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Slokam 18
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Today , adiyEn will cover the Eighteenth slOkam
of Sri SaraNAgathi DhIpikai , where Swamy Desikan
salutes the Soulabhyam and the souseelya guNams of
ViLakkoLi PerumAL :
nimnOnnathAni nikhilAni padhAni ghADam
majjanthitE mahima saagara seekarEshu
nIrIndhram aasrayasi neecha janaamsthaTApi
seelEna hantha SisirOpavanEswara Thvam
--SrI SaraNAgathi DhIpikai: SlOkam 18
(Meaning):The Lord of ThirutthaNkA Dhivya dEsam !
Oh ViLakkoLi PerumAnE ! Your glories are immeasurable
like the vastness of the ocean .In each droplet of that
ocean of Your vaibhavam , the entire world is contained.
All the positions starting from Brahmaa downwards are
contained in these miniscule droplets of Your Viabhavam.
Inspite of this immeasurable and limitless glory , You
seek the help of lowly ones like Guhan , the hunter king
and SugrIvan , the monkey king ! You mix with them as if
they are Your equals . Wonderous indeed is the course of
Your souseelya guNam ! ( The most exalted one in every
way mixing readily with lowly ones without holding back
is indeed the guNam of Souseelyam and soulabhyam/ease of
access without let ).
Additional Comments:
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Oh Lord Of ThirutthaNkA! "tE mahima seekarEshu nimna unnathAni
nikhilAni padhAni ghADam majjanthi" . All the noble sthAnams
like the padhavi of Chathur-mukha BrahmA , DevEndhran, the king
of Svargam , KubEran , the lord of wealth , the ten forms of
Fire(Agni), the twelve AdhithyAs , the sphere of Space and
the Lord of the wind (Vaayu), the sky, the constellations ,
the Moon , the Maruths , the EkAdasa RudrAs , the sthAnams of
the regents of Directions, the sthAnams of ashta Vasus and
ALL other sthAnams and their glories are totally submerged
inside a singe droplet of Your Mahimai. Such is YOur immense
glory and splendor and Yet , You put all these aside in
the most disarming manner and mingle with a unlettered
king of hunters and establish friendship with a Monkey
king and seek their help . What a Souseelyam that You
display ! It is matchless indeed !
The references here are to the Vibhava avathAram of
SrI DhIpa PrakAsan as Raamachandra and His meeting
with Guhan , the hunter king at his capital of
SrungavErapuram on the banks of Gangaa river.
Souseelyam display(1): Affectionate Interaction with Guhan
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RaamA's embrace of Guhan and affectionate conversation
with him are beautiful portrayals of the Lord's
souseelya GuNam . Ramaa consoled Guhan and asked
him to stay with his relatives and subjects instead of
accompanying Him into the forest to serve Him ;
"Yenn uyir AanAi nee iLaval unniLayAn
innnanuthalAL ninn kEL naLir kadal nilam yellAm
unnuduyathu naan unn thozhil urimaiyin uLLEn"
--Kambha RaamAyaNam: AyOdhyA KaaNDam:Guha Padalam:verse 676
(meaning): Oh My dear GuhA ! You are precious to Me like
My very life . My beloved brother LakshmaNan and My beautiful
wife with a lovely forehead are Your relatives. This land
girdled by the Ocean is Yours.
munpu uLem oru naalvEm mudivu uLathu yena unnaa
anpu uLa ini Naam ohr IYVAKAL aanOm
--Guha padalam Passage : 677
(meaning): Before befriending you, Oh GuhA , we were
four brothers . Now , We have become a family of
Five brothers with limitless love between us.
Aadhi Kavi VaalmIki describes the affectionate way
in which RaamA embraced the NishAda RaajA Guhan and
spoke to him :
" bhuJabhyaam saadhu vrutthAbhyAm peeDayan vAkyam abraveeeth "
(meaning): Pressing GuhA tightly once more with his
rounded arms , SrI RaamA spoke to Guhan .
Souseelyam Display (2): Friendship with Monkey King
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In Kishkindaa KaanDam , SrI Raamachandran meets SugrIvan,
who has been badly treated by Vaali , his brother. Raama
is introduced to the distraught SugrIvan by HanumAn
and Raama joyously embraces SugrIvan as a dear friend .
This friendship between the scion of Raghu race and
a monkey is lovingly described by Aadhi Kavi VaalmIki
in many sargams of SrImath RaamAyaNam . SugrIvan promises to
reunite SrI Raamachandran with His dear consort , SitA Piraatti.
After Vaali is punished , Raamachandran consoles SugrIvan
in the most tender manner .Our Lord , the Sarvaj~nan
Sought the counsel of Monkey king , SugrIva during
VibhIshana saraNAgathy and on the battle field
at LankA . On return to AyOdhyA , Raamachandran honors
SugrIvan during His Coronation ceremony and bids him farewell
with great affection . The souseelyam of the Lord is
beautifully displayed by our Lord.
Swamy Desikan salutes this souseelya guNam of
Lord DhIpa PrakAsan magnificently in this
sOkam .