Sri Abheethi Sthavam : SlOkams 19-24

[Guest guest]

Sri:

 

Dear Sri RanganAtha BhakthAs :

 

Let us study 6 more slOkams of Sri Abhithi Sthavam today

( For those interested in listening to the rendering of

this moving sthOthram , You can access the MP 3

Audio recording of these slOkams recited in a flawless

manner by Sriman Sunder Kidambi at

http://www.prapatti.com

 

SlOkam 19 :

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KayAdhu-sutha Vaayasa dhvirdha-pungava Dhroupadhee-

VibhIshaNa bhujangama vrajagaNa-Ambhareeshapaadhaya:

Bhavathpadha-samASrithA bhaya-vimukthymApuryaTA

labhEmahi TaTA vayam sapadhi RanganATa Thvayaa

 

(Meaning): Oh Lord of Srirangam ! Many bhakthAs of Yours got freedom

from their individual fears by performing SaraNAgathy at Your sacred feet .

 

For instance , Bhaktha PrahlAdhan's fears arising from his father , HiraNyan

was destroyed by You ; the crow that committed MahA aparAdhams to

Your PirAtti got freedom from fears caused by tYour BrahmAsthram that

was chasing the crow with intent to kill ; The king of elephants got freed

from the fearsome jaws of the crocodile ; Dhroupadhi got freedom from

the fears generated by the likes of DhucchAsanan ; DharmAthma VibhishaNan

got relief from the fears caused by his brother RaavaNan ; the snake KaaLiyan

was stomped by Your sacred feet and got freedom from his sorrows ;

the assembly of GopAs and Gopis were saved from the anger of Indhran

through Your rakshaNam with Govardhana Giri ; King Ambhareeshan

escaped from the fear caused by Sage DhurvAsar . There are many others ,

whose fears were removed , when they sought Your protection . May we also

follow the footsteps of these MahAthmAs , perform SaraNAgathy at Your

sacred feet and live lives free from fear !

 

(Comments) : " Vayam Sapadhi Thvayaa bhaya vimukthim labhEmahi "

is the prayer of Swamy Desikan to Sri RanganAtha . Are there precedents

to such an anugraham of freedom from fears by the Lord ? Yes , there are

many , many instances . Swamy reminds the Lord of those instances

and asks Him to bless us in a similar manner .

 

SlOkam 20

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bhayam Samaya RangadhAmani anitara abhilAsha spruSAm

Sriyam BahuLaya PrabhO Sritha-vipaksham unmoolaya

svayam samudhitham vapustava niSAmayantha: sadhA

vayam thridaSa nirvruthim bhuvi vindhEmahi

 

(Meaning): Oh Lord of Thiruvarangam ! In your dhivya dEsams reside many

ParamaikAnthis , who do not seek any goal other than You . Due to the Muslim

invasions , there is oppressive fear in their minds about interruptions in

worshipping You to their heart's content as before . Oh RanganAthA !

Please remove their fears ! When Sri VaishNavAs are abundant in Your

dhiva dEsam , it is an indescribable wealth (SrEyas) to Your raajadhAni .

Please grow this assembly of BhagavathAs of Yours at Srirangam !

Please cut asunder all the amangaLams that stand in the way of

Your BhagavathAs enjoying Your Saanidhyam ! Oh SarvEswara !

You are the One who blesses us with desired phalans in this and

the other world . When You grant us the boons of nithya Kaimkaryam

here and in Your Supreme abode , we remain contented and tranquil .

With Your chasing of our fears resulting from the foreign invaders ,

we will enjoy Your svayam-vyaktha Archaa ThirumEni to our utmost

and serve You to the fullest . As a result of this sukha anubhavam

at Srirangam , we shall experience the blessed status of Your

Nithya sooris ( enjoying their BrahmAnanandham) in Your Supreme abode

right here in the BhUlOka Vaikuntam on the banks of Cauvery .

 

(Comments) : The prayer here is : " Vayam svayam-samudhitham Tava vapu:

sadhA niSAmayantha: ThridaSa nirvruthim bhuvi vindhEmahi " . May we

be blessed with the BrahmAnandham enjoyed by the nithya sooris right

here at Srirangam thru the sevai of Your Self-manifested archai here .

To enable the realization of this desired boon , Swamy Desikan begs

the Lord to remove the prevailing fears of ParamaikAnthis committed to

serving and enjoying the Lord of Srirangam ( anitara abhilAsha-spruSAm

bhayam Samaya ) . Please grow the wealth of VaishNava SrI at Srirangam !

( Sriyam BahuLaya) ; Please root out the enemies of Your BhAgavathAs

( Sritha vipaksham unmoolaya ) .

 

SlOkam 21

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Sriya: pariBhruDE Thvayi Srithajanasya samrakshakE

sadhadhbhutha guNOdhadhaavithi samarpithOyam bhara:

prathikshaNamatha: param praTaya RangadhAmAdhishu

Prabhuthvam anubhAdhikm praTitha hEthibhir hEthibhi:

 

(Meaning) : Oh Lord of Thiruvarangam! You shine as the husband of

Periya PirAtti , who is the Mother of the Universe .You are prompted by Her

to protect the bhakthAs , who seek Your sacred feet for protection and to gain

freedom from their fears . You shine further as the One with no hEya guNams

(blemishes) and exists as a vast ocean of KalyANa guNams . Inspired by all these

divine aspects of Yours , we have laid the burden of our protection at Your

holy feet . There is yet one thing that You have to do now (i-e)., to exercise

Your intrinsic power ( svabhAvika adhikAram) every second by using

the radiant Sudarsana chakram on Your hand and all the other weapons

that You adorn . It is not only at this dhivya dEsam of Thiruvarangam but also

at other dhivya dEsams , where You are present in Your archA form , You must

use Your abundant and unlimited powers to protect us by removing all

the obstacles that confront us .

 

( Comments ): First Swamy Desikan salutes the Lord with addressing

Him as " Sriya: PariBruDE ( Bride groom of Periya PirAtti ) , Sritha Jana

samrakshaka ( protector of aasritha janams) and sadh-adhbhutha guNa

udhadhi( Ocean of lofty and mysterious kalyANa guNams) . Then Swamy

Desikan reminds the Lord : " Thvayi ayam bhara: ithi samarpitha: " . The

burden

of our protection has been placed at Your feet according to Your Saasthrams .

The word " ithi " is important here . The Bhara SamarpaNam has been done

according to Sath SampradhAyam . After wards , there is nothing for us to do .

You however have Your work cut out . From now ( atha: param) , it is your

duty every second to be wakeful to protect us . How do you discharge

Your obligatory responsibility as One , who has taken the vow of

SaraNAgatha RakshaNam ? For this purpose , please use the radiant

Sudarsanam on Your hand as well as all other weapons of Yours and

exercise Your soverignity as Prapanna Jana rakshakan at Your Sriranga

KshEthram ( praTitha hEthibhir-hEthibhi: anupAdhikam Prabhuthvam

RangadhAmE praTaya ) . At the same time , please forget the aasritha

janams at Your other dhivya dEsams , who are also experiencing fear

over interruptions in nithya kaimkaryams to You (RangadhAmAdheeshu

Prabhuthvam praTaya). Please protect adiyOngaL at every one of Your

abodes , where You are present in archA roopam !

 

SlOkam 22

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Kali-praNidhi-lakshaNai: kalitha-Saakya-lOkayathai:

thurushka-yavanAdhibhir-jagathi jrumbhamANam bhayam

prakrushta-nija-Sakthibhi: prasabhamAyudhai: panchabhi:

kshthi-thridaSa-rakshakai: kashapaya RanganAtha kshaNAth

 

(Meaning): Oh RanganAthA ! BhouddhAs and ChArvAkAs today

make propaganda about their fault-ridden mathams and are

set to destroy Your Parama Vaidhika Matham . The Muslims and

the Greeks (YavanAs) , who appear like special agents of Kali Pursushan

are causing immense injuries to all who follow Your srEshta Vaidhika

darsanam .The land is experiencing immense fear due to the activities of

all these four groups. That fear is growing further and further. Your five

weapons are very powerful in destroying the enemies of Your devotees.

They protect the assembly of Saadhu janangaL . Please use these powerful

weapons immediately with force and chase away the fear that is enveloping

this land !

 

(Comments): Swamy Desikan is getting restless that the damages done by

the muslim invaders and avaidhika matha vaadhis have not been chased away

by Lord RanganAtha yet for whatever reasons that the Lord might have . He gets

emboldened to suggest some thing even if it looks somewhat sharp . Swamy

Desikan's

intent is to nudge the Lord to take swift action with His five powerful weapons

and forcefully destroy the enemies to the Sath SampradhAyam and restore

tranquility by the removal of the fear that has gripped the people of the land .

 

Swamy Desikan reminds the omniscient Lord impatiently that the fear among

people is increasing minute by minute ( Jagathy jrumbhamANam bhayam) .

He appeals to the Lord with forcefulness : Please use Your five powerful

weapons , which have a history of protecting VaidhikAs , and destroy

these foreign invaders in a second forcefully ( prakrushta nija sakthibhi: ,

kshithi thridaSa rakshakai: , panchabhi: Aayudhai: turushaka-YavanAdheen

kshaNAth prasabham kshapaya ). Your weapons have real power as described

in the PanchAyudha SthOthram . They have prakrushta nija sakthi . They have

a history of being sent with Your sankalpam to protect dharmam and

Saadhu Janam and accomplish dhushta vinAsanam. They ( the weapons)

are five in number . Oh Lord choose one or more or all of them but quickly

put an end to these parivArams of Kali purushan . Please RESOLVE do so

with rapidiity and forcefully remove them form Your dhivya desam ,

where nithyArAdhanam for You has been interrupted .

 

SlOkam 23

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Didhi-prabhava-dEhibhith dahana-sOma-SooryAthmakam

tama: pramaTanam PrabhO samudhitha-asthra Bhurandham svatha:

svavrutthi vaSavarthitha thridasa-vrutthi chakram puna:

pravarthayathu dhAmni tE mahathy dharmachakra sTitham

 

(Meaning) : Oh Lord of Thiruvarangam ! The weapon of Chakram that You

hold on Your upper right hand is capable of splitting the bodies of the sons of

asura MaathA , Dhithi , who are the enemies of dEvAs ( Dhithi prabhava

dEha-bhith ) . When one looks at the lustre of this ChakrAyudham , it appears

like it has inside it the combined lustre of Agni , Chandran and Sooryan

( Dahana- SOma-SooryAthmakam) . This Aayudham is kown for its power

to remove not only external darkness but also internal darkness(tama:

pramaTanam) in the form of nescience (ajn~Anam) . All the other Aaayudhams

arose out of this ChakrAyudham and derive their power from

this disc weapon ( samudhitha asthra Brundham) . It also holds within itself

the lives of the DevAs , since it protects the dEvAs , whenever there is

a threat to their lives by the asurAs ( sva-vrutthi vaSa varthitha thrudaSa

vrutthi) .May this ChakrAyudham establish Vaidhika dharmam again at

Your abode of Srirangam by setting right the dharma chakram ( tE mahathy

dhAmni dharma chakra sTitim svatha: puna: pravartayathu) !

 

(Commnets ) : In the last slOkam , Swamy Desikan requested the Lord to use

anyone of His five weapons to destroy the enemies of ParamaikAnthis of

Srirangam . Quickly , Swamy Desikan realized that there may be confusion

in Lord's mind about choosing one over the other and give prominence to

that chosen weapon . Swamy Desikan emboldens himself to suggest to

the Lord that You do not need all the weapons . You can choose Your

ChakrAyudham in place of all the others . He cites the history of ChakrathAzhwAn

in previous battles of this kind and also suggests the power of all Aayudhams

were derived from ChakrAyudham (BhagavAn's sankalpa sakthi) . Swamy

Desikan's ShodAyudha SthOthram describes how all the weapons of the Lord

are residing in the 16 hands of ChakkaratthAzhwAn .He is the integrated essence

of all their individual powers . The revolving of the dharma chakram has been

tampered with by miscreants at Your sacred place of residence . Oh RangA !

Please order Your Chakram to reestablish (puna:pravarthaya) the dynamics of

the dharma chakram( dharma chakra sTithim) by itself (Svatha: ) .

 

SlOkam 24

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Manu prabhruthi mAnithE mahathy RangadhAmAdhikE

dhanuorabhava dhAruNair-dharam-udheeryamANam parai:

prakrushta guNaka SriyA VasudhA cha samdhukshitha:

prayuktha karuNOdhadhi: prasamaya svaskthyA svayam

 

(Meaning): Oh Lord of Thiruvarangam ! You are the abode of matchless

kalyANa guNams . Among them , You choose the guNam named KaruNai

mostly for helping the chEtanams . Hence You are recognized as KaruNai

Kadal or the ocean of Mercy . Your Sriranga VimAnam has been celebrated by

Law giver Manu and King MaandhAthA and has been worshipped by them .

The enemies assembled here are more ferocious than the asurAs and

are causing such hardships . We fear whether this great vimAnam of

Yours worshipped by sages and Kings will suffer from the heartless

invading Muslim army that has laid siege to Srirangam . Periya PirAtti

and BhUmi Devi will be praying to You for removal of our fears about

protection for the legendary Sriranga KashEthram . Oh Ranga RaajA !

Please put to use Your karuNai once again and with Your matchless

power chase away these dangers and remove our fears .

 

(Comments) : Oh Lord with celebrated lofty guNams ( Prakrushta GuNaka) !

The invading army consists of fierce and heartless people , whose cruelty is

worse than that of the asurAs . Being primitive marauders intent only on

plundering the riches of Your temple , they have no respect for Your VimAnam

worshipped by great sages and kings . We are full of fear about the desecrations

that would be caused to Your VimAnam and other parts of Your temple . We are

distraught . Knowing what we are going through , we are sure that MahA Lakshmi

and BhUmi Devi will be appealing to You to intervene and use Your apAra

KaruNA guNam and invincible power to remove our fears and restore

life back to where it was before the invasion . The heart of Swamy Desikan's

prayer is " Sva sakthyA svayam dharam prasamaya " . You do not need any

help in destroying the bheethi we are experiencing . Please take the iniitative

and chase away the invaders and restore things at Srirangam to normalcy .

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan