ThiruvahIndhrapuram RathnAngi Series: Part 54, KambhOji Krithi realting to SeethAyanam

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear Sri Raamachandra BhakthAs:

 

Today , we will study together the KaambhOji Krithi,

where ThyAgarAja SwamigaL reminds Lord Raamachandran

about the secret behind His auspiciousness and when

that Sarva MangaLathvam started to come His way .

 

The KaambhOji Krithi identifies the source of that

auspiciousness as Jaanaki PirAtti and that the Lord

Of AyOdhyA became celebrated as Sarva MangaLa paripoorNan

immediately after He held SitA PirAtti's hand during

the PaaNigrahaNam stage of His Vaidhika VivAham

at MithilApuri .

 

The krithi relating to this empowerment of the Lord

is as follows:

 

Pallavi

********

Maa Jaanaki cheDDa BaDDaga MahaarAja vaithivi

 

(meaning): Oh Lord Raamachandra! You transformed

in to such a fortunate man , when you held out Your hand

and clasped the auspicious hand of our beloved Jaanaki

in holy matrimonial union.

 

Anupallavi

**********

Raaja Raajavara RaajeevAksha vinu-

RaavANAri yani rAjillu keerthiyu ( Maa jaanaki)

 

Oh RaajAdhi Raaja( King of Kings)! Oh RaajeevAksha

(with eyes reminding one of the beauty and softness of

the Lotus flower)! That act of Union of Your hand

with that of our beloved Jaanaki PirAtti got you positioned

to earn later the title of RaavaNA's Vanquisher.

 

CharaNam

*********

 

kaanakEgi yAj~na meeraka mAyA-

kAra munichi sikhi-chenthanE yuNDi

dhAnavuni ventanE chani yasOkataru moolanUNDi

vaani maaDaluku gOpagimcha kaNDa

vadhiyinchakanE yuNDi

SrI Naayaka ! yasamu neekE kalga-

jEya lEdhA? ThyagarAja-paripAla (Maa Jaanaki)

 

SrIman PurusshOtthaman's translation of this passage

from his ThyAgOpanishad monograph some 28 years ago

is most beautiful to refer to:

 

" Following You the forest faithfully , obeying Your

behests implicitly , assuming a false form plausibly ,

staying the whilst with the Fire God purely , going with

RaakshasA mournfully , languishing under the AshOka tree

despairingly , suffering the Raakshasan's (insulting)words

stoically instead of finishing him off with one look

instantly , Oh Lord of Lakshmi, did She not deny Herself of

every thing and reserve all glories for You and

for You alone to be saluted as Vijaya Raaghavan ? " .

 

Addresssing the Lord in the most delectable manner as

" SrI NaayakA " ThyAgarAja SwamigaL asks the Lord the question:

" Oh King of Kings! Did n't Your Yasas (keerthi ) as

RaavaNAri ( the destroyer of RaavaNa) arise from the power

conferred on You by our Jaanaki PirAtti during the time

of Your PaaNigrahaNam ? Had that(association) not happened ,

who could say confidently that You would become revered as

the mighty slayer of the evil Raavana? That single sacred act

of " Chetta battuta " ( Clasping of the hand of our princess

Jaanaki thru paanigrahaNam )made You a maharaajA ( the Most

fortunate man).That in turn paved the way for your reputation

of being recognized as the Chathru/ari (foe) of RaavaNa.

 

In this krithi , Thyagabrahmam follows the version of

Aananda RaamAyaNam ( instead of VaalmIki RaamAyaNam) ,

when he refers to " Maayaakaaramunichi SikhichenthanE yuNDi " .

According to Aananda RaamaayaNam , SitA PirAtti assumes

a Maaya (false) form and goes with RaavaNa , when he kidnaps Her ,

while Her real form stays back with Agni Devan until She

returns from LankA with Her vicorious Lord.She undergoes

Agni Pravesam and returns to her Lord's side as

the Nija SeethA.

 

Describing the PaaNigrahaNam scene on that Vijaya MuhUrtham,

day ,when Utthara Phalgumni Nakshathram was in ascendance ,

Sage Vaalmiki recalls the statement of the proud father Janaka :

 

" iyam SeethA mama suthA sahadharamacharI Tava

pratheeccha chainAm bhadram tE PAANIM GRUHNEESHVA PAANINAA

PathivrathA MahAbhAgA chAyEvAnugathA sadhaa

--SrImad RaamAyaNam : Baala KaaNDam: 73.26-27)

 

(Meaning): " This SitA , my daughter is going to be Your

helpmate in discharging Your sacred duties . Take Her hand

in Your own and accept Her as Your own . May good betide You!

She is highly fortuante and will remain exclusively devoted

to You and will ever follow You as Your shadow " .

 

The sorrows that SitA PirAtti suffered during her captivity in

Lanka at AshOka Vanam and Her patient waiting for the Lord to

rescue Her and resisting the temptation to reduce RaavaNa

to ashes with Her own power of Paathivrathyam /Chastity

(Sundara KaaNDam)and finally joining Her victorious Lord

after the destruction of RaavaNa (Yuddha KaaNDam) are

referred to in the charanam section of this

moving tribute to SitA PirAtti as the highest ideal

of womanhood in the Indian tradition.

 

SrI HemAbhja Valli SamEtha DevanAtha CharaNou

Saranamaham PrapadhyE,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan