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SRI SUKTA BHASHYAOF

SR1 RANGANATHA MUNI(NANJIYAR)

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Sri. Sri SAUMYANARAYANA ACARYA

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LAKSHMI SAUASRANAMA

AND OTHER

LAKSHMI STOTRAS

“7ith their translation in EnglishBY

A. SRINIVASA RAGHAVAN, M. A.,The Maharajarh’s College, Pudzglcotahv

All Rights Reserved.] [Price Re 1—8—0»

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CONTENTS.

SR1 SUKTA BHASHYA AND LAKSHMI STOTRAS.

_.)°.(..—DEDICATION

FOREWORD

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

READINGS (main)BHUMIKA (my... ..by Sri. Sri Saumya Narayana Acarya.

INTRODUCTIONLife and Works of the BhashyakaraIdentity of the BhashyakaraThe Concept of Sri inVisishtadvaitaAnalysis of the BhashyaConclusion

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS (mam?)SRI SUKTA BHASHYA: TEXT .

Introductory fi—‘ac; Verse I—‘R;II—R‘x; III—Ra; IV—m; V—u;VI—ifi; VII, VIII—1%; IX—‘m;X—fifi; XI—‘d; XII—fl}; XIII—fix; XIV, XV-fi‘fl.

PAGE.

i

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PAC-IS.

INDEXES: gc—ce

Index of Rik ‘16Index of proper names

53%

Index of other works mentioned “I“?

Index of Quotations ‘5?

Summary of Quotations 4?

APPENDIX—Sri Sukta (with EnglishTranslation) 6(-

Catus-sloki by Yamunacarya a: KS“

Saranagati Gradya by Sri Ramanuja :9 30°-Sri Stava by Sri Vatsanka Misra ,, “3‘Sri Gunaratnakosa

by Parasara Bhattar ,, 61°"Sri Stuti by Sri Vedanta Desika n W."Vishnu Purana: Amsa I, Chap. VIII fiio

Chap. IX ‘15.?Index (to the Appendix) “‘4”Lakshmi-Ashtottarasata—nama-stotra V3.Lakshmi-Ashtottarasata—namavali ~~

FOREWORD.

Sri Sukta is the well-known hymn to theGoddess Sri or Lakshmi who is referred to as theConsort of Maha Purusha in the Uttara Anuvakaof the Purusha Sukta—(e’ta3 (WW treat). TheSri Sukta is not found in any of the extant recen-sions of the four Vedas, but has been everpopular as a ‘Khila Rik ’ (SupplementalHymn),the authority of which has been universally ac-knowledged, even as that of so many other ‘ KhilaMantras.’ Such Khila Riks are generally foundat the end of Mandalas and anuvakas and not atthe end of Ashtakas and adhyayas; and thisfinds a place in the Big Veda edited by Prof.Max Muller at the end of the fifth Mandala.

There are many commentaries on this Sukta,the most famous of which are those of Sayana(or Vidyaranya) and of Prthvidharacarya, andthey have been edited more than once. The com-mentary of Nanjiyar or Ranganatha, as he is alsocalled, is another, which is popular chiefly amongthe Visishtadvaitins. This has been cited andquoted as an authority by Sri Venkatanatha (13thcent) in his works. In spite of its popularity andauthoritativeness, the Bhashya has been so faronly in manuscripts and it is with pleasure I placethis before the discerning public. This suppliesthe link that was missing in the chain of thedevelopment of the concept of Lakshmi beginning

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from Yamunacarya’s Catus-sloki based on the SriSukta and coming up to Sri Venkatanatha’s SriStuti and Rahasya Raksha (commentary onCatus-sloki) through the Saranagatigadya ofRamanuja, Sri Stava of Sri Vatsanka Misra, andSri Gunaratnakosa of Bhattar; and so no apologyis needed for publishing this. The work willspeak for itself and I need not dilate upon itsmerits.

To facilitate reference, I am including in theAppendixcompleteStotras ofLakshmi which havebeen either cited or quoted by the Bhashyakara.Sri Sukta, Catus-sloki,Saranagatigadya, Sri Stava,Sri Gunaratnakosa and Sri Stuti, are publishedwith their translations in English. I have in-cluded chapters eight and nine of the first Amsaof the Vishnu Purana and a Lakshmi Sahasranamaand the Lakshmi Ashtottara also. The Sahasra-nama was kindly lent to me by Sri. Sriramadesika-carya of Tirukkottiyur. There are already three-editions of Sahasranama in print : one printed in-the Vani Vilas Press, Srirangam; the other inthe Venkatesvar Steam Press, Bombay; and thethird published by V- R. Sastrulu & Sons,Madras. The last two are mostly alike and thefirst difiers much from them. But there too,many names of Lakshmi, that are quoted byearlier writers like Nanjiyar and Desika, are notfound and I was in search of the original Sahasra-nama of Lakshmi which should have been thesource for the Acaryas. My efforts have beensuccessful at last and I was able to find one with

V

Sri. Sri Rama Desikacarya of Tirukkottiyurwhichhas all the names quoted and it is that I amincluding in the Appendix. Though it agreeswith the Vani Vilas Edition to a large extent,still there are many difierences in readings whichare given in the foot-notes. I hope it will be use-ful to all, not only as an authority, but as a bookfor ‘Parayanam’ also. An alphabetical index ofthe Lakshmi Sahasranama and Lakshmi Ashtot-tara also is added. I have also prepared indexesof the Riks, of quotations in the Bhashya, and 0fthe proper names mentioned in the Bhashya.Many of the Samhitas quoted, like the Dhana-diya, Kasyapa, Mankana, and Svayambhuva arenot to be had now. The quotations from theBodhayanakalpa and the Padma Purana cannotbe traced and there are many other quotationsthe sources of which I am not able to trace out.I should be much obliged if any kind scholar ispleased to throw any light on all, or any, of them.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

It would be impossible for me to give fulldetails of all the help I have received from myfriends. My chief debt is to Sri. Sri Ramadesika-carya of Tirukkottiyur for kindly lending mehis palm-leaf Ms. that he, as if by divine favour,got one morning years ago from the RiverGhatila (Garuda Nadi) in Cuddalore. It is onthis Ms. that the present work is mainly based.

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I am greatly indebted to my Acarya SriSaumya Narayana Acarya of Tirukkottiyur whohelped me at every stage. It was under hissupervision and advice that I copied the Ms. andcompared it with an incomplete one in his posses-sion. He read through the whole again when itwas printed and gave many useful suggestionswhich I have tried to carry out. Besides makingme what I am, he has blessed my endeavour nowwith a critical and learned Bhumika to this bookin the course of which he establishes the identityof the Bhashyakara with invulnerable arguments.I have drawn a great deal from this Bhumika towrite my Introduction in English and it is withgreat reverence and love that I take this oppor-tunity of expressing my gratitude to him for allhis help.

My thanks are also due to MelappalayamVenkatacarya, the Vedic scholar at Srirangamwho helped me to find out the sources of manyVedic passages quoted in the Bhashya.

In addition to the above, I am indebted toDr. V. Raghavan, M.A., Ph. D., (Senior Assistantto the Editor-in-chief of the Catalogus Catalo-gorum, Madras University), who, on my request,so kindly undertook to compare for me fourMss. of Sri Sukta Bhashya in the Madras Govern-ment Oriental Manuscripts Library and suppliedme the various readings. But the work wasalready half-way through the press when Iapproached him and so the variations in reading

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could be incorporated in the text itself only inthe latter part of the book and for the first half,they are appended to the end of this.

I shall be thankful to my friends and well-wishers for any suggestions to improve the workand bring it to perfection. In fine, I shall feelmy endeavour has been quite a success if evenone devotee of that Goddess—Mahalakshmiya-dgsa—or Lakshmi Herself will be pleased witht is.8—4—37. SRINIVASA RAGHAVAN.

DESCRIPTION OF THE MANUSCRIPTS.

1. Ms. of Sri. Sri Ramadesikacarya marked a2. D. 25—palm-leaf M3. in Grantha script calls

itself Sri Sukta Bhashya by GomathaBanganatha marked a. COIOphon: {fit afi-Wfimafirfifi samurai (may!

3. D.26—a copy of D. 25 is marked :1 and agreessubstantially and verbally in most placesw1th D. 25, but has different readings inmany places. Colophon: WWWWWI

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4. D. 27.—marked fit is an abridged version ofD. 25 (SE 26, but With all the discussiveportions omitted and giving just a word-for-Word meaning and also quotationsfrom some works, most of Which are foundin D. 25 & 26. This calls itself Sri Sukta——Visishtadvaita—Bhashya and is very muchlike the one edited by Pandit Anantacaryain Conjivaram in 1899.

5. R. 99f.—Tamil part—leaves 97a to 116a—same as D. 25 and so marked (Er. It hasthree additional Mangala Slokas. (All theabove four (2—5) are in the GovernmentOriental Manuscripts Library,Madras.)

6. An incomplete Ms. in the possession of Sri.Sri Saumyanarayana Acarya of Tirukkotti-yur, marked Er.

I am told the Adyar Library has a Sri SuktaBhashyaWhich is given in the catalogueWithout the author’s name and so also theMysore Library. The Ms. marked 55, onwhich the present work is based, is themost complete and all the others havesome portion or other omitted in them.This Bhashya is by Ranganatha Muni.

The Bhashya on the seventh Rik is not foundin any of the Mss. Which merely read theRik. SO I have given the meaning fromthe Bhashya edited by Pandit Anantacaryaof Conjivaram.

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SR1.

INTRODUCTION.It may be said almost without contradictionthat there is no branch of literature in India,

secular or religious, which is not based on theVedas, the sacred books of the Hindus and thesehave been enjoying unquestioned authority fromtime immomorial. These Vedas are 111 two sec-tions: the Karma-kanda dealing with the ritualsand sacrifices, and the Gnana-kanda with thenature of Brahman, the world, and their inter-relation; whirh latter (the Gnana-kanda) is thesource of all our systems of philosophy.

The Gnana-kanda has been differently inter-preted by ditlerent schools of philosophy. Butthe one form of philosophy which has, and can atany time have, universal popularity is that mwhich the Brahman of the Upanisharls IS con-ceived of as a being, between which and the de-votee there can exist a personal relation, love andfaith on the part of man, justice tempered bymercy on the part of the Divinity. The Schoolof the Alvars pre-eminently struck this note ofdevotion to a personal God—Sriman Narayana,and so came to hold the hearts of the people.

This school of the Alvars gradually developedthrough several centuries till it assumed a fulland definite form in the eleventh century withthe advent of Sri Ramanuja and his numerous

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disciples proficient in the Upanishadic lore,both of the Vedas and of the Alvars. The Alvarsrecognised the Divine Couple Sri and Narayanaas the Supreme Tattva, as the goal, and as themeans towards the goal (Para Tattva, Paramahita, and Parama Purushartha). The Couple areresponsible for the creation, sustenance, and d13-solution of the world ; and in short the Brahmanof the Upanishads connotes for them the DivyaMithuna or the Divine Couple. Thus the hymns0f the Alvars speak of the greatness of Sn asbeing on a par with that of Her Consort, in everyway. She equally shares with Him the definitionof the term ‘ Brahman. ’

The Acaryas who came in the wake of theAlvars elucidated this idea in their differentStotras to Sri, i. e., Lakshmi: Sri Yamuna-carya in his Catus-sloki (hymn of four verses),and Ramanuja in his Saranagati gadya. Thedisciples of the latter carried this still futher:Srivatsanka Misra in his Sri Stava of elevenverses, and Sri Parasara Bhattar in his Sri Guna-ratnalcosa of sixty-one verses. Nanjiyar, whowas also called Ranganatha and Narayana Muni,and who was a disciple of Bhattar, codified all theideas from the time of the Vedas to that of hisown master and wrote a masterly digest in theform of a commentary on Sri Sukta, called theSri Sulzta Bhashya which is published now forthe first time nearly eight hundred years after itwas written. No doubt later Acaryas such asSri Venkatanatha and Nainar-accan-pillai have

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given the world their Sri Stuti and Catus-slokiBhashyas; but the former’s is an exposition, andthe latter’s at best a criticism of the ideas in theSri Sukta Bhashya of Nanjiyar. So it may besaid without hesitation that the Sri SuktaBhashya marks the climax in the developmentof the concept of Sri, especially in the Visishta-dvaita School of Philosophy.

LIFE AND WORKS OF THE BHASHYAKARA:

RANGANATHA MUNI (NANJIYAR).

As is the case generally with our poets andsaints, we have no detailed and accurate historyof the life of Nanjiyar or Ranganatha, our author;and all that we know of him comes to us fromthe traditional account preserved in the “Livesof the Acaryas ” (Guruparampara-prabhava) andin the ‘aitihyas ’ in the Bhagavad vishaya- Weshall now proceed to sketch briefly the life of theauthor of the Sri Sukta Bhashya as far as we areable to glean from the sources mentioned above,and then establish his identity which is a bitshrouded in mystery.

“ This is just like the Teaching Hall of theVedantin in the west.”

“Is he a good scholar ? How many Sastrashas he learnt ‘2”“Why, he is a very great scholar and is

acknowledged as such by many savants, all ofwhom he defeated 1n debates. He is the master

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of all Sastras and the six Darsanas (systems ofphilosophy); and to show this, he sits on a.throne of six planks placed one over the other. ”'

“Then will you please tell him I know‘ Tiruneduntandagam ’*“ also ? ”

This was the conversation that took placeone day in the ‘ Kalakshepa Mantapa ’ (TeachingHall) of Sri Parasara Bhattar in the great templeat Sriranga between Bhattar and a BrahminPilgrim from the west. Bhattar was one of thetwo sons of Sri Vatsanka Misra (Kurattalvan),Was the devoted and beloved disciple of Rama-nu1a, and was noted for his piety and learning.TRanganatha was the name given to him by GodRanganatha himself. Even as a boy Parasara.Bhattar was very intelligent, and was very soonthe foremost among the scholars of the day and-the disciples of Ramanujaj Soon after the con-versation described above, Bhattar under thecommand of the Lord Ranganatha marched tothe west to engage the great Vedantin in a debateand make him a disciple and devotee of theLord.

,\\»‘ This is 0110 Of the six poems of Tirumangai Alvar full of devotion andmGIOdX' It establishes the superiority of Sriman-Namyana in acharmingly POGticmanner.fVicglithe introductory stanza, cf the Sahasranamabhashya. of Bhattar:9 . ' - : lI For further details about the life of Bhattar, the reader is referred to»the Introduction prefixed to Sri Gunaratnakosa in the Appendix.

xxvfiThis Vedantin was born in Tirunarayanar

puram on the day of Uttara in the month of'Phalguna in Vijaya, Kali 4215, (March—April 1114A.D.) and was then known as Madhava Suri.Very soon he learnt all the Sastras and darsanas-and became a successful disputationist. TheVedanta of the Advaitic interpretation was hisspecial field and so he was known as ‘ Vedantin’—by which name we shall refer to him hereafter.Many came to learn at his feet and his place waslike a university. Being charitably-minded, hefed all those that came to his residence atKangora.

The Brahmin pilgrim came to the Vedantin,.and spoke about Bhattar at Sriranga and hisknowledge of ‘ Tiruneduntandagam.’ The Vedan-tin was astonished to hear that name, and felt abit annoyed and perturbed as he thought Bhattarwould be more than a match for him.

A few days later Bhattar left Sriranga withall his paraphernalia and was marching trium--phantly followed by his disciples and admirerstowards the place of the Vedantin. When he wasapproaching the town, a Brahmin told Bhattarthat it would not be possible for him to see theVedantinlwith all that pomp and grandeur, as he'was sure to be delayed by the disciples in theouter halls, and that he should go in the guise ofa mendicant if he wanted to see him easily.Bhattar took the hint and leaving all, donnedthe robes of a mendicant, and without any diffi-culty approached the Vedantin seated proudly"

xxviii

on a dais of six planks placed one over the other.The Vedantin directed him towards the dininghall,but Bhattar boldly and firmly said, “ I am herefor ‘ Vada-bhiksha ’ (debate), and not for ‘ anna-bhiksha’ (begging food).” The Vedantin was:startled and asked him immediately if he wasBhattar of Srirangam fame. “Yes” was thereply, and soon a discussion began. It went onfor a Week and more until finally the Vedantinacknowledged defeat at the hands of the greatParasara Bhattar and as per the conditions, hebecame the latter’s disciple. Bhattar initiatedhim into the Vaishnava fold and gave him hisown name of *Ranganatha as the ‘ dasya-nama.’The d1sc1ple also received it with pleasure, as oneway of acknowledging discipleship and ‘ dasya’(subordmatlon) was bearing the master’s name-Bhattar taught him the fundamental principles«only of Visishtadvaita and allowed him, a greatscholar as he was, to know the rest himself.Bhattar returned to Sriranga leaving the scholar-ly dlsmple in his own place.

Ranganatha—we shall hereafter refer to theVedantm by this name—remained at Kangorafor some .time; but drawn towards his master,and longing to be always near him, he became

’The Guruparam ara- ‘ ' - . .Km;Em1:“mtfiaifimiivm;Iliisssimizaag‘.‘ das a- ,

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XXX

'units) which is the source of all the comment-.aries that came later, especially the masterly" 36000 padi ’ or ‘ Idu ’ of Nampillai. He hascommented upon ‘Tiruppalli-elucci’ and Kanni-.nun-sirut-tambu ’ also. A work called ‘ Nityam, ’dealing with the daily duties of a Vaishnava as laiddown in the Panca Ratra Samhitas, is attributedto him ; but we have it only in fragments in theform of quotations in the Rahasya-Traya-Sara.and Panca-Ratra-Raksha of Sri Venkatanatha.

Sri Sukta Bhashya is another work of thisRanganatha Muni. He learnt the fundamentalprinciples of the doctrine of Sri from Pranatarti-hara, a direct disciple of Ramanuja, and a con-temporary of Bhattar who was his chief master.That Nanjiyar wrote a Bhashya on Sri Sukta iswell-known and accepted by all without contra-diction. That the work we are bringing out nowis his Sri Sukta Bhashya, and that RanganathaMuni and Nanjiyar are identical persons can beeasily seen by the discerning reader. We shallalso establish the same with evidences, bothinternal and external.

IDENTITY OF THE BHASHYAKARA.

All the G-uruparamparas uniformly declarethat Nanjiyar has written a Bhashya on Sri.Sukta. The Rahasya-Traya-Sara of Sri Venkata—natha corroborates this. After discussing thegreatness and nature of Lakshmi in great detailin Chapter XXIII of that work, Venkatanatha

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[Sri Sukta has been interpreted (by us)according to the correct tradition as welearnt it at the feet of (our) masterPranatartihara, the Mahanasika of SriRamanuja.]

It is well-known that Pranatartiharaattend-ed to the cooking of the food of Ramanuja andhence his name ‘ Mahanasika’ (cook) ; and he wasalso known as ‘Kidambi Accan’ and ‘Madaip-palli Accan.’ So from these two we have toconclude that Nanjiyar and Ranganatha Muniare different names of the same person wholearnt all these truths about Lakshmi fromPranatartihara, the Accan, who in his turn,learnt them from Ramanuja.

The order in which the Bhashyakara quotesauthorities also shows that our RanganathaMuni is none other than Nanjiyar. \Vhen hecites authorities in support of some statement ofhis, he begins with Sruti and Smriti and thenproceeds to the work of the Acaryas. There theorder is Yamuna, Ramanuja, Sri Vatsanka Misraand Bhattar. Himself being the immediatedisciple of the last, he stops with Bhattar. ButVenkatanatha, who is later than RanganathaMum, alias Nanjiyar, goes one step further andcites Nanjiyar also, as Periya Jiyar or Nanjiyal‘in Tamil works and as Narayana Muni in Sans-krit works. Ranganatha Muni (alias Nanjiyar)agrees entirely with his master Bhattar in hisconcept of Sri and the latter’sView is known to uS

XXXV

from his ‘ Sri Gunaratnakosa’ and his ‘Lakshmi-kalyana-’ (Three slokas are all that we have ofBhattar’s play Lakshmi kalyana and they arehad in the three works of Venkatanatha:Rahasyaatraya-sara XXIII, Sara-sara. ii, and Tatparyacandrika or the gloss on Gita Bhashya XVIII.14.)

There is a slight indication in the Bhashyaeven in the manner of citing the names of theearlier Acaryas which corroborates our conclu-sion. Yamuna, Ramanuja, and Sri VatsankaMisra he mentions only with the plural suffixout of respect whereas he refers to Bhattar hisimmediate Acarya with honorific and pluralsuffixes (31W1:).

Further in the concluding stanza, the authorof the Bhashya styles himself as diagram (adevotee or servant of Goddess Lakshmi). Itreminds us of Bhattar styling himself as one ofthe retinue of Maithili (Lakshmi of Ramayana)(vide Sri Gunaratnakosa, 51.); and thus theBhashyakara echoes the sentiment of his belovedmaster. He again quotes and explains in theintroduction Sraddha-, and Medha-snktas men-tioned by Bhattar in his Sahasranama Bhashyaas dealing with the greatness of Sri, and explainsalso the Aditi-, Vak-, and Prthivi-suktas indi-cated by the term (‘adi’) ‘etC-’ in that work.Venkatanatha also agrees entirely with Nanjiyar’sinterpretation as he Cites in his Catus-slokiBhashya all the Samhitas and Suktas quoted byNanjiyar.

xxxvi

Apart from the agreement of the names ofthe author, of the book, and of the subject matter,there is verbal agreement also. Venkatanatha(alias Vedanta Desika) in his ‘ Rahasya Raksha, ’.a, commentary on Catus-Sloki states the viewsof different Schools on the concept of Lakshmiand concludes in the words of an earlier writerwho is none other than our Bhashyakara:

“Wfimfififi «was: ImefWf Hafim’fi n\‘xW '1533 Wei-as:WIseam W631 @211 strfir'rfiau II”This is only a restatement almost in identical.

words of the view of RanganathaMuni expressedin his Bhashya on verse 9 of Sri Sukta, butSummarised here for exigencies of metre. Banga-natha Muni writes: (p. 48 of Sri Sukta Bhashya)

“sir Héifiazaaamn EM WW @-qE‘chofi WWW éwmrfifiqaflfi saw—«3r, mifl'llrfifWWqufifififi EITEWSR]; WWI I"[Thus there are some passages in the Vedaswhich say clearly that Narayana is the sovereignof all beings and others which, with equal clear-

ness, declare that Lakshmi is the Sovereign. So

xxxvii

the paramount sovereignty of both Lakshmi andNarayana becomes unshakable. But there areyet others which declare that there is only onesovereign of the Universe. The apparent contra-diction between the first two statements and thethird must be reconciled by saying that, thoughboth Lakshmi and Narayana are the sovereigns,there is no diflerence of opinion between the two(and so practically there is only one sovereign)-l

Sri Venkatanatha has cited with perfect ap-proval the Sri Sukta Bhashya of Nanjiyar as anauthority in his Rahasyatraya Sara and hasquoted almost the same words from that Bhashyain his Catus-sloki Bhashya. So our Bhashyakarais Nanjiyar and no one else. That the authoris referred to by two different names is no greatobstacle against arriving at the above conclusmn;for among the Vaishnavas it is common to havemore than one name. The father of Vadiham-sambuvahacarya had two names: Sri Rangarajaand Padmanabha. Desika himself is known bytwo names: Venkatanatha and Vedanta Desflra;Bhattar as Parasara Bhattar and Ranganathathough the latter name is not so well-known. Sothere is nothing strange in our author havingtwo names.

Thus we see that Ranganatha Muni, theauthor of Sri Sukta Bhashya that is publishednow, and Nanjiyar, its reputed author are thesame: because of the opening stanza which is a

salutation to Bhattar; because of the more res-pectful reference to Bhattar and his works;becauseof the absence of a quotation from any authorlater than Bhattar; because of the concludingstanzas where he styles himself a devotee ofMahalakshmi and where he acknowledges hisindebtedness to Pranatartihara alias Madaipallior Kidambi Accan; and because of the citationsby Desika in his Rahasyatraya Sara (chap. 23and 29,) Panca Ratra Raksha, and Catus-slokiBhashya.

Madhavasuri was the name given to ourauthor at his birth; Vedantin the name thathe earned by his vast learning and Skill in debate;*"Ranganatha the name that was given to himas the ‘dasya—nama’ at the time of initiationinto the Vaish-nava fold by Bhattar which hehimself used in his works; Narayana Muni thename that he assumed on becoming a Sannyasinby which he was referred to in Sanskrit works ;Nanjiyar was the pet name given to him by Bhat-tar when the former met him at Sriranga for the

* AI} Ingenious interpretation of the name ‘Nanjiyal" i5Elven by the author of ‘Sri Tattva Nirnaya’ in Tamil.He says that the original name was ‘Nam-peruinal-jiyaF’and ‘NanJiyar’ is its corrupted form. (@fl’fi 96’5””‘2'‘IFLDQ-UQEIMG‘Fr éwi’; @(éQg/snmb angzfi Ali-(5&9 ‘ Iségwi ' 5""

QIFHSPJI- p. 8.) This only helps our view; the Tamilname of Ranganatha is ‘Nam-perumal’ and Muni isleal‘ ;.so Ranganatha Muni translated into the Tamilof the Valshnavaite section will be Namperumal J iyar. Ili-IS an easy step from this name to ‘Nanjiyar.’

xxxjx

second time by Which he was referred to in Tamilworks and in other places; and Periya Jiyar wasanother and a more respectable form of the nameNanjiyar byWhich also he was referred to. So byall these we are led to the irresistible conclusionthat this Ranganatha Muni is Nanjiyar and thisBhashya on Sri Sukta is Nanjiyar’s Sri SuktaBhashya.

THE CONCEPT OF Sill IN VlSlSHTADVAITA.

Let us now sketch briefly the concept of Sriaccording to the Visishtadvaita System of philo-sophy as we learn from the works of eminentVaishnava Acaryas such as Yamuna, Ramanuja,Bhattar, Nanjiyar, and Venkatanatha—all basedon the ancient scriptures. Lakshmi and Narayanaare ever inseparably united and they togetherare the Para Brahman. They are the Mastersand Saviours of the Universe. The origination,sustentation, and the re-absorption of the Uni-verse are done by the Divine Couple (DivyaMithuna). Devotion to the Couple is the meansof salvation and the Two are the goal to beattained in the state of release.

Though their persons are different, thetastes and opinions of Lakshmi and Narayanaare always identical and there is no difference ofopinion between them as in the case of lovingparents intent on doing good to their children—Both are the possessors of unlimited auspicious

x1

qualities; still for the convenience of the medi-tation of their devotees, by their commonconsent, the Lord manifests all the manly quali-ties and Sri, the womanly qualities. But it doesnot mean that one does not possess the qualitiesfound in the other. Though both are the Mastersof the Universe and have no master over them,still out of their own free will, Sri is the Queen orConsort; and the Lord is prominent only to thisextent that he is the ‘ Pati ’ (husband); and thisagreement too they are having only for savingthe souls of the devotees. The Lord is strictand severe, and the erring souls cannot approachHim directly for pardon. Then the soft-heartedSri, the loving Mother that She is, intercedes ontheir behalf with Her Consort and thus they bothtogether save the souls from sin and bondage.All this is based on the authority of the Vedasand Samhitas such as Svayambhuva, Mankana,Mahalakshmi, Dhanadiya, Satamakha, Kasyapa,Sattvata, Vasishtha, Saunaka, Parasara and Atri.

There are different schools of thought whichhold views different from the above aboutLakshmi: Lakshmi is no separate entity butonly the Prakriti or Inanimate Matter that isbeing presided over and evolved by the Lord;She 1s nothing but the Ego, the Volition, thePower, the Knowledge or the Existence of theLord; Lakshmi is only the feminine form as-sumed by_the Lord at his will from his ownbody for his diversion. But all these are ground-less as the Vedas clearly and unmistakably

xli

declare that Lakshmi is a Cetana--—a separateentity with the attributes of knowledge, bliss,power and the like; and that She is eternal likethe Lord, Her consort.

Some grant that Lakshmi is a Cetana, butdeny Her omnipresence, omniscience and omni-potence; they say She is atomic in size; somesay She does not come under the category ofIsvara, but is one of the souls; a few, Her great-ness is not inherent, but bestowed on Her by theLord for a time. Yet others say She forms aclass by Herself being neither the Isvara, nor aJiva. A few others hold that She is the Sovereignof all except the Isvara, while Narayana is theSovereign of all including Herself. All theserun counter to the clear dictates of the Vedaswhich must be our first and chief authority onthese matters supported, of course, by Samhitas,Itihasas and Puranas. They declare that She isthe Sovereign of all souls @WW) as uncondi-tionally as the Lord (fiat: $331131); and so He isthe Sovereign of all except Lakshmi as much asShe is the Sovereign of all exceptingHer Consort.The subordination of the one to the other isV01u11tary and optional, inot obligatory. Hergreatness is inherent, and not dependent on an-.other.

. Though the two are the ParamountSovereigns, the duality does not show itself astheir opinions are always identical. One is theMother Of the Universe, while the other theFather. Thus the Divine Couple, Lakshmi andNarayana are theParaBrahman of the Upanishads

xlii

and both together are masters, creators, andsaviours, and also the final goal of the Universe.

This is the conclusion arrived at by Banga-natha Muni, or Nanjiyar as he is popularlyknown, after a thorough and careful study of allauthorities and of the works of the earlier Acaryas.He discusses all schools of thought which differfrom this and refutes them with prepcr argu-ments based on the authority of the Scriptures.He has set down all this in this Bhashya.

ANALYSIS OF THE BHASHYA.

In an introduction of about eighteen pages,he quotes extensively and explains all the Vedichymns which deal with Lakshmi: two SraddhaSuktas, Medha Sukta, Aditi Suktas; and hisverdict is that Lakshmi, like l‘x‘arayana, has allthe following qualities: She is the creator of theUniverse; She is omnipotent and omniscient;by nature fundamentally opposed to all blemishesand the resort of all auspicious qualities. 8116again pervades, sustains, and rules the Universe;She 1s the object of worship in all sacrifices ; andall the fruits of wealth, realisation of the Soul(Kaivalya), and the attainment of Moksha areunder Her control and bestowed on the devotees-by Her.

Then begins the Bhashya on the hymn.The word ‘ Jatavedah’ which occurs in the firstverse and. also in four others is interpreted asVishnu With an elaborate discussion containing

xliii

citations from numerous authorities such asMahabharata and Vishnu Purana, Kasyapiya andMankana Samhitas, Paramatma Sukta and Sari-raka Sutras. Then the Bhashyakara proceedswith his Bhashya on the Riks and there areprofuse quotations then and there from variousauthorities in support of his interpretations; andthe reader is referred to the index for a detailedlist of the same.

In the ninth verse where Lakshmi is referredto as the Sovereign fist? (173171511711), Nanjiyar haslaunched into an elaborate and long discuss1on-—running to nearly twenty pages—011 the conceptof Lakshmi. In the course of it he raises manyprima facie views, answers them categoricallyand concludes that names like Sraddha, andVishnupatni refer to Lakshmi only: She is notsubordinate to any one and is only the ‘W’(Consort) of Narayana and not a ‘W' (slave);both are engaged in the divine cosmic sacrifice ofsaving the souls and the one is essential for theother and cannot function or be without the other.Then he quotes in extenso many chapters of. theAhirbudhnya Samhita and Lakshmi Tantra insupport of his view and winds up by sayingthat She is the equal of the Lord in all respects-‘The mastery of the Universe is one whichinheres in both Lakshmi and Narayana.’

Then he completes his Bhashya on the re-maining Riks and concludes the work mentioninghis name and that of the master from whom he-learnt all those things about Lakshmi,

xlivCONCLUSION.

I need not dilate upon the merits of theBhashya, but the intelligent reader can see forhimself that it is perfect not only as a comment-:ary, but as a piece of polemics and a type ofbeautiful literature also. I consider myself ex-tremely fortunate that I have been chosen as theinstrument for unearthing and publishing thisrare work and I owe all this privilege and fortuneto my Guru Sri. Sri Saumya Narayana Acarya ofTirukkottiyur. My respectful homage and salu-tations to him and to Goddess Lakshmi, theMother of the Universe and of my humble self.

Pudullotah,17—7—37. A. SRlNlVASA RAGHAVAN

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SRI SUKTA.

[Sri Sukta is a hymn of fifteen verses in praise of theGoddess Sri or Lakshmi and is a ‘Khila Rik’(supplemental hymn) of the Rigr Veda. Thefirst two are addressed to Jatavedah (Narayana)and request him to bring Sri to the devotee. Thethird and the fourth are invocations to Sriherself and by the fifth, the devotee does the‘Prapatti.’ By the next five, he prays for theremoval of all evil and ignorance, and for thegift of learning and wealth and fame. The nexttwo request the father and attendant of Sri tomake Her dwell in his house. The last threeare, as in the opening verses, addressed to Jata—vedah requesting him to bring Lakshmi to him.]

as: afi n Rimmi {fivfiWW'Err-{i firm? wfiW 11 31m: ll?"

1. O Jatavedahl ! Bring unto me (the God-dess) Lakshmi of golden hue", who is the des-troyer of the sins" (of her devotees), Who is (res-plendent) with her garlands of (lotuses of) goldand silver, who is the delight“ (of the universe)and who has plenty of (wealth in the form of)gold, etc.

R = Ranganatha. S = Sayana. P = Prthvidhara.1. Lord Narayana who has abundant wealth, all of

his own acquisition—R.Agni .(God of Fire)—S. & P.

2. who 15‘ benevolent and charming—R.3. attractive like the doe.4. refulgent and charming like the moon—S. & P.

6Q

ainmamitamrnfiwfifiiqlas? {has fia‘éirn‘qaiWI! a ll

2-. O Jatavedah! Bring unto me thatLakshmil who will never leave me and by Whosegrace I may obtain gold and cattle, and horsesand servants'-’.

1. One who has auspicious signs indicative of wealthwhich is prayed for by all—R.

2. sons. friends and servants—S.

aimefi (WW? a’iamaifia’iq I

fifismfifimfiafisfimlfin3. I invoke Goddess1 Srifl who has the All-

Pervading (Vishnu) before her, who resides in theheart of souls, (or on the chest of Narayana) andwho wakes up (first) at the call (for help) of theelephants (and other beings in distress).

(Or) I invoke Sri who has the cavalry infront (in her march) and the chariots in themiddle and who wakes up (daily) by the cry ofthe elephants attending on her. May she bebenign towards me.

1. The resplendent or the sportive Goddess whodiverts Herself by the creation, etc. of theworld—R.2. who is in the form of an army._s_ & 1).

Qio

sf am' WWW?WW" EH? “Wall E"fifiufiwfifilfifimfififi ll?"4. I invoke Sri1 who is bliss'2 itself, who is

sweet-smiling, who resides in a hall of gold”, whois compassionate, or drenched1 (on account ofher rising from the Milky Ocean or being bathedby the attending elephants‘, who is efiulgent, whois pleased (because of Her association with Herconsort or by the worship of Her devotees), whopleases (all by granting their desires), and whodwells in the lotus and is lotus-coloured.

1. who is the prop of all beings—R.‘2. of indescribable greatness or Brahman itself—S

In the form of Vani (Goddess of speech).—P.3. of golden hue or form—S.4. born in the constellatiOn of Ardra.—S.

WmfmawfiififiafififiqmlafwsfiimmémilswifiW? a? {UT mm5. I take refuge in Sri who is delightful (tothose who take refuge in Her), who has a shining

form, who shines with the fame (of protectingthose who seek Her), who is worshipped by theGods (for getting their ends accomplished) orwho is 10V6d by Narayana, who is bounteous inHer gifts, and who has the lotus for Her weapon3(to remove the distress of, and to shower favours

Q?

on, Her devotees.) May the Alakshmi3 go awayfrom me, I" invoke you, O Lakshmi.1. all pervading—P.2. who is in the form of a lotus. ‘i' is one of the

names of Lakshmi.—S.:1. Nescicnce or the non-existence of the knowledge

of Brahman—R.4. ‘ aham’ is found in all the northern versions of the

Rk and in some of the south. Sayana is ofopinion that it is an interpolation.

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6. Lakshmi of sun-like lustre‘! The auspi-rcious Bilva tree was generated by your penancefl.May the fruits of that tree destroy through(our) penance“ (viz. chanting their names andworshipping them) (our) ignorance‘ (or nescience),obstacles5 (to the worship and service of you) and,extraneous things (which are not related to you).

1. whose lustre was got from ‘a’ (Bhagavan)._B,2. for (you to perform) penance (under it)._P,by your will. R. & S.

3. by (your) favour.—S..1. ma. & ya—two words : ma—towards & ya—Which.-P..5. ignorance pertaining to the organs of sense bothinternal and externa1.—S. ,inauspicious things—both internal and external.——P.

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mam:fifiaqamsslmgfier‘m’fin mafiamN " mi? n KS”7. 0 Goddess‘ ! May the reputation2 (of being

learned) come to me along with gemsa. I am bornin this world and may you give me fame andplenty.

1. Devasakhah—(Kubera) the friend of (Maha)deva.—S.&]’.2. The daughter of Daksha—Sati (the consort of

Siva).—S.3. with Manibhadra-——an attendant of Kuhera “S.

with cintamani (the divine gem)—P.

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S- I destroy (by your grace) the Alakshmi,Who is impure, Who is the elder (of Lakshmi), and‘WhO is (the cause of) hunger and thirst. Dispelfrorn my house all lack of wealth and of pros—perlty.

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.9' IinVOke Sri, to realise Whom fragrantthings (hke Sandal-paste, flowers, etc.) are the

meansl’ Wh? is unassailable2 by the inauspi-reious, Who is emit-joyful“I and the possessor of(wealth 1n the form of) manure (because of the

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abundance of cattle She has), and who is the-Supreme sovereign of all (living) beings.

1. “7110 is the means of bringing fame to Herdevotees—R.

(Lakshmi, in the form of the Goddess Earthwhose distinguishing feature is smell—S.

unattainable by those who do not seek her withauxiliaries to worship and with devotion.——R.

::. who has an abundance of crops—S.

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golden hue‘, Who is declzed with garlands of gold,who is the (eflicient) impeller} (of the Universe)and Who is of golden form.

1. who is of an agreeable hue—S.2. who is wealth itself.—1’.

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15. O Jatavedah! Bring to me Lakshmi whowill never, abandon me and by whose grace I mayget in abundance gold and cattle, servants andhorses and (other) men.

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vandar—is the forerunner and spiritual Guruof Ramanuja. He is the author of MahapurushaNirnaya, Agamapramanya and Siddhitraya (Atma,Samvit and Isvara Siddhi)—scholarly works ofa rather argumentative nature. His Stotra Ratnais a song overflowing with devotion to the Lord.He has written in his own lucid and melodious-style another hymn in four verses called Catus-sloki on Goddess Lakshmi. The four verses saythat Lakshmi also has the four qualities whichare attributed to Her consort Narayana in the-four chapters of the Brahma Sutras. They are 1i. He is the cause, eflicient and material, of thewhole universe; ii. His greatness is unsullicdby anything; iii. He is the means by WhiChone has to obtain the highest goal, the Supremebliss and iv. it is Himself. Lakshmi also hasthese.

The first Sloka speaks about the Vibhutis of GoddessLakshmi, the second about Her greatness whichis incomprehensible even to Her omniscient Con-sort, the third about Her grace which grants thedifferent wishes of all and the last speaks aboutHer charming forms which are ever insepara—ble from, and co-existent with, those of SriNarayana. The Stotras of the Acaryas whocame after, have been based more or less uponthis and they elucidate the idea containedherein]

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say, all His forms: that aspect of His which isfree from any modification, which is unlimited,which is the Lord of the Great Vibhuti and whichis called the Para Brahman; that form (of Vishnu)which is called Brahman, Which is marvellouslycharming and hence more liked by Him; andalso all the other forms assumed by Him at hisown pleasure to divert Himself.

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In Sri do I take refuge, helpless as I am, inSri—Who is the saviour of the helpless ; who hasgot innumerable hosts of qualities,—auspiciousand unexcelled—like sovereignty and amiability;who possesses a nature, forms, qualities andVibhuti (splendour) suited to and loved by Sl‘iNara-yams, the Bhagavan (Himself, the possessorof. such superb qualities); in Sri, the Goddess (ofsuperb qualities), the denizen of the lotus-pondsWho is ever inseparable from Her Consort andunimpeachable and unsullied (by any fault) ; andwho is the queen of the Lord of all Gods and theMother of the entire Universe (and of myself.)

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and praising Him (as having them), then such aStotra is untrue (and impossible) in your case.(For there are no qualities that are lovable andthat are not found in you.) Or, if they say thata faithful and complete narration of the qualitiesexisting in one is ‘Stotra,’ (that too cannot bedone in your case; for) how can such words befound (or coined) even by the Master of speech(Brihaspati)—words suited to your ocean—likequalities ?

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4. To describe the qualities of Yours whichare well-known to be beyond the reach of mindand speech alike, my words have come out witha watering mouth. But (we) do not considerour attempt (to do the impossible) ridiculous;for a she-cakora does not certainly keep stilldrawmg back her tongue, when she is thirsty,because of the fact that she will not be able todI‘lIlk all the moonlight completely, all by herself.

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7. The power to control others that is foundin all persons, the characteristic of beauty andcharm which is considered auspicious and What-ever is called ‘sat’ (i. e., good or existent) in thisworld, all that is dependent on you. Because ofthis, those objects are known in this world bythese words: either as ‘Sri’.—(Sri itself) ie, beingidentical with you or as ‘Srimat’—-possessing Sri(and hence as being different from you). (Cf.usages like Dhanasri & Ruparsri, and Srimadrupam& Srimaddhanam).

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8. Goddess Lakshmi, the extent of yourgreatness is not comprehended either by your-self or by Narayana. Though it is like this, stillthe omniscience of both of you does not sufferthe least- For they say that not to know whatdoes not exist (i.e., to know a non-existent thingas non-existing) only corroborates the omni-s01ence of a person. On the contrary, one whodeclares he knows the properties of a Sky-lotus—a lotus that blossoms in the sky (i.e., a non-existent one), will only be called a man out ofhis senses.

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9. We seek refuge in Sri Who is the DivineConsort of the Lord of all the Gods (Narayana);the Goddess of Learning, Sarasvati, is Whoseattendant; and the flow or otherwise of whose(Sarasvati’s) graces is responsible for the differ-ence in this world between a tree (that is non-sentient) and Brihaspati-‘tho Lord of Speech(who is omniscient).

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10. We resort to Sri, the Consort of theSupreme Lord of all Gods (for protection) ; to Sriby whose mere will to throw Her sweet glances,the whole world came into existence immediatelywith all its things sprouting forth, non-existentas it was before because of their absence.

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11. May that Lakshmi, the Consort of Lord'Sri Ranganatha, bless even me by Her glances, bybecoming the object of Whose glances even for a.moment all become Mahesa-s (Lord Siva or power-ful rulers).

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€2°Tamil and his interpretations of some of thesongs of the Alvars are original and refreshing.He has left a commentary on ‘ Maivannanarun-kunji’ —a verse in Tiruneduntandakain, hisfavourite poem in the Divya Prabandhani.

The Sri Guna Ratna Kosa, which we are givingbelow with its translation, is in GI. verses andwe shall give a brief analysis of the same :

1—8. Introductory: after an invocation to theGoddess Lakshmi, the poet prays for faultlesswords to sing Her greatness.

‘9—18. All the Srutis and Smritis proclaim Hergreatness; and the greatness found in this worldin all, sentient and non-sentient, has come tothem only from Her.

19—22. ‘Lallishmi. as the Supreme Sovereign of thetwo Vibhutis’ — Lila and Nitya (World ofSport and of Enjoyment).

23—97. The Divine City, its mansions, the DivineConsorts and the Attending Angels of NityaV1hhuti.

28—31.. The poet answers objections raised by someagainst the greatness of Lakshmi : that She hasnothing to do with the creation of the world;Her greatness is not inherent, but due to some-thing else ; She is not mentioned in the Vedas ;and that the greatness of the All-powerful Lordwould suffer if She be praised.

32—35..The qualities that are found in both the

Dlvme Couple and that are peculiar to each, andthe bas1s of such division are next described.36—50. Description of the personal charm, lustre

and beauty of Lakshmi, of Her ornaments, OfHer Incarnations and their causes and charac-teristics.

i2?58. The qualities that will bring us near Her;the Divine Couple figure always inseparablyunited in our concept; both together are themeans for our ends, and service to both shouldbe our aim. She has an additional :Lttributv‘Purushakaratva‘—i.e., the quality of actingas an intercessor on our behalf like a forgivingand benign mother. Her benevolence and Herbountifulness shine to their fullest advantageonly in ‘Arca.’ i.e. idol form.

51—58. Qualities helpful for us to resort to Herfor protection and to adopt Her as the meansfor our various ends.

59—6]. Taking shelter in Goddess Sri. Prapattiis done in v. (30 and the fruit is prayed [or bythe last]

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1. I offer my respectful salutations to Sriwho, by Her glances of approval, makes the Wishof Hari to create all the things sentient and non-sentient, an accomplished fact.

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2. We resort (for protection) to Sri who isthe Queen Consort of Lord Ranganatha and whois like (the glow of)_ the flame of the auspiciouslight in the flat of Srirangam- The graceful and

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H?knitting of Her eyebrows (this way or the other)is the command for the diverse creation of theanimate and the inanimate world by the foe ofMura (i.e., Narayana). The Upanishads arrive ata decision (that Narayana is Para Brahman) intheir search for truth (as to the most SupremeDeity) only by the imprint of Her foot-steps onthe chest of Murabhid (the slayer of Mura); bythe very Sportive commencement of Her enjoy-ment all the (infinite) greatness of the multitu-dinous forms (or of the all-pervasive form) of theLord becomes extremely small (like a handful).

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5. 0 Goddess! (Our) Wish to sing ade-quately the nature and magnitude of Your great-ness will be far from realisation. Even ancientseers like Brahma have said, ‘Who are we topraise this (greatness of Yours) (i.e., Where isthe power. in us)?’ Yet we make a great endea-vour to sing with our imperfect w0rds Yournature which is far above the sphere of thoughtand word. Let there be a happy and successfulend (for our endeavour by your favour).

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2?“some (the Advaitins) declare that the Lord isdevoid of all qualities (or attributes) though hedoes possess them; a few attribute to a Mendi-cant (Bhikshu i.c., Siva) the state of being aking. Thus do they carry on a hand-to-handfight against one another in ignorance.

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12. 0 Goddess Lakshmi! With the eye ofknowledge shining in their minds assisted by theunguent of devotion, some are able to Sc? yourgreatness hidden deep, like a treasure, 111 the(mines of) Upanishads (lit. on the top 0f theVedas) and enjoy it. Truly they are the blessed,born under the influence of the Divine Favour.

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13. Sri! The ‘Sri Sukta’ describes in detail Withgreat zeal that opulence of yours which is being

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sung by us in the hymn (beginning with) ‘ Asye-sana jagatah’ (the Supreme Ruler of this Uni-verse). The ‘Uttara Anuvaka’ (i. e., the secondpart of the ‘Purusha Sukta’) (also speaks of Yourgreatness; for it) declares that He, who is men—tioned as ‘ the Sovereign of the Universe,’ in (thefirst section of) the Purusha Sukta is but theConsort of Yours (i. e., He is the Lord of theUniverse,’ because He is Your consort).

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14. Our Mother! Not only does one Upa-nishad proclaim with its hands lifted high thatYou are the Supreme Ruler, but the Ramayana.also lives, because (of the narration) of Your life.Those (who are) writers of Smritis interpret allthe Vedas, the Itihasa and the Puranas as beingauthorities on Your greatness (and as dealingWith it in great detail).

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15. The Beloved ofthe Master of Sriranga!Beginning from the head of a hamlet and goinghigher and higher up to the All-powerful(Brahma) who is the ruler of the entire Universe,whatever wealth and power there be in thisworld; Whatever is high (like the Mount Meru)or auspicious (like the flower), lustrous (likethe gems) or heavy (like the Mt Mandara),beneficent (like sacrifice which gives the Svargaafter death) or purifying (like Sacred Rivers); andwhatever is luxurious (like the Nine Treasures);all this is but the result of five or six drops (ofJfavour) come out of Your (benevolent) eyes.

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16. The Darling of the Lord of Sriranga!One man is seated (proudly) on an elephant inruts With the diadem (on his head gracefully)playing With the jingling diamonds dangling froman umbrella of pearls (held above); and he doesnot deign, even for a moment, to look upon themonarchs lying prostrate at his feet (with theirprayers). There is another, helpless and poor,that stands grinning at the other (showing hisdistress). Both these states are the result ofyour eyes turned upwards or downwards (i.e.,turned favourably towards one or away from theother).

Rs25. There you have spread the body of

Ananta which, like a flower, is soft and sweet-smelling. He has constructed a canopy (as itwere) by the lustre of shining rubies on his (ex-panded) hoods held above. 011 him You havetaken Your seat along With Your Beloved whorules the entire Universe as the ParamountSovereign and who is best suited to You with Hisinnumerable and exalted qualities in the EternalForm and in the incarnations. With him Yougive (the Angels) Infinite bliss which is augment-ed by both of You becoming one in enjoyment(out of mutual and deep love).

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You Bhumi, Nila and a thousand other QueensWho, like the flower and the cosmetics, contributeto the enjoyment of You both as so many auxi-liary objects; they also serve as an outlet incarrying ofi the excess of joy (coming out of Yourmutual love). With all of them You give plea-sure to Your Beloved as with Your bosom andarms and glances (there is no ill-feeling any-(where).

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31. Sri! Even though the glory of the Lordis dependent on You, still He is said to be thepossessor of a glory not dependent on another;because you belong to Vishnu by Your verynature (i.e., unconditionally). A ruby becomeshighly valuable only by its lustre; but becauseof this, (they do not say) it has lost its merit 01‘its independent value, or that its merit is import—ed from some external thing (and is not inherent).

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3'2. The hosts of (auspicious) qualities he-ralded by power and strength, might and know-ledge, sovereignty and fame of success, attractingthe supplicants and love for them, and doinggood to them (by fulfilling their desires and re-movmg the obstacles), and also fragrance, beauty,charm and lustre—these are common to youand the Lord (i.e., found in both), 0 Indira(Bestower of wealth)!

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33. The Banner (indicative) of the growing' and auspicious Festivities of Sriranga (Lakshmi) !There are other qualities also, youth and thelike, which are common to both of You. All Yourqualities are found in Him and His in Youmutually (reflected) as in a mirror, and they aretherefore all the more charming.

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34. Though Youth and other qualities arecommon to both of You, still there is some differ-ence (assumed at Your will) in the nature of Youand Your Consort to give You joy. For Youhave given Your Consort manly qualities likeindependence,power to quell the foes and firmness,and reserved for Yourself softness (of heart), sub.ordination to the Consort, compassion and for-bearance—qualities which are peculiar to women.

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40- (The greatness of) the glances of kingsaffected by the pride of (having got but) a parti-cle of Your grace is beyond the power of words(of poets). The Vedas know Your Consort asPundarikaksha (the Lotus-eyed) only because ofHis (two) eyes which have in full the charm of the

Hibees intoxicated with the incessant drink of Yourhoneylike beauty. (If the greatness of thoseblessed by Your looks be like this,) how (lit., 1nWhat manner) can we describe the greatness ofYour eyes themselves?

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41. Padma! Your glances are blissful _bynature, drenched with fondness up to the bum,and languid with the intoxication of joy as theLord gets immersed into them. They flood(helpless) persons like us with their overflowmgcompassion; and at the flow of everyone of Yourglances, there is a (perpetual) quarrel for 113$ 130$-session among Brahma and other bolt-like guards(of the Universe). Further the glances are 30full with the wealth to be bestowed (on devotees)that they falter in their flow. Save me, 0 Padma,with these Your glances, helpless as I am.

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limbed Goddess! The flowery garland of Yourdelicate limbs strung together by the thread ofbeauty and made cool by the nectareous showerof loveliness is ever fresh; and as it unfolds itselfwith the rising youth, it is endowedWith a mar-vellous fragrance. (Being so delicate,) it deservesonly to adorn the chest of Your Beloved. Butah! Fie upon me, the poet, who gets stupid on asudden ! (The poet’s idea is that the body ofSri being much softer than the flowers can hardlyendure the contact with the rough and 11.anchest of Her valiant Consort, Narayana and 1t isfoolish of him (the poet) to make it adorn Hlschest even in his mind or words.)

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45. Goddess ! You always delight Mukundawith Your body which, like a nosegay of flowers

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with the appearance of flowers, Your naturallycharming body becomes much, more so by beauti-ful ornaments like the golden girdle, eardr0psand necklace of pearls, shining gem on the fore-head, and garlands and anklets of costly stones.

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sword) and others are objects of common enjoy-ment for both of You, Your Sweetheart Himselfcarries all of them as if to spare You the troubleof their burden and joins You (in an embrace).

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48. Mother, Your eyes are large and lovelylike the interior of a lotus in half-bloom. \Vhenthe Lord appeared in this world assuming, out ofHis own free will, the form and nature of menand animals, You also came down at every birthof His with a form suited to His own. Other-wise (without You) the sport of the Saviour (ofthe Universe) would have been dull and un-interesting.

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49. Goddess! (To take out the nectarfrom it, once) the Lord churned the (Milky)Ocean, as if it were a pot of curd, with His armswith the bangles and garlands tossing about, and

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51. Mother Lakshmi! lVe shall stand inthe same relation to You as the citizens ofMithila. We shall have thoughts happy andproud with the single-minded love of service ofYou and look upon Hari both here (in this world)and there (in Sri Vaikuntha) only as related toYou—as ‘Your beloved’ and our ‘son-in-law’(and not in any other capacity as our Lord orSaviour). We shall (again with the same viewin our minds) seek refuge in Him, do all theservices to Him, and feel delighted.

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52. Mother! Your Loving Consort intenton our continuous good, occasionally becomesangry with a highly sinful person like a father(with an erratic son). (On those occasions Yougo before Him leaving us behind and say :) ‘ Whatis this (anger)? Who is there in this world thatis faultless?’ By such (questions and other)appropriate means, You turn away His anger andreconcile Him With us (lit., make us His ownkin). Therefore You are (certainly) our Mother.(A mother covers the faults of her erring childfrom his angry father and is indulgent towards-him.)

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53. Mother! To save us (the distressed),You came into this (ungrateful) world which isblind (lit. deaf) to the knowledge of Your great-ness, though You are the constant (and insepara—ble) partner of the Lord. But (in return) Yougot only a great deal of tossings (at our hands).Your feet soft like the jasmine were pained bybeing made to tread on hard rocks, and a life inthe forest parted from Your Beloved fell (to Yourlot). (All this is the result of Your compassionto save us and also of having no one over Youto control Your actions.) Therefore fie upon themercy and the uncontrolled independence (lit.past the goad) of both (Yourself and Your"Consort that permit You to do so).

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54. Maithili! Your Consort took His bed«on the (Milky) Ocean, churned it and againbuilt a bridge (across it); He broke the bow of

292

Siva as easily as He would a creeper; further-He severed the ten heads of Ravana and left thetrunk of the Rakshasa dancing (on the battle-field). (He did all this only to get You.) (Inshort,) tell me what is there that Your BelovedWill not do (to please You) as He is well-knownto be eager to carry out Your behests and serve-You.

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55. Kamala! Your Beloved enjoys Your'grandeur with all the excellence of His omnipre-sent form which is endowed with auspiciousqualities suited to You and with a thousandhands, feet, faces, eyes and other limbs, and en-joys again With his manifestations other thanthe one mentioned above. But (Your grandeur-is so vast that) He sinks somewhere in the deepmouth of a whirlpool (of the joy) of Your sports.

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56. Mother! You have a great partialityfor the Milky Ocean as it is Your place of birth;You cherish t-he Parama pada (the Kingdom ofGod) because of Your love for Your Beloved.But You have now forgotten both the Ocean andthe Great Cosmic Space (Sri Vaikuntha) and feelquite at home (and happy) in Your mansion atSriranga as it gives You Opportunity to savepeople (in distress) like me.

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generosity, mercy and affection towards thedevotees (or refugees) have been excelled here inthe mansion at Sriranga. If they mention Yourother incarnations as Sita and the like (in Whichthe qualities had a free play, there is practicallynothing noteworthy in them; for) they are onlythe training ground for this. (In the Arcavatamin Sriranga all those amiable qualities shine totheir fullest advantage after all ’rhn. practice else-where.)

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58. If a person should only raise the burdenof his joined hands (in prayer in Your presence),You (are pleased with him beyond measure and)shower on him1nwealth, Kaivalya (enjoyment ofthe soul) and“1 arama Pada (Salvation) (Aftergiving all this) You still feel that he has not beengiven his desert-s (for what he did) and thelefmefeel ashamed. What magnanimity is this ? Tellme, 0 Mother!

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59. Goddess ! I am bereft of everything (inthe world)—of Kaima Yoga (sacrificial rites)Gnana Yoga (Religious meditation) and BhaktiYoga (Devotion) (o1 P1:1.n:1tti) as T “1"1!“P0"‘1‘+ ofmy own wants, my qualification, and my ability,and as I do not feel repentent either (fol- sinscommitted) Besides I am still hoarding 1113 sins,unpa1donable even to YOu (Who are like a Fatherand Mother) (Thus) because of my own foolishacts I have become intolerable to You (andtherefore I am no longer an object of protection).

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60. By hundreds of insincere words (ofhumility) like these, I imitate the truthful sagesof old. (I repeat parrot-like what they pouredforth out of love and devotion.) I have no otherstrength by which I can reach Your lotus-likefeet. So by Your own (spontaneous) mercy,Mother, You must be my saviour and also themeans for my goal.

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61. With our loving friends (and kinsfolk),may we enjoy for a hundred years the InfiniteBliss of the service of You at Sriranga, free fromall worries and sorrows, and in great comfort.May We also become the pollen in the heart ofYour lotus-like feet. Be a Mother, Father,everyone and all for us. (For this) take upYour spontaneous compassion and save us.(0 Mother.)

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[arm amaze sesame :W i‘r m’eam' ear Eli: II][Sri Stuti is one of the many stotras of Sri Vedanta

Desika also called Venkatanatha (1268 A. D.—136‘.) A. D.) He is perhaps the greatest of theAcaryas among the followers of the Visishtad-vaita School of Philosophy by the wealth of hisqualities, intellect and accomplishments. Hewas a true ‘Sarva-tantra-svatantra’ (Master ofall Arts and Sciences) and ‘Kavi-tarkika-simha'(easily the greatest of the poets and controversial-ists). His works, in prose and verse, and inSanskrit and Tamil, are many and varied, andrange from the simplest and sweetest poemsto the most diflicult works on abstruse metaphy-sical subjects. His command of language 15-marvellous. The greatness of his works can bewell imagined by the tribute paid to him byAppayya Dikshita, the veteran scholar andpolemic of the Advaita School, who wrote a.commentary upon Yadavabhyudaya of ourauthor and another, it is said, on his Paduka—sahasra.

Sri Desika was an equally great scholar of Tamil andthe author of many poems in chaste and sweetTamil overflowing with devotion to the Lord.His Rahasya works in the Manipravala style(Sanskrit and Tamil mixed)—beginning with themost elementary ‘Tattvapadavi’ and ‘Rahasya-padavi’ and going up to the ‘Para~mata-Bhanga’and ‘Rahasya Traya. Sara,’ are like a series of

10

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text-books on the principles of the VisishtadvaitaPhilosophy and on the meaning of the ThreeMantras. These form a complete and exten-sive literature on the Doctrine of Prapatti (Self-surrender); and that is the greatest service hehas done to humanity in general and Visishtad-vaitins in particular.

In all he has left 116 works in prose and verse, manyoriginal and a. few commentaries on the works ofprevious Acaryas and some on his own. Forwant of space, I shall just give an analysis of hisworks according to their different topics andnot a complete catalogue. There are: 9 workson Vedanta; 6 on logic and Metaphysics;34 Rahasyas; :3 Kavyas; one Drama ; 4 of a.polemic nature; 18 poems in Tamil; 29 Stotms ;3 on rituals; and 7 on diverse subjects like geo-graphy and sculpture. Of these 15 are missinacompletely, and 4 partially, and one, they 5335’,is in manuscript and yet to see the light ofprint.*

The twenty—nine Stotras are devoted to Vishnu, Hisincarnations, His consorts, His weapons and Hisattendants. Sri Stuti which is given below, isone of them and is in praise of Goddess. Lakshmiin 25 verses; and the following is an analysisof the mutants of the poem :

1—3. Introductory—-Invocation to Lakshmi to blessthe poet with power to praise Her.

4—9. Greatness of Lakshmi ; She and Her Consortare jointly the originators. saviours and mastersof the Universe.

10—12. The diverse manifestations of Lakshmi.'"' The above classification is based on ‘ Sri Destiny—HieLife and

Works ' of Setlur Bri Namaimhacharya in Tamil and I amindebted to him for it.

lustre.

29s13. The Coronation oi Lakshmi.14—19. Munificence of Lakshmi in granting the

wishes of those who desire for wealth, for therealisation of the soul or for the attainment ofGod.

20—22. The poet as the supplicant for Her favour.2:}, 2-1. The poet narrates how he was blessed by

Lakshmi.:35. Conclusion]

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1. Sri (or Lakshmi) ! You are the auspiciousof the auspicious and adorn the throne-like chest‘Of (Vishnu) the Conqueror of MadhuWith Your

Your greatness transcends measure andis well-renowned. You are the good incarnate-of all the subjects that pray for a greatnessCOgnisable by preception and scriptures.refuge in You, destitute as I am.

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2. Goddess! (Once) You rose from theMilky Ocean and (later) from the (Hall of) sacri-fice (of Janaka); the cluster of lotuses and thebroad chest of Vishnu are Your halls of resi-dence. The entire Universe coupled with theDivine Cosmic Space (Nitya Vibhuti) is Yourgreat wealth. You are great in every way andendowed with endless qualities; and (so) how canthe shallow-minded (like myself) praise You ‘3

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3. If the (bodied) men praise you, they im-mediately become praiseworthy (in turn). WhenI, Who am helpless, wish to sing Your praise,my task becomes (by Your favour) an accom-plished fact already and I shall also be extolledby all the world. (Tell me) who is there thatwill not be benefited even by a wish to serve atYour feet?

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4. Kamala! There is an auspicious andJ all-pervas‘ive Glory Which is the one object on whichall the Yogins concentrate their minds, and inWhich (i.e., Paramatma who has all things as Hisbody and Who is the soul of all), by its own voli-tion, the origination, sustentation and reabsorp-tion of the moving and non-moving (objects) takeplace. That Glory shines marked by the lac onYour feet.

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5). Goddess!) Vishnu and Yourself form apair united together by an unhindered love andever inseparable. Both (of You) are endowedWith endless qualities and are cognizable, one bythe other, by Your mutually defining-nature.The Sesha (Serpent), the spotless minds (ofYogins) and the Upanishads (forming the head ofthe Vedas) serve as excellent resorts (lit. couches)for You in the course of Your Sports.

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the soul is offered as an oblation to You andYour Consort, and You are the deities that shouldreceive it directly (Without an intermediary) ;for You are jointly the Masters. This greatnessof Your Lord and Yourself, though sought for bythe Vedas incessantly, never comes within theirconcept and it makes our hearts dance with joy.

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7. The Beloved of the Paramount Sovereignof the Universe! When You and Your Consortare engaged eternally in a game of dice for Yoursport, the Vedas (like ladies) together with thehosts of the Divine Angels stand around andobserve. In it, the Prakriti composed of thethree qualities (of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas) isthe chess-board kept in the centre, the difl’er-ent worlds (of Indra, Brahma and others) are thechequers, and Brahma, Siva and others act asthe dice for You. (The creation of the world isYour sport and all the deities are but Yourcreatures.)

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b‘. You have taken to Mukunda as Your re-sort and You are the Sovereign of the world. Yournames like ‘ Lakshmi,’ ‘ Padma,’ ‘the Daughter ofthe (Milky) Ocean, ’ ‘ Vishnupatni ’ and ‘ Indira’are like the capital amount of the Vedas. Thosewho repeat them (in prayer) never again whirlin the wheel of birth (and death) which is turnedby the winds of sins. (Her names are like thereserve capital, and so the Vedas do not draw onthem and speak only about the Lord who is likethe current amount in actual transaction.)

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14. Sister (lit., twin-born) of nectar! Thechiefs of the Gods saw You enthroned on thebosom of Vishnu, and with their consorts soughtrefuge in You distressed by the curse (of Dur-vasas). Then they got back the three worldsenriched by Your (benevolent) glances and en-joyed the wealth which began to flourish un-checked ever since.

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15. The floods of affluence vie with oneanother in rushing to that quarter Where Youreyes play With their glances—Your eyes whichhave taken the vow of saving the destitute, whichare (0001)1ike the blue clouds showering nectar,and which much resemble the lotuses openingwith the rise of the early dawn.

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who are eager to begin the practice of (Karma)Yoga, and in order to carry it out and (at thesame time) preserve the virtue of being devotedto You in a single-hearted manner, they long for"wealth (only from You). Towards them, thewealth rushes forth in torrents from the Earth,or the Palace of Kubera, or the sky, or from theOcean in quantities far e