Hari Sarvotama: MADHVANAMA

jaya jayatu durvAdimatatimira mArtanDa

jaya jayatu vAdigajapanchAnana

jaya jayatu chArvAkagarvaparvata kulisha

jaya jayatu jagannAtha madwanAtha ll28ll

jaya jayatu = victory

durvAdimatatimira = the darkness caused by bad philosophies

mArtanDa = the sun

jaya jayatu = victory

vAdigaja = a majestic elephant in debates (and discussions)

panchAnana = an epithet for a lion

jaya jayatu = victory

chArvAkagarvaparvata = the mountain of chArvaka's pride

kulisha = implement of destruction

jaya jayatu = victory

jagannAtha = Lord of all the worlds (an epithet for nArAyaNa)

madwanAtha = madhvAchArya

May he, who is the sun that drive out the darkness brought about by bad doctrines,

destroy our dark ignorance. May he, who is a aggressive lion to proud opponents

(elephants), give us the courage and strength to oppose avidya, wherever we see

them. May he, who demolishes the mountain-like pride of chArvAkas (pleasureseekers)

destroy our ego and ignorance. May jagannAtha and madhvanAtha bless us

with devotion, knowledge and detachment (bhakti, gyAna, vairAgya).

In this verse, shrIpAdarAjaru uses similarities from shrI sumadhva vijaya and shrI

narasimha nakha-stuti to describe and salute the greatness of shri madhvAchArya.

jayatu jayatu

This phrase has been used in each line of this verse. Normally "jayatu" means

"Hail" or "Victory to". However, in this verse the target of the phrase is

jIvOttama. He is an example of devotion, purity and dedication to the Lord.

He also personifies strength, knowledge and auspiciousness. Unlike other lesser

gods, kali has no effect on him. He does not suffer from ignorance or

misconceptions, at any point in time. Nor, does he ever taste defeat or failure

in anything he does. So, interpreting "jayatu" as "Hail" would be excessive

and thus has to be considered as a secondary or unimportant meaning of the

phrase. The primary interpretation must be to treat each usage as a prayer to

vAyu to bless us with the specific attribute highlighted in that line.

durvAdimatatimira mArtanDa

This is a continuation of the representation used by the sumadhvavijaya (refer to

posting 27 on verse 23 for more details). Prior to the advent of shrI

madhvAchArya, the darkness created by the union of wrong doctrines and

interpretations of the brahmasUtras blinded good souls and lead them away from

the path of true knowledge. Just as sunrise dispels all traces of darkness, the

advent of shri madhvAcharya dispelled all spiritual darkness and lead all

sAtvikas away from the path of gloom and despair.

May this sun of true knowledge dispel our ignorance and destroy our wrong

knowledge.

jaya jayatu vAdigajapanchAnana

It was not enough to merely dispel the spiritual darkness through correct

knowledge, efforts had to be made to ensure that they did not rear their head

again. Since followers of wrong philosophies were too strongly rooted, it

was necessary to engage them in direct debate and defang them.

This line uses a different representation to describe this. Imagine a herd of wild

elepahants running riot. They leave behind a trail of destruction and despair.

They brook no obstacle or opposition, trampling and ruining everything that

comes in their way. So is the case with followers of wrong doctrines. They

spoil our holy scriptures, take phrases out of context, ignore anything that

fight against the concepts that they adopt and use the brute force of

their stubbornness to create paths where there are none. They leave good souls

soaking wet their hands in frustration. Into such an environment came a lion called

shri madhvAcharya; a lion that fearlessly faced and decimated herd after herd of

wild elephants without much to do.

May this lion among philosophers bless us with the courage and strength to stand

upto our convictions, even in the face of adversity, and emerge victorious.

(Those who are familiar with the meaning of the narasimha nakha stuti will

recognize the similarity in the analogies used.)

jaya jayatu chArvAkagarvaparvata kulisha

'chArvAka' is the name of a school of philosophy that propounded "the grossest

form of atheism or materialism".

shrI madhvAchArya refuted this philosophy, along with all the others that

existed before his time. However, there is a reason why this particular term

('chArvAka') has been used. This is also the name of a rAkshAsa who was a friend

of duryOdhana and an enemy of the pAnDavas. In the mahAbhArata, there are

several instances where he tries to mislead other good souls. Hence, in this

verse, this term symbolizes every philosophy that misinterprets the scriptures

and attempts to mislead sAtvikas.

Another representation has been used to describe this. indrA's vajrAyudha cut off the

wings of arrogant mountains and decimated their ability to fly and cause havoc

amongst people. Similarly, shri madhvAchArya's arguments were like vajrAyudhas

(lightning bolts) that cut down the mountains called misleading doctrines.

(Once again, this very similar to the analogy used in the narasimha nakha

stuti).

May the thunderbolts of his philosophy demolish destroy mountains of our sins

and ego.

jaya jaya jagannAtha madvanAtha

In this verse, through a clever use of words, shrIpAdarAjaru salutes both shrI

hari and vAyu.

jagannAtha is a well-known name of the Lord. He is also 'madhvanAtha', i.e, the

nAtha or Lord of madhvA. 'jagannAtha' also means one who is accepted as the

'nAtha' or leader by all souls i.e., one who is the jIvOttama. 'madhvanAtha' is

also the direct name of shrI madhvAchArya. Thus shrIpAdarAjaru salutes jivOttama

and parmAtma together and prays for true devotion, knowledge and detachment

(bhakti, gyAna, vairAgya).

tungakulaguruvarana hrutkamaladoLu nelesi

bhangavillada sukhava sujanakella

hingade koduva guru madhwAntarAtmaka

rangaviTTalanendu nere sArirye ll29ll

tungakula = heredity of superior gyAnis

guruvarana = the guru equal to excellence

hrutkamaladoLu = in the lotus of his heart

nelesi = residing

bhangavillada = without break or obstacles

sukhava = happiness

sujanakella = to all good people

hingade = without any reduction

koduva = the one who gives

guru = preceptro

madhwAntarAtmaka = resident within madhva

rangaviTTalanendu = the one named ranga viTTala

nere = everwhere

sArirye = spread

Ranga ViTTala (nArAyaNa) resides in the heart of shrI madhwAchArya, the guru

equal to excellence, in the line of superior gyAnis. He gives happiness that is without

blemish or break to good people, without any reduction. Spread this

fact everywhere.

tungakulaguruvarana

The term 'tungakula' refers to the line of superior souls. These are the jIvas

who are blessed with knowledge of the Lord. They are basically 'sAtvikas'.

brahma and vAyu are the primary gurus for this line of sAtvikas. Our scriptures

refer to brahma (vAyu) as the Adi jIva (first or primary soul).

hrutkamaladoLu nelesi

Our religious works refer to the presence of a 'ashTa daLA kamala' (a lotus with

8 petals or parts) in the inner space of the heart of the jIva. The Lord resides

in the middle of the this lotus. He is the bimba-mUrti of the jIva. At His feet

and facing Him, stands vAyu with his hands folded in prayer. The jIva resides

near the feet of vAyu. This is true of every jIva. However, in the case of vAyu

and others equal or above him, there is nobody else other than the Lord.

bhangavillada sukhava

'bhanga' means that which is interrupted or corrupted, something that is

temporary in nature. Thus "bhangavillada sukha" means happiness which is eternal,

free of blemishes and never reducing in intensity. Obviously such a state of

happiness is possible only in mukti or liberation, when the jIva experiences bliss

that is intrinsic to its nature. All other happiness is temporary, subject to

interruptions and diminishing over time.

sujanakella

'sujanaru' means people who are 'sAtvic' by nature. They are eligible for

liberation. vAyu provides them with bhakti, gyAna and vairAgya and ensures that

they perform their sAdhana (penance) in accordance with the wishes of the Lord.

Once they have accomplished their sAdhana they are eligible for liberation,

which is granted at the Lord's pleasure. vAyu too has the power to recommend

jIvas for mukti (this power has been given to him the Lord).

hingade koDuva

This has several interpretations. First, granting of happiness (liberation) to

worthy souls in no way reduces or diminishes the happiness of the Lord, or

anybody else. In other words, each soul experiences happiness that is intrinsic

to itself and independent of what is experienced by other souls. This concept of

liberation is unique to dvaita.

Second, once the jIva achieves liberation, its happiness never reduces over

time. Nor is this happiness ever marked with sorrow of any sort.

Third, the Lord's power to grant liberation has never reduced and will never do

so. In other words, God has been doing this from times immemorial and will

continue to do so forever. Another interpretation is that this power to grant

liberation rests only with Lord hari (and anyone He delegates this power to).

guru madhvAntarAtmakaAs stated before, the Lord resides in the heart

of every jIva. However, His sannidhAna (special presence) in vAyu is

the highest and purest. That is why when we pray, the object of our

worship is always 'bhArati ramaNamukhyaprANAtargata' (the Lord who

resides in mukhya prAna, the husband of bhArati dEvi).

rangaviThThalanendu nere sArirye

'rangaviThThala' is the ankita or literary signature used by shrIpAdarAjaru.

There is an interesting story on how he got this ankita. He once went to

panDharApura and performed pAnDuranga's sEve (service) with great fervour and

devotion. That night, pAnDuranga appeared in a dream and asked him to get a

certain spot on the banks of the bhIma river excavated. When this was done,

shrIpAdarAjaru found a golden box containing an idol of 'ranga viThThala',

decorated with many precious jewels. He was overjoyed and with the idol on his

head, danced with ecstacy. From that day onwards, this idol has been worshipped

with great devotion by every saint who has headed the MaTha of shrIpAdarAjaru.

He also started the tradition of composing dEvaranAmas (religious songs) in the

name of his favorite icon. This tradition was continued by other saints like

shrI vyAsarAyaru, shrI vAdirAjaru etc.

jagannAtha dAsAru

jagannAthadAsAra phala stuti - Verse 1

sOmasUryOparAgadi gO sahasragaLa

bhUmidEvarige suranadiya taTadi

shrI mukundArpaNavenuta koTTa phalamakku

I madhwanAma baredOdidarge ll30ll

sOmasUryOparAgadi = during solar and lunar eclipse

gO = cows

sahasragaLa = thousands

bhUmidEvarige = bhUsuraru = gods on earth (learned brahmins)

suranadiya = the divine river (ganga)

taTadi = on the banks

shrI mukundArpaNavenuta = saying "krishnArpaNamastu"

(i.e. dedicating the fruits of this action to Lord shrI Krishna)

koTTa = to give

phalamakku = the fruits (or results)

I madhwanAma = this prayer called madhvanAma

baredOdidarge = to those who read and write

Anybody writing and reading this sthOtra will get a benefit equal to offering a

thousand cows to learned and worthy brahmins, during a solar or lunar eclipse,

on the banks of the celestial river ganga, and dedicating that to Lord Mukunda

(nArAyaNa).

In the first verse shrI jagannAtha dAsaru gave us an idea of the enormous merits

that accrue to a person reading and writing the madhvanAma. While this may be

enough for gyAnis, there may be others who seek more tangible, material

benefits. To such people he replies "This is sUtranAmaka, that you are praying

to. Once he is pleased there is no limit to what you can get. You want children?

You will get children. You want name, fame, wealth, relief from enemies? You

will get all that. Why, you can even avoid untimely death! What more can you

possibly want?!"

sUtranAmaka samstuti

vAyu is also known as sUtra since he is the controller and regulator of all the

celestial entities in the body (indriyAbhimani and tattvAbhimani devatas and

daityas). Every single action performed by every jIva (subordinate to him),

everywhere in creation is done under his explicit supervision.

samstuti refers to prayer that is tinged with devotion and correct knowledge.

Once this sUtranAmaka is pleased, then the sky is the limit; all doors open,

everything falls into place and there is nothing that is out of reach.

putrarilladavaru satputraraiduvaru

A simple translation is "Those without children will get good children". However

to get the full meaning of the verse, one needs to go beyond the simple meaning.

Nothing happens without a reason. Why are some people childless? There may be

medical causes preventing childbirth, but these are mere manifestations rather

than the actual cause. The root of the problem lies in the sins committed by the

persons and their prArabda karma. In olden days, kings and noblemen performed

yagnas like "putrakAmEshTi" to wipe out their sins and obtain progeny. In this

time and age, it needs potent prayers and the grace of celestials to overcome

this problem. In the opinion of shrI jagannAthadAsaru, this prayer to vAyu is

equal in potence to the "putrakAmEshTi" yAga in blessing supplicants with

offspring.

sarvatradali digvijayavahudu sakala shatrugaLu keduvaru

The gIta says that our authority ends with action; success or failure lies in

the hands of the Lord, and is decided by Him based on the jIvA's inherent nature

and his/her karma. As the gIta says "yatra yOgeshwarah kRishNo ..... tatra

shrIvijayO bhUtirdruvA nitir matir mama". vAyu is His primary abode and agent.

Needless to add, one who is subject to vAyu's grace will be victorious

everywhere.

The question is: what kind of victory should one aspire for? There are different

types of successes, but our scriptures attach a lot of importance to

"indriyajaya" - conquest of the senses. The sky is the limit for somebody who can do

this.

This line also says "All enemies will fail". What kind of enemies are we talking

about? We are very familiar with external enemies and would obviously like to

win over them. But the more potent enemies are the internal ones; our scriptures

where they warded off untimely death in deserving cases.

Our scriptures say that when a person dies, vAyu departs from the body along

with jIvatma and paramAtma. Such being the case, is it necessary to add that a

person enjoying the grace of vAyu will never die an untimely or untoward death?

I now propose to list the detailed explanation of the third (and last) verse in

the Phala stuti by shrI jagannAtha dAsaru. In the first and second verses he

gave us an idea of the enormous merits accruing to a person who reads and

writes madhvanAma. Here he sums up everything and outlines the real benefit that

anybody can hope for - liberation.

jagannAtadAsAra phala stuti - Verse 2

putrarilladavaru satputraraiduvaru

sarvatradali digvijayavahudu sakala

shatrugaLu keduvaru apamRutyu baralanjuvudu

sUtranAmakana samstuti mAtradi ll31l

putrarilladavaru = those without children

satputraraiduvaru = will get very good children

sarvatradali = everywhere

digvijayavahudu = will get victory

sakala = all

shatrugaLu = enemies

keduvaru = will perish or fail

apamRutyu = untimely death

baralanjuvudu = will be scared to approach

sUtranAmakana = an epithet for vAyu

samstuti = prayer coupled with devotion and knowledge

mAtradi = just by

Those without children will get good children, they will be victorious

everywhere, all their enemies will perish, and untimely death will be scared to

approach them. All these benefits will accrue by praying to sUtranAmaka (vAyu).