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sri rama navami- raama sthuthi 5

From the Bhakti List Archives

M.G.Vasudevan • April 17, 2001 


Dear Sri vaishnava perunthagaiyeer,

In the previous post we saw the guNam of equanimity of the Lord [his aruL
nOkkam]. In this verse of viraadha sthuthi of raama, he is glorified as one
who takes the different avathaarams as a play at his sweet will. 

Please see the verse- 
ThuRappathE thozhil aagath thOnRinOr thOnRiyakkaal
MarapparO thammai athu enRu aagil maRRu avar pOl
PiRapparO? Evarkkum thaam peRRa padham peRal aridhO
IRappadhE piRappadhE enum viLaiyaattu inidhu uganthOi!

Word by word meaning for few words: 
ThuRappathu- to leave - to renounce- to sacrifice
Padham - paadham -feet 
Padham - nilai- status or position or elevation
Padham - vaarththai - word
Padham - pakkuvam - suitability

Meaning: Oh my Lord! you are the ONE, who likes to play the game of taking
different births and deaths [avathaarams] sportingly. Oh lord! Such of those
people, who has as their main job of discarding that likes and dislikes in
this world [thuRappadhE thozhil], such people, if they have to take birth
after birth, will they forget or leave what were they in their previous
birth. No. Oh lord! Or will they take birth like others who take births
based on their desires and karmaas. [again the answer is "No" which is
understood] 

Points:1. Here viraadhan wants to glorify the lord saying you take
avathaarams like a child's play. The lord also likes to do this playing.
UganthOi- likes it to do. Inithu- sweet. It is a play for him- viLaiyaatu-
uganthOi- likes this play to take births and deaths.

2. In gopaala vimsathi Swami dEsikan says - akila bhuvana rakshaa gOpa
vEshasya vishNO: It is only a vEsham - like an artist plays different roles,
the Lord also plays the roles so easily and sportingly. Leela sukhar says
"leelaya gOpa vEshasya krishna". It is a play to have this gopa vEsham for
krishna. Under the context it is rama who plays such.

3. Sri nammaazhvaar in his thiruvaaimozhi - 2-9-5 says
siRappil veedu suvargam naragam
iRappil eidhuga eithaRka yaanum
pirappil pal piRavip perumaanai
maRappu onRu inRi enRum magizhvEnE

meaning: when I die whether I get 
*	that specialty -mOksham (liberation), 
*	life in swargam (heaven),  
*	life in naragam (hell), 
I am not bothered. 
In birth, I want NOT to forget that emperumaan -who does not have any birth
or death but takes birth and death, and enjoy him. 

See the idea of nammazhvar and kamban are same.
That sentence "piRappil pal piRavip perumaan"- is superb in meaning. One
meaning is
PiRappil - pirappu +il - pirappu +illaadha- one who does not have any birth
[elsewhere he is addressed as pirappilee meaning pirappu illadhavanE- one
who is not having any birth]
Another meaning is -Pirappil pal piravi- he is without birth but has
multitude of births- apparently contradicting. But the real meaning is "even
though birthless, takes births, not only that, within one birth showing
qualities of different births and multitudes of births".

In this birth as raama - claims that "I am only a common man"- "maanusham
manyE"
But did give mOksham to sabari as saakshaath naaraayaNan- "sabhari mOksha
saakshee bhootha" says swami desikan in raghu veera gadhyam,
Says giving saraNagathy is my viratham - Ethath vratham mama- That is my
code of conduct to render adaikkalam - to offer asylum to all who seeks
surrender.
Who can give asylum to all without distinction except that super lord.
So all these qualities are befitting to that supreme lord- naaraayaNan -
pirappilee.

That "maRappu inRi magizhvEnE" of aazhvar and kamban's "thOnRinOr
thOnRiyakkaal maRapparO" is superb to enjoy.
oh raamaa - "IRappadhE piRappadhE enum viLaiyaattu inidhu uganthOi!".

4. Lord says in bhagavath geetha he takes birth several times. This, though
done sportingly, is with a purpose. The purpose is stated so beautifully
Yadha yadha hi dharmasya glaanir bhavathi bhaaratha!
Abhyuththaanam adharmasya thadaathmaanam srujaamyaham!! 4-7 bhagavath geetha
Oh arjuna- Whenever the dharmam is on the decline I take birth to uphold it.
See in previous verse of viraadha sthuthi, he says you have no company to
uphold the dharmam. 
ARam kaaththaRku unakku oruvar aarum thuNai inRi
KaRangu aagum enath thiriya neeyEyO kadavaaithaan.
Here though I am birthless I have pal piRavi - for what - to uphold dharmam.

ParithraaNaaya saadhoonaam vinaasaaya cha dhushkruthaam! 
Dharma samsthaapanaarthaaya sambhavaami yughE yughE!! 4-8 bhagavath geetha
One more purpose is also there in taking such births- it is to protect the
saadhu janam- protect the righteous.

5. In the normal circumstances the births and deaths are painful. But when
the same is done with an ulterior motive of "sacrifice"- thuRappathE- "to
get liberation" then such repeated taking births and deaths also serve a
purpose- that is the thozhil.

6. When such repeated births and deaths are undertaken by this kind of
people, will they forget their basic intention and will they perish in such
repeated births and deaths. NO says bhagavan in his geetha. See
paartha naivEha naamuthra vinaasasthasya vidhyathE!
na hi kalyaaNakruth kaschidh dhurgathim thaatha gachchathi!!
People who have undertaken the path of such liberation never perishes or
goes through ill fates, who does good things. The assurance is given by no
less a person than the Lord himself. That is again reflected here  
MarapparO thammai athu enRu aagil maRRu avar pOl
PiRapparO? Evarkkum thaam peRRa padham peRal aridhO. 

Before concluding this post we will see the next verse of viraadha sthuthi
Pani ninRa perum piRavik kadal kadakkum puNai paRRi
Thani ninRa samayaththOr ellaarum nanru enna
Thani ninRa thaththuvaththin thagai moorthy nee aagin 
Ini ninRa mudhal dhEvar en koNdu en seivaarE!

Meaning and comments in next post.

Dhaasan Vasudevan M.G.

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