Raghuveera Gadhyam -Yuddha KhAndham --Part 5

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GS : 52 : prathisayana bhumikA bhooshitha payOdhi

puLina ! Jaya ! Jaya !

 

Hail to Thee O Raghuveera , who beautified the assembly

of sands of the beach (at ThirupullANi ) through your lying down

on them in a bed of sacred grass in observance of

Your PraayOpvesam ! Hail to Thee !

 

(Background ) : Facing the ocean that separated him from

the kingdom of RavaNA , Sri Ramachandra contemplated on

the method to cross the Ocean and reach LankhA . VibhishaNa,

who had been blessed with SaraNAgathi at the Lord's feet suggested

that Sri Rama can achieve his objective , if he sought refuge in

Samudra Raajan (Samudram RaagavO RaajA saraNam

ganthumarhathi ). LakshmaNA and Sugreeva concurred with

VibhishaNA's counsel . Rama accepted their counsels .

 

He spread blades of sacred grass on the sands of the beach and joined his

palms as a mark of respect to the Sea-God and laid down on that bed of

Dharbham (Dharbha Sayanam ) facing eastward . He used his mighty

arm as a pillow for his head. The description of the beauty of that

powerful arm of Raghuveeran supporting his head is enjoyed by

Valmiki in many verses of the 21st sargam of Srimadh RAmAyaNam .

 

Swami Desikan refers to these slokAs of Valmiki (slokas 3-8 , Sargam 21) ,

when he salutes Dharbha sayana Raman's beautiful arms and the

heroic poisture adopted by him during his praayOpavesam ( To lie on a grass

bed with control over one's body , speech and mind until one achieves

the kaarya siddhi ) . Swami calls this act of the Lord as Prathisayana

BhoomikA or the play acting of PraayOpavesam that was making

the whole sea shore beautiful . As the Lord of the Universe , Rama

did not need to ask for the help or shelter of the Sea-God . Yet he acted

as though he was asking in the proper way , since he wanted to be

consistent with his avathAram as a human being , the son of Dasaratha.

 

Thirumangai AzhwAr is overcome with the beauty of the Raghuveeran

in his Darbha Sayanam pose and assumes the role of ParakAla Nayaki

and in moving paasurams pours forth his sorrow over separation

from her Nayakan . These ThirupullANi paasurams are drenched

with the mood of Vipralambha SringAram .

 

The name ThirupullANi is derived from Thiru+ Pul+aNai/ThirupullANi

( Dharbha Sayanam ) . Thiruppul and Thoopul are one

and the same name for Dharbham. Swami Desikan

hailing from the village of Thuppul has a natural affection for the beauty

of the Lord resting on Dharbhasayanam at the beach of Aadhi Jagannatha

Kshethram and salutes that beauty of the Lord adorning the sea shore..

 

I will conclude this posting with the Periya Thirumozhi 9.4.9 verse of

Thirumangai saluting the Dharbha sayana Raaman at ThiruppullANi :

 

vedamum veLviyum viNNumirusudarum ,

aadhiyumAnAnaruL tanthavaa namakku ,

podhalarum punnai soozh pullANi kai thozhutEn ,

Odhamum naanum urangaathirunthEnE

 

The play act performed by the Lord as though he was a powerless

human being--veda vedhyE parE pumsi jaathE DasarathAthmajE--

was saluted by Swami Desikan as Prathisayana BhoomikA.

Swami had Thirumangai's reminder in mind about that person (Rama)

who declared himself as a mere Maanusha ," the helpless human being",

pretending as the one needing the help of the Sea-God. Parakaala

Nayaki let out the secret about the true identity of that play actor resting

on the beach.

..

The above Paasuram of Parakaala Nayaki decribes and salutes that

aadhi purushan as the aadhAra Purushan , who created the Vedaas ,

who performs the YaagAs, who generated the pleasure-giving bhulokam ,

who caused the birth of the Sun and the Moon and stays as the primordial

God of all Gods saluted by Purusha Sooktham . Nayaki goes on to say

that she stood before Him with anjali mudra seeking His dayaa and He

did not respond. She describes her condition as a state of sleeplessness

as a result of the sorrow over the separation form her Lord .

She compares her sleeplessnes to that of the eteranlly vigilant waves ,

which also can not take any rest. They heave and break without rest

like her sorrowful heart. Both do not sleep . Such is the sowndharyam

of Darbha Sayana Raaman that Parakaala Nayaki and Swami Desikan

saluted .

 

Jaya jaya Raghuraama Sri mukAmbhoja BHaanO

jaya Jaya Raghuveera SrimadhambhOja netra I

 

Jaya Jaya RaghunAtha Sri KarAbhyarchitAngrE

Jaya Jaya Raghuvarya Sreesa KaaruNya SindhO II

 

Jaya Jaya Vara sankha Srigadhaa chakra dhArin

Jaya Jaya nija daasa prArthithArtha PradhAyin I

 

Tribhuvanamaya Sarva PrANi bhavajna VishNO

SaraNam upagathOham tvAm saraNyam VarENyam II

 

Sri Dharbha Sayana Ramachandra ParabrahmaNE nama:

 

Sri VaishNava Daasan ,

 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan