SrimanVenkatanaatharyahKavitaarkikakesari/
Vedaantaacaaryavaryo me Sannidhattaamsadaahrudi//
May Sri Vedanta Desika, who is an accomplished scholar and Vedanta-preceptor and who is well-known as the great Venkatanaatha (a divine advent of the supreme Lord Srinivasa), a lion among poets and logicians, dwell in my heart forever.
Introduction:
Sri Vedantadesika’sNyaasadasakam is reckoned to be one among the 28 stotra-granthas [devotional lyrics] bequeathed to us by the great Aacaarya. There are four stotra-granthas [of Sri Desika] viz. Nyaasa-vimsati, Nyaasatilakam, Saranaagati-deepikaa and Nyaasadasakam which deal with the special features of Prapathi orSaranaagati, Sri Desika’sTamil lyric, viz. Adaikkalappattu also deals with thenuances of Saranagati and in praise of Lord Varadaraaja of Kancheepuram [Attiyoor].
Ahammadrakshana-bharomadrakshana-phalamtathaa/
Na mama Sreepaterevaityaatmaanamnikshiped-budhah// (1)
In his Nyaasadasaka, Sri Desika sums up in ten verses the role of a Prapanna. It has to be remarked that Sri Desika himself stands in the place of a Prapanna and addresses this work as a prayer to the Lord . In the first verse, Sri Desika says that one has to deposit one’s burden with the Lord whose Consort is Sri, with the feeling that one’s self, the burden of one’s protection and the fruit of one’s protection —all belong to the Lord alone but not to oneself.
Nyasyaamy-akincanahSreeman! anukoolo’nya-varjitah/
Visvaasa-praarthanaa-poorvam aatmarakshaa-bharamtvayi// (2)
In the second sloka, Sri Desika exhorts one (Prapanna) that he should feel in the following manner:- O Lord, I am placing the responsibility of saving me, on You. And I have full confidence in your saviourship. I have nothing to call as mine. Hereby I declare that I do things favourable to You and avoid any other unfavourable act.O Master! I have taken refuge in You.
Svaamin! svaseshamsvavasamsvabharatvenanirbharam/
Svaadatta- svadhiyaa svaartham svasmin-nyasyati maam svayam // (3)
Oh supreme Lord (Master of all)! (May I declare:) You are enabling me to be at your service forever—[because] I am dependent on You for each and everything. As You take care of me, I am free from the burden of looking after myself; You are taking all efforts to make me realize that you are the supreme Almighty; hence You see to it that I dedicate myself unto You, i.e. I take shelter under your pair of holy feet alone.
Sreeman! Abheeshta-varada- tvaamasmisaranamgatah/
Etad-dehaavasaanemaamtvat-paadampraapayasvayam// (4)
Oh Lord of Goddess Lakshmi! Oh supreme Being who bestows on the devotees whatever they want! I have taken refuge under your divine pair of feet. Please You yourself enable me reach your holy pair of feet, when I shed this mortal coil, at the end of this birth itself.
Tvac-cheshatvesthiradhiyamtvat-praaptyeka-prayojanam/
Nishiddha-kaamya-rahitam kuru maam nitya-kinkaram// (5)
Oh Lord! please shower your grace on me so that You make me your eternal servant of steadfast conviction in being subservient to You. Attaining your divine feet is the only purpose of my life. Oh Lord! please shower your grace on me so that I do not perform the forbidden (nishiddha) acts and the acts done purely to attain personal desires (kaamya).
Deveebhooshana-hetyaadi-jushtasyaBhagavams-tava/
Nityam niraparaadheshu kainkaryeshu niyunkshva maam// (6)
Oh Lord!employ me always in acts of service to You, where there is no room for any offence against You, associated as You are with your consorts (Goddess Sri and others) bedecked in lustrous ornaments and glorious weapons.
Maam madeeyam ca nikhilam cetanaacetanaatmakam/
SvakainkaryopakaranamVarada! sveekurusvayam // (7)
Oh Lord Varada!accept me and those which I call mine including the animate and inanimate possessions, as mere implements to carry out the obedient service to You.
Tvadeka-rakshyasya mama tvamevakarunaakara/
Na pravarttaya paapaani,pravruttaani nivartaya// (8)
Oh Lord Karunakara (ocean of absolute compassion)! I can be saved by You alone and by no other person. As such, O!abode of compassion!do not activate any sinful deeds through me. Kindly remove such acts which have already started to bear fruits.
Akrutyaanaam ca karanam krutyaanaam varjanam ca me/
Kshamasva nikhilam Deva! Pranataarttihara! Prabho!// (9)
Supreme Master! Oh Lord who relieves all the devotees from their miseries! Kindly forgive me, if I do, by inadvertence, the forbidden acts and also omit the obligatory ones.
Sreeman! niyata-pancaangam mad-rakshanabharaarpanam/
Aceekararath svayam svasminato’hamiha nirbharah// (10)
Oh Lord of the great Goddess Mahalakshmi! You have by yourself enabled me to follow this path of self-surrender (Prapatti) with all its five prerequisites (limbs) – this practice of Bharanyaasa;hence I have now become carefree.
Kavitaarkika-simhaayakalyaanagunasaaline/
SrimateVenkatesaaya Vedanta-guravenamah//
Salutations to Sri Vedanta Desika, the Lion among poets and logicians, full of auspicious merits, the preceptor of Ubhaya Vedanta and who is known as Sri Venkatesa.
Commentary by:Prof.V.K.S.N.Raghavan
Courtesy:Sri Vedanta Desika Research Centre,Villivakkam,Chennai.
