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Sri GuNa Rathna KOsam : SlOkam 6

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Sadagopan • November 16, 2000 


SrimathE RanganAyakai Nama:

Dear BhagavathAs:AdiyEn will cover 
the sixth slOkam in this posting.

SlOkam 6:
*********

sthOthAram tamusanthi dEvi ! kavayO
  yO visthruNeethE GuNAn
sthOthavyasya tathasccha tE sthuthidhurA
  mayyEva visrAmyathi I
YasmAdhasmAth amarshaNIya phaNithi 
  svIkAratastE GuNA:
KshAnthyoudharya dayAdhayO BhagavathI!
  svAm prasruveeran praTaam II

Translation of the Meaning by Dr.V.N.VedAntha Desikan:
*******************************************************

Oh Bhagavathi! The world of scholars would acknowledge only 
that man , as a poet of worth , who is capable of publicizing 
the great virtues of the subject (that he is praising).
Under this criterion , no one is better suited to praise
you(than me).Yes. Because Your forbearance , pity,
graciousness , bounteousness and similar qualities 
would stand out in prominent perspective only when 
I am their target. I am the lowliest person;
my words are poor and defective. But , Your qualities 
shine at their best only with regard to me. So, I declare
that I am the fittest panegyrsit for You. 

Additional Comments from Dr.V.N.V
**********************************

Oh Bhagavathi! In this world of Yours , one is
recognized as a "SthOthA " by the learned people,
when he can illuminate well the atributes of 
the subject that he is eulogizing. Under this criterion, 
the burden and responsibillity to be Your SthOthA 
will rest solely with me. Why ? There are important
atributes that You possess such as forbearance , 
generosity , dayA et al. There is no object fitter 
than me for all those auspicious attributes of Yours
to be targetted. My words are poor and deficient .
Hence , You should take compassion on me and
let Your showers of mercy fall on me to become
suitable to attempt this effort of praising You.
Therefore , no one else is more appropriate 
than myself to be the object of Your mahA 
KalyANa GuNams.

Observations by V.SatakOpan (V.S):
***********************************
ParAsara Bhattar was an expert in Tarkam .
His arguments regarding his qualifications 
for being the best poet to praise Sri RanganAyaki
is laid out here in a clever manner. He starts
by conceding that it is an accepted practise 
to judge a poet's excellence by the skills he
displays to illuminate and elaborate well 
the attributes of the object of his sthOthram . 
If he has that prowess, then he is called 
a SthOthA ( Tamm sthOthAram usanthi) . 

This poetic excellence should amply demonstrate 
his power to expand on and celebrate the GuNAs of his
object of praise( ya: guNAn visthruNeethE ).

SthOthA is Bhattar. SthOthavyaa is Sri RanganAyaki.
Bhattar connects now the SthOthA and SthOthvyaa
and the responsibility of the sthOthA to engage
in his efforts to praise Sri RanganAyaki (sthOthavyaa). 

Bhattar now accepts full responsibility as 
the sthOthA of the Divine Mother with the statement:
" sthuthi-dhurA mayyEva visrAmyathi" ( the full 
responsibility to pay adequate tribute to You
rests solely with me as Your sthOthA).DhurA means 
a burden or a load . That burden rests with me 
and me alone as a result of undertaking such 
important duties to be Your SthOthA .Thus ends 
the first two paadhams of the sixth slOkam . 
The case has been laid out and the duties 
and the onus of responsibilities has been 
clearly stated .

In the second paadham of the slOkam , the clever 
ParAsara Bhattar reveals how he is going to become 
fit for his duties. He says : " KshAnthyoudhArya- 
dayAdayO Bhagavathi ! YasmAdhasmAth amarshaNIya 
phaNithi sveekArathas tE guNA:".

First, Bhattar addresses Sri RanganAyaki as 
the embodiment of auspicious attributes 
like KshAnthi ( patience and forbearance) , 
oudhAryam ( generosity )and dayA (Compassion ) 
and reminds her that She is indeed Bhagavathi 
( the abode of other six gunams such as Isvaryam, 
Balam , Tejas , Sakthi , Veeryam et al). 

Next , Bhattar states that the power
of Her illustrious GuNAs will nullify his
poor and defective vaak(speech) and then
sanctify it to become fit to engage in 
Her sthuthi and thereby qualify to be
recognized as Her famous sthOthA.                                  

He says: Because of the nature and power of Your 
KalyAna GuNams , they towered over my
lowly self and my " amarshaNIya PhaNithi "
and identified me as the right target 
for the torrent (prasravaNam )of Your
KaruNai and soaked me in ecstasy . Therefore
adiyEn, the fittest object of Your dayA ,
declares myself now to be the best among 
Your sthOthAs ( panegyrists).

In the next two slOkams , ParAsara Bhattar
prays to the divine Mother for Her further 
blessings for the conferral of the full poetic
power befitting the occasion.

Sri ParAsara Bhattar ThiruvadigaLE Saranam ,
Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan     
 
 

  



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