- SlOkam 91:
- SlOkam 92:
- SlOkam 93:
sa acalAvaTa taTaka dIrghikA
jAhnavI jaladhi vardhita: kshaye |
Srnga sangamitanau: mano: abhu:
agrata: aNDjavapurhi sundara! ||
MatsyAvatAram as per Matsya PurANam is brilliantly summarized here.
Meaning:
Oh SundarabAhu! In one of the avantara PraLaya kAlam (kshaye), You rose out of a fish’s egg in a small pond and grew to swim in a big lake, Vaigai river long like GangA and then the mighty ocean to fit Your ever increasing size. You tied the boat carrying the saptarshis and all the seeds of creation on to Your single horn and pulled it safely across the roaring waters of PraLayam for seven days. You appeared before Satyavrata Manu in this mighty Matsya form and fulfilled Your promise to him that You will save the world from the deluge.
praLayaja nIrapUra paripUrita svanilaya avasanna vadana
bhramat aSaraNyabhUta SaraNArthi nAki SaraNam bhavan svakrpayA |
caladuda dhIritAmbu kalushi kriyADhyagamana: svaprshTha vidhrtAcalakula
esha mInatanu: atra sundarabhujo vanAdrinilaya: ||
This is a Slokam describing how the Lord saved the devAs during His avatAram as the Matsya mUrti during the time of deluge. The meter of this Slokam used by Swamy Desikan later in His description of MatsyAvatAram in His daSAvatAra stotram is sArdUla vikrItitam.
Meaning:
With His overwhelming dayA (svakrpayA), SundararAjar once took the MatsyAvatAram to protect people and devAs suffering from the mighty inundation by PraLayA waters. He has taken His abode at TirumAlirumcOlai now. During one avantarapraLayam, the skies opened up and deluge followed on earth and heavens. People on earth were frightened by the destruction of their homes from the mighty floods of PraLayam (nIrapUra paripUrita svanilaya:). The devAs were equally frightened and ran helter skelter knowing that there was no one other than the Lord to save them and performed SaranAgati to the lord for their protection. (avasanta vadana: bhramat aSaraNya bhUta SaraNArthi nAki). Our Lord answered the prayers of the men and devAs and blessed them through taking the MatsyAvatAram and protected them all.
svaprshThe prashThAdri bhramaNa karaNai: kinca phaNina:
vikrshTi vyAkrshTi vyati viduta dugdhAbdhi calitai: |
avispanda: nandan vikasat aravinda IkshaNa ruci:
purA abhU: simhAdre: priyatama! hare! kacchapavapu: ||
Lord SundararAjan’s KUrmAvatAram is enjoyed in this Slokam. This avatAram demonstrated the “ananta bala Sakti” of the Lord. He used Mandara Parvatam as the churning rod and the mighty snake Vaasuki as the churning rope (mantAnam mandaram krtvA, yoktram tu vAsukim).
Meaning:
Oh Lord, Who is very fond of SimhAdri (simhAdre: priyatama)! Hari! You incarnated as a gigantic tortoise and carried on Your back, the greatest of the mountains, the Mandara Mountain and stayed still as that mountain rotated from the churning by vAsuki serving as a rope in the much agitated Milky Ocean. You were very happy over the prospect of protecting those, who sought Your refuge and had resplendent eyes shining like a fully blossomed lotus (nandan vikasat aravinda IkshaNa ruci:) during that KUrmAvatAram (kacchapa vapu:) for that reason. That KUrmAvataran with the lotus eyes is blessing us with His sevai today at TirumAlirumcOlai. This is a Veda Prasiddha avatAram according to SrivatsAnkAcchAr Swamy. He quotes in this context, the Sruti passage referring to KUrma mUrti, who created cathurmukha BrahmA: “adIyate ca taittirIyA: prajApati-janaka karma vishaye”.
Source:
Oppiliappan KOil Sri Varadachari SaThakOpan Swami
