You are here: SriPedia - Oppiliappan - Archives - Sep 2005

Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00089 Sep 2005

 
Sep 2005 Indexes ( Date | Thread | Author )
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]


Title: Oppiliappan List Archive Nov 1996
 

Dear BhakthAs of Swamy NammAzhwAr :

The majestic renditon of Dayaa Sathakam by Sangeetha Kalanidhi
Srimathi Mani KrishNaswamy , the mother of our own dear
Sri Sudarshan of Kuwait was heard by me today  .. I am fortunate to
have received a copy of this exquistely rendered work of
Swami Desikan from another dear member of this group .

The musical scholarship of the artist trained by giants like
Mysore VasudevAchAr and Tiger VaradAchAr is astounding .
Her exemplary uccharaNam of the Sanskrit text
of Swami Desikan is a thrilling experience to hear . It was a moving
experience . The occasion also reminded me of the song of
ANNamAcharya about Thirumanjanam for Sri Alamelu MangA on
a SukramVaaram day. I thought I will continue today with
the AzhwAr's anubhavam of Dayaa of the Lord of Seven hills
on this Sukra Vaaram instead of roaming with Sri Ramachandra
in the depths of DaNdakAraNyam . We will therefore focus on
the first section of the fifth decad of Thiruvaimozhi in this posting .

I will start this posting with a slokam of the Ashta sloki of
ParAsara Bhattar , which is appropriate for the occasion .
This is the sixth verse of Ashta Sloki composed by Bhattar
to teach us the meaning of AshtAkshari :

IsAnAm jagadhAm adhIsa dhayithAm nityAnapAyAm sriyam
samsrithAsrayaNOchitAkila guNasyAngri harerAsrayE I
ishtopAyatayA sriyA cha sahithAyAthmEsvarAyArtayE
karthum dAsyamaseshamaprathihatham nityam tvaham nirmama : II

( Meaning ) : Sri Devi ( Lakshmi ) is the Empress ( Soverign
Goddess ) of ALL the worlds, as NarAyaNa is the Emperor. She is
the inseparable consort of His. We offer our prostrations at Her
lotus feet to empower ourselves to acquire the means of access
to the Lord's feet for our SaraNAgathi . May I be blessed always to
perform service devoid of ego to the Lord , who is the embodiment
of Dayaa. 

The hundred verses of the fifth decad is a gigantic celebration of
the Lord"s matchless and limitless Daya GuNam . Almost every subsection
of this decad brims with the mood of celebration of Lord's
AnukampA and KaruNA .

Section 5.1.1 ( kaiAr chakkaratthu yen karumANikkamE ) salutes the Lord's
magnanimous qualiy as Para Tantran ( who obeys the wishes of BhakthAs/
Yathoktha Kaari ) because of His daya for His devotees . Swami Desikan
describes His nature as that of a KaruNA paravasan , who is
overcome by His profound mercy to help the suffering ChetanAs .

MaNavALa Maamuni states in his 41st paasuram of Thiruvaimozhi
NuRRanthAdhi that the Lord out of His infinite compassion blesses
even those , who have not expressed genuine Bhakthi towards Him
(pOli Bhagavathars) , who pretend that they love him through the
practice of Kapata Bhakthi .Out of his infinite humility, AzhwAr
reveals that the Lord blessed him for expressing his
vyAjamAtra abhilaashai . AzhwAr says that he did not declare
proudly that he was the servant of the Lord , but he only said casually
that the Lord has accepted him as His servant . Even that was sufficient
for the Lord to bless him fully out of his infinite compassion . That vyAjam
(half-hearted pretext ) was sufficient for Him to rush to accept
him says the AzhwAr .The Lord's blessing of Prapatthi was
Nirhethukam (without any quid pro quo consideration ) ,
NirupAdhikam ( without any condition or clauses ) . This is so
because He is Nirapekshakan ( he does not want any return ) .
AzhwAr hints that the Lord thinks that this AyOgyan ( unfit one )
deserves the fruits of Prapatthi because he is unable to practise
the requisites of that effort . Such is His boundless Dayaa !

Parasara Bhattar intreprets NammAzhwAr's feelings expressed
in this section as follows : " I am a fraud, a liar. I am guilty of
soul-theft ( AatmaabahAram ) and thought that this soul is mine ,
where as it is His property . It is not possible for me to control
my desires, discipline my senses , to shake off my sorrow over
not realizing my mundane yearnings or to make a distinction between
the soul and the body .This lowliness, attachment to this perishable
body and weakness to do anything in the direction of Moksham
necessitates me to place myself as the object of your mercy totally.
That is what I said half-heartedly. He called me to His abode
fulfilling His assurance offered in His charama sloka. Such is
His Nirhethuka KrupA ! "

AzhwAr states in 5.1. 7 ( Amman AzhipirAn ) , that the Lord's love for
me(us) is the same irrespective of mine(ours) being feigned or true.
" yemmA pAviyarkum vidhi vAykkinru vAykkum kandeer ". AzhwAr says that
he sat in a corner , raised his hands in false spirit of pathos and cried
" O Lord ! You came rushing to save an elephant in distress! Do n'"t You
know how much I suffer ? " That was all I did . He took it seriously
as a true complaint , came and rescued me. Now my love has become
true love as a result of His Nirhethuka Dayaa. It is clear that His love for
me is the same irrespective of mine being feigned or not. He is the supreme
Lord. I am the smallest, the most despicable . If his limitless Dayaa
can be extended to me even, then I can attest that any sinner , even
the WORST can reap my Lord's AnukampA .

In 5.1.9 , Azhwaar describes his condition and the extraordinary grace of
the Lord to come to his rescue in his hour of need . Azhwaar says :
" aavaa yenru aruL seythu adiyEnodumAnAnE ". Sri V.N. Vedantha Desikan
translates this Paasuram this way : " I recall the time . I was helpless.
It was very much like the plight of a ship caught in a strong cyclone and
totally helpless to reach the shore safely . --Just at that time , He came with
His divine charm and effulgence , the chakrA and SankhA , with overflowing
mercy for me. He took me into His fold. I enjoy His company as any one in His heavenly paraphernalia. What a great Mercy ? Now His merger with me is
a FAIT ACCOMPLI ."

AzhwAr goes on to say in the next verse that he learnt that it was NOT
his effort that secured the happy union between the Lord and him ; rather
it was His special effort . AzhwAr says that that the Lord seems to exult
over the thought that all His efforts have now been fructified and AzhwAr
has become His own . AzhwAr confides that he has detected a distinct
glow in the Lord's face over His achievement .

Thus ends the the first ten Thirumozhis of decad 5.

AzhwAr ThiruvadigalE saraNam

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan

 
Please support the Thiruvaheendhrapuram MahA Mantapa
Kaimkaryam and contact Sriman SOundararajan Desikan Swamy :
 













YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS





[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index ] [Thread Index ] [Author Index ]
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
oppiliappan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to the list