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Mukunda Maala- Part 3

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • March 12, 1996 


Dear Friends: I was busy appreciating the 
beauty of Yatiraja Vimsathi and almost forgot about 
the subsequent verses of Mukunda Maala. Sri
Rangaswamy"s moving  note this morning on Sri Krishna
Bhagavan as his Ishta Daivam  brought me back 
to the delectable task  of completing the comments
on this beautiful sthothram. 
    
I will cover verses 8 to 13 in this posting .

VERSE 8: UNCEASING MEDITATION ON LORD KRISHNA

CHINTAYAMI HARIMEVA SANTATAM
MANDA MANDA HASITA AANANAAMBHUJAM  I
NANDAGOPA TANAYAM  PARAATPARAM 
NAARADHAATI  MUNI BRINDHA VANDITHAM  II

Here, Kulasekhara states that he meditates always on Hari,
the destroyer of all of our sins. That Hari worshipped by celebrated 
saints like Naaradhaa has a radiant smile like a blossoming lotus. 
He is the supreme most among the Gods and that Hari is none
other than Krishna, who came down to this world as the son of 
Nandagopa of Gokulam .

VERSE 9: HARI AS A COOL POND REMOVING THE HEAT OF SAMSAARAM

Here, Kulasekhara is nourished by the meditation on the beautiful
limbs of the Lord and equates that invigorating experience to that of taking
a deep dip in a cool pond in the middle of scorching summer. He compares
the hands and feet of the Lord to lotuses blooming in that cool pond.
He recognizes the fish swimming in the pond as the two eyes of the Lord.
The waves of the pond remind him of the inviting shoulders of the Lord.
He is reminded of the deep Bhagavat Tatvam , when he thinks about the 
depth of the pond . 

The refreshing and joyous experience of immersing in that pond known
as Hari and drinking its nourishing waters makes him think  that,  that 
experience is comparable to the state of a traveller in the torrid and dry
dessert 
sighting a cool pond in the middle of all of that waste land and getting relief
from
his sufferings by dipping into that inviting waters. His afflictions are gone.
The afflictions are the sorrows of samsaric life caused by the Taapa Thrayam .
Dipping in the Hari Saras is the sure way to quench those Taapaas .
Kulasekhara states that the dip in the cool emerald pond (Hari Saras) has 
cured him of the afflictions . 

Poets have used the analogy of a cool emerald pond in a summer to
describe the invigorating and relief giving qualities of the meditation on the 
Lord. Following this tradition, Swami Desikan states in Devanayaka Panchaasat,
" MAMA DHEE: BHAVANTAM GREESHMEH TATAAKAMIVA SEETHAM
 ANUPRAVISHTAA" . He states that his mind attained rest and vigour
 through meditation on the auspicious attributes of the Lord  of
 Thiruvahindrapuram, just a sone gets relief from 
the scorching summer heat by the act  of dipping in a cool pond. One Azhwaar 
has described Rama as "Dayarathan Perra Maragada Mani Thatam ( Rama, the
emerald pond born as the son of Dasaratha ) ".

VERSE 10 : EXHORTATION TO THE MIND

SARASIJA NAYANEH SASANKA CHAKREH 
MURABHIT MAA VIRAMA SVACCHITTAI RANTHUM
SUKATARAM APARAM NA JAATU JAANEH
HARI CHARANAAMRUTHENA TULYAM 

In this beautiful verse, Kulasekharaa reveals that the thought of
the holy feet of the Lord is similar to the joyous experience of 
drinking nectar.It is an experience that is not surpassed in its 
Sukham by any other  experience . Therefore, he appeals to his 
mind to dwell on the lotus eyed Lord bearing the disc and the 
conch , who destroyed the evil Muraasura. He asserts that there is
no joy that can match the exhilarating joy of meditation of the Lord"s
lotus feet.

VERSE 11: LORD IS OUR MASTER; DREAD NOT YAMA DANDANAI  !

MAABHEER MANDAMANOH VICHINYTYA BHAUDHA YAMI CHIRAM YAATANAA
NAHMEE NA: PRABHAVANTI PAAPA  RIPAVA: SWAMI NANU SREEDHARA:
AALASYAM VYAPANEEYA BHAKTI SULABHAM DHYAYASVA  NAARAAYANAM
LOKASYA VYSANA APANODHANAKAROH DAASASYA KIM NA KSHAMA :

HERE, Kulasekhara appeals to his mind and asks it not to be 
afraid of the torment of Yama Deva due to worry over the commitment 
of many sins over  a long time. He says that these sins will not hold 
Lordship over you, since our true Lord  is Sridharan. O my poor mind!
please shake off your procrastrination and meditate on the Lord. He is
the remover of the sorrows of the world. You are His servant . He will hence
come to your rescue and save you from the punishments of Yama Raja. 

VERSE 12: VISHNU AS THE DIVINE BOAT TO CROSS THE SAMSAARIC OCEAN

BHAVA JALADHI GATAANAAM DWANDHVA VAATA AAHATAANAAM
SUTA DUHITRU KALATRA TRAANA BHARA ARTHINAAM
VISHAMA VISHAYA TOYEH MAJJITHAANAAM APLAVAANAAM
BHAVATU CHARANAMEKOH VISHNU POTOH NARAANAAM 

Here, Kulasekhara describes the state of Chetanas. He says that 
a majority of them have fallen into  the deep and dangerous ocean of 
Samsaaraa.  They are buffeted by the wild winds of shallow pleasures 
and great sorrows. They are sinking under the load of responsibility 
to protect their children ,wife and relatives .They do not see the shores 
during this struggle for survival. Kulasekhara points out that for those 
desperate chetanas, the boat known as Vishnu is the sole hope for 
escape form the torments of the ocean of Samsaaraa and to reach the 
kingdom of the Lord.

VERSE 13: BHAGAVAT BHAKTHI AS THE SURE MEANS TO ESCAPE SAMSAARIC TERRORS

Here, Kulasekhara comforts his mind and assures it that there is no
need to fret and fear over the ways of crossing the deep and dangerous
ocean of Samsaaraa through its own feeble efforts. He says that the 
deep devotion for the Lotus-eyed Lord , who destroyed Narakaasuran 
would surely transport it over the dangerous waters of the sea of Samsaaraa.
AandaaL's Nacchiyaar Thirumozhi verse, " TUNBA KADAL PUKKU VAIKUNDHAN
ENPATHOR TOHNI PERAATHU UZHALHINREHN ", is an example of similar
feeling-state. Here , AandaaL says that she is struggling hard in the ocean
of sorrow for the want of the safe boat to known as Vaikuntanathan to ferry her 
across.

In the next posting , I will cover the verses 14 thru 20. 

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan   


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