Godha Stuthi

Dear BhakthALs :We will salute the first line of the first slOkam of GodhA sthuthi in this posting.

The first slOkam of GodhA sthuthi arose from Swami Desikan spontaneously as he stood on a side street at SrivilliputthUr on a PradhOsham evening to find out the origin of fast approaching sounds of the mangaLa vaadhyams .

He was observing mounam (silence ) befititng the occasion of the PradhOsham evening . He was planning to go to ANDAL Sannidhi later for MangaLAsAsanam . When he heard the sounds of Koil vaadhyams , he stepped out from the inside of the house, where he was staying to find out as to what was happening .To his greatest surprise and joy , he saw the archA moorthy of ANDAL being carried by temple servants approaching him , as it was being carried on the backs of the temple servants.

ANDAL's normal processional route did not include the street , where Swami Desikan was staying .On this special day , there was some theettu on the main street and the temple priests had rerouted the procession to include the street where Swamy Desikan was staying as an alternate route . Swami Desikan's astonishment at this unexpected bhAgyam and his parama bhakthi for ANDAL poured out in the form of 29 slOkams in two beautiful Sanskrit poetic metres known as Vasantha Tilakam and Maalini .

ANDAL seems to have created a situation to receive MangaLAsAsanam from Swami Desikan as soon as possible instead of waiting for Swami Desikan to come to Her Sannidhi inside the temple.Hence , She came to where Swami Desikan was , as if to welcome him to Her dhivya dEsam as soon as She could. In the case of AchArya RaamAnujA , She left Her sanctum (Garbha graham ) and rushed to welcome him as Her elder brother for fulfilling Her pledge to offer 1000 vessels of akkAra-adisil to Lord SundararAjan of ThirumAlirum ChOlai. After that reception to AchArya RaamunjA , the ThiruppAvai Jeeyar , She never went inside Her sanctum and stays even today at the ardha manTapam . In the case of Swami Desikan , She engineered to arrive in front of the house outside Her Thiru MaaLikai Veedhi , where Her parama bhakthan was staying during his visit to Her city. Moved by that exraordinary display of Vaathsalyam and dayA of ANDAL , the LOka MaathA , our Kavi Simham poured forth in rapture his eulogy of Her anantha KalyANa guNams .Thus originated the GodhA sthuthi and its 29 slOkams .

(Meaning): GodhA Piraatti is the wish-granting Kalpaka tree in flower garden of the kulam of Sri VishNu Chitthar; She is most beautiful as She gives us Her darsanam as the Karpaka creeper united with Her Lord Sri Rangarajan standing majestically as the Harichandana tree in that Nandavanam ; She is the incarnation of BhUmi Devi known for Her auspicious qualities of forbearance ; indeed ,Godhai is the embodiment of forbearance; When it comes to the quality of Her Mercy, Godhai is a veritable MahA Lakshmi (KamalA). AdiyEn , who has no other refuge seek Her as my sole refuge.

1. SRI SRIRAMA DESIKACCHAR'S ANUBHAVAM :

The pleasure (flower ) garden in the deva lOkam of Indran is known as Nandavanam(nandayathi ithi Nandanam ). In that pleasure garden is found a tree known as KaRpakaa tree, which has the power to grant all that one wishes for. That tree is always associated with a gentle creeper . PeriyAzhwAr's kulam is that Nandavanam (Nandanam) and Godhai is the golden KaRpakA creeper , who blessed that Nandavanam (Kulam of PeriyAzhwAr) through Her avathAram. Lord RanganAthA is like the Harichandana tree (One of the five varieties of KaRpakA trees) there , which grants the wishes of His adiyArs , who seek refuge at His sacred feet . Godhai is united intimately with that HarichandanA tree as the dependent KaRpaka creeper and blesses us with Her eye-filling , soul-satisfying darsanam with Her Lord .Godhai is like the embodiment of forbearance as the incarnation of BhUmi PirAtti.Godhai appears at other times like another incarnation of Sri Devi ,when one thinks of Her dayA for us. AdiyEn (Swami Desikan )performs SaraNAgathi at Her feet as One , who has no other recourse .

SRI SEVA SWAMIGAL'S ANUBHAVAM :

GodhA Sthuthi is a SthOthra Kaavyam.ANDAL's avathAram and ThirukkalyANam are summarized in the first two lines of the First slOkam .

Swamy Desikan indicates in the first line that ANDAL , the golden KalpakA creeper adorning the kulam of VishNucchitthar was born at the Nandanam at SrivilliputthUr (Sri VishNucchittha Kula Nandana Kalpavalleem ). in the second line , Swamy Desikan describes the joyous marriage scene of ANDAL standing united with her Lord (Sri Ranganathan ): "Sri RangarAja Harichandana yOga dhrusyAm" . ANDAL gives us Her blessed darsanam embracing Her Lord standing as the glorious HarichandanA tree in that nandanam of VishNuchitthA . Nandanam is also a name for the Lord saluted by one of the Sri VishNu Shasra Naamams : "aanandhO nandhanO nandhi --"

A creeper reaches its fulfilment, when it is united with a supporting tree .It is customary for the poets to describe men as supporting trees and the women as the dependent creepers .KaaLidAsan compares the union of Sakunthalai with King Dushyanthan as the Union of a creeper (Sakunthalai) with the Mango tree (Dushyanthan) in his famous drama known as Saakunthalam .

One meaning of Yogam is union . Andal"s yOgam is with Sri RangarAjan , who is the Harichandana tree at Srirangam.That Hari has chandana yOgam . He has chandana yoga dasai due to that union . That cooling chandanam for Hari is ANDAL .Through Her union (samslEsham ) , She cools down the heat (taapam ) of seperation for Her Hari , who waited and waited for Her avathAram .

She is "Yoga DhrusyAm ". When Godhai unites with Her Lord , She offers her darsanam as a Mithunam (dampathi) .She does not become adhrusyAm (invisible).On the other hand , She becomes immensely visible (dhrusuyAm) in her state of blessed union as a kalpaka creeper with Her Harichandana tree of Srirangam .

Third Line:" SaakshAth KshamAm , karuNayA KamalAmivAnyAm "

Here Swamy Desikan identifies Godhai as "SaakshAth KshamA ". She is BhUmi Devi Herself and not an amsam like SitA piratti , who is traditionally considered as a daughter of BhUmi devi. "KshamA " is a name synonomous with BhU Devi since She is "Sarvam sahA " ( One who bears with all aparAdhams of ours and yet pleads with Her Lord on our behalf). She prayed to Her Lord to show the easy way for the upliftment of the suffering jeevans (Laghu UpAyam vadha: prabhO ).She was the cause of the VarAha Charama SlOkam .ANDAL as SaakshAth BhUmi Devi argued with Her Lord and revealed to us the laghu (easy to practise) UpAyam to get the blessings of Her Lord in her ThiruppAvai : "senRu naamm sEvitthAl , aavaavenRu aarAyntharuL " " umakkE naamm aatccheyvOm " .

KarunayA KamalAmivAnyAm:

When one assesses the limitless DayA of Godhai , one wonders whether She is another form of MahA LakshmI .PeriyAzhwAr described his raising of Godhai this way: "ThirumahaL pOl valartthEn " . Swamy Desikan saluted Godhai as " Thooya ThirumahaLAi Vanthu" in his Prabhandha Saaram . These are the supports for saluting Godhai as " KamalAmivaanyAm ".

The etymology of the name GodhA has been discussed extensively in the earlier articles on ANDAL's Vaibhavam . The emphasis here is in Her power to bless us with Vaak (divine speech).

Swamy Desikan follows this path shown by AchArya RaamAnujan in his performance of Prapatthi for the three devis of the Lord in his Sthuthis ( Sri Sthuthi, BhU sthuthi and GodhA Sthuthi). We hear the echos of Udayavar's SaraNAgathy Vaakyams in his pleas for Prapatthi :

" Sriyam asaraNa: thvAm SaraNyaam prapathyE"..Sri Sthuthi

" VisvambharAm asaraNa: SaraNam prapathyE "..BhU Sthuthi

" GodhAm ananya saraNa: saraNam prapathyE "..GodhA Sthuthi

In his SaraNAgathy appeals , Swamy Desikan recognizes Sri Devi as SrEyO Moorthy ( Sarva MangaLa Moorthy) , BhU Devi as VisvambharA ( the One , who bears the weight of the Universe) and GodhA devi as Vaak giver according to Sevaa SwamigaL.