Search:
Bhakti List Archives

Swamy Desikan- 13- Yaadhavaabhyudhayam- ThUppul maNdapam kaimkaryam appeal

From the Bhakti List Archives

Madhavakkannan V • September 21, 2001 


SrI:
SrImathe Ramanujaya namah:
SrImathe Nigamantha mahadesikaya namah:
SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |
vedAntAcArya-varyome sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||

May the glorious Sri Venkatanatha, the greatest of teachers of Vedanta, and 
the lion among poets and debaters, reside forever in my heart.

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

I am continuing on my appeal and posts on Swamy Desikan and appeal for 
Thuppul maNdapam kaimkaryam. URL: 
http://www.geocities.com/lsriniva/thoopulappeal.html
It is my humble request to please contribute your mite towards this 
kaimkaryam, as remembering Acharyan, and talking alone will not suffice.

Let us continue to enjoy SwamyÂ’s GREAT works.

The first work is Yaadavaabhyudayam, a mahA kAvya in 24 cantos (chapters) on 
the life of Krishna. This is written in an extremely elegant and easy 
flowing language.

It is held by the traditionalists that this poem (or kaavyam) was written in 
a sequel to the Raamabhyudhayam of DiNdimakavi. VaibhavaprakAsikhA of 
Mahacharya mentions that the name of this work is known as 
KrishNAbhyudhayam. This poem is an ideal Mahaakaavyam, and fulfils all the 
conditions laid down by ancient rhetoricians for a Mahaakaavya. There is 
proprietary of time and place for descriptions. To mention a few among them, 
the city of Dwaraka (Chapter-11), Govardhana hill (Chapter-6) and moonÂ’s 
setting in the west at dawn are depicted with UNSURPASSED poetic imagery. Of 
equal charm is the beautiful description of the EARTH (Chapter-18) while 
KrishNA was returning to earth with SathyabhAmA bringing the Paarijaatha 
tree from heaven. The entire story of Mahabharatha war is gracefully 
described in Canto 23. In writing this poem, with a religious background, 
Swamy Vedantha Desikan, says Sri Prof. A Srinivasaraghavchariar, has an 
equal in the English poet Milton. There are 12 sthOthras addressed to God by 
different persons on different occasions. Devotion, Self surrender and the 
Tattvatrayam get well merited treatment (1st Chapter 53 sloka and 10th 
chapter 75 sloka).

He is second to none among the ancient poets like Kalidasa in dictional 
structures and grammatical traditions. All the sentiments secure superb 
delineation but special interest is shown in the cases of Sringaara, Veera 
and adbhutha. He is an adept also in framing literary pieces called bandhas 
(Chapter 6) in which the letters are redistributed to form pictorial 
descriptions like lotus, horse, drum, and others. Some formations are made 
with a single letter.

6th -96 sloka

naanaa naanaa naanaa naanaa naanaa naanaa naanaa naanaa |.
naanaa naanaa naanaa naanaa naanaa naanaa naanaa naanaa ||
WoW! What a slokA!

There are many poems in Chapter 6 in which sets of words are repeated. Above 
all, there is proprietary in the entire work in respect of the use of words, 
prefixes, rasas, and alankaras. This aspect alone enlivens any poem and has 
enriched this poem of the Acharya in particular.

The poet is a creator in whose poem the Goddess of speech reveals for the 
reason that it contains the delineation of sentiments, emotions and 
suggestiveness of them, poetic embellishments and presence of literary 
qualities. The AcharyaÂ’s concept of a poet, as he expressed in 1st chapter 
5th sloka, is amply and adequately borne out by all these features presented 
in this poem itself.

The worth and excellence of this Mahaakaavya are surely high and eminent as 
it is evident by the commentary which another polymath – Advaita scholar – 
Sri Appayya dhIkshithar wrote two centuries later on this kaavya. His 
observation at the end of the commentary on 1st chapter 9th sloka is worth 
noting.

Kreedaa thULigayaa swasmin krupaarUshithayaa swayam |
EkOviswamitham chithram vibhu: srImAnajeejanath ||

The ink is LordÂ’s karuNai (dayA- Compassion); LordÂ’s leelA- the paint brush; 
He, Sriya: Pathi (who has the capacity to create the worlds on His own), 
alone crated is the braod meaning.

DhIkshitharÂ’s comment about this mahaakaavyam is made after writing an 
expository commentary on 1st chapter 1-9 slokas. He means that the senses or 
purports, which are to be neglected upon in this way are found in each word 
in the poems of Kavitaarkikasimham, including the simple and lovely poems. 
While commenting on the colophon to canto 1, Appayya dhIkshithar observes 
that the title, Kavitaarkikasimham, Sarvathanthraswathanthrar and 
Vedanthacharya are meaningful in their application to the Acharya. He 
explains each word of these titles. Eminence of the Acharya Swamy  Desikan 
could not be easily assessed. Appayya DhIkshithar acknowledges it.

In his commentary, Appayya DhIkshithar says,  the sloka conveys everything 
what Purusha sUkhta mentions in such essence form, describing the creation 
of Universe. Also, in “Swayam Swasmin Eka: “, the Nimittha kAraNathvam, 
UpAdAna kAraNathvam, and Sahakaari kAraNathvam of EmperumAn Sriya: Pathi 
Sriman Narayanan are described and declared assertively in this sloka 
establishing VisistAdvaitam.

DhIkshithar adds that in every sloka of Swamy Desikan such great 
vishEshArthams are impregnated.

Itham Vichintyas Sarvatra Bhaavaah Santhi Padhe Padhe |
Kavi Taarkika Simhasya Kavyeshu Lalitheswapi ||

"Even in the simple and soft compositions of this Lion of both poets and 
logicians, there are poetic excellence evident at every step and indeed in 
every word" – says Sri Appayya dhIkshithar.

In the same manner, Abinava dESika Sri UttamUr Veeraraghavachariar Swamy 
mentioned that this sloka (1st chapter- 9th sloka) as “anavamam navamam”. 
Unparalleled, unmatched sloka is this ninth slokA, which is like a crown 
among jewels.

The gist of this kaavyam: This kaavyam described the Parathavam and 
Sowlabhya guNAs of Sri KrsihNa, who captivated the world with His greatest 
most auspicious above two  KalyANa guNAs; who killed the demons and asurAs; 
and removed the burden of the BhUmi PiraaTTi; who virtuously ruled Dwaraka 
along with His Divine Consorts.

In the fourth chapter, Swamy Desikan describes very beautifully the KrishNa 
leelAs and in the sixth chapter gives a great and grand feast for the Poets 
and scholars with SwamyÂ’s play with words full of meanings.  ThUppul PiLLai 
thUppul PiLLaithaan..J

Please donate according to your shakthi. The money can be sent to "Thuppul 
Trust" and the address is:

Thuppul Trust
Old No.20, New No.24, Thiruvengadam Street
West Mambalam, Chennai-600033, India
Phone No: 91-44-4741559 / 91-44-3715771

Please contact Sri. V.K. Sudharshan at vksudarsh@vsnl.com or Sri Lakshmi N 
Srinivasa  lsriniva@hotmail.com (He can collect and send it as single amount 
in USA).

The address:

Lakshminarasimhan Srinivasa
3 Old Towne Road, #212
Ayer, MA-01432

For those in the South East Asia, please contact me at 
srivaishnavan@hotmail.com . Please pass on this kaimkaryam to as many people 
as possible in order to complete the same.

kavi-tArkika-simhAya kalyANa-guNa-SAline |
Srimate venkateSAya vedAntagurave namaH ||

Salutations to Sri Venkatesa, in whom all perfection resides, who is the 
teacher of Vedanta and the lion among poets and debaters!

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Narayana Narayana
NarayaNa dAsan madhavakkannan

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp


--------------------------------------------------------------
           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
To Post a message, send it to:   bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com
Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/
 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/