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 70

khilaM cheto vR^itteH kimidamiti vismera bhuvanaM
kR^ipe siMha xmaabhR^it.h kR^ita mukha chamatkaara karaNam.h.
bharanyaasa chchhanna prabala vR^ijina praabhR^ita bhR^itaaM
prati prasthaanaaM te shruti nagara shR^i~NgaaTaka juShaH..70

(MEANING):

Oh Dayaa DEvi! Vedaas are like a big city. Just as all kinds of available for purchase at a big city, all kinds of Phalans (Iswaryam, Kaivalyam and Moksham) and the ways to gain them are shown by the Vedams. Those who wish to gain one or other of these Phalansunder take an upAyam and gain what they desire. In a big city, there are many roads. The junction between the four roads at the center of the city (Four-way junction) is the most important one in the big city. The Upanishath portions are that four way junction for the city of Vedams. Dayaa Devi! Your vaibhavam is eulogized by the Upanishaths. The sinners arrive at Your sacred feet saluted by the Upanishaths for protecting themselves against the wrath of Your Lord generated by their trespasses of Bhagavath Saasthrams. The recognize their helplessness (Aakinchanyam) as sinners with gigantic bundles of sins weighing them down. They are intent on seeking Your protection to save themselves. They cover their sins well with the cloth of BharanyAsam to offer them as NaivEdhyam to You. The moment the sinners take their first step towards You to perform their Prapatthi, You are ready to greet them with great affection. You are won over by the small effort of BharanyAsam on the part of even the worst sinners. You run towards them with great Vaaathsalyam. The knowledgeable ones and the simple folk watch this rush of Yours towards these sinners and wonder whether they are missing some thing. They wonder whether there is some thing out of step with Your thinking. They are stumped over Your response. In addition to these two sets of folks, the Lord of Thirumalaa is also filled with a sense of wonder about Your compassion that drives You to act this way. It is the common procedure in this world to cover offerings to kings and the King of all Kings, the Lord Himself, with a vasthram and hold these offerings on their heads for SamarpaNam. The Lord accepts chithrAnnams presented in this reverential manner. The ChEthanams cover their sins with the vasthram of BharanyAsam in a manner practised in the world so that You will be pleased to accept their offerings as the regular naivEdhyams. You swallow all their paapams with relish in response to the Prapatthi performed by them. Without their Prapatthi, their sins will not be destroyed
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