SrI Thirukkudanthai Desikan’s Sri Desika Sahasra NAmam Annotated Commentary in English By: Oppiliappan Koil SrI VaradAchAri SaThakopan sadagopan.org CONTENTS TITLE NAAMAS PAGE Introduction 1 Dhyana slOkams 5 Desika sahasra nAmams: 7 Balya Vaibhavangal 1 to 19 7 Divya nAmams 20 to 100 16 Satha Dhushani 101 to 168 Ebook 88 SthOthra granthams, vEdanta granthams - 169 to 180 52 tAtparya chandrikai 181 to 196 56 PrakaraNa granthams 197 to 205 66 Tatthva Muktha Kalapam 206 to 440 Ebook 89 Saccharita RakshA 441 to 477 69 nyAsa vimsati 478 to 479 92 nikshepa RakshA 480 to 492 92 sadagopan.org Rahasya Rakshaa 493 to 523 101 Sri PAncharAthra RakshA 524 114 “SiddhAntha- VyavasthApanAdhikaram” 525 to 543 115 “NithyAnushtAna SthApanAdhikAram” 544 to 556 122 “Nithya vyAkyAna adhikAram” 557 to 680 128 Sankalpa Suryodayam 681 to 705 168 Incidents and creation of Padhuka Sahasram 706 to 720 180 Chillarai Rahasyangal 721 to 769 Ebook 90 Swamy Desikan's Vaibhavam and His Sookthis 770 to 792 186 Srimad Rahasya Thraya Saaram 793 to 1008 Ebook 91 Nigamanam 195 sadagopan.org . ïI>. ïImte ingmaNt mhadeizkay nm>. ïImÌaepalyR mhadeizkE> Anug&hItm! . ïImiÚgmaNtdeizk idVyshönamvil> . SRI THIRUKKUDANTHAI DESIKAN’S SRI DESIKA SAHASRA NAAMAMS INTRODUCTION In the Tamil year Vikrama (1700 C.E), a boy was born to the great VaishNavite scholar SrI KrishNa Soori at Royampettai, who will be revered later as Apara Desikan (the other incarnation of Swamy Desikan) because of his extraordinary erudition in SaasthrAs and VedAnthA. His family is linked to Matapalli AacchAn (direct disciple of AchArya RaamAnujA), ApuLLAr (maternal uncle of Swamy Desikan and the Master poet, SrI VenkatAdhwari (author of the famous Lakshmi Sahasram and ViswaguNadarsa Champu). This child was born on a PurattAsi PoorAdam day and will become one of the greatest SrI VaishNavite AchAryAs. He was named Gopaladesika by sadagopan.org his parents. Even in his teen years, this precocious child mastered Grantha Chathushtayam (SrI BhAshyam, GitA BhAshyam, Bhagavath Vishayam and Rahasya Thraya Saaram) from the illustrious SaakshAth Swamy (VedAntha RaamAnuja Muni, who is considered as SaakshAth RaamAnuja avathAram). After completing his studies, the young Gopala Desikan was instructed by his AchAryan to settle down in Thirukkudanthai. By the time Gopala Desika turned thirty, flocks of sishyAs were attracted to him. Three sanyAsis were his key disciples, who are considered incarnations of Naatha Muni (VazutthUr Swamy), AaLavandhAr (VazutthUr Andavan) and SaakshAth Swamy (SrIrangam Swamy). Because of his scholarship in oral and written interpretations of SampradhAya Granthams, Gopala Desika came to be revered as Thirukkudanthai Desikan (a name given by Lord AarAvamudhan) and became the Munithraya SampradhAya Pravarthakar (Patriarch of this SampradhAyam). His lineage led on to the growth of many AchArya Paramparais including SrIrangam SrImath Andavan and PoundarIkapuram Andavan. Like Swamy Desikan, Thirukkudanthai Desikan 1 performed unjavruthti and settled in a hut opposite Swamy Desikan Sannidhi at Lord AravAmudhan’s temple. Among his many SrI Sookthis are: NikshEpa ChinthAmaNi, an original work on SaraNAgathy, a commentary on the magnum opus of Swamy Desikan (Rahasya Thraya Saaram), bhAshyam on Tatthvatika of Swamy Desikan, commentaries on ThiruppallANDu of PeriyAzhwAr and KaNNinuNN SirutthAmpu of Madhura Kavi aazhwAr, an Ahnika work dealing with the daily rituals for a SrI VaishNavan, AparyApthaamrutha DhyAna SOpAnam modeled after SrI Bhagavath DhyAna SopAnam of Swamy Desikan and Sri JayanthyAdhi NirNayam (the criteria for selecting the days to observe Sri Jayanthi et al). Two days before his ascent to Parama padham in 1782 C.E, Thirukkudanthai Desikan entered into SanyAsAsramam and was given the name of AparyApthAmrutha Swamy by Lord AarAvamudhan Himself. One of the most important works of Thirukkudanthai Andavan is his divine SrI Sookthi known as “SrI Desika dhivya sahasra Naama SthOthram”. This sthOthram has “rasa ganam and arTa Pushti” and covers systematically the life, Vaibhavam and the SrI Sookthis of Swamy Desikan. Thirukkudanthai Andavan himself describes the power of reciting this Sahasra Naamam about Swamy Desikan as “akhyaathi niraasi sarva sampath pradham” (a sthOthram which banishes nescience and confers on one the wealth of true Jn~Anam). The coverage includes the highlights of Satha DhUshaNi, Taathparya Chandirikai (GeethA BhAshyam), Tatthva MukthA Kalaapam (summary of our SiddhAntham), sadagopan.org NikshEpa RakshA (establishment of Prapatthi as the upAyam), Saccharithra RakshA (the three aachArams of SrI VaishNavAs: Sankhu-chakra dhAraNam, adorning of ThirumaNN and offering of food for the Lord (Bhagavath Nivedhanam), PaancharAthra rakshA, Gadhya thraya BhAshyam, ChathusslOki BhAshyam, Sankalpa SooryOdhayam and SrImath Rahasya Thraya Saaram and excerpts from ChillaRai Rahasyams. It is this extraordinary Sahasra Naamam on Swamy Desikan created by Thirukkudanthai Andavan and commented in Tamil by NavalpAkkam Dr. V. VasudEvAcchAr under the command of HH ParavakOttai PoundarIkapuram Andavan Swamy. adiyEn would attempt to provide the meaning and the gloss on individual naamAs in English from the insightful commentary by Dr. V. VaasudEvAcchAr (VV) Swamy of NaavalpAkkam. Dr.VV Swamy is from an illustrious scholarly family and has abundant Veda-Saasthra Jn~Anam and KaDAksha VeekshaNyam of MahA Vidwans from NavalpAkkam SrOthriyAs and Brahma nishtaas. What Sri VV Swamy has done is a great SampradhAya Kaimkaryam. Desika BhakthAs will forever be indebted to VipascchinmaNi VedAdhyEthaa Navalpaakkam Sri VV Swamy for His MahOpakAram to all of us, who cannot approach this Sri Kosam without the extraordinary help 2 through his magnificent commentary. It is indeed an eye opener and helps us understand the multifaceted genius of Swamy Desikan . PRANAAMAM It is customary to offer one’s praNaamams to Sudarsana BhagavAn prior to any major effort. He is recognized as the Sankalpa Sakthi of Para VaasudEvan. Swamy Desikan is said to have prayed to Sudarsana Bhagavan before an important debate to defeat the proponents of other darsanams. Due to the power of Sudarsana manthram, Swamy Desikan defeated the contestants easily. The SrI Sookthi of Para matha Bhangam arose in this context. At another time, Swamy Desikan composed an ashtakam and SthOthram on Sudarsana Bhagavan (SudarsanAshtakam and ShOdasAyudha SthOthram) to drive away a fever epidemic that gripped the people of Thirupputkkuzhi. Let us offer our salutations to Lord Sudarsana with two slOkams of SrI Sudarsana Sathakam of Sri Koora NaarAyaNa Jeeyar, a great Sudarsana UpAsakar of AchArya RaamAnujA’s time: saEdzRNyui¾hana idiz ividiz itrSk«Ty saivÇmicR> baýabaýaNxkar]tjgdgd»arÉUMna SvxaMna, dae> ojURËrgjRiÖbu"irpuvxUk{QvEkLykLya sadagopan.org Jvala jaJvLymana ivtrtu Évta< vIPsya=ÉIiPstain. SaudarsanyujjihAnA disi vidisi tiraskrutya sAvitramarchi: bAhyA bAhyAndhakArakshata-jagadagadankAra bhUmnA svadhAmnA | dO: kharjUdUragarja dvibhugha ripu-vadhU kaNTha-vaikalya kalyA jwAlA-jAjvalyamAnA vitaratu bhavatAm veepsayAabhIpsitAni || --SlOkam 1, Sri Sudarsana Sathakam MEANING: May Lord SudarsanA, who banishes both the inner and outer darkness of those who are tossed about in samsAric night fulfill all of Your desires! Lord Sudarsanan destroys the dark nescience with His brilliant rays and pervades all the worlds with His lustre and makes the rays of the Sun inferior to His radiance. With His valour, He makes widows out of the asura ladies (kills the offending asuras); His matchless jwaalai (flames) shine 3 without let. May those tongues of flames surrounding the disc of Sudarsanan fulfill all of Your desired wishes completely! JyaeitíUfalmaEi¦iônynvdn:;aefzaeÄu¼bahu> àTyalIFen itóNà[vzzxraxar ;q!kae[vtIR, inSsImen SvxaMna iniolmip jgT]emviÚimRma[> ÉUyat! saEdzRnae v> àitÉqpé;> pUé;> paEé;ay. jyOtiscchUDAla-mouLis-trinayana vadanash-shODasOttunga bhAhu: pratyAleeDhEna tishTan praNava-sasa dharAdhAra shaTkONa vartI | nissImEna svadhAmnA nikhilamapi jagat kshEma-vannirmimANa: bhUyAt soudarsanO va: pratibhaTa parusha: pUrusha: pourushAya || --SlOkam 75, Sri Sudarsana Sathakam MEANING: In the first of the 25 slOkams dealing with the description (VarNanam) of Sudarsana Purushan, SrI Koora NaarAyaNa Jeeyar visualizes the Aayudha Raajan: His upward flowing hair made up of radiant tongues of flame; He has three eyes as well as sixteen sadagopan.org hands. He has the prathyAleeDa posture (the right leg is bent and shortened, while the left leg is stretched out in a walking manner). He is pegged in PraNavam and the orbit of the Moon and stays inside the six cornered, intersecting triangles. With His matchless power, He protects all the worlds and confers auspiciousness on them. May That Lord Sudarsanan, the terror of asurAs and raakshasAs empower us always! After His prayer to Lord Sudarsana, Swamy Desikan went on to defeat sixteen rival systems to defend the doctrines of SrI VaishNavam. Through 54 exquisite verses, He refuted/demolished the theories of rival systems in front of Lord Dhaiva Naayakan of ThiruvahIndhrapuram. In the last stanza of Paramatha Bhangam, Swamy Desikan saluted the sixteen weapons of Lord Sudarsana for empowering Him to defeat the contestants soundly. Before starting the write-up on SrI VedAntha Desika Dhivya Sahasra Naamam, let us offer our own salutations to Lord Sudarsanan. Jaya Jaya Sri Sudarsana, Jaya Jaya SrI Sudarsana! 4 Xyan ðaekm! AiolÉuvn r]a saxnayavtI[eR k…mit kilivlasXvaNt itGma<zujale , inrvixké[aBxaE vedcUfaguraE me Évtu prmÉi´>