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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00126 Aug 2004

 
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SrI:
SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:

Dearest srivaishnavas,

After an overwhelming encouragement on adiyEn's
rambling (called free translation) for
Thirucchandhaviruttham, adiyEn dares to take up Sri
YamunAchArya's ChathuslOkI and SthOthra Rathnam. We
just celebrated three weeks ago- the Greatest
Acharya's Thirunakshathram- Sri YamunAchArya's. I have
been mulling to start this series and due to work
pressure, it was getting delayed. Thus it is most
appropriate to take up these works.. better late than
never. Thus commences adiyEn's daring venture to take
up Sri Alavandhar's sthOthras next..[fools rush in
where angels fear to tread]

All our doubts, queries, on siddhAntham, religion,
Parathvam will all be cleared by these two wonderful
sthOthras.. especially sthOthra Rathnam- Gem among
Hymns- It is indeed a GEM?

YAmunAchArya also called as Alavandhar is the grand
?preceptor (PrAchAryA) of RamAnujA. Alavandhar
established the principles of VisishtAdhvaitam as an
expansion of the doctrines housed in his grandfather's
[Sri Naathamuni's] treatises. Alavandhar has
elaborated on these doctrines with authoritative
scriptures such as vedic statements, Saatvic purANAs,
BrahmasUthrAs, Bhagavad Gita, etc..

AlavandhAr's philosophical works are: Siddhitraya ,
Aagama PrAmANya , MahA purusha nirNya and Githaartha
Sangraha.

AlavandhAr is also the author of two lyrical master
pieces (stotra GranthAs ) revered as Chathusloki and
Stotra Ratnam- which are what we would take up in this
series. adiyEn (like a rash infant without knowing the
danger) dares attempt this gigantic task. Acharya
anugraham, Bhagavad, BhAgawatha's grace should enable
me to scrape through. adiyEn is also blessed to have
the wonderful rich vyAkhyAnam written by Sri UttamUr
Swamy based on the Poorvacharya vyAkhyAnams of sri
Periyavacchaan Pillai and Swamy Desikan's.

These sthOthras are the first among the sthOthras of
our Srivaishnava acharyas ? and are the forerunner of
almost every stotram composed by all Acharyas such as
of RamaanujA , Kuresa, Parasara Bhattar,
Swami Desikan, MaNavALa Maamuni and others. Swami
Desikan has written commentaries for both Chathussloki
and Stotra Ratnam because of their importance to Sri
VaishNava siddhAntham. Sri UttamuR Swamy has lucidly
explained the same in easy to understand Tamil and
hence with Acharya's vailakshaNya kataaksham, adiyEn
wishes to take up as one of little kaimkaryam for His
pleasure and for asmadhAchAryan's ThiruvuLLa ugappu.

Kaimkaryamaavadhu Seshi ugandha yEval thozhil
seyvadhu.. [Kaimkaryam is doing what pleases the sEshi
? master..]. With that introductory post, let us take
up the sthOthra ChathuslOki (meaning- four verses)? on
Sri Mahalakshmi first.. and then enjoy sthOthra
Rathnam verses.

We, the dAsabhUthars (servants) of Sriman Narayanan
should always behave, act in manners that please Him?
For that alone, He has blessed us with the instruments
of mind, speech and action. Out of those three, it is
not simple and easy to think of Him and meditate on
Him controlling the mind which runs faster than the
wind.

Also, the mind, body that perform are fruitful only
the doer (or the thinker); while the action of speech
does help a lot to the listeners as well. That's why
the praises openly, loudly, publicly in these forms of
verses are greatly beneficial to mankind? They are
available for us for ages and hence these are to be
saved for future generations to get benefited? These
translations of the wonderful commentaries would thus
enable us understand the ruchi (taste) richness of the
commentaries in original as well as the sthOthras and
would tempt the reader to recite them and read the
commentaries. One may say just naama japam (or
repetition of names) would be adequate and why all
these verses? the response is: [To the dynamic human
intellect, any repetition is boring and tedious, even
if it is of the Lord's haloed name. It is much easier
to recite a stotram than to repeat a mere tirunAmam.
Moreover, a name could possibly convey only certain
limited aspects of His greatness, whereas a Stotram
could do much greater justice to the Lord and His
auspicious attributes. Thus reciting a stotram affords
the devotee much more enjoyment than mere recitation
of His names. Stotras generally conform to a specific
metre (chhandas), often lilting and pleasurable,
adding to the enjoyment of the subject. [Sri Sadagopan
Iyengar wrote under "Praise the Lord"]]

If we write the Vedantha saasthrAs in prose form, very
few only would be able to follow and understand. Also
they would not address the Lord straight. Also
Bhagawan is called sthavya: sthavapriya: meaning: One
who likes being praised? Vedas can be recited only by
those eligible therefore, and uttering some mantras
too is subject to qualifications. Stotras do not
impose any such restrictions on anybody, and are open
to all universally.

Thus, the first such sthOthras [verses] of
Srivaishnavam in Sankrit language blessed by our
Poorvacharyas are these ChathuslOkI and SthOthra
Rathnam. ChauthslOki is on the divine Consort of
Sriman Narayanan ? SrI Mahalakshmi.

Swamy Desikan blessed us with the commentary for these
two sthOthras referring and quoting the SriBhashyam,
Vedas, Upanishads, Smruthis, Ithihasa, PurANas,
Paancharaathra etc? In fact Swamy Desikan pays his
gratitude to Sri Alavandhar for his blessing us with
these greatest works:

[in the words of Sri Muralidhar Rangasway- Testimony
in support of his greatness can be found from Swami
Desikan's tribute to him in the Yatiraja Sapthathi and
the Daya Shatakam. Swami Desikan, who is renowned for
his careful choice of words employs the usage vigAhE
to characterize the stature of Swami Alavandar in the
Yatiraja Sapthathi. It may be interesting to note that
Swami Desikan reserves this tribute only for two
Acharyas-Swami Alavandar and Swami NammAzhwar in the
Daya Shatakam salutation "vigAhE thIrtha bahuLAm
shIthalAm guru santhathim". Again in verse 59 of the
Daya Shatakam, Swami Desikan provides a thundering
declaration on the efficacy of Prapatti highlighting
in the process the exalted role of Swami Alavandar.
Swami Desikan declares "yathipathiyAmuna prabhruthaya:
praThayanthi dhayE jagathi hitham nanasthvayi
BharanyasanAdhaDhikam" (Lord Srinivasa is a master
artisan. The sky is his canvas and Daya Devi is his
paint brush. She sends us geniuses like Swami
Alavandar and Sri Ramanujacharya, who have established
that for the redemption of the entire universe, there
is no path greater than unconditional, total surrender
to Your Lotus Feet!

The concept of SrI or MahalakshmI or PERIYA PIRAATTI
is unique to Srivaishnavam and has no parallel in any
other religion or philosophy in the world. Right from
Vedas to date, there are eight major works besides
innumerable minor texts, extolling her glories. Those
eight are: SrI Sooktham, SrI Sthuthi (by Devendran-
found in Sri Vishnu purana), ChathuslOkI (by Sri
ALavandhar- that we are now taking up), Sranagathi
Gadya (where Ramanuja first addresses PiraaTTi), Sri
Sthavam (by KooratthAzhwAn), SrI GuNa Rathna kOsam(by
Parasara Bhattar), SrI Sthuthi (by Swamy Vedantha
Desikan), Lakshmi Sahasram (Sri Venkatadvari)?

All these compositions contain enormous references to
Her eternal presence, eternal unity, and total
uninterrupted, never-ceasing indentify with the Lord,
Her unbounded Limitless dayA, benevolence, Her being
the MEANS as well as The GOAL? of all Humans and
lastly Her special role as Purushaakaara (Mediatrix)
between Her children (us) and the Father (the Lord).
The Lord and She are the Dhivya Dampathi ? and thus
They Both are SEshi (Master) for all except Them..
While the Lord takes the role of dhaNdadharathvam
(punishing of the transgressors against saasthrAs ?
and everyone of us are in this category- in accordance
with our karma) and She forgives us to recommend our
pitiable case to Him for protection and saving us..
For that, She expects us to turn to Her and look upto
Her as complete surrender to Her? Else, She would be
partial to few?

In Chathussloki (four verses), YaamunA focussed on the
theme of Purushakaara Prapatti and Eka Seshithvam
principles. He based this work of his on the doctrines
outlined by Lakshmi Tantram. Eka Seshitvam refers to
the practise of considering both Sri Devi and BhagavAn
together as the means and the goal (upAyam and Upeyam.
In this context, they are inseparable [agalagillEn
iRaiyum enRu alarmEl mangai.. ? says NammAzhwAr] and
hence She is known as VishNu Patnee and He is known as
Sriya: Pathi.. She on her own accord serves Him. We
will learn more about Her greatest glories when we go
through the individual four slokas of ChathuslOkI..

ThirumaamagaL ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam
Alavandhar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Namo narayana
dasan




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