Thuppul PiLLai- 64- Hamsa sandhEsam- Message through Hamsam [swan]

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SrI:

SrImathE Nigamantha Mahadesikaya namah:

SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |

vedAntAcArya-varyo me sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||

 

May the glorious Venkatanatha, the greatest of teachers of Vedanta, and the

lion among poets and debaters, reside forever in my heart.

 

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

Let us continue to enjoy great sanskrit granthas of Swamy.

 

The HamsasandhEsam is a devotional lyric of Swamy Desikan. It is rather a

Khandakaavya. It contains 110 slokas divided into two parts called Asvasa.

Hanuman arrived at Malyavan, bringing to Rama, the news, " kaNdEn

Seethaiayai.. " - that Sita was kept a prisoner in the Asokavanam at LankA by

Ravana. He also handed over to Rama the ChoodA maNi of Sita that she had

asked him to give to Rama. Rama looking at the beautiful ornament of Sita,

feels and longs for SItA, her plight and her condition at lankA. In order to

assure her that he would release her from captivity, Rama chooses to send

her a message of this assurance thorugh a swan (Hamsa). The swan is given

the direction for its journey. The sacred places Thirumalai, Kanchi,

ThiruveLLaRai, Srirangam and ThirumaalirunchOlai are all described (by

Swamy Desikan in HamsasandhEsam) to the swan to visit them. The forests and

the ocean and other regions lying around them are also beautifully

described. With this the first part comes to a close.

 

The second part gives begins with a description of LankA. This is followed

by the description of the Asoka vanam (grove), of SItA PiraaTTi and the

delivery of Rama's message.

 

Swamy Desikan writes two slokas at the end, the first of which mentions

Rama's killing of Ravana and his return to AyOdhyA with SitA PiraaTTi and

his PattAbhishEkam there. In the last sloka, Acharya asks the diligent

persons to study this best gem of HamsandhEsam dealing with life of Sita and

Rama. This poem was sharpened many a times in teh whetstone of deep

reflection. This work shall be the means to get all happiness.

 

There is parity between the HamsasndhEsam and KaaLidAsa's mEghasandhEsam. In

Kaalidasa's work, love lorn Yaksha sends a cloud as a messenger to his

beloved in Alaka (not Alaska:-) ) in the Himalayas. The route is described

in the first part. The city of Alaka, his house, his beloved's condition and

the message are given in the second part. Here the Yaksha is in a reverie

owing to his love sickness. He does not realize that an inanimate cloud can

neither follow the route nor deliver a message.

 

Acharyan Swamy Desikan employs the motive of Kalidasa's poem for a higher

purpose. The Swan is a LIVING being and could communicate a message.

Kalidasa's influence is noticed all thorugh this poem. Like Kalidasa who

describes Ujjain alone in 12 slokas, Swamy Desikan describes very

beautifully Kaanchi alone in 11 slokas. The two slokas (21 and 22 in 1st

chapter) which are devoted to the description of Thirumala are simply grand

and superb and of unique excellence. SitA's contemplative mood (sloka 22 in

2nd chapter) is described vividly and is unparalleled in execution. (after

all Acharya saarvabhouman had to be GRAND and Great!) (extract from the book

of SrI Srinivasaraghavachariar Swamy)

 

There are few artilces that I also read wherein the vidwAns compare the two

works and show where Swamy has excelled Kalidasa in terms of poetry,

imagination as well as narration/ picturisation.

 

The samasyasahari is a work of the Acharya on completing a stanza when a

part of it is given. One thousand samasyas were given here but this is now

extant :-(

 

THE PADHUKA SAHASRAM is a wonderful POEM written by Swamy Vedantha Desikan

on the sandals of Lord Sri Ranganatha of Srirangam- Let us see it tomorrow

probably the last in this series....

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo narayana

dAsan

kavi-tArkika-simhAya kalyANa-guNa-SAline |

Srimate venkateSAya vedAntagurave namaH ||

 

Salutations to Sri Venkatesa, in whom all perfections reside, who is the

teacher of Vedanta and the lion among poets and debaters

 

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