Sri Desika Stotras With Meaning

Sri Desika Stotras with Meaning
MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2007
Kamasikashtakam
Swami Desikans
Kaamaasikashtakam
ANNOTATED COMMENTARY IN ENGLISH BY:

OPPILIAPPAN KOIL SRI VARADACHARI SATHAKOPAN
A half mile away in the South Easterly direction of Thuppul (the birth place of Swami
Desikan), lies the Divya Desam of ThiruvELukkai, where Kama Aasikaa Narasimhan
is the presiding deity. He is also known as Mukunda Nayakan.
Swami Desikan composed a beautiful Ashtakam in honor of this Narasimhan, who is
sitting in a Yogic posture on the southern side of Vegavathi River. This Archa Murthy
has been the object of earlier Mangalasaasanam by Pey Azhwaar through three
pasurams of the Third Thiruvanthadhi and one pasuram line of Thirumangai in his
SrI Kaamaasika Nrusimhan ThiruvELukkai
At ThiruvELukkai, the Moolavar sits in the middle of the temple tank known as
Kanaka Pushkarini. He is not easily approachable for worship. The Uthsavar and His
Piratti (ThiruvELukkai Valli) are standing under the Kanaka Vimanam. The
Moolavar (Kaamaasikaa Narasimhan) is seated in the Yoga Pose known as Paryanga
Bhandham. The Lord of this Divya Desam got his name Kamaasikaa Narasimhan
because he chose the banks of Vegavathi out of his own desire/sankalpam (Kama) to
be seated (Aasikaa) on the banks of the Vegavathi river. The Tamil name of
ThiruvELukkai follows this Sanskritic nomenclature. The shorter name of vELukkai
stands for vEL Veeru Irukkai. The word VeL relates to the Kama or svath Sankalpam
aspect of the Lord's own desire to sit (Veeru Irukkai) at this Divya Desam. Swami
Desikan says that Narasimhan left Sri Vaikuntam out of His own will and chose to sit
on the sandy banks of Vegavathi at ThiruvELukkai Kshetram.
sadagopan.org
VERSE 1: PLACE OF RESIDENCE OF THE WONDOROUS

NARASIMHAN
SRUTEENAAM UTTARAM BHAGAM VEGAVATHYAASCCHA DAKSHINAM I

KAAMAATH ADHIVASAN JEEYAATH KASCCHITH ADHBHUTA KESAREE II
Adbhuta Kesari Ahobilam

Here Swami Desikan describes the Bhagavaan as Kascchit Adhbhuta Kesari.
This incomparable form of the Lord with a Lion's face and human body is indeed
awesome and full of wonders. Hence it is a Adbhuta Kesari (Lion). It is neither Lion
nor man. This Adhbhuta Kesari is celebrated in the last section of the Vedas (i.e) in
the Upanishads as suggested by Swami Desikan through the Choice of Words,
Srutheenaam Uttaram Bhagam.
He chose out of his own volition the site of ThiruvELukkai and resides there on the southern bank of Vegavathi river as indicated by the stotra
Vaakyams (Kaamaath Vegavathyaa: Dakshinam cha Adhivasan). Swami offers his Mangalaasaasanam to this Adbhuta Kesari and hails him to
thrive there (Jeeyaath) in His supreme glory. May this Kamaasika Narasimhan known for his infallibility in protecting his devotees thrive at
ThiruvELukkai is the prayer of the Acharya.
VERSE 2: PRAYER FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE THREE

KINDS OF AFFLICTIONS
TAPANENDHI AGNI NAYANA: TAAPAAN APACHINOTHU NA: I
TAAPANEEYA RAHASYAANAAM SAARA: KAAMAASIKAA HARI: II
Swami Desikan reveals to us that Kaamaasikaa Narasimhan has three eyes, which are
in the form of the Sun, Moon and Agni. mukkaNNappan..
He says that the Lord of this Divya Desam is the essence of the secrets revealed by
Nrusimha Taapaneeya Upanishad. Swami prays for the Lord to banish the three
kinds of Taapas (afflictions) of all of us with His three eyes. The three afflictions are
Aadhyaatmikam (physical ills, fear, anger, desire et al), Aadhi Bhowdikham (Ills
caused by animals and humans) and Aadhi Daivikam (Cold, heat, storms, rains et
al ).
VERSE 3 : SALUTATIONS TO KANTIRAVAN

AAKANTAM AADHI PURUSHAM KANTIRAVAM UPARI KUNTITHA AARAADHITAM I
VEGAA UPAKANTA SANGHATH VIMUKTHA VAIKUNTA BAHUMATHIM UPAASEH II
Nara-singam, after HiraNya vadham
The Lord of ThiruvELukkai has the face of the Lion above his neck and the form of
the ancient Purusha below the neck. I salute that extraordinary form of Kaamaasikaaa Narasimhan, who destroyed Hiranyan and chose the
region on the banks of Vegavathi for his permanent residence and in that process skipped over the established glories of Sri Vaikuntam.
VERSE 4: EULOGY TO NARASIMHAN

BHANTHUM AKILASYA JANTHOH: BHANDHURA PARYANKA BHANDHA RAMANEEYAM I
VISHAMA VILOCHANAM EEDEH VEGAVATHEE PULINA KELI NARASIMHAM II
Paryanga bhandam akkArakkani Emperumaan of Sholingur
Swami Desikan praises Narasimhan of this Kshethram, who loves to play on the sand
banks of the river Vegavathi. He recognizes the Lord as the kith and kin of all living
beings. He visualizes the Lord as sitting firmly in the Yoga Posture known as
Parynga Bhandham. He also pays his tribute to the Vishama Vilochanam of the Lord.
Vishama Vilochanam can mean both odd numbered eyes (Three here) and the eyes,
which are distinctly different in their attributes (Hot Sun, Cool Moon and resplendent
Agni).
Sadagopan
VERSE 5: PRAYER FOR BLESSINGS TO THE WORLD

SVASTHAANESHU MARUT GANAAN NIYAMAYAN SVAADHINA SARVENDRIYA:
PARYANGA STIRA DHARANAA PRAKATITHA PRATYANGH MUKHAAVASTHITHI:
PRAAYENA PRANIPEDHUSHAAM PRABHURASAOU YOGAM NIJAM SIKSHAYAN
KAAMAA NATHANUTAAT ASESHAA JAGATHAAM KAAMAASIKAA KESARI:
In this verse set in the majestic Sarthoola Vikriditham meter to remind one of the
powerful movements of the fast lion chasing Hiranya, Swami Desikan prays to
Kaamaasikaa Narasimhan to bless the people of the world and grant them all their
desired boons (Asaou. Kaamaasikaa Kesari: Asesha Jagathaam kaaman
aatanuthaath). Swami describes the Lord facing west. He sits in Paryangaasanam at
ThiruvELukkai and appears in his Yogic posture giving the impression that He is
ready to teach His devotees the secrets of Yoga that require knowledge about the
firm control of the five vayus (Praanan, Apaanam, Samaanam, Udhaanam and
Vyaanam). He also appears to indicate to them the firm way to control the five
Karmendriyaas and the five Jnanendriyaas as the prerequisite to meditate on Him.
One of the names for Lord Narasimhan is Hrishikesan or the one who has full
control over his Indriyaas. Kamasikaa Narasimhans Paryangaasanam (Yoga Pattai
with a belt over his crossed legs and knees) reminds of His Yogaacharya role in
teaching his disciples such as Prahlaada the secrets of Yoga to attain His blessings.
VERSE 6: PRAYER TO THE LORD'S HANDS FOR

PROTECTION
VIKASWARA NAKA SVARUKSHATHA HIRANYA VAKSHASTHALEE--
NIRARGALA VINIRGALATH RUDIRA SINDHU SANDHYAAYITAA: I
AVANTHU MADA NAASIKAA MANUJA PANCHA VAKTHRASYA MAAM
AHAMPRATAMIKAA MITA: PRATITAAHAVAA BAAHAVA: II
May the Kaamaasikaa Narasimhans hands having the red lustre of the dusk protect
me. Those hands compete with one another to protect the devotee and to destroy the
enemies of the devotee. The shining fingernails of those hands tore apart the chest of
Hiranyan like the ferocious Vajra weapon. At that time, the blood from the heart of
Hiranyan gushed forth and covered the hands of the Lord and gave them the red hue
of the sun at dusk. Those hands were competing with one another to destroy
Hiranyan as well as to comfort the child Bhagavatha Prahlada. May those powerful
hands protect me always!
His hands compete with one another to protect devotees-
VERSE 7: MERCY OF THE LORD EVEN DURING HIS

FEROCIOUS STATE
SATAA PATALA BHEESHANEH SARABHASAATTAHAASOTHBHATEH
SPURATH KRUTHI PARISPUTATH BRUGUTIKEPI VAKTREH KRTEH I
KRUPAA KAPATA KESARIN DHANUJA DIMBHA DHATTA STHANAA
SAROJA SADHRUSAA DRUSAA VYATHIBISHAJYA TEH VYAJYATEH II
Oh Kapata Narasimha! Oh Lord, who did not swerve away from the boons given to
Hiranya and yet hoodwinked him through your avatara features! When You
appeared out of the Pillar in his palace with the frightening swirl of your manes and
ear-shattering roars, your brows were twittering with your mighty anger at Hiranya
for the injustices that he did to your devotee. Even in that state of fury, your lotus
eyes fell with mercy on Prahlaada. Those merciful glances were like the feedings of
divine and invigorating milk to the child Prahlaada. Your limitless compassion to
your devotees became evident then.
VERSE 8: SARANAGATHI AT THE FEET OF NARASIMHAN

TVAYI RAKSHATHI RAKSHAKAI: KIM ANYAI: TVAYI CHAARAKSHATI RAKSHAKAI: KIM ANYAI: I
ITHI NISCHITA DHEE: SRAYAAMI NITYAM NRUHAREH: VEGAVATHEE TATAASRAYAM TVAAM II
O kaamaasikaa Narasimhaa! You are sarva sakthan. When You are resolved to protect some one, where is the need to seek the protection of
other Gods? When You are resolved NOT to protect some one, which other God is capable of protecting us? There is no one. Knowing this
fundamental truth, I have resolved to offer my
saranaagathi at your lotus feet alone that rest at the banks of Vegavathi river.
VERSE 9: PHALA SRUTHI OF THIS ASHTAKAM

ITTAM STHUTHA: SAKRUTHIHAASHTABHIRESHA PADHYAI:
SRI VENKATESA RACHITHAI: TRIDHASENDRA VANDHYA: I
DHURDHAANTA GORA DHURITA DVIRADHENDRA BHEDEE
KAAMAASIKAA NARAHARI: VITANOTHU KAAMAAN II
May Kaamaasikaa Narasimhan, who is worshipped by the Devaas and who tears
apart the gigantic heap of sins, as if they are opposing elephants, grant all the desired
boons to devotees, who recite these eight slokas on Him composed by Venkatesa
Kavi!
Another input:
This stotram is about SrI nar*simha mUrti in the divya kshetram in kA~nci by
name vELukkai or veL irukkai. vEL in tamizh means "by One's own will";
irukkai means to be seated or to be located. Since perumAL made this His
place by His own will, the place is called tiru vEL irukkai. The samskr*t
name of this stotram echoes the same meaning - kAma - by His own will, AsikA
- being seated, ashTakam - consisting of 8 Sloka-s. PerumAL's name here is
kAmAsikA narasimhan. svAmi deSikan refers to this emperumAn as kAmAsikA
harih and kAmAsikA kesarih in this stotram.
In tiruvELukkai, bhagavAn is in the yoga narasimha form and is seated in the

yogic posture of parya~nka bandha. He has three eyes in His narasimha form
in this kshetra. svAmi deSikan points out that His being seated in the
yogic posture of parya~nka bandham suggests that He is seated with the
determination to help all His devotees (Slokam 4), and
chose
this posture in order to give live instruction to all of us on how to
perform yoga in order to attain Him (Slokam 5 - prAyeNa praNipedushAm
prabhurasau yogam nijam Sikshayan).
Even though the point should have been obvious, it is worth pointing out
that the AcArya's stotra-s, in addition to praising bhagavAn and giving us
an easy way of chanting His guNa-s, seem to have as one of their objectives
the propagation of the basic tenets of SrIvaishNavism by repeatedly
re-emphasizing and re-stating them in storam after stotram. Thus we see in
this storam also svAmi deSikan bring out out several basic aspects of his
and our pUrvAcAryas' teachings. These are:
1. He is the object of the uttara bhAga (final part) of the veda-s, viz. the
upanishad-s (Slokam 1).
2. bhagavAn is the only one who can remove our tApa-traya-s. These tApa-s
are referred to by svAmi deSikan in SaraNAgati dIpikA Slokam 23 - tApatryeNa
vihatim na bhajanti santah etc. In the current Slokam, svAmi deSikan prays
to kAmAsikA harih, the perumAL of this keshetram, to burn the three tApas-s
that result from samsAra with his three eyes (the sun, the moon, and agni).
The tApa-s are: a) AdhyAtmikam - belonging to to the individual, such as
headache, cold, anger, desire, fear, etc. b) Adhi bhaudikam --those
resulting from other bhUta-s such as the birds, animals, other people etc.,
and c) Adhi daivikam - those resulting from devatA-s such as from the wind,
sun, rain, etc.
3. He appears in His arcA mUrti form in many of these divya-kshetra-s out of

His sheer Mercy towards us, just so that He is easily accessible to us. It
is as if bhagavAn gave up the great regard for SrI viakuNTha vAsam (vimukta
vaikunTha bahumatim) so that He can be a nitya vAsi in this beautiful
kshetram and be accessible to all of us (Slokam 3).
His vibhava incarnations are for the purpose of destroying His enemies and
protecting His devotees. Thus, in His narasimha incarnation, He came to
protect prhalAda and other devotees from hiraNyakaSipu. This is one of the
rahasya-s of His incarnations. This is explained by svAmi deSikan in
SaraNAgati dIpikA Slokam 17 (AtmIya rakshaNa, vipaksha vinASanArthaih). In
the current stotram, he praises this aspect of bhagavAn and seeks His
protection. He has the anubhavam of kAmAsikA narasimhan's hands fighting
with each other in their desire to perform this function (aham prathamikA
mithah prakaTita AhavAh bAhavah - Slokam 6).
4. bhagavAn is the only true relative we all have (bandhum akhilasya

jantoh). All the other relatives such as father, mother, etc. are only
transient relatives, and are related this way purely because of our mutual
karma-s (Slokam 4).
5. bhagavAn is the one who assigns functions to, and controls, all the other
devatA-s so that they perform their assigned duties without violation
(sva-sthAneshu marud-gaNAn niyamayan - Slokam 5). This has been referred by
svAmi deSikan in abhIti stavam Slokam 4 also (marut taraNi pAvaka tridaSa
nAtha kAlAdayah svakr*tyam adhikurvate tadaparAdhato bibhyatah).
bhagavAn is also the One who controls all our indriya-s (svAdhIna
sarvendriyah). His nAma of hr*shIkeSa signifies this.
6. bhavAn's anger knows no limits when anyone commits apacAram towards His
devotee. The narasimha incarnation is a typical example of this. svAmi
deSikan describes through almost identical Sloka-s in dayA Satakam Slokam 84
and Slokam 7 in the current stotra, His making His appearance reflect His
intense anger towards His devotee's enemy.
However, the wonder of bhagavAn's leelA is that at the same time His
appearance reflects intense anger towards hiraNyakaSipu, He makes His
appearance to prahlAda one of intense Mercy and kindness reflecting that of
a mother feeding her young child (datta sthanA saroja sadr*SA dr*SA samudita
Akr*tir-dr*Syate - dayA Satakam, datta sthanA saroja sadr*SA dr*SA
vyatibhishajya te vyajyate in the current stotram). Such is the nature of
His kr*pA or dayA to His devotees.
7. bhagavAn is the only one who can protect us. If He does not protect us
no one else can protect us, and if He decides to protect us, we don't need
anyone else's protection. This concept is conveyed in Slokam 8 - tvayi
rakshati rakshakaih kim ananyaih, tvayi ca arakshati rakshakaih kim
ananyaih. The same idea was conveyed in SrI ashTabhujAshTakam Sloka-s 5 and
6: bhayam kutah syAt tvayi sAnukampe, rakshA kutah syAt tvayi jAtaroshe
(Slokam 5), and tvayi pravr*tte mama kim prayAsaih, tvayyapravr*tte mama kim
prayAsaih (Slokam 6). This is the basis of goptr*tva varaNam (the
deliberate choice of bhagavAn as the Sole Protector) which is one of the
a~nga-s of prapatti.
8. In the ninth and final Slokam of SrI kAmAsikAshTakam svAmi deSikan

reminds us that if one chants this stotram even once with faith and with
devotion, bhagavAn will forgive their sins even if they be huge like
elephants, and will bestow any benefits that the devotee seeks. It appears
svAmi deSikan intentionally chose to compare our sins to huge 'elephants',
since it is the kAmAsikA kesari (lion) who is going to eliminate the sins.
Posted by R. Raghunathanat 2:09 AM43 comments:
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2007
Nyasa Tilakam
Nyasa Tilakam
Vyakyanam by Shri D. Ramaswamy Iyengar
This noteworthy sentiment voiced about Vedanta Desika by his illustrious son and desciple, Kumara Varadacharya, is as true today in the eighth
century after his advent, as it was, when it was given expression to six centuries ago. Vedanta Desika lives and will ever continue to live in and
through his innumerable works, each a fine and finished work of religious art, which speak to us, and reproduces his voice and make us feel as if
he is now here with us in Vibhava form.
The work that is now being published is Nyaasa Tilaka. Nyasa means bharanyasa ( or the laying down of the burden ) and Tilaka means a jewel
of ornament which beautifies prominently like a facial pundra which gives life and lustre to the person wearing it. This work is therefore a precious
and charming treatise on Nyasa . The name " Nyasa Tilaka" has been given to this stotra by Desika himself, as can be seenfrom the last sloka
where he speaks of spurad - varnam - vaktra -Nyasatilakam, with an obvious pun on words.
Desika has been referred by his followers and admirers as Prapadana - kakaa - janma - jaladhi and
because his outstanding contribution to world-thought in general, and to Vishshtadvaita Vedanta in particular, is the postulation of the Prapatthi
yoga as an immediate and certain means to the attainment of Moksha or salvation. This he has done in and by his numerous works in four
lanuages, Sanskrit, Prakrit, Tamil, and Manipravala, couched variously as Sastraic treatises , kavyas, Drama, Dance-drama (Opera or Ballet )
Stotras and Prabhandhas In one sense all his works can well be said to expound or deals with Nyasa. But there are certain special treatises on
Nyasa like the present one, the others being Nikshepa Raksha, Nyasa Dasaka , Nyasa Vimsati, Saranagathi Deepika, Adaikalappatthu (Tamil)
and Abhaya-pradana- sara (Manipravala) From the fact that the present stotra alone is named as Nyasa Tilaka, it is upto us to understand its
importance and appreciate its superior spiritual and mystic value as awork on Nyasa.
This work is reckoned as a stotra, but with this great and prolific writer, the division into Stotra, Kavya, metaphysical works etc., is very thin, if not
arbitrary, There is no political work of his which is not high class philosophy There is no philosophical work of his which is not also excellent
poetry. If poetry is the warp, philosophy is the woof; and if philosophy is the warp, poetry is the woof fabrics that are Desika's works, (quot; -
) We can see this truth well illustrated in this Nyasa Tilaka, as indeed in every work of his.
This work consists of 32 slokas in various metres, from Anushtup (of 8 syllables to a quarter ) to Shragdhara (of 21 syllables to a quarter ) The
figure 32 appears to be a great favourite with this Acharya, probably because it is the number of Upanishadic Brahma-Vidhyas. His Paduka
Sahasram has 32 paddhathis and his Rahasyatraya Sara 32 Adhikaras. The Adhikara Sangraha Prabandha (Tamil) culled from the latter makes
pointed reference to . The number of Rahasya Granthas (esoteric treatises) of
his is 32. Even while referring to jumping across a well, he refers a well with a diameter of 32 feet. No wonder therefore that this Nyasa Tilaka the
chief among the treatises on Nyasa Vidya, contains 32 slokas.
The Deity in whose praise this stotra is conceived, is Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam , even as Lord Varadaraja of Kanchi is in respect of Nyasa-
Dasaka, Nyasa-Vimsati and Adaikkalappatthu, and Lord Deepaprakasa in respect of Saranagathi Deepika. As is well known, Acharya Ramanuja
chose Lord Ranganatha as the Saranya on refuge, as can be seen from his Saranagati Gadyam. A close study of Nyasa Tilaka will show to us
that Desika has in mind while composing this work the said Gadyam of Ramanuja. The Stotra, after the first two verses which are invocatory,
begins, with Sree Prapatthi (slokas 3 and 4) even as Saranagathi Gadyam does. Sloka 22 makes pointed reference to a passage int the
Saranagati Gadyam wherein Lord Ranganatha refers to His sayings as Rama and Krishna addressed to Vibishana and Arjuna, in order to
convince Ramanuja that his Saranagati has borne fruit. From these and from references to Lord Ranganatha in almost every sloka, we can
conclude that this Stotra is based on that Gadya, which it develops and elucidates, in addition to embellishing it by Padya (Poetry)
A study of Nyasa Tilakam is essential to dispel several doubts that are sure to assail us regarding the efficiency of Saranagati. I have heard
several learned scholars exclaim : "What ! Prapatthi which is to be performed only once is going to do away all my sins committed ; during
myriads of years . And it is going to secure for me quickly a place in Paramapadam which is beyond the reach of great gods and greatest saints !
I can't believe it ". This mentality is pictured to us in sloka 19, which refers to it as " the obstacle to Mahaviswasa" or great faith in the efficiency of
Prapatthi as an unfailing and infallible means for obtaining release from Samsara. Such doubts will vanish, it is pointed out, only if one rightly
comprehends the true nature of the Lord as Sriman Narayana.
This Mahaviswasa is pointed out in sloka 20 as attainable only by Acharya-prasada (grace of the guru) And sloka 21 points out how what we may
not be able to achieve by ourselves we can easily obtain by the grace of an Acharya. Three trite illustrations given in that sloka are noteworthy
and significant. Like the blind man led by the man with good vision, like the same man who is enabled to cross a stream and reach the other
shore by the ferry -- man, and like the child of a King's valet which enjoys the best pleasures of life, we too can obtain redemption by the
Acharya's grace, though we lack gnana or Sakti or both.
Sloka 14 is another wholesome tonic to wavering prapanna. Posing the problem thus, " because of the prapatthi that I have gone through , I am
promised complete freedom from grief after this life ; but here I am undergoing unspeakable misery in this life. How about this? " Desika solves it
by pointing out that even the suffering we undergo here in the post-prapatthi period is calculated for our ultimate spiritual welfare as otherwise we
are sure to forget Him who has taken upon Himself the huge burden of our sins , by wallowing in worldly pleasures, and ignore Him completely .
To forget Him is the greatest of sins ( --as Nammalwar would have it. ) Even when the Lord is by our side willing to
satisfy our every want, the undying world-mindedness in us works havocs with us. (sloka23) This sloka finds a place inthe 10th act of Sankalpa
Suryodaya, and the setting in which it is placed there will show to us the devastating power of unquenchable human desires.
Towards the end, this stotra contains more than the usual measure of personal touches and introspective exclaims. The poet addresses his own
fickle and vacillating mind in sloka 24. and in sloka 26 advises his speech, body and mind , respectively, after informing them that Venkatesa Kavi
is now a prapanna at the lovely feet of Ranganatha, and asks them not to play their old pranks with him any longer. The stotra winds up with
aprayer to be made the recipient of the highly coveted title of "Servant of the Lord and His Sri"
In its metaphysical aspect Nyasa Tilaka like Saranagati Deepika is a poetic rendering of the salient features of Saranagati as laid down in the
Srimad Rahasyatrayasara, with this difference, that while Saranagati Deepika is an epitome of Rahasyatrayasara , Nyasa Tilaka concerns itself
more with the mentality that should prevail in the post-prapatthi period. The importance of Nyasa Tilakam to the prapanna cannot be over-
estimated. It is probably for this reason that Swamy Nainaracharya has furnished a very helpful, though brief and crisp, commentary on this
stotra, the only stotra, to my knowledge, for which that illustrious Son has furnished a commentary, among all the stotras of his illustrious Father.
Posted by R. Raghunathanat 12:19 AMNo comments:
SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2007
Sri Stuti
Introduction
||SrI: ||
Sri Sthuthi of Swamy Desikan

ANNOTATED COMMENTARY IN ENGLISH BY
OPPILIAPPAN KOIL SRI VARADACHARI SATHAKOPAN
Dear SriDEvi BhakthAs:

There are many sthOthrams in praise of our Supreme Mother.
ChathusslOki of Swamy AlavanthAr,
Sri Sthavam of Swamy KurEsar and
Sri Sthuthi of Swamy Desikan
Besides Sri Lakshmi Sahasram by Sri VenkatAdhri Kavi,
Lakshmi AshtOttharam and Sahasra Naamam.
Sri Sthuthi of Swamy Desikan has 25 beautiful and powerful slOkams that on recitation confers Sarva MangaLams (Ishta Kaamya Siddhi) to the
reciter. The Poetic Metre of SrI Sthuthi SlOkams: Swamy Desikan has set the First 24 of the 25 slOkams of Sri Sthuthi in the MandhAkrAntha
Metre and the 25th slOkam in the Maalini metre.
One day a poor Brahmachari, who had completed VedAdhyayanam arrived at

VedanthaachAryan's house at Thuppul. He prostrated before Swamy Desikan and explained his predicament in not being successful in gaining
the hand of a suitable bride because of his poverty.
In the Sikshavalli section of Taittriyopanishad, there is a manthram passage known as
Aavahanthee vithanvanaa, kurvANaa cheeramAthmana,

VaasAmsi mama gAvasccha, annapAnE cha sarvadhaa,
tathO mE SriyamAvaha, lOmaSAm Pasubhi: saha svAhaa
This is a prayer to Sri Devi for the conferral of many kinds of auspiciousness and wealth. It says: (As You are) the generator and the multiplier of
wealth, May Thou always bless me (the BrahmachAri) with bark garments, clothes and cattle, food and drink; produce for me wealth along with
plenty of materials like animals (for performance of Yaj~nams), Svaahaa.
Swami Desikan felt that the above prayer by the Bramhachari should not go unfulfilled.
The most compassionate VedAnthAchAryan took the Brahmachari to the Sannidhi of PerumdEvi ThaayAr, the divine consort of Lord Varadarajan
Lord VaradarAjan and composed a sthuthi on this archaa Moorthy of Sri Devi to recieve Her anugraham for the Brahmachaari. The rest is history.
At the conclusion of the recitation of this new sthuthi for Sri Devi rich in VedAnthic meanings and deep devotion for the anugrahamayee, a rain of
gold coins poured in front of Swamy Desikan. The Brahmachaari collected the coins, offered his vandhanams to Swamy Desikan and PerumdEvi
ThaayAr and found a suitable bride to enter grahasthaasramam. The parama vairAgyasaali, Swamy Desikan went home and continued with his
dinacharyaa.
SrImAn VenkatanATArya: KavitArkika Kesaree

VedAnthAchAryavaryO mE sannidhatthAm sadhA hrudhi
1st SlOkam: MaanAtheetha --- For rise of all MangaLams

SRI STHUTHI SLOKAM 1
MaanAtheetha praTitha vibhavAm MangaLam MangaLAnAm

Vaksha: peeDeem MadhuvijayinO bhUshayantheem svakAnthyA
prathyakshAnuSravika-mahima prArTithineenAm prajAnAm
SrEyO mUrthim Sriyam aSaraNa: ThvAm SaraNyAm prapadhyE
Thuppul Sri Maragathavalli Thayar
Meaning:
AdiyEn performs Prapatthi to MahA Lakshmi (the refuge for all the beings of the world / SarvalOka SaraNyai) as one, who has no other refuge.
She is the Mistress of the widely spread and limitless Iswaryam (wealth). She is the MangaLam (Auspiciousness) of all MangaLa vasthus and
Tatthvams. She is the embodiment of all MangaLams. She adorns the chest of Her Lord with Her divine and incomparable JyOthi. She is the
Vara Lakshmi (boon-granting Lakshmi) for all, who are eager to gain Her anugraham both in this and the other world.
SrEyO Moorthim SaraNyAm Sriyam ThvAm aSaraNa: PrapadhyE.

This is the classical Prapatthi to the Divine Mother as practised by AchArya RaamAnujA in His SaraNAgathy Gadhyam at the beginning.
She is the embodiment of SrEyas (NanmayE vadivu koNDavaL).
She is SaraNyA, One who protects unfailingly those, who seek Her protection.
The Six definitions of Sri Devi's names:
The SrEyas (MangaLams) that She confers
Swamy Desikan performs his Prapatthi and shows us the way (ThvAm aSaraNa: prapadhyE).
1. Maana atheetha vibhavAm ThvAm PrapadhyE:

2. MangaLAnAm MangaLam ThvAm PrapadhyE:
3. Madhuvijayina: Vaksha PeeDeem svakAnthyA bhUshayantheem ThvAm PrapadhyE:
4. Prathyaksha AanuSravika mahima prArTineenAm PrajAnAm SrEyO Moorthim
ThvAm PrapadhyE:
5. SrEyO Moorthim SaraNyAm ThvAm PrapadhyE:
6. Sriyam ThvAm PrapadhyE:
7. ThvAm aSaraNa: PrapadhyE:
1. Maana atheetha vibhavAm ThvAm PrapadhyE:

Maana means limit or boundary. Maana atheetha means then limitless or having no boundary or finiteness. It is infinite. This limitless keerthi
(Fame) of Her auspicious guNams is very well known (PraTitham). It is not like a lamp, whose lustre is hidden by a lampshade. It is like a JyOthi
on top of a hill and is recognized and saluted from everywhere and by every one of Her bhakthAs .She is of that caliber of praTitha vibhavA (well
known glories). She is Nithya Pushtai (She is the abode of all Iswaryams, MangaLa vasthus and aathma GuNams) She is anugrahaparA (One
who has the inherent nature of showering Her anugrahams). She is Dharma nilayA (abode of all righteousness, dharmams). She is lOka SOka
VinAsini (destroyer of the sorrows of the world) and most of all; She is Hari VallabhA (very dear to Her
Lord, Sriman NaarAyaNan).
2. MangaLAnAm MangaLam ThvAm prapadhyE:

She is the root cause of the MangaLam (auspiciousness) in all MangaLa vasthus. They become auspicious and desirable because of Her
conferral of auspiciousness on them. Their acquiring the status as MangaLa vasthus is solely due to Her vaibhavam.
3. Madhuvijayina: vaksha: peeDeem sva-kAnthyA bhUshayantheem ThvAm

PrapadhyE:
Swamy Desikan now has the vision of Sri Lakshmi HayagrIvan. He visualizes Sri Devi on His auspicious chest (Madhuvijayina: VakshasTala
Peetam) seated on Her lotus throne. Lord's sacred chest itself becomes the house of residence for Her. There She is radiant with Her Svayam
JyOthi and adorns that seat of residence. Madhu vijayan is Lord HayagrIvan, who won over and destroyed the asuran by the name Madhu. Sri
HayagrIvan becomes Lakshmi HayagrIvan, when Sri Devi chooses His broad chest as Her seat for eternal residence. She illumines that chest
region and all around with Her Svayam prakAsam and adorns it.
Some of Her Prajais (Her children) pray for different kinds of wealth of this world (prathykasha mahima): Children, dhAnyam, dhanam, cattle,
house et al to enjoy here. There are a select few, who discard the worldly wealth and seek from You the Superior phalans of the other world
(Svargam et al) topped by the Parama
4. Prathyaksha AanuSravika mahima prArTineenAm prajAnAm SrEyOmoorthim ThvAm PrapadhyE:
As VasudhAriNee, the holder of all kinds of wealth, You grant them the boons they seek .You are Vara Lakshmi. You grant from transient worldly
wealth to imperishable (Saasvatham) Moksham (apunar-janmam and nithya kaimkaryam in Your Sri Vaikuntam). Such is Your glory and that is
why adiyEn performs this Prapatthi to You.
5. SrEyO Moorthim SaraNyAm ThvAm PrapadhyE: adiyEn performs prapatthi to You, who is the embodiment of all auspicousness (SrEyO
Moorthy) and who is SaraNAgatha Rakshaki (One who has vowed to join with Your Lord to offer protection to those, who perform SaraNAgathy
unto You).
6. Sriyam ThvAm PrapadhyE: Here Swamy Desikan invokes the power of Dhvaya Manthram. SrI PraSna Samhithai reveals that SrI: is the First
letter (PraTamAksharam) and MakAram (the letter M) is the dhvitheeyAksharam; together they form Sriyam. Dhvaya Manthram has 25
aksharams and its deep meanings are commented on by Paadhma Samhithai. Swamy
Desikan structured Sri Sthuthi with 25 slOkams in rememberance of those 25
aksharams.
7. ThvAm aSaraNa: parapdhyE: adiyEn without any other gathi seeks You as protection and perform my Prapatthi. The pramANams to remember
in the context of ananya SaraNan, ananya gathi are found in many sthOthrams. They are addressed to Sriman NarayaNan and could be readily
extended to Sri Devi as well because of their anyOnya Seshithvam:
2nd SlOkam: AavirbhAva: ---- For literary abilities

AavirbhAva: Kalasa-jaladhou adhvarE vaapi YasyA

sTAnam YasyA: sarasijavanam VishNuvaksha: sTalam vaa
bhUmA YasyA: bhuvanamakhilam Devi dhivyam padham vaa
sthOka-praj~nai: anavadhi guNAsthUyasE Saa kaTam ThvAm
Meaning:
Oh Mother Perum Devi! The places of Your avathAram are the Milky Ocean and the Yaaga SaalA of Janaka Rishi. Your places of residences are
the lotus ponds and Your Lord's chest. All the worlds (both Nithya VibhUthi and LeelA VibhUthi) are Your wealth. It is impossible therefore to
assess the greatness of Your vast wealth; when it is so, how can men of limited intellect attempt to praise Your glories adequately. It is ofcourse
impossible.
Extended Observations on the passages of this SlOkam:

anavadhi guNA Saa Thvam sthOka praJ~nai: kaTam sthUyasE?.
This bewilderment is an echo of Swamy AlavanthAr's statement in the first slOkam of his ChathusslOki: Bhagavathy! BhrUma: kaTam ThvAm
vayam?. PurushOtthaman is Your Consort. The king of serpents is Your bed. Garudan, whose body is constituted by all the Vedams is Your
transport and throne. Prakruthy, which bewitches the world is serving as a screen for You. How can we attempt to describe adequately Your
limitless glories? .
Swamy Desikan implies that Her glories are beyond our power to ulogize. (2) Swamy Desikan's line of logic is: Oh Perum Devi! I engage in
praising You. Is it proper for me to evaluate Your vaibhavams? How lofty is Your place of birth How lofty is Your chosen places of residence?
How immense is the magnitude of Your wealth? How great are Your auspicious GuNams? How can adiyEn think of coming to terms with them all
and venture to sing in praise of Your unlimited Vaibhavam? (BhUmA) You took Your avathAram first in the Milky Ocean and then appeared
(aavirbhAvam) in the Yaaga Saalai of King Janaka at MiTilA nagaram. In both these manifestations, You were self-manifest and did not have to
endure garbha Vaasam like Your husband in Raama-KrishNa avathArams. One place of Your residence, the Lotus pond, is known for its natural
fragrance and purity. The other place of residence of Yours is the sacred chest of Your Lord. There is no one who can claim to have those lofty
sTAnams (places of residence). All the wealths of this world (LeelA VibhUthi) and the Supreme abode (Nithya VibhUthi / SrI Vaikuntam) are
under Your rulership. Your anantha KalyANa guNams are beyond anyone's grasp. Each of these many guNams is difficult to comprehend and
describe. Thus in every aspect, Your matchless glories defy eulogizing. How can adiyEn oflimited intellect attempt to praise adequately Your
Vaibhavam rooted in Your anavadhi guNams (limitless auspicious attributes)?
(3) Swamy Desikan identifies himself as a sthOka Praj~nan or a person of limited intellect. SthOka means little or small. Praj~nA means intuitive
wisdom or gnosis. It is customary for poets to acknowledge their disqualifications when they engage in sthuthis about BhagavAn and His Devi,
MahA Lakshmi.
4) Swamy Desikan chooses the word BhUmaa in this slOkam:

BhUmA yasyA bhuvanam akhilam
Meaning of this passage:

He who has plenitude is infinite bliss. BhumA means plentitude. It is the opposite of alpa or little. It is about the immensity (limitless) auspicious
(KalyANa) guNams: It is about the abundant kalyANa guNams of Mother Lakshmi and Her BhUmA. Sri Devi is the aasrayam (abode) for this
abundance (vaipulyam). She is therefore Such is the glory of Sri DEvi celebrated in the 2nd slOkam of SrI Sthuthi.
3rd SlOkam: SthOthavyathvam ---- For fulfilment of what one desires

sthOthavyathvam disathy Bhavathee dEhina: sthUyamAnA
thAmEva ThvAm anathiragathy : sthOthum aaSamsamAna:
siddhArambha : sakala bhuvana slAganeeyO bhavEyam
sEvApEksha Tava charaNayO: srEyasE kasya na syAth ?
Meaning:
Oh SrI DEvi! When the sentient beings (dEhina:) praise You with bhakthi, the whole world celebrates them for that good deed. It is indeed
Yourself, who grants them the glory of being recognized by others for their good intention and execution of the deed of praising You. adiyEn has
no refuge except You. AdiyEn is eager to eulogize You of such stupendous glories. adiyEn has no doubt about my efforts becoming fruitful.
adiyEn will attain the glory of being recognized by the people of this world for my sthuthi. There is no surprise here. Who indeed will not gain all
mangaLams, when he or she holds on to Your sacred feet and eulogize you. Therefore, adiyEn is also going to be blessed by You. Even if adiyEn
does not have the Jn~Anam and sakthi to praise You in a befitting manner, the very desire to praise You will give me the power to complete this
effort and shower adiyEn with all mangaLams.
Additional Observations on the Third slOkam: There are three threads of thought here.
1) Bhavathee dEhibhi: sthUyamAnA sthOthvyathvam disathy.

Oh SrI Devi! As the people praise You with steadfastnees and Bhakthi, You bless them in turn to be recognized by others and also be praised by
the latter.
Oh SrI Devi! You elevate those who eulogize You and make them become objects of praise by others. Those who eulogize You gain an exalted
status as a result of Your anugraham.
2) ThAmm ThvAmEva anitara gathi: sthOthum aasamsamAna: siddha Aarambha: sakala-bhuvana-slAganeeya: bhavEyam 2.1: ThAmm
ThvAmm: These are two words with immense evocative power in the context of SrI Devi's vaibhavam!
ThAmm ThvAmmEva in Tamil means appERppatta UnnayE (of You alone with such kalyANa guNams). Continuing in Tamil, one can ask
AvaL
yeppERpattavaL? (of what special auspicious attributes does She have to be singled out?).
Those mahimais and Vaibhavams are MaanAthetha PraTitha vibhavam (limitless and celebrated). The whole Lakshmi Sahasra Naamam, SrI
Sooktham and Lakshmi Tantram are attempts at paying their tributes to those celebrated guNams of the divine Consort of the Lord known as
SrI.
Those Two words used by Swamy Desikan (Thaamm ThvAmm) open up thus
a floodgate of remembrances about Her Vaibhavam.
2.2: Swamy Desikan continues: (ThAmm ThvAmEva) anithara gathi:

sthOthum aasamsamAna:. Swamy Desikan adds yEva after ThAmm ThvAmm to emphasize that he wishes to eulogize Her and Her alone.
Why so? Swamy Desikan explains that he is one with anithara gathi (as one with no other refuge to seek for protection = vERu puhal
aRRavanAhiya naann). AdiyEn wishes hence to praise You alone (ThvAmEva sthOuthum aasamsamAna:).
2.3: siddhArambha: sakala bhuvana SlAganeeya: bhavEyam: Oh Bhagavathi! May adiyEn's fledgling efforts to praise You be fulfilled (siddha
aarambha:). May adiyEn as a result of such efforts to eulogize You become (bhavEyam) worthy of praise by the entire world (sakala bhuvana
slAganeeyam). Thou art: PrArTaneenAm prajAnAm SrEyOmoorthy. Therefore this mangaLam of keerthi landing on me as Your eulogizer is
bound to come adiyEn's way. Swamy Desikan gives another reason why such boon will come his way in the concluding section of this slOkam.
He asks there a rhetoric question, which has the built-in answer.
3) Rhetoric Question Tava charaNayO: sEvA apekshA kasya srEyasE na syAth?. Oh KalyANa Dhaayini! Oh Svasthi dakshiNA! Oh Sarva
ManthrAthmikE ! For those, who wish to perform Kaimkaryam to You (Tava CharaNayO: sEvA apEshA chEtanasya), why would not
auspiciousness come their way (kasya na syAth) . Answer: Ofcourse, all mangaLams including the Keerthi (fame) as the eulogizer of SrI DEvi will
come their way. After this introduction, Swamy Desikan enters into the detailed Sthuthi of SrI Devi.
Birth of Mahalakshmi

agrE bharthu: sarasijamayE bhadhrapeeDE nishaNNAM
ambhOrASEradhigatha sudhA samplavAth utthiTAm ThvAm
pushpAsAra-sTakthitha bhuvanai: pushkalAvarthakAdhyai:
klupthArambhA: kanaka kalasair-abhyashinjan gajEndhrA:
2. adhigatha sudhA samplavAth (ambhOrASE: utthiTAm) = from the Milky Ocean, that on churning by the Lord gave rise to the nectar for the
DevAs and eNNamudhu (nectar among females, MahA Lakshmi) for the enjoyment of the Lord.
1 . bharthu: agrE sarasijamayE bhadra peeDE nishaNNAm ThvAm =

She sat on the throne of a thousand petalled lotus right in front of Her Lord.
3. What happened thereafter?:
Svayamvara Uthsavam took place and as PoorvAngam, a sacred bath was performed by the famous clouds like PushkalAvartakam. ThvAm
pushpa aasAra sTakitha bhuvanai: PushkalAvartaka aadhyai: = The ushkalAvartaka mEgam and its companions poured down the rain of flowers
from he sky that almost covered the world.
4. What was the next event on this joyous occasion?: The eight guardian elephants of the world like IrAvadham, PuNDareekam collected the
sacred waters from their quarters and perfomed Thirumanjanam for the Divine consort of the Lord. klupatha aarambhA: kanaka kalasai:
abhyashinjan =
The Clouds started the downpour of flowers and concluded their reverential offerings. The guardian elephants from the eight directions continued
with the next step. The aarambham (beginning) was from the clouds and the continuation (kluptham) was by the Elephants. They held on their
trunks golden vessels full of the sacred
During that ancient time when Your Lord churned the Milky Ocean to bring out the nectar for the DevAs, You arose from the flood of nectar and
sat opposite Your Lord on the auspicious throne of a Lotus flower. The great clouds showered on You their downpour of flowers that made the
world almost disappear. The activities of the clouds were followed by the elephants of the eight quarters that performed the sacred bath ceremony
for Her as the Patta Mahishi for Your Lord with the waters held in golden vessels. The crowning ceremony as Sarva LOkEswari was started by
the PushkalA-vartakam clouds and concluded by the ashta dhig gajams to the accompaniment of the Veda Manthrams by the Maharishis
assembled to enjoy the MahOthsavam.
After the Thirumanjanam, Samudhra Raajan presented his daughter with silken garments laced with gold. VaruNan presented Her with Vyjayanthi
garland. ViswakarmA presented Her with many specially made AabharaNams. Saraswathy Devi presented MahA Lakshmi with a strand of
pearls;
Brahma dEvan presented Her with the golden Lotus; The kings of snakes prsented Her with a set of ear rings (Kundalams).
Through such acts, they were desirous of gaining Lakshmi KatAksham MahA Lakshmi took the Vyjayanthi Maalai in Her hands and walked
towards the Lord to choose Him as Her Lord in that Svayamvaram on the banks of the Milky Ocean.Sri NaarAyaNeyam describes beautifully
MahA Lakshmi placing the flower garland around the neck of Sriman Narayanan to choose Him as Her Lord: giriSadhruhiNAdhi sarvadEvAn
guNabhAjAapyavimuktha dhOshalEsAn avamrusya sadhaiva sarvaramyE nihithA Thvayyanayaapi dhivyamAlA -- Dasakam 28, 7th SlOkam
14th SlOkam: AalOkyathvAm --- For neutralization of Curses

anvya Karamam=Prose order):
Amrutha SahajE! You are the sister of Nectar who appeared along with the Nectar from the Milky Ocean! Saapa AakrAnthA: sAvarhOdhA: sura
indhirA: The accursed gods resorted to You and regained their prosperity, which became permanent in all aspects.
Indhran offended Sage DhurvAsa at one time. The enraged sage cursed Indhran and all his subjects to loose their Iswaryam. The asurAs gained
the wealth of Indhran and the DevAs. Indhran shrank in power and was soundly defeated by the asuras. Indhran arrived with Brahma, Sivan and
all the DevAs to the Milky Ocean and sought the refuge of Sriman Narayana. EmperumAn commanded the dEvAs to churn the Milky ocean with
the AsurAs and offered to help in gaining nectar from that ocean to give immortality to the DEvAs, freedom from fear from the asurAs and regain
their lost wealth. When the amrutha maTanam was over, MahA Lakshmi arose from the Ocean seated on a lotus flower in front of Her Lord and
the DEvAs. Sri DEvi was crowned the Empress of the world and She took Her seat on the chest of the Lord.With Her auspicious glances, She
nullified the curse of DhurvAsa and restored the Iswaryams that Indhra had lost before. DevAs are enjoying their wealth and bhOgams even
today thanks to the power of those auspicious glances of Sri DEvi.
Saapa AakrAnthA: (overpowered with sadness from the curse of Sage DhurvAsa) sAvarOdhA: Sura IndhrA: (the celebrated dEvAs along with
their wives) arrived (agaman) in front of You seated on the chest of Your Lord. All of them saw You and prostrated before You and sought You as
refuge (VishNu VakshasTalAm ThvAm aalOkya SaraNam agaman). You looked at the sad dEvAs with Your auspicious glances and blessed
them to gain back all the three worlds that they had lost as a result of the sage's curse (Thvath KatAkshai: lakshitham idham thribhuvanam
bhUya: laBdhvA). Due to the anugraha sakthi of SrI DEvi, the dEvAs enjoy imperishable Iswaryam of every kind (Sarva AakAra sTira
samudhAyAm sampadham nirvisanthy) even today.
VishNu vakshalasTAm ThvAm

AalOkya SaraNam agaman. Thvath katAkshai:
lakshitham idham thribhuvanam bhUya: laBdhvA,
sarva AakAra sTira samudhayAm sampadham nirvisanthy.
Oh Amrutha SahOdhari! The best among the DevAs along with their wives performed SaraNAgathys to You, who is seated in the temple of the
Lord's sacred chest. They
resorted to You to for the removal of the curse of Sage DhurvAsaa that led to the loss of their wealth and positions. The result of their
SaraNAgathy to You was their regaining of their former positions and Iswaryam. Your benevolent glances have blessed them with the restoration
of rulership over the three universes and enjoyment of eternal wealth.
Glory of Mahalakshmi

yath-sankalpAth bhavathi KamalE yathra dEhinyameeshAm
janma-sTEma-praLaya rachanA jangamAjangamAnAm
tath kalyANam kimapy yaminAm yEka lakshyam samAdhou
poorNam tEja: sphurathy bhavathee paadhalAkshA rasAngam
Oh KamalE! MahA Devi! Your Lord has many Vaibhavams:
(1) He has the sentients and the insentients as His Sareeram and stays inside them as their antharAthmaa (indweller = antharyAmi Brahmam).
(2) His sankalpa sakthi is behind His acts of creation, protection and dissolution of the Universe, which are just leelAs for Him. (3) He stays as the
most auspicious One and confers auspiciousness on all the auspicious vasthus. They become auspicous because of His MangaLa Svaroopam.
(4) The Yogis control their senses through His anugraham (practise of AshtAnga yOgam) and are blessed to visualize His dhivya MangaLa
vigraham inside their heart lotuses.(5) He stays as ParipoorNa Nambi everywhere and every thing through His unique Svaroopam (inherent
nature) and matchles kalyANa guNams.
Oh Mother MahA Lakshmi! You stay on the chest of this tEjOmaya Moorthy without ever leaving that place of residence of Yours. Not for a
fraction of a second do you stay away from that cherished home of Yours. You confer on Him the name of SrinivAsan through Your residence. He
welcomes the contact of the red dye adorning Your sacred feet as His defining mark. That red dye enhances His natural beauty further. As a
defining sign (lakshaNam), that red dye associated with Your Thiruvadi becomes the reason for all of His unique vaibhavam .The Upanishads
take their cue from that lakshaNam and eulogize Him as the Supreme Being. You are thus the root cause behind all the glories of Your Lord. Oh
SrI Devi! That is Your glory!
She resides on the chest of this ParamAthmA engaged in many vyApArams through His Sankalpa Balam. Her feet are decorated with a radiant
red lacquer dye. That rubs on the chest of the Lord, when She moves and leaves a mark of Her presence. All the glories of the Lord arise from
Her presence on His chest and Her presence in turn is revealed by the mark of the red dye from Her Thiruvadi. The VedAnthAs recognize Him
from that lakshaNam and eulogize Him as the Supreme Being based on that revelation. She is the auspiciousness behind our Lord's
auspiciousness. She is SrI and He is SrInivAsan. That is how He is recognized and
revered says the 4th SlOkam.
11th SlOkam: DhatthE SObhAm --- for gaining Her Lord's anugraham
dhatthE sObhAm Hari-marakathE ThAvakee moorthyrAdhyA
tanvee tunga-sthanabhara-nathA taptha- jamBhUnadhAbhA
yasyAm gacchanti udaya-vilayair-nithyam Aanandha-sindhou
icchA vegOllasitha laharee vibramam vyaktayasthE
Meaning according to Dr. M. NarasimhAchAry:
1. dhatthE SObhA Hari MaragathE Thavakee Moorthy: AadhyA,

Your (ThAvakee) primordial (AadhyA) Moorthy: (ThirumEni /Sacred body) has the lustre (SObhA) of Molten gold (taptha JaamBhunatha) Hari-
maragathE nithyAm sObhAm dhatthE: to the emerald like ThirumEni of Your Lord (Hari-marakathE nithyam sObhAm dhatthE). Your slender
form bright like molten gold shines to advantage in association with Lord Hari, the Emerald.
2. Your waist is slender like a creeper (tanvee); it is slightly bent (nathA) due to the weight of Your breasts (tunga sthana bhara).
3. YasyAm gacchanthy udhaya-vilayai: nithyam Aanandha sindhou, icchA vEga ullasitha laharee vibhramam vyakthayas-thE Aanandha Sindhou
(in that ocean of bliss of Your Para Roopam), yasyAm tE vyakthaya: (Your avathAra ThirumEnis) make their appearances (udhayai:) and
disappearances (vilayai:). tE vyakthaya: (those avathAra ThirumEnis of Yours) icchA vEga (propelled by the speed of Your sankalpam) attain
(gacchanthy) the status of the rising waves (ullasitha laharee vibhramam gacchanthy). Vibhramam means the leelai (sport). Ullasitha means
arising. The speed of sankalpam (icchA vEgam) causes the sport (vibhramam) of rapidly rising waves (ullasitha laharee vibhramam gacchanthy).
Your manifestations appear and disappear according to Your will, like waves of Your primordial form, which is like an ocean of Bliss.
Your sacred body has a slender waist and full breasts that make You slightly bent. Your body hue is like freshly molten gold and that compliments
the emerald green lustre of Your Lord. That Supreme vigraham of Yours is the source for the appearance and disappearance of all Your
incarnations driven by Your desire (icchA siddha avathArams); that phenomenon reminds adiyEn of the beauty of the waves of the Ocean that
form and disappear in an orderly manner from the ocean of bliss, Your primordial form.
Oh MahA DEvi! The divine body that Your Lord has is known as Para Roopam. That sacred body is known as the source of all of His avathAra
ThirumEnis as Raama and KrishNa. That Para Roopam is thus the primordial source for His other incarnations. In a similar vein, You have also a
unique Para roopam. That roopam has the radiance of the molten gold. Your waist in that roopam is like a slender creeper. Your whole body is
slightly bent in that Para roopam from the weight of your heavy breasts. Since Your avathAra thirumEnis (sacred forms) arise from this para
Roopam, latter is the primordial source for forms taken during Your different incarnations to accompany Your Lord at the time of His various
avathArams. Because of Your presence with the golden hue on the chest of Your Lord having the hue of the dark green Emerald gem, His sacred
body (ThirumEni) attains a special kind of beauty. Your ThirumEni is of the form of Bliss. One can indeed visualize it as an ocean of Bliss. From
the speed of Your sankalpam, from time to time, Your divine avathAra forms arise from that ocean of Bliss. Those avathAra ThirumEnis complete
the tasks of the individual avathArams and disappear into the Para Roopam again. When one reflects on this phenomenon, one is reminded of a
powerful wind that causes the appearance and disappearance of many waves from the ocean. Your Para roopam is that oceean (of Bliss). Your
sankalpam is that powerful wind. Your vathAra ThirumEnis are indeed the waves that form and disappear.

AapannArtthi prasamana vidhau bhaddha-dheekshasya VishNO:
Aachakyus ThvAm priya-sahachareem aikamatyOpapannAm
PrAthurbhAvair-api sama tanu: PrAdhvam anveeyasE Thvam
dhUrOthkshipthair-iva madhurathA dhugdharsEs-tarangai:
Meaning :
1. VishNu: Aapanna Aarthi prasamana vidhou bhaddha dheeksha: Your Lord VishNu has taken a vow to quench the heat of sorrows
(Prasamana vidhi) for those who experience danger (Aapath) which in turn leads to suffering (Aarthi). His vow is Aapanna Aarthi Prasamanam
(Coming to the rescue of those bhakthAs, who are in distress due to the dangers to which they are exposed like GajEndhran).
2. VishNO: ThvAm iykamathya upapannAm Priya-sahachareem Aachakyu: The VedAs reveal that the Lord recognizes You as the dear dharma
Pathni (fellow observer of Dharmam as His divine consort) and as One who has identical views on Bhaktha rakshaNam. Ikamathya upapannAm
means with unison of thought.
3. Thvam PrAthurbhAvai: api sama tanu: prAdhvam anveeyasE: Oh SrI DEvi! You follow Your Lord in all His avathArams with an appropriate
form
4. Thvam dhUra uthkshiptha dhugdharASE: tarangai: madhurathA iva (asi): Oh Sri DEvi! You are like the persisting sweetness of the waves of
the milky Ocean, which started from a very long distance to reach the shore. During all that long passage to the shore, the waves of the milky
ocean never got disassociated from their intrinsic sweetness.
Oh MahA Devi! Your Lord has taken a vow (Vratha dheekshai), (i-e)., to quench the sorrow of anyone, who experiences the SamsAric sorrows.
For Him, this act is like a Yaagam, where a dheekshai is taken. It is required that one who performs any Yag~nam has to have his wife
(SahadharmachAriNi) next to him during the performance of that Yag~nam. As the dearest consort of Your Lord and as One, who has taken the
sankalpam with Him to remove the sorrows of the ChEthanams, You contribute immensely to the successful completion of this Yag~nam. If You
were not next to Him, Your Lord could not perform this Yag~nam. VedAs reveal this tatthvam. Your Lord takes on the avathArams of Raama and
KrishNa et al. At all those times, You accompany Your Lord as SithA, RukmaNi et al . You assist Your Lord to perform His duties of protection
(dharma samrakshaNam). You never ever leave His side. The waves of the Milky Ocean travel a long distance to the shore, where DEvAs stay
and pray. Independent of the huge distance these waves travel, the sweetness associated with those waves does not leave them and is always
present. Similarly, When Your Lord leaves the distant Sri Vaikuntham to descend to this Karma BhUmi to carry out His missions of any particular
avathAram, You take on an appropriate avathAram and assist Him with an identical mind set. The sweetness will not stand disassociated from
the Milky Ocean under any circumstance.
PerumAl can save us but He cannot be accessed by sinners like us through His AarAdhanam requiring niyamam. For those of us exposed to
many such dangers and suffer, Oh Lakshmi, You alone are our refuge. Through Your katAksham (glances) alone, You quench the heat of
SamsAric sufferings.
nishprathyUha praNaya gaDitham Devi nithyAnapAyam

VishNus-Thvam chEthyanavadhi guNam dhvandhavam anyOnya lakshayam
Seshascchittham vimalamanasAm mouLayasccha SrutheenAm
sampadhyanthE viharaNa vidhou Yasya SayyA viSEshaa :
Meaning:
1. Oh Periya PirAtti! You and Your Lord are always together as a matchless inseperable pair. You as a pair are eternal in existence. Either of You
do not part with the other. The bond of uninterrupted (ever present) love between You as a pair holds You tightly together (NishprathyUha
PraNaya gaDitham).
2. There are no limits to each of Your kalyANa guNams. You two are introduced in relation to the other. Your Lord is introduced as Sriya: Pathi
and You are introduced as VishNu Pathni.
3. There are three preferred places for You both for play and to rest in nidhrA Yogam. These are; (1) at the bed of Adhi Seshan (2) on the heart
lotuses of pure minded yOgis meditating on You both always and (3) On the top of VedAnthams (Upanishads), which always praise both of Your
Vaibhavams.

uddhEsyathvam Janani bhajathO: ujjithOpaadhi gandham
pratyakroopE havishu YuvayO : yEksEshithva yOgAth
PadhmE pathyu: Tava cha nigamai: nithyam anvishyamANO
nAvacchEdham bhajathy mahimA nartayan maanasam na:
1. During the time of BharanyAsam (Prapatthi), both Yourself and Your Consort are addressed and are offered the oblation (havis) of JeevAthmA
in the homam performed. [In the ordinary Yaagams of the world, oblations (Ghee, PurODAsam et al) from the performer of the Yaagam are
offered to the different dEvathAs such as Agni, Indhran, Sooryan and others in homa roopam. The dEvathai for whom the Havis is intended is
known as the UddhEsyan (One who is deemed fit to receive such Havis); That dEvathai receives the Havis and becomes delighted. That Havis
making the dEvathai happy is known as sEsham and the Devathai that received the Havis is described as Seshi for that Havis.] Lord accepting
the Havis of Aathma during extraordinary Yaagam of BharanyAsam: Prapatthi performed by the chEtanams is also a Yaagam. In this
extraordinary Yaagam, aathmA is presented to the Lord (EmperumAn) as the Havis. EmperumAn
for whom the Havis is intended recieves that Havis of AthmA with delight as the eshi for that Prapatthi Yaj~nam. EmperumAn becomes
UddhEsyan and SEshi in that Prapatthi Yaj~nam just as the DevAs like Indhran et al take on the role of UddhEsyan and Seshi for the other kinds
of Havis.
[
2. This is so because of the homogeneous, Integrated and unified

way in which both of You stand as One (yEka sEshithvam) to receive such offerings.
4. Our minds dance with Joy over both of You and Your vaibhavams, which are beyond the power of the Vedams to describe adequately.

ThvAmEvAhu: kathichith aparE Thvath-Priyam LokanATam
kim thair-antha: kalaha-malinai: kimchith utterya magnai:
Thvath Sampreetyai viharathy Harau sammukheenAm SrutheenAm
bhAvArUDhau Bhagavathy ! YuvAm Dampathee dhaivatham na:
Meaning :
1. Bhagavathy! Some say that You are the Supreme (PradhAnam). Others say Your Lord is the PradhAnam. Bhagavathy! kathichith ThvAm
yEva aahu: (Some aver that You alone are the Iswari / Supreme Being and the Empress of the World) .aparE Thvath Priyam LokanATam aahu:
(Others insist that it is Your dear husband, who is the SarvEswaran).
2) These opposing groups dispute each other and get up and fall down (antha: kalaha malinai: kinchith uttheerya magnai:) . What is the use of
these disputants? (kim Thai:?) . Let these people with such diametrically opposite views quarrel like those who climb and fall. Let these little men,
who quarrel among themselves after they arrive at an auspicious matter, do what they please!
3. Your dear husband performs all the Leelais (Srushti, RakshaNam and SamhAram) to gladden Your heart (Thvath sampreethyai: Viharathy
Hari:). Indeed, Your Lord engages in the sport of Creation of the Universe etc for Your delight. When He does all these for Your pleasure, both of
You residing at the center of Sruthis
4. The VedAs focusing on Hari have the core conviction that You as the Couple (Husband and Wife) are our Para DEvathai (Harou
SammukeenAm srutheenAm bhAva aarUdau, Dampathy YUVAAM na: DHAIVATHAM).For us, the Divine Couple, both of you are our Para
Devathi. During the performance of Prapatthi, One has to accept both of You as UpAyam (means) for the offering of the AathmA. Therefore, One
has to have BOTH OF YOU as the target to offer the AathmA as the Havis and THUS conclude the Prapatthi Yaj~nam successfully. As a fruit of
that offering, the Muktha Jeevan should perform Nithya Kaimkaryam to BOTH OF YOU at Your Supreme abode. Both of You together shine as
upAyam and phalan.

pasyantheeshu Sruthishu paritha: soori-BrundhEna sArdham
madhyE kruthya thriguNa phalakam nirmitha-sTAna bhEdham
VisvAdheesa PraNayini ! sadhA vibrama-dhyUthavrittau
BrahmEsAdhyA dhadhathi yuvayOr-akhasAra-prachAram
2. Both of You play a game of chess with the chess board marked by different colored squares. This game is played by both of You on the chess
board clearly marked by the three guNams (hues) of Moola Prakruthi (Satthva, Rajas and Tamas). Its sixtyfour squares are alternatively painted
with the colors of hite or Red or Black (nirmitha sTAna bhEdham thriguNa phalakam).
1. The VedAs, Nitya Suris and ever-liberated souls watch this game. Who are the bemused and cheering spectators in this divine chess game?
On the our sides of the chess Board are the assembly of NithyAs and MukthAs as well as the VedAs, who witness always this most fascinating
game played strictly according to the rules (Sruthishu, soori brundhEna paritha: sadhA pasyantheeshu) by the Dhivya Dampahtis.
3. Watched by the nithya Sooris and others, Your chess game with Your Lord nown as Viswa Srushti takes place; The pawns used in this game
are Brahma, Rudra and other DevAs. Swamy Desikan addresses SrI Devi here as ViswAdheesa PraNayini. Oh Periya PirAtti, who has the right
to Your Lord's love! Your Lord is SarvEswaran (the Emperor of all) and You are the SarvEswari (Empress of All). ence both of You are equally
matched for loving the other and display Vaathsalyam and PraNayam between Yourselves.
Both of You are engaged in playing the game of Chess: YuvayO: vibhrama dyUtha vrutthi:. Vibhrama: means playful. dhyUtha vrutthi: means
the game of Chess. This is a royal game.
4. The dices are the KarmAs of the DevAs. As a result of the roll o the dices, the positions of the devAs go up or down or sideways and they
attain new positions based on the sweep of their KarmAs. The dhivya dampathis play this game with great amusement ((Idham) dhUtha vrutthau,
Brahma-Isa aadhyA: akshaSAra prachAram dhadhathi). akshaSAram is the dice that is rolled. PrachAram is the movement from sTAnam to
sTAnam (Position to position on the Chess Board). PrachAram dhadhathi means they experience these position changes on the chess Board of
Moola Prakruthi. In other words, Both of You amuse Yourselves by assigning Brahma, Siva, IndhrAdhi DEvAs to appropriate positions
SrI Devi plays this extraordinary game of chess in a concordant manner with Her ord and the movements in that game determines the
assignments for the DEvAs like BrahmA, Rudhra, IndhrA and others.
8th SlOkam: AsyEsAnaa---For destruction of One's sins and attaining Mukti

asyEsAnA Thvamasi Jagatha: samSrayanthee Mukundham
LakshMee: Padhmaa jaladhi-tanayaa VishNupathnee IndhirEthi
YannAmAni Sruthi-paripaNAni yEvam aavartayanthO
naavartanthE dhurithapavana-prErithE janmachakrE
Meaning
1. Your Lord is the Emperor for this prapancham. A The VedAs declare that You are the Empress to the prapancham constitued by the
chEtanams and achEtanams s the Lord's consort, you obey His commands. Out of Your matchless compassion for the suffering souls, You
approach Your Lord (Thvam Mukundham samsrayanthy) and intercede for them, remove the dhOshams that stand in the way of their Moksham,
secure the Lord's pledge to forgive the trespasses of them (the sinners), be there during the time of aasrayaNam (Prapatthi) and as the Saha
dharmachAriNi of Your Lord accept the Havis of Aathma with Your Lord and bless the Yaj~nam. The soul gains Moksha sukham. You become
the Iswari of the Jagath (asya Jagatha: IsAnA asi) as a result of these compassionate deeds.
2. You are known by different celebrated names such as Lakshmi, Padmaa, Jaladhi-tanayaa (daughter of the Ocean), VishNu Pathnee and
Indhiraa,
3. Yath nAmAni Evam aavartayantha: janma chakrE na aavartantE. By repeating these powerful names that are sacred, the chEtanams get
freed from their sins and develop a ruchi for Moksham. This propels them to perform Prapatthi and become blessed with apunarAvruthi (non
return to this world), the Parama PurushArTam.Those who repeat these sacred names of Yours will not be caught up in the wheel of SamsAram
moved around by the mighty wind of Sins. They wont get sucked into this harrowing wheel of births and deaths driven by the mighty winds of
SamsAram.
These names of SrI Devi are the Moola dhanam / seed capital /core funds for the Vedams (YannAmAni Sruthi paripaNAni). Therefore, these
names are like capital (Moola) dhanam for them. When one recites them as Japam, their sins are driven away and that leads to the birth of desire
in Moksham. Next, they perform Prapatthi and gain Moksha Siddhi.
4. Until they began to recite Your NaamAs, the chEtanams were being buffeted by the horrible winds of SamsAram and were experiencing the
repeated cycles of births and deaths (dhuritha pavana prErithE janma chakrE aavartanthE). It was a hopeless situation. Once they began to
repeat Her NaamAs as Taaraka, Poshaka Mantram they never got caught up in the wheel of SamsAram (Janma chakrE na aavartanthE).

AasamsAram vithathamakhilam vAngmayam yadhvibhUthi:
yadhbhrUbhangAth kusumadhanusha: kimkarO MerudhanvA
yasyAm nithyam nayana sathakai: yEkalakshyO MahEndhra:
PadhmE thAsAm pariNathirasou bhAva lESai:Thvadheeyai:
1. Oh MahA Lakshmi! The forms of all divine speech (Vaangmayam) and the swaryam (VibhUthi:) resulting from them -- starting from Creation
(Aasamsaaram) and extending all over the entire universe (vithatham akhilam) -- are under the control of Saraswathy Devi (AasamsAram
vithatham akhilam vaangmayam yadhvibhUthi:)
2. MahEswara Rudran, who had the Meru mountain as His bow (Meru dhanvA) became the target and servant of Manmathan --- the one with the
flowers as His arrows (Kusuma dhanusha:) --- as a reult of the narrowing of the brows of Parvathi, his wife (Meru dhanvA, Yadh bhrUbangAth
Kusuma dhanusha: kinkara: bhabhUva).
3. Indhran, the king of DevAs (MahEndhra:) is under the total control of IndhrANi, His SaamrAjya Lakshmi and is focusing his hundreds of eyes
(nayana sathakai:) on her always (nithyam) as his single target (yEka lakshyam). He is under her total influence.
(4) For all these three consorts of exalted DEvAs (Saraswathi, Parvathi and IndhrANi), the glories of their power over their husbands arises from
the infinitesimal portion of Your anugraha sakthi. You are the reason behind their maturation and powers: ThaasAm (For them) asou (this)
pariNathi: (maturation and power)
Blessings of Mahalakshmi
15th SlOkam: AarthathrANa -- For destruction of sorrows and fears and sakala Iswaryams
15. SRI STHUTHI SLOKAM 15
Aarta-thrANa vrathibhi: amritAsAra-neelAmbhuvAhai:
ambhOjAnAm ushasi mishatAm antarangair-apAngai:
yasyAm yasyAm diSi viharatE Devi! drushti: ThvadheeyA
tasyAm tasyAm ahamahamikaam tanvatE sampadhOghA:
Devi! Aartha thrANa vrathibhi:

Oh Divine Consort of our Lord! You are an Aartha-thrANa Vrathy and as such You are committed to wipe away the tears of Your suffering
children.
Those compassionate glances of this Aartha thrANa vrathy roam in all directions to recognize the suffering children
amrutha AasAra neela ambhu vaahai:,

When Your beautiful glances fall on any one of these suffering people, it is like being drenched in the showers of nectar from a rain bearing cloud
ushasi mishathAm ambhOjAnAm antharangai:, apAngai:,

Oh DEvi! Your glances are like the blossoming red lotus at dawn.
They have vowed to protect the afflicted. They are like the blue clouds raining nectar. The glances from those dayA-laden eyes are beautiful like
the lotus flower (ambhOjAnAm) blossoming in the morning (ushasi mishathAm) and those glances have a close friendship (antharangai:
apAngai:) to the Lotus flower.
yasyAm yasyAm diSi ThvadheeyA: dhrushti viharathE, tasyAm tasyAm sampadh OghA: ahamahamikAm tanvathE.
The key message of this slOkam is: wherever the beautiful glances of MahA Lakshmi roam/rest, the flood of wealth showers in all those
directions. The different kinds of wealth compete with each other to be there first. Whichever directions these auspicious glances fall, in all those
directions, the flood of wealth competes with each other to be there first. That miracle is the competitive rushing of the different floods of wealth
(SampadhOgA:), wherever Her glances have fallen (TasyAm tasyAm diSi sampadhOgA: ahamahamikAm tanvathE).
5) These different categories of wealth rush to be there first, where MahA Lakshmi's glances have fallen. Naann munthy Neen munthy
(ahamahamikAm) is the pattern of the race among these wealths to fulfil the command of their Mistress.
16th SlOkam: yOgArambha ---- For Spritual Kainkaryam

yOgArambha thvaritha manasO yushmadhaikAnthya-yuktam
dharmam prApthum praTamamiha yE dhArayanthE dhanAyAm
tEshAm bhoomEr-dhanapathi-grihAdh-amBarAd amBhudhErvaa
dhArA niryAnthi adhikam adhikam vaanchithAnAm vasUnAm
iha = in this world

yE= those
yOga Aarambha= who wish to commence Yogic activities
thvaritha manasa: = with eagerness of mind,
Yushmadh = of You both
EikAnthya yuktham = with the quality of single mindedness dharmam prApthum = for performing dharmic activities like Yaagam,
praTamam = first (approach to)
danAyAm dhArayanthE = seek wealth
tEshAm = for them
BhUmE:vaa =from the Earth
dhanapathy gruhAth vaa = or from the palace of KubErA
amBharAth vaa = or from the sky
amBhudhE: vaa = or from the Ocean
vaanchithAnAm vasUnAm = the wealth desired by them
dhArA: the flow (of such wealth)
adhikam adhikam niryAthy = grows more and more.
Some people need wealth to start Karma yOgA, which ultimately generates bhakthi towards You. For them, riches will stream out bounteously
from the earth, from the house of KubErA, from the sky and from the Ocean.
For those who wish to engage in bhakthi yOga and want to follow angams of
ParamaikAnthy dharmams with the help of some wealth, the needed wealth will flow like flood from the earth as a treasure or from KubhErA's
house or from the sky or from the ocean.
Oh Sri DEvi! Some ParamaikAnthis want to practise Bhakthi yOgam rapidly for gaining Moksham as a Phalan. They have to complete first the
angams of Karma and Jn~Ana yOgams in pursuit of Bhakthi yOgam. Further, they have to observe VarNAsrama dharmams. They have to
perform yaagams, which will need a lot of wealth to carry it out. Therefore, they wish to acquire some wealth. Being ParamaikAnthis, they will not
ask for wealth form any other dEvathAs. They will only approach You both (MahA Lakshmi and Her Divine consort). For these ParamaikAnthis,
Your anugrahams result in the accumulation of desired wealth in huge quantities. They come from anywhere and everywhere. One cannot
anticipate where those floods of wealth will reach them. It can be from the earth as a hidden treasure; it can be from the house of KubhErA; it can
be from the sky or from the ocean.
17th SlOkam: SrEyaskAmA: ---For attaining High Positions, name and fame
srEyas-kAmA: KamalanilayE chithramAamnyavaachAm
chooDApeeDam Tava padhayugam chEtasA dhArayantha:
chathracchAyA subhaga sirasa: chAmara-smEra-pArsvA:
slAgA sabdha SravaNa mudhithA: sragviNa: sancharanthy
Kamala NilayE! = Oh Lakshmi with your abode in the golden Lotus!
SrEyas-kAmA: = those who desire grand managaLams
chEthasA dhArayanthy = adorn ln their hearts
Tava Padha Yugam = Your sacred feet,
chithram chUDA PeeDam = which serves as the mysterious alankAram
AmnAya VaachAm = for the Vedic Speech.
They roam around the world with royal insignia as a result.
chathra chAyA = under the shade of (the royal white) umbrella
subhaaga sirasA = with proud heads
chAmara smEra paarSvA = with fans wafting on both sides
sragviNa: = with the decorations of (fragrant) flower garlands
slAga sabdha mudhithA: = pleased with the hearing of eulogies about them
sancharanthy = they roam the universe (as blessed chEtanams).
Those who carry Your lotus feet in their hearts will virtually become emperors on this earth, with all prosperity at their command. Your sacred feet
are wondrous head alankAram for the VedAs. Those who are blessed to hold those sacred feet in their heart for conferral of auspiciousness from
early times will have the anugraham of rulership later over the universe with the symbols of royalty: white umbrella, the chamara service and
eulogies from the people. They will travel on the streets of their kingdom with a happy state of mind and with garlands of flowers around their
shoulders.
The VedAs place Your sacred feet as head jewellery for themselves to bring them auspiciousness. Those who wish to be rulers or Emperors or
grand Lords in this universe place Your sacred feet noted for the fragrance of VedAs and meditate on them. You become pleased with their
devotion and grant them the positions that they desire. They now sit on a throne under a single white umbrella befitting their rank as yEka
ChakrAdhipathi. Servants wave the chamarams on their sides. They adorn beautiful flower garlands. They move around the world in a state of joy
listening to the eulogies by their subjects and vassals. All of these glories are a direct result of Your anugraha sakthi!
18th SlOkam: Ureekarthum ---For Satisfaction of all desires

Ureekarthum kusalam akhilam jEthum-aadheen-arAtheen
dhUrikarthum duritha nivaham thyakthum AadhyAm-avidhyAm
AmBha stamBhAvadhika janana grAma seemAntharEkhAm
AalamBhanthE vimala-manasO VishNukAnthE DayAm tE
Vimala Manasa: tE DayAm aalamBhanthE

Those with blemishless minds hold on to Your DayA as their supporting staff in their life's journey.
AmBha! = Oh Mother of the Universe!

VishNu KaanthE! = Oh dear consort of VishNu!
Vimala Manasa: = Those with a pure heart
akhilam kusalam Ureekarthum = for acquisition of all auspiciousness
Aadheen arAteen jEthum = for winning victory over old enemies (desire, anger et al)
dhuritha nivaham dhUreekarthum = for chasing away the assembly of accumulated sins.
AadhyAm avidhyAm thyakthum = for banishing the ancient nescience (avidhyA) and for gaining all these boons,
tE dayAm AalamBanthE = they hold on to Your Daya as their supporting staff
tE DayA = Your compassion forms the boundary for all on this side of your DayA
sthamBha avadhika janana grAma seemAntharEkhAm = chEtanAchEtanam from the trivial blade of grass to the mighty Brahma and the
assembly of entities in between Brahma are the beneficaries of Your DayA. It is for all of them.
Men of pure mind will resort to Your grace, which alone can make them conquer the inner enemies, remove sins, ignorance and rebirth.
Oh Lakshmi dear to our Father! Oh Mother of the Universe! Those with pure minds derive their strengths during their dEha yAthrAs by holding on
to Your incomparable DayA to (1) gain all auspiciousness (2) win over their ancient enemies of Kaamam and KrOdham (c) destroy their sins and
(d) banishing their nescience. Your divine compassion is the boundary for all lines of chEtanams from the blade of grass to the mighty dEvAs.
Oh DayA DEvi! If we consider the jeeva Raasis from the tiny blade of grass to the mighty Brahma dEvan as the boundary lines, Your divine dayA
shows the land beyond that line (demarcator). Those who have been beneficiaries of Your divine grace through the performance of an
appropriate UpAyam, cross the ocean of SamsAram and land in Moksha SaamrAjyam.
19th SlOkam: JaathAkAnkshA --- For Spiritual Kainkaryams

JaathAkAnkshA Janani YuvayOr yEkasEvAdhikArE
mAyAleeDam vibhavam akhilam manyamAnas-thruNAya
preethyai VishNOs-Tava cha kruthina: preethimanthO bhajanthE
vElAbhanga praSamana phalam Vaidhikam dharma sEthum
Kruthina: Tava VishNO: cha preethyai

Vaidhikam dharma sEthum preethimantha: bhajanthE
Janani! = Oh Mother!
kruthina: = the righteous (PuNyasAlis)
Jaatha AakAnkshaa: = desirous of
YuvayO: yEka sEvA adhikArE = performing Kaimkaryam to both of You together and recieving the phalans from such kaimkaryams,
MaayAleeDam akhilam vibhavam = consider the entire wealth of this universe
associated with prakruthy
thruNAya manyamAnA: = as trivial in value such as a blade of grass.
Tava VishNu cha preethyai = for the exclusive pleasure of Yourself and Your Lord (they engage in these kaimkaryams and nithya karmAs).
vElA bhanga praSamana phalam = (they perform these kaimkaryams) without
violating the rules of Bhagavath Saasthrams
Vaidhikam dharma sEthum preethimantha: bhajanthE = They perform these karmas sanctioned by the VedAs and protect the dam of ancient
dhramam with happiness (affection).
Blessed are the persons, who serve You both, considering all material wealth equal to a blade of grass. They adopt the vedic duties with no
deviation and thus make you both happy.
Oh Mother of the Universe! Those blessed ones, who wish to perform Kaimkaryams to You in unison with Your divine consort discard the material
wealth of this world and engage in practise of Vaidhika karmAs for pleasing You both. They perform these kaimkaryams with the resolution that
they should not swerve away from these ancient commands of Your Lord ordained in His Bhagavath Saasthrams.
For those virtous ones, who have peformed SaraNAgathy to both of You, desire arises in them to serve You both together. Propelled by that
desire (Kaimkarya ruchi), they consider all the perishable wealth of this world as worthless. The Phalan sought by their selfless kaimkaryams is
the realization of Your pleasure over their kaimkarya prApthi. Such nishkAma kaimkaryams (with Saathvika thyAgams) observed as Vaidhika
dharmams stand like a strong dam to hold the boundaries of Bhagavath Saasthrams.
20th SlOkam: sEvE Devi ! --- For gaining Moksham

sEvE Devi thridaSa mahiLA mouLi mAlArchitham tE
siddhi kshEthram Samitha vipathAm sampadhAm pAdhapadhmam
yasmin yeeshan namitha SirasO yApayithvA Sareeram
varthishyanthE vithamasi padhE VaasudEvasya dhanyA:
Yasmin yeeshath namitha Sirasa: dhanyA:Sareeram yaapayithvA VaasudEvasya PadhE VarthishyanthE

(Oh SrI Devi! Those who have performed SaraNAgathy at Your sacred feet are the most fortunate. After the dissolution of their physical body,
they reach Sri Vaikuntam of Your Lord).
Devi! = Oh SrI Devi!

thridaSa mahiLA mouLi mAlA architham = (Your feet) are worshipped with the
flower garlands adorned on the heads of the wives of the dEvAs
Samitha VipadhAm siddhi kshEthram tE Paadha padhmam sEvE = Your lotus feet are the crop yielding ground for removing dangers and
conferring Iswaryams. adiyEn prostrates before them.
Yasmin Yeeshath namitha SiraSa: dhanyA: = in front of those sacred Thiruvadis of Yours, the puNyasAlis who have performed their
SaraNAgathys stand with their heads bent in devotion
Sareeram yApayithvA = and after gaining release from their physical body at the end of their earthly lives
VaasudEvasya vitamasi padhE varthishyanthE = these PuNyasAlis reside at the Supreme abode of Para VasudEvan (SrI Vaikuntam).
Oh Divine Mother! I wait upon Your lotus feet. They are the source of all welfare. The lucky ones, who just bend a little before these feet will live in
the abode of Lord VaasudEvA, which is free from the impact of material nature.
Oh the DEvi of the DevadEvan! adiyEn prostrates before Your sacred feet which are worshipped by the Deva sthrees with garlands adorned on
their heads; Your sacred feet are the growing ground for all types of wealth. Even those, who bend before them with nama ukthi become blessed
ones and they reach Your Lord's Parama padham at the end of their lives on this earth.
Oh Periya PirAtti (MahA DEvi of Kaanchipuram)! When the dEva sthrees adorned with flower garlands on their beautiful hair prostrate before
Your sacred feet, the flowers from those garlands serve as pushpa varshams for Your worship. That is like archanA performed by them to Your
sacred feet.
My Prayer
21st SlOkam: sAnuprAsa --- For destruction of physical/mental illnesses

SaanuprAsa-prakaDitha-dayai: saandhra-Vaathsalya-dhigdhai:
AmBha! snigdhair amruthalaharee-labdha-saBrahmacharyai:
gharmE taapathraya-virachithE gADataptham kshaNam maamm
Aakinchanya-glapitham anagair AardhrayETA: kaDakshai:
The key passage of this slOkam is: amrutha-laharee kaDAkshai: Aakinchanya

glapitham maamm kshaNam AardhrEyaTA: (Oh Mother! With Your glances laden
with the flow of life-giving nectar, please cool this defenseless one suffering from the
scorching samsAric taapams).
Mother! adiyEn is scorched by the summer (heat) of the three afflictions. Kindly cool
me with Your gracious, benign, nectarine side glances.
Oh My Mother! adiyEn is suffering intensely from the fierce heat of the three
afflictions (Taapams) and they are shrivelling me up. May Thou with Your sideglances
-- that are like a flood of rejuvenating nectar-- cool me for a second. May those
blemishless, cooling and dayaa-laden glances of Yours restore me from my state of
suffering from the AdhyAthmika, Aadhibhoudhika and Aadhidhaivatham taapams!
Additional observations on this slOkam passages:
Those compassionate side-glances of Yours are not some phenomenon that happens
once in a great while and then are turned off. On the contrary, those Dayaa-laden
glances fall on the suffering devotees ever so frequently (Saanupraasa prakaDitha
dayaa). They are full of deep affection (saandhra vaathsalya dhigdhai:); those sideglances
display friendship (Snigdhai: sahitham); they destroy the sins of those on
whom they fall (anagai:); they have close relationship to the flood of nectar (amrutha
laharee labdha saBrahmacharyai:). Such celebrated KaDakshams are the cure for
banishing the heat of the three tApams. For adiyEn suffering from exposure to these
tApa thrayams, Your kaDakshams will have the power of a restoring balm. Oh
Mother! adiyEn prays for Your rejuvenating glances to fall on me even for the
duration of a second to save me from these unbearable sufferings.
Three tApam Trayams:

1. AadhyAthmikanm: Physical ailments and mental disturbances
2. AadhiBhoudhikam: Problems coming from fellow beings
3. Aadhidhaivikam: Problems from calamities
Swamy Desikan's Appeal:

AmBha! adiyEn is suffering in this unbearable heat of the tApa thrayams (tApa thraya
virachithE gharmE gADa taptham Maam). AdiyEn has no other recourse
(Aakinchanyam) than You. AdiyEn has shrivelled up from these sufferings (glapitham
Maamm). Please cool adiyEn from this insufferable wave of flames even for a second
by casting Your side glances on me (glapitham Maamm kshaNam AardhrEyathA:).
22nd SlOkam: SampadhyanthE --- For removal of fears about SamsAram

sampadhyanthE bhava bhaya tamee bhAnava:Thvath prasAdhAth
bhAvA: sarvE Bhagavathy Harou bhakthimudhvElayantha:
yaachE kim ThvAm ahamiha yatha: SeethaLOdhAraseelA
bhUyO bhUyO diaSasi mahathAm MangaLAnAm praBhandhAn
aham ThvAm kim yaachE? Tava SeethaLa

udhAra seelA kaDaakshA: mahathAm MangaLAnAm prabhandhAn bhUya: bhUya:
disathi (Oh Mother ! What boon can I ask of You? None; Because Your cool and
generous side glances confer on whoever it falls upon great rows of auspiciousness
frequently).
Bhagavathy = Oh Devi with six primary guNams like BhagavAn!

bhava bhaya tamee = for the night (tamee) of terror linked to the fear of SamsAram
bhanava: sarvE bhAvA : = our states of mind acting like the many Sooryans in all
their states banish that dark SamsAric night due to Your anugraha sakthi
Thvath PrasAdhAth Harou bhakthim udhvElayantha: sampadhyanthE = and they
generate also immense bhakthi for Your Lord as a result of Your anugraham.
aham ThvAm iha kim yaachE? = now, what can I seek further as a boon from You?
Nothing else remains to be asked. I cannot think of any.
yatha: = because
SeethaLa udhAra seelA ThvAm = You with Your cool and generous nature (grant)
MahathAm = very big
mangaLAnAm prabhandhAn = rows of MangaLams
bhUya: bhUya: diSasi = You confer on us time and time again.
Meaning according to Dr. M.NarasimhAchAry:
Adorable One! By Your grace, all my thoughts are only enhancing my loving devotion
towards Lord Hari. You are always showering welfare on me. So, what more shall I
ask for?
Oh Bhagavathy! for us now, the welcome state of mind, wherein the fear about the
samsAram has been destroyed through Your grace just as the dark night is chased
away by the illumining rays of the rising Sun.
Thanks to that grace of Yours, our thoughts have become auspicious and You
have stimulated Bhakthi towards Your Lord. Over and above these two blessings,
what is there for me to ask of You? There is none that I could think of as additional
boons to request. Out of Your abundant compassion and generosity, You are
showering waves and waves of MangaLams on adiyEn.
Oh Mother! You are Sarvajn~yai (Omniscient). You know even before we can identify
what we need; (Oh Mother! Please protect me always! Remove adiyEn's SamsAra Bheethi! Grow Bhakthi for Your Lord!).
23rd SlOkam: MaathA Devi ! --- For Prapatti

MaathA DEvi! Thvamasi BhagavAn VaasudEva: PithA mE
Jaatha: sOaham Janani yuvayO: yEka-lakshyam dayAyA:
dhatthO yushmath parijanatayA Desikair-api ata: Thvam
Kim tE BhUya: priyamithi kila smEravakthrA vibhAsi
The key passage of this slOkam is: Aham YuvayO: DayaayA: yEkalakshyam
Jaatha: (Oh Sri Devi! adiyEn has become the target (key object) of both of Your
Dayaa.
Swamy Desikan exults here over the many anugrahams received from the
Dhivya Dampathis.
Devi Thvam mE MaathA asi = Oh PirAtti! You are my Mother.

BhagavAn VaasudEva: PithA asi = EmperumAn with all auspicous gunams is my
Father.
Janani ! Sa: aham yuvayO: DayaayA: yEkalakshyam jaatha: = Oh Mother! Myself with
You both as my parents has become the key object of both of Your DayA.
Desikairapi Yushmath parijanatayA dhattha: = adiyEn has also been presented by my
AchAryans as Your Daasa bhUthan / servant (That is another blessing).
atha = therefore
BhUya: tE priyam kim? = (You seem to be asking) what else would you wish to have?
ithi kila smEra vakthrA Thvam vibhAsi = SrI Devi ! It appears as though You are
asking me with a smile on Your face as to what other boons I wish to have.
You are my Mother and Lord VaasudEva is my Father. I am the sole object of the
compassion of both of You. I was entrusted by my AchAryans to both of You as Your
servant. Oh Sri Devi! You seem to be asking me with a shining, smiling face: What
other favours do You want?.
Divine Consort of the Lord! You are my Mother. EmperumAn VaasudEvan is my

Father. I am the one, who was born as Your son as a result of both of Your Dayaa.
Further, my AchAryans have presented me as Your daasan (Parijanam / servant) to
You. Therefore, You seem to have a smiling face with the query: What else is there
for Me to grant You as additional boons?
Oh PirAtti! Through Your compassionate nature of overlooking adiyEn's trespasses,

You serve as my Mother. Your Lord, who has the intention of correcting me for all my
trespasses, stands in the role of my Father. As a result, I have become the key object
of both of Your dayaa as You take on the role of my Father and Mother. Thanks to
Your grace, adiyEn is blessed to have noble AchAryans. They in turn presented me as
Your servant to perform kaimkaryams for You. Oh Mother! When adiyEn looks at
Your smiling face, it appears to me that You are asking me the question: Are You
contented? What else can I do for you?. AdiyEn is indeed blessed to have all these
soubhAgyams.
24th SlOkam: KalyANAnAm --- For gaining all desired Phalans

KalyANAnAm avikala-nidhi: kaapi KaaruNya seemA
nithyAmOdhA nigamavachasAm mouLi mandhAra maalaa
sampath dhivyA MadhuvijayinO sannidhatthAm sadhA mE
saishA dEvee sakala bhuvana prArTanA KaamadhEnu:
Saa yEshaa Devi sadhaa mE sannidhatthAm (May this VilakshaNa Moorthy of such noble attributes reside in my heart lotus and thus appear
before me always!).
KalyANAnAm avikala nidhi: = She is the eternal abode of all MangaLams.

These MangaLams do not ever dry up. It is a perrineal spring.
KaaruNya seemaa = She is the boundary of KaruNai (Dayaa/anukampaa).
Nithya AamOdhA = for the forever fragrant
nigama vachasAm = Veda vaaks,
mouLi MandhAra maalA = She is the MandhAra garland on their (Vedaa's) crown.
Madhu vijayina: dhivyA sampath = She is the lofty wealth of the Lord, who is the
destroyer of the asuran, Madhu .
Sakala bhuvana PrArTanA KaamadhEnu: = She is the boon-granting KaamadhEnu
responding to the pleas for anugraham from all the beings of the world.
Kaa api sa yEshA dEvee Sadha mE sannidhatthAm = May this PirAtti of such
celebrated vaibhavams reside always in my heart lotus!
May Goddess Lakshmi, the infinite source of all auspicious things, the ultimate abode of compassion, One who is glorified in the VedAs, the
divine consort of Lord VishNu, and the unique benefactor for all the worlds, always manifest before me!
Sri Devi is the undiminishing and eternal abode of all MangaLams. She is treasure house of Compassion (KaaruNyam) and the boundary for the
same. She is the MandhAra maalai for the head of VedAs known for their eternal fragrance. She is the precious wealth of the Lord, who
destroyed the asuran with the name of Madhu. She is the wish-granting KaamadhEnu responding to the prayers of the people of the world. May
the PirAtti of such unique attributes be present inside me always!
25. Phalasruti
25th SlOkam: Upachitha Guru BhakthE: --- For Sakala Kusalam

upachitha GurubhakthE: utthiTam VenkatEsAth
Kali kalusha nivruthyai kalpamAnam prajAnAm
sarasija nilayAyA: sthOthramEthath paDantha:
sakala-kusala-seemA sArvabhoumA bhavanthy
Sarasija nilayA: yEthath sthOthram paDantha:

sakala kusala seemA sArvabhoumA: bhavanthy (Those who read this hymn on
Periya PirAtti with Her abode on the (golden) lotus flower will reach the boundaries of all MangaLams and become Emperors of this earth).
upachitha = fully grown

Guru bhakthE: = with the huge bhakthi (for Sri Devi)
VenkatEsAth utthiTam = that (the sthuthi) which arose from VenkatEsa Kavi
prajAnAm = for the People (samsAris)
kali kalusha = the dhOshams associated with life in Kali yugam (The AarbhAttams /
kOlAhalams /attavArams of Kali Purushan)
nivruthyai = for removal of (these Kali kalmashams/blemishes)
KalpamAnam Sarasija nilayAyA: = (this sthuthi) fit for SrI Devi seated on on an
appropriate (golden) Lotus flower as Her abode
yEthath sthOthram paDantha: = those who read/recite this hymn on SrI Devi
sakala kusala seemA bhavanthy = they will become possessors of the limits of all
MangaLams on this earth.
sArvabhoumA: bhavanthy = They gain all Mangalams through the performance of Prapatthi to Her and thereafter cross the boundary of earthly
MangaLams to enjoy the nithya MangaLam of Moksha Sukham in Sri Vaikuntam.
VenkatEsA out of intense devotion composed this hymn on MahA Lakshmi, which can remove the evils of the Kali age. Those who recite this
hymn will become emperors and enjoy unlimited all round welfare.
Arising from VenkatEsa Kavi filled with lofty bhakthi, this hymn with the power to
dispel the ill effects of Kali yugam from people will confer the utmost among
MangaLams and make them rulers of the earth ultimately.
Guru bhakthi here refers not to AchArya bhakthi but to a big (lofty) bhakthi of the VenkatEsa Kavi for SrI Devi. VenkatEsa Kavi is the Kavi
Simham, Swamy
Desikan, the GhantAvathAram of Lord VenkatEsa of Thirumalai (Saptha Giri). In the yugam of Kali, when the cow of dharmam stands on one leg
awkwardly and the achAram /anushtAnams decrease rapidly, there are lot of sorrows (Kali kalusham). Those agitations / perturbations of the
mind can be removed however by the recitation of SrI Sthuthi with Bhakthi (Kali kalusha nivruthyai paDanthy). The dear consort of the Lord
seated on Her abode of red lotus (MahA Lakshmi) banishes the Kali dhOsham of Her devotees and blesses them with the most supreme
MangaLams, accepts their SaraNAgathy and ensures that these BhakthAs enjoy ParipoorNa BrahmAnandham at Sri Vaikuntam through nithya,
niravadhya Kainkarkayams to Her and Her Lord.
Posted by R. Raghunathanat 3:25 PM3 comments:
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2007
Panniru Naamam
OORDVA PUNDRA DHAARANA DHYANA SLOKAS
The following Dhyana Slokas are recited when applying the vertical pointing marks on the forehead and other parts of the body (Oordva
PuNdrams). The belief is that we consecrate the deity forms of Lord Sriman Narayana presiding over the respective spots, surrendering ourselves
to them and seeking protection.
Swami Desika has also confirmed this in his Tamizh Prabandham, ?Panniru Tirunaamam?. This Prabandham is dedicated to Lord Varadan of
Kanchipuram where Swami Desika offered his surrender (Bhara SanarpaNam). In this, Swami gives details of the name of the deity form, color,
weapons, direction faced, and the spot on which the respective marks are to be applied on our body.
Let us first enjoy the meaning of the Slokas. The meanings of Swami Desika?s Paasurams will follow in the next Issues. Later on, we will
consider certain doubts and also explain the practice from a scientific perspective.
Slokam 1
Chatus Chakram Namasyaami Kesavam kanakaprabham /
NaaraayaNam ghana syaamam chatus sankham namaamyaham /
Meaning:
I prostrate to Lord KESAVA who appears with a golden hue and wields four DISCS (Chakram), I genuflect before Lord NAARAAYANA who
shines like the dark rain bearing clouds and adorns four CONCHES (Sangam)
Slokam 2:
Madhavam maNi pankaabham chinthayaami Chatur Gadham /
Chandrbhaasam chatus Saarngham govindam abi samsrayE //
Maening:
I meditate on the Lord MASDHAVA who shines like a gem and holds four MACES (Gadha). I take refuge in Lord GOVINDA who has the cool
luster like that of the moon and who bears four BOWS (saarngham).
Slokam 3:
VishNum chatur Halam vandE pancha kinchalka sannibham /
Chatur Musalamabjaabham samsrayE Madhusoodhanam //
Meaning:
I salute Lord VISHNU who has the hue of the pollen of flowers and who uses four PLOUGHS (hala). I ponder over Lord MADHUSOODHANA who
has the color of the ochre lotus and who commands four mighty PESTLES (musalam).
Slokam 4:
Agni varNam chatu: KaDgam bhaavayaami Trivikramam/
Vaamanam baala sooryaabham chatur Vajram vibhaavayE//
Meaning:
I praise Lord TRIVIKRAMA who blazes like the flame of fire and upholds four sharp SWORDS (KaDgam). I meditate on Lord VAMANA who
shines like the young rising SUN and utilizes four THUNDERBOLTS (vajra).
Slokam 5:
Sreedharam punDareekaabham chatu: PaTTa samaasrayE/
Chatur Mudgaram abhyEmi HrisheekEsam thaTith prabham//
Meaning:
I take asylum at the feet of SREEDHARA who is lotus like and employs four weapons called ?PaTTasa?. I eulogize Lord HRISHEEKESA who is
like a streak of lightning and deploys four hammers (mudgara)
Slokam 6:
Panchaayudham padmanaabham praNamaami arka rOchisham/
DaamOdharam chatu: Paasam Indrakopa nibham bhajE//
Meaning:
I dedicate myself to the care of Lord PADMANABHA who brightens the sky like the Sun (arka) and shoulders five powerful weapons
(panchaayudha). I worship Lord DAAMODHARA who shines like the reddish hue of the insect of the rainy season and who carries four kinds of
noose (paasa) in His hands.
Slokam 7:
VaasudEvam upaasEham poornEndhyutha sannibham /
Oordva puNDrEshu iti Sreemaan nityam dhyaayeetha naamabhi://7
Meaning:
I meditate upon Lord VAASUDEVA who shines like a million full moons. One should meditate on these names of the Lord while applying the
upward pointing Sacred marks.
MENTION OF PIRAATTI ? IN EACH

After wearing TirumaNN, SreechoorNam has to be worn in between the two white lines, reciting the names of PiraaTTi as follows:
1. Sridevi Prathamam nama
2. dviteeyom amrutOdbhava/
3. Tritheeyam Kamalaa prOkthaa
4. Chaturtham Chandra Sodharee //
5. Panchamum thu varaarOhaa
6. shasTam thu Harivallabhaa /
7. Sapthamam VishNu pathnee cha
8. ashTamam VaishNavee tha thaa//
9. Navamam SaarngiNee ptOkthaa
10. dasamam Deva dEvikaa/
11. Ekaadasam Mahaalakshmee
12. Dvaadasam sura sundaree//
TrayOdasm sadhaa dhyaayEth sarvaabheeshTa pradaayineem/
Evam dhyaathvaa antharaalEshu haridraam dhaarayEth Sriyam//
To Continue: Swami Desika?s Panniru naamam
OORDVA PUNDRA DHAARANAM

SWAMI DESIKA?S ?PANNIRU TIRUNAAMAM?
TANIANS 1 and 2 and PAASURAMS 1 TO 12 AND ?PHALASRUTHI?
- (Anbil Ramaswamy)
-----------------------------------------------------------
As mentioned earlier, Swami Desika has also dealt with the ?Oordva Pundra DhaaraNam? in his Tamizh Prabandham, ?Panniru Tirunaamam?.
This Prabandham is dedicated to Lord Varadaraja of Kanchipuram where Swami offered his surrender (Bhara SanarpaNam)
TANIAN 1:
Panniru naamam Tiruvaththi oorappan paadam enru
Nal niram naamam paDai thikku yaavaiyum naam ariya
Thennan thamizh thoDai seeraar kalithurai Odhi eendhaan
Minnuru nool amar vEnkaTa naatha namm DesikanE
MEANING:
? Our Achaarya, Thooppul TiruvEnkaTa naathan, who dons the sparkling white sacred thread on his shoulder, has given for our edification this
work in the renowned poetic style of ?KatTTLai Kalithurai? in beautiful Tamizh language, on the feet of the glorious Lord of Hastigiri
PeraruLaaLan, detailing the colors, the names, the weapons, the directions etc. relating to the 12 upward strokes of the sacred marks to be worn
by Srivaishnavas?.
TANIAN 2:
Kaar koNDa mEnian paada ambuyathai karuthu iruthi
YEr koNDa keerthi Iraamaanujan thun iNai aDi sEr
Seer koNDa thoopul TiruvEnkaTa aariyan seer mozhiyai
Aar koNDu pOtrinum amm maal padathai aDaivikkumE
MEANING:
? Whoever praises the lotus feet of Lord PeraruLaLan who shines with the color of rain bearing dark clouds, and whoever praises the charming
and popular feet of Emperumaanaar with the exalted Sri Sookthis of our Acaarya, Thooppul Sri TiruvenkaTanathan is sure to attain the feet of
Emperumaan?.
In this, Swami gives some more details like, Name of the deity form, color, weapons, direction faced, and the spot on which the respective marks
are to be applied on our body.
SWAMI DESIKA?S
PAASURAMS 1 AND 2 (CORRESPONDING TO DHYANA SLOKA 1)
(Chatus Chakram namasyaami KESAVAM kanaka prabhum

NAARAAYANAM ghana syaamam chatu:sankham namaami aham)
PAASURAM 1:
KEsavanaai ninru keezhai Disaiyilum netriyilum
ThEsuDai aazhigaL naanguDan sem pasum pon malai pOle
Vaasi miguthu enai mangaamal kaakkum marai athanaal
Aasai migutha ayan magha vEdhiyil arputhanE
MEANING:
? This is Lord KESAVA whom I have understood clearly through the Vedas as PeraruLaaLan. This Lord appeared wonderfully in the Yaaga vEdhi
of Brahma as Supreme deity. I am sure to be protected for reciting His name. He is having His abode on the Eastern direction and on the
forehead of Bhagavatas, and who adorns four brilliant discs (Chakram) and whose body shines like pure and red golden mountain?
PAASURAM 2:
NaaraNaai nal valampuri naalum ugandhu eDuthum
Oor aNi mEgham enavE udaramum mErku ninrum
AaraNa nool thandu aruLaal aDaikkalam koNDu aruLum
VaaraNa verpin mazhai mughil pOle ninra maayavanE
MEANING:
?This is Lord NARAYANA who stands on top of Hastigiri Mountain wonderfully like the cool dark rain bearing cloud moving around. He holds
happily His four conches with swirls pointing to the right (valam Puri Sanku). His abode is on the middle of the tummy and is on the west, It is He
who published the Vedas (aaraNa nool). He will grant protection to me out of His infinite compassion?
PAASURAM 3 AND 4 (CORRESPONDING TO DHYANA SLOKA 2)
(MADHAVAM maNI pangaabham chintayaami Chatur gadam

chandrabhaasam Chatu: Saarngam GOVINDAM aham aasrayE)
PAASURAM 3:
Maadhava naamamum vaan Gadhai naangum maNi niramum
Odhum muraip paDi yEndhi urathilum mElum algip
POdalar maadhuDan pundhiyil anbaal pugundu aLikkum
Thoodhanum Naathanum aaya tholl athi giri chuDarE.
MEANING:
? This is Lord MADHAVAN, with the color of blue diamond (indrakopam). He is the brilliant flame of Lord of Hastigiri and is anti-deluvian (thol
athigiri chuDar). He hid His Paratvam and appeared as a mere messanger to the PaaNDavas thus revealing His Soulabhyam. He wields four
mighty maces (gada). His abode is the middle of the chest and in the upward direction. He enters my mind with Periya PiraaTTi who is on the
lotus flower and protects me out of His infinite mercy?
PAASURAM 4:
Govindan enrum kuLir madhiyaagik koDiyavarai
YEvum dhanukkaLuDanTherkilum utt kazhuthu ninru
MEvum TiruvaruLaal vinai theerthu ennai aaNDaruLum
Poovan thozhaathi maamalai mEl ninra puNNiyanE
MEANING:
? This is Lord GOVINDAN from whose navel arose the four faced Brahma who constantly meditates upon Him. He stands firmly on top of the
Hastigiri Mountain like the cool shine of the full moon. He is the very personofication of Spriritual merit (PuNNiyan). He stands with four mighty
bows (dhanus) with arrows darting to destroy evil. His abode is in the South and at the center of the neck. He will destroy my sins and grant
refuge to me out of His unlimited grace?
PAASURAM 5AND 6 (CORRESPONDING TO DHYANA SLOKA 3)
(VISHNUM Chatur halam vandE padma kinjalka sannibham

Chatur musalam abjaabham samsrayE MADHUSOODHANAM)
PAASURAM 5:
ViTTu vala vayitrin kann vaDakkum viDaathu ninru
MaTTavizh thaamarai daadhu niram koNda mEniyanaaith
ThoTTa kalappaigal eer iranDaalum thuyar arukkum
KaTTezhir Solaik Kari giri mEl ninra karpagamE.
MEANING:
? This is Lord VISHNU who resides on the Hastigiri mountain surrounded by beautiful ever green groves. He stands as the legendary Karpaga
tree ( wish fulfilling tree). His color is like the honey laden pollen of the lotus flower. He holds four giant ploughs. He takes His abode on the north
and on the right side of the tummy. He will get rid of my woes and protect me?
PAASURAM 6:
Madhusoodhanan enn valap puyam then kizhakku enru ivatrril
Pathiyaai irundhu pon maadhu urai pangaya vaNNanumaai
Mudhu maa vinaigaL arukkum muyalangaL eer iraNDaal
Madhu aar iLam pozhil vaaraNa verpin mazhai mughiLE
MEANING:
? This is Lord MADHUSOODHANA who stands on top of the elephant mountain that is surrounded by groves. He is like the pleasing rain bearing
cloud. His color is that of the lotus. He wields four pestles (musalam). His abode is in the South east and on the right shoulder. And together with
Mahaalakshmi, He will destroy all my beginningless sins?
PAASURAMS 7 AND 8 (CORRESPONDING TO DHYANA SLOKA 4)
(agni varNam Chatu: KhaDgam bhaavayaami TRIVIKRAMAM

VAAMANAM baala sooryaabham Chatur Vajram vibhaavayE)
PAASURAM 7:
Tiru vikraman thigazh thee niraththan theLivu uDaivaaL
Uruvik karangaL eer iranDu yEndhi valak Kazhuthum
Seru vikramathu arakkar dikkum sirandhu aaLum irai
Maruvik karigiri mEl varam thandhiDum mannavanE
MEANING:
? This is Lord TRIVIKRAMAN , the Emperor who stands on top of Sri Hastigiri mountain and grants boons. He is like the burning flame of fire in
color.In His hands are the four unsheathed swords that shine brilliantly. His abodes are the right side of the neck and the direction where the
Rakshasas live and known as ?nairuthi? (South west). As a conqueror, He will afford protection to us?
PAASURAM 8:
vaamanan enran vaama udaramum vaayuvin disaiyum
dhaamam aDaindhu daruna arukkan nirathanumaai
sEma marakkalam sem bhavi eer iraNdaal thigazhum
naa mangai mEviya naan mughan vEDhiyil namm paranE
MEANING:
? This is Lord VAAMANA, our SarvEswaran, Sri PeraruLaaLan who arose from the Sacrificial altar (yaagavEdhi) of Brahma, spouse of Goddess
Saraswathi. His color is that of the rising Sun. He resides in the direction of Northwest that is guarded by Vaayu (Lord of winds) and on the left
part of the tummy. He wields four red hot thunderbolts (vajraayudham). He acts as the ship that takes us to the other shore of Samsaara (i.e)
Moksha.?
PAASURAM 9 AND 10: (CORRESPONDING TO DHYANA SLOKA 5)
(SREEDHARAM puNDareekaabham Chatu: PaTTa samaasrayE

Chatur mudgaram abhyEmi HRISHEEKESAM TaTith prabham)
PAASURAM 9:
Seeraar sireedharanaai sivan dhikkum iDap puyamum
YER aar Idam koNDu ilangu VeN thaamari mEniyanaaip
Paar aaya pattayam eer iraNdaalum bhayam arukkum
Aaraa amudhu athi maa malai mEl ninra achyuthanE
MEANING:
? This is Lord SREEDHARA who is insatiable nectar and stands permanently on top of Hastigiri mountain. He will never forsake (achyuthan). His
devotees. His abode is that of Lord Siva (North East) and the left shoulder. His color is that of the white lotus. He holds four weapons called
?PaTTayam?(sharp spear shaped lance) with which he rids us of all fears?
PAASURAM 10:
Enn iDeekEsan irai keezh iDak Kazhuthu enru ivatril
Nannlai minn uruvaai naalu murkarangaL koNDu aLikkum
Pon aghil serndhu alaikkum punal vEgai vaDa karaiyil
Thennan ugandhu thozhum thEna vEdhiyar deivam onrE
MEANING:
? This is Lord HRISHEEKESAN who is the ONLY supreme deity. He stands on the northern banks of river Vegavathi that is washed by gold and
fragrant sandalwood. He is the darling of PaNDya king and of the Vaidikas living at Thenambakkam who constantly worship Him. His color is like
the sharp lightning that seems to have stayed permanently. His abode is down in the nether regions (keezh) and the left side of the neck. He
holds four mighty hammers (mudgaram), with which He will protect us?
PAASURAMS 11 AND 12: (CORRESPONDING TO DHYAN SLOKA 6)
(Panchaayudham PADMANAABHAM praNamaami arka rOchisham

DAAMODARAM Chatur paasam indrakOpa nibham bhajE)
PAASURAM 11:
Emm parpa naabhanum enn pin manam patri manni ninru
Vem por kadiravan aayiram mEviya mei uruvaai
Am ponn karangaLil aimpaDai koNDu anjal enru aLikkum
Sem pon thiru madhiL soozh sindhuraachala sEvaganE
MEANING:
? This is Lord PADMANAABHA, the great warrior who stands in the fortress of Hastigiri protected by huge ramparts of gold. He shines with the
red hot brilliance of a thousand Suns. His abode is my mind and on the back of the body. He holds in those golden hands the five weapons
(AimpaDai) for protecting us?
PAASURAM 12:
DaamOdaran enran dhaamangaL naalu karangaLir koNDu
AamO tharam ena aagathin utpuram pir kazhuthum
Thaam Ore iLam kadirOne ena enn uLL iruL arukkum
Maa mOgam maatrum madhiL athiyoorin maragathamE
MEANING:
? This is Lord DAAMODAHARA, who shines like the emerald gem called PararuLaaLan. He stays on top of the Hastigiri mountain with four
powerful nooses (dhaamam) making us wonder if there can be such an incomparable Lord! His color is that of the rising Sun (iLam kadir) . His
abode is both within and without my body and more particularly on the back of the neck. Being there, He will dispel all darkness of ignorance?
PAASURAM 13:
Kathi thiriyum kalaigaLai vellum karuthil vaithup
Pathikku uru thuNai panniru naamam payilbavarkku
Muthikku moolam enavE mozhindha im moonrum naangum
Thithikkum engaL Tiruvathiyoorai sErbavarkkE
MEANING:
This is the Phala Sruthi of this work.
? If one were to recite these 12 names of the Lord with care will acquire the power to vanquish the vain noises made by a-vaidikas. These 12
names will stand as companions to those who desire to develop Bhakti to the Lord. For those who constantly meditate on these 12 names, they
will reveal the path to Moksham. These 12 names will taste sweet to Bhagavatas who resort to the Lord of Athiyoor ( Hastigiri)
OORDVA PUNDRA DHAARANAM

A FEW QUESTIONS AND BRIEF CLARIFICATIONS
- (Anbil Ramaswamy)
--------------------------------------------------------
1. Chatus Chakram? Why mention same weapon 4 times in each?
Answer:
This has a reference to the Vyuha form of the Lord of which the first is ?Param?. The second form is VUYHA, Sri NARAYANA assumes four
forms named 'VASUDEVA; SAMKARSHANA' 'PRADYUMNA' and 'ANIRUDDHA. These are called 'emanations'. The Pancha ratra (lore of five
nights) describes in detail what is known as 'Visaka Stupa' an allegorical tower with four levels and four sides. The column consists of four parts
called respectively from bottom to top Jagrat (the waking state), Svapna (the dreaming state) Sushupti (Dreamless sleep) and the Turiya (the
fourth stage). At the base of the column is the Jagratha sthana, which has four divine forms on the four sides, called VASUDEVA,
SAMKARSHANA, PRADYUMNA and ANIRUDDHA respectively facing the East, the South, the West and the North. The activity of this Vyuha is
the creation, maintenance and destruction of the world. These forms are bright in colors, with arms and weapons. The Lord is meditated as
wielding four weapons in each case as per the Dhyana Slokam of Oordva Pundra Dharanam.
(The above is as per the inputs at Kaalakshepams of Acharyas on AnushTaanams, while in India)
2. Why Oordva pundram and why Tiryak is not advised.

Answer:
In Srimad Valmiki Ramayanam, -
- Sage Vriddha Jaabaali categorically lays down that ?All those born as Brahmins should wear only the Oordva Pundram? (eructus)
- Sage Sadaadhar further cautions that ?Brahmins should NOT wear the Pundram in the horizontal mode even playfully but should wear only in
the upward mode and that one who wears any sacred mark horizontally (tiryak) are indeed fallen souls.
- While discussing the issue, ? ParamEshtya Samhita? lays down that Kshatriyas may wear Oordva pundram with eagle wood (agil) or
sandalwood or TirumaNN (White clay).
- Poet Kambar who has learned all these has also confirmed that only by wearing Oordva Pundram that right from Brahma down to every Jiva,
can cross the Prakriti mandalam and attain Paramapadam and enjoy eternal kainkaryam to the Lord.?
(Vide page 611 of ?Ramapiraanai KarpOm? by H.H. Srimad Andavan of Poundarika puram Swami Ashramam)
3. Do these signify Lord?s feet?

Answer:
Yes and No. This is only for a constant reminder of adorning the feet of Divyadhamapathis on one?s head. A symbolic representation is worn on
the forehead where the mark will be visible, instead of the head itself, The red / yellow mark representing Thaayaar is only to indicate the
inseparability of the Lord and Piraatti. (Agalakillen and anaithulagum? aravindalochananai tinaithalavum vidaal). Where the Lord is, she is there
too and vice versa.
4. Why the Lord is made to wear?
Answer:
The ?Tirumuga Mandalam? of the Lord showers His infinite mercy on us. The ?Abhayahastham? (showing His hand in a protective posture)
ensures His promise of protection. When? When one surrenders at His feet. Lord Srinivasa, in fact, shows where to surrender. He shows with His
hand pointing towards His feet. Did not Lord Krishna advise ?maam ekam SaraNam vraja? meaning to ask us to surrender at His feet? Of all the
three mentioned above viz., face, hand and feet ? for us, the feet are the most enjoyable because, they can dispel all our sins. What the face and
the hand can offer, the feet offer by removing our sins. Azhwars and Acharyas have never been tired of paying glorious tributes to the TiruvaDi of
the Lord. That is why, in temples, our head is blessed to come into contact with ?SaTaari? representing Lord?s feet. May be only to show the
glory of His feet that Balamukundan puts His toe in His mouth when lying on a banyan leaf at the time of deluge!
MukundaashTakam clearly says this:
KaraaravindEna padaaravindam MukhaaravindE vinivESayantham /
VaTasya patrasya puTE sayaanam baalam mukundam manasaa smaraami?
?I meditate on the Bala Mukunda who lying on banyan leaf, holds His toe with His hand and puts it into His mouth?
(Mukunda means one who grants Moksham).
Vide page 470 of ? Ramapiraanai KarpOm? by H.H. Srimad Andavan of Poundarika puram Swami Ashramam)
May be the Lord wished to taste what it is in His toe that had captivated the Azhwars and Acharyas so much!
To show to the world the respective roles of ideal Guru and ideal Sishya
He took dual roles as ?Nara? (Sishya) and ?Narayana? (Guru). To show us how we should wear the sacred marks, He sets an example by
wearing them Himself!
5. What is the significance of wearing the 12 sacred marks on the various parts of the body?
Answer:
? The human being is a bodily natural one; Naturally, religion hooks the physical aspects of nature like water with those of the human
embodiment, synchronizing dramatically the interaction between the two sanctifying each other within the environment of the sacred world. Here,
a meaningful meeting takes place between the Macrocosm and the Microcosm.
The human organism has several similarities with the other world 'cosmos'- the body to earth, speech to fire, breath to air etc. The white clay
(TirumaNN) worn by Hindu men folk as an auspicious index daily on the forehead especially and over several places on the body by some devout
Hindus are constant reminders that they came from dust and would ultimately be returning to dust. The powdered saffron (SrichurNam), the
saffron red powder prepared from turmeric roots (Kunkumam) (i.e. crosus sativus) worn by ladies serves the same purpose. This reminder is
meant to chasten the mind by highlighting the impermanence and perishable nature of this existence and thus to instill a sense of humility and to
dispel ego inherent in humanity.
These `Caste marks' as they are called also serve the purpose in religion akin to the purpose served by badges, medals, stripes etc. in Defense
and Police establishments. They constitute what we now know of as ÌD' cards that indicate the status and the class of the wearer and the
functions they belong to. They are like the `formal' dress insisted upon during parties and special gatherings to differentiate the participants from
other `layfolk' and 'mere mortals?!
The principles underlying what we now know as acupuncture and acupressure were developed by our ancestors as acutouch, dispensing with the
painful `puncture' and `pressure'. By mere àcutouch' of the various parts of the body with appropriate Mantras, the same effects could be
secured, though our ancestors did not spell them out in a way understandable to the so called modern scientific mind.
Modern Computer is activated by soft feather touch of the keys in the keyboard. Similarly, our physical body with the nerve endings would
respond to mere soft 'acutouch" provided the touch is administered in conjunction with the appropriate 'Mantras". No puncture or pressure would
be needed to activate these nerve endings and the mere touch would do the magic.
Our body is held together by Pranas or life force which moves through meridians - a kind of electrical pathways. These connect various organs
and glands with endings in our hands, chest, neck, forehead, stomach, back of neck as also feet, knee joints etc. Just as the arteries carry blood,
these meridians carry the life-force energy throughout the body. This system has switches and junction points, which could be activated to
regulate supply of life- force to the various parts of the body.
When the flow is interrupted for any reason, disease sets in. The remedy lies in switching on the current by applying a stimulant by a gentle touch
at the appropriate end points as aforesaid. This relaxes muscular tension, promotes blood circulation and ensures flow of life force energy to the
affected parts by releasing pain killers like endorphins, neuro chemicals etc. and they stimulate an alpha wave response in the brain and pituitary
glands thus increasing our energy stock and facilitates diaphragmatic breathing and relieves knuckles - all without our ever noticing it.
During Sandya Vandana, we sprinkle water on these nerve endings and touch them with appropriate `Mantras' and earlier to that, we apply the
`Caste marks' with white clay (TirumaNN) and powdered saffron (SrichurNam) at the appropriate places which suck the impurities invisibly. These
have been integrated in our daily chores as an in-built discipline.?
(From Chapter 16 Section 3 Karma Yoga? of ?Hinduism Rediscovered? by Anbil Ramaswamy)
6. Red or yellow? Why?

Answer:
Both Red and yellow are mentioned.
Srisuktham which has Vedic authority along with Purusha Suktham mentions in Slokam 4 ?Padma VarNaam? which means ?lotus colored?
Though lotus comes in several colors (e.g.) white one on which Goddess Saraswati is found seated, generally it is associated with color ?red?.
There are several references to the use of yellow. A few are as follows:
- The same Sri Suktham Slokam 13 and 14 lend authority for this since they describe Mahaalakshmi as ? PingaLaam? which means ?tawny-
colored or ?brownish yellow? and HirNmayeem? which means ?of golden form?. And, we know gold is yellow in color.
- Swami Desika in his Sri Sthuthi Slokam 11 uses the expression ?Taptha jaambhoonadha aabhaa? which means ?One who shines like melted
gold? to refer to the color of PiraaTTi. He says that this golden hue of Thaayaar heightens the beauty of the color of the Lord;s ?Hari marakathE?
which means ?emerald colored? (and we know emerald is green in color).
Therefore, ?Paramaikanthins who worship PerumaaL and PiraaTTi as the divine couple as the means and the endof meditation use yellow to
represent Thaayaar while wearing the Sacred marks along with ThrumaNN to represent PerumaaL.
7. What if only white or red/yellow alone is worn?

Answer:
White alone:
We know what happened to Soorpanaka who tried to separate the Lord from His spouse. Those who wear only white are considered to belong to
?Soorpanaka party? and face the consequences! Further it is worn alone only for apara karyam (ceremonies related with death)
Red/Yellow alone:
We know similarly what happened to Ravana who abducted Sri Sita away from Her Lord. Those who wear only Red/Yellow are considered to
belong to Ravana?s party and face consequences, which Ravana faced!
8. What if nothing is worn?

Answer:
A forehead without the sacred marks is compared to a barren land especially a ?Smasaanam?, a cremation ground!
9. Can we rub it off?

It used to be said that Wearing is like ?putting up? a temple and rubbing it off like ?pulling down? a temple. We know that it is PuNyam to
construct a temple while it is sinful to demolish a temple. Of course, it can be rubbed off, if faded in part or full accidentally or only one is visible or
both are not visible by such fading. We are advised to wear them again immediately after such rubbing off. This is like ?renovation?
(JeerNOddhaaraNam) of a temple.
10. Mode of Sacred mark

Answer:
It would appear that when an AchArya observed that the base of the Sacred mark should touch the ?Moolam?, tip of the nose, one set took it to
mean the Interciliary space between the eyebrows or ?top-tip? that links the eyebrows with a U shaped curve while the other took it to mean the
?toe-tip? with a spear- point - like stroke riding on the back of the nose reaching up to the nostrils. We do not know whether the AchArya did not
explain what he meant or the Sishyas did not seek a clarification or the AchArya had become unavailable for a clarification! Be that as it may, the
practices had come to stay and stay with such disastrous consequences. This is an example of how over -enthusiastic fanatics could blow up
even insignificant and inconsequential distinctions to abnormal proportions.
In any linear dispensation, there are 3 locations recognized in Sastras viz. ?Agram?, ?Madhyam? and ?Moolam?. ?Agram? means tip;
?Madhyam? means ?midpoint? and ?Moolam? means the ?root? or ?base?.
Most of us know the Slokam on Lord Krishna:

? Kasturi Tilakam lalaaTa palakE Vaksha SthalE Kousthubam
Naasa agre nava mouktikam kara thalE VENum karE kangaNam??
Here, the words ?NaasagrE nava Mouktikam? are significant. This means that the Lord wears the nose jewel at the tip of the nose. Where is it
worn? At the ?toe-tip? which ?Naasa Agra? means,(?toe-tip? and not at the ?top-tip?). Therefore, ?Naasa moolam? must refer to the other end
viz. the intercilary space between the eyebrows and the base is said to be at this ?naasa moolam?
Perhaps, this is why followers of Bhagavad Ramanuja - Swami Desika Sampradayam wear the ?base? of the Sacred mark the way they do at the
?moolam? and not ?agram?
Ashtabhuja Ashtakam
Swami Desika?s StOtras:
?AshTabujAshTakam? of Swami Desika
- Anbil Ramaswamy
=====================================================================
When Swami Desika left Thooppul to do Mangalaasaasanam of Deva PerumAL, the Lords of AshTabhujam and YatOtkaari stopped him on his
way. as it were, demanding Mangalaasaasanam. AshTabhujakaran had only one decad from Kaliyan. May be he was not satisfied with that. And,
Desika, being a faithful follower of Kaliyan (kaliyanurai Kudi Konda Karuthu Udaiyon), he got him to compose this StOtra of 8 verses.
Why is the Lord here called ?AshTabhujakaran?? Do not ?Bhujam? and ?Karam? mean the same thing? Yes. But, that is the way the Lord
introduced himself to Kaliyan, when the latter threatened him to reveal who he was (Vide 2.8of Tirumozhi). Also while Bhujam itself means ?arm?,
?Kara? can mean ?to make? or ?to do?. Thus, Swami Desika suggests that he ?created? eight Bhujams (i.e. literally doubled his usual 4 arms).
Why Eight? Swami Desika explains that he doubled his arms with eight weapons one in each arm out of his anxiety to rush to the succor of his
devotees ?Saranaagatha Thraana Tvaraa Dviguna Baahunaa?. Swami Desika does not call his StOtra as ?AshTabhujam Kara AshTakam? He
drops the word ?kara? when he named this StOtram and dedicated a SlOka each to the eight arms.
Though as ?AshTam?, it should have only eight SlOkas, Swami adds 2 more by way of Phalasruti and Prayer.
The Sthala PurANam avers that He came down with eight arms to protect Brahma?s Yagna from the wrath of Saraswati in the form of Vegavati.
Legend has it that the Gajendra episode also took place in this Kshetram.
Sloka 1: This has reference to the episode in which the Lord rushed to relieve Gajendra whose foot was caught by a crocodile. Swami Desika
says that Gajendra was caught by only one crocodile; But, he himself was caught in the vortex of several vicious creatures like KAma, KrOdha,
MOha, LObha, Madha and MAtsarya. Therefore, it was all the more necessary for the Lord to double up His speed in rushing to relieve him. How
can he do this? Swami Desika answers: Because the Lord?s qualities of Gnaana and Daya are limitless and he has already earned the reputation
of being affectionate to Sadhus , he has not only to double up his speed but also double up his weapons and arms to hold them !
Sloka 2: ? I hitherto lacked the knowledge of the Tattvas; So, I was subject to AgjnAna and Vipareetha JnAna. Now that all these have been
dispelled, I have come to realize that I am your Sesha (Servitor).
Sloka 3: ?By making me realize this, you have transformed me, a worthless creature into a worthy one fit to be saved. It is you who did this and
created in me a desire to seek your feet?. By this, Swami Desika confirms that the Lord has Divyaatma Swaroopam and Divya Mangala Vigraham
revealing his Paratvam but by his Soulabhyam mixes with common folk, dispelling the fear generated by his Paratvam.
Sloka 4: ? The fruits that you can bestow (like MOksha) is infinitely greater than the transient and trivial fruits that petty deities boast of conferring.
So, men of discretion surrender only at your feet and you do accept them with your infinite mercy?.
Sloka 5: ?To get rid of my fears, I will never think of resorting to anyone other than you. When you shower your mercy on me, whom should I
fear? And, if you get angry with me, who can protect me??
Sloka 6: ? You have a natural obligation to protect me. Furthe, mother Goddess is always by your side to recommend me to you. When you can
grant MOksha to me who has surrendered to you, why should I take any efforts to beg anything from anybody? If you decide to give me up, of
what avail would it be to seek help from others? ?
Sloka 7: ?Oh! AshTabhuja Lord! For those who are not able to complete Bhakti yOga, once they surrender to you, you are known to stand in the
place this Bhakti yOga. I know this. But, in my case, I am totally incapable of even trying Bhakti yOga. I will be ashamed when I try to do what is
impossible for me and fumble and fall down at every step. I have, therefore, adopted the easy means of Prapatti at your feet?
Sloka 8: ? Since I have surrendered myself to you, I am assured of attaining Moksham at the end of this life; But, so long as I happen to live here,
there is no greater bliss than serving the holy feet of you and PirAtti. I pray to you to grant me unsullied and incessant kainkaryam both here and
hereafter?
Sloka 9: This StOtram is like a general provender for a traveler of a Prapanna; for those who want to perform Prapatti, it is like a ?rasaayana?
(alchemy)- an appropriate medicine that cures all ailments. It will certainly remove all sins that stand in the way, create Mahaviswaasam in the
Lord and make them eligible for doing Prapatti. This StOtra was composed by me for the welfare of the entire world.
Sloka 10: This StOtra was composed by me called Sri Venkatesa. The Lord who normally has only four arms simply doubled it in his anxiety
(Tvara) in saving those who surrender to him. May the Lord with eight arms accept this StOtra of eight verses.
Posted by R. Raghunathanat 6:15 PMNo comments:
Panniru Naamam
The twelve Urdhva PuNDrams that a SrI VaishNavan wears on his body (upper torso) is an important ritual that qualifies him for performing
SandhyA Vandhanam, AarAdhanam and all Vaidhika KarmAs. It is VaishNava lakshaNam.
The 12 NaamAs from Keasavan to DhAmOdharan are invoked as the SrI VaishNavan after SnAnam adorns the ThirumaNN KaapukaL and the
12 Moorthys are invoked to stay at the different locations of the upper torso for protection. The 12 Moorthys exist in our bodies in PuNDra roopam
at their sTAnams and protect us . This Prabhnadham is to be recited as we apply the PuNDram at the different locations of the body for the
invocation ( aavAhanam ) of the appropriate Moorthys.
There are number of Manthrams for adorning the Urdhva PuNDrams : asthra manthram for purification of the hand used in touching the
ThirumaNN katti , another manthram for prathishtai and yet another manthram for preparing the ThirumaNN paste with water as well as the
AshtAksharam and Nrusimha BheejAksharam for consecration of the ThirumaNN paste .
One should be seated , while adorning the Urdhva PuNDrams. The index finger or Pavithram adorning finger has to be used for ThirumaNN
Kaappu placement .The middle finger should never ever be used in placing the ThirumaNN .The Paadham has to be drawn first and the right
extension and the left extension for that Paadham follow next. The two lines connected by the Paadham should have good amount of space in
between to place the consecrated yellow SrI ChoorNam to have the aavAhanam of MahA Lakshmi with specified names for the different parts of
the upper torso (starting with Sriyai Nama: for the forehead and ending with SarvAbIshta Phala PradhAyai Nama: for the little ThirumaNN on the
upper forehead).
We start the application of the PuNDram in this sequence:
(1) The Forehead (2) center of stomach (3) Center of chest (4) Middle of the fore portion of the neck (5) Right side of the stomach (6)Right
shoulder /bhujam (7) the right side of the fore portion of the neck (8), the left side of the stomach (9) the left shoulder (10) the left side of the fore
portion of the neck (11) lower back/lumbar region (12) and the center of the backside of the neck
The Moorthys invoked to reside in the above positions in sequence are:

(1) Keasavan 2. NaarAyaNan (3) Maadhavan (4) Govindhan (5) VishNu (6) Madhusoodhanan (7) Thirvikraman (8) Vaamanan (9) Sridharan (10)
HrisheekEsan (11) PadhmanAbhan and (12) DhAmOdharan .
The color of these 12 Moorthys , their favorite weapons and their locations have been described by Swamy Desikan in this Prabhandham named
Panniru ThirunAmam.
These PunDRams are recognized as the sacred Paadhams of Lord VaradarAjan in this Prabhandham by Swamy Desikan . Hence this
Prabhnadham like Thirucchinna Maalai , Mey Viratha Maanmiyam , Aruttha Panchakam focuses on Lord VaradarAjan.
Slokas
See Commentary below
Commentary
There are two Taniyans for this Prabhandham , which we will take up in the next posting .
Taniyan 1:
*********
Panniru Naamam ThiruvathiUrappan paadham yenRu

nanniRa nAmam padai dhikku yAvayum nAmaRiya
tennan-tamizh thodai seerAr kalitthuRai Odhi yeenthAn
minn uRu nool amar VenkatanAthan namm DesikanE
(Meaning): SrI VedAntha Desikan with the radiant sacred thread , an avathAram of ThiruvEnatamudayAn's Temple bell , recognized the 12
Urdhva PuNdrams as the sacred feet of Lord VaradarAjan of Hasthigiri and described for our anushtAnam the individual names of the Lord's
Moorthams ( PuNDra DEvathais )associated with
each of these PuNDrams , their color , locations and the weapons adorned by each of them . These 12 paasurams along with the Phala Sruthi
Paasuram are set in the celebrated KattaLai KalitthuRai metre of Tamil poetry for our enjoyment and benefit .
Taniyan 2:
**********
Kaar-koNDa mEniyan PaadhAmbhutthaik-karutthu irutthi

yEr koNDa keertthi IrAmAnusan tann iNayadi sEr
seer koNDa ThUppul Thiruvenkadaariyan seermozhiyai
Aar koNDu poRRinum ammAl Paadhatthai adaivikkumE
(Meaning): The SrI Sookthi of Panniru ThirunAmam has been composed by the VedAnthAchAryan of ThUppul , while he placed firmly in his heart
, the lotus feet of the Lord of Hasthigiri with the hue of dark rain-bearing cloud and meditated on Them . That AcAryan of ThUppul is assoicated
forever with the sacred feet of ParamAchAryan , RaamAnujA of undiminished fame . Whoever recites these paasurams of Panniru ThirunAmam
will land easily at the holy feet of Lord VaradarAjan .
280. Kesavan , the PuNDra Roopa Moorthy for the forehead

********************************************************
KesavanAi ninRu keezhai tisayilum neRRiyilum

tEsudai aazhikaL naankudan sempasumponn malai pOl
vaasi mihutthu yenai mangAmal kAkkum maRayathanAl
aasai mihuttha maha vEdhiyil aRbhuthanE
(Meaning): Through Veda PramANam , Brahma was convinced that Lord VaradarAjan is the Supreme Being . In the Yaaga kuNtam of Brahma
(on top of Hasthigiri) , the mysterious Lord appeared with the ThirunAmam of Kesavan . That Kesava Moorthy with the hue of a golden mountain ,
having four radiant chakrams as weapons
and facing the Eastern direction will stand firmly on my forehead and protect me without fail .
The Sanskrit Manthram used while adorning the ThirumaNN on the forehead is: "Chathus-chakram namasyAmi Kesavam Kanaka Prabham".
"tEsudai Aazhi Naanku" is the equivalent of Chathus-chakram here. The hue of the Kesava Moorthy is Kanaka Prabhai (semm pasum ponn malai
pOl).
Devathai: Kesavan, Color: Golden ; Weapons: four discs ; direction: East ; PuNDra sTAnam: Forehead.
Manthram: Chathus-chakram namasyAmi Kesavam Kanakaprabham.
281. NaarAyaNa Moorthy protecting the center over stomach

*********************************************************
NaaraNanAi nall valampuri nAlum uhanthu edutthum

Oor aNi mEham yenavE udharamum mERkku ninRum
AaraNa nool tanthu aruLAl adaikkalam koNDaruLum
VaaraNa veRppin mazhai muhil pOl ninRa MaayavanE
(Meaning): PeraruLALan is like the dark blue rain cloud standing on top of Hasthigiri. This Maayavan takes on the form of NaarAyaNa Moorthy ,
holds four conches as His weapons and faces west . He adorns the sTAnam of the center of the stomach region and is like a beautiful travelling
cloud .He propagates the Veda Saasthrams and through His limitless mercy has accepted adiyEn as the object to be protected .
Devathai : NaarAyaNan; Hue: Sky Blue ; Weapon: four conches; Direction facing: West; PuNDra sTAnam: middle portion of stomach .
Manthram: NaarAyaNam ghana-shyAmam chathus-sankham namAmyaham.
282. Madhavan as rakshakan at the center of the chest region

************************************************************
Maadhva nAmamum vaann gathai nAnkum maNi niRamum

Odhum muRaippadi yEnthi uratthilum mElum alhip-
pOdhalar Maathudan punthiyil anbAl puhunthu aLikkum
ThUthanum NaaTanum aaya toll Atthigiric-chudarE
(Meaning): Athtigiri AruLALan is both the Swamy as well as the ambasador/messenger for the PaaNDavAs. This ancient jyOthi on top of
Hasthigiri became Maadhava Moorthy adorning four powerful maces in the manner prescribed by the SaasthrAs. He has the hue of sapphire
(Indhra Neelam). He stays at my chest region as well as in the upper (Urdhva disai) direction.He has entered with affection inside my mind with
His lotus lady to protect me.
Devathai: Madhavan; Hue: Indhraneelam ; Weapons: Four gadhais ; Direction: Urdhva ; PuNDra sTAnam : Chest .
Manthram: Maadhavam MaNibhangAbham chinthayAmi Chathurgadham
283. Govindhan as the Rakshakan at the front center of the Neck

***************************************************************
Govindhan yenRum kuLir mathi aahik-kodiyavarai

yEvum dhanukkaLudan teRkkilum uLL kazhuthu ninRu
mEvum ThiruvaruLAl vinai theerthu yenai aaNDaruLum
Poovan thozha Atthi Maamalai mEl ninRa PuNNiyanE
(Meaning): Lord VaradarAjan , the holiest of the holies , stands on top of Hasthigiri so that His son BrahmA originating from the lotus in His navel
can worship Him and derive immense pleasure. He is the embodiment of all PuNNiyams (PuNNiyan) . He took on the form of Govindhan with the
hue of the cool rays of Chnadran and stays in the center of my neck facing the southern direction. He is armed with four bows for my protection .
Out of His boundless mercy , He chases away all my sins and accepts me as His eternal servant.
Devathai: Govindhan; Hue: Moon ray; Weapon: Four Bows; Directon: Southern ; PuNDra sTAnam: center of front neck
region.
Manthram: Chandra-bhAsam chathus-sArngam Govindham aham aasrayE
284. VishNu as Rakshakan from the right side of stomach region

**************************************************************
Vittu vala vayiRRin kaNN vadakkum vidAthu ninRu

mattavizh tAmarait-thAthu niRam koNDa mEniyanAit-
thotta kalappaihaL yeer-iraNDAlum thuyar aRukkum
kattu yezhil sOlaik-Karigiri mEl ninRa KaRpakamE
(Meaning): The boon granting Kalpaka tree , Lord VaradarAjan is standing on top of the Hasthigiri surrounded by beautiful groves with lovely
trees. This Lord has assumed the roopam of VishNu with golden hue similar to the makarandham dust of the lotus flower . He faces the northern
direction and stays on the right side of
the stomach region . He holds two ploughs ( Kalappai) as His weapons to protect me and chase away my SamsAric sorrows .
Devathai: VishNu ; Hue: golden ; weapons: four ploughs; Direction: Northern; PuNDra sTAnam: Right side of stomach.
Manthram: VishNum Chathur-halam vandhE Padhma-kinjalka-sannibham
285: Madhusoodhanan & Protection from right shoulder

****************************************************
Madhusoodhanan yenn valab-bhuyam tenn-kizhakku yenRu ivaRRil

PathiyAi irunthu ponn mAthu uRai Pankaya vaNNanumAi
muthu maa vinaikaL aRukkum muyalankaL yeer iraNDAl
madhu aar iLam pozhil VaaraNa veRppin mazhai muhilE
(Meaning): Lord VaradarAjan is standing on top of the Elephant hill surrounded by the young trees with honey-laden flowers. This Lord with the
hue of the cloud during the rainy season has taken the form of Madhusoodhanan and stays on my right shoulder carrying four pestles as His
weapons to protect me. This Lord with the hue of the red lotus faces South East and destroys all of my ancient and fierce karmAs.
Devathai: Madhusoodhanan; Hue; Lotus; Weapons: four pestles ( Ulakkai); Direction: South East; PuNDra sTAnam: right shoulder.
Manthram: Chatur-musalam-abjAbham SamsrayE Madhusoodhanam.
286. Thrivikraman& the right side of the neck

*********************************************
Thrivikraman thihazh Thee niRatthan theLivudai VaaL

uruvik-karangaLil yeeraraNDu yEnthi valak-kazhutthum
seru-vikkiramatthu arakkar tikkum siRanthuALum iRai
maruvik-Karigiri mEl varam tanthidum MannavanE
(Meaning): The Lord of Hasthi Giri , the boon-granting VaradarAjar takes the form of Thrivikraman with the hue of a radiant flame , adorns four
swords in His four hands , faces North west ( the direction of powerful RaakshasAs) and stays watchful while established in the left side of the
neck .
Devathai: Thrivikraman; Color: Agni varNam ; Weapons: four Swords; Direction: South West ; PuNDra sTAnam : Right side of the Neck.
Manthram: Agni varNam chathu: khdkam BhAvayAmi Thrivikramam
287. Vaamanan & left Side of the stomach

****************************************
Vaamanan yenRan vAmOdharamum Vaayuvin tisayum

thAm adainthu taruNa arukkan niRatthanumAi
sEma-marakkalam semm-pavi-yeer iraNDAl thihazhum
Naamangai mEvia Naanmukan vedhiyil namm ParanE
(Meaning): The Supreme One , who appeared in the agni kuntam of the Yaagam that Brahma Devan performed with His dear consort , Sarswathi
, takes the form of Vaamanan , faces northwest direction and stays on the left side of my stomach .His hue is that of Baala Sooryan and uses four
VajrAyudhams for protecting His BhakthAs and serves as the safe boat to ferry us across the dangerous ocean of SamsAram.
Devathai: Vaamanan; Hue: the color of Sun at Dawn ; Weapons : Four Vajrams ; Directon: Northwest; PuNDra sTAnam: Left side of stomach.
Manthram: Vaamanam Baala-SooryAbham chathur-vajram vibhAvayE
288. SrIdharan & Left shoulder

******************************
SeerAr SrIdharanAi Sivan tikkum idappuyamum

yEr aar idam koNDu ilangu veNN tAmarai mEniyanAi
Paar aaya pattayam yeer iraNDAlum bhayam aRukkum
AarA amudhu Atthi Maamalai mEl ninRa AcchyuthanE
(Meaning): The insatiable nectar , the Acchyuthan who never abandons His BhakthAs stands on top of Hasthi Giri and assumes the form of the
celebrated SrIdharan to remove all of our fears (SamsAra Bheethi). He faces the north east direction (IsAnyam , the direction of Lord Sivan)
holding four big swords (PattAyams). His color is that of white lotus and stays as the protector and fear remover on our left shoulders.
Devathai: Sridharan ; Hue: White Lotus ; Weapons: Four PattAkkatthi; Direction: North East ; PuNDra sTAnam: Left Shoulder .
289. HrusheekEsan & the left side of the Neck

*********************************************
yennidikEsan iRai keezh-idakkazhutthu yenRu ivaRRil

nannilai minnuruvAi nAlu muRkkaram koNDu aLikkum
ponnahil sErnthu alaikkum punal vEhai vadakarayil
Tennan uhanthu thozhum tEna Vedhiyar dhaivam onRE
(Meaning): PeraruLALan is the Only God for the great VaidhikAs of TenampAkkam located on the northern banks of Vegavathi river, who are
worshipped in turn by the PaaNDyan King . That SrIgrAmam of TenampAkkam located on the banks of the river Vegavathi with jostling waves
rushing gold and akil kattais to us has many Parama VaidhikAs with expertise in PaancharAthra Saasthram indispensable for Bhagavath
AarAdhanam .That Prama Purushan on top of Hasthi Giri takes on the form of HrusheekEsan with the hue of the lightning and protects us with
four hammers as His weapons . He faces the lower direction and occupies the left section of the neck to protect us.
Devathai: HrusheekEsan ; Hue: Lightning ; Weapons: Four hammers; Direction faced: lower ; PuNDra sTAnam: Left ide of the neck .
Manthram: ChathurmudhgaramabhyEmi HrusheekEsam TaDithprabham
290. PadhmanAbhAn & Lower Back

******************************
Yemm PaRpanAbhanum yenn pinn manam paRRi mannu ninRu

vemm porrk-kathiravan aayiram mEviya mey uruvAi
amm poRRk-karangaLil aimpadai koNDu anjal yenRu aLikkum
sempoRRt-ThirumathiL soozh SindhurAchala SevakanE
(Meaning): The Lord of Hasthi Giri surrounded by the golden ramparts is a MahA Veeran and takes on the form of PadhmanAbhan to give
abahya pradhAnam to us . He locates Himself on the lower back region and manas. He has the hue and lustre of thousand Suns and in His
beautiful hands and body carries the five weapons (Chakram , Sankham , Sword , Bow and Gathai) .
Devathai: PadhmanAbhan ; Hue: Rising Sooryan ( Pattu Poocchi) ; Weapons: Five; sTAnam: Manas; PuNDra sTAnam: Lower Back .
Manthram: PanchAyudham PadhmanAbham PraNamAmyarkka-rOchisham
291. DhAmOdharan & Back of the Neck

***********************************
DhAmOdharan yenRu dhAmangaL naalu karangaLil koNDu

aamO taram yena aahatthin utppuram piRRkkazhutthum
thAmOr iLam KathirOn yena yenn uLL aruL aRukkum
MaamOham mARRum mathiL AtthiyUrin MaragathamE
(Meaning): The Lord who banishes the mighty nescience stands at Hasthigiri surrounded by mighty walls and is splendid like a Maragatha gem
(Emerald) in lustre . He takes on the matchlessform of DhAmOdharan and adorns four nooses (Paasams) as His weapon to remove our false and
viparItha knowledge . He is seen inside and outside our bodies and is worshipped at the back side of the neck.
Devathai: DhAmOdharan; Hue: Rising Sun ; Weapons: Four Paasams; Location: Inside and outside the body ; PuNDra sTAnam: back of the neck
.
292. Insatiable delight arising from recital of Panniru ThirunAmam

******************************************************************
Katthit-thiriyum kalaihaLai vellum karutthil vaitthu

patthikku uRu thuNai Panniru Naamam payilbhavarkku
Mutthikku Moolam yenavE mozhintha immUnRu nAnkum
titthikkum yengaL Thiru-AtthiUrarai sErbhavarkkE
(Meaning) : Those BhaagavathAs engaged in the worship of the sacred feet of Lord VaradarAjan will revere these Paasurams of Panniru
ThirunAmam. They will experience the growth of Bhagavath Bhakthi , perform SaraNAgathi as an upAyam for Moksham and will be blessed with
Nithya KaimkaryAnugraham in SrIVaikuntam . During their life on earth , those Prapanna BhaagavathAs will conquer in debate , the vainglorious
loud mouths , who run around seeking debates through display of their imperfect knowledge.These PrapannAs will find the Panniru ThirunAma
Prabhandham indispensable for their Moksham and will surrender at the sacred feet of PeraruLALan of Hasthigiri.
NaarAyaNa , NarAyaNa , NaarAyaNa

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradachAri Sadagopan
Srimate Sri Lakshminrisimha Divya Paduka Sevaka

SrivaNN SaThakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/ebooks/vdesikan/pannirunamam/index.html
Adaikkala Pattu
Swami Desikan had reverential offered prapatthi to Sri VaradarAjA of
Hasthigiri in Tamil, which crystallized as eleven verses including the
pala sruthi verse of ADAIKKALAP PATTHU housed in Desika Prabhandham. These
verses are equally sacred in purport.
Swami Desikan's ArAdhana Murthy was VaradarAjan .Time and again, he has
offered his profound salutations to Atthigiri AruLALan through his
sthOthrams such as Sri VaradarAja panchAsath, meyviratha Maanmiyam,
ThirucchinnamAali and Sri Hasthigiri MahAthmyam.
Swami Desikan was born in Thuppul not far from the temple of VaradarAjan,
which is known as PerumAL Koil. It is revered as one of the seven mukthi
KshEthrams .The Lord stands on top of a small hill here saluted as
Atthigiri in Tamil and Hasthi Giri in Sanskrit. Here, he responds most
affirmatively to all auspicious vrathams of devotees and hence this
kshEthram is known as Sathya Vratha KshEthram. The Lord's greatness is
saluted as Meyviratha mAnmiyam.
The Lord of Hasthigiri is saluted from time immemorial as Varadhan,

DevarAjan, Devap PerumAL , AruLALan and PeraruLALan . He is saluted as
KaaruNya Raasi (the embodiment of Mercy and DayA) by Swami Desikan .He is
recognized as avyAja Vatsalan (One Whose natural disposition is affection
for His devotees). He is recognized as Varadhan or the boon giver par
excellence. The beauty of His divya MangaLa vigraham has been enjoyed by
Swami Desikan without any satiety.
Swami Desikan has described Sri Varadan as a matchless vessel to cross the
tumultuous ocean of SamsArA ( SamsAra vAridhi nidhi santhraNaika pOtham )
.He is saluted as the end statement of ALL words ( Sarva VachasAm avasAna
seema : ) .In a most majestic salutation , Swami Desikan has recognized
Him as " Nithyam param Sarva Gatham SusUkshmam nishpandha-nandhathu mayam
Bhavatha: svarUpam ) . Swami Desikan untypically is at a loss for words
and tries to describe the Lord's form as " eternal, superior to every
thing, all pervasive,unobstructed in its power and an embodiment of
unalloyed Joy ) .Swami recovers from his state of being overwhelmed and
comes back to his fluent self and salutes the Lord as " Visva AdhisAyee
Sukha rUpan " ( the unmatched embodiment of beauty in all the three worlds
).
Swami Desikan's salutaion of Atthigiri AruLALan as the tree with its

eastern branch as VaasudEvA , Western branch as PradhyumnA , Southern
Branch as SankarshaNA and the Northern Branch as AniruddhA and Himself at
the very centre of the Chathur VyUhams is a moving tribute (
Satthvavantha: ----tava Chathurshvapi sthAnEshu api sAkA vibhAga chathurE
chAthurAthmeyE jaagrathi ) . Here Swami says that the pious ones deeply
concentrate in the enjoyment of Him as the Chathur vyUha Moorthy. Swami
goes on to adore Him as the emerald resting in the casket made up of all
Upanishads as their SaarArtham (nikhila Upanishad maneeshA manjUsjikA
marakatham).
In the VaradarAjA panchAsath, Swami salutes Him as dasAvathAra SvarUpan,

as the antharyAmi as well as ArchAvathAran. Swami Desikan reminds the Lord
that his own anjali is the shield against the Lord's shafts of anger over
his sins. Our AchAryA melts the heart of Varadhan by describing HIm as the
faultless dam over the ocean of SamsAram (tvAm yEva abhangura: sEthu asi).
He invites the rejuvenating glances of VaradarAjan to bring him back to
life after experiencing the scorching rays of the summer sun of samsAram .
Swami reminds the Lord that it is not a big effort for Him to take care of
him during the remaining few years on His earth ( sEshathva lEsa nayanE
ka: iva athibhAra: ? ) .
Frightened over his accumulated sins and their effect on him, Swami
Desikan cries out and begs for the Lord's cool and merciful glances to
fall on him (madhurA: DhayALO: tE katAkshA: mayi pathanthu) .He calls Him
as KarisailadhAman (One who has Hasthigiri as His place of residence) and
begs Him to bless him to travel by archirAdhi maargam at the end of his
days. Swami wants from VaradarAjan the boon of anthima smrithi about HIm
(AlOhitha amsukam tvAm anusmarEyam) .He confides to Varadhan that the
enjoyment of His beauty in ArchAvatharam at Kanchi makes him conclude that
the stay in Sri VaikunTam is not so tempting. Swami concludes his
salutation to VaradarAjan with a prayer for unceasing rememberance (Dhruva
smruthi) of Him as a resident of his heart cave.
In the divya prabhandham, Hasthigiri MaahAthmyam, Swami Desikan rightfully

concludes that Kanchi has become the KshEthram that totally cuts asunder
all the sins of devotees because of its sanctity arising from the
association with Sri VaradarAjan (atthigiri bhatthar vinai tottaRa aRukkum
aNi AtthigiriyE). The Lord appeared in the uttara vEdhi of BrahmA's
yAgasAlA under the PuNyakOti vimAnam as the effulgent radiance. Swami
states that the nithya sUris raised the mangaLa naadham from their
Thirucchinnams during that auspicious occasion (kAhaLi nAdhEna
karNEshvamruthasEchanam). Swami Desikan is immersed in the sweet memories
of the Lord appearing before BrahmA as a golden mountain in the middle of
the fire of the yajnam. Wave after wave of memories about the Lord's
glories wash over Swami Desikan and he declares with elation his
nectar-like experience over those thoughts:
atthigiri aruLALap perumAL vandhAr

-- karutha varam tharum Dhaivap perumAL vandhAr
--umbhar thozhum kazhaludayAr vandhAr
--vAnEra vazhi tanthAr vandhAr thAmE
Swami Desikan celebrated thus .the trilOka mahaneeyam Sathyavratha

mahAthmyam .in his prabhandham in a glorious manner. The auspicious sound
raised by the NithyasUris from the Lord's Thirucchinnam reminded him of
the comforting sound of mUla Manthram. The praNava sabdham reminded him
once again of the rakshakathvam of Lord VaradarAjA . The accompanying
UkAra, MakAra sabdhams and that of the fourth case as well as the nama:
and the NaarAyaNa sabdham with its own chathur vibhakthi engulfed our
AchAryA into an ocean of bliss. He performed his prapatthi immediately to
the Lord of Hasthigiri in grateful appreciation of that extraordinary
experience and out poured the ten verses of Adaikkalap patthu.
Swami Desikan was moved to perform SaraNAgathi after the unmatched

nectar-like experience of tasting the subhAsrayam and the anantha kalyANa
guNams of Lord VaradarAjA presiding over Hasthigiri. He used the Tamil
metre of KocchahakkalippA to direct the flow of his emotion, which rushed
forth as the gushing water from a dam that collapsed.
Prabhandham 1: Bhakti mudalAmavaRRil ---
I surrender my soul at the sacred feet of PeraruLALan, who resides at the

most important of the seven cities that bless their residents with
Moksham. I have come to the realization that I am powerless to attain
moksham through the difficult-to-practise Bhakthi yOgam as upAyam. I have
hence chosen Prapatthi at the lotus feet of Varadhan as the saving grace
for me and am performing saraNAgathi. This act of mine (performance of
SaraNAgathi at the Lord's feet as the helpless one with no other recourse)
is like the deed of the evil-minded KaakAsuran, who committed grave
apachArams to the Lord's consort and was yet saved by the Lord, when he
fell at the feet of the Lord as a saraNAgathan without any other recourse.
Prabhandham 2: sadaimudiyAN --
Here again ananya gathithvam is celebrated in another way.
I am offering my prapatthi at the sacred feet of PeraruLALan while fully

cognizant of the fact that the power and wealth of even BrahmA and SivA
are evanascent and transitory and fully dictated by their karma visEshams.
Once their accumulated puNyams are over, their status as powerful
demi-gods disappear. Knowing their alpa sukhams fully well, I am not
enamoured of such status and power. I seek therefore the lasting bliss of
moksham and nithya kaimkaryam in the Lord's Sri Vaikuntam through my
prapatthi .
Prabhandham 3: TanthirangaL--
Here, Swami Desikan points out that all are eligible to perform Prapatthi
at the lotus feet of the Lord of Kaanchi and receive the boon of Moksham
from that act of self-surrendeer.
I meditate on the glorious attribute of VaradarAjAn, who blesses all

without discrimination, when they perform prapatthi unto Him. These are
the virtuous ones, who understand the difficulties of practising Bhakthi
yOgam and understand well the equal qualifications of all to perform
prapatthi to gain the boon of Moksham. They do not seek any other means
than prapatthi and observe their varNAsrama dharmams without slipping.
They utter thereafter the prapatthi manthram (svanishtai) or follow the
utterances of their AchAryAs (AchArya Nishtai) and perform their prapatthi
to the Lord, who accepts it with joy and rewards them with the boon of
mOksham.
Prabhandham 4: kaahamirAkkathan ----
Here the reference is to Maha Viswasam that leads to the fruition of one's
prapatthi.
I offer my prapatthi at the holy feet of VaradarAjan inspired by the

thought that He granted the boons of samsAra bhOgam and Moksham as desired
by them to the offending crow , VibhishAnAN , Drowpathi ,Kshathrabhandhu ,
GajEndran , KaaLiyan , Sivan , BrahmA and all the dEvAs .
Prabhandham 5: uhakkumavai--
Here, Swami Desikan reveals that he has performed the prapatthi at the
Lord's feet in the proper manner with the five angAs of Prapatthi .The
words of the prabhandham connected to the five angams are:
uhakkumavai uhanthu -- AanukUlya Sankalpam

uhavAvanaitthumozhindhu--PrAthikUlya Varjanam
mihat thuNivu peRavuNarndhu-- mahA visvAsam
kAvalena varitthu-- gopthruva VaraNam
puhalillAt tavamaRiyEn -- kArpaNyam
With these words, Swami Desikan points out that he has performed aathma
samarpaNam with its five limbs.
Prabhandham 6: aLavudayAr --
Here, Swami Deikan refers to the four kinds of Prapatthi:Svanishtai ,

Ukthi nishtai, AchArya nishtai and BhAgavatha nishtai . Swami says that he
has performed prapatthi at the lotus feet of Varadhan, who grants the boon
of Moksham to one, who has performed any one of the four kinds of
Prapatthi.
Prabhandham 7: umathu adigaL adaihinREn---
The meaning of the Abhaya MudrA of Varadhan is ceelbrated here.
The Lord is resplendent at the sight of the prapannA and blesses him to
enjoy all of His Isvaryam and looks at the prapannA with great compassion
and reveals through the gesture of Abhaya MudrA that his one-time
praaptthi alone is sufficient to enjoy all of that bliss. I surrender my
aathmA to that glorious and merciful Lord, who grants such matchless
boons.
Prabhandham 8: thiNmai kurayAmaikkum -----
Here, the conductance of one's life in the post-prapatthi period is

described by our ParamAchAryA.
I repeatedly reflect on the meaning of the Lord's sarama slOkam and the
assurances given by Him there to the one, who has performed prapatthi. I
remind myself that as a prapannan, I must have unshakable faith in the
assured fruits of my prapatthi.
I pray for the further enhancement of my bhakthi and Jnaanam. I shall

never forget my utter servititude to You and You alone. I shall stay in a
happy and tranquil mood with the knowledge of the essence of the
rahasyArthAs .I will bear my days on the earth without agitation over the
delay in realizing moksham. I will forget the sorrows of SamsAram that is
inevitable during the days on earth after performing my prapatthi at Your
Sacred Feet. This way, I will spend my post-prapatthi life.
Prabhandham 9: Suruthi ninaivu ---
As a prapannA, I worship always the Lotus feet of PeraruLALan with a

tranquil mind calmed by the clear understanding of the meanings of
Sruthis, Smruthis, AzhwAr's Sri Sookthis , AchAryA's Sri Sookthis that
deal with the sookshmArthams of VedAnthams .
Prabhandham 10: ThirumahaLum Thiruvadivum ---
I have joined without fail the majestic and glorious feet of the Lord, who
is never separated from His beloved consort. He has the most bewitching
beauty. He is an ocean of mercy. His dayA for His devotees is unmatched.
He is omniscient. He is easy of access to His devotees .He has the
chEthanAs and achEthanmas as His body. He is the supreme Lord of all this
universe .He is the one, who creates, protects and destroys all of this
world and its beings. These auspicious attributes will never part company
with the Lord. I have now joined with this PeraruLALan of such anantha
kalyANa guNa vaibhavam.
Pala sruthi Prabhandham --11: aaRu payan vERillA ---
These ten verses dealing with my SaraNAgathi at the sacred feet of the
Lord of Kanchi will shine without any faults forever. BhagavathAs seek the
Lord as upAyam and palan. They observe prapatthi once at His feet. The
fruits of the one time prapatthi , however lasts forever and is most
enjoyable. Understanding the above truths and the significance of such a
prapatthi , I have performed my own prapatthi and sung about them in a
manner matching their blemishless aathma samarpaNams .
Sri PerumdEvi ThAyAr Sametha Sri Varadaraaja ParabrahmaNE Nama:
Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/ebooks/vdesikan/adaikkalappattu/index.html
Posted by R. Raghunathanat 7:36 AM1 comment:
Dasa Avatara Stotram

This stotram was composed by SrI vedAta desika when he worshipped the =
Lord in the daSAvatAra sannidhi in SrIrangam. The first Slokam is =
introductory in nature, and SrI deSika offers obeisance to Lord =
ranganAtha and Mother ranganAyAki whose ten divine incarnations he is =
going to cover in the stotram. The next ten Slokams are devoted to the =
ten incarnations, one for each incarnation. The twelfth Slokam =
summarizes all the ten incarnations in one Slokam, and the thirteenth =
and last Slokam is a phala-Sruti. =20
The most striking aspect of this stotra for me was the poetic side of =
SrI deSika that comes out so vividly in this composition. When this =
statement is made, it is not to diminish the importance of the =
devotional fervor in the stotra in any way. In praising the poetic gift =
of Sri deSika, one writer has remarked that SrI deSika could compose a =
thousand pASurams in praise of SrI RanganAtha's pAduka-s with ease in =
one night, whereas no other poet would have found it easy to compose =
more than a handful of Sloka-s on the topic of 'sandals'. This is the =
poet that is revealed to us when we go through the daSAvatAra stotram. =
Especially in the description of the first few incarnations, this poetic =
expression is striking.
In his description of the matsya incarnation, the poet describes the =

beauty of the eyes of the Lord thus - wherever He goes as a fish in the =
waters looking for the lost veda-s, His eyes look like a traveling lotus =
garden. The huge waves that He creates as He travels collide with each =
other and this looks like a swing in the waters. And Our Lord is having =
fun enjoying this ride in this swing as He is looking for the veda-s.
In the kUrma avatara, SrI deSikan imagines the Lord in the form of a =
tortoise enjoying the massage by the mandAra mountain as it is used in =
churning the ocean while supported on His back. This massage makes the =
Lord feel so comforted that He falls asleep. His deep breathing results =
in the huge waves which again serve the Lord as the water-bed on which =
He is present with His Consort, blessing all of us.
The poet describes the sound emanating from the nose of the Lord in the =
varAha incarnation (ghur-ghuraih) as reverberating across the worlds and =
purifying them. The Lord takes this incarnation to retrieve the lost =
Earth from the ocean, and once He has retrieved Mother Earth, He has Her =
firmly seated on His canine teeth as He is rising out of the Ocean. She =
is enjoying the firm seating on His canine teeth and creating all the =
forms from brahma all the way down to the grass and all other beings as =
She is enjoying the ride.
When the Lord appeared as nr*simha in the pillar in hiranyakaSipu's =

palace, the pillar became the 'mother' of the Lord, who Himself is the =
Father of brahma. Thus the pillar managed to lose its sterility, and =
now became the grandmother of brahma! Given that brahma himself is =
called the pitAmahan (grandfather), now the pillar became the =
grandmother for the grandfather also. (How lucky is the pillar that =
had the good fortune to give birth to the Lord!). Since the Lord did =
not know He had to appear in the pillar (until prahlAda so wished), He =
did not have His weapons for the slaying of hiraNyakaSipu. This is just =
as well, because His nails obviously are more powerful than His other =
weapons!
As the foot of the Lord in His vAmana incarnation keeps growing, SrI =
deSika imagines that His feet are carrying mahAbali's fame (for =
fulfilling His words to the Lord happily) like the soldier announcing a =
victorious king's arrival. The Ganges river that resulted from brahma's =
washing of the Lord's Holy feet as it flowed down to earth looked like a =
white victory flag for the Lord. =20
The second aspect of the stotra that is noticeable is the description =

of the incarnations of the Lord using strikingly extreme aspects of the =
avatAra as if to illustrate that the Lord is all extremes at the same =
time. In the description of the parasurAma and rAma incarnations, SrI =
deSika first points out the extreme capability or actions that they =
either did or are capable of, and then takes us down to the other =
extreme of their actions as if to contrast the two extremes. Thus he =
first points out that ParSurAma destroyed 21 generations of kshatriya-s =
as a revenge for the slaying of his father, and captured the whole world =
for himself. At the other extreme, He sacrificed all his possessions =
in one swoop to Sage KaSyapa. In rAma incarnation, SrI rAma was capable =
of draining the whole ocean with the heat of His arrows. The power of =
His arrows is far more, and is many times more tortuous than the agni =
that devours the world mercilessly at the time of pralaya. This same =
Lord rAma has as His vow the protection of those who surrender to Him =
just once.=20
The above are some instances in the daSAvatAra stotram where SrI deSika =
has lost himself intensely in the bhagavad-anubhava as he is describing =
the different incarnations. In addition to the descriptions of the =
above incarnations, the stotram also has one Sloka each that is devoted =
to the balarAma, kr*shNa and kalki incarnations. =20
Originally when I had the desire to go through each of the deSika =

stotra-s and share a high-level summary of each, I had planned not to =
include the samskr*t version of any Sloka or present detailed meanings. =
However, in the twelfth Sloka
in this stotram svAmi deSikan summarizes all the ten incarnations in one =
Sloka. So I am including this Sloka and its meaning briefly.
"IcchA-mIna vihAra-kacchapa mahA-potrin yadr*cchA-hare =20

rakshA-vAmana rosha-rAma karuNA-kAkutstha helA-harin |
krIDA-vallava kalka-vAhana-daSA-kalkin iti pratyaham
jalpantah purushAh punanti bhuvanam puNyaugha paNyApaNAh ||
"Oh Lord! Those who speak your name daily=20
as the One who took the form of a fish by your own free will, incarnated =
as a tortoise for the purposes of having fun, took the form of a big =
boar, appeared as Lord nr*simha when no one (including you) expected it, =
took the incarnation of vAmana just for protecting everyone (through the =
contact with your feet), presented yourself as the angry paraSurAma and =
also as rAma - the personification of kindness and mercy, had the sport =
with the plough in the balarAma avatAra and as the cowherd in your =
kr*shNa incarnation, and will ride the white horse in your kalki =
incarnation,
make this world pure by the store-house of puNya that they have =
accumulated, and are like the store where we can get all the puNya we =
need (i.e., by merely associating with them)".
SrI deSika again gives vent to his poetic sentiments in describing =

these noble souls as shop-keepers from whom we can get all the puNya =
that we want by associating with them. In the concluding Sloka, Sri =
deSika points out that even the desire to chant this stotram will lead =
to sarasvati-katAksham, in addition to the spiritual development, =
purity of thought, and all kinds fame. =20
=20
As in the case of the previous write-up on SrI hayagrIva stotram, it is =
hoped that this high level description of the daSAvatAra stotram gives =
the desire to look at the detailed meanings of the stotram, chant it =
regularly, and be blessed by our Lord and our AcArya.=20
-dAsan kr*shNamAcAryan
http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/acharyas/desika/stotras/dasavatara-nk.txt
Another input:
DevO na: Subham AaathanOthu dasadhaa nirvarthayan bhoomikaam

RangE dhaamani labda nirbhara rasaih adhyakshithO bhaavukai:/
Yad bhaavEshu pruthak vidhEshu anuguNaan bhaavaan swayam bibhrathee
Yad dharmair iha dharmiNi viharathE naanaa kritir naayikaa// 1
" May the Supreme Lord who descended down to earth in ten incarnations and acted, all in sport, a variety of roles on the massive stage of this
earth and Mother Goddess who took appropriate roles and also presided over their drama as great Connoisseurs of histrionic arts May the
Divya Dhampathis shower on us their divine grace"
avyaasur bhuvana trayii manibhRîtaM kaNDuuya nairadriNaa

nidraaNasya parasya kuurma vapuSho nishvaasa vaatormayaH .
yadvikShepaNa saMskRîto dadhipayaH preN^khola paryaN^kikaa -
nityaa rohaNa nirvRîto viharate devaH sahaiva shriyaa
The Lord dived into the ocean in the form of a fish searched with His lotus eyes, rapidly viewing on all directions creating an illusion of lotus
flowers blossoming everywhere - all in search of the Vedas that had been stolen by an Asura. The ebb and flow of the waves of the Ocean
seemed to be a swinging cradle that soothed and almost lulled Him into a comfortable reverie. May this Lord of Matsya Avataara protect us
gOpaayEth anisam jaganthi kuhanaa pOthree pavithree kritha

brahmANDa: praLayOrmi gOsha gurubhir gONaaravai: gurguraih: /
yath dhamshtra ankura kOTi ghaaTa ghaTanaa nishkampa nitya sthithi:
brahma sthambham asoudasou bhagavathee mushEva visvambharaa // 4
At the time of the great deluge, mother earth was wholly drowned under the waters. The Lord took the form of a huge wild boar and diving deep
under the waters salvaged Her. At that time, He exhaled so heavily making a roaring sound that purified the three worlds. The boar bore Mother
earth who bears the entire universe firmly on His horn as if She was a tuber root stuck in it.
prathyaadishTa puraathana praharaNa graama: kshaNam paaNijai:

avyaath threeNi jaganthi akunTa mahimaa vaikunTa kaNTeerava:/
yath praadur bhavanaath avandhya jaTaraa yaadrichikaath vEdasaam
yaa kaachith sahasaa mahaasura griha sthooNaa pithamahi abhooth//
"The King of VaikunTam Himself came down in the form of Lion-king. Discarding the antiquated conventional weapons, He converted His own
nails as the weapon. He appeared in some pillar in the palace of the great Asura and rid it of its sterlity by delivering Him, thus transforming it as
the Paternal Grandmother of Brahmas! May that Lord Nrisimha protect all the three worlds"
vreeDaa vidha vadhaanya dhaanava yasO naasera dhaaTee paTah:

trai aksham makuTam punan avathu na: TraivikramO vikramah: /
yath prasthaava samuchritha dvaja paTee vrithaantha siddhaanthibhih:
srOthObhih: sura sindhu ashTasu disaa soudhEshu dOdhooyatE //
When the Lord went to Mahaabali to beg for three footsteps of land, the bounteous Emperor Mahaabali felt ashamed of himself in offering the
gift. When the Lord grew to show His Viswaroopam and measured the three worlds, the foot that went up seemed to be the flagstaff proceeding
to proclaim the glorious bounty of Mahaabali. Brahma offered Paadhyam to this foot, while the sacred waters flowing from this fell on and
sanctified the matted crest of hair of Siva and the eight directions. May that Vikramas foot protect us
KrOdha agnim jamadagni peeTana bhavam sam tharpayishyan kramaath

a-kshathraam iha santhathas cha ya imaam tri:sapta kritva kshithim /
Dathvaa karmaNi dakshiNaam kvachana thaam aaskandhya sindhum vasan
Abrahmanyam apaa karOthu bhagavaan aabrahma keeTam munih //
When the fire of the fury of the Lord as a Sage was roused by a king who
killed his father Jamadagni, He wiped out with a vengeance 21 generations of the Royal clan from the face of the earth. Later He gave away the
earth in a Yagjna and retired to a land, which He reclaimed, from the Sea. Let this Lord rid the miseries of the world right from the four faced
Brahma to the lowest of creatures
paaraavaara payO visOshaNa paareeNa kalaanala
jwaalaajaala vihaara haari visika vyaapaara gOra kramah /
sarvaavastha sakruth prapanna janathaa samrakshaNaika vrathee
dharmO vigrahavaan adharma virtheem dhanvee sa thanveetha na: //
He can, with His bow and arrows wreak havoc on everything and dry up the vast bodiess of waters of great oceans like the fierce fire-force of
deluge.
His valor is incomparable and unsurpassed. Yet, His compassion is so great that if one were to surrender at His feet for once, He has vowed to
afford protection as a matter of principle and policy, whatever the circumstances, even at the risk of His own life! Let that Lord Rama, the wielder
of the mighty bow, the Greatest of heroes and who is Dharma personified, save us
Pakkath Kowrava paTTaNa prabruthaya: praastha pralambaadaya:

Thaalaankasya tathaa vidhaa vihruthayas thanvanthu bhadraaNi na: /
Ksheeram Sarkara yEva yaabhir apruthak boothaa: prabhoothair guNai:
Aa-kowmaarakam aswadantha jagathE krishNasya thaa: kELaya: //
May the exploits of Sri Balarama like his turning upside down Hastinaapura, the capital of the Kauravas, his wiping out the Rakshasas like
Pralambasura do us all the good. Right from childhood, Balarama was inseparably involved in the sporting activities of Sri Krishna making them
more enjoyable, like the inseparable sugar dissolved in milk therby heightening its taste.
Naathayaiva namaH padam bhavathu nas chitrai: charitra kramai:

BhooyObhi: bhuvanani amooni kuhanaa gOpaaya gOpaayatE /
KaaLindhee rasikaaya kaaLiya paNi spaara spaTaa vaatikaa
Ranga utsanga visanka chankrama dhuraa paryaaya charyaa: yathE //
MEANING:
Let our obeisance be only for the Supreme Lord KrishNa
- who protects the world with His most wonderful acts
- who enjoys and relishes His association with the river Yamuna
- who performed a dance fearlessly making the broad hoods of the KaaLinga
serpent as His stage and
- who accomplished numerous such impossible but
- who nevertheless disguised Himself the garb of a simple cow-herd
Bhavinyaa dasayaa bhavan iha bhava dvamsaaya na: kalpathaam

Kalkee vishNuyasa: sutha: kali kathaa kaalushya koolankasha: /
Nis sesha kashtaha kanTakE kshithi thalE dharaa jaloughair dhruvam
Dharmam kaartha yugam prarOhayathi yath nistrimsa dhaaraadhara: //
The Lord who presents Himself to us now in Archaa form is sure to reappear later on in the form of Kalki, being born as the son of a Brahmin
called VishNuyasas. To put an end to the present calamitous Yuga, with a blazing sword on hand and riding a horse, He will exterminate all evil,
re-establish Dharma and make the golden age spring forth again as if watered by His compassion. May He get rid of our pangs of Samsaara
(phala sruti:)
vidhyO udanvathi vEnkaTEswara Kavou jaatham jagan mangaLam
dEvEsasya dasaavataara vishayam stOtram vivakshEtha yah /
vaktrE thasya saraswaththee bahumukhee bhakti: paraa maanasE
suddhi: kaapai thanou disaasu dasasu khyaathi: subhaa jrumbathE //
Let me tell you what one can acquire on reciting this StOtram in praise of the 10 Avataras of the Lord of Lords, Sri Tiruvarangan that arose from
the great poet VEnkatEswara, a veritable Ocean of knowledge. This StOtram is intended to bring welfare of the entire world (Jagan MangaLam)
Even if one were to THINK of reciting this StOtram -
1. Goddess of learning, Saraswathi, will bless such a persons tongue in a variety of ways.
2. Such a person will develop in mind an extraordinary devotion to the Lord
3. Such a person will acquire even physical purity and
4. Such a persons fame will spread far and wide in all the 10 directions of the world.
http://www.gaudiyadiscussions.com/index.php?showtopic=2747
Vegasethu Stotram
vegA-setu means "the dam for the river vegavati". This name arises
for the Lord in the kshetram called tiru-vehkA since He lies across the
river vegavati like a dam. The Lord is also called yathokta-kAri in
samskr*t, and its equivalent in tamizh, "Sonna vaNNam Seyda perumAL", or
"One who did as He was told". The history behind this is that once
tirumazhiSai AzhvAr requested bhagavAn to pack up his snake bed and move
out of kA~nci because of the local king's insult to a bhakta. BhagavAn did
exactly what He was told. When BhagavAn moved out of the king's land,
there were immediate signs of impending darkness and suffering in the
kingdom. The king realized his mistake and begged forgiveness from the
AzhvAr. AzhvAr forgave the king, and asked perumAL to return back, unfold
His snake bed and lie down again in His old place, and bhagavAn heeded this
request as well, and the kingdom returned to normalcy again. Thus the Lord
in this kshetram is fondly called yathokta-kAri.
Like hasti-giri, tiruvehkA is also a svayam-vyakta kshetram. We learned in

SrI varadarAja pa~ncASat that varadarAjap perumAL is on a small hill called
hasti-giri, and appeared there in response to brahma's aSva medha yAgam.
We may recall from the write-up of the sthala-purANa-s of these temples that
when sarasvati rushed in the form of vegavati river to obstruct brahma's
yAga prior to its completion, perumAL just lied down on His snake bed in the
path of the river, and sarasvati subsided and went underground. Thus
bhagavAn protected brahma's yAga in this instance, and stayed here in this
arcA-mUrti form in response to brahma's request.
In the short 10 Sloka-s of this stotra, svAmi deSikan points out the
following key aspects of bhagavAn:
1. He is like a dam that helps the cetana-s in crossing the Ocean of samsAra
(eshah setuh gamayitum pAram IshTe - Slokam 2). This is the vegA-setu
aspect of this perumAL. In fact, svAmi deSikan refers to bhagavAn as vishNu
setuh in Slokam 4, and as jagadeka setuh - The only dam that can help
cetana-s, in Slokam 3.
svAmi deSikan emphasizes the aspect of bhagavAn being a dam that helps in
crossing the ocean of samsAra in other stotra-s as well. Thus in dayA
Satakam Slokam 87, he points out that in His rAma incarnation He created the
setu to cross the ocean to get into Lanka, which is in itself a great act of
compassion on His part. The very sight of the setu or dam is sufficient to
remove all the sins - prakr*shTa bahu-pAtaka praSama hetunA setunA.... In
SrI varadarAja pa~ncAsat, he refers again to the very sight of the dam that
was created by Lord rAma being able to lead the cetana-s to cross the ocean
of samsAra (Slokam 25 - tam vIkshya setum adhunA'pi SarIravantah sarve
shadUrmi bahuLam jaladhim taranti).
2. He is One who subjugates Himself to His devotees, and does whatever His
bhakta-s want Him to do. (bhaktimatAm yathoktakArI - Slokam 5; Srita jana
para tantram - Slokam 7; SaraNam upagatAnAm AdeSa kArI - One who obeys the
orders of those who have surrendered to Him- Slokam 8; bhakta anugantuh -
One who follows His devotees - Slokam 6). The response of perumAL to
tirumazhiSai AzhvAr's request to role down His snake bed and get out of
kA~nci, and later to return back to kA~nci, has already been covered in the
previous write-up on the sthalapurANam of this kshetram. This is the
yathoktakAri aspect of this perumAL.
An alternate interpretation for the name 'yathoktakArI' is that bhagavAn

will give moksham to those who have surrendered to Him as He has declared in
His rAma and kr*shNa incarnations.
3. He removes all obstacles that face His devotees. This is illustrated by

His protecting brahma's yAga against the ferocious force of vegavati.
(praSamita hayamedha vyApadam padmayoneh - Slokam 7). Also in Slokam 8 we
have Him described as sarva jantoh Samayati paritApam - One who removes the
sorrows of all beings.
4. Surrendering to bhagavAn not only ensures moksham at the end of this

life, but it quells the unrest caused by the waves of samsAra while the
cetana still spends the rest of his life in this world. The prapanna leads
a life of bliss in this world by dedicating himself completely to the
service of the Lord (samsAra jaladhi kallolAn praSamayati - Slokam 3). In
Slokam 6, bhagavAn is described as "pratyAdiSanti prajAnAm bhava sa~ncaraNam
- One who puts an end to the wanderings of people in the ocean of samsAra.
5. vegAsetu perumAL appeared first, followed by varadan later according to

the kshetra purANa-s. svAmi deSikan nicely interprets this as Lord first
appearing as vegAsetU peru.mAL in the form of upAyam or the means, and then
the same Lord appearing as Lord varadarAja in the form of result (phala) -
Slokam 1. Another way he enjoys the vaibhavam of these two arcA-mUrti-s is
by crediting vegAsetu perumAL as One who removes the obstacles of His
devotees (in this case the obstacels to brahma's yAga), so that varada can
concentrate on His job of bestowing the devotees' wishes (e.g., by
appearing as a pratyaksham to brahma according to His wishes) - Slokam 8.
In conclusion, svAmi deSikan points out that worshipping vegAsetu perumAL

will lead to bhagavAn fulfilling the wishes of the devotees, as well as
giving moksham in accordance with bhagavAn's own declaration in His rAma and
kr*shNa incarnations.
-dAsan kr*shNamAcAryan
http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/acharyas/desika/stotras/vegasetu-nk.txt
Hayagriva Stotra
It is believed that Sri Hayagriva stotram was the first of the many stotra-s that were composed by Sri Desika. Sri Desika had worshipped Lord
Hayagriva as part of his nitya aradhana (daily worship). Sri Rama Desikacharya points out that for this reason, wherever Sri Desika's vigraham
has been installed, Lord Hayagriva's idol is also installed alongside.
Among the points that I noticed as I went through the 33 sloka-s in this stotra are:
The sphatika (crystalline) hue of Bhagavan Hayagriva

The Vedas and Bhagavan Hayagriva
Sri Desika's prayer for the defense of the sampradayam (tradition)
Swami Desikan's simplicity and humility.
In the following sections, the above topics are elaborated with quotes from Swami Desikan's Hayagriva Stotram.
The sphatika hue of Bhagavan Hayagriva

Sri Desika points out in several places that Lord Hayagriva's form is pure white like a flawless sphatika maNi.
nirmala sphaTikAkRtim -- One with a pure white form, in sloka 1
Suddha sphaTika maNi in sloka 2
mugdha-indu-nishyanda, dugdha-sindhOh udArAm, tava mUrtim -- Your appearance is pure white like the molten form of the rising moon or the
great product from the Milk Ocean (Sloka 13)
viSadaih mayUkhaih AplAvayantam tvAm ye kshaNardham api kalayanti... --- Those who meditate even for a fraction of a second on your form
which radiates pure white rays... (sloka 15)
viSadaih mayUkhaih tamAmsi bhittvA Sarad-ghane candramiva nava-puNdarIke sphurantam -- You remove the darkness of ignorance in your
devotees through the pure white rays emanating from you, and appear like the beautiful milk-white moon seated on the new white lotus (sloka
26)
amRta viSadaih amSubhih mAm plAvayan mAnase AvirbhUyAt -- O Lord Hayagriva! Please shower me with Your white radiant rays which are
like nectar, and dwell in my mind always.
In his Rahasya Traya Sara, he also says the following (in Tamil) :
veLLaip parimugar dESikarAi viragAl adiyOm
uLLatthezhudiyadu Olaiyil ittanam yAm idarRkken
Lord Hayagriva with the face of a white horse appeared as the acharya and wrote this grantham in my mind, and all I have done is reproduced it.
So there is no fault in this work.
Lord Hayagriva and the Vedas
There are several references by Swami Desika beautifully describing the origin of the Vedas from Bhagavan Hayagriva. He variously describes
the "hala hala" sound arising from Lord hayagrIva with the face of a horse, and the sound of the oranments in His leg, as the Vedic emanations
from the Lord.
anantaih traiyantaih anuvihita heshA hala halam in sloka 2
sAmnAm samAhArah, RcAm pratipadam, yajushAm dhAma, pratyUhAnAm layah, bodha jaladheh lahari vitatih, hahavadana heshA hala halah --
The hala hala Sabda of the horse-faced Lord Hayagriva which is the source of the Sama, Rg, and Yajur Vedas, which removes all obstacles to
knowledge and which is the like the waves arising out of the ocean of knowledge, in sloka 3
vedAn vaktree - One who taught the Vedas (sloka 4)
tvam daitya apanItAn nigamAn dayayA eva bhUyah api na adhyApayishyah cet -- If only you had not with your mercy restored the Vedas to
Brahma after they had been stolen by the asura-s... (sloka 8 )
te manjupraNAdam maNi nUpuram veda girAm ma~njUshikAm pratImah -- We know that the Vedas are stored in the sounds arising from the
decorative ornament you wear in your feet and given to this world kalpa after kalpa (sloka 22).
Sri Desika's Prayers For the Defense of our Sampradayam
Sri Vedanta Desika's thoughts seem to have been preoccupied with the efforts of those with other beliefs who were putting up annoying fights and
arguments against his own philosophy. He repeatedly prays to Lord Hayagriva in this stotram to give him the ability to overcome these obstacles
and to establish the right path.
In sloka 3 he says kathA darpa kshubhyat kathaka kolAhala bhavam antardhvAntam haratu -- Let Lord Hayagriva remove the darkness of
ignorance in those who are making big celebration based on their haughtiness resulting from their wrong arguments.
samara angaNeshu kavi tArkika indrAn jigIshatah me jihva agra simhAsanam abhyupeyAh -- O Lord Hayagriva! Please take your seat at the tip
of my tongue so that I can win in these warring debates involving the best of those who debate with me (sloka 28)
samAjeshu svacchanda vAda Avaha baddha SUrah samedhishIya -- Please bless me so that I can be the unquestionable victor in the
battleground of debates where the people of other faith indiscriminately put forth arguments against me (sloka 29)
kavi tArkika venkatanAthena viracitAm -- (This stotra is) composed by Venkatanatha, the lion among the composers and those that excel in
debates.
Sri Vedanta Desika's extreme Simplicity and Humility
More than once in this stotram, swAmi Desikan gives expression to His extreme simplicity and humility, which is a key aspect of saranagati
(whole-hearted self-surrender).
nAtha! Aham mugdha iti tvayA kAruNyatah eva katAksahNIyah O Lord! Please accept me as an ignorant kid (mugdha iti) and bless me with your
Mercy (sloka 6).
aham nAnAvidhAnAm agatih -- I am not learned in the different arts
tIrtheshu ca na api kRta avatArah -- I have not learned from the great acharyas
anAtha parigrahAyAh tava dayAyAh navam navam pAtram, dhruvam -- I am the most fitting case for your mercy which you shower on the
destitute and the helpless; That I am the most deserving case for your mercy, there is no doubt, (sloka 30)
apa nIti bhedaih akampanIyAni SankA kalanka apagama tattvAni mama hRdayam alankr*shIran -- By your blessings, let my mind be rid of the
dirt of uncertainty that is being sprayed on me by the indiscriminate arguments of my opponents, and let truth be revealed to me by your Grace.
It should not be forgotten that the main content of the stotra is the praise of Lord Hayagriva, which is covered throughout the stotram. It should
also be clearly kept in mind that the main purpose of the stotram is that the followers of Sri Desika chant the stotram and benefit with the
blessings of Lord Hayagriva. Hopefully the summary I have presented here will lead to this next step by all of us. Sri Desika's concluding lines are
"paThata hayagrIva stutim bhaktyA -- Read the Hayagriva stotram with devotion", for the purpose of "vAk artha siddhi hetOh -- attaining fluency
over words and true knowledge about the Truth" (Sri Rama Desikacharya Svami has translated this part as the ability to be able to compose the
praise of the Lord (kavi pADum vallamai) and to attain true knowledge about the siddhanta-s (uNmaip poruLgaLaip paRRiya SiRanda aRivu).
[I have not done a literal translation of all the Sanskrit portions, but have tried to keep the thoughts that were meant to be conveyed.]
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Addendum
Even though what follows is not part of Bhagavad-dhyana Sopanam which is the topic of the present write-up, I noticed a "mini Bhagavad-dhyana
Sopanam" embedded in the Hayagriva stotram as I was going through the latter yesterday. Swami Desikan composed the Hayagriva stotram as
Lord Hayagriva was giving His pratyaksha darsanam to the acharya in Tiruvahindrapuram. In this stotram also, just as in Bhagavad-dhyana
Sopanam, we find Swami Desikan describing his anubhavam of Lord hayagrIva's beautiful form part by part, starting with His sacred feet. There
is a sequence of 8 sloka-s (19 to 26) describing the Lord's beauty. sloka 32 is a summary of the eight sloka-s.
In sloka-s 19 to 21, Swami Desikan describes Lord Hayagriva's lotus feet. In sloka 22 the beautiful anklets of the Lord are described. Sloka-s 23
and 24 describe the Lord's two right hands showing the jnAna mudra and holding the japa-mAlA respectively. Sloka 25 is a description of the
Lord's sacred left hand with a book, and sloka 26 talks about the Lord's beautiful pure white moon-like form as He is seated on the fresh white
lotus flower. Sloka 32 (vyAkhyAmudrAm karasarasijaih...) is the dhyAna sloka where the over-all beauty of Lord Hayagriva is summarized. I had
not included the overall meaning of this dhyana sloka in my write-up on Sri Hayagriva stotram, and so am including it here.
vyAkhyAmudrAm kara-sarasijaiH pustakam Sankha-cakre

bibhrad-bhinna-sphaTika-rucire puNDarIke nishaNNaH |
amlAna-SrIr amRta-viSadaih amSubhiH plAvayan mAm
AvirbhUyAt anagha-mahimA mAnase vAgadhISah ||
May Lord Hayagriva, the Lord who bestows His grace of knowledge on His devotees,
with the four divine hands which carry the sacred Sankha and cakra, the book and the jnAna mudra respectively,
who is full of flawless greatness and eternal radiating brilliance,
who is seated on the beautiful white lotus which is like it has been carved out of the pure white sphatika maNi, and
whose greatness and brilliance are eternal and flawless --
may He always reside in my mind and grace me with His nectar-like cool white rays so that I am always immersed in His thoughts.
http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/acharyas/desika/stotras/hayagriva-nk.html
Introduction
Generally vidyaarmbam among sri vaishnavas begins with a prayer to Lord Sri Hayagreeva, preceded by obeisance to our Acharyaas. Even
today Vijayadasami and Sarsvathi pooja are celebrated in Srivaishnavas homes with the recitation of Sri Hayagreeva sthOthram. (in our home at
least!). The Parakala Matham, situated in Mysore, is one the most ancient and premier Srivaishnava religious institutions in the country that came
into being for the specific purpose of propagating Sri Ramanujam's Visishtadvaita philosophy. Sri Lakshmi Hayagreeva (the Lord with the horse's
face) Haya-horse: greeva-neck: this Lord is the presiding deity for all knowledge - 'Aadhaaram sarvavidhyaanaaam Hayagrivam upaasmahe'- is
the principal deity of the Parakala Matham, the icon being one of the most beautiful ever adorning the Matham. Sri Hayagreevar Divya MangaLa
vigraham is also the president deity for Sri Poundareekapuram Andavan Ashramam and also greatly revered by Sri Ahobila Matham and
Andavan Ashram.
Sri Hayagriva Avataram
The avataram of Hayagriva Bhagavan took place to restore the Vedas to Brahma. Emperumaan had taught BrahmA the Creation through His
breath of VedAs. Then, Brahma could understand how various kalpams had begun due to Emperumaan's vEdOpasEam. He became extremely
proud and head strong of his position as the creator and about his powers/jnAnam. Sriman Narayana as usual wanted to teach him and decided
to remove his (Brahma's) pride. A couple of water droplets from the lotus seat of the Lord incarnated as two Asuras, Madhu and Kaitabha; Due to
Bhgawath sankalpam, one (kaitapan) was of thamO guNA and the other (madhu) was of rajO guNA. They stole the Vedas from Brahma.
Emperumaan smiled.
Unable to carry on his work of creation without the Vedas, Brahma rushed to the Lord and pleaded the Lord Narayana for mercy and saving
Vedas. BrahmA prostrated to the Lord and said:
"Vedas alone are my eyes; they are my wealth; They are my Lord. The whole world is surrounded by darkness due to the absence of Vedas. How
am I to proceed on my creation without the Vedas ? Please arise from the Yoga nithrA and help me Lord! Please give me back my eyes which
have been blinded by my own pride."
"veda: mE paramam sakshI: veda: mE paramam param

veda: mE paramam dharma, veda: mE brahma sOtthamam"
Lord Narayana incarnated as Hayagriva, appeared as the white Horse faced, faultless sphatika hued form, satva mUrthy, with Divya tEjas, and
lustrous form and destroyed the Asuras and restored the Vedas to Brahma. This avtaaram was made on a AvaNi month, sravaNa nakshthram
paurNami thithi. With a lovely long nose, like the heaven surrounded by white bright stars, the asva siras (head of horse) illumined the whole
world. The upper world and the lower world became His ears. The rays of Sun's brightest lustres are His hairs at the nape of His neck (pidari).
BhUmi became His forhead; Ganga and Saraswathi became two lovely eyebrows; Chandra Sooryar (The Moon and the Sun) became His two
eyes; SandhyA dEvathai became His nostrils; Pithru devathAs became His teeth; GolOkam and Brahma lOkam became His two lips; kalaraathri
became His neck; The Divya tEjas Sathva mUrthy Sri Hayagreevan thus, in a grandest beautiful manner appeared. He rushed to PaathaaLa
lOkam and raised His "uthGitham" in samavEdha swaram and terrified Madhukaitapa asurAs; They hid the VedhAs (which were in the form of
babies) and ran away from the scene. Sri Hayagreevar handed over the Vedas to BrahmA and went back. Madhukaitapar searched for the sound
which terrified them earlier but found the Vedas missing. They rushed to BrahmA who in turn was terribly scared and sought the help of Sriman
Narayanan. Sri Hayagreevar fought with asurAs and killed them. BrahmA continued his work of creation.
This avataar is described in VishNu puraaNam as "mathsya kUrma varaaha ashva simha rUpaathibhi:". In BrahmANda purANam during
maheshwara-naradha samvaadham, Naradha describes this avthaar. Even when naradha praises Sri rangan in this PurANam, he says "ashva
sirasE namah:". That is why the Lord is called Madhusoodhanan. (for having killed madhu and kaitabhar). Sri Paraasara Bhattar in his Sri
Rangarajasthavam (utthara sathakam-52 nd slOka) says "Sri ranganAthA! You, as Hayagreeva rUpI, removed the hurdles of madhu, kaitapar to
BrahmA and recovered the VedhAs and saved the whole world!". In MahAbharatham, Shanthi parvam, hayasira upaakhyaanam details
Hayagreeva avathaaram. Srimadh Bhagawatham, too, describes Hayagreeva avtaar.
There is another version of this avtaar and killing of asurAs. When paraLayam was about to end, Bhagawaan out of His dirt from the ear drum
made two small solid balls and dropped on the Lotus leaf and BrahmA activated the PrANa vaayu, which gave life to these two, as madhu and
kaitabhar. These asurAs appeared and grew up.
BrahmA started off his creation and Vedhas were snatched away by these two asurAs. When the most compassionate Lord, Parama kaaruNikO
Bhagawaan wished to please the asurAs, without killing them, asked them as to what they want as a boon. These two asurAs said "we can give
You what You want". That is it! The Lord decided to kill them. They said "Can You kill us only where there is no cover for the sky?". The Lord
immediately took Hyagreeva avtaar and removed His cloth on the Thighs, put them on His thighs and killed them. Bhagawaan's legs house the
Earth and the space/sky. Since the Lord removed the cloth from His thighs and killed them, He still complied with what they challenged Him. What
they thought was impossible to happen, He could make it happen with no effort. He, thus saved the Vedas and saves the world. The moral is:
thamas, rajas guNAs are to be destroyed to reach Him.
There is yet another interesting "different" version in BrahmANda PuraaNam- Sri Devi Bhagawatham. There was a asurA, by name Hayagreeva
(with horse face) who did his severe penance/ tapas on Parvathi Devi. Parvathi, pleased with his tapas, appeared in his front and the asurA asked
for "no death". She said "Impossible-can not be granted". Then the asurA amended the request and said "Except for a horse faced one, no one
else can kill me". (thinking that it can never happen!). She consented. He became tremendously proud of his achievement and started harassing
every deva and rishi. He troubles all three worlds. He snatched away the Vedas from BrahmA and disappeared. Then is the history. The Lord
appeared as Hayagreevar and killed the asurA to save the world and bring back the Vedas.
There is yet another puraaNic narration on Hayagreevar. At Kanchi, Agasthya muni was on severe penance on Sriman Narayanan and the Lord
appeared as Hayagreevar and was immensely pleased with his tapas. He blessed the muni with Devi mahaathmyam. This is described in
BrahmANda puraaNam Sri Hayagreeva agasthya samvaadham.
During Tripura samhaaram to entice the asurAs, the Lord appeared as "other religious" saint (buddhism?) and appeared as Hayagreevar to
mislead the asurAs from the Veda maargham (from the path of Vediv traditions and sayings). Thus, He made them lose their ability to get saved
and the Lord won. (As also claimed and reported in Buddhism in a web site as follows: Like Mahakala, Hayagriva is one of the Eight Great
Protectors of Buddhism, a guardian and a destroyer of obstacles to enlightenment(!). He is a popular personal, or tutelary, deity among the Gelug
order of Tibetan Buddhism. Hayagriva's crown of skulls is surmounted by Hayagriva's attribute, a horse's head, alluding to his origin as a horse-
headed Hindu god. The terrific neigh that emanates from this horse's head is said to pierce through the illusory nature of reality. Although he was
also popular in Tibet and China, Hayagriva's association with the horse may have had a particular appeal to the Mongols. (This, I read in the Net
in some buddhism web site!) Swami Desikan in his "navarathna maalai" says " puRamuyarttha asurargatku puRam uRaittha poyyinaan". (to
explain the Lord thus, misleading the asurAs by taking non-vedic religion (Buddhism)).
Scriptures on Hayagreevar (Madhusoodhanan)
Since, Lord Hayagreevar killed the asurAs, madhu and kaitapar, He is referred to as Madhusoodhanan.
In BrahmANda puraaNam, Sri RangarajamahAthmyam, Om namO VishnavE Deva MadhussodhanathE Namah: refers to Madhusoodhanan Sri
Hayagreevan.
Srimad Valmiki RamayaNam BalakaaNdam 76th sargam, 17th slOkam Parasuraama says to Rama "akshayam madhuhanthaaram jaanaami
tvaam surOtthamam". I realise that You are the DevaadhiDevan, immortal, MahAVishNu, the One who killed madhu,kaitapar.
Also, when Rama (before proceeding for His PattabhishEkham), gets up in the wee hours, in Brahma muhUrtham, He performs His anushtaanam
and pays obeisance to Lord Hayagreevan "dhushtaava praNadhaischaiva sirasaa madhsoodhanam" (6th sargam-7th slokam).
In Kishkinthaa kaanDam, Vaali tells Sri Rama "Even if that rAvaNan hids SitA in PaathaaLa lOkam, no problem. You could have just told me so. I
world have brought SitA back from anywhere wheresoever like Sri Hayagreevar brought the Vedas killing Madhukaitapar. (17th sargam-49th
slOkam)
When Hanumaan went in search of sanjeevini, and other aushadhaas, he saw the pleace where chathurmukhan (brahmA) performed
thiruvaaraadhanam for Lord Hayagreevar. Commentators, are reported to have praised this slOkam as "hayaananam, hayagreeva araadhana
sthaanam", and "hayaananam - BhagawathO Hayagreevasya sthaanam".
Sri MahAbhAratham, Santhi parvam mentions Haygreeva avataar.
Sri HayagreevOpanishad, naturally elaborates the greatness of Haygreevar.

In Rk vEdam, "vaagham bruNi sookhtham", "apradhiratham", Yajur vEdham, "yajnya prakaraNam", Saama vEdham, udgItam, AdharvaNa
vEdham, Shanthikam, Bhaushtikam are all referring to the greatness of Lord Hayagreevar.
Periya Thirumozhi 7-8-2, by Thirumangai AzhwAr says "munivvEzhu ulaghum iruL maNdiyuNNa munivarOdu ??parimukhanaay aLittha
paramanai kaaNmin".. maeaning: "See the Lord who appeared as the white horse faced Lord to recover the VedhAs when the whole world was
pitch dark due to the absence of four Vedas"
Thiruvaaymozhi 2-7-6 NammAzhwAr says "madhusoodhananai anRi maRRilEn.." There is NONE but Madhusoodhanan only? which refers to
Lord Hayagreevan. (eeadu vyAkhyaanam also explicitly refers to Lord Hayagreevan)
Also Thiruvaaymozhi 2-8-5 "maavaaghi, amaiyaay, meenaaghi, maanidamaay." Commentators say that maavaaghi refers to Lord Hayagrrevan.
Upanishad bhAshyakaaarar Sri Rangaraamanuja Swami. HayO bhUthvaa, HayagrIvO bhUthvaa? - is referred to in 9000 padi Bhagavath
Vishayam. Says Saakshaath Swami or Periya Parakaala Swami. He refers the padham "maavaaghi to Lord Hayagreevan only.
PeriyAzhwAr pAsuram 1-9-10 "thunniya pEriruL soozhndhu ulaghai mooda, manniya naan maRai muRRUm maRaindhida?." Refers to Sri
Hayagreevan.
Our AchAryAs on Sri Hayagreevan
Alavandhaar (Yamuna muni) while praises his Grandfather (his Guru's Guru), says "madhu jithangri sarOja thatva jnAna anuraag.." . He
(Nathamuni) became a great jnAni/bhakthA at the Feet of Madhsoodhanan (Hayagreevan). YamunAchArya also refers in his SthoThra Rathnam
13th slOka to Haygreevan for which Periyavaacchaan PiLLai comments that it narrates about the recovery of Vedas by Lord Hayagreeva and
handing over to BrahmA. That makes us realise Alavandhaar's involvement on Lord Hayagreevan. He also requests the Lord Madhusoodhanan
(in 57th slOkam) to mercifully remove all non-vedic thoughts in the world and traditions existing in the world to save us as He did earlier as
Haygreevan by killing madhukaitapar to establish/recover Vedas.
SvEthAsvara upanishad, "yO BrahmANam vidhadhaadhi poorvam?. Mumukshuvai saraNamaham prapdhyE.." means: adiyEn who is interested
only in mOksham, a mumukshu, surrenders to the Paramapurushan, who did parama upakaaram by recovering Vedas from madhukaitapar and
handed over to BrahmA to save the world"- i.e Lord Hayagreevan." BhAshyakaarar Sri Ramaujar took this manthrA in his Saranaagathi Gadhyam
and surrenders to the Lord.
Here asvam in svEthAsvara upanishad refers to the Lord Hayagreevan (White Horse faced Lord)and that is why Swami Desikan refers Lord
Haygreevan in Rahasyathraya saaram as "veLLai parimukhar". (Swami Desikan's bhakti for Hayagreevan needs no elaboration to this Group)
Sri Kooratthaazhwaan in his "sundharabaahusthavam" 84th slOkam highlights Sri Hayagreeva avataar.
In 121st slOkam also, Kuresa says "Do not think that there are only 10 avataars of the Lord. Even Hamsa, hayagreeva, NaranaraayaNa avataars
are also His only are equally grand and great.
In 58th slOkam of Sri Vaikunta sthavam of Kooratthaazhwaan, it is said "Adhyaathma saasthraas are established by Emperumaan in Hayagrreva
avtaar by recovering vedas and saving the world.
Swami Desikan in his last pAsuram of Sri RTS, says "It is the white horse faced Lord who wrote in my mind and I have written that on the palm
leaves.
Lakshmi Hayagriva Bhagavan is the Archa Murthy of both Srimad Paundarikapuram Ashramam as well as Sri Parakala Matam.
HOW LORD HAYAGREEVA VIGRAHAM CAME TO US
Bhagavan Ramanuja re-established the Visishtadvaita siddhaantham and commented on Brahma sUthram in his Bhashyam. This excellent,
unambiguous vyAkhyaanam was completed by Yathiraajaa and fulfilled his "maanasika guru" Yamaunaacharya's wish (manOratham). Ramanuja
"officially" released the commentary at the grand gathering of all sanskrit scholars and Vedic scholars at Saraswathi Peetham in Kashmir, in front
of Saraswathi Devi. Goddess Saraswathi, immenslely satisfied at the excellent commentary and the truthful presentation of Brahma sUthram, she
honoured the commentary by confering a award calling it "SRI BHAASHYAM". Also, she was extremely happy with Yathiraajaa, she presented to
him a Divya mangaLa vigraham of Sri Lakshmi Hayagreevan. Since the, Yathiraaja was performing Thiruvaaraadhanam for Sri Kalshmi
Hayagreeva Vigraham daily.
This vigraham, through Thirukurugai piraan, through our AchAryAs, came to Sri Vedanta Desikan. Afetr Swami Desikan's period, this is passed
on to Sri Brahma tantra Swami and is now with Mysore Parakala Matham Swami. Even today, the Thiruvaaraadhanam is being performed on this
Divya MangaLa vigraham of Lord Sri Lakshmi Hayagreevan. If one has a close loving glance at the Lord Hayagreevan's vigraham, He has four
hands, and has a beuatiful Horse face, sitting on a white Lotus. His Lotus Feet wears "salaghai" (paayal). His upper two hands hold Sankhu and
ChakrA. His lower right hand offers jnAnOpadEsam to us, bhakthAs. Other hand hold Japamaalaa. Also, it appears as if He is granting us boons.
VishNu DharmOttharam, VaishNava Moorthanya DharaNi part describes Hayagreeva Thiruvuruvam (form). There it details eight hands for
Hayagreevan, where four hands hold Vedas (four children) and other four hold Sanghu, ChakrA, GadhA, and Padmam. Afterwards, He is
blessing us with four hands as detailed above.
Even Sri VishNu puraaNam, details Sun as the Horse faced one for upadEsam. Hayagreeva avtaaram is for VedOpadEsam and granting us
jnAnam. (Swami Desikan was initiated into the Great Hayagreeva Manthram). Once Swami Desikan wished to stay at ThiruvaheendraPuram and
was proceeding from Kanchi. On the way he stayed at some remote place (that belonged to a grain merchant). There lot of grains were stored
and piled in sacks.
There Swami Desikan did not have anything to offer to his Sri Hayagreeva vigraham and hence, offered just water and he also went to sleep,
without eating anything (just by drinking few drops of water that he had offered to the Lord). Midnight, the merchant noticed a very big, beautiful
white Horse which started eating those grains from a sack. The merchant, thinking that it belongs to Swami Desikan, immediately woke him up to
tie the white horse. Swami Desikan has tears rolling down his cheeks, and prostrated to the Lord (who had come as the White Horse) and
explained to the merchant and asked him to bring a pot of milk. The excited merchant and others brought milk which the Lord drank happily and
disappeared.
Next day morning the merchant chased Swami Desikan, (who had actually started off his journey to Thiruvaheendrapuram) and informed that the
whole sack (from which the white horse ate) is full of Gold coins! Swami Desikan smiled and was overwhelmed with joy for His mercy and leelA.
That place is called "pon viLaintha kaLampudhoor".
Other sampradaya AchAryAs on Hayagreeva

In Dwaita sampradaayam, Gururajar, (also called Vathirajar) in 15th century A.D, adorned the Madhva Matham as a Peetadhipathi. He calls his
nithya thiruvaaraadhana prasadham as "Haygreeva Pandi", that is made of kadalai, (Dhal), vellam (saccharin), coconut etc and taste like
Sakkarai pongal. Guru rajar used to offer to the Lord, by keeping the Prasadham on a big plate and raise it above his head with both of his hands.
Sri Hayagreevan, used to gracefully appear as a real horse and keep His front two legs on Gururajar's shoulders and eat ("sweegari"cchufy) the
Prasadham. (What a scene it should have been!). What remains used to be Gururaja's only food always!
Also Sri Hayagreeva upasakas are: Aanghirasar, Adharvaa, Vasishtar, Adhi Sankarar, Panditha rajar, and so on.
Adhi Sankara, who established the Adavita Siddhantham, is also called BhagawathpaadaaL. In his VishNu sahsranaama bhAshyam, for the
name "theerthagara" (691st name per sankara paadam), he write the commentary as " Hayagreeva rUpENa madhukaitabhoU hathvaa virinjaaya
saakhaaruthou sarvaa sruthi adhyaasa cha upaadhisat"? Means: The knowledge (jnAnam) is like an unbounded and limitless waters. There are
dangerous steps in that pond, where we may tend to slip down. There are also lovley, non-dangerous, most enjoyable steps, where we can
blissfully take bath. There are about 14 (or 18) such steps, namely four vedas, sikshai, vyAkharaNam, chandha, niruktham, jyOthisham,
kalpam,(they are all vEdhanthams), mImAmsam, nyAyam, (DarshanangaL), dharma saasthrAs, purANam, are the 14 VidhyA sthAnams. In
addition, there are Ayur vEdam, Gandharvam, Artha saasthram, Dhanur vEdham that add to a total of 18. If one include the "dangerous" non-
vedic steps of Buddhism, Jainism, also there are even 20.
Who is the Lord of all Vishyasthaanam? Was the question and Sri Bhagawadh PaadhAL in his vyAkhyAnam says: the One who killed madhu,
kaitabhar and brough back the Vedas to the world and saved the world, Sri Hayagreevan is the ONLY ANSWER. (daivatham Devathaanaam). All
VidhyAs pay obeisance to Him, Sri Lakshmi Hayagreevan with folded hands and He blesses them.
Panditha Rajar, in his rasagangaadhara kOsam, says Sri Hayagreevar hasgot sakala VidhyA srEshtathvam.
Works on Sri Hayagreevan
Sri Vedanta Desikan: Sri Haygreeva SthOthram

Sri KrishNa Brahmatantra Swathantra Jeeyar- Sri Lakshmi Hayavadhana PrabhOdhika sthuthi
Sri Lakshmi Hayavadhana PadukA sEvaki- Sri Lakshmi Hayavadhana Rathna maalaa SthOthram
Srimad Abhinava RanganAtha Parakaala Jeeyar - Sri Hayagreeva Ashtakam and Sri Haygreeva panjara SthOthram (that houses Sri
Hayagreevaaushtu manthram)
Srinivasa kavi- Sri Hayagreeva ashtakam
Varadhakavi Sri Venkataachaarya Swami- Sri Hayagreeva ashtakam, Sri Haygreeva ashtOthram
Sri Sevaa Swami- Kalaakalana maalikA.
Greatness of Lord Sri Hayagreevan
Swami Desikan in his Hayagreeva SthOthram, says: "Even DhakshiNA moorthy (Sivan) and Saraswathi pay obeisance to Hayagreevan and are
blessed with VidhyA Sakthi by Lord Haygreevan's grace. (DhAkshiNya ramyaa girisasya mUrthi: Devi sarOjaasana dharma pathnI..). Also he
says: the followers of Sri Haygreevan shall chant this stotram and benefit with the blessings of Lord Hayagreevaa ("paThata hayagrIva ?) "Read
the haygrIva stotram with bhakti", for attaining fluency over words and true knowledge about the Truth and to attain true knowledge about the
siddhAntam.
In Paraasara puraaNam, agasthya naaradha samvaadham, Sri Hayagreeva ashtOthra sadhanaama stHothram blesses us a palasruthi, ("naama
naamshtOththarasatham hayagreevasya patEth?avaapya sakalaan bhOgaannithE hari padham vrajEth?") BhakthAs of Sri Hayagreevan, will be
blessed with sakala Vedha saasthra jnAnam and be blessed with truthful knowledge. They will also live very happily in this world with their spouse
and children with sakala sowbhAgyam and REACH THE LOTUS FEET OF SRI HARI for sure.
Source: http://www.parakalamatham.org/articles/mkarticle.shtml
Gopala Vimsati
Swami Desikan paints a word picture of the incomparable beauty of Sri Gopalan. He describes the structure of His mantram and affectionately
recalls the many mischievous deeds performed by bAla Gopalan in Gokulam and Brindavanam to the utter delight of the humans and the celestial
beings.
Sri Gopala Vimsati must have been very dear to Swami Desikan as indicated by his inclusion of the twelfth verse of this stotram in his esoteric
masterpiece Sankalpa Suryodayam. There, he depicts Narada descending from heaven singing joyously the above verse during his journey to
meet Purushan and initiate him into the mahAmantram of the Lord .
May our thoughts be blessed with the delectable experience of Swami Desikan! I salute Sri Vedanta Desikan prior to attempting to provide an
English translation to these bhakti-laden verses dedicated to Sri Rukmini Satyabhama sameta Raja Venugopalan.
Verse 1
vande bRndAvanacaram vallavI janavallabham |

jayantisambhavam dhAma vaijayantI vibhUshaNam ||
I salute that divine effulgence named Gopala, who was born on this Sri Jayanthi day and roamed in the forests of Brindavanam wearing the
unfading garland, known as Vaijayanti, made of wild flowers of the forest. This garland was his charactrestric decoration. He enchanted the gopis
of Brindavanam. I salute this illustrious jyoti.
Verse 2
vAcam nijAnkarasikam prasamikshamAno

vaktrAravidha vinivesita pAncajanya: |
varNatrikoNarucire vara puNDarIke
baddAsano jayati vallava cakravartI ||
The Lord of the cowherds, Sri Gopala is seated on a yantra in the shape of a eight-petalled lotus. Inside that yantra is yet another yantra in the
shape of a triangle. Gopala-upAsakas seat Him at the center of this inner triangle and enjoy His illustrious beauty. On His lap, they find Sarasvati,
the goddess of learning. He blesses Her with His auspicious glances .
He has on His lotus lips the conch known as Panchajanyam, whose sound is that of the holy praNavam symbolizing the essence of the Vedas.
(His devotees meditate on Him in this manner and recieve His blessings).
Verse 3
amnAyagandhI rudita sphUritAdharoshTam

AsrAvilekshaNamanukshaNa mandahAsam |
gopAlaDimbhavapuSam kuhanAjananyA:
prANasthanandayAmivaimi param pumAmsam ||
I visualize and revere Sri Gopala as the Supreme Lord, who took the form of the child born in the cowherd family. He was not an ordinary baby.
As he feigned fear at the sight of the approaching evil Puthana, he alternately cried and smiled. As He cries, his upper and lower lips quivers from
the exertion. At that time, his sweet breath carries the fragrance of the Vedas. He also smiled in between his crying spells. His smile was over the
thought of what he planned to do next with the deceitful Puthana. He not only helped himself to the poisonous milk from her breast, but also
sucked her life through the very same act of responding to her cunning invitation to breast-feed him. He drank at one swoop Puthana's milk and
her life force and blessed her this way. This certainly is no ordinary child!
Verse 4
AvirbhAvAtvANibhrUtAbharaNam. purastAt
Akuncitaika caraNam. nibrUtanyapAdam |
dadhnAnimantamukareNa nibaddhatAlam
nAthasya nandabhAvane navanItanATyam ||
At the house of his parents, Yasodha was strenously churning milk to produce butter as part of the daily chore. Krishna, the bhAgyam of
Yasodha, heard these rhythmical sounds coming from her efforts and began a special dance to amuse her and to receive gobs of butter as a
reward. He planted one of his feet firmly and he moved the other foot around in different directions, the gold necklaces, jewelery and the ankle
bells on His holy feet producing a most delightful musical sound, which matched the laya patterns emanating from his mother's efforts at churning
milk. May that vision of this sweet, butter dance of Lord Gopala appear before my eyes! (navanItam is freshly churned butter mixed with sugar ).
Verse 5
hartum. kumbhe vinihita kara: svAdu hayangavInam.

dRshTvA dhAmagrahaNacatulAm. mAtaram. jAtaroshAm. |
pAyadhISat pracalitapado nApagacchan na tishTan
mithyAgopa: sapadi nayane mIlayan visvagoptA ||
Here, Swami Desikan enjoys the scene just before the Lord is caught by his angry mother in the act of stealing butter from a hidden vessel.
May the special pose that this protector of the Universe, who acted like an innocent child born in the family of cowherds of Gokulam, nurture the
inhabitants of his world! His mother normally stored freshly churned butter in shallow earthern vessels (chattis). Gopalan routinely raided the
kitchen and stole this butter. Yasodha thought that she could hide the butter in deep water pots (kumbha) to mislead her child. Gopalan defeated
his mother in her efforts to save the butter and won the game. When his mother stepped out of the kitchen for a moment, he put his hands into
the pot and helped himself. As he was enjoying himself, his mother arrived suddenly suspecting something was going on behind her back. She
saw Gopalan stealing butter again and ran towards him, rope in her hand, to tie him up as punishment.
Gopalan was bewildered by the sight of his angry mother. For a moment, he wanted to run away to escape his mother. He lifted his foot to run.
His (feigned) fright at his mother however made him stop. He stood still pretending that he did not know what to do next. He closed his eyes at the
thought of the impending calamity of being caught and punished by his mother. He appeared as though he was averting that danger by closing
his eyes. It is common for ordinary human beings to close their eyes, when they face serious danger, out of a sense of utter helplessness. Our
Lord, who is the protector of His universe adopted this posture as if he was a mere mortal. May the thought of the simplicity that he adapted for
this occasion protect all of us in our daily lives!
Verse 6
vraja yoshidapAnga vedhanIyam.

mathurAbhAgyam. ananya bhogyamIDe |
vasudevavadhU sthanandhayam. tat
kimapi brahma kiSorabhava dhRSyam. ||
The young girls of Gokulam look at this lovely child of Yasodha with great affection. Their glances enter him like arrows and makes him
subservient to them. He is the great fortune of the city of Northern Madhurai (Mathura). He who was born there is the object of delectable
experience for the sages, who do not covet anything else in this world. Right from his infancy, when he was breast fed by his natural mother
Devaki in the prison, he has been the essence of beauty in all the three worlds. I salute and offer my tribute to this supreme being known as
Gopalan.
Verse 7
parivattita kandharam bhayena

smita phulladhara pallavam. smarAmi |
vitapitva nirAsakam kayoschit
vipulolUkala karSakam kumAram ||
I meditate on that child Gopala, who dragged the big mortar to which he was tied by his angry mother Yasodha. She wanted to teach him a
lesson for stealing butter. As Yasodha went away, he checked around to make sure that she was out of sight and then pulled the tied mortar to
the garden. He smiled with a sense of satisfaction that he duped his mother once again and his lips were rosy with that joy. He dragged the
mortar further and went between two Marutha trees. The shock of the collision with the mortar broke the twin trees and the the sons of Kubera,
who stood as the trees in the garden of the Lord, got released from their curse and regained their original bodies. I offer my worship to that
blessed child, who freed the sons of Kubera from their existence as twin trees.
Verse 8
nikaTeshu nisAmayAmi nityam

nigamAntai: adhunApi mRkyamAnam |
yamalArjuna dRshTa bAlakelim
yamunAsAkshika yauvanam yuvAnam ||
Vedas are still searching for Him; His leelas were seen by the twin Marutha trees in His backyard. Even after they were released from their state
as trees, the sons of Kubera did not want to get back to their home, since they wanted to enjoy some more of His Bala Leelas. The river Yamuna,
the daughter of Surya was a joyous witness to all his playful deeds that took place on her sandy banks. I see that wonderful young Gopala next to
me always. (This is a blessing that Swami Desikan earned as a result of his meditation on Rajagopalan. )
Verse 9
padavIm. adhavIyasIm. vimukte

atavI sam.padam ambhuvAhayantIm. |
aruNAdhara sAbhilASa vam.sAm
karuNAm. kAraNa mAnushIm. bhajAmi ||
I worship the most merciful Gopala, who is the root cause of the creation, sustenance and destruction of this universe; He is the one, who
revealed to us the easy-to-practise route of Prapatti as the short road to Moksham. He is the rejuvenating, rain-bearing cloud that enhanced the
wealth and well-being of the citizens of Brindavanam. The flute that rests on His red lips during the time of His playing appears to be deeply eager
to taste the sweetness of his mouth. I salute this embodiment of mercy known as Venugopalan.
Verse 10
animeSaniSevanIyamakshno:
ajahat yauvanam Avirastu chitte |
kalahAyita kuntalam kalAbhai:
karanonmAdaka vibramam. maho me ||
One should enjoy the unchanging and incomparable beauty of the youth, Gopala, with unblinking eyes. When we blink, we lose that moment of
this delectable experience. He is wearing the peacock feathers (peelis) in his dark tresses. The "eyes" at the top of each of the peelis decorating
his hair seem to compete for the attention of his youthful beauty. When we think of His many playful deeds/pranks as Balagopala in Gokulum and
Brindavanam and his blemishlesss beauty, our minds fall in intense love with Him. Our senses are overpowered. May the overflowing flood of that
beauty and its lustre remain steadily in my mind .
Verse 11
anuyAyi manojna vam.sanAlai:

avatu sparSita vallavI vimohai: |
anagasmita SItalai rasau mAm
anukampA saritambhujai: apAngai: ||
Venugopalan plays on his flute and creates delightful music and casts his most merciful glances on the Gopis. They are totally captivated by his
friendly smile and the divine music originatinig from His flute. At this time, His cool and welcoming eyes resemble a pair of just-blossomed lotuses
in the river of His mercy (Dayaa). May this enchanting youth Gopala protect me always!
Verse 12
adharAhita cAru vamSa nALA:

makuTalambi mayUra pinchamAlA: |
harinIla SilAvibhanga-lIlA:
pratibhA: santu mamAntima prayANe ||
This is the famous verse sung by Sage Narada in Sankalpa Suryodayam. The beauty of Venugopala and His world-enchanting flute music has
been celebrated by Srimad Bhagavatham and Periyazhwaar in particular (Periya Tirumozhi: 3.6)
May the resplendent blue jyoti of Gopala reminding one of an incomparable blue gem stone (indranIla or blue sapphire), with blue peacock
feather decorations on His dark black hair and the divine flute on His lips appear before me during the last moments of my life on this earth.
Verse 13
akilAnavalaokayAmi kAlAn
mahilAdhIna bhujAntarasya yuna: |
abhilASapadam. vajrAnganAnAm.
abhilAbha krama dhuramAbhirUpyam ||
Even in His incarnaton as Krishna/Gopala, Sri Devi is always united with Him. He has left her His chest region as Her place of special residence
and enjoyment. He has the eternal and youthful beauty that qualifies Him to play with Her. We are powerless to describe His full beauty. The
Gopis of Gokulam are thirsting to enjoy His beauty. I am blessed to have the vision of this beautiful youth everywhere and at all times .
Verse 14
hRdI mugdhasikanda mandana:

likhita: kena mamaisha SilpinA |
madanAdura vallavAnganA
vadanAmbhoja divAkaro yuvA ||
Which (bold) artist has drawn this picture of this unsatiable beauty known as Gopala in my heart? Who etched this embodiment of beauty wearing
the charming peacock feathers in His hair? Which painter painted the picture of this beautiful youth in my heart, who is like the morning Sun to the
lotus-like faces of the love-sick Gopis ?
Verse 15
mahase mahitAya maulinA

vinatenanAnjalimanjanatvise |
kalayAmi vimugdha vallavI
valayAbhAsita manju venave ||
I join my hands in Anjali Mudra and lower my head in salutation of that much revered effulgent, dark-hued Jyothi of Gopala, whose divine flute
music joins in conversation as it were with the taaLam of Gopis whose golden bangles that jingle as they keep up with the rhythmic patterns.
Verse 16
jayati lalitAvRttIm sikshito vallavInAm.

Sitila valaya sincA SItalairhasta tAlai: |
akhilabhuvanarakshA gopaveSasya viSno:
AdhAra maNi sudhAyAm. amsavAn vam.AsnAla: ||
The incarnation of Vishnu taking the form of a cowherd to protect all the universes has on its coral-red lips the bamboo flute that tastes the nectar
of this Gopala's mouth. As he plays the flute on the banks of the Yamuna river during the moon-lit nights, the lovelorn Gopis engage in rAsa krIDa
with him. The Gopis beat taaLam to the music of their Lord with their cool hands decorated with golden bangles. Their follow-up with taaLam
suggests as though they are teaching the abhinayam step known as LaLitham to the flute of the Lord. [The Abhinaya sastras describe LaLitham
as the gesture, where the dancer places her hands on the appropriate portion of the body and change the movement of her eyebrows to mimic
the different rasas. The delectable interplay between the bhAvam, rAgam and tALam - Bharatanatyam - is suggested here as the rAsa krIDa
progresses.]
Verse 17
citrAkalpa: Sravasi kalayan lankalI karNapUram.

barhottamsa sphuritacikuro bandhujIvam dadhAna: |
gunjA baddhA murasi lalitAm dharayan hArayaStim
gopastrInAm. jayati kitava: ko'pi kaumArahAri ||
Gopalan is a roamer of the forest. Hence, he decorates himself with the ornaments appropriate to the dwellers of the forests i.e. natural products
available in the forests.
The mischevous Gopalan, who stole the youth of the Gopis appears before them with many decorations that enhance his beauty. On his ears, the
Gopis find the flower known as Laangali (flower from the coconut tree's sheaf/ Tennampaalai flower); peacock feathers are found by them on his
dark and curly tresses; red hibiscus also decorates those tresses. On his broad chest, they find a beautiful necklace made of yellowish-red seeds
known as Gunjaa or Kunrimani strung together . With these and more AbharaNAs made of forest products, Gopala enchants the hearts of the
adoring Gopis.
Verse 18
lIlayashtIm karakisalaye dakshine nyasya dhanyAm

amse devyA: pulakaruchire sannivishTAnya bAhu: |
meghaSyAmo jayati lalito megalA datta veNu:
gunjApIta sphurita Sikaro gopakanyA bhujanga: ||
Lord Gopalan, showing great affection for the Gopis, stands before them in resplendent attire. He strikes a pose with his tender right hand holding
the shepherd's bent stick; his left hand rests on the shoulder of the beautiful Nappinnai; that touch of Gopalan sends shivers of joy over
Nappinnai's body. That beautiful Gopalan has tucked his flute inside his waist band and has additional decoration in the form of a chain of
Kunrimani beads tied across his own dark hair pulled up in the form of a bun. He shines with his dark blue hue, reminiscent of the clouds in the
rainy season and wins over the Gopis with his formidable beauty. He roams around with great desire for union with Gopis.
Verse 19
prayAlIta sthitimadigatAm praptagAtAngapAlIm
pascAdISan milita nayanAm prayasIm. prekSamAna: |
bhastrA yantra pranihita karo bhaktajIvAturavyAt
vAri krIDA nibitavasano vallavI vallabho na:
Gopalan desirous of performing water sports with the Gopis tucked tightly his garments. He took in his hands the water pump used in those
sports. He approached one of the Gopis, who was standing with one foot forward in the water and the other planted backward on the land. He
surprised her from behind and embraced her tightly. That Gopi was overpowered by that delectable experience and partially closed her eyes and
looked at Gopalan with half-open eyes. He returned her affectionate glances. Their eyes met.
May that Gopala engaged in water sports with the Gopis as their lover protect us, since he is the medicine for his devotees suffering from the
afflictions of Samsaara .
Verse 20
vAso hRtvA dinakarasuta sam.nidhau vallavInAm

lIlAsmero jayati lalitAm. Asthita: kuntasAkhAm. |
savrItAbhi: tadhanu vasane tAbhirabhayArtyamAne
kAmi kaScit kara kamalayo anjalIm. yAcamAna: ||
On the banks of the Yamuna river shines the Lord, who is seated on the bow of a kunthaa tree with a smile on his face. He is enjoying the prank
that he played on the unsuspecting Gopis, who had left their clothes on the river bank and were engaged in taking morning abolutions. [He
wanted to teach them a lesson for breaking the rules of Sastras, which forbid one from taking bath in the river without wearing a cloth.] Gopalan
sneaked up on the crowd of Gopis deeply absorbed in water sports and took all of their clothes and climbed up the kuntha tree and sat on one of
its branch and waited for them to come out of the water. The unaware Gopis completed their water sports and abolutions and got out of the water
and discovered that their clothes were removed by the smiling Gopalan sitting on the adjacent Pinnai (Kuntha) tree. Overcome by modesty, they
rushed back into the water and prayed to him to return their clothes. He commanded them to come out of the water with folded hands raised
above their hands [as a mark of atonement for the sin of breaking the injunctions of Saastras]. They had no choice, but to obey him to regain their
clothes. May that mischievous Gopalan fond of Gopis be victorious!
Verse 21 - Phala Sruti of Gopala Vimsati
ityanayamanasA vinirmitAm.
venkaTesa kavinA stutIm. patan |
divyaveNurasikam samIkSate
daivatam. kimapi yauvata priyam. ||
This stotram has been created by the poet Venkatesa, who does not consider any God other than Gopala/Narayana .Those who read and recite
this eulogy will have the blessings of the darSanam of the God of incomparable beauty, Venugopalan who was the keen object of desire of
youthful gopIs .
Sudarsana Ashtakam
Traditionally, this stotram is recited in homes, when some one has fever or illness of other kinds. Swami Desikan is said to have composed it to
help the residents of Tirupputkuzhi, when they suffered from the grip of a epidemic fever. Alternatively, It is said that he composed it at
Tiruvahindrapuram prior to a major debate with a leader of another sampradaya. Swami Desikan won that debate and thereby established the
supremacy of Sriman Narayana and Visishtadvaita.
Swami Desikan chose the 'dhrithas' chandas as a meter for the 8 verses praising Sudarsana. He chose the 'aupachandasikam' meter for the
phala-Sruti sloka. Both these meters hint at the the Vedic roigin of Sudarsana as indicated by Swami Desikan in one or more verses of this
Stotram.
Srimate nigamAnta mahAdeSikAya namaH
SrImAn venkaTanAthAryaH kavitAarkika kesarI |

vedantAcArya varyo me sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||
Verse 1: Pratibhatasreni Bhishana Varagunasthoma Bhushana

Janibhyasthana Taarana Jagadavasthaana Karana |
Nikhiladushkarma Karsana Nigamasaddharma Darsana
Jaya Jaya Sri sudarsana Jaya Jaya Sri Sudarsana ||
O Sri Sudarsana! All the enemies of your Lord's devotees run away fearing your prowess. All auspicious attributes find their home in you. Those ,
Who worship you cross the 'shoreless' ocean of Samsara and free themselves from their cycles of births and deaths. The entire Universe is
stabilized by your mighty power. You cut asunder all the sins of those who approach you as their refuge. You bless all of your devotees with the
knowledge about the righteous conduct prescribed by the Vedas. O Lord Sudarsana of these auspicious attributes! Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee!
Verse 2: Subhajagadrupa Mandana Suraganathrasa Khandana

Satamakabrahma vandita Satapatabrahma Nandita |
Pratitavidvat Sapakshita Bhajata Ahirbudhnya Lakshita
Jaya jaya Sri Sudarsana Jaya Jaya Sri Sudarsana ||
O Sri Sudarsana! You are resplendent as a precious decoration on the hand of Sriman Narayana, who has the universes as His body. Through
your grace, Devas are freed from the fear caused by the Asuras. Indra and Brahma always worship you. The Satapatha Brahmana belonging to
Sukla Yajur Veda hails your glories and pays its tributes to you. The scholars of this universe seek your help to overcome their contestants .
Ahirbudhnya Samhita states that Ahirbudhnya (Siva) worships you and sought the boon to see your beautiful form with His own eyes. O Lord
Sudarsana of illustrious attributes! Hail To Thee! Hail to Thee!
Verse 3: SphutataDijjaala Pinjara Pruthutarajwaala Panjara

Parigata Pratnavigraha PaDutaraprajna Durgraha |
Praharana Grama Manditha Parijana Thraana Panditha
Jaya Jaya Sri Sudarsana Jaya Jaya Sri Sudarsana ||
O Lord Sudarsana! You shine like the resplendent assembly of lightnings. The bright tongues of flames surrounding you appear like a cage
(home) for you. The forms of Vasudeva, Sankarshana and other vyuha murti-s find their positions around your geometric form (yantra). Even the
scholars with sharp intellects stumble, when they try to understand the full extent of your glory. It is a beautiful sight to see the sixteen weapons of
yours resting on your hands to serve you. You are dedicated to come to the rescue of those ,who seek your protection . O Sri Sudarsana of such
auspicious attributes! Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee!
Verse 4: Nijapatapreetha saddgana Nirupathispeetha Shad Guna

Nigama NirvyuDa Vaibhava Nijapara Vyuha Vaibhava |
Hari Haya Dweshi Daarana Hara Pura Plosha Kaarana
O Lord Sudarsana! The Righteous people have firm attachment to your holy feet. The Six Kalyana Gunaas --- Knowledge, Power, Strength,
Wealth, Heroism, and effulgence-- find their natural home in You. The Vedas have firmly established Your glory in their many sections. Like your
Lord, You have the forms of para and vyuha. You cut asunder the fear caused by the foes of Indra, the foremost among your devotees. You were
responsible for the burning down Kashi, the city of Siva to ashes. You stood at the tip of Siva's arrow, when He was engaged in the campaign to
destroy Tripuraasura. O Sri Sudarsana Of such Kalyana Gunas! Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee!
Verse 5: Dhanuja visthaara Kartana Janitamisraa Vikartana

Dhanujavidya Nikartana Bhajatavidya Nivatana |
Amara drushtasva Vikrama Samara Jushta Bramikrama
O Lord Sudarsana! You arrest the growth of the evil-minded Asuras and destroy them down to their roots. You are like the resplendent Sun
banishing the dark night of Samsara, which bedevil your devotees. You Overcome any and every act of deception practised by the Asuras. You
remove every shred of false knowledge that invade the minds of those ,who seek refuge in you. The Devas celebrate Your heroic deeds and
experience joy in witnessing Your powerful actions. You revolve and rotate in many ways in your battles against the enemies of Your devotees.
May Thou with such auspicious attributes prosper further! Hail to Thee! Hail To Thee!
Verse 6: Prathimukhaaleeta Bandhura Pruthumahaheti Danthura

Vikatamaaya Bahishkrutha Vividhamaalaa Parishkrutha |
Sthiramahaayantra Tantritha Dhruta Daya Tantra Yantrita
O Lord Sudarsana! You give darsana to us with Your dynamic gait of One foot placed forward in movement and the other rapidly following it. Your
position in that gait is beautiful to behold. You are surrounded by Your magnificient and fearsome weapons. You are the conqueror of Powerful
illusions (mAyA) caused by Asuras. You are not therefore affected by their acts of Mayaa. You are decorated with many beautiful flower garlands
that add to your natural beauty. You are firmly bound in the warp of your great compassion for your devotees and bless them , when they worship
You through Your Yantra and Mantra. O Sri Sudarsana of such auspicious qualities! Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee!
Verse 7: Mahita Sampath Sadhakshara Vihitasampath Shatakshara

Shatarachakra Pratisishtita Sakala Tattva Prathishtita |
Vividha Sankalpaka Kalpaka Vibhudhasankalpa Kalpaka
O Lord Sudarsana of many prime qualities! The wealth of the righteous is their true knowledge about Your Lord. You Bless them with the
unperishable wealth of Moksham, When they seek refuge at Your holy feet. Those who recite Your mantra made up of the six letters (aksharas)
gain incomparable wealth. Your devotees (upaasakas) invoke You in Your yantra of six corners formed by two intersecting triangles and worship
You at its epicenter. You pervade and reside in all the creations of Your Lord. You have the power to complete all deeds that you decide to
undertake. You are thus a satya sankalpa and serve as the divine Kalpaka tree granting all the boons that your devotees request. O Sri
Sudarsana! Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee!
Verse 8: Bhuvana Netra Trayeemaya Savanatejastrayeemaya

Niravadhisvaadhu Chinmaya Nikhila Sakthe Jaganmaya |
Amita Viswakriyaamaya Samitavishvagbhayaamaya
O Lord Sudarsana, the eye of the Universe! You are of the form of the three Vedas. You are of the form of the three fires -- gaarhapatyam,
Ahvaneeyam and dakshinAgni -- of the Yagaas. You are of the delectable form of true knowledge! You have the power to accomplish every deed.
You have taken the form of the Universe and its contents. You are woorshipped thru the sacrificial rituals of your devotees. In return, You destroy
the fears and diseases of those, who worship You from all directions. O Lord Sudarsana of auspicious qualities! Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee!
Verse 9: Pala Sruthi
Dwichatushkamidam Prabhoothasaaram patathaam Venkatanayaka Praneetham |

Vishamepi Manorata: Pradhaavan na Vihanyeta Rataangadhuryagupta : ||
Those, who recite this Stotram consisting of 8 verses in praise of Sudarsana composed by Venkatanatha known as Vedanta Desikan
comprehend the deep references to the glory of Lord Sudarsana will have the fulfilment of all their wishes.The Boon-granting powers of Lord
Sudarsana will make them realize all their wishes by overcoming all obstacles that stand in the way.
kavitArkika-simhAya
Another input:
Verse 1:
O Sri Sudarsana! All the enemies of your Lord's devotees run away fearing your prowess. All auspicious attributes find their home in you. Those ,
Who worship you cross the 'shoreless' ocean of Samsara and free themselves from their cycles of births and deaths. The entire Universe is
stabilized by your mighty power. You cut asunder all the sins of those who approach you as their refuge. You bless all of your devotees with the
knowledge about the righteous conduct prescribed by the Vedas. O Lord Sudarsana of these auspicious attributes! Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee!
Verse 2:
O Sri Sudarsana! You are resplendent as a precious decoration on the hand of Sriman Narayana, who has the universes as His body. Through
your grace, Devas are freed from the fear caused by the Asuras. Indra and Brahma always worship you. The Satapatha Brahmana belonging to
Sukla Yajur Veda hails your glories and pays its tributes to you. The scholars of this universe seek your help to overcome their contestants .
Ahirbudhnya Samhita states that Ahirbudhnya (Siva) worships you and sought the boon to see your beautiful form with His own eyes. O Lord
Sudarsana of illustrious attributes! Hail To Thee! Hail to Thee!
Verse 3:
O Lord Sudarsana! You shine like the resplendent assembly of lightnings. The bright tongues of flames surrounding you appear like a cage
(home) for you. The forms of Vasudeva, Sankarshana and other vyuha murti-s find their positions around your geometric form (yantra). Even the
scholars with sharp intellects stumble, when they try to understand the full extent of your glory. It is a beautiful sight to see the sixteen weapons of
yours resting on your hands to serve you. You are dedicated to come to the rescue of those ,who seek your protection . O Sri Sudarsana of such
auspicious attributes! Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee!
Verse 4:
O Lord Sudarsana! The Righteous people have firm attachment to your holy feet. The Six Kalyana Gunaas --- Knowledge, Power, Strength,
Wealth, Heroism, and effulgence-- find their natural home in You. The Vedas have firmly established Your glory in their many sections. Like your
Lord, You have the forms of para and vyuha. You cut asunder the fear caused by the foes of Indra, the foremost among your devotees. You were
responsible for the burning down Kashi, the city of Siva to ashes. You stood at the tip of Siva's arrow, when He was engaged in the campaign to
destroy Tripuraasura. O Sri Sudarsana Of such Kalyana Gunas! Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee!
Verse 5:
O Lord Sudarsana! You arrest the growth of the evil-minded Asuras and destroy them down to their roots. You are like the resplendent Sun
banishing the dark night of Samsara, which bedevil your devotees. You Overcome any and every act of deception practised by the Asuras. You
remove every shred of false knowledge that invade the minds of those ,who seek refuge in you. The Devas celebrate Your heroic deeds and
experience joy in witnessing Your powerful actions. You revolve and rotate in many ways in your battles against the enemies of Your devotees.
May Thou with such auspicious attributes prosper further! Hail to Thee! Hail To Thee!
Verse 6:
O Lord Sudarsana! You give darsana to us with Your dynamic gait of One foot placed forward in movement and the other rapidly following it. Your
position in that gait is beautiful to behold. You are surrounded by Your magnificient and fearsome weapons. You are the conqueror of Powerful
illusions (mAyA) caused by Asuras. You are not therefore affected by their acts of Mayaa. You are decorated with many beautiful flower garlands
that add to your natural beauty. You are firmly bound in the warp of your great compassion for your devotees and bless them , when they worship
You through Your Yantra and Mantra. O Sri Sudarsana of such auspicious qualities! Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee!
Verse 7:
O Lord Sudarsana of many prime qualities! The wealth of the righteous is their true knowledge about Your Lord. You Bless them with the
unperishable wealth of Moksham, When they seek refuge at Your holy feet. Those who recite Your mantra made up of the six letters (aksharas)
gain incomparable wealth. Your devotees (upaasakas) invoke You in Your yantra of six corners formed by two intersecting triangles and worship
You at its epicenter. You pervade and reside in all the creations of Your Lord. You have the power to complete all deeds that you decide to
undertake. You are thus a satya sankalpa and serve as the divine Kalpaka tree granting all the boons that your devotees request. O Sri
Sudarsana! Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee!
Verse 8:
O Lord Sudarsana, the eye of the Universe! You are of the form of the three Vedas. You are of the form of the three fires -- gaarhapatyam,
Ahvaneeyam and dakshinAgni -- of the Yagaas. You are of the delectable form of true knowledge! You have the power to accomplish every deed.
You have taken the form of the Universe and its contents. You are woorshipped thru the sacrificial rituals of your devotees. In return, You destroy
the fears and diseases of those, who worship You from all directions. O Lord Sudarsana of auspicious qualities! Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee!
Verse 9: Pala Sruthi
Dwichatushkamidam Prabhoothasaaram patathaam Venkatanayaka Praneetham Vishamepi Manorata: Pradhaavan na Vihanyeta

Rataangadhuryagupta :
Those, who recite this Stotram consisting of 8 verses in praise of Sudarsana composed by Venkatanatha known as Vedanta Desikan
comprehend the deep references to the glory of Lord Sudarsana will have the fulfilment of all their wishes.The Boon-granting powers of Lord
Sudarsana will make them realize all their wishes by overcoming all obstacles that stand in the way.
Posted by R. Raghunathanat 6:55 AM2 comments:
Nyasa Dasakam
Swami Sri Desikan has blessed us with many granthams on the doctrines of NyAsam or Prapatthi . One of the most substantive and short sthuthi
on the subject of NyAsam consists of ten verses and is known as NyAsa Dasakam . Because of the importance of this work as the distilled
essence of the principles of NyAsam and the method of performance of NyAsam , Sri VaishNavAs recite NyAsa Dasakam at their homes during
their daily aarAdhanam for Sriman NaarAyaNan .
Sri NyAsa Dasakam is associated with the Prapatthi that Swami Sri Desikan performed at the sacred feet of Kanchi VaradarAjan . The topics
covered are :
(1) The method of performing nyAsam or Bhara SamarpaNam

(2) the five limbs of nyAsam
(3) the method of enacting sAthvika thyAgam
(4) his prayer to the Lord for moksham at the end of his life on His earth
(5) his prayer for the blessings of service to the Lord during his life on His earth
(6) his appeal for the Lord's grace for tolerating any sins committed during his days as a prapannA .
Swami Sri Desikan elaborated further the glories of the doctrines of nyAsam in his other granthams such as Sri nyAsa vimsathi , Sri nyAsa
tilakam , SaraNAgathi deepikai , Adaikkala patthu , mummaNik kovai , Anjali vaibhavam , Abhaya pradhana sAram , Rahasya sikhAmaNi and in
his magnum opus , Srimadh Rahasya Traya Saaram . The significance of nyAsa dasakam however is due to the clarity and brevity with which our
AchAryan summarized in just ten slokAs , the essence of nyAsam or bhara samarpaNam .
Slokas
SlOkam 1
aham madhrakshaNabharO madhrakshaNa palam tathA |

na mama SripathErevEthyAthmAnam nikshipEth bhudha: ||
A viveki ( one with disrininating intellect ) should surrender at the Lord's feet his AthmA (svarUpa samarpaNam ) , the responsibilities for his
protection ( Bhara samarpaNam ) and the fruits of that protection ( pala samarpaNam ) . He should performbhara nyAsam in this manner and
understand that his AthmA ,protection and the fruits of such protection does not belong tohim , but only to Sriman NaarAyaNan.
SlOkam 2
nyasyAmakinchana: Sriman anukUlOanyavarjitha: |

viswasa prArthanApUrvam AthmarakshAbharam thvayi ||
Oh my Master ! Sriman-NaarAyanA ! I surrender at Your lotus feet the total responsibilities for my protection . I have no other means . I will
perform only the duties that please You ( AnukUlya sankalpam ). I will not transgress the codes of conduct prescribed by You in Your sAstrAs (
PrAthikUlya varjanam ) . I am totally unfit for pursuit of any paths of deliverance ; hence I stand before You with utter humility about my
helplessness ( kArpaNyam ) . I have total and enduring faith in Your coming to my protection ( MahA visvAsam ) and I entrust my protection
entirely to you with this prayerful appeal ( Gopthruva VaraNam ) . Here Swami Sri Desikan performs prapatthi with its five limbs .
SlOkam 3
SwAmI svasEsham svavasam svabharathvEna nirbharam |

svadhattha svadhiyA svArtham svasmin nyasyathi mAm svayam ||
Srima NaarAyaNan is the supreme Lord of all . As His bonded servant , I am completely under His control . He blessed me with the knowledge
about Himself out of His own accord. He has accepted me as His responsibility for protection. He has thus removed all my worries about my
protection with that gift of knowledge. The fruits of my protection belong entirely to Him . He frees me from any connection to the fruits resulting
from His protection out of His own free will and accepts me .
In this slOkam , Swami Sri Desikan refers to his performance of Saathvika thyAgam constituted by its three parts : (1) Karthruva thyAgam (2)
mamathA thyAgam (3) pala thyAgam .
SlOkam 4
Sriman abheeshta Varada tvAmasmi saraNam gatha: |

yEdhaddEhAvasAnE mAm tvadh paadham prApaya svayam ||
Oh my Lord who is always with Your consort ! Oh Master who is hailed as Varadhan because of Your disposition to grant all the boons that Your
devotees ask for ! I have now performed bhara nyAsam at Your sacred feet . Please grant me the boon of reaching Sri Vaikuntam at the end of
my stay on this earth and perform nithya kaimkaryam there for You .
SlOkam 5
tvacchsEshathvE sthiradhiyam tvath prApthyEka prayOjanam |

nishiddha kAmyarahitham kuru mAm nithya kinkaram ||
Oh VaradarAjA ! I am a prapannan at Your holy feet. I am firm of thought about my status as Your servant . That thought will never leave me. My
mind is not seeking any fruits other than the enjoyment of Your limitless auspicious attributes. Please bless me not to engage in any acts
forbidden by Your sAsthrAs . Please grant me the boon of uninterrupted service to you , while on Your earth . All of this will not happen without
Your dayA . Please bless me !
SlOkam 6
dEvi bhUshaNa hEthyAdhi jushtasya bhagavamsthava |

nithyam niraparAdhEshu kaimkaryEshu niyunkshva mAm ||
Oh my Lord ! You are served endearingly by Your beloved consorts. Your AbharaNams and Ayudhams serve You by association with Your
auspicious body . I am deeply desirous of performing eternal service to You , who is accompanied by Your dEvis , weapons and AbharaNams .
Please therefore bless me with the duties that are dear to Your heart and accept them .
SlOkam 7
mAm madheeyam cha nikilam chEthanAchEthanAthmakam |

svakaimkaryOpakaraNam Varadha sveekuru svayam ||
Oh Lord VaradarAjA ! Please accept out of the fullness of Your heart myself , all that is mine and my kaimkaryam . Please make me an
instrument of Your kaimkaryam and have the services to You done by Yourself through me. In this effort , please use all that is " mine" ( my wife ,
my children , my house , my garden and all other property ) . I have nothing left to do , nor even the power to place any thing at Your disposal
since they - my Self , my worldly properties-- are already Yours .
SlOkam 8
tvadEka rakshyasya mama tvamEva KaruNAkara |

na pravarthaya pApAni pravrutthAni nivarthaya ||
Oh Lord VaradhA , the ocean of Mercy ! There is no one except You to protect me. Please grant me the boon not to commit anymore sins .
Please also destroy out of Your limitless compassion all the sins that I have accumulated so far .
SlOkam 9
akruthyAnAm cha karaNam kruthyAnAm varjanam cha mE |

kshamasva nikhilam dEva PraNathArthihara prabhO ||
Oh VaradarAjA known for destroying the samsAric sufferings of Your dear devotees! Your power has no limits. You are capable of executing
whatever You desire. I have transgressed the injunctions of Your sAsthrAs; I have abandoned the karmAs prescribed by You in those sAsthrAs .
Please forgive all of these trespasses of mine and protect me . The power of Your pardon alone can destroy my sins .
SlOkam 10
SrimAn niyatha panchAngam madhrakshaNa bharArpaNam |

acheekarath svayam svasmin athOhamiha nirbhara : ||
Oh Lord VaradarAjA always in the company of PerundEvi ThAyAr ! YOU have YOURSELF executed the bhara nyAsam for me at Your sacred
feet . You have completed my prapatthi in its entirety with its five limbs . You have accepted now the responsibilities for my protection . I am
therefore freed of any worries about my protection and lead my life as a prapannA with peace and tranquility .
With this slOkam , Swami Sri Desikan brought to a conclusion , the sAthvika thyAgam that he commenced in the third slOkam of nyAsa dasakam
Subhamasthu
kavithArkika simhAya kalyANa guNasAlinE |

SrimathE VenkatEsAya vEdhAntha guravE nama: ||
Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan
Commentary
The subject of SaraNAgathi is a vast one. One of the most moving and beautiful summary of SaraNAgathi is housed in Swami Desikan's NyAsa
Dasakam. This magnificent work has ten slOkams, which are rich in meaning for the SaraNAgathi literature. From the height of his Ubhaya -
VedanthA perspective, our most merciful AchAryA has blessed us with the distilled essence of the doctrine of SaraNAgathi.
We recite it daily because of its terse brilliance, depth of allusions to NammAzhwAr's paasurams and the need to reflect upon the meaning of
each of the words that Swami Desikan has chosen to assemble this garland of exquisite fragrance divine!
Any discussion on the subject of SaraNAgathi can benefit from its start with the ten inspired and inspiring verses of Swami Desikan.
He has blessed us many other works on SaraNAgathi to help us understand the procedure related to and the actual performance of Prapatthi.
This sacred grantham was composed by Swami Desikan during the occasion of his performance of Prapatthi at the lotus feet of Sri VaradarAjan
(pEraruLALan ) of KanchIpuram .
The ten slokams comprising this short sthothra grantham covers the following topics:
1. The method of performing SaraNAgathi ( prapatthi, Bhara SamarpNam or Aathma NikshEpam ) -
2. The five limbs of SaraNAgathi
3. The method of performing Saatvika thyAgam
4. Prayer for the boon (varam ) of Moksham from the king of boon givers ( VaradarAjan )
5. Another prayer for the boon of kaimkarya Sri during the rest of the life after Prapatthi and
6. A moving appeal to forgive the trespasses and sins committed knowingly or unknowingly after Prapatthi.
This extraordinary scope of this sthothram on the most important subject necessitates us to recite it and to reflect on it daily during the occasion of
the ThiruvArAdhanam for the Lord at our homes.
I will follow the commentary tradition established by my MaanasIka Guru, Sri Vankipuram Navaneetham SrirAma DesikAchar Swamy and the
additional commentary made by Dr.V.N .Vedantha Desikan (VNV) in his brilliant work with the title of AazhwAr ThiruvuLLam.
Dr. V.N.V cites the paasurams of NammAzhwAr, which might have inspired Swami Desikan to make reference to them in his Sanskrit sthOthra
grantham, NyAsa Dasakam. I will elaborate on these paasurams of NammAzhwAr to extend the commentary for a more detailed study of the ten
slokams of NyAsa Dasakam. I will try to interlace the thoughts from other works of Swami Desikan to illustrate how our great AchAryA blessed us
again and again to gain a clear and full understanding of the doctrines of SaraNAgathi as revealed by his predecessors.
SLOKAM 1:
********
aham madhrakshaNabarO madhrakshaNa palam tathA I

na mama SripathEvEthi aathmAnam nikshipEth bhudha : II
Here Swami Desikan points out the procedure to be adopted by one with discriminating intellect; such a person has grasped fully the essence of
Tattva, Hitha and purushArthams at the sacred feet of a qualified AchAryA and is desirous of seeking Moksham through the act of Prapatthi. How
does such a person perform Prapatthi? Swami Desikan divides the act of Prapatthi or SaraNAgathi into its three parts:
1. SvarUpa SamarpaNam
2. Bhara SamarpaNam
3. Pala samarpaNam.
Swami Desikan states that one has to surrender SvarUpam, RakshaNa bharam and RakshaNa palam at the lotus feet of the Lord and declare
(anusandhAnam) without any shred of doubt that ,
(1) the Lord is the owner of his or her aathmA and that he or she is not an entity gifted with svathanthram/svarUpa samarpaNam
(2) The total responsibility to protect me is that of the Lord alone and that I have no role to play in that responsibility /bhara samarpaNam
(3) The fruit that results from protecting me also belongs to the Lord and Lord alone .I have no right to claim any of that fruit /pala SamarpaNam.
The terse statement of these three anusandhAnams are covered in the first paadham of this slOkam set in the Anushtup metre : aham na mama
(SvarUpa SamarpaNam) , madh RakshaNa bhara: na mama ( Bhara samarpaNam) and tathA madh rakshaNa palam na mama ( pala
SamarpaNam ) .
He completes the thought behind these three anusandhAnams in the second paadham of the slOkam with the decalration: "(Aham, madh
rakshaNa bharam, tathA madh RakshaNa palam) SripathErEva, na mama ". This triad of samarpaNam is entirely controlled by the Lord and not
by me is the way to perform prapatthi according to our AchAryA. He points out that this is how a vivEki (Bhudha : ) should surrender his aathmA
at the lotus feet of the Lord (SripathErEva ithi budha: aathmAnam nikshipEth). This is the right royal way to perform Prapatti to gain the supreme
boon of Moksham says Swami Desikan at the very outset of NyAsa Dasakam.
Dr. VedAntha Desikan translates this slokam as follows: "A refined and discerning person must surrender himself-- his aathmA, his protection and
the fruit of his protection as the Lord's. They are all HIS and His will is carried out. Aathma -samrpaNam, Bhara-SamarpaNam and Pala-
samarpaNam are thus carried out ".
Dr. VNV cites the following two paasurams of NammAzhwAr as context for the text of Swami Desikan:
1. ThiruvAimozhi 2.3.4: yenathAvi yaar? yaanAr? thantha nee kondAkkinayE !
Here NammAzhwAr engages in a dialog with SaraNyan. He says: O Lord! You have pervaded my soul (aathmA) and preside there. This is an
ancient happening! My aathmA has been Yours from time immemorial. What a tragedy that I had mixed up things and had the deluded thinking
that this aathmA, a property of Yours is mine. When I say now that I am surrendering MY aathmA at Your feet , I am committing aathmApahAram
( stealing of the object that is Yours and pretend that I am giving to You what is mine ) . Oh, My Lord! You indeed are the owner of this aathmA.
You are the Lord of me and the aathmA. I am now cleared of my mix up about the ownership of the aathmA. How can I repay You for helping me
out of my confusion?
Earlier in this pasuram, AzhwAr points out to the Lord in a mood of utter submission that he will surrender his aathmA to the Lord and Lord alone
and asserts that the aathmA belongs to the Lord totally and he has no claims whatsoever on it. He says: "YenathAvi tanthu ozhindhEn ". He
makes a statement thereafter," "ini meeLvathu yenpathu uNdO? ". AzhwAr states here that he has no thought whatsoever on reclaiming what he
has just surrendered to the Lord as His property. This is SvarUpa samarpaNam at its best.
ThiruvAimozhi 8.1.10
Second Paaaadham: Yennyuirai aRavilai seythanan sOthi !
--- tamiyanEn PeriyavappanE !
Here the AzhwAr is supremely elated after svarUpa samarpaNam. In that mood of blissful joy , he says : You have granted Thy feet exclusively
for my enjoyment . How can I repay You for Your mahOpakAram ? There is however one thing . My cherished possession is my aathmA . I now
make a clean , unconditional sale of it to You . It is my gesture of gratitude for Your paramOpakAram . Oh Lord ! what is happening to You now
that You have accepted my aathmA , which has always been Your property . You seem to have attained a special effulgence ( jyOthi ) as a result
of accepting my svarUpa samarpaNam . Oh Great benefactor ! You have paid very little in this commercial transaction of mine . I sold you my
aathmA ( svarUpam ) . The price paid by You is the enjoyment of Your lofty lotus feet . You are now beaming with joy over this transaction ,
where You have gained an upper hand .You have got back your property and you seem to be recalling with great happiness your statement in the
GithA , J~nAni thu aathmA yeva matham " .You are considering me as Your aathmA . What a great fortune that befell me thru this SvarUpa
samarpaNam ? Thus pours out our Kulapathi his sense of joy over the act of SvarUpa SamarpaNam .
These thoughts are captured by Swami Desikan in his first slOkam of NyAsa dasakam .
In the second slokam of NyAsa Dasakam , Swami Desikan addresses Sri VaradarAjan of Kancheepuram as" Sriman " as in Dvayam and salutes
PerundEvi ThAyAr as well this way and performs his SaraNAgathi . He states unambigouously , " Sriman ! aathma rakshA bharam tvayi
nyasyAmi". Swami Desikan reminds the Lord that he has laid the total responsibility of his protection at the feet of the Sarva Loka SaraNyan. The
full slOkam is as follows:
nyasyAmyakinchana: Sriman aanukUlOnyavarjitha: I

visvAsa prArthanA pUrvam aathmarakshAbharam tvayi II
(Anvaya kramam): Sriman! anukUla: anya varjitha:

akinchana: visvAsa prArthanA pUrvam aathma rakshA
bharam tvayi nyasyAmi .
Swami Desikan brilliantly weaves in the five angAs of Bhara SamarpaNam in this slOkam first and then performs SaraNAgathi at the holy feet of
PEraruLALan . This is the Saastraic way to perform SaraNAgathi with its five angAs . These five angAs are :
(1) aanukUlya Sankalpam

(2) PrAthikUlya varjanam
(3) KaarpaNyam
(4) MahA VisvAsam and
(5) gOpthruva VaraNam
1)AanukUlya sankalpam is covered by the word " anukUla: " in this slOkam .This refers to his vow to perform always deeds that please the Lord .
2)PrAthkUlya Varjanam is covered by the word " Anya Varjitha: " in the verse . PrAthikUlya varjanam relates to the vow of one performing
Prapatthi that he will not engage in acts that cause displeasure to the Lord .
3)KaarpaNyam is connected to the word " akinchana: " in this verse. KaarpaNyam is a state of meekness and humility arising from the clear
recognition that one has no skills or power to practise any upAyams to reach the Lord such as Bhakthi yOgam et al . This state is invoked by
ALavandhAr in his famous sthothra rathna slOkam :
" na dharmanishtOsmi nachAthmavEdhi na bhakthimAn

tvadh SaraNAravindhO !
akinchanO ananyagathissaraNya tvadh paadha mUlam
saraNam prapadhyE " .
4)MahA VisvAsam is hinted by the words " VisvAsa " in this slOkam . Maha visvAsam is the total and unshakable faith in the thought that the Lord
will protect the saraNAgathan without fail .
5)gOpthruva VaraNam is the request of the rakshaNam of one with a humble prayer . The words , " prArthanA pUrvam " connect to the fifth limb
(angA ) of SaraNAgathi in this slOkam .
After observing SaraNAgathi with the above five angAs , Swami performs saraNAgathi with the statement , " Aathma rakshA bharam tvayi
nyasyAmi". Thus the pancha anga bharanyAsam is practised by Swami Desikan througth this verse .
Swami addresses thus the kAruNya Raasi ( the embodiment of mercy and compassion ) presiding over VaaraNa sailam ( Hasthi Giri ) and
performs his SaraNAgathi . Lord VaradarAjan was very dear to our AchAryan . He has saluted His SvarUpam elsewhere as " nithyam param
sarvagatham susUkshmam nishpandhanandhathu mayam bhavatha: SvarUpam " .
With the above moving salutation , Swami Desikan recognizes

the Bhagavath SvarUpam of Lord VaradarAjan as eternal ( nithyam, superior to all tattvams (param ) , omnipresent (sarvagatham ) and capable
of penetrating everywhere ( susUkshmam ) and of the form of unaltered bliss ( nishpandhanandhuathu mayam ) .
Before this Lord of anantha kalyANa guNams, Swami Desikan feels acutely his aakinchanyam and ananyagathithvam referred to by AlavandhAr
earlier. The above two are the visEsha adhikArams of Prapatthi. After that acknowledgement of his deficiency, Swami performs his SaraNAgathi.
Aakinchanyathvanm refers to the lack of skills to follow the upAyams such as Bhakthi yOgam ; ananyagathithvam relates to the seeking of
Moksham alone as the fruit of one's efforts and seeking Sriman NaarAyaNA alone as the one capable of granting that boon of Moksham .
The first two paasurams of adaikkala patthu of Swami Desikan, which are echoes in Tamil of the ten slOkams of NyAsa dasakam in Sanskrit deal
with akinchanathvam and ananyagathithvam respectively.
Swami Desikan's whole life was devoted to advancing the key doctrine of Prapatthi housed in Bhagavadh RaamAnujA's SaraNAgathi Gadhyam
and AlavandhAr's sthOthra rathnam. In the above cited 22nd slokam of SthOthra rathnam, AlavandhAr ( YaamunAcchaaryA ) describes himself
as one bereft of dharma nishtai , aathma j~nAnam and Bhakthi at the Lord's lotus feet. He explains the reason for his saraNAgathi at the Lord's
Sacred feet as a direct consequence of these deficiencies.
AlavandhAr in turn took his cues from NammAzhwAr ( thruvaimozhi VaanamAmalai paasuram 5.7.1) and Thondardippodi's 25th Thrirumaalai
paasuram ( nORRa nOnbilEn nuNNaRivilEn of NammAzhwar and ninlaNum batthanallEn of Thpondaradipodi AzhwAr ) ..
NammAzhwAr addresses ThOthAdhrinaathan of VaanamAmalai in his paasuram and cries out:

" O Lord ! I have not gained any distinction through pracise of karmaa or J~nAnA yOgA , which are precursors to the development of Bhakthi in
one . I do indeed have Bhakthi for You , but it is far from the kind that results from the practise of Bhakthi yOgA . My bhakthi for You is of a
restless and intensely passionate kind . This is not a kind of Bhakthi resulting from Bhakthi yOgA that leads to Moksham . That is why I have this
dvarai or urgency . Oh my Lord seated on your mighty serpent aasanam at Srivaramangala Nagar , rich with lotuses growing in fertile paddy fields
, take me into your fold as one who needs protection ."
NammAzhwAr states here that of all the four yOgAs leading to Moksham , he is not qualified or he is unable to succeed in the practise of Karma,
J~nana or Bhakthi yOgams . He is left with only Prapatthi yOgam to reach his goal of Moksham . He has no other succor . Therefore he
confesses , " Puhal onru illA adiyEn unnadikkeezh amarnthu puhundhEnE".
The basis for the hoary tradition of SaraNAgathi as the easy -to-practise and as a quick yielder of the fruit of Moksham is in the Lakshmi Tantram
belonging to the PaancharAthrA texts. NammAzhwAr , Naathamuni, AalavandhAr , RaamAnujA and Swami Desikan followed this tradition .
Lakshmi Tanthram says in this context :
" upAyaccha chathurthasthE prOktha: seegra paltara: pUrvE

traya upAyAsthE bhavEyu ramanOharA : , chathurthamAccharyan
yEvam upAyam saraNAsrayam " .
Lakshmi enlists the three yOgams --karma , J~nana and Bhakthi yOgams --first and discards them in favor of Prapatthi yOgam as seegra pala
pradham ( quick to yield results ) . GeethAchAryan followed the same line of thought and described the three yOgams first and then in the very
last chapter revealed prapatthi at his lotus feet as the fourth and most effective upAyam for one and all . The five limbs of prapatthi and the two
visEsha adhikArams ( Aakinchanyam and ananyagathithvam ) were elaborated upon by our pUrvAchAryAs in general and Swami Desikan in
particular .
This is the greatness of the second slOkam of NyAsa dasakam since it focuses on the five angAs and the two adhikArams of SaraNAgathi.
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan

Sri Desika Stotras With Meaning

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Sri Desika Stotras with Meaning

MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2007

ANNOTATED COMMENTARY IN ENGLISH BY:

VERSE 1: PLACE OF RESIDENCE OF THE WONDOROUS

SRUTEENAAM UTTARAM BHAGAM VEGAVATHYAASCCHA DAKSHINAM I

Adbhuta Kesari Ahobilam

VERSE 2: PRAYER FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE THREE

VERSE 3 : SALUTATIONS TO KANTIRAVAN

VERSE 4: EULOGY TO NARASIMHAN

VERSE 5: PRAYER FOR BLESSINGS TO THE WORLD

VERSE 6: PRAYER TO THE LORD'S HANDS FOR

VERSE 7: MERCY OF THE LORD EVEN DURING HIS

VERSE 8: SARANAGATHI AT THE FEET OF NARASIMHAN

VERSE 9: PHALA SRUTHI OF THIS ASHTAKAM

In tiruvELukkai, bhagavAn is in the yoga narasimha form and is seated in the

3. He appears in His arcA mUrti form in many of these divya-kshetra-s out of

4. bhagavAn is the only true relative we all have (bandhum akhilasya

8. In the ninth and final Slokam of SrI kAmAsikAshTakam svAmi deSikan

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2007

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2007

Sri Sthuthi of Swamy Desikan

Dear SriDEvi BhakthAs:

One day a poor Brahmachari, who had completed VedAdhyayanam arrived at

In the Sikshavalli section of Taittriyopanishad, there is a manthram passage known as

Aavahanthee vithanvanaa, kurvANaa cheeramAthmana,

SrImAn VenkatanATArya: KavitArkika Kesaree

1st SlOkam: MaanAtheetha --- For rise of all MangaLams

MaanAtheetha praTitha vibhavAm MangaLam MangaLAnAm

SrEyO Moorthim SaraNyAm Sriyam ThvAm aSaraNa: PrapadhyE.

1. Maana atheetha vibhavAm ThvAm PrapadhyE:

1. Maana atheetha vibhavAm ThvAm PrapadhyE:

2. MangaLAnAm MangaLam ThvAm prapadhyE:

3. Madhuvijayina: vaksha: peeDeem sva-kAnthyA bhUshayantheem ThvAm

4. Prathyaksha AanuSravika mahima prArTineenAm prajAnAm SrEyOmoorthim ThvAm PrapadhyE:

2nd SlOkam: AavirbhAva: ---- For literary abilities

AavirbhAva: Kalasa-jaladhou adhvarE vaapi YasyA

Extended Observations on the passages of this SlOkam:

4) Swamy Desikan chooses the word BhUmaa in this slOkam:

Meaning of this passage:

3rd SlOkam: SthOthavyathvam ---- For fulfilment of what one desires

1) Bhavathee dEhibhi: sthUyamAnA sthOthvyathvam disathy.

2.2: Swamy Desikan continues: (ThAmm ThvAmEva) anithara gathi:

SRI STHUTHI SLOKAM 13

1 . bharthu: agrE sarasijamayE bhadra peeDE nishaNNAm ThvAm =

14th SlOkam: AalOkyathvAm --- For neutralization of Curses

VishNu vakshalasTAm ThvAm

SRI STHUTHI SLOKAM 4

Oh KamalE! MahA Devi! Your Lord has many Vaibhavams:

Meaning according to Dr. M. NarasimhAchAry:

1. dhatthE SObhA Hari MaragathE Thavakee Moorthy: AadhyA,

SRI STHUTHI SLOKAM 10

SRI STHUTHI SLOKAM 5

nishprathyUha praNaya gaDitham Devi nithyAnapAyam

SRI STHUTHI SLOKAM 6

2. This is so because of the homogeneous, Integrated and unified

SRI STHUTHI SLOKAM 9

SRI STHUTHI SLOKAM 7

8th SlOkam: AsyEsAnaa---For destruction of One's sins and attaining Mukti

SRI STHUTHI SLOKAM 12