Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
The Peerless Pedestrian
To the newborn infant, which would you say is the most attractive part of
the mother's anatomy? The baby is unable to focus yet on the mother's face,
which is wreathed in smiles, nor is it able to look her in the eye and
encounter the brimming love and affection it reflects. Nor even is the little
one aware of her warm hands holding it with all gentleness. The one and only
part of the mother the baby is instinctively and immediately aware of is her
breast, which serves as its sole source of sustenance.
Now, putting ourselves in the position of the babe (which, in any case, people
like me are, in terms of wisdom and maturity) and picturising the Lord as the
mother (which also shouldn't be difficult, considering His being the progenitor
of all beings), which would we find to be the most important part of His
tirumEni, in terms of affording us the greatest bliss, security, sustenance and
succour? Whole volumes might have been written on the beauty of the Lord's
captivating eyes, His blooming countenance, His broad and beautiful chest
housing Sri Mahalakshmi, His long and sinewy hands holding weapons which serve
at once as destroyers and adornments, and so on. However, to suffering mortals
like us steeped in sin and blundering eternally in the mundane maze, which
would be the part of the Lord's torso that is most useful to us, that affords
us the most relief and bliss and ultimately serves as a beautiful boat ferrying
us across the treacherous waters of Samsara?
Much more than any other part of His glorious tirumEni, the Lord's holy feet
("Tiruvadi") are the ones that find repeated mention in the Shruti, which is,
for us, the ultimate authority on any matter under the Sun. The SamhitAs and
BrAhmaNAs are replete with adulatory references to these Tiruvadis. Here are a
few, for a sample-
"VishNO: padE paremE madhva utsa:"
The incredibly sweet and glorious feet of the Lord secrete nectar, says the
Shruti, which Sri Nammazhwar translates thus-"un tEnE malarum tiruvadi
tAmarai". When we consider that these tiruvadi are likened to freshly bloomed
lotuses ("PAda pankajam", TAmarai adikkaL", "Pankaya TAL", etc.), there is
nothing strange or unnatural about their secreting nectar. While ordinary
Nectar obtained from the depths of the Milky Ocean is supposed to confer
immortality on the consumer, the nectar emanating from the Lord's feet afford
eternal bliss and emancipation, which are a billion times more desirable than
mere immortality. Sri Alavandar too confirms that the Lord's tiruvadi is the
source of this incredible secretion-"Tava amruta syandini pAda pankajE".
Talking of secretions, it is worth remembering that the Lord's feet were also
the source of the holiest of all rivers, the Ganga. Legend has it that when the
Lord's feet, in their conquering spree during the TrivikramAvatAra, visited
SatyalOka, BrahmA performed tirumanjam to it with water from his "kamandalu",
which then became a veritable torrent, later brought to the mundane worlds
through the marathon efforts of the IkshvAku Emperor BhagIratha. "VishNu
pAdAbja sambhootE, GangE! Tripada gAminI" is a tribute to this sacred river,
indicating its holy origins.
Why should the Lord's feet be likened to the lotus, when there are any numbers
of other blooms? There are several similarities between the Lord's tiruvadi and
the TAmarai. For one thing, both are a bright and beautiful red. Both are
incredibly soft and supple. Both secrete delectably sweet juices, the former
nectar and the latter, honey. Both bloom at the prompting of external stimuli,
the lotus at the rising sun and the Lord's feet at the proximity of devotees.
Just as a bee, which has tasted the pollen from the lotus, would never ever
look again at a thorny shrub, one who has been fortunate to savour the flavour
of the divine tiruvadi would look askance at any other mundane pleasure.
("tava amruta syandini pAda pankajE
nivEsitAtmA katham anyat icchati
stitthEravindE makaranda nirbharE
madhuvratO na ikshurakam hi veekshatE"
--Sri Alavandar).
It is not only Nectar and the Ganga which owe their origins to the Lord's
feet-even this big, broad world and numerous others like it, along with the
innumerable galaxies and universes, originated from the holy tiruvadi, says the
Purusha Suktam-"PadhbhyAm Bhoomi: disa: shrotrAt". These were again the
incredible feet, which transformed a dust-coated wayside stone into an
extremely beautiful Rishi patnI (AhalyA). (So much so that the boatman Guha had
initial reservations about letting Sri Rama set foot on his boat, lest the
ferry be transformed into a bewitching feminine form.)
These again were the holy feet, which gave life to UttarA's foetus, which was
reduced to a handful of ashes and were thus responsible for the very life and
breath of ParIkshit Maharaja. And these are the tiruvadis which SreedEvi and
Bhoomi Piratti massage gently with their soft hands, says Swami Desikan-
"PAshANa nirmita tapOdhana dharma dAram
bhasmani upAhita narEndra kumAra bhAvam
samvAhitam TridasanAtha! RamA MaheebhyAm
sAmAnya daivatam usanti padam tvadeeyam"
The most-talked about exploit of the Lord's tiruvadi is, of course, the
measuring of the worlds above and below, during the Trivikramavataram. The
tiny, delicate feet of the VAmana Brahmachari grew into colossal ones capable
of spanning the entire universe with one giant step. And in the process of
measuring the world, these sacred tiruvadis, which only the Divine Consorts
have any hope of seeing or touching, placed themselves on the heads of all
beings, right from the most exalted of Emperors to the humblest of menials,
with absolutely no distinction as to caste, creed, colour, economic or social
status. Even non-sentient objects were favoured by this purifying contact with
the holy feet, which they could not dream of in innumerable births. Sri
Alavandar, who was not around when the Trivikramavataram took place, longs for
a momentary touch of the Lord's triuvadi on his head-"Trivikrama ! tvat
charaNAmbuja dvayam madeeya moordhAnam (kadA) alankarishyati!". And it is this
exploit that the Shruti chronicles time and again, making this the most
talked-about avatara-
"TreeNi padA vichakramE VishNu: gOpA adAbhya:"
"trEdhA VishNu: urugAyO vichakramE"
"VichakramE prithivImEsha EtAm" etc.
Thus, it is the Lord's glorious feet and their exploits that afford Him the
distinction of repeated mention by the Shruti.
When we come to think of it, in the process of Asrita RakshaNam (protection of
the sAdhUs) it is the Lord's feet which are put in use the most and are also
the part of the divine torso which strain the most. The event that comes to our
mind immediately is the long walk of Chakravartthi Tirumagan, from Chitrakootam
to Lanka, roaming throughout the jungle trails of DandakAraNyam, strewn with
sharp stones and thorns. Though the Prince of Ayodhya did have sandals on His
feet when He set out for the jungle sojourn, Sri Bharata took them away at
Chitrakootam, with the result that the entire remaining journey was completed
by the Purushottama on bare feet. Just think of it, a Prince of the celebrated
IkshvAku dynasty, used to all the magnificent comforts of the palace, unused to
the hardships of the inhospitable forests, traversing the interminable distance
between Chitrakootam and Lanka on foot, barefoot that too, with the delicate
soles, unused to hard surfaces, being exposed to stones, thorns and whatnot,
besides being forced to walk in hot sun, numbing cold and pouring rain!
Even in Sri Krishnavatara, the Lord walked a lot at the bidding of His
devotees, we are told. When the PandavAs, as a last ditch effort to avoid war
with the KauravAs, needed someone to carry a message of peace and compromise to
the latter, it was Sri Krishna they chose, because none else could represent
their viewpoint with absolute commitment and wisdom. And Sri Krishna accepted
this assignment with all enthusiasm, despite the rather low profile that a
messenger carries, and walked with the message from the Pandava camp to that of
the Kauravas-"Daruman irandadu isaindu chendrana" says Swami Desikan, referring
to the Lord's feet, which engaged themselves in the lowly occupation of a
messenger, at the request of the Pandava.
Are the Lord's feet capable of only such innocuous deeds? Do they play no part
in proactive destruction of evil elements, which pose a threat to the good and
holy? Indeed they do, says Sri Andal, ("pondra sakatam udaittAi pugazh pOttri")
recounting the Lord's childhood exploit of kicking a wheel and breaking it into
pieces-"uru sakatam udaya oru kAluttru uNarndana". This was no ordinary wheel,
but a messenger of death dispatched by Kamsa to eliminate Sri Krishna. Upon
being administered a well-aimed kick from the Lord's lotus feet, the mortally
wounded asura regained his natural form and fell down dead.
And then there is the episode of the kutti Krishna subduing the venomous
serpent KALiya, by dancing on the latter's head-- "adal uraga padam madiya Adi
kadindana". The normally lotus-soft feet of the Lord acquired an unbearable
heaviness and punch, and each step of Krishna's ballet descended on the
serpent's hood like a bolt of lightning, taming the snake in no time at all.
>From all the aforesaid, it is clear that the Lord's feet have indeed undergone
>untold strain. Is it because of all this strenuous walking and other exercise
>that He adopts a recumbent posture, ask Azhwars-
"andru iv ulagam aLanda asavE kol?"
Sri Nammazhwar too poses such a rhetorical question to the Lord,
querying Him as to the reasons for His apparent tiredness-
"KodiyAr mAda KOLuragatthum PuLingudiyum
MadiAdhu indrE nee tuyil mEvi magizhndadhu tAn
adiAr allal tavirttha asavO andrEl ip
padithAn neeNdu tAviya asavO, paNiyAyE"
"You were after all a young boy during Vamanavatara. Still, your
holy feet had to traverse the entire universe and the heavens too.
Has this been so much of a strain on you that You had to lie down to
rest? Or are You fatigued by attending to frequent calls for succour
from distressed devotees?" enquires Azhwar , seeking the reason for
the Lord's supine posture.
"nadanda kAlgaL nondavO?" inquires Tirumazhisai Piran too.
A more modern poet, expanding on the Azhwar's theme, adduces a
variety of possible reasons for Emperuman's kidandha tirukkOlam.
Could it be due to the strain of covering innumerable miles on foot
during the vanavAsa as Sri Rama? Or is it due to running after the
elusive MArIcha, who, in a bid to isolate Sri Mythily, dragged Sri
Rama quite far from His Ashrama in hot chase? Or is it due
to the constant roaming in the hot sun, tending to cows, in the
boisterous company of gOpa brats? Listing all these, the poet
plaintively asks the Lord-"En paLLi koNdeer IyyA?"
It is to cure the Lord's feet of all the possible ache and pain the aforesaid
activities must have caused, that Sridevi and Bhoodevi massage His feet gently,
with their soft and supple palms. Even their extremely spongy palms leave
Emperuman's indescribably delicate feet red, says the Venkateswara Prapatti-
"sa prEma bheeti KamalA kara pallavAnAm
samvAhanEpi samatikramam AtatAnou
KAntA vAngmanasa gOchara soukumAryou
Sri Venkatesa charanou sharanam prapadyE"
Swami Desikan confirms this-"Malar MagaL mai varuda malar pOdil sivandana"
Be all this as it may, we are more interested in learning what the Lord's feet
mean to us mortals. We are told that Emperuman's tiruvadis are our ultimate
refuge, a sanctuary par excellence, a safe haven from the jungle of Samsara
filled with terrifying wild animals, an admirable asylum from the pursuing
predator of Karma and a shady shelter from the scorching sun of TApatrayam (the
three kinds of heat that make us dehydrated spiritually). It is a place of
eternal peace, rest, relaxation and recuperation for souls battered by the
constant buffeting of the winds blowing across the mundane morass. It is in the
comforting shadow of these divine feet that we can experience the unique and
unprecedented bliss that only the Lord can afford us.
It is due to all these reasons that we seek refuge in Emperuman's tiruvadi, as
ordained by the magnificent Dvaya Mantram. However, this is an esoteric
formulation, obtained only by the elite few. What about the rest of the
suffering masses who do not have access to this magnificent Mantra? To all
those in the latter class, Emperuman at Tirumala reveals the secret of
happiness in this and other worlds, by pointing His right palm at His holy
feet, indicating to us that it is only through surrender to them that we can
rid ourselves of our mundane coils and attain liberation.
When a thousand slokas could be composed on the sandals adorning the Lord's
feet, how many million verses could be devoted to the actual tiruvadis
themselves! Let me end this piece with just one of them, from Swami Desikan's
NavamaNi Malai, which boasts of a lovely, lilting metre-
"oru madhi anbar uLam kavarndana
ulagam adanga vaLandu aLandana
oru sadai ondriya Gangai tandana
uraga padangaL arangu koNdana
Darumam uyarndadu idu enna nindrana
Daruman irandadu isaindu chendrana
Sakatam udaindu kalanga vendrana
TamargaL arundum marundu idu enbana
TirumagaL seyya karangaL ondrina
Tigazh tuLavu undu maNam kamazhndana
Chezhu maNi konda silambu ilangina
Selai tanil andru oru aNangu umizhndana
Varu marai andam amarnda paNbina
Ayan mudi tannil amarndu uyarndana
AruL tara eNNi ayindai vandana
Adiyavar meyyar malar padangaLE"
Srimate Sri lakshmINrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
dasan, sadagopan
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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