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Sri Ranganatha PadhukhA Sahasram (RPS) --part 8

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • February 3, 1997 


Dear Members of the Prapatthi Group :

We will offer our homage to Sawmi Desikan"s 
8th paddhathi of RPS known as NIRYAATHANAA PADDHATHI 
in this posting . 

This paddhathi is all about the NiryAthnOthsavam .
NiryAthanam means returning some thing to the original
owner . Here BharathA returns to Sri RamachandrA His
PadhukhAs that ruled on His behalf the kingdom of KosalA .
The festival related to the reunion of the Lord with His padhukhAs
is celebrated in the 30 verses of this paddhathi by Swami Desikan .

In the first verse , NigamAntha MahA  Desikan salutes those sacred 
padhukhAs which were worshipped by BharathA ( BhavyAm 
Bharatha DevathAm thAm Vandeh ) .

In the sixteenth verse of this paddhathi , VedAntha  Desikan sees 
with his mind's eye the scene that took place at Nandigram , when 
BharathA carried the Rama PadhukhAs  on his head and placed  
them next at the feet of  his brother. SitA Devi was standing next  to her 
Lord at that time . With great affection and respect , SitA Devi looked 
at her Lord"s PadhukhAs and offered her salutations to them , which 
had already been coronated . Swami describes the scene of the public 
homage performed  by SitA Devi this way :

purvAbhishekha vibhavAbhyuchithAm SAPARYAAM 
MadhyE sathAm akrutha MyhtilirAja KanyA 

She recognized that the PadhukhAs had PurvAbhishekha
Vaibhavam .Therefore she performed a pujA befitting the
exalted status of the sacred padhukhAs in front of 
the assembled elders and learned people . 

In the 22nd slokam , Swami Desikan links RamAvathAram
with Sri RanganAtha . He says :

nirvruttha rAkshasa chamU mrugayAvihArO
Rangeswara: sa kalu Raghava Vamsa gopthA I
vamskramAdh upanatham padham aadhadhAnO
mAnyam pnasthvayi padham svakeeyam II

(Meaning ) : O PadhukhE ! Sri RanganAtha took the incarnation
of Sri RamachandrA , went to the forest , destroyed the evil
rakshasAs including RavaNA and then returned home to AyodhyA
and ascended  his heriditary throne and gave YOU back  
His holy feet again .

In the 26th slokam , Swami Desikan addresses the PadhukhAs
and states : O PadhukhE ! You bore the burden of the earth on 
your shoulders for 14 years , while your Lord was away on exile.
When He returned home after completing His AvathAra Kaaryam , 
You placed the  Earth on His shoulders and then carried your Lord , 
who was  carrying that Earth on His shoulders.  Swami Desikan 
points out that The sacred PadhukhAs of Sri RamA carried now 
on its back the Lord , who in turn was carrying the earth 
(Loka ParipAlanam ) on His powerful shoulders as 
the newly coronated  Chakravarthi .

Sri RanganAtha MaNi PadhukhE ! Thubhyam Nama :
Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam 
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan