May Vayudeva grant us a good mind!

उद्यद्विद्युत्प्रचण्डां निजरुचिनिकर व्याप्तलोकावकाशो
बिभ्रद्भीमो भुजे योSभ्युदितदिनकराभाङ्गदाड्यप्रकाण्डे ||
वीर्योद्धार्यां गदाग्र्यामयमिह सुमतिं वायुदेवो
विदध्यादध्यात्मज्ञाननेता यतिवरमहितो भूमिभूषामणिर्मे ||

In this fifth shloka of the Hari Vayu Stuti, Sri Trivikrama Panditacharya offers a prayer on behalf of all of us that Sri Mukhyaprana Vayu may grant us a good (benign) mind such that it may be filled with the knowledge of Bhagavanta!

He says:

May this अयं Vayudeva वायुदेवः grant विदध्यात् a wise/good mind सुमतिं on me मे.

In order to please Vayudeva to grant this wish, the author praises him by glorifying his greatness shown in his avatara as Bhima.

He says Bhima bore an excellent mace!

Bhima भीमः bore बिभ्रत् the best among maces गदाग्र्यां.

The radiance of that mace was like that of a tremendous lightning that just emerged. It was a mace that was capable of being lifted by only the most capable.

The radiance of the mace was like the rising उद्यत् lightning विद्युत् that was tremendous प्रचण्डां. It could have been lifted उद्धार्यां only by the most capable वीर्यः.

Such an amazing ‘gada’ was always kept by Bhima on his shoulders the upper arms of which were decorated by bracelets that appeared lustrous like the rising sun!

The gada was borne on the shoulders भुजे whose upper arms प्रकाण्डे were with आड्य bracelets अङ्गद that were lustrous अभा like the risen अभ्युदित sun दिनकर.

Such an amazing Vayudeva is omnipresent in his most radiant form!

With his natural radiance निजरुचि in abundance निकर Vayudeva is everywhere व्याप्त at all places in this world लोक अवकाशः.

Sri Vayu is the giver of (true) spiritual knowledge and the one whose glory is sung by even the very best of ascetics.

Sri Vayu is the giver नेता of true spiritual knowledge अध्यात्मज्ञान and his glory is sung महिता by even the best of ascetics यतिवर.

Sri Mukhyaprana (Madhwacharya) is truly the jewel of the world!

He is the decorative jewel भूषा मणिः of this world भूमि.

The shloka can be summarized thus:

Sri Vayudeva:

• Bore, in his avatara as Bhima, the most excellent of maces on his shoulders that shone with armlets which appeared glorious like the rising sun. The mace itself was lustrous like a lightning that had just emerged. Only the very best were capable of lifting such an amazing mace.
• Is omnipresent everywhere with this natural radiance in abundance.
• Is the giver of true spiritual knowledge
• Is glorified and praised by the best of ascetics.
• Is the most precious jewel of this world.

May such Vayudeva grant us a wise mind!

Note:

The main purpose of this shloka as conceived by Sri Trivikrama Panditacharya is to seek knowledge and wisdom from Mukhyaprana. In order to please him to grant wisdom, the author chooses to glorify the Bhima avatara of Vayu and praises especially the gada of Bhima. The curious mind would definitely wonder why the glorification of Bhima’s mace when the goal is to seek knowledge.

In order for an individual to attain jnana or true philosophical knowledge, the most important requirement is that ignorance and wrong knowledge are eliminated. That is – ‘ajnana’ and ‘mithyajnana’ must be removed.

Shastra says that Kali is the personification of ajnana. His presence in us causes ignorance and as long as his influence is not removed, one does not attain true knowledge.

Shastra also declares that it is Vayudeva who destroys Kali, albeit with the permission and grace of Sri Vishnu. When Kali finally finishes his sadhana in the Brahma Kalpa and qualifies for eternal naraka or ‘andhantamas’, Vayudeva smashes the Linga Shareera of Kali and all the other Daityas with his gada. With the blow of Vayu’s gada, the Tamo-yogya Jeevas lose their Linga Deha and attain Andhantamas.

This unique attribute of Vayudeva is also illustrated in the Mahabharata where Bhimasena rids this world of the presence of Duryodhana who was the Avatara of Kali. Bhima kills Kali with his gada.

The gada of Bhima is thus the chief instrument through which Kali is destroyed. Therefore, if we remember this quality of Vayudeva and Bhima, we are sure to be blessed with the grace of Vayu and the removal of Kali from our polluted minds is certain to happen. Once our ‘mati’ is cleansed of ajnana, we become qualified for ‘sumati’.

Hence the description of Bhima holding his gada is extremely apt in this shloka where we seek sumati from Vayudeva.

Sri Krishnarpanamastu