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GodhA Sthuthi : Part IV (SlOkam 1 Continued )

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • July 24, 2000 


Namo Narayanaya !

Dear BhakthAs :

In Part III , adiyEn shared some thoughts  about 
the rich meanings of the first of the four paadhams 
(lines)of the first slOkam of Swamy Desikan's celebrated
GodhA Sthuthi: "Sri VishNuchittha Kulanandana Kalpavalleem"

>From here on until August 2 , the avathAra dinam 
of GodhA PirAtti , adiyEn will focus on the rest of 
the text of Swamy Desikan's moving tribute to Godhai.
May She as "GodhA "bless adiyEn with the power of Vaak 
to complete this task!

Inview of the shortness in time to cover all
the 29 slokams of GodhA Sthuthi , we shall 
adopt a standard format , where the translations will 
be given first. Next,the integrated anubhavams of 
Desika Bhaktha Rathnam , Sri SevA Swamigal and Sri U.Ve. 
Sri Srirama DesikAchAr Swamy will be added for each 
slOkam . AdiyEn will  blend additional points , 
wherever appropriate. It will not always be 
possible from the point of brevity and flow to identify
specifically the inputs of individual commentators . 
AdiyEn is only attempting to bring the essence of 
the anubhavams of different commentators . Let us 
complete the rest of the first slOkam today . 
  

GodhA Sthuthi First SlOkam :
****************************

Sri VishNuchittha Kulanandana Kalpavalleem
  Sri RangarAja Harichandana yOga dhrusyAm
SaakshAth KashamAm KaruNayA KamalamivAnyAm
  GOdhAm ananya Sarana: SaraNam PrapadhyE 

(Meaning): GodhA Piraatti is the wish-granting 
Kalpaka tree in flower garden of the kulam of 
Sri VishNu Chitthar; She is most beautiful as 
She gives us Her darsanam as the Karpaka creeper
united with Her Lord Sri Rangarajan standing
majestically as the Harichandana tree in that 
Nandavanam ; She is the incarnation of BhUmi Devi 
known for Her auspicious qualities of forbearance ; 
indeed ,Godhai is the embodiment of forbearance; 
When it comes to the quality of Her Mercy, Godhai is 
a veritable MahA Lakshmi (KamalA). AdiyEn , who
has no other refuge seek Her as my sole refuge.

1. SRI SRIRAMA DESIKACCHAR'S ANUBHAVAM :

The pleasure (flower ) garden in the deva lOkam of 
Indran is known as Nandavanam(nandayathi ithi Nandanam ). 
In that pleasure garden is found a tree 
known as KaRpakaa tree, which has the power to 
grant all that one wishes for. That tree is
always  associated with a gentle creeper . PeriyAzhwAr's 
kulam is that Nandavanam (Nandanam) and Godhai is 
the golden KaRpakA creeper , who blessed
that Nandavanam (Kulam of PeriyAzhwAr) through Her
avathAram. Lord RanganAthA is like the Harichandana
tree (One of the five varieties of KaRpakA trees) there , 
which grants the wishes of His adiyArs , who
seek refuge at His sacred feet . Godhai is united
intimately with that HarichandanA tree as the dependent
KaRpaka creeper and blesses us with Her eye-filling ,
soul-satisfying darsanam with Her Lord .Godhai is like 
the embodiment of forbearance as the incarnation of 
BhUmi PirAtti.Godhai appears at other times like another 
incarnation of Sri Devi ,when one thinks of Her dayA 
for us. AdiyEn (Swami Desikan )performs SaraNAgathi at 
Her feet as One , who has no other recourse .

SRI SEVA SWAMIGAL'S ANUBHAVAM : 

GodhA Sthuthi is a SthOthra Kaavyam.ANDAL's 
avathAram and ThirukkalyANam are summarized in 
the first two lines of the First slOkam .

Swamy Desikan indicates in the first line  that ANDAL , 
the golden KalpakA creeper adorning the kulam of 
VishNucchitthar was born at the Nandanam at SrivilliputthUr
(Sri VishNucchittha Kula Nandana Kalpavalleem ).

In the second line , Swamy Desikan describes 
the joyous marriage scene of ANDAL standing 
united with her Lord (Sri Ranganathan ):
"Sri RangarAja Harichandana yOga dhrusyAm" .
ANDAL gives us Her blessed darsanam embracing Her
Lord standing as the glorious HarichandanA 
tree in that nandanam of VishNuchitthA . Nandanam is also 
a name for the Lord saluted by one of the Sri VishNu Shasra 
Naamams : "aanandhO nandhanO nandhi --"

A creeper reaches its fulfilment, when it is 
united with a supporting tree .It is customary 
for the poets to describe men as supporting trees
and the women as the dependent creepers .KaaLidAsan
compares the union of Sakunthalai with King 
Dushyanthan as the Union of a creeper (Sakunthalai)
with the Mango tree (Dushyanthan) in his famous 
drama known as Saakunthalam .

One meaning of Yogam is union . Andal"s yOgam 
is with Sri RangarAjan , who is the Harichandana
tree at Srirangam.That Hari has chandana yOgam .
He has chandana yoga dasai due to that union .
That cooling chandanam for Hari is ANDAL .Through 
Her union (samslEsham ) , She cools down the heat
(taapam ) of seperation for Her Hari , who waited 
and waited for Her avathAram . 

She is "Yoga DhrusyAm ". When Godhai unites 
with Her Lord , She offers her darsanam as 
a Mithunam (dampathi) .She does not become 
adhrusyAm (invisible).On the other hand , She
becomes immensely visible (dhrusuyAm) in her
state of blessed  union as a kalpaka creeper with 
Her Harichandana tree of Srirangam .

Third Line:" SaakshAth KshamAm , karuNayA KamalAmivAnyAm "

Here Swamy Desikan identifies Godhai as "SaakshAth 
KshamA ". She is BhUmi Devi Herself and not an amsam like 
SitA piratti , who is traditionally considered as a
daughter of BhUmi devi. "KshamA " is  a name synonomous
with BhU Devi since She is "Sarvam sahA " ( One who bears
with all aparAdhams of ours and yet pleads with
Her Lord on our behalf). She prayed to Her Lord 
to show the easy way for the upliftment of the suffering
jeevans (Laghu UpAyam vadha: prabhO ).She was the cause
of the VarAha Charama SlOkam .ANDAL as SaakshAth
BhUmi Devi argued with Her Lord and revealed to us
the laghu (easy to practise) UpAyam to get the blessings
of Her Lord in her ThiruppAvai : 

"senRu naamm sEvitthAl , aavaavenRu aarAyntharuL "

" umakkE naamm aatccheyvOm " .

KarunayA KamalAmivAnyAm: 

When one assesses the limitless DayA
of Godhai , one wonders whether She is another form
of MahA LakshmI .PeriyAzhwAr described his raising 
of Godhai this way: "ThirumahaL pOl valartthEn " .
Swamy Desikan saluted Godhai as " Thooya ThirumahaLAi
Vanthu" in his Prabhandha Saaram . These are the supports
for saluting Godhai as " KamalAmivaanyAm ".

Fourth Line: GodhAm ananya saraNa: saraNam prapadhyE

The etymology of the name GodhA has been discussed
extensively in the earlier articles on ANDAL's
Vaibhavam . The emphasis here is in Her power 
to bless us with Vaak (divine speech).

ananya SaraNa : SaraNam prapadhyE : Swamy Desikan
follows here the path shown by AchArya RaamAnujA 
in SaraNAgathy Gadhyam , where he performed
SaraNAgathy at the feet of Sri RanganAyaki :
" asaraNya SaraNyAm ananya saraNa: saraNam PrapathyE".

Swamy Desikan follows this path shown by AchArya
RaamAnujan in his performance of Prapatthi for the three 
devis of the Lord in his Sthuthis ( Sri Sthuthi, BhU sthuthi
and GodhA Sthuthi). We hear the echos of Udayavar's
SaraNAgathy Vaakyams in his pleas for Prapatthi :

" Sriyam asaraNa: thvAm SaraNyaam prapathyE"..Sri Sthuthi

" VisvambharAm asaraNa: SaraNam prapathyE "..BhU Sthuthi

" GodhAm ananya saraNa: saraNam prapathyE "..GodhA Sthuthi  

In his SaraNAgathy appeals , Swamy Desikan recognizes
Sri Devi as SrEyO Moorthy ( Sarva MangaLa Moorthy) , 
BhU Devi as VisvambharA ( the One , who bears the weight
of the Universe) and GodhA devi as Vaak giver according to
Sevaa SwamigaL.

ANDAL ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan  


    
   

    
 


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