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Paadhuka Sahasram agra maNi mAlA 

Pranavakara Vimanam of Srirangam

The VedAs and the Lord's sacred Paadhukais
 

The VedAs prostrate before the Lord's sacred feet and eulogize them. Swamy NammAzhwAr is seen as the Paadhukais of the Lord by the VedAs during their time of adoration of the Lord's holy feet . The Vedams hear the echo of PaadhukA Sahasram there under the PraNavAkruthi VimAnam of Lord RanganAtha . The VedAs recognize that PaadhukA Sahasram was composed by Thrayyantha Guru, Swamy NigamAntha Desikan and get enraptured in listening to the 32 slOkams , which form the beginning of each of the 32 Paddhathis (agra maNi of the PaadhukA sahasram). AchAryAs reveal that the recitation of this mAlA (garland )/performance of of Japam of these 32 slOkams as a complete sthOthram will be blessed with all auspiciousness.

SrI RanganAtha PaadhukA Sahasra Agra MaNi MaalA
 

Here are those 32 slOkams and their brief meanings. The detailed meanings of the SlOkams are covered in the respective Paddhathis, in the Paddhathis section of  SrI RanganAtha PaadhukA Sahasram webpages.

Individual Agra MaNis of this MaalA
 

SlOkam 1:

Santha: SrIranga-pruTveesa charanathrANa SEkharA:
Jayanthi bhuvana-thrANa padhapankaja rENava:
 

(Meaning): Great men adorn on their heads the PaadhukAs of Lord RanganAtha ( The Lord's Paadhukais/SatAri= Swamy NammAzhwAr). These pious men adorn the Paadhukais with high reverence. The Lord's SatAri makes them shine gloriously among their fellow men. The dust from the feet of such BhAgavathAs --adorning the Lord's SatAris on their heads -- is potent enough to grant protection (Salvation too) for the beings of the three worlds.

SlOkam 2:

vandhE VishNu padhAsaktham tamrushim thaam cha PaadhukAm
yaTArTA SaThajith-samkjn~A macchittha vijayAdhyayO:
 

(Meaning): adiyEn pays obesiance to Swamy NammAzhwAr (SatakOpa) and the Paadhukais of the Lord. Both are closely attached to the feet of the Lord .Both have the name of SatAri or Satajith. Both got this name of SatAri because both conquered a dushtan. Paadhukais conquered the dushtan by the name of Satan and Swamy NammAzhwAr conquered this dushtan (adiyEn) , who strayed away from the Saastaic injunctions established by Lord RanganAtha.

SlOkam 3:

VandhE Tadh-RanganATasya mAnyam paadhukAyOr-yugam
unnatAnAm-avanathi: nathAnAm yathra chOnnathi:
 

(Meaning): I salute the celebrated pair of Paadhukais of the Lord of SrIrangam , which make the tall become small (humble) and vice-versa. Swamy Desikan means that those , who are haughty are reduced in rank and are humbled by the Paadhukais. Similarly , those who humbly worship the Paadhukais get elevated and receive the full blessings of the Lord.Even the Lord Himself becomes taller , when He adorns His Paadhukais and becomes shorter, when He steps down from them.

SlOkam 4:

bhajAma: PaadhukE yAbhyAM BharathasyAgrajastadhA
prAya: prathi-prayANAya prAsTaanikam akalpayath
 

(Meaning): We salute the Paadhukais , which were given to BharathA (at Chitrakootam) by Lord Raamachandra. Those Paadhukais of the Lord were sent as a parasthAna vasthu by RaamA in anticipation of His safe return to AyOdhyA fourteen years later. ParasthAnam is a practice, where one who can not start on a journey at an auspicious time sends one or more of his property ahead by practicing parasthAnam/prAsTAnikam (the ritual to be observed in the context of travel).

SlOkam 5:

prashasthE rAmapAdhAbhyAm paadhukE paryupAsmahE!

Anrushamsyam yayOrAsIdh AshritEshvanavagraham!!

We meditate on the Paaduka,-which exhibits a merciful disposition to the devoted ones, brooking no blockade and which shows greater powers than the feet of the Lord.

SlOkam 6:

adIshtE pAdukA sA mE yasyA: sAktavAsibhi: !

anvayavyatirEkAbhyAmanmIyata vaibhavam !!

THAT PAADUKA is my topmost Goddess - whose greatness was correctly inferred by the people of Ayodhya in the sense that when Paaduka ruled, all in the nation was good and auspicious; and when Paaduka was not the ruler, all went amiss.

SlOkam 7:

pAhi na: pAdhukE! yasyA:

viDhAsyan aBhishechanam

ABhiShEchanikam BhANdam

chakrE rAma: pradakshiNam

Oh Paaduka! May You protect us! We recall that when Rama circumambulated the religious collection of materials assembled, on the eve of His departure to the forest, He had visualized, presumably so, this event-namely, the coronation of Yourself now.

SlOkam 8:

aBhiShEkOthsavAth thasmAth yasyA niryAthanOthsava:

athyarichyatha thAm vandhE BhavyAm BharathadhevathAm

I pay homage to that Paaduka, the Deity of Bharata, the auspiciousness-conferring Deity, whose Restoration-festival (of being returned to Rama's Feet) was more grand than the coronation festival.

SlOkam 9:

namasthE pAdhukE! pumsAm samsArArNavasEthavE

yadhArohasya vedhAnthA vandhivaIthALikA: svayam

Oh Paaduka! My prostrations to You who is served by the Upanishads acting as panegyrists and announcers, say, at the time of the Lord wearing You who is the bridge for humans to cross the ocean of samsara.

SlOkam 10:

shoUrE: shrungArachEShtAnAm prasUthim pAdhukAm BhajE

yAmESha BhunkthE shuDdhAnthAth pUrvam paschAdhapi praBhu:

Oh Paaduka Devi! My humble prostrations to You, who create for the great creator Lord Ranganatha, a variety of amorous activities; indeed the Lord enjoys You passionately, before and after in between his love-plays in the harem!

SlOkam 11:

agrasthasthE gamiShyAmi mrudhnanthI kushakaNtakAn

 ithi sIthApi yadhvrutthimiyESha praNamAmi thAm

I prostrate to that Paaduka Devi, whose duty even Sita wished to perform, when she said, "I shall go ahead of You (the Lord), trampling, with the feet, on the grass and thorns on the way".

SlOkam 12:

shoUrE: sanchArakAlEShu puShpavruShtirdhivashchyuthA

paryavasyathi yathraIva prapadhyE thAm padhAvanIm

I surrender myself to that Paaduka at which the rain of flowers showered by the Devas ultimately resides.

SlOkam 13:

pAnthu: va: padhmanABhasya pAdhukAkELipAmsava:

ahalyAdEha nirmANaparyAyaparamANava:

May the dust of the Paaduka's movement protect You all, the dust which perhaps proved to be the atoms to generate the body of Ahalya.

SlOkam 14:

shruthInAm BhUShaNanAm thE shankE rangEndhra pAdhukE!

miTha sanGarshasanjAtham raja: kimapi shinjitham

 Oh Ranganatha Paaduka! The musical sound generated from the gemstones on You, as the Lord walks through the streets, looks as though it were produced by mutually competing Veda branches, serving You as adornment, praising You.

SlOkam 15:

udharchiShasthE rangEndhrapAdhAvani! bahirmaNIn antharmaNiravam shruthvA manyE rOmAnchithAkruthIn

Oh Ranganatha-Paaduka! The external gems on You emit a rare splendor now. What is the reason? Oh it is due to their horripilation on hearing the melodious Nada caused by the interior gems.

SlOkam 16:

muKhabAhUrUpAdhEBhyO varNAn sruShtavatha: praBhO: prapadhyE

pAdhukAm rathnaIrvyakthavaraNavyavasThithim

I surrender to Paaduka which exhibits the different colours from different gems on it-in the same manner as the Lord gave rise to the 4 varnas (Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Sudra) from His Face, Arms, Thighs, and Feet respectively.

SlOkam 17:

prapadhyE ranganathasya pAdhukAm padhmarAgiNIm

padhaIkaniyathAm thasya padhmavAsAmivAparAm

I surrender myself to Paaduka, who is another Mahalakshmi, being padmaragini (having Padmaraga=ruby gems) like Lakshmi (loving to live in the lotus), and who is ever bound to the Lord's feet only (like Lakshmi ever being one participating in all the roles, such as the control of all worlds, being Seshi, etc., permanently sharing in His duty).

SlOkam 18:

baDdhAnAm yathra nithyAnAm mukthAnAmIshvarasya cha

prathyaksham shEShashEShithvam sA mE siDdhayathu pAdhukA

There is a special relationship between Bound ones, Nitya sooris, and Emancipated souls on the one hand and the Lord on the other. They are all sesha bhootas (lieges ever) and He, the master, the Seshi. The paaduka explicitly proclaims this by containing pearls (Muktas), ever (Nitya) bound (Baddha) on itself and behaving as a Sesha to the Master. May that paaduka be my goal!

SlOkam 19:

vandhE gAruthmathIm vrutthyA maNisthOmaIscha pAdhukAm

yayA nithyam thuLasyEva harithathvam prakAshyathE

I pay obeisance to Paaduka, inset with green gems-emeralds, which have Garuda as their devata. Both Paaduka and Garuda are alike in their duty assignment and in appearance /constitution. Paaduka resembles Tulasi too. Whereas Paaduka exhibits Hari-tatva (the principle called Hari), Tulasi exhibits Harita-tatva (the greennenss).

SlOkam 20:

hariNA harinIlaIscha prathiyathnavathIm sadhA

ayathnalaBhyanirvANAmAshrayE maNipAdhukAm

The Paaduka obtains ornamentation from the Lord and from the sapphire gems. This is a permanent feature, as also its effective effortful life. Ironically, it will secure fruits without effort. It guides us also in effortless securing Moksha. I surrender to that Paaduka!

