The Poetic finesse in this slOkam

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Oh Neeradhi suthE (the daughter of the Ocean)! We tell lies (anrutham) to fill our two-finger long (small-dimensioned) stomachs (prAdEsa sammitha nija udhara pooraNa arTai:). The result of these conscious lies is the scorching of our tongues (yEbhi: anruthai: rasanA abhidahyamAnA). Our tongues get parched and become lifeless. May the cool nectar of your hundreds of delectable NaamAs drench our parched tongues, rejuvenate them and delight them!

For the sake of earning a livelihood, I stooped and told many lies. When I realize those mistakes, my tongue is on fire. It gets scorched. Seeking a sure cure, I recite your many Nama with relish. The nectarine effect of your Nama removes the heat and delights my tongue. The prayer here is for the quenching of the heat by Lakshmi Naama Sankeerthanam: Neeradhi SuthE! (Mama) rasanA (tongue) nirvAthu! May my scorched tongue resulting from the act of telling lies (anrutham) be comforted by the experience of the nectar (amrutham) associated with the sankeerthanam of your nAmAs! ). The mountain of difference in change of one letter in ‘anrutham’ and ‘amrutham’ is noted here by the poet.

The 8 SaasthrArTams embedded in this slOkam

1) Our goals and strivings should always be lofty. One should not lower oneself for the sake of filling our stomachs.

2) It is a mighty sin to lie. The AchAryan’s upadEsam for the anthEvAsi is: ‘Satyam vadha’ Upanishad empasizes the utterance of sathyam (Truth)

3) When a vivEki is forced to tell a lie, he regrets it and develops nirvEdham. That repentance alone destroys one fourth of the accumulated sins.

4) The Saadhus who have committed a mistake go through successive stages of AnutApam, uparamam, PrAyascchittha unmukathvam and the performance of the PrAyascchittham These 4 stages of repentance culminating in the performance of the act of atonement destroys the Paapams one quarter at a time.

5) The intense pain experienced by the Saadhus is the telling of a lie for the sake of the insignificant stomach. Saasthrams permit conscious uttering of untruth for the observance of some lofty dharmams: protection of a SaraNAgathan, protection of life and maintenance of an unnatha dharmam.

6) The slOkam specifically refers to the tongue being the agent of the lie. For a prAyascchittham to be effective, the aparAdham and the agent associated with the aparAdham should be expressly stated (bahirangam); seeking forgiveness in secret wont be effective at all (rahasya aparAdha kshAmaNam).

7) The sankeerthanam of the thousands of NaamAs of MahA Lakshmi and Her divine consort destroys all types of sins. The reference to ‘AakhyA Sathai: ‘(hundreds of NaamAs) is to remind us of the Lakshmi Sahasra Naamams housed in SanathkumAra samhithai.

8) Her NaamAs are delectable (Parama bhOgyam). They should be recited as Svayam prayOjanam instead of expecting any phalans the power of these naamAs will drench one with bliss even if one does not ask for it.

***

EIGHTEENTH SLOKAM

agathika-dEhi-dEhi-vachana-sthuthi-dukkha-dasA
kupitha-mithampacha-sthavana-dushkruthi-nishkruthaya: |
bhavadhabhidhAsudhA bhavadhavAnalatApamusha:
Janani puna: puna: paripunanthy jaganthy RamE ||

MahA Lakshmi’s NaamAs becoming the Nishkruthi for the Dushkruthis of ours. In this slOkam, Sri VenkatAdhri Kavi states that the power of MahA Lakshmi’s nAmAs serve as a neutralizer/cleanser/’terminator’ for the ill effects arising from our misdeeds:

The key words of this slOkam are: ‘Jananee RamE! BhavadhabhidhA sudhA: puna: puna: jaganthy paripunanthy’ (Oh Mother Ramaa Devi! Your nectarine nAmAs purify the universe time and time again).

(Prose Order): Jananee RamE! Agathika dEhi dEhi vachana sthuthy du:kkha dasA kupitha mithampacha sthavana dushkruthi nidhkruthaya:, bhava dhavAnala tApamusha:,bhavadhabhidhAsudhA: puna: puna: jaganthy paripunanthy.

Comments:

1. agathika dEhi dEhi vachana sthuthi du:kkha dasA kupitha mithampacha sthavana dushkruthy nishkruthaya: (tava nAmA:):

What are the misdeeds (dushkruthi:) committed by the helpless (agathika janam), suffering and desperate sentients? They arrive at the front door of the immature, arrogant and self-satisfied rich in a state of desperation to overcome their poverty and clamor for handouts; to please these intemperate and insignificant ‘rich’, these janams eulogize them through asatya vaak (untrue words) and athivAdham. During this process, they lose their dignity. The rich feel pressed and get angry at these repeated requests from these pestering janams to give and shout at these assembled people and scream at them to get out. This is the humiliating and self-inflicted dushkruthi of the people. When such errant people recite your nAmAs, they get cleansed of the ill effects of praising the worthless and begging presents from them. The recitation of Your sacred names is like the performance of a PrAyascchittham (nishkruthaya:) to cleanse them of these foul deeds (Dushkruthi).

2. bhava-dhavAnala tApamusha: (Tava nAMA:): For these suffering and erring people, the recitation of Your sacred nAmAs are antidotes against the afflictions caused by the wild fire of SamsAram.

3. bahavadhabhidhA-sudhA: puna: puna: jaganthy paripunanthy:

Oh Mother! Your nAmAs purify and rejuvenate the suffering errants again and again.They cleanse them from their misdeeds and shower them with Your anugraham. That grace of yours and the power of your nAmAs nullify their samsAric sufferings.

4. Dushkruthi nishkruthaya: This word group has two meanings:

(1) PrAyachittams for one’s Paapams

(2) That which keep one away from engagement in misdeeds.

According to the second meaning, the recitations of your sacred Nama save the helpless ones from begging at the houses of the rich and praising the unqualified etc. Your nAma sankeerthanam will chase away the mental & physical poverty and elevate the chEtanams to an uniquely wealthy status.

5. What are the things people beg the rich for?

(1) To help overcome their poverty, they seek money

(2) The one without courage asks a strong person to protect him,

(3) The unintelligent ones approach a clever person for counsel,

(4) The politician seeking power asks for the vote of the citizen.

These are all different kinds of begging by the deluded (agathika dEhi dEhi vyApArams).

For those, who recite the nAmAs of Lakshmi, these situations of demeaning themselves through sthuthi of alpa janams will not arise. They do not need to bend before these haughty rich and expose themselves to their anger. MahA Lakshmi Herself will grant all anugrahams and eliminate the need for begging at the doors of these half-baked ones (mithampacha:).These are the thoughts conveyed by the first half of this slOkam.

6. Why are Her nAmAs nectar like and quench SamsAric tApams?

The question may arise as to why the poet repeats what he said earlier about MahA Lakshmi’s names rejuvenating like nectar and quenching the heat of SamsAram.

The answer is: There are things like sandal wood paste that cool one but do not remove one’s sins. Same thing with the dust from the hoof of the cow that purify us but do not remove our samsAric tApams. Acts like theertha yAthrai destroy one’s sins but are not delectable like the nectar. The sweet stuff like sugar are delectable to taste but do not purify us. There are only a few tatthvams that are delectable like nectar and at the same time purify one. The nAmAs of Yours (MahA Laskshmi) is one such rare entity combining the two tatthvams (Cleansing & delectable) that are not usually found together.

7. DEhi dEhi: the first dEhi means the embodied living person. The second dEhi means please give (a kriyA padham). The helpless human begs the rich for this and that.

8. Abundant PrAsams: In this slOkam as in the others, we come across a rich set of delectable PrAsams: dhushkruthi-nishkruthi, bhidhA-sudhA, puna: puna: punanthy, bhavatha: bhavatha: et al.

***

NINETEENTH SLOKAM

Sruthi-paNithi-sTithi-smruthi-purANatathi-SravaNE
Bhagavathy mAdhrusAm jagathy na prathibhAthi gathi: |
tadhapi Tava Thvadheeya -dayithasya cha nAma japa:
Bhavathi Kalou yugE jaDa-dhiyAmapi kAmadhugA ||

In this the Kavi states that even mandha Mathis (dull-witted ones) are qualified to recite MahA Lakshmi’s nAmAs and derive benefits and MangaLams there from.

The key words of this slOkam are: ‘Bhagavathy! MaadhruSAm jaDa-dhiyAmapi Tava Thvadheeya-dhayitasya nAma japa: kalou yugE kaamadhugA bhavathy’

Meaning:

Oh Divine One! In this Kali yugam, even for dull-witted ones like us, the recitation of your and Your Lord’s names is like the Kaama dhEnu cow that grants all desired wishes. There are no other ways for chEtanams like us in this world (MaadhruSAm jaDa dhiyO: Anya gathi: na prathibhAthy) except to recite Your nAma sahasrams.

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The First Two Paadhams of this slOkam

Oh Bhagavathy! For dullards like us, there are no means for upliftment (Moksham) through listening to the wisdom housed in Smruthis and PurANams; equally, there is no hope in using the route of Veda vichAram for our salvation. Our escape route is only the Japam of the nAmAs of Yours and Your Lord’s.

The reasons for the unsuitability of listening to the Veda-smruthi-purANams for the Jada Mathis are described under four categories:

1) There are a huge number of Vedams, Smruthis and PurANams. Their sheer number can stagger even a brilliant scholar. If that were to be so, you can imagine our problems as the dull witted ones in tackling them for our salvation. Veda VichAram and VedAntha tatthva vichAram (inquiry) is beyond our limited intellect. When we attempt such inquiries we are easily confused about the true meanings and the passages look contradictory (Samsaya-viparyayangaL).

We do not have the analytical skills to establish which paksham (side of the argument) is correct (PrAbhalyam) and which side is weak (dhourbhalyam). Things are much over our heads.Therefore we resort to the easier way (viz). Your nAma sankeerthanam.

2) When we listen to the various stories in the different PurANams, we are very discouraged. The aparAdhams of SisupAlan in insulting BhagavAn, RaavaNA’s dhushkruthyams in stealing SithA PirAtti, HiraNyakasipu’s daring challenge to the Lord remind us of our much deficience like BhagavathBhAgavatha apachArams and make us realize that the PurANa paDanam (reading) route is not the appropriate route for us. Therefore, we resort to the recitation of your naamAs as a sure cure for the samsAric illness.

3) Gathi here is Sathgathi or Srivaikuntam (parama Padham). It can not be gained by recitation of the Vedams, studying Saasthrams or by superior intellect. These are not the recommedned routes. It has to be understood that Sathgathi is attainable even by dull-witted ones. Delighting the Lord through the sankeerthanam of His consort’s nAmAs is the sure route to gain this siddhi. Vedam, Smruthi and PurANam remind us of this fundamental truth.

4) Gathy means inclination and movement. Our leanings are not towards the study of the Vedams and Saasthrams. We are not blaming them for their deficencies. Our mind gravitates to Devi Naama Japam. They say ‘lOkO bhinna ruchi:’. People have different likes. Our ruchi is for nAma japam and not for the Vedic studies or PurANa PaDanam.

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Second Half (3rd and the 4th Paadhams) of this slOkam

‘asmAkam Tava Thvadheeya dhayithasya nAma Japa: kAmadhugA’

For us of weak intellect, the sankeeerthanam of your and Your Lord’s nAmAs is like being blessed with the divine, wish-granting Kaama dhEnu. Oh Bhagavathy! Your nAma japam is the veritable KaamadhEnu for us.Even a MahAn like Sage Vasishtar had such a Kaama dhEnu.

Additional Reasons for sathgathy through Naama Japam:

Even a Jada Mathy can perform the japam of the name ‘Janani’ and gain Sathgathy.

Naama PaarAyaNam of Her name will bless us with all unexpected fortunes (adhrushtam).

Even pEthais (pitiable ones) can gain ‘pERu’ (high stats) through japam of PerumdEvi’s Nama. Even mandha buddhis can delight from the recitation of the names of the Lotus Lady.

UNIQUENESS OF NAAMA JAPAM IN KALI YUGAM

In Kali Yugam, One can attain salvation from Naama Sankeerthanam alone just as through Tapas in Krutha yugam, Yaj~nams in thrEthA yugam, Bhagavath AarAdhanam in DhwApara yugam. This is what Kali santharaNa Upanishad teaches us.

Why does the Kavi use the long phrase of ‘Sruthi-phaNithi-sTithi-smruthi?’ instead of the shorter version of the same as ‘Sruthy-Smruthy )?

There are three reasons for this elaborate usage:

1) Vedam (Sruthy) has to be ‘mukhastham’: transmission from the AchAryan to the sishyan aurally. The svarams have to be protected this way. That is why the extended word group of ‘Sruthi-phaNithi-sTithi’ is used. This sTithi relates only to Sruthi (Vedams). In contrast, Smruthi and PurANams can be read from the books (written Texts).

2) All smruthis and PurANams do not have the status of PramANams (accepted Valid knowledge). Only those rooted in the Vedams are recognized thru the word group: ‘Sruthi phaNithi sTithi, smruthi purANatathi sravaN’.

3) It is acceptable to recite Veda Manthrams without knowing their meanings. The only inviolate rule is that the svarams of the Veda mantrams are not to be altered. This is what is indicated by the choice of the word group: ‘Sruthi phaNithi sTithi’. Such a requirement is not present in the case of Smruthis and PurANams. Word juxtaposition can not be alteered in Sruthi; In smruthi and PurANams however, word sannivEsam can be altered, while keeping the meaning in tact. These give rise to the different Paada bhEthams (variations in the Texts) in the case of Smruthis and PurANams.

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The beauty of the sentence construction with the ending of ‘thi’. In the first paadham: 5 words end with ‘thi’: Sruthi, PhaNithi, sTithi, smruthi, purANatathi’.

In the second paadham again there are 5 words ending with ‘thi’:’ Bhagavathi, Jagathi, prathi-bhAthi, and gathi’.

All these lilting sounds have a very pleasant ring to them as we recite this slOkam

***

TWENTIETH SLOKAM

manasija tAthapAdha manasa: paritushtikaram
Janani sAmAnamEva nanu sAma cha nAma cha tE |
athiSayam-AadhimAth aparamEva taTAabhyayathE
nidhanam-ubhadhravam cha na kadhAapi yatassahathE ||

In this slOkam, the great Lakshmi BhakthA states jocularly that Saama Veda Manthrams have passages known as nidhanam and upadhravam, which have the secondary meanings of struggles and destruction. This is in ParibhAshai. The poet states that MahA Lakshmi’s nAmAs unlike some of the Saama sAmans do not have Ubadhravam or Nidhanam aspects. MahA Lakshmi’s nAmAs are Sarva MangaLakaram and easy to recite for obtaining Her anugraham.

Meaning:

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