sri rama sthithi- post 7

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Vaishnava perunthagaiyeer,

 

We just saw in the previous post vaali realising that boons from sivan are

also useless, when the supreme Lord raama decides to punish (really?)

somebody like vaali. Now the next verse. Here in this verse, vaali says

sivan gets his powers from raama only by meditating on that almighty raama

naamam.

 

Maavalach chooliyaar vaazhththunarkku uyar varam

Oval aRRu udhaval nin oru thanip peyar iyambu

Aavalippu udamaiyaal aagum apporuLai yaam

DhEva niRkaNdaveRku aridhu enO thErinE.

 

Meaning for certain words:

Maa - periya - great

Vala - valimai koNda- one who has enough strength

Chooliyaar - soolam enRa aayudhaththai udaiyavar- sivan- one wields the tool

called soolam

Oval - ozhivu- intermission- tiredness

Aavalippu - pEranbu koLLudhal, serukkudhal, garvam koLLal, aasaip padudhal -

endearing with great love, boasting, to desire

ERku- enakku- to me

ThErinE- thErvu seyyum pozhudhu- while selecting, while short listing, while

choosing

Iyambu- seppu- sollu- utter, tell

 

Meaning: Oh lord raamaa, when considering deeply I realise that, Sivan, who

wields the tool called soolam, gets his powers from your name (naamam- nin

oru thanip peyar) only, because, he is always in constant meditation of your

name. With that power coming uninterrupted from your naamam only, he gives

endless boons to all the seekers who go to him. What is the use of all these

boons, when I am able to select and get at that naamam, and you, the owner

of such a powerful of naamam.

 

Points: 1. Oh, dear bhakthaas, see the power of that raama naamam is

expressed so beautifully. Already we saw in 4 posts the naama mahimai, naama

prabhaavam. That sivan also gets his powers to grant boons from this raama

naamam. Such great naamam vaali has seen- kaNgaLil theriyak kaNdaan, that is

why he is able to do all these sthuthis.

 

2. Not only vaali saw that naamam- but the owner of that powerful naamam

also. Then he is able to talk to him, argue with him, and then get his grace

aruL- varam. Then what else he needs. He now says "oh raama what else I want

when I am seeing you in my front", saying that he starts the sthuthi of

raama, [which is our topic here].

 

3. This word "aavalippu" is used very rarely in 4000 dhivya prabhandham. As

far as I know this word is available in thirumaalai 1st paasuram. [Learned

Bhakthaas can point out other places if any]. This paasuram reads

Moovulagu uNdu umizhntha mudhalva!

nin naamam kaRRa aavalippu udaimai kaNdaai

aranga maa nagar uLaanE- 1 thirumaalai.

 

Again the glory of the raama naamam- arangan naamam. This word aavalippu can

have all 3 meanings given above.

a. Oh, my ranga, the first and premier lord who resides in srirangam,

and who spit all the three worlds out after swallowing them, I learnt your

naamam and as such I can boast I know all things, I have to know.

b. Oh, my ranga, the first and premier lord who resides in srirangam,

and who spit all the three worlds out after swallowing them, I have great

desire to meditate on your naamam, having learnt it, please grant me the

power to retain this desire on your naamam properly.

c. Oh, my ranga, the first and premier lord who resides in srirangam,

and who spit all the three worlds out after swallowing them, I endear myself

with love in your naamam having learnt it and as such please allow me to

utter them.

 

4. This also triggers me to quote the porivaasal paasuram recently figured

in the discussions.

NeRi vaasal thaanEyaai ninRaanai ainthu

PoRi vaasal pOrk kathavam saaththi aRivaanaam

Aalamara neezhal aRam naalvarkku

AnRu uraiththa aalam amar kaNdaththu aran

- 4 poigai aazhvaar's mudhal thiruvanthaathi

 

That sivan also finds it difficult to meditate continuously on the great

naaraayaNa naamam- raama naamam. For doing this meditation, he has to shut

all the 5 outlets (5 porigaL) and then do the dhyaanam. If that is that

difficult for sivan himself, then think how difficult it will be for poor

souls like us. But this powerful naamam helps such poor souls also to go

into trance easily.

 

5. Again a confirmation for the srivaishnava basic tenets- that naaraayaNan

is only supreme, others are only a reflection of him.

 

6. When you do that "thErinE", the naama superiority is more emphasized and

established than the person himself. So "nin oru thanip peyar iyambum

aavalippu udamaiyaal aagum apporuLai yaam, dhEva, niRka kaNdEn, after that

enakku vEnduvadhu yaadhu- I do not want anything since the desire to learn

that powerful naamam is fulfilled, and the owner of naamam is standing here

in my front, and I bow to him. I eulogize him here and now. What else is

there for me to achieve.

 

7. A beautiful krithi of aruNaachala kavi- who wrote the full raamaayaNam in

simple tamil songs comes to mind- in raaga poorvikalyaani-

iniyaagilum ninai manamE ina kula thilakanai raagavanai

[Oh, mind, please think and recollect at least hereafter the raghavan, the

illustrious son of the soorya clan.] Forget about the past, start meditaing

on that raama naamam.

 

Before I conclude this post the next verse-

Yaavarum evaiyumaai irudhuvum payanumaaip

Poovum nalveLiyum oththu oruvarum podhumaiyaai

Yaavan nee yaavathenRu aRivinaar aruLinaar

Thaavarum padham enakku arumaiyO thanimaiyOi.

 

Dhaasan

 

Vasudevan M.G.