Sri Lakshmi Sahasram 17.8

[Guest guest]

Vyaya Samvathsaram, Chittirai Month First Day

SwAthi Nakshathra Dinam dear to Sri Lakshmi Nrusimhan

 

SrI:

 

Dear MahA Lakshmi BhakthAs :

 

On this First day of the Tamil New Year , Vyaya , let us continmue

with the study of the next slOkam (8th) from the 17th StaBakam of

Lakshmi Sahasram . The 7th slOkam described how the diseases are

chased away by the recitation of the NaamAs of MahA Lakshmi . This

slOkam instructs us as how Her nAmAs kindle the desire for Moksham

( Release from the cycles of births and deaths) and lift the ordinaryfolks

and great sages to the stage of Mumukshus( those who desire Moksham).

 

8th SlOkam

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

thrayyanthaika-praNayimatayas-tApasA: pApa-sArTam

prathyAdEsa-pramudhitha -mahA-chEtasas-spheetha-satthvA:

nAma SrImatthva kila valathkeertthaya: keerthayantha:

mAthar-mukthou vihitha-kuthukA mOdhayanthE priyam tE

 

The key words in this slOkam are: " Maatha ! tava Srimath nAma

keerthayantha: kila mukthou vihitha kuthukA: tE priyam mOdhayanthE " .

 

Oh Mother ! By the recitation of Your most auspicious nAmAs , the fortunate

ones express their desire in Moksham and please the heart of Your Lord .

 

This group of fortunate ones is constituted by the VedAnthins , Sages

with theevra ( intense) tapas( penance), PuNyasAlis with a broad mind

( BhAgavathOtthamAs of a forgiving nature , who have rejected

the accumulation of sins) , the SaathvikAs ( unoffending ones

filled with Satthva guNam ) , the ParamaikAnthi Mumukshus ( Single minded

ones intent on gaining Moksha Siddhi without other prayOjanams) .

 

Sriman KaNNan Swamy salutes them this way in Tamil :

 

" nigamAntha neRi vEtpAr nirambiya naRR-puhazh yERppAr

Ninn nAmam keertthippAr Ninn pathiyai mahizhvippAr "

 

The two key words here are: " nigamAntha neRi vEtpAr "and

" naRR-puhazh yERppAr " .

 

" nigamAntha neRi " is the Veda-VedAnthic path (dharma mArgam ) .

Those who have chosen to travel by this auspicious way are saluted by

the passage of Sri VenkadAdhri Kavi's slOkam : " thrayyanthaika praNayi

mathaya: ". PraNayi mathaya: means those intelligent ones , who are

deeply in love with travelling that VedAnthic way . Here VenkadAdhri Kavi

emulates ANDAL , who revealed in ThiruppAvai that Her Lord NaarAyaNan

alone can and will grant Kaimkarya SrI and Moksham ( NaarAyaNanE

namakkE paRai tharuvAn) . The one and only Moksha dhAyaka Mukundan

is identified by ANDAL as Her Lord , Srimann NaarAyaNan . In a similar vein ,

the BhAgayasAlis reciting MahA Lakshmi's naamAs are recognized as those

who travel ONLY in the VedAnthic path ( Thrayyanthaika praNayi mathaya: ) .

This addition of yEka sabdham to Thryyantham is a remarkable upadEsam

from the Kavi , who blessed us with the Lakshmi Sahasram .

 

The others in the company of "Thrayyanthaika praNayi mathaya: "

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

Who else are in the blessed company of the VedAntha Maarga SanchAris

reciting the auspicious nAmAs of MahA Lakshmi ? There are three more

in this visEsha ghOshti :

 

They are listed by the poet as (1) TaapasA: ( Tapasvees or accomlpished

sages known for their penance and self-restraint) , (2) Paapa saarTa pratyAdEsa

pramudhitha mahA chEtasa: ( those broadminded and forgiving ones who are

joyful over their success in rejecting the accumulation of the bundles of sins) ,

(3) spheetha satthvA: ( One who possesses a high degree of Satthva GuNam) .

 

The second category needs additional understanding . They are mahA chEtas

or one with lofty minds worthy of adulation . Why is it so ? This is because

they have rejected ( nirAkAram= prathyAdEsam/rejection , which is the opposite of

AadEsam) the route that leads to the piling up of bundles of sins thru pursuit of

karmAs prohibited by Bhagavath Saasthrams ( PrAthikoolya varjana janam).

Their success in rejecting the pull of sins makes them happy ( pramudhitha

mahA chEthasa: ). Sri VenkatAdhri Kavi salutes this special group of chEthanams

( PrapannAs ) as : " Paapa sArTa pratyAdEsa pramudhitha mahA chEtasa: " .

 

Their eulogy of Your NaamAs & its effects

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

These noble ones known for their satthva guNam and VedAnthic ways

are engaged in the sankeerthanam of Your auspicious nAmAs:

 

" Tava Sreemath nAma keerthayantha: kila valathkeerthaya: "

(iha sancharanthy) .

 

They perform Naama Sankeerthanam of Your sahasra Naamams and

through that alone ( keerthayantha: kila) become famous in this world

( valathkeerthaya:) .

 

In addition to being celebrated by their fellow human beings , these srEshta

bhAgavatha PrapannAs keenly desirous of Moksha Aanandham delight

the heart of Your Lord and are blessed with ParipoorNa BrahmAnandham

thru nithya , niravadhya kaimkaryam at Your Sri Vaikuntam .

 

Mukthou tE Priyam mOdhayanthE

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

There is another meaning attributed to these words of the last Paadham .

Mukthou can also mean in the state of Moksha dasai . Even in Sri Vaikuntam,

the MukthAs perform Naama sankeerthanam of MahA Lakshmi's nAmAs

and as a result please Her Lord ( tE Priyam mOdhayanthy ). So effective are

the sankeerthanam of Your naamAs that it ends up in delighting Your Lord .

 

Summary of this slOkam

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

One should not think that only of those longing wealth here , those without

detatchment , the commerical types and the sukham seekers in their lives here

as the only ones that recite MahA Lakshmi's nAmAs for short term and

persihable gains. There is another set , the virakthAs ( VairAgyasAlis) and

Mumukshus/ MokshArTis , who are outside these perishable wealth seekers .

This special category of jeevans perform nAma sankeerthanam of Your dhivya

naamAs for gaining the preethi of the dhivya dampathis , even while residing in

Sri Vaikuntham and during their post-prapatthi stage of their lives here .

 

Whoever they are they climb higher rungs of Saadhanai . Even for those seeking

alpa ( insignificant sukhams here) mature with time ( kaala kramENa mature in

their Jn~Anam ) , develop taste (ruchi) for VedAnthic truths , perform tapas ,

increase their Saathvika guNams and the fame follows them. Their desire for

Moksham increases . They desire to gain mukthi and perform eternal kaimkaryam

to both of You as Yeka Seshis at Your Supreme abode of Sri Vaikuntam . The progressive

stages in their spiritual development are:Gaining of Jn~nam , Tapas, destruction of

Sins ( Paapa naaSam) , UdhAra manas, Satthva guNa abhivruddhi , Keerthi ,

icchai in Moksham , Bhagavath Kaimkarya Preethi and ParipoorNa BrahmAnanadha

anubhavam at Sri Vaikuntam . Oh MahA Lakshmi ! All of these are made possible by

the power of Your Naama Sankeerthanam

 

 

NamO Sri RanganAyaki samEtha SriranganATAya Nama:

RaamAnuja Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan