Ramayana Commentaries

[Guest guest]

[ From Sri M.G. Srinivasan, our old friend who has the pleasure

of residence at 'kOyil', i.e., Srirangam. -- Mani ]

 

Dear Sri. Mani:

 

In the introduction to a modern translation of Srimad

Ramayanam (of Valmiki), the following passage occurs:

 

Begin quote

In the preparation of the translation and annotation of the epic, ten

Sanskrit commentaries have been examined. These are, in roughly

chronological order: the vivekatilaka of varadarAja uDAli, the rAmAnujIya

attributed to rAmAnuja, the tattvadIpikA of maheSvaratIrtha, the

amRtakataka of mAdhavayogin, the rAmAyaNabhUshaNa of govindarAja, the

rAmAyaNatilaka of nAgeSa bhaTTa, the rAmAyaNaSiromaNi of vamSIdhara

(bansidhara) SivasahAya, and the dharmAkUTam of trayambaka makhin. In

addition, extracts from the commentaries of satyatIrtha, munibhAva, and

sarvajnanArAyaNa have been used.

 

These works range in date from around the middle of the thirteenth century

A. D. (in the case of varadarAja) to the eighteenth (in the case of

trayambaka), and vary from the sparse glosses of the former to the dense

and often copious commentaries of mAdhavayogin, govindarAja, nAgeSa, and

SivasahAya, who have at least something to say on almost every verse in

the poem.

End quote

 

I believe among the commentaries mentioned above, those of uDAli (also

known as uDAri), rAmaAnuja, and govindarAja are along the lines of Sri

vaishNava precepts. I think the translators have not heard about the

taniSloki of Sri PVP because it is not available in English. As you pointed

out in a recent posting, the rAmAnuja referred to above is not Sri

emberumAnAr.

 

In just about eight hours from now Sri Ranganatha will set out to visit

Kaveri Thayar, tomorrow being the 18th day of the month of ADi. The Lord

has had a long rest since there was no utsavam since about the end of June.

Hoping to catch a glimpse of Him,

 

dasan Srinivasan