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Lord VenugOpalan Sannidhi at Pomona Temple, NY: A Tribute on the occasion of the forthcoming MahA samprOkshaNam, May 27,2001

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Sadagopan • May 12, 2001 


Dear BhakthAs: 

Yesterday , adiyEn offered a AshtOtthara Satha NaamAvaLi
archanai to Sri Raamachandra from the Naama Kusumams 
of a great Raama BhakthA . 

Today , adiyEn would like to offer humble salutations to 
Lord Venu GopAlan at His sannidhi in Sri RanganAthA Temple
at Pomona , NY. Traditionally , Moolavar RanganAthan is
recognized as KrishNan and the Uthsavar (processional deity)
is revered as Raamachandran at Sri RanganAthA Temples.

Today , we will offer our collective homage to the charming
Maayvi KrishNa ParamAthmA, the Jagadh Guru, who blessed us
with Bhagavath GitA and its Charama SlOkam using ArjunA as 
an excuse ( VyAjam). " Maa Sucha:" ( Do not grieve), " MaamEkam
SaraNam VrajA " are the uplifting words of this Sarva Loka Guru.

adiyEn will select  choice salutations used over the centuries 
by great AchAryAs and Krishna BhakthAs such as Jaya DevA (Gita
Govindham ) ,Swamy VedAntha Desikan ( Yadhaabhudayam , Gopala
Vimsathi ), LeelA Sukhar (KrishNa KarNAmrutham) and Sukha Brahmam
(Srimath BhAgavatham Dasama Skandham) .For Swamy NammAzhwAr, 
Kannan was the food he ate, the water he drank and the betel 
leaves he chewed. For PeriyAzhwAr , Kannan was his child .
For AndAL , Kannan was Her bridegroom . Kannan is aparyAptha
amrutham (insatiable nectar) for us all . May we be blessed 
to hear and follow the VeNu Naadham emanting from His Sannidhi !

KrishNAya Thubhyam Nama:(Jaya DevA of Bengal & Orissa)
******************************************************
For Jayadeva, the lyrical poet of the twelfth century,
Lord krishna is Sringra Moorthy incarnate. He used nava rasams 
to visualize the Jeevan's search for Isvaran in his Gita
Govindham. The fine tension between the moods of Separation
of the Jeevan from the Lord (Vipralambha SringAram ) and 
(Union with Him ( SambhOga SringAram) is the backdrop of
this Kaavyam of Jaya DevA.The longing for the Lord and
reunion with Him is the mood of Bhakthi known as Nayaka-
NayikA BhAvam experienced by Swamy NammAzhwAr ( ParAnkusa
Naayaki), Thirumangai (ParakAla Naayaki) and ANDAL(Bhumi Devi).

It is generally accepted that Jayadeva was influenced 
by the sacred works of South Indian AzhwAr bridal mystics.
Let us enjoy ONE select passage from Sri JayadEvA's Gita Govindam
( Krishna as DasAvathAra Svaroopan ) and pray for his Ashtapathis 
to be sung at Pomona, NY Sannidhi at the evening poojA time 
as they are sung at Poori Jagannaath. These verses are 
" HARI CHARANA SMRUTHI SAARAM ".

DasAvathAra Vandhanam :
***********************
vEdAn uddaratE jagan-nivahatE bhUgOlam-udhbibratE
dhaithyam dhArayatE Balim chalayatE Kshathra-kshayam kurvatE
Poulasthyam jauyatE halam kalayatE KaaruNyam-aatanvatE
mlEcchAn MoorchayatE DASAAKRUTHI KRISHNAAYA THUBHYAM NAMA:

(MEANING): " For upholding the Vedas(MatsyaavathAran),
For supporting the earth (KoormaavathAran), For raising 
the world ( VarahaavathAran), For tearing the demon king
asunder ( NarasimhaavathAran) , For cheating Bali 
( VaamanAvatharan),For destroying the warrior class 
( ParasurAman), For conquering RavaNA ( Raaman) ,
For wielding the plow( BalarAman), For spreading
compassion ( KrishNAvathAran) , For routing the barbarians
( Kalki AvathAran) , HOMAGE TO YOU KRISHNAA IN YOUR  
TEN INCARNATE FORMS ". 

Swamy Desikan's YaadhavAbhudhayam :
***********************************
Among the five KhAvyams bequeathed to us by 
Swamy Desikan ( Sruthi MouLi Soori)  , His YaadhavAbhudayam 
is recognozed as " BhOga-BhOgya MahA Kaavyam". 
There are 24 cantos filled with Krishna Bhakthi 
elaborated in MahA BhAratham , Srimath BhAgavatham
and Hari Vamsam in this Kaavyam. It is impossible to
pick and choose one or two slOkams from this MahA Kaavyam
dedicated to Yadhunandanan . Yet, we will focus on
two slOkams from the fifteenth canto celebrating 
the importance of Prapatthi (SaraNAgathi) .This verse 
is an eulogy by Sage NaradA, who is eager to see the Lord :

PraTamA CharamA cha DevathA Thvam 
VaraNIyA VaradhA cha Visva-vandhyA
NigamEshu sathI purEshu chaikA 
janayithrI jana-pankthi-haariNee cha 
--YaadhavAbhudayam: 15.21

(meaning): Oh Lord KrishnA ! Thou art the First 
among Gods( Primordial Addhi Purushan);Thou art
the Last of the Gods as well(Sarva dEva namskAram
Ksavam prahtigacchathi/all the worships offered
to any God ultimately arrives at Your sacred feet).
Thou art the One to be chosen by every one for 
AarAdhanam; Thou art the Ultimate boon-granting
VaradarAjan .Thou art the One to be worshipped 
by all. Thou alone pervades the VedAs , PurANaas and
the world of sentients and insentients.Thou art 
the First Lord  VishNu who manifest as Agni, 
Saavithri, Gaayathri as their antharyAmi ).

SavanE Bhava-mukthi-sandhi-roopE 
VidhinA VisvapathE: Vichithra-hEthim
Hrudhi Saanthadhiya: samindhatE thvAm-
anagAthma krathu havya-vAham aadhyam
--YaadhavAbhudaya MahA Kaavyam: 15.23

(meaning): SarvEsvarA! Those with VairAgyam 
(dispassion) driven by the power of SaraNAgathi
at Your sacred feet perform the blemishless
yaagam of AathmArpaNam (Aathma-SamarpaNam) and 
choose You as the receiver of that havis of AathmA 
(Your property). You as Havya-vaahanan (Agni
in that Yaagam ) with Your multisplendoured JvAlais 
accept the Soma rasam of that Savanam (Soma Yaagam) 
at the time of the jeevan disconnecting from its
prakruthic cage (body). 

Please enjoy the monographs of Sri UtthamUr Swamy
and SevA Swamy on YaadhavAbhudhayam . 

Swamy Desikan's Gopaala Vimsathi
*********************************
In these twenty slOkams , Swamy Desikan's Krishna 
Bhakthi pours out in a great rapturous stream .
The sannidhi at Pomona, NY for the Lord is VeNugOpAlan
Sannidhi. Hence , we will focus on that divine-flute
playing cowherd form:

Jayathi lalitha vrutthim sikshithO vallaveenAm
siTila valaya sinjA seethaLair hasthatALai:
akhila Bhuvana rakshA Gopa-vEshasya VishNO:
adhara maNisudhAyAm amsavAn vamsanALa:
--SlOkam 16

(Meaning by Dr.V.N.VedAntha Desikan): The (divine)
Flute shines there--it adopts a music suited to the mild
bangle beat that the (gOpi)damsels produce , fit for His
abhinaya called " Lalitham "; the unique fortune of the flute
is that it partakes of the taste of His lips--the lips of
One , who took the cowherd incaration only to afford 
protection to all the worlds. 

Sri KrishNa KarNAmrutham of LeelA Sukhar (1220-1300 CE):
********************************************************* 
This is one of the greatest anubhavams of KrishNa Bhakthi
in general and that of VeNu Gopaalan in particular.There are
many slOkams that are evocative of PeriyAzhwAr's paasurams
on the veNu Nadham of Gopaala-Krishnan here. adiyEn will
quote two slOkams from LeelA Sukhar's KrishNa KarNAmrutham:

pallavAruNa-paaNipankaja-sangivENu-ravAkulam
pullapAdala-paadalIparivAdhi-paadhasarOruham
ullasan-madhura- dhyuthi-manjaree-sarasAnanam
Vallavee-kucha-kumbha-kumkuma-pankilam Prabhum-AsrayE
--SlOkam 1.9

The rapture of reciting this slOkam saluting 
the VenugOpaala Savroopam defies translation. 
The visualization of the Lord with His tender
creeper like fingers playing the flute for His
dear Gopis as prathyupakAram for their devotion
is magnificent.

In the final slOkam to be reflected  upon , adiyEn
has chosen the one , where LeelA Sukhar hits the vedic
stride and declares that everything is KrishNA for him:

prEmadham cha mE kaamdham cha mE
vEdanam cha mE Vaibhavam cha mE
Jeevanam cha mE Jeevitham cha mE
Dhaivatham cha mE Deva naaparam 

(Meaning): Oh VeNugOpAlA ! You are the One 
who fills me with love; You are the One , who
fulfills all my desires. You are the One, who
blesses me with true Jn~Anam. You are indeed my
entire wealth. You are my Life. You are my aayus 
(days of my life).I do not consider any other God as
equivalent to You.

BhakthAs, Let us offer our worship 
at Raaja veNugOpalan Sannadhi at
the Pomona temple and place our AathmA 
at His sacred feet to gain AchArya Bhakthi 
and to perform SaraNAgathi !

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan   


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