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Sri DehaLIswatra Sthuthi -- Part 8( Slokam 5 )

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • September 19, 1997 


Dear Bhakthi group Members :

I will cover the fifth  slokam of Sri DehaLIsa sthuthi
in this posting . 

Fifth SlOkam 
**************
chakrasya dhaitya dhanujAdhishu vAmabhavam
      sankhasya chAsritha janEshvapi dakshiNathvam I
vyaktham pradarsayasi GopapurAdhirAja 
      vyathyasya nUnamanayO : kara samprayOgam II

(anvaya Kramam ) : GOpapuradhirAja ! daithya dhanuja 
aadhishu chakrasya vaama bhavam , aasritha janEshu 
sankhasya dakshiNathvam api cha anayO : kara 
samprayOgam vyathyasya vyaktham pradarsayasi . noonam ! 

The key pasage here is "kara samprayOgam vyathyasya 
vyaktham pradarsayasi " . Vyathyasya means altered .

( Meaning of the slOkam ) : O Supreme Lord  of Gopapuri ! 
the adverse (punishing ) and fierce  disposition of Your 
ChakrAyudham ( Sudarsanam ) towards the evil-minded asurAs 
and the partial as well as the protective aspects of Your
sankham (Paanchajanyam ) towards Your asritha janAs 
is clearly demonstrated at Your divya desam through 
the change in their traditional  positions of Your hands .
Here You are adorning the chakram on Your left upper
hand and the sankham on the upper right hand in an
altered manner compared to Your traditional way . 

Swami Desikan has extraordinary skills in using utprEkshA
or slEshA ( sledai or pun ) in his sthuthis . For example in 
GodhA sthuthi ( verse 6 : sONAdharEpi ) and YathirAja 
sapthathi (Verse 16: alUna pakshasya ) , we enjoy this 
skill being displayed with great effect . Here , In this verse
of DehaLIsa sthuthi , Swami Desikan adroitly uses the double
meanings of the words , Vaamam and DakshiNam .
Vaamam means left side as well as fierce (unfavorable ) ;
dakshiNam refers to the right side as well as partial or
favorable disposition ( dAkshiNyam ) . 

Since Chakram is fierce towards the asurAs and is seen 
therefore on the left hand  (vAma hastham ) ; sankham 
is partial(dakshiNam )  to saraNAgathAs and hence it is
found on the dakshiNa hastham ( right hand ) of the Lord 
in this divya desam , where He blessed Maha Bali . DehaLIsan
according to Swami Desikan demonstrates the nature of 
the two aayudhams ( Sankham and Chakram ) by holding them
in the right (dakshiNam )and left ( vAmam ) hands respectively . 

Thirumangai has hinted at the special alteration of the normal 
positions of Chakram and Sankham on the Lord's hands here
indirectly in one of his ThirukkOvalUr paasuram( Periya Thirumozhi
2.10.9 ) : thU vadivil pArmahaL pUmangayOdu sudarAzhi 
sankirupAl polinthu thOnra --- . Here Thirumangai refers to 
sudarAzhi ( Chakram ) on the side of pArmahaL ( BhUmi dEvi )
and Sanku ( Paanchajanyam ) on the right side , where Sri devi 
traditionaly stays . Thus the AzhwAr links   "pArmahaLOdu SudarAzhi "
and " pUmangayOdu sanku " . Swami Desikan goes on to 
explain why that reverse positioning of the Lord's aayudhams 
on His hands relative to the traditional position of His 
ubhaya NAcchiyArs is all about . 

For a devout devotee , the child DhruvA , the Lord used the sankham
on His right hand ( DakshiNa hastham ) to touch the cheek of the child
lost in the meditation over Him and brought DhruvA back to consciousness
and to bless him with His darsanam . Here too at ThirukkOvalUr , dEhaLIsan
reminds the world about the significance of the two aayudhams 
with respect to the righteous ones and those , who committ 
Bhagavadh / BhagavathApachArams . 

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam 
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan