DESIKAMRUTHAM I:
?HAMSA SANDESA OF SRI VEDANTA DESIKA? Part 1- An Introduction
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003.
(Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
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Sri Venkatanatha, more popularly Known as Vedanta Desika was a Post- Ramanuja writer (1268-1369AD), whose multifaceted contribution to the SrivaishNava religion and philosophy deserves to be written in letters of gold and studded in the choicest clusters of precious stones. He was a polymath with about 139 works to his credit. These works are in Sanskrit, pure Tamil, Prakrit and the Manipravala. He strode like a colossus among the contemporary scholars. He bore lightly titles like Vedanta Desika, Sarva tantra Svatantra, Kavi Taarkika Simha and GhaNTaavataara. His rare scholarship and poetic talents drew unqualified encomia from no less a scholar than Sri Appayaa Dikshita, whose contributions to Advaita, Saivism and Alankaara Sastra are of a very high order. Dikshita wrote an unbiased commentary on Desika?s Yadhavaabhyudhaya. In Canto 1, we have the following verse:
?Kridaatu likayaa Svasmin krupaarusitaya svayam /
ekO visvam idam chitram vibhuh sreemaan ajijaanat // (9)
Roughly translated, it means ? Lord VishNu, the inseparable consort of Sree produced the picture of the universe Himself, all by Himself, with the brush of sport, dipping it in the paint of mercy?
The verse brings out in a nutshell, the VisishTadvaita theory of creation of the universe. After writing a ten-page commentary on it, Appayaa Dikshita, makes the following observation:
?ittham vichintya sarvatra bhaavah santi padE padE /
Kavi taarkika Simhasya kaavyEshu lalitEshvapi //
?In this manner, there are highly significant ideas in even the simplest verses of the lion among poets and logicians?
Swami Desika received the sacred Hayagriva mantra from Sri GaruDa and had a direct vision of Lord Hayagriva. He was precocious genius, an authority in all branches of knowledge ? both orthodox and heterodox, and could demolish all the existent philosophical systems and recreate them on his own terms. He was an uncompromising critic of the rival schools of thought. He was an embodiment of ?vairaaghya? (seeking alms on a day to day basis). In his own words, he did not become the target of arrows of cupid.
Cf: ete mahyam apOdha-manmathasaarOnmaathaaya naathaadayah /
Trayyanta-pratinandaneeya vividhOdaantaah svadantaam iha?
(SRTS Ch. 1: Guru Paramparaa saaram V.2)
He devoted his fresh youth to the repeated study of the works of Sri Ramanuja and dedicated himself for the propagation of the SrivaishNava religion and VisishTaadvaita philosophy. Thus, Sri Vedanta Desika was a phenomenon of a very rare kind by any standards.
I deem it a rare honor and privilege top be invited to deliver the ?Sripad Endowment Lecture? this year, under the auspices of the Department of VaishNavism which has been, is and will be, my first home. I thank Dr. Raghavan and Dr. Venkatakrishnan for this rare distinction conferred upon me. I wish to place on record my immense sense of appreciation and gratitude to all the members of the illustrious Sripad family viz., Dr. M.S.Lakshmikumari, Dr. M.S.Ramesh, Dr. Revati and Dr. Rajajee who created this endowment with the Department in the name of their beloved parents, late lamented Sriman Prof. Srirama Iyengar and Smt. Padmavathi.
I have chosen to speak on the ?Hamsa Sandesa? of Sri Vedanta Desika on this occasion. My admiration for adoration of Desika began to take shape when I was doing my B.A. Degree Course in the Government Arts College, Rajahmundry during the years 1956-58. I took Talugu as the main subject. I had to write one paper in Sanskrit also. The ?Hamsa Sandesa? was one of the prescribed texts for study. So, my love and admiration grew over the years and now, not a day passes for me without reading at least a verse or a section of a work of this Acharya Saarvabhouma par excellence.
The ?Hamsa Sandesa? has appeared in print several times with commentaries in Sanskrit, Tamil and English. Some commentators give three different meanings for every verse. One is the direct meaning. The second is the philosophical meaning. And, the third is the esoteric meaning. The word ?Hamsa? means not only a swan but also the spiritual teacher who by his vision and timely counsel, makes the Jiva come out of the bondage and enables him to receive the grace of the Supreme Lord. The story of the RamayaNa is also interpreted by some critics too yield such a meaning. Thus ? Rama is the Supreme Being. Sita is the jiva imprisoned in the body called lanka, which is ruled over by the ten-headed RavaNa i.e. by the ten senses. Hanuman who crosses the ocean is the Acharya who informs Sita, the Jiva about her real nature and gives her encouraging counsel that the grace of the Lord is sure top come at the earliest. Ultimately, the Lord Himself will come and set the Jiva free from bondage and takes him to His service. Commentators on the ?Hamsa Sandesa? like Uttamur Viraraghavacharya harness their scholarship in giving more than one meaning for every verse.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
2
DESIKAMRUTHAM I:
?HAMSA SANDESA OF SRI VEDANTA DESIKA? Part 2
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003.
(Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
----------------------------------------------------------------
The ?Hamsa Sandesa? is modeled on the ?Megha Sandesa? of Kaalidaasa, which has created a separate genre of composition, called the ?Sandesa Kaavya? in Sanskrit literature. It may be pointed out in this context that so far, there are in Sanskrit alone (not to speak of the vernaculars), 55 Sandesa Kaavyas written on the model of Megha Sandesa. Very poet had the irresistible temptation to imitate Kaalidaasa and sometimes even excel him, although this later attempt has not met with success. Kaalidaasa is our National poet, who lived in the first century B.C. or according to some, in the fifth century A.D. Everyone should take legitimate pride in reading his works and if one can compose verses, write at least one work modeled on any of his work. That was considered a matter of prestige and pride, not just a case of slavish imitation. All the works of Kaalidaasa are finished products of the highest order and nobody dares change even a word of his.
As in the case of the model poem, Megha Sandesa, the Hamsa Sandesa also abounds in descriptions of temples and holy places. South India is chosen as the scene of the poem and it may therefore be described as the complement of the Megha Sandesa, which describes North India. In the Megha Sandesa, the hero is semi-divine being, a Yaksha. He is a Dheeralalita-type of hero (i.e) one who is given to carefree life of enjoyment, deeply interested in fine arts like dance and music (cf: nischintO dheeralaliah, kalaasaktah, Sukhaikabhuh). In the Hamsa Sandesa, the hero is Sri Rama, an ideal hero, called DheerOdhatta.
Cf mahaasattvOatighambheerah krupaavaan avikattanah /
SthirO nighooDaahamkaarO DheerOdhaatta DriDavratah //
That is to say, one who is of immense strength, very deep in his mind, compassionate, steadfast, given to irrevocable determination etc.
Yaksha was only a servant of KubEra. He was cursed by his master for dereliction of his duty to be away from his beloved wife for one year. Rama was Lord Vishnu incarnate, separated from his wife Sita who was abducted by the ten-headed dragon called RavaNa, king of Lanka.
It will be worthwhile to note the parallels between the Megha Sandesa and the Hamsa Sandesa. Sri Vedanta Desika, a Mahakavi in his own right, has used the same meter, Mandakranta employed by Kaalidaasa. This meter according to Kshemendra, the author of Suvrutta Tilaka (CH 3 called Vritta ViniyOga) is ideal to describe the pangs of separation between lovers (Vipralamha Sringara). It is a long meter, moving slowly like the python (cf, mandam aakramati). This meter is quite suitable to describe the love-lorn condition of Yaksha who had no interesting life and was dragging on a wretched existence (Chant the verse- ?kaschit kanta viraha gurunaa).
Our poet Desika has also depicted in the Hamsa Sandesa, love in separation (Vipralambha Sringara). He follows the original even in the division of the poem into two Aasvaasas or Cantos. Even the number of verses in the Hamsa Sandesas total of 110 (60+ 50), which comes closer to the model poem, which has a total of 115 verses (63 + 52).
It will not be out of place to refer in this connection to a totally uncalled for controversy kicked up by some self-styled Desika Rasikas that Desika is head and shoulder above Kaalidaasa himself. They with their misplaced enthusiasm try to compare each and every verse of the two Sandesa Kaavyas and point out how Kaalidaasa pales into insignificance before Desika. They go to the extent of saying that Desika wrote the Yadhavaabhyudaya in reply to the Raghuvamsa of Kaalidaasa, as if there is a thematic controversy between the two works. Desika is no doubt a Mahaakavi, whose fame lasts as long as Sanskrit language and literature last. The world is yet to see a multi-faceted genius like Desika. Why should there be comparison at all between the two Mahaakavis of whom the earlier one acquired celebrity all over the world by his original creations? The plan of the poem, the choice of the meter, the delineation of the first details and their fitting into an original and harmonious whole ? are the indisputable claims of Kaalidaasa. Such a claim cannot, in the very nature of things, be laid by even the greatest of his imitators. Such critics are only doing a greater harm and incalculable disservice to the great name and spirit of Sri Desika himself, who lived a life of disarming simplicity and extraordinary humility. The humility of Desika could be illustrated by the following instance. In response to a challenge thrown by a contemporary poet, Desika wrote the masterpiece, Sri Padukaa Sahasra glorifying the sandals of Lord Ranganatha, in the course of a single night: The rival poet could only write three hundred verses on the lotus feet of the Lord (Paadukaamaala Trisati). In all fairness, he admitted that he was no match to Sri Desika in the art of composing such a beautiful poem at such a fantastic speed. With his characteristic humility the unassuming Desika put his rival in a still more unenviable position by extemporizing the following verse:
SootE Sukara yuvatih, Sutasatam ati durbhagam jhaTiti /
KariNi chiraaya SootE sakala-maheepala-lalitam kalabham//
A sow, i.e a she pig gives birth to a hundred, ugly young ones in a trice whereas a cow i.e. female elephant gives birth to a stately baby over a long period, which is fondled by the rulers of the land.
What a poet! What humility!
?HAMSA SANDESA OF SRI VEDANTA DESIKA? Part 2
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003.
(Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
----------------------------------------------------------------
The ?Hamsa Sandesa? is modeled on the ?Megha Sandesa? of Kaalidaasa, which has created a separate genre of composition, called the ?Sandesa Kaavya? in Sanskrit literature. It may be pointed out in this context that so far, there are in Sanskrit alone (not to speak of the vernaculars), 55 Sandesa Kaavyas written on the model of Megha Sandesa. Very poet had the irresistible temptation to imitate Kaalidaasa and sometimes even excel him, although this later attempt has not met with success. Kaalidaasa is our National poet, who lived in the first century B.C. or according to some, in the fifth century A.D. Everyone should take legitimate pride in reading his works and if one can compose verses, write at least one work modeled on any of his work. That was considered a matter of prestige and pride, not just a case of slavish imitation. All the works of Kaalidaasa are finished products of the highest order and nobody dares change even a word of his.
As in the case of the model poem, Megha Sandesa, the Hamsa Sandesa also abounds in descriptions of temples and holy places. South India is chosen as the scene of the poem and it may therefore be described as the complement of the Megha Sandesa, which describes North India. In the Megha Sandesa, the hero is semi-divine being, a Yaksha. He is a Dheeralalita-type of hero (i.e) one who is given to carefree life of enjoyment, deeply interested in fine arts like dance and music (cf: nischintO dheeralaliah, kalaasaktah, Sukhaikabhuh). In the Hamsa Sandesa, the hero is Sri Rama, an ideal hero, called DheerOdhatta.
Cf mahaasattvOatighambheerah krupaavaan avikattanah /
SthirO nighooDaahamkaarO DheerOdhaatta DriDavratah //
That is to say, one who is of immense strength, very deep in his mind, compassionate, steadfast, given to irrevocable determination etc.
Yaksha was only a servant of KubEra. He was cursed by his master for dereliction of his duty to be away from his beloved wife for one year. Rama was Lord Vishnu incarnate, separated from his wife Sita who was abducted by the ten-headed dragon called RavaNa, king of Lanka.
It will be worthwhile to note the parallels between the Megha Sandesa and the Hamsa Sandesa. Sri Vedanta Desika, a Mahakavi in his own right, has used the same meter, Mandakranta employed by Kaalidaasa. This meter according to Kshemendra, the author of Suvrutta Tilaka (CH 3 called Vritta ViniyOga) is ideal to describe the pangs of separation between lovers (Vipralamha Sringara). It is a long meter, moving slowly like the python (cf, mandam aakramati). This meter is quite suitable to describe the love-lorn condition of Yaksha who had no interesting life and was dragging on a wretched existence (Chant the verse- ?kaschit kanta viraha gurunaa).
Our poet Desika has also depicted in the Hamsa Sandesa, love in separation (Vipralambha Sringara). He follows the original even in the division of the poem into two Aasvaasas or Cantos. Even the number of verses in the Hamsa Sandesas total of 110 (60+ 50), which comes closer to the model poem, which has a total of 115 verses (63 + 52).
It will not be out of place to refer in this connection to a totally uncalled for controversy kicked up by some self-styled Desika Rasikas that Desika is head and shoulder above Kaalidaasa himself. They with their misplaced enthusiasm try to compare each and every verse of the two Sandesa Kaavyas and point out how Kaalidaasa pales into insignificance before Desika. They go to the extent of saying that Desika wrote the Yadhavaabhyudaya in reply to the Raghuvamsa of Kaalidaasa, as if there is a thematic controversy between the two works. Desika is no doubt a Mahaakavi, whose fame lasts as long as Sanskrit language and literature last. The world is yet to see a multi-faceted genius like Desika. Why should there be comparison at all between the two Mahaakavis of whom the earlier one acquired celebrity all over the world by his original creations? The plan of the poem, the choice of the meter, the delineation of the first details and their fitting into an original and harmonious whole ? are the indisputable claims of Kaalidaasa. Such a claim cannot, in the very nature of things, be laid by even the greatest of his imitators. Such critics are only doing a greater harm and incalculable disservice to the great name and spirit of Sri Desika himself, who lived a life of disarming simplicity and extraordinary humility. The humility of Desika could be illustrated by the following instance. In response to a challenge thrown by a contemporary poet, Desika wrote the masterpiece, Sri Padukaa Sahasra glorifying the sandals of Lord Ranganatha, in the course of a single night: The rival poet could only write three hundred verses on the lotus feet of the Lord (Paadukaamaala Trisati). In all fairness, he admitted that he was no match to Sri Desika in the art of composing such a beautiful poem at such a fantastic speed. With his characteristic humility the unassuming Desika put his rival in a still more unenviable position by extemporizing the following verse:
SootE Sukara yuvatih, Sutasatam ati durbhagam jhaTiti /
KariNi chiraaya SootE sakala-maheepala-lalitam kalabham//
A sow, i.e a she pig gives birth to a hundred, ugly young ones in a trice whereas a cow i.e. female elephant gives birth to a stately baby over a long period, which is fondled by the rulers of the land.
What a poet! What humility!
3
HAMSA SANDESA OF SRI VEDANTA DESIKA? Part 3
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003.
(Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
KaaLidaasa became a celebrity by his own inborn gift of poetic genius. His greatness was admitted by one and all. He was quoted reverentially even by great mimamsaka Kumaarila BhaTTa in his Tantra Vaartika (1.3.2). Attesting to the statement of the Dharma Saastras that dictates of one?s own conscience can sometimes be taken as PramaaNa. Kumaarila BhaTTa says:
Evam cha vidvad vachanaad vinirgatam
Prasiddharoopam kavibhir niroopitam /
Sataam hi sandEha padEshu vastushu
PramaaNam antah karaNa-pravruttyah //
KaaLidaasa in his ?abhijnaana Saakuntala? (Act I) speaks of Dushyanta who fell in love with Sakuntala at first sight. He knew that she was the daughter of the Sage KaNva who was a Brahmin by caste. Can a Kshatriya marry a Brahmin girl? But, his heart was telling him that he could marry her. It is this context that the poet has put these words into the mouth of Dushyanta.
A-samsayam kshatra- prigrahakshamaa
Yad aaryam asyaam abhilaasi mE manah /
Sataam hi sandEha padEshu vastushu
PramaaNanam antah karaNa pravruttyah // (I.20)
? Undoubtedly she is fit to be the wife of a Kshatriya, since my noble mind covets her. In matters of doubt, the inclination of their minds is, to the virtuous ones, an unerring guide?
Sri Sankara in his commentary on Verse 18 of the 15th Chapter of the Gita makes a veiled reference to KaaLidaasa. This is the Verse in question:
Yasmaat ksharam ateetO ahm
Aksharaadapi cha uttama: /
AtO asmi lokE veDE cha
Pratitah PurushOttama: //
Lord KrishNa tells Arjuna: ?I am known as PurushOttama both in the Vedic and the secular literature because I am superior to both the principles of kshara (the bound souls) and the a-kshara (the liberated souls)?
Achaarya Sankara observes: ?The word ?lOkE? in the verse (in the secular literature) means, in the literary works of poets?. Explaining this expression, Sri Madhusoodana Saraswati, the last name in Advaita philosophy, in his commentary called ?gooDaartha deepikaa? writes:
Hari yathaikah purushOttamah smartah iti prasiddham?
Among the celestials, the name PurushOttama denotes unmistakably to Lord VishNu and nobody else?
It is interesting to note that Sri Ramanuja in the opening portion of his Sri Baashya explains the word ?Brahman? of the Sutra
"athaatO brahma jigjnaasa" (1/1/1) as PurushOttama:
?brahma sabdEna cha scabhaavatO nirasta-nikhiladOshO anavadika- atisaya- asankhyEya- kalyaaNa guNa ? GaNaah purushOttamah abhidheeyatE?
?harir Yathika: PurushOttama: Smrutaa:
mahEswara: Trayambaka Eva na apara: /
tathaa vidur maam munaya: satakrataum
dviteeyagaami nahi sabda esha nah //
All this is just to show how famous KaaLidaasa was even with the writers on Saastras and Vedanta. So, it is not fair to attempt a comparison between the poetic geniuses of KaaLidaasa and Desika. Religion and poetry are two different things and there is no need to attempt a comparison. Desika has already attained supreme glory by his literary writings, commentaries and independent works bearing on Vedanta and Saastras like Mimamsa and Nyaaya. He does not need our support to claim supremacy in poetic talents through a comparison with the works of KaaLidaasa.
Of course, one can do well by reading these two SandEsa kaavyas side by side and enjoy the lyrical beauties in an impartial way, giving each poet the credit and admiration he deserves. Aanandavardhana of the 10th century, one of the greatest Aalamkaarikas who propounded the theory of Dvani (Suggestion) as the soul of poetry, states that Mahaakavi KaaLidaasa became a celebrity long ago through hundreds of wise sayings. Any attempt to depict him in a lesser color will only reflect the misguided enthusiasm of the person who embarks upon such a venture. To quote:
?Tattu sookti sahsradyOtitaatmanaam mahaatmanaam dOshOdghOshaNam aatmana eva dooshaNam bhavati??
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003.
(Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
KaaLidaasa became a celebrity by his own inborn gift of poetic genius. His greatness was admitted by one and all. He was quoted reverentially even by great mimamsaka Kumaarila BhaTTa in his Tantra Vaartika (1.3.2). Attesting to the statement of the Dharma Saastras that dictates of one?s own conscience can sometimes be taken as PramaaNa. Kumaarila BhaTTa says:
Evam cha vidvad vachanaad vinirgatam
Prasiddharoopam kavibhir niroopitam /
Sataam hi sandEha padEshu vastushu
PramaaNam antah karaNa-pravruttyah //
KaaLidaasa in his ?abhijnaana Saakuntala? (Act I) speaks of Dushyanta who fell in love with Sakuntala at first sight. He knew that she was the daughter of the Sage KaNva who was a Brahmin by caste. Can a Kshatriya marry a Brahmin girl? But, his heart was telling him that he could marry her. It is this context that the poet has put these words into the mouth of Dushyanta.
A-samsayam kshatra- prigrahakshamaa
Yad aaryam asyaam abhilaasi mE manah /
Sataam hi sandEha padEshu vastushu
PramaaNanam antah karaNa pravruttyah // (I.20)
? Undoubtedly she is fit to be the wife of a Kshatriya, since my noble mind covets her. In matters of doubt, the inclination of their minds is, to the virtuous ones, an unerring guide?
Sri Sankara in his commentary on Verse 18 of the 15th Chapter of the Gita makes a veiled reference to KaaLidaasa. This is the Verse in question:
Yasmaat ksharam ateetO ahm
Aksharaadapi cha uttama: /
AtO asmi lokE veDE cha
Pratitah PurushOttama: //
Lord KrishNa tells Arjuna: ?I am known as PurushOttama both in the Vedic and the secular literature because I am superior to both the principles of kshara (the bound souls) and the a-kshara (the liberated souls)?
Achaarya Sankara observes: ?The word ?lOkE? in the verse (in the secular literature) means, in the literary works of poets?. Explaining this expression, Sri Madhusoodana Saraswati, the last name in Advaita philosophy, in his commentary called ?gooDaartha deepikaa? writes:
Hari yathaikah purushOttamah smartah iti prasiddham?
Among the celestials, the name PurushOttama denotes unmistakably to Lord VishNu and nobody else?
It is interesting to note that Sri Ramanuja in the opening portion of his Sri Baashya explains the word ?Brahman? of the Sutra
"athaatO brahma jigjnaasa" (1/1/1) as PurushOttama:
?brahma sabdEna cha scabhaavatO nirasta-nikhiladOshO anavadika- atisaya- asankhyEya- kalyaaNa guNa ? GaNaah purushOttamah abhidheeyatE?
?harir Yathika: PurushOttama: Smrutaa:
mahEswara: Trayambaka Eva na apara: /
tathaa vidur maam munaya: satakrataum
dviteeyagaami nahi sabda esha nah //
All this is just to show how famous KaaLidaasa was even with the writers on Saastras and Vedanta. So, it is not fair to attempt a comparison between the poetic geniuses of KaaLidaasa and Desika. Religion and poetry are two different things and there is no need to attempt a comparison. Desika has already attained supreme glory by his literary writings, commentaries and independent works bearing on Vedanta and Saastras like Mimamsa and Nyaaya. He does not need our support to claim supremacy in poetic talents through a comparison with the works of KaaLidaasa.
Of course, one can do well by reading these two SandEsa kaavyas side by side and enjoy the lyrical beauties in an impartial way, giving each poet the credit and admiration he deserves. Aanandavardhana of the 10th century, one of the greatest Aalamkaarikas who propounded the theory of Dvani (Suggestion) as the soul of poetry, states that Mahaakavi KaaLidaasa became a celebrity long ago through hundreds of wise sayings. Any attempt to depict him in a lesser color will only reflect the misguided enthusiasm of the person who embarks upon such a venture. To quote:
?Tattu sookti sahsradyOtitaatmanaam mahaatmanaam dOshOdghOshaNam aatmana eva dooshaNam bhavati??
4
DESIKAMRUTHAM I:
?HAMSA SANDESA OF SRI VEDANTA DESIKA? Part 4
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003. (Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The inspiration to Desika to compose the Hamsa Sandesa comes from the Sundara khaaNda of Valmiki Ramayana. In canto 36, Verse 30 reads as follows:
na chaasya maataa na pitaa cha naanyah
SnEhaad visihTOsti mayaa samO vaa /
Taavattvaham doota! JijivishEyam
Yaavat pravriitim sruNuyaam priyasya //
These are the words of Sita to Hanuman who came to Lanka searching for her.
? Neither for his mother, nor his father, nor for any other does Rama have the kind of love he cherishes for me. I shall live only as long as I hear of him?
These words gave Desika the clue and necessary impetus to write the lyric, the Hamsa SandEsa. Of course, the theme of the poem is very simple. Rama chooses a royal swan on an autumnal day and sends a message of cheer and hope to Sita living in Lanka. The message proper comprises 14 Verses (VV.33-47).
He states how difficult it is for him to pass the nights and days without her; how fragrant flowers have become as source of agony for him; how the sweet songs of the cuckoos and the humming of the bees and the murmuring Malaya breeze torment him. He promises to build a bridge across the ocean either with rocks or arrows and make Lanka a veritable garland of flowers in the hands of the monkeys. Within a few days the twangs of Lakshmana?s bow will pour nectar into her ears. Soon thereafter Sita and Rama would return to Ayodhya by the aerial car Pushpaka and be coronated by elders like VasishTa. Rama asks Sita to somehow embolden and protect herself. She is asked to remember the plight of Sachi Devi and Paarvati Devi in olden days who also suffered separation from their husbands and got united later.
After consoling Sita with suitable words, the Swan is asked to go his own way and be united with his own consort (Raajahmsi) even as Vishnu is associated with Lakshmi. Our poet concludes the poem on a happy note unlike in Meghaduta. There the sequel i.e as to what happened after the delivery of the message by the cloud has not been mentioned. But, in Hamsa Sandesa, Rama after sending the message of hope to Sita, is said to have gone to Lanka by means of a bridge built by the monkeys, killed Ravana, returned to Ayodhya with Sita and began to rule the kingdom which was till then protected by his sandals.
In the Megha Sandesa, the accursed Yaksha is said to have come to earth and stayed on the Ramagiri Mountain, which is identified as the modern Ramtek near Nagpur. Before the advent of the rainy season, he saw a dark cloud on the mountain resembling an elephant. He sent a message to his wife through the cloud, although it was an inanimate entity. So intense was his lovesick condition that he did not even distinguish between the animate and the inanimate. He then described the route to be taken by the cloud to reach Alaka. With this, the first canto comes to an end. The second half of the Canto describes Alaka situated on the top of the Himalaya, and the wife of the Yaksha suffering and anxiously waiting for the return of her husband. The message the cloud was supposed to convey her is also stated. It is to the effect that the curse was going to come to an end in four months and she had to somehow spend the time ?closing her eyes? (Seshan maasam gamaya Chaturaah lOkEna milayitvaa). Yaksha asked the cloud to go wherever he wanted to go, after delivering the message. The second Canto comes to an end with this.
In the Hamsa Sandesa, the hero is Sri Rama who was not a semi-divine being like Yaksha but the Supreme Lord Vishnu Himself who manifested Himself as a man out of His will. He saw a swan on a beautiful morning on the Rishya Mooka Mountain situated in the modern Karnataka state. The event took place after Hanuman returned successfully from Lanka locating Sita and gave Rama her crest jewel as a token of recognition. It was the beginning of the autumn. The swan had come from the Maanasaa Lake. It reminded him of Sita and he wanted to support her by sending a message of hope and cheer. He requests the swan to take the message to his beloved living in the AsOka garden in Lanka which was located on the other shore of the ocean, guarded by cruel and frightening demo nesses.
Here, the messenger is a living creature, Swan, but not a lifeless entity like the cloud. The wan is white in color unlike the cloud that is dark. It may be observed that Desika chose the royal swan as the messenger taking the ides from the NaLOpaakhyaana of the Mahaabhaarata. There King NaLa sends a message of love to Damayanti through a swan.
Desika mentions the route to be taken by the swan as covering various holy places (Divyadesas) like Tirupati, Conjeevaram, Tiruvellarai, Srirangam and Tirumaalirumjolai. If one compares the description of the temples and other holy [places as found in the Megha and the Hamsa, one cannot but see a striking difference between the two. For KaaLidaasa, reverence and temple worship is a matter of routine based on habit. But to Desika, they were an absorbing passion to which everything else is subordinate.
e.g. kurvan sandhyaabalipathahataam soolinah slaaghaneeyam
aamandraNam phalam avikalam lapsyase garjitaanaam
(Yaksha asks the cloud to come to the temple of Lord Mahaakaala at Ujjain and roar there. This roar would be like the beating of the drum in the temple of the Lord at evening twilight. The cloud would receive the full merit of doing such a service)
For Desika, religion was all in all. It was his very breath and life. His faith in Sriman Narayana, the Divyadampathi was absolute and his life was but a true translation of that faith into practice. For him, worship and divine service are not just acts of routine. They are not even mere duty. They are a rare privilege and prerogative granted to him by the compassionate divine couple. For him, God is not a mere indweller of temples. The swan is advised to render service to the Lord and His consort with no other thought or desire. Kainkarya is according to the Srivaishnava philosophy, the summum bonum of life both here and in the hereafter. In this manner, the description of holy temples and sacred spots found in the Hamsa Sandesa is superior to that of KaaLidaasa where the description of temples and sacred spots is a matter of incidence and sources of tentative inspiration for the cloud messenger. His sole aim was to convey the message of the Yaksha to his wife and nothing more than that. KaaLidaasa is primarily interested in describing the north Indian country, its topography and geography (e.g.) Avanti and other kingdoms, Ujjain and its mansions, its wonders and splendors, wealth and pleasures. But, for our Desika, temples and holy places are more important than the mere mundane life and its enjoyments.
?HAMSA SANDESA OF SRI VEDANTA DESIKA? Part 4
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003. (Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The inspiration to Desika to compose the Hamsa Sandesa comes from the Sundara khaaNda of Valmiki Ramayana. In canto 36, Verse 30 reads as follows:
na chaasya maataa na pitaa cha naanyah
SnEhaad visihTOsti mayaa samO vaa /
Taavattvaham doota! JijivishEyam
Yaavat pravriitim sruNuyaam priyasya //
These are the words of Sita to Hanuman who came to Lanka searching for her.
? Neither for his mother, nor his father, nor for any other does Rama have the kind of love he cherishes for me. I shall live only as long as I hear of him?
These words gave Desika the clue and necessary impetus to write the lyric, the Hamsa SandEsa. Of course, the theme of the poem is very simple. Rama chooses a royal swan on an autumnal day and sends a message of cheer and hope to Sita living in Lanka. The message proper comprises 14 Verses (VV.33-47).
He states how difficult it is for him to pass the nights and days without her; how fragrant flowers have become as source of agony for him; how the sweet songs of the cuckoos and the humming of the bees and the murmuring Malaya breeze torment him. He promises to build a bridge across the ocean either with rocks or arrows and make Lanka a veritable garland of flowers in the hands of the monkeys. Within a few days the twangs of Lakshmana?s bow will pour nectar into her ears. Soon thereafter Sita and Rama would return to Ayodhya by the aerial car Pushpaka and be coronated by elders like VasishTa. Rama asks Sita to somehow embolden and protect herself. She is asked to remember the plight of Sachi Devi and Paarvati Devi in olden days who also suffered separation from their husbands and got united later.
After consoling Sita with suitable words, the Swan is asked to go his own way and be united with his own consort (Raajahmsi) even as Vishnu is associated with Lakshmi. Our poet concludes the poem on a happy note unlike in Meghaduta. There the sequel i.e as to what happened after the delivery of the message by the cloud has not been mentioned. But, in Hamsa Sandesa, Rama after sending the message of hope to Sita, is said to have gone to Lanka by means of a bridge built by the monkeys, killed Ravana, returned to Ayodhya with Sita and began to rule the kingdom which was till then protected by his sandals.
In the Megha Sandesa, the accursed Yaksha is said to have come to earth and stayed on the Ramagiri Mountain, which is identified as the modern Ramtek near Nagpur. Before the advent of the rainy season, he saw a dark cloud on the mountain resembling an elephant. He sent a message to his wife through the cloud, although it was an inanimate entity. So intense was his lovesick condition that he did not even distinguish between the animate and the inanimate. He then described the route to be taken by the cloud to reach Alaka. With this, the first canto comes to an end. The second half of the Canto describes Alaka situated on the top of the Himalaya, and the wife of the Yaksha suffering and anxiously waiting for the return of her husband. The message the cloud was supposed to convey her is also stated. It is to the effect that the curse was going to come to an end in four months and she had to somehow spend the time ?closing her eyes? (Seshan maasam gamaya Chaturaah lOkEna milayitvaa). Yaksha asked the cloud to go wherever he wanted to go, after delivering the message. The second Canto comes to an end with this.
In the Hamsa Sandesa, the hero is Sri Rama who was not a semi-divine being like Yaksha but the Supreme Lord Vishnu Himself who manifested Himself as a man out of His will. He saw a swan on a beautiful morning on the Rishya Mooka Mountain situated in the modern Karnataka state. The event took place after Hanuman returned successfully from Lanka locating Sita and gave Rama her crest jewel as a token of recognition. It was the beginning of the autumn. The swan had come from the Maanasaa Lake. It reminded him of Sita and he wanted to support her by sending a message of hope and cheer. He requests the swan to take the message to his beloved living in the AsOka garden in Lanka which was located on the other shore of the ocean, guarded by cruel and frightening demo nesses.
Here, the messenger is a living creature, Swan, but not a lifeless entity like the cloud. The wan is white in color unlike the cloud that is dark. It may be observed that Desika chose the royal swan as the messenger taking the ides from the NaLOpaakhyaana of the Mahaabhaarata. There King NaLa sends a message of love to Damayanti through a swan.
Desika mentions the route to be taken by the swan as covering various holy places (Divyadesas) like Tirupati, Conjeevaram, Tiruvellarai, Srirangam and Tirumaalirumjolai. If one compares the description of the temples and other holy [places as found in the Megha and the Hamsa, one cannot but see a striking difference between the two. For KaaLidaasa, reverence and temple worship is a matter of routine based on habit. But to Desika, they were an absorbing passion to which everything else is subordinate.
e.g. kurvan sandhyaabalipathahataam soolinah slaaghaneeyam
aamandraNam phalam avikalam lapsyase garjitaanaam
(Yaksha asks the cloud to come to the temple of Lord Mahaakaala at Ujjain and roar there. This roar would be like the beating of the drum in the temple of the Lord at evening twilight. The cloud would receive the full merit of doing such a service)
For Desika, religion was all in all. It was his very breath and life. His faith in Sriman Narayana, the Divyadampathi was absolute and his life was but a true translation of that faith into practice. For him, worship and divine service are not just acts of routine. They are not even mere duty. They are a rare privilege and prerogative granted to him by the compassionate divine couple. For him, God is not a mere indweller of temples. The swan is advised to render service to the Lord and His consort with no other thought or desire. Kainkarya is according to the Srivaishnava philosophy, the summum bonum of life both here and in the hereafter. In this manner, the description of holy temples and sacred spots found in the Hamsa Sandesa is superior to that of KaaLidaasa where the description of temples and sacred spots is a matter of incidence and sources of tentative inspiration for the cloud messenger. His sole aim was to convey the message of the Yaksha to his wife and nothing more than that. KaaLidaasa is primarily interested in describing the north Indian country, its topography and geography (e.g.) Avanti and other kingdoms, Ujjain and its mansions, its wonders and splendors, wealth and pleasures. But, for our Desika, temples and holy places are more important than the mere mundane life and its enjoyments.
5
DESIKAMRUTHAM I:
?HAMSA SANDESA OF SRI VEDANTA DESIKA? Part 5
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003. (Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, let us relish and cherish the beauties of the poem Hamsa Sandesa. I will also quote from the model Megha Sandesa to show how each Mahakavi excels in the employment of figures of speech, imageries and how each one has developed the sentiment, love n separation (Vipralambha Sringaara).
The opening verse of the poem, the Hamsa Sandesa runs as follows:
VamsE jaatah savitur maanayam maanushatvam
DEvah Sreemaan janaka tanayaanvEshaNE jaagarokah /
Pratyaayaate pavanatanaye nischitaarthah sa kaami
Kalpaakaaram kathamapi nisaam aa vibhaatam vishEhE //
Meaning
The divine lord, the consort of Sri assumed human form and took birth in the spotless race of the Sun. He was keen searching for the daughter of King Janaka. After the return of Hanuman, he made up his mind as to what to do. He spent, somehow, with great difficult that night which was like an aeon.
Now, let us see how KaaLidaasa starts his Megha Sandesa:
Kaschit kaantaa virahaguruNaa svaadhikaaraat pramattah
SaapEnaastsmgamita mahimaa varshabhOgyEna bharthuh /
Yakshas chakre janaka tanayaa-snaanapuNyOdakEshu
Snigdhacchaayaatarasu vasaatim RamagiryaasramEshu //
Meaning
A certain Yaksha erred from his duty and was therefore cursed by his master, KubEra. As a result, he lost his powers and had to spend one year away from his beloved wife. He started staying under the shady trees on the Raamagiri (the modern Ramtek near Nagpur). There were on that mountain, water spots sanctified by the ablutions that Sita, the daughter of Janaka had taken earlier.
Rama saw a swan as the messenger, which he saw in one of the lotus-ponds on the mountain Maalyavaan. The swan had a number of similarities with Sita: its gait was similar to that of Sita; its cracking was similar to the jingling notes of Sita?s anklets; and its form reminded him of the figures of swan printed on her Sari. This is a beautiful picture from the brilliant brush of Desika:
Tasmin Sitaagatim anugate taddukaalaantamoortau
tanmanjirapratimaninade nyasta-nishpandadrishTih /
VirascetOvilayam agamat tanmayaatmaa muhoortam
sanke teevram bhavati samayE saasanam meenakEtOh //
Whether a bird could convey a human message or not, did not bother Rama for the moment since his heart did not follow the course of logic. There is nothing to wonder about this attitude of Rama, says the poet, because lovers suffering in separation seek help even from clouds and cliffs, trees and creepers. Rama?s choosing a living creature like the swan is indeed more sensible than Yaksha?s choosing a cloud as his messenger. The swan is at least a living creature, which is capable of feeling and sympathy. Obviously, Desika is keeping in mind here Valmiki?s description of Rama?s agony after Sita was separated from him. He sought from mountains and trees, the whereabouts of his wife.
VislEshEna kshubia manasaam megha saila drumadau
Yacnaadainyam bhavati kimuta kvaapi samvedanaarhe //
cf
?Kaschit kshitibrtam naatha! DrishTa sarvaaga sundai /
raamaa ramie vanOddEsE mayaa virahitaa tvayaa //
?O King of mountains! Did you see my charming wife in this beautiful forest who has been separated from me??
Desika is also indirectly referring here to the Yaksha choosing a cloud as his messenger. Cloud is nothing but a combination of smoke, fire, water and wind. Only a sentient being with proper powers of articulation can of course convey a message. Yet, the Yaksha thought of sending the insentient cloud as his messenger because those who are in a lovesick condition are by nature, incapable of distinguishing between the sentient and insentient. Look at the beautiful way KaaLidaasa puts it:
Dhooma jyOtis salilaamrutam sannipaatah kva meghah?
SandEsaarthah kvaa patukaraNaih praaNIbhih praapaneeyah?
Ityatsuktyaat aparigaNayan guhyakastam yayaaachE
Kaamaartaa hi prkriti kripaNah ChEtanaachEtanEshu //
Rama tells the swan that it could consider going to Lanka, the Capital of Raakshasas, which was situated on the TrikuTa mountain which is now seen and now unseen, due to the waves of the ocean. It is there that Sita, his wife was held captive.
LakshaalakshE jaladhipayasaa labdasmasthaam TrikuTE
Lankaam gantum tava samuchitam Raakshaseem Raajadhaaneem //
Rama tells the swan that already Hanuman described to him two routes to Lanka, the one by the west and the other by the east. The western route, though short, is always full of rains and is therefore not ideal for the swan to take. The route by the east is dotted with wonderful regions, which the swan would love to take:
SahasyaasannO pyanati subhagah paschimo nitya varshah/
PraachinE tu pratijanapadam samhatau adbhutaanaam?etc.
?HAMSA SANDESA OF SRI VEDANTA DESIKA? Part 5
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003. (Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, let us relish and cherish the beauties of the poem Hamsa Sandesa. I will also quote from the model Megha Sandesa to show how each Mahakavi excels in the employment of figures of speech, imageries and how each one has developed the sentiment, love n separation (Vipralambha Sringaara).
The opening verse of the poem, the Hamsa Sandesa runs as follows:
VamsE jaatah savitur maanayam maanushatvam
DEvah Sreemaan janaka tanayaanvEshaNE jaagarokah /
Pratyaayaate pavanatanaye nischitaarthah sa kaami
Kalpaakaaram kathamapi nisaam aa vibhaatam vishEhE //
Meaning
The divine lord, the consort of Sri assumed human form and took birth in the spotless race of the Sun. He was keen searching for the daughter of King Janaka. After the return of Hanuman, he made up his mind as to what to do. He spent, somehow, with great difficult that night which was like an aeon.
Now, let us see how KaaLidaasa starts his Megha Sandesa:
Kaschit kaantaa virahaguruNaa svaadhikaaraat pramattah
SaapEnaastsmgamita mahimaa varshabhOgyEna bharthuh /
Yakshas chakre janaka tanayaa-snaanapuNyOdakEshu
Snigdhacchaayaatarasu vasaatim RamagiryaasramEshu //
Meaning
A certain Yaksha erred from his duty and was therefore cursed by his master, KubEra. As a result, he lost his powers and had to spend one year away from his beloved wife. He started staying under the shady trees on the Raamagiri (the modern Ramtek near Nagpur). There were on that mountain, water spots sanctified by the ablutions that Sita, the daughter of Janaka had taken earlier.
Rama saw a swan as the messenger, which he saw in one of the lotus-ponds on the mountain Maalyavaan. The swan had a number of similarities with Sita: its gait was similar to that of Sita; its cracking was similar to the jingling notes of Sita?s anklets; and its form reminded him of the figures of swan printed on her Sari. This is a beautiful picture from the brilliant brush of Desika:
Tasmin Sitaagatim anugate taddukaalaantamoortau
tanmanjirapratimaninade nyasta-nishpandadrishTih /
VirascetOvilayam agamat tanmayaatmaa muhoortam
sanke teevram bhavati samayE saasanam meenakEtOh //
Whether a bird could convey a human message or not, did not bother Rama for the moment since his heart did not follow the course of logic. There is nothing to wonder about this attitude of Rama, says the poet, because lovers suffering in separation seek help even from clouds and cliffs, trees and creepers. Rama?s choosing a living creature like the swan is indeed more sensible than Yaksha?s choosing a cloud as his messenger. The swan is at least a living creature, which is capable of feeling and sympathy. Obviously, Desika is keeping in mind here Valmiki?s description of Rama?s agony after Sita was separated from him. He sought from mountains and trees, the whereabouts of his wife.
VislEshEna kshubia manasaam megha saila drumadau
Yacnaadainyam bhavati kimuta kvaapi samvedanaarhe //
cf
?Kaschit kshitibrtam naatha! DrishTa sarvaaga sundai /
raamaa ramie vanOddEsE mayaa virahitaa tvayaa //
?O King of mountains! Did you see my charming wife in this beautiful forest who has been separated from me??
Desika is also indirectly referring here to the Yaksha choosing a cloud as his messenger. Cloud is nothing but a combination of smoke, fire, water and wind. Only a sentient being with proper powers of articulation can of course convey a message. Yet, the Yaksha thought of sending the insentient cloud as his messenger because those who are in a lovesick condition are by nature, incapable of distinguishing between the sentient and insentient. Look at the beautiful way KaaLidaasa puts it:
Dhooma jyOtis salilaamrutam sannipaatah kva meghah?
SandEsaarthah kvaa patukaraNaih praaNIbhih praapaneeyah?
Ityatsuktyaat aparigaNayan guhyakastam yayaaachE
Kaamaartaa hi prkriti kripaNah ChEtanaachEtanEshu //
Rama tells the swan that it could consider going to Lanka, the Capital of Raakshasas, which was situated on the TrikuTa mountain which is now seen and now unseen, due to the waves of the ocean. It is there that Sita, his wife was held captive.
LakshaalakshE jaladhipayasaa labdasmasthaam TrikuTE
Lankaam gantum tava samuchitam Raakshaseem Raajadhaaneem //
Rama tells the swan that already Hanuman described to him two routes to Lanka, the one by the west and the other by the east. The western route, though short, is always full of rains and is therefore not ideal for the swan to take. The route by the east is dotted with wonderful regions, which the swan would love to take:
SahasyaasannO pyanati subhagah paschimo nitya varshah/
PraachinE tu pratijanapadam samhatau adbhutaanaam?etc.
6
DESIKAMRUTHAM I:
?HAMSA SANDESA OF SRI VEDANTA DESIKA? Part 6
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003. (Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The poet takes considerable pride in describing South India. It has several attractions: first and foremost among them is that it is dotted by a number of holy places (sthaanait divyaH). This is another expression for Divya Desas, the divine abodes for Lord VishNu. The south is beautiful with sandal forests (of course, this is a hide out for the most notorious smuggler). The South is also the source of pearls and the mother of gentle breeze because of the location of the Malaya Mountain. But, there is one drawback with the South ? It is the abode of Raakshasas. Rama says that the swan will have to put up with this one trifling demerit and come out to help him, the hapless one:
Sthaanair divyaih upachitaguNam chandana araNya ramyaam
Muktaasutim Malaya marutam maataram dakshiNaasaam /
Asmat preetyai janaka tanayaa jeevitaartham cha gacchan
Ekam rakshaahpadam iti sakhE dOsha lEsam sahEthat//
The swan is asked to keep flying, looking at the beautiful village girls down below on earth and cross the country sides full of forests, mountains and rivers. Rama asks the swan to hear and enjoy the melodious songs sung by girls guarding crops, sitting in the shade of sugarcane plantations. These songs are an admixture of the Telugu and Kannada languages, says Desika:
KarnaaTa aandhra vyatikaravasaat karburE gitibhEdE muhyanteenaam madana kalusham maugdhyam aasvaadayEthah (I.20)
Rama then asks the swan to proceed to the Anjanaadri (Tirumala hills) and have darshan of the Lord there. There is a beautiful description of the mountain range in two verses (VV21, 22). By reason of its being the abode of VishNu, by reason of its supporting the earth, by reason of its [peaks which are full of precious stones and by reason of the small white clouds which appear like the recently cast off sloughs, the devotees consider the mountain to be an embodiment of the primordial serpent, AdisEsha himself.
VishNOr vaasaad avani vahanaat baddha ratnaih sirObhih
SEshah saakshaad ayam iti janaih samyag unneeyamaanah /
Abhrair yukto laghubhir acirOnmukta- nirmOka kalpaih
AgrE bhaavi tadanu nayanE ranjayan anjanaadrih //(21)
The greatness of this mountain is that men who ascend it and the celestials who descend on it from the skies have their sattva guNa heightened, and thus become equal before the Lord?s eyes. They forget their differences and worship the Lord together in groups. We may note that even now, this is the situation obtaining at Tirumala in the divine presence of Lord Sri vEnkatEswara.
Tattraarudhair mahati manujaih svargibhiscaavateernaih
SattvOnmEshaad vyaapagata- mithastaaar atmayaadibhEdaih /
SaadhaaraNyaat phalapariNateh sanghaasO badhyamaanaam
Saktyaa kaamam madhuvijayinah tvarh cha kuryaah saparyaam //
Then comes the description of the SuarNamukhari river (now called Svaramukhi) situated to the south of the Anjanaadri. The river, fancied as a woman devotee, is described as carrying flowers from the adjacent forest trees with her wave-like hands, for the worship of Lord Siva, says the poet. This is an obvious reference to the temple of Lord Siva at SriKaaLahasti:
StOkonmagna sphurita puLinam tvan nivaasEcchayecva
Draksyasyaaraat knaka mukharirh dakshiNaam anjanaadrrEh /
Aasannaanaam vanaviTapinaarh veechihastaihPrasuuna-nyarcahEtOr upharati yaa noonam ardhEndu moulEh / (23)
Rferences like these make it clear that our author Sri Desika is NOT a fanatical SrivaishNava abhorring and avoiding even the mention of the name of gods other than VishNu. Indeed in an earlier verse also (12), reference has been made to Lord Siva. The all-white swan covered by the red pollen of the bandhujiva flowers scattered by wind, is said to resemble the crescent moon on Lord Siva?s head. How can the crescent moon look like the swan, which is rather full and circular in shape? The poet answers that crescent moon looks full because of the pollen of the bandhujiva flowers. For total similarity, the moon should also look red. How could this be possible? Desika says that this is possible because the crescent moon on Siva?s head comes into contact with the red lac painted on Paarvati?s feet.
?HAMSA SANDESA OF SRI VEDANTA DESIKA? Part 6
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003. (Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The poet takes considerable pride in describing South India. It has several attractions: first and foremost among them is that it is dotted by a number of holy places (sthaanait divyaH). This is another expression for Divya Desas, the divine abodes for Lord VishNu. The south is beautiful with sandal forests (of course, this is a hide out for the most notorious smuggler). The South is also the source of pearls and the mother of gentle breeze because of the location of the Malaya Mountain. But, there is one drawback with the South ? It is the abode of Raakshasas. Rama says that the swan will have to put up with this one trifling demerit and come out to help him, the hapless one:
Sthaanair divyaih upachitaguNam chandana araNya ramyaam
Muktaasutim Malaya marutam maataram dakshiNaasaam /
Asmat preetyai janaka tanayaa jeevitaartham cha gacchan
Ekam rakshaahpadam iti sakhE dOsha lEsam sahEthat//
The swan is asked to keep flying, looking at the beautiful village girls down below on earth and cross the country sides full of forests, mountains and rivers. Rama asks the swan to hear and enjoy the melodious songs sung by girls guarding crops, sitting in the shade of sugarcane plantations. These songs are an admixture of the Telugu and Kannada languages, says Desika:
KarnaaTa aandhra vyatikaravasaat karburE gitibhEdE muhyanteenaam madana kalusham maugdhyam aasvaadayEthah (I.20)
Rama then asks the swan to proceed to the Anjanaadri (Tirumala hills) and have darshan of the Lord there. There is a beautiful description of the mountain range in two verses (VV21, 22). By reason of its being the abode of VishNu, by reason of its supporting the earth, by reason of its [peaks which are full of precious stones and by reason of the small white clouds which appear like the recently cast off sloughs, the devotees consider the mountain to be an embodiment of the primordial serpent, AdisEsha himself.
VishNOr vaasaad avani vahanaat baddha ratnaih sirObhih
SEshah saakshaad ayam iti janaih samyag unneeyamaanah /
Abhrair yukto laghubhir acirOnmukta- nirmOka kalpaih
AgrE bhaavi tadanu nayanE ranjayan anjanaadrih //(21)
The greatness of this mountain is that men who ascend it and the celestials who descend on it from the skies have their sattva guNa heightened, and thus become equal before the Lord?s eyes. They forget their differences and worship the Lord together in groups. We may note that even now, this is the situation obtaining at Tirumala in the divine presence of Lord Sri vEnkatEswara.
Tattraarudhair mahati manujaih svargibhiscaavateernaih
SattvOnmEshaad vyaapagata- mithastaaar atmayaadibhEdaih /
SaadhaaraNyaat phalapariNateh sanghaasO badhyamaanaam
Saktyaa kaamam madhuvijayinah tvarh cha kuryaah saparyaam //
Then comes the description of the SuarNamukhari river (now called Svaramukhi) situated to the south of the Anjanaadri. The river, fancied as a woman devotee, is described as carrying flowers from the adjacent forest trees with her wave-like hands, for the worship of Lord Siva, says the poet. This is an obvious reference to the temple of Lord Siva at SriKaaLahasti:
StOkonmagna sphurita puLinam tvan nivaasEcchayecva
Draksyasyaaraat knaka mukharirh dakshiNaam anjanaadrrEh /
Aasannaanaam vanaviTapinaarh veechihastaihPrasuuna-nyarcahEtOr upharati yaa noonam ardhEndu moulEh / (23)
Rferences like these make it clear that our author Sri Desika is NOT a fanatical SrivaishNava abhorring and avoiding even the mention of the name of gods other than VishNu. Indeed in an earlier verse also (12), reference has been made to Lord Siva. The all-white swan covered by the red pollen of the bandhujiva flowers scattered by wind, is said to resemble the crescent moon on Lord Siva?s head. How can the crescent moon look like the swan, which is rather full and circular in shape? The poet answers that crescent moon looks full because of the pollen of the bandhujiva flowers. For total similarity, the moon should also look red. How could this be possible? Desika says that this is possible because the crescent moon on Siva?s head comes into contact with the red lac painted on Paarvati?s feet.
6
DESIKAMRUTHAM I:
?HAMSA SANDESA OF SRI VEDANTA DESIKA? Part 6
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003. (Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The poet takes considerable pride in describing South India. It has several attractions: first and foremost among them is that it is dotted by a number of holy places (sthaanait divyaH). This is another expression for Divya Desas, the divine abodes for Lord VishNu. The south is beautiful with sandal forests (of course, this is a hide out for the most notorious smuggler). The South is also the source of pearls and the mother of gentle breeze because of the location of the Malaya Mountain. But, there is one drawback with the South ? It is the abode of Raakshasas. Rama says that the swan will have to put up with this one trifling demerit and come out to help him, the hapless one:
Sthaanair divyaih upachitaguNam chandana araNya ramyaam
Muktaasutim Malaya marutam maataram dakshiNaasaam /
Asmat preetyai janaka tanayaa jeevitaartham cha gacchan
Ekam rakshaahpadam iti sakhE dOsha lEsam sahEthat//
The swan is asked to keep flying, looking at the beautiful village girls down below on earth and cross the country sides full of forests, mountains and rivers. Rama asks the swan to hear and enjoy the melodious songs sung by girls guarding crops, sitting in the shade of sugarcane plantations. These songs are an admixture of the Telugu and Kannada languages, says Desika:
KarnaaTa aandhra vyatikaravasaat karburE gitibhEdE muhyanteenaam madana kalusham maugdhyam aasvaadayEthah (I.20)
Rama then asks the swan to proceed to the Anjanaadri (Tirumala hills) and have darshan of the Lord there. There is a beautiful description of the mountain range in two verses (VV21, 22). By reason of its being the abode of VishNu, by reason of its supporting the earth, by reason of its [peaks which are full of precious stones and by reason of the small white clouds which appear like the recently cast off sloughs, the devotees consider the mountain to be an embodiment of the primordial serpent, AdisEsha himself.
VishNOr vaasaad avani vahanaat baddha ratnaih sirObhih
SEshah saakshaad ayam iti janaih samyag unneeyamaanah /
Abhrair yukto laghubhir acirOnmukta- nirmOka kalpaih
AgrE bhaavi tadanu nayanE ranjayan anjanaadrih //(21)
The greatness of this mountain is that men who ascend it and the celestials who descend on it from the skies have their sattva guNa heightened, and thus become equal before the Lord?s eyes. They forget their differences and worship the Lord together in groups. We may note that even now, this is the situation obtaining at Tirumala in the divine presence of Lord Sri vEnkatEswara.
Tattraarudhair mahati manujaih svargibhiscaavateernaih
SattvOnmEshaad vyaapagata- mithastaaar atmayaadibhEdaih /
SaadhaaraNyaat phalapariNateh sanghaasO badhyamaanaam
Saktyaa kaamam madhuvijayinah tvarh cha kuryaah saparyaam //
Then comes the description of the SuarNamukhari river (now called Svaramukhi) situated to the south of the Anjanaadri. The river, fancied as a woman devotee, is described as carrying flowers from the adjacent forest trees with her wave-like hands, for the worship of Lord Siva, says the poet. This is an obvious reference to the temple of Lord Siva at SriKaaLahasti:
StOkonmagna sphurita puLinam tvan nivaasEcchayecva
Draksyasyaaraat knaka mukharirh dakshiNaam anjanaadrrEh /
Aasannaanaam vanaviTapinaarh veechihastaihPrasuuna-nyarcahEtOr upharati yaa noonam ardhEndu moulEh / (23)
Rferences like these make it clear that our author Sri Desika is NOT a fanatical SrivaishNava abhorring and avoiding even the mention of the name of gods other than VishNu. Indeed in an earlier verse also (12), reference has been made to Lord Siva. The all-white swan covered by the red pollen of the bandhujiva flowers scattered by wind, is said to resemble the crescent moon on Lord Siva?s head. How can the crescent moon look like the swan, which is rather full and circular in shape? The poet answers that crescent moon looks full because of the pollen of the bandhujiva flowers. For total similarity, the moon should also look red. How could this be possible? Desika says that this is possible because the crescent moon on Siva?s head comes into contact with the red lac painted on Paarvati?s feet.
?HAMSA SANDESA OF SRI VEDANTA DESIKA? Part 6
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003. (Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The poet takes considerable pride in describing South India. It has several attractions: first and foremost among them is that it is dotted by a number of holy places (sthaanait divyaH). This is another expression for Divya Desas, the divine abodes for Lord VishNu. The south is beautiful with sandal forests (of course, this is a hide out for the most notorious smuggler). The South is also the source of pearls and the mother of gentle breeze because of the location of the Malaya Mountain. But, there is one drawback with the South ? It is the abode of Raakshasas. Rama says that the swan will have to put up with this one trifling demerit and come out to help him, the hapless one:
Sthaanair divyaih upachitaguNam chandana araNya ramyaam
Muktaasutim Malaya marutam maataram dakshiNaasaam /
Asmat preetyai janaka tanayaa jeevitaartham cha gacchan
Ekam rakshaahpadam iti sakhE dOsha lEsam sahEthat//
The swan is asked to keep flying, looking at the beautiful village girls down below on earth and cross the country sides full of forests, mountains and rivers. Rama asks the swan to hear and enjoy the melodious songs sung by girls guarding crops, sitting in the shade of sugarcane plantations. These songs are an admixture of the Telugu and Kannada languages, says Desika:
KarnaaTa aandhra vyatikaravasaat karburE gitibhEdE muhyanteenaam madana kalusham maugdhyam aasvaadayEthah (I.20)
Rama then asks the swan to proceed to the Anjanaadri (Tirumala hills) and have darshan of the Lord there. There is a beautiful description of the mountain range in two verses (VV21, 22). By reason of its being the abode of VishNu, by reason of its supporting the earth, by reason of its [peaks which are full of precious stones and by reason of the small white clouds which appear like the recently cast off sloughs, the devotees consider the mountain to be an embodiment of the primordial serpent, AdisEsha himself.
VishNOr vaasaad avani vahanaat baddha ratnaih sirObhih
SEshah saakshaad ayam iti janaih samyag unneeyamaanah /
Abhrair yukto laghubhir acirOnmukta- nirmOka kalpaih
AgrE bhaavi tadanu nayanE ranjayan anjanaadrih //(21)
The greatness of this mountain is that men who ascend it and the celestials who descend on it from the skies have their sattva guNa heightened, and thus become equal before the Lord?s eyes. They forget their differences and worship the Lord together in groups. We may note that even now, this is the situation obtaining at Tirumala in the divine presence of Lord Sri vEnkatEswara.
Tattraarudhair mahati manujaih svargibhiscaavateernaih
SattvOnmEshaad vyaapagata- mithastaaar atmayaadibhEdaih /
SaadhaaraNyaat phalapariNateh sanghaasO badhyamaanaam
Saktyaa kaamam madhuvijayinah tvarh cha kuryaah saparyaam //
Then comes the description of the SuarNamukhari river (now called Svaramukhi) situated to the south of the Anjanaadri. The river, fancied as a woman devotee, is described as carrying flowers from the adjacent forest trees with her wave-like hands, for the worship of Lord Siva, says the poet. This is an obvious reference to the temple of Lord Siva at SriKaaLahasti:
StOkonmagna sphurita puLinam tvan nivaasEcchayecva
Draksyasyaaraat knaka mukharirh dakshiNaam anjanaadrrEh /
Aasannaanaam vanaviTapinaarh veechihastaihPrasuuna-nyarcahEtOr upharati yaa noonam ardhEndu moulEh / (23)
Rferences like these make it clear that our author Sri Desika is NOT a fanatical SrivaishNava abhorring and avoiding even the mention of the name of gods other than VishNu. Indeed in an earlier verse also (12), reference has been made to Lord Siva. The all-white swan covered by the red pollen of the bandhujiva flowers scattered by wind, is said to resemble the crescent moon on Lord Siva?s head. How can the crescent moon look like the swan, which is rather full and circular in shape? The poet answers that crescent moon looks full because of the pollen of the bandhujiva flowers. For total similarity, the moon should also look red. How could this be possible? Desika says that this is possible because the crescent moon on Siva?s head comes into contact with the red lac painted on Paarvati?s feet.
7
DESIKAMRUTHAM I:
?HAMSA SANDESA OF SRI VEDANTA DESIKA? Part 7
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003.
(Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
-----------------------------------------------------------
?paryaaptam tE pavan chalitair anga raagam paraagaih
sthaanE kuryuh sama samudayaad bandhavo bandhu jeevah /
yEna anveshyasya chalatanayaa-paadalaakshaanusaktam
chooDaa chandram pura vijayinah svarNa deepEna poorNam //? (12)
This verse also serves as an irrefutable instance to show that our poet Desika was greatly influenced by KaaLidaasa. That the moon becomes red due to contact with the red lac of Paarvati?s feet is an idea borrowed from the ?Kumara sambhavam? of KaaLidaasa. In Canto eight, we have a beautiful description of Paarvati being bedecked as a bride. She was made to sit facing East. A friend of hers painted the feet of Paarvati with red lac and blessed her jocularly: ? May you touch the ChandralEkah on the head of your husband with this foot?. Paarvati did not utter a word. She just hit that naughty friend with a flower garland thatshe was having in her hand by that time.
?patyuh siras chandra kalaam anEna
sprsEti sakhyaa parihaasa poorvam /
saa ranjayitvaa charaNou kritaasih
maalyEna taam nirvachanam jaghaana //
The idea is that Paarvati?s friend was making fun of Siva, since he had a lady ChandralEkha already on his head. The best way Paaarvati can indicate her indignation is to kick ChandralEkha with her foot painted with red lac. How could Paarvati do it? When her husband Siva bends before her to seek forgiveness for that offence itself. It is this idea that our poet Desika has incorporated in the verse cited above (12)
The region that the swan is asked to go to next is TouNdeera MaNDala, a great pilgrimage center. It is here that the ancient glorious city of Kaanchi, the abode of Lord Varadaraaja is located. This region is also known as ?Satya vrata kshEtra? where the Lord who is described in the scriptures as the ?sEthu? or dam of the whole universe (Esha sEtur vidhaaraNa), actually became a dam to stop the floods of the river VEgavati (which is another form of Goddess Saraswati). The Lord here is known as ?YatOkta kaari? (sonna vaNNam seyda perumaaL).
Desika describes this sacred spot in eleven verses (VV 25-35) and one can easily see the reason behind it. Desika was born in Tooppul agrahaaram which is in the suburbs of Kaanchi. It may be noted in comparison, that KaaLidaasa describes the city of Ujjain in ten verses (VV 27-36) in his Megha Sandesa, whereas he has not done so with other cities or places. In fact, the cloud, despite the urgency of its mission, Yaksha tells the cloud: ? No doubt, the route I am now suggesting is a bit round about. Still, if you do not take a look at Ujjain and its lofty mansions, the beautiful women living there and their sidelong glances, then the very purpose of your having eyes would be defeated?. Critics opine, on the basis of this statement, that Ujjain must have been the native place of KaaLidaasa. Had it not been stated by Lord Sri Rama, ?Janani janmabhoomis cha svargaadapi gareeyasi? (One?s mother and one?s place of nativity are superior even to heaven. The first half of this verse is:? api svarNamayi Lanka na mE LakshmaNa rOchatE?
Vakrah panthaaah yadapi bhavatah prasthitasyOttaraasaam
SaudOtsanga-praNaya- vimukho maa sma bhur ujjayinyaah //
Similar is the case with Desika?s description of Kaanchi. In the words of the poet, Kaanchi is the very ornament of the earth, a place resonant with sound of music and is always under the watchful benign eyes of the Lord of Hastigiri (i.e Lord Varadaraja)
Naanaa ratnair upachita guNaam nitya sangeeta naadaam
BhumEr drakshya suchita vibhavam bhushaNam tatra Kaanchim /
Yasyaam nityam nihita nayanah hasthi sailaadhi vaasi
Dvandavaatitah sa khalu purushO drisyatE satyakaamah // (V26)
The city of Kaanchi, Desika points out, came into existence at the beginning of the Krita yuga by the will of Brahma. He briefly refers to the fact that even gods join the temple festivals there in which different Vaahanams are used to take out the idols in processions (V.28)
Reference is also made to the ?Eka amra naata? temple of Lord Siva located there. (V28) (Pasupati siras chandra nihaaravaahi) and to the river vEgavati with her seven streams called Sooktikaa, Kanakaa, kampaa, Vaigai, VanjuLaa and ChanDavEga)
Reference is made to the temple of Lord Varadaraja and the sacrificial platform of Brahma on which the Lord appeared as a blue colored fire. This is a verse worth quoting:
SaNchinvaana taruNa tuLasee daamabhih svaam abhikhyaam
Tasyaam vEdyaam anuvidadhati syaamaLam havya vaahaam /
BhOgaiswarya- priya saha charaih kaapi Lakshmee kaTaakshaih
Bhooyaas syaama bhuvana jananee dEvataa samnidhattE // (V32)
Desika then speaks of the VasantOtsva of Lord Varadaraja (v35) during which both the Lord and his consort are worshipped in floral surroundings.
The swan is then asked to cross the middle territory and proceed to the ChOzha country, well irrigated by the Cauveri (of course in those days). The ChOzha land can be noticed even from a distance by its dense dark areca trees, says Rama.
Reference is then made to the white hillock (TiruveLLarai), which is situated a little off the present Srirangam. The hillock looks like a submerged Himaalaya or the rising AadisEsha (V38). The deity there is likened to a lamp. The garden attached to this temple is called ?Neeli?, since it is protected from all intruders, by a demoness of that name. This is followed by a glorious description of the ?Chandra PushkaraNi? on whose bank is the ?sEshapeeTa? on which will be located the holy ?Sriranga Vimaana? (v45). The poet makes a very ingenious reference here to Srirangam, which had not yet been established at the time of the incident described in the poem. Rama anticipates the installation of the deity through VibheeshaNa, as it was predicted so, by the sages:
TeerE tasya virachita padam saadhubhih sEvyamaanam
Sraddhaa yOgaad vinamita tanuh sEshapeetam bhajEtah /
Yasmin asmat kula naathaaya saumya! SaakEta bhaajah
Sthaanam bhavyam munibhir-uditam sreematO Ranga dhaamnah //(V45)
The word ?kuladhanam? is an obvious reference to the RamayaNa verse (Yuddha khaaNDa)
?labdvaa kuladhanam raajaa lankaam praayad vibheeshaNah?
The primeval Being who is going to occupy that sEshapeeTa, Rama tells the swan, is the very life of the daughter of the milky ocean. The deity has large eyes and rests on AadisEsha and shines like an emerald kept in a casket.
?HAMSA SANDESA OF SRI VEDANTA DESIKA? Part 7
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003.
(Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
-----------------------------------------------------------
?paryaaptam tE pavan chalitair anga raagam paraagaih
sthaanE kuryuh sama samudayaad bandhavo bandhu jeevah /
yEna anveshyasya chalatanayaa-paadalaakshaanusaktam
chooDaa chandram pura vijayinah svarNa deepEna poorNam //? (12)
This verse also serves as an irrefutable instance to show that our poet Desika was greatly influenced by KaaLidaasa. That the moon becomes red due to contact with the red lac of Paarvati?s feet is an idea borrowed from the ?Kumara sambhavam? of KaaLidaasa. In Canto eight, we have a beautiful description of Paarvati being bedecked as a bride. She was made to sit facing East. A friend of hers painted the feet of Paarvati with red lac and blessed her jocularly: ? May you touch the ChandralEkah on the head of your husband with this foot?. Paarvati did not utter a word. She just hit that naughty friend with a flower garland thatshe was having in her hand by that time.
?patyuh siras chandra kalaam anEna
sprsEti sakhyaa parihaasa poorvam /
saa ranjayitvaa charaNou kritaasih
maalyEna taam nirvachanam jaghaana //
The idea is that Paarvati?s friend was making fun of Siva, since he had a lady ChandralEkha already on his head. The best way Paaarvati can indicate her indignation is to kick ChandralEkha with her foot painted with red lac. How could Paarvati do it? When her husband Siva bends before her to seek forgiveness for that offence itself. It is this idea that our poet Desika has incorporated in the verse cited above (12)
The region that the swan is asked to go to next is TouNdeera MaNDala, a great pilgrimage center. It is here that the ancient glorious city of Kaanchi, the abode of Lord Varadaraaja is located. This region is also known as ?Satya vrata kshEtra? where the Lord who is described in the scriptures as the ?sEthu? or dam of the whole universe (Esha sEtur vidhaaraNa), actually became a dam to stop the floods of the river VEgavati (which is another form of Goddess Saraswati). The Lord here is known as ?YatOkta kaari? (sonna vaNNam seyda perumaaL).
Desika describes this sacred spot in eleven verses (VV 25-35) and one can easily see the reason behind it. Desika was born in Tooppul agrahaaram which is in the suburbs of Kaanchi. It may be noted in comparison, that KaaLidaasa describes the city of Ujjain in ten verses (VV 27-36) in his Megha Sandesa, whereas he has not done so with other cities or places. In fact, the cloud, despite the urgency of its mission, Yaksha tells the cloud: ? No doubt, the route I am now suggesting is a bit round about. Still, if you do not take a look at Ujjain and its lofty mansions, the beautiful women living there and their sidelong glances, then the very purpose of your having eyes would be defeated?. Critics opine, on the basis of this statement, that Ujjain must have been the native place of KaaLidaasa. Had it not been stated by Lord Sri Rama, ?Janani janmabhoomis cha svargaadapi gareeyasi? (One?s mother and one?s place of nativity are superior even to heaven. The first half of this verse is:? api svarNamayi Lanka na mE LakshmaNa rOchatE?
Vakrah panthaaah yadapi bhavatah prasthitasyOttaraasaam
SaudOtsanga-praNaya- vimukho maa sma bhur ujjayinyaah //
Similar is the case with Desika?s description of Kaanchi. In the words of the poet, Kaanchi is the very ornament of the earth, a place resonant with sound of music and is always under the watchful benign eyes of the Lord of Hastigiri (i.e Lord Varadaraja)
Naanaa ratnair upachita guNaam nitya sangeeta naadaam
BhumEr drakshya suchita vibhavam bhushaNam tatra Kaanchim /
Yasyaam nityam nihita nayanah hasthi sailaadhi vaasi
Dvandavaatitah sa khalu purushO drisyatE satyakaamah // (V26)
The city of Kaanchi, Desika points out, came into existence at the beginning of the Krita yuga by the will of Brahma. He briefly refers to the fact that even gods join the temple festivals there in which different Vaahanams are used to take out the idols in processions (V.28)
Reference is also made to the ?Eka amra naata? temple of Lord Siva located there. (V28) (Pasupati siras chandra nihaaravaahi) and to the river vEgavati with her seven streams called Sooktikaa, Kanakaa, kampaa, Vaigai, VanjuLaa and ChanDavEga)
Reference is made to the temple of Lord Varadaraja and the sacrificial platform of Brahma on which the Lord appeared as a blue colored fire. This is a verse worth quoting:
SaNchinvaana taruNa tuLasee daamabhih svaam abhikhyaam
Tasyaam vEdyaam anuvidadhati syaamaLam havya vaahaam /
BhOgaiswarya- priya saha charaih kaapi Lakshmee kaTaakshaih
Bhooyaas syaama bhuvana jananee dEvataa samnidhattE // (V32)
Desika then speaks of the VasantOtsva of Lord Varadaraja (v35) during which both the Lord and his consort are worshipped in floral surroundings.
The swan is then asked to cross the middle territory and proceed to the ChOzha country, well irrigated by the Cauveri (of course in those days). The ChOzha land can be noticed even from a distance by its dense dark areca trees, says Rama.
Reference is then made to the white hillock (TiruveLLarai), which is situated a little off the present Srirangam. The hillock looks like a submerged Himaalaya or the rising AadisEsha (V38). The deity there is likened to a lamp. The garden attached to this temple is called ?Neeli?, since it is protected from all intruders, by a demoness of that name. This is followed by a glorious description of the ?Chandra PushkaraNi? on whose bank is the ?sEshapeeTa? on which will be located the holy ?Sriranga Vimaana? (v45). The poet makes a very ingenious reference here to Srirangam, which had not yet been established at the time of the incident described in the poem. Rama anticipates the installation of the deity through VibheeshaNa, as it was predicted so, by the sages:
TeerE tasya virachita padam saadhubhih sEvyamaanam
Sraddhaa yOgaad vinamita tanuh sEshapeetam bhajEtah /
Yasmin asmat kula naathaaya saumya! SaakEta bhaajah
Sthaanam bhavyam munibhir-uditam sreematO Ranga dhaamnah //(V45)
The word ?kuladhanam? is an obvious reference to the RamayaNa verse (Yuddha khaaNDa)
?labdvaa kuladhanam raajaa lankaam praayad vibheeshaNah?
The primeval Being who is going to occupy that sEshapeeTa, Rama tells the swan, is the very life of the daughter of the milky ocean. The deity has large eyes and rests on AadisEsha and shines like an emerald kept in a casket.
8
DESIKAMRUTHAM I:
?HAMSA SANDESA OF SRI VEDANTA DESIKA? Part 8 (CONCLUDED)
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003. (Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The swan is then advised to quickly cross the forests situated between the Chola and Paandya territories infested by robbers and the shrill-sounding crickets (v.47). Rama then mentions about the temple of Lord Sundrabaahu located on the hillock called Vrishabha. This is the Divyadesa called Tirumaalirumjolai. Reference is made to the Noopura Gangai or Silambaaru, which directly flowed from the anklet of Lord Trivikrama without touching the matted hair of Lord Pasupati, says the poet:
Nityaavaasam vrishabam achalam sundraaksha yasya vishNOh
Pratyaaseedan sapadi vinamad bhaagadheyam natah syah //
YasyOtsange bali vijayinah tasya manjeeravantam
Paatho divyam pasupati jaTaa sparsa soonyam vibhaati //(v.49)
Then comes a description of the river TaamraparNi known for its deposits of pearls forming small islands. The land looks like the sky studded by clusters of stars. One can notice here a veiled reference to Sri Nammaazhvar who was born on the bank of this river.
Kalau khalu bhavishyanti naaraayaNa paraayaNaah
Kvachit kvachin mahaa bhaagaah dramiDeshu cha bhoorisah /
TaamraparNi nadi yatra kritamaalaa payasvinee
KaavEri cha mahaa bhaagaa prateechi cha mahaanadi
(Bhaagavata XI.5.38-39)
This the verse in questionLV.51)
Muktajaalaih janitapulinaam sookti santaana muktaih
Taaraa poorNam divamiva tatah taamraparNih bhajethah /
Pratyaasattyaa niyata visadaam peeta sindhor maharsheh
PaNeeyam te pariNamayitaa tatra muktaa mayatvam //
The river is holy because of its association with Sage Agustya who decided to settle permanently down predominantly on its banks. The water is therefore fresh and pure. The presence of Agastya there in the autumnal season assures purity of waters.
The suggested sense of the word ?peethasindhu maharshih? (great sage who drank the ocean) has not been brought out by commentators. It is a veiled reference to Saint Nammaazhwar who has drunk in the ocean of Sanskrit Vedas and gave it back in the form of the DraaviDa Veda. . One who drinks this water (i.e. one who drinks in the nectar of his compositions, viz the DraaviDa Veda, becomes ?muktaamaya? (free from diseases of Samsaara (i.e. old age, death etc). One becomes ?mukta?, i.e. liberated.
Description of TaamraparNai is practically the last important feature of the first Canto. What follows is the description of the seashore that is towards the left of the TaamraparNi, from which the swan is asked to take off like an arrow and reach Lanka.
The second Canto is full of descriptions of Lanka, its gardens and lakes, the women in captivity there and Sita in particular and the message to be delivered. Towards the end, the poet has incorporated a touching benediction to the swan:
ittharh hridayaih janaka tanayaarh jeevayitvaa vacObhih
Sakhyam pushyan dinakara kulE deepyamaanaih narEndraih /
Svairam lokaan vichara nikhilaan soumya! LakshmyEva VishNuh
Sarvaakaaraih tvadanu guNayaa, sEvitO raja hamsah //(II.48)
(Enlivening Sita by these words and enhancing your friendship with the rulers of the solar race, may you wander freely in all the worlds along with the female swan made for you, like VishNu with Lakshmi)
We may note that the benediction of the Yaksha to the cloud is more powerful and touching. Yaksha suffering as he was in separation from his beloved, does not want the cloud also to have similar experience. ?May there be no separation even for a moment between you and your beloved, lightning?, he says.
IshTan dEsaan vichara jalada! Praavrisha sambhratasrih
Maa bhoot evam kshaNamapi cha tE vidyuta viprayOgah // (II.52)
We may note that in regard to language and poetic merits, diction and delineation of the sentiment (i.e love in separation), employment of the gracious sweet Vaidharbhi style which is free from long compounds, difficult words and abstruse constructions, the Hamsa SandEsa remains a beautiful piece of literature in Sanskrit. Desika like KaaLidaasa was a born Mahaakavi. But, what is more surprising is that he could, apart from writing Saastric works, silencing the representatives of the rival schools of thought and keeping the mantle of the Sri Ramanuja Darsana aloft, could also find time to compose soul stirring poetic works. How intensely active he must have been in his lifetime! How many works and what a variety! What a range of thought and what magnitude! What a style and what an appeal! This is indeed a rare phenomenon. Normally, those who are scholars cannot be poets; and those who are poets cannot be scholars. But, Desika and the old generation of scholars to which he belongs, were on a different footing. For them PaaNDitya and Kavitva were the two eyes. The result is that we have a magnificent lyric from the facile pen of Desika.
Let me conclude this lecture in the words of Sri Desika himself:
KaavyEshu kOmaLa dhiyO vayamEva naanyE
SaastrEshukarkasa dhiyO vayamEva naanyE /
TantrEshu nischita dhiyO vayamEva naanyE
KrishNe nivEsita dhiyO vayamEva naanyE //
(We and not others, have sweet and agreeable intellect in regard to writing poetic works. We and not others, have formidable intellect trained in Sastras. We and not others, have the right knowledge regarding religious treatises. We and not others, have deep devotion to Lord KrishNa)
Every word of this declaration is true and significant. The world is yet to see a scholar-cum-poet equal to Sri Desika. The world of literature, the arena of Vedanta, the field of Sastras and the realm of religion have all been simultaneously enthralled, illumined, reinforced and blessed by the most outstanding and at the same time most unassuming Vedanta Desika. Great people are of two broad classes: Those who can be emulated and those who can only be adored from a distance. Sri VenkaTanaata Vedanta Desika belongs to the second category. We can only pray to him and seek his blessings. We wonder whether such an embodiment of wisdom and humility ever existed in flesh and blood, and trod this blessed land of ours. May the great Vedanta Desika inspire us and guide us in our endeavor to realize the righteous goals and ambitions of our lives!
?HAMSA SANDESA OF SRI VEDANTA DESIKA? Part 8 (CONCLUDED)
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003. (Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
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The swan is then advised to quickly cross the forests situated between the Chola and Paandya territories infested by robbers and the shrill-sounding crickets (v.47). Rama then mentions about the temple of Lord Sundrabaahu located on the hillock called Vrishabha. This is the Divyadesa called Tirumaalirumjolai. Reference is made to the Noopura Gangai or Silambaaru, which directly flowed from the anklet of Lord Trivikrama without touching the matted hair of Lord Pasupati, says the poet:
Nityaavaasam vrishabam achalam sundraaksha yasya vishNOh
Pratyaaseedan sapadi vinamad bhaagadheyam natah syah //
YasyOtsange bali vijayinah tasya manjeeravantam
Paatho divyam pasupati jaTaa sparsa soonyam vibhaati //(v.49)
Then comes a description of the river TaamraparNi known for its deposits of pearls forming small islands. The land looks like the sky studded by clusters of stars. One can notice here a veiled reference to Sri Nammaazhvar who was born on the bank of this river.
Kalau khalu bhavishyanti naaraayaNa paraayaNaah
Kvachit kvachin mahaa bhaagaah dramiDeshu cha bhoorisah /
TaamraparNi nadi yatra kritamaalaa payasvinee
KaavEri cha mahaa bhaagaa prateechi cha mahaanadi
(Bhaagavata XI.5.38-39)
This the verse in questionLV.51)
Muktajaalaih janitapulinaam sookti santaana muktaih
Taaraa poorNam divamiva tatah taamraparNih bhajethah /
Pratyaasattyaa niyata visadaam peeta sindhor maharsheh
PaNeeyam te pariNamayitaa tatra muktaa mayatvam //
The river is holy because of its association with Sage Agustya who decided to settle permanently down predominantly on its banks. The water is therefore fresh and pure. The presence of Agastya there in the autumnal season assures purity of waters.
The suggested sense of the word ?peethasindhu maharshih? (great sage who drank the ocean) has not been brought out by commentators. It is a veiled reference to Saint Nammaazhwar who has drunk in the ocean of Sanskrit Vedas and gave it back in the form of the DraaviDa Veda. . One who drinks this water (i.e. one who drinks in the nectar of his compositions, viz the DraaviDa Veda, becomes ?muktaamaya? (free from diseases of Samsaara (i.e. old age, death etc). One becomes ?mukta?, i.e. liberated.
Description of TaamraparNai is practically the last important feature of the first Canto. What follows is the description of the seashore that is towards the left of the TaamraparNi, from which the swan is asked to take off like an arrow and reach Lanka.
The second Canto is full of descriptions of Lanka, its gardens and lakes, the women in captivity there and Sita in particular and the message to be delivered. Towards the end, the poet has incorporated a touching benediction to the swan:
ittharh hridayaih janaka tanayaarh jeevayitvaa vacObhih
Sakhyam pushyan dinakara kulE deepyamaanaih narEndraih /
Svairam lokaan vichara nikhilaan soumya! LakshmyEva VishNuh
Sarvaakaaraih tvadanu guNayaa, sEvitO raja hamsah //(II.48)
(Enlivening Sita by these words and enhancing your friendship with the rulers of the solar race, may you wander freely in all the worlds along with the female swan made for you, like VishNu with Lakshmi)
We may note that the benediction of the Yaksha to the cloud is more powerful and touching. Yaksha suffering as he was in separation from his beloved, does not want the cloud also to have similar experience. ?May there be no separation even for a moment between you and your beloved, lightning?, he says.
IshTan dEsaan vichara jalada! Praavrisha sambhratasrih
Maa bhoot evam kshaNamapi cha tE vidyuta viprayOgah // (II.52)
We may note that in regard to language and poetic merits, diction and delineation of the sentiment (i.e love in separation), employment of the gracious sweet Vaidharbhi style which is free from long compounds, difficult words and abstruse constructions, the Hamsa SandEsa remains a beautiful piece of literature in Sanskrit. Desika like KaaLidaasa was a born Mahaakavi. But, what is more surprising is that he could, apart from writing Saastric works, silencing the representatives of the rival schools of thought and keeping the mantle of the Sri Ramanuja Darsana aloft, could also find time to compose soul stirring poetic works. How intensely active he must have been in his lifetime! How many works and what a variety! What a range of thought and what magnitude! What a style and what an appeal! This is indeed a rare phenomenon. Normally, those who are scholars cannot be poets; and those who are poets cannot be scholars. But, Desika and the old generation of scholars to which he belongs, were on a different footing. For them PaaNDitya and Kavitva were the two eyes. The result is that we have a magnificent lyric from the facile pen of Desika.
Let me conclude this lecture in the words of Sri Desika himself:
KaavyEshu kOmaLa dhiyO vayamEva naanyE
SaastrEshukarkasa dhiyO vayamEva naanyE /
TantrEshu nischita dhiyO vayamEva naanyE
KrishNe nivEsita dhiyO vayamEva naanyE //
(We and not others, have sweet and agreeable intellect in regard to writing poetic works. We and not others, have formidable intellect trained in Sastras. We and not others, have the right knowledge regarding religious treatises. We and not others, have deep devotion to Lord KrishNa)
Every word of this declaration is true and significant. The world is yet to see a scholar-cum-poet equal to Sri Desika. The world of literature, the arena of Vedanta, the field of Sastras and the realm of religion have all been simultaneously enthralled, illumined, reinforced and blessed by the most outstanding and at the same time most unassuming Vedanta Desika. Great people are of two broad classes: Those who can be emulated and those who can only be adored from a distance. Sri VenkaTanaata Vedanta Desika belongs to the second category. We can only pray to him and seek his blessings. We wonder whether such an embodiment of wisdom and humility ever existed in flesh and blood, and trod this blessed land of ours. May the great Vedanta Desika inspire us and guide us in our endeavor to realize the righteous goals and ambitions of our lives!
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