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The Vaibhavam of Sri Sudarsana(Narasimha) BhagavAn

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • October 16, 2001 


Dear BhakthAs:

we recently had discussions on Sri Sudarsna
Kavacham . The Text is now available thanks to 
the dedicated efforts of Srimans Sunder Kidambi 
of Massachusetts and Dr.M.N. Ramanuja of the Indian
Institute of Science , Bangalore.

As adiyEn browsed through the Text of Sudarsana kavacham ,
adiyEn was thinking about why Swamy Desikan composed 
Sri SudarsanAshtakam and ShOdasAyudha SthOthram for
our benefit .
 
At this time , the SathAbhishEkam Malar of Poundarikapuram 
Andavan , HH PravAkkOttai GopAla Desika MahA Desikan 
arrived in the mail . As adiyEn opened it,the first article 
that I came across was the one entitled
"Sudarsana Mahimai" by GhOstipuram Sri RaamAnujAchArya 
Swamy . A flood of memory overtook me from boyhood
to school days in Thirukkudanthai , when adiyEn 
used to attend the uthsavams of Sri Vijayavalli
samEtha Sri ChakrapANi PerumAL at Thirukkudanthai
(KumbakONam ) . Sevai of that Uthsava Moorthy 
on top of a small hillock at the end of big
street in Thirukkudanthai came flooding in the memory 
channels. Our Sri Sampath Rengarajan , a native of
Thirukkudanthia is more familiar with the temple history
and Sthala PurANam . Sriman Murali Rangaswamy has also 
written earlier about the Sudarsana Narasimha Moortham 
and its significance .

adiyEn wants to take this opportunity to reminesce about
the Vaibhavam of Sri Sudarsana BhagavAn , who is also    
revered as HEthi Raajan , RaTAngadhuryan , Para: PumAn ,
ChakriNa: param Chakram ,HEthIsvaran , PraharaNa Indhrasya
Prabhu and  Aayudha Indhran by Swamy Desikan.

My grand father was a Sudarsana UpAsakar. adiyEn 
could see the power of Sudrsana Manthra Japam in
him . At Sudarsana Homams , adiyEn has seen 
the aavirbhAvam (Appearance) of Sudrsana Chakram
in the Yaj~na KunDa Agni (scred fire of the Homam).
This is very similar to the aavirbhAvam of Sri Nrusimhan
in unique Yaj~nams conducted by Vaikunta Vaasi U.Ve. SalakshaNa
GanapADi , MukkUr Lakshmi NrusimhAcchAr of sacred memory.

With all these as background , adiyen thought it would 
be good to post a few articles on the Mahimai of Lord Sudarsanan
and His importance in Sri VaishNava sampradhAyam as
attested by the many salutations to Him in SthOthrams 
like Sudarsana sathakam , Sudarsana Ashtakam ,
ShOdasAyudha Sthothram and in many Paasurams of 
the AzhwArs . 

adiyen will focus first on the summary of the essy by 
Sri GhOshtipuram RaamAnujAcchAr Swamy in this first article
which describes His Mahimai through an attempt to answer
the following FIVE questions:

1) Who is referred to by the name "Sudarsanan"?

2) What is the meaning of the "Sudarsana" Naamam?

3) What are the benefits to us by understanding 
   the glories of Lord Sudarsanan?

4)Is it sufficent to know about His Mahimai?
  Must we do some thing in addition ?

5) If there are some anushtAnams , how many kinds
   are there ? Is it confined to one or more ?

adiyEn will continue with the answers to these
questions given by GhOshtipuram Swamy.

Before concluding this first posting , adiyEn
thinks with reverence of Thirumazhisai AzhwAr ,
who is the amsam of Sudarsana BhagavAn and seeks
His anugraham to write about Sri udarsana BhagavAn . 
He spent His last days at Thirukkudanthai and had His
nithyAnushtAnam at Cauvery river , which is not too far 
from Thirukkudanthai ChakrapANi Sannidhi (Sudarsanar
Sannidhi) and devoted His life to the worship of
Lord Saaranga PaaNi (AarAvamudhan ). His life could
be visualized as a shuttle journey between the two temples.
This great AzhwAr , who established unconditionally 
the Supermacy of Sriman NaarAyaNan in His Naanmukhan
ThiruvandhAdhi has saluted  Sri Sudarsana Bhagavan 
in his paasurams .adiyEn will try to cover these
AzhwAr Salutaions to Sudarsanar in subsequent postings.

Sri SudarsanAya Nama:

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan 

  



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