Sri Guna Rathna Kosam : Part 59: slOkam 50

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs of Sri RanganAyaki ThAyAr:

 

The 50th slOkam is the beginning of a set of slOkams

through which Swamy ParAsara Bhattar instructs us that

MahA Lakshmi is the UpAyam ( Means for Moksham ) ,

UpEyam ( the Goal , the Lakshyam and PrApyam )

and that She is a Vibhu like Her Lord . She as

Bhagavathi has Thulya SeelA ( equal in auspicious

features in every aspect with Her Lord ,the BhagavAn).

 

In these slOkams as elsewhere in Sri GuNa Rathna Kosam ,

Swamy ParAsara Bhattar elaborates on the doctrines

housed in AchArya RaamAnujA's SaraNAgathi Gadhyam

(first choorNikai) ,Swamy KurEsar's Sri Sthavm and

Swamy Alavandhaar's ChathusslOki .

 

AchArya RaamAnujA started HIs SaraNAgathi Gadhyam

with the salutation to the abhimadha,anuroopa Roopa-

Svaroopa-GuNa -Vibhava-Isvarya-SeelA aspects of

Sri RanganAyaki and concluded the first choorNikai

with Prapatthi to Her: " akhila jaganmAtharam ,

asaraNya-saraNyAM ananya-saraNa: SaraNam aham prapadhyE".

 

In the 50th slOkam , Swamy ParAsara Bhattar

pays tribute to Sri RanganAyaki ThAyAr as

the SaranAgatha Rakshaki. The effectiveness of

Thrijadai's SaraNAgathi to SeethA PirAtti is

used an example here. Swamy ParAsara Bhattar

points out that Her "UkthyA kshamou" was suprior

to Her Lord's SaraNAgatha RakshaNam in the case of

VibhishaNaazhwaan and KaakAsuran . Swamy Desikan deals

at great length on the SaraNAgathis of VibhishaNan and

KaakAsuran in his Sri Sookthi known as "Abhaya

PradhAna Saaram ". The 50th slOkam of Sri GuNa

Rathna kOsam is as follows:

 

Maathar-Mythili! RaakshasIs-thvayi tadhaiva-ardhrapardhAs-thvyaa

RakshanthyA PavanAthmajaallaghudharaa Raamasya GhOshti kruthA

Kaakam tamcha VibhIshaNam SaraNamithi-ukthikshamou rakshatha:

Saa na: saandhramahAgasas-sukhayathu KshAnthis-tavAkasmikI

 

Here Swamy ParAsara Bhattar addresses Sri RanganAyaki

as " Maathar-Mythili". Oh My Mother Mythili! You are my

nirupAdhika (Unconditional) Janani (Mother)! You took on

the incarnation of SitA to accompany Your Lord during

RaamAvathAram. You were kidnapped by RaavaNan and

he incarcerated You in AshOka Vanam and put ugly

and cruel Raakshasis as Your guards . They tormented

You and comitted so many apachArams and goaded You to

marry their king, RaavaNan. Among all the Raakshasis

was one by the name Thrijadai , who was the daughter of

VibhIshaNan. She had a dream in which she saw Raavanan

being destroyed by Lord Ramachandran and His retinue of

Monkeys and bears.She woke up from her dream

and counselled her fellow raakshasis to save

themselves from the wrath of Lord Raamachandran

by performing SaraNAgathi at the sacred feet

of SitA PirAtti :

 

tadhalam krUravAkyairva: saanthamEva abhidhIyathAm

abhiyAchAma VidhEhimEdadhi mama rOchathE

---Sundara KaaNDam , Srimath RaamAyaNam : 27.54

 

(meaning): Oh RaakshasIs ! Enough of your threatening

words to SitA Devi ! Please speak to Her with humility

from now on. Let us beg SitA Devi to protect us from

Her Lord's anger . This is the only appropraite thing

to do.

 

PraNipAtha prasannA hi MaithilI JanakAthmajA

ALAMESHAA parithrAthum RaakshasyO mahathO BhayAth

--Sundara KaaNDam , Srimath RaamAyaNam : 27.57

 

(meaning): If we pray to SitA PirAtti and seek Her

refuge and protection, She will not be angry at us

anymore. She has the full power to protect us from

the great harm that is ahead of us.

 

HanumAn was witness to these statements by Thrijadai

counselling Prapatthi at the feet of SitA PirAtti.

 

Now the scene shifts from Sundara KaaNDam to

Yuddha KaaNDam .The same HanumAn , who had

witnessed the maltreatment of SitA DEvi by

the Raakshasis has another opportunity to

witness the greatness of SitA PirAtti.

 

The time was after RavaNa samhAram. The place was

AshOka Vanam in Lankai. HanumAn had rushed to

SitA Devi's side to let Her know that the destruction

of RavANan at the hands of Her Lord had taken place.

There HanumAn saw all the Raakshasis , who had

committed the offense of causing pain to SitA Devi.

HanumAn was mighty mad and sought the paermission of

SitA PirAtti to destroy those RaakshasIs .He pointed out

that the demonesses have no repentence over the treatment

they meted out to SitA PirAtti in their role as Her

jailors. He argued that all of the RaakshasIs

deserve to be killed :

 

imAsthu khalu RaakshasyO yadhi thvamanumanyE

hanthumicchAmi thaa: sarvA yaabhisthvam tarjithA purA

--Sri ValmIki RaamAyaNam: Yuddha KaaNDam: 113.30

 

(meaning): Oh SitA PirAtti! " If You permit me ,

I for my part would surely make short work of

all these notorious RaakshasIs , by whom You

have been intimidated in the past " .

 

The most merciful SaraNAgatha rakshaki ,SitA

PirAtti counselled HanumAn against such rash

deeds with these very famous words:

 

paapAnAm vaa SubhAnAm vaa vadhArhaNamaTApi vaa

Kaaryam kaaruNyamAryENa na kascchinnaparAdhyathi

--Sri VaalmIki RaamAyaNam : Yuddha KaaNDam:113.45

 

(meaning): " Compassion should by a noble soul

towards sinners as well for the good , nay ,

even for those desrving death . There is none

who never committs a wrong."

 

In the next slOkam , SitA PirAtti goes

one step further to reveal Her DayA Svaroopam:

 

lOka-himsA-vihArANAm krUrANAm paapakarmaNAm

kurvathAmapi paapAni naiva kaaryamasObhanam

--Yiddha KaaNDam: 113.46

 

(meaning): " No evil should be done even to those

cruel men of sinful deeds , who revel in genocide ,

and continue to perpetrate sins". She implies

that they should be saved , if they seek protection.

 

HanumAn, the scholar in Nava VyAkaraNam answers

SitA PirAtti appropriately and praises Her as

the Consort worthy of the Lord in being the abode

of GuNa Rathnams including DayA , SaraNAgatha

Vaathsalyam and Rakshakathvam:

 

yukthA Raamasya bhavathI dharmapathnI GUNAANVITHAA

pathisamdisa maam Devi gamishyE yathra Raaghava:

--Yuddha KaaNDam : 113.48

 

(Meaning): Oh Maathar Mythili! Jagan MaathA !

Thou art indeed the pefect match for Your

great husband as a dharma pathni . You match

His anantha KalyANa GuNams in all aspects.

Please give me a mesage to take back to Your Lord !

 

HanumAn understands the power of the earlier appeal of

Thrijadai on behalf of the offending Raakshasis to

SitA Devi.The most merciful Mother rememberd that

appeal and protected the Raakshasis.

 

AdiyEn will continue with the many layers of meanings of

this 50th slOkam in the next posting(s).

 

Sri RanganAyaki ThAyAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SaTakOpan