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Re: Comments on Rama Avathaar

 

 

 

The following is forwarded from Nagu Satyan. Her email address is

Nagu.Satyan

 

 

Varadhan

 

> COMMENTS RE SRI RAMA AVATHAAR

>

> Based on some articles I have read, I would like to offer the

> following comments re Sri Rama Avathaar. Some of these incidents were

> described in the Tamil magazine Gnyaana Bhoomi.

>

> 1. In one of the ongoing intensive battles between Asuras and Devas,

> the Asuras were defeated very severely by the Devas. Sukracharya is

> the Guru for Asuras. Sage Brigu's wife Bhoolomaa, Sukracharya's

> mother, decided to help the Asuras and started doing a very harsh and

> intense penance. The Devas were alarmed by the severity of the

> penance and begged Lord Vishnu to come to their rescue. Lord Vishnu

> intervenes and in a rage hurled the Sudarshanam disc at Brigu's wife

> and beheaded her. When Brigu saw her knocked down dead, he was

> saddened by the loss of his wife and cursed Lord Vishnu that He

> (Vishnu) would be born as a human being and suffer the pain and sorrow

> of being separated from His wife. With the prowess of his divine

> strength, Sage Brigu revived his wife back to life. Because of Sage

> Brigu's curse, Vishnu was born as Rama, son of Dasaratha and suffered

> from the separation of his wife Seetha.

>

> Comment-- At the outset it appears incredible that Vishnu was the

> recipient of a curse from anybody. He did not have to accept Sage

> Brigu's curse nor did He as Rama have to endure the various pain and

> sufferings. However, I believe Vishnu 's intentions was to show His

> people that no one is above the rules of conduct, including Him, and

> all of us have to face our destiny. To enforce the Dharma, Lord

> Vishnu proved this point by using Himself as the subject/object.

>

> Vishnu as Krishna Avathaar also was the recipient of a harsh curse

> from Ghandhaari. At the end of the Kurukshethra war, Ghandhaari is in

> tremendous pain and sorrow after having lost all her sons. When Lord

> Krishna visits her to offer his condolences, her pain reveals as anger

> and she curses him that the whole Yadhava clan would perish. The

> tragic way the Yadhavas are destroyed is unbelievable, even with

> Krishna born into that clan. Again, Vishnu as Krishna accepts and

> endures the curse to demonstrate that even He is bound by the rules of

> conduct.

>

> 2) Some of Rama's actions are indeed contrary to His nature. One of

> these actions is the method He resorts to kill Vali. Without even

> addressing here whether Vali deserved this treatment, we can discuss

> the fact that Rama recognizes that the method he resorted to kill Vali

> from behind the tree is not acceptable neither as a kshaththriya nor

> as a Avathaar. The difference between Rama Avathaar and Krishna

> Avathaar is that in Dvaapara Yuga Krishna believed that means

> justified the end, whereas in Rama's time because Dharma was still

> prevalent Rama did not believe in the means. He gives Vali the boon

> that in the next birth Vali would be the cause of the end of Rama's

> (Vishnu's) Avathaar, which happened in Dvaapara Yuga when Krishna was

> killed by a hunter (Vali) who mistakes the toe of Krishna to be the

> animal. There is a saying in Tamil " Raaman kaatiya paadai, Krishnan

> koduttha Geethai" and "Krishnan saidadai saiyaadE, Krishnan sonnadai

> sai."

>

> 3) Lord Vishnu and The Avathaars are eternal. Each Avathaars role is

> determined and shines in the predetermined era. However, the

> Avathaars resurface at the appropriate time. When Lord Narayana took

> Sri Rama avathaar to protect the Devas from Ravana, Lord Adisesha was

> born as his younger brother Lakshmana. Lakshmana spent his whole life

> selflessly serving Rama with utmost love and devotion. When Rama

> observed that Lakshmana was fully engrossed in serving Sri Rama

> without thinking about his needs, Rama had a yearning to be born as

> Adisesha's younger brother to serve him. Accordingly, in the Dvaapara

> Yuga, Lakshmana was born as the older brother Balarama and Rama as

> younger brother Krishna. It appears that Rama (Krishna) was not fully

> satisfied that he had served Adisesha (Balarama). Rama was waiting

> for another opportunity to be born to serve Adisesha. In Kali Yuga,

> Sri Ramanujacharya came to earth as Adisesha's manifestation. Sri

> Rama waited for the opportune time and manifested as Daasarathy

> (Mudaliaandaan, nephew and disciple of Sri Ramanujacharya), devoted

> student of Sri Ramanujacharya and served him to fulfill Rama's desires

> in Thraita Yuga.

>

> 4) As Rama, Vishnu did not use His divine strength to overcome

> obstacles, unlike in Krishna avathaar where He had to resort to many

> tricks to uphold Dharma. Krishna would now and then reveal to others

> that He was none other than Srimad Narayana. There are two specific

> instances that I know where Rama's divine form was revealed in that

> Yuga, and once He appeared as Rama Avathaar in Kali Yuga for

> Thirumangai Azhwar. The first instance is at Seetha swayamvaram, when

> an enraged Parasurama appears at the court after he sees through his

> divine eyes that the bow has been broken. When angry Parasurama

> confronts Rama, Rama reveals that He is none other than Lord Narayana,

> and Parasurama recognizes the end of his role in the era. (There is a

> marked difference in end of Avathaar versus end of role. Parasurama

> is one of the seven Chiranjeevis and is immortal.) The second

> instance occurs in the forest when Rama is searching for Seetha who

> has been kidnapped by Ravana. Along the way Rama comes across Jatayu

> in Thiruppullam Poothangudi (Tamil Naadu) who is waiting for Rama to

> inform him about seeing Seetha being taken to Lanka. After Jatayu

> dies, Rama prepares for performing the last rites. However, shastra

> required that Seetha be next to Rama during the religious rites. When

> Rama was pondering about this situation, Bhoomi Devi (Lakshmi Piraatti)

> appeared from the nearby pushkaranee (pond) on a red lotus and

> requested that Rama perform the rites with her in place of Seetha.

> Accordingly, Rama fulfilled his duties to Jatayu and being tired slept

> under a tree in sayana kolam. In the same spot a temple was built for

> Rama. The original version of moolavar is Rama in sayana yogam, with

> the bow in his left hand on seven-head Adisesha, with Bhoomi Devi at

> the feet, and Lakshmana and Jatayu close to Him at the back. After

> the incident with Thirumangai Azhwar when Rama provides dharshanam to

> him, the moolavar permanently became Rama in sleeping posture with

> four arms carrying conch, disc, bow and arrow.

>

> Comments re Moolavar-- Sri Rama revealed his divinity in Kali Yuga to

> Thirumangai Azhwar. After Srimad Narayana and Lakshmi appeared as a

> newly married couple to save Thirumangai Azhwar from committing theft,

> he was touched by the fact that the Lord was preventing him from

> continuing the robbery and traveled to visit the divya sthalams and

> reached the place called Thiruppullam Poothangudi. When he visited

> the temple he saw the moolavar with a bow in one of his hands and

> thought "what is this pose with a kshaththriya lying down with a bow?

> " and turned back without offering his respect. He had just

> approached the Dwajasthambam when he become faint and lost his vision.

> In this state of not being able to see his way, he briefly turned

> towards the moolavar. There to his surprise he saw Sri Rama's

> darshanam in the sleeping posture with four arms carrying conch, disc,

> bow and arrow. Thirumangai Azhwar blessed by this divya darshanam

> repented for his action and recited the following pasuram:

>

> " arividhariyaan anaiththulagumudaiyaan ennaiyaaludaiyaan

> kuriyamaaniyuruvaai chootthan manniyamarumidam

> nariyamalarmEl surampaarkka yayilaar manjai nadamaada

> porikol siraivandu esaipaadum pullum poothangudi thaanE!

>

> Since that event with Thirumangai Azhwar, Sri Rama has been providing

> dharshan to the devotees in this form, with four arms carrying conch,

> disc, and bow.

>