saranagati deepika

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Slokam 55
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Today , adiyEn will cover today , the Fifty Fifth slOkam 
of Sri SaraNAgathi DhIpikai , where Swamy Desikan
intensely seeks the anugraham of DhIpa PrakAsan
for the fulfilment of his Prapatthi. The 55th, 56th 
and the 57th slOkams contain moving prayers of
Swamy Desikan to the Lord of his avathAra sthalam,
DhIpa PrakAsan , to confer the Moksha sukham 
by accepting his Prapadhanam (Prapatthi):

Mukhyam cha yath prapadhanam svayamEva saadhyam
dhAthavyam Isa krupayA tadhapi Thvayaiva
tanmE Bhavath charaNa sangavathIm avasTAm 
pasyan upAya-phalayO: uchitham vidhEyA: 

SrI SaraNAgathi DhIpikai: SlOkam 55

Meaning: 
********
Oh DhIpa PrakAsa Bhagavan! SarvEswarA ! It is 
a truism that every one who seeks Moksham should 
perform full (paripoorNa) prapatthi with its five
angams .It is also true that adiyEn has not completed
this full prapatthi.Therefore , Yourself propelled by
Your DayA , should complete this prapadhanam for me 
and make it full . At this time , I have arrived at 
the stage of enormous attachment to Your sacred feet.
Is it n't so that You HAVE to do what remains to be
done? Is itn't Your duty as SaraNAgatha Rakshakan
and SarvEswaran ? Please cast Your auspicious glances
on adiyEn and take note of this suffering jeevan and
hasten to do the needful . Please reflect on the choices
that You have :(1)whether to complete adiyEn's incomplete
Prapatthi or (2) to accept this incomplete prapatthi as is
(equal to full prapatthi) and grant me the fruit of such 
full prapatthi (viz)Moksha Sukham .adiyEn leaves that choice 
and decision to You .

Additional Comments 
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Swamy Desikan addresses the Lord of ThiruttaNkA as 
"Isa" in this slOakm . Our Lord is JagadhIsan and 
Sarva Loka SaraNyan. He is Sarva Swamy. He is SarvEswaran.
He is the sole grantor of MokshAnandham and paripoorNa 
BrahmAnandham at SrI Vaikuntam . Recognizing all these 
unique aspects, Swamy Desikan appropriately addresses 
the Lord of ThirutthaNkA as "Isa " here !. This Iswaran 
is illuminating the world as Jn~Ana DhIpam (Jn~Ana dhIpEna
bhAsvathA). He is the Veda-VedAntha DhIpam ; the prakAsam
from that unique dhIpam gives Him the name of DhIpa PrakAsan
at ThirutthaNkA Dhivya desam. The radiance from this Jaajvalya 
dhIpam falls on this dark world ( " nirAlOkE iha lOkE " pathathi).
If it did not fall on this world of ajn~Anam , then it will
not enable the blemishless chEthanams to leave the deep ,dark 
fox holes of kutarka vaadhis and kumathis preaching avaidhika 
mathams ( "Yathi na jAjvalyathE kila , ahankAra dhvAntham , 
kutarkka vyALa Ogam , kumathi matha pAthALa kuharam anagA:
kaTankAram vijahathi?"--Ythi Raaja Sapthathi slOkam ). 

Swamy Desikan summarizes the deep thoughts housed in 
SiddhOpAyam and SaadhyOpayam chapters of SrImad Rahasya
Thraya Saaram in this slOkam in the most aphoristic manner:

1. Yath prapadhanam svayamEva Saadhyam 
( This Prapatthi has to be performed by one ,
if he wants to become a Prapannan)

2. Yath prapadhanam mukhyam cha
(This prapatthi should be a complete one
with its five requisite limbs/angAs )

3. Tath (prapadhanam ) api ThvayA yEva 
krupayA dhAthavyam.
(That (thought to perform )Prapatthi has to be granted 
by You out of Your infinite compassion for a suffering
Mumukshu. You bless the Jeevan to reach a SadAchAryan
to start the travel on the path to Prapathti at Your
sacred feet ).

4. tath Bhavath CharaNa sangavathIm (mAm ) pasya
(krupayA avalOkaya).
( Therefore , please look at me , who has the greatest
attachment ot Your holy feet) 

5. mE avasTAm (krupayA) pasya 
( Please look compassionately at my suffering as a samsAri).

6. mE avasTAm pasyan upAya-phalayO: 
uchitham (yath)-(tath) vidhEyA: 
( after taking note of my suffering , please decide on
whatever is approriate among the upAyam (means )and
phalam (fruit ) for this long suffering jeevan 
attached firmly to Your sacred feet ).

Let us now look at the pramANams behind the above six points
from Swamy Desikan's SrImad Rahasya Thraya Saaram :

1. SvayamEva Saadhyam : 

1.1: SarvEshAmEva lOkAnAm PithA MaathA cha Maadhava:
gacchatthvamEnam SaraNam SaraNyam PurusharshabhA:
--BhAratham: Vana parvaam :161.56

( Oh the Bulls among men ! Oh PaaNDavAs! The Lord of SrI Devi
is the father and the Mother of the entire Universe .He is 
the Rakshakan . Consider Him as the UpAyam and perform 
SaraNAgathy at His holy feet!). This slOkam points out that 
the effort has to be taken by an individual chEthanam to
gain the Lord's protection and that the means of SaraNAgathy 
has to be adopted .

1.2: ThiruvAimozhi : 1.7.5 (First half)

viduvEnO ? yeNN viLakkai yennAviyai
naduvE vanthu uyyak-koLLhinra NaaTanai

I can not leave His feet.He is my very life breath,
path-illuminating dhIpam. He is my Master; adiyEn is His 
loving , devoted servant.I will cling to His sacred feet 
and seek His rakshaNam . This adiyEn has to do.During my 
waywardness, He intervened and gave me protection even if
my upaaya anushtAnam was not perfect .

Here Swamy Desikan focuses on the Rakshya-Rakshaka LakshaNams
and points out the need for the making an effort to
seek SaraNAgathi by the mumukshu (One who desires Moksham). 

2."Yath prapadhanam mikhyam cha:"(This Prapatthi should be
complete with its five angAs of aanukoolya sankalpam,
MahA visvAsam et al to bear fruit ).Swamy Desikan refers to
the ParipoorNa Prapatthi that one has to do to gain Moksham.
Ahirbudhnya samhithai says: ShaD-vidhA saraNAgathi: while 
taking into account the 5 angAs and the angi ( Bhara NyAsam /
Aaatma nikshEpaNam ). If the angi is not included , then
"NyAsa: panchAnga samyutha:" according to LakshmI Tanthram. 
When all the five parts are there with the NyAsam , then
it is called Mukhyam or ParipoorNa SaraNAgathi.These five
angAs are: aanukoolya sankalpam , prAthikoolya varjanam,
KaarpaNyam , MahA visvAsam and GOpthruva VaraNam .These five
are essential ingredients for a ParipporNa saraNAgathi (mukhyam)
and they are grouped as " avinAbhUtha svabhAvangaL ' or 
indispensable features/entities in paripoorNa SaraNAgathi.

3."Tath (prapadhanam ) api ThvayA yEva DhAthavyam" :
( Even this prapathti , you have to help with through
Yourself standing as the most compassionate SiddhOpAyan 
in place of all upAyams). You lead us to a sadhAcharyan 
and out of the anugraham odf the AchAryan , one deveops Jn~Anam 
about sva-svaroopam and MahA viswAsam to perform SaraNAgathi.
That blessing has to be confereed on us by You .

4&5 : Here Swamy Desikan prays to the Lord to take note
of his complete attachmnet to His sacred feet ( Bhavath CharaNa 
sangavathIm mE avasTAm pasya)with compassion. 

6. After taking note of my devotion to You and recognizing
that my SaraNAgathi is not be complete , please bless me 
with whatever upAyam or Phalan that You may decide upon 
as appropriate for the occasion (upAya PhalayO: uchitham
vidhEyA: ).

Swamy Desikan appeals to the Lord here and asks Him to decide 
as to whether He should perfect his(Swamy Desikan's) 
incomplete Prapatthi or be contented with the incomplete 
prapatthi to grant the boon of Moksham sought by him. 
Swamy Desikan does not press anymore with clever arguments 
about his qualifications for the granting of such a magnificent 
boon that the Lord alone can give. Swamy Desikan leaves it 
up to the Lord of ThirutthaNkA after performing his prapatthi 
in the best manner that he is capable of .