SRI RANGA SRI - E- JOURNAL- VOL.09 / ISSUE # 14 dated 29th December 2007

[Guest guest]

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//

=====================================================================

SRI RANGA SRI VOL.09 / ISSUE # 14 dated 29th December 2007

=====================================================================

IN THIS ISSUE:

 

1. YUDDHA KHAANDAM PART - 4 (SRIMAD RAMAYANAM DISCOURSES IN THE

HINDU TEMPLE OF ATLANTA by SRI ANBIL RAMASWAMY SWAMI)

2. TAATPARYA RATNAVALI - SUBMISSION 44- SLOKAM 18 -PART 1

(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARAIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)

 

=====================================================================

ISSUES RELEASED

With this issue, about 277 Regular issues of SRS have been released

so far, apart from numerous " Special Issues " as indicated below:

27 Issues of Vol. 1

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

14 Issues of Vol. 9(including this)

---

You may view the archives at http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia

maintained By Sri Srinivasan Sriram

 

We strongly urge you to kindly peruse the " Regular Issues " archived

in the Files Section and view the Contents at srsindex.html

(Not the individual postings allowed for encouraging " Reader

participation " ).

 

We are sure that you will be convinced of the quality of the

contents.

 

IF you are satisfied with the quality and contents of

" Sri Ranga Sri " -

Tell your friends to join by sending an email to

Srirangasri-

 

IF NOT:

Tell us, as to how we may improve.

Ever at your service

Moderator

" Sri Ranga Sri "

 

=====================================================================

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxx

=====================================================================

1. " YUDDHA KHAANDAM " PART - 4 OF SRIMAD RAMAYANAM

(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)

--

 

16. WELCOME! VIBHEESHANA!

On arrival, Rama warmly welcomed VibheeshaNa and told him that with

him they had become 7 brothers. Kamban:

 

guhanoDum aivar aanEm munbu, pin kunru soozhwaan

maganoDum aruvar aanEm, emmuzhai anbin vanda

agan amar kaadal Aiya! ninnoDum ezhuvar aanEm

pugal arun kaanam tandu pudalvaraal polindaan thanthai

(AdaikkalapaTalam 445)

 

17. VIBHEESHANA CROWNED

 

Exchanging pleasantries with VibheeshaNa, Rama practically

apologized to him for the delay in accepting him, due to

deliberations necessitated by statecraft as laid down in the Dharma

Saastras during times of warfare. VibheeshaNa described the

components of the Raakshasa brigade in clear terms. As directed by

Rama, LakshmaNa arranged to bring the waters from the sea and

performed the ceremonial bath (AbhishEkam) for VibheeshaNa as part

of his crowning as the ruler of Lanka.

 

(Koorathaazhwaan in his " Athimaanusha Sthavam " asks how Rama could

do this being on this side of the ocean and even before assessing

the relative strengths of both sides and long before the start of

the Great War. He himself answers, that it was because Rama

was " Paramaatma " who was also " Sathya Sankalpan " )

 

18. SAARDHOOLAN'S STRATEGY

 

As advised by Saardoola, a spy named Sukha was sent by Ravana to

wean Sugreeva to his side. Sugreeva told him that he was his enemy

because he was inimical to Rama and because he was a friend of his

enemy, namely, Ravana. But, the moment the Vaanaras saw him, they

literally would have torn him to pieces. Rama intervened to prevent

the Vaanaras from killing him. (20)

 

19. DARBHA SAYANAM

 

As they were deliberating on how to ford the vast sea, VibheeshaNa

came up with the idea that Rama should surrender to the Ocean king

to show a way to solve the problem. Accordingly, Rama spread the

sacred grass on the seashore and lay down on it praying to the Ocean

king (21).

 

Even after 3 days, the Ocean king put up a " no show " . This incensed

Rama. He asked LakshmaNa to bring his bow and sharp arrows and vowed

to dry up the Ocean so that the army could walk over. He added that

he could cross the Ocean without any help from anyone and that the

Ocean king had probably under- estimated his prowess.

 

Chaapam aanaya soumitrE saraams cha asee vishOpamaam

samudram sOShayaish-yaami padbhyaam yaantu pLavangamaa: // (20-22)

 

Rama prepared to shoot an arrow consecrating it with Brahmaastra.

The Ocean King saw this and got terrified, rushed to Rama with

folded palms begging to be pardoned. He offered to do whatever

Rama's bidding was, including

- making the Ocean shallow enough,

- stopping the waves and flow of waters,

- helping in arranging to float the materials used for

building a bridge without being drowned and

- preventing the water borne creatures from troubling Rama's

battalions while crossing etc.

Rama told him that his arrow drawn to shoot cannot go waste and

asked him where he should direct it. The Ocean king replied that in

the northwestern corner of the land there was a place called " Dhruma-

kulyam " where a few cruel creatures were troubling him and that Rama

could direct his arrows against them. Rama sent his arrow against

that target as requested and destroyed them.

 

(Koorathaazhwan catches Rama red handed and poses him the question

that when he could direct an arrow from the Southernmost tip to the

Westernmost corner of the land, how he could not shoot it Lanka that

was so near and himself answers that the former proved Rama to be

Paramaatma while the latter was in sync with his claim to be just a

human!)

 

20. SETHU BANDANAM

 

The Ocean king suggested that there was in the army of Rama, an

expert engineer called " NaLan " who could be asked to build a bridge.

NaLan built a strong bridge that was 100 yOjanas in length and 10

yOjanas in width in mid-sea to the entire satisfaction of the

Vaanara army. It looked like the regular parting of hair on the head

of a beautiful damsel (23).

 

dasoham

Anbil Ramaswamy

(To be continued)

=====================================================================

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxx

=====================================================================

3.TAATPARYA RATNAVALI - SUBMISSION 44 - SLOKAM 18 -PART 1

(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARAIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)

---

---------

SrImate ra'nga rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya namaH.

tAtpary aratnAvaLi - Submission 44, Slokam 18 Part 1,

tiruvAimozhi 1.7, pASuram 1.7.1, 1.7.2.

Slokam 18 of tAtparya ratnAvaLi – tiruvAimozhi 1.7 – piRavit tuyar.

 

sat-citta Akarsha hetoh (1.7.1) agha Samana nidheh (1.7.2)

nitya

bhogya amRtasya (1.7.3)

tyAge hetu ujjhitasya (1.7.4) pravahad upakRteh (1.7.5)

dus-

tyajasva anubhUteh (1.7.6) |

tyAga AkAn'gkshA niroddhuh (1.7.7) Srita hRdaya pRthak-kAra

 

nitya akshamasya (1.7.8)

svAtma SlishTasya (1.7.9) gAyac-chrama hara yaSasah (1.7.10)

 

sevanam svAdu avocat (1.7) ||

 

The theme emphasized by svAmi deSikan in this tiruvAimozhi

is `sevanam svAdu' – Worship of bhagavAn is sweet, it is supreme

delight (bhajanam parama bhogyam), as indicated in the last phrase

of the above Slokam. The ten guNa-s selected from the ten pASuram-

s of this tiruvAimozhi will all support this point.

 

Those who perform worship of bhagavAn without any desire except

attaining Him, will find the worship absolutely delightful. Those

who perform the worship for other benefits will not derive that full

delight. The idea reflected in this tiruvAimozhi is conveyed in

chapter 9 of the gItA in the chapter on `rAja vidyA'.

 

rAja vidyA rAja guhyam pavitram idam uttamam |

pratyakshAvagamam dharmyam su-sukham kartum avyayam || (9.2)

 

" This knowledge about worship is the best among all knowledge. This

is greatest of secrets. It will lead to the actual realization of

bhagavAn. It is the path of righteous conduct. It leads to the

greatest of happiness. It leads to the Eternal Benefit " .

 

pASuram 1.7.1:

 

piRavit tuyar aRa j~nAnattuL ninRu

tuRavic cuDar viLakkam talaip peyvAr

aRavinai Azhip paDai andaNanai

maRaviyai inRi manattu vaippArE.

 

Even those who want to be just relieved of the sorrow resulting from

this birth, and who resort to j~nAna yogam and realize the kaivalya

sukham of realizing that the soul is different from the body and

thereby get relieved of the false identity between the body and the

soul and are saitsified with this Atma sukham only, end up keeping

Him in their thoughts for deriving that benefit of kaivalyam.

 

The idea here is that His worship is delightful, no matter whether

the person worships Him for the ultimate benefit of attaining Him

(of performing eternal kai'nkaryam to Him in SrI vaikunTham), or for

just getting relief from the suffering resulting from the false

association of the body with the soul and thereby enjoying the full

realization of the eternal and unlimited nature of the soul

(kaivalya Anandam). Thes latter devotees think of bhagavAn as a

person who is like a Cleaner, who can eliminate their sorrow from

birth, but do not think of Him as parama bhogyan – the Most

Enjoyable. The kaivalyArthI-s get immersed in j~nAna yogam, and do

not go beyond that to bhakti yogam – of enjoying Him as the Ultimate

benefit to be attained. But bhagavAn's dharmam is that He will

attract the minds of all who seek Him for any benefit.

 

svAmi deSikan captures the essence of this pASuram through the

words `sat-citta Akarsha hetoh' – He who does not distinguish

between paramaikAntin-s and a-paramaikAntin-s, and attracts the

minds of both – `piRavit tuyar aRa j~nAnattuL ninRu turavic cuDar

viLakkam talaip peyvAr maRaviyai inRi manattu vaippArE'. The

term `sat' in svAmi deSikan's words should be taken to refer to

jIvAtmA-s.

 

pASuram 1.7.2:

 

vaippAm marundAm aDiyarai val vinait

tuppAm pulan aindum tu'njak koDAn avan

eppAl evarkkum nalattAl uyarndu uyarndu

appAl avan e'ngaL Ayar kozhundE.

 

nalattAl eppAl evarkkum uyarduyarndu appAl avan – BhagavAn, in the

joy that He bestows on His devotees, is far, far above anything that

is known (as described in Ananda valli – ucchritocchritan), and is

also beyond our reach (vA'ng manasA agocaran – yato vAco nivartante

aprApya mansA saha…).

 

e'ngaL Ayar kozhundu – However, for the sake of the ananya prayojana-

s among us (those who seek nothing except Him as the only desired

goal), He has taken birth as the Chief among the cowherds. avan –

That sarveSvaran, val vinait tuppAm pulan aindu tu'njak koDAn – will

not let the five senses that are skilled in inducing one into bad

karma-s destroy His devotee (tuppu – skill, sAmarthyam; tu'nja –

naSikka, to destroy); marundAm – (Thus) He is the Medicine for the

disease of samsAra (He is the upAyam – means to attain Him);

vaippAm – He is also the Treasure (He is also the final goal to be

attained).

 

When bhagavAn is held in one's mind like a treasure (vaippu), H will

act as the medicine (marundu) that prevents the indriya-s from going

in their own unctorlled way and sinking the person in deep karma.

 

svAmi deSikan describes the aspect sung in this pASuram in support

of bhagavAn's `sevanam' being `svAdu' - " worship being sweet – a

source of delight " through the words " agha Samana nidheh " – BhagavAn

is the Wealth that removes all the blemishes in us (agha – blemish;

Samana – removal, destruction; nidhi – wealth) – avan val vinait

tuppAm pulan aindu tu'njak koDAn marundAm vaippAm. The detailed

meaning for the pASuram given in the previous paragraph clearly

provides the basis for svAmi deSikan's choice of the guNa sung in

the pASuram - " agha Samana nidhi " . Because bhagavAn destroys all

the effects of karma-s caused by the effect of indriya-s of His

devotees, worship of bhagavAn is svAdu or the most delicious

 

dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

(To be continued)

=====================================================================

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxx

=====================================================================