Sri AparyApthAmrutha DhyAna sOpAnam : Part

From the Bhakti List Archives

• December 31, 1997


Dear BhakthAs : 

In this posting , I will restart the earlier efforts to cover
the tribute of Thirukkudanthai Desikan to Sri KomaLavalli
SamEtha AarAvamudhan of Thirukkudanthai .

The Many Connections and the depths of Meanings
********************************************************

This powerful sOpAnam derived its inspiration from 
ThiruppANAzhwAr's " AmaalanAthi pirAn " , Swami Desikan"s
'Bhagavadh DhyAna sOpAbnam " and " Muni Vaahana BhOgam " .

The depths of meanings are profound and it is easy to get 
lost in the comparitiive study of the individual slOkAs . I will 
cover one slOkam at a time of  this unique eulogy
on the AparyApthAmutha Parabrahmam of Thirukkudanthai .

I will be following the commentary of the seventh generation 
grandson of Thirukkdanthai Desikan , Sri ILayavalli SrinivAsAchArya
Swami , my next door neighbor at KumbakONam during my 
boyhood days . Thanks once again to Sri Sampath Rengarajan
of Michigan for providing me  with the rare copy of the sthuthi 
and its vyAkhyAnam to create these postings .

SALUTATIONS TO THIRUKKUDANTHAI DESIKAN
******************************************************

SrimathE GopAla MahA DesikAya Nama: 

Sri munithraya siddhAntha PadminyullAsa BhAskara:I
GopaladEsika : SrimAnn jEjeeyath santhatham bhuvi II

( May the glory of Gopala Desikan of  auspicious attributes --
--the Sun that makes the lotus of Munithraya sampradhAyam
blososm and joyous  --be victorious on this earth forever )  

Sri KumbhakONapathi SaarnginuthEsccha 
VaisvadEvAgni nirNayatha Agama mowli sUrE : I
nAmnAm sahasrakruthitha: kruthAsadhAbhAgyam 
GopAladEsikam SaraNam prapadhyE II

(  I take refuge at the sacred feet of Sri Gopala Desikan ,
who created the sahsra nAmams for SwAmi Desikan ,
composed the eulogy for SaarangapANi of KumbakOnam 
and who blessed us with the monograph determining the
exact Agni to be used for the performance of  VaiswadEvam )

KesavAdhi Vandhanams 
*************************** 


Chathuscchakram namasyAmi 
Kesavam kanaka prabham 

SlOkam 1 : ( Kesava Vandhanam )
**************************************

sathyam jyOthi sruthi parshadhAm apramEyam pramEyam
kalyANAnAm avikala gruham pavanam pavanAnAm I
AavirbhUtham Kanaka sarithO dakhshiNE theera bhaagE 
SaarngEsAkhyam vinatha SaraNam bhAthu chitthE sadhA mE II

(Anvaya Kramam ) : Sruthi parishadhAm apramEyam pramEyam
kalyANAnAmavikala gruham pavanAnAm paavanam Kanaka saritha:
dakshiNE theera bhAgE AavirbhUtham vinatha SaraNam
SaarngEsAkhyam sathyam JyOthi: mE chitthE sadhA bhAthu

Word by Word meaning
*************************

Sruthi parishadhAm = to the assembly of the VedAs 

apramEyam = immeasurable

pramEyam = being a target 

klayANAnAm= for auspiciousness

avikala gruham = being a perfect home 

pavanAnAm = for the most pure 

pavanam = the most sacred (pure )

Kanaka saritha: = for the river known as the Golden one ( Ponni )

dakshiNE theerabhAgE = being on its southern bank 

aavirbhUtham = that which manifested 

vinatha saraNam = for those , who worship Him 

SaarngEsAkhyam  = with the name of SaarangarAjA 

sathyam jyOthi : = the true and eternal effulgence 

mE chitthE sadhA bhaathu= may that (effulgence ) 
shine forever in my mind .

The summary Meaning 
************************* 

( Meaning ) : May the supreme effulgence with the name of 
SaarangapANi , who is the target (lakshyam ) of countless sruthis , 
who is the purest among the pure , who manifested on the 
south bank of the river CauvEri and is the unfailing protector
of His devotees , may that eternal jyOthi shine in my mind always !

Interrelationships among the sOpAnams, AmaalnAdhipirAn
******************************************************************

This slOkam is the first of the TWELVE  slOkams of this 
sOpAnam . The thirteenth is the palasruthi . Swami Desikan's
Bhagavdh DhyAna sOpanam has 12 slOkams and BhANa
Naathan's "Amalanadhi piraan " has 10 paasurams . Both 
Swami Desikan and his aparAvatharam chose 12 slOkams 
to praise the Lord as VaasudEvan with His 12 lettered manthram
( Sri DwAdasAkshari ) and with dwAdasa nAmams starting from 
Kesavan and ending with DaamOdharan . Interestingly enough ,
the Tamil prabhandham of Swami Desikan ( Panniru ThirunAmam ) 
has 13 paasurams including pala sruthi just as in 
the case of AparyApthAmrutha sOpAnam . One can 
compare the 12  slOkams of the sOpaanam
of Thirukkudanthai Desikan to the 12 nAmAs of the Lord saluted 
in " Panniru ThirunAmam " by Swami Desikan earlier .

Observations and comments on selected words of the SlOkam
*********************************************************************

1 . AarAvamudhan ( AparyAptha parabrahmam ) appeared out of His 
own volition on the south bank of the golden river CauvEri to teach a
lesson to the arrogant Sun and to marry Sri KomaLavalli , the daughter
of Hema Rishi . He took the form of  Gopalan ( Kudanthai Kovalan )
for ANDAL and was eulogized by seven AzhwArs with 53 paasurams
including ThiruvEzhukUrririkkai by Thirumangai . This is the reference to 
" DakshiNE theerabhAgE aavirbhUtham " in this verse . Thirukkdanthai
Desikan prays for that SarNyan and Rakshakan to His devotees 
( Vinatha SaraNam ) with the name of SaarngapANi ( SaarngEsAkhyam ) 
to shine as a great beacon of truth and timelessness in his mind
forever ( Sathyam JyOthi: mE chitthE sadhA Bhaathu )  .

2 . Sri SaarangapANi is resting on AdisEshA under Vaidhika 
VimAnam at KumbakONam . His many auspicious attributes 
are saluted by Thirukkudanthai Desikan with the chosen words :
Sathyam JyOthi : sruthi parishadhAm apramEyam pramEyam ,
kalyANAnAm avikala gruham , pavnAnAm paavanam " . 

3 . We will focus on two groups of words that Thirukkudanthai 
Desikan used here for elaboration . These are : (1) Sathyam
JyOthi: (2 ) PavanAnAm paavanam . 

3.1 : The references to these words are to be found in the first
slokam of Sri Bhagavdh dhyAna sOpAnam of Swami Desikan 
and the first paasuram of AamalAnAdhi pirAn by BhANa Naathan ,
which was commented on by Swami Desikan in Muni Vahana
BhOgam . Thirukkudanthai Desikan as the aparAvathAram of 
Swami Desikan at the command of Sri Oppiliappan convincingly
chooses the words that he used in his compositions of the 
earlier avathAram . Let us enjoy these two references :

anthar JYOTHI : kimapi yaminAm anjanam yOgadhrushtE :
chinthArathnam sulabham iha na : siddhi mOkshAnurUpam I
dheenAnAtha vyasana samanam dhaivatham dhaivathAnAm 
divyam chakshu: SRUTHIPARISHADHAM dhrusyathe RangamadhyE II  
--- SLOKAM 1 of Sri Bhagavadh DhyAna sOpaanam 

amalan aadhipirAn ---vimalan -- nimalan ninmalan 
-- words form the first paasuram of ThiruppANaazhwAr
matching " kalyANAnAm avikala gruham , paavanAnAm
paavanam " . 

Sathyam JyOthi :
******************
Sathya Sabdha Vaachya JyOthi is the splendorous 
effulgence , AarAvamudhan . Sathya Sabdham is the celebrated 
sabdham in the VedAs , Upanishads and Divya Prabhandhams .

Upanishadic Examples referring to Sathyam & JyOthi :
**********************************************************

1 . SATHYAM  Jn~Anam anantham BrahmA 

2. Na tathra SuryO BHAATHI  na Chandra Taarakam 
nEmA vidhyuthO bhAnti kuthOyamagni : I
tamEva bhaantham anubhAthi sarvam 
tasya BhAsA sarvimatham vibhAthi  

3 . atha yathatha: parO dhivO JYOTHIR  deepyathE

4. Tacch subrham jyOthishAm JYOTHI :

5. SATHYAM tvEva vijignaasithavyam 

Divya Prabhandham Examples of Salutations to JyOthi (sOthi)
*********************************************************************

1. SUDAR  oLiyAi nenjinuLLE thOnrum yen Nampi

2. Ulahinil thORRamAi ninRa SUDARE 

3. SOTHIYAATHA SOTHI

4. paNiyAi yennakku uyyum vahai PARANJYOTHI 

5.  mudicchOthi , MuhacchOthi , adicchOthi , padicchOthi
     katicchOthi -- NammAzhwAr 's words on the JyOthi svarUpan

6. paranchudar cchOthi 

Swami Desikan"s own salutations to JyOthi Brahmam( Maha : )
*********************************************************************

1. yeedimahi Maha : 2. Svayam vyaktham param Maha :
3. Parama vyOma Bhaskara: 4. Sthira JyOthi: ( On the Natha 
Sathyan of Thiruvaheendra Puram ) 5. Rangathuryam Maha : 
6. Anthar JyOthi: 

Those are the references to the " sathyam JyOthi: " ,
the two words used by Thirukkudanthai Desikan ,
who is the aparAvathAram of Swami Desikan . 

The words PavanAnAm Paavanam
**************************************

The references to SaarngapAni of Thirukkudanthai 
as the parama paavanan are as follows :

1. pallaNdenRu PAVITHIRANAI  paramEttiyai
    Saarngamennum villANdAnRannai " -- PeriyAzhwAr

2. PaalAlilayil thyuil konda PARAMAN -- ANDAL

3. parunthAL kaLLiRRukku aruL seytha PARAMAN --ANDAL

4. selvam malhu thenn Thirukkudanthai ,
     anthaNar manthira mozhiyudan vaNanga ,
     aadaravamaLiyil aRithyuilamarntha PARAMA " 

5. AparyApthAmurtham smruthvA sathyas SUDDHA : bhavanthi 
    -- KumbakONa Sthala PurANam 

6. anya kshEthrE krutham paapam puNya KshEthrE vinasyathi 
    puNya kshEhtrE krutham paapam VaraNAsyAm vinasyathi 
    VaraNAsyAm krutham paapam KumbakONE vinasyathi
    KumbakONE krutham paapam KumbakONE Vinasyathi 
   --- SEsha Dharmam about the parama  Paavanan .

Such are the abundant references to the chosen words of 
Thirukkudanthai Desikan ( PavanAnAm Paavanam ) .

Thirukkudathai Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan