raama ofering tharpanam

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

 

 

Smt. Jayasree saranathan wrote extensively and quite interestingly on the use of

dharbham, tharpaNam, thilam - eLLu, sraadhdha etc etc.

 

 

 

This triggered my thoughts to check how raama offered his tharpaNam to his

father that poor king dhasaratha.

 

 

 

I say poor Dhasaratha - for he was so ill lucked not to have his son by his

side, when he left this world or breathed last. That too got a son after

carrying out a grand puthra kaama ishti - a yagna desiring a son. [ puthra -

son, kaama - desiring, ishti - yagna].

 

 

 

Similarly raama also was not lucky enough to perform the last rites of his

father in proper time - viz. just to ignite the funeral pyre and also to perform

the kriyas in the days following the death of his dear father.

 

 

 

On the other hand jataayu, the bird was lucky enough to get all these done in

time by the hands of raama.

 

 

 

The important purpose of writing this article is - See what raama offers as

'piNdam' - food to father - the pithru - who has passed away.

 

 

 

On receiving information that his father passed away from bharatha, raama says

to Lakshmana

 

 

 

aanaya ingudhi piNyaakam cheeram aahara cha uththaram |

 

jala kriyaartham thaathasya gamishyaami mahaathmana: || 2 -103 -20

 

 

 

meaning: lakshmaNa - please arrange to get [or bring] some oil cake [iluppai

piNNaakku] and bark piece. Let me go to perform the water obsequies to the great

father.

 

 

 

aingudham badharair misram pinyaakam dharba sansthare |

 

nyasya raama sudhukhaartho rudhan vachanam abraveeth || 2- 103 - 29

 

 

 

meaning: raama, weeping, [or with real sorrow,] said following after placing a

mixture of oil cake and badari fruits [aalam pazham - banyan tree fruits] on a

layer of dharbham

 

 

 

idham bhunkshva maahaa raaja preethO yadhasanaa vayam |

 

yadhanna: purushO bhavathi thadhannaasthasya dhevathaa: || - 2-103 - 30

 

 

 

meaning: hey mahaaraajan, you, with a liking, please eat these as the food. What

food is available to us, you pithrus, that is the pleasing foods for dhEvathaas

also.

 

 

 

dhakshiNa agrEshu dharbEshu saa dhadharsa maheethalE |

 

pithu: ingudhi piNyaakam nyastham aayatha lochanaa || 2- 104 - 8

 

 

 

meaning: she, [mother kousalyaa] saw that oil cake kept for father in the south

ends of the dharbham and started weeping.

 

 

 

[the former king dhasaratha who can have choice foods as offering is now

relegated to have only oil cake - so she feels for it - hey king what a pity -

to get this as the offering from your pet son]

 

 

 

sruthisthu khalu iyam sathyaa loukikee prathibhaathi mE |

 

yadhanna: purushO bhavathi thadhannaasthasya dhevathaa: || - 2- 104 15

 

 

 

meaning: raama says - in the sruthis also it is said that whatever food we like

same is liked by dhEvathaas also.

 

 

 

>From these slOkams it is clear that

 

1. raama did do tharpaNam for his father using dharbham.

2. raamaa's sorrow was very real - see the word su - dhu:khaartha: - it is not

for the sake of others.

3. raama offered iluppai piNNaakku - oil cake - the solid refuse from the

iluppai mara seeds after oil is taken out - [please excuse me I am not able to

explain what this iluppai is - in tamil if I say - it is something similar to

punga maram - having broad flat red colour seeds and with oil content - or

pinnai maram - a tree on which krishNa leans - dictionary says this iluppai tree

as terminalia cattappa]

4. badari fruits is the immediate one raama could get and offer as the fruits

for his father.

5. what food is liked by us or available to us, then it can be used as offering

to pithrus. [May be subjected to certain restrictions, not a free for all]

6. in the forest raama, lakshmana and seetha did know the technique of producing

oil from the iluppai seeds, and take the cake and eat it as food. May be the oil

is used for cooking, in yagnaas as aahuthi [instead of ghee - aajya - clarified

butter] and for lighting a lamp.

 

 

 

Any Comments please?

 

 

 

Dhasan

 

Vasudevan m.g.

 

 

 

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