AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. March 07 Part 2)

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SrI:

SrImate ra’ngarAmAnuja mahA deSikAya nama:

SrImate SrInivAsa rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya nama:

SrImate vedAnta rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya nama:

SrI ra’nganAtha divya maNi pAdukAbhyAm nama:

 

AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. March 07 Part 2)

 

English Translation of

SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam in tamizh by SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan

 

As published in SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA by

SrI u.ve. nATTEri kiDAmbi rAjagopAlAcAriyAr (Editor of SrI ra’nganAtha

pAdukA)

 

SrImad ANDavan tiruvaDi,

kalyANi kRshNamAcAri

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

 

sa putram mUrdhni upAghrAya (bAla 22.3) – daSarathar kissed rAman in the head,

and gave Him to viSvAmitrar with a pleasant disposition. suprItena

antarAtmanA, dadau kuSikaputrAya – vAlmIki says that he happily gave Him to

viSvAmitrar, who is the son of kuSikar.

 

vAlmIki is introducing a lot of SAstrams here. These are beneficial for those

who have studied vyutpatti vAdam – the etymological discussions. Look at the

surprising thing here. What did viSvAmitrar ask for?

 

kAka pakshadharam sUram jyeshTham me dAtum arhasi (bAla.21.9) – I will say

this very briefly. How did viSvAmitrar ask? “I want your son.” For how many

days? He said that the yAgam was for seven days, and that he will bring Him

back after that. So, he says, “I am taking; I will give back”. me dAtum

arhasi – according to samskRt grammar, when something is taken with the

intention of giving back, the Sixth Case must be used. We give dhotis to the

cleaner (vaNNAn in tamizh); it should be said – rajakasya vastram dadAti –

rajakan means ‘cleaner’. rajakasya - is Sixth Case Singular – one is giving

cloth to the ‘cleaner’. Why? So that he can remove the dirt and give it back.

When vastram (garment) is given to the svAmi-s in a marriage, it should be

said “brAhmaNAya vastram dadAti” – brAhmaNAya – Fourth Case Singular. When

something is given with the idea of not receiving it back, Fourth Case must be

used. brAhmaNAya vastram dadAti, viprAya dakshiNAm dadAti, viprAya gAm dadAti;

according to the vyAkaraNa SAstra – the grammatical rules, when something is

given with no intention of taking it back, Fourth Case must be used. When

something has to be gotten back – for example, a loan; viprasya RNam dadAti –

it should be said in Sixth Case – even if he does not repay the loan (everyone

laughs in audience); when it is said, it should be said in the Sixth Case.

viprasya RNam dadAti – when a loan is given, it should be in the Sixth Case.

Like that, things that are not returned must be mentioned in the Fourth Case.

When you give a dhoti to a cleaner, does it belong to him? It is for getting it

back, right? So, it is rajakasya vastram dadAti.

 

When viSvAmitrar asks, he uses Sixth Case Singular [with the intention of

returning rAmar back]. me dAtum arhasi – ‘Give me for seven days; after the

yAgam is over, I will return Him back’.

 

After vasishThar advised, how did daSarathar give? dadau kuSika putrAya,

suprItena antarAtmanA – he gave with great happiness. kuSika putrAya – to

viSvAmitrar, who is the son of kuSikar – Fourth Case Singular is used. You

should pay attention here. It could be argued that vAlmIki is grammatically

wrong in using the Fourth Case Singular here. He said: “I give Him to you

exclusively (not for returning back)”. daSarathar said, “Oh viSvAmitrar! I

give Him to you – for you to keep, and not for returning”. First, he said, “I

will not give”; then, he said, “I give you, not for returning back”. Why did

he say that? Because of the instructions he received as a disciple from

vasisThar. That is the extent to which he trusts his AcAryan’s words. He is

doing happily what his AcAryan asked him to do. Even though initially he said

that he will not give, now he says “I am giving Him to you to keep”. He gave

lakshmaNan also along with rAman.

 

Taking the two kids, viSvAmitrar left immediately. Why? What if daSarathar

changes his mind and says: “No, no. I will give Him to you tomorrow. You can

take Him tomorrow?”

 

vA, pOgu, vA, innam vandu oru kAl kaNDu pO! malarAL kUndal

vEi pOlum ezhil tOLi tan poruTTA viDaiyOn tan villaic ceRRAi !

mApOgu neDum kAnam val vinaiyEn manam urukkum maganE ! inRu

nI pOga en ne’njam iru piLavAip-pOgAdE niRkumARE !

 

(perumAL tirumozhi 9-4)

 

daSarathar will usually be mesmerized by rAman’s walk ; he will keep asking Him

to ‘come’, ‘go’, ‘come’. What if he enjoys the beauty in rAman’s ‘going’ and

then wants to enjoy the beauty in His ‘coming’ and ask Him to come back! So,

viSvAmitrar leaves as fast as possible. He went for a long distance without

talking. rAman is a king’s son. Rshi is taking Him.

 

Could he not say a few words like: “Come on boys! The forest is very near. We

can go to the ASramam. Rshi patni-s have made cIDai, murrukku (savories!) etc!

They will give you everything! There is no scarcity of food. There will just

be no coffee – that is all; there will be everything else! (everyone laughs).

There will be savories also. You can eat.” Instead, he keeps completely

silent, and takes them along.

 

adhyardha yojanam gatvA sarayvA dakshiNe taTe |

rAmeti madhurAm vANIm viSvAmitro’bhyabhAshata || (bAla. 22.11)

 

After they had traveled one and a half yOjanai, he called, “rAma!” on the banks

of sarayU river. One and a half yOjanai is 15 miles. Even if you say that one

yojanai is 2 miles, it is still 3 miles. Till he came to the sarayU bank, he

did not even look back. After he reached there, he said, “rAma”! Just because

those two were good kids, they went with him, because they desired to go; if it

had been any other kid, he would have gone back to the palace.

 

When we say that vISvAmitrar kept going without looking back, why did he do

that? He had been thinking as he was going. What - Did he accept godAnam

(donation of cow)? Did he eat for sapiNDIkaraNam (eating on the twelfth day

after someone died)? (the audience laughs); only then one should not look back

after eating. Even they look back. Why did viSvAmitrar not look back? He went

all the way up to the bank of sarayU river. As soon as he reached there, he

said, ‘rAma’ – rAmeti madhurAm vANIm (bAla. 22.10). When he (viSvAmitrar)

called out ‘rAma’, he (vAlmIki) was so happy. vAlmIki feels happy about that.

rAmeti madhurAm vANIm viSvAmitro’bhyabhAshata – What a surprise! What a

surprise! After traveling for fifteen miles, he calls ‘rAma’. Even though he

called Him after a long time, vAlmIki is happy. Why? Because, there is a

sweet sound coming from viSvAmitrar’s mouth! (everyone laughs in the audience).

viSvAmitra: abhyabhAshata - viSvAmitro madhurAm vANIm abhyabhAshata!

viSvAmitrar is not known to speak pleasant words.

 

When a husband and wife fight in a house, there will be lot of noise. Even the

neighbors can hear. They will come and enquire, “Why was there so much noise?

There was loud talking!”. [The wife replies] “Why do you ask! It is all my

fate. A viSvAmitrar has been tied to my leg” (the wife would refer to her

husband thus!)! (the whole audience laughs) Sesha Seshi bhAvam “tied only to

the leg” (everyone laughs again). viSvAmitrar is that famous. valmIki writes a

Slokam to note that viSvAmitrar “ talked so sweet” rAmeti madhurAm vANIm

viSvAmitro’bhyabhAshata! He spoke some sweet words! vAmIki is so happy

because of that.

 

Why did he take them that far (without talking)? Why didn’t he talk all along?

Why did he talk only after reaching the banks of sarayU? We will see the

reasons in tomorrow’s upanyAsam….

 

evam etat purAvRttam AkhyAnam bhadramastu va: |

pravyAharata visrabdham balam vishNo: pravardhatAm ||

 

svasti prajAbhya: paripAlayantAm |

nyAyyena mArgeNa mahIm mahISA: ||

go-brAhmaNebhya: Subham astu nityam |

lokA: samastA: sukhino bhavantu ||

ma’ngaLam kosalendrAya mahanIya guNAbdhaye |

cakravarti tanUjAya sArva bhaumAya ma’ngaLam ||

ma’ngaLASasana parai: madAcArya purogamai: |

sarvai: ca pUrvai: AcAryai: satkRtAyAstu man’gaLam ||

 

----------* --------------* ---------------

 

Next day, SrImad ANDavan starts the upanyAsam with the chanting in a sweet

voice, with the following:

 

- SrImad tenpiRai ANDavan (sanyAsa AcAryar) taniyan,

- SrImad AkkUr ANDavan (bharanyAsa AcAryar) tanian,

- SrImad terazhundUr ANDavan (kAlakshepa AcAryar) tanian,

- jIvanam jagatAm jIyAt (offering prostrations to svAmi deSikan),

- kamapyAdyam gurum vande (to tiruve’nkaTamuDaiyAn),

- aki’ncananidhim sUtim (to dayAdevi),

- vande tam yaminAm (to uDaiyavar ),

- kUjantam rAma rAmeti (to vAlmIki bhagavAn),

- ullan’ghya sindho: salilam (to Siriya tiruvaDi),

- vaidehi sahitam (to rAman in kalpa taru sevA),

- dharmAtmA satyasandha: ca rAmo dASarathi: yadi |

paurushe ca apratidvandva: Sara! enam jahi rAvaNim (yuddha. – 91.76 - the

mantram chanted by iLaiya perumAL – lakshmaNan, for slaying indrajit – indrajit

vadha astra abhimantraNa mantram),

- divyasthAnAt tvamiva (prostrations to pAdukA devi),

- vandedirnda tATakai tan urattaik kIRi (perumAL tirumozhi 10-2 ),

- jayatyASrita santrAsa (first Slokam of SrI mahAvIra vaibhavam), and

- kaRpAr rAmapirAnaiyallAl pASuram.

 

adhyardha yojanam gatvA sarayvA dakshiNe taTe |

rAmeti madhurAm vANIm viSvAmitro’bhyabhAshata || (bAla. 22.11)

 

In earlier story, we saw that viSvAmitra bhagavAn (It is tradition to refer to

viSvAmitra bhagavAn, vasishTha bhagavAn etc., because they are great

mahaRshi-s) came to daSarathan’s court and requested for his eldest son to

protect his yAgam; daSarathan, feeling extremely distressed, said “naiva

dAsyAmi putrakam” (bAla. 20.14) – “I will not give my son. Instead, I will

myself come and give whatever help you need by performing the battle (with the

rAkshasa-s); viSvAmitrar became angry; and upon vasishThar’s advice,

daSarathar sent his son with him.

 

esha vigrahavAn dharma: , esho’strAn vividhAn vetti, tapasa: ca parAyaNam etc.

– in four or five Slokams, vasishThar tells daSarathan about the greatness of

viSvAmitrar. He says, “He will instruct them on the use of a lot of weapons –

bhRSASva tanayA hyete! The weapons are all the sons of bhRSASvar; a lot of

knowledge is going to accrue. So, send your son”. [in bAla kANDam Sloka-s 21

and 22, vAlmIki points out that all the astra-s are really the sons of

bhRASvar, and were given to kauSika – which is another name for viSvAmitra;

viSvAmitrar, the son of kuSika, knows these astra-s (who are really the sons

of bhRASvar), very well. vasishThar says to daSarathan that sending rAma with

viSvAmitar will result in the later teaching the intricacies of these many

astra-s to rAma].

 

daSarathan asks: “How should I send?” .

 

peyyum mAriyAl perugum veLLam pOi

moi koL vElai vAi muDugum ARu pOl

ayya! nin magaRkku aLavil vi’njai vandu

eydu kAlam inRu edirndadu ennavE! (kamban – kaiyaDaip paTalam-16)

 

The tamizh poet says in rAmAyaNam that he advised thus. What did he

(vasishThar) say? “daSaratha! You are going to be helped by viSvAmitrar”.

What help?

 

peyyum mAriyAl perugum veLLam pOi

moi koL vElai vAi muDugum ARu pOl

 

“When it rains profusely on all four sides, the flood waters collect and join a

river; the river water overflows, and all the rain waters reach the ocean via

the river; like that, good time has come for your son to obtain immeasurable

knowledge - ayya! nin magaRkku aLavil vi’njai vandu eydu kAlam inRu

edirndadu!”. “vidyA” in samskRtam becomes “vi’njai” in tamizh. vasishThar

advises in one pASuram, “Your son is going to obtain unlimited knowledge [in

astra-s]”.

 

aLavil vi’njai – vidyA is lakshmI – She is going to come to your son. That is

the meaning. lakshmI is the form of vidyA. Atma vidyA ca devi tvam vimukti

phaladAyinI | - laskhmI is considered to be personification of vidyA . Even

today, when arcanai is done for tAyAr, they make the offering with ‘vidyAyai

nama:’.

 

laskhmI is called vidyA. ‘aLavil vidyaI – is said based on deSika sampradAyam.

What is ‘aLavil’? That which is vibhu that is vyApti – present everywhere

Isn’t it right? vasishThar is secretly trying to instruct daSarathar alone,

without the others understanding, that tAyAr who is vibhu like perumAL, is

going to be arriving –

 

nityaiva eshA vishNoh SrIr-anapAyinI |

yathA sarvagato vishNuh tathaiveyamdvijottama || (vishNu purANa 1.8.17).

 

[“This Lakshmi is eternal, the universal Mother, and is ever in union with

VishNu. Just as VishNu pervades all things, she also does, O best of Brahmins”]

 

“nin magaRku aLavil vi’njai vandu eydu kAlam inRu edirndadu” - vasishTha

bhagavAn, who has extrasensory knowledge, indirectly advises him, “lakshmI is

going to come; your son is going to get married”. daSarathan understood

immediately; he is vasishTha’s disciple, right! What did he do immediately?

==========

To be continued …..

 

 

 

 

 

 

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