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 82

prasuuya vividhaM jagat tadabhi vR^iddhaye tvaM daye
samIxaNa vichintana prabhR^itibhiH svayaM taadhR^ishaiH.
vichitra guNa chitritaaM vividha dhoSha vaideshikiiM
vR^iShaachalapateH tanuM vishasi matsya kuurmaadikaam.h..82

(MEANING):

Oh SrinivAsa KaruNE! Just as You are instrumental in persuading Your Lord to manifest in archaa ThirumEnis, You are also the cause behind His Vibhava avathArams like Mathsya, Koorma, Hamsa et al. You enter into those ThirumEnis and perform the avathAra kaaryams (MathsyaKoormAdhikAm VrushAchala pathE: tanum svayam viSasi). If there were to be no dayaa, there would be no reason for these vibhava avathArams to happen. Oh Dayaa Devi! You bless the jeevAthmAs with indhriyams and sareeram, when they stay in their immobile and helpless state during the PraLayam. Afterwards, You make them enjoy sukham and dukkham according to their Karmaas. Thus, You are the Mother of the universe with its infinite variety of charAcharams. All the sentient beings are Your children. It becomes Your duty to protect them. For this purpose of their rakshaNam, You enter into Your Lord’s VibhavAvathAra ThirumEnis in the suddha satthvamaya form propelled by Your own sankalpam. Just like the Mathsyam, Koormam and Hamsam, You protect Your children thru looking at them, thinking about them and embracing them (Taadhrusai: abhivruddhayE sameekshaNa, vichinthana prabrudhibhi: kaaryENa). The fish is said to protect its little ones through looking at them; the tortoise through thinking about their infants from far way; the swans make sure that little ones gain nourishment through embracing them. Similarly in all these Suddha satthva maya vibhavAvathArams, You invigorate and nourish Your children with Your Dayaa.
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