In the previous slOkam, Swamy Desikan focused on the PrabhOdha Raajeeva Paadams (Sacred lotus feet of the Lord) and the gem-studded anklets there, which remove through their radiance, the darkness of nescience through meditation on them. In this slOkam, Swamy Desikan refers to the very same gem-set anklets generating a variety of SunAdhams, which are Veda-garbha mayam:
MEANING:
Oh Lord HayagrIvA! It is common custom for the citizens of the world to protect their precious jewelery in safe boxes. The Veda Vaaks (Veda manthrams) are the SirObhUshaNams (precious Jewelery worn on the head) for Your bhakthAs. You protect them (Veda Vaaks) and keep them eternal by instructing Brahma dEvan during every kalpam. Your anklet aabharaNam (Thiruvadi Sathankai) houses matchless precious gems. They raise sweet and sacred naadham, when You move about. Those naadhams are delectable to Your BhakthA’s ears. Those Naadhams instruct them on the deeper meanings of vedic passages. Therefore, adiyEn equates Your Thiruvadi sathankai to a safe box that protects the precious veda Vaaks inside it.
Here, the Veda Vaaks are connected to the gems on the anklets that generate sweet and sacred Naadhams. The anklets themselves are compared to the safe box that houses the Veda Vaaks. The anklets (sathankai/salankai) are made up of small individual golden balls with a gem that is free to rotate inside. At the end of each ball is also one or more gems. These individual golden balls are linked together to form the golden silampu (sathankai) with gems inside and outside. Dancers use these sathankais (noopurams) to keep TaaLam during their narthanam. Our Lord, the cosmic dancer and the YajamAnan of the veda Vaaks generates light and sound as He goes about His sanchAram. Depending on the varieties of nadais (steps or sanchAra kramams) distinct and delectable Veda Naadham (dhvani) is heard by the BhakthAs meditating on the sacred Thiruvadi of the Lord. They attain Sumathi (divine knowledge) by loosing themselves in the naadhams generated by these Veda Vaaks emanating from the anklet aabharanam of Lord HayagrIvA, who is the protector of the veda Vaaks (gou:) through the ages.
The following Rg Vedic passage gives expression to this thought:
asyadhEshA sumathi: paprathAnAbhavath poorvyA bhUmnA gou: – Rg Vedam : X.31.6
MEANING:
May this most gracious and eternal life-giving divine speech (Veda Vaak. Gou:) impart extensive knowledge to us.
The importance of the divine Speech emanating as naadhams from the Lord’s sacred feet is saluted in another Rg Veda manthram (Rk: X.71.1) :
“BruhaspthE prathamam vaachO agram yath prairatha naamadhEyam dadhAna: I
yadEshAm SrEshtam yadh aripram aaseeth prENA tadEshAm nihitham guhAvi:” II
MEANING:
“Oh Lord of the vast Universe! Verily, that is the best part of the Divine Speech, which for the first time has given names to the objects and which has been uttered for the very first time. The Veda Vaaks are revealed through those earliest stages to those, who are best among men, devoid of all sins. The divine speech is revealed in their hearts with Your affection”. This a magnificent verse set in Trishtup metre, whose subject is JnAnandha Maya Devan, Lord HayagrIvan and His anugraham to Brahma Devan (and later to qualified sages) to impart the knowledge associated with divine speech or Veda Vaak, which leads on to the creation of Naama-roopa prapancham. This verse has been recognized as the one singing out the glory of the Supreme Being, who imparts divine knowledge (parama purushArtha, Para Brahma Jn~Anam). The naming of the objects took place after the acquisition of this divine Vaak, which itself has been given the names of Gau, Gauri, VaaNi, BhArathi, Sarasvathi, Sabdha, Rk, Mahi, dhEnu et al (NighanDu I.11). Each object got thus many names during this primordial period. This period of assigning names to objects with the anugraham of Lord HayagrIvan has been recognized as the most thrilling epoch of human culture.
Niruktham points out that the one, who is blessed with divine speech (Veda Vaak) bears the mark of BhadrA LakshmI. Divine speech keeps concealed in it that wealth (BhadrA LakshmI). The words that Swamy Desikan chose in this verse to house these thoughts are:
“manjUshikAm veda-girAm pathIma:)”. Swamy states that the Lord’s auspicious salankais are the safe box in which the Veda Vaaks (BhadrA LakshmI) are housed.
Yajur Vedam (Chapter: XXVI.2), “yaTEmAm VaachAm KalyANIm–” also attests to the message of “yEshAm vaachi BhadhrA nihithA LakshmI: BhadhrA KalyANI” (Divine speech keeps concealed in it the auspicious wealth).
The great NigamAntha MahA Desikan houses all these deep thoughts in his 22nd slOkam of Sri HayagrIva SthOthram as revealed to him by the Lord seated in front of him. From SlOkams 19-22, Swamy Desikan was absorbed in the enjoyment of the lotus feet of Lord HayagrIvan and their powers of anugraham.
Source
To be continued…
