Sri Ranga Sri e_Journal - VOL.09 / ISSUE # 05 dated 28th October 2007

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SrI:

SrimatE Raamaanujaaya Namaha //

SrimatE Nigamaanta Mahaa Desikaaya Namaha //

SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya/

SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya//

KAvEri VardhathAm kAlE, kAlE varshathu vAsava: /

SrI RanganAthO jayathu Sri Ranga Sri cha VardhathAm//

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SRI RANGA SRI VOL.09 / ISSUE # 05 dated 28th October 2007

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IN THIS ISSUE:

 

1. SUNDARA KHAANDAM PART - 3 (SRIMAD RAMAYANAM DISCOURSES IN THE

HINDU TEMPLE OF ATLANTA by SRI ANBIL RAMASWAMY SWAMI)

2. TAATPARYA RATNAVALI - SUBMISSION 35 - SLOKAM 16 -PART 1

(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARAIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)

 

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ISSUES RELEASED

With this issue, about 268 Regular issues of SRS have been released

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15 Issues of Vol. 2

42 Issues of Vol. 3

35 Issues of Vol. 4

28 Issues of Vol. 5

30 Issues of Vol. 6

50 Issues of Vol. 7 and

36 Issues of Vol. 8

05 Issues of Vol. 9(including this)

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1. " KISHKINDHAA KHAANDAM " PART - 2 OF SRIMAD RAMAYANAM

(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)

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16. SUICIDE IS SUICIDAL; STAYING ALIVE MAY BRING A GOOD

TURN. Hanumaan visualizes the consequences of his

return without any news about Sri Sita. He feels that he would

become responsible for the demise of the members of the entire

Ikshvaaku Vamsam and the entire Vaanara Vamsam, if he were to report

a " No show " about Sita. At first, he thinks of self-immolation but

then he decides that only if one were to be alive, one would be able

to see good times. With renewed determination, he proceeds on his

mission.

vinaasO bahavO dOShaa: jeevan bhadraaNi

pasyati /

tasmaat praaNaan dhaarayish yaami dhruvO jeevita sangama: //(Sargam

13- 47-48)

17. ASHOKA VANA

In the AshOka vana, AnjanEya saw wild streams rushing down a slope

of rocks. This looked like a girl who was resting on the lap of her

lover, suddenly feeling offended at some of his off-the-cuff remarks

and jumping out from his lap and running away in a fit of anger.

There were branches of trees on the banks that dipped into the

stream that prevented the flow of water and made the waters swirl

and return back. This looked like the lass being pacified by her

peers to return to her lover.

 

18. DESCRIPTION OF

SITA

The description of Sri

Sita's plight in the AshOka vana is most heart rending.

Her famished appearance looked like-

(i) Waned fortune

(ii) Fair name besmirched by the leprous fingers of slander

(iii) Vedic hymns losing their value through improper recitation and

disuse

(iv) Hopes and desires laid bereft of results

(v) Profits and gains too far below expectations

(vi) The commands of the master defied and set at naught

(vii) The quarters all ablaze at inauspicious moments

(viii) Articles of worship snatched away by unholy hands

(ix) Lovely lotus blackened with the fire of frost

(x) An army widowed of its brave Soldiers

(xi) Brilliance and glory darkened beyond recognition

(xii) A river running dry devoid of water

(xiii) The sacred fire-place polluted by impure things

(xiv) Mighty flames sunk into cinders

(xv) A lotus pool in which mad elephants worked their will, tore up

the stalks and frightened away the gentle birds

(xvi) The sweet waters of a stream hustled away by the raging flood

(xvii) Tender lotus uprooted and thrown on the ground

(xviii) Fierce heat drying up the life-waters of bodies of water

(xix) The lordly she elephant driven away from her mate and lashed

firmly to the strong posts and heaving hot sighs of impotent grief

(xx) Success barred by obstacles

(xxi) Earnestness and faith sinking under the crushing blows of

ridicule

(xxii) Noble intellect bewildered and befuddled

(xxiii) Fair name blasted by foul blasphemy

(xxiv) A lordly titanic steamer battered on the rough seas and

sinking

(xxv) A star that had fallen to the ground at the expiry of its

merit.

(xxvi) A lute stripped of its strings

(xxvii) A tender plantain in the grasp of a mighty gale

(xxviii)A she-elephant in the vice grip of a lion

(xxix) An innocent girl abandoned by her parents in the dark woods

during a famine

(xxx) Learning of one who recites Vedas on " Prathamai thithi "

and many more. (VR 14 et seq)

19. DO YOU KNOW- THAT SRI SITA DID SANDHYAVANDANAM?

As Hanumaan was searching for Sri Sita in Lanka, he suddenly came

across Ashoka vana where he found a brook with crystal clear running

waters. He was sure that Sita must be around the brook and said to

himself that if Sri Sita were there, she would surely come to the

brook in the evening to perform her Sandhya-vandanam and was

patiently waiting her arrival there.

Sandhyaa kaala manaah syaamaa dhruvam yEshyati

jaanaki / Nadeem cha imaam

siva jalaam sandhyaartE vara

varNinee //

(Sundara KhaaNdam 14. 50)

 

IMPORTANT

NOTE:

It is said that

women were doing Sandhya-vandanam in those days just like men folk.

In fact, there were numerous women Rishis like Aditi, Anasuya

Arundati, DaakshaayaNi, KEsini, Lopaamudra, Madayanti, MEdhaa,

ROmasa, Saramaa, Sraddhaa, Sukanyaa, Suvarchalaa and many others,

some of whom were known to have performed Nityakarma AnushTanams

ordained in the Vedas. And, Sandhya-vandanam is a Vedic karma.

20. HANUMAAN SEES

SITA

Until he saw Sita,

Hanumaan was wondering why Rama should be so depressed at his

separation from her. On seeing her and her beauty, Hanumaan started

wondering how on earth Rama could manage to live even for a second

without the noble lady by his side and yet count himself among the

living! She was exactly like how Rama described her!

Raamasya cha yathaa roopam tasyEyam asitE

kshaNaa/

tEnEyam sa cha dharmaatmaa muhoortham api

jeevati//

dush kritam kritavaan raamO heenO yad anayaa prabhu:// (VR 15/51-52-

53)

An ideal pair these, in age, beauty, excellence, character, conduct

and ancestry.

tulya seela vayO vrittaam tulyaa abhijana

lakshaNaam/

raaghavO arhati vaidEheem tum chEyam asitE kshaNaa// (VR 16-5)

21. THE GUARDS, NOT

GUARDIANS!

Sita was guarded by fierce looking

Raakshasis, some with single eye, some with single ear, some with

fan-like ears, some with nose pointing upwards like chimneys in a

factory, some with necks like those of giraffes while others were

short-necked like bulls, some had sparse hairs on their heads and

some others had none of it at all, some with matted hairs, some with

hanging ears, hanging lips, hanging breasts and bellies. In short,

there was none with a normal appearance of women and were a total

anti-thesis of Sita, the quintessence of pulchritude. (VR 17)

22. RAVANA IN THE ASHOKA

VANA

Suddenly, Hanumaan heard the tinkle of anklets and

waist bonds that emanated from Ravana who was hastening with proud

and lordly steps to meet with the lady Sita. His mind was burning

with unholy and unbridled lust. Sita was petrified with fear and was

trembling. (VR 18-19). He tried to convince Sita to accept him.

Unabashedly describing her anatomy, he said that Brahma after

creating her " went out of business " of creation since he could not

do any better anymore, that Rama was lost forever and she could not

dream of Rama's ever coming to her rescue and that her youth would

fade away ere long and entreated her to take him for husband. (VR

20) Sita in utter scorn threw a blade of grass before him and said

that just like the brilliance of Sun cannot be separated from the

Sun, she could not be separated from Rama. " If you wish to live in

this world, better change your mind, make peace with Rama by

restoring me unto him " . " nivartaya manO matha: svajanE kriyataam

mana: " " Reverse your mind " she says. When the word " mana " is

reversed, it would become " nama " which implies that he should

surrender to Rama because he is " vidita: sa hi dharmagjna:

SaraaNaagata vatsala: " meaning: " compassionate to one who

surrenders " (VR 21). Sternly warning Sita that he was granting her

two months' time to " change her mind " and if she did not do so, he

would order his chefs to cook her for his breakfast! On the

persuasion of Raakshasis, he left the place in a huff, instructing

them to somehow make her compliant. (VR 22)

23. RAAKSHASIS TAKE TURNS IN TERRORISING

SITA The

Raakshasis called Eka-jaTa, Hari- jaTaa, Praghasaa, VikaTaa, Dur-

mukhee, Vinataa, ChaNDOdari, Ajaa-mukhi, and Soorppa-Nakha take

turns to brainwash Sita alternating between soft words to motivate

her and harsh words to threaten her. (VR 23 and 24). Sita patiently

bore all the insults. She did not curse them because she had no

mandate from Rama to do so. Instead she cursed only her own fate for

her plight. (VR25). At one stage, she felt so dejected as to

determine that the only way to escape was to commit suicide but then

remembered that she had no mandate from Rama for doing this either.

