INTRODUCTION

This stotram celebrates the auspicious quality (Kalyana Guna) of Mercy (Dayaa) of the Lord of Thiruvenkatam. Of All the Kalyana Gunaas of Venkataadhri Sekhara Vibhu, His Dayaa is the most important one for the uplift of the Chetanaas. The concept of Prapatthi and Thiruvenkatamudayaan’s Dayaa to realize the fruits of that Prapatthi is the subject of Sri Venkatanatha Kavi in this “Satakam”.

The structure of this stotram containing 108 slokas (one for each of the Divya Desa Archaa Murthys of Sriman Narayana perhaps) is extraordinarily impressive even by Swami Desikan’s standards of poetic excellence. Our Acharya has used ten plus different meters to compose the ten groups of slokas, each of which houses “ ten” slokas. The numbers of slokas and their poetic meters are as follows:

1. Slokaas 1-10: Anushtup meter
2. Slokaas 11-20: Aryaa meter
3. Slokaas 21-30: Oupacchandhasikam
4. Slokaas 31-40: Maalini
5. Slokaas 41-50: Mandhaakraanthaa
6. Slokaas 51-60: Nathkutakam
7. Slokaas 61-70: SikariNi
8. Slokaas 71-80: HariNi
9. Slokaas 81-90: Pruthvee
10. Slokaas 91-104: Vasantha Tilakaa
11. Slokaas 105& 106: Maalini again
12. Slokaas 107& 108: Sardhoola Vikriditham

In the tradition of Sri Sriraama DesikAcchAr Swamy, each set of the ten slokas have the essence of the ten Patthus of Thiruvaimozhi of Nammazhwaar.

According to this tradition, every set of ten reveals a particular meaning, which together covers the Ananatha KalyaaNa GuNams of the Lord of Thiruvenkatam. The ten meanings associated with the ten sets of ten slokas have been summarized by Srirama Desikaacchaar Swamy this way:

1. The Lord of Thiruvenkatam is the one, who can give Mokshaanugraham.
2. He comprehends everything and He is capable of carrying out whatever He chooses to do.
3. He destroys the enemies of those, who surrender unto Him and thereby seek His help.
4. He is the means for attaining ALL worthwhile goals.
5. He is the fruit of ALL worthwhile endeavours.
6. He can be reached easily thru the glorious means of Prapatthi.
7. He will rush to the help of the lowest and the highest with same speed, when they appeal to Him sincerely for help.
8. He is the Supreme Principle standing on top of Thiruvenkatam.
9. He is the one, who took the incarnations of Rama and Krishna.
10. He is the one, who can offer the happiness associated with Moksha right here on this earth.

Swami Desikan goes on to describe in detail the Anantha Kalyana Gunaas of Sriman Narayana in his Taatparya RatnaavaLi and Dramidopanishad Saaram. He is thus paying his tribute to Nammazhwaar’s Thiruvaimozhi in all of these three works. We will illustrate the ten essential meanings of Daya Satakam in the subsequent sections as revealed by Srirama Desikaacchaar Swamy in the tradition of his Achaarya, Navaneetham Krishnamaacchaar Swamy of Oppiliappan Koil.

16 Mar 2012

Slokam 59

tvadu daya tuulikaabhir.h amunaa vR^iShashaila juShaa
sthira chara shilpinaiva parikalpita chitra dhiyaH.
yatipati yaamuna prabhR^itayaH prathayanti daye
jagati hitaM na nastvayi bharanyasanaad.h adhikam.h..59

(MEANING):

Oh Dayaa Devi! Your Lord at ThiruvEnkatam is a great sculptor, who creates the vast array of the sentient and insentient beings. He is an expert at His task. He specializes particularly in drawing everlasting pictures on the minds (uLLam) of the special sentients like BhAshyakArar, Swamy AlavanthAr and Naatha Muni. On the walls of their Buddhi, Your Lord drew the paintings to archive the meanings of the Tatthva Thrayams. As a Master painter, Your Lord needs a painting brush. Oh DayA Devi! You serve as His painting tool. The gushing of Your KaruNa act as the brush strokes to draw the paintings on their buddhhis (VisEsha Jn~Anam imprinted on their minds). The AchAryAs receive thus the auspicious and clear knowledge (mathi nalam) form Your Lord using You as His tool so that they can spread His UpadEsams on SiddhAntham through their Sri Sookthis to successive generations of sishya paramparais. The essential message that you are communicating to us through our AchAryAs is the power of Prapatthi to reach Your sacred feet for us, the asakthAs, who can not engage in the pursuit of difficult-to-practise Bhakthi yOgam. Your AchAryAs stressed this important message of Yours.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)