You are here: SriPedia - ebooks - Vedanta Desikan - Saranagati Deepika
Slokam 53
*********
Today , adiyEn will cover the Fifty Third slOkam
of Sri SaraNAgathi DhIpikai , where Swamy Desikan
continues with the Taarkic discussions with the Lord
and begs for protection :
vElA Dhananjaya RaTAdhishu vaachikai:svai:
aaghOshithAm akhila janthu saraNyathAm tE
jAnan DasAnana sathAth adhikagasOapi
pasyAmi dhattham abhayam svakruthE ThvayA mE
SrI SaraNAgathi DhIpikai: SlOkam 53
Meaning:
********
Oh ViLakkoLi EmpermAnE! You have said many times
that You are the sole refuge for all Janthus . You
expressed this assurance of Yours during VibhIshaNa
SaraNAgathi on the sea shore ; during Your KrishNAvathAram ,
You sat as a Saarathy for Paartan and through
the medium of GithA performed upadEsam for us all
on how to perform SaraNAgathy at Your sacred feet ;
during VaraahavathAram ,You elaborated further on
Your assurance to come to the help of all PrapannAs.Thus
during many occasions, You have clearly broadcast Your
message of SaraNAgathy and abhaya pradhAnam for all
through Your own Vaak. adiyEn is aware of all of Your
powerful messages to prapannAs. Who am I in this context of
Your magnanimous and assuring message of coming to our rescue ?
adiyEn has committed more apachArams than hundreds of
RaavaNans. Even then , adiyEn is uplifted by the many
assurances that You have given to us . Therefore , adiyEn
considers that I am also covered by Your promises to
protect me as well ; indeed , adiyEn feels that I will
be protected without fail. Is it n't so that You HAVE
TO PROTECT adiyEn to make sure that Your assurance on
giving refuge to all prapannAs never becomes untrue
and that the phalan of protecting adiyEn belongs to You ?
Additional Comments
********************
SaraNAgatha RakshaNam is the ParamOpakAram (Supreme upakAram)
that the Lord blesses the Mumukshus (one who desires Moksham )
with .Our Lord is the akhila janthu saraNyan . This powerful
and reassuring message to ALL has been proclaimed loud
and clear with His own voice ( svai: vaachikai: aagOshitham)
by You at sEthu , KurukshEthram and other places. This Sarva
SaraNYa Paratatthvam ( the Superior doctrine of being
the Rakshakan for all ) .
Swamy Desikan has pointed out in His Abhaya PradhAna Saaram
that the Lord's "SamarTa kaaruNika SaraNAgathy Phala
avinAbhUthai " ( The SaraNAgathy performed at the feet of
One who has no equal in Sakthi and KaruNai (Himself)
can not but yield fruit). In this slOkam , Swamy Desikan
refers to this truth spoken aloud (aaghOshitham) by the Lord
and states " mE ThvayA abhayam dhattham pasyAmi"
( adiyEn feels secure that You have granted me protection ).
Among the many SarNAgathis given by the Lord , Swamy
Desikan refers to three in particular here: (1)VibhIshaNa
SaraNAgathy at the banks of Ocean (2) GIthOpadEsam performed
by Lord PaarthasArathy sitting on the Charioteer's seat at
KurukshEthram and (3) Varaha BhagavAn's assurance of
SaraNAgathi through His VarAha Charama SlOkam .
VibhIshaNa SaraNAgathy
***********************
VibhishaNan left behind his powerful brother RaavaNan,
his family and property at LankhA and flew over to
SEthukkarai , where Lord Ramachandran was camping and
sought the refuge of SrI Ramachandran with this appeal :
thyakthvA puthrAmsccha dhArAmsccha Raaghavm SaraNam gatha:
SarvalOka SaraNYAya Raaghavaaya MahAthmanE
nivEdaya mAm kshipram VibhIshaNam upasTitham
--Yuddha KaaNDam: 17.16 & 17.17
Inspite of all the objections raised by SugrIvan and others
about granting protection to VibhIshaNan , the brother of
Raavanan , Lord Raamachandran granted abhaya PradhAnam
( granting protection)to VibhIshanan with these words :
mithra-bhAvEna samprAptham na thyajEyam kaTamchana
ABHAYAM SARVA-BHUTHEBHYO DHADHAAMYETHAD VRATHAM MAMA
Yuddha KaaNDam: 18.3 and 18.34
( Even if some one seeks my refuge while pretending
freindship to Me , I will protect that SaraNAgathan
independent of wahtever danger may come My way.I will
cast aside his blemishes and protect him and keep My word.
My dharmam and vow is to protect anyone , who performed
prapatthi to Me even once .I will gurantee that he will
be free from every kind of danger.)
SaraNAgathy and KrishNAvathAram
********************************
During the incarnation as KrishNan , our Lord
sat on the charioteers' seat on ArjunA's raTam
and used him as an excuse to assure us about
His standing in the place of all dharmams
and assuring PrapannAs to banish all fears
by performing SaraNAgathy at His lotus feet
alone ( Charama SlOakm of SrI Bhagavad GithA ):
sarva dharmAn parithyajya Maam yEkam saraNam vraja
aham thvA Sarva-paapEbhyO mOkshayishyAmi maa sucha:
-- GitA: 18.66
In the 29th Chapter of SrImad Rahasya Thraya Saaram
(Charama slOkAdhikAram ) , Swamy Desikan has discussed
at length the esoteric meanings of SaraNAgathy Taathvam
and Lord's Sarva Janthu RakshaNathvam. Swamy Desikan
asks the Lord in this 53rd slOkam : You assured us
as ParthasArathy that You will release us from all
sins and grant us Moksham and also asked us not
to fear about our lot (Sarva paapEbhyO MokshayishyAmi,
maa Sucha:). adiyEn believes in that promise of Yours
and consider that adiyEn is protected.
VarAha Charama SlOkam
***********************
Swamy Desikan has blessed us with a chillaRai
rahasyam named "Rahasya SikhAmaNi" elaborating
the SaraNAgathi Tatthvams enshrined in VarAha
Charama slOkam .Details on Rahasya SikhAmaNi
are covered in SaraNAgathy journal issues .
BhUMi PirAtti begged Her Lord AdhI VarAhan
to instruct the way for all Her children
to gain sathgathi:
aham sishyA cha dAsi cha BhakthA cha Thvayi Maadhava
--Varaaha PurANam : 114.64
( Oh My Lord Jn~Ana PirAn! I am Your sishyai , servant
and devotee. Please consider my dear wish and instruct
me on the way for the upliftment of all suffering jeevans).
VarAha PirAn responded to this question from His dear
consort and blessed us with the instruction on how He
will protect us:
tatastham mriyamANam thu kAshta-pAshANa sannibham
Aham smarAmi madh-bhaktham nayAmi paramAm gathim
( For the one , who performed SaraNAgathi at my
feet with MahA VisvAsam, when all his faculties were in
tact , I think of him during his last moments , when he is
in a unconscious, helpless state like a stone or a piece
of wood ; I rush to his side and lead him by archirAdhi
maargam to My Supreme abode and bless him with nithya-
kaimkarya prApthi to Me there.)
Such is the firm assurances on protection given to
al of us by Lord Raamachandran , KrishNa Bhagavan and
VarAha PirAn through their Charama SlOkams .
Swamy Desikan recalls all these and reminds DhIpa PrakAsan
of His own words during His various avathArams and requests
Him to protect him.