ThiruvahIndhrapuram RathnAngi Kaimkaryam :Part XIX/SrI Raama Navami series for ChithrabhAnu Year

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear BhakthAs:

 

SrI Raama navami at ThiruvahIndhrapuram and elsewhere

is approaching (April 10 ,2003). At ThiruvahIndhrapuram ,

there is a sannidhi for Lord Raamachandra with Lakshmana Swamy,

SithA PirAtti and HanumAn. Swamy Desikan was so captivated by

the darsana soubhAgyam of this Raamachandra Moorthy and His valour

that he composed a brilliant Sanskrit SthOthram on Lord

Raamachandra and named it SrI Raghu Veera gadhyam

( Mahaa Veera vaibhavam). It is in the gadhyam (prose)

format instead of in the padhyam (poetry)format.

 

The annotated meanings of the 94 gadhyam pasaages of Swamy Desikan's

Raghuveera Gadhyam have been posted by adiyEn seven years ago

in the Bhakthi List and are archived there. Perhaps a Raama bhakthA

can unite them into one PDF Text for easy readability and make it

available to all the others . The first of those postings

(Introduction) appeared on September 10 , 1996 and the last

in this series on SrI Raghu Veera Gadhyam was posted on

January 8 , 1997 in the Bahkthi list .

 

The URL for the First Raghuveera Gadhyam posting is:

 

http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/sep96/0007.html

 

These postings on SrI Raghu Veera Gadhyam have inside them

copious references to the Bhakthi-laden Krithis of Saint

ThyagarAja SwaamigaL .Please refer to them during the upcoming

SrIraama Navami uthsava season .

 

Additional tributes by SrI Mutthuswamy Dikshithar to

Lord Raamachandra are housed in his 14 bhakthi-filled

krithis set in the follwing RaagAs:

 

1) SrI Ranjanai (2)NaaraayaNa GowLai (3) Maanji

(4) ThOdi (5) DhanyAsi (6) Dharmavathi (7)VasanthA

(8) JyOthi SvaroopiNi (9) Raama Kali (10) Hejjaji /

GaayakapriyA (11)DevagAndhAri (12) MaNirangu

(13)KokilapriyA and (14) Maahuri/HarikhAmbOji Janyam.

 

The first 8 of the above 14 krithis are in a set

known as SrIRaamAshtaka Krithis.Each of these 8 krithis

is set in a particular vibhakthi (case) starting from

prathamA (First)Vibhakthi to Ashtami (Eighth)Vibakthi.

 

The postings related to these RaamAshtaka Krithis are

available at Bhakti archives in the september 10

to October 15 postings:

 

http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/sep96/0007.html

http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/oct96/0088.html

 

The theme for the SrI Raama Navami Postings this year

******************************************************

adiyEn has selected the SrI Sookthi of "Abhaya PradhAna Saaram "

of Swamy Desikan for this year's postings , which will start

from tomorrow and conclude on April 10.

 

Nedumtheru VidvAn SrI Kannan Swamy has made an interesting

observation about Dasaratha Raaman , the One to be understood

through the eternal VedAs ( veda vEdhyE ParEpumsi

DasarathAthmajE jaathE) as follows::

 

He says SrImad RaamAyaNam is an Utthama Kaavyam;

it is about Dharma Saasthram;it is all about SaraNAgathy

Saasthram. The central figure (Naayakan ) of SrImad

RaamAyaNam is the Parama Purushan , the abode of anantha

KalyANa guNams, Lord Raamabhadran .The Naayaki for this

Utthama Kaavyam none other than SaakshAth MahA Lakshmi.

The scope of the Utthama Kaavyam is about upadEsam

on all PurushArTams .

 

The Baala KaaNDam according to SrIman KaNNan Swamy

points out that the Lord is the Jagath KaaraNan

( Cause for all the universe and its beings);

AyOdhyA KaaNDam teaches us that He is the Protector

(Rakshakan) of this Universe;AaraNya KaaNDam reveals

that He is the grantor of Moksham;KishkindhA KaaNDam

assures us that Lord Raamachandran is KalyANa GuNa

ParipoorNan; Sundara KaaNDam lets us know that

He is the samhAra Moorthy of all unrighteous;

Yuddha KaaNDam reminds us that He is the Supreme Being

(Parama Purushan) , whose glory is sung by the VedAs.

 

The genius of Swamy Desikan focuses on SrImad RaamAyaNam

and demonstrates brilliantly that it is SaraNAgathy

Saasthram personified . With abundant citations from

SrImad RaamAyaNam , Swamy Desikan instructs us about

the subtle aspects of the profound upAyam of SaraNAgathy:

The ten individual chapters of this brilliant SrI Sookthi

are:

 

1. Prabhandha AvathAram

 

2. Para Tatthva NirNayam

 

3. SaraNAgathy Taathparya Prapancham

 

4. PrakaraNa Taathparya NirNayam

 

5. SaraNya Seela PrakAsam

 

6. SaraNya Vaibhava PrakAsam

 

7. Parama Dharma NirNayam

 

8. SaraNya Vratha VisEsha PrakAsam

 

9. SaraNya-SaraNAgatha Sangama Laabham

 

10. PrApthi PrakAra Prapancham

 

The subject matter is the central doctrine

of SaraNagathy. The author of SrI Sookthi is

the sarva Tanthra Svathanthra NigamAntha

MahA Desikan. The writer about this extraordinary

SrI Sookthi is a dullard like adiyEn .Please bear

with me about adiyEn's profound deficencies in understanding.

The intense desire to know more about this SrI Sookthi from

earlier AchArya UpadEsams propels me to take the bold step of

attempting to write about this great SrI Sookthi.

adiyEn seeks Swamy Desikan's blessings to enter into

this kaimkaryam during this SrI Raama Navami Uthsava

Kaalam.

 

SrI Raamachandra ParabrahmaNE Nama:

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan