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

 

krodhAkgAram viSAlAkshI saubhAgya mada garvitA |

anekaSata sAhasram muktA hAram varA’nganA ||

avamucya mahArhANi SubhAnyAbharaNAni ca (2.9.55,56)

 

kaikeyi immediately leaves for the 'house for anger'.

 

She wears a dirty garment and throws away all the rugs. She lies down on the

bare floor. She has ornaments worth several lakhs of rupees and very elegant

pearl necklaces; she hurls them all down. avamucya mahArhANi - very costly

ornaments; she takes them out and throws them on the ground. SubhAni

AbharaNAni ca - she removes the Subha [auspicious] ornaments also. What are

they?

 

I went once to listen to a rAmAyaNa kAlakshEpam. Whenever I happen to go, it

will not be a good topic! (laughter in the audience).

 

The upanyAsakar said that kaikeyi threw out her tirumAngalyam [gold pendant in a

mangal sutra - a Subha - an auspicious ornament]. I asked him why he used

‘tirumAngalyam’ as the Subha ornament. He said, " What can I do? I have to

say to suit the audience " .

 

Besides the tirumAngalyam, Subha ornaments are nose stud, bangles etc. She

removed all those. I told that upanyAsakar not to touch the tirumAngalyam.

 

SubhAnyAbharaNAni ca - She removes them all, lies down and heaves a sigh.

mantharA comes to see how she is doing. kaikeyi's breath is like that of a

snake!

 

nidarSitA yadA devI kubjayA pApayA bRSam |

tadA Sete sma sA bhUmau digdha viddheva kinnarI || (ayodhyA.10.1)

 

kaikeyi is lying down in the house for anger just as kUni has suggested. She

looks like a heavenly lady struck by an arrow and lying down on a bare floor.

What is digdha viddheva? digdha viddheva kinnarI - she is lying like a kinnarI

[a group of devA-s called kinnarA-s who played the yAzh/lute] lady struck by a

poison-laden arrow.

 

Seshva anantarhitAyAm tvam nu (ayodhyA.9.22)- just as kUni taught her, kaikeyi

is lying down on the bare ground. rAmAyaNam shows how a wife should behave when

she is mad at her husband. One can learn from rAmAyaNam (audience laughs).

This contains all the sAstrams! It is a noble sAstram.

 

rAmAyaNam even teaches how to steal. A thief has to make a living, right. It

gives advice to thieves!

 

vipranashTam dhanam kshipram tat svAmI pratipadyate |

vindo nAma muhUrtosau || (3.68.12)

 

jaTAyu says - " He abducted sItA in a muhUrtam [time] called vindam. A thing

that is lost in the muhUrtam of vindam will be regained.

 

That implies - do not steal in the muhUrtam of vindam.

 

Like that, shouldn't one know how to get angry? svAmi! What if one gets angry

and keeps smiling? If someone tries to get angry like I do, no one will even

care to ask.

 

It is now evening 7 pm.

 

vAlmIki writes:

tat praviSya mahArAjaH svam antaHpuramRddhimat |

na dadarSa priyam rAjA kaikeyIm Sayanottame || (ayodhyA.10.16)

 

He is a great mahaRshi. How much discipline he has! He has done a lot of

meditation. How magnificently he composes! He does it with brahma's blessings.

'hasitam bhAshitam caiva " - brahma blessed him with insight into laughter,

talks, sorrow, everything. After that, vAlmIki started writing with great

happiness, being blessed by brahma's anugraham for knowledge.

 

tat praviSya mahArAja - the king enters. kaikeyi's palace has all kinds of

wealth. na dadarSa striyam rAjA kaikeyIm Sayanottame - There is a golden bed

frame on top of which there is a mattress.

 

Golden bed frame. Golden board atop the golden bed frame. There is a mattress

on top. It is made out of coconut fiber; there is a bed cover on top of it

and then a comforter like blanket; on top of it, is a velvet mattress filled

with the feathers of swans. When one lies on this bed, there is nothing else to

do but sleep. Nothing else will happen. Such a cozy bed. That is where

kaikeyi would be lying down. It is customary for him to see her like that.

 

na dadarSa priyam rAjA kaikeyIm Sayanottame ||

 

" What is this? It has been so long! 60,000 years! Whenever I came to this

palace, she was always here in this Sayana gRham [house for sleep]. She is not

to be found today! I don't understand. "

 

Even vAlmIki finds it very hard when writing this Slokam! Couldn't daSaratha

have gone to touch her one day later when coronation is pending today?

 

sa kAmabala saMyuktaH ratyartham manujAdipaH |

apaSyan dayitAm bhAryAm papraccha vishasAda ca || (ayodhyA.10.17)

 

vAlmIki is struggling to say this. daSaratha's age is 60,000.

He has no strength to go to the harem. With what strength did he go there, you

know that, right!

 

sa kAma bala samyuktaH - he goes with that strength. mahArAjA goes. His age is

60,000. Why did he go? ratyartham manujAdipaH - he wants to be jolly with her!

Because he is a king.

 

vAlmIki feels bad. There is going to be a coronation in the morning.

Arrangements have been made for the coronation! Couldn't he have skipped one

night! Does he have to go every night? That is fate! It has to give something

for those who do upanyAsam on rAmAyaNam, right!

 

sa kAmabala saMyuktaH ratyartham manujAdipaH |

apaSyan dayitAm bhAryAm papraccha vishasAda ca ||

 

kaikeyi is not to be seen. vishasAda ca - he feels sad. Very sad. He asks the

servants where she is. They report that she has taken off her ornaments and is

lying down in 'the house for anger ', wearing a dirty garment and that they do

not know the reason.

 

Why is she lying down like that?

 

sa vRddhaH taruNIm bhAryAm prANebhyopi garIyasIm

apApaH pApa sa’nkalpAm dadarSa dharaNItale || (ayodhyA.10.23)

 

sa vRddhaH : very old.

taruNIm bhAryAm - she is in her youthful state.

dadarSa prANebhyopi garIyasIm - does it mean she is heavier than life? She is

more important than life. daSaratha is apApaH - this man does not know

anything. pApa sa’nkalpAm - She is lying down with the sole idea of

committing a sin. dadarSa dharaNItale - she is lying down on the floor.

 

She is lying. She is not using even a towel. She is mahArAja's wife. Third

wife. Extremely charming. She is fit to be lying on a great swan-feather bed!

Where is she lying down? On the bare floor! Not even a bed sheet! She could

have used at least a bamboo straw bed. There is a bed called tErazhundUr [ a

place near mAyavaram in tamilnADu] bed. Couldn't she have used that at least?

 

He looks at her and calls her, " devi! "

 

devi kenAbhiSaptAsi (ayodhyA.10.27)

kena vA vipriyam kRtam | (ayodhyA.10.30)

 

Is there anyone who calls his wife 'devi'? If someone asks, " Are your devi-s

okay? [is your wife fine] the reply should be, " everyone is okay in the house',

right? How should vaishNava-s communicate? paraspara vRttabhAshitvam

vaishNavatvam. VaishNavam is to reply in the opposite sense.

 

Where is svAmi's tirumAligai? [divine palace]

 

aDiyEn's hut is here!

 

What is the opposite sound for tirumALigai? Hut, right?

 

If someone asks, " Are the devi-s in your house doing well? " we should reply,

" Yes, fine in the house " . The answer should not be " devi-s are doing fine " . A

new vaishNava person may say that! (laughter in the audience).

 

Isn't that right? I was thinking of publishing a book on vaishNava paribhAshai

[conversations and phrases]. Where is the time for that now?

 

daSaratha is asking kaikeyi with great sorrow.

 

kasya vA priyam kAryam kena vA vipriyam kRtam | | (ayodhyA.10.30)

 

" Do you want to do something good for someone? Or, did anyone do something bad

to you? Do you want to fire any servant? Do you want to hire a new one? Why

are you lying down saying nothing? Why are you not talking? "

 

kaikeyi just turns over. mahArAja tries friendly persuasion. She does not

talk.

 

tam manmatha Sarair viddham - look at vAlmIki's words!

 

tam manmatha Sarair viddham kAmavega vaSAnugam

uvAca pRtvIpAlam kaikeyI dAruNam vacaH (ayodhyA.11.1)

 

vAlmIki need not have written that Slokam! What is it?

 

tam manmatha carair vittam - with manamatha's five arrows,

 

Sarair viddham - he did not say 'SaraNe viddham '. mahArAja got hit by

manmatha's five arrows. kAmavega vacAnugam - he became a victim of intense

desire!

 

uvAca pRtvIpAlam kaikeyI dAruNam vacaH - kaikeyi looked at that King of the

world and uttered an extremely frightful word! What did she say?

 

Azhi Suzh ulagamellAm bharatanE Ala, nI pOi

tAzhirum SaDaigaL tAngi tAngarum tavamERkoNDu

pUzhi venkAnam nalgi puNNiya nadigaL Adi

Ezh-iraNDANDil vA enRu (kamba. ayodhyA. kaikEyi sUzhchi.111)

 

nava panca ca varshANi daNDakAraNyam AsritaH

cIrAjinajaTAdArI rAmo bhavatu tApasaH

bharato bhajatAm adya yauvarAjyam akaNTakam

(ayodhyA.11.27,28)

 

kaikeyi said, " When I helped you during SambAsura battle, you granted me two

boons! I am asking for those now. "

 

daSaratha: " Are you lying down for that? Don't be angry! "

 

kaikeyi: " Will you grant me? "

 

daSaratha: " Definitely. Did you lie down in the house for anger for that? If

you ask me, wouldn't I give? "

 

kaikeyi: " Will you grant me the boons? "

 

daSaratha: " I am satya sandan! I will definitely give you " .

 

kaikeyi: " Promise me that you will truly give me. "

 

daSaratha: " In this world, there is no woman other than kaikeyi, whom I love.

Like that, among men folk, there is no man other than rAma, whom I love. I am

promising you in the name of rAma. tena rAmeNa kaikeyi Sape te vacanakriyAm |

(ayodhyA.11.7) I will give you in the name of rAma. "

 

kaikeyi then turned towards him and said:

 

nava panca ca varshANi daNDakAraNyam AsritaH

cIrAjinajaTAdArI rAmo bhavatu tApasaH

bharato bhajatAm adya yauvarAjyam akaNTakam

 

For nine + five = fourteen years, rAma must go to the forest and live a hermit's

life with jatA – matted hair. Bharata must be coronated as king. Grant me

these two boons. I am asking what is existing. I am not asking anything new.

During SambAsura battle, when I charioted, you became happy and you said you

will give me two boons " .

 

‘Eya varangaL iraNDil onRinAl en

Sey ulagu Alvadu; sItai kELvAN OnrAl

pOi vanam Alvadu’ enap puganRu ninRAL

tIyavai yAvaiyinum ciranda tIYAL (kamban. kaikEyi SUzhcci14)

 

She asks for two boons. Kambar feels very bad. What kind of a person is

asking? tIyavai yAvaiyinum ciranda tIYAL - She is the vilest of all the worst

things like dangerous poison. She is the greatest evil being of all the evil

things; so she asked.

 

A poet did not like the concept of ‘woman’. What are women made of? A mud

vessel is made out of mud. A silver vessel is made out of silver. Golden

vessel is made out of gold. Like that, weapons are made out of iron. What are

women made of?

 

One person said, " Poison. Poison has been made into a woman form " . Another

person said, " No, not with poison. Because, poison can be counteracted with

chanting of garuDa mantram. "

 

Another one said, " Women are made out of Sastram - weapon. "

 

" No. That is not it. You cannot say that. When a weapon strikes someone, the

victim may lie in the hospital for a month and it will be announced that the

situation is worrisome. After five or six days, it will be announced that the

situation is a little better. There is antidote for weapon wounds. When one

gets hit by a woman, there is no parihAram [counter-remedy].

 

A poet said, " A woman is formed out of agni-fire. agni burns everything. That is

why. "

 

I am not saying this (audience laughs) na visheNa na sastreNa nAgninA

nacamRtyunA |

 

Another poet rebuts, saying, " agni is not a great thing. It will be put out by

fire. nAgni; a woman is made out of mRtyu - death. "

 

Another poet disapproves. If mRtyunjaya homam [for counteracting death] is done

with the help of some svAmi-s, people live for five or fifteen years. mRtyu can

be counteracted by veda mantram. Big uncle knows mRtyunjaya mantram (AcAryar is

indulging in humor about Purisai Periya KalyANam svAmi in the audience). If he

is asked to chant mRtyunjaya mantram, he will chant karNa mantram [verses from

veda uttered into a dying person’s ears] (a very loud laughter in the

audience).

 

A woman is not made out of mRtyu. There is parihAram for death also. A woman

has been made out of a thing for which there is no antidote.

 

apradIkAra bAhulyAt strIbhireva striyaH kRtAH - a woman is made out of a woman.

A woman comes from a woman who existed before her. The latter came from a woman

who existed even earlier. A new one will emerge from the former. Like that.

 

kambar called kaikeyi ' tIyavai yAvaiyinum ciranda tIYAL'. kaikeyi asked for

two such boons!

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(End of translation of AcArya rAmAmRtam as it appeared in the February 2009

issue of SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA)

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To be continued …..