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

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • February 15, 1997 


Dear Members of the Prapatthi Group :

I will cover the slokams 21 to 25 of the Naadha Paddhathi
in this posting . With this posting , we would have reached 
the first quartile of the Naadha Paddhathi .

Verse 21/401

In this slokam , Swami Desikan refers to the challenge
to compose this epic  work of eulogising the PaadukhAs 
of the Lord of Srirangam during the course of one night .
Here, our AcharyA salutes the PaadhukhAs for their 
anugraham to complete this kaavyam through him .

Our Acharya states : " O PaadhukhE ! You have made me 
a pledge  to help me  compose thousand verses
on your vaibhavam celebrated by the Vedaas . You are describing
your own limitless qualities through me . I am just an instrument 
in your hands to complete this daunting task . You seem to count 
the number of  steps your Lord takes with you to determine and 
fix the length of each of the thirty two paddhathis of this grantham ".

Swami Desikan reminds the padhukhAs that they prodded him
to accept the challenge in front of the assembly 
of great scholars at Srirangam( PrakhyAthAnAm parishadhi 
sathAm KAARAYITHVAA  Prathij~nAm ) to compose this kaavyam . 
He points out that the PaadhukhAs are now helping him 
through estabishing the structure for the Kaavyam and 
keeping count on the number of Slokams to be included in each of 
the 32 Paddhathis corresponding to the steps of Sri Rangapathi .

Verse 22/402 

Swmi Desikan referred to the pledge made by the PaadhukhAs
in the previous verse to compose the PaadhukhA Sahasram 
through him. Here, he describes another pledge made by 
the PaadukhAs in this context to establish the unquestionable
supermacy of VishNu  through thier unique Naadha patterns.

He says : " O PadhukhE ! You do a great service through your 
pledge to help the dim-witted understand the supermacy of 
VishNu through your own direct service to Him. You articulate
that message through your Naadham arising from the movement of 
the bells and gems decorating you . Your clear message is that
the lotus feet of VishNu are the essence of sruthis. You explain 
that the different methodologies adopted by the Vedas such as
SaamAnyam , Visesham , Yogam , Roodi , aparyavasAna vritthi ,
lakshaNai and GowNai , CONVERGE at the feet of your Lord. You
repeatedly remind people of all levels of jnAnam that the VedAs 
sing in unison about the paramountcy of our Lord . You intrepret
this supreme truth through Naadha YogA for the unsophisticated
populace " .

The inner meaning of this slokam is that AzhwAr Thiruvaimozhi 
reveals that the subject of adoration by the Upanishadsand VedAs
is that Sriman NaaRAyaNA is the one and only supreme Tattvam .
 

Verse 23/403

Swami Desikan refers in this slokam refers to another service 
rendered by the sacred PaadhukhAs of the Lord of Srirangam .

He says : " O Madhusudhana PaadhukhE ! VedAs praise 
the auspicious attributes of your Lord , who has been revered 
by them as the paramount priniciple. Scholars use the Veda manthrAs 
to offer homage to your Lord . During such efforts , they stumble 
inspite of their Vedic scholarship . They falter , when 
their affection for you overpowers them . These lapses in their concentration
(vide : Thirumozhisai Vaibhavam at Perumpuliyoor )
result in mistakes in MaatrAs ( prosodial or syllabic aspects defining
pronunciation
of the Veda manthrAs ) . Those mistakes in turn alters the meaning of 
the individual manthrAs . At these times , your Naadham comes to their 
rescue and corrects these mistakes in  a manner , which makes one wonder 
whether you are instructing them about the rules of SikshA , the science of 
euphony ( the proper pronunciation of the words and the laws dealing with them
).

Reference here is to the composition of the Thiruvaimozhi 
by NammAzhwAr in the form of Tamil Vedams and the help of 
PaadhukhAs during those eforts . 

It has  been said that NammAzhwAr started singing about 
the Vaibhavam of Sriman NaarAyaNA through  his Thiruvaimozhi.
When he reached the 23rd verse of his first  patthu , he fainted over the 
thought of the Lord being tied up by YasodhA to an Ural
(Wodden mortar ) , when she caught her " son " in the act of stealing
butter. Until this verse  , NammAzhwAr was singing about 
the supermacy of the Lord . He was in full control of 
his anubhavam and was tendering advise 
to others about the pre-eminent stature of the Lord in his(AzhwAr"s ) role as 
the compassionate AchArya. When he reached the 23rd paasuram of 
Thiruvaimozhi dealing with the Sowlabhyam of the Lord , which dealt
with the Lord submeging His Parathvam and allowing Himself to be tied 
and threatened by YasOdhA , he (AzhwAr ) could not hold himself together.
He is said to have fainted and remained in a state of unconsciousness
for six months over the thought of the Lord"s YeLimai 
( Yetthiram UralinOdhu INainthirindhu yEngiya YeLivE --
Thiruvaimozhi 1.3.1) .   

There is yet another intrepretation of the meaning of this slokam .
According to this version , it is the VedAs themselves  that are
overcome by the thought of the glories of the PadhukhAs and 
make mistakes in the middle of their adhyayanam regarding 
the different mathrAs (Hrasvam, dheergam et al ) . They are 
overcome  by the thoughts about the anantha KalyANa guNams of 
the PaadhukhAs and falter in their mAthrAs. It is at those times ,
the PaddhukhAs through their Sunaadham correct the mistakes 
of the Vedams ( ---MaatrAdheeni manjubhi : svai : ninAdhai :
svayam sikshayasyEva) . This is the intrepretation of Srimadh
Andavan Aasramam . The earlier intrepretation is associated 
with Utaamoor SwamigaL .

Verse 24 of Naadha Paddathi and the 404 of RPS

In the previous verse , Swami Desikan explained the vyaamoham 
of the scholars and the VedAs for Sri RanganAthA . Here , he states that 
the sweet and enchanting Naadham emanating from 
the Lord's PaadhukhAs kindles the desire of the maidens of 
Srirangam . 

Swami says : " O Ranganaatha PaadhukhE ! 
The eternally youthful Lord of yours is carried by you around the streets 
of Srirangam . The young girls of Srirangam flock to see your Lord 
during those occasions of His uthsavams. At those times ,
the sweet Naadham arising from your sanchaaram drowns out the 
sound made by the bow chord of ManmathA and makes the maiden fall
immediately in love with your Lord. At the same time , RanganAthA , who is 
beyond the influence of ManmathA's arrows falls in love with the maidens
(Gopis ) of Srirangam due to the amorous powers of your Naadham.

The inner meaning of this slokam is that those who hear the 
naadham of the Thiruvaimozhi recitation at the time of the Lord's
bhavani on the Raja Veedhis of Srirangam on the back of the 
PaadhukhAs are pulled towards the Lord , forget whatever 
they were doing and run  with Him all the way back to 
the Vaahana Mantapam . They do not want to return back
to their houses and continue their mundane activities .

Verse 25 of Naadha Paddhathi & 425th of RPS

This slokam is a beautiful one visualizing the sanchAram 
of the Lord on His PaadhukhAs :

RangAdheesE saha KamalayA saadharam yAyajukai : 
saaram divyam savana havishAm bhokthum aahuyamAnE I
nedheeyObhir nigama vachasAm nithyam amha pradheepai : 
pratyAlaabham disathi bhavathi paadhukhE ! sinjithai: svai : II

Swami Desikan visulaizes the occasion of the offering of Havis
for the Divya Dampathis during Yajnams . He says : O PaadhukhE !
When the YajamAnAs performing the YajnAs call(Aalapam ) for your Lord 
and His consort to come and receive their offerings(Havis ) ,
your Naadham appears to be the resoponse(PratyAlApam ) to their invitations.
Through your sacred Naadham identical to the soundings of 
the VedAs, you seem to respond and advise the yajamAnAs
that the divya Dampathis are on their way to accept the Havis
offered by them . 

BhakthAmrutham viswa janAnumodhanam 
sarvArthatham Sri Satakopa Vaangmayam I
sahasra SaakOpanishadh samAgamam
namAmyaham Draavida Vedha Saagaram 

Sriman SatAri Suri ! Thubhyam Namo Nama:
Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan