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Dasar and Venaktachalapathy --Krithis ( Part 6)

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • November 9, 1996 


Dear devotees of the Lord of the Seven Hills :

In the third krithi set in Ragam Kaambhoji , 
Dasar takes Srinivasa to task for not heeding to 
his request to bless him with Darsana Bhagyam. 

In the krithi starting with the Pallavi " Naanegi MaadithenO
Venkataraya Nee yenna kaya BeghO " , he queries Venakatarayan
this way : O Lord ! What did I do to deserve this utter neglect
and indifference by You ? Why wont You come to my side ?
O Deena Rakshakaa! " Manaabhimaanavu Ninnadhu , Yenakkenu ? " 
(Anupallavi vaakyam ) . It is your problem to worry about your
abhimaanam (attachment cum affection ) for your Bhakthas
and the consequent worry to protect  them as well . It is not  
my concern to worry  about the harm to your reputation as Bhakta Vatsalan,
if you do not execute your self-avowed duties as protector of 
your bhakthas in times of their dire need and distress  . I have
done Baranyaasam to You  and the burden of protecting me is your 
responsibility . I am not therefore worried . Even if I am free of
worry , I still do not understand  a few things . Please explain them to me."
Dasar goes on to describe the matters that confuse him in three CharaNams:

CharaNam 1 : Kari raja karisitaneh Drowpathi devi
                           peratoleh kaLusitanen
                           rishi rajapatni kallaghi sthreeyaghitadhu
                           yee jagavalla ariyarenoh Govindaa (Naanenu )

CharaNam 2:  rakkasatalananeh kelO Dhruva raayanu
                          sikkavanallavenoh 
                          ukki paruva karmamaaditha AjaamiLa
                          ninnakkana nahanenO Govindaa (Naanenu )

CharaNam 3 : ommadi avalikkeh yaatatantha avanikkeh
                           oppi kottayO bhagyavaa
                           sarpa sayana Sri Purandara Vittalaa
                           aprameyaneh salahO Venkataraayaa (Naanenu )

( Free translation ) : O Venkataraayaa ! You are running around 
boasting the name of Deena Rakshakan . Did Droupathi write 
a letter to you at the time of her distress asking you to save her 
from humiliation at the court of evil Duryodhana ? The whole 
world knows that you transformed the Rishi patni Ahalya through
your Paada sparsam ( contact with the dust associated with your 
holy feet ) from the state of stone to her former beautiful self .
O Lord who destroys the Rakshasaas ! Did you not bless the 
little child Dhruva and respond to his intense penance ?
Did you not save AjaamiLan , who was intricately bound in the net
of his Karmaas ? How do you expalin your partiality (DaakshiNyam ) 
for him ? Was he your nephew ? You gave the wealth of all the worlds to
your boyhood friend Kusela in return for a handful of pounded rice . 
What is the mystery here ? O Lord resting on your serpent bed ! 
O Seshadri Sekhara VibhO ! Why wont you show mercy to me ?
Waht wrong did I do ? Why this utter indifference ? Thus asks 
the angry Dasar with salugai in the spirit of Nindaa Sthuthi  in 
this Krithi .

In the next song , Dasar's anger is reduced and he addresses 
the Lord with affection . In the Pallavi and Anupallavi Vakhyams ,
he begs the Lord of seven hills to show him the sanmaargam:
" O Srinivasa! O Asritha Jana Rakshakaa! O Nada Brahmam ! 
O VeNugopAlaa! O Mukundaa! O the essence of Vedas and
Vedanthaa! O The embodiment of eternal bliss ! You alone can 
and must save me. Please grant me the boon of following 
sadaachaaram and the right path. The pallavi and anupallavi
Vakhyams containing these thoughts are as follows :

Pallavi :

SRINIVAASAA NINEH PAALISo SRUTHA JANA PAALA
GAANA LOLA SRI MUKUNDANEH

Anupallavi :

DhyaanamaaLpa  sajjara maanathim paripaalisuva
VeNugopaala Mukunda Veda Vedyaa nityaanandhaa
(Srinivasaa )

In the first charaNam , He asks " Yeshtu Dina kashtapaduvathO 
Yasodhaa gandhaa ? ". O Yasodhaa Bhagyam ! How long should 
I suffer from these samsaaric afflictions ? "  . Won' t you cast your 
benovolent glances at me( Drishtiyintha nodha Bharateh ) ?.  
" Mutti ninna bhajisalaareh ketta nara janmatava dhushta 
kaaryamaaditaakyu ishtanaagi kayyapidiyO , Srinivasa ? ".
was the next appeal of the dejected Dasar. O Srinivasa ! 
It is not clear to me that in this  human birth one can attain You
by devoting one's life to nama sankeerthanam about Your kalyaNa
GuNaas  . Please do not abandon me  even if I might have done
many worst  deeds. 

In the final charaNam , Dasar makes a moving appeal to 
Srinivasa in the spirit of utter meekness symbolizing his performance 
of SaraNaagathi . He  says : " O Lord ! You know very well that 
I suffer daily from the disease of Samsaara. I am not sure that I  
have the courage and endurance anymore to bear the scorching 
flames of the fire of Samsaara. I do not have the strength. Your cool 
and saving glances should fall on me just as abundant rain falls on 
the parched/scorched land. O Lord of the Universe ! 
Please do not forget to come to my rescue ".  With great humility 
and meekness , Dasar thus performed saraNaagathi at  the lotus
feet of Srinivasa and repented for his short temper . The Lord of 
the seven hills could not hold himself back from his dear devotee 
any more and appeared before Dasar along with Saraswathi Devi. 
Dasar was overjoyed with the blessings of Lord Srinivasa and composed 
many immortal songs thereafter .

On the eve of this DeepaavaLi celebration of Dhaathu Samvatsaram ,
it is a blessing for all of us to think of the Bhaktha Daakshinyam of
Sriman Narayana standing atop of the seven hills  and offer our prayers 
a la Purandara Dasar and other bhakthaas that followed him to the 
sannidhi of Srinivasa like Mutthuswami Dikshitar (Seshachala Naayakam
BhajAmi Visesha Pala PradhAyakam ) and Sadguru Thyaga Brhamam
( Terathiyaga Raadhaa loni Thirupathi VenkataramaNa matsaramanu) .

I will conclude this series of Postings on Purandara dasa"s krithis
on Sri Venkatesa with the first two slokas of Sri Venkatesa Sahasra Naamam
and a few  select Venkatesa ashtotthara  Naamams :

VENKATESOH VIRUPAAKSHOH VISVESOH VISVABHAVANA: I
VISWASRUDVISWA SAMHARTHAA VISWA PRAANOH VIRAT VAPU : II

SESHAADRINILAYOH ASESHA BHAKTHA DU:KKA PRANAASANA: I
SESHASSTHUTHYAS  SESHASAAYEE VISESHAJNOH VIBHUSSVABHOO : II

OM CHINTHITAARTHA PRADHAAYAKAAYA NAMA:

OM GANA SAARA LASAN MADHYA KASTHURI 
TILAKOJVALAAYA NAMA: 

OM HAYAGREEVAAYA  NAMA: 

OM AARTHA LOKA ABHAYA PRADHAAYA NAMA:  

SRIYA: KAANTHAAYA KALYAANA NIDHAYEH NIDHAYEHARTHINAAM I
SRIVENKATANIVAASAAYA SRINIVAASAAYA MANGALAM II

Srinivaasa Para Brahmaneh nama :

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan