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Sri raama sthuthi- post 1

From the Bhakti List Archives

M.G.Vasudevan • June 18, 2001 


Dear Sri Vaishnava perunthagaiyeer,

>From Sri Raama navami of 2001 onwards, we did the sthothram of Sri Raamaa,
enjoyed and drowned ourselves in the bliss of that raama sthuthi, eulogizing
raamaa, the dharma personification. This was through the mouth of viraadhan
the anti-hero, as given the poet laureate kamban. From this post onwards, we
will enjoy same Sri Raama sthuthi through another anti-hero, vaali. With
well wishes from all of you, let us live that bliss of seeing the televised
sthuthi by kamban forming part of vali raama samvaadham thru this email
medium.

It may not be proper to put it across the character of vaali as villainy,
for he did no harm to the hero of raamaayaNam Sri raama, nor to his wife,
nor to raamaa's children also. Of course hero's friend sugreevan (su +
greevan = one who has beautiful neck) and his wife rumaa suffered at the
hands of this anti-hero. 

Poet kamban puts all his language command at his simple best, to give such a
depth and lyrical beauty combined with as much divinity [as in any other
sthOthram by others] in this vaali sthuthi. This sthuthi has 5 verses. One
verse preceding these 5 verses, forming part of the samvaadham (dialogue)
between vaali and raamaa, is so sweet and glorifying the naama prabhaavam
that this soul will not be satisfied of having shared the sthuthi without
covering this verse. Hence we will have that  preceding verse first.

All the readers are familiar with raamaayaNam, that vaali episode appears in
kishkindhaa kaaNdam etc. At the behest of sugreevan raamaa agrees to kill
vaali. Hiding himself, raamaa shoots the arrow, which pierces vaali's chest
and he is down. Vaali sees the arrow protruding in his chest bearing the
raama naamam. Now the verse of kamban

Mummai saal ulagukku elaam moola manthiraththai muRRum
ThammaiyE thamarkku nalgum thanip perum padaththaith thaanE
ImmaiyE ezhumai nOikku marunthinai raama ennum
Semmai sEr naamam thannaik kaNgaLil theriyak kaNdaan.

meanings for few words: 
Mummai - moonRu- three
Thamarkku- adiyaarkku - to the servants
Padhaththai- sollai - words
Ezhumai nOikku- 7 piRavigal aagiya nOi- the sickness called the seven births
Semmai- siRappu- specialty

Meaning: In all the three worlds [dhEva lOkam, manushya lOkam, asura lOkam]
people of the respective worlds realise that naamam [name]. For one who
utters, meditates, contemplates on that naamam, that naamam begets the owner
himself of that naamam to such a devotee. The naamam is so unique. That
naamam can singularly destroy all the sins of the seven births, like the
medicine which eradicates the route cause of sickness to this body. Such a
special divya [divine] naamam is seen by vaali. 

Points: 1. Vaali looks at the arrow, which pierced his body in his anxiety
to check to what depth it has gone. He sees the arrow bears the raama
naamam. See the exclusive description of that raama ennum naamam - what all
it is-
 -    mummai saal ulgukkelaam moola manthiram
-	thamarkku thammaiyE muRRum nalgum 
-	thaanE thanip perum padam 
-	immaiyE ezhumai nOikku marunthu
-	semmai sEr naamam 
All that glory of the naamam is put across so simply and sweetly [meaning
given above].

2. See the description how he sees the arrow- semmai sEr naamam thannaik
kaNgaLil theriyak kaNdaan- that naamam- inscription in the arrow glows. This
naama 
1.	glows and catches his sight first 
2.	catches his attention 
3.	reflects in his eyes 
4.	the vision leads the mind to read,  
5.	reading leads to uttering
6.	uttering to dharsanam of the lord - bearer of that naamam.
These all done in spite of the moment that he is about to die- arrow bearing
that naamam has pounced and pierced- blood flows. At that moment he sees the
naamam. The naama aakarshaNa sakthi is put across so nicely- kaNgaLil
theriyak kaNdaan.

Kamban could have simply put vaali saw the raama naamam in the arrow. But
see the grand manner in which the naama prabhaavam is expressed. When the
Lord's grace is to be bestowed on a person, he showers the capacity of
realising the glory of his naamam  first to the person.  

3. See what azhvaar has to say on this- 
PErE varap pithaRRal allaal en pemmanai aarE aRivaar- 56 mudhal
thiruvanthaadhi
Hey, who knows our lord except that we know his name first and that too not
in a regular fashion, but as a pithaRRal- mixed up speech. PEr mun vara-
naamam comes first, then the lord is pulled by the power of that naamam- so
that these scrambled words become sweet music- naama mazhai- naadha mazhai-
because that naamam is semmai sEr naamam - which gives semmai- ozhungu-
regularity- neatness.

4. The arrow bears the raama namam, has hit vaali. The naamam has burnt all
the sins of vaali. See the glory of that raama naamam. The tool bearing the
naamam is so powerful to first make the powerful vaali also to befall. Then
a mere look at the naamam gives next the power, to have the dharsana
sowbhagyam of that supreme lord raama. ThammaiyE thamarkku nalgum thanip
perum padam -sol- naamam -aayiRRE andha raama naamam- that naamam brings
forth the lord himself to that devotee- thamarkku.

5. Sri kaliyan starts his prabhandham with vaadinEn vaadi- nalam tharum
sollai naan kaNdu koNdEn naaraayaNaa ennum naamam. This he does not stop
with first pasuram but all the ten in that padhikam. He asserts, I did find
that naaraayaNaa- ennum naamam- not the Lord himself- he does not say I
found the Lord- but his naamam- kaNgaLil theriyak kaNdaar. 

Since the length becomes more we will continue this verse in next post also
before we really take up the sthuthi.

Dhaasan Vasudevan M.G.


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