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Sri VenkatEsa SthOthram : Part 1

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • January 12, 2000 


Dear BhakthAs :

There are eleven beautiful slOkams that are 
housed in Sri VenaktEsa sthOthram .They are 
a delight to recite and reflect upon . 
The endearing affection with which this bhakthan 
eulogizes the Lord and describes his aakinchanathvam
have few parallels . The Taalam patterns (chantham)
woven into slOkams 1-5 and 8 are remarkable. 
The MahA VisvAsam in the Lord of seven hills 
and the personal prayer for His grace captured in
SlOkam 9-11 are one of the most moving appeals 
in the annals of SthOthrams. 

(1) KamalA-kucha-chUchuka-kumkumathO
    niyathAruNithaathula nIlatanO !
    KamalAyatha-lochana !LOkapthE !
    Vijayee bhava ! VenkatasailapathE !

Oh Lord of VenkatAchalam ! Oh Lord of 
the Universe ! Oh Lord with long eyes 
reaching almost to Your ears and reminding
us of the softeness and beauty of lotus flower !
Oh Lord whose matchless dark hued body is 
renderd red always with the vermillion (Kumkumam)
marks from the front portions of the breasts of 
MahA Lakshmi ! Victory be always to Thee!

(Comments): The Lord's dark bluish body has 
a lasting redness due to the sambhandham with
Sri MahA Lakshmi's saffron and kumkumam paste 
worn on Her breasts as beauty marks .The Lord's 
body is thus visualized as " KamalA kucha chUchuka 
kumkaumathO niyatha aruNitha athula neela Tanu".
The anyOnyam of the divya dampathis is celebrated
here . ThAyAr's intimate sambhandham is hinted 
as the reason why the Lord of the Venkatam hills
will forgive our trspasses due to the intercession
of our most benevolent Mother united with Him in an
inseparable manner . AhalahillEn Paasuram of Swamy 
NammAzhwAr has to be remembered by us in this context.

(2) sachathurmukha shaNmukha panchamukha
    pramukAkhila dhaivatha mouLimaNE !
    SaraNAgathavathsala ! SaaranidhE !
    ParipAlaya maam VrushasailapathE !

Oh Lord of Vrusha sailam ! Oh Crown Jewel 
of all DevAs and Gods like the four-faced 
BrahmA , the five-faced Sivan and the six-faced
KumAra Swamy ! Oh Lord immensely attached
by the bonds of love to those , who seek
Your protection ! Please protct me !

(Comments): Oh Lord of VrushA hills ! You 
overlook the deficiencies of those , who 
perform SaraNAgathi at Your holy feet
and look upon that SaraNAgahti as a vyAjam
to come to their rescue and bless them fully.
Just as poor people at times of grinding poverty
access their savings , we come to You at times
of great distress to save us . May You known
for such vaibhavam as Saara Nidhi (matchless
treasure )and SaraNAgatha Vatsalan protect me.

(3) athivElatayA thava dhurvishai-
    ranuvEla kruthair-aparAdha sathai:
    bharitham thvaritham VrushasailapathE 
    parayaa krupayaa paripaahi HarE !

Oh Lord of Vrusha Giri! May Thou befitting 
Your name as Hari extend to me Your immense 
dayA and protect me , who is guilty of committing
limitless and unbearable sins without let .AdiyEn 
has now rushed to Your paadha kamalam with the full
trust in Your matchless compassion to overlook my 
unforgivable trespasses and protect me .

(comments) Oh Hari! " ParayA krupayA maam Paahi" 
is the moving prayerful appeal to the Lord .He is
Para Brahmam and hence His Krupai (grace )is
also Para Krupai . It is a grace for which 
there are no equals or superiors. The SaraNAgathan
is brimming (bharitham ) with AparAdha Sathams 
and is scared about what is going to happen to
him .Therefore , he rushes ( thvaritham ) to 
the Lord's Thiruvadi and prays " HarE KrupayA 
paripAhi ".He does not say "Paahi" , but appeals 
one  step higher with the request , "ParipAhi ".

(4) adhivEnkata sailam udhAramathEr
    janathAbhi mataadhika dhAnarathAth 
    ParadEvathayA gadhithAn nigamai:
    KamalaadayithAn na param kalayE 

Oh Lord of Sri Devi ! Oh Lord who is saluted 
as the God of Gods by VedAs and Upanishads ! 
adiyEn does not recognize anyone as being superior 
to You ! Oh Lord residing in Venakata Giri ! 
Your generosity is unmatched and You always bless 
Your bhakthAs with more than what they desired . 

(Comments): "Tvath param na KalayE" .There is none 
who is superior to You in the sense that the Lord
is " SamAdhika daridhran " . He is poor in the sense 
that there is no one , who is His equal or superior .
Sri VenkatEsan is saluted here as " UdhAra mathi " and
" janathA abhimatha adhika dhAnarathan" . His generosity
is unparalleled and as a result , He always enjoys
blessing people with more than they prayed for.

(5) kalavENu ravAvasa gOpavadhU
    SathakODi vruthAth smarakODi samath
    prathi vallavikAbhimathAth sukhadhAth
    VasudEva suthAn na param kalayE 

adiyEn does not recognize anyone other than
KrishNA ( Lord SrinivAsan as VenkatakrishNan)
as a superior God. Sri VenkatEsan in His
KrishNAvathAram is the one ParamAthmA ,
who is surrounded by hundreds of crores of 
Gopis , who have lost themselves totally
in the charming music coming out of His divine
flute . This son of VasudEvan is far more beautiful 
than the combined beauty of crores of ManmathAs 
and is desired by each and every Gopi maiden 
and He in turn blesses them with all pleasures that
they desire individually including Moksha sukham. 

(Comments): The power of KrishNA's VeNugAnam 
has been movingly described by both PeriyAzhwAr
and Swamy Desikan (GopAla Vimsathi slOkams).
This slOkam touches on that Vaibhavam .
The leelAs of "Gopa kanyA Bhujangan" are 
hinted here as well . 

To be continued ...