Sri KomaLavalli SamEtha Sri Amudhan's samprOkshaNa Uthsavam: Part 2-- PrAtha: sandhyA vandhanam

From the Bhakti List Archives

• June 30, 1999


Dear BhakthAs of the Divya dampathis of Thirukkudanthai :

These three postings celebrating our ThAyAr
will serve as an introduction to the amrutham
that we anticipate from the pen of Dr.V.N.VedanthA Desikan
on Sri KomaLA DhaNdakam to be realized through the intercession 
and persuasive powers of our dear Sri MuraLi Rangaswamy .

Our sincere thanks to Sri Rangaswamy for this mahOpakAram .
In this sadhas of great VidvAns adorned by Sri VeLukkudi
KrishNan and others , adiyEn seeks their indulgence for my
feeble attempt to offer salutations to our Mother in my 
limited , lisping way .May this sadhas accept these 
offerings with adiyEn's sathsangha PraNAmams . 

The darsana / dhyAna SoubhAgyam of our ThAyAr 
**********************************************
Her dhyAna SlOkam salutes Her as Sakala Bhuvana 
MaathA , SaagarAdhIsa Jaatha, PraNamath avana KaamA 
and BhAskara KshEthra DhAmA in the first half of the dhyAna 
slOkam .In the second half , the dhyAnam focusses 
on Her auspicious  attributes as sakalitha Bhaya 
moolA , Saarnga DhnvAnukoolA , pravimala Mukha BimbhA 
and as KomaLAmbhA .

As we stand before Her in Her sannidhi , the waves
of Aanandham flow over us and engulf us. Our AchAryA's
Sri Sookthis on our ThAyAr echo in our ears as our
eyes feast on Her SubhAsrayam and Her DivyAbharaNams .
Her Abhaya , DhAna Hasthams mesmerize us through 
the assurances given by our Sakala Bhuvana MaathA . 

Sri AaLavandhAr was the prathama pradarsakar of Sri Devi's 
Vaibhavam through the quintessential ChathusslOki ,
which was commented upon by Sarvaj~na Saarvabhouma AacchAn
PiLLai and Sarva Tantra Svathanthrar , Swami Desikan 
to bring out the VisEshArthams .Such is the glory 
of the Mahimai of Sri KomaLAmbhA , who is SaakshAth
MahA Lakshmi Herself Celebrated by ChathusslOki 
of AaLavandhAr , Sri Sthavam of KurEsar , Sri GuNa-
Rathna KOsam of Bhattar , SaraNAgathi Gadhyam of 
Sri RaamAnujA and the Sri Sthuthi of Swami Desikan .

The connection between Sri KomaLAmbha of Thirukkudanthai
and Sri RanganAyaki of Srirangam has been made clear from
Sri RangarAjan's posting on the separation of the two
VimAnams with their "contents"( PraNavAkruthi VimAnam of 
Srirangam and Vaidhikha VimAnam of Thriukkudanthai 
from the Moola VimAnam at Srirangam and the arrival of 
Sri AarAvamudhan at BhAskara KshEthram to fulfill 
the wishes of Hema Maharishi , the foster father of 
Sri KomaLavalli ThAyAr .Similarities between Sri RanganAyaki 
and Sri KomaLavalli and the eulogies on the former 
applying to the latter at Thirukkudanthai is therefore 
understandable .   

AlavandhAr performed AchArya Vandhanams in the his 
sthOthra Rathnam and celebrated Sriman NaarAyaNan 
and asked " Ka: Sri Sriya: ? Ka: parama satthva 
SamAsraya: ? Ka: PuNdarIka Nayana: ? Ka: PurushOtthama:?".
Next he went on to compose ChathusslOki , where 
he declared that PurushOtthaman as sarvaj~nan and 
Sarva Sakthan can not fully comprehend His Consort's
Mahimai : 

yasyAsthE mahimAnAm aathmana iva tvadh VallabhOpi Prabhu:
naalam maathum iyathyA niravadhim nithyAnukoolam svatha:

(Meaning ) : Oh Isvari of all the worlds ! Oh PrANa 
Vallabhai of the Lord ! Even the omnipotent and omniscient 
Lord of Yours can not succeed in fully comprehending 
Your limitless glories , natural and pervasive 
affection ( svabhAvika SarvathA priyathvam )for 
Your children and Your nithya BhOgyathvam .

