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1-8
Sri:
SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,
Translation by U.Ve. Dr. V.N. Vedanta Desikan Swamin:
981. aBhriakshasi thavamanapAyaniDhim
maNipAdhukE! MaDhuBhidhascharaNam
atha Eva dhEvi! ThadhananyaDhanA:
shirasA vahanthi BhavathIm kruthina:
Oh Devi Manipaaduka! The greatest treasure of the devotees is the
Lord's Lotus Feet. That treasure is zealously guarded by the
Paaduka. The devotees develop deep regard for this guardian-angel
Paaduka, and hold You on their heads in great reverence, because
these discerning and privileged people have no treasure in their
stock except the Lord's Feet.
(Both the Paadukas and devotees keep Feet on their heads in
reverence. One may doubt how devotees hold Paaduka, their compeer in
Feet-worship, on their heads. There need be no difficulty in
understanding it. Even in Vaikunta, a jivatma enjoys equal bliss
with Brahman and yet it is only a subservient to Brahman. So, also
we are the Feet's servants on a par with the Paaduka, but we have to
cherish subservience to the Paaduka.)
Namo Narayana,
SriMuralidhara Dasan
Special Notes by V.Sadagopan(V.S):
SlOkam 981
1. UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam: Oh Mani PaadhukE! You are
tightly clasping the undecaying treasures of the feet of
Madhusoodhanan. Therefore, the knowledgable souls not wanting any
other wealth carry You on their heads as a mark of their respect
for You .
2. SrImath Andavan's anubhavam: This is a PrEma-garbha vachanam (
words uttered with deep love ) by Swamy Desikan to salute Swamy
NammAzhwAr. The inner meaning is that there is nothing greater in
upakAram than that rendered by our AchAryAs . They make it clear
that surrender unto the SarvalOka SaraNyan's feet is the cause for
all auspiciousness. SadaachAryAs rescue all kinds of kumathis (
those who deny Vedam , the Lord and His Saasthrams) by establishing
in their minds the fruits of following the Veda mArgam, the
performance of SaraNAgathy at the Thiruvadi of the Lord and
transform these kumathis into Sumathis and qualify them to attain
Moksham. Every one celebrates these SadAchAryAs for their
incomparable upakAram.
3. Oh Madhusoodhana PaadhukE ! You have protected very well the
sacred feet of the imperishable wealth at Srirangam and have given
Him to us(Devi MaNi PaadhukE ! Thvam, anapAya nidhim Madhubhida:
CharaNam abhirakshasi). Therefore, the wise ones, who know that they
have no other recourse celebrate You by carrying You respectfully on
their heads ( atha yEva tadhananyadhanA : kruthina: Bhavatheem
sirasA vahanthi)...(V.S) .
Sri:
SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,
Translation by U.Ve. Dr. V.N. Vedanta Desikan Swamin:
982. padhayugamiva pAdhukE! MurArE:
Bhavathi viBhUthirakaNtakA thvayaIva
KaThamiva hrudhayAni BhAvukAnAm
ThvadhanuBhavAdhupajAthakaNtakAni
Oh Paaduka! You remove the Kantakas*to the Lord's Feet as well as to
the world, which is the aspect of the Lord's affluence. But there is
a wonder: Discerning connoisseurs who enjoy You in their hearts,
attain kantakas** throughout their body.
*Kantaka to the Feet is thorn and stone Kantaka to the world is the
bad elements like the asuras.
** Kantaka on body is horripillation on a delectable experience.
Namo Narayana,
SriMuralidhara Dasan
Special Notes by V.Sadagopan (V.S):
SlOkam 982
1) UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam:Swamy Desikan puns here on
the word , "KaNtakA " , which means either thorns or enemies or
horripilation. He says: " Oh PaadhukE ! Through Your service to
Lord RanganAtha, You make His feet free from harm through
thorns and other enemies. While this is so, it is difficult to
understand how the hearts of those, who worship and enjoy You get
KantakAs/horripilation . Swamy Desikan hints that they develop
horripilations through witnessing how the PaadhukAs protect the Lord
from the KantakAs (thorns). They have a hair-raising experience
through witnessing Your laudable service to Lord RanganAthA.
2) SrImath Andavan's anubhavam: The inner meaning is that the
SadAchAryAs win over the dhushprakruthis ( the inauspicous ones) who
are opposed to Bhagavaan and His creations and generate
auspiciousness all around. Through those welcome activities , they
generate bliss in the minds and bodies of the sishyAs, who meditate
on them.
3) Oh PaadhukE ! Thanks to Your kaimkaryam, this iswaryam of MurAri
( the leelA vibhUthi : MurArE: VibhUthi:) is freed from all virOdhis
just like His sacred Feet are protected from thorns and stones (
MurArE: vibhUthi: padhayugamiva akaNDakA bhavathi). Through
meditation on You, the bodies of those dear to You are filled with
horripilations (BhAvukAnAm hrudhayAni Thvadh anubhavAth kaTamiva
upajAtha-kaNDakAni bhavathi )...(V.S).
Sri:
SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,
Translation by U.Ve. Dr. V.N. Vedanta Desikan Swamin:
983. jnAnakriyABhajanasImavidhUravrutthE
vaIdhEshikasya thadhavApthikruthAm guNAnAm
moULoU mamAsi maDhusUdhanapAdhukE! Thvam
gangEva hantha pathithA viDhinAiva pAngO:
Oh Lord's Paaduka! I am at the farthest distance from the
commencement stage (a border) of the three paths based on Jnana,
Karma and Bhakti. Not only that: certain fundamental qualities are
recognized as essential equipment for one to embark on Jnana-type of
paths; for example, learning self-restraint, continence, etc. I am
distanced from such qualities as much to a foreign country. (I do
not live where these qualities exist!). Yest, You have condescended
to sit on my head. Yes, if the Ganga descends down on a lame man's
head, who can object?
Namo Narayana,
SriMuralidhara Dasan
Special Notes by V.Sadagopan(V.S):
SlOkam 983
1) UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam: After speaking about the gains
attained by the righteous people through the worship of the
PaadhukAs, Swamy Desikan describes his experience . He says : Oh
Madhusoodhana PaahukE! I am far away from the boundaries of Jn~Ana ,
Karma and Bhakthi yOgAs. My conduct is such that I am far from the
country ruled by forbearance, control of the faculty of senses and
other codes of conduct practised by the righteous. In short, I am
low in the totem pole of those, who seek spiritual advancement and
yet the placement of Yourself ( PadhukAs) on my head makes me
exhilirated like a lame man on whose head the waters of Ganga fall
due to a providential decree". The lame man thinks of journeying to
the site , where river Ganga flows to take his holy bath. He could
not however travel there due to his physical handicap. At this
juncture , Ganga DEvi comes to him and bathes him. Swamy
Desikan equates his experience to that of the lame man.
2) SrImath Andavan's anubhavam: This slOkam is about the nirhEthuka
KrupA of the Paadhukais. He says : "Madhusoodahana PaadhukE !
Your Lord for reasons known to Him connected to some good deed
performed by the jeevan in a previous birth creates SadArchya
Sambhandham. That link saves the Jeevan from SamsAram. We can only
decribe this rare good fortune only as avyAjam and an unanticipated
bhAgyam. We can not research the reasons for it and can only call it
nirhEthukam.
3)Oh Madhusoodahna PaadhukE! I am the lame one , who is far from
the shores of Jn~Ana, Karam and Bhakthi yOgams ( aham Jn~Ana, kriyA ,
Bhajana yOga seema vidhura vrutthikAran ). I am the lame one , who
is far away from those aathma guNams that lead to the successful
practise of any one of these three yOgams ( aham Tath avApthi
kruthAm guNAnAm vaidEsikan ). On this lame man's head , Oh
PaadhukE, You sit like the river Ganga's pravAham due to poorva
janma sukrutham (Mama mouLou pangO: mouLou GangEva vidhinaiva
pathithAsi. Hantha!).
Sri:
SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,
Translation by U.Ve. Dr. V.N. Vedanta Desikan Swamin:
984. rangEshvarasya yadhidham maNipAdharakshE!
pAdhAravindhayugaLam BhavathIsamEtham
pumsAmupOShithavilOchanapAraNArham
kshIram thadhEthadhiha sharkarayA samEtham
Oh Manipaaduka! You in conjunction with the Lotus Feet! What a
blissful sight? It is not easily available to any one. Humans had
been starved of such a feed for the eyes, for a very long, long
time. Now seeing this is equivalent to the parana after a fast. And
what a kind of termination of the fast! Milk with sugar, so
delectable a feed!
