seethaa raama kalyaaNam 6

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Post 6

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

On the comments of Sriman Venkat Kanumalla and the fast response by our respected Sreeman Sadagopan swamy, I have the following to offer for your consideration.

 

Sree naaradha maharshi - while replying to vaalmeeki's question of 'Evam vidham naram' in the very first sargam of baala kaaNdam - has the following to say on seethaa.

 

 

Slokams 26b, 27, 28a:

seethaa = Seethaa

naareeNaam + uththamaa = among ladies, the best

sarva + lakshaNa + sampannaa = all, qualities, possessor of [befitting to an ideal lady]

 

janakasya + kulE + jaathaa = Janaka's, family, born in

nirmithaa + dhEva + maayaa + iva = fashioned, by divine, marvel, as though;

vadhoo = daughter-in-law [of Dha

saratha];

raamasya + dhayithaa + bhaaryaa = Raama's, loving, wife;

praaNa + samaa = life, like, [alter ego];

nithyam + hithaa= ever, amiable;

 

api + anugathaa + raamam = even, followed, Raama;

yathaa + rohiNee +

sasinam = as with, Lady Rohini, with Moon.

 

 

Summary: Seethaa, the best among ladies, a possessor of all best qualities [befitting to an ideal lady,] as though fashioned by a Divine marvel she is born in Janaka's family and became Dha

saratha's daughter-in-law, and she is the loving wife of Raama, and his an ever-amiable alter ego, even she followed Raama [to forests,] as with Lady Rohini following the Moon.

 

 

Comment in Valmiki ramayan website on the above slokam:

 

Quote--

Here dhEva maayaa refers to many concepts. Vaishnavaite tenets tell that the word dhEva is ascribable only to Vishnu, but not to other gods.

a.

Thus, this is Vishnu maayaa, when He assumed an extraordinary female form called Mohini, when distributing amritham, the divine elixir, to gods and demons.

 

b.

Next is the form of Thiloththama, a divine beauty to hoodwink demons called Sundha and Upasundha.

c.

The other is Vishnu's leelaa sakthi, which is divinely fascinating.

 

Yet another is grammatical connotation, maa + yaa where,

maa = Goddess Lakshmi;

yaa = who that is;

 

meaning

yaa seethaa saa maa = 'who is Goddess Lakshmi... She is Seethaa...'

 

and this results in the saying:

athi roopavathee seethaa, athi moorkhaH cha raavaNa

'While Seethaa is an extraordinarily beauty, RaavaNa is an eccentrically stupid.

 

The deities have their wives always with them. Chandhra, the Moon has Rohini, a conspicuous star, while Surya, Sun has Prabha, Sunshine. Minus these wives, their glow and glitter is void. So also, Raama has an inseparable wife. Though Seethaa and Lakshmana were not exiled, they followed Raama out of concept of 'togetherness' ---

 

 

unquote

 

On this slokam of vaalmeeki – in particular on this dhEva maayayaa iva nirmitha –

 

 

the thilakam

commentator says – sEvaa chinthya udhaya sthhithi layaa | dhEvaih Eva sva kaarya sidhDhi kaankshibhih nirmitha aavirbhaavithaa | dhEvEna bhagavatha avirbhaavitha sva maayaa Eva | bhagavathah anaadhi anthaa sarva kaarya sahaaya bhoothaa sahaja sakthih Eva maayaah | yath thu thilOththamaa aadhivath dhEva maaya iva sthithaa ithi |

 

 

 

the siromani

commentator says – dhEva maayaa sabdha arthah thu dhEvaanaam maa aayur bala aadhi sampaththih thaam yaathi amrutha dhaanadhvaaraa praapayathi anthar bhaavatha nija arthah yaathih | kincha nirgatham mithamiyaththaa yasyaah saa dhEvasya paramaathmanah maayaa krupaa iva aparimitha paramaathma dhayaaLuthaa Eva thathah nischithya praadhurbhootha iva ithi arthah |

 

 

 

the bhooshana

commentator sree govindaraja says – dhEva maayaa iva nirmithaa amrutha mathhana antharam asura mOhana arthham nirmithaa vishNu maayaa iva sthhithaa | maayayaa mOhayithvaa thaan vishNuh sthree roopam aasthhithah ithi ukthEh | yadhvaa | nirmitha aakrutha moorthih dhEva maayaa vishnOh aascharya sakthi iva sthhithaa | anEna soundharya paraa kaashta ukthaa | athhavaa nirmithaa krutha avathaaraa dhEva maayaa dhEvasya vishNOh lakshmeeh | vakshyathi uththara kaaNdE 'ruthE maayaam visaalaaksheem thava poorva parigrahaam' ithi |

 

Since the meanings of above 3 sanskrit portions are summarized in the website comment quoted I am not giving meanings again separately.

 

To respond on the question of my dear friend Sriman Vinjamoori maha vishNu, the krithi seethaa kalyaaNa vaibhOgamE is by thyaagaraaja in raagam sankarabharaNam in kaNda chapu thaaLam. Sriman Sarathy swamy may have referred to another krithi by sri Bhattar, which he has to give the lyrics. That is why I requested sri sarathy swamy as in post 3.

 

Let us continue in next post

Dhasan

Vasudevan m.g.

 

PS: some of the readers may pose a question, 'you started the topic seethaa raama kalyaaNam but you are meandering on something else'. To them I have to say, sirs, the main theme is known to all, only finer points and that too with reference to that grand krithi is the one to take up. And these finer points are being attempted like the one above.

-- Vasudevan MG