AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. May 09 Part 2)

[Guest guest]

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. May 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

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

SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan’s SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam

 

(After chanting dhyAna Slokams, AcAryar continued with the upanyAsam on 16th

August 1972)

 

tottu alar pUn curikuzhal kaikEsi sollAl

tol nagaram tuRandu tuRai gangai tannai

bhakti yuDai guhan kaDatta vanam pOip pukku

bharatanukku pAdukamum arasum Indu

citra kUDattu irundAn tannai inRu

tillai nagar tiruccitra kUDam tannuL

ettanaiyum kaN kuLirak kANap peRRa

iru nilattArkku imaiyavar nEr ovvArtAmE

(perumAL tirumozhi.10.4)

 

yaSca rAmam na paSyettu yam ca rAmo na paSyati |

ninditaH sa bhavet loke svAtma’pyenam vigarhate ||

(ayodhyA.17.14)

yaSca rAmam na paSyettu yam ca rAmo na paSyati |

 

vAlmIki says - for those who do not get a glance of rAma, who is in coronation

dress and who is leaving along with sumantra for kaikeyi’s palace at the

invitation of sumantra, what is the use of their AtmA-s?

 

The world will ridicule the man who did not get to see such a graceful rAma or

the man on whom rAma’s glance did not fall.

 

yaSca rAmam na paSyettu yam ca rAmo na paSyati |

 

ninditaH sa bhavet loke … You did not get to see rAma? What kind of a man are

you? Everyone in the world will abuse the man thus.

 

What if the folks in the world ridicule him? Are they praising everybody else?

Different people will say different things. What is that to him? Let alone the

others abusing him. His own AtmA will chide him and he will detest himself.

 

When he is lying down at night, his own soul will hate him if he did not get

rAma’s darSanam. Very interesting meaning given for ‘priyadarSanaH’ ! (In

the very beginning, vAlmIki asked nArada – kon’vasmin … kaH caika

priyadarSanaH [ayodhyA.1.3] – priyadarSanaH is one of the sixteen qualities

that he asked about).

 

Since daSaratha is said to be in kaikeyi’s palace, rAma goes there.

 

sa pituH caraNau pUrvam abhivAdya vinItavat |

tato vavande caraNau kaikeyyAH susamAhitaH ||

(ayodhyA.18.2)

 

Father daSaratha is sitting down. rAma falls at His father’s feet with great

reverence and does abhivAdanam [reverential salutation]. He prostrates before

him. tato vavande caraNau kaikeyyAH susamAhitaH || - He prostrates before

kaikeyi also. vAlmIki uses the term ‘vinItavat’ when He pays respect to His

father. Here, for kaikeyi, he uses the term ‘susamAhitA’. When rAma offers

His obeisance to kaikeyi, He closes His mouth and does that with great modesty

and respect, making sure His pancakacca dhoti is not flowing around when He is

prostrating. kaikeyyAH susamAhitaH, samAhitaH, sudarAm samAhitaH – vAlmIki

uses the ‘su’ Sabdam.

 

rAma goes and pays His special respect to kaikeyi.

 

rAmetyuvAca vacanam bAshpa paryAkulekshaNaH |

SaSAka nRpatiH dhInaH nekshitum nAbhi bhAshitum ||

(ayodhyA.18.3)

 

rAma prostrates and recites abhivAdanam; daSaratha normally would have blessed

Him “AyushmAn bhava rAmaâ€. He would have said that, called Him, placed Him

on his lap, kissed Him on His head and simply enjoyed looking at Him.

kulasEkhara AzhvAr also says, “muzhusAdE mOvAducci kaimmAvin naDaiyanna

mennaDaiyum (perumAL tirumozhi-9.6)

 

ammAvenRu ugandazhaikkum Arvac col kELAdE

aNisEr mArvam

en mArvattiDai azhundat tazhuvAdE muzhuSAdE

mOvAdu ucci

kaimmAvin naDaiyanna mennaDaiyum kamalam pOl

mugamum kANAdu

 

daSaratha will cry when rAma cries.

 

Now, he calls, “rAmaâ€.

 

rAmetyuktvA – He calls “rAmaâ€. He is not able to voice any other word.

bhAshpa paryAkulekshaNaH – a copious downpour of tears are flowing from his

eyes. He remains silent after that.

 

na SaSAka – he is unable to even take a look at rAma and articulate anymore.

 

SaSAka nRpatiH dInaH nekshitum nAbhi bhAshitum ||

(ayodhyA.18.4)

kaikeyIm abhivAdyaiva rAmo vacanam abravIt ||

(ayodhyA.18.10)

 

What does perumAL do? He prostrates before kaikeyi once again.

 

“Mother! Father is calling, “rAmaâ€. He is shedding veritable flood of

tears. He is speechless; what is the reason? Is he worried in his mind about

Me�

 

aprasanna manAH kinnu sadA mAm prati vatsalaH |

SArIro mAnaso vA’pi kaccit enam na bAdhate ||

(ayodhyA.18.12,13)

 

“He loves me so much! Whenever I come, he would welcome Me and shower Me with

great love! He did not utter a word to Me today. Is he sick? There are two

kinds of sicknesses. SArIro, mAnaso vA’pi – is it physical sickness? Or, it

is mental? kaccit enam na bAdhate - What is this, mother? I do not know why.

It has been twenty-four years now. I have never seen father in this plightâ€.

 

samA dvAdaSa tatrA’ham rAghavasya niveSane |

(sundara.33.17)

 

sItA says that she lived with rAma in the palace for twelve years after the

marriage. There were twelve years before that. So, the total is twenty-four.

 

“I have not seen him like this. Is he afflicted by some bodily illness? Or,

mAnaso vApi – is he mentally perturbed?

 

santApo vA’bhitApo vA durlabham hi sadA sukham |

(ayodhyA.18.13)

Or, is he having some other problem?â€

 

santApo vA’bhitApo vA – What is the meaning for these two?

 

santApaH = samyak tApaH – any apprehension on all four sides? Or, is it any

specific anxiety?

 

kaccinna ki’ncit bharate kumAre priyadarSane |

Satrughne vA mahA satve mAtRNam vA mamASubham ||

(ayodhyA.18.14)

 

It has been a while since bharata and Satrughna left. Was there any tiding

about them? Father looks so downhearted and dejected now!â€

 

vAlmIki uses a catchy phrase here!

 

kaccinna ki’ncit bharate kumAre priyadarSane |

 

bharata is very dear to him. For Satrughna, vAlmIki uses the term – Satrughne

vA mahA satve – he gets ‘mahA satvam’. What is the meaning of mahA

satvam? Very strong. What kind of strength is that? He has strong indriya-s

[senses]; that is how he is strong.

 

“mAtRNam vA mamASubham - Did he receive any bad news? Is anyone sick? Or

did he get something else? What is the cause of his gloominess?

 

yato mUlam naraH paSyet prAdubhAvam ihAtmanaH |

katham tasmin na varteta pratyakshe sati daivate ||

(ayodhyA.18.16)

 

This is very distressing for Me. When my father is suffering like this, I do

not like My own life. He gave life to My Atma; He was the cause of My birth;

when he is in so much agony, it is not fair that I am like this. Worldly saying

goes – Father is God in person pratyakshe sati daivate. Only ‘father’ is

God who can be visibly seen. All the other Gods in temples are not visible [to

mortal eyes], as per SAstram.

 

ShADguNya vigrahe sadA sannidatte ApirUpyAcca bimbasya, mantra vIryasya

mAhAtmyAt stApakasya guroH tava – these Gods in the temples can be known

through these Slokams and by SAstram; but, a father figure is presently

perceptible, expressly explicit. pratyakshe sati daivate – father is the

authentic, manifestation and a personification of God, mother!

 

kaccitte parusham kincit abhimAnAt pitA mama |

ukto bhavatyA kopena yenAsya lulitam manaH ||

(ayodhyA.18.17)

kaccitte parusham kincit – did you talk back to father?â€

 

Normally, she would not. Only when affection intervenes, she will talk angrily.

