Padhuka Sahasram-951

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Sri:

 

SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

 

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

 

951. prapadhyE pAdhukAm dhEvIm paravidhyAmiva Svayam

yAmarpayathi dhInAnAm dhayamAnO jagadhguru:

 

The great First Acharya, the Lord Ranganatha, had

furnished the Paaduka as a Supreme Vidya, as a path

for Moksha; this path has been specially appropriate

to poor pitiable persons with little equipment of any

type; the Lord has provided it in His great grace.

That Paaduka Devi I cling to as my sure means of

salvation.

 

Namo Narayana,

 

SriMuralidhara Dasan

 

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

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Introduction to NirvEdha Paddhathi :

 

This is the 31st of the 32 Paddhathis of SrI RanganAtha

PaadhukA Sahasram and has 20 powerful slOkams

embedding deep SrIvaishNava Tatthvams .

 

After describing the glories of the Paadhukais of the Lord

in words and geometrical patterns ( Chithrams) , Swamy

Desikan laments now over the time that he lost sofar in chasing

pursuits other than dedicating himself to the worship of

the Paadhukais . He asserts here that He is clear now about

the power of the Paadhukais to confer the Moksha Sukham .

He states that the Paadhukais are His Supreme Knowledge

( Para VidhyA ).

 

Until now , Swamy Desikan eulogized the many Vaibhavams of

the Lord's Paadhukais (viz)., Swamy NammAzhwAr . The Paadhukais

were pleased and appeared before the mind's eye of Swamy Desikan

and filled Him with the delectable anubhavam of their Asccharya

Roopa, Svaroopa and GuNa vyApArams . The Paadhukais blessed Swamy

Desikan with visEsha Tatthva Jn~Anam and ananyArha Sesha Vrutthi

( the way of sole servitude to the Paadhukais ) .The Paadhukais

chased away all obstacles to such sEsha Vrutthi and displayed

matchless soulabhyam ( ease of access ) and souseelyam .

Swamy Deikan was inundated with that BrahmAnandham of

mingling with the merciful Paadhukais & the Lord and felt that He was

enjoying the anubhavam that one enjoys at SrI Vaikuntam

performing Nithya Kaimakryam to the Lord there. This mental

visualization suddenly disappeared and Swamy Desikan was left with

the physical visualization of the ArchA roopam of the Paadhukas of

the Lord. His experience of indescribable bliss concluded now.He was

reminded harshly about his lot among the kumathis ( people with false

knowledge)and Bhagavath vimukhAs ( who are indifferent to the

Lord ). He became worried about the terrible effects of the pancha

Indhriyams over him and the power of Kaama-KrOdhams and other adverse

guNams.Swamy Desikan now attained a state of dejection and

despondency like Swamy NammAzwAr expressed in ThiruvAimozhi about

the hopelessness of His lot as a Nithya SamsAri. Although Swamy

Desikan and Swamy NammAzhwAr are evolved souls, who had conquered all

the above adversities , they empathized with the lot of SamsAris and

enacted the sufferings of the Nithya samsAris to illustrate the

lowliness of the SamsAric way of life .

 

1) UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam : I recognize the PaadhukAs as the

means for Moksham. They represent the true knowledge about the ways

to achieve Moksham and serves therefore as Para VidhyA . The Lord ,

the teacher of all teachers, has given to us the PaadhukAs out of His

compassion for us helpless beings. Adorning the PaadhukAs on our

heads is the way to Moksham is the upadEsam of Swamy Desikan .

 

2) SrImath Andavan's anubhavam: Swamy Desikan laments that

the Paadhukais acted as though they were saving him and abandoned

him however to suffer in samsAram . Swamy addresses the Paadhukais

sorrowfully about its neglect and begs for its grace to save him

from the horrors of SamsAram in amood of nirvEdham

(Despair and sorrow ) . Oh PaadhukE ! Your Lord has shown

the two UpAyams of Bhakthi yOgama nd Prapatthi yOgam

to lift the suffering samsAris from the terrible ocean of SamsAram.

You have been assigned to come to the rescue of SamsAris by

Your Lord. While that is the case , how can you abandon me and

look at me in this amused mode ? What can I do over Your

indifference? Is it fair for You to act like this ? Therefore , I

perform Parapatthi once more to You and seek You as my refuge.Please

remove fully the bonds of SamsAram and grant me the Parama

PurushArTam of Moksham instead of the temporary and fleeting

experience of Your guNams through Maanasa SaakshAthkAram .

 

3) Swamy Desikan performs direct SaraNAgathy before

the Paadhukais : " DEveem PaadhukAm PrapadhyE " . He

reminds the Paadhukais that its merciful Lord , who is

the Universal AchArya , has created the routes of Bhakthi

and Prapatthi for our salvation . He has annointed You , His

PaadhukAs , to a status equal to that of Para VidhyA

( Jagath Guru: DayamAna: Svayam dheenAnAm

ThvAm PaadhukA DEveem ParavidhyAmiva arpayathi)....(V.S) .