SrimaSrimad Ramayana Tathva Deepika #71 Ba:la Ka:nda

[Guest guest]

Srimathe Ramanujayanamaha!

Sri Jeeyar Thiruvadigale Saranam!

 

This opening sloka of Sri Ramayanam contains a bird’s story, Sri Rama’s story

and the story of atma together. We shall learn about them later. Valmiki

pondered over the curse that was given by him unintentionally and wondered why

did such words come out of his month and thought over what might have been the

reason for this and told his disciple Bharadwa:ja, “There are four feet(pa:da:s)

in this verse. In every foot there are eight letters. It is well orchestrated to

be suitable to be played on musical instruments. Hence it is not just a cluster

of words expressing grief.

 

This is Slo:ka. It can be praised by one and all.” Valmiki’s So:ka became a

Slo:ka. It’s NOT recommended to experience one’s agony oneself. One should get

rid of the soka with Jna:na. With the awareness that Bhagavan is Omnipresent,

if a human being who has no misery of his own - grieves for the agony of

another being - then this (grief) So:kam becomes a Slo:ka. That would become

worthy of being sung its glory. This has become the characteristic for the later

kavya.

 

Except for Veda, there was nothing existent earlier with metrical rules and

grammar. This sloka which came out of Valmiki’s voice on witnessing the

crouncha bird’s grief is the first composition with the rules of prosody.

Thinking that there must be some hidden secrets in this sloka, Valmiki kept

contemplating on it. Outwardly in ‘ma:nisha:da’ sloka, it looks like cursing the

‘nishada’ (hunter). But elders opine that is ‘Ramacharitha’ in this sloka and it

is the first sloka of Sri Ramayanam.

 

To be continued...

Jaisreemannarayana!!

Ramanujamma Mudumbai, Ramanuja Dasi