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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00071 Apr 2005

 
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SrI:

Dear BhakthAs of Swamy AlavanthAr :

Today , we will conclude the final part of the commentaries of 
Swamy Desikan and PeriyavAcchAn PiLLai on the 21st slOkam of
the SthOthra Rathnam of Swamy AlavanthAr with FOUR NamaskArams 
that includes  8 Nama: sabdhams .

The first of the four namaskArams are : " Vaang-manasAthibhUmayE 
namO nama:". The word "Thubhyam "( to you ) is  hidden in this and 
the other three NamaskArams  To You , who is unreachable by mind 
or speech by those , who wish to comprehend You with their own
efforts (Sva-yathnam) . He becomes the abhUmi for them . "yathO vaachA 
nivartantE aprApya manasA saha " (TaittirIya AaraNyakam 9.1). For those with
ahankAra Svaroopam , He is far from reach by mind or speech . When one has 
the svaroopam free from ahankAram denoted by the Nama: sabdham , He becomes
within easy reach . VishNu PurAnam ( 1.9.59 ) salutes the Lord , who is the 
abode
of the Universe and who is the PrApyam (Goal to be attained) with ahankArm free
Nama: sabdham :

YannAyam BhagavAn BrahmA jAnAthi Paramam padham
tannathA: sma JagaddhAma Tava sarvagathAchyutha 

Oh Achyutha! Oh all pervasive Sarva VyApi !  We salute Your Svaroopam 
that is the supreme abode of the Universe and its entities and which is not 
known even by BrahmmA as the most lofty PrApyam  .

"AthibhUmayE " really means athikrAntha bhUmayE or the limitless Svaroopam ,
which is beyond the ken of the mind and speech according to Swamy Desikan .
" parama yOginAmapi vaang-manasAbhyAm aparicchEchEddhyam ". 
It is beyond the mental and oral efforts of even Parama Yogis unless they 
are freed from ahankAram . 

Swamy AlavanthAr wants to point out thru the first namaskAram how difficult it 
is  to reach Him by mind or speech ; He does not mean that the Lord is totally 
unattainable . If that were to be so , it would clash with Sruthi :  " SarvE 
VedA 
yathraika Bhavathy " ( TaittirIya AaraNyakam:3.11.29) , " SarvE VedA Yath 
padham 
aamananthy  " ( KatOpanishad 1.2.15) , " NathA: sma SarvavachasAm prathishDA , 
yathra Saasvathee " (Ahirbudhnya Samhithai) Further , the Lord says :
"Vedaisccha Sarvai: AhamEva Vedhya: " ( Geethai 15.15) .  Now Swamy AlavanthAr
rushes with the second namaskAram to reveal that there is a sure way to 
experience His
blissful svaroopam by our Manas and Vaak : " Vaang manasa yEka bhUmayE 
namO nama: ". Yes, He is experiencable by those who have no interest 
in anything other than Him . He is comprehendable by those , who are 
blessed to be shown the way by Him to establish their foundation of 
blissful experience of Him with mind and speech . Even for the Gopis , 
who did not know the right hand  from the left hand , He became 
available thru their ego free approach that led them to their SaraNAgathy 
at His sacred feet   

Swamy Desikan comments about the the state of mind of the Gopis : " aprasAdha-
bhAjAm Gopa-gOpikAdheenAmapi " VaangmanasayO: yEka vishayam bhUtAyEithyarTa: 
VishayAnthara-vaimukhya-vyanjanArTamyEka padham ". Our Lord was the only
object of their contemplation ( yEka vishayam) , nothing else  ( vishayAnthara 
Vaimukhyam- - ) .PeriyavAcchAn PiLLai comments further : ' Kaatak-kaaNpArudaya 
vaang-manasuhaLukku nilamAy irukkiRa unakku ' ( He becomes within the reach of 
the mind and speech of those , who have been shown the way by Him and His 
AchAryAs) . 
In Bhagavath Geethai ( 10.5) , the Lord stresses this tattvam : " Bhavanthy 
bhAvA bhUthAnAm mattha yEva pruTakvidhA : " ( The manObhAvams of the Jeeva 
Raasis like Jn~Anam arise from My sankalpam alone )  
Bhagavan"s Anukoola sakthi sankalpam is referred to here as the basis of 
Vaang-manasaika bhUmi .

Third NamaskAram : " Ananatha mahA vibhUtayE NamO Nama; " . NamaskArams to You ,
who is " aparicchEdhya Ubhaya MahA VibhUthi Naathan " . The Iswaryams of the 
Lord
( Leelaa and Nithya VibhUthis ) are anantha ( limitless) and anavadhikaa. Swamy 
Desikan
quotes Brahma Soothram ( 3.2.21) here : " PrakruthaithAvathvam prathishEdhathi 
tathO 
Braveethi cha bhUya: " ( The text denies that-muchness of Brahman(described 
earlier)
and says more than that ) There is nothing greater to Brahman either by nature 
or by
Qualities . His Iswaryam (VibhUthi) is limitless . So are His Svaroopam and 
GuNams .
He is anantha MahA VIbhUthi Naathan . SaraNAgathy is made to Him through the 
nama:
Sabdham .

Fourth NamaskAram : " anantha dayaika sindhavE namO Nama: " NamaskArams to Your 
aparicchEdhya ( limitless)  Daya ,which makes You yEka bhUmi for Vaak and Manas 
.
PeriyavAcchAn PiLLai refers to the VishNu PurANa slOkam here( 5.6.14) to 
illustrate 
that anavadhika dayaa of the Lord : "----yati saknOshi gaccha thvam 
athisanchala chEshtitha" 
Yasodhai chided the crawling KrishNan , who was annoying her .She tied Him , 
the Lord of all
worlds , the Ubhaya VibhUthi Naathan with a piece of rope to the mortar and 
threatened Him:
" Oh Little One with all sanchala chEshtais! Try if you can to free Yourself 
from this mortar
and go " . Out of His limitless Daya , SarvEswaran let Himself bound ( 
KaNNInuNN siRu tAmpinAl
kattuNNappatta perumAyan " . This is the niravatikathvam (endlessness) of His 
Krupaa .
NamaskArams to that unique Dayaa ! Once again SaraNAgathi is made here with 
that 
Nama: sabdham .

This Dayaa is described as the mighty ocean (Sindhu:) that can not be agitated 
( kalakka
mudiyAthathu ) .It is firm (sTiram) .That sindhu is the abode (aasrayam) for 
Dayaa . That Dayaa 
destroys the asurAs and protects the aasrithaas . It is like the removal of the 
weed from 
the crop to keep latter protected 

Repeating Four times, the NamaskaraNam ( NamO Nama:)
***************************************************************************
Swamy Desikan comments that the repeating of the NamaskaraNam four times
is to ceebrate the Lord's (1) Parathvam / matchless Superiority over all (2) 
Soulabhyam  /
ease of access inspite of His Parathvam (3) Praapyathvam ( Being the ultimate 
Goal for
attainment ) and (4) SaraNyathvam ( Being SarvEswaran and Sarvarakshakan ) . 
These are the four Svaroopa sOdhanams for the four namaskArams . The Nama:
sabdham is associated with the Phalan from the SaraNAgathy to the Dayaika 
Sindhu.
BharanyAsa roopa Prapatthi is succinctly referred to by the Nama: sabdham . 

Swamy Desikan blessed us with a slOkam in the anushtup meter to explain 
the significance of NamOshtakam ( using Nama: eight times) :

adhikArE prapithsoonAm-upAyOttharakruthyayO:
phalE cha paaratnatryAdhi BhOdhyamathra NamOshtakE

Swamy Desikan points out here that the SaraNAgathi with its 5 angams is being
done here thru the 8 Nama: sabdham . He observes that the goal of following 
Nivrutthi dharmam (viz)., gining Tathva Jn~Anam and Nirmamathvam is firmed up 
thru 
the utterance of " NamO Nama: " four times and PanchAnga Prapatthi is thus 
performed .

One may ask : Why there are multiple SaraNAgathis here , when SaraNAgathi is
to be done only once ? Why so many aavrutthis (repetition ) ? Swamy says 
that the situation is like, when Sage VyAsa lifted his hand and said "sathyam "
three times for asserting ( sThireekaraNam) the greatness of VedAs and 
the Supermacy of the Lord : "Sathyam Sathyam Puna: sathyam -- na dhaivam
KesavAth Param " . Repeated usage of "Nama: " sabdham is for SthireekaraNam 
of the SaraNAgathy anushtAnam and not for multiple performance .

Swamy Desikan concludes His masterly vyAkhyAanam with profuse 
quotations from many ParvAs of MahA BhAratham and Ahirbudhnya 
Samhithai dealing with the power of Nama; sabdham standing in for 
SaraNAgathy : Damayanthi , Dhroupathy and MaarkandEya vruthAnthams .
Swamy's quotation from Ahirbudhnya Samhithai (37.37) serves as a crown for 
the commentary on this profound slOkam of Swamy AlavanthAr :

" Samith-saadhanakAdheenAm Yaj~nAnAm nyAsamAthmana:
   namasA yOakarOdh dEvE sa svadhvara:ithiritha: "   

One can perform yaagams (adhvaram) with samith ; the Yaj~nam 
performed with namaskAram as aahUthi ( samith) is by far the most excellent
and auspicious adhvaram among all adhvarams (Su: + adhvaram) .  
Nama: sabdham has the meaning of Phalan here ( PrArTayishmANa  parama 
PhalOpakshEpArTOyam Nama: ithi ) . This is the " MaRRai namm KaamangaL
MaaRRu " prayer of ANDAL in Her ThiruppAvai Paasuram .

In the Next slOkam , Swamy AlavanthAr performs direct SaraNAgathy 
at the sacred feet of the Lord :

na dharmanishtOsmi , na chAthmavEdhee , 
na bhakthimAmsthvaccharaNAravindhE 
akinchanO-ananyagathi: SaraNya !
ThvathpAdhamoolam SaraNam PrapadhyE 

Swamy AlavanthAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan  

P.S : adiyEn's dhandavath PraNAmams to HH Srimath 
Srirangam PeriyANDavan for His most beautiful KaalkshEpam
on this important slOkam of SthOthra Rathnam .


   






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