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Paasurappadi DasAvathara sthuthi

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • June 22, 2000 


Dear BhakthAs :

This morning adiyEn had the opportunity to hear 
the beautiful DasAvathAra Raaga Maalika kruthi 
in 10 RaagAs sung by the late SangItha KalAnidhis 
AalatthUr Brothers.This krithi starts with
Mohana Raagam.

DasaavathAra Raaga Maalikia krithi
**********************************
This krithi is a beautiful one composed by 
the former King of Travancore, Swathi ThirnALL 
( 1813-47A.D).This king , a contemproary of 
Saint ThyagarAjA and ruled KeraLA (ParasurAma KshEthram) 
as the representative of Sri Aanantha PadmanAbha Perumal , 
who had received the MangaLAsAsanams from Swamy NammAzhwAr 
( ThiruvAimozhi : 10.2.1-11) earlier.

The Saahithya KarthA's ankitham (MudhrAs)
*****************************************

Swathi ThirunALL's main mudhrA as a composer in
his saahithyams ( ParyAya MudhrA) is "PadmanAbhA".
The other MudhrAs that he used to salute the Lord
with reference to the Lotus (Padma )arising from his 
naabhi are : Abja NAbha , AmbhOruha nAbha, Ambuja nAbha , 
Jalaja nAbha , Jalaruha nAbha, Kamala nAbha , 
Khanja nAbha ,NaLina nAbha, Neeraja nAbha , Pankaja nAbha , 
PundarIka nAbha , Saarasa nAbha , SarasIruha nAbha, 
SarOja nAbha , Vanaja nAbhA , Vanaruha nAbha, Vaarija-
nAbha and Vaariruha nAbha . Such was His devotion 
for the Lord of Thiruvananthapuram , his kula dhaivam.

Swamy ALavandhAr's anubhavam at Thiruvananthapuram
**************************************************** 

Prior to describing the  effect of listening to 
this beautifully renderd Sanskrit DasAvathAra Krithi of 
the MaharAjA of Travancore , adiyEn would like to
dwell briefly on what happened to Swamy ALavandhAr
at Thiruvananthapuram .It all started from Swamy
ALavandhAr hearing and reflecting on the Paasurams of
Swamy NammAzhwAr on the EmperumAn of Thiruvananthapuram.

Swamy NammAzhwAr asked all of us to rush to the side of
Sri Hari Lakshmi SamEtha Sri Aanantha PadhmanAbha Swamy
to receive freedom form all samsAric Afflictions . When 
Swamy AlavandhAr heard the recital of these paasurams ,
he just took off as an arrow to Thiruvananthapuram and 
enjoyed the sevai of the Lord there and stayed there 
for a while steeped in the bliss of BhagavAn's
sEvai . In this ecstacy , he forgot the date by which 
he should have returned to Veera NaarAyanapuram 
to be initiated into Yoga Rahasyam from his grandfather's  
(Naathamuni's) sishyan by the name of Thirukkuruhai-
Kaavalappan . 

Naatha Muni was initated earlier by Swamy NammAzhwAr 
on the esoteric Yoga Rahasya anushtAnam as a special 
blessing at ThirukkuruhUr. Naatha Muni in turn had 
entrusted his disciple ,Thirukkuruhai Kaavalappan (TK)
to receive the upadEsam on Yoga rahasyam. AlavandhAr 
was asked by his AchAryan, Sri Raama Misrar to receive
the Yoga Rahasyam initiation (Family property )
from Thirukkurhai Kaavalappan and latter obliged happily.
Sri TK asked Swamy AlavandhAr to return before the coming 
Thai Pushyam , since he was going to shake off 
his mortal coils during the abhijin muhUrtham of
that special day. AlavandhAr felt blessed and 
took a short trip to Thiruvanathapuram to
worship Sri Anantha PadhmanAbhan . There he lost
count of time and suddenly relaized that it was
Thai Pushyam day and  could not return to Veera-
NaarAyaNa puram in time to receive the much
longeed-for upadEsam on Yoga Rahasyam. Swamy
AlavandhAr was heart broken over his misfortune .
>From that day , the yoga Rahasyam disappeared 
from anushtAnam due to the break in the chain of 
UpadEsam. Swamy AlavandhAr returned to Srirangam 
and in  a trip to Kaanchi prayed to Lord VaradarAjan
to bless Sri RaamAnujA to become his successor
in the AchArya Peetam .

Reflections on listening to the DasAvathAra Krithi
***************************************************
The reflection on the DasAvathAra Krithi of
Swathi ThirunALL brought all these associative 
memories. AdiyEn was moved to compose a small eulogy
to the DasAvathArams of Sriman NaarAyaNan using 
the words of AzhwAr Paasurams ( Paasurap Padi). 
AdiyEn has started this series with the Paasurams of 
PeriyAzhwAr  and ANDAL's pORRIt Thiruppavai( 24th Paasuram ).


AdiyEn presents it as samarpaNam at the sacred 
feet of Sri Hari Lakshmi SamEtha Sri PadmanAbha Prabhan.

DasaavathAra sthuthi (Paasurappadi )
*************************************

1. anthiyam pOthilariyuruvAhi ariyai
azhitthavan guNam pORRI --(ThiruppallANDu ) 

2. thEvudaya MeenamAyAmayAi yEnamAi ariyAik KuRaLAi
   Moovruvili RaamanAik KaNnanAi KaRkkiyAI MudippAn
   puhazh pORRi-- Periya Thirumozhi: 4.9.9)

Here, PeriyAzhwAr salutes all the ten avathArams
of Sri RanganAthan . He starts with the MatsyAvathAram
and points out that it was "ThEvudaya Meenam ". 
The lustre of that fish (mathsyam )grew bigger and
bigger as it grew in to larger and larger sizes.

The second avathAram is KoorMAvathAram and is
saluted as "AamayAi". The third in the order is 
VarAhAvathAram and is described as " yEnamAi".
The fourth avathAraam is that of Narasimhan 
(ariyAi) , which was saluted first in ThiruppallANDu.
The fifth avathAram is that of the dwarf brahmachAri 
(KuRaLAi) , who measured the universes later as Thrivikraman.

The sixth , seventh and the eighth avathArams of
Sri RanganAthan are those three , which have the Raama
nAmam in common ( ParasuRAAMA , Dasaratha RAAMA and
Balabhadra RAAMA ). The ninth avathAram is that of
Lord KrishNA ( KaNNanAI) and the final avathArAm 
that is yet to happen is that of Kalki ( KaRkkiyAI). 

3. annamum meenruvmALariyum KuRaLum Amayum aanavanE
   AayarkaL Naayakan aDi pORRi --( Periya Thirumozhi: 1.5.11)

Here PriyAzhwAr is enjoying the senkeerai aadum 
stage of Baala Gopalan and has the vision of some of
the dasAvathArams (Mathsyam , Narasimhan, Vaamanan 
and Koormam ) of the Lord of the GOpAs.

4. KaaLiyan uchciyilE thooya nadam payilum 
   Sundaran thALL poRRI --(Periya Thirumozhi 1.5.6)

The dance lessons on the hoods of the serpent KaaLiyan 
by Baala GOpAlan is saluted here.

5. Panchavar thUthanAi BhAratham kai seythavaa pORRi
   (Periya Thirumozhi 1.8.1, AcchO paruvam)

The act of serving as the PaaNDava DhUthan and
the management of the Bhaaratha yuddham 
to lighten the load of the Earth is saluted here.

6. Maavali vELviyil Sukkiran KaNNait thurumpAl
   KiLariya Vaamana nampI ninn thiRal pORRi
  (PeriyAzhwAr : 2.10.7 & 2.3.8)

Here, the piercing the eye of SukrAcchAr (asura guru)
by Vaamanan who took the form of a bee to block 
the flow of water from the GhiNdi of MaahA Bali 
is sluted here.Vaamana mUrthy took a dharbham 
and with its sharp edge pierced one eye of the 
asura Guru to stop him from interfering.

7. yEnatthuruvAi immaNNinai iDantha VarAha NampI 
   ninn sathirp pORRi (PeriyAzhwAr: 2.10.9 )

The pictureof BhUvarAhan lifting BhUmi Devi
on His incisor is visualized here.

8. Tankayai mookum tamayanait talayum taDittha
   yemm Daasarathy nin  kaiyil vill pORRI 
   (PeriyAzhwAr : 4.7.1)

Lord RaamachandrA's cutitng the nose of SoorpaNakai,
who offended JaanakI maathA and the cutting of 
the heads of RaavaNan , who offended Jaanaki dEvi
is referrd to here.

Naathanai Narasinghanai navinREtthuvArkaLuzhakkiya 
paatha thooLi paduvathAl ivvulaham bhAkkiyam seythathE
( periyAzhwAr : 4.4.6)

We will conclude this posting with a tribute to 
Lord Narasimhan as we started with and remember
PeriyAzhwAr's word that this earth is blessed
to have the connection with the dust of the feet of
Sri VaishNavAs , who worship Lord Narasimhan through
their sthOthrams and AarAdhanams like Srimath 
Azhagiya Singar .

NaarAyaNa , NaarAyaNa , NaarAyaNa,
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil SatakOpan  



      

  


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