Namo Narayana,
SriMuralidhara Dasan
Special Notes by V.Sadagopan (V.S) :
SlOkam 984
1) UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam: Oh Mani PaadhukE! The sight of
Yourself with Your Lord's holy feet on my head is a delicious
experience like tasting milk mixed with sugar. It is like the feast
to the righteous, who were fasting and they enjoy partaking that
delectable meal.
2) SrImath Andavan's anubhavam: Here, Swamy Desikan answers
the question about the benefits that accrued from the nirhEthuka
krupai of the Paadukais. Swamy Desikan states that he has
realized at Srirangam the darsana soubhAgyam of the Lord's
sacred feet united with the Paadhukais (SadAchAryan, Swamy
NammAzhwAr), which is equivalent to the tasting of the milk
admixed with sugar. This is an avicchanna sEvai (United sEvai).
" Bhagavath vandhanam svAdhyam guru vandhana pooravakam "
is the adage to remember: It is a true blessing to have Bhagavath
vandhanam preceded by AchArya Vandhanam.
3) Oh PaadhukE ! The darsanam of Your Lord's feet united with You
is the feast for the eyes, which has been starved from looking at
auspicous entities ( PumsAm upOkshitha vilOchana pAraNArham ).
That experience of enjoyment of Your Lord's sacred feet united
with You is like tasting of the naturally sweet milk with sugar
( idham Bhavathee samEtham yath paadhaaravindha yugaLam tath
yEthath iha sarkarayA samEtham ksheeram iva)...(V.S).
Sri:
SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,
Translation by U.Ve. Dr. V.N. Vedanta Desikan Swamin:
985. kAmAdhidhOSharahitham thvadhananyakAmA:
karma thrayOdhashaviDham parishIlayantha:
pAdhAvani! ThavdhanuShangavishEShadhrushya-
mEkAnthina: paricharanthi padham murArE:
Oh Paaduka! Respectable Sadhus, called paramaikantis, will not
resort to any other god other than You, and will not look for any
reward except You. Their routine practice is free from stigmas, like
attachment to the result of a deed. They are engaged in the thirteen-
fold observance of behavior. With their hearts purified thereby,
they enjoy rare conjunction of Yourself with the Lord's Feet and
earnestly render service to You.
Namo Narayana,
SriMuralidhara Dasan
Special Notes by V.Sadagopan (V.S):
SlOkam 985
1) UtthamUr SWamy's anubhavam : Swamy Desikan refers here to
the virtues described by the Paadhma samhithai. He points out that
the worshippers of the Paadhukais are practioners of the thirteen
codes of conduct advocated by the Paadhma Samhithai and they stand
out while doing service to the PaadhukAs and the Lord's lotus feet .
Swamy says: "Oh PaadhukE ! There are those , who did not seek
anything else in this world except service to You. They are devoid
of ego, lust, desire and other defects and practise the thirteen
codes of conduct recommended for the righteous by the Paadhma
SamhithA. These thirteen break down into five kaayikam types (done
with the body), three Vaachikam ( performed with mind) categories
and Five Maanasam (accomplished with the mind) varieties. The
Kaayikam types are: (1) Poojanam ( bodily worship such as
prostration), (2) Soucham (bodily cleanliness) , (3) Aarjavam (
uprightness) , (4) Ahimsaa (noviolence) and (5) Brahmacharyam (
Celibacy). The three belonging to Vaachikam are: (1) words uttered
for other's well being, (2) saying truthful things and (3)
recitation of the VedAs. The five belonging to the categories of
Maanansam are: (1) satisfaction with whatever Lord ordains (2)
humility, (3) Forbearance , (4) God Consciousness and (5) Purity of
Mind .
2) SrImath Andavan's anubhavam : The inner meaning is that those who
believe their SadAchAryan as the sole means and seek no other phalan
attain satthva suddhi ( purity of mind and the perfection of aathma
guNams) and become free from blemishes. They perform AchArya
Kaimkaryams and gain Saathvika Tapas. The close links of their
AchAryAs generate unique love for the Lord dear to their AchAryAs
and the flow of that Bhakthi leads to additional Bhagavath-AchArya
kaimakrya Sri that results in the bliss of Moksha Sukham .
