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Sri raama sthuthi- post 1

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Dear Sri Vaishnava perunthagaiyeer,

>From Sri Raama navami of 2001 onwards, we did the sthothram of Sri Raamaa,

enjoyed and drowned ourselves in the bliss of that raama sthuthi, eulogizing

raamaa, the dharma personification. This was through the mouth of viraadhan

the anti-hero, as given the poet laureate kamban. From this post onwards, we

will enjoy same Sri Raama sthuthi through another anti-hero, vaali. With

well wishes from all of you, let us live that bliss of seeing the televised

sthuthi by kamban forming part of vali raama samvaadham thru this email

medium.

 

It may not be proper to put it across the character of vaali as villainy,

for he did no harm to the hero of raamaayaNam Sri raama, nor to his wife,

nor to raamaa's children also. Of course hero's friend sugreevan (su +

greevan = one who has beautiful neck) and his wife rumaa suffered at the

hands of this anti-hero.

 

Poet kamban puts all his language command at his simple best, to give such a

depth and lyrical beauty combined with as much divinity [as in any other

sthOthram by others] in this vaali sthuthi. This sthuthi has 5 verses. One

verse preceding these 5 verses, forming part of the samvaadham (dialogue)

between vaali and raamaa, is so sweet and glorifying the naama prabhaavam

that this soul will not be satisfied of having shared the sthuthi without

covering this verse. Hence we will have that preceding verse first.

 

All the readers are familiar with raamaayaNam, that vaali episode appears in

kishkindhaa kaaNdam etc. At the behest of sugreevan raamaa agrees to kill

vaali. Hiding himself, raamaa shoots the arrow, which pierces vaali's chest

and he is down. Vaali sees the arrow protruding in his chest bearing the

raama naamam. Now the verse of kamban

 

Mummai saal ulagukku elaam moola manthiraththai muRRum

ThammaiyE thamarkku nalgum thanip perum padaththaith thaanE

ImmaiyE ezhumai nOikku marunthinai raama ennum

Semmai sEr naamam thannaik kaNgaLil theriyak kaNdaan.

 

meanings for few words:

Mummai - moonRu- three

Thamarkku- adiyaarkku - to the servants

Padhaththai- sollai - words

Ezhumai nOikku- 7 piRavigal aagiya nOi- the sickness called the seven births

Semmai- siRappu- specialty

 

Meaning: In all the three worlds [dhEva lOkam, manushya lOkam, asura lOkam]

people of the respective worlds realise that naamam [name]. For one who

utters, meditates, contemplates on that naamam, that naamam begets the owner

himself of that naamam to such a devotee. The naamam is so unique. That

naamam can singularly destroy all the sins of the seven births, like the

medicine which eradicates the route cause of sickness to this body. Such a

special divya [divine] naamam is seen by vaali.

 

Points: 1. Vaali looks at the arrow, which pierced his body in his anxiety

to check to what depth it has gone. He sees the arrow bears the raama

naamam. See the exclusive description of that raama ennum naamam - what all

it is-

- mummai saal ulgukkelaam moola manthiram

- thamarkku thammaiyE muRRum nalgum

- thaanE thanip perum padam

- immaiyE ezhumai nOikku marunthu

- semmai sEr naamam

All that glory of the naamam is put across so simply and sweetly [meaning

given above].

 

2. See the description how he sees the arrow- semmai sEr naamam thannaik

kaNgaLil theriyak kaNdaan- that naamam- inscription in the arrow glows. This

naama

1. glows and catches his sight first

2. catches his attention

3. reflects in his eyes

4. the vision leads the mind to read,

5. reading leads to uttering

6. uttering to dharsanam of the lord - bearer of that naamam.

These all done in spite of the moment that he is about to die- arrow bearing

that naamam has pounced and pierced- blood flows. At that moment he sees the

naamam. The naama aakarshaNa sakthi is put across so nicely- kaNgaLil

theriyak kaNdaan.

 

Kamban could have simply put vaali saw the raama naamam in the arrow. But

see the grand manner in which the naama prabhaavam is expressed. When the

Lord's grace is to be bestowed on a person, he showers the capacity of

realising the glory of his naamam first to the person.

 

3. See what azhvaar has to say on this-

PErE varap pithaRRal allaal en pemmanai aarE aRivaar- 56 mudhal

thiruvanthaadhi

Hey, who knows our lord except that we know his name first and that too not

in a regular fashion, but as a pithaRRal- mixed up speech. PEr mun vara-

naamam comes first, then the lord is pulled by the power of that naamam- so

that these scrambled words become sweet music- naama mazhai- naadha mazhai-

because that naamam is semmai sEr naamam - which gives semmai- ozhungu-

regularity- neatness.

 

4. The arrow bears the raama namam, has hit vaali. The naamam has burnt all

the sins of vaali. See the glory of that raama naamam. The tool bearing the

naamam is so powerful to first make the powerful vaali also to befall. Then

a mere look at the naamam gives next the power, to have the dharsana

sowbhagyam of that supreme lord raama. ThammaiyE thamarkku nalgum thanip

perum padam -sol- naamam -aayiRRE andha raama naamam- that naamam brings

forth the lord himself to that devotee- thamarkku.

 

5. Sri kaliyan starts his prabhandham with vaadinEn vaadi- nalam tharum

sollai naan kaNdu koNdEn naaraayaNaa ennum naamam. This he does not stop

with first pasuram but all the ten in that padhikam. He asserts, I did find

that naaraayaNaa- ennum naamam- not the Lord himself- he does not say I

found the Lord- but his naamam- kaNgaLil theriyak kaNdaar.

 

Since the length becomes more we will continue this verse in next post also

before we really take up the sthuthi.

 

Dhaasan Vasudevan M.G.

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