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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00107 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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