Kuresa's five stotra's refered to as Panchastava.
1. Sri Vaikuntha stava
2. Atimanusa Stava
3. Sundarabahu stava
4. Varadaraja stava
5. Sri stava
Parasara Bhatta's 5 important.
1. Sri Rangaraja Stava Purva Satakkam
2. Sri Rangaraja Stava Uttara Satakam
3. Sri Guna Ratna Kosa
4. Sri Ranganatha Stotra
5. Astasloki.
These documents are important because it was during this intellectually fertile period of the authors that the general theological vision and devotional pattern of Srivaishnavism were established.
The twenty year old scholarly Comments of Mahaa VidvAn PayyampAdi SrivathsAnkAcchAr swamy on the Pancha Sthavms of AchArya Srivatsachinha Misra (KurEsar) has been my inspiration to offer this SamarpaNam to Sriman naarayaNan to celebrate His athimAnusha ChEshtitams. Sri athimaanusha stavam has 61 slOkams. It has extensive references to Raama and KrishNa avathArams and the Supra-human (athimAnusha) leelAs of Sriman naarAyaNa during those two vibhava avathArams. Although our Lord declared Himself to be a mere human being in these two avathArams, He performed wondrous acts that are beyond the power or imagination of mere humans (MaanushALs). KurEsar selects some of these athimAnusha chEshtithams form ithihAsams and PurANams in his athimAnusha Sthavam for salutations.
There are 61 slOkams in this Sthavam about RaamAvathAram and 25 slOkams about KrishNAvathAram. The central upadesam in this stavam is that Sriman naarayaNan alone is Sarveswaran, who can perform these atimaanusha leelais.
Taniyan
SrIvatsacihnamisrEbhyO nama uktim adhImahE |
yaduktaya: trayeekanThE yaanti mangaLa sUtratAm ||
Slokam 1:
atimAnusha Seelavrutta vEshai: ativrutta-amara vikrama prAtApai: |
atilanghita sarvalOka saamyam varayE vaishNava vaibhava avatAram ||
MEANING: adiyEn salutes with ardour the VaishNava VibhavAvathArams of Sriman naarAyaNan (vaishNava vaibhAva avatAram varayE), which are matchless in all the worlds (atilanghita SarvalOka saamyam). His conductance, nature and bhAvanais in these avathArams mark Him out as supra-human in nature (atimAnusha Seela vrutta vEshai: atilanghita SarvalOka saamyam).Through His leelAs displayed in these Raama - KrishNa Vibhava avathArams, He demonstrates also His supremacy over the fame and lustre of the dEvAs (ativrutta amara vikrama pratApam).
Slokam 2:
SrEya: kirantu kiraNA: caraNAravinda- nishyandamAna makaranda rasougha dESyA: |
tajjA: srutErmadhuna utsa iti prateetA: mangaLya ranga-nilayasya parasya dhAmna:||
MEANING: May the radiant rays emanating from the lotus feet of the Lord of Thiruvarangam resting under the Sriranga Vimaanam, known for its goal to bless all with auspiciousness, confer mangaLams also on us! Vedam declares that the Supreme JyOthi of the lotus feet of the Lord generates the delectable flood of honey (VishNO: padhE ParamE madhva uthsa:). May those fast flowing flood of honey drench us in its sweetness and grant us all soubhAgyams!
Slokam 3:
SrImat parAnkuSa muneendra manO nivAsAt tajja anurAgarasa majjanam anjasa apya |
adyApi anArata tad utthitha rAgayOgam SrIrangarAja caraNAmbhujam unnayAma : ||
MEANING: We carry on our heads the lotus feet of the Lord of Srirangam with His divine consort; those sacred feet have received the abhishEkam from the water of love from the mind of Swamy NammAzhwAr of blemishless bhakthi and Kaimkarya SrI. Lord RanganAthaa resides in the heart lotus of Swamy NammAzhwAr and the cool abhishEkam that the Lord has received makes the hue of His lotus feet even a shade redder than usual. We bear on our heads with affection those lotus red feet of the Lord.
Slokam 4:
vajra-dhvajAnkuSa sudhA kalaSAthapatra- pankEruhAnka parikarma pareetamanta: |
aapAda-pankaja visrunkhala deepra-moulE: SrIrangiNa: caraNayOr yugam aasrayAma: ||
MEANING: We seek the refuge of the sacred feet of the Lord of Srirangam, the soles of which a r e a d o r n e d w i t h VajrAyudham, Flag of Garudan, elephant goad (ankusam), Conch, Disc, white umbrella, pot of nectar in the form of lines (rEkhAs) to indicate Sri RanganAthA's sovereignty as the Emperor of all universes. The radiance from the gems on SrI RanganAyaki samEtha SrI RanganAthan's tall crown spreads without interruption all the way down to His sacred, lotus-soft feet.
Slokam 5:
SrI rangarAja caraNou praNumO yayO: khalu yEka: trivikramavidhou vasudhAm aSEshAm |
vyakramsta saacala kulAm api viprakeerNa- sthoola avalagna sikatAm iva nirnatOccam ||
MEANING: We eulogize the gigantic growing feet of Lord RanganAthaa, which measured the wide and enormous world during the time of His avathAram as Thrivikraman to seek three steps of earth from Emperor MahA Bali. At that time, the worlds with the huge KulAchalams of the Universes stuck to His growing feet like little grains of sand and the Lord's Thiruvadi sambhandham was realized by every entity in the universe without distinction about their loftiness or insignificance.
Slokam 6:
jn~Anam balam vipulam ISana veerya Sakti- tEjAmsi ca triyugabhUyam upAgatAni |
poorNAni shaT ca parigruhya bhavam caturdhA bhaktam janam tvam anujagrahithAnurAgAt ||
MEANING: hEy Bhagavann! With Your immeasurable Jn~Anam, power to support every thing (Balam), ruling over all without obstruction (Iswarya), capacity to stay changeless (Veeryam), power to transform anything into anything else (Sakthi) and Supreme luster (tEjas) serving You as Your six principal guNams, You have willed to group them in to three pairs and also as four sets (VaasudEvaSankarshaNa -Pradhyumna - Aniruddha) to bless with affection Your devotees.
Slokam 7:
yEkAnta mangaLa guNAspadam astahEyam nityam padam tava yatastata yEva dEva ! |
AamnAyatE tadiha viswa viroopa-roopam tEnaiva nanvidam aSaabdam aroopam aahu: ||
MEANING: Oh Lord RanganAthA! The VaidhikAs rooted in the VedAs declare Your dhivyAthma svaroopam as formless and extending beyond description through any particular names. This dhiyAthma svaroopam (padham) of Yours defies definition thus through individual names and descriptions. This uniqueness arises because of Your infinite Kalayana guNams that are exclusive to You and take abode in You; further, this padham of Yours is totally devoid of any blemishes and inauspicious guNams. Therefore VedAs declare that Your dhivyAthma svaroopam cannot be circumscribed by the various defining words (chOdhaka vaakyams) and as such Your dhivyAthma savroopam is quite different from anything else that can be described as this or that.
Slokam 8:
SabdAdi hEyam iha gOcara indriyANAm tatpratyaneeka vibhava: tvam ateendriyOasi |
tEnaiva tE na bata darSanam asti kincit vaacO dhiyasca tata yEva na gOcarOasi ||
MEANING: Oh Lord! In this materialistic world (Prakruthi MaNDalam), the five despicable entities (sound, touch, sight, taste and smell) become objects of cognition by the indhriyams. You, my Lord are the opposite of the latter and can not be related to by the indhriyams and hence You are known as atheendhriyan (beyond the power of indhriyams to ken). Therefore, one can not have the direct darsanam of Your dhivyAthma svaroopam. It is a pity that we can not fully grasp your dhivyAthma svaroopam by mind or speech.
Slokam 9:
yEvam sthitE tvat-upasamsrayaNa-abhyupAyO mAnEna kEnacit-alapsyata nOpalabdham |
nO cEd amartya-manujAdishu yOnishu tvam icchA-vihAra vidhinA samavAtarishya: ||
MEANING: Oh Ocean of Mercy! In spite of Your difficult-to-experience dhivyAthma svaroopam, You sportingly enter into births as devAs, humans et al (icchA vihAra vidhinA amartya manujAdishu yOnishu samavAtarishya:). If that were not to happen and You stayed only with Your dhivyAthma svaroopam, You would prove to be beyond our comprehension by any means at our disposal (through our indhriyams).
Slokam 10:
Seela: ka yEsha tava hanta! dayaika sindhO! kshudrE pruthagjanapadE jagadaNDamadhyE |
kshOdeeyasOapi hi janasya krutE krutee tvam atrAvateerya nanu lOchana gOcharOabhU: ||
MEANING: Oh Lord with matchless compassion! You have accomplished every thing and there is nothing for you to desire as avAptha Samastha kaaman. In spite of it, You have incarnated in the middle of this huge universe amidst us, the ignoramus and people of limited intellect (Kshudhra Janam).Your incarnation amidst us, the insignificant ones, and became visible to our eyes. Your souseelyam in blessing us this way has no comparison. We are truly blessed!
Slokam 11:
yamm pAtakAt sumahatOapyudadhArayastvam tvat pAdavAri paripoota SirAsca yOabhUt |
amm vandasE kila, tatasca varam vruNeeshE ! kreeDaavidhirbata vilakshaNa lakshaNastE ||
MEANING: Oh Lord with Incomparable compassion! Your delightful pursuit of activities are quite different than those of the human beings (VilakshaNa lakshaNa:). Those activities performed in a sportive manner fill us with wonderment. One such activity of Yours as Sriman narayaNaa was that of destroying the gigantic sins that Rudran acquired from plucking one of the heads of his father, Brahma dEvan. That Rudran partook the water (SrI Paadha Theertham) used by Brahma to wash Your sacred feet and got released from his heinous sins. Later, in Your VibhavaavathAram as KrishNa, You bent before that Rudran (Your seshan) and sought from him the boon of progeny. This is not what a human being will do under such circumstances. Your souseelyam here is incomparable for those, who are dear to You. Strange and wondrous indeed are such activities of Yours! They display Your athimAnushathvam.
Slokam 12:
kreeDaavidhE: parikarastava yaa tu maayaa Saa mOhinee na katamasya tu hanta! jantO: |
hai! martya simha vapushastava tEjasOmaSE Sambhu: bhavan hi Sarabha: SalabhO babhUva ||
MEANING: Oh Lord! Your wonderous Maayai (Moola Prakruthi) is the instrument of Your sportive acts. That Maayai made up of thriguNams can delude anyone it wishes. For instance, that VishNu Maayaa deluded even the omniscient (Sarvajn~an) Sivan and made him take the form of the Sarabha animal to kill Narasimhan. In the fight that ensued, Sivan was destroyed by JwAlA Narasimhan like a fire fly that flew into a mighty flame. Bhagavan Himself has commented on His Maayai as invincible and tough for anyone to cross in Gita: “dhaivee hEyshaa guNamayee mama maayaa dhurathyathaa”. The fierce anger of Lord Narasimhan was such that the attacking Rudran in the Sarabham form got decimated instantaneously like a salabham (fire fly) flying into a naked flame.
Slokam 13:
yasya AatmatAm tripura bhangavidhou adhAstvam tvat sakti tEjita SarO vijayee ca yO abhUt |
daksha kratou tu kila tEna vinirjitastvam yuktO vidhEya vishayEshu hi kaamacAra: ||
MEANING: Oh Lord of matchless KaaruNyam! In the battle of Rudran against the ThripurAsurans, You stayed as the arrow in the bow of Rudran, empowered Rudran thru anupravEsam (inner presence) and helped Rudran destroy the three asurans. Your valour and Parathvam was very clearly revealed here. In the Yaj~nam of Daksha prajApathy, You pretended however as though You were frightened by the ferocity of Veerabhadran sent by Rudran and ran away from the Yaj~nam taking the form of a crow. How can we relate this odd behavior with Your Parathvam? How could these contradictory happenings be reconciled? The explanation is: "VidhEya vishayEshu kaamachAra: yuktha hi?” It is appropriate to act in the case of dependents according to the pull of one's mind. This is just Your chosen sport. Even if the Lord is nirapEksha svatantran (Supremely endowed independent One), He becomes Aaasritha Paaratantran (Obdient to those, who seek His protection. In the case of those, who are dear to Him, the Lord sets aside His parathvam (Supremacy) and SvAntantryam (independence) and becomes Bhaktha Paratantran (totally controlled by those who seek His refuge / AasrithAs).
Slokam 14:
mugdha: SiSu: vaTadalE SayitO ati tanvaa tanvaa jaganti bibhrushE savikAsam yEva |
aiSeem imAm tu tava Saktim atarkitavyaam avyAjata: prathayasE kim iha avateerNa:? ||
MEANING: KurEsar praises here the power of the Lord of the Universe, who was resting on the tender leaf of a pupil tree while that leaf was floating on the fierce waters of the deluge (PraLayam). He was appearing like an innocent, helpless child. In the stomach of that small physical frame of the Lord, the sentient and the insentient of all the worlds were stacked up without congestion. KurEsar reflects on this mystery of the small child housing the entire assembly of chEtanAchEtanams inside His small stomach for protection and wonders whether the Lord appeared in this Prakruthi MaNDalam as VaTapatra Saayee to reveal His unmatched sakthi and His Jagath KaaraNathvam.
Slokam 15:
brahmESa madhya gaNanA gaNanArka panktou indra anuja tvam aditEstanayatva yOgAt |
ikshvAku vamSa yaduvamSa janis ca hanta! slaaghyAn amUni anupamasya parasya dhAmna: ||
MEANING: This slOkam is about the avathAra tatthvam of our Lord through reference to selected vibhava avathArams of our Lord. His purpose in descending from His lofty heights to our lowly levels is to mingle with us and uplift us from our samsAric miseries. He also incarnates to destroy the virOdhis of His dear ones and offer protection to His BhAgavathAs. Our Lord is a matchless (anupamasya), supreme effulgence (parasya dhAmna:). He is counted by some as the incarnation in between Brahma and Sivan. Others consider Him as adhithi's son (upEndhran) and therefore the brother of DevEndhran; Yet others count Him as one of the twelve Suns; few others identify Him as the scion of IshvAku of Soorya Vamsam as well as the descendant of Yathu of Chandra Vamsam. All these bewildering varieties of incarnations are indeed praiseworthy events (slAganeeyam) and not derogatory descent in any sense. These avathArams are made out of His own volition and not because of any karmaas that pushed Him to take these avathArams.
Slokam 16:
tvan nirmitaa jaTharagaa ca tava trilOkee kim bhikshaNAt iyam ruthE bhavatA durApaa? |
madhyE kadaa tu na vicakramishE jagaccEt tvat vikramai: kathamiva Sruti: anjitaa syAt? ||
MEANING: Oh Bhagavaan! These three worlds were created by You (tvvan nirmitaa) and kept inside Your stomach (jaTharagaa ca) ready for protection during the destructive time of universal deluge. How is it that You could not gain these three worlds except through requesting Bali to cede them to You as Bikshai? If You had not measured the Universe with your sacred feet as Thrivikraman (Ongi ulahaLantha Utthaman), how would the superiority of the VedAs could have been maintained? The VedAs became superior (anjitaa) through singing about the stories on the greatness of Your three strides to measure the universes. Our Lord's souseelyam goaded Him to gain back the three worlds from Bali thru yaachakam (begging) instead of recovering it by force. Even this deceptive seeking of the boon of three feet of earth as Kapata Vaamananis an act of apadhAnam (an act worthy of praise). Without these apadhAnams relating to ThrivikramAvathAram , VedAs would not have the lofty status that they enjoy. The respect of the Vedams having Vedathvam (power to descripe the upAyam that can not be seen or inferred) is based on this avathAram. What is that upAyam? It is the upAyam to attain the Lord's sacred feet as Parama PurushArtham. That is the secret of the athimAnusha ThrivikramAvathAram.
Slokam 17:
yEtat katham kathaya yan mathitas tvayA asou hitvA svabhAva niyamam prathitam trilOkyAm |
aSva apsarO visha-sudhaa vidhu paarijAta lakshmI Aatmanaa pariNata: jaladhir babhUva ||
MEANING: In this slOkam, KurEsar is struck with dismay about the athimAnusha chEshtitham of the Lord churning the Milky ocean. He says: "Oh Lord, You churned the milky ocean. The general rules of which transforms into what were cast aside. Typically, we can trace that clay transformed into a pot and the threads formed into a piece of cloth. In the case of the churning of the Milky ocean, those relationships were blurred. From that single entity of Milk, un-relatable entities arose such as the white horse named ucchaisravas, the celestial damsels named Rambhai and Menakai, Chandran, the Kalpaka tree, Haalaahala visham, the life giving nectar (Sudhaa) and the best of all the Supreme nectar of Mahaa Lakshmi. This is indeed an athimAnusha chEshtai (Suprahuman sport) of Yours! Sri Ramavatara stuti
Slokam 18:
prucchAmi kinchana yadaa kila rAghavatvE mAyaa mrugasya vaSagO manujatva mougdhyAt |
Sitaa viyOga vivaSO na ca tadgatij~na: prAdAs tadaa paragatim hi katham? khagAya ||
MEANING: Dear Lord! adiyEn would like to inquire about one thing (kinchana prucchAmi). How can we reconcile the happenings during RaamAvathAram that are not reconcilable? For instance, LakshmaNa Swamy counseled you that the beautiful deer that appeared before the Aasramam was not a real deer but a deceptive one and yet You acted like an ordinary man deluded by desire (mOham) and ran after it to bring it back as Your present to Sitaa PirAtti. You were overcome by the beauty of that misleading deer and ran after it. On another occasion, when RaavaNan stole Sitaa PirAtti and ran off with Her, You could not trace the path that RavaNaa took and yet You had the power to send JaTaayu on the path of Moksham. How can we piece all of these inconsistent acts together? Once You declared emphatically that You are just a human being born as the son of King Dasarathaa (AathmAnam maanusham manyE Raamam DasarathAthmajam). Next You blessed JaTaayu with the boon of Moksham. How can we reconcile this diametrically opposite, suprahuman acts of Yours?
Slokam 19:
akshuNNa yOgapatham agrya hatam jaTaayum tiryancam yEva bata mOksha pathE niyOktum |
SaknOshi vEtsi ca yadaa, sa tadaa katham tvam dEveem avAptum analam vyathita: vicinvan ||
MEANING: Oh Lord Raamachandra! You performed the athimAnusha act of granting Moksham to the old eagle JaTaayu; that JaTaayu was not eligible for Moksham since:
1. He had no familiarity with Yoga maargam (unfamiliarity with Karma, Bhakthi or Jn~Ana yogams that can help one as means for Moksham).
2. He was not born in the Jaathi fit for practicing the means for Moksham. He was born as a bird.
3. He was killed by RaavaNan, the son of a Brahmin; saasthrAs state that one killed by a Brahmin cannot gain Moksham in that birth.
While all these odds against JaTaayu gaining Moksham were there, You performed the athimAnusha act of lifting JaTaayu up to Moksham. You are SarvEswaran and You do not need any reason to do what you wish. No one can stop You. While You granted that impossible Moksham for JaTaayu, You floundered in finding the path by which Sitaa PirAtti was kidnapped. You were stricken with sorrow, You wailed over Her loss, You were in despair. LakshmaNa Swamy had to counsel and console You. What was Your mind set here? adiyEn does not understand that.
Slokam 20:
saalAn hi sapta sagireen sarasAtalAn yaan yEka ishu manda javata: nirapatraya: tvam |
tEshu yEka vivyathana khinna kapi praNunnam SaakhAmrugam mrugayasE sma katham sahAyam? ||
MEANING: Oh Lord! adiyEn is mystified about Your decision to seek the help and friendship of Sugreevan, who is no match for Your power and valour. Normally, one seeks the help of a more powerful one, when one can not accomplish the goals by himself. Sugreevan tested you about your strength to destroy the mighty brother of his, Vaali. That doubting Sugreevan wanted to test your power in uprooting the Saala Vrukshams; challenged You to move the bones of mighty Dhunthubhi. You demonstrated with ease Your superior power by sending a single arrow through seven Saala Vrukshams, sent the bones of Dhunthubhi flying over huge distance and did some thing extra not requested by Sugreevan to demonstrate Your parAkramam (i.e.), You pulverized a nearby mountain with your arrows and spread the dust down to the nether world. Sugreevan who was soundly defeated by Vaali was no match for You in valour and yet You elected to seek his help as an equal or superior. How can I understand this athimAnusha chEshtai of Yours? You are the powerful Lord of all (lOka nAthan). What is the logic in You seeking Sugreevan as Your naathan? You hid Your Svatantryam and acted like an obedient one to Sugreevan. You certainly did not need any help from Sugreevan or any other and yet You followed this path. How can adiyEn comprehend this athimAnusha chEshtai of Yours?
Slokam 21:
daasa: sakhaa samabhavat tava ya: kapeendra: tat vidvisham kapim amarshavaSAt jighAmsu: |
tvat snEha viklavadhiyam tamimam kapeendram visrambhayan sapadi saalagireen avidhya: ||
MEANING: Oh Raamachandra! Sugrivan became the companion, and liege (daasan) to You. Vaali, the elder brother of Sugriavan hated his younger brother and stole latter's wife and drove him away from the kingdom. You were offended by the behavior of Vaali towards Sugrivan and got angry at Vaali. You wanted to destroy Vaali for his mighty offenses and took the side of Sugrivan, who was agitated because of his doubts about Your ability to win the mighty Vaali in a battle. To build up the trust of Sugrivan in You, You pierced the seven saala trees and the Kula Parvathams with one single arrow of Yours. What an athimAnusha (superhuman) act that was!
Slokam 22:
yadvaa mrugam mrugayuvad mrugayApadESAt channO jaghantha na tu Satru vada abhi mukhyAt |
tad yuktam yEva tava raaghava-vamSajasya tiryakshu naiva hi vipakshatayOpacAra: ||
MEANING: Oh Veera Raaghavaa! You hunted down and destroyed Vaali, the monkey with animal instincts and conduct, like a hunter killing a fierce animal. Your act was like a princely hunter hiding behind to kill a tiger, which was destroying the cows. You did not kill him in a face to face battle since You did not consider Vaali as an enemy. This conduct is quite appropriate for a prince belonging to the kulam of King Raghu. The kings of Your Raghu Vamsam never rated the fools with despicable conduct as enemies worthy of direct battle. They treated them as unworthy animals deserving slaughter to maintain royal dharmam.
Slokam 23:
maanushyaka- aacaritam Aacaritum pravrutta: dEvAtigam carithamanga ! kim angyakArshee:? |
yat sAgarE bata babandhitha naatha ! sEtum Sailai: plavangama samingita sampraNunnai: ||
MEANING: SarvEswarA! During the sEthu bhandham, the mountains thrown by the monkeys floated on the ocean instead of sinking because of Your sankalpa sakthi. This is a feat that can not be achieved even by the dEvAs. Such an act beyond the capacity of humans (amAnusheekam) was demonstrated by you then. This reminds one of Veda Vaakyam: “VishNO: karmANi paSyata”. VishNu's acts are beyond normal comprehension by humans and totally outside the capabilities of even a giant assembly of humans. Oh EmperumAn! Why indeed did you undertake such an effort (kim angyakArshee:?). You built the dam across the ocean with the mountains thrown on the water by the monkeys and bears (plavangama sampraNunnai: Sailai: sEtum babandhi). How can we understand that act which is beyond the power of dEvAs or humans?
Slokam 24:
yO vikramENa manujatva vibhUshaNEna dEvam varam varuNarAjam aja ! vyajEshThA: |
krutvOpadAm daSaratham vidhi-rudra mukhyai: dEvai: stuthas ca, sa kilEndrajitA jitOasi ||
MEANING: Oh Lord without any births! You are SarvalOka SaraNyan. You are used to give refuge and not seek refuge. Yet, you followed the counsel of a great BhagavathA (VibhishaNan) and rested on dharbham for three nights on the beach (prathisayanam) seeking the permission of Your servant, the King of the Oceans. When he did not respond, You were ready to dry up the Oceans for the indifference shown by the King of the Oceans. The frightened Samudra Raajan showed up in fear and sought Your pardon. You forgave him and deflected Your arrow at a group of sinners in an island. All of these acts are understandable proofs of Your SarvEswarathvam. We can not however understand your being bound by the Naaga Paasam aimed at You by Indhrajith. It is a great wonder that the power of Naaga Paasam bound You up. This is indeed a great mystery. One can only guess that this was acting/abhinayam on your part. You pretended as though You were unable to overcome the power of the Naaga Paasam. Perhaps, You wanted to give Your servant and friend, Garudan an opportunity to perform a Kaimkaryam. Once Garudan rushed to the scene (battle field), the snakes ran away and You were freed from their nooses.
Slokam 25:
abdhim na tEritha jigEtha na rAkshasEndram naivAsya jaj~nitha yadA ca balAbalam tvam |
nissamSaya: sapadi tasya padEabhyashinca: tasya anujam katham idam hi vibhIshaNam ca ||
MEANING: How can we understand Your atimAnusha activity of crowning VibhishaNan as the Emperor of LankA on the banks of Sethu even before 1. You had built a dam to cross over to LankhA 2. You had not defeated RaavaNaa in battle 3. You were not even aware of the strength of RaavaNaa and his army? It is mysterious to understand your statement and vow: "Raajanam tvAm karishyAmi satyamEthath SruNOthu mE". You were firm in Your declaration about VibhishaNa’s PattAbhishEkam as LankAdhipathi. KurEsar pays tribute here to the Sathya Sankalpathvam of the Lord.
Slokam 26:
tvam dakshiNasya nivasan udadhE: taTEapi dUrAnthara uttara payOdhi mahAntareepE |
daityAn nijaika Sara-pAraNayan, kimEtAm lankAm sthitO atra kurushE na kila sma bhasma ||
MEANING: Here, KurEsar salutes the GuNam of the Lord known as Dhairyam (Courage). He says: "Oh Lord without birth! You engaged in Prathisayanam at ThiruppullANi and waited for permission from Samudra Raajan to build a dam over him to reach the island of Lanka to engage RaavaNan in battle and destroy him. Samudra Raajan ignored You thinking that You are just a human being. You got enraged at the insult of the King of oceans and got ready to send Your fiery arrow to dry up the waters of the oceans. Samudra Raajan was now afraid for his life and appeared with his wives before You and performed SaraNAgathy and begged to be spared. You informed the king of Oceans that Your arrow was set and can not be withdrawn; You asked him to suggest another target. Samudra Raajan begged You to send Your unfailing arrow at the inhabitants of a remote island in the north, who were abusing him. You obliged and Your arrow destroyed them from an immense distance. If that (Your power) is so profound and far reaching, how can adiyEn understand your inaction in not destroying RaavaNaa and his army, which were not far away from your position in ThiruppullANi. Sethu Bhandam and the invasion of LankA look in this context appear like window dressing. You could have reduced to ashes RaavaNAdhis from the banks of Sethu itself but you chose not to. Why is that?
Slokam 27:
yat tAdruSa agasam arim raghuveera veekshya visramyatAm iti mumOcitha mughdham ajou |
kO ayam guNa: kataraKOTi gata: kiyAn vaa kasya stutE: padam ahO baha kasya bhUmi: ||
MEANING: Oh RaghuveerA! How can adiyEn eulogize Your KaaruNya guNam demonstrated through the gesture of advising the Mahaa aparAdhi, RaavaNan to retire from the battle field for the day and return the next day after resting, when he had lost his chariot, bow and pride during the first day's battle with You? This generosity towards the most undeserving RaavaNan defies classification under the category of all noble guNams. No one can adequately eulogize this grand gesture of Yours. It is a wondrous act, whose mystery defies comprehension.
Slokam 28:
yEtEna vai suviditO abhavat indhra SatrO: maaystra bandhana nibandhanajO vimOha: |
yat lakshmaNa: tvat anujO ripu Sakti mugdha: SatrO: guru: hanumatastu laghutvam Aapa ||
MEANING: Oh RaamabhadrA! When your dear brother LakshmaNa got hit by RaavaNan's weapon (sakthi Aayudham) and swooned, RaavaNan tried to lift the fallen LakshmaNan and found that latter was too heavy for him to lift and take him away to his palace. Then came HanumAn and lifted LakshmaNan like lifting a feather and took him to the army physician, SushENan. KurEsar concludes in wonderment that the same object appearing in different ways at the same time (heavy for RaavaNaa and light for HanumAn) can only be attributed to an athimAnusha vyApAram. In a similar vein, the great ones understand how you were bound by the naaga Paasam sent by Indhrajith and got released later.
Slokam 29:
haa hanta hanta bhavata: caraNAravinda- dvandam kadA nu vishayee bhavitA mama akshNO: |
yOaham nirargaLa vinirgaLa dandhakArai: vrukshai: truNai: ca sulabham samayam vyateeta: ||
MEANING: Oh RaamabhadhrA! What a misfortune! I was not living at the time of Your ascent to Sri Vaikuntam at the end of Your avathAra kAryam at AyOdhyai. At that time, it has been said that even the plants and trees (filled with ajn~Anam) reached with Your anugraham the Kaarya Vaikuntam of SaanthAnika lOkam. Had I lived at that time, adiyEn would have reached Sri Vaikuntam with You and would have put an end to the SamsAric sufferings. Alas, I lost that golden chance.
Slokam 30:
vamSam raghO: anujighrukshu: ihaavateerNa: divyai: vavarshitha tathA atra bhavath guNaughai: |
tvat sannidhi prabhava SaityajushO yathA hee vrushAs ca tAntim abhajanta bhavat viyOgE ||
MEANING: Oh Lord Raamachandraa! How did those trees and plants attain Mukthi at the time of completion of Your avathAram? You incarnated in this world filled with nescience to bless the vamsam of Raghu Chakravarthy (raghO: vamsam anujighrushu:). Through Your athimAnusha svaroopam, you inundated this world with the flood of auspicious guNams unique to You. Even the trees and plants in Your kingdom enjoyed the nectarine coolness, when you were at AyOddhi as its ruler and withered, when You left the kingdom to follow Your father's command of staying in the forest for fourteen years. This is really a wondrous reaction by the plants and trees to Your presence and absence. They did not have the skills to engage in upAsanam (Bhakthi yOgam) to reach sathgathi. They could not perform SaraNAgathy to gain moksham. They just stayed close to the shadow of Your sacred feet and as a result reached Sathgathy. The very fact that they lived close to the Lord qualified them to reach Sathgathy.
Slokam 31:
yE dharmam Aacaritum abhyasitum ca yOgam bOddhum ca kincana na jAtvadhikAra bhAja: |
tEapi tvAt Aacarita bhUtala bandha gandhAd bandhAtigA: paragatim gamitA: truNAdyA: ||
MEANING: Oh Lord! The blades of grass and animals are incapable of comprehending the tatthva thrayam (chEtana-achEtana-Iswara tatthvams) or practicing karma yOgam or Jn~Ana yOgam or Bhakthi Yogam that will unite them with You as SarvEswaran. They were not born to practice such yOgams that qualify them to reach sathgathy (the Supreme PurushArtham of Moksham) and yet due to their sambhandham (links) to a dhivya dEsam, where you moved around, they too got freed from their karmic bonds and gained Moksham.
Slokam 32:
tAdrug guNO nanu babhUvitha raaghavatvE yas tAvakam caritam anvaham anva bhunkta |
sO atra yEva hanta ! hanumAn paramAm vimuktim buddhvA avadhUya caritam tava sEvatE asou ||
MEANING: Oh RaamabhadrA! You are shining with such auspicious guNams that defy adequate description. It is the spell of those matchless guNams and the sukham arising from the delectable reflection on them that made HanumAn prefer to stay in this world to sing Your glories instead of accepting Your invitation to accompany You to Parama Padham at the end of Your avathAram.
Slokam 33:
yat tvam krutAgasam api praNati prasaktam tamm vAyasam paramayA krupayA akshamishThA: |
tEnaiva mAdruSa janasya mahAgasOapi yuktam samASvasanam iti upadhArayAmi ||
MEANING: Oh RaaghavA! Even in the case of the mighty sinner KaakAsuran, who committed an unpardonable apachAram to Your dear consort, You forgave him out of Your matchless KaaruNyam to those who sought Your refuge and fell at Your sacred feet seeking protection. Based on the recollection of that forbearance of Yours against the Mahaa AparAdhi, KaakAsuran, adiyEn is comforted that even a mighty sinner like me can be saved by Your infinite grace. (This slOkam is a naicchyAnusandhAna slOkam).
SrI Krishnaavatara stuti:
SLOKAM 34
saa pootanA SakaTam arjunayO: ca yugmam bAlyOcita anyapara cEshTita vishphulingE |
yasya alabhanta Salabhatvam ahO! nigooDha: sa tvam vrajE vavrudhishE kila kamsa bheetyA ||
MEANING: Oh Lord! How can we understand your baffling act of hiding in Thiru AaypAdi out of fear from Kamsan, when earlier You had destroyed effortlessly the ill intentioned Poothanai, who wanted to kill You with her poisonous breast milk, pulverized the asuran, who came in the form of a cart and brought down the twin arjuna (Marudha) trees as a crawling infant. You made Poothanaa and SakatAsuran reach the fate of an insect that flew into a naked flame. How can we reconcile such high act of valor with the unexplainable act of hiding from Kamsan out of "fear" at Gokulam?
Slokam 35:
paSyatsu soorishu sadaa paramam padam tE dEvyA SriyA saha vasan parayA vibhUtyaa |
yOgEna yOganiratai: parimrugyamaaNa: kim tvam vrajEshu navaneetam ahO! vyamushNA: ||
MEANING: Oh KrishNA! It is indeed baffling that You with the matchless wealth of Yours as ubhaya VibhUthi Naathan (Parama Padham and BhU lOkam) and receiving uninterrupted adoration from Your Parijanams (Nithya Sooris, Anantha - Garuda -VishvaksEnAdhis) and Devis as well as the Rishis engaged in stealing butter and navaneetham from the huts of humble Gopis in Gokulam! It is indeed one of your athimAnusha ChEshtais. You have every thing in this and the other world of Yours and yet you went after stealing the insignificant butter and navaneetham.
Slokam 36:
yamm durgraham sumanasO manasAapi nityam bandacchidam paramam ISam udAharanti |
dAmnA nibaddha iti Susruma tamm bhavantam nAlam babhUvitha! bata! slathanAya tasya ||
MEANING: Oh KrishNA! You are beyond comprehension in the past, present or future even by one with an auspicious mind. You are eulogized by the DevAs as the One who can break the bonds of our KarmAs and as being always with the lady of Supreme auspiciousness, Sri Devi. We hear that You known for such power and majesty and yet were tied to a hustling mortar with fine rope and you could not loosen Yourself from that knot. What a surprise!
Slokam 37:
aiSam hi SaiSavam api vyativEla khElam yat pootanA SakTam arjunayO: ca yugmam |
baalyOcitAnyapara sAci vicEshTitEna hantAlabhanta SalabhAyitam OjasastE ||
MEANING: Oh KrishNa! Only a very few can understand the athimAnusha chEshtais of Yours such as the destruction of the deceitful Poothanaa, the asuran who took the form of a cart, the twin arjunaa trees. You destroyed their detestable births like the fire into which the insects land. One can recognize from these chEshtais that You are the divine Lord, who sported as the child at Gokulam doing all these superhuman acts. Even your limitless sports during the tender period as “a helpless child” reveal your svaroopam as the Lord of the Universe!
Slokam 38:
satyEva gavyanivahE nijadhAmni bhUmnA paryanta sadmasu kimartham? acUcurastvam |
mushNan ca kim vyajaghaTO ghaTaSEshamagrE gopIjanasya parihAsapadam kimAsi:? ||
MEANING: Oh Gopalaa! How can we understand fully Your divine activities such as stealing milk, curd, VeNNai, ghee from the neighbor's houses while You have so much of all these for Your enjoyment at Your own house? Why did You engage in such acts? After consuming these delectable stolen goods, You broke the pots that contained the curd and milk right in front of the Gopis. You became the object of their harsh words as a result of Your questionable activities. How can we understand these athimAnusha ChEshtithams of Yours?
Slokam 39:
yannAma naatha! navaneetam acUcurastvam tacchAdanAya yadi tE matirAvirAseet |
kim mugdha ! digdhamamunA karapallavam tE gAtrE pramrujya niragA: kila nirviSanka: ||
MEANING: Oh Lord of the Universe who did not know how You could hide Your act of stealing navaneetham! If Your intent was to hide Your chEshtais of stealing VeNNai from the neighbor's houses, why on earth did You dash out of the neighbor's houses without any worries, while You had the tell tale marks of VeNNai all over Your body resulting from your deliberate smearing of the stolen VeNNai on Your torso with Your tender fingers? How come You did not know how to hide Your theft and leave the scene without display of any evidence?
Slokam 40:
tvAm anyagOpagruhagavya musham yaSOdA gurvee tvadeeyam avamAnam amrushyamANaa |
prEmNAatha dAmapariNaama jushaa babandha tAdrug na tE caritam AryajanA: sahantE ||
MEANING: Oh KaLvaa! Your dear Mother YasOdhaa could not put up with the complaints made by the neighbors about Your VeNNai stealing activities in their houses She felt humiliated by your stealthy acts. She responded to their complaints and wanted to teach You a lesson to stop you from Your pranks and making a nuisance of Yourself to the neighbors. She was a proud woman. She also adored You and did not want others to hurl charges at You. She decided to tie you down to a hustling mortar with a small piece of rope. She did this out of affection for You and to get you away from Your repeated mischief. The AzhwArs were overcome with profound emotions about You, the Lord of the universe being tied down by Your mother. These noble souls (Aarya Janaa:) could not bear to think of Your sufferings that You underwent from being tied down to the mortar.
Slokam 41:
maatraa yadi tvamasi dAmani sannibaddha: tat SrAviNAm udita cAkshusha nirjharANAm |
badhnAsi hanta hrudayam bhagavan ! kutastat sarvO hi vaSyavishayE vivruNOti veeryam ||
MEANING: Here KurEsar poses a question and provides an answer. Oh Lord (Bhagavan), You are the ParipoorNan with Your six guNams of Jn~Anam, Sakthi, Bhalam, aiswaryam, Veeryam and tEjas. You permitted Yourslf to be bound by the feeble rope constructed by YasOdhA. Those who heard about you as sarvasakthan being bound to a husking mortar (ulUkalam/ural) wept ceaselessly over the sufferings that You might have undergone. Through the enactment of that incident, you caused the binding of the hearts of Your bhaktha janams. How did that effect come to be? It is because it is consistent with the loka reethi, where the powerful one displays his valour in front of those under his influence (vasya vishayE veeryam vivruNoti hi?). By appearing to obey Your Mother in being bound with a rope, You bound up the hearts of Your dear ones like Sukhar, ParAsarar, ParAnkusa (Swamy NammAzhwAr), Parakaala Naayaki (Thirumangai Mannan) and others with Your own heart. They were overcome (Bhakthi paravasam) by their tender bhakthi for You.
Slokam 42:
kAntAla kAntamamalam kamalAyatAksham udbhrUvilAsam uditasmitam unnasam ca |
vaktram vahan parama ! gOpagruhEshu kim tvam gOpeemanAmsi navaneetamutAbhya mOshee: ||
MEANING: Oh Lord! You have beautiful curly hair on your forehead, beautiful long eyes resembling the lotus petals, perfectly rounded brows, gentle smile displayed on your charming lips and beautifully proportioned nose. With this divine soundharyam, You entered the houses of Gopis. Oh Lord! What did you accomplish there? Did you steal VeNNai there or did You steal instead the hearts of the gopis with Your dhivya soundharyam? Please tell me!
Slokam 43:
sarvam guNAya guNinAm iti satyam yEtat yat khalvihEtarajanE malinatvahEtu: |
yat gOpavEsha vinivEshaNam uttamam tE gOpAlanam ca gaNayanti guNam guNEshu ||
MEANING: It is common for the worldly folk to think highly of those born in high kulam, living in lofty mansions and adorning rich jewelery and clothes. Oh my Lord! You were born in the lowly kulam of cowherds grazing cattle and living in forests. By birth and occupation, You were identified as One belonging to a lower rung of society by Your enemies such as Kamsan, SiSupAlan and yet this gOpa vEsahm became the object of high adoration for Your bhaktha janams like the AzhwArs. Those bhaktha janams consider Your simple dress, adornment of the flowers of the forest and moving with the cowherd folks as the demonstration of Your Souseelya guNam and enjoyed You in all of Your simplicity: “kOvalanAi VeNNai uNDa vaayan, yenn uLLam kavarthAnai”.
Slokam 44:
gopAlapOtakatayaa nibhrutam dharitreem aavastu kaama iva sannapi baalyaloulyAt |
aindram nihatya maham adrimathO dadhAna: kim tasthishE suragaNAya savAsavAya ||
MEANING: Oh Lord! You incarnated as the jewel of the race of simple cowherds in this world as if You wanted to hide Your divinity. In spite of this intention of Yours, You were driven by the spirit of youthful mischief to persuade the GopAs to desist from conducting the annual festival of homage to Indhran. Once that happened, the mighty Indhran, the god of rains, flew into rage and pelted the home of the gOpAs and gOpis with violent hail storms and vicious thunder. Immediately, You lifted the hill of Govardhanam and held it as an umbrella to protect every one in Gokulam including the cowherd folks and the cattle. At that time, Indhran and the dEvAs ralized Your Parathvam (supremacy) as SarvEswaran and fell at Your sacred feet. If this is not a demonstration of Your athimAnusha ChEshtitham, what else is? Please explain this to us.
Slokam 45:
vENukvaNa praNayini tvayi lOkanAtha ! brundAvanam caraNa sancaraNai: punAnE |
bhAvastadA vanabhuva: kila keedruSastE tvat geetasikta sikatAsu vasundharAsu ||
MEANING: Here the greatness of the Lord playing on His divine flute is enjoyed by KurEsar. Oh Lord! When you desired to play on Your flute, You walked over the thorny land of BrundhAvanam and through the sanctity of Your divine feet converted those lands into lush green forest full of TuLasi plants. That land became useful now to both the gopAs and their cattle for grazing. You started playing on Your flute to invite the Gopis to join with You. Now KurEsar asks a question in wonderment: Oh Lord! When You generated that divine music from Your flute, what became of the flora and fauna of that forest in BrundhAvanam? How did they respond to Your divine music?
Slokam 46:
dhanyai: Srutam tadiha tAvaka raasakAlE geetEna yEna hi Silaa salilAm babhUvu: | pancApi kimca parivrutta guNaani bhUtaani urveekruSaanu marudambara SambaraaNi || MEANING: Here KurEsar laments about his misfortune of not being on this earth, when the Lord performed raasa kreedaa dance with the gopis. KurEsar says: On this earth, when You and those gopis dear to You engaged in raasakreedai on the banks of the Yamunaa river, You played the flute. That divine music emanating from your flute melted the stones. The pancha bhUthams (Earth, Fire, Air, Sky and Water) lost their svaroopam and attained a state different than their own. Fortunate were those, who were there to experience the divine music that arose from Your flute. Alas! adiyEn could not be there at that time.
Slokam 47:
tEbhya: krutee na khila kascidihAsti yE vai rAsOtsavOt sukadhiyastava kAnanAntE |
vENusvana sruta rasougha pariplutAntE svE srukvaNee rasanayaa lilihu: bhujangA: ||
MEANING: There is no one more fortunate than those serpents whose mouths were made moist from listening to the delectable sound of the flute music of the Lord at BrundhAvanam. They moved their tongue from side to side of their jaws to taste the nectar flowing out of their mouths, when our Lord played His flute to accompany the Raasa Kreedaa. (That animals, infants and the snakes relate intimately to music is the thought behind this slOkam:
“Pasur-vEtthi, SiSurvEtthi, vEtthi ghAna rasam PhaNee”
Slokam 48:
ambhOda neelam aravinda daLAyatAksham pinchAvatamsam urareekruta vENupANim |
tvAm gOpavEsha parikarmita kaaya kAntim dhanyA: tadhaa dadruSurunmathita anya bhAvA: ||
MEANING: When you were engaged in Raasa Kreedaa, a fortunate few ParamaikAnthis (those who desire nothing except You) were able to see You in Your Gopa Vesham with the hue of the dark clouds of the rainy season holding the melodious flute in Your hands and casting Your dayaa laden glances from Your beautiful lotus like eyes while adorning the feather of the forest peacock on Your tresses.
Slokam 49:
govardhanO girivarO yamunaa nadee saa brundAvanam ca mathurA ca puree purANee |
adyApi hanta ! sulabhA: krutinAm janAnAm yEtE bhavat caraNa cArajusha: pradESaa: ||
MEANING: The most revered Govardhana Giri, the sacred waters of Yamunaa River, the forest known as Brundhaavanam and the ancient city of Mathuraa had the sambhandham (association) with Your sacred Thiruvadi. They stay even today as the places of easy access to those fortunate ones seeking the Phalan for not being born as chEtanams in this samsAric world.
Slokam 50:
brundAvanE sthira-carAtmaka keeTa dUrvaa- paryanta jantu nicayE bata yE tadAneem |
naivAlabhAmahi janim hatakAsta yEtE pApA: padam tava kadaa punarASrayAma: ||
MEANING: Oh Lord! We the great sinners were not blessed to be born, when You incarnated among the chEtanams and achEtanms (trees, plants, grass, worms, birds, animals, the gOpAs and the gOpis) of BrundhAvanam. When will we as the miserable ones reach Your sacred feet at Srivaikuntam to perform nithya kaimkaryam for You?
Slokam 51:
haa janma taasu sikataasu mayaa na labdham raasE tvayaa virahitaa: kila gOpakanyaa: |
yaastaavakeena pada pankti jushOajushanta nikshipya tatra nijam angam ananga taptam ||
MEANING: When the Lord disappeared at the end of the Raasa KreeDai, the Gopis suffered immensely from their separation from Him. They were overcome with viraha tApam. They placed their bodies on the sands of river Yamunaa that got consecrated thru the sambhandham with the Lord’s feet during the occasion of the Raasa KreeDai. That helped them to quell the sufferings from their thApam. AzhwAr laments that he was not fortunate to have been born as one of the shoals of sand, which had the bhAgyam of association with the Lord's sacred feet.
Slokam 52:
Aachinvata: kusumam anghri sarOruham tE yE bhEjirE bata ! vanaspatayO latA vaa |
adyApi tatkulabhuva: kuladaivatam mE brundAvanam mama dhiyam ca sanAthayanti ||
MEANING: In the previous slOkam, KurEsar expressed his regret over the dhurbhAgyam of not having been an achEtana vasthu (shoal of sand) in the Raasa KreeDaa BhUmi. In this slOkam, KurEsar gives vent to his sorrow that he missed being a plant or tree at BrundhAvanam that had the sambhandham with the Thiruvadi of the Lord as He sported amidst them. KurEsar comforts himself by the thought that the trees and plants of current time, which are descendants of the trees and plants of KrishNa's time, are his kula dEvathais because of their lineage. Kuresar states that BrundhAvanam and the plants and trees there rule over his mind.
Slokam 53:
yat tvatpriyam tadiha puNyam, apuNyam anyat nAnyat tayOrbhavati lakshaNamatra jAtu |
dhUrtAyitam tava hi yat kila rAsagOshThyAm tat keertanam parama pAvanam Aamananti |
MEANING: During KrishNAvathAram, our Lord danced with Gopa kannikais as well as some who were married women. Questions might arise about the Lord's behavior here. How could He as the embodiment of dharmam behave in this manner and serve as a bad example for others to follow? KurEsar responds to this query by defining the rules of grammar relating to BhagavAn’s behavior: Whatever that is desired by the Lord is puNyam for us and whatever that is rejected by the Lord is Paapam for us. Raasa Kreedai provided ample evidences for the workings of this divine grammar.
Slokam 54:
yaa kamsa mukhyanrupakeeTa nibarhaNOtthA saa nirjita trijagata: tava naiva keerti: |
gOpAlanAdi yadidam bhavadeeya karma- ithyArdree karOti vidushAm hrudayam tadEtat ||
MEANING: Oh KrishNaa! In Your previous avathArams such as Thrivikraman, Narasimhan and VarAhan, You destroyed mighty asurAs and conquered all the worlds. Compared to those glories, Your destruction of worm like kings like Kamsan, SiSupAlan and Dantha Vakthran in Your avathArAm as KrishNa will pale into insignificance. What people will remember as the most glorious chEstithams in Your avathAram as KrishNa are - Your grazing cows, subduing the seven fierce bulls, being bound to a mortar by a simple woman, lifting the gOvardhana hill to protect the citizens and the cattle of Gokulam, going to DuryOdhanA's court as a messenger for the PaaNDavaas, serving as a charioteer for Arjuna and stealing veNNai at neighbors' houses and being humiliated when caught in that act. These acts are the limits of Your soulabhya and souseelya guNams. There are no matches for those acts in this or other universes.
