Rama the Fourth

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

 

 

Rama the Fourth

 

 

 

 

It has been fashionable among Kings and Emperors of yore to name themselves

after their illustrious predecessors, perhaps to perpetuate their memory or for

other reasons. We thus find several KulOtthungAs in the ChOzha lineage, several

Sundara PAndyAs in the dynasty of the PAndyas who ruled with Madurai as their

capital, two or more Chenguttavans in the ChEra kulam and at least two Chandra

GuptAs. The practice doesn't seem unique to India, as we find English sovereigns

too preferring to bear the names of their ancestors, finding the same to be

tried and tested than some strange name, which might bring misfortune. The name

of Henry appears to have been extremely popular among English Kings, closely

followed by Edward, with Henry VIII being perhaps the last of the Henries,

having mired himself in controversies. Though America is supposed to be a

democracy, we find the strange phenomenon of some of its illustrious sons

calling themselves Rockfeller III and so on, in an attempt to imitate kings of

yore. With the widely prevalent South Indian practice of naming the male

offspring after their grandfathers, I could probably call myself Satakopan the

23rd or some such thing.

 

 

 

Going back to times past, let me ask you a question, in a general sense-Who was

Rama the first?

 

 

 

This might sound strange, for there do not appear to have been two or more Kings

of the name in the Ikshvaku dynasty. And if this question were to be asked in

the buzzer round of a quiz programme, participants' fingers would race to the

buzzer and pat would come the answer, identifying Sri Rama, son of Dasarata, as

Rama the First. And the quiz master would promptly declare it to be wrong

answer.

 

 

 

From time immemorial, the name Rama has always signified to us the Magnificent

Monarch of Ayodhya, the distinguished son of Dasarata, the apple of Kousalya's

eye, the heartthrob of Sri Janaki and the revered ruler who was a model for all

to follow, in all aspects of human life. The name appears as though fashioned

specifically for the Prince of Ayodhya, so much so, that Visvamitra,

dissatisfied with the name bestowed on the Prince by arch rival Vasishtta,

thinks long and hard for an alternative sobriquet, but fails miserably to come

up with a credible alternative and ends up calling Him by the very same name.

 

 

 

However, Vasishtta himself doesn't appear to have been very original in naming

the Prince of Ayodhya as " Rama " , for there was already a famous entity with the

sobriquet, who was known in all the three worlds. In fact, His very name evoked

awe and terror in everyone, especially in ruling clans. Long before Dasaratha

begot Sri Rama, this other Rama was quite well known. Born to Jamadagni and

RENukA, this child was also named Rama by His parents. This is clear from the

Ramayana sloka, where the Rishis call him by the name " Rama " - " RishayO Rama Rama

iti madhuram vAkyam abruvan " And because He wielded the axe with telling effect,

He was known as " Parasu Rama " .

 

 

 

There must be something in the name " Rama " which prompts instant and implicit

obedience to parents. Just as Dasaratha Rama was famed for His " pitru vAkya

paripAlanam " and treating His father's words as holier than the scripture,

BhArgava Rama (Parasurama was so called because of his descent from Sage Bhrigu)

too carried out His father's wishes instantly and without question, even though

they involved the beheading of His mother and brothers. Enraged by his wife's

delay in bringing water for his Vaidika kriyAs, Jamadagni asked his five sons to

behead their beloved mother. Baulking at this cruel command, four of the sons

would not carry out the heinous act. His rage fuelled by this refusal, Jamadagni

ordered Parasurama to kill not only His mother but also the disobedient

brothers. Without batting an eyelid and without a moment's hesitation,

Parasurama carried out His father's orders. And when a pleased Jamadagni sought

to bestow boons on his obedient son, Parasurama sought as the one and only boon

the restoration of His mother and brothers to life. Parasurama knew His father's

psychology very well and acted instantly and with alacrity in carrying out the

distasteful orders, knowing full well that the executions could be reversed.

 

 

 

And the name " Rama " also appears to signify exemplary bravery and exceptional

prowess. While Dasaratha Rama single-handedly destroyed fourteen thousand

rAkshasAs at JanasthAnam, Parasurama too appears to have disposed of seventeen

battalions of KartaveeryArjunA's army and later the thousand-armed King himself,

when the latter tried to abduct the KAmadhEnu in Jamadagni's possession. And

when the dead King's son killed Jamadagni and his wife in a fit of rage,

Parasurama took a vow to destroy the ruling class for twenty-one generations and

wreaked sweet revenge by filling a tank at KurukshEtra with the blood of all the

beheaded kings and performing " Pitru tarpaNam " with the same.

 

 

 

Struck by the contrast between Rama the First and Rama the Second, Swami Desikan

conveys his wonderment through the sobriquets he bestows on them-while

Parasurama is described as " ROsha Rama: " or anger personified, Dasaratha Rama is

termed " KaruNA KAkuttstha: " or the embodiment of Mercy. While Sri Rama had to

bring on anger with difficulty ( " kOpam AhArayat teevram " ), Parasurama is said to

be consumed by the blazing fire of anger ( " KrOdhAgnim Jamadagni peedana

bhavam " ). While Sri Rama is the support and sustenance of hundreds of princely

dynasties ( " RAja vamsAn shata guNAn stthApayishyati Raghava: " ), Parasurama's

sworn mission is the annihilation of all rulers, for twenty-one generations.

 

 

 

A legitimate doubt plagues us as to how the Lord assumed such a dreaded and

awesome avatAra, whose sole purpose appears to have been to rid the worlds of a

degenerated ruling class. How could Emperuman, who is normally a cool and

inviting ocean of Mercy ( " KaruNA varuNAlayam " ), indulge in such mass

destruction, even granting that it was to remove the painful, princely thorns in

the flesh of BhoomAdEvi?

 

 

 

The answer is easy to find. In Sri Ramavatara, the constant presence of Piratti

ensured that divine justice was liberally tempered with Mercy, as in the case of

KAkAsurA and the RAkshasIs of AshOka vanikA. In Parasuramavatara, without the

benefit of intercession by the Divine Consort, the KshatriyAs were exposed to

the full force of the Lord's anger at wrongdoing by those who were expected to

set an example to their subjects. It is thus the mitigating presence and

mercy-filled words of Sri Mahalakshmi that make all the difference between our

receiving punishment commensurate with our innumerable transgressions and

getting off lightly with just a word of caution.

 

 

 

Passing on to Rama the Third, we find Him to be the constant companion of Sri

Krishna, whose life-mission is to afford protection to Sri Krishna. Balarama

destroyed the dreaded PralambAsura, who had arrived at Gokulam to eliminate

Krishna. Compared to Krishna's traits of thieving, faithlessness to girl

friends, incurable fibbing, etc., Balarama appears to have been a paragon of

virtue. Krishna had a healthy respect for His elder brother and appeared to obey

the latter implicitly, always-this is evident from Sri Andal's lines

" BaladEvarkku Or keezh kandru " . And if Sri Krishna's entire life, words, deeds

and looks were incredibly sweet ( " MathurAdhipatE: akhilam madhuram " ), it is

because of the inseparable company of Sri Balarama, says Swami Desikan, likening

Sri Krishnavatara to milk and the Balaramavatara to Sugar, which makes milk more

of a pleasure to consume. If Sri Rama wielded the bow and arrow with telling

effect and if Parasurama was a terror with his axe, Rama the third carried a

Plough, with which He destroyed many an enemy of Krishna. Balarama was so

powerful that once He dragged the entire city of HastinApuram with His plough

and dumped it into the Yamuna.

 

 

 

One wonders whether it is to these three Ramas that the Vishnu Sahasranama

Stotram refers, when it quotes Rudra as saying

 

" SrI Rama Rama Rama iti ramE rAmE ManOramE

 

SahasranAma tat tulyam Rama nAma varAnanE "

 

 

 

Going beyond the Divine Trio of Ramas, we are told that there is a Rama the

Fourth, who has all the positive traits of the first three, but none of their

apparent blemishes. This fourth Rama is virtue personified and greater than his

three namesakes. If you find this difficult to believe or digest and consider it

to be a product of my imagination, here is confirmation from an impeccable

source-

 

 

 

" anujjita kshamA yOgam apuNya jana bAdhakam

 

asprishta mada rAgam tam Ramam turyam upAsmahE "

 

 

 

 

 

Says Swami Desikan in Sri YatirAja Saptati-

 

 

 

" I pay obeisance to Rama the Fourth, who is much greater than the three Ramas

put together. Sri Parasurama lacked tolerance and mercilessly eliminated the

ruling class for twenty-one generations. Our fourth Rama, however, is patience

and tolerance personified. Sri Dasaratha Rama vowed to rid the world of bestial

rAkshasAs and carried out His vow effectively, resulting in a massacre of the

race. The Fourth Rama, however, would not harm even an ant, leave alone cause

distress to people, good or bad. Sri Balarama was known for His partiality to

" madhu " , with eyes reddish and demeanour affected by imbibing such beverages.

Rama the Fourth, however, is purity personified, unaffected by baser instincts " .

 

 

 

And who is this fourth Rama, who is so great as to overshadow even His divine

predecessors? It is none other than Sri MaNakkAl nambi, otherwise known as Sri

Rama Misra. This Acharya was such a paragon of virtues and so untouched by any

inauspicious traits, that Swami Desikan considers him to be superior to the

Divine Trio, in tune with the dictum, " AchAryAt iha dEvatAm samadhikAm anyAm na

manyAmahE " (we do not recognize or worship any deity as being superior to our

magnificent Acharya). The words " Ramam turyam upAsmahE " (we worship Rama the

fourth) indicate, by implication, that adulation should be only for Sri Rama

Misra and not the other three, distinguished though they are.

 

 

 

A legitimate doubt that may arise in readers' minds is whether the Deities

mentioned ahead should be portrayed in such poor light, merely for the sake of

highlighting the greatness of the Acharya. Swami Desikan adopts here what is

known as the " nahi nindA nyAyam " , which means that absolutely no disrespect or

insult is meant towards the Divine Trio, the emphasis here being on stressing

the glory of Sri Rama Misra, who was indeed an Acharya beyond compare. But for

his diverting Sri Alavandar from mundane pursuits and exposing him to Bhagavat

anubhavam, our Sampradaya would have been much poorer. The immense contribution

of Sri Alavandar would have been totally unavailable to us, but for the stellar

role played by Sri Rama Misra and this is the reason for Swami Desikan's glowing

tribute to the Acharya, putting him on a pedestal higher than that occupied by

even the Lord.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

dasan, sadagopan