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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00050 Apr 2003

 
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Sri: Sri Nappinnai, Thanks for the nice article. I had gone to the ISKCON 
temple for Sri Rama Navami yesterday, and according to Gaudiya Vaishnavism, the 
Sita that was kidnapped and incarcerated by Ravana was not the original 
Piratti, but Mayadevi. I would like to know from the adiyaars in this group, if 
they had ever heard of this version of the story of Lord Rama and if so, the 
origins of it, could it be Srimad Bhagavatham for GVs give maximum importance 
to SB?? Now, lets not attack the GVs in the process, they are another Vaishnava 
Sampradaya. I just thought that that piece of information was rather 
interesting to share it with the group, and want to know what the Adiyaars in 
this group think of the understanding of the GVs. Dasan, Kidambi Soundararajan

nappinnai_nc <nappinnai_nc@xxxx> wrote:Sri:
Srimathe Ramanujaya nama:
SriSita Lakshmana Bharatha Shatrugna Hanuman sametha SriRamachandra 
Parabrahmane nama: 

Dear saha bhAgavthAs,
Accept my pranams. Wish you all Happy SriRama navami and 
advanced Tamil New Year celebrations. May the Divine Couple bless 
this entire universe. 

Srirama is endowed with anantha kalyANa guNas yet the 
prime quality He exhibits is sowshIlyam(condescension). The Valmiki
Ramayana is nothig but the love story of SriRama(paramAtma)and
sita(jIvAtma). We are the natural subjects of His boundless love. It 
is the story of "vipralambha shrngAra" or "the story of the love of 
the separated". SriRama set an example for everything(ideal son,ideal
husband,ideal,brother,ideal friend and so on). No matter how many 
times the Ramayana is narrated, it never exhausts our energy but it 
only creates additional hunger for it as it brings the picture of the 
Lord live infront of us. This reminds our Sri kulashekhara AzhvAr, 
whose favorite was SriRama and his pastimes was hearing 
SriRamayana,got engrossed in it that when he heard Lord was 
fighting Ravana single handedly,overcame with emotional love for the 
Lord and concern for Lord's safety,got up and with his army went all 
the way to cross the indian ocean. EVeryone is familiar with this 
story. This is the greatness of SriRama avathAra. 

Although Sri Valmiki describes Sita's ideal love for 
SriRama in many places,we see the love reaching its pinnacle during 
her exile in Asokavana,an episode in Sundara kANda. Sita's love for 
SriRama is unparalleled and the misery that she is undergoing on 
account of her separation from SriRama is unberable and indescribable 
that even Hanuman says that his mind is pained at the sight of Sita's 
misery(NammAzhvAr also undergoes this Union and Separation with the 
Lord). It is even justified to say that Hanuman became a perfect 
bhaktha only after wiitnessing Sita/thAyAr's bhakthi. When Hanuman
(known for rigorous celibacy),for the first time,met SriRama on the 
banks of Pampa,was puzzled,how the great IshvAku descendant could 
lose Himself in grief for the loss of a wife. Hanuman realised the 
mutual love of the Divine Couple only after he saw thAyAr in 
Asokavana. Hanuman,praises SriRama's love for Sita,in a highly 
emotional tone as follows:

iyam sA yathkrthE rAMashcathurbhi: parithapyathE |
kAruNyE nAnrshamsyEna shOkEna madhanEna ca ||
sthrI punaprthEthi kAruNyAth AshrithEthi Anrshamsyath |
pathnI naShtEthi shOkEna priyEthi madhanEna ca ||

"this is the noble Sita,whose separation the Lord is grieving for a 
four-fold loss,namely the loss of a woman(sthrI),dependent(Ashritha), 
wife(pathnI) and sweetheart(priyE)"

Normally the grief over the loss of a person/thing is 
directly proportional to the value attached to it. Greater is the 
effect of the love when we are separated from the "lost" 
person/thing. One can have more than one type of attachment/relation 
with the other person. This is again best illustrated by Bharatha's 
own words. BharathA says to SriRama

" bhrAthu shishaShyasya dhAsasya"(I am your brother,disciple and 
slave)

LakshmaNa,who had an insatiable hunger to serve 
SriRama,introduced himself to Hanuman as follows:

"ahamasyAvarO bhrAthA juNair dhAsyam upAgatha:" 
(I was born SriRama's brother but having been attracted by His 
qualities,I have become His camp-follower even in His exile). Also 
refer to SVB 110 which explains this characteristic of Lakshmana. One 
should not misinterpret that Lakshmana's love was motivated by Lord's 
auspicious traits. One should remember that Lakshmana,being the 
incarnation of AdishESha(first servant),was devoted to SriRama right 
from the cradle(bAlyAth prAbruthi shushnigdha:). 

What about Sita's love for the Lord? refer to SVB 114. 
Sita tells anasuya " my love for SriRama is spontaneous but people 
are likely to construe that I love Him because of His excellence
(physical and mental). It is difficult for me to prove that my 
fidelity has no strings attached to it. My fidelity will remain 
constant even if He were to be exactly the opposite of what He is". 

Similarly PerumAL/Lord is also attached to His devotees 
in more than one way. Therefore,He naturally grieved on various 
counts,during Sita-SriRama estrangement. All the time He worries 
about us and concerned about our welfare. NammAzhvAr says "uRanguvAn 
pOl yOgam seidhu". This wonderful trait of SriRama should be 
heartening to us and assures all those,who keep asking "does God 
answer our prayers",that they have His attention. Lastly there is no 
fun and the love/service is also incomplete if we don't join the 
bandwagon "mangaLAshAsana ghOShti" headed by PeriAzhvAr. So let us 
all pray for the safety and the well being of the Lord. 

mangaLam kOsalEndhrAya mahanIya guNAthmanE |
chakravarthy thanUjAya sArva bhaumAya mangaLam ||

AzhvAr EmperumAnAr JIyar thiruvadigaLE sharaNam
NC Nappinnai 



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