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Slokam 22
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Today , adiyEn will cover the Twenty Second slOkam
of Sri SaraNAgathi DhIpikai , where Swamy Desikan
focuses on the SaalamBana yOgam practised by mahAthmAs
of pure and pious minds (aathmavantha:) and the fruits
that they gain from such dhyAnam about the Lord's SubhAsrayam
(MangaLa ThirumEni accessible by SaalaBana yOgam)):
PadhmAbhirAma vadhanEkshaNa pANi-paadham
dhivyAyudhAbharana maalya vilEpanam ThvAm
yOgEna NaaTa subhAsrayam Aathmavantha:
saalamBanEna parichinthya na yAnthi thrupthim
--SrI SaraNAgathi DhIpikai: SlOkam 22
(meaning): Oh ViLakkoLi PerumALE ! Oh my Master!
Those with pious minds meditate on Your subhAsrayam
( mangaLa ThirumEni with its beautiful limbs , divine
weapons and AabharaNams ) with ease through SaalamBana
yOgam. They experience the nectar of Your dhivya ThirumEni
and do not get satiated. They thirst for more and more of
that divine experience of You as AparyApthAmruthan.
Additional Comments:
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In the previous slOkam , Swamy Desikan referred to
the yOgis percieving the Lord through both Saviklapaka
and nirvikalpaka SamAdhi ( Santha: sTira-dhAraNA:
SamAdhi yugaLEna ThvAm vilOkayanthi).
In this slOkam , Swamy Desikan describes how the yOgis
of pure mind (aathmavantha:) meditate on the Lord of
MangaLa ThirumEni through SaalamBana yOgam . There are
two kinds of yOgam : SaalamBanam and nirAlamBanam.
ThirumEni dhyAnam is SaalamBanam . Lambhanam means
hanging on to or dependent upon . These yOgis depend on
the dhyAnam about the lotus soft countenance (Padhma-
abhirAma Vadhanam) , the eyes that are beautiful like
just-blossomed lotus ( Padhma abhirAma IkshaNam) ,
lotus-like hands and feet ( Padhma abhirAma PaaNi-
Paadham). Such progressive dhyAnam on the Lord's
mind-stealing beauty (chittAbhahAram) of limbs
are like steps on the ladders to the first plateau of
aananadhAnubhavam. Next the yOgis reflect upon
the dhivya aayudhams and aabharaNams , garlands
decorating the Lord ( TuLasi, VanamAlai Vijayanthi)
and reach the next plateau of bliss . The fragrance of
the divine sandal paste (vilEpanam)smeared on the Lord's
chest takes them to the next step of nectarine experience
of SubhAsrayam of the Lord and recognize Him as insatiable
nectar ( AparyApthAmruthan). They reflect on the deeper
tatthvams behind the Lord's Aayudhams and Aabharanams.
The practise of SaalamBana yOgam is what ThiruppANar
engaged in and that flowed out in the form of the Dhivya
Prabhandham of "AmalanAdhi Piran ", where He enjoyed
the beauty of Lord RanganAthA's ThirumEni from Thiruvadi
to Thirumudi.
Swamy Desikan composed SrI Bhagavath DhyAna sOpAnam
in the same way. The best of the enjoyment of the Lord's
ThirumEni through SaalamBana Yogam by Swamy Desikan
is recorded in SrI DevanATa PanchAsath.The poorNa soundharyam of
Lord DevanAtan's ThirumEni at ThiruvahIndhrapuram
is celebrated from slOkams 14 to 45 . Here again Swamy Desikan
states that the experience of the SarvAnga Soundharyam of
the Lord makes his eyes want more and more of that
delectable experience ( Prathyanga Poorna sushumA
subhagam tE vapu: dhrushtvA mE dhrusou na thrupthayantha:).
Yogic practise of SaalamBana dhyAnam expands to recognize
many tatthvams assoicated with His ThirumEni and the weapons
as well a sthe Abharanams found on that ThirumEni . For instance ,
it is not only the beauty of the limbs of the Lord that
they enjoy , but they also recognize that those limbs
created the entire universe as visualized in Purusha
Sooktham. Further , the yOgis meditate on the divine
weapons and AabharaNams beautified by the Lord and
reflect on the Tatthvams behind them ( SrI Deva Naayaka
PanchAsath:slOkam 13):
tathtvAni yaani chidhachith pravibhagavanthi
thrayyantha vruddha gaNithAni sithAsithAni
dheevyanthi taani Ahipurandhara dhAma NaaTa
dhivyAsthra bhUshaNatayA Tava vigrahEsmin
(meaning): The AchAryAs have enumerated the tatthvams
associated with ChEthanam and achEthanm as twenty five.
Some of them are self-luminous and the others are not.
These 25 tatthvams are : pancha bhUthams, pancha
TanmAthrais, five Jn~Endhriyams , five karmEndhriyams,
Manas , ahankAram , MahAn, Prakruthi and Jeevan. Some
of these 25 tatthvams shine on Your SubhAsraya ThirumEni
as Your divine weapons and divine AabharaNams .
In our siddhAntham , Jeevan is considered as the Kousthubha gem
on the Lord's chest; Prakruthi is the divine mole, SrIvathsam;
the five BhUthams and the five tanmAthrais are the flowers of
the never fading VanamAlai, Vaijayanthi; the MahAn tathtvam is
the mace, KoumEdhaki; the ahankArams take the form of
the bow , Saarangam and the conch, Paanchajanyam;
manas is the disc, Sudharsanam; the ten Indhriyams are
the arrows inside the quiver; the sword nandakam is
the Jn~Ana tatthvam and ajn~Anam is the quiver .
In this Twenty second slOkam of SrI SaraNAgathi DhIpikai,
Swamy Desikan refers to the direct and extended anubhavam
of the yOgis engaged in SaalamBana dhyAnam of the Lord's
ThirumEni , His beauty-drenched limbs, the dhivyAyudhams
and DhivyAbharanams and connects them to deep tatthvams
assoicate with Chith and achith .Swamy Desikan
concludes that the yOgis engaged in the nectarine
anubhavam of SaalamBana yOgam/dhyAnam never ever
get satiated by that enjoyment and thirst for more
(ThvAM saalamBana yOgEna parichinthya thrupthim
na yaanthi).