Thuppul PiLLai- 30- sthOthra granthas (3)- Bhgavadhyaana Sopaanam

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImathE Nigamantha Mahadesikaya namah:

SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |

vedAntAcArya-varyo me sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||

 

May the glorious Venkatanatha, the greatest of teachers of Vedanta, and the

lion among poets and debaters, reside forever in my heart.

 

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

 

Let us begin to enjoy the sthOthra granthas of Swamy Desikan [in

alphabetical order]

The next sthOthra is Bhagavad- dhyaana- Sopaanam - Steps in the meditation

on Bhagawaan [sri Ranganathan]

 

Sri Vedanta Desika devotes this Stotra in twelve verses to a description

of the steps in the meditation on Bhagavaan (Sri Ranganatha of Srirangam).

The meditation begins with the feet of the Lord and ends with the sparkling

crown on His head. This is very much in the way of the Tamil Hymn Amalan

Aadi Piran sung by Tamil Saint Tiru-p-paan Alwar in the Divyaprabhandha.

Standing before the Lord, the AzhwAr sees Him with his eyes and sings

whereas Sri Desika meditates and describes.

 

The first sloka speaks of the greatness of Sri Ranganatha as the Supreme

Deity who shines in the hearts of the ascetics, who is the unguent for the

Yogin’s eyes, the divine gem Cintaamani which bestows material wealth and

eternal Bliss, and the dispeller of the distress of the destitute and

helpless, as revealed be the Vedas.

 

Then begins the description of the charm and glory of the (Angas) limbs of

the Sleeping Beauty on the Serpent-couch His lotus-like feet(2), the

shank(3), the two thighs(4), the deep navel(5), the broad chest(6), the long

arms(7), the lovely face(8), the sparkling diadem(9). Sloka 10 is a

recapitulation of the above. The itinerary form of the Standing Beauty with

four arms in front of the Reclining lord is described in Sloka 11 and the

fruit of the meditation on the two Beauties in Sloka 12. Sri Desika

concludes by saying that Sri Ranganatha, who is seen in Srirangam, shines in

his heart with his two Consorts lakshmi and Bhoomi and even a mere thought

on the steps on the meditation on bhagavaan will raise a person to the high

level of devotion possessed by the perfect yogi with deep concentration.

 

The use of the word ‘maneeshaa” in sloka 10 and the nature of the

description in the Stotra suggest that Sri Vedanta Desika has become a

bridge in love with Sri Ranganatha, the youthful lover.

[From the Life and works of Sri Nigamantha Mahadesikan- by Prof Sri A

Srinivasaraghavan]

 

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo narayana

dAsan

kavi-tArkika-simhAya kalyANa-guNa-SAline |

Srimate venkateSAya vedAntagurave namaH ||

 

Salutations to Sri Venkatesa, in whom all perfections reside, who is the

teacher of Vedanta and the lion among poets and debaters

 

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