raama chinthanai - 3

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Post 3

Dear srivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

We saw yet another beautiful krithi of saint thyaagaraaja 'thelisi raama chinthanathO' in poorNa chandhrikaa raagam and few points on the krithi. Let us continue our discussion.

 

1. Now now let us take up the krithi for analyzing - as usual, first, the pallavi.

thelisi raama chinthanathO naamamu sEyavE, O manasaa - [ thelisi ]

 

meaning: Oh mind! Tell the name of raama consciously by meditating on Him.

 

Point: on the face of it, this line of the krithi appears an advise to one's own mind - hey mind, tell raama naama and be an enjoyer in that 'naama' sukham - raama naama sukham - 'sukhi evarO' asked ST in kaanadaa and answered that question in 'geethaarthamu' in surati, as 'hanumaan is the raama naama sukhi'.

 

Then, how is it that, this is an important point in conversation between seetha and raavaNan? See here the slokam of vaalmeeki --

saadhu dharmam avEkshasva saadhu saadhuvratham chara || 5-21-6 [part slokam]

 

meaning: seethaa tells raavaNan, "Observe righteousness well. Follow well the course of conduct of virtuous."

 

Now, dear bhakthaas, you may rise another point of argument - ST says 'tell raama naamam, oh mind' - but in above slokam seethaa says, 'observe righteousness, the course of conduct of virtuous' - then how both are linked?

For that we have to analyse a little deep.

What is the right course of virtuous people?

Answer is - "thinking of the lord always" in the mind and do things in this world, which are prescribed as duty in the vEdhaas.

Any doubt on that? hi, that is what ST also says here in the krithi - 'thelisi raama chinthanathO' - Oh mind! Tell the name of raama consciously by meditating on Him. Once the chinthanai is on raama, will not the conduct of that person turn righteous and will he not become virtuous? That is what ST says. Oh great!

 

2. Now, we move on to anupallavi - It is

thalapulanni nilipi nimishamaina thaaraka roopuni nija thathvamulanu - [ thelisi ]

 

meaning: Stop all your other thoughts for a minute and fix it on that lord savior and the true principle of all, [-- Oh mind! --- on Him - of pallavi].

 

Point 1: Another version of meaning can also be given to this anupallavi line -

"Meditate on the Lord the saviour (thaaraka) by fixing all your thoughts on him at least for a minute" and then have your routine thoughts as usual.

 

Point 2: again this appears to be an advise to his mind or to all of us. Just let us go back to vaalmeeki - dwell on the conversation between raavaNan and seethaa, raavaNan says --

Evam cha Ethath akaamaam thu na thvaam sprakshyaami maithilee |

kaamam kaama: sareerE mE yathaa kaamam praarthathaam || 5-20-6

 

meaning: raavaNan says, "It is like this, O Seetha! Since you do not like [like me or wish me as your husband] I will not touch you. The desire in my body [my mind on you], very much, let it behave in whatever way it likes."

 

RaavaNan says, 'even though my desire on you grows intensely, every time I see you, I will not touch you, without your wishing me as your husband'. For, he remembers his 'death sentence' - the curse on him - in touching an unwilling woman for enjoyment. Seetha in her points of 'advice' says

 

vachO mithyaapraNeethaathmaa pathyam uktham vichakshaNai: || 5-21-10

raakshasaanaam abhaavaaya thvam vaa na vrathipadhyasE |

 

meaning: You, who is being led by mind, towards unreal, is not taking wholesome words being said by righteous ones, and that may lead to the destruction of ogres."

 

When raavaNan says, 'let the desire behave in any way as it likes', seethaa tells him 'since you are being led by your mind and not listen to or take sincere advises from your well wishers, stop all your thoughts at least for a minute and put them on that 'thaaraka roopam' and that 'nija thathvam' - 'raama' or stop all thoughts on me and instead put on 'raama' "- in ST's words, the anupallavi "thalapu---". Perhaps poets will not tell us directly certain things and certain other directly in a stunning way. We have to dig into their works and then take the essence - rasam - the 'aanandham'.

 

3. Now let us move on to charaNam 1 --

raamaayana chapalaakshula pEru kaamaadhula pOruvaaru veeru

raamaayana brahmamunaku pEru aamaanava jananaardhulu dheeru - thelisi

 

meaning: raamaa is the name of a lady with shying eyes - people indulge in fighting associated with 'kaamam' - strong desire - and subsequent 'vipareetha buddhi' - crooked ideas to get at that 'raamaa'. Raama means para-brahmam (the supreme lord and the absolute in all respects), by remembering whom, the desire to get rid of the repeated birth and death of all souls of human beings is fulfilled. Hence, Oh mind! Tell the name of raama consciously by meditating on Him.

 

Point: raamaa here means seethaa - that 'aa'kaaram is 'sthree lingam', feminine gender - indicating seethaa is meant here - for vaalmeeki uses this raamaam - this version is not ST's own creation - ST follows or adopts vaalmeeki - the slokam for reference is

sushyantheem rudhatheem Ekaam dhyaana sOkaparaayaNaam |

dhuhkhasyaantham apasyantheem raamaam raamam anuvrathaam || 5-19-8

 

raamaam = Seetha, the pleasant one;

anuvrataam = following the will;

raamam = of Raama. [balance words not taken up here by MGV since the point here is to stress the usage of raamaa means seethaa - by vaalmeeki]

 

meaning: Seetha a pleasant one, was emaciated, was crying, being alone having surrendered to Her thoughts and sorrow not seeing the end of grief, following the will of Raama.

 

Hanumaan also thinks about seethaa as 'raamaa' - that 'aakaara sthree lingam name ---

'saa raamaa raama mahishee raaghavasya priyaa' - slokam 5-14 - 45

 

Next word in the krithi of ST is 'chapalaakshi' - having shying eyes - whenever a kula sthree sees anya purushan, she will naturally have shyness - that is why that 'thruNam antharatha: kruthvaa' when she replies to raavaNan - see the elaborate commentary - 26 points of sri periya vaachchaan piLLai swamy - in 'is she capable' series.

 

'kaamaadhula pOruvaaru veeru' is the next in the krithi - for that we have to see the lines of vaalmeeki - raavaNan saying --

kaamaye thvaam visaalaakshi bahumanyasva maam priyE |

sarvaanga guNa sampannE sarvalOka manOharE || 5-20-3

 

meaning: raavaNan tells or begs to seethaa, "O wide eyed one! You are endowed with excellencies bodily, and pleasing to all people. I desire you. O lovable one! Respect me."

 

For this seethaa replies to raavaNan --

nivarthaya manO maththa: svajanE kriyathaam mana: || 5-21-3

na maam praarthayithum yuktham susidhDhim iva paapakruth |

 

meaning: Turn your mind back from me. Let your mind be made on your own wives. Like best emancipation for a sinner, it is not appropriate for you to pray me."

Seethaa continues -

prasaadhayasva thvam chanam saraNaagatha vathsalam || 5-21-21

maam cha asmai niyathO bhoothvaa niryaathayithum arhasi |

 

meaning: You seek graciousness of this Raama, who loves those who seek protection. Becoming piously disposed, you are suited to return me to this Raama."

 

Point: One who has the capacity to protect those who surrendered to him is saraNaagatha vathsalan - raamayani brahmamunaku pEru - seethaa tells raavaNan seek protection from raama by returning me - that ST puts in his style - as raama is the brahmam and by remembering him get rid of repeated birth and death - means - obtain mOksham - liberation - that best and final desired result of the act of that saraNaagathy - that is what seethaa also tells raavaNan - to do that remember that raamaa always in the mind.

 

Oh, great lines by ST - though a little indirect. Let us take next charaNam in subsequent post.

Dhasan

Vasudevan m.g.

 

 

 

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