HH Shri Swamiji's Pravachanam at Atlanta : Aranya Kandam -3

[Guest guest]

HH Swamiji's Ramayana Pravachanam at Atlanta, on Aranya Kandam

(..contd.)

 

His Holiness was so kind that He has given me the kaimkaryam

to post His messages in this mailing list. I am honoured by

the benevolence of HH Shri Swamiji.

 

We have so far covered Viradha Vadha and Kabandha Vadha in

Aranya Kandam. "Another important incident happened in Rama's

life, during his vanavasam", said Swamiji. As we all eagerly

waited to know what that was, he said, "Even Rama was "amazed" and

"realized something" with that incident.

It was the Sabari episode.

 

We all know that Sabari waits eagerly for Rama's arrival for several

years and offers Him athithi satkaram. Even in our daily pooja, while we

offer naivedyam, we recite this sloka,

 

"Kousalya: kalpitham ge:he:

Ka:nane: Lakshmana:rpitham

Pampa:ya:m sabari: dattham

Bharadwa:ja arpitham cha yath"

 

"O Lord! Please consider this little offering of naivedyam, as the food

arranged by Kousalya - your mother at home, as that food brought for you by

Lakshmana in forest, as that offered by Sabari in the Ashram near Pampa

river, as that grand a:tithyam provided by Bharadwa:ja maharshi"

 

Sabari's a:tithyam is widely known and she is held in the highest regard.Is

it because Sabari is a great devotee of Rama? "No!" said Swamiji. Sabari's

place is not due to her bhakti towards Rama,

but due to her unwavering and firm belief in her Acharya and immense

devotion to her Acharya, Mathanga Maharshi.

 

Sabari was a tribal woman. Though she was illiterate, she staunchly

believed in her Acharya, Mathanga Maharshi, and served him with great

devotion/commitment(sraddha - as Swamiji said) for several years. Before

leaving for the Heavenly abode the Maharshi instructs Sabari to wait for

Lord Rama and Lakshmana. Sabari believed in her Acharya's word and waited

patiently for several years, alone in the Ashram, just to give athithyam to

Rama for a day.

 

To be successful in his quest for Sita, Kabandha asks Rama to meet

Sabari.Rama and Lakshmana while wandering through the thick forest arrive at

the Ashram where Sabari was patiently waiting. When Rama enquired about her,

she said, "O! Rama! Through my Acharya, I knew that you would be visting my

Ashram. Please accept my athithyam." and served both of them. ( There is no

mention in Valmiki Ramayanam that Sabari had tasted the fruits before

offering them to Rama.) Once Rama had taken athithyam, Sabari said, "Rama!

Maharshi said that once

I give you athithyam, I can reach him immediately. So I have

followed his word and gave you athithyam. Now it is time for me

to reach my Acharya's feet. I will take leave from you". Declaring thus,

she generates yo:ga agni (an illiterate tribal woman who does not know

anything except serving Acharya) and attains Maharshi's feet. Rama was

spellbound and amazed by the greatness of Acharya nishtha, the

commitment displayed by her with such deep belief in Acharya's

words.

 

Lord Srimannarayana himself, in the form of Rama, who gave sadgati

to Jatayu, Kabandha etc. was sitting before Sabari --- yet she never

asked Rama to give mukti to her. If she desired, Rama could have given

her sadgati. All she had to do was "ASK". But she attained sadgati because

of her Acharya's Kataksham. Swamiji said Rama learned from this episode the

importance of an Acharya and the effect of "Acharya va:kya palanam". He

realized that He too needed an Acharya for His search to be successful. From

Sabari Ashram Rama went to the nearby Pampa river and there he meets

Hanuman.

 

******

Swamiji said, Valmiki has attached so much importance to the

choice and weight of each word in Ramayanam, especially 1st sarga

of Ramayanam (called Sankshe:pa ramayanam), that while reading

each verse we can visualise the whole story. Sabari episode was

described as "Sabarya: poojithaha samyak Ramo: Dasharatha a:thmajah"

in that first sarga.

 

To present the power of this sentence, Swamiji dramatized it ..

 

Once Athithyam is done, Sabari asks Rama:

 

Sabari : "O Rama! Are you satisfied with my athithi pooja?"

 

Rama : "Yes Sabari! I am fully satisfied with your athithyam."

 

Sabari : "Rama! My Acharya, Mathanga Maharshi said that once

I give atithyam, I can reach him. Now I wish to reach

the lotus feet of my Acharya. But I also need an evidence

to show my Acharya, that I have followed his order.

So please give me in writing that you are satisfied"

 

Then Rama takes a palm leaf and writes on it "Poojithaha"

 

Sabari : "Rama! this is too short. This does not say who was

given athithyam"

 

Rama appends "Ramaha"

 

Sabari : "Rama! There is one more Rama (Parasu Rama). So

be specific about you."

 

Rama appends "dasaratha a:thmajaha"

 

Sabari : "Rama! several people including sages have given you

athithyam. Please mention that I have given you the

athithyam"

 

Rama writes "Sabarya: poojithaha ramo: dasaratha:thmajaha"

 

Sabari : "Rama! Now the sentence is complete. But is there any

deficiency in my pooja? Are you not totally satisfied?

If so, please let me know, I will make up the deficiency.

If there is deficiency, my Acharya will not be happy and

it means that I have not followed my Acharya va:kyam

completely. If you are fully satisfied, then please

mention as such"

 

Rama writes "Sabarya: Poojithaha samyak ramo: dasaratha:thmajaha"

 

Sabari takes a look at the palm leaf and says, "Rama!

thanks for coming here and giving me an opportunity to serve you.

Now it is time to reach my Acharya feet and I will take leave

from you."

 

Rama was surprised and looked at great amazement at Sabari

while she generates yo:ga agni and attains sadgati.

*****

 

Aranya Kandam ends with Sabari's episode and the first sarga of next

Kandam (Kishkindha Kandam) includes the description of Pampa river and

Lord Rama's meeting with Hanuman. As Swamiji brought out, these three

episodes of Viradha, Kabandha and Sabari are three great lessons for all of

us: keep away the evil ego, keep away the evil possessiveness,

believe in Acharya. Perumal and Acharya will rescue us from

this world. Our life/society is like a thick forest filled with

persons of animal/deamonic nature having cruel evil qualities

including ourselves. One should be conscious of these evil qualities and

weed them out. We should also turn our attention towards Acharya, listen to

the great people around us who are like Maharshis, follow Acharya Va:kyam

with Sraddha (Swamiji attaches lot of importance to Sraddha - the

commitment) and automatically Perumal with the help of Acharya will rescue

us -- just like He rescued Sita with the help of Hanuman.

 

Rama is an avatharam of Lord Srimannarayana; Rama was worshipped

by his subjects not because he was the Lord, but because of his qualities.

Lord Rama with his exemplary behaviour depicted to the world how one should

behave and react to adverse circumstances. In addition to the peripheral

storyline in Ramayanam one should understand

the underlying philosophic meaning of each episode and follow it as far

as possible to lead a "PERFECT LIFE". We need our Acharya to enlighten us to

travel through this jungle of "Samsara" and attain Moksha.

 

Let us all pray our Acharya to shower His anugraham on us!

Let us pray Perumal to bring our Acharya nearer and dearer to us!

Let us all sing Pallandu Pallandu for our Acharya!

 

Jai Srimannarayana!

Jai Srimannarayana!

Krishna Kalvapudi Ramanuja Dasa.

_______________________

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