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Naama Mahima -- part 3: Gowlai pancha rathnam

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • October 31, 1997 


Dear Rama BhakthAs : 

I will continue with the Anupallavi of this Krithi now.
The Anupallavis is :

kaDu durvishayAkrushDai -gaDiyaku ninDAru
( duDuku gala ) 

Anupallavi also begins with Rishbha Svara PrAdhAnyam . 

In the Anupallavi , Sadhguru Swami explained his pitiable 
state , which has arisen from his servitude to many earthly
pleasures  and his sensory attractions to them . He cried out 
loud about which Dorai Mahan is going to come to his rescue.

He says here that he is suffering every minute from the pull of
vishaya sukhams and he laments that he does not know 
the identity of that powerful prince , who is going to pull him
out of his misery . He indicated indirectly that Sri Ramachandran ,
the son of the emperor Dasarathan is the only one , who can 
surely save him . His mahA visvAsam in Sri Rama coming to 
his rescue inspite of the many trespasses reminds one of 
the beautiful SthOthra Rathna SlOkam of ALavandhAr :

Raghuvara yadhabhUthsthvam tAdrusO vAyasasya 
praNatha ithi dayALur yaccha chaithyasya KrishNa : I
prathibhavamaparAttUrmuktha sAyujyathObhu :
vadha kimapadhamAgastasya thEsthi kshaamAyA : II

( Anvaya Kramam ) : Oh , Raghuvara ! tvam thAdhrusa : 
vAyasasya praNatha:itth dayALu : yath abhU : muktha ! 
KrishNa , Prathibhavam aparAtthu : chaithyasaya 
sAyujyatha: ApUcchayath , tasya thE kshamAyA : 
apadham kim asthi vadha !

( Meaning ) : Oh , Raghu kula sreshta Swamin ! You were
profoundly merciful to the mahAparAdhi , the crow , who 
committed  the most unpardonable offense against
your pirAtti for the simple reason that it fell at your feet .
You took pity on it and  protected it  from your own unfailing
arrow . Oh , KrishNA of nirdhOsha svarUpam 
( kuraivu onrumillatha GovindhA !) Out of Your 
incomparable dayA , You forgave SisupAlan and blessed 
him with  sAyujyam , although he spent his life in every one
of his janmAs hating You and offending You ! For the DayA-
mUrthi like You , who blessed even these  mahA pApis , is
there an offnese or trespass that is beyond Your kashamA 
( patience and forgiving ) ? Therefore I conclude that You
are the only one , who can come to my rescue and forgive
me and lift me out of my miseries . 

CharaNa Vaakhyams of Gowlai Pancharathnam: General Comments
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*

This krithi has 10 charaNams like the Nattai Pancharathnam.
Through these charaNams , Sadhguru performs SaraNAgathi
or Prapatthi at the sacred feet of Sri Ramachandra . Earlier , we
have understood that the word SaraNAgathi is made up 
of the two words , SaraNam and Agathi as per NadAthUr 
ammAL's definition . Here saraNam means upAyam and Agathi 
means arrival . SaraNAgathi is therefore the end of the search
for upAyam , when the jeevan comes to the conclusion that 
the Lord and the Lord alone is the upAyam for its salvation .
Jeevan reaches the maturity based on the clear realization that
ther are no other upAyams to save it from samsAric calamities 
except the Lord .Then , it surrenders the responsibilites for its 
protection , the fruits of that protection and its svarUpam 
to the Lord and becomes free of concerns about its 
salvation .The jeevan thus recognizes the limitless power 
of the Lord as unmatchable and sets at the feet of the Lord 
its aathma rakshaNam and becomes a true prapannA . 

Among the five angAs of SaraNAgathi prescribed by 
the SaasthrAs , Sadhguru focussed on KaarPaNyam
anf Gopthruva VaraNam in the ten charaNams of
this Gowlai pancha rathnam .

Sri ThyagarAja Swami followed the thought line of 
Swami Desikan , when he performed his saraNAgathi .
That slOkam of Swami Desikan is as follows :

karthavyamithyanukalam kalayAmyakruthyam 
Swamin akruthyamithi kruthyamapi thyajAmi I
anyadh vyathikramaNa jAthamanathamartha--
sthAnE dhayA bhavathu thE mayi Saarvabhoumi II

( Meaning ) : Oh , Raghava Swamin ! I am engaged 
in the performance of acts that are prohibited by 
sAsthrAs all the time as though these are permitted
by sAsthrAs .This I do with glee and relish ! I reject 
those that are prescribed as if they are not recommended.
I have now collected bundles of sins as a result of
these wanton acts of mine . I am in a terrible state of
suffering . I do not know the way for my salvation .
At this time of great sorrow of mine , May Your limitless
dayA become the upAyam and bear fruit and save me ! 

Our Sadhguru followed the words of Sri RamA , when 
he declared at the side of the ocean that He will unfailingly
protect anyone , who performed prapatthi to Him even once 
and asked for His protection ( sakruth praNatha rakshaNa 
prathitha  samvidha : samvidha: ) . That was His public 
vow on the shores of sEthu as VeerarAghavan . Sadhguru
took Him upon His words offering hope and protection .

Saint ThyagarAja"s prayer reminds one of many passages
from Swami Desikan's sthOthrams dealing with his 
performance of Prapatthi . Sadhguru followed the route
of Sri VaishNava AchAryAs and  appealed to Sri Ramachandran :

Oh Lord , who declared that it is Your chief vow (Vratham )
to come to the rescue of those , who sought Your protection 
even once !
 
I have peformed many karmAs without stopping to think
about their effects one way or the other and as a result
have acculmulated enormous bundles of sins ( atharkitha
hitha , ahitha krama visEsham ) . Please bless me to become
free of the performance of vipareetha kaaryams ( Samitha
prathikUla vrutthim maam kuru ) .  Please bless me  to 
attain unity of the three karaNAs ( thought  , speech and body )
in performing kaimkaryam to You ( Kaimkarya labdha karaNa
thraya sAmarasyam ) .Please make me totally rooted in You 
so that I will not be distracted by any others ( tvadanya vimukam )
for my protection or adoration ( ananya bhakthi ) .

Oh RamachandrA ! You are known for your unbounded
affection for those , who has performed saraNAgathi at
Your lotus feet. There is nothing that is beyond your reach
and sankalpam . You can in one small fraction of  a second  
destroy the multiple crores of sins ( brahmAnda sathakOti
gaNAnanthAn , yeka kshaNE viparivarthya vilajjamAnAn ) ,
if you desire to bless the SaraNAgathan . I pray to You 
to come to my rescue as the Dorai mahan . Thus prayed 
Saint ThyagarAja in his ten charaNams of the Gowlai
pancharathnam . 

In the first charaNam , Saint ThyagarAja followed 
the traditional route of SaraNAgathi , which starts with
MahA Lakshmi . Approaching the Lord through His dear
consort is the ancient Sri VaishNava sampradhAyam . 
Approaching the sakala lOka maathA for intercession 
with Her Lord , saint ThyagarajA performed his prapatthi .

The sAhithya Vaakhyams of the first of the ten 
charaNams of GowLai pancharathnam are :

Sree VanithA hrudh kumudhAbhjaAvAngh maanasa 
gochara ( duDuku kala nannE ) 

I will cover the meaning of this charaNam in the next 
posting .

Sri SeethA LakshmaNa Hanumath samEtha
Sri Ramachandra ParabrahmaNE Nama: 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan