PrakeerNa Paddhathi (PKP) : --Part 3
From the Bhakti List Archives
• June 23, 1997
Dear Devotees of Sri NammAzhwAr :
I will cover the Slokams 841-850 of RPS ( PKP : 11-20)
in this posting :
Slokam 841 of RPS/ Slokam 11 of PKP
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sONOpalaisccharaNa rakshaNi ! samsrithEshu
chayAhtmanA maratakEshu tavAvagAta : I
anvathE sowrirabhitha : palapankthisobhini
aatmAnamEva sayitham vatapatramadhyE II
In the 717th slokam of RPS , Swami Desikan described
the beautiful image of the Lord reflected on the paadhukhAs
as vatapatra saayee or the child lying on a pupil leave and
floating on the waters of praLayam . Here , he takes the
analogy one step further and presents us the augmented
image , where the rubies of the paadhukhAs join with the
emerald gems . He says : " Oh , PaadhukhE ! Your red
rubies surrounded by your emeralds give the appearance
of your Lord resting as a child on the green leaf of a pupil
tree demarcated by the rows of red fruits of pupil on all
His four sides .
Slokam 842 of RPS/ Slokam 12 of PKP
*******************************************
speetham padAvani ! tava snapanArdhra murhtE :
aasgaram tathamabhooth maNirasmi jaalam I
leelOchitham Raghusuthasya sakyamAsan
yAthooni yasya valayEna vivEshtithAni II
Swami Desikan describes the wide envelope of
the rays that emanated from the gems adorning the
paadhukhAs at the time of its coronation in AyodhyA .
He visualizes them as an expansive wet net in which
the RakshasAs were caught so that RamachandrA can
hunt them down easily .
He says : " Oh PaadhukhE ! Your wet form after your sacred
bath created a spreading envelope of bright rays arising from
your gems . That appears like a vast and round fish net to
catch the evil RakshasAs of LankhA , the target of your Lord's hunt " .
Slokam 843 of RPS/ Slokam 13 of PKP
********************************************
rathnAmsubhistava tadhA maNipaadarakshE !
samrajyamAna vapushAm rajaneemukhEshu I
aakasmikAgatham adarsi mahoushidhitvam
sAkEtapattana sameeparuhAm dhrumANAm II
Swami Desikan refers to special trees in the forest
known as Mahoushadhis ( Yerivalli trees in Tamil ) .
They light up in darkness due to the fluorescent
properties of their leaves , branches and trunks .
Swami compares the trees in and around AyOdhyA ,
which lit up in the night like the Mahoushadhi trees
as a result of the red rays of the rubies from
the paadhukhAs falling on them .
Swami Desikan says : " Oh , MaNi PaadhukhE ! During the
evening time after your sacred bath, your rubies send out
brilliant red rays all around . Some of them fall on the trees
of AyOdhyA and its suburbs . Those trees in turn absorb
your red rays and take the appearance of the flourescent
Mahoushadhi trees of the forest " .
The inner meaning is that that even a foolish and uncaring
person becomes a JnAni as a result of the mercy and
compassionate upadesam of AzhwAr and the AchAryAs .
Slokma 844 of RPS/ Slokam 14 of PKP
********************************************
RaamE vanam DasarathE cha divam prayAthE
nirdhoothavisva timirA sahasA bhaboova I
bhooyishtarathnakiraNA bhavathi RaghooNAm
bhooya: prathApathanOdhaya poorvasandhyA II
Swami Desikan states here that the world was engulfed
in darkness and sorrow , when RamA was in exile and
king DasarathA shook off his mortal coils . At that time ,
the red rays originating from the rubies on the PaadhukhAs
served as the rays of the rising Sun at dawn and dispelled
the enveloping darkness . He says : " Oh , PaadhukhE !
When your Lord was roaming the forest during His exile and
His father DasarathA reached heaven , the kingdom of AyodhyA
was plunged in deep sorrow and darkness. At that time , BharathA
performed your coronation ceremony . The red rays of rubies
adorning you shone forth during that occasion and served as
the rays of rising Sun at dawn to dispell the gloom and darkness " .
The inner meaning is that at the beginning of Kali Yugam ,
Sri KrishNa ParamAthmA ascended to Sri Vaikuntam as a
result of completion of His avathAra Kaaryam . The world
was steeped in darkness , when He departed for His abode.
NammAzhwAr ( SATARI SURI ) was born " on the 47th day "
after the advent of Kali Yugam. He served as the brilliant Sun
at that time of his birth and drove away the darkness of
the world and the AjnAnam of the people .
Slokam 845 of RPS / Slokam 15 of PKP
********************************************
preethEna Devi ! vibhunA prathipaadhaneeyAm
paadhAvani ! prathipadhOdhitha manjunAdham I
vidhyAm vidhurbhagavatha: prathipAdhanArhAm
pArAyaNAgama payOnidhi pAragAstvAm II
In the previous verse, Swami Desikan described the PaadhukhAs
as the dispeller of darkness of the night ( ajnAnam ) . Here, he
describes them as the Upanishadic VidyA (i.e) , the clarity of
a bright day. He says : " Oh , PaadhukhE ! You are the VidhyA
that brings the Lord before us. You carry Him . During your
sanchArams with Him , you raise melliflous naadham at
each one of His steps. Those sacred sounds are like the
manthrAs associated with the VidhyA ( Upanishadic wisdom )
to bring your Lord closer to us . You help us immensely this
way . Through those manthrAs and the Bhakthi you stir in us ,
you become the Prapatthi VidhyA that helps us to secure
the boon of Moksham from your Lord.
Slokam 846 of RPS/ Slokam 16 of PKP
*******************************************
mukthAmsu kesaravathee sthira vajra damshtrA
PrahlAdha sampath anuroopa HiraNya BedhA I
moorthi: SriyO bhavasi Maadhava PaadharakshE !
naathasya noonamuchithA Narasimha MoorthE : II
Here Swami Desikan compares the PaadhukhAs
to be the avatharam of MahA Lkashmi during Her Lord's
appearance in HiraNyakasipu's palace pillar as
Narasimha BhagavAn . Swami thinks about the
pearl , adamantine stones ( a form of diamond )
and the gold housing them in the PaadhukhAs
and his thoughts lead him then to NarasimhAvathAram .
He considers the PaadhukhAs as MahA Lakshmi ,
who always appears with Her Lord in every one
of His incarnations . In this context , Swami Desikan
considers the PaadhukhAs as the Devi Of NarasimhA .
He says : " Oh , Maadhava PaadhukhE ! Your rows of
pearls remind me of the mane (pidari hairs ) of Lord
NarasimhA . Your adamantine stones remind me of His
cannine teeth ( Tetthu paRkaL/ DamshtrA ) . Your gold
reminds me of the form cleaved by the outraged NarasimhA ,
when He tore apart HiraNyakasipu for mistreating the
BhagavathA child , PrahlAdhA . When I think about all these
similarities , You appear to me like MahA Lakshmi
(with Lord NarasimhA ) , who took the form of
a lioness to accompany Her Lord during
His avathAram as NarasimhA . " Swami Desikan says that
the PaadhukhA possesses the appropriate form of the
consort of BhagavAn NarasimhA ( Tvam Narasimha MoorhtE :
nAthasya uchithA Sriya : moorthi bhavasi ) .
Slokam 847 of RPS/ Slokam 17 of PKP
*******************************************
sambhAvayanthi kavaya: chathuraprachAram
manjusvanAm mahitha mowthika pathraLAngeem I
svAdheena sarvabhuvanAm maNipAdhukhE ! tvAm
RangAdhirAja padha pankaja rAjahamseem II
Swami Desikan compares the pair of PaadhukhAs
to a pair of king swans resting at the lotus feet of
the Lord of Srirangam. He points out that the beauty
of the gait and the sweet sound generated from the
sanchArams of the PaadhukhAs make them resemble
the king swans in these attributes. Further , both
the PaadhukhAs and the King Swans are lauded by poets;
they also have in common the capability to travel around
the world . PaadhukhAs of the Lord are celebrated for their
beauty and holiness. Similarly , the other water birds celebrate
the king swans resident on the lotus flowers for their
startlingly beautiful white color and majesty . Based on
these similarities , Swami Desikan concludes that
the PaadhukhAs are a pair of king swans residing on
the lotus feet of Lord RanganAthA .
Swami Desikan says in this context : " Oh , maNi paadhukhE !
The all-knowing water birds see your rows of pearls and
conclude that they are the feathers of the white swans ; they hear
the sweet naadham you generate during your movements and
conclude that they are equivalent to the naadham raised by
the king swans , when they converse with each other. Putting
two and two together , they recognize you as a pair of king
swans( Parama Hamsa ParivrAjakAs) worshipped
by all the world and residing at the Lotus feet
of Lord RanganAthA at Srirangam.
The inner meaning is that the AchAryAs are never without
the thoughts about the Lord's lotus feet and through
their sweet and enlightening words, they endear
themselves to the whole world . AchAryAs are the
Parama Hamsams found at the Lotus feet of the Lord
with dhruva smruthi of those scred feet .
Slokam 848 of RPS / Slokam 18 of PKP
*******************************************
mukthA mayuka ruchirAm maNipaadharakshE !
manjusvanAm manibhirAhitha varNavargAm I
manyE Mukhundha Padha padma madhuvratheenAm
anyAmakrithrima girAm adhidevathAm tvAm II
Swami Desikan compares the PaadhukhAs in this
slokam to a pair of bees circling around the lotus feet of
the Lord as the empowering principle of the VedAs .
He suggests that the PaadhukhAs never leave the Lord's
lotus feet just as the bees never leave the lotus flowers .
He says : " Oh , maNi paadharakshE ! You are beautiful
with the white sheen arising from your pearls . You generate
a sweet sound, when you move . You have many hues due to
the different colored gems adorning you . With the combination
of all of the above features , you remind me of a pair of honey
bees circling the lotus feet of the Lord . You appear to me like
the adhidevathA of the VedAs ( i.e) ., the empowering devathA
of the VedAs . All the VedAs have taken their home in You " .
The inner meaning is that the AzhwAr and the AchAryAs
understand the true meanings of the VedAs and spend their
life time in unceasing thoughts ( dhruva smruthi )
about the lotus feet of the Lord and speak sweetly
about those experiences .
Slokam 849 of RPS/ Slokam 19 of PKP
********************************************
aasAdhya KekayasuthA varadhAnamoolam
kAlam pradhosham anireekshya RamAsahAyam I
manjuprANAdha rahithA maNipaadharakshE !
mownavratham kimapi noonam avarthayasthvam II
Swami Desikan is reminded of MahA Pradhosham
time ( evening of TrayOdasi day ) , when one can not
worship the Lord and has to observe the vow of silence
(Mowna Vratham ) and strict immobility . He equates
the fourteen years of RamA's exile as the time
of MahA Pradhosham .
Swami Desikan says : " Oh , PaadhukhE ! As a
result of the boons given to Kaikeyi , Sri Rama was exiled
to the forest for fourteen years. At that time , you could
not have the darsanam of the Lord , since you had to
take up your residence at AyOdhyA at the behest of
of your Lord to help BharathA rule the land .
You were sorrow stricken during those fourteen
years of separation from your Lord and you were therefore
silent as though you were observing the rules in place
for MahA Pradhosham . This silence was in contrast to
the joyous times , when you raised sweet sounds during the
transport of your Lord on your back " .
Slokam 850 of RPS/ Slokam 20 of PKP
********************************************
vaidDhoorya ramya salilA mahithA marudhbhi:
cchAyAvathi marathakOpala rasmi jAlai : I
asrAnthamoha pahavee paThikasya janthO;
visrAnthi bhoomiriva SowripadhAvani ! tvam II
Swami Desikan states here that the PaadhukhAs are
like a delightful resting place reputed for its cool shade,
gentle winds and abundant water supply . He says :
Oh, Lord's paadhukhE ! You serve as a delightful
place of rest for the people afflicted by the ills of
SamsArA . Your VaiDhooryA gems with their clarity
appear like a cool brook of thirst quenching water
at that resting place. Your emeralds appear like the
cool shade there. The DevAs ( maruths ) associated with
you serve as the equivalent of cool breeze . At such an
exquisitely comfortable resting place provided by you ,
the suffering human beings scorched by the fires of
worldly afflictions find their happiness " .
Sri RanganAtha maNi paadhukhE ! Thubhyam nama:
Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Oppiliappan Kovil VaradAchAri Sadagopan
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