In the first slOkam of the ChathusslOki , AalavandhAr 
comes back to the PurushOtthama aspect of the Lord 
( KaanthasthE PurushOtthama:) and goes on to conclude,
" SririthyEva cha naama thE Bhagavathi BhrUma:
Katham thvAm Vayam ? ". AlavandhAr states here 
that PurushOtthaman is her Lord , Adhi Seshan 
is both the bed and seat for her , Veda SvarUpi
Garudan is her transport , the Moola prakruthi 
is the curtain that enchants the world , BrahmA and 
IndrA et al and their respective consorts are the Daasa
and Daasi vargams for Her . Your name is Sri Devi .
How can we even begin to praise You" asks AaLavandhAr .

KurEsar followed the lead shown by AalavandhAr 
and chimed in : " Devi Tvan mahimAvathir na HariNA 
naapi tvayA jn~AyathE ". KurEsar also composed first 
the four sthavms including Sri Vaikunta Sthavam and then 
completd his five sthavams with the Sri Sthavam to extoll
the glories of MahA Lakshmi .Similarly , ParAsara Bhattar 
composed Sri RangarAja Sthavam first and then had 
the fitting finale by composing Sri GuNarathna KOsam 
on Sri RanganAyaki.

AalavandhAr points out that the anugraham of 
our ThAyAr ( Aravindha lOchana mana: KaanthA 
prasAdhAthruthE karhichith na SambhAvyathe )
nothing ( Iha lOka BhOgam , Kaivalya BhOgam
or Parama Padha BhOgam ) can be realized .

AalaVandhAr concludes his ChathusslOki 
with a mighty and fitting tribute to MahA Lakshmi :

SaanthAnantha mahA vibhUthi paramam yath Brahma roopam harE:
Mootham Brahma tathOpi tathpriyataram ROOPAM YADHATHYADHBHUTHAM
yAnyaani yathaa sukham viharathO roopANi sarvAni thaani
aahus svarianrUpa  roopa vibhavair GaaDOpagUDAni thE 
-- Sri CahthusslOki : SlOkam 4

In an earlier posting , adiyEn has discussed 
the AakAra Thrya sampannA aspects of MahA Lakshmi .
Here two AakArams of this KomaLAnghi are praised 
by AaLavandhAr. The UpAyathvam and UpEyathvam of the Lord
and Her own roles in these two AakArams are celebrated here . 
During the UpAyathvam of the Lord , She performs 
PurushakAra Kruthyam ( Intercession for us ) and 
does not leave her lord until He accepts her persistent
pleas ; during the UpEyathvam , She stays together with Him 
without leaving Him for even a second to bless us 
with BhOgyAdisayam of the nithya sEshi dampathis. 
Thus , she does not part with the Lord at 
Sarva DEsa , Sarva Kaala , SarvAvasthais. 
This Piratti confers on her Lord , the name of
SrinivAsan ( AhalahillEn iRayum yenRalarmEl
Mangai Urai Maarbhan ).

This MahA Lakshmi with the thirunaamam of 
Komalavalli (p)resides at BhAskara KshEthram .
Our Lord referred to Her as " ananyA hi mayA 
SitA BhaaskarEna PrabhA yathA " and KomaLavalli
(SitA ) referred to Her husband as " ananyA 
RaaghavENaaham BhAskarENa PrabhA yathA " .
Swami Desikan in his turn saluted the parama VyOma 
BhAskara Taatvam of the Lord associated 
forever with the prabhai of SitA Devi 
at the very beginning of Sri Raghu Veera gadhyam :

"PrabhAvAn SeethayA dEvyA Parama VyOma Bhaaskara: ".

The parama VyOma ( ParamAkAsam /Sri Vaikuntam )
Bhaaskaran at Thirukkudanthai BhAskara
KshEthram is AarAvamudhan . His inseparable 
Prabhai (lustre )is KomaLaavlli ThAyaar . 

We will continue with our maadhyAhnika 
SandhAvandhanam in our next posting .

Sri Komalavalli Naayakhyai nama:
Sri BhAskara KshEthra DhAmnyai nama:
AdiyEn , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan