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Copy of: Adiakkalap patthu of Swami Desikan : Part 1

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V. Sadagopan • December 6, 1997 


Dear Members of Bhakthi Group : FYI .
V.Sadagopan 
---------- Forwarded Message ----------

From:   V. Sadagopan, 75041,3037
TO:     SR, INTERNET:Srengara@ford.com
CC:     vas, INTERNET:vasanthi@umich.edu
DATE:   12/5/97 10:26 PM

RE:     Copy of: Adiakkalap patthu of Swami Desikan : Part 1

Dear Members of the SaraNAgathi Group : 

Recently I wrote about NyAsa dasakm of Swami Desikan .
Those ten quintissential slOkams are in Sanskrit . They 
are sacred and we recite them every day during 
the ThiruvArAdhanam for the Lord . In this posting I will
cover Swami Desikan's reverential prapatthi
to Sri VaradarAjA of Hasthigiri  in Tamil , which crytallized 
as eleven  verses including the pala sruthi verse  of
ADAIKKALAP PATTHU housed in Desika Prabhandham . 
These verses  are equaly sacred in purport .

Swami Desikan's ArAdhana Murthy was VaradarAjan .
Time and again , he has  offered his profound salutations
to Atthigiri AruLALan through his sthOthrams such as 
Sri VaradarAja panchAsath , meyviratha Maanmiyam ,
ThirucchinnamAali and Sri Hasthigiri MahAthmyam .   

Swami Desikan was born in Thuppul not far from 
the temple of VaradarAjan , which is known as PerumAL
Koil . It is revered as one of the seven mukthi KshEthrams .
The Lord stands on top of a small hill here saluted as 
Atthigiri in Tamil and Hasthi Giri in Sanskrit . Here , he 
responds most affirmatively to all auspicious vrathams 
of devotees and hence this kshEthram is known as 
Sathya Vratha KshEthram . The Lord's greatness is 
saluted as Meyviratha mAnmiyam . 

The Lord of Hasthigiri is saluted from time immemorial 
as Varadhan , DevarAjan , Devap PerumAL , AruLALan and 
PeraruLALan . He is saluted as KaaruNya Raasi 
( the embodiment of Mercy and DayA ) by Swami Desikan .
He is recognized as avyAja Vatsalan ( One Whose natural
disposition is affection for His devotees ) . He is recognized as
Varadhan or the boon giver par excellence. The beauty of His
divya MangaLa vigraham has been enjoyed by Swami Desikan 
without any satiety . 

Swami Desikan  has  described Sri Varadan   as a matchless 
vessel to cross the tumultous ocean of SamsArA ( SamsAra 
vAridhi nidhi santhraNaika pOtham ) .He is saluted as the end 
statement of ALL words ( Sarva VachasAm avasAna seema : ) .
In a most majestic salutation , Swami Desikan has recognized Him 
as " Nithyam param Sarva Gatham SusUkshmam nishpandha-
nandhathu mayam Bhavatha: svarUpam ) . Swami Desikan 
untypically is at a loss for words and tries to describe the Lord's
form as  " eternal , superior to every thing , all pervasive ,
unobstructed in its power and an embodiment of unalloyed Joy ) .
Swami recovers from his state of being overwhelmed and 
comes back to his fluent self and salutes the Lord as 
" Visva AdhisAyee Sukha rUpan " ( the unmatched embodiment 
of beauty in all the three worlds ) . 

Swami Desikan's  salutaion of Atthigiri AruLALan  
as the tree with its eastern branch as VaasudEvA , Western 
branch as PradhyumnA , Southern Branch as SankarshaNA 
and the Northern Branch as AniruddhA and Himself at the very 
center of the Chathur VyUhams is a moving tribute ( Satthvavantha: 
----tava Chathurshvapi sthAnEshu api sAkA vibhAga chathurE 
chAthurAthmeyE jaagrathi ) . Here Swami says that the pious ones 
deeply concentrate in the enjoyment of Him as the Chathur vyUha 
Moorthy . Swami goes on to adore Him as the emerald resting 
in the casket made up of all Upanishads as their SaarArtham 
( nikhila  Upanishad  maneeshA manjUsjikA marakatham ) .

In the VaradarAjA panchAsath , Swami salutes Him as 
dasAvathAra SvarUpan , as the antharyAmi as well
as ArchAvathAran . Swami Desikan reminds the Lord that 
his own anjali is the shield against the Lord's shafts of anger 
over his sins . Our AchAryA melts the heart of Varadhan by
describing HIm as the faultless dam over the ocean of 
SamsAram ( tvAm yEva abhangura: sEthu asi ) . He invites 
the rejuvenating glances of VaradarAjan to bring him back
to life after experiencing the scorching rays of the summer
sun of samsAram . Swami reminds the Lord that it is not 
a big effort for Him to take care of him during the remaining few
years on His earth ( sEshathva lEsa nayanE ka: iva 
athibhAra : ? ) . 

Frightened over his accumulated sins and their effect 
on him , Swami Desikan cries out and begs for the Lord's cool 
and merciful glances to fall on him ( madhurA: DhayALO: 
tE katAkshA : mayi pathanthu ) .He calls Him as KarisailadhAman
( One who has Hasthigiri as His place of residence ) and begs
Him to bless him to travel by archirAdhi maargam at the end
of his days . Swami  wants from VaradarAjan the boon of 
anthima smrithi about HIm ( AlOhitha amsukam tvAm anusmarEyam ) .
He confides to Varadhan that the enjoyment of His  beauty 
in ArchAvatharam at Kanchi makes him conclude that the stay 
in Sri VaikunTam is not so tempting . Swami concludes his 
salutation to VaradarAjan with a prayer for unceasing 
rememberance(Dhruva smruthi ) of Him as 
a resident of his heart cave .

In the divya prabhandham , Hasthigiri MaahAthmyam , 
Swami Desikan rightfully concludes that Kanchi has 
become the KshEthram that totally cuts asunder all 
the sins of devotees because of its sanctity arising
from the association with Sri VaradarAjan ( atthigiri 
bhatthar vinai tottaRa aRukkum aNi AtthigiriyE ) . 
The Lord appeared in the uttara vEdhi of BrahmA's 
yAgasAlA under the PuNyakOti vimAnam as the 
effulgent radiance . Swami states that the nithya sUris
raised the mangaLa naadham from their Thirucchinnams
during  that auspicious occasion ( kAhaLi nAdhEna 
karNEshvamruthasEchanam ) . Swami Desikan is
immersed in the sweet memories of the Lord 
appearing before BrahmA as a golden mountain 
in the middle of the fire of the yajnam . Wave after wave of 
memories about the Lord's glories wash over Swami 
Desikan and he declares with elation his nectar-like
experience over those thoughts :

atthigiri aruLALap perumAL vandhAr 
-- karutha varam tharum Dhaivap perumAL vandhAr
--umbhar thozhum kazhaludayAr vandhAr 
--vAnEra vazhi tanthAr vandhAr thAmE  

Swami Desikan celebrated thus " the trilOka
mahaneeyam Sathyavratha mahAthmyam " 
in his prabhandham in a glorious manner . 
The auspicious sound raised by the NithyasUris
from the Lord's Thirucchinnam reminded him of
the comforting sound of mUla Manthram . The praNava
sabdham reminded him once again of the rakshakathvam
of Lord VaradarAjA . The accompanying UkAra ,
MakAra sabdhams and that of the fourth case 
as well as the nama: and the NaarAyaNa sabdham 
with its own chathur vibhakthi engulfed our AchAryA 
into an ocean of bliss . He performed his prapatthi 
immediately to the Lord of Hasthigiri in grateful 
appreciation of that extraordinary experience 
and out poured the ten verses of Adaikkalap patthu .

We shall cover the meanings of these blessed verses
in the concluding posting on Adaikkalap patthu .

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam 
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan