Kulasekhara and Kambhanattaazhwaar

[Guest guest]

Dear Members of the Prapatti group:

As referred to earlier, the subject is monumental.

It will take many postings even to scratch at the surface of

comparing the works of two great Rama Bhakthas.

I will take an illustrative example here.

I have made 4 audio tapes for one Sri Rama Navami

that cover the subject in little more details. That covers

Pancha Rama Kshetrams (Ayoddhi, Thiruvelliangudi,

Thiruvellore, ThiruppuLapoothangudi and Thirupputkuzhi).

These tapes contain krithis of Thyagaraja as well in the

body of the tapes. One day , we can get them reproduced and

distribute them and collect some funds for a good cause

and send it to India or use it for covering part of

the cost of production of the 108 Divya desam CD ROM.

Yes, We ahve that project , which needs additional

attention now.

 

Kulasekhara Azhwaar"s magnum opus on Sri Ramachandra

is the decad on Thillai Thiruchitrakootam . He has covered

the Sampoorna Ramayanm here. He salutes the Lord as

the one, who enjoyed the bliss with Sita Devi at the foot hills

of Chitrakootam. Kambar has a whole chapter on the beauty of

Chitrakootam. Here Rama shows to Sita the many

beautiful aspects of Chitrakootam. This section is a tender

address of Sri rama to his beloved consort, who forsook the

pleasures of the palace to accompany him.

One verse is symbolic of the beauty that Kambar Captured.

These verses defy translation. I will try anyway.The verse is:

 

UVARIVAAI ANRIPPARKADAL UDAVIYA AMUDEH

TUVARIN NEER MANITTHADAM THORUM IDAM

THOURUM TUVANRI

KAVARI PAAL NIRA VAAL PUDAI PEYARVANA KADITHIN

PAVALA MAAL VARAI ARUVIYAIPPPORUVANA PAARAAI

 

Here Rama addresses Sita and points out the multifacted

beauty of Chitrakootam. He says: " O Dear One,O My nectar,

who chose to appear out of the milky ocean instead of the

salty sea! Please see the beautiful site of the descending

white cascade coming down the mountainside studded

with red Padmaraga gems. Does it not the water

fall look like the swiftly moving white tails of deer moving

across the red slopes of the mopuntains?

Kambar describes in the other verses of this section

the splendid beauties of Chitrakootam .

Kulasekhara was moved by the beauty of Tillai nagar

that he was reminded of the beauty of the Chitrakootam

of the north and called Tillai as Thiruchitrakootam. He

was a great Rama Bhaktha and was moved by the beauty

of the Archa murthy of that Kshetram and saw in Govinda Raja

Sri ramachandra and composed his Sampoorna Ramayanam

then and there.

 

I will take for illustraion purposes the 10.3 verse of PerumaaL

Thirumozhi ( Breaking the bow of Siva to marry Sita In the

Svayamvaram ) . The verse starts with the first line:

" Sevvari naR nedunkaN Sethaikaahi ".

Meaning of this verse is as follows: I salute the feet of those

Thondars,of Sri Rama seated in Tillai Thiruchitrakootam at

the temple with big MadiLs and moats with mighty waves.

He is the valourous one , who broke into two the mighty bow of

Siva to take the hand of Sita with the beautiful long dark eyes

with red rekhas. He is the one , who on the way from Mithila to

Ayoddhya confronted the haughty Parasurama and broke

his beautiful bow as well. I salute the feet of those Thondars,

who worship Sri Rama of Tillai Chitrakootam having the intimidating

bow (KOthandam ) in his mighty arms.

 

Kambar has dozens of verses dealing with the topics

covered by Kulasekhar Aazhwaar succinctly summarized.

We will just describe the beauty of Rama as described by

Kambar. That verse is as follows:

 

ThOL kandaar ThOleh kandaar thpdu Kazhal Kamalam anna

TaaL kandaar ThaaLeh kandaar Tadakkai kandaarum Ahdeh

VaaL konda KNNaar Yaro Vadivinai mudiyakkandAr

OoZH konda samayatthu annaan Uruvu kaNdarai otthaar.

 

This verse describes the beauty of Rama as seen by

the beautiful women of Ayodhya.Those, who fixed their gaze

on the beauty of the shoulders of Rama did not move their

sight away from his shoulders. Those , who saw the lotus feet

wearing the ankle ornamnet denoting his valour did not shift

their eyes from those sacred feet. Those, who started to look

at the big and beautiful hands did not look elsewhere. No one

saw all the limbs of the beautiful Rama that day. They dwelled

on their favorite limbs and were like the people of different

religions visualizing the Para Brahmam in their own favorite

form .

 

I must agree that it is indeed a monumental task to capture the

enjoyment of Sri Rama by Kulasekhara nd Kambar in this mode

of posting. I think, a kalakshepam format permitting a leisurely

approach dwelling on the multilayered meaning of these verses

is a better approach.

 

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan

fr

[Guest guest]

On Mar 28, 11:30pm, V. Sadagopan wrote:

>I think, a kalakshepam format permitting a leisurely

> approach dwelling on the multilayered meaning of these verses

> is a better approach.

>

> Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan

> fr

>

>-- End of excerpt from V. Sadagopan

 

 

They are (some of the verses of 4000) indeed containing multilayered meanings

of which commonly sought and conceived by our achaaryaaLs are three (3) layers

of meanings for many of the them. *SOME* of them have mantric values also as

similar to mukya mantrams and moola mantrams and sundara kaandam of RaamaayaNam

and swami desikan's slOkams.

 

SR