॥ Slokam 21॥
samayopanataistava pravaahaih anukampe krita samplavaa dharitri.
sharanaagata sasya maaliniyam vrishashailesha krishivalam dhinoti ॥ 21 ॥
॥ Meaning ॥
Oh, Dayaa Devi! Through the timely floods of Your Dayaa, the crop of Prapannas get irrigated and nourished thoroughly and the Lord of Thiruvenkatam, the farmer, who labors in His Leela Vibhuthi is delighted by Your efforts on His behalf.
Comments:
In this world, a farmer tills the soil, seeds the fields, and irrigates the growing crop with the waters from the river in anticipation of abundant harvest. He removes the weeds during the growing season and chases away the animals that might eat away the growing plants. When the fields are full of tall paddy sheaves, the farmer is very pleased with his efforts to have nurtured the seedlings to their full cycle of growth.
In a similar manner, Bhumi is the field for growing crops. The Lord of Thirumala is the toiling farmer working in those fields. The water that nourishes the field is the flood of Your Dayaa. Those who performed Saranagathy at the Lord’s sacred feet are the crops growing in that field. The tall hill from which The Lord oversees His crops is the sacred hill of Thiruvenkadam. Oh, Dayaa Devi! Your Lord wishes that all the world thrives well. For this purpose, He unites the chethanams with Sadacharyas to be blessed with Tatthva Jnanam and Upaya anushtanam (Bhakti or Prapatthi). The Lord of Thirumala waits for the floods of Yours (Dayaa Devi) to immerse the seeded fields for optimal growth and protects with extraordinary care the growing crops from His perch on top of the hills. The Prapannas thriving from Your Dayaa and the Lord’s care bless the world with their presence. The Lord is pleased with His efforts and You (Dayaa Devi) are the reason for all these auspicious happenings.
॥ Slokam 22 ॥
kalashodadhi sampado bhavatyaah karuNe sanmati mantha saMskritaayaah.
amritaam shamavaimi divya dehamh mrita sanjivanamh anjanaachalendoh ॥ 22 ॥
॥ MEANING ॥
Daya Devi! You are the cause behind the incarnation of the Lord on Thirumala hills as the Archavathara Moorthy. His sacred archaa form has the power to awaken the dead (Mrutha sanjeevanam). Just as Chandran arose from the Milky ocean, when the Devas and asuras churned it with the help of Bhagavan, our Lord appeared from the ocean of Your Dayaa, when the pious ones churned You with the churning rod of their minds. Oh, Lord of Thiruvenkatam! You arose from the ocean of Dayaa the efforts of these people with the tool of their Sanmathy as rejuvenating nectar.
Comments:
When Mandhara mountain was used as a churning rod to bring out the visesha Vasthus, the life saving nectar arose. Oh, Dayaa Devi! when you who are comparable to the milky ocean in fame was churned by the pious-minded ones, the essence of Daya, Lord Srinivasan appeared in His archa form to bless this world in His Suddha Satthva Thirumeni. Whoever seeks this Lord of Yours as refuge is the recipient of all the boons that they seek including Moksham.
॥ Slokam 23 ॥
jaladheriva shItataa daye tvam vrishashailaadhipateh svabhaava bhutaa. pralayaarabhati natim tadixaam prasabham graahayasi prasatti laasyamh ॥ 23 ॥
॥ MEANING ॥
Oh, Dayaa Devi! Just as the coolness is an intrinsic attribute of the Ocean, You are the natural attribute (Svabhava bhuthaa) of the Lord of Thirumala. You turn Him away from The fearsome dance that He performs during the time of PraLayam and forcefully changes Him to dance His captivating and beautiful-to-behold dance of anugraham.
Comments:
Lord Srinivasan’s innate tendency is Compassion. Occasionally, He gets angry at the chethanams that transgress His Saasthrams. His anger is fierce during those times. During the time of deluge (Pralayam), His sankalpam takes the form of a dancing lady performing dances that frighten one. During those scary times, Oh, Dayaa Devi, You grapple the hands of the dancing lady (Bhagavan’s sankalpam) and forcefully influence Her to perform the dance of anugraham for the benefit of the chEthanams lying without naamams and roopams (Name and forms/ Indhriyams and Sareerams).
॥ Slokam 24 ॥
pranata pratikuula mula ghaati pratighah koapi vrishaachaleshvarasya.
kalame yavasaapachaaya nityaa karune kimkarataam tavopayaati ॥ 24 ॥
॥ MEANING ॥
Oh, Dayaa Devi! Yes, There are times in which Your Lord is angry. That is always directed at those, who show enmity to His devotees. That anger destroys the enemies of the Bhagavathas, who have sought Your Lord’s refuge. He has to use however Your power of mercy to protect His bhagavathas. His anger in those times becomes subservient to You to destroy the offending ones. Your Lord’s act of destruction of the enemies of His Bhagavathas is like the removal of harming weeds from a field of healthy crops. Your Lord’s anger aimed at the destruction of evil ones takes orders from You for this good cause.
Comments:
The theme is about the anger (prathigha:) of the Vrushachala Iswaran at the enemies of those, who sought His refuge (Pranatha prathikoolar). When the anger is executed, the enemies are destroyed to their roots (Pranatha prathikoola moolaghathee). It is like pulling the weeds to their roots in a field with growing crops (kalame yavasa apachaya neethi). During the engagement in this action, Your Lord’s anger attains subservience to You (Tava Kinkaratham upayathi) for the good of His PrapannAs.
॥ Slokam 25
abahishkrita nigrahaanh vidantah kamalaakaanta gunaanh svatantrataadinh. avikalpam anugraham duhaanaam bhavatimeva daye bhajanti santah ॥ 25 ॥
॥ MEANING ॥
Oh, Dayaa Devi! Lord Srinivasan has countless auspicious attributes like Svatantram, Veeryam, Sakthi et al. They are useful to come to the rescue of chethanams and to punish the wicked, who attempt to harm those who have taken refuge in Him. Mother Dayaa Devi! You bless the chethanams continually with Your flood of anugraham You do not have a place in Your heart for punishment. It is for these reasons that those with discriminating intellect seek Your refuge driven by their clear knowledge about Your incapacity for displaying anger. The key words are: “Santha: avikalpam anugraham dhuhAnam BhavatheemEva bhajanthy”. Daya Devi has no doctrine except anugraham (avikalpam anugraham) and nigraham has no place in Her list of Gunams.
॥ Slokam 26 ॥
kamalaanilayastvayaa dayaaluh karune nishkarunaa nirupane tvamh.
ata eva hi taavakaashritaanaam duritaanaam bhavati tvadeva bhitih ॥ 26 ॥
॥ MEANING ॥
Oh, Daya Devi! He is empowered by You to be hailed as a Dayalu (Most Compassionate One). “Karune! Kamalaa Nilaya: Thvayaa dayaLu:”. It is because You never leave His side. Your association with others make them also DayaaLu. When one reflects deeply, it becomes clear that You do not have Karunai (Dayaa) in You. In this world, people fear those, who have no Karunai. The sins of those, who have sought refuge in You, become afraid of You although they do not pay heed to others. They take flight and run away. It is for these reasons we argue that You have no Dayaa that leads to the sins running away from you in a frightened state.
॥ Slokam 27॥
atalanghita shaasaneshvabhixnam veishashailaadhipatirh vijrimbhitoshmaa.
punareva daye xamaa nidaanaih bhavatim aadrayate bhavatya dhinaih ॥ 27
॥ Meaning ॥
Oh, Dayaa Devi! Vedas and Smruthis are the commands of Lord Srinivasa. The chethanams should adhere to them. If they do not do so, they transgress His commands. Those in this samsara mandalam violate His commands without let. As a result, the anger of the Lord at them grows exponentially. He will commence therefore to punish them for their transgressions. You can not live with that nigraham (anger) of Your Lord. Therefore You encourage the offenders to do Prayascchitthams (redemptive acts) according to their abilities. The Prayascchitthams performed by them reduce the anger of the Lord. The Lord is pleased and continues to be under Your control. Thus, Dayaa Devi, You save these erring chethanams and set them on the way to the pious path.
॥ Slokam 28 ॥
karune duriteshu maamakeshu pratikaaraantara durjayeshu khinnah.
kavachaayitayaa tvayaiva shaarngii vijayasthaanam upaashrito vrishaadrimh ॥ 28 ॥
॥ MEANING ॥
Oh, Dayaa Devi! When Your Lord recognizes that He can not win over the fierce sins of the chethanams, He is overcome with sorrow. He takes His bow of Saarngam, adorns You as His protective shield and arrives at the victory spot of Thirumala to win in the battle.
Comments:
Oh, Dayaa Devi! My sins of mine are of many kinds. Lord recognizes them as His enemies and wishes to destroy them by every means. These sins fight Him fiercely and act as piercing arrows in His heart. He suffers from them. To protect Himself, He wears You as His shield and arrives at Thiruvenkatam hill to battle with my sins. Your Lord recognizes that my sins will take flight, the moment they see the hills of Thiruvenkatam. Your Lord stays permanently at Thirumala with You and You act as the shield so that no sins will enter my heart in the future as well.
॥ Slokam 29 ॥
mayi tiShthati dushkritaam pradhaane mitadoshaanh itaraanh vichinvati tvamh. aparaadhaganaih apurnakuxih kamalaa kaanta daye katham bhavitri ॥ 29 ॥
॥ MEANING ॥
Oh, Dayaa Devi, the divine consort of Srinivasa! You have a big stomach. We have to provide abundant food to quench Your hunger. The food for Your stomach is the assembly of sins of the chethanams. There is no one in the world, who can give You abundant food like myself since I am the first among the sinners and as such have a huge amount of food for you to consume to satisfy Your giant appetite; otherwise, how can You survive? You do not therefore need to seek others with small bundles of sins to offer You and make You suffer from the pangs of hunger.
॥ Slokam 30 ॥
ahamasmi aparaadha chakravarthi karune tvamh cha guneShu saarvabhaumi.
vidushi sthitimh Idhrishim svayam maam vrisha shaileshvara paadasaat kuruthvam ॥ 30 ॥
॥ MEANING ॥
Dayaa Devi! I am the emperor of all sins (ayam asmi aparadha chakravarthy). The sins are all my subjects in my kingdom. You are the Empress presiding over Your Lord’s anantha Kalyana Gunams (Karune! Thvam cha Guneshu Saarvabhoumi). Knowing this disparity between us, as an Empress, You should invade my kingdom of sins, conquer and take me as a prisoner of war and place me at the sacred feet of Your Lord at Thirumala. The prayer to Dayaa Devi as the Empress of the Lord’s Kalyana gunams is to destroy the sins of the leading sinner and place him at the lotus feet of the Lord of Thiruvenkatam.
॥ Slokam 31 IN MAALINI METRE ॥
ashithila karaNe.asmin.h axata shvaasa vrittau
vapuShi gamana yogye vaasamh aasaadayeyam.h.
vrishagiri kaTakeShu vya~njayatsu pratItaiH
madhu mathana daye tvaaM vaari dhaaraa visheShaiH ॥ 31 ॥
॥ MEANING ॥
: The key words in this slokam are: “DayE! Vrushagiri kaDakEshu vaasam AasadhayEyam” (May I be blessed to live in the foothills of ThiruvEnkatam). The prayer is to Dayaa Devi. The prayer is to get to live there, while the limbs are strong and the PrANa vaayu is flowing well. If they are not intact, it will be difficult even to climb the hills and get to the foothills to live there at ThiruvEnkatam and enjoy the sevai to the Lord. There are many waterfalls in Thirumala and when adiyEn looks at them, it makes me wonder, whether their abundant flow is due to the flood of mercy that you represent. The waterfalls remind Swamy Desikan of the copious flow of the KaruNaa of Dayaa Devi.
॥ COMMENTS ॥
Swamy Desikan’s prayer is to get to live in the foothills of ThiruvEnkatam, while his sareeram is supported by firm limbs (asmin vapushE aSiTila karaNE), his breathing and flow of oxygen are in good shape (akshatha svAsa vrutthou) and he is able to walk without difficulty (gamana yOgYe). He addresses this prayer to land in Thiruvenkatam hills to the divine consort of Madhusoodhanan (Madhu MaTana DayE).
॥ Slokam 32 ॥
avidita nija yogaxemam.h aatmaana bhig~naM
guNa lava rahitaM maaM goptukaamaa daye tvam.h
paravati chaturaiste vibhramaiH shrInivaase
bahumatiM anapaayaaM vindasi shrIdharaNyoH ॥ 32 ॥
॥ MEANING ॥
: Oh, Dayaa Devi: I am a very lowly person (GuNa lava rahithan) without any auspicious guNams. adiyEn does not know how to acquire fitness for a new and elevated station or to protect that position once it comes my way (aham avidhitha nija yOga KshEmam). Further, adiyEn does not know about the Aathma and the tatthvam that Aathma is different form Sareeram and that is eternal and is an unconditional servant of the Lord. (aham Aathma abijN~an). adiyEn has no auspicious guNams. Oh, Dayaa Devi! Yet, You have decided to offer your protection to me (gOpthukAmaa) even in this undeserving state. You perform many captivating acts to gain and hold the attention of Your Lord, ThiruvenkatamudayAn
(Thvam chathurai: tE vibramai: SrinivAsE paravathy). He is under the spell of those enchanting deeds of Yours and comes under Your influence. In that state, He is eager to do what You command. Sri Devi and BhU Devi at Your side look at this scene and admire Your cleverness to have their Lord in Your hold. They respect You for this accomplishment always. Both the Devis are also keen on saving adiyEn but it appears that Lord Srinivasan does not pay any heed to their pleas. They do not get jealous over Your success, where they have failed. They are happy that You succeeded in a task that they wanted to get done. They hold You in high esteem forever for this reason (Sri DharaNyO: anapAyam bahumathim vindhasi).
॥ Slokam 33 ॥
phala vitaraNa daxaM paxapaataanabhij~naM
praguNa manuvidheyaM praapya padmaa sahaayam.h.
mahati guNa samaaje maanapUrvaM daye tvaM
prativadasi yathaarhaM paapmanaaM maamakaanaam.h ॥ 33 ॥
॥ MEANING ॥
: Oh, Dayaa Devi! adiyEn has accumulated limitless sins. The court is in session to decide on my case before the judge. Your Lord is the principal judge to listen to the hearings in my case. Periya Piraatti assists Him as the secondary judge. Your Lord is impartial and metes out the right rewards and punishments in proportion to the KarmAs of the Jeevans. He is well known for His fairness. Everyone can approach Him for fair treatment. Oh, Dayaa Devi! In that court of that Lord, You have decided to take the role of the attorney for the defendant (adiyEn) out of Your compassion for me (mAna poorvakam), who stands accused. You advance opposing arguments for my sins that charge me for various deeds. You make reference to the Prapathti sAsthram and stress that all my sins have been forgiven by the Prapatthi performed by me and destroy the arguments of the Vaadhis (MaamakAnAm pApmAnam yaTArham prathivadhasi). The judge rules in Your favor and You win this case and thus protect adiyEn.
॥ Slokam 34 ॥
anubhavitum.h aghaughaM naalamaagami kaalaH
prashamayituM asheShaM niShkriyaabhiH na shakyam.h.
svayamiti hi daye tvaM svIkR^ita shrInivaasaa
shithilata bhava bhItiH shreyase jaayase naH ॥ 34 ॥ ॥
॥ MEANING ॥
: Oh, Dayaa Devi! All the years to come are not enough to experience the effects of my accumulated sins (aga Okam asEsham anubahvithum AakAmi kaala: na alam). The prAyscchitthams performed to expiate them are not adequate either (nishkriyAbhi: praSamayithum na sakyam). Recognizing these grave deficiencies, You get Lord Srinivasan under Your control (ithi svayam sveekrutha Srinivasaa Thvam) and chase away our fears about the SamsAram (siTiltha bhava bheethi:) and come on the scene for our benefit (na: SrEyasE jaayasE hi). Your Lord does not ignore Your appeal and forgives our sins for having done Prapatthi to Him earlier.
॥ Slokam 35 ॥
avataraNa visheShaiH aatma lIlaapadeshaiH
avamatiM anukampe manda chitteShu vindan.h.
vR^iShabha shikhari naathaH tvannideshena nUnaM
bhajati sharaNa bhaajaaM bhaavino janma bhedaan.h ॥ 35 ॥
॥ MEANING ॥
: Oh, DayA DEvi! This is for sure (idham noonam). Your Lord takes many avathArams for the sake of His SaraNAgathAs (SaraNa bhAjAm bhAvina: janma bhEdhAn bhajathi). It is You who has persuaded Him successfully to take on these avathArams (as Fish, Tortoise and VarAham etc.) to fulfill His vows as the SaraNAgatha Rakshakan. In these avathArams, He is addressed derisively by ill-willed ones like HiraNyan, RaavaNan and SisupAlan. One can question and wonder why the all powerful Lord should expose Himself to these insults . PurANAs explain the origin of these avathArams as His sport (Leelaa).
It appears to me however that the real reason for Him taking these avathArams is due to Your (Dayaa Devi’s) prodding (Thvath nidhEsEna). Why so? The reality is that it is not the desire for the Aathma leelaa that propels Him to take these avathArams but He is persuaded by You to take these avathArams for a specific purpose. You assess that the erring jeevans will end up taking many births due to their sins and You wish that their sins will be chased away through an upAyam. You command that Your Lord takes all the births that chEthanams have to take because of their transgressions. Your Lord can not disobey You. The erring Jeevans enjoy the various avathArams of the Lord, recognize His vaibhavam and perform Prapatthi at His sacred feet and are saved.
॥ Slokam 36 ॥
parahitam.h anukampe bhaavayantyaaM bhavatyaaM
sthiramanupadhi haardaM shrInivaaso dadhaanaH.
lalita ruchiShu laxmI bhUmi nIlaasu nUnaM
prathayati bahumaanaM tvatpratichchhanda budhyaa ॥ 36 ॥
॥ MEANING ॥
Dayaa Devi! You always think of performing benevolent acts to all “Thvam Parahitham bhAvayanthi”. This proclivity is not commonly shared by others. Lord Srinivasa has firm and intrinsic love for You (BhavathyAm sTiram anupadhi hArdham dhadhAna:). MahA Lakshmi and BhU Devi are known for their enchanting beauty. Your Lord has the highest affection for them too. Why so ? He holds tham in high esteem because He recognizes Them as Your Prathibhimbhams (Lakshmi BhUmi NeeLAsu Thvath prathicchandha buddhyA bahumAnam praTayathi). Hence, it is no wonder that He adores You so very much and holds you very dear to His heart.
॥ Slokam 37 ॥
vR^iShagiri savidheShu vyaajato vaasa bhaajaaM
durita kaluShitaanaaM dUyamaanaa daye tvaM.
karaNa vilaya kaale kaandishIka smR^itInaaM
smarayasi bahulIlaM maadhavaM saavadhaanaa ॥ 37 ॥
॥ MEANING ॥
: Oh, Dayaa Devi! It is not essential to live at ThiruvEnkatam. It is enough to stay in places near the foothills of ThiruvEnkatam. It is not necessary to have the thought that this is a PuNya KshEthram and we can get Sathgathi by living here. It is alright if you arrive at ThiruvEnkatam seeking a livelihood. You worry about these residents even if they do not worry about the magnitude of their sins and the impact of those sins on them. Knowing the calamity that would fall on them, You decide to help them. This help of Yours out of Your compassion has no parallel.
॥ Slokam 38 ॥
dishi dishi gati vidbhir.h deshikair.h nIyamaanaa
sthirataram.h anukampe styaana lagnaa guNaistvam.h.
parigata vR^iShashailaM paaram.h aaropayantI
bhava jaladhi gataanaaM pota paatrI bhavitrI ॥ 38 ॥
॥ MEANING ॥
: The key words here are: “Thvam Bhava Jaladhi gathAnAm pOtha pAthree bhavithree”. (You have become the boat to ferry the chEthanams across that are being tossed about in the ocean of SamsAram). Assuring these distressed souls’ safe journey, You transport them to the other shore of SamsAric ocean, Namely, the Lord of ThiruvEnkatam.
॥ COMMENTS ॥
It is common that boats give a ride to those who get tossed around in the sea. The skilled boatsman knows the way to the safe shore. His boat is firmly secured with strong ropes. In a similar way, Dayaa Devi, You serve as a safe boat to those struggling in the dangerous waters of SamsAram. The GuNams of Jn~Anam and Sakthi of the Lord of ThiruvEnkatam act as the ropes binding You. The sadhAchAryAs, who are proficient in the UpAyams (Prapatthi, Bhakthi Yogams) serve as the boatsmen. These AchAryAs bring the ChEthanams with Your help to Your Lord at ThiruvEnkatam. He is the safe shore to be attained. Therefore, You serve as the important boat in this matter of rescuing and delivering the samsAris at Your Lord’s feet to enjoy MokshAnandham.
॥ Slokam 39 ॥
parimita phala sa~Ngaat.h praaNinaH kiMpachaanaa
nigama vipaNi madhye nitya muktaanuShaktam.h.
prasadanaM anukampe praaptavatyaa bhavatyaa
vR^iShagiri harinIlaM vya~njitaM nirvishanti ॥ 39 ॥
॥ MEANING ॥
: Oh, Dayaa Devi! Vedam is like a big bazaar. All items are available there. The chEthanams desire to acquire items at the bazaar that is appropriate for their intellect. Those with limited knowledge would concentrate on mastering the vedic sections dealing with insignificant phalans for their use. You take pity on them and become concerned about them staying away from sections dealing with the way to gain the lofty fruits of Moksham as opposed to focusing on the sections that yield alpa phalans. Out of Your Dayaa guNam, You turn their attention to the sections describing the ways to attain Moksha sukham. The visitors to that market comprehends now the power of Moksham and turn their efforts to practise the upAyams designed by the Vedam to gain Moksham. Dayaa Devi! You instruct these aspirants (Mumukshus) that the One identified by the VedAs (Veda PrathipAdhyan) is the Supreme Being standing on top of ThiruvEnkatam hills. The aspirants now enjoy the Indhraneela rathnam, ThiruvEnkadamudayAn. It is only because of Your compassion that the consumers in the Vedic bazaar transformed their gaze away from their search for insignificant goals (Parimitha Phalan) and pursue instead the lofty MokshOpAyams (aparimitha phalan). You take them as it were by hand in the Vedic bazaar and have a guided tour to point out the particular Vedic items that yield lasting phalans.
॥ Slokam 40 ॥
tvayi bahumati hInaH shrInivaasaanukampe
jagati gatimihaanyaaM devi sammanyate yaH.
sa khalu vibudha sindhau sannikarShe vahantyaaM
shamayati mR^igatR^iShNaa vIchikaabhiH pipaasaam.h ॥ 40 ॥
॥ MEANING ॥
: Oh, Dayaa Devi wedded to ThiruvEnkatamudayAn! You help the lowly and the lofty chEthanams. Your help in this regard is matchless. There are no difficulties in seeking and receiving Your invaluable help. Having the highest reverence for You and performing SaraNAgathy at Your sacred feet is the secure way for the well-being of the SamsAri. Anyone approaching others as his object of help and goal is a fool. The behavior of such a misguided person is like that of a thirsty one who considers the cool waters of the nearby Ganges as irrelevant and chases after a mirage to find the water to satisfy his thirst (viBhudha sindhou sannikarshE vahanthyAm, mrugha thrushNA veechikAbhi: pipAsAm Samayathi khalu ?).