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Raghuveera Gadhyam : Uttara KhAndham--Part 6

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • January 7, 1997 


Dear Rama BhakthAs : 

In this posting I will cover the Gadhyam salutations 92 and 93.

GS 92 : SRI RAMABHADRA ! JAYA ! JAYA ! 

(Meaning ) : Hail to Thee O RamabhadrA! Hail to Thee !

(Comments ) : He makes every one blessed by darsanam of  His 
sarvanga sowndharyam . His subhAsrayam confers limitless
auspiciousness to those , whose eyes are blessed  to have His 
sevA bhaagyam at his divya desams . 

Saint ThyagaraajA experienced this bliss and celebrated it through 
his raptourous outpourings , which took the form of bhakthi-laden krithis.
>From early  morning  till ardha Jaamam , this Rama BhakthA was 
immersed in the ocean of bliss of the enjoyment of the  Lord's Thirumeni . 

I will refer to some of the krithis , where Saint ThyagarAjA enjoyed the 
beauty of Ramabhadran. In his KolAhala Raga Krithi ( Madhi  lona
Yochana bhuttu ledhA ? maharAja RajeswarA ! ) , he comes straight out and 
reveals to Sriman NarayanA that he has always regarded His RamAvathAram 
as the best of His ten avathArAs ( padhi vesamulalO Rama vesamu
bahu bhAgunuchu goru nannu bhrova ) . 

In his long and beautiful Bilahari Raga Krithi , DorakunA , he describes the 
beauty of Ramabhadran that he  was blessed to see seated on a swing
with His PrANa Nayaki , SitA devi . He describes the sight with ecstasy :
" --a darsanA of the Lord as the repository of all beauty (Maragatha MaNi 
sannibha dehambhuna ) with His emerald-like body clad in shining golden 
garments , with the colour of His foot-nails outshining the rays of the moon , 
with brilliant anklets , with dazzling diamond rings on His fingers , with pearl
garlands on His chest , with face radiant with glowing ear-ornaments and 
charming smile , curly forelocks , glossy cheeks , and with lovely tilakA on 
the forehead , a DarsanA as that of Sri RamabhadrA seated on the golden
swing with SitA , the fulfiller of devotees' desires ---". 

Overcome by the experience of Sri RamabhadrA's rupa MahimA ,
the Saint uses the raga GuntakriyA and cries out : " Is it possible
even for BrahmA , Indra and others to describe your beauty (Inthanuchu 
varNimpa taramA ? BrahmendrAdhulakaina ? ) . O father of Manmatha!
Is it possible to describe the beauty of Your benign look , 
your charming face that surpasses the moon in splendour , 
---Your hand that blesseth and your natural GuNAs ? O KalyANa
Ramachandra ! even the Gods and the VedAs and the SaastrAs 
can not have any conception of the glory of Your prowess ."

In the krithi Muddhu Momu set in the  MeLa raagam , SuryakAntham , 
the saint describes the blessed state of the devotees who are enchanted 
by the athi lAvaNyam of the Lord .  The saint himself was overcome 
by the beauty of each limb of Ramabhadra and he is at a loss to
focus on the beauty of one limb over the other . He expresses his 
confusion this way in the Suddha Desi Raaga Krithi , Yenthu kogalinthurA? .
He expresses his dismay with the statement : " Which portion of Your body 
am I to embrace and how much am I to describe ? O beautiful RamA
whom SitA Devi  has treasured in her heart ! Your speech alone is
speech! Your smile alone is smile !Your brilliance alone is brilliance !
( Needhu palukE palukurA ! needhu kulukE kulukurA !
needhu taLukE taLukurA ! ) .

In the krithi set in Rudra PriyA raagam ( LaavaNya RaamA ! ) , he states 
unabashedly :  " O Charming RamA ! Bless me with Your benign looks .
Your mental disposition , Your charms and Your methods are unique . 
Why should one seek protection from Taamasic Gods ? " . 

In his Kannada GowLA krithi , Saint ThyagarAjA , " Sokasu jooDa taramA ? Nee " ,
he asks RamA Himself the question : " Is it possible to see such a beauty
as Your face shining with glossy cheeks , -- Your lips which resemble
a ripe bimbA fruit , Your chest adorned with garlands of VakuLA
flowers , Your smiles , Your forelocks and the brilliance of Your Eyes ? ".
What can Sri RamabhadrA say ? He blessed His parama Bhaktha to
have continued darsana janitha aanandham .   

In his DevaghAndhAri raga krithi , the saint stated that it is impossible
for him to forget  the bewitching beauty of Ramabhadra (MaravakarA nava 
manmatha Rupuni ) and concluded his krithi with the declaration that 
He will worship Ramabhadra with the lotus of his heart all his life
( ajanmamu hrudh raajeevamuthO pujinthura Thyagarajanuthuni manasA ).

Finally in the famous MayAmALava GowLA krithi ," Meru SamAna dheera ,
RaghuveerA ! juthAmu raaraa maha meru --" , this great Rama BhakthA
reconciles the tatvam of Raghuveeran with that of the Ramabhadran. 
One is the awe inspiring heroic tatvam embodied by Raghuveeran ;
the other is the sowmyA (auspicious , benovolent ) tatvam represented 
by Ramabhadran . His prayer to the Lord of SitA Devi is most moving :

" O RamabhadrA , firm like the Majestic Meru mountain !  
Pray come to me so that I may feast my eyes with the captivating 
beauty of Your form , Your graceful gait , Your shining blue body , 
the lovely curls on Your forehead , the attractive shape of Your TilakA,
Your blooming cheeks , the brilliance of Your face , the golden
jewels that adorn Your neck . " 

The other intrepretation for the 93rd salutation as RamabhadrA is
rooted in the Vedic texts. The Bhadra aspect will take us to BhadrAchalam 
and another Rama BhakthA , who built the temple for Him on 
the banks of the river , where Rama and  Sita sported during their
sojourn in the forest . That Vedic intrepretation is associated with
the famous Rg Veda manthram :

bhadram karNebhi: sruNyAma devA bhadram pasyEmAkshabhiryajathrA :I
sthirair angais tushtuvAmssas tanubhir vy asema devahitasm yadhAyu : II
                   -----Rg Vedam Canto :  1.90.8 

(Meaning ) : O Learned people ! May we wiht our ears listen to what is 
beneficial . O persons , worthy of sacred deeds , May we see with our 
eyes that is beneficial. May we , engaged in Your praises , enjoy with firm 
limbs and sound bodies , a full term of life dedicated to the supreme being . "

That Bhadram hinted by this Rk of Vedam is " Ramabhadram"  that Saint
Thyagaraja , BhadrAchala Ramadas , Talapaakam Anamacharya , 
AcharyAs and AzhwArs celebrated all their lives on this earth . 

GS 94 : NamasthE punasthE nama: 

(Meaning ) : O Lord Ramabhadra of such auspicious , limitless
KalyANa guNAs ! O Sarveswara! I salute Your lotus feet again 
and again and prostrate before You . 

Sri RamachandrEthi dayAparEthi 
bhaktha priyEthi bhava bandhana  mochanEthi I
naathEthi naaga sayanEthi sadhA sthuvantham
maam paahi bheetham anisam krupaNam krupALO II
----Sri Rama KarNAmrutham 3. 114

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan