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SrI:

Dear Swamy  Desika BhakthAs:

The next few postings will be on Parama Padha SopAnam .

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 .

Taniyans for Parama Padha SopAnam
*****************************
There are two Sanskrit Taniyans and one Tamil Taniyan
for this Desika Prabhandham . Let us study them .

The first Sanskrit Taniyan
*********************
vyAjikruthya vimukthi-soudha-padahvaI - sOpAna-sadhvarNanam
  SarIrArNava-rathnajAtham-iha ya: prAchIkasath sarvasa:
Tasmin thishtathi VenkatEswara-kavou SrIbhAshyakArOpamE
  yamm kanchith purusham hyAupAsithumayE mAgA mana: svasthi tE

(Meaning ): Oh My Mind ! When the great poet and logician ,
SrI VenkatEsa Kavi resembling SrI BhAshyakArar shines with
all his glories , why would you need to worship simple souls of
inconsequentail achievements ? Please do not go anywehre else .
May all auspiciousness come your way ! Swamy  Desikan used as
an excuse , the  description of  the nine steps to ascend Parama
Padham , to bless us on this earth with the entire assembly of gems
from the ocean of VedAntha Saaram .Oh My Mind !  SeerAr ThUppul
ThiruvEngadamudayAn ThiruvadakalE SaraNam yena ninai .

Comments on the Taniyan
********************
Swamy  Desikan's creation of this Prabhandham is saluted as
Sadh-varNanam ( the Description of the auspicious subject ) of
the steps to climb to reach SrI Vaikuntam . The author of the Taniyan states
that Swamy Desikan used that Sadh-varNanam as an excuse ( VyAjeekruthya)
to shed the light  on the splendour of the assembly of gems collected from
the ocean-like , vast VedAntha Saasthrams  for the benefit of
the residents of BhUlOkam ( iha SareerArNava-rathna-jAtham
sarvasa: prAchIkasath ). The author salutes Swamy  Desikan as
equivalent to SrI BhAshyakArar in his MahOpakAram
to chEthanams (Tasmin BhAshyakArOpamE VenkatEsa Kavou ).
While this MahA Desikan is available , Oh my  mind , do not seek
any insubstantial people for adoration ( VenkatEsa Kavou thishtathi ,
yamm kanchith purusham hi upAsithum maa gaa: ). If you were to follow
this suggestion  , all auspiciousness will come your way ( tE Svasthi: ).

The Second Sanskrit Taniyan
************************
Tasmai NamOastu GuravE thAdhrusa-vibhavAya VenkatEsAya
prAvarthayath janAnAm Bhoomou Paramapadha-harmya-sOpAnam

(meaning): May our salutations be to SrI VenkatEsa Guru of such
well known Vaibhavam ! He is the compassionate one , who revealed
the nine steps to ascend to the upper lokam of SrI Viakuntam to enjoy
ParipoorNa BrahmAnandham there by us .

The Tamil Taniyan
****************
tEn yERu thAmaRayAL ThirumArbhan-tann
 thiNN aruLAl Avan adiyil vivEham peRRu
inghu oonERu bhavakkuzhiyai veRuthathaR-pin
 oor viratthiyudan vinayin thiraLukku anjik-
koon yERu piRai iRayOn sApam theertthAn
 kurai kazhalE saraN adainthu kurambai vittu
vAnERum vazhip-padikaL adaivE kaNda
 VaNN pukazh ThUppul VaLLal aruL peRROmE

(meaning ): Due to the never failing and powerful  grace of the Lord
with the lotus-abode divine Consort , MahA Lakshmi in His
VakshasTalam  , we attained the discriminating intellect (vivEkam )
about the auspicousness of His Sacred feet . We gained true Jn~Anam
and VairAgyam to empower us to reject the deep and dangerous
ditch of SamsAram. After that , we trembled with fear about the limitless
bundles of sins that were weighing us down and sought the protective
Thiruvadi of  our  Lord , who removed the curse attached to His grand son
with crescent Moon on His Jatai, Lord Sivan .  Next we became
the object of mercy  of SrI VenkatEsa Kavi of illustrious fame and
boundless generosity , born in ThUppul agrahAram , who revealed to
us the nine steps climbed by a Jeevan step by step to reach our Lord's
Supreme abode and to eternally serve Him there as Muktha Jeevan .

Comments on the Tamil Taniyan
**************************
The choice of words and assembly of those chosen words
by the author of this Taniyan in to beautiful passages are
resonant with deep tatthvArTams covered in Swamy  Desikan's
Prabhandham . Here are some examples of the skills of the poet ,
who composed this Taniyan to pay his tribute to Swamy Desikan's
Prabhandham :

(1) Mahaa Lakshmi is saluted here as " tEn yERu ThAmarayAL "
( the auspicious lady with AakAra Thrayam having the beautiful
lotus flower as Her chosen abode . That lotus flower is
dripping with honey and sampath due to Her association
(Sambhandham). Wherever She looks, the assemblies of
wealth compete with each other to take their positions
according to Swamy  Desikan 's SrI Sthuthi slOkam .
The Veda Manthram of SrI Sooktam also echoes in our mind
with this visualizationof the Lotus Lady as "ThAmarayAL " :

" Padhma-PriyE Padhmini Padhma HasthE
  PADHMAALAYE  Padhma-dhaLAyathAkshi
  VisvapriyE VishNumanOanukoolE Thvath
  Paadha Padhamam mayi sannidhathsva "

(2) The next salutation is to the Lord as SrInivAsan :
" ThAmarayAL Thiru-mArbhan " . SrInivAsa
Tathvam  of the  Lord with MahA Lakshmi residing
on His vast chest  reminds us of the Salutation of
AchArya RaamAnuja to SrInivAsan at the beginning of
His SrI BhAshyam. His rakshA dheekshai (vow to protect
us ) is made possible by Her proximate presence on His chest :

" akhila bhuvana janma-sTEma-bhangAdhileelE
  vinatha-vividha-bhUtha-vrAtha-rakshiaka dheekshE
  SRUTHI SIRASI VIDHEEPTHE BRAHMANI SRINIVAASE
  bhavathu mama parasmin sEmushi bhakthiroopA "

In offering their salutations to Lord SrInivAsan , the ArchakAs at
Thirumalai recite the VakshasTala Lakshmi SthOthram to remind us
about the Lord's lakshaNam as SrInivAsan . The author of this Taniyan
follows this traditon here and addresses the Lord as "ThAmarayAL
ThirumArbhan".

3) "ThAmarayAL tann tiNN aruLAl Avan adiyil vivEkam peRROm "
says the author of the Taniyan in the first two lines. The powerful and
firm (Unwavering ) KrupA of the Lord is recognized here as the primary
cause for the birth of VivEkam (discriminative intellect about sAram
and asAram ) to develop bhakthi at the SarvalOka SaraNyan's
sacred feet .

4) That Jn~Anam about the redemptive power of those sacred feet of
the Lord led to our rejection of samsAric attachments that increases
our fondness for the perishable sarIram  and thereby throws us in to
the deep pit of SamsAram and keeps us there in a hopeless, helpless
state. These thoughts are housed in the third line of the Paasuram :
" Avan adiyil vivEkam peRRu inghu oon yERu bhavak-kuzhiyai veRutthu"
All that VivEkam arose only because of the Krupai of the Lord .

5) The question arises as to what happened after developing this distaste
for staying in the SamsAric pit . The composer of the Taniyan answers
this question in the next line of the Paasuram: " Verutthathan pinn oor
viratthiyudan vinayin tiraLukku anjinEn ". After developing disinterest in
SamsAric "padhu kuzhi " , vairAgyam spread and fear about the power of
the bundles of accumulated sins also grew .

6) That fear about the effect of the sins drove me (the jeevan) to
the sacred feet of the Hara SApa VimOchana Moorthy , SrIman
NaarAyaNan . In a fit of anger, Sivan plucked the fifth head of His father,
BrahmA. The skull from that fifth head of BrahmA got stuck in the palm of
Haran (Sivan) and  SrIman NaarAyaNa blessed Sivan to be rid of
the Saapam given by Brahma DEvan , when Sivan performed
SaraNAgathy to Him  . Sivan is described here as " koon yERu
piRai iRayOn " , the One adorning the crescent Moon on his matted
locks (Chandra Sekharan) .  Our Lord , the anugraha Moorthy is saluted
as " Koon yERu piRai iRayOn sApam theerthavan". The author of
the Taniyan says that he performed SaraNAgathy at the sacred feet of
the Lord , who came to the rescue of Sivan ( iRayOn sApam theertthAn
kurai kazhalE saraNam adainthu ) ." Kurai kazhal " of the Lord is
the Thiruvadi, which generates the delectable nAdham from
the ankle ornaments .The author of the Taniyan says that he
performed SaraNAgathy at those auspicous feet.

7) Next followed the help of the Lord to exit the Jeevan
via the Brahma nAdi at the end of the earthly existence
and the ascent to Parama Padham by archirAdhi mArgam
(kurambai vittu vAnn yErum ).

8) The nine steps to ascend Parama Padham were revealed by
the most compassionate and generous AchAryan , Swamy  Desikan
to us all. The author of this beautiful taniyan acknowledges the krupai
of Swamy  Desikan in revealing this upward journey through climbing
the nine steps : " vann yERum vazhip-padikaL adaivE kaNDa vaNN
Puhazh ThUppul vaLLal aruL peRROm ". That Swamy  Desikan
saw and described the nine steps sequentially is referred to as
" Vazhip-padikaL adaivE kaNDa ". Swamy  Desikan is thanked
for His mahOpakAram in revealing these flight of steps for our
upliftment as " VaNN puhazh ThUppul VaLLal " . The Taniyan
concludes in  a grateful mode : " ThUppul VaLLal aruL peRROm ".
We became objects for the grace of the most generous AchAryan ,
who incarnated in ThUppul agrahAram .

In the next posting , adiyEn will start with the First of the Twenty one
paasurams of the Prabhandham , "Parama Padha SopAnam ".

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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