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

kalyANi kRshNamAcAri

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            SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan’s SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam

 

lakshmaNa is a mahA yaSasvI.  When vAmIki uses the phrase 'yaSasvI', he will do

that only when one is doing SaraNAgati.  Only for that specific occasion, he

will use honorable terms like 'mahAprAg~naH' and 'mahAmEdAvI'. 

 

There is a 150-story building.  The owner is a very rich person.  vAlmIki will

not call him 'yaSasvI'.  He will call a person ' yaSasvI' only if he does

prapatti.  He will use adjectives like 'mahAprAg~naH', 'mahAmEdAvI' etc. for

such prapanna-s.  Even if a person has extraordinary wealth, he will not use

the term 'mahAprAg~naH'.

 

The name 'mahAprAg~naH' is meant only for those who have 'realized the greatest

dharma of surrendering to emperumAn'.

 

lakshmaNa looked and prostrated before rAma and sItA.

 

sa bhrAtuH caraNau gADhaM nipIDya raghunandanaH |

sItAm uvAca atiyaSA rAghavaM ca mahAvratam ||

                                                     

             (ayodhyA.31.2)

rAman has a mahAvratam of protecting those who have done SaraNAgati (sItA is

also along His side).

 

na devalokAkramaNaM nA'maratvam ahaM vRNE!  |

aiSvaryaM vA'pi lokAnAM kAmayE na tvayA vinA ||

                                                     

            (ayodhyA.31.5)

lakshmaNa says -

“ I do not have a desire for devalokam.  I do not crave for any post as a

deva.  I do not covet wealth.  I do not wish for the riches from the fourteen

worlds.  I will not enjoy anything without You.â€

 

uL nATTut tesanRE Uzhvinaiyai a'njumE

viNNATTai onRAga meccumE – ennATTil

yArAgi evvizhi viRRAnAlum Azhiya'ngaip

pErAyaRku ALAm piRappu.   (periya tiruvantAdi - 79)

 

What is lakshmaNa's earnest entreat?  Only dAsa kaiMkaryam to bhagavAn -

 

uL nATTut tesanRE Uzhvinaiyai a'njumE

viNNATTai onRAga meccumE

 

His mind is not set  for anything else.  What does he aspire for?

 

emakku yAm viNNATTukku uccamadAm vITTai

amaittirundOm aHdanRE AmARu amaippolinda

mentOLi kAraNamA veNkOTTE REzhuDanE

konRAnaiyE manattuk koNDu.  (periya tiruvantAdi-48)

 

He does not fancy a tall story building reaching to the heights of the

svargalokam.  He is aiming for bhagavad kaiMkaryam.  So,

 

kAr kalanda mEniyAn kaikalanda AzhiyAn

pArkalanda valvayiRRAn pAmpaNaiyAn – sIr kalanda

sol ninaindu pOkkArEl sUzhvinaiyin Azhtuyarai

en ninaindu pOkkuvar ippOdu.  ((periya tiruvantAdi-86)

 

“So, You should take aDiyEn with You, svAmi; I will do kaiMkaryam.

 

bhavAmstu saha vaidehyA giri sAnushU ramsyate ||

ahaM sarvaM karishyAmi jAgrataH svapataH ca te |â€

                               (ayodhyA.31.27,28)

 

tanakkEyAga enaikkoLLum IdE enakkE kaNNanai yAn kOL cirappE            

 (tiruvAimozhi.2.9.4)

 

lakshmaNa pleads - “I yearn for kaiMkaryam.  I will also accompany Youâ€.

 

rAma says, “What is this, lakshmaNa!  You are saying like this?â€

 

kurushva mAm anucaraM vaidharmyaM neha vidyate |

                                 (ayodhyA.31.24)

lakshmaNa - “What is wrong with what I am asking?  I am only beseeching You

to take me as a dAsa – servant.  Am I a svAmi?  One who is the lord must not

come to do kaiMkaryam.  You are the only svAmi.  I am nothing but a servant. 

We have listened to the teachings on praNavam, do You remember or not?  It is

the akAra, ukAra, makAram-s; this jIvan is a servant of bhagavAn.  vaidharmyaM

neha vidyate !

 

There is no vaidharmyaM, elder brother!  Please let me come with You.

 

There is no viruddha dharmam  [contradiction to dharma/virtue] here.  Where is

the violation to dharmam when all I want is to serve You?â€

 

rAma - “No, it is not like that, brother!  You should not comeâ€.

 

lakshmaNa - “Why are you refusing?â€

 

rAma  - “There will be a lot of Rshi-s in the forestâ€.

 

lakshmaNa - “What if there are Rshi-s?  Are You not my AcAryan?

 

vaidharmyaM neha vidyate! 

 

You are a personification of purity.  Do not think I am the opposite and am

impure.

 

I also know AcAram [proper conduct and practice].  Haven't You seen how I keep

cow dung in my hand and clean myself?  I clean like the kAncIpuram toNDai

maNDala vaidIka brAhmaNa-s do.  Not like those in tanjAvUr district.  Like the

toNDai maNdala brAhmaNa-s, I clean myself, by cleaning with cow dung in the

lower leg parts, elbows, hands, feet etc;  I clean the place where I eat before

the leaf (plate) is placed, then clean the leaf; then only the food must be

placed on the leaf  (laughter in the audience).  I am such a clean person, do

You see?  Do not think I am unaware of AcAram.

 

vaidharmyaM neha vidyate !

 

vaidharmyaM – no adverse-dharmam hereâ€.

 

rAma  - “There will be a lot of Rshi-s in the forest; you may have to cook

for them too!â€.

 

lakshmaNa - “Do You think I cannot cook? vaidharmyaM neha vidyate! 

 

I know how to cook in accordance with vAnprasta dharmam [for living in the

forest] for You and the Rshi-s, svAmi!â€

 

rAma - “Not that, lakshmaNa!  rAkshasa-s etc may come; they have to fought

withâ€.

 

lakshmaNa - “Are You thinking I am ignorant of  using the astrams [weapons]?

I will make You sit down saying, 'You keep talking with sItA; I will kill the

rAkshasa-s and lions'.   vaidharmyaM neha vidyate !â€

 

rAma - “lakshmaNa!  You know how to cook. You know how to use the weapons. 

I know it all.  When I eat, I have to close My eyes and eat;  I am scared of

people who present food to Me.  I cannot even bear their faces; I eat with my

eyes closed.â€

 

How were the food servers in the palace of ayodhyA?

 

In the palace,

 

yasya tvAvAhAra samaye sudhAH kuNDala dhAriNaH |

 

When the servers serve food to rAma in the palace, they will be wearing diamond

ear studs; their dhoti-s will be pure white like the foam of kshIrAbdhi [ocean

of milk]. Will they wear dark garments?  The servers will look very charming

like manmatha; just looking at the server will be enticing enough to eat more. 

 

rAma -  “When there are servers like that, you are saying you will come to

serve Me!â€

 

lakshmaNa - “Are you saying I am not handsome?  vaidharmyaM neha vidyate ! I

am far more charming than You are.  Ask a lady how my beauty is.  Ask

SUrpaNaka; she is going to testify to that in AraNya kANDam.â€

 

taruNau rUpa sampannau sukumArau mahAbalau |

puNDarIka viSAlAkshau cIrakRSNAjinAmbarau ||

phalamUlASanau dAntau tApasau dharmacAriNau |

                             (AraNya.19.14,15)

taruNau – this is not singular, it is dual case.

 

rAma tells SUrpaNaka - “lady!  I am in vAnaprastha ASramam.  I have a wife.

 

SrImAn akRta dAraH ca (AraNya.18.3) – I have my brother here; his wife is not

with him.  Go to him.â€Â  She looks at lakshmaNa and says, 'cinna ayyiru'

[AcAryar's  humorous term for younger brother here!] is also okay;  his beauty

is not any lesser [than Yours]â€.

 

vaidharmyaM neha vidyate !

 

lakshmaNa continues – “svAmi, there is no reason why You should refuse me! 

There is nothing to reject per SAstram also.  There should be no objection from

worldly, common, general custom point of view also.â€

 

rAma - “No that lakshmaNa!  Do you know how to give argyam [offer water],

pAdyam [water to cleanse the feet] etc?  Do you know everything?â€

 

lakshmaNa - “vaidharmyaM neha vidyate !

 

Yes!  Your AcAryar is also my AcAryar.  I learned from vaSishThar also.  You

also learned.  So, I know, svAmi.  I know all that AcAram.  So, if Rshi-s

come, I know how to offer argyam, pAdyam etc; I know how to offer water for

cleaning their feet.â€

 

rAma - “If the Rshi-s invite us to eat, do you know how to behave?â€

 

lakshmaNa - “I know very well, svAmi!  I will not keep the water jug in the

left hand, get water from somewhere else with my right hand and clean my feet. 

Do You know that?  vaidharmyaM neha vidyate !â€

 

In the front portions of houses, there will be a tank or container having water

for cleaning the feet. If the AcAra 'sombu'  [called maDi sombu in tamizh; a

small vessel with pure water  carried everywhere an AcAra person goes] is in

one hand and one takes the water with a vessel from the container [in front of

the house] and cleans his feet, the vessel in the container and the vessel in

the hand are considered equal in AcAram. Do you know this secret AcAram?  So,

what vaidika AcAram dictates is this – the AcAra vessel must be kept in one

clean place; then one should clean the feet and then hands [using the vessel in

the container in the front of the house] and then only, one should touch the

AcAra vessel. It is not that vaidika-s are one clan and this AcAram is meant for

them.  This is a rule to maintain general hygiene; that is the AcAram.  The

diseases that loukika-s [involved in everyday worldly activities] do not befall

vaidika-s.  The

vaidika-s

will get only lesser amount of illnesses.  They will not become sick if they

do not clean themselves.

 

lakshmaNa -

 

“ na devalokAkramaNaM nAmaratvam ahaM vRNE!

kurushva mAm anucaraM vaidharmyaM neha vidyate |

bhavAmstu saha vaidehyA giri sAnushU ramsyate ||

ahaM sarvaM karishyAmi jAgrataH svapataH ca te |

                         (ayodhyA.31.5,23,27,28)

SrImate nArAyaNAya namaH |â€

 

rAma - “Okay, come with Meâ€.

 

lakshmaNa felt, “Oh, good, I got saved.  Wherever SaraNAgati is done, it

bears fruit for sure.  I surrendered to sItA; that purushakAra prapatti

[surrendering to tAyAr who recommends the devotee to perumAL].  My 'manni' 

[sister-in-law] recommended me.  So, perumAL said okay.  I am redeemed now.â€

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To be continued …..