RE: Is Sanskrit or Tamil Language Superior for Bhagavath anubhava m ? DramiDOpanishath Saaram/Taathparya RathnAvaLi : PART I

[Guest guest]

Sri:

 

SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

 

Adiyen is providing below the summary of his narrative at the debate.

 

Namo Narayana,

 

SriMuralidhara Dasan

 

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Sri:

 

SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

 

Adiyen is thankful to Sri Ahobila Mutt and to Sriman Sadagopan Swamin for

inviting adiyen to this debate. Sriman Sadagopan Swamin has beautifully set the

stage for this lively discussion through his opening remarks emphasizing the

spirit of nahi ninda NyAyam. Here adiyen wishes to submit the following points

highlighting the role of Sanskrit in enhancing Bhagavad Anubhavam.

 

The term Samskritam means well done. Why is this? Because it is the language of

the Vedas, which function as the life breath of Lord Narayana. Swami Desikan

salutes this aspect in the Dashavatara Stotram as " nishvAsa vAthOrmaya: " while

describing the kUrma Avataram. Swami NammAzhwar, (Prapanna Jana kootasthar)

declares in the Trivaimozhi, that Tiruvaradhanam, an important form of enjoying

the Lord, must be performed with the recitation of Shruti vAkyams.

 

All aspects pertaining to Lord Narayana are revealed in amazing clarity in the

Vedas. Being Vaidikas, let us commence out quest for Bhagavd anubhavam. In

particular, the Upanishads describe Lord Narayana as being made up of jnAna maya

and Ananda maya as saluted by Swami Desikan in the opening verse of the

Hayagriva Stotram " jnAnananda mayam dhEvam nirmala sphatikAkruthim " The

Taittriya Upanishad salutes the attributes of Brahman through the declaration

" Satyam jnAnam anantam Brahma " . The term NarayaNa itself is a compound word

arising in Sanskrit through the following two ways

" nArANAm ayanam yasya saha " and " nArA: ayanam ithi " . The former denotes the fact

the Lord remains as the indweller of all beings (antharvyApthi), while the

latter denotes bahir vyApthi (pervading everything outside). This is saluted by

the NarayaNa anuvakam rk " anthar bahischa thath sarvam vyApya nArAyaNa

ssthitha: " , thereby enabling us to gain an understanding of the meaning of the

term Narayana. Next. Lord Narayana, the supreme Being is saluted by the Rk

" nArayaNa param Brahma tathvam nArAyaNa: para: " Absent elsewhere such a lucid

description of the Lord's name the Vedam offers a unique manner of enjoying the

Lord. Having dwelt on this fact, we now move on to the ChandOgya Upanishad,

which describes the attributes of the Lord as

:vimruthyu: (imperishable one) " , " vijara (one who does not age at all) "

" apipAsa: (one who does not suffer from the pangs of thirst) " , " apahathapApma

(one who is never tainted by sin) " " vijiGhatsa: (one who knows no hunger) " ,

" satyakAma (lover of truth) " " satya sankalpa (one who wills the truth) " and

" Esha Athma (of the nature of the soul) " Again while treating the puruSha

yajnOpasana, the ChAndOgya Upanishad declares Lord Krishna to be " Achyuthamasi

(one who never slips from his position of protecting those who have sought

refuge) " and " akshithamasi (one who never perishes) " .

 

The Vedam further declares that " yajnOvai vishNu: " and " vishNurvai yajna: " .

This is documented in the Vedic passage " EthA asadhann sukruthasya lOkE thA

viShNO Pahi pAhi yajnam pAhi yajna pathim pAhimAm yajna niyam " . The VishNu

Sahasranamam documents these aspects through the salutations 971-982 (yajnO

yajna pathir yajvA..). Since the term yajna denotes Lord VishNu, he is

necessarily accompanied by his consort Sri as documented in the Purusha Sooktham

Rk " hrIscha thE lakshmIscha pathnyoU " and the NeeLa sooktham rk " pruthivyA

asyEshAna jagathO viShNu pathni " . The term Pathni is reserved exclusively for

use in the context of yajna. Most importantly, in the yajna of SharaNagati

performed by the Lord to protect Prapannas, Thayar offers her support through

her purushAkaratvam as saluted by Swami Desikan in the Sri Stuthi as " asyEshAna

thvamasi jagatha: samshrayanthI mukundham " . The shruit further salutes Thayar as

naranarI mayo hari: nArAyaNAthmikA dhEvi, thereby instructing us that Thayar is

never separated from Lord Narayana and vice versa. A close examination of

Ramayanam (verily SharaNagati ShAstram) reveals the penalty for those who try to

separate PerumAl from Thayar-i.e., ShUrpanaka wanted Rama alone and was prepared

to destroy Seeta for this purpose. The result was she was maimed by Lakshmana.

On the other hand Ravana merely wanted Seeta and did not want to have any part

of Rama. His end is well documented again. Not only do the perpetrators of such

divisive acts come to grief but also the separated parties endure enormous

ordeals as eloquently espoused in the Ramayana.

 

Next, the viShNu Sooktham describes the Lord as " thrINipadhA vichakramE viShNur

gOpA adhAbhya: thathO dharmANi DhArayan vishNo karmAni pashyathA yathO vrathAni

paspashE " (Beholding the extraordinary deeds performed by Lord VishNu need there

be any doubt that He is the Supreme Lord?). The connection of the Padhukas to

Lord Vishnu is then saluted in the vishNu sooktham rk " urukramasya sahi

bandhuritthA: " (The Padhukas were a fitting companion to the Lord as Trivikrama,

who possessed Large Feet). The glory of the trivikrama Avataram is highlighted

in the Rg Vedam. The yajurvEdha Mantram salutes trivikrama in the passage

" yajnyasya bhogaDhi pratyuShtam raksha prathyushtA... " . The uniqueness of the

Trivikrama Avatraram is referred to by Swami Desikan first in the Dashavataram

salutation " raksha vamana " i.e., among the Lord's 10 prinicpal avatarams, this

was the only one in which no killing took place.

 

The Anandavalli section of the Taittriya Upanishad salutes Lord Narayana as

" rasOvai saha " (nature of rasa). This rasa is the soma rasa, which is equivalent

to the Brahma ananda anubhava rasa. This aspect is glorified in the Soma Mandala

of the Rg Veda. In fact, the anandavalli section is a succinct encapsulation of

the entire soma mandalam of the Rg Vedam. The Aitareya and Taittriya Brahmana

instruct us that the Brahma Ananda Anubhava rasa flourished at the 3rd foot of

Trivikrama. Thirsty Brahmins long for this rasam during the performance of Soma

Yajnas. The Vishnu puraNam equates this rasa to the Ganga river that emanated

from the rapidly growing foot of Trivikrama. Vedam again attests that when one

contemplates on the glory of Trivikrama, copious flow of rain occurs " varuNa

kruthA pathayA " . Swami Desikan discusses the Trivikrama Avataram quite

extensively in the Padhuka Sahasram and glorifies the Padhukas as a fitting

companion to the Feet of Trivikrama-i.e., the Padhukas were small to perfectly

suite the small feet of the dwarf Vamana. As the feet of Vamana grew

extensively, the Padhukas too grew to provide an exact fit to match the Feet.

Again Swami Desikan salutes the Padhukas of the Lord motivated by concern for

the CharaNa kamalam of Lord Narayana formed a protective umbrella to shield the

tender Feet of the Lord from the scorching rays of the Sun. In the nAdha

Paddhati, Swami Desikan describes the melodious sounds of the Lord's Padhukas

(mangala GhOsham) announcing in advance the impending victory of Trivikrama as

he sets out to conquer Mahabali, in keeping with the Vedam declaration " Bhadram

karNEbhishruNuyAma dhEvA: " Again in verse 85 of the Daya Shatakam, Swami Desikan

salutes the Trivikrama avataram as " prasakthamadhunAvidhi

praNihithaissaparyOdhakai: samastha dhurithacchidhA nigama ganDhinAthvam dhaYe

AshEshamavishEshathasthrijagadhanjanAdhrIshithu: charAcharamachIkarath

charaNapankajEnAnkitham " (How unfortunate am I that I was not born at the time

of the Trivikrama Avataram! Oh Daya Devi on account of You every sentient and

insentient being in the universe was blessed with the touch of the Lord's Lotus

Feet. This is verily like the flowing Ganga river, which cleanses one and all

that bathe without discrimination of any kind)

 

The bliss arising from Moksham and rendering uninterrupted Kaimkaryam in

SriVaikuntam is described in the following Vedic passages:

" tadhviShNO: paramam padagam sadhA pashyanthi sUraya: " , " Narayana

SayujyamavApnOthi nArAyaNa sayujyamavApnOthi " , " sa svarAt Bhavathi " and " na cha

punarAvarthathE na cha punarAvarthathE " and " ahamannam ahamannam ahamannam

ahamannAdhOahamannadhOahamannAdha: "

 

Swami Desikan in the Nyaya SiddhAnjanam discusses the meaning of the term Padham

in great detail in the Nithya viBhUthi paricchEdha as padhyathE ithi padham,

i.e., padham denotes, a state of being, a world, status, feet or title. In this

context, Swami Desikan pins dowm Sri Vaikuntam as a lokam by providing its

coordinates (above all other lokams). What is its extent? Infinite. What is it

made up of? Shuddha Satvam. How is this justified. Purusha Sooktam salutation

" tamasa: parasthAth " and Mahanarayana Upanishad salutation " tamasa: parAkE "

Who are the inhabitants of this lokam ? The Nithya sUris as described by the

Vedic salutation " tadhviShNO: paramam padagam sadhA pashyanthi sUraya: " How dto

get there " archirAdhi margam " i.e., through the performance of SharaNagati. Thus

Swami Desikan provides in chaste Sanskrit, a geographical map for going from

one's earthly abode to the Lord's eternal abode with step-by-step directions-an

unparalleled anubhavam.

 

Next, we seek to enjoy the secret of the Lord's Avataram. The Vedam glorifies

this in two places: First in the Purusha sooktham salutation " ajAyamAnO bahudhA

vijAyathE thasya DhIrA: parijAnanthi yOnim " (One who has no births takes many

births. This secret is well understood by the foremost among those possessing

superior intellect. "

At another place, the Vedam declares " soUshrEyAn Bhavathi jAyamAna: " , i.e., the

Lord's repeated incarnations only bring him enhanced fame and glory. In the 4th

chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna sheds light on the reason for his

avataram " imam vivasvathE yOgam prOkthavAnahamavyayam vivasvAn manavE prAha:

manurikshvAkavEbravIth " ... " parithrANAya sAdhUnAm vinAshAyacha dushkrithAm

Dharma samsthApanArthAya samBhavAmi yugE yugE " . The Bhishma Stuthi salutation

" ithivathirupakalpithAvithrushNA Bhagavati sAthvatapungavE vIBhumni

svasukkamupagatE kvachidhviharthum prkruthimupEyushi yathBhava pravAha: "

The birth or baddha jivans is due to Karma, on account of which they are subject

to a seemingly endless cycle of births and deaths from which there is no hope

for redemption. However, the Lord incarnates on account of his own sankalpam.

Therefore, it must be understood that ajAyamAnO denotes the fact that Lord is

not subject to births in the same manner as baddha jivans. However, he takes

many incarnations. Why does he then take birth? It is to rid baddha jivans of

their cycle of births and deathe and redeem them. Therefore, for baddha jivans

each additional birth only adds to the pile of sins, whereas the Lord begets

increased fame in each of his Avatarams as declared by the Shruthi vAkyam

soUshrEyAn Bhavati jAyamAna: The purport of these vedic messages is eloquently

documented by Swami Desikan in the Daya Shatakam salutation " shrEyasE jAyasE

na: " . Elsewhere in the Daya Shatakam Swami Desikan declares that the reason for

the Lord's compassion for Baddha jIvans is due to Daya Devi being his constant

companion in each avataram " vishvAvatAra sahAyinI " . Why this overwhelming

compassion for a Prapanna. Swami Desikan answers this through the salutation

" manyE mAtha jaDa iva suthE vatsalA mAdhrushE thvam " (In the manner of extreme

affection of a mother for her retarded child). It is important to note the usage

of Vatsalyam in this context. Vatsa in Sanskrit denotes a calf and DhEnu is a

cow that has just given birth to a calf. The love of Dhenu for Vatsa is

evidenced by first feeding the calf with milk. This denotes the unmitigated,

untainted flow of motherly love. In a like manner the Lord showers his

torrential grace on Prapannas on account of Daya Devi-another case in point of

Vatsalyam defying all attempts of translation. Swami Desikan again declares his

reverence for Shruthi in the Daya Shatakam salutations

" shruthiparishadhAmuttarENAbhimukhyam " and " Arambha mAtramanidham prathama

sthuthInAm " to echo the message of the Taittriya Upanishad salutation " yathO

vAchO nivarthanthE aprApya manasA saha " . (Words cannot adequately describe the

unending glory of the Lord. The mind cannot grasp the vast expanse of His

glory-mathikshayAth nivarthanthE na Govinda guNa kshayAth). The opening verse of

the Daya Shatakam " prapadhyE tham girim prAya: SrInivAsAnukampayA IkshusAra

sravathyEva yanmUrthyA sharkarAyitham " (I surrender to that mountain on top of

which the Archa form of Lord Srinivasa stands out like ready to partake of sugar

candy, whose daya flows freely like the sweet tasting sugar cane juice). As

always Swami Desikan emphasizes the Vedam at the outset. The seven KAndams of

the vedam have transformed themselves into the sacred Tirumala hills on top of

which rest the Lotus Feet of Srinivasa. I surrender to that Hill which

Ramanujacharya refused to ascend with his Feet. This Archa form of the Lord is

like easy to partake of Sugar candy, while other forms para vyUha, ViBhava, and

hArdha forms are like the sweet tasting but difficult to obtain sugarcane juice.

Verse 100 of the Daya Shatakam covers the benefits from the vakyam prapadhyE

through the salutation " mukthAnuBhUthimiha dhAsyathi mE mukundha: " (Even in this

Leela ViBhuthi may I be blessed with the bliss of Kaimkaryam to the Lord, which

I am assured of attaining at the end of my earthly existence).

 

We next discuss the position of the Smritis in enjoying Lord Narayana. Bhagavan

himself declares " shruthi smriti mamaIva ajnyA yasthAm ullanghya varthathE ajnyA

chEdhi mama drOhi mama BhakthOpi na vaiShnava: " (Shruthi and Smriti are verily

my commands. Those who violate these commands are verily traitors. Even if they

claim to be my Bhaktas, they are not considered to be Vaishnavas. The Shandilya

Smruthi highlights the fact " VishNOrArADhanam param " (Worship of VishNu is

supreme

form of worship)

 

The Ramayana, which is an encapsulation of the Vedam (Veda prAchEthasAdhAsIth

sAkshAth RamayaNAthmana) and verily an enactment of SharaNagati Shastram offers

fertile ground for delving deeper. Swami Desikan devotes an entire Chillarai

Rahasyam known as " AbhayapradhAna sAram " wherein he treats in detail every act

of ShraNagati that took place in the Ramayanam. However, for lack of space and

time we confine ourselves to the important anubhavams trhough Swami's Sri

Sookthis pertaining to two episodes:

1. Padhuka Pattabhishekam

2. 2. Rama Charma Shlokam

Swami Desikan succinctly salutes the first aspect in the mahaveera VaiBhavam

salutation

" pAdhukAgryABhisheka nirvarthita sarva lOka yOgakshEma " (By performing the

coronation of the Padhukas, Bharata ensured the well being of the entire

universe). This is documented in the Ramayanam as " nyAsam dhathvA puna:

puna: " Again in the Padhuka Sahasram, Swami Desikan devotes an entire Paddhathi

to glorifying the Pattabhishekam of the Padhukas. We focus here on the opening

verse " pAhi na: pAdhukE yasyA vidhAsyan AbhishEchanam AbhishEcha nikam BhAndam

chakrE rAma pradhakshiNam " Bharata declares the supremacy of the Padhukas

through the salutation " AdhirOhArya pAdhAbhyAm pAdhukE hEma BhUshithE yEthEhi

sarvalOkasya yOgakshEmam viDhAsyatha: "

 

Swami Desikan provides the import of the Rama Charma Shlokam message through the

Padhuka Sahasram salutation " sakrudhapiKhila mUrDhnA shArngiNa pAdhukE thvAm "

and in the Daya Shatakam salutation " sakridhavEkshaNath thath kshaNAth " and in

the

DashAvatara stotram salutation " samrakshaNaIka vrathi "

 

The gem among purANams, the VishNu purAnam offers an unparalleled anuBhavam of

Lord Narayana through the Bhustuthi salutation " namasthE pundarIkAksha shanka

charka gadhA dharA........BhuyO BhUyO namO nama: "

 

The PancharAtra agama again offers rich references for enjoying Lord Narayana.

In particular, the Ahirbudhnya Samhita lays down the foundation of SharaNagati

through the declaration " BhakthyA paramayAvApi prapathyAvA mahAmathE.... Mama

kaIMkarya lipsuBhi: " and follows up with a most beautiful glorification of

Bhagavan Nrusimha in the Mantrarajapada Stotram. In particular, it sheds light

on the SwarUpam, rUpam and gUNams of Bhagavan Narasimha as housed in the

NrusimhAnushtup Mantram. In particular, an equivalent term for the usage dAsa

BhUta cannot be found in any other language.

 

In conclusion, adiyen submits that the 3 Rahasyams are in Sanskrit. The mantram

that is meant for all, i.e., the AshtAkshara mantram is in Sanskrit. Swami

Desikan declares in Srimad Rahasya traya sAram, that upon performance of

Prapatti, one must continue the duties enjoined in one's life station, i.e.

Sandhyavandanam, oUpAsanam et. al for which the Mantrams of from the Vedam are

in Sanskrit. The works of the Vedam, ithihasas, and puraNas have inspired the

works of the Azhwars too and held sway over them in a mesmerizing manner.

 

The ultimate anubhavam of the Lord's GuNams can be found in the penultimate

verse of the DashAvatara Stotram, wherein Swami Desikan encapsulates the salient

feature of each Avataram through a single word-truly an unparalleled

description.

 

These facts are sufficient to demonstrate the superiority of Sanskrit over all

other languages in conferring an enriching, edifying, ennobling and elevating

anuBhavam of Perumal and Thayar.

Namo Narayana,

 

DhanyOsmi, KruthOsmi,

 

SriMuralidhara Dasan

 

 

 

 

On

Behalf Of sgopan

Thursday, September 08, 2005 5:53 PM

Ponnappan; Ramanujamission ; Sgt; SG; DS; Swami;

acharya; Rajeev

Cc: vaideekam Moderator; soundararajan desikan; Mrs Jayasree Rangarajan;

subhakan

Is Sanskrit or Tamil Language Superior for Bhagavath anubhavam

? DramiDOpanishath Saaram/Taathparya RathnAvaLi : PART I

 

 

SrI :

 

On this AavaNi Svathy day dear to Sri Lakshmi Narasimhan , adiyEn would like to

initiate

a likitha Kaimkaryam on the above controversial topic (!) , which was assigned

as a topic for

discussion by the Program Chairman of the AchArya SmaraNothsavam Committee of

Ahobila Matam North America . The celebrations took place at Sri RanganAthA

Temple

at Pomona , NY on Sep 3 , 2005 . There was a spirited discussion , which was

mediated

by MahA Vidwaan Dr.S.M.S. Chari in an impartial manner .

 

AdiyEn and Dr.Murali Rangaswamy of Boston argued in favor of Sanskrit and

Srimans AMR Kannan

of Syrcuse and Sri Oppili Gopalan of Washington DC argued in favor of Tamil .

The Sanskrit Team

focussed on Vedams , Upanishads , AchArya SthOthrams as the source material for

Bhagavath

anubhavam in all languages including Tamil . The Tamil team grounded deeply in

NaalAyira

Dhivya Prabhandham argued effectively in favor of Tamil being the superior

language for

Bhagavath anubhavam . After the friendly debate was over and a popular vote was

taken ,

Dr.SMS Chari gave his impartial judgement that both languages are equal in

superiority

for Bhagavath anubhavam and gave the reasons in a scholarly manner . The debate

was

enjoyed thoroughly . We agreed with Dr.Chari's position . The debate was like

the Kaliyan's

Paasurams , where one ghOshti sings the praise of Raaman and the other of

KrishNan

as the one with greater vaibhavam .

 

By copy of this note , I am requesting SriamAns Murali Rangaswamy and

A.M.R.Kannan

to summarize what they covered at the debate .

 

After the debate was over , adiyEn thought that the great genius , Swamy Desikan

who

channeled his Bahgavath anubhavam in a superior manner in the three languages of

Sanskrit , Tamil and Prakrutham is the best AchAryan to study for illumination

on

this subject (Ubhaya VedAntham) dear to Sri VaishNavAs .

 

In this context , I remembered the six introductory postings going back to

October 1996

in Sri Ranga Sri on Taathparya RathnAvaLi and DhramidOpanishad Saaram , the two

Sanskrit Sri Sookthis of Sw amy Desikan . The topic of these two Sri Sookthis is

Swamy

NammAzhwAr's ThiruvAimozhi . In these two divine works , Swamy Desikan provided

deep

insights in to AzhwAr's ThiruvuLLam and AzhwAr's Bhagavath GuNAnubhavam .After

the sixth

posting in that series , adiyEn went off to other topics and forgot about them .

This debate

brought me back to DhramidOpanishath Saaram and Taathparya RathnAvaLi , the two

central Sri Sookthis for insights in to ThiruvAimozhi as an anubhava grantham .

Unfortunately ,

Swamy Desikan's detailed commentary known as " Nigama ParimaLam " is no longer

available to us .

 

On this AavaNi Swathy day , adiyEn thought that it will be good to get back to

these two Sri Sookthis and connect them to Bhagavath GuNAnubhavam in Sanskrit

of ThiruvAimozhi and relate them to various commentaries of this sacred

Prabhandham

of our Kula Pathy , Swamy NammAzhwAr . The subject is an ocean in size and scope

..

Remembering the proverb , fools enter , where angels fear to tread , adiyEn will

start

this effort and seek Lord HayagrIvan's anugraham to complete

this Kaimkaryam , which may take almost an year to conclude

even in a modest effort .

 

In view of the nature of the subject , not all members might be interested

in this series . Hence , adiyEn will post them in Oppiliappan , Saranagathy ,

Ramanuja Mission and Malolan Lists . Those of you who are not members of

any one of these Four lists are requested to enroll as mmembers of one of

these lists for access to future postings . You can always capture them

in Sripedia?oppiliappan archives as well .

 

Summary of my contributions to the Sep 3, 2005 debate at Sri RanganAthA Temple

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1. There is enormous " PrAmANya SamarTanam " (ample power of PramANams / valid

knowledge) for defending the position that Sanskrit Language is the best for

Bhagavath

GuNAnubhavam through Japam , SthOthram and Archanam .

 

1. Japam here is the recitation of the sacred names of the Lord and enjoying

the deep and delectable meanings behind them . Swamy ParAsara Bhattar

has engaged in such Japam in his Sri Sookthi , " Bahgavath GuNa DarpaNam "

( A Mirror to the GuNams of the Lord ).

 

2. SthOthram here is the keertanam of the Lord's Vaibhavam loudly as eulogy

(with or without Music and TaaLam ) . BhAvam is most important here .

 

3. Archanam is the elaborate ritual worship or Bhagavadh AarAdhanam

with prescribed Aaasanams and Veda Manthrams with deep Bhakthi .

 

Bhagavath GuNAnubhavam covers Roopa , Svaroopa , ArchA , Vibhava

and LeelA anubhavams as well .

 

The Six Major GuNAs of the Lord

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

Upanishads salute the Parabrahmam tersely as " Sathyam Jn~Anam Anantham BrahmA

" .

This Brahman of Upanishads is rederred to in AchArya RaamAnujA's Sri BhAshyam as

Ubhayalinga VibhUthi NaaTan : (1) One with a Dhivya MangaLa Vigraham and

limitless

auspicious GuNams and (2) free from any hEyams ( blemishes ). All the limitles

guNams

fold in to SIX Primary GuNams . They are :

 

1.Jn~Anam ( Omniscience ) , (2) Sakthi ( Omnipotence) , (3) Balam (Strength ,

(4) Iswaryam ( Lordship) , Veeryam ( Energy ) and Tejas ( Splendour) .

 

All the other GuNams like Souseelyam (Gracious condescense ) ,Soulabyam

(Easy accessibility ) , Vaathsalyam ( loving disposition ) , KrupA (Compassion)

,

OudhAryA (generosity) , BandhuthvA ( Friendly Relationship ) and the numerous

other auspicious attributes used by AchArya RaamAnujA in His three Gadhyams

come under one or more of the six primary GuNmas . Swamy Desikan brings

these insights in His Gadhya Thraya , CahthusslOki and SthOthra Rathna BhAshyams

in Sanskrit brilliantly .

 

When one reflects on the three gadhyams of RaamAnuja , Panchasthavams of KurEsa

,

Swamy AlavanthAr's ChathusslOki and SthOthra Rathnam as well as the profound

commentaries of Swamy ParAsara Bhattar on (1) Sri VishNu Sahasra Naamam ,

(Sri Bhagavadh GuNa DarpaNam ) , (2) GuNa Rathna Kosam , (3) Sri Rangaraja

Sthavam

and (4) Thirumanjana Kattiyam fro RanganAthA ; Swamy Desikan's 28 moving

SthOthrams

and DhramidOpanishath Saaram/Taathparya RathnAvaLi are in Sanskrit . Now , one

wonders

why these AchAryAs chose to write in Sanskrit instead of in Agastya BhAshA .

Swamy Desikan's

Commentaries on PrakaraNa granthams are in MaNi PravALam ( a heavily

Sanskritized version of

Tamil ). The fact that they wrote only in Sanskrit has many answers form

proponents and

opponents of Sanskrit as THE medium of communication for Bhagavath GuNAnubhavam

..

That formed the core of the debate at the Sep 3 sessions.

 

AdiyEn has a biassed view here to share : All of our AchAryAs cited above knew

Dhivya

Prabhandhams very well including PiLLAn , who wrote the first commentary on

ThiruvAimozhi in

MaNi PravALam ( 6000 Padi where the two thirds of the words are Sanskrit ) .

Yet they chose Sanskrit for Bhagavath GuNAnubhavam because no other language

has the SaguNa Texts ( pramANams ) except Sanskrit ( Vedam , Upanishads ,

IthihAsam

and Saathvika PurANams : all of these are in Sanskrit ). They needed those

SaguNA texts to celebrate

and highlight the VisishtAdhvaithic View of Bhagavath GuNAs of Para Brahmam ,

the Tatthva Thrayams and the Rahasya Thrayams dealing with Tatthvam , hitham and

(Parama) PurushArTam . In addition to the SaguNa texts , Sanskrit has unique

Sabdha alankArams , ArTa alankArams , VyAkaraNam , Metres for poetry ( SaardhUla

VikreeDitham , UpajAthi , Vasantha Tilakam , Manju BhAshiNi , SragdharA ,

Maalini ,

MandhAkrAnthA,SikhariNi , Indhra VrajA , Rukmavathy , SasikalA , PrastArikA et

al).

All of these enhances the depth of Bhagavath anubhavam ,whether one knows these

topics are not .

 

BhagavAn Himself gives the clue for Bhagavath GuNAnubhavam in His GithOpanishad:

 

macchitthA madhgathaprANA BhOdhayantha: Parasparam

kaTayantasccha Maam nithyam tushyanthi cha ramanthi cha

 

(Geethai : X.9 )

 

(Meaning) : " With their minds focused on Me , inspiring one another

and always speaking of Me , they live in contentment and bliss at

all times .

 

Acharya RaamAnujA's Commnetary on this slOkam : " MathchitthA: Mayi nivishta

manasa:

( They live with their minds fixed on Me); Madhgatha: PrANaa: ( Their life is

centerd

on Me ); MadhgathajeevithA: MayA vinA AathmadhAraNam alabamAnA : ( Their

lives are centered on Me and they are unable to sustain themselves without Me )

;

Svai: Svai: anubhUthAn MadheeyAn guNAn Parasparam BhOdhayantha:

( They inspire one another by speaking about My guNams , which have been

experienced by them ); MadheeyAni dhivyAni ramaNeeyAni karmANi cha

KaTayantha: tushyanthi cha ramanthi cha ( Narrating My divine and adorable

acts , they live in contentment and bliss at all times ). VakthAra:

tadhvachanEna

ananya prayOjanEna tushyanthy ( The speakers are delighted by their own speech ,

because it is spontaneous and has no ulterior motives) SrOthrAsccha

tadhsravaNEna

anavadhikAthisaya priyENa ramanthy ( the listeners too feel the speech to be

unsurpassingly and incomparably dear to them . They thus live in bliss ) .

 

That is the word of GeethAchAryan !

 

Genius of Sanskrit Language

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

The extraordinary ease of Sanskrit language is in summing up huge doctrines

in one word or few words . Swamy Desikan used Sanskrit therefore to provide

the Quintessential essence of NaalAyira Dhivya Prabhandha Pasurams . These

4000 are divided in to decads ( Dasakam ) , Hundreds ( Sathakams) and ten

hundreds

( Dasa Sathakams ).

 

Swamy Desikan used the inherent facility of Sanskrit for condensing entire

decads ,

centums and Thousands in to one word in terse manner without l;osing the core

meaning of the Paasurams .

 

We will devote the subsequent posts to introduce DramidOpanishath Saaram

and Taathparya RathnAvaLi in this light .

 

With Prayers to Swamy Desikan and Lord HayagrIvan , let us commence this journey

,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAry Sadagopan