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Stotras of Vedanta Desika
by Sri D. Ramaswamy Ayyangar
Page 5
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8. Varadaraja Panchasat
This is a stotra of 51 slokas (inclusive of the phalasruti) sung
in praise of Lord Varadaraja of Kanchipuram. As in Dehaleesa
Stuti, after the first sloka, which is invocatory, every sloka is
addressed to the Lord till the penultimate sloka. The essential
doctrines of Visishtadvaita Siddhanta are very crisply condensed
into 7 slokas (9 to 15) which enjoy Lord Varadaraja with
reference to the several characteristics of Parabrahma, the
Absolute of the Vedanta, such as jagadvyaapaara (universal
creation), sarva-sareeritvam (having everything as his body),
sarvasabda-vaacyatvam (being the import of all words), sarvaphala
pradatvam (the giver of all fruits), etc.
The five forms of the Lord, as postulated by the
Agamas and enjoyed by the Alvars, are dealt with seriatum:
- para rupa (16 to 18)
- vyuha (19)
- antaryami (20 and 21)
- vibhava incarnation [only some] (22 to 26)
- arca (27 to 29).
Sloka 30 contains the prapatti that Desika performs at the Feet
of this Lord who appears to have been his personal God. Slokas up
to 41 deal with the mentality of a prapanna in the post-prapatti
period. Slokas 41 and 42 refer to anishta nivritti (wiping out
undesirable fruits) and ishta praapti (securing the desired
goal), moksha, Thus far it is the pursuit of the path prescribed
by Vedanta. Slokas 43 to 49 are modelled on the enjoyment of the
Alvars who craved for fulfilment of their God-love in this very
life. In sloka 43 Desika refers to four conditions which if they
are fulfilled will render man a mukta here itself. In sloka 49
Desika swears that if he is able to enjoy unceasingly the beauty
of Lord Varadaraja which is beyond thought (asprishTa
cintaapadamaabhiroopyam) he will have no desire for life in
Vaikuntha. That is the extent to which Desika's soul was ravished
by Lord Varadaraja's beauty and the glory of His festivals.
More Details -
Devanagari Text
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