Sri Rama Katha Sudha

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!! Sri Rama Jayam !!

 

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Sri Rama Katha Sudha (By Unknown Author)

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Srimad Valmiki Ramayana is, for us, the sole authentic source of information for

everything connected with Sri Rama's life and times. This is not only because

Sri Valmiki is the Aadi kavi (the first among all poets, chronologically and

otherwise) but also because he was blessed by Sage Narada with yogic powers to

witness Sri Ramayana as it really happened (tat sarvam dharma veeryENa yatavat

samprapasyati). Thus Srimad Valmiki Ramayana is, so to say, an eyewitness

account of the actions of Sri Rama and others, in public and private. This is

the reason for the high pedestal, which the work occupies in our Sampradaya and

elsewhere. However, there has been any number of other poets who have recorded

for posterity their own anubhavams, in their different styles. While these works

may not boast of either the authenticity or the majesty of Sri Valmiki's

original work, some of them do provide enjoyable fare to the connoisseur of

literature and for the Sri Rama Bhaktas thirsty for more rasAnubhavam. Adiyen

would like to reproduce below a few slokas from such works, purely for their

beauty and to share with you the pleasure adiyen derived from their perusal. The

following sloka , from 'Raghava Pandaveeyam',is in praise of Sri Valmiki-

 

!! anyO vidhAta valmikih aadi kAvyam kamandaluh

RaghunAtha kathA GangA tayA poota jagat trayee !!

 

During TrivikramAvatAram, when the Lord's tiruvadi reached SatyalOkam, Brahma

performed tirumanjanam with his kamandalu teerttham, from which originated the

Ganga, the holiest of waters. In this couplet, the kavi likens Sri Valmiki to

Brahma and his magnum opus, the aadi kavyam, to his kamandalu. The Ramakatha,

which flowed from the kamandalu, is likened to the Ganga, which is the purifier

of the three worlds. Kavana chAturyam comes to the fore in the following sloka

of Sri Ramabhadra DeekshitA, in his VarnamAlA stOtram-

 

!! aamnAya saila sikaraika nikEtanAya Valmiki vAg jalanidhi prati bimbitAya

kAlAmbudAya karunArasa mEturAya kasmaichit astu mama kArmukiNE praANmah !!

 

Sri Rama, as the para brahmam, resides at the top of the vedic mountain (that

is, the VedantA). At the foothills is a great lake with deep waters, ( Srimad

Valmiki Ramayana), which reflects the mountain top. The purport here is that

Srimad Ramayanam gives us a true picture of the parabrahma swaroopam. But then,

it has to,being an incarnation of the Vedas (veda; PrAchEtasAt Aseet sAkshAt

RamayanAtmanA).

Bhavabhooti, in his Uttara Rama Charitam, pays the following tribute to Sri

Valmiki-

 

!! loukikAnAm hi sAdhoonAm arttham vak anuvartatE

risheeNAm punarAdyAnAm vacham arttha: anu dhavati !!

 

While in the compositions of great men, the word follows the meaning, in the

divine works of Rishis

like sri valmiki, the meaning pursues the sacred text closely. In other words,

ordinary kavis have to fix

the matter in their minds and search for suitable expression. However, the

spontaneous outpourings of

sages like Sri Valmiki and the Azhwars, are inherently pregnant with meaning-

there is no laborious search

for rhyme or metre, which fall into place by themselves.

 

Sri Valmiki and his work come in for further adulation by the same kavi,

Bhavabhooti, in the following sloka, which is self-explanatory -

 

!! pApmabhyascha punAti vardhayati cha shrEyAmsi seyam katha

mAngalyA cha manOharA cha jagatO mAtEva GangEva cha

tAmEnam paribhAvayantu abhinayai: vinyasta roopam budhA :

sabda brahma vida :kavE :parinatAm prAgyasya vAneem imAm !!

 

 

Leave alone Sri Rama - He has been the object of enough epics, poems and text. A

famous poet, Sri Ramabhadra DeekshitA, has made Sri Rama's bow, the KothandA,

the subject of lavish praise, as the following extract from his Sri Rama ChApa

stavam would indicate-

 

!! Yen moole Raghunandanasya jagatAm trAteti keertyankura:

dEvi cha archati JanAki sa vinayam yet gandha pushpa akshatai :

yet kOtyA krita lanchanamcha jaladhou sEtu :

jagat bhadrAyAstu jagat traya stuti padam tat Raghaveeyam dhanu:!!

 

 

Sri Rama's renown as the protector of the worlds flows indeed from the exploits

of his famous Bow, the KothandA.

Sri Sita pirAtti performs daily pooja to this Bow, which united Her with the

Lord. And the Rama Sethu, which is a purifier of people the world over, is but a

creation of the Bow-end. (Even today, pilgrims to the Sethu draw a picture of

the Kothanda in the sands and propitiate it before taking a dip in the holy

waters). Thus, the RamaChApA (bow) is indeed the object of adoration of the

three worlds.

 

The very same kavi is the author of Sri Rama ana stavam,( in praise of Sri Rama'

arrow.) from which the following sloka is taken-

 

!!Mareechopagya vEgam bala vijayi suta prEkshita

amOgha bhAvam parAvArAvarodha vraja vidita mahA dussahArchi prabhAvam

leela lOlooyamAna tridasa ripu sirO tOraNee drishta taikshnyam

bhakta trANa praveenam saranam asaranO Rama BAnam pranoumi !!

 

The author performs saranAgati to the Rama BAna, (rather than to Sri Rama

himself) which, he says, is the only refuge of the unprotected. Sri VenkatAdvari

kavi, in his well-known 'Visva GunAdarsa Champu',inimitably describes Sri

Chakravarthi Tirumagan's felicity. He is capable of turning even a blade of

grass into BrahmAstram (as He did in the KAkAsura vrittantam); and He could turn

into a blade of grass (as light as it is) even the hard-to-lift, extremely heavy

Siva Dhanus. A stone was turned into the beautiful AhalyA and His own footwear

assumed the role of the Emperor of AyOdhyA (vide the PadukA PattabhishEkam). The

deep and wide ocean was turned into a shallow lake across which a bridge could

be built easily. Ordinary monkeys were transformed into great warriors and the

dreaded ten-headed Ravana was killed as easily as a mosquito. All this was

achieved by Sri Rama, who posed as a mere mortal. Following is the beautiful

poem-

 

!! astrAmAsa trinam priyAdruhi, triNAmAsa purArer dhanu:

dArAmAsa mune :silApi, nrivarAmAsa svayam PadukA

kulyAmAsa mahArnavOpi, kapayO yOdhAm babhoovu :

tadA poulastyO masakAm babhoova bhagavan tvam mAnushAmAsita !!

 

Sri Rama KarNAmrutam is another beautiful work, from which is reproduced the

following sloka-

 

Though Sri Rama's swaroopam was there for all to enjoy, only certain people knew

full well the rasA of each angA of Raghunandana. For instance, the true prowess

of the Lord's shoulders is known only to the Siva Dhanus, which was hoisted by

the Prince almost playfully, while other Rajas struggled even to lift it. The

true power of the Lord's feet are known only to Ahalya, who, by the mere touch

of the purifying tiruvadi, was transformed from barren stone into a beautiful

woman. Only the intransigent Samudra Raja, whom the arrow bulldozed into

submission, knows the true powers of the Rama BanA. And likewise, the true

sweetness of the Rama NamA is known only to Siva, who not only recites it

constantly, but is also supposed to whisper it in the ears of the dying, at

Varanasi.

 

JAnAti Ramah tava Nama ruchim MahEsa:

JAnAti Goutama sati tava charana prabhAvam

JanAtidorbala parAkramam Eesa chapa:

JanAti amogha patu bAna gatim payOdhi:

 

There is an almost endless repertoire of stotras, composed by well-known and not

so famous poets, which provide a varied and uplifting fare to the palate of the

Rama Bhakta, ever thirsty for more rasAnubhavam. If Sri Rama so wills, adiyen

would like to continue on this some other time.

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!! Nityam smarami Sri Raghunayaka Padam !!

 

Hare Krishna

Hare Rama