sri rama sthithi- post 7
From the Bhakti List Archives
• July 17, 2001
Dear Sri Vaishnava perunthagaiyeer,
We just saw in the previous post vaali realising that boons from sivan are
also useless, when the supreme Lord raama decides to punish (really?)
somebody like vaali. Now the next verse. Here in this verse, vaali says
sivan gets his powers from raama only by meditating on that almighty raama
naamam.
Maavalach chooliyaar vaazhththunarkku uyar varam
Oval aRRu udhaval nin oru thanip peyar iyambu
Aavalippu udamaiyaal aagum apporuLai yaam
DhEva niRkaNdaveRku aridhu enO thErinE.
Meaning for certain words:
Maa - periya - great
Vala - valimai koNda- one who has enough strength
Chooliyaar - soolam enRa aayudhaththai udaiyavar- sivan- one wields the tool
called soolam
Oval - ozhivu- intermission- tiredness
Aavalippu - pEranbu koLLudhal, serukkudhal, garvam koLLal, aasaip padudhal -
endearing with great love, boasting, to desire
ERku- enakku- to me
ThErinE- thErvu seyyum pozhudhu- while selecting, while short listing, while
choosing
Iyambu- seppu- sollu- utter, tell
Meaning: Oh lord raamaa, when considering deeply I realise that, Sivan, who
wields the tool called soolam, gets his powers from your name (naamam- nin
oru thanip peyar) only, because, he is always in constant meditation of your
name. With that power coming uninterrupted from your naamam only, he gives
endless boons to all the seekers who go to him. What is the use of all these
boons, when I am able to select and get at that naamam, and you, the owner
of such a powerful of naamam.
Points: 1. Oh, dear bhakthaas, see the power of that raama naamam is
expressed so beautifully. Already we saw in 4 posts the naama mahimai, naama
prabhaavam. That sivan also gets his powers to grant boons from this raama
naamam. Such great naamam vaali has seen- kaNgaLil theriyak kaNdaan, that is
why he is able to do all these sthuthis.
2. Not only vaali saw that naamam- but the owner of that powerful naamam
also. Then he is able to talk to him, argue with him, and then get his grace
aruL- varam. Then what else he needs. He now says "oh raama what else I want
when I am seeing you in my front", saying that he starts the sthuthi of
raama, [which is our topic here].
3. This word "aavalippu" is used very rarely in 4000 dhivya prabhandham. As
far as I know this word is available in thirumaalai 1st paasuram. [Learned
Bhakthaas can point out other places if any]. This paasuram reads
Moovulagu uNdu umizhntha mudhalva!
nin naamam kaRRa aavalippu udaimai kaNdaai
aranga maa nagar uLaanE- 1 thirumaalai.
Again the glory of the raama naamam- arangan naamam. This word aavalippu can
have all 3 meanings given above.
a. Oh, my ranga, the first and premier lord who resides in srirangam,
and who spit all the three worlds out after swallowing them, I learnt your
naamam and as such I can boast I know all things, I have to know.
b. Oh, my ranga, the first and premier lord who resides in srirangam,
and who spit all the three worlds out after swallowing them, I have great
desire to meditate on your naamam, having learnt it, please grant me the
power to retain this desire on your naamam properly.
c. Oh, my ranga, the first and premier lord who resides in srirangam,
and who spit all the three worlds out after swallowing them, I endear myself
with love in your naamam having learnt it and as such please allow me to
utter them.
4. This also triggers me to quote the porivaasal paasuram recently figured
in the discussions.
NeRi vaasal thaanEyaai ninRaanai ainthu
PoRi vaasal pOrk kathavam saaththi aRivaanaam
Aalamara neezhal aRam naalvarkku
AnRu uraiththa aalam amar kaNdaththu aran
- 4 poigai aazhvaar's mudhal thiruvanthaathi
That sivan also finds it difficult to meditate continuously on the great
naaraayaNa naamam- raama naamam. For doing this meditation, he has to shut
all the 5 outlets (5 porigaL) and then do the dhyaanam. If that is that
difficult for sivan himself, then think how difficult it will be for poor
souls like us. But this powerful naamam helps such poor souls also to go
into trance easily.
5. Again a confirmation for the srivaishnava basic tenets- that naaraayaNan
is only supreme, others are only a reflection of him.
6. When you do that "thErinE", the naama superiority is more emphasized and
established than the person himself. So "nin oru thanip peyar iyambum
aavalippu udamaiyaal aagum apporuLai yaam, dhEva, niRka kaNdEn, after that
enakku vEnduvadhu yaadhu- I do not want anything since the desire to learn
that powerful naamam is fulfilled, and the owner of naamam is standing here
in my front, and I bow to him. I eulogize him here and now. What else is
there for me to achieve.
7. A beautiful krithi of aruNaachala kavi- who wrote the full raamaayaNam in
simple tamil songs comes to mind- in raaga poorvikalyaani-
iniyaagilum ninai manamE ina kula thilakanai raagavanai
[Oh, mind, please think and recollect at least hereafter the raghavan, the
illustrious son of the soorya clan.] Forget about the past, start meditaing
on that raama naamam.
Before I conclude this post the next verse-
Yaavarum evaiyumaai irudhuvum payanumaaip
Poovum nalveLiyum oththu oruvarum podhumaiyaai
Yaavan nee yaavathenRu aRivinaar aruLinaar
Thaavarum padham enakku arumaiyO thanimaiyOi.
Dhaasan
Vasudevan M.G.
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- SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
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