24. THE DREAMS OF

TRIJATA

TrijaTa was the daughter of

VibheeshaNa. She said " I had a dream " early in the morning and

started narrating them.

NOTE: It is believed that dreams seen early in the morning would

come true in the immediate future.

- Rama and LakshmaNa came to Lanka in a golden palanquin borne

by swans and later mounted on lordly elephants.

- Sita clad in spotless white and was seated on the top of a

white mountain by the side of Rama.

- Both got into a golden chariot drawn by eight snow-white

colored bulls.

- All the three - Rama, Sita and LakshmaNa took off in the

PushPaka Vimaana to their home.

- Wicked Ravana was covered with oil; clad in dress of blood-

red color and was wandering on the face of the earth like a lunatic.

- He fell down headlong from his chariot and then from the

back of a donkey and was dragged by a woman towards the South (The

direction of Yama, the Lord of death).

- He and KumbakarNa were in the same predicament and both were

trembling with fear. So did the sons of Ravana.

- VibheeshaNa with his 4 ministers was clad in white robes,

wearing garlands and were welcomed by the players on Conch, drum and

other musical instruments.

- This Lanka was drowned into the sea. There was nothing but

ruin for the Raakshasas

She said to the Raakshasis: " If you fall at the feet of Sita, she

alone can save you from the wrath of Rama " .

Alam Eshaa pari traatum raakshaseer mahaTo

bhayaat/ api

cha asyaa visaala akshyaa na kinchit upa lakshayE// (VR 27-46)

25. DO YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS INTERNAL EVIDENCE TO CONCLUDE THAT SRI

RAMA KNOWN AS CONFIRMED MONOGAMIST (EKA PATNI VRATAN) HAD WIVES

OTHER THAN SRI SITA?

 

In total dejection at her plight, Sri Sita at one stage tells

Hanuman to inform Sri Rama to carry out his pledges to his father

and then go back to AyOdhya and live happily with the ladies there.

Some critics gleefully interpret this as meaning that the ladies

mentioned by Sri Sita pointed to his having had other wives!

Sri Sita's words:

 

pitur nidEsam niyamEna kritvaa vanaat nivrittas charita vratas cha /

Streebhis thu manyE vipulE kshaNaani tvam ramsyasE veeta bhayaa:

krita artha: // Sargam 28. 14

 

COMMENT:

The term " ladies " in this context refers to the ladies of AyOdhya

including Sri Rama's mothers, Kousalya, Sumitra and kaikEyi. As the

ruler of the land, once his work in the forest got finished he had

to return to his Capital and it was his duty as the ruler to make

his subject citizens under his protection happy and contented

including womenfolk.

26. GOOD

OMENS:

For

Sita who was totally dejected, there appeared some good omens to

cheer her spirits up: Her left brows, left arm and left thigh

twitched fast and frequently; the golden hued dress she wore slipped

a little from her body.

MESSAGE: For WOMEN, twitching on the LEFT side of the body is

considered to predict some happy happening while for men, such

twitching is considered inauspicious. It would be considered

auspicious for MEN only if occurring on the RIGHT side of the body.

For both, twitching on the opposite side is considered to forebode

some undesirable outcome.

She suddenly felt a surge of happiness like a parched earth being

drenched with welcome showers. (VR 29)

27. HANUMAAN DECIDES TO TALK TO

SITA

Hanumaan got into a dilemma whether and if so, how to strike a

conversation with Sita because

- He could not do so when the guards were wide awake.

- If he delayed talking to her, she might rush to commit

suicide as she had already wished in which case; his whole mission

would be set at naught.

- If he speaks in the dEva baasha (Sanskrit), she might

suspect that it was Ravana himself (a Brahmin by birth) who had come

before her in the disguise of a monkey which could not be expected

to converse in Sanskrit.

- Also, if he were to appear or talk in any other manner, she

might suspect him to be a messenger of Ravana who was capable of

taking any form desired.

- If in the process, he is captured, he may not be able to

convey his message to her at all.

- If he were to be killed, none else in Rama's army would be

able to cross the ocean or have any clue as to the fate of Sita or

himself.

- If after a stiff fight, he might get so exhausted that he

may not be able to cross back to Rama's place to convey the news

about Sita.

- His most important duty was to devise a " Confidence

building " strategy to reveal his identity.

Finally, he hid himself behind a tree and started chanting the name

and fame of Rama. (VR 30)

Hanumaan saw that after a while the guards had fallen asleep and an

opportune moment had arrived for him to commence his contact with

Sita.

Kamban, however, says that Hanumaan invoked a Mantra that induced

sleep in them which made them appear as if they were all dead!

kaaNDarkku otha kaalamum eedE teru kaaval/

thooNDarkku otha chintaiyinaarum thuyil gllaar/

vEND thunjaar enru ori vinjai vinai seidaan/

maaNDarkku utraaraam ena ellaam mayarvu utraar (UrukkaaTTu PaDalam

488)

 

He slowly began to narrate all the events that happened after her

abduction right up to that moment and concluded by saying that he

was a messenger of Rama who had come to convey the good news. (VR 31)

 

28. SITA'S SUSPICION

 

Sita, however, was not totally free from her doubts about the

monkey. In fact, she was scared that she might be witnessing a

monkey in a dream – a dream that is said to forebode ill luck. But,

she changed her impression thinking that a person or thing seen in a

dream will not have a physical appearance while here was Hanumaan in

his real form of a monkey; Further, how could she ever sleep when

immersed in sorrow all the time so that it could not be a dream at

all (VR 32).

dasoham

Anbil Ramaswamy

 

(To be continued)

 

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2.TAATPARYA RATNAVALI - SUBMISSION 35 - SLOKAM 16 -PART 1

(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARAIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)

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SrImate ra'nga rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya namaH.

tiruvAimozhi 1.5 - pASuram-s 1.5.1, 1.5.2.

Slokam 16 - tiruvAimozhi 1.5:

 

kshudra AhvAna AbhimukhyAt (1.5.1) nija mahima

tiraskAraka arcA

 

priyatvAt (1.5.2)

sarvatra api anghri dAnAt (1.5.3) savidha Sayanatah

(1.5.4) svAghri

 

sakta aikarasyAt (1.5.5) |

gopAdyApteh (1.5.6) aSesha IkshaNa vishayatayA (1.5.7)

bhakta

vastu prasakteh (1.5.8)

Slishyan-nASa vyapohAt (1.5.9) tad ahita SamanAt (1.5.10)

prAha

nAtham su-Silam (1.5) ||

 

The guNa of bhagavAn that is sung in this tiruvAimozhi is identified

by svAmi deSikan as sauSIlyam. His ability to be able move with even

the lowliest of lowly beings without any differentiation (indicated

by prAha nAtham su-Silam at the end of the above Slokam). As in

previous Slokam-s, svAmi deSikan identifies the guNa-s sung in the

ten pASuram-s of tiruvAimozhi, and show that all of these lend

support to perumAL's guNam of sauSIlyam sung at the daSakam level.

 

pASuram 1.5.1:

 

vaLa Ezh ulagin mudalAna vAnOr iRaiyai aru vinaiyEn

kaLavEzh veNNai toDu uNDa kaLvA enban, pinnaiyum

taLavEzh muRuval pinnaikkAi vallAn Ayar talaivanAi

iLa Ezh ERum tazhuviya endAi enban ninaindu naindE.

 

vaLam Ezh ulagin mudalAya vAnOr iRaiyai aruvinaiyEn kaLavEzh veNNai

toDu uNDa kaLvA enban; pinnaiyum ninaindu naindu, taLavEzh muruval

pinnaikkAi vallAn Ayar talaivanAi iLa Ezhu ERum tazhuviya endAi

enban bhagavAn is the Lord of all the seven worlds, as well as the

Lord of all the beings in nitya vibhUti; but I, full of all sins,

call Him a cheat who stole butter in AyarpADi. Then again I think

of His greatness, and realize that He is my Lord who took birth

among the cowherds, and as the Leader of the cowherds, destroyed the

seven mighty young bulls through His valor for the sake of the sweet

smiling nappinnai.

 

svAmi deSikan presents the guNam enjoyed by AzhvAr in this pASuram

through the words kshudra AhvAna AbhimukhyAt; kshudra means lowly;

AhvAna means being called; Abhimukhyam means favorable

disposition. The phrase means that He brings Himself down to the

level where many call Him lowly names such as kaLvA - a butter

thief, Ayar talaivan- chief of a bunch of (illiterate) cowherds,

etc.; yet He treats them as His friends, interacts with them at

their level, and blesses them. This is because of His extreme

sauSIlyam.

 

SrI venkaTeSAcArya explains svAmi deSikan's words as akhila jagad

eka kAraNa bhUtanAi, ayarvaRum amarargaL adhipatiyAnavanai, veNNai

kaLavu koNDu amudu Seyda kRtrimanE enRu kshudramAna pErAlE Solla,

adu koNDu abhimukhan AgaiyAlum When this Lord of all worlds and Lord

of all the gods and nitya sUri-s gets called by lowly names such as

the mischievous one who stole butter. He still is favorably disposed

to them. This behavior is clearly indicative of His sauSIlyam.

 

Other well-known instances of His sauSIlyam are His letting Himself

be tied to the mortar by yaSodA with a rope, and then feigning fear

and crying after He got tied just to satisfy her; His introducing

guhan to pirATTi as His friend, and introducing pirATTi to guhan as

Your friend. svAmi deSikan gives a few other instances in his dayA

Satakam Slokam 65:

 

nishAdAnAm netA kapi-kulatapaih kApi SabarI

kucelah kubjA sA vraja-yuvatayah mAlya-kRt iti ||

amIshAm nimnatvam vRsha-giri-pateh unnatimapi

prabhUtaih srotobhih prasabham anukampe samayasi ||

(dayA. 65)

 

Instances mentioned in the above Slokam are: His closeness to guhan

the chief of hunters, sugrUvan the leader of monkies, SabarI a

huntress, the hunch-backed woman, the utterly poor kucelar who did

not have decent cloths to wear, the gopi-s who were too ignorant to

be even capable of distinguishing their right hand from their left

hand, the poor mAlAkArar who lived by making flower garlands, etc.

svAmi deSikan points out that the greatness (unnati) of emperumAn on

the one hand, and the lowliness (nimnatvam) of the likes of us, are

just made equal (samayasi) by dayA devi's anukampA (dayA). That is

His sauSIlyam.

 

Kshudra lowly; Abhimukhyam favorable disposition; AhvAnam

invitation, summons.

 

pASuram 1.5.2:

 

ninaindu naindu uL karaindu urugi imaiyOr palarum munivarum

punainda kaNNi nIr SAndam pugaiyODu Endi vaNa’nginAl

ninainda ellAp poruLgaLukkum vittAi mudalil SidaiyAmE

manam Sei j~nAnattu un perumai mASUNAdO mAyOnE!

 

mAyOnE! ninainda ellAp poruLgaLukkum vittAi mudalil SidaiyAmE manam

Sei j~nAnattu un perumai, imaiyOr palarum munivar palarum ninaindu

naindu uL karaindu urugi punainda kaNNi nIr SAndam pugaiyODu Endi

vaNanginAl mASUNAdO? - The Lord of prakRti! Your paratvam

(Supremacy) that is evidenced by Your being the Material cause of

everything that exists through Your sheer will, while not undergoing

the slightest change Yourself, is beyond the comprehension of all

gods and Rshi-s. No matter what kind of superior and well-planned

worship is offered by all these imperfect beings using flowers,

water, sandalwood paste, incense etc., they can't do justice to Your

greatness, and it will end up being totally inadequate. (Yet you

willingly take the arcA form as desired by them, and make Yourself

available to them for worship).

 

Ideally, it would make sense if emperumAn takes into consideration

the fact that the worship offered by even the best of gods and Rshi-

s is only going to end up being at so low a level that it will end

up being an insult to His true greatness, and He desists from taking

His arcA form and being insulted with lowly and inadequate worship.

But on the other hand, because of His sauSIlyam, He makes Himself

available to us through His arcA incarnation, because He wants to

come and be in our midst and be accessible to us easily. It is this

aspect that svAmi deSikan captures as the essence of this pASuram

nija-mahima-tiraskAraka arcA priyatvAt. He gladly accepts the arcA

form, even though the worship offered to Him totally abuses His

Supremacy. This is in the same category as the insult to His

greatness by His being called a thief the leader of a set of

uneducated cowherds, etc., that AzhvAr referred to in the previous

pASuram. In both instances, it would be appropriate if bhagavAn

decides to keep away from the likes of us, but on the other hand,

because of His sauSIlyam, He loves to come down to our level,

associate with us and bestow His blessings on us. Even abandoning

the ArAdhanam performed by the nitya sUri-s who truly know His

greatness, He comes down to us samsAri-s, and accepts our inadequate

worship with delight a reflection of His unlimiteds sauSIlyam.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

(To be continued)

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