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Post 3

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

"Paarkkap paarkkap padhinaayiram kangal vENum" says poet sri

aruNaachalak kavi, in the krithi `andha raama soundharyam' we are

considering - meaning – "to see that raamaa you require more than

10000 eyes". Even with the available two eyes we are not fully able

to comprehend the natures' beauty and the beauty of the archa

thirumEni of emperumaan in many a dhivya dhEsams. Then, if we have

10000 eyes, will it be possible to enjoy raamaa's beauty with all

10000 eyes? Perhaps when the lord gives us that many numbers of eyes,

then, he, only, has to give that extra capacity also to enjoy his

beauty through all these eyes.

 

Now another question arises. Describing raamaa's beauty as `andha

raama soundharyam' - is this, the poet's original idea or has he

taken a leaf out of the aadhi kavi sree vaalmeeki's composition?

After a small research on that point, we have to conclude –

a. vaalmeeki does not describe raamaa's physical features in

great detail, the hero of his story, in full, in the beginning, when

he introduces the character of raama, in the very first chapter.

b. Vaalmeeki does not describe raamaa's features when he marries

seethaa after that great bow breaking feat – [re bow story]

c. Again vaalmeeki does not describe raamaa's features through

the character of soorpanaka, when she falls in love on raamaa just at

once on seeing him – soorpanaka kaNdavudan kaadhal koNdaaL. As

aazhvaar says `kaNdavar tham manam vazhangum kaNapuraththu' [re manam

vazhangu] – she gave her heart. Even in that scene vaalmeeki does not

describe much.

d. When seethaa asks hanumaan to describe raama the poet

vaalmeeki pours out what all he missed in the above places. Hanumaan

describes all parts of the body of raama, as to which parts were all

raised, which are equal, which are pressed a little inside, to add to

the beauty – `andha raama soundharyam' etc.

 

So the conclusion is - aruNaachalak kavi simply followed vaalmeeki -

poured out in line with vaalmeeki in sundhara kaaNdam. Another great

poet - Kamban also deals so much on raamaa's beauty in this portion,

with very beautiful verses, which we will see slowly as this topic

progresses.

 

Now we will see vaalmeeki's first description in baala kaaNdam first

sargam

vipulaamsO mahaa baahu: kambu greevO mahaa hanu: || 1-1-9

 

vipula amsa: = broad shouldered

mahaa baahu: = great [lengthy] arms

kambu greeva: = neck like a conch-shell

mahaa hanu: = high cheek bones

 

meaning: [sage naaradha describes raama to vaalmeeki when vaalmeeki

asked `who is such a person – Evam vidham naram?']- raamaa's arms are

lengthy, and his neck is like a conch-shell, and cheekbones high. [1-

1-9]

 

Note: The following stanzas describe the physical qualities an

Emperor should have by birth, as per saamudhrikaa saasthra, the

physiognomic treatise of astrology.

 

mahaa uraskO mahEshvaasO gooDa jathru: arindhama: |

aajaanu baahu: susiraa: sulalaata: suvikrama: || 1-1-10

 

mahaa uraska: = broad [lion-like] chested

mahaa eeshu aasa: = [one who handles] long bow

gooDa jathru: = concealed collarbones [thick shouldered]

arim dhama: = enemy subjugator

aa jaanu baahu: = up to knees his arms [lengthy armed]

su siraa: = high [crowning] head

su lalaata: = with ample forehead

su vi krama: = good verily pacer [lion-like-pacer]

 

meaning: raama is lion-chested, thick-shouldered, knee-length are his

arms, and his is a long bow, an enemy-subjugator, and his emperor's

countenance is with a crowning-head with an ample forehead, and his

pacing is lion-like. [1-1-10]

 

sama: sama vibhaktha anga: snigdha varNa: prathaapavaan |

peena vakshaa visaala akshO lakshmeevaan subha lakshaNa: || 1-1-11

 

sama: = medium-sized [physically]

sama vibhaktha anga: = symmetrically divided [distributed or poised]

limbs

snigdha varNa: = soft [glossily] coloured [complexioned]

prathaapavaan = courageous one [or resplendent one]

peena vakshaa: = sinew chested

visaala aksha: = wide eyed

lakshmeevaan = prosperous [personality]

subha lakshaNa: = providential features.

 

Meaning: He is medium-sized physically, with limbs poised

symmetrically, sinew-chested, wide-eyed, complexioned glossily. He is

a prosperous personality with all the providential features, and thus

he is self-resplendent. [1-1-11]

 

aarya: sarva sama: cha Eva sadhaiva priya dharsana: || 1-1-16

 

aarya: = reachable [or reverential one]

sarva sama: cha Eva = all treats equally also thus

sadhaa Eva priya dharsana: = ever thus [the same] pleasant in look

[ever a feast to eye]

 

meaning: he treats all equally, and ever a feast to eye. [1-1-16]

 

vishNunaa sadhrusO veeryE sOmavath priya dharsana: | 1-1- 18

veeryE = in valour;

vishNunaa sadhrusa: = with Vishnu comparable

sOmavath priya dharsana: = full-moon like attractive in look

 

meaning: In valour raaama is comparable with vishNu, and in his looks

he is attractive like full-moon.

 

We will continue the beauty of raama in next post also.

 

Dhasan

Vasudevan m.g.