the Sixth lines dealing with Charama SlOkam

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

unakku itham yenRu = saying that this is the most important & comforting upAyam

 

Ohr Paahan uraitthathu uRROM = the matchless Charioter of Arjunan blessed us

with His Charama slOkam and we performed SaraNAgathy at His lotus feet .

 

utthamanAm Avan udhavi yellAm kaNDOm = We as PrapannAs experience all of

the upAyams revealed to us by the Supreme Lord thru His charama slOkam .

 

The Seventh and the Eighth lines of the future happiness after SaraNAgathy

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

inikka varum avai kavara vihanthOm Sokam = we have banished all samsAric

sorrows by reflection on the great joy to be conferred on us thru travel to

Sri Vaikuntam by archirAthi maargam and enjoyment of ParipoorNa BrahmAnandham

there thru nithya , niravadhya kaimkaryam to the divine couple there .

 

imayavarODu onRu ini naamm irukkum naaLE = in our post prapatthi days on

earth , we rejoice over the thought of our time here as being equivalent to

the nithya sooris ( eternally liberated souls) serving the dhivya dampathis at

their ThirumaamaNi Mantapam at Parama Padham .

 

In the two nigamana slOkams in Sanskrit , Swamy Desikan summarizes the purport

of the Sri Sookthi of Rahasya Navaneetham and prays to ThiruvEnkatamudayAn

to confer Kaimkarya SrI for all PrapannAs , who comprehend and practise

the nine meanings of the three rahasyams .

 

Nigamana SlOkam 1

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

Guru-bhajana-nEthra-bhAjaa maTitha-rahasyEna VenkatESEna

navaneetham-iva gruheetham navakam idham nithyam aasvAdhyam

 

(Meaning): Sri VenkatEsa ( VedAntha Desikan) used the churning rope

of AchArya vandhanam to bring out the rahasya navaneetham from

the curd of three rahasyams.This is freshly churned navaneetham and

the nine emanings constituting it will be a delight forever to taste .

 

NIgamana SlOkam seeking Thirumalayappan's anugraham on PrapannAs

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

Prasanitha-KalidhOshAm prAjya-bhOgAnubhandhaa

samudhitha guNajAthAm samyagAchAra yukthAm

Srithajana-BahumAnyAm SrEyasee VenkaDAdhrou

Sriyam upachinu nithyam SrinivAsa ThvamEva

 

 

(Meaning): Oh Lord of ThiruvEnkatam ! Please grow further and further

the Kaimkarya SrI of Your KaimkaryaparALs at Thirumalai ! They should not be

affected by the misfortunes of Kali Yugam .They should be filled with the blissful

anubhaavam of enjoying You .They should be rich in sathguNams as the adiyArs

blessed to perform Kaimkaryam for You .They should be blessed to have high

level of AachAram as servants of Yours .They should cherish Your kaimkaryams

and protect that wealth of Kaimkaryam .You must confer on these BhaagavathAs

all of these boons !

 

To be continued ,

 

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Opiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan