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)
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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!