AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. May 08 Part 1)

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SrIH

SrImate ra’ngarAmAnuja MahA deSikAya namaH

SrImate SrInivAsa rAmAnuja MahA deSikAya namaH

SrImate VedAnta rAmAnuja MahA deSikAya namaH

SrI ra’nganAtha divya maNi pAdukAbhyAm namaH

 

AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. May 08 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)

 

(Please set your encoding to Unicode UTF-8)

SrImad ANDavan tiruvaDi,

kalyANi kRshNamAcAri

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SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan’s SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam

 

tathetyuktvA tu janakaM vasishTho bhagavAn RshiH |

viSvAmitraM puraskRtya SatAnandaM ca dhArmikam || (bAla. 73.21)

 

prapAmadhye tu vidhivat vediM kRtvA mahAtapAH || (bAla. 73.22)

 

The order was given to make the preparations for sItA kalyANam. daSaratha was

asked to do godAnam, ashTa vratams (eight religious formalities to be conducted

before the wedding) etc.

 

VasishTha did the ashTa vratam for the four boys. With the help of ViSvAmitra

and SatAnanda, the priest in the bride's side, VasishTha readied the wedding

mantapam with four homa kuNDams.

 

ala~ncakAra tAM vediM gandha pushpaissamantataH | (bAla. 73.22)

 

The ceiling of the wedding hall was decorated with fragrant flowers.

 

SuvarNa pAlikAbhiSca chidrakumbhaiSca sA~nkuraiH (bAla. 73.23)

 

They brought golden pot pALikai-s (pots for germinating grains during the

auspicious ceremony). It was not clay pot like in our houses. Some people

don't even have the clay pot; they bring dry plantain leaf pAlikai containers.

Am I right or not!

 

suvarNa pAlikAbhiSca chidrakumbhaiSca sA~nkuraiH |

 

A person came to the ASramam to perform pooNal [sacred thread] ceremony and

brought dry plantain leaf pAlikai containers! I asked him why he is using dry

leaf container for pAlikai!

 

It is said that paLikai container must be sacchidram (with holes to let excess

water drain). He said, " these containers all have holes; you can see, water

will leak through!!†What can I do after that response? (Laughter in the

audience). I said - 'Okay, proceed'. Some marriages are carried on like that.

Some don't even buy good vessels for pAlikai. Here, it was golden pAlikai

container. What if someone says, 'Anyway, we are going to drop the pAlikai in a

water tub later in the afternoon; why should we waste clay containers for this?'

(Audience laughs).

 

Sprouted lentils were added to the golden pAlikai-s.

 

juhAvAgnau mahAtejA vasishTho bhagavAn RshiH | (bAla. 73.25)

 

daSaratha completed godAnam and ashTha vratam for the four boys.

 

All the four boys wore pa~Nca kaccam [traditional manner of wearing the dhoti

for the wedding] and double sacred threads; collyrium had been applied to their

eyes. They were all ready for the weddings. daSaratha came. He said: 'The

girl's side has not come to invite us for the wedding'. He can go in only if he

is invited. So, King Janaka was informed that the formality has not been

observed.

 

kaH sthitaH pratihAro me kasyAj~nA sampratIkshyate | (bAla. 73.15)

 

Janaka said: “Whom can I send to extend the invitation? Is it the gatekeeper?

The watchman? Who is going to listen if I ask? Who can I ask to go and

invite? There is no one around that listens!†Why? kas sthitaH pratihAro

me! “No one is listening to me! I do not have anyone to spare!â€

 

There are so many people there! Where were they? The whole crowd had gone to

watch the beauty of the bridegroom!

 

If we take some people from our village homes to a wedding in order to help us,

none of them will stay with us; they will go and serve the bridegroom in the

in-law's house! This was like that!

 

kasyAj~nA sampratIkshyate!

 

Everyone has gone to look at the beauty of the groom. " tOL kaNDAr tOLE kaNDAr

toDu kazhal kamalam anna tAL kaNDAr tALE kaNDAr taDakkai kaNDArum ahdE " [those

who were looking at His shoulders could not take their eyes off of the

shoulders; the same experience with His lotus like feet and long arms]. The eye

that looked at one part of SrI RAma's body could not move on to another part of

His body. Onlookers were mesmerized thus. “There is no one here, svAmi!

What can I do? He has to come here himself. No one is listening to me.â€

 

If anyone was reminded that the 'muhUrta nEram' [actual wedding time] was

nearing, the response was, " Wait a little! I am looking at the bridegroom'.

When is this looking going to end?!

 

svagRhe ko vicAro'sti (bAla. 73.15)

 

Janaka said: " Everything here belongs to the bridegroom. There is no

difference. The grooms' side can come on their own to receive kanyAdAnam [get

the bride in marriage]. We are ready and waitingâ€.

 

daSaratha was informed thus. He brought the four sons happily. The four boys

stood in the wedding hall in the most enticing manner. ala~ncakAra tAm vedim -

the wedding dais had been adorned with great taste.

 

bhrAtRNAm eka jAtAnAm - it is commonly said in SAstram that brothers must not

be given in wedding at the same time; how were they doing it here?

 

SAstram says - sons born to the same mother must not be given in marriage at the

same time. What is the rule for sons born to different mothers and to the same

father? They can be given in marriage at the same time.

 

Yet, lakshmaNa and Satrughna were born to the same mother! How can they be

married at the same time?

 

SAstram says - prapAm kalpayitvA - Do not do it at the same time, but if you

have to do it, do it in different wedding halls.

 

So, the four brothers had four different wedding halls. When it is said, 'four

homa kuNDam-s’, it is not just four homams next to each other; women draw a

design [called paDikkOlam in Tamizh] with four corners to keep the aupAsanak kAl

(the place set up for the worship of the consecrated fire both in the morning

and evening, a duty prescribed for a married person); it was not like that [not

adjacent to each other, in the same hall]. There were four separate wedding

halls by themselves. After everything was readied, sItA was brought there,

beautifully adorned.

 

iyaM sItA mama sutA sahadharmacarI tava |

pratIccha cainAM bhadram te pANiM gRhNIshva pANinA || (bAla.73.31)

 

MahArAjA Janaka kept sItA on his lap. He repeated the wedding mantrams as

prescribed.

 

Even I am astounded when I look at the veda mantrams! I like only divya

prabandham. But when I look at wedding mantrams and upanayanam {thread

ceremony} mantrams, they are so amazing. Every mantram has astonishingly deep

inner meanings!

 

If the veda mantrams are chanted with the correct words using the right

pronunciation, they will definitely confer the prescribed benefits.

 

Daughter is sitting on her father's lap. In dhAnya rASi, the father will be

sitting on a bag of rice kernels. That rice kernel bag should be given to the

purohitar (officiating priest) at the end of the ceremony! So, some will place

a big bundle of grass and just add a handful of rice kernels to the bundle!

What a generosity! That bundle of rice kernels will go to the priest! How much

rice kernels can be given away to the priest?! (laughter) The bag should be

filled with rice kernels. That is what is called dhAnya rAsi. A blanket will

be thrown over the rice kernel bag. That blanket does not go to the priest. It

does not have to be given to him.

 

Janaka is sitting on dhAnya rAsi. He is chanting great veda mantrams. In his

role as a father-in-law, he offers respects to the groom with great dedication.

AgatAya varAya apaciti karma karishye |

 

ayam madhu parko madhu parko madhu parkaH |

 

This girl is sitting. She is asked to take a good look at the bridegroom.

abhrAtRghnIm varuNa apatighnIm bRhaspate | indrAputraghnIm lakshmyantAm asyai

savitaH suva |

 

aghora cakshuH: apatidhyedhi SivA patibhyaH sumanAH suvarcAH jIvasUH, devakAmA,

syonA, Sanno bhava, dvipade, Sam catushpade |

 

Very remarkable mantram.

 

abhrAtRghnIm varuNa apatighnIm bRhaspate | - apatighnI - This girl must not be

hostile to her husband.

 

abhrAtRghnI - This girl must not be inimical to his brothers.

 

She must look at him with her eyes decorated with collyrium. Both bride and

groom must look at each other in the eye. The sUtrakAra says: anyonyam

apavIkshata,

 

aghora cakshuH: apatighnI edhi - girl's eye must not look ferocious. She should

be apatighnI. patim na hantIti apatighnI - groom must have a long life; this

girl must live to be a dIrgha suma’ngali [ with her husband living for a long

time]. SivApatibhyaH; patibhyaH SivA - let her be full of auspicious blessings.

jIvasUH - jIvam suvatIti jIvasUH - she should not have any abortion. deva kAmA

- deva-s must look at them and want to be like them. Those with two feet, four

feet etc (people, animals like cows etc) must all be blessed.

 

When the groom is saying this mantram and the groom and bride look at each other

with their eyes decorated with collyrium, the girl will live to be a dIrgha

suma’ngali [ with husband having a long life]. She will not have any

abortion. The children will also live long. The mantra-s have so much power.

 

If you ask in some houses, 'your mate is so supportive', wife or husband will

say, ' the time we woke up today was a good time'! In some houses, you have to

ask, 'there is so much noise in your house'; then wife or husband will say, 'the

time we woke up was like that'.

 

When this mantram is being chanted, the priest must say the meaning and then

say, 'look at each other'. The priest asks them to look at each other, and that

they do, but he doesn’t repeat the mantram. Can't he chant the mantram and at

the same time look also! (laughter)

 

A log of wood [called nugattaDi in Tamizh] should be placed on the girl's head;

the tirumA’ngalyam [the sacred thread that is tied at wedding time around the

bride’s neck] should be placed in the hole in the log, and water should be

poured so that the water falls through the hole and falls on the girl's head.

