Desika nURRandAti - pAyirams (pAsurams) 1 to 5

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SrI:

 

Dear Swami Desika BhakthAs :

 

In the fourth paayiram , MannappankAr describes his mind's disposition to dwell only on Swami Desikan and leaving out thoughts on EmperumAn . He says: My mind melts over the thoughts on Swami Desikan , the divinity of ThUppul . My mind eulogizes always Swamy Desikan's KalyANa GuNams . This disposition of choosing one's AchAryan for adoration over the Lord has been recorded by many AchArya PurushAs before . MannappangAr asks in this vein : what can I do ? I can not help overcome this tendency of my mind.

pAyiram 4

 

icaintEn manam ivarai Etta eppOtum

kasintu karaiyum uLam en seikEn – pasuntuLava

mAlaiyAn tannilum manninarE vaNDu aRaiyum

sOlai sUz tUppul iRai !

 

Anvaya Kramam ( Word Order):

 

Pasum tuvaLa maalayAn Tannilum , vaNDu aRayum sOlai soozh ThUppul IRai manninAr .

yenn seyhEn ? Ivarai manam yEttha isaintEn . ULam yeppothum kasintu karayum .

 

(Meaning): Instead of the Lord adorning the beautiful greedn TuLasi garlands , the divine

Swamy Desikan , who incarnated at Thuppul surrounded by green groves , has taken residence in my heart lotus. What can I do about that ? Nothing. My mind eulogizes Swamy Desikan alone and I have accepted with joy its disposition.My mind melts always over the reflections of the kalyANa guNams of Swamy Desikan .

 

Sawmy NammAzhwAr describes Emperuman with the adornments of dark green , dense TuLasi garlands on His shoulders , chest , feet and crown . Thirutthuzhaai alankAram is a lakshaNam of EmperumAn ( ThOLINai mElum nann Maarbhin mElum , Sudar mudi mElum , ThALiNai mElum punaintha TaNNamthuzhayudai AmmAn" --ThiruvAimozhi: 1.9.7).

 

At Thuppul surrounded by cool groves , many fragrant flowers bloom . The bees enjoy the honey inside those flowers. They get intoxicated from the honey that they consumed abundantly and engage in singing and dancing ( Hari Naama Sankeertanam). The inner meaning here is that the Flowers represent BhagavAn/EmperumAn. The honey inside the flowers is the kalyANa guNams of EmperumAn. These guNams are delectable like honey and nectar. Such is the nature of the KalyANa guNams of the Lord.

 

The BhagavathAs , the servants of the Lord , are the honey bees. They enjoy the anantha kalyANa guNams of their Lord and out of the bliss generated by such anubhavams , they sing and dance and they forget themselves as they sing and dance. They share their wonderful anubhavam between themselves in a spirited manner . Both the ones who describe their sweet anubhavams and the others who hear about such anubhavams are thrilled with joy. Bhagavaan describes this anubhavam of His dear BhAgavathAs this way :

 

mathchittA: madhgata PrANA: Bhodhayanta: parasparam

katayantasccha Maam nityam tushyanti cha ramanti cha --Bhagavth Geethai 10.9

 

The sweet anubhavam of ManappangAr about his PrAchAryan , Swamy Desikan reminds one of the AchArya Bhakthi of Madhura Kavi for SWamy NammAzhwar and the PrAchArya Bhakti of AmudhanAr for SrI RaamAnujA :

 

" KaNNinuNN siRuttAmpinAl kattuNNappatta PerumAyan Yennappanil naNNit-thenkuruhUr nami yenrakkAl aNNIkkum amudhUrum yenn naavukkE " ---Madhura Kavi Prabhandham

 

(Meaning): The nectar springs in my tongue , when I utter the name of my AchAryan ,

Swamy NammAzhwAr compared to that of the mysterious Lord , who permitted Himself to be bound by a small section of a rope .

 

Thiruvarangatthu AmudanAr has the same experience , when it came to the enjoyment of the Lord of Srirangam versus that of the anubhavam of AchArya RaamAnuja:

 

" Thiruarangar kaittalatthu Aazhiyum Sankham yEnti namm kaNN muhappE

moytthu alaitthu unnai vidEn yenRu irukkilum ninn puhazhE moytthu alaikkum

Vanthu-- Sri RaamAnuja NooRRantAdhi : Paasuram 75

 

" Kayyil kani yennak-KaNNanik-kAttittharilum unn tann

meyyil piRangiya seer anRi vENDilEn yaann "--Sri Ramanuja NooRRandhAti: Paasuram 104

 

(Meaning) Oh RaamAnujA ! Even if You reveal to me KaNNan easily like a fruit on my hand to enjoy Him , I would not desire Him . adiyEn will only see Your ThirumEni and experience only Your KalyANa guNams .

 

MannappangAr goes further and says that he is wonder struck that his body ( solid material) melts into a liquid state as it experiences the vaibhavam of Swamy Desikan

( Ivarai yEttha yeppothum kasintu karayaum uLam) . In Sri RaamAnuja NooRRandhAti , AmudanAr expresses a similar sentiment :Oh RaamAnujA ! My mind melts and becomes like a liquid material and flows as adiyEn reflects and meditates on Your ananta kalyANa guNams ( nayyum manam unn guNangaLai unni , yenn naa iruntu yemm Iyyan RaamAnusan yenRu azhaikkum--Sri RaamAnuja NooRanthAdhi: 102nd Paasuram).

 

( To Be Continued ),

RaamAnuja DhAsan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan