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Desikan's "dinasari"

From the Bhakti List Archives

sudarshan madabushi • July 31, 1999 


Dear SrimAn Sadagopan,
Your note on Desikan's "vaishnava-dinasari" is not only useful but also 
extremely thoughtful. It brought out all the salient and wonderful features 
of one of the most precious daily sacraments that every SriVaishnavan is 
enjoined to perform by our tradition. Sir, my gratitude to you is exceeded 
only by the thanks that must go to that member who asked you to sum-up for 
all our benefit the sequence of "kramam" for daily "tiruvArAdana".

The most moving part of the daily sacrament is I think the "Ijya-ArAdanam" 
when, as you say, "the flood of affection" for the deity simply envelops and 
overwhelms the devoteeÂ…:

"BhaagavathAs perform AarAdhanam for the Lord ,they invite Lord VaradarAjan 
as the dearest relative (Bhandhu) and are elated over that thought .They 
will offer salutations and upachArams to Him as though He is the young 
Prince , who rules the entire land .They will express their affection to Him 
as a parent , who relates to his son , who was born after a long period of 
penance (tapas).They will be elated like the one, who sees a majestic male 
elephant in rut in the forest .They will be filled with pride like the owner 
of a rare and precious gem stone. With all these joyous feelings gushing out 
of every fibre of their body and mindÂ…".

Indeed, this is the joy that every human truly longs to experienceÂ… the joy 
of experiencing easy communion with divinity at an intensely personal level! 
The idea that the Supreme OneÂ… in the form of Krishna or Rama or MalOlanÂ… 
that the Supreme One could be induced to pay a customary and daily visit to 
our homesÂ… spend a few minutes with usÂ… partake of our little hospitalityÂ… 
talk with usÂ… laugh with usÂ… fill our home with His warmth, cheer and 
goodnessÂ… and then depart Â…promising to return again same time next dayÂ… 
it's joy, indeed, pure unalloyed mystical joy.

Reading the "ijyai" portion of your post, I could'nt help recalling the 
scene in the "aranyaka" where Sabari lovingly watched the Lord seated beside 
her on the rough floor inside a lowly hut in the jungle and happily 
accepting whatever she had laid out for him. It was also a sort of 
"ijya-seva" that old Sabari performed, isn't it? Her heart must have been 
brimming with the same sort of joy.

I also imagine how in the BhAratham, Vidura must have felt when to his utter 
joy and astonishment, Krishna (as "pAndava-dhoota", the emissary) casually 
arrived at his doorstep in Hastinapuram one evening, without notice, and 
said, "Hello, Vidura! Happen to be in town on business and couldn't think of 
any better place than yours to spend the night in! Do you mind if I have 
dinner with you?".

One can well imagine the intense joy Vidura must have experienced that 
evening as he performed "ijyai" for the Lord!

adiyEn dAsanu-dAsan,
Sudarshan


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