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Pleadings-Posting - 6 (2.18 to 2.20)

From the Bhakti List Archives

Ramanbil • October 6, 1999 


SwAmi VEdAnta DEsika's "NaichyAnusanthAnam" and "SAtvika ThyAgam "
(As gleaned from his StOtras.) - Part 2- Swami pleads
Pleadings-Posting - 6 (2.18 to 2.20)
Anbil Ramaswamy
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[As already mentioned in the Introduction, the NaichyAnusanthAnam is 
applicable to us only and NOT to Swami Desika, we have to substitute 
ourselves wherever Swami Desika extrapolates these to himself] 
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2.18. "You are a connoisseur" 

sathvAni nAtha! VividhAni abhisanjikrikshO:
samsAra nAtya rasikassya thavAsthu thrupthayyai /
prathyak parAngmukha mathEra sameekshya karthuh:
prAcheena sajjana viDambhana bhoomikA mE"
(SaraNAgathi Deepikai SlOkam 43)

Meaning
"Oh! ViLakkoLi perumAnE!
One of the deceitful actions of mine consists in posing as if I am doing 
Prapatti by pretending to follow the footsteps of great good men (sAdhus) 
celebrating the vEdas. Since you are a great 'Rasika" of the dance drama 
enacted in this ' SamsAra manDalam', I am sure you will enjoy my costume and 
pretensions also"

Comment:
Swami while describing the DasAvatAram of the Lord mentions that the Lord was 
a great actor donning several roles thus:
"nirvarthayan bhoomikAm rangE dhAmani labda nirbhara rasair adhykshithO 
bhAvukai:"
Here, he seems to imply that he tried hoodwink this seasoned actor by his own 
acting debut!

Cf Tiruviruttham PAsuram 65 in which Azhwar says 
'yeppaDi oorAmilaikka kuruTTAmilaikkum appaDi yAnum sonnEn"
(milaithal: graze) He says that he tried to mesmerize the Lord himself. 

Also Cf Tiruvoimozhi 5.1 in the PAsuram "KaiyAr chakkarathu", 
he says -
"PoyyE keimmai solli puramE puramEyOdi"....."meyyE petrozhindhEn" 
I only acted before; But now I have become a true devotee"
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2.19. "I flout your Dos and Don'ts"

karthavyamithyanukalam kalayAyakrutyam
swAmin akruthyamithi krithyamapi thyajAmi /
anyad vyathikramaNa jAtham ananthamartha-
sthAnE dayA bhavathu thE mayi sArvabhoumee //
(SaraNAgathi Deepikai SlOkam 44)

Meaning
"Oh! ViLakkoLi PerumAnE!
Let me say what I do and what I do not. I meticulously do all things 
forbidden in sAstras thinking that I ought to do them; I give up all that is 
ordained in the sAstras thinking they ought not to be done. There is no limit 
to my excesses in either. Given this background, who is there to save me? Let 
me consider your background. You are fully endowed with Veeryam, Sakti and 
other guNas. If you decide to exercise your judgement with these, I will be 
condemned forever. But, the queen among your guNas is your Karunai. This one 
alone will stand in good stead for me. There is no other way for my ultimate 
redemption"

Comment:
There is a popular SlOkam, which says "Men desire the fruits of Punya without 
doing any meritorious acts to deserve them; and, with great effort indulge in 
Papam but do not want to suffer the consequences"

"Punyasya phalam ichanthi punyam na kurvanti mAnava: /
PApasya phalam na ichanthi, pApam kurvanthi yathnatha://"

BhAshyakArar has mentioned in SaraNAgathi Gadhyam-
"manO vAk kAyai: anAdhikAla pravrutha anantha akrutya karaNa kritya AkaraNa"

In NyAsa Dasakam, SwAmi himself pleads- 
"akrityakaraNam cha karaNam  krityAnAm  varjanam cha mE /
kshamasva nikhilam dEva! PranathArthihara prabhO"//
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2.20. "Your pressure tactics emboldens me"

DEhalyadheeswara! thavEdrasam eeswarathvam
thushtooyathAm disathi gadgadhikAnubhandham /
vAchAlayathyatha cha mAm kvachana kshapAyAm
kshAnthEna dhAntha kavi mukhya vimardhanEna //
(DEhaleesa Sthuthi SlOkam 2)

Meaning
Oh! Lord who enjoyed the cramped passage in TirukkoOvilur!
It is not easy to describe your supreme lordship. Even Brahma and others who 
started to describe became muted with their throat choking out of fear that 
they were unequal to the task because of your Paratvam. This being the case, 
my attempt is of course, laughable.

I am emboldened by the fact that you who measured all the worlds, proved your 
lordship, by applying pressure tactics on the three mudal AzhwArs and made 
them sing their mudal anthAdhis"

Comment:
In VaradarAja PanchAsat, Swami mentions how the Lord's vAtsalyam made him 
sing "vAtsalyamEva mukhareekarothi". 

In GOdha Sthuthi, SwAmi mentions that it was her kalyANaguNas of GOdha DEvi 
that made him speak out. 

Here His Iswaratvam (lordship) made him sing.

(To Continue)
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