Post 3
Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,
"Paarkkap paarkkap padhinaayiram kangal vENum" says poet sri
aruNaachalak kavi, in the krithi `andha raama soundharyam' we are
considering - meaning ? "to see that raamaa you require more than
10000 eyes". Even with the available two eyes we are not fully able
to comprehend the natures' beauty and the beauty of the archa
thirumEni of emperumaan in many a dhivya dhEsams. Then, if we have
10000 eyes, will it be possible to enjoy raamaa's beauty with all
10000 eyes? Perhaps when the lord gives us that many numbers of eyes,
then, he, only, has to give that extra capacity also to enjoy his
beauty through all these eyes.
Now another question arises. Describing raamaa's beauty as `andha
raama soundharyam' - is this, the poet's original idea or has he
taken a leaf out of the aadhi kavi sree vaalmeeki's composition?
After a small research on that point, we have to conclude ?
a. vaalmeeki does not describe raamaa's physical features in
great detail, the hero of his story, in full, in the beginning, when
he introduces the character of raama, in the very first chapter.
b. Vaalmeeki does not describe raamaa's features when he marries
seethaa after that great bow breaking feat ? [re bow story]
c. Again vaalmeeki does not describe raamaa's features through
the character of soorpanaka, when she falls in love on raamaa just at
once on seeing him ? soorpanaka kaNdavudan kaadhal koNdaaL. As
aazhvaar says `kaNdavar tham manam vazhangum kaNapuraththu' [re manam
vazhangu] ? she gave her heart. Even in that scene vaalmeeki does not
describe much.
d. When seethaa asks hanumaan to describe raama the poet
vaalmeeki pours out what all he missed in the above places. Hanumaan
describes all parts of the body of raama, as to which parts were all
raised, which are equal, which are pressed a little inside, to add to
the beauty ? `andha raama soundharyam' etc.
So the conclusion is - aruNaachalak kavi simply followed vaalmeeki -
poured out in line with vaalmeeki in sundhara kaaNdam. Another great
poet - Kamban also deals so much on raamaa's beauty in this portion,
with very beautiful verses, which we will see slowly as this topic
progresses.
Now we will see vaalmeeki's first description in baala kaaNdam first
sargam
vipulaamsO mahaa baahu: kambu greevO mahaa hanu: || 1-1-9
vipula amsa: = broad shouldered
mahaa baahu: = great [lengthy] arms
kambu greeva: = neck like a conch-shell
mahaa hanu: = high cheek bones
meaning: [sage naaradha describes raama to vaalmeeki when vaalmeeki
asked `who is such a person ? Evam vidham naram?']- raamaa's arms are
lengthy, and his neck is like a conch-shell, and cheekbones high. [1-
1-9]
Note: The following stanzas describe the physical qualities an
Emperor should have by birth, as per saamudhrikaa saasthra, the
physiognomic treatise of astrology.
mahaa uraskO mahEshvaasO gooDa jathru: arindhama: |
aajaanu baahu: susiraa: sulalaata: suvikrama: || 1-1-10
mahaa uraska: = broad [lion-like] chested
mahaa eeshu aasa: = [one who handles] long bow
gooDa jathru: = concealed collarbones [thick shouldered]
arim dhama: = enemy subjugator
aa jaanu baahu: = up to knees his arms [lengthy armed]
su siraa: = high [crowning] head
su lalaata: = with ample forehead
su vi krama: = good verily pacer [lion-like-pacer]
meaning: raama is lion-chested, thick-shouldered, knee-length are his
arms, and his is a long bow, an enemy-subjugator, and his emperor's
countenance is with a crowning-head with an ample forehead, and his
pacing is lion-like. [1-1-10]
sama: sama vibhaktha anga: snigdha varNa: prathaapavaan |
peena vakshaa visaala akshO lakshmeevaan subha lakshaNa: || 1-1-11
sama: = medium-sized [physically]
sama vibhaktha anga: = symmetrically divided [distributed or poised]
limbs
snigdha varNa: = soft [glossily] coloured [complexioned]
prathaapavaan = courageous one [or resplendent one]
peena vakshaa: = sinew chested
visaala aksha: = wide eyed
lakshmeevaan = prosperous [personality]
subha lakshaNa: = providential features.
Meaning: He is medium-sized physically, with limbs poised
symmetrically, sinew-chested, wide-eyed, complexioned glossily. He is
a prosperous personality with all the providential features, and thus
he is self-resplendent. [1-1-11]
aarya: sarva sama: cha Eva sadhaiva priya dharsana: || 1-1-16
aarya: = reachable [or reverential one]
sarva sama: cha Eva = all treats equally also thus
sadhaa Eva priya dharsana: = ever thus [the same] pleasant in look
[ever a feast to eye]
meaning: he treats all equally, and ever a feast to eye. [1-1-16]
vishNunaa sadhrusO veeryE sOmavath priya dharsana: | 1-1- 18
veeryE = in valour;
vishNunaa sadhrusa: = with Vishnu comparable
sOmavath priya dharsana: = full-moon like attractive in look
meaning: In valour raaama is comparable with vishNu, and in his looks
he is attractive like full-moon.
We will continue the beauty of raama in next post also.
Dhasan
Vasudevan m.g.
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page
http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/.itolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
azhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyAr thiruvadigalE saranam
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ramanuja/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ramanuja-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
|
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia |
ramanuja-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the list |