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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00215 Aug 2004

 
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SrI:
SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:

Dearest Srivaisnavas,

Thanks for your great inspiring words of encouragement
on adiyEn?s rambling called free translation. With all
my limitations if there is anything goodness found in
them, it is only due to the moving slokas and the
divine commentary by Sri UttamUr Swamy based on Swamy
desikan?s vyAkhAyanam and also touching on Sri Periya
Vacchaan Pillai?s vyAkhyAnam for the sthOthras. 

Let us continue to enjoy Alavandhar?s next sthOthram
called SthOthra Rathnam- meaning jewel among hymns.
Indeed, it is really a GEM, jewel among all sthOthrAs.
After completing the Chathussloki on the mahAthmyam of
Sri Mahalakshmi, Swamy ALavandhAr proceeded to compose
his tribute to Sri Hari. AlarmEl mangai and Sri Hari
are our God. Swamy Alavandhar has composed the four
slokas on PiraaTTi which we just enjoyed. Next
Alavandhar enjoys in great detail sthOthram on SrI
Hari. 

sthOtham means praising. i.e. mentioning, the
qualities, traits, attributes, deeds of someone who is
being praised correctly. But for PiraaTTi Mahalakshmi
and Sriman Narayanan, there can be no ?TRUE? praise in
the correct sense or true sense. If at all there is
any praise on others, on their glories, deeds, there
can be two issues: That ?others who are being praised?
need not have the qualities mentioned in such praises;
And all deed, qualities, acts, etc.. are all
Bhagawaan?s blessings on anyone and indeed, He is the
cause and reason behind such qualities found in
others. They are His adheenam. Their guNas, deeds are
His adheenam and hence even if done by others, it can
be meant to be performed by Him i.e. Sriman NarayaNan.
Thus all praises to others lead to Him only [as also
mentioned by GitAchAryan]

Even if someone thinks that he is not doing justice in
praising the Lord fully and if he feels bad that he
has not been able to cover the entire gamut of kalyANa
guNas, deeds of His, even then, what is so far
narrated by the person (who is praising) still and can
apply to only Sriman Narayanan and there is TRUTH in
such sthOthras (praises). Hence there can be no way
that the sthOthras are mere flattery in the case of
Sriman Narayanan and Sri Mahalakshmi and such a
statement holds good only for them. That alone is TRUE
sthOthras. Others are mere flatteries. nahi asathA
guNEna gathi thEna nudhirbhavathi.. says Sri
Ramanujacharya.

Such sthOthras, if explain the rarest, most
incomprehensible Vedas? essence and meanings in
sthothra form, then it is even grander and greater. In
addition, if it is meant to be talking to and telling
the Lord directly in soul stirring fasihion, it is
more divine and melting to the heart. Compiling the
most ineffable esoteric Upanishad statements in simple
verse style, and also enabling the reciter?s mind
focussing on the God in devotional and emotional
aspect as well, then the sthOthra deserves special
mention. Alavandhar?s sthothra rathnam falls perfectly
into this category. Only this stOthram falls into that
category in fullest sense. Hence it is addressed as
Gem among Hymns. There are many Acharyas being
inspired by this sthOthra, composed many such
sthOthras in same style; However, comparing those,
with this, still, this sthOthra is the Greatest. There
is no kaavyam (epic) that melts the heart like Srimad
Ramayana and there is no sthOthra that melts the heart
like this sthOthra Rathnam. SthOthra Rathnam has been
considered by our Poorvachacharyas as the sthOthram
that is matchless and peerless in moving one?s heart.
It has profound philosophical principles and yet it is
a moving appeal to the Lord and cries out for His
grace. This sthothram is a great lesson in the stages
that one has to go through to perform SaraNAgathi and
to become free of fear about SamsaarA. 

There are 65 verses in this sthothram. The number 65
is the sum of the letters contained in the three
rahasyams (AshtAksharam + Dwayam+ charama Slokam).
Therefore, Sthothra Ratnam is considered the essence
of Rahasya Trayam. i.e. Rahasya Traya Saaram. 

Alavandhar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Namo Narayana
dAsan



        
                
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