SrI: Dear BhakthAs: Today , adiyEn will cover the Twenty fourth slOkam of Sri SaraNAgathi DhIpikai , where Swamy Desikan commences His upadEsam on Prapatthi yOgam : udhbAhu-bhAvam apahAya yaTaiva kharva: prAmsum phalArTam abhiyAchathi yOgi-chinthya yEvam sudushkaram upAya gaNam vihAya sTAnE nivEsayathi tasya vichakshana: ThvAm --SrI SaraNAgathi DhIpikai: SlOkam 25 (meaning): Oh Lord DhIpa PrakAsa , the fitting target for the dhyAnam of the yOgis ! One dwarf had intense desire to pluck the rip fruit on the branch that was too much beyond his reach. He could not raise his own hands to pluck the fruits . He was too short. He is clever and did not waste his time with futile efforts. He requested a tall man to pluck the fruits for him and enjoyed them . Similarly, a wise sentient being realizes the performance of Karma and Jn~Ana yOgams as a sequel to the performance of the Bhakthi yOgam is too difficult and beyond his capabilities. Therefore , he does not engage in these yOgams and performs prapatthi instead and places You (the SiddhOpAyan ) in place of the karma-Jn~Ana-Bhakthi yOgams and accomplishes his heart's wish (viz)., Moksha Sukham. Additional Comments(V.S): ************************* In the previous two slOkams , Swamy Desikan described the SaalamBana and nirAlamBana yOgams and the fruits that one can attain from the Lord . In this slOkam , Swamy Desikan compares the Bhakthi yOgam with the Prapatthi yOgam .In this context, Swamy Desikan addresses Lord DhIpa PrakAsan as " yOgi chinthya " or as the One ideally suited for dhyAnam by yOgis to qualify them for the anushtAnam of the Bhakthi yOgam thru their engagement first in saalamBana or NirAlamBana yOgic practises .Swamy Desikan invites our attention to a clever analogy. There is a dwarf (kharva:)standing under a fruit tree full of ripe fruits ready for tasting. The dwarf longs to have the taste of those fruits. He is however too short and his raised arms (udhbAhu BhAvam ) will not help him to reach out to those sweet fruits hanging from the branches as if they are saying , " come and get me". The dwarf looks around and sees a tall traveller coming his way. The dwarf stops the long limbed traveller and requests him to help with the plucking of the fruits for his consumption. The traveller obliges gladly and the dwarf gets his wish fulfilled .The dwarf gave up his own efforts wisely, when he realized that the task was impossible and he was incapable of executing that task. He recognized jumping up with raised arms was sudushkaram ( a tough task that can not be accomplished by him ).He gives up to get the fruit by his own efforts. He gets his wish fulfilled however throught he help of the tall man. Swamy Desikan compares the dwarf's decision to that of a clever chEthanan , who relaizes quickly that the UpAyams (means) like karma/Jn~Ana and Bhakthi yOgams are very much beyond his capabilities and abandons them as the means to get the purushArtam of Moksham ( yEvam vichakshaNa: sudushkaram upAya GaNam vihAya ).What does he do now ? He places the Lord in place of those groups of upAyams , performs prapatthi yOgam ( Total surrender at the Thiruvadi of the eagerly-awaiting Lord )and gets his deep longing for Moksha Sukham fulfilled. The Lord as SiddhOpAyan ************************ Swamy Desikan focuses here on Lord DhIpa PrakAsan as SiddhOpAyan . He is siddhOpAyam , the means that exists without ourselves needing to do anything. SaadhyOpAyam on the other hand is an upAyam (means) that we have to do such as Bhakthi yOgam or prapatthi (SaraNAgathy). The SaadhyOpaayams like Bhkthi or Prapatthi changes the anger or proclivity to punish us(nigraha sankalpam ) that the Lord had for our erstwhile trespasses of His saasthraic injunctions. As SiddhOpAyan , He becomes pleased with the effort taken (saadhyOpAyams) and changes His nigraha sankalpam to anugraha sankalpam. The three prerequisites for the change of heart of the Lord from nigraham to anugraham are: (1) Thirumukha Paasuram or PurushakAra Prapathti to the most merciful Mother of ours , PirAtti. We pray to her for the fruition of our saraNAgathi and She readily responds and blesses us to fulfill our wishes.AchArya RaamAnujA performed SrI Prapatthi first and recieved Her anugraham and assurance and then went on with His Prapatthi to Her Lord. (2) Anugraham of a SrEshta AchAryan : The blessings obtained from kaimkaryam to a great AchAryan to acquire visEsha Jn~Anam as phalan. In the 23rd chapter of Srimath Rahasya Thraya Saaram , Swamy Desikan cites the srEshta AchAryAs like ParAsarar , MythrEyar and Sanjayar , who blessed their respective sishyAs with such special Jn~Anam. (3)The blessings of gaining links to SathsampradhAyam: The devout sishyan filled with Saathvika guNams and AchArya Bhakthi should acquire a SadAchAryan , who has Jn~Anam, VairAgyam and compassion and thus link up with SadAchArya Paramparai starting from SarvEsvaran.Through upadesam from that SadAchAryan on Tathtvam-Hitham and PurushArTam , sishyan will please the Lord and will be the object of anugraha sankalpam. In the next slOkam , Swamy Desikan celebrates Prapatthi and refers to the five angAs ( limbs ) of Prapatthi. SrI Maragathavalli SamEtha SrI DhIpa PrakAsa ParabrahmaNE nama: Swamy Desikan , SrImath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan/SaThakOpan
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