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VaraLi Pancharathnam -- Part 5

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • January 13, 1998 


Isvara samvathsaram  , Marghazhi Maasam , 29th day
Punarvasy Nakshthram , BhOgi Pandigai 
January 13 , 1998

Dear Rama BhakthAs :

Saint ThyagarAjA was immersed in brahmAnandham
over the darsana soubhAgyam of his Ishta dhaivam as he 
sang about the unparalled beauty of  his SaakEtha Raaman.

The saint was transported to the darbAr of PattAbhi Raaman 
in distant AyodhyA . The scene shifted from the banks of Cauveri
to Sarayu . There , Saint ThyagarAjA immersed himself in 
the exquisite beauty of the Lord's peethAmparam , madhura 
sambhAshaNai and the supreme radiance of the chakravarthy-
thirumahan seated on His throne . He was overcome with great
Joy and performed archanA to the Lord with carefully selected
nAmAs . Thus was born the third charaNam with the following 
sAhithya vAkhyams :

BaalArkAbha suchEla ! MaNimaya mAlAlankrutha kandhara !
SarasijAksha ! VarakapOla ! surichara kireetadhara ! 
santhathampu manasAraga ( Kana Kana ruchira 
kanaka vasana ninnu )

He celebrated the lustre of the  peethAmparam that adorned 
the  waist of the Lord . The reddish  hue of the peethAmparam 
reminded him of the rising Sun at dawn . He began the nAmArchana
with " Om BaalArka SuchElAya nama : " . 

Next , the saint 's eyes rested on the resplendent navarathna 
necklace on the broad chest of His Lord . The second nAmArchanA
followed : " Om MaNimaya mAlAlamkutha kandharAya Nama: "

The saint's eye wandered from the chest region to the face of
the Lord and took in the most compassionate and beautiful
eyes resembling that of a beautiful lotus . The third nAmArchanaa
took its place as ,  " Om SarasijAkshAya nama: " 

>From the eyes that were overpowering him , the saint shifted his 
gaze to the cheeks of the Lord that were shining like a polished 
mirror . The fourth namArchanA followed : " Om Vara KapOlAya nama: " .

Now , the saint 's eye rested on the beautiful gem-bedecked crown 
( MaNimaya makutam / kireetam ) adorning the Lord's head and 
that enjoyment transported itself to transform as the fifth namArchanam ,
 " Om surichara kireetadharAya Nama  : " . This experience of 
Saint TyagarAjA reminds one of ThiruppANAzhwAr's anubhavam
of the beauty of Sri RanganAthA from the lotus feet to the shining crown .

After travelling from the waist region admiring the peethAmparam ,
the saint 's eyes moved upward and rested at the kireetam adorning 
Pattabhi Raaman's head . He described his anubhava janitha aanandham
with the statement , " santhathampu manasAraga kana kana ruchirA ,
kanaka vasana ninnu " . He declared that he was forever enjoying
to his heart's content this darbAr sevai that  the Lord blessed him with . 

This vision and the darsana soubhAgyam of the Kanaka vasana Raaman
has been celebrated by the Saint in many of his other krithis and serve
as an echo to his experience described in the VarALi pancharathnam's
third charaNam . For instance , he priased the most beautiful combination
of the Lord's bluish hue with the dawn-red color of the peethAmparam 
on His waist region this way : " neelAkruthi gala nee lAvaNyamu 
neelAgathi gani bhimbhavE , BaalArkhAbha suchElAvrutha " . The tejas 
of the Baala SUryan is invoked here again to describe the hue of 
the divya peethAmparam . He offered his salutations to this suprakAsa
Sundara mUrthy and eulogized Him as " Surichara kireeta dharan " and 
" MaNimaya makuta virAjamAna Manmatha kOti samAna sundarAngan " . 

In his Bhairavi krithi , " UpachAramulanu chekonavayaa" , 
he saluted His Lord resplendently attired in the shining 
peethAmbharam as " Chapala kOti nipAmbharadhara Sri Jaanaki Pathi " .
He recognized the Lord as the one wearing the peethAmbharam 
having the lustre of crores of lightning bolts . 

In his DevaghAndhAri krithi , " KoluvaiunnAdE Kothandha PaaNi " ,
saint ThyagarAjA enjoyed the beauty of the darbhAr scene and shared it 
with us : 

kanaka patamu sOmmulanu dharinchi vEdhOkthamaina
Sanaka vachanamulachE thOshimchyAsrithulu bhOshimchi
( KoluvaiunnAdE KothandapANi ) 

He invites us to come to the darbhAr hall of Sri PattAbhi Raaman. 
He  says : " Please come and  see our Lord , the VEdha Purushan ,
listening to the vEdha pArAyaNam of rishis like SanakA while 
adornig the tEjOmaya peethAmbharam and blessing all those ,
who performed saraNAgathi to Him " . He invited us to enjoy this rare 
sight .

In one of his SourAshtra Krithis , Saint ThyagarAjA celebrated 
the beautiful way in which Sri RaamachandrA travelled to the darbhAr
to bless the assembled citizens , kings , sages and dEvAs :

meruga bhangAru sElamighuvondha mariya ,
nUpuramulu bhakthulagani KaruNAmrutha sallaka ,
YOgula daharamula jallanaka vEnjEsina 
( Yenthanuchu varninthunE yee IndirA RamaNuni nE ) 

( Meaning ) :Thus  arrives my Lord with the shining peethAmparam moving
gently , with the bells on His ankle aabharaNam sounding  " gal , gal , "
with His glances showering nectar over His devotees and 
cooling the heart cavities of the yOgis ( jil Jil ena )  .
Thus the RaajAthirAjan , SithApathi travels to His darbhAr . 
How can I adequately decribe the exquisite beauty of 
this scene ? 

The describtions of the shiny peethAbharam , the gem-bedecked
kireetam and navarathna maalai adorning his chest described 
in the third charaNam are echoes of the passages found in
the above-quoted krithis :

" maNimaya makuta virAjamAnO " --- JangAradhvani krithi

" Chapala kOti nipAmbharadhara Sri JaanakI pathi" -- Bhairavi krithi

" Kanaka patamu sommulanu dharinchi " --dEva ghAndhAri krithi

" Meruga bhangaru chElamiruvonthamariya " --SourAshtra Krithi 

I conclude this BhOgi Pandigai posting with the salutation ,
" Om BaalArkapi SuchElaa maNimaya mAlAlankruthta 
sarasijAkhsha Vara KapOla suruchira kireeta dharAya Nama: " .

Sri Ramachandra ParabrahmaNE Nama:
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan