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Swamy Desikan-15- HAMSASANDHESAM- ThUppul maNdapam kaimkaryam appeal

From the Bhakti List Archives

madhav.vasudevan • October 5, 2001 


SrI:
SrImathe Ramanujaya namah:
SrImathe Nigamantha mahadesikaya namah:
SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |
vedAntAcArya-varyome sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||

May the glorious Sri Venkatanatha, the greatest of teachers of Vedanta, and
the lion among poets and debaters, reside forever in my heart.

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

I am continuing on my appeal and posts on Swamy Desikan and appeal for
Thuppul maNdapam kaimkaryam.
URL: http://www.geocities.com/lsriniva/thoopulappeal.html It is my humble
request to please contribute your mite towards this kaimkaryam, as
remembering Acharyan, and talking alone will not suffice. OUR SINCERE
THANKS to MAGNANIMOUS HEARTS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED AND PLEDGED.. FOR THOSE
WHO HAVE NOT YET PLEDGED, PLEASE CONTRIBUTE YOUR MITE.

Let us continue to enjoy Swamy's GREAT works.

The HamsasandhEsam is a devotional lyric of Swamy Desikan. It is rather a
Khandakaavya. It contains 110 slokas divided into two parts called Asvasa.
Hanuman arrived at Malyavan, bringing to Rama, the news, "kaNdEn
Seethaiayai.."- that Sita was kept a prisoner in the Asokavanam at LankA by
Ravana. He also handed over to Rama the ChoodA maNi of Sita that she had
asked him to give to Rama. Rama looking at the beautiful ornament of Sita,
feels and longs for SItA, her plight and her condition at lankA. In order
to assure her that he would release her from captivity, Rama chooses to
send her a message of this assurance thorugh a swan (Hamsa). The swan is
given the direction for its journey. The sacred places Thirumalai, Kanchi,
ThiruveLLaRai, Srirangam and ThirumaalirunchOlai are all described (by
Swamy Desikan in HamsasandhEsam) to the swan to visit them. The forests and
the ocean and other regions lying around them are also beautifully
described. With this the first part comes to a close.

The second part gives begins with a description of LankA. This is followed
by the description of the Asoka vanam (grove), of SItA PiraaTTi and the
delivery of Rama's message.

Swamy Desikan writes two slokas at the end, the first of which mentions
Rama's killing of Ravana and his return to AyOdhyA with SitA PiraaTTi and
his PattAbhishEkam there. In the last sloka, Acharya asks the diligent
persons to study this best gem of HamsandhEsam dealing with life of Sita
and Rama. This poem was sharpened many a times in teh whetstone of deep
reflection. This work shall be the means to get all happiness.

There is parity between the HamsasndhEsam and KaaLidAsa's mEghasandhEsam.
In Kaalidasa's work, love lorn Yaksha sends a cloud as a messenger to his
beloved in Alaka (not Alaska:-) ) in the Himalayas. The route is described
in the first part. The city of Alaka, his house, his beloved's condition
and the message are given in the second part. Here the Yaksha is in a
reverie owing to his love sickness. He does not realize that an inanimate
cloud can neither follow the route nor deliver a message.

Acharyan Swamy Desikan employs the motive of Kalidasa's poem for a higher
purpose. The Swan is a LIVING being and could communicate a message.
Kalidasa's influence is noticed all thorugh this poem. Like Kalidasa who
describes Ujjain alone in 12 slokas, Swamy Desikan describes vey
beautifully Kaanchi alone in 11 slokas. The two slokas (21 and 22 in 1st
chapter) which are devoted to the description of Thirumala are simply grand
and superb and of unique excellence. SitA's contemplative mood (sloka 22 in
2nd chapter) is described vividly and is unparalleled in execution. (after
all thUppul Pillai ThUppul PiLLaithaan!) (extract from the book of SrI
Srinivasaraghavachariar Swamy)

Please donate according to your shakthi. The money can be sent to "Thuppul
Trust" and the address is:

Thuppul Trust
Old No.20, New No.24, Thiruvengadam Street
West Mambalam, Chennai-600033, India
Phone No: 91-44-4741559 / 91-44-3715771

Please contact Sri. V.K. Sudharshan at vksudarsh@vsnl.com or Sri Lakshmi N
Srinivasa  lsriniva@hotmail.com (He can collect and send it as single
amount in USA).

The address:

Lakshminarasimhan Srinivasa
3 Old Towne Road, #212
Ayer, MA-01432

For those in the South East Asia, please contact me at
srivaishnavan@hotmail.com . Please pass on this kaimkaryam to as many
people
as possible in order to complete the same.

kavi-tArkika-simhAya kalyANa-guNa-SAline |
Srimate venkateSAya vedAntagurave namaH ||

Salutations to Sri Venkatesa, in whom all perfection resides, who is the
teacher of Vedanta and the lion among poets and debaters!

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Narayana Narayana
NarayaNa dAsan madhavakkannan



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