Sri rAm Jai rAm Jai Jai rAm!!!

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe rAmAnujaya Namaha

Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

 

“bharadhanum thambi chattrukkananum elakumanOdu maidhiliyum

eravu nan pagalum thudhiseiyya nindra rAvanAndhaganai emmAnai

kuravamE kamazhum kulir pozhiloodE kuyilodu mayilgal nindrAla

eraviyin kadirgal nuzhaidhal seidhariyA thiruvallikEni kandEnE”

 

Thirumangai Azhvar lists the dasavatara of emperuman as “meenOdu Amai kEzal

ari kuralAi munnumirAmanAi thAnAi pinnumirAmAnai dAmOdaranAi kalkiyum AnAn

thannai” in his periya thirumozhi. Here azhvar refers to parasurAmAvatara

as munnumirAman, the first rAmAvatara and then he refers to balarAmAvatara

as pinnumirAman, the later rAmAvatara but in-between while referring to

chakravarthi thirumagan he says “thAnAi” that is emperuman remained his self

in this avatara. Such is the greatness of Sri rAmAvatara. Today is

chakravarthi thirumagan’s thiruavadhAra dhinam, Sri rAma navami. Emperuman

took avathara in the divine star of punarvasu that later was credited by the

birth of more mahans like kulasekara azhvar, mudaliyAndAn, embAr and Sri

PonnadikkAl jeeyer swamy (the first pontiff of the Vanamamalai mutt and a

prime disciple of Swamy Manavala mAmunikal).

 

While we think about Krishna jayanthi, we are all remained of the number of

sweets and savories done as prasadams to kutti Krishna who roamed in gokulam

stealing butter and curd cheating the Aychees. But why is Rama

jayanthi/navami celebrated in such a simple way? Kutti kannan stole not

only butter but also our hearts and hence he mesmerizes us and gets us in

the right path. But Sri rama showed the way to live through his life. Each

part of Ramayana is a lesson to us and that is why nammazhvar says, “karpAr

rAmapirAnai allAl mattrum karparO” So the main celebration during the Rama

navami is the number of Ramayana parayanam and upanyasams organized. Mainly

for those in chennai this is a very great time. How much ever times one may

hear the divine Ramayana upanyasams and from the mouths of how many mahans

it never matters it educates you each time and makes our life more smooth.

 

Our Swamy emperumAnAr is celebrated as “padikonda rAmAyanam ennum

pattivellam kudi konda kOil erAmAnusan” by thiruvarangaththamudhanAr in his

rAmAnuja nootrandhAdhi. Sri rAmAnuja is regarded as the temple that hosts

Ramayana. But it is an amazing fact that Swamy emperumAnAr learnt the

divine arthas from Periya thirumalai nambigal for a year. Nambigal used to

climb down thirumala after his kainkaryams to thiruvenkatamudaiyan to give

the divine arthas of Ramayana to Sri rAmAnuja, as instructed by Sri

Aalavandaar. Sri Periya vAchAn pillai who wrote the commentary to all the

4000 azhvar paasurams has done a special commentary only to selected

paasurams in rAmAyana in the name of “thani slOki rAmAyana” but that itself

gives the whole essence of the Srivaishnava sampradAyam.

 

Sri Velukkudi Krishnan swamy is showering the divine arthas of Ramayana in

“ashvamEda maha mandapam” in West mAmbalam, chennai. Yesterday it was a

treat to listen to the sundara kandam upanyasam-ankuleeka pradhAnam followed

by vibeeshana saranAgathi. After an eight day pouring today will be the

finale with rAma pattabhishEkam. It was really great to hear but while

thinking of writing a few words about the same adiyen is left without words.

Which part to talk about in Ramayana? Shall we talk about the kalyana

gunas of chakravarthi thirumagan (even the Vedas struggle to do the same),

about his beauty (soundarya/lAvanyam), “sirai erundhaval Ettram”- we can

atleast talk about Sri rAma to an extent but not about piratti as valmiki

himself ranks piratti a step higher than perumal. While comparing perumal

and piratti he says, “tulya seela vayO vriththa:…” they are equal in divine

qualities, appropriate age and beauty but finally he says piratti’s divine

eyes are something special. The same was repeated by parasara bhattar in

front of ranganatha who dressed himself in nachiyar thirukolam to get the

praise of bhattar. Sri Parasara bhattar refused to accept stating “AnAlum

avvizhi vizhikkavonnAdhu” (Oh! RanganAtha one of your eyes is like the sun,

which burns the enemies and the other like the moon pleasant to your

devotees, but piratti knows only anugraham so both her eyes are always cool.

So you can never equal my divine mother). Ok then shall we try talking

about the life models in ramayana or about the bhagavatas like siriya

thiruvadi, sugreevan, vibheeshana Oh! No the greatness of the bhagavatas is

enormous. Adiyen “siriya jnAnaththal” cannot even talk about the squirrel

bhagavatas (“kurangugal malaiyai nookka kuliththuthAm purandittOdi

tharanganeer anaikaluttra salamilA anilam pOlEn”).

 

You may all ask then what are you going to talk about? Adiyen is going to

end saying adiyen is not capable/eligible to talk/write on this subject that

is it. Sri parasara bhattar went in front of namperumal and asked for 1000

tongues like thiruvanandhAzhvan to sing the praise of emperuman. Namperumal

asked, “If I grant you the same will you sing about me?” Bhattar

replied,”Oh! Lord if you grant me 1000 tongues then with that adiyen will

say adiyen is not capable to sing about you. Even to say that adiyen needs

1000 tongues” If a great acharya like Sri Parasara bhattar says these words

then what to say about agnAnis like adiyen. Still the wish to scribble

something on this divine day about emperuman makes adiyen write this posting

with the words of thondaradi podi azhvar in mind “elaiya pun kavidhaiyElum

empirArkku eniya vArE”.

 

Valmiki wrote the Ramayana with 24000 slokas. Kambar did a separate

Ramayana in tamil in his own style. Tulasi das did the same in his style in

hindi and the list goes on and on. Each one is so attracted to Sri

Chakravarthi thirumagan. Kabir das did a number of dOhas, Saint thyAgaraja

immersed himself singing keertanas on Sri rAma. What all did perumal

undergo for the sake of upliftment of we jeevatmas “manisarkkAi padAdhana

pattu” shouldn’t he remain as “mannadukkiniyAi” in all our minds today and

for ever? The azhvars mainly kulasekara perumal has enjoyed this ramavatara

greatly. In his divine prabhandam Perumal thirumozhi, kulasekara azhvar

says, “kandavar tham manam vazhangum kanapuraththu en karumaniyE” Sri

Krishna stole the hearts of devotees but rAmapiran is very soft he doesn’t

know to steal, he is a man of principles but whoever saw him once looses

their heart to him. They themselves submit their hearts to his divine feet.

Here the word “kandavar” can be interpreted in two ways, “those who saw

him kan-da-var” or otherwise “kaN-davar anyone without any differentiation”.

Azhvar in this decade sings lallaby to emperuman in kannapuram assuming

him to be chakravarthi thirumagan as the sannadhi was closed when azhvar

visited the same.

 

Krishna trishnA tattvam Swamy nammazhvar enjoys this rAmAvatara in many

places and thirumangai azhvar enjoys Sri rama piran while doing

mangalasasanams to emperuman in saligramam, “kalaiyum kariyum parimAvum

thiriyum kAnam kadandhu pOi silaiyum kaNaiyum thunaiyAga sendrAn vendri

serukalaththu malai koNdu alaineranai katti madil neerilangai vAlarakkar

talaivan thalai paththu aruththugandhAn sAlagrAmam adai nenjE”. In a

similar manner all azhvars have enjoyed Sri chakravarthi thirumagan.

 

One upanyAsakar completed his Ramayana upansayam and was returning back. At

the railway station one person asked, “you did a great upanyasam for the

past one month but due to my ignorance I am unable to remember everything

can you please give me the crux of Ramayana?” The upanyAsakar replied,” If

you are a rama bhaktha then even monkeys will come to your help but if you

are an enemy to rama then even your own brother will not come to your help”.

Let us end this posting with the rama charama sloka,

 

“sakrudEva prapannAya davAsmithicha yAchathE

abhayam sarva bhoodhEpyO dadAm yEthat vratham mama”

 

Let us all keep meditating on the tAraka mantra “Sri rAm Jai rAm Jai Jai rAm

Sri rAm Jai rAm Jai Jai rAm “ on this divine day and forever.

 

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

 

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

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