SrI: SrimatE Raamaanujaaya Namaha // SrimatE Nigamaanta Mahaa Desikaaya Namaha // SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya/ SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya// KAvEri VardhathAm kAlE, kAlE varshathu vAsava: / SrI RanganAthO jayathu Sri Ranga Sri cha VardhathAm// ===================================================================== SRI RANGA SRI VOL.09 / ISSUE # 14 dated 29th December 2007 ===================================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. YUDDHA KHAANDAM PART - 4 (SRIMAD RAMAYANAM DISCOURSES IN THE HINDU TEMPLE OF ATLANTA by SRI ANBIL RAMASWAMY SWAMI) 2. TAATPARYA RATNAVALI - SUBMISSION 44- SLOKAM 18 -PART 1 (SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARAIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO) ===================================================================== ISSUES RELEASED With this issue, about 277 Regular issues of SRS have been released so far, apart from numerous "Special Issues" as indicated below: 27 Issues of Vol. 1 15 Issues of Vol. 2 42 Issues of Vol. 3 35 Issues of Vol. 4 28 Issues of Vol. 5 30 Issues of Vol. 6 50 Issues of Vol. 7 and 36 Issues of Vol. 8 14 Issues of Vol. 9(including this) --------------------------------------------------------------------- You may view the archives at http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia maintained By Sri Srinivasan Sriram We strongly urge you to kindly peruse the "Regular Issues" archived in the Files Section and view the Contents at srsindex.html (Not the individual postings allowed for encouraging "Reader participation"). We are sure that you will be convinced of the quality of the contents. IF you are satisfied with the quality and contents of "Sri Ranga Sri" - Tell your friends to join by sending an email to Srirangasri-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx IF NOT: Tell us, as to how we may improve. Ever at your service Moderator "Sri Ranga Sri" ===================================================================== xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx ===================================================================== 1. "YUDDHA KHAANDAM" PART - 4 OF SRIMAD RAMAYANAM (ANBIL RAMASWAMY) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 16. WELCOME! VIBHEESHANA! On arrival, Rama warmly welcomed VibheeshaNa and told him that with him they had become 7 brothers. Kamban: guhanoDum aivar aanEm munbu, pin kunru soozhwaan maganoDum aruvar aanEm, emmuzhai anbin vanda agan amar kaadal Aiya! ninnoDum ezhuvar aanEm pugal arun kaanam tandu pudalvaraal polindaan thanthai (AdaikkalapaTalam 445) 17. VIBHEESHANA CROWNED Exchanging pleasantries with VibheeshaNa, Rama practically apologized to him for the delay in accepting him, due to deliberations necessitated by statecraft as laid down in the Dharma Saastras during times of warfare. VibheeshaNa described the components of the Raakshasa brigade in clear terms. As directed by Rama, LakshmaNa arranged to bring the waters from the sea and performed the ceremonial bath (AbhishEkam) for VibheeshaNa as part of his crowning as the ruler of Lanka. (Koorathaazhwaan in his "Athimaanusha Sthavam" asks how Rama could do this being on this side of the ocean and even before assessing the relative strengths of both sides and long before the start of the Great War. He himself answers, that it was because Rama was "Paramaatma" who was also "Sathya Sankalpan") 18. SAARDHOOLAN'S STRATEGY As advised by Saardoola, a spy named Sukha was sent by Ravana to wean Sugreeva to his side. Sugreeva told him that he was his enemy because he was inimical to Rama and because he was a friend of his enemy, namely, Ravana. But, the moment the Vaanaras saw him, they literally would have torn him to pieces. Rama intervened to prevent the Vaanaras from killing him. (20) 19. DARBHA SAYANAM As they were deliberating on how to ford the vast sea, VibheeshaNa came up with the idea that Rama should surrender to the Ocean king to show a way to solve the problem. Accordingly, Rama spread the sacred grass on the seashore and lay down on it praying to the Ocean king (21). Even after 3 days, the Ocean king put up a "no show". This incensed Rama. He asked LakshmaNa to bring his bow and sharp arrows and vowed to dry up the Ocean so that the army could walk over. He added that he could cross the Ocean without any help from anyone and that the Ocean king had probably under- estimated his prowess. Chaapam aanaya soumitrE saraams cha asee vishOpamaam samudram sOShayaish-yaami padbhyaam yaantu pLavangamaa: // (20-22) Rama prepared to shoot an arrow consecrating it with Brahmaastra. The Ocean King saw this and got terrified, rushed to Rama with folded palms begging to be pardoned. He offered to do whatever Rama's bidding was, including - making the Ocean shallow enough, - stopping the waves and flow of waters, - helping in arranging to float the materials used for building a bridge without being drowned and - preventing the water borne creatures from troubling Rama's battalions while crossing etc. Rama told him that his arrow drawn to shoot cannot go waste and asked him where he should direct it. The Ocean king replied that in the northwestern corner of the land there was a place called "Dhruma- kulyam" where a few cruel creatures were troubling him and that Rama could direct his arrows against them. Rama sent his arrow against that target as requested and destroyed them. (Koorathaazhwan catches Rama red handed and poses him the question that when he could direct an arrow from the Southernmost tip to the Westernmost corner of the land, how he could not shoot it Lanka that was so near and himself answers that the former proved Rama to be Paramaatma while the latter was in sync with his claim to be just a human!) 20. SETHU BANDANAM The Ocean king suggested that there was in the army of Rama, an expert engineer called "NaLan" who could be asked to build a bridge. NaLan built a strong bridge that was 100 yOjanas in length and 10 yOjanas in width in mid-sea to the entire satisfaction of the Vaanara army. It looked like the regular parting of hair on the head of a beautiful damsel (23). dasoham Anbil Ramaswamy (To be continued) ===================================================================== xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx ===================================================================== 3.TAATPARYA RATNAVALI - SUBMISSION 44 - SLOKAM 18 -PART 1 (SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARAIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO) --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------ SrImate ra'nga rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya namaH. tAtpary aratnAvaLi - Submission 44, Slokam 18 Part 1, tiruvAimozhi 1.7, pASuram 1.7.1, 1.7.2. Slokam 18 of tAtparya ratnAvaLi ? tiruvAimozhi 1.7 ? piRavit tuyar. sat-citta Akarsha hetoh (1.7.1) agha Samana nidheh (1.7.2) nitya bhogya amRtasya (1.7.3) tyAge hetu ujjhitasya (1.7.4) pravahad upakRteh (1.7.5) dus- tyajasva anubhUteh (1.7.6) | tyAga AkAn'gkshA niroddhuh (1.7.7) Srita hRdaya pRthak-kAra nitya akshamasya (1.7.8) svAtma SlishTasya (1.7.9) gAyac-chrama hara yaSasah (1.7.10) sevanam svAdu avocat (1.7) || The theme emphasized by svAmi deSikan in this tiruvAimozhi is `sevanam svAdu' ? Worship of bhagavAn is sweet, it is supreme delight (bhajanam parama bhogyam), as indicated in the last phrase of the above Slokam. The ten guNa-s selected from the ten pASuram- s of this tiruvAimozhi will all support this point. Those who perform worship of bhagavAn without any desire except attaining Him, will find the worship absolutely delightful. Those who perform the worship for other benefits will not derive that full delight. The idea reflected in this tiruvAimozhi is conveyed in chapter 9 of the gItA in the chapter on `rAja vidyA'. rAja vidyA rAja guhyam pavitram idam uttamam | pratyakshAvagamam dharmyam su-sukham kartum avyayam || (9.2) "This knowledge about worship is the best among all knowledge. This is greatest of secrets. It will lead to the actual realization of bhagavAn. It is the path of righteous conduct. It leads to the greatest of happiness. It leads to the Eternal Benefit". pASuram 1.7.1: piRavit tuyar aRa j~nAnattuL ninRu tuRavic cuDar viLakkam talaip peyvAr aRavinai Azhip paDai andaNanai maRaviyai inRi manattu vaippArE. Even those who want to be just relieved of the sorrow resulting from this birth, and who resort to j~nAna yogam and realize the kaivalya sukham of realizing that the soul is different from the body and thereby get relieved of the false identity between the body and the soul and are saitsified with this Atma sukham only, end up keeping Him in their thoughts for deriving that benefit of kaivalyam. The idea here is that His worship is delightful, no matter whether the person worships Him for the ultimate benefit of attaining Him (of performing eternal kai'nkaryam to Him in SrI vaikunTham), or for just getting relief from the suffering resulting from the false association of the body with the soul and thereby enjoying the full realization of the eternal and unlimited nature of the soul (kaivalya Anandam). Thes latter devotees think of bhagavAn as a person who is like a Cleaner, who can eliminate their sorrow from birth, but do not think of Him as parama bhogyan ? the Most Enjoyable. The kaivalyArthI-s get immersed in j~nAna yogam, and do not go beyond that to bhakti yogam ? of enjoying Him as the Ultimate benefit to be attained. But bhagavAn's dharmam is that He will attract the minds of all who seek Him for any benefit. svAmi deSikan captures the essence of this pASuram through the words `sat-citta Akarsha hetoh' ? He who does not distinguish between paramaikAntin-s and a-paramaikAntin-s, and attracts the minds of both ? `piRavit tuyar aRa j~nAnattuL ninRu turavic cuDar viLakkam talaip peyvAr maRaviyai inRi manattu vaippArE'. The term `sat' in svAmi deSikan's words should be taken to refer to jIvAtmA-s. pASuram 1.7.2: vaippAm marundAm aDiyarai val vinait tuppAm pulan aindum tu'njak koDAn avan eppAl evarkkum nalattAl uyarndu uyarndu appAl avan e'ngaL Ayar kozhundE. nalattAl eppAl evarkkum uyarduyarndu appAl avan ? BhagavAn, in the joy that He bestows on His devotees, is far, far above anything that is known (as described in Ananda valli ? ucchritocchritan), and is also beyond our reach (vA'ng manasA agocaran ? yato vAco nivartante aprApya mansA saha?). e'ngaL Ayar kozhundu ? However, for the sake of the ananya prayojana- s among us (those who seek nothing except Him as the only desired goal), He has taken birth as the Chief among the cowherds. avan ? That sarveSvaran, val vinait tuppAm pulan aindu tu'njak koDAn ? will not let the five senses that are skilled in inducing one into bad karma-s destroy His devotee (tuppu ? skill, sAmarthyam; tu'nja ? naSikka, to destroy); marundAm ? (Thus) He is the Medicine for the disease of samsAra (He is the upAyam ? means to attain Him); vaippAm ? He is also the Treasure (He is also the final goal to be attained). When bhagavAn is held in one's mind like a treasure (vaippu), H will act as the medicine (marundu) that prevents the indriya-s from going in their own unctorlled way and sinking the person in deep karma. svAmi deSikan describes the aspect sung in this pASuram in support of bhagavAn's `sevanam' being `svAdu' - "worship being sweet ? a source of delight" through the words "agha Samana nidheh" ? BhagavAn is the Wealth that removes all the blemishes in us (agha ? blemish; Samana ? removal, destruction; nidhi ? wealth) ? avan val vinait tuppAm pulan aindu tu'njak koDAn marundAm vaippAm. The detailed meaning for the pASuram given in the previous paragraph clearly provides the basis for svAmi deSikan's choice of the guNa sung in the pASuram - "agha Samana nidhi". Because bhagavAn destroys all the effects of karma-s caused by the effect of indriya-s of His devotees, worship of bhagavAn is svAdu or the most delicious dAsan kRshNamAcAryan (To be continued) ===================================================================== xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx ===================================================================== Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SriRangaSri/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SriRangaSri/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:SriRangaSri-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx mailto:SriRangaSri-fullfeatured@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: SriRangaSri-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
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