This slOkam is recited to obtain high positions:
Meaning according to Dr. M.NarasimhAchAry:
Both of You play a game of chess with primordial Nature (Moola Prakruthi) as the
chess board marked by different colored squares. Brahma, Iswara and other devathAs
are the pawns to be moved; the VedAs and ever-liberated souls watch this game.
Meaning according to Vakunta Vaasi Villivalam NaarAyaNAcchAr Swamy:
Oh Empress of the World! PerumdEvi ThAyArE! Watched by the nithya Sooris (eternally liberated souls) and the Veda MaathAs, Your chess game with Your Lord known as Viswa Srushti takes place; this game is played by both of You on the chess board clearly marked by the three guNams (hues) of Moola Prakruthi (Satthva, Rajas and Tamas). The pawns used in this game are Brahma, Rudra and other DevAs.
Expanded meaning according to Vaikunta Vaasi Sri V.N.SrIrAma DesikAchAr:
Oh Periya PirAtti! Yourself and Your Lord displaying great love for You engage in the playing of a game of Chess / Chathurangam to amuse yourselves. This is consistent with the practise of all loving couples to spend plesant times together. The couple will position the chessboard between themselves. There will be demarcations of squares with the colors of white and black as places to position and to move the pawns with the roll of the dice. As the couple joyously engage in this game, men and women friends will watch the progress of this game.
Oh Sri DEvi! You and Your divine consort play a similar game to amuse Yourselves. This game of Yours is watched and cheered by the assembly of Nithya Sooris, MukthAs (liberated souls) and Veda MaathAs.
Your Chess Board is somewhat unique in that it is made up of Moola Prakruthi. The colors of the squares on that chess Board are the colors of the three guNams: white for Satthvam, Red for Rajas and Black for Tamas. Brahma Lokam, Siva Lokam, Indhra Lokam (Svargam) are the places for the rolling of the dice. BrahmA, Sivan, Indhran are the pawns used in this game. Both of You roll the dice of their KarmAs and move the above dEvAs in the appropriate squares. In other words, Both of You amuse Yourselves by assigning Brahma, Siva, IndhrAdhi DEvAs to appropriate positions befitting their karmaas in the Prakruthi MaNDalam having the three guNams as their defining features. Both of You enjoy the joy arising from your play. These acts of Yours are according to the dictates of the VedAs. Both of You make these moves with a unified mind set (i-e) without any discord. The NithyAs (eternally liberated Souls) and MukthAs (liberated Jeevans) witness this game.
Additional Observations on the passages of the 7th slOkam of SrI Sthuthi:
1) Swamy Desikan addresses SrI Devi here as “ViswAdheesa PraNayini”.
Oh Periya PirAtti, who has the right to Your Lord’s love! Your Lord is SarvEswaran (the Emperor of all) and You are the SarvEswari (Empress of All). Hence both of You are equally matched for loving the other and display Vaathsalyam and PraNayam between Yourselves.
2) Both of You are engaged in playing the game of Chess: “YuvayO: vibhrama dhyUtha vrutthi:”. “Vibhrama:” means playful. “dhyUtha vrutthi:” means the game of Chess. This is a royal game.
3) There is a chess board named Moola Prakruthi known for its three colors that is positioned between Yourselves: “YuvayO: madhyE thriguNa phalakam (asthi)”. One needs a chess Board to move the pawns, Minister, Camel, Horse etc. Moola Prakruthi serves as the Board. Its sixtyfour squares are alternatively painted with the colors of White or Red or Black (“nirmitha sTAna bhEdham thriguNa phalakam”).
4) The dices are rolled to determine the extent and direction of the movement of the pawns et al (the dEvAs). The dices are the KarmAs of the DevAs. As a result of the roll of the dices, the positions of the devAs go up or down or sideways and they attain new positions based on the sweep of their KarmAs. The dhivya dampathis play this game with great amusement (“(Idham) dhUtha vrutthau, Brahma-Isa aadhyA: akshaSAra prachAram dhadhathi”). “akshaSAram” is the dice that is rolled. PrachAram is the movement from sTAnam to sTAnam (Position to position on the Chess Board). “PrachAram dhadhathi” means they experience these position changes on the chess Board of Moola Prakruthi.
5) Who are the bemused and cheering spectators in this divine chess game? On the four sides of the chess Board are the assembly of NithyAs and MukthAs as well as the VedAs, who witness always this most fascinating game played strictly according to the rules (“Sruthishu, soori brundhEna paritha: sadhA pasyantheeshu”) by the Dhivya Dampahtis.
SrI Devi plays this extraordinary game of chess in a concordant manner with Her Lord and the movements in that game determines the assignments for the DEvAs like BrahmA, Rudhra, IndhrA and others.
To be continued…
Source:
