3.8 Kamale! You remain on Seshadri Natha's chest being bathed by waters of Ganga from the valampuri conch

Sloka 8

उरगाद्रिपतेरुरःस्थलस्था

कमले तद्गळशङ्खगर्भमुक्तैः

शुचिहारमहः सुरस्रवन्ती

सलिलैरम्ब सदाभिषिच्यसे तवम्

uragādripateruraḥsthalasthā

kamale tadgaḻaśaṅkhagarbhamuktaiḥ

śucihāramahaḥ surasravantī

salilairamba sadābhiṣicyase tavam

உரகாத்₃ரிபதேருர:ஸ்த₂லஸ்தா₂

கமலே தத்₃க₃ளஶங்கக₃ர்பமுக்தை:

ஶுசிஹாரமஹ: ஸுரஸ்ரவந்தீ

ஸலிலைரம்ப₃ ஸதா₃பி₄ஷிச்யஸே த்வம்

Commentary:

Mother Kamale! You remain on Seshadri Natha’s chest being bathed by the sacred white waters of Ganga (the effulgence emanating from the white pearl necklace on his neck) that emerge from the middle of the superior valampuri conch (his neck).

தாயே! கமலே! சேஷாத்ரிநாதனின் மார்பில் விளங்கும் நீர் உயர்ந்த வலம்புரிச் சங்கின் (அவரது கழுத்தின்) மத்தியிலிருந்து வெளிப்படும் வெண்மையான கங்கை நீரினால் (அவரது கழுத்திலுள்ள முத்துமாலையிலிருந்து வெளிப்படும் வெண்மையான காந்தியினால்) அபிஷேகம் செய்யப்படுகிறாய்.

Bathing once in the waters of Ganga is considered very holy. Here the poet says that the light from the pearl chain on EmperumAn’s chest performs thirumanjanam for PirAtti constantly. It is customary to compare one’s neck to the conch. Here the conch is Valampuri, the best among conches befitting with the object it is being compared to namely EmperumAn’s neck. The white light from the pearls is compared to GangA’s water that is white in color.

The choice of words and the comparisons used display the rich poetic skills of Sri

VenkatAdhvari. He is SeshaSaila nAyakan (uragAdri pati). Her residence is His chest (urasthalam). She is therefore “uragAdripate: urasthalsthA”, the One seated on His chest. Her Lord’s neck, which resembles the rare conch known for its beauty and three folds (Valampuri Sankham) sports a white pearl necklace from where emanates a copious flow of white radiance that resembles the flow of the river GangA. PirAtti is bathed in the white radiance of the rays emanating from the white pearls of the necklace on the neck of Her Lord. It is recognized that bathing even once with GangA waters held in a white conch is most sacred. In the case of PirAtti, this bath from GangA waters from the Valampuri Sankham/ pearl necklace proceeds without interruption (Sankha garbha muktai: Suci hAramaha: surasravantI salilai: abhishicyase sadA).