Raghuveera Gadhyam: Uttara KhAndam: part 2

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Dear Bhakthas of Raghu Veera :

 

Let us commence these postings with the two tributes

of Sage Valmiki to the supreme ruler(Chakravarthi )

Ramachandra. They are :

 

Tamevam guNasampannam apradhrushya parAkramam I

lokapaalOpamam nAtham akAmayatha medhinee II

 

(Meaning ) : Earth seeks to have as its master, the aforesaid

Rama of Unfailing might , and vying with the guardians of the

quarters , endowed as he is with the above-mentioned virtues.

 

aanrusamsyamanukrosa: srutham seelam damassama: I

Raghavam sobhayatyEtE shaDguNA: purushotthamam II

 

(Meaning ) : Six GuNAs adorn Sri RamachandrA: Protection of those ,

who seek refuge at His holy feet , Compassion , Knowledge of the

inner meanings of the VedAs ,The uninterrupted and ease of union

even with those who are no match to Him (Sowlabhyam ) ,

Control of mind and the control of the Karma and JnAna IndriyAs .

 

Such a celebrated emperor was RamA , who ruled the Earth

after His return to AyodhyA following his victory over the evil RavaNA .

 

Gadhya Salutation (GS ) 77 : Haataka giri kataka laDaha paada

peeta nikata Thata parilutitha nikhila nrupathi kireeta kOti vividha

maNi gaNa kiraNa nikara neerajitha charaNa rajeeva ! Jaya ! jaya !

 

(meaning ) : Hail to Thee , O Raghuveera with the Lotus feet ,

which have been illuminated by the Neerajanm (Aaratthi ) of

the beams of resplendent rays emanting out of the gems adorning

the edges of the crowns of all the kings prostrating themselves

at the foot of your throne(SimhAsanam ) , which is as broad as

the foot hills of mount Meru ! Hail to Thee !

 

Sri Rama is sitting on His imperial throne with His dEvi

in the darbhAr at the time of His coronation. The vassals of

the empire have assembled in front of Sri Pattabhi RaamA's

throne and are offering their ShAshtAnga namaskArams .

The foot of the throne is broad like the foot hills

of the lofty Meru-mountain like simhAsanam. The kings are wearing

gem-studded crowns during this time of their prostrations before

their supreme Lord. The rays of light emanating from the mangaLa

deepams illuminating the DarbhAr reflect the lustre of the gems

adorning their crowned heads as they lower their limbs on

ground and lift themselves up. Those reflections arising from the

interaction of the light beams and the gems of the crowns appear

like a mangaLa aarathi raised in front of their newly crowned emperor,

Sri RamachandrA .

 

The occasion of performance of NeerAjanam (Aaratthi ) is an

auspicious one to celebrate the supernacy of the Lord during

His aarAdhanam . Saint Thyagaraja saw this splendid sight

of the darbhAr of SitAraman during the pattabhishekam at

AyodhyA with his mental eyes at his pujA graham and joined

with the assembled kings to conduct Aaratthi to the AkhilAdakoti

NAyakan in one of his Surutti Krithis :

 

Pallavi : Pathiki haarateerE SitA (pathiki )

 

Anupallavi : Athi mrudhutara satva bhashaNanuki

akhilAndha Naathuniki SitA (Pathiki haarateerE)

 

CharaNam 1 : bhangaruranghuku bhujanguni pyni

chelanguchunu maragathAngudu merupu

theraDguna merayu tana yanganathO palukanga

jUji yupponguju SitA ( Pathiki haarateerE)

 

CharaNam 3 : raja vibhAkara raja dharAmara

raja suAja virAjulu chooDaka

rajamAnamagu gAjulu gallana

raajitha Thyagaraaja nuthuniki Sri (SitA Pathiki

hArateerE )

 

Saint ThyagarajA sitting at his pujA graham on the banks of Cauveri

enjoys the splendor of this sight and is worried whether any drishti

dhosham will arise and hence he invites all the sumangalis assembled

in front of Sri SitApathi to offer Neerajanam to the Rajaathiraajan . He himself

joins them in this sacred rite . He says : " Let us offer NeerAjanam (Haaratthi

)

to our Lord , the Lord of the Universe , of sweet and mellowed speech ,

when He is seated on the golden-hued Sesha ( Sesha SimhAsanam ) ,

conversing with His consort SitA Devi of radiant beauty . Standing on

either side (of the throne) , let the(assembled ) ladies with charming

faces and shining ornaments offer the haratthi to the delight of DevAs and

Rishis ."

Sri RamachandrA's position as the supreme ruler of the Universe is

celebrated here with great bhAvam by the bard of ThiruvaiyAru in this Surutti

Raaga krithi .

 

GS 78 : divya BhowmAyOdhyAdhi Daivatha ! Jaya ! Jaya !

 

(Meaning ) : Hail to Thee , O Ubhaya Vibhuthi NaathA ! You rule

both the AyOdhyAs -- one invincible ( AyOdhya ) known as Sri VaikunTam

and the other one in Kosala Desam on this earth -- with equal ease

and display Your suzerainty .

 

Here Swami Desikan celebrates the Mukundha aspect of Sri RamachandrA

in the spirit of Mukunda MAla sthotram . King KulasekharA chose the word

Mukundha for Sri Kaakuthsa --RanganAthA for the combinatuion of the three

Aksharams , Mu , Ku and dha . Mu stands for Mukthi and Sri VaikunTanaathan

in invincible Ayodhya (Sri VaikunTam ) known as Parampadham . That is

Nitya Vibhoothi . The aksharA "ku" stands for the invincible capital of Sri

Rama

known as AyOdhyA onnthis Bhumi , which stands for the LeelA Vibhoothi. The

literal meaning of AyOdhyA is that which is invincible to enemies .Thus both the

AyOdhyAs --the Nitya and LeelA vibhoothis - are under the Lordship of the

emperor of emperors , Sri RamachandrA . Thus He is celebrated and eulogized

as Ubhaya Vibhoothi nAthan by Swami Desikan through this salutation.

 

Lokavatthu leelA kaivalyam.... Brahma Sutram 2.1.33

 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan