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Stotras of Vedanta Desika
by Sri D. Ramaswamy Ayyangar
Page 16
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23. Yatiraja Saptati
Several true devotees of the Lord with a high degree of
acharya-bhakti have given expression to the sentiment that in the
several works that go to make up the 4000 Divya
Prabandham there is none to equal Ramanuja Nurrandadi sung in
praise of Ramanuja,
the great Sri Vaishnava acharya. In the same manner one can assert
that out of the stotras of Vedanta Desika, Yatiraja Saptati, the
stotra in praise of the same great Acharya, stands
unrivalled. This is not saying anything derogatory to the other
stotras, nahi nindaa-nyaya. Yatiraja Saptati breathes
Desika's bhakti, often an infatuation, towards Ramanuja whom he
takes a pleasure in referring to as Yatiraja, King among
Sanyasins. According to Desika, sexual thoughts may beset Brahma,
Siva and even Narayana, but never a votary of Yatisvara
(45). Lord Varadaraja, the black cloud perched on the Elephant
Hill (Kari-saila) is able to shower more than the desired
benefits on His devotees only because of His having drunk deep
from the Ocean of Nectar that is Yatiraja's Daya (62). Yatiraja
is an incarnation of the Lord's five weapons (12), and/or of
Vishvaksena, the commander-in-chief of the Lord's army in
Vaikuntha (32), and/or of the Lord Himself (63). Curiously
neither Amudanar in his Ramanuja Nurrandadi, nor Desika in
Yatiraja Saptati refers to Ramanuja being Sesha avatara
(incarnation of Adisesha) as popularly believed by all.
One may read and re-read Yatiraja Saptati any number of times: he
will not be able to make up his mind whether Desika's fascination
is for Yatiraja, the Person, or for his works, or for the
siddhanta evolved and postulated in those works. That Vedanta
Desika was first drawn towards Yatiraja because of his works is
seen from the first sloka in his praise in this work
(10). Desika's eulogy of the works in sloka 33 can be taken as
typical of his great esteem and admiration. The reason is that
only Ramanuja's works truly reflect (as in a mirror),
Lakshmi-kaanta (Consort of Sri) as He really is, whereas in other
systems He is seen distorted, if He is seen at all. Sloka 16
also postulates that the Tattva known as Hari can be seen whole
and entire (akshatam) only in Yatiraja's siddhanta. A study of
Ramanuja's works under a proper acharya will preserve our purity
and prevent us from straying in to faulty systems of thought
(16).
All the greatness and glory that Desika achieved in his
life are attributed to his association with the system
promulgated by Yatiraja (73) and to the blessings showered on
him by great acharyas immersed in Yatiraja's yaSas (renown)
(71).
Devanagari Text
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