challaga natho

[Guest guest]

Dear sree vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

In continuation of what our respected Sree Sadagopan swamy [VS] gave on the krithi ‘challaga naathO’ in raagam vEga vaahinee, thyaagaraaja [sT] praises raama in so many words. To get a clue on how to link this krithi to some incident in sreemadh raamaayaNam, perhaps we have to look at how and why raama was praised with ‘such and such’ groups of words or phrases. First the krithi once again --

pallavi:challaga naathO palkumee raama

saarasa vadhana saadhu santhraaNa            (challaga)

anupallavi:ullamu nanu neekE marulu konnaanu

uraga sayana naa thappulu enchaka neevu (challaga)

charaNam:nirupama Soora nikhila aadhaara

para kaaminee dhoora paapa vidhaara

sarasija nEthra SyaamaLa gaathra

vara thyaagaraaja hrudh vaarija mithra       (challaga)

summarized meaning as given by VS: Oh Lord raama! Oh Lotus Faced! Oh Protector of holy men! Oh Lord reclining on sEsha [snake anantha]! Oh Peerless Hero! Oh Prop of the Universe! Oh Lord who is unapproachable to other (amorous) women! Oh Lord who destroys sins! Oh Lotus Eyed! Oh Lord of dark-blue hued body! Oh Sun who blossoms the Lotus of the heart of this blessed thyaagaraaja! In my mind, I am in love with You. Deign to speak to me pleasantly without taking note of my faults.

Points: 1. Identification to lead into the incidence:

a. There are 4 phrases – which have to lead us into the incidence of raama kathaa -

1.       challaga naathO palkumee - Deign to speak to me pleasantly

2.       ‘saadhu santhraaNa’ - Protector of holy men

3.       ‘neevu naa thappulu enchaka’ – you,  without taking note of my faults [have to speak to me]

4.       ‘para kaaminee dhoora’ - who is unapproachable to other women [amorous]

b. Alternately starting from the raagam selection -- As I say usually, the raagam selection by ST also to some extent gives clues. Here the raagam is vEga vaahinee – a speedy river

- like that vEgavathee in the brahma’s yagnam episode wherein the dhevi sarasvathee, wife of brahmaa came in as a fast moving river vegavathee, and tried her hand in stopping the yagnam of brahma, her husband. [re—vega sethu sthothram of swami desikan].

- perhaps this incident in raamaayaNam which we want to identify is also happening nearby ‘a river’ – like 1. sarayu or thamasaa or yamunaa, 2. bhaageerathi or gangaa, 3.gOdhaavaree and last but not least, 4. The ocean, so that ST takes this ragam.

c. Taking one by one of the 4 phrases –

c 1.challaga naathO palkumee - this means – some person is trying to say ‘something’ to raama which the speaker feels may irritate raama. So as a prelude - poorva peedikai - that person says, ‘please keep cool and talk to me’. Who can it be? – kousalyaa, dhasaratha, seethaa, lakshmaNa, bharatha or in later stages soorpaNakhaa, hanumaan, or sugreeva.

C 2. ‘saadhu santhraaNa’ - protector of holy men – yes, raama is the protector of saadhus, rishis and munis – starting from viSvaamithra, he did protect a lot of saadhus – all living in ‘dhanDaka aaraNya’ forest. That too all this protection did happen in the river banks - vahinee theeram. Yes – for mostly those days people – in particular these saadhus - lived near river banks – so this incidence is happening near riverbanks.

C 3. Next one - ‘neevu naa thappulu enchaka’ - without taking note of my faults – the first list in C 1 [except soorpaNakhaa] have a ‘right’ of access to raama. So they need not plead so. The saadhus did not do any offence to raama so that they plead to him not take note of their faults. Actually they simply ask for protection from raakshasaas, nothing more.   Later is it vibheeshaNa? Can be – but it happened in shore and not near river bank . so no, it is not vibheeshaNa.

C 4. The last phrase ‘para kaaminee dhoora’. This means some lady praises lord raama as such. To analyse who are the ladies who desired raama and praised him –

first it is soorpaNakha – since she came near raama with kaamam - desire, she cannot say that phrase while addressing.  

next perhaps it is the wife of raama  - seethaa -[or can be or may be].

But if you elaborate your net in identifying other ladies who praised raama, they are 1. thaaraa, 2. mandodharee, 3. kousalyaa, 4. kaikEyee. To check on 1, 2, they lost their husbands just then, but even then they praise raama, when their individual sorrow is at its peak. So no question of applying that qualifying statement of - ‘neevu naa thappulu enchaka’ - nor they were near a river bank.

Other 2 ladies are raama’s mothers, and perhaps they will not be able to identify their own faults and then plead with raama - to ignore their faults. Or they were so much loaded in their ‘puthra vaathsalyam’ and therefore will not plead to raama. Further other 3 phrases cannot be applied to these 2 mothers viz. all 4 clues together.

d. Now to sum up, after completing all the above points / discussions, it leads us to the situation that it has to be wife “seethaa†only.

1. Seethaa praises raama, when she wants something to be done by him, like taking her to forest and later while living together.

Sree raama informs seethaa ‘I am going to forest on orders of father’. What vaalmeeki describes in that scene is – first she praises raama, then pleads, third she is angry with raama, and says,

‘hey my father got a lady in a male form as his son in law

- raama jaamaatharam praapya sthriyam purusha vigraham || 2-30-3.

[sT krithi linking this incidence to raamaayaNam -- is ‘vanaja nayanudani’ in raagam mohanam – already MGV’s article is there in archives]

2. That next addressing is ‘saadhu santhraaNa’, then you are more convinced that it can be seethaa and the scene is aranya kaandam wherein seethaa talks to him about the assurance raama gives to the sages to save them from attacks of raakshasaas in dhaNDaka aaraNyam – so raama is the ‘saadhu santhraaNa.

3. During the course of her talking on this point, she says raama is NOT desirous of any other women – what ST says as ‘para kaaminee dhoora’.

4. It is happening near river banks of mandakini.

So it is exactly this scene of seethaa talking to raama on his assurance given to sages on killing of raakshasaas in forest, which happens in the river banks and that is what ST represents thru this krithi challaga nathO. 

Points: 2. On the selection of raagam: first let us look at what ‘vaahin’ and ‘vaahini’ means

– as per Monier Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary -

vÄhin - vÄhin mfn. conveying along, driving along (as a car) MBh

• (ifc.) drawing R

• flowing, streaming Hariv. Pur. KathÄs

• causing to flow, shedding MBh. KÄv. & c

• bearing along (said of rivers) ib

• wafting (said of the wind) ib

• bringing, causing, producing, effecting Hariv. KathÄs. BhP

• carrying, bearing, wearing, having, possessing KÄv. KathÄs. RÄjat

• undergoing, performing, practising MBh

• m. a chariot MBh

vÄhinÄ« - vÄhínī  f. an army, host, body of forces AV. MBh. & c

• a partic. division of an army (consisting of 3 Gaṇas, i.e. 81 elephants, 81 cars, 243 horse, 405 foot soldiers)

• cf. akṣauhiṇī) MBh

• a river ib. R. & c

• a channel KÄtyÅšr. Sch

• N. of the wife of Kuru MBh

Why vega vaahinee? Sree raama wants to act as ‘an army’ protecting the saadhus on the river banks of aaraNyam, along with lakshmaNa, as suggested by many sages as well sutheekshNa in sage sutheekshNa’s aasramam. On this raama assures these sages that he will protect them and kill the raakshasaas. After this assurance, seethaa reacts as in 9th sargam of aaraNya kaaNdam. That is the incidence what ST places in this krithi. We know about the speed at which raama strikes enemies like thaataka, subhahu an maareecha -as seen in protecting viSvaamithra’s yaagam.  So a ‘fast acting army’ in raama – so raagam vega vahinee by ST.

Point 3: Now the exact reference for vEgam -- vaalmeeki says – leaving sutheekshaNa’s aasramam, they went ahead swiftly.

aabadhya cha SubhE thooNee chaapE cha aadhaaya sasvanE |

nishkraanthou aaSramaath ganthum ubhou thou raama lakshmaNou || 3-8-19

Seeghram thou roopa sampannou anujnaathou maharshiNaa |

prasthithou dhritha chaapaa asee seethayaa saha raaghavou || 3-8-20

meaning: Both of those two Rama and Lakshmana tied their beautiful quivers well on their backs, and took the twangy bows and made their exit from that hermitage to go on their way. Those two Raaghavaas, the handsome princes, have swiftly set out when permitted by that august sage, wielding bows and swords, and along with Seethaa. [3-8-20]

seeghram in Sanskrit also means speed, or that ‘swiftness’ – or ‘vEgam’ – so vega vaahinee.  

