Re: Sri Guna Rathna Kosam : Part 58: slOkam 49

From the Bhakti List Archives

• November 15, 2001


Dear BhakthAs of Sri RanganAyaki ThAyAr:

In the 49th slOkam , Swamy ParAsara Bhattar
pays tribute to Sri RanganAyaki ThAyAr as
the MahA Lakshmi , who through Her smile and
glances reduced the fatigue of the Lord during 
His efforts to churn the milky ocean to release
Amrutham .In the context of Her Lord's many avathArams ,
amrutha MaTanam is taken as an example here to
illustrate how the Divine Consort of the Lord
helps Him during KoormAvathAram intended for 
helping with the churning of the milky ocean
with Vaasuki as the rope and Mandra malai as 
the Churning rod : 

skalitha kaDaka maalyai: dhOrbhiraBdhim MurArE:
  Bhagavathi dhadhimATam maTnatha:ShrAnthi Saanthyai:
Brahmadhamrutha tarangA: varthatha: prAthurAsI
  smitha nayana sudhAbhi: simchathI ChandrikEva

--Sri GuNa Rathna KOsam : SlOkam 49

Oh Bhagavathi ! Oh RanganAyakI of Six auspicious 
attributes (ShADguNya paripoornai)! Your Lord churned 
the milky ocean one day . He would not have any aayAsam 
(Fatigue ) from that monumnetal effort , since He is 
BhagavAn (ShADguNuya ParipoorNan ). Even with that 
certainity , His sport would not have given Him 
satisfaction ,if He did not show the aspects of exertion 
as revealed by His AbharaNams and flower garlands 
slipping from His limbs. That is how we view the scene! 
He churned the milky ocean like those churning milk
in a clay pot with a wodden churning rod to bring out 
the butter.Only the dimensions of the operation 
were different in His case .

Oh MahA LakshmI ! You arose from a whirlpool (Suzhi)
in the middle of the Ocean to give Him relief from 
His exertions as it were ! With Your captivating smile 
and auspicious glances, You drove away Your Lord"s exertions . 
You soaked the Lord in Your moon-ray like nectarine 
coolness and drove away His fatigue .No Wonder You
are known as Amrutha SahajA (PeNNamuthu) as a result !

Additional comments:
********************

The Lord's KaDakam , Valayam , Maalikais and Maalyams 
slipped away from His limbs as He churned the milky Ocean
with both hands . KshIrArNavam ( Milky ocean) was like
the dhadhi that was churned to release Nectar. He was
acting as though He was fatigued from the effort.
Then MahA Lakshmi appeared ( prAdhurAsi)to chase away 
the ShrAnthi of the Lord and to produce ShAnthi.
This She accomplished effortlessly with Her 
Smitha-nayana-sudhAbhi:( with her waves of nectarine glances 
and smiles(manthhAsam). Like nectarine waves , those smiles
and glances of MahA Lakshmi soaked the Lord , comforted 
Him and energized Him to complete His self-appointed task.
His ultimate reward was the PeNNamudhu , MahA Lakshmi ,
while the DevAs got just nectar. 

Indran, who lost all his Isvaryam due to the curse of 
Sage DhurvAsar approached the Lord for help thru BrahmA
for restoration of that lost wealth . That led to amrutha
maTanam described inthe 8th Canto of Srimadh BhAgavatham.
After the DevAs and the asuraas gave up their efforts ,
the Lord Himself took over the churning :

maTayamAnAtthtaTA sindhO: DevAsura varUTapai:
yadha SudhA na jaayathE nirmamanTAjitha: SVYAM
-- BhAgavatham : 8.7.16

Our Lord is saluted here as Ajithan , One who is
not conquered by anyone. He Himself took over 
the churning .Many auspicious things came out of
His effort (e.g): KaamdhEnu, Kousthubha rathnam  ,
Kalpaka Vruksham , IrAvadham  et al.

Finally , the Supremely effulgent SthrI Rathnam ,
MahA LakshmI arose out of the milky ocean illuminating
all directions with Her lustre .She was like a creeper of 
lighting flashing through the directions :

tathascchAvirabhUth sakshAcchchIramA Bhagavathparaa
ranjayanthi disa: kaanthyA vidhyuthsoudhAmani yaTA 
---Bhaagavatham: 8.8.8

(meaning): Thus appeared before all , SaakshAth Sri Devi,
who is MahA Lakshmi just like a creeper of lightning
illumining all directions . She appeared from the Milky
Ocean and had limitless affection and love for BhagavAn.

Her Thirumanjanam and alankAram are described by 
Swamy Desikan (Sri Sthuthi: agrE Bharthu:)and Srimath
BhAgavatham. Indra is blessed by Her and he recovers 
his Isvaryam and eulogizes Her in Indra Sri Sthuthi.

Just as Srimath RaamAyaNam described the inseperability of
the Lord and His PirAtti as " BhAskarENa PrabhA yatha",
(Suryan and its effulgence), this SlOkam of Bhattar 
pays tribute to the Sriranga Dampathis as Chandran and his rays
(Chandra-ChandrikA), which are inseparable.

One of the PaancharAthra Samhithais , JayAkya Samhithai
attests furhter to the inseperability of this divine couple
this way:

Sooryasya RasmayO yathvAth
OormayasyachAmbhudhErivaa
Sarvaisvarya PrabhAvEna KAMALAA
SrI tEstathA 

(Meaning): MahAlakshmi stays united with Her 
Lord , Sriya: Pathi in an inseperable manner 
just as the rasmi (lustre ) of Sooryan is
inseperable from it and just as the waves are 
inseparable form the Ocean .  

Sri RanganAyaki ThAyAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,
Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SaTakOpan  



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