amritasvaadini

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amritasvaadini

Introduction

We will now study the Amrutha SvAdhini Prabhandham of Swamy Desikan. This Prabhandham has 37 Paasurams.It is named Amrutha SvAdhini by the learned AchAryAs because it contains delectable vishayams tasting like nectar for our enjoyment.

Amrutha SvAdhini covers excerpts/ summaries of ChillaRai Rahasyam paasurams from Saara Saaram to MunivAhana bhOgam .

Scope of Amrutha SvAdhini
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The brief summary of the topic of coverage of Amrutha SvAdhini can be stated as : The esoteric meaning s of the the three rahasyams,SaraNAgathy particulars relating to SrImath RaamAyaNam (KaakAsura , VibhIshaNa SaraNAgathys) , the meanings of SrI VarAha Charama slOkam , the Vaibhavam of Anjali mudhrA , the glory of BhaashyakAra and the essence of AmalanAthi PirAn of ThiruppAna AazhwAr.

Coverage of Individual ChillaRai Rahasyams
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From the First to the Sixth Paasuram , the ThirumanthirAdhikAram of the ChillaRai rahasyam of Saara Saaram is covered. PrabhandhaPaasurams (7-9) deal with DhvyAdhikAram of Saara Saaram. Paasurams 10-12 cover the esoteric meanings of Charama SlOkam . The next two Paasurmas (13-14) focus on the summary of the meanings of the Three Rahasyams and our most merciful AchAryA's anugrahams in initiating us on these Kula dhanams.

Paasurams 15-19 elaborate on the ChillaRai rahasyam of Abhaya PradhAna Saaram. The next four slOkams (20-23) cover the subtle meanings of VarAha Charama slOkam. The 24th slOkam breifly touches on the greatness of the Anjali Mudhra and its impact on our Lord.

Paasurams 25-27 illustrates selected concepts outlined in PradhAna Sathakam , where Swamy Desikan clarifies for us the core doctrines of our SampradhAyam and helps us to get a firm grip on them.adiyEn has covered the entire PradhAna Sathakam in Saranagathy web site few years ago ( http://www.srivaishnava.org/sgati )/1998-2000 issues.

Pasurams 28-30 deal with the SrI sookthi of UpakAra Sangraham , where the Lord's countless help to us are saluted.

The 31st paasuram of Amrutha SvAdhini provides the essence of ChillaRai rahasyam revered as Saara Saaram .

The three Paasurams (32-34) touch upon the topics taken up for discussion by Swamy Desikan in his magnificent SrI Sookthi of VirOdha ParihAram.

The final three Pasurams of Amrutha SvAdhini are associated with the ChillaRai Rahasyam of Muni Vaahana BhOgam linked to the nishtai of ThiruppANa AazhwAr.

In the course of the next Few days , we should be blessed to study the individual Paasurams of the Prabhandham of Amrutha SvAdhini through the RathnAngi Kaimkaryam related postings.

May Swamy Dsikan's paripoorNa anugraham be with us during this study !

Slokas

Commentary

We will now start our study of Amrutha SvAdhini Prabhandham of Swamy Desikan . We will cover the first Six Paasurams of this Prabhandham dealing with Thirumanthiram (AshtAksharam/Moola Manthram) .

96th Paasuram: The Purpose of Life
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Our AchAryAs out of their DayA for us made it possible for us to learn within our life time the three rahsyams with their meanings for our salvation . These AchAryAs , who are celebrated by the world performed upadEsams on these three rahasyams (AshtAksharam , Dvyam and Charama slOkam) in the most effective manner for us to retain those meanings and enjoy them as well as benefit from them.

The key passage of this paasuram is : " Desikar kaalam kazhivathan munnam karutthu uRak-kaNDidavE nammai vaitthanar" (Our AchAryas before the end of our days positioned us to comprehend clearly the three rahasyams with their quintessential meanings).

Swamy Desikan comments that AshtAksharam (Thirumanthiram) teaches about our Svaroopam to permit us to practise Prapatthi through Dhvaya manthram. Both manthrams are like the root and branch of the same tree (Moolam KiLai yena onRu iraNDu aana). The third rahsyam is the Lord's Charama slOkam , which without help of any thing else points out the unfailing means for Moksham and recommeds that upAyam for securing Moksham.Since the Charama slOkam does not seek anything else for its empowerment , it is saluted in this Paasuram as a matchless rahasyam without equal or superior (mEl onRu ilai yena ninRa av-Vithtahan tann urai).

This is the first Paasuram on the chillaRai rahasyam of Saara Saaram. Swamy Desikan gave this name of "Saara Saaram " since it deals with the essence of the three most essential subjects to be learned by us from our AchAryAs during our life time on His earth.

97) Thirumanthiram: the meaning of PraNavam
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SarvEswaran is the Prime Cause for all things. He is the Protector of all. He is never separated from His divine consort. Jeevan (ChEthanam) is of the intrinsic form of Jn~Anam (Jn~Ana Svaroopan). ChEthanam has Jn~Anam as his attribute (Dharma bhUtha Jn~Anam). ChEthanam is distinctly different from the AchEthanams (insentients). As the Jeevan,chEthanam is totally dependent on the Lord as its unconditional Master. ChEthanam is His adiyavan (liege). ChEthanam is priveleged to be the servant of the Lord's dAsAs (BhagavathAs) as well. ChEthanam is not the servant of any one or anything else. This is the essential meaning of PraNavam , which is comparable to the chariot of Arjuna.This is the essence of the meaning of PraNavam pointed out by the Upanishads (VedAnthams).

The comparsion of PraNavam with Arjunan's chariot is made since in that chariot , the Lord (KrishNa) sat in the frontas akAra Svaroopan / Master and Arjuna, the jeevan (MakAra svaroopan/servant of the Lord) sat behind . In PraNavam , akAram is in the front and makAram follows behind similar to KrishNA's and ArjunA's respective positions in that chariot of Arjuna.

The key passage of this paasuram is: " NaaraNanukku nAnn adiyEn---aRivAhi aRivathumAy aRu nAnku anRi seer aNintha sudar pOla thihazhnthu ninREn " (I the Jeevan is the bonded servant of the Lord -- adiyEn , who is of the form of Jn~Anam and who understands the rest with Dharma BhUtha Jn~Anam stand radiant and apart (distinctly different) form the rest of the 24 tatthvams defining the insentients .

98) Thirumanthiram: The Meaning of Nama: Sabdham
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SrIman NaarAyaNan assured me that He will cut asunder the bonds of SamsAram and grant me Moksham through His Charama slOkam. Out of His vAthsalyam for me , He made me the servant of His BhAgavathAs. Due to the power of His grace , He kindled my desire to perform Prapatthi at His sacred feet . He destroyed my ahankArams and MamakArams (Yaan yenathu yenpathu onRu illai) and made me free from the concepts of "Me and Mine". What can I do (as the totally dependent one on this Lord ) without His grace ?

The first line of this Paasuram reveals the banishment of ahankAra-mamakArams and the Jeevan's lack of independence (absence of Svatantram). The second line reveals the Lord's anugraham that made the Jeevan become subservient to the Lord's BhAgavathAs (TannadiyArkku yennai aatpaduthhi) .The third line refers to the SaraNAgathy UpAya anushtAnam for Moksham and other meanings for the Nama: sabdham. The paasuram concludes with " Avanai allAl seyvathu yenn ?" (What is that I cando without our Lord and His grace ?).

99) Thirumanthiram : The Meaning of NaarAyaNa Sabdham
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Our Lord accompanied by His Divine Consort is understood through the NaarAyaNa Sabdham as the ocean of Daya , as the embodiment of auspiciousness , as the Creator , Protector and Master of all , as one filled with blemishless guNams , as the ultimate way (ParamAm Gathi) , and as the one who is related to us in every way (Sarva Vidha Bhandhu). This then is the brief meaning of the NaarAyaNa Sabdham .

100) Thirumanthiram: The Meaning of the Chathruthi over NaarAyaNa Sabdham
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The significance of the fourth case over NaarAyaNa Sabdham is explained
here.

SrIman NaarAyaNan destroys the PuNya and Paapa KarmAs of the Jeevan that has observed the upAyam of Prapatthi. Next , He lifts up the Jeevan from the body , which was the hindrance to Moksham and releases the Jeevan via the Brahma Naadi and lands that Jeevan at His Supreme abode via the pathof light (archirAdhi mArgam).
He blesses the jeevan with the guNAs , which were hidden until then due to
Karma sambhnadham. Even if the Jeevan is reluctant to receive His grace, our Lord holds it tightly with His benovolent grace and joins it to the assembly (ghOshti) of the eternally liberated Jeevans (nithya sooris) so that the liberated jeevan can enjoy paripoorNa BrahmAnandham at SrI Vaikuntam. This then is the meaning of the Chathurthi vibhakthi (Fourth case) over the NaarAyaNa Sabdham.

101) The unified meaning (ThiraNDa PoruL) of Thirumanthiram
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Through PraNavam , we understood with joy about our (the Jn~Ana Svaroopa Jeevan's) permanent and unalterable realtionship (niruphAdhika sEshathvam) of being the eternal servant of the Lord .

Through the Nama: sabdham , we understood (1) the removal of ahankAra-MamakArams (2) the observance of SaraNAgathy upAyam (3) the removal of the thought about us (the Jeevan) being independent and (4) becoming the servant of the Lord's BhAgavathAs.

Through the NaarAyaNa Sabdham , we (the Jeevans) understood the anantha KalyANa guNams of the Lord such as His role as the Protector of all and being our Sakala Vidha Bhanthu .

Finally , through the Fourth case over NaarAyaNa Sabdham (the aaya sabdham) , we understood the destruction of SamsAric afflictions ,the holding of the Lord's feet on our heads and joining the assembly of Nithyasooris to enjoy total bliss at Sri Vaikuntam .

We will now enjoy the three paasurams of Amrutha SvAdhini Prabhandham connected with the Dhvaya adhikAram of Saara Saara chillaRai Rahasyam.

102) Dhvayam intertwined with SaraNAgathy
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Our most merciful AchAryas knowing how difficult it would be for us to practise the difficult upAyams taught by the VedAs like Karma , Jn~Ana and Bhakthi Yogams instructed us on the easy-to-observe upAyam of Prapatthi Yogam.

Our AchAryA's intent was to save us from the difficulties and frustrations in following the ardous path of Bhakthi and other yogams . Benefitting from their UpadEsam on Prapatthi, adiyEn longed to gain life in Parama Padham to perform nithya kaimkaryam to the Dhivya Dampathis in a state of freedom from ahankAra-MamakArams. Next , adiyEn held on to the sacred feet of the Lord as protection and as the bridge across the terrible ocean of SamsAram as instructed by our AchAryans.

The key passage in this Paasuram is: " Dharumam udayAr uraikka , yAnn aRinthu , tanakku yennA adimaikkAm vAzhcchi vENDi , ThirumahaLODu orukAlum piriyA NaaTan tiNN Kazhal Sethu yena sErhinREn "

" Dharmam UdayAr uraikka yAnn aRinthu " in the above section refers to the AchAryAs , who are conversant with Dharmams performing upadEsam for the Jeevan for its KshEmam . "Tanakku yennA adimaikkAm vAzhcchi vENDi " refers to the ideal life appropriate for nithya Kaimakraym free of any blemish of " Me and Mine " . Where is this kaimkaryam to be performed and for whom ? " ThirumahaLODu orukAlum piriyA NaaTan tiNN kazhalE sEthu yena sErhinREn " . adiyEn wishes to perform that Kaimakryam in the Parama Padham of the Lord , who is never ever separated from His beloved consort , MahA Lakshmi. For that purpose , adiyEn has dared to hold on to the Lord's sacred feet as the aNai (dam/causeway) to cross the dangerous ocean of SamsAram to reach the other shore to arrive at
SrI Vaikuntam.

103) The Six Meanings of SrI Sabdham
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In the first part of the Dhvaya Manthram , we come across the SrI Sabdham . PaancharAthra Saasthrams bless us with six complimentary and yet distinct meanings of the SrI Sabdham (SruNAthi , SreeNAthi , SruNOthi ,SrAvayathee , SrIyathE and SrayathE). Swamy Desikan explained these six meanings in the first section of the 103rd Paasuram :

" Vinai vidutthu veyan guNatthAl yemmai aakki
veruvurai kEttu avai kEtkka viLambi nALum
tanai anaitthum adainthidat-tAnn adainthu ninRa
Tann ThirumAthudan iRayum taniyA NaaTan"

The elaborate coverage of these six meanings of the SrI Sabdham are covered in the 304th Desika-Prabhandham named Dhvaya Churukku .

(Condensed meaning of the 103rd Paasuram): Our Lord , who is never without His Divine Consort recognized that His anantha KalyANa guNams will be protected only if He rescues the suffering jeevans from SamsAric sorrows. Hence , He engages in motivating the Jeevans to perform Prapatthi and accepts the surrenders of Jeevans for protection and thereby stabilizes His name as SaraNAgatha Rakshakan .

104) Showering His grace on PrapannAs as SrI RanganAthan
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Lord RanganAthan recieving nithya kaimakryam from Nithya Sooris at His Supreme abode of SrI Vaikuntam stays as ArchAvathAran at SrIrangam to bless kaimkarya soubhAgyam for those , who surrendered to Him without ahankAra-MamakArams . He rests under the PraNavAkAra vimAnam at SrIrangam for making it possible for the PrapannAs to perform Kaimkaryam to Him right here at SrIrangam . His inherent KaruNai towards the Jeevans grows further due to to the presence of MahA Lakshmi on His chest . This merciful Lord stays as my birth mother and vows to accept the responsibilities of my protection and assures me freedom from fear. He has now granted me the shade of His Sacred Feet to free me from the unbearable SamsAric heat .

The key passage is: " ThiruvudanE amarntha NaaTan , tahavudanE annai yena adaikkalam koNDu anjal tanthu azhal aaRa nizhal aara aLIkkinRAn ".

We will now enjoy the Five Paasurams of Amrutha SvAdhini Prabhandham connected with the Charama slOka adhikAram of Saara Saara chillaRai Rahasyam and Our revered SchAreyA's role in instructing us the three Rahasyams and their esoteric meanings.

(105) Lord KrishNA's UpadEsam of Charama SlOkam
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This Paasuram is the same as the 46th Paasuram of AdhikAra Sangraham (the 85th Desika Prabhandham) that we havestudied before. Please refer to the comments on this Paasuram from earlier postings on AdhikAra Sangraham.

This is a Paasuram saluting joyously the UpakAram of the Lord , who used Arjuna as an excuse to instruct us on the laghu upAyAm of Prapatthi at His sacred feet to assure Moksham . Swamy Desikan slautes Prapatthi in this Paasuram as "Tani Dharumam" or a matchless UpAyam for Moksham for one and all. Here Swamy Desikan is overwhelmed by the Lord standing in place of other Difficult upAyams (yemakku tAnE aay) and granting us the Phaalan of Moksham as a result of our observance of Prapatthi at His sacred feet.

(106) Prayer to rthe Lord to accept his Prapatthi
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Oh Lord standing with Sudarsanam in Your hand to remind us of Your role as our Protector (Rakshakan )! You recognized adiyEn as not having the visEsha Jn~Anam and power to practise Bhakthi Yogam as UpAyam to gain MOksham . You removed the doubts from my mind about gaining the fruits of Prapatthi and made me realize that adiyEn does not have anyone else to protect me and made sure that adiyEn will not commit any aparAdham against You. You must now accept adiyEn , who observed the Prapatthi Yogam as an object worthy of protection under Your sacred feet that kept the entire universe under its cool shadow during ThirvikramAvathAram.

Swamy Desikan addresses the Lord with endearment :

"Kai amar Chakkarak-KaavalA !" . He salutes the Lord as theOne , who is immensely competent to protect the SarANAgatha Janams with His Sudarsana Chakram against their enemies . Next , Swamy Desikan describes his aakinchanyam and ananya gathithvam with two choice group of words : " thuyya manatthAr tuRai aNUhAtha " and " tuNaiyiliyEn ". He identifies himself first as not coming anywhere near the category of those distinguished adhikAris with pure minds , who are fully capable of undertaking Bhakthi yOgam as an UpAyam for gaining the phalan of Moksham (thuyya manatthAr tuRai aNuhAthavan). Next, Swamy Desikan describes himself without delusion as " tuNaiiliyEn " (One who has no other recourse except the Lord's grace).

After focusing on his pitiable status and hence as a jeevan worthy of the Lord's grace , Swamy Desikan salutes the two magnificent upakArams that the Lord blessed him with : (1) " Iyaam aRutthAi " (You removed all my doubts about the efficency of Prapatthi in granting th Pahalan of Moksham) (2)" Unathu aaNai kadatthal Nee ahaRRinai " (You made sure that adiyEn will not committ again any respasses against Your sAsthrams) .

What else is left for me now ? What else have You to do for me now after all these upakArams ? " Kaakkum Thiru aruLAl Vyaam aLantha adikkeezh adaikkalam VaittharuL " ( Through You omnipotence to protect the entire world , please place me under Your sacred feet that measured once the universe as an object deserving protection).

107) Prayer for hastening the enjoyment of Moksha Sukham
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Oh Lord shining without any blemish , who incarnated with Your Divine Consort so that even the simple minde dGopis without any special Jn~Anam can enjoy Your companionship soulabhyam during Your KrishNAvathAram ! Oh KaNNA ! You blessed me the auspicious thoughts to engage in SaraNAgathy at Your holy feet. Please grant me the release from PuNya-Paapa karmAs so that adiyEn can perform uninterrupted kaimakryams at SrIvaikuntum to You and Your Devis like the Nithya Sooris . Please bless me this bhAgyam as soon as possible !

Swamy Desikan addresses Lord KrishNA with great affection in this Paasuram as " ambhuyatthALudan annAl avatharittha kuRai yAthum illAtha GovindhA " ( Oh Lord of impeccable perfection s, who incarnated with the Lotus lady on this earth )! You incarnated as KrishNa and Your lotus lady (MahA Lakshmi) accompanied You as RukmiNi PirAtti. What was one of the major purposes of Your avathAram with Your PirAtti on this earth ? You wanted even the simple folks like the gOpa Sthrees (idaycchiyar) know Your glories and enjoy You (aRiyAtha idaycchiyarum aRiyum VaNNam avataritthAi). You gave me the hint that adiyEn has become an object of protection under Your sacred feet generating the SunAdham from Your jingling ankle aabharaNams (ninn kazhal keezh adaikkalam aamm kuRippu tanthAy).

Oh " KuRai Yaattum illAtha GovindhA!" You are enjoying the blemishless kaimkaryams from the nithya Sooris in SrI Vaikuntam with Your Devi sitting on the fragrant lotus ( veRi aarum malar mahaLum neeyum ViNnavarhaL adi sooda viNNil irukkum mEnami uLLAY ). There at YOur Supreme abode , the nithya sooris are adorning Your sacred feet on their heads . Please shower Your grace on us by destroying the limitless karmAs that accompany us and mark a date in the near future for us to join the ghOshti of the Muktha Jeevans and Nithya Sooris at SrI Vaikuntam and perform nithys niravadhya kaimkaryam to You there !

108) The Meanings housed in the three Rahasyams
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Thirumanthiram with its eight aksharams (AshtAkshari) will reveal Tatthvam Thrayams , UpAyam and PurushArTam (Tatthuvamum Saathanamum Payanum kaattum Taaram mudhal iru nAnkum). Taaram here stands for PraNavam.

Dhvayam with its Twenty five letters (aksharams) is a creation of our Lord through union of two sections found in two different areas of the VedAs. It teaches us the way to perform Praaptthi at the sacred feet of SrIman NaarAyaNan ( Mutthi vazhi nAmm muyalum vahayE kaaNa Mukundhan tann karutthAl isaithu aruL seytha IynnAlainthu ). Dhvayam is the outcome of the graceof the Lord out of His own sanklapam to unite two sepaqrate sections of the Vedam to show us the way to perform Prapatthi.

Charama slOkam consisting of Thirty two aksharams emanated from the Lord , who showed His soulabhyam and simplicity by serving as the Charioteer for Arjuna. It reveals the fact that He stands in place of all UpAyams and accepts the burden of protecting all chEthanams , who are incapable of performing difficult-to-practise upAyams like Bhakthi yOgam (Patthi tanil padivu illAr baram sumattha , UtthamanAr Uthama nall urai nAlettum ) .

