SrI:
SrImathE Nigamantha Mahadesikaya namah:
SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |
vedAntAcArya-varyo me sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||

May the glorious Venkatanatha, the greatest of teachers of Vedanta, and the
lion among poets and debaters, reside forever in my heart.

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

Let us begin to enjoy the sthOthra granthas of Swamy Desikan [in
alphabetical order]

Bhoo-stuti is a hymn in thirty-three slokas on Bhoomidevi (Mother Earth).She
is a divine consort of Bhagavan. There is a Puranic reference that a demon
Hiranyaksha, by name, abducted Her and kept Her under sea. In order to
rescue Her, Bhagawaan assumed the form of a Boar (an animal which is not
frightened by water or slush) went to the nether world, killed the Asura and
brought Her back and married Her. It is also narrated that he placed Her on
His shoulder as on a throne and performed Her coronation as the Supreme
Deity of the Earth. His love for Her is so great that He as the serpent,
Adisesha, supports Her always with His head. Sri DEsika mentions several
names of the Bhoomi-Devi which indicate Her qualities of mercy, compassion
and forbearance. She is Saravamsahaa(All-enduring) Avani(the saviour),
Vipulaa(All-pervading) Kshamaa(Forbearance). She is
Visvambharaa(world-supporter) if the Lord is Visvambharaa. She is
Vishnu-patnee if He is Bhoopati. Thus She is His equal in all respects in
the possession of auspicious qualities and greatness.

The mutual love of Bhoomi-Devi and Varaha-Bhagavan, the Divine couple, is
beautifully portrayed by Sri Desika in the penultimate sloka(32) as follows:

“With Her lotus-feet placed on the lotus-like right hand on Her Consort,
Varaha, and gracefully reclining as on a couch on the left arm which is like
the body of Adisesha. With Her cheeks shining with the pleasing touch of the
face of Varaha and eyes like full-blown lotus. May the All-forgiving
Bhoomi-Devi bless me with all auspiciousness. In conclusion Sri Desika
declares that a devout study of the stotra will help a man realize all his
desires.
[From the Life and works of Sri Nigamantha Mahadesikan- by Prof Sri A
Srinivasaraghavan]

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Namo narayana
dAsan
kavi-tArkika-simhAya kalyANa-guNa-SAline |
Srimate venkateSAya vedAntagurave namaH ||

Salutations to Sri Venkatesa, in whom all perfections reside, who is the
teacher of Vedanta and the lion among poets and debaters

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