"Chirai irundavaL Ettram"

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

 

 

 

"Chirai irundavaL Ettram"

 

 

 

Srimad Ramayana has been inspiring us for millions of years and will

continue to do so forever. Even today, when materialistic machinations rule the

roost, we find a discourse on some aspect or other of Sri Rama's story being

delivered somewhere or the other in our sprawling country. Though we have been

listening to the tale since our childhood, it doesn't seem to bore us, as is

attested by the audiences still thronging Srimad Ramayana upanyasams everywhere.

 

 

 

After all, you could summarize the story in a few lines- the tale isn't all that

complicated, nor does it have innumerable sub-tales branching off the main

theme, as in Sri Mahabharata. In fact, we do wonder how Sri Valmiki was able to

spin the limited theme into a magnificent, colourful fabric of 24000 slokas!

 

 

 

Srimad Ramayana could be shortly and succinctly described as the story of the

brave and righteous Prince of Ayodhya, who was banished to the forest through

palace intrigue, lost his wife Sita due to the subterfuges of an Asura inflamed

by desire for the damsel, contracted the friendship of a monkey-king, through

whose assistance he located his wife and regained her after a valiant battle

with the abductor.

 

 

 

There is hardly anything more to the tale, which is a fairly straightforward

one, albeit with a lot of homilies to humanity on righteous conduct and sticking

to it even in the face of adversity. How then do we explain the continuing

popularity of the epic, even after millennia have passed since its composition?

We might see an interesting film or read an absorbing book once, perhaps twice,

even thrice. After that, the attraction of the book or film wanes, till at a

particular stage, after enough repetitive perusals, we would be prepared to run

at the suggestion of another viewing or reading. This is perhaps due to the

operation of what the economists call The Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility,

whereby each successive consumption of an item, however much we may like it, is

likely to bring us progressively less satisfaction, till the stage is reached

when we won't even want to look at the item anymore, leave alone consume it.

 

 

 

The undying popularity of Srimad Ramayana is due to the fact that it is not just

any old tale, but the story of the Paramapurusha. If the Lord is an

"ArAvamudam", a nectar whose taste never diminishes and, on the contrary,

affords an ever-new experience, it stands to reason that His tale too should

never pall on us, even after any amount of recounting. The lasting morals the

epic teaches us have not lost their relevance despite the passage of millions of

years-if anything, they appear all the more applicable in today's context of

humanity being plagued by distrust and disharmony, hurtling headlong towards

decisive destruction.

 

Though there may be reasons galore for the epic's undiminished appeal, the

principal among them is that it is the story of Piratti. More than being an

account of the exploits of Sri Rama, it is the tale of the Divine Bride, who

spent long years in prison, for our sake. It is the story of a model wife who

would not forsake her husband's side, whether he was the Prince of Ayodhya or an

exiled pauper traversing dangerous forests filled with terror. It is the story

of a young Princess, accustomed to only the most luxurious of life styles, and

her preparedness to sleep on a bed of grass, wear dresses made of tree bark and

deer skin, and accept as food only the bland roots and fruits the forest had to

offer, vis a vis the sumptuous and gourmet dishes She was used to-all for the

sake of sticking to her husband during testing times. It is the story of a

madame who was Mercy personified, who forgave readily even those who had

mortally sinned against her. It is the thrilling fable of a faithful spouse who

spurned an offer from Sri Hanuman to spirit her away from imprisonment in the

Ashoka vanam to liberty, preferring to wait for her brave husband to rescue her

("MAm nayEt yadi KAkutsttha: tat tasya sadrusam bhavEt") It is also the saga of

a wronged woman, the purest of pure, who went through an ordeal by fire to prove

her virtue. It is the legend of a Banished Bride, sent to exile by her

uncompromisingly righteous husband, based on mere idle gossip by a washerman,

despite the fact that she was pregnant. In short, it is "SitAyA: Charitam

Mahat"- the glorious tale of Sri Sita. Summarizing the content of the epic, Sri

Pillai Lokacharya remarks, "ithAsa shrEshttamAna itthAlE chirai irundavaL Etram

sollugiradhu".

 

 

 

A small but significant sloka from the epic is quoted below, which gives us a

fair idea of this Lady's greatness-

 

 

 

"iyam SitA mama sutA sahadharma charee tava

 

prateeccha cha EnAm bhadram tE pANim grihNeeshva pANinA"

 

 

 

This is the "SitA KalyANa" sloka, whereby Sri Janaka hands over his beloved

daughter to Sri Rama, with a few words as to the bride's suitability. Each word

of this sloka has been held by Poorvacharyas to be pregnant with meaning.

 

 

 

"iyam SitA" (This SitA)-Sri Janaka tells His son-in-law-to-be that His bride is

no ordinary girl, but a delightful damsel of considerable accomplishment. Even

Her birth was extraordinary-She was not born to human parents after a ten-month

imprisonment in the mother's womb-She was just found in the Yaga bhoomi when it

was being leveled -up.

 

Sri Janaka, who is a GnAni, acclaimed even by the GitAcharya ("KarmENaiva hi

samsiddhim Astthita JanakAdaya:") knows that Sita is no ordinary mortal, but

verily the LOkamAtA, come to the world out of Her own free will.. This he

implies to Sri Rama when handing Her over to His custody.

 

The words "iyam Sita" further state implicitly that here is a maiden who is the

repository of all virtues ("nArINAm utttamA vadhU:").

 

Unlike modern times, the bride and the groom did not have even a glimpse of each

other till the moment of the wedding.( Kamban's "aNNalum nOkkinAn, avaLum

nOkkinAl" appears to be more of a poetical embellishment than a statement of

fact). Thus, in saying "iyam SitA", Sri Janaka seems to tell Rama, "Behold, this

is the SitA for winning whose hand you underwent the ordeal of lifting the Shiva

Dhanus. Is She not worth the trouble?".

 

 

 

"Mama sutA"- Sri Janaka proudly tells Sri Rama that Sita is HIS daughter. He

seems to imply that even if She weren't his daughter by birth, She had been

found and brought up by him and as such, verily his daughter.

 

 

 

Sri Janaka impliedly tells Sri Rama that all the good qualities in himself

(Janaka) had been duly imbibed by Sita, and that She was worthy of being called

his daughter.

 

 

 

Another interpretation is that these words ("My daughter") were uttered by Sri

Janaka ironically, hinting at the impossibility of the LOkamAta being anybody's

progeny.

 

 

 

"Sahadharma charI tava"- by these words, the father-in-law conveys to the groom

that the bride would aid and assist the groom in all his righteous endeavours.

 

Sri Janaka , who is aware that Sri Rama is righteousness personified ("RAmO

vigrahavAn Dharma:") assures Him that the bride would in no way be an obstacle

to the performance of His dhArmic duties, but, on the contrary, extend full

support in all His efforts aimed at SAdhu paritrANam ( protecting the good) and

dushkrit vinAsanam ( destruction of evil), in the process reestablishing Dharma

(Dharma SamstthApanam).

 

The paramount dharma of the Lord is saving those who apply to Him for

succour-the SharanAgatAs. The Lord Himself makes this plain-"Etat vratam mama".

In Ramavatara, the Lord did not have any occasion to respond to Sharanagati till

His marriage, as Piratti's is an indispensable presence in the process of

Sharanagata Rakshanam. Sri Janaka appears to tell Sri Rama that He could

thenceforth embark on His mission of Saving Souls, now that SitA was with Him.

Just as a person without a wife cannot perform a Yaga, the Lord too requires the

active participation of His PatnI in emancipating Jeevas.

 

Looking at it another way, Sri Janaka seems to tell Sri Rama that his daughter

would support Him (Rama) only in His lawful conduct and not otherwise.

 

 

 

"PratIcchaPlease accept my daughter in marriage" says the Emperor of Mithila

to the Prince of Ayodhya. Here too, a tinge of irony is detectable. Having

uttered the word, Sri Janaka is struck by the realization that he is offering to

the Lord none other than Piratti Herself, who is the Lord's eternal and

inseparable companion. The doubt seizes him as to what role he (Janaka) could

play in Piratti rejoining Her Lord. He finds himself officiously offering to the

Prince what is His (Rama's) own inalienable property. Sri Janaka's predicament

appears similar to that of Sri Alavandar, who, after surrendering his soul to

the Lord, realizes that the soul is not his to surrender-

 

"Mama nAta yadasti yOsmyaham

 

sakalam taddhi tavaiva Madhava!

 

Niyatastvam iti prabuddha dhee:

 

AthavA kinnu samarpayAmi tE?"

 

 

 

"Bhadram tE"- Like Sri Periazhwar, Sri Janaka too is afraid that the evil eye

might befall the Matchless Match, and hastens to invoke all auspiciousness for

the newly wed couple. The Prince of Ayodhya and the Princess of Mithila make

such a wonderful pair in every way. In beauty, bewitching behaviour, endearing

qualities and in all other parameters, they form a Perfect Pair, as could be

found nowhere. It is this sight that drives Sri Janaka to exclaim "Bhadram tE",

to ward off the evil eye.

 

 

 

"PANim grihNeeshva"- "Hold Her hand", tells Sri Janaka to Sri Rama. This makes

it clear that the act of holding hands or "PANi grahaNam" signified the

consummation of marriage in times of yore, and that the "TirumAngalya dhAraNam"

or the groom adorning the bride's neck with the mangalasUtra, is of much later

origin. As if demonstrating this, Sri Kodandaraman of MadhurAntakam is to be

found in the kalyANa tirukkOlam, with Sri VaidEhI's palm in the firm grasp of

His own. It is probably based on this custom that Sri Kodai Nacchiar too dreams

of the Lord wedding Her by grasping Her hand-"Kaitthalam pattra kanA kaNdEn

tOzhI nAn!". Similarly, while the "PANi grahaNam" has the support and sanction

of a Veda mantra specifically applicable to the act, it is debatable whether the

Mangalya dharana mantra ("Mangalyam tantunA anEna mama jeevana hEtunA-kanttE

badhnAmi subhagE") is indeed a Veda mantra. At least, it doesn't appear to be

from the Yajur vEda.

 

 

 

The glory of Piratti is so widespread in the great epic, that one would fully

agree with the author in calling it "SItAyA's Charitam mahat" (The Great Tale of

SitA). This is also borne out by Chakkravartti Tirumagan's own words on several

occasions during His separation from Mythili. There is thus little doubt that

Srimad Ramayanam is out and out a saga of the Lady, rather than of the Lord.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

 

Dasan, sadagopan.