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                                  SrIH
SrImate raângarAmAnuja MahA deSikAya namaH
SrImate SrInivAsa rAmAnuja MahA deSikAya namaH
SrImate VedAnta rAmAnuja MahA deSikAya namaH
SrI raânganAtha divya maNi pAdukAbhyAm namaH

AcArya rAmAmRtam  - (from SrI raânganAtha pAdukA  dt. May 08  Part 2)

               English Translation of 
SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam in tamizh by SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan

        As published in SrI raânganAtha pAdukA by
SrI u.ve. nATTEri KiDAmbi rAjagopAlAcAriyAr  (Editor of SrI raânganAtha 
pAdukA)

(Please set your encoding to Unicode UTF-8)
SrImad ANDavan tiruvaDi,
kalyANi kRshNamAcAri
=====================================
            SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavanâs SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam

Then, King Janaka said - lakshmaNA'gacchha bhadram te (bAla.73.30) - he called 
for UrmiLA and asked lakshmaNa to accept UrmiLA.  Bharatan was offered the hand 
of mANDavI and Satrughnan was offered the hand of SrutakIrti.  Then, they 
proceeded to do other steps in the marriage ceremony.

They did lAja homam.  It involves offering rice puffs into the homam.  The 
sUtrakAra specifies:  kanyAyAH sambandhinaH vAjAn AvapeyuH â the relatives of 
the bride offer the rice puffs to the bride.    The rice puffs are offered to 
the agni through the bride.  In other words, the girlâs relatives will give 
the rice puff three times in the girl's hand; then place a few drops of ghee on 
it, the boy will hold the girlâs hands, and the girl will offer the rice 
puffs to the homam.  The groom will chant the mantra-s.  There are differing 
positions on whether this is done with the girl standing or sitting.  What is 
the practice in Bombay? Standing?  There is fight in my place! Should they do 
it sitting or standing?

The boy does all the homams sitting.  Why should the girl alone do it standing? 
 She also should do it sitting.  This mAmA  is of that side (acAryan is 
probably pointing to a person close by), donât you know that faction? 
(audience laughs).  The adhyApaka side [prabandham chanters] will say - 
"erimugam pArittu ennai munnE niRutti arimugan acyutan kai mEl en kai vaittu 
pori mugandu aTTak kanAk kaNDEn tozhI nAn" [nAcciyAr tirumozhi - vAraNam Ayiram 
paSuram] â It clearly says: "ennai munnE nirutti".  The position of the 
adhyApaka side is that the girl should stand and do it.  The position of the 
veda pArAyaNam side will be that the girl should do it sitting down (laughter).

It is said:  lAjAn AvapeyuH. Girl's relatives must hand over the puffs to her.  
kanyAyAH sodara ityeke - Some Rshi-s say that the girl's brother must give it 
in her hand.  Some say relatives â kanyAyAH bandhavaH, and some say brother.  
Mostly, it is the brother nowadays; he will get a sambhAvanai [return 
gift/money] for that!  (laughter).   In order to ensure that some third party 
does not end up with that gift, the brother is asked to do it nowadays.

lAjAhomam was done in a wonderful way.  When this homam is performed, the 
following mantram is chanted - iyam nArI upabrUte kulpAni AvapantikA | 
dIrghAyuH astu me patiH jIvAtu SaradaH Satam svAhA, idam na mama|  Even the 
first mantram is enough.  Like this, there are three mantrams. 

Since it is veda mantram, the bridegroom says the mantram for her. 

"This girl says (iyam nArI upabrUte) - Hey agni!  kulpAni AvapantikA.  This 
girl says:   dIrghAyuH astu me patiH  jIvAtu SaradaH Satam - my husband must 
live for a long time.  He must live for hundred years".  So saying, she is 
offering the rice puffs into the homam.  Doesn't this mantram have a nice 
meaning? He is not saying the mantram, but he holds her hand very tightly 
(audience laughs; AcAryar also laughs).

That homam must be done.  They should do three pradakshiNam-s (circumambulate) 
to the homam and prostrate.

Then the girl has to step on the stone [ammi midittal ceremony where the 
bridegroom places the girl's right foot on a stone].

AtishThemam aSmAnam aSmeva tvam sthirA bhava |
abhitishTha pRtanyataH sahasva pRtanAyataH |

saptapatI mantra-s:

ekamishe vishNustvA anvetu | (first step)
dve Urje vishNustvA anvetu (second step)
trINi vratAya vishNustvA anvetu (third step)
catvAri mayo bhavAya vishNustvA anvetu (fourth step)
pa~Nca paSubhyaH vishNustvA anvetu (fifth step)
shad RtubhyaH vishNustvA anvetu (sixth step)
sapta saptabhyo hotrAbhyaH vishNustvA anvetu |  (seventh step)

Great mantram.  The boy will hold the girl's right foot with his left hand and 
he has to move her foot seven times.  The boy will be wearing the great holy 
pavitram [a ring of sacred grass specially folded for wearing in the finger] 
made of darbham [sacred grass]!  That darbham would have been bought for a 
price (audience laughs)!  So, the priest will ask the boy to hold the girlâs 
leg with his left hand.  Girl has to take seven steps.  He also has to move the 
girl's foot.  This girl also has to walk.  If only the boy moves her leg and 
she does not walk, she will fall down! (audience laughs)

The boy brings the girl near the stone slab and says - " AtishThemam aSmAnam 
aSmeva tvam sthirA bhava | abhitishTha pRtanyataH sahasva pRtanAyataH | imam 
aSmAnam AtishTha â Dear girl! Step on this stone!  Be firm like this stone!  
Be steady just like this stone is!  abhitishTha pRtanyataH sahasva pRtanAyataH |

The explanation (vyAkhyAnam) for this is: pRtanAvat AcarataH aSmAn eva janAn 
sarvAn sahasva.   âWelcome to our house; I am going to take you there after I 
marry you.  There are some people in our house - sister-in-law, mother-in-law 
etc.;.  Do you know how they are!  They will all oppose you like an army!  Will 
this stone undergo change?  Like that, you must be steady.  sahasva!  - the boy 
looks at the girl and requests.  In those days, all girls knew samkRtam! Okay! 
This girl understands that she has to stay patient in the new house. 

Sister-in-law is called 'nanAndA'.  Why!  nanAndA - sarvadA na nandayatIti 
nanAndA - She will not be happy with her brother's wife at any time.  She will 
not create happiness also.  That is why she is called nanAndA (slight laughter 
in the audience).

esha hyeva AnandayAti - upanishad says. It should read 'Anandayati', right? 
But, it is said with elongated vowel - AnandayAtI.  Like that, 'nanAndA' is 
also interpreted.   The mantram is said requesting the bride to bear with 
everything.  Then they circumambulate the sacred fire three times.

SvAmi deSikan writes in one place:  PerumAL marries sItA and does pradakshiNam, 
saying the associated mantra-s:  

ekamishe vishNustvA anvetu
dve Urje vishNustvA anvetu
trINi vratAya vishNustvA anvetu

rAman looks at sItA and says â âI am making you take your first step.  Let 
VishNu protect you from behind.  I am making you take your second step. Let 
VishNu protect you from behind.  I am making you take your third step. Let 
VishNu protect you from behind.â  As RAman says that, He laughs.   VasishThar 
asks - 'Hey Rama! Why are you laughing?  Do You know how many marriages have I 
performed?  I have not said any mantram wrong.  Why are you laughing!  Are you 
making fun of veda mantram?  Why do you laugh?  Are you making fun of priests?  
Do you know our might?'

rAman said, "No! No! svAmi!'

VasishThar asked, "Then, why did You laugh?'

'You said a mantram â âLet VishNu come and protect you from behind.  I - 
VishNu -am going in the front!  I was thinking about which VishNu is going to 
come in the back. So, I laughed'  (laughter in the audience'; AcAryar laughs 
also).

"na anyeti vishNuH" - says svAmi deSikan in a Slokam.  âI, who am VishNu, am 
going in the front; which VishNu will come in the back? So, I laughedâ - says 
rAman.  VasishThar meditates on that.  âThat mantram is for common couples. 
These are divya dampatis.  It was my mistakeâ - so thinking, he consoled 
himself.  

All the vaidika karma-s were completed to the accompaniment of auspicious music 
and veda mantrams. All the four marriages were completed very well.  There was 
no deficiency whatsoever.

