Search:
Bhakti List Archives

Sri AparyApthAmrutha DhyAna sOpAnam: SlOkam 6

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • March 14, 1998 


Dear BhakthAs of Sri AparyAptha Para Brahmam :

Thirukkudanthai Desikan focuses here on the NaabhI
of Sri PadmanAbhan resting in Thirukkudanthai
as AparyAothAmruthan .The slOkam is as follows :

kvachithkAlE svAntharnihitha chidhachitthtattva vithathi:
bahUnAm dhAthrUNAm prabhava karanIbhUtha kamalA I
gabIrA ksheerAbdhE : gurutara mahAvartha subhagA
subhA nAbhI samyag lasathu hrudhi mE SaarngiNa iyam II

Anvaya Kramam: kvachith kaalE svAnthar nihitha 
chidhachith tattva vithathi:bahUnAm dhAthrUNAm
prabhava karaNI bhUta kamalA gabIrA kshIrAbdhE : 
gurutara mahAvartha subhagA SaarngiNa: SubhA iyam
nAbhI mE hrudhi samyag lasathu 

Before we comment on the meanings of the words
chosen by Thirukkudanthai Desikan to celebrate 
his enjoyment of the naabhI desam of Sri AarAvamudhan ,
( Hema Rangan )let us reflect upon the enjoyment of 
the naabhI desam of Sri RanganAthA ( KasthUri Rangan )
by Swami Desikan in Sri Bhagavadh DhyAna sOpAnam 
and ThiruppANAzhwAr in AmalanAdhipirAn paasurams .

In his pUrvAvathAram as Swami Desikan , this AchAryA
stood before Sri RanganathA and described his anubhavam 
of the beauty of the Thiruvunthi ( NaabhI desam ) of
the Lord :

samprINAthi prathikalamasou maanasam mE sujAthA
gambheerathvAth kvachana samayE gUtanikshiptha visvA I
nAleekEna spurtiha rajasa vEdhasO nirmimANA
ramyAvartha dhyuthi sahacharI RanganAthasya Naabhi: II

Swami Desikan assesses that Naabhi as " kvachana samayE 
gUta nikshiptha visvA " ( At one time , that nAbhI 
hid the whole worlds inside it ) . Thirukkudanhtai 
Desikan echos that train of thought with the choice
of words , " kvachith kAlE svantharnihitha chidh achith
tattva vithathi: "( on a special time -praLayam -
AarAvamudhan kept inside the nAbhi the whole 
collection of the sentients and the insentients of
the Universe and protected them ).The overlap of 
words , " kvachana samayE/kavachith kaalE ,
gUta  nikshiptha visvA/svantharnihitha chidh achith
tattva vithathi: " can only be understood as 
the Thirukkudanthai Desikan's relation to Swami
Desikan as his aparAvathAram .

Comments on " Kvachith kAlE --Vithathi: 
*************************************** 

NammAzhwAr described the Lord as " yellA ulahum 
udaya oru mUrthy " to salute the Lord who protected
the chEthanAchEthanAthmaka prapancham of His during
the ferocity of the time of deluge ( mahA PraLayam ) .

Thirumangai described the kvachith kaalam and 
the kavachana samayam in his paasuram on 
Thirukkudanthai perumAn this way :

aNdatthin muhadazhundha alai munneer
thirai tathumpa aa aa yenru , tondarkkum
amararkkum munivarkkum taan aruLi , ulahamEzhum
undottha ThiruvayiRRinahampatiyil vaitthummai
konda , KONDAL KAI MANIVANNAN TANN KUDANTHAI
nahar paadi aadeergaLE 

The water has risen to the edge of aNdam ( brahmAndam )
at the time of PraLayam.The giant waves are striking
and sweeping away every thing in its way. The thondars
ogf the Lord , devAs and the sages are crying out 
for help of the aasritha rakshakan .The ever-compassionate
aapath bhAndavan comes to their rescue and places them all
in the safe abode of His naabhi and floats safely
on those praLayA waters on top of a pupil leaf as
Vata pathra sAyee. The quality of the rakshathvam
of the Naabhi of the Parama dayALu is saluted here.

Next, Thirukkudanthai Aandavan salutes the other 
happenings at the sacred nAbhi of the PadmanAbhan :

" bahUnAm dhAthrUNAm prabhavakaraNI bhUtha kamalA "

He recognizes the nAbhi as the place of birth of
limitless BrahmAs during the numerous kalpAs . The time
span and its unimaginable sweep is indicated by 
Thirumangai in one of his KazhicchIrAma ViNNagara
paasurams : " naanmuhan nALL mihat tarukkai irukku
vaymai nalamihisIromasanAl naviRRu " . Once , 
a BrahmA got very proud about his longevity. The Lord
wanted that BrahmA to gain a perspective on his 
mortality and longevity . He pointed BrahmA to 
a great sage by the name of Romasar . When one hair 
fell of Romasar's body , the age of one BrahmA was over. 
That is the life span of BrahmA . It was very 
educational for BrahmA and he became huumble .

At this nAbhi , countless BrahmAs( BahUnAm
dhAthruNAm ) are created ( prabhava karaNI bhUtha) 
and engage in the act of creation at the command 
of the Lord .The creation of BrahmAs in His naabhi
is saluted by Thirumangai in the special prabhandham
he created for Thirukkudanthai AparyApthAmruthan
( ThiruvEzhukURRirukkai ): 

" oru pErunthi iru malart-tavisil , 
oru muRai ayanai InrAnai " .

Swami Desikan salutes the creation of BrahmA on top of 
the beautiful Lotus flower arising out of the naabhi desam 
of the Lord as : " spuritha rajasA nAleekEna vedasa:
nirmimANA " .That lotus wiht its multitude of
pollen dust produces the many BrahmAs over aeons
according to NigamAntha mahA desikan .ThiruppANAzhwaar
wonders about that aspect of creation of many
BrahmAs this way : "ayanai padaitthathOr
yezhil unthi mElanRO adiyEn uLLatthin yuirE ".  

That naabhi is deep ( gabhirA )to hold all that 
chethanAchEthanams and is auspicious (subhA ) 
because it engages in the subha kaaryam of creation
of the BrahmA and thru him , the myriad sentients
and the insentients of the Lord's universe .Swami
Desikan uses the word "gambheeram " to desribe the
depth and profound nature of the nAbhi of 
Sri RanganAthA .Thirukkudanthai Desikan chose 
the word "GabhIrA" to reflect the same sense of wonder .

Next , The two Desikans focus on the shape of the 
naabhi desam , which reminds them of a mighty whirlpool 
in the milky ocean ( Suzhal ) .Swami Desikan 
describes it as : RamyAvartha dhyuthi sahachari 
( the beautiful naabhi characterized by the many
delightful swirls of the deep ocean ) . Thirukkudanthai
Desikan goes one step further and describes the 
mighty suzhal (whirlpool ) as : KshIrAbdhE : 
gurutara mahAvartha subhagA ( that mighty 
swirl seen in the milky ocean , which is
most enjoyable to look at ) .

Both Desikans and ThiruppANAzhwAr confess that 
their mind melts over the sight(darsanam ) of
the most beautiful nAbhi desam of the Lord 
reclining on AdhisEshA along the banks of 
the river Cauveri .Their words are :

unti mElanRo adiyEN uLLatthin uyirE-- ThiruppaaNar

asou naabhi: --prathikalam mE maanasam 
sampreeNAthi-- Swami Desikan, Bhagavdh DhyANa
sOpAnam

SaarngiNa : subhA iyam naabhI mE hrudhi samyak
lasathu : --Thirukkudanthai Desikan on AarAvamuthan

Both the Desikans were inspired by the anubhavam 
of ThiruppANAzhwAr , who described his experience
as the life of his mind ( uLLatthin uyirE ) .
 
Swami Desikan stated that this anubhavam 
melts his heart every minute ( prathikalam 
mE maanasam sampreeNAthi ) . 

Thirukkudanthai Desikan prayed for 
that experience to last forever 
and well ( samyag lasathu ).

Swami Desikan himself in his Muni vAhana
BhOgam quotes a slOkam from Sri VishNU tattvam 
to explain the root cause of such profound anubhavam :

" svOjjIvanEcchA yadhi tE 
svasatthAyAm spruhA yadhi 
AATHMA DAASYAM HARE: SWAMYAM 
SVABHAVAM CHA SADHA SMARA "

( Meaning ) :If you are intersted in your salvation ,
please remind yourself always of your nature 
as an eternal servitor ( daasA )of the Lord , who is 
the undisputed Swami and your indissoluble 
relationship as the sEshan of the sarva sEshI . 

The slokam refers to the Ujjeevanam and 
the ujjeevana icchA ( the escape from 
SamsArA and the desire for cutting asunder
the cycles of the endless births and deaths ).
The slOkam reminds one to constantly remember
the uRavu /the relationship ) that is indissoluble
( ozhikka ozhiyAthu ) as the jeevan's role
as a servant to the Lord for all times to come .

ThiruppANar and the two Desikans became 
svabhAva dAsya PrathibhOdhakAs ( those who
understood the natural and unalterable
relationship between the Lord and themselves as
the Master and servants ) . This awareness
and chinthanA happened because of the parama 
kAruNIka katAksham (the most merciful and 
compassionate glances of the Lord ) falling on them .
Not only did they acheive Ujjeevanam , but they
also gave us upadEsam about how we can ralize
ujjeevanam by Bhagavadh Anubhavam in the manner
suggested by GeethAchAryan :

macchitthA madhgathaprANA 
bhOdhayantha: parasparam I
kathayanthasccha maam nithyam
tushyanthi cha ramanthi cha II
--- Srimadh Bhagavadh GeethA : 10.9

( meaning : These paramaikAnthis and 
Jn~Anis fix their minds in Me , they
root their jeevans in Me and live for Me,
they recite My divya charithram for the benefit 
of one another , they accept the words of
fellow bhagavathAs as the true one and consider 
those upadEsams as the fruit of their lives 
and stay immersed in that blissful state .

With their minds wholly fixed in Me ,
with their senses deeply absorbed in Me ,
enlightening one another , and  always 
speaking of Me , they are satisfied 
and delighted . They are BudhAs and
BhAva samanvithA : according to the Lord .

In the next slOkam , GeethAchaaryan
states how He blesses such BhakthAs :
" dadhAmi Bhuddhi yOgam " . To them , 
ever steadfast and serving me with 
affection , I give that Buddhi Yogam by 
which they come unto Me. Buddhi Yogam 
is devotion of right knowledge thru 
dhyANam ( Bhagavdh DhyAna sOpANam ,
AparyApthaamrutha DhyAna sOpAnam ) .
They climb the steps ( sOpAnam )of 
Buddhi yOgam and enjoy the Lord      
at paramapadham .

Sri Thirukkudanthai Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
DaasAnu Daasan ,
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan