An anthology on hymns on Lord Hayagriva and Swami Desikan

posted on Vijayadasami day (30-09-2017)

वन्दे लक्ष्मीहयग्रीवं पुरो मे मार्गदर्शकम् ।

येनापक्वमतिर्नूनं किञ्चिद्भूता हि संस्कृता ।। 1 ।।

I salute Lakshmi Hayagriva who is my margadarshaka in life and because of whom indeed my raw mind has become refined (by learning Sanskrit, I sincerely believe because of His guidance only I have taken up the study of Sanskrit)

चित्ते तमोवने धाव त्वत्सत्त्वे वाजिवक्त्र! मे ।

रजोमयं भवेत्तद्धि त्वत्कवने लसान्यहम् ।। 2 ।।

This one is a hymn on Lord Hayagriva referred to as Vaji-vaktra, horse faced). O Vajivaktra! please run in my mind which is a dark forest (ignorant). With your sattva (sattva guna / presence), let it be covered with rajas (dust / passion). Let me enjoy singing in praise of you! the usage of sattva, rajas and tamas in two ways may be enjoyed!

This is a prayer to Hayagriva. An attempt has been made to mention parts of the head, atleast the words representing those parts - eyes, ears, mouth, nose and neck as well.

मुखे चरेत् हयग्रीवः नासया वाक् च मे नयेत् ।

तन्नयनेन शब्दायै यात्वर्थस्तु परश्रुतिम्  ।। 3 ।।

मुखे (in mouth) चरेत् (grace or be) हयग्रीवः (Hayagriva or horse necked!) नासया (through the nose) वाक् (the indriya of speech, indriya being a horse it has to be dragged by the noose on its nose) च (and) मे (my) नयेत् (lead)। तन्नयनेन (by his leading or eyes or direction) शब्दायै (let me sound or play with words)यात्वर्थस्तु (let its meaning reach) परश्रुतिम् (other ears)

Let Hayagriva, the horse necked graze (and grace) in my mouth, lead the horse that is my organ of speech, by its nose, through his leading or direction let pen something and let its meaning reach the ears of others!

Swami Desikan is one of the greatest intellectuals to have ever born in the bharatavarsha! He has authored a phenomenal number of works in Sanskrit, Tamil and a mix of both in all genres of literature. Normally logicians do not make good poets! May be the right brain - left brain phenomenon. But Vedanta Desikan was awarded the title - Kavi-taarkika-kesari - the best among of Poets as well as logicians! To me he is a poet par excellence!

I use slesha to sing in praise of Him!

गद्यं यद्यच्च तत्सर्वं पद्यरूपेण योऽददात् ।

पद्यं वै नस्तु तत्सर्वं सम्पद्येमहि तत्पदम् ।। 4 ।।

गद्यं to be told (or prose) यद्यत् whatever च and तत्सर्वं all that पद्यरूपेण in the form of poetry यः who अददात् gave पद्यं lakshya or goal (poetry) वै indeed नः for us तु but तत् all सर्वं that सम्पद्येमहि let us attain तत्पदम् his feet!

Let us try to reach the feet of (Swami Desika) who gave us whatever had to be conveyed in the form of poetry. All those verses are our goals or lakshya indeed! Translations do not help always!

Swami's style in his philosophical works is to summarise what was said in prose form with a poem at the end!

Swami Desikan was a Lion indeed! He must have roared during his debates! What do his works contain? They contain the echo of his roarings that cause fear in his opponents till date!

कवितार्किकसिंहस्य प्रयुक्तशब्दराशयः ।

गर्जनमनुगर्जन्ति नित्यं विरुद्धचेतसाम् ।। 5 ।।

कवितार्किकसिंहस्य of Swami Desika प्रयुक्त deployed / suitable शब्द words / roarings राशयः group गर्जनम् (his) roaring अनुगर्जन्ति echoing नित्यं eternally विरुद्ध to the opposed चेतसाम् minds

The word 'sabda' means both sound and word.

The works of Swami Desikan echo his roaring for ever in the opposed minds!

The Srivaishnava sampradaya, though unfortunately is split in to two, is essentially 'one' atleast conceptually. The differences are more due to interpretations of some minor aspects.

The Vadagalais accord much importance to Sri Vedanta Desika, one of whose maternal ancestors by name Kidambi Aachan performed the madaipalli kainkarya to Sri Ramanuja.

A kitchen is called madaipalli in Tamil and mahanasa in Sanskrit.

This sect is known in internal circles are mahanasa sampradaya as it is believed that Sri Kidambi Aachan, learnt certain intricate aspects while he was serving food to Sri Ramanuja in private in the madaipalli.

Desikan himself terms the sampradaya as माहानस संप्रदाय or மடைப்பள்ளி வந்த மணம் etc...

This verse makes of some words to praise that sampradaya with words that sound similar to mahanasa sampradaya....

पूर्वाचार्यप्रदानो यो यतिराजेन संस्कृतः ।

वेदान्ताचार्यसंत्रातः संप्रदायो महानसौ ।। 6 ।।

पूर्वाचार्यप्रदानः gifted by Acharyas of the past यः which यतिराजेन by Yatiraja संस्कृतः refined वेदान्ताचार्यसंत्रातः well protected by Vedanta Desika संप्रदायः sampradaya महान् great असौ this is

This sampradaya is great which is a gift from the Acharyas of the past, refined by Ramanuja and well protected by Vedanta Desika.

It was the genius of Swami Desika at work when he portrayed the compassion (daya) of Lord Srinivasa as 'Daya Devi' and wrote a shataka (stotra in hundred verses).

Swami Desika is himself celebrated as the incarnation of the holy bell (Ghanta) at Tirumalai.

This verse highlights the same!

श्रीवेंकटाचलाद्भूता घण्टानादनदी च या ।

तामवतारयामास हितां नो दयया दयाम् ।। 7 ।।

श्रीवेंकटाचलाद्भूता born from the Venkatachalam or Tirumalai  घण्टानादनदी river which is the sound of the bell  च या who ताम् her अवतारयामास brought down दयया with compassion नः our हितां benefactor दयाम् Daya Devi.

The river that was the sound of the bell of Tirumalai (Swami Desika) brought her down, His compassion, Daya Devi! our means. (who is our only means to attain salvation)

He was the first one to write a hundred verses on her, by reciting which we can pray to her and seek her blessings, which is the only way to please Srinivasa!

The last pada could also read दयया नो हितां दयाम् ।।

This one appeared in my mind on an evening when I had darshan of Mylapore Srinivasa on his veedhi purappadu, in Sri Venugopala sathupadi! Sri Vedanta Desika accompanied Him!

The crux of the poem is the word 'pashyato-hara' - one who has the ability to rob or steal even when being noticed visibly!

माधव! वेणुगोपाल! श्रीनिवास! सदेशिक! ।

पश्यतो मम चित्तस्य भव त्वं पश्यतोहरः ।। 8 ।।

Madhava! Srinivasa! Venugopala! One who is accompanied by (Vedanta) Desika! Be a pashyatohara of my mind, while i am looking at you! (having your darshan)!

अतुलान्मातुलान्मेघात् सम्पूरितं तमम्बुधिम् ।

यस्मिन् शेते परं तत्त्वम् एकाचार्यमहं भजे ।। 9 ।।

I salute him (Swami Desika) who learnt everything from his uncle (Atreya Ramanuja), an acharya unparalleled, = like an ocean filled with water from ONE cloud (his uncle) in which the Supreme tattva (Vishnu) is sleeping peacefully!

It is not easy for someone who does not have a prior background to enter a group of people with an 'ancestral background', be it music or any field. That someone is an outsider. I have faced and facing the challenge! Who is he?

त्वं मे नेता हयग्रीव! गर्दभस्य ततोह्यहम् ।

निर्भयेन प्रणेतास्मि प्रविशामि च मन्दुराम् ।। 10 ।।

Hayagriva! You are leading me, a donkey and therefore I compose (poetry) without fear and enter the stable (of excellent horses)! Donkeys carry loads whereas horses carry Kings! is it not? ☺️ (shared already in previous blog)