AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. Sept 07 Part 3)

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SrImate ra’ngarAmAnuja MahA deSikAya nama:

SrImate SrInivAsa rAmAnuja MahA deSikAya nama:

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SrI ra’nganAtha divya maNi pAdukAbhyAm nama:

 

AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. Sept 07 Part 3)

 

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

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

SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan’s SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam

 

They (ViSvAmitrar and the two boys) went to the ASramam. Next day, rAma and

lakshmaNa woke up and observed their anushThAnam [morning routines]. They call

it “kRtAvaSyaka kartavyah”. If the phrase kRtAvaSyaka kartavyah is mentioned

in rAmAyaNam, bhAgavatam or harivamSam, it means those duties that should be

mandatorily done – it means tasks like sandhyAvandanam etc. The words “Tasks

that should be performed without fail” mean only tasks like sandhyA vandanam.

The boys did those and then went to prostrate to the Rshi.

 

When guests come to our house, they would get off from the train at seven in

the morning, get into a car and come to our home; if you ask them if they have

brushed their teeth, they would say that they have done it in the station

itself; they would say that it was very convenient in the waiting room; and so

they have already taken their baths. Ask them if they have performed

sandhyAvandanam, and they will say “Yes, done.” “Coffee?” “Not yet; we have

not yet had coffee”. “kRtAvaSyaka kartavya:” The boys finished

sandhyAvandanam and then went and prostrated in front of the Rshi. ViSvAmitrar

did not give his blessings.

 

rAman asked the other Rshis if ViSvAmitrar was angry. The answer was “No”.

 

adya prabhRti shaD rAtram rakshetAm rAghavAvubhau |

dIkshAm gato hyesha munih maunitvam ca gamishyati || (bAla.30.4)

 

“ViSvAmitrar is in dIkshai (he has initiated himself for the yAga). The

dIkshai is for six days. You both have to protect the yAgam.”

 

kaNNinaik kAkkinRa imaiyinum kAttanar – They protected the yAgam just like the

eye lids protect the eyes. lakshmaNan would stand fixed in one place; rAman

would keep going this way and that way around the yAgam ground, like the light

in the light house. He would touch lakshmaNan and ask, “lakshmaNa! Are you

staying awake?” In the eye, the lower lid would stay without moving; the upper

lid would come and keep touching the lower lid; it was like that. What a great

comparison!

 

It is said: “upamA kALidAsasya”. Can that come even close to Kamban’s upamAnam

- “kaNNinaik kAkkinRa imaiyinum kAttanar”? Whose yAgam were they protecting?

If we say “ViSvAmitrar’s yAgam”, what yAgam did ViSvAmitrar do? It is not said

that any goat or anything was brought in. His wife’s name has not been

mentioned. But children (hundred children) are mentioned (for ViSvAmitrar).

One wonders how she managed to give birth to so many children. She should have

lived at least for a hundred years if she was to get one child every year.

 

ViSvAmitrar did that yAgam for the benefit of the deva-s - viNNavarkkAkkina

muni tan vELviyai. Who protected that yAgam? rAma and lakshmaNa protected -

“maNNinaik kAkkinRa mannanin maindargaL” – those who were in the race that had

protection as its duty; they were not there to destroy anyone, but to protect

the yAga. The sons of a protector protected the yAgam. viNNavarkkAkkina

munivan vELviyai” - this is not a ya~jnam done for humans. This yAgam is for

the deva-s.

 

mArIcan came to destroy the yAgam. He came with several demons. rAman

released an astram (weapon) by name mAnavAstram. What did that do? sampUrNam

yojana Satam kshiptam sAgara samplave! (bAla.30.17) That pushed mArIcan for a

distance of hundred yojanA-s (800 to 900 miles) away into the ocean. He tried

to get up; the astram pushed him down; this happened repeatedly three times.

Then the astram returned. Then subAhu came.

 

vigRhya sumahaccAstram Agneyam raghunandanah | (bAla. 30.22)

 

subAhUrasi cikshepa sa viddha: prApatad bhuvi || (bAla. 30.23)

 

Immediately, He released another astram – the Agneya astram. It killed subAhu.

He fell down. SeshAn vAyavyam AdAya nijaghAna mahAyaSAh (bAla.30.23) – For

the sundry demons that were around, there is no point wasting one astram for

each. He killed all the other rAkshasa-s with one vAyavyAstram. If at least a

rupee or two is to be given as dakshiNai, the yajamAna [the chief host] can

give it personally. If only small change is being given, someone insignificant

will be given that job – here, vAyavyAstram got the job. Everyone died. Only

mArIcan came out alive. Why didn’t He kill mArIcan? He has to come in the

later part of rAmAyaNam; so, He left Him alone. If you ask why,

 

“taruvanattuL yAn iyaRRum tava vELvikku iDaiyURA tavam SeyvORgaL

veruvaRac cenRu iDai kAma veguLi ena nirudar iDai vilakkA vaNNam” (kamban)

 

subAhu and mArIcan represent kAmam and krOdham in svApadeSam (inner meaning).

Between kAmam and krodham, krodham must be killed; kAmam must not be killed.

That is the SAstram; because, krodham – anger - is very bad.

 

…………………………… kruddho hanyAt gurUn api |

kruddhah parushayA vAcA narah sAdhUn adhikshipet || (sundara. 55. 4)

 

[What kind of sin would an angry person desist from? He will even kill

respected elders. He will use insulting words against even the people of

ascetic disposition.]

 

vAcyAvAcyam prakupita: na vijAnAti karhicit | (sundara. 55.5)

[A person under the grip of anger won’t have control of his mind to decide what

can be said and what should not be said].

 

An angry person will use harsh words even to his AcAryan. rAmAyaNam says,

‘even AcAryan’. He would have decided that his AcAryan is one person to whom

he won’t use harsh words, but when he gets angry, he will even use harsh words

to his AcAryan. kruddho hanyAt gurUn api – not just chiding. He will even

give a beating on the back. kruddho hatyAt gurUn api.

 

If he is asked, “Why did you go and beat your AcAryan?” he will say, “What Sir!

What else can I do if he is doing something without knowing what he is doing?”

 

So far, this has not happened to AcArya-s; everything else has happened

(AcAryar is laughing slightly). kruddhohatyAt gurUn api – one may even kill

the guru in anger. That is why anger must be killed.

 

kAmam (desire) must not be killed. kAmam is desire. Desire should definitely

be there. Why? If you kill desire – we need desire towards perumAL.

 

paramAtmani yo rakta: virakto aparamAtmani | [if one has desire for paramAtmA,

the desire in things other than paramAtmA will automatically disappear].

 

Only if there is desire towards perumAL, one can attain salvation. One should

have mumUkshutvAdhikAram. The desire for moksham must be there.

 

What should one do with the ‘desire’? maRRai nam kAma’ngaL mARRElOr empAvAi.

 

prahlAdan says in vishNu purANam –

 

yA prItih avivekAnAm vishayeshvanapAyinI |

tvAm anusmaratah sA me hRdayAn mA’pasarpatu || (V.P. 1.20.19)

 

[May the passion that the worldly-minded feel for sensual pleasures, animate my

heart in my passion towards You.]

 

The boys around (a guru) asked PrahlAdan what ‘bhakti’ means. The response

was: “If you place the same intensity of desire that the ignorant people place

on worldly objects, but switch it to bhagavAn, that is all what bhakti is”.

 

That is why kAmam must not be eliminated. One should strive to divert it from

the outside objects and towards perumAL. That is why He [rAmar] left mArIcan

alive, since he represents kAmam in svApadeSam. rAma destroyed anger [subAhu],

because ‘anger’ must be destroyed.

 

yAgam was completed. ViSvAmitrar finished pUrNAhuti [the final offering at

completion], took avabhRtha snAnam [bathing at the end of the sacrifice for

purification] etc. The next morning he finished his anushThAnams and was

sitting on the deerskin; he was fondling his beard. He was shining brilliantly.

 

rAman and lakshmaNan completed their anushThAnams and came to him.

 

prabhAtAyAm tu SarvaryAm kRta paurvAhnika kriyau |

abhivAdya muniSreshTham jvalantam iva pAvakam || (bAla. 31.2,3)

 

ViSvAmitrar was shining like the brilliantly burning agni [fire]. Immediately

both of them prostrated to him.

 

imau sma muniSArdUla! ki’nkarau samupasthitau |

Ajn~Apaya yatheshTam vai SAsanam karavAva kim || (bAla.31.4)

 

“svAmi ! Two of your servants have come - ready to do whatever service you

command.”

 

Who have come? imau - “These two”. “Have they come here?” sthitau,

upasthitau, samupasthitau, muniSArdula! ki’nkarau samupasthitau – ”We are here

– standing close to you. You can command us to do whatever work you want.”

 

ViSvAmitrar was completely taken by surprise. ‘Look at this! The ISvara

tattvam [ bhagavAn Himself] descends down to such a low level to us! He is

sarveSvaran, and yet He comes down to such an accessible easy low level! What a

wonder! How amazing! Look at the saulabhyam [eased of accessibility] in this

incarnation of His!’ He was taken completely by amazement, and could not

respond immediately.

 

All his Sishya-s came to ViSvAmitrar and requested –“these two boys are so

wonderful. They have vanquished so many rAkshasa-s. Maybe you can show them

the bow in Mithilai”.

 

Immediately, ViSvAmitrar said, “Yes. I also remember now. That is right. Let

us go”. He then said: “rAma! Janaka mahArAjan in mithilai has a bow – Siva’s

bow. He has promised to give his daughter in marriage to the one who bends the

bow and ties the bowstring. A lot of kings came and tried. Nothing has

materialized. It could not be lifted or bent or the bowstring tied. Half of

the kings fell down trying to lift it. If You wish, I can show that to You.

Will You come? He has said if that is done, he will give his daughter in

marriage; will You come”?

 

rAman thought: “Let us look at that bow.” So He agreed. ViSvAmitrar ordered

for things to be packed - What is there to be packed for these folks!

 

sa-rshisa’nghah sa-kAkutstha Amantrya vanadevatAh |

svasti vo’stu gamishyAmi siddhah siddhASramAt aham |

 

uttarAm diSam uddiSya prasthAtum upacakrame || (bAla.31.13-15)

 

SakaTI Sata mAtram tu prayANe brahma vAdinAm |(bAla.31.16)

 

So writes vAlmIki. “ViSvAmitrar told the angels of the forest – ‘I am taking

leave. I am going to the city of Mithilai. I will be back. All of you take

care of the ASramam”. He then left. All the students and Rshi-s also started.

They were all doing their own agnihotram-s; they had their sacrificial fires

lit and were doing their offerings. They all wanted to come also. ViSvAmitrar

consented. Hundred carts carried Brahmins who were chanting svasti vAcanam

(benedictory words) and accompanied them - SakaTI Sata mAtram tu prayANe brahma

vAdinAm |

 

All the birds and animals also started with them. They all left happily.

After they walked a while, there were mountains on all the four sides. rAman

asked, “svAmi! Whose place is this?” He does not know any of these things.

He has never come out of His kingdom. He is new; He has come out of the palace

only now. That is why He asked, “What is this place? Whose place is this? It

looks like a big forest and there seems to be a town also”. Poor boy! He does

not know any of these things!

 

ViSvAmitrar said, “I will tell you, listen”!

 

===========

(End of translation of AcArya rAmAmRtam as it appeared in the September 2007

issue of SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA)

 

To be continued …..

 

 

 

 

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