Paribhāṣā

dāsa-dāsars

தாஸ தாஸர்கள்

Also known as: dasa dasars, servant of servants, servants of devotees

Meaning

Servants of the servants; those who serve not only Bhagavān but also the devotees of his devotees, expressing multiple layers of humble servitude.

Detailed Explanation

Dāsa-dāsars — Servants of Servants

Dāsa-dāsars (Sanskrit: dāsa — servant; dāsa of dāsa) is a compound denoting those who consider themselves the servants of devotees who are themselves the servants of Bhagavān. This recursive humility reflects the Śrī Vaiṣṇava ideal that the highest state of śēṣatva is not just to be Bhagavān's servant but to be the servant of his servants — and even the servant of the servants of his servants.

The concept reflects a chain of bhāgavata śēṣatvam where each link is a devoted servant who in turn deserves to be served by those below. The Āzhvārs articulate this disposition repeatedly — Nammāzhvār calls himself the servant of the servants of Bhagavān's devotees throughout Thiruvāimozhi.

In Yathīndra Pravaṇa Prabhāvam, Māmunigaḷ's disciples consider themselves the dāsa-dāsars of Māmunigaḷ, who is himself the dāsa of Nammāzhvār, who is the dāsa of Bhagavān Raṅganātha — forming a hierarchy of devoted servitude.

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