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

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

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

“svocca samstheshu pa’ncasu graheshu” (bAla. 18.9) – Dear Sir! Five planets

were in ascendance - sUryan (Sun), Sukran (Mercury), guru (Jupiter), sevvAI

(Mars) and Sani (saturn). It is said, “pa’ncocce lokanAyaka:“ The astrologers

say what the effects are when each planet is in ascendance. That is the science

of astrology. If astrologers do upanyAsam on rAmAyaNam, they can talk about

these results. We won’t delve on that.

 

Those days when I was in mAmbalam – kODambAkkam, there was a mAdhva astrologer.

He will request for alms during daytime (u’nca vRtti); in the evening, he will

sit under a tree and make forecasts based on horoscopes. There were trees near

panagal park [in those days]. That is where he looked at horoscopes. Now, you

cannot even see pangal park. I saw the other day. There are a lot of shops.

All the vegetable shops are located there now. That mAdhvar used to predict

based on horoscopes in the evenings under a tree. We were both friends. I

asked him why he was sitting under a tree and doing this. He said that he gets

alms doing day-time; in the evenings, he may make one or two rupees. I asked

him if he knew his own horoscope. He said that in his horoscope, five planets

were in ascendance. (Everyone, including the AcAryan laughs). If he says five

planets are in ascendance, obviously it depends on which planets are in

ascendance. What if the wrong planets are in ascendance?

 

karkaTe lagne vAkpatau indunA saha (bAla. 18.9) – (rAmar) was born in kaTaka

lagnam. kRshNAvatAram was in Rshabha lagnam. rAmar’s is kaTaka lagnam.

 

karkaTe lagne – what is the significance? daSaratha cakravarti did yAgam. He

did putra kAmeshTi. He gave fees to everyone. Everything was given away. At

that time, a Brahmin came and said, “Give me something”. Did you know that?

 

daridrAya dvijAyAtha hastAbharaNam uttamam |

kasmaicit yAcamAnAya dadau rAghava nandana: ||

(bAla. 14.54)

 

Some brahmin. He is dumb like me, going late like that. Everyone else had gone

early and was pouring sandalwood [all over their bodies]. He went there very

late and said, ‘Give me something’. Everything was given away. So, he

(daSarathar) gave him his bangle – kaTakam – that he was wearing in his hand.

He removed it and gave it to him. Men folk also wore bangles in those days. If

men can wear wrist-watch; can’t they wear bangles? Is that wrong? It is all

worn in the hand. This brahmin came to test if daSarathan would give something

after giving away everything.

 

kasmaicit yAcamAnAya – Who was that brahmin? We don’t know who it is; some

brahmin. Who was that brahmin? It was no one but vishNu Himself who came as a

brahmin. Didn’t He go to karNan and ask?

 

kasmaicit – [Just someone].

 

sa va: ka: kim yattat padam anuttamam |

loka bandhu: loka nAtho mAdhavo bhaktavatsala: ||

(vishNu sahasranAmam-verse 78)

 

bhagavAn has “ka:” as one of His nAma-s, in sahasra nAmam.

 

bhagavAn came and asked. kasmaicit yAcamAnAya - when bhagavAn came and

asked, hastAbharaNam uttamam – he (daSarathar) removed and gave his kaTakam

(bangle).

 

karkaTe lagne – so He was born to daSarathar as a son in kaTaka lagnam. He

wanted to take His incarnation in that same kaTaka lagnam.

 

vAkpadau indunA saha – at the time when candran (moon) was with guru (Jupiter)

 

prodyamAne jagannAtham sarva loka namaskRtam |

(bAla. 18.10)

kausalyA’janayat rAmam sarva lakshaNa samyutam ||

(bAla. 18.11)

 

She (kausalyai) gave birth to the Lord of SrI or lakshmI (Sriya: pati),

vAsudevan, who is the Supreme Reality and the Supreme Deity who is worshipped

by all the universes and the deva-s etc.

 

At one time, during the time of praLaya, all the worlds were in His stomach.

mAgha kavi says, “ kRtAnta kAla pratisamhRtAtmana: jaganti yasyAm savikAsam

Asata. When this prapa’ncam was in perumAL’s stomach as He was lying on the

banyan tree leaf, all the jIva-s were in His stomach in a very, spacious place.

Only now, there is shortage of place in Madras. When the jiva-s were in His

stomach, everyone had a playground and a bathroom. There was so much space.

kausalyai had that paramAtmA in her womb and gave birth.

 

kausalyA’janayat rAmam sarva lakshaNa samyutam |

vishNorardham mahAbhAgam putram aikshvAkavardhanam ||

kausalyA SuSubhe tena putreNa amita tejasA |

(bAla. 18.11, 12)

 

kausalyai shone brilliantly because she gave birth to bhagavAn. She was

shining brilliantly and was very happy.

 

bharato nAma kaikeyyAm ja~jne satya parAkrama: |

sAkshAt vishNo: caturbhAga: sarvai: samudito guNai: ||

(bAla. 18.13)

 

pushye jAta: tu bharato mIna lagne prasannadhI: |

(bAla. 18.15)

 

Very wonderfully written. bharatan was born to kaikeyi. He was truthful and

valorous. vishNo: caturbhAgam. He had all the good virtues and had clear

intellect.

 

pushye jAtastu bharato mIna lagne prasannadhI: |

 

He had clear buddhi. His buddhi was like the deep pool in the ganges river.

No matter how many cows or elephants bathe in the ganges, the water in the pool

won’t become dirty – it will be clear. Like that. Even when the AcAryan

himself asks him to take over the kingdom, he says ‘ dAsabhUto bhavishyAmi’ – I

will not take the kingdom.

 

dharmam vaktum ihArhasi – What svAmi! You are my AcAryan, and yet you ask me to

take the kingdom! Is this fair?

 

rAjyam cAham ca rAmasya dharmam vaktum ihArhasi

(ayodhyA. 82.12)

 

This kingdom and I are both rAman’s belongings. rAman must be ruling both.

When rAman is to rule both, how can one wealth rule another wealth? One person

has two houses. One is in Lloyd’s Road. One is in Edward Elliot road. Two

houses; can this house rule over that house? Only the owner has to collect the

rents of both the houses.

 

rAjyam cAham ca rAmasya dharmam vaktum ihArhasi – bharatan has a mind that

will not waver even when his AcAryan tells him; so it is said “pushye jAtastu

bharato mIna lagne prasannadhI:” He was born in mIna lagnam. Don’t think

everyone who is born in pushyam will have a clear mind! (SrImad ANDavan laughs

to himself. SrImad ANDavan’s tiru nakshatram is pushyam - 1907 pa’nguni

parAbhava – pushyam).

 

sArpe jAtau tu saumitrI kulIre abhyutite ravau |

(bAla. 18.15)

 

lakshmaNan and Satrughnan were born to sumitrai in ASlesha star which

represents the serpent devatai. They were also born in kaTaka lagnam.

 

Look at this! vAlmIki will be subtle here and there. He says: “kausalyA

ajanayat rAmam”, right? - Kausalyai gave birth to rAman. Can’t he write that

kaikeyi gave birth to bharatan? Instead, he writes: “bharatan was born to

kaikeyi” - “ja~jne”. There is obviously a difference between the two!

Meaning is the same. kausalyai gave birth to rAman; bharatan was born to

kaikeyi. What does he lose if he says kaikeyi gave birth to bharatan? If you

ask that question, he is writing, knowing the story of rAmAyaNam. He does not

want to say that she [kaikeyi, who made rAman go to the forest later] gave

birth to such a great bhAgatottaman. Because he knew the story, he says -

pushye jAtastu bharato mIna lagne prasannadhI:. Okay?

========

(End of translation of AcArya rAmAmRtam as it appeared in the December 2006

issue of SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA)

 

To be continued …..

 

 

 

 

 

 

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