Nothing else. She is chiding only because of love, right? It is said that close

relatives/friends will talk to one in such a truthful, helpful way about his/her

faults that will make him/her weep while strangers will talk to him/her about

the same matter with smirky, sarcastic laughter with an intent to harm, not

help.

 

kaccitte parusham kincit abhimAnAt pitA mama |

 

In my pUrvASramam [before AcAryan attained sanyAsam], four of us went to see a

rich person to ask for donation for a temple function. He had not even called

us for a marriage in their house. Even then, we went to collect donation for

teppa [temple float] utsavam. We went and sat in the front entrance hall. We

went to inform him that the utsavam was coming and request him to donate

something for kaimkaryam. At that time, his wife was angrily chiding him inside

the house. We were listening to that; we could not come outside or sit inside.

If we came out, he would think that we are leaving being aware of this incident.

But, it was hard to sit there also. We were able to hear the talk; we just sat

quite. That wife kept reprehending him and then went inside. After she left,

he came and told us that it was his wife and she was scolding him only out of

affection.

 

Will abhimAnam [affectionate influence] lead to anger? We do not know. That is

what this Slokam is saying.

 

“ kaccitte parusham kincit abhimAnAt pitA mama |

 

ukto bhavatyA kopena – Did you talk to him out of affection and anger?

yenAsya lulitam manaH – He appears mentally agitated now.

 

Did I do anything wrong without My knowledge? Did I commit any offense because

of my ignorance? He did not talk to me when he saw Me. He is not even looking

at Me. Profuse tears are flowing down from his eyes. He does not look

comfortable. Mother, you would have known. If you know, tell Me.â€

 

kaikeyi responds – “na rAjA kupito rAma (ayodhyA.18.20)! Why would the king

be angry? I did not tell him anything. vyasanam nAsti kincana – there is no

other sadness. It is neither related to the body nor the mind. He did not hear

any bad news about bharata or Satrughna. You did not commit any mistake also.

Then, why is he like this? ki’ncit manogatam tasya tvat bhayAt nAbhibhAshate

– He is keeping something in his mind. He needs to tell you that. He is not

letting you know because he is afraid. He does not know how to tell you.

Nothing else.â€

 

rAma – “Why, what if he tells me?â€

 

kaikeyi – “priyam tvAm apriyam vaktum vANI nAsya pravartate |

(ayodhyA.18.21); He has to convey a sorrowful news to You, whom he loves very

much. It is an unkindly word. He is disturbed about how to break that to you.

That is why. Nothing else. No other sickness. He has no sicknessâ€.

 

rAma -

 

“aho dingnArhase devi! vaktum mAm IdRSam vacaH |

aham hi vacanAn rAj~naH pateyam api pAvake ||

(ayodhyA.18.21)

What is this mother?! Why are you saying like this! You say he is afraid of

Me. You are hinting it is an unkindly word. You should not think of Me thus.

aho dingnArhase devi! vaktum mAm IdRSam vacaH – you should not talk like

this.

 

aham hi vacanAn rAj~naH pateyam api pAvake ||

 

If the king orders Me to fall into fire, I will do that immediately. Is there a

harsher word than this? What is the implication of falling into fire? Is that

a pleasant experience? When the situation is like that, I am ready to fall into

fire if he orders Me toâ€.

 

A lot of people in our ASramam are like that. They will say they are ready to

fall into fire if asked to. But, if I ask them to do something, they will say

they will do anything but that (laughter in the audience; AcAryar also has a

slight laugh! ) They will request me not to ask for that; they will agree to do

anything else. rAma is not saying like that. He is saying the truth. What

uncle, isn’t that right? [AcAryar is probably referring to someone in the

audience]

 

aham hi vacanAn rAj~naH pateyam api pAvake ||

 

This is not talking about uncle (laughter in the audience).

 

“aham hi vacanAn rAj~naH pateyam api pAvake ||

bhakshayeyam visham tIkshNam majjeyam api cArNave ||

(ayodhyA.18.28)

If he gives me poison, I will consume that. If he orders me to fall into the

ocean, I will do that - majjeyam api cArNave.

 

karishye pratijAne ca rAmo dvirnAbhibhAshate - I promiseâ€.

===========

To be continued …..