Sri Rama Katha Sudha

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Srimate Srivan Satakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra

Maha Desikaya nama:

 

Sri Rama Katha Sudha

 

Srimad Valmiki Ramayana is, for us, the sole authentic

source of information for everything connected with

Sri Rama’s life and times. This is not only because

Sri Valmiki is the Aadi kavi (the first among all

poets, chronologically and otherwise) but also because

he was blessed by Sage narada with yogic powers to

witness Sri Ramayana as it really happened (“tat

sarvam dharma veeryENa yatavat samprapasyati”). Thus

Srimad Valmiki Ramayana is, so to say, an eyewitness

account of the actions of Sri Rama and others, in

public and private. This is the reason for the high

pedestal, which the work occupies in our Sampradaya

and elsewhere.

However, there has been any number of other poets who

have recorded for posterity their own anubhavams, in

their different styles. While these works may not

boast of either the authenticity or the majesty of Sri

Valmiki’s original work, some of them do provide

enjoyable fare to the connoisseur of literature and

for the Sri Rama Bhaktas thirsty for more

rasAnubhavam. Adiyen would like to reproduce below a

few slokas from such works, purely for their beauty

and to share with you the pleasure adiyen derived from

their perusal.

The following sloka , from “Raghava Pandaveeyam”,is in

praise of Sri Valmiki-“anyO vidhAta valmiki:aadi

kAvyam kamandalu:

RaghunAtha kathA GangA tayA poota jagat trayee”.

 

During TrivikramAvatAram, when the Lord’s tiruvadi

reached SatyalOkam, Brahma performed tirumanjanam with

his kamandalu teerttham, from which originated the

Ganga, the holiest of waters. In this couplet, the

kavi likens Sri Valmiki to Brahma and his magnum opus,

the aadi kavyam, to his kamandalu. The Ramakatha,

which flowed from the kamandalu, is likened to the

Ganga, which is the purifier of the three worlds.

Kavana chAturyam comes to the fore in the following

sloka of Sri Ramabhadra DeekshitA, in his VarnamAlA

stOtram-

“aamnAya saila sikaraika nikEtanAya

Valmiki vAg jalanidhi prati bimbitAya

kAlAmbudAya karunArasa mEturAya

kasmaichit

astu mama kArmukiNE praANma :

Sri Rama, as the para

brahmam, resides at the top of the vedic mountain

(that is, the VedantA). At the foothills is a great

lake with deep waters, ( Srimad Valmiki Ramayana),

which reflects the mountain top. The purport here is

that Srimad Ramayanam gives us a true picture of the

parabrahma swaroopam. But then, it has to,being an

incarnation of the Vedas (veda; PrAchEtasAt Aseet

sAkshAt RamayanAtmanA”)

Bhavabhooti, in his Uttara Rama

Charitam, pays the following tribute to Sri Valmiki-

“loukikAnAm hi sAdhoonAm arttham vak anuvartatE

risheeNAm punarAdyAnAm vacham arttha: anu dhavati”

 

While in the compositions of great men, the word

follows the meaning, in the divine works of Rishis

like sri valmiki, the meaning pursues the sacred text

closely. In other words, ordinary kavis have to fix

the matter in their minds and search for suitable

expression. However, the spontaneous outpourings of

sages like Sri Valmiki and the Azhwars, are inherently

pregnant with meaning- there is no laborious search

for rhyme or metre, which fall into place by

themselves.

Sri Valmiki and his work come in

for further adulation by the same kavi, Bhavabhooti,

in the following sloka, which is self-explanatory-

“pApmabhyascha punAti

vardhayati cha shrEyAmsi seyam katha

mAngalyA cha manOharA cha jagatO

mAtEva GangEva cha

tAmEnam paribhAvayantu abhinayai

:vinyasta roopam budhA :

sabda brahma vida :kavE :parinatAm

prAgyasya vAneem imAm »

 

 

Leave alone Sri Rama-He

has been the object of enough epics, poems and text. A

famous poet, Sri Ramabhadra DeekshitA, has made Sri

Rama’s bow, the KothandA, the subject of lavish

praise, as the following extract from his “Sri Rama

ChApa stavam” would indicate-

“Yen moole Raghunandanasya jagatAm trAteti

keertyankura:

dEvi cha archati JanAki sa vinayam yet gandha pushpa

akshatai :

yet kOtyA krita lanchanamcha jaladhou sEtu :jagat

bhadrAyAstu jagat traya stuti padam tat Raghaveeyam

dhanu:”

Sri Rama’s renown as the protector of the worlds

flows indeed from the exploits of his famous Bow, the

KothandA.

Sri Sita pirAtti performs daily pooja to this Bow,

which united Her with the Lord. And the Rama Sethu,

which is a purifier of people the world over, is but a

creation of the Bow-end. (Even today, pilgrims to the

Sethu draw a picture of the Kothanda in the sands and

propitiate it before taking a dip in the holy waters).

Thus the RamaChApA (bow) is indeed the object of

adoration of the three worlds.

The very same kavi is the author of “Sri Rama

Bana stavam”,( in praise of Sri Rama’s arrow.) from

which the following sloka is taken-

“Mareechopagya vEgam bala vijayi suta prEkshita

amOgha bhAvam

parAvArAvarodha vraja vidita mahA dussahArchi

prabhAvam

leela lOlooyamAna tridasa ripu sirO tOraNee drishta

taikshnyam

bhakta trANa praveenam saranam asaranO Rama BAnam

pranoumi”

The author performs saranAgati to the Rama BAna,

(rather than to Sri Rama himself) which, he says, is

the only refuge of the unprotected.

Sri VenkatAdvari kavi, in his well-known “Visva

GunAdarsa Champu”,inimitably describes Sri

Chakravarthi Tirumagan’s felicity –He is capable of

turning even a blade of grass into BrahmAstram (as He

did in the KAkAsura vrittantam); and He could turn

into a blade of grass (as light as it is) even the

hard-to-lift, extremely heavy Siva Dhanus. A stone was

turned into the beautiful AhalyA and His own footwear

assumed the role of the Emperor of AyOdhyA (vide the

PadukA PattabhishEkam).

The deep and wide ocean was turned into a shallow lake

across which a bridge could be built easily. Ordinary

monkeys were transformed into great warriors and the

dreaded ten-headed Ravana was killed as easily as a

mosquito. All this was achieved by Sri Rama, who posed

as a mere mortal. Following is the beautiful poem-

“astrAmAsa trinam priyAdruhi, triNAmAsa purArer

dhanu:

dArAmAsa mune :silApi, nrivarAmAsa svayam PadukA

kulyAmAsa mahArnavOpi, kapayO yOdhAm babhoovu : tadA

poulastyO masakAm babhoova bhagavan tvam

mAnushAmAsita”.

Sri Rama KarNAmrutam is another beautiful work,

from which is reproduced the following sloka-

 

Though Sri Rama’s swaroopam was there for all to

enjoy, only certain people knew full well the rasA of

each angA of Raghunandana. For instance, the true

prowess of the Lord’s shoulders is known only to the

Siva Dhanus, which was hoisted by the Prince almost

playfully, while other Rajas struggled even to lift

it.

 

The true power of the Lord’s feet are known only to

Ahalya, who, by the mere touch of the purifying

tiruvadi, was transformed from barren stone into a

beautiful woman. Only the intransigent Samudra

Raja, whom the arrow bulldozed into submission, knows

the true powers of the Rama BanA. And

likewise, the true sweetness of the Rama NamA is known

only to Siva, who not only recites it constantly, but

is also supposed to whisper it in the ears of the

dying, at Varanasi.

JAnAti Ramah tava Nama ruchim MahEsa:

JAnAti Goutama sati tava charana prabhAvam

JanAtidorbala parAkramam Eesa chapa:

JanAti amogha patu bAna gatim payOdhi :’

 

There is an almost endless repertoire of stotras,

composed by well-known and not so famous poets, which

provide a varied and uplifting fare to the palate of

the Rama Bhakta, ever thirsty for more rasAnubhavam.

If Sri Rama so wills, adiyen would like to continue on

this some other time.

 

Srimate Sri Lakshminrsimha divya paduka sevaka

SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya

Nama:

 

-dasan, sadagopan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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