Padhuka Sahasram-987

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Sri:

 

SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

 

Translation by U.Ve. Dr. V.N. Vedanta Desikan Swamin:

 

987. svapnEpi chEth thvamasi mUrDhani sanniviShtA

namrasya mE narakamardhanapAdharakshE!

SThAnE thadhEthadhiha dhEvi! Yatha: samADhoU

SanthO vidhusthamapi thAdhrushabuDdhigamyam

 

Oh Devi! Paaduka of the Lord! In my dream, when I had my head bowed,

You sat on my head. Dream-experience is parallel to yogic vision

(Mind sees in both!). It is appropriate that You had granted it to

me in a dream as if in Yoga. (It is said that Desika had such a

vision in dream before commencing the work).

 

Namo Narayana,

 

SriMuralidhara Dasan

 

Special Notes by V.Sadagopan (V.S):

 

SlOkam 987

 

1) UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam: Oh Paadhukais of the Lord ,

who destroyed the demon Narakaa! Oh Devi! The fact that You

have stayed on my head during my wakeful hours as well as in dream

hours attest to Your compassion in my case, where I do not have

the fruits of penance to qualify for such a honor. It fits with the

experience of the righteous, who during their times of meditation

see the Lord in that dream-like state. " This verse is a key one in

that it refers to the dream, wherein the Paadhukais of the Lord

rested on Swamy Desikan's head. He woke up and took the vow to

compose the thousand verses on the Vaibhavam of the Paadhukais for

the contest at Srirangam. Swamy Desikan refers to the darsana

samanAkAra Jn~Anam in this slOkam. This knowledge or spiritual

attainment makes an external object come close to one in the dream ,

even if that object is not anywhere near. The vision of the

Paadhukais in Swamy Desikan's dream is an example of such Jn~Anam.

Swamy says that he did not possess that type of Jn~Anam and yet the

mercy of the Paadhukais blessed him with that type of Jn~Anam and

caused that dream to happen.

 

2) SrImath Andavan's anubhavam: Swamy Desikan declares here that

he has been overawed and defeated by the soulabhyam of the

Paadhukais of the Lord. He says: Your abundance of Vaathsalyam for

us and joy in driving away all the obstacles to gain You are

legendary. I am totally under Your control and am guided by You (

adhyantha Paratantran). I am devoid of any other

recourse except You (ananyOpayan ) and totally devoid of any

resources to protect myself (Parama akinchanan). Out of my intense

desire to be united with You, I stand before You even in my dream

and You appear in those dreams out of Your krupA and rest on my

head. When I meditate on You, I am blessed with darsana samanAkAram

( equivalent to seeing You physically) and You remove all my

inauspiciousness. The skilled ones in interpreting the SaasthrAs

like Sage VasishtA , Manu and Sage ParAsarA visualize Your Lord

through their dhyAnams . Whatever that SaashtrAs say about Your

Lord are also extendable to You as well, since You are His

sahadharmachAriNi. Therefore meditation of You or seeing You in our

dreams will lead to our Aathma KshEmam .There may not be a need for

external aarAdhanam to you for visualizing You . Great indeed is Your

incomparable soulabhyam!

 

3) Oh Paadhukai of the Lord , who destroyed NarakAsuran to protect

His aasrithAs ( those who sought His protection )( hE Devi

Narakamardhana-PaadharakshE ! You are indeed resting on my bowed

head during my dhyAnam and in my svapnams ( namrasya mE moordhani

svapnEapi Thvam sannivishtA ). That bhAgyam results in the enjoyemnt

of aathma kshEmam by me (Thvam mama moordhani sannivishtA chEth asi,

tadhA yEthath iha sTAnE ). Why do I come to that conclusion ? It is

based on the knowledge about the experience of great Rishis , who

are able to visualize Your Lord in their dhyAnams and svapnams (

Yatha: Santha: Tamapi samAdhou thAdhrusa buddhi gamyam vidhu:)...

(V.S).