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28th day of Marghazhi : Part 2 --GodhA Sthuthi

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • January 12, 1997 


Dear Members of the Prapatthi Group :

In Part 1 of today's posting , I covered the Tamizh and 
Sanskrit Dhyanam slokams for GodhA Piratti . In this
posting , I will elaborate on 11 slokaa from Swami Desikan's
GodhA Sthuthi  . The slokas in the order of describtion would be:

 11 , 8 , 10 , 17 , 18 , 20 , 21 , 24 , 25  and 27 and 1 .

1. Slokam 11: The Distinction conferred on the Southern Disai
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dhik dakshiNAapi paripakthrima puNya lAbhAth
  sarvottarA bhavathi dEvi tavAvathArAth I
Yathriva RangapathinA bhaumAna poorvam
  nidhrALunA apniyatham nihithA; kataakshA : II

(Meaning ) : O GodhA dEvi !  The southern direction has  also excelled
over the northern direction as a result of the ripened puNyam arisng
from your birth in the south (at Srivilliputthur ) .  Your Lord 
Sri RanganaathA's glances were directed there with great respect 
even when He was engaged in Yoga NidrA (at Srirangam ) .

(Comments ) : Srivilliputthur in the south was at a stage of ripened
puNyam , when You incarnated there under a Tulasi plant . Your Lord 
sleeping at Srirangam in Yoga NidrA is looking in the direction of Your
place of birth out of His great affection for You . The hidden meaning is that 
Sri RanganathA , the bride groom was eagerly looking at His bride-to-be ,
the moment She was born. He woke up from His Yoga NidrA time and again 
to cast His glances in that direction to see the growth of AndAL . It appeared  
as though he could not wait for Her to finish Her Thiruppavai and 
NaachiyAr Thirumozhi , which needed to be done before She could 
join Him at Srirangam . 

The other hidden  meaning centres around the choice of the Word ,
UttarA ( Dhik  DakshiNa api sarva UTTARAA bhavathi ) . Uttaraa has 
double meanings . In one context , it means the Northern Direction ,
where Sri Rama and KrishNa were born . Hence the northern direction
is venerable for us. As a result of GodhA's birth , the southern direction
became more venerable than the Northern direction. In another context ,  
the words , " Dik DakshiNA sarvOttharA bhavathi " suggests that the 
southern direction became the northern direction known for its superior
glory as a result of the avathArams of RamA and KrishNA there . In one 
context , the south exceeded in glory and in the other , the distinction between
south and the north directions disappeared .  

Slokam 8 : AzhwAr's imitation of GodhA 
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bhokthum tava priyatamam bhavatheeva gOdhE 
   bhakthim nijAm praNaya BhavanayA gruNantha : I
ucchavachai : viraha sangamajai : udanthai :
   srungArayanthi hrudhayam gurava: tvadheeyA : II

(Meaning ) : O GodhA dEvi ! Your elders like Your father 
wanted to enjoy the  Lord , who is very dear to You , just
as You did .In this context , their hearts were fileld with 
SringAra Bhavam ( love sentiments ) and they enhanced their 
true Bhakthi for the Lord through conversations with Him ,
which reflected their  moods of bliss , while united with Him 
and intense sorrow , when separated from Him . 

(Comments ) : O GodhE ! You by birth are a woman and as such 
it was NATURAL for You to relate to and enjoy the Lord  as  a Man .
Your elders like Your father had intense desire to enjoy the Lord 
as their lover , just as YOU did . It was however not easy for them ,
since they were born as males . They thought of a trick to overcome this
limitation . They dressed as women , gave themselves the names  
such as ParakAla Naayaki and ParAnkusa Naayaki and enhanced their 
love for the Lord through expresion of the Samslesham--Vislesham 
sentiments in their Paasurams. The mood of sorrow from their
separation with the Lord , " their consort " and elation on union with Him 
as " their husband " came out in their thoothu vidal and Madaloorthal 
acts. They sent birds and bees as messengers to the Lord for 
appraising Him of their sufferings and to beg Him to come to their 
side . They threatened to embarass Him by publicly exhibiting 
themselves as abnadoned women . Such acts  were  impressive
anbd yet did not ring as true as in Your case , because You were born 
as a woman and Your sentiments of relating to the Lord as a Purushan
were much more realistic and thus rang true .

Slokam 10 : The Glory attained by VishNuchitta through His daughter, GodhA
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thaathasthu madhubidha: sthuthi lesa vasyAth 
      karNAmruthai : shtuthi sathai : anavAptha poorvam I
tvanmowli ghandha subhagAm upahruthya maalaam
      lEbE mahatthara padhAnuguNam prasAdham II

(Meaning ) : O GodhE ! Your Lord is easily pleased by 
even a small eulogy . He becomes overcome as a result
with affection for the one , who sings His praise . Your 
father , Bhattar PirAn and the other AzhwArs before You 
had sung His praise through many pleasing songs . He did not 
however respond to them too much . Your father however took the garlands
worn by You and presented them characterised by their divine fragrance .
He immediately became very much attached to Your father . He praised 
Your father for his welcome  kaimkaryam and honored him  with the name ,
"PeriyAzhwAr " or the senior most AzhwAr  and became 
his  son-in-law later . Thus , Your Lord"s  great affection for You , GodhE , 
inspired Him to confer the honorofic title of PeriyAzhwAr on
Your father . He had heard Your father's Paasurams before and 
was not sufficiently  moved  to do something extraordinary 
such as conferring the  title befitting Your father's unique kaimkaryam .

Slokam 17 : The Lord's high regard for the Garlands worn by GodhA dEvi
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viswayamaana rajasA kamalEna naabhou 
    vaksha: sthalE cha kamalA sthana chandhanEna I
aamOdhithOapi nigamai : vibhurangriyugmE 
    dhathtE nathEna sirasaa tava MowLi maalaam II

(Meaning ) : Your Lord has the Lotus in his Naabhi .
The pollen dusts from that sacred lotus have a divine fragrance
that fill the air . MahA Lakshmi is seated on His chest region. The 
fragrance of the sandal paste worn on Her breasts is enjoyed by Him as well.
The divine frgrance of the Arya Vedhams and the TamiL marai 
saluting the glory of His sacred feet is also enjoyed by Him .
Thus , His whole body is covered with these divine fragrances and Yet ,
He seems not to be fully satisfied .  He waits eagerly for the garlands
worn  by You and receives them from Your father with his head 
bent out of love for You and becomes filled with a superlative fragrance 
that finally satisfies Him . 

Slokam 18 : Auspiciousness acheived by the Lord 
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chooDApadhEna  parigruhya tavotthareeyam
    maalaamapi tvadhaLakairadhivaasya dhattAm I
prAyENa rangapathirEsha bhibharthi GodhE 
    sowbhAgya sampath abhishEka mahAdhikAram II

(Meaning ) : O GodhE ! Your Lord , RanganAthA wears 
with great affection Your upper garment as Parivattam
on His crown . Next , He wears with great affection , the
divinely fragrant garalnds associated with Your curly , 
black tresses . Through these two acts , He enhances His 
auspiciousness and achieves the capabilities to confer
auspiciousness on His devotees . His enrichment is a
direct result  of the vaibhavam  of Your upper garment and 
the flower garlands worn by You ! 

Slokam 20 : The  effect of GodhA 's glances falling on the Lord
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dhanyE samastha jagadhAm pithurutthamAnghE
     tvanmowLimAlya bhara sambharaNEna bhooya : I
indeevara srajamivAdhadhithi tvadheeyAni
     aakEkarANi bahumAna vilokithAni  II

(Meaning ) : O GodhA pirAtti ! Your Lord is the father of the universe .
His siras becomes blessed by wearing the garlands worn by You
earlier . You become joyous over His expression of affection 
rsulting from Your Kaimkaryam . You cast Your shy glances at 
His crown decorated with Your garlands .At hat time , it appears 
as though an additional dark blue lotus garland has been overlaid
on the existing garlands there .

(Comments ) : Swami Desikan hints that the charmingly beautiful
and dark eyes of GodhA piratti rested on the garland-decorated crown
of Her Lord and appeared as though another garland of blue lotusflowers
were added . 

In the next posting , I will cover the rest of the selected  verses of GodhA
sthuthi.

AndAL ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan