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Sri Vaikunta EkAdasi : Part 3

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • Mon Dec 28 1998 - 07:00:10 PST 


Dear Sriman NaarAyaNa DaasAs :

Today is the day before Sri Vaikunta Ekaadasi .
In seven hours time , Sri Rangarajan will enter Parama
Padha Vaasal at Srirangam and bless all of us , 
who are blesssed to be there in person or 
join Him mentally in that procession from 
where ever we are .

On this most sacred occasion , let us reflect on 
the mood of Swami Sri NammAzhwAr , who followed Veda
PramANams and travelled by ArchirAdhi Maargam and
joined SarvEswaran at Sri Vaikuntam and enjoyed
the limitless bliss there (anthamil pErinbam )
through nithya kaimkarya sEvA BhAgyam . 

We will focus on the tenth decad of the tenth
Centum , where Swami Sri NammAzhwAr describes
his journey to Sri Vaikuntam to rejoin His Lord .
This is celebrated as the NIGAMANA PATTHU of
Swami Sri NammAzhwAr's Thiruvaaimozhi .

The etymology of the word Nigamanam is worth
an analysis.The root " NIGAM " has many 
substantive meanings . It means ," to go to ,
to acquire , to obtain , to enter , to be 
inserted ". NIGAMA: means Vedam or Vedic Text.
Nigama: also means the divine words of 
a revered  AchArya like Swami Sri NammAzhwAr.
The other name for such an AchArya Purushan
is :"NIGAMIN ", OR NigamAntha Desikan .The tenth
decad of the tenth centum of ThiruvAimozhi
(muniyE naanmukanE mukkaNNappA ) has been
referred to earlier as " NIGAMANAM ". 

The word "nigamanam " has three meanings :

(1) going into (here Sri Vaikuntam )
(2) The conclusion in a syllogism or a deduction
    in Tarka Saasthram ( the summing up in logical debate)
(3) Quotation of a word from the VedAs or
    the word so quoted 

All the three definitions are relevant to the 
Nigamana Patthu . AzhwAr's entry through the climbing
of the nine ladders to reach Paramapadham is indicated 
by the first definition .

The second definition is connected with 
the logical debate between Swami Sri NammAzhwAr 
and the para Matha anusAris and the winning of 
this debate in  a convincing manner with 
the celebration of the attainment of the boon
of Moksham (apunar janma sAyujyam )through Prapatthi
at the lotus feet of Sri Vaikunta Naathan .
This is his avathAra kAraNam . 

The third  definition of Nigamanam is in reference
to the Veda Saamyam of his ThiruvAimozhi , which was
the topic of Thirumangai's appeal to Sri RanganathA
in the context of creation of the Thiru AdhyayanOthsavam
at Srirangam , which concludes with NammAzhwAr's
Thiruvadi Thozhal festival . The equivalence
of Tamizh MaRai with the Saanskritic VedAs
are established here .    

In the ninth centum of his ThiruvAimozhi , 
MaRan SatakOpan proved that Sriman NaarAyaNan is 
AvyAja Suhruth . In the tenth centum , AzhwAr 
senses the end of Thiruvaimozhi Kaimkaryam 
based on his assessment that his prapatthi
has become fruitful and that he is going "home"
to the parama padham of the Apunar Janma Saayujyathan .
Like a recently married bride taking leave of her 
relatives of piranthaham , AzhwAr takes leave of 
the archA mUrthys of divya desams here and gets 
ready to enter pukkaham ( "her" husband's house )
by travel through archirAdhi maargam described by
the Upanishads and Vedams .Thus the Veda Saamyam
of the divya Prabhandhams is once again established.

Swami Sri Desikan has summed up in his incisive
way the essence of each of the ten paasurams of 
each of the ten decads of the tenth centum :

1. TaaLa ThAmarai -- (praNavam ) GathayE nama:
2. kedum idar --(PraNavam )vyadhvak klEsacchidhE nama :
3. vEymaru -----(  "     )apadha sankhAspadha rasAya nama:
4. saarvE-------(  "    ) bhajadhbhi: suprApAyaya nama: )
5. KaNNan-------(  "     )vividha bhajana prakriyAya nama:
6. aruL peRuvAr (  "     )phalE thIvra udhyOgAya nama:
7. senchorkavi  (   "    )sva vishya krutha adhyAdharAya nama:
8. Thirumaalirum ChOlai( " )yadhrucchA thushtAya nama :
9. soozhvisumpaNi (   "   ) sathsaraNyE nama:
10.muniyE naanmukanE( " ) apunarjanma sayujE nama:

It is appropriate to remember that the very last
Brahma Soothram of BadarAyaNA ( anAvrutthi sabdhAth, 
anAvrutthi sabdhAth ) is about "apunarjanma sAyujyam '
of the Thiruvaimozhi tenth decad of the tenth centum as
celebrated by ChAndhOgya Upanishad ( ChAndhOgyam :VIII.xv.1)
and Srimadh Bhagavadh GitA ( chapter VIII.15-16 ). 

The above ten guNams of the Parama Padha Naathan are 
enjoyed afresh by Swami Sri Desikan in what is revered 
as " Taathparya rathnAvalyanurOdhEna DramidOpanishadhgamya
GUNA NAMA SAHASRAARCHANAA . For the sake of brevity ,
we will refer to only four of the key salutations here :

Thiruvaai Mozhi :10.10.4: " UmparanthaNN pAzhEyO " 
is summarized here as " akhila tanavE nama: " .
The paasuram words are : "athanuL Biraman Aran nee ,
umparum yAthavarum padaittha muivan avan nee ".

ThiruvAi Mozhi :10.10.9 : " "Muthal tani vitthEyO "
is summarized by Swami Sri Desikan as " Mukthi-
dhAyinE nama:" .Swami Sri NammAzhwAr pleads here 
for Mukthi (Moksham ) to the Moksha DhAyin .He says:
" I should Join You ; I should enjoy Your unmatched 
beauty as SvarUpa GuNa BhUshaNAyudha  mahishI parijana
Visishta SubhAsrayan at Your Parama Padham .When am I 
to join You?". Swami Sri Desikan summarizes this moving
plea as " Mukthi-dhAyinE nama: " .

Thiruvaimozhoi : 10.10 .10 " SoozhnthaRAzhnthu uyarntha--"
is summarized by Swami Sri Desikan as " MukthAnubhAvyAya nama:".
Sri ThirukkuruhUr SatakOpa Maamuni extolls here 
the Mukthi anubhavam that he has been blessed with 
by AdhinAthan this way :

"--periya sudar Jn~Ana inbhamEyO, soozhanthanil
   periya yennavA aRac chUznthAyE "

Oh Polinthu ninRa pirAn ! Oh Sri VaikuntanAthA !
Thou art indeed the sole possessor of Sankalpa Jn~Anam !
That Jn~Anam is pure bliss(Aanandham ) in svarUpam
and pervades all and beyond .It casts its halo
everywhere , all the time .It is immeasurably vast 
indeed . My avaa (yearning ) to join You WAS even
larger than Your limitless sankalpa Jn~Anam .
But , You out of Your infininte DayA and Aasritha 
Vaathsalyam has united me with You and thus quenched
my yearning .I have now become a drop in Your 
vastness of amruthak kadal (nectar of an ocean ).
MY LONG TIME YEARNING HAS BEEN ANSWERED AND
I FEEL FULFILLED .

On the eve of the greatest of the great EkAdasis,
On the eve of this BahudhA-anya Sri Vaikunta EkAdasi , 
let us meditate on " Sri Vaikunta Naathan as Sarva Lokha 
SaraNyan, niradhisaya oujvalya -sougandhya- soukumArya 
lAvaNya-youvanAth anantha guNa nidhi -divya rUpan " .

May we meditate and hold on to Him in our DhyAnam as
" Lakshmi -BhUmi-NeeLAdhi divya Mahishi sEvithan ,
adhyujjvala ramaNIya aparimitha divya bhUshaNa 
bhUshithan , niradhisaya kalyANa divya aayudhajAla
sObhithan , sEsha sEshAsana Garuda nAnAvidhAnantha -
divya parijana sEvitha CharaNa naLina yugaLan, 
aparimitha udhAra guNa sAgaran , Parama Purushan ,
Subha Vibhavan ,nithya bhOgyan ,upasamsOshakan,
Bhava dhuritha-haran , dhAsya Saarasya hEthu , 
prakhyAtha preethi leelan ,paapa bhanjakan , 
RakshaNArtha avathAran , akhila phala pradhan ,
praNamadha anuguNan , anupama sushuman , 
ananya bhOgyAngri yugman , sathpatha prApakan ,
agatitha gatanan , Veda rUpa svakEthU , 
AchArya Bhakthi prakAsakan , Sandhra MOdhan , 
Sarva poorNan and niravadhika mahAnandha pradhAyakan ". 

 
May this Parama padha Naathan accept our Prapatthi
performed for us by His most merciful DesikAs and grant us 
our place in His matchless Sri Vaikuntam and  accept our 
nithya Kaimkaryam there .

NaarAyaNa , NaarAyaNa , NaarAyaNa !
Swami Sri NammAzhwAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam 
Swami Sri NigamAntha MahA Desikan ThiruvadigalE SaraNam
Swami Adhi VaNN SatakOpa YathIndhra MahA DesikAya nama:
Swami Sri NaarayaNa YathIndhra MahA DesikAya Nama;

DaasAnu Daasan , ThiruviNNagar VaradAchAri SadagOpan 
BahudhAnya Samavathsaram , Maargazhi Maasam 13th day ,
Sukla Paksha Dasami , Asvini Nakshathram , Siddha yOgam
December 28,1998 .