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Experiencing Swami Desika - 25

From the Bhakti List Archives

Praveena • June 30, 1999 


SrI:
Shrimate Shri Lakshmi Nrusimha Parabrahmane Namaha:
Shrimate Shri Seetha Ramachandra Parabrahmane Namaha:
Shrimate Shri Ramanujaya Namaha:
Shrimate Nigamantha Maha Desikaya Namaha:
Shrimate Shrivan Satagopa Shri Narayana Yateendra Mahadesikaya Namaha:

Shri Manakkal Nambi successfully brought
Shri Yamunacharya out of materialist life and
made Shri Yamunacharya realise and surrender
at the Lotus feet of Shri Ranganathan.

Shri Yamunacharya - also fondly known as Alavandar -
realised that there is nothing in loukeekam and there
is everything at the feet of Lord Shri Ranganathan.
On realising this, Shri Yamunacharya's bhakthi knew no bounds.

Alavandar records this in his Stotra Ratna thus:

"Tvadangri muddisya kadapi kenachit
Yada tadha vapi sakrut krutonjalihi
Tadaiva mushnat ashupanya sheshathaha
subhani pushnani na jathu heeyate!!"

Shri Yamunacharya states in the above-mentioned
sloka as:

When a person starts meditating on the Lotus feet
of Peria Perumal, he / she instantly is relieved
of all his / her sins. Just a single performance of
Anjali namaskaram to Azhagia Manavalan is enough
to destruct all sins and increase the Bhakta's
prosperity and will keep the bhakthi eternal.

Shri Alavandar establishes the soulabhyam of our
Lord and states that when a person surrenders to
our Lord, our Lord melts like a liquid,
thinking "What do I do to such a Soul"!

Here, in Adiyal's opinion, Anjali namaskara refers to
surrender - Prapatti. Once Prapatti is done at lords
feet all the sins are destructed ( ..thee yinil Thoosakum ...).
Alavandar did Prapatti to our Lord in this soul stirring
stotram - Stotra Ratna.

Shri Alavandar having realised the Lord and his duties to
the Lord, focussed his thoughts & actions towards kaimkaryam
to the Sriya:Pathi. Shri Alavandar also started teaching
and preaching the tenets of Shri Vaishnavism.

There are quiet a few parallels between Swami Desikan
and Shri Alavandar that has been visible in various
works:

In Swami's Saranagathy Deepika:

"SwamY dayAjalaniDirmaDuraha kshamaVan
shIlaadikaha shitavashaha shuchiratyudharaha!
Yethani hAthumanadho na kilaaharsi tvam
vikyaathimanthi birudhani mayaa sahaiva!!"

Swami Desikan says that Our Lord cannot afford to
give up the well known titles of his namely
 (i)       Swamy
 (ii)      Ocean of Daya
 (iii)     Sweet Person
 (iv)     One who has forbearance
 (v)      exceedingly free in mixing with all - sausElyam
 (vi)     One who is a slave to his votaries
 (vii)    pure
 (viii)   Liberal to a fault and
 (ix)     bereft of blemish - to give up all these along with me.

Swami Desika's bhavam is worth enjoying. Swami says to the Lord,
"If you do not protect me, you will not only lose me but also
unlikely to get another of my worth who richly deserves
protection at your hands".

Swami in his work Varadaraja Panchasat tells the lord that
he will loose his title "SharanAgatha samrakshitA" if the
Lord does not protect him. But it will be interesting to
note that in the above mentioned Saranagathi Deepika, Swami
states that the Lord will loose Nine titles if he fails to
protect him.

Shri Alavandar too has poured out his emotions in a similar way,
"DayanIyaha tava nAta durlabaha"!

Swami Desikan gets into this mode of "threatening" the Lord
as and when he chooses. Well, it could be easily looked at
as the child does to its mother on a few occasions.

......to be continued!

AlavandAr tiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

dEsikan tiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Praveena nAmni Ramanuja dasi
30th Jun 1999