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Sri DevarAja MangaLam of MaNavALa Maamuni-- Part 2

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • November 19, 1996 


	
Verse 8 : 

kanchanAchala srunghAgra kaLameghAnusAriNE I
suparNAmsAvadhamsAya surarAjAya mangaLam II

This slokam is based on a Thiruvaimozhi pAsuram that begins
with the words : " kAicchina paravai oorndhu ponmalayin meemisai
kArmuhil pOl " . Varadaraaja"s Garudothsavam is a famous uthsavam.
On this day , He comes out of the western gopuram of His temple 
sitting on the shoulder of GarudA . Maamuni is reminded of that 
sevai of the Lord. He compares the Lord in this slokam to a dark 
rainy cloud sitting on the peak of a golden mountain (viz.).,  
the shoulders of Veda svarupan, Garudan with his golden wings .
This slokam is also connecteed to the MangaLAsAsanam of
BhuthattAzhwAr ( AtthiurAn PuLLai oorvAn ) . 

Verse 9 :
BhogApavargayOrekham vAnchatbhyO dhadhatE dwayam I
Srimadh VaradarAjAya mahOdhArAya MangaLam II

There are two kinds of BhOgam . One is Iyhikam and the other 
is aamushmikam. One belongs to this world( Leela Vibhuthi )
 and the other to Sri VaikunTam ( Nitya Vibhuthi ) . Some may 
wish the wealth and enjoyment in this world . Others may desire for 
the bliss of Nitya Kaimkaryam to the Lord in Sri VaikunTam . Even if
one boon--seeker wishes only one of the two bhOgams, the supremely
generous Varadaraja grants both the blessings . MangaLam to that
KaruNA murthy ! This slokam can also be intrepreted to mean that He gives 
His Dvaya manthram to those who wish the boon of either of the Bhogyams.
That powerful blessing however ends up in the boon-seeker realizing
both the bhogams. 

Verse 10 :
 matangajAdhri tungAgrassrunga srungAra varshmaNE I
mahAkrupAya madhrakshA dheekshAyaasthu MangaLam II

PallaNdu to the jewel on top of Hasthi giri which decorates 
the peak of that hill with its beautiful limbs ! MangaLam to 
that great ocean of compassion and mercy , which has 
taken a vow to protect me and the other devotees !

Swami Desikan calls the most beautiful Varadaraja 
as Viswa AdhisAyee suka rupan ( the supreme bliss form 
which has no equal in all the three  worlds ) . As a MohAndhakAran,
( destroyer of the false knowledge and AjnAnam ) , Swami 
indicates that  He fulfills His vow to protect us (Bhaddha Deeksha: ) .
He blesses the ones possessing sattva guNam  by residing in their
hearts in the form of jnAna svarupi ( Satvavantha ; HrudayE 
chinmayatayA rutasya ) . His mahaa krupA encourages 
Swami Desikan to beg for those  nectar-like, life giving
glances to  fall on him ( Tvadheeya: KaruNA amrutha dhrushti Paatha: 
jeevAthu asthu ) .

Verse 11:
Sri KaanchipurNamisrENa preethyA sarvAbhibhashaNE I
athithArcchAvyavasthAya hasthadhreesAya MangaLam II

PallaNdu to that Lord of Hasthigiri , who broke the ArchaavathAra
protocol (silence ) and spoke at all times with Thirukkacchi Nambhi
with geat affection n an exception basis . The vow of the Lord  
during ArchaavathAram  is not to speak
directly to any one. He broke that self-imposed silence to speak 
with his beloved Kaanchi PurNar and sent word to RamAnujA 
through His six responses to the queries of the latter. The special
blessings that KanchipurNaa received led to him being
recognized as DevarAja DayA pAthram ( Invocatory verse  of 
DevarAjAshtakam) . The grateful KanchipurNa addressed
therefore the  Lord of hasthigiri as " samastha PrANi 
santhrANa praveeNa ! Devaraja DayAsindhO ! Deva Deva !
Jagath pathE ! Vilasanthu KatakshAstE mayyasmin jagathAm
pathE ! ( I have coverd the essence of Sri DevarajAshtakam in 
a posting housed in Sri VaishNavA home page ) .

Verse 12 : 
asthu Sristhana kasthuree vasanAvAsithorasE I
Sri Hasthigiri NAthAya DevarajAya mangaLam II

May all auspiciousness befall Lord VaradarajA characterized by 
the lingering perfume of Kasthuri on His chest arising from 
His affectionate and close embrace of PerundEvi , 
His inseparable  consort.This passage of Kasthuri 
perfume on the Lord's chest reminds us of the NaachiyAr 
Thirumozhi pAsuram section of ANdAL : " Kongai 
mEl kumkumatthin kuzhambhazhiya puhundhu 
oru nAL tangu mEl yennAvi tangumenru urayeerE ". 

Verse 13 :
mangaLAsAsanaparai: madhAcharya purogamai : I
sarvaisccha purvairAchAryai: SathkruthAyAsthu mangaLam II

This is the famous verse used by us in our daily sAtthumurai .
Here ,  Maamuni states that he is following the well-trodden path
of the aachAryas , who went ahead of him in invoking MangaLam
to the Lord of Hasthigiri. Those AchaaryAs had their livelihood 
as singing pallAndu to the Lord. He says that he is follwing the 
tradition of his own AcharyA ( Thiruvaimozhi PiLLai aka Srisaila
PurNar) and his AcharyA's AchAryA , PiLLai LokAchaarya and 
other purvAchAryAs going back to PeriyAzhwAr and NammAzhwAr. 

Sri PerundEvi Sametha HasthigireesAya MangaLam .
Sri MaNavALa Maamuni thiruvadigaleh SaraNam.

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan