Wednesday 13 July 2011

DASAAVATAARA STOTRAM OF SWAMI DESIKA- “PHALA SRUTHI”

SLOKAM 13:
vidhyO udanvathi vEnkaTEswara Kavou jaatham jagan mangaLam
dEvEsasya dasaavataara vishayam stOtram vivakshEtha yah /
vaktrE thasya saraswaththee bahumukhee bhakti: paraa maanasE
suddhi: kaapai thanou disaasu dasasu khyaathi: subhaa jrumbathE //


MEANING:
“ Let me tell you what one can acquire on reciting this StOtram in praise of the 10 Avataras of the Lord of Lords, Sri Tiruvarangan that arose from the great poet VEnkatEswara, a veritable Ocean of knowledge. This StOtram is intended to bring welfare of the entire world (Jagan MangaLam)


Even if one were to THINK of reciting this StOtram -
1. Goddess of learning, Saraswathi, will bless such a person’s tongue in a variety of ways.
2. Such a person will develop in mind an extraordinary devotion to the Lord
3. Such a person will acquire even physical purity and
4. Such a person’s fame will spread far and wide in all the 10 directions of the world.

COMMENTS:
13th SLOKA: PHALASRUTHI:
This is a peculiar Phalasruthi in many ways.
1. Devesasya = It reiterates that it is the Supreme Lord Narayana who took all these Avataras  “Thum Devathaanaam Param cha Deivatham” He is the Lord of Lords.
2. Jagan mangalam is the name of a herb which arose at the time of the churning of the milky ocean deemed to be very efficacious, if one were to wear a small piece of it.
3. Jaganmangalam: This Stotra will bring bliss to the entire world. How and why?
There are some Mantra Sabdas (sounds) and Mantra syllables (Mantra aksharas) that all and sundry are normally not allowed to recite. But, Swami Desika has fine tuned and integrated them in this StOtra in such a way that anyone
can recite and secure the same benefits that the original Mantra Sabdas and Mantra aksharas would confer.
4. VivakshEtha = is very significant.  In the previous Sloka (12), Swami used the word “Jalpantha:” This word literally means “Prattling”. The idea is that it is not absolutely necessary to know the meanings of the words like the scholars do. But, even the illiterate and the uneducated who may not be able to grasp the import of the StOtra can derive the benefits out of this StOtra, by merely “prattling” what little they could!5. In this Sloka, Swami uses the word “VivakshEtah”. He goes one step further to emphasize that even if one were to “DESIRE” to recite, let alone ACTUALLY RECITING or even PRATTLING as stated in the previous Sloka, this Stotra  is sure to  confer all the benefits it can.
6. It indirectly suggests that even children who cannot recite or cannot do so with the correct pronunciation can be initiated into the recitation. The very DESIRE to do so would assure them of the results.
7. What benefits can this Stotra confer?
(i) VaktrE Tasya Saraswathi Bhaumukhee :
The Goddess of learning will embellish speech and make one proficient with the “gift of the gab”.
(ii) Bakthi: Paraa MaanasE
Devotion of the highest caliber in the mind.
(iii) Suddhi: kaapi thanou :
Spiritual purification of the soul and even physical cleanliness.Purification of soul is beyond our comprehension. But,how physical cleanliness that can be had only be bathing can be secured?There are seven kinds of Snaanams mentioned in the scriptures viz Aagneya, Bhowma, Divya, Mantra, Maanaseeka, Vaayavya and Vaaruna. This is a kind of Snaanam known as “Maanaseeka Snaanam”, one of the above seven, which is prescribed in special circumstances when one is not able to take bath with water.
(iv) Disau Dasasu Khyaathi Subhaa jrumbathE :
Fame of such a person will grow and spread in all the 10 directions.When describing Vaamana Avataara, Swami said that the fame of Emperor Mahaabali spread over only the 8 directions (ashtasu disaa).Here, however, he says that the fame of the person desiring to recite the StOtra will spread to 10 directions. May be, because the Stotra is on the 10 Avataras! (disosu dasasu)

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