AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. June 06. Part 3)

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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 3)

 

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

 

I told you the other day –

 

timim kila timimgilo gilati tatgila: tam tathA

tamapyatha ca tadgila: tadiha paSya karmakrame |

samasta vRjinodadhi grasana Dambha kumbhodbhavam

nivRttimapi dharmam atti anagha tattvavit nigraha: | (sa`nkalpa

sUryodayam 3.32)

 

There is a fish that will eat a fish that is100 miles long. A fish that is 100

miles long is called ‘timi’. There is a fish that will eat that (timi). That

fish is called timi’ngilam. There is a fish that will eat that (timi’ngilam).

That is called timi’ngila kila kilam. Can it swallow such a big fish? It is

like the bhAgavata apacAram that swallows even mokshopAyam. samasta

vRjinodadhi grasana Dambha kumbhodbhavam. – this SaraNAgati effortlessly

swallows the ocean of the enormous pApa-s that have been earned over countless

births, just like agastyar who swallowed the whole ocean effortlessly. The

pApam of bhAgavata apacAram will swallow even the effect of such a powerful

SaraNAgati - nivRttimapi dharma matyanaghatatvavit nigraha: But, bhAgavata

apacAram is what we commit very easily. bhAgavata stotram – praising the

bhAgavata-s - does not come. Only insulting is coming. If one asks – do you

know this svAmi, we say – “aDiyen knows, enough said”. anagha tattvavit

nigraha: - an apacAram towards a flawless bhAgavata will destroy even

mokshopAyam. Thus, bhAgavata apacAram and bhagavat apacAram are both prApti

virodhi.

 

vedopabRhmaNArthAya tavagrAhayata prabhu”

 

vALmIki wrote SrImad rAmAyaNam to reveal to us the prApti virodhi also.

 

phalam prApte: - what is the result of prApti? In ayoddhi, during

paTTAbhishekam, vAlmiki had the divya dampatis take their seat together on the

throne - saha sItam nyaveSayat; all the people worshipped. There was no hunger,

no thirst. No one hurt anybody else. Everything was good. You can find all

these described in the phala Sruti sargam.

 

tayA sahAsInam ananta bhogini prakRshTa vij~nAna balaika dhAmini ….(stotra

ratnam 39)

 

kadA’ham aikAntika nitya ki’nkara: praharshayishyAmi sanAtha jIvita:…(stotra

ratnam 46)

 

The phalan is a life blessed by emperumAn, a life with no hunger, no thirst,

and no difficulty of any kind whatsoever.

 

Thus, in order to make us understand the artha-pa’caka-s, he (vAlmIki) wrote

rAmAyaNam in the form of a story. Vedam reveals the same artha-pa’ncaka-s

using words that are hard to understand.

 

vedopabRhmaNArthAya tavagrAhayata prabhu: (bAla kANDam 4.6)

 

So, he taught rAmAyaNam to kuSa and lava. KuSa and lava are very intelligent

ones. tau tu medhAvinau dhRshTvA (bAla. 4.6) – vAlmIki recognized these two as

ones endowed with great intellect. They were very good singers. tau tu

gAndharva tatvaj~nau (bAla. 4.10) – they knew the principles of sa’ngIta

SAstram very well. mUrchanA sthAna kovidau – they knew the different types of

music [kinds of songs like mantram, madhyamam, tAram etc.]. They knew the

beats (tALam) and the timings critical in music [druta, madhya, and vilambita].

