AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. July 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. July 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

 

How is security in kosala deSam?

 

kURRam illai Or kuRRam ilAmaiyAl

cIRRam illai tam Sindaiyin SemmaiyAL

ARRa nal aRam alladu ilAmaiyAl

ERRam alladu izhi tagavu illaiyE (nATTup paTalam – 39)

 

- kURRam illai - There was no untimely death in that land. Everyone lived a

long life. Nothing to fear. How was that possible?

- Or kuRRam ilAmaiyAl – sorrow comes only when there is an unrighteous deed

committed. Only in a country where unrighteous acts are committed, there will

be untimely deaths. In kosala deSam, only very old people would die. What was

there to live for any more? They would have seen everything. Nothing to

desire anymore. Only the old people of very ripe age who are looking for the

day when they could attain perumAL’s tiruvaDi will go. Young people did not

have the fear of untimely death at all in that kosala deSam.

- SIRRam illai - Irrespective of whether it is the AcAryan, student, wife,

husband, son, servant, or the master – nobody got angry. No one had any

tension either

- tam Sindaiyin SemmaiyAl - because their minds were very mature.

- ARRa nal aRam alladu ilAmaiyAl – there was nothing except dharmam. In that

deSam, everyone was practicing dharmam.

- ERRam alladu izhi tagavillaiyE – you could only talk in praise of any

subject, there was nothing that could be talked of as deficient in anything in

that place.

 

Were there people who went astray in their conduct there? It is easy to stray

away from the path of dharma. If you pose the question: “Were there people

who violated the rules of dharma”? the answer is -

 

neRi kaDandu parandana nIttamE – only the force of water in the river flowed

uncontrollably. Just like kAvEri flooded this year, the only thing that flowed

without control was the gushing flow of water in the river. The people did not

cross their bounds. KAveri has never flooded like this in any other year.

(AcAryar is talking about 1984).

 

kuRi azhindana ku’nkumat tOLgaLE – the mark that people wear on their forehead

– tirumaN, vibhUti, gopi candanam etc, did they fade away? [Nowadays] if I ask

some people why they didn’t come wearing tirumaN, they respond: “It faded

away, sir”. (AcAryar laughs; everyone in the audience laughs). tirumaN,

vibhUti, gopi candanam, black line etc – anything that was in the forehead did

not fade away. If you ask whether anything ever faded away there -

 

kuRi azhindana kumkumattOLgaLE – women folk used to make a paste out of

kumkumam and decorated their shoulders with designs. Those were the only ones

that faded away because of contact with their husbands. The tirumaN in the

foreheads never faded.

 

Was there anyone who suffered diminution in any sense? Like a rich man

becoming a pauper. Was there anyone who deteriorated like that?

 

SiRIya ma`ngaiyar tEyum maru’nkulE - The only thing that diminished was womens’

waist. Nothing else underwent diminishment in any sense. kambar is just

saying that the women had forms consistent with sAmudrikA lakshaNam. Nothing

else. SiRiya ma’ngaiyar tEyum maru’nkulE - a lady’s waist must be like the

mushTi (fist). When describing pirATTi’s waist in his hamsa sandeSam, dEsikan

says that “pirATTi’s waist is small like the size of a fist; so small that it

could fit in the grip of a hand”. Like that, the women’s waist was the only

thing that underwent reduction, nothing else.

 

veRiyavum avar menmalark kUndalE – Would anyone be distorted in some way?

Anyone at all who has a twisted or distorted shape? kUndalE – vakram means

curly, twisted. Hair should have vakram – curliness. People should not be

vakram. That country was very exceptional.

 

sarve narA: nArya: ca dharma SilA: susamyatA:

 

vALmIki has said that men and women, all followed dharmam. kambar says you

cannot get even a quarter anna (money unit) from anyone there. Why? Won’t

anyone give?

 

vaNmai illai Or vaRumai illaiyAl – because there was no poor person. There is

no one who did not have any money. Who can ask whom? So, there is no one who

gave.

 

vaNmi illai oR vaRumai inmaiyAl

tiNmai illai oR SeRunar inmaiyAl

 

No one was ‘strong’. There was no necessity to do war. So there was no way to

know if anyone was stronger compared to another. There was no one who was

known for his truthfulness - uNmai illai Or poyyuRai inmaiyAl – because there

was no one who lied. Only when there are liars, people speaking the truth will

get special recognition. There was nothing like – what this person speaks is

false, what that person says is the truth. Everything was truth. oNmai illai

pala kELvi O’ngalAl – there was no one who could be considered ‘lacking in

knowledge’. Everyone was knowledgeable. So, there was no one separately

called ‘knowledgeable’. Like Madras. Many of you listen to rAmAyaNam, right?

You listen to many people (giving upanyAsam on rAmAyaNam), right? bahubhya:

Srotavyam bahudA Srotavyam – one should listen to one upanyAsar; many times.

When you listen many times, different matters will be said. Even if they say

fifteen times, some upanyAsaka-s will keep repeating the same thing. You

should listen to them also. Some will say different meanings for the same

thing. You should listen to that also. You should listen to many upanyAsaka-s

several times. ramAyaNam is such an exquisite one.

 

Everything – kosala country, ayodhyA, sarayU river – was the best. Very

unique. Then,

 

tasya amAtyA guNai: Asan ikshvAko: tu mahAtmana: |

mantraj~nA: ca ingitaj~nA: ca nityam priyahite ratA: || (bAla. 7.1)

 

How were the ministers in ayhodhyA? mantraj~nA: - they knew how to give

advice. ingitaj~nA: - they will communicate with each other through secret

signs. They will understand each other’s signs and do things accordingly.

nityam priyahite ratA: - they will keep looking for the happiness and welfare

of the king and subjects every day.

 

parasparAnuraktASca nItimanto bahuSrutA: |

 

How beautifully he writes. You can learn from rAmAyaNam. How is it? There

were seven ministers; they will not abstain from looking at the face of each

other. parasparAnuraktASca – In our current times, the Education minister will

not like the Finance minister. Agriculture minister will not like Irrigation

minister. Right? It was not like that in ayodhyA. The ministers were very

friendly to each other. In what respect? Not in “receiving [bribes]”

(everybody laughs).

 

parasparAnuraktASca nItimanto bahuSrutA: - they knew what was right [dharmam]

very well. They were very learned. Those who failed in 3rd form were not

occupying minister’s positions. SrImantaSca mahAtmAna: SAstraj~nA: dRDha

vikramA: (bAla. 7.5) - look how he uses the words. SrImanta: - they were

all rich. [Nowadays] Some people become rich after becoming ministers. They

were mahatmas – great souls. They came with high pedigrees. SAstraj~nA:

dhRDha vikramA: - they knew SAstrams very well. Very smart. videSeshvapi

vij~nAtA: sarvato buddhi niScayA: - Well-known for their intellectual skills

even outside their kingdom.

 

sarvato buddhi niScayA: - they will know how to analyze and advice. If a

Finance minister was appointed as War minister, he will go there and work. If

agriculture minister is transferred to finance department, he will work

accordingly. If health minister is asked to be an agriculture minister, he

will know what to do. They knew all SAstrams. There was nothing they did not

know. videSeshvapi vij~nAtA: - even outside their land, their names were well

known. Nowadays our ministers go to foreign lands! If you ask why,

videSeshvapi vikyAtA: - they want to be known in other countries also, that is

why we are going! (laugher in the audience). They will go at least for

getting medical treatment. Couldn’t they get it done before; why should they do

it after they become ministers? That is their fate.

 

krodhAt kAmArtha hetorvA na brUyur anRtam vaca: | (bAla. 7.7)

 

They will not lie because of anger or lust. Such people were ministers.

vAlmIki finished saying all this. What other story is there to continue after

this? You yourselves tell me. Best country, people were all excellent people,

river was great, everybody had all their needs fulfilled, there were no poor

people. Everyone was intelligent. Ministers were the best. Soldiers were all

valiant. Everything has been said. What else can you say? The story cannot

proceed any further. We have to stop with that.

 

Someone bought an airplane. It was fascinating. It carried 340 people.

Surprising speed. It went at 2000 miles per hour. It flew at a height of 14

miles. It went up to 15000 miles. If you keep saying like this, what is the

end? We have to say – one day, it fell down (everyone laughs). It had to be

repaired; it had to be condemned – that is the way it may have to end.

 

tasya tvevam prabhAvasya dharmaj~nasya mahAtmAna:

sutArtham tapyamAnasya nAsIt vamSakara: suta: || (bAla. 8.1)

 

tasya tvevam prabhAvasya – daSarathar had the kind of fame that vAlmIki could

not adequately describe. He could not write everything. daSarathar had that

kind of grandeur. nAsIt vamSakara: suta: - He had no son who could continue

his lineage. If he had done dharmam, he would have gotten a son. He did not

perform austerities; so, he did not have a son. dharmaj~nasya – he knew all

the dharmams – sAmAnya dharmam, viSesha dharmam, brAhmaNa dharmam, kshatriya

dharmam, womens’ dharmam, rAja dharmam and every other dharmam inside out.

 

People come for samAsrayaNam; if I ask, “do you perform sandhyAvandanam?” the

response is, “I know sandhyAvandanam, uncle” (audience laughs). It is not

enough if one knows how to do it, one should do it, right?

 

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

of SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA)

 

To be continued…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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