3) Oh PadhAvani ! Those who have no phalans other than you
are dependent on You as their sole UpAyam ( Oh PaadhAvani !
Thvadanya kaamA: yEkanthina : ). They perform special aarAdhanam
for Your Lord (MurAri) as a direct result of their association
With You ( yEkAnthina: Thvath anushanga visEsha dhrusyam
MurArE: padham paricharanthi).Their aarAdanam is blemishless
(KaamAdhi dhOsha rahitham ) , since it follows the thirteen modes
recommended by PaancharAthra aagamam . These nithya , naimitthika
kaamya sadhkAryams do not expect any phalans ( phalApEkshaa
rahitham ).
Sri:
SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,
Translation by U.Ve. Dr. V.N. Vedanta Desikan Swamin:
986. moULoU sThithA maKhaBhujAmaThavA shruthInAm
thadhrangarAjacharaNAvani! VaIBhavam thE
asmAdhrushAmapi yadhi praThitham thatha: syAth
soUlaBhyamamba! Thadhidham thava sArvaBhoUmam
Oh Mother, Ranganatha Paaduka! You sit on the heads of the Devas;
also on the head of the Vedas (You become the meaning of Vedanta).
Such a Deity surprisingly sits on the heads of persons like me. Yes,
it should be interpreted as the Sowlabhya quality (easy
accessibility to the high as well as the lowly) that manifests with
respect to all beings.
Namo Narayana,
SriMuralidhara Dasan
Special Notes by V.Sadagopan (V.S):
SlOkam 986
1) UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam: After describing the benefits
accruing from the service to the PaadhukAs , Swamy Desikan
celebrates now his good fortune in having ease of access to the
PaadhukAs in this verse. He says : "Oh Rangaraja PaadhukE ! You rest
on the heads of DevAs , who accept the offerings from the YaagAs
(ritual sacrifices); better than that, You adorn the heads of
Upanishads, the heads of the VedAs. Therefore, Your glory is
many fold. The fact that You also rest on the heads of lowly ones
such as myself demonstrates your auspicious attributes known as
readiness of access to the low or mighty (Soulabhyam).
2) SrImath Andavan's anubhavam:My Mother PaadhukE protecting
the sacred feet of the Lord of Srirangam ! How can I describe Your
soulabhyam ? The eternally liberated ones (nithyAs) and the newly
libreated ones ( mukthAs) celebrate the combination of Your soulabhya
guNam along with Your happy state of union with Your Lord's
Thiruvadi as abhinnai (in an inseperable state). Concerned that this
recognition by the MukthAs would not help others outside Parama
Padham, You lent Yourself to become the object of praise by
Upanishads. Still You were worried about all the others in SamsAra
MaNDalam, who were not able to access You and joined therefore Your
Lord in archAvathAram to address that need. Now You made every one
in Parama padham and this world fit objects of Your limiless DayA .
You became clearly visible to us all with our physical eyes right
here at Srirangam. You stay on our heads and also accept our meagre
AarAdhanams. I am overcome by the depth of Your soulabhyam that
uplifts every one .
3) Oh Mother PaadhukE protecting the sacred feet of the Lord of
Srirangam (hE Ambha ! hE RangarAja charaNAvani ) ! You are used to
being on the heads of DevAs, who partake Havis from Yaj~nams ( Thvam
makhabhujAm mouLou sTithA). You are otherwise seen on the heads of
Veda Siras ( Upanishds), which reveal the most subtle TatthvArTams
and PurushArTams (aTa vaa srutheenAm mouLou sTithA ). As if this
were not enough, Your Vaibhavam is meditated upon by the nithyAs and
MukthAs in Parama Padham (tE vaibhavam tath). After that, Your
limitless dayA pravAham reaches out to even unfit and
helpless ones struggling in this samsAric world ( tatha: tath idam
soulabhyam asmAdhrasAmapi pravahathi). It becomes well known to all
jeevaraasis (tava Soulabhayam Saarvabhoumam praTitham syAth)...(V.S).
Sri:
SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,
Translation by U.Ve. Dr. V.N. Vedanta Desikan Swamin:
987. svapnEpi chEth thvamasi mUrDhani sanniviShtA
namrasya mE narakamardhanapAdharakshE!
SThAnE thadhEthadhiha dhEvi! Yatha: samADhoU
SanthO vidhusthamapi thAdhrushabuDdhigamyam
Oh Devi! Paaduka of the Lord! In my dream, when I had my head bowed,
You sat on my head. Dream-experience is parallel to yogic vision
(Mind sees in both!). It is appropriate that You had granted it to
me in a dream as if in Yoga. (It is said that Desika had such a
vision in dream before commencing the work).
Namo Narayana,
SriMuralidhara Dasan
Special Notes by V.Sadagopan (V.S):
SlOkam 987
1) UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam: Oh Paadhukais of the Lord ,
who destroyed the demon Narakaa! Oh Devi! The fact that You
have stayed on my head during my wakeful hours as well as in dream
hours attest to Your compassion in my case, where I do not have
the fruits of penance to qualify for such a honor. It fits with the
experience of the righteous, who during their times of meditation
see the Lord in that dream-like state. " This verse is a key one in
that it refers to the dream, wherein the Paadhukais of the Lord
rested on Swamy Desikan's head. He woke up and took the vow to
compose the thousand verses on the Vaibhavam of the Paadhukais for
the contest at Srirangam. Swamy Desikan refers to the darsana
samanAkAra Jn~Anam in this slOkam. This knowledge or spiritual
attainment makes an external object come close to one in the dream ,
even if that object is not anywhere near. The vision of the
Paadhukais in Swamy Desikan's dream is an example of such Jn~Anam.
Swamy says that he did not possess that type of Jn~Anam and yet the
mercy of the Paadhukais blessed him with that type of Jn~Anam and
caused that dream to happen.
2) SrImath Andavan's anubhavam: Swamy Desikan declares here that
he has been overawed and defeated by the soulabhyam of the
Paadhukais of the Lord. He says: Your abundance of Vaathsalyam for
us and joy in driving away all the obstacles to gain You are
legendary. I am totally under Your control and am guided by You (
adhyantha Paratantran). I am devoid of any other
recourse except You (ananyOpayan ) and totally devoid of any
resources to protect myself (Parama akinchanan). Out of my intense
desire to be united with You, I stand before You even in my dream
and You appear in those dreams out of Your krupA and rest on my
head. When I meditate on You, I am blessed with darsana samanAkAram
( equivalent to seeing You physically) and You remove all my
inauspiciousness. The skilled ones in interpreting the SaasthrAs
like Sage VasishtA , Manu and Sage ParAsarA visualize Your Lord
through their dhyAnams . Whatever that SaashtrAs say about Your
Lord are also extendable to You as well, since You are His
sahadharmachAriNi. Therefore meditation of You or seeing You in our
dreams will lead to our Aathma KshEmam .There may not be a need for
external aarAdhanam to you for visualizing You . Great indeed is Your
incomparable soulabhyam!
3) Oh Paadhukai of the Lord , who destroyed NarakAsuran to protect
His aasrithAs ( those who sought His protection )( hE Devi
Narakamardhana-PaadharakshE ! You are indeed resting on my bowed
head during my dhyAnam and in my svapnams ( namrasya mE moordhani
svapnEapi Thvam sannivishtA ). That bhAgyam results in the enjoyemnt
of aathma kshEmam by me (Thvam mama moordhani sannivishtA chEth asi,
tadhA yEthath iha sTAnE ). Why do I come to that conclusion ? It is
based on the knowledge about the experience of great Rishis , who
are able to visualize Your Lord in their dhyAnams and svapnams (
Yatha: Santha: Tamapi samAdhou thAdhrusa buddhi gamyam vidhu:)...
(V.S).
Sri:
SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,
Translation by U.Ve. Dr. V.N. Vedanta Desikan Swamin:
988. baddhAnjali: paricharanniyamEna rangE
vishrANithAchyuthaniDhim maNipAdhukE! ThvAm
kasyApi kUNithadhrushO Dhanina: purasthA-
dhutthAnayEya na kadhApi karam vikOsham
Oh Manipaaduka! When I secure the great treasure of the Lord
Ranganatha, by my hands kept in supplication to You (in Anjali
pose), how can I ever dream of extending my arm before a rich man,
with half-closed eyes?
Namo Narayana,
SriMuralidhara Dasan
Special Notes by V.Sadagopan (V.S) :
SlOkam 988
1) UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam: Oh MaNi PaadhukE! You have given me
the great wealth of RanganAtha at Srirangam. I fold my hands and
offer my worship to Him there. Therefore, I will not raise my hand
in supplication ever to the cross-eyed wealthy, now that I have
acquired that permanent wealth resting at Srirangam with Your help .
2. SrImath Andavan's anubhavam: Oh MaNi PaadhukE! The pitiable
ignorance and misfortune that makes the populace stand before the
haughty rich seeking perishable and insignificant wealth is
regrettable. Instead of standing before their Lord united with You
and perforimg all kinds of Kaimkaryam to both of You, these deluded
folks choose the haughty rich for help. AdiyEn is indeed
fortuante through Your anugraham to serve only You always and become
the recipient of Your parama krupA! The inner meaning here is that
the ignorant ones disregard the SadAchAryAs, who can bless them to
gain all types of auspiciousness and instead seek the haughty and
unpredictable rich for all kinds of nonlasting phalans. The Saadhu
janams seek in contrast SadAchAryAs and gain every thing through
the paripoorNa kaDAksham of those SadAchAryAs .
3) Oh MaNI PaadhukE! AdiyEn stands before You with folded hands and
rigrously serves You , who is the possessor of the eternal wealth
of the Lord inside the Ranga VimAnam ( aham bhaddhAnjali: visrANitha
Achyutha nidhim ThvAm RangE niyamEna paricharan asi). adiyEn will
never ever stretch my hands for favors before the egotistic rich men
with crossed eyes for any favors (aham kasyApi kooNitha dhrusa:
dhanina: purasthAth vikOsam karam kadhApi nOtthAnayEya) ... (V.S).
Sri:
SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,
Translation by U.Ve. Dr. V.N. Vedanta Desikan Swamin:
989. thvayyarpithEna charaNEna sadhaDhvaBhAja:
pAdhavani! praThithasAthvikaBhAvadhrushyA:
rangEshavadhvidhaDhathE muhurangahArAn
rangE mahIyasi natA iva BhavukAsthE
Oh Paaduka! An actor, a dancer, exhibits emotion in various gestures.
Observers are wont to identify themselves in emotional communion with
the stage-artiste. The same occurs in the case of learned
connoisseurs of the delectability of the service being rendered to
You. When the Lord sets His Feet in You and shows gaits in different
styles (like an elephant, like a lion etc) the devotees attain an
equality with the Lord in external expression. The great scholars
perform their regular duties to Your satisfaction placing total pious
faith in You. They enjoy all the gaits (and dances) with expressions
of mirth such as tears of joy and horripillation. They display
movements of heads and hands while enjoying You-as if they have
become stage-artistes, say like the Lord. Thus they attain a certain
degree of equality with Your Master, the master-dancer of the Ranga-
stage.
Namo Narayana,
SriMuralidhara Dasan
Special Notes by V.Sadagopan (V.S) :
SlOkam 989
1) UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam: Swamy Desikan points out
that those , who take refuge in the Paadhukais attain equality
(Saamyam) with the Lord of Srirangam and that he is one of the
members of that fortunate group. Swamy says: " Oh PaadhukE ! Those
who enjoythe experience of surrendering unto You dance around the
streets of Srirangam with joy like the dancers in the troup of the
Lord performing before the Lord at Srirangam. They are rich in
auspicious attributes and dance in the highly visible stage of
Srirangam and express through their various dance gestures
(abhinayAs) their joy over the attainment of the fruits of
SaraNAgathy to You. They become equal ( Saamyam) to their Lord during
their lives in this world ".
2) SrImath Andavan's anubhavam: This slOkam is full of double and
triple meanings for specific words to yield multiple levels of
anubhavam regarding the rich poetic skills of Swamy Desikan . In the
previous slOkam, Swamy Desikan condemned the ordinary folks
(SaamAnya Janams), who seek the aasrayaNam ( protection ) of the rich
for their livelihood. PaadhukA asked Swamy Desikan to explain how
those folks are to go about securing their livelihood ( dEha yAthrai)
in this world. Swamy Desikan gives his answer in this slOkam : Oh
PaadhukE! it is not necessary for the SaamAnya janams to seek the
help of the unsympatheic and haughty rich. They should place complete
trust in You for their Yoga-KshEmam. You know that such people
without ananyAsrayaNams thrive and spend their time on earth without
worries. This situation is similar to Your Lord, who entrusts the
rakshaNam of His sacred feet to You and banishes all worries about
their protection. Those who perform Saathvika thyAgam first and then
go about serving You without seeking fruits of their actions become
superior to every one and are satisfied with what comes their way at
Srirangam .They sing and dance in a state of blissful anubhavam of
Yourself and Your Lord and spend their time with tadhEka manas (mind
centered on You alone ) and tadhEka vyApArams ( actions focussed on
You alone). All of their earthly and the other worldly needs are
taken care of by Yourself and Your Lord.
