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Salutation to Sri VishvaksEnar

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • November 24, 1998 


Dear BhakthAs :

One of my dear friends requested  me to
compose a few Bhajans on Lord VishvaksEnA 
for usage in the local temple during sathsangams .

I am glad to do so and share the first of the arpaNams
with you all . In our SampradhAyam , Lord VishvaksEnA 
is the commander-in-chief of Sriman NaarAyaNA's army .
He has been given the authority by Sriamn NaarAyaNA
to protect the wealth of Sri Vaikuntam and maintain
order and run the affairs of Parama Padham .He is visualized
as having a cane (military staff of a General ) in his
hand to command his tropps (dEvAs ) and is always in the 
company of NithyasUris . Swami Desikan salutes 
him as the third in the hierarchy of our AchAryAs
after KamalA kaanthan and KamalA Herself :

VandhE Vaikunta sEnAnyam dEvam Soothravahtee sakham 
yadhvEthra sikhara spandhE visvam yEthadh vyavasthitham 
                      ----YathirAja Sapthathi : SlOkam 3

(Meaning ): I salute VishvaksEnar , the consort of
Soothravathi and the Commander-in-Chief of the Lord's army .
The whole universe is controlled by the different 
movements of the Cane that he holds in his hand 
as insignia of  his delegated authority . 
  
VishvaksEnar is also recognized as the AchAryan for NammAzhwAr . 
The name of VishvaksEnar's wife is Soothravathi .He is 
the first among the Kainkarya parAL of Sriman NaarAyaNA in
Sri Vaikuntam . In the 14th slOkam of Sri VenaktEsa SuprabhAtham ,
Sri VishvaksEnar is seen in action controlling the throngs
of the DevAs jostling with each other to get a better sEvai 
of ThiruvEnkatamudayAn during His SuprabhAtham :

Sri Swami PushkariNikaa plava nirmalAnghA :
SrEyOarthinO Hara Virinchi SanandhanAdhyA :I
dhvArE vasanthi varavEthra hathOtthamAnghA :
Sri VenkataachalapathE ! Tava SuprabhAtham II

(Meaning ) : " Brahma , MahEsvarA , the sage 
SanandanA and others , aspiring well-being 
and having bathed in Sri Swami PushkariNI 
and (thus) sanctified their bodies , are waiting 
at the entrance receiving cane strokes on their heads 
from VishvaksEnar , their commander . Oh Lord of 
VenkatAchalam ! May it be an auspicious dawn 
to Thee !".

The cane strokes of VishvaksEnar are to be considered
as gentle touches to control the over enthusiastic 
crowds of DevAs pushing for an advantageous 
vantage point for the darsanam of their Lord .

With this background comments , I place at 
the sacred feet of Lord VishvaksEnar a krithi
to be sung in HinDOla Raagam :

Pallavi :   VishvaksEnam bhajarE rE maanasa 
            VaikuNta sEnAnyam BhajarE 

Anupallavi: vEthra saara hasthinam Soothravathi nAtham 
            Sri Vaikunta Isvarya ParipAlana Daksham 

CahraNam :  SadhA NaarAyaNa PaarAyaNa vaibhava prasiddham
            vEdha vEdAntha divya prabhnadha prakAsakam
            KamalA Kaantha DayA paathram ParAnkusa AchAryam 
            nidhEsEna anusarAn nirvAhakam VishNu Kinkaram
            (VishvaksEnam BhajarE rE Maanasa )

(Meaning of the Krithi Vaakhyams ):

Pallavi: Oh My mind ! Please eulogize Sri VishvaksEnar !
Please meditate on him as the Commander-in-chief
of the army of the Lord of Sri Vaikuntam 
(parama Padham ).

Anupallavi: Oh My mind ! Please salute Sri VishvaksEnar ,
the consort of Soothravathi  , with his ceremonial cane 
in his hand protecting with masterly skill ,the limitless 
wealth of the Lord of Sri Vaikuntam .

CharaNam : VishvaksEnar is well known for his 
uninterrupted sankeerthanam of his Lord's divya nAmAs . 
He is the promoter of the lofty doctrines adumbrated 
in the VedAs , Upanishads and Divya Prabhandhams 
that celebrate the glories of Sriman NaarAyaNA .
He is the beneficiary of the grace and anugraham 
of Sriya: pathi and is the AchAryA of NammAzhwAr .
This prime servant of Sri VaikuntanAthan directs
the Lord's troops with the gestures of his ceremonial
cane .

I will compose a Bhajan soon on Sri VishvaksEnar
with the divya dampathi's blessings .

Namo NaarAyanA !
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan