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

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

SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan’s SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam

 

ikshvAkubhyo'pi sarvebhyaH hyatrikto viSAm pate |

rAmaH satpurusho loke satya dharma parAyaNaH ||

sAkshAt rAmAt vinirvRtto dharamScApi SriyA saha |

prajA sukhatve candrasya vasudhAyAH kshamAguNaiH ||

(ayodhyA.2.29,30)

 

" We will tell you about rAma. He is greater than all the kings that ever were

in the ikshvAku clan. To the people, He appears like the moon. Will anyone say

'no' to the moon? Is there anyone who will insult the moon? desikan says in

pAdukAsahasram:

 

gomAyUnAm malaya pavane taskarANAm himAmSau

durvRttAnAm sucaritamaye satpathe tvatsanAthe |

tatvajn~Ane taraLamanasAm SArn’giNaH pAdarakshe!

nityodvego bhavati niyateH IdRSI durvinItiH || (pAduka.968)

 

pAdukA sahasram talks about perumAL's visit. tirukkuDandai perumAL comes for a

visit in His pAdukA-s. Sri deSikar calls out for SrI SArangapANi's pAduka-s -

" SArn’giNaH pAda rakshe " | He also says that some people like pAdukA-s. Why?

That is their nature. There are some who do not like; that is their nature.

gomAyUnAm malaya pavane - People state that the southerly breeze is very nice.

They sit in the front of their houses. They sit on the rope cots atop their

house terraces. The breeze blows. They enjoy. Foxes do not like the breeze.

The southerly breeze is a foe for the foxes; they will go and hide in caves.

gomAyUnAm malaya pavane taskarANAm himAmSau - a thief does not like the full

moon. That was in days of yore. Nowadays, they steal even during the daytime

(laughter in the audience). The thief clans in olden days used to steal only

during night times. They hated the full moon. durvRttAnAm sucaritamaye

satpathe tvatsanAthe | Immoral folks never like the prabhAvams of pAdukA-s.

Bad people do not take a liking to the pAdukA-s. tatvajn~Ane taraLamanasAm

SArn’giNaH pAdarakshe | Some people will say that they do not want to listen

to upanishad kAlakshepam because it will be in samskRt. They will not listen to

rAmAyaNam or upanishad. Why?

taraLamanasAm - people with vacillating minds will not like upanishad-s. Why

not?

 

nityodvego bhavati niyateH IdRSI durvinItiH ||

 

It is perumAL's rule that it should not be likeable. Some do not like to see

good things. Thieves do not like the moon. Everybody else loves the moon. Who

is there who does not love rAma? All the folks like rAma.

 

prajA sukhatve candrasya vasudhAyAH kshamAguNaiH ||

 

rAma was equivalent to bhUmi in patience.

 

budhyA bRhaspateH tulyaH vIrye sAkshAt SacIpateH | (ayodhyA.2.30)

 

He was equivalent to bRhaspati in intellect and indra in valor.

 

dharmaj~naH satyasandaH ca SIlavAn anasUyakaH |

 

priyavAdI ca bhUtAnAm satyavAdI ca rAghavaH ||

bahuSrutAnAm vRddhAnAm brAhmaNAnAm upAsitA || (ayodhyA.2.31,32)

 

kaRpAr irAmapirAnai allAl maRRum kaRparO?

puRpA mudalAp pulleRumbAdi onRinRiyE

naRpAl ayOttiyil vAzhum sarAsaram muRRavum

naRpAlukku uyttanan nAnmuganAr peRRa nATTuLE (tiruvAi.7.5.1)

 

This sargam is dedicated to the subjects of the kingdom talking about rAma's

attributes. vAlmIki himself talks about rAma's attributes in the very first

sargam (ayodhyA kANDam).

 

The second sargam is where the subjects give an account of rAma's attributes

when daSaratha asked if his son is that eminent. This second sargam is a very

important one. One can do pArAyaNam of just this sargam alone everyday and

enjoy rAma's auspicious attributes.

 

SIlavAn anasUyakAH - rAma is of good character; He is never jealous. He seldom

feels envious about another person. priyavAdI satyavAdI

bahuSrutAnAm vRddhAnAm brAhmaNAnAm upAsitA - everyday, He prostrates before

learned elders who are experts in SAstram-s.

 

vyasanEshu manushyANAm bhRSam bhavati duHkhitaH |

utsaveshu ca sarveshu piteva paritushyati || (ayodhyA.2.40)

 

In one sargam, the people narrate the kalyANa-s guNam-s of rAma and explain that

because of his attributes, they support Him.

 

daSaratha said, " I am very happy " and announced that the next day is coronation

and asked for rAma to be brought to him.

 

rAma came. daSaratha enjoyed the beauty of His walk. He called Him to his side

and announced about the coronation.

 

rAma then went to kausalyA's palace. He gave away His wealth in donations.

 

We will talk about all these tomorrow.

 

evam etat purAvRttam AkhyAnam bhadravastu vaH |

 

(The next day, August 14, 1972, kAlakshepam starts. SrImad ANDavan chants the

following and begins in a melodious voice:

SrImad tenpiRai ANDavan's tanian, diSantu me deva, kamapyanavadhim vande,

akincana nidhim sUtim, pitAmahasyA'pi pitAmahAya, vande tam yaminAm

dhurandharam, kUjantam rAma rAmeti, ullan~gya sindhoH salilam, vaidehi sahitam

surdRmatale, dharmAtmA satyasandaSca, kaRpAr irAmapirAnai allAl.

 

We have to start with the second sargam in ayodhyA kANDam of SrImad rAmAyaNam.

In early days, the practice used to be that if there were lots of upanyAsams to

be held and if a lot of vidvAns came to attend, they were asked to speak also.

Like that, today a lot of learned scholars had come. bahudhA Srotavyam,

bahubhyaH Srotavyam - one should listen to a Slokam or a story as rendered by

several teachers. The same teacher may give a meaning that he did not give

before. A second person may give a meaning the first person did not give.

samudramiva ratnADhyam - rAmAyaNam has ever so many meanings; it is not true

that everybody will know all the meanings, one scholar may tell you a meaning

the other does not know. We will say the meaning the others did not know.

parasparam bodhayantaH | (gItA.10.9)

 

PerumAL says in gItA - kathayantaH ca mAm nityam tushyanti ca ramanti ca

(gItA.10.9), nitya yuktA upAsate (gItA.12.2) - bhAgavata-s listen to each other

in turn; this is the specialty of devotees. Like that, today, nAgapaTTinam

rAgavAcAr has come. nAgapaTTinam implies a different meaning in our side. Not

like that; there is a place called kADantEtti. His forefathers come from a

great scholarly clan. His father, gOpAlAcAr was a great vedAnti. He used to

explain rAmAyaNam in a wonderful way. He was very proficient in music. Along

with wealth, he had j~nAnam - knowledge also. He had the wealth of music also.

It would be so nice when he recites a Slokam. I do not know music. I am not

blessed with that. When he chanted Slokams, it would be a great delight; he did

that so melodiously (when SrImad ANDavan chanted Slokams, he always presented

with melodious music. But, he is combining humor and humility here).

 

When a goldsmith strikes on the gold, he will strike on a stone once in a while.

If he beats the hot gold five times [while beating and making ornaments], he

will strike on the stone (normal rock that he keeps nearby) one time.

 

Like that, he [nAgapaTTinam rAgavAcAr] keeps including me saying " as ANDavan

says…. " etc.

 

Couldn't he have kept going (without doing that)? (laughter in the audience).

He is a samskRt paNDit in this place. He quit his job when there was hindi

retrenchment. The astika-s in this place are all supporting him. He is living

in nanganallUr. He is a great scholar who should be supported. He has great

attributes. It would be so nice to hear him sing. Will the Slokam I say be

effective now? I should have asked him to speak in the end. I made the mistake

of asking him to speak in the beginning. (laughter in the audience - that

nAgapaTTinam svAmi's laughter stands out loud).

 

bahavo nRpa! kalyANa guNAH putrasya santi te | (ayodhyA.2.26)

 

It will be nice to read rAmAyaNam; it will be nice to sing too - pAThye geye ca

madhuram (bAla.4.8).

 

agAyatAm mArga vidhAna sampadAn (bAla.4.36) - it is said that kuSa and lava came

singing. It is not a mistake to sing bhagavad story. na gAyet na vAditrANi

vAdayet - says smRti (manu.4.64). brAhmaNa-s must not sing. They should not

play fiddle [violin] etc.; they should not dance. deSikan has determined that

these statements apply only in the case of non-bhagavad matters [they can be

done in the case of bhagavAn]. They cannot be done in non-bhagavAn related

instances. rAmAyaNam was sung with music. It is great when it is rendered with

music. It is a very rare thing. Only some can do it. What can we do? A

person may not be blessed with both. Some know how to sing without knowing the

meaning. This scholar knows the meaning (a loud laughter in the audience).

Some know the meaning, but not music. PerumAL does not bless one with both.

sAhitya sangIta kalAvihInaH sAkshAt paSuH puchca vishANa hInaH (subhashitAni.358

nItiSatakam) - one who does

not have knowledge of literature and music is like a cow which lacks a tail and

horns. How will be a cow without tail and horns? The cow can still give milk;

that is not a problem. We can have coffee. But, the cow will not look good.

sAhitya sangIta kalAvihInaH sAkshAt paSuH puccha vishANa hInaH - He

[nAgapaTTinam rAgavAcAr] knows sAhityam [literature] and sangItam [music] also.

I do not have anything. Either I do not have a tail or I do not have horns;

think of it either way you want (everyone in the audience laughs; SrImad ANDavan

laughs too); one of the two is missing.

 

(Editor - Sri NKR's svAmin's notes - Our AcAryar is talking about a mental worry

with great modesty. Our prakRtam SrImushNam ANDavan has been fulfilling a lot

of His AcAryan's wishes; it is like a golden flower with a pleasant fragrance;

he is a great expert in sangItam in the world too! My mind is feeling so happy

about this.)

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To be continued …..