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Raghuveera Gadhyam -Yuddha KhAndham --Part 5

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • December 4, 1996 


GS : 52 : prathisayana bhumikA bhooshitha payOdhi 
                puLina ! Jaya ! Jaya !

Hail to Thee O  Raghuveera , who beautified the assembly
of sands of the beach (at ThirupullANi ) through your lying down 
on them in a bed of sacred grass in observance of 
Your PraayOpvesam ! Hail to Thee !

(Background ) : Facing the ocean that  separated him from 
the kingdom of RavaNA , Sri Ramachandra contemplated on
the method to cross the Ocean and reach LankhA . VibhishaNa,
who had been blessed with SaraNAgathi at the Lord's feet suggested 
that Sri Rama can achieve his objective , if he sought  refuge in 
Samudra Raajan (Samudram RaagavO RaajA saraNam 
ganthumarhathi ). LakshmaNA and Sugreeva concurred with
VibhishaNA's counsel . Rama accepted their counsels . 

He spread blades of sacred grass on the sands of the beach and joined his 
palms as a mark of respect to the Sea-God  and laid down on that bed of 
Dharbham (Dharbha Sayanam ) facing eastward . He used his mighty
arm as a pillow for his head. The description of the beauty of that
powerful arm of Raghuveeran supporting his head is enjoyed by 
Valmiki in many verses of the 21st sargam of Srimadh RAmAyaNam .

Swami Desikan refers to these slokAs of Valmiki (slokas 3-8 , Sargam 21) ,
when he salutes Dharbha sayana Raman's beautiful arms and the 
heroic poisture adopted by him  during his praayOpavesam ( To lie on a grass
bed with control over one's body , speech and mind until one achieves
the kaarya siddhi ) . Swami calls this act of the Lord as Prathisayana
BhoomikA or the play acting of PraayOpavesam that  was making 
the whole sea shore beautiful . As the Lord of the Universe , Rama 
did not need to ask for the help or shelter of the Sea-God . Yet he acted
as though he was asking in the proper way , since he wanted to be
consistent with his avathAram as a human being , the son of Dasaratha.

Thirumangai AzhwAr is overcome with the beauty of the Raghuveeran 
in his Darbha Sayanam pose and assumes the role of ParakAla Nayaki
and in moving paasurams pours forth his sorrow over separation 
from her Nayakan . These ThirupullANi paasurams are drenched 
with the mood of Vipralambha SringAram .

 The name ThirupullANi is derived from Thiru+ Pul+aNai/ThirupullANi 
( Dharbha Sayanam ) . Thiruppul and Thoopul are one 
and the same name for Dharbham. Swami Desikan
hailing from the village of Thuppul has a natural affection for the beauty
of the Lord resting on Dharbhasayanam at the beach of Aadhi Jagannatha
Kshethram and salutes that beauty of the Lord adorning the sea shore.. 

I will conclude this posting with the Periya Thirumozhi 9.4.9 verse of
Thirumangai saluting the Dharbha sayana Raaman at ThiruppullANi :

vedamum veLviyum viNNumirusudarum ,
aadhiyumAnAnaruL tanthavaa namakku ,
podhalarum punnai soozh pullANi kai thozhutEn ,
Odhamum naanum urangaathirunthEnE 

The play act performed by the Lord as though he was a powerless
human being--veda vedhyE parE pumsi jaathE DasarathAthmajE--
 was saluted by Swami Desikan as Prathisayana BhoomikA.
Swami had Thirumangai's reminder in mind  about  that person (Rama)
who declared himself as a mere Maanusha ," the  helpless human being",
pretending  as the one needing the help of the Sea-God. Parakaala 
Nayaki let out the secret about the true identity of that play actor resting 
on the beach.
.
The above Paasuram of Parakaala Nayaki decribes and  salutes that
aadhi purushan as the aadhAra Purushan , who created the Vedaas ,
who performs the YaagAs, who generated the pleasure-giving bhulokam , 
who caused the birth of the Sun and the Moon and  stays as the primordial 
God of all Gods saluted by Purusha Sooktham . Nayaki goes on to say 
that she stood before Him with anjali mudra seeking His dayaa and He 
did not respond. She describes her condition as a state of sleeplessness
as a result of the sorrow over the separation form her Lord .    
She compares her sleeplessnes to that of the eteranlly vigilant waves ,
which also can not take any rest. They heave and  break without rest 
like her sorrowful heart. Both do not sleep . Such is the sowndharyam 
of Darbha Sayana Raaman that  Parakaala Nayaki and Swami Desikan  
saluted .

Jaya jaya Raghuraama Sri mukAmbhoja BHaanO
jaya Jaya Raghuveera SrimadhambhOja netra I

Jaya Jaya RaghunAtha Sri KarAbhyarchitAngrE 
Jaya Jaya Raghuvarya Sreesa KaaruNya SindhO II

Jaya Jaya Vara sankha Srigadhaa chakra dhArin 
Jaya Jaya nija daasa prArthithArtha PradhAyin I

Tribhuvanamaya Sarva PrANi bhavajna VishNO 
SaraNam upagathOham tvAm saraNyam VarENyam II

Sri Dharbha Sayana Ramachandra ParabrahmaNE nama:

Sri VaishNava Daasan ,

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan