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Sri DehaLIsa sthuthi --Part 4

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • September 12, 1997 


Dear Members of the Prapatthi group : 

Sriman NArAyaNan is sakalEthara VilakshaNan (i-e) ,
He is matchless ( tann OppAr Illappan ) . He is the one that 
nothing can match or exceed with regard to His kalyANa GuNAs 
(viz) ; Sowlabhyam (  ready accessibility to His devotees ) ,
Sowseelyam ( free and easy communion with His devotees ) ,
sarva jana rakshathvam , infinite Daya (grace and compassion ) 
that confers on the Mumukshus ( seekers of Moksham ) the status
of apahathapApmathvam ( the pristine state of complete freedom 
from all sins attained by the prapannA  due to His DayA ) . 

When the three AzhwArs ( divya sUris ) were squeezed in the dehaLi 
of Mrugandu Muni's aasramam , in a spirit of eika kantyam 
( unified thought  with out dissonance) , they poured out their 
hearts to their  sarva swAmi in three hundred moving verses,
which are testaments to their svAbhAvika ( natural , innate ) 
Parabhakthi , ParajnAnam and ParamajnAnam . 

Let us focus on the above three important concepts .
The first of the three Mudal AzhwArs ( Poygai ) inferred 
( intuited ) Sriman NaarAyaNA' s existence (being ) 
through his transcendent knowledge ( parajnAnam ) .
Through this effort , he removes the outter darkeness 
as it were .

The second AzhwAr ( PutattAr ) "through maturing gnosis " 
transforming into devotion experienced Sriman NaarAyaNA 
at the dehaLi . This is the fruit of his parabhakthi . He drove
away the inner darkness this way .

The third Divya sUri ( Pey ) through his intuitive union of 
knowledge and devotion (parama JnAnA ) had the divya chkshus
( divine vision ) for all the three of them to see the auspicious 
subhAsrayam ( thirumEni ) of the Lord with MahA Lakshmi 
and the Lord's disc and conch at the small space of 
the dehaLi . This is " the mayarvara mathi nalam "
referred to by NammAzhwAr. Bhakthi and JnAnam 
mingle and become BhakthirupApanna JnAnam .
At this stage , JnAnam ripens and transforms to 
parabhakthi . They are not easily separable according
to AchArya RamAnujA . He states " Semushi BhakthirUpA " .
With the blessings of their svAbhAvika parajnAnA , Parabhakthi 
and paramajnAnA , the three AzhwArs had the sAkshAthkAram
( direct vision ) of the Lord and His consort on that dark ,
rainy night at Gopapuri . 

Swami Desikan reflects on the blessings conferred on 
the three AzhwArs by Sriman NaarAyaNA's dayA and
aasritha vaathsalyam and longs for a similar blessing .
He pours out his heart in 28 brilliant slokAs housing
great Sri VaishNavA doctrines that echo  the thoughts 
enshrined in the three hundred celebratory verses 
of the three ThiruvandhAthis dealing with the three
rahasyams . 

He suggests that the the three doctrines (concepts )
( tattva , hitha and purushArtham ) are derived from the three
ThiruvandhAthis . Our AchAryAs have revealed to us that 
" the paramount thatvam or Parama Thatvam " is none
other than Sriman NaarAyaNA " , the antharyAmi of all 
the chEthanAs and the AchEthanAs . The AchAryAs 
have reitireated that our paramahitham, " the  only means
to gain our Lord's grace is SaraNAgathi " . They have 
untiringly revealed to us in one voice that the parama-
purushArtham is nithya kaimkaryam to His bhagavathAs 
on this earth and eternal service to Him in parama padham . 
Our Sri Dileepan's summary of the upadesam of 
Srimadh Azhagiya Singar on the occasion of his prapatthi
endearingly enshrine these ancient and eternal thoughts 
for our ujjevanam ( Sri Nrusimha PriyA of North America ,
August 1997 issue ) . 

Swami Desikan was essentially reflecting on these 
eternal truths , when he stood before the Moola VirAt
of Trivikrama at thirukkOvalUr and thought about the special
drama that the Lord played in this divya desam to confer
His blessings on the three "Mudal AazhwArs " and begged 
for a similar blessing from the Lord . Thus arose the twenty
eight verses of the moving DehaLIsa Sthuthi .

I will now cover the individual verses in subsequent postings
and comment on their literal and inner meanings . In these 
efforts , I am guided by the commentaries of my Maanaseeka
AachAryA , Sri V.N. Srirama DesikAchAr Swamy of my native
place , a great Sri Swami Desika BhakthA , Sri Dindukkal 
Ramaswamy AyyangAr and Abhinava  Desika Sri UttamUr
VeerarAghavAchArya Swami . May Swami Desikan bless 
these paultry  efforts attempted in a spirit of sharing my 
limited understanding of this vast and complex subject .

Swami Desiakn ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam 
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan