SrimaSrimad Ramayana Tathva Deepika #71 Ba:la Ka:nda]

[Guest guest]

Srimathe Ramanujayanamaha!

Sri Jeeyar Thiruvadigale Saranam!

 

This opening sloka of Sri Ramayanam contains a bird’s story, Sri Rama’s

story and the story of atma together. We shall learn about them later.

Valmiki pondered over the curse that was given by him unintentionally

and wondered why did such words come out of his month and thought over

what might have been the reason for this and told his disciple

Bharadwa:ja, “There are four feet(pa:da:s) in this verse. In every foot

there are eight letters. It is well orchestrated to be suitable to be

played on musical instruments. Hence it is not just a cluster of words

expressing grief.

 

This is Slo:ka. It can be praised by one and all.” Valmiki’s So:ka

became a Slo:ka. It’s NOT recommended to experience one’s agony oneself.

One should get rid of the soka with Jna:na. With the awareness that

Bhagavan is Omnipresent, if a human being who has no misery of his own

- grieves for the agony of another being - then this (grief) So:kam

becomes a Slo:ka. That would become worthy of being sung its glory. This

has become the characteristic for the later kavya.

 

Except for Veda, there was nothing existent earlier with metrical rules

and grammar. This sloka which came out of Valmiki’s voice on witnessing

the crouncha bird’s grief is the first composition with the rules of

prosody. Thinking that there must be some hidden secrets in this sloka,

Valmiki kept contemplating on it. Outwardly in ‘ma:nisha:da’ sloka, it

looks like cursing the ‘nishada’ (hunter). But elders opine that is

‘Ramacharitha’ in this sloka and it is the first sloka of Sri Ramayanam.

 

To be continued...

Jaisreemannarayana!!

Ramanujamma Mudumbai, Ramanuja Dasi