Guest guest Posted September 24, 2005 Report Share Posted September 24, 2005 SrimatE Raamaanujaaya Namaha // SrimatE Nigamaanta Mahaa Desikaaya Namaha // SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya/ SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya// KAvEri VardhathAm kAlE, kAlE varshathu vAsava: / SrI RanganAthO jayathu Sri Ranga Sri cha VardhathAm// ============================================================= SRI RANGA SRI VOL.06 / ISSUE # 28 dated 09/23/05 ============================================================= IN THIS ISSUE: 1. ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN Part #11 SlOkam 32 (ANBIL RAMASWAMY) 2. VILAKSHANA MOKSHAADHIKAARI NIRNAYAM OF SRI ERUMBIAPPA Part # 15 (ANBIL RAMASWAMY) 3. FROM MAHBHARATA “YAKSHA PRASNAM” Part # 58 EPILOGUE -1 (M.K.RAMASWAMY IYENGAR RETD. SENIOR OFFICER OF GOVT. OF INDIA) 4. “TRIMURTI” - IN NAMMAZHWAR’S TIRUVOIMOZHI- PART # 18 (SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO) ============================================================= 1. ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN Part # 11 SlOkam 32 (ANBIL RAMASWAMY) -- SlOkam 32 Taadrug guNO nanu babhoovitha raagava tvam (tvE) Yas taavakam chritam anvaham anva bhunkta / sO atra Eva hanta! hanuman paramaam vimuktim budhvaa avadhooya charitam tava sEvatE asou // “Oh! Lord! When, as Rama, you exhibited all your auspicious qualities so much that your ardent Bhakta AanjanEya (known as Siriya TiruvaDi) enjoyed them with immense devotion. But, the very same AanjanEya, the son of Wind god, who knew mOksham to be the ultimate bliss chose to discard it in preference to his enjoying your qualities here on earth itself!” COMMENTS: When on the completion of his avataara as Sri Rama, he prepared to return to his eternal abode of VaikunTam, VibheeshaNa wanted to accompany him. But, the Lord stopped him saying that he should remain on earth for protecting Dharma and ordered him to obey without uttering a word in dissent” Yaavat prajaa dharishyanti taavat svam vibheeshaNa! raakshsEndra! Mahaaveerya! Lankaastha: svam dhaarayishyasi// saapitastvam sakhitvEna kaaryam tE saasanam mama / prajaastvam raksha dharmENa na uttaram vaktum arhasi // Sri Rama handed over Periya perumaaL along with kOvilaazhwaar asking VIbheeshaNa to take it to Lanka. At that time, he invited Hanuman, (who was then doing Raamajapam in some corner of Gandhamaadana mountain) to come with him. Hanuman, however, was not willing to go with Sri Rama saying: “I would like to remain in this earth itself enjoying your auspicious qualities you exhibited in such abundance. I have no inclination to come to your “nitya-vibhooti” because such an “anubhavam” will not be available elsewhere than on this earth” snEhO mE paramO raajan! Tvayi nityam pratishTita: / bhaktis cha niyataa veera! bhaavO na anyatra gachchati // The word “snEha” indicates “Para bhakti”; “parama: pratishTita:” indicates “Para jnaanam” and “niyataa Bhakti” indicates “Parama bhakti”. Thus, AanjanEya revealed that here on earth, he has attained all the three stages of Bhakti yOga and, therefore, he did not need to proceed to VaikunTam at all! “hanta!” Azhwaan wonders that when great seers hated life on earth and longed to attain Paramapadam, it is strange that AanjanEya was going in reverse gear! Perhaps Sri Rama created an opportunity to reveal the extraordinary devotion of AanjanEya, by devising such a “question and answer” session! “hanuman tava charitam atraiva sEvatE”: shows that as “Chiranjeevi”, Hanuman to this day remains on earth singing the praise of Sri Rama and attending assemblies where the glory of Sri Rama is sung. “Yatra yatra raghunaatha keerthanam tatra tatra krita mastaka anjalim Bhaashpavaari paripoorNa lOchanam maarutim namata raakshasaantakam //” So says the Invocatory (upakrama) Dhyaana Slokas of Srimad RaamaayaNa paaraayaNa. “Is it not because it was here on earth (leelaa vibhooti) that you performed superhuman feats (athimaanusha chEshTitam)? Azhwaan seems to ask the Lord. -------- To Continue ============================================================= xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ============================================================= 2. VILAKSHANA MOKSHAADHIKAARI NIRNAYAM OF SRI ERUMBIAPPA Part # 15 (ANBIL RAMASWAMY) ----ISWARA ABHIMAANAM & SADAACHAARYA ABHIMAANAM What does one who resorts to a Sadaachaaryan do? Such a one would live strictly according to the dictates presribed in the Saastras (which are only the commands of the Lord) and as enunciated by the Sadaachhaaryan and would scrupulously avoid all that is proscribed in the Saastras (akrityakaraNam and kritya akaraNam). Only such a one will be saved by the grace of Achaarya from becoming an object of “leela” of the Lord. Does it mean that one who resorts to the Lord himself directly will be subjected to Lord’s “Leela”? YES. If such folks resort to “ahamkaaram” (I-ness) and “mamakaaram (mine-ness) without being absolutely and unconditionally devoted to Him, the Lord might do so. For example, the Dvaarapaalakas Jaya and Vijaya, when they gave room for their ego that they were the chosen ones to guard the entrance to the Lord’s place, they had to suffer he curse of a sage and were born as humans thrice before getting back their original posts. Another example is that of Indradhyumnan who was constantly meditating on the Lord. At one stage, he became consumed by ego that there could be none equal to him in securing “Iswara abhimaanam”. Due to another curse of Sage Agastya, he was born as an elephant and suffered for long in his fight with a crocodile. Only when he totally surrendered himself calling the Lord “AadhimoolamE”, could he get the much needed relief. It is clear, therefore, that even if one has attained Jnaana and Bhakti, if even a tinge of ego should crop up in their attitude, all the attainments will be of no avail. The Lord, however, out of his infinite compassion ultimately shows them mercy after subjecting them to a suffering to chasten them. Therefore, nobody can take “abhimaanam” of Iswara for granted and go about developing ahamkaara, mamakaara, vishaya praavaNya, Bhagavad –Bhaagavata apachaara etc. If they do so, they go astray from Iswara and have to suffer the consequences. WHEN DOES ONE GO ASTRAY FROM THE LORD? ERUMBIAPPA lists three circumstances in which one can story away from the Lord. 1. Devataantara 2. Saadhanaantaram and 3.Vishayaantaram “matrOr deivam pENa purathiTTu” “neri kaaTTi neekidiyO?” “pala nee kaaTTi patuppaayO?” are some of the expressions used by Azhwaar himself to highlight the obstructions on the way to divine grace. Adherence to other deities, observance of means other than Bhakti / Prapatti, and attachment to worldly pleasures are the three impediments to God realization. Of these three, the last one is the most potent deterrent that can result in “aatma naasam” (irrevocably debasing the soul). That is why Azhwaar advised clearly “viDumin mutravum” (totally abandon all attachment to other things), and “irai uLLil aDangE” (take refuge in the Lord). The Acharyas who succeeded the Azhwar also gave greater emphasis on these “giving up” undesirable tendencies known as “Nivritti dharma” (the don’ts) than over “Pravritti dharmas” (the do’s) Bhagavad Ramanuja categorically lays down what should be given up and what should be adhered to in these words: ”sarva dharmaams cha santhyajya sarva kaamaams cha saaksharaan lOka vikraanta charaNou saraNam tE vraja vibhO”” Without understanding the full import of Emperumaanaar’s command and without following these salutary guidelines, mere mouthing using such phrases like “aDiyEn” and “daasan” in season and out of season, (without even understanding what they actually mean) will only make them a mere hollow platitude. To Continue ============================================================== xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ============================================================== 3. FROM MAHBHARATA “YAKSHA PRASNAM” Part # 58 EPILOGUE -1 (M.K.RAMASWAMY IYENGAR, RETD. SENIOR OFFICER OF GOVT. OF INDIA) --- YAKSHA UVAACHA: Vyaakhyaata: purusha raajan yas cha sarva dhanee nara: / Tasmaat tava ekO bhraatrooNaam yam ichchasi sa jeevatu // “Oh! King! I am extremely pleased with the explanations provided by you as to who is the wealthiest of them all! I grant you a boon. You may name any one of your brothers who shall at once be restored to life” COMMENTS: Ideally, the Yaksha should have said “Oh! King! I am extremely pleased with ALL your replies. Not only did I like the answers which are indeed true answers but I also liked how you phrased them! Further, you answered then and there. You must have asked these questions of your own mind and also answered them to your total satisfaction, over and over again” Instead, he seemed to compliment YudhishTira about the latter’s answer to the final question! It must leave YudhishTira too that evidently the Yaksha had not yet done with his test, whatever may be the purpose for which he decided to impose it. YudhishTira replied calmly without any reflection and without any pretence – “NakulO, Yaksha! Jeevatu”. “Oh! Yaksha! Let Nakula be restored to life” The feather miened Yaksha could have indeed been knocked down by a feather! So surprised was he that YudhishTira chose Nakula and not Bheema, the mighty, the brother next to him and very dear to him because he was so artless though so powerful or Arjuna, the impregnable archer on whose skills the PaaNDavas were entirely dependent. The Yaksha rolled his eyes in great astonishment and raised his eyebrows very high in great puzzlement. He pressed YudhishTira to clarify what made him choose Nakula who was neither so strong nor so skilled as Bheema or Arjuna and above all, the son of his step mother. Maintaining his poise and equanimity, YudhishTira replied gravely: Aanrusamsyam parO dharmah pramaarthaaya mE matam / Aanrusmasyam chikeershaami nakulO Yaksha! jeevatu // "The very opposite of cruelty that is compassion is what I hold to be the supreme Dharma. Its value too is very high. I would like to abide by the supreme Dharma. Therefore, I say, Oh! Yaksha! Let Nakula live” Dharmaseelah sadaa raja iti maam maanavaa viduh / Svadharmaat na chalishyaami NakulO Yaksha! Jeevatu // “There is yet another thing. People have always acclaimed me as a righteous king. I shall give up everything not to lose such a reputation. I do not also like to swerve from Dharma adopted by me. Oh! Yaksha! Let Nakula live” Yathaa kuntee tathaa maadree visEshI naasti mE tayOh / Maatrubhyaam samam ichchaami Nakula Yaksha! Jeevatu // In my mind, there is no distinction whatsoever between my mother Kunti and my step mother Maadri. I hold them alike. Oh! Yaksha! It is appropriate, therefore, that along with me the surviving son of Kunti, the son of Maadri too, should. Oh! Yaksha! Let Nakula live” Tears welled up in Yaksha’s eyes. He was immensely pleased, no doubt. He was also immensely touched. Nodding his head in appreciation and after blinking away his tears, he said emotionally: Yasya tE arthaas cha kaamaas cha anrusmsyam param matam / Tasmaat tE bhraatara: sarvE jeevantu bhartarshabha// Yaksha said: ”What, indeed, can I say to you who hold adherence to the code of compassion higher than pursuing wealth and desires! Oh! The jewel among the Bhaaratas! So be it! Let ALL your brothers come back to life!” The moment Yaksha uttered these words, all the four brothers of YudhishTira sprung to life. They stood up with an athletic grace so natural to princes and to great warriors and looked on at YudhishTira and the crane alternately, in silence and with curiosity. Wise as they were, it was not difficult for them to infer that their brother had, quietly and in his own characteristic way performed a rescue act as he had done on an earlier occasion with regard to Bheema, when the latter had found himself irretrievably trapped in the coils of a python. In the middle of the pond, the crane continued its one-legged stance with a half-quizzical and half-amused expression on its face and with its head slightly inclined to one side, it kept looking at the five brothers. All of them realized suddenly that all their fatigue, thirst, sense of frustration had vanished completely. YudhishTira, however, felt that there were a few loose strands that required be gathering and tying up; there were also a couple of points that needed to be settled… ---------------------- To Continue ============================================================== xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ============================================================== 4. “TRIMURTI” - IN NAMMAZHWAR’S TIRUVOIMOZHI- PART # 18 (SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO) --------------------------------tri-trimUrti in tiruvAimozhi – Part 18. 3.10.4 (27) parivu inRi vANanaik kAttum enRu, anRu paDaiyoDum vandu edirnda tiripuram SeRRavanum maganum pinnum a’ngiyum pOr tolaiya poru SiRaip puLLaik kaDAviya mAyanai Ayanai pon cakkarattu ariyinai acyutanai paRRi yAn iRaiyEnum iDar ilanE. The main message conveyed in this pASuram is that resorting to anya devatA-s such as rudra cannot be depended upon for protection, whereas surrendering to emperumAn will always lead to unconditional protection by Him. In this pASuram nammAzhvAr declares that by resorting to the Lord who defeated rudra and his son subrahmaNya when they teamed up to defend bANAsura, has garuDa as His vehicle, cakra as His weapon, and One who never lets down anyone who surrenders to Him, AzhvAr is perfectly at ease and beyond any concern about his choice. By pointing out that rudra and subrahmaNya could not protect bANAsura, AzhvAr indicates that resorting to anya-devatA-s cannot be relied upon to protect us; by pointing out that he is resorting to the One Who never forsakes those who seek His protection, AzhvAr is also pointing out that acyuta (literally meaning “One who never lets His devotee slip” – na cyAvayati iti a-cyutaH) will always protect His devotee. In fact, He ended up protecting even rudra, subrahmaNya, and bANAsura himself, when they surrendered to Him in the end. The incident referred to in the pASuram with respect to bANAsura is as follows: ushA, the daughter of bANAsura, fell in love with aniruddha, the grandson of kRshNa. ushA conspired to get aniruddha into her antah puram. When bANAsura came to know that aniruddha was with his daughter ushA, he tied aniruddha with nAgAstra. kRshNa came to release him. bANAsura sought the help of Siva against kRshNa. In his pride over having burnt the tri-pura-s, Siva declared that he will protect bANAsura against kRshNa. He was squarely defeated. subrahmaNya came next to defend bANAsura, and met the same fate. Thus, neither could defend bANAsura who had taken refuge in them. When bANAsura was finally abandoned by Siva and subrahmaNya, he continued to fight kRshNa, and all his thousand shoulders were severed by kRshNa with His cakrAyudha. Ultimately rudra, subrahmaNya, and bANAsura surrendered to kRshNa, and He forgave all of them and spared bANAsura’s life. kRshNa is none other than the One who has declared, in His rAma incarnation, that He will never forsake anyone who has surrendered to Him. In this pASuram, nammAzhvAr declares that he has no regret whatsoever in choosing this emperumAn for taking shelter any day (ariyai acyutanaip paRRi yAn iRaiyEnum iDar ilanE). - parivu inRi vANanaik kAttum enRu – “Without any shadow of doubt, we will defend bANAsura” – so saying - tiripuram SeRRavanum maganum pinnum a’ngiyum – Siva who had the fame of burning the three cities, his son, and fire which was the devatA for bANAsura’s city - anRu paDaiyoDum vandu edirnda – came to confront kRshNa (who had come to release His grandson aniruddha from bANAsura) with their forces - pOr tolaiya – (but Siva and the others got squarely defeated and) had to leave the battlefield with the feeling that they will never again get involved in a fight with kaNNan - poru SiRaip puLLaik kaDAviya mAyanai – (kaNNan) who steered garuDa with the wings that could conduct the necessary war with these people - Ayanai – kaNNan who came in the simple form of a cowherd, against the likes of Siva and his sons who were reputed to be deva-s with accolades to support them - poR-cakkarattu ariyinai – kaNNan who, nonetheless, was none other than the Supreme Lord of all, with the golden cakra that destroyed the thousand shoulders of baNAsura when he put up a fight with bhagavAn. Note the use of the adjective ‘pon’ cakkaram instead of ‘SuDar’ cakkaram. The beauty of the cakra as a decorative ornament for bhagavAn is enjoyed here. - acyutanai – One Who never lets down anyone who surrenders to Him. This includes His forgiving Siva, subrahmaNya, bANAsura etc. - paRRi – by resorting to Him (instead of any of the other devatA-s) - yAn iRaiyEnum iDar ilanE – I do not have the slightest concern. - tiripuram SeRRavan – This refers to the ‘pride’ that Siva had because of his success in burning the three cities. People praised him for this act, and he forgot that this act of his was possible only because bhagavAn was his arntaryAmi, and also because bhagavAn was the sharpness of the arrow of Siva, the strength of the bow, and the tartness of the bowstring all at the same time. Forgetting all this, Siva took false pride in his accomplishment, and thought that he can defend bANAsura against kRshNa, and learned his lesson by being squarely defeated. nammAzhvAr’s tiruvAimozhi pASuram 1.1.8 also describes bhagavAn being the force behind the tiri-puram incident: puramoru mUnru eRittu amararkkum aRiviyandu aran ayan ena ulagu azhittu amaittuLanE. (1.1.8) The bANAsura incident is also sung by tirumazhiSai AzhvAr in tiruccanda viruttam (71): vaNDu ulAvu kOdai mAdar kAraNattinAl veguNDu iNDa vANan Irai’njUru tOlgaLait tuNittAn munDan nIran makkaL veppu mODi a’ngu ODiDak kaNDu nANi, vANanukku ira’nginAn em mAyanE. “kaNNan severed the thousand shoulders of bANAsura who fought with Him on the matter of ushA, the daughter of bANAsura. rudra, his sons, agni, etc., who had come to support bANAsura ran from the battlefield defeated. KANNan felt ashamed that He made these great people run like this defeated, and took pity and spared the life of bANAsura”. pASuram 53 of tiruccanda viruttam is another pASuram that sings the praise of the Lord with regard to the bANAsura incident: mODiyODu ilaccaiyAya SAbam eidi, mukkaNNan kUDu SEnai makkaLODu koNDu maNDi ve’njamattu ODa vANan Ayiram karam kazhitta Adi mAl pIDu kOil kUDu nIr ara’ngam enRa pEradE. (tiruccanda. 53) pUrvAcAryas’ anubhavam is that it took four days for aniruddha to be released from bANAsura’s place, because he had not sought kRshNa’s protection before going to ushA’s palace; but nammAzhvAr did not have to be under anyone else’s control even for a second, because He is a devotee who has surrendered to kRshNa totally – such is the power of surrender to Him. In his dramiDopanishad tAtparya ratnAvaLi, svAmi deSikan picks up on the victory that bhagavAn had over rudra, subrahmaNya, agni, bANAsura etc., and enjoys this pASuram by pointing out that bhagavAn is sure to be victorious in any endeavor that He undertakes– jaitra vyApAra yogAt – veRRit-tozhil vallamai. Om jaitra vyApAra yogAya namaH -------------------------- To Continue ============================================================= Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ============================================================= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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