Śrī Stuti VERSE 1
मानातीत प्रथित विभवां मङ्गलं मङ्गलानां
वक्षः पीठीं मधुविजयिनो भूषयन्तीं स्वकान्त्या ।
प्रत्यक्षानुश्रविक महिमा प्रार्थिनीनां प्रजानां
श्रेयो मूर्तिं श्रियम् अशरणः त्वां शरण्यां प्रपद्ये ॥ १ ॥
mānātīta prathita vibhavāṃ maṅgalaṃ maṅgalānāṃ
vakṣaḥ pīṭhīṃ madhuvijayino bhūṣayantīṃ svakāntyā ।
pratyakṣānuśravika mahimā prārthinīnāṃ prajānāṃ
śreyo mūrtiṃ śriyam aśaraṇaḥ tvāṃ śaraṇyāṃ prapadye ॥ 1 ॥
SYNONYMS
māna-atīta: beyond measure | prathita: renowned | vibhavāṃ: whose glory | maṅgalaṃ: the auspiciousness | maṅgalānāṃ: of all auspicious things | vakṣaḥ-pīṭhīṃ: the throne on the chest | madhuvijayinaḥ: of the conqueror of Madhu (Lord Viṣṇu) | bhūṣayantīṃ: the one who adorns | svakāntyā: with her own effulgence | pratyakṣa-ānuśravika: perceptible and scriptural | mahimā: glories | prārthinīnāṃ: of the supplicants | prajānāṃ: of the people | śreyaḥ-mūrtiṃ: the embodiment of all good | śriyam: (to) Śrī | aśaraṇaḥ: one without any other refuge | tvāṃ: unto You | śaraṇyāṃ: the ultimate refuge | prapadye: I surrender |
TRANSLATION
Adiyen (Your servant) performs prapatti (complete surrender) to Mahā Lakṣmī (the refuge for all beings of the world / sarvaloka śaraṇyā) as one who has no other refuge. She is the Mistress of the widely spread and limitless aiśvarya (sovereignty, wealth). She is the maṅgala (auspiciousness) of all maṅgala vastu (auspicious objects) and tattva (principles, realities). She is the embodiment of all maṅgala (auspiciousness). She adorns the chest of Her Lord with Her divine and incomparable jyoti (radiance, effulgence). She is Vara Lakṣmī (boon-granting Lakṣmī) for all who are eager to gain Her anugraha (grace, blessing) both in this and the other world.
PURPORT
Vaikuṇṭha Vāsi Śrī V.N. Śrīrāma Deśikācār Swāmy of Oppiliappan Sannidhi influenced me immensely as a boy. adiyēn will therefore follow quite a bit his lucid commentary on this Swāmy Deśika stotram.
Essential Message of this ślokam: The key passage in this ślokam is “śreyo mūrtiṃ śaraṇyāṃ śriyam tvām aśaraṇaḥ prapadye". Even more condensed version of this prayer is "śaraṇyāṃ tvām aśaraṇaḥ prapadye”. This is the classical Puruṣakāra Prapatti, where we perform our Prapatti to the Divine Mother as practised by Ācārya Rāmānuja in His Śaraṇāgati Gadyam at the beginning. She is the embodiment of śreyas (“nanmaye vaḍivu koṇḍavaḷ”). She is "śaraṇyā”, One who protects unfailingly those, who seek Her protection.
The Six definitions of Sri Devi's names: The śreyas (maṅgalams) that She confers come under six broad categories as indicated by Her name: Śrī Devī (Śriyam: One who has the name of Śrī). These Six aspects of Śrī śabdam (śrīyate, śrayate, śṛṇoti, śrāvayati, śṛṇāti and śrīṇāti) stated in a different way are:
1. She is attained by those who wish to be redeemed and uplifted.
2. She approaches Her Lord Herself for that purpose. She pleads with Him.
3. She out of Her compassion listens to the appeal by cetanams to protect them.
4. She invites the attention of Her Lord about the plight of the jīvans and appeals to Him to overlook their multitudinous trespasses.
5. She chases away the prāpti virodhis that stand in the way of the fulfilment of śaraṇāgati.
6. She brings to perfection the ātmā guṇams of those, who seek Her rakṣaṇam.
Swāmy Deśikan has all of us, the helpless beings in mind, when he invokes the word of “aśaraṇaḥ” (puhal oṉṟum illātavan), one without any protector and recourse. In that state of ananyagatitvam, Swāmy Deśikan performs his Prapatti and shows us the way (tvām aśaraṇaḥ prapadye).
