Sri VenkatEsa SthOthram : Part 1
From the Bhakti List Archives
• January 12, 2000
Dear BhakthAs : There are eleven beautiful slOkams that are housed in Sri VenaktEsa sthOthram .They are a delight to recite and reflect upon . The endearing affection with which this bhakthan eulogizes the Lord and describes his aakinchanathvam have few parallels . The Taalam patterns (chantham) woven into slOkams 1-5 and 8 are remarkable. The MahA VisvAsam in the Lord of seven hills and the personal prayer for His grace captured in SlOkam 9-11 are one of the most moving appeals in the annals of SthOthrams. (1) KamalA-kucha-chUchuka-kumkumathO niyathAruNithaathula nIlatanO ! KamalAyatha-lochana !LOkapthE ! Vijayee bhava ! VenkatasailapathE ! Oh Lord of VenkatAchalam ! Oh Lord of the Universe ! Oh Lord with long eyes reaching almost to Your ears and reminding us of the softeness and beauty of lotus flower ! Oh Lord whose matchless dark hued body is renderd red always with the vermillion (Kumkumam) marks from the front portions of the breasts of MahA Lakshmi ! Victory be always to Thee! (Comments): The Lord's dark bluish body has a lasting redness due to the sambhandham with Sri MahA Lakshmi's saffron and kumkumam paste worn on Her breasts as beauty marks .The Lord's body is thus visualized as " KamalA kucha chUchuka kumkaumathO niyatha aruNitha athula neela Tanu". The anyOnyam of the divya dampathis is celebrated here . ThAyAr's intimate sambhandham is hinted as the reason why the Lord of the Venkatam hills will forgive our trspasses due to the intercession of our most benevolent Mother united with Him in an inseparable manner . AhalahillEn Paasuram of Swamy NammAzhwAr has to be remembered by us in this context. (2) sachathurmukha shaNmukha panchamukha pramukAkhila dhaivatha mouLimaNE ! SaraNAgathavathsala ! SaaranidhE ! ParipAlaya maam VrushasailapathE ! Oh Lord of Vrusha sailam ! Oh Crown Jewel of all DevAs and Gods like the four-faced BrahmA , the five-faced Sivan and the six-faced KumAra Swamy ! Oh Lord immensely attached by the bonds of love to those , who seek Your protection ! Please protct me ! (Comments): Oh Lord of VrushA hills ! You overlook the deficiencies of those , who perform SaraNAgathi at Your holy feet and look upon that SaraNAgahti as a vyAjam to come to their rescue and bless them fully. Just as poor people at times of grinding poverty access their savings , we come to You at times of great distress to save us . May You known for such vaibhavam as Saara Nidhi (matchless treasure )and SaraNAgatha Vatsalan protect me. (3) athivElatayA thava dhurvishai- ranuvEla kruthair-aparAdha sathai: bharitham thvaritham VrushasailapathE parayaa krupayaa paripaahi HarE ! Oh Lord of Vrusha Giri! May Thou befitting Your name as Hari extend to me Your immense dayA and protect me , who is guilty of committing limitless and unbearable sins without let .AdiyEn has now rushed to Your paadha kamalam with the full trust in Your matchless compassion to overlook my unforgivable trespasses and protect me . (comments) Oh Hari! " ParayA krupayA maam Paahi" is the moving prayerful appeal to the Lord .He is Para Brahmam and hence His Krupai (grace )is also Para Krupai . It is a grace for which there are no equals or superiors. The SaraNAgathan is brimming (bharitham ) with AparAdha Sathams and is scared about what is going to happen to him .Therefore , he rushes ( thvaritham ) to the Lord's Thiruvadi and prays " HarE KrupayA paripAhi ".He does not say "Paahi" , but appeals one step higher with the request , "ParipAhi ". (4) adhivEnkata sailam udhAramathEr janathAbhi mataadhika dhAnarathAth ParadEvathayA gadhithAn nigamai: KamalaadayithAn na param kalayE Oh Lord of Sri Devi ! Oh Lord who is saluted as the God of Gods by VedAs and Upanishads ! adiyEn does not recognize anyone as being superior to You ! Oh Lord residing in Venakata Giri ! Your generosity is unmatched and You always bless Your bhakthAs with more than what they desired . (Comments): "Tvath param na KalayE" .There is none who is superior to You in the sense that the Lord is " SamAdhika daridhran " . He is poor in the sense that there is no one , who is His equal or superior . Sri VenkatEsan is saluted here as " UdhAra mathi " and " janathA abhimatha adhika dhAnarathan" . His generosity is unparalleled and as a result , He always enjoys blessing people with more than they prayed for. (5) kalavENu ravAvasa gOpavadhU SathakODi vruthAth smarakODi samath prathi vallavikAbhimathAth sukhadhAth VasudEva suthAn na param kalayE adiyEn does not recognize anyone other than KrishNA ( Lord SrinivAsan as VenkatakrishNan) as a superior God. Sri VenkatEsan in His KrishNAvathAram is the one ParamAthmA , who is surrounded by hundreds of crores of Gopis , who have lost themselves totally in the charming music coming out of His divine flute . This son of VasudEvan is far more beautiful than the combined beauty of crores of ManmathAs and is desired by each and every Gopi maiden and He in turn blesses them with all pleasures that they desire individually including Moksha sukham. (Comments): The power of KrishNA's VeNugAnam has been movingly described by both PeriyAzhwAr and Swamy Desikan (GopAla Vimsathi slOkams). This slOkam touches on that Vaibhavam . The leelAs of "Gopa kanyA Bhujangan" are hinted here as well . To be continued ...
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