AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. Sept. 09 Part 2)

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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. Sept. 09 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)

 

(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

 

Like that, what did sItA's mother ask?

 

bhikshiNyAH sAdhu vRttAyA mama maturihAgrataH | (ayodhyA.29.13)

 

Observe the terms introduced by vAlmIki - sAdhu vRttAyA - “My mother asked

such a kuratti [female soothsayer from hilly regions] how the baby would be.

She said, 'The baby will be very lucky. No problem at all. I shall ask my

svAmi', beat the peacock feathers on the ground and placed a muRam [winnow]

requesting a prasAdam of black pepper, salt, tamaraind and rice for her

svAmi.'â€

 

sIrAr cuLagil sila nel piDitteRiyA

vErA vidir vidirA meycilirA, kaimO vA

'pErAyiram uDaiyAn' enRAL

 

“She felt exalted. She said, 'your daughter is going to marry One who has a

thousand names. She will marry a person who has sahasra nAmam. But, she will

have some life to live in the forest'. Thus kuratti-s, astrologers, palm

readers etc have all said that I will have vana vAsam. From then on, I have

been desiring about vana vAsam. So many people have confirmed this.

 

So,

 

bhartAram anugacchantI bhartA hi mama daivatam ||

pretya bhavepi kalyANaH sangamo me saha tvayA |

SrutiH hi SrUyate puNyA braAhmaNAnAM tapasvinAm ||

ihaloke ca pitRbhiH yA strI yasya mahAmate |

adbhiH dattA svadharmeNa pretya bhAve'pi tasya sA

(ayodhyA.29.16,17, 19)

 

So, to whomsoever a father marries his daughter to, offering [dAna] tIrttam,

that husband stays with the wife even after death.

 

And, You are saying You are going to leave me and go.

 

You are saying vanavAsam is hard! Do You know what is hard for us (women)?

 

yaH tvayA saha sa svargaH nirayo yastvayA vinA |

iti jAnan parAM prItiM gaccha rAma! mayA saha || (ayodhyA.30.18)

 

yaH tvayA saha sa svargaH nirayo yastvayA vinA |â€

 

nORRu suvargam puguginRa ammanAi

mARRamum tArArO vAsal tiRavAdAr (tiruppAvai.10)

[You have done all the nOmbu/vratam-s and are now enjoying kRshNAnubhavam;

bhagavad anubhavam is svargam for devotees]

 

divi vA bhuvi vA mamAstu vAsaH

narake vA narAntaka prakAmam |

avadhIrita SAradAvindau

caraNau te maraNe'pi cintayAmi (mukundamAlA.6)

 

[Wherever I reside, in heaven, or in earth or in hell, let me remember Your

lotus feet at the time of my death]

 

cirappil vIDu suvargam narakam

iRappil eyduga eydaRka – yAnum

piRappil pal piRavip perumAnai

maRap ponRinRi enRum magizhvanE (tiruvAi.2.9.5)

 

“ Do I know what heaven is? You spent a lot of time explaining vanavAsam is

hard.

 

yaH tvayA saha sa svargaH – Heaven is where You are for me. Whether I am with

You in the forest, or mountain or any where else, that place is heaven for me.

 

nirayo yastvayA vinA – Let it be vaikuNTham. Living alone without You is hell

for me. When bhagavAn is not with us, that is hell. Being with You is heaven;

being separated from You is not heaven. That is what our dictionary is for

hell.â€

 

rAma says, “Oh, I did not knowâ€.

 

sItA says - “Then, learn now. iti jAnan – there is matter that even a

husband has to learn from the wife.â€

 

Will a husband know everything? In some matters, they need to know. We have to

ask these wives how much salt to add for the pongal [porridge – a preparation

of cooked rice]. Should we add the salt when the food is boiling or at the end

of cooking? If we add salt in the beginning itself, in a vessel that has not

been treated with Iyam (lead), a 'kaLimbu' [copper rust] smell will come. We

have to ask the wives for these things.

 

“ iti jAnan parAM prItiM gaccha rAma! mayA saha ||

 

There are things that You need to learnâ€.

 

rAma - “I know so much; I did not think soâ€.

 

sItA - “jAnan parAM prItiM – that means You do not have love for me. I have

so much love for You. pAraM prItiM gacca rAma mayA saha – take me with You;

You must not leave me alone here, svAmi; You are my heaven.â€

 

What did AzhvAr say? “If I am in hell, let me be there. If I have thoughts

about You, I can just stay there.

 

cirappil vIDu suvargam narakam iRappil eyduga eydaRka

 

I will stay even in hell if You will stay with me. Even if I am sent to hell,

You are still the antaryAmi. But, on only one condition – I must not forget

You. As long as I do not have to forget You, I can stay in hell. That does not

bother me. There is no other happiness than the thought that antaryAmi bhagavAn

is still with me.â€

 

sItA - “Being with You is heaven; separation from You is hell. So, You should

not ignore me and leave me.â€

 

perumAL tells pirATTi -

“sAntvyamAnA tu rAmeNa maithilI janakAtmajA |

praNayAccAbhimAnAcca paricikshepa rAghavam || (2.30-1,2)

 

I am thinking of you as mythilI and trying to console you; but, you are not

listening to my words.

 

sAntvyamAnA tu rAmeNa maithilI janakAtmajA |

 

Living in the forest is really hard. You will suffer there; you must not

comeâ€.

 

praNayAccAbhimAnAcca paricikshepa rAghavam ||

 

rAma tried very hard to console sItA. sItA got angry. Still, perumAL tried to

make her stay - praNayAccAbhimAnAcca paricikshepa.

 

sItA feels that she must not lose her purushArtham [objective worth of human

pursuit]; she forces herself – 'kuRREval engaLaik koLLAmal pOgAdu

(tiruppAvai.29)â€

 

When one asks for purushArtham, it should be done in a way that it bears fruit

in the end. There is no point in letting it slip at the time and then

regretting it later. So, sItA feels that she must express her anger more. In

the vyAkhyAnam for bhagavad vishayam, it is said that she spoke to her husband,

more than a wife normally would have done.

 

sItA - “ What svAmi? What will my father think if You do not take me with

You?

 

kim tvA'manyata vaidehaH pitA me mithilAdhipaH |

rAma jAmAtaraM prApya striyaM purusha vigraham | (ayodhyA.30.3)

 

Do You know what my father will think? 'rAma married my daughter. I thought He

broke the bow in a stupendous manner. He did not take my daughter when He left

for the forest. So, it looks like He does not have any strength. A woman in

the garb of a man has taken hold of my daughter's hand'. This is how my father

will think. He will feel that rAma is just a woman, may be; He has no valor.

'striyaM purusha vigraham – a lady has married my daughter'. I am not saying

this. kim tvA'manyata vaidehaH pitA me mithilAdhipaH | - My father will think

like this.â€

 

King janaka is not thinking like that. sItA herself says thus in a hidden

manner.

 

Women do not chide directly. They will say – when you are doing work like

this, which fool is paying you money? (laughter in the audience)

 

kim tvA'manyata vaidehaH pitA me mithilAdhipaH |

rAma jAmAtaraM prApya striyaM purusha vigraham ||

 

vAlmIki has used two terms here. vaidehaH and mithilAdhipaH. Why? 'Let me know

if You cannot protect me; I will write a letter to my father. He will send a

huge army for the fourteen years; wherever we go, there will be His army; You

are saying there will be only hardships in the forest. My father's army and

paraphernalia will all be there and I will come and stay with You in the forest.

Let me know if You cannot protect me'.

 

kim tvA'manyata vaidehaH pitA me mithilAdhipaH |

rAma jAmAtaraM prApya striyaM purusha vigraham ||

praNayAcca abhimAnAcca paricikshepa rAghavam ||â€

 

Because of anger and also her love for rAma, sItA spoke thus. She is talking

like that with the intention of explaining that she is doing so because of

affection and so rAma will not get infuriated. snehAccA, abhimAnAcca - “I

understand that You are talking as if You forgot that we both are inseparable

and You are trying to avoid hardships in the forest life for me out of Your

immense affection for meâ€.

 

praNayAcca abhimAnAcca paricikshepa rAghavam ||

 

kim tvA'manyata vaidehaH pitA me mithilAdhipaH |

rAma jAmAtaraM prApya striyaM purusha vigraham ||

 

When perumAL hears this Slokam, He does get angry a little. 'What is this, sItA

is talking like this'? He said, “Okay, sItA, start for the forest with me.â€

With this Slokam alone in His mind, He defeated fourteen thousand rAkshasa-s in

janasthAnam, all by Himself – that is how vyAkhyAnam is done for “taM

dRshTvA Satru hantAram†(AraNya.30.40).

 

“Okay, come with meâ€, said rAma. “We have to do yAtrA dAnam; bring all

your jewels etc. You should donate them all to women.†sItA agreed.

 

He asked her to give away all her adornments. VasishThar's son and

daughter-in-law came. He asked her to donate their sayyA [bed] to them; she

donated all their belongings.

 

rAma is testing sItA here - His thought is that – if she is asked to donate

all her jewels, she may say – 'okay, I am not coming, You can go'. Is she the

one to be fooled? She gave away all her jewelries.

 

evaM SrutvA tu samvAdaM lakshamaNaH pUrvamAgataH |

bhAshpa paryAkula mukhaH SokhaM soDum aSaknuvan || (2.31.1)

 

Look at how vAlmIki writes rAmAyaNam in such a pleasant manner.

 

'Such was the conversation between the two. Then, they started [for the forest]

together'.

 

lakshmaNa is now thinking; he wants to wait till their conversation is over so

that he can ask for his purushArtham and then starts talking.

 

If you say – it is not shown that lakshmaNa was standing there - lakshamNaH

pUrvam AgataH - He was standing there at a distance. When a husband and wife

are talking, only a stupid person will go and stand close by!

 

It is not said that lakshmaNa did not come to the front; it is said that he just

stood at a distance.

 

Sometimes, in the Asramam, when some high officials are coming and conversing, a

few stupid people will keep standing close by and we will have to make them

leave.

 

lakshmaNa is a prince. Wouldn't he know all these protocols? He is not like

some folks in the ASramam.

 

evaM SrutvA tu samvAdaM lakshamaNaH pUrvamAgataH |

bhAshpa paryAkula mukhaH SokhaM soDum aSaknuvan ||

 

lakshmaNa has come earlier. His brother and his wife are conversing. So, he

stays away instead of being closer to them. samvAdam SrutvA – Can he listen

to their talks? samvAdam – samyak vAdam – they are talking aloud. There is

anger int their conversations. He says, 'Do not come'; she says, ' I will

come'; both are arguing and both are talking loudly. That loud conversation

fell in the ears of lakshmaNan.

 

evaM SrutvA tu samvAdaM lakshamaNaH pUrvamAgataH |

bhAshpa paryAkula mukhaH SokhaM soDum aSaknuvan ||

 

lakshamAna realized how much difficulty he is going to face.

 

The situation is like this – His brother, rAma, prabhu, cakravarti's son, was

ruling in nitya vibhUti on AdiSesha paryankam (bed) ' ezhulagum tanikkOl sella

vIvil sIr ARRal mikkALum ammAn' (tiruvAi.4.5.1); He came and made His appearance

in ikshvAku vamSam. He is our lord; our Isvaran; why should He go to the forest?

Thinking thus, lakshamaNa is shedding profuse tears – bhAshpa paryAkula mukhaH

..

 

Sokam soDUm aSaknuvan – He is not able to control His sorrow.

 

sa bhrAtuH caraNau gADhaM nipIDya raghunandanaH |

sItAm uvAca adiyaSA rAghavaM ca mahAvratam || (ayodhyA.31.2)

 

What does he do? He immediately falls down on the ground and prostrates before

both of them; He takes hold of perumAL's tiruvaDi and prays to sItA also.

sItAm uvAca adiyaSA rAghavaM ca mahAvratam || He prays to rAma and to sItA also;

mAhAvratam – He prays to rAma, who has a mahAvratam? What is that mahA

vratam?

 

sakRdeva prapannAya tavAsmIti ca yAcate |

abhayaM sarva bhUtebhyaH dadAmyetat vrataM mama ||

(yuddha.18.34)

 

It is that mahA vratam. This Slokam comes during vibhIshaNa SaraNAgati. In the

beginning with “ko'nvasmin sAmpradam lokeâ€, vAlmIki has used the terms

“satyavAkyo dRDhavrataH†(bAla.1.2).

 

Rama's steadfast determination is to protect any one who surrenders to Him; so,

lakshmaNa surrenders to rAma and requests Him.

 

Some folks will have vratams; they will honor them sometimes only, not always.

Here, it is rAghavam ca mahAvratam – it is raghuvamSam. That clan was there

to do SaraNAgata rakshaNam alone. Then, why is it called mahAvratam?

 

rAma has SaraNAgata rakshaNam itself as His vratam. iLaiya perumAL (lakshmaNa)

surrenders to that rAma. vAlmIki uses a term for him here. lakshmaNa does

SaraNagati to rAma and sIta. Which lakshmaNa? adiyaSAH – lakshmaNa, who is

mahA yaSasvI (One who is great and renowned).

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(End of translation of AcArya rAmAmRtam as it appeared in the September 2009

issue of SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA)

===========

To be continued …..