[sv-poetry] Sri Vilakkoli Perumal, Thoopul/ThirutthaNkA dhivya Desam: Nithya AarAdhana Kaimkaryam for VilakkoLi PerumAL and Swamy Desikan : Part XXXII: Twenty Ninth SlOkam

From the Bhakti List Archives

• May 17, 2002


SrI:

Dear BhakthAs:

In yesterday's posting on the 28th slOkam , the Vaibhavam
or PrabhAvam of Prapatthi was celebrated by Swamy Desikan.
Later, He would devote many chapters of Srimath Rahasya Thraya
Saaram(RTS) on the glories of Prapatthi.Chapter 25 of RTS in
particular ( PrabhAva VyavasthAdhikAram ) is a  masterly 
discussion on what Prapatthi is , why we celebrate it and 
what it is not.Swamy Desikan discourses in great detail about
the Vaibhavam of prapatthi in the Charama SlOkAdhikAram.  

Today , adiyEn will cover the Twenty ninth slOkam 
of Sri SaraNAgathi DhIpikai , where Swamy Desikan
clelebrates the matchless Vaibhavam of PrapannAs :

Manthrai: anusvara-mukhEshu adhigamyamAnai:
  svAdhikriyA samuchithair-yadhi vAanyavAkyai:
NaaTa Thvadheeya Charanou SaraNam gathAnAm 
  naivAyuthAyutha kalAapi aparairavApyA 

--SrI SaraNAgathi DhIpikai: SlOkam 29

Meaning: 
********
Oh DhIpa PrakAsA! There are specific manthrams ordained
for performing Prapatthi. They are housed in Vedam and
PaancharAthra samhithAs. One should chose those which are
appropriate to their needs. There are some guidelines 
for proper performance of Prapatthi. Those who are not 
eligible to utter these Veda Manthrams can use the SrI
Sookthis of AzhwArs and AchAryAs and perform their prapatthi.
One can therefore complete successfully the performance of Prapatthi
at Your sacred feet through the utterance of the veda manthrams 
or other Vaakyams . When one evaluates the glories of those
who adopted Prapatthi as UpAyam against the glories of others ,
(who adopted other routes) , it is very clear that the latter can
not reach even one part in crore of the PrapannA's prabhAvam. 
The Vaibhavam of the prapannan thus outweighs others by 
an immeasurable factor.
 
Additional Comments :
**********************
Here Swamy Desikan addresses the Lord as "NaaTa" or
Sarva Swamy ( Supreme Master). He is VaikuNta NaaTan ,
OppilA Appan or ThiruviNNagarappan .As explained by 
a great scholar , " prapatthi is an intrinsic truth of
the vEdAs and never an outside growth.The sacred vEdAs 
ordain that one should evolve a life of devotion 
and Godliness for an upward evolution . Unshakable
faith in divine guidance is implicit in the entire mass of
the holy texts. Man has realized his smallness and inability 
to achieve the goal of his life and so he has prayed 
sincerely to the All-Knowing God to lead him on safely 
to that highest aspiration"  and realization (Freedom from 
the cycles of births and deaths: Moksham ).

We will dwell on few vEda manthrams , which have been 
identified by elders with these thoughts:

moorA amUra na vyam chikithvO mahithvamagnE thvamanga vithsE
sayE vavris charati jihvayAdhan rErihyathE yuvathim vispathi: san

---Rg Vedam : X.4.4

In a mood of Prapatthi, the jeevan expresses its smallness 
and aakinchanyam here ;it prays for acceptance of its self-
surrender and invites the Lord to enjoy this offering with
relish . 

MoorA means the MooDAs or ignorant ones . That is us. amUra 
is the supremely wise one. SayanA comments: " vayam aj~naa:
na vidhma vayam chikithvO mahithvam AgnE, Thvam thu vEtTa "
We are ignorant ones; Thou art the wise one and Sarvaj~nan.
We can not comprehend Your greatness; Thou are fully aware of 
Your Mahimai. We are confused and do not know , but You
--the anthraathmA of Agni--are not confused and knows precisely
Your greatness. You are Visvapathi, Visva Swamin, the Lord of 
th Universe . Please acccept and taste our offerings in
this Prapatthi Yaj~nam . In a spirit of utter helplessness
(KaarpaNyam) and in  a mood of seeking Your protection
(gOpthruva varaNam ), we surrender of the Self (Aathma
nikshEpam ) at Your holy  feet .

The bhAndhavyam ( tight relationship between the Aathmaa
and the Lord , "uRavu ozhikka ozhiyAthu ") , the knowledge
of which qualifies us (sEsha-sEshi ) to perform prapatthi.
The jeevan declares with great assurance about this unique 
relationship in another Veda manthram :

ThvayEd Indra yujA vayam prathi bruvImahi sprudha:
THVAMASMAAKAM TAVA SMASI

--Rg Vedam X.92.32

With great sense of pride of belonging as the Seshan of
the Sarva Seshi and Sarva Swamy and with clear  knowledge
of His power , the Jeevan says here :

" With the resplendent Lord as our helper , let us answer
those who envy us , FOR YOU ARE OURS AND WE ARE YOURS."

AndAL said " UnthannOdu uRROmoAyavOm , UmakkE naam aatcheyvOm ".
Her declaration  is set in the same mood of this Veda manthram ,
which proclaims: " Thou art ours; We are Thine".

In the Rg Veda manthrams ( VI.29.1-5), aanukoolya Sankalpam , 
Praathikoolya varjanam , kaarpaNyam , gOptruva varanam 
and MahA visvAsam are referred to in a mood of Prapatthi
before the mighty Lord. The first manthram (VI.29.1) 
salutes the just Lord as the greatest boon giver (VaradarAjan)
and asks us to worship Him to win His protection (aham ThvA
sarva paapEpyO mOkshayishyAmi maa sucha:). His friendship and 
loving kindness (Vaathsalyam ) is prayed for :

Indhram vO nara: sakhyAya sEpurmahO yantha: sumathayE chakAnA:
mahO hi DHAATHAA vajrahasthO asthi mahAmu raNvamavasE YAJADHVAM

--Rg Vedam Vi.29.1

This manthram instructs us that the Lord is the greatst boon
granter and asks us to worship Him with MahA visvAsam to win
His protection. SayanA says that the jeevans are engaged in 
uttering the greatest praise (SumathayE sumathim sObhanAm 
sthuthim sabdhayantha:) to this granter of Supreme boons
(like Moksham).

The next manthram salutes the Lord  in whose hands (Yasmin
hasthE) the well-being of the Jeeavns and the world rests.

Rg Vedam VI.29.4 reveals that the Lord's " favorite libation 
is one that is full of devotion replete with knowledge
(Tatthva Jn~Anam ) and good deeds ( BHaagavatha Kaimkaryam)
..equipeed with their virtues , Your devotees -
-extol You by singing hymns (Swamy NammazhwAr et al) 
and offering dedications ( Prapatthi) to You ".

Rg veda manthram VI.29.5  hints again at Prapatthi, 
the dedicated act of aathma nivEdhanam:

na tE antha: savasO dhAyyasya vi tu BaaBdhE rOdasI mahithvA
aa taa sUri: pruNAthi tutujAnO yUTEvaapsu samIjamAna Uti 

Oh Lord ! Your greatness is limitless . Even earth and heaven
know not the measure of Your greatness (anantha kalyANa guNams).
Your devotees hasten to perform the dedicated act ( bhara nyAsam,
Aaathma samarpanam ) and endeavour to kepp You pleased 
with such devotional offerings .

The final manthram of this section( VI.29.6) acknowledges 
the Lord as an alert listener, who responds with alacrity 
to such dedicated acts performed with MahA VisvAsam by
His devotees. It invites this giver of wealth to destroy
all opposing evils forces (that stand in the way of 
performing the dedicated act of Prapatthi) and other 
violent elements as soon as they manifest:

evEd Indrah suhava rishvO astUtI anUtI hirisibra: sahvA
yEvA hi jAthO asamathyOjaa; purU cha vruthrA hanathi ni dasyUn

--Rg Vedam VI.29.6 

Many Veda manthrams instruct us to surrender at the sacred feet
of the Mighty Lord with total faith in His saving grace . Swamy
VedAntha (NigamAntha MahA ) Desikan made it His life's mission to
build up the mansion of SaraNAgathy Saasthram on the firm Vedic 
foundations laid down by PoorvAchAryAs .
                   
SrImath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam                                   
SrI Lakshmi Nrusimha ParabrahmaNE Nama:                        >

NigamAntha MahA Desikaaya NamO Nama:
SrI Maragathavalli SamEtha SrI DhIpa PrakAsa ParabrahmaNE nama:
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan/SaThakOpan

( On May 26, 2002 SrI RanganAthA Temple at Pomona , NY will be
consecrating the Sannadhis for AchArya RaamAnujA , Swamy Desikan,
Adhi VaNN SaThakOpa Jeeyar, the tenth Narasimhan of Ahobilam 
and HH the 45th Pattam Azhagiya Singar ,the Jeeyar who commanded 
BhakthAs of North America to construct a Temple for Lord RanganAtha.
HH the 45th Jeeyar is also the MahAn , who built the South
Raaja gOpuram  at Srirangam. There are lot of expenses 
incurred in the consecration of the above four sannidhis . 
Your financial support for the conductance of the Vaidhika-Aagamic
rites associated with the prathishtai, Anna dhAnam will be 
most welcome. The details are at http://www.ranganatha.org/
Please let me know of your interest in sponsoring some
of the activities related to the three day long sacred rites
(May 24-26, 2002) at Sri RanganAtha Temple. Please come and join 
the other BhakthAs in these sacred celebrations. The Mission of the temple
is absolute Self-surrender at the Thiruvadi of Sriman NaarAyaNan ).




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