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Gayathri Japam Day: Sri Hayagrva SthOthram : Part V, SlOkam 1 (Continued)

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Sadagopan • August 15, 2000 


MahA asva SirasE Nama:
Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Dear BhakthAs: Yesterday , adiyEn focused on
the " Jn~Anandamayathvam " with particular emphasis 
on the Aanndha Maya SarIram of Sri HayagrIvan. Today , 
we will discuss the Jn~Anam, Nirmalam and 
the SpatikAkruthi aspects saluted in the first
Paadham of the First slOkam :

"Jn~Ananda Mayam Devam nirmala spatikAkruthIm "

In an earlier posting ,adiyEn pointed out that 
JnAnathvam is one of the five defining guNams of 
Isvaran and it is a SvarUpa NirUpaka VisEshaNa guNam .
With this Isvarathvam of Sri HayagrIvan in mind ,
Swamy Desikan saluted right away the Lord in front of 
him as the embodiment of Isvara Tatthvam with
the words : Jn~Ananada Mayam Devam ". The choice of 
the word " Mayam" after "JnAnandha " is very important.
He (Lord HayagrIvan ) is not just of the form (indicator)
of Knowlege-Bliss principle, but He is full of it 
( Jn~Ana and Aanandha MAYAN).

DEVAN: He is indeed Devan ,DevAthi Devan, DevanAthan 
and Deva Raajan. He is Deva adhinAthan .He is
"Dhvisath niyanthu( One who commands and directs
the DevAs and protects them ); He is Anantha-
GaruthmadhAdhyai: aj~nAtha seemakan " ( The Devan
whose glories are not fully understood even by
the nithyasooris like AdhisEshan and GaruDan).
He is " amara adhipathi ". He is " ViBhudha yEka 
Naathan" ( TannoppArillappan). He is Thridasa Naathan.
He is Nirjara Pathi . He is Sura pathi.He is
Suparva Naathan (Deva Naathan). He is VaimAnika-
Adhipan( Lord of those celestials , who travel
in the Sky). Such is the power behind the mild
looking word , "Devan " chosen by Swami Desikan
to salute the "Jn~Ananda Maya Devan". Swamy
Desikan had the Sevai of DEvanAtha perumAL of 
ThiruvahIdhrapuram prior to sitting under 
the pupil tree on Oushadha Giri to meditate upon 
Sri HayagrIvan. Hence, the many words used 
by Swamy Desikan to salute Deva Naatha PrerumAL
in Deva Naayaka Panchasath are relatable to 
this Jn~Anandha Maya dEvan , Sri HayagrIvan.  

NIRMALAN: "JnAnandha Mayam devam nirmala
SpatikAkruthim " is the first Paadham of
the first slOkam . AdiyEn will focus now on 
the choice of the word "Nirmala " Devan by
Swamy Desikan 

"Nirmala" resonates with the words of
used by ThiruppANAzhwAr in the first 
paasuram of His AmalanAdhipirAn .
There AzhwAr uses the words  " Amalan,
Vimalan and Nimalan " .The word used by
Swamy Desikan in his "Sri HayagrIva SthOthram"
(viz).," Devam Nirmalam " means that Sri HayagrIvan
is blemishless in His GuNams .He is " Mala-prahtibHaDan"
( Opposite scale of DhOshams ). 

According to Swamy Deesikan, Nirmalathvam indicates 
Moksha Pradhathvam ( Power to grant Moksha Sukham).
As Nirmalan , He is sarvOpakArakan.
He is Nithya NirdhOshan ( For ever free from
deficencies).He is Ubhaya Linga VibUthi Naathan
(with Two identification marks). One of them is
"Akhila hEya prathyaneekathvam " (untouched by
impurities or dhOshams of any kind: nirmala dEvan ).
The other is " anantha KalYANa guNAkarathvam "
( abode of infinite auspicious attributes).
This is the way that the Ubhayalinga AdhikaraNam
of Brahma Soothram describes "the Nirmala dEvan".
BhakthAs are referred to two excellent articles by 
Sri M.S.Hari in SaraNAgathi Journal ( Volume 3.8 and 3.9,
archived at http://www.sivaishnava.org/sgati).
  
NIRMALA SPATIKA AAKRUTHIM Devam :His hue is that of 
a blemishless, spotless White (Thooya PaLinku).
He also wears a spotless white Vasthram unlike
the golden-hued pIthAmbharam that is worn by
Sri RanganAthan . The references for the PeethAmbharam 
are: "andhi pOl NiRatthAdai" of ThiruppAnar and  
"padichOthiyAdaiodum palkalanAi ninn 
paimpoRkaDicchOthi kalanthathuvO " of 
Swamy NammazhwAr .Swamy Desikan states clearly
that Sri HayagrIvan's hue is a spotless 
white clad in a spotles white vasthram 
as the First Lord of Vidhyais.

Swamy Desikan salutes thus the Upanishad Saaram,
Sri HayagrIvan as "Jn~Anandha Mayam Devam ,
Nirmala SpatikAkruthim HayagrIvam UpAsmahE".
This is very much in the spirit of the Brahma
Soothram 3.3.11 ( AanandhAdaya: PrahdAnasya ).
This Soothram points out that Bliss (Aanandham),
Knowledge (Jn~Anam ) , stainlessness (Nirmalam)
etc are the essential attributes of the One and only
SavisEsha Brahman and any meditation of such a Brahman
should include the Jn~Anandha Nirmala GuNams ,
which are part of the SvarUpa NiruPitha VisEshaNa
guNams of One , who is Isvaran.

Such is the grandeur of the Vision of Swamy
Desikan as he starts his salutation of
Lord HayagrIvan .

In the next posting , adiyEn will foicus on the 
" AadhAram sarva VidhyAnAm" aspect of Sri HayagrIvan
and conclude the discussions on the First slOkam 
of Sri HayagrIva SthOthram.

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan



   


 


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