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Copy of: Sri Ranganatha PaadhukhA Sahasram : Sesha Paddhathi (23rd chapter)

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V. Sadagopan • June 4, 1997 


Dear Friends ; This posting might have gone astray .
I am retransmititing it for that reason . If you have received it,
Please disregard . Thanks ,
V.Sadagopan  
---------- Forwarded Message ----------

From:	V. Sadagopan, 75041,3037
TO:	OM, INTERNET:BHAKTI@LISTS.BEST.COM
DATE:	6/3/97 9:30 PM

RE:	Copy of: Sri Ranganatha PaadhukhA Sahasram : Sesha Paddhathi (23rd
chapter) 

Dear PadhukhA Sevakaas :

The twenty third Paddhathi is known as the sEsha Paddhathi (SP) .
It has ten verses in all. After describing the mahimai of the gems
and the golden form of the PaadhukhAs of the Lord , Swami Desikan 
turns his attention to the indwelling power of the PaadhukhAs . He reveals
to us that the empowering force of PaadhukhAs is none other than 
Adhi SeshA , who serves as bed for the Lord in the milky ocean . 
He suggests that AdisEshA has taken the form of sandals at 
Srirangam to serve his Lord. I will cover all the ten slokams. 

Slokam 1 of SP / Slokam 751 of RPS
****************************************

O PaadhukhE ! AdisEshA thought that he should protect
the Lord's feet on earth and incarnated as your indweller .
I celebrate you , who remind me of the concept of SeshA 
and Seshin to depict the relationship between the Self ( Jeevan )
and the Lord ( IswarA ) . 

Slokam 2 of SP /Slokam 752 of RPS
****************************************

O PaadhukhE ! MahA Lakdhmi gets a great pleasure 
by pressing Her  Lord's feet . She however has contact with only 
a small portion of those sacred feet . AdiseshA wanted  to derive
a greater pleasure than the Lord's consort and took your form
to enjoy those holy feet during every moment of His travel 
on you . AlawandAr has already attested to AdisEshA taking the form
of the Lord"s paadhukhAs in his Sthothra Rathnam ( YaamunEya : 
tvAm Seshasya ekAm bhumikAm abraveeth ) 

Slokam 3 of SP/Slokam 753 0f RPS
***************************************
O Mother ! O Kesava PaadhukhE ! The king of serpents ,
AdisEshA  attained the form of PaadhukhAs and gained 
the supreme status of Seshathvam ( Kaimkaryam ) thereby .
Others could not come near that status throught  their services
to your Lord. That is why , everyone wears the AdiseshA in 
the form of PadhukhAs on their heads with reverence . Through
his supreme service to his Lord , AdisEshA attained not only the 
supreme status as  SeshA to the Lord (Seshi ) , but he also 
confers on others such a status and gives them seshathvam .

The inner meaning is that the service to AchAryAs is even more 
auspicious than kainkaryam to the Lord. Having the SatAri on one's 
head and bending with humility to receive it is even more sacred
than standing upright and saluting the Lord with Anjali mudrA 

Slokam 4 of SP/ Slokam 754 of RPS
*****************************************

O MaNi PaadhukkhE ! Thinking that you should give relief to 
the stress of Mother Earth ( Bhumi Devi ) , Who bears the weight
of the Lord on you , you have taken the form of PaathALa Seshan 
( Adi SeshA of the lower world ) to bear Bhumi Devi on your head .

Slokma 5 of SP/Slokam 755 of RPS
****************************************

In the previous verse , Swami Desikan suggested that 
PaathALa Seshan chose his strength ( Balam ) over 
intellect (Jnanam ) to render his service to Bhumi Devi ,
who bears the weight of the Lord moving with His PaadhukhAs .  
In this verse , he continues with that thought . He says :
" PathALa Seshan and the PaadhukhAs have equal 
strength . Ramachandra of unfailing words knew very well
about the strength of the PaadhukhAs and therefore ordered 
them to bear the unbearable (awesome ) burden of 
Raajya Lakshmi during His absence form AyOdhyA 
( SatyavachasA  RaamENa AnanyavAhyAm Vasumatheem 
vodhum purA Bhavathi NiyukthA ) .

Slokam 6 of SP / Slokam 756 of RPS
*****************************************

O MaNi PadhukhE ! Even when your Lord sleeps and you are 
separated physically  from His lotus feet , you are at the foot of 
His bed and do not lose your Seshathvam ( Service as His devoted 
servant ) . This is understood well by the VedAs and AagamAs . 
They consider themselves as the young children of yours as you rest 
at the foot of the Lord 's bed as the chaste wife waiting to serve her Lord , 
the moment He awakens . 

Swami Desikan suggests that NammAzhwAr (SatAri ) protects
the VedAs like a dutiful mother. If AzhwAr had not composed 
his divya prabhandhams , the meanings of the VedAs would not
have come out . VedAs would be equivalent to being dead , had
the AzhwAr not brought out  their meanings . A chaste wife protects
her child through the strength of service to her husband. Similarly ,
AzhwAr understood the real meanings of the VedAs through his 
service to the Lord and thereby had the power to protect the VedAs .

Slokam 7 of SP /Slokam 757 of RPS
***************************************** 

O PaadhukhE ! When you were returned from Nandigramam to 
AyOdhyA on BharathA's head , LakshmaNA , who is your other 
form (incarnation of AdiseshA ) bowed to you tenderly even from
a distance. Was not that strange that LakshmaNA offered salutations
to himself at that time ? Come to think of it , it really is not that strange.
Did not Ramachandra , who is none other than RanganathA worship 
RanganathA as the titular deity of His family ? When the elder brother
Himself worshipped Himself in AyodhyA , it is not surprising that 
the younger brother LakshmaNA saluted his other form , the PaadhukhA
at Nandigramam .

The inner meaning is that when the Lord and the Nityasuris 
incarnate in this  world as humans , they behave like the people,
who are guided by SaasthrAs and perform the appropriate duties 
defined by the SaasthrAs . This conduct is to instruct the people
of the importance of the SaasthrAs and to point the way .

Slokam 8 of SP / Slokam 758 of RPS
****************************************

O PaadhukhE ! During the time of MahA PraLayam , 
out of your Lord's volition (sankalpam ) , all the appointed 
Gods disappear like bubbles at the end of their regimes.
They disappear like the bubbles that burst. Another age of 
the world sets in . Even then , you do not disappear. Being a
Nitya Suri , you continue to serve your  Lord. You transform from 
being a PaadhukhA (AdiseshA ) to that of a pupil leaf to serve 
as His bed . Later , when the deluge has subsided and the world 
has been released from the stomach of the Lord , You transform 
yourself from that of a pupil leaf to that of a great serpent , AdiseshA 
to serve your Lord as His bed , seat and umbrella as he rests , 
sits and walks . 

Slokam 9 of SP/ Slokam 759 of RPS
*****************************************

aheenAthmA RangakshithiramaNa paadhAvani ! sadhA
  sathAmittham thrANAth prathithanija satthrathva vibhavA I
avidhyA yaaminyA: sorusasi punarEkAha padhaveem
  krathunAmArAdhyA krahturapi cha sarvathvamasi na: II

O Ranganaatha PaadhukhE ! As the king of serpents ( Aheena : ) ,
you become the Soma Yaagam known as Aheenam and protect 
the righteous . You also take the form of another Soma Yaagam 
known as Sattram and help to cross the dark night of nescience. 
Through another of your forms , you become the third Soma Yaagam 
( Ekaaham ) . Thus , you are worshipped not only as the three yaagAs,
but you transform yourself into these yaagAs and bless the performers 
with the fruits of performance of these YaagAs . It is amazing to know
as to how many diverse roles you play . 

Swami Desikan uses the three meanings of the word AheenA here. 
First , Aheena means the king of serpents (AdiseshA ) . Second , 
Aheena is the name for  a Soma YaagA . Third , AheenA means 
blameless. Swami Desikan cleverly weaves the multiple meanings 
of AheenA in this verse to relate AdisEshA/PaadhukhA to the Soma
YajnAs such as EkAham ( JyothistOmam ) , Aheenam and Sattram .
Swami suggests that the PaadhukhAs signify the essence of the above
three Soma Yaagams , which offer the SomA juice as the sacred offering.
A Soma Yaagam done for a day is EkAham . When it is extended from 
two to twelve days , that Yaagam becomes Aheenam . When it goes 
beyond twelve days , the same Soma Yaagam acquires the title of 
Sattram . Swami Desikan suggests that the purpose of doing all
these elaborate Soma YaagAs is to gain the Lord's PaadhukhAs 
for our AarAdhanam that leads to Moksham . 

Slokam 10 of SP/ Slokam 760 of RPS
*****************************************

bahumukha bhoga samEthai: nirmukthatayA visuddhimApannai: I
sEshAthmikA padhAvani ! nishEvyasE sEshabhoothaistvam II

O PaadhukhE ! Created by AdisEshA , you assume many roles
and bless those , who worship you with the boon of eternal service 
to the Lord . 

AdisEshann is indeed " Bahumukha bhOga SamEthan " .
BhOgam means the body of a serpent. AdisEshan has 
thousand heads and hence it is appropriate to recognize him
as Bahumukhan ( Multi-headed ) bhoga samethan . PaadhukhA
is also Bahumukha Bhoga samethan in that it accepts many 
offerings (BOgAs /upachArams ) such as sandal paste, flowers ,
camphor ( dhoopam ) et al . Those who worship paadhukhA/
AdisEshA get the blessings of enjoying many earthly bhogAs 
(pleasures) . Both AdisEshA and the PaadhukhAs are eternal servants 
of the Lord. When AdisEshA sheds his skin , he has a blemishless ,
white body , which is known as suddha sattvam or unalloyed 
purity . When PaadhukhA is bathed , it attains a pure body. Those who 
worship the paadhukhAs after abhishEkam and take in the
abhishEka theertham shed their paapAs and PuNyAs and reach 
a state of Suddha Sattvam . Thus , all become Seshanmayam 
or servants of the Lord , the Seshi.

Sri RanganAtha Divya MaNi PaadhukhE ! Thubhyam Nama:
Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam 
Oppiliappan Kovil VaradAchAri Sadagopan