Sri GuNa Rathna kOsam : Part -- SlOkam 14

[Guest guest]

SrimathE RanganAyakyai Nama:

 

Dear BhakthAs:

 

After citing passages from Bhagavath GithA , Vedam

and Upanishads earlier as pramANams for the status of

MahA Lakshmi as the Empress of the Universe ,

conferring the status of Isvarathvam to her Lord ,

Bhattar refers to UpabrumhaNams ( IthihAsa PurANams)

as clinching evidence now for this view in slOkam 14:

 

uddhbAhusthvAm UpanishadasaavAha naikA niyanthrIm

Srimath RaamAyanamapi param prANithi tvaccharithrE

smarthArOssmajjanani yathamE sEthihAsai: PurANai:

Nithyur VedhA napi cha tatamE tvannmahimni PramANam

 

(Meaning by Dr.V.N.VedAntha Desikan ): It is not

as though the Upanishads and Purusha Sooktam alone

declare in this manner , Your supermacy , raising

their arms high to proclaim with a great force. Sreemath

RaamAyanam too acknowledges to having been composed

as a praise of SeethA's life; indeed , it sustains its

life-breath from You (MahA LakshmI).Smrithi authors too,

had to derive declarations of Your greatness from

the VedhAs , aided by IthihAsAs and PurANAs.

 

Additional Comments by Dr.V.N.V:

********************************

 

It is not only the Upanishads and Purusha

Sooktham that raise their hands and declare

that You (Mahaa lakshmI is SarvEsvari. Indeed

Srimath RaamAyanam , the most prominent among

IthihAsams sustains itself by eulogizing Your

Mahimai.Sage ValmIki attested to that with

the statement : " SeethAyA: Charitham mahath "

( SeethA Devi's charithram is indeed great ).

At the surface,Sreemath RaamAyanam may appear

as the story of RaamA.The deeper purport of

Sreemath RaamAyanam is the eulogy of the glories

of SeethA PirAtti.Why ? It is because even

the Lord's mercy becomes fulfilled by

the PurushakAram of SeethA pirAtti.

 

Oh My Mother ! All the creators of Smrithis

unanimously declare that VedAs have become

PramANams with the help of the IthihAsams

and PurANams.Oh RanganAyaki ! VedAs are PramANams

for Your vaibhavam. The foundations for the vedhams

as PramAnams are the UpabruhmaNams like IthihAsam

(Sreemeth RaamAyanam ) and Saathvika PurANams.

 

AdiyEn's observations :

***********************

 

(1) Raising one's hands in an assertive gesture to attest

to the truth of the matter is an accepted fact. For instance,

DhvAdasa Naama Panjara sthOthra slOkam attests to

the greatness of Kesavan ( the Lord) with raised hands:

 

" sathyam Sathyam Puna: Sathyam UDDHDHRUTHYA BHUJAM UCHYATHE

VedA: Saasthram param naasthi na dhaivam KesavAth Param "

 

Bhattar points out that the Upanishads and Purusha

Sooktham attest to MahA Lakshmi's greatness with

their arms raised in this slOkam ( uddhbAhusthvAm

Upanishada-saavAha naikA NiyanthrIm ).

 

(2) The important role played by IthihAsams

to elaborate on the terse statements of VedAs

to understand fully the meanings of Veda manthrAs

makes the IthihAsam as a great authority .

Bhattar points it out here and takes the IthihAsam

of Sreemath RaamAyaNam as an example in this

context to attest to the unquestioned glories

of Sri RanganAyaki( MahA lakshmi).

 

The greatness of the IthihAsams is described in

MahA Bharatham itself:

 

" yO vidhyAth chathurO VedhAn SaangOpanishadhAn dhvija:

na chAkhyAnamidham VidhyAth naiva sa syAth vichakshana:

 

(meaning):A brahmin , who is not versed in IthihAsA,

but only in the four VedAs , VedAngAs and Upanishads

is NOT learned at all.

 

IthihAsams have been described as " Saasthra Saaram " .

MarkaNdEya PurANam pays tribute to IthihAsam

(MahA Bharatham here) this way: " This world has

been sanctified and has been made free of impurities

by the floods of the holy words of VyAsA , descending

from the high mountain of the VedAs , and cutting at

the very roots the trees of false and perverted DharmAs. "

What is being said of Sage VyAsA's IthihAsam is

equally applicable to Sage Vaalmiki's IthihAsam,

Sreemath RaamAyaNam , cited by ParAsara Bhattar

in this slOkam .

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan