Copy of: VarALi Pancha rathnam --Part
From the Bhakti List Archives
• January 15, 1998
Retransmittal ---------- Forwarded Message ---------- From: V. Sadagopan, 75041,3037 TO: OM, INTERNET:BHAKTI@LISTS.BEST.COM DATE: 1/14/98 7:51 PM RE: Copy of: VarALi Pancha rathnam --Part Isvara Samvathsaram , Thai First day Makara SankarAnthi ( Pongal Pandigai ) Dinam UttarAyaNa PuNya Kaalam Pushya Nakshthram , DvithIyai thithi , Jan 14 , 1998 Vangak Kadal kadaintha ThiruppAvai Dinam Dear BhakthAs of Sri RaamachandrA : After performing divya NaamArchanA to his Lord in the third charaNam of the VarALi pancha rathnam , Saint ThyagarAja moved on to celebrate one of the greatest bhakthAs of Sriman NaarAyaNA , who engaged in the rUpa-- dhyAnam of the PeethambharadhAri ( Kaanchith Kaanchana Kaanchi lAnchitha lasath PeethAmbharAlampini ) and had his sorrows and sufferings destroyed ( Aarthicchidham tava mUrthim ) from the fruits of such a dhyAnam . This great bhakthA is no other than the five year old , child DhruvA , the son of king UtthAnapAdA and grandson of SvAyambhuva Manu . Bhaktha DhruvA's success in gaining the anugraham of Sriman NaarAyaNA is described in the fourth skhandham of Srimadh BhAgavatham . The fourth charaNa vAkhyams relating to the legend of DhruvA from the fourth Skhandham are as follows: sApathni mAthayou SurichichE karNa sUlamaina mAta veenula jurukkana taaLaka Sri Harini dhyAninchi sukhimpaka lEdhA ? ( Kana Kana RuchirA , Kanaka Vasana ninnu ) Here , Saint ThyagarAjA recalls with great reverence the blessings conferred by Sri Hari on the bAlan , DhruvAn , from rUpa dhyAna soubhAghyam . DhruvA's step mother Surichi rebuked Dhruvan sharply for wanting to sit on the lap of his father . Her cruel words describing DhruvA's unfitness to sit on his father's lap like her own son , Utthaman drove him to tears . Surichi reminded Dhruvan that he should perform penance to Sri Hari to have the boon of being born as her own son to qualify for the honor of being seated on theb lap of his father . Dhruvan prostrated before Surichi and retired to the jungle and performed austere penance for SIX MONTHS . He meditated on the divya rUpam of Sri Hari in the manner described by sAsthrAs and purANAs : yath thrilOkya maheeyasOpi mahitham , sammOhanam mOhanAth , kaantham kaanthi nidhAnathOpi , madhuram mAdhuryadhuryAdhapi , SoundharyOttharathOpi Sundara taram tvadh rUpam Sriman NaarAyaNA was immensely pleased with the ardour and intensity of Dhruva swAmy 's penance and appeared before him with the form that has been celebrated as the most sacred one to worship , the most charming of all charming entities to attract the mind , the most radiant among all resplendent jyOthis , the sweetest among all sweets , the most beautiful among all beautiful forms . Dhruva swami was so immersed in the Lord's rUpa dhyAnam that he did not recognize the Lord standing in front of him with his physical eyes . He woke up from his dhyAna samAdhi , when the touch of the Lord's Paanchajanyam ( divine conch ) brushed against his cheeks . He opened his eyes and saw the Lord , whom he saw until then in his hrudhayAkAsam , standing now in front of him and blessing him with His TejOmaya darsanam . He fell at the Lord's feet and was elevated to Dhruva Mandalam , a seat more lofty and sacred than that of his father's lap . Saint ThyagarAjA recalls this incident and says in this charaNam : " Oh Lord , who ran to the side of DhruvA in great haste to bless him ! When I think of Your sundara thirumEni , my mind gallops off like a horse that has been released from its shackles . When I see your aprAkrutha subhAsrayam , the mind of mine rises in rapture like the waves of the ocean on the PourNami day " . There is a specific reason for Saint ThyagarAjA's reference to DhruvOpAkhyAnam in the context of his AanandhAnubhavam from witnessing the Lord's soundharyam . The five year old boy performed severe penance and realized the darsana soubhAgyam of the Lord in the short span of six months . Great sages in contrast could not become eligible for such a parama bhAgyam even after penance in many janmams . Saint ThyagarAjA thinks of the unique anugraham conferred by the Lord on Dhruva Swamy and seeks such a quick response of Sriman NaarAyaNan ( Sri RaamAvathAran ) for the conferral of the blessings similar to that enjoyed by the child bhakthan . Fifth CharaNam ****************** The charaNa vAkhyams are as follows: mrugamadha lalAma subha nitila vara JatAyu Moksha Paladha ! PavamAna Suthudu needhu mahima delpa SiTA delisi valachi sokkalEdhAyAreethi ninnu ( Kana Kana RuchirA ) Saint ThyagaraajA covers two incidents from Srimadh RaamAyaNam in this charaNam . The first one is about His bhaktha dhAkshiNyam for the king of Eagles , JatAyu . The second is an incident at AshOka Vanam described in Sundara KhAndam . Oh Lord , You blessed JatAyu with MokshAnugraham by performing the anthima kriyai ( the last rites) for him . This blessing did not even come the way of Your own father , Emperor DasarathA . You prooved Your Bhaktha DaakshiNyamm and Bhaktha Vaatsalyam to king JatAyu , who waited to tell you about the cruel deed of RavaNA and his valiant fight to prevent him from kidnapping SitA Piratti . Oh Lord who has been saluted by Swami Desikan as : " vikrama yasO lAbha vikreetha jeevitha grudhra Raaja dEha didakshA lakshitha Bhaktha jana dAkshiNya ! " . Oh Jaanaki ramaNA ! Sri RaamA ! Oh SrungAra mUrthy with the beautiful KasthUri tilakam on Your forehead ! Oh anupama mOhanAngA ! Oh Lord of unmatched beauty ! The more and more I take in Your divya Soundharyam , my mind is experiencing indescribable bliss ! In AshOka Vanam , AnjanEyA described the great deeds performed by Her Lord in giving mOksham to JatAyu , protection of the sages of DandakAraNyam and SiddhAsramam . When SitA piratti longing for union with Her Lord heard His sucharuithram , She swooned from the reminiscences about Her Lord's mahimA . Sri RaamA to Her was ' RupoudhArya guNai: pumsAm dhrushti chittApahAriNam " . She swooned from the unbounded prEmai for Him and His celebrated beauty and auspicious attributes . AnjanEyA's narration comforted Her and sent Her into raptures . Saint ThyagaraajA recalls this incident of the Lord's consort swooning over the thought of Her Lord's beauty and states that his mind is jumping all over in an uncontrollable manner over the darsanam of the beautiful limbs of the Lord and His sarvAngha Soundharyam . Sixth CharaNam ****************** Saint ThyagarAjA's brahmAnandham knew no bounds and outpoured the nAmArchanAs once again in a copious stream . They form the body of the sixth CharaNam : SukhAspadha ! VimukhAmbhudhara pavana ! vidEha mAnasa viharAptha ! Sura pUja ! Maanitha guNAnga ! ChidhAnandha ! Kakaturanga dhrutha rathAnga ! Parama dhayAkara ! karuNArasa varuNAlaya ! bhayApahAra ! Sri RaghupathE ! ( Kana Kana RuchirA --) Every one of these naamAs chosen by the Saint can be transformed into nAmArchanAs . For instance , the first salutation is " Om SukhAspadhAya nama: " . Here , the saint recognizes the Lord as the basis of all sukhams . He describes Him as the abode of all sukhams . With his smaraNa darsanAnandha janitha prEmai , he saluted " the Srikara kOti vibhAkara bhAsa sudhAkara vadhana KaruNAkara mUrthy " with affectionate nAmAs . In the next salutation ( vimukhAmbhudhara pavanan ) , the saint compares the Lord to the sUrAvaLi kARRu ( powerful blast of wind ) , which drives away the dark clouds of mOham , madham , mAtsaryam , krOdham et al . In the third nAmArchanam , he recalled Sri RaamA as the Lord , who sports with joy in the heart temple of Sri VaidEhi ( VidEha Maanasa vihAra ApthA ) . He saluted the Lord further as the one worshipped by the dEvAs ( Sura pUja! ) , as the home of celebrated auspicious attributes ( Maanitha guNAnga ) , bliss conferrer for the mind ( chidhAnandha ) , Garuda Vaahanan ( kaka turanga dhrutha rathAnga ) , the most merciful one ( parama dhayAkara ) , the ocean of KaruNA ( karuNArasa VaruNAlaya ) and the banisher of all fears ( BhayApahAra ) through His SaraNAgathi vratham . He concluded this charaNam with another restatement that his mind is running amok over the divyAnubhavam of the Lord's supreme beauty. Sri Raamachandra ParabrahmaNE Nama: Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan
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