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Sri RanganAtha PaadhukhA Sahasram(RPS ) : NaadhaPaddhathi --Part 14.9

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • February 24, 1997 


Dear Members of the Prapatthi Group :

There was a slight mistake in the numbering system.
The last two postings were given the same number( Part 14.7) .
Please consider this posting  therefore as  Part 14.9
Thanks . I will cover verses 47 to 50 of the Naadha Paddhathi
in this posting .

Verse 47/ Slokam 427 of RPS

nityam vihAra samayE nigamAnuyAthai : 
vikshepa tAndavitha garbha maNi prasuthai : I
naadhai : svayam naraka mardhana paadharakshE 
naadhAvasAna nilayam vadhaseeva naatham II

" O Paadhukhe of the Lord who destroyed NarakAsurA !
During His time of travel with  you , RanganAthA stops 
at selected street junctions to accept the homage of the 
assembled people . The Steady naadham arising from 
the regular trotting of yours stops at that time. 
The VedAs which were following the Lord recognize the 
cessation of your  naadham and stop as well . Until then , 
they were following the even tone set by your   
Naadham resulting from your  measured gait . "

The reference here is to the experience of Yogis and NaadhopAakAs.
Yoga Saastrams state that the Yogis hear ten kinds of Naadham 
in their bodies as they meditate on the Lord . When that  Naadham
stops , the Yogis are blessed with the darsanam (Maanasa 
SaakshAthkAram ) of the Lord and experience a blissful state. 
The situation described in this slokam is similar to the 
experience of the Yogis. AzhwAr's divya Sookthis are rooted in the VedAs.
At the end of his recitation of Thiruvaimozhi , AzhwAr experienced 
the presence of the Lord and got still . 

Scriptures also state that the Lord or the UpasanA Murthy 
becomes visible at the end of worship through 
NaadhOpAsanA . When RanganAthA was moving ,
the PaadhukhAs and the VedAs were practising NaadhOpAsanA .
One could clearly hear the Naadham , but it was rather difficult to
see the Lord  clearly . Once the Lord stopped , the NaadhOpAsanA
came to a halt and the assembled people could feast their eyes 
on Him as revealed by the scriptures . 

Verse 48/Slokam 428 of RPS

In this slokam , the poetic imagination of Swami Desikan
blossoms forth . He imagines a Kalaham (dispute ) between
the two paddhukhAs as the source of the Naadham that we
hear , when the Lord is transported by them . 

The reference is to the time , when the Lord measured heaven
and earth as Trivikrama. He was wearing His PaadhukhAs during 
that occassion . The Lord took three steps. The PaadhukhA adorning
the right foot measured the earth . The PaadhukhA on the left foot 
measured the heavens . During the third step , the PaadhukhA on
the right foot rested on the head of emperor MahA Bali . Hence , the right 
PaadhukhA had the good fortune to be used twice by the Lord in contrast 
to the left PaadhukhA that  was used only once in this great feat . 
The left PaadhukhA iniitated a quarrel with the Lord over the privelege
extended to the right PaadhukhA . The right PaadhukhA responded and 
recommended that the left PaadhukhA settle this matter with  the left
foot of the Lord. Using his poetic imagination , Swami Desikan 
says that this ancient disputation proceeds in a musical manner
(operatic fashion ) even today , when the Lord has his sanchArams 
on the back of His paadhukhAs . Swami says : " O PaadhukE ! When 
Lord measured the universe with his three steps , both of you had 
an argument  as to who was more priveleged (NyunAnAdhikathvam )
to serve the Lord. When I hear the sweet Naadham generated by 
both of You now , I wonder whether this is the continuation of
the old dispute between you ." 

Verse 49/Slokam 429 of RPS

Swami Desikan shifts his attention now to another  
dispute of a similar kind that questions the Lord's 
partiality to one or other of His Devis. Here the disputants 
are the Lord's three consorts complaining about 
the imagined or real preferential treatment 
meted out by the Lord to them . This  slokam is 
another beautiful one : 

prAya: padhAvani ! vibhO: praNayAparAdhE 
maana graham samayithum mahishee janAnAm I
ucchArayanthi ninadhaistava garbha rathnAni
udhgAtham aksharam upAsraya BharatheenAm II 

(meaning ) : "O PaadhukhE ! The gems embedded 
(garbha rathnAni ) in you generate PraNava naadham 
without stopping. That Naadham seems to overpower   
the goblins arising from the anger of the consorts of the Lord.
Their anger arose from the occasional preferential treatment 
that the Lord showed in His relationship with one of the three consorts .
Your  PraNava Naadham seems to serve as calming Vedic Incantations 
that  subdue (Samayithum )  the demon of anger ( Maana graham )
and create peace among the Devis " . Swami describes the PraNava
naadham as " BharatheenAm udhgAtham aksharam " ( That PraNavam,
which precedes all Vedic Utterances ) .

Swami Desikan visualizes a special delicate scene.
He sees  that the consorts are deeply in love
with the beauty and KalyANa guNAs of their Lord. He finds out
that this affection makes them doubt the depth of attachment  that 
their Lord has for them over the other consort ( Saha KaLathram/
SakkaLatthi kalaham ) . That PraNaya AparAdham creates 
maana graham ( demon of anger ), which in turn is subdued 
by the PraNava Naadham coming out of the Garbha Ratnams 
of the Paadhukhais.

The inner meaning is that the samsAris are angry at the Lord
during  the times of their distress. That anger goes away , when they 
recite SatAri Suri's divya sookthams and gain thereform a clearer
understanding of the true nature (Parama Kaaruneeka SvabhAvam )
of their  Lord and His dayA .

Verse 50/Slokam 430 of RPS

In the previous verse , Swami Desikan described the power
of the PraNava Naadham . Here he describes the benefits 
that PraNava Naadham confers on the Yogis . He says : 
" O PaadhukhE ! Yogis adept in the control of their breath 
(PrANAyAma) control their minds . They reach single minded 
concentration through this yogic practise and hear PraNava 
Naadham  and recognize that sound as originatng from you .
That  recognition makes them  conclude that the Lord is 
not too far away and is hastening  to bless them with 
His darsanam . "

Swami calls these  Yogis " AbhijnAs " or those who 
have the insightful  knowledge . The experience of the Yogis 
enjoying the PraNava naadham of the PaadhukhAs at the 
end of their control of their prANa vaayu through successful
prANAyAmam is described here.

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam 
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan