Guest guest Posted December 22, 2009 Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer, During the month of maargazhi, observing the “paavai nOnbu†is the special [or reciting 'thirup paavai' – verses of the 'paavai' aaNdaaL or the lady who lead our path by singing HIS glory]. This month is - the 'maarga seersha' – the top route or the best route or the best time to find the way of attaining moksha or the lord's feet /path. “aham maasaanaam maarga seershah†is the words of supreme lord krishNa in bagavadh geethaa. The young gOpees or the girls observing vratham for the entire month - is perhaps the 'longest vratham' observed during a year. This 'month long' observation of fasts culiminates in a happy marriage for these girls, during the coming 'thai' or 'makara' maasam - as an 'immediate result' – kai mEl palan - of observation of this 'paavai nOnbu'. Any fast for that matter has to be observed with sincerity and with “manas, vaak, and kaayam' – 'mind, speech, and the body' - all three involved together. That too, if the fast is month long, perhaps it may be more difficult to keep all 3 together for such a long period. That is why during this season, being winter times, lot of devotional music, telling/ and or listening to devotional stories, and devotinal congregation are all arranged to help keep the mind focussed, vaak pure and body pure by having an early bath. As part of this 'focussing' effort, now let us see the krithi of thyaagaraaja in raagam 'aabhOgi' - wherein ST says, “mere ritualistic worship with uncontrolled mind is of no useâ€. The krithi - Pallavi: manasu nilpa Sakthi lEka pOthE madhura ghaNTa virula pooja yEmi jEyunu -- manasu Anu pallavi: ghana durmadhuDai thaa munigithE kaavEri mandhaakiniyeTu brOchunu -- manasu CharaNam: sOmidhamma sogasu-gaaNDra kOrithE sOmayaaji svarga arhuDounO kaama krOdhuDu thapambonarchithE kaachi rakshinchunO thyaagaraaja nutha -- manasu meaning: O Lord [raama], praised by this thyaagaraaja! If one does not have the capacity to restrain his mind, what can be accomplished by worship with sweet-sounding bell and flowers alone? Being most arrogant, if one takes a holy dip, how can kaavEri or gangaa save him? If the wife of a sOmayaaji desires a beau, will the sOmayaaji be eligible for heaven? If a person given to desires (or lust) and anger, performs penance, will it protect him by fructifying? [beau - meaning as per dictionary - a frequent and attentive male companion. 2. a male escort for a girl or woman] Points: Now, let us try to link this krithi with an instance in raamaayaNam. That instance can be 'seethaa raaVaNa samvaadham' in asOkha vanam in sundhara kaaNdam. How the link is established and its details – are as below. point 1: As usually I mention, the first pointer is the selection of raagam by ST – it is 'aabhOgi' – split that name so as to get 'aa' + 'bhOgi' = aabhOgi 'aa' is an exclamatory mark bhOgi in sanskrit has 2 meanings - 'enjoyer' and as well 'a serpent'. As per Monier williams sanskit english dictionary -- bhogi is in comp. for 1. bhogin bhogin 1 - mfn. (for 2. col. 3) furnished with windings or curves or rings, curved, ringed (as a serpent) m. a serpent or serpent-demon, a kind of shrub (inÄ«), f. a serpent nymph bhogin 2 - mfn. enjoying, eating, having or offering enjoyments, devoted to enjoyments, wealthy, opulent, suffering, experiencing, undergoing, using, possessing m. a voluptuary, a king, the head man of a village, a barber a person who accumulates money for a particular expenditure, Name of a prince (inÄ«), f. a kind of heroine, the concubine of a king or a wife not regularly consecrated with him In our context, we will use meanings 1. enjoyer, 2. snake. Point 2: What incident ST wants to link or point out or indirectly indicate is a scene where an enjoyer is seeing or looking at or aiming at an object of enjoyment, and makes an exclamatory 'aa or haa' noise, for simply he / she is wonderstruck. a person is seeing a snake and makes an exclamatory 'aa or haa' noise, may be in fear. The well known or identified enjoyer of woman in ramaayaNam is 'raavaNa'. And in front of him is his object of enjoyment – seethaa – who is not budging to his desires. He is trying to woo her, entice her, by offering concessions thru assurances of wealth, position, etc, in sundhara kaaNdam by picking up a conversation with her. RaavaNa also sees a snake in seethaa – for she is so beautiful to look at, and at the same time dangerous to touch. He has his own fear of touching that snake - seethaa – for he will die if he forces himself on any lady without her will, [because of brahmaa's curse on raavaNa, as stated to mhaa paarsvan, in that punjikasthala affair – re slokam 6-13-14]. raavaNa seeing seethaa as a snake is corroborated by vaalmeeki in chEshTamaanaam thatha aavishTaam pannagEndhra vadhoom iva | dhoopyamaanaam grahENEva rohiNeem dhoomakEthunaa || 5-19-9 meaning: And also Seethaa was like a great she-serpent writhing under the spell of an incantation. She was like ROhiNee being fumigated by a smoke colored planet called KEthu. [raavaNa is approaching seethaa in the morning by entering asOka vanam. Vaalmeeki describes from slokams 5-19-4 how raavaNa saw seethaa and says raavaNa saw a snake in seethaa as in 9th slokam above. At that time Hanumaan is sitting in simSubhaa tree, sees raavaNa coming and picking up a conversation with seethaa, giving two months time for her to budge etc. Hanumaan is witnessing all these conversations]. See again same 'snake' description by vaalmeeki - after one round of exchange of words between raavaNa and seethaa - avEkshamaaNO vaidhEheem kOpa samraktha lOchanah | uvaacha raavaNah seethaam bhujaNga iva nihshvasan || 5-22-30 meaning: With red eyes due to anger, RaavaNa was looking at Seethaa, who was sighing like a serpant and spoke to Seethaa. So, in ST's view, raavaNa is the enjoyer bhOgi, and in awful position in front of seethaa, so aabhOgi. And seethaa is a beautiful snake, always fretting, fuming and making raavana, that enjoyer, to go in fear whenever he tries to woo her. So snake – in essence raagam used by ST is 'aa+bhOgi' for this krithi is a wonderful selection. Point 3: As per article on this raagam in web site http://wapedia.mobi/en/Abhogi_raga - aabhogi is said to increase appetite. Quote - Certain Indian ragas are believed to produce effects on the human body or on the environment. Abhogi is said to increase appetite - unquote. So, on seeing seethaa raavaNa's desire of enjoying her increases. Or in other words his 'appetite' for 'enjoyment' with seethaa as his lady partner is increasing. But once he touches her without her consent, she is like a snake bite him [burn him as she herself says – i can burn you with my own tEjas but i do not have mandate from raama – re slokam 5-22-20]. Thus, dear readers, see how ST aptly selects raagams for his compositions, and indicate the place in raamayanam from where he took matter for his krithi. Point 4: This krithi is seethaa's advise to raavaNa to control his mind and himself and enjoy with his wives rather than turning to her. When raavaNa says -- Evam cha Ethath akaamaam thu na thvaam sprakshyaami maithili | kaamam kaamah SareerE mE yathaa kaamam praarthathaam || 5-20-6 meaning: raavana says to seethaa, " O maithilee - Seethaa! It is like this. Desire very much may behave in whatever way it likes in my body. But I will not touch you with lust [without seethaa's consent is to be understood for he knows about his curse]. " That is what ST also says 'kaama krOdhuDu thapambonarchithE kaachi rakshinchunO' in charaNam. What is the use of his thapas if one is giving way to kaamam – desire or lust. Point 5: ST krithi point of kaama [raavaNa's kaama] is covered. Now on this krOdham. RaavaNa says his anger and desire which are rising is controlled, like how a good charioteer controls the horses pulling the chariot. But he does not leave the scene without threatening seethaa to bow down to his desire – so that krOdham remains - sanniyachchathi mE krOdham thvayi kaamah samuththithah | dhravathO~amaargam aasaadhya hayaan iva susaarathih || 5-22-3 meaning: RaavaNa says to seethaa, " In your matter, the desire which has risen up is subdueing my anger, like horses running obtaining a bad path being subdued by a good charioteer. " This shows his mind does not have enough power to restrain other 2 'vaak and kaayam' – ST says 'manasu nilpa sakthi lEkha pothE'. Also ST's line of 'kaama krOdhuDu thapambonarchithE kaachi' is getting authenticated. Then what is the use of all his poojaas to Lord Siva and his thapas towards siva - asks ST. Point 6. another point on that 'thapambonarchithE kaachi rakshinchunO' is - raavaNa claims to seethaa, 'raama is not equal to me in thapas' – re slokam - na raamah thapasaa dhEvi na balEna vikramaih || 5-20-34 na dhanEna mayaa thulyah thEjasaa yaSasaa api vaa | meaning: raavaNa to seethaa, " O Seethaa! Raama is not equal to me by austerity, not equal by might; not equal by strength, not equal by wealth, not by brilliance and not by fame. " The main point as per ST here is - when the desire for other man's wife is so much, what is use of his thapas – that is what ST places here in that 'thapambonarchithE kaachi rakshinchunO'. Point 7: Seethaa replies to raavaNa's words – [here comes that famous 'thruNam antharathah kruthvaa' in reply of seethaa – from vaalmeeki, - on which swamy periya vaachaan piLLai PVP has given 26 points on these 3 words TAK]. [all 26 points as a list is covered in one of my earlier article - available in archives] nivarthaya manOmaththah svajanE kriyathaam manah || 5-21-3 na maam praarthayithum yuktham susiddhim iva paapa krith | meaning: seethaa says to raavaNa, " Turn your mind back from me. Let your mind be made on your own wives. Like best emancipation for a sinner, it is not appropriate to prey to me. " vaaham oupayikee bhaaryaa parabhaaryaa sathee thava || 5-21-6saadhu dharmam avEkshasva saadhu saadhu vratham chara | meaning: she continues, " I am wife of another and devoted to my husband, I am not suitable wife to you. Observe righteousness well. Follow very well the course of right conduct of virtuous. " That is what ST also says 'madhura ghaNTa virula pooja yEmi jEyunu' – hey, do not prey to me, na praarthayithum maam – if you do not hold your mind steady, no use of your prayers. Also see how exactly ST uses words of vaalmeeki. Point 8: Seethaa says -- akaaryam na mayaa kaaryam Eka pathnyaa vigarhitham || 5-21-4kulam sampraapthayaa puNyam kulE mahathi jaathayaa | meaning: seethaa to raavaNa, " I was born in a great family. Getting such a family, having one great husband, a bad deed which is blameable is not to be made by me. " This is what ST says 'sOmidhamma sogasu-gaaNDra kOrithE sOmayaaji svarga arhuDounO'. When seethaa claims, 'I am born in a great family' etc, ST puts that matter in his own style - as sOmidhamma - how such a great vamsa born is seethaa the sOmidhamma. King janaka has performed many yaagams and yagnams and during one such only he got seethaa – so janaka is a somayaaji – that sOmayaaji got this daughter seethaa – so she is somidhamma. [re visvaamithra took raama to mithila during one such yagnam only, which ended in raama seethaa marriage] ST places - How, hey raavaNa, you expect she will do a blameable job – of enjoying with another person than her husband raama. Further raama is also a 'yaaga' born son – that one named puthra kaama ishTi preceded by a aswa medham. So also his wife is somidhamma. Then will that somayaaji raama be eligible for svargam if seethaa commits an affair. This means raama - is he eligible to go to svargam, if his wife commits adultery – so she says to raavana, 'I will not oblige to you at any cost' – in the form of an advice. That is ST's style of placing that advice matter. Point 9: It is quite common and a colloquial language to say when your mind is dirty any amount of washing in a holi water is useless. PuNya nadhi snaanam is useless if a man guilty of countless offences. Same said as kaveri and mandakini etc by ST. Conclusion: once again it has been come to highlight how closely thyaagaraaja follows vaalmeeki and his selection of raagam itself is to a large extent an indicator to the instance in raamaayaNam. Perhaps this krithi is not so popular as the other in same raaga – sabapathikku, but that does not in any way lessen the portent in the krithi. Dhasan -- Vasudevan MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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