श्रीकृष्णद्वादशमञ्जरी
॥ श्री श्रीधरवेंकटेशार्येण कृता ॥
दुराशान्धो-ऽमुष्मिन्विषय-विसरावर्तजठरे
तृणच्छन्ने कूपे तृणकबललुब्धः पशुरिव ।
पतित्वा खिद्येऽसावगतिरित उद्धृत्य कलयेः
कदा मां कृष्ण त्वत्पदकमललाभेन सुखितम् ॥ १॥
कथंचि-द्यच्चित्ते कमलभव-कामान्तकमुखाः
वहन्तो मज्जन्ति स्वय-मनवधौ हर्षजलधौ ।
Vक्व तद्दिव्य-श्रीमच्चरणकमलं कृष्ण भवतः
क्व चाहं तत्रेहा मम शुन इवा-खण्डलपदे ॥ २॥
दुरापस्त्वं कृष्ण स्मरहर-मुखानां तदपि ते
क्षतिः का कारुण्या-दगतिरिति मां लालयसि चेत् ।
प्रपश्यन् रथ्यायां शिशु-मगति-मुद्दामरुदितं
न सम्राडप्यङ्गे दधदुरुदयस्सान्त्वयति किम् ॥ ३॥
प्रतिश्वासं नेतुं प्रयतनधुरीणः पितृपतिः
विपत्तीनां व्यक्तं विहरणमिदं तु प्रतिपदम् ।
तथा हेयव्यूहा तनुरियमिहा-थाप्य्भिरमे
हतात्मा कृष्णैतां कुमति-मपहन्या मम कदा ॥ ४॥
विधीशाराध्यस्त्वं प्रणय-विनयाभ्यां भजसि यान्
प्रियस्ते यत्सेवी विमत इतरस्तेषु तृणधीः ।
किमन्य-त्सर्वापि त्वदनभिमतैव स्थितिरहो
दुरात्मैवं ते स्यां यदुवर दयार्हाः कथमहम् ॥ ५॥
विनिन्द्यत्वे तुल्याधिक-विरहिता य खलु खलाः
तथा भूतं कृत्यं यदपि सह तैरेव वसतिः ।
तदेवानुष्ठेयं मम भवति नेहास्त्यरुचिर-
प्यहो धिङ्मां कुर्वे किमिव न दया कृष्ण मयि ते ॥ ६॥
त्वदाख्या-भिख्यान त्वदमल-गुणास्वादन भवत्-
सपर्यायासक्ता जगति कति वाऽऽनन्दजलधौ ।
न खेलन्त्येवं दुर्व्यसन-हुतभुग्गर्भ-पतित-
स्त्वहं सीदाम्येको यदुवर दयेथा मम कदा ॥ ७॥
कद वा निर्हेतून्मिषित-करुणालिङ्गितभवत्-
कटाक्षालब्धेन व्यसनगहना-न्निर्गत इतः ।
हताशेष-ग्लानिन्यमृतरस-निष्यन्दशिशिरे
सुखं पादांभोजे यदुवर कदासानि विहरन् ॥ ८॥
अनित्यत्वं जान-न्नतिदृढ-मदर्पस्सविनयः
स्वके दोषेऽभिज्ञः परजुषि तु मूढस्सकरुणः ।
सतां दासश्शान्त-स्सममति-रजस्रं तव यथा
भजेयं पादाब्जं यदुवर दयेथा मम कदा ॥ ९॥
करालं दावाग्निं कबलितवता देव भवता
परित्राता गोपाः परमकृपया किन्न हि पुरा ।
मदीयान्तर्वैरिप्रकर-दहनं किं कबलयन्
दयासिन्धो गोपीदयित वद गोपायसि न माम् ॥ १०॥
न भीरारुह्यांस नदति शमने नाप्युदयते
जुगुप्सा देहस्याशुचिनिचयभावे स्पुटतरे ।
अपि व्रीडा नोदेत्यवमतिशते सत्यनुपदं
क्व मे स्यात्तवभक्तिः कथमिव कृपा कृष्ण मयि ते ॥ ११॥
बलीयस्यत्यन्तं मदघपटली तद्यदुपते
परित्रातुं नो मां प्रभवसि तथा नो दमयितुम् ।
अलाभादर्तीनामिदमनुगुणानामदयिते
कियद्दौस्थ्यं धिङ्मां त्वयि विमतमात्मद्रुहमिमम् ॥ १२॥
॥ इति श्री श्रीधरवेङ्कटेशार्येणकृता
कृष्णद्वादशमञ्जरी समाप्ता ॥
Encoded by N. Balasubramanian bbalu@satyam.net.in
This poem is said to be a spontaneous composition
of Sridhara Venkatesa on seeing a procession in which
the deity was dressed as Krishna. When the procession
reached his house, the poet saw the Lord and was overcome
by emotion and poured out his devotion to Krishna
in the form of this poem. He pleads to the Lord
to redeem him from the worldly pleasures which
are like a blind well covered on the top by a
growth of grass. It is known that He is
above other gods but He should extend His mercy
to Him. He had put out the forest fire and saved
a cowherd on earlier occasions. Should He not
now put out the fire raging in his mind?
The poet aptly addresses Krishna as
Dayasindhu - ocean of mercy and seeks His grace.
LIFE OF SRIDHARA VENKATESA
श्रीकण्ठमिव भास्वन्तं शिवनामपरायणम्।
श्रीधरं वेङ्कटेशार्यं श्रेयसे गुरुमाश्रये ॥
Sridhara Venkatesa lived about 300 years ago in
Tiruvisanallur, a village in Tanjavur district in Tamilnadu. He was called
Tiruvisanallur Ayyaval (deeply respected person) out of great respect
people held for him. Even today he is known by that name only. He was
the son of Lingayaryar who was a minister to the Maharaja of Mysore. Even
as a young boy Ayyaval was deeply religious and in particular had great
devotion to Shiva but he made no distinction between Shiva and Vishnu. He
studied Vedas, shastras and puranas and had a great desire to travel and
spread the message of the puranas and in particular the glory of Lord's
name among the people. After his father's death the Maharaja wanted
him to take his father's job but he politely declined and left Mysore
state with his wife and mother. He came to Tiruchirapalli in Tamilnadu
and stayed for some time giving talks. He was supposed to have brought
back to life a woman who had died by praying to the Lord. This attracted
people who wanted him to solve their problems. Ayyaval did not like this
and left the place. He proceeded to Tanjavur. It seems that King Shahaji
(1684-1710.AD) who was ruling at that time in Tanjavur wanted him to
stay in Tanjavur but Ayyaval wanted to lead a quiet life. King Shahaji
was inviting scholarly brahmins to stay in his kingdom. He renamed the
village Tiruvisanallur as Shahajirajapuram. One street was allotted for
their stay. Ayyaval also stayed in a house there. Ayyaval was a proponent
of the view that in this dark age Kali chanting the lord's name will ward
off its evil effects. He was the senior contemporary of Bodhendra Swami
who was the 59th pontiff of the Shankara Math at Kanchipuram and who was
an ardent advocate of the glory of the lord's name. Ayyaval wrote a
book भगवन्नामभूषणम् (Bagavannamabhushanam) on the subject
which is sadly not available now. Bodhendra Swami had also written a book
नामामृतरसायनम् (Namamritarasayanam)on the subject wherein
he had made references to the work of Ayyaval. Once Ayyaval had to
perform a sraddha ceremony in his house. Therein food is prepared and
offered to the departed forefathers who are invoked in three brahmins
invited for the occasion. When every thing was getting ready Ayyaval
saw an outcaste with his family in a famished condition begging for
food. His heart melted with compassion at their condition. Without
any hesitation he offered them the food that was being prepared for
the ceremony.He then had the house washed and prepared to conduct the
ceremony again. But the brahmins in the village considered this act
reprehensible and refused to conduct the ceremony again. Ayyaval pleaded
with them quoting texts from the scriptures to support his action but the
Brahmins were not convinced. He asked them what he should do to remedy
the situation. They said that the only atonement was having a bath in
the Ganges. But there was no time to go to Varanasi and return. So he
prayed to Lord Shiva ( in Gangashtakam) to release the waters of Ganga
from His matted hair as he did on an earlier occasion for Bhagiratha.
Water started flowing out of the well in his house and flooded the
streets of the village. The villagers got scared and prayed to Ayyaval
to forgive them and stop the flood that was threatening the village. He
accordingly prayed again to stop the flooding and requested her to appear
in the well every year on that day. Even now people flock to that place
every year on that day and take bath in the waters of the well in the
belief that Ganga is present in the well on that day. Ayyaval had
composed a number of works some of which are not yet been printed and
some not available. Some of his works are listed below. (1) Bhagavannama
Bhushanam. (2) Akhyashashti. (3) Daya satakam. (4) Matrubhtasatakam. (5)
Stuti paddati. (6) Shivabhakthikalpalatha. (7) Shivabhaktha lakShanam. (8)
Taravali stotram. (9) Artihara stotram. (10) Kuliresvarashtakam. (11)
Jambhunathashtakam. (12) Doshapariharashtakam. (13) Krishnadwadasa
manjari. (14) Achyuthashtakam. (15) Dola navarathnamala. (16)
Padamanimanjari - a sanskrit dictionary. (17) Shahajiraja charitam.