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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00154 Oct 2003

 
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SrI:
SrImathE Nigamantha Mahadesikaya namah:
SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |
vedAntAcArya-varyo me sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||

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

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

Let us begin to enjoy the sthOthra granthas of Swamy Desikan [in 
alphabetical order]
Thus the first comes is ABHEETHI STHAVAM- [we had already seen few glimpses 
about this sloka in Swamy's life history].

Abeeti-stava is a stotra in twenty-nine verses which prays to Lord Sri 
Ranganatha of Srirangam to dispel all the fears of the world and bestow 
knowledge, devotion and happiness on all. There is a historical background 
for this stotra. In the 14th centuary  A.D there was an invasion of 
Srirangam by the muslims from the north for taking away all  the valuable 
things in the temples in the South, gem set golden jewels of the Lord and 
vessels of gold and silver used in the worship of the deities. The invading 
army was strong and big. The residents of Srirangam were weak and less in 
number. So all the leading Acharyas met, discussed and decided to take the 
Lord to some other place away from Srirangam, leave the doors of the 
treasure-rooms locked and raise a strong wall before the Sanctum Sanctorum 
for protecting the Lord of the sleeping Beauty. Some devout Acharyas 
escorted the palanquin in which the idols were kept screened and which was 
carried southward. Some Acharyas moved courageously northward in order to 
arrest the swift march of the invading army unmindful of the risk for their 
lives. A few remained in the city itself in its suburbs to protect the 
temple if the could. Sri Vedanta Desika who was very much attached to 
Srirangam and Lord Ranganatha , was advised to leave the city and go 
northward and save himself to work for the expulsion of the invading army 
and for the re-installation of the Lord in the temple by his psychic powers 
and devotion and prayer. The aged Pillailokacharya with followers moved 
southward by solitary paths and stray villages- with the Lord. Swami Desika 
after a long and painful journey reached a remote village, Satyakaalam by 
name, near (Kollegal) in the Mysore State (modern Karnataka). There he 
stayed for several years leading a strenuous life in deep meditation on the 
Lord and prayer for the safety of Srirangam and the re installation of the 
Lord Ranganatha. It was in that lonely village on the bank of a flowing 
river at the foot of a pair of Asvatta trees that he observed the daily 
rites and carried on his meditation. There he composed the Abheetistava and 
almost made a penance reciting the stotra for nearly four decades. It is 
recorded that in Gingee, Gopanarya, a chief stain of Ginjee drove the 
marauders from Srirangam and re-installed Sri Ranganatha and His consorts in 
the temple. Hearing the happy and heartening news Swami Desika rushed back 
to Srinangam to worship the Lord of his heart and spend his last days at the 
feet of the Lord.

The Stotra begins with the praise of the Lord and his auspicious qualities 
and prays for the protection of those who worship him and recite his names 
(1-10). Then a prayer is made for relief from all fears that affect human 
beings-fear from wife, son or kinsmen, fear from bodily infirmities and from 
worldly objects good and bad; as well as fear from hell or heaven (11-18).

The last section (verses 19 to 27) makes a fervent prayer to the Lord that 
He must save all the shrines and gods installed there and the poor residents 
living there. In about half the number of slokas in the stotra there in 
mention of fear and freedom from it. In sloka 22 there is only casual 
mention of the sack of Srirangam by Turushkas and Yavanas (muslims and 
foreigners) though it was the main cause for the composition of the stotra.

The Slokas contain all the essential doctrines of our Srivaishnava 
Sampradaya, a knowledge of which will dispel the fear of ignorance and 
attachment for worldly pleasures. Another peculiar feature of Abheeti-stava 
is that it contains the four carama slokas which describe the value of 
Saranagati in Srivaishnavism-the Varaaha carama, Rama-carama, Geeta-carama 
and Sita-carama.

Sloka 6 (Sthite manasi vigrahe) reproduces to a great extent the words 
phrases and thoughts of Varaha-carama which is spoken to Bhoomi Devi as she 
is rescued from the Patala-loka and brought back.

Shite manasi susvasthe .......nayaami paramaam gatim.
     (Varaaha-carama in Varaaha Purana)

  Sloka 15 (Saktst-prapadana-sprsaam abhaya-daananitya-vratee) contains the 
important words of Rama-carama in which Sri Rama proclaims his vow to 
protect those who seek refuge in Him, while offering refuge to Vibhishana 
brushing aside the opposing arguments of Sugriva and others.

Sakrt eva prapannaaya .........dadaami etat vtatam Mama
                        (Ramayana Yuddhakanda 18.33)
    Sloka 5 (Bhavantam iha yah) by the words ? Kvacana tasya nasayaat bhayam 
echoes the sentiments of Gita carama addresses to Arjuna by Sri Krishna.

Sarva-dharman parityajya ...........maa sucha

  Sloka 10 in the words ?Apathya-parihaara-dheevimukham?..avati vatsalaa 
Tvad-dayaa? reminds us the offer of protection to the Rakshasa maidens by 
Sita when Hanuman sought permission from Sita to punish the Rakshasees after 
Ravana?s death for their ill-treatment of Sita.

Paapaanaam vaa subhaanaam vaa vadhaarhaanaam plavangama
Karyam karunam saryena na kascit na apradhyati
                                   (Ram Yudha kanda 116.44)

    In sloka 19 Sri Vedanta Desika mentions with respect the names of 
Prahalada and the crow (Kaakaasura) Gajendra and Draupadi, Vibhishiana and a 
serpent, Gopa Damsels and Ambarrisha all of whom got rid of their fear by 
seeking refuge at the feet of the Lord. He prays that he and his associates 
also should have their fear dispelled at once by the Grace of Sri 
Ranganatha.
      The last two slokas (28&29) are almost auto biographic to certain 
extent and conclude with a moving appeal to the Lord to grant his life-long 
longings as follows:

      ?O Lord! My youth was spent in the full enjoyment of the pleasures 
with delectable Bharati (words) in the compositions of Sri Ramanuja, the 
foremost amongst ascetic as. The hairs have grown grey on the head and I 
submit what I can do now. Be pleased to keep me in some sacred place like 
Srirangam where there will be no occasion for coming across an enemy and I 
will be in the company of pious souls who always pray for mutual benefit.

      His advice in the last sloka is; ?Read this sacred hymn of Lord 
Ranganatha which has sprung from the well known Sri Venkatesa by the 
merciful glance of learned preceptors.

The all compassionate Lord Kesava (Ranganatha) will offer protection with 
all the innumerable auspicious qualities of His and says ?Get rid of your 
fear. May you have all prosperity?.
[From the Life and works of Sri Nigamantha Mahadesikan- by  Prof Sri A 
Srinivasaraghavan]

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Namo narayana
dAsan
kavi-tArkika-simhAya kalyANa-guNa-SAline |
Srimate venkateSAya vedAntagurave namaH ||

Salutations to Sri Venkatesa, in whom all perfections reside, who is the 
teacher of Vedanta and the lion among poets and debaters

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