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Sri RanganAtha PadhkhA Sahasram(RPS): Naadha Paddhathi -Part 14.2

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • February 14, 1997 


Dear Members of the Prapatthi Group :

We will cover the slokAs 11 to 15 of  the Naadha
Paddhathi of Sr Ranganaatha PaadhukhA sahasram 
in this posting .

Verse 11/391

In the 391st slokam of RPS (the 11 th slokam of 
the Naadha Paddathi ) , Swami Desikan requests the holy
PaadhukhAs to bring Sri RanganaathA with MahA Lakshmi 
and Bhu Devi to his bed side at the time of his last moments 
on this earth. This is  a beautiful and moving slokam :

sravasOrmama pAraNAm disanthee 
maNipAdhAvani! manjuLai: PraNAdhai : I
RamayA KshamayA cha dhattha hastham 
samayE RangadhuriNAm anayEthA: II

(Meaning ) : O RanganAtha PaadhukhE ! During my last moments 
on this earth , please make my ears happy with your special Naadham,
when You bring Your Lord RanganAthA close to me. During that 
unique occasion , He would be holding the hands of Sri Devi
and Bhu Devi with His two hands . You should bring Him 
to me in that way and please my ears with Your sweet sounds 
indicating the Lord's arrival with His ubhaya NaacchiyArs .

Swami Desikan hints that he needs the help of both the consorts
to plead his case to RanganAthA . Bhu Devi would appeal to Her Lord 
to forgive the previous trespasses and not get angry at Swami  Desikan .
Sri Devi would recommend to Her Lord to bless Swami Desikan 
with Moksham .

The Naadham of SatAri Suri"s Thiruvaimozhi is equated to the PaaraNam
for the ears. PaaraNam is the bhojanam ( partaking of food ) after fasting.
This is same as the Dwaadasi PaaraNam after Ekaadasi Upavaasam .
That delectable sound serving as the feast for the starved ears is described
by our AchAryA as " ManjuLai : PraNaadhai : " .

Verse 12 /392

This is  another  beautiful verse where the imagery of the nectar flowing from
the Lord is connected to the cool and invigorating Naadham generated by
the PaadhukhAs  . Swami Desikan addresses the gem-bedecked PaadhukhAs
of the Lord as " RANGACHANDRA MANI PAADHU " . The sound raised by
them is described here as "JANKRUTHAM " . Swami assoicates the sweet,
cool and comforting Naadham( Jaum, Jaum --) to the JankAradvani experienced by 
the NaadhOpAsakAs. He points out that the JankAra Dvani Visesham 
has the features of the immortal Chandra Kalaas (Nectar -like  rays of the moon
).
Swami states : " O PaadhukhE ! Your cool and sweet NaadhA is equivalent to 
the nectar flowing from the Moon of Sri RanganAthA . That PraNavA-like 
majestic NaadhA  arising from you is heard by the Yogis and that makes them 
immediately free from old age and death " 

SaastrAs say that the rays of the Moon are nectar and the DevAs
attain immortality and eternal youth by consuming them . AcharyAs 
have pointed out that the Naadham arising from your sanchAram
is also nectar-like in conferring Moksham to those , who have the good
fortune to hear it. The inner meaning is  that those blessed to 
recite and understand NammAzhwAr's Thiruvaimozhi attain the 
boon of being close to Sri RanganAthA' s holy feet .
  
Verse 13 /393

In a previous verse , Swami Desikan pointed out that the PaadukhA
Naadham made one attain  " Ajaraamaratvam " ( freedom from old age
and immortality ) . That state is reached by the Muktha Jeevans after leaving 
this earth (at parama padham) . 

In this verse , our AcharyA focuses on 
the benefits obtained in this life from hearing the sunaadham of 
the paadhukhAs of the Lord. He says : " O PaadhukhE of the enemy of
the asurAs known as Madhu and KaitabhA ! Please banish away all 
the sins arising through our organ of hearing (SravaNEndhriyam ) .
May Thou with Your power to remove our sins 
accumulated from listening to harsh words, 
fruitless discussions , hateful words which attack others , 
boastings and  slanders " .

The categories of sins arising from listening to many kinds 
of offensive pronouncements are listed as ParivAdham ( decrying others ) ,
Paisunam ( Telling tales about others/ kOzhi solluthal  ) and  Vikatthanam
(Boasting/aathma sthothram  ) . Swami condemns these activities as
fruitless (Anarthakam ) and begs the PaadhukhAs to chase the sins
accruing from these engagements throughthe power of its sweet sounds.

The inner meaning is that all great sinners (MahA paapis ) 
should be able to shed  off their sins through Thiruvaimozhi sevai .
The sacred sound of the SatAri Suri's Thiruvaimozhi is 
the same as the Naadham of the Ranganaatha PaadhukhAs .

Verse 14/394

The guDArtham of this verse is that one can infer that 
the Lord has arrived at the side of the person , who recites 
the Paasurams of Thiruvaimozhi of NammAzhwAr. 
This slokam is as follows :  

PaadhukhE parijanasya dhooratha : 
suchayanthi kalu taavakA : svanA: I
leelayA bhujaga talpam ujjatha: 
Srimatha: thri chathuraan padha kramaan II

Swami Desiakn says : " O PaadhukhE ! The servants of the Lord
from your Naadham that the Sesha Saayee has left His serpent
bed and He is taking His first three or four steps.These sevants
of the Lord (kinkarAs blessed with kaimkarya Sri ) are alerted by
your unmistakable sunAdham and prepare themselves to be of
service to your Lord .

The Krama Paatam of Vedam is hinted here and linked with the steps
of the Veda Purushan . When we hear the distant Veda PaarayaNam 
during uthsavams ( Thiruvaimozhi in front of the Lord and the Arya 
Vedam following His foot steps ) , we get ready to offer upahAram 
to the Lord and receive His blessings. 

Verse 15/395

Here Swami Desikan links the Naadham generated by 
the PaadhukhAs to " Viswa MangaLa visesha soochakam " 
omens(Saakunams ) .The Naadham is described as Rutham 
by our Acharya here. That is a sound linked to fast moving objects
as they travel through space . The occasion is Sri RanganAthA's 
quick departure from His AasthAnam on the back of His PaadhukhAs
to punish the wicked and protect the saadhu JanAs . The slokam is as 
follows :

dEvi ! daitya damanAya sathvaram
prasthithasya maNi paadhukhE prabhO: I
viswa mangaLa visesha Soochakam 
saakunam bhavathi taavakam rutham II

Swamy says here : " O dEvi PaadhukhE ! O Gem-bedecked Queen !
Lord Considers your Naadham(Rutham ) as an auspicious omen , when He 
starts on his missions to destroy the wicked asurAs . Your Naadham 
becomes equivalent then to the sound of Veda urushan , GarudA and 
the mangaLa vaadhyams (musical instruments like Naadhasvaram )
associatd with your Lord's uthsavams " . 

The inner meaning is that one who recites the Sri Sookthis
of Thirukkuruhoor Satakopan ( PaadhukhAs of the Lord ) 
will attain all auspiciousness and Sri RanganAthA will 
remove the kama , Krodha , Madha , Matsaryaadhi dhoshams
of that  Jeevan and most assuredly grant Moksham .

The choice of the word "Rutham " for this special Naadham 
is very suggestive of the the Lord"s eternal and never-failing 
Ritham (Rithagum Sathyam Param Brahma purusham 
KrishNa PingaLam ) . That ritham or eternal law is the sound
of the Lord's PadhukhAs . In a verse devoted to creation 
(Rg Vedam X.190.1-3 ) , Vedam describes the connection 
between this ritham and the rest of the Lord's creation  
and their interconnectedness :

ritham cha satyam chAbhidhAth o;
samudrAdhdarNavaAdhadhi o ;
suryachandramasou dhAthA o ;

(meaning ) :From TAPAS ( the  fervor , the tickling of 
Rajas(desireful intense activity ) or  dust raised by 
the travelling padhukhAs of the Lord )
kindled to its height , ETERANL LAW (RITHAM ) and 
Truth (Satyam )  were born . Thence was the night (Raathri ,
the Tamas ) produced and , and thence the billowy  flood of 
sea (Samudhra -arNava , the ocean of cosmic intelligence ,
the MahA -tattvA ) arose . 

NammaazhwAr's experience of deep longing for samslesahm 
with the SamudhrArNavam of the Lord through his Tapas 
based on the reflections on His ritham /eternal law  and his 
sorrows during the long night of separation from the Lord
(VislEsham ) expressed in the many decads of Thiruvaimozhi 
links closely to the jevan's search and finding of the MahA Purushan
and the understanding of the MahA tattvam of this cosmic person
celebrated by the ancient Rg Vedic mantram .

Sri RanganAtha Divya MaNi PaadhukhE ! 
Thubhyam namO nama :

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
 
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan