Daya Satakam

Sri Venkateswara Swamiwa Tirwaal
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Srimaan Venkata
Natharyaha
Kavi-tarkika-kesari
i
Vedaantacharyavaryo
me Sannidattaam Sada hrdi
H
May
Sri Venkatanaatha of
auspicious attributes,
who is a
mong poets
and
logicians,
and who is esteemed and revered 1
s
Vedaantacharya May
he ever reside and shine
resplende
iy
heart!
Raamanuja Dayaa
Paatram Gnaana
Vairaagya
Bhooshanai
Srimad
Venkatanaatharyam
Vande Vedaanta Desikam
Prostrations to Sri Venkatanaatha the
Great,
who is a i
eceptacle
for the
grace
of
Ramanuja,
who shines adorned
by
2dge
and
Renunciation, (or
is an ornament to
knowledge
and rent
ion)
and who is known
by
the honorific title of Vedanta Desika
(l)iBefore
studying
the
great
works of our ancient
Acharyas,
we
rst offer our obeisance to the
respective
author of each
work,
and tl
'btain his
grace,
without which the
meaning
and
significance
of the wor
.s several
parts
cannot be
properly grasped
or understood. Each A<
ias
got laudatory
and
invocatory
verses
sung
in his honour and
praise
test
disciple
or
by
one of his
followers,
and
they
are known in Tamil as T
>robably
because
they
stand
separately
from the work
proper
of the a
This aloka is
invariably
recited
by
all before
studying any
Sanskrit we
/edanta Desika.
(2)
This sloka is also a Tanian in
praise
of Sri Desika. Thii
'ariably
recited at the
beginning
of the
study
and
chanting
of the sacred
F
erses of the
Alwars,
known as the 4000
Divya Prabhandams, by
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DAYAA SATAKAM
great sanctity
to the Hill. Hence the
poet
starts the stotra with
praise
of the
Hill,
that Hill
(Tam-Girim)
which is well known ar
famous. The
utpreksha (poetical fancy)
is that the Hill is real
a form of
tfeJLorcfs
Daya,
even as
sugar
is a form of
sugarcai
juice.
*
Sarka|a
'
means
sugar.
It also means stones or
pebble
3
I!
00
Vigahe
teertha hahulam Seetalam
guru
santatim
\
Sreenivasa
dmyuambedheh
Pareemaha
Parampamam
"
(
I bathe in the cool and
refreshing streams,
full of
water,
whi<
flow in
uninterrupted continuity
ftom that
great
reservoir which
the
storage
of Sreenivasai's
Mercy,
the streams constituted
by
tl
heirarchy
of
acharyas,
In whe
shape
the Lord's
grace
flows fro
that
reservoic
The author
pays
his
respects
to the earlier
Acharyas,
Eve]
good
act must be done
guru-vandana-poorvakam, preceded
t
paying homage
to the
guru
or
Acharya.
"Teertha"
signifi
waterand sflso an
Acharya ofrepute (vide
teerthapaada,
teerthankar
It is a
guru
santaM or
heirarchy.
It is
*
seetalaam'-
cool,-
calculated to
destroy
our
tapa
or heat. The
acharyas
are hei
enjoyed
as the overflow channels-
carrying
the
surplus
water whic
is the
Daya
of the Lord. It is much easier and safer to bathe i
the waters of
running
streams than to bathe in a
deep
and
larj
lake or reservoir. The
suggestion
in this sloka is that
acharyj
are
gracious personages bringing
the Lord's
Mercy
unto us,
Kxitmah Kamalaaxasa
Karunym-kantinobhaje
\
Datte
y&t
.Saoktiiooj
ma Trimdi Sarva
Jagyatam
"
(;
I
worship
those
great
and blessed
persons
who
solely rely
c
the
Mercy
of Lord
Sreenivasa to the exclusion of
everything
else-
those
great persons
who rendered the ancient Vedas accessible i
one and all
by
their own works
(Prabhandanu)
TheAlwarsare
jefarced.to in this sloka.
They
were the first 1
postulate
the
potency
of Divine
Mercy
to which alone
theylooke
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DAYAA SATAKAM
up, rejecting
all other forms atid aids
prescribed
for God-realisal
Their
great
service to
humanity
lies in their
rendering
the mean
of the Vedas into the Tamil
language
and
thereby making
"V
knowledge
the most relevant
portion
of it available to one
all, irrespective
of the
caste,
creed or "sex differences which
go
and
regulate
the
study
of those Vedas. The exclusiveness of "V
truths was done
away
with
by
their Tamil works
capable
oft
studied
by every
one male or
female,
Brahmin or Non-Brah
Kamalaavasa
signifies
Sreenivasa and also a lotus tank. The Al
have
sung
of the Lord as a Lotus Tank
{ftinze&sr
&&r <ay
flL-ti)
:
Qufrjf)(ffi-rey>3& &ILJU),
So when Desika thinks of
Alwars their reference to the Lord as a Lotus Tank com^s tc
mind, (vid
s
e sloka 43 of
Daya
Satakas
post).
And that is in
the Lord**s
peculiar
name in this
place,
Sree-nivasa. Kama!
another name for Lakshmi.
Paraasam mukhan vande
Bhageerata naye
stitaan
Kamalaakanta
Kaarunya Gangaaplavita
mdd-vidaan
n
To the
great
Rishis like
Parasara,
I offer
my
salutations.
because of their
indefatigable attempts,
even like
Bhageerata's, p
like me
get
drenched
(wet)
with the
Mercy
of the Consort of Ka
(Lakshmi),
The Maharishis of
yore,
the
great
and earliest Seers oi
Holy land,
are next
thought
of with
gratitude.
Paraasara o
them has been
specially
mentioned as the most
outstanding
am
them,
as he is the author of Sri Vishnu Purana in which Ihe va
divine deeds of the Lord
replete
with
Mercy
have been elabo:
dealt with.
Sage
Valmiki finds
special
mention at the end o
stotra,
in the 103rd sloka.
Bhageeratha
is well known for his steadfast and unda
tapas by
the force and
efficacy
of which he
brought
'the s
Gangaa
to this earth. So too
by unswerving
invocations
Dhyaana
or
contemplation
the Rishis have succeeded in m
the Lord's
compassion
available even to us who are as
spiritually
as the
forefathers, sixty
thousand in
number,
of B
rata. In the
plenitude
of our
gratitude
therefore we ha
remember those
great
Rishis.
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6 DAYAA SATAKAM
entire world is more often than not seized with a
feeJing
of
angi
at the tran
secessions
which we mortals in our
ignorance
are vei
often
guilty
of. This
anger
is a serious obstacle to the flow ofmere
It is the function of Bhoodevi to remove this obstacle
by
Ksham
(forgiveness),
which makes the Lord
put up
with all our sins an
thereby helps
us to obtain His
mercy.
It is this
quality
of Ksham*
wMqh Bhoodevi stands for and
symbolises,
and inculcates in th
Lord. So She is
pictured
here as the remover of the obstacles i
the
way
of the flow of
Daya.
It was the function of Vishwaksen
to remove the obstacles in the
way
of our
seeking
God and
approach
ing
Him in all
humility
for
help.
When we
go
there we are assure*
by
Lakshmi of His
grace
or
Krpa
which She stands for. Th
possibility
of
any
barrier in the
way
of that
grace reaching
us i
removed
by
Blloodevi. Viswa-dhaarini means the
supporter
o
all
(everything).
It also indicates one who
patiently
suffers aiac
puts up
with
everything
Sarvam-Suha. That is Bhoodevi.
Nimamayaffhu
maam Neela Yat
bhogapatalayr-dhruvam
\
Bhavitam
Sremivaasasya
Bhakta dosheshu-adarsanam,
(&)
May
Neela Devi turn her
glances
on me* It is
only by
virtue
of the screen she
draws,
m it
were,
in front of Lord Sreenivasa
by
her amorous
endearments,
that that Lord
pretends
not to see the
errors
(faults
and
sins)
of His devotees-
The Vaishnavites associate three chief Devis as the Consorts
of the Lord. Lakshmi and Bhoodevi
among
them are well known.
Neela
Devi, however,
is not so well
known, except
to
very
close
students of Sri Vaishnava
Sampradaya.
When the Lord came
down" to this earth as Lord Sri
Krishna,
Lakshmi took the form
of
Rukmini,
Neela took the form of
Satyabhama.
In
Tamil,
Neela is known as
Nappinnai (Vide
18th Verse of
Tiruppavai).
She is the same as
Satyabhama
of the Srimad
Bhagavatha.
The
part
Neela
plays
in
coming
to the
help
of the seekers after the
Lord's
grace
is
very nicely put
in this sloka
by
the author of this
Stotra. The Lord's fondness towards her makes Him blind to
the-sios of His votaries. The
analogy
used is from
Vaidya
Sastra.
Fatalaa is what is now known as cataract in the
eye.
Those who
are
given
to sexual
excesses^
it is believed in
Ayurveda, get
cataract.
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DAYAA SATAKAM
Asesha
Vignasamanam
Aneekeswaram
aasraye
i
Srfmatah Karunaambodhau Siksha srota ivoththitam
(f
I seek shelter under the Commander-in-chief of the armie
(of
the
Lord)
who is also the
destroyer
of all obstacles. He is lik<
a stream of instruction
spurting
out from the vast reservoir that i:
the
Mercy
of Sreeman
(Lord
of
Lakshmi).
'In the
spiritual heirarchy
of the Vaishnavites. Vishvaksenas
who is the Commander-in-Chief in Vaikunta of the forces of the
Lord is a
Nitya
or
eternal,
even like Garuda and Ananta. But
unlike them he has a
place
in the
Guruparampara
or line of
ach'aryas
next
only
to that of Lakshmi who in turn is next to that Primordial
Teacher,
Sriman
Narayana.
So in this sloka Desika
pays
his
respects
to him and in
doing
so refers
very nicely
to the threefold
greatness
that is Vishvaksenaa's. First he is the
queller
of all obs-
tacles in the
path
of an
aspirant.
Next he is the chief of the Divine
army.
And
lastly
he is the
originator
as it were of instruction or
teaching.
The
imparting
of
knowledge
to another is called siksha.
That term has
acquired
a
secondary meaning
of
*
punishment
*
which is
intimately
associated with that term now. Even the
secondary meaning
is in Desika's mind. For not
only
is Vishva-
ksena the foremost of teachers but he is also a
pedagogue
with a
birch or cane in his hand. It is called
*
vetra
'
and
symbolises
punishment
or chastisement.
The
imparting
of
knowledge
is an
aspect
of
Daya
or God's
Mercy.
That has been
very beautifully
indicated here
by suggest-
ing
that the stream of siksha
(teaching)
takes its
origin
from
the
big
lake of
Daya.
The Smarthas and Saivites look
up
to
Vighneswara
for re-
moving
obstacles in the
path
of the observance of
righteous
and
religious
ceremonies.
Vighneswara will,
taken
strictly,
mean the
Lord of obstacles. It is
only by
inference thdt it must be
taken that he is one who
protects
us from obstacles
by removing
them. Desika can be seen to refer here to Vishvaksena as
being
Vigna-samana.
At the same time his Eeswaratvam is also
there.
He is Aneekeswara.
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Samasta Jananeem Vande

Chaitanya stanya daayineem
i
Sreyaseem Sreenivasasya
Kaninam Iva
Roopineem (6)
I bow before the Mother of
all,
who feeds
every
one with the
: of
knowledge,
who is the bestower of
greatness
and who is the
odiment,
as it
were,
of Lord Sreenivasa's
mercy,
After
paying
obeisance to Sri
Vishvaksena,
the
poet
in this
a
pays
Ms
respects
to Sri Mahalakshrai. She is referred to
le Mother of all. Just as the
ordinary
mother feeds her babes
her breast
milk,
Lakshmi the Divine Consort of the Lord
s
everyone
with the milk of
knowledge. Stanya
means breast
:. Here it is in the form of
chaitanya
or
knowledge.
The
I
Sreenivaasasya
in the third
pada
has been
very cleverly
;d so as to be taken
along
with the
previous
word and also
the
succeeding
words. She is
Sreyaseem Sreenivasasya,
ling thereby
the cause for His
superiority
and excellence. She
Iso
Sreenivasasya
karunamiva
roopinee
the embodiment of
VIercy
of Srinivasa. This idea of Lakshmi
being
the
"
roopi*
9
or the alter
ego
of karuna or
compassion
is a
topic very
fre-
tly
dealt with in the course of this stotra.
Vande
Vrishigireesasya
Mahisheem Vlsvadharineem
Tat
Krpa pratighaatanaam Kshamayaa
Vaaranam
Yayaa (7)
[
prostrate
before Mother Earth
(Bhoomi .Devi)
who is the
Drt of the Lord of
Vrishagiri (another
name for
VenkatachaJa)
by
Her trait of
forgiveness
removes all obstacles to the flow
is
grace*
n this sloka the author
pays
his
respects
to the Consort of
Srinivasa who
occupies
a seat on His left
just
as Maha-
mi
occupies
a seat on His
right.
The
Ubhayanachiars (Nan-
/)
on either side of Sri
Malayappa
Swami on the Hills are
evi on His
right
and Bhoodevi on His left. Lakshmi
symbo-
Vlercy
and it is in that
aspect
the
poet paid
his
respects
to Her
>
previous
sloka. The Lord who is also the
law-giver
for the
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Dt&YAA
To a man
afflicted
by
cataract in the
eye,
vision
gets
affected and
he is not able to see well. This is said to
happen
in the ease of the
Lord here. The adarsanatvam
(non-seeing)
in
regard
to the faults
of Bhaktas is attributed to the Patala or screen caused-
by
Neela's
bhoga
or
endearing enjoyments
That
f
the
poet
is here
referring
to, a
great
truth in
very ordinary language
will "be clear from the
use of the word Bhaavitam. It is
only
a.
pretence.
It is nor a
constitutional defect: :or affliction but it is a
pot-on
state-of-affairs.
One is reminded of the name
Avignata
#%rar in the Sahasra-
nama
given
to the Lord
by
that Grand, Old
Sire,
Bheeshmaa.
Avignata literally
means one who does not know.
Thisds the
only
sloka of the 108 slokas of the
Datya
-.Sataka
inrwtth there is no mention of
Daya.
In:allth& other 107' slokas.
invariably Daya
finds: a
:placey
-7-meiitioiied intsome
places
a&
Daya,
[another,
places
as
Karwna,
Krpa
ioc
Aaukampa.
Thissisa
very
native
iway*
of
suggesting
that there is, -need OBI our
part
to invoke
thfr Lord's
grace only
because .of ow sins
bmmg
taken note
of
by
the Lord.
Kamapyanavadhim
Vande Karunaa
Varunaalayam
\
Vrishasaila-tatastaanaam
Sway
am
Vyaktimupaagatam.
(9)
I adore that indescribable and limitless ocean of
Mercy (Lord
3reeniasa)
which is
self-revelatory
to those wlro
(taeke their)
stand
>n
(the
shore known
as)
VrishasaMa
(i.e
After
paying
his
respects
to the
Hill,
the
Acharyas,
the
Alwars,
;he
Maharishis,
to
Vishwaksena,
Mahalakshmi Bhoodevi and
Meela Devi
respectively,
the
poet
now offers his Vandana or
worship
;o Lord .Srinivasa
Himself,
as. a
prelude
-to
praising Daya
from
Jie.next sloka. This
(ninth)
sloka is the
only
sloka. in
praise
of
;he .Lord Himself. His name occurs in
every
sloka of this, stotra
3ut not in this which describes Him
,only
as an .ocean of
mercy.
The two^viseshanas
(adjectives)
used, here are
Kamapi
and.Annva-
Ikim.* The first indicates His
greatness.
-that is
beyond,
wools.,
The second, refers to ffi&
immeasurability.
Auadhi, is
boundary
wr limit and is used both in;
regard
to
space
and, time-:
ucare, therefore indicates, oae.w! is :,uialdmited
by
.
space
.
2
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8
BAYAA SATAKAM
In the second half of the sloka reference is made to this Lord
Tirumala as a
Swayam-vyakta (self-revealed).
There are sev
forms of archas or idols. The most
important among
them
Swayam Vyakta
where the Lord of His own will takes a forn
unlike other cases where in
response
to
prayers
or
requests
fr
Siddhas,
Devas or men He
graciously
descends into an arc
form,
referred to as
Saiddha, Daiva,
and
Maanusha, respective
That Tirumala is a
Swayam-Vyakta-stala
is well known and seve:
Purarias
speak
^bout
it.
The word
*
Tatasta
*
means" one who takes his stand on
and also
"
one who stands on the shore." The
suggestion
in t
latter
meaning
is that the ocean is fathomable
only by
those wl
do not
attempt
to
get
into it. The
Upanishadic saying
'
Vignaata
Avijaanataarn
'
is
brought
to our minds
by
this
suggestion.
He w.
not reveal Himself to those who think
they
can
by
their effor
fathom His
greatness.
But to those who
stay
on the shore in tt
feeling
that He is
unfathomable,
He shows himself. Of coun
to those who
go
to Tirumala He is there
revealing
Himself to thei
of His own accord
(Swayam).
Akinchana Nidhim Sootim
Apavargatrivargayoho
\
Anjanaadreeswara Dayaam
Abishtowmi
Nimnjanazm, (10^
I
praise
the
Daya (or Grace)
of
Anjanaadreeswara (the
Lord ol
the
Anjana Hill)
who is the treasure
(stored up
wealth)
for
helpless
and
hapless persons,
and who is the bestower of Moksha as well
as
Dhanna,
Artfaa and
Kama,
and whs is free from all fault or
blemish.
From this sloka the
praise
of
Daya
Devi
regularly
starts. This
is also indicated
by
the
Kriyaa-pada (predicate)
used here Abhi-
stowmi. The
poet's pratigna (STÎT)
or determination is to
praise,
adequately
and
well, Daya
Devi, She is referred to as the
Daya
of
Anjanaadreeswara. Anjanaadri
is one of the several names of
Vengadam.
The Puranas have it that
Anjana
Devi
(mother
of
Aanjaneya) performed penance
on this Hill for
getting
a son and
hence the Hill is known as
Anjanaadri.
. The Lord of the Hill is
Anjanaadreeswara.
His
Daya
is the
subject
of
praise
in this Stotra.
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Lnree
aspects
or
uaya
are
pointedly
reterrea to in mis sioKa.
irst is that She is the sole
help
and succour for all those who
lelpless.
The
beginning
words are Akinchana Nidhim. Kin-
i denotes
something,
a
very
small minute and
insignificant
thing.
Akinchana means one not
possessing
even that
trifling
thing.
That is to
say
one who is
absolutely
bereft of
everything.
? denotes a vast treasure or stored
up
wealth
lying
buried in
arth or otherwise hidden from view. The first and fore-
quality
of
Daya
is that she is the
refuge
for the
helpless.
The second attribute referred to here is that
Daya
is the besto-
)f
Apavarga
or
Moksha,
and not
only that,
but also the three
purushaarthas Dharma,
Artha and
Kaama, compendiously
ed to as
Trivarga. Though
in the normal order
of
enume-
i of the four
purmhaarthas,
Moksha comes
last,
here
among
,'s
gifts
it is mentioned first.
Daya
wants to confer on us all
sha or release from Samsara and residence in the Celestial
le of Bliss. But our desire for moksha is not there and
esire the other three
purusharthas only.
Even those three
onfers on us
though
not so
gladly
and
willingly.
In the
eighth
I,
especially
in the 75th
sloka,
of this
stotra,
the
poet
will be
ing
to us how
Daya
utilises the several
gifts
in Her
power
its to confer on us
everlasting
bliss.
The last trait referred to is
Daya's
blemishlessness. The word
ana
'
means
collyrium (the
black
paste
that is
applied
to the
by
females
especially)
and also fault or blemish. The rasokti
is that while she is the Consort of
Anjanaadreeswara
she has
-. bit of
anjana
herself. The
great
truth
brought
out
by
this
ing
sabda-virodha
(apparent
contradiction in
words)
is that
if the Lord cannot be said to be faultless.
Daya
Devi is indeed
;ly
faultless. He is a law-
giver
and as such cannot be
expected
to
ly put up
with those who
transgress
thq
law.
To us
erring
mortals
s a flaw in Him. It is
only
the
attribute
of
Mercy
in Him
that
Him and saves us. This
aspect
is elaborated in the later
sloka$.
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BAYAA
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"SECOND
DECAD.
Introduction.
FROM
the llth slbka to the
20th,
the metre
employed
is wha
Is
!
known as Geetl.
This,
like the well known
Aarya,
is i
metre
regulated
not
by syllables
or
aksharaas,
but
by
maatraa
or
syllabic
instants. *A
change
of the metre for
every
ten sloka
studiedly employed
by
a
poet
is an indication
to the readers
tha
8
there is a
change
of
topic
with
every change
of metre.
For th<
ten decads of this Stotra
proper,
the ten
topics
of
Dramidopamshat
(Nammalwar's
Tiruvoimozhi)
as summarised
by
Desika himsel:
in his
Dramidopanishad*
Saaram and
"
Dramidopanishad
Taatparyc
Ratnaavali have been
adopted
as the
topics.
Accordingly
"
Sevac
Yogyatwam
"*
was- the
topic
of the first decad. Sevaa
Yogyatwan
means
*
worship-worthiness.'
God is Sevaa
Yogya
because He has
T%iimaiai as His,
abode,
-because' He is
sought
after
by Acharyas,
Alwars , and
^Maharishis,
because He is served
by
Vishvaksena,
andsunroundî
by
Sri
Devi; Bhoodevi,
.and Neela
Devi,
and became
He is himself; an ocean of
grace, mercy
r
compassion
and
sympathy
towards* all.
The
topic
of
;
the second decad is
"
ati-bhogyatwa
"
or the
exceedingly enjoyable quality
of God. The -slokas of this êcad
while
^dealing
with the-
greatness
of
Daya,
eadi in its own
way,
are
cBIlectively
calculated to
emphasise
how God is sweet arid
enjoyable
to His 'devotees. Praise of
Bayaa^
a
quality
of God
-ib
really praise
of the
Dayaa-van'^?rqF^the
i
possessor
bf
Daya.
|
(??)
Anuchara
Saktyaadi gunaam Agresara
bodha virachitaa-lokaam
i
Swaadheena
Vrishagireesam
Swayamprabhootaam Pramaanayaami
Dayaam
"
(1 1)
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L swear
Dy uaya,
wtio lias snaioi ana outer attnmues
(p
|,
as her retinue
(followers),
who has her
path lighted (illnmin
liana
going ahead,
who wields foil
sway
owr
Vrishagi
I
SrMvasa),
and who is
by
herself immense and immeasm
No .sooner than the Poet said that he was
going
to
praise
3
,
we find
Dayadevi
herself
sallying
forth.
This sloka describes
Dayadevi
as
starting
out in all
sponse,
as it
were,
to the
poet's
desire to
praise
her,
expr
e
previous
verse. Even before one full sloka is uttered i]
e,
she descends and condescends to show herself. Her sank
isy accessibility
is
apparent
from this.
Those who have seen
processions
of the Lords in Tei
lave noticed how
;
the Lord is
preceded
by
several
paraphei
followed
by
others. Here the
poet
describes Gnana as
prec
i and the other
attributes,
Shakti,
Bala
etc.,
as
following
Six attributes or
gunas
are
usually
associated with the
agavan." They
are
gnana,
bala, aisvarya, veerya,
shakt
, Out of them Desika
speaks
of
gnana
as
going
before 1
the other five as
following
in her wake. As is the case
'prekshas (poetical
fancies)
of
Desika,
a
very gneat
truth und
poetic description
of
Dayadevi's procession.
*Kno\\
:
g^W
front and indicate where
Daya
is to function,
tioning, Daya
is backed
up by
the otter five attributes wi
;e
support
the
protection
afforded
by Daya
will not be con
fective. So
they
are described as anucharaas or followers
Daya
is itself, an attribute of the Lord. Ao we shall see,
ka,
postulates
the
supremacy
of
Daya
over all His other r
attributes. In this
sloka,
the chief six attributes
(ishad-g
hown as
helping Daya
in her mission of
bringing
relief,
re
redemption,
to
suffering
humanity.
'
Aaloka
'
means
light, lustre, brightness.
Here that: b
is
brought,
about
by gnana
which is described as
going
in
)aya.
When
great personages
walk in
public,
an atte;
ing
a torch or a
lamp
shows the
way
in
front,
often als
lifLg,
", This
way,'
'This
way.'
By .referring
to
Daya
as
"
Svaad/wena-wiskygireesaa
'
shows to, us how
completely
Lord Srinivasa is under E
r
or control. Her
purpose
is so noble and is so much
Lord's, own heart that
He,
so to.
say,
surrenders
Himself
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12
BAYAA
SATAKAM
her. The manner and the measure in which He does
so is tl
theme of several later slokao. This surrender is born not out
fear or
subordination,
but out of a
spirit
of
harmony (Aikaras:
^Rf?
in
regard
to the
object
in view.
Lest one should think that the
greatness
of
Daya
is entire
due to her
being
the consort of the
Lord,
the
poet
adds,
"
svaya
prabhootam" conveying
to us
thereby
that
by
herself she is immen
and
supreme.
The word
*
pramaanayaami
'
in this sloka is not
easy
to unde
stand. Pramana is
authority
and hence
validity.
The
poet
eviden
ly
intends to establish the
validity
of
Daya.
This term has als
been taken to mean a
*
measure.' In that view we have to take
that Desika
says
that in
singing
this Stotra in her
praise
he is real]
attempting
to measure the immeasurable. Another
meaning,
permissible,
will also be
very apt.
Till Desika wrote the
Daya*
sataka there was no textual
authority postulating
the
supremac
of
Daya.
It
may
not be an
exaggerated
claim to make that
ft;
the
prameya (object
of
knowledge)
of
Daya, Daya
Sataka is th
pramaana, (authority).
Apt
nikhila loka
sucharitamushtindhaya
durita
moorchanaajushtar
Sanjeevayati daye
maam
anjanagirinaatha
ranjanee
bhavatee.
(12
Daya
Devi!
Acting
in a manner
very
pleasing
to the Lord o
Anjanagiri (Lord
Srinivasa), 5
, i-evive and
restore me to life from
state of
stupor
into which I was
plunged by my
sins which are
powerfi]
enough
to devour at one
gulp
all the
virtuous deeds of the entire world
From this sloka
onwards the Poet
addresses
Daya
and all th
slokas are
couched in the
second
person.
Desika in this slok;
says
with a
great
sense of
thankfulness that while he had
swoonec
away
under the vast load of hu
sins, Daya
took
pity
on him an<
restored him to
consciousness. To the
devout,
living
in sin wit!
no
thought
for
God,
is
death. From that state
Daya
redeem
human souls.
Most
modestly,
Desika refers to
himself as one such
so
redeemed and
restored to life.
Sanjeevanam
means
giving
life
The
heavy
load of sin
smothers one's own
existence and
brings
abou
a state akin to death.
Just as some
famous
oshadhis
(herbs)brin|
back to life those who are
almost
dead,
Daya
revives us.
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DAYAA SATAKAM
The sins committed
by
us must be felt
by
us to be
big
en<
to
devour,
or to use a
slightly
different
metaphor,
consume,
al
rood
deeds done
by
all else
throughout
the whole world. Mus
ihaya signifies sipping
from one's own fist or
palm
and swallo
in one
gulp,
as
Sage Agasthya
did with the seven seas. Our
are so vast that
they
can devour and reduce to
nothing
all
sukrita
(good
deeds)
and all the sucharita
(good conduct)
o
whole world taken
together. They
reduce us to a state ak:
death,
and
yet
from that state of moorchana or
stupor,
w
revived
by Daya.
There is a
paata
TO or
reading
for this sloka in which
sanj
yatu
takee the
place
of
sanjeevayatf.
In that
paata
the me<
is
'
May Daya
revive me.
1
Daya
is referred to in this sloka as
anjanagirinaatha
ran
which means one who
delights Anjanagirinaatha
(Srinivasa
may
be that
it is because she is so dear to the Lord that she is
to infuse life into our dead and dormant selves. Or it
may
be
she is so
very
dear to the Lord because she
gives
us life.
This sloka is
regarded
as a
great
Mantra.
Acharyas
prescribed
its
'
aavritti
'
(repetition)
to their
disciples
as a
pai
for several ills that beset the latter in their
progress,
mater:
spiritual.
Bhagavati Day
el
bhavatyaa Vrishagirinaathe samaaplute
ti
Apratighamajjanaanaam
hastaalambo
madaaghasaam mrigyaha,
Glorious
Dayadevi!
When even the
high
and
lofty
Lord of V]
giri
floats in the flood caused
by you, my
sins which
inescapafo)
drowned will have to seek in vain for a
helping
hand to come to
rescue
(and
lift them
up).
While in the
preceding
sloka the Poet dealt with his h
been rescued and
revived,
in this he talks about the subme
(and consequent extinction)
of Irs sins.
Daya
is likened to a j
an
analogy
in which the
poet
revels often in the course of this S
It is such a
big
and
huge
flood that it
sweeps
even the
high-p
Lord off His feet. This sloka shows that the re-vivificationbr<
about
by Daya
as mentioned in the
previous
sloka is the effc
the extinction of our sins.
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DAYAA SATAKAM
^SECOND DEGAD.
Introduction.
FROM
20th,
the metre
employed
is wh
is known as Geetl
This,
like the well known
Aarya,
is
metre
regulated
not
by syllables
or
aksharaas,
but
by
maatra
or
syllabic
instants. A
change
of the metre for
every
ten slok
studiedly employed by
a
poet
is an indication to the readers th
there is a
change
of
topic
with
every change
of metre. For
f
t]
ten decads of this Stotra
proper,
the ten
topics
of
Dramidopanish
(Nammalwar's Tiruvoimozhi)
as summarised
by
Desika himse
in his
Dramidopamshad*
Saaram and
*
Dramidopanishdd
Taatpar^
Ratnaavali have been
adopted
as the
topics. Accordingly
"
Sevc
Yogyatwam
was the
topic
Yogyatwa
means
*
-God is Sevaa
Yogya
because He hi
T^mmalai as Hk
abode,
'because' He is
sought
after
by Acharya
Alwars and
^Mahajishis,
/became He is serwd
by
Vishvak&en;
aiiid sumoiinded
by
Sri
Devi, Bhoddevi,
and Neela
Devi,
and becaut
He is himself an ocean of
grace, mercy,, compassion
and
sympath
itowatds, all.
The
topic
of
f
the second decad is
*'
ati-bhogyatwa
"
or tt
exceedingly enjoyable quality
t>f God. The slokas of this deca
while
dealing
with the*
greatness
of
Daya,
each in its own
wa]
are
effectively
calculated to
emphasise
how God is sweet aii
-ejajoyiable
to His^
:
devotees. Praise of
Dayaa
a
quality
of God-
*is
really praise
6f the
Dayaa-van*^?fqF^the possessor
6f
Daya.
I
(??)
Anuchara
Saktyaadi gunaam Agresara
bodha virachitaa-lokaam
Swaadheena
Vrishagireesam Swayamprabhootaam Pramaanayaam
Dayaam
"
(11
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AYAA>
SATAKAM
I swear
by Daya,
who has Shakti and other
attributes
(c
Lord)
as her retinue
(followers),
who has her
path lighted (Hlurnk
by
43ana
going ahead,
who
wields Ml
sway
orar
Vrishagi
(Lord Srinivasa),
and who is
by
herself immense and immeasu]
going
to
praise
.;
Devi,
we find
Dayadevi
herself
sallying
forth.
Dayadevi
as
starting
out in all
in
response,
as it
were,
to the
poet's
desire to
praise her,
expr
in ithe
previous
verse. Even before one full sloka is uttered i
-praise,
she descends and condescends to show herself. Her muk
or
easy accessibility
is
apparent
from this.
Those who have seen
processions
of the Lords in Tea
will have noticed how the Lord is
preceded by
several
paraphei
and followed
by
others. Here the
poet
describes Gnana as
prec
Daya
and the other
attributes, Shakti,
Bala
etc.,
as
following
Six attributes or
gunas
are
usually
associated with the
"
Bhagavan." They
are
gnana,
bala,
aisvarya, veerya,
shakt
tejas.
Out of them Desika
speaks
of
gnana
as
going
before ]
and the other five as
following
in her wake. As is the case
all
w/^reA:^/z^(pOEtbalfani:ies)*of
Desika,
a
very great
truth und
this
poetic description
of
"Dayadevf
s
, procession.
Know
must
gonitf
front
1
and indicate where
Daya
is to function,
functioning, Daya
is backed
up by
the other five attributes wi
whose
support
the
protection
afforded
by Daya
will not be con
or effective. So
they
are described as anucharaas or followers
Daya
is itself, an attribute of the Lord. Ao we shall see
Desika,
postulates
the
supremacy
of
Daya
over all His other.i
FOUS .attributes. In this
sloka,
(f$had-
are shown as
helping Daya
in her mission of
bringing
relief,
re
and
redemption,
to
suffering humanity.
'
Aaloka
'
means
light,
lustre, brightness.
Here that b
; ness is
brought,
about
by gnana
which is described as,
going
in
of
Daya.
When
great personages
walk in
public,
an atte
.holding
a torch or a
lamp
shows the
way
in
front,
often als
daiming,
'
This
way,'
*
This
way.'
Py
,'
onefertimg
to
Daya
as
"
Svaadkeena-wfakagmesaa
''
-poet
shows! to, us how
completely
Lord Srinivasa is under I
sway
or. control. Her,
purpose
is so noble and
is so much
the Lord's, own heart that
He,
so to
say,
surrenders
Himself
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II
DAYAA SATAKAM
''SECOND DECAD.
Introduction.
FROM
20th,
the metre
employed
is wha
is' known as'Geeti.
'This,
Jike the well known
Aarya,
is t
metre
regulated
not
by syllables
or
aksharaas,
but
by
maatraat
or
syllabic
instants. A
change
of the metre for
every
ten slokas
studiedly
employed by
a
poet
is an indication to the readers that
there is a
change
of
topic
with
every change
of metre. For the
ten decads of
this Stotra
proper,
the ten
topics
of
Dramidopanishaa
(Nammalwar
V
Tiruvoimozhi)
as summarised
by
Desika himself
in his
Dramidopanishad*
Saaram and
*
Dramidopanishad Taatparya
Ratnaav&li have
been
adopted
as the,
topics. Accordingly
"
Sevaa
Yogyutwam
was^ the
topic
Yogyatwam
means
*
God is Sevaa
Yogya
because He has
Timmalai as His
abode,
^becaase* He is
sought
after
by Acharyas,
Alwars and
^Maharishis,
because He is served
by Vishvaksena,
aadsiin-ounded
by
'Sri
Devi, Bhoddevi,
and Neela
Devi,
and because
He is
himselfaa oe&an
of
^race,
mercy,
compassion
and
sympathy
towards all.
The
topic
of the second decad is
"
ati-bhogyatwa
"
or the
exceedingly enjoyable
quality
of God. The
slokas of this decad
whMe
dealing
with the*
greatness
of
Daya,
eateh in its own
way,
are
effectively
calculated to
emphasise
how God is sweet arid
enjoyable
to- His
"devotees.
Praise of
Dayaa
a
quality
of God
is
really
praise
of the
Dayaa-van'^RT^the" possessor
Of
Daya.
^^Sl^F?^
Anmhara
Saktyaadi
gmaam
Agresam
bodha
nrachitaa-lokaam
i
bwaadheena
Vrishagireesam
Swayamprabhootaam
Pramaanayaami
Dayaam
\\
(\ 1)
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AAA SATAKAM 11
I swear-
by Daya,
who has Shakti and other attributes
(of
Hie
Lord),
as her retinae
(followers),
who
has her
path lighted (illominated)
by
Guana
going ahead,
who widds full
sway
oyer
Vrishaglreesa
(Lord Srinivasa),
and who is
by
/herself immense and iinraeaserable.
going
to
praise Daya
Devi,
we .find
Dayadevi
herself
sallying
forth.
Dayadevi
as
starting
out in all
glory
in
response,
as it
were,
to the
poet's
desire to
praise her, expressed
iitMie
previous
verse. Even before one full sloka is uttered in her
praise,
she descends and condescends to show herself. Her
saulabkya
or
easy accessibility
is
apparent
from this.
Those who have seen
processions
of the Lords in
Temples
will have noticed how the Lord is
preceded by
several
paraphernalia
and followed
by
others. Here the
poet
describes Gnana as
preceding
Daya
and the dther
attributes, Shakti,
Bala
etc.,
as
following
her.
Six attributes or
gunas
are
usually
associated with the term
"
Bhagavan." They
are
gmna, bala, aisvarya, veerya,
shakti and
tejas.
Out of them Desika
speaks
of
guana
as
going
before
Daya,
and the other five as
following
in her wake. As is the case with
all
w^re^/z^(postroal
fancies)
of
Desika,
a
very great
Irijth underlies
this
poetic description
of
"Dayadevf
s
. procession. ^Knowledge
must
gcxW
front and indicate where
Daya
is to function. In so
functioning, Daya
is backed
up by
the, other five attributes without
whose
support
the
protection
afforded
by Daya
will not be
complete
or effective. So
they
are described as anucharaas or followers.
Daya
is itself, an attribute of the Lord. Ao we shall see
later,
Desika
postulates
the
supremacy
of
Daya
over all His other nume-
rous attributes. In this
sloka,
^shad-gima!)
are shown as
helping Daya
in her mission of
bringing
relief, redress,
arid
redemption,
to
suffering humanity.
'
Aaloka
'
means
light, lustre, brightness.
Here that
bright-
ness is
brought-
about
by gnana
which is described as
going
in front
of
Daya.
When
great personages
walk in
public,
an attendant
holding
a torch or a
lamp
shows the
way
in
front,
often also ex-
daiming,
'*This
way,'
6
This
way.'
-By /inferring
to
Daya
as
"
Svaadkeena-vrishmgmema
"
the
poet
shows: to, us how
completely
Lord Srinivasa -is under
Daya's
sway
or control. Her
purpose
is so noble and is so much . after
the Lord's, own heart that
He,
so to
say,
surrenders Himself unto
D
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DAYAA SATAKAM
. The manner and the measure in
which He does
so is tt
me of several later slokao. This
surrender is
born not out <
: or
subordination,
but out of a
spirit
of
harmony (Aikaras>
'&
in
regard
to the
object
in view.
greatness
of
Daya
is entire]
to her
being
the consort of the
Lord,
the
poet
adds,
"
svayat
bhootam"
conveying
to us
thereby
that
by
herself
she is immens
.
supreme.
The word
*
pramaanayaami
}
easy
to undei
id. Pramana is
authority
and hence
validity.
The
poet
evident
ntends to establish the
validity
of
Daya.
This term has als<
a taken to mean a
*
measure.' In that
view we have to take i
; Desika
says
that in
singing
this Stotra in her
praise
he is
reall;
mpting
to measure the
immeasurable.
Another
meaning,
i
nissible,
will also be
very apt.
Till
Desika wrote the
Dayaa
ka there was no textual
authority
postulating
the
supremacy
)aya.
It
may
not be an
exaggerated
claim to make that
fp(
prameya (object
of
knowledge)
of
Daya,
Daya
Sataka is th<
naana,
(authority).
nikhila loka
durita
moorchanaajushtam
'eevayati daye
maam
anjanagirinaatha
ranjanee
bhavatee.
(12]
Daya
Devi!
Acting
in a
manner
very
pleasing
to the Lord ol
nagiri (Lord
Srinivasa), 5
.
k
revive and
restore me to life from a
of
stupor
into which I was
plunged by my
sins which are
powerful
gh
to
devour at one
gdp
all the
virtuous deeds of the
entire world.
From this
sloka
onwards the Poet
addresses
Daya
and all the
is
^
are
couched in the
second
person.
Desika
in
this sloka
with a
great
sense of
thankfulness that
while he had
swooned
r
under the
vast
load of
hij
sins,
Daya
took
pity
on
him and
red
him to
consciousness.
To the
devout,
living
in
sin with
bought
for
God,
is
death.
From that
state
Daya
redeems
m
souls.
Most
modestly,
Desika
refers to
himself as
one
such,
deemed
and
restored to life.
Sanjeevanam means
giving
life!
teavy
load of
sin
smothers
one's own
existence
and
brings
about
te
akin to
death.
Just as
some
famous
oshadhis
(herbs)bring
to
life
those
who are
almost
dead,
Daya
revives us.
D
R
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H
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DAYAA SATAKAM
The sins committed
by
us must be felt
by
us to be
big
er
to
devour,
or to use a
slightly
different
metaphor, consume,
a
good
deeds done
by
all else
throughout
the whole world. Mu
dhaya signifies sipping
palm
and swalk
in one
gulp,
as
Sag!) Agasthya
did with the seven seas. Ou
are so vast that
they
nothing
al
sukrita
(good deeds)
(good conduct)
c
whole world taken
together. They
reduce us to a state ak
death,
and
yet
stupor,
v>
revived
by Daya.
There is a
paata
JI3 or
reading
san^
yatu
take? the
place
of
sanjeevayati.
In that
paata
the me
is
'
May Daya
revive me.'
Daya
anjanagirinaatha
rat
which means one who
delights Anjanagirinaatha (Srinivasa
may
be that
it is because she is so dear to the Lord that she ii
to infuse life into our dead and dormant selves. Or it
may
b<
she is so
very
gives
us life.
This sloka is
regarded
as a
great
Mantra.
Acharyas
prescribed
its
*
aavritti
'
(repetition)
to their
disciples
as a
pa
progress,
mater
spiritual.
Bhagavati Daye! bhavatyaa Vrishagirinaathe samaaplute
t\
4pratighamajjanaanaam
hastaalambo
madaaghasaam
mrigyaha,
Glorious
Dayadevi!
When even the
high
and
lofty
Lord of V:
pri
by you, my
sins which
inescapabl
Irowned will have to seek in vain for a
helping
hand to come to
*escue
(and
lift them
up).
While in the
preceding
seen rescued and
revived,
and
consequent extinction)
of Irs sins.
Daya
is likened to a \
in
analogy
in which the
poet
[t is such a
big
and
huge
flood that it
sweeps
even the
high-p
Lord off His feet. This sloka shows that the re-vivification br<
D
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R
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12 DAYAA SATAKAM
her. The manner and the measure in which He does so is
theme of several later slokao. This surrender is bora not out
of
fear or
subordination,
but out of a
spirit
of
harmony (Aikarasya-
$3^6?
in
regard
to the
object
in view.
greatness
of
Daya
is
entirely
due to her
being
the consort of the
Lord,
the
poet adds,
"
svayarn
to us
thereby
that
by
herself she is immense
and
supreme.
The word
*
pramaanayaami
'
easy
to under-
stand. Pramana is
authority
and hence
validity.
The
poet
evident-
ly
validity
of
Daya.
This term has also
'
measure.' In that view we have to take it
that Desika
says
that in
singing
this Stotra in her
praise
he is
really
attempting
meaning,
if
permissible,
will also be
very apt.
Dayaa-
the
supremacy
of
Daya.
It
may
not be an
exaggerated
claim to make that
fqf
the
prameya (object
of
knowledge)
of
Daya, Daya
Sataka is the
Apt
nikhila loka
durita
moorchanaajushtarh
Sanjeevayati daye
maam
anjanagirinaatha ranjanee
bhavatee.
(12)
Daya
Devi!
Acting
in a manner
very pleasing
to the Lord of
Anjanagiri (Lord Srinivasa), ^
.
k
revive and restore me to life from a
state of
stupor
into which I was
plunged by my
sins which are
powerful
enough
to devour at one
golp
all the virtuous deeds of the entire world.
From this sloka onwards the Poet addresses
Daya
and all the
slokas are couched in the second
person.
Desika in this sloka
says
with a
great
sense of thankfulness that while he had swooned
away
under the vast load of hij
sins, Daya
took
pity
on him and
restored him to consciousness. To the
devout,
living
in sin with
no
thought
for
God,
is death. From that state
Daya
redeems
human souls. Most
modestly,
Desika refers to himself as one
such,
so redeemed and restored to life.
Sanjeevanam
means
giving
life,
The
heavy
load of sin smothers one's own existence and
brings
about
a state akin to death. Just as some famous oshadhis
(herbs)bring
back to life those who are almost
dead, Daya
revives us.
D
R
.
R
U
P
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A
T
H
J
I

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D
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H

)
me sins committed
oy
us must De telt
by
us to be
big enougn
vour,
or to use a
slightly
different
metaphor,
consume,
all the
deeds done
by
all else
throughout
the whole world. Mushtin-
i
signifies sipping
palm
and
swallowing
ie
gulp,
as
Sag? Agasthya
did with the seven seas. Our sins
3 vast that
they
nothing
all the
ta
(good deeds)
(good conduct)
of the
5 world taken
together. They
reduce us to a state akin to
i,
and
yet
stupor,
we are
sd
by Daya.
There is
apaata
TO or
reading
sanjeeva-
takep the
place
of
sanjeevayati.
In that
paata
the
meaning
Azy Daya
revive me/
Daya
i means one who
delights Anjanagirinaatha (Srinivasa).
It
be that it is because she is so dear to the Lord that she is able
use life into our dead and dormant selves. Or it
may
be that
i so
very
gives
us life.
Phis sloka is
regarded
as a
great
Mantra.
Acharyas
have
ribed its
*
aavritti
'
(repetition)
to their
disciples
as a
panacea
sveral ills that beset the latter in their
progress,
material or
ual.
ivati
Day
el
bhavatyaa Vrishagirinaathe samaaplute tunge
\
ighamajjanaanaam
hastaalambo
madaaghasaam
mrigyaha."(lfy
Jlorious
Dayadevi!
When even the
high
and
lofty
Lord of Vrisha-
oats in the flood caused
by you, my
sins which
inescapably get
led will have to seek in vain for a
helping
hand to come to their
i
(and
lift them
up).
Vhile in the
preceding
sloka the Poet dealt with his
having
rescued and
revived,
in this he talks about the
submerging
of Irs sins.
Daya
is likened to a
flood,
ilogy
in which the
poet
revels often in the course of this Stotra.
;uch a
big
and
huge
flood that it
sweeps
even the
high-placed
off His feet. This sloka shows that the re-vivification
brought
:
by Daya
as mentioned in the
previous
sloka is the effect of
ctinction of our sins.
D
R
.
R
U
P
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D
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U
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H

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12 DAYAA SATAKAM
her. The manner and the measure in which He does so is t
theme of several later sloka-i. This surrender is born not out
fear or
subordination,
but out of a
spirit
of
harmony (Aikaras
q^R6g
in
regard
to the
object
in view.
greatness
of
Daya
is entire
due to her
being
the consort of the
Lord,
the
poet
adds,
"
svaya
to us
thereby
that
by
herself she is immen
and
supreme.
The word
*
pramaanayaami
*
easy
to unde
stand. Pramana is
authority
and hence
validity.
The
poet
eviden
ly
validity
of
Daya.
This term has als
'
measure.' In that view we have to take
that Desika
says
that in
singing
this Stotra in her
praise
he is real)
attempting
meaning,
:
permissible,
will also be
very apt.
Dayag
the
supremac
of
Daya.
It
may
not be an
exaggerated
claim to make that
fq
the
prameya (object
of
knowledge)
of
Daya, Daya
Sataka is th
Apt
nikhila loka
durita moor
chanaajusht
art
Sanjeevayatf daye
maam
bhavatee.
(12
Daya
Devi!
Acting
in a manner
very pleasing
to the Lord oi
Anjanagiri (Lord Srinivasa), 5
.. i-evive and restore me to life from a
state of
stupor
into which I was
plunged by my
sins which are
powerful
enough
to devour at one
gulp
Daya
and all the
person.
says
with a
great
away
under the vast load of 1m
sins, Daya
took
pity
on him and
restored him to consciousness. T5 the
devout,
living
in sin with
no
thought
for
God,
Daya
redeems
human souls. Most
modestly,
such,
.so redeemed and restored to life.
Sanjeevanam
means
giving
life.
The
heavy
brings
about
(herbs)bring
dead,
Daya
revives us.
D
R
.
R
U
P
N
A
T
H
J
I

(

D
R
.
R
U
P
A
K

N
A
T
H

)
me sins
committee
Dy
us must De leit
Dy
us to De
Dig
en
vour,
or to use a
slightly
different
metaphor,
consume,
a
deeds done
by
all else
throughout
the whole world. MIL
i
signifies
sipping
palm
and swallc
te
gulp,
as
Sag!; Agasthya
did with the seven seas. Ou:
3 vast that
they
nothing
al
ta
(good deeds)
(good conduct)
o
3 world taken
together. They
i,
and
yet
stupor,
w
3d
by Daya.
There is a
paata
<TB or
reading
sanj
take? the
place
of
sanjeevayati.
In that
paata
the me;
vlay Daya
revive me.'
Daya
anjanagirinaatha
ran
i means one who
be
that
:use life into our dead and dormant selves. Or it
may
be
i so
very
gives
us life.
This sloka is
regarded
as a
great
Mantra.
Acharyas
ribed its
*
aavritti
*
(repetition)
to their
disciples
as a
pai
^veral ills that beset the latter in their
progress,
mater
ual.
ivati
Daye! bhavatyaa Vrishagirinaathe samaaplute
ti
'ighamajjanaanaam
hastaalambo
madaaghasaam mrigyaha.
jlorious
Dayadevi!
When even the
high
and
lofty
Lord of Vi
oats in the flood caused
hy you, my
sins which
inescapahl
led will have to seek in vain for a
helping
hand to come to
s
(and
lift them
up).
Vhile in the
preceding
sloka the Poet dealt with his h;
rescued and
revived,
of h
;
s sins.
Daya
is likened to a f
alogy
in which the
poet
revels often in the course of this Si
mch a
big
and
huge
flood that it
sweeps
even the
high-p
off His feet. This sloka shows that the re-vivification brc
D
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R
U
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D
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12 OAYAA SATAKAM
her. The manner and the measure in which He does so is tl
theme of several later sloka^. This surrender is born not out <
fear or
subordination,
but out of a
spirit
of
harmony (Aikaras}
{refi^
in
regard
to the
object
in view.
greatness
of
Daya
is entire]
due to her
being
the consort of the
Lord,
the
poet
adds,
"
svaycu
prabhootam"
conveying
to us
thereby
that
by
herself she is immens
and
supreme.
The word
'
pramaanayaami
*
easy
to undei
stand. Pramana is
authority
and hence
validity.
The
poet
evidem
ly
validity
of
Daya.
This term has als
*
measure.' In that view we have to take i
that Desika
says
that in
singing
this Stotra in her
praise
he is reall
attempting
meaning,
i
permissible,
will also be
very apt.
Dayaa
the
supremac
of
Daya.
It
may
not be an
exaggerated
claim to make that
fg
the
prameya (object
of
knowledge)
of
Daya, Daya
Sataka is th
Apt
nikhila loka
durita
moorchanaajushtari
Sanjeevayati daye
maam
bhavatee.
(12
Daya
Devi!
Acting
in a manner
very pleasing
to the Lord o;
Anjanagiri (Lord Srinivasa), 5
, .*. revive and restore me to life from 2
state of
stupor
into which I was
plunged by my
sins which are
powerfu
enough
to devour at one
golp
all the virtuous deeds of the entire world
Daya
and all the
person.
Desika in this sloks
says
with a
great
sense of thankfulness that while he had swoonec
away
under the vast load of hi3
sins, Daya
took
pity
on him and
restored him to consciousness. To the
devout, living
in sin with
no
thought
for
God,
Daya
redeems
human souls. Most
modestly,
Desika refers to himself as one such.
Sanjeevanam
means
giving
life.
The
heavy
brings
about
(herbs)bring
dead, Daya
revives us.
D
R
.
R
U
P
N
A
T
H
J
I

(

D
R
.
R
U
P
A
K

N
A
T
H

)
DAYAA SATAKAM
The sins committed
by
us must be felt
by
us to be
big
er
to
devour,
or to use a
slightly
different
metaphor, consume,
a
good
deeds done
by
all else
throughout
the whole world.
Mu
palm
and swallc
in one
gulp,
as
Sag:; Agasthya
did with the seven seas. Ou
are so vast that
they
nothing
a!
sukrita
(good deeds)
(good conduct)
c
whole world taken
together. They
death,
and
yet
stupor,
\s
revived
by Daya.
There is a
paata
TO or
reading
for this sloka in which san
yatu
take? the
place
of
sanjeevayati.
In that
paata
the me
is
'
May Daya
revive me.'
Daya
anjanagirinaatha
rat
which means one who
may
be that
it is because she is so dear to the Lord that she ii
to infuse life into'otir dead and dormant selves. Or it
may
b<
she is so
very
gives
us life.
This sloka is
regarded
as a
great
Mantra.
Acharyas
prescribed
its
'
aavritti
'
(repetition)
to their
disciples
as a
pa
progress,
mater
spiritual.
Bhagavati Day
el
bhavatyaa Vrishagirinaathe samaaplute
t\
hastaalambo
madaaghasaam mrigyaha
Glorious
Dayadevi!
When even the
high
and
lofty
Lord of V
giri
hy you, my
sins which
inescapah
drowned will have to seek in
vain for a
helping
hand to come to
rescue
(and
lift them
up).
While in the
preceding
been rescued and
revived,
of Irs sins.
Daya
is likened to a :
an
analogy
in which the
poet
It is such a
big
and
huge
flood that it
sweeps
even the
high-p
Lord off His feet. This sloka shows that the re-vivification br<
about
by Daya
as mentioned in the
previous
sloka is the eff<
the extinction of our sins.
D
R
.
R
U
P
N
A
T
H
J
I

(

D
R
.
R
U
P
A
K

N
A
T
H

)
12 DAYAA SATAKAM
her. The manner and the measure in which He does so is th
theme of several later slokao. This surrender is born not out o
fear or
subordination,
but out of a
spirit
of
harmony (Aikarasy*
^j^??
in
regard
to the
object
in view.
greatness
of
Daya
is
entirel)
due to her
being
the consort of the
Lord,
the
poet adds,
"
svayan
to us
thereby
that
by
herself she is immense
and
supreme.
The word
'
pramaanayaami
'
easy
to under-
stand. Pramana is
authority
and hence
validity.
The
poet
evident-
ly
validity
of
Daya.
This term has also
*
measure.' In that view we have to take it
that Desika
says
that in
singing
this Stotra in her
praise
he is
really
attempting
meaning,
if
permissible,
will also be
very apt.
Dayaa-
the
supremacy
of
Daya.
It
may
not be an
exaggerated
claim to make that
fpj-
the
prameya (object
of
knowledge)
of
Daya, Daya
Sataka is the
pramaana, (authority)
.
Apt
nikhila loka
durita
moorchanaajushtam
Sanjeevayati daye
maam
bhavatee.
(12)
Daya
Devi!
Acting
in a manner
very pleasing
to the Lord of
Anjanagiri (Lord Srinivasa), }
. \ i-evive and restore me to life from a
state of
stupor
into which I was
plunged by my
sins which are
powerful
enough
to devour at one
golp
Daya
and all the
person.
says
with a
great
away
under the vast load of hu
sins, Daya
took
pity
on him and
restored him to consciousness. T<D the
devout,
living
in sin with
no
thought
for
God,
Daya
redeems
human souls. Most
modestly,
such,
Sanjeevanam
means
giving
life.
The
heavy
brings
about
(herbs)bring
dead, Daya
revives us.
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DAYAA SATAKAM
The sins committed
by
us must be felt
by
us to be
big
en
to
devour,
or to use a
slightly
different
metaphor,
consume,
a
good
deeds done
by
all else
throughout
the whole world. Mu,
palm
and swallc
in one
gulp,
as
Sag? Agasthya
did with the seven seas. Oui
are so vast that
the>
nothing
al
sukrita
(good deeds)
(good conduct)
o
whole world taken
together. They
death,
and
yet
stupor,
w
revived
by Daya.
There is a
paata
IB or
reading
sanj
yatu
take? the
place
of
sanjeevayatL
In that
paata
the me*
is
'
May Daya
revive me.'
Daya
anjanagirinaatha
ran
which means one who
delights Anjanagirinaatha (Srinivasa"
may
be
that
to infuse life into otir dead and dormant selves. Or it
may
be
she is so
very
gives
us life.
This sloka is
regarded
as a
great
Mantra.
Acharyas
prescribed
its
'
aavritti
'
(repetition)
to their
disciples
as a
par
progress,
materi
spiritual.
Bhagavati Daye! bhavatyaa Vrishagirinaathe samaaplute
tu
hastaalambo
madaaghasaam mrigyaha.\
Glorious
Dayadevi!
When even the
high
and
lofty
Lord of Vr
giri
by you, my
sins which
inescapabl;
drowned will have to seek in vain for a
helping
hand to come to
rescue
(and
lift them
up).
While in the
preceding
sloka the Poet dealt with his he
been rescued and
revived,
in this he talks about the submei
of Irs sins.
Daya
is likened to a fl
an
analogy
in which the
poet
revels often in the course of this St
It is such a
big
and
huge
flood that it
sweeps
even the
high-pi
Lord off His feet. This sloka shows that the re-vivification bro
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14 DAYAA SATAKAM
to a
submerging
that
cannot be wardec
ofD Before
Daya,
sins cannot
help perishing.
Sins
produa
adverse
i
effect on
us,
because of the Lord
punishing
us for them
Bat when the Lord Himself is drenched
by Daya,
He
pardons
ai
our sins and
so, by failing
to have
effect,
in the
only waythe^
can ever have
any effect, they perish.
The Lord is
Tunga
or
high-placed, lofty.
If one at a
great
height
is
submerged
what is to be said of others who are in the
lower levels?
They inescapably get
drowned. That is the fate
which overtakes our
sins,
since the flood level of
Daya
is sufficient
to
engulf
the
lofty
Lord Himself. Hastaalamba i&
lending
a
helping
hand* The
punishing
mood of the Lord
being
banished
by
the
intervention of
Daya,
sins
get
no
quarter
and so are
spoken!
of as
getting
drowned.
Kripanajana kalpalatikaam Kritaaparaadhasya
nishkriyaam aadyaami
Vrishagirinaatha Daye
! tvaam vidanti samsaarataarineem
vibhuddaha.
n
(14)
O
Daya
of
Vrishagirinaatha! you
are the
Kalpaka
Tree
(capable
of
bestowing everything
that is
desired)
to
helpless persons (who
have
nothing
to fall back
on).
You are the
pre-eminent expiation
for those
who have committed heinous crimes. Therefore the learned realise
that
you/
are the sole aid to cross the sea of Samsara.
Having
dealt with the
capacity
of
Daya
to restore us to life
byBidding
us from the evil effects of our siris in the
previous
two
slokas,
the
poet
in this sloka
postulates
the
efficacy
of
Daya
in
redeeming
us from Samsara.
The
Kalpaka
tree is a tree which is believed to be
capable
of
granting
all boons desired
by
those who
go
underneath it and ask"
for them. That
mythical
tree is in Paradise and is useful
only
to
the Devas, But
Daya
is *a similar tree on
1
eaxth and is!
capable
of
fulfilling
the desires of
Krijkmaas, helpless
and wretched
beingsi
The
next idea
brings,
out,
Dayat's greatness
evembetter. Shais;
Nt&hkriymi^
aadyam. Nishkriya
is* atonement or
expiation.
A.sinnex
target
cleared of a sin; committed
by
<hira has to
perform
certain
exptiatory
ceremonies.
Daya
effects the
cleansing
from: sins without: resortto
such,
expiations,
aad so she i& said to tothefirat-and
foremost^
01
rather,
the
pre-eminent
and most
potent;
fomijof
e^pcatibiL:
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DAYAA SATAKAM
15
Owing
to these two
great
and
helpful qualities
of
hers, Daya
Devi is relied on as the sole
refuge by
those who seek release from
Samsara;
and that is what the latter half of the sloka
says.
Those
well versed in Sastras have discovered and laid down that to the
helpless, Daya
is the
only help,
and to the
sinner, Daya
is the
sole
expiation.
Therefore she alone can
help
us to cross the ocean
of Samsara in which we are now
drifting
on a frail boat without a
rudder. With her
help
we are sure of
crossing
that ocean.
Vrishagiri grihamedhi gunaaha
Boda
balaiswarya veeryashakti
mukaaha
\
Doshaa
bhaveyurete
Yadinaama
daye tvayaa
vinabhootaha.
(15)
The Gunas
(attributes)
of the
great
Householder
residing
in
Vrishagiri (Tirumala),
such as
knowledge, strength, supremacy,
prowess, energy etc.,
these will all become Doshaas or demerits
if
only you
were not
there; (i.e.,
if
they
are bereft of association with
you).
Desika is
very
fond of
referring
to the Lord as a
grihamedhi,
a householder
following
the
grihastaasrama
dharma in the
company
of His wife. At the end of
Raghuveera Gadya,
Rama with Sita
by
Him is described as a householder with a
huge family consisting
of sons and
grandsons
like
Brahma,
Siva and so on. In the first
sloka of his
Yatiraja Saptati,
Desika refers to
Kamalaagrihamedhi
(Sreenivasa)
as the
primordial guru
or
preceptor.
Here we see him
similarly describing
Lord Sreeniva&a of
Vrishagiri
as a
grihamedhi,
It is a well known fact that all the three other
aasramites,
the
Brahmachari,
the
Vaanaprasta
and the
Sanyasi,
have to look
up
to the Grihasta for
help.
So a
grihasta
must be one
possessed
of
good, hospitable
and
protecting qualities.
The Lord has innume-
rable
qualities among
which six are
very
well known and referred
to as
shad-gunaas
as
already
noticed. This sloka tells us that all of
them are
gunaas only
because of their
being
associated with
Daya,
and that if
only Daya
was not also an attribute of the Lord
they
will
really
be doshaas or blemishes in Him. The
poet's
intendment is
clear. To us
sinners,
no attribute of the Lord is
helpful except
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16
DAYAA
SATAKAM
us. But left to
function
without
Daya,
all those
qualities
will
engage
themselves in acts
prejudicial
to
us,
because we are
sinners.
Knowledge
will be useful to take note of all our
transgressions.
The other
qualities
will all
help
in
securing
for us the
punishment
we
deserve. So from our
point
of
view,
instead of
shining
as
bright
and
protecting qualities,
they
will act
for our destruction and
so to us
they
will
appear
as
blemishes and not otherwise. It is
only
when those other
qualities
act
as
handmaids to
Daya Devi,
as
described in the llth
sloka,
we feel we are
safe,
and
praise
the
Lord as a
gunavaan,
a
good-natured
person.
*
Doshaa
*
also means
night
or
darkness of the
night.
The
suggestion
evidently
is that
without
Daya
all the other
qualities
will be
shrouded in
darkness,
and will not
shine as
they
do in her
pre-
sence.
Yadi-naama
(if only)
has been used to
convey
the idea that an
impossible
state of affairs is
being envisaged. For,
the Lord is
always
a
God of
Mercy
and where is the
chance of
Daya being
absent?
This sloka is the first of
several others in this stotra which aim
at
postulating
the
supremacy
of
Daya
over all the other
qualities
of the
Lord,
a
supremacy
that
makes her
'
Guneswari
'
(in
sloka 101
post)
meaning
'
Empress
among
the
gunaas.
[Readers will
have noticed how in all the
first five
slokas
of
this second
decad the term used is
uniformly
'
Daya:
In the
next
five slokas it will be seen
that the
term
'
Karuna
'
is
invariably
used in all
of
them. It will be a nice
subject for
study by
scholars and
savants
what the exact
meaning
and
connotation
of
each
of
the
four words
Daya, Karuna,
Kripa,
and
Anukampa
which Desika
employs
in this
stotra,
are. We can
give
rough English
equivalents
for
each
of
them
thus
Daya=Mercy;
KaranaPity,
Compassion; Krip
a =Grace-
Anukampa
=
Sympathy.]
Aasrishti
santataanaam
Apamadhaanaam
nirodhineemjagataha
Padmaasahaaya
Karme
Pratisanchara
Kelimaacharasi.
u
(16)
O!
Daya
of the
Consort of
Padmavati! With a
view to
put
a
stop
to the
sins and
errors of the
creatures of the
world
which have
been
continually
committed ever
since
creation, you
bring
about
pralaya (dissolution of the
universe)
in a
sportful
mood,
even Hke
the
retreat of a
danseuse
from the front to the rear of the
stage.
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HAYAA SATAKAM
The full
import
of this sloka can be understood
only by pe
well versed in
Bharata-Shastra,
or the science of
dancing.
.
sanchara means
6
moving
backwards.' As a Kelt
(play
or j
is referred
to,
the
moving
backwards
during dancing
is whs
poet
is
alluding
to. The dissolution of the world at the end
Kalpa (a long period
of time made
up
of several
yugas)
is
a
*
moving
back
'
;
hence the word
*
pratisanchara
'
has cor
denote
pralaya
itself.
This
pralaya
is described in this sloka as an act of
Daya.
is to
say,
it is an act of
mercy
on the
part
of the Lord. In the
sloka,
creation is
going
to be described as an act of
merely
But the Chetanas who are all
given
a
body
each at the time of
tion and
projected
into the world for
working
out their
redemi
fail to do so. Instead
they get
into evil
ways
in
thought
and deed. If
you give
a
person
a boat to cross a stream a
you
find that instead of
crossing
the stream the man floats
<
the stream
allowing
himself to be carried
along by
the curre
certain
destruction,
do
you
not wish that
you
had never
,
him the boat? So too
Daya
Devi who was
responsible
for
g
souls a
body
for
working
out their
redemption,
finds that
the
help
of the
very body
each soul is
drifting
into
greater
greater depths
of sinfulness and she cries halt to the w
process
and
brings
about
pralaya.
This is the central idea c
poet
in
describing pralaya
as a
sport
of
Daya
Devi.
In the
analogy
of
dancing,
a danseuse
(ballet dancer)
s
abhinaya
of a
particular
Padam. But after a time she finds
things
are not
shaping
as
they ought
to. The orchestra
supp
the
background music,
the
songster
who has to
sing
the
pa
the drummer who is to
keep time,
between them there is nc
ordination and no unison.
Laya
or
symphony
is disturbed. 1
goes
out of hand.
Stepping
becomes
faulty.
The
poor
we
when she discovers that the several discordant features ca
be mended to enable her to
carry
on her
abhinaya
accordir
schedule,
determines to end the
same,
and moves backward
/
sanchara in as decent and
respectable
a
style
as
possible.
Tl
exactly
what
Daya
Devi does when she
brings
about
Pralaya
is a matter for students of the science of
Natya
Sastra to s
the several words
employed
in the first half of the sloka
convey
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18
DAYAA SATAKAM
and its
significance
as
applied
to
pralaya.
No one without
a
profi-
ciency
in all the sciences and arts can
hope
to
fully
understand
Desika's works.
Achidavisishtaanpralaye jantoon avalokya jaata
nirveda
i
Karanakalebarayogam
vitarasi Vrishasailanaatha Karune tvam.n
(17)
O!
Daya
of
Vrishagirinaatha! Disgusted
and
depressed
at the
sight
of creatures
existing, during pralaya,
in a state of non-differentia-
tion from inert and senseless
matter, you graciously
associate
them
with
(i.e.,
confer on
them)
sense
organs
and a
body.
Kaaranam-tu-dhyeaha
î^\
5
3far:
is the
Upanishadic
man-
date.
"
Reflect
upon
that which is the ultimate cause." The
Brahma Sutras start with
defining
Brahman as
"
That from which
creation etc. emanate." Desika establishes in and
by
the
previous
sloka and
this,
the
great
and
important part
that
Daya
Devi
plays
in
regard
to Creation and
Pralaya. Though
it is usual to mention
Creation or Srishti before destruction or
Pralaya
Desika has deli-
berately sung
about
pralaya
first because without
mentioning
that
state one cannot
fully
understand the
process
of creation in the
way
Desika wants us to understand it vide the use of the word
'
pralaye
'
sra^
meaning
"
during pralaya
"
in this sloka.
Jagat-kaaranatvam
or
being
the cause of creation
(of
this
world)
is attributed to
Daya
in this sloka. Her deed it is in truth and
fact,
though
to
everyone
it
appears
to be the Lord's
(sloka
69
post).
The
suggestion
is that the Lord creates the world
only
because
he is
impelled by Daya
to do so.
During pralaya
the entire world
consisting
of
jeevas
who are
sentient
beings
and
prakriti
which is non-sentient matter is in a
very
subtle
(sookshmd)
state. To all intents and
purposes
the
jeevas
are like achit
(nonsentient
matter). They
cannot be
distinguished
from that achit. A sense of nirveda
(disgust
and
consequent depression) creeps
over
Daya
and she makes
up
her
mind to
put
an end to that
deplorable
state of affairs and the remit
is creation.
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What is creation but the union 01 a

soul with a
body
ana me
sense
organs?
This union or
yoga gives
to each soul or
jeeva
a
body
and the sense
organs.
Karanam
sf^ff
primarily
means
acting, action;
and so Karanaas are the
instruments
aiding
one in
action.
They
are thus the
organs
of sense
which are the five Gna-
nendriyas (The
five
Karmendhriyas
are
to be
grouped
with the
body
which is referred to in this sloka
as
Kalebara).
Karana
oftentimes denotes the three faculties of
mind, speech
and action
When the
jeeva
is associated with a
Karana and a Kalebara
it
gets
the
power
to think and act.
Daya
invests the
jeeva
or indi-
vidual soul with this
power
so that it
may get
out of the wretched
state in which it was
during pralaya
and
work out its own salvation
by thinking, acting
and
functioning
in
such a manner that it is able
to achieve
redemption
from the endless
cycle
of births and deaths
by invoking
the Lord's
Daya
in one of the
prescribed
modes
(upayas)
and
attaining
salvation. That is the
purpose
of creation.
On the surface it
may appear
that if
pralaya
or dissolution
is
Daya Karya
or the work of
Daya,
srishti or creation cannot
also be said to be the work of
Daya
and vice versa. But a little
reflection will show to us that
by
creation some
jeevas
will have
been enabled to attain the
goal
of
existence, i.e., salvation, though
by
far the
majority
of
jeevas may by
their failure to walk in the
path
of
virtue,
land themselves in sin and more sin. Then
again
even if we consider the case of sinners
alone, by pralaya
which is
brought
about after millions of
years,
their
sinningness
and the
proclivity
to
go
on
sinning
will be arrested. The
potentiality
for
committing
sin is like the momentum of a
moving body.
When
motion is arrested the momentum
disappears
though
the
body
remains.
It is like
imprisoning
a truant
boy
within the house
when on the
pretence
of
going
to
school,
he
consistently
mis-
behaves elsewhere.
After a time the
parents
feel the
punishment
must have corrected him or at least removed his evil
proclivity
and send him to school
again.
That is creation
properly
under-
stood and there is no
inconsistency
in
pralaya
and srishti both
being
the work of
Daya.
As
already
hinted
at,
the use of the word Karuna
in these
slokas indicates
that
taking pity
and
compassion
at our
pitiable
state, Daya
Devi acts in that
particular
manner.
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20 DAYAA SATAKAM
Anuguna dasaarpitena
Sridhara Karune samaahita snehaa
i
Samayasi tamaprajaanam saastramayena
stira
pradeepena. (1
O!
Daya
of Sridharal
you dispel
the darkness of
your
childn
by
the constant and
unflickering lamp
of Sastras which consists
a
suitably
knit wick
(of threads)
and is ever full of oil.
The
poet employs
5/eyA^-alamkara in this sloka to
very
effectiv
ly
indicate the
meaning
he wants to
convey.
Slesha means
pu
or the
employment
of words
conveying
more
meanings
than on
all of such
meanings being
intended. Thus the Shastras are referre
to as a
Lamp.
For a
lamp
there must be a wick which burns an
gives light.
There must be a
regular supply
of oil which is draw
through
the wick and made incandescent. Such a
lamp
will
disp<
darkness. A fond mother will
light
such a
lamp
and
keep
it 1
for the benefit and
safety
of her children. This is one
meaning.
The other one
referring
to Shastras is as follows:
Day
abounds in sneha or fondness towards all human
beings (Prajaaj
She lits the
lamp
of Shastra in the mind when it is in a
proper
an
fit state
(anuguna dasa). By
this
glowing lamp, avidya (ignorance
is
dispelled.
Shastras are
'
stira
pradeepas,'
constant and one
pointed,
never
swerving
or
flickering.
One
upanishad says
that the Lord first created the four-face<
Brahma to
project
this world into
being
and at once
gave
to hir
the Vedas. This sloka refers to that. The Vedas are the
lamps
the
lamps
of
knowledge,
without which the created
beings
wi
merely
flounder like men thrown into a
pitch-dark pit.
A
lamp
burns
only
because of the oil. It is a
piece
of con
summate art on the
part
of Desika to describe
Daya
as the 01
She is the real and true
inspiration
to
progress.
Sneha mean
oil and also affection and love.
Daya's
affection towards us i
well known and is described here as
samaahita,
full.
In sloka 46
post,
the
poet
is
going
to refer to this
Sastra-prada
naa
by employing
another
analogy.
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DAYAA
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Rooda
vrishaachalapatehpaade
Mukhakaanti
patralachchaayc*
Karune \
sukhayasi
vinataan Kataaksha
vltapai (h)
Karaapachey
palaihL
\\
(\\
Daya
Devi!
Taking your origin
at the feet of
Vristiaachalapat
you grow up (like
a
Kalpaka tree)
and
gladden
those who
(seek
shelt<
under
you)
bend down in all
humility, by green
and cool facial shadi
(glow)
and
by
fruits that can be
plucked by
hand from
the love]
branches of
Kataaksha, glances.
In this sloka
Daya
is
again
likened to a
Kalpaka
tree
(vie
Sloka 14
above).
She emanates from
(has
her roots
in)
Lor
Srinivasa's feet.
Daya
is available
only
to those who seek succoi
at the Lord's feet. On those who thus bend themselves
and
pa
obeisance to those feet she lavishes all boons and benefits. .
tree will have
pleasant
and
lovely green
shades to
gladden
weai
travellers who seek shelter under it. So too there is the beautifi
and
exceedingly pleasing sight
of the Lord's face which is ecu
and
green,
for is He not like a
green
emerald in colour? A tr
will have
plenty
of fruits. This
Kalpaka
tree also has
plentif
of fruits which are the fourfold
purusharthas
Dharma,
Arth;
Kama and Moksha. The fruits will
hang
from
boughs
or branche
Here the Kataaksha or
gracious glances
of the Lord are the
bougl
from which the
purushartas
have to be
got (plucked).
Fruits
a
very great height
are not
easily
obtainable. But the fruits
this tree are
easy
of
reach,
but
only
to those who bend. This
a
peculiar
tree from which fruits can be obtained
only by
tho
who bend and are humble. Be he a dwarf or a
patagonian
he a
get
this fruit
only
if he bends
(vinatd).
Eleswhere Desika himse
has stated that whether one be
lofty
or
lowly
one can
get
these frui
only by being
a
(pranata)
bent and humbled
being.
*
Yatra
tung
(h) a-tungaischa pranatair-grihyate
palam/
That the created
beings
can obtain all
pleasures
by invoking Daya
is the
purport
of this sloka. Tt
pleasure
is
nothing
less than
Bhagavat-anubha^
of the Lord. The
green
effulgence
of the
~ '~~
the
upasaka's
eyes
and mind. The
benignant
K^^sha
from tho
wonderful
eyes
of the Lord will
place
at
" "*""" <B~""1
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2
DAYAA
SATAKAM
il the four
purusharthas
which he can
gather
without
effort. N<
Bonder the Lord has been
enjoyed by
Nammalwar
as
ati-bhogya
n
exceedingly enjoyable personality
in the second
pathu
(centurium
f his TiruvoimozhL
So sweet to look
on,
so
pleasant
and s<
ajoyable,
and at the same time so kind and
gracious
that in res
onse to one
anjali (folded
hands)
lifted towards
His
feet,
he confer*
11 boons and benefits.
The word
Vrishachalapate(h)
must be taken to
govern
noi
nly
the Paade
coming
next to
it,
but also the words mukha-kant
ad Kataaksha
occuring
in the sloka.
Nayane
Vrishaachalendostaaraamaitreem
dadhanayaa
Karune
i
Dhristastvayaiva janimaan apavargam
akrishta
pachyam
anu-
bhavati
\\
(20)
Daya
Devi! He who at the time of his birth is seen
by you,
ho
always carry
with
you
the
spontaneous
and unaccountable love
>wing
from the
eyes
of that
effulgent
Moon
(Srinivasa) shining
on
>e Tirumala
Hill,
such a
person enjoys
the bliss of Moksha without
fort,
even like a
person
who
reaps
a
bumper
hearvest without
fling
on the fields*
In the
previous
sloka the
poet
referred to all the
phalaas
or
uits obtainable from
Daya including trivarga
and
apavarga
as
ferred to in sloka 10 above. But
Daya's great
desire is to confer
r
erlasting
bliss on all her votaries and she is not satisfied with
ving
them
only
the smaller and
impermanent
benefits and
pleasures.
> in this sloka Desika
says
that if a
person
is blessed with
Daya's
itaaksha at the time ofhis birth he is sure to obtain Moksha.
There is a
Mahabharata
Vakya
(text)
which
says
that if at
e time of one's
birth,
one is blessed
by
the
gracious
glances
of
adhusoodhana that one becomes a
satvika,
a
gnani
and
always
inks of
attaining
moksha. This is
referred to in Sri Vaishnava
mpr&d&yate'Jaayamaana
Kataaksha.
Desika here
postulates
it it is
Daya
Devi that
impels
the
Lord to
bestow that
kataaksha
certain
individuals,
of course
consistent with their
fitness for
j
'sametîilvei;
:
in
previous
births.
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DAYAA SATAKAM 23
Tara Maitree is what is known as love at first
sight.
That
is,
there is no
knowing why
that love arises.
Daya Devi,
it is siad
here,
carries that unaccountable love ofthe Lord towards the
aspirant
and blesses him with a
glance
from the Lord's
eyes.
The Lord
it would have been noticed has been referred to here as a moon
shining
on the crest of Vrishaachala. A
loving glance
from a
lovely
Person.
Bright
and
effulgent
like the
moon,
Lord Srinivasa
bestows His
loving
and affectionate
glances,
and the result is that
the man or woman who is born under such
auspices
attain salvations
without much ado.
Apavarga
is Moksha.
Akrishtapachyam
is
crops
for which one has not toiled. The toiler is someone
else,
and he is referred to in the next
sloka,
where we will
enjoy
the
grandeur
of this sentiment of Desika.
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DAYAA SATAKAM
THIRD DECAD
[Slokas
21 /o 30 /* couched in the
Oupachchandaslka
metre
first
and third
paadaas
contain eleven akskaras while the secom
fourth
contain twelve. The
general topic of
this decad i
ha-Subhaga-tanuhu g^gvpTcT^:
which is the
gist of
the thin
urium
of
Nammalwar's
Tiruvoimozhi,
according
to Desika
very
second sloka
of
this decad deals with the
auspiciou.
>/?#)
and attractive and
beautiful
(Subhagd)
body
(tanuhu)
oftfa
L We shall
enjoy
it in its
place.]
Samayopanataistava pravaahaihi Anukampel kritasamplavaa
dharitree
\
Saranaagata sasyamaalineeyam
Vrishasailesa Krisheevalam dhi~
noti.n
(21)
Lord's
Sympathy personified!
This
(lady called)
Earth
gladdens
leart
of)
that
Farmer,
who has Tirumala as His
abode, by wearing
irlands rows and rows of
crops
in the form of
Saranaagataas,as
lit of her
being
drenched
(irrigated) by timely
and
copious
showers
mrs.
To a fanner there is no
sight
more
pleasing
than
that of his
covered as far as
eyes
can see
by
luxuriant and stoutstalked
. Lord Srinivasa is the Farmer here.
Crops
cannot
grow
at
tuch less can
they grow
in
abundance,
unless there is
plentiful
,t the
proper periods
in the course of the cultivation
operations.
Daya
is the rain that
pours
in
plenty (pravaaba)
and at
proper
(samayopanataihi). Ordinary
rain
helps crops
to
grow.
The
>f
Daya
is
productive
of
Saranaagataas
or
Prapannaas
those
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DAYAA SATAKAM
who surrender themselves
up
to the Lord
completely.
The
pu
of creation
bringing
into
being
this earth with embodied soi
it is to
give
those souls a chance to redeem themselves. \
realising
their lack of
gnana
and shakthi and their conse*
unfitness to
pursue
the
prescribed path
of
Karmayoga, Gnana]
and
Bhakthiyoga, they
or at least
many
of them resort to
pr<
or
Saranagati
as a direct means for
attaining moksha,
ther
plentiful crop
of
prapannas
and the Lord's heart
rejoices
ai
sight.
The
process
of
Prapatti,
which is described in
g
detail in the later slokas of this Stotra and
postulated
with a
scientific
accuracy
as a
potent
means for the attainment of Mo
depends
on the flow of
Daya
or
mercy
from the Lord. And
is
pointed
out in this sloka that
Daya-pravaaha
is
really respoi
for this
bumper crop
of
prapannaas.
Not
only
should rain be
plentiful
but it must be seasona
timely.
A
heavy
downpour
calculated to wash
away
the seed
seedlings
or to immerse the
ripe crops
in a
deluge
and
prevent
from
being
harvested can
hardly
be called
helpful
rain. So
has to be
samayopanata, making
itself available at the
proper
1
That, Daya
is here
pointed
out to
be,
rendering timely help
Samaya
also means a
system
or school of
thought,
a Dai
Desika has-
very deftly employed
the term here to
suggest
Sri I
nava
Samaya
or to refer to it
by
another
name, Ramanuja
sana. For it is
only
in this
system Daya
is relied on as the
refuge
of
helpless beings,
and
Saranagati
is laid down as a
p
force for
securing
salvation
straight.
In no other
system
of th<
is
prapatti regarded
as
Saakshan-mokshopaaya (direct
and immc
means of
salvation).
One can
certainly
look
up
to Sri Desika
was the first to
propound
this
system
of
prapatti
as awell-devei
and
scientifically
verified means for
moksha,
to show to u
several details of this
system
which was
adopted
by
the A
and demonstrated to the world
through
his own anushlaa)
observance
by
that
greatest Acbarya
of all
times, Ramanuja.
sloka should therefore be understood as
conveying
to us the su
tion that
Dayaapravaaha (or
the flow of
Daya)
is
productive
c
greatest good only
in this
Samaya
of Vaishnavism.
There is a
peculiar aptness
in the reference to the Lord's a
as Vrisha-Saila here. A cultivator who has a
large
extent of
can have a look at the whole of it
only by standing
on a raised
]
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26 DAYAA SATAKAM
Tirumala, being
a
hill,
serves the
purpose
of
being
a
good
static
from which to view the entire world below. A watchman ov
fields has to stand on a raised
platform
to see that the
growii
crops
are not
grazed by straying
cattle.
Reading
the 20th and 21st slokas
together
a
very
beautif
sentiment can be seen to be
very naively
dealt with
by
this
peerle
poet-philosopher.
It was said in the 20th sloka that one wh
gets
blessed
by
the kataaksha of Sreenivasa at the time of one
birth
enjoys
the benefits of a
bumper
harvest without
toiling
for i
By referring
to the selfsame Lord Srinivasa as a Krisheevala
(farme
or
cultivator)
in this
sloka,
Desika shows that the needed cultivs
tion is done
by
the Lord. There can be no
crop
without cultivatioi
In ths
pursuit
of all other
upayas (or means)
for
moksha,
the
aspirar
is the cultivator or toiler. In
prapatti,
the Lord is the chief cult;
vator. That is
why
He is known as
Siddhopaaya. Prapatti
don
by
a mumukshu
(aspirant)
is
only
a
sadhyopaaya.
Human effoi
and divine
grace
are
respectively
the
Sadhyopaaya
and
Siddhopaayc
Here is a dwandhva
(a duality)
which has
always
to
go togethe
to
yield good
results. Divine
grace
is
always there,
but for us t<
obtain its benefits we have to deserve them
by doing
some
thing
however small. It
may
be a mere
vyaaja
or
pretext
it cannot b
more but if it is not
theie,
the
mercy
of the Lord does not
stay
even like rain which runs
away
from a raised and hard surface. /
clever man
always digs
a tank and
keeps
it
ready
so that when thi
rain
comes,
the water will
stay
in it and be available for his needs
His
digging
the tank does not create
rain;
but it
helps
to retail
the rain when it comes. This
srfsHW^
(inseparableness)
betweei
Siddhopaya
and
Sadhyopaaya
is one of the
very
fine
points expati
ated
upon by
Desika in several
places
in his numerous works. Al
the nice
points
of Desika's
system
find beautiful
poetical expressior
in the
Daya
Sataka.
^r: II
to)
Kalasodadhi
samp
ado
bhavatyaha
Karunel sanmati mantha-
samskrutaayaha
\
[chalendoho. (22)
Amrutaamsam avaimi
divya
deham
mrutasanjeevanam Anjanaa-
O!
Mercy
Divine! methinks the divine
body
of that
bright
Moon
of
Anjanaadri,
a
body
that has the
capacity
to revive and
bring
to
life those that are
dead,
is
only
the AMRUTA
(nectar)
obtained
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BAYAA SATAKAM 27
by churning you,
who are like a veritable
milk-ocean,
with
good
intellect as the
churning
rod.
The
Divya-mangala Vigrahas
or
Bhagavad-roopas
or
forms,
with
special
reference to the
Archa-moorti or
Vigraha (image)
of
Lord Srinivasa is here
spoken
of as the
quintessence
of
Daya.
This
Vigraha
is
fpr (auspicious)
and also
gw
(beautiful)
and so is known
as
Divyamangala Vigraha, Subhaasraya, Subhasubhagatanu,
and so on.
As one of the chief
propounders
of the
Alwar-cult,
Desika
is here seen
postulating
the excellence and
supremacy
of
Bhagavad-
vigraha.
In certain
philosophies
God has no name and no form.
He has no attributes
either;
He
merely
is.
Ramanuja
has refuted
those
philosophies
and
ably
demonstrated that the Lord does
possess
names and forms which He takes on for the delectation
of His devotees. No one need be afraid
that,
thereby
He is
getting
finitised. His
infinity
and transcendence are in no
way
affected
by
His
assuming
names and forms.
That there are five such forms or
roopas,
which the Lord takes
on,
is
spoken
of in the
Agamaas (Paancharatra
or
Bhagavat-Sastra
chiefly)
and in the Alwars'
outpourings. They
are
Para, Vyuha,
Haarda,
Vibhava and Archa.
Para-roopa
is the
figure
with which
the Lord shines in
Paramapada
or Vaikunta for the eternal
enjoy-
ment of the
Celestials,
who are
Nityas
or Muktas.
Vyuha roopa
is the fourfold form
Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna',
and
Aniruddha assumed
by
the Lord for the benefit of
dyaana by
yogis.
The
roopa
of
Ksheerctbdhinaatha, reclining
on Adisesha in
the middle of the
milk-ocean,
and the twelve forms
.of Kesava,
Narayana, Madhava, Govinda, Vishnu, Madhusoodana, Trivikrarna,
Vaamana, Sreedhara, Hrisheekesa,
Padmanaabha and Daamodara
(Dwadasa Namaas)
are also
regarded
as
being
in this
category.
The Haarda
roopa
also known as
Antaryaami roopa,
is the
infinitely
small form with which the Lord dwells in the heart of
every chetana,
sentient
being.
The forms of the
Avataraas, strictly
so
called,
like
Rama and
Krishna,
are the Vibhava
roopas. Lastly
comes the
Archaa-roopa,
the form of idols or
images
of which the
Saalagrama
and ihe
images
in
temples
are the most
prominent.
These are all
referred to later in this
very
stotra
by
Desika.
A
great
amount of
ignorance
and confusion
prevails
about
the nature and function of the Archaavatara. We are treated
by
several modern
philosophers
to theories like
images .being
mere
r+BK-n r, et/tnoe f/-\ Tiirfhor /Hvunnrin nr rinntftmnlation and the ulti-
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DAYAA SATAKAM
e
realisation of the formless. Those who
deny
the validit
,11 forms have
necessarily
to
deny
the
validity
and
potency
c
ihaas at least in the
ultimate, though
they
also
worship
i
iples
in a
condescending way
as a
concession to the
"
igaoran
who believe that the
image
is the God." The Alwars
and ih
aryas,
like
Ramanuja,
Paraasara Bhatta and
Desika,
hav
ed no
pains
to refute such unlearned and ill-informed
critic
their
ways
of
thinking.
This sloka is calculated to establisi
images
of the Lord are as
valid,
true and
helpful
as
Daya,
th
i's
Mercy,
itself.
Though
the word
'
Divya
Deham
'
meaning
ne
body
will take in all the five forms
enumerated
above,
th
ence to the
Divya
deha of
Anjanaachala-Indu
(Moon
of Tim
i)
shows that Desika is
specially thinking
of tbeArcha
Vigrahaa;
le Lord which
by way
of
upalakshana
will indicate the othe;
forms also. We shall
have
occasion to refer to this
topi<
i in
commenting
on several later slokas
and so shall not furthej
)rate on the same here.
The Puramic
churning
of
Ksheerabdi
(ocean
of
milk) by
insert-
he Manihara
mountain as the
churning
rod is in the
poet's
-
That
process
is
adapted
here to suit the
present point.
In
ipameya, Daya
is
herself the milk ocean.
Being
ever sweet
delectable she does
possess
all the fine
qualities
of the milk
i. She is as such ocean
churned
by
Sm-mathi or the intellect
tesire)
of those who
answer to the
Upanishadic
definition of
:
ara*wft%5 %r SRfi^cn>
&5^%
I)
The rather
general
term
nathi,
without
mentioning
who that sat
is,
has been delibe-
r
adopted by
Desika to take in and suit the
several forms of
i
such as
Swayam
Vyaktha,
Saiddha,
Daiva,
Maanusha
etc.,
sloka 9
above).
The idea is that in
Swayamvyakta
the Sat
>
Lord
Himself as it is His will or
SankaJpa
alone that is res-
ble for that
aavirbhava or
appearance.
Similarly
the
particular
ta,
Deva or
human
being
respectively
at
whose
invitation the
takes a
shape
or
form
must be the Sat
in each of
the cases of
ha,
Daiva
and
Maanusha
respectively.
Poigai
Alwar's
*>*&&
ermi+iyjpiti
^/^/J)
ff
($6m
is the
authority
for
:a
here. The
desire of the
devotee is the
immediate
cause,
is
Daya
that is the
fundamental cause for all
Vigrahaas.
Tie use of the word Indu or
moon to
describe
the Lord
here
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29
In the Puranic
churning
several
objects
good,
bad and
indifferent were
brought
to the surface.
There came out
poison
as well as nectar and also the
moon,
elephants,
horses, trees,
etc. Lakshmi also came out as a result of
that
churning.
All the
other
objects
were distributed to others but
the Lord took Lakshmi
for Himself. Here the Lord's
Div>amangala Vigraha
is referred
to as
'
amrutaamsam
'
the
quintessence
of
amruta. The
Vigraha
is the Lakshmi in this
churning.
Avaimi I
understand;
1 realise.
This
predicate
has been
obviously employed
here to show to us
Desika's conviction that
the Lord's
image-forms
are the
quintessence
of
Daya.
It is
only
when Desika wants that a rare and
important
Siddhanta or con-
clusion he has come to should be
properly
understood and followed
by
us he
employs
this word. Vedanta
Desika's verdict on
any
topic
has to be
accepted byâll right-thinking
men.
Jaladheriva Seetataa
Day
el Twam
Vrishasailaadhipathes-swa-
bhaavabhootaa
i
Pralayaarabhateenateem
tadeekshaam Prasabham
Graahayasi
prasaththilaasyam.
u
(23)
Dayadevi!
You who are of the essence of Lord Srinivasa's
nature,
even as coolness is the essential
quality
of the
Sea,
force His fearM
and destructive looks
(responsible
for
pralaya)
into sweet and
pleasant
looks
responsible
for creation and
protection,
and
thereby
convert
their
frightful
devil-dance into a
sweetpaced
and
lovely Laasya
(dance).
"
It
(Para
Brahman)
looked and said to Itself
*
I shall become
the
many Y*
so sa
Y
s ê
Upanishad.
The Lord's looks as indi-
cating
His
Sankalpa
or will are there said to be the immediate
cause of creation or
projection
of the world.
Another
and different
natured
eekshana
or look must have been
responsible
for
Pralaya
or destruction.
The looks that caused
destruction
are likened
in
this sloka
to a dancer
indulging
in Aarabhati,
a violent form of
dance
(aghora-tandava).
At the time of Creation
those
very
looks
indulge
in
laasya
& soft and sweet dance.
(These
terms are
again
taken from Bharatasastra
vide sloka
16 above.
Aarabhati
nor-
mally
is used
for the
'
taandava
'
of a
male; laasya
is the
dancing
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28 DAYAA SATAKAM
mate realisation of the formless. Those who
deny
the vali
of all forms have
necessarily
to
deny
the
validity
and
potency
vigrahaas
at least in the
ultimate, though they
also
worship
Temples
in a
condescending way
as a concession to the
"
igaoi
men who believe that the
image
is the Gcd," The Alwars and
Acharyas,
like
Ramanuja,
Paraasara Bhatta and
Desika,
h
spared
no
pains
to refute such unlearned and ill-informed cri
and their
ways
of
thinking.
This sloka is calculated to estab
that
images
of the Lord are as
valid,
true and
helpful
as
Daya,
Lord's
Mercy,
itself.
Though
the word
'
Divya
Deham
'
mean
Divine
body
will take in all the five forms enumerated
above,
reference to the
Divya
deha of
Anjanaachala-Indu (Moon
of Ti
mala)
shows that Desika is
specially thinking
of theArcha
Vigrah
of the Lord which
by way
of
upalakshana
will indicate the ot
four forms also. We shall have occasion to refer to this to
again
in
commenting
on several later slokas and so shall not furti
elaborate on the same here.
The Puraaic
churning
of Ksheerabdi
(ocean
of
milk) by
inse
ing
the Manthara mountain as the
churning
rod is in the
poi
naiad. That
process
is
adapted
here to suit the
present point.
the
upameya, Daya
is herself the milk ocean.
Being
ever sw<
aad delectable she does
possess
all the fine
qualities
of the m
ocean. She is as such ocean churned
by
San-mathi or the intell<
(0r desire)
of those who answer to the
Upanishadic
definition
a Sat:
3T%ff||pr=%<| %^r
3RT^cn>
%^%
U
The rather
general
tei
San-mathi,
without
mentioning
who that sat
is,
has been delil
ratdy adopted by
Desika to take in and suit the several forms
archa such as
Swayam Vyaktha, Saiddha, Daiva,
Maanusha et
(vide
sloka 9
above).
The idea is that in
Swayamvyakta
the S
is the Lord Himself as it is His will or
Sankalpa
alone that is n
ponsible
for that aavirbhava or
appearance. Similarly
the
particul
Siddha,
Deva or human
being respectively
at whose invitation t
Lord takes a
shape
or form must be the Sat in each of the cases
Saiddha,
Daiva and Maanusha
respectively. Poigai
Alwai
pi&yfy&tsp&i
QT/mj^jLr jy^/^^/o)
^5/rSfiw
is the
authority
f
Desika here. The desire of the devotee is the immediate caus
but it is
Daya
that is the fundamental cause for all
Vigrahaas.
is verv
The use of the word Indu or moon to describe the Lord he
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. the Puramc
churning
several
objects good,
bad aru
rent were
brought
to the surface. There came out
poisoi
1 as nectar and also the
moon, elephants,
horses,
trees
_,akshmi also came out as a result of that
churning.
All th
objects
were distributed to others but the Lord took Lakshm
imself. Here the Lord's
Div>amangala Vigraha
is referre
4
amrutaamsam
'
the
quintessence
of amruta. The
Vigrah
Lakshmi in this
churning.
vaimi 1
understand;
1 realise. This
predicate
has bee
asly employed
here to show to us Desika's conviction th*
Drd's
image-forms
are the
quintessence
of
Daya.
It is onJ
Desika wants that a rare and
important
Siddhanta or cor
ti he has come to should be
properly
understood and followe
he
employs
this word. Vedanta Desika's verdict on an
has to be
accepted bpall right-thinking
men.
ROT
JUfflfa
srafa35HPm
II
(\\
aladheriva Seetataa Dave I Twam
Vrishasailaadhipathes-sw
bhaavabhootaa
i
^ralayaarabhateenateem
tadeekshaam Prasabham
Graahaya
prasaththUaasyam. (2
)ayadevi!
You who are of the essence of Lord Srinivasa's natui
as coolness is the essential
quality
of the
Sea,
force His fear!
estructive looks
(responsible
for
pralaya)
into sweet and
pleasa
responsible
for creation and
protection,
and
thereby
convt
frightful
devil-dance into a
sweetpaced
and
lovely
Laas
e).
*
It
(Para Brahman)
looked and said to Itself
'
I shall becor
lany ',"
so
says
the
Upanishad.
The Lord's looks as in<
g
His
Sankalpa
or will are there said to be the iramedk
} of creation or
projection
of the world. Another and differc
ed eekshana or look must have been
responsible
for Praia
jstruction. Tire
looks
that caused destruction are likened
sloka to a dancer
indulging
in
Aarabhati,
a violent form
e
(aghora-tandava).
At the time of Creation those
very
loc
.ge
in
laasya
a soft and sweet dance.
(These
terms are
agi
i from Bharatasastra vide sloka 16 above. Aarabhati n<
y
is ussd
for the
*
taandava
'
of a
male; laasya
is the danci
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30 DAYAA SATAKAM
of a female. In the
Yadhavabhyudaya (IV. 120)
Sri Krishm
dance on the hood of the
serpent Kahya
is referred to as aarabhat
Daya
is said to be
responsible
for
changing
the nature and characl
of the Lord's looks from the violent and
frightful
form into t
soft and
pleasing
form. She is said to effect the conversion
force
(prasabham).
She is able to effect this
change
because
by
na
f
ure the Lord
merciful, just
as
by
naiure the sea is cool.
Though
the sea
may
rough
and hot at times
owing
to currents and
tides,
its essent
nature is coolness. So too mercifulness is the essential nature
the
Lord,
and His
ferocity
and
fury
which were
responsible
i
pralaya
or destruction were
really
induced
by
external causes su
as man's,
ingratitude
and insubordination. When
Daya
D<
suggests
to Him to create once
again (see
sloka 17
above)
He v<
easily agrees
to do so because His inherent nature is
mercy.
Prasaththi means
pras
r
aada or
anugraha.
There is a
paatantz
(different reading)
for this word as
prasakti
sRuftfi
which has be
taken to mean the
process
of creation.
Though
some force was
necessary
on the
part
of
Daya
change
the Lord's inclination from
pralaya
to
srishti,
she succee
not because of this force for no one can force the
mighty
Lc
to do
anything against
His
nature, wish,
or
desire but becai
inherently
the Lord is merciful and the moment the
suggesti
emanates from
Daya
Devi the Lord
eagerly
accepts
the same a
brings
about creation and
protects
the world so created.
'
In sic
16 above
pralaya
was said to be an act of
Daya.
That is the tn
about it. But in a
general way
to the
ordinary
man
pralaya
stai
ing
for destruction is
fearful,
while creation is
pleasant
and
agr
able. This sloka
portrays
this common
viewpoint very
artistica]
Pranata
pratikoolamoola ghaatee
Prathigha
(h) Kopi
,
.
Vrishaachaleswara
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DAYAA SATAKAM 31
Karuna! The
anger
of that
peerless
Lord of Vrishaachala attains
the state of
being your
servant
(as
it
gets employed by you)
in the
cause of
rooting
out and
destroying
the obstacles and barriers
(in
the
way
of the
progress)
of those who bow
(by prostrating)
before the
Lord even like
removing grass (weeding)
which
grass
is an obstacle
to the
adequate growth
of
paddy crop.
It was said in the
previous
sloka that the
angry
mood of the
Lord which was
responsible
for the
pralaya
was
changed
into a
favourable and benevolent mood in order to
bring
about creation
and
protection. Daya Devi,
it is said
here,
does not allow all
that
anger
to
go
to
waste,
but harnesses it all in a
very proper cause,
namely
the removal of obstacles in the
way
of Pranataas or
pra-
pannas
those who have bent themselves
suppliantly
before the
Lord,
and
totally
surrendered themselves to Him.
The fierce dance known as aarabhati and referred to in the
pievious
sloka must have been attended
by
a lot of
anger. Daya
cleverly changed
the aarabhati into
laasya. Anger got
substituted
by
shanti and sweetness. Then
Daya
Devi
thought,
"
why
should
all this
anger
be wasted?." It can be enlisted in a
good
cause and
utilised to do
away
with the difficulties that the devotees of the
Lord
experience
at the hands of the wicked.
Anger
is useful to
destroy
the wicked and for the
wiping
out of the evil doers
(Dush-
krit-vinaasa).
The Lord
Himself,
it is
said,
took on
anger (*
Ko-
pam Aaharayat-teevram
*
Valmiki)
and killed His foe
by
the
force of that
anger (Sdosr xf8gv)39
Q&6sr<o3fl
&&&>&& Qmtriîr^ssr^
Q&JDJD Tiruppavai 12).
The Lord Himself has no foes.
He is alike to all
H*fTg
^f*jf*5
(Samoham
Sarva Bhoothe-
shu).
The enemies of His devotees are alone His enemies
and He comes into this world often for
protecting
the
good,
(for
that
purpose) destroying
the
wicked,
and
(thereby) establishing
Dharma.
Daya
Devi
helps
in the
process
in two
ways,
one
by
egging
Him on to
protect
the
righteous,
and another
by making
Him weed out the wicked. In order to
bring
about the
latter,
she has
necessarily
to make the Lord
angry against
the bad sort. This
is what is referred to in this sloka
by saying
that the Lord's
anger
is made to subserve
Daya
in the
process
of
protecting
the
good.
The
analogy
makes the
meaning
clear. In the course of culti-
vation an
important duty
of
th|
cultivator is to remove the weeds
that
grow alongside
the
crops
and
impede
their
proper growth.
5
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32 DAYAA SATAKAM
Periodical
weeding
is
very
essential for the full and
healthy grow
of
crops.
So too Sadhus have to b:>
protected by weeding
o
evil-doers,
Daya
Devi achieves this r^nilt
by utilising
the servie
of the Lord's
anger.
So that
anger
is said to become
Daya
Dsvi
servant
is a word which indicates
unequalled-ness
and
extr
ordinary-ness (In
Tamil (S^TiQ means an
angry
and irate
pecso
I have a
feeling
that the word has been
deliberately
used here
by
ti
Poet who is a master of Tamil and Sanskrit and also
Manipraval
in a
lighter
vein,
so that
they
who can see the trick
may enjoy
t]
fun of
referring
to C#*-t9
Kopi
Vrishaachaleswar's
Kopa
('$&
>
UL
or
anger.) Pratigha
means
anger,
wrath. . .
The structure of the sloka is such that it talks of the Lord
anger becoming
a slave to
Daya,
not of
Daya making
that
anger
to
servant. When all
good qualities
are her anucharaas
(follower
(sloka 11) anger
also
evidently
desires to enlist itself in
Daya
services. The Lord was referred to as a Farmer or Cultivator :
sloka 21 above. That idea is
developed
in this sloka
by
referrir
to
weeding operations.
Abahishkruta
nigrahaan
vidantaha
Kamalaakaanta
gunac
svatantratadet
AvikaJparn anugraham
duhanaam Bhavateemeva
Dayel bhajan
Santah^
(2i
Daya
Devi! The
trety
learned and devout
people
wlio
very
w^
know tliat the attributes like uncontrolled
independence possessc
by
the Consort of Kamala
(Lord Srinivasa)
do not esch^v
(but
tai
in) punishment, rely only
on
you
wtio
uniformly (without &n^ optic
or
alternative) yield (nothing but) protection.
The idea contained in sloka 1 5 above is
pursued
here
by pointib
out
how,
while all the other
attributes of
the
Lord are
common
t
protectiveness
and
punishment,
the attribute of
Daya
alone j
productive
of
protection
and
protection
alone. There
the
si
well-known
gunas Gnana,
Bala
etc.,
were set off
against
Daya
an'
demonstrated to be
useless,
even
harmful,,
to us in
thp-afesenc
~
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being
dependent on,
or
subservient
to, anyone eise;
are
m*
ticmed and it is
pointed
out that
they
are all useful
to,
and
actua
used, by
the Lord
both for
protecting
and for
punishing.
In otl
words
they
have not
banished
nigraha
or
punishment
from
the
sec
and ambit of their
activity.
But
Daya
is
exclusively
there
for
purpose,
of
protection.
She does not know what
punishment
and is
therefore
uniformly
and
invariably productive
of
anugn
or
.
protection
alone. With her there is no
scope
for
act
ia one of two
ways.
Vikalpa
is
changing, option,
alternat
The absence of it is
avikalpa. Anugraham-duhaanaam
yield
protection
even as a cow
yields
milk for the sustenance of
Its
<
and,
the delectation of others.
again
the
great sagss
and seers
whom
Upanishad
celebrates as
*
those who alone are
*
(vide
commeni
on sloka 22
above)
are referred to and their
knowledge
and b<
are shown to us for
being respectfully adopted
and followed. 1
are also referred to as
'
vidantaha?
knowing persons.
What 1
know is that
except Daya
all the attributes of the Lord are
cap
of
being
used in
punishing
us as well as in
protecting
us: but wl
Daya
comes into
play only protection
can be had. In a later si
(64)
of this Stotra. Desika
goes
further and demonstrates
D&ya
transforms what is intended
by
the Lord as
punishment
a
ehetana,
into that chetana's
protection
and for his
good.
11
(
dayaaluhu
Karunel nishkamnaa
niroopane
AtaâMtaavakaamtaanaamduntaanaambhavatitâdevabheetihi
Karuna Devi! The Abode of Kamala or Lakskni
(Lori
Srini
becomes a
dayalu
or Merciful
p2rsan
because of
you;
bttt on
scrutiny (it
iairas out
that) you
are
yourself really totally
feerc
compassion (ISLatuiia).
Bscause of this
only,
the sins of those
rely
on
yoi
far
h?elp
are afraid
only
of
you.
Daya
is- here described as
nirdaya.
Virodaalankara.
doxicai as it
may
seem,
contact with
Daya
makes the Lord a d
vaan,
merciful
Being;
but she herself has no
dayaor pity (to^
certain*
persons).
Here;
the sins of the Lord's devotees who ii
Hto
Daya
axe
personified
and it is stated that
they
are
really
;
only
of
Daya
and not of the
mighty
Lord. For while tta
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DAYAA SATAKAM
gnition
from the
Lord, they
will not
get any quarter
fro
a Devi who
mercilessly puts
them
down in
protecting
tho
rely
on her.
To call a
person
merciless smacks of ninda
fsT'^T
or abus
the
point
of the abuse is to demonstrate how
complete
ar
Daya's protectiveness
is in
regard
to her votaries.
So this
rm of ninda-stuti
(praise through apparent abuse).
Daya
is itself an attribute or
quality (guna)
and hence
it cannc
have a
guna
or attribute. Therefore
Daya
makes of tl
sort of Sri a
Dayaavan by being
His
guna
or
quality.
Bi
?y
cannot be an attribute of
Daya
itself and so
Daya
is bere
iat attribute of
Daya
or
mercy,
and this is
very cleverly
state
by referring
to
Daya having
no
Daya.
langhita
Saasaneshvabheekshnam
Vrishasailaadhipatir
vijrumbhithoshma
reva
Day
el
Kshamaanidaanaihi
Bhavateem
aadriyate
bhava\
yadheenaihL
(2
Dayaa!
The Lord of
Vrishasaila,
who
manifests
great
heat
(angei
e
perpetual
transgressions
(by people)
of His
mandates,
turn
u
(and
relies on
you)
once
again
with
consideration and
respect
ise of the
forgiveness-inducing
acts that are
peculiarly
ascribabl
Doshma,
meaning
heat or
fever,
and
nidana,
meaning
patholog;
ignosis,
are
terms
taken from
Ayurveda,
the
science of
medicine
\ngered
by
the
increasing
sinningness,
and the
transgression
the
prescribed
path,
on the
part
of
created
beings,
the
Lord
say, gets
high
fever.
Daya
Devi
then
begins
to
doctor Him
prescriptions, administrations and
applications
allay
the feve
o the
Lord
gratefully
respects
and
honours her
as His
saviour
This and the
next
sloka
deal
with the
benefits that
the
Lon
elf
derives
from
Daya
Devi.
Having postulated
that thi
has a
Vigraha
or
body
the
topic
of
this
decad
(vide
slob
ove)
that
idea is
kept
in
mind in
these
two
slokas
(27
and 28
ing
out
the
great
truth that
Daya
Devi
brings
-comfort
anc
not
only
to us
but to
the
Lord
Himself.
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DAYAA SATAKAM
The use of the term
*
punareva
*
(once again)
shows that
only
when
Daya
is
forgotten by
the Lord He
gets
into an ai
state at His creatures'
sins,
and
thereby develops
fever- \N
once
again
He turns to
Daya,
He feels relieved of the fever
restored to normal.
Nidaanam means a
primary cause,
also a cause in
general.
causes that
bring
about
forgiveness (Kshama)
are of
Daya
D
doing.
So
they
are referred to here as
Daya-adheena.
It is
<
when
forgiveness
is
injected
into the Lord
by Daya
Devi who
correctly spotted
the trouble
(diagnosed
the
disease)
that the Lc
fever is said to subside. When she effects this
cure,
the Loi
immediately pleased
and He
fittingly
remunerates
(honours'
Doctor, Daya
Devi.
N
sinff
ftwwwj^fsrat- i*iK
II
(
Karunel duriteshu maamakeshu Pratikaaraantara
durjayeshu
khin
Kavachaayitaya tvayaiva Sarngee Vijayastaanam upaasrito
Vrishaadrim.
Kanina Devil That Wielder of the
Sarnga (Kodanda:
]
grieved
at the fact that
my
sins cannot be
vanquished by any
<
means,
has fled to Vrishaadri and taken His stand there
(as
i
invulnerable
fort)
as the
place
of His
victory, covering
Himself
your helpful
self as an armour.
In the
previous
sloka the
analogy employed
related to
and the cure from it. In this sloka the
poet employs
the inci<
of warfare to
bring
out the idea he seeks to
convey.
, The
committed
by me,
the
poet says,
are like so
many
darts or at
iung
at His sweet and soft form. He cannot ward
off
those ai
by any
of the usual means
employed
in warfare calculated to de
them and
prevent
them from
doing
harm and
inflicting
wo
The sins cannot be
destroyed except by expiation (prayasc
or
enjoyment
of fruits
(anubhava)
vide sloka 34
post.
I do not
feel
repentant;
how am I
going
to take to
expiation?
If I a
get
the
punishment
I deserve for those
sins,
even
eternity
w
inadequate
to see me
punished
for all
my
sins.
They
are so
and so numerous. So the Lord is
very
much
pained
and
(Khinnaha).
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DAYAA'SATAKAM
only;
chance of
victory
that
.
suggests
itself to Hiim is t
a
place
where He will mot have to. see
my
sins and sinfi
ties./ That
place
is TiruinalaL
By
its'sacredness it des
frays
'the sins of even such as me because I
paid
obeisance
to ii
Even on the
heights
of His
victory-seat (Vijayastana)
He encase
Himself in an armour of
Daya, just
like a warrior
donning
th
armour for
protection
from hostile attacks.
Daya
is thus th
Kavacha or armour which the Lord
puts
on.
,
'* ' "
The
description
of the Lord as
Sarngee (sort7)
in this slofc
&
worthy
of
being enjoyed ,by
all rasikas. This name of the Lore
occurs^
in
only
one other sloka in this stotra the 106th when
He is referred to as
Saarngadhanva.
We
shall
enjoy
Jts
beaut^
and
appropriateness
there.
Here Desika has
-deliberately employed
the term*
Saarngee (the
of that
pwerfiit
bow known as
Saamga:
îr^mÔi^GST
J)&&).TG&L-.irsyr as
Periyalwar
has
put
it)
to show that
tfte Lord\ failure to achieve
victory, by
mfcans other thairwFrat
involves the
employment
of
Daya,
is not due to His
-being
a
n&ak or
powerless person
bereft of the essential
qualities
of a
warrior. He is in fact a
Sarva-Shakta,
a
Mahaveera,
and the
moat
powerful
of
weapons,
the
Kodanda,
is in His hands.
He can
fat
down,
subdue and
vanquish any
one. As
Valmjki
has
put
it,
Ha makes
up
His mind to kill a
person
in
war,
there is no one
strong enough
to
protect
such a
person
Traatum-na-Shaktaaha-
yudhi-Ramavadhyam
=T
5
^ ?rar
qfnr
TW^'
That
way
of
achieving
wtory
kawewer does mcxtt
appeal
to the Lord. His
great
desire is to
firiiffld âaiquisk
the sin* im the sinner and not t kil and end .ttee
himsdf., Has He not as Sri Rama
given
to us the
of a Veera as
Pampam Aaryem yo
hantisaha
aft',
ff^ct
& 9^2
He is the true veenra who
quells
sin
by
rihte0Bsae^.
With His
Saarnga
He, can
only
mow dsvm
ratilJioBS as He did in the
Ramayama.
That however. He does not
leciiwi as
victory.
He with the
Saaarnga
in His hands is thus,
helpless
aigaiitst iy sins,,
sinee the?
Saamga
cam
as&y
kill me but not
my
sins.
Daya
has therefore to come ,to His rescue as a
protector
-
against
aims^ Aixd, therefore with
Daya
as His armour He attains the seat
rf
victory TisEwmalai^ which,
as
explained
in; the
commentary
.j
tfe
eiy
first sldca of this
Stolra,
is, itself
capable
<
of our Sins.
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incidentally
tms
g-w
(ûrmatva)
or
auspKioitsness
0;
Ps
Tiruineni
($?$(]>
t/eyrl)
or
glorious body
is shown
,
result" of its
intimate contact with
Daya.
as intimate as
n
armour. ; -,
-*
'itistitati
dushkrtaam
pradhaane
mltadoshaan
ttaraan
'aadhaganairapoornakukshihi
Kamalaakaanta
Dayel
k&
bhctvitrep
Whea I am
here,
the
chief
among evildoers,
OJ
Daya! yo
arch
of others who have
but
limited sins to their credit.
By
.9
protecting
those others
you
will not at all feel
satisfied Or i
vill feel
like one whose stomach does not
get
its fill of
feed.
i! how are
you going
to thrive
(live)?
. , , .< *
*
j
The
thoûît
of
tiis
own
huge
load of^sins which
fpujpuLme
e
previous
sloka
persists
in this sloka' too. There it was s
'itheHUsffd Himself
feif
deeply pained
aiii';hwi:
a' tliose
t
pains
the Lord is
pleasing
to
Daya,
it is stated here.
Daya
react to sins in
diametrically opposite ways.
God w
as in Human
beings
and feels hurt and wounded.
Daya g
stos and takes a
pleasure
and
pride
in
excusing
and
:
fotg
i. This feature of
Daya
Devi is
pictured
here
by
refe
QS as
Daya's
food
by
which her
hunger gets appeased;
]
;*ors .to
protect
sinners. Their sins therefore
jpst
>ap.;
The
larger
thfc
quaatity
ske
consumes Hie
he
degree
of
appease^Tient.
i
ta the
intoisity
of his devotional fervaur
calls hi
nd the leader
amomig
sinners. This m
a-*yery^
re
:
With all
grieajt acharyas.
.Nammalwar refers to"iumsc
}Qnjm
mfa&ir<sQsBr (gtusyr
(siiiner
with a
)US
,-siBts) eB$H>irp
$*48SsBrvr
&
&&$ssr
t â lot of mormons sins Jiave
I
comimiitted)
and m
EtKtdax
sings
about himself as
amfe:
sspr: Amarâd
idraha and &o on
showering
oa himself tea suc
>wamg
in:
their,
wake Desika also
xery
often .refers
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BAYAA SATAIUiM
only
chance of
victory
that,
suggests
itself to Him is tc
ittbreat.to a
place
where He will not have to. see
my
sins and sin&ri
japoptasitiesu"'
That
place
is TiruttialaL
By
itsrsacredness it des-
tffojrs
.the sins of even such as me because I
paid
obeisanpp.
to.its
Even on the
heights
of His
victory-seat (Vijayastana)
He -.encases
Himself in an armour of
Daya, just
like a warrior
donning
the
armour for
protection
from hostile attacks.
Daya
is
thus..
the
Kavacha of armour which the Lord
puts
on.
'~J'
The
description
of the Lord as
Sarngee (STIff)
in this
slpka
&
worthy
of
being enjoyed by
all rasikas. This name of the Lord
occurs in
only
one other sloka in this stotra the 106th where
x '*'.
'
.
(
" "
A
' * '
He is referred to as
Saarngadhanva.
We
shall
enjoy
its
'Ibeautjy:
and
appropriateness
there.
Here Desika has
'deliberately employed
the
4erm-Saarngee (the
of that
pcwerfofr
bpw known as
Saaarmga:
^^mÔLf^r
Qjvsvr&wL^rr&fr as
Periyalwar
has
put
it)
to show that
tfee Lonfs failure to achieve
victory, by
means other than
:
wfect
involves the
employment
of
Daya,
is not due to His
-beiftg?
a
ineak or
powerless person
bereft of the essential
qualities
of a
warrior. He is in fact a
Sarva-Shakta,
a
Mahaveera,
and the
most
powerful
of
weapons,
the
Kodanda,
is in His hands. .
He can
put
down,
subdue and
vanquish any
one.
As
Valmjki
has
put
it,
ft
Ha makes
up
His mind to kill a
person
in
war,
there is no one
strong enough
to
protect
such a
person
Traatum-na-Shaktaaha-
yudhi-Ramavadhyam
^
5
?f STTRT
Vv
*W*ti That
way
of
achieving
iwtory
koiwewer
;i
does mot
appeal
to the Lord. His
gie^t
dîre is to
asd
âaqubh
the sm in the sinner and not t kill and end -the
amner Mmsdf., Has He mot as Sri Raima
given
to us the 'correct
<4@fiiidyo!ii
c a, Vesoâ as
Paatipam AwryeM y&'
hantimh^ HOTrafar
*ti %$^ ^', PcC It- elf:
He is the true.veeia who
"queMs.sim
by ri^teoisaess.
Wiith His
Saarnga
He, can
only
mow downs,
niilitoiis as He dM in the
Ramayaaa.
That however He does* not
s@crJwa as
victory.
He with the
Saarnga
in His hands is thm
helpless
my sins*
si@ the
Saamga
cam
only
kill me but not
my
sins.
.
has. therefore t come , to His rescue .as a
inratectaor- againsl:
And therefore with
Daya
as His armour He attains the seat
^rf
mctary; Tkimalai^ which,,
as
explained
in: the
commentary
JQ*I
tte
êi^
first slDka of this
Slroilra,
is, itself
capable
of
cleansing:
JD$
of our Sins.
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SATAKAM
^
-..Incidentally
this
g*ic3
(Subhatva)
or
auspicioiisness
of tiie
Lord's Tirumeni
($^C?t/W?)
or
glorious body
is shown ,to-be
thie result' of its intimate contact with
Daya,
as intimate as
of an armour.
"-"
?
Mqyltfstitati
dushkrtaam
pradhaane
mitadoshaan itaraan
Aparaadhaganairapoornakukshihi
Kamalaakaanta
Daye
! katham
When; I am
here,
the chief
among seviWoecs^
O!
D^yal yoft;Mfe
in search
of
others who have but
limited
sins to
their
credit.
By saving
and
protecting
those others
you
will not at all feel
satisfied or
happy
bujt
will feel like one whose stomach does not
get
its fill of
feed. Poor
Daya!
how are
you going
to thrive
(live)?
The
thought
of bis
own
huge
load ofîns which ,found,niention
in the
previous
sloka
persists
in this' sfoka
1
too. There it was stated
fcbat
'jtheHLjdHMl
Himself felt
deeply pained
anil
;fwt at tliose sins.
What
pains
the Lord is
pleasing
to
Daya,
it is stated here.
Gpd
and
Daya
react to sins in
diametrically opposite ways.
God winces
at "sins in Human
beings
and feels hurt and wounded.
Daya gloats
over sin:s and tikes a
pleasure
and
pride
in
excusing and'fofgivrag
them. This Feature of
Daya
Devi is
pictured
here
by referring
to jsio5 as
Daya's
food
by
which her
Mrnger gets appeased. Daya
fcaiikcs .to
protect
sinners. Their sim$ therefore et
c<sujacl
fey Daf:a;
The
lar@ar
tial>
quanolity
ste consumes ihe
grreater
wM
be the
degree
of
appeasement.
i : ')
TjhejpoeJ:
im the
intensity
of his devotional fervour .calls hiinself
am arda-siiwcr and the leader
amomig
sinners, This is a
^firyiutoLkl
feature -With- aE
great acharyas.
.Nammalwar refers to kim^tf as
andv $&ir@<s9$ssr
($tu$sr
(siiiner
with a "yast 'load *4fflf
(wtet
*a lot of mormons
sins have I
.committed)
and so
sings
about himself as
w^fe-.
g^:
and $o on
showering
on himself, tea '.such
piithar.waks
Desika also
yery
often rdfers
e
greatest
and taltesit
among
sinmers. In thatnod.4ie
plaintively
tells
Daya Devi,
"
please
turn
your
attention
-
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38
DAYAA SATAKAJM
I
promise you good
and full food for
you
in the
shape
of sins
You are out to save sinners.
By saving persons
who havi
committed small sins
you
will not do
justice
to
yourself
am
you
will not feel satisfied. So I tell
you, please
turn toward:
me and do not waste
your
time
searching
for others whose sini
will be
nothing
before
my
sins. If after such search
you aligh
.upon
some of them and save
them, you surely
are not
going
to b<
satisfied. You will
surely
feel
then like a
hungry giant being
fee
on" half a loaf of
bread. And when I am here in the nature of 2
full and rich
repast why
turn
your eyes
on insufficient rationed
food? I feel
very
much
concerned to think of
your
semi-starvation,
How are
you
going
to
live,
to
thrive,
unless
you
take me on
hand,
protect
me and feel
happy
that it has been
given
to
you
to
achieve the
redemption
and
protection
of the
greatest
of
sinners." ?
The
words used
suggest.
that the
poet
tates
pity
and com-
passion
on
Daya
Devi
who is
herself a
storehouse of
mercy.
^
ii
(*
)
Ahamasmi
aparaadha
(aparaadhi)
chakravarti
Karunel
tvamcha
gune-
shu
saarvabhaumee
Vidusheestitimeedrseem
swayam
maam
Vrishasailenvara
Paadaasat
Kuru tvam.
(30)
I am
the
emperor
of
crimes
(or
I am an
emperor
among
criminals).
YOII are an
Empress
among good
qualities
(attributes).
Knowing
this
state of
affairs it is
up
to
you
to tie me
up
to the
feet of
Vrishasafleswara
on
your
own
initiative.
The
poet
who
called
himself
"dushkrtam-pradhaanaha:" or
dud
âmong
wrong-doers" in
sloka 29
refers to
himself
here as
an
emperor
of
crimes
(or,
in the
paata
'aparaadtdchakravarti'
as
"
the
emperor
among criminals."
He
refers
to
Daya
Devi as
an
Emprlss
i,i*
anmp
if
she
enslaves
an
emperor
and
imprisons him.
Therefore
Dava
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aparaaana-cnaKravartee
may
also be
split
i
ra-vartee,
meaning
thereby
one who lives move;
i
aparaadha, i.e., fault, crime,
sin and so on.
vortex of crime.
Round abowt me
everywhere
there is
nought
but
aparaadha.
1 am the cem
>ple
build forts and
ramparts
for their
safety
an<
I am
living
in such a state in the midst of si
10 are an
Empress
backed
up by strength,
valou
,as
(sloka
11)
to
besiege me,
blast the
rampart
i
t and to come
in and
capture
m and easlav*
nplish
this task. You
know fall wdi this st
cries out for redress.
'
swayam
'
can be taken
along
with
*
vidu
which case tvam
coming
at the end of the slok
for the
predicate
PaadamM
kum;
d>r twan m
th vidhushee and the sloka read as
*
swayam paad
by yourself
and without
any
mve from ms d
If
you expect
me to move ia the
matter,
I
ma;
of
your
own accord.
decad thus winds
up
with a
prayer
to
Daya
to
of the Lord. The
vigraha
of the Lord is so bea
that the momeat one learns about it oae hast
1 an
enjoyment
is to be obtained
only by
falli
t can be dome
only
if
Daya
Devi takes
pity
om u
so.
ly
it
may
be noted that in the first slolca ofthis
i
s used. Then
regularly
Kumna and
Daya
have
ilternate slofcas.
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38 DAYAA SATAKAM
I
promise you good
and full food for
you
in the
shape
of sin!
You are out to save sinners.
By saving persons
who hav
committed small sins
you
will not do
justice
to
yourself
an
you
will not feel satisfied. So T tell
you, please
turn toward
me and do not waste
your
time
searching
for others whose sin
will be
nothing
before
my
sins. If after such search
you aligh
itipon
some of them and save
them, you surely
are not
going
to b
satisfied. You will
surely
feel then like a
hungry giant being
fe<
on" half a loaf of bread. And when I am here in the nature of J
full and rich
repast why
turn
your eyes
on insufficient ratione<
food? I feel
very
much concerned to think of
your
semi-starvation
How are
you going
to
live,
to
thrive,
unless
you
take rne 01
hand, protect
me and feel
happy
that it has been
given
to
yoi
to achieve the
redemption
and
protection
of the
greatest
01
sinners."?
The words used
suggest
.that
the
pbet
takes
pity
and com-
passion
on
Daya
Devi who is herself a
storehouse of
mercy.
?? ^
3013
Ahamasmi
aparaadha
(aparaadhi)
chakravarti Karunel tvamcha
gune-
shu
saarvabhaumee
Vidusheestitimeedrseem
swayam
maam
Vrishasaileswam
Paadaasat
Kuru tvam.
(30)
I am the
emperor
of crimes
(or
I am an
emperor
among criminals).
You are an
Empress
among good
qualities
(attributes).
Knowing
this
state of
affairs it is
up
to
you
to tie me
up
to the feet of
Vrishasaileswara
on
your
own
initiative.
The
poet
who
called
himself
"
dushkrtam-pradhaanaha-" or
"
chief
among
wrong-doers"
in sloka 29
refers to
himself
here as
an
emperor
of
crimes
(or,
in the
paata
'aparaadhichakravarti'
as,
"the
emperor
among
criminals."
He
refers to
Daya
Devi
asan
Empress
of
guuaas
or
good attributes.
The
glory
of
an
Empress
will
go up
if she
enslaves
an
emperor
and
imprisons him.
Therefore
Daya
Devi is
requested
in
and
by
this
sloka to
capture
Desika as a
prisoner
-of-war
and to
imprison
him at the
feet of the
Lord of
Vrishasaila
(sloka
n)>
<
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OAYAA SATAKAM 39
The term
aparaadha-chakravartee may
also be
split up
as
aparadha-chakra-vartee,
meaning thereby
one who lives moves and
has his
being
in
aparaadha, i.e., fault, crime,
sin and so on. I am
literally
in the vortex f crime. Roumd about me
everywhere,
and
ever and
anon,
there is
nought
but
aparaadha.
1 am the centre of
sin.
Some
people
build forts -and
ramparts
for their
safety
and live
within them. I am
living
in such a state in the midst of sin. I
beseech
you
who are an
Empress
backed
up by strength,
valour and
other
anucharaas
(sloka
1
1)
to
besiege me,
blast the
rampart
walls,
shatter
my
fort and to come in and
cafrtur
me and easlave me.
You can
accomplish
this task. You know full welt this state of
affairs
which cries out for redress.
The word
*
swayam
'
can be taken
along
with
*
vidushee
*
(you know)
in which case tvam
coming
at the end of the sloka will
be the
subject
for the
predicate
Paadamat
kurm;
r tmffn
may
be
taken
along
with vidhushee aiad the sloka read as
*
swayam paadasaat
kuru
'
Please
by yourself
and without
any
move from me easlave
me at His feet. If
you expect
me to move in the
matter^
I
may
mot.
So
please
do so of
your
own accord.
The third decad thus winds
up
with a
prayer
to
Daya
to take
us to the Feet of the Lord. The
vigraha
of the Lord is s beautiful
aad attractive that the moment one learns about it t>me hastens to
enjoy
it. Such an
enjoyment
is to be obtained
only by falling
at
His feet. That can be done
only
if
Daya
Devi takes
pity
om us and
makes us do so.
Incidentally
it
may
be noted that in the first sloka of this dtcad
Anukampa
was used. Then
regularly
Kanma and
Daya
have been
employed
in alternate -slokas.
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TO
DAYAA
SATAKAM
FOURTH DECAD
THE
third Decad started with a sloka in which the wore
*
Maalinee* finds a
place.
The fourth decad
employs
th<
Malinee metre. It is a metre with fifteen aksharaas in a
paada
Its
lilting rhythm
is a
very pleasing
feature of this metre.
As the stotra
proceeds,
the
incorporation
in it of the
thoughts
and ideas of the
Dramidopanishad
becomes more and more
appa-
rent The
topic
of the fourth
*
Paththu
'
(u&&)
of Tiruvoimozhj
is the
Sarva-bhogyaatisaayitvam
of the Lord. That
is,
His
enjoy-
ableness and the delectation He affords to His
devotees,
excel
every
other
enjoyment
known to man:
against
them the other
enjoyments pale
into
nothingness.
In the second decad the ati-
bhogyabhava
or
high degree
of
enjoyability
was
enjoyed.
After
knowing
about His beautiful
Roopa
in the 3rd
paththu,
Nammalwar
postulates
that no other
enjoyment
can come
anywhere
near the
enjoyable quality
of the Lord and
thereby
demonstrates how He
excels
(arfasR)
all other
joys.
This fourth decad of
Daya
Sataka
deals with this trait of the Lord
very pointedly
as we shall see.
While
singing
the
very
first sloka of this decad it is obvious
that the
poet
is
thinking
of the
gist
of the first verse of
Nammalwar's
fourth Paththu
"
&ir)tjDQu/D&@iBJ8#&i
^.ujiBQ^
" *
Betake
yourselves
betimes to
thinking
of Him and
thereby
save
yourselves/
The idea of this 31st sloka
is,
while there is
strength
in the
body
and while the karanaas are
properly
functioning
let me
go up
the
Tirumalai Hill and take
my
residence there to
obtain the
grace
of the Gracious Lord of that Hill.
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DAYAA SATAKAM
41
rl snnfl: II
Asithila Karanesmin Akashta-shwasa vrittau
Vapushigamana yogye
vaasam
aasadayeyam
i
Vrishagiri-katakeshu vyanjayatsu prateetaihi
Madhumathana
Day
el tvaam varidhaara viseshaihiu
*(31)
O!
Daya
of the
slayer
of
(the asura)
Madhu! while these karanaas
of mine are
unenfeebled,
while the
hreathing
function
(in my body)
is
uninjured
and
unhurt,
and while
my body
is still fit to
freely go
about.
I desire to live
(have my residence)
on the sides
(slopes)
of
Vrishagiri
(Tirumala Hill),
the famous waterfalls of which reveal and demonstrate
(to us) your
own flow.
Like all
hills,
the Tirumala Hill is also famous for its
falls,
such as
Akasha-ganga, Paapa-vinaasa,
and so on. The
majestic
flow of water in those falls remind Desika of the flow of
Daya,
how from the
heights
of the
mighty
and
majestic Lord, Daya
flows
down and
down,
lower and
lower,
till she bathes the lowliest of
the low in her beneficient waters. He therefore refers to the falls
as
demonstrating
and
visibly illustrating
to us the
pravaaha
or
flow of
Daya.
Vaari is
water,
and dhaara is a downward
current,
a
descending
stream.
Life on the Tirumalai Hill is
prayed
for for the reason that
by seeing
the water falls which are there in
plenty
one will ever
and anon be reminded and
kept
in mind of
Daya.
In the
days
of the Alwars and of Desika there were no
ghat
roads and no vehicles to take
people
up
the Hill. Ascent of the
Hill was a
very
difficult and laborious
process.
It ccnild not tie
accomplished
unless one had a
sound, strong
and
sturdy body.
The
powers
of
sight, hearing
etc.
(Indhriyas)
should be keen and
unimpaired.
The
lungs
must be
functioning properly
so that the
difficult ascent
involving
a
great
strain on
breathing may
not have
any
adverse effect on the
breathing process.
The
body
itself should
be
capable
of free and
easy
movement. The wise man therefore
will like to
accomplish
the
climbing
of the Tirumala Hill while
his faculties are
unimpaired
and
intact,
and will not
postpone
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DAYAA SATAKAM
43
What
Daya
Devi achieves with a view to
protect
us is a matter
for wonder and admiration for Sridevi and Bhoodevi. Protection
of
persons
like us who are
ignorant
of our own
yoga
and kshema
cannot be an
easy
task. If at heart we know what is
good
for
ourselves,
what we should
get
which we do not now
have,
and
what we should
safely
retain out of those we have it will be some-
thing
to
proceed upon. Daya
has to think for us and Snd out
what will be for our ultimate and
lasting good,
and what will
surely
bring
about
ruin,
and then
proceed
to
gather
the former and eschew
the latter.
Tirumangai
Alwar in one
place
refers to the Lord
as
one
*
who thinks for me and then extends His
mercy
towards me
'
The second
epithet
*
Aatmanaabhigyam* (unaware
of
my
own
true
self) really
is
explanatory
of the first. It is
only
if I know
myself properly
that I can find out what is
good
and what is bad.
If I know
myself
as the human
body
I crave for food and for all
the
pleasures
ofthe flesh. If I know
myself
as a deva I want Amrita
for
my
sustenance,
and
so on. Prone as I am to
identify myself
with the
body
bestowed on me
according
to
my karma,
I am not
able to see
through
it and understand
my
true self as a soul whose
very
nature is Seshatva towards the Lord.
Added to the two
defections,
I have
nothing
of
good
in me.
Guna-lava-rahitam.
Bereft of the smallest
particle
of
goodness.
And
yet
undaunted
by
these
shortcomings
and frailties in me
Daya
desires to
protect
me.
(The poet
refers to this as a
*
saahasa
'
STf
tf or a bold and
audacious,
if not
rash,
act on the
part
of
Daya
in Sloka
71). Having
made
up
her mind to
protect
one like
me, Daya
has to resort to several clever tactics to achieve
that
result
viz., winning
over the Lord and
getting
Him to
protect
me.
By
clever
arguments
and winsome
ways,
she annexes the Lord who
willingly puts
Himself in her hands and
readily
does what she wants
Him to do.
Sri Devi and Bhoo-Devi
the two Consorts of the Lord ever
present
by
His side see what
Daya
does and how
cleverly
she achieves
the
redemption
and rescue of
sinning
souls.
They
feel
very glad
and
happy
and admire
Daya
Devi's inordinate skill and adroitness
and look
upon
her with admiration and esteem.
For is not
Daya
doing
what
they
so
keenly
desire to do?
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44
DAYAA SATAKAM
vitarana daksham
pakshapaataanabhigyam
pragunamanuvidheyampraapya padmaasahaayam
\
Mahatiguna
samaaje maanapoorvam Daye!
tvam
prativadasi yathaar-ham
paapmanaam
maamakaanaam
Daya
Devi!
(with
a view to defend me
against my sins) you
to the Court
presided
over
by
Srinivasa with Padmavathi
by
His i
Srinivasa who is
reputed
for His skill in
conferring (on
human b
the
(proper
and
appropriate)
fruits of their
action,
who does not
what
partiality is,
and who is
(regards
Himself
as)
bound b
laws of
Manu,
and before the
august assembly
constituted I
great gunas (of
the
Lord), you by quoting
and
referring
to
pran
(authority
and
precedent) very cleverly reply
to the
argumen
my
sins who
prosecute
me
(before
that
Court).
Vedanta Desika's Sarva-tantra-swatantratva
(mastery
all the
arts,
crafts and
sciences)
is illustrated
by
this sloka v
shows to us Ms
great
and intimate
knowledge
of the
working
Courts of Justice. It is
really
marvellous to see how intim
acquainted
he must have been with the
theory
and
practice
oi
and of the fundamentals of
jurisprudence.
This sloka desc]
a Sessions Court and its
workings
in meticulous detail
The Court is
presided
overnot
by
a
single judge
but
by
a Be
The word
Padmaa-Sahaayam
has been
deliberately
used to de;
that the
Judge
is
Sreenivasa,
the Consort of
Padma,
and also
He has the
sahaya (help)
of Padmavati in
deciding
cases. A B
of
two
judges
even
today
is
preferred
to a
single judge
beci
where there are two
judges
there is no
scope
for
any
one to
comp
of individual
caprices
or
idiosyncracies coming
into
play.
E
will act as a corrective to the other.
Then the three
requisites
of a
great
and
upright judge
indicated. A
judge
must have the
capacity
to sift the
right
ft
the
wrong
and to
pass
the
proper judgment
or sentence in e;
case. His conclusion must be backed
up by
sanction or the fo
of
authority.
In other words not
only
must he be clever and
capa
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DAYAA
SATAKAM 45
ie matter of
proper adjudication,
but he must be
powerful
gh
to
effectuate and
carry
out his own decrees and dictates,
kvords
phala-vitarana-daksham refer to these
aspects.
Vitarana
>nly
means
giving,
but also
effectively giving
the
phala
or fruit
ssult of
actions.
The next
qualification
of a
judge
is Ms utter
impartiality
in
ng
and
adjudging
causes. It
may
be noted how the
poet
not
say
'impartial'
but
says ignorant
of
partiality.
The
> must not know to be
partial
or one-sided: it must have no
in his
constitution or make
up.
He must
dispense justice
to one
and all.
Dispensation
of
justice according
to law is
tjh.e
third
aspect
led
by
Desika here. Manu stands for
laws, ordinances,
rules
regulations.
Praguna-Manu
refers to the
great
and noted
u-Dharma Shastra. The
judge
must
obey
law: he must be
vidheya.'
subject
to and controlled
by it,
namely
law. We
ere
justice according
to the strict
legal principles
and doctrines
;
stressed. In
Padmaa-sahaayatva,
we have the combination
5 other
principle
of
justice being tempered
with
mercy.
Padma
akshmi is the embodiment of
Mercy
and Her
association
es us of
Mercy,
whereas the submissiveness to law
(Manu-
yatva)
assures us of
justice according
to law. It is
really
alt even for a modern student of the science of law or
juris-
mce to find fault with Desika's
concept
of a
Judge
or in
any
to
improve
on it. So much for the sentiments
incorporated
5 first half of the sloka.
The second half shows that the Court is a criminal court where
nt is tried for offences
alleged
to have been committed
by him,
tot a civil court where the
rights
of
parties
are
adjudged.
We
prosecution,
defence and what is
more,
a
jury.
The sins are
rosecutors,
the
guna samaja
or
assemblage
of
gunas
is the
and
Daya
Devi is defence counsel. So
minutely
indeed is
lea worked out in this sloka. It is said that
Daya
Devi
(like
i in the Merchant of
Venice)
comes into a Court
peopled by
md
pleads.
Guna is masculine
gender.
Before that
assembly
200..
Daya,
a
lady, boldly
comes and
pleads
on
my behalf,
;a
very touchingly says. Luckily
there is a
lady
on the Bench
tavathi. The
jury
is to advise the
judge
in
regard
to conclusions
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44 DAYAA SATAKAM
qjcq
vitarana daksham
pakshapaataanabhigyam
pragunamanuvidheyam praapya padmaasahaayam
\
Mahati
guna samaaje maanapoorvam Daye!
tvam
prativadasiyathaar-ham paapmanaam
maamakaanaam
(33)
Daya
Devi!
(with
a view to defend me
against my sins) you repair
to the Court
presided
over
by
Srinivasa with PadmavatM
by
His side
Srinivasa who is
reputed
for His skill in
conferring (on
human
beings)
the
(proper
and
appropriate)
fruits of their
action,
who does not know
what
partiality is,
and who is
(regards
Himself
as)
bound
by
the
laws of
Maim,
and before the
august assembly
constituted
by
the
great gunas (of
the
Lord), you by quoting
and
referring
to
pramaana
(authority
and
precedent) very cleverly reply
to the
arguments
of
my
sins who
prosecute
me
(before
that
Court).
Vedanta Desika's Sarva-tantra-swatantratva
(mastery
over
all the
arts,
crafts and
sciences)
is illustrated
by
this sloka which
shows to us his
great
and intimate
knowledge
of the
workings
of
Courts of Justice. It is
really
marvellous to see how
intimately
acquainted
he must have been with the
theory
and
practice
of law
and of the fundamentals of
jurisprudence.
a Sessions Court and its
workings
in meticulous detail.
The Court is
presided
over not
by
a
single judge
but
by
a Bench.
The word
Padmaa-Sahaayam
has been
deliberately
used to denote
that the
Judge
is
Sreenivasa,
the Consort of
Padma,
and also that
He has the
sahaya (help)
of Padmavati in
deciding
cases. A Bench
of
two
judges
even
today
is
preferred
to a
single judge
because
where there are two
judges
there is no
scope
for
any
one to
complain
of individual
caprices
or
idiosyncracies coming
into
play.
Each
will act as a corrective to the other.
Then the three
rtquisites
of a
great
and
upright judge
are
indicated. A
judge
must have the
capacity
to sift the
right
from
the
wrong
and to
pass
the
proper judgment
or sentence in each
case. His conclusion must be backed
up by
sanction or the force
of
authority.
In other words not
only
must he be clever and
capable
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DAYAA SATAKAM
45
in the matter of
proper adjudication,
but he must
be
powerful
enough
to effectuate and
carry
out his own decrees and dictates.
The words
phala-vitarana-daksham
refer to these
aspects.
Vitarana
not
only
means
giving,
but also
effectively giving
the
phala
or fruit
or result of actions.
The next
qualification
of a
judge
is his utter
impartiality
in
judging
and
adjudging
causes. It
may
be noted how the
poet
does not
say
'
impartial
'
but
says ignorant
of
partiality.
The
judge
must not know to be
partial
or one-sided: it must have no
place
in his constitution or make
up.
He must
dispense justice
alike to one and all.
Dispensation
of
justice according
to law is the third
aspect
stressed
by
Desika here. Manu stands for
laws, ordinances,
rules
and
regulations. Praguna-Manu
refers to the
great
and noted
Manu-Dharma Shastra. The
judge
must
obey
law: he must be
its
*
vidheya.' subject
to and controlled
by
it, namely
law. We
see here
justice according
to the strict
legal principles
and doctrines
being
stressed. In
Padmaa-sahaayatva,
we have the combination
of the other
principle
of
justice being tempered
with
mercy.
Padma
or Lakshmi is the embodiment of
Mercy
and Her association
assures us of
Mercy,
whereas the submissiveness to law
(Manu-
vidheyatva)
assures us of
justice according
to law. It is
really
difficult even for a modern student of the science of law or
juris-
prudence
to find fault with Desika's
concept
of a
Judge
or in
any
way
to
improve
on it. So much for the sentiments
incorporated
in the first half of the sloka.
The second half shows that the Court is a criminal court where
i man is tried for offences
alleged
by him,
ind not a civil court where the
rights
of
parties
are
adjudged.
We
ind
prosecution,
defence and what is
more,
a
jury.
The sins are
;he
prosecutors,
the
guna samaja
or
assemblage
of
gunas
is the
ury
and
Daya
Devi is defence counsel. So
minutely
indeed
is
he idea worked out in this sloka. It is said that
Daya
Devi
(like
>
ortia in the Merchant of
Venice)
comes into a Court
peopled by
nen and
pleads.
Guna is masculine
gender.
Before that
assembly
>f men.
Daya,
a
lady, boldly
comes and
pleads
on
my behalf,
)esika
very touchingly says. Luckily
there is a
lady
on the Bench
*admavathi.
Thfi inrv ic t/^ a/fmej* +^<* I-,-,A~^ :~ .
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46 DAYAA SATAKAM
Lord such as the
shad-gunaas
referred to in sloka 15
above,
the
guanas
like
swaatantrya (independence)
etc. indicated in sloka
25,
and the
gunaas
like
vaatsalya (tenderness
and
affection)
all of
them
together
constitute the consultative
body
the
Jury
in this
trial of the human soul.
The sins themselves are the
prosecutors.
There are as
many
prosecutions, charges
and
charge-sheets
as there are sins
alleged
by
the accused.
Daya
Devi counters
and refutes all of them in the
process
of
defending
the accused at
the bar* Some commentators have said that the
gunaas
are the
prosecutors.
It is however submitted that the words
paapmanaam-
prativadasi (you argue against sins) clearly
indicate that the sins
are the
prosecutors
and
Daya
Devi
argues
contra. In another
place
Desika
employs
the same
analogy
of a vakil
pleading
as
against
sins
"
Durvaara-teevra-durita-prativaavadookaihi" (Dehalee-
sastuti)
and there also the reference is to
arguing against
sins.
On what basis does
Daya
Devi
repel
the
prosecution arguments
by pointless
rhetoric or
arguments
adhomineml
No, Maanapoor-
varn* Based on
authority.,
both the written law and the inter-
preted
law in the
shape
of
precedents. Daya
Devi's defence
argu-
ments are all submitted in strict accordance with law. No
beating
about the bush and
humming
and
hawing
without relevant or
substantial material. Desika seems to
give tips
even to
lawyers,
The
woT&pragmamanuvidheyam
has been
split up mtopragmam
and
mimclheyum by
some commentators.
Pragunam
means
excellent; anu-vidheyam
means amenable to
every
one. Both
these are to be taken as
adjectives
of
Padmaashayam.
This inter-
pretation though possible
does not
appear
to be more
apt
and
appropriate
than the one
adopted
above,
which fits in with the
lofty conception
and full
description
of a
judge
which Desika
seems to aim at in the sloka.
ft ^
3*
^Fftfasftforai
feftfisapMtfa: n%sipi$
>
îift*)
Anubhavitum
aghaugham
naalam
agaami
Kaalaha
Prasamayitum
asesham
nishkriyabhir nasakyam
i
Smxyamitihi Dayei
tvm sweekruta Sreenivasaa
Shithilvka bhavabheetihi
Shreyase Jayase
naha
(34)
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DA1TAA
SATAiUM
**
seeing
that
all time to come will not suffice for
my
king
out the multitude of
my
sins,
and Ihjit those coiintless sins can
merer be
totally extinguished
by
Hie
performance
of suitable
praayas-
cMttas or
expiations, yon
of
your
own accord come into
being;
for w
welfare,
annex: Lard
Sraftivaasa,
and convert Hiftt to
ywr
view
point,
and
thereby
loosen and
destroy
our
frightful
shackles of sannsara.
It looks as if one
very convincing argument
of
Daya
Devi
as our
defence counsel is
given by w^y
of illustration or
specimen
in this sLoka.
The sins committed
by
us rise
up
as our
prosecutors
and damotir
for the
appropriate punishment being
accorded to us for those
sins.
Daya
Devi
argues thereupon
thus; "Well,
be it so. But
has
any
one
thought
of this? Even
granting
that this accused
ceases
committing any
further sins from this
-moment,
what
length
of time will be taken
up
in his
working
out
all
his untold multitude
of sins committed:
dining ages
on
ages!
In all time to come he will
be
undergoing punishment.
Time
may
cease but the sentences
for the crime committed
by
him will not have run out. How then
is
anyone
going
to
properly
and
adequately punish
him and see
that he serves the
periods
of all sentences of
punishment
for his
sins. This is on the
assumption
that he ceases to sin from this
iaiEment-am
imp
osstble
assumption.
In fact he is
going
on
committing
in the fraction of a second
(kshanaardha)
crimes and sins which will
qualify
Mm for all the hell-fires for all
eternity.
If it is
impossible
to.
punish
him
fully
for all his
sins,
and
only
a
portion
of his sins
is
caqpable
of
being punished,
where are
you going
to draw the line?
if.fou.are
going
to excuse
and
quash
a
portion
of his merited
punish-
ment, why
not excuse and
quash
the whole?"
-
Finding
it difficult to meet this
very pertinent argument,
the
question
of
working
out the sins
by expiatory
ceremonies is raised
by
some one in
court,
either
by
some member of the
jury
or from
the Betich.
Daya
Devi
readily
retorts
"you
do mot know this
accused
person
as well as I know him. He never commits sins
for which
expiations
are
prescribed.
He makes it a
point
to commit
only
such sins as are classified as
6
heinous
'
and for which no one
can ever
lay
dawn a course of
expiation.
And if ever there is an
act .for which
expiation
is laid down and he were to
adopt it,
in
tlte course of that
very procels
of
expiation
he commits
gross apa-
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48 BAYAA SATAKAM
expiation
itself useless. So one has to draw a blank here al
So,
what is left but to
pardon?
Thus
arguing Daya
melts 1
heart of the Lord. In other words
Daya
takes birth in the Lor
heart. That is shown
by
the the use of the word
Jayaase, you
'<
Ipom.
For our
Shreyas
or
glory
and benefit
you
are born.
Swayana
you
take birth of
your
own
accord,
not even at our
request
prayer.
Unsolicited,
you
take
shape
and work for our
good
1
capturing
Sreenivasa;
and
thereby
our fears in
regard
to relea
from samsara or the
cycle
of birth and death
get
loosened an
ultimately
lost. Even for me there is thus
hope
of
safety
an
security.
Avatarana viseshaihi
atmaleelaapadesaihi
Avamatim
anukampel
mandachitteshu vindan
i
Vrishabhashikari nathaha tvannidesena noonam
Bhajati
Sharana
bhaajaam
bhaavino
janmabhedhaan
"
(35)
Anukampa!
the
great
Lord of Vrishabha
Hill,
at
your
behest
and on
your command,
takes on several different births in this
world,
which series of births should
really
be
undergone by
those who have
become His
Saranaagataas.
And He
pretends
to do so out of His
sportive instinct; (far
from
being praised
for this vicarious act of
nobility)
;Bfe receives
nothing
but
disregard disrespect
and
contempt
at the hands of the foolish.
r
JBvery
deed must receive its reward or
punishment.
So where
fhe*
several and countless
janmaas (births)
of the individual soul
which that soul must have taken in order to
enjoy
the fruits of its
actions,
are
wiped
out
by
the
gracious
intervention of
Daya,
someone
must
in the
place
of that soul take those births.
Daya
ordains
that
the
Lord Himself should do so. And in obedience to
that
command the Lord takes several births or avataaraas in this
world,
As He does so on the initiation and at the
instigation
of
Daya,
these avataaraas
.
of
th Lord are
Daya-kaarya,
or the work of
Daya.,
They
are also dictated
by
Leela or
sport.
The Lord is born
not
because of karma but out of His own sweet will and
pleasure.,
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DAYAA SATAKAM
49
And He
enjoys
His births and avataaraas. So
they
are also due
to the
sportive
instinct in Him. But as the immediate cause of
the avataara is
Daya, sport
becomes a
secondary
and
auxiliary
cause and so is referred to here as an
apadesa -pretext.
It redounds
to the Lord's
greatness
that He takes those several
janmaas
in
spite
of the fact that fools
(referred
to as
J^TJ:
in the
Gita)
do
not understand Him
aright (srîafccT)
but
begin
to abuse and
despise
Him. That is referred to in this sloka
by
the words Ava-
matim and vindan.
The lives to come for those who
give
themselves
up
to the Lord
(Stiarana-bhaajaam)
are
undergone by
the Lord at the dictate, of
Daya.
In their
qase
it would have been a
punishment
and a banish-
ment;
but in the case of the Lord it is a
leela, sport.
By
the use of the word
*
noonam
'
the
poet signifies
that it is
really so,
and
incidentally
indicates that it is an
utpreksha
nice
poetical fancy.
wife
*!*
WB
Parahitam
Anukampe! bhaavayantyaam bhavatyaam
Sthiram
anupadhi
haardam Sreenivaso dadhaanahai
Lalita ruchishu Lakshmee Bhoomi-Neelasu noonam
.
Prathayati
bahumaanam
twatpratichchandabudhyan (36)
Devi
Anukampa!
Lord Sreenivasa who bears
permanent
and
spontaneous
love towards
you
who
always
think of the welfare and
well-being
of
others, displays great regard
toward.5 His Consorts
Lakshmi
Devi,
Bhoodevi and Neeladevi of attractive brilliance and
glory, only
because He thinks that
they
are
reflectioas
(images)
of
you.
Lest the reader should
get
the idea that the Lord
may get
vexed
with
Daya
Devi for
compelling
Him to suffer the
indignities
of
avataara as indicated in the
previous
sloka,
the
poet
hastens in this
sloka to
postulate
the
great regard
that He has towards
Daya.
And he does it with remarkable effect
by pointing
out that the
Lord's
great regard for,
and love
towards,
His
Cqnsorts
are
really
the outcome of His
noticing
and
appreciating
tfre
great quality
of
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50
DAYAA SATAKAM
The Lord's fondness towards
Daya
is
anupaSii,
not due to
aay
cause; spontaneous. Daya by
nature is ever am
anoa mindful of
p
ara-hitam or the welfare and
well-being
of othess
Jtoi will indicate not
only
otters
but also
enemies. It is
Daytf
great quaEty
that she wiH think,
of,
and act
for,
the
welfare .of crwi
enemies
of the Lord. As her name
employed
in this sloka Aim
kampa (sympathy)
indicates,
she shudders over in line with tbc
sufferer.
That the
Lord's Hmardam,
love
or
fondness,
is alsa
eternal
permanent,
is indicated
by
the word sthiram.
Rucki is kaiiti or lustre. LaMta-Ridii is
cb&nmng
t
elegant
and
.pleasing
lustre. The Lard
?
& eousortS;
Lakshmi,
and Neda
possess
charm aad lustre* in a
pfeeiateent
In fact Lakshmi stands for
Soumdarya
y Laavamya
Mil *tt
forms. But it is
pointed
out
here,
the Lord, likes them mosl not
because of that
quality
of theirs but because in His
opinion, t^
His
eyes, they appear
to be reflections of
Daya
Devi. The
Lo^
looks
upon
His consorts as
images (prati-bimbhas)
of
Daya
and
therefore He manifests
protkayoii
His bafiwmacmam or
high
esteem
towards them.i la the first decad of stotra we saw Desika
dealing
with these three Consorts 'of the Lord in Slokas
6,
7 and 8
and
demonstrating
how
they- really help
in the
redemption
of the
human soul wMch is
Daya's special
Daya being
an
attribute lias
f
eally
no .
body
f her
o?w:,
Lakshmi,
Bhoomi and Neela have lustrous
roopa
or
foim
And
yet
the Lord's
great
love towards tto is traceable not to tirar
beauty
and
ekgauqe
boi
to
tfaek
possessing
kt common with
Daya
the trait of
redeeming
souls ia distress. That is
why
the Lord's
fondness for
Daya
is said to be
anupadhi
causeless*
and it is at
the same time
pointed
out that Lakshmi and the other two
consorts.
are held in
high
esteem because of their
emulating Daya
in
.the
process
of
divinising
human souls. The use of the word
'
noonam
'
meaning
c
indeed
*
shows that the
poet
is
again indulging
in an
wtprekska*
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1 1
SATAEAM mi
*^
V
H
'^nsiiagm
scmdhssku
-vya&jat
v&asm
bhaajaarfy^
\
durit
kalwsMtamaam
d&oymmanaa DayV\tjyqm
Immm
vilayakaaJe
Kacmdisheekasmruteenaam
^'
,
%
smmayasi
batmkekmi Maadhavam $mva&
Daya
I>evil
Being
distressed
by
the
plight
of
persons
stained
by*
BBS who
happen
to reside in the
proximity
of Tirumala Hill on some
retext or
other, yon
with
great
care and attention remind the
ever
portful
Madhava about them when
they
are in
extremis*
bereft of
Sought
and
memory,
and when their faculties have aH faded
away.
Having
described in the
previous
four sk>ka& what tbe
Lw<|
.oes at
Daya's
behest for
us,
in this and the next three
slokas,
the
twt
proceeds
to indicate how
Daya helps
us in Ihe
process
of
cdteeining
s* TMs- sloka describes how
dwimg
our test
moment
fa&& di^tli is
CTeepitig
over
us, Daya
reminds the LoM alxraf w
Bd socM*es fer "us His^
graê
and
bounty.
Based
on the Gita Sloka
beginning
$ 4
îfcr^T^'YamYamVaapi
maram*
(VIII 6)
a
theory
lias been
adopted
in several
cparters
ml unless a, man thinks of the Lord when he
cjuits
this,
body,
he
aanot
attain Moksha,, One can
easily envisage
how
owiqg
t&
sveial reasons a man
may
be unable to think of God at that
parti*
alar roommL Vide the Mukunda Mala Sloka in which that
poet
sets to t^ce shelter at the feet of the Lord here and
ince it
may
become
impossible
latex when
kqpha
vaata and
cusJbt the
body
an4 make smaratia or remembraiace
oiyalvar
has aba
smag
to the same ejEFect
by saying
*
I
may
mot
e able to think of
you
when I leave this
body
and therefore I mention*
i-
you
even now in. advance,* This antimansmriti
(or
iremembraace,
f God
during
the last moments ofour
life)
as it is
called,
is
regarded,
s a sine
qua
non for the attainment of Mukti. In this sloka Desika
Biers to- tins and
vary nicely
reconciles the
divergent viewpoints
bout it, Antima snariti
literally
means
remembering
at ttoe
vary
end/
Ms rcaiembfaii.ee
may
be the indivtdwi soufs or it
may
toe tte
la the Vaiaha Purana ft has been saM
by
the Lord Hiw^tf
'
\\
When
my
bhakta is about to die and lies
prostrate
.ami inert fike
stone or
log
of wood. I remember him and lead him to the
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BAYAA SATAKAM
ment, of the chetana. There has been son
of* whether antima
smriti, meaning
therel
e
ehetâa's
rep^|lbrance
during
his last
moments,
is necessai
3Vdfrjn, tHb.oasp.bf
a
prapanna.
Some
say
that
it is
totally
uj
necessary.
Others
say
that the Lord will infuse into the
prapanr
a
thought
of "Him
during
the last moments and
thereby
ratisl
that condition for the attainment of mukti. This
problem
is vei
nicely solved,
or rather dissolved
by
Desika
here, by
saying
that w
can be certain of His
remembering
us
during
our last moment:
And
any day
His remembrance of us
is
likely
to be more effectiv
and fruitful than our remembrance of Him.
This sloka tells us that
Daya
Devi it is that is
responsible,
fo
Baking
the Lord remember us in our last moments. He is a bahu
fee/fl_one interested in several
sports
or activities. He is
proty
to
forget.
But
Daya
Devi with
great
care reminds Him about w
at the
psychological
moment and makes Him remember us.
But this
blessing
in the
shape
of the Lord's
thinking
of us a
that moment
{^<sQ&!ft&&i (Su/rifCSu/rî
as Nammalwar h&s
put it)
will be available
only
if we
happen
to
pass
-
into
eternity
in some
place
near Tirumala Hill.
Inspite
of
being
tainted
b}
sins,
if a man resides in the
vicinity
of
Tirumala, thereby
he becomes
tie
object
of
Daya
Devi's care and
affection. When
Daya
finds
him in that state with his
memory gone,
his faculties
lost, just
existing
as a
log
of wood or
stone,
her
compassion
for him is roused
and at once she reminds the Lord and makes Him remember the
poor
man in that
wretched
plight.
That she does it with
great
care and attention is shown
by
the woid
*
saavadhaanaa
9
witli
diligent
attention.
,
: The. two
references
to
the Lord
here are
*
bahujeelam
'
and.
VMaadbavam
W~i$ultispo.rtive,
and
Consort af Sri, . While He
is'0-
grossed
dn His
jagat-vyaapaara
or
wprld-management, Daya
Devi
succeeds
in
drawing
His
attention
to
one
poor
mortal who is
a;bout,
to breathe his last. And He is
Madhava,
the Lord of Sri.
Together
He and
Lakshmi take care of the soul of the
dying
man and lead
it
safely
to
eternal
bliss.
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QX-
'
X
f
"
\
DAYAA SATAKAM \
S3
nsidisigatividbhihi
Desikayarneeyamaanaa
s
Sthirataram
Anukampe! styaanalagnaagwaistvam
i
*
, .
~^
'arigata
Vrishasailam
paaram aaropayantee
.
'
_
-
'
bhavajaladhidi gataanaam
potapaatree
bhavitree
n
(38)
Anukampa
Devi!
you
are like a boat
carrying
mortals immersed
i the ocean of
Samsara
safely
to the shore. Like the boat that is
:eered
by persons
well-acquainted
with the routs over the seas in
U
directions, you
are
led
by Acharyas
who know all the means
pres-
ribed
by
the Sastras.
Like the boat that is
tightly
fastened
together
Y sturdy ropes, you
are entwined
steadfastly
with the
great gunas
f the Lord. Like the boat that takes
people through
the wafer to
ie
shore, you
take
those
struggling
in the ocean of Samsara tb the
lore known as Lord
Srinivasa in
(near)
Vrishasaila.
As in sloka 18
ante. Sri Vedanta Desika
employs
sleshaalamkara
i this sloka.
Daya
devi is likened to a boat. The boat is
navigated
y
desikas. The term
*
desika
*
connotes one who is familiar with
aths and
places,
also a
<
guide.
Desika of course also means a
uru,
an,
Acharya,
a
preceptor.
In the case of the
ordinary boat,
has to
be,
and is
safely navigated by experienced persons
who
now the
way intimately
and can be relied
upon
to
guide
the boat
i
every necessary
direction disi disi. In the case of
Daya
she is
iken to individuals
by Acharyas
who are
well-acquainted
with
ie;
several
paths prescribed
for
spiritual progress.
Taking
the constitution of the
boat,
a boat is made 6f
planks
rmly
bound
together by strong ropes.
Guna means a
"
rope.
It
Iso means an attribute.
Daya
is
firmly
tied to the other
gunas
f the Lord. This has been
already pointed
out in Slokas 11 arid
5. The close association of
Daya
with the other attributes of
ie Lord
is
-once
again emphasised by
the
poet
here.
A bo&t'is needed for
carrying persons
across the water. Those
r
ho stand in need of
Daya
are
persons desiring
to cross the ocean of
amsara. In fact
they
are
persons struggling
in the sea and their
raving
for si boat to take them to land must be more keen than the
esire of
.persons
td cross the sea from one shore to another. Padrarh
leans shore. Here the shore of
safety
to the chetana
drowned
i Sarrtsara is
only
the Lord. This shore of Srinivasa is
pafigaia
rishasaila, Le.$
one who has come to Vrishasaila.
Normally
;
a
oat can land
only
at a
place
level with the water. Where
Daya
)evi is the boat she can not
only
make us land in
safety,
1
but 'also
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DAYAA SATAKAM
raise us to
high places
lite Tiramata. Hie team
if
given
its Ml
neajrifie
will indicate not
only getting
ant of wat<
into the land
slightly higher,
hut also
elevating
a
persan
to
gnes
frights.
Tim term
Vi&Jmupota
must be
very
familiar
to students <
Mukundamala.
Andal has also referred to the Lord as a Q
&**>&-
,a
Tamil word
conveying
the same
meaning
as
the Sanskrit woi
jwta
(a
boat*
a
vessel,
a
ship).
Here Desika refers to
Daya
as tl
hoat and the Lord as the shore to be reached wiih the aid erf thj
Timt
Daya
is aecessiHe aadavailable
nly
to tjkose mho obtai
the
Messtag
of a Oare :or
Adiya
is
wry uAc^fy sm^^ted bgr
fl
first
paada
of the stoka.
J
n
Bmimita
j^Jmmgmt ^mmimah kimpackmmha
Amikampel pra^tcwafym
Vrishagiri
Harimeektm
^yÛam
mninatti*
(1
:
Devi
Anukampa!
To the small-minded
beings,
desirous of obtai
ing
low and limited
enjoyments,
at the vast market
place
called i
Yedas, PH%
eper feU of fawar and
good disposition (towmds
then
Show
(point OTQ
tbe
$rat
blue
SafWr^ shining
in close associate
Hitk
pearls;
and
highly pleased
wMt it
they eiipy
it
Beautiful steia. Tte Vedas constitute a mst aitd
expansr
paifeet
âce
im whid^ one can
purchase- anything
one wants.
m aot
jpvca
to
evearyoae
to
go
in for
sif>eiiGr
aad valuabfe
artidi
Most of us are coateat with
objects yielding
small and evaaasee
If whfle
sire^kg toomgh
that
big
bazaar we
happ
get
into toidk wto
lofty
aad noble minded
persons,, tlaey
ckaa
tastes for
tke better and take us to
skops
tlieran wber we
0et
'valuable- aad
precious gpods.
This
analogy
is
pfes^d
in
serabe
%
the
pcêt
hfire. The
Vedas
populate
several
têefe
and
lay
down rules aad
regulations
for
attaimmg
ea
Alpap}mlcm
and
mtMr^halaasr-smaU
fets aad
erâi
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DAYAA
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55
sent fruits are there in
plenty.
There is also the
peerless
pleasure
rf
Divine
enjoyment
for which the Vedas show the
way.
We
iave
been too
long
associated with the
body
and the
senses and
we
have
begun
to believe that
only
the
pleasures
of the
body
and
the senses are
pleasures
worth
having.
We
therefore
get
attached
Lo those
parimita
phalas,
or
fruits limited in
enjoyment.
The
word
kimpachaanaah
denotes our
niggardliness
even in
regard
to
desires. Not
being
able to look
aloft,
we hanker for
silly
and
stupid things.
If
perchance
while
going
round the
bazaar we
come across a
great
personality
imbued with a desire to cure us
of our small-mindedness and to make us desire for the
lofty tilings
of the
Spirit,
he will take us to another
portion
of the bazaar where
the wares exhibited will be attractive and
elevating
articles. Taken
there we
begin
to crave for those articles and the
pleasures
they
can
afford us. The desire for small
things disappears
and the taste
for
great things
is
roused in us. This is
exactly
what
happens
to
one who seeks the aid of
Daya
Devi to obtain the
proper goods
at the market
place
of the Vedas. She is
always prasadanam
prap-
tavtyaa
imbued with a
tendency
to shower favours on us. If
we
go
to her and ask for her
help
to obtain some small
pleasures,
she corrects our desires and sublimates them into a
hankering
for eternal communion with the most beautiful and
gracious
Lord.
The
Lord is referred to as the blue
sapphire
in this sloka Hari-
neela. Neela is blue
sapphire.
The term Hari has several
meanings.
Here it is
given
the
meaning
Tndra. Harineela means Indraneela a
blue
sapphire nonp.ireil (without equal).
This
sapphire
shines
supreme amongst
a
setting
of
pearls.
The words
nitya-mukta-
anushaktam means
eternally
combined with
pearls.
It also means
living jointly
with
nityas
and muktcts who are celestial
beings residing
in
Paramapada
the abode of eternal Bliss.
In the 37th sloka
Daya's help
in
reminding
God about us
was referred to. In the next sloka her
rescuing
us from, the sea
of samsara and
landing
us
safely
at the feet of the Lord was referred
to. In this sloka
the
poet
deals with that
superior
trait of
Dayadevi
which cleanses us of low
thoughts
and ideas and
helps
us to desire
for God Himself.
Incidentally Vrishagiri
is
equated
with Parama-
padal
and
the Hari or Vishnu of that
place
shown to be a
nityaamuk-
taanushakta or One
eternally
served
by nityas
like Ananta Garuda
and Vishwaksena
as also
by
the Muktas or souls released from
bondage,
ie.
9
chetanas who once were
wallowing
in Samsara but
have now become celestials
by
the Grace
(Daya)
of God.
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56 DAYAA SATAKAM
Tvayi
bahumatiheenah
Sreenivaasaanukampe
!
Jagatigatim ihaanyaam
Devil
sammanyate yaha
\
Sakhalu vibudha sindhau sannikarshe
vahantyaam
Samayati mrigatrishnaaveechikaabhih
pipaasaam (40
Anukampa
of Srinivasa! Devi!
He, who,
in this
world, having
TO
regard
for
you,
thinks
highly
of other means
(or
ends)
will be
quenchuij
his thirst
by
the waves of the
mirage
when the clestial
Ganges
flow:
nearby.
The excellence of the Lord which
surpasses
all else
(sara
bhogyaatisaayee)
was
very
well
brought
about
by
the
previou
sloka. It is
emphasised
here once
again by pointing
out the
stupi
dity
of a
person
who
accepts
smaller
things
when He is
willing
aiw
ready
to make Himself available
through
the intervention of
Daya
A
particular
idea is
sought
to be
impressed
an the reader 'b
eminent
poets
and
philosophers
both
positively
and
negative!]
which is known as the
anvaya
method and
vyatirdka
method res
pectively.
It was
pointed
out in the
previous
sloka that
by contacting Daya
one's desires themselves become ennobled and the aim and
goa
of human life
get pitched high.
In this sloka is described the tru
state of a
person
who
rejecting Daya's help,
craves for othe
ends or for
help
from other
quarters.
He is likened to one
seekinj
to
quench
his thirst
by
the waters of the
mirage. Mirage
as i
well known is an
apparition
which
gives
the
impression
of wate
flowing
at a distance. It is a mere
optical
illusion caused
by
th
refractive effect of hot and cold air at a
distance, very
often
simulatin]
the
appearance
of water. It is called
mrigatrishnfka
because animals
stags
and
deer,
are wont to be deceived
by
this illusion and rui
after the
imagined
water to
quench
their thirst.
A man is
terribly thirsty.
Within a few feet from where h
is,
the divine
Ganga
flows
majestically
with
plenty
of
water,
a mouth
ful of which will
quench
his thirst. But he will not
go
to the
Ganga
the distant
mirage
attracts his
eyes,
and he runs towards
it,
lure<
by
the
wavy
waters that he
imagines
to exist there. That is ai
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DAYAA SATAKAM 57
benefits to be obtained from other sources. The
bounty
of
Day
a
Devi is certain and is sure to obtain for us
everlasting good.
It
is
up
to us therefore to
approach
her and obtain those benefits.
Let us no: emuhuo the man whose
pitiable mentality
is so
forcefully
portrayed
in this
Sloka,
who will not touchthe water that is
available,
but will run after water that does not exist.
The decad thus ends
by emphasising
the cussedness and
stupidity
of
persons
who will not
accept
the
help preferred by
Daya,
and the merit and cleverness of those who with her
help
obtain the
highest pleasures
that a human soul can ever crave for.
This idea
grows
into the next decad as we shall see.
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DAYAA SATAKAM
FIFTH DECAD.
S the Stotra
grows
in
intensity
and
fervour,
the metres
employed
for each decad can also be seen to
grow
in volume and
cadence. From the fifth to the ninth decad the five different metres
employed
in them are all 17 lettered. We start with MANDAA-
KRAANTA in this decad.
The
topic
also
grows.
SREYASTADDHETU DAATA is Desika's
topic
for the fifth centurium of verse in Nammalwar's Tiruvoimozhi.
The ninth sloka in this decad starts with the word
"
SREYASSOOTIM
"
definitely
and
unambiguously indicating
the
adoption
of the said
topic
for this decad. Let us see what that
"
SREYAS
"
is,
and what
it is that furnishes us the means to attain the same.
^!f
f
Aagnaam Khyaatim
dhanam anucharaan
aadhiraajyaadikam
vaa
Kaale drishtvaa
Kamalavasterapi
akinchit karaani
\
Padmaakaantam
pranihitavateem paalane
ananyasaadhye
saaraabhignaah jagati
kritinah
samsrayante Day
el tvaam
(41)
Bayadevi/ Seeing (realising)
that
power, fame, wealth,
retinue
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DAYAA SATAKAM
59
blessed and the fortunate in this
world,
who know the essence of
things,
resort to
you,
who
enjoin
Srinivasa to take to the act of
protection
an act which no one else can
perform
or take to.
In sloka 39 above Dcsika referred to
'
Parimitaphalas.*
This
sloka refers to Brahma the Creator and
points
out how the
power,
fame,
wealth
etc.,
appertaining
to his
position
are all
impermanent,
certain as
they
are to come to an end at some
point
of time. The
highest
Slhana or
place
in the cosmic
hierarchy
is that of Brahma.
If his
position
itself is
precarious,
what about ours?
Aagnaa
refers to
position
and
power-wielding influence,-exercising
command
and
enforcing
obedience.
Khyaati
is fame. Dhanam is of course
wealth.
By
the term Anucharaan is indicated the
large
retinue
of servants and others
ready
to
obey
the commands and
carry
out
the behests of the
person
in
power. Aadhirajyam
connotes a
great empire,
the ruler of which will have several
kings
and
kingdoms
under him. Several devas and several men can claim to
possess
all these
vestiges
of
soveriegnty. By indicating
that all
these,
even
if
they appertain
to
Brahma, get
reduced to
nothing
on certain
occasions and at certain
times,
the
poet
wants us to understand
that,
if this be the case with
Brahma,
how much more
impermanent,
nay,
how much more
evanescent,
will be the
power,
fame and wealth
of others lower down in the
hierarchy.
Power,
fame wealth etc.,
may
be
alluring
and attractive to
the
majority
of men and women in the world. But
they
fail to
make
any impression upon
the
Kritinah,
the blessed
among
men.
Because
they
are
Saaraabhignaaha, persons
who have
analysed
things
for themselves and found out the true Saara or essence.
The
great
saints of this
country
like Prahlada and Nammalwar
are
evidently
in Desika's mind here.
Scorning
all the wealth of
all the
worlds,
Prahlaada
prayed only
for Bhakti towards the Lord.
Nammalwar
in one
place says
that
power
and
position pertaining
to
high places
in this world or the
next,
will not be cared for
by
great persons
who have inordinate love towards the Lord's
feet. Even if
mastery
over all the three worlds is offered to such
great souls, they
will never
regard
that offer as worth
considering
(Q&rr&r <*f^
<su
//jy
07 sotff
jgo/S
u'
IT)
.
Kaale-akinchitkaraani-dnshtvaa
Seeing
how at times
they
become worthless. We find from the
Puranas,
how Brahma
was robbed of the Vedas and all his other wealth
by
Asuras like
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60 DAYAA SATAKAM
Madhu and
Kaitapa.
Even without
that,
as there is not the
posit:
content of divine
enjoyment
in the
enjoyment
of the
Brahmapat
or the titular
greatness
of
Brahma,
there is
nothing
that can ten
the true devotee of God. For all these reasons the
*
Krliina
never set their mind or
eye upon pomp
and
splendour.
What is it that
they
do?
They
seek
you. Why?
Becai
you
have the
power
to
enjoin
the
great
Lord who is the Cons
of Sri to afford true and
lasting protection
to
your,
and therefi
His,
devotees. That
protection
or Paalana is
Ananyasaadhya
not available with
any
one else. Srinivasa alone is the able
protec
of all the worlds.
Saranaagata-Rakshana
or the
protection
Saranaagatas
is in the exclusive
province
of Lord Srinivasa.
the wise
rely
on His
Daya
or
mercy
and the
protection
He extei
to those who look
up
to Him for
help.
Praajaapatyaprabhriti
vibhavam
prekshya paryaayadukham
Janmaakaankshan
vrishagirfvane jagmushaam
tastushaam vaa
\
Aaasaasaanah katichana vibhoh
tvatparishvanga dhanyaihi
Angeekaaram kshanamapi Dayel haardatungairapaangaihin
(
Daya
Devi!
Realising
that the
glory
of
Prajaapati (Brahi
and others is
really
a
synonym
for
grief,
the
(fortunate)
few desii
of
securing,
albeit for a
fleeting moment,
the Lord's love-laden Kai
ksha blessed
by your embrace,
crave for existence as an anin
or inanimate
object
in the forests of
Vrishagirl.
Talking
about the
Saarabhignaha
in the
previous
sloka bri
to the mind of the
poet
the rare
mystic experiences
of such
g:
souls as
Kulasekharalwar,
who
prayed
for existence in Tirum
in some form or
another,
animate or inanimate. The useless]
of
Brahmapadavi
as realised
by
those Kritinah
(blessed
men
reiterated in the
opening paada
of this
Sloka,
where the vibha
or
glory
of Brahma and others is
equated
to dukkham or mis
Spurning
those so called
high positions they yearn
for some f
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DAYAA SATAKAM
61
Hill
they
are
thoroughly
indifferent to the nature of the connec-
tion
or contact.
Jagmushaam
is
mobile, moveable,
Tasthushaam
is
immobile,
immoveable. Whether as moveable
objects
like a
bird,
a
fish,
a human
being
or
champaka plant,
or immoveable
objects
like a
pathway,
a hill
crest,
or a
step (u^)
Kulasekhara
has
sung
about his desire for existence in
Tiravengadam.
The
indifference
to the form is reflected in the
penultimate
verse of that
impassioned
decad of this Alwar in
praise
of Tirumalai where
he
exclaims
'oiLDû-ûirr^T
Qufrssrtr.Ssb'Sti aJ
^-(S^^Lfi
^(SauG&sr
(I
shall like to become
anything
on the
golden
Hill of
my Lord.)
Why
is it that such
great
men evince this sort of desire ? Desika
explains
it
by pointing
out that
they
are
prompted by
their
great
desire to be the
recipient
of one
gracious glance
or Kataaksha
issuing
out of those merciful and beautiful
eyes
of the Lord.
Apaanga
means a
glance,
a look. That look is
haardatunga
affection-laden.
Even a more beautiful sentiment
given expression
to here about the Lord's
glances
or Kataaksha is found in the words
Tvatparishvanga-Dhanyaihi
meaning
ennobled
by your embcace,
referring
to
Dayadevi.
This is a
very
favourite theme with Vedanta
Desika.
Innumerable
are the
places
in his stotras where he refers
to the
benign
Kataaksha of the Lord as at once sanctified and
beautified
by
close contact
with
Daya
or
mercy.
In the
Gopala
Vimsati the Lord's
apaangas
are referred to as lotuses
blossoming
in the stream of
Anukampaa (annukampaasarit
ambujairapaangaihi).
In the Dehalisa
Stuti
they
arc referred to as
Dayaabharitai-
rapaangaihi.
It is ativela
dayottarangam
in
Devanayaka
Panchasat.
Renouncing
the
seeming glory
and
splendour
of all other forms
of existence
including
the status of
Brahma,
Siva, Indra,
and so
on,
the
great
devotees
of the Lord crave for some form of life connected
with
the sacred
Hill of Tirumala
just
for the
purpose
of
being
able
to
receive,
albeit for
a short while,
even for a
fleeting moment,
the
gracious
Kataaksha emanating
from
the
lovely eyes
of Lord
Srinivasa.
Readers
would
have noticed
pointed
reference
having
been made to Lord Srinivasa's
Kataaksha
in several
earlier Slokas
such as 19 and
20. We shall
take the
opportunity
towards
the
end of the
decad,
where
in two successive
slokas
Desika
refers to
the same Kataaksha,
to
look
deeper
into
the
significance
of the
several
references.
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62
DAYAA
SATAKAM
fam
wftswfe
if<ft
^fî
enwtai II
Naabhee
padma
sphurana
subhagaa
Navyaneelotpalaabhaa
Kreedaa-sailam
Kamapi
Karunel winvatee
venkataakhyam
\
Seeia
nityam prasadanavalee
sraddadhaanaavagaahyaa
Dlvyaa
kaachit
jayati
mahatee
deerghikaa
taavakeenaa
\\
(43
Devi
Karana! A
long
and
lovely
lake
belonging
to
you
shines
glorious
and
effulgent
in
(your) pleasure-mountain,
called Venkatadri
It is beautified
by
a lotus in its navel. It has the attractive
beautj
of
just
blossomed
blue lilies. It is ever cool. It is ever clear and
pellucid.
It is
capable
of
being
bathed in
by
those who have sraddha
or faith- It is celestial and
big.
*
Sreyas
'
meaning
bliss or beatitude is described in this and
the
succeeding
sloka in two different forms. Its attractiveness
is dealt with in this
sloka,
and its
superiority
over all other
pleasures,
in the next one. The Lord who is that
*
Sreyas
'
is likened to a
long
and
lovely
lake. The simile or
upama
is carried into minute
details.
A lake is beautified
by
lotus flowers in its centre. Naabhee
meaning
navel indicates centre.
Applied
to the
Lord,
the lotus
sprouting
from His navel
(naabhee padmarn)
beautifies the
person
of the Lord. The
beauty
caused
by
the
effulgence
of that lotus
makes the Lord's form
lovely
and attractive. Like the
lotus,
the blue
lily
also is a water flower and such flowers abound in lakes.
Lord Srinivasa's beautiful form is blue like the blue lilies. The
words
*
navya neeloipalaabhaa
*
indicate the lustre of fresh blown
blue-lilies. The freshness is as
precious
as the blueness to the
devotee. The freshness added to the
blueness increases the devotees*
enjoyment.
The
aptness
of the term
*
navya
neelotpalaabhaa
*
will be
enjoyed by every
devotee of Lord
Srinivasa who is
privileged
to
worship
Him on a
Friday evening
after
Abhishekam and alan-
karam. He will
simply
be stunned at
the
freshness and loveliness
of the Lord. Ever fresh and
lovely,
He
will
appear
more fresh
and
lovely
than usual then.
Valmiki
describes Rama in one
place
as
"
Prabuddha
Neelotpala tulya
darsanaha." The Alwars
very
often
grow
mad over the
freshness and
loveliness of the
Lord's
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63
blue form. All that
enjoyment
is
compressed by
Desika into the
one beautiful
phrase Navya Nceloptalaabhaa.
The next attribute
describing
the
beauty
of the lake on the
one hand and of the Lord on the other in the form of Slesha is
seetaa
nityam ($f!c!T
fa^
),
ever cool. Just like a man
who has walked a
long
distance in the hot
midday
sun loves to
take a
plunge
into the cool waters of a
neighbouring
lake,
we
mortals,
scorched
by
the
taapatraya,
or threefold
heat,
look forward
to a
dip
into the cool and
refreshing
reservoir that is Lord Srinivasa.
In the
Devanayaka panchasat
Desika
sings
about rf ^
cl2ifcftra vile?
SRSJ-JUST
"
greeshme
tataakamiva
seetamanupravishtaa."
The word
'
nityam
'
can be annexed not
only
to the word
*
seeta
'
that
precedes
it,
but also to
*
prasadanavatee
'
that comes
after.
*
Prasadana
'
in reference to the lake means
clearness,
transparency.
In reference to the Lord it connotes His
quality
of
being pleased
and
gracious.
Lord Srinivasa is described
by
this term as
being
ever kind and
gracious.
The next
epithet
is
sraddadhaanaavagaahyaa, capable
of
being
bathed in
by
those who desire to do so with faith and fervour.
The Lord
similarly
is to be
enjoyed by
those who have sraddhaa
or faith in His
Grace,
and who feel attracted
by
His
beauty.
This
epithet
seems to be a literal translation of the
expression
iirirLû
(Su/r&iafffr Quir&uBQgp
in the first verse of Goda's
Tiruppavai.
Those
words
mean,
"those who are desirous of
taking
a
bath, please
come forward."
The
bath,
she is
referring to,
is the
same as what is
being
described
in this sloka
by
Dedka. a bath
in the Hari-saras
(Hari-tank)
as Mukundamaalaa
will have it.
No
qualification
or condition
precedent
need be
acquired
or fulfilled
to
approach
God; only
there must be a keen and intensive desire
to immerse
oneself in God.
Three one word
epithets
follow
divyaa,
kaachit,
and mahatee
each of them
applicable
to the lake and to the Lord alike.
'
Divya
'
means excellent
as
applied
to the
lake,
and divine
or celestial as
applied
to the Lord.
'Kaachit'
implies
indescribability,
which
applies
equally
to the lake the
poet
is
thinking of,
as also to the
Lord whom
he is
praising.
'
Mahatee
'
means
big.
This also
applies
both to the lake and to the Lord.
Deerghikaa;
a
lake,
a
longish
lake
usually.
This idea of
describing
the Lord
as a
huge
reservoir
has been
expressed
by
9
^
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64
DAYAA SATAKAM
several devotees.
Nammalwar,
in one of his
impassioned songs,
prays
to the Lord to come
walking
towards him like a
pirn
saw
$rr
Gijfr&^^L-tJ,
a
long lotus-bearing
and
fragrant tank,
or lake. He describes in full detail such a
tank;
and Desika
follows that method here. The Mukundamala sloka
beginning
with the words
*
Karacharana
saroje
'
also describes in meticulous
detail the several
aspects
or
parts
of the Harisaras or Vishnu tank.
Needless to cite other similar
passages.
Great souls revel in similar
sentiments and even identical
language
at times.
Desika refers to this saras or
deerghikaa
as
Daya
devi's
property
or
possession.
The Tirumala Hill is her
pleasure-resort,
kreedaa-
sailam. This
deerghikaa,
or
lake,
is
part
of that hill and is shown
here to be the exclusive
property
of
Dayadevi.
A
very
beautiful
sloka, scintillating
with
literary beauty
and
divine
fragrance.
Who will not feel attracted after
reading
this
sloka to visit Tirumala and to immerse himself in the ever
fresh,
the
ever-fragrant,
and ever cool
beauty
and
grace
ofLord Srinivasa?
Yasmin drishte taditarasukhaih
gamy
ate
goshpadatvam
Satyam gnaanam
tribhir avadhibhlrmuktam aanandasindhum
\
Tvatsveekaaraat tarn iha kritinah
sooribrindaanubhaavyam
nityaapoorvam
nidhimiva
Daye
! nirvisanti
Anjanaadrau (44)
Daya
Devi! The
blessed, by being
the
recipient
of
your
favours,
enjoy
Him like a
great
treasure even here on the Tirumala HIM
Him, by seeing
whom ail other
pleasures get
likened to a small
puddle
(as
contrasted with the
ocean); Him,
who is
satyam (Truth), gnaanam
(knowledge),
who is free from the threefold
limitations,
who is an
ocean of Bliss
(Ananda),
who is
being enjoyed by groups
oi
Nityasooris,
and Who is ever new and fresh.
The
Roopa
or
Divyamangala Vigraha
of the Lord was described
in the
previous
sloka. The
Svaroopa (the
fundamental
nature;
nf tfift T.nrd is
described in this sloka. The words
employed
are
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DAYAA SATAKAM 65
The main
purport
of the sloka is that those whom
Daya
devi
takes
up
for
protection,
are
privileged
to
enjoy
the infinite Lord
with all His infinite
qualities
even while on this earth. The
Upani-
shadic
"
amrita iha bhavati"
(He
becomes immortal even in this
world)
is elaborated here. The
very opening
words of the sloka
"
Yasmin drishte
"
are reminiscent of the
Upanishadic
mantra
"
Tasmin drishte
paraavare."
They
also remind one of Rukmini
Devi's classical
expression
in her
epistle
to Lord Sri Krishna
"
roopam
drisaam
drisimataam akhilaartha laabham." The infinite
Bliss that one attains
by having
a
glimpse
of the Para Brahman
far
surpasses
all known
pleasures.
This sentiment is
expressed
by saying
that
all known
pleasures
dwindle into a
very
small
puddle
when set off
against
Brahmaananda,
which is like a vast ocean.
Goshpadatvam
the state of
being
as small as the
space occupied
by
a oow's
foot.
Goshpada
has also come to mean the small
quantity
of water needed
to fill the
impression
of a oow's foot
on loose
soil.
Compare goshpadee
krita vaaraasim
sung
in
praise
of Hanuman.
Goshpada
has thus come to
signify
a small
puddle.
Taittiriya Upanishad
has defined the ParaBrahmam
as
Satyam
Gnaanam
and Anantam.
The first two words of the second
pada
of this sloka
are taken from there and indicate
those two Para-
brahma-lakshanas
or the indicia of Parabrahman.
The next
epithet
*
tribhir
avadhibhir
muktam
'
is
explanatory
of the
significance
of
"
Anantam"
and indicates
freedom
from the three kinds of limi-
tations,
known
as limitation
as to
space
(Desa parichcheda)
limi-
tation
as to time
(Kaala
parichcheda)
and limitation
as to matter
(Vastu
parichcheda).
Next
comes
"
Aanandasindhum
"the ocean
of Ananda
or
bliss
This
refers
to the aanandamaya
of the
Upanishad,
referred
to in
the 13th
sutra
of the Brahma-sutras.
As the
term Aananda-
maya
has
been variously interpreted,
(and
even misinterpreted)
by
various
commentators,
an unambiguous
word
is
employed
here
by
the
poet
to show
that
the Parabrahman
is an ocean
of Bliss
or Ananda,
and
not devoid
of content
as some
will
have
it.
Inci-
dentally
it will
be noticed
that whereas
the
body
of the Lord
was
referred
to in the
previous
Sloka
as a lake or reservoir
the
Svaroopa
Is indicated
here
to be an ocean.
This
sloka
deals
with
the
divyaa-
tmasvarupa
of the Parabrahman.
The
previous
sloka
dealt
with
His
Divya
Mangala
Vigraha.
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66 DAYAA SATAKAM
Having
described the essential nature or
quality
of the
Sup'rem
Godhead in and
by
the first half of the
sloka,
the
poet proceed
in the latter half of it to show how that
Being
becomes the
objec
of
enjoyment
of the chosen
few,
even while on this earth. Her
also the
Upanishadic way
of
stating things
is
adopted.
"
Ih
nirvisanti
"
gives
the
meaning
of the
Upanishadic
words
"
Amrit;
iha bhavati."
Who are
they
that obtain such a
lofty enjoyment
even in thi
world? The answer is furnished
by
the words
"
tvat-sveekaaraat
kritinaha "-those blessed
by your adoption
of them as
your
choser
favourites.
They rely
on
you
for
everything
and
you
therefor*
bestow on them the
highest bliss,-the enjoyment
of celestial
pleasure;
on earth. This is indicated
by
the words
"
Soooribrindaanubhav
yam
"
and
"
iha" Sooris are the celestials in
Paraniapada
o:
Vaikunta.
They
are either
Nityas
or Muktas as shown abov(
(Sloka 39).
Brinda means a crowd or
large gathering.
What ii
capable
of
being enjoyed by
such
groups
is
given
to be
enjoyec
here
(iha) by
the denizens of this world.
Nityaapoorvam points
to
yet
another
special
excellence of the
Lord. Ever new and ever
fresh,
He never becomes stale and sc
every
moment's
enjoyment
is but a
prelude
to the next moment's
enjoyment.
There is no
satiation, though
there is immense satis-
faction.
Though
He is a
Puraana-purusha,
old
personality,
He
is ever fresh. Koorattalvaan
sings
about this as
"
Sadaatanatvepi
tadaatanatvavat
"
(though
ever
existing,
fresh like one
just
come
into
existence).
Desika has
cryptically put
it here as
"
Nityaa-
poorvam." Apoorvam
is what was not before.
Eternally
the
Lord is
capable
of
being enjoyed
as one who was never
before,
but has
just
come into'
being freshly just
now. The Alvar's
expres-
sion of this sentiment is contained in the
following
words
û'aiurr
(isv>0&4su
f
3uTrt s? ffff
^^
r
jsy ip;S5
?u>
(from
time to
time,
ever and
anon, my unsatiating nectar).
The neartst Sanskrit
word to Aaraavamudam is
"
aasechanaka,"-ever charming, always
drenching you
in
enjoyment.
That is
Nityaapoorva.
The Kritinah or the blessed ones who are the
recipients
of
Daya
Devi's favour are thus enabled to
enjoy
in
Anjanaadri (Tiru-
mala)
the bliss of the celestials.
"
Anjanaadrau-nidhim-iva-nirvisanti
This reminds us ofanother
Upanishad
which describes the
great
Lord as a Nidhi or Treasure
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DAYAA SATAKAM
67
Concealed underneath a
place
over which one walks
frequently
vithout ever
being
able to visualise it. It is believed that some
are
anjana (black paste
known as
collyrium
used to adorn the
eyes)
enables one to discover such hidden treasures. Here we have
m.
Anjanaadri,
a whole hill of such
anjana,
and no wonder
people
ret that
anjana by Daya's grace
and discover the
great
nidhi or
reasure that is Parabrahman in the form of Lord Srinivasa. The
Divya Mangala Vigraha
of Lord Srinivasa is the
anjana
that
helps
>ne to discover and
fully comprehend
the
Divyaatmasvaroopa
)f that
great
Lord. This idea of the Archa form
acting
as an aid
:o the
discovery
and realisation of the
svaroopa
or nature of the
Lord,
which even the srutis describe as ununderstandable in several
places,
is dealt with
by
Desika in sloka 28 of his
Varadaraja
Pancha-
>at,
where the same simile
regarding
nidhi and
anjana
is also
employed.
This and the
previous
sloka have
postulated
Parabrahman
is
having
a form and as
having attributes,
and as
capable
of
being
mjoyed,
a
thorough
contrast to the Brahman of the
Advaitins,
;vhich is
nameless, formless,
and attributeless in the
ultimate,
;hough
on the
vyaavahaaric plane
names and forms and attributes
ire conceded to that Brahman itself.
Desika also shows here what true Jeevanmukti or the realisation
sf the
highest
mokshananda
is.
Though
that term is
employed
^nly by
the Advaitins
to describe the state of a released soul before
tie sheds
his
body,
the full
meaning
of the term is realised
only by
realising
the state of
great
souls like Nammalvar who have
put
themselves
in tune with the
great
God.
By
attunement to His
will and at-one-ment
with Him
they
become muktas even while
living
on this earth. No wonder therefore that the Alvars never
made much
of
ascending
to
Heaven,
as
they
made this world itself
the
highest
Heaven
by
co-ordinating
their karanas in
enjoyment
of Him. And
Desika,
true follower
of the Alvar's cult as he
is,
boldly
swore that He had no
desire, speaking
for
himself,
to
go
to
Vaikunta.
'
Satyam
sape
Yaaranasailanaatha! Vaikuntavaasepi
na me abhilashah'.
That is in
Varadaraja
Panchasat.
He is
going
to wind
up
this Stotra
by praying
to
Daya
Devi to confer on
him mokshananda
here
itself.
That is in the hundredth
sloka
of
this stotra.
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DA.YAA SATAKAM
rm labdhvaa
kamapi
mahatah Sreenivasaamburaseh
:aale kaah
ghanarasavatee
kaalikeva
Anukampe
\
tonmeshaa
Mrigapatigirau
~visvam
aapyaayantee
'eelopagnam
ksharati bhavaatee seetalam
sadgmaugham
w
(45
>evi
Anukampa! Having
extracted the excellent essence froi
ig
ocean-like
Srinivasa, you
shine like an
array
of clouds on tl
f Simhachala
(another
name for
Tiramala)
and with the idea <
ening
the entire Universe
you
shower at
proper
times torrent!
in the
shape
of cool and beneficent
qualities
like
sauseelya.
Iavingpostiilatedthesvaroopa,roopa, gunaetc., oftheHighe
i is at once the Absolute of
Philosophy
and the God of
Religioj
:a
proceeds
to show how
amongst
those
high
and sublin
ts
Daya
or
Mercy
is
really
of the essence of that
Being,
1
ense,
the
glory, grandeur
and
sublimity
of the Lord induc<
is devotees a sense of
frustration caused
by
the
thought
<
own lowliness as contrasted with His
greatness.
Very frequent
aptto
exclaim
îjosr
43Tsiyafli_^yrjgr
rsirvsr njtrir
(Who
is E
vhat am I
?) My
smallness is in direct
proportion
to His
grea
How can I ever
hope
to reach Him?
This heart-rendir
aas risen from
many
a devout heart. But the ever-kind Loi
not allow His devotees to be seized
by
this sort of
panic,
f.
iy
conceals from them His
paratva
or
transcendent
gloi
.ttracts them
by
His
sauseelya, saulabhya, vatsalya
and simile
ies. This becomes
possible
for the Lord
only
because He
yaavaan
a
compassionate
and merciful
Person, Desika vei
xsally
describes in this sloka how
Daya
is the
quintesseru
agavat-svarupa,
and how
Daya
enables us to
enjoy
the
qualiti
auseelya
that make for the
redemption
of human souls.
lie sloka starts with the word
"
saaram
"
meaning
essetic
Srinivasa is like the vast and
expansive sea,
deep
and fearfu
:he clouds that
plunge
into that
sea,
extract fresh water ther
rise aloft into
space
and
hang
about the crests of
mountain
ievi,
who is here likened to such a
cloud,
extracts the essexu
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DAYAA SATAKAM 69
f
Srinivasa,
rises
up
into
space
and stations herself in Simhachala.
drigapati
means the
king
of animals and therefore refers to a lion.
imhachala is one of the names of the sacred Tiramala Hill.
Kaalika is a multitude of rain-laden
clouds,
and
gets
that
ame because of the dark colour. The
analogy
is intended to
uggest
that while the water in the
sea,
however
plenty,
is unfit
3r use and
consumption,
the waters that come from the clouds
rfiich drank of that
very
sea are
veritably life-giving.
In the
upa-
leya
the
suggestion
is that
Daya
extracts the best essence of the
'arabrahmasvaroopa
and showers the same on us. This essence
r saaram is referred to as
kamapi
saaram,
a
great
and wonderful
ssence. If the ocean of Srinivasa is
immense,
the essence derived
herefrom
by Daya
is
kamapi indescribably great.
That
only
clouds
containing
water in
large quantities
will be
lark is shown
by
the words
"
ghanarasavatee
"
and
"
kaalikaa."
This cloud of
Daya
rains and
pours
in
plenty only
at the
proper
easons,
kaale
kaale,
and
thereby pleases
the
cosmos,
visvam
lapyaayantee.
What is it that
Daya
rains
upon
men and women of the land?
The clouds
pour
cool water
by raining. Dayadevi
rains Srinivasa"s
jool and
auspicious
qualities
in shoals. Before
Daya
blesses
is, with all those
great
and
auspicious
qualities
of the
Lord,
she
irst manifests
herself to
us,
even like the dark cloud that
gladdens
yy gathering
aloft in the
sky promising
a down
pour
of rain.
Dayadevi
has been
likened
before to the
tree,
to a boat and
K> on. Here she is likened to a cloud.
As the stotra
proceeds
TO shall see her
being
likened to several other
objects
such as the
3anges,
the
Yamuna,
and the Sarasvati
and so on. The
expression
"ksharati
sadgunaugham
"
(pours
good qualities)
once
again
jmphasises
the
supremacy
of
Daya
among
the
gunaas
of the Lord.
may
safely
assert
that this is the central theme of
Dayasataka.
ai
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70
DAYAA SATAKAM
Bheeme
nityam bhavajalanidhau
majjataam
maanavaanaam
Aalambaartham
Vrishagiripaihihi
tvannidesaat
prayunkte
\
Pragnaasaaram
prakritimahataa moolabhaagena jushtam
saakhaabhedaihi
suhhagam anagham
saasvatam
sasstrapaanfm
"(4^
For
rescuing
human
beings
who are ever
sinking
in the fearfi
ocean of
samsara,
Lord
Srieivasa,
at
your behest,
extends the faultier
and eternal
helping-hand
of
Saastra,
whose essence is
wisdom,
whic
is
by
nature
great,
which is associated with the
pranava,
and whic
is
lovely
on account of the several branches
(scriptures). (Note
tli
absence of
any
address as
Daye,
Karune
etc.)
After
having
described the nature of
*
sreycs."
the
highe;
bliss which is Parabrahman in the form of
Srinivasa,
Vedanl
Desika
goes
on to deal with the other
part
of the theme
vzz.,
taddfa
tudaata in the second half of this decad which
begins
with th
sloka.
Like the trained
elephant
which affords all aid for the mahoi
to
get upon it,
the Lord furnishes to us the means to attain Hir
The first of such
help
is
Saastrapradaana
or the
promulgate
of the Saastras. Readers will remember how in sloka 18 an
it was
pointed
out that Saastras are
given
to us like
lamps
to
disp
the darkness of our
ignorance.
In this sloka the
poet
adver
to the' same
topic
to indicate the inner
purpose
of the Saastra
Saamaanya
Saastras were the
Subject
of that
sloka,
whereas he
the Visesha Saastras are indicated.
The
purpose
of creation is to afford us an
opportunity
f<
redeeming
ourselves from
samsara;
it is here
pointed
out how tl
saastras
help
in that
process
of
redemption. They
act like the hai
proffered
to lift a man
sinking
in water. Here the
upama
is work*
into fine details as is usual with the
poet.
Mortals
sinking
in tl
vast and terrific ocean of samsaara are referred to as
being helpi
out of it
by
the
proffered
hand of the Lord which is Saastra
Veda. The hand is
beautiful, long,
stout at the root
(shouldei
and
having charming
branches in the
shape
of
fingers.
In additio
the hand is accustomed to
help
and so does not
possess
the fai
of
unhelpfulness.
It is also eternal.
Applying
those same wor
to the Saastras which are the
upameya
in the
Upama,
the Saasti
are said to be
pragnaasaaram having
wisdom as their essen<
with.
Pranava, whi
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DAYAA SATAKAM 71
. Just as the hand is beautiful because of its
fingers,
the Saastras
are
'charniing
because of their several sadkhaas or branches
(tradi-
tional
recensions).
Saastraas are also
anagha (faultless)
and
$asmta
(eternal).
Who is it that
proffers
this
helping
hand of the Saastraas
to
beings sinking
in samsaara? It is
Vrishagiripati,
Lord Srinivasa.
And He does so
impelled by Daya,
as shown
by
the words tvan-
nidesaat
(by your command).
Dayadevi
directs the Lord to
go
to the
help
of
suffering humanity
and He does so
by extending
His
hand to lift them
up, thereby furnishing
to them aalambam or
support.
A karaavalamba is thus the
subject-matter
of this sloka.
Incidentally
it
may
be noticed that this sloka does not contain
any
word
referring
to
Daya by
name. This sloka has to be taken
with the next one for reasons which we shall set out there.
cl*
Vidvat-sevaa-katakanikahsaihi
veetapankaasayaanaam
Padmaakaantaha
pranayati Daye\ darpanam
te Svasaasiram
i
Leeladakshaam tvadanavasare
laalayan vipralipsaam
Maayaasaastraanyapi samayitum tvatprapannaprateepaan (47)
Daya
Devi! Lord
Srinivasa,
the Consort of
Padma, promulgates
two
kinds of saastraas. One of them which He
promulgates (in
assoication with
you)
serves as a mirror to
you
and acts for the benefit
of the
pure-minded persons
who have eschewed sinful
thoughts by
constant and intimate contact with the
truly
learned. It is His own
Saastra
(Sva-saastra).
la
your
absence, however, fondling
the desire
to deceive induced
by
His
sportive
instinct,
He
produces
MOHA-
SAASTRAS for
putting
down the foes of
your
votaries.
After
dealing
with
Saastra-pradaana generally
in the
previous
sloka,
in the
present
sloka the
poet
refers to the Pancharatra saastra
and the mohasaastras both of which have been
promulgated by
the
Lord,
and
points
out the difference between them. Desika
Jms established the
validity
and
supremacy
of the Pancharaatra-
saastra also known as
Bhagavat-saastra,
following
his illustrious
10
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72 DAYAA SATAKAM
predecessor Ramanuja,
who established its authoritativeness in
the Sri
Bhashya.
Desika has written a treatise called Pancha-
ratraraksha. In the
opening
sloka of
Yatiraja Saptati
he refers
to the Lord as
"
Vaktaa
pancharaatrasya yas-svayam"
(STRT
q^r-
5?w v:
^--q
).
The words Svasastram in this sloka must therefore
be
taken as
referring
to this
paancharatra
Saastra. Not
only
is it His own Saastra, but it reflects the
glory
and
grandeur
of
Dayadevi
and therefore is like a mirror
(darpana)
to her. This
Saastra is devoted
exclusively
to the
glory
of Lord Srinivasa and
it is stated here
by
Desika that it has been
promulgated solely
for the benefit of the
pure-minded
persons
in whose hearts there
is no
place
for sin.
They
are described as
veotapankaasayaaha
qtflT3>.3rM:
(Persons
with minds cleansed of
sin).
Fanka is mud
and is indicative of sin and
ignorance.
How that mud is removed
is
explained by
the
phrase
'
vidvatsevaakatakanikashaihi.
5
Kataka
is the
clearing-nut
which is used for
making
water clear. It is
known as
3*<^5T*/Q-'i."LliH-
in Tamil. The kataka that effects
the removal of mud and dirt in the hearts of men is referred to as
4
vidvatsevaa
'
hero. It means the
worship
of vidvans
(the
learned
men)
who have
acquired
true
knowledge,
'nikasha' means a
whetstone. Kataka-nikashaihi means
by whetting
or
rubbing
of
the
clearing
nut. Desika
points
out that the surest
way
of
dispelling
ignorance
from one's mind is to
closely
associate
with,
and follow
in the
footsteps of,
the
truly
learned men.
Darpanam
te
By referring
to this Saastra as
Dayadevi's
darpana (mirror),
Desika
emphasises
the fact that it is
only
this
saastra that
fully
reflects
Daya
Devi.
The Saastras referred to
in the
previous
sloka are also
Daya-karya
or the work of
Daya.
But
Daya
is seen to fulfil herself
only
in the
Pancharatra Saastra.
Referring
to
Ramanuja's great works,
Desika
sings
in his
Yatiraja
Saptati
"
Lakshmeekanta-sphatika-mukuro
Lakshmanaaryopa-
desaha"
^*lkF
'OTfosj-RFft
^MTon2?fa%5r: Mukura is mirror and
Ramanuja's
works are said to be the mirror
reflecting truly
the
glory
of
Lakshmikanta
(Srinivasa).
It is
only
when Srinivasa looks into
that mirror that He can see Himself as He is. The idea
evidently
is that His face and form
get
distorted out of
recognition
in other
Siddhantas.
Similarly
the
greatness
of
Daya
devi is
fully
seen
only
in
the
Paancharatra Saastra.
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DAYAA SATAKAM 73
o the
spirit
of the Vedas.
They
are referred to here as
Maya
or
Vlohasaastras
(false
or
deceiving saastras).
How the Lord comes to
>e the
promulgator
of those saastras also is mentioned in the latter
lalf of the sloka. The
Lord,
it is
stated,
has two wives or Consorts.
Mithah-Kalaha-Kalpanaa-Vishamavrithi-Leela-Daya-Parigrahana
-
5ankalpa Suryodaya 1-67).
One is
Daya
and the others is Leela.
Daya
is
grace
and Leela is
sport.
Behind
Daya's
back and in the
presence of Leela the Lord
gives
Himself
up
to
Vipralipsa
or desire
:o deceive. In that mood He
promulgates
the
Maya
saastras.
This is the
gist
of the second half of the sloka. But even here the
Lord's
protecting
instinct is
perceived.
For,
the
Mohasaastras,
:>nly
result in
putting
down the foes of
Daya's votaries, by enticing
;hose foes
away
from the field of
activity
of the followers of
Daya.
That
way,
the devotees of the Lord are left alone to
pursue
the
path
3f
saranaagati
in
peace,
and attain the
highest
bliss.
*
Api samayitum
' *
Api damayitum
'
is a different
reading.
The
meaning
is the same.
Daivaat
praapte
Vrishagiritatam
dehini tvan-nidaanaat
*
Svaminl Paahi
'
ityavasavachane
vindati
svaapam only
am
\
Devas-Sreemaan
disati Kamnel
drishtim ichhan
tvadeeyaam
Udghaatena
smtiparishadaam
uttarena
aabhimukhyam (48).
Devi Karuna! When a human
being,
as a result of casual
good
deeds done
by
Mm
by your help,
reaches the
slope
of the Tirumala
Hill
(by your help) happens
to breathe his
last, uttering (by your
help)
while in a state of mental
stupor,
the words
*
O Lord
protect
me,
5
the
great
God,
who is
Sriman,
anxious to secure
your (approving)
glances,
confers his favourable-ness (or presence)
uttering, by
way
of
reply
the word
(Om)
which
occurs at the commencement
of all the Vedas.
The sentimcut
given expression
to in Sloka 27 above is
again
dealt with here but in a different
manner.
It was stated there
that
those who have, takon residence
on the sacred
Hill obtain the
grace
of
Daya by
the
very
fact of their residence there,
and that when
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74 DAYAA SATAKAM
they
are in extremis
Daya gently
reminds
the Lord
about them
Here reference is made to a casual visitor who reaches
the
slope
of the Hill
by
a stroke of
good
luck caused
by Dayadcvi,
ever
watchful of human
interests,
and
happens
to die there.
Day;
makes him utter the words
s
svaamin, paaht*
(My
Lord!
protect)
The words are not uttered
willingly
or even
consciously.
It i
as
c
avasavachana
*
a word uttered in
spite
of himself.
To sud
a man who dies with those words on his
lips,
the Lord extend
His favour.
4
Aabhimukhyam
'
denotes
presence
as also a favourabl
attitude. The Lord who confers that
aabhimukhya
is referred t<
by
two
expressions
*
devaha
'
and
*
Srimaan.' Devaha means i
shining
God. He is a Sriman
eternally
associated
with Sri
It is as Sriman He confers
aabhimukhyam upon
His votaries.
Why
does He do so?
"Tvadeeyaam
drishtim
ichchhan,"-
anxious to secure
your (approving)
looks. The desire on th<
part
of Sriaivasa to fulfil
Daya's
desires,
do her
behests, obey
he
commands,
has been referred to in several
places
in this stotr<
and is re-stated here in a nice
way.
The whole world is anxiou
to secure the Lord's
glances.
The
greatest
men have been showj
to
long
for some sort of life on the Tirumala HilJ in order to be th
recipient
of a
single
kataaksha from those
lovely
and
loving eye
(sloka 42).
That
Lord,
in
turn,
is anxious to secure the
lovinj
glances
of His consort
DayadevL
He likes it. He takes, a
plea&ut<
in it. This is indicated
by
the use of the word
'
devaha
'
tto
sportful person.
At the same time He is also Sriman. That is
to
say,
Lakshmi also likes the Lord to render such
help
to humai
beings
and become the
recipient
of
Daya's approval
as indicated
by
her looks.
In the
Saranaagati Deepika,
Desika
prays
to the Lord to make
him a fit
receptacle
for the Lord's
bounty
and the Lord is
requested
thereby
to
qualify
Himself for
being
the
object
of Lakshmi's
loving
glances.
How the Lord
gives expression
to His
aabhimukhyam
is se
out in the
lastpaada.
He
promises
succour to the
dying
man whc
has called for His
protection, by saying
'
Yes.' The sacred wore
*
3-0* OMalso means
'
Yes,'
and
expresses
assent.,3^ OM is also th<
pranava.
Here Desika
indulges
in a
very
round about
expression!
to indicate Om. Instead of
referring
to that
single
letter as such
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OAYAA SATAKAM
'
7f
he. has said that the. Lord confers
aabhimukhyara by replying
with the word
"
which constitutes the
beginning
of the Vcdas."
That,
word
undoubtedly
is
pranava.
There must be a
purpose
with
which Desika refers to Oin in this manner. The Lord's assent
to the
dying
man's desire for
protection
is backed,
up by
all ths
Vedas. If His &>
(yea)
turns out to be
false,
it tamtamoumts to
all the Yedas
becoming
fake and useless.
3îcf
is
beginning.
Sroti-
parishad
is, the
synod
of the Vedas,
purport
of this sloka is that
Dayadevi brings
about a
situation where the Lord Himself with His consort is
ready
to assure
human
beings
of His
protection.
This is a
step
much in advance
of the
Saastrapradana, promulgation
of the
saastra,
referred to in
trie
previous
two slokas.
-
If
Sreyassdotim
sakrt
apt Dayel
mmmataam
yas-sakheem
te
svetodaaraam
alabhata
janas-Sreenivaavasya
drishtwi
r
Dwvawdeenaam
ay
am anrinataam
dehavtvepi
vindan
bandhaanmukto balibhir-anaghaihi pooryate
tat
prayuktarhi
"
(49).
Dayadevi!
lhr.t
being
who obtains
at least once the kataaksha
of
Srinivasa,
which
yiel^
(cau^s)
beatitude*
which is cool and boun-
teous,
and which is
your
PRIYA-SAKHI (very
dear
Mend), gets
relieved of all debts which he owed to the devas and
others,
even while
connected
with the
body;
ami on Ms release
from
bondage (samsara)
he is
worshipped
by
those
very
devas and
others who load him witk
offerings
in the
diape
of faultless
oblations.
The
opening
word of this
sloka
*
sreyas-sootim
*
indicates
the
topic
dealt
with in this decad.
The central
idea of this sfoka
is that the Lord's
benign
kataksha
is the cause
of 0ne*&
attaining
sreyas (beatitude).
That
kataksha
is
seeta
(coci)
and ttarrforc
calculated
to banish
all
taapa (heat).
It is vdamra
(gmeroms)
aad
it is
Daya's
mmmataa
sMee
(chosen
friend
and
mm^mm^
Tfe
intimacy
between
the Lord's
kataakslm
and
Daya
is once
again
emphasised.
(See
commentary
on steka
42>
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76 DAYAA SATAKAM
The
recipient
of that kataaksha
gets
released from the three-
fold debts with which
everyone
is said to be
born, viz.,
debts due
to the
sages,
the
gods,
and the manes of the ancestors. This state
of relief from indebtedness is attained
by
him even when his connec-
tion with, the
body
continues. When that connection ceases the
position gets
reversed. The.
very
devas
etc.,
who were
propitaited
by
that
being begin
to
propitiate
him
during
his ascent to heaven.
bandhaat muktaha released from all
bondage,
balibhihi
by
those oblations
proffered by
the devas etc. The word
'
anaghaihi
'
meaning
blemishless used in connection with balibhihi
(oblations)
is intended to
emphasise
the fact that the
offering
is
spontaneous
and
voluntary
and not in
expectation
of
repayment
in one form or
another,
Pooryate
is filled with.
Being
the
recipient
of the
Lord's
divyakataaksha
is thus shown to make all the difference
ia the status of a man. His indebtedness is
wiped out;
he becomes
free from all
liability.
Not
only that,
but the
very persons
whom
he served before
begin
to serve him.
In sloka 20
above, jaayamaana
kataksha was referred to. That
is the kataaksha received
by
a
being
at the time of his birth. It
was
pointed
out there that he
develops
a desire for moksha which is
fulfilled without much effort on his
part. Pursuing
the same
topic
here the
poet points
out a
very important stage
in the
progress
of that soul blessed with
jaayamaana
kataaksha. The next sloka
develops
this idea.
fqftftqfcr
Divyaapaangam
disasi Karunel
yeshu
saddesikaatma
kshipram praaptaa Vrishagiripatim Kshatrabandhvadayaste
i
ViswaacharyaavidhisivamukhaaS'Svaadhikaaroparuddhaha
/
manye
maataa
jada
iva sute vatsalaa maadrise tvam
"
(50).
Devi Karuna!
Those,
Kshatrabandhu and
others,
on whom
you,
in the form of a
good Acharya,
bestow divine
glances,
'
attain
Lord Srinivasa
very quickly,
while
Brahma,
Siva and other world-
teachers are hound down
by
their office
(position).
I therefore think
~~~. JL.I1 ---*J.X_J
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DAYAA SATAKAM
77
In sloka
48, Daya's
drishti
(glance)
was referred to. In sloka
\9 Lord Srinivasa's drishti was
mentioned. In this
sloka
Divya-
ipaanga (divine glance)
has been
very deftly
used
in such a
way
as
;o bo
capable
of
being interpreted
as Lord's
apaanga
or as
Daya's
ipaanga, though
both
really
are one. This
kataakshabe it the
-ord's or
Daya's
is bestowed
by Dayadevi
who
assumes the form
>f a Sat
Desika,
a
good
and
pure Acharya,
and
bestows on us her
>enoficient
glances (or
secures to us the Lord's
kataaksha).
It
las bc.-^n said that the Lord's
good
will is one of the causes that
iecure to us
Acharya-praapti (contact
with an
Acharya). Acharya-
)raapti
is a sine
qua
non for
obtaining
moksha.
There is a famous
ûrana sloka which
says
that sinners like
Kshatrabandhu,
as well
is meritorious men like
Pundarika,
obtained moksha
only by
laving
an
acharya.
So
Acharya-praapti
is ahetu
(cause)
for
sreyas (bliss).
This is
;he last of the causes that contribute to one's
attainment of bliss
efcrred to in this decad.
In the next decad Desika is
going
to deal with
sr.racaagati
surrender).
As a
prelude
to
it,
one of the
very
essential concomi-
;ants
thereof,
viz.,
Acharya
Sambandha is
spoken
about here.
\s the Purana sloka
quoted
above
says, every
one has to become
in
*
Aacharyavaan
'
possessed
of an
Acharya,
before
attaining
noksha. The
Upanishad
mantra also is to the same effect
\charyavaan purusho
veda
BTRRM^
35^
%^
(Only
that man
ivho has an
Acharya knows).
The
importance
of the sentiment
contained in this sloka cannot be overestimated.' .
Whatever the Lord does for the benefit of
humanity
is attri-
buted to
Daya
as
being
her work.
[Taking
the human form
(of
an
Acharya)
the Lord out of
mercy
rescues
sinking humanity by proffering
the hand of
saastra).
This
deals with the Lord's
assumption
of
Acharya-roopa
or form. The
word
*
Kaarunyaat
'
in this sloka indicates that this is an act of
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n DAYAA SATAKAM
Daya,
And. that is
why Daya
is here
said to have taken the fori
of an
Acharya (Desikaatmaa),
Those who are the
recipients
of the
*
Divyaapaatiga
'
attai
Lord Srinivasa
quickly (kshipram).
The reference to Kshatn
banditti shows that the
poet
is
thinking
of the sloka extracted
ab\
land is
drawing
our attention to the
importance
of
Achary*
sambandha, by
which oven
great
sinners are
capable
of attaii
ing
beatitude.
(Kshatrabandhu
was a
great
sinner,
but had
tl
^QK)d
fortune to come into contact with a
sage
who took
pity
c
liirn. and became Ms
Acharya,
weaned him from his
sinfulness,
ar
TdtiBiately
secured for him
everlasting bliss).
This benefit which
Daya
secures to us is
sought
to be contrast*
with the
plight
of
great beings
like
Brahma,
Siva and so
on,
wl
as a result of their meritorious actions
(satkarma)
hold
high pos
and act as
world-acharyas, jagatguras. They
are tied down
their
posts
and do not
get
release.
They
are themselves holdb
acharya-posts.
The
poet appears
to
suggest
here that while
achary
continue in
bondage,
those who
rely
on
acharyas get
released.
IMnting
of this
difference,
Desika
txultingly
thinks oft!
measure of
protection
extended to us and
says
that
Daya
DC
like all mothers is more concerned with the welfare and
well-being
deficient and
mentally incapacitated
children than with those
Hie clever and
capably.
A mother is fond of all her childrc
but when one of them is unable to take care of
itself,
her conce
for that
child makes her ever think of it and
help
it in all
ways
be safe and
happy.
So too
Daya
Devi the mother of all chetan;
is more concerned with the welfare of
persons
like us unable
taTce, care of ourselves and who are
helpless
Li the extreme. TJ
helplessness
or
kaarpanya
is what earns for us
speedy
relea
and the next decad with
Saranaagati
as its
topic
starts with 1
*
aitikripana
'
meamng exceedingly
wretched and
helpless.
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DAYAA SATAKAM
SIXTH DECAD.
dccad is :hc contrc of this stotra. There are five docads
preceding
it and four full decads and
eight
extra slokas
following
it. It
undoubtedly
enshrines the central theme of the
Daya
Sataka
viz., Saranaagati.
This
doctrine,
one
may say
without
fear of
contradiction,
is Vedanta Desika's
gift
to
world-thought.
Earlier
Acharyas
had
adopted Saranaagati
as a direct means for
the attainment of Mukti. But
they
had all left it to Desika to
scientifically systematise
it and
propound
it to the world as a sakshat-
mokshopaaya,
a dir&ct means for moksha. From Svetasvatara
Upanishad
which said
"
Mumukshur vai saranam aham
prapadye,"
through
Nammalwar who said
Lj+Qs&ir*&
riaaaair
û^Qiu&r
s_3TaTjn^.^S^p
^'f'/f^j*/
Lf(&j'i(]>&(?6vr,
to
Rainanuja
who
gavs
to us the
Saranagati Gadyam,,it
was all anushtaana or
practice.
It was Deaika who first
synthesised
the several relevant texts and
laid down in and
by
his numerous works that
Prapatti
or
Saranagati
is an
independ
;nt and self-sufficient
upaya
or means. For that
reason he is known as
Trw^^cr?^jT/-f^r:
'
Prapadana-kalaa-
janma-jaladhihi
'
and
^^^t'juj
*
(
S
^ u
s &b
*
^
r ?<a/^ <xsr
That doctrine is the
topic
of this dccad.
Prapadana-sulabhatva
(47??r g^5r
;
c()
of the Lord is the
subject
of the sixth
pattu
LJ&&I
of
Tiruvoimozhi.
The metre
employed
for this docad is
'
Nardataka.' Thtre
are seventeen
syllables
to a
paada
in this also. Suka-brahmam
adopted
this metre while
singing
the Sruti Geeta.
11
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DAYAA SATAKAM
npanopi janturadhigamya Dayel
bhavateem
asithiladharmasetu
padaveem
ruchiraam achiraat \
'amahormijaalam atilanghya
bhavambunidhim
bhavati
Vrishachalesapadapattananityadhanee
(51)
Dayadevi!
Even the most wretched and
helpless being, by resorting
>u who are like a
beautiful;
and at the same time
strong
and
eous; bridge-way, quickly
crosses the ocean of samsara full of
inerable
huge
and
mighty wave-groups,
and attains eternal wealth
e
city
of Lord Srinivasa's Feet.
Note how the sloka
begins
with
atikripana
and ends with
mdhanee? This
change
from dire distress to
undiminishing
th is what
Daya
alone can
bring
about.
Asithila is
unbreakable, unslackening.
Asithila dharma is
nagati dharma,
as defined
by
Valmiki
through
Sitadevi in
words
"
Viditassahi
Dharmagnyaha Saranaagata
Vatsalaha
"
ffMfj
V
3%:
SK^PR--?^:
equating
dharma with
saranaagata-
salya.
Setu is
bridge
or dam across watsr. H>re
Daya
:ened to a
bridge
across the ocean of Samsara and even a
very
;nificant
man can use the
bridge
and the
pathway (padavee)
ided
by
it to cross over. The
'
amita
'
(countless)
and
*
maha
'
and
mighty)
'
oormijaala
'
(wave-groups) tossing
in the ocean
,ot affect him in
any manner,
as he uses a safr
bridge
far above
waves to cross over. The* words
*
amitamahormijaalam
'
nds us of
*
madanapavanoddhootamahormimala
'
of
King
isekhara in the Mukundamaala.
Once he
goes
to the other
side,
what is it he sees ? The
great
glorious
lotus-feet of Lord Srinivasa which shine like a
spacious
glorious city padapattana.
Pada is foot and
pattana
is
city,
inta Donka who is known for his
outstanding vairagya,
as
h as for his
great gnana,
shunned towns and cities. But tbure
two towns to reach
which,
and reside in
whiqh,
he Imd
great
ing.
Ont is
Vrishaachalesa-padapattana;
and the other is
chakravarti-pada-padma-pattana.
The
extra,
word
'padma*
in the case of Sri
Bhashyakara speaks
for itself. Desika's
vasa Bhakti is excelled
only by
Desika's
Ramanuja-bhakti.
Nityadhance eternally
rich man. No more the vicisstitud^s
>rtune
making
a
person
a millionaire
today
and a
pauper
to-
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DAYAA SATAKAM 81
after rich for ever and ever.
By
his
good
fortunt which made him
resort to
Daya
as his
saviour,
he becomes the
possessor
of a vast
and
undiminishing
fortune.
ruchira
meaning lovely
and
charming
indicates the attractiveness
of
saranaagati-marga
as contrasted with, the other
paths
which are
difficult and troublesome. The words
adhigamya
and
atilanghya
are
very significant. Reaching Daya
means and involves
crossing
the.
samsaric ocean.
achiraatin no time. It is another
very significant expression.
Because it is
only
a
prapanna
that
quickly
attains
mukti,
whereas
all the other
upaasakaas following
the
karmayoga gnanayoga
and
bhaktiyoga paths
have to abide their time.
SR^fcfN
Abhimukhabhaavasampadabhisambhavinaam
bhannaam
kvachidupalakshitaa
kvachid
abhanguragoodhagatihi
i
Vimalarasaavaha
Vrishagireesadaye
\ bhavatee
.sapadi
Sarasvateeva
samayati agham apratigham.n (52)
O
Daya
of
Vrishagirinatha!
Like the Sarasvati
river,
with its
course visible in some
places,
and invisible
yet
unbroken in other
places,
and with
pure
rasa
(water) you quickly destroy by your
flow
Ihe irremovable sins of those
wallowing
in
samsara,
who
possess
that rare wealth of
being favourbly
inclined towards
you.
The
previous
sloka ended with a reference to
dhana,
riches.
This sloka starts with a
sampath
or wealth. It is abhimukha-
bhdavasampath,
the wealth of
aabhimukya
towards
Daya. Though
Daya
is there ever
ready
to come to the rescue of the weak and
the
helpless, people
do not
easily
take to her.
Some, however,
have the
good
fortune to
adopt
an attitude of
aabhimulchya,
a
favourable and
favour-soliciting disposition
towards
Daya.
That
is referred to here as a
sampath
or wealth.
The sloka is couched in the form of a slesha for
Daya
and the
river ..Saraswati. Saraswati is one of- the three rivers that
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82 DAYAA SATAKAM
contribute to the Triveni or confluence of three rivers. But unlike
the other two the
Ganga
and the Yamuna it is not visible at
the
place
of
sangama
or union. It is
antarvahini, flowing
under-
ground.
The river is therefore referred to here as
having
a visible
flow in
places
and an invisible
underground
current in other
places.
Fiven where the current is
gooclha (hidden),
it is
abhangitra (unim-
peded).
It bears
pure
and
pellucid
water viinalarasaavahaa.
Rasa is water. And it has tht
power
of
banishing unpardonable
sins of Hose mortals who think of it
fervently.
It
destroys
sins
by
mere
aahhlmukhya
or fervent and faithful attitude towards
its
purifying powers
even without a bath in its waters.
So too
Daya.
Her flow is also visible to some and on some
occasions,
and invisible and hidden to others and on other occasions
;
but ever and anon she flows
unimpeded
and without obstacles.
She
invariably
bears
vimalarasa, pure
and faultless affection and
friendship
towards her votaries. And in
respect
of those who
put
themselves in an attitude of fervour and faith in
regard
to her
she
wipes
out their sins which are otherwise
apratigha (unassailable)
For
'
bhavatee
*
thorc is another
reading
*
vahasi
'
meaning
you
flow.
*
Sapadi
*
means
quickly,
at once. The moment one looks
up
to
Daya
for
protection, immediately
she rushes to his rescue and
quells
his sins and defections which are obstacles to his
progress.
Note the word
'
achiraat
'
in the
previous
slqka.
Srirnan V. V. Srinivasa
lyengar
who was a
literary
artist of
a
very high order,
in addition to
being
a
great
Desika-bhakta,
very beautifully suggested
that the Sarasvatee referred to in this
sloka will take in not
only
the river
Sarasvati,
but also Yatecsvara-
sarasvatte,
or the utterances of the
great Yatiraja, Ramanuja.
This idea has thrilled several scholars and
pandits deeply
learned
in the Sri
Bhashya. Every epithet
in this sloka fits in with that
great
and immortal work as it does with the river and with
Daya.
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DAYAA SATAKAM 83
[pi
Karunel
janasya
Tarunenduvlbhooshanataam
apt
Kamalasanatvam
apt
dhaama
Vrishaadripateke\
"aratanmtaavasena lanute nanu te vitatihi
parahitavarshmana paripachelimakelimatee.
(53)
Karanadevi!
By spreading yourself
out
sportfully
with the
sole
impose
of
bringing
about the welfare of
others, you
confer
upon
icoplc
either the status of Paramasiva
adorned with the
yotn*g
moon,
>r the
position
of
being
a Kamalaasana
(Brahma)
or
Paramapada
>f L^rd SrMvasa
according
to the well-marked difference
noticeable
n them.
This sloka deals with
sarva-phaia-pradatva
(the capacity
to
>estow all desired
fruits)
of
Daya
to those who resort to her
for
.he realisations of their desires.
Contrasting
the sentiment
con-
ained in this sloka with that in slokas 41 and 42
above,
one must
:>e
surprised
at Desika
dealing
with the
aspect emphasistd
in this
;loka, viz.,
that
Dayadevi helps
one to attain
Brahmapada
or
Roidrapada.
But Desika has to
postulate
the
efficacy
of
saranagati
is a means to all desired ends for
persons
who are not
qualified
:o obtain the same
by
normal means. One of the most
important
pramaanas (authority)
in favour of
saranagati
as a
potent upaya
is the charama sloka of the
Bhagavad
Gita. It is from that sloka
among
others that Desika derives
authority
for the
afficacy
of
Saranagati.
Desika has summed
tip
the
meaning
of that sloka in
the
following
kaarika which occurs in Srimad
Rahasyatrayasara:
From this it is clear that with whatever end in view one iiesorts
to
Prapatti
or
saranagati
due to one's
inability
to secure the same ,
by
the
proscribed
mtans,
the Lord fulfils his desire
by substituting
Himself as the
Siddhopaya
in the
place
of the
prescribed
nxe.a;is,
Thus
saranagati
is a means not
only
for mukti but for all
proper
ends. If therefore a
person
fixes his mind
upon,
the
greatness
of
Mafeadeva and desires to attain that
position, Dayadevi helps
Mm
to realise that desire. Her
very
form
(varshma)
is
*
parahita.' (VMe
slka 26
above).
So too in
regard
to the
position
of Chaturaiukha
Brakma or Sri Vaikuntha of Lord Srinivasa. The
spreasd
of
Daya
knows no limitations. The word Vitati
meaning spread
remimds
us of the
likening
of
Daya
to the river Saraswati and to
similar
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84 DAYAA SATAKAM
comparisons
with the other rivers to follow. The word
'
kel
means
sport
or
pastime. Daya's sport
lies in
conferring
hita c
others, (parahita).
That the hita or
good
varies from
person
1
person;
and from
stage
to
stagt>
in the same
person;
is indicated
t
the use of the word
*
taratamataavasena/ according
to diffcrenc
It must be noted how Desika refers to Siva and Brahma. Sr
is described as
*
Tarunenduvibhushana
'
(a
lovable
person
adornc
by
the crescent
moon).
So too Brahma is referred to as
*
kamaala
sana
'
..
(the
one with the
lotus-stat).
Not
only
is there a tot
absence of
any
want of
respect
towards those
high personage
but
they
are also described in attractive and sweet
language.
n
Dhritabhuvanaa
Daye
\
trividhagatyanukooldtarda
Vrishagirinaaihapaadaparirambhavatee
bhavatee
\
Adviditavaibhavaapi
Surasindhurivaatanute
sakrit
avagaahamaanam apataapam apaapam apt.
"(5
Dayadevi!
Like the
Sura-sindhu,
divine
river, you support (protec
the whole
world; you
have also a threefold
flow; you
also embra
the feet of
Vrishagirinatha;
even if
your greatness
is not understo<
you
make a
person
who immerses
(takes refuge)
in
you
relieved fro
heat and sin.
Having
likened
Daya
to the river Sarasvati in the
previo*
sloka but
one,
the
poet proceeds
to
compare Daya
with Gani
and also the
Yamuna,
This sloka and the next have been inte
prated by every
commentator as
referring
to the
Ganga only.
Wit
out
any disrespect
to those commentators I shall take leave
point
out that either this or the next must refer to the Yamun
It is not Desika's
genius
to refer to
only
some of a
group.
Tl
Ganga,
the Yamuna and the Sarasvati are a well-known tri
Further it is
very rarely,
if
ev^r,
that Desika
repeats
the same sen
ment
in the same manner in successive slokas.
Scrutinising
t]
words
employed
in this and the next sloka from this view
poii
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DAYAA SATAKAM 85
.
the words
as
referring
to the
Ganga.
The three attributes common
to
Daya
and the
Ganga
are: 1. Dritabhuvanaa
(^fg^ll)
*2.
Trividhagatyanukoolataraa (
f^fc^Trag^fW
)
and 3.
Vrisha-
girinaathapaadaparirambhavatee (i^frî^r^fH^racft)
Dhritabhu-
vanaa when
applied
to the
Ganga
mean:;
carrying
water.
(Bhuvana
means water). Applied
to
Daya
it means
protecting
the world
(bhuvana
meaning
the
world). Trividhagatyanukoolataraa
means
favourable
for the threefold flow
meaning flowing
in three
regions
the
sky,
the earth and the
paatala.
In
regard
to
Daya
it means
helpful
in
regard
to the three fold
pursuits aisvarya,
kaivalya
and moksha.
Daya helps
an
aisvaryakama (a
seeker
after
wealth),
a
kaivalyarthi (he
who runs after
kaivalya
or
:
the
enjoyment
of the individual soul alone as
distinguished
from the
paramatma),
and the Mokshartbi
(seeker
after
bliss).
This is
another form of
Daya's sarvaphalapradatva (capacity
to confer all
desired
fruits).
The
Ganga
flows from the feet of the Lord and is referred to
here as
embracing
it.
Dayadevi similarly
takes her
origin
from
-
Lord Srinivasa's
paada. (vide Rooda-Vrishachalapateh-paade,
sloka
18
above).
In the second half of this sloka it is
pointed
out that a
person
who takes a
plungs
into the fountain of
Daya
as much as a
person
who takes a
dip
in the
Ganga, though
he
may
not be aware of the
greatness
and
glory
of
Daya
or
Ganga, gets
rid of
(beat)
an
and
'-rig
(sin).
That one
phmge
is sufficient
is indicated
by
sakrit
avagaaha.
A
knowledge
of the
greatness
of the
Ganga
in
regard
to its
purifying
effect is not
necessary
for the bather,
for even without
that, by
bathing
in the
Ganga
the
person
feels relieved
from a sense
of heat and
gets
cleansed of sins.
So too in the case of
Daya
though
we cannot
fully
understand
her mahimaa
(greatness)
still
if we take
refuge
in
her,
she makes
us free from the
taapatraya
and free from
all our sins. Fire
will not fail to
singe
the hand
that
touches it because
it is not known
to be fire.
Let me now
respectfully
place
before the reader
the
interpreta-
tion of the words
which
will make
the sloka
refer
to Yamuna.
Without
the Yamuna
the Triveni
will not be
complete.
The three-
fold flow must
be taken
to mean
the flow of the rivers
needed
to
constitute
a Triveni.
The
attribute
'
paadaparirambhavatee
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86 DAYAA SATAKAM
seems to be far more
apt
if it is taken with the Yamuna than
the
Ganga.
*
Pariramba
'
is embrace. The
Ganga
took its 01
from the toe of the
Lord,
but it has nowhere been said that
waters of the
Ganga
embraced the Lord's
feet;
whereas the Yan
is well-known for
having frequently
embraced the feet of the I
when 'He came down as Sri Krishna. When Sri Krishna
carried
by
His father Vasudeva from Muttra to
Gokula,
the w*
of the Yamuna are said to have risen
up
and embraced the fe<
the infant Krishna before
permitting
Vasucljva l"o cross it.
the numerous occasions on which Lord Krishna had
jalakr
k the Yamuna with the
Gopis,
her waters
lovingly
embr
the divine and
lovely
feet of Krishna. It was because of this C
refers to the Yamuna as
^giru
Qo^/?/r ajQp<jsw.
This* attri
inthissloka seems to
indicate, beyond doubt,
that the Yan
is in the
poet's contemplation.
Nor is there
anything ag;
this
interpretation
in the third
paada
where the word
*
surasinc
occurs.
Probably
there is a
suggestion (dhvani)
here
, that
Yamuna is a river whose
glory
is not
(as)
well-known
(as
the
Gan;
Surasindhu
may
well refer to
any holy
river not
necessarily
the Ga
Desika has
sung
in one
place
of the Sarasvati
having
ths Yami
status
(Krishnaanwayena
dadhateem Yamunaanubhaavam...
Sarasvateem
Godastuti).
fcwrrww
^cfq
qgppjtfier
<cfr*f: 3
EFTW *tSF^q
$ I He is
quite capable
of
singing
of the
Ganga
"
as Yamuna, I submit these considerations for what
they
arew<
\\
Nigamasamaasrf"taa
nikhilalokasamriddkikaree
bhajadaghdkoolcanudrujagatihi paritaptdhitaa\
Prakatita hamsa
matsya kamataadyavataarasaiaa
Vibiidhasarichhriyam Vrishagireesa Day
el ahasi
Daya
of
Vrishagireesa!
You
possess
all the
glory
of the Ga
for
you
are
praised by
the Veclas
; you bring
about
copious
and
plei
prosperity
to all the
worlds? your
force
destroys
the sins
(bs
of those who
praise you ; you
are a source of comfort to those stri
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DAYAA SATAKAM
87
Daya
is
compared
to the
Ganga
in this sloka which is in the
form of a slesha.
Nigamasamaasrithaa
The
Ganga
finch
mention in the Vedas
and
Daya
is dealt with in tht Vedas.
the
Ganga by fertilising
tracts and
irrigating
millions of acre-s
results in
plentiful production
and the world is
thereby
In
possession
of
-plenty. Daya
also
promises
and
procures plenty
to her votaries
in the world.
By strong
and swift current the
Ganga destroys
shores and
bunds that aro calculated to curb its flow. So too in the case of
persons
whose
spiritual progress
and welfare are
cribbed,
cabined,
and confined
by
thsir
sins,
Daya's
flow shatters those bunds and
barriers and sets them free.
In the
Ganga
thwc are several
swans, fish,
tortoises and hundreds
of other such creatures.
Daya
is
responsible
for the Lord's
assump-
tion" of the form ofHamsa
(swan), Matsya (fish)
and Koorma
(tor-
toise),
etc.
Daya
is
responsible
for these avataaras or incarnations
of the Lord.
(See
sloka 35 above and sloka 82
post),
and
so she
is
spoken
of here as
publishing (prakatita)
those forms which are
numerous,
sata
(a
hundred)
bo!nj
an
upalakshana
for numerous.
tfra i^ri
nifeiu
3
Jagati mitamapchaa
tvad itaraa tu
Daye
! taralaa
.
Phalaniyamojjhitaa
bhavati
santapanaaya punaha
Tvamtha
nirankusaprasakanaadmbhutimatee
vitarasi dehinaam niravadhim Vrishasaildnidhim
(56)
Dayadevi!
In this
world,
other
dayas (the mer<*y
and
grace
of
others
except
Lord
Srinivasa) except yoii,
are all
niggardly
and
inconstant,
without
certainty
of
yielding fruit,
and calculated to
bring
in
pain
and distress
again.
In this
respect you
alone have the
support
of untrammelled
power (sakti)
etc. and confer an men the boundless
wealth of
Vrishasaila,
Lord Sriniflsa.
Having compared
the
Daya
of Sriniva
n
,a with the
sacred;
rivers
like the
Ganga
and the
Sarasvati,
the
post proceeds
to contract
her with th@
Daya
of others.
Daya
or
compassion
is
possessed
12
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8g DAYAA SATAKAM
in some
degree
or other
by every
one. Even a man in distres
may
himself feel imbued with
sympathy
and
compassion
towarc
another
being
in
greater
distress;
but, that sort of
daya helps
no on<
Compassion
and
sympathy
must have
strength
and
power
at the;
back to be effective. This truth is
brought
home to us
by
this sloki
The
Daya, mercy
or
compassion*
of
every
one
except
Lor
Srmivasa* i.e.,
all
Dayas except
the
Daya
in whose
praise
th
stotra is
sung (tvaditaraa)
are
productive
of small fruits
(mithj
phala). They
are further taralaa
(fickle, unsteady
and transient
There is no
certainty
that
they
will
yield
even, the benefits that ai
within, their
capacity.
And their
gifts
to the extent
they go
ai
calculated to inflict
pain again;
for
they
are
powerless
to banis
pain
for ever.
In
your case^ however,
no one can attribute
any
of these defec
or
shortcomings
to
you;
for
you
have the
glory
of
being
backe
up by
nirankusa
(unchecked
and
unrestrained) qualities
such i
sakti etc.
(See
sloka 10
above).
The
great gunas, gnana,
sak
etc.,
are
your
vibhuti
(wealth)
and contribute to
your splendoi
and
magnificence.
Hence
your gifts
are all
lofty,, permanen
certain of
yielding fruit,
and eschew all
possibility
of sorrow ar
pain
ever
recurring.
Therefore
you
are able to confer &rf
yv\
votaries the
great
bliss which is that nidhi situate in, Tirumala-
Lord Srinivasa.
This sloka
may
be said to be an elaboration of Nammalwai
<glj<SLi(njGrT))<s8r ^(^(swjLmsba},
The
Daya
of Lord Srin
vasa is the
only Daya
the other
Dayas
are
really
not
Dayaas
;
all. Unless one obtains this nischita
buddhi,
definite
knowledg
he is
likely
to
waver,
and his faith in the Lord's
Daya
will not be
strong
and steadfast one. It is
really
this faith that
impels Da?
to take
up
the task of
protecting
us.
Sakarmalaukikaprabhuparigrahanigrahayoh
niyatim
upaadhichakrapanvrittiparamparayaa
i
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BAYAA SATAKAM
89
Karuna of
Vrishagireesa!
Those who have
carefully
looked
into the matter and
noticed that the favours and frowns of the lords
of this world are
conditioned
by (due to)
the
rotating
causes in the
nature offriendliness or
hostility (towards them),, they
will not
entertain
any
doubts about
you
whose
greatness
is measured
(dealt with) by
the
Vedas.
Having
dealt with the
uniqueness
of
Daya,
the
poet
now
procee-
ds to show that no
reasonable man can ever come to doubt her
powers
of
protection.
Do we not see about us that the
great
and rich men of this world
(laukikaprabhus)
imbued
by
sympathy
and
grace (sa-karuna)
shower benefits on those of their followers
who act in accordance with their
wishes, expressed
and
unexpressed,
and do we not also see those
prabhus
frown
upon,
renounce and
punish
4hose that act
against
their directions and inclinations?
In other
words,
the favours and frowns of those lords ofthis world
are the result of
aanukoolya (favourableness, friendliness),
and
praatikoolya (hostility) respectively,
in the
persons
rewarded nr
^punished.
With the
change
in the cause
(upadhi)
the result too
varies.
Aanukoolya
or
praatikoolya
is said to come
up alternating
as in the
whirling
of a wheel
(chakraparivritti)
By
a
proper study
and
analysis of,
and reflection on,
the
ways
of
the
worldly lords,
we thus come to
definitely
understand the fore-
going,
viz.,
that
protection
follows
aanukoolya (favourableness)
and
punishment
follows
praatikoolya
(hostility);
of course the
master
(prabhu)
must have karuna in his
composition.
He must be
,a
sa-karuna;
else he will never know
what
protection
or
reward is.
If that is the manner in which a
lordly person
with karuna
acts,
how can
any
one doubt the
power
of Karuna herself to
protect
those who bear
aanukoolya
and
aabhimukhya
towards her? Visa-
yaha(fOT
J
-':)
doubt,
katham
bhavitaa
(<$*
WIT)
how
can it arise? Your fame and
glory
is dealt with
by
the Vedas.
The laukika
nyaya
or
worldly
rule is sure to be more
correctly
applicable
to the Vedic
aspect
borne
by you.
This
question
is
really
an answer to the doubt that some
may
entertain
about
Daya's
willingness
to come to our rescue.
How can we
expect
Daya
who
never
evinced
any
interest
in us all these
ages
on
ages
suddenly
come to our rescue ?so
one
may
feel. The answer
is furnished
by
this sloka.
All these
ages
or
years you
never
thought
of the
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90 DAYAA SATAKAM
Lord's
Daya; you
nsver .looked
up
to her for
help.
So
you
not
protected.
Now that
you
have learnt of hsr
greatness
goodness
and have
appealed
to her for
help,
she takes care of
yo\j
and
protects you.
That she has the
capacity
to
protect
us has been
establishes)
by
several
previous
slokas
including
the last one. That she
wil]
certainly
be inclined to
protect
us if we look
up
to her is shown
i^
this sloka
by
reference to
worldly
conduct.
Vmhagirikrishnameghajanitaam janitaapaharaam
'
>
tvadabhimatlm suvrishtirn
upajeevya
nivrittatrishaha
t
Bahushu
ja/aasayeshu
bahumaanam
apohya Day
el
Na
jahati satpatham jagathi
chatakavat kritinaha
(58)
Daya
Devi! The blessed ones who
depend entirely
on the
gocci
showers
(rain)
in the
shape
of
your good will, having
its
origin
in
the
dark
cloud that has its seat on
Vrishagid,
and
having
the
capacity
to do
away
with the heat
engendered by
birth
(and death),
have
theii
thirst
quenched,
and like the chaataka bird
give up
all
thought
oj
tanks and reservoirs in the
world,
and never
stray
from the
good patt
(akasa).
Having
established in- and
by
the
previous
sloka that
Daya
is
sure to bestow her favours on those who resort to
her,
Desike
proceeds
in this sloka to mention the benefits derived
by
those whc
depend
on
Daya.
As usual he resorts to
upama.
The
chaatato
is a bird which
depends solely
on rain water for
quenching
its
thirst
It is said that there is a hole in its throat which
prevents
it fron
drinking
from
ponds
ai*d
pools
with its beak down. It has its
-
mouth
open, always
lifted
upwards
and
opened wide,
so that whei
the rain
falls,
the rain water
gets
into its
body.
The devotee o]
Daya
is
compared
to that chaataka bird.
In sloka 45
Daya
was likened to the clouds
drawing
watei
from
Srinivasa,
the water of
Grace,
and
showering
it on her devotees
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DAYAA SATAKAM
91
is clouds hold
water,
this cloud is full of Karuna. This
description
ecollects to one's mind
Bhoja's
beautiful
description
in tlu
Champu
Ramayana:
Desika has
adopted
this in the Hamsasandesaalso where h?
sings
In the Tattva Teeka D@sika refers to the Lord of Kanchi as
"
Karisai-
la
Krishnajaladaha
kaankshitavarshee
"
$f?$f5^
6
ncr^:
q?f|fcraqf
and in the same strain
sings
in the
Yatiraja Saptati
"
Karisaila
Kri
>hnajaladaha
Kaankshaadhikam varshati." w
Here
it is
Vrishagiri
Krishna
Megha.
From that
megha
comes
down
a suvrishti
(g-?m) (good
and
helpful downpour),
not
ativrishti (sr%^fe)
excessive
downpour,
nor maavrishti
(ar^T'J%)
no
downpour
at all. It is
Janitaapahara,
it
dispels
the
taapa
of samsara
(birth
and
death).
It consists in
your (Daya's)
abhirnati (^fvwfe)
or
prasada (favour).
This is the sole
support
and sustenance
to the kriti
(blessed person)
even as rain water is to
the
chaataka
bird.
By drinking
in this
grace
of
Daya/the
kritinaha
(blessed
and fortunate
persons)
become
niwittatrishaha
([
W?
1
^;)
relieved
of thirst.
Thereafter
they
do not descend or condescend
to look
at the several
jalaasayaas
(SRSIOTI:)
water
reservoirs,
like
tanks,,
lakes or even rivers.
"..."."
And
they
soar in
space
and never swerve
from the-
path
of
rectitude
(satpatham).
Vedanta Desika
is never
tired
of
emphasising
the need for
right
conduct.
He can never
bring
himself
to condone
lapses
from moral
conduct
at
any stage
in life.
After
prapatti
or
saranagati
is
gone
through,
there is -a
tendency
in the
prapanna
or
saranagata
to feel free from the
"
shackles
of
right
conduct."
The last
paada
of this sloka shows
that such a
tendency
in the
prapanna
should
be curbed
and he must never
swerve from
the
right path.
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0AYAA SATAKAM
an f
Tmdudaya-toolikaabhimmwia
Vrishasallajiisha-
stlrachara
silptnaiva partkalpita chttradhiyaha
i
'Yatipatiyaamunaprabhitayaha prutayunti Daye
jagati
hitam
nanastvayl
bhamnvasanaadadhikam
Daya
Devi! That
Mug among
ascetics
(Ramanoja)
and
Y
charya,
and others like
them,
who had their beautiful
(fi
jHcdiirdcetdhed'Inr
tUn
great painter
residing
in
Vrishasalla
(11
'With
ôtpacity
to
paiat
Immovable
(unmovlng)
as
well ts
Amoving) 'objects
with
the
help
of His
(Painter's)
brush d
'(thelquid paint
that
is) you*
have laid that
there Is a
or more
potent
means
(for salvation)
than surrender to
|ott,
A
very
beautiful sfoka as
lofty
in Its
poetry
as
in Its a
The central idea
contained in this sioka h that
this Si
has been laid down to be the easiest
and safest
of \
by great acharyas.
Two of them are
mentioned
byname*
and Yaainuna. The rest are
Indicated
by
the
**
etc,**
(prabn
'Yatipati
or chief
among Sanyasins
is of course the S
'TOva
Acharya Raraamija (10171137 A.D.)
author of thi
Sri
lhashya
(commentary
on the
Brahma
Sutras).
Y
Ramanuja
f
s
preceptors* (he
had five of
them)
preeeptoi
more
popularly
!
teown as
Alavandar
among
Vatshnavai
was the
graudsom
of
Nathamuni
t
the first of the
Saint
Satakopa (Nammalwar)
in the
heirarchy.
In Wi
.Btotra Ratoa
Alavanudar has of Sanin;u>afi
in
:Ramaixiija
ias
.referred
to
Saraniiguii
w the
only
mtmg
,the
Aonl's
toart
!
taMaran
(flpft*rt
wawiirta^)
and has
shown in
and
by
his S
/Qadp (another
work of
Ms)
the
efficacy
of
Saranaa;
direet
means df
salvation, As
Raraattuja
m
mentioned'
then
Ywnuna,
sand tte word
etc.,
follows, we
have to ta
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DAYAA SATAKAM
91
Why
should so much
importance
be attached to, their ideas
and sentiments and conduct? The answer to that
question,
is,
furnished
by
the first two lines of the sloka where it, is
pointed
out that
they
are
persons specially
blessed
by
the Lord with know-
ledge
and
insight.
This is described in a
remarkably
artistic manner
by
resort to the
analogy
of one of the arts the art of
painting. They
are
exceptional
men because their minds intellects have been
shaped by
the Lord Himself.
They
are
Chitra-dhiyaha,
men with
beautiful
intellects, painted
or sketched
by
the Lord
Himself,
that
Lord who has, His seat in
Yrishasaila,
the Tirumala HilL He is-,
referred to as a
silpi
or
painter.
Unlike
ordinary painters
who can-
paint
and
reproduce
on canvas
only
static and immovable
objects
this Painter can
paint
not
only
such Stira
objects
but also chara
(moving) objects.
He is thus a,
stira-cham-silpi painter
of b0t&;
kinds of
objects,.
mobile as well as static. He it was thai sketched:
the beautiful intellect of those
acharyas.
So
they
are not.
capable
of error or
ignorance.
The word
"
parikalpita
"
shows, the* extra;
love and care that the Lord must have bestowed, in
shaping-
and!
sketching
their intellects.
The
opening
words of the sloka
point
to
yet
another and a
very important,
and,
significant
reason
why
those
acharyas* upadesa
and anushtana are
worthy
of
acceptance by
all
right thinking
men.
They
are,
Tvat-udaya-toolikabhihi
which,
govern
the word-
"
pari-
kalpita,*'
Toolika is the
painter's
brash,
that with which,he sketches,
on the canvas. Here the brush used
by
this
Silpi (Lord Srinivasa)
is one which exhudes
Daya. Udaya
is
dawn, appearance.
At
the
tip
of the toolika
(brash)
there is
Daya'
with which the mindk of
those
acharyas
have been sketched. In other words
Daya
is the
paint,
the wat^r colour that is utilised to sketch the hearts of those
great acharyas.
The full
beauty
and
significance
of the
language employed
in this sloka and the sentiment enshrined ini it can be understood
only
if we remind ourselves of another sloka of this
poet, (the
ninth sloka in the 1st Canto in his beautiful
kavya,
Yadhavabhyu-
dhaya)
at the
beauty
and
suggestiveness
of which the
great Appayya
Deekshita was himself
very
much struck.
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DAYAA SATAKAM
Tvadudaya-toolikaabhiramuna
Vrishasattajusha-
stirachara
silpinalva
parikalpita chitradhiyaha
\
Yatipatiyaamunaprabhitayaha
pmtayanti Daye
fagati
hftam
nanastvayi bharanyasanaadadhikam
Daya
Devi! That
king among
ascetics
(Ramanuja)
and
Yaai
charya,
and others
like
them,
who had their beautiful
minds
(inte
nicely
sketched
by
this
great painter residing
in
Vrishasaila
(Tirui
with
^capacity
to
paint
immovable
(unmoving)
as well as
me
Amoving)
objects
with the
help
of His
(Painter's)
brush
dip
(the liquid paint
that
is) yoty
have laid down that there is
notgi
or more
potent
means
(for salvation)
than surrender to
you,
A
very
beautiful sloka as
lofty
in its
poetry
as in its sentin
The central idea contained in this sloka is that this Sarani
has been laid down to be the easiest and safest means of salva
by great acharyas.
Two of them are mentioned
byname,
YartS
and Yaamuna. The rest are indicated
by
the
"
etc."
(prabrutayd
Yatipati
or chief
among Sanyasins
is of course the
great
SrPfa
nava
Acharya Ramanuja (1017
1137
A.D.)
author of the fain
Sri
'Bhashya (commentary
on the Brahma
Sutras).
Yaaraim
Ramanuja's
preceptors* (he
had five of
them) preceptor.
Hi
more
popularly
'known as Alavandar
among
Vaishnavaites,
i
was the
grandson
of
Nathamuni,
the first of the
acharyas
i]
Saint
Satakopa (Nammalwar)
in the
heirarchy.
In his farm
BMra Ratoa
Alavandar has
suii^
of
Saranagati
in several
plac
-Ramauiuja
has .referred io
Saranagati
as the
only
meaas
ofxaj
<the
iLord's heart Tat-vaseekaranam
tat-saranagatin
Hf^W^B)
and has shown in and
by
his
Saranag
Qadya (another
wôrk of
'his)
the
efficacy
of
Saranaagati
m
direct
means df
salvation. As
Ramanuja
is mentioned
ifirst<a
then
Yaamuna,
/and the word
etc., follows,
we have
to
take it ti
the
poet
is
thinking
of learlier
acharyas
like
Nathamtmigal
M
Nammalwar.
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DAYAA SATAKAM
91
Why
should so much
importance
be attached
to their ideas
and sentiments and conduct? The
answer
to that
question,
is,
furnished
by
the first two lines of the sloka
where
it is
pointed
out that
they
are
persons specially
blessed
by
the Lord
with know-
ledge
and
insight.
This is described in a
remarkably
artistic
manner
by
resort to the
analogy
of one of the arts
the art of
painting.
They
are
exceptional
men because their minds
intellects
have
been
shaped by
the Lord Himself.
They
are
Chitra-dhiyaha,
men
with
beautiful
intellects, painted
or sketched
by
the Lord Himself,
that
Lord who has
,
His seat in Vrishasaila,
the Tirumala
Hill.
He is
referred to as a
silpi
or
painter.
Unlike
ordinary painters
who can
paint
and
reproduce
on canvas
only
static
and immovable objects
this Painter can
paint
not
only
such Stira
objects
but also chara
(moving) objects.
He is thus a,
stim-cham-silpi paintfer
of both;
kinds of
objects,
.mobile
as well as static. He it was that sketched:
the beautiful intellect of those
acharyas,
So
they
are not.
capable
of error or
ignorance.
The- word
"
parikalpita
"
shows;
the extra;
love and care that the Lord must have bestowed, in
shaping
and!
sketching
their intellects.
The
opening
words of the sloka
point
to
yet
another and a
very important
and.
significant
reason
why
those
acharyas* upadesa
and anushtana are
worthy
of
acceptance by
all
right
thinking
men.
They
are
Tvat-udaya-toolikabhihi
which
govern
the word
"
pari-
kalpita."
Toolika is the
painter's
brush,
that with which he sketches,
on the canvas. Here the brush used
by
this
Silpi (Lord
Srinivasa)
fe one which exhudes
Daya. Udaya
is
dawn, appearance.
At
the
tip
of the toolika
(brush)
there is
Daya^
with
which the mindk of
those
acharyas
have been sketched. In other words
Daya
is
the
paint,
the water colour that is utilised to sketch the hearts
of those
great acharyas.
The full
beauty
and
significance
of the
language employed
in this sloka and the sentiment enshrined ins it can be understood
only
if we remind ourselves of another sloka of this
poet, (the
ninth sloka in the 1st Canto in his beautiful
kavya,
Yadhavabhyu-
dhaya)
at the
beauty
and
suggestiveness'
of which the
great Appayya
Deekshita was himself
very
much struck.
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94
DAYAA SATAKAM
.There also Lord Srinivasa referred to there as Sreem
is described as a
painter,
the sole and unaided
painter
ofthis cos
The brush He
employs
in the
painting
is Kreeda
(sport)
anc
paint, Kripa,
i.e., Daya.
The
suggestion
is that
though
I
and
Daya
are both
responsible
for
creation, Daya
is the sha
and
potent force,
not leela or
sport.
In the
painting
we do no
the
painter
or the brush used
by him;
we see
only
the
paint
uti
to sketch the several
objects painted.
So too in creation it is I
that is the
shaping power
and not
sport, though
no doubt it h
part
in the
process
of creation. Whereas the
YadhabhyudJ
sloka refers to the
painting
of the entire
cosmos,
this
Daya
Sa
sloka refers
only
to the
painting
of the minds of the
great
achai
There is a total absence of Leela or
sport
in this
painting.
sloka 47 above we saw how
Daya
is
responsible
for the Lc
production
of
helpful
shaastra and Leela for
binging
out
decq
shaastras. So too in
ordinary
creation where there is a mto
of
sport
or ieela with
Daya
or
mercy,
we find
good
and bad-m
together-
But where
Daya
alone
is,
or
prevails, nothing
but
mixed
good
will result. There is no
scope
for
Rajas
and Tamas
it is
pure
Satva. This is the excellence attributed to the inte
of the
great acharyas. They
are therefore able to think out
expound
truth
unaffected
by
contact with
ignorance,
confos
and
such other
imperfections
that intellect is
prone
to. T
Siddhanta or
tteory
is therefore free from all
blemish and de
and
must be followed
by
others.
What is their
conclusion? It is that in this world -the*
no
greater
or more
potent
means of
realising
one's desires 1
seeking
the
help
of
Daya by
surrendering
ourselves to her in thoi
word and deed and
placing
ourselves
unreservedly
in her able
loving
hands.
Mrudu
hridayel
Dayel M?i(tata-kama-hite\ mahitel
Dhritavibudhel
budheshu
vitataatmadhurel
madhureh
Vmhagiri Saarvabhautna
Dayitel
mayi
te
mahateem,
Bha
vukanidhe !
nidhehi
bhavamoolaharaam
lahareem
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DAYAA SATATLAM
fS
(1)
Soft-hearted
(2) Daya
Devil
(3)
eyerwatciiiiliif tlie
intensity
of those who lave
quelled
and siiMued
sense-desires, (4)
celebrated
by
one and
all, (5)
supporter
of the true
gnanis, (6) entrusting your
protecting
burden to the
great
and learned ones
(7)
sweet
by
nature
(S)
wer beloved of that
grat Emperor
of
VrfehagM;
and
(9)
store
house of all
anspicionsness!
pray
lum towards me
your
immense
flood
capable
of
uprooting
sainsara
(life
and
death).
Having
talked
about the
efficacy
of
Saranagati
and the
part
that
Daya
Devi
plays
in
regard
to this
safe,
certain and efficacious
means of
gaining
one's
desired
end,
Vedanta Desika in this sloka
adopts
that
upaya
(means)
by praying
to
Daya
to do
away
with
his Samsaric
ties,
release
him from the
bondage
of samsara
(bhava)
TPT. This is the sloka
in and
by
which Desika seeks
refuse
In
Daya.
In contains the
nyasa
or
Saranagati
the chief
part
of
it,
Icnown as the
angl
The five
angas
or essential
component
parts
are found distributed
in the slokas of this decad thus;
Sloka 52 and 57
Aanukoolya Sankalpa
Sloka 57
Pratikoolya
varjama
Sloka 56 and59 nmhaaTisvaasa
Sloka 51
Kaarpanya
Sloka 60
Goptrutva
varana as well as the
angi Saranagatl
This is the last sloka <af this decad. Here
again
we see Desika
following
Nammalwar
closely.
It was
by
the last verse of the sixth
usi pattu
that Nammalwar
performed prapatti
at the Feet of
Lord Srimivasa
of
Tiruvengadam.
That verse is as follows:
Tiru. VL X. 10.
The Alw;ar's
verse is addressed
to the Lord of
Timvemgadam
1J&&QaijsiauJi&rrG6sr).
Desika's sloka is addr^s^d to
Daya
Devi. There four other Sambodanaas
(addresses
m the vocatm
case)
for
Tiruvengadathan.
Here there are
eight
other sambodanas
to
Daya
Devi; inclwiing Daye! (nine).
(1) MruduJmidayeJ
Soft-hearted ! This is the essease of
Daya.
She is
always compassionate
and
sympathetic (as
one of feer
names
13
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96 DAYAA SATAKAM
Anu-kampa denotes)
and her heart melts
at the
sight
of
pain
ai
distress suffered
by
others and she rushes to their relief.
(2) Daye!
The usual address in this stotra.
(3)
Mrldita-kama-hite! Kama is
desire,
desire for world
pleasures.
Mridita-kaamaas are those who have crushed ar
quelled
such desires.
Daya
takes
charge
of the true welfare
(hit
of such
persons
and so she is addressed here as Mridita-Kam
hite! Those whose hita or true welfare she has at heart are thoi
who have
crushed
desires,
and not those whom desires have crushei
The term Mridita-kama reminds us of the a-kaama-hata of tl
Anandavalli of
Taittriyopanishad.
Several
gradations
of ana,ida <
bliss are talked of there in
geometrical progression starting
fr'oi
human ananda and
ending
with Brahmananda. But immediate'
after
naming
each
particular
ananda there is a
refrain
run.niti
through
this
part
of that
Upanishad
to the effect that that
pleasure
c
ananda
pertains
also to a
Shrotriya
who is an akamahatl
The word
akaamahata means one who is not
destroyed
b
Kama. The
Upanishad
does not
say a-kama,
desireless,
bi
akaamahata,
not killed
by
desire. Desire there must
be,
but notfo
the small and
evanescent
pleasures yielding parimita-phalas (vid
sloka 39
above).
Desire for them will end
in naasa
ffisr or destruc
tion. The
Kama must be for the Lord Himself.
TWc*?rc>T*
:
fcR^R
g
3nTm??T&-Oiie who has a
desire for
Paramatma will
have no desir
forôther
things i.e.,
will have
quelled
and
subdued all
those othe
desires. And thus he
becomes a
mriditakama
whose
wfelfar
Daya
looks after.
(4)
Mahite.! means
honoured,
esteemed,
revered,
renowned
This
whole Stotra must be
taken,-to be
explanatory
of
this term.
(5)
Dhrita-vibudhe!
supporting
the
truly
learned!
Those whc
are
truly
learned have
postulated
that there is no
greater
and
poten
force for
their
protection
than
Daya
Devi.
And
Daya
Devi IT
her
turn
supports
and
protects
such
persons
without
putting
their
to the
necessity
of
shifting
for
themselves.
(6)
budheshu-vitata-aatma-dhuirelyou
who have
spread om
your burden of
protection with
(or
among)
the wise
acharyas!
This is a
very
beautiful
epithet
employed
by
Desika to
indicate
that
Daya
Devi
entrusts the
safety
and
protection
of
those
who
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DAYAA SATAKAM 97
to her for
help
and succour., to the
great Acharyas
who are
of the
Lord,
so beloved as to make Him refer to them in
gavat
Geeta as His
Atma,
(gnanee-tu-atmaiva-me-matam)
very
dear to Him
(Sa-cha-mama-priyaha).
The
gnani
of
ta is here referred to as Budaha
(5'^:).
Their
greatness
.cated in the
previous
sloka
by
the words
Vrishagiri-jushah-
Lra-silpinaiva-parikalpita-chitra-dhiyaha.
As
they
are
reposi-
f
Daya's protective
qualities,
ordinary
men and women
*ely
on them for
redemption
. This is known as the
Acharya-
>rm of
Saranagati.
Madhure! Sweet!
By
nature
Daya
Devi is sweet and
e,
even as a mother is to the
baby.
Vrishagiri-sarvabhauma-dayite!
Beloved of the
Emperor
iagiri! Daya
is one of the Consorts of Lord Srinivasa.
een said
before, that the other Consorts like
Sri,
Bhoo and
)evis are dear
to.
the Lord because the Lord sees
Daya
, in
them.
(Sloka 36).
Bhavuka-nidhe ! Storehouse of all
mangalam (auspicious-
The
very
first
description
of
Daya
in this Sloka was as an
aa-nidhi
(treasure-he
use for the
helpless).
That nidhi or
is here
pointed
out to be a
bhavuka-nidhi,
a treasure of
usness.
er
having
thus called
Daya
in nine different
ways,
Sri Desika
:nown to her his
prayer
in the words
"
mayi-te-mahateem-
oola-haraam-lahareem-nidhehi,"-pray
divert towards me
ghty
floods
capable
of
uprooting
this
great
tree of Samsara.
to
say, please destroy my
connection with Samsara and
>n me the beatitude of the
Highest
Bliss. The nature and
tent of 'that Bliss have
already
been described in detail in
i decad.
is the sixth decad of this Stotra concludes with the
perfor-
>f
prapatti by
Desika even as the sixth Centurmm of Verse
tnalwar's Tiruvoimozhi ends with the Alwar's aniishtaana
2)
of
prapatti.
The effect of this anushtana or
practice
of
is seen in the
following
decads. The twofold
aspect
of
that
Daya
renders to
prapannas,
v/z.,
Anishta-nivritti and
aapti (Removal
of undesired fruits and realisation of desired
ispectively)
is described in detail in the
succeeding
decads.
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96
DAYAA SATAKAM
'
Anu-kampa
denotes)
and her heart melts
at the
sight
of
pain
z
distress suffered
by
others
and she rushes to their relief.
(2) Daye!
The usual
address in this stotra.
(3)
Mridita-kama-hite!
Kama is
desire,
desire for worl
pleasures,
Mridita-kaamaas
are those
who have crushed
a
quelled
such desires.
Daya
takes
charge
of the true welfare
(hj
of such
persons
and so she is addressed here as Mridita-Kac
hite! Those whose hita or true welfare she has at heart are tb<
who have crushed
desires,
and not those whom desires have crush-
The term Mridita-kama reminds us of the a-kaama-hata of 1
Anandavalli of
Taittriyopanishad.
Several
gradations
of
anaada
bliss are talked of there in
geometrical progression starting
frt
human ananda and
ending
with Braihmananda. But immediati
after
naming
each
particular
ananda
there is a
refrain
nin^ni
through
this
part
of that
Upanishad
to the effect that that
pleasure
ananda
pertains
also to a
Shrotriya
who is an
akamaha
The word akaamahata means one who is not
destroyed
Kama. The
Upanishad
does not
say
a-kama,
desireless",
t
akaamahata,
not killed
by
desire. Desire there must
be,
but not f
the small and evanescent
pleasures yielding parimita-phalas (vi
sloka 39
above).
Desire for them will end in naasa
STIST or destru
tion. The Kama must be for the Lord Himself.
qwc^î)^
:
f^^
.arooTirJTfr-Oiie
who has a desire
forParamalma will
have oo.desi
for other
things i.e.,
will have
quelled
and subdued all those otfa
desires. And thus he becomes a
mriditakama whose
w.felfa.
Daya
looks after.
(4)
MahiteJ means
honoured, esteemed, revered,
renowne<
This whole Stotra must be taken -to be
explanatory
of this term.
(5)
Dhrita-vibudhe!
supporting
the
truly
learned! Those wi
are
truly
learned have
postulated
that there is no
greater
and
potei
force for their
protection
than
Daya
Devi. And
Daya
DevP'j
her turn
supports
and
protects
such
persons
without
putting
Mltfl
to the
necessity
of
shifting
for
themselves.
(6) budheshu-vitata-aatma-dhuire !
you
who have
spread
01
your
burden of
protection
with
(or
among)
the wice
acharyas
This is a
very
beautiful
epithet
employed
by
Desika to indical
that
Daya
Devi
entrusts the
safety
and
protection
of those Wh
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DAYAA
SATAKAM
SEVENTH DECAD.
N this dccad the
poet
demonstrates the several
ways
in whicl
Baya
Devi
brings
abcnit the
safety
and welfare of those wh@
take
refuge
m her and
rely
on her
entirely
for their
spiritual
safety
and
protection.
Anishtathe BBdesired
results and advene
effects are done
away
with
by Daya.
She strives to achieve that
end in several different
watys. Daya'&
supremacy
in
action i&
very
weU
brcght
out in this* decad. The Lerd was
demonstrated
by
Naaimaiwar in the, seventh
patthu
(o^jp)
of his
TinLvoieaoidu
as an
Anishta-Vidhvamsa-seelaha
(^fp^s
T^mfa:).
Daya
Deî
is here
shown
by
Desika to be even cleverer and more
consummate
than the
Lord Himself in
destroying
the
devotee^s
unwished-for
evil
fruits.
The metre
employed
is
'Sikharini'.
As
already
mentioned
this is
also a
samavritta
with
seventeen
syllables
in each
paada.
In at
least five out of the
ten slokas of this
decad
(62
and 66 to
69)
the
word
'Siihari
1
can be
seen to occur.
The
only
other
place
in this stotra
where
Vrishaba-siBiari
occurs is
sloka 35.
Akooparairekodhaka
samaya vaithamdika
javaihi
Amrvaapyam
kshipram
kshapayitum
aridhyaakhyabadabaam
Knpel
tvam
tattadrk
pratima
Vrishapratvee
dhampatihi
Swaroopa
dvaigunyadrigum
n^bindu
pravahasi
u
(61)
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DAYAA SATAKAM ft
EJripa
Devi! You flow in abundance
(even
Ike a
flood).
ETCH
ne
drop
of
you
which is four times as
great
and as
potent
as the Swa-
i>opa (or
essential
mature)
of that
gieat
Lord of
Vrishaatdiala!,
whose
neatness is
beyond
human
understanding,
is sufficient to
qpiicklf
uench that
great
fire known as
avidya
wMeh is
unquenchable,
even
ke the
sub-marine fire
(badabaaaala)
which the vast waters of the
even
seas,
seas,
which
join together during pralaya (when
the world is
ne sheet of
water),
with as
great
force and
speed
as those of the
ointless
wrangling arguments (of
a class of controversialists known
s
vitandavaadlns),
are uncble to
quench.
In the
previous
sloka reference was made to
Daya*s
mahatee-
havamoola-haraa-laharee,
or the
great
and
mighty
samsara-
:estroying
flood. The rd:a runs into this sloka and that laharee
v flood of
Daya
is set off
against
the
great
floods caused
by
the
aeeting
of the seas
during pralaya,
when the entire cosmos is
nveloped
in water. It is
pointed
out that one
drop
of the flood
if
Daya.
is able to
accomplish,
what the
entirety
of that
huge
flood
.uring pralaya
i& unable to* achieve. Water has the
capacity
to
t
uench fire. But there is a fire within the
sea,
a sub-marine fire
nown in Hindu
Mythology
as the Badaba
(also Vadaba)
anala.
t is so called as it is
supposed
to have the face of a vadaba or mare.
Chough
it is within the sea it is never
put
out or
quenched by
the
waters of the sea. On the other hand it feeds on water as if water
rare fuel and for that reason is abiudaiHa
SffipsR,
When all
fete seas rncei in
pralaya
even then thfe fire is itot
quenched.
This
* wfeal is referred to m the first half of this sloka.
Ekodaka-samaya;
the time when it is. all
water,
i.e~
9 Pralaya.
IfcooparaiRi by
the seas. The
speed
and force with which the
eas
mingle
at the time of
pralaya
are indicated
by
a
very appro-
iriate simile. That
speed
and that force, aie
compared
to the
peed
aj!<4 the force with which words fLow from the mouths of
fithamtdlaa-vaadins
during argumentations.
A vithandaavaadiH OF
r
ai*andika is one who is out to*
indulge
in
captious arguments
rad destructive criticism. He is not bothered with the establish-
raent of
any
Siddhanta 0r conclusion. He has, none of his
own,
a een if ie has
one,
he does not care for it. All that he is anxious
o*
feing
about i& a volume of words calculated to counter and
KppQSft
the
opponent's, viewpoint
He drowns hiinself
y
and intends
^ dtrnwn Em ftwwnmeiits. i a maze of Bonderou& and
highsousding
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100
DAYAA
SATAKAM
compared
to the waters
of the
seas surging
with
the
same
of force or vehemence
at the
time
of
pralaya.
There
a
waters do not
pause
to submerge
only
the
good
things
<
the bad
things
of the world. They
submerge
every
thing,-
bad and indifferent.
Vedanta
Desika's contempt
ior this
argumentation
is
very pointedly
noticeable
here.
Just as
ignorance
is not
dispelled
by
the
empty
and
argumentation
of the Vaithandikat,
the sub-marine
fire
is noi
ched
by
the seas in
spite
of their
force and vehemence,
The central theme of the
sloka
is that the
avidya
quenchable
otherwise is
easily dispelled
by Daya.
Or,
the sloka its full
import,
avidya (here
it means Karma)
Lord is unable to
put
an end
to,
is
very
effectively wiped
<
Daya. :
This idea is mentioned
in the second half of the sloka.
R
may
remember how in sloka
13
ante,
it was said that the
placed
Lord Srinivasa was
submerged
in the flood of
Daya*
sloka elaborates the idea and
postulates
that
Daya
is
bigger
the Lord Himself.
The true nature
(swaroopa)
of the Lord is such that 1?e
saying
that it is
that,
and it is
this,
no one can
really fully
or w
comprehend
it. As
Tondaradippodi
Alwar has
put
it in the
maalai
Giu(<siJb
^<ssr^j
SL.mf)"(s^rr^n"^
and
<si/<swr/s/S)
,,
fjft($uu&G)60rrQ), ($u&&<!T<5yr ^GU&tfsmGL^rr?
(His greatity
beyond comprehension. Beyond merely worshipping
Him
we ever talk of
Him?)
That is His
greatness.
The word Brain
itself
signifies big,
vast.
'
Take that
swaroopa. Multiply
it
by
two. Then
again
mtll
that
product by
two.
That,
if
you
can
really comprehend
i
equated
with a
drop
of
Daya.
In other words a
drop (tola
of
Daya
is
equal
to four times the dimension of the Lord's sward
The sloka however does not
say
four
times,
but
says
twice its do9
a rather
quaint way
of
referring
to four. One is remmdec
AndaPs
fiF%wr(p
(twice two)
in the
closing
verse of
Tiruppa
Infinity
doubled is
infinity.
Infinity quadrupled
is also infill
But one stands
aghast
at the
immensity
of the
quadrupled
infill
At once it. is
pointed
out that a
drop
of
Daya
is
equal
to that
qu
rupled infinity.
And we are left to
imagine
what a flood of D
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X
ill come to or be like on this scale. Can the
gre'^neând
immen-
ty
of
Daya
be dealt with in a better or a more
It is not mere
poetry
but a
great
truth.
is that has to come to our rescue and unless it is so
big
and i in-
tense,
she cannot consume our
(Karrna)
sins. The nature of
ur sins was
pointed
out in sloka 34 above.
Daya
has
got
to be
lat immense to
drown our sins.
There is
&paata
or
rendering
for the last word as
*
prabhavasi
'
nreftr)
which means
*
you
are
capable
or
competent (to
effectuate
le destruction of
avidya).
But the word
pravahasi adopted
here
more
apt
and
significant
in view of the
previous
sloka and the
ther words in this sloka.
(61).
'ivitsaavetalee
vigamaparisuddhepi hridaye
Patupratyaahara prabhrutiputapaaka prachakltaaha
i
r
amantastvaam
Narayanasikhari
kootasta karunel
Ninuldha tvadrohaa
nnpathuta
neetim na
jahati.
n
(62).
Karuna of the Lord of
Naarayanaachala!
Even those who have
irified their hearts
by driving
out the she-demon of endless
desires,
sing
afraid of the arduous
process
of
Bhaktiyoga,
which involves
iving
to
go through
fire
by undergoing
the hard
discipline
of con-
oiling
the senses and so
on, pay
their obeisance
(resort)
to
you,
*;,
surrender themselves unto
you.
Thereafter
they
eschew all
eachery
and malevolence towards
you,
and do not
give up (i.e.,
ley follow)
the rule of the
King's son,
heir to the throne.
As
Saranagati
had been
adopted
and
practised
in the sixth
scad,
this next decad sets out the
uttarakrltya
3f^F$zr
or the
Dnduct
during
the
post-prapatti period
of a
prapanna's
life. Several
irdinal doctrines that a
prapanna ought
to know and
adopt
are
Jt out in this and
succeeding
decads.
The first half of the sloka
explains why
even those who have
sen able to subdue their desires for
earthly objects
such as wealth
ad sexual
pleasures
seek
refuge
at
Daya's
feet. The first line of
le verse describes the
process by
which
purity
of heart is
sepured
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compared
to the waters of the seas
surging
with the same amoiu
of force or vehemence at the time of
pralaya.
There
also tl
waters do not
pause
to
submerge only
the
good things
or onii
the bad
things
of the world.
They submerge every thing, goo*
bad and indifferent. Vedanta
Desika's
contempt
for this
sort,
<
argumentation
is
very pointedly
noticeable here.
Just as
ignorance
is not
dispelled by
the
empty
and nois
argumentation
of the
Vaithandika,
the sub-marine fire is not
quen
died
by
the
seas in
spite
of their force and vehemence.
. The
central theme of the sloka is that the
avidya
that is no
quenchable otherwise is
easily dispelled by Daya. Or,
to
giv
the sloka its full
import, avidya (here
it
means
Karma)
which tfa
Lord is
unable to
put
an end
to,
is
very effectively
wiped
out
b:
Daya.
This idea is
mentioned in the
second half of the sloka.
Reader*
may
remember how in sloka 13
ante,
it was said that the
hfgf
placed
Lord
Srinivasa was
submerged
in the flood of
Daya.
This
sloka
elaborates the idea
and
postulates
that
Daya
is
bigger
than
:he
Lord
Himself.
.
The
true nature
(swaroopa)
of the Lord is
such that
beyond
;aying
that it is
that,
and it is
this,
no one can
really fully
or
Comprehend
it. As
Tondaradippodi
Alwar has
put
it
in the
naalai
Qu^swio
^^
&_mrvMrr&rrgj
and
euessri&S
Djru^)fi)n-)f
Qu*#n-tir
û&rtrQi-rr?
(His greats
is
eyond
comprehension.
Beyond
merely
worshipping
Him can
/e ever
talk of Him
?)
That is His
greatness. The word
Brahman
:self
signifies
big,
vast.
Take that
swaroopa.
Multiply
it
by
two.
Then
again
multiply
*
P
? [
by
two'
That
'
if
y
QU
can rea
"y
comprehend
fe*;
guated with a
drop
of
Daya.
In
other
words a
drop (bindS
f
Daya
is
equal
to four
times the
dimension of
the Lord's
swaro*^
he
sloka
however
does not
say
four
times,
but
says
twice its
douhfc*
-a
rather
quaint
way
of
referring
to
four.
One is
reminded a*
mkl s
J%^
(twice
two)
in the
closing
verse of
Tiruppavmi
i
^^
Mnity qUadr
^
led is
als* '*
t e H
s
as* '*
ut
one
stands
aghast
at
the
immensity
of
the
quadrupled
in
Pled
^
nfi;
S
t
PQm
A H
Ut
*** '
^
f
Daya
1S e
^
al to that
qua
pled
infinity.
And we
are
left to
imagine what a
flood of
Daya
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will come to or be like on this scale. Can the
gre
sity
of
Daya
be dealt with in a better or a more effefc
fc,
Jt is not mere
poetry
but a
great
truth.
Daya's
it is that has to come to our rescue and unless it is so
big
and im-
'mense,
she
cannot consume our
(Karma)
sins. The nature of
our sins was
pointed
out in sloka 34 above.
Daya
has
got
to be
that immense to drown our sins.
There is a
paata
or
rendering
for the last word as
*
prabhavasi
'
(snreftr)
which means
'
you
are
capable
or
competent (to
effectuate
.the destruction of
avidya).
But the word
pravahasi adopted
here
is more
apt
and
significant
in view of the
previous
sloka and the
other words in this sloka.
(61).
Vivitsaavetalee
vigamaparisuddhepi hridaye
Patupratyaahara prabhrutiputapaaka prachakitaaha
i
Namantastvaam
Narayanasikhari
kootasta karunel
Niruddha tvadrohaa
nripatinita
neelim na
jahatL (62);
Karuna of the Lord of
Naarayanaachala!
Even those who have
purified
their hearts
by driving
out the she-demon of endless
desires,
being
afraid of the arduous
process
of
Bhaktiyoga,
which involves
having
to
go through
fire
by undergoing
the hard
discipline
of con-
trolling
the senses and so
on, pay
their obeisance
(resort)
to
you,
i.e:
9
surrender themselves unto
you.
Thereafter
they
eschew all
treachery
and malevolence towards
you,
and do not
give up (i.e.,
they follow)
the rule of the
King's son,
heir to the throne.
As
Saranagati
had been
adopted
and
practised
in the sixth
decad,
this next decad sets out the
uttarakritya
^ri^^
or the
conduct
during
the
of a
prapanna's
life. Several
cardinal doctrines that a
prapanna ought
to know and
adopt
are
set out in this and
succeeding
decads.
The first half of the sloka
explains why
even those who have
been able to subdue their desires for
earthly objects
such as wealth
u and sexual
pleasur.es
seek
refuge
at
Daya's
feet. The first line of
the verse describes the
process by
which
purity
of heart is secured
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if driving
out the she-demon
(Vethaala)
of various
pointed
desire, Those who have so
puriied
their hearts
fcy
mkg
them of desire still hesitate to
pursue
-the time-hojiiOHra
of
Bhaktiyoga
kid dowain the
Upanishad,
-and which Sri J
so
elaborately explained
in the
Gita,
because
they
are afc
pursue
that ambitious and
iong-Arawn
out
process.
P&tan
is the
process
which
drugs
are
subjected to, by feeing
wr
In leaves
etc.,
and
roasted in fire. In
general,
it
signifies
through fire,
with all that that
English phrase
connotes,
Pr@yaahaarah
oae of the
eight angaas
or
parts
of
fifeafcfci
ft
means Ike
withdrawal and control of the sensesnot
fej
means an
easy
task for
any one,
especially
in these
days.
patu,
violent. It is not all. It is
only
one of the several as indi
by
the
*
prabritibihi
'
that follows. So
they
resort to
you
pay
obeisance to
you
(NamamtastvaainJ).
The last line of the
-siofca
cmptoises
the meed -in a
prap
to be
faithful and true to
Daya Devi,
who has
promised
to
out his
karma and
confer on Mm
freedom from
the shackl<
Karma,
which is the
negative
aspact
of
mukti,
union with
the, ;
being
its
positive content. The
words
*
niruddha-tvat-dm
put
this idea of the
pzapanna's faithfulness to
Daya
in a
aeg;
manner.
They mean,
having prevented
treachery
to
Daya
cree
in.
To
continue to
break
the moral and
spiritual
laws is t<
faitWess to
Daya.
These
words are
reminicent of the words
*
m
droheeôftheGita.
That
state,
they
avoid. We
may
here ren
ourselves
of the
words
*
Na-jahati-satpatham-j'agati
*
employ
sloka 58 to
describe the
state of a kriti or
blessed one
(prapw
Tfe
Raiataimmsayaya
referred to at ,the end of the
stoka
flic
w^rds
'Nripati-ttita-neeti'
stresses
the
importance
,f
erring
in
future
and at
the
same
time
indicates tte
hxipes
md
rations
engendered in the
prapanna's heart
by
the
prapatti
has
performed with
mOiaaMswasa
^Tf^RT
or full
faith in
Da)
n f a
King'
and
heir-apparent
to
a vecv wat^r i
""". T
~he
kin
S
d
-
m of
Heaven,
ha* to Is
*T?2?,
eye
on
^
OM*Mt
and
aveid a11
errors ^w
ami
omtmon
fas
post-prapatti
Jife. If
any aparaaJ
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sin)
is
committed
by
him unawares
(abuddhi-poorvaka)
he must
>e
prepared
to atone for it
and/or
receive and
undergo
the
punish-
lent for it.
By
the time however this life of his comes to an
end,
e
steps
into the
Heavenly abode, entirely sinless, just
as the Crown
'rince becomes
King
at the
proper
time.
This sloka
contains the
gist
of two or three
chapters
of Srimad
Lahasyatrayasara,
as those who have studied that work will see
>r themselves.
In this sloka for the first time this Sacred
Hill, Tirumala,
is
jferred to as
Naarayana-sikhari. Naaraayanaachala
i one of the
puranic
names of Tirumala.
[nanyadheenassan
bhavati
paratantra pranamataam
Kripel
sarvadrashtaa
naganayati
teshaam
apakritim
i
*atistvatpaaraartyam pratyati
Vrishakshmaadharapatir
Vyavastaam vaiaatyaditi vighatayantee
viharasi
(63).
Kripa
Devi! The Lord of
Vrishaachala, though
He is
by
nature
ibject
and subservient to no
one, subjects
and
subjugates
Himself
) those who are His
Saranaagataas: though
He is omniscient and
an see
everything,
He does not take count of His
Saranaagataa's
rrors. He is
your pathi (Lord)
but in
regard
to
you
He
plays
the
)Ie of a follower. Thus
you by your
audaciousness
sport (take
a
elight)
in
breaking
all settled rules.
Daya
Devi is here demonstrated to be a
revolutionary,
a
reaker of
laws,
and an
upsetter
of conventions arid settled
ways
ad rules. How she wields
sway
over the Lord of
all,
and Her
,ord
too,
is
very nicely pointed
out. In three
ways
the Lord is
lid to act
against
His own nature.
He is an
ananyaadheena subject
and subservient to no one
Ise. Yet
Daya
makes of Him a
willing dependent
on His Prana-
icttaas
(those
who have done
prapatti
to
Him)
and look to Him
s their all. He
goes
on errands for them. He drives a
chariot,
14
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my
He evea brushes
and bathes
their chariots
'
horses,
as, Lee:
Sukha has
sung.
He is a sarvadhrashta,
one who sees
everything.
Yet He
blind to His
Saranaagataa's
foibles;
for He
pardons
them
all. H
is in fact an
avignaata
srfofRf
as the Sahasranaama says
on
who does not know.
He is
patim-visvasya
tfff frw
and
also
your
(Daya'i
patiLord.
But He
delights
in
displaying
and
publishing
Hi
subservience
to
you.
He is a Seshi srfa
to all the world.
Bt
He is a sesha
^
to
you.
In this threefold
manner the
change
in the Lord's
swabhav
or nature is mentioned in the first three
paadaas
of the
sloka,
whic
winds
up by stating
in its last
quarter
that thus
Daya
destroy
boundaries, limitations,
and laws. Her audaciousness
is bon
of the Lord's
fancy
for her
objectives
in
regard
to the
redemptioi
of
mankind,
a fondness and
fency
well
brought
out
in severa
earlier slokas,
The sentiments of this sloka
appear
to belittle the Lord.
Bu
in truth and fact
they give pointed prominence
to His true
greataes^
Does He not claim and
proclaim
in the
Bhagavad
Gita that the
Gnani to whom the Lord is
everything (Vasudevas-sarvam;
5rr$^r:
*?f
is His soul? Gnanee-tu-atmaiva-me-maiam.
$fFft 3
STTW^^^T^T
"
The
gnani probably
thiaks that I am his soul;
in truth and fact he is
My
soul." A Lord who can
say
so about
Himself can well afford to be described as
Daya
Devi's follower
Seshabhuta
^m*jcT.
The several
ways
in which
Daya
Devi functions to
bring
about
this result are elaborated in the
succeeding
slokas.
II
Apaampatyussatroon
asahanamunerdharma
nigalam
Kripel Kaakasyaikam
hitamiti hinasdsma
nayanam
Vtteenasvatantryo Vrishagiripatistvad
vihritibhihi
Dtsatyevam
Devo
janitasugatim
dandanagatim
"
,
(64).
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Kripa
Devi! The Lord of
Vrishagiri, deprived
of
independence
te is
by your sportive acts, destroyed
the enemies of
(Vanina)
lord of the waters
(rivers),
the shackles in the form of
righteous
tact in the case of that intolerant
muni, Parasurama,
and oae
of the crow
(who
molested Sita
Devi),
as
being
calculated in
case to be for the betterment of that
person.
He thus confers
shnient
productive
of
good
and desirable results.
The revolution
wrought by Daya
Devi in the
very
nature
ie Lord was dealt with in the
previous
sloka. In this sloka
poet
deals with the revolution she works in the fates of those
have committed
wrongs
and are therefore condemned to
:ve
punishment.
Three instances of
punishment proving
to
ewards in the ultimate result are
mentioned,
and from them
rived a
great
truth and a
grand theory
about the
place
of
pimish-
t in divine
dispensation.
Sriman V. V. Srinivasa
lyengar
rvered
memory
used to
say
that this sloka contains Vedanta
ka's
conception
of the
Theory
of
Evil,
and the
place
of
punish-
; in the scheme of the world order. Modern definitions of
shment have banished the
early
and crude ideas of a tooth
tooth and a nail for a
nail,
and
postulate
the
purpose
of
punish-
; as
redemptive
in its essence. This was the idea
envisaged
>esika more than six hundred
years ago.
All the three instances are taken from the
Ramayana.
The
of them is about Vanina
(Samudraraja)
and is found in
fuddhakanda.
Acting
on the advice of Vibishana who had
seen for himself the
great efficacy
of
Saranagati,
Sri Rama
OSes to
perform Saranagati
to the lord of the seas to obtain
ivour
thereby
to enable Him and His
huge army
to cross the
i. As there was no
response
from the
sea-king
even
after
ipse
of some
days,
Rama becomes
angry
and threatens to
dry
tie ocean
(Sagaram Soshayishyami).
At once the
Sea-king
ITS in
person
and
prays
for Rama's
pardon. Anger
in Rama
sdiately
vanishes,
but the destructive arrow intended to finish
sa-king
cannot
go unappeased.
So at the
request
of Varuna
slf it is aimed at the enemies of that
king
and
destroys
them.
; was intended as a
punishment
to Varuna resulted in the
ilation of his enemies and thus conferred a boon and a benefit
m.
iven one's
good
deeds can
hamper
one's
spiritual progress,
was the case with Parasurama. Born of the
great sage
Jama-
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106 DAYAA SATAKAM

dagni,
Parasurama had ever so much of Dharma or
righteous
conduct to his credit. That however was
only
useful to
egg
him
on to measure his
strength against
Sri Rama. Foiled in his
attempt
to
overpower
Sri
Rama,
he confessed to his
being vanquished by
that
groat
Dharma-moorty
and exclaimed
"Akshayyam
Madhu-
hantaaram
jaanaami
tvaam sureswaram"
area^H flJpF^tf
srrai&f ?3f
gîjcn;.
Abashed at his
previous
attitude of defiance
and
haughtiness
the result of accumulated dharma he
hung
his
head in shame and
prayed
<?ft*K^MftWKW ftfifaTCcw^n *rar I
^%Î
s$rg?^Jr^KraFT<T*3r:
II
(Bala 76-16)
when that
Karunamoorthy
Rama who had bent the
Vaishnavachaapa (Vishnu's bow)
handed
to
Him,
asked for a
target
for the arrow mounted on
it;
and at
that
request
of Parasurama aimed it at his Parasurama's
good
deeds,
that had
proved
to be a
nigala
or chain
arresting progress.
Note the reference to Parasurama as
'
asahanamuni
'
the intolerant
sage
an
apparent
contradiction in
terms;
but that
correctly
des-
cribes Parasurama. The
compound
word
dharma-nigalam,
chain
or trammel in the
shape
of
good
and
righteous deeds,
is also
v$ry
significant.
The third instance is that of the
crow who molested Sita Devi
in Chitrakoota.
Though
he was Indra's son he is referred
to as
Kaakaasura
3TO?;
for
having
acted like an asura
(or
demon)
in the form of a crow. Unlike the
Sea-King
and Parasurama
this crow was a
great
sinner,
an
aardraaparaadhi
snsJ'Û^ (wet
sinner).
He had hurt
Jaganmaata (Sita Devi)
and inflicted wounds
on her sacred
body.
Rama
as soon as he saw what that .crow
had
done,
took a
grass,
consecrated it with
Brahmaastra,
and aimed
it at the crow. The crow took to its
heels,
or rather
began
to
fly,
in a vain
attempt
at
escaping
that missile aimed at him. Somehow
it felt that it can save itself
by falling
at Rama's feet. And after
having gone
round
all the worlds it came and fell at His feet
praying
for
protection:
sfacsteEFj;
tfnss^T ^^01 ^:
.
What
happened
then is
beautifully
described
by
Sita Devi herself who
was a
witness to this scene:
(Sundarakanda
37-Sloka
34.)
This is the essence of Rama's
protective grace. Though
the crow
eminently
deserved
destruction,
Rama
protected
him
Jayanta
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DAYAA SATAKAM 107

in the form of a crow.
But the astra
(arrow)
cannot
go
in vain.
One of the two
eyes
of the crow was
destroyed
so that it
may
do
only
half of the mischief
it is
prone
to do with both
eyes
intact.
Is this
punishment
or
protection?
*
Kripayaa paryapaalayat
*
Rama
protected
with the
help
of
Kripa
or
grace.
That is
why
this
sloka
employs
the word
Kripa.
The
Ramayana
sloka can be
seen to run in the
poet's
mind.
All these
apparently
irreconcilable acts are attributed to
Daya
Devi's
sportful
ways.
She takes a
delight
in
reversing
the Lord's
decision to
punish.
Punishment
strictly
so called
may
be all
right
in cases of
persons
whose motto is
*
I can never bend
my
head
in -obeisance
to
any
one'
*
R^nj
WJfera;.
But in cases of
persons
like those referred to here where the
aparradhin
(sinner)
has
repented
and said Namaste
and/or jitam-te (I
am
conquered)
by you,
the
punishing
mood in a merciful
person
will
change
into
a benevolent
and
rewarding
mood. To the extent that the Lord's
desire to
punish
is
thwarted,
to that extent He is said to be one
unable to hold
His own. Vileena-swatantrayaha
^fa^ffifep-:
Bereft of
Independence.
Disati-evam-janita-sugatim,
dandana-gatim.
Thus the Lord
confers
punishment
which is
productive
of
good
results.
Dandana-vidhim
is an alternative rendering.
It means
the
order to
punish.
Pausing
here
for a moment
one can see the several
graded
ways
in which
Karma
and
Karma-phala
are done
away
with
by
Daya,
as described
in slokas
61 to 64. In sloka
61 it was total
annihilation
of Karma.
In 62 the
parapanna's
fear of future
sins
creeping
in was adverted
to
by
referring
to the rule of the
Raja
kumara
who is certain
that he will receive
punishment
in some form
for his errors
of commission
and omission.
In the next
sloka
Daya
is said to make
the Lord
forget,
or
rather
fail to
note,
our
sins and
transgressions.
In.
this
sixty-fourth
sloka
even
when
the Lord
determines
to
punish,
Daya
Devi
transforms
and converts
that
determination
and that
punishment
into
a benevolent
and
rewarding
determination,
calculated (of
course
only
in
proper
cases)
for
the benefit
of the sinner.
Working
in such revolutionary
ways,
and
adopting
highly
drastic
measures. Daya protects
those
that
rely
on
her for
help
and
protection.
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DAYAA SATAKAM
n
(s^)
.'
Nishaadanaam netaa
kapikulapathihi kaapi
sabaree
Kuchelah
kubjaa
saa
vrajayuvatayo maalyakriditi
\
Ameeshaam nimnatvam
vrishagiripatenmnatimapi
Prabhuthaissrothobhihi
prasabham anukampe\ samayasin (65
Anukampe!
You
forcefully
reduce to the same level the low
ness ef
(1)
the chief
among
hunters
(Guha) (2)
the
King
of
the
rac
of
monkeys (Sugreeva), (3)
some nameless
hunter-woman
(SabaiiJ
(4)
Kochela
(the
proverMaliy poor person),
(5)
that
famous
Kubj;
(a
bent woman with a
hunchback), (6)
the
young
damsels of (Jokuia
and
(7)
a maker of
garlands,
and the
high-ness
of the Lord of Vrisha-
giri, by
the
immensity
of
your
flow
(flood).
One of the noblest
attributes of the 'Lord is
Sauseelya.
Il
is
^defined
as
Mahato-mandaissaha-neerandhra-samslesham
*?f^-
******
$W&& or the
intimate
and free
mixing
of the
inordinately great
ones with the
very
low ones. This trait is
specially
known as
"
Guna."
Though
all
good
and
auspicious
attributes
are
ganaas
strictly
so
called,
this
particular
trait is
specially
indicated
when one talks of
'gwa'
simpliciter. c.f.
Gunavaan
3<*z <*,
the first of the
sixteen traits
which
Valmiki
mentions to Narada
m the
opening
sarga
of
the
Ramayana. Also the same
word
gunavaan
'
used
by Alavandar in his
Stotra-Ratna as one
among
the 12
gunas
specified
by
him in
the
sloka
beginning.
Vasee
Vadanyo .................
This
Seela ^ ^ ft
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110 DAYAA SATAKAM

The
Gopis
are referred to next as the
young
damsels of
Vraja
(Gokula). They
are noted for their lack of
urbanity
and for thdir
utter
ignorance. They
themselves describe
their rustic and un-
sophisticated
nature when
they sing
JTRf:
(Bhagavatha
103924).
Andal has celebrated their
ignorance by singing
about their race
as
<2yfl5)a/ QGvrgiLb |)<si)<su/r ûj&<3j<s\)&,
the race of
Gopis
which has not an iota of
knowledge.
What Krishna was to them
is too well known to be dilated
upon
here.
Maalyakrit,
the
maker of
garlands.
Krishna with his brother Balarama went to
this
persons's
house and he rushed forward to
greet
them
.with
the
exclamation
II
Vedanta Desika sees with his devoted and
poetical eye
the
mingling
of the
great
Lord with these seven
types
of
persons.
At
once he reminds himself of the
unimaginable
eminence 35T7T of
the Lord. And he
gasps
with wonder at the work of
Daya
Devi
that has
effectively wiped
out the difference between His eminence
and their
depths (each
in a
particular direction,
and reduced them
all to the same level.
Nothing
but
Daya's
terrific flow can achieve
this result of
bringing
down mountains and
filling up valleys.
And
he
sings
to that effect
by saying
that
by
her
prabhootha (immense)
srotas, (flow
or
flood)
she levels
up forcibly,, violently sHCHtew*i%.
But for
Daya
and her
capacity,
the Lord will ever have been
beyond
the
reach of
mortals,
and the
mortals could never dream of con-
tacting
Him at
"all,
much less
intimately;
and the twain would
never have met.
Tvaya Drishtastushtim
Bhajati
Parameshtheenijapade
vahanmoortheerashtau
viharati
mrudaneeparibrudhaha
\
Bibharthi
swaarajyam
vrishasikharisringari karune
Smaseeuro
Devasur^âranaasêrasubhataha
(66)
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DAYAA SATAKAM
111
O! Karuna of the
Ornament of the
Vrishagiri
crest!
By being
he
recipient
of
your glances (drishti)
the four-faced Brahma
ejoices
in
(the
enjoyment of)
his
position. Similarly,
seen
hy you,
he Consort of
Parvati
sports by taking
the
eightfold
forms. Indra
:oo,
because he is
seen
by you, gets
renown as a front rank warrior
n the battle
between the Devas and the
Asuras,
and rules over his
kingdom.
In the fifth
decad reference was made to
Brahma, Siva,
and
sther
gods
in several
places
vide Slokas
41,
42 and 50. In sloka
SO
especially
it
was said that
they
were all
really
tied down to their
posts.
Sloka 53
gave
us the idea that what status
they possess
has
really
been conferred on them
by Daya
Devi
according
to
their deserts. Here it is stated
plainly
that their
enjoyment
in
their
respective positions
or
posts
is
really
a boon conferred on
them
by Daya
Devi. It is attributed to her drishti
^fe
or looks.
Not
only moksha,
the ultimate
beatitude,
but all
enjoyments
of a
pleasurable
and desirable nature are
Daya's gifts.
First comes Brahma who is referred to as a Parameshti
a
superior
or
supreme person.
This name occurs as one of the
names of the Lord Himself in the Sri Vishnu
Sahasranama). By
Daya's
drishti
S[fe
he is said to obtain
tushti
<jfe
(happiness)
in his
position
as Brahma
the
Creator,
the constant reciter
of
the
Vedas,
and so on.
If Brahma
enjoys
happiness,
Paramasiva
is said
to revel in
sport.
Not content with the
enjoyment pertaining
to one form or
moorti,
*jfer,
he takes
eight
different
forms or moortis,
and imbibes
sportive pleasures
through
the several
of them.
The
eight
forms
he is said to take are the five elements
(earth,
water, fire, air,
and
akaasa or
ether),
the
sun,
the
moon,
and
hotri,
?>ft,
the sacri-
ficer.
Siva was
referred
to as the Tarunendu-vibhooshana,
^frfSom
in sloka 53,
one who
is adorned
by
the
young
(crescent)"
moon.
Here
he is referred
to as mridaanee-panbr-
adhaha
retftaf^:-
Mridaha
re:
is an
epithet
of
Siva,
Mndaa
*T*T
and *Mridamee
TJFTt
of Pmttitimridaanee-paribridhaha
is
again
Siva,
the Consort
of Parvati.
Thus
Siva is referred
to with
reference
to Parvati
and
Parvati
*iUi reference
to Siva.
The
Ardhanari concept
is indicated
here
by
the
employment
of the
term mridaanee-paribridhaha
to denote
Paramasiva.
Indra
the
King
of Devaloka
is next referred
to.
The
term
^'/tvaya
drishtaha
governs
all
the three
words
used
15
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ill DAYAA SATAKAM

here to indicate
Brahma,
Siva and Indra
respectively.
Sunaseeraha
^TRftT:
is an
epithet
of Indra. He is said to obtain
by
Daya-Kataaksha
not
only
the
ability
to rule over his
kingdom
(Svaaraajyam)
^"KJW('
but also to be in the
vanguard
of the
frequent
battles between the Devas and the Asuras.
Lord Srinivasa is referred to in this sloka as Vrishasikhari-
sringaari
^TfwfT ^J^rfr
He who adorns the crest or
peak
of
Vrishagiri.
His Karuna is therefore addressed as Vrishasikhari
Sringaari
Karune ! It
may
also be taken to mean the Karuna of the
beautiful Lord of
Vrishagiri.
Daye dugdhodanvad-vyatiyuta sudhaasindhunayataha
tvadaasleshaan-nityam janitamrita sanjeevana
dasaaha
\
Svadante
daanlebhyaha
Srutivadanakarpooragulikaa
vishunvantas-chittam
Vrishasikharivisvambharagunaaha
"
(67).
Daya
Devi! Because of
your
intimate and close
contact,
with the
(other)
attributes
(gunas)
of that
great
Protector of this world
residing
in
Vrishaa-chala,
like the
mixing
of the ocean of milk and the ocean
of
nectar,
those
gunas
are
being (tastefully) enjoyed by
those who have
conquered
the senses
(and
set their hearts on the
Lord),
as
having
the
capacity
to
bring
to life even dead
persons,
as a ball of
camphor
giving fragrance
to the mouth of Dame
Sruti,
and as calculated to
squeeze,
out of
ecstacy,
the minds of devotees
contemplating
on them.
Brahma,
Rudra and Indra were said
by
the
previous
sloka
to be the
recipients
of
Daya's
favour. Now it is
pointed
out that
even the Lord's own
gunas got
exalted
by
an
association with her.
Without
Daya
all the other
great qualities
of the Lord were
pointed
out to be faults or blemishes
(doshas).
That was in sloka 15 ante.
The
grandeur
and
glory
of those
very
attributes when
they
are
embraced
by Daya (i.e.,
intimately
associated with
Daya)
are
enjoyed
in this sloka. It has been
pointed
out in the
foregoing
slokas of this decad that
Daya
has
got
that
great
capacity
of
destroy-
ing
anishta
srf^ci:;
.so
the other
qualities
when harnessed to
Daya
lose their
propensity
to confer anishta on
sinners,
and
acquire
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DAYAA SATAKAM
113
when
acting
in concert with her
great
name and fame. It has been
said that
they
furnish rich flavour
and taste. Svadante
^RFct
To whom?
Not to us who
give
free
scope
for the senses to work
havoc with our
spiritual progress.
Only
to the
5F%**T:
(Danthe-
bhyaha)
those who have controlled their senses and have
purified
their
hearts,
as
pointed
out in the first
paada (quarter)
of sloka
62,
by banhhing
desire for
worldly pleasures.
How do
they regard
Daya,
and how does
Daya appeal
to them ? A
fourfold answer is
furnished
by
this sloka to that
question.
By
intimate contact with
Daya,
the other
qualities get mingled
with that
greatest
and noblest of
traits,
like the
blending
of the milk
ocean with the nsctar ocean. From the milk ocean when it
was churned
poioon
came out. it is said. So milk ocean can
yield
not
only very good things
like
elephants, horses,
moon and
kalpaka tree,
but also
poison.
The other
qualities
of the Lord
are like
that,
capable
of
functioning
for
good
as well as for bad.
Daya
is ths
ocean of nectar and
nothing
but
good nay
the
very
best will be found there.
The second feature d:alt with h?re is
really
a
corollary
of
the first.
Janita-mrita-sanjeevann,
dasaaha
Enlivening
cbad
persons. Being
amrta
3f*Tcr or
nectar,
no wonder
death is banished and even the dead
begin
to live
(vide
Sloka" 12
and
22)
The third relates to the rasa
T*T
that the Srutis find in those
gunas
of the Lord. The Vedas arc referred to as a Damsel who
uses
fragrant camphor-globules
to
give
sweetness and flavour to her
mouth. It has
always
been the fashion for ladies of status for
sweetening
their breath to use small
pills
like
Kasturi-pills
or Pachai-
kkarpoora (camphor) pills.
The
great
and famous Veda-maata
uses these
attributes, gunas,
of the Lord as such
gulikas
;
(small
bails or
pills)
and
thereby
her noble mouth exhudes
fragrance. Obviously
the reference is to the fact that the Srutis
extol ths
great gunas
of the Lord and that is the reason for their-
far-flung greatness
and
glory.
Elsewhere Desika has referred to
his own
speech
or work as
sprihaneeya-saurabha-mucha-vaacha
^ôffcr
^W3T 5TT5TT.
The excellence of the Vedas lies in their
extolling
the
gunas
of the
Lord,
and not in
taking great pains
to
deny
that the Lo;d has
any gunaas
at all. Vadana
cr^rT
means face
and also mouth. Mouth stands not
only
for taste but also for
speech
The sweetness and
fragrance
of the Vedas are
entirely
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114 DAYAA SATAKAM

due to their
revelling
in the attributes of the Lord which alone
glorify
Him and make Him
worthy
of attainment. Desika
does not
belong
to that
system
of
thought
which
negates gunaas
or attributes to the ultimate God-head. He is a God
only
because
He is
good;
and all His
goodness
and
good qualities depend upon
the
presence
of
Daya.
To those who
contemplate
on these features or
gunas
of the
Lord,
their mind
gets ecstatic,
and melt
away
in the excess of that
ecstacy.
That is referred to as the fourth and the last
aspect
that
appeals
to the
sense-conquering persons (Dhantebhyaha).
The
Alwars and the Vaishnavite
Acharyas
have
really got
into
raptures
and
rhapsodies
when
they
think of the Lord's
auspicious
attributes
Kalyanagunas.
Nammalwar the chief
among
them
very
often
gets
into a trance when he
contemplates
the
Kalyana-gunas
of the
Lord. <su<so<sB8sGr<3uj85sr
FFIT^^JD @<smmi&6fr (gunas
that
simply
captivate poor me)
is how he
speaks
about them.
In this fourfold manner it is said in this sloka that the
gunas
of the Lord when
closely
associated with
Daya
are
very
sweet
to
contemplate,
svadante
FT^%.
They
are
eternally
so
nityam
svadante ftw
FT^cl".
This is one of the several slokas in this Stotra which deal with
the
parama-tatparya
H^dlcW
(chief meaning) conveyed by
it,
namely
that
Daya
is the
Empress among
the Lord's several
gunas.
Guneswari
^wft
(sloka
101
post).
git
fifaft?Wie|IZ
Jagajjanmasthema pralaya
rachanaakelirasiko
Vimuktyekadvaaram vighatitakavaatam pranayinaam
\
hi
tvayyaayattam dvitayam upadheekritya
Karune !
Visuddhaanaam vaachaam
Vrishasikharinaathas-stutipadamu (68)
Karuna Devi! The Lord of
Vrishagiri
is extolled
(attains
the state
of
being praised) by
the
very pure
words
(the Vedas) chiefly
for two
factors. One is that He derives
pleasure (rasa)
in the
(eternal)
sport
of
creating
this
world,
keeping
it
safe,
and
bringing
about its
laya
or destruction. The other is that to His lovers
(devotees)
He is
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DAYAA SATAKAM 115

Himself the
open
door and
only
entrance to Mukti. Both these are
His,
because of
your bringing
them about.
(Thus
the tributes that
the Vedas
pay
to the Lord are
really
tributes
paid
to
you).
One more sloka in this stotra where
Daya
is
put
above the
Lord Himself. This sloka hints atwithout
saying
so in so
many
words the Lord
shining
in borrowed feathers.
If sloka i 61 to 65 dealt with ths banishment of anishta
vfasz
to
us,
sloka 66 refers to the
great
on^s like
Brahma,
Rudra and
Indra, having
their anishta
dispelled
and
being
able to
enjoy position,
pleasure
and
power, by Daya's kindness;
sloka 67 refers to the
high
status attained
by
the Lord's
gunas
themselves
by
association
with
Daya.
This sloka
goes
one
step
further and
postulates
that
the Lord Himself owes His
greatness
to
Daya
Devi. No one can
praise
the
high
Lord as the Vedas have done.
They
extol Him in
several
places
and in several
ways;
but on close
scrutiny
the Lord
will be seen to be
praised
for His
Î^'IM'R
1
Jagad-vyaapaara
(cosmic
evolution and
involution) firstly,
and
secondly
for His
redemptive power, i.e., releasing deserving
souls from the
bondage
of
being
involved in that cosmic
process
for ever.
Enough
has
been said in the earlier slokas calculated to demonstrate that Crea-
tion
(sloka 17),
sustenance
(sloka 18)
and even destruction
(sloka 16)
are all the work of
Daya.
So too is Moksha
(sloka 20).
In the fifth
decad
especially,
it was demonstrated how
Daya
is the
giver
of
Srcyas meaning
mukti. So in this sloka it is stated that the Lord
becomes the
object
of
praise
to the Srutis
(Vedas) only
because of
the two-fold eminence attained
by
Him because of what
Daya
does.
The first line of this sloka is remnicicnt of two earlier classical
works,
one in
Tamil,
and one in Sanskrit. Kamban starts his
Ramayana
with the verse which talks of L<su<Lb
(urrô/(t/Lb
The
great Ramanuja
starts his Sri
Bhashya
with
"
Akila-bhuvana-janma-sthema-bhangaadi-leele
"
The first line of this sloka of Dcsika translates the former and
praphrases
the latter of those two
great sayings.
The
jagat-kaara-
natva
spoken
about in all these is a Brahmalakshana
*5T*TOT
or
distinctive mark of Parabrahma
TOTgJ
as shown
by
the second
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116 DAYAA SATAKAM

of the Brahma Sutras of
Vyasa.
So if that
Jagatkaaranatva
^r-
C=M<URC(
is made much of
by
the Vedas and the
sutras,
the credit
really goes
to
Daya
Devi who has been demonstrated
to be
chiefly
responsible
for all the factors that
go
to make that kaaranatva.
The words Kelt %fcr and Rasikaha
Tf^ff:
have been used
to indicate that what the Lord does is not as a
duty
or under com-
pulsion.
It is all a
/re//,
a
sport.
And the Lord takes
great pleasure
in
indulging
in this
sport. Prompted by Daya
and
egged
on
by
His own love of
sport (Icela)
the Lord takes to creation
etc.,
is the
idea so
nicely conveyed by
the use of the two words
Kelt and Rasi-
kahct.
The second
paada
of the sloka
embellishes,
and restates the
sentiment mentioned
in,
the second
paada
of the sloka of Sri
Bhashya
referred to above. There the words are
"
Vinata-vividha-bhoota-
vraata-rakshaika cbekshe"
fâf^rfrsr
^^WW^P^raff
The form
of the Rakshana or
protection
referred to th^re is indicated in this
sloka
by
the word Vimukhti
f^nrfocr. For vinata
f^RT,
the word
pranayi
snrrfo"
is substituted. The Lord never likes to think of
prapannas
as
saranaagataas.
He thinks of them as friends
and
lovers;
not
only
He but Lakshmi too. For if He refers to
Vibheeshana who had come to Him as a
saranaagata,
as one who
had
rightly
and
properly
come to Him as a
friend,
mitra-bhaavena
sampraaptam
firsnrr^
tfsrTRf,
Sita Devi desires to make Ravana
Himself a
friend;
fordoes she not tell him
ftr^nftRft^F
^
TFRT: and
?fcr ^*T3cT ^? D^sika
goes
one
step
further and refers to the
Prapanna
as a
pranayi
sn^ft"
lover,
To such lovers ths Lord is an
opsn
door to
Moksha.
Siddhopayatva
of ths Lord is
beautifully brought
out hsre. The
upanishadic
text which
says
'
To him on whom His choice
falls,
He
gives
Himself
up,
and
by
him alon^ Ha is attained
'
is
thought
of here. He alone is the
opm
door to
Moksha;
those who love
Him are
given
free
entrance at the door.
Eka-dvaaram or
only
entrance is
very significant.
Whether one
pursues
the arduous
path
of
Bhaktiyoga,
or the
equally difficult,
but
apparently
more
easy, path
of
Prapatti,
the
phala (fruit) viz.,
Moksha is a
gift
of the
Lord. It is not earned
by
one's own endsavour. All that man
can
do,
and
does,
only
earns for him the Prasaada
WK or
bounty
of the
Lord,
and that Prasada takes the form of
Sankalpa,
or
will,
which alone confers
Moksha.
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r>cnn me
jagat-xaaranatva
and the
moksha-pradatva
ar<
peculiar
and exclusive
province
of Lord Srinivasa. No
<
god
even shares
either of them with the
Lord,
leave alone
and
wholly
possessing
the
capacity
for them. The Vedas
p
the Lord
very
often with reference to these two
qualities
of
He is a
stutipada object
of
praise
to the
Vcdas,
which are
referred to as
Visuddhaanaam vaachaam
pure-worded.
lo not talk out of
ignorance
or
partiality.
Their
purity
is
supr
The above-mentioned two reasons for the Veda's
praist
pointed
out to be
tvayyaayattam
c<wrarPRT
brought
about
by
-eferring
to
Daya. Dvitayam
fenf
the two of these.
ft$R?rai: II
Kalikshobhonmeelat-kshirtkalusha koolankasha
javaihi
anuchchedair-etair-avatatatavaislwmyarahitaihi
i
ravaahaiste
Padmaasahacharaparishkaarini Kripel
Vikalpante analpaa
Vrishasikharino
nirjharaganaaha (6'
Daya
Devi
(who is)
an ornament to the Consort of Laks
The entire
group
of these streams and waterfalls that are in
p
n the Tiruniala Hill are
comparable
with
your
flow and
>ecause
(1) They
are also swift
enough
to
(uproot) destroy
the
of human
beings)
that are ever on the increase because of the
agit
ind
perturbation brought
about
by
the Kali
age (2) they
are
ncessant and never
ceasing (3) they
are also immense and
(4)
ire also
capable
of
flowing
without
maintaining any
distincti<
ligh
and low.
Starting
from the
very
first sloka which refers to the flo
Daya
like
sugar-cane juice,
the r.lokas which deal with the flow
lood of
Daya
are
very
numerous. Slokas
60,
61 and 65
ecapitulated
that sentiment
very pointedly.
And hnre 2
n,sloka 69 the flow of
Daya
is
equated
with the flow of the stre
alls,
and
cascades,
in which TirumalaHill abounds. Air
n sloka 3 1 it was stated that the vaari-dhaaraas of
Vrishagiri
:laim
Daya's
flow. That idea is elaborated here
by pointing
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118 DAYAA SATAKAM

The fastness of the current in each case is first
enjoyed,
Each is so fast that it is
capable
of
uprooting
Kalusha
(dirt;
unclean-
liness)
which is ever on the increase
(unmeelat) owing
to the
play
of Kali ths evil
age.
Kshiti means the earth. All the sins of
the earth even as
they begin
to
appear
are washed
away by
the
swift and
powerful
current of
Daya.
So too the streams
flowing
on the Hill wash
away
all the dirt as
quickly
as it
gathers.
Koolankashaha; tearing away
the bank. Both the streams
are
incessant, perennial,
without break sfrps^t:
And neither of them makes
any
difference between
high
and
low.
Daya
levels
up beings
as
pointed
out in sloka 65. The
Hill streams also
bring
down mountain crests and fill
up low-lying
tracts.
They
thus do not
distinguish
between low and
high (sraz
and
cf)
Avata is a
pit,
a
cavity;
tata is a
mound,
raised or
at least level
ground.
Both
again
are sr^r^TT:
by
no means small or
insignificant
meaning obviously very big
and
large.
f^fT
Nirjhara
is a
mountain-torrent or waterfall. WT: Ganaaha is
groups.
Some
adopt
th 3
rendering gunaaha
wr:
meaning nature,
characteristics.
But
ganaaha
is the
preferable paata
for the sentiments voiced in
the sloka.
Daya
is addressed in this sloka as
Padmaa-sahachara-parish-
kaarini. Parishkara means
embellishing, adorning, acting
as an
ornament to. Here
Daya
Devi is said to embellish and adorn
Padmaa-sahachara,
or th? Consort of Padma
(Lakshmi).
Saha-
chara is one who
goes
with or
accompanies
another. Here the
Lord is referred to as
Padma-sahachara,
and
Daya
is
adorning
such
a One, Lord and Sri are mutual ornaments to each other.
Daya
is an ornament to the Two of them.
In sloka
66,
the Lord was
spoken
of as an ornament to
VrishagirL
Here
Daya
is talked of as an ornament to Sree-nivasa
(the
Eternal
Couple Divya Dampatee).
Vikalpa
is an alternative.
Vikalpante
means therefore "are
said to be an
equally
effective and efficacious alternative." Reliance
on
Daya
or a bath in the
purifying
streams of Tirumala
Hill,
either is as efficacious as the other in
relieving
us of our sins.
The
opening
words of this stoka
may
be seen to
emphasise
the anjshtavidhvamsaseelatva
3rfn^dllW^n^lcf of the Lord as well
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Daya,
which is the
topic
dealt with
by
Desika in this dec
s Stotra.
m
chetowitteh-kimidamiti vismerabhuvanam
K.ripe\
Simhakshmaabhrit-kritamukhachamatkaarakaranam
i
inyaasachchannaprabala vrijina praabhrita
bhritaam
iraliprasihaanam
te
Srutinagamsringatakajushaha (70)
ECripa
Devi! Your
coming
forward and
welcoming,
at
-roads of the
great city
known as the
Vedas, persons
who br
ferings
to
you
their innumerable and
mighty
sins covered
h;
called
Saranagati,
makes the entire world
surprised
at wha
ivorld) regards
as an act
brought
about
by
a
faulty intellect,
:
is admiration even to that learned Vidwan who resides in
aachala
(another
name for
Tirumala).
The reactions of the men of the world and the reactions
.
Srinivasa Himself to the
great doings
of
Daya
Devi that h
enjoyed
in detail in this decad are dealt with in this clos
i of the decad. The
poet
shows that he is not unaware of
al adverse criticisms of
persons belonging
to different schc
tiought,
about the nature and
efficacy
of
prapatti.
Pec
lot
wanting
even to
day,
and even
among
Vaishnavaites,
\
i-pooh
the
system
of
prapatti,
to establish which Desika
j
so much in this stotra and elsewhere. Even most arc
pious
devotees find it difficult in their hearts to realise that
;e of Srinivasa is so
potent
that their untold sins commr
revious births can be
wiped
out
by
that
Grace,
in ans
ie observance of
prapatti
or
Saranagati by
an individual. T
k more of their sins than of the
qualities
of the Lord. In sev
es in the course of his numerous works Desika has taken
g
s to
point
out that if
only people properly
understood
titial nature of the Lord and of His
Daya, they
will never c<
oubt
the
efficacy
of
prapatti
as a
means to all
ends,
and certa
means to that
great
and noble
end, namely, Mukti,
whicl:
t-thinking
men and women must hanker for. It is because
laaviswasa
H^lfcWRI
or
undying
faith in the
potency
of
Praj
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120 DAYAA SATAKAM

maund of oil as
compared
to
Bhaktiyoga
which is a maund of
gingelly.
The
cheap gibe indulged
in
by
critics is
very beautifully
described
in the words ftrfrre
%cftfw:
1w
? on the
part
of
Daya.
The words
YR^RT^vT STPT^nTclf
are calculated to recollect
to us the
carrying
of
bhog
or
naivedya
to the Gods in
temples
which are taken from the Paakasala
(cooking place)
to the
presence
of the
Deity
covered over
by
a cloth. Praabhrta
SOW
mean > a
present
or a
gift,
and is
frequently
used to denote an
offering
made to a
deity
or to a
king.
Here the
naivedya
or
offering
is
nothing
but sins not mere
sins,
but
prabala
vrigina
sr^Tf
f^FT
mighty
sins.
They
are covered over
by
a cloth known as Bhara-
nyaasa
or
Saranaagati.
^5T
Chchanna means
covered,
concealed. That the
analogy
is
very apt
and
appropriate
can be seen if one reminds oneself of
the 29th sloka in which the
poet
has
spoken
about
Daya
Devi's
state of starvation for want of sufficient number of sins to
appease
her
hunger.
It was indicated in that sloka that the sins of the
upaa-
sakaas
are,
so to
say,
food to
Daya
Devi. The same
analogy
is
employed
here wherein the
poet
refers to the sins as
being
taken
as
offerings
to
Daya. (When
we come to sloka 97 we will find
the
poet referring
to this
analogy
once
again).
Just as a
starving
person
who is told that
numerous
tasty
victuals are
being brought
to
him,
will
jump up
from his
place
and rush
up
to meet the
person
who
brings
all that
food,
Daya
Devi is here said to
go
ahead to
receive and welcome those
persons
who
bring
to her that
much-desired
food, namely,
sins. If this
issuing
out of
Daya
Devi
and her
welcoming
are done
secretly,
there will be no
opportunity
for others to know about it or to cavil at it. As it
is,
she comes to
where four cross roads meet. It is
impossible
to think of a
place
more
opan
to the
public
than such a
spot.
The
appropriateness
of the
poet's
reference to a
Sringaataka
^T^
a
place
where
four roads meet must be
appreciated by every
rasika. The
paths
followed
by
the four classes of
upaasakaas
referred to
by
the Lord
in the Geeta as
sn<f
:,
f^WTf
,
arofrff,
wrfr
Aartha, Jignaasu,
Arthaar-
thee and
Gnaani are the four
roads of the
city
of the Srutis which
meet at this
place,
and
Daya
is said to
present
herself there. Desika
has
purposely
called this a
meeting
of
cross-roads in the
city
of
Sruti,
^RRTR.
In this
city
of the Vedas there are
people
who
have
evolved
several
doctrines and
theories. Before their
very
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DAYAA SATAKAM
EIGHTH DECAD.
FTER
having sung
about the
glory
of
Daya
in the.
previous
seven
decads,
and shown to us how essential it is that we
resort to
Daya
for
helping
us and
saving us,
Sri Vedanta Desika
for the first time
attempts
to set out what it is that he has been
praising
all
along. Daya
is
defined,
and her true nature is set
out
only
in this decad. The
opening
sloka of this
eighth
decad
points
out that
Daya
is Lord's Ichcha or desire. In the
very
next
sloka it is stated that
Daya
has also
got
a
form,
and
thereby
it is
shown that the
poet
has
every justification
to
personify
this
quality
or
attribute,
and
sing
a whole stotra in her
praise.
The
swaroopa
(essential nature)
and the
Roopa (form)
of
Daya
are so dealt with
that the central theme of Nammalwar's
eighth patthu
of Tiruvoi-
mozhi almost seems to follow as
corollary.
That
topic
is Bhakta-
chchandaanuvarti
(^d^.^T^fa)
which means
following
the bent
of mind or inclination of the devotee.
Harini
(f[ftufr)
is the metre
adopted
for this decad. Both
sikharini
(7th decad)
and harini denote
high
class women. Sikha-
rini denotes an excellent
(top-class) woman;
harini is another
name for chitrinee
f^fspjfV which is as
per Apte's
definition the
noun for a
"
woman endowed with various talents and excellences
";
"
one of the four divisions into which writers on erotic science
class women." It is a
matter for
special study
and research as
to the reason
why
a
particular
metre is
employed by great poets
like
Kalidasa and Vedanta
Desika,
and their
ilk,
for a
particular
topic.
It is not a
compliment
to their
genius
or
greatness
to
suggest
that
haphazardly they
choose and
adopt
metres for their verses.
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124
DAYAA SATAKAM
Kim-kurvaana-prabhoota-gunaantara-The
kimkaratvam o
service-rendering propensity
of the other
gunaas
of the Lord i
recapitualated
to our minds once
again.
Those
gunas
are al
prabhoota
mighty.
*TT
-
c3FT Saa-tvam Such a
you (Daya).
This takes in all the
excellences referred to above. Such a
person
as
you possessing
all these essential
qualities
for
protection
have taken into
youi
head to look at me
(eekshana).
For
any
one else it would have
been a saahasaa.
very
rash act. But not so to
you
who
possess
all the
above set out items of
greatness. My protection
is therefore
assured.
f ftflff &
W^
II
(^)
Vrishagiripater-hridayaa
visvaavataara
sahaayinee
kshapitanikhilaavadyaa
Devil kshamaadinishevitaa
i
Bhuvanajananee pumsam bhogaapavargavidhaayinee
vitamasi
pade vyaktim nityaam
bibharshi
Dayel svayamu (72)
Devi!
Daya! you
are
very
dear to the Lord of
Vrishagiri; you
assist the Lord in all His
avataaras; you dispel
all sins and
imperfec-
tions; you
are served
by
kshama and
others; you
are the mother
of the
universe; you
bestow on human
beings pleasure
and
bliss;
you by yourself
take an eternal form
(vigraha)
of
your
own in
Paramapada.
Having
dwelt with the
swaroopa
of
Daya
in the the
previous
verse,
the
poet
deals with her
roopa
or form in this. And this
he does
by showing
to us in his inimitable
way
that Lakshmi is
really Daya
incarnate. Sleshaalankaara is handled with
very great
effect once
again.
Six
points
of
identity
are mentioned. We
shall
enjoy
the beauties of the slesha in this sloka one
by
one.
1.
Vrishagiripater-hridy
aa :
Daya
takes its
origin
form the heart of the Lord of
Vrishagiri
(hridya).
The Lord is
very
fond of
Daya
and likes her better
than all His other
qualities.
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Lakshmi is
very
dear to the heart
of the Lord. In fac
isides in His
chest,
the seat of the heart.
Visvaavataara
safaaayinee:
Daya
is of
great
service and aid in all the avatars tha
3rd
undertakes,
assumes. This has been dealt with in !
5
already,
and will be
elaborated later in sloka 82.
Lakshmi follows
the Lord in all His
avataars,
and is ir
dispensable
for
the
achievement of the
purpose
of each av;
s the
Vishnupurana
has
put it,
if He comes as Rama she c
Seeta;
if He
becomes
Krishna,
She
becomes
Rukmini,
ai
i in all avatars.
This idea has been
very nicely enjoyed by
D
Sloka No. 10 of
Sri Stuti
(where
She is referred to as a
ihachari
during
avatars),
and in the latter half of the 1st
'
Dasavatara Stotra.
Kshapitaaikhilaavadyaa
Daya
is a
dispeller
of all
sins,
faults and
imperfections
ii
>taries< This idea has been
enjoyed
in extenso in several
prec<
Lakshnii's one
great
purpose
is to drive
away
evil and
G<surflLDiT(y<35 Lf^^LLffo
$)($LJU!T6rr GS)Sosr@lri-&@GLD
f
(Namma
"^rf ^.<v,prt.
she is
mangalam mangalaanaam;
and the
d wise
people
resort to Her for
getting
cleansed of their
.d
avidya:
>oreekartum-duritanivahani-tyaktum-aadyam-avidyaam.
Kshamaadinishevita
Daya
is subserved
by qualities
like
forbearance. It was s
early
as the 7th
sloka ante that Kshama or forbeai
)u/T,p<5tf>ii)
is of
great help
in
removing
the obstacles in the
the free flow of
Daya.
Koorattalwan
sings
of
"
Dayaaksh
daarya
.........
"
and
thereby
shows to us how shaanti or ksl
d a host of other
qualities really
form the retinue of
Daya,
Lakshmi
being
the
Patta-Mahishi
(uLLi^wj$l<stf!)
or
(
>nsort of the
Lord,
all other consorts like
Bhoomidevi,
N
;vi
etc.,
wait on Her as Her maids. Kshama is the nam<
toomi
(world),
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Kim-kurvaana-prabhoota-gunaantara-The
kimkaratvam
îce-rendering propensity
of the other
gunaas
of the Lord
apitualated
to our minds once
again.
Those
gunas
are ;
bhoota
mighty.
T
Saa-tvam Such a
you (Daya).
This takes in all tl
silences referred to above. Such a
person
as
you possessia
these essential
qualities
for
protection
have taken into
yoi
d to look at me
(eekshana).
For
any
one else it would ha
1
ti a saahasaa
very
rash act. But not so to
you
who
posse
he
above set out items of
greatness. My protection
is
therefoi
ired.
%$
ll
hagiripater-hridayaa
visvaavataara
sahaayinee
kshapitanikhilaavadyaa
Devil
kshamaadinishevitaa
i
wnajananee
pumsam
bhogaapavargavidhaayinee
vitamasi
pade vyaktim
nityaam
bibharshi
Dayel svayam
n
(72)
Devi!
Daya! you
are
very
dear to the Lord of
Vrishagiri; yoi
t the Lord in all His
avataaras; you
dispel
all sins and
imperfec
;
you
are
served
by
kshania and
others; you
are the mothei
ie
universe; you
bestow on human
beings pleasure
and
bliss
by yourself
take an
eternal form
(vigraha)
of
your
own ii
mapada.
"laving
dwelt
with the
swaroopa
of
Daya
in
the the
previous
,
the
poet
deals with her
roopa
or
form in this. And this
>es
by
showing
to us in his
inimitable
way
that
Lakshmi Is
Daya
incarnate.
Sleshaalankaara is
handled
with
very great
once
again.
Six
points
of
identity
are
mentioned. We
enjoy
the
beauties of the
slesha in this sloka
one
by
one.
rishagiripater-hridyaa
:
)aya
takes its
origin
form the
heart of
the Lord of
Vrishagiri
r
a).
The Lord is
very
fond of
Daya
and
likes
her better
ill His
other
qualities.
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125
Lakshmi is
very
dear to the heart of the Lord. In fact she
jsides in His
chest,
the seat of the heart.
Visvaavataara
sahaayinee:
Daya
is of
great
service and aid in all the
avatars that the
ord
xmdertalces,
assumes. This has been dealt with in Sloka
5
already,
and will be elaborated later in sloka 82.
Lakshmi follows the Lord in all His
avataars, and is in fact
.dispensable
for the achievement of the
purpose
of each avataar.
s the
Vishnupurana
has
put it,
if He comes as Rama she comes
;
Seeta;
if He becomes
Krishna,
She becomes
Rukmini,
and so
i in all avatars. This idea has been
very nicely enjoyed by
Desika
. Sloka No. 10 of Sri Siuti
(where
She is referred to as a
Priya
ihachari
during avatars),
and in the latter half of the 1st sloka
F Dasavatara Stotra.
Kshapitanikfailaavadyaa
Daya
is a
dispeller
of all
sins,
faults and
imperfections
in her
)taries. This idea has been
enjoyed
in extenso in several
preceding
okas.
Lakshmi's one
great purpose
is to drive
away
evil and sin.
<3o//f?/jD/T(/5><
<95
j-bGjLDffo |g)(/5iju/T<5Yr
aflSsisr
tg
rr
&(&>($
LD*
(Nammalwar)
F^f Tr^nFrr.
She is
mangalam mangalaanaam;
and the
pure
id wise
people
resort to Her for
getting
cleansed of their sins
id
avidya:
ooreekartum-duritanivaham-tyaktum-aadyarn-avidyaam.
Kshamaadinishevita
Daya
is subserved
by qualities
like forbearance. It was stated
early
as the 7th sloka ante that Kshama or forbearance
3urrn)i<o$)LD)
is of
great help
in
removing
the obstacles in the
way
the free flow of
Daya.
Koorattalwan
sings
of
"
Dayaakshanti-
idaarya
.........
"
and
thereby
shows to us how shaanti or kshama
id a host of other
qualities really
form the retinue of
Daya.
Lakshmi
being
the Patta-Mahishi
(uLLL_u)sw5?<sip)
or Chief
onsort of the
Lord,
all other consorts like
Bhoomidevi,
Neela-
evi
etc.,
wait on Her as Her maids. Kshama is the name for
tioomi
(world).
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126
DAYAA SATAKAM
5.
Bhuvanajananee
Daya
as the chief factor
responsible
for creation is
right
referred to as the mother of the
universe.
Lakshmi is
Samasta-jananee (sloka
6).
If the Lord is t
Father of the
world,
She is the Mother.
6.
pumsani-bhogaapavargavidhaayinee
Daya's capacity
to confer all the
earthly pleasures
and al
the bliss of moksha on her votaries and followers has been des
with in
great
detail before. That is
concisely recapitulated
he
by
the
expression punisaam-bhoga-apavarga-vidhaayinee,
Confen
of
bhoga (earthly pleasures)
and
apavarga (mokshananda)
<
human
beings.
In fact in the
very
first sloka
(10)
about
Daya
tbis
stotra,
it was said
"
sootim-apavarga-trivargayoho
"
Lakshmi
similarly
is the conferrer of
bhoga
and
apavar|
Lakshmi-kataaksha as
every
one knows
brings
wealth, happine
and comfort in its wake. And in the
redemption
of souls ai
giving
them a
place
in
Paramapada,
She is
along
with the Lo
the sole
authority
and
power.
So She too is a
bhoga-apavarg
vidhayinee.
Alavandar has
enjoyed
this
greatness
of Sri or Lakshi
in his
Chatussloki,
and
following him, Alwan, Bhattar,
and Desi]
have elaborated it in their works.
The sloka winds
up by stating
that
Daya
manifests hers<
with a
Vigraha (vyakti)
or form of her own accord
Vyakti
swayam
bibharshi. This is a nice
way
of
referring
to
Daya
all
as a
Swayam vyakta,
even like Lord Srinivasa
(sloka 9).
The words vitamasi
andpade, or,
if
they
are to be taken
togeth
as a
compound word,
vitamasipade, appear
rather
unintelligib
to us here.
Vitamasipadam
is Vaikunta the
place
devoid
'
tamas
(darkness
and
ignorance).
To
say
that
Daya
manifes
herself with a
vigraha
or form
only
in Vaikunta could not h&
been intended
by
the
poet. Vitamasi-pade may
be taken to me*
in
places
or
spots
where there is no tamas. It is
only
in such
plao
that
Daya's
form is felt and
experienced
as a fact. Elsewhere ar
to
people
who are blinded
by tamas,
she is
not,
and she will h^
no form either.
This sloka can be seen to be an
elaboration of the 6th sloka
<
this stotra. This is the
Dhyana-sloka
for
Daya
Devi. Note tl
two vocatives in this sloka. Devi! and
Daye!
The sloka is
pr<
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DAYAA SATAKAM 127

addressed to Lakshmi as well as to
Daya.
The inter-
êableness
is indicated
by
the trick of
using
two vocatives.
f: <W
3m
udayinas-siddhaayaavishkritaascha
subhaalayaa
vividha vibhavawoohaavaasaaha par
am
chapadam
vibhohoi
<agirimukheshveteshvichchaavadhipratilabdhaye
3ridhavinihi1aa nissrenistvam
Dayel nijaparvabhihin
(73)
Daya
Devi! For
people
to attain in full their heart's
desires,
ots
(or places)
of which
Vrishagiri
is
foremost,
such as
(1)
aus-
us
temples (where
the Lord manifests himself in Archa
form)
ding Swayam Vyakta
stalas and stalas discovered
by
siddhas
(2)
the varied and various vihhavavataara
forms
(3) vyuha
s
(4)
haarda
or
antaryami
forms and
(5)
even that transcendent
mapada,
where-all the Lord
resides, you
stand like a
strong
sturdy
ladder, having
several
rungs
and levels of
your
own for
help
and aid.
In this sloka Desika has mentioned
the
Pancha-roopas
te five forms that the Lord assumes as
postulated
by
the Pancha-
LS and
enjoyed
by
the Alwars.
He has
given
the
pride
of
place
ngst
them all to the
Moorthy
or form of Lord Srinivasa.
Note
hagiri-mukheshu-etheshu. ^W^t*^
These headed
by
hagiri
or Tirumala.
It is usual with several devotees
of Lord
ivasa to rank
Tirumala
as the first and foremost among
all
pies.
But here we see Desika definitely
ranking
this
Divya
a as the first and foremost among
all the fivefold
spots
where
Lord manifests
Himself in His five forms.
(1)
He starts with the Subhaalayaas, auspicious
temples,
where
Lord resides
in His archa form.
These
temples
are classified
iwayamvyaktha,
Saiddha,
Daiva,
Arsha,
and Maanusha.
In
first of them
the manifestation
is made on His own initiative,
le Saiddha,
Daiva and Arsha
are
spots
where He has disclosed
iself in answer
to a
prayer
or
request
from a Siddha,
.Deva
Rishi
respectively.
Maanusha
refers
to
spots
consecrated by
17
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12g DAYAA SATAKAM

man
by inviting
the Lord
according
to the
Agamas
to come am
dwell in a
particular vigraha
chosen
by
him. The use of the won
4
aadi
'
after the word Siddha is intended to take in the other classi
fications. Siddhadi Siddha etc.
Next are clubbed the
Vibhava, Vyuha
and Haarda forms
The word Vivida
meaning several, diverse, precedes
them all. Th<
various Vibhava
forms, Vyuha
forms and aavaasa forms. Vibhav*
roopa
is the form taken on
by
the Lord when He came into the
world as
Rama,
Krishna etc. This manifestation is
enjoyed
ir
extenso in the next and ninth decad of this stotra.
Vyuha
forms are
mainly
fourfold
Vasudeva,
Sankarshana
Pradyumoa
and Aniruddha forms.
Vyuha
also takes in theii
elaborations into the twelve forms of
Kesava, Narayana,
Madhava
etc. Dwadasa nama forms.
They
are all
adopted by
the Lord
for the edification of those devotees who like to revel in
Dhyana
01
unruffled
contemplation
of the Lord.
Aavasa
srRW is the word that follows next. This word
literally
means a
house,
a
habitation,
an abode. In this
context,
this word must be taken to indicate the residence in the human
heart in the form of an
antaryami.
As the four other forms are
mentioned
by name,
and as this word is a
general
word
capable
of
giving
this
particular meaning also,
we must understand it as a
reference to the
antaryami
form. It has been taken
by
some com-
mentators as
being qualified by
the two words
preceding
it
viz.;
Vibhava and
Vyuha.
It is better to
interpret
it as the abode in
the heart.
Paramapada
comes last in the
enumeration and it has a
^r
attached to it.
qt ^ q^ Even that
transcendental
spot.
The
Etheshu
rr^|
meaning
all these is
governed
by
Vrishagirl
mukheshu.
These headed
by,
or led
by,
Vrishagiri.
That is the
importance
and
glory
that Desika sees in
Tirumala.
It is in these several
spots
that the
upaasaka
or
aspirant
has
to
obtain his
heart's desire
(Ichchavadhi)
and
Daya
helps
him
to seek out those several
spots,
or such of
them as are
desired.
And
with that end in view she
stands like a ladder or staircase
(fWftr)
in front of the
aspirant.
A
ladder has
got joints
or
rungs.
A
staircase has
steps,
qcf refers to a
joint
or
step. By
her
steps
or
stages,
Daya
helps
the
aspirants
at all levels. The
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DAYAA SATAKAM
129
TIZ is dridha-vinihita
stoutly
and
strongly
tied
together.
All
teps
are so
tightly strung together
that it
does not matter
i
step
or
rung
one is on. It is a
single
ladder. Dhrida-
ita
may
also
be taken to mean
safely
and
securely placed.
ladder will not
slip
while one is
using it,
and there is no
;e for a crash.
\ ladder or
a staircase is as useful for
ascending
as for des-
ng.
Desika has
very naively
described
Daya
as a ladder
so that it
may
be understood that
Daya
is the
agency through
i man
may
ascend to
God,
and at the same time that God
use to descend into man.
For,
but for
Daya
how can man
s to rise aloft into the ethereal
heights
of
spiritual enjoyments
?
but for
Daya
where is the chance of the
Almighty descending
e level of man to console and comfort him and
ultimately
him? Like all Desika's
upamaas
or
comparisons
this also
ppropriateness
and at the same time sweetness and
sublimity.
(08)
n iti
jagadhrishtyaa kliptair-akliplaphalaantarair
mativihitair-anyair-dharmaayitaischa
yadrchchayaa
\
atabahuchchhadmaa
Padmaasahaaya Dayel swayam
wadisasi
nijaabhipretam
naha
prasaamyadapatrapan
(74)
3aya
of
Padmaasahaaya! By
various devices and
pretexts,
ished,
you
find some
good
in us under various heads such
)
acts done which are
recognised by
the world as
proper
and
orious acts
(2)
acts done without
any
idea about the fruits
rihed therefor
(3) good
acts done without
any
intention or desire
any good (4)
casual and accidental
good
deeds committed
by
d
(5)
similar other acts of
ours,
and on the
strength
of such deeds
estow on us what in
your opinion you
think is fit and
good
for us.
The extent of our desire Ichchaavadhi was mentioned
in the
ous sloka as what determines
the extent and content of our
ation. All the four Purusharthas
or whichever out of them
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DAYAA SATAKAM
nd obtain
that,
but we do not take
any steps
to do the needful
^serving
the
proper upaaya
or means. How can
Daya get
Dse benefits which we have not
qualified
ourselves for? The
jr to that
question
is furnished
by
this sloka.
)aya
is an
adept
at
finding pretexts
and
inventing ways
and
s to confer benefits on us. If a
person
in
power
takes
kindly
,
he
says
he has seen some
good
in us and rewards us for it.
y
be we
really
did
something good,
or it
may
be that out of
Dod
feelings
towards
us,
he has
put
a
kindly interpretation
me
unwitting
act of ours.
Daya
is likened to such a
person
s sloka.
Vfter all she is the
Daya
of the Lord of this universe. He
>t afford to be
capricious:
He cannot and
ought
not to be
il. He is also the
law-giver
and He has to enforce the laws
ulgated by
Himself. He has to reward the virtuous and
punish
tcked. If we are virtuous it is all
right;
we
easily get
rewarded.
/e are riot
virtuous;
we are wicked
by temperament
and
pro-
:y.
Yet we desire
only benefits,
and are afraid of
getting
hed. After
ages
and
ages
of
indifference to the Lord and His
,
we have now come to realise that our
safety
and future
ion lie in Their bands alone. We
unreservedly
surrender
Ives to Them. But before the Lord
protects us,
He will
i
to be satisfied that we have done some
good
deeds and there-
leserve
sympathetic
and
kindly
treatment. It is here
Daya
steps in,
and
very
dexterously
discovers some
good
in us.
idma
^r
is a
pretext,
a
guise, Parinata-bahu-chchadma
5
4
of various and diverse
pretexts.'
What are
they?
The
efers to four of them
specifically
and adds one
generically.
lukrita
g^
is of several kinds. The first of them is
angika
Sukrita
STRffw
*J^T
good
deeds which
according
5 world's
standards are
calculated for the welfare
(hita)
of
>ul
fog"-,) building
temples, erecting
tanks for
public
use etc.
is referred to here as
Hitam-iti-jagad-drishtya~kliptaihir
done
tat the world
regards
as calculated to
promote
the welfare
5 doer.
'he
next is
known as
aanushangika
sukrita s
:
doing
a
good
act
with a
particular
purpose
or for a
particular
.t so
happens
that a
secondary
and
unthought
of
good
deed
j to be
performed.
You feed a
hungry
man: with the food
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OAYAA SATAKAM 131

you provide,
he
feeds his wife and
child,
whom
you
never
thought
of while
giving
the food to the man whose
hunger you
wanted
to
appease.
This unth
ought
of
good
is a
by-product
of an intended
good.
This is
spoken
of as
aklipta-phalaantaraihi
3T3FT<r
unthought
of
other
object.
The third is
abuddhipoorvakasukrita
SRfeq^P' ^TcT
some
good
which
simply
occurs without one's
knowledge
or volition.
While
going
to
attend a conference in Benares a
person happens
to die on the
banks of the
Ganges.
He would never have
bargained
for it. This is
amati-vihitaihi
s^ftf fa
f^<d
: done without an idea
or
thought
of one's own.
The next is
yaadrichchika
sukrita
sjref^W
g^cT
casual
or accidental. You
go pursuing your
cow which has run
away
from
your
cowshed. It
goes
round a
temple
and in
following
it
you perform
a
pradakshina
of that
temple. Or,
while
fishing
in the sea
you
fall
into it
by
accident on the sacred
Mahodaya
day.
This is
dharmaitihi-yadrchchayaa.
In addition to the above
four,
Desika has added
anyaihi
sp^:
others as well.
They may
take in
consciously
done
good
acts
Saamaanya-buddhi-moola-Sukrita,
which in some cases earn
great
merit. You invite a friend whom
you
have not seen for
years
and
give
him food and
lodging
for some
days.
He
happens
to be a
Sadhu. You have
really
done a
very
meritorious
thing by giving
him food and shelter
though you
did so
only
in the view that he
was an old time friend.
Daya
Devi thus looks into all our acts and
doings
with a
magnifying glass,
and
catching
hold of some small
unthinking
act of
ours,
construes the same in one of the above
modes,
as a
very lofty
and meritorious
act,
and recommends to the Lord for
our
reprieve
and
redemption.
Thereby
she confers on us what
she thinks is
good
for us.
Nijaabhipretam
naha
pradisasi--
f^TTf^f^r T: srferftr
you give
what in
your
view is best for us.
Or
you give
what in our
opinion
is desirable.
Nija may
be taken
as
referring
to
Daya
or to us ^T:
in the sloka.
In this
Daya evidently
shows herself rather fnonHT
shameless.
Banishing
bashfulness and shame she has to work like this to
bring
about our welfare. Li sloka 71 it was Saahasa
3TT^r.
Here
it is shamelessness
on the
part
of
Daya.
To
multiply
our small
good
deeds,
to
magnify
them and to show them off to our best
advantage,
D
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DAYAA SATAKAM
ad obtain
that,
but we do not take
any steps
to do the needful
>serving
the
proper upaaya
or means. How
can
Daya get
)se benefits which we have not
qualified
ourselves
for ? The
;r to that
question
is furnished
by
this sloka.
)aya
is an
adept
at
finding pretexts
and
inventing ways
and
5 to confer benefits on us. If a
person
in
power
takes
kindly
he
says
he has seen some
good
in us and rewards
us for it.
y
be we
really
did
something good,
or it
may
be that out of
>od
feelLigs
towards
us,
he has
put
a
kindly interpretation
me
unwitting
act of ours.
Daya
person
s sloka.
ifter all she is the
Daya
>t afford to be
capricious:
He cannot and
ought
not to be
,1. He is also the
law-giver
ulgated by
Himself. He has to reward the virtuous and
punish
icked. If we are virtuous it is all
right;
we
easily get
rewarded.
f& are riot virtuous
;
we are wicked
by temperament
and
pro-
y.
Yet we desire
only benefits,
and are afraid of
getting
hied. After
ages
and
ages
of indifference to the Lord and His
,
safety
and future
ion lie in Their hands alone. We
unreservedly
surrender
Ives to Them. But before the Lord
protects
us,
He will
to be satisfied that we have done some
good
deeds and there-
ieserve
sympathetic
and
kindly
Daya
steps
in,
and
very dexterously
discovers some
good
in us.
idma
^r
is a
pretext,
a
guise,
Parinata-bahu-chchadma
5 'of various and diverse
pretexts/
What are
they?
The
efers to four of them
specifically
and adds one
generically.
ukrita
g^RT
is of several kinds. The first of them is
angika
Sukrita
STRffrpfr
^3"
good
deeds which
according
^
world's standards are calculated for the welfare
(hita)
of
ml
(e,g.,) building temples, erecting
tanks for
public
use etc.
is referred to here as
Hitam-iti-jagad-drishtya-kliptaihi,-done
lat the world
regards
as calculated to
promote
the welfare
5 doer.
"he
next is known as
aanushangika
sukrita
?
doing
a
good
act with a
particular
purpose
or for a
particular
t so
happens
that a
secondary
and
unthought
of
good
deed
5 to be
performed.
You feed a
hungry
man: with the food
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fou
provide,
he feeds his wile and
cMd,
whom
you
never
tnougnt
}f while
giving
hunger you
wanted
:o
appease.
This unth
ought
of
good
is a
by-product
of an intended
sjood.
This is
spoken
of as
sresr^r
unthought
of other
object.
The third is
3T3^<T3% ^cT
some
*ood which
simply
knowledge
or volition.
While
going
to attend a conference in Benares a
person happens
to die on the banks of the
Ganges.
He would never have
bargained
For it. This is amati-vihitaihi
s^^rf^f:
done without an idea
or
thought
of one's own.
The next is
yaadrichchika
sukrita qrcf^F
g^cT
casual
or accidental. You
go pursuing
your
cow which has run
away
from
your
cowshed. It
goes
round a
temple
and in
following
it
you perform
a
pradakshina
of that
temple.
Or,
while
fishing
in the sea
you
fall into
it
by
Mahodaya
day.
This is
four,
Desika has added
anyaihi
3PT:
others as well.
They may
take in
consciously
done
good
acts
great
you
have not seen for
years
and
give
him food and
lodgug
for some
days.
He
happens
to be a
Sadhu. You have
really
done a
very
meritorious
thing by giving
him food and shelter
though you
did so
only
in the view that he
Da>a
doings
with a
magnifying glass,
and
catching
hold of some small
unthinking
act of
ours,
construes
the same in one of the above
modes,
as a
very lofty
and meritorious
act,
and recommends
to the Lord for
our
reprieve
and
redemption.
Thereby
she thinks is
good
for us.
Nijaabhipretam
naha
pradisasi
fosrrfttftf
T: srferftr
you give
what in
your
Or
you give
what in our
opinion
is desirable.
Nija may
be taken
as
referring
to
Daya
or to us
*T:
in the sloka.
In this
Daya
evidently
shows herself
rather ft^TW
shameless.
Banishing
bashfulness
and shame she has to work
like this
to
bring
about our welfare.
In sloka
71 it was
Saahasa
*TTÊT.
Here
it is shamelessness
on the
part
of
Daya.
To
multiply
our small
good
deeds,
to
magnify
them and to show
them off to our best
advantage,
D
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130
DAYAA SATAKAM
this and obtain
that,
but we do not take
any steps
to
do
the needful
by observing
the
proper upaaya
or means. How
can
Daya get
us those benefits which we have not
qualified
ourselves
for? The
answer to that
question
is furnished
by
this sloka.
Daya
is an
adept
at
finding pretexts
and
inventing ways
and
means to confer benefits on us. If a
person
in
power
takes
kindly
to
us,
he
says
he has seen some
good
in us and rewards
us for it.
It
may
be we
really
did
something good,
or it
may
be that out of
his
good feelings
towards
us,
he has
put
a
kindly
interpretation
on some
unwitting
act of ours.
Daya
person
in this sloka.
After all she is the
Daya
cannot afford to be
capricious:
He cannot and
ought
not to be
partial.
He is also the
law-giver
promulgated by
Himself. He has to reward the virtuotis
and
punish
the wicked. If we are virtuous it is all
right ;
we
easily get
rewarded.
But we are not
virtuous;
we are wicked
by temperament
and
pro-
pensity.
Yet we desire
only benefits,
and are afraid of
getting
punished.
After
ages
and
ages
of indifference to the Lord and His
Daya,
safety
and future
salvation lie in Their hands alone. We
unreservedly
surrender
ourselves to Them. But before the Lord
protects us,
He will
desire to be satisfied that we have done some
good
deeds and there-
fore deserve
sympathetic
and
kindly
Daya
Devi
steps in,
and
very dexterously
discovers some
good
in us.
Chchadma
^
is a
pretext,
a
guise,
Parinata-bahu-chchadma
means
*
of various and diverse
pretexts/
What are
they?
The
poet
refers to four of them
specifically
and adds one
generically.
Sukrita
g^r
is of
several kinds. The first of them is
Praasangika
Sukrita
smjfw
S^cT
good
deeds
which
according
to the world's standards are
calculated for the welfare
(hita)
of
the soul
(e,g.,) building temples, erecting
tanks for
public
use etc.
This is referred to here as
Hitam4ti-jagad-drishtya~kliptaihi,-done
as what the world
regards
as
calculated to
promote
the welfare
of the doer.
The
next is known as
aanushangika
sukrita
While
doing
a
good
act
with a
particular
purpose
or for a
particular
end,
it so
happens
that a
secondary
and
unthought
of
good
deed
comes to be
performed.
You feed a
hungry
man: with the
food
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DAYAA SATAKAM 131

you
provide,
he feeds his wife and
child,
whom
you
never
thought
of
while
giving
hunger you
wanted
to
appease.
This
unthought
of
good
is a
by-product
of an intended
good.
This is
spoken
of as
^"MM"
unthought
of other
object.
The third is
3RfeT^
*PKT
some
good
which
simply
knowledge
or volition.
While
going
to attend a conference in Benares a
person happens
to die on the banks of the
Ganges.
He would never have
bargained
for it. This is amati-vihitaihi
smfdfaf^d:
done without an idea
or
thought
of one's own.
The next is
yaadrichchika
sukrita
^Kpo^
*P^
casual
or accidental.
You
go pursuing your
cow which has run
away
from
your
cowshed.
It
goes
round a
temple
and in
following
it
you perform
a
pradakshina
of that
temple.
Or,
while
fishing
in the sea
you
fall into it
by
Mahodaya
day.
This is
four,
Desika has added
anyaihi
3n4:
others as well.
They may
take in
consciously
done
good
acts
great
you
have not seen for
years
and
give
him food and
lodgLig
for some
days.
He
happens
to be a
Sadhu. You have
really
done a
very
meritorious
thing by giving
him. food and shelter
though you
did so
only
in the view that he
Da>a
doings
with a
magnifying glass,
and
catching
hold of some small
unthinking
act of
ours,
construes
the same
in one of the above
modes,
as a
very lofty
and meritorious
act,
and recommends
to the Lord for
our
reprieve
and
redemption.
Thereby
she thinks is
good
for us.
Nijaabhipretam
naha
pradisasi
-
f^rTfTTW
^T: 3TfoT%
you give
what in
your
Or
you give
what in our
opinion
is desirable.
Nija may
be taken
as
referring
to
Daya
or to us
^:
in the sloka.
In this
Daya
evidently
shows herself rather Pi 01W
shameless.
Banishing
bashfulness
and shame she has to work like this to
bring
about our welfare.
Li sloka
71 it was
Saahasa^Tf^
Here
it is shamelessness
on the
part
of
Daya.
To
multiply
our small
good
deeds,
to
magnify
them and to show them off to our best
advantage,
D
R
.
R
U
P
N
A
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H
J
I

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t wnere we never dreamt of

doing any
smal
t of
courage,
resourcefulness and dash : Da
he not
Padmasahayakaruna?
the
Karuna of
ma? Lakshmfs
ways
are
copied by Daya.
d find
good
in the demons that threatened
day
in and
day out,
and
plead
for their
proted
ae
mighty
Hanuman,
who wanted to crush t
*
cruelty
towards
Jagan-mata
? Contact wit
red for
Daya
that selfsame characteristic of :
ring, good
where it is
not,
or at least
latent,
good.
dhi
Sivair-aisvairyaatmaanubhootirasair-janaan
ahridaydm ihopachchandyaishaam asangadasaat
itajanataateerthasnaanakramakshap
itainasaam
vitarasi
Dayeveetaatankaa Vrishaadripateh-pada
Daya Devi,
in
regard
to
people
in this world
ures of
aiswarya
and
kaivaiya
^5RT
and
^sn?sr
\
ose of the status of Brahma and
Siva, you (s
to
get
unconnected with such
desires, (exten
r on them those
pleasures,
in order to
please
tl
< them unto
yourself,
so
that, ultimately you
"earlessly
confer on them the
pleasure
of attaii
Srinivasa,
the Lord of
Vrishaadri,
even like :
the in the
gauges
In order to
get
rid of his thirs
ng
to secure for him the fuller henefits of
Gang
iriving
him of his sins.
The words
nijaabhipretam
Pradisasi
employed
are elaborated
openly
in this sloka. Tho
>yed
in the
previous
sloka in a dubious
way
lesire of the
aspirant,
as also of
Daya.
But tl
> to realise her own ideas of the welfare of
[oka
points
out in a
very
clear manner. Incic
te idea contained in the term Bhakta-chchanda
topic
of this decad.
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DAYAA SATAKAM
The
people
of
this
world
prefer aiswarya, wealth,
to all
-
things. Aiswarya
here
must be taken to be a
compendious
indicating
all
worldly pleasures.
The
kaivalya
which comes
is
the
stage
where the
aspirant
to
spiritual
eminence
indulg
the
realisation ofthe
pleasures
of the
self,
bereft of
God-assock
To
the true
devotee
of
God,
even
kaivalya
is not a
stage
\
aspiring
for. It is as
good,
or as
bad,
and
certainly
as evane
and
unsatisfying,
as
aiswarya
itself. The
opening
words o
sloka
show that
people
who are
spiritually
minded
prefer
pleasures
of
wealth and
Aatmanubhava even to the exalted
posi
held
by
Brahma and
Rudra. It shows that
people
are so t
in
by
what this world can offer that
they
do not even desir
other-worldly pleasures
like those of Brahma and Rudra.
Daya
Devi
understands
correctly
the desire of the
p
of
the "world to obtain
earthly
wealth,
or in a few and rare
the
supreme
satisfaction ofAathmanubhava
STTWR^".
Perse
Daya
Devi,
who knows the real value to be attached to thes
contrasted with the
pleasures
attainable at the Feet of the 1
is not
happy
a.bout
the
craving
that
people
entertain for
pleasures.
But
just
like a fond
mother,
who
pretends
to s;
the
expressed
desires of the
child,
all the while
having
in her
th
idea of
converting
it later on to her views.
Daya appea
grant
what
they want,
so that her hold on them
may
become firr
they may
learn to look to her for
everything they
desire to have,
illustration about
conferring punya
and
dispelling
sin on an
vidual
who does not desire
punya
or to
get
rid of his sin,
but
feels
thirsty,
shows the
way Daya
Devi sets about
it. Just
person
interested in
g.
thirsty
man's soul takes him to the s
theerthas
like the
Ganga,
and asks that
person
to
quench
his
with the water of the
Ganga,
so that he
may
not
only
have his
quenched
but also obtain
punya,
so too
Daya
Devi
eggs
o:
votaries to
appeal
to her
(and
thereby
to the
Lord)
to secure
hearts' desire with the idea of
ultimately making
them desii
Lord for the Lord's own sake. It is
Daya's attempt
to cc
the first three classes
of men denoted
by
Lord Sri Krishna as A
3TTf:
Jignasu
fefT^
and Artharthi spqfrff
into
persons
belo
to the last class
namely gnani
fnfa".
The word
'
veetaatanka,'
which
literally
means
having dis;
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132 DAYAA SATAKAM

even where we never dreamt of
doing any
small
good, requires
a lot of
courage,
resourcefulness and dash:
Daya
has them all.
Is she not
Padmasahayakaruna?
the Karuna of the Consort of
Padma? Lakshmi's
ways
are
copied by Daya.
Who but a Sita
could find
good
in the demons that threatened and
frightened
her
day
in and
day out,
and
plead
for their
protection
at the hands
of the
mighty Hanuman,
who wanted to crush them ard
avenge
their
cruelty
towards
Jagan-mata?
Contact with Lakshmi has
secured for
Daya
that selfsame characteristic of
finding, nay
d
;
s-
covering, good
where it is
not,
or at least
latent,
and
rewarding
that
good.
tew
Atividhi
ahridaydm ihopachchandyaishaam asangadasaarthinee
\
Trishitajanataateerlhasnaanakramakshapitainasaam
vitarasi
Dayeveetaatankaa Vrishaadripateh-padam (75)
Daya Devi,
in
regard
to
people
in this world who
prefer
the
pleasures
of
aiswarya
and
kaivalya
j^gtfi
and
*F3?tr
as even
superior
to those of the status of Brahma and
Siva, you (secretly) desiring
them to
get
unconnected with such
desires, (externally) appear
to
confer on them those
pleasures,
in order to
please
them and
thereby
annex them unto
yourself,
so
that, ultimately you may completely
and
fearlessly
confer on them the
pleasure
of
attaining
the Feet of
Lord
Srinivasa,
the Lord of
Vrishaadri,
even like
asking
a
person
to baihe in the
gauges
in order to
get
rid of his
thirst,
all the while
desiring
to secure for him the fuller benefits of
Ganga-snana capable
of
depriving
him of his sins.
The words
nijaabhipretam
Pradisasi
employed
in the
previous
sloka are elaborated
openly
in this sloka. Those words were
employed
in the
previous
sloka in a dubious
way
to
suggest
the
true desire of the
aspirant,
as also of
Daya.
But that
Daya really
works to realise her own ideas of the welfare of the
upaasaka,
this sloka
points
out in a
very
clear manner.
Incidentally
it
gives
out the idea contained in the term
Bhakta-chchandaanuvarti which
is the
topic
of this decad.
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132
DAYAA SATAKAM
even where
we never dreamt of
doing any
small
good, requires
a lot of
courage,
resourcefulness and dash
:
Daya
has them all.
Is she not
Padmasahayakaruna
? the Karuna
of the Consort of
Padma? Lakshmi's
ways
are
copied
by Daya.
Who but a Sita
could find
good
in the demons that threatened
and
frightened
her
day
in and
day out,
and
plead
for their
protection
at the hands
of the
mighty
Hanuman,
who wanted to crush them ard
avenge
their
cruelty
towards
Jagein-mata?
Contact
with Lakshmi has
secured for
Daya
that selfsame characteristic
of
finding, nay
d
;
s-
covering, good
where it is
not,
or at least
latent,
and
rewarding
that
good.
3$
Atividhi
ahridaydm ihopachchandyaishaam asangadasaarthinee
\
Trishitajanataateerthasnaanakramakshapitainasaam
vftarasi
Dayeveetaatankaa Vrishaadripateh-padam (75)
Daya Devi,
in
regard
to
people
in this world who
prefer
the
pleasures
of
aiswarya
and
kaivalya
fr&w
and
$3?q
as even
superior
to those of the status of Brahma and
Siva, you (secretly) desiring
them to
get
unconnected with sisch
desires, (externally) appear
to
confer on them those
pleasures,
in order to
please
them and
thereby
annex them unto
yourself,
so
that, ultimately you may completely
and
fearlessly
confer on them the
pleasure
of
attaining
the Feet of
Lord
Srinivasa,
the Lord of
Vrishaadri,
even like
asking
a
person
to bathe in the
ganges
in order to
get
rid of his
thirst,
all the while
desiring
to secure for him the fuller benefits of
Ganga-snana capable
of
depriving
him of his sins.
The words
nijaabhipretam
Pradisasi
employed
in the
previous
sloka are elaborated
openly
in this sloka. Those words were
employed
in the
previous
sloka in a dubious
way
to
suggest
the
true desire of the
aspirant,
as also of
Daya.
But that
Daya really
works to realise her own ideas of the welfare of the
upaasaka,
this sloka
points
out in a
very
clear manner.
Incidentally
it
gives
oat the idea
contained in the term
Bhakta-chchandaanuvarti which
is the
topic
of this decad.
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134
DAYAA SATAKAM
to work
very cleverly,
and should avoid the blame that is
likel;
to attach to her in the
shape
of
Vaishamya
or
partiality.
If sb
bestows her favours on some
persons
to the exclusion of others
people
will attribute
partiality
to her. That is
why
she is ver
careful to discover some
good
as set out in the
previous
sloka
Desika has
very nicely
described this in a sloka of his in
Sankalpa
sooryodhaya,
where he refers to the Lord
protecting
us
by findinj
some casual
good
in
us,
however unintended it
might
be :
^W
Ghuna is a
particular
insect found in timber etc, Ghimak
shiti
^prf^%
therefore means the incision in
wood,
or the leal
of a
book,
made
by
the insect or
worm,
and
resembling
somewha
the form of a letter. There is a
nyaya
known as
^
which therefore has come to denote
any
fortuitous or chance
occurence. The Lord
(that
is
Daya Devi)
thus snatches
upor
some occurence in
us,
and makes us the
recipients
of benefits and
rewards.
Asangadasaarthinee
is another
very important expression
in this sloka. While
conferring upon
us the
pleasures
of earth
as desired
by us, Daya
Devi is desirous of our
coming
to
disregard
and
reject
those
pleasures,
and therefore she is
praying
for out
dissociation
asanga
sr^f^
1
from them. At the same time in
order not to lose hold
upon
us,
and to work our welfare and to
secure to us the
lasting good
that is in her
gift,
she
appears
to
satisfy
our
cravings only
with a view
ultimately
to take us to the Feet
of the Lord, The child refuses to take
good food,
and insists
upon
enjoying
a bite at a
very unhealthy
and
indigestible
stuff. The
mother does not snatch
away
that stuff
immediately,
but
permits
the child to have a
go
at
it,
and it is
only by stages
that she weans
the child from that desire and makes it take to wholesome food.
Daya Devi,
Mother that she is to all of
us,
works on the same
lines,
and ensures that we
safely
reach the
destination,
namely,
the Feet
of the Lord of Vrishaadri
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130 DAYAA SATAKAM

capacity
to
purify
is
the
key-note
of this sloka, The
saokta
here
obviously
15
Saranagati
mantra.
That is the
Aghamarshana
Sookta. The
plunge
into Lord Srinivasa
with the utterance of
Saranagatimantra
is the bath
or
plunge
talked of here.
Like children who are afraid
to
get
into water for
bathing,
we
are rehjctant to take
to this
bath,
however
pleasant, purificatory,
and beneficial,
it
may
be.
So, Daya
Devi the fond
parent
that
sh is
desiring
that we should not miss all
that,
puts
us into
literally
throws us into that nectar-ocean. This is indicated
by
the
"
nihitastvayaa."
Here
Daya
Devi does what her other
ego,
Goda
Devi,
has done for us in her classical
Tiruppavai, taking
us for that bath
along
with her
and
making
us
bathe.
A bath
usually
cools and also
purifies
the
body
and
spirit.
But here not
only
are
tapa
or heat, and
papa
or
sin, dispelled,
but
Bhaya
*T*T
or fear is also
dispelled.
The fear
complex
that
has been with us
by age-long
contact with
evil,
completely disappears.
That is
shown
by
the
expression
Bhava-bhaya-chchittyai.
^rîir^c4.
Release from sin of all
sorts,
and the
cleansed state of the
soul,
are indicated
by
the term mushita-kalusha. Kalusham
sRTT
means
dirt, filth, mud,
as also sin. Mushita
literally
means
taken
away,
carried off.
By
contact with the
Lord,
in the
aghamarshana
way,
our sins are
forcibly
taken
away
from
us,
sins
from whom
we have been reluctant to
part,
all these
ages.
As a result of this bath in the
Lord,
several
exilarating pleasures
follow,
or come of their own accord.
They
are
preludes
or fore-
runners to
that
great Mokshananda, The
upasaka
who lias
thrown
himself and
plunged
into Para Brahmam is filled
with several
such
ple^surfsu CWy
OTO
of
them is mentioned here
"
Svaatmaa-
nanda"
tiK*ni^.
The
pleasure born
out
of the true
under-
standing
of one's own self as a
prakara,
or
mode,
or
sesha,
of
Lord Srinivasa.
Svaatmq,
or
one's own
atnia,
in
Visishtadvaita
connotes
Parabrahmam,
who
is
the soul or
&tma of the entire
world,
sentient and
non-sentient. So
Svaatmaanand^
means
the
pleasures
of
daasya
cTTFT or
kainkarya.
Contrast this word
Svwtmwmda
with th^
mtmmanuhhoQti of the
previous
sloka.
There,
it
was the
Qomfemplation
of the
kevala atma bereft of
divine
content.
It
wu^
koivqlyE! thw, but
not
here,
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DAYAA SATAKAM
r
ceases,
he is taken
straight
to the Feet of the Lord. , There
other cases like those of certain
highly developed
souls,
like
ima and so
on,
where the
delay
will be
enormous,
as
long,
ibly,
as the
Mahapralaya
itself,
which comes once in a mille-
n. The
point
to note is that whatever the
period
of
time,
sver short it
may be,
or however
long
it
may
be,
there is a
tinty
here of attainment. The difference in the
period
of attain-
t is due to differences in ,the
sportiveness
;da-taranga-parampara
of
Daya
Devi. Like the waves of a
wir of
water,
some
being
small and some
being large,
the
lapse
me between the
performance
of
saranagati
and the attainment
i,e
Lord's
Feet,
is either short or
long according
to the Kreeda
eela of
Daya
Devi. This
again
is conditioned
by
the
intensity,
le absence of
it,
in the
prapanna.
The
emphasis
on the whole
i the
certainty
of attainment. The Lord that has created the
d has
promised
His feet to those who seek them. The actual
of attainment alone is left in doubt. Here also the
Lord,
ither
Daya Devi,
acts
according
to the desire of the
Upasaka.
is
again
Bhakta-chchandanuvartana
^rcT^^nFR^f^T. The
>n who
performs prapatti
for
being
taken to the Feet of the
at once is called
'
Aarthaprapanna
*
STT^R^T.
A
person
who
>rms
saranagati
for
attaining
the feet of the Lord at some future
is called
*
druptaprapanna
'
^rw$T.
This sloka is
remnicient of the verse of Tirumazhisai Alwar
s
Naanmugan
Tiruvandadi. The
language
and the
sentiment
iken from there.
t be
today,
let it be
tomorrow,
or let it
tarry
for some more
1 am sure to be the
recipient
of
your grace.
Desika has
ituted the
Mahapralaya
for
@)<stf}&
%?$/ fidryi,
while
ly
adopting
the
sentiments of
today
and tomorrow in the
.r's verse.
That is the
security
that the true devotees of the
feel,
once
they
have
thrown
themselves on the
mercy
of the
. If
Daya
Devi
guarantees
to us all that are to be distributed
nail and
minor
gods
as stated in the
previous sloka,
who
loubt the
certainty
of the
fruits in her own
gift?
This sloka
ving
as it
does
the
previous
sloka,
furnishes us an a
ri
pp^cT
argument
in
support
of
the
positive
certainty
of
iment of the Feet of the Lord
by
all
those
who resort to
Daya
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e m ner
tor
attaining
me
greatest
ot
blisses
nankind,
and is in fact the inheritance
of manl
wf
n
'
(<:o
rax
tvatsamprikte
Vrishaadnsikhaamanau
nidhaa
dhaaraakaaraa
pmseedati
hhaavanaa
?e\ dattuasvaadam vimuktivalaahakam
irto
nidhyaayanti slhiraasayachaatakaahau
(80)
! To all those who centre their minds
upon
the
glo
Vrishadri Who is
intimately
associated with
y<
iimilar to the incessant flow of nectar in a
very
will result.
Gladdened
in
every pore
and cell of
he
upasakas
with their
one-pointed
devotion tov
,
who is like a cloud
showering moksha,
and
ds like the mind of the chataka
hird,
those
great
ntemplation
of that cloud with all their other s
uched
upon
the
delay
that is
likely
to occur
masons,
between the observance
of
prapatti
or sa
ittainment of the Feet of the
Loid,
in the
pre
deals here with the state of mind of the
prap
;riod,
As the
prapanna
has
pitched
his mind
5 Lord's lotus
feet,
and has also
performed
pn
he
same,
his mind will
contemplate
with
pie
which he
is
going
to
attain, may
be tomorro
1
later. Like the
Rajakumara,
crown-prince,
for\
.ay
has been
fixed,
.this
prapanna
will
be
ever lo
jreat joy
and
pleasure
to the realisation
of his h
to come.
Every
moment his
mind
will be dw
the
pleasure
that awaits
him.
Therefore
his
r
devoted towards
that
Lord who is
going
tc
ure. That Lord is Vrishaadrisikhaam^ni-r-the
adri. And He is sweetened
by
contact
with
"
of the
blending
of the milk ocean with
the i
tÂ^r KÂn
^nin\/i>H in a
nrevious sloka.
Eve
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144
MVAA SAtAKAM
contemplation
of the
pleasures
of the union
with the Lord is like
the flow of nectar.
Bhaktiyoga
has been
said somewhere
to be
the ceaseless and incessant
contemplation
and flow of love like
the incessant and unbroken flow of oil or
ghee:
Thailadaaraavat-
avichchannasmrutisantana^^T^nXTW
srf^^^f^rff'T-
Desika
here uses the word
'
Sudhaadhaara
'
gsrrsTR
or the flow of
nectar,
to illustrate
the flow of love towards the Lord.
That
contempla-
tion or
bhavana will
be clear and
pellucid.
Valmiki has
used a
simile
comparing
the
clear-as-crystal
waters of the Tamasa
river to
the mind of
Sanmanushya.
We are reminded
of that statement of
Valmiki
by
this sloka which talks of
*
prasrimarasudhaadhaara
praseedati
bhaavanaa
'
The
pure
and uncontaminated state of the
prapanna
in the
interim
period,
that is after
prapatti
and before the attainment of
the Lord's
feet,
is
again
likened to the state of the chaataka bird-
vide sloka 58 ante.
Here,
once
again
Lord Srinivasa is likened
to a
cloud; only
ft is stated here that the rain that flows from this
cloud is
*
Vimukti
'
finrlw
or moksha.
c
Nibhruta
garutaha
'
means
movementless
wing
of a bird. So the Sat of the
upanishads,
San-
manushya
of
Valmiki,
and the
prapanna
here,
desists from
flight
into other
spheias by (inhibiting) withdrawing
the
wings
to attain
concentration in
contemplation.
The
enjoyment
that the
praparna
attains
during
this
period
is
almost akin to mokshananda.
Except
for the contact with the
body,
he is
really
a
mukta,
a
jeevanmukta
if one
may
so call him.
The Lord's desire or
iehcha,
that
Daya is,
has been shown
in this
decad,
which closes with this
sloka,
to function in such a
manner that those who are the
objects
of that ichcha or desire
are able to cast off all sins and are assured of
complete
release
from the
cycle
of births and
deaths,
and union with the Lord at
some time or other in the
future,
about the duration of which
time
they
need not
bother,
because at the end of it realisation is
certain;
and what is
more,
even before the realisation comes to
them in full
form, they enjoy
all the benefits of that realisation even
now,
and even here. That is
why Daya
Devi
pretending
to
give
him what he
desires, gives
him whc.t in her view is the
greatest
and
highest good.
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DAYAA
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NINTH DECAD.
Lord's unbounded kindness towards
prapannas
was
very
well illustrated
by
the two
previous decads,
which
respectively
iealt with
(a)
His essential nature of
dispelling
sins and their un-
pleasant
consequences (anishta)
and
(b)
His
overwhelming
love
towards the
prapannas,
which is
willing
to
adapt
itself to their
lesires with a view to
ultimately
sublimate those desires into God-
ove. This idea has been well
expressed by
Desika elsewhere
ilso. Vide
Dramidopanishad
Saram:
a[f|
*
With a view to
dispel
and banish the anishtas of
jnen
and in order
:o see that their desire for
worldly pleasures
is
gradually put
down,
He the Lord of
all,
who has the entire threefold chetana and ache-
:ana creation under His own
sway, yields
Himself
up
to the varie-
gated
desires of His followers/'
(Those
who are interested in
3ursuing
the
theory
that is
being
elaborated in this
commentary,
that the theme for each of the ten decads of this stotra is furnished
3V the
respective
themes of the ten centunis of Nammalwafs
Tiru-
ôimozhi,
as laid down
by Desika,
will have noticed the use of
several identical words and
phrases
in this sloka of
Dramidopanishad
Saram and the 81st sloka of
Daya
Satakam).
This ninth decad furnishes the reason
why
the Lord is so
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'
ceases,
he is taken
straight
to the Feet of
the Lord.
There
>ther cases like those of certain
highly
developed
souls,
like
ma and so
on,
where the
delay
will be enormous,
as
long,
.bly,
as the
Mahapralaya
itself,
which conies
once
in a mille-
i. The
point
to note is that whatever the
period
of
time,
;ver short it
may
be,
or however-
long
it
may
be,
there is a
inty
here of attainment.
The difference in the
period
of attain-
is due to differences
in the
sportiveness
da-taranga-parampara
of
Daya
Devi. Like
the waves of a
voir of
water,
some
being
small and some
being large,
the
lapse
ne between the
performance
of
saranagati
and the attainment
e Lord's
Feet,
is either short or
long
according
to the Kreeda
>ela of
Daya
Devi. This
again
is conditioned
by
the
intensity,
e absence of
it,
in the
prapanna.
The
emphasis
on the whole
the
certainty
of attainment. The Lord that has created the
i has
promised
His feet to those who seek them. The actual
of attainment alone is left in doubt. Here also the
Lord,
ther
Daya
Devi,
acts
according
to the desire of the L
7
pasaka.
is
again
Bhakta-chchandanuvartana
^cr^^N^d^T.
The
m who
performs prapatti
for
being
taken to the Feet of the
at once is called
*
Aarthaprapanna
'
sn^STW.
A
person
who
Tins
saranagati
for
attaining
the feet of the Lord at some future
is called
c
druptaprapanna
'
^fTOST.
This sloka is remnicient of the verse of Tirumazhisai Alwar
3
Naanmugan
Tiruvandadi. The
language
and the sentiment
iken from there.
prr
ZfarGuj
<^&, |)
esfi
t be
today,
let it be
tomorrow,
or let it
tarry
for some more
1 am sure to be the
recipient
of
your grace.
Desika has
ituted the
Mahapralaya
for
gjorfte SjSgi $<svj
t
while
y adopting
the sentiments of
today
and tomorrow in the
r's verse. That is the
security
that the true devotees of the
feel,
once
they
have thrown themselves on the
mercy
of the
, If
Daya
Devi
guarantees
to us all that are to be
distributed
nail and
minor
gods
as stated in the
previous sloka,
who
loubt the
certainty
of the fruits in her
own
gift?
This sloka
ving
as it does the
previous sloka,
furnishes us an a
ri
fer^T
argument
in
support
of the
positive certainty
of
iment of the Feet of the Lord
by
all those who resort to
Daya
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OYAA SATAKAM 143

and take
refuge
in her for
attaining
the
greatest
of blisses that
can be
got
by mankind,
and is in fact the inheritance of mankind.
Pranihitadhiyaam tvatsamprikte
Vrishaadrisikhaamanau
prasrimarasudhaa
dhaaraakaaraa
praseedati
bhaavanaa
\
Dn'dhamiti
Dayel
dattuawaadam vimuktivalaahakam
nibhritagamto nidhyaayanti sthiraasayachaatakaaha\\ (80)
Day
a Devi! To all those who centre their minds
upon
the
glorious
Crest-jewel
of Vrishadri Who is
intimately
associated with
you,
contemplation
similar to the incessant flow of nectar in a
very
fine
and clear form will result. Gladdened in
every pore
and cell of their
body thereby,
the
upasakas
with their
one-pointed
devotion towards
Lord
Srinivasa,
who is like a cloud
showering moksha,
and with
unswerving
minds like the mind of the chataka
bird,
those
great
ones
revel in the
contemplation
of that cloud with all their other senses
drawn in,
Having
touched
upon
the
delay
that is
likely
to
occur,
for
ever so
many reasons,
between the observance of
prapatti
or sarana-
gati,
and the attainment of the Feet of the
Loid,
in' the
previous
sloka,
Desika deals here with the state of mind of the
prapanna
during
that
period,
As the
prapanna
has
pitched
his mind
and
heart
upon
the Lord's lotus
feet,
and has also
performed prapatti
for
attaining
the
same,
his mind will
contemplate
with
pleasure
on those Feet which he is
going
to
attain, may
be
tomorrow,
or
may
be a little later. Like the
Rajakumara, crown-prince,
for whose
coronation a
day
has been
fixed, .this
prapanna
will be
ever
looking
forward with
great joy
and
pleasure
to the realisation of his heart's
desire that has to come.
Every
moment his mincL will be
dwelling
happily upon
the
pleasure
that awaits him. Therefore his mind
will be
wholly
devoted towards that Lord who is
going
to
give
him that
pleasure.
That Lord is Vrishaadrisikhaamani
the crest
jewel
of Vrishadri. And He is sweetened
by
contact
with
Daya.
The sweetness of the
blending
of the milk ocean with the nectar
ocean has
already
been
enjoyed
in a
previous
sloka. Even the
19
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144 >AAA SAtAKAJVt

Contemplation
of the
pleasures
of the union with the Lord is
like
the flow of nectar.
Bhaktiyoga
has been said somewhere to be
the ceaseless and incessant
contemplation
and flow of love
like
the incessant and unbroken flow of oil or
ghee:
Thailadaaraavat-
ivichchannasmrutisantanat^rsnTRcT srM^RFTfiRRIT^. Desika
lere uses the word
'
Sudhaadhaara
'
gsTTSTTC
or the flow of
nectar,
;o illustrate the flow of love towards the Lord. That
contempla-
ion
or bhavana
will be
clear and
pellucid.
Yalmiki has used a
limile
comparing
the
clear-as-crystal
waters of the Tamasa river to
he mind of
Sanmanushya.
We are reminded of that statement of
/almiki
by
this sloka which talks of
*
prasrimarasudhaadhaara
>raseedati bhaavanaa
'
The
pure
and
uncontaminated state of the
prapanna
in the
titerim
period,
that is after
prapatti
and before the attainment of
he Lord's
feet,
is
again
likened to the state of the chaataka bird
ide sloka 58 ante.
Here,
once
again
Lord Srinivasa is likened
a
cloud;
only
5t is stated here that the rain that flows from
this
loud is
c
Vimukti
'
ftfl% or moksha.
*
Nibhruta
garutaha
'
means
cioveflientless
wing
ofa bird. So the Sat of the
upanishads,
San-
aanushya
of
Valmiki,
and the
prapanna here,
desists from
flight
ato other
Spheies by
(inhibiting) withdrawing
the
wings
to attain
oncentration in
contemplation.
The
enjoyment
that the
praparna
ttains
during
this
period
is
almost akin to
mokshananda.
Except
ar the contact with
the
body,
he is
really
a
mukta,
a
jeevanmukta
'
one
may
so call
him.
The Lord's desire or
ichcha,
that
Daya is,
has been
shown
1 this
decad,
which closes with this
sloka,
to function in such a
lanner that those who are the
objects
of that ichcha or desire
re able to cast off all sins and are assured of
complete
release
x>m the
cycle
of
births and
deaths,
and
union with the Lord at
>me time or other in the
future,
about the
duration of
which
me
they
need not
bother,
because at the end of it
realisation is
;rtain;
and what is
more,
even
before the
realisation comes to
iem in full
form,
they enjoy
all the benefits of that
realisation even
3w,
and
even here.
That is
why Daya
Devi
pretending
to
give
:m
what he
desires,
gives
him wha in her view is the
greatest
and
hest
good.
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146 DAYAA SATAKAM

--a friend whore
friendship
is not caused
by any
extraneous
cause,
consideration,
or
circumstance,
but is a
friendship
without
any
reason or cause
Avyaaja
Sauhaarda
sfaijN^ft^R.
This is best
illustrated
by
His
coming
into,
the,
world taking
various forms.
As Nammalwar has
put it,
there
is no
form
of existence which He
has not
adopted. OT/5/$63nr> (oiun-fosfltL/LLn-uJu
iSlp^^mu
(Born
out
of
every
conceivable
womb).
The
upanishad
praises
Him as one
who obtains lustre and
glory by being
born ^T^TZTFT
^r^f%" SfTWR:
Consistently
w
;
th Desika's view that
every
merit in the
Lord,
that makes Him what He
is,
is to be traced to the
presence
of
Daya,
he sets out in this decad
to-enjoy
the avatars,
and to show the
part
played by Dnya
in each avatar.
Already
in sloka 35 it has been
said that the Lord takes His several avatars
only
at the
behest,
of
Daya
Devi. That idea is elaborated in this decad. Most
appropriately
the metre
employed
for the slokas of this decad
is Prithvi
^rfM^.. Prithvi means earth. Avatara ST^RTR-"
is a descent into the earth. Prithvi is thus the
topic
of this
decad,
and it ?s also the metre
employed
for this decad. This is the last
of the series of five different
metres,
all of which have 17
syllables
in
apaada
or
quarter, employed
in this stotra.
The consummate art of the
poet
can be seen from the
following
words all of which are
synonymous
with
prithvi being
employed
in the slokas of this decad :
Sloka 81
Jagat, Kshiti;
82
Jagat;
83
Kshiti, medini;
85
Jagat;
86
Kshiti;
87
Jagat, Kshiti;
88
Jagat;
89
Visvambhara;
Jagat;
90 Bhuvi.
The
omission of a word
synonymous
with
prithvi
in sloka
84
relating
to
Narasimhavatara must be
deliberate;
probably
to
indicate that as
per
the boon accorded to
Hiranyakasipu,
he could
not be killed on earth.
Kripel
vigatavelayaa
kritasamagraposhau-tvayaa
Kalijvalunadurgate
jagati
kaalameghaayitam
\
Vrishakshitidharaadhishu
sthitipadeshu
saanuplavair-
Vrishiiadripanvigrahair-vyapagataakhilaavagi-ahaihi
n
(8
1
)
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k.npa
uevi! Because
ot
you
with a
capacity
to
transgress
banKs
unds
(by overflowing),
this world
suffering
under the fire of
;the
dark
age)
is made into a
Kalamegha (dark
and rain-laden
I
by
the
Vigrahas (Images)
of the Lord of Vrishadri which are
fully
fed
(i.e.,
full of
water),
which are
capable
of
dispelling
all
ht
(distress),
and which are to be seen
along
with their full
ie in
Venkatachala and other
permanent
abodes of the Lord.
The
sentiments of the last, sloka of the
previous
decad run
his first sloka of this ninth decad. The
cloud,
and the chataka
which looks
up
to that cloud for its
sustenance,
were referred
ire.
In this sloka it is
pointed
out that that cloud is
nothing
hie
archa forms of the Lord
dwelling
in the
permanent
Sthi-
da
forms of
Images
in
Temples.
.n sloka 45
ante,
Daya
was likened to the clouds. Here the
.s are the
Images
of the Lord in
Temples.
As usual the
upama
talogy
is worked out to
perfection.
Let us
enjoy
the slesha
in each of the
epithets.
\) Krita-sam.agraposha.ihi:
^rawfft:
The clouds are
fully
>y
water.
They
are
fjêtiisiQ&rreSI
/Situ QuqjjLbQuefrGULb
Lq-iLjmL^Qu($<s)ju3jr)jD&(i$(^<ft),
as
Tirumangai
Alwar would
it clouds which have devoured the
big
ocean with
shining
noisy
waters. The Archa form
of,
the Lord is
similarly
well
3y Daya
Devi,
^PHT
Samagra
is
fully, entirely;
W-Tft
poshaihi
fed. The
proximity
of the word
c^TT
tvaya
the
compound
word
*
krita-samagra-poshaihi
*
is
fraught
significance.
Tt is
only
in the Archa forms of the Lord that
i
plays
the
largest part.
Vibhava forms of the Lord have a
.ire of
wterr
leela or
sport
in themvide
*
atmaleelaapade-
*
in sloka 35 used in connection
with- Vibhava
roopas
of the
Krita-samagra-poshaihi
can also be taken to mean
feeding
?
one
fully.
This
also will
apply
both to the cloud and 10
\rcha.
(2) Vyapagataakhilaavagrahaihi-with
all sorts of
drought
and
ess
dispelled.
Avagraha,
meaning drought (want
of rain or
r),
is
dispelled by
the clouds that
bring
in rain and water. Ava-
a
may
also be taken to mean erratic or excessive
rain,
each
hich can be as
pestilential
as total want of rain.
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146 DAYAA
SATAKAM
--a friend whose
friendship
is not
caused
by any
extraneous
cause..
consideration,
or circumstance,
but is
a
friendship
without
any
reason or cause
Avyaaja
Sauhaarda
sr^M^K.
This is
best
illustrated
by
His
coming
into, the,
world taking
various
forms.
As Nammalwar has
put
it,
there
is no form
of existence
which He
has not
adopted. erJBrS'dtrjD
^lurrîLiwrnuu
i3p^mu
(Born out
of
every
conceivable
womb).
The
upanishad
praises
Him as
one
who obtains lustre and
glory by
being
born *n3^R ^r%
srRFRK:
Consistently
w
;
th Desika's view that
every
merit in the
Lord,
that makes Him what He
is,
is to be traced
to the
presence
of
Daya,
he sets out in this decad
to-enjoy
the avatars,
and to show the
part
played by Dnya
in each avatar.
Already
in sloka 35 it has
been
said that the Lord takes His
several
avatars
only
at the
behest
of
Daya
Devi. That idea is elaborated
in this decad. Most
appropriately
the metre
employed
for the slokas of this
,
decad
is Prithvi
Tfspft..
Prithvi means earth.
Avatara
sr^RfK
-
is a descent into the earth. Prithvi is thus the
topic
of this
decad,
and it is also the metre
employed
for this decad. This is the last
of the series of five different
metres,
all of which have 17
syllables
in
apaada
or
quarter, employed
in this stotra.
The consummate art of the
poet
can be seen from the
following
words all of which are
synonymous
with
prithvi being
employed
in the slokas of this decad :
Sloka 81
Jagat, Kshiti;
82
Jagat;
83
Kshiti, medini;
85
Jagat;
86
Kshiti; 87Jagat, Kshiti;
88
Jagat;
89
Visvambhara;
Jagat
;
90 Bhuvi.
;.
The omission of a word
synonymous
with
prithvi
in sloka
84
relating
to Narasimhavatara must be
deliberate;
probably
to
indicate that as
per
the boon accorded to
Hiranyakasipu,
he could
not be killed on earth,
Kripel vigatavelayaa
kritasamagraposhaix-tvayaa
Kalijvalanadurgate jagati kaalameghaayitam
\
Vrishakshitidhamadhishu
sthitipadeshu
saanuplavair
Vrislnâdnpativigrahair-vyapagataakhUaavagrahaihi (81)
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DAYAA SATAKAM
147
Lripa
Devi! Because of
you
with a
capacity
to
transgress
banks
unds
(by overflowing),
this world
suffering
under the fire of
'the dark
age)
is made into a
Kalamegha (dark
and rain-laden
I
by
the
Yigrahas (Images)
of the Lord of Vrishadri which are
fully
fed
(i.e.,
full of
water),
which are
capable
of
dispelling
all
ht
(distress),
and which are to be seen
along
with their full
ie in Venkata!chala and other
permanent
abodes of the Lord.
The sentiments of the last, sloka of the
previous
decad run
his first sloka of this ninth decad. The
cloud,
and the chataka
which looks
up
to that cloud for its
sustenance,
were referred
sre. In this sloka it is
pointed
out that that cloud is
nothing
de archa forms of the Lord
dwelling
in the
permanent
Sthi-
da forms of
Images
in
Temples.
n sloka 45
ante,
Daya
was likened to the clouds. Here the
,s are the
Images
of the Lord in
Temple^.
As usual the
upama
lalogy
is worked out to
perfection.
Let us
enjoy
the slesha
in each of the
epithets.
\) Krita-samagraposhaihi
:
3[<d<HHMlt:
The clouds are
fully
>y
water.
They
are
fjfiGorsjGl&rreSl
i$rru
Qu(û^Quefr<siiLb
u}.uj<^L^Qu(nj<Mu3/f)jD&((^ffio,
as
Thumangai
Alwar would
itclouds which have devoured the
big
ocean with
shining
noisy
waters. The Archa form
of,
the Lord is
similarly
well
3y Daya
Devi. ^m
Samagra
is
fully, entirely;
^cf-Ttt
-poshaihi
fed. The
proximity
of the word c^RT
tvaya
the
compound
word
'
krita-samagra-poshaihi
'
is
fraught
significance.
It is
only
in the Archa forms of the Lord that
L
plays
the
largest part.
Vibhava forms of the Lord have
a
.ire of ^ftaT
leela or
sport
in them vide
'
atmaleelaapade-
'
in sloka 35 used in connection
with Vibhava
roopas
of the
Krita-samagra-poshaihi
can also be taken to mean
feeding
i one
fully.
This
also will
apply
both to the cloud and to
\rcha.
(2) Vyapagataakhilaavagrahaihi-with
all sorts of
drought
and
sss
dispelled.
Avagraha,
meaning drought (want
of rain or
r),
is
dispelled by
the clouds that
bring
in rain and water. Ava-
a
may
also be taken to mean erratic
or excessive
rain,
each
hich
can be as
pestilential
as total want of rain.
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148 DAYAA SATAKAM

Applied
to
Archa,
this
compound
word can be taken to indicate
the
dispelling
of all famine of
spirit. Being
ever
present
in our
midst,
and ever and anon
approachable by us,
we need never feel
left
out,
or left alone.
(3)
Vrisha-kshiti-dharaadhishu-sthitipadeshu-saanuplavaihi:
Along
with
followings
or followers in
spots
like
Vrishagiri
HiJLL
The
Kalamegha
or dark cloud full of water
always
sits on
the
hill-tops.
It is attended
by lightning, thunder,
winds and so on.
So too the archa forms of the Lord
adorn
Viishagiri
and
other sacred Hills like the
Himalayas
(Badriaath). Alagar
Hill
near
Madurai,
and so on. If the clouds are
attended
by lightning
thunder and so
on,
the Lord in His Archa form has His own atten-
dants
(followers)
such as Ananta
(Adisesha)
Garuda and Vishva-
ksena
(Commander-i/i-Chief)
not to
speak
of the Alwars and
Acharyas
who also reside in the
Temples
in archa form round
the
Central Archa Form.
Thus it is said this world is
overrun
by
the
great
clouds that
are
Vrishadripati Vigrahaas-
or the
auspicious
and lovable
Image
forms of Lord
Srintvasa, and
thereby
has its heat
engendered
by
Kali,
the dark
age,
driven out.
The
greatness
of
Archavatara and of the
benefits that Archas
confer on the world is
markedly
emphasised
in and
by
this sloka.
That the Form of Lord
Srinivasa is a
Premier Archa
Form is also
pointed
out.
Desika's
fascination for
Archa and for the Lord
of
Tirumala is once
again
seen here.
For
Vigatavelayaa,
there is
another
rendering
as
'
Viduruta-
lokayaa
'
f%5T^fNRT
meaning
bearing
up
and
supporting
the
worlds,
as
governing tvaya
(you)
referring
to
Daya.
(8
1
)
Prasooya
vividham
jagat
tadabhivriddhaye
tvam
Dayel
sameekshana
vichintanaprabhritibhis-svayam taadrisaihu
Vichitragmachitritaam
vividhadoshavaidesikeem
Vrishaachalapates-tanum vfsasi
Matsydkoormaadikaamn
(82)
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1>AYAA SATAKAM
149
>aya
Devi! After
having begotten
this varied and
variegated
,
with a view to
bring
about its welfare and
improvement
ch notable acts like
seeing, thinking about, etc., you
enter into
3dies of
(taken
by)
the Lord of Vrishaachala which are beautiful
ovable because of their wonderful character and
characteristics,
rtiich are devoid of all kinds of
blemishes,
bodies like those of
,
tortoise etc.
The avataras of the Lord are innumerable.
arsnwFft
3R|3T
%.
He who has no birth takes numberless births as the
Upani-
puts
it. But
traditionally
ten of those avataras have become
celebrated.
They
are
Matsya, Koorma, Varaha, Narasimha,
ma,
Parasurama, Rama, Balarama,
Krishna and Kalki.
5 are referred to as the Dasavataras or Ten avatars of the Lord.
:a has
given
to us a stotra known as Dasavatara Stotra. In
lecad he
again
celebrates those ten avatars. The
purpose
e
Dasavathara
description
here is to demonstrate the Lord's
iditioned and
spontaneous feelings
of friendliness
(Avyaaja
tardha)
towards the denizens of the
earth, which
are
responsible
is descent
(avatara)
into this world.
The first sloka of this decad was devoted to the
enjoyment
e Archavataras which are
permanent
avataras. This sloka
s two of the
impermanent
avatars, the Vibhava
avatars,
the
wo out of the ten set out
above,
the
malvya
and the
koorma,
ish form and the Tortoise form. The
eight
other avatars
ten
enjoyed
in a sloka
each,
slokas 83 to 90.
t is first stated here that the
purpose
of the several avatars
e
arfrr^fe
abhivnddhi
growth
of the created world.
ig
created the
world
and
brought
it into
being
snjsr
(prasooya)
begins
to work for its
growth
and fulfilment. The method
:ed for
effecting
this
growth
is indicated
by
the words samee-
La-vichintana-prabhritibhihi
:
seeing, thinking
etc. The Lord
ws His Divine
glance
and there is
growth
all round. The
always
thinks about the welfare of the world that has been
xl
by
Him. He is
Viswa-paripaalanajaagarooka
f
fr ever watchful about the
protection
of the entire world.
Vhile thus
describing
the Lord's
seeing
and
thinking,
Desika
ery cleverly
indicated the
way
a fish and a tortoise
protect
its
respective offspring.
The fish does not suckle its
offspring,
lie tortoise. The fish feeds its
baby by looking
at it. The
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150
DAYAA SATAKAM
parent
tortoise thinks of the
baby-tortoise
and
the
baby grows
thereby.
Students of modern
biology
will
confirm
this
peculiarity
of nature in these two
creatures,
one
which
has been observed
and laid down in a
very
old
saying:
"
Eekshanadhyanasarnsparsaihi
matsya-koorma-vihangamaha
Pushnanti
svaanapatyaani
....... ....."
The
Matsyaavatara
and the
Koormavatara are indicated
by
the reference to the fish and
tortoise,
matsya
and koorma. The
Lord assumes the form of a fish and
protects
the world
by
His
glances.
The Lord assumes the form of a tortoise and thinks
about the world and
thereby
works its welfare.
How is he enabled to do so?
Daya
Devi enters into His
bodies the fish
body
and the tortoise
body
of her own volition
(swayam).
The bodies are
*
Vichitra-guna-chitrita
'
beautiful and
lovely
to look at because of their marvellous make
up.
And
they
are
*
vivida-dosha-vaidesika
'
far removed
from
all sorts of faults
and blemishes.
Because it is referred to as a
body,
the Lord's
body
should
not.be confounded with the
perishing
and
perishable
bodies such as ours, The material of those bodies is suddha-satva.
It is not
trigunaatmaka, i.e.,
made of
satva,
rajas
and tamas.
Lord Sri Krishna's
exposition
in the Gita about the nature
of his incarnations must be
properly
understood before we can
attempt
to evaluate those incarnations. The two
compounds
fc
vichitra-guna-chitritaam'
and
*
vivida-dosha-vaidesikeem
'
as
quali-
fying
the word tanum
(cR)
remind us of all the
excellences of
the Lord's
body
assumed
during avatars,
as described in the Gita
and
enjoyed
in the other -Sanskrit and Tamil
religious
classics of
our land. Just as the
Divyaatmaswaroopa
of the Lord has the
two chief characteristics known as
ubhaya-linga viz.,
kalyanaguna-
poorti
ô^
iî
Hf% and
heya-gunaraahitya
f
W
r
Kr%3'
(full
of
all
auspicious qualities,
and
totally
devoid of bador evil
qualities,)
the
Divya-majigala-vigraha
is also
vichitra-guna-chitrita
and vividha
-dosha-.vaidesikee.
Readers would have
noticed how the word
vigraha
was used
in the
previous sloka,
while the word used in this sloka is
Tanu,
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DAYAA SATAKAM 151

oth the words are
capable
of
signifying
the
body:
but
vigraha
more
appropriate
to denote the
body
which is the
image
or Idol
nd Tanu to denote the
body
of the Lord
during
His avatars as
.ama,
Krishna etc.
That is
why
these latter are referred to as
icarnations.
Svayam-visasi-matsya-koormaadikaam-tanum
You
yourself
of
our own accord enter into the bodies such as those of the fish
nd tortois'e. The Lord takes those forms and
Daya
Devi
liters into them. The
upanishadic Tat-anupravisya
d<HHfo^l
luring
the
process
of
creation)
is
brought
to our minds here
by
tie
use of the word Visasi
fenftr.
There the Lord is said to
nter into the world created
by
Him out of Himself. Here
Daya
)evi is said to enter into ths-feotttes
adopted by
Him
during
His
^carnations.
The words
prabruti
ST^fcT
and the word aadisfrfe
have
>een
deliberately
used to include the Hamsavatara of the Lord
>y suggestion.
It is not one of the ten notable avatars. Hence
t is not
named,
but left to be
understood,
since there is no intention
o
specify
it. The ancient
saying
extracted above refers to birds
n addition to fish and
tortoise,
and the
process
of
feeding
in
regard
o birds is indicated
by
the word
samsparsaihi-
^TCW
:
by
close
ouch or embrace. It is awellknown fact that birds
closely
embrace
heir
young
ones: in fact
hatching
is a
process
of close contact
/ery
much akin to embrace.
The
protection
afforded
by
the Lord in his incarnations is
lere
pointed
out to be a
Dayakarya, Daya's
act.
Having
created
:he world the Lord does not leave it to itself. He casts
longing
ind
loving glances
at the world. And the world is
always
in His
thoughts.
Thereby
He
protects
and
helps
the world to
grow.
The desire to
protect
is furnished
by Daya
Devi.
The reference to the two incarnations
of
Matsyavatara
and
Koormavatara
as the bodies of
Vrishachalapathi
is intended to
convey
to us Desika*s conviction that the Archavatara
of the Lord is
potent
enough
to furnish the basis for vibhava-avatara.
This is a
very
noteworthy
idea of Desika which finds
expression
in the Paduka
Sahasra and other works in Sanskrit
and Tamil.
Consistently
with those
sayings
Desika refers to the Vibhava
avataara
bodies
as
belonging
to Lord
Srinivasa,
Himself
an Archa
(Vide
also Bhava-
to-avataaraan ^T^ft^^RR
of
Varadaraja
Panchasat).
20
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152
DAYAA SATAKAM
?|I1
II
Yugaanatasamayochitam
bhajati yoganidraavasam
Vrishakshitibrideesvare
Viharanakramaat
jaagrati
i
Udeernavachaturarnavee
kadanavedineem
medineem
samuddhrutavatee
Dayel tvadabhijushtayaa
damshtraycta
"
(83)
Daya
Devi! At the end of
yugas (i.e.,
at the time
of
Pralaya)
Lord Srinivasa
enjoys
the
pleasures
of
yoga-nidra
(yogic sleep);
by
the time
He,
as
part
of the same
sportfulness,
gets
awake,
the
earth is swallowed
up by
the
swelling
waters of the four
seas;
and
you
noting
its distress lift it
up by
means of the Tusk
(Tooth) (of
the
Varaha,
Boar)
into which
you merged (combined).
On one occasion
when the world
got
submerged
in water
the Lord lifted it
up by taking
the form of a boar and
holding
the
earth aloft on the Tusk
(protruding
tooth)
of that Boar form.
That avatara is the
topic
of this
sloka,
but it is to be noted that
.there
is no reference to the Varaha or Boar.
It is left to be inferred
from the word damshtra
5*5.
The
place
of
Daya
in each avatar
is the
chief
point
that Desika wants to drive
home,
in
singing
about
the avatars here in the
Daya
Sataka. In this
avatara .her
place
is in that tusk which lifted
up
the
earth,
'
tvat-abhijushtayaa
'
annexed or attached to
you.
There is a
rendering
for this
phrase
as
tatabhi-jushtaya
damshtrayaa*
cf^fw^TT meaning
the
tusk or tooth annexed to
Him,
the Lord.
c
Tvat
'
is the better
reading
than
*
tat.* The
emphasis
is on
Daya's part
in the
redemp-
tion of earth from water.
Just as
seeing
and
thinking
were attributed to
Daya
in the
previous
sloka,
the
uplifting
tusk in the Varaha avatara is associated
with
Daya
in this sloka.
Pralaya
is
nicely
referred to here as the
period
of the Lord's
yoga-nidra.
It is also said that this
sleep
is a
fitting pastime
for
the Lord at the end of the
yuga.
This
*
sleep
'
is resorted to
by
way
of
enjoyment by
the Lord. It is nidraa-rasam or the
pleasure
of
sleep.
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sieep
terminates
witn
awaKemng.
Like
sleep,
the
awakening
s also a
viharana or
sport
to the
Lord.
The seas are
referred to as the
four
seas-it
must
mean seas
rom all the four
directions. In
the Hindu
mythology
the
number
3i the seas is seven
and not
four.
iî\
Sataapatalabheeshane
sarabhasaattahaasodbhate
sphuratkrudhipamphutadbhrukutike-api
vaktrekrite
Daye Vrishagireesitur-
Danujadimbhadattastanaa
sarojQsadrisaa
drisaa
saniuditaakritir-drhyase*
(84)
Daya
of
Vrishagirieesa! Though
the
frightfulness
of the thick
cluster of matted hair
(mane),
the fast and
frightening
loud
roar,
and the
trembling eye-brows,
rendered the face
(of
the
Lion-God,
Narasimha)
quivering
with
anger,
terrihle to look
at, you
are seen
in
your
full bloom and colours
suckling
that child
(Prahlada)
of the
demon
(Hiranya) through
the
eyes
that resemble the lotus.
This sloka deals with Narasimha Avatara the incarnation
in which the Lord was seen with the
body
of a man below the
neck and 'the face of a lion above the neck
It is a mixture of the lion and the man
)/s;c9;Lb).
In this sloka we see
only
the lion
portion
the
face
portion.
It was terrible to look at. The
(sataa)
mane was
frightening
with its cluster
(patala)
of matted hair. To that was
added attahaasa
(loud laughter)
the terrific roar
issuing
from the
lion's mouth. The
eyebrows
were
quivering (with anger).
Indeed
the whole face was indicative of the
anger
that the Lord felt at
the atrocities and
iniquities
of
Hiranyakasipu
the
demon-king
in
subjecting
his own son a
boy (&sr gj<su<ssr)
to endless
tortures,
all for the fault of
daring
to talk in his
presence
about
the
greatness
and
might
of the Lord. The
intensity
of that
anger
is echoed in the words of the. first half of this sloka which is intended
to describe it.
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154 DAYAA SATAKAM

Just as we are left
wondering
as to what
place,
lot,
or
part,
soft
and sweetnatured
Daya
is
going
to have in this
fiery
and
fire-emitting
(cr/fl mn-Qsrp) process,
Desika
delights
us
by giving
to us the
latter half of the
sloka,
in soft and mellifluous language (just
the
opposite
of the
language employed
in the first
half)
which
tells us that in the midst of that ferocious
face, Daya
had her
place
in the
eyes
of the
Lord,
the
soft, sweet,
lotus-like
eyes,
which,
so to
say,
suckled child
Prahlada,
the devotee of devotees,
and
gave
him
sustenance, strength,
and
courage.
Danuja
is
asura,
Dimbha is
child,
Datta-stana
is
giving
and
nourishing
with breast milk.
Daya Devi,
mother of all that she
is, (Bhuvana-jananee
sloka 72
ante)
demonstrates
that mother-
hood to Prahlada
by giving
him that milk. She is now seen blended
with the lotus-like
eyes
of the Lord.
'
Sarojasadrisaa-drisaa-samu-
ditaakritir-drisyase.
9
The brows of the Lord
immediately
above
the
eyes quiver
with fire. The mane further
up
is
bristling
with
anger.
The nostrils and the mouth are
spitting
fire and
letting
out
peals
after
peals
of
thundering
roar. In
between,
are the
eyes
of the
Lord, soft, quiet peaceful
and unruffled
by
all that is seen
above and
below,
and those
eyes bespeak
love and
peace, courage
and comfort to the child Prahlada.
Truly
a wonderful
pen-picture
this. And note the words
employed
to describe the terror and
to describe the
peace.
Sense and sound fit each other. Who but
a Kavi-simha can
sing
of Nara-simha in such
apt
and wonderful
language?
The word
*
Krite
'
^
of the first half has to be read with
the word
'
drisyase
'
^zr^T
with which the sloka ends.
Though
the face was made to look so
terrific, you Daya
Devi are seen like
a lotus. The use of the word Krite shows that the Lord
deliberately
took on that fearful face with a view to
frighten
and subdue that
demon-king,
who
thought
he was invulnerable and that there was
no
god
but himself. This mixture of man and lion was also
adopted
in view of certain boons
granted
to him
by
Brahma.
Whatever that
may be,
the Lord was not able to
spoil
the
beauty
of His own
eyes
and to make them
frightful
on a
par
with
the rest of the face. For are
they
not the seat of
Daya
as
enjoyed
already
in
previous
slokas such as 42 and 48 ?
A
very great
truth is
divulged
here. .The lotus
eyes
of the
Lord are a
distinguishing
feature and
identifying
mark of Lord
Srirdvasa. He is for that reason known and
very
often referred
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to
in lamn as Kannan
(GGmmrsisr),
one witn
Eyes.
Markandeya
in
the Vana-Parva of the Maha Bbarata draws
attention of
Yudhistira and his brothers to those lotus
eye
Lord Sri
Krishna,
and asks them to surrender themselves to
as He is
by
that
very
fact the Lord
Supreme.
And whatever m
for the
supremacy
of the
Lord,
it is Desika's conviction that
of
Daya's
making.
The sloka has been hitherto understood
only
in the
ligl
the words
employed
and their exact
meaning.
So undersl
the
eyes
of the Lord have been
enjoyed
as soft and sweet li
lotus. But
taking
the whole of the first half of the sloka calcu
to describe that
angry
face
(spuratkrudi)
it is
impossible
to es
the conclusion that to
Hiranya,
to strike terror in whose i
that fearful
lions's face was
put
on,
even the
eyes
looked
and fierce. This is how seveial Alwars have
sung
about this a\
(e.g.,
^/<SBT<SU
efilyS, Tirumangai
Alwar,
*
eriflaiLLiG
swr<
Tirumalisai
Alwar)
Desika's
enjoyment
of the Lord has al
followed that of the Alwars. So it is intended we
may
s
assume that the
eyes
also of Lord Narasimha were fearfi
Hiranya.
This
interpretation
is essential to
bring
out another
quality
of the Lord the
aghatita-ghatanaa-saamarthya
01
capacity
to
bring together
and blend
opposites
and irreconcih
The
eyes
of Lord Narasimha shot out fire and
anger
to Hir;
the father. At the same time and
place,
those
very eyes
exb
love,
affection and
compassion
to the
boy
Prahlada,
like a
exhuding honey.
The lioness is
capable
of
frightening
the
ele]
with its
fiery
and fierce looks
(jg
<sSli}<gi
as Andal
\
have
it)
even
during
the time when
it is
suckling
its
baby
thr
its teats. That is a
place
where two different
feelings
are s
taneoiisly
let out from
two different
organs.
But here it i
same
organ
at the same time
emitting
fire to one
person
and seci
milk
and
honey
to another.
Desika's
poetic
genius
aloiu
conceive
of,
and
describe,
such a
phenomenon.
In a stotra of Desika called Kaamaasikaashtaka
this
finds
a
place
almost with
the same words.
The
high-sou
first half
is there in its
entirety.
The second half is as follow
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156 DAYAA SATAKAM

As that sloka is addressed to the
Lord, just
as this sloka is addressed
to
Daya,
He is called
Kripaa-Kapata-Kesarin
!
meaning
"
you
who
out of
Kripa
or
mercy disguised yourself
as a lion!.** Kesari is
the
mane,
and a lion is known as a Kesari for that reason. The
last words of that sloka
"
Vyatibishajyate Vija}âte
**
szrftrftm^
53FHi%
in substitution of
"
Samuditaakritir-drisyase
"
of this sloka
mean;
are seen to doctor
(administer medicine)
to counteract the
father's
cruelty.
As in sloka
83,
in this sloka of
Daya
Sataka also no
open
reference has been made to
Narasrmha,
the avatar which is the
topic
of this slcka.
Prasaktamadhuna
vidhipranihitais-saparyodakaihi
samastaduritachchidaa
nigamagandhinaa
tvam Dave 1
t
Asesham
aviseshatas-trijagad Anjanaadreesitus-
charaachamm
acheekaras-charanapankajenaankitam (85)
Daya
Devi!
you
made all the three worlds
consisting
of movable
objects
and immovable
objects,
without
distinction,
bear the
imprint
(seal)
of the lotus Foot of the Lord of
Anjanaadri,
from which
flows
honey
in the
shape
of the water offered
(to
it)
by
Brahma in
worship,
a foot which is
capable
of
cutting
asunder
(dispelling)
all
sins,
and
which has the flavour and the
perfume
of the Vedas.
This sloka deals with Trivikrama avatara. This is the one
avatara that has been the
subject
of
frequent praise
in the ancient
Vedas themselves. Needless to
say
the Alwars and Andal have
celebrated it in their verses in a
very large
measure.
Mahabali,
an
asura,
had in him one
great
merit. Like the celebrated Kama
of the
Mahabharata,
Bali was a
great giver (5RTT).
The Lord
exploited
that merit in
him,
and
begged
of him in the
shape
of a
dwarf
(vamana)
three feet of land to be
measured
by
Him
with His own foot
(ffr<sSr|p<s3>L__(L/ urrgj^gnrGV
iun-csr6fruu{Lp<suui,).
In
spite
of the
obstruction offered to such a
gift by
his own
preceptor Sukracharya,
Bali
promised
the Lord what He
wanted.
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DAYAA SATAKAM 157

hardly
had Bali said
*
yes.'
when the Lord
grew
into
nighty
proportions,
measured all the world in one
foot,
all the
>pace
above in
another,
and asked
Bali, space
for the third.
In this act of the Lord
reclaiming
the world from
Bali,
Desika
;ees one
great virtue,
which no one else has
thought
of. and
sings
ibout it
as
Daya's grand
idea and
act,
done in the interests of the
;afety
and
redemption
of mankind. Jn
measuring
this earth
by
His foot the Lord is
rightly pointed
out as
having placed
His foot
>n all
objects
chara and
aclwra,
moveable and immovable. He
s said to have left the
imprint (seal)
of His foot on
all, irrespective
)f
everything (Aviseshataha).
What a
lovely
and
glorious
foot? It is a
charana-pankaja
i foot that is a lotus. Just as a lotus exhudes
hone>,
this charana-
mnkaja Foot-lotus, gives
out
plentiful
of
honey
rendered more
plentiful
by
the
paadya
qrsr (waiter
offered to the feet of
respectable
persons in
worship
intended to wash
them)
that
Brahma,
the four-
kced,
offered in
worship
to the
uplifted
foot of the Lord in His
rrivikrama form. That water is referred to here as
saparyodaka,
or water used for
worship. Saparya
is
worship, pooja.
Brahma seated in his
Satyaloka
found all on a sudden the advent
)f the Lord's foot there and
immediately
offered
paadya
to it,
That became the
Ganges.
Here the
upama
of the lotus is
pushed
urther and the water
flowing
from the foot which is a lotus is
eferred to as madhu or
honey
in that lotus..
The Foot ofthe Lord is next described as Samasta-duritachchida
Ml sins are
dispelled
thereby.
Chchedana is
forcibly cutting.
The sins are all cut asunder
by
resort,
in
any
form,
to the Lord's
iharana-pankaja.
Nigama-gandhina
is the next
description.
Exhuding
the
>erfume and
fragrance
of the Vedas. This is a
very
favourite
herne with Desika.
Vide
%^rT^^f^ftw--Velateeta
sruti
pari-
nalam of
Bhagavadhyana sopaana
and smftfecftsfq"
f^t'fejT%^^
\amoditopinigamairvibhurangriyugmc
of Goda stuti. ^r%^T:
Sarve-vedaha-yatpadam-aamananti.
Ail the Vedas
leal
only
with His Feet. So
they
have the
fragrance
of the
Vedas.
The Lord's charana
pankaja
is the seal. The whole world
lay
the three worlds
got
that seal affixed on them.
Who
put
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DAYAA SATAKAM
seal on them?
Daya
herself. Note
"
Tvam
Daye!
"
at the
>f the second
paada.
Tvam ankitam acheekaraha You made
tforld)
bear that mark or
imprint
of the seal. In all the other
.s of this decad where the sacred Hill of Tirumala is referred
; is
Vrishaachala,
Vrishadri and so on. Jn this sloka
alone,
;ver,
it is referred to as
Anjanaadri
the
collyrium
Hill.
Anjana
>llyrium
is a thick black
paste
very
often used to bedeck the
with,
especially by
ladies.
Here,
where the
imprint
of a seal
theme of the
sloka,
the reference to that black
paste
is
obviously
useful.
Anjana
serves the
purpose
of the ink that is used
it seals on documents
nowadays.
To
put
our mark or name on a book or
paper
is to ^'ndicate that
book or
paper belongs
to us.
Daya
Devi
by affixing
the seal
e Lord's
Foot,
which has several marks on it
Ascribed
by
Alavandar in his Stotra
Ratna,
makes it certain
the entire world
belongs
to the Lord and is His
property.
for us to realise
this,
that we are His
property.
Not
only
itting
the mark of His foot on our
heads,
but
by
the
wafting
e
fragrance
of the Vedas towards
us, Daya
Devi reminds us
we are His
property.
And
by
the touch of that foot our
ire all banished and we become
pure.
This is what Trivikrama
achieved, claiming
all the worlds as
wn and
indelibly sealing
them with the seal of His feet. This
dn the work of
Daya.
This sloka is the vital sloka in this decad. The
'nirupadhi
va
'
of the Lord is
beautifully brought
out
by
the word
'
avishe-
ha.' It means without
any
distinction difference or discrimi-
ti. It also means without
any
merit or value.
Ramanuja
5
gadya
has referred to the Lord as
'
Anaalochita-visesha-
a-loka-saranya
'
le is the
refuge
of
all,
and one who never
pauses
to look
ly
merit in them. The words of this sloka remind us of that
.ption by adopting
that sentiment and
employing
those
very
; asesha and visesha. This
glory
of the Lord was best demons-
. in His Trivikrama
avataara,
and is a feather
nay,
a
bright
5 in the
cap
of
Daya
Devi.
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DAYAA SATAKAM
159
Parasvatha
tapodhma prathana
satkratoopaakrita-
kshiteesvara
pasukskar^
kshamjaiaimkjmmsthmsfmhh
\'Yiskmchladayaaluna&
nmu vihartim
mlipyathaa-
nidhaaya hridaye Dayel
mhatarakshitaanaamihitam^ (86)
Daya
Devi! It lodks to me that: Hie marc^d turd
Ms smeared
you
in
sport
witfi tlie kmBkanriBte
blood
flowing
from
the bodies of the
kings
of this eattli who were slain like cows in the
sacrifkkl
ag^
of warfare OMidtaeted
fey
that
person
rich in
refigious
penance
and
holding
a battle axe
(in
his
hand) (Parasurama),
with
the idea of
securing
the
safety
of those who are rescued and
protected
by being
killed.
Parasuramavatara
is dealt
with in tMs slofca. Parasurama
and Balarama
are,
as
already
stated,
included
in the
Dasavataaras,
but
they
are avatars
differing
from the other avatars
in several
important respwts.
Firstly they
are not tfie mearnations
of the
Lord Himself
fitly*.
Paraswama
is Avesaavataara. an^rqcitv
Balararaa is am iitcamation
of Adisesha.
Avesaavatara
means
the Lord en
tering
into an iiwlrodual
sou! in an intense and intensive
manner. Psrrastirama
was bwn as a
Bratimin,
s0n of a
great sa^
Jamadagni.-
To ^cure His
purpose^
the Lord entered into lha*
person,
and for that reason
that avatar is celebrated
as an water
of the Lord
Himself. The aavesa wi%3T
or
entry
of the Lord
endted when Parasurania
confronted
Sri
Rama,
the next a*mtar.
Parasurama
is believed
to be still
Mive, being
one f the chira-
jeevinaas
fa<41ft4it
Mfee Haauoan and A&waifcaxna.
That
apart,
Parasurama's
one
great
work was the extermi-
nation of tte
Kshatriya
Vamsa
(race
of
kings),
not once but 21
times. Because his father
lamadagni
was killed
by
some
Kshatriyas,
he took
tlie terrible vow of
destroying
all
Kshatriyas.
This he
achieved
by indulging
in an
orgy
of w^1
"
aildi
killing
As
explained
by
Lord Sri Krishna in the Vibhoothi
Adhyaya
of the
Bhagavat
Geeta,
no one eae ackiew
anything
of
impertance
except by
the
- - -
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160 DAYAA SATAKAM

kings
of this
land,
Parasurama was
infusec^wit^he
$p|ffijrt>
of the
Lord.
The
Kings
deserved to be killed because
they
were evil-
minded and sinful.
By beirig puriisheff
for ^fieir'^sfhs
they
were
really benefited,
for it is
belive$;rtjhat pi|nishmp,U;t Qft]jat
sort
results in the
safety
of^the
killed,,
who are
totally
redeemed from
their sins and taken'
1
to" t8e
higher
^6'flds. In Srimad
'
Ramayana
Kishkinda
Kanda,
ri
Rajna,
says
that
Mapu, fyas^
laid down
P': (18-33)
(Persons
who
having
^committed Sins and
crimes, get punished
tlferefpirby
the
Kings
"of the
land, ;bcom^: pure (devoid
of sin
. and
criilie)
-fend
4
attainV,swarga (the
land of
.the
gpds)\ey-en lik^goqd
people get -thrift
by*
their
good jdeeds).,
:
\
j
"
^ , .1,1.
This truth is
summarised
in tlmsloka
by
'the words Pf
^KfsTcl
Hf
*
^^
iitihaârakshitaatiaim hitafn-the welfare
(hit%)
Attained
?by-.
thos6
:
whcrare
protected by 'being killed}*
as -a
punishment.
That the::
Lord as Parasurama had this in mind when
destroying
the
KsliatriT?
yasis
^pressed
by
the
wor4?~%^FTf-
i
-3aidhaaya-^nd jffi,
Hrudaye
having
jn
mind
keeping
in mind
tjhis
i, truth
about
,hita being
conferred
on
those
who^
are.
slain,,
,
.
"
r
J
.
[
"
f
Tjxe o^hei: aTjalogy
ofa
yaga
qw
alsp(
jemphasjses
this
meaning.
The^w^rfeê
in
^yhich
.Parasurama
killed the
kings
is referred to
a^ ,p. kr^tu-
^pg
or
yagna
^zriT a
religious
sacrifice.
It is
a-*sajt-kpti^
.^r^>5:T-a
goo^t
^nd
holy
sacrifice. Thsposu
T^T or,
agipialj.that-is
sacrificed at
ya.gas-
and
yagna^
it
is belie
ved,gq^s.
îSwarga. ,. -So.
too the
Kings,, movêd
dow]a
by
Parasurama,
are
iîoa.ted fts having
attained Swarsaloka.-
- .
-
;
"
r
'"*- c H
*
- t . .- \j. . :. ; ;i
-
^;^*
The*
redFerence, to
Paf^surama.Mt>y
the
words
*
parasvatdhia-
tapodhana.
'
is itself
significant.
He
was referred
to as
asahgnamunl
in/Slofca 64.
Herîe is -the
3x,e-handed
tapasvi-^sai
apparent,
contradiction, fet
prathma satkratu there are two
aspects,
war
and
yaga.
.Parasvatha
indicates
war,
and
Ja^pdhana,
indicates
ya,ga.
*; Ayar,
cr
?
uelt^
an4 destruction
have
no
place
in;
(
Daya's
dictio-
nary...
.As
such,
it is
only |he
hita
o?:
welfare that is worked
thereby
%t
gives
Para&uranja
and
his^
actions a,
place
in,
.Daya Sataica/
TÎxat, aspect,
is
stressed
'in.''this* sloka and
referred
to
as
ni|iata-
rakshâ,
protection
of .the killed. ; \
,\
'
"
/;
^ven
o Desika does imt desire to
Associate
Daya
with
Parasu-)
acj. Instead -he
refers, to
.
Vrisha^chala-Dayalu
the
merciful
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DAYAA SATAKAM
161
Resident of Vrishachala
assaying
been
responsible
for the massacre
wrought by
Parasurama.
It is
up
to
every
one to
enjoy
the nice trick
*
placed by
Desika
in, this sloka^ of
deliberately referring
to Parasiirama's. cruel feats
not as
Daya's
acts but as .those of the.
Dayala
of
Yrishachala.
What is
.more,
all
along
what
Daya
.has done to the Lord has. been
mentioned in several
.ways
"and several
places.
This- is the
only
sloka which,
sings
-of what the Lord. does to
Daya.
He is said to
smear
Daya
Devi with the blood of the sacrificial cows
kings
in
-
*
sport
vihartum
f^fcf
. It is> intended as a
saffron-paste.
Kumkuma is saffron and sthaasakais.
perfume
or
fragrant
unguents.
Aalipyathaha
anf^RTsrr.:
is
smearing,
here with
perfumery unguents.
That Desik&
has^sung
this sloka in this wise to fincf a
plate
even for Parasurama
;
avataara m this
Daya
Sataka
J
is
J
clear frbin
the use of the ôYd Nanu ^f. Is it not so? ''It must be
1
so.
,
'
-O
.
U
t ,,
'
'
At least it look's to'me to be so.
n
H
<:*
Kripe
\
Kritajagqddhite
\
Kripanajantuchintaamane
\
Ramaasahacharani. kshitau
Raghudhureenayantyaa tvayaa
VyabhQJyata saritpatisrsakrid
avekshanaat, tatkshanaat
.
rt
.v ,.
prakrishta bakupaatakqprammah&iinaa
setwaa
"
-
(87).
Kripa
Devi! Doer of
goad
to the world! Bestower of desires
on
helpless
and
hapless *beings!
It. is
only by you,
^Who;iriade
the
iLofdJ
who is fever followed
by Lakshmi,
come
(into
this
world))
as
the chief of
Raghu's race,
in those
days (i.e.,
at the time of Ramav
atar),
^that
the
great
ocekn
XJort
of the
rivers)
w divided into two
by
means of a
bridge (Sethu) which, by
a
single sight
of
it,lis
capta^le
of
instantaneously subduing (quellmg)
all numerous heinous sins.
Parasutatma to
:
Sri"
Rama vvha^t;
a'
"pleasant"
and
plieasing
transition !"
:i
Parasuifanla i^ atlso a El^riia. 'Balafama Who is to
cbme next' is also "a Rama; But when ond
says
Rdma; no one
thinks of
any
one
except
Sri
Rama,
celebrated
by
Valtniki in the
greatest epic
bf all
times,
Slimad
Ramayana.
"
Parasurama and
Balarama are
r
Ramafc with
prefixes.
Rama
simpliciter
is Sri Rama.
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DAYAA SATAKAM
>esika has said elsewhere the
greatness
of Rama has made
possible
for
anyone
else to answer to that name
It is here said that it is Etoa wh made tike Lard a
Ra,ghu-
sena^
the chief of the race of
Raghra.
That is
why
out of
e
avafers,
this avajfcam alone is
enjoyed by
Desika in the Dasa-
a stottra
by
the term
'
Kanmaa Kaakusta*' *&$m
*4'$<OT
in was so
great
and noble that he
gave
his name to ike race
faich he
belonged
the
Soorya
Vamsa. He was also one
established the
Satanaeati
cult
by
Ms conduct While enu-
ring
the notable
Saranyaas,
or
protectors
of those wJio take
e in
than,
Besifca has inohided
Raghnfc
name
aaaang
them
fSpf *Hld tlK TST4Vm*4U TOJcft
______
.Abhayapradana
Saetram.
is here said to have made the Lord a
Raghu-dhareena,
ef of
Raîu's
race and also a leader
anio.ag Saranyaas,
u
being
indicative not
only
of the race of
Raghu
but.al&o
e race of
protectors
of
prapannas.
Thus an
important aspect
imavatara is
mentioned,
awl
Ilaya
said to Jbe
re&pcmsible
for
.,
Saranaagata Samrakshana,
wMch was the declared vrata
ve)
of Sri Rama
There are ever so
many points
of merit in Ramavatara. In
loka Desika
emphasises
the
legacy
left
by
Him of the Sethu
idge
across the
sea,
btiilt
during Ramavatara,
as tfce most
inding
feature of Ramavatara for the benefit of
posterity.
t came and
went,
feust the Setu He bwlt is a
penmaiieiit
relic
at
glorious avatara,
and is
today ^vietg
mlHoiis erf
peofie
get
a
moie
agbt
erf it
*'
Setem Dhri&tva
"
y by sedBg
fte Srtu or
bridge,,
-so
goes
am aademt
[)
ai gus
dis^pear>
3 sftw
%| aifrfr
^l4^î
i*rf% dtPd*
'{Varadarâ
Panchasa^. By seeing
tiiat Setm
.
those fem ia dns world aue adbie to cr' tie o-ofcan ^0f
jra. Setu was built to make Rama and His
army
to cross
nto Lanka. That selfsame Setu
helps
us to crss the oceaja
msara and reach the
glorious city
of the
Lord's Feet
(see
51
ante).
arit is river.
Sarit-pati
is the lord f the rivers
i.e.,
the
. it was
vyafetajyata
divided into itwo
>by Daya
who
by
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DAYAA SATAKAM 13
king
the
Lord become Rama was
responsible
for the erection
the Setu or
bridge, dam,
across the ocean. Setu darsana and
husnana are held
very
sacred
by
all Hindus and are believed
cleanse us of ail our sins. And that is
Dayakaarya
the work
Daya.
The reference to Mahalakshnii the consort of the Lord in
> sloka must be
specially enjoyed.
There was no reference
Her in
any
of the
previous
slokas of this decad. Her
place
the Ramavatara is
unique.
The
Ramayana
itself is called
itaayaascharitam
mahat"
^n^r^f^^^T.
Her
place
in Saranaa-
i
y
and Her
having
been
responsible
for the construction of
Setu,
do
require
that
prominent
mention should be made about
r in a sloka about Ramavatara.
"
Raghavatve-abhavat-Sita
"
"
I.. .is what the Vishnu Purana
i said. To
sing
about the
Raghu-dhureena
without
mentioning
:ta will be
improper
and
incomplete.
As She follows Him
each avatar as stated in that sloka of Vishnu
Purana,
the refe-
:ce to Him in this sloka is as Ramaa-sahacharam T*TT
^"^
<*f
5 who is followed
by
Rama
(Lakshmi).
Or is it one who follows
kshmi? Vide
3Wd^' TrfirwiifH
1
"She" is understood in
every
itara,
but in the Ramavatara she is
very prominent.
In Krishnaa-
;aara
again
as
Rukmini,
Lakshmi fills an
important place,
and
in the next sloka but one She is
going
to be referred to.
Another
special
feature of this sloka is two extra sambhuddis
natives)
in her
praise,
in addition to the usual
Kripe!
One
Krita-jagad-hite
! one who
accomplishes
the welfare of the
rid. The other is
Kripana-jantu-chintamane!
Chintamani is
it
mythological precious gem
which like the
Kalpaka
tree is
>ab!e of
conferring
all desired boons. To those who realise
it
they
are
Kripanaas, helpless beings, Daya
is the
Chintamani,
iferer of all boons and desires. One of the
qualities
referred
in Valmiki's classical
questionnaire
to Narada is contained in
;
question
*
Sarva-bhooteshu-Ko-hitaha
'
^nrjrPJ
3?T
f=^f:
The
rds
Krita-jagat-hite
reflect that
quality
of the Lord. The Lord's
^fl"
is summarised
by
the
epithet Kripana-jantu-
ufamane!
Day^'s great qualities
are best reflected ii Rama
Kofortttat reason is known as Karunaakaakutstha ^
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162 DAYAA SATAKAM

As Desika has said: elsewhere the
greatness
of Rama has made
it
impossible
for
anyone
else to answer to that name
(jr/rL&
It is here said that it is
Ba$ra
who made the Lord a
Raghn-
diwreena,
the chief of the race of
Raghn.
That is
why
out' of
ai the
avatars,
this avalara alone is.
enjoyed by
Desika in the Dasa-
wtara startra
by
the term
*
Kamnaa
Kaakusta.'
3F$ifT
Rfct*l
Raghu
was so
great
and oble that he
gave
Ms name to the race
to which he
belonged
tine
Sooarya
Yanisa. He was also one
who established the
Saratagati
cult
by
Ms conduct Wfaiie enu-
merating
the motable
Saranyaas,
or
protectors
of those wJio take
in
then,
Desika has inchrfed
Raghif
& name
maaaag.
'them
t......
Abhayapnmdana
Saaram.
Daya
is here said to have made the Lord a
Raghu-dhmreena,
a chief of
Raghu's
race and also a leader
amoaig Saranyaas,
Raghu being
indicative not
only
of the race ,of
Raghu
but.ako
of the race of
protectors
of
prapannas.
Thus an
important aspect
of Ramavatara is
mentioned,
Mid
Daya
said to fee
responsible
for
it, viz.,
Saranaagata Sajoaksina,
wWch was Ae declared vrata
(resolve)
of Sri Rama
There are ever so
many points
of merit in
Ramavatara. In
this sloka Desika
emphasises
the
legacy
left
by
Him of the Sethu
or
bridge
across the
sea,
btiilt
during Ramavatara,
as the most
outstanding
feature of
Ramavatara for the benefit of
posterity.
Mama came and
went,
tot the Seta He built is a
pwmaaeiit
relic
erf that
glorious
avatara,
and is
today saving
Millions rf
people
who
get
a
ruene
sight
df it
"
Setma -Dbristva
"
merely by seeing
the Sstu or
bridge,-^
ôes
am ancieiit
cncP^,
(aradaraja
Pmohasat^ % seeing
titat
today,
tfanse 1mm m Om world ane aUe t
'
cross the
ocean of
samsara. Setu was built to meke Rama and His
army
to cross
over
into Lajnka. That selfsame Setu
helps
us to crss the
ocean
of
Samsara and reach the
glorious
city
of the
Lord's Feet
(see
sloka 51
ante).
Sarit is river.
Sarit-paM
is the lord 0f the rivers
i.e.,
the
ocean. It was
vyabtfajiyata
divided into two
by Daya
wb
by
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DAYAA SATAKAM
1^3
ig
the Lord become Rama was
responsible
for the erection
s Setu or
bridge,
dam,
across the ocean. Setu darsana and
tsnana are held
very
sacred
by
all Hindus and are believed
;anse us of all our sins. And that is
Dayakaarya
the work
aya.
The reference to Mahalakshmi the consort of the Lord in
sloka must be
specially
enjoyed.
There was no reference
er in.
any
of the
previous
slokas of this decad. Her
place
le Ramavatara is
unique.
The
Ramayana
itself is called
ayaascharitam
mahat"
^dHl^fef^R^cf-
Her
place
in Saranaa-
and Her
having
been
responsible
for the construction of
etu,
do
require
that
prominent
mention should be made about
in ,a sloka about Ramavatara.
"
Raghavatve-abhavat-Sita
"
r I*
5 wât fas Vishnu Purana
aid.
^
To
sing
about the
Raghu-dhureena
without
mentioning
i will be
improper
and
incomplete.
As She follows Him
,ch avatar as stated in that sloka of Vishnu
Purana,
the refe-
? to Him in this sloka is as Ramaa-sahacharam W
^f^TOT
who is followed
by
Rama
(Lakshmi).
Or is it one who follows
hmi? Vide
m^*lfomifil
"She" is understood in
every
ira,
but in the Ramavatara she is
very prominent.
In Krishnaa-
ira
again
as
Rukmini,
Lakshmi fills an
important place,
and
L the next sloka but one She is
going
to be referred to.
Another
special
feature of this sloka is two extra sambhuddis
itives)
in her
praise,
in addition to the usual
Kripe!
One
jita-jagad-hite!
one who
accomplishes
the welfare of the
d. The other is
Kripana-jantu-chintamane
! Chintamani
is
mythological precious
gem
which like the
Kalpaka
tree is
We of
conferring
all desired boons. To those who realise
they
are
Kripanaas, helpless
beings, Daya
is the Chintamani,
erer of all boons and desires. One of the
qualities
referred
i Valmikfs classical
questionnaire
to Narada is contained
in
question
'
Sarva-bhooteshu-Ko-hitaha
'
*r*nTcr*T
ift
%T:
The
is
Krita-jagat-hite
reflect that
quality
of the Lord.
The Lord's
is summarised
by
the
epithet
Kripana-jantu-
tamane!
Day?"s great qualities
are best reflected ii Rama
foe that reason is known as Karunaakaakutstha-
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>el
paravatas-ivayaa Vrishagireesituh
kreeditam
jagaddhitam
aseshatas-tadidam ittam
arthaapyate
i
iachchalaparichyutapranata dushkritaprekshitair-
hataprabaladaanavair-Haladharasya
helaasataihi
(88)
Kripa
Devi! All the
sportings (leela)
without
exception
of the
1 of
Vrishaadri,
Who is ever amenable and
subservient
to
you,
(because
of that
very fact)
calculated for the hita or welfare
ic world. This is well home out
by
the
hundreds of
sports,
in-
ed in
by
that wielder of the
plough
(Balarama),
which
overlook,
fail to attach
importance to,
the
misdeeds of those who
pay
sance
(bend
themselves in
salutation),
ostensibly
because of in-
?ty (due
to
heavy
drinking),
and which are
responsible
for
killing
ral
strong
and noted asuras.
As
already
mentioned in the
commentary
on Sloka
86,
Bala-
i is a
secondary
.avatara of the Lord.
Sesha
(Adisesha)
the
ent-Couch of the Lord was born
a$ Lakshmana when the
i came as
Rama, and as
Balarama when the Lord came as
tina. As the
younger
brother in the
earlier avatara and as
slder brother ii the later
avatara, Lakshmana and Balarama
actively occupy
a
subordinate
position
and
play
a
secondary
ff
anger
was the
keynote
to
Parasurama's
acts,
drink
i?t Bale-
's favourite
pastime.
Excessive
drink
leads to
intaxication
tig
such
moments
vision is
blurred. That
is
caught
hold
r Desika here
nicely,
and
it is stated
that
vision
being dim,
;nition
of the
faults of
those,
who have
appealed
for
s.yc$pur
)ing
obeisance
(pranata), slips,
with the
result that
their
finite
tmoticed.
In sloka 8 at
the
beginning
of
this stotra
sonjie
of
dosha-adarsanatvam
^TTOR^f (fault-unseeingness)
was
uted to the
Lord
Himself.
That 'was
caused,
by
the-
amours
eela
Devi. In this
Balaramavataar,
there is the same lack
dng
note of the
devotee's
faults;
but this is due to drink.
)verlooking
sins is what
Daya
Devi is
anxious to
bring
about
J
Lord,
so that those
sins
may
not stand in the
way
of His
ling
His
protection
to his
pranataas
(worshippers).
That
is
achieved
in
Balaramavatara
by
His
frequently
getting
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DAYAA SATAKAM 165

Irunk,
and not
being,
in a
position
to take note of the sins of
rtanataas. This is a
novel
method of
discovering
merit even in
irunknness. , But as
-already stated,
Desika is hard
put
to find
points in Parasurama and
Balarama for
being enjoyed
as
part
of
;he
praise
of,
Daya.
The other merit in
the
sports
of Balarama is referred to in
4
hata-prabala-daanavaihi "the destruction of the more noted
isuras.
Along
with
Krishna,
Balarama has been
responsible
'or the destruction of
several asuras who were all sent
by
Kamsa
:o do
away
with
Balarama and Krishna. That sort of asura-
lirasana is referred to here.
Just as
Parasurama has an axe as his
weapon,
Balarama has
i
plough
(halaf^r)
as his
weapon.
It is said that with that
>Iough
He
dragged
the whole
city
of
Hastinapura
into the
Ganges.
5o Balarama is here referred to as Haladhara.
T Hela is
sport, play,
Helaa-sata
I^TTCRf
is hundreds
>f such
sport.
, From the
above-mentioned two-fold merit in Balarama's
portiveness,
it is stated that all the Kreeditvam or
playfulness
>f the Lord is conceived for the benefit
(hita)
of
humanity.
The
eason
for it is not far to seek. The Lord is
Daya-paratantra
lependent
on and
subservient
to
Daya
Devi. Hence even His
ports
are beneficial
to, mankind. That Balarama's
sports
confirm
his
theory by illustrating it,
is the
purport
of this sloka. In the
)a!savatara
Stotra,
it is said that Balarama's leelas sweeten
Crishna's
leelas,
like
sugar sweetening
milk.
*rabhoota vlbudhadvlshad bharanakhinna Visvambharaa-
hharaapanayanachchhalaat
1vam
avataarya
Lakshmeedharam
i
Wraakritavatee
Day
el
mgamasaudhadeepasriyaa
vipavchidavigeetayaa
jagati Geetayaa
andham tamaha
"
(89)
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la
DAYAA SATAKAM
carry (on
her
back)
innumerable and
migfety
foes of ttie
Devas, JOB,
Made
Him,
who carries Lakshmi
(on
His
chest),
to come
down t#
tMs
earth,
and
(thereby)
drove out all inner
(menial)
darkness
witli
the
hdp
of the
Bhagavat Geeta,
whose beautiful
efl&ilgenee
is calcn*-
lated to shed
light
and lustre on the
lofty
mansion of the
Vedas,
and
whose
greatness
is
accepted
and
praised by
learned men
the world
over.
Krishna Avatara is
being praised
in this verse.
Rama and
Krishna as avatars excel the other avatars in ever so manv
respects.
But there is one
aspect
in each of these two avatars which
Desika
draws our attention
to,
in the slokas devoted to the two of Item
It is
only
these two avatars that have left
permanent
and
imperi-
shable relics of their
having
come and
gone.
The Setu
(bridge
over the
sea)
and the Geeta are those two
respective
relics,. So
Desika
sings
in these slokas of
Data's great help
rendered to succee-
ding generations
cf
humanity
in the
shape
of these two emblems
of the Lord's love towards all men.
Krishna the child is the
darling
of
humanity.
That
aspect
partakes
of leela or kreeda. In Desika's view Karuita is the
key-
note of Ramavatara and Kreeda of Krishâvmtara. That is
why
Ram? is referred to as
Karimaia-Kaakiista and Krishna as Kreeda-
Vallabha,
in the Dasavatara Stotra. This sloka devoted to Krishna-
vatara does not touch
upon
that
sportful
Child at all.
Instead*
taki.ig
its stand on the declaration of Lord Sri Krishna in the GeeUt
about the raiwndfetre of His avataara in
general
tfifflft
git spr
||
the sloka dwells
upon
two
important aspects,
the
wiping
out of
the asura elements which made the earth
over-run
by evil,
and
the
promulgation
of the Geeta, It is
easily
seen that duskkrit
vinaasa is mentioned in the
earlier
portion
of the sloka. The
reference to Geeta in the latter
portion
has to be
understood in.
its two-fold
aspect, viz.,
Sadhu-paritrana
and Dharma
Samsthapana,
Which other work has the same
capacity
to make
Sadhus of all
men,
and to
protect
them?
And which other has been able to
put
dharma on a firm
pedestal
as
Gteta has done? So it is that
this sloka on
Kiishnavatara is
conceived this wise.
The
Dasamaskanda of the Srircrad
Bhagnvata
P^raita starts
with the
episode
of
Mother Earth
going
to
Brahtmdeva in*
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0AYAA SATAKAM
brm of a
cow,
and
appealing
to him for
help
to
wipe
off the h
dad of
sinners,
under whose atrocities she was
suffering
ui
nisery.
That is
brought
to our minds here
by
the w
'
Vishvambharaa-bhara-apanayana
"
f^WTPSTT-^T^F^,
mea
elievirag
the earth from burden. Who make for that bur<
vlother Earth is
known for her
patience.
What or who is it
nakes even her lose
patience
and
begin
to
complain?
The ansv
urnished
by
the
expression
"
prabhoota-vibhuda-dvishad-bhai
diinna."
Suffering
because of the
weight
of the
large
mn
>f the Devas' foes.
That the
extermination of asuras is done for the
prote<
)f the
Devas is
very naively brought
out
by refening
to their
is asuras but as the foes of the
Devas. The Lord Himseli
10 friends and no foes. The foes of those who look
up
to
"or
protection
are His
foes,
as Krishna Himself
explains
Duryodhana
when the latter wanted to
play
the host to the I
6
Taking
food from a foe is taboo so too
feeding
a foe. You
:he
Pandavas;
and the Paadavas are the
very
life of
my
:
swi
ft
<n^
11
We are reminded of this truth
by
the
expression
Vibuda-dv:
to denote the asuras.
Even more
significant
and beautiful is the use of the
"chchda," meaning pretext.
The
purpose
of
wiping
oui
astiras and
thereby lelieving
the world of its burden is ref
to as a chchala or a
pretext,
a
guise,
a semblance.
This
ii
the clref
object
(WiM+H*H)
of avatara
as indicated
b]
'cha'în
**
Vinaasaaya-cha-dushkritaam."
In the
guis
sending
the Lord to this world for the
purpose
of extermin
the evil forces of the
asuras, you
have
really given
to us th
mortal and
priceless
Geeta,
that is the
praise
of
Daya
tha
&loka
contains.
The
previous
sluka used the word
"
chchala,"
Madachc
parichyuta-pranata-dushkrita-prek^hitaihi.
On the
pretenc
being
drunk,
notice is not taken
of the errors of followers.
the Lord as Balarama did not
really get
drunk was
nicely
indi
there. He
pretended
to have
got
intoxicated
and therefor
in a
position
to see the fault in His devotees.
The same
triltTl
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H$8 DAYAA SATAKAM

Avataarya having
made the Lord descend.
Compare
tvan-
nidesena-noonam-bhajati-janmabhedaan
*
of sloka
35 ante. It
is
Day
a that is
responsible
foi the Lord's
avatars.
'
Lakshmee-dharam';
As
already
indicated Lakshmi
is made
specific
mention of
only
in
regard
to Ramavatara
and Krishna-
vatara. There it was Ramaa-sahacharam because it
was an avatar
in which the Two
together
traversed the entire
Bharatavarsha.
Here it is Laksbmee-dharam He who
always
carries
Her as
part
of Himself. Lakshmee-dhara is a
synonym
for
Srinivasa, the
God whose
Daya
is the
subject
of this stotra.
J
Having
made the Lord and Sri descend into
this earth as
Krishna and
Rukmini,
ostensibly
for the destruction of
asuras,
what is it that
Daya
Devi
really
achieved? That is dealt witH
in the second half of the sloka. The first and last words of that
half are
*
Niraakritavatee
'
and
*
tamaha
'
respectively.
Put
together they
mean
"
you
have
dispelled
darkness
"
i
, How,
by
what?
*
deepasriyaa Geetaya'
By
a beautiful
light
known as the Geeta.
The
greatness
of the Geeta is
enjoyed
in two
ways by
two
epithets.
Thb
f
"first is
Nigama-saudha-deepd-sriya-geetaya, by
the Geeta
which ,adorns and
illuminates the
palatial
mansion
known as the
Vedas. saudha is a
big
and beautiful mansion.
Here
Nigama
(or
the
Vedas)
Js referred to as the saudha. The
Vedas.
themselves are
Knowledge
and are
very
often, referred to
as
, light (Ga/65
<sSl<str&
<g).
Vide
Saastra-mayena-stira-pradeepena
sloka
18 ante. It is
Desika's
conviction that
without the
Bhagavat
Geeta
given
out
by
the Lord
Himself,
and the
Prabhandas
(Targil)
given
out
by.
the Lord's own
devotees,
who
intuited Him
by
Jfis
grace,
the Vedas
would not have
yielded
to us their
true,
meaning.
The
light
of the Geela is
praised
here. The other
light
(Prabhandas)
is
praised
thus:
/snrs^w^ûjis^rB^L^^^w^Q^^^rr^^^Qi^^
<S$VT&@
T&e Geeta
throws
light
on those Vedas
themselves and so it
is
referred to as
Deepa,
and the Vedas as the
saudha,
the
mansion
iff and on
which it
sheds its
lustre. The Geeta is a short and suc-
cihct,
summary
of
the
elaborate and
endless
Vedas,
whose
true
yeaning,
it
would
'
have
been
difficult,
if not
impossible,
to
find
btit for the
advent of the
Geeta.
"
:
..
,
The
other
epithet
in
praise
of the
Geeta is
Vipaschit
avigee^
taya.
Vipaschit indicates
learned and wise
men,
pundits.
Vigeeit
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DAYAA SATAKAM 169

isure,
disapproval Avigeeti
is the
opposite
of it and therefore
is
approval
and
praise.
If there is -one treatise on matters
>irit
which has
always found,
is
finding now,
and which will
find, universal
approval, approbation,
and
adoption,
it is
ubtedly
the :
Bhagavat
.
Geeta, If we remember that- into
st
every language
now
prevalent
in the
world,
the "Geeta
>een and is
being translated,
Desika's words
*
Vipaschit-avigee-
*
would almost
appear
to be
prophetic.
By
such a
Geeta,
the world has been able to discard
darkness,
ignorance,
and revel in
light
and
knowledge.
And that is
chievement of
Daya
Devi. As
already
indicated the
dispelling
irkness is what
wa$.
really wrought by Daya
ia and"
by
her
;ing
the Lord into this world as Lord Sri Krishna.
II'
o)
aadrihayasaddinah
prabaladormamtprenkhitas-
vtshaa
sphutatatidgunas-tvadavasekasamskaaravaan
i
v
hyati Dayel kaliprabalagharmanirmoolcmah
mnah
Kritayugaankuram
Bhuvi
kripaana
dhaamadharaha
(96)
Daya
Devi! The cloud that is the Sword in the hand of the Horse-
of
Vrishadri, swung vigorously by
the
quick
movements of
lighty hand, having
the
brightness
of
lightning, purified
and
ied
by being dipped
in
you,
and
capable
of
dispelling
the
strong
excessive heat
engendered by Kaliyuga,
is sure to establish in
irth the
sprouts
that will
again bring
in the Krita
Yuga.
Crishhaavatara is the last of the incarnations that
,the
Lord'
ssumed
up
till now. It is said that at" the end of this Kali-'
the Lord will come into the world once
again
"as a
mighty
or
riding
~a horse and
holding
a sword or sabre in his hand
which to mow down evil and evil-minded"men. That avatar
jrred to as the Kalki avatar and is
sung
about
by
all the
paranas.*
Deva in his celebrated Geeta Govindam
sings
about it thtis :-
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166 DAYAA
SATAKAM
carry (on
her
back)
innumerable
and
mighty
foes of the
Devas, you
made
Him,
who carries Lakshmi
(on
His
chest),
to come down to
this
earth,
and
(thereby)
drove out ail inner
(nien*a!)
darkness witft
the
hdp
of the
Bhagavat
Geeta,
whose beautiful
effulgence
is calcic
lated to shed
light
and lustre on the
lofty
mansion of the
Vedas,
and*
whose
greatness
is
accepted
and
praised by
learned men the world
over.
Krishna Avatara is
being praised
in this verse. Rama and
Krishna as avatars excel the other avatars in ever so
many respects,
But there is one
aspect
in each of these two
avatars which Desika
draws our attention
to,
in the slokas devoted to the two of them.
It is
only
these two avatars that have left
permanent
and
imperi-
shable relics of their
having
come and
gone.
The Setu
(bridge
over the
sea)
and the Geeta are those two
respective
relics,. So
Desika
sings
in these slokas of
Data's great help
rendered to succee-
ding generations
cf
humanity
in the
shape
of these two emblems
of the Lord's love towards all men.
Krishna the child is the
darling
of
humanity.
That
aspect
partakes
of leela or kreeda. In Besika's view Karuaia is the
key-
note of Ramavatara and Kreeda of Krishfiavatara. That is
why
Ram? is referred to as Kartmaa-Kaakusta and Krishna as Kreeda-
Vallabha,
in the Dasavatara Stotra. This sloka devoted to Kriskaa-
vatara does not touch
upon
that
sportful
Child at all.
Instead^
taki.ig
its stand on the declaration of Lord Sri Krishna in the Geeta
about the rahonde*e1re of His avataara in
general
\\
the sloka dwells
upon
two
important aspects,
the
wiping
out of
the asura elements which made the earth over-run
by evil,
and
the
promulgation
of the Geeta, It is
easily
seem that duskkrit
vinaasa is mentioned in the earlier
portion
of the sloka. The
reference to Geeta in the latter
portion
has to be
understood in
its two-fold
aspect, viz.,
Sadhu-paritrana
and Dharma
Samsthapana.
Which other work has the same
capacity
to make Sadhus of all
men,
and to
protect
them? And which other has been able to
put
dharma on a firm
pedestal
as Gteta has done? So it is that
this sloka on
Kiishnavatara is conceived this wise.
The
Dasamaskanda of the Srimad
BhagEvata
Parana starts
with the
episode
of Mother
Earth
going
to
Brahnodero' iw- tie
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0AYAA SATAKAM 167

of a
cow, and
appealing
to him for
help
to
wipe
off the
heavy
of
sinners,
under whose atrocities she was
suffering
untold
y.
That is
brought
to our minds here
by
the words
hvambharaa-bhara-apanayana
"
fe^^T-siWR, meaning
ing
the earth from burden. Who make for that burden?
ler
Earth is known for her
patience.
What or who is it that
s even her lose
patience
and
begin
to
complain?
The answer is
>hed
by
the
expression
"
prabhoota-vibhuda-dvishad-bharana-
ia."
Suffering
because of the
weight
of the
Urge
number
e
Devas' foes.
That the extermination of asuras is done for the
protection
5
Devas is
very naively brought
out
by refening
to them not
uras but as the foes of the Devas. The Lord Himself has
iends and no foes. The foes of those who look
up
to Him
protection are His
foes,
as Krishna Himself
explained
to
odhana when the latter wanted to
play
the host to the Lord.
dng
food from a foe is taboo so too
feeding
a foe. You hate
'andavas;
and the Pa-idavas are the
very
life of
my
life.'*
TO
.re
reminded of this truth
by
the
expression
Vibuda-dvishad
note the asuras.
Even more
significant
and beautiful is the use of the word
h?.la,"
meaning pretext.
The
purpose
of
wiping
out the
s and
thereby iclieving
the world of its burden is referred
a chchala or a
pretext,
a
guise,
a semblance. This is not
cJref
object
(^rewffSFT)
of avatara as indicated
by
the
*
^ in
**
Vinaasaaya-cha-dushkritaam."
In the
guise
of
ng
the Lord to this world for the
purpose
of
exterminating
vil forces of the
asuras,
you
have
really given
to us the im-
il and
priceless
Geeta,
that is the
praise
of
Daya
that this
contains.
The
previous
sloka used the word
"
chchala,"
Madachchala-
lyuta-pranata-dushkrita-prek^hitaihi.
On the
pretence
of
;
drunk,
notice is not taken of the errors of followers. That
ord as Balarama did not
really get
drunk was
nicely
indicated
, He
pretended
to have
got
intoxicated and therefore not
>osition to see the fault in His devotees. The same word
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H58
DAYAA SATAKAM
Avataarya having
made
the Lord descend.
Compare
tvan-
nidesena-noonam-bhajati-janmabhedaan
'
of
sloka
35 ante. It
is
Daya
that is
responsible
foi the Lord's avatars.
'Lakshmee-dharam';
As
already
indicated Lakshmi is made
specific
mention of
only
in
regard
to Ramavatara and Krishna-
vatara. There it was Ramaa-sahacharam because it was an avatar
in which the Two
together
traversed the entire Bharatavarsha .
Here it is Lakshmee-dharam He who
always
carries Her as
part
of Himself. Lakshmee-dhara is a
s>nonym
for Srinivasa, the
God whose
Daya
is the
subject
of this slotra.
**
Having
made the Lord and Sri descend into this earth as
Krishna and
Rukmini,
ostensibly
for the destruction of
asuras,
what is it that
Daya
Devi
really
achieved? That is dealt witft
in the second half of the sloka. The first and last words of that
half are
*
Niraakritavatee
'
and
*
tamaha
'
respectively.
Put
together they
mean
"
you
have
dispelled
darkness
"
How,
by
what?
*
deepasriyaa
Geetaya'- By
a beautiful
light
known as the Geeta.
The
greatness
of the Geeta is
enjoyed
in two
ways by
two
epithets.
The
f
'first is
Nigama-saudha-deepd^sriya-geetaya, by
the Geeta
which .adorns and
illuminates the
palatial .mansion
known as the
Vedas. saudha is a
big
and
beautiful
mansion.
Here
Nigama (or
the
Vedas)
is
referred to as the
saudha. The
Vedas.
themselves are
Knowledge
and are
very
often referred to
as. light
(3ai,s6flr*@).
Vide
Saastra-mayena-stira-pradeepena
loka 18
aate. It is
Desika's
conviction that
without the
Bhagavat
Geeta
given
out
by
the Lord
Himself,
and the
Prabhandas
(Tatîi)
given
out
by
the
Lord's own
devotees,
who
intuited Him
by
tlis
grace,
the
Vedas
would not
have
yielded
to us their
true,
meaning.
The
light
of the Geeta is
praised
here. The other
light
(Prabhandas)
is
praised
thus:
^û^^jouj^îB^L^^misiaQ^Gfl^rri^Q^Quîu
^@
T&e Geeta
throws
light
on those
Vedas
themselves and so it
is
referred to as
Deepa,
and the
Vedas as the
saudha,
the
mansion
iff and on
which it
sheds its
lustre. The
Geeta is a short and sue-
cAst
summary
of
the
elaborate
and
endless
Vedas, whose true
????*?
woukrhave
been diffi
^>
if not
impossible,
to find
btit for
the
advent of the
Geeta.
"
:'
-
;
The
other
epithet
in
praise
of
the
Geeta is
Vipaschit
avigee-
taya.
Vipaschit indicates
learned
and wise
men,
pundits,
Vigeeii
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DAYAA SATAKAM
s
censure,
disapproval.
Avigeeti
is the
opposite
of it and then
rreans
approval
and
praise.
If there is one treatise on ma
>f
"spirit
which has
always, found,
is
finding now,
and which
>ver
find,
universal
approval, approbation,
and
adoption,
mdoubtQdly,
the
-.Bhagavat
,. Geeta,
If we remember that
tiniest
every,
language
now
prevalent
in the
world,
the C
las been and is
being translated,
Desika's words
*
Vipaschit-av
aya
*
would almost
appear
to be
prophetic.
:
By
such a
Geeta,
the world has been able to discard dart
L'nd
ignorance,
and revel in
light
and
knowledge.
And th:
he .achievement of
Daya
Devi. As
already
indicated the
dispe
jdLdarkness is what was.
really wrought by Daya
in and'
by
>ringing
the Lord
into this world as Lord Sri Krishna. ,
'/rishaadrihayasaddinahprabaladormarutprenkhitas-
tvishaa
sphutatatidgunas-tvadavasekasamskaaravaan
i
*
ârishyali Daye
!
'kaliprabalagharmanirmoolanah
punah Kritayugaankuram
Bhuvi
kripaana
dhaaraadharaha
n
Daya
Devi! The cloiid that is the Sword in the hand of the H
idr of
Vrishadri, swiing vigorously
by
the
quick
movenieril
he
mighty
hand, having
the
brightness
of
lightnings purified
tolished
by being dipped
in
you,
and
capable
of
dispelling
the si
ind excessive heat
engendered
hy Kaliyuga,
is sure to estahli;
he earth the
sprouts
that will
again bring
in the Krita
Yuga.
*
'
'
Krishnaavatarals'the
last of the incarnations
that,
the ]
las assumed
up
till now. If is said that" at" the end of this 1
ûga,
the Lord will come into the world once
again
as a mi
varrior
riding
"a horse and
holding
a -sword or sabre in his
1
vith which to mow down evil and evil-minded'nien. That a^
s referred to as the Kalki avatar and is
sung
about
by
all the
pan
r
aya
Deva in his
celebrated
Geeta Govindain
sings
about
it 1
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170 DAYAA SATAKAM

Karavaalam means a sword and Desika has
sung
in this sloka
about the same sword of Kalki
calling
it
by
another
name
>
Kripacma
That sword is
compared
to a
cloud,
Kripaana-dhaai-adharaha
the sword which is a cloud.
The clouds are made to
go
hither and thither
by
the winds.
The sword in the hand of Kalki is
swung
about
by
the force of
the movements of the arm which holds it.
The clouds are
frequently
lit
up by lightning.
The sword
is so
bright
that with
every
movement its lustre
simply
dazzles.
The clouds are well filled with water from the seas. The
sword is well
equipped
(Samskaaravaan)
for its task
by being
dipped
(avaseka)
in
Daya..
The clouds
dispel
heat. This sword is
going
to do
away
with all the
great
and
mighty
forces of evil
inflicting
harm and
distress
upon
the world in thh Kali
age.
And
just
as the cloud
by
its showers
helps crops,
shrubs,
plants
and trees to
sprout,
this sword is
going
to
pave
the
way for,
and
establish,
the
beginn-
ings
of the next
yuga,
the Krita
Yuga.
Just as useless forests
are
destroyed
and in their
place
helpful
and useful
crops
are
reared,
the Sword of Kalki
Bhagavan
will
destroy
this evil-satitraced world
and in its
place
start a new world based on dharma.
The word Kalki does not find
mention
here,
as indeed the
names of several avatars did not in the
preceding
slokas. But
reference is made to
Vrishaadri-hayasaadina
or the
equestrian
of
Vrishachala Lord
Srinivasa,
and it is the sword in His hand
that is
going
to
work havoc
with the world at the end of this
Yuga.
and set the
stage
ready
for the
ushering
in of
Kritayuga.
This is
possible
because that
sword is
dipped
in
Daya,
and
Daya
always
works for the benefit of
humanity.
The decad started
with the
spread
of
Kalamegha (black
cloud)
in this
world,
and ends
with
daaradharaha also
meaning
cloud,
There is no other
object
which reflects
Daya
Devi's
selflessness
and
plentiful
giving except
the
clouds;
and that
probably explains
why
the Lord has lent His own colour to the clouds.
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W:
DAYAA SATAKAM
TENTH DECAD.
7
TER
having
dealt with the
greatness
and
glory
of
Daya
in
90
slokas,
the
poet
remembers about himself
and the benefits
to
pbtain
for himself from
Daya
Devi.
Readers would have
xi how in the course of those 90 slokas
except
on
very
few
ions,
such as in slokas
12,
30 and
60,
the
poet
had never
prayed
imself. A
contemplation
of one's own loneliness is bound
me while one is
dwelling upon
the exalted
nature of
Daya.
ave
already
seen that
Kaarpanya*
or the
helplessness
of the
dual soul without the aid of
Daya,
is a chief factor to be
note of
by
one
resorting
to
prapatti. Impelled by
these,
ther similar reasons Vedanta Desika in
this,
the
closing
decad
5
glorious stotra,
refers to his sinful
propensities
and to his
;tate of
helplessness,
and makes a
pathetic appeal
to
Daya
to
co$ie
to his rescue and to
help
him attain Mokshananda.
t is but natural for
any
one who has for a time looked
up
5
glories
of God and His
greatness,
to be seized with a sense
yulsion when one turns to one's own self.
Alavandar,
for
ice,
in his Stotra Ratna revels in the
enjoyment
of the
great
in several slokas. When he thinks of himself after all
that,
seized with a sense of
disgust
which finds
expression
in tho
/ing
words:
"
Dhig
asuchim avineetam
nirdayain
maam
alaj-
fawf% srflFftef fo^f m sraw
(Fie
on
me,
the
impure,
the
stless,
the
compassionless,
and the shame4ess
being.)
And
tually apologises
for
pretending
to desire to attain God who
luded
great persons
like Sanaka and Sa&andana:
In that
strain Vedanta Desika describes m
tlus
decad his dire and
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172
DAYAA
SATAKAM
deplorable
state and
pathetically
appeals
to
Daya
for
help
and
succour.
The
depression
in the
poet's
mind as he thinks of his
pitiable
state is reflected in the riietre
employed
in 'this decad.
Whereas
from the fourth decad
onw^.naetres
with 15 and 17
syllables
were handled
by
the
poet,
in
this,
the metre shrinks to a
14-syllabled
one. It is known
variously
as
Vasanta-tilaka,
simmonnata,
and
udhdharshinee.
Many
other' srtofras
;
of De'sika like
Varadaraja
Panchasat, Devanayaka
Panchasat and Goda Stuti are in the main
composed
in
this metre. The
topic
of
ifyis
decad is
Satpadar-
vyaam Sahaayaha
flW^f
tffRT:
or
help along
the
right path.
Visvppakaararn
iti
naama sadaa duhaariaam
*
: ;; adyaapi
Devil bhvateem
avddheerayantam
i
*
Nmtfoe
nivesaya.Vrishaadripatau^Daygl
tvam
- 2
hyasthasvamkshanabharam
tvayi
rflaam
tv&yaiva-n (91)
'Devi!
Daya
of the Lord of
Vrishagiri!
In
regard
to
you,
who
thus
(in
this
wise) always yields
all benefits
(to
one and
all),
I have
eten now
nothing
but indifference arid
disrespect;
yet, having
of
yoiir
own
accord
accepted
and taken
up
the burden of
protecting
roe;
you yourself
please Raceme
in the Lord.
;
///
naama
^%?nw
În this wise. This
expression
is in-
tended to take in all the
qualities
of
Daya enjoyed-
in the
previous
nine
decads.
-
'"
. :.. -
v
r:. - o: . s \ ,-iv :; .:;
:
,
;
.";in
this
wise, you .yield
the" milk o
k4aram).
,
Visvbpakara may"alsoc
be taken to mean all sorts
a^d-
kind of
helps
and
aids
to the men and
women of the world.
"
~7
.
.Dutoanaam is a
beautiful word. .It
.means
yielding
-milk
like a cow. A cow
will
yield jpilk when
it
is
imjilfed.;
"
,
It
will also
yield
to feed its calf.
Sometimes it
yields
of its
own
accord,
when.
oveipowered by
love
and affection towards its calf
-which-.is: notr'
by its, side, Andal in
her,
Tiruppavai,
(12) enjoys
.the last of tire!
*boye
tliree.fQrms.of
yielding
mUk
3 .wheA she
sings
*\
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DAYAA SATAKAM 17$

(Lp8so<sitil(]>uj jS<ssr^
unrso G&rtrr
"
(pouring
milk
in
plenty through
its teats at the mere
loving thought
of its
calf!)
This is a most
appropriate
and
fitting description
of the
way Daya
Devi
yields
milk to save
us,
her
young
ones. We do not even
think of
her,
we even
slight
her. She does not mind. She makes
us
think,
then .herself thinks for
us,
and blesses us.
&rr<ssr
<oT<ssr&&nruj
$8ssri5gj ^0<syrQ<grujL/Lb.
This is
Tirumanâi
AhVar's beautiful
description
of the
process
of
protection
extended
to tis.'.i Like a calf
thinking
of its mother
cow, for
like the calf
fondly thought
of
by
the mother
cow)
we are made to think of
the
Lord,
and even
thereafter,'
as we cannot know what is for
our welfare and what is
not,
the Lord thinks for
us, just
like a
mother
(^rruSl^jib &ir)uLHflj5gj
with a
love
and affection ex-
ceeding
even that of, a fond
mother,
as Manickavachaka
Swamigal
has
put it)
and showers His Grace on us. All these fine senti-
ments are
suggested by
the reference to the
yielding
.
of milk*-*
duhaanaam.
. ,
,
.
'
-'
'
Dohana or
milking niay
in this context be understood as not
only
as
yielding milk,
but also
milking. Visvopakaaram
duhaa-
njaam-may
be understood to indicate the
process by
which
Daya
Dpvi jnakes the Lord
yield
those several benefits. There is a
sayiiag
that all the
Upanishads
are
cows,
Lord Krishna the
Gopa
Sg tfie
dogdha
iffivR) (the, milker),
and the Geeta the milk
yielded by
tho$e cows for the benefit
>
of the
learned, Arjuna being
the calf
utilised for such
milking.
Here
Desika
seems to
go
a
step
further
and make the
Gopa (Krishna)
Himself a cow.
Daya
Davi milks
Him,
and the milk that
flows from the Lord is the
Viswppakaram
which the sloka
begins,
...
How should such as I
regard
such as
you?
with
love,
affection
reivbrence;
and
gratitude.
But as a matter of
fact,
what is
my
attitude towards
you? Avadheerayantam
maam
I hdve no
regard
for
you.
I have no
respect
for
you.
I
neglect
you. Adhyaapi
3rgrPr
Even now. Even
now,
even after 1*
J*ave
v
learnt kbout
your greatness, goodness,
:
and
glory^
as can
be
'seen from the
previous
slokas
sung by
me. To know about
you
is one
thing.
To adore
you
is another
thing.
I have under-
stood
your grp^tness^but
I have not
yet
found it in
my
ipind
to
worship you,
to revere
you,
and to look
up
to
you
as
my
sole saviour.-
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174
BAYAA
SATAKAM
A
very great
truth is
sought
to be
brought
home to us all
by
this anusandhana of Desika about himself.
Knowing
is one
thing.
Realising
is another.
Duryodhana
is said to have exclaimed
once,
"
I know what is
dharma;
but I am not able to
adopt
it, I know
what is
adharma;
but I am not able to wean
myself away
from
it"
qmrfir T*f ^ ^ %
3^%;
qnpn^snf
T ^ %
fof
%:.
Nammalwar
has
sung
êsxsuiusyrQ/o J$)); g$<ss><suuj<svr($fl)
j&iu;
(All
these are
good;
all these are bad. I know what
is
good
and
what is bad: but I am unable to annex the
good,
and
reject
the
bad.
My
Lord! O! what is it that I can do
?)
This is the state with most of us. We know there is a God.
We believe in Him and His
power
and
mercy.
Still we are not
able to
give
ourselves
up
to Him in
thought
word and deed. This
plight
of almost all modern men is
pointed
out here. Note the
use of the word
ararfr
still,
even now.
The
apt
3?fq-
may
also be taken with
wff Bhavateem.
Bhavateem
apL
Even such a one as
you,
I
regard
with
disrespect.
You can
judge
of me from this.
Notwithstanding
this state of
mind,
I beseech
you, says
the
latter half of the
sloka,
please place
me in the Lord. Naathe
trivesapa
You
may
well
ask,
how dare I make
any request
to
you
in
this
my unbending
frame of mind?
My only
excuse is that
having
on
your
own
initiative,
and even without
my asking,
taken
up
the
burden of
protecting me,
it is
up
to
you
alone to do what all is
deeded for
my protection. By you (c*nrT)
Rafehana-bhara or
burden of
my protection
has been
placed
in
you
t*rf*T. Therefore
you
cf
please place
me in the Lord,
The
"
eva
"
tr^
occurring
at the
very
end of the sloka has
to be takeit not
only
with the
tmya
with
which it is there
linked
but with the tvam and the
tvayi
that
precede
it in the second
half
of the sloka,
By you only5
in
you alone,
my protective
burden has
been
placed.
So
you
alone have to
complete my protection
by placing
me in the Lord.
r
Place me in the
Lord.
Whose Lord?
My Lord,
your Lord,
the Lord of
Vrishadri.
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DAYAA. SATAKAM
175
ffofMtft
Tgikena
tarasaa Karunel
niyuktaa
\imnetare
apt mayi
te
vitatir-yadi syaat
>
lapayet Vrishagireesvaratn apyavaaryaa
'elaatilanghanadaseva
mahaambumsehe
(92)
)evi Karuna! If
only your (water) spread,
commanded
there-
by your
innate
speed,
should swallow me
up,
me seated
on
high
meed
in
my
own
unhending haughtiness),
it will cause
surprise
stonishment
even to the Lord of
Vrishagiri,
as
being
as
incapahle
ing
warded off as the
mighty
ocean
bursting
its shores.
:n sloka 13 ante.
Daya
was
praised
as
being capable
of immer-
the
high-placed
Lord Himself. But here I
am,
Desika
says,
i.ed on
(what
I think to
be)
even a
higher pedestal
than Lord
yasa Himself.
Though
I am in truth and fact a
very
low and
dess
person,
I,
out of
my egotism
think
that I am a
very lofty
aetara)
fiHd'<
person.
If therefore
the swift
current of
L rises above me and swallows me
up by
submerging
me,
Lord
Srinivasa will be
very
much
surprised.
Daya
would
achieved
what the Lord tried but failed to
achieve, namely
me realise that I am subordinate
to Him and not
higher,
i
my thoughtlessness
and
impertinence,
1 was
reckoning.
When-
He out of His infinite
pity
for me
sought
to reclaim me
by
ig
Tvam-me & ^
(Thou
art
mine),
I have
always
unhestita-
y rejoined ^
*T Aham-me
1
belong
to
myself.
Instead
owing
to Him
saying
fef^
^sOîST
TRRct Pwmi"^
I
conquered
by
Thee
and 1 make
prostrations
before Thee,
ly
exclaim
?T^3
*^fad (I
will not
bow
my
head to
one.)
Carrying
my
head
aloft,
and
puffed
up
with
stupid
2,
I
thought
I was above the Lord
Himself.
If therefore
my pride
is humbled
and I am immersed
in the
j
(waterspread)
of
Daya by
her own
spontaneous,
natural,
innate force,
the first
person
to be astonished
at such an act
be the Lord
Himself.
He will be reminded
of the state of
ill hrp.flV their shores and mingle wil
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. force as described in sloka 61. He
will surely
feel
glad and
3y
at
Daya's
achievement in swallowing
me
up
with
all
my
sd
up pride
and
egotism.
Water can
only
flow from
high
to low.
But
you
flow
up
and
erse
plateaus
and hills. Who will not
wonder
at it?
aa
tasasanagatir-vipareetavrittyaa
Vtittraadibhih
parichitaam padaveem
bhajaami
i vidhe
Vrishagirieesa Day
el
mayi
tvam
deene
vibhos-samaya
dandadhamtvaleelaam
(93)
Daya
of the Lord of
Vrishagiri!
Knowing
as I do the
way
of
ommands
(Shastras),
I still
pursue
with
pleasure
the
paths pur-
by
Vritrasura and his ilk.
(I pray
to
you)
you please put
down
Cord's
punishing sport,
that is sure to be directed
against
poor
r
ith this evil
propensity.
This decad is intended to demonstrate
the
help
of
Daya
in
idavi
^^'4R" or the
proper path.
This sloka talks of the
dq<<ft
Vipareetapadavi
or the
wrong
and
dangerous
path
nost of us are
treading
here with disastrous results to ourselves.
iVorst of it is we follow in the
wrong path
not out of
ignorance
>f sheer cussedness. This
aspect
is indicated
by
the
opening
s of the sloka:
Vignana-sasana-gatihi
f^'H^RH'lfa: Sascma
smrnand. Saasanaat Saastram
^TRT^fld ^TFF^
Because it
ciands,
it is known as Sastra. I am aware of it. That
is,
to
know what are the dictates of that Shastra. I know its Bo's
Don'ts. But J
invariably
don't do what 1
ought
to do and
fail to do hundreds of times what I have been ordained not
i and 1 thus resemble
isura and others like him such as
Hiranya
and Ravana. All
;m were
fully
aware of the error in the
path they
were
pursuing,
till
they clung
to their
wrong path steadfastly,
even
though
were advised
against following
such sinful conduct. As
Devi
pointed
out to Ravana
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DAYAA
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177
11
Vipareeta buddhi)
Perverse
knowledge^
and
(vipareeta achara)
>erverse conduct result from failure to take the advice of
saintly
ouls. The word
c
vipareeta
*
used in this sloka of
Daya
Sataka
eminds us of the above-cited sloka of the
Ramayana.
Such a conduct invites the terrible
punishments
prescribed
lierefor. The
punisher
is of course the
great
Lord who has behind
lim the
strength
of his sixfold
gunaas,
known as
gnana, bala,
iswarya, veerya,
sakthi and
tejas--vide
slokas 11 and 15 ante.
Vhen I think of the
punishments
that the Lord is sure to infl
;
ct
n
me,
I shudder with
fright.
Punishment is the
sport
of the Lord
rho for his
Jagatvyapaara
ÎÎHTK
(maintenance
of the
world)
as laid down rules of human conduct. The Shastraas are
nothing
ut the rules and
regulations by
which men and women of this
rorld have to
guide
themselves. When
they
fail to do
so, they
ivite the wrath of the
Lord,
and in the same
way
in which He
rought
the world into
being,
He
punishes
the
wrong
doers. The
wd
punishment
is here denoted
by
the word
*
dandadharatvaleela.'
Danda is the stick used to beat
by way
of chatise-
icnt. The
wielding
of the stick or the cane is therefore
symbolic
f
punishment. Shuddering
at the
thought
of the
punishment
tat I am
going
to receive at the hands of the
Lord,
I
appeal
to
ou to
protect
me from the same. I am a
very
low and
helpless
erson who have realised the atrocities of
my
acts
only
after I
ave committed them. Now I
appeal
to
you
to
protect me,
since
ty
evil acts are now
ripe enough
to
get
me
punished
for them.
lease use
youi good
offices and see that the
punishing tendency
f the Lord is
quelled. Inspite
of the fact that I am this bad
ipf
F*$
1 take
courage
and
approach you,
because
you
have
very
indly
taken
upon yourself
the
great task,
a difficult task in fact
HET
Saahasa of
protecting
me. That
Daya
Devi can
cleverly
id
successfully
avert
punishments
intended for the
wrong-doers
is been stated in several of the earlier slokas. This
appeal
to
>aya
Devi issues from the
frightened
heart of the
wrong
doer.
The
prayer
of Desika and the other
great Acharyas
like him
: words such as those
employed
in this sloka
are
really
intended
>r men and women like us. In fact it is most
appropriate only
>r us.
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174 DAYAA SATAKAM

A
very great
truth is
sought
to be
brought
home to us
all
by
this anusandhana of Desika about himself.
Knowing
is one
thing.
Realising
is another.
Duryodhana
is said to have exclaimed
once,
"
I know what is
dharma;
adopt
it. I know
what is
adharma;
wean
myself away
from
it"
5THifa T*f ^ T *t
sr^%;
STTtrnawf ^T ^ ^
ftffe;.
Nammalwar
has
sung
(All
these are
good;
all these are bad. I know
what is
good
and
what is bad: but I am unable to annex the
good,
and
reject
the
bad.
My
Lord! O! what is it that I can
do?)
This is the state with most of us. We know
there is a God.
We believe in Him and His
power
and
mercy.
Still we are Hot
able to
give
ourselves
up
to Him in
thought
word and deed. TMs
plight
of almost aU modern men is
pointed
out here. Note the
use of the word
srenrfr
still,
even now.
The
apt
srfq-
may
also be
taken with
*r*rcff Bhavateem.
Bhavateem
apL
Even such a one as
you,
I
regard
with
disrespect.
You can
judge
of me from this.
Notwithstanding
this state of
mind,
I
beseech
you, says
the
latter half of the si
oka, please place
me in the Lord. Nuathe
nivesaâ
You
may
well
ask,
how dare I make
any request
to
JOB
in
tMs
my unbending
frame of mind?
My only
excuse is that
having
on
your
own
initiative.,
and even without
my
asking,
taken
up
the
burden of
protecting me,
it is
up
to
you
alone to do what all is.
needed for
my protection.
By you (c^TT) Rakshana-bhara or
burden of
my protection
has been
placed
in
you
t^f%. Therefore
you
^
please place
me in the Lord,
The
"
eva
"
TT^T
occurring
at the
very
end of the sloka
has
t be
taken not
only
with the
tmja
with
which it is
there
linked,
but
with the tmm and the
tvayi
that
precede
it in the second
half
of the sloka.
By you
only,
in
you alone,
my protective
burden has
been
placed.
So
you
alone have to
complete my protection
by placing
me in the Lord.
r Place me in the Lord.
Whose
Lord?
My
Lord
your Lord,
the Lord of
Vrishadri.
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DAYAA SATAKAM 175

awn
?
rgikena
tarasaa Karunel
niyuktaa
'inmefare
apt mayi
le
vitatir-yadi syaat
i
idpayet Vrishagireesvaratn apyavaaryaa
'elaatilanghanadaseva
mahaamhunisehe
(92)
)eVi Karuna! If
only your (water) spread,
commanded there-
by your
innate
speed,
should swallow me
up,
me seated on
high
meed in
my
own
unbending haughtiness),
it will cause
surprise
stonishment even to the Lord of
Vrishagiri,
as
being
as
incapable
ing
warded off as the
mighty
ocean
bursting
its shores.
n sloka 13
ante, Daya
was
praised
as
being capable
of immer-
the
high-placed
Lord Himself. But here I
am,
Desika
says,
s.ed on
(what
I think to
be)
even a
higher pedestal
than Lord
yasa Himself.
Though
I am in truth and fact a
very
low and
rless
person, I,
out of
my egotism
think that I am a
very lofty
letara)
f^TR^fT
person.
If
therefore
the swift current of
i rises above me and swallows me
up by submerging me,
Lord Srinivasa will be
very
much
surprised. Daya
would
achieved what the Lord tried but failed to
achieve, namely
? me realise that I am subordinate to Him and not
higher,
(
my thoughtlessness
and
impertinence,
I was
reckoning.
When-
He out of His infinite
pity
for me
sought
to reclaim me
by
ig
Tvam-rne ^f %
(Thou
art
mine),
I have
always
unhestita-
y rejoined
s^Jf
Aham-me 1
belong
to
myself.
Instead
owing
to Him
saying
conquered by
Thee and ] make
prostrations
before
Thee,
ly
exclaim
sprJtifcj h^Rc(
(1
will not bow
my
head to
one.) Carrying my
head
aloft,
and
puffed up
with
stupid
5,
I
thought
I was above the Lord Himself.
If therefore
my pride
is humbled and I am immersed iu the
T
(waterspread)
of
Daya by
her own
spontaneous,
natural,
innate
force,
the first
person
to be astonished at such an act
be the Lord Himself. He will be reminded of the state of
in KrAflV tTirîr <;Tiores and
w
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176 DAYAA SATAICAM

with force as described in sloka 61. He will
surely
feel
glad
and
happy
at
Daya's
achievement in
swallowing
me
up
with all
my
puffed up pride
and
egotism.
Water can
only
flow from
high
to low. But
you
flow
up
and
immerse
plateaus
and hills. Who will not wonder
at it ?
Vignaatasasanagatir-vipareetavrittyaa
Vrittraadibhih
parichitaam padaveem
bhajaami
i
vflw vldhe
Vrishagirieesa Dayel mayi
tvam
deem
vibhos-samaya dandadhamtvaleelaam
n
(93)
Daya
of the Lord of
Vrishagiri!
Knowing
as I do the
way
of
the commands
(Shastras),
I still
pursue
with
pleasure
the
paths pur-
sued
by
Vritrasura and his ilk.
(I pray
to
you) you please put
down
the Lord's
punishing sport,
that is sure to be directed
against
poor
ine with this evil
propensity.
This decad is
intended to
demonstrate the
help
of
Daya
in
Satpadavi
^rcq^t or the
proper path.
This sloka talks of the
ftnO^^T
Vipareetapadavi
or the
wrong
and
dangerous
palih
that most of us are
treading
here with
disastrous results to
ourselves.
The worst of it is we follow in the
wrong path
not out of
ignorance
but of sheer
cussedness.
This
aspect
is
indicated
by
the
opening
words of the
sloka:
Vignana.sasana-gatihi
ftdMqRFTnfgr: Sasma
is
Command.
Saasanaat
Saastram
m^m
^T^f Because ft
commands,
it is
known as
Sastra. I am aware of it.
That
is,
to
say
I
know what are the
dictates of that
Shastra. I know its Do's
and
Don'ts, But I
invariably
don't do
what 1
ought
to do
and
never
fail to do
hundreds of
times what I have
been
ordained not
to
do.
frfcwNK**if
fr^T
fcTOtfo: and I
thus
resemble
Vritrasura
and
others like
him such as
Hiranya
and
Ravana All
of them were
fully
aware of the error in the
path
they
were
pursuing
but
still
they
clung
to
their
wrong path
steadfastly,
even
though
they
were
advised
against
following
such
sinful
conduct
As
Seeta
Devi
pointed
out to
Ravana
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DAYAA SATAKAM 177

\
ft
INfai %
3fe*HiM%
11
(Vlpareeta buddhi)
Perverse
knowledge,
and
(vipareeta achara)
perverse
conduct result from failure to take the advice of
saintly
souls. The word
'
vipareeta
*
used in this sloka of
Daya
Sataka
reminds us of the above-cited sloka of the
Ramayana.
Such a
conduct invites the terrible
punishments prescribed
therefor. The
punisher
is of course the
great
Lord who has behind
Him the
strength
of his sixfold
gunaas,
known as
gnana, bala,
aiswarya, veerya,
sakthi and
tejas
vide slokas 11 and 15 ante.
When I think of the
punishments
that the Lord is sure to infPct
on
me,
I shudder with
fright.
Punishment is the
sport
of the Lord
who for his
Jagatvyapaara
v^rcî'MR
(maintenance
of the
world)
has laid down rules of human conduct. The Shastraas are
nothing
but the rules and
regulations by
which men and women of this
world have to
guide
themselves. When
they
fail to do
so, they
invite the wrath of the
Lord,
and in the same
way
in which He
brought
the world into
being,
He
punishes
the
wrong
doers. The
word
punishment
is here denoted
by
the word
*
dandadharatvaleela.*
Danda is the stick used to beat
by way
of chatise-
ment. The
wielding
of the stick or the cane is therefore
symbolic
of
punishment. Shuddering
at the
thought
of the
punishment
that I am
going
to receive at the hands of the
Lord,
I
appeal
to
you
to
protect
me from the same. I am a
very
low and
helpless
[person
who have realised the atrocities of
my
acts
only
after I
lave committed them. Now I
appeal
to
you
to
protect
me,
since
ny
evil acts are now
ripe enough
to
get
me
punished
for them.
Please use
youj good
offices and see that the
punishing tendency
>f the Lord is
quelled. Inspite
of the fact that I am this bad
rtf
5p$
I take
courage
and
approach you,
because
you
have
very
dndly
taken
upon yourself
the
great
task,
a difficult task in fact
gp*
Saahasa of
protecting
me. That
Daya
Devi can
cleverly
ind
successfully
avert
punishments
intended for the
wrong-doers
las been stated in several of the earlier slokas. This
appeal
to
Daya
Devi issues from the
frightened
heart of the
wrong
doer.
The
prayer
of Desika and the other
great Acharyas
like him
ii words such as those
employed
in this sloka
are
really
intended
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178
DAYAA SATAKAM
saahasoktighanakanchukavanchittanyah
pasyatsu
teshu
vidadhaamyatisaahasaani
i
Padmaasahaaya
Karunel na nmatsi kim tvam
ghoram kulingasakuner-iva
cheshtitam me
(94)
Devi Karuna of Srinivasa!
putting
on a
strong
armour
(covering)
constituted
by
the words
"
do not be rash
"
in order to cheat the
rest of the
world,
I
myself daringly
commit several rash acts before
the
very eyes
of the
persons
whom I cheat
by my
external
deportment.
How is it
you
do not
prevent
this kind of behaviour on
my part,
which resembles the conduct of the
kulinga
bird?
In the
previous
sloka the
poet sung
about the
knowingly
com-
mitted
traiisgressions
of Shastric commands. Here he
goes
one
step
further. Not
only
do I act
against
the
Sastras,
but I act
even
against my
own words. I
preach
one
thing
and
practise
another. In order to
impress upon
those who come to
me,
for
instruction and look
up
to me for
guidance,
I
say
"
don't be rash
in
your
acts."
"
Always
act in such a
way
as to
respect
the Shastric
injunctions
which
you
must never dream of
going against,"
This
is for their
consumption,
so that
they may
think that I am a
very
good Acharya,
and a
very great
and noble
person. Having
cheated
them thus into
believing
in
my greatness,
even before their
very eyes
I
myself
act
contrary
to that
very upadesa
or
teaching,
and commit
several rash acts.
Kanchuka
ô^^r
is a
coat,
or
cover, ghanakanchuka
is a thick
coat,
almost like an armour.
My upadesa
or
teaching
"TTSTT^ff^"
(don't
commit
any
rash or sinful
act)
is the
external
covering
which conceals
my
real and true nature. Just
like the
tiger donning
the
garb
of a
cow,
I cover
myself
with a
thick coat of
goodness,
and make
psople
believe that I am
good,
while in fact I am not. I have not the
patience
to wait till
my
disciples,
to whom I
give
this
advice,
leave
my presence.
Even
while
they
are
looking on,
I commit the
very
misdeeds
against
which I warn them.
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DAYAA SATAKAM 179

The
poet
refers to a bird called
kulinga.
It is said that the
I
which
emanates from the throat of the bird
very
much
ibles the
sound of "maa saahasa." Even while
uttering
iound,
it is
said,
the bird will insert its beak into the mouth
e
yawning
lion to
pluck
a bit of flesh
sticking
in the lion's
. That
particular
bird has been defined in Sanskrit literature
I
The
poet
asks
Daya
Devi in this sloka to see that such conduct
haviour on his
part
is eschewed
by
him and
put away
for ever.
is it that
having
taken
upon yourself
the burden of
protecting
fou
still
permit
this sort of behaviour OB
my part?
It is
up
>u and
you
alone to
put
an end to
my committing
atrocities
LSI which I warn others.
Reading
the
previous
sloka and this
together,
it looks. as if
ka is
again emphasising
the need for
good
conduct
especially
le
post-prapatti period.
The observance of
prapatti
is
an,
ation ofcessation ofthe commission ofsin.
Prathikulyavarjana.
.ew of the determination not to swerve from the Sastraic
path
i on the occasion of
prapatti,
the
person
resolves rot to commit
deeds thereafter. In order to ensure that no evil deeds
,are
nitted,
Desika
appeals
to
Daya
Devi in this sloka to see that
tendency
to
go against
his own
expressed
wish of not
transgres-
the Lord's laws is curbed.
Incidentally
Desika indicates one of the chief characterestics
ought
to be
present
in
every Acharya.
He must act
according
is own
upadesa.
If he does
not,
he will resemble the
kulinga
..
Elsewhere
also Desika refers to a true
Acharya
as
@<s$/s/as
$
eSI(^^^rrjsrB e6uQ&&l&(GS)esr ^ffrnfliusw
that
is,
.
one,
is far removed from the conduct of the
kulinga
bird.
.g
an
Acharya
of
great repute himself,
Vedanta Desika here
s a
tip
to all who are desirous of
being Acharyas imparting
uction
to,
and
enforcing
rules of conduct
in,
their
disciples.
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DAYAA SATAKAM
)il
i
brings
out this idea of
indulging
in a
pretence
of
sport
>rder to achieve His desire to divinise
human
beings.
There
10 one who can be
employed
with better
effect iii this
aising process
than
Daya Devi,
and more
persons
are
likely
>e
caught
in the net of
Daya
than in other nets. The Lord
wonderful
beauty.
He is known as Bhuvanasundara-Wq
ig^
*.
nt we human
beings
fail to be attracted
by
that
beauty.
He
storehouse of
auspicious qualities.
They
do not
appeal
to 12$.
a Devi alone has the
capacity
by
her
goodness
and cleverness
atch us
unawares,
and that is
why
the
analogy
of the net is
dged
in
by
Desika in this sloka to describe .one more-charac-
itic
greatness
of
Daya
Devi.
if
\anyamaanam aparaadhaganam
vichintya
trasyaami
hanta bhavateem cha
vibhaavayaami
i
aaya
me
wishagireesa Day
el Jaheemaam
aaseevishagrahana
kelinibhaam avasthaam"
(96)
Daya
of the Lord of
Vrishagiri!
when I think of tlie multitude
ly
sins that are era- on tfee
increase,
I
siraiply
shudder. And
>nce)
I also think of
you.
Alas ! Please
quickly put
an end to
(pitiable)
state of
mine, very
much like
catching
hold
of,
and
ing with,
a
terribly poisonous serpent.
Slowly,
it is
being
revealed,
the
poet's respect
for
Daya
is
ring.
He has
implored
her to
place
him in the Lord.
(91)
vert
punishments
that the Lord
may
inflict
(93)
and to catch
unwares as in a net
(95). (Rama
was sent
by
Seeta to catch
er for her. He was not able to. But
Daya
is able to catch
number for her
Lord).
In this
sloka,
the
poet speaks
about his
inability
to shake
lis
sinning propensities,
in
spite
of his
appeals
to
Daya
Devi
tielp
and redress. A man learns Garuda Maiatra in order to
3
away by
its utterance the
poisonous
effects of a
serpent-bite.
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18
DAYAA SATAKAM
Vlkshepam
arkasi
Dayal vipalaayite api
vyaajam vibhaavya
Vrishasailapater-vihaamm
i
Sfraadheena satva
saranis-svayam
atra
jantau
draagheeyasee
dridhaiaraa
gunavaaguraa
tvam
(95)
Daya
Devi! however much I
may try
to run
away (from you),
you
must
capture
me in the
guise
of
providing
shikar for the Lord oi
Vrishachala. You are well aware of the
paths
in which
beings (ani-
mals)
are
likely
to wander.
Therefore, you please
of
your
own
accord
spread yourself
s^ as to enmesh this
feeing
in
your
net which
is
long, strong.,
and made of
ropes (strings).
In this sloka Desika
requests Daya
Devi to catch him unawares.
He likens
Daya
Devi to a
long
and
sturdy
net. The hunter who
spreads
this net is of course Lord Srinivasa.
Daya
is His net
which he
spreads
far and wide in order to catch animals
during
His
shikar,
or
hunting sport,
in which
kings very
often
indulge.
The net has to be
spread only
in
places
which animals are
likely
to
frecpient,
so that when
they
come to the
spot they get entangled
and
thereby get caught. Daya
Devi is here described as
possessing
the
requisite knowledge
of
places frequented by animals, by
the
expression**
Svaadheena Satva-sarani. Satva refers to
beings;
*Rfaf
saram to the
pathways they frequent.
^Rr ?ERPr
Satva sarani can
also be taken to mean the
right path,
the satvic
path.
We are
reminded once
again
of the
topic
of this
decad,
that is
Satpadavyara
Sahaaya
or
helping
in
putting
one,
or
taking one,
on the
right path.
The net
Vaagura
3PR which has to be
spread
far and wide
k referred to as
very long, draagheeyasi, long enough
to catch the
swiftest
runner;
and
very strong dridhataraa,
no one once
caught
in it can
escape
from
it;
and as made
up
of
guna, strings
or
ropes.
Graa ef course also means attribute. You must catch me
by your
graas
and
loveab!eness>
seems to be the hidden
suggestion.
Readers
will notkehow the
poet
refers to himself here as a
jantu,-an animal,
ust a
being. Naichyanusandhaana
or
recounting
one's own
tawliness cannot
go
further. It it
only
when this sentiment takes
hold of
one,
that
Daya
Devi relents. She cannot be cheated
by
mere words. She looks to the
feelings
in the heart.
*
Casting
nets and
catching
animals this is the
sport
of
kings.
The desire on the
part
of the Lord of Vrishadri to
indulge
in
shikar
sport
is to be made a
pretence
to cast this net of
Daya
far and wide.
Vyaajam vibhaavya
o^FR f^TTszr
very
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DAYAA SATAKAM itl

well
brings
out this
idea of
indulging
in a
pretence
of
sport
in
order to achieve His desire to divinise human
beings.
There
Is no one who can be
employed
with better effect m this
divinising process
than
Daya Devi,
and more
persons
are
likely
to be
caught
in the net of
Daya
than in other nets. The Lord
has wonderful
beauty.
He is known as Bhuvanasundara-
but we human
beings
fail to be attracted
by
that
beauty.
He
is a storehouse of
auspicious qualities. They
do not
appeal
to las;
Daya
Devi alone has the
capacity by
her
goodness
and cleverness
to catch us
unawares,
and that is
why
the
analogy
of the met is
indulged
in
by
Desika in this sloka to describe one more charac-
teristic
greatness
of
Daya
Devi.
Santanyamaanam
aparaadhaganam vichintya
trasyaami
hanta bhavateem cha
vfbhaavayaami
i
Ahnaaya
me
vrishagireesa Day
el Jaheemaam
aassevishagrahana
kelinibhaam avasthaamu
(96)
Daya
of the Lord of
Vrishagiri!
when I think of the multitude
of
my
sins that are ever on tke
increase,
I
simply
shudder. And
<at once)
I also think of
you-
Alas !
Please
quickly put
an end to
this
(pitiable)
state of
mine, very
much like
catching
hold
of,
and
[playing with,
a
terribly poisonous serpent.
Slowly,
it is
being revealed,
the
poet's respect
for
Daya
is
growing.
He has
implored
her to
place
him in the Lord.
(91)
to avert
punishments
that the Lord
may
inflict
(93)
and to catch
him unwares as in a net
(95), (Rama
was sent
by
Seeta to catch
a deer for her. He was not able to. But
Daya
is able to catch
any
number for her
Lord).
In this
sloka,
the
poet speaks
about his
inability
to shake
off his
sinning propensities,
in
spite
of his
appeals
to
Daya
Devi
for
help
and redress. A man learns Canute Maiitra in order to
drive
away by
its utterance the
.poisonous
eflects of a
serpent-bite.
But
having
learnt that Mantra which is an antidote to
serpent-
poisoti;
hie thinks of
playing
with
serpents by catching them, and,
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182
DAYAA SATAKAM
if in that
process
he is
stung by
the
serpent,
uttering
the mantra
to
get
rid of. the
deadly
effect of that
poison.
1 am
now, says
Desika in this
sloka, very
much like such a man. Before that
man learnt the Garuda Mantra he was afraid of snakes, but the
very
fact of his
having
attained siddhi in Garuda rnantra emboldened
him to
go
to snake-infested
areas,
and
try
to catch hold of them
and
play
with them. So too I am now
prone
to
multiply my
sins
relying
on
Daya
to save me from their evil effects.
Truly
an un-
enviable
position!
That is
why
it has evoked a Hanta
^f,
(Alas)
from the
poet's
mouth.
"
Quickly
end this wretched
plight
of mine is the
prayer,
Ahnaaya
jahi
(3TffR
-
srf|),
that arises in the heart of the
poet.
The
proxi-
mity
of the word
Ahnaaya
with
Vibhaavayaami (f^TFRITftr) suggests
that those two
words may
be taken
together
so as to indicate how
quickly
I think of
ybu Daya,
when I am confronted with
my
mount-
ing
sins.
/Imaam avasthagm
(?*rt ar^qf)
This
plight.
It has to be
seen to be understood
fully,
and cannot be
adequately
or
properly
described. So dire and
deplorable
a state. This reminds one of
Nammalwar's
|)/5/i5)<s5r/D
/grrswui
(This plight).
This sloka
appears
to be a
poetic
elaboration of the sentiment
contained in the 8th sloka of
Nyaasa
Dasaka which runs as follows :
facfo
II
O Lord! full of Karuna!
please
see to it that
my
sins
(which
are
likely
to
pave
the
way
for the commission of more
sins)
do not
get
activated
(begin
to
function).
And
pray! you yourself prevent
those that have
begun
to act
(by neutralising them).
, If there is one
point
that Desika is anxious to drive
home,
it is the
great
need for
avoiding
the commission of
sins,
especially
after the
performance
of
Prapatti.
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DAYAA SA1AKAM 183

kya poorvam upahritya mahaaparaadhaan
vaatahl
prasaadayitum
ichchhati me manas-tvaam
t
a taan niravasesham
alahdhatriptis-
aamyas-yahol Vnshagirieesadhritaa Dayel
tvami*
(97)
Mother mine!
Daya
Devi!
My
mind
(thus) exultingly
submits
my
lous and untold sins as an
offering
unto
you,
and
thereby
desires
sase and
satisfy you; you
who are
supported by
the Lord of
agiri
lick them all
up leaving nothing behind,
and without
being
ied
(thereby)
feel famished. What a wonder!
\s a return for all the kindness and consideration that
you
d towards
me,
and the
great
and invaluable
help you
render
e
by getting
me
pardoned
of all
my
sins and
crimes,
what
[ can offer to
you, Daya! Why, nothing
but those
very
sins
rimes.
My
mind thinks of
doing something by way
of
pleasing
(prasaadayitum). Knowing your propensity
to annihilate
my
mind at once hits
upon placing
those
very
sins as
offerings
u.
Knowing
as it does the
immensity
of those sins committed
s, my
mind
naturally
feels elated at the
opportunity
it is
availing
of,
of
offering
them all to
you,
such a
big naivedya (oblation),
lation or
pleasure
at the
thought
of
placing
a full and rich
it before
you,
is however
very
short-lived.
For,
as soon as that
frightfully large
and
heavy
load of
is offered to
Daya,
she licks them all
up, laps up
the whole
dthout
leaving
even a faint
trace,
and
appears
to want more,
t she lias
taken,
instead of
appeasing
her
appetite
and
hunger,
mly helped
to whet that
appetite,
with the result
,that
she now
5
positively hungry
and famished. One is
inescapably
made
ander at
this,
and exclaim
*
Aho
*
3fi|t.
.
For all that the Lord and
Daya
Devi do to
help
us,
what
that we can think of
doing
or
giving by way
of
recompense?
imalwar exclaims:
î/SlQaj<svr 90^#ihii>rr(5/D.
(I
am not able
link of
any
return or
recompense).
Alavandar cries out in
equally helpless
frame of mind
Kinnu-samarpayaami
te
qqiUilfa
%)
What is it that I can offer to
you (in
return)?
same sentiment
overpowers
Desika here and he
gives expres-
tp
it in his own inimitable
way. Daya
Devi takes a
pleasure
stting
us freed from our sins. This is
poetically
referred to
ns
being
eaten
up by Daya
Devi,
consumed.
All the worlds
:
destroyed by
the Lord in
pralaya.
He is said to have eaten
e worlds: $LSTL-I
$L<sv<3&(Lgw
&.<sfTQefrrr($iisi&. Similarly
24
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DAYAA SATAKAM
i is said to eat or devour the sins of her votaries
m
tees. That act of
grace
is
beyond repayment
That
she
not look forward to
any recompense
is
only
too
patent;
That
cely expressed by saying
she takes a
pleasure
in
killing
,
and
uring our, sins,
and the
pleasure
she derives is the
only
benefit
*ets out of it. The words
"
Aalihya
taan niravasesham
alab-
riptihi
"
indicate the extreme
pleasure
th.at
Daya
Devi
derives
e
process
of the annihilation of sins. Sweet
things
like
honey
iot
gulped
but are licked and
lazily
tasted
by
the
tongue.
"
Aali-
'
meaning licking,'
has been
specially
used here to denote
tasteful the
pardoning
of sins is lo
Daya
Devi. "'Nirava-
im"
shows,
without
leaving
a
bit,
drop
or
fragment,
and
rms the tastejfulness. Even then it does not satiate.
Daya"
:ers for more as' 'shown
by
the word
4<
alabdhatiripti
"
not
Eied.
It is
easy
to miss the
poetic imagery employed
in this
sloka,]
.ke the words
literally,
and to conclude that Desika is here
ng
a
premium
on sins and
sinfulness,
and
lays
down that
[ease
Daya
one must never
stop committing
sins.
Nothing
?e farther from the mind of that
great
Acharya
than that sin
r
an is a
qualification
for God's
mercy descending
on him.
Vlaataha!
*TTc!": Mother! is the vocative in the first half of
iloka,
wherein the
tendency
of the human mind to
placate,
3lease
Daya
Devi
by
the
offering
of sins is referred to. That
.ate
relationship
emboldens one to think in that strain.
Dayefr
5
second vocative in this sloka and occurs in the second
half
*ing
to
Daya
Devi's
capacity
to
forgive
all sins however
>us. For is she not a
Daya having
the
support
of the Lord!
ishagiri.
Vrishagireesa
dhrita
Daye!
leaders will
have reminded
themselves of the sentiment
given
ssi on to in Sloka 29
ante, viz.,
"
By ignoring
me and
protecting;
Dinners, you, Daya,
will not obtain a sense offulness or satis-
>n or
appeasement
of
hunger.
I am
sorry
for
you" was.
was said there. That, struck a note
personal
to
-
Hie
poet;
a this 97th sloka
the
poet emphasises
the
power
of
Daya
to
>n all sins
however
numerous and
however heinous and,
"ore no one need feel
that he has sinned that much whicla is
id
Daya's
pardoning
capacity.
This is one
aspect
of
Msthaj
isa,
or the
great faith,
which assures us that
however much-
ight
have
sinned in the
past,
the moment we
regret
and im-.
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DAYAA SATAKAM 185

vedly place
'
ourselves in the hands of the Lord's
;
protecting
?,
we are sure to be saved.
md
Vrishaachalapatih-pratighepi
no tvaam
*hannopatapta
iva seetalataam udanvaan
mam
arurrtudabharanyasanaanuvrittis-
"
tad-veekshanctiS'Spma Dayel
tava
kefipadmaihin
(98)
Daya
Devi!
However
much the Lard of Vrishachala
may get
IT (at me),
He is
not
capahle
of
giving you up
even like the
ocean
i is unable to discard its inherent coolness even in the hottest
jer. You in turn are so minded that a
repetition
of
prapatti
ander unto
you)
is
very wounding
.to
you.
I therefore beseech
please
let
the
lovely
glances
of His
(Srinivasa's),
which are
sportive lotuses,
touch me
(fall
on
me).
This sloka can be said to contain the final
prayer
of Vedanta
ica in this stotra. He wants to be the
recipient
of the Lord's
ictive
glances (kataaksha).
While
dealing
with slokas 49
50,
we had occasion to
recapitulate
the kataakshas that mark
everal
stages
in the
spiritual progress
of the human soul.
series of kataakshaas winds
up
with
-
the kataaksha or
>hana
sung
in this sloka. It is tile one which secures ultimate
tude to the individual soul. Slokas 99 and 100 that follow
iy
describe the form that the
poet
desires that beatitude to take.
As if to
explain why
all these
ages
on
ages
that have
passed,
ipaasaka,
who has now
sought Daya's
intervention,
was left
.fler in
sams^
ara*
the
poet
refers .to the
anger
of the
Lord,
an
r roused
by
his sins. At once Desika reminds himself of
L'S hold on that Lord. He is
incapable
of
giving up Daya.
L is inherent in Him. She is of His
very
nature,
just
like cool-
is of the ocean
(sloka
23
ante).
Even when it is 50
degrees
grade (122 degrees F)
in the
shade,
on
land,
the waters of the
ire cool.
"
As the sea is
incapable
of
giving up
its
coolness,
.ord is
incapable
of
giving up Daya.
The sloka starts with
issuring
fact,
so
helpful
to us all.
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186
DAYAA SATAKAM
The next idea is about
Daya's
readiness to
help.
For
one
prapatti prapatti
once
done
(vide
"
Sakrid-eve-prapannaaya
f'
of the
Ramayana) Daya
unreservedly promises
her full
help
and
cooperation
in
obtaining
for us from the Lord what we want of
Him
viz.,
moksha. The
very
idea of a second
prapatti
or
repeti-
tion
(anuvritti)
of the
process
of surrender is so
repulsive
to
Daya.
It is like a
sharp
stab
straight
into her sweet and
good
heart so
wounding
to her
(aruntuda).
The Lord is
placated by
our
invoking Daya. Daya
has been
placated by
our
surrender to her. Then what remains ?
Nothing
but the
realisation of the
final beatitude. Then
why tarry?
Pray
let the
glances
of the Lord
play
on me. This
glance,
the
present
one,
is not a
step
towards
mukti,
but is
mukti-conferring.
Let
me have
it,
prays
Desika. The close
connection between the
Lord's
Kataksha and
Daya
has
been referred to more than once
before. In sloka 42 it was
tvatparishvanga-dhanyaihi, glances
blest
by your
close
embrace,
in sloka
49,
it was
"
Sakheem-te,"
glances
which are
fond and close
confidante
(bosom
friend)
of
Daya-.
Here
they
are
Daya's
Keli
padmas
or lotuses with which
Daya
Devi
fondly plays.
Sprusa-touch,
Touch me
with those
glances
of the Lord.
That is to
say
make me the
recipient
of those
glances.
Bathed
in the
effulgence
of those
loving glances
of the
Lord,
I shall
become
freed from
Samsara and
become a
full-fledged
Mukta.
nf
Drishte-api
durbala
dhiyam
damanepi driptam
snaatvaapi dhoolirasikam
bhajanepi
bheemam
i
Baddhwaa
gnhaana
Vrishasailapater
Daye
maam
tvad
vaaranam
svayam
mugrahasrinkhalaabhihi*
(99)
Daya
of
Vrishachalapati!
Pray,
bind
me, your
elephant,
with
the
chains of
your
amigraha
(favour)
and
capture
me. I
resemble
an
elephant because
my
intellect is
weak
even in
regard
to
objects
fuUy
seen
and
comprehended. I am
full
of
uncontrollable
force
and
vigour
even
when
controlled. I am
very
fond
of,
and
take
to
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DAYAA SATAKAM
187
dirt and
dust,
the moment I
emerge
from a
bath;
and I am
frightful
even when
placated.
Having
become che
recipient
of the Lord's kataksha
by
thi
goodness
of
Daya Devi,
Desika now
prays
to
Paya
to chain him
up
and
capture
him so that he can no more be what he was
in the
past. By
four
very
nice and
suggestive epithets
he
compares
himself to an
elephant
and describes in a nutshell the
proclivities
of
erring
mankind.
(1) Drishte-api-durbala-dhiyam.
. Man slides into error not because he is unable to see that
if
is an error. He sees
well,
and
fully
realises the situation in all
its
aspects,
and
yet
does
wrong
because he has not the
strength
to avoid it and do
good.
An
elephant
sees well the
danger
ahead of
it; yet especially
when
it is in
rut,
it rushes forward because its mind is not
strong
enough
to withhold it from
danger.
(2) Damanepi-driptam.
Though sought
to be tamed and
subdued, acting
in an un-
controlled and unrestrained
way.
How
many
elders in
society,
or
at
home,
and how
many good
friends check us in our mad career
of sin? Do we
pay any
heed? We think
they
are fools and old-
day cronies,
and that we know
better,
with the result
that, haughty
and turbulent, we rush into error.
The mahout does his best to
prevent
the
elephant
from run-
ning
amok 1
going astray.
The rash
elephant
does not
obey
his
command a,nd
even when he
pricks
into its Head
by
the ankusa
(restraining
liook or
goad)
it does not
min,d
but tries to throw
him out and rush on in its rash
career,
uncontrollable.
(3) Snaatvaapi-dhuli-rasikam:
After a
bath, having
a taste for dirt. A
very fitting
des-
cription
of the human taste for filth. In
every
human soul there
appears
to lurk a desire to
descend
low in
thought,
word and, deed.
Only
a few have the
courage
to resist and withstand that desire.
The rest
simply
succumb. .
After over an hour's arduous time in
water,
the mahout rub-
bing
the
elephant
clean,
the moment the
elephant gets
out of water
it takes
hay, grass,
and .other rubbish
nearby,
and
puts
them on
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188 D&YAA SATAKAM

its own head and strews them over its
body.
Its
taste
for dirt
is so
strong.
;(4) Bhajane<api
bheemam:
-
Frightful
even when
praised
and
placated. Tondaradippodi
'Atwar has
sung
about hims'elf:
&iesr^î^)<so
Q&jbpib
'
Qns-rrm&^
;
$?#;
GSflj<sfaGirjT6rrnr
(angry
at
every
.one and
everything,
f look
daggers-
at
others,
and shout at
-them as if
sîttin^
fire).
No wonder
every
one is afraid of such
a
person:
*
Swee't
words intended to make him see
reason,
and climb down
from
the
high
altitude of
great anger
fall on deaf ears. Did
Hiranya
listen to the sweet words ofhis wife
Kayaadu
and his child
Pfahlada?
Did Ravana
pay
heed to the words of
praise
lavished on him
by
Malyavaan
and Vibtieeshana calculated to wean him
from his
sinful
path?
So
too, very
often we discard
the
sweet and
coaxing
words of*
praise
and
flattery emanating
from
.good
persons,
amd: remain terrible
y frightful
.
to look at. Valmiki's
description
of Ravana is well worth
being
recollected in this connection, In
one
place
Ravana is referred to as
Bhooshitopi Bhayankaraha.
Oftentimes even a trained
elephant,
which is
normally very
submissive and
obedient,
flares
up,
and on those occasion's however
much
the mahout
may try
to soften its
temper by
sweet.
words,
it becomes
frightful
and
gets
out of hand. In that state it will he
teirible to look
at,
a mass of
fury.
The aforesaid four traits are all seen in
me,
as in the
elephant,
and therefore I am an
elephant, says
I>esikal But I am" no'w
your
elephant.
Tvacf-vaaranam.
'
So
please
catch hold of me 'and hblcl
rite
captive by your
cftatns. Ah
elephant
does not
easily get
caught
It tries to
prevent people
from
catching
it. The
"words
tvad vaaranam can 'also
give
this
meaning, viz., obstructing you,
preventing you.
Nevertheless
capture
me.....
<
. ; . ;
\ H<D*W^
By
the chains
(srinkala)
.
of
anugraha, 'Anugraha
means'
conferring
a
favour, rewarding.
Your favour tow&rd's
me should be the
trading
force
chaining
me:
Anu-graha
can also mean
catching up
from
behind, (the rear).
I am not
easily capturable.
So
please
come from behind and
c$tch me unawares
by throwing
the 'chains of
your anugraha (favour-
ableness)
without;
my knowing it,
-without
'my seeing
it. De&ika
seems to
give tips
to
Daya
Devi herself'about how to
capture
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DAYAA SATAKVM 1S9

Baddhvaa-grihaana: Biia,d
and
capture.
Parasara Bhatta has
employed-
the
analogy-^
the
elephant
to describe Lord
Ranganatha.
In one verse of his
Srirangaraja
Stava he
sings
thus :
'
n
Lord
Ranganatha,
the
majestic
Elephant
of
Srirangam who,
shines in the
Scriptures
Sanskrit and Tamil makes
himself
dirty
by accepting my
words
(in
His
praise)."
Who can
prevent
an
elephant
from
indulging
in its taste for dirt and rubbish soon after
it has had a 'bath?
-
f
The same words
Snaatvapi-dhuli-rasikam
have been used
fittingly by
Desika in this sloka to describe himself. In two
otfrer.
places
in the course of his sweet stotras Desika
again
refers
to
himself as an
elephant
and his
getting
chained and
bound,.,
, In.
the
Bhagavat Dhyana Sopana,
he
sings
about
This mind of mine which is like an
elephant, always proud
and:
arrogant, (mad
and
wild),
has been tied fast and
tight
to the two^
beauutiftil .hands of Lord
Ramganatha
as to a
tying post, by
means;
of tite.
shooting rays
of the
jewels adorning
the Lord,
In the
Yathiraja Saptati,
the
elephant-anblogy
is
again
worked"
t6
perfection.
'" ~
Ramanuja's
feet are there
enjoyed
as the
first
chain
(pratania
nigalaim)
that^binds the mind of the
poet
which is like an
elephant
hrrut, freely
and
playfully wandering
about in the centre of the'
big
forest of
cividya
or
ignorance.
Ramanuja's
feet
(the acharya's
feet)
are
the^rst
chain.
Daya
is, the
next chain as
enjoyed
in this sloka.
Once
caught
in the
grip,
of
the Acharyas,
the soul is next
caught (anu-graha)
in
Daya.
And now it is
caught
for ever.
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190 DAYAA SATAKAM

II
(?
oo)
Naatahparam, kimapi
me
tvayi naathaneeyam
Maatar-Daye mayi
kurushva tathaa
prasaadam
i
fcaddhaadaro
VrisHagirlpranayee yathaasau
T
^Muktadnubhoolim ihd
daasyati
me Mukundaha.
u
(100)
Mother
Daya! Beyond this,
that I am now
going
to
pray
of
you,
there is
nothing
that I desire.
Kindly
confer on me this
boon, viz.,
that this
Mukunda,
who loves
(His
residence in
Tiruvengada Hill)
Vrishagiri,
exhibits
great
love and affection towards
me,
and confers
on me here the bliss that Celestials
enjoy (in Vaikunta).
1
This is the 100th and last sloka of this stotra
proper.
There
are
eight
more slokas but
they
are
really
in the form of an
epilogue.
The Sataka
(centum)
ends with this sloka.
After
extolling Daya
and her
qualities,
in 90
slokas and after
having sung
9 more slokas thereafter
entreating Daya
Devi to
come to his
help;
Vedanta Desika makes known in this sloka
to
.Daya
Devi what it
is that he desires most. That
there is
one
desire in his
heart more than
any
other which he wants
Daya
Devi
to
fulfil;
is
shown
by.
the
opening
words of the sloka
which
say
that
beyond
this there is
nothing
I desire to have from
you.
This is
all that I seek of
you
and from
you.
He calls
Daya
here as
Maatar-daye!
Mother
Daya!
Jt is a
very
sincere and
earnest and intimate
prayer
one that a child
is
prone
to make to its fond mother.
Please confer it
pii
me. Let it be
your prasadam,
favourable
grant
to me.
Please
grant
that this
Lord,
asau
Mukundaha,-~-3Rft
this
Mukunda, gives
to me
Muktaanuhhooti
^rR5J%,
here,
lha. He is a
Mukunda,
one who can confer" the^best of the here
and
hereafter,
^
(mu)
means final
emancipation,
f
(Ku)
metos the earth. It is
because the Lord can confer on His
votarie^
all the
pleasures-
of
moksha,
as also all the
pleasures
of the
earth;
He is
known as
Mukunda. Here
Desika
co-ordinates the two
pleasures
and
combines them into one and
prays
for it.
: : -
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DAYAA SATAKAM 191

He asks
for muktaanubhooti or the
enjoyment
of the emanci-
i
souls,
muktas. But he wants to
get
that
enjoyment
here
i
in this world. Where the Lord
is,
that is Vaikunta. The
i is now in this
Yirishagiri
and He is here
by
choice. He
i the
place
so. He is
Vrishagiri pranayee
a lover of
Vrishagiri.
reminds us of the famous
purana
sloka.
II
great Maayin (or Maayan
LDirtuefr as Andal would have
it)
rding
the
great
and
glorious
Vaikuntam revels
along
with
sonsort
(Lakshmi),
WTT
^
Ramayaa Saha,
on the banks of
ni Pushkarini
(the
tank called Koneri in
Tirumalai,
next north
e shrine of Lord
Srinivasa).
Then
again
He is a baddhaadhara
TORT:
one who evinces
solicitude
for,
and
loves,
the bound ones
(embodied jeevas
are born and who die and are re-born in this
world).
The
baddhadhara can be taken with the verb
daasyati
and made
ean, give
with love towards me. But the
meaning suggested
;r will be found to be more
appropriate
when set off
against
taanuboothi. In
giving
the bliss of Moksha to the
Muktas,
is no
special point
or merit. So too in
giving
that bliss in
inta,
there is
nothing specially noteworthy.
But to
give
aanubhooti to
baddhas,
and to
give
it here
(lha),
-
they
will
>ecial and
noteworthy
features which
normally
He
may
not
:o
give,
and will
give only
at behest of His beloved
Daya
Devi.
fore Desika makes it his heartfelt and earnest
prayer
to
Daya
:he Lord should vouchsafe that celestial bliss to him even
on this earth.
The ancient Srutis have in
places
touched
upon
this
state,
i can be referred as
jeevan
mukti in one sense
(see commentary
>ka 44
above)
;
but
by
far the more numerous
passages
there
to an
Utkranti,
a
going up,
to a different and
higher
world.
"amil
scriptures
also touch
upoifthe
state of Mukti in Vaikunta
Iso in this world
itself;
but here the
weightage
is in favour
ikti
being
attained and
enjoyed
here.
Nammalwar,
Andal
liirumangai
Alwar have made no secret of the fact that their
is not for the
pleasures
of
Paramapada (Vaikunta)
but for
Muktas here. Their realisation is
very beautifully
and succin-
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192 DAYAA SATAKAM

u
All the
pleasures
that the
Nityasooris
derive in
serving
the
in
Vaikunta,
our little
great
ones of this world
(^^LG/TLD^
who have learnt the Tamil
Vedas,
enjoy
with delectation he
this earth itself. As a
premier Dramida-Sakha-adhyayee (V/?^
&ily)
L&mtr)Qujrr<sGr)
Vedanta Desika therefore
prays
ir
sloka not for
being
taken to Vaikuntaloka but for
being
bi
with the bliss of Vaikunta here itself.
That this is not a mere casual or
temporary
or
poetic
mo<
Desika's
part,
but is his definite and deliberate
longing,
is s
by
his
prayer
to Lord
Ranganatha
and Lord
Varadaraja
else^
In the Abheedstava in
praise
of
Ranganatha,
Desika desir
obtain in this world the
enjoyment
of the celestials of Pai
pada.
spf fottlWfir
TjfajfpS
f%%rf|
(Note
the use of the
Mukunda here
also). Addressing Varadaraja
of
Kanchi,
D
says
if certain
enjoyments
are vouchsafed to him
here,
this
will itself become Vaikunta
^RnT^T
^r^q^T 3PT3PT
^
Sar
will itself become moksha.
Every prapanna, every
true Vaishnavite who has imbibe
spirit
of
Ubhaya
Vedanta will
only pray
thus. The desire to
:
Vaikunta will not be his. The Lord
however, may
think o
wise,
and in the fullness of time
may
take such a one to His
Loka,
Vaikunta. That has
nothing
to do with the
yearnii
the human heart. Note the $" in
f
By
two
very significant epithets
used here to denote the I
Desika
justifies
this
craving
of man to
get
all
glories, plea
and benefits here
itself; QugiGuQ&eowrrLb g)/s/G# jsnrw
QL
i/rr. One is risha
girl Pranayee,
and the other is Baddhadhc
as
referring
to this Lord. The
suggestion
seems to be that >
the Lord Himself loves this
place,
and has
great
fondness fo:
mortals here,
why opt
for
something
which will be contrai
what He manifests ? Will we not be
rejecting
His
preferred
1
here,
if we
aspire
for
something
far
away,
to
give
which He ;
not have descended into this earth at
all,
as the Lord of Tim
gadam.
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BAYAA SATAKAM
193
Vedanta Desika in line with the
great Acharyas
he
follows,
does
not subscribe to the view that the Archa or the
image
in
Temple
is a mere
step
towards the
Infinite,
a
stepping
stone to attain
higher
altitudes of
spirituality.
To Desika the Archa is in itself the
Primary
God. To those who are not
gifted enough
to rise to
Desika's
heights
and see the
Highest
Truth in Lord
Srinivasa,
the
prayer
made
by
him in this sloka
may
not mean much. But
to those
steeped
in the
Ubhaya
Vedanta
lore, synthesised
and handed
down to
posterity, by great Acharyas
like
Nathamunigal,
Yamuna-
charya
and
Ramanuja,
Lord Srinivasa is Para Brahmam,
and
enjoying
Him here is Moksha. To them there is no
prayer
worth
making
than the one contained in this sloka.
This sloka is the summit of this
stotra,
the hundredth of the
sataka.
Addressed to the Lord's
Daya,
it
depicts
the summit
of human
aspirations
which lies in the
enjoyment
of beatitude
with the Lord who resides in the summit of
Yrishagiri,
and also
in the summit of the srutis. srRr ftirftr ft^%
Wfrfw
ftf^n% ST^Tcf
jjjq- qif^r?f sffwT ^fefiFTT Srutf-sirasi-Videepte-Brahmani-Srinivase-
Bhavathu-Mama
Parasmin-Semushec-Baktiroopa,
was
Ramanuja's
opening prayer
voiced in the
very
first sloka of his Sri
Bhashya.
Following
in his wake Vedanta Dssika has
equated
Srinivasa with
Para
Brahmam,
and Mokshananda with the
enjoyment
of that
Brahmam here.
Nis-seema Vaibhava Jushaam.
mishalaam-giinacmaam
Stotur-Daye Vrishagirewa guneswareem
tvam
\
Talreva noonam avawirabhawanditam
me
Satyaapitam
tavahaJaalakutobhayatvam
n
(101)
Daya
Devi ! Even while all the other
gonas (attributes)
of in&iite
glory, pertaining
to the Lord of
Vrishagiri,
have been
looking
on with
unwinking eyes,
I have
praised yow,
their
Empress,
Those
very gonas
are
involuntarily congratulating
me
(for having praised
you).
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194
DAYAA SATAKAM
The
poet's
sense of relief at the safe
completion
of the stotra
can be sensed from the sentiments voiced
;
n this sloka. When he
began
to
praise Daya,
one of the numerous
attributes of Lord
Srinivasa,
it became incumbent on him to show her off to
advantage
by belitling
the other
attributes,
and in
places
subordinating
even
the Lord before
Daya. By extolling Daya
and
assigning
to her a
place
above the Lord
Himself,
Desika must have felt that the Lord
may
not take him
amiss; possibly
He
might
also feel
glad.
But
in
regard
to the other
gunas (qualities)of
the
Lord,
such as
Gnana,
Bala, Aiswarya
etc.,
the
poet
was not
quite
sure tha t he will be
winning
their
approbation by singing
the
praises
of one like
them,
and in
places setting
them off
against
her to their
disadvantage.
This
fear must have been
lurking
in the
poet's
mind. Nowthat the stotra
has been
completed
without
obstacle,
the
poet
heaves a
sigh
of
relief,
and at the same time
gets
the idea that the other
gunas
have
really applauded
his
hymn
of
praise
about
Daya,
and the
way
he set
about it. While
thanking
them and
praising
them for
it,
Desika
adroitly sings Daya's praise
in a new
way.
Nisseema-
Vaibhava-Jushaam-gunaanaam.
Seema is
boundary
or limit. Nis-seema is limitless. The Vaibhava or
glory
of the
gunas
of the Lord are limitless.
They
have all been
praised by
the
Srutis. In fact the srutis alone have
postulated
them.
Those
gunas
have been
watching
Desika
sing
the
Daya
Sataka.
They
have been so
watching
with
eyes
wide
open
mishataam.
Appreciation
as well as concentration is indicated
by
this reference
to wide
open eyes.
When
intensely looking,
the
eyes forget,
or
omit,
to wink. And in admiration the
eyes get opened wide,
and in
the
process, winking
is
suspended,
Now that I come to think of
it,
the
poet
seems to
say,
there is
nothing surprising
in the other
qualities
of the
Lord,
not
only
not
getting angry
at
Daya being ^praised,
but
positively becoming
happy
and
pleased thereby.
For
Daya
is
Guneswari,
the
Empress
among
Gunas. She has
once^before
been referred to as Guneshu-
Saarvabhaumi
^pfa ^TFNfcft (sloka
30)
And no
subject
is
going
to
take offence ifthe
King (or Queen) ruling
over him or her is
praised.
Therefore
they
themselves
t^r felicitate the
poet
on his
Daya
stotra. That
they
can't
help doing
so is indicated
by
the word
avasaihi.
They
do so
spontaneously involuntarily,
whole-
heartedly.
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DAYAA SATAKAM 195

Readers
will be aware of
Kalidasa's famous
saying Aaparl-
toshaat-vidushaam
na-saadu
manye.
No
poet
is satisfied until and
unless
he obtains
the
approval
and
approbation
of the learned and
the wise. This
poet
of
poets,
Vedanta
Desika,
therefore talks here
with satisfaction
and
pride
about the
approval
and
appreciation,
which the other
qualities
ofthe Lord are
lavishing
on his
Daya
stotra.
Elsewhere
also there are several similar
expressions
in Desika's
works
(e.g.) Vahampaayana-Saunaka-prabrutayaha
-
Srehtaassirah-
Kampinaha,
where reference is
pointedly
made to the
approbation
of the
great
Maharishis.
From the fact that the other
gunas,
who have been referred
to in the course of the stotra in not
very complimentary
terms,
have
ungrudgingly congratulated
Desika for his
having praised
Daya,
Desika weaves out one more
praise-worthy
feature in
Daya
Devi. Her
strength
and
support
are
capable
of
dispelling
fear
from the mind of her adherents and votaries. Where
Daya
is
favourable,
there is no need to entertain fear from
any quarter.
The
Upanishads
have in several
places spoken
of the fearlessness
of those who
rely
on the Lord. ^Tfe
They
have
nothing
to
fear, nobody
to be afraid of. That
courage
and
fearlessness,
it is here
pointed out,
are the result of
reliance on
Daya's strength. Incidentally
one more
plume
is added
to
Daya's
attractive and all-round
greatness,
a
greatness always
associated with the
Lord,
but one which He
really acquires through
Daya
Devi.
The word
%"
(me)at
the end of the 3rd
pada
of the stotra is
so
placed
that it can be taken with the word abhinanditam that
precedes
it,
as also with the word
Satyaapitam,
that follows it.
Desika*s
dexterity
in
handling
words is indeed
superb,
"In
my
case
he seems to
say,
"felicitation
by
the
great gunas
has taken
place,
and also the establishment of the truth that there is no cause for
fear for those who
rely
on the
strength
of
Daya.
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1% DAYAA SATAKAM
Adhyaapi
tat
Vrishagireesa Daye Bhavatyaam
Aaramhhamaatram
anidampratamastiiteenam
\
Smdarsita-svapara-ntrvahanaa-sahetaaha
Mandasya
saahasam idam
tvayi
vandino me.
(102)
Daya
of
Vrlshagtreesa!
Even for those
primordial Siymns
(the
Vedas) praise
of
you
is still
(even to-day) only
IE the Initial
stage.
In
respect
of such a
you,
this dull-witted
person (i.e., myself)
who is
only
a Vandhi
(encomiast)
has been
guilty
of
great audacity (in weaving
out a
complete poem
of 100
siokas).
This
audacity
on
my part
has to be
pardoned by you, demonstrating thereby your capacity
to
forgive,
and to make others
forgive,
In this sloka Vedanta Desika tenders his
apology
for
having
sung
the
Daya
Sataka. He calls his
attempt
a Saahasa. *rrir
a rash and audacious act. "Fools rush in where
angels
fear to
tread." Desika's
apologia
is conceived in that
same
way.
He
refers to the fact that the ancient
srutis,
which are the first and
foremost
hymns
of
praise,
have if at
all,
but
very vaguely
hinted at
Daya,
and hft the matter
there,
without
elaboration or elucidation.
The srutis
evidently
felt
unequal
to the task of
adequately praising
Daya.
But here I
am, says Desika,
a mere Vandhi a
Vaithaalika,
one who is
employed
in
palaces
to
sing
the
praise
of
royalty,
and a
raandha ^ a
person
of weak
intellect,
who has had the
boldness,
if not
affrontery,
to
sing
a whole stotra about that self-same
Daya.
So
saying,
Desika
prays
for
pardon.
He has to be
pardoned by
the
Srutis,
and he has to be
pardoned by Daya
Devi herself. He
appeals
to
Daya
and
prays
that she
may
be
pleased
to
pardon him,
and also secure to him the
pardon
of the Vedas.
This dual
capacity
of
Daya
is
referred to
by
the
expression
Sva-para-nirvahana
She can
forgive apacharaas committed in
regard
to her.
She can also
get
others to
forgive
the faults and sins of
commission
and
omission in
regard
to those others
by
those others
themselves.
How else has she been able to secure for us the
protection
ofthe
Lord,
and made
Him
ignore,
overlook,
aad
forgive
our
enormous sins?
That
Daya
Devi is herself
capable
of
saahasaas has been
referred
to in sloka 71
above. So she can
appreciate well-intentioned and
well-meant
saahasaa
in others.
Only
it must not be the
atisaaha-
sas
referred to in sloka 94.
"
Daya
is
audacious in
seeking
to
get
protection even for
me",
says Desika,
"why
should I not be
equally
audacious,
and
sing
the
praises
of such a
great
and bold
benefactor?"
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DAYAA SATAKAM If7

qt
>&ye
tvadanubhava+inahaamburasau
Praachetasaprabrutuyop! param
tatastaaha
i
Tatraavateernam-atalasprusam-aaphitam-maam
Padmaapateh
Prahasanochitam
aadriyethaaha. (103)
Daya
Devi! It looks as if even
great persons
like Valmlki
have confined themselves to the shores of the
great
and
mighty
ocean
of
your gloryy (Le., stopped
short of
stepping
into the
waters).
J
got
into that
ocean,
was
very
soon lifted oif
my feet,
and
hegaii
to flouftdetf
(float).
And
thereby
I became the
object
of fun and ridicule to the
Consort of
Lakshmi,
who
sweetly
smiled at
my audacity,
and
consequent
discomfiture. You
please
take me in
your protection.
The
poet
had
thought
of the Vedas in the first instance
andsumg
in the
previous
sloka about his
having
done
something they
had
omitted to do. In this
sloka,
he thinks of the
Upa-Braharnanas
(The
Ithihasas and the
Puranas)
and how there is no
full-fledged
praise
of
Daya
in
any
of them. It dawns
upon
him once
again.
that he has
purported
to do
something
which the authors of those
great
works,
Itihasas and
Puranas, deliberately
left
unuttempted.
He
compares
his state to that of one who
foolishly plunges
into
an
ocean,
when all wise
people carefully
stick to the shore.
Praachetasa is Valmiki. Praachetasa
Prabrutayopi,
esveti
Vahniki and others like him. What did
they
do?
They
were
param
tatastaaha, they very
much confined themselves to the
shore*
being
afraid of
getting
into the
sea,
or rathar of
being
drawn into it*
They
stuck to the shore so
firmly,
to terra
firma
in
preference
to
the
sucking
waters of the sea.
And
what is that sea or rather ocean? Tvad-anubhaava maha
amburaasi. The
great
ocean of
Daya's glory.
Hitherto
Daya
was referred to as a
water-course,
lake, river,
sea and so on.
Here it is
Daya's glory (tvad
anubhaava)
t^^T^n^T
that is the
mahaamburasi,
ocean. Afraid of
being
drowned in the waters of
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198 DAYAA SATAKAM

shore
stayers.
When
compared
to the
srutis,
theltihasasand
Puranas
deal a little more with
Daya.
Hence the reference to those authors
as
taking
their stand on the shore of
Daya's glory.
The use of the
word
'Praayaha*
also indicates
this,
that
they
were
mostly
tatastaas.
Onthe other
hand,
what is it I have done?
Undaunted,
I
stepped
in and
plunged
into the
ocean, only
to find that the
depth
of it
was too much for me, I could not fathom its
depth,
could not
touch the
ground
underneath. I was lifted
up,
and made to float
and flounder. Fool that I
am,
I was not deterred
by
the several
great
souls like Valmiki not
daring
to come even near the water
line,
and I took
my plunge,
Sri Desika seems to
say.
Three words have been
employed
here to show the three
stages
(1)
avateernam
(2) a-talasprusam
and
(3) aaplutam, (1) getting
down into the waters.
(2)
unable to
get
a foot-hold on the
ground,
and
(3)
lifted
up by
the
buoyancy
of
water,
and made to float.
Tala-sprik
or
ground-toucher,
is a term used to indicate a
person
who knows a
thing fully
well, knows all about
it,
its
pros
and
and its cons.
Atalasprisa
used here is intended to show how unin-
formed Desika is about
Daya.
He seems to
suggest by
the use of
that term about
himself,
that he has not
really
understood about
Daya's greatness
and
glory.
As soon as he
gets in,
he finds himself
lifted off his
feet,
and unable to touch
ground.
This is not a case
of a
gradual depth.
It is a sudden and