 

khe na'saH, kherathaH, khe yugasya, SacIpate |

 

When this mantram is chanted, the girl will not have any disease in her mind or

body. Everything will go away. Do you know how the water that falls through

the hole of the log on the head should be? That water must be collected from

the ghat of a pond or river in which no one has ever fallen in and lost the

life. Priest is looking at his wristwatch. Time is passing. He tells his

assistant - 'bring water from a ghat in which no one has died'. The assistant

brings water from the tap, saying no one has ever died in that water!

hiraNyavarNAH SucayaH pAvakAH (puNyAha vAcana or sanctifying mantra) were all

completed.

 

Janaka said that he will do kanyAdAnam. He calls - 'son-in-law, come’.

 

iyaM sItA mama sutA sahadharma carI tava |

pratIccha cainAm bhadram te pANim gRhNIshva pANiNA! (bAla.73.26)

 

This Slokam has one hundred and eight meanings. On listening to periyANDavan's

kAlakshepam, cuNDapALayam rAmabhadrAchAr has written these. It was printed in

KumbakoNam. It is written using grantha script. It is titled 'iyam sItA

SlokArtham'. I have a copy in the ASramam. I have not brought it here.

 

iyaM sItA mama sutA - rAma! This sItA is my daughter. saha dharma carI tava -

She will perform dharmam along with you.

 

enAm pratIccha - ‘Accept her.’ Is she his to start with, for him to give

Her as dAnam? She can be given as ‘dAnam’ only if She belongs to him;

rAghavatve'bhavat sItA [When the Lord took incarnation as rAma, PirATTi took

incarnation as sItA] Janaka says: “She is Yours. So, accept her.†pANim

gRhNIshva pANiNA – ‘Grasp her hand. Do pANigrahaNam.’ Doing

pANigrahaNam is a superb act. Extraordinary benefits accrue from this act of

pANigrahaNam. For this, it is said some religious acts like graha prIti

[seeking the blessings of the planets] must be performed. Doing pANigrahaNam is

not a simple act!

 

gotrajAyAH asyAH pANigrahaNa muhurte AdityAdInAm navAnAm grahANAm Anukulya

sidhyartham bhagavatprItyartham ye ye grahAH SubhetarasthAneshu sthitAH teshAm

grahANAm AnukUlya sidhyartham ye ye grahAH SubhapradAtRtva sidhyartham yat

ki~Ncit hiraNya dAnam karishye - so saying the priest will say he will

distribute the gold to four people and then fold it in his dhoti (laughter in

the audience).

 

gRbhNAmite, suprajAstvAya - svAmi, why did you fold it in your dhoti? Priest

will say - this is a 'contract wedding'. (audience laughs). gRbhNAmite,

suprajAstvAya - this mantram must be chanted when pANigrahaNam is done.

 

Janaka said, 'iyam sItA' – ‘This sItA’. ‘All along - after You left

ViSvAmitra’s ASramam,You have been longing to see sItA as the Rshi-s have been

describing Her to You; This is that sItA’.

 

iyaM sItA mama sutA saha dharma carI tava |

pratIccha cainAm bhadram te pANim gRhNIshva pANiNA ||

 

‘mama sutA’ – ‘My daughter’ - I also came from a lineage equal in

status to the lineage of daSaratha!

 

saha dharmacarI tava - She will accompany You in all Your dharmams. Whatever is

Your dharmam, will be her dharmam also.

 

pratIccha ca enAm – ‘Receive this girl’. It means “Observe your gRhasta

dharmam as wellâ€. The ‘ca’kAram (the letter ‘ca’) after the word

‘pratIccha’ is used to give this meaning.

 

There was a research student in Madras University. He said he will do special

research in rAmAyaNam and asked for three years time. Ph.D. research can be

done in English, Science etc.; Even Tirupati University has such programs. He

said he will do research in rAmAyaNam. He got a stipend of 500 rupees per

month. I do not know what he wrote. After he completed three years of study, a

note was released – ‘India and China have had mutual relationships from long

time back. Even though there is a mountain in between, the relationship existed

from ancient times’. What kind of relationship? ‘It involved

inter-marriages between the Indian and Chinese girls and boys. I have made a

very special discovery of this in rAmAyaNam. This girl sItA whom RAman married

was a girl from China. pratIccha cainAm bhadram te (laughter in the audience)

pANim gRhNIshva pANinA! MahArAjA Janaka himself has said, 'take this girl who

is from the country of China -

ChainAm'. Therefore, a relationship has existed between China and India for a

long time; we should not be enemies.’

 

The University declared:, 'Award a Ph.D. degree to him. A very special

discovery has been made!’ (audience laughs).

 

It is not 'ChainAm' ; It is ‘pratIccha ca enAm’ - enAm pratIccha ca –

‘Take this girl! Having done that, do your gRhasta dharmams along with her.’

 

Janaka saw sItA and then rAman too. He felt that dRshTi (evil eye) will fall on

them; so, he blessed them - bhadram te. That is how this Slokam is interpreted

by pUrvAcArya-s.

===========

To be continued …..