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Sudarsanaashtakam of Swami Desikan

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • October 2, 1995 


Dear fellow  Members of the Prapatti group:

        Acharya Vedantha Desika's birthday, same as that of Thirupathi
Perumal(Purattasi Sravanam) falls this year on Thursday, Oct 4. I usually
prepare a small or large monograph each year on Swami Desikan"s birthday. This
Year , I have translated the Sudarsanaashtakam at the request of a devotee of
Sri Ranganatha  Swami Sannadhi at Pomona , NY. This poem in melodious and
lilting 
Sanskrit is a pleasure to recite and listen to. 

    Traditionally, this stotram is recited in homes, when some one has fever or
illness of other kinds. Swami Desikan is said to have composed it to help the
residents of Thiruputtkuzhi, when they suffered from the grip  of  a epidemic
fever.
Alternatively, It is said that he composed it at Thiruvahindrapuram prior to a
major debate with a leader of  anothe rSampradhaya.Swami Desikan won that
debate and thereby established the supermacy of Sriman narayana and
Vishishtaadvaitam.

Swami Desikan chose the Dhrithas Chandas as a meter for the 8 verses praising 
Sudarsana. He chose the Oupachandasikam meter for the Pala Sruti sloka . Both
these meters hint  at the  the Vedic roigin of Sudarsana  as indicated by Swami
Desikan in one or more verses of this Stotram.

I will post the translations in two sections in future postings.

V.Sadagopan