Devotional hymn
S. PADMANABHAN
SRI ACCHU ASA AM (SRI ACHYUTA SATAKAM) of Sri Vedanta Desika (In Prakrit and Sanskrit): With Three Commentaries and With Tamil and English Explanations of the editor V. N. Vedanta Desikan; Srimad Andavan Sri Poundarikapuram Swami Ashramam, 43-A/13, Ashram Road, Srirangam-620006.
Rs. 100.
Vedanta Desika, the great poet philosopher, has penned nine beautiful poems eulogising Lord Devanatha, the presiding deity of Thiruvaheendrapuram. Of the nine, seven are in Tamil (even among these, only two are extant). One is in Sanskrit and the other in Prakrit language. This is acknowledged by Desika himself in the last verse of Navamanimalai, the Tamil poem.
In Prakrit
This book, Achyuta Satakam, is in Prakrit language and is the only Prakrit composition of Desika. The experience of God is common to all mystics and it is unique in Srivaishnavism as is evident from the Azhwar hymns in the Nalayira Divyaprabandham. Both Nammazhwar and Thirumangai Azhwar in their supreme devotion, unable to bear the pain of separation from the Lord, assume the mental mode of a woman as Parankusa Nayaki and Parakala Nayaki, and long for union with the Lord. Following the line of the Azhwars, Desika becomes Venkatanayaki as devotion gets intensified and prays for eternal union with the Lord. Devotion transforms into love sentiment and Desika himself elsewhere refers to this transformative process.
As the title suggests, this hymn is in 101 beautiful verses set to the Arya metre. After his initial submission, the poet glorifies the Lord in His various aspects. He is the creator, protector and destroyer; is immanent and at the same time pervades everything. He has everything as His body. A key concept is that both the Supreme Lord and Lakshmi together constitute the Supreme Reality, and yet they are one is emphatically explained. He possesses a divine form which is beautiful. The intense love and prayer in verses 83-92 are the pinnacle of Venkatanayaki’s devotion. He presents himself as the most suitable bride for the Supreme Lord. The entire poem is not only a hymn but also brings out the salient features of the philosophy of Srivaishnavism precisely.
Three commentaries
The present edition is the 25th in the series of Desika’s hymns and is brought out with three rare commentaries. The commentary of Vangipuram Desikacharya explains the Prakrit form in relation to its Sanskrit equivalents. The second is a Sanskrit commentary of Venkatesa Tatacharya and the third is in Manipravala by Ranganatha Pattracharya. All the above commentaries are lucid and self-explanatory. In addition to these, the editor has provided his own explanation in English and Tamil for a fine understanding of the text. He has also acknowledged the other commentaries or translations particularly that of D. Ramaswamy Aiyangar’s edition, a rare academic honesty, and truly deserves our reverential congratulations. As a preview to the text, the editor has provided the text both in Prakrit and Sanskrit and a brief summary of the whole poem. Despite its voluminous appearance, the book is neatly and pleasantly presented.
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