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"The Eternal Embrace-2"

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sadagopaniyengar • January 3, 2003 


                 
Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

              The Eternal Embrace-2

      Of all the auspicious attributes of the Lord, the most endearing are His Soulabhyam and Souseelyam, His accessibility and His readiness to mix with the lowest of the lowly. Despite being the Supreme Being, the omnipotent, omniscient Lord and Master of all, He never minds descending from the high heavens to this world of mortals, and to live and move with them as one among them. If it is His mission to reform mankind and to instill in them the desire and the eligibility for emancipation, He could very well do that without lowering Himself to our level. What is more, in His avataras, He doesn't mind in what form He is born-He assumes all sorts of odd forms- as a fish, a boar, a turtle, a half-lion and what not. "uyiraLippAn en nindra yOniyumAi pirandhAi imayOr thalaivA!" says Sri Nammazhwar, marveling at the Lord's simplicity and His readiness to go to any extent to ensure our emancipation.

The moment we talk about Soulabhyam and Souseelyam, the deity who jumps into our mind is Sri Krishna, the Lord who assumed the garb of a lowly cowherd, reveling in His sojourn with cows and their masters, reeking of butter and curds, consuming enormous quantities of these dairy products without minding whom they belong to, getting caught in the process and beaten up by the irate owners, and being tied to the grindstone by His own mother for His innumerable infringements. It is again Sri Nammazhwar who is floored by such simplicity and wonders whether the Parabrahmam could indeed be capable of such deeds-"etthiram uralinOdu iNaindu irundu Engia eLivE".

 It is the Supreme Lord, whom even Sages, with their unlimited penance and meditation, are unable to have a glimpse of, the Lord who is beyond the ken of even distinguished deities like Brahma and Shiva ("Sivanum Piramanum kANAdhu arumAl eidi adi parava"), the Lord who is without a beginning and end, the Primordial Cause of All, without Himself having a cause ("apramEya"), the Lord who is bigger than the biggest known being and smaller than the smallest ("aNOraNeeyAn mahatO maheeyAn"), the Lord and Master and Provider of Sri Vaikuntam and other worlds with their innumerable inhabitants- it is this Lord who graciously consented to be tied up by a mere cowherdess, with the flimsiest of ropes.

 "KattuNNa paNNiya peruMAyan" says Sri Madhurakavi, making it abundantly clear that it was not Sri Yasoda's efforts, but only the Lord's will that ensured His being bound with the inadequate rope.

  Thus Sri Krishnavatara appears to be the only avatara where Emperuman displayed the sterling quality of Soulabhyam in abundant measure.

In contrast, there are those who accuse Sri Rama of being an unapproachable paragon of virtues, a forbidding pillar of righteousness who cannot be even thought of without fear of our thoughts sullying His pristine pure image. While we are able to identify readily with Sri Krishna, somehow Sri Rahgava appears too good for the likes of us. He is someone to be established on a high pedestal and venerated, and not the easily accessible neighborhood boy with whom one can be a chum, with whom one can share confidences, with whom one can have fights and reconciliation, etc.  He is the Prince of Ayodhya, whom one can ogle at from a distance, and not a friend one goes arm-in-arm with.

Sri Bhattar, a vociferous votary of Sri Ramavatara, answers these accusations of aloofness on the part of AyodhyAdhipati with the quip that the role portrayed by the Lord during this avatara was such as to preclude any exuberant mingling with the masses. He was the son of Emperor Dasarata, the Prince of Ayodhya and a Magnificent Monarch, who could hardly be expected to indulge in the sort of horseplay and socializing, which were the hallmark of Sri Krishna. While it is no big deal for a cowherd like Krishna to mix with joy with people of His society, it is quite a different cup of tea for the heir apparent to the throne of Ayodhya to behave in any other fashion than one that befits a future Emperor.

However, even with the constraints imposed by nobility of birth and the affairs of state, we find Sri Raghunandana displaying occasional sparks of soulabhyam, which are all the more sweet for their rarity. 

One such instance is the interaction with the head of the hunting clan, Sri Guha, who puts up Sri Rama for a night before the Prince, His brother and consort cross the Ganga, en route to the forest to spend their exile of fourteen years.

 The image of the majestic Prince disappears the moment Sri Rama sets eyes on GuhapperumAl, for the latter is valued by Raghava to be as precious as His own life ("RAmasya Atma sama: sakhA"). Guha is delighted at the unexpected pleasure of Sri Rama's enchanting company and marvels at his own good fortune, which has blessed him with a guest of matchless distinction as the Prince of Ayodhya. The depth of Sri Guha's friendship and devotion for Raghunandana is truly beyond compare. He declares to Sri Lakshmana, " there is none in this world who is dearer to me than Rama. I swear to this on all that I hold holy"

("na hi RAmAt  priyatamO mamAsti bhuvi kaschana"). Prompted by the long years of separation from the Prince and unmindful of the differences in their respective social ranking, Guha rushes to embrace Sri Rama

Sri Valmiki, describing the embrace, uses the word "samparishvajya". While "parishvajya" indicates the act of embrace, the term "samparishvajya" denotes a comprehensive and comfortable embrace. Conscious of his own brute strength and the delicacy of Sri Rama's physique, Guha embraces Raghunandana with care, as one would handle a fragile article.

The boundless love Sri Guha has for Sri DAsarati and the high degree of its reciprocation by the Prince, are evident from Sri Rama's reflexive action upon setting eyes on the hunter chief. Overwhelmed by GuhapperumAl's adoration, and in striking contrast to the care exhibited by Guha in his embrace, Sri Raghava rushes to lock him in a bear hug, encircling Guha's body with His long and strong arms-"bhujAbhyAm sAdhu vritthAbhyAm peedayan". Sri Rama's embrace is so close, that Guha feels almost crushed. Sri Valmiki describes Sri Rama's intimate interaction with the lowly hunter, unmindful of His own stature as the Prince of Ayodhya thus-" saha SoumithriNA RAma:  samAgacchat snEhEna sa:". 

This act of the Prince of the famed IkshvAku dynasty descending to the level of a common hunter and embracing him as He would an equal, finds few parallels in the history of mankind, and is a standing testimony to the Lord's propensity to disregard fetters of caste, creed, colour or race, when it comes to intimate interaction with true devotees. 

This embrace becomes all the more intimate when one considers the following contrasts in the qualities of the embracer and the embraced-

1.      First and foremost, Sri Rama is the scion of the Raghukulam, a lineage of Emperors famed in all the three worlds for their bravery, justice and good governance. Guha, on the other hand, is a mere chieftain of lowly hunters.

2.      The auspicious attributes of Sri Rama are acknowledged by many and need no recounting, whereas Guha, as is natural to his occupation, is a brutish, crude and bestial hunter.

3.      Sri Rama is mercy personified, "KaruNA Kakuttsttha:", whereas Guha's avocation is one to which mercy is a dirty word.

4.      In appearance too, Guha's is a frightening form, with bloodshot eyes, a huge torso and an ungainly appearance, while Sri Ramachandra is handsomeness itself, with perfectly proportioned limbs, beautiful lotus eyes and a bewitching countenance.

5.      Sri Raghava is a repository of boundless wisdom, while Guha is an ignoramus, unlettered and unsophisticated.

 Disregarding all these differences, Sri Rama joyfully embraces Guha, that too, in a sincere and intimate fashion, unlike the perfunctory and phony hugs the politicians of today favour each other with. 

Marveling at this act of Souseelyam, Sri Thirumangai Mannan says,

"Ezhai Edhalan keezhmagan ennAdhu mattru avarkku innaruL surandhu"

Azhwar obviously refers to the intimate embrace bestowed on Guha, when he says "innaruL surandhu". Expanding on these significant words, Sri Periavacchan Pillai says "vatsa sakAsatthil dhEnu Anadhu ksheeratthai surakkumA pOlE guNangalai surandhu". Emperuman was so emotionally attached to Guhapperumal that He verily became a cow, whose udders fill up at the mere sight of its just-born calf, brimming with the Milk of Mercy for the lowly hunter.

This embrace finds mention in Swami Desikan's Raghuveera Gadyam too, with Sri Rama being addressed with affection as " nishAdha raja souhrida soochita souseelya sAgara!"

We have heard too of the immortal lines of Kamban-"ninnodum iyvar AnOm", whereby Sri Raghava, after bestowing a bear hug on Guha, also accords him the coveted status of a brother, equal in rank to Sri Bharata, Sri Lakshmana and Sri Satrughna. Can one find a better exposition of "Souseelyam" anywhere, anytime?

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

Dasan, sadagopan



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