AcArya rAmAMRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. Nov. 09 Part 1)

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SrIH

SrImate ra’ngarAmAnuja mahA deSikAya namaH

SrImate SrInivAsa rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya namaH

SrImate vedAnta rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya namaH

SrI ra’nganAtha divya maNi pAdukAbhyAm namaH

 

AcArya rAmAMRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. Nov. 09 Part 1)

 

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)

 

(Please set your encoding to Unicode UTF-8).

 

SrImad ANDavan tiruvaDigaLE SaraNam,

kalyANi kRshNamAcAri

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SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan’s SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam

 

Before getting on to the chariot, sitA devi seeks her mother-in-law, kausalyA's

blessings.

 

It is written law that a daughter-in-law must prostrate before her mother-on-law

once when she comes in and once when she goes out. So, she prostrates four

times.

 

kausalyA tells sItA:

 

tAM bhujAbhyAM parishvajya SvaSrUr vacanam abravIt |

anAcarantIM kRpaNaM mUrdhnyupAghrAya maithilIm ||

asatyaH sarva loke'smin satataM satkrRtAH priyaiH |

bhartAraM nAnumanyante vinipAtadakaM striyaH ||

esha svabhAvo nArINAm anubhUya purA sukham |

alpAmapyApadaM prApya dushyanti prajahatyapi ||

(ayodhyA.39, 19, 20, 21)

 

She calls sItA, her daughter-in-law, “amma = motherâ€.

 

“Be loving to my son; do not say anything against Him - You know that it is

the nature of women in this world.

 

bhartAraM nAnumanyante vinipAtadakaM striyaH ||

 

When a husband is in an unfortunate situation, the wife will not honor her

husband; that is the worldly behavior.

 

esha svabhAvo nArINAm anubhUya purA sukham |

alpAmapyApadaM prApya dushyanti prajahatyapi ||

 

The wife would have enjoyed life to the core with what her husband provided.

She would not have had any wants; she would have had all the wealth. She might

not even have walked to places; her husband would have asked her to take a ride

in a car; she would have enjoyed all the amenities of life. She would have eaten

five or six times a day; she would have taken tiffen/snacks alone five or six

times a day. No deprivations, no desires at all; even then,

 

alpAmapyApadaM prApya – if a small sorrow befalls her husband, dushyanti –

she will take it out on him.

 

She will not just stop with chiding; prajahatyapi– she will leave him and run

away to her parents' house.

 

She will say, 'You are suffering. Why should I also suffer? So, I will stay in

my parents' place for five or six months. You do what you want to do.'

 

prajahatyapi â€.

 

I am not saying this; kausalyA is saying this.

 

A lady says this; it does not affect us!

 

prajahatyapi– wife will leave the husband. This is not new.

 

esha svabhAvo nArINAm – this is a woman's natural trait.

 

So,

 

na kulaM na kRtaM vidyAM, na dattaM nApi sangrahaM |

strINAM gRhNAti hRdayam anitya hRdayAH hi tAH ||

(2.39.23)

 

kausalyA is saying a very intriguing Slokam here.

 

What is she saying? Will women leave and go like that?

 

She says 'yes'.

Is that really true?

'Yes'.

She has been good all these days.

'So what?'

 

na kulaM na kRtaM vidyAM, na dattaM nApi sangrahaM |

strINAM gRhNAti hRdayam …

 

She will not think for a moment if she can behave like that in a highly noble

family.

 

na kulaM na kRtaM vidyAM – She will not take into consideration, her education

also. She would have successfully passed difficult examinations; what is the

use of her passing exams? It is of no help. She will say, 'what is the

difference between my staying and my leaving'. na vidhyAM – she will not care

about the effect of her education.

 

na kRtaM – She will not consider the fact that the in-law family has been so

good to her.

 

na dattaM nApi sangrahaH - she will not think about what she got or wore or

enjoyed.

 

strINAM gRhNAti hRdayam – a woman's heart will not regard all those.

 

“Why� It is not their fault.

 

anitya hRdayAH hi tAH – ISvaran has created a woman's heart vacillating by

nature. So, women must not be blamed.

 

strINAM pavitraM paramaM patiH ekho viSishyate ||

sa tvayA nAvamantavyaH putraH pravrAjito mama |

(ayodhyA.39.24,25)

 

kausalyA continues - “So, it is said that the highest truth for a wife is her

husband; SAstram declares that a husband is the only one who is important for a

wife.

 

My son has become impoverished; leaving all the riches, He is wearing a tree

bark garment and going to the forest.

 

sa tvayA nAvamantavyaH – do not disgrace Him on the way! Do not utter any

insulting words. Treat Him with honor.

 

tava daivatamastvesha nirdhanaH sadhano'pivA |

(ayodhyA.39.25)

 

Whether He has wealth or not, think of Him as your god! When afflicted with

sorrow, harsh words from you can hurt Him more, right! So, please care for Him

with dignity and respectâ€.

 

Immediately, sItA prostrates before her mother-in-law and says,

 

“I will do so, mother. When I left my palace in mithilA, my mother told me

the same thing. She has advised me on how to behave right and how to support my

husband. She has instructed me on how to conduct myself in the in-laws' house.

 

SuSrUshasva kurUn – kaNvar is sending SakuntalA to dushyanta's palace. “Oh

girl! Do you know how you should be in your husband's place? kuru

priyasakhIvRttiM sapatnIjane - (four Slokams are very significant in SAkuntalam)

– Serve your father-in-law and mother-in-law. Treat the co-wives as your

friends. Do not harbor pride no matter how much wealth you receive.†kaNvar

gives wonderful advice to his daughter.

 

I am following the advice my mother gave me in mithilA. Will any woman leave

her husband no matter what difficult situation he is in?

 

nA'tantrI vAdyate vINA, nA'cakro vartate rathaH |

nA'patiH sukham edheta yA syAdapi SatAtmajA ||â€

(ayodhyA.39.29)

 

sItA's magnificent words; all these Slokams are a treat.

nA'tantrI vAdyate vINA – she talks about vINA instrument. A person has come

to perform in a vINA concert. But, the vINA does not have the strings. He is

asked to play, but how can he play without the strings? One needs to play vINA

on the strings.

 

“nA'tantrI vAdyate vINA, nA'cakro vartate rathaH |

 

A chariot can run only with wheels, right? Like that, nA'patiH sukham edheta -

a wife has no life without her husband. But, she will have her son, daughter

etc, right? yA syAdapi SatAtmajA – even if a woman has a hundred sons, she

will have a blissful life only with her husband. The hundred sons are

unavailable to her if her husband is out of her life.â€

 

These days, sons don't feed their mothers. What if the mother goes to her

daughter's house? yA syAdapi Sata AtmajA – if we read the phrase this way

also, hundred daughters will be the same way too.

 

AtmajaH or AtmajA – both are right. So, yA syAdapi SatAtmajA- even if a

mother has a hundred daughters, they are ineffectual for her. Her life is full

only with her husband. Why?

 

mitaM dadAti hi pitA, mitaM mAtA mitaM sutaH |

amitasya hi dAtAraM bhartAraM kA na pUjayet ||â€

(ayodhyA.39.30)

 

What a superb Slokam from vAlmIki!

 

“mitaM dadAti hi pitA – how much will a father give? He will give a little

out of what he has. If asked for more, he will give a little more with love.

If the mother asks him to give more, he will say, 'Our sons are growing older.

We cannot keep giving them as we did when they were younger. Do not mistake me'.

 

mitaM dadAti hi pitA - father has to worry about his kids. If he gives to the

son, daughter will ask for the same if he does not give her. mitaM dadAti hi

pitA.

 

Will a mother give? mitaM mAtA mitaM sutaH – mitaM mAtA – What is she

going to give? If she is the mother from days of yore, she may give something

she has hidden from her husband, like the lead-coated [iyam] vessel; the husband

may not have kept a count of vessels. So, she can give a vessel to her kids;

what else can she give? mitaM mAtA.

 

mitaM sutaH – how much will a son give? He will count the money and give only

enough for the two-way train journey. amitasya hi dAtAraM bhartAraM kA na

pUjayet - a husband will give more. A trip to mAyavaram will cost ten rupees.

A son will give five rupees. A husband will give a hundred rupees to his wife.

Even if the wife questions that gesture saying she does not need that much,

husband will say – 'keep it in your hand; I can get it from you later'.

amitasya hi dAtAraM bhartAraM kA na pUjayet || Thus, the one who gives more than

enough is only the husband.â€

 

sItA continues - “I will do as you say; my mother has also told meâ€.

 

kausalyA says – 'The chariot has arrived; so, you should start now'.

 

taM rathaM sUrya sankASam - the chariot is shining brilliantly like the sun.

The golden chariot is ready. Everyone is crying aloud.

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To be continued …..