Which Form is More Beautiful - By PBA Swami

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Sri:

Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:

 

Which form is more beautiful?

 

By Sri U Ve Maha Vidwan Prativadi Bhayankaram

Annangaracharyar Swami

 

Translated by madhurakavi dAsan

 

 

Through Hanuman, Sita sends a message to Sri Rama

from Asokha Vana. Hanuman gave that message to Sri

Rama: "jIvitamtAra yishyAmi mAsam dasarAtmaja"

and "Urtvam mA sAnna jIvEyam".

 

That is, Sita says that "I will survive only one

more month. I cannot live beyond that".

 

Sri Rama said "na jIvEyam kshaNamapi vinA tAm

asitEkshaNAm". He says "She can survive a month

without being with me (if She can survive a month,

may be She can do it even longer). But I cannot

survive even a moment without Her".

 

Looking at these two statements together, it might

appear that Rama is to be considered greater than

Sita in the matter of "not surviving when separated".

 

During Nampillai's time, some folks were talking

thus: Is Sita's statement appropriate? Is She not

the one who says that She would never separate from

the Lord even for a moment (as said by Azhvar

"agalakillEn iRaiyumenRu alarmEl mangai uRai

mArbA")? Is She not the one who should have then

said "na jIvEyam kshaNamapi"? How is that Valmiki

has written that She says that She can handle the

separation for a month and Rama says that He cannot

handle it even for one moment. When Nampillai

heard this, through him, a great meaning was

revealed.

 

Looking at the statements by the divine couple

carefully, it can be seen that the greatness

belongs to pirAtti more than the Lord. How is

that?

 

Here, it is seen that Her beauty is far greater

than that Lord's beauty which was described as

"pumsAm drushti cittApahAri". Her greatness is

seen from the fact that the Lord cannot tolerate

separation from Her even for a moment. In contrast,

since She said that She could tolerate separation

for one month, it is seen that His beauty is not

as great as Her's.

 

In the vyakhyanam for the Thiruvaymozhi pasuram

6-6-6 ("en viRpuruvakkodi thORRadhu meyyE"),

Nampillai states that "showing the lesser beauty

("Urtvam mAsAt na jIvishyE"), He stole the greater

beauty ("na jIvEyam kshaNamapi").

 

Azhvar Emberumanar Jeeyar Thiruvadigale Sharanam