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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00094 Mar 2004

 
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Sri Parthasarathi thunai
Srimathe rAmAnujaya Namaha
Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha
Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

?bharadhanum thambi chattrukkananum elakumanOdu maidhiliyum
eravu nan pagalum thudhiseiyya nindra rAvanAndhaganai emmAnai
kuravamE kamazhum kulir pozhiloodE kuyilodu mayilgal nindrAla
eraviyin kadirgal nuzhaidhal seidhariyA thiruvallikEni kandEnE?

Thirumangai Azhvar lists the dasavatara of emperuman as ?meenOdu Amai kEzal ari kuralAi munnumirAmanAi thAnAi pinnumirAmAnai dAmOdaranAi kalkiyum AnAn thannai? in his periya thirumozhi. Here azhvar refers to parasurAmAvatara as munnumirAman, the first rAmAvatara and then he refers to balarAmAvatara as pinnumirAman, the later rAmAvatara but in-between while referring to chakravarthi thirumagan he says ?thAnAi? that is emperuman remained his self in this avatara. Such is the greatness of Sri rAmAvatara. Today is chakravarthi thirumagan?s thiruavadhAra dhinam, Sri rAma navami. Emperuman took avathara in the divine star of punarvasu that later was credited by the birth of more mahans like kulasekara azhvar, mudaliyAndAn, embAr and Sri PonnadikkAl jeeyer swamy (the first pontiff of the Vanamamalai mutt and a prime disciple of Swamy Manavala mAmunikal).

While we think about Krishna jayanthi, we are all remained of the number of sweets and savories done as prasadams to kutti Krishna who roamed in gokulam stealing butter and curd cheating the Aychees. But why is Rama jayanthi/navami celebrated in such a simple way? Kutti kannan stole not only butter but also our hearts and hence he mesmerizes us and gets us in the right path. But Sri rama showed the way to live through his life. Each part of Ramayana is a lesson to us and that is why nammazhvar says, ?karpAr rAmapirAnai allAl mattrum karparO? So the main celebration during the Rama navami is the number of Ramayana parayanam and upanyasams organized. Mainly for those in chennai this is a very great time. How much ever times one may hear the divine Ramayana upanyasams and from the mouths of how many mahans it never matters it educates you each time and makes our life more smooth.

Our Swamy emperumAnAr is celebrated as ?padikonda rAmAyanam ennum pattivellam kudi konda kOil erAmAnusan? by thiruvarangaththamudhanAr in his rAmAnuja nootrandhAdhi. Sri rAmAnuja is regarded as the temple that hosts Ramayana. But it is an amazing fact that Swamy emperumAnAr learnt the divine arthas from Periya thirumalai nambigal for a year. Nambigal used to climb down thirumala after his kainkaryams to thiruvenkatamudaiyan to give the divine arthas of Ramayana to Sri rAmAnuja, as instructed by Sri Aalavandaar. Sri Periya vAchAn pillai who wrote the commentary to all the 4000 azhvar paasurams has done a special commentary only to selected paasurams in rAmAyana in the name of ?thani slOki rAmAyana? but that itself gives the whole essence of the Srivaishnava sampradAyam.

Sri Velukkudi Krishnan swamy is showering the divine arthas of Ramayana in ?ashvamEda maha mandapam? in West mAmbalam, chennai. Yesterday it was a treat to listen to the sundara kandam upanyasam-ankuleeka pradhAnam followed by vibeeshana saranAgathi. After an eight day pouring today will be the finale with rAma pattabhishEkam. It was really great to hear but while thinking of writing a few words about the same adiyen is left without words. Which part to talk about in Ramayana? Shall we talk about the kalyana gunas of chakravarthi thirumagan (even the Vedas struggle to do the same), about his beauty (soundarya/lAvanyam), ?sirai erundhaval Ettram?- we can atleast talk about Sri rAma to an extent but not about piratti as valmiki himself ranks piratti a step higher than perumal. While comparing perumal and piratti he says, ?tulya seela vayO vriththa:?? they are equal in divine qualities, appropriate age and beauty but finally he says piratti?s divine eyes are something special. The same was repeated by parasara bhattar in front of ranganatha who dressed himself in nachiyar thirukolam to get the praise of bhattar. Sri Parasara bhattar refused to accept stating ?AnAlum avvizhi vizhikkavonnAdhu? (Oh! RanganAtha one of your eyes is like the sun, which burns the enemies and the other like the moon pleasant to your devotees, but piratti knows only anugraham so both her eyes are always cool. So you can never equal my divine mother). Ok then shall we try talking about the life models in ramayana or about the bhagavatas like siriya thiruvadi, sugreevan, vibheeshana Oh! No the greatness of the bhagavatas is enormous. Adiyen ?siriya jnAnaththal? cannot even talk about the squirrel bhagavatas (?kurangugal malaiyai nookka kuliththuthAm purandittOdi tharanganeer anaikaluttra salamilA anilam pOlEn?).

You may all ask then what are you going to talk about? Adiyen is going to end saying adiyen is not capable/eligible to talk/write on this subject that is it. Sri parasara bhattar went in front of namperumal and asked for 1000 tongues like thiruvanandhAzhvan to sing the praise of emperuman. Namperumal asked, ?If I grant you the same will you sing about me?? Bhattar replied,?Oh! Lord if you grant me 1000 tongues then with that adiyen will say adiyen is not capable to sing about you. Even to say that adiyen needs 1000 tongues? If a great acharya like Sri Parasara bhattar says these words then what to say about agnAnis like adiyen. Still the wish to scribble something on this divine day about emperuman makes adiyen write this posting with the words of thondaradi podi azhvar in mind ?elaiya pun kavidhaiyElum empirArkku eniya vArE?.

Valmiki wrote the Ramayana with 24000 slokas. Kambar did a separate Ramayana in tamil in his own style. Tulasi das did the same in his style in hindi and the list goes on and on. Each one is so attracted to Sri Chakravarthi thirumagan. Kabir das did a number of dOhas, Saint thyAgaraja immersed himself singing keertanas on Sri rAma. What all did perumal undergo for the sake of upliftment of we jeevatmas ?manisarkkAi padAdhana pattu? shouldn?t he remain as ?mannadukkiniyAi? in all our minds today and for ever? The azhvars mainly kulasekara perumal has enjoyed this ramavatara greatly. In his divine prabhandam Perumal thirumozhi, kulasekara azhvar says, ?kandavar tham manam vazhangum kanapuraththu en karumaniyE? Sri Krishna stole the hearts of devotees but rAmapiran is very soft he doesn?t know to steal, he is a man of principles but whoever saw him once looses their heart to him. They themselves submit their hearts to his divine feet. Here the word ?kandavar? can be interpreted in two ways, ?those who saw him kan-da-var? or otherwise ?kaN-davar anyone without any differentiation?. Azhvar in this decade sings lallaby to emperuman in kannapuram assuming him to be chakravarthi thirumagan as the sannadhi was closed when azhvar visited the same.

Krishna trishnA tattvam Swamy nammazhvar enjoys this rAmAvatara in many places and thirumangai azhvar enjoys Sri rama piran while doing mangalasasanams to emperuman in saligramam, ?kalaiyum kariyum parimAvum thiriyum kAnam kadandhu pOi silaiyum kaNaiyum thunaiyAga sendrAn vendri serukalaththu malai koNdu alaineranai katti madil neerilangai vAlarakkar talaivan thalai paththu aruththugandhAn sAlagrAmam adai nenjE?. In a similar manner all azhvars have enjoyed Sri chakravarthi thirumagan.

One upanyAsakar completed his Ramayana upansayam and was returning back. At the railway station one person asked, ?you did a great upanyasam for the past one month but due to my ignorance I am unable to remember everything can you please give me the crux of Ramayana?? The upanyAsakar replied,? If you are a rama bhaktha then even monkeys will come to your help but if you are an enemy to rama then even your own brother will not come to your help?. Let us end this posting with the rama charama sloka,

?sakrudEva prapannAya davAsmithicha yAchathE
abhayam sarva bhoodhEpyO dadAm yEthat vratham mama?

Let us all keep meditating on the tAraka mantra ?Sri rAm Jai rAm Jai Jai rAm Sri rAm Jai rAm Jai Jai rAm ? on this divine day and forever.

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee
Sumithra Varadarajan







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