sarva lakshaNa sampannau madhura svara bhAshiNau – they had all the

lakshaNams that the books declare that a man should have. Even if a story is

not good, at least the story-teller must be good looking. If both are bad, we

have to walk away. When you listen - madhura svara bhAshiNau – the voice is

very good, very sweet. [vAlmIki describes] it is very sweet to listen to

hanuman talking. vartate madhyame svare (kishkindA kANDam 3.32)– rAman tells

lakshmaNan – “this monkey is talking in a surprising manner. It is sweet and

pleasant in madhyama svaram (not too loud, not too soft).” Some people do

rAmAyaNa pravacanam (discourse). Only two people will be listening. But the

pravacanam will be delivered in such a loud voice that it can be heard from

here to lakshmIpuram. Probably a blessing from the upanyAsar, that even those

who did not come to the discourse can benefit. Nothing else. Some upanyAsaka-s

will have a thousand listeners. But the voice will be almost inaudible when

this person talks. Four mikes will be needed. Even then, the voice cannot be

picked up. One should adjust the voice level depending on how many listeners

there are. vartate madhyame svare – kuSa and lava are madhura svara bhAshinau.

bhAshiNau, svara bhAshiNau, madhura svara bhAshiNau. When they talk, it will

sound like singing. It will be pleasant too. They are the blessed sons of

pirATTi. aSvinau iva rUpiNau – both are handsome – like aSvinI devas. aSvini

devatas are very handsome. They are the doctors in deva lokam. Doctors must

look handsome. If a doctor’s face is ugly, one may get frightened and have to

go to a mAntrikan (one who will chant mantram to cure)! (everybody in the

audience laughs; Srimad AcAryan also laughs!) - rUpalakshaNa sampannau.

 

bimbAt iva uddhRtau bimbau rAma dehAt tatA’parau (bAla. 4.11)

 

They looked like the exact replicas of rAman, like a statue taken out of a

statue.

 

rAma dehAt ivoddhRtau bimAt iva – they look exactly like rAman.

 

tau rAjaputrau kArtsnyena dharmyam AkhyAnam uttamam |

vAco vidheyam tat sarvam kRtvA kAvyam aninditau. || (bAla kANDam 4.13)

 

He taught all the 24,000 Slokams to these two. Both of them will recite them

by heart without referring to any written source. If they start, they would

take it all the way to the end – vAco vidheyam (natural to their tongues). He

instructed them in such a special way. Both of them sang beautifully.

 

yathopadeSam tattvaj~nau jagatu: tau samAhitau (bAla. 4.13)

 

One should recite exactly as taught. It is only appropriate if it is recited as

taught. They did not add things as they wished.

 

In naciketas vidyA, yamadharma rAjA taught naciketas. sa cA’pi tat pratyavadat

yathoktam (kaTho. 1.1.15) – the Sishyan repeated, verbatim, understanding the

same, as it was taught. What if the meaning is retained, and it is said in a

different way? The way AcAryan says, it will have a lot of interesting

content. The students may not know. Yaman says to naciketas – “It is great

that you repeated as I taught you. For that, ask for another boon; I shall give

you”. That is called yathopadeSam.

 

rathyAsu rAjamArgeshu dadarSa bharatAgraja: (bAla kANDam 4.28) - bharata’s

elder brother (Lord srI rAma) once noticed these children who were becoming

extremely popular as singers of SrImad rAmAyaNa on all the royal streets etc.

They sang everything. They both used to keep singing as they walked together.

rAman saw this from His terrace. He called them. He asked them to sing there.

Both sang. Everyone was sitting in a big group. They all listened to

rAmAyaNam very attentively. rAmAyaNam is special because the Hero of the story

listened to it Himself. If they say something that did not happen, He will ask

immediately – it is not like this, right? cakravarti tirumagan sat and

listened to what they sang as it happened. vasishThar, vAmadevar, gautamar,

kASyapar….. everyone is sitting there and listening.

 

tata: tu rAmavaca: pracoditau agAyatAm mArga vidhAna sampadA |

sa cApi rAma: parishadgata: SanaI: bubhUshayA’sAkta manA babhUva ha || (bAla

kANDam 4.36)

 

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(End of translation of ‘AcArya rAmAmRtam as it appeared in the June 2006 issue

of SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA)

 

 

To be continued…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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