Point 4. Now the words of seethaa –

sutheekshNEna abhyanujnaatham prasthitham raghu nandhanam |

hridhyayaa snigdhayaa vaachaa bharthaaram idham abraveeth || 3-9-1

meaning: To Raama, the scion of Raghu and her husband, who started out when permitted by Sage Sutheekshna, VaidhEhi spoke this with friendly words. [3-9-1]

See, in this slokam that word ‘hrudh’ used by vaalmeeki, is simply adopted by ST in the line “thyaagaraaja hrudh vaarija†– ST could have used some other words also but uses as in vaalmeeki or simply follows vaalmeeki.

Point 5.  Though it is stated ‘friendly words’, seethaa’s words may, definitely, irritate raama, for seethaa goes on saying ‘why you undertake this job, without those raakshasaas confronting you and inviting you for a fight, oh raama’ etc, and finally says, “who am I to teach you dharmam, oh raama†[see below]. That is why ST’s ‘challaga naathO palkumee’ – ‘Deign to speak to me pleasantly’ as a prelude.

Point 6: Seethaa says

mithyaa vaakyam na thE bhootham na bhavishyathi raaghava || 3-9-4

kuthO abhilashaNam sthreeNaam parEshaam dharma naaSanam |

meaning: seethaa to raama, " The habit of telling specious words is not there with you in the past nor it will be there in future, oh, Raaghava, then wherefrom the virtue-ruining desire for other's women can be there... [3-9-4b, 5a]

thava na asthi manushyEndhra na cha aabhooth thE kadhaachana || 3-9-5

manasyapi thathaa raama na cha Ethath vidhyathE kvachith |

sva dhaara nirathah cha Eva nithyam Eva nripa aathmaja || 3-9-6

meaning: continuation of seethaa to raama, " Oh, king, earlier this vile desire for other's women is absent in you, nor it is there now, unobserved is such a desire in any corner of your heart, oh, prince, for you are always interested in your own wife... [3-9-5, 6]

note: ST’s words of ‘para kaaminee dhoora’ - who is unapproachable to other women [amorous] is as stated by seethaa here, words slightly modified to suit poetic nuances.

Point 7: see slokam wherein seethaa says she is not happy – when she says so and start advising not to do certain things - will it not irritate her husband – that is why that starting pleading ‘challaga natho palkumee’ and ‘neevu naa thappulu enchaka’, ‘ullamu nanu neekE marulu konnaanu’ – for one who loves the person only will give such a proper advise – others ‘no, not.’

thathah thvaam prasthitham dhrishTvaa mama chintha aakulam manah |

thvath vriththam chinthayanthyaa vai bhavEth nihSrEyasam hitham || 3-9-12

na hi mE rOchathE veerah gamanam dhaNDakaan prathi |

kaaraNam thathra vakshyaami vadhanthyaah Srooyathaam mama || 3-9-13

meaning: seethaa to raama, " Then, on seeing your starting, my mind is apprehensively upset, on verily reflecting about your bearing there appears to be no beneficial good for you... Oh, brave one, your going towards Dandaka forest is not delightful to me, I tell the cause for that and listen to it as I tell...[3-9-13]

Towards the end of her conversation she says

nithyam Suchi mathih soumya chara dharmam thapOvanE |

sarvam hi vidhitham thubhyam thrailOkyam api thaththvathah || 3-9-32

meaning: " Always tread along the righteousness with a pure mind, oh, gentle one, and specially in these sagely forests... you know everything in all the three worlds, in all its nuances... [3-9-32]

sthree chaapalaath Ethath udhaahritham mE dharmam cha vakthum thava kah samarthah |

vichaarya budhdhyaa thu saha anujEna yath rOchathE thath kuru ma achirENa || 3-9-33

meaning: seethaa says to raama, " I cite all this with my womanly waver, and who is capable to talk to you about dharmam? Ponder mindfully along with your brother, and what that is appropriate, you do it...but not belatedly... [3-9-33]

please note - that ‘saha dharma charee thava’ – what janaka said at the time of marriage – that seethaa talks about dharmam to raama and finally says – ‘hey you know everything, who is capable to talk about dharmam to you’ – may be that is an alankaaram but what she wants to say – she said it – that is why that challaga natho, naa thappulu enchaka.  That shows how closely ST follows vaalmeeki and adopts same words in his krithi with his own poetic nuances incorporated.

Others are nice descriptions and addressing of raama – which are something great and reflects ST’s ‘liking’ of raama more than such incidents in raamaayaNam. Enjoy the krithi by reading and listening.

dhasan

 Vasudevan MG