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Sri Stuthi-Retransmittal

From the Bhakti List Archives

muralidhar rangaswamy • January 14, 1998 


Dear Friends, 

Several members wrote to me indicating that they had trouble with 
the uuencoded transmission that I sent yesterday. Therefore, I am 
retransmitting the text version of the Sri Stuthi.

Muralidhar Rangaswamy

Sri Mahalakshmyai Namaha

       Sriman VenkatanathArya: KavitArkika Kesari I
       VedAntAcharya VaryomE SannidattAm SadAhrudi II
>
>Dear Friends,
>
>At the outset, I would like to wish all of you a very happy Pongal.  =
>With the onset of=20
>Makara Shankaranti, I  shall commence a summary of  Swami Desikan's S=
>ri=20
>Stuthi . Swami Desikan was an extremely learned scholar, a poet beyon=
>d compare, a=20
>logician of uncanny ability and above all a supreme devotee of Lord N=
>arayana.=20
>An outstanding feature of his life was a total disdain and disregard =
>for worldly=20
>possessions, material wealth and property as is very eloquently evide=
>nced by the five=20
>verses of the Vairagya Panchakam. Although, he lived in near penury b=
>arely able to make=20
>ends meet, Swami Desikan led an extremely content and peaceful life-v=
>erily the=20
>embodiment of an ascetic.=20
>
>Swami Desikan returned to Kanchipuram from Tiruvaheendrapuram, after =
>receiving=20
>the blessings of Bhagavan Hayagriva. A poor Brahmin, who lived in Kan=
>chipuram=20
>was longing to get married. Since he did not have money to meet the w=
>edding expenses,=20
>he sought the help of a few persons, who out of malice decided to pla=
>y a cruel trick on=20
>Swami Desikan. Despite knowing very well that Swami Desikan was penni=
>less, they=20
>advised the Brahmin lad to seek his help by portraying the Swami to b=
>e extremely
> wealthy.  The na=EFve youth was easily taken in by these words and a=
>pproached Swami=20
>Desikan and did as he was advised. Swami Desikan saw through the=20
>mischievous trick planned by his detractors and decided to give them =
>a fitting reply.=20
>Without uttering a single word, he proceeded to the Sanctum-Sanctorum=
> of Perundevi=20
>Thayar (the consort of Varadaraja Perumal) and poured out his heart i=
>n twenty five=20
>delightful and extremely moving  verses  in praise of Thayar. To the =
>amazement of all,=20
>gold coins rained as Swami Desikan completed his eulogy.  Swami Desik=
>an instructed=20
>the Brahmin to use the gold coins for the wedding. The young Brahmin =
>was thrilled to see=20
>the bountiful treasure and left after profusely thanking Swami Desika=
>n.
>
>Although Acharyas like Sri Alavandaar, Sri Ramanujacharya, and Sri Sr=
>ivatsanka Misra=20
>(Kuresha) have saluted Mahalakshmi Thayar in the Chatushloki, Sharana=
>gati Gadyam=20
>(opening salutation) and the Sri Sthavam, respectively, Swami Desikan=
>'s tribute in =20
>this set of  twenty five exquisite verses brings out the Svarupa, Rup=
>a, Vibhava and=20
>Aishwarya of Mahalakshmi Thayar with consummate effect. Swami Desikan=
> beautifully=20
>establishes that Periya Piratti is both the Upaya and Upeya for the B=
>addha JivAtma.=20
>This becomes evident only when one understands the inner meanings tha=
>t lie buried in=20
>these verses. My summary is based on a translation of these verses=
>=20
>in Hindi  by U.Ve. Sri N.S. Rajagopalan.
>
>       =20
>
>
>
>


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