abrupt depth,
as is indicated
by
avateernam followed
by atalasprusam.
The wise men
knew,
and hence desisted from
getting
in.
The ever watchful Lord and His Consort have been
witnessing
all that Desika
does,
and
gets
involved in. And Their
lovely lips
get
curved in a sweet smile. It is like fond
parents watching
the
toddlings
of their
darling child,
and
getting
amused thereat. That
the Lord loves tatastaas was shown even in the 9th sloks. He is
a
big
ocean of
Daya, Karunaa-Varunaalayam.
But He discovers
and discloses Himself
only
to
tatastaas^
those who stand on the
shore, aghast
at the
immensity
of His
Swaroopa, Roopa,
Vibhava
etc., realising
the truth of the
Upanishadic saying
*
Avignaatam
Vijaanataam Vignaatam Avijaanataam*
. Vrishasaila
tatastaas,
were therefore rewarded
by
Him
by
His
disclosing
Himself to them
as the
Resplendent
Lord of the Seven Hills. So too the tatastaas
like Valmiki were
very
much beloved of Him and were the
recipients
of His Grace in an
extraordinary
measure.
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BAYAA SATAKAM 199

*."*' Vedanta- Desika instead of
emulating
those tatastaas* behaves
contrariwise
by plunging
in. So in an "I told
you so,
"
mood the
Lord
smiles on
seeing
Desika's-
discomfiture, floundering-
in the
depths
of
Daya.
.
. . ,
He does ncft smite alone but in concert with His'
'
Conso'rt,
Padmavati. Leelaras'a,
or the sweentess of
sport,
is
indulged
in
by
the 'Lord and His
spouse,
Lakshmi.
They
therefore
enjoy
this 'rasa
also;
and smile. That the smile is not one of disdain or
Contempt,
btif
'
one of love and endearment is indicated
by
the
Upasarga
pifa prefixed
to hasana.
(hasana
can also mean
ridiculing).
'.
v
However much the child
may
realise the fondness ofits
parents,
wjien they
smile
at,
its
discomfiture,
it is
apt
to feel hurt. lit that
0if>od
Desika
appeals
to
Daya
Devi and
prays, please
take me
iji. your protection, âadriyelgaha
snfersFT:
This is the last
pijaye&pf
Desika to
Daya
Devi in this stotra. In fact this is the
lastôf,tl|Q
slokas in this stotra addressed to
Daya
Devi.
Vedantadesikapade vinivesya
baalam
r ; ;
;
,.Deô
>Day.aasatakam
etad
avaadayan-maam
i
atHacffikena vidhinaa
sanidye griheelam
Wsesham'iva Venkatasailanaathaha
"
'
(104)
Deva.who
is the Lord of Venkatasaila has
placed
(me)
this inlfiiit"
on the
Peeta
(pedestal)
of
Vedantacharya
and has made
e
give
out this
Daya Satakam,
even as a rasika takes
up
a veena
^,
delightful
mood dictated
by
the
enjoyment
of leela
(sport),
and
. that
veena
sing beautifully.
, .
*
tf. . In this sloka which is
fraugBi
with several
very great
and
importantmeanings
and
suggestions,
tha chief idea is that, ofsaivika-
i^ga.
"^Pffw^WFT*
To the
vishistadvaitin
everything
is- the
L-ord^^Shd.must
be offered
up
to the Lord. This must be done
in tlfe^hmefold
way
of
swaroopatyaga,
kartrutva^tyaga'and ph'ala-
tyga',
hThe
central idea of this sloka is that
by
himself the
poet
...-.--
atrawBUK'.!-
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200
DA.YAA SATAKAM
Daya
Sataka,
and that it is the
great
Lord wha
resides,
on Venkata-
chala,
and has an infinite
instinct for
sport,
that has
really
made
Desika
give
out this
Daya
Sataka,
The
analogy
is of a
great
musician
(Vainika
vidwan) taking up
a
veena,
when
the muse is
on him and he feels like
indulging
in
it,
and
making
it
give
out
delicious and
delightful
music. The
musician
here is Lord Srini-
vasa. The veena is Vedanta Desika. The Lord who has
played
this
Daya
Satakam on the Veena of Vedanta
Desika is
very aptly
referred to as
"
Devaha
"
^T:.
The word
"
deva
"
not
only
denotes
divinity,
but also a taste for
sport
or kreeda sfrsT.
The
words 3FTC
*T|frf
"
Samaye griheetam"
arc also
very aptly
used.
The vainika vidwan and the veena are
always
there,
but it is
only
on occasions that the niood comes on the vainika
and it i&
that
period
that is indicated
by
the word
"
samaye
"~~
at the
proper
time. So also in
regard
to the Lord and Vedanta Desika,
the
word
"samaye-'*
has
got very great significance*.
The Lord'.did
not think it fit to
&ing Daya
Sataka
by
Himself,
or
through
others;
before this Stotra was
suixg through
Desika. So also Desika
was chosen as the fit and
apt
instrument, through
which
Daya
Sataka has to be
given
out to the.
world,
at a
particular point
of
time
(samaya)
in his life. The word
"
samaye
"
therefore indicates
the coalescence of the Lord's
sankalpa (desire)
16
*sing
the
praise
oC
Dalya
Sataka
through Desika,
and De$ika*s
own sukrita
(good
deeds) entitling
him to that benefit.
Desika here has referred to himself as "baalaha"
Baalaha means an
infant,
an immature
person.
This word is
employed
here
by way
of
naichanusandhana,
the anusandhaana
or
expression
of one's smallness and
incapacity,
felt out of a sincere
sense of
humility.
In Tamil it is called
"
^^<a/tuL-.Kii>
"
(avaiadakkam).
The idea
sought
to be
conveyed is,
that
just
as the
veena,
which
though incapable
of
giving
out musical notes
of its own
accord,
at the touch of the deft
fingers
of an
expert
vainika
gives
out
pleasant
and melodious notes which are enchan-
ting
and
rapturous
to the
hearers,
so
too, though by
himself
Ve<J^nt4
Desika
may
be
nothing
and
may
almost be akim to an avhetend
(inert matter)
like the veena
yet
the clever ad
capable
Lord
has utilised him to
give
out
Daya
Sataka to the world. The word
"
baala
"
reminds one of the
Brahadaaranya Upanishad.
One of
the mantraas there
says
that, after
having
learnt:
everything
that is
worth
learning,
the
great
ones will be like children:
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Though
it
might
not have been Desika's
intention, yet
the word
"
baalaha
"
employed
is so
apt
and
applicable
to- the
greatness
and
scholarship
of Vedanta Desika. As he has stated about
himself
in the
Sankalpa Sooryodaya, by
the
age
of 20 he had mas-
tered all the
vidyas (branches
of
learning).
His
learning
and his
modesty
are
by-words
in the
history
of Vaishnavism.
Though
in the
sphere
of
controversy
he bowed to
none,
in
regard
to his
conduct
through life,
he was child-like and
simple
in the
extreme,
sjiort
in stature and
unassuming
and modest
by
nature.
The
opening
words of the sloka
"
Vedantadesika
pade
vinivesya
baalam
"
are to be understood and
enjoyed
in the context
of a
great
event in Desika's
life, gratefully
mentioned
by
him in
several
places
in his own works. Born in the
year
1268 A.D.
in
Karicheepuram,
this
Acharya
who was named Venkaianatha
by
his
parents, stayed
for a number of
years
at
Tiruvahindrapuram
(near
Cuddalore New Town in South Arcot District in the Madras
State)
where he did
penance,
and
acquired
the
prasaada
or
bounty
of the Lord. Then he travelled far and
wide,
and visited almost
all the sacred
places
in this
holy
land of Bharata-varsha from
Badrinath to
Cape
Comorin.
Having
returned to his native
place
Kancheepuram,
he was
living
there for several
years, leading
the
life of a true Vaishnavite
Acharya.
A call came to him then from
Srirangam,
the
headquarters
of
great acharyas
from Alavandaf
downwards. It was a command from Lord Sri
Ranganatha
Him-
self,
the
Presiding Deity
of that
place
and indeed was couched
as such:
"
Sreemat Sri
Ranganathasya
Vishvaksenasya
saasanam."
The reat and celebrated
annual
Adhyayana
Utsavam of that
place (inaugurated by
Tiru-
niangai
Alwar centuries
ago)
was
objected
to and its
performance
obstructed
by
Advaitins who
protested
against
the
importance
given
to the Tamil works of the Alwars known as the
Divya
Pra-
bhandam, very highly
venerated
by
all the Sri Vaishnava
Acharyas
from the time of
Nathamunigal
of the ninth
century A.D.,
To
establish the
sanctity
and
supremacy
of the
Divya
Prabhandam
by refuting
the
arguments
of of Advaitins
against
the Tamil
language
and
against
introducing
the Tamil
Scriptures
into
Temple
rituals,
Desika's services were
requisitioned
by
the
Acharyas
then residin^
at
Srirangam.
Desika
readily
started from Kanchi and reache
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DAYAA
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wide
scholarship,
keen
intellect,
and
polemic skill,-; and;, above
his
deep
and
abiding
devotion and
admiration
for
the. TasE&il
es
of the
Alwars,
vanquished
the adversaries and niade
them
>pt
the
Prabhandas,
especially
Nammalwar's
Tiruvoimozhi
Sa^ras-saraswataanaam
m<HU<*c(dM( and
Samhita-Saamn
umee
tt"f^wi<frfWl' (as the
quintessence
of
'language,
and.*w
empress
among
Samhitas).
The
Adyayana
-.Utsavam was
>red,
and
celebrated more
grandly
.than in
previous years.
Lord Sri
Raftganatha
in
recognition
of this
great
a'chievemerff
edanta Desika is said to have
conferred on him the title
"
V$dan-
arya."
For the
authenticity
of this
happening
and this honour
5 to
Desika,
we are
not left to
rely
on
the
admiring
utterances
disciple
or
follower,
or on mere
tradition.
For,
this
'incident,
conferment of this title
by
the
Lord,
has been
gratefully
acknow-
ed
by
Desika
himself in his works.
The second half of the.
sloka of his
Adhikafana Saravali runs as follows:
MS a
definite
and
categorical statement that lite
great Lordj
give,s
a
form and a
name to
this universe and
.everything
that
ere,
was
graciously pleased
to
bestow on
Desika
1
the
saiiignyai
"
Vedantacharya."
A
samgnya
is a
name or
noun
having
scjal
meaning
and
peculiar
significance ,( by
the use of whicb
son
is.
definitely indicated to
the exclusion of the
rest>,
Desika
*
vain
enough
to refer to it
as. a title or
biruda
fsn^r: he calls;
Ddestly
a
samgnya.
But
what'^rname !
VEDANTACHARYA"
e is
only one.
Vedantacharya
and
that is
the Lord
Himself/.
Vedantakrit ,
Vedavidevachaaham ,
(Gita);
He
has/bee^
ed to confer
that name and
that
appellation
on
Venk
>oet
of
Kanchi. ,
But
when one, cojnes to
thi^fotf
if,
wner
,of,a
tliijig'^r
name can
give
it
away
-to another
,t ether's own ?
This is also
pointed
out
by
this
same
s Stotra
(
Bashya
(Commemiary
on
the Stotra^
Ratna)
it
-'
said S
vakam-iti-Hari-daitam-N
igamantacharyakam .^w^
f ...
î*iît=ii^
(Nigamanthlcharyatva
given
to
me
s His
own,
to be
kept
as
my own).
As
alrea'dy
of
"
Vedantacharya
"
title is
referred to in ever
so;
,
i in the
numerous works ofthis
prolific
writer in
three
language^
rit,
Tamil,
and
Manipravala,
This is
not the
plac.e
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D&YA SATAKMtf
20$
together
and
catalogue
all those -references in the
to '.this
very .unique
event in hisiife. ".-.<; \. i.
!
.; '.'. . . .:
'*'
But how comes it that what Lord
Ranga*na
:
th of
Sriraiigaafti
did' is Attributed to Lord Srinivasa of
Tirupati,
and
r
why
has it
been
suriglhat.Veiikafasailanatha plac'ed
this-
poet
on the
ped'eMl
of
Vedantacharya
? The
answer is furnished
.not
only by
the
general
and
.well known,
theory
that all the Lords
,m the
several
temples
are one and"the
same,
but
by
a
special identity
.jietêen
âAgapiatha
and Erinivasa
enjoyed by TiruppanahVar,
injhe, "third
verse of l"iis
B
."
Amalaiiaadipi'ran;
."
eut^&suria&L..
"
great
,
JLord
of Vaikunta first
alighted oii_,yenkatachala
'
^
wh.e.rq.
te
"sjopd
for a time before
joirig
to
Srirangam
and
lying
down
tkere,on
His
serpent ^couch.
So it is
quite
proper
and
apt to^sai
th^'f^pjd
Srinivasa
gave
to Desika the name and title
Vedantacharya.^
5 J; Acharyâ^ndDesfkaaire synonymoiis-and^plerchanâbletîw^
and^so;uyda]ntacharya
and Vedanta Desika
convey
the
sa$%e.ttisaAH
ingjinrThe"poet
-whose -naiiie was
'
Venkatanatha or ^Venkatesa- -hat
ever -since bêiv; known as Yedanta Desika
'anfeVedantacha^y%
because
that was
the,
appellation;
that the Lord
had-îvem.teihiT^
Another incident in Desika
?
s life-has' to 'be"
recapitulated'
hete-
WHile he was
"only
five
years
of
age,
a veritable baalaha
:
^M
:
Besika was the"
recipient
ofthe
blessings
of his
praachafya/î^W/
Vaatsya Vatadacharya
(Nadadoor Animal)
-ill the
following
Words
5
?
The,
promising
and
precocious
child ,was to become an
ol
j
Vedanta, .(
Ve
d
a^taw
P
ra
Uf
htaapaka).
When, ;he,
:
became
^H^y^t^J^*,
1
,
10
?-
n
;t
of OIKJ
Y
ed
.^
ta
but .of
^two^yeda
Sanskrit and
Tam|,
4ê
r:
Ubhaya,:WdanLta,-th^ L<^d,
Hmiself
g^ve
him
tlie
r
name. and
:
title of
Vedautacharya.
.. Tliis
bless,ing receiv^
in
early
life has been
very, ^thankfully
and
gratefully/ reqprdQd. |>x
Desika in the
Sankalpa
Sooryodaya
v an4
in the second
t
sbka
of^
Adhikarana
Saravali.
A sketch in colour, on the
ceiling
of the,
Pradakshinaof
|-ord
Yaradaraja's
shrine
on.the.Hastigiriin
Kanchoe-
depicts
this incident in Desika's life..
.
-j
/ v
-
-/,
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204 DAYAASATAKAM
This
great
honour was bestowed or him when he .was
literally
a
child,
a baala.lt looks as if the Lord
only put
His sanction and
seal on what a
great Acharya
had
done. He once
again
made
true
what a true and sincere devotee
of His had said.
?atyam-
vidhatum-nija-bhritya-bhaashitam. ?Sczf f^TT^T
That the
Vedantacharya-pada
bestowed on him is
really
a
ubhaya-Vedantacharya-pada
is also
very subtly
and
beautifully
demonstrated
by
this
great poet
in and
by
this sloka. This
Daya
Sa.taka has
been,
it is
said, sung by
the Lord with Desika as a
Veena-visesha,
an excellent Veena. Adhikaraiia Saravali .which
avowedly
deals with the Brahma Sutras and the Sri
Bhashya
is a
treatise on the Sanskrit Vedanta. The
penultimate
sloka therein!
conceived in the same
saatvika-tyaga style
as this sloka of
Daya
Sataka, refers to the Lord
having given
out that Adhikarana Sara-
vali
employing
Desika as a conch,
paanchajanya
......
Here the
Daya
Sataka has been
given
out in the form of the sweet and
mellifluous
notes dfthe
Veena,
the softest ofmusical instruments. The conch
is a loud instrument
employed
in war as can be be seen from the
first
chapter
of the
Bhagavat-Geeta.
Desika never
sings casually
and never
employs
words
haphazard.
The difference between
the conch
(shanka)
and the veena is the difference between the
two
Vedantas,
in both of which Desika had attained a
high degree
of
proficiency.
,
The Sanskrit Vedanta involves
polemic
warfare.
The Tamil Vedanta
provides
sweet and
quiet enjoyment.
Even
the Lord finds
great
sweetness and attraction in the
Prabhandas;
for, they
are
Sadhyaha
Paramaatmani chitta
ranjaka
tamaihi
and Svaadu
Suvyahritaani.
And so
they
are like the sweet and
pleasing
notes
issuing
from the Veena. In fact the Lord Himself is sweet to the
Alwars like the notes of the Veena. Vide turriltflen&Guj I
and
(LpGBrr$&turrt
uuSw
gjjT&isirtALSlssr (Lpj&rir
&<stoGu($uj of Nammalwar.
Daya
Sataka is thus the
quintessence
of the
Prabhandas,
whereas
Adhikarana Saravali is the
summary
of the
meaning
and
import
of the
Brahmasutras,
about which there are as
many
views as there
are
Bhashyakaaraas
(commentators).
Further elaboration is need-
less. The Sanskrit Vedanta is like the
Ganges, muddy,
violent
and forceful. The
Dramidopanishad
is like the
Yamuna, dark,
cool and
pleasant. They
were
flowing
as, two different streams
till
they
were united and blended into one
stream,
the
ubhaya
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DAYAA SATAKAM
205
Vedanta
system, by
the
mingling
of the Saraswati
(words)
ofVedanta
Desika, thereby bringing
about a
Triveni,
a confluence
of three
streams. This is the contribution of Vedanta Desika to Vishistad-
waita Siddhanta and Vaishnavite
religion,
for which he has been
justly
famous
through
the centuries.
Even in
regard
to the form of
satvika-tyaga indulged
in in
this
sloka,
Desika follows
closely
in the
footsteps
of Nammalvar.
In the 9th
Tiruvoimozhi,
in the 7th
Pathu,
Nammalwar has stated
that his verses were
sung through
his mouth
by
the Lord Himself:
fg)esr&GSi GT&sriSlgjgi &ar
Q&rr
u>mu<5sr
t
(Making
it
appear
as
if
these are
my
words and
my verses,
the Lord has
really sung
about Himself
by
His own
words).
Jn
regard
to
Daya
Sataka the
singer
is the
Lord,
of
course,
through
Desika. But the
subject
of the
song
is not the Lord Him-
self,
as it was in the
Tiruvoimozhi,
but
Daya
Devi.
Daya
Devi
being
fy$
consort of the
Lord,
He
probably
felt it delicate to
Hinjjself
sing
her
praise;
for that
purpose probably
He Himself
came into this world as Sri
Thoopul
Venkatanatha
(Vedanta Desika)
and has
sung Daya's praise
in the form of this
Daya
Sataka. Desika
has been
claimed
and acclaimed to be an incarnation of Lord Srini-
vasa,
and
certainly
one of the chief
purposes
of that incarnation
must have been to
sing
about
Daya
to whome He owes His real
greatness*
an<i because of whose achievements he becomes
*
Visud-
dhanam vaachaam
stutipadam
fe|4Hl"
3TRft
^fdM<
(sloka
68
ante)
the
subject
of
praise by
the srutis. .
Thus this sloka seems to
give
the
Avataara-rahasya,
the Avataa-
ra-prayojana
and the
Avataara-karya
of the author of this
work,
Vedanta Desika.
Amavadhimadhikritya Sreenivaasaamtkampaam
avitathavishayatvaad-visvam avreedayctntee
i
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206 DMMft SATMCAM

,i;vTMs<stotra
begotten.
hy;(of)
Venkatesa^-twhich
deals, abaitt
lhe;< limitless:
JDaya:
of Lord
Srinivasa,^which
contains
matter
not
one of 'which is untrue or
false,
and about which .therefore no one
need fed .abashed or
ashamed,
rwhich is. a fountain-head
for .all
kinds of
auspiciousness,
and which is free from all fault or
blemish,
is sure to shine
glorious
in
the
eyes
of all Saatvic
men.
In this and the next sloka Desika harks back to the Maalini
.
metre which, he .handled in the fourth deead. ..It is one
ofthis .favourite:
metres,
and one with which he ends: several .of .his
iany poets/
after th^maiif theme is
over,'
-evSn if
"they
Img
further slolcatf
%
:
Way
n
of
winding up,
'those
:
slokas Vill be
flat and
commonplace.
Not so-vVitli this master
poet
-One has
enjofcihe language.
and;,semtimeEts qofltam44;in J^
and
a
agree
with what has been
&tat$d
/e
v
Tl%fine
mediurn-of sksKa is
emplbyed
in this
slofei
"
conflict
f
betwêrf l!okas 102 and 103* on the one
whibh the
poet
ha
4
s talked 6f himself as the author 6f this
stotra)
:
sloka
104, ori'tfie-btlier, (in
which he said that the "Lord il
was who
'gave
but 'this
stotra)?
After-"all it is Venkafeia
who-i^
Ihe'^tAlibV of
fbls*Hymti
of
prdiSe.
:
(T^
8 is aii
;
ofeviotis referende
to his
r
&avhig
been named after the
great
Lord
Venkatesa).
Whether
lr
:
1)e Lor2
Vf
Ybnkat"esa
:
of fhe- Seven -Hills 'or the
poet
Venkatfes^
of
Kancfcej)uram
this
stotra -is-
Vdnkatesa^prasobtaîf^^^F
^'*
The word Stutihi
^fif:
is of "the feminine
gender.
'"So the
cBifd is a
girf;
; *
Tlie
;
rest;of
the Stotra describes the
;
nature and
qualifies*
of this
s
'excellent
^rlv
'"
Anavadhim
-
Sreenivaasaanukampqam
-
adhikrifya
Concerning
that limitless
anukampa
6r
f
l)aya
ofr Srikivasa.? The
subject
of
this Stuti or Stotra is Dma.
^The.,<?hild,
enjoys -t|ie blessings
of
I
'in v ., j'.- *.
s
; r f- , .
fi
i
Avitatha-vishayatvaat-visv^-aweed^
need be
of
anythipgjTOB^|i|iad|in î^^tp^^êûse
its contents
are all avitatha sr^rq*
falseless, i.e.,
true.
*
Vilatha means
false: a-vitatha is tlifefefbre 'true. -^VKwiin: 'i^
avreedavantee
sfrfllt^ff
"
-rii'eans,
;
malc6s -it-
unnecessary*^^
be
"
_ .. . ..... ,_.___._ *.%.
"
. . "V*
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DAYAA SATAKAM
207
L
person
as
visaalaakshee, EttiHigft
(broad-eyed
lady), every
concerned
must feel
ashamed. But
when
existing
excellence
uly
and
appropriately praised,
every
one feels
happy.
The
girl
has
such
high qualities
like
truth,
purity
and
chastity,
no one
need in the
slightest
feel
ashamed
about
her,
but
every
can
legitimately
be
proud
of her.
K/vW/>a-A'â^
Neevi
is the knot
lady's garment. Jt also means the
capital
or
principal
sum
lucing
or
earning
interest or other
profit by way
of
augmen-
n. It
may
therefore be
taken to refer to the source .or foimtain-
Kusala
refers to what is
right,
proper, auspicious
and
happy,
stotra is
thus said to be
capable
of
yielding
to those who
Y it,
welfare,
happiness
and
auspiciousness.
Vividha
means
d.
For all sorts and kinds of
happiness
this Stuti is the source.
Anavadyaaqxsm
blameless,
irreproachable.
The stuti is
less.
The
girl
has
faultless form and
so,
extremely
handsome.
Just as a
girl
born of a
good
family,
having
faultless
character
possessing
a
very
attractive
personality
will be
praised by
ight-minded
persons,
this stotra also is
highly appreciated
iujoyedby
Satvic-minded
persons.
(Compare
Desika's
enjoy-
of
Ramanuja's
works in this same
strain in the sloka
ffi^q*
Muni-bahumata-saara...... .\ . of
Yatiraja
Saptati)
There seems to be no limit to the sense of
gratitude
that
Desika
towards the Lord. He is
thankful and
happy
that
the^
Lord
iven to him His 'own
name,
conferred on him a title
that
igs only
to
Him,
and also
given Mm
the
authorship
of a
is
grandeur
and
excellence.
. .
"
amidam udaaram
samyag abhyasyamaanaan
7
rishagtrim
adhiruhya vyoktam
aalokaycmtee
i
rasaranaam
aadhirajye
abhishinchet
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This
GJrê Qw)
?f ttwt WftWsr
pf
oj[
Yp^piri
fp4
9ast
h
who
corregfly ipd wfll rfP^ (*$ agaia
an4
agpjq)
tlf^s
of
verses^
which is
capable
of
liberally conferring
aU
good;*
and
after
dispelling
all hostile forces and
factors,
she
îll
confer on them
the
Kingdom
ruled over
by persons
who have no
support
but hers
(Daya's).
The
previous sjtoka
dealt with the benefits which can be
^btain^d
by
a
study
of this Stotra
by extolling
its excellence and
incidentally
indicating
those benefits. This sloka
is more
avowedly
a
phqta-
wuti
<fi^5%
for this
stotra. The usual scheme
indulged
i|i
by
Many
of "the Alwars in the last verse of each decadium
of their
is
adopted
hîê
by
E)esifea.
It is to extol the
Wisk^y
vmlak-
fhe
wfet>$u
v%ilakshmy<$
and the Fâbanda
Vailakshanya,
amd^.f
m to indicate th
00$
and
gfeat things
that will be
obt^faed
who
Stedy
th
w^k.
That i to
say,
exoeltence of tke
by
the
study \hei;eof.
Readers would h^ve noêd
how in sloka
1Q5
the
threefo|4
excellence (of
the
topic,
author and
work
j-es-
pectively)
had
bî|
dealt
îth.
This sjoka
makes
ôfnted
re.feTe^ge
to the
pfyatfl
or fruit. It starts
6y
reiterating
the
pâb^dha-vaifak-
sj^nya.
This k a
Satakam,
a hundred.
It
i,s udaarani
^R^T
generous
and
munifiqent.
Iof|y
and
excellent,
noble
^nd
illutn9us-
The Lord is all that and
Daya
Devi is also all that. This Satakam
Dually
with them ia
alse 'udaamm.
4f>fayjaasa
i
repetition,
Samya^
is well
an^
correctly.
Samâ
ciifayâmaqnaQn,
those who
truly
and well recite and
repeatedly
fceite.
.^bsy;,wiH
Feeit* it
again
and
again
I
enjoy
to tMi
|fe@att$*
^:ttouties
of
language
and soBtimât
emsMM4
ift ffa
d-
ito-
in^ssantly
cmt@e$^te
^ "tte
$$t$s$&
and
glory
HYi,
a^
r
itepic|ed thgrein.
Just
as
the
enjoyment
of the
is evtr ftesfr' and
Eev^r italc
^jrsF^j(yi^kb
and
fac*TT^,
tife
Of the Stotra
g]j}ft
wft
k ft^;
Each time
^ne reflect n a sloka of this
poem, son^g
new idea
emanates,
50a^new
beauty
c^mes
tft
the swrfase. it is a
perennial
stream
of
literary
beauty
j4 WtiBJjK
tMt
..pste
toft
all the
while,
exl^|^w|;
%
^fe
E^
Aft 4M4
*****
realms of
mystic conmm^^-^|% .ftfi i^g Iftm^
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BAYAA SATAKAM 209

Samyag-abhyaasa
has been mentioned here to denote reci-
tation and reflection of the Stotra with a full
understanding
of the
meaning
and
significance
of the
verse,
and not a mere
parrot-like
repetition.
Those who revel in the
language
and the sentiment of this
Satakatfn -will become the
recipient
of
Daya's
Kataksha
(benign
glances).
She will see them
well,
and
clearly vyaktcm aalokayanlee.
She will see them from the
heights
of
Vrishagiri
on which she has
got up. Vfishttgirim-adhiruhya-aalokayantee.
Here it is
plainly
asserted that
Vrishagiri
is
really
the seat of
Daya Devi,
not so
milch the Lord*s. TSfS'kfea is reinforced
by
the
poet's
deliberate
omission to refer to the Lord im this sk*a'as the Lord of
Vrishagiri,
bitt as
Saiarflgadhamvaa,
In all the 108 slokas of this stotra
barring
only
a
few,
reference has been made to the Hill
by
ome name or
another. In almost all of the
large
number of those slokas the
Hill has been linked with the Lord. This
(106th)
fe one of the
very
few slokas in which tbete is a reference to the
Hill,
and
yet
the Lord is
designated by
another name. There seems to be no
end to the
literary
devices
indulged
in
by
this
poet
to drive his
point
home. That there is a
deliberately
intended
suggestion
(dhvani sarftr)
will be clear from the use of the word
Saamga-
dhanma.,
which in turn is calculated to remind the reader of sloka
28,
in which the Lord was referred to as
Saaiiigee.
It was in and
by
that sloka that we were told that
Vrishagiri
is the Lord's
vi/aya*
sthxma
RwWfH-
Why
it is
s,
is
explained
in this 106th sloka
by referring
to
Daya
Devi as
having
ascended this Hilt^-FWsfta-
girim-&cSiirul!iy*
Tinimala is thus the
capital city
<rf
Daya's
Kingdom,
and the Lord
taking
His residence there is
essentially
a
Dayaavaan.
From the
top
of
Vrishagiri, Daya
Devi looks
graciously upon
those who have mastered this stotra
sung
in her
praise.
And
at once she dremchesj them in tfee cool awd
life-giving
stream of
her
protective
Kataksha. Abkisheka
literally
means
spriakMag
water,
or
wetting
and
drenching.
It is because the installation
and As
crowning
of a
King closely
follow Ms
being
bathed witit
"
coronation
water,"
the word AbMsheka has come to denote
the installation of
Kings.
Tite
Mgfa.
aititude of
Vrishagiri
is conductive to
give
Ds
Devi a
good
vision
(vyaktamaalokafantec)
ofthe entire earth sito
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210
DAYAA SATAKAM
beneath. It is also
helpful
to
Jet
loose the cool and
pleasant
streams
of her
grace
in which to bathe those in the
plains,
whom she thinks
fit
to be bathed therein.
.
So
they
are all
coronated,
to
change
the
metaphor.
She crowns them
kings
Abhishinchet.
What is the
Kingdom
over which
they
are crowned? Anitara-
î^
The
great kingdom
reserved for those who look to
no,
one but the Lord and His
Daya
for
help
and
protection. Aadhirajya,
is
sovereignty, overlordship.
The.
Kingdom
of Heaven is the
Kingdom
of service to the Lord
and His chosen
devotees. This is referred to
J)y
Desika
in
several
places
as
Kinkaratva-aadhiraajyam
fa^Kl
"if^ri^
*f the soverei-
gnty
of service. This is the
sovereignty
desired
by
those who are
aniiamsQranaas,
those
.whose sole refuge
is the
Lord
and the Lord
alone,
and who have no taste
for,
and do
npt desire, anypunishartha
excepjt
service to Him. Those
^ho
are
th$
recipients
of
E>aya
?
s
gracious
Kataksha because of their
having
mastered this
Satakanaj
are
installed
as
sovereigns
in
that
Kingdom
of Service, or
Kainkarya.
Worldly wealth, power
and,
position,,
and even the .exalted
posjs
held
by Brahma,
Indra
aijd .the qther Devas,
are the
gifts
that
Daya
Devi bestows on
Jier votaries
who desire to obtain those
preferments.
But
they
ape gtit mitara~sara$aa$ or
true
'
paramai-
kantins,
for
though they may
look to the Lord's
Daya
alone foe
help
and
assistance,
their desires are not for the Lord and
the
Lord alone.
They belong
to the first three
categories
of
persons
whd
approach
the
Lord,
as mentioned in
the-Bhagavad Gita,
the
aarta,
the
arthaarthi .and the
gignaa.su.
The fourth
person
there enumerated
is the
Gnani,
who is
.specially
extolled
by
the
Lord Himself as His soul What
special gifts
are reserved for th6
Gnani who wants
nothing
of the Lord but service to the
Lord,
those are all available to the
persons
who master this
centum of
praise Daya
Satakam.
-
The words
Samita~Vimata-paksha& *afw faWTSTT
meaning
having conquered
the
enemies' forces
haye to, be understood both
in relation to the
upasaka's foe$,
and also to ,the
opposing
forces
ranged against Daya.
Both sets of
enemies
are
conquered
and
the
King
is
installed on the throne.
Saarngadhanvaanukampa,
the
Daya
of the
wieldef of the
Saarnga
(bow).
This mode of reference to
Daya
furnishes as it
were the
reason, for her
ability
to
quell
opposing
forces. Is she
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112
is unknown to her. She is
agnaathanigrahaa
She is a
favour-bestowing
mother to one and
Or she is a mother desirous of
bestowing
all
eaugrahas (viswa-
aniigraha).
The second
phrase Pyatishajat-svargaapavargaam
indicates
her
capacity
to confer nil thfc
pleasured
of
wivarga
aiil of moksha.
"
Swarga
"
is here used
compendiously
to denote the first three
purusharthas, dharma, artha,
and kama; This
phrase
used towards
the endofthe gtdftft is
veiy
f&MMemt ofthe"words
sootim*qpmarga*
trivargayoho
of stoka 10
ante,
the first Moka in
praise
of
D&ya
in this stotra, If at
ftta.ipa&Jtnw?
>4M?MJ
(beginning)
of a-<
itttt in itt
mpammliaara
^H^f<
(end)
th^
-
idea--
is
e^r^sic^
to,
and if one
al^p
finds that idea
.very
often dealt
with in
t&e course,
of tte
worl^,
it lias to be taken that that Is
the
or
tkegx^
Ta^fparya
tffWM,
of the work.
JTest^dl
these
linâa,s
flr^fT;
or
symbols,
we can see that the
c^nfernient
t^ya
of
Dhatma
Artha înd
âma
.
pjimsharthas oi|
t^ QIRC
and
ntoksha
puruârtha
on the other is
what
the
author
desires
to DC
understood
as the chief idea
aijd
tlie
prominent
tlierne
of
ttie
stotr^.
That
by
nature
-wat'Odnvctyod by
tbtt first
eftpi;e^si0n yuvamugrcthamaataram.
That is her
anugraha-
smlatva
3i^^1^cf.
Her
capacity
or
power
to confer those
mvgrafaas
m the
shape
of
trlyarâ
and
apavarga
is
indicated
by
the second
compound
vyatishajat-svargaapavargaan^
This is Jtier
The third
epithet
"
sudhaa-sadreecheem
"
is
intended to
bring
out
Daya's
intrinsic
worth.
Even
apart
from her
anugrahaseelatva
and
phala-dana-
ifcaW,
she is
by
nature weet attd
life-giving,
like
sudMa,
Of
'
has been
praised
in this,
ia.,tbi& threefold
way,
Venkateswara tUvi has
prai'sed Daya
tfe wise* Prê of
Dnya
is itself mew.
Praise in this
wise
(M)
is
indeed aovel.
Wherefrom did th
poet get
inspiration
to
sing
them?
Bhaktya ^^TT Out of the
intensity
of his
devotion'
to
Daya.
Pausing
for a
ôffiemt,
the
poet
looks back n
thfe
f the
stodra;
he tates a
bird's
ey^
view of
tjbeir
(torama)
*eir
âssiication
into tern
dwad^
weli
defined
anddeaii|r
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out
tty the
varying
metre
in which
each dO|d is
QfQ*<&<tfft$ dscads,
and thQ
development
Qf
tJôs^ topics
^
^Fai|n4oss sucqii^ct mann^,
He
wonders at
fhf
at the
a^YslQpjnent,
4t th$
teufluage,
at the,
s^TOmts
ttet gQs
to
ixiake
up
for % eêellenc^ qf the stotm
prq4uct Qf
Ufcrary,
41*4
at
the same time
yQligip^,
a#; and the
feeling grows
on him that this must be the
work
fiat of a hiipiin
mind and
human hand^
but of that
great an$ mighty
Sankafpa
or
will of that
great
Lord of
the Universe,
a
Sankalpa
which he
has
himself
described elsewhere as
Visv^,paripalana-jagtro>|:a
a
sankalpa
in
praise oif whic|i
great poet
has hMêlf brought
out a reat
and grancj
Srama
the
Sankalpa Sooryodaya.
This idea is dealt wfth
|n
the
second half of
the sloka.
Iha-padyaanaam-ayam-ktamaha
^
^rarRf SI^PT: Here-of
the
versesitltfe/êf,
tyej
'
jwrtfcjtgjr '&$&
f verses in this
stotra
sung
out of
{fog
pa^
dV9tioU,tf
^
pa^t
towards Daya.
The
suggestion evidently
seems to be thslt not even the
poet's
devq^Qft js i$sp$ftsftit9 %r t)wi
gjofy
ef thf llt*pt,
but
only
the
Sank,|jia
qr will
of the
1^4 that a Stotra ^houl4 emanate
tliis
pq^t |a
this
fQrm with all its fineness and finish-
The
pleased >îtji th^
ense
of
devqtion a^d adoratioii
that
the
poet
Jll^ln
regar^
t ^^Y^ W^led that
a-
stotr^
of
tîs
nature shou^
come out from him. That will is referredto as
Bhagavat Sankalpa,
vatik of
Bhagavam).
That
Safealpa
in tur i&
entirely Mjdheya
to
i^ya, i.e.,
depeacbat up@n IMya,
aad sutotfifeftt
to
That
.Sanka^-a
is
feerf equated
ts a
Kalgifea
'V'rtkdba,
th*
vyAfaai
tme in
flaicise whi^h
is
oafiabie
0f
Mftllimf
all
expir<esd
im its
vtoimty. lust
as
tip
aid
tasty
fell
a
'mafigai' *e,
fto tbte H
;
alpaM
tree
@f
tte Lord^s will DIM* veiws
have
faljen.
Fruits are
gathered
from a
tiee,
ot the trefe is
sfeafen
ty
teii^p hawi to-
^<?
% fyiife
fall dnw^.,
CWy
Iwto
that
fip^ Mrift.be
g%thep|d
qr ip^
ta
j^ll
by
ta
pluQ
tf tj^
Q^R ?cc(^4
in^pM fef
tiki
of %
WfPFH|
: gafc,
Ttlit i^
^showp,
bf
.
% tfftrew*
-4^ m *e lw of
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214 DAYAA SAIAKAM

this
Kalpaka
tree has
dropped
this rich and
plentiful
lot of
fruity
verses. The
mango
tree is shaken
by
a
hurricane, (Jhanjha-maa-
ruth-dhuta). Who shakes the
Kalpaka
tree here?
Daya
Devi.
She is the
Jhanjhaamaaruta
or the terrific wind which
passes
over
the
Kalpaka
tree of the Lord's will and makes it shed these sweet
verses of this
lovely
stotra. That is
why
the
Sankalpa
was talked
of as
Daya-vidheya.
Daya
is thus said to have been
chiefly
instrumental in Desika
singing
this stotra in her
praise.
She moved the
Sankalpa
or the
will of the Lord and that
Sankalpa
in turn has
produced
this stotra
through Desika,
all because of Desika's
deep
devotion to
Daya,
a devotion
equalling
if not
exceeding,
his
devotion
towards the
Lord Himself.
Kaamam santu
mithah-karambita-gunaavadyaani-padyaani
naha
'
*
'Kasyaasminchatake
sddambu-katake doshasrutim
kshaamyati
i
Nishpratydoha VrisMadn-nu-jharajharatkara-chchalenochalan
Deenaalambana
Dfvya Dampati Dayaa
kallola KolaahaJaha
n
(108)
: Jn our verses
let there,
foe excellences
and defects
intermingled
in abundance,
But no one's
fault-finding
words in
regard
to this
centum whtefa is
capable
of
cleansing
the
hearts of the satvic-minded
persons,
ill ever be
tolerated
by
the
mighty
onrush, and
uproar
of
v
the
waves
tff the
helpless
man's
support,
the Divine
Grace of
thfrt Dime
Couple,
in the
guise
ofthe
falls and cascades of
Vrisfaadri
flowing
with terrific noise. .
:
In slokas 104 to 106 the Stotra and the slokas in it were referred
to in
very appreciative
terms. Sweet as the notes of the Veeira
(104),
a treasure-trove for all
axispiciousness (105),
and liberkl
beyond
words
(106). They
all sound like
self-praise
and the
paet
is not unaware of it. He adverts to the
possibility
of the
slokas,
some or all of
them, being
described
by
others as bereft of
rnerit,
and
being
full of
faults,
in
language
or sentiment or both. That
however does not
perturb
him. For he has
sung
this
hymn
but
of his Bhakti
(devotion),
and it is his humble
offering
at the feet
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DAYAA SATAKAM 215

)aya
conceived in
humility
and
sung
in all
modesty.
'
If
people
>se to
pick
holes in such a
work,
and/or
discover
faults,
flaws
foibles,
no one need bother about
it;
the
poet
himself does
mind it. For he is certain that
Daya
Devi will not tolerate
adverse criticism of this work in
praise
of
her,
and that is
igh
for him. If he had
sung
it for his own
glorification
he
Id have taken adverse criticism to
heart,
and either
attempted
spel
it as unfounded and
baseless,
or if that was Hot
possible
pted
the faults and admitted his errors. But in
regard
to a
a like
this, sung
in the true Satvika
tyaga spirit,
where comes
question
of
minding
what others feel or
say
about it ?
Every
true devotee who has
sung
in
praise
of His God in the
iss of
his, devotion,
if asked about the merits of his
songs,
will
y
admit that
they may
npt
be sweet.
Probably they
are inferior
. But it is sweet to the Lord in whose
praise
it is
sung.
And
levotee rests content in that
feeling. }SsfrtLi
Ljsr&<sBm^<3uj
tt&t^zrrr/bffiesfiu-itoJrrQfl)*
After
having sung
44
soulstirring
5S about Lord
Ranganatha, Vipranarayana,
better known as
idar^dippdoi
Alwar,*
winds
up
his Tirumaalai
(J5)(n>Lo/r2tf)
the above
word's,
which mean that
though
it
may
be inferior
fen bad
poetry,
it will be sweet to his
Lord, (OTii>i^r/r<s5r
.ord and
tiege).
Desika has almost
copied
the words
of
that
ir towards the" 'end of his classical
Rahasya-traya-saara, wh,en
ags
ugh
men with crooked and
perverted
minds
may decty-the
:
by imagining
faults and
defects,
it will taste sweet to tKe
ort of Lakshmi with feet like flowers
exhuding honey)/
This
jloka.of
Daya
Sataka embodies almost the
very
'Sentimeflts
at* Tamil verse.
.
Oesika makes it clear
by
the
opening
words of
th$
trie one told him about the existence of
t
faujts
along
witfc,
bly,
some
merits,
he was not
going
to
join
issue with him
it. Kaamam
>Santij
^TO^Ff
is a trite
'
:expi;ession
to denote
all means let it be as
you say." ,Jt may also,
mean
"
let there
many
faults as
you
would desire?"
<-t
*'""'
The rest of the sloka
explains why
that is of no
oet. Whose hostile Criticism is
going
to" be
28
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216
DAYAA SATAKAM
Daya
Devi is
certainly
not
going
to allow them even to be
heard. The words of critics will
get
drowned in the
mighty
noise
(Kolaahala)
of
Daya's
forceful flow
imitating
the noise of the foils
of the
Tirumalai
Hill,
even as a human voice will
get
drowned
in the
mighty
roar of the waters of the
Niagara
fails. Readers
will
remember how in the course of the stotra the ilow of
Daya
had been likened to the cascades on the Hill of Yrishadri
(e.g.)
slokas 31
and 69.
Nfrjhara
is a hill cascade.
What is it that rashes so
mightily? Daya-kallok-kolaahalaha
e hostile
uproar
of the rush of the waves of
Daya.
Whose
Daya? Divya Dampati Daya.
The
Daya
of the
Divine
Couple (Sri
and
Srinivasa).
This
epithet gives
the clue as
it were to the
interpretation
of the
Daya
of
Vrishachalapati
referred
to in almost
every
sloka of this stotra.
Really only
the
Daya
of
the Celestial
Couple
was talked of in all the slokas of this stotra
though
it was referred to as
Srinivasaanukampa,
Fadmaa
Sahaaya
Karunaa
etc.,
in
places,
and more
frequently
as
Daya Kripa
Karuna
Anukampa
or even as the
Daya
of
Vrishagireesa.
Desika has
elsewhere established that wherever the Lord or
Narayana
is talked
of in the Srutis and other Shaastraic texts it
invariably
takes in
Sri or Lairshmi
also,
as the two are
inseparable
and
always go
together.
In this sloka there is one
epithet
or vhesJiana for the Sataka
and one for
Daya,
The Sataka is referred to as sadambu4taka.
Kataka is the
cleaning
nut
plant,
the nuts of which have
gat
fee
power,
when added to
muddy water,
of
clearing
the water trf umd
and
along
with it dirt and
impurity.
Here the
kataika, meaning
thereby
the
sataka, (centum),
is
capable
of
cleaning
and
clearing
the minds of saatvik
type
of men. It is clear Desika here is
thinking
of the beautiful Sloka in the Valmiki
Ramayana (Balakanda,
2nd
Sarga,
5th
sloka).
The
righteous
minded men's minds will be
cleared
and
pwified
by
a
study
of
Daya
Sataka. Just as the Kat&ka
mxk makes the
water free from mud and
dirt,
so also
Daya
Sataka is
.
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DAYAA SATAKAM 21?

of
clearing
the mind of all low
thoughts
and vicious tendencies
and
maintaining
it in a
pure
and
placid
state.
Daya
is here described as Deenaalambana
Daya* Daya
the
only help,
or source of
help,
for all
helpless beings.
Deena
means not
only
a
poor
and humble
individual,
but one who
is miserable
and wretched
beyond
measure and ever
dejected
and
melancholy.
Aalambhanam is
support
or
prop.
The
outstanding
quality
of
Dayu
is the
help
rendered to those who are
utterly helpless.
The stotra started with solidified
Daya, Daya.
hard and
huge
like the Hill. It ends with the torrential flow of
Daya, Daya-
Kallola-Kolaahalaha ^n-^^fa-t?l<?i i
î
*
May
the
Daya
of Lord Srinivasa
protect
all of us!
All
Glory
to Vedanta Desika
All
Glory
to Lord Srinivasa
All
Glory
to Srinivasa's
Daya.
# ** # #
fosw
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INDEX OF
SLOKAS
SI. P.
SI. P.
31
-ft
10 8
aft^yfo^cM
... 97 182
...
61 98
... 17 18 *:
: 51 79
MUH<<tM ^ ... 9 7
... 27 34
**HlEWHc3m
'
... 26 33
75 132
+tw\
jPwi'*
... 28 35
for
... 102 195
^fafafMJi
... 22 26
... 105 205
yfk^>*flriH
... 69 117
..v 63 103
*sm W
... 108 214
f*r+
M M.M f*
f*
77 137
JWTt
^*Wiutf ... 3 2
18 20
$M<H^*tl*CHC1KtW
... 14 14
TU...
11 10
^ tci^lU^
..: 87 161
... 34 46
ff
. 64 104
gq
f^M^m ... 81 146
. 53 82
îii^HlfaHi
... 78 139
fqr ftfaH^g
... 12 12
>"
. 25 32
^
-
' -
'.'
. 52 81
ft^r
%#t^:
... 70 119
. 35 48
. 32 42
'
. 31 41 NHilxM^^
f
,., 68 414
,5 4
^rrdr^4MMr<d<i ,6 ?
. -30 38 ^Wfer Sffan ^ ... 23 29
q|3nra[
qq ,^^H f^
: umm 93 185
rT*rt*m%m
... 41
,58
^
'
/
1 S" -\ f
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SI. P.
SI. P.
59 92
79 141
66 110
40 56
67 1*2
50 76
38 52
9 186-
srrot
89 165
85 156
82 148
42 60
103 197
33' 4*
46 69
|
nc
54 4
20 22
100 190
43 62
55 86
8 6
65 108
>101 193
92 175
29 33-
94 178
60 94*
44 44
83 154
24;
86 159
3
49
4 3
24 30
80 143
1 I
7 5
2 2
95 n
93 176
31 41
ear HOD
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wfrf
w*l
SI. P.
91 172
58 90
15 15
76 134
37 50
76 134
78 139
104 199
106
207
49 75
5
SI. P.
57 88
84 153
96 181
21 24
6
5
45 68
77 137
74 129
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DAYAA SATAKAM
iq;
not the
Daya
of the Powerful Lord who holds the
great Saarnga
in His hand?
Visvaanugrahatnaataram vyatishajatsvargaapavargaam
sudhaa
saddhreecheem ill
Venkateswamkavir-bhaktyaq Dayaam
astuta
i
Padyaanaam ihayadvidheya bhagavatsankalpakalpadmmaat
jhanjhaamaartitadhootachootanayatah'Sampaatikoyamkramahn^
The
poet
Venkatesa has thus out of devotion
sung
the
praise
of
Daya,
who is the mother
(of all) capable
of
conferring (all) favours,
who
brings (unto us) (bestows
ort
us) Swfcrga
and
Apavarga
(moksha),
and who is
ever
(sweet
and life
giving)
like
nectar, (amrita).
And
even like
ripe Mango
fruits shaken
by strong
winds
during
a
hurricane,
this
particular
order of verses in this Stotra has
dropped
from
the
Kalpaka
tree of the Lord's
Sankalpa (will)
which is ever sub-
ordinate and
dependant
on
(or
is at the
disposal of)
that
Daya (whose
praise
has been
sung by
the
poet Venkatesa).
This and the next sloka,
which is the
very
last
sloka of the
whole
Stotra,
are couched in the Saarcfoola VikreeMa metre. As
the name itself
indicates,
the
syllables
and words
leap
and Frolic
even as a
leopard
does
during
its
sporting
moments. This metre
contains 19
syllables
to a
paada.
It is thus the
longest
of the
several metres
employed
in this Stotra.
*
"
",>,.."
,''<*
.
It,
is
only
in,
this sloka that the
poet definitely
refers
to himself
as the author. In Sloka 104 a reference was made to his titular
name Vedanta Desika. In sloka 105 the name Venkatesa
occurs,
but it was used
ambiguously
and could be taken as
referring
as
much to Lord Venkatesa as to himself.
By
the words Venkateswara
J
kavi
employed here,
the
poet
refers to 'himself
by
his
proper
name,
and so this is the
"
mndra
sloka/'
the sloka
bearing
the seal of
the author.
, ,
The Stotra was referred to as udaaram
^3^R
in the
previoi
sloka. The
subject
of the
stotra, Daya Devi,
is referred to Ir
as
Visva-aiwgraha-maataram.
She is the mother. -She is a mo
who
.
always
bestows
favours, anugraha-rnaatararn. Nigraha
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DAYAA
SATAKAM
NINTH DECAD.
Lord's unbounded kindness towards
prapannas
was
very
well illustrated
by
the two
previous
decads,
which
respectively
dealt with
(a)
His essential nature of
dispelling
sins and their un-
pleasant consequences (anishta)
and
(b)
His
overwhelming
love
towards the
prapannas,
which is
willing
to
adapt
itself to their
desires with a view to
ultimately
sublimate those desires into God-
love. This idea has been well
expressed by
Desika elsewhere
also. Vide
Dramidopanishad
Saram :
4t
With a view to
dispel
and banish the anishtas of
,jnen
and in order
to see that their desire for
worldly pleasures
is
gradually put
down,
He the Lord of
all,
who has the entire threefold chetana and ache-
tana creation under His own
sway, yields
Himself
up
to the varie-
gated
desires of His followers/'
(Those
who are interested in
pursuing
the
theory
that is
being
elaborated in this
commentary.,
that the theme for each of the ten decads of this stotra is furnished
by
the
respective
themes of the ten centums
of Nammalwafs
Tiru-
voimozhi,
as laid down
by
Desika,
will have noticed the use of
several identical
words and
phrases
in this sloka of
Dramidopanishad
Saram and the 81st sloka of
Daya
Satakam).
This ninth decad furnishes
the reason
why
the Lord
is so
fond of His
devotees,
and fond to the extent of
coming
down to
their level.
He is shown here to be a
nirupadhi
Suhrft
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138
DAYAA SATAKAM
who has not in her
composition
the fault
of
punishing
others,
will see to it tbat the evU results that must follow as a result of
our
wrong
acts after
prapatti
are warded off in some
manner or
another. The methods of
warding
off the evil effects
are,
by making
us
undergo expiation
or
prayaschitta
for
thfc sins
that we shall
unconsciously
or
unwittingly
commit after the
perfounance
of
prapatti,
orifour nature does not
permit
us to take to such
expiation,
then
Daya
Devi sees to it that some
punishment
is awarded for
that error or
slip
from the
path
of
virtue,
so that
by being punished
for
it,
the sin itself
disappears.
For the
prapatti performed,
the
Lord has at the behest of
Daya
Devi
promised
to the
prapanna
complete
freedom from thn
cycle
of births and deaths at
the end
of this
particular
life. No
change
is effected in that
sankalpa
or resolution of the
Lord,
-taken with the
help
of
Daya
Devi. The
Lord
through Daya
Devi sees to it that the- sins committed in
the
are not allowed to stand in the
way
of con-
ferring
mukti or release on the
prapanna.
This is
achieved
by Daya
Devi
counteracting
the errors of commission and
omission that
may
set in in, the
post-prapatti period.
The word
"
pratividhim
"
shows
the
counter-action, Elsewhere Desika has elaborated this
idea and said as, follows
referring
to the
Budciliipoorva-paapa
or
conscious sins
Conscious
errors of
commission and omission
will
not
occur,
Even if
they occur,-
by prayaschitta Pr^f,
or
by
punishment,
thfc
Lord sees to it
that His
original
sankalpa
of
mukthi is carried
out. The'
prior
sins are all
wiped
out
by
the
nyaasa
or
sajanagatL
The
portion
of the
prarabdha
which has
.to be
grae
through
.till the end of this
lifetime, is
suffered,
and
iftereby liquidated.
Conscious
post-prapatli
sins will
not
occur,
and if
they
occur
they
are
destroyed
by expiation
or
punishment!
The
result is
there is no
balance
of karma left at the moment
offlhe
pcapaima's
casting
off this
body
of his. This
process
is
dealt
with 'ia.
this
sloka
which
emphasises
the absence of the
danger
of once
again
getting
into
thecJutchesof the
god
of death
&amavasyataam,q^mR). Daya
Devi
casts
asunder that
great
danger
a
ft
d
Meonjunqtion with that
hitaishmee or
benefit-Conferrer,
Lord
-Stimvasa, does
away
with all
the
obstacles in the
way
of
ednfermg
rnoksha
iifXHrthfe
prapanna.
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tl
(^0
Kshanavilayinaam saastraarthaanqam phalaayanivesite
Sura
Pitirigane
nirvesat
praagapi pralayam gate
i
Adhigata
Vrishakshmaabrinnaathaam akaalavasamvadaam
pratibhuvam
iha
vyaachkhyustvaam Kripe
!
mrupaplavaam
"
(78)
Day
a Devil where the Devasand Pitrns who have been
appofnced
to
confer fruits for the
performance
of
good
deeds
prescribed
in the
Saastras
(such
as daanaas and
homaas),
fruits which are of
very
short
duration,
when those
gods
and
pirtnis
themselves reach the end
of their
career and
disappear, yon
who are not
subject
to
any
Imi-
tations of
time, you
who are unaffected
by
the troubles that others
may create,
and
you
who have Lord Srinivasa for
your support,
stand
guarantee
for the realisation of the
phala by
those
persons
who have done those
good
deeds. So the
great
ones have said.
Deeds that human:
beings perform
cam be
good
deeds or bad
deeds. It would have been noticed that
only
bad
deeds,
which
are called sins, have
very
often come
up
for consideration.
Just
as sins have to receive
punishment,
good
and virtuous deeds have
got
to receive their rewards.
The
perpetrator
of sins will be anxious
to avoid
-having
to
undergo
the
punishment
due for those sins.
Similarly
those~who
have
performed
good
and
righteous
deeds
will be anxious
to have
the reward
prescribed
for those deeds
bestowed on them.
This sloka
deals with the doers of
good
deeds,
and assures them that
if
they
are anxious and desirous of
obtaining
all the benefits
and rewards
that
they
are entitled to
by
virtue of
their sood acts, they
need
not be afraid of
having
to lose them
because
the minor
gods
and the
Pitrus; who,
propitiated
by
these
good
deeds,
have
to
give
to them those rewards,
dis-
appear
before
that
date. The rewards
themselves
are
imper-
manent
It
may
also
so
happen
that before the time arrives for
rewarding
those
persons
who
eagerly
wait their for their rewards,
the Devas
and
Pittas
'may
themselves
disappear,
because the
good
deeds
responsible
for
getting
them
their
high position
have come
to an
end, Daya
Devi
however
sees to it that no
disappoint-
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140 DAYAA SATAKAM

ment is caused to those who have
by
their
good
acts earned
those rewards and
preferments.
It is said in this sloka that she
stands as a
surety
and a
guarantee
to them for the realisation
of all the benefits and rewards.
The
Vedds,
in the Karmakanda
portion thereof,
have
prescribed
several deeds and actions
by
which men can
propitiate
a
particular
devata or a
particular
forefather
(pitru).
The
Devatas or
Devas,
such
as Indra
etc.,
have attained the
position
of
power
and
importance
by
virtue of their
good
deeds.
Any
act done in order to
please
them results in
good things
to the
perso/i doing
the acts. One
who desires to
go
to
Swarga
has been ordained to do a
particular
yaga,
When there is no
rain,
Indra or Varuna has been directed
to be
propitiated by
suitable mantras and
observances,
and when
these
observances are
gone through,
rain
comes,
and so on. If a
Deva so
propitiated
ceases to be a Deva
by
the time the
good
deeds
done to
propitiate
him
begin
to earn
fruit,
what is to
happen
to those
deeds?
This
uncertainty
in the
persons
here down below will
act as a
deterrent to their
taking
to a
good
act with the motive
of
obtaining good
results. To
protect
the
sanctity
and
greatness
of the sastras which have laid down
particular deeds,
and the re-
wards to be
obtained
iherefor
by
or
through
the
agency
of certain
minor
gods,
Daya
Devi
functions as a
surety
ensuring
the reward.
She is not
Habile to
any
destruction. She is an
akaalavasamvada,
not
subject
to the
operation
of time.
She is
also
nir-upaplava,
obstruction-less.
Above all
Daya
Devi has
annexed herself to
Lord
Srinivasa,
the Lord of
Venkatadri who is abcve all
limitations
of
time
and
space.
Pratibhoo
(srf^nr:)
means
bail,
surety, guarantee.
Daya
Devi is the
guarantor,
and
guarantees
certainty
of
reward,
though
the
rewarder
may
not be
there,
This
sloka
refers to the
short-lived
greatness
of
persons
who
dole out
from a
position
of
power, rewards and
benefits to
others
smaller
than
themselves.
Even
during
the
short time
that a
god
officiates
as a
god,
it is
only
with the
strength given
by Daya
that
he
gets
the
capacity
to
reward
others.
This
topic
has
been
touched
upon
in
this
sloka
particularly
to show that
just
as the
sinners
need
not be
afraid of
receiving punishment if
they rely
on
Daya
the
virtuous
men
need not be
afraid of
losing
their
reward
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DAYAA SATAKAM
141
t
ftrar
Tvadupasadanaat adya
svovaa
mahaapralayepi
vaa
vitarati
nijam paadaambhojam
Vrishaachalasekharaha
Tad-iha Karunel
tattadkreedaatarangaparampama-
tamtamatayaa jushtaayaaste
duratyayataam
viduhu
(79)
Devi Kanma ! on those who resort to
you,
and take
refuge
in
you,
the Lord of Vrishachala
is certain
to confer the
blessing
of His
lotus Feet.
It
may
be
today,
or it
may
be
tomorrow,
or it
may
be
only
during
the
Mahapralaya.
But the conferment is certain.
Therefore
it is that the learned
people
have
understood
you,
with
you
variegated sportiveness,
that is itself like a succession
of waves.
ar } indeed hard
to be overcome or fathomed.
Having
dealt
with the
way
in which
Daya operates
to
punish
the
sinners,
and
guarantee
rewards to
good
men,
Desika harks
back
to the one
topic
which
alone
is
uppermost
in his
mind,
the
attainment
by
all human
beings
of the Feet of
the Lord.
Though
Daya
is
capable
of
relieving
us from the burden
of
sins,
and of
seeing
to it that we
get
rewarded for our
good
deeds, yet
her
primary
desire
is to see that we attain the
Feet
of the Lord and
get away
from the realm of
Papa
and
Punya.
That the attainment
of beati-
tude at the Feet of the Lord
is the
pooitive
content
of
saranagati
is once
again emphasised
in this sloka.
At the same
time,
the
difference
in the
time
of
attainment,
which in turn
depends upon
the intensity
of the
yearning
of the
upasaka
to attain the Feet
of the Lord,
and
the
consequent
difference
in
Dayaprasaada,
is
the
topic
dealt with in this sloka.
If the
yearning
of
a
person
to
r\*ach the Feet
of
the
Lord
is
so intense that he
adopts
saranagati
for immediate
release from samsara, Daya
Pevi
secures
to
him that desire of his
by seeing
that
the Loid
takes him unto
His
feet
immediately,
forthwith; sf^r,
here and now. Svaha
W; means tomorrow.
That
is, slightly dehyed,
If as in the
case
of most of our
Acharyas,
the
prapatti
is
performed
with a view
to
attain
the Feet of
the Lord
at the
end of this
bodily
existence,
surely
Daya
Devi sees to it
that the heart's desire of such
a
person
is fulfilled,
and the moment
his connection
with this
particular
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DAYAA SATAKAM
137
By
the
word
Prabriti
etc.,
we have to
understand
Satsangha
(association with
Sudhdhaantasiddhantins)
Ardia-anubhava
(enjoy-
ment of the
beauty
and
grace
of the Gods in
Temples)
and
similar
faultless and
elevating pleasures
that make life itself worth
living.
Anitarajushaam
antar-mookpyapaayapariplave
kritavidanagtiact vichchidyaishaant Kripel Yamavtisyataam
t
Prapadanaphalapratyaadesa prasmgavivarfllatn
pratividhim
ztpaadhatse
saardham Vrishaadri-hitahhmtffl*
(77)
Kripa
Devi! Even if those who
steadfastly
look
up
to Ae Lord
and the Lord
alone,
as their
upaya
and
purushartha, (means
and
end),
happen
to
commit
any
conscious
sin, yon
who never allow
yourself
to
forget
the
saranagati
that
they
have
done,
and who have not in
your
make
up
the fault of
punishing,
to
them, you
in
conjunction
with that
great
Weft-wisher of all mankind in
Viishadri, bong
about
a
counter-acting
element,
so that there is no
impediment
or bar to
their
attaining
the fruit of the
Saranagati
that
they
have observed.
Thecleansingprocess
was
the
topic
ofthe
previous
sloka, As the
Prapanna
continues to live even after
performing Saranagati,
his
further life is decided
according
to the
pmarabdha
or that
part
ofhis
karmas which has
begUft
to
give
effect. Therefore his future acts of
commission and omilsion
are
likely
to lead him iittosin. It Is here
pointed out,
that because
prapatti
is made with the determraatioD to
fallow the Lord's commands,
and never to do
any
act
proscribed
by
the
Sastras,whMi
togteta
His orders and
ordinances,
it is not
likely
that
tbe'/?r0/xzmtf
will
ever be
guilty
of conscious commissions and
omissions in the Hktwre
of fcm. But
by
the force of the
prarabdha*
if the
prapanna
h&^pens
to be
unwittingly guilty
of an act ofcommis-
sion or omi^l>
?
*%k&w31
be an
apaaya
or
sin,
what will
happen
to him?
Tfife
is the
problem
which which will
present
Itself to
every
thinking
'-man.
'If êr
doing Prapatti,
I
go wrong,
will I
lose the
betrtfi*
<# the
prapatti performed by
me,
is the
question
that Is
likdy't*>
a^s*iil
every prapanna.
The answer to that is
furnished
1
by
tMs
sloka. The sloka assures us th^t
Daya
Devi
who
is
not likely
tc
forget
the
saranagati
that we have
done,
and
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DAYAA SATAKAM 13
'ishagirisudhaasindhau jantur-Daye
\
nfhitas-tvayaa
bhavabhaya pareetaapachchhittyai bhajannaghamarshanam
t
tushitakalusho
mukter-agresarair-abhipooryate.
svayam upcwatais-svaatmaanandaprabhrityanubandhibhihiu (76
Day
a Devi! That
being
who is
placed by you
in that ocean o
ectar that is in
Vrishagiri, gets
Ms fear and
tapa (heat) engendere
p samsara, dispelled,
and becomes
pure
and freed from sin. Havin
iiis
got
himself cleansed of
sin,
he is
filled, during
Ms further sta
i this
world,
with all the
higher pleasures,
like those obtaine
ora a true realisation of one's own
self, pleasures
which are reall
ire-runners and fore-tastes
of the mokshananda that is sure to come,
Aghamarshana
3Twf<*T
is a bath
enjoined by
the
Scripture
ad Dharmasastras for
cleansing
oneself of
very
heinous sins an
rimes. There is a sookta
^3RT
or
prayer
in the
Rig Veda,
know
5 the
Aghamarshana
Sookta, which,
if
repeated
while
bathinj
as
got
the
power
of
releasing
the bather from heinous sins. Th
Terence in this sloka is to that
purifying
and
expiatory
bath.
Daya
is here referred to as
placing (PT%rFFTT)
her
upaasaks
i that
grand
and sweet nectar-sea,
that is Srinivasa. This is th
ath she
enjoins
on her
votaries,
or rather
gets
them to
go througl
t is clear that Desika is here
thinking
of the old
saying
"
Esh;
I
plunge
myself
into this
Brahman,
HI
lunging
into a cool and
deep
lake, during
scorching
summe
n the
Devunayaka
Panchasat
(a
stotra in
praise
of the Lord <
"iruvahindrapuram
in South Arcot
District)
Desika has made th
eference more
plain
and
pointed:
m
ftfeir
Lord Devanatha!
Having
been
ruthlessly duped
by
several kin
>f
mirage
in the
shape
of
earthly pleasures,
my
rnind has
just
nc
ittained
rest, peace
and
comfort;
for it has entered into
(plung*
ato the
depths
of) You,
who are like a
majestic,
sacred,
and swe
ake
(full
of
water),
even as
one scorched
gets
into
a
tank).
It was
only
a
tataaka 3ZFF
or tank in
Devanayaka
Panchasj
Hfere it is an
ocean, Sindhu,
an ocean
of
nectar,
Sudha-sindh
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DAYAA SATAKAM
133
The
people
of this world
to all other
things.
Aiswarya
here must be taken to be a
compendious
term
indicating
all
worldly pleasures.
The
kaivalya
which comes next
is the
stage
where the
aspirant
to
spiritual
eminence
indulges
in
the
realisation ofthe
pleasures
of the
self,
bereft of God-association.
To the true
devotee of
God,
even
kaivalya
is not a
stage
worth
aspiring
for. It is as
good,
or as
bad,
and
certainly
as evanescent
and
unsatisfying,
as
aiswarya
itself. The
opening
words of the
sloka show
that
people
who are
spiritually
minded
prefer
the
pleasures
of wealth and Aatmanubhava even to the exalted
positions
held
by
Brahma and Rudra. It shows that
people
are so taken
in
by
what
this world can offer that
they
do not even desire the
Daya
Devi understands
correctly
the desire of the
people
of the 'world to obtain
earthly
wealth,
or in a few and rare cases
the
supreme
satisfaction ofAathmanubhava
SHc-HM^.
Personally
Daya Devi,
who knows the real value to be attached to
these,
as
contrasted with the
pleasures
attainable at the Feet of the
Lord;
is not
happy
about
the
craving
that
people
entertain for these
pleasures.
But
just
like a fond
mother,
who
pretends
to
satisfy
the
expressed
desires of the
child,
all the while
having
in her mind
th idea of
converting
Daya appears
to
grant
what
they
want,
so that her hold on them
may
become firm and
they may
learn to look to her for
everything they
desire to have. The
illustration about
conferring punya
and
dispelling
sin on an indi-
vidual who does not desire
punya
or to
get
rid of his
sin,
but
only
feels
thirsty,
shows the
way Daya
Devi sets about it. Just as a
person
interested in
a
thirsty
man's soul takes him to the sacred
theerthas like the
Ganga,
and asks that
person
to
quench
his thirst
Ganga,
so that he
may
not
only
have his thirst
quenched
but also obtain
punya,
so too
Daya
Devi
eggs
on her
votaries to
appeal
to her
(and
thereby
to the
Lord)
to secure their
hearts' desire with the idea of
ultimately making
them desire the
Lord for the Lord's own sake. It is
Daya's attempt
to convert
the first three classes of men denoted
by
Lord Sri Krishna as Aartha
srpsf
:
Jignasu
f^TT^
and Artharthi sr^frff
into
persons
belonging
to the last class
namely gnani
wrftr.
The word
'
veetaatanka,'
which
literally
means
having dispelled
fear,
shows
how
carefully Daya
Devi sets about the task of redeem-
ing
lis and
taking
us to eternal
bliss,
mokshananda.
She has
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DAYAA SATAKAM
The
people
of this world
to all c
things. Aiswarya
here must be taken to be a
compendious
indicating
all
worldly pleasures.
The
kaivalya
which comes
is
the
stage
where the
aspirant
to
spiritual
eminence
indulg<
the realisation of the
pleasures
of the
self,
bereft of
God-associa
To
the true devotee of
God,
even
kaivalya
is not a
stage
\\
aspiring
for. It is as
good,
or as
bad,
and
certainly
as evanei
and
unsatisfying,
as
aiswarya
itself. The
opening
words ol
sloka
show that
people
who are
spiritually
minded
prefer
pleasures
of wealth and Aatmanubhava even to the exalted
posi
held
by
Brahma and Rudra. It shows that
people
are so t
in
by
what this world can ofler that
they
do not even desin
Daya
Devi understands
correctly
the desire of the
p
of
the "world to obtain
earthly
wealth,
or in a few and rare
<
the
supreme
satisfaction of Aathmanubhava
3nwR^T3T.
Perso
Daya Devi,
who knows the real value to be attached to thes
contrasted with the
pleasures
attainable at the Feet of the I
is not
happy
a.bout
the
craving
that
people
entertain for
i
pleasures.
But
just
like
a fond
mother,
who
pretends
to sj
tbie
expressed
desires of the
child,
all the while
having
in her :
thQ
idea of
converting
Daya appea
grant
what
they
want,
so
that her hold on them
may
became firn
they may
learn
to look to her for
everything they
desire to have,
illustration about
conferring punya
and
dispelling
sin on an
vidual who does not desire
punya
or to
get
rid of his sin,
but
feels
thirsty,
shows
the
way Daya
Devi sets about it. Just
person
interested in a
thirsty
man's soul
takes him to the s;
theerthas like the
Ganga,
and asks that
person
to
quench
his
Ganga,
so that
he
may
not
only
have his
quenched
but also obtain
punya,
so too
Daya
Devi
eggs
01
votaries to
appeal
to her
(and
thereby
to the
Lord)
to secure
hearts' desire
with the idea of
ultimately making
them
desii
Lord for the Lord's
own sake.
It is
Daya's attempt
to co
the first three classes of men denoted
by
Lord Sri Krishna
as A
srfsf:
Jignasu
fawRj
and Artharthi spqW
into
persons
belo
to the last class
namely gnani
frrft".
The word
'
veetaatanka,'
which
literally
means
having disj
fear,
shows
how
carefully Daya
Devi sets about
the task of re<
ing
us and
taking
us to eternal
bliss,
mokshananda.
Sh
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DAYAA SATAKAM
123
II
s
?)
ividha
chidachit
sattaasthemapravrittiniyaamikaa
Vrishagirivibhor
ichchhaa saa tvam
parairaparaahataa
\
ripanabharabhritkimkurvaanaprabhootagunaantaraa
vahasi Karune \
vaichakshanyam
madeekshanasaahase
\\
(71)
Devi Karuna!
you
who are but the wish or desire of the Lord
:
Vrishagiri ;
who order and direct the states of
existence, continuance,
id
activity
of the three kinds of chetanas
and
achetanas;
who is
controlled
by
others;
who
willingly
bear all the burdens of
helpless
ad wretched
beings;
who are served
(obeyed)
by
the other
lofty
aalities
(of
the
Lord),
Such
a
you possess
great
skill in
(are
an
lept
at)
the
very
bold act of
patronising
and
protecting
me
by making
ic the
object
of
your (protective)
glances.
Daya
is here defined as the Lord's Ichcha
dssire or wish.
'he Lord's
desire to
protect
that is
Daya.
It is not an
empty
esire,
nor
is it a vain desire. This
is demonstrated
by
reference
;> four
factors.
The
first of them is dealt with in
a
long phrase
Tri-vida-chit-
chit
-
satta
-
stbema-pravritti-niyaamikaa.
Trivida
is threefold.
ilvida
chit or the threefold
chetana
classification
is as
Nitya,
tfukta and
Baddha.
(The
ever celestials
like Garuda;
the released
ouls;
and the souls in
bondage.)
Trivida achit
refers to the
three
.chetana
objects
known
generally
as
prakriti,
time and suddhasatva.
?he existence,
continuance
(persisting
in the same
state)
and
activity,
>f all the above six are
Dayaadeena
i.e., they
are all ordered
ind ordained
by
her.
The second is
parairaparaahata
uncontrollable,
unobstructed
>y any
one and
anything
else.
Daya's
sway
is
supreme.
Nothing
ind
nobody
can stand in the
way
of the Lord's desire,
whose name
s
Daya.
It is the Ichcha, desire,
of a
Vibhu,
a
mighty
and eminent
sovereign
and no one dare cross it.
Daya
is next stated
to be
Kripana-bhara-bhrit,
the
bearer
This has been
dealt
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DAYAA SATAKAM 121

eyes
here we find
Daya
Devi
doing
this
daring act, namely, welcoming
the sinner with
avidity, just
because that sinner has been clever
enough
to take to
Bharanyaasa.
The followers of other
systems,
which are also claimed to have been derived from the same
Srutis,
exclaim,
"what
foolishness this! "and "to what Khila
fe^r
or
vacuity
of intellect is this to be attributed?
"
Vismerabhuvanam
fe^^nf
a world
gaping
with shock and
surprise. Vismaya fcpFHT
may
also refer to
admiration,
in which
sase the words will
mean,
to a world
admiring Daya
or Devi's
cleverness. In view of the othsr words in the Sloka like
KLhilam,
this latter
meaning
cannot be
appropriate
for this word as
referring
to the world. The
poet
is
going
to refer to the real
admiration that the Lord entertains for this bold act of
Daya.
That is the other
sentiment enshrined in the sloka.
Simhakshmaabhrit
f^f^rnrq;
is Simhaachala one of the
Puranic names of
Tirumala. The Lord
residing
there is referred
to here as a
Kritamukha
f^njST
which means a
very
learned
ind clever
person.
The term
frgrnT
Vidwan in a
way
will
bring
3ut the
meaning
of this word Kritamukha. The act of
Daya
related
ibove in
coming
forward and
meeting
the
prapannas
at the cross-
roads is looked
upon by
this
very
learned and clever Person with
admiration.
Only
a Vidwan can
adequately appreciate
a Vidwan's
work. As
already pointed
out there is a difference between the
Vismaya
of the
world,
and the Chamatkaara which is the reaction
of the Lord to
Daya's
act. Here it is
unalloyed
admiration. What
the Lord has not been able to achieve
by
Himself without the
help
3f
Daya, Daya
has achieved before His
very eyes;
and His heart
feels
happy
and
glad
at this welcome which
Daya
extends to Pra-
pannas.
Prasthaana
^q"Fr
means
setting forth, starting; Pratipras-
:haana
srfcTSRsrFT
âs êen un(ierstood as
counterstarting
or
jetting forth, meaning, going
out for the
purpose
of
welcoming
those who come in.
This is the last sloka of this decad in which
Daya
Devi's
supre-
macy
in action has been
very
well described. Her
daringness
and
audacity,
in
protecting
those who have taken
refuge
in
her,
as dealt
with in this decad are referred
by
Desika himself in the
opening
sloka of the next decad as a
Saahasa,
^Tf[*r
a
very
rash and
daring
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DAYAA SATAKAM 109

a Devi to mie if some small evil
happens
to
you
c^
* f% wl
era *W. That was the extent to which Rama
i
Sugreeva.
Sabari,
the
hunter-woman,
whose
hospitality
ama
is a household
word,
is referred to nsxt. Sabari means
>man
of tha hunter class.
This
lady
had no other name
by
h, she was known.
So
Kaapi
Sabari
may
be taken to indicate
nameless hunter woman.
4
Kaapi
'
has however been used
to show that a
peerless lady
bearing
the name Sabari is indi-
.. Rama was her
guest,
and
gladly
and
willingly
ate of what
md
carefully put by
as sweet and delicious in
anticipation
is arrival.
Rama was the acme of
modesty
and one will not be
surprised
s
moving intimately
and
freely
with
Guha,
Sugreeva,
or Sabari.
he Lord
Krishna^
si God from
birth,
born as a God and not
man, having
to His credit several deeds from
boyhood
to
lood which arc
distinctly superhuman
what about Him?
, Devi renders Him too accessible to one and all in the lower
i of
society.
Kuchela
(meaning
dirty-and-tom-cloth-man)
picture
and model of
poverty; Kubja
of
ugliness; Gopis,
of
tered
ignorance;
and maalakaara a vendor of
fragrant garlands
flowers,
not one
among
which would he have for his
use. And with all of
them,
Sri Krishna mixed
freely
aad on
. terms. The
reception
He
gave
Kuchela should ever serve
ideal for small minded rich men to
follow,
persons
who will
Leign
even to
recognise
in a
poorer
man an old-time friend
lassraate.
Kubja
means bent
woman,
a hunch-back. A
with this defect in her
body
was
preparing
sandal
paste
for
sa's use. While she was
taking
some sandal one
day
to
Kamsa,
ret Balarama and Krishna in the streets of Muttra. At once
illingly
offered the sandal to those
lovely youngsters.
Krishna
diately
rewarded her
by relieving
her of her hunch back and
;rting
her into a
young
and handsome damsel. The first
'that
lady
then was to catch hold of his
uttariya (upper garment)
drag
Him towards herself.
Thereby
Krishna earned
>f his 108 names
(Ashtottara-sata-narnaas) namely
*
Kubjaa-
Saambaradharaha
*
3Fsn?2WRC
v
JT:. There is a
Kubja (f*si)
ie
Ramayana,
whose name
stinks;
as much as that of
hagavata counterpart
exhudes
fragrance.
So to demonstrate
t is not the evil and inimical
kubja,
but the devoted and
loving
fy
it is said here
4
Kubja-saa,'
that
Kubja.
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DAYAA SATAKAM 97
x>k
up
to her for
help
and succour, to the
great Acharyas
who are
ieloved of the
Lord,
so beloved as to make Him refer to them in
tie
Bhagavat
Geeta as His
Atma,
(gnanee-tu-atmaiva-me-matam)
nd
as
very
dear to Him
(Sa-cha-mama-priyaha).
The
gnani
of
tie Geeta is here referred to as Budaha
(f-*:).
Their
greatness
/as indicated in the
previous
sloka
by
the
v
words
Vrishagiri-jushah-
tira-chara-silpinaiva-parikalpita-chitra-dhiyaha.
As
they
are
reposi-
3ries of
Daya's
protective qualities,
ordinary
men and women
ave to
rely
on them for
redemption.
This is known as the
Acharya-
ishta form of
Saranagati.
(7)
Madhure! Sweet!
By
nature
Daya
Devi is sweet and
ttractive,
even as a mother is to the
baby.
(8)
Vrishagiri-sarvabhauma-dayite
! Beloved of the
Emperor
f
Vrishagiri!
Daya
is one of the
Consorts of Lord Srinivasa.
; has been said before that the other Consorts like
Sri,
Bhoo and
[eela Devis are
dear to. the Lord because the Lord sees
Daya
jflected
in
them.
(Sloka
36).
(9)
Bhavuka-nidhe ! Storehouse of all
mangalam (auspicious-
sss)!
The
very
first
description
of
Daya
in this Sloka was as an
anchana-nidhi
(treasure-house
for the
helpless).
That nidhi or
easure is here
pointed
out to be a
bhavuka-nidhi,
a treasure of
uspiciousness.
After
having
thus called
Daya
in nine different
ways,
Sri Desika
takes known to her his
prayer
in the words
"
mayi-te-mahateem-
b.avamoola-haraam-lahareem-nidhehi,"-pray
divert towards me
>ur
mighty
floods
capable
of
uprooting
this
great
tree of Samsara,
hat is to
say, please destroy my
connection with Samsara and
2$tow on me the beatitude of the
Highest
Bliss. The nature and
te content of 'that Bliss have
already
been described in detail in
te fifth decad.
Thus the sixth decad of this Stotra concludes with the
perfor-
ance of
prapatti by
Desika even as the sixth Centurium of Verse
, Nammalwar's Tiruvoimozhi ends with the Alwar's anushtaana
practice)
of
prapatti.
The effect of this anushtana or
practice
of
*apatti
is seen in the
following
decads. The twofold
aspect
of
.ehelp
that
Daya
renders to
prapannas, v/z.,
Anishta-nivritti and
hta-praapti (Removal
of undesircd fruits and realisation of desired
liits
respectively)
is described in detail in the
succeeding
decads.
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Daya Satakam

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Sri Venkateswara Swamiwa Tirwaal

Samasta Jananeem Vande

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t wnere we never dreamt of

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