Raghuveera Gadhyam : Uttara KhAndham--Part 6

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Dear Rama BhakthAs :

 

In this posting I will cover the Gadhyam salutations 92 and 93.

 

GS 92 : SRI RAMABHADRA ! JAYA ! JAYA !

 

(Meaning ) : Hail to Thee O RamabhadrA! Hail to Thee !

 

(Comments ) : He makes every one blessed by darsanam of His

sarvanga sowndharyam . His subhAsrayam confers limitless

auspiciousness to those , whose eyes are blessed to have His

sevA bhaagyam at his divya desams .

 

Saint ThyagaraajA experienced this bliss and celebrated it through

his raptourous outpourings , which took the form of bhakthi-laden krithis.

>From early morning till ardha Jaamam , this Rama BhakthA was

immersed in the ocean of bliss of the enjoyment of the Lord's Thirumeni .

 

I will refer to some of the krithis , where Saint ThyagarAjA enjoyed the

beauty of Ramabhadran. In his KolAhala Raga Krithi ( Madhi lona

Yochana bhuttu ledhA ? maharAja RajeswarA ! ) , he comes straight out and

reveals to Sriman NarayanA that he has always regarded His RamAvathAram

as the best of His ten avathArAs ( padhi vesamulalO Rama vesamu

bahu bhAgunuchu goru nannu bhrova ) .

 

In his long and beautiful Bilahari Raga Krithi , DorakunA , he describes the

beauty of Ramabhadran that he was blessed to see seated on a swing

with His PrANa Nayaki , SitA devi . He describes the sight with ecstasy :

" --a darsanA of the Lord as the repository of all beauty (Maragatha MaNi

sannibha dehambhuna ) with His emerald-like body clad in shining golden

garments , with the colour of His foot-nails outshining the rays of the moon ,

with brilliant anklets , with dazzling diamond rings on His fingers , with pearl

garlands on His chest , with face radiant with glowing ear-ornaments and

charming smile , curly forelocks , glossy cheeks , and with lovely tilakA on

the forehead , a DarsanA as that of Sri RamabhadrA seated on the golden

swing with SitA , the fulfiller of devotees' desires ---".

 

Overcome by the experience of Sri RamabhadrA's rupa MahimA ,

the Saint uses the raga GuntakriyA and cries out : " Is it possible

even for BrahmA , Indra and others to describe your beauty (Inthanuchu

varNimpa taramA ? BrahmendrAdhulakaina ? ) . O father of Manmatha!

Is it possible to describe the beauty of Your benign look ,

your charming face that surpasses the moon in splendour ,

---Your hand that blesseth and your natural GuNAs ? O KalyANa

Ramachandra ! even the Gods and the VedAs and the SaastrAs

can not have any conception of the glory of Your prowess ."

 

In the krithi Muddhu Momu set in the MeLa raagam , SuryakAntham ,

the saint describes the blessed state of the devotees who are enchanted

by the athi lAvaNyam of the Lord . The saint himself was overcome

by the beauty of each limb of Ramabhadra and he is at a loss to

focus on the beauty of one limb over the other . He expresses his

confusion this way in the Suddha Desi Raaga Krithi , Yenthu kogalinthurA? .

He expresses his dismay with the statement : " Which portion of Your body

am I to embrace and how much am I to describe ? O beautiful RamA

whom SitA Devi has treasured in her heart ! Your speech alone is

speech! Your smile alone is smile !Your brilliance alone is brilliance !

( Needhu palukE palukurA ! needhu kulukE kulukurA !

needhu taLukE taLukurA ! ) .

 

In the krithi set in Rudra PriyA raagam ( LaavaNya RaamA ! ) , he states

unabashedly : " O Charming RamA ! Bless me with Your benign looks .

Your mental disposition , Your charms and Your methods are unique .

Why should one seek protection from Taamasic Gods ? " .

 

In his Kannada GowLA krithi , Saint ThyagarAjA , " Sokasu jooDa taramA ? Nee " ,

he asks RamA Himself the question : " Is it possible to see such a beauty

as Your face shining with glossy cheeks , -- Your lips which resemble

a ripe bimbA fruit , Your chest adorned with garlands of VakuLA

flowers , Your smiles , Your forelocks and the brilliance of Your Eyes ? ".

What can Sri RamabhadrA say ? He blessed His parama Bhaktha to

have continued darsana janitha aanandham .

 

In his DevaghAndhAri raga krithi , the saint stated that it is impossible

for him to forget the bewitching beauty of Ramabhadra (MaravakarA nava

manmatha Rupuni ) and concluded his krithi with the declaration that

He will worship Ramabhadra with the lotus of his heart all his life

( ajanmamu hrudh raajeevamuthO pujinthura Thyagarajanuthuni manasA ).

 

Finally in the famous MayAmALava GowLA krithi ," Meru SamAna dheera ,

RaghuveerA ! juthAmu raaraa maha meru --" , this great Rama BhakthA

reconciles the tatvam of Raghuveeran with that of the Ramabhadran.

One is the awe inspiring heroic tatvam embodied by Raghuveeran ;

the other is the sowmyA (auspicious , benovolent ) tatvam represented

by Ramabhadran . His prayer to the Lord of SitA Devi is most moving :

 

" O RamabhadrA , firm like the Majestic Meru mountain !

Pray come to me so that I may feast my eyes with the captivating

beauty of Your form , Your graceful gait , Your shining blue body ,

the lovely curls on Your forehead , the attractive shape of Your TilakA,

Your blooming cheeks , the brilliance of Your face , the golden

jewels that adorn Your neck . "

 

The other intrepretation for the 93rd salutation as RamabhadrA is

rooted in the Vedic texts. The Bhadra aspect will take us to BhadrAchalam

and another Rama BhakthA , who built the temple for Him on

the banks of the river , where Rama and Sita sported during their

sojourn in the forest . That Vedic intrepretation is associated with

the famous Rg Veda manthram :

 

bhadram karNebhi: sruNyAma devA bhadram pasyEmAkshabhiryajathrA :I

sthirair angais tushtuvAmssas tanubhir vy asema devahitasm yadhAyu : II

-----Rg Vedam Canto : 1.90.8

 

(Meaning ) : O Learned people ! May we wiht our ears listen to what is

beneficial . O persons , worthy of sacred deeds , May we see with our

eyes that is beneficial. May we , engaged in Your praises , enjoy with firm

limbs and sound bodies , a full term of life dedicated to the supreme being . "

 

That Bhadram hinted by this Rk of Vedam is " Ramabhadram" that Saint

Thyagaraja , BhadrAchala Ramadas , Talapaakam Anamacharya ,

AcharyAs and AzhwArs celebrated all their lives on this earth .

 

GS 94 : NamasthE punasthE nama:

 

(Meaning ) : O Lord Ramabhadra of such auspicious , limitless

KalyANa guNAs ! O Sarveswara! I salute Your lotus feet again

and again and prostrate before You .

 

Sri RamachandrEthi dayAparEthi

bhaktha priyEthi bhava bandhana mochanEthi I

naathEthi naaga sayanEthi sadhA sthuvantham

maam paahi bheetham anisam krupaNam krupALO II

----Sri Rama KarNAmrutham 3. 114

 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan