Post 9
Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,
We are studying sage vaalmeeki's `andha raama soundharyam' in
conjunction with kamban, basing that on the krithi by poet
aruNaachala kavi, wherein we have hanumaan's description of raamaa's
physical features. That too, the highlight is, the lotus failing in
comparison to raamaa's beauty. Now let us see kamban in soorpanakaip
padalam wherein she sees, admires raama's beauty and becomes romantic
immediately. See the words ? iv azhagan ? this person of beauty.
adhigam ninRu oLirum iv azhagan vaaL mugam
podhi avizhth thaamaraip poovai oppadhO?
kadhir madhi - aam enin, kalaigaL thEyum, am
madhi enin madhikkum Or maru uNdu ennumaal. ? 17 soorppanakaip padalam
meaning: oh, this beautiful person's sword like face shines more in
still, can it be compared to the blossoming lotus? No. Can it be to
the bright, rays emitting moon? If we have to say yes, then the moon
has deterioration over period ? also it has a blemish. So that also
fails.
Point: straight away the poet says lotus fails. Also we have already
seen in kamban's hanuman describing the face is more to the lotus in
post 5. That verse alone
aNNal than thiru mugam kamalam, aam enin
kaNNinukku uvamai vERu yaadhu kaatugEn?
thaN madhi, aam ena uraikkath thakkadhO?
veN madhi polindhu, adhu melindhu thEyumaal - 51 urukkaattup padalam
Also another point ? Is it that the azhagan is so bright as a whole?
or the face alone? adhigam ninRu oLirum iv azhagan ? or his
face `oLirum vaaL mugam' of this `azhagan'. `ninRu oLirum' ?
generally it is said the steady flame of a light ? `aadaatha chuddar
of a lamp ? viLakku - is more a beauty than a wavery bright one.
Now another verse in same soorpanakaip padalam from kamban -
thaaL uyarth thaamaraidh dhaLangaL thammodum
kEL uyar naattaththug giriyin thORRaththaan
thOLodu thOL selath thodarndhu nOkkuRin
neeLiya alla kaN nediya maarbu enbaaL ? 16 ? soorpanakaip padalam
meaning: raamaa stands like a hill on the ground like the lotus
raises the heads above the level of water through its stalk. If I
look continuously from one side shoulder to other side, it strikes ?
is it the long eyes? or the broad chest?
Point: In tamil the word `thaaL' is the feet, also the stalk or stem.
So it becomes more doubtful, when the poet uses `thaamaraidh
dhaLangaL thammodum uyarth thaaL' ?whether he places the feet high
above the lotus petals, with such lotus petal feet raamaa looks
handsome like a hill standing.
or
he wants to compare raamaa's standing tall like a hill, is looking
like the blossoming lotus standing on a stalk heads above the water.
Similarly when we look from right to left on raama, is it the long
eyes which strikes the onlooker or the broad chest? Doubt arises. Oh
what a great verse. Enjoy raamaa's soundharyam through kamban's great
tamil.
Now let us see a krithi of thyaagaraaja ? krithi `laavaNya raama' -
in the raaga `poorNa shadjam'. This raaga is `rudhra priyaa' for sri
dhikshithar [of the music trinity].
The selection of raaga either in the name of `rudhra riya or poorNa
shadjam' is again a very apt selection.
`Sivan', or `rudhran' is always chanting the raama naamam with a
liking, with a taste in it, priyam in uttering - which he vouched to
his wife paarvathi ? one raamaa naamam as equivalent to 1000 naamaas
of sri vishNu [which we recite daily as part of the phalasruthi
slOkams of sri vishNu sahasra naamam].
sri raama raama raama ithi ramE raamE manOramE |
sahasra naama thath thulyam raama naama vara aananE ||
So the raagaa here is `rudhra priyaa' singing about raamaa. Even if
we consider the name `poorna shadjam' then also it is very apt ? the
shadjam in music is `sa'. VEdhaas proclaim the supreme lord as `rasO
vai sa:'. That sa: is raama and the rasam is poorNam - full of raama
rasam - raama rasa poorNam ? poorna shadjam ? that is what is
available to us through this raagam.
The krithi highlights raama's beauty ? `andha raama soundharyam'. Now
the krithi -
laavaNya raamaa raagam: poorna shadjam or rudrapriya
20 natabhairavi janyam taaLam: roopakam
pallavi
laavaNya raama kannulaara joodavE athi ? laavaNya
meaning: please see me with all your eyes - oh extremely beautiful
raama.
anupallavi
sree vanitha chiththa kumudha seethakara sathaananyaja - laavaNya
meaning: your beauty is the moon, capable of making the mind lily of
your lady `sree' to blossom, that beauty of 100 cupids in one.
charaNam
nee manasu, nee sogasu, nee dhinusu vErE
thaamasa maata dheivamEla thyaagaraajanutha dhivya - laavaNya
meaning: Your heart, your grandeur, your type is something very
different than these lowly other gods? Thyaagaraaja says so.
Summary: please see me with all your eyes ? oh, extremely beautiful
raama!! Oh, raamaa, your beauty is the moon, capable of making the
mind lily of your lady `sree' [maha lakshmi] to blossom, that beauty
of 100 cupids in one ? [the cupid being born off the face]. Your
heart, your grandeur, your type is something very different?
[meaning - these lowly gods cannot come to your level or near you in
comparison]. This thyaagaraaja says so.
Such is the raama soundharyam making everybody sing in one-way or
other. Enjoy that beauty ? raama soundharyam ? which makes the lotus
to fail
Dhasan
Vasudevan m.g.
PS: with this I conclude this series `lotus failed'. Thanks for your
patience.
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