After the marriage was over, ViSvAmitra said, "Okay, I am taking leave".  When 
asked why, he said his work was done. The four couples were asked to prostrate 
to him.

ASIrbhiH pUrayitvA ca jagAma uttara parvatam |

ViSvAmitra gave his heart-felt blessings to the couple -   "You should live 
long, you should be dIrgha sumaângali-s".  The vaidika-s who have nothing to 
give will give lot of blessings.   When the great grandchildren come and 
prostrate, they will not give even a paisA, but will give lot of blessings.  

Then he left for the Himavat mountain in the north.

There was a specialty in this marriage. I will forget it, and so I will say it 
now itself.  VasishTha called everyone to present the gifts.  All the kings 
presented theirs.  devata-s like BrahmA, rudran  etc., had also come.  BrahmA 
came to give his gift.  VasishTha asked him what he was going to present.  He 
presented aksha mAlai [garland].  

Sivan came; VasishThar asked him what his gift was.  Sivan said - "I am wearing 
the skin of an elephant; my ornament is a snake; I am wearing the vibhuti 
[sacred ash].  I do not have any silver vessels etc.  You are asking me to 
present a gift, svAmi'.

VasishThar said - 'Something has to be given, right?'

rudran responded:  Okay, I slew tripurAsuran sometime back.  When I did that 
tripurAsura samhAram, I displayed a particular smile. That smile is a good one 
â it destroyed the three cities.  All the devatA-s were pleased.  I will give 
that smile to this bride as my blessing.â

VasishThar said:  rocano rocamAnaH SobhanaH SobhamAnaH kalyANaH.  In sItArAma 
wedding mahotsavam, parameSvaran, who is kailAsapati and pArvatI kAntan, is 
giving his AsIrvAdam [blessing] - mandahAsam!"  sIta accepted it.

According to SAstram, if blessings are given during the wedding, they are 
supposed to be kept for the whole life.  If lots of dhotis and sari-s are 
received, people will sell them in the stores for lesser money.

Because the things come with blessings, we must keep them for ourselves.  sItA 
kept that smile with her for ever.  That smile was useful one day.  That was 
when rAvaNan came to her and said, "Be my wife".

tRNam antarataH kRtvA pratyuvAca SucismitA | (sundara.21.2)

She used that smile on that day.  That was SivaperumAn's smile.  That is the 
day lankA got burnt by HanumAn.  That is why it is said that anything that 
comes with ASIrvAdam should be kept without giving them away.  

Thus, all those who attended presented wonderful gifts.  sItA kalyANam was 
completed in a grand manner.

After this, tomorrow, we will look into deep meanings for 'iyam sItA' Slokam; 
if time does not permit, we will go to ayodhyA kANDam first two sargams.   they 
are very interesting.  We do not have to read any other sargam in rAmAyaNam.  
These two sargams are of the greatest essence among all the six kANDam-s of 
SrImad rAmAyaNam.    VAlmIki gives an excellent description of how the citizens 
of ayohdyA narrate the special kalyANa guNams of PerumAL.  We have to talk 
about those also.  After that, we have to finish SrI rAma paTTAbhishekam in 
fifteen days.  All of you receive sItA kalyANa prasAdam now and then go!  Let 
the blessings of sItArAma be bestowed on you all.  

evam etat purA vRttam AkhyAnam bhadram astu vaH
pravyAharata visrabdham balam vishNoH pravardhatAm 
lAbhaH teshAm jayaH teshAm kutaH teshAm parAbhavaH
yeshAm indIvara SyAmo hRdaye supratishThitaH â
kale varshatu parjanyaH pRthivI sasyaSalinI
deSoyam kshoba rahito brAhmaNAH santu nirbhayAH 
maângalam kosalendrAya mahanIya guNAtmane
cakravarti tanUjAya sArva bhaumAya maângaLam 
svasti prajAbhyaH paripAlayantAm â
mangaLASAsana paraiH madAcArya purogamaiH 
sarvaiH ca purvaiH AcAryaiH satkRtAyA'stu mangaLam ||
=========== 
(End of translation of AcArya rAmAmRtam as it appeared in the May 2008
issue of SrI raânganAtha pAdukA)

To be continued â..






      

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