Nyasa Tilakam of Swami Desikan
Introduction
This stotram consists of 32 Sloka-s. The name nyāsa tilakam was bestowed on this stotram by svāmi deśikan himself (Slokam 32). SrI rāmadeśikācārya svāmi points out that just as a tilakam enhances the appearance of the wearer’s face, nyāsa tilakam brings out the beauty of prapatti exquisitely, consistent with its name. Lord SrI ranganātha is the mūrti at whose Feet svāmi deśikan does śaraṇāgati in this composition.
Of the 32 Sloka-s, the matter dealing with the theory and practice of prapatti is dealt with in the first 22 Sloka-s. The remaining 10 Sloka-s deal with the remorse the prapanna should feel if he transgresses the life he has undertaken as a prapanna, the lack of the very need for such transgression in the first instance, the lack of need for a prapanna to praise anyone else other than bhagavān, and a re-affirmation that true knowledge consists in realizing that He is the only Truth, and that true wealth lies in doing kaimkaryam to Him.
One aspect of nyāsa tilakam is that svāmi deśikan elaborates on the unique role of pirāṭṭi in the cetana’s prapatti. In nyāsa daśakam and nyāsa vimśatih, the concept of prapatti was explained and some of the issues raised by its opponents were explicitly addressed. In nyāsa tilakam, svāmi deśikan outlines his own experiences and the results of his prapatti, and thus reinforces the thoughts conveyed in the other works. This is also the only stotram for which svāmi deśikan’s illustrious son, SrI kumāra varadācārya, has furnished a commentary out of the 28 stotra-s by svāmi deśikan. Some of the highlights of this stotra are summarized below.
prapatti for moksha should be done only once
prapatti for moksha should be done only once. svāmi deśikan poetically points out that it is as if this is the significance of the abhaya mudra of Lord ranganātha’s right hand (bhagavān indicating to the prapanna that there is no need for him to fear any more after the prapatti has been done once). SrI D. rāmasvāmi aiyengār svāmi gives reference to the same idea expressed by svāmi deśikan in his tamizh composition aḍaikkalap-pattu - உமது அடிகள் அடைகின்றேன் என்று ஒரு கால் உரைத்தவரை அமையும் இனி என்பவர் போல் அஞ்ஜலெனக்கரம் வைத்து . This commentator also points out that our great ācārya-s instruct those who perform prapatti that after they have performed prapatti at the feet of the Lord, they can from now on fix their gaze on the abhaya mudra of the Lord and derive solace and comfort from the way it promises protection.
SrI kumāra varadācārya gives the interpretation that if prapatti is done more than once, bhagavān will feel in debt because He has already given the ultimate pleasure one can seek after the first prapatti, and will have nothing more to give if the prapatti is repeated (Slokam 2).
piṛaṭṭi, bhagavān, and prapatti
In the ācārya paramparā, bhagavān and pirāṭṭi are the first and foremost (Slokam 1). svāmī deśikan points out that pirāṭṭi and bhagavān are inseparable, and prapatti done to one is prapatti done simultaneously to both. svāmi deśikan gives a simple example to illustrate this point. When the veda prescribes a yāga to mahendra, one cannot do yāga to indra without associating him with the epithet “mahā”, or cannot perform yāga to the guṇa called “mahā” and a separate yag~na for “indra”. So also, when we do prapatti, there is no distinction between pirāṭṭi and bhagavān, and our surrender applies to both (Slokam 4).
pirāṭṭi’s purushakāratva (recommendation, support, advocacy)
The only thing that is in between us and śrīvaikuṇṭham is the enormous sins that we have committed. The only prāyaścitta that is available to most of us for our heaps of sins is prapatti. The greatness and efficacy of prapatti has been taught to us by bhagavān in His rāma and kṛshṇa incarnations, and also by the great sages and ācārya-s. As the first step in seeking prapatti, we should seek the protection of our divine Mother, pirāṭṭi, who speaks for us and pleads for us with bhagavān –तदारम्भे तस्याः गिरम् अवधानेन मनसा अखिल नाथस्य एकां महिषीं तां श्रियं प्रपद्ये (Slokam 3). In lakshmi tantra, pirāṭṭi’s words to us are: “Surrender to Me when you perform the prāyaścitta for your sins”.
प्रायश्चित्त प्रसङ्गे तु सर्व पाप समुद्भवे |
माम् एकां देवदेवस्य महिषीं शरणं श्रयेत् ||
As our divine Mother, She takes the responsibility to plead our case when bhagavān is vexed with our enormous sins. Without Her pleading our case, we have no chance of approaching Him (adhṛshyatvam - non-approachability - Slokam 4).
SrI D.rāmasvāmi aiyengār points out that SrI rāmānuja in his śaraṇāgati gadyam, also first seeks pirāṭṭi’s Grace, and after obtaining Her blessing, performs prapatti at the feet of the Lord. SrI deśika follows SrI rāmānuja in performing SrI prapatti here. This is also called purushakāra prapatti.
bhagavān’s dayā and soulabhya
It is out of His dayā that He created brahma and gave him the knowledge of the veda-s so that brahma could create and maintain the rest of the beings. He is the Supreme Lord of all the gods (Slokam 5). It is out of His soulabhya (being easily accessible to even the lowliest of beings) that He took the incarnation as the cowherd kṛshṇa in the midst of the gopi-s, and it is out of the same soulabhya that He has taken the incarnations in the form arcā-mūrti in various puṇya-keshetra-s such as SrI rangam (Slokam 6). bhagavān’s kaṭāksham is all that is needed for the removal of all the sins that we have accumulated (Slokam 8).
Importance of ācārya kaṭāksham in prapatti
The point was made in the introduction that in nyāsa tilakam svāmi ḍeśikan illustrates the principles of prapatti that had been stated in other stotra-s such as nyāsa vimśatih. An example of this is found in Slokam 9. Here svāmi deśikan sings the praise of Lord ranganātha for having led him to a great ācārya, and indicates that bhagavān has in the process completed a major part of His responsibility in leading him to moksham. Another way to understand this Slokam is that choosing an ācārya with the ācārya lakshaṇa-s described in nyāsa vimśatih is a major and very important part of prapatti, and this also happens only with bhagavāns’ anugraham.
For a cetana who is full of enormous sins, unable to undertake j~nāna yoga, karma yoga, and bhakti yoga, and really unclear and confused about prapatti but all the same comes forward to utter the mantra-s required for prapatti, it is bhagavān’s karuṇā that He reveals an ācārya to the cetana. The ācārya’s mere kaṭāksha starts removing the confusion and makes the prapatti’s underlying significance clear and assures ultimate moksham (Slokam 20).
svāmi deśikan compares the help of the ācārya to the prapanna by giving three examples (Slokam 21) which are significant in their difference. First is the case as that of someone with clear eyesight leading someone who is totally blind. The analogy here is that even though we don’t have the j~nāna, the ācārya takes care of this deficiency. Next he gives the example of a lame person being ferried across from one shore to the other. Here, unlike in the first example, the person cannot even take any effort as in the case of holding the hand of the person who leads, but needs to be carried into the boat and carried out from the boat on the other shore. The third example is the family of a king’s servant who has received enormous gifts from the king for his service. Even though the family enjoys the benefits of the gift, they have nothing to do with the king directly. The ācārya’s help is similarly both direct and indirect, and he lifts up the Sishya in many different ways as needed in order to ensure that the Sishya gets moksha through prapatti in spite of his lack of knowledge and any other deficiencies. The importance of this Sloka is evident in that svāmi deśikan refers to this Sloka again in his rahasyatraya sāra.
The Greatness of prapatti as a moksha upāya
prapatti is guaranteed to yield the desired result in this birth itself, does not require any special vedic observances such as agni homa etc. which are required as part of bhakti yoga and for which some may not be qualified because of their varṇa etc., and is open to all just like the dictum “Speak the Truth” is open to all. Also, because of the extreme difficulty of observing bhakti yoga, one who observes the bhakti yoga may tend to feel some kind of importance for himself and his act, including the feeling that he is following this as the primary “upāya” for moksha (apihita-sva-upāya bhāva - Slokam 10), and forget that bhagavān is the real upāya. Because of its extreme simplicity of the prapatti mārga, the observer of prapatti yoga does not have a reason to get this kind of feeling. It is important to keep in mind that bhagavān is the only real upāya (siddha upāya) for moksham, and prapatti is the sāddhya upāya that makes it possible to bring the siddha upāya into action.
bhakti vs. prapatti
It has been pointed out in previous stotra-s that the SAstra-s declare bhakti yoga and prapatti yoga as the two paths for moksha. We have also seen that these are two entirely independent means. svāmi deśikan reiterates this point here (Slokam 15).
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Even the guṇa-s of bhagavān on which we meditate when observing the two paths are different. Thus, bhakti yoga involves observance of several vidyā-s, and the particular guṇa associated with the vidyā being observed is to be meditated upon as the different vidyā-s are observed. For prapatti, the only guṇa to be contemplated upon is His guṇa of being the sole upāya for moksha without depending on any other act on our part other than prapatti or śaraṇam.
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The verbs that are used to describe bhakti yoga in the upanishad-s are different from those that are used to describe prapatti. Thus, for example, upāsīta etc. for bhakti, and śaraṇam vraja for prapatti. Words such as vedana, dhyāna, upāsana, darśana etc. all are used to refer to bhakti yoga, and words such as śaraṇāgati, prapadana, tyāga, Atma nikshepaṇa, nyāsa, etc. are used to refer to prapatti yoga.
In brahma sūtra-s, SrI vyāsa points out that when different terms are used for different types of meditation, even though the end is the same, these are to be considered as independent means, through the sūtra “nānā śabdādi bhedāt” - 3.3.56.
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In nyāsa vimśatih it was pointed out that by performing prapatti, the effects of the prārabdha karma-s will be forgiven except those that are to be enjoyed in the current birth, and at the end of this life there will be no residual karma for which a re-birth will be needed. Such is not the case with bhakti yoga, where the effects of prārabdha karma-s have to be lived and enjoyed, which may take several lives, and only at the end of this will moksha be attained. Thus there is difference even in the time it takes for moksha to be attained through the bhakti and prapatti yoga-s.
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bhakti yoga needs to be observed day in and day out, till the end of life. Prapatti yoga needs to be done just once, like a yāga, which is performed just once for a given desired benefit.
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bhakti and prapatti both have their special aspects which may make them both difficult in their own ways - bhakti yoga because of the great effort and exertion involved, and prapatti because of the great faith involved. bhakti yoga requires patience to wait to acquire the j~nāna, Sakti, and phala, extending over several births even, birth in a high caste or varṇa, rigorous constraints on the body, observance of the bhakti yoga till the end of this life, etc. prapatti requires development of mahā viśvāsam, but this can be developed once there is the will, but prapatti needs to be done only once in one’s lifetime. Only those who have the ability to undergo the strenuous requirements of bhakti yoga, in addtion to being born in the varṇa that allows the requirements of bhakti yoga, can pursue bhakti yoga, and even they have to fall back to prapatti as the alternative if they cannot pursue it after they start it, if they are still interested in moksha. The desire for prapatti arises only when a person feels extreme remorse about the heaps of sins he has accumulated, and the inability to overcome the effects of these in any number of births through any other means.
prapatti mārga not a part of bhakti mārga, But An Independent Means
There are several different alternate approaches which can be pursued as part of bhakti yoga, such as dahara vidyā, sad-vidyā, viaśvānara vidyā etc., and these are all collectively known as bhakti yoga, and are not given individual identities as separate mosha upāya-s. Since prapatti is one other alternative for moksha, some argue that there is no need to identify prapatti as a separate means and give it a unique identity. svāmi deśikan points out that there is a distinct aspect of prapatti that is not part of the different alternatives under bhakti yoga. The different alternatives under bhakti yoga are left to one’s choice based on one’s inclinations, taste etc. But prapatti is for those who have realized that there is absolutely nothing else that is open to them. So there is no issue of choice, and thus this is a category of its own unlike any other means.
Those who perform bhakti yoga successfully will get all that they desire including moksha. So also those who do prapatti will get everything they desire, including moksha. The peak of folly (buddhi daurbalya kāshṭhā - Slokam 18) is for one who is unfit for bhakti yoga to undertake it because of lack of trust in the efficacy of prapatti. They will be wise to realize their limitations with respect to bhakti yoga, and have complete trust in prapatti as the moksha upāya that is within their means, and follow this path.
More doubts about prapatti answered (Slokam 19)
In nyāsa vimśatih, svāmi deśikan addressed several questions that have been raised by the opponents of prapatti as an independent means for moksha. In the current stotra, he addresses some more of these questions. He rhetorically raises five doubts that question the efficacy of prapatti, and answers them so that especially the “learned analysts” among us who can raise these kinds of questions can be put to rest. These questions are:
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How is it possible that on the one hand we have committed enormous sins that are beyond even our comprehension, and then expect to do prapatti just once, and expect to achieve nearness to bhagavān?
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bhagavān is known to give only the benefits according to the karmā-s that have been performed by the cetana. How can it be possible that we do prapatti once, and then get the vaikuṇṭham that even the likes of brahma, Siva, etc. have not attained?
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How is it possible that bhagavān, who needs nothing from anyone, just accepts the simple, easy-to-observe, prapatti, and then in return bestows this greatest and best of phala-s, viz. moksham and permanent relief from samsāram?
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śrīman nārāyaṇa is known to not easily bestow benefits on His devotees, unlike the lesser gods who are easy to please and who bestow what their devotees pray for relatively easily. How is it possible that cetana does the prapatti, and then śrīman nārāyaṇa gives moksham to this prapanna whenever the prapanna chooses after the expiration of the prārabdha karmā-s that are currently being enjoyed?
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How can it be true that bhagavān gives the same great benefit viz. moksha to everyone who does prapatti, without distinguishing between the different cetana-s?
svāmi deśikan points out that a proper understanding of the significance of His nāma as śrīman and nārāyaṇa will dissolve these doubts - not just be, but solve them - according to the nice translation by SrI D. rāmasvāmi aiyengār. SrI rāmadeśikācārya svāmi re-emphasizes that this is where the ācārya plays his role. Here are brief explanations that are offered both in SrI rāmadeśikācārya svāmi’s commentary and in SrI D. rāmasvāmi aiyengār’s commentary.
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Response to 1) pirāṭṭi’s purushakāratvam (recommendation, interceding on our behalf) is the reason that we are able to approach Him in spite of our enormous sins. The important point here is that bhagavān will not reject any appeal from Her who is the personification of Mercy towards us, and so we can appraoch Him without fear, which we cannot hope to do in the absence of pirāṭṭi’s purushakāratvam.
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Response to 2) It is true that He gives the benefits consistent with the karma-s or action of the cetana. But there is a special relationship between Himself and a prapanna, and this is one of His being the Master and the prapanna being His servant. This relationship entitles the prapanna to the right of protection from Him, and thus He will definitely offer the protection because it is His responsibility. SrI D. rāmasvāmi aiyengār points out that He is nārāyaṇa who is in all beings and who has all beings within Him. னான் உன்னை அன்றி இலேன் கண்டாய் நாரணனே! நீ என்னையன்றி இலை - tirumaḻiśai āḻvār; உன் தன்னோடு உறவேல் நமக்கு இங்கு ஒழிக்க ஒழியாது - ANDAl. So He is as anxious to get us back to Himself as we are to go to Him. He is only waiting for a vyāja or pretext to protect us. When we put up our hands, He catches hold of them and draws us unto Himself. He came and protected gajendra who cried out for His protection while gods were put aside. That is the extent of His love towards a śaraṇāgatan.
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Response to 3) While it is true that bhagavān is not in need of anything from anyone, it is His Nature that He is abundantly Merciful, and thus a small act such as prapatti by the cetana is considered a big sacrifice by Him and thus He rewards the prapanna with such a big benefit as moksha. SrI rāmasvāmi aiyengār points out that when draupadi cried out for His help, He helped her, but kept feeling for the rest of incarnation that He had not done enough to help her.
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Response to 4) While bhagavān does not bestow benefits quickly in general, it is His declared position that He will offer protection to those who seek refuge in Him (prapanna-s), and so He offers moksham whenever the prapanna desires.
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Response to 5) When He offers moksham to the prapanna, He really considers that He is the one who has benefited in the process. Thus, independent of who it is that seeks His protection, He does not differentiate and bestows moksham to them. SrI rāmasvāmi aiyengār points out that for Him, rich and poor, learned or not learned, etc. do not make a difference, and He is like the cloud which pours on one and all without distinction or difference. This is His nature.
The life of a prapanna
The prapanna-s have entrusted the complete responsibility for themselves, their ātmā, and the purpose of their existence to bhagavān. They are dear to Him as His responsibility now. Their sole purpose in life is His kaimkaryam. Their only real joy is His guṇānubhavam. They don’t even have to think of Him as an upāya for moksha any more because their ācārya-s have taken the role of the upāya for them (Recall that ācārya-s are to be treated the same as bhagavān by the prapanna - nyāsa vimśatih). Their natural satisfaction is in being His sesha-s (servants) (Slokam 11).
Having performed prapatti, the prapanna is fully aware of his inability to follow any means (Akincanya, kārpaṇya) other than prapatti for moksha. Thus he does not seek any other means (ananya gatitva), and trusts in bhagavān as his sole Protector (goptṛtva varaṇam). He is fully confident about attaining moksha as a result of the prapatti that has already been performed (mahā viśvāsa), is firmly determined to desist from any act that will displease Him (prātikūlya varjanam), and equally firm in performing only acts that will please Him (ānukūlya samkalpa). Even though the prapanna may be really interested in hastening his union with bhagavān in śrīvaikuṇṭham, he will not make any effort whatsoever in this direction since it is not his responsibility any more to be concerned about his self - Slokam 12.
As mentioned in nyāsa vimśatih, the prapanna does not indulge in any act that is directed towards benefit for his own self, and scrupulously stays away from anything that is a violation of SAstra-s. If by chance, either of these are violated and he has committed an act contrary to these, he feels shame and sorrow for this and performs a prāyaścitta prapatti, and the sins associated with these violations are forgiven by bhagavān. Since the SAstra-s have been given to us by bhagavān with the purpose of guiding us to proper conduct in life that has prapatti as the central goal (nyāsa antaranga - Slokam 13), the prapanna follows the SAstra-s, performs his varṇāśrama dharma-s as prescribed and without fail, does not seek protection other than from śrīman nārāyaṇa, and if he then unknowingly commits any sin, bhagavān has the Infinite Mercy to forgive these offenses.
While bhagavān thus eliminates the effects of all karma-s of a cetana that will result in a re-birth, if he commits any sins that are directed towards pure self-satisfaction, he gets minor punishments such as sufferings in this life. These are purely for the purpose of keeping the cetana on track so that he does not slip into a life of pleasures and forgets his purpose in this life (Slokam 14).
bhagavān’s assurance on the results of prapatti
svāmi deśikan makes reference to śaraṇāgati gadyam by bhagavad rāmānuja to emphasize the certainty of the results from prapatti. After SrI rāmānuja performed prapatti at Lord ranganātha’s Feet, bhagavān gave the following assurance to rāmānuja (extract from śaraṇāgati gadyam):
मा ते भूत् अत्र सम्शयः | अनृतं नोक्त पूर्वं मे न च वक्ष्ये कदाचन |
रामो द्विर-नाभिभाषते |
सकृदेव प्रपन्नाय तवास्मीति च याचते |
अभयं सर्व भूतेभ्यो ददाम्येतत् व्रतं मम ||
सर्व धर्मान् परित्यज्य माम् एकं शरणं व्रज |
अहं त्वा सर्व पापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः ||
इति मयैव हि उक्तम् | अतस-त्वं तव तत्त्वतो मद-ज~नान दर्शन प्राप्तिषु
निस्सम्शयस-सुखम् आस्व |
Entertain no doubt about it. I have never uttered, nor shall I ever utter, a falsehood; rāma never speaks in two voices.
For him who bows even once to Me saying “I am Yours”, I grant him shelter and protection from all evils. This is my vow.
Renounce all dharma-s and surrender unto Me only. I shall save you from all sins. Don’t’ grieve.
Therefore you may rest free of doubt in the matter of obtaining true knowledge about Me, True Realization and attainment of Me.
The Need To Be on Guard Following Prapatti
After illustrating the principles of prapatti in the first 22 Sloka-s, svāmi deśikan reinforces these thoughts by pointing out that after prapatti there is no reason to transgress the lifestyle that a prapanna is expected to lead, even though there will be pressures from the frailty of human mind. SrI rāmasvāmi aiyengār points out that it is normal and natural that the prapanna’s mind goes through periods of depression and elation following prapatti, and svāmi deśikan addresses these and gives his views on how to overcome these. He is addressing these thoughts and advice to his own mind to illustrate the point for us.
It is Natural To Have Periods of Depression Following prapatti (Slokam 23)
bhagavān has already assured through various ways that once a cetana has done prapatti, it is His responsibility to give moksha to the prapanna at the end of this life. However, human mind is frail, and so a prapanna can feel depressed because he can be drawn back to the dictates of his indriya-s. SrI rāmasvāmi aiyengār points us to nammāḻvār’s śaraṇāgati to tiruvēnkaṭamudaiyān in tiruvāi mozhi 6–10, which is immediately followed by his crying out to bhagavān to save him from the onslaught of his indriya-s. He also refers to svāmi deśikan’s ashṭabhujāshtakam, where he describes how he ascends aloft in the spiritual ladder and how he again falls to the ground - all this notwithstanding the fact that the Merciful Lord, our Refuge, waits nearby determined to help us.
Reasons To Feel Reassured and Elated (Slokam 24)
svāmi deśikan reminds us again that when prapatti is done through an ācārya, bhagavān is bound to bestow moksha on the prapanna because He will never go against the wish of the ācārya. There is no other benefit higher than moksham, and so there is no need for a prapanna to think back and look for temporary pleasures like even svarga. There is also no need for the prapanna to be concerned about continued pains and pleasures that he undergoes during the rest of the life in this world after prapatti. This is inevitable and needs to be gone through as part of the prārabdha karma that is left to be enjoyed, and is thus inevitable. So the bottom line is that the prapanna should lead the life of kaimkaryam to bhagavān and enjoy it, while awaiting moksha at the end of this life.
Bhagavān is Ever-Forgiving
Bhagavān has undertaken the responsibility to give moksha to the prapanna, and is infinitely Merciful in forgiving any apacāra-s, and there is no need to fall at the feet of another man for any favor or reason whatsoever. Once the responsibility for the prapanna’s protection has been placed under His care, there is no need to praise or serve any one else in thought, word, or deed. The servitude to anyone else does not make sense when the pleasure of kaimkaryam to bhagavān is open to us. This is not only true of praising other humans, but even the likes of brahma and Siva, who can only confer transient and temporary benefits.
The Ultimate Truth, The Ultimate Wealth
svāmi deśikan brings out some of the greatest gems of truth very elegantly in Slokam 30. These are:
- The greatest of wealths is the bhāgyam to do kaimkaryam to pirāṭṭī and perumāḷ;
- The greatest of ignorances is the feeling of independence from Him;
- The greatest knowledge is the realization that the divya dampati-s are the abode of limitless guṇa-s and wealth of every kind in its perfection;
- all this - in other words, the bhāgyam to do nitya kaimkaryam to Them in SrI vaikuṇṭham eternally, is obtained by one who has understood the significance of prapatti and performed śaraṇāgati at the divya-dampati’s Lotus Feet.
In Slokam 31, the sequence of events in a prapanna’s life is very briefly captured. First, the cetana gets the dvaya mantra upadeśa from the ācārya (i.e., he does prapatti). This eradicates all previous sins which have not yet started to bear fruit. All future sins that are done unknowingly are forgiven by bhagavān. After the effects of the karma-s for which this birth had been assumed are over, the prapanna can attain moksham any time he desires. When this life comes to an end, bhagavan leads the prapanna with His own parivāra of nitya-sūri-s etc. through the arcirādi mārga to SrI vaikuṇṭham. Through the karuṇā of bhagavān the prapanna’s Self Knowledge becomes perfect, and He is blessed with the gift of eternal and permanent pleasure of nitya kaimkaryam to the divya dampati-s.
Conclusion
svāmi deśikan concludes the stotra by pointing out that bhagavān is in śrīrangam in the form of Lord ranganātha, (and in other divya kshetra-s as the different arcā-mūrti-s), only to give us the opportunity to do kaimkaryam to Him in this world and derive the pleasure that a prapanna will get when he is in śrīvaikuṇṭham. svāmi deśikan composed “nyāsa tilakam” outlining the steps involved in prapatti as revealed to him by Lord ranganātha, and those who surrender to Him and do prapatti are assured of the ultimate wealth and pleasure of kaimkaryam to Him here and hereafter.
—dāsan kṛshṇamācāryan
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