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Sri Ranganatha Padhuka Sahasram

PADDHATHI #3: Greatness of Paaduka (cont..)

Prabhaava Patthadhi





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Sloka #51

51. BalimaThanavihArAdvarDdhamAnasya ViShNO: aKhilamathipathadBhirvikramaIrapramEya: AviDhimanaDhigacChan pAparAshirmadhIya: samajani padarakshE! sAvaDhistvanmahimnA

Meaning (translated by Sri. U.Ve. V.N. Vedanta Desikan)

Oh Paaduka! When the Lord took Trivikrama avatara to sportively quell the conceit of King Mahabali, His feet grew and extended over all space and spanned all things. The horde of my sins, the magnitude of which cannot be gauged, it being so vast, however, became terminated now only, by Your potency.(Your potency, Oh Paaduka is greater than that of the Lord's feet!)

Special Notes from Sri. U.Ve. V. Sadagopan

(1) Oh PaadhukhE ! When Your Lord incarnated as ThrivikramA , to quell the arrogance of MahA Bali, His feet expanded and touched everything in this Univrse and the heavens as he measured them with His two steps. AdiyEn did not exist in those days to have the benefit of contact with His spreading , holy feet to destroy my mountains of sins. Today , with the touch of Yourself(satAri) wiht my head , these monumnetal loads of sins have been destroyed instantly . How can I even attempt to describe Your glory ? You are indeed more powerful than the holy feet of Lord ThrivikramA Himself! ..V.S

(2) Sri Andavan anubhavam:The inner meaning of this slOkam is : AchAryALs destroy the sins that could not even be destroyed by their Lord . That speaks to the glory of Swami NammAzhwAr.

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

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Sloka #52

52. thataBhuvi YamunAyAsthasThuShI yannivEshAth vahathi nigamashAKhAvaiBhavam nIpashaKhA padakamalamidam tathpAdhukE! RangaBhartu: tvayi Bhajati viBhUtim pashya shaKhAnushAKhAm

Meaning (translated by Sri. U.Ve. V.N. Vedanta Desikan)

Oh Paaduka! When Krishna set His feet on the branches of the Kadamba tree on the banks of the river Yamuna, the tree-branches acquired a sanctity of Vedic branches. But then, You see, the same feet by sitting on You, have acquired a prolific growth of splendour of branches and branches, as it were. It is due to Your greatness.

Special Notes from Sri. U.Ve. V. Sadagopan

(1)UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam: During KaaLiya mardhanam , Lord KrishNA set His foot on the branch of a KaDambhA tree branch. From that branch , He jumped on the head of the serpent KaaLiyan threatening the gopAs from his abode in the YamunA river. That branch of the tree transformed immediately into a branch of the VedhAs(Vedha saakhA )due to the sambhandham with the holy feet of the Lord of the Universe.The very same feet of the Lord attains even a greater auspiciousness by virtue of contact with the PaadhukhAs.When those holy feet clad in the PaadhukhAs are placed on the heads of devotees , the Lord's feet gain the rich status of SaakAnusAkhA.

(2) Sri Andavan anubhavam: During KrishNAvathAram , the branches of the trees on the banks of YamunA river that had the bhAgyam of sambhandham of the Lord's holy feet attaind a status equal to the branches of the vedhAs. Those thiruvadis of the Lord have attained more glory by being with the Paadhukhais .The inner meaning is that the sthalams sung by Swami NammAzhwAr and other AzhwArs acquired the status of Dhivya dEsams.

(3) Swami Desikan says:" Neepa saakhA , nigama saakhA vaibhavam vahathi ". The ordinary branch of the NeepA tree has now attained the high status of a nigama saakhA (branch of VedhA) due to their contact with the Lord's lotus feet . When those holy feet are united with the Paadhukhais and when those Paadhukhais are placed on the heads of devotees , the sacred feet of the Lord becomes rich with many branches (SaakhAnu- saakhAm VibhUthim bhajathi)(i-e)., The glory of those feet grow many fold ... V.S

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

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Sloka #53

53. Shirasi vinihitAyAm BhaktinamnE BhavatyAm Sapadhi thanuBruthasthAmunnathim prApnuvanthi MaDhuripupadarakshE yadvashEnaIva thEShAm anitharasulaBham Tadh DhAma hasthApachEyam

Meaning (translated by Sri. U.Ve. V.N. Vedanta Desikan)

Oh Lord's Paaduka! When You sit on the bent heads of Bhaktas, You enable them to acquire an elevation immediately-by reason of which they secure within their hand's reach the unique Abode of the Lord, which is not easy for others to reach.

Special Notes from Sri. U.Ve. V. Sadagopan

(1) UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam:Oh Lord's PaadhukhE ! When You are placed on he heads of BhakthAs , You cause them to attain the highest state of spiritual perfection .Such a blessing comes within thier reach due to Your grace and power.

(2) Sri Andavan's anubhavam:Oh PaadhukhE ! BhakthAs receive You with heads bent with respect .What happens to them as a result ? Your Lord presiding at a very high place beyond the reach of the BhakthAs suddenly becomes accessible to them due to Your intercession . The inner meaning is that When one worships the AchAryAs with sincerity , PerumAL comes readily within their reach.

(3) Swami Desikan says that the contact with the Paadhkhais lifts the BhakthAs to a very high status immediately ( ThAmm unnathIm sapathi prApnuvanthi). That exalted status is not easily attainable (anithara sulabham )by those , who do not have the devotion to and contact with the PaadhukhAs ( PaadhukhA Sambhandham )of the Lord . For those , who are easliy elevated to the exalted status by the PaadhukhAs reach out and touch the radiant Lord easily with their very hands ( tath DhAma: thEshAm hasthApachEyam )... V.S

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE saraNam ,

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Sloka #54

54. Sakrudhapi BhuvanEsmin ShArngiNa PAdhukE! thvA- mupaniShadhanukalpaIrutthamAngaIrdhaDhAnA: narakamibha mahAnthO nAkamullanGyantha: pariShadhi nivishanthE prAkthanAnAm gurUNAm

Meaning (translated by Sri. U.Ve. V.N. Vedanta Desikan)

Oh Lord's Paaduka! Great men have only once to bear You on their heads-which now attain a near equality with upanishads, because of this contact-for them to cross the heaven as well as the hell and to reach Vaikunta to join the assembly of previous Muktas (namely, their Acharyas).

Special Notes from Sri. U.Ve. V. Sadagopan

(1)Sri Andavan Swamy's anubhavam: Oh PaadhukhE ! Those who place You on their heads even once with reverence become holy and they consider Svargam as narakam and join their AchArya GhOshti in Sri Vaikuntam as Muktha Jeevans .

(2)The sacredness of the heads of those adorning the SaarngapANi's PaadhukhAs (SaarngiNa: PaadhukhE ) is indicated by decribing them as being next only to the Upanishads or Veda Siras in sanctity ( Upanishath anukalpai: utthamAngai: dhadhAna:). Swami Desikan salutes these bhAgyasaalis as "MahAntha: ". These great ones jump over Svargam by considering that as equivalent to narakam( narakimiva naakam ullangayantha:) in worth and enter the assembly of AchAryAs in Sri Vaikuntam , who had arrived there earlier ( PrAkthAanAnAm GurUNAm parishadhi NivisanthE ).. V.S

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

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Sloka #55

55. shamadhamaguNadhAnthOdhanthavaIdEshikAnAm sharaNamasharaNAnAm mAdrushAm mADhavasya padhakamalamidham thE pAdhukE! rakshyamAsIth anudayaniDhanAnAmAgamAnAm niDhAnam

Meaning (translated by Sri. U.Ve. V.N. Vedanta Desikan)

Oh Paaduka! For people like me, who are ever distanced from qualities like control of senses, mental restraint, quietness of behaviour within scriptural sanctions, etc., are helpless and are only saved by the lotus feet of the Lord-which feet are treasured by the Vedas that are without a beginning and without an end. And those feet of the Lord are in the safe custody of You.

Special Notes from Sri. U.Ve. V. Sadagopan

(1) UtthamUr Swamy"s anubhavam: Oh Lord's PaadhukhE ! Your Lord's holy feet are the refuge for all and they protrct the SaraNAgathAs without fail. You protect those holy feet and thus attain a status that is greater than those sacred feet. Thus Your glory is even greater than that of Your Lord's Paadha kamalam . Eternal VedhAs sing the glory of Your Lord's sacred feet and salute them as their treasure. The very same holy feet are Your refuge as well .Thus Your Vaibhavam is greater than that of Your Lord's celebrated sacred feet.

(2) Srimadh Andavan's anubhavam: Oh PaadhukhE ! We do not have the power to control our karmEndhriyams and mind . We are not rich in Bhakthi and bhUtha dayai . In fact , we do not possess any redeeming features . Only the Lord's holy feet celebrated by the VedhAs come to our rescue as we wallow in our world full of deficencies .You protect THOSE great Thiruvadis. The inner meaning is that the people of the world would not realize any auspiciousness , if our Lord is not present in ArchA form at His koils . Our Lord is there for AzhwArs and AchAryAs and that presence is the causative factor for our well being .Not many recognize the Saannidhyam of the consecrated ArchA form of the Lord as one of his five forms in the divya desams . Our Lord exists there for the sake of even one of His bhakthAs , who undrstand His archAvathAra Tattvam .

(3) Swami Desikan touches here on the importance of ArchA form of the Lord and the placement of the Lord's Sataari (SatakOpam ) on one's head in His sannidhis . As ArchA moortham , He is present in the manner described by Poygai AzhwAr in the Muthal ThiruvandhAthi: " Tamar uhandadu yevvuruvam avvuruvam thAnE "( In whatever form the devotees wish , the Lord assumes a body in that form to be near His bhakthAs ). This anugraham of the Lord is revealed by Him in Sri Bhagavath Gitai as well: " yE yathA maam prapadhyanthE taam tathaiva BhajAmyham ". The worship of the Lord in Archa form is the easiest for people at every level of control over their IndhriyAs .This is the easiest way to develop Bhakthi , come into contact with AchAryan through adorning the SatAri on their heads by BhakthAs. As Saattva samhithA passage states , " God enters into the idol by assuming a body corresponding to the ArchA form made by a BhakthA and becomes indistinguishable from it like water in the milk ". The SatAri brings the holy feet of the Lord even closer to us in His sannidhis and in His Raaja Veethis .Swami Desikan points out in this PaadhukhA PrabhAva Paddathi slOkam that the Mahimai of the PaadhukhAs (AchAryAs)are greater than that of their Lord ......V.S

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

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Sloka #56

56. ParichithapadhapadhmAm PAdhukE! RangiNasthVam thriBhuvanamahanIyAm sAdharam DhArayantha: nijashirasi nilInam devi! mandAramAlyam nigamaparimalaIsthE vAsayanthIva devA:

Meaning (translated by Sri. U.Ve. V.N. Vedanta Desikan)

Oh Paaduka! You have a permanent contact with the Lord's feet; the devas cherish to bear You (worshipped by all worlds) on their heads, may be, for adding vedic fragrance from You to the mandara flower-strings they bear on their heads.

Special Notes from Sri. U.Ve. V. Sadagopan

(1) Sri UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam :Our Lord's feet have been described as Sarva Gandha and Sarva Rasa. They have hence the Vedic fragrance and impregnate that unique fragrance to You, when You are in association with those sacred feet. The dEvAs adorn You on their heads decorated by MandhAra MaalAs , which in turn acquire the Vedic fragrance from You.The mandhAra flowers sense that their intrinsic fragrance can not match the Vedha parimaLam and hide themselves inside the tresses of the DevAs. You encourage them to come out reinforced with Vedhic fragrance imparted by You .

(2) Srimadh Andavan's anubhavam :Oh PaadhukhE ! All the DevAs wear You on their heads with affection that is more than that they have for the MandhAra MaalAs that they traditionally adorn on their tresses. Why ? It is because of Your presence at the sacred feet of the Lord and because of the salutations of Your glories by the VedhAs .

(3) The devAs are not fully satisfied with the lovely fragrance of the MandhAra flowers used in the garlands decorating their heads. They want some thing that is uniquely capable of enhancing the intrinsic fragrance of the mandhArA flowers . The DevAs adorn hence the Paadhukhais on their heads to accomplish this goal .The mandhAra maalais thru contact with the Lord's SatAri acquire the nigama parimaLam and become enriched.. V.S

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

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Sloka #57

57. kanakasaridhanUpE kalpavrukshasya BhUshNO: padhakisalayalagnA pAdhukE manjari thvam pariNathimaDhurANAm yA PhalAnAm savithrI vahasi nigamabrundaI: sampadham ShatpadhAnAm

Meaning (translated by Sri. U.Ve. V.N. Vedanta Desikan)

Oh Paaduka, the Kalpaka tree of Vishnu has grown on the banks of the Kaveri. His feet are the tender leaves; You are the bunch of flowers; You yield delectable fruits of rewards like Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha; and You have, hovering around You, the bees of Vedas.

Special Notes from Sri. U.Ve. V. Sadagopan

(1) Sri UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam :Oh Sri RanganAtha PaadhukhE ! You shine as the beautiful and fragrant bunch of flowers on the KalpakA tree growing on the banks of river CauvEri at Srirangam . You produce the delectable fruits from Your bunch of flowers ; those fruits are consumed with avidity by the VedhAs like the swarms of bees enjoying the honey from the blossoms of a non-divine trees.

(2) Srimadh Andavan's anubhavam : Oh PadhukhE ! Lord of Srirangam is found in the middle of the island formed by Cauvery river. This Lord , who grants all that one desires is like the boon-granting KalpakA tree. When we have the darsanam of His soft Thiruvadi, we are reminded of the tender shoots of that kalpakA tree. When we take in your presence next to those tender shoots of the Lord's paadham , we are reminded of a bunch of flowers of that KalpakA tree. From thsoe flowers are born the four kinds of fruits: Dharmam , Artham , Kaamam (Bhagaavth Kaamam) and Moksham .These fruits confer only auspiciousness on their consumers. When we reflect upon the VedhAs that sing Your glories , we are reminded of them as the bees that are noursihed by the honey from Your flowers.

(3)Here Swami Desikan equates the Lord of Srirangam to the Kalpaka Vruksham ; His sacred paadhams to the tender TaLir(kisalaya:) of that tree; the PaadhukhAs associated with the taLir paadhams to the bunch of flowers (Padha Kisalaya laghnA Manjari ); the four kinds of delectable fruits are equated to Madhura Phalams . The consumers of these delicious fruits are the assembly of VedhAs ( Nigama brindham) in the form of the honey bees( shaD padhA ). The effect of that consumption is the nourishment ( sampadh ) and the well being of the VedhAs . The cause for that nourishment is You , the Lord's PaadhukhA ...V.S

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE saraNam ,

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Sloka #58

58. Parikalayasi chEnmAm padmavAsAniShevyE PadakamalayugE tvam pAdhukE! RangaBharthu: aviditanigamAnAm nUnamasmAdrushAnAm aGhatithaGhatanI tE shaktirAviShkruthA syAth

Meaning (translated by Sri. U.Ve. V.N. Vedanta Desikan)

Oh Paaduka! If only You agree to join me with the feet of the Lord served only by the consort, Mahalakshmi, You would then have published Your ability of uniting the unjoinables. (Where is the holy foot worthy of the goddess and where am I with little Vedic background? The two are poles apart like Meru and Madara hills.)

Special Notes from Sri. U.Ve. V. Sadagopan

(1) Sri UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam:Oh Sri RanganAtha PaadhukhEs ! Your act of uniting us with no knowledge of VedhAs with the lotus feet of the ord served by MahA Lakshmi would help us appreciate your incomparable skills in bringing together the irreconcilable primciples. The holy feet of Your Lord is much beyond our dreams to reach . It is only your unique skills and powers that can unite us , the unsophisticated, with your Lord's sacrd paadha Kamalams.

(2) Srimadh Andavan's anubhavam : Oh PaadhukhE ! Sri Devi has the rught to touch Her Lord's sacred feet. AdiyEn can not even think of sambhandham with those hly feet due to my unfitness in every way. Thou with your powers of uniting the irreconcilables should unite adiyEn with your Lord's paadha Kamalams .The inner meaning of this slOkam is that SadAchArya KatAksham will unite one with the Lord inspite of his or her deficencies.

(3) Swami Desikan , who is revered as NigamAntha MahA Desikan and VedAntha Desikan here describes himself with great humility and Naicchiyam as a member of the group of those , who have no knowledge of the VedhAs ( avidhitha nigamAnAm asmAdhrusAnAm). Swami Desikan is overwhelmed by the power of the agditha-gadanA sakthi of Paadhukhai derived from the Lord's own power to reconcile the polar opposites ("mutualy non-coexistables") described in Swami NammAzhwAr's ThiruvAimozhi paasurams (TVM:6.3) on ThiruviNNagarappan ....V.S

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

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Sloka #59

59. ShruthishirashchUdApIdE nipIdayithum kshamE dhurithasarithAmOGhAnEthAnamOGhavisarpiNa: kramapariNamadhvEDha: shrENIshiKhAmaNiGhattanA masruNithathalE rangakshONIBhruthO maNipAdhukE

Meaning (translated by Sri. U.Ve. V.N. Vedanta Desikan)

The Lord stands as the head and as an ornament to hundreds of Vedas. He is a veritable hill. Rows of Brahmas (of different universes) come and bend their heads closely on to the hill that the Lord is; by friction with the crown-gems of those worshippers, the hill surface has been softened as it were; the Paadukas are competent to arrest the rising flow of rivers of sin that I generate.

Special Notes from Sri. U.Ve. V. Sadagopan

(1)Sri UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam : Sri RanganAthA's paadhukhAs are decorating the heads of the VedAs and Upanishads.They also adorn the lotus feet of Sri RanganathA at the same time .Over aeons , the crowns of prostrating BrahmAs rub against the PaadhukhAs and make their surfaces soft like the Lord's Paadha Kamalam .Sri RanganAthA's sacred feet stand at an elevated place , since He is a mountian of Mercy. Since His feet are at a high altitude , our rivers of Paapam do not stay stagnant there like water staying at a valley . The flood of our sins drain away rapidly as soon as we come into contact with those lofty PaadhukhAs adorning the Lord's holy feet .

(2) Srimath Andavan's anubhavam : The inner meaning is that adiyEn will become pure and be rid of my sins thru the anugraham of AzhwArs and AchAryAs .

(3)These PaadhukhAs are at the lotus soft feet of the Veda PrathipAdhyan, Sri RanganAthan .He is sruthi satha sira:chUDA ( He has many Upanishads , the siras of many Vedams prostratign at His holy feet). Those sacred feet are also the site, where we find the bent heads of a row of BrahmAs ,who follow in regular succession ( krama pariNamath Vedha:srENi sikhA).The gems on their crowns rub against the surface of the paadhukhAs ans make latter smooth over aeons .The surface of the PaadhukhAs becomes smooth (asruNitha talam bhavathi).There in that high altitude, the sins of those , who prostrate at the PaadhukhAs protecting the holy feet of the Lord , flow rapidly away . The Lord's PaadhukhAs have such power ( amOgha visarpiNa: yEthAn dhuritha sarithAm OghAn nipIDayithum KshamE).... V.S

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE saraNam ,

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Sloka #60

60. JagajjananarakshaNakshapaNasamginO rangiNa: pavitrathamamAdriyE Bhagavatha: padatradvayam shivatvakaraNakshamAtridhivasinDhusambhanDhinam praDhAvya charaNam nijam praNidhaDhAthi yatra praBhu:

Meaning (translated by Sri. U.Ve. V.N. Vedanta Desikan)

The Lord Ranganatha, performing the three fold role (of creation, protection and termination of the worlds) places His feet (which once generated the holy Ganga, which conferred an auspiciousness on Siva)into the Paadukas only after washing the feet. To such holiest Paaduka, I cling!

Special Notes from Sri. U.Ve. V. Sadagopan

(1)Sri UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam:Swami Desikan says here: " adiyEn salutes with affection and receive on my head the holy PaadhukhAs , which adorn the feet of the Lord , who creates , protects and dissolves the Universes. The greatness of the PaadhukhAs are inferred from the fact that He washes His feet before adorning the PaadhukhAs . Our Lord's feet have already rendered holy the waters used by Brahmaa to wash His feet during the ThrivikramAvathAram . His PaadhukhAs are the holiest since He does not get into them without washing His feet out of His reverence for the PaadhukhAs.

(2)Srimadh Andavan's anubhavam: As one of the Thiruvadi of the Lord extended towards Brahma Lokam ,BrahmA washed those feet wiht his kamandalu jalam , which got sanctified to become the sacred GangA.Sivan received those waters on His head and became endowed with sivam ( auspiciousness). Sri RanganAthA known for such sacred Thiruvadi washes His feet first before adorning the PaadhukhAs because of their highest holiness.

(3)Swami Desikan reverentially states here: " RangiNa: PAVITHRATAMAM padhathra dhvayam aadhriyE "( AdiyEn takes refuge in those supremely holy paadhukhais of the Lord).Our Lord's sacred feet is described by Swami Desikan as " Sivathva karaNa Kshama Thrividhasindhu sambhandhi" ( The sacred feet of the Lord is understood as the cause of creation of the auspiciousness in Sivan through sambhandham with the sacred river GangA ).Those supremely sacred Thiruvadi of His is washed by the Lord before adorning His holy Paadhukhais....V.S

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

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