SlOkam 21:

shoUrE: shuDdhAnthanArINAm vihAramaNidharpaNam

prasatthEriva samsThAnam padhathrANamupAsmahE

We reverentially meditate on the Paaduka-which serves as a mirror in which the Duvine Consorts look in a playful fashion, and which is an incarnation so to say, of the Lord's grace as well as the crystal clarity of the Lord.

SlOkam 22:

kalyANaprakruthim vandhE BhajanthIm kAnchanashriyam

padhArhAm pAdhukAm shoUrE: padha Eva nivEshithAm

I worship the Paaduka, made of gold, of unique auspiciousness, suited to the Lord's Feet; the Paaduka is an affluence-mark. Like Mahalakshmi, the Paaduka too acquires a place in His body.

SlOkam 23:

sruShtAm BhUmAvananthEna nithyam shEShasamADhinA

aham samBhAvayAmi thvAmAthmAnamiva pAdhukE!

Oh Paaduka! I regard You as a Jivatma 'created' in this world as an example of servile a soul ought to be, with respect to the Lord; this creation may be said to be by Adisesha himself, (who is the finest example of Seshatva) or by the Lord Himself. [Ananta=Adisesha, as well as the Lord].

SlOkam 24:

prapadhyE pAdhukArUpam praNavasya kalAdhvayam

Otham mithamidham yasminnananthasyApi thathpadham

I pay obeisance to the twin Padhukas, which together represent the pranava composed of the infinite Paramatma and the limited Jivatma (represented by A and M respectively); the Lord's foot (of infinite course in Trivikrama form) and the Lord of infinite nature are also intertwined.

SlOkam 25:

aNOraNIyasIm viShNOrmahathOpi mahIyasIm

prapadhyE pAdhukAm nithyam thathpadhEnaIva sammithAm

I cling to the Paaduka-as my only shelter-which Paaduka adapts a form to suit the Lord's Feet, whether he is in a mini-particle size as an atom or in a mammoth-sized form-this the Paaduka does as the Lord himself does.

SlOkam 26:

udhagrayanthrikAm vandhE pAdhukAm yannivEshanAth

uparyapi padham viShNO: prathyAdhiShtaprasADhanam

I pay obeisance to the Paaduka, which has got an upward-directed knob (between the 1st  and second toes), that serves as an embellishment to the Lord's foot on the upper side as Paaduka is below; in fact, there is no need for any other ornament for the feet when this knob is there.

SlOkam 27:

sUchayanthIm svarEKhABhiranAlEKhyasarasvathIm

alEKhanIyasoUndharyAmAshrayE shoUripAdhukAm

I cling to the Paadukas of the Lord-the Paaduka that possesses streaks which represent the unwritten Vedas and which are of a beauty that cannot be depicted by writing.

SlOkam 28:

kalAsu kAShTAmAthiShTan BhUmrE sambanDhinAmapi

pAdhukA rangaDhuryasya BharathArADhyathAm gathA

One who is adept in the field of fine arts bestows a kind of popular respectability even on his near and dear ones. (The moon, with 16 digits, the full moon, makes the ocean swell in joy; it also blossoms the water-lily. A person of wealth confers a stature on his relatives, too, according to Brihadaranyaka.

SlOkam 29:

viDhoU pravrutthE yaddhravyam guNasamskAranAmaBhi:

shrEya: sADhanamAmnAtham thathpadhathram thaThAsthu mE

May that high-potency Paaduka by virtue of guna, samskara and name, was a great force of assistance to the Lord during His tours, and is praised in that fashion in sacred literature, grant me likewise, a great affluence!

SlOkam 30:

prathiShTAm sarvachithrANAm prapadhyE maNipAdhukAm

vichithrajagadhADhArO viShNuryathra prathiShTitha:

I surrender unto the Paaduka, which is the abode of all wonderful things; on which the Paaduka stands firm, the Lord, who is the very foundation for all worlds of a variety of kinds of mysterious phenomena.

SlOkam 31:

prapadhyE pAdhukAm dhEvIm paravidhyAmiva Svayam

yAmarpayathi dhInAnAm dhayamAnO jagadhguru:

The great 1st Acharya, the Lord Ranganatha, had furnished the Paaduka as a Supreme Vidya, as a path for Moksha; this path has been specially appropriate to poor pitiable persons with little equipment of any type; the Lord has provided it in His great grace. That Paaduka Devi I cling to as my sure means of salvation.

SlOkam 32:

upAKhyAtham thaThAthvEna vasiShTAdhyaIrmaharShiBhi:

upAyaPhalayO: kAShTAmupAsE rAmapAdhukAM

I worship the Paaduka, which has rightly been conceded the greatness of being acclaimed as the ultimate end, as upaya (Means) and as upaya (fruit), by competent seers like Vasishta and Valmiki.

SrI RanganAyaki SamEtha SrI RanganAtha ParabrahmaNE Nama:
Swamy NammAzhwAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Namo NamO SrI NigamAntha MahA DeskAya
SrI NaarAyaNa YathIndhra MahA DesikAya Nama:

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan

||  Sriranganaatha divya MaNi PaadhukhAbhyAm Nama:  ||