Thuppul PiLLai- 46- Raghu veera gadhyam

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImathE Nigamantha Mahadesikaya namah:

SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |

vedAntAcArya-varyo me sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||

 

May the glorious Venkatanatha, the greatest of teachers of Vedanta, and the

lion among poets and debaters, reside forever in my heart.

 

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

Let us continue to enjoy the sthOthra granthas of Swamy Desikan [in

alphabetical order]

Raghu-Vira-Gadya -The hero in the Raghu’s dynasty (in prose)

This Stotra in prose is popularly known as Raghu-vira gadya; though Sri

Desika gives it the name of Mahaa-Vira Vaibhava (the glory of the great

Hero). This describes in brief the various episodes in the life of Sri Rama

as narrated in the great epic Valmiki-Ramayana in all the seven Kaandas.

This is in the form of ninety-five direct addresses in poetic prose to Sri

Rama portraying Him as a Maha-vira in various ways as Dharma-vira,

Daana-vira, Daya-vira, Yuddha-vira and SaraNya-vira as exhibited by his

various lovable and charming qualities.The stotra is a pleasing composition

because of its rhythm and harmony’ figures of speech like metaphor and

simile addresses short and long and sweet sounds and hard syllables.

 

The ninety-five addresses describe the story of the Seven kaandas as

follows;

1.Bala-kaanda 1-20

2.Ayodhya-kaanda 21-25

3.Aranya-kaanda 29-41

4.Kishkinda-kaanda 42-46

5.Sundara kaanda 47

6.Yuddha-kaanda 48-77

7.Uttara-kaanda 78-95

 

These addresses glorify the various qualities of Rama. The Lord in Vaikunta

coming down to this world at the request of the gods to dispel their

sufferings, born as the son of Dasaratha and Kausalya. His respectful

obedience to preceptors like Vasishta and Visvamita and to sages like

Bharadwaja and Valmiki, his love for all irrespective of their hunter-woman

Sabari, birds like Jatayu and Kakasura, monkeys like Hanuman and Sugriva,

always being wedded to truth, offering protection to those who seek refuge

even once, treating Sugriva and Vibhishana as His equal, and studiously

discharging the duties of a king and observing closely the rites prescribed

for a Kshatriya and householder, listening as one of the audience to the

verses of the Epic Ramayana of Valmiki, sung by lava and Kusa and finally

taking with Him to Sri Vaikunta all the Jivas, moving and non-moving who had

the good fortune to be born ay Ayodhya when He was in this world.

 

There are only three verses in this composition of poetic prose, one at the

beginning and two at the end. The first sloka hails Sri Rama and Sita as the

Divine Couple, Bhagavan and Lakshmi. Bhagavan is the resplendent Sun on

Paramapada (Sri Vaikunta) and Sita is the effulgent lustre whose

manifestation brings about the destruction of the darkness (i.e. fear) of

those who surrender themselves at Their feet seeking refuge.

 

By the first of last two slokas, Sri Vedanta Desika pays homage to Sri

Rama, the house-holder (grhasta) associated with Sita, the house wife, both

of whom shine with their progeny-the four-faced Brahma, the son, Siva, the

grandson and other deities as other children.

 

By the last sloka which is the colophon, Acarya Sri Desika, the lion

amongst poets and logicians pays a compliment to his

composition,Maha-vira-vaibhavam that it is pregnant with deep and precious

thoughts clothed in words hard and smooth and concludes with an appeal to

men of wisdom to read it which is an infallible recipe that dispels the

fears of the mortal world.

 

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo narayana

dAsan

kavi-tArkika-simhAya kalyANa-guNa-SAline |

Srimate venkateSAya vedAntagurave namaH ||

 

Salutations to Sri Venkatesa, in whom all perfections reside, who is the

teacher of Vedanta and the lion among poets and debaters

 

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