AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. July 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. July 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)

 

A short note on the letter scheme used for samskRtam and tamizh words in these

postings:

 

Grammar dictates that all proper names should begin with capital letters. Both

saMskRtam and tamizh have small [mellinam in tamizh] ‘ra’ and capital

[vallinam in tamizh] ‘Ra’, this distinction will be made wherever

appropriate. Because of the necessity to show this distinction [rAma begins

with small letter ‘r’, not ‘R’ for RAma], all proper names will begin

with small letters to avoid confusion, sometimes justifiably. Same logic applied

for ‘na’ and ‘Na’ (nArayANa instead of NarAyaNa).

 

saMskRtam –

- has only elongated ‘e’ [neDil in tamizh]; no separate short ‘e’

[kuRil in tamizh]. kaikEyi will be written as ‘kaikeyi’;

only elongated ‘o’ [neDil]; no separate short ‘o’ [kuRil]. Hence,

capital ‘O’ will not be used for saMskRtam words [‘rAmo na paSyati’].

 

tamizh –

- has both short ‘e’ (‘ettanai’) and elongated ‘E’

(‘kaikEyi’);

- has short 'o' (‘tol’) and elongated 'O’ (‘pOip pukku’).

 

Use of letters – ‘A†and ‘a’, ‘D’ and ‘d’, ‘T’ and

‘t’, ‘U’ and ‘u’, ‘S’ and ‘s’, ‘I’ and ‘i’, ‘L’

and ‘l’, ‘M’ and ‘m’, ‘H’ and ‘h’ - is self-explanatory.

 

The theme used for letters in these postings makes it easier to transliterate

into International saMskRtam notations (using softwares for both saMskRtam and

tamizh) when they are published in book format.

 

(Please set your encoding to Unicode UTF-8).

 

SrImad ANDavan tiruvaDigaLE SaraNam,

kalyANi kRshNamAcAri

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

SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan’s SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam

 

tArai says -

 

“ tvam aprameyaH ca durAsadaH ca

jitendriyaH ca uttama dhArmikaH ca |

akshayya kIrtiH ca vicakshaNaH ca

kshiti khsamAvAn kshatajopamAkshaH ||†(kishkindA.24.32)

 

tArA has come. vAli is dead. She is crying. rAma is standing in front of her.

He is standing there in full form.

 

The female monkey says, “What is this? I have not seen an 'ayyiru'

[AcAryar's humorous slang word used to denote a 'brahmin'] like this!â€

 

“If someone sees a lady somewhere, he will look at her intensely. You are

'jitendriyaH' [one who has won over the senses]. Men normally look at women

who are fair-skinned. What are You doing? I have come from the harem. Women

who go to the harem are all well dressed and decorated. I am coming straight

from the Sayana gRham (sleeping place) with all my decorations. You have not

even glanced at me with Your eyes. jitendriayaH caâ€.

 

The female monkey does not think how her countenance will be. All she thinks is

she is beautiful (SrImad ANDavan laughs). She does not think she has a monkey's

face. She is a woman. So she says that she is coming from the royal bed room

and that He is not even looking at her. “ jitendriyaH ca uttama dhArmikaH ca

akshayya kIrtiH ca vicakshaNaH ca kshiti khsamAvAn kshadajopamAkshaHâ€.

 

Thus, vAlmiki uses appropriate characters to talk about rAma's virtues.

 

sItai also called Him jitendriyan. People in the world will not accept if a

wife calls her husband 'jitendriyan'. The wife accepted rAma as jitendriyan.

Another woman, tArai also agreed that He is jitendriyan.

 

PerumAL's virtue is talked about only by those who are trustworthy.

 

PerumAL has a trait called 'ripUNAm api vatsalaH' (ayodhyA.21.7) – lakshmaNa

says that He will be kind to His foes also.

 

Like this, this term is used in another instance also; garuDan speaks of rAma

thus.

 

Where does he say this? In yuddha kANDam, both rAma and lakshmaNa are lying

down unconscious, hit by indrajit's nAga pASam with snakes covering their hands

and legs. They are both breathless. jAmbhavAn tries to get out of his shock.

When vibhIshaNan says, “I surrendered to Him thinking this rAma was clever;

what to do now? He is goneâ€, jAmbhavAn tries to console him. There was a

sudden wind, a hurricane like wind. garuDa, with his golden complexion, comes

there flying.

 

yadhAdhAram idaM sarvaM tadAdhArAya te namaH |

pakshIndra pakhavikshepa tarankacala saMvRta

pakshou yasya bRhatsAma ratantram atApi vA |

akshiNI cApi gAyatram ….

 

When garuDa comes there, all the snakes run away and the two princes wake up.

garuDa lays his hands over both of them and all the wounds heal.

 

rAma asks garuDa, 'You came at the most opportune time. 'munnai aRindilai,

pinnai aRindilai' (kamban.yuddha.nAgapAsap paTalam – must be referring to

verse beginning with 'kaNDilai munbu sollak kETTilai; thanks to SriI M.G.

VAsudevan svAmi for pointing to this possible reference) – I did not know you

before and I am not going to know you later. You came and saved Me. Who are

you?â€

 

garuDa replies, “Do not think light of these rAkshasa-s. Don't you know who I

am?

 

ahaM sakhA te kAkutstha (yuddha.50.47)

ripUNAmapi vatsala ! (yuddha.50.57)

 

Am I not your friend? dAsaH sakhA vAhanam Asanam dhvajaH | (AlavandAr's

stotraratnam.41)

 

There is no other proof but this verse for this Slokam from ALavandAr. Am I not

your friend? I am your friend! ripUNAmapi vatsala! You are One who shows

affection even to Your foes!â€

 

lakshmaNa says 'ripUNAmapi vatsala' and garuDa also says the same.

 

Both of them have some pent up feelings for each other. lakshmaNa is really

AdiSesha and he is perumAL's bed. But, garuDa is right in front; he does not

like this situation at all, but he could not say anything. [AcAryar is

referring to the natural animosity between snakes and garuDa].

 

garuDa also feels – I am His carriage, His seat, His flag, His driver etc and

I keep running and running for Him; I carry Him in any dangerous situation.

But, He is always keeping AdiSeshan for His bed. ripUNAmapi vatsalaH |

 

paramAtmA is friendly with both garuDa and AdiSesha, who are inimical with each

other.

 

kALidAsan says in the 10th sargam (11th Slokam) of raghuvamSam:

 

mukta Sesha virodhena kuliSavraNalakshmaNA |

upasthitaM prAnjalinA vinItena garutmatA ||

 

He says - mukta Sesha virodhena.

 

PerumAL does not leave out garuDa or AdiSesha. Both of them have confirmed this

separately. Both of them call Him, “ripUNAmapi vatsalaâ€. It would not be

important if this is said by somebody else. It makes sense only when two

adversaries say this. lakshmaNa, who is AdiSesha, says, “ripUNAmapi

vatsala†here. And, garuDa says in yuddha kANDam, “ ripUNAmapi vatsalaâ€.

Look for this term anywhere else; you will not find it. If you find it, then it

is not rAmAyaNam.

 

lakshmaNa is getting angry. “ripUNAmapi vatsala – He is One who shows

affection to enemies also. He loves me also. He loves my foes too. How can

one ask Him, who loves even His foes, to go to the forest?

 

devakalpaM RjuM dAntaM ripUNAmapi vatsalam |

avekshamANaH ko dharmaM tyajet putram akAraNAt || (ayodhyA.21.7)

 

Send Him to the forest if He committed any mistake. Why do this when there are

no mistakes to be found! Did my father think about righteousness?â€

 

lakshmaNa is chiding his father thus. What is this? He is talking about his

father like this. What if he is a father? What does it matter whoever it is?

 

“gurorapyavaliptasya kAryAkAryam ajAnataH |

utpathaM pratipannasya kAryaM bhavati SAsanam ||(ayodhyA.21.14)

 

 

vAlmIki uses the term, 'guroH'. Let it be AcAryan, let it be father. If a

mistake is committed, he should be beaten up [AcAryan is laughing!] gurorapi

avaliptasya – led by ego, kAryAkAryam ajAnataH – not knowing what can be

done, and what cannot be done, utpathaM pratipannasya – he goes against

SAstram, kAryaM bhavati SAsanam – he should be punished; he should be beaten

up. Why am I saying all this with anger?

 

I am not saying all this, thinking, “I was with Him for so many years, 24

years, together! We ate all the good foods together. We were with each other

all the time. Now, I have to go with Him to the forest. That is going to be

difficultâ€.

 

dIptam agnim araNyaM vA yadi rAmaH pravekshyati |

pravishTaM tatra mAM devi! tvaM pUrvam avadhAraya || (ayodhyA.21.18)

 

Be it jumping into a burning fire or going to the forest, I will be up front

before rAma. I am not saying- it will be difficult for me. I am only asking

– is it fair to send rAma to the forest?â€

 

lakshmaNa is talking very fervently.

===========

To be continued …..