SRI RANGA SRI E-JOURNAL - VOL.09 / ISSUE # 17 dated 20th January 2008

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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 # 17 dated 20th January 2008

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IN THIS PONGAL ISSUE:

 

1. YUDDHA KHAANDAM PART - 7 (SRIMAD RAMAYANAM DISCOURSES IN THE

HINDU TEMPLE OF ATLANTA by SRI ANBIL RAMASWAMY SWAMI)

2. TAATPARYA RATNAVALI - SUBMISSION 47- SLOKAM 18 -PART 4

(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARAIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)

 

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ISSUES RELEASED

With this issue, about 280 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

17 Issues of Vol. 9(including this)

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1. " YUDDHA KHAANDAM " PART - 7 OF SRIMAD RAMAYANAM

(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)

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33. SOME QUESTIONS

1. Why should the all powerful Rama being the very Paramaatma

allow himself to be bound by the Naagaastra?

Answer: This is because he wanted to abide by the protocol laid down

by him to respect the boons of Brahma.

2. How come, Paramaatma's body which is " Suddha Sattvam " and

not made of flesh and blood like us is said to be bleeding?

Answer: This was done to show how human beings would and should

react and follow his example.

3. What is the lesson that this incident seeks to convey?

Answer: Even those who tread the path of Dharma would meet with

difficulties and dangers but that they will get their relief very

soon. (45)

VibheeshaNa somehow spotted Indra-jit. VibheeshaNa consoled Sugreeva

who was deep in sorrow and consecrating a mantra that would expose

the hidden place of Indra-jit, he wiped the eyes of Sugreeva and

told him that there was no indication in the faces of Rama and

LakshmaNa to conclude that they could have died and therefore there

was no cause for worry. (46)

 

34. ANOTHER DIRTY TRICK OF RAVANA

Ravana ordered the guards in AshOka vana to inform Sita that Rama

and LakshmaNa were killed. He asked them to take Sita in his

Pushpaka Vimaanam to show the fallen heroes. Sita saw with her own

eyes what had befallen the two warriors. Her grief knew no bounds

and she started to lament.

 

35. YET ANOTHER DIRTY TRICK

Kamban however, mentions that Ravana played yet another dirty trick

by presenting an illusory figure of Janaka who was shown as

persuading Sita to yield to Ravana lest Ravana should kill him. It

is Trijata again who exposes the illusion and restores Sita's

confidence that under no circumstances the upright Janaka would ever

resort to such an evil advice.

 

Sita recalled how experts in " Saamudrika LakshaNams " had told her

that she would live long as Sumangali and never become a widow; that

her eyebrows were apart; her knees and teeth were without any gap;

that all the ten toes on her feet were well printed on the ground;

her fingers were together without a gap; her color was

like " kumkum " . With all these, how could her husband who crossed the

vast ocean die as if in a puddle. TrijaTa consoled her saying that

their faces looked fresh and live and so could not have died. (48)

 

36. RAMA WAKES UP

After a while, Rama woke up as if from sleep. And saw LakshmaNa

still in swoon. Rama lamented that there was no meaning in his

living when LakshmaNa was gone.

Sakhyaa seetaa samaa naaree martya lOkE vichinvataa/

na LakshmaNa samO bhraataa sachiva: saampa raayika://( 49-6)

" Dasaratha asked only me to go to forest; there was no justification

for me to take him with me. He has given up his life for my

sake. " Oh! LakshmaNa! You came with me with great enthusiasm; I will

now follow you with the same enthusiasm " .

 

SushENa recalled how in an earlier war between Asuras and Devas,

Brihaspati brought back to life with the help of herbs

called " Mrita -Sanjeevani " (which had medicinal properties like

Sanjeeva karaNi and Visalya karaNi that grew on the hillsides of

Chandra-giri and DrONa-giri. Meanwhile, Lord Garuda appeared there.

The moment he came, the serpents gave up their hold and disappeared.

Rama and LakshmaNa got up totally freed from the shackles and shone

like Indra and UpEndra (50).

 

37. THE FALL OF THE RAAKSHASAS

The Raakshasas heard jubilation on Rama's side and wondered what

caused it. They found that Rama and LakshmaNa had come back alive

and the monkey army was raring for a bitter fight. Ravana sent one

by one his valiant commanders only to be slain and decimated by

Rama's army.

- Dhoomra-akshan: was killed by Hanumaan who smashed his head

with a huge mountain (51, 52)

- Vajra-dhamshTran: Angada cut his head off with a sharp sword

(53, 54)

- Akampanana: was killed by Hanumaan by smashing his head with

a huge tree (55, 56)

- Prahastan: who emerged from the West gate was killed by

Neela who broke his head with a huge rock (57, 58)

All these happened after blitzkriegs between the two armies in a

battle that seemed almost interminable.

 

dasoham

Anbil Ramaswamy

(To be continued)

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3.TAATPARYA RATNAVALI - SUBMISSION 47 - SLOKAM 18 -PART 4

(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARAIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)

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pASuram 1.7.8:

 

ennai negizhkkilum ennuDai nan-nenjam

tannai agalvikkat tAnum killAn inip

pinnai neDum paNait tOL magizh pIDuDai

munnai amarar muzhu mudal tAnE.

 

pinnai neDum paNait tOL magizh pIDu uDai, munnai amarar muzhu

mudal, tAnE ennai negizhkkilum, ennuDaiya nal nenjam tannai

agalvikka ini tAnum killAn " Even if empeumAn who has the greatness

attained by the joy of the embrace of the broad shoulders of

nappinnai, and who is the first cause of all the eternal nitya sUri-

s, wants to keep Himself away from me, even though He is sarva

Saktan, He is Himself not capable of keeping my mind which is deeply

dedicated to Him, away from Him after He has thus subjugated it to

Him.

 

svAmi deSikan summarizes the gist of this pASuram with the words

Srita hRdaya pRthak-kAra nitya akshamasya (kshama " able, akshama "

unable) bhagavAn Himself is never capable of separating Himself from

the minds of those who have surrendered to Him) nal nenjam tannai

agalvikkat tAnum killAn.

 

The reason why even bhagavAn who is sarva Saktan is incapable of

separating Himself from the minds of those who have surrendered to

Him, is because the prapanna-s have surrenderd to Him through

nappinnai's purushakAratvam, and He can't displease nappinnai.

 

In the previous pASuram, AzhvAr pointed that bhagavAn won't want to

leave him. In the current pASuram, he points out that bhagavAn does

not have the power to leave his mind even if He wants to, because

that mind has surrendered to nappinnai.

 

pASuram 1.7.9:

 

amarar muzhu mudal Agiya Adiyai

amararkku amudu Inda Ayar kozhundai

amara aLumbat tuzhAvi en Avi

amarat tazhuviRRu ini agalumO?

 

en Avi amarar mudal Agiya Adiyai, amararkku amudu Inda Ayar

kozhundai, amara azhumbat tuzhAvi amarat tazhuviRRu; ini agalumO? My

soul has embraced Him - who is the first Cause of all the deva-s,

who is the Cause for all of us, who gave the nectar of long life to

the deva-s, and who is the delight of the cowherds of AyarpADi

tightly with the realization that He is my soul's Soul and that I am

always subservient to Him. That being the case, my soul won't leave

Him, and He won't leave me either.

 

svAmi deSikan captures the gist of this pASuram as ˜svAtma

SlishTatvAtâ (Slish - to embrace, to cling to or adhere to) He who

is united wth us inseparably azhumbat tazhuviRRu ini agalumO? SrI

venkaTeSAcArya explains this as ˜oruvarAlum pirikka muDiyAda paDi

oru nIrAgak kalandu niRkumavanAi.

 

Recall that the theme emphasized by svAmi deSikan in this

tiruvAimozhi is ˜sevanam svAdu " Worship of bhagavAn is sweet, it is

supreme delight (bhajanam parama bhogyam). The idea conveyed by

AzhvAr in this pASuram is that it is a delight for the prapanna who

has realized his nitya dAsyatvam " the eternal servitude of the self

to emperumAn, to ever be united with Him inseparably, and there is

no way that the soul of the prapanna can ever separate from Him; it

is mixed with Him like water mixed with another body of water.

After one gets the realization of the natural relationship of Sesha-

SeshI bhAvam or the servant-Master relationship between the indivual

soul and emperumAn, it is impossible to live without performing the

kainkarya-s that are a natural enjoyment of this eternal

relationship. Thus He is sevanam svAdu.

 

pASuram 1.7.10:

 

agalil agalum aNugil aNugum

pugalum ariyan poruvu allan emmAn

nigaril avan pugazh pADi iLaippilam

pagalum iravum paDindu kuDaindE.

 

Agalil agalum, aNugil aNugum; pugalum ariyan; poruvu allan;

emmAn; nigar il avan pugazh pADi, pagalum iravum paDindu kuDaindu

iLaippu ilam " He moves away from those who seek lesser benefits than

Him and move away from Him after getting those benefits; He lets

Himself be within reach of those who resort to Him as the only goal

to be attained; He is One whom His enemies cannot even dream to

approach; He places no obstruction whatsoever to those who seek

Him, and He is my Lord; He is incomparable, and is not like other,

lesser benefits. By singing His praise day and night, and by deeply

getting immersed in the enjoyment of His infinite kalyANa guNa-s, we

are relieved of all sufferings.

 

svAmi deSikan captures the bhagavad guNam that supports the sevanam

svAdu guNam of bhagavAn in this pASuram with the words gAyac-chrama

hara yaSasahâ " He who has the kalyANa guNa-s that drive away the

sufferings of those who sing His praise nigar il avan pugazh pADi

iLaippilam.

 

SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan explains the meaning of the pASuram in

moving words: bhagavAn moves away WITH SORROW from those who have

resorted to Him only for other benefits, and move away from Him

after attaining those lesser benefits; Even when He destroyed

rAvaNan who took the position œna nameyam (I won't bow to You), He

destroyed Him with tears in His eyes, hoping against hope that

rAvaNan will surrender œyadi vA rAvaNas-svayam. If one shows the

slightest interest in Him by giving up interest in lesser benefits,

He will fall on that person with all affection aNugil aNugum. When

vibhIshaNan approached Him, He considered vibhIshaNan as His own

brother, with the same affection that He had towards lakshmaNan. He

is easily accessible to those who surrender to Him with absolute

ease " poruvallan. By singing His praise day and night, AzhvAr

still is not satisfied (iLaippilam) that he has sung His praise well

enough and sufficiently enough. Such is the nature of bhagavAn's

infinite and delightful kalyANa guNa-s.

 

Thus, by revealing to us the following ten ratna-s embedded in the

ten pASuram-s of this tiruvAimozhi, svAmi deSikan describes that the

message of nammAzhvAr in this tiruvAimozhi is that worship of

bhagavAn is very sweet and of immeasurable delight " sevanam svAdu.

 

- He is skilled in attracting the minds of all jIva-s

towards Him, no matter what benefit they seek (1.7.1)

- He destroys the effects of all karma-s when one worships

Him by keeping Him as a treasure in one's mind (1.7.2)

- Meditating on Him and His leelA-s will remove the

ignorance and the sorrow associated with samsAra, and will yield the

ultimate knowledge needed for liberation (1.7.3)

- There is only benefit for the jIva in worshiping Him, and

there is absolutely no cause or justification that can be found for

not worshiping Him (1.7.4)

- He helps us in an unending stream of ways to attain His

Divine Feet (1.7.5)

- He gives such great experiences of Himself to the devotee

that make it impossible for a devotee to even think of moving away

from Him (1.7.6)

- Through His leelA-s and His kalyANa guNa-s, He ensures

that the devotee does not have the slightest desire to leave Him

(1.7.7)

- BhagavAn Himself is powerless to leave the prapanna's mind

because the mind has surrendered to Him through the purushakAratvam

of nappinnai, and He doesn't have the power to displease nappinnai

(1.7.8)

- It is impossible for the prapanna to leave Him also, since

the prapanna who has had the realization of the eternal relationship

with Him as His servant, cannot live without having the natural joy

of kainkaryam to Him (1.7.9)

- He is One with infinite kalyANa guNa-s that drive away all

the sufferings of those who sing the praise of His guNa-s (1.7.10).

 

Regards

dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

(To be continued)

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