INTRODUCTION
The twenty year old scholarly Comments of Mahaa VidvAn PayyampAdi SrivathsAnkAcchAr swamy on the Pancha Sthavms of AchArya Srivatsachinha
Misra (KurEsar) has been my inspiration to offer this SamarpaNam to Sriman naarayaNan to celebrate His athimAnusha ChEshtitams.
Sri athimaanusha stavam has 61 slOkams. It has extensive references to Raama and KrishNa avathArams and the Supra-human (athimAnusha) leelAs of
Sriman naarAyaNa during those two vibhava avathArams. Although our Lord
declared Himself to be a mere human being in these two avathArams, He
performed wondrous acts that are beyond the power or imagination of mere
humans (MaanushALs). KurEsar selects some of these athimAnusha
chEshtithams form ithihAsams and PurANams in his athimAnusha Sthavam for
salutations.
There are 16 slOkams in this Sthavam about RaamAvathAram and
25 slOkams about KrishNAvathAram.
The central upadesam in this stavam is that Sriman naarayaNan alone is
Sarveswaran, who can perform these atimaanusha leelais.
Taniyan
SrIvatsacihnamisrEbhyO nama uktim adhImahE |
yaduktaya: trayeekanThE yaanti mangaLa sUtratAm ||
Slokam 1:
atimAnusha Seelavrutta vEshai:
ativrutta-amara vikrama prAtApai: |
atilanghita sarvalOka saamyam
varayE vaishNava vaibhava avatAram ||
MEANING:
adiyEn salutes with ardour the VaishNava VibhavAvathArams of Sriman
naarAyaNan (vaishNava vaibhAva avatAram varayE), which are matchless in all
the worlds (atilanghita SarvalOka saamyam). His conductance, nature and
bhAvanais in these avathArams mark Him out as supra-human in nature
(atimAnusha Seela vrutta vEshai: atilanghita SarvalOka saamyam).Through His
leelAs displayed in these Raama - KrishNa Vibhava avathArams, He
demonstrates also His supremacy over the fame and lustre of the dEvAs
(ativrutta amara vikrama pratApam).
Slokam 2:
SrEya: kirantu kiraNA: caraNAravinda-
nishyandamAna makaranda rasougha dESyA: |
tajjA: srutErmadhuna utsa iti prateetA:
mangaLya ranga-nilayasya parasya dhAmna:||
MEANING:
May the radiant rays emanating from the lotus feet of the Lord of
Thiruvarangam resting under the Sriranga Vimaanam, known for its goal to
bless all with auspiciousness, confer mangaLams also on us! Vedam declares
that the Supreme JyOthi of the lotus feet of the Lord generates the
delectable flood of honey (VishNO: padhE ParamE madhva uthsa:). May those
fast flowing flood of honey drench us in its sweetness and grant us all
soubhAgyams!
Slokam 3:
SrImat parAnkuSa muneendra manO nivAsAt
tajja anurAgarasa majjanam anjasa apya |
adyApi anArata tad utthitha rAgayOgam
SrIrangarAja caraNAmbhujam unnayAma : ||
MEANING:
We carry on our heads the lotus feet of the Lord of Srirangam with His divine
consort; those sacred feet have received the abhishEkam from the water of
love from the mind of Swamy NammAzhwAr of blemishless bhakthi and
Kaimkarya SrI. Lord RanganAthaa resides in the heart lotus of Swamy
NammAzhwAr and the cool abhishEkam that the Lord has received makes the
hue of His lotus feet even a shade redder than usual. We bear on our heads
with affection those lotus red feet of the Lord.
Slokam 4:
vajra-dhvajAnkuSa sudhA kalaSAthapatra-
pankEruhAnka parikarma pareetamanta: |
aapAda-pankaja visrunkhala deepra-moulE:
SrIrangiNa: caraNayOr yugam aasrayAma: ||
MEANING:
We seek the refuge of the
sacred feet of the Lord of
Srirangam, the soles of which
a r e a d o r n e d w i t h
VajrAyudham, Flag of Garudan,
elephant goad (ankusam),
Conch, Disc, white umbrella,
pot of nectar in the form of
lines (rEkhAs) to indicate Sri
RanganAthA's sovereignty as
the Emperor of all universes.
The radiance from the gems on SrI RanganAyaki samEtha
SrI RanganAthan's tall crown
spreads without interruption all the way down to His sacred, lotus-soft feet.
Slokam 5:
SrI rangarAja caraNou praNumO yayO: khalu
yEka: trivikramavidhou vasudhAm aSEshAm |
vyakramsta saacala kulAm api viprakeerNa-
sthoola avalagna sikatAm iva nirnatOccam ||
MEANING:
We eulogize the gigantic growing feet of Lord RanganAthaa, which measured
the wide and enormous world during the time of His avathAram
as Thrivikraman to seek three steps of earth from Emperor MahA Bali. At
that time, the worlds with the huge KulAchalams of the Universes stuck to His
growing feet like little grains of sand and the Lord's Thiruvadi sambhandham
was realized by every entity in the universe without distinction about their
loftiness or insignificance.
Slokam 6:
jn~Anam balam vipulam ISana veerya Sakti-
tEjAmsi ca triyugabhUyam upAgatAni |
poorNAni shaT ca parigruhya bhavam caturdhA
bhaktam janam tvam anujagrahithAnurAgAt ||
MEANING:
hEy Bhagavann! With Your immeasurable Jn~Anam, power to support every
thing (Balam), ruling over all without obstruction (Iswarya), capacity to stay
changeless (Veeryam), power to transform anything into anything else (Sakthi)
and Supreme luster (tEjas) serving You as Your six principal guNams, You have
willed to group them in to three pairs and also as four sets (VaasudEvaSankarshaNa -Pradhyumna - Aniruddha) to bless with affection Your devotees.
Slokam 7:
yEkAnta mangaLa guNAspadam astahEyam
nityam padam tava yatastata yEva dEva ! |
AamnAyatE tadiha viswa viroopa-roopam
tEnaiva nanvidam aSaabdam aroopam aahu: ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord RanganAthA! The VaidhikAs rooted in the VedAs declare Your
dhivyAthma svaroopam as formless and extending beyond description through
any particular names. This dhiyAthma svaroopam (padham) of Yours defies
definition thus through individual names and descriptions. This uniqueness
arises because of Your infinite Kalayana guNams that are exclusive to You and
take abode in You; further, this padham of Yours is totally devoid of any
blemishes and inauspicious guNams. Therefore VedAs declare that Your
dhivyAthma svaroopam cannot be circumscribed by the various defining words
(chOdhaka vaakyams) and as such Your dhivyAthma savroopam is quite
different from anything else that can be described as this or that.
Slokam 8:
SabdAdi hEyam iha gOcara indriyANAm
tatpratyaneeka vibhava: tvam ateendriyOasi |
tEnaiva tE na bata darSanam asti kincit
vaacO dhiyasca tata yEva na gOcarOasi ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord! In this materialistic world (Prakruthi MaNDalam), the five despicable
entities (sound, touch, sight, taste and smell) become objects of cognition by
the indhriyams. You, my Lord are the opposite of the latter and can not be
related to by the indhriyams and hence You are known as atheendhriyan
(beyond the power of indhriyams to ken). Therefore, one can not have the
direct darsanam of Your dhivyAthma svaroopam. It is a pity that we can not
fully grasp your dhivyAthma svaroopam by mind or speech.
Slokam 9:
yEvam sthitE tvat-upasamsrayaNa-abhyupAyO
mAnEna kEnacit-alapsyata nOpalabdham |
nO cEd amartya-manujAdishu yOnishu tvam
icchA-vihAra vidhinA samavAtarishya: ||
MEANING:
Oh Ocean of Mercy! In spite of Your difficult-to-experience dhivyAthma
svaroopam, You sportingly enter into births as devAs, humans et al (icchA
vihAra vidhinA amartya manujAdishu yOnishu samavAtarishya:). If that were
not to happen and You stayed only with Your dhivyAthma svaroopam, You would
prove to be beyond our comprehension by any means at our disposal (through
our indhriyams).
Slokam 10:
Seela: ka yEsha tava hanta! dayaika sindhO!
kshudrE pruthagjanapadE jagadaNDamadhyE |
kshOdeeyasOapi hi janasya krutE krutee tvam
atrAvateerya nanu lOchana gOcharOabhU: ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord with matchless compassion! You have accomplished every thing and
there is nothing for you to desire as avAptha Samastha kaaman. In spite of it,
You have incarnated in the middle of this huge universe amidst us, the
ignoramus and people of limited intellect (Kshudhra Janam).Your incarnation
amidst us, the insignificant ones, and became visible to our eyes. Your
souseelyam in blessing us this way has no comparison. We are truly blessed!
Slokam 11:
yamm pAtakAt sumahatOapyudadhArayastvam
tvat pAdavAri paripoota SirAsca yOabhUt |
amm vandasE kila, tatasca varam vruNeeshE !
kreeDaavidhirbata vilakshaNa lakshaNastE ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord with Incomparable compassion! Your delightful pursuit of activities
are quite different than those of the human beings (VilakshaNa lakshaNa:).
Those activities performed in a sportive manner fill us with wonderment. One
such activity of Yours as Sriman narayaNaa was that of destroying the gigantic
sins that Rudran acquired from plucking one of the heads of his father,
Brahma dEvan.
That Rudran partook the water (SrI Paadha Theertham) used by Brahma to
wash Your sacred feet and got released from his heinous sins. Later, in Your
VibhavaavathAram as KrishNa, You bent before that Rudran (Your seshan) and
sought from him the boon of progeny. This is not what a human being will do
under such circumstances. Your souseelyam here is incomparable for those,
who are dear to You. Strange and wondrous indeed are such activities of Yours!
They display Your athimAnushathvam.
Slokam 12:
kreeDaavidhE: parikarastava yaa tu maayaa
Saa mOhinee na katamasya tu hanta! jantO: |
hai! martya simha vapushastava tEjasOmaSE
Sambhu: bhavan hi Sarabha: SalabhO babhUva ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord! Your wonderous Maayai (Moola
Prakruthi) is the instrument of Your sportive
acts. That Maayai made up of thriguNams can
delude anyone it wishes. For instance,
that VishNu Maayaa deluded even the
omniscient (Sarvajn~an) Sivan and made him
take the form of the Sarabha animal to kill
Narasimhan. In the fight that ensued, Sivan
was destroyed by JwAlA Narasimhan like a
fire fly that flew into a mighty flame.
Bhagavan Himself has commented on His
Maayai as invincible and tough for anyone to cross in Gita: “dhaivee hEyshaa
guNamayee mama maayaa dhurathyathaa”. The
fierce anger of Lord Narasimhan was such that the attacking Rudran in the Sarabham form got decimated
instantaneously like a salabham (fire fly) flying into a naked flame.
Slokam 13:
yasya AatmatAm tripura bhangavidhou adhAstvam
tvat sakti tEjita SarO vijayee ca yO abhUt |
daksha kratou tu kila tEna vinirjitastvam
yuktO vidhEya vishayEshu hi kaamacAra: ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord of matchless KaaruNyam! In the
battle of Rudran against the ThripurAsurans,
You stayed as the arrow in the bow of Rudran,
empowered Rudran thru anupravEsam (inner
presence) and helped Rudran destroy the three
asurans. Your valour and Parathvam was very
clearly revealed here.
In the Yaj~nam of Daksha prajApathy, You
pretended however as though You were
frightened by the ferocity of Veerabhadran
sent by Rudran and ran away from the Yaj~nam
taking the form of a crow. How can we relate
this odd behavior with Your Parathvam?
How could these contradictory happenings be reconciled? The explanation is:
"VidhEya vishayEshu kaamachAra: yuktha hi?” It is appropriate to act in the
case of dependents according to the pull of one's mind. This is just Your
chosen sport. Even if the Lord is nirapEksha svatantran (Supremely endowed
independent One), He becomes Aaasritha Paaratantran (Obdient to those, who
seek His protection. In the case of those, who are dear to Him, the Lord sets
aside His parathvam (Supremacy) and SvAntantryam (independence) and
becomes Bhaktha Paratantran (totally controlled by those who seek His
refuge / AasrithAs).
Slokam 14:
mugdha: SiSu: vaTadalE SayitO ati tanvaa
tanvaa jaganti bibhrushE savikAsam yEva |
aiSeem imAm tu tava Saktim atarkitavyaam
avyAjata: prathayasE kim iha avateerNa:? ||
MEANING:
KurEsar praises here the power of the Lord of the Universe, who was resting
on the tender leaf of a pupil tree while that leaf was floating on the fierce
waters of the deluge (PraLayam). He was appearing like an innocent, helpless
child. In the stomach of that small physical frame of the Lord, the sentient
and the insentient of all the worlds were stacked up without congestion. KurEsar reflects on this mystery of the small child housing the entire
assembly of chEtanAchEtanams inside His small stomach for protection and
wonders whether the Lord appeared in this Prakruthi MaNDalam as VaTapatra
Saayee to reveal His unmatched sakthi and His Jagath KaaraNathvam.
Slokam 15:
brahmESa madhya gaNanA gaNanArka panktou
indra anuja tvam aditEstanayatva yOgAt |
ikshvAku vamSa yaduvamSa janis ca hanta!
slaaghyAn amUni anupamasya parasya dhAmna: ||
MEANING:
This slOkam is about the avathAra tatthvam of our Lord through reference to
selected vibhava avathArams of our Lord. His purpose in descending from His
lofty heights to our lowly levels is to mingle with us and uplift us from our
samsAric miseries. He also incarnates to destroy the virOdhis of His dear ones
and offer protection to His BhAgavathAs. Our Lord is a matchless
(anupamasya), supreme effulgence (parasya dhAmna:). He is counted by some
as the incarnation in between Brahma and Sivan. Others consider Him as
adhithi's son (upEndhran) and therefore the brother of DevEndhran; Yet
others count Him as one of the twelve Suns; few others identify Him as the
scion of IshvAku of Soorya Vamsam as well as the descendant of Yathu of
Chandra Vamsam. All these bewildering varieties of incarnations are indeed
praiseworthy events (slAganeeyam) and not derogatory descent in any sense.
These avathArams are made out of His own volition and not because of any
karmaas that pushed Him to take these avathArams.
Slokam 16:
tvan nirmitaa jaTharagaa ca tava trilOkee
kim bhikshaNAt iyam ruthE bhavatA durApaa? |
madhyE kadaa tu na vicakramishE jagaccEt
tvat vikramai: kathamiva Sruti: anjitaa syAt? ||
MEANING:
Oh Bhagavaan! These three worlds were
created by You (tvvan nirmitaa) and kept
inside Your stomach (jaTharagaa ca) ready
for protection during the destructive time
of universal deluge. How is it that You could
not gain these three worlds except through
requesting Bali to cede them to You as
Bikshai? If You had not measured the
Universe with your sacred feet as
Thrivikraman (Ongi ulahaLantha Utthaman),
how would the superiority of the
VedAs could have been maintained? The
VedAs became superior (anjitaa) through
singing about the stories on the greatness
of Your three strides to measure the universes. Our Lord's souseelyam goaded Him to gain back the three worlds
from Bali thru yaachakam (begging) instead of recovering it by force. Even
this deceptive seeking of the boon of three feet of earth as Kapata
Vaamananis an act of apadhAnam (an act worthy of praise). Without these
apadhAnams relating to ThrivikramAvathAram , VedAs would not have the
lofty status that they enjoy. The respect of the Vedams having Vedathvam
(power to descripe the upAyam that can not be seen or inferred) is based on
this avathAram. What is that upAyam? It is the upAyam to attain the Lord's
sacred feet as Parama PurushArtham. That is the secret of the athimAnusha
ThrivikramAvathAram.
Slokam 17:
yEtat katham kathaya yan mathitas tvayA asou
hitvA svabhAva niyamam prathitam trilOkyAm |
aSva apsarO visha-sudhaa vidhu paarijAta
lakshmI Aatmanaa pariNata: jaladhir babhUva ||
MEANING:
In this slOkam, KurEsar is struck with
dismay about the athimAnusha
chEshtitham of the Lord churning the
Milky ocean. He says: "Oh Lord, You
churned the milky ocean. The general
rules of which transforms into what
were cast aside. Typically, we
can trace that clay transformed into a
pot and the threads formed into a
piece of cloth. In the case of the
churning of the Milky ocean, those
relationships were blurred. From that
single entity of Milk, un-relatable entities arose such as the white horse
named ucchaisravas, the celestial
damsels named Rambhai and Menakai, Chandran, the Kalpaka tree, Haalaahala visham, the life giving nectar (Sudhaa)
and the best of all the Supreme nectar of Mahaa Lakshmi. This is indeed an
athimAnusha chEshtai (Suprahuman sport) of Yours!
Sri Ramavatara stuti
Slokam 18:
prucchAmi kinchana yadaa kila rAghavatvE
mAyaa mrugasya vaSagO manujatva mougdhyAt |
Sitaa viyOga vivaSO na ca tadgatij~na:
prAdAs tadaa paragatim hi katham? khagAya ||
MEANING:
Dear Lord! adiyEn would like to inquire about one thing (kinchana prucchAmi).
How can we reconcile the happenings during RaamAvathAram that are not
reconcilable? For instance, LakshmaNa Swamy counseled you that the
beautiful deer that appeared before the Aasramam was not a real deer but a
deceptive one and yet You acted like an ordinary man deluded by desire
(mOham) and ran after it to bring it back as Your present to Sitaa PirAtti. You
were overcome by the beauty of that misleading deer and ran after it. On
another occasion, when RaavaNan stole Sitaa PirAtti and ran off with Her, You
could not trace the path that RavaNaa took and yet You had the power to send
JaTaayu on the path of Moksham. How can we piece all of these
inconsistent acts together? Once You declared emphatically that You are just
a human being born as the son of King Dasarathaa (AathmAnam maanusham
manyE Raamam DasarathAthmajam). Next You blessed JaTaayu with the boon of Moksham. How can we reconcile this diametrically opposite, suprahuman acts
of Yours?
Slokam 19:
akshuNNa yOgapatham agrya hatam jaTaayum
tiryancam yEva bata mOksha pathE niyOktum |
SaknOshi vEtsi ca yadaa, sa tadaa katham tvam
dEveem avAptum analam vyathita: vicinvan ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord Raamachandra! You performed the athimAnusha act of granting
Moksham to the old eagle JaTaayu; that JaTaayu was not eligible for Moksham
since:
1. He had no familiarity with Yoga maargam (unfamiliarity with Karma,
Bhakthi or Jn~Ana yogams that can help one as means for Moksham).
2. He was not born in the Jaathi fit for practicing the means
for Moksham. He was born as a bird.
3. He was killed by RaavaNan, the son of a Brahmin; saasthrAs state
that one killed by a Brahmin cannot gain Moksham in that birth.
While all these odds against JaTaayu gaining Moksham were there, You
performed the athimAnusha act of lifting JaTaayu up to Moksham. You are
SarvEswaran and You do not need any reason to do what you wish. No one can
stop You.
While You granted that impossible Moksham for JaTaayu, You floundered in
finding the path by which Sitaa PirAtti was kidnapped. You were stricken with
sorrow, You wailed over Her loss, You were in despair. LakshmaNa Swamy had
to counsel and console You. What was Your mind set here? adiyEn does not
understand that.
Slokam 20:
saalAn hi sapta sagireen sarasAtalAn yaan
yEka ishu manda javata: nirapatraya: tvam |
tEshu yEka vivyathana khinna kapi praNunnam
SaakhAmrugam mrugayasE sma katham sahAyam? ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord! adiyEn is mystified about Your decision to seek the help and
friendship of Sugreevan, who is no match for Your power and valour. Normally,
one seeks the help of a more powerful one, when one can not accomplish the
goals by himself. Sugreevan tested you about your strength to destroy the
mighty brother of his, Vaali. That doubting Sugreevan wanted to test your
power in uprooting the Saala Vrukshams; challenged You to move the bones of mighty Dhunthubhi. You demonstrated with ease Your superior power by
sending a single arrow through seven Saala Vrukshams, sent the bones of
Dhunthubhi flying over huge distance and did some thing extra not requested
by Sugreevan to demonstrate Your parAkramam (i.e.), You pulverized a nearby
mountain with your arrows and spread the dust down to the nether world.
Sugreevan who was soundly defeated by Vaali was no match for You in valour
and yet You elected to seek his help as an equal or superior. How can I
understand this athimAnusha chEshtai of Yours? You are the powerful Lord of
all (lOka nAthan). What is the logic in You seeking Sugreevan as Your naathan?
You hid Your Svatantryam and acted like an obedient one to Sugreevan. You certainly did not need any help from Sugreevan or any other and yet You
followed this path. How can adiyEn comprehend this athimAnusha chEshtai of
Yours?
Slokam 21:
daasa: sakhaa samabhavat tava ya: kapeendra:
tat vidvisham kapim amarshavaSAt jighAmsu: |
tvat snEha viklavadhiyam tamimam kapeendram
visrambhayan sapadi saalagireen avidhya: ||
MEANING:
Oh Raamachandra! Sugrivan became the companion, and liege (daasan) to You.
Vaali, the elder brother of Sugriavan hated his younger brother and stole
latter's wife and drove him away from the kingdom. You were offended by the
behavior of Vaali towards Sugrivan and got angry at Vaali. You wanted
to destroy Vaali for his mighty offenses and took the side of Sugrivan, who
was agitated because of his doubts about Your ability to win the mighty Vaali
in a battle. To build up the trust of Sugrivan in You, You pierced the seven
saala trees and the Kula Parvathams with one single arrow of Yours. What an
athimAnusha (superhuman) act that was!
Slokam 22:
yadvaa mrugam mrugayuvad mrugayApadESAt
channO jaghantha na tu Satru vada abhi mukhyAt |
tad yuktam yEva tava raaghava-vamSajasya
tiryakshu naiva hi vipakshatayOpacAra: ||
MEANING:
Oh Veera Raaghavaa! You hunted down and destroyed Vaali, the monkey with
animal instincts and conduct, like a hunter killing a fierce animal. Your act was
like a princely hunter hiding behind to kill a tiger, which was destroying the
cows. You did not kill him in a face to face battle since You did not consider
Vaali as an enemy. This conduct is quite appropriate for a prince belonging to
the kulam of King Raghu. The kings of Your Raghu Vamsam never rated the
fools with despicable conduct as enemies worthy of direct battle. They treated them as unworthy animals deserving slaughter to maintain royal
dharmam.
Slokam 23:
maanushyaka- aacaritam Aacaritum pravrutta:
dEvAtigam carithamanga ! kim angyakArshee:? |
yat sAgarE bata babandhitha naatha ! sEtum
Sailai: plavangama samingita sampraNunnai: ||
MEANING:
SarvEswarA! During the sEthu bhandham, the mountains thrown by the
monkeys floated on the ocean instead of sinking because of Your sankalpa
sakthi. This is a feat that can not be achieved even by the dEvAs. Such an act
beyond the capacity of humans (amAnusheekam) was demonstrated by you
then. This reminds one of Veda Vaakyam:
“VishNO: karmANi paSyata”. VishNu's acts are beyond normal comprehension
by humans and totally outside the capabilities of even a giant assembly of humans. Oh EmperumAn! Why indeed did you undertake such an effort (kim
angyakArshee:?). You built the dam across the ocean with the mountains
thrown on the water by the monkeys and bears (plavangama sampraNunnai:
Sailai: sEtum babandhi). How can we understand that act which is beyond
the power of dEvAs or humans?
Slokam 24:
yO vikramENa manujatva vibhUshaNEna
dEvam varam varuNarAjam aja ! vyajEshThA: |
krutvOpadAm daSaratham vidhi-rudra mukhyai:
dEvai: stuthas ca, sa kilEndrajitA jitOasi ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord without any births! You are SarvalOka SaraNyan. You are used to give
refuge and not seek refuge. Yet, you followed the counsel of a great
BhagavathA (VibhishaNan) and rested on dharbham for three nights on the
beach (prathisayanam) seeking the permission of Your servant, the King of the
Oceans. When he did not respond, You were ready to dry up the Oceans for
the indifference shown by the King of the Oceans. The frightened Samudra
Raajan showed up in fear and sought Your pardon. You forgave him and deflected Your arrow at a group of sinners in an island. All of these acts are
understandable proofs of Your SarvEswarathvam. We can not however
understand your being bound by the Naaga Paasam aimed at You by Indhrajith.
It is a great wonder that the power of Naaga Paasam bound You up. This is
indeed a great mystery. One can only guess that this was acting/abhinayam on
your part. You pretended as though You were unable to overcome the power of
the Naaga Paasam. Perhaps, You wanted to give Your servant and friend,
Garudan an opportunity to perform a Kaimkaryam. Once Garudan rushed to the scene (battle field), the snakes ran away and You were freed from their
nooses.
Slokam 25:
abdhim na tEritha jigEtha na rAkshasEndram
naivAsya jaj~nitha yadA ca balAbalam tvam |
nissamSaya: sapadi tasya padEabhyashinca:
tasya anujam katham idam hi vibhIshaNam ca ||
MEANING:
How can we understand Your
atimAnusha activity of crowning
VibhishaNan as the Emperor of
LankA on the banks of Sethu
even before 1. You had built a dam to
cross over to LankhA
2. You had not defeated
RaavaNaa in battle
3. You were not even aware
of the strength of
RaavaNaa and his army?
It is mysterious to understand
your statement and vow: "Raajanam tvAm karishyAmi satyamEthath SruNOthu
mE". You were firm in Your declaration about VibhishaNa’s PattAbhishEkam as
LankAdhipathi. KurEsar pays tribute here to the Sathya Sankalpathvam of the
Lord.
tvam dakshiNasya nivasan udadhE: taTEapi
dUrAnthara uttara payOdhi mahAntareepE |
daityAn nijaika Sara-pAraNayan, kimEtAm
lankAm sthitO atra kurushE na kila sma bhasma ||
MEANING:
Here, KurEsar salutes the GuNam of the Lord known as Dhairyam (Courage).
He says: "Oh Lord without birth! You engaged in Prathisayanam at
ThiruppullANi and waited for permission from Samudra Raajan to build a dam
over him to reach the island of Lanka to engage RaavaNan in battle and destroy
him. Samudra Raajan ignored You thinking that You are just a human being. You
got enraged at the insult of the King of oceans and got ready to send Your
fiery arrow to dry up the waters of the oceans. Samudra Raajan was now afraid for his life and appeared with his wives before You and performed
SaraNAgathy and begged to be spared. You informed the king of Oceans that
Your arrow was set and can not be withdrawn; You asked him to suggest
another target. Samudra Raajan begged You to send Your unfailing arrow
at the inhabitants of a remote island in the north, who were abusing him. You
obliged and Your arrow destroyed them from an immense distance. If that
(Your power) is so profound and far reaching, how can adiyEn understand your
inaction in not destroying RaavaNaa and his army, which were not far away
from your position in ThiruppullANi. Sethu Bhandam and the invasion of LankA look in this context appear like
window dressing. You could have reduced to ashes RaavaNAdhis from the banks
of Sethu itself but you chose not to. Why is that?
Slokam 27:
yat tAdruSa agasam arim raghuveera veekshya
visramyatAm iti mumOcitha mughdham ajou |
kO ayam guNa: kataraKOTi gata: kiyAn vaa
kasya stutE: padam ahO baha kasya bhUmi: ||
MEANING:
Oh RaghuveerA! How can adiyEn eulogize Your KaaruNya guNam demonstrated
through the gesture of advising the Mahaa aparAdhi, RaavaNan to retire from
the battle field for the day and return the next day after resting, when he had lost his chariot, bow and pride during the first day's battle with You? This
generosity towards the most undeserving RaavaNan defies classification under
the category of all noble guNams. No one can adequately eulogize this grand
gesture of Yours. It is a wondrous act, whose mystery defies comprehension.
Slokam 28:
yEtEna vai suviditO abhavat indhra SatrO:
maaystra bandhana nibandhanajO vimOha: |
yat lakshmaNa: tvat anujO ripu Sakti mugdha:
SatrO: guru: hanumatastu laghutvam Aapa ||
MEANING:
Oh RaamabhadrA! When your dear brother LakshmaNa got hit by RaavaNan's
weapon (sakthi Aayudham) and swooned, RaavaNan tried to lift the fallen
LakshmaNan and found that latter was too heavy for him to lift and take him
away to his palace. Then came HanumAn and lifted LakshmaNan like lifting a
feather and took him to the army physician, SushENan. KurEsar concludes in
wonderment that the same object appearing in different ways at the same
time (heavy for RaavaNaa and light for HanumAn) can only be attributed to an athimAnusha vyApAram. In a similar vein, the great ones understand how you
were bound by the naaga Paasam sent by Indhrajith and got released later.
Slokam 29:
haa hanta hanta bhavata: caraNAravinda-
dvandam kadA nu vishayee bhavitA mama akshNO: |
yOaham nirargaLa vinirgaLa dandhakArai:
vrukshai: truNai: ca sulabham samayam vyateeta: ||
MEANING:
Oh RaamabhadhrA! What a misfortune! I was not living at the time of Your
ascent to Sri Vaikuntam at the end of Your avathAra kAryam at AyOdhyai. At
that time, it has been said that even the plants and trees (filled with
ajn~Anam) reached with Your anugraham the Kaarya Vaikuntam of SaanthAnika
lOkam. Had I lived at that time, adiyEn would have reached Sri Vaikuntam with
You and would have put an end to the SamsAric sufferings. Alas, I lost that
golden chance.
Slokam 30:
vamSam raghO: anujighrukshu: ihaavateerNa:
divyai: vavarshitha tathA atra bhavath guNaughai: |
tvat sannidhi prabhava SaityajushO yathA hee
vrushAs ca tAntim abhajanta bhavat viyOgE ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord Raamachandraa! How did those trees and plants attain Mukthi at the
time of completion of Your avathAram? You incarnated in this world filled with
nescience to bless the vamsam of Raghu Chakravarthy (raghO: vamsam
anujighrushu:). Through Your athimAnusha svaroopam, you inundated this world
with the flood of auspicious guNams unique to You. Even the trees and plants in
Your kingdom enjoyed the nectarine coolness, when you were at AyOddhi as its
ruler and withered, when You left the kingdom to follow Your father's
command of staying in the forest for fourteen years. This is really a wondrous
reaction by the plants and trees to Your presence and absence. They did not have the skills to engage in upAsanam (Bhakthi yOgam) to reach sathgathi.
They could not perform SaraNAgathy to gain moksham. They just stayed close
to the shadow of Your sacred feet and as a result reached Sathgathy. The
very fact that they lived close to the Lord qualified them to reach
Sathgathy.
yE dharmam Aacaritum abhyasitum ca yOgam
bOddhum ca kincana na jAtvadhikAra bhAja: |
tEapi tvAt Aacarita bhUtala bandha gandhAd
bandhAtigA: paragatim gamitA: truNAdyA: ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord! The blades of grass and animals are incapable of comprehending the
tatthva thrayam (chEtana-achEtana-Iswara tatthvams) or practicing karma
yOgam or Jn~Ana yOgam or Bhakthi Yogam that will unite them with You as
SarvEswaran. They were not born to practice such yOgams that qualify them
to reach sathgathy (the Supreme PurushArtham of Moksham) and yet due to
their sambhandham (links) to a dhivya dEsam, where you moved around, they
too got freed from their karmic bonds and gained Moksham.
Slokam 32:
tAdrug guNO nanu babhUvitha raaghavatvE
yas tAvakam caritam anvaham anva bhunkta |
sO atra yEva hanta ! hanumAn paramAm vimuktim
buddhvA avadhUya caritam tava sEvatE asou ||
MEANING:
Oh RaamabhadrA! You are shining
with such auspicious guNams that
defy adequate description. It is the
spell of those matchless guNams and
the sukham arising from the
delectable reflection on them that
made HanumAn prefer to stay in this
world to sing Your glories instead of
accepting Your invitation to
accompany You to Parama Padham at
the end of Your avathAram.
Slokam 33:
yat tvam krutAgasam api praNati prasaktam
tamm vAyasam paramayA krupayA akshamishThA: |
tEnaiva mAdruSa janasya mahAgasOapi
yuktam samASvasanam iti upadhArayAmi ||
MEANING:
Oh RaaghavA! Even in the case of the mighty sinner KaakAsuran, who
committed an unpardonable apachAram to Your dear consort, You forgave him
out of Your matchless KaaruNyam to those who sought Your refuge and fell at
Your sacred feet seeking protection. Based on the recollection of that
forbearance of Yours against the Mahaa AparAdhi, KaakAsuran, adiyEn is
comforted that even a mighty sinner like me can be saved by Your infinite
grace. (This slOkam is a naicchyAnusandhAna slOkam).
SrI Krishnaavatara stuti:
SLOKAM 34
saa pootanA SakaTam arjunayO: ca yugmam
bAlyOcita anyapara cEshTita vishphulingE |
yasya alabhanta Salabhatvam ahO! nigooDha:
sa tvam vrajE vavrudhishE kila kamsa bheetyA ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord! How can we understand your baffling act of hiding in Thiru AaypAdi
out of fear from Kamsan, when earlier You had destroyed effortlessly the ill
intentioned Poothanai, who wanted to kill You with her poisonous breast milk,
pulverized the asuran, who came in the form of a cart and brought down the
twin arjuna (Marudha) trees as a crawling infant. You made Poothanaa and SakatAsuran reach the fate of an insect that flew into a naked flame. How can
we reconcile such high act of valor with the unexplainable act of hiding from
Kamsan out of "fear" at Gokulam?
Slokam 35:
paSyatsu soorishu sadaa paramam padam tE
dEvyA SriyA saha vasan parayA vibhUtyaa |
yOgEna yOganiratai: parimrugyamaaNa:
kim tvam vrajEshu navaneetam ahO! vyamushNA: ||
MEANING:
Oh KrishNA! It is indeed baffling that You with the matchless wealth of Yours
as ubhaya VibhUthi Naathan (Parama Padham and BhU lOkam) and receiving
uninterrupted adoration from Your Parijanams (Nithya Sooris, Anantha -
Garuda -VishvaksEnAdhis) and Devis as well as the Rishis engaged in stealing
butter and navaneetham from the huts of humble Gopis in Gokulam! It is
indeed one of your athimAnusha ChEshtais. You have every thing in this and
the other world of Yours and yet you went after stealing the insignificant
butter and navaneetham.
Slokam 36:
yamm durgraham sumanasO manasAapi nityam
bandacchidam paramam ISam udAharanti |
dAmnA nibaddha iti Susruma tamm bhavantam
nAlam babhUvitha! bata! slathanAya tasya ||
MEANING:
Oh KrishNA! You are beyond comprehension in the past, present or future even
by one with an auspicious mind. You are eulogized by the DevAs as the One who
can break the bonds of our KarmAs and as being always with the lady of
Supreme auspiciousness, Sri Devi. We hear that You known for such power and
majesty and yet were tied to a hustling mortar with fine rope and you could
not loosen Yourself from that knot. What a surprise!
aiSam hi SaiSavam api vyativEla khElam
yat pootanA SakTam arjunayO: ca yugmam |
baalyOcitAnyapara sAci vicEshTitEna
hantAlabhanta SalabhAyitam OjasastE ||
MEANING:
Oh KrishNa! Only a very few can understand the athimAnusha chEshtais of
Yours such as the destruction of the deceitful Poothanaa, the asuran who took
the form of a cart, the twin arjunaa trees. You destroyed their detestable
births like the fire into which the insects land. One can recognize from these
chEshtais that You are the divine Lord, who sported as the child at Gokulam
doing all these superhuman acts. Even your limitless sports during the tender
period as “a helpless child” reveal your svaroopam as the Lord of the Universe!
Slokam 38:
satyEva gavyanivahE nijadhAmni bhUmnA
paryanta sadmasu kimartham? acUcurastvam |
mushNan ca kim vyajaghaTO ghaTaSEshamagrE
gopIjanasya parihAsapadam kimAsi:? ||
MEANING:
Oh Gopalaa! How can we understand fully Your divine activities such as stealing
milk, curd, VeNNai, ghee from the neighbor's houses while You have so much
of all these for Your enjoyment at Your own house? Why did You engage in
such acts? After consuming these delectable stolen goods, You broke the pots
that contained the curd and milk right in front of the Gopis. You became the
object of their harsh words as a result of Your questionable activities. How
can we understand these athimAnusha ChEshtithams of Yours?
Slokam 39:
yannAma naatha! navaneetam acUcurastvam
tacchAdanAya yadi tE matirAvirAseet |
kim mugdha ! digdhamamunA karapallavam tE
gAtrE pramrujya niragA: kila nirviSanka: ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord of the Universe who did not know how You could hide Your act of
stealing navaneetham! If Your intent was to hide Your chEshtais of stealing
VeNNai from the neighbor's houses, why on earth did You dash out of the neighbor's houses without any worries, while You had the tell tale marks of
VeNNai all over Your body resulting from your deliberate smearing of the
stolen VeNNai on Your torso with Your tender fingers? How come You did not
know how to hide Your theft and leave the scene without display of any
evidence?
Slokam 40:
tvAm anyagOpagruhagavya musham yaSOdA
gurvee tvadeeyam avamAnam amrushyamANaa |
prEmNAatha dAmapariNaama jushaa babandha
tAdrug na tE caritam AryajanA: sahantE ||
MEANING:
Oh KaLvaa! Your dear Mother YasOdhaa could not put up with the complaints
made by the neighbors about Your VeNNai stealing activities in their houses
She felt humiliated by your stealthy acts. She responded to their complaints
and wanted to teach You a lesson to stop you from Your pranks and making a nuisance of Yourself to the neighbors. She was a proud woman. She also adored
You and did not want others to hurl charges at You. She decided to tie you
down to a hustling mortar with a small piece of rope. She did this out of
affection for You and to get you away from Your repeated mischief. The
AzhwArs were overcome with profound emotions about You, the Lord of the
universe being tied down by Your mother. These noble souls (Aarya Janaa:)
could not bear to think of Your sufferings that You underwent from being tied
down to the mortar.
maatraa yadi tvamasi dAmani sannibaddha:
tat SrAviNAm udita cAkshusha nirjharANAm |
badhnAsi hanta hrudayam bhagavan ! kutastat
sarvO hi vaSyavishayE vivruNOti veeryam ||
MEANING:
Here KurEsar poses a question and
provides an answer. Oh Lord (Bhagavan),
You are the ParipoorNan with Your six
guNams of Jn~Anam, Sakthi, Bhalam,
aiswaryam, Veeryam and tEjas. You
permitted Yourslf to be bound by the
feeble rope constructed by YasOdhA. Those who heard about you as sarvasakthan being bound to a husking mortar
(ulUkalam/ural) wept ceaselessly over
the sufferings that You might have
undergone.
Through the enactment of that incident,
you caused the binding of the hearts of
Your bhaktha janams. How did that effect come to be? It is because it is consistent with the loka reethi, where the powerful one displays his valour in
front of those under his influence (vasya vishayE veeryam vivruNoti hi?). By
appearing to obey Your Mother in being bound with a rope, You bound up the
hearts of Your dear ones like Sukhar, ParAsarar, ParAnkusa (Swamy
NammAzhwAr), Parakaala Naayaki (Thirumangai Mannan) and others with Your
own heart. They were overcome (Bhakthi paravasam) by their tender bhakthi
for You.
Slokam 42:
kAntAla kAntamamalam kamalAyatAksham
udbhrUvilAsam uditasmitam unnasam ca |
vaktram vahan parama ! gOpagruhEshu kim tvam
gOpeemanAmsi navaneetamutAbhya mOshee: ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord! You have beautiful curly hair on your forehead, beautiful long eyes
resembling the lotus petals, perfectly rounded brows, gentle smile displayed on
your charming lips and beautifully proportioned nose. With this divine
soundharyam, You entered the houses of Gopis. Oh Lord! What did you
accomplish there? Did you steal VeNNai there or did You steal instead the
hearts of the gopis with Your dhivya soundharyam? Please tell me!
Slokam 43:
sarvam guNAya guNinAm iti satyam yEtat
yat khalvihEtarajanE malinatvahEtu: |
yat gOpavEsha vinivEshaNam uttamam tE
gOpAlanam ca gaNayanti guNam guNEshu ||
MEANING:
It is common for the worldly folk to think highly
of those born in high kulam, living in lofty
mansions and adorning rich jewelery and clothes. Oh my Lord! You were born in the lowly kulam of
cowherds grazing cattle and living in forests. By
birth and occupation, You were identified as
One belonging to a lower rung of society by Your
enemies such as Kamsan, SiSupAlan and yet this
gOpa vEsahm became the object of high
adoration for Your bhaktha janams like the
AzhwArs. Those bhaktha janams consider Your
simple dress, adornment of the flowers of the
forest and moving with the cowherd folks as the demonstration of Your
Souseelya guNam and enjoyed You in all of Your simplicity: “kOvalanAi VeNNai uNDa vaayan, yenn uLLam kavarthAnai”.
Slokam 44:
gopAlapOtakatayaa nibhrutam dharitreem
aavastu kaama iva sannapi baalyaloulyAt |
aindram nihatya maham adrimathO dadhAna:
kim tasthishE suragaNAya savAsavAya ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord! You incarnated as the jewel of the race of simple cowherds in this
world as if You wanted to hide Your divinity. In spite of this intention of Yours,
You were driven by the spirit of youthful mischief to persuade the GopAs to
desist from conducting the annual festival of homage to Indhran. Once that
happened, the mighty Indhran, the god of rains, flew into rage and pelted the
home of the gOpAs and gOpis with violent hail storms and vicious thunder.
Immediately, You lifted the hill of Govardhanam and held it as an umbrella to protect every one in Gokulam including the cowherd folks and the cattle. At
that time, Indhran and the dEvAs ralized Your Parathvam (supremacy) as
SarvEswaran and fell at Your sacred feet. If this is not a demonstration of
Your athimAnusha ChEshtitham, what else is? Please explain this to us.
Slokam 45:
vENukvaNa praNayini tvayi lOkanAtha !
brundAvanam caraNa sancaraNai: punAnE |
bhAvastadA vanabhuva: kila keedruSastE
tvat geetasikta sikatAsu vasundharAsu ||
MEANING:
Here the greatness of the Lord playing on His divine flute is enjoyed by
KurEsar. Oh Lord! When you desired to play on Your flute, You walked over the
thorny land of BrundhAvanam and through the sanctity of Your divine feet
converted those lands into lush green forest full of TuLasi plants. That land became useful now to both the gopAs and their cattle for grazing. You started
playing on Your flute to invite the Gopis to join with You. Now KurEsar asks a
question in wonderment: Oh Lord! When You generated that divine music from
Your flute, what became of the flora and fauna of that forest in
BrundhAvanam? How did they respond to Your divine music?
Slokam 46:
Slokam 47:
tEbhya: krutee na khila kascidihAsti yE vai
rAsOtsavOt sukadhiyastava kAnanAntE |
vENusvana sruta rasougha pariplutAntE
svE srukvaNee rasanayaa lilihu: bhujangA: ||
MEANING:
There is no one more fortunate than those serpents whose mouths were made
moist from listening to the delectable sound of the flute music of the Lord at
BrundhAvanam. They moved their tongue from side to side of their jaws to
taste the nectar flowing out of their mouths, when our Lord played His flute
to accompany the Raasa Kreedaa. (That animals, infants and the snakes relate
intimately to music is the thought behind this slOkam:
“Pasur-vEtthi, SiSurvEtthi, vEtthi ghAna rasam PhaNee”
Slokam 48:
ambhOda neelam aravinda daLAyatAksham
pinchAvatamsam urareekruta vENupANim |
tvAm gOpavEsha parikarmita kaaya kAntim
dhanyA: tadhaa dadruSurunmathita anya bhAvA: ||
MEANING:
When you were engaged in Raasa Kreedaa, a fortunate few ParamaikAnthis
(those who desire nothing except You) were able to see You in Your Gopa
Vesham with the hue of the dark clouds of the rainy season holding the
melodious flute in Your hands and casting Your dayaa laden glances from Your
beautiful lotus like eyes while adorning the feather of the forest peacock on
Your tresses.
Slokam 49:
govardhanO girivarO yamunaa nadee saa
brundAvanam ca mathurA ca puree purANee |
adyApi hanta ! sulabhA: krutinAm janAnAm
yEtE bhavat caraNa cArajusha: pradESaa: ||
MEANING:
The most revered Govardhana Giri, the sacred waters of Yamunaa River, the
forest known as Brundhaavanam and the ancient city of Mathuraa had the
sambhandham (association) with Your sacred Thiruvadi. They stay even today
as the places of easy access to those fortunate ones seeking the Phalan for
not being born as chEtanams in this samsAric world.
Slokam 50:
brundAvanE sthira-carAtmaka keeTa dUrvaa-
paryanta jantu nicayE bata yE tadAneem |
naivAlabhAmahi janim hatakAsta yEtE
pApA: padam tava kadaa punarASrayAma: ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord! We the great sinners were not blessed to be born, when You
incarnated among the chEtanams and achEtanms (trees, plants, grass, worms,
birds, animals, the gOpAs and the gOpis) of BrundhAvanam. When will we as
the miserable ones reach Your sacred feet at Srivaikuntam to perform nithya
kaimkaryam for You?
haa janma taasu sikataasu mayaa na labdham
raasE tvayaa virahitaa: kila gOpakanyaa: |
yaastaavakeena pada pankti jushOajushanta
nikshipya tatra nijam angam ananga taptam ||
MEANING:
When the Lord disappeared at the end of the Raasa KreeDai, the Gopis
suffered immensely from their separation from Him. They were overcome with
viraha tApam. They placed their bodies on the sands of river Yamunaa that got
consecrated thru the sambhandham with the Lord’s feet during the occasion of
the Raasa KreeDai. That helped them to quell the sufferings from their
thApam. AzhwAr laments that he was not fortunate to have been born as one
of the shoals of sand, which had the bhAgyam of association with the Lord's
sacred feet.
Slokam 52:
Aachinvata: kusumam anghri sarOruham tE
yE bhEjirE bata ! vanaspatayO latA vaa |
adyApi tatkulabhuva: kuladaivatam mE
brundAvanam mama dhiyam ca sanAthayanti ||
MEANING:
In the previous slOkam, KurEsar expressed his regret over the dhurbhAgyam
of not having been an achEtana vasthu (shoal of sand) in the Raasa KreeDaa
BhUmi. In this slOkam, KurEsar gives vent to his sorrow that he missed being a
plant or tree at BrundhAvanam that had the sambhandham with the Thiruvadi
of the Lord as He sported amidst them. KurEsar comforts himself by the
thought that the trees and plants of current time, which are descendants of
the trees and plants of KrishNa's time, are his kula dEvathais because of their
lineage. Kuresar states that BrundhAvanam and the plants and trees there rule
over his mind.
Slokam 53:
yat tvatpriyam tadiha puNyam, apuNyam anyat
nAnyat tayOrbhavati lakshaNamatra jAtu |
dhUrtAyitam tava hi yat kila rAsagOshThyAm
tat keertanam parama pAvanam Aamananti |
MEANING:
During KrishNAvathAram, our Lord danced with
Gopa kannikais as well as some who were married
women. Questions might arise about the Lord's
behavior here. How could He as the embodiment
of dharmam behave in this manner and serve as a
bad example for others to follow?
KurEsar responds to this query by defining the
rules of grammar relating to BhagavAn’s behavior:
Whatever that is desired by the Lord is puNyam
for us and whatever that is rejected by the Lord
is Paapam for us. Raasa Kreedai provided ample
evidences for the workings of this divine grammar.
Slokam 54:
yaa kamsa mukhyanrupakeeTa nibarhaNOtthA
saa nirjita trijagata: tava naiva keerti: |
gOpAlanAdi yadidam bhavadeeya karma-
ithyArdree karOti vidushAm hrudayam tadEtat ||
MEANING:
Oh KrishNaa! In Your previous avathArams such as Thrivikraman, Narasimhan
and VarAhan, You destroyed mighty asurAs and conquered all the worlds.
Compared to those glories, Your destruction of worm like kings like Kamsan,
SiSupAlan and Dantha Vakthran in Your avathArAm as KrishNa will pale into
insignificance. What people will remember as the most glorious chEstithams in
Your avathAram as KrishNa are - Your grazing cows, subduing the seven fierce bulls, being bound to a mortar by a simple woman, lifting the gOvardhana hill to
protect the citizens and the cattle of Gokulam, going to DuryOdhanA's court
as a messenger for the PaaNDavaas, serving as a charioteer for Arjuna and
stealing veNNai at neighbors' houses and being humiliated when caught in that
act. These acts are the limits of Your soulabhya and souseelya guNams. There
are no matches for those acts in this or other universes.
Slokam 55:
gOpAla vEsha-parikarma parAvarESam
yannAma dhAma paramam tamasa: parastAt |
tat pinchAlAnchana sudAma krutOpaveetam
gOdhULi dhUsarita kuntaLam anta: AastAm ||
MEANING:
While the eternally liberated souls (nithya sooris) were eulogizing the Lord at
Sri Vaikuntam, at the same time He was roaming as a cowherd at
BrundhAvanam wearing the peacock feather in His tresses and with the dust
from the hoofs of the calves settled all over His body. This Sri Vaikunta
Naathan, the supreme JyOthi adored by the nithya Sooris sported with
illiterate cowherds and went into the forest in midday heat to graze cows. The
simplicity of KrishNavathAram moved KurEsar so much that he begged for the
permanent retention of the Lord's image in his mind as the cowherd youth with
His tresses adorned with the dust from the cows and the peacock feather (gO
dhULi dhUsarita kuntaLam anta: AastAm) .
Slokam 56:
yadhvai jarAsuta bhayAt vipalAyathAstvam
tat cEt manushya caritAnu vidhAnajam tE |
tarhi trilOka gurum ISwaram ISwarANAm
bANAhavE kimiti Sambhum ajrumbhayastvam ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord, PurANAs say that you ran away from the battle field while fighting
JarAsanthan. One has to conclude that in this case you acted like a mere
mortal. In other instances, You professed that You are a mere mortal and yet
displayed many superhuman (athimAnusha) acts. It is hard to equate your
behavior like running away from the battle field with Your destruction of many
asurAs (Poothanai, SakatAsuran, Pralambhan, DhEnukaasuran) even as a small
boy .Even if You acted as a mere human and behaved accordingly, Your
Iswarathvam was revealed on many occasions. One such instance is the battle
with BhANAsuran, who was aided by Sivan, SubramaNyan et al. My KrishNa, You revealed Your athimAnushathvam by chasing Sivan and SubramaNyan from
the battle field and cut off all but four of the thousand hands of the
offending BaaNan.
Slokam 57:
jatam kutastat akrutaj~na vicEshTitam tE
putreeyayaa kila varam vavrushE vrushankAt |
akshEshu saktamatinA ca nirAdarENa
vaaraNasee harapuri bhavathA vidagdhA ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord! How can we understand your two acts that look contradictory? In
one, you sought the boon of the birth of a son from Lord Siva. In the other
act, You destroyed the city of Sivan (Kaasi) along with the armies of the king
of Kaasi, who came to the rescue of Poundra VaasudEvan, who ran around
declaring that he was ParavAsudEvan Himself. You had to kill Poundra
VaasudEvan. When latter's friend, Kaasi Raajan came to avenge for Poundran's
death, he brought with him a demon given to him as a boon by Siva to kill You
and destroy DhwAraka's citizens. At that time, You were playing chess with
RukmiNi. You sent Sudarsana Chakram after Kaasi Raajan, his city and the goul
sent by Sivan as help. KurEsar wonders as to how KrishNa could be a supplicant
for the boon of Siva to be blessed with a son at one time and on another
occasion humiliate Siva and his client, Kaasi Raajan. It suggests that KrishNa
was ungrateful to His benefactor. KurEsar asks how one can understand such
behavior? KurEsar answers this apparent contradiction this way: A Karma
bhaddhan (One under the influence of his karmAs) like Sivan, who encouraged
and supported BhAnan and Kaasi Raajan to fight with the Lord deserves to be punished by the Lord even if earlier he (Sivan) had granted the boon of a son
to KrishNaa, when He approached Sivan as "a Human being" during His
avathAram among the cowherds.
Slokam 58:
sanjeevayan api mrutam sutam uttarAyA:
saandeepanE: ciramrutam sutam Aanayan ca |
dhAmnO nijAd dvijasutAn punarAnayan vaa
svAmEva tAmm tanumahO! kathamAnayastvam ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord! You brought back to life Uttharai's (daughter in law of Arjunan)
child, AchAryan Saandeepanee's son, who was dead for quite some time and
the children of Vaidhikan of DhvArakai from Sri Vaikuntam. When they were
returned to life, they were of the same form and age as when they had lost
their lives. KurEsar points out that suprahuman restoration of the lives of
these children could only be grouped as athimAnusha chEshtithams.
Slokam 59:
adya api na asti uparati: trividhApacArAt
paapa: parE nipatita: asmi tamasi apArE |
yEtAdruSa: aham agati: bhavata: dayAyA:
pAtram tvadeeya caraNou SaraNam prapadyE ||
MEANING:
This is the first of the three slOkams at the end of this Sri Sookthi of
athimAnusha Sthavam, where KurEsar performs his SaraNAgathy to the Lord.
KurEsar says: “adiyEn has not freed myself from the three kinds of
apachArams even after undergoing the rites of SamAsrayaNam. adiyEn is
roiling in this world of SamsAram as a sinner without any refuge (ananya
gathi:) adiyEn is helpless and has no recourse (akinchana:). adiyEn is looking to
You to rescue me from this pitiable state of residence in the darkness of
SamsAram and am performing SaraNAgathy to You with utter faith in You as
my Saviour.
Slokam 60:
visrambhaNam tvayi na yadyapi mEasti nApi
sraddhA yathOkta vacanArthagatA, tatha api |
vAcam tvimAm sakrut athapyasakrut mayOktAm
satyAm kurushva dayayaiva dayaika sindhO ||
MEANING:
Oh Lord of matchless Compassion! Even if adiyEn is not blessed with Mahaa
ViswAsam about Your power to protect, adiyEn has uttered the SaraNagathy
vaakyams although there are deficiencies (anga vaikalyams) in the
SaraNAgathy that adiyEn has performed through the utterance of dhvaya
manthram (yEna kEnApi prakArENa dhvya vakthaa). In spite of these defects
in my SaraNaagathy, adiyEn seeks your infinite grace to accept the burden of
adiyEn's protection (athA api dayayA kurushva).
Slokam 61:
paapeeyasa: api SaraNAgati SabdabhAjO
na upEkshaNam mama tava ucitam ISwarasya |
tvat jn~Ana Sakti karuNAsu sateeshu na yEva
paapam parAkramitum arhati mAmakeenam ||
MEANING:
Oh Ocean of Mercy! It does not befit you to ignore adiyEn, who has uttered
the SaraNAgathy mantrams even if adiyEn is a mighty sinner (paapeeyasa: api
mama upEkshaNam Iswarasya tava na ucitam). adiyEn’s sins are no match for
your Omniscience (Sarvajn~athvam), unfailing power to protect all and natural grace. Your Jn~Ana, sakthi and KaruNa will surely come to the rescue of this
Prapannan, who is marked by akinchanathvam and ananya gathithvam. You must
correct adiyEn and engage adiyEn in Your kaimkaryams (tirutthi PaNi koLLa
vENum) through the exercise of Your Jn~Anam, Sakthi and KaruNaa. With this
powerful appeal, KurEsar concludes the beautiful Sri Sookthi of athimAnusha
Sthavam.
adiyEn
