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Re: Sri Guna Rathna Kosam : Part 52: slOkam 41

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • June 27, 2001 


Dear BhakthAs of Sri RanganAyaki ThAyAr:

In this slOkam , Swamy ParAsara Bhattar continues with
his celebration of the eye-glances of SriranganAyaki:

AnandhathAthmabhirIsa majjana madha kshIBhAlasai: aagala-
 prEmArdhrairapi koolamudhvaha krupA samplAvithAsmAdhrusai:
PadhmE! tE prathiBhindhu Bhaddakalika BrahmAdhi vishkambhakai:
 IsvaryOtthama gadhgadhair-asaraNam maam paalayAlOkithai:

Meaning according to Dr.V.N.VedAntha Desikan:
*********************************************
Oh Goddess (seated) on the Lotus! May the flood-stream
of Your eye glances flow on me, this worthles wretch !
This flood that flows  is virtually the solid concretization
of the abstract principle called Joy; this flood stupefies 
the Lord Himself like the liquor and makes Him look tired and 
relaxing ; This flow is neck-deep , wet immersion in love-flood
for the devotee; it is the one that would breach all banks;it
will therfore , be capable of swelling the sand-mounds that we
people are on the shores.It is the one each speak of , which could 
engender in it a great figure such as emperor , IndhrA, BrahmA,
etc. It is a flood that would create a few more mounds in 
the path that would cause a disturbance to the walkers-by
(The mounds are figurative ; they imply affluence-heights. 
They will naturally cause stumbling to the walkers).

Additional Commnets:
********************
The flood waves of Sri RanganAyaki's eye-glances
and their power on devotees to Her Lord Himself is 
celebrated here. Swamy ParAsara Bhattar prays for
those waves to drench him . He says that these floods
of eye-glances are of the form of Aanandham (bliss form).
Besides immersing us in that flood , it drenches Her Lord
Himself and drives Him to the heights of ecstasy , which
makes Him some what stupefied. That flood soaks the devotee 
upto his neck and flows upstream like a dam that has 
opened its sluices. In each of the drops of joy originating
from Sri RanganAyaki , the potential of great kings ,
IndhrA and BrahmA to be born is there.Since those floods 
cause mounds of Isvaryam , makes one who is walking stumble
due to the non-level nature of the ground caused by ThAyAr's
flood of eye-glances. Swamy ParAsara Bhattar begs his 
Mother , Sri RanganAyaki to cast Her eye-glances on him 
and bless him .Bhattar says: Oh Compassionate Mother !
I am asaraNan ( protectorless);adiyEn is "RakshakAnthara-
Soonyan"( devoid of any One to offer me protection ).
Maam Paalaya ( Please protect me through directing Your 
rejuvenating and uplifting eye glances on me!). AruL 
VeLLam of Sri RanganAyaki is thus celebrated.

Selected Sanskrit Passages oft his slOkam
******************************************
Here Bhattar addresses SriranganAyaki as "PadhmE!".
PadhmE stands for Padhma VaasinE or One who lives on
a divine lotus. 

"AanandhAthmabhi: Isa majjana madhakshIBhAlasi:":
Oh PadhmAlayE ! Your SvarUpam  is aanandha mayam
(AvaL Inba VadivAnavaL). Your Lord (Isa:) gets
Thirumanjanam from those aanandha lahari ( aanandha
waves of eye-glances)and becomes as a result intoxicated
as it were .That is the effect of the anbu VeLLam on 
Your Lord. We are soaked upto Your necks in the dense
flood of Your affection-laden eye-glances( aagala 
prEmAdhrai: aakaNDam , prEmyA preethya aardharai:
sisirErapi).Each of these glances become like mounds 
of Isvaryam and stands as obstacles (Vishkambakaa:)
and makes one stumble .They are overpowering . 

Bhattar is overwhelmed and  gives up with a prayer 
for the KrupA RoopiNI , Sri RanganAyaki to protect
him , since he has no one else to protect him 
( asaraNam maam paalaya). 

SlOkam 42
*********

With extraordinary poetic skills, Bhattar visualizes
the SoukumAryam ( matchless beauty ) of Sri RanganAyaki
in this slOkam :

PaadhArunthudhamEva pankajarajascchEDihrusA lOkithai:
  angamlAniraTAmbhA ! Saahasavidhou leelAravindhagraha:
DOlA tE vanamAlayA HaribhujE haa kashta-sabdhaAspadham
  kEna SiI!RathikOmalA tanuriyam vaachAm vimadhakshamA

Meaning according to Dr.V.N.VedAntha Desikan
*********************************************
Oh RanganAyaki! When we speak of Your delicate sensitive 
nature , we have to remember that even lotus pollen gains
would feel rough to Your delicate feet . Your form will
wither, as though , if Your attendants eagerly look at it
with fond admiration ; I would fain say that the toy--
lotus head in Your hand would strain Your physique! 
The vanamAlA garland on the chest of Your Lord serves
as the swing for You to enjoy --but then , we would 
fear it would cause strain to Your body . Oh Mother !
I rather feel my mental contemplation on You to compose
a verse would itself would affect Your form and cause
a shade of strain ! Oh what a pity ! My hymn becomes a 
veritable tormentor to that sensitiveness . My heart
throbs in fear at the very thought of it. Would Your 
all-too delicate physique suffer , unable to sustain
a praise-hymn on it ? I think so !

Additional Comments:
********************
Oh Sri RanganAyaki ! How can I describe Your peerless
beauty ? Your super-delicate body can not put up with
many strains . When You walk, eeven the lotus pollen 
grains bruise Your soft feet. When Your ladies in attendance
look at Your beauty with unclosed eyes , Your divine limbs
suffer like a flower exposed to the heat of the midday Sun.
We see the lotus flower in Your hands and worry whether 
the weight of them is too much to bear by Your slender
arms . We lamnet about the hardness of the flowers of
the vanamAlai garland , when You use that as an oonjal 
for Your sport.We fear whether those forest flowers 
will bruise Your body. adiyEn dreads to think of
the ill effects of  my speech intended to praise You 
and what harm they might do to Your most tender ThirumEni .

Such is the loving affection of Swamy ParAsara Bhattar
for Sri RanganAyaki that he is afraid even to praise
Her lest his vaak will make Her fade like a flower
under the hot rays of the Sun. This is extraordinary
RasAnubhavam of a great poet and Bhakthan of MahA Lakshmi.
MahA kavi KaaLi dAsan described in Raghu Vamsa SlOkam 
that the flowers falling from the trees caused so much
pain to the tender body of one of the queens of Raghu
Vamsam (Dileepan) that She fainted.Bhattar beats KaaLi dAsan 
in his poetic skills !

Comments on the Sanskrit words chosen by Bhattar
*************************************************
"PaadhArundamEva Pankaja Raja:" : The pollen dust from
the lotus flower on which You are sitting is like a sharp
thorn bcause Your sacred feet are so tender to touch.

" chEDi bhrusa lOkithai: angamlAniraTambha sAhasa vidhou 
leelAravindhgraha:" : If Your parijanams look at You
intensely to enjoy Your soundharyam , the ShObhai of
Your limbs will fade like a flower experiencing the midday 
heat (vaadip pOhum );the lotus bud that You hold in Your 
hand sportively is a strain on Your tender hands
( "ViLayADu malar sumartthal arum cheyalE").

"DhOlA tE VanamAlayA HaribhujE haa Kashta-sabdhAspadham":
In Your dear Lord's broad chest hangs Vaijayanthi garland.
You like some times to use it a swing for sport . That 
effort is a difficult one because Your athi-kOmala ,
athi-soukumAra limbs can not put up with the hardness
of the flowers in the garland. As a result, that dolai (swing) 
becomes a painful seat(aaspadham) for You.Your tanu (body)
is athikOmalam ( extremely tender and soft). My words
of praise ,however softly worded, would rub harsh on 
Your tender ears because of their(ear's) softness. My words
therefore needs to be excused for their unintended 
harshness ( VaachAm vimardha KshamA: "athisukumArasya
SthrI-Vapusha: purusha-vachastavanam ayuktham ithi Bhaava:").    

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE Saranam ,
Daasan Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan 


  

   
      


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