Our most merciful AchAryAs , who had clear awareness of the subtle meanings of these three rahasyams instructed us with affection on those meanings for realeasing us from the cycles of births and deaths (uNarnthavar yemmai uhanthu uNarvitthAr ) .

We will now enjoy the Five Paasurams of Amrutha SvAdhini Prabhandham next. These Desika Prabhandha Paasurams (110-114) deal with the ChillaRai Rahasyam of Abaya PradhAna Saaram.

Previous detailed postings on this SrI Sookthi of Abhaya Pradhana Saaram by adiyEn are archived here.Please look at the " Abahaya Pradhana Saaram ".

(110) SrIman NaarAyaNan is the only UpAyam
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Our AchAryAs have stored the esoteric meanings of the three Rahasyams (RahasyArTams) without giving them away as upadEsams to the unqualified seekers . When sishyAs like us approach the AchAryAs with reverence and pray for these upadEsams , they bless us copiously with these rahasya arTams. They do this not because they want their fame to be spread or
for amassing wealth for themselves but out of their compassion for us just as the mother cow KaamadhEnu gives copious milk to her calf happily .

AchAryas are saluted here as " Kaakkum karutthudai Desikar " (AchAryAs who wish to keep rahasyArTams as Rahasyams so that they do not fall in the hands of the unfit). " nammai kanRu yena yeNNi surakkum suravikaL pOl soll amudhu sorihinranar " ( When we approach them with earnestness and reverence , they shower us with the esoteric meanings of the rahasyams just as KaamadhEnu pours forth milk out of Her full udders for her little one ). The AchAryAs do not shower these blessings for gaining money or for advancing their fame ( Ivai eenthAl parakkum puhazh varum , paimporuL vaaytthidum yenRu iyampAr).

111) The granting of Abahyam by Lord Raamchandra
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In this Paasuram , Swamy Desikan covers the famous slOkam found in SrImath RaamAyaNam enshrined as the direct words of Lord Raamachandra:

SakruthEva PrapannAya tavAsmeethi cha yAchathE
ABhAYAM SARVA-BHUTHEBHYO dAdhAmyEthath vratham Mama

When accepting the plea for SaraNAgathy from VibhIshaNan , our Lord expressed His thoughts this way: " I will grant the boon of freedom from fear of every kind for all janthus , once they seek My protectioneven once and declare that they are My Daasans .This is Vedam, Smruthi , SadaachAram and my thoughts . My offer ofAbhaya PradhAnam to prapannAs is the vow that I practise at all times ". Swamy Desikan states in this Paasuram that his mind has become tranquil as a result of the reflections over the firmness of the Lord's assurance in the charama slOkam to grant us freedom from fear.

The key passage of this Paasuram is " NeRi uraitthAr nilai uNarnthu nilai peRROm " (Our mind is tranquil after knowing the firmness of purpose of the Lord , who instructed us on His SaraNAgatha RakshaNa vratham).

112) Determination not to seek lower (alpa, asTira) Phalans
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It is worldly matter for the animals to reject gold found in the fields
and go after their own food (viz) ., the blades of grass. On the other hand , the kings will collect that gold with relish and ignore the grass. Similarly , the insignificant people , who have no idea about the glories of the Lord's sacred feet , will run after the evanescent and valueless phalans. There is no loss to us from such behavior by the deluded. We have chosen the holy feet of the Lord for our protection . He stands to protect us all , who sought His feet for their rakshaNam and is ready to grant them that boon of protection.

The key passage of this Paasuram is: " Tannai adainthida Taann aruL seyyum TanicchilayOn ponn adi nAmm adainthOm ; aarr puRam seythidin yenn koll ? "(When our Lord with His Unique bow of KodhaNdam stands there to grant us SaraNAgathy , what do we care about those ,who do not seek the Lord's anugraham? We have chosen the beautiful feet of Lord Raamachandra as our protection).

113) Prapatthi's help to other Yogams
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Our merciful AchAryAs , who fully understand the meanings of Veda-VedAnthams reveal to us the Svaroopams of Karma , Jn~Ana and Bhakthi yOgams. When one follows any one of the above three yOgams and yet find it difficult to practise some of their requirements , the practise of Prapatthi would overcome those deficiencies in fulfilling the total requirements of all the other Yogams as means to Moksham.Thus Prapatthi yOgam has the power to accomplish all Phalans. Please recognize Prapatthi's unique power to stand on its own to grant all phalans through developing a clear understanding of the meaning of PraNavam.

114) The legendary forbearance of Lord Raamachandran
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Kaakusura SaraNagathy is the topic of this Paasuram.

When KaakAsuran committed a major offense againt SitA PirAtti , Lord Raamachandra sent a BrahmAsthram against him to destroy him . The asuran was chased by the powerful asthram and circled the universe and begged the gods to save him from the power of that asthram . The sages and DEvAs were appaled at his offense and chased him away. After circling the universe without no one to help him , the asuran was exhausted and fell at the feet of Lord Raamachandra and begged for the gift of life . Our Lord who has taken the vow to protect anyone , who sought His protection branded the asuran by taking one of his eyes away since the power of His asthram could not be diminished. The Kaimkaryam to this most generous Lord is the Life's goal (PurushArTam). To secure that goal , the grace of the Lord that is influenced by the performance of Prapatthi on our part. The AchAryAs instructed us on the inner meanings of SaraNAgathy. May we enjoy the bliss of staying at the shade of those AchAryA's Thiruvadi !

The upadEsam from this Paasuram is that our Lord will protect us even if we are aparAdhis as long as we surrender at His feet as the helpless ones. KaakAsura SaraNAgathy is given as an example for the Lord's forbearance.

We will now enjoy the Four Paasurams of Amrutha SvAdhini Prabhandham . These Desika Prabhandha Paasurams (115-118) deal with the ChillaRai Rahasyam of Rahasya SikhAmaNi elaborating VarAha Charama SlOkam .

Previous detailed postings on this SrI Sookthi of Rahasya SikhAmaNi and Varaha PurANam by adiyEn pertinent to this posting are archived at :

http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/july98/0166.html

http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/july98/0167.html

http://www.ibiblio.org/Sripedia

/oppiliappan/archives/thiruvahindrapuram/msg00012.html

115) The UpadEsam of VarAha NayinAr to BhUmi DEvi
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(meaning): Once upon a time, Bhumi DEvi felt sad about the ordinary jeevans without Jn~Anam and sakthi being tossed about in SamsAric ocean because of their inability to practise the difficult upAyam of Bhakthi Yogam. As the most merciful Mother of these poor jeevans as well , She wanted to lift them up from their SamsAric sufferings. She begged Her Lord , Varaha NayinAr to perform an upadEsam for the benefit of these suffering Jeevans.The compassionate Lord responded and revealed the easy way of performing Prapatthi to Him through two slOkams , which would serve as the easy upAyam for Moksham. Our AchAryAs assessed that these two VarAha Charama slOkams are just right for us and instructed us on them . We recieved visEsha Jn~Anam from these two slOkams and benefitted .

The key passage of this Paasuram is: " Aadhi VarAham uraittha gathy aRivAr poruttham teLinthu uraikka poy ilA mathi peRRanam" (We are blessed with the imperishable Jn~Anam from our AchAryAs , who knew the svaroopam of the two Charama slOkams bequeathed to us by Aadhi VarAha PerumAL and concluded that these charama slOkams are the best upAyam for us to gain Moksham easily).

116) The Meaning of the VarAha Charama SlOkam
*********************************************

The Entire Universe is My body (SarIram). I have neither birth or death .
When one performs SaraNAgathy to Me with the firm belief that I am His everlasting support , I rush to his side at the time of his death even if he has no control over his senses and remains like a log or stone. I lead him then to My Supreme abode via archirAdhi mArgam (path of light) to perform nithya kaimkaryam to Me there . Swamy Desikan says that his ajn~Anam was destroyed from the comprehension of the depth of assurance housed in the Lord's (Aadhi Varaahan"s) Charama slOkam .

The two VarAha Charama SlOkams are:

sTithE manasi susvasTE sarIrE sati yO nara:
dhAthusAmyE sTithE smarthA visvaroopam cha mAmajam

tatastham mriyamANam thu kAshtA-pAshANa sannibham
Aham smarAmi Madhbhaktham nayAmi ParamAm gathim

117) The release of KarmAs for Prapannan during the time of Mukthi
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We clearly understood the meanings of the two Charama slOkams of Aadhi Varaaha PerumAL , whose promise never fails. Through His grace , we securely held on to His feet as UpAyam and Phalan . In this Karma lOkam , after the performanc eof Prapatthi tot he Lord , the Jn~Anam that stayed inside us in a shrunken state has transformed and has released most of our KarmAs before it could reach its full blossom during the state of Mukthi . The residual karmAs are at the miniscule level that is just sufficient to get us to the Lord's abode at the end of this life. What a miracle this is !

In the Karma BhUmi, Dharma BhUtha Jn~Anam is in a shrunken state due to our karmAs and therefore does not comprehend every thing. Once Mukthi is attained , that Jn~Anam blossoms fully to permit the clear understanding of every thing.

Upanishads point out that in a state of Mukthi , the PuNya-Paapams of the Jeevan have to leave him . The PuNyams go to his friends and the Paapams reach his VirOdhis (enemies).

118) Word of Comfort to those , who fear Death
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Oh ChEthanams ! Is it n't true that a large mountain that we consider as having eternal existence shatters to pieces one day ? Even if You know this to be a fact, You are deluded to think that Your body is permanent. You hate death even after the signs of aging ( folds in skin , graying of the hair) set in . There is a way though to banish your ajn~Anam. That is the Charama slOkam blessed by the most merciful Aadhi VarAha PerumAL dealing with Prapatthi at His feet as the UpAyam . May You all be uplifted by that thought !

The key passage of this Paasuram is : " alayum kadal koNDa vayaam aLitthavan mey aruLE nilai yenRu naadi nilai ninRa poy mathi neekumin!" ( Aadhi VarAha PerumAl lifted the BhU MaNDalam from the fierce flood waters of deluge . His charama slOkam dealing with Prapatthi as the upAyam arose out of His true KrupA . Please recognize that Prapatthi is the true UpAyam for Moksham and banish thoroughly the deep rooted ajn~Anam , which has been with You for a very long time).

We will now enjoy the Four Paasurams of Amrutha SvAdhini Prabhandham. These Desika Prabhandha Paasurams (119-122) deal with the ChillaRai Rahasyams of Anjali Vaibhavam (Paasuram 119) and PradhAna Sathakam (Paasurams 120-122).

Previous detailed postings on these two SrI Sookthi by adiyEn pertinent to these postings are archived at :

http:// www.sriviashnava.org/sgati

PradhAna Sathakam ( Volumes 1 & 2 : Parts 1-15
posted over June 30, 1998 to May 7, 2000)

http://www.Ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/oct2000/0198.html

Anjali Vaibhaavam
*****************

119) The Glory (Vaibhavam ) of Anjali to the Lord
*************************************************

Swamy Alavanthaar has instructed us in one of the SthOthra Rathna slOkam that the power of Anjali to the Lord (mudhrA of Palms joined together in front of the Lord) has limitless power and glory . Such an anjali gesture offering salutations to the Lord's sacred feet melts the heart of the Lord (amm+ jalayathi) like a sugar cube dipped in water. The Lord's joy on seeing this anjali mudhrai from the chEthanam is boundless. Our Lord recognizes this anjali mudhrai as the symbol of cessation of action on the part of the Prapannan indicating that he is not going to engage in any action to protect himself anymore and that he has entrusted all that burden to the Lord in his helpless state. Swamy Desikan says he is of the firm opinion that the anjali-based sidhdAntham (Prapatthi) is the most fruitful one to gain MOksham. Therefore , he says that he defeated the incorrect disputations of all, who were against Prapathti mArgam and is displaying his anjali mudhrA before the Lord.

The 28th SthOthra Rathna SlOkam that stimulated Swamy Desikan to create the sacred text of Anjali Vaibhavam is :

Thvadhangrim uddhisya kadhApi kEnachith
yaTA taTA vaa-api sakruth kruthOnjali:
tadhaiva mushNAthi asubhAnyasEshata :
SubhAni pushNAthi na jAthu heeyathE

We have to remember Swamy NammAzwAr's upadEsam for us about the anjali to the Lord :

" dEsamAna aNikalam yenn kai koopu seyhayE"

120) Adopting only the superior doctrines (MukhyamAna PoruLkaLayE koLLal)
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This and the next two Paasurams are a summary of the 100 upadEsams of Swamy Desikan as an AchAryan regarding what is PradhAnam among the observances and doctrines. In this set of three Paasurams , some examples are given from the source grantham (CHillaRai Rahasyam) of PradhAna Sathakam.

Among all the rivers that flow in the world , the Ganga river that flowed from the holy feet of the Lord during His incvarnation as Thrivikraman is the most sacred . Among all the seven kinds of Oceans , the Milky ocean , where the divine consort of the Lord incarnated is the holiest one. Among all kinds of conches , the one that stays on His hand , Paanchajanyam , is the most exalted in sacredness. None of the fragrant flower garlands can approach the glory of the TuLasi Maalai adorned by the Lord with relish in holiness. Among all the Saasthrams of the world, Swamy NammAzhwAr's (the Master of the Prapanna kulam) isthe most superior and therefore we follow the path laid out by him in his divine works (SrI Sookthis) with total faith in them .

121) Our Lord Himself incarnates as AchAryan to protect us
**********************************************************

The most merciful SarvEswaran incarnates in the form of AchAryAs to remove our ajn~Anam and to help us cross over the ocean of SamsAram by acting as a sEthu (dam) across that ocean. Knowing therfore that the bhOgams (pleasures) offered by the short-lived dEvAs like Indhran and Beahma as perishable (evanescent) , we have banished our desire such pleasures . As PrapannAs , who are we indebted to from here on ? It is only SarwEswaran to whom we are bound to. SarwEsWaran and ourselves are bound mutually to one another forever . We instructed thse truisms to all , who approached us for upadEsam.

