AcArya rAmAmRtam - Dec 05 - 1

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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 - Dec 05 - 1

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 footnotes are indicated by the letters “fn”

followed by a number.

 

SrImad ANDavan tiruvaDi,

kalyANi krshNamAcAri

 

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

SrI:

AcArya rAmAmRtam

SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam by SrImad tirukkuDandai

ANDavan

 

nAcchAtayati kaupInam na damSa maSakApaham |

Suna: puccham iva vyartham pANDityam dharma varjitam

|| (pa’ncatantra 3.98)

 

Wherever I say this Slokam, Coimbatore will come to my

memory. This Slokam says jn~Anam of a person who does

not have anushThAnam is useless. One should have

karmAnushThAnam; otherwise, his knowledge is useless.

 

How is that? It is like the tail of a dog. Is the

tail of the dog of any use to the dog? nAcchAtayati

kaupInam – it is not useful to hide what is supposed

to be hidden; for animals like cows and horses, the

tail serves the purpose of hiding the part that is

meant to be hidden. na damSa maSakApaham – if fleas or

mosquitoes bite, the cow, buffalo etc. drive them away

with their tail; But if a mosquito bites a dog’s body,

can it drive it away with its tail?

 

Suna: puccham ivAnartham pANDityam dharma varjitam …

the jn~Anam of a person who has no dharmam is not

useful for anything, just like the dog’s tail. When I

say this Slokam, I am reminded of Coimbatore. I did

upanyAsam in Coimbatore. A very well-known person

asked – svAmi! How come you are saying such a thing?

Is this fair? BhagavAn would not have created an

object that has no use. Every object has some use. How

can God create something that is useless? Everything

will have some use. Even the snake’s poison has some

use. BhagavAn would not have created useless things.

Why did He create dog’s tail?

 

I uttered something that occurred to me on the spot.

What is its purpose? It serves as an example for the

jn~Anam of a person who has no anushThAnam (there is a

long laughter in the audience). Couldn’t think of

anything else. Had to say something at that time!

 

“sadartham vA kadartham vA kuntIputro nirAkRta! “

 

Like that, both j~nAnam and anushTAnam are needed. If

one is present and the other is not, there is no use.

‘avidyayA mRtyum tIrtvA vidyayA amRtam aSnute”

 

“evam vartayan yAvat Ayusham brahmalokam

abhisampadyate na ca punarAvarta te! na ca punarAvarta

te “

 

etc.

 

This is from the concluding portion of the chAndogya

upanishad.

 

A bird has two wings. An AcAryan who has two wings

in the form of – j~nAnam and anushThAnam has been

called pakshi.

 

Everyone including children has heard rAmAyaNam.

There is no one in this bhArata bhUmi who does not

know rAmAyaNam and mahAbhAratam. My idea is to share

with you only the special meanings in rAmAyaNam as

reflected in our tradition. Why is AcAryan called a

pakshi? AzhvAr sends ten birds as messengers; why 10

birds? The ten birds have ten characteristics.

 

SaddhrI bhavyAn, suvAca:, sucarita subhagAn, kRshNa

sArUpya saumyAn

svAhAra udAraSIlAn, tanu dhRta bhagavan lakshmaNo,

bAlya guptAn |

chAtra svacchanda vRttIn, abhigata SiSirAn,

antara’ngokti yOgyAn

AcAryAn kRshNa lapdhau avRNuta SaThajit prEyasI dUta

nItyA || [fn1]

(svAmi dESikar’s dramiDOpanishat tAtparya ratnAvaLi)

 

nammAzhvAr has depicted the birds as messengers. What

does the bird stand for? AcAryan. What is he saying?

 

‘arE: pAdam daSa’ – destroy the one-fourth part that

is the enemy in the form of the leelAvibhUti; Destroy

this samsAra bondage so that we can reach the

vaikunTha lokam that is His manifestation as the

remaining three-fourths part - “tripAt asyAmRtam divi

“yasyAsau SrUyate Sabda:” What does the Acaryan say

when he is giving his instructions? “Leave this

samsAram which is the one-forth part and go to the

three-forth part which is far superior”.

 

rAma says to lakshmaNa - “The ACAryas who teach this

are much more special than me; nobody listens when I

teach”.

 

BhagavAn gave lot of advice to arjuna.; Did he perform

SaraNAgati? He listened to 18 chapters.

 

nammAzhvAr says “neRiyellAm eDutturaitta niRai

j~nAttoru mUrti”. He (kRshNan) taught 18 chapters –

karma yogam, j~nAna yogam, bhakti yogam, antimasmRti,

brahma j~nAnam, adhyAtma j~nAnam, adhibhUta j~nAnam,

adhidaivata j~nAnam, karma j~nAnam, visarga j~nAnam,

satva raja: and tamo guNams – ““neRiyellAm

eDutturaitta niRai j~nAttoru mUrti” no matter how much

is taught – arjunan still has doubt. In fact, the

Lord does Atma stotram Himself – how much?

 

“matta: sarvam idam sarvam”, “mayi sarvam sanAtane”,

“aham sarvam”, “tapoham apsu kaunteya”, “teja:

tejasvinAm aham”, “satvam satvavatAm aham”, “aSvattha:

sarva vRkshANAm” “uccai: Sravasam aSvAnAm vitddh mAm

amRtodbhavam”, “yadyad vibhUtimat satvam SrImad

Urjitam eva vA” “tatta dEvAvagaccha tvam mama tEjo’mSa

sambhavam” – everything is My amSam; everything was

created by Me. “mAmeva ye prapadyante mAyAm etAm

taranti te”

 

(arjuna asks): “swAmi, what should I do?” “manmanA

bhava mad bhakta: mad yAjI mAm namaskuru mAmevaishyasi

satyam te …”

 

An AcAryan gave advice. Sishyan sought refuge in him

and asked him what he should do? “You do not have to

do sandhyA vandanam; don’t have to do anything; just

keep celebrating my birthday” (The whole audience

laughs). (AcAryar is also laughing). “manmanA bhava

mad bhakta: madyAjI mAm namaskuru, mAmevaishyasi

satyam te pratijAne priyosi me”

 

“mama mAyA duratyayA” “mAmeva prapadyante mAyAm etAm

taranti te”

 

Like this, everything is in addressed in first person.

arjunan saw this and thought to himself “after all we

are cousin brothers (“attAn ammAnji”) - why all this

self-praise? It is not fair”. BhagavAn is the

All-Knower, and so is quite aware of what arjuna is

thinking.

 

 

 

 

 

He is not going to listen to what I say. He thinks it

is all self-praise. The chapter is going to end; so,

He switches to third person – “hE arjuna! ISvara:

sarva bhUtAnAm hRd-deSe arjuna tishThti” – it is not

tishThAmi; it is tishThati. “tameva SaraNam gaccha

sarvabhAvena bhArata: “

 

tameva SaraNam gaccha – bhagavAn lives in everyone’s

heart and mind. Go and do SaraNAgati to Him – sarva

bhAvEna – do service to Him with your mind, speech and

body. How much he had tried!

 

Here rAman says “ If I give instructions, nobody

listens. But, if AcAryan teaches, people listen. So

that teaching is much superior, lakshmaNa!” Super

advice.

 

See, bhagavAn gave instructions to arjunan. For 18

chapters, He told him things that he normally would

have had no chance to learn; when listening to some

chapters, one could get the feeling that one has heard

enough..

 

“bhUya Eva mahA bhAho SruNu me matam uttamam”

 

I will tell you one more thing; listen, said bhagavAn;

what is this – my misfortune! I thought He will

finish with the story; but He is starting another one

again!

 

That chapter ended. “Enough! I might just as well go

to war instead of listening to this gItai. “idam ca

te guhyatamam pravakshyAmi ansuyave”

 

This is a good place. It is as if the upanyAsaka is

continuing the upanyAsam because the listener is

sitting without losing his patience.

 

“idam ca te guhyatamam pravakshyAmi anasUyave” He gave

so much instruction. Ultimately, the bhArata war is

over. PaTTAbhishekam was completed. He took arjuna to

a garden. arjunan and kRshNan are sitting with each

having his hand on the other person’s shoulder.

“arjuna! I taught you gItai one time; do you still

remember that advice?”

 

“bhagavan tat prasAdEna sarvam tat vismRtam mayA “

 

“bhagavan! Because of your blessing, I forgot

everything”; cannot remember even one Slokam.

(laughter in the audience).

 

“mUDho’si me mUrkhaSca” – you are an extremely stupid

person, and a very rough person. I taught you all

the sAstram-s with great kindness; and you forgot

everything. “anabhimato’si” “tviT” – says He; you are

one who is my enemy; you forgot the Slokams.

 

arjunan says – “you are here! Why don’t You just teach

me again?” “Will you listen if I teach you again?”

“Yes, I will listen definitely; don’t have any fear”.

 

“oh, you ignorant one! – You won’t learn that Slokam

now; you cried at that time ‘kArpaNya

dosho’pahatassvabhAva: pRccAmi tvAm dharma sammUDha

cetA: yat sreyas syAt niScitam brUhi tan me Sishya:

te’ham SAdhi mAm tvAm prapannam’ “ and then

 

“gANDIvam sramsate hastAt tvakcaiva paridahyate |

na ca SaknomyavastAtum bhramatIva ca me mana: “.

 

You ask how this svAmi (SrImad ANDavan) says rAmAyaNam

- he says he is saying rAmAyaNam, but he will say

bhAgavatam; if he says he will say bhAgavatam, he

will say bhAratam – that is what is happening now

(laughter in the audience). I started with rAmAyaNam

and am now saying bhAratam. “I told you so much; you

cried so much; can you cry like that now?” asks

kaNNan. “I cannot cry that much; but I can cry a

little”. “If you cry a little, I will also teach a

limited number of Slokams” and teaches 100 slokams.

 

BhagavAn gave instructions, and in His presence itself

the listener says that he forgot the instructions.

Now look at Adi SankarAcAr – he made his appearance

and taught; how many years back was that? Have those

instructions been forgotten? rAmAnujar made his

appearance 1000 years back. Have those instructions

been forgotten now?

 

“manye prItiviSishTA sA matto lakhmaNa SArikA”

 

That is what bhagavAn is pointing out – “aCAryan is

superior to me”.

 

I have to say – “Follow me and surrender to me”; is

there anything more awkward than this?

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

fn1: “a’njiRaiya maDa nArAi” – tiruvAimozhi 1-4

padikam – AzhvAr, in his nAyikA bhAvam, sends birds as

messengers to perumAL. svAmi dESikar expounds the

inner meaning of this pAsuram through this

dramiDOpanishat tAtparya ratnAvaLi Slokam. An

AcAryar’s ten attributes are – humility, sweet speech,

good character, divinity, big generosity in sharing

his bhagavad anubhavam with everyone, bearing Sa’nkham

and cakram signs in his tirumEni, being like a child

by hiding his greatness, having activities that

enchant the Sishyas, cool character, being able to

talk in a deep, intimate fashion.

 

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

 

 

To be continued………