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sriraamanavami -raama sthuthi -1

From the Bhakti List Archives

M.G.Vasudevan • March 25, 2001 


Dear Sri vaishnava perunthagaiyeer,

Sri Raama Navami is just a few days away from now. As a contribution on this
occasion of Sri Raama Navami, this insignificant entity wants to share with
all of you, the learned parama bhagavathas, my praise to my Lord Sri Raama.
This praise and consequent write-up is based on the praise from another
non-important or non- significant personality in the Srimadh RaamaayaNam. 

Many a upanyaasakars will just make a passing mention about this person in
their Srimadh raamaayana upanyaasam. Perhaps few will not touch upon this
personality at all.

Aachaarya swami dhEsikan has 3 words on this personality in his raghuveera
gadhyam, that too 2 words mentions the valour of raama and the third word is
just the name of this person.

LakshmaNa has different roles to play while serving the Lord Sri Raama. Just
to mention the different roles, they are
1.	An Engineer - in construction of the parNa saalai - the house in the
forest
2.	A boat builder- builds boats to cross the river, when the trio has
to cross rivers in different places since guhan has helped in one place
only.
3.	A scavenger- vettiyaan - to dig a pit to bury somebody
4.	A night watch man - [not in the "cricket" game parlance] but really
doing the watchman's duty in the night,- to keep vigil- urangaa villi
5.	An errand boy - to be at service at beck and call
6.	An advisor 
7.	A counsel 
8.	A good and trusted minister 
9.	Able assistant "warrior or fighter"
10.	A trusted ambassador to convey messages across
The list is long but let us stop here, since topic of the write-up is
different.

Such a lakshmana swamy became the scavenger to dig the pit for burial of
this subject person, whose praise is the topic of my write-up here.

Raama who had the powerful kOthaNdam has to keep his kOthandam aside and has
to resort to other means to kill this person. Devi seetha requests this
subject person "please leave Sri raama and my brother -in- law lakshmaNa,
instead take me and eat me". He did not heed to seethaa's call. Then raama
and lakshmaNa cut his both hands, and, then also their bows and arrows could
not kill him.

Because this person had such a boon that asthrams and sasthrams can not kill
him, raama had to resort to other means to kill him- by placing his foot on
his neck and then burying him alive so that he will die there. (raama's foot
has already given the clearance for release of soul and formally the soul
has to leave the body).

By now perhaps you have guessed who this subject person is. Yes, it is
viraadhan the thumburu naama gandharvan, who, [because of his kaamam- lust
towards rambha the apsaras] got the curse saabham from kubhEra, his master. 

This viraadha sthuthi of raama is very small in Srimadh vaalmeeki raamayanam
-as thaatha - meaning - my father. [in one of the translations this word
thaatha is described as lOka pithaa].

Kowsalyaa su-prajaasthaatha raamasthvam vidhitho mayaa
VaidEhee mahaabhaagaa lakshmaNaschcha mahaayasaa: 
-- slokam 15 aaraNya kaaNdam of Srimadh vaalmeeki raamayanam.

Meaning: I know you, Oh raamaa! My father, you as Kowsalyaa's good son and
seetha this very bhaagyasaalee, and this LakshmaNaa the famed one.
  
Swami dhEsikaa says "viraadha hariNa saardhoola" in line 30 of sri
raghuveera gadhyam - meaning- raama the tiger who killed viraadha the deer.

But Sri kamban the tamil poet, who wrote raamaayaNam based on sri Vaalmeeki,
has written 14 verses as viraadha sthuthi on raama, and is the subject for
this write-up. 

We will have to enjoy it in parts. They are splendid in meaning and with
comments will be an enjoyable treat.

First verse of viraadha sthuthi- Verse 2563 - 47 in aaraNya kaaNdam of kamba
raamaayaNam - viraadhan vadhaip padalam

VEdhangaL aRaiginRa ulagu engum virindhana un 
PaadhangaL ivai ennin padivangaL eppadiyO?
Odham koL kadal anRi onRinOdu onru ovvaa
BoodhangaL thoRum uRainthaal avai unnaip poRukkumO?

Let us have the meaning and comments in next post.

Dhaasan Vasudevan M.G.


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