122) The Superiority and Inferiority among objects(Vasthus)
***********************************************************

All the gems in the world can not match the glory of the Kousthubha gem that the Lord brought out the milky ocean while churning for nectar and is wearing on His chest. All the sacred places on this earth like Kaasi
Will not approach the glory of Kaanchipura KshEthram, where the dark rain cloud drenching us with Mercy known as Lord VaradarAjan presides . All the Sruthis, Smruthis and PurANam made available to us through the pure-minded sages will not equal in glory the SrI Sookthis of Swamy NammAzhwAr adored by our Lord Himself. Oh AasthIkAs ! Please enjoy these treasures stored and bequeathed to us by our ancestors (PoorvAchAryAs ) that are the topic of PradhAna Sathakam and comprehend clearly their meanings for Your upliftment and use them as Your lamp for the journey to Moksham .

We will now enjoy three more Paasurams of Amrutha SvAdhini Prabhandham. These Desika Prabhandha Paasurams (123-125) deal with the 25th among the 32 ChillaRai Rahasyams (Viz).,UpakAra Sangraham .

VidvAn Dr. Ananatha NarasimhachAr Swamy of SrIrangam has brilliantly summarized this SrI Sookthi (UpakAra Sangraam) of Swamy Desikan in SaraNAgathy journal in 5 separate postings:

http://www.srivaishnava.org/sgati

Volume 2.3 ( 22 Jan 1999) to Volume 3.01 ( 12 April ,2000).

Bhagavan's 40 upakArams to the JeevAthmA are covered in SrI U.Ve. Anantha NarasimAchAr Swamy 's essay . Please refer to them .

123) EmperumAn's MahOpakArams
*****************************

As the children and adiyArs of EmperumAn , all of us have the right to enjoy Moksha Sukham . Our Lord blesses all of His children with Svaroopam and Dharma BhUtha Jn~Anam and protects us this way always . Further , He directs us towards His SadAchAryans so that we do not drown in the ocean of SamsAram due to previous karma vaasanais ; further , He helps us to perform Prapatthi to Him through the SadAchAryAs after understanding rahasyArTams from them . After that , He waits impatiently for us , the PrapannAs to join Him at SrI Vaikuntam at the end of our life on earth and to perform nithya kaimakryam for Him there. We prostrate before this Lord , who renders such great upakArams for us and stands as the protective Father . We are blessed to know about the power of the holy feet ( Thiruvadi ) of our Lord through the SrI Sookthis of Swamy NammAzhwAr , who is our caring Mother.

The key passage is : " Desikar tamm munnE sErtthu , Manthiramum
Manthiratthin vazhiyum kAtti , vazhippadutthi , vAnn yERRi ,
adimai koLLa , Tanthai yena ninRa tanit-ThirumAl tALil
SatakOpan aruLinAl talai vaitthOm "

Prior to uniting us with His DesikAs (AchAryAs) , our Lord renders important UpakAram to us , who are entitled to enjoy the ParamAnandham of Moksha Sukham (anthamilA pErinbham aruntha yERkkum adiyOmai) as His children . He protects us next with the anugraham of Dharma bhUtha Jn~Anam ( yenRum aRivudanE kAtthu). After that , He makes sure that we do not get affected by our previous karmAs and their influences (Yemmai munthai nirai vinai vazhiyil ozhuhAthu Kaatthu). After taking care of all these upakArams , He unites us with His AchAryAs to let them take over from there .

AchAryAs perform three more upakArams for us at the behest of their Lord : (1) upadEsam on the AshtAksharam and the other two manthrams (2) Instruction on their meanings focused on Prapatthi mArgam and (3) performance by us of that Prapatthi upAyam at the sacred feet of the Lord for ascending to SrI Vaikuntam ,where He stands as our Father to receive our nithya kaimkaryams ( Vaan yERRi adimai koLLa , Tanthai yena ninRa Tanit-ThirumAl tALil talai vaitthOm ). All of this happened due to the grace of the first AchAryA of the Lord on this earth , Swamy NammAzhwAr ( ThirumAl tALil SatakOpam aruLinAl talai vaitthOm ).

124) Comprehending the Svaroopam of the Jeevan
**********************************************

If JeevAthmA were to know about some thing other than itself , it can only know about it only through its GuNam of DHARMA BhUtha Jn~Anam.The Jeevan is described as DHARMI BhUtha Jn~Anam since Jeevan is also Jn~Ana Svaroopan . When JeevAthmA wishes to learn about itself , he does not need the help of DHARMA BhUtha Jn~Anam . Jeevan is appearing as a well defined entity.This nature of existence is known as Svayam PrakAsathvam. Jeevan gains for itself the phalan from its appearance .This attribute is known as PraTyakthvam. Just as the Sun's lustre does not ever part from Him , the DHARMA BhUtha Jn~Ana guNam of the Jeevan does not ever disassociate from the Jeevan .Therefore , the Jeevan can recognize itslf without the help of the DHAMA BhUtha Jn~Anam. Our doctrines state that DHARMA BhUtha Jn~Anam is essential to understand the atomic size and the eternal nature of the Jeevan. Since DHARMA BhUtha Jn~Anam does not have its own chith (aRivu), it is classified as achEthanam (insentient category). Only when DHARMA BhUtha Jn~Anam is applied towards the Lord , Jeevan can be uplifted (Ujjeevanam) . For that to happen , one needs Saasthra Jn~Anam. When one gains Saasthra Jn~Anam , Jeevan develops the visEsha Jn~Anam that (1) it is different from the achEthanams and that (2) it (Jeevan) is the eternal servant of the Lord. This Saasthra Jn~Anam is blessed by the Lord Himself through His SaasthrAs .

This is a difficult paasuram to understand on first reading. Swamy Desikan describes the relation between Jevan and Dharma BhUtha Jn~Anam as being similar to that between the radiant Sun and its lustre . Dharma BhUtha Jn~Anam is a guNam of Jeevan and it is directed towards
the Lord to recognize that Jeevan is totally different from the achEthana dravyams.The application of the Dharma BhUtha Jn~Ana GuNam towards the Lord also lets the Jeevan gain the visEsha Jn~Anam of its eternal dependence on the Lord as the Iswaran (Its unconditional Master) .

125) The Limitlessness of the UpakAram of The Lord
**************************************************

Lord VaradarAjan intends to protect us from our sinful deeds that land us residence in many kinds of wombs ; when our good fortune (Bhagyam) is ripe , He blesses us to approach the sacred feet of a SadAchAryan. Afterwards, He moves us towards the performance of SaraNAgathy as an upAyam and at the end of earthly life leads us to His Supreme abode with the help of AdhivAhikAs populating the ArchirAdhi mArgam (the path of Light). At His Supreme abode, He blesses us to enjoy ParipoorNa BrahmAnandham and perform, Nithya Kaimkaryam to Him . Who can really measure these limitless help of our Lord to us ? It is impossible for anyone to succeed in such an effort .

The key passage of this Paasuram is: " AzhiyAtha AruL Aazhip-PerumAn seyyum antham ilA udhavi yellAm aLappAr Yaar ? ". ( Who indeed can venture to count the limitless upakAram rendered to us by the Eternal and the Most Merciful Lord ? Indeed any one's attempt to engage in this
effort would be futile).

The details on the ArchirAdhi Maargam and AadhivAhikAs are covered in the 67th Desika Prabhandha Paasuram.

We will now enjoy Four more Paasurams of Amrutha SvAdhini Prabhandham. These Desika Prabhandha Paasurams (126-129) deal with the two ChillaRai Rahasyams of Saara Sangraham (Paasuram 126) and VirOdha ParihAram (Paasurams 127-129).

Saara Sangraham
***************

This Rahasyam instructs us on the essential topics that a Mumukshu (One desiring Moksham) should be clear about . Some of these are:

(1) The need for ParamiakAnthis to reject those who seek lesser gods for insignificant phalans (2) Three Tatthvams (3) Three Rahasyams (4) the guNams of Prakruthi (5) The anantha kalyANa guNams of BhagavAn (6) The relationship between Jeevan and BhagavAn (7) The UpAyams of Bhakthi and Prapatthi for Moksham (8) Ultimate goal of Life/ PurushArTam (9) The Duties of AchAryan , Iswaran and Sishyan (10) The fruits of the conviction that the Jeevan is the sEshan (Servant /liege) for the Sarva sEshi (Master of All).

Swamy Desikan distills the essence of Saara Sangraham in one powerful Paasuram dealing with SaraNAgathy Tatthvam . This Paasuram is recited by SrI VaishNavAs daily since it is a fantastic summary of SaraNAgathy with its five angams. The 341st Desika Prabhandham describes the details about the five angams of SaraNAgathy.

Line by Line Meaning of 126th Paasuram
**************************************

(1) The first line of the Paasuram consisting of eight lines deals with the angam of KaarPaNyam:

" ninnaruLAm gathi anRi maRRu onRu illEn "

Oh Lord ! I do not have any recourse (gathi) other than Your aruL (Krupai) .

(2) The second line deals with PrAthikoolya Varjanam ( the vow to discard acts that go against the Saasthrams of BhagavAn ):

" nedum kAlam pizhai seytha nilai kazhinthEn "

I have now arrived at the stage of freedom from the trespasses
made by me over aeons.

(3)The third line deals with Aanukoolya Sankalpam (Vow to engage only in those activiites that please the Lord).

" UnnaruLukku inithAna nilai uhanthEn "

I have sought the path of Prapatthi that will lead to gaining Your Krupai.

(4) The Fourth line relates to MahA ViswAsam (the Great Faith in the Lord as the unfailing Protector).

" Unn SaraNE SaraNN yennum thuNivu pooNDEn "

I developed total faith in Your sacred feet as my only protection.

(5 & 6) The 5th and the 6th lines cover gOpthruva VaraNam , the 4th angam of SaraNAgathy .

" ManniruLAi ninRa nilai yenakkut-teertthu
Vaanavar tamm vAzcchi tara varithEn Unnai "

I have chosen You as my Protector to banish this current state of my firm ajn~Anam and grant me the glorious life led by Nithya Sooris at Your Supreme Abode.

(7&8) The 7th and 8th lines of this Paasuram deal with the Aathma SamarpaNam.

" inn aruLAl ini yenakku ohr bharam yERRAmal
yenn ThirumAl adaikkalam koLL yennai NeeyE "

Oh My Master , SrIman NaarAyaNaa! Through Your abundant and sweet Krupai, please accept me as an object to be protected by You and free me from any foolish thought of protecting myself.

127) Gaining tranquility of Mind through Bhagavath Kaimkaryam
*************************************************************

Paasurams 127-129 summarize selected doctrines covered in the 27th chillaRai Rahasyam of VirOdha ParihAram dealing with the doubts that arise in the understanding of the three rahasyams by the Mumukshus. The Rahasyam is set in the form of Questions and answers to 108 doubts that cross the mind of the Mumukshus.

VirOdha ParihAram is organized along four topics: Moola ManthrAdhikAram, DhvayAdhikAram, Charama SlOkAdhikAram and NigamanAdhikAram. Swamy Desikan answers 80 possible doubts of a Mumukshu about Moola Manthram ; 10 doubts on Dhvyam , 10 sandEhams about Charama slOkam and 8 doubts about general matters are answered by
Swamy Desikan in VirOdha ParihAram.

( Meaning of the 127th Paasuram ) :The entire Vedam salute the glories of the sacred feet of the Lord . That Lord as PaarTasArathy used His Sudarsana chakram to bring in night during day time at Kuru KshEthram in the middle of BhAratha Yuddham . Periya Thiruvadi ( Garudan) and ThiruvananthAzhwAn (AadhisEshan), who are natural enemies , perform Kaimkaryam to His sacred feet with great devotion .This is VirOdha ParihAram in acrtion. Our Lord has given us the firmness of purpose to perform Kaimkaryam to His holy feet and has blessed us with His sacred feet worshipped by the Nithya sooris.

128) The Vaibhavam of AchArya RaamAnuja: Conversation between Two
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The converstion between two BhakthAs devoted to AchArya RaamAnujA sitting on the banks of a pond is the Question and answer format for this Paasuram .

(One): The Swan in this pond is sitting on the lotus flower but it does not taste the honey inside that flower .It does not imitate the gait of beautiful women, which it likes to do. It appears weak and famished. My friend ! What could be the reason ?

(Other): I know the answer. It is grief stricken over losing its pride.

(One): What could that be? What did it lose? Please explain.

(Other): Swans have the capacity to separate water from Milk. This Swan has lost that power, which makes it proud and hence it is sorrowful.

(One): That power was bequeathed to the Swans by Brahma Devan. Why would this Swan lose it ?

(Other): I will tell you why. Many deluded ones thinking that they were
experts in SaasthrAs came to debate RaamAnujA. Our AchAryan defeated them all in fair debates and roared that he will meet with any kudrushti , who wants to debate with him on the impeccable doctrines of VisishtAdvaitham. As a result of his many victories , AchArya RaamAnujA's fame spread like the white hue of conch. That fame with white color spread all over the world and made all matters that it came in to contact with a white hue . Thus all the waters of the world became white. As a result , there was no need anymore for the skills of the Swan to separate the water from the milk . This unique skill made the Swan until then proud became irrelevant . Now , the Swan is sad over loss of this fame. Blemishless indeed is the glory of RaamAnujA ! Hail to Him !

129) Inability to recieve the essential meanings from other Gods
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Saasthrams state that a SaamAnya adhikAri can obtain Jn~Anam from Lord Siva by pleasing Him with worship. Even if such an adhikAri gets abundant Jn~Anam form Lord SivA , they would still not have gained the quintessential meanings ( SaarArTams) of the Rahasyams. These SaarArTams can be acquired only through the UpadEsam route from SadAchAryAs , who have the BhAgyam of the auspicious glances of Lord KrishNa on them . We have learnt these SaarArTams from such blessed AchAryAs.

We will now enjoy Three more Paasurams of Amrutha SvAdhini Prabhandham. These Desika Prabhandha Paasurams (130-132) deal with the Chillari Rahasyam known as Muni Vaahana BhOgam saluting the Vaibhavam of ThiruppANa AazhwAr, who blessed us with His SrI Sookthi of AmalanAdhipirAn . With the 132nd Paasuram , the Desika Prabahndham of Amrutha SvAdhini is concluded .

130) State of never being separated from our Lord
*************************************************

It can be said that the Tamil Prabhandham of AmalanAdhipirAn blessed to us by ThiruppANAzhwAr houses the essence of Tamil Vedam (Dhivya Prabahndham ) inside it . Through this celebrated SrI Sookthi, we have comprehended the Lord as the protector of ALL (Sarva Rakshakan), indweller in ALL (SarvAntharyAmi) and the Cause for ALL (Sarva KaaraNan). We have now reached the status of the Gopis , who had limitless love for the Lord and are staying like the legendary Female AnRil bird , which never leaves the side of its male mate . We find ourselves in a state, where we do not need help form any one or any thing else except the Lord.

Swamy Desikan salutes the ten verses (Paadal Patthu) of ThiruppANar (PaaNN PerumAL) as the essence of Tamizh Vedam ( Tamizh maRayin payanE koNDa). We understood from reflections on these ten Paasurams of PaaNN PerumAL that the Lord is our protector (Kaavalan ) , Naayakan ( KaNavan and antharyAmi Brahmam ) and Cause for all ( KaaraNan ). After gaining this understanding ( ithu nAmm karutthu uRak-kaNDa pinn), we united with the Lord as the female AnRil bird with its male companion (sEvaludan piriyAtha pedai pOl sErnthOm). As a direct result , we got rid of the prior status of helplessness characterestric of those with bad karmAs ( thee vinayOr tanimai yellAm nAmm theernthOm ).

131) Reaching the level of VivEkam /Nishtai described by AmalanAdhipirAn
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SrIranaga VimAnam has the shape of PraNavam recited first at the commencement of VedAdhyayanam (PraNavAkAra VimAnam ). Inside that VimAnam is seen the dhivya mangaLa vigraham of the ocean of Mercy delighting the eyes of the devotees . We have secured those e ten pasurams sung about Lord RanganAtha sung by ThiruppANAzhwAr in a state of bliss as our recourse (gathi) for sustenance and support . We desired this Prabhandham as the one , which will confer on us the tranquility of mind and firmness of purpose for seeking Moksha gathi . These prabhandha pAsurams do not contain any yukthi vAdhams for critiquing the deficinet darsanams but are intended for those knowledgable about the svaroopams of the three Tatthvams . We strived to attain the nishtai celebrated in this Prabhandham .We state in this ChillaRai Rahasyam of Muni Vaahana BhOgam that the AmalanAdhipirAn Prabhandham is the seed for all the Phalans described by the VedAnthis.

132) Seeking a SadAchAryan for gaining VisEsha Jn~Anam
******************************************************

ThiruppANAzhwAr never saw any thing with his eyes or spoke any thing with his tongue EXCEPT Lord RanganAtha . We celebrate the ten paasurams
arising from ThiruppANar as the expressions of the boundless love he had for Lord RanganAtha as the essence of the timeless Vedaas . We stand with the title given to us as "VedAnthAchAryan " by the Lord Himself at this Karma BhUmi surrounded by the oceans , where we assemble to experience the phalans of our karmAs. Even if we have been the object of such a high praise and recognition by Lord RanganAtha , we have no ego and consider all these anugrahams as the direct result of the benovolent glances cast on us by our AchAryAs ; we will always stay in a state of seeking SadAchAryAs for upadEsams to develop more visEsha Jn~Anam .

" KaaNbanavum Uraippanavum maRRu onRu inRi KaNNanayE kaNDu uraitthavar PaaNN PerumAL " ( For ThiruppANar , what all he saw , experienced and spoke about was nothing but KaNNan ).

If we have to qualify ThiruppANAzhwAr , it will be by the title , KaNNanidam " kadiya Kaathal (koNDa) PaaNN PerumAL " ( the One who had intense prEmai for KaNNan ).

The Paasurams blessed by him are the quintessence of the ancient VedAs ( PaaNN PerumAL aruL seytha pAdal patthum Pazha maRayin poruL ).

In this world surrounded by the wide oceans and desired by all ( vENN periya
viri thirai neer VyatthuLLE ) , we have been blessed to adorn the title of VedAnthAchAryan by the Lord of SrIrangam Himself ( VyatthuLLE VedAntha Aariyan yenRu iyamba ninROm ). Because of this, we are not considering ourselves as great ( ithanAl , Naamm nANN PeriyOm ) and feel egotistic .We continue to seek the SadAchAryAs , who can perform upadEsams for us on the righteous and unrighteous matters and are convinced that they do exist to help us ( nanRum theethum namakku uraippAr uLar yenRu nAduvOm ) .

Swamy Desikan has blessed us with a detailed MaNipravALa ChillaRai Rahasyam with the name of " Parama Padha SopAnam " . This Desika Prabhandham carries the same name and has 21 Paasurams set in chaste Tamizh . It summarizes the content of the larger ManipravALa ChillaRai Rahasyam .

SopAnam means the steps of a ladder. One travels on the steps upwards to reach the rooms upstairs. Swamy Desikan has described the anubhavam of the Muktha Jevan travelling up via nine steps (sopAnams) to reach the highest sTAnam , Parama Padham of the Lord (SrI Vaikuntam) to perform nithya kaimakryam there to the Dhivya Dampatis.

These nine steps identified by Swamy Desikan are:

(1) Clear comprehension of the threee Tatthvams and their Svaroopams (2) becoming despondent over the SamsAric sorrows (3) Developing VairAgyam over worldly pleasures (4) Fearing the consequences of th sins accumulated (5) Performance of the Prapatthi UpAyam to gain Moksham (6) the Jeevan exiting from the physical body (7) Travel of the liberated Jeevan via archirAdhi mArgam (8) Reaching the dhivya lOkam of SrI Vaikuntam and (9) Enjoyment of ParipoorNa BrahmAnandham at SrI Vikuntam there in the company of the Dhivya Dampathis.

adiyEn's detailed postings on the MaNipravALa ChillaRia Rahasyam of Parama Padha sOpAnam are archived in the SaraNAgathy Journal through 7 seaprate postings :

http://www.Srivaishnava.org /sgati

Parts 1-7 on this grantham starting from the January 3 , 1997 to 30 May, 1998 are archived there .Please refer to them for details .

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan
Srimate Sri Laksminrisimha Divya Paduka Sevaka
SrivaNN Satakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

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