SRI VADIRAJA VIRACHITA TEERTHA PRABANDHA

SRI VADIRAJA VIRACHITA “TEERTHA PRABANDHA” – STEP 8

ಶ್ರೀ ವಾದಿರಾಜ ವಿರಚಿತ “ತೀರ್ಥ ಪ್ರಬಂಧ”.

INTRODUCTION  

ಯಥಾ ದ್ರುಷ್ಟ್ಯಾ ಪ್ರಸನ್ನಃ ಸನ್ ರಾಜಾ ಬಂಧಾಪನೋಪಕೃತ್|

ಏವಂ ದೃಷ್ಟಃ ಸ ಭಗವಾನ್ ಕುರ್ಯಾದ್ಬಂಧವಿಭೇದನಮ್||

YaThA dRuShTyA  prasannaha san rAjA banDhAnOdakrut|

YEvam druShTaha sa BhagavAn kuryAdbanDhaviBhEdanam||

SUMMARY: When a king goes and sees a prisoner in his prison and is impressed with the good behaviour of the prisoner, he will order the release of that prisoner. Similarly, when a devotee offers prayers and does meditation, the impressed Lord will relieve the devotee from the cycles of birth and death and from the stranglehold of family or worldly life.

It is obvious that as the Dasavani states “sulaBhanO Hari…tannavavaranu bittagalanO”, Lord Hari is easily to be impressed. Meditation is the simplest way to appease the Lord. But, the devotion should be “unbiased, pure, unsuspicious and unfading”. This devotion of the highest order is imbibed only by learning the Greatness of the Lord. One should see the Lord in all his or her actions and speech.

India is a sacred land. Good deeds of every individual will attract infinite merits. But, the meditation, Bhajan, charity, austerities, oblations or even a casual visit to some of the most powerful holy places attracts inexplicable, most valuable and incomparable benefits. In the distant past, persons completing their studies for a specified number of years had to compulsorily spend at least a year on pilgrimage. It was only after this year-long pilgrimage that a person was considered eligible to enter Gruhastha Ashram or the family life. Even today, a spiritual person invariably undertakes pilgrimage at least once in lifetime.

Sri Madhwacharyaru visited Badari twice and even finally, he is believed to have gone to Badarikashram and is still living there. Sri Vadirajaru too undertook extensive pilgrimage across the country twice and explained the special significance of each place in the form of simple lyrics, which is known as “Teertha Prabandha”.

MANGALACHARANA SHLOKA

ಹರಿಕ್ಷೀರಾಂಬುಧೇಃ ಸ್ವೈರಂ ಭವಘರ್ಮರಿಪೋರ್ಮನಃ|

ವಿಹರಾಹರಹಶ್ಚಿತ್ರಚಾರಿತ್ರಚತುರೋರ್ಮಿಷು||

HarikSheerAmbuDhEhe swairam BhavaGharmaripOrmanaha|

ViharAharahashchitrachAritrachaturOrmiShu||1||

SUMMARY: “Like the waves and tides of the cosmic Ocean of Milk reduces the atmospheric heat, the knowledge of creation and other tasks being discharged by the Lord reduces the heat of the family life and yields salvation. Therefore, oh mind, please remember Hari,” Sri Vadirajaru tells his own mind.

Here, Sri Vadirajaru has clearly stated that the ‘tides in a ocean’ is one of the playful acts of Lord Hari. He does not get any pleasure out of it. The entire creation, however minute a part it may be, is eternally subservient to the Lord, whose sole concern is the “protection of the spirituous, virtuous, pious and righteous.  

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