Swamy Desikan's Sankalpa SooryOdayam : Part II /Bhakthi-Prapatthi Naandhi SlOkams

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear BhakthAs of Swamy Desikan :

 

Let us start with the two Naandhi slOkams ( One for celebrating

Bhakthi yOgam and the other for Prapatthi yOgam for gaining

Moksham thru their anushtAnams).

 

These Naandhi SlOkams are intended as worshipful offerings

to the Naataka arangam ( stage , where the drama of

Sanklapa SooryOdhayam is going to be enacted ).

The purpose of Naandhi Poojaa is to ward off any obstacles

(vignam) that will arise during the performance of the play .

Naandhi poojaa is really intended as the poojaa for Sri Ranga Chandran ,

who blesses us with aanandham . The aathma guNams

that are good and bad and the objects associated with them

are the actors in this allegorical drama.

 

First comes the PrasthAvanA (i-e)., the section , where the " Natan "

and his female counterpart , " Nati " announce who is the author of

the Naatakam and where it is taking place and the actors involved

in the play . Through their conversations , they brief the audience

on these topics as introduction . Next follows the section of

the play known as Vishkampam(i-e)., announcement on the subject

matter of the play through the cast (actors and actresses) . This leads

to the next stage : the acting by actors .

 

Swamy Desikan wanted to perform upadEsam for us

that the SiddhAntham of Sri BhAshyakArar is the best

among Vaidhika Darsanams to secure MOksham through

the performance of Bhakthi or Prapatthi yOgam . According to

these anushtAnams , the one with discriminating and enlightened

intellect (VivEkan) will banish the timeles karmAs attached to

him through the power of his discriminative intellect (VivEkam )

and adopt thereafter the upAyam of Bhathi or Prapatthi

to assure Moksha siddhi . Swamy Desikan desired that the suffering

samsAris should know about this fundamental truth just as

one can clearly see the gooseberry fruit resting on their palms

( uLLankai nellikkani pOl) . With this goal in mind , Swamy Desikan

created the allegorical drama of Sankalpa SooryOdhayam.

 

The JeevAthma entitled to enjoy Moksham ( Vaikuntham

puhuvathu MaNNavar VidhyE ) has many children from time

immemorial . These children divide into two categories:

(1) One with auspicious attributes/ Sadhh guNams and

(2) other with inauspicious guNams ( DhurguNams).

The representatives for these two categories are

Kings VivEkan and MahA Mohan , the two sons of

the Jeevan . As long as the jeevan is under the control of

MahA Mohan , the father ( the Jeevan) is enjoying the bitter

fruits of SamsAram and its sufferings( anishtam). The other son ,

VivEkan seeks the relief from SamsAric sufferings for his

father , the Jeevan . There is a war between the two sons

over control of the father's lot . At the end , VivEkan wins

and Jeevan gains Sadhgathi .

 

Naanchi SlOkam 1 on the MokshOpAyam of Bhakthi yOgam

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

yadh-bhakthi-prachayAthmakE dinamukhE dhrushti-ksahama: KshEthriNa:

kshipram samsruti-sarvareem kshipathi yath-sankalpa SooryOdhaya:

tatthvair-asthra-vibhUshaNair-adhigatha: svAdheena-nithyOnnathi:

SrImAn asthu Sa mE samastha-vipadhuttharAya NaarAyaNa:

 

(Meaning): The embodied bhaddha ( bound ) Jeevan slumbers

in the night of SamsAram and is lost . For that Jeevan lost

in the darkness of nescience , Sriman NaarAyaNan

blesses the sunrise (dawn) of His Sankalpam (will ) to cause

the maturation of the upAyam of Bhakthi yOgam to chase away

the darkness of the night that enmeshed the Jeevan . Sriman

NaarAyaNan has the eternally liberated souls (nithyasooris)

as tatthvams ( weapons and jewelery on His body) ; these nithyasooris

are the abhimAni dEvathais for all the chEthanams(sentients) and

the achEthanams( insentients) of the world . May that Supreme Lord

chase away all of the obstacles and inauspiciousness that adiyEn

would encounter in this effort since He is the sole cause of this universe

and its activities !

 

(Comments) : The First line:

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

" Yadh-bhakthi-prachayAthmakE dinamukhE dhrushti-shama: kshEthriNa: "

 

" Yadh-bhakthi: " in the first line at the start of this Naandhi SlOkam;

it refers to the Bhakthi shown for Sriman NaarAyaNan (Yasmin NaarAyaNE

Bhakthi: ) . That has to grow and mature in the Jeevan ( Yadh-bhakthi-

prachayAthmakE ) . Here Swamy Desikan is referring to the UpAyam for

Moksham in the form of Bhakthi yOgam , which is the cause and trigger

for BhagavAn's anugraha Sankalpam ( " MokshArTa Sankalpa hEthum

Bhakthi roopam upAyam aahu: " ) . Without the dawn of that benovolent

sankalpam of the Lord , there will be no Moksha Siddhi .

 

Mukthi is equated to dawn of the day in ChAndhOgya Upanishad's

Madhu VidhyA ( Sakruth dhivA haivAsmai bhavathi ). This is the undivided

form of Mukthi ( MukthE: avicchinna dhina roopam) . Therefore Swamy Desikan

refers to " Dhina MukhE " in the this slOkam .The phalan of this mukthi is

for the " KshEthriNa: " ( Bhaddha Jeevan living in the kshEthram of body ).

 

Comments : The Second Line

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

" Kshipram samsruthi-sarvareem kshipathi yath-sankalpa-sooryOdhaya: "

The onset of the dawn of His sankalpam (Sankalpa SooryOdhayam ) makes

it possible to see all matters clearly and rapidly chases away the night of

SamsAram . Swamy Desikan uses the word , " Kshipram " to indicate that

there is a slight passage of time before the darkness is completely chased

away . That time is needed for the destruction of PrArabdha KarmAs that

cling to the jeevan and that has to be destroyed thru the help of dhyAnam

about avathAra rahasyam and other helpers ( sahakAris). BhagavAn's sankalpam

Chases away the darkness of the TamO guNam laden night ( sarvareem

kshipapthi) and sets the stage for the dawn in the form of

Mukthi .

 

Comments on the 3rd and 4th Lines:

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

" Tatthvai: asthra-vibhUshaNi: adhigatha: svaadheena-nithyOnnathi:

SrImAn asthu Sa mE samastha-vipadhuttharAya NaarAyaNa: "

 

Swamy Desikan follows the VishNu PurANa slOkam , where

all the weapons (asthrai:) and the Jewelery (VibhUshaNai: )

of the Lord are connected to the appropriate Tatthvams :

Jeevan ( KOusthubham) , Moola Prakruthi ( Srivathsam ) ,

JnAnam ( the sword , Nandhakam ) , manas ( Sudarsanam ) et al.

Therefore Sriman NaarAyaNan is Sarva SEshi and eternal

( SvAdheena NithyOnnathi ).

 

May that Sriman NaarAyaNan get me across all obstacles

and vignams as Sarva KaaraNan !

 

AdiyEn will continue with the second Naandhi SlOkam next .

 

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Srimate Sri Laksminrisimha Divya Paduka Sevaka

SrivaNN Satakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

 

Daasan , Oppiliappan KOil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

http://www.sadagopan.org