AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. February 09 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. February 09 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

 

When the kUni [a lady with hunchback/humpback] utters jealous words about rAma's

coronation and kaikeyi presents her with a diamond bangle for telling her a good

news, the devaloka residents become very disturbed. They start worrying and run

to brahmA and say, " What to do? This coronation must be stopped. Only if rAma

goes to the forest, rAvaNa samhAram can be done. He needs to be banished to the

forest. That too, immediately " .

 

brahmA appointed sarasvatI and said, " You have to go and talk from the tongue of

kUni. Speak in a clever way. Make kaikeyi, who is jubilous about rAma's

coronation, send rAma to the forest. You stay there till rAma leaves for the

forest and then come back here " . This is narrated in the rAmAyaNam episode in

mahAbhAratam.

 

mantharA tyabhyasUyainAm utsRjyAbharaNam ca tat |

uvAcedam tato vAkyam kopaduHka samanvitA || (ayodhyA.8.1)

 

kUni tells kaikeyi - " You have fallen into the ocean of sorrow! And, you do not

know that!

 

yacchocitavye hRshTAsi prApyedam vyasanam mahat | (ayodhyA.8.3)

 

A great calamity has befallen you. And, you are rejoicing about rAma's

coronation! Don't you have an unending sorrow?

 

But, what will you do? It is because of your sin!

 

subhagA khalu kausalyA yasyAH putro’bhipekshyate | (ayodhyA.8.9)

 

kausalyA is the one who has obtained virtues! She is very blessed! Everyone

will praise her from now as the rAja mAta [mother of the king]. Tomorrow, her

son will be coronated! From tomorrow, folks will come to see her! Who will

come to see you? Will they come because you are beautiful? If rAma is king,

they will go to see His mother! Everyone will go her!

 

upasthAsyasi kausalyAm dAsIva tvam kRtAnjaliH (2.8.10)

 

What will you do after that? You will be washing kausalyA's saris, cook for

her, clean her house and serve her like other dAsi-s! Do you understand? Your

princely son will have to work for rAma!

 

putrasca tava rAmasya preshyabhAvam gamishyati | “ (ayodhyA.8.11)

 

kaikeyi says, " That is okay. After rAma, bharata will be the king! bharata

comes after rAma. After rAma, let it come to my son.â€

 

kUni:

“bhavitA rAghavo rAjA rAghavasya ca yaHsutaH: | (ayodhyA.8.22)

 

How will your son get it after rAma? rAma's son will get it. lakshmaNa is

always wandering around with Him. He may get it, how will your son get it?

 

sannikarshAcca souhArdam jAyate sthAvareshvapi | " (ayodhyA.8.28)

 

Normally, people will like only those who are near by. If a wife goes out of

town, does the husband send even a quarter aNA [old Indian money unit] to her?

If there is sannikarsham [proximity], even plants will have souhArdam [affection

or friendship].

 

kaikeyi says, " What if bharata does not get the kingdom? He is still in rAja

vamsam. "

 

There is our Prime Minister, devarAj urs [srI Devaraj Urs]; he is from a kingly

dynasty. What will be done for folks belonging to kingly dynasties? For a few

days, pension will be given, one thousand or two thousand. After that, that

will be denied also! (laughter in the audience).

 

rAjavamSAt tu bharataH kaikeyi parihAsyate | (ayodhyA.8.22)

 

Folks from kingly dynasties will be told that they will be allotted a separate

place and that they will receive a certain amount of money; they have to sit in

a corner with those promises. Then, an assembly will be formed to take away

those promises.

 

kUni - " rAma will even try to kill bharata because He may think the latter will

come to share the kingdom.

 

deSAntaram nAyayitA lokAntaram athApi vA (2.8.27)

 

Sometimes, governors will be sent to far off places! Like that bharata may be

sent to other countries! Or, will He send him to out of this world?!

 

You do not understand that! "

 

kaikeyi said, " Oh, really? " and looked at kUni and called her, " manthare! "

 

She massaged kUni's hump back. " This is surprising! I did not know all this

time! Is this true? How can we stop this coronation? You tell me " .

 

kaikeyi’s anger is building up now.

 

adya rAmam itaH kshipram vanam prasthApayAmyaham |

yauvarAjyena bharatam kshipramevAbhishecaye || (ayodhyA.9.2)

 

" I will send rAma to the forest. I will get my son coronated. Tell me a way.

I thought you were an ordinary person. You are so intelligent. You know so

much about the laws of the kingdom. Only now, I realize you are so great. You

talk about politics! You have read about kingly duties. There is no one other

than you to do good to me. There is no other person who is smarter than you.

You tell me the trick of sending rAma to the forest and making bharata the

king. "

 

kUni: " Not that you do not know! But, I am still reminding you. SambAsura

battle took place. daSaratha got hit by asurA-s. He swooned. You charioted

him out of the battle-field and saved him. You took him to a tent, removed all

the arrows, nursed and saved him by giving medicines etc. Then, he went back to

the battle field and vanquished SambAsura. "

 

kaikeyi could drive the chariot. So could subhadrA devi and satyabhAmA. When

ladies are driving, accidents do not happen. You read in papers! Do you see

news about ladies causing accidents? Ladies drive well very carefully. They

will never cause accidents. Even if they do, the papers will not report! (a

loud laughter in the audience).

 

kUni continues,

“When you saved daSaratha by your charioting, he gave you two boons! Do you

remember? Ask him, ‘With one boon, make my son, the king; with another

boon, send rAma to the forest for fourteen years.’â€

 

kaikeyi: " When is the coronation? "

 

kUni: " Tomorrow. Ask him when he comes at night. Tell him that with one boon,

your son must be coronated and with the other boon, rAma must be banished to the

forest for fourteen years. "

 

kaikeyi: " What can I do if he does not come in the night? You are saying the

coronation is tomorrow. What if the coronation happens tomorrow morning? What

if he comes after the coronation is over? "

 

kUni: " Oh, my dear! You do not know how beautiful you are. He will definitely

come. Will he stay out, not coming to you? He will not miss even a single

night. He will surely come! "

 

kaikeyi - " Even if he comes, if he does not grant my boons, what can I do? "

 

na tvAm krodhayitum Sakto na kruddhAm pratyudIkshitum

tava priyArtham rAjA hi prANAn api parityajet || (ayodhyA.9.25)

 

kUni spoon-feeds kaikeyi. " You are scared that he is the king. You are not

realizing how blessed you are. daSaratha does not have the strength to do what

you do not like. He cannot face your anger. He will give his life for your

happiness.

 

He will say that he will give you great garments, build you palaces studded with

gems, give you what all you want etc. He will entice you. Do not agree to

anything. Exhibit your anger saying you only want these two boons.

 

Do not stay in your palace. Go and lie down in the separate place meant for

showing your anger. "

 

They all had a house for observing anger, a house for enjoying happiness, a

place to be during sorrowful times etc. If someone had to enquire about a sad

event, it must be done only in the place meant for that purpose. Not anywhere

else. There was a palace for taking bath. One for eating, showing anger,

showing happiness etc. They had all that. We have one room in our kitchen

itself (audience laughs) for happiness, sorrow, eating or sleeping! The same

place for the privacy of ladies in Bombay, right! What can we do?

 

kUni says, " kaikeyi! Go and lie down in the palace meant for dealing with

anger. Take off all your ornaments. Appear very agitated and furious. Wear a

dirty sari. Heave a deep sigh. Exhibit your wrath and display your

displeasure. He will come. Do not talk as soon as he comes. Be silent. He

will try teasing you. He will come near and turn your body. If he does, just

turn around and lie down. If he asks why, ask for these two boons. He will ask

you to ask for two different boons; do not accept for anything but these two.

 

ratnAni ca suvarNAni divyAnyAbharaNAni ca

dadyAt daSaratho rAjA mA sma teshu manaH kRtAH || (ayodhyA.9.27)

 

He will offer you ornaments. He will say he will give you wealth. Just tell

him you do not want anything. Or, tell him you will cross the doorstep and die.

If you do not do exactly what I tell you, consider your son destroyed. If you

follow everything I tell you, your son will be well. "

 

pRthivyAmasi kubjAnAm uttamA buddhi niScaye |

tvameva tu mamArtheshu nitya yuktA hitaishiNI || (ayodhyA.9.38)

 

kaikeyi praises kUni,

" I have seen so many hunchbacks in the world. No one else has your

intelligence! There is no one else who has my welfare in mind! Only now I

understand that the king is doing this kind of activity!

 

santi duHsamsthitAH kubjA vakrAH parama dAruNAH |†(ayodhyA.9.40)

 

There are many kinds of hunchbacks in the world. They will look ugly. They will

come all hunched down. You can see them in SrIrangam vaikuNTha EkAdasi day. It

will be too crowded. It will be impossible to go closer. One of the kUni -

hunchback - will come and prostrate near perumAL. Half of her body is already

bent; there will be some clearings closer to the ground. Through those, she

will get closer to perumAL! (laughter in the audience) Have you seen that?

 

“ tvam padmamiva vAtena sannatA priya darSanA || (ayodhyA.9.40)

 

Are you like all the other hunchbacks? You are all bent! It looks like a lotus

flower that is bent from the wind! Your back is like the lotus stem!

 

vimalendu samam vaktram (ayodhyA.9.42) - your face is shining like the moon!

 

If bharata becomes king, I will be rAjamAtA! I will let you go in front of my

retinue!

 

agrato mama gacchantI rAjahamsIva rAjase | (ayodhyA.9.44)

 

You will shine like a royal swan, wearing a good, white sari, the pearl necklace

I give you and a pearl chain I will present for the hunched part of your spinal

column!

 

AsanyAH Sambare mAyAH sahasram aSurAdhipe |

sarvAstvayi nivishTAstA bhUyascAnyAH sahasraSaH || (ayodhyA.9.45)

 

Whatever illusion tricks SambAsuran had, you have thousands of them!

 

Everything is in your hunchback bone! Let the coronation be over for bharata.

I will decorate your hunchback bone with gold! I will make a golden plate and

cover the humped backbone. "

 

She talks like she is doing a kavacam or plate covering for perumAL!

 

kUni says: " kaikeyi, enough praising me. You do not have to praise me. I do

not need anything. The king is going to come. Do what I said! What is all

this? "

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To be continued …..