AcArya rAmAmRtam - Oct 05 - 2

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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:

 

AcArya rAmAmRtam - Oct 05 - 2

Translation of

SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam in tamizh by SrImad

tirukkuDandai ANDavan

As published in SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA by

SrI U.Ve. nATTeri kiDAmbi rAjagopAlAcAriyAr (Editor

of SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA)

 

The explanatory footnotes by SrI nATTEri svAmi are

indicated by “fn” followed by a number.

 

SrImad ANDavan tiruvaDi,

kalyANi krshNamAcAri

 

 

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SrI:

AcArya rAmAmRtam

SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam by SrImad tirukkuDandai

ANDavan

 

tuyar il SuDaroLi tannuDaic cOdi ninRa vaNNam niRkavE

tuyaril malium maniSar piRaviyil tOnRik kaN kANa vandu

tuyara’ngaL Seidu tam deiva nilai ulagail puga uykkum

ammAn

tuyaram il SIrk kaNNan mAyan pugazh tuRRa yAn oru

tunbam ilanE (fn5)

 

- (tiruvAimozhi 3-10-6)

 

nammAzhvAr is seated inside a cavity formation under a

tamarind tree in tirunelvEli District. It is called

vazhudi vaLa nADu - AzhvAr tirunagari. It is said that

AdisEshan himself came as the tamarind tree.

nammAzhvAr sat in that cavity under the tamarind tree

and declared - “yAn oru tunbam ilanE” – I have no

sorrow. He said: I don’t take any food; I don’t have

any sleep. Will anyone say he is happy if he has no

food and no sleep? But he says so – “I do not have any

sorrow”. Why? “Because I am enjoying bhagavAn’s

incarnation. What is the nature of that avatAram?

“tuyar il SuDar oLi tannuDaic cOdi niNRa vaNNam

niRkavE”.

 

That paramAtmA has His divya rUpam that is full of

flawless Bliss in paramapadam, along with everything

else that is flawless and full of Bliss around Him.

Having all this there, why did He come here? “ tuyaril

malium maniSar piRaviyil tOnRi” – Note that he points

out that the birth in this world is abundant in misery

and sorrow. rAma says on one occasion: “duhkha

samvedanAyaiva rAme caitanyam Ahitam; this life in the

form of rAma has been created purely for experiencing

sorrow. Governor SrI K.K. Shah quoted that Slokam in

sItA’s case. He quoted the words for sItA: “sItA was

created purely for the purpose of experiencing

sorrow”. He quotes this in the case of sItA, right?

If I quote the same thing; then people will say I am

just copying what he said! So, I am quoting a

different Slokam (a loud laughter in the audience).

“du:kha samvedanAyaiva rAme caitanyam Ahitam”.

 

If you ask the question: “What is it in our existence

as human beings wallowing in sorrow, that comes flying

to us without our having to pay any money, or without

our having to buy it, the answer is that it is du:kham

or sadness.

 

Look at azhvAr’s choice of words - each word is

significant.. It is not “tuyaril malium maniSar

piRviyil piRandu”; it is “tuyaril malium maniSar

piRaviyil tOnRi”; there is a difference between

“piRandu” (being born) and “tOnRi” (appearing). There

are similar differences in samskRt words also. I will

give you an example. There is a term “avatAram”;

there is a term “patanam”. “avatAtam” means – coming

down from above. “patanam” means “falling down from

above”. There is a difference between one who came

down and one who fell down, right? The one who fell

down did so because of weakness. Or, because he could

not see. When we say someone “came down”, it means

that he “came down by Himself”. The same way,

“tuyaril malium maniSar piRaviyil tOnRi” – He revealed

Himself with a form in this earthly life filled with

sorrow. He was not born like us. He did not have to

take birth from the womb of a mother as we do. “devaki

purva sandhyAyAm Avirbhutam mahAtmanA” – that is what

it means.

 

What happened? He asked these veda-s to just take

rest for some time. Why? They went ahead and declared

that His form cannot be seen by human eyes - “na

cakshushA gRhyate tasya rupam”. AzhvAr says - “tOnRi

kaN kANa vandu”, but vedam says – “You cannot see Him

with your eyes”! That is also vedam; this is also

vedam. What both the veda-s say are true. Those who

do not have true love towards Him, cannot see. He came

such that only those who have true love towards Him

can see. Only loving eyes can see; otherwise, one

cannot see. “meyyaRkE meyyanAgum vidi ilA ennaip

pOlap poyyaRkE poyyanAgum puT-koDi uDaiya kOmAn”.(That

is what AzhvAr means) - “kAN kANa vandu”, such that

even the human eyes can easily see.

 

“tuyarangaL Seidu tan deiva nilai ulagail puga uykkum

ammAn”: His own divine nature, the state of divinity,

with all auspicious qualities – the state of being

completely endowed with all His infinite auspicious

qualities. He displays all these auspicious qualities

such that the whole world becomes aware of all these

divine qualities. How does He do that? “tuyara’ngaL

Seidu” – by undergoing sufferings Himself.

 

“nATTil piRandu paDAdana paTTu, maniSarkkA, nATTai

naliyum arakkarai nADi, taDindinTTu, nATTai aLittu,

uyyac ceidu, naDandamai kETTumE, nATTil piRandavar

nAraNaRku AlanRi AvarO!” (tiruvAimozhi 7-5-2)

 

nammAzhvAr has blessed us with this pASuram..

 

”tan deiva nilai ulagil puga uykkum ammAn”: The

uniqueness of bhagavAn’s incarnation as rAma is that

it made it possible for all to imbibe these divine

qualities. We cannot just do upanyAsam and make people

adopt these qualities. We have to show by example.

EkAdasi fasting is very special; upanyAsam of

rukmA’ngada caritram is going on. - Notices have

been posted everywhere, with over-sized cardboard

displays. (On the ekAdaSi day), the upanyAsakar

starts his upanyAsam in a very fast pace:

“rukmA’ngada caritram is a very exciting story;

everyone was made to fast. As a result, not a single

one went to yama lokam. What a wonder! The cows were

not fed straw; the calves did not get milk. Such was

the extent of the EkAdasi upavAsam. Not a single one

was left for going to narakam as a result of

rukmA’ngadan’s action.” The upanyAsakar breaks his

fast pace suddenly, and says “I am not able to talk

this fast – bring me a cup of milk”! (there is a

loud, hearty laughter in the audience). People cannot

be corrected by these kinds of things. One has to show

by example - ”tuyara’ngaL Seidu tan deiva nilai

ulagil puga uykkum ammAn”.

 

“maryAdAnAm ca lokasya kartA kArayitA ca sa: “ Unless

we set an example, others will not follow. Somebody

put up a board – “sandhyAvandana mAhAtmyam”. It was

said that the importance of sandhyAvandanam will be

explained. The time for that talk was 6:30 to 8:30.

Somebody explained the greatness of sandhyAvandanam.

People listened and then left. No one would perform

sandhyAvandanam. If the upanyAsakar forsakes the

performance of sandhyAvandanam, and then comes and

talks about the importance of performing it, how will

the listeners follow the advice? They will think this

is just for spending some time and nothing else. This

same rule applies to everything else.

 

A husband comes home from work.

Wife says – take the tiffin quickly; I have to run.

There is upanyAsam in the temple. The way the

sAstrigaL delivers the upanyAsam is very interesting.

I have to go and listen.

The husband says – I have not even washed my hands and

feet; you are hastening me; let me wash my hands and

come.

Wife – In that case, you take the tiffin yourself.

Husband – okay; you go; what is the topic of the

upanyAsam today?

Wife – pati bhakti – Devotion and respect to one’s

husband.

(Audience laughs).

 

Do you see how this woman who is going to the

upanyAsam on “Devotion and Service to the husband”

behaving in her action in real life? This did not

happen in the time of rAmAyaNam.

 

“ulagil puga uykkum ammAn”.

“rAmamevAnupaSyanta: nAbhyahimsan parasparam” – One

person goes with a raised hand to hit another one,

declaring –“you committed a mistake”, but then he

turns back equally fast. He withdraws his raised

hand, thinking to himself: “rAman will not behave

this way. rAman never acted this way. What I was

about to do was wrong”. “rAmamevAnu paSyanta:

nAbhyahimsan parasparam”.

 

He sees rAma in action, and wants to emulate rAma, and

withdraws his hand that he had raised for the purpose

of beating the other person. Thus, the rAma

incarnation was one in which He made His auspicious

qualities and divine nature penetrate into everyone

through His own observances in life.

 

“kAmArtha guNa samyuktam dharmArtha guNa vistaram

samudramiva ratnADhyam sarva Sruti manoharam “ (1.3.8)

 

This rAmAyaNam pulls together the essence of all

Srutis in one place; so, this kAvyam is very special.

 

rAmAyaNam comes under the category of kAvyam as also

itihAsam. “vedopabRhmaNArthAya tAvagrAhayata prabhu:”

 

 

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fn5 – this pAsuram is about kaNNan. Since bhagavad

guNams are common for all avatArams, this pAsuram is

being quoted in the context of rAma’s guNa-s.

 

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To be continued………