desire 4

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava

perunthagaiyeer,

 

We saw in the previous post, the

list of persons whose 'desire' or 'kaamam' pushed sreemadh raamaayaNam to its

logical conclusions. We also saw in post 2 the starting slOkam of raamayaNam as

'maanishaadha', which is slOkam 1-2-15 [1 means baala kaaNdam, 2 is sargam

number, 15 is slokam number].

 

While this slokam is treated as

the starting slOkam, a doubt will arise then what happens to the first sargam,

which has 100 slokams and previous 14 slOkams to this 'maa nishaadha' – in

total 114 slokams.

 

In modern days, in many of the

technical seminars, workshops, or other conferences, when a paper is presented

by some author, he is, first, asked by the organizers of the seminar /

conference, to submit an 'abstract' of the subject matter, which he is going to

deal in the seminar. This approach is

same in a Phd thesis also.

 

This approach is first done by

vaalmeeki.. If we read again the first sargam, we will realize that the first

sargam is simply an 'abstract' or 'synopsis' of the story, which is to come in

subsequent portions.

 

In that short synopsis, we also

see the answer to the question 'why we should study raama's story'. in the

beginning itself the question as well the answer is given 'in style' – because,

raama is a 'dharmavaan', 'guNavaan' and truly lived to the very meaning of the

words 'dharmam' and 'guNams', etc, and then in short the raama's life sketch or

raama's story.

 

The 'Why' question is so

important – because unless an ordinary person, like me, is convinced on 'why I

should do this', he will not have interest to proceed further.

 

This approach, vaalmeeki adopts

superbly by way of putting questions and soliciting answers from naaradha. That

'why' question is straight away put subtly and elicits answers. That way, in

short, he also pays tribute to that guru naaradha. The sishya vaalmeeki by

placing the question to the guru naaradha, plays his role subtly in the

beginning itself so nicely.

 

Vaalmeeki asserts in the abstract

– hey, this is 'the substance of full story' – 'hey readers, this is all what

you are going to see in subsequent portions in elaboration', but I am giving it

in short now.

 

That short portion covers the

full life story from birth of raama to 11000 years of raamaraajya – no death –

for, by the time he wrote raama's story, raama was very much living and sitting

in the royal seat.

 

Also vaalmeeki adds the 'phalan'

fruits for reading HIS story in that 100 slokams. Next 14 slokams are an

'introduction' to the circumstance of the 'birth' of that 'raama's story'.

 

Dear bhakthaas, now, see how

modern we are?

 

Can we say, we simply copy or

adopt what vaalmeeki did as the first poet in this world - to give this

approach – of providing a 'synopsis' or 'abstract' and then deal the subject in

detailed manner later, let it be poem or prose or some other technical matter.

 

'Why all these?' you may ask –

when it is vaalmeeki's 'desire' to present raama kaavyam in a 'structured' way,

it is my desire to bring these to your attention.

 

On this 'vaalmeeki and naaradha

question answer session' sree thyaagaraaja also places a beautiful krithi –

vara naaradha in raagam vijayasree

 

–But before that - first let us

see the starting slokam, then only you will have the impact of the krithi --

 

thapah svaadhyaaya

nirathaam thapasvee vaak vidhaam varam

|

naaradham paripaprachChha vaalmeekih muni pungavam ||

 

meaning: A thoughtful-meditator, an eternally studious

sage in scriptures about the Truth and Untruth, a sagacious thinker, and a

sublime enunciator among all expert enunciators is Naaradha, and with such a

Divine Sage Naaradha, the Sage-Poet Vaalmeeki

inquisitively is enquiring [about a man who is a composite for all

merited endowments in his form and caliber]. [1-1-1] [from valmikiramayan.net]

 

now let us see the krithi –

Raagam -Vijayasri

thaaLam: aadhi --

composer -- thyagaraja

 

Pallavi:

vara naaradha naaraayaNa smaraNa aanandha anubhavamugala

 

anu pallavi

saradh

indhu nibha apaghana anagha saaramugaanu brOvumika

 

charaNam:

sakala lOkamulaku sadhgurudanuchu sadhaa nE natadanuchu

hariyu

prakatambuga keerthinosanganE bhaavuka thyaagaraajanutha!

 

Meaning:

glorious ("vara") NAARADHA! You are perpetually

experiencing ("anubhavamu gala") the bliss ("aanandha") arising out of your

meditation ("smaraNa") of NAARAAYANA, the Lord of Sri. The radiance of your

body outshines the splendour of the moon of the spring ("sharadh indhu"). Grant

me spiritual wisdom ("saaramu") and guide me in the path of devotion

("brOvumu"). The Lord Himself ("hari") has declared that you are ("anuchu") the

preceptor ("sadhguru") par excellence in this world ("sakala lOkamulaku") and

He is you. What more? Bestower ("nosanganE") of auspiciousness ("keerthi")!

Worshipped ("nutha") by Tyagaraja!

 

Point:

See that individual words 'varam' and 'naaradham' in slokam 1 is combined here

to start the krithi as 'vara naaradha'.

 

What is the guidance sought? It

is all about naarayaNa who came as raama.

Next - What the lord himself has

declared about naaradha – 'I am naaradha among the dheva rishees' in bhagavdh

geethaa. To such a naaradha, vaameeki asks the question about 'Evam vidham

naram' in next slOkam.

 

Another grand point is -- that raagam in which composition

is 'vijaya sree' – just reverse it – sree vijayam – what is raamaayaNam – krithsnam kaavyam = to entire, epic;

raamaayaNam = raamayaNa; seethaayaah charitham mahath = seethaa's, legend,

sublime;' as stated by vaalmeeki himself ' – or sree's vijaya charitham.

 

 

Just think how raama naamam was given to vaalmeeki – it is

'maraa' in the reverse – same way thyaagaraaja also places the raagam name in

reverse - as vijaya sree.

 

Also the tribute to guru which is subtle there is open

here in krithi.

 

All grandeur combined simply by 3

greats – vaalmeeki and naaradha, and thyaagaraaja. Oh great – enjoy that by reading again.

 

Oh, my desire on this post is

exhausted.

So let us continue in next.

Dhasan

-- Vasudevan MG