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Sri RanganAtha PadhukhA Sahasram (RPS ) : Naadha Paddhathi --Part 14.3

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • February 14, 1997 


Dear Members of the Prapatthi Group :

In this posting , I will cover the slokams of Naddha
Paddhathi of RPS from 16 to 20.

Verse 16/396

Here Swami Desikan addresses the Rangapathi"s Rathna 
MaNi PadhukhAs and requests  them to perform their alchemy 
during the last moments of his life on this earth , when all his 
ten IndriyAs would be in astate of agitation .

He says : " O Gem-studded PaddhukhAs of Sri RanganaathA !
When the ever present enemies of my body cause me pain and
sorrow , please fill my ears with your Naadham . It will serve as 
soothing alchemy to drive my afflictions away  " . 

He describes his state at the last moments of His life 
as" Vihvalasya mama sruthou "( Most agitated ear of mine ) . 
The antidote for that state is described by 
Swami Desikan as " Bhavatheeya Sinjitham svAdhu karNa RasanA 
RasAyanam " ( Your delectable Naadham that is the tasteful 
medicine/alchemy for the ear of mine serving as the tongue to benefit
from that medicine and to be cured of my afflictions ) .

Swami Desikan"s statement here is similar to the KrishNa RasAyanam
recommended by KulasekharA to cure the ills of samsAric afflictions.

Verse 17/397 

Here Swami Desikan establishes the supermacy (Parathvam )
of Sriman NaarAyanA through the words of the MaNi paadhukhAs. 
The corresponding slokam is as follows :

aham upari samastha devathAnAm
upari mamaisha vibhAthi Vaasudeva : I
tadhiha param na kimchidh asmAdh
ithi vadaseeva padhAvani PraNAdhai : II

Swami says :" O PaadhukhE ! When I hear the Naadham 
generated by you when you travel with your Lord , it seems 
to suggest that you are saying that you adorn the heads of 
all the DevAs and therefore You are superior to all of them.
You seem to say next that the Lord is over your head and therefore , 
there is nothing in world is superior to Him " . 

The inner meaning of this slokam is that NammAzhwAr (SatAri / PaadhukhAs)
hints through the verses of his Thiruvaimozhi that Para Vaasudevan 
of Srirangam is the Lord and Master of all the DevAs. 

Verse 18/398

In this slokam , Swami takes the liberty of comparing the happy,
sweet and bold Naadham of the PaadhukhAs to that of a happily
married wife , who addresses her husband in a state of intoxication .
He says : " O PaadhukhE ! Your Naadham some times sounds like 
the bold speech of  a drunken wife , who embraces her husband and
gets even bolder and gives assertive orders. When DevAs prostrate before 
You , the fermented honey (Madhu/wine ) from their flower garlands 
decorating their crowns fall on You . You become intoxicated with that
flow of Madhu . You embrace your Lord's feet and generate a sound 
born out of happiness and intoxication. That Naadham emanating from you 
at that time is sweet and bold " . 

Verse 19/399 

In this slokam , Swami Desikan pays tribute to the uniqueness of
the PaadhukhAs as attested by Sri RanganAthA . 

He says : " O PaadhukhE ! During the day , your Lord performs all
the duties requested by the DevAs and receives their grateful 
salutations . He goes hither and thither to protect them and becomes 
the object of their adorations. Thereafter , he bids good bye  His servants at
the appropriate places of His palace and hastens by Himself to the inner
chambers to join His consorts . You alone are with HIm at that time. 
He does not seem to leave you behind because of His fondness for the sweet
Naadham generated by you , when you transport Him to the inner chambers" . 

The inner meaning is that the general accoutrements of Sri RanganAthA
and His servants stop  at the exterior gates of His palace . It is only 
the sArrumurai of Thiruvaimozhi that takes place at the innermost 
chambers (garbha Graham ) of the Lord of Srirangam .

Verse 20/400

Here Swami Desikan describes the low , almost inaudible Naadham
that arises from the PaadhukhAs , when RanganAthA makes His first 
step after getting up from His bed of Adhi SeshA in the morning. The gems
decorating the PaadhukhAs get shaken up gently and make a low level
sound. As RanganAthA takes the next three steps , His lotus feet are
firmly inside the PaadhukhAs and the volume of the accompanying
Naadham gets amplified to louder and audible levels.  

Swami describes the progressive growth in the Naadham generated by
RanganAthA's movements in this verse and compars that phenemenon 
to the generation of sound by the human body in four successive steps
known as ParA , pasyanthi , MadhyamA and Vaikari . 

The first stage of sound arising from the navel ,  when one 
attempts to speak is known as ParA. When that sound wave 
reaches the heart center from Naabhi , it gets a  little louder and is
recognized 
as Pasyanthi . When it reaches the next stage between the heart 
and the vocal chords , the sound gets louder and by another dimension
known as MadhyamA ; finally , when the sound wave reaches the level 
of vocal chords and comes out of the mouth in an audible fashion , 
it is called Vaikari . The first three stages of speech are not audible to
the human ear and yet they get progressively louder from the first to
the fourth  stage. Each stage is assisted by one of the five life-winds 
going up and down the body such as prANA , ApAnA , UdAnA et al. 
Swami Desikan compares the steadily increasing volume of Naadham 
as Sri RanganathA moves from his first  step to the fourth step to the 
stages of speech amplification in the human body controlled 
by the life-winds.

The inner meaning is that the Naadham of the SatAri Suri is low
when he begins his enjoyment of the Lord"s auspicious 
attributes ( Bhagavadh Anubhavam ) . As the intensity of 
the anubhavam increases , the Naadham reaches a crescendo .
There is a krama pariNatha aspect to the anubhavam ( successive
stages of ascension ) .The parA state is a subtle experience 
(SookshmAvasthai ) . Then it becomes gradually heightened and 
comes out as distinct and loud Thiruvaimozhi paasuram .

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