Search:
Bhakti List Archives

sri rama navami- rama sthuthi- 8

From the Bhakti List Archives

M.G.Vasudevan • May 4, 2001 


Dear Sri vaishnava perunthagaiyeer,

In the previous post we saw Sri raama being addressed as "dharmaththin thani
moorthy". Also a declaration that he is the "adhi moorthy" who created
brahma and other dhEvathaas. Just one very good reference quote on naarayaNa
creating brahma was missed to be included before posting even though it was
available in the draft.
Naanmuganai naaraayaNan padaiththaan
Naanmuganum thaan mugamaai sankaranaith thaan padaiththaan
Yaan mugamaai   --- naanmugan thiruvanthaathi - 1- thriumazhisaip piraan. 

This does not need any elaboration since it nicely overlays with kamban's
verse. Now the next verse is being taken up.

Nee aadhi paramparamum ninnavE ulagangaL
Aayaadha samayamum nin adiyavE ayal illai
TheeyOrin oLiththiyaal veLi ninRaal theengu uNdO?
Veeyaadha peru maaya viLaiyaatum vEndumO?

Word by word meaning for few words: 
Param- mEnmaiyaana- supreme in nature
Paramum- iraivanum- Oh god you [the same word param repeated twice but with
different meaning]
NinnavE- unadhu udaimaiyE- your property or under your serfdom
Aayaadha- aaraainthu paarkka mudiyaadha- that which can not be fathomed
upon- extensive research done but no final conclusion arrived at
OLiththi- maraiththu- concealed
Veeyaadha- veezhaadha- azhiyaadha- indestructible

Meaning: Oh Raamaa! You are the first and foremost, oldest and supreme Lord.
All these in the world and the world itself are yours. All other religions
which can not realise you fully, your glory in its entirety, also praise and
sing at your feet only. When the position is like this, you disappear from
me and not show up yourself. Then after some time you suddenly appear again
in front like the wicked people who just to save themselves disappear and
reappear in different times and places. What is the need for you to play
this sort of hide and seek game. Any thing, wrong or harm, if you stand out
always in front (of me). [Theengu uNdO?] 

Points: 1. By asking such a question viraadhan wants the Lord Raamaa to
appear at all times in front of him- viz. wants to have raamaa's darsana
sowbhaagyam at all times without break. Now a doubt comes to me - is it the
request of viraadhan? or of poet kamban? or is it our request always to the
lord, which, on our behalf, the poet puts it through viraadhan's words to
our Lord raamaa, that karuNaa kaakusthan. Because, unless there is a
mediator the aachaarya, the boon will not be easily granted by the Lord.

2. A beautiful request indeed to ask unbroken dharsana bhaagyam of the Lord.
This is put in the other way as why do you disappear and reappear. VeLi
ninRaal theengu uNdO? peru maaya viLaiyaattum vEndumO? Actually this small
separation increases the desire to see him again, and that longing itself
becomes a taste to enjoy, but once seen that break becomes intolerable. This
leads to questioning like this.

3. On this peru maaya viLaiyaattu Swami dEsikan has rained us a verse which
is very very tasty tasty. Please enjoy that [first few lines are not quoted
here]--
 ---- mannavarkkuth thErp paagan aagi ninRa thaN thuLava malar maarban
thaanE sonna thanidh dharumam thaan emakkaaith thannai enRum
kaNdu kaLiththu adi sooda vilakkai ninRa kaN pudhaiyal 
viLaiyaattai kazhikkinRanaE- adhikaara sangraham - 46

meaning: mannavarkkuth thErp paagan aagi ninRa- that chariot driver paartha
saarathy of king arjuna 
thaN thuLava malar maarban- that saarathy who adorns cool thulasi garlands
and other flower garlands
thaanE sonna thanidh dharumam - his own uttering on the dharmam which is
unique
thaan emakkaaith - which made clear that he is for us
thannai enRum kaNdu kaLiththu adi sooda - to have always his dharsana
sowbhaagyam and then immerse in that joy and to adorn his feet on our head 
vilakkai ninRa - suddenly separated from us- such uniquely positioned
kaN pudhaiyal viLaiyaattai kazhikkinRaanE - plays the game of hide and seek
of removing himself from our sight and reappearing.

4. Oh bhakthaas- See how nicely both are pouring out the same idea of
"viLaiyaatu". For kamban it is raaman. For Swami it is kaNNan- that is the
difference. See lines
Aayaadha samayamum nin adi- ayal illai -- kamban
thaN thuLava malar maarban thaanE sonna thanidh dharumam - swami dhEsikan

after doing extensive research through different means (different religions
in kamban or different yogaas in gita - swami dhEsikan) finally chosen one
path, the unique path- the path of surrender to HIS feet - there is no other
path.

Result of this search also is clear- nin adiyavE- ayal illai- in kamban,
kaLiththu adi sooda - swami dhEsikan.

Oh bhakthaas- immerse yourselves in the thoughts of the "feet" - Oh raama it
is your feet or krishna it is your feet. Which pair of feet is better or
both are better - choice is yours - for both have trekked and treaded the
forests and different lands, that too not for their own sake, not on their
will or wish, but for fulfilling the commands or directions of others.  

5. This word maayam or maaya in samskrut has more than one meaning. They are
art, wisdom, extra ordinary or super natural power, illusion, unreality,
deception, fraud, trick, sorcery witchcraft, magic, apparition, duplicity,
one of the 9 energies of vishnu. When it is peru maaya viLaiyaattu- can it
be simple child play of hide and seek- definitely not. That is the play of
wisdom and play of extra ordinary power of the Lord to play with the
devotee, so that he is drawn towards Him like iron to magnet and then gets
magnetised with that energy.  

6. on this Aayaadha samayamum nin adiyavE ayal illai - see Swami nam
aazhvaar in thiruvaaimozhi - 
ViLambum aaru samayamum avai aagiyum maRRum thanpal aLanthu kaaNdarku
ariyanaagiya aadhip piraan 4-10-9 
6 religions have told about and then also it is difficult to finally reach
the fullest extent to glorify him, such an aadhip piraan- such Lord.

Another quote- VaNangum thuRaigaL pala palavaakki mathi vikaRpal piNangum
samayam pala pala aakki avai avai thOrum aNangum pala palavaakki nin moorthy
parappi vaiththaai- thiruviruththam 96
To become a devotee you showed different paths, due to the deception of mind
made different religions and showed as different moorthy- lords but finally
you are THE ONLY ONE-aadhi moorthy- supreme lord.
 
Yet another quote- Samanarum saakkiyarum valinthu vaadhu seiveergalum maRRum
num dheivamum aagi ninRaan - 4-10-5 thiruvaai mozhi. Different religions
jainism, bhudhdhism, etc fighting battles but he is the one who is supreme.

Yet one more- Num num kavi kondu num num ittaa dheivam eththinaal semmin
sudar mudi em thirumaalukkuch chErume - 3-9-6 thiruvai mozhi - whatever be
the route finally it is all reaching the feet of thirumaal- naaraayaNan.

All are nin adiyavE ayal illai- very emphatic assertion.  Enjoy through
thoughts on those feet. 

Before we conclude this post the next verse- 
Thaai thannai aRiyaadha kanRu illai than kanRai
Aayum aRiyum ulagin thaai aagin iya
Nee aRidhi ep poruLum avai unnai nilai aRiyaa
Maayai idhu en kolo? VaaraadhE vara vallai!

Dhaasan Vasudevan M.G.

--------------------------------------------------------------
           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
To Post a message, send it to:   bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com
Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/
 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/