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Sri RanganAtha PaadhukhA Sahasram: 22nd Paddhathi

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • June 2, 1997 


Dear Rangaraaja Premis : 

Swami Desikan named the 22nd chapter of RPS 
as Kaanchana Paddathi (KP ) . There are twenty verses
in this section . Kanchanam means gold  . After saluting 
the different kinds of gems and their reflections , he focusses
in this paddhathi on the Gold in which the various gems 
are embedded.  

Slokam 5 of KP /Slokam 735 of RPS
*****************************************

sathi varNaguNE suvarNajaathaE :
   jagathi khyAtham asowrabhAdh avarNam I
sruthisowrabha saalinA svahemnA 
   bhavathee SowripadhAvani ! vyudhAstath II

O PaadhukhAs of the Lord ! It is well known that the element 
known as Gold is splendidly lustrous , but has no fragrance .
You have however removed that deficit  of Gold by incorporating 
the fragrance of the VedAs in your golden body . 

Swami Desikan suggests that the VedAs  are the breath 
of the Lord , which is full of fragrance of the Sarvagandhan .
VedAs are also of the form of divine sound and is therefore made up
of Vaayu (the wind God ) known as Gandhavaaham . There is thus
a relationship between the fragrance of the VedAs emanating from 
GandavAham and the Lord's breath enhancing that fragrance . 

Slokam 9 of KP/ Slokam 739 of RPS
****************************************

lEbEh tadhAprabhuruthi noonamiyam bahvathyA : 
    kaanthyA kaveratanayA kanakApagAthvam I
yaavan Mukhundha PadhahEma padhAvani ! tvam
    puNyam vibhooshithavahti puLinam tadheeyam II  

Swami Desikan suggests here that the river Kauveri ( Ponni )
also got the golden hue from the PaadhukhAs . He says : 
O Golden PaadhukhAs of MukundhA ! The river Kauveri attained her 
golden color and came to be known as the Golden one 
( KanakApagAthvam ) from the day on which you occupied its banks 
and spread your golden lustre on her . Basking under that golden lustre 
of yours , Cauveri acquired your lustre . Thus She  came to be known 
as the golden river .

Slokam 13 of KP / Slokam 743 of RPS
*******************************************

SurabhinigamagandhA sowmyapadhmakarasthA
     kanakakamalineeva prEkshyasE paadhukhE ! tvam I
bramara iva tvAm prAptha naanAvihAra :
     sathamaNineela : sEvathE SaarngadhanvA II

O PaadhukhE ! With your fragrance of VedAs , you appear like the Lotus
flower on the hand of Sri Devi . You also remind me of a golden lotus
flower blossoming in the Chandra PushkaraNi of the Lord at Srirangam.
Your Lord , the wielder of Saarangam seeks your company aways 
through the adaptation of His form to that of a bluish-black hued king bee
and partakes your makarandham . 

Swami Desikan suggests that  the Lord enjoys the AzhwAr 
as intensely as a golden bee enjoys the pollen dust of a 
fragrant lotus flower blossoming in a pond . 

Slokam 20 of KP /Slokam750 of RPS
****************************************

prajvalitha panchahEthi: HiraNmayeem tvAm hiranyavilayArha: I
aavahathu JaathavEdA : Sriyamiva na; paadhukhE ! nithyam II

O PaadhukhE ! Your Lord possesses the five weapons to destroy
the unrighteous ( AsurAs ) . During His incarnation as Lord NarasimhA ,
He did not even use these weapons and destroyed HiraNyakasipu 
with His own sharp nails . He is the one , who arranged the VedAs
for His pleasure and is therefore known as JaathavEdas . May that Lord of 
many auspicious attributes bless us to have access to your golden self
always and confer on us that undecaying wealth . 

Swami Desikan makes reference here  to a Rk  in Sri Suktham . There , the Golden

MahA Lakshmi is saluted and the request is made to Jaatha Vedas for the 
attainment of the never-decaying wealth controlled by MahA Lakshmi . 
Swami Desikan prays here for the boon of obtaining the Lord's
paadhukhAs as the supreme wealth to possess . 

Another intreprtation associated with the Aandavan Aasramam for 
this slokam is as follows : SaasthrAs state that one obtains supreme
wealth by meditating on Agni BhagavAn . Similar to that , the meditation 
on the Lord should yield a SadAchaaryA for a seeker . The reference is 
to the situation , where Swami Desikan is asking the Lord to bless us 
with SadAchAryAs instead of asking  SadAcharyAs to reveal the Lord to us .

Sri RanganAtha Divya MaNi PaadhukhE ! Thubhyam Nama: 
Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam 
Oppiliappan Kovil VaradAchAri Sadagopan