AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. March 07 Part 1)

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImate ra’ngarAmAnuja mahA deSikAya nama:

SrImate SrInivAsa rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya nama:

SrImate vedAnta rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya nama:

SrI ra’nganAtha divya maNi pAdukAbhyAm nama:

 

AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. March 07 Part 1)

 

English 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

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perumaL was afraid that AzhvAr may get angry and leave. He will not leave -

Will a son-in-law leave when he gets angry? He pretends; even then, folks will

be scared. Similarly, perumAL is afraid about what to do if AzhvAr becomes

angry and leaves. To pacify tiruman’gai AzhvAr, He says: “What svAmi! How can

I show myself to You? I have four colors for the four yugams. I am thinking

in what color I can show Myself to you.” AzhvAr says: “What – Sir! You are

One who knows everything - both good and bad”.

 

SollAdu ozhiyagillEn aRinda Sollil um aDiyAr

ellArODum okka eNNi iruttIr aDiyEnai

nallAr aRivIr tIyAr aRivIr namakku ivvulagattil

ellAm aRivIr IdE aRiyIr indaLUrIrE ! (periya tiru. 4.9. 6 )

 

indaLUrIr is in plural - bahuvacanam. He is assuming nAyikA bhAvam and calling

perumal using the ‘r’ just like wives use for husbands. Wife will lash out at

the husband, but without leaving out the ‘r’ – “nIr enna paNNEgaL? enna

paNNiTTEgaL ittanai nALA? nIr enna?” [What did you do? What did you do all

these days? What are you?” But the lashing out will be without leaving out

the ‘r’ for respect all through. Like that, when AzhvAr is using harsh words

towards perumAL in nAyikA bhAvam, what is he saying?

 

SollAdu ozhiyagillEn aRinda Sollil um aDiyAr ellArODum okka eNNi iruttIr

aDiyEnai – “I should not be telling things about You to outsiders. In stories

they say ‘Wives should not talk wrong about husbands to others’. If You do

this kind of a dumb act, how can I refrain from telling others? sollAdu

ozhiyagillEn aRinda Sollil um aDiyAr ellArODum okka eNNi iruttIr aDiyEnai – “Do

You think I am just like nammAzhvAr or the other AzhvArs! Can you think of me

merely like the other AzhvArs”? The other AzhvArs can survive during long

durations of viSlesham (separation) and samSlesham (being together) – they are

like janakarAjan’s daughter or like malaiyALa UTTu (this refers to a practice

in keraLA, where, in order to eat well, folks try to withstand hunger for a

prolonged time and then overeat). I cannot withstand either of those

situations. They can be separated for even ten or twelve months; they can be

together for a long time also. I cannot withstand lengthy periods of either.

There has to be a limit for me. I cannot stand long separation. I cannot have

a lot of togetherness also. I am such a soft person. But You thought of me

like You think of the other AzhvArs. Give me a separate seat. Were you

thinking of me as being just equal to the others”?

 

nallAr aRivIr tIyAr aRivIr – “You know who are all good ones and who are all

the bad ones”. tiruma’ngai AzhvAr seems to be saying the other AzhvArs are

bad and only he is the good AzhvAr!

 

nallAr aRivIr tIyAr aRivIr namakku ivvulagattil ellAm aRivIr – there is nothing

You do not know. “IdE aRiyIr indaLUrIrE?” – “How is it that You don’t know only

this, namely, how great a devotee I am”? tiruman’gai AzhvAr gets extremely

angry. perumAL is trying to pacify him. “It is not at all like that. I just

do not know in what color I should present to you for sevai; I have appeared in

a different color in each yugam - kRta yugam, tretA yugam, dvApara yugam and

kali yugam.”

 

pAlin nIrmai Sempon nIrmai pASiyin paSum puRam

pOlum nIrmai poRpaDat taDattu vaNDu viNDulAm

nIla nIrmai enRivai niRain’da kAlam nAn’gumAi

mAlin nIrmai vaiyagam maRaittadu enna nIrmaiyE !

(tiruccanda viruttam -

44)

 

He has four colors for four yugams. He changes His color based on the nature

of the people. People in kRta yugam have more of sattva guNam; they like the

white color.

 

SuklAmbara dharam vishNum SaSivarNam caturbhujam |

prasanna vadanam dhyAyet sarva vighnopaSAntaye ||

 

This is meditation on perumAL. Some write that this is for piLLaiyAr. That is

why I am saying this. SuklAmbaradharam vishNum SaSivarNam caturbhujam – that

is white color. He has a different color for kRta yugam; different one for

tretA yugam. perumAL says, “So, I am thinking about which color to show you.

You are getting angry already.” – perumAL speaks to AzhvAr through aSarIri

vAkku. Immediately, AzhVAr says, “What is this, You are saying You are

thinking”?

 

munnai vaNNam pAlin vaNNam muzhudum nilai ninRa

pinnai vaNNam koNDal vaNNam vaNNam eNNUn’kAl

ponnin vaNNam maNiyin vaNNam puraiyum tirumEni

inna vaNNam enRu kATTIr indaLUrIrE! (periya tiru. 4.9. 8 )

 

“You keep saying, but You are not showing Yourself“! Someone is offering a

grand tadIyArAdhanai – four sweets, four savories have been made; but, not even

a single one is served for eating. What if one asks: “Why is nothing being

served?” And the response is: “I am thinking whether to serve the gulAb jAmUn,

rasagullA,bAdAm halvA, or jAngri”, how will it be? “Just stop thinking and

serve something!”

(everyone in the audience laughs) “Instead of serving something on the plate,

you keep thinking! It would be nice if something falls on the plate”!

 

Look at this song. Our life should end as we keep saying this song day and

night; our AtmA should be delivered.

 

munnai vaNNam pAlin vaNNam muzhudum nilai ninRa

pinnai vaNNam koNDal vaNNam vaNNam eNNUn’gAl

ponnin vaNNam maNiyin vaNNam puraiyum tirumEni

inna vaNNam enRu kATTIr indaLUrIrE! (Periya tirumozhi 4.9.8)

 

Whatever rUpam You show, it is very nice. What does it matter how it is? What

does it matter what ornaments You wear?

 

kimiva hi madhurANAm maNDanam nAkRtInAm – kALidAsan describes even vulgar

things. Wouldn’t perumAl look beautiful in white color?

 

There is a lakshmI nArAyaNan temple in Bombay. They have carved laskmI

nArAyaNan out of white marble. People will be stunned at the beauty and throw

coins at the tiruvaDi. Even I have thrown a rupee (everyone laughs). Normally

vaidikan will not offer even a rupee anywhere. In that laksmI nArAyaNan

temple, isn't the marble statue nice? peurmAL’s rUpam will be exquisite in

anything. munnai vaNNam pAlin vaNNam - that is in the first yugam. pinnai

vaNNam koNDal vaNNam - it is black color in kali yugam. People will have more

tamo guNam. He assumes the color they like. They like only that.

 

ponnin vaNNam - tretA yugam; maNiyin vaNNam – dvApara yugam. puraiyum

tirumEni inna vaNNam enRu kATTIr indaLUrIrE! – Show me Your tirumEni that has

different colors in different yuga-s, You who lives in indaLUr! You did not

show Your tirumEni after all, right? vASi vallIr indaLUrIr vAzhndE pOm nIrE!

- mithyA pratij~na: kAkutstha sukhI bhava sabAndhava: (bAla. 21.3) - you live

well with all your relatives! Live well – so said viSvAmitrar to daSarathan.

 

What is the tattva artham (inner meaning of the principle) behind his anger?

“Think that bhagavAn’s tirumEni is for His bhakta-s” – vAlmIki gives the same

message till the end of yuddha kANDam. In every kANDam, he says, “bhagavAn is

born only for our sake. Realize that His tirumEni belongs to us [is for our

benefit]”. He is striving so hard to make us all understand that He belongs to

us.

 

In sundara kANDam, he conveys this through hanumAn. bhagavAn’s body is only

for us! Otherwise, why is He taking incarnations here? He is present

everywhere, still the reason why He takes a specific form and appears, is for

the sake of His devotees only!

 

He has come to tiruvallikkENi; He stands in pArthasArathy rUpam; perumAL is

omni-present. Why is He taking a form?

 

bhaktAnAm tvam prakASase! Only for the sake of His devotees, He comes with a

form, weapons and color. Remembering that, viSvAmitrar says aham vedmi

mahatmAnam. I am meditating; vasishThar is meditating; All these mahaRshi-s

meditate on that Object. I had left this Object in your house all these days.

Having kept, I merely desisted from asking you for It all these days. I am

asking for It now. Isn’t it fair if I get angry when you are not giving back

my belonging? That is why I am angry. Nothing else. That is what tiruman’gai

AzhvAr showed. This is the same truth that viSvAmitrar also showed. But he

does not know that; Who? daSarathan! It is hard for him to send his son away.

So, what did he do? He said, “I cannot give my son; he cannot fulfill that

mission. I can come; I will help as much as I can.”

 

When vasishThar saw that viSvAmitrar was angry, what did he do? He tried to

console the cakravarti. He tells daSarathan: “O daSaratha! viSvAmitrar is a

very good person. A great tapasvi – one who does penance”

 

esha vigrahavAn dharma: esha vIryavatAm vara: |

esha budhyA’dhiko loke tapasa : ca parAyaNam ||

 

esho’strAn vividhAn vetti trailokye sa-carAcare |

nainam anya: pumAn vetti na ca vetsyanti kecana || (bAla. 21.10,11)

 

He said, “My dear King! Listen to me! He has become angry now”.

 

esha vigrahavAn dharma: He is an embodiment of dharmam. Think of him as

dharmam itself that has assumed a human form. He is the best among those who

are valorous. Very intelligent! He is great in penance also! He has

knowledge about all weapons. You can safely send rAman with him.”

 

Who does the word “esha” refer to here? Is it a reference to viSvAmitrar or to

rAman? Who does vAlmIki refer to? He is using the term so that it applies to

both. “esha:” refers to those were present there. esha: can refer to

viSvAmitrar also.

 

esha vigrahavAn dharma: esha vIryavatAm vara: |

esha budhyA’dhiko loke tapasa: ca parAyaNam ||

 

will apply equally well to perumAL also.

 

rAmo vigrahavAn dharma: esha vIryavatAm vara:, bRhaspati samo budhyA – so many

are doing penance! For all of them, the goal is rAman, right? nainam anya:

pumAn vetti - no one knows Him; no one will ever know - na ca vetsyanti

kecana – so, vasishThar said, “Send that child”.

 

sa putram mUrdhni upAghrAya rAjA daSaratha: tadA |

dadau kuSika putrAya suprItenAntarAtmanA || (bAla. 22.3)

 

It is now 5:45. Should I stop here? [asks SrImad ANDavan]

 

As soon as vasishThar said thus, daSarathar sent for rAman. rAman is inside.

He has always been inside the house. And He very much wants to go out! He had

been worrying that vasishThar may somehow cool viSvAmitrar down, and it may

happen that he won’t be able to go with viSvAmitrar. So, when they called for

Him, He came right away. “Even if daSarathar says yes, what will mother

KausalyA say”? He is her only son. What if she says no? When womenfolk start

crying, they will catch a cold. No one can stop them. rAman was worried that

vasishThar may have to console her also. But, she agreed to His going with

viSvAmitrar immediately. Why? She sees rAman as God. She knows. Like

viSvAmitrar, she knows Him as bhagavAn. This will be known when we come to

“kausalyA suprajA rAma”. She admires His beauty every day when He is sleeping,

lying down. He will lie down with the exquisite beauty as ra’ngan is lying in

the ra’nga vimAnam in the house. Who can lie down like ra’nganAthan? No one

can; only rAman can. Kausalyai has seen that for twelve years.

 

Since she knew who rAman was, and knew that no one can harm Him in any way, she

immediately said: “Okay. You can go”.

 

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To be continued …..