Sri D.Ramaswamy Iyengar"s Thiruppavai Andhathi
From: V. Sadagopan (75041.3037_at_compuserve.com)
Date: Thu Feb 13 1997 - 19:37:11 PST
Date: Thu Feb 13 1997 - 19:37:11 PST
Dear Sri Bagirath : It is so wonderful to read the Bhagavadh Anubhavam of " Sri D.R.SwamigaL". It was infact thrilling to experience how he connected the meaning of the first lines /words of AndAL's Thiruppavai to form a cogent message . His Bahkthi for AzhwAr's AruliccheyalgaL and Swami Desikan's Sri Sookthis as well as Lord VaradarAjA of Kanchipuram are legendary. He was a great friend / patron of Oppiliappan Koil Sri Vangipuram Navaneetham Srirama DesikAchAr Swamy . I think I must have met him during his visits to Oppiliappan Koil as a small boy. I have a copy of Sri D.R.SwamigaL's Nyasa Tilakam published in 1980 with its outstanding commentary. I will post excerpts from it at a later date to share with our members the excellent insights that he shared with us. Going thru my library , I also came across Sri D.R.SwamigaL's translation and commentaries on Dehaleesa Sthuthi and Achyutha sathakam and Nyasa Dasakam . These are treasures and are in English for the benefit of all of us . Even transcribing the origianl text of NyAsa Dasaakm might be very useful for those , who wish to benefit from this magnificient ten verses covering the essence of Prapatthi . To quote Sri D.R. SwamigaL , " NyAsa DasakA is the shortest of the above mentioned ( NyAsa DasakA , NyAsa Vimsathi , NyAsa Tilakam , SaraNAgathi DeepikA , Abhaya PradhAna Saaram , Nikshepa RakshA and Adaikkalappatthu ). As the name itself indicates , it is a work of ten slokAs about NyAsA ,which is considered by several as one of the Brahma VidyAs. The contribution of Vedanta Desika is the postulation of NyAsa as a perfect scientific system ,which can be adopted by one and all irrespective of caste, creed ,colour or proficiency in the relam of Jnana or knowledge . The system thus promulgated by Vedana Desika is not a new one , for it is founded on the upanishads , the intutive experiences of the Alwars and the sastraic expositions of the AcharyAs like Alavandar and Bhagavad-Ramanuja . They had all left it to Desika to systematize and doctrinise prapatthi as a MokshOpAyA , or a direct means of attaining MokshA . The earlier AcharyAs had not so categorically formulated the theory or practice of Prapatthi . One can see the several details about Prapatthi , its nature , the qualifications , the modus operandi and so on in the several works of Vedantha DesikA . They are seen stated very briefly and crisply in NyAsa DasakA . Evidently , the great AcharyA , whose compassion towards humanity knew no bounds , must have given to us this NyAsa DasakA of ten slokAs with the idea that every day we should read or recite these slokAs , imbibe the spirit underlying them and enjoy the spiritual exhilaration flowing form a contemplation of their meaning and significance ". This translation and commentary was completed by Sri D.R.SwamigaL in 1965 on Panguni Uttaram day made famous by Acharya RamAnujA's saraNAgathi to the Divya Dampathis at Srirangam celebrated through his SaraNAgathi Gadhyam . Beautiful indeed are the translations and commentaries of Sri D.R. SwamigaL of many other works of Swami Desikan referred to earlier. The thoughts of Swami Desikan are profound . Sri D.R.SwamigaL and Sri Srirama DesikAchAr brought these thoughts out in perfect pitch in English and Tamil respectively. I will conclude this posting with another example of a translation/ commentary of a slokam from Achyutha Satakam (Verse 81 ) by Sri D.R.SwamigaL :: kohma kim karaNeeyam pariharaNeeyamapi kimithi jaanAsi sarvam I saknoshi cha taddhitham mama tridheswara ! kurushva nija hrudhaya nikshiptham II (Translation ) : O DevanAthA ! Who am I ? What has to be done ? What have to be avoided ? Thou knowest them all ; and Thou hast the power to do them . Therefore please do that which is calculated for my welfare and which Thou hast in Thy mind . With His scholarship of the Naalayira Divya Prabhandham and other Sri VaishNavA literature, Sri D.R.SwamigaL brings out the Periya ThiruvadAdhi paasuram of NammAzhwAr and links it to the thoughts expressed by the section of JitantE sthothram: yadh hitam mama DevEsa ! tadh AgjyApaya Madhava ! " The NammazhwAr's periya Thiruvandhadhi Paasuram forming the basis for the thoughts of Swami Desikan in Achyutha Satakam is : IvaianrE nalla ivaianrE theeya ivaienrivai arivanElum --ivai yellaam yennAl adaippu neekoNAthu IraiyavanE yennAl seyarpAlathEn --- Periya Thiruvandhadhi : Paasuram 3 (Meaning ) : " I know What all are good and what(are) bad. But , I am unable to adopt the former and renounce the latter. My Lord ! What can I do ? In respect of such one O Lord ! You know best what to do , Pray do what is calculated for my ultimate welfare ". In this context , I am reminded of Swami Desikan"s genius in taking the Bhagavadh Anubhavam of NammazhwAr in Thiruvaimozhi and converting it with his own embellishment in to chaste Sanskrit and bringing out that experience for our benefit. A case in point is the Nadha Paddhathi Slokas of Sri Ranganaatha PaadhukhA Saharam where the Naadham associated with the sanchAram of the MaNI PaadhukhAs are equated by Swami Desikan as being identical to the sound of NammAzhwAr's Thiruvaimozhi . It is generally conceded that the100 slokAs of Naadha Paddhathi of Sri Rangatha PaadhukhA Sahasram are the distillation of the essence of the ten decads of Thiruvaimozhi of NammaazhwAr. Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan
