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Copy of: MM"s YathirAja Vimsathi : Second Slokam

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V. Sadagopan • March 17, 1997 


Dear Members : This posting is being retransmitted.
V.S 

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

From:	V. Sadagopan, 75041,3037
TO:	OM, INTERNET:BHAKTI@LISTS.BEST.COM
DATE:	3/15/97 8:41 PM

RE:	Copy of: MM"s YathirAja Vimsathi : Second Slokam

SECOND SLOKAM OF YATHIRAAJA VIMSATHI
***************************************************
In this beautiful slokam , MM connects the AchArya paramparai
from Sri Ranganatha down to KuratthAzhwAn, the dear disciple
of Sri RamAnujA . The sound effects of reciting this slokam  are
beautiful . The poetic skills in Sanskrit of MM is abundantly clear. 
It is a pity that he elected to write mostly in Tamil .

The Second slokam is as follows :

SrirangarAja charaNAmbhuja rAja hamsam
Srimadh ParAnkusa padhAmbhuja brungarAjam I
Sri BhattanAtha parakAla mukhAbhja Mitram 
Srivatsa chi(h)nna CharaNam(SaraNam) YathirAjameedE II

(Meaning ) : I eulogize the emperor of SanyAsis , RamAnujA ,
who has chosen the lotus feet of Sri RangarAja as the seat of
his permanent residence , just as a king swan would seek 
a beautiful lotus for its place of rest . I salute Sri RamAnujA , who is 
resting on the beautiful paadha kamalam of NammAzhwAr like 
a honey-sucking bee sitting  on the fragrant lotus  flower full of 
pollen and honey . I offer my homage to YathirAjA , who is like a Sun 
to  the lotus-like faces of PeriyAzhwAr and Thirumangai AzhwAr, whose 
faces  blossom forth at the sight of Sri RamAnujA . I bow before 
the BhashyakArar , who is the refuge for KurEsa ( or who has KurEsa
as his Thiruvadi ) . 

SLOKA LINE : 
SRI RANGARAAJA PADHAAMBHUJA RAAJA HAMSAM
*********************************************************** 

Lord RanganAtha broke His ArchA samAdhi and spoke 
to RamAnujA AT sRIRANGAM on a panguni uttaram day and 
suggested that RamAnujA  stay at his side in Srirangam 
until his last days ( Yavaath Sareerapaadham ATHRAIVA 
SrirangE SukhamAsva ) . With great affection , Sri RanganAtha 
accepted RamAnujA's prapatthi ON THAT SPECIAL DAY  ; 
the Lord used the word "Athraiva " to indicate that 
He  wanted RamAnujA to stay right there at His sacred feet . 
RamAnujA stayed there as a rAja hamsam on a beautiful
lotus flower until his last moment at Srirangam .

COMPARISON OF RAMAANUJAA TO A KING SWAN
********************************************************

The comparison of RamAnujA to a Swan is to hint that
like  a Swan that has the power to separate milk from
water in a mixture , this great AchAryA is known for 
separating sAram from  AsAram and for focusing 
on the Saaram (essence ) of the SaasthrAs .

ADDITIONAL REASONS FOR SUCH A COMPARISON
***********************************************************

The comparison of  RamAnujA to a  Hamsam also 
hints at his Parama Hamsa ParivrAjaka Acharyathvam .
Hamsam floating on the muddy rice fields does not ever 
have its feet come into contact with the mud of the rice field.
PrathivAdhi Bhayankaram ANNangaAchAriar (PBA ) swamy has 
quoted  in this context the NammAzhwar's Thiruviruttham 
pala sruthi passage , which states that those , who recite 
and understand the true meaning of the 100 verses of 
his poem would not have their feet stuck in the mud of 
SamsAram .  PBA bases his VyAkhyAnam on the saying 
" Na BadhnAthi Rathim Hamsa: KadAchidh karthmAmbhasi ".

The final reaon for MM's choice of hamsam as a similie for 
RamAnujA is based on his engagement in PurushakAra 
kruthyam (act of pleading / intercession ) with the Lord 
like the Consort of the Lord , Sri RanganAyaki . ThAyAr's 
steps (nadai/NADATTHAI ) are imitated by hamsams . Similar to that,
AchArya RamAnujA followed the prime duty of MahA Lakshmi 
(viz) ., pleading with Her Lord to forgive the aparAdhams of
the jeevan and grant Moksham to the PrapannAs . Sri Vedantha Desikan
is quoted by PBA swamy here to illustrate this point ( DhatthE Rangee 
nijamapi padham DesikAdesa kAnkshee ) . 

SWAMI DESIKAN'S COMPARISON OF RAMAANUJAA TO A HAMSAM
**************************************************************************

I am reminded of the 22nd slokam of YathirAja Sapthadhi of 
Swami Desikan , where he also compares RamAnujA to 
a Raja Hamsam . But , this time , he is visualized as
the Raaja Hamsam sitting in the heart caves of the BhakthAs
of Sri RanganAthA  . The slokam is as follows :

mulE nivisya mahathAm nigama dhrumANAm 
  mushNan prathAraka bhayam dhrutha naikadhanda: I
Rangesa Nhaktha jana MAANASA RAAJA HAMSA :
  RamAnuja: SARANAMASTHU Muni: svayam na : II

Sri BhasayakArar is equated here to a king swan with the wings
of J~nanam and Bhakthi . The rAja hamsam lives acording to
legend in Maanasaoravar , a lake in high HimaalayAs .
This Raaja Hamsam (RaamAnujA) however lives in the lake of 
the minds of Sri RanganAtha bhakthAs. They meditate on him always. 
He holds the tridhandam and chases away their fears caused by 
the foes of these  devotees of Sri RangEsa .These foes of the 
devotees of the Lord cause anguish by  intrepreting  wrongly 
(Viparitha bhAshyam ) the true meanings of the VedAs .

SLOKAA LINE: 
SRIMADH PARAANKUSA PAADHAAMBHUJA BRUNGA RAAJAM
********************************************************************

In the first slokam , MM identified RaamAnujA as
PARAANKUSA PAADHA BHAKTHAM . Here , he salutes
RaamAnujA as SRIMADH PARAANKUSA PAADHAAMBHUJA
BRUNGA RAAJAM . The salutation of the 1st slokam  has  been linked to
SVAROOPA PRAYUKTHA DAASYAM aspect . The salutation 
housed in the second slokam is understood as being connected to
GUNA PRAYUKTHA  DAASYAM . Just as the honey  bee recognizes 
the nourishing food  in the flower and hovers over the flower to
taste that honey , RaamAnujA stays at the lotus feet of NammAzhwAr
to enjoy the nectar-like bhagavadh anubhavam enshrined in 
the AzhwAr's Thiruvaimozhi and other aruLiccheyalgaL . 
NammAzhwAr has explained the purpose of composing his 
Paasurams  this way : " thondarkku amudhuNNa sol maalaigaL 
sonnEn " .

Like Thondaradipodi"s " Vandinamuralum " the honey bees go from flower
to flower in search of honey . They do the act of "muralvathu  " . 
So does the honey bee described as  RaamAnujA travels from 
one paasuram to the other of NammAzhwAr and enjoys the taste of 
the nectar contained in them . Such is the nature of the activities of 
the king bee, Acharya RaamAnujA according to MM .

SLOKA LINE :
SRI BHATTA NAATHA PARAKAALA MUKHAABHJA MITRAM
*****************************************************************
Bhatta NaathA is Bhattar Piraan , PeriyAzhwAr . Para KaalA
is Thirumangai AzhwAr. Mukham is face . Abhjam is the lotus.
RaamAnujA is compared to the Sun that is the friend for the faces
of PeriyAzhwAr and Thirumangai . RaamAnujA made their lotus faces 
blossom with joy , since he followed their foot steps in performing
Tulasi kaimkaryam to the Lord ( like PeriyAzhwAr ) and constructed 
prakAram and Gopuram (like Thirumangai ) . That is one NirvAham 
(intrepretation ) . According to the other NirvAham , RaamAnuja followed 
the sacred path of the two AzhwArs and conducted anushtAnams 
to enrich their traditions and made them happy .. 

SLOKA LINE : SRIVATSA CHIHNA SARANAM( CHARANAM ) 
****************************************************************

Srivatsachinnar is Kuresar ( KuratthAzhwAn ) . He had a special
relationship to RaamAnujA . Although EmbAr and other sishyAs 
were dear to RamAnujA , Kuresa was the one , who was trusted
with the colloboration in writing Sri Bhashyam . He was RaamAujA's
intellectual sparring partner , who went to the unfriendly king's court 
to defend his AcharyA's darsanam . Kuresa is known for his utter 
devotion to his AchAryA . He took RaamAnujA's sacred feet as 
his refuge (SaraNam ) . That is why KuresA is saluted as 
" perum puhaZhAn vanjamukkurumbhAmkuzhiyai kadakkum
NANKURATTHAAZHWAAN ". Our dear KuratthAzhwAn is the 
endearing description. PBA SwamigaL in a 50 year old commentary
on YathirAja Vimsathi that I am using states that there is another
intrepretation to this slokA line . If one uses the version , 
" SRIVATSA CHIHNA CHARANAM " instead of " SRIVATSA CHIHNA
SARANAM " ,  then KuresA is considered as the THIRUVADI OF 
RAMAANUJAA .  Important disciples are described usually as
the supporting feet of the achArya . For instance, Thirumangai is 
considered the Thiruvadi of NammAzhwAr , just as KuresA is 
described as the Thiruvadi of RamAnujA .

SLOKA LINE : YATHIRAAJAM YEEDE 
*****************************************

MM concludes the slokam with the salutation , YathirAjam
yeedE . I slaute such a glorious Acharya , who sits at the 
lotus feet of Sri RangarAja as the Raja Hamsam , as a honey bee
at the feet of SatakOpA , shines as a SUN to the lotus blossoms 
of PeriyAzhwAr  and Thirumangai .  

AzhwAr , AchAryAL thiruvadigaLE SaraNam 
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan