savior feet 2

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Post 2

 

Dear SrivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

Continuing the topic of 'savior feet' on the krithi 'sri raama paadhamaa' let us

see the link to srimadh raamaayaNam now. When vibheeshaNan, standing in the sky,

is called to come down to earth, since his asylum is granted by sri raamaa, sri

vaalmeeki states [in 2 slokams]

 

raaghavEna abhayE dhaththE samnathO raavaNa anuja: |

vibheeshaNO mahaapraajnO bhoomim samavalOkayath || 6-19-1

 

[note: 6 is yudhDha kaaNdam, 19 is chapter or sargam, 1 is the slokam number]

 

abhayE = (while), assurance of protection

dhaththE = having given

raaghavENa = by raama

mahaapraajna: = the highly sagacious

vibheeshaNa: = vibheeshana

raavaNa anuja: = the brother of raavaNa

samnatha: = bent down

samavalOkayath = glanced

bhoomim = the earth.

 

Meaning: While the assurance of protection having been given by Raama, the

highly sagacious Vibheeshana the brother of RaavaNa bent down and glanced the

earth.

 

khaath papaatha avanim hrushtO bhakthair anucharai: saha |

sa thu raamasya dharma aathmaa nipapaatha vibheeshaNa: || 6-19-2

 

sa: = that

dharma aathmaa = virtuous soul

vibheeshaNa: = VibheeshaNa

papaatha = descended

hrushta: = joyously;

khaath = from the sky

bhakthai: anucharai: saha = along with his faithful companions

avanim = to the ground

raamasya = near raama

nipapaatha = alighted

 

Meaning: The virtuous vibheeshaNan descended joyously from the sky to the ground

along with his faithful companions and alighted in the vicinity of raama.

 

Point:

1. Even while descending from the sky, joy flows like a river to vibheeshaNa and

his company - so, is it not 'amrutha vaahini', as for as he and his team is

concerned?

 

2. In the website www.valmikiramayan.net <http://www.valmikiramayan.net> the

author says in the meaning for slokam two above

papaatha = descended

nipapaatha = alighted

Whereas for same word 'nipapaatha' in slokam 3 the author gives a meaning

nipapaatha = fell prostrate. Of course dictionary gives both meanings.

 

But I will use the slokam 3 meaning here also, viz. in slOkam 2 - since

'raamasya avanim nipapaatha means he fell prostrate on raamaa's land. For he was

all these days in raavaNa's land, now he has distanced himself [as he himself

says in following slokam], flown himself and landed in a different land, which

is raamaa's land. So as soon as he landed, he fell prostrate on the land - fell

flat on the raamaa's land - to get that touch of the land, the feel of the land,

the puNyam of the land.

 

Like these days, the VIPs when they land in a different country or place, then

they touch that land, kneel down on the land, give a kiss to that land. {as the

previous pope did once when he visited his homeland, and this incident and the

photo became famous}. So what we do today is all nothing new or without

precedence. We simply copy the yesteryears. We do these acts, perhaps, even

without understanding the significance.

 

3. The same can be interpreted differently also, vibheeshaNa landed where

raama's feet were there [or where raama was standing]. For a person

surrendering, the lord's feet are more important. That is why 'sri raama

paadhama nee krupa' - so 'raamasya avani' is raama's feet for vibheeshaNa.

 

Continuing -

paadhayO: saraNa anvEshee chathurbhi: saha raakshasai: |

abraveeth cha thadhaa raamam vaakyam thathra vibheeshaNa: || 6-19-3

dharma yuktham cha yuktham cha saampratham sampraharshaNam |

 

thathra = thereafter;

vibheeshaNa: = vibheeshaNa

chathurbhi: raakshasai: saha = along with 4 demons

nipapaatha = fell prostrate

abraveeth cha = and spoke

raamam prathi = to raama

vaakyam = the following words

yuktham cha = which were right

saampratham = suitable

sampraharshaNam = and joyful

 

Meaning: Thereafter, vibheeshaNa, along with the 4 demons, fell prostrate and

spoke to raama the following words which were equally suitable and delightful.

 

anujO raavaNasya aham thEna cha asmi avamaanitha: || 6-19-4

bhavantham sarva bhoothaanaam saraNyam saraNam gatha: |

 

aham = I

anuja: = an younger brother

raavaNasya = of raavaNa

avamaanitescha = and was humiliated

thEna = by him

saraNam gatha: = I sought refuge

bhavantham = in you

saraNyam = who is the refuge

sarva bhoothaanaam = for all the beings.

 

Meaning: "I am the younger brother of raavaNa and was humiliated by him. I

sought refuge in you, who is the refuge for all the beings".

 

parithyakthaa mayaa lankaa mithraaNi cha dhanaani cha || 6-19-5

bhavadh gatham hi mE raajyam cha jeevitham cha sukhaani cha |

 

laNkaa = Lanka

parithyaktha = who was abandoned

mayaa = by me

mithraaNi = the friends

dhanaani cha = and the possessions too

mE = my

raajyam = kingdom

bhavadh gatham hi = is indeed at your disposal

jeevitham = my life

sukhaani cha = happiness too.

 

Meaning: Abandoning Lanka, friends and possessions, I place my kingdom, life and

happiness at your disposal.

 

Point: VibheeshaNa now introduces himself as to 'who he is, what he did before

this act of surrendering, what all he expect out of this surrender etc'. Of

course, I do not want to add all that highly technical words like 'praathikoolya

varjanam' etc to explain this introduction.

 

Here, it is also understood, 'hey raama, how you did that saving act of ahalya

without any questions, in the same way you accept me also without much

questioning. Already a lot of discussions took place, which I also observed from

the sky' -'aa ahalyaa reethi dhanyu chEyavE'.

 

raama also does respond in the same way, simply, by a simple smile and soothing

eyesight on vibheeshaNa. See slokam of vaalmeeki.

 

thasya thadhvachanam sruthvaa raamO vachanam abraveeth || 6-19-6

vachasaa saanthvayithvainam lOchanaabhyaam pibanniva |

 

sruthvaa = hearing

thath vachanam = those words

thasya = of vibheeshaNa

raama: = raama

saanthvayithvaa = in soothing tone

pibanniva = soothing to refresh

lOchanaabhyaam = with his eyes

abraviit = spoke

vachanam = words

 

Meaning: Hearing those words of vibheeshaNa, raama in a soothing tone and with a

refreshing look in his eyes, spoke these words.

[What he spoke is not relevant to us from the krithi point of view and hence not

considered]

 

Point: there in the ahalya episode - the eyesight was set on the stone and the

paadha rajas did the savior act. Here the eyesight was set soothing to comfort,

the bhagavath kataaksham as it is called in paribhaashai -- and assuring words

then flows. How was the words - lOchanaabhyaam piban iva - amrutha vaahini -

nectar flowing from eyes and mouth for vibheeshana to drink and be saved in that

'krupa'. Is it necessary to call 'chiththaaniki raavE'. Yes. For us it is

necessary - to bring that scene into our vision.

 

Dear bhakthaas - realize thyagaraaja has just poured heart and soul in his

krithis, word by word following the srimadh raamaayaNam as could be seen above.

Is it thyaagaraajaa's bhaagyam that he has done such krithis or is it our

bhaagyam to have such krithis form such a raama bhaktha. I feel it is our

bhaagyam.

So enjoy that 'raama' amrutham, raama krupa, as well the krithi in full, that

amrutha vaahini.

 

Dhasan

Vasudevan m.g.

 

 

PS: please excuse me for the length of the post. i did not realise it in the

taste of raama amrutha vaahini.

 

 

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