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"Good Morning, Milord!"

From the Bhakti List Archives

sadagopaniyengar • December 8, 2002 


 
  

 

 

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

 

 

"Good Morning, Milord!"

 

An assortment of greetings is exchanged in various parts of the world by people for saluting each other at the beginning of the day. The English say "Good Morning!", the French "bon jour" and so on. In the north of India, people prefer to greet each other with the Lord's name-"Ram Ram" or "Radhe Shyam" or "Jai Sri Krishna!". This practice of greeting each other at the day beginning serves to break the ice and pave the way for a smooth interaction during the course of the ensuing day.

 

 Kings of yore woke up to the pleasing tunes of mangala vAdyAs, accompanied by poets singing the Emperor's praises in mellifluous tones. The idea was that the Sovereign, when he breaks sleep, should do so in a manner that is pleasant to him. Since a king who woke up on the wrong side of the bed could be a source of danger for all who came into contact with him throughout the day, waking him up gently with music and paeans of praise appears to be a ruse to ensure that the King's servants and courtiers, who survive solely at his pleasure, have a safe and nice day.

 

                          Waking up kings thus was a regular practice, prevalent from time immemorial. Srimad Ramayana attests to this-

"toorya sanghAta nirghOshai: kAnchI nUpura nissvanai:

madhurai: geeta sabdaischa pratibudhyasva Raghava!"

  While inviting Sri Rama to accept the Crown at the end of the vanavAsa, Sri Bharata asks Him to wake up every day to the sweet melodies of musical instruments and to the intoning of His praises by courtiers.

 

The very first Suprabhatam to the Lord can again be traced to

 Srimad Ramayana. 

 

Sage Visvamitra takes good care of the Princes of Ayodhya entrusted to him by Sri Dasarata for Yaga samrakshanam. He ensures not only their physical well-being but also their adherence to schedules for anushttAnam (not that they need any prompting in this regard).

 

 The sons of Dasaratha, unused to long walks in the jungle, are fast asleep at the end of a day of a long march in the company of Sri Visvamitra. As is usual when one is tired, the night just flies away and false dawn peeps out from the mountain peaks. Had it been anybody else, he would have just allowed the fatigued Princes to sleep on, but not Visvamitra. For him, the time for performance of Sandhyavandanam is approaching fast, and in tune with the dictum that a Brahmahari should not sleep too much ("mA sushuptthA:"), he wakes up Sri Rama.

 

 We are used to our children pleading for five more minutes of sleep irrespective of the time they are woken up. Sri Rama, however, rises immediately, bathes in the cold river water and performs SandhyOpAsana.

  

Here is the beautiful sloka, which even children are acquainted with-

"KousalyA suprajA Rama poorvA sandhyA pravartatE

Uttishtta nara sArdoola kartavyam daivam Ahnikam"

 

Looking at the beautiful countenance of the latent Sri Rama, with His face reflecting peace and goodwill even in repose, Sri Visvamitra is struck by Sri Kousalya's good fortune in begetting a son like this, and with this thought fresh in mind, addresses the Prince as "Kousalya suprajA Rama!".

 

 It is indeed surprising that whether it is to lull Him to sleep, or to wake Him up, His mother Kousalya's name is invoked! We have Sri Kulasekharazhwar devoting ten pasurams in an attempt to get Him to sleep-"Mannu pugazh Kosalai than maNi vayiru vAyttavanE..ennudaya innamudE RaghavanE tAlElO".

 

 Sage Visvamitra wants to make the most of the hard-to-get company of the Paramapurusha and wants to drink-in the Lord's unmatched beauty, which is reflected in all His actions and even in inaction. So the Rishi wakes up the Prince, wanting to see the way Sri Rama's eyes look when opening up after sleep. And he is not disappointed, for the Prince's eyes unfasten slowly and softly, like the petals of a beautiful flower about to blossom.

 

 As soon the Maharshi utters the word "Kousalya SuprajA", Sri Rama attains wakefulness at the mere mention of His mother's name, whom He hasn't been away from for any length of time so far in His life.

 And at the spectacle of Rama's beautiful eyes, resembling a just-bloomed lotus, Visvamitra is moved by emotion and involuntarily cries out "Rama!", alluding not to the given name of the Prince, but to His bewitching nature, which could enchant and win over even the most hard-hearted. (The word "Rama" means one who enthralls, attracts, etc.-"Ramayati iti Rama:").

 

It is not yet dawn. However, once Sri Rama opens His eyes, a brilliant light spreads over the surroundings, giving the impression of mid-day. Visvamitra is dumbfounded-a second before, it was still dark, and now the entire forest is awash with radiance. The puzzled Sage then realizes that nothing less could be expected when the Lord's eyes open, for they are the progenitors of the blazing Sun ("ChakshO: SuryO ajAyata"). 

 

 Visvamitra quietly smiles to himself, when he utters the words "PoorvA sandhyA pravartatE". In reminding Sri Rama about the impending daybreak, He knows full well that it is the Supreme Lord whom he is addressing, at whose beck and call Time, the Sun, the Moon and all natural phenomena subsist. It is out of fear of the Lord that all celestial bodies perform their functions punctually, says the Upanishad-"BheeshOdEti Soorya:". The irony of calling Sri Rama's attention to daybreak strikes Visvamitra, when he realizes that it is the Great Cosmic Timekeeper whom he is reminding.

 

Sri Visvamitra's ironical smile becomes a laugh when he says further that the time has come to propitiate dEvatAs through SandhyOpasana etc. ("kartavyam daivam Ahnikam"). The realization dawns on him that it is the Paramapurusha, who is the object of worship of all beings (from the exalted celestials to the lowliest mortals), whom he is asking to perform Sandhyavandanam. The Maharshi recalls the Shruti vakya "SarvE asmai dEvA balim Avahanti"(all deities propitiate the Parabrahmam) and realizes the folly of his injunction to the Prince to do Sandhyavandanam.

 

The beauty of the matter is that though the Rishi realizes the hollowness of his instructions, Sri Rama, on the other hand, carries them out with implicit obedience, demonstrating the conduct of an ideal disciple. Having taken a human form, the Lord ensures that His conduct is always above board and in tune with the highest standards applicable to His VarNa and Ashrama, setting an example, for people tend to fashion their own demeanour after that of their ideals-" yat yat Acharati shrEshtta: tat tat Eva itarO jana:  Sa yat pramANam kurutE lOka: tat anuvartatE."

 

The reason Visvamitra wakes up Sri Rama is that the Lord is held to be the eye of the Universe ("Visvata: chakshu:") and if He Himself sleeps, the world would never wake up, as the following sloka makes clear-

"Veera Soumya vibudhyasva Kousalya Ananda vardhana!

  Jagat sarvam svapiti tvayi suptE narAdhipa!"

 

The real purpose of the Suprabhata stotra is brought out by the Sri Venkateswara Suprabhatam-

"Uttishtta KamalAkAnta! TrilOkyam mangalam kuru"

We want Him to rise and shine because we want our welfare looked-after, and so that all things auspicious come our way. 

 

Does the Lord need to sleep and to awake?

 

 We should not be misled by His apparent indolence. If He appears always to be half-asleep on His snake bed, it is not actual "nidrA", but "Yoga nidrA" He affects ("uranguvAn pOl yOgu puNarnda oLi MaNivannan Kannan" -Sri Nammazhwar). Even if His eyes are closed, it is our welfare and upliftment that are constantly in His thoughts. Thus, even if He appears to comply with Sri Kulasekhara Perumal's entreaties to sleep (ref, the decad of Perumal Tirumozhi beginning with "Mannu pugazh Kosalai than manivayiru vAyttavanE") He is always awake, devising newer and newer strategies for emancipating lost and uncooperative souls. It is said that the rich never sleep, kept awake by fears for the safety of their wealth- how then can Emperuman, with His vast riches encompassing all the Universes and the Nitya VibhUti? 

 

Shastras enjoin upon us to extend to the Lord all regal courtesies due to a Prince, befitting His stature. It is in accordance with the dictates of the Scripture that we "wake" Him up, with stotras, music et al, as the Emperors of yore described above. Suprabhata stotras have therefore been composed to ensure that when Lord comes awake, our stuti falls on His ears, always eager for praise ("stava priya:"). The "TiruppaLLi ezhucchi" of Sri Tondaradippodi Azhwar too is an uplifting exercise with the same object.

 

Srimate SriLakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

Dasan, sadagopan.

 

 

 

 

 



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