Slokam 55:
gOpAla vEsha-parikarma parAvarESam yannAma dhAma paramam tamasa: parastAt |
tat pinchAlAnchana sudAma krutOpaveetam gOdhULi dhUsarita kuntaLam anta: AastAm ||
MEANING: While the eternally liberated souls (nithya sooris) were eulogizing the Lord at Sri Vaikuntam, at the same time He was roaming as a cowherd at BrundhAvanam wearing the peacock feather in His tresses and with the dust from the hoofs of the calves settled all over His body. This Sri Vaikunta Naathan, the supreme JyOthi adored by the nithya Sooris sported with illiterate cowherds and went into the forest in midday heat to graze cows. The simplicity of KrishNavathAram moved KurEsar so much that he begged for the permanent retention of the Lord's image in his mind as the cowherd youth with His tresses adorned with the dust from the cows and the peacock feather (gO dhULi dhUsarita kuntaLam anta: AastAm) .
Slokam 56:
yadhvai jarAsuta bhayAt vipalAyathAstvam tat cEt manushya caritAnu vidhAnajam tE |
tarhi trilOka gurum ISwaram ISwarANAm bANAhavE kimiti Sambhum ajrumbhayastvam ||
MEANING: Oh Lord, PurANAs say that you ran away from the battle field while fighting JarAsanthan. One has to conclude that in this case you acted like a mere mortal. In other instances, You professed that You are a mere mortal and yet displayed many superhuman (athimAnusha) acts. It is hard to equate your behavior like running away from the battle field with Your destruction of many asurAs (Poothanai, SakatAsuran, Pralambhan, DhEnukaasuran) even as a small boy .Even if You acted as a mere human and behaved accordingly, Your Iswarathvam was revealed on many occasions. One such instance is the battle with BhANAsuran, who was aided by Sivan, SubramaNyan et al. My KrishNa, You revealed Your athimAnushathvam by chasing Sivan and SubramaNyan from the battle field and cut off all but four of the thousand hands of the offending BaaNan.
Slokam 57:
jatam kutastat akrutaj~na vicEshTitam tE putreeyayaa kila varam vavrushE vrushankAt |
akshEshu saktamatinA ca nirAdarENa vaaraNasee harapuri bhavathA vidagdhA ||
MEANING: Oh Lord! How can we understand your two acts that look contradictory? In one, you sought the boon of the birth of a son from Lord Siva. In the other act, You destroyed the city of Sivan (Kaasi) along with the armies of the king of Kaasi, who came to the rescue of Poundra VaasudEvan, who ran around declaring that he was ParavAsudEvan Himself. You had to kill Poundra VaasudEvan. When latter's friend, Kaasi Raajan came to avenge for Poundran's death, he brought with him a demon given to him as a boon by Siva to kill You and destroy DhwAraka's citizens. At that time, You were playing chess with RukmiNi. You sent Sudarsana Chakram after Kaasi Raajan, his city and the goul sent by Sivan as help. KurEsar wonders as to how KrishNa could be a supplicant for the boon of Siva to be blessed with a son at one time and on another occasion humiliate Siva and his client, Kaasi Raajan. It suggests that KrishNa was ungrateful to His benefactor. KurEsar asks how one can understand such behavior? KurEsar answers this apparent contradiction this way: A Karma bhaddhan (One under the influence of his karmAs) like Sivan, who encouraged and supported BhAnan and Kaasi Raajan to fight with the Lord deserves to be punished by the Lord even if earlier he (Sivan) had granted the boon of a son to KrishNaa, when He approached Sivan as "a Human being" during His avathAram among the cowherds.
Slokam 58:
sanjeevayan api mrutam sutam uttarAyA: saandeepanE: ciramrutam sutam Aanayan ca |
dhAmnO nijAd dvijasutAn punarAnayan vaa svAmEva tAmm tanumahO! kathamAnayastvam ||
MEANING: Oh Lord! You brought back to life Uttharai's (daughter in law of Arjunan) child, AchAryan Saandeepanee's son, who was dead for quite some time and the children of Vaidhikan of DhvArakai from Sri Vaikuntam. When they were returned to life, they were of the same form and age as when they had lost their lives. KurEsar points out that suprahuman restoration of the lives of these children could only be grouped as athimAnusha chEshtithams.
Slokam 59:
adya api na asti uparati: trividhApacArAt paapa: parE nipatita: asmi tamasi apArE |
yEtAdruSa: aham agati: bhavata: dayAyA: pAtram tvadeeya caraNou SaraNam prapadyE ||
MEANING: This is the first of the three slOkams at the end of this Sri Sookthi of athimAnusha Sthavam, where KurEsar performs his SaraNAgathy to the Lord. KurEsar says: “adiyEn has not freed myself from the three kinds of apachArams even after undergoing the rites of SamAsrayaNam. adiyEn is roiling in this world of SamsAram as a sinner without any refuge (ananya gathi:) adiyEn is helpless and has no recourse (akinchana:). adiyEn is looking to You to rescue me from this pitiable state of residence in the darkness of SamsAram and am performing SaraNAgathy to You with utter faith in You as my Saviour.
Slokam 60:
visrambhaNam tvayi na yadyapi mEasti nApi sraddhA yathOkta vacanArthagatA, tatha api |
vAcam tvimAm sakrut athapyasakrut mayOktAm satyAm kurushva dayayaiva dayaika sindhO ||
MEANING: Oh Lord of matchless Compassion! Even if adiyEn is not blessed with Mahaa ViswAsam about Your power to protect, adiyEn has uttered the SaraNagathy vaakyams although there are deficiencies (anga vaikalyams) in the SaraNAgathy that adiyEn has performed through the utterance of dhvaya manthram (yEna kEnApi prakArENa dhvya vakthaa). In spite of these defects in my SaraNaagathy, adiyEn seeks your infinite grace to accept the burden of adiyEn's protection (athA api dayayA kurushva).
Slokam 61:
paapeeyasa: api SaraNAgati SabdabhAjO na upEkshaNam mama tava ucitam ISwarasya |
tvat jn~Ana Sakti karuNAsu sateeshu na yEva paapam parAkramitum arhati mAmakeenam ||
MEANING: Oh Ocean of Mercy! It does not befit you to ignore adiyEn, who has uttered the SaraNAgathy mantrams even if adiyEn is a mighty sinner (paapeeyasa: api mama upEkshaNam Iswarasya tava na ucitam). adiyEn’s sins are no match for your Omniscience (Sarvajn~athvam), unfailing power to protect all and natural grace. Your Jn~Ana, sakthi and KaruNa will surely come to the rescue of this Prapannan, who is marked by akinchanathvam and ananya gathithvam. You must correct adiyEn and engage adiyEn in Your kaimkaryams (tirutthi PaNi koLLa vENum) through the exercise of Your Jn~Anam, Sakthi and KaruNaa. With this powerful appeal, KurEsar concludes the beautiful Sri Sookthi of athimAnusha Sthavam.
KurEsar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam,
adiyEn
