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"Chirai irundavaL Ettram"

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sadagopaniyengar • December 15, 2002 


                    
Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

 

               "Chirai irundavaL Ettram"

 

       Srimad Ramayana has been inspiring us for millions of years and will continue to do so forever. Even today, when materialistic machinations rule the roost, we find a discourse on some aspect or other of Sri Rama's story being delivered somewhere or the other in our sprawling country. Though we have been listening to the tale since our childhood, it doesn't seem to bore us, as is attested by the audiences still thronging Srimad Ramayana upanyasams everywhere. 

 

After all, you could summarize the story in a few lines- the tale isn't all that complicated, nor does it have innumerable sub-tales branching off the main theme, as in Sri Mahabharata. In fact, we do wonder how Sri Valmiki was able to spin the limited theme into a magnificent, colourful fabric of 24000 slokas!

 

 Srimad Ramayana could be shortly and succinctly described as the story of the brave and righteous Prince of Ayodhya, who was banished to the forest through palace intrigue, lost his wife Sita due to the subterfuges of an Asura inflamed by desire for the damsel, contracted the friendship of a monkey-king, through whose assistance he located his wife and regained her after a valiant battle with the abductor.

 

There is hardly anything more to the tale, which is a fairly straightforward one, albeit with a lot of homilies to humanity on righteous conduct and sticking to it even in the face of adversity.  How then do we explain the continuing popularity of the epic, even after millennia have passed since its composition? We might see an interesting film or read an absorbing book once, perhaps twice, even thrice. After that, the attraction of the book or film wanes, till at a particular stage, after enough repetitive perusals, we would be prepared to run at the suggestion of another viewing or reading. This is perhaps due to the operation of what the economists call The Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility, whereby each successive consumption of an item, however much we may like it, is likely to bring us progressively less satisfaction, till the stage is reached when we won't even want to look at the item anymore, leave alone consume it.

 

The undying popularity of Srimad Ramayana is due to the fact that it is not just any old tale, but the story of the Paramapurusha. If the Lord is an "ArAvamudam", a nectar whose taste never diminishes and, on the contrary, affords an ever-new experience, it stands to reason that His tale too should never pall on us, even after any amount of recounting. The lasting morals the epic teaches us have not lost their relevance despite the passage of millions of years-if anything, they appear all the more applicable in today's context of humanity being plagued by distrust and disharmony, hurtling headlong towards decisive destruction. 

 Though there may be reasons galore for the epic's undiminished appeal, the principal among them is that it is the story of Piratti. More than being an account of the exploits of Sri Rama, it is the tale of the Divine Bride, who spent long years in prison, for our sake. It is the story of a model wife who would not forsake her husband's side, whether he was the Prince of Ayodhya or an exiled pauper traversing dangerous forests filled with terror. It is the story of a young Princess, accustomed to only the most luxurious of life styles, and her preparedness to sleep on a bed of grass, wear dresses made of tree bark and deer skin, and accept as food only the bland roots and fruits the forest had to offer, vis a vis the sumptuous and gourmet dishes She was used to-all for the sake of sticking to her husband during testing times. It is the story of a madame who was Mercy personified, who forgave readily even those who had mortally sinned against her. It is the thrilling fable of a faithful spouse who spurned an 

 

A small but significant sloka from the epic is quoted below, which gives us a fair idea of this Lady's greatness-

 

"iyam SitA mama sutA sahadharma charee tava

  prateeccha cha EnAm bhadram tE pANim grihNeeshva pANinA"

 

This is the "SitA KalyANa" sloka, whereby Sri Janaka hands over his beloved daughter to Sri Rama, with a few words as to the bride's suitability. Each word of this sloka has been held by Poorvacharyas to be pregnant with meaning.

 

"iyam SitA" (This SitA)-Sri Janaka tells His son-in-law-to-be that His bride is no ordinary girl, but a delightful damsel of considerable accomplishment. Even Her birth was extraordinary-She was not born to human parents after a ten-month imprisonment in the mother's womb-She was just found in the Yaga bhoomi when it was being leveled -up.

  Sri Janaka, who is a GnAni, acclaimed even by the GitAcharya ("KarmENaiva hi samsiddhim Astthita JanakAdaya:") knows that Sita is no ordinary mortal, but verily the LOkamAtA, come to the world out of Her own free will.. This he implies to Sri Rama when handing Her over to His custody.

The words "iyam Sita" further state implicitly that here is a maiden who is the repository of all virtues ("nArINAm utttamA vadhU:").

Unlike modern times, the bride and the groom did not have even a glimpse of each other till the moment of the wedding.( Kamban's "aNNalum nOkkinAn, avaLum nOkkinAl" appears to be more of a poetical embellishment than a statement of fact). Thus, in saying "iyam SitA", Sri Janaka seems to tell Rama, "Behold, this is the SitA for winning whose hand you underwent the ordeal of lifting the Shiva Dhanus. Is She not worth the trouble?".

 

"Mama sutA"- Sri Janaka proudly tells Sri Rama that Sita is HIS daughter. He seems to imply that even if She weren't his daughter by birth, She had been found and brought up by him and as such, verily his daughter.

 

 Sri Janaka impliedly tells Sri Rama that all the good qualities in himself (Janaka) had been duly imbibed by Sita, and that She was worthy of being called his daughter.

 

Another interpretation is that these words ("My daughter") were uttered by Sri Janaka ironically, hinting at the impossibility of the LOkamAta being anybody's progeny.

 

"Sahadharma charI tava"- by these words, the father-in-law conveys to the groom that the bride would aid and assist the groom in all his righteous endeavours.

Sri Janaka , who is aware that Sri Rama is righteousness personified ("RAmO vigrahavAn Dharma:") assures Him that the bride would in no way be an obstacle to the performance of His dhArmic duties, but, on the contrary, extend full support in all His efforts aimed at SAdhu paritrANam ( protecting the good) and dushkrit vinAsanam ( destruction of evil), in the process reestablishing Dharma (Dharma SamstthApanam).

The paramount dharma of the Lord is saving those who apply to Him for succour-the SharanAgatAs. The Lord Himself makes this plain-"Etat vratam mama". In Ramavatara, the Lord did not have any occasion to respond to Sharanagati till His marriage, as Piratti's is an indispensable presence in the process of Sharanagata Rakshanam. Sri Janaka appears to tell Sri Rama that He could thenceforth embark on His mission of Saving Souls, now that SitA was with Him. Just as a person without a wife cannot perform a Yaga, the Lord too requires the active participation of His PatnI in emancipating Jeevas.

 Looking at it another way, Sri Janaka seems to tell Sri Rama that his daughter would support Him (Rama) only in His lawful conduct and not otherwise. 

 

"PratIccha" "Please accept my daughter in marriage" says the Emperor of Mithila to the Prince of Ayodhya. Here too, a tinge of irony is detectable. Having uttered the word, Sri Janaka is struck by the realization that he is offering to the Lord none other than Piratti Herself, who is the Lord's eternal and inseparable companion. The doubt seizes him as to what role he (Janaka) could play in Piratti rejoining Her Lord. He finds himself officiously offering to the Prince what is His (Rama's) own inalienable property. Sri Janaka's predicament appears similar to that of Sri Alavandar, who, after surrendering his soul to the Lord, realizes that the soul is not his to surrender-

"Mama nAta yadasti yOsmyaham 

 sakalam taddhi tavaiva Madhava!

 Niyatastvam iti prabuddha dhee:

 AthavA kinnu samarpayAmi tE?"

 

"Bhadram tE"- Like Sri Periazhwar, Sri Janaka too is afraid that the evil eye might befall the Matchless Match, and hastens to invoke all auspiciousness for the newly wed couple. The Prince of Ayodhya and the Princess of Mithila make such a wonderful pair in every way. In beauty, bewitching behaviour, endearing qualities and in all other parameters, they form a Perfect Pair, as could be found nowhere. It is this sight that drives Sri Janaka to exclaim "Bhadram tE", to ward off the evil eye.

 

"PANim grihNeeshva"- "Hold Her hand", tells Sri Janaka to Sri Rama. This makes it clear that the act of holding hands or "PANi grahaNam" signified the consummation of marriage in times of yore, and that the  "TirumAngalya dhAraNam" or the groom adorning the bride's neck with the mangalasUtra, is of much later origin. As if demonstrating this, Sri Kodandaraman of MadhurAntakam is to be found in the kalyANa tirukkOlam, with Sri VaidEhI's palm in the firm grasp of His own. It is probably based on this custom that Sri Kodai Nacchiar too dreams of the Lord wedding Her by grasping Her hand-"Kaitthalam pattra kanA kaNdEn tOzhI nAn!". Similarly, while the "PANi grahaNam" has the support and sanction of a Veda mantra specifically applicable to the act, it is debatable whether the Mangalya dharana mantra ("Mangalyam tantunA anEna mama jeevana hEtunA-kanttE badhnAmi subhagE") is indeed a Veda mantra. At least, it doesn't appear to be from the Yajur vEda.

 

  The glory of Piratti is so widespread in the great epic, that one would fully agree with the author in calling it "SItAyA's Charitam mahat" (The Great Tale of SitA). This is also borne out by Chakkravartti Tirumagan's own words on several occasions during His separation from Mythili. There is thus little doubt that Srimad Ramayanam is out and out a saga of the Lady, rather than of the Lord.

 

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

Dasan, sadagopan.

            

 



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