Desikasthothramala-Raghuveeragadhyam

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Mahaaveeravaibhavam

or Raghuveeragadhyam

 

This

sthothra in prose form was composed by Desika while in Thiruvaheendhrapuram.

This relates the whole Ramayana in gadhya, prose in which the words are full of

poetic beauty. It differs from poetry as the passageas are not set to metre.

But in no way it is inferior to the padhya kavyas, the poetical works. Gadhya is

defined as that which is not metrical but words are in harmony with prasa,

anuprasa etc. Desika's raguveeragadhyam like gadhya thrayam of Ramanuja,

abounds in the resonant combination of words.

The

whole work is in the form of addresses to Rama and the pradhaana rasa, main

sentiment is veerarasa, valour.

 

VaikuntavaasaH

 

Jayathi

aaSrithasanthraasa dhvaantha viDhvamsanodhayaH

prabhaavaan

seethayaa dhevyaa paramavyomabhaaskaraH

 

This

sloka is a sort of invocation to the Lord Rama who is described as in vaikunta.

This is a mangalacharanam along with the next few gadhya passages.

 

It

means,

 

Victory

to the Sun who shines in the supreme sky,with Seethadevi, Vaikunta,dispelling

the darkness of fear( born from the ills of samsara) of those who resort to Him.

 

The

reference to Seetha devi denotes the Ramavathara, which was the incarnation of

Lord naryana in Vaikunta, with Lakshmi incarnating as Seetha, in order to

dispel the ignorance of those who surrender to Him. Thus He shines in vaikunta

simultaneously as the resplendent Sun.

 

Jayathi- may he be victorious. This is in the way of

mangalacharana to the Lord similar to the pallandu of Periazvar.

 

prabhavaan- who is resplendent

 

seethaadhevyaa- by the lustre of Seetha devi who is none other

than Lakshmi. This couild be construed also as Seethaadhevyaa saha, meaning

shining with Seetha saha being understood,

But Seetha herself says in Sundarakanda, "ananyaa raaghaveNa aham

bhaaskareNa prabhaa yaThaa " that she is non-different from Rama as the

light from the Sun.Hence He shines with the lustre of Seetha seems to be more appropriate.

 

The

greatness of the Lord is His daya without which all other gunas sink into

oblivion. Desika always extolls the daya of the Lord as solely due to the

presence of Mahalakshmi who is ever inseparable from Him, in his Sristuthi and

Dayasatakam, agalakillEn enRu iRaiyum alarmEla mangai urai marban

as Azvar describes the Lord.

 

paramavyomabhaaskaraH- He thus shines as the Sun, bhaaskaraH, in

the, parama vyoma, Supreme sky, Vaikunta.The Lord says in the Gita, `na

thathbhaasyathe SooryaH ---thathDhaama paramam mama,' that is, "My

abode is that where neither Sun, nor Moon nor the stars shine ," which means

that the Supreme abode, Vaikunta, shines with the light of the Lord so bright

that any other luminous body does not shine there.

 

viDhvamsanodhayaH- risen, udhayaH, for destroying, viDhvamsana,

 

aaSritha

thraasa Dhvaantha- the darkness, Dhvaantha,

of fear, thraasa, of those who

surrender, aaSritha, to Him.