INTRODUCTION

This stotram celebrates the auspicious quality (Kalyana Guna) of Mercy (Dayaa) of the Lord of Thiruvenkatam. Of All the Kalyana Gunaas of Venkataadhri Sekhara Vibhu, His Dayaa is the most important one for the uplift of the Chetanaas. The concept of Prapatthi and Thiruvenkatamudayaan’s Dayaa to realize the fruits of that Prapatthi is the subject of Sri Venkatanatha Kavi in this “Satakam”.

The structure of this stotram containing 108 slokas (one for each of the Divya Desa Archaa Murthys of Sriman Narayana perhaps) is extraordinarily impressive even by Swami Desikan’s standards of poetic excellence. Our Acharya has used ten plus different meters to compose the ten groups of slokas, each of which houses “ ten” slokas. The numbers of slokas and their poetic meters are as follows:

1. Slokaas 1-10: Anushtup meter
2. Slokaas 11-20: Aryaa meter
3. Slokaas 21-30: Oupacchandhasikam
4. Slokaas 31-40: Maalini
5. Slokaas 41-50: Mandhaakraanthaa
6. Slokaas 51-60: Nathkutakam
7. Slokaas 61-70: SikariNi
8. Slokaas 71-80: HariNi
9. Slokaas 81-90: Pruthvee
10. Slokaas 91-104: Vasantha Tilakaa
11. Slokaas 105& 106: Maalini again
12. Slokaas 107& 108: Sardhoola Vikriditham

In the tradition of Sri Sriraama DesikAcchAr Swamy, each set of the ten slokas have the essence of the ten Patthus of Thiruvaimozhi of Nammazhwaar.

According to this tradition, every set of ten reveals a particular meaning, which together covers the Ananatha KalyaaNa GuNams of the Lord of Thiruvenkatam. The ten meanings associated with the ten sets of ten slokas have been summarized by Srirama Desikaacchaar Swamy this way:

1. The Lord of Thiruvenkatam is the one, who can give Mokshaanugraham.
2. He comprehends everything and He is capable of carrying out whatever He chooses to do.
3. He destroys the enemies of those, who surrender unto Him and thereby seek His help.
4. He is the means for attaining ALL worthwhile goals.
5. He is the fruit of ALL worthwhile endeavours.
6. He can be reached easily thru the glorious means of Prapatthi.
7. He will rush to the help of the lowest and the highest with same speed, when they appeal to Him sincerely for help.
8. He is the Supreme Principle standing on top of Thiruvenkatam.
9. He is the one, who took the incarnations of Rama and Krishna.
10. He is the one, who can offer the happiness associated with Moksha right here on this earth.

Swami Desikan goes on to describe in detail the Anantha Kalyana Gunaas of Sriman Narayana in his Taatparya RatnaavaLi and Dramidopanishad Saaram. He is thus paying his tribute to Nammazhwaar’s Thiruvaimozhi in all of these three works. We will illustrate the ten essential meanings of Daya Satakam in the subsequent sections as revealed by Srirama Desikaacchaar Swamy in the tradition of his Achaarya, Navaneetham Krishnamaacchaar Swamy of Oppiliappan Koil.

13 Mar 2012

Slokam 103

praayo daye tvadanu bhaava mahaamburaashau
praachetasa prabhR^itayo.api paraM taTasthaa.
tatraavatiirNam.h atala spR^isham.h aaplutaM maaM
padmaapateH prahasa nochitam.h aadriyethaa..103

(MEANING):

Oh Dayaa DEvi! Maharishis like VyAsa, Vaalmiki and others started to praise Your glories in their ithihAsams and PurANams. They recognized that Your Vaibhavam is like a deep ocean. They arrived at the shores of this vast ocean and were afraid to enter into that ocean. They stayed therefore at the shore itself. They gave up after failing in their efforts to praise even a small portion of Your limitless Vaibhavam. It is foolish of adiyEn to attempt to praise You adequately, while the wise Maharishis have given up their efforts convinced that it was a futile attempt. adiyEn plunged into the ocean of Your glories with the goal of touching the floor. Would that be possible? adiyen keeps plunging and rising with no success. adiyEnis exasperated. adiyEn struggles with few words and stumble in my feeble attempts to eulogize You adequately. adiyEn should have stayed on the shores of the ocean of Your vaibhavam following the example set by the wise Maharishis. adiyEn did the opposite and am struggling now with my laughable efforts. adiyEn is not getting anywhere. adiyEn has become the object of laughter of ThiruvEnkatamudayAn and Periya PirAtti. Oh Dayaa Devi! Please support and save adiyEn, who has arrived at this laughable state (PadmA PathE: prahasana uchitham Maam AadhriyEthA:)
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