AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. June 06. Part 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 - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. June 06. Part 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)

 

SrImad ANDavan tiruvaDi,

kalyANi kRshNamAcAri

 

 

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

SrI:

AcArya rAmAmRtam

SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam by SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan

 

About this artha pa’ncakam, it is said –

 

vadanti sakalA vedA: setihAsa purANakA: |

 

Thus, there is artha pa’ncakam for everything. Just as we understand this in

the worldly matters of eating and studying, we have to do the same with

reference to attaining emperumAn. I gave these as examples. Stories are meant

for making others comprehend. You should not ask, “Don’t we know all these?”

For me it has become a habit, and so I am telling you (laughter in the sabhai).

We should know these 5 essentials with reference to ISvaran also.

 

SvAmi deSikan says in rahasyatrayasAram “This is what should be understood

about artha pa’ncakam” prApyasya brhmaNo rUpam – prApyam is paramAtmA. Only

when He is attained, the aspirant obtains Sreyas (final beatitude). Otherwise,

he does not get that. Only when He is reached, one can be happy. Otherwise,

wherever else he is, there will be sorrow. There is sorrow even in

brahmalokam. svAmi deSikan writes in paramapada sopAnam that as one rises in

stature, there is more sadness. If the sadness increases as one gets higher

posts, does this mean that there is happiness if one is not at a high position?

? If one is born as a Brahmin [in this world], it stops with just getting

insulted in the street. If one is born in devalokam, rAvaNan will come and beat

up this person. MahAbhali will come and beat up this person. That is how it

will be there. If one has risen to the level of brahmA, madhu kaiThabha-s will

come as powerful asura-s and give trouble.

 

svAmi desikan says in paramapada SopAnam –

 

“ulagattu uyndavar onRum payanil uRum tuyarum.

alagil paDAda ap-pOgam kavar`ndu ezhum ambuyattOn

kalakkat-tozhil madhu kaiThaparAl paDum kaTTam eNNil

pala kaRRa meyyaDiyAr paDiyAr ik-kaDum bhavattE” (6)

 

Since there is suffering for even the likes of brahmA from the likes of

madhu-kaiThabha-s, svAmi deSikan says that the very learned people – pala kaRRa

meyyaDiyAr, paDiyAr ik-kaDum bhavattE – will not have a liking for this

worldly life (samsAram). That is what he has put in writing. Note that even

brahmA has sorrow. “yAnaikkum tanakkut tagunda vAdamiRE”. Do you know people

get a disease called “yAnaikkAl” (elephantiasis)? You don’t see it that

frequently here (in Madras). In places like my town, you can see this a lot.

“yAnaikkAl” means the legs will swell like an elephant’s leg. People suffer

very much from that. If an elephant gets “yAnaikkAl”, how will it be? Is it

like our leg? Thus, even if the jIvan is a higher jIvan such as brahmA, the

sorrow will be deeper. So, “etam Ananda mayam AtmAnam upasamkramya: | imAn

lokAn kAmAnnI kAma rUpyanusancaran | etat sAma gAyannAste | …

eshahyevAnandayAti (taittirIya upanishad). Only when that paramAtmA is

reached, this jIvan will get happiness without any streak of sorrow. Who is

that paramAtmA?

 

konvasmin sAmpradam loke guNavAn kaSca vIryavAn |

dharmaj~naSca kRtaj~naSca satyavAkyo dRDha vrata: ||

cAritreNa ca ko yukta: sarva bhUteshu ko hita: |

vidhvAn ka: ka: samarthaSca ka: caika priya darSana: ||

 

Since He has those guNams that were mentioned above, - “tai: yukta: SrUyatAm

nara: ||

 

ikshvAku vamSa prabhava: rAmo nAma janai: Sruta: “ - saguNa brahmam – this

brahmam that is endowed with all these auspicious guNa-s, is the prApyam (the

goal to be attained) - that is the very first thing that he (vAlmIki) says in

this rAmAyaNam.

 

What vAlmIki has done here is to expose us to the desire to know this saguNa

Brahman [brahman with attributes]. Also, in this rAmAyaNam, the first two

sargams in ayodhyA kANDam are very significant sargams. There is no other

sargam in the whole rAmAyaNam comparable to those. It is my opinion that for

those who do pArAyaNam every day, it is enough if they do pArAyaNam of these

first two sargams of ayodhyAkANDam.

 

When describing the efforts towards paTTAbhishekam, vAlmIki talks about rAman’s

kalyANa guNams in the first sargam. He describes in a very impressive way how

many great attributes rAman possesses. . In the second sargam, daSarathan asks

his subjects, “What is your opinion regarding performing coronation for my

son?” They say, “icchAmo hi mahAbhAhum raghuvIram mahAbhalam” – “We all very

much like the Hero of the.raghu race with mighty shoulders who is endowed with

enormous strength”. Cakravarti turned around and asked them, “When I am here,

why do you support my son?” It is because He has so many great attributes that

the people could comfortably respond: “Your son has so many virtuous

attributes; that is why we support Him”. BhagavAn alone is the Object to be

attained (prApya vastu), because when nArada bhagavAn was asked in the first

sargam - konvasmin sAmpradam loke, he spoke the answer – it is this saguNa

brahmam endowed with these 16 divine attributes “shoDaSa kalam”. That the

tattvam that is to be realized (prApyam) is not the brahmam in the form of

rAman alone, but it is para brahman Sriyah pati (The Consort of SrI, associated

inseparably with SrI) that is to be attained, is revealed to us till sItA

kalyANam in bAla kaNDam. He reveals that Sriya: pati paramAtmA is the prApya

tattvam when he talks about sItA kalyANam and again in the end, during

coronation, he says, “saha sItam nyaveSayat” – He and sItA were seated

together. The paTTAbhisheka sargam says that the jIvan enjoys brahmam in SrI

vaikuNTham by ascending on the lap of paramAtmA associated with lakshmI – thus

revealing the prApya svarUpam. This is the significance of “saha sItam

nyaveSayat”. That the para brahmam is brahmam inseparably associated with SrI

is also revealed in several other places. ALavandAr’s stotram (30) sings:

“dayA sahAsInam ananta bhogini prakRshTa vij~nAna phalaika dhAmani” - With

mahA lakshmI on His side, paramapadanAthan is seated on AdiSesha paryankam

(bed); nammAzhvAr describes his having had the vision of this paramapadanAthan

thus: “vIRRirundu Ezhulagum tanik kOl Sella vIvil SIr ARRal mikka ALum ammAnai

vemmA piLandAn tannai” (tiruvAimozhi 4.5.1) - “Sitting on a majestic throne,

extending the sovereignty over all the seven worlds, with unquestioned

authority, He rules without any stress….”. This jIvan steps up on that divine

AdiSesha paryankam and then sits on the paramAtmA’s lap and achieves the

purushArtham – “parya’nkArOhaNAntAn bhaumatim .. brahmasamvAda dhanya:” – [The

jIvan being blessed to step up on bhagavAn’s AdiSeshan bed, and being blessed

to converse with Him on an equal level]. That parabrahmam is the SrI viSishTa

brahmam (brahmam inseparably associated with SrI). In rAmAyaNam, he (vAlmIki)

shows that the Supreme Deity (para brahmam) is saguNa brahmam inseparably

associated with lakshmI. “prApyasya brahmano rUpam”.

 

Next, “prAptu: ca pratyak Atmana:” – The attainer of this goal is the jIvAtmA.

What is the jIvAtma svarUpam, or the true nature of the jIvAtmA?” To answer

this question, he refers to lakshmaNan. Bharatan and Satrugnan are included

with lakshamaNan to illustrate the jIvAtma svarUpam. JIvAtmA is the Sesha

BhUtan (eternally subservient) to paramAtmA; he is dAsabhUtan – servant. There

are so many guNams (for paramAtmA). He is g~nAna mUrti (embodiment of

knowledge); He has infinite wisdom. He is atomic in size (smaller than the

smallest). He is eternally existent. He has no destruction. It is said that

our soul (jIvan) is inside our body in the size of an atom. Even if the size

is small, it is said his sins are big. Who is saying? “SIlamillAc ciRiyanElum

SeyvinaiyO peridAl” (says nammAzhvAr in tiruvAimozhi 4.7.1). When the jIvan

is associated with this body, it does all kinds of sins and good deeds. If you

ask the question: “What is the true nature of the jIvAtma?”, it is to be the

Sesha bhUtan of bhagavAn. When we say ‘aDiyEn’, it means ‘aDimai’. It is

being dAsabhUtan for ISvaran. What is meant by ‘being dAsa bhUtan to ISvaran?

It means ‘being the servant’. Servant means ‘ki’nkaran’. In Hindi, it is

called ‘naukar’. kinkara is one who finishes any job that is assigned, and

keeps asking: ‘kim karomi?, kim karomi?’ – ‘What should I do next?, What

should I do next?’. That is why they are called kimkara-s: Who is like that?

You can see that in iLaiya perumAL [lakshmaNan].

 

PerumAL has decided to leave for the forest. He takes leave of kausalyai.

When He is talking to sItai, iLaiya perumAL stays somewhat on the side. When

perumAL was talking to kausalyai, lakshmaNan also stayed with Him. PerumAL

argued with kausalyai. iLaiya perumAL also talked with anger. PerumAL calmed

down both of them. Finally, kausalyai blessed them and bade them farewell.

Then He came to sItai’s palace. iLaiya perumAL came there also. In

kausalyai’s palace, he was along with perumAL. In sItai’s palace, he did not

stand even by His side. He removed himself a bit farther from the scene, and

was almost in hiding. Only ‘not-so-smart’ people will stand in the middle when

the husband is talking to his wife. Since AdiSeshan is smart and skilled, he

stood somewhat away. But he knew what they were talking about. She finished

making some traditional offerings (dAnam) and was getting ready to leave (with

rAman). lakshmaNa thought: “What is going to happen to us?”.

 

sItA samaksham kAkutstham idam vacanam abravIt, (AraNya. 15.6)

bhavAmstu saha vaidehyA giri sAnushu ramsyate |

aham sarvam karishyAmi jAgrata: svapata: ca te || (ayodhyA. 31.26-27)

 

“svAmi! You have to take me also”. “What, take you?” “Yes, svAmi!”

 

kurushva mAm anucaram vaidharmyam neha vidyate (ayodhyA. 31.24)

 

“If I should take you….but you are a prince” says rAman. vaidharmyam neha

vidyate - [There is no violation of any dharma involved here]. Am I Isvaran?

You are the One Who is ISvaran. I am just a servant; a servant always.

Shouldn’t you take your servant? Only if both are Isvara-s, then they cannot

be taken as servants to do work. What is my svarUpam? I am only a dAsabhUtan

- A servant, right? vaidharmyam neha vidyate - there is noting wrong svAmi!

You have to take me.

 

“You? Are you going to cook for me”. “Yes”. vaidarmyam neha vidhyate - there

is nothing wrong in that”. One should be of good conduct and practices

(“AcAram”). vasishThar has taught perumAL – how to wash the hands, how to wash

the legs, what are all the practices that should be observed – everything has

been taught by vasishThar. vasishTha anu mata AcAram. It is very important to

know and practise AcAram. A lot of people do not know that. They think that

AcAram is only for one caste. (Laughter in the audience, AcAryar also laughs).

Everyone should know AcAram; the water for cleaning the leg is different; the

water for cleaning the hand is different; Acamana water is different; water

used for perumAL is different. – these have all been specified as separate.

All these are meant for preserving hygiene. asishThAnumatAcAram, sadAnanda

mate sthitAn – vasishThar taught AcAram to rAman. sadAnandar taught it to sItA

devi. iLaiya perumAL asks: “ Don’t I know AcAram? vaidharmyam neha vidyate!

bhavata: viruddha dharmo mayi nAsti! Bhavata: AcAra pradhAnatvam asti! tatvat

anAcAra pradhAnatvam mayi nAstItyartha:

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To be continued………

 

 

 

 

 

 

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