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: ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. 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