Seven Salutations associated with Swamy Desikan's Prapatti: Rest of the First ślokam celebrates some of Her many vaibhavams and can be split and enjoyed along this way:
1. Mānātīta-vibhavāṃ tvāṃ prapadye: Māna means limit or boundary. “Mānātīta” means then limitless or having no boundary or finiteness. It is infinite. This limitless kīrti (Fame) of Her auspicious guṇams is very well known (prathitam). It is not like a lamp, whose lustre is hidden by a lampshade. It is like a jyoti on top of a hill and is recognized and saluted from everywhere and by every one of Her bhaktas. She is of that caliber of "prathita vibhavā" (well known glories). She is “Nityā Puṣṭai” (She is the abode of all īśvaryams, maṅgala vastus and ātmā guṇams) She is “anugrahaparā” (one who has the inherent nature of showering Her anugrahams). She is “dharma nilayā" (abode of all righteousness, dharmams). She is loka śoka vināśinī (destroyer of the sorrows of the world) and most of all; She is Hari Vallabhā (very dear to Her Lord, Śrīman Nārāyaṇan).
2. Maṅgalānāṃ maṅgalaṃ tvāṃ prapadye: She is the root cause of the maṅgalam (auspiciousness) in all maṅgala vastus. They become auspicious and desirable because of Her conferral of auspiciousness on them. Their acquiring the status as maṅgala vastus is solely due to Her vaibhavam.
3. Madhuvijayinaḥ vakṣaḥ pīṭhīṃ svakāntyā bhūṣayantīṃ tvāṃ prapadye: Swāmy Deśikan now has the vision of His upāsana Mūrti, Śrī Lakṣmī Hayagrīva. He visualizes Śrī Devī on His auspicious chest (madhuvijayinaḥ vakṣasthala pīṭham) seated on Her lotus throne. Lord's sacred chest itself becomes the house of residence for Her. There She is radiant with Her svayam jyoti and adorns that seat of residence. Madhuvijayan is Lord Hayagrīva, who won over and destroyed the asura by the name Madhu. Śrī Hayagrīva becomes Lakṣmī Hayagrīva, when Śrī Devī chooses His broad chest as Her seat for eternal residence. She illumines that chest region and all around with Her svayam prakāśam and adorns it.
4. Pratyakṣa-ānuśravika-mahimā-prārthinīnāṃ prajānāṃ śreyomūrtiṃ tvāṃ prapadye: Some of Her prajais (Her children) pray for different kinds of wealth of this world (pratyakṣa mahimā): children, dhānyam, dhanam, cattle, house et al to enjoy here. There are a select few, who discard the worldly wealth and seek from You the superior phalans of the other world (svargam et al) topped by the parama puruṣārtham of mokṣa sukham. These categories of sādhakas seek from You "ānuśravika mahimāṃ prārthayante". You grant the kinds of “sukham” that cetanams seek in this world as well as in the other. As Vasudhāriṇī, the holder of all kinds of wealth, You grant them the boons they seek. You are Vara Lakṣmī. You grant from transient worldly wealth to imperishable (śāśvatam) mokṣam (apunarjanmam and nitya kaimkaryam in Your Śrī Vaikuṇṭham). Such is Your glory and that is why adiyēn performs this Prapatti to You.
5. Śreyo mūrtiṃ śaraṇyāṃ tvāṃ prapadye: adiyēn performs prapatti to You, who is the embodiment of all auspiciousness (śreyo mūrti) and who is śaraṇāgata rakṣakī (one who has vowed to join with Your Lord to offer protection to those, who perform śaraṇāgati unto You).
6. Śriyam tvāṃ prapadye: Here Swāmy Deśikan invokes the power of Dvaya Mantram. Śrī Praśna Saṃhitā reveals that Śrīḥ is the First letter (prathamākṣaram) and makāram (the letter M) is the dvitīyākṣaram; together they form "Śriyam”. Dvaya Mantram has 25 akṣaras and its deep meanings are commented on by Pādma Saṃhitā. Swāmy Deśikan structured Śrī Stuti with 25 ślokams in remembrance of those 25 akṣaras. This dvaya mantram is upāya-upeya rūpa artha dvayam with 25 akṣaras. In Śrīmad Rāmāyaṇam, Lakṣmaṇa known for His kaimkarya Śrī invokes the dvaya mantrārtham, when He says: “bhavāṃstu saha vaidehyā ----aha, sarvaṃ kariṣyāmi jāgrataḥ svapataśca te" (adiyēn will perform kaimkaryams to You united with Sītā Pirāṭṭi at all times). That is the mantra prabhāvam of dvayam with Śrī śabdam and Swāmy Deśikan hints at that Prapatti aimed at divya dampatis through his Prapatti. Swāmy Deśikan also reflects on ākāra traya sampannā, Śrī Devī and and addresses his Prapatti to Her as “Śriyam prapadye”. He thinks of the upadeśam of Aruḷāḷa Perumāḷ Emperumānār here: Ākāriṇastu vijñānam ākāra-jñāna pūrvakam tenākāraṃ śriyam jñātvā jñātavyo bhagavān hariḥ. Meaning: The vaibhavam / viśeṣaṇam / uniqueness has to be understood FIRST before knowing the object. For understanding Bhagavān, His pradhāna viśeṣaṇam (top most viśeṣaṇam / qualifying attribute), Śrī Devī, has to be understood first. Only after that, one has to get to know Bhagavān.
7. Tvām aśaraṇaḥ prapadye: adiyēn without any other gati seeks You as protection and perform my Prapatti. The pramāṇams to remember in the context of ananya śaraṇan, ananya gati are found in many stotrams. They are addressed to Śrīman Nārāyaṇan and could be readily extended to Śrī Devī as well because of their anyonya śeṣitvam: (1) Ahirbudhnya Saṃhitā (37.30)/Lord Śiva's declaration: ahaṃ aparādhānāmālayo'kiñcanaśca anogatiḥ. Meaning: I am the abode of all aparādhams / transgressions. I do not have the means to protect myself; I am in a state, where I am in need of any vastu other than You for my rakṣaṇam. (2) Swāmy Āḷavandār's famous śaraṇāgati in Stotra Ratnam: akiñcano'nanyagatiḥ śaraṇya! tvatpādamūlaṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye. Meaning of the total ślokam: adiyēn has not practised Karma Yogam; neither jñāna or Bhakti Yogams. Oh śaraṇyā! adiyēn reaches Your sacred feet as the object of protection in adiyēn's state as one without any other means as akiñcanan without any other vastu to attain as prāpyam. (3) Jithantā Stotram: 2.15: akiñcano'nanyagatiḥ śaraṇya! gṛhāṇa māṃ kleśinam ambujākṣa! Oh Sarva loka śaraṇyā! adiyēn is a helpless akiñcanan. adiyēn has no other means except Your pādakamalam as refuge. Oh Lotus-eyed one! Please hold this worried one agitated by sāṃsāric fears! (4) Swāmy Nammāḻvār's śaraṇāgati (Tiruvāymoḻi: 6.10.10): ‘puhal oṉṟumillā adiyēn uṉṉaṭikkīḻ amarntu pukuntēṉē’. adiyēn with no rakṣakan (protector) and upāyam have taken the refuge of Your sacred feet. Ākiñcanyam is the inability to practise Bhakti Yogam with the two other yogams, which will assist them (Karma and jñāna yogams). ananyagatitvam is inability to seek other upāyams for protection or disinterest in seeking phalans other than mokṣam and not trusting anyone other than the yeka-śeṣitva divya dampatis for mokṣam.
Essential Message of this ślokam: The key passage in this ślokam is “śreyo mūrtiṃ śaraṇyāṃ śriyam tvām aśaraṇaḥ prapadye". Even more condensed version of this prayer is "śaraṇyāṃ tvām aśaraṇaḥ prapadye”. This is the classical Puruṣakāra Prapatti, where we perform our Prapatti to the Divine Mother as practised by Ācārya Rāmānuja in His Śaraṇāgati Gadyam at the beginning. She is the embodiment of śreyas (“nanmaye vaḍivu koṇḍavaḷ”). She is "śaraṇyā”, One who protects unfailingly those, who seek Her protection.
The Six definitions of Sri Devi's names: The śreyas (maṅgalams) that She confers come under six broad categories as indicated by Her name: Śrī Devī (Śriyam: One who has the name of Śrī). These Six aspects of Śrī śabdam (śrīyate, śrayate, śṛṇoti, śrāvayati, śṛṇāti and śrīṇāti) stated in a different way are:
1. She is attained by those who wish to be redeemed and uplifted.
2. She approaches Her Lord Herself for that purpose. She pleads with Him.
3. She out of Her compassion listens to the appeal by cetanams to protect them.
4. She invites the attention of Her Lord about the plight of the jīvans and appeals to Him to overlook their multitudinous trespasses.
5. She chases away the prāpti virodhis that stand in the way of the fulfilment of śaraṇāgati.
6. She brings to perfection the ātmā guṇams of those, who seek Her rakṣaṇam.
Swāmy Deśikan has all of us, the helpless beings in mind, when he invokes the word of “aśaraṇaḥ” (puhal oṉṟum illātavan), one without any protector and recourse. In that state of ananyagatitvam, Swāmy Deśikan performs his Prapatti and shows us the way (tvām aśaraṇaḥ prapadye).
Seven Salutations associated with Swamy Desikan's Prapatti: Rest of the First ślokam celebrates some of Her many vaibhavams and can be split and enjoyed along this way:
1. Mānātīta-vibhavāṃ tvāṃ prapadye: Māna means limit or boundary. “Mānātīta” means then limitless or having no boundary or finiteness. It is infinite. This limitless kīrti (Fame) of Her auspicious guṇams is very well known (prathitam). It is not like a lamp, whose lustre is hidden by a lampshade. It is like a jyoti on top of a hill and is recognized and saluted from everywhere and by every one of Her bhaktas. She is of that caliber of "prathita vibhavā" (well known glories). She is “Nityā Puṣṭai” (She is the abode of all īśvaryams, maṅgala vastus and ātmā guṇams) She is “anugrahaparā” (one who has the inherent nature of showering Her anugrahams). She is “dharma nilayā" (abode of all righteousness, dharmams). She is loka śoka vināśinī (destroyer of the sorrows of the world) and most of all; She is Hari Vallabhā (very dear to Her Lord, Śrīman Nārāyaṇan).
2. Maṅgalānāṃ maṅgalaṃ tvāṃ prapadye: She is the root cause of the maṅgalam (auspiciousness) in all maṅgala vastus. They become auspicious and desirable because of Her conferral of auspiciousness on them. Their acquiring the status as maṅgala vastus is solely due to Her vaibhavam.
3. Madhuvijayinaḥ vakṣaḥ pīṭhīṃ svakāntyā bhūṣayantīṃ tvāṃ prapadye: Swāmy Deśikan now has the vision of His upāsana Mūrti, Śrī Lakṣmī Hayagrīva. He visualizes Śrī Devī on His auspicious chest (madhuvijayinaḥ vakṣasthala pīṭham) seated on Her lotus throne. Lord's sacred chest itself becomes the house of residence for Her. There She is radiant with Her svayam jyoti and adorns that seat of residence. Madhuvijayan is Lord Hayagrīva, who won over and destroyed the asura by the name Madhu. Śrī Hayagrīva becomes Lakṣmī Hayagrīva, when Śrī Devī chooses His broad chest as Her seat for eternal residence. She illumines that chest region and all around with Her svayam prakāśam and adorns it.
4. Pratyakṣa-ānuśravika-mahimā-prārthinīnāṃ prajānāṃ śreyomūrtiṃ tvāṃ prapadye: Some of Her prajais (Her children) pray for different kinds of wealth of this world (pratyakṣa mahimā): children, dhānyam, dhanam, cattle, house et al to enjoy here. There are a select few, who discard the worldly wealth and seek from You the superior phalans of the other world (svargam et al) topped by the parama puruṣārtham of mokṣa sukham. These categories of sādhakas seek from You "ānuśravika mahimāṃ prārthayante". You grant the kinds of “sukham” that cetanams seek in this world as well as in the other. As Vasudhāriṇī, the holder of all kinds of wealth, You grant them the boons they seek. You are Vara Lakṣmī. You grant from transient worldly wealth to imperishable (śāśvatam) mokṣam (apunarjanmam and nitya kaimkaryam in Your Śrī Vaikuṇṭham). Such is Your glory and that is why adiyēn performs this Prapatti to You.
5. Śreyo mūrtiṃ śaraṇyāṃ tvāṃ prapadye: adiyēn performs prapatti to You, who is the embodiment of all auspiciousness (śreyo mūrti) and who is śaraṇāgata rakṣakī (one who has vowed to join with Your Lord to offer protection to those, who perform śaraṇāgati unto You).
6. Śriyam tvāṃ prapadye: Here Swāmy Deśikan invokes the power of Dvaya Mantram. Śrī Praśna Saṃhitā reveals that Śrīḥ is the First letter (prathamākṣaram) and makāram (the letter M) is the dvitīyākṣaram; together they form "Śriyam”. Dvaya Mantram has 25 akṣaras and its deep meanings are commented on by Pādma Saṃhitā. Swāmy Deśikan structured Śrī Stuti with 25 ślokams in remembrance of those 25 akṣaras. This dvaya mantram is upāya-upeya rūpa artha dvayam with 25 akṣaras. In Śrīmad Rāmāyaṇam, Lakṣmaṇa known for His kaimkarya Śrī invokes the dvaya mantrārtham, when He says: “bhavāṃstu saha vaidehyā ----aha, sarvaṃ kariṣyāmi jāgrataḥ svapataśca te" (adiyēn will perform kaimkaryams to You united with Sītā Pirāṭṭi at all times). That is the mantra prabhāvam of dvayam with Śrī śabdam and Swāmy Deśikan hints at that Prapatti aimed at divya dampatis through his Prapatti. Swāmy Deśikan also reflects on ākāra traya sampannā, Śrī Devī and and addresses his Prapatti to Her as “Śriyam prapadye”. He thinks of the upadeśam of Aruḷāḷa Perumāḷ Emperumānār here: Ākāriṇastu vijñānam ākāra-jñāna pūrvakam tenākāraṃ śriyam jñātvā jñātavyo bhagavān hariḥ. Meaning: The vaibhavam / viśeṣaṇam / uniqueness has to be understood FIRST before knowing the object. For understanding Bhagavān, His pradhāna viśeṣaṇam (top most viśeṣaṇam / qualifying attribute), Śrī Devī, has to be understood first. Only after that, one has to get to know Bhagavān.
7. Tvām aśaraṇaḥ prapadye: adiyēn without any other gati seeks You as protection and perform my Prapatti. The pramāṇams to remember in the context of ananya śaraṇan, ananya gati are found in many stotrams. They are addressed to Śrīman Nārāyaṇan and could be readily extended to Śrī Devī as well because of their anyonya śeṣitvam: (1) Ahirbudhnya Saṃhitā (37.30)/Lord Śiva's declaration: ahaṃ aparādhānāmālayo'kiñcanaśca anogatiḥ. Meaning: I am the abode of all aparādhams / transgressions. I do not have the means to protect myself; I am in a state, where I am in need of any vastu other than You for my rakṣaṇam. (2) Swāmy Āḷavandār's famous śaraṇāgati in Stotra Ratnam: akiñcano'nanyagatiḥ śaraṇya! tvatpādamūlaṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye. Meaning of the total ślokam: adiyēn has not practised Karma Yogam; neither jñāna or Bhakti Yogams. Oh śaraṇyā! adiyēn reaches Your sacred feet as the object of protection in adiyēn's state as one without any other means as akiñcanan without any other vastu to attain as prāpyam. (3) Jithantā Stotram: 2.15: akiñcano'nanyagatiḥ śaraṇya! gṛhāṇa māṃ kleśinam ambujākṣa! Oh Sarva loka śaraṇyā! adiyēn is a helpless akiñcanan. adiyēn has no other means except Your pādakamalam as refuge. Oh Lotus-eyed one! Please hold this worried one agitated by sāṃsāric fears! (4) Swāmy Nammāḻvār's śaraṇāgati (Tiruvāymoḻi: 6.10.10): ‘puhal oṉṟumillā adiyēn uṉṉaṭikkīḻ amarntu pukuntēṉē’. adiyēn with no rakṣakan (protector) and upāyam have taken the refuge of Your sacred feet. Ākiñcanyam is the inability to practise Bhakti Yogam with the two other yogams, which will assist them (Karma and jñāna yogams). ananyagatitvam is inability to seek other upāyams for protection or disinterest in seeking phalans other than mokṣam and not trusting anyone other than the yeka-śeṣitva divya dampatis for mokṣam.
