cArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. September08 Part 2)

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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. September08 Part 2)

 

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

 

inbattil iRainjudalil isaiyum pERRil

igazhAda palluRavil irAgam mARRil

tan paRRil vinai vilakkil tagavOkkattil

tattuvattai uNarttudalil tanmaiyAkkil

 

anbarkkE avadarikkum Ayan niRka

arumaRaigaL tamizh SeydAN tALE koNDu

tunbaRRa madurakavi tOnRak kATTum

tol vazhiyE nalvazhigaL tuNivArgaTkE.

(adhikAra sangraham -2 and also rahasyatrayasAram - guruparamparA sAram)

 

deSikan says that it is enough for us to follow the path shown by madurakavi,

namely, we do not even need PerumAL.

 

He says that whatever we need from PerumAL, can be had from our AcArya also.

 

AcAryaH sadbhiH apratyupakaraNadhiyA devavat syAt upAsyaH (nyAsa vimsati -2 )–

whatever PerumAL does, AcAryar does too.

 

inbattil – PerumAL confers bliss on His devotees. AcAryar does that.

 

iRainjudalil - PerumAL is the refuge for His devotees. AcAryar is too.

 

isaiyum pERRil – PerumAL is purushArttam; He is the ultimate goal for the

devotees. AcAryar is the same way too.

 

SvAmi deSikan shows ten reasons to show how AcAryar also has/does what PerumAL

has/does.

 

anbarkkE avadarikkum Ayan niRka – He took kRSNAvatAram for his devotees; when

He is ever ready to bless them like that,

 

arumaRaigaL tamizh SeydAN tALE koNDu

tunbaRRa madurakavi tOnRak kATTum tol vazhiyE nalvazhi

 

Ignoring PerumAL, madurakavi benefited by choosing nammAzhvAr; his path is good

enough for us also.

 

That path with intense faith is sufficient for us. If PerumAL comes, He can

stay; how does that matter to us! It is adequate if we have the AcArya who

enjoys that PerumAL. PerumAL will enjoy having His bhAgavata-s; that itself is

a purushArttam (final goal) for us, right?

 

viyan mUvulagu peRinum pOi tAnE tAnE AnAlum

puyal mEgam pOl tirumEniammAn punai pUnkazhal aDikkIzh

SayamE aDimait talai ninRAr tiruttAL vaNangi, immaiyE

payanE inbam yAn perRRadu uRumO pAviyEnukke!

(tiruvAI. 8.10.2)

nammAzhvAr says in “neDumARkaDimai†pAsuram – Will enjoying PerumAL after

crossing the three universes be equivalent to serving bhAgavata?

 

tvam cet prasIdasi? tavAsmi samipataScet!

tvayyasti bhaktiranaghA kariSaila nAtha!

samsrujate yati ca dAsa janaH tvadIyaH

samsAra esha bhagavan! apavarga eva || (varada. pancA. 43)

 

deSikan places his slokam in kAncIpuram, in varadArAja pancAsat. It is his home

town. What does he say?

 

tvam cet prasItasi – Hey! VaradArAjap perumAn! dEvAdirAja! Hey prabho, who

shines with a divine form and beauty like the fire surrounded by blackness.

tvam cet prasItasi – If we are going to be blessed by You,

 

tavAsmi samipataScet – Your blessing must be full. We should stay very close

to You. Like being in the first house in the sannidhi street.

 

When PerumAL comes to visit the streets at the entrance of the temple gOpuram,

one should be at the front of the street. tavAsmi samipataScet tvayyasti

bhaktiranagA kariSaila nAtha! You should be fond of me. I should be close to

You; when I am that close, I should not be stretching my legs in my home

upstairs when You are doing Your visit. tvayyasti bhaktiranagA kariSaila nAtha

– I should also have the devotion towards You. If we have these three, it will

be great.

 

Is there something that is equivalent to these three?

 

samsrujate yati ca dAsa janaH tvadIyaH

 

With two lines, he talks about the three desirable events and with one line, he

talks about the most desirable event. samsrujate yati ca dAsajanaH tvadIyaH –

if we can get the blessing to be with Your bhAgavatA-s (and get bhAgavata

sambandham).

 

samsAra esha apavarga eva ! - esha samsAraH – he refers to kAncIpuram. This

kAncIpuram itself is salvation; we do not have to go there [srIvaikuNTham] for

moksham.

 

samsAra esha apavarga eva

 

esha samsAra eva apavarga – samsAram itself become moksham.

 

So,

 

ingE tirindERku izhukkuRRaden? irumAnilam mun uNDumizhnda

Senkolattap pavaLavAi SentAmarakkaNNenammAn

pongEzh pugazhgaL vAyavAi pulan koL vaDivu en manattadAi

angEi malargaL kaiyavAi vazhipaTTODa aruLilE

(tiruvAI. 8.10.2)

 

nammAzhvAr says in “neDumARkkaDimai†pAsuram.

 

So, purushArttam is being with bhAgavata-s (servants of emperumAn).

 

SezhumAmaNigaL SErum tirukkuDandai

aSaivil ulagam paravak kiDandAi kANa vArAyE! (tiruvAi.5.8.9)

 

SezhumAmaNigaL – bhAgavata-s are like gems.

 

“Kasai izhandavargaLukkum ponnai izhandavargaLukkum maNiyai izhandavargaLukkum

vAsi uNDiRE†- There is a difference between losing coin money, losing gold

and losing a gem.

 

Kasai izhandavargaLukkum - Let us say, someone goes in a bus from here. If he

loses two annas or ten paise, what does he do?

 

He looks down; he looks up and down. He is embarrassed that if he looks

searching down, people may ask him what he is looking for.

 

He will say, “Oh nothing†and keeps quiet. When one loses money, the sorrow

is very less.

 

ponnai izhandavargaLukkum - Suppose one loses a golden ring; will the sorrow be

less like when one loses ten paise? He will keep on looking here and there; he

will go back to the same place in the night and search for it again to see if it

is there or not. He will keep looking for several days. After ten days, he will

go and ask for astrological prediction. He will pay five rupees for that. He

will go with the route of “mai†where the seer applies some kind of paste

and tries to predict where a particular lost thing is. If he cannot get his

ring even after all that, he gives up saying “kRSNArpaNam†[i give it for

kRSNa]. If one loses gold, the sorrow is greater.

 

maNiyai izhandavargaLukkum When one loses a gem like a blue jager/jagger [old

term describing diamond's color grade] diamond ring worth twenty thousand

rupees, he mourns the loss and cries. Why? It is worth more.

 

Gold is more valuable than coin money; but, if one loses a gem, how much the

mind grieves? Like that, bhAgavata-s are similar to gems. SezhumAmaNigaL SErum

tirukkuDandai aSaivil ulagam paravak kiDandAi kANa vArAyE.

 

It is tirukkuDandai [the town of KumbakONam] where great, gem-like bhAgavata-s

like tirumazhisai AzhvAr congregate.

 

What is the specialty of the place? It is special because bhAgavata-s are

present. Nothing else.

 

nallArgaL vAzhum naLir aranga nAgaNaiyAn

illAdOm kaip poruLum eyduvAn ottuLanE (nAcciyAr tirumozhi - 5)

 

nalattAl mikkAr kuDandai kiDandAi unnaik kANban nAn

alappAi AgAsattai nOkki azhuvan tozhuvanE ! (tiruvAi..5.8.9)

 

 

nallAr navil kurugUr nagarAn tirumAl tiruppEr

vallAr aDikkaNNi SuDiya mARan viNNappam Seyda

sollAr toDaiyal innURum vallAr azhundAr piRappAm

pollA aruvinai mAyavan cERRu aLLal poi nilattE (tiruviruttam – 100)

 

Therefore, in siddhAntam, kaimkaryam to bhAgavata-s is superior to kaimkaryam to

PerumAL. There is nothing higher than bhAgavata kaimkaryam.

 

A king named indradhyumna who was doing tiruvArAdhanam [worship] for PerumAL in

a spectacular manner. There were lamp, dUpam, ratnam, umbrellas, cAmaram,

sandalwood, flowers etc. The saffron water was red like blood. He had kept

that in five vessels (panca pAtram); there was lighted camphor. Good prasAdams

were kept ready for offering. The king was doing a great tiruvArAdhanam.

 

agastyar came to visit him. He asked - kaH go'tra bhoH? - who is inside? He

called out three times. There was no response. He asked why the king had not

come.

 

indradhyumna mahArAja is doing ArAdhanam. He does not know the SAstram.

 

It is bhagavAn's order – if a bhAgavata comes when one is doing ArAdhanam for

PerumAL, kaimkaryam to bhagavAn can be dropped.

 

agastyar cursed him – since you behaved like a mad elephant, not knowing

SAstram, you shall become an elephant.

 

That indradhyumna mahArAja was the one who became gajendra, who got caught in

the crocodile's mouth. Since he was doing ArAdhana kaimkaryam for PerumAL

earlier, it occurred in his mind to offer lotus flower to PerumAL when he got

caught thus; he surrendered to PerumAL.

 

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To be continued …..