seethaa raama kalyaanam 20 and concluding

[Guest guest]

Post 20

 

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

We are in the marriage hall of 'seethaa raama kalyaaNam' wherein the 'paaNi grahaNam' and 'thee valam' is just over. In previous posts, we saw how the 7 paasurams of 'vaaraNam aayiram' padhikam of aaNdaaL, matchingly describe 'raama's marriage with seethaa' or aaNdaaL's 'dream thinking about her marriage' goes in lines of 'seethaa kalyaaNam'.

 

We go into next 3 paasurams of aaNdaaL together - to study the above 3 paasurams together in tune with vaalmeeki's description perhaps we don't have much in vaalmeeki – since vaalmeeki puts in half slokam – 'yathaa ukthEna and vidhi poorvakam thathaa chakruh' - as directed by vasishTa and as per customs raama and his brothers did.

 

 

 

immaikkum EzhEzh piRavikkum paRRaavaan

 

nammai uDaiyavan naaraayaNan nambi

 

semmai uDaiya thirukkaiyaal thaaL paRRi

 

ammi midhikka kanaak kaNDEn thOzhee! naan – 6-8- NT

 

 

variSilai vaaL mugaththu ennaimaar thaam vandhiTTu

 

erimugam paariththu ennai munnE niRuththi

 

ari mukhan achchuthan kai mEl en kai vaiththu

 

pori mugandhaTTa kanaak kaNDEn thOzhee! naan – 6-9 NT

 

 

kunkumam appi kuLir saandham maTTiththu

 

mangala veedhi valam seidhu maNa neer

 

angu avanODum uDan senRu angu aanai mEl

 

manjanam aaTTak kanaak kaNDEn thOzhee! naan – 6-10 NT

 

see that slokam -- 1-73-35b, 36

krthvaa = on performing;

 

pradhakshiNam = circumambulations;

 

saha + bhaaryaa = with, wives;

 

agnim = to Ritual-fire;

vEdhim = to Altar of Fire;

 

raajaanam + Eva + cha = king Janaka, also, that way;

risheen + chaiva = to sages, also thus;

 

mahaathmaanaH = great souled [bridegrooms];

raghu + udhvahaaH = Raghu, emerged from;

thathhaa + chakruH = thus, performed [the deeds of ritual];

vidhi + poorvakam = custom, consistent with;

yathaa + ukthEna = as, said [directed by Vashishta]

vivaaham = marriage [they wed]

 

meaning: On performing circumambulations along with their wives around the Ritual-fire, and around the Altar of Fire, and that way, around king Janaka, [the awarder of wives,] and around sages as well [for they conducted the marriages well,] those great-souled bridegrooms that have emerged from Raghu's dynasty, on performing the deeds of ritual consistent with custom as directed [by Vashishta, and thus they are wed.] [1-73-35b, 36]

 

 

point: But while doing preparations in the marriage hall what all vasishTa did – that slokam elaborates the details like he kept ready the laaja – pori, akshathai, paaligai etc.

 

 

21b-22-23a.

alam + chakaara = promptly, sanctified];

 

suvarNa + paalikaabhiH + cha = with golden, concave-lids, also;

[Chidra = with holes – this is G's paatam]

 

chithra + kumbhaiH + cha = with variously coloured, handy vessels, also;

sa + ankuraiH = with sprigs;

ankura + aaDhyaiH = sprigs, full of;

s

araavaiH + cha = concave earthen-lids, also;

dhoopa + paathraiH + sa + dhoopakaiH = incense, censers, with, fumes;

s

ankha + paathraiH = conch-shell like, vessels;

shruvaiH = with short-handled scoops;

 

srugbhiH =long-handled scoops;

paathraiH + arghyaadi + poojithaiH [poorithaiH] = vessels, oblatory [items,] and others, sanctified [filled with];

laaja + puurNaiH + cha = toasted rice flakes, filled with;

paathreebhiH = with vessels;

akshathaiH + api = with sacred rice, even;

 

samskrthaiH = well treated [with turmeric powder.]

 

 

meaning: Vashishta promptly sanctified

 

the golden and earthen concave-lid-like vessels, and

variously coloured handy vessels also,

 

all full with [just sprouted] sprigs [MGV adds paaligai],

and the censers with fumes of incenses,

 

conch-shell like vessels, and

short handled wooden scoops [for scooping oblatory items from vessels for putting it in long-handled scoops, and]

long-handled wooden scoops [to drop those oblatory items into Ritual-fire,] and

other vessels filled with oblatory items [like ghee, water, milk etc.,] and

the other vessels that are filled with toasted rice-flakes and

holy yellow-rice duly treated with turmeric,

[and sanctified all articles of wedding ceremony, by sprinkling that holy-yellow-rice, as a kind of dry-ablution.] [1-73-21b, 22, 23a]

 

 

Of course the commentators like govindaraja adds on this slokam 36 as

"athha laaja hOma poorvakam sva sva agni pradhakshiNaathrayam dharsayathi" – for the 4 brothers 4 agnis.

–

a doubt may come wherefrom 'sva sva agni' came?

–

for in slokam 24, only one agni was prepared by vasishTa.

 

So commentator govindaraja adds to slokam 33 which is translated in website as below.

 

Comment: Firstly Vashishta enkindled the holy fire and offered oblations in it for the wellbeing of Raama and his brothers, say the bridegrooms. Next, another round of enkindling of holy fire took place in which Rama and brothers have offered marriage time oblations. After accepting the palms of brides, they made circumambulations, and then each couple established its own ritual fire and offered oblations into it. Then each couple had oblated rice-flakes into the fire, and again performed circumambulations to that Ritual-fire, respectively.

 

With that the marriage comes to an end. So also says vaalmeeki -

 

1-73-38.

nanrithuH + cha + apsaraH + sanghaa = danced, also, apsara, promenades of;

gandharvaaH + ca + jaguH + kalam =gandharva-s, even, sang, tunefully;

vivaahE = in marriage;

raghu + mukhyaanaam = of Raghu, celebrated ones;

 

thath + adhbhutham + adhri

syatha = that, charming spectacle, envisioned.

 

Meaning: Promenades of apsaraas danced on, and even the gandharva-s sang tunefully... and because it is the marriage of celebrated bridegrooms from Raghu's dynasty, such a charming spectacle is envisioned. [1-73-38]

 

 

Point: Except by vaalmeeki and later aaNdaaL, who can describe the marriage of celebrated bridegrooms from Raghu's dynasty, 'such a charming spectacle'. That is what thyaagaraaja says in the krithi 'inthanuchu varNimpa tharamaa' in raagam guNdakriyaa

 

–

for raaghavan – raghu vamsa raaman - did all wedding kriyaas in the guNdam – under guidance of guru vasishTa – so raagam guNdakriyaa – the base on which krithi is lyrically built.

 

–

In post 3, on this GuNda – I said 'scirpus kysoor' – a kind of reed [page 358] by referring to Monier Williams. Reed means stalk or grass or straw or stem.

 

–

Then I mentioned can it be naayuruvi? After a good search in internet, I find

–

naaNal is 'sachcharum spontaneum'

–

naayuruvi is 'achyranthes aspera'

–

on this 'scirpus kysoor' I find it is a grassy plant – it is available in tank beds and the plant's roots are used as a famine food in 'kumaon region' of 'western himalayaas' – may be present day UP. That is why this reed is used in yaagams to get rain – since its root is a famine food.

 

 

–

Going back to thaayagaraaja - is it possible for brahma and indhra asks thyaagaraaja – and it is not possible for them - because they were standing in the sky and when they come to 'bhoolOKam' the true identity of raama will be revealed. So they cannot do that.

 

–

just recall raama seeing indhra while he went to meet sage sarabhanga and indhra suddenly leaving the sage and the scene without meting raama, saying to sage, 'I will meet raama later'.

 

–

Further one more reason – this marriage can take place hereonly - in bhoolOkam only. For if the supreme lord and dhEvi are there in dhEva lOkam or sree vaikuntam – where is the need for a 'marriage ceremony' to take place

 

–

there in that place they are inseparable – so no need for any marriage - union of the two.

 

–

so when they come here to bhoolOKam, then only a marriage and the grand spectacle here for us to enjoy – so 'inthanuchu' - brahma and indhra cannot do that description for raama and seethaa – otherwise their identity will be revealed – brahma an indhra - they can only be a witness.

 

Ok – brahmaa and indhra cannot do that – how about siva or vEdham – can they do

– no says thyaagaraaja - see charNam 3 of the krithi -

vaageesaadhi surakOtlaku vEdha aagama saasthramulaku ganagooDani

naagaraaja bhooshaNuDaina sree thyaagaraaja sannutha needhu mahima - intha

 

meaning: Oh, raama, praised by [this] thyaagaraaja! Your glory is incomprehensible to even several demigods [like Brahma], scriptures like Vedhaas, aagamams and even to Siva who has serpents as his ornaments.

 

Is it the mahimaa - praising of the lord – no – the marriage description of raama and seethaa also - except vaalmeeki, aaNdaaL - how can vEdham describe that – that is what ST says -- that is the conclusion for this krithi.

 

 

With this I conclude this series.

 

On Mrs. Saroja ramaanujam's comments of the 8 types of marriages I have nothing to say since it is all as per 'manu saasthram'.

For those who want to know what type is raama' marriage - it is 'praajaapathyam' type.

 

 

Dear bhakthaas, thanks to one and all, and specifically to those who have responded for the earlier posts.

 

Special thanks to Sri K.P.Sarathy swamin for he is the one who kindled that spark by mentioning about Godhaa. [but I am sorry he is yet to respond with 'bhattar's lines and that oonjal song', which he mentioned in his response].

 

 

A very specific mention must be made about Sri Anjaneyalu of Itarsi, my good friend and thanks to him – this has to be done by me – for he is the one who asked me to read 'seethaa kalyaaNa sargam' for a different personal purpose. That resulted in a good series for all of us to enjoy the celestial wedding of seethaa raama.

 

Dhasan

Vasudevan MG