3) Oh PaadhukE ! This leelA vibhUthi is described as one fourth of
Your Lord's total Isvaryam by the VedAs. In this stage of Srirangam
(His leelA VibhUthi ) , the Sadhu janams conduct their anushtAnams
without anticipation of any fruits of their karmAs and are readily
recognized by the bilssful ways in which they go about their
kiamkaryams (Thvayi arpithEna charaNEna , sadhadhvabhAjA : praTitha
saathvika bhAva dhrusyA:). These magnificent souls dance as it were
on the expansive stage of Srirangam and perform often abhinayams
appropriate to their kaimkaryams ( tE bhAvukA: maheeyasi RangE naDA
iva muhu: angahArAn vidhadhE)...(V.S).
Sri:
SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,
Translation by U.Ve. Dr. V.N. Vedanta Desikan Swamin:
990. yEna sThithA shirasi mE viDhinADhunA thvam
thEnaIva dhEvi! niyatham mama sAmparAyE
lakshIkariShyasi padhAvani! ranganATham
lakshmIpadhAmburuhayAvakapankalakshyam
Oh Paaduka Devi! Since I now had the privilege of having You on my
head by some great Punya, I am sure that Punya will definitely enable
me to see, by Your help, the Lord Ranganatha, identifiable by the
marks of red dye found on His chest from the Feet of Mahalakshmi.
Namo Narayana,
SriMuralidhara Dasan
Special Notes by V.Sadagopan(V.S):
SlOkma 990
1) UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam: Swamy Desikan expresses his
gratitude to the Paadhukais for their blessings on this earth and
thereafter. He says: " Oh Queen ! Oh Lord's PaadhukE! Due to my good
fortune accumulated through Your blessings , You sit now on my head ;
the same good fortune is going to cause the resting of RanganAthA's
feet adorned with the red dye belonging to MahA Lakshmi on my head and
mark me out as a dear one to Him during my last moments on this earth.
That good fortune will lead me to Moksham after this life on earth".
2) SrImath Andavan's anubhavam : Now Paadhukais ask Swamy Desikan
a question : " In the previous slOkam , You said that it si enough to
stay in this blissful state of offering kaimakryams to me at
Srirangam. How long can you stay in that state with your perishable
body? Therefore, should You not be thinking about the Lord at His
Superior place of Parama Padham? ". Swamy answers this way : Oh
PaadhukE ! why should I worry about that when You are permanently
dwelling on my head out of Your vaathsalyam. When the time
comes for me to cast my earthly body, wont You be bringing Your Lord
on Your back before me? The second after that anthima
saakshAthkAram, adiyEn's Parama Padha siddhi ( attainment of Vaikunta
Vaasam ) is certain. That is Svatha-prAptham ( it will hapen on its
own). Therefore, there is no need for me to think seperately about
that instead of enjoying You here in the company of Your Lord, SrI
RanganAthan. The previous sOkam was about the PaadhukA's protection
in this earth (LeelA VibhUthi); the next slOkam is about the
Paadhukais assisting the Saadhu Janams to gain residence in
Parama Padham.
3) hE Devi PadhAvani ! The very same good fortune that enables me to
have Your presence on my head ( Thvam adhunA yEna vidhinA mE sirasi
niyatham sTithA) empowers me to have the anthima saakshAthkAram of
Lord RanganAthan with the unmistakable mark /lakshaNam of the
SarvEswaran, viz., the symbol of red dye from MahA Lakshmi's sacred
feet on His chest (tEnaiva bhAgyEna LakshmI padhAmbhuruha yaavaka-
panka lakshyam , RanganATam , mama saamparAyE laksheekarishyasi)...
(V.S).