AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. April 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. April 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 tiruvaDigaLE SaraNam.

kalyANi kRshNamAcAri

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SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan’s SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam

 

What is sarveSvaran’s rUpam?!

 

candra kAntAnanam rAmam atIva priyadarSanam

gandharva rAjapratimam loke vikhyAtapaurusham

dIrgha bAhum mahA satvam (ayodhyA.3.28,29)

 

What an exquisite beauty! What a charm! rAma’s soundaryam – lovely form!

 

sItA keeps looking at Him and follows Him.

 

patisammAnitA sItA bhartAram asitekshaNA |

AdvAram anuvavrAja mangaLANi abhidadhyushI ||

(ayodhyA.16.21)

 

patisammAnitA sItA bhartAram asitekshaNA |

 

He leaves from the palace. sItA follows her up to the seventh door entrance.

 

The chariot is ready. sumantra is going to take Him. Prior to getting on the

chariot, rAma looks at sItA’s rUpam. What to do!

 

rAma removes a garland from His neck and places it around sItA’s neck and

says, “I will go and come back quickly. Till I come back, keep singing songs

looking at this garland.â€

 

patisammAnitA sItA bhartAram asitekshaNA |

 

He garlands her. She garlands Him back. Has she brought a garland for that?

She did place a garland on Him. Even without an actual garland, she garlanded

Him.

 

asitekshaNA – She looked at Him with great love and garlanded Him with her

eyes. Her eyes are like flowers.

 

If we attempt to look like that, it will not be the same like sitA’s eyes!

Only one who is endowed with very high quality symmetrical comeliness must look!

 

bhartAram asitekshaNA! vAlmiki uses the term ‘asitekshaNA’; since sItA has

lovely black eyes with beauty beyond compare, she put a garland with her own

eyes.

 

pati sammAnitA – one interpretation is given for this. rAma tells sItA –

“you are the cause of rAjyaSrI [wealth of kingdom]; I gave you a garland

already worn by Me. People would call this an apacAram [offence]; so, the person

who gave the old garland will [reverentially] touch the feet of the person who

received it. You are the goddess for the kingdom. I am sorryâ€; so saying, He

respectfully touched sItA’s feet with His hands and placed His hands in

contact with His own eyes.

 

This interpretation places women in an advantageous position. Does sAstram

allow this? The answer for this is - why ask for sAstram when it is done in a

divine husband and wife relationship. Why look into sAstram for things done

during intimate moments between husband and wife?

 

Some husbands even prostrate before their wives, thinking they are svAmi-s.

Why? She is wearing red color sari. He says that he thought she was a sanyAsi

(laughter in the audience).

 

patisammAnitA sItA bhartAram asitekshaNA |

AdvAram anuvavrAja mangaLANi abhidadhyushI ||

 

sItA came all the way up to the door and did mangaLASAsanam. Even a wife can

utter blessings for a husband. “Go safely! Your trip must be successfulâ€!

 

Will a wife say – your trip must not be successful? When a husband leaves,

can’t she say, â€Go quickly! Go in a good time! You should get a good seat

in the train, be well and come back successfully filling up your bagâ€!

 

sItA did mangaLASasanam for rAma. What did she say?

 

dIkshitam vrata saMpannaM varAjinadharaM Sucim |

kurangaSRngapANiM ca paSyantI tvAM bhajAmyaham ||

(ayodhyA.16.23)

 

She says, “You must be in dIkshai [religious vow] observing vratam

[austerity], holding deer horn in Your hand and be strictly pure; I should come

and be by Your side at that momentâ€. vAlmIki presents such a Slokam.

 

This looks like a wife telling her husband, “I have a desire. On the morning

of new moon day, You should wear pure, white silk dhoti, wear tirumaN

[vaishNavaite mark worn on the forehead] in twelve places on your body and wear

pavitram/darbha [sacred kusa grass]; I wish to see You in this form before You

do tarpaNam [libations of water offered to departed pitR-s]†(laughter in the

audience).

 

dIkshitam vrata saMpannaM varAjinadharaM Sucim |

kurangaSRngapANiM ca paSyantI tvAM bhajAmyaham ||

 

Shouldn’t a wife desire for a husband wearing a full suit, tie, a bow,

beautiful turban and a tucked in kerchief? Would a wife say that she wants to

stand with her husband, who is wearing white silk dhoti in pancakaccam [a mode

of wearing dhoti by males with tucking done in five places] fashion, wearing

twelve tirumAN-s, having darbha in his hand, sitting on a wooden seat and

looking at the priest [for repeating mantrams] on a new moon day?

 

dIkshitam vrata saMpannaM varAjinadharaM Sucim |

kurangaSRngapANiM ca paSyantI tvAM bhajAmyaham ||

 

Why did she say like that? rAma called sItA ‘devi’. She shows that she

understood why He called her ‘devi’. What is that understanding? Look at

this from a high level –

 

Women utter very good AsIrvAdams – blessings. Look at what happens in any

house! A son will prostrate and say the memorized abhivAdam – abhivAdaye

[salutation - When males do namaskaram before elders, they should mention their

vamsaparampara – name, gotra etc, that is, they have to do ‘abhivAdaye.’]

… gotra …. SrInivAsa… SarmA’ham asmi bho [“I belong to such and such a

gotram; I am named SrinivAsa Sarma or so and so, bhoâ€! (‘bho’ is a

respectful way of addressing elders) ]. A man would bless, “AyushmAn bhavaâ€

[May you live long] in a loud voice and then say, “AyushmAn bhava SrInivAsa

SarmA….†– in the end, the voice will break down.

 

The blessing is “Live a long lifeâ€. What is the point in living a long life

if there is no food?

 

Look at how a woman gives her blessings when another woman prostrates before her

– “You should live well. Your husband must live a long life. Your husband

and you must earn a good salary. Next time when you come, you must come in a

car. You must be blessed with Promotions [at work]; you should be more and more

blessed. You must be promoted to gazette [official newspaper] officer postâ€

etc etc. They will utter a lot of blessings.

 

“You are going to be blessed with coronation. Immediately, you have to do

dikvijayam [visit several places in all directions for conquest]. Then, you

have to do rAjasUya yAgam [sacrifice, performed by the ancient kings of India

who considered themselves powerful enough to be emperors]. At that time, you

should wear kRshNAjinam [black deer skin]; if your body itches, you cannot use

your hand for scratching. When you are scratching with a deer horn, I must wear

yellow colored sari and stand by You. I should be with You when you get your

coronation, do dikvijayam, do rAjasUya yAgam and finish all your rAjavamsa

activities†– one interpretation is that this is how sItA gave her

blessings.

 

Another interpretation is – “When You are going to the forest wearing

kRshNAjinam and bark cloth, I will also come with Youâ€.

 

She is replying back to rAma’s question to her, “Did you understand why I

called you ‘devi’?â€

 

dIkshitam vrata saMpannaM varAjinadharaM Sucim |

kurangaSRngapANiM ca paSyantI tvAM bhajAmyaham ||

 

She is saying, “I have understood. I am ready for the playâ€.

 

rAmAyaNam must be looked at from two angles – from ISvara svarUpam and from

manushya svarUpam.

 

dIkshitam vrata saMpannaM varAjinadharaM Sucim |

kurangaSRngapANiM ca paSyantI tvAM bhajAmyaham ||

 

sa sarvAn arthino dRshTvA sametya pratinandya ca |

(ayodhyA.16.27)

 

A lot of folks have come to get His darSanam.

 

I have to give the meaning for this. I will tell you tomorrow.

gOshTIpuram svAmi will describe this in detail.

 

sa sarvAn arthino dRshTvA sametya pratinandya ca |

 

rAma leaves in the wonderful chariot and passed through the royal streets of

ayodhyA. Everyone comes running to see rAma in His ‘paTTAbhishEka

tirukkOlam’. They stand amazed. vAlmIki presents Slokam here saying those

who do not get to see rAma thus have to feel bad about themselves.

 

yaSca rAmam na paSyettu yam ca rAmo na paSyati |

ninditaH sa bhavet loke svAtma’pyenam vigarhate ||

(ayodhyA.17.14)

 

The world will speak ill of those who did not see rAma or whom rAma did not see.

Let alone the world. He himself will feel ashamed and guilty about himself and

chide his own self.

 

His mind will lament - What a great sinner I am? Why didn’t I have a darSanam

of rAma? Why didn’t rAma look at me? Why was I born? Was I born only to

give pain to my mother’s womb? I was not blessed enough to see Him. Why

should I live? I should die.

 

It is not enough if I look at rAma with my eyes. He should also bless me with

His glance. It is not enough if one of the two happens. That is what any man

would think. darSanam of rAma is so elegant.

 

“kaRpUrappaDic cEvaiyai sEvikkAdavA kaNNilE kaRpUrattai kaTTa amaiyumâ€

[those who did not get a darSnam of kaRpUra/ca mphor sEvai, must have kaRpUram

placed on their eyes].

 

There is a festival called kalpUra paDiyEttam. PerumAL/ranganAthan/azhagiya

maNavALan/perumAL sung by ten azhvArs//mazhisai vanda cOdiyODu pEsa vanda

perumAL/perumAL who was worshipped by rAma/perumAL who gave protection to

vibhIshaNa, is going back to His sanctum stepping on the stone steps; at that

time, araiyar [singer of divya prabandham in the temple] will beat on a tALam

[cymbal for beating time in music] and removing the stock and stem parts of the

javandi flower (mums), will place all the flowers alone in a silver basket and

grind edible camphor into powder and mix it with the flower petals and place

them in a wet cloth; this sevA when perumAL goes over the steps – this

festival is the kalpUrap paDiyEtta sEvai. If a man in SrIra’ngam does not see

this sight, people would say, “Tie some camphor over his eyesâ€.

 

yaSca rAmam na paSyettu yam ca rAmo na paSyati |

ninditaH sa bhavet loke svAtma’pyenam vigarhate ||

 

vyAkhyAnam says so. A person who does not get to see the paDiyEtta sEvai, must

not live in SrIra’ngam. Will there be anybody like that? Yes, there may be

some.

 

If you go to attend vaikuNTha ekAdasi in SrIra’ngam, you will know. If you

ask a person why he is not going to worship perumAL, he will ask what the

special occasion is. If you say that it is vaikuNTha ekAdasi, he will say,

“Oh, that is why I saw the police; I thought that must be the special

occasionâ€.

 

There are some people who learn it is vaikuNTha ekAdasi by looking at the

police. For some people in SrIra’ngam, police equates to perumAL’s utsavam.

 

yaSca rAmam na paSyettu yam ca rAmo na paSyati |

ninditaH sa bhavet loke svAtma’pyenam vigarhate ||

 

Like that, one should see rAma in His paTTAbhisheka form for sure. rAma should

also see this person. if that doesn’t happen, the person will think – what

is this AtmA for.

 

PerumAL goes to cakravarti’s palace. We will see how He prostrates before His

father and other events tomorrow.

 

svasti prajAbhyaH paripAlayantAm

nyAyyena mArgeNa mahIm mahISAH |

gobrAhmaNebhyaH Subham astu nityam

lokAH samastAH sukhino bhavantu ||

 

mangaLam kosalendrAya mahanIya guNAbdhaye |

cakravarti tanUjAya sArvabhaumAya mangaLam ||

mangaLASAsanaparaiH madAcArya purogamaiH |

sarvaiH ca pUrvaiH AcAryaiH satkRtAyA’stu mangaLam ||

(15th august 1972)

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

of SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA)

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To be continued …..