Thirumaalai-24

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai,

 

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

 

 

 

“ Mattrondrum vEinda Maname Madhilarangar

 

Kattrinum meitha kazhalinai keezh- uttra

 

Thirumaalai paadum seer Thondaradipodi Emperumaanai

 

Eppozhudum peesu”

 

 

 

“ Srimat Krishna samahvaya Namo yaamuna soonave

 

yetkadAkshai kalakshyAnAm sulabha: Sridara: sadaa”

 

 

 

Pranams,

 

 

Paasuram-11

 

 

“oru villAl Ongu munneeradaiththu vulagangal uyya

 

seruvilE arakkarkOnai settra nam sEvakanAr

 

maruviya periya kOil madhil thiruvarangamennA

 

karuvilE thiruvilAtheer! KAlaththai kazhikkindreerE.”

 

 

 

oru villAl Ongu munneeradaiththu vulagangal uyya: In this paasuram alwar talks

about the rAmAvataram of Emperuman. The word ‘oru’ in tamil can be used in two

ways. It can denote both the meaning of one and only or a thing which has

nothing equal to it. Here alwar says that there is no bow equal to Sri rAma’s

bow. It is equal to only itself. In Ramayana, Sri rAma kept his kodandam(his

special bow) down only once. That was when he did saranagathi to the samudhra

rajan in darpa sayanam. Now a doubt will arise in all our minds. We are able

to accept srivaishnavas doing saraganathi to emperuman because he is our sole

refuge and we are incapable to saving ourselves and all other devatas are

incapable of giving us the final purushartha, the moksha. But why should the

emperuman do saranagathi? In Rama Avatara emperuman stayed like a man. He

didn’t show his divine powers. That is why the alwars say “manisarukkai

padAdhanapattu”. He suffered so as to lift us up. When the issue of how to the

build the bridge across the sea to go to lanka came, vibheshana who had just

joined the rama parivar gave the idea of Sri rAma surrendering to the samudra

raja. Though vibheshana joined only then, still rAma gave him the due respects

and obliged to his words. But why did vibheshana suggest this method of

saranAgathi? That’s because he did saranAgathi in the feet of Sri rAma and was

saved from rAvana and assured lanka rajyam. So he thought the saranagathi at

any place will give the best fruit and hence suggested this. Though there were

many others in the side of rAma like hanuman and sugreeva, hanuman talked always

at the last after hearing to the others opinion and perumal also listened to all

the suggestions and then only gave his decision. But since vibheshana put

forward his opinion immediately after rAma’s question, “samudram rAghavO raja

sharanam ganthumarhathi”, and since even perumal felt it to be a good idea he

accepted to do saranAgathi on the darpa sayanam. But even after 3 days of

fasting the samudra raja never turned up so emperuman who has no experience in

doing saranAgathi since he is used to only others doing saranAgathi in his feet

lost his patience and called for lakshmana to bring his bow to dry the

ocean(“sApmAnAya sowmithrE!”). This is not a saranAgatha lakshana since a

saranAgathan should never get impatient with the master’s silence. But

emperuman didn’t have the experience to wait for others to accept his

saranagathi and hence couldn’t tolerate samudra rajan’s silence. But then

lakshmana knew very well that Sri rAmar was capable of drying the ocean and that

it should not occur since it is harmful to the whole world. Sri PVP clearly

says in his Thanisloki vyakhyanam how lakshmana reacted to this situation.

First he got a ordinary bow alone and perumal then ordered him to get his

kOdandam and then lakshmana got only the bow after which emperuman ordered him

to get the bow and the arrow. Seeing perumal’s anger samudra raja came running

and surrendered unto the feet of the emperuman. So alwar here says emperuman

for the benefit of the whole world built the bridge across the ocean with the

help of his great bow(seeing which in perumal’s hand made samudra raja surrender

to emperuman’s feet).

 

 

 

In his vyakhyanam Sri PVP explains this in the simple way. “upAdhyAyan kaiyilE

kasai kandu siru prajaigal kAlilE vizhumA pole Thiruvadigal alavum vandhu vellam

kOththAr pOl Ayittru” When a teacher calls a boy with a stick in his hand the

boy gets afraid and falls in his feet even before the teacher could beat him.

Similarly when perumal got angry with samudra rajan and got ready to hit him

with his bow and arrow samudra rajan came running and surrendered to the feet of

emperuman.

 

 

 

We will continue the next half of the paasuram in the next posting.

 

 

 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

 

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

 

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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