AcArya rAmAmRtam - SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImate ra’ngarAmAnuja mahAdeSikAya nama:

SrImate SrInivAsa rAmAnuja mahAdeSikAya nama:

SrImate vedAnta rAmAnuja mahAdeSikAya nama:

SrI ra’nganAtha divya maNi pAdukAbhyAm nama:

SrI ra’ngarAmAnuja mahAdeSika divya pAdukAbhyAm nama:

 

Translation into English

AcArya rAmAmRtam - SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam - 1.

Introduction

(by SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan – SrImad vedAnta

rAmAnuja mahAdeSikan)

 

SrI U.Ve nATTeri kiDAmbi rAjagopAlAcAriyAr svAmin

(Editor of SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA – hereafter referred

to briefly as SrI NKR) has recently started a series

in the pAdukA, giving a verbatim version of SrImad

tirukkuDandai ANDavan’s SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam. The

source of his write-up comes from audio tapes provided

by Hall Road Brothers, and, more importantly, his own

anubhavam from his kAlakshepam with SrImad

tirukkuDandai ANDavan. aDiyen has been enjoying

reading this series and felt that those who cannot

read tamizh or do not have the bhAgyam of getting SrI

ra’nganAtha pAdukA should also get to enjoy this

amRtam at least in English.

 

SrI NKR svAmin has titled the upanyAsam by SrImad

ANDavan as “AcArya rAmAmRtam”, and his own footnotes

(TippaNi) to accompany the text of the upanyAsam as

“SrI rAmAmRta rasamaNi:”. This first section is the

start of the rAmAmRta rasamaNi:. This will be

followed by SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan’s upanyAsam,

interspersed with SrI NKR svAmin’s continuation of SrI

rAmAmRta rasamaNi:.

 

HH - SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan, asmad AcAryan, has

blessed aDiyen in undertaking this effort, of

translating SrI NKR svAmin’s tamizh write-up into

English and posting it in the rAmAnujA mission

group (it is being extended to the andavan

listing also). aDiyen has also obtained permission

from SrI NKR svAmin, who was kind enough to give his

consent, with the bhAvam that SrImad ANDavan’s

upanyAsam should reach as many of the Sishya-s as

possible. aDiyen would like to express sincere

appreciation to him for his kind gesture.

 

aDiyEn will attempt a true translation into English

from SrI NKR svAmin’s write-up starting from September

2005 issue of SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA and begs the

forgiveness of all for any error introduced during the

translation.

 

A translation of SrImad ANDavan’s bhAshyAmRtam into

anything other than His own words can never, ever,

produce the taste or suvai of the original upanyAsam

in tamizh. So, please bear with aDiyen, since the

translation will not meet the very high quality of SrI

NKR svAmin’s write-up that reproduces the actual words

from SrImad ANDavan Himself. Much can be lost in

translation.

 

aDiyen is offering this at the feet of asmad AcAryan,

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan.

 

SrImad ANDavan tiruvaDi,

kalyANi krshNamAcAri

=====================================

Preface

 

SrI rAmAmrRta rasamaNi:

(by SrI U.Ve nATTEri kiDAmbi rAjagopAlAcAriyAr -

Editor of SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA)

 

SrIra’nga lakshmaNa munim karuNA vilAsam

“SrImushNam ANDavan”iti prathitam pRthivyAm |

satsampradAya guru pa’nkti samagra rUpam

Sreyo nidhim sakala rakshakam Asraye’ham ||

 

aDiyen surrenders at the feet of SrI ra’nga rAmAnuja

mahAdeSikar, who is a personification of karuNai or

compassion, an embodiment of all sadAcAryar-s of

sat-sampradayam combined into one, a treasure-house

showering all goodness, protector for all, and

world-renowned as “SrImushNam SrImad ANDavan”.

 

SrIvAsa lakshmaNa yatim smaraNIya SIlam

AcArya bhakti paripUrNam anarghabodham |

SAntyAdyakalmasha guNai: spRhaNIya bhAvam

vairAgya bhakti rasikam kavim Anatos’mi ||

 

aDiyen pays obeisance to SrImad Mysore ANDavan

SrInivAsa rAmAnuja mahAdeSikar, whose life history is

something that is to remembered for ever, with

fullness of AcArya bhakti, endowed with priceless

knowledge, and an extremely likeable disposition as

a result of attributes such as His flawless

tranquility, who reveled in vairAgyam and bhagavad

bhakti, and was a great poet.

 

yasyaiva bhUrikRpayA mama vaishNavatvam

sItApate: caraNayo: SaraNAgatiSca |

vastutva siddhirapi kaSmala manda buddhe:

vedAnta lakshmaNa munim tamaham namAmi ||

 

yadvAksudhA SravaNa bRhmita Sishya vargA:

yam SrIharer-bhagavato guruvesham Ahu: |

tatprokta rAma caritam madhuram manoj~nyam

AkarNitam SravaNa yantra mukhAt likhAmi ||

 

aDiyen remains prostrated at the feet of SrImad

vedAnta rAmAnuja mahA deSikar, by whose infinite

mercy, aDiyen achieved SrI vaishNavatvam (pa’nca

samskAram) and SaraNAgati at the tiruvaDi of sItA

maNALan, and because of whom, even aDiyen, who is

full of sins and ignorance, became a meaningful and

significant being.

 

aDiyEn is undertaking this effort of presenting the

exact words, as preserved on recorded tapes, of the

enchanting discourse on SrImad rAmAyaNam by SrImad

tirukkuDandai ANDavan , who is considered by the

multitude of disciples that thronged to listen to the

flow of nectar in the form of the upanyAsam, as the

very embodiment of Lord Hari Himself in the form of an

AcArya.

 

SrI rAghavam janaka rAja sutA sametam

rAmAnujAn bharata lakshmaNa SatruhantrRn |

valmIka sambhava kavim pavanAtmajam ca

dhyAyAmi ra’ngapati pAdukayo: prasAdAt ||

 

With the blessings of SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA devi,

aDiyen meditates on sItA sametan SrI rAman, His

brothers Bharata, LaskhmaNa, and Satrughna, as well

as VAlmIki mahA kavi and SrI HanumAn.

 

SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan SrImad vedANta rAmAnuja

mahAdeSikan’s upanyasams and kAlakshepams and even

normal conversations are parama bhogyam – a superb

treat. SrI vAlmIki describes SrI rAghavan as madhura

bhAshI (one who talks with sweet, cool words), smita

bhAshI (one who talks with a smile), pUrva bhAshI (one

who talks in a cultured and beneficial way) etc.

Weren’t SrImad ANDavan’s talks the same way? We now

have a rare chance to enjoy that now at least a

little.

 

On July 26 of 1972, the then Governor, SrI K.K. Shah,

graced the occasion of SrImad ANDavan’s SrImad

rAmAyaNa upanyAsam with his presence in our Chennai

ASramam. Sishya-s in large numbers continued to

attend this upanyAsam, and on November 4, 1972, the

upanyAsam was concluded in a grand fashion with SrI

rAma paTTAbhishekam.

 

SrI U. Ve KaNNan and Sri MuraLI Sampath who were

famous as the Halls Road brothers were constantly

shadowing SrImad ANDavan, blessed with full enjoyment

of their AcAryar. They were immensely showered with

His whole-hearted blessings. Using equipments

available in those times, they had recorded this SrI

rAmAyaNa upanyAsam to the best of their ability. They

have done a great service by giving those tapes to

aDiyen last week, so that these can be shared with the

whole world. SrImad ANDavan’s SrI bhagavad vishaya

sAram series that was appearing in the SrI

ra’nganAtha pAduka has reached completion, and as we

were thinking aloud about the next series, the Halls

Road brothers gave SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan

Himself to our pAdukA readers. How are we ever going

to repay them for their great service?

 

When aDiyEn submitted this information to SrI mushNam

SrImad ANDavan and requested permission (for sharing

these with the pAdukA readers), He gave His anugraham

and happily offered His blessings. HH enquired about

the quality of the recordings; aDiyen informed Him

that the audibility was not that good, and was graced

with His permission to do the best aDiyEn could do,

based on what can be heard from the tapes. For those

of you who have heard SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan’s

upanyasams in person, when you read this write-up

giving the nectar that flowed from His mouth, you will

be able to get the experience of hearing Him in person

if you can bring to your mind the sweetness of His

words, His melodious tone, the beauty of His reciting

pAsurams, slokams etc. Unfortunately, the sweetness of

His speech cannot be reproduced in print!

 

aDiyen has included footnotes as needed, under the

title “SrI rAmAmRuta rasa maNi:”, and will be

presenting these along with SrImad ANDavan’s

upanyAsam. All of this is made possible only from the

blessings of SrImad SrImushNam SrImad ANDavan, SrImad

tirukkuDandai ANDavan and other pUrvAcAryars’ pAdukAs.

 

“Hey pAduke ! You are the Witness”.

 

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To be continued………

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

AdiyEn thASaSya vignApanam. Really a very great service to the SriVaishnavas all over the world and your write up is not a mere translation;it just creates a feeling that Sri Natteri Swamy himself is writing this one. Of course, as you have admitted that it will be very difficult to exactly bring out the words of Srimad Andavan in the Upanyasam. But adiyen is confident that even that difficult task will be an easy one for you as our asmath Acharyan Has blessed and initiated this great kainkaryam. As a small service adiyen will send the Tamil articles in .pdf format, after getting permission from Sri Natteri Swamy which you can attach along with your articles.