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 79

tvad.h upasadanaad.h adya shvo vaa mahaa pralaye api vaa
vitarati nijaM paadaambhojaM vR^iShaachala shekharaH.
tadiha karuNe tattat.h kriiDaa tara~Nga paramparaa
tara tamatayaa juShTaayaaste duratyayataaM viduH..79

(MEANING):

Oh Dayaa Devi! Your Lord at ThiruvEnkatam grants Moksham to those who perform Prapatthi to Him either today or tomorrow or during the time of deluge the fruits of thatPrapatthi, which is His pair of lotus feet (KaruNE! Thvath upAsanAth adhya svO vaa mahA praLayE api vaa VrushAchala sEkhara: nijam paadha ambhOjam vitarathi). Performance of nithya, niravadhya kaimkaryam at those sacred feet is Moksham. These prapannAs are recognized by Your Lord as having performed SaraNAgathy to You. He can not disobey You. Therefore He grants Moksham without fail either today, tomorrow or later all the way upto the time of PraLayam. Some PrapannAs desire Moksham as soon as possible ( AarTaPrapannAs); some desire Moksham a little later or at the time, when their body falls down (dhruptha prapannAs). Your Lord, who is under Your control grants Moksham to these different categories of PrapannAs based on their wishes. Oh Dayaa Devi! You are like a huge river with cool waters to quench the samsAric taapams of SamsAris. You bring them under Your control, sport with them like the rhythmic sequence of waves of that river (taranga paramparaa) reaching its two banks so they can offer their worship to You. Some times these waves are big and noisy and at other times they are small and quiet (Taranga ParmaparA tarathamayaa jushDAyA:). The prapannAs recognize the inevitability of being drenched by Your waves of dayaa (durathyayathAm karuNaa lahari)
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