SRI RANGA SRI VOL.08 / ISSUE # 11 dated 23rd January 2007

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SrI:

SrimatE Raamaanujaaya Namaha //

SrimatE Nigamaanta Mahaa Desikaaya Namaha //

SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya/

SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya//

KAvEri VardhathAm kAlE, kAlE varshathu vAsava: /

SrI RanganAthO jayathu Sri Ranga Sri cha VardhathAm//

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SRI RANGA SRI VOL.08 / ISSUE # 11 dated 23rd January 2007

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EDITORIAL

Dear Bhaagavatas:

 

I am glad to inform you that I am now back in Atlanta. I wish to

place on record my heartfelt thanks to Sri Madhava Kannan Swami for

his excellent work of looking after the journal in my absence. He

will continue to approve articles posted for moderation.

 

Hitherto, our membership was hovering around 5000. Now, as you can

see, it has crossed this mark. This is in spite of the fact that we

have been removing several members who were posting for moderation

messages repeatedly which were not in conformity with

our "Guidelines" for example, on political issues, glorifying "Non-

Vedic" religions, cults etc. This again is a proof of the popularity

of your favorite e - journal's high standards and your continued co-

operation.

 

I have been mandated by asmad Achaaryan His Holiness Srimad Andavan,

ParavaakkoTtai Sri Gopala Desika Mahadesikan of Poundarikapuram

Swami Asramam, Srirangam to give talks on Srimad Ramayanam.

 

Besides the original of Srimad Valmiki Ramayanam in Sanskrit which I

have gone through several times in Saptaaham, Navaaham etc

Paaraayanams over the years), I have made use of the brilliant

presentation by asmad Achaaryan in his books entitled "Ramapiraanai

karpOm" (on Bala and AyOdhyaa khaaNdams) as also his series of

articles on AaraNya khaaNDam that appeared in "Sri Kanchi

PeraruLaalan" monthly journal. I am extremely grateful to His

Holiness for his kind permission to use them.

 

I have also drawn inspiration from the 3 volumes of translations of

Srimad Valmiki Ramayanam in Tamil (plus 1 Volume of "Notes") and 2

volumes in English by Sangeeta Bheeshma, Sangeeta Vimarsakaachaarya,

Abhinava Thyaagabrahma, Keertnana Aachaarya Sri C.R. Srinivasa

Iyengar (published by Lifco in 1984) and also what I have heard

during Kaalakshepams at the feet of great Achaaryas while I was in

India.

 

Comparative references and quotations have also been included from

Kamba Ramayanam, TuLasi Dasa's `Rama Charita Maanas", BhOja Champu

etc.

 

Most of the materials are based on the above sources.

 

I have also consulted 2 Volumes of "Sri Ramayana Tani slOkam"

Vyaakhyaanams of Vyaakhyaana Chakravarthi Periyavaachaan PiLlai

(published by Puttur Krishnaswami Iyengar between 1992 and 1996) as

well as Ramayana in English by Sri C. Rajagopalachari (published by

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in1990) and by the same author in Tamil (12th

edition published by Vaanathi Pathippagam, Chennai 17 in 1996)

 

Bhaagavatas who arranged for my talks in The Hindu Temple of Atlanta

have provided for Free Tele- Conference facility to help those who

could not attend in person to listen from the comfort of their

homes. They are also video-taping all the lectures and are intending

to bring them out in DVD format.

 

Some Bhaagavatas suggested that the lectures should also be

serialized in "Sri Ranga Sri" Journal. Accordingly, it is proposed

to feature them. The first part is included in this issue. Hope you

will enjoy reading. Kindly favor me with your feedback for helping

me in improving the quality and content.

 

Thanking you

Dasoham

Anbil Ramaswamy

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ISSUES RELEASED

With this issue, about 238 Regular issues of SRS have been released

so far, apart from numerous "Special Issues" as indicated below:

27 Issues of Vol. 1

15 Issues of Vol. 2

42 Issues of Vol. 3

35 Issues of Vol. 4

28 Issues of Vol. 5

30 Issues of Vol. 6

50 Issues of Vol. 7 and

11 Issues of Vol. 8 (including this)

---

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maintained By Sri Srinivasan Sriram

We strongly urge you to kindly peruse the "Regular Issues" archived

in the Files Section and view the Contents at srsindex.html (Not the

individual postings allowed for encouraging "Reader participation").

We are sure that you will be convinced of the quality of the

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IF you are satisfied with the quality and contents of

"Sri Ranga Sri" -

Tell your friends to join by sending an email to

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IF NOT:

Tell us, as to how we may improve.

Ever at your service

Moderator

"Sri Ranga Sri"

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IN THIS ISSUE

1. IMPORTANT DAYS IN VYAYA-MAKARA- (THAI) MONTH

2. RAMAYANAM – AN INTRODUCTION- Part 1

(Sri Anbil Ramaswamy)

3. MAAL UGANDHA AASIRIYAR- SRI MADHURAKAVI AAZHWAAR {V.

Madhavakkannan

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1. IMPORTANT DAYS IN VYAYA –MAKARA - (THAI) MONTH

January 2007 Thai Day

15 01 Monday Uttarayana Punya Kaalam

18 04 Thursday Amavasya

19 05 Friday 42nd Azhagiya Singhar

20 06 Saturday Sravana vratam

29 15 Monday Ekadasi

31 17 Wednesday Embaar TN

February 2007

02 19 Friday Pournami

03 20 Saturday TIRUMAZHISAI AZHWAR TN

07 24 Wednesday KOORATHAAZHWAAN TN

09 26 Friday UTTAMUR SWAMI TN

10 27 Saturday AshTakaa

11 28 Sunday AnvashTakaa

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2. SRIMAD RAMAYANAM – AN INTRODUCTION – Part 1

 

 

1. INTRODUCTION

At the outset, let me beg you to pardon my temerity in seeking to

talk on the insatiable nectar of an immortal epic, Srimad Ramayana -

which numerous great poets and scholars have dealt with. When I went

to Srirangam in connection with Tiru Anbil Dwajasthamaba Kainkaryam,

H.H. enquired me about the Tiruppavai lectures that I gave last year

and directed me to talk on Ramayanam.

 

Though my attempt is akin to attempting to drink the waters of the

ocean with a teaspoon, it is the command and blessings of Srimad

Andavan, Poundarika Puram Swami Asramam, Srirangam (Asmad Acharyan)

that has emboldened me to undertake this effort. In fact, most of

the materials are based on the two volumes of his invaluable

work "Ramapiraanai KarpOm My heartfelt gratitude is due to Swami for

permitting me to use their contents. I am sure that he will guide me

successfully through this effort. For everything presented

correctly, the credit goes to Asmad Acharyan. I claim monopoly for

all errors of commissions and omissions and I seek your forgiving me

for the same.

Dasoham

Anbil Ramaswamy

 

2. ANARGHA RAGHAVAM

When the poet by name Muraari wanted to write his "Anargha

Raaghavam", his friends asked him why he should write on the same

subject on which several poets have already written a lot and

suggested that he write on some other hero. He replied that though a

lot had been written about Sri Rama, his auspicious qualities were

infinite and none could do justice and therefore there was nothing

wrong in his choosing Sri Rama's story and challenged them whether

they could point out any other work that portrayed the ethical way

of life as effectively as Srimad Ramayana.

 

3. VALMIKI AND KAMBAN

Valmiki depicted his Rama not as God but as a "human being"- a

prince, a warrior, with impeccable track record of moral character,

though the poet indicated here and there the divinity of his hero.

Sri Rama himself has said "aatmaanam maanusham manyE" (I consider

myself as a mere human being, a son of King Dasaratha)

 

But, even during Valmiki's time, people had realized that Rama was

no ordinary human but was an incarnation (Avatara) of the Lord.

Several centuries later, when poets like Kambar, TuLasidas and

others came on the scene, this belief had already crystallized into

an unshakeable faith. Naturally, Kambar and TuLasidas could not

venture to depict Sri Rama as a mere human being but verily as God

and narrated their story with a deep devotional love.

 

It is said that Kamban heard Valmiki Ramayanam and composed his

version in Tamil.

 

naaraNan viLayaaTTu ellaam Naarada munivan koora

aaraNak kavitai seidaan arinda vaalmiki enbaan

seer aNi chOzha naaTTu TiruvazhunduruL vaazhvOn

kaar aNi koDaiyaan kamban Tamizhinaal kavitai seidaan.

(kaappum Kamban pugazhum)

 

4. A TRIBUTE TO HIS MENTOR

Kamban started the epic after giving glorious tributes to his mentor

mETTerumai vaavi puga muTTu varaal kanru enru

veeTTaLavum paal soriyum veNNaiyE naaTTil

aDaiyaa neDum kadavum anjal enra sollum

uDaiyaan VeNNai nallur saDaiyappan oor/

 

Buffaloes entering the ponds being tickled by fish imagine them to

be their own calves and instantly start yielding milk non stop all

the way till they reached home. The doors of the palace of the Lord

of TituvENNai nallur were open ajar always and his offer of refuge

to one and all became proverbial. Such was his munificence.

We will see in this series some casual references to Kamba

Ramayanam, TuLasi Dasa's "Rama Charita Maanas", Mahakavi

KaLidaasa's "Raghu Vamsam", BhOja's "Champu Ramayanam", Swami

Desika's "Mahaveera Vaibhavam" and many others that are generally

faithful to the original without resorting to twists and

misrepresentations abounding in certain other narrations.

 

5. VALMIKI AND BHOJA

We have an interesting story of how BhOja's Champu RamayaNam came

into being. And, here it is!

 

A poor poet went to the Court of King BhOja of Dhaaraapuram for

submitting a slOka that he had composed. But, he could complete only

half of it. However hard he tried, he could not complete the other

half.

The first half read: Bhojanam dEhi raajEndra grita soopa samanvitam/

"Oh! King! Please provide me with meal mixed with ghee and dhal"

 

On the way, he met Mahakavi KaaLidaasa to whom he explained his

predicament. KaaLidaasa immediately completed the latter half with

the following words:

 

"Maahisham cha Sarat Chandra chandrikaa davaLam dadhi: //"

 

"Please give the yogurt made of buffalo milk, which is as white as

the shining full moon in the month of Saratkaalam (Aippasi-

Kaartigai)"

 

When the King came to know of the author of the second half so well

crafted, he sought and met with KaaLidaasa and both became thick

friends.

 

One day the King was seized of a strange thought. If and when, in

due course, he died many poets would compose odes in his memory and

that the one that would be composed by KaaLIdaasa would be

especially beautiful. And, because being dead, he wouldn't be alive

to hear it, he requested KaaLidaasa to compose one in advance and

submit it. KaaLidaasa was hesitant because, if he did so, the King

was sure to die instantly as a result of a boon he had received from

Goddess KaaLi. And, he did not want to lose his bosom friend. When

he refused to compose one, the King banished him from his kingdom.

KaaLidaasa went in exile and was a wandering minstrel begging for

his food.

 

The King soon realized his mistake in banishing his friend and could

not bear separation from his friend. The kings of yore used to go

out incognito and mix with common folk to know first hand what the

subjects thought about the state of the State. BhOja also disguised

himself and was roaming in the country side when he chanced to meet

with a Bikshu and started a conversation in poetic language. The

Bikshu answered him in the same language.

 

The King asked whether it was proper for the mendicant to eat meat.

The Bikshu answered what is the use of meat if it does not go with a

peg of beer. Taken aback, the King asked whether he liked beer. The

Bikshu replied that he ingested beer only in the company of a

harlot. Shocked, the king asked how being so poor, how a Bikshu

could afford the wherewithal to pay for the favors of the harlot.

The Bikshu replied that he would somehow find money through gambling

and thieving. The King enquired whether his conscience permitted him

to indulge in such heinous acts. The Bikshu answered what else an

orphan like him could do and the question of conscience became

irrelevant. The King interpreted this to mean that for a person

banished to exile there was no way to cling to his conscience and

asked to which country the Bikshu belonged. The Bikshu replied that

he hailed from Dhaaraapuram and expressed his desire to meet with

the King. The King broke the news "How sad! The King died 6 days

ago" On hearing this, the Bikshu swooned and when he gained

consciousness immediately composed a slOka as follows:

 

adhya dhaaraa niraadhaaraa niraalambaa saraswatee/

paNDitaa: khanditaa: sarvE bhOja raajE divam gate//

 

"Today, the subjects of Dhaaraapuram have lost their support on the

death of the King. Saraswati, the Goddess of learning finds herself

bereft of art and the artists"

 

The moment he uttered these words, the life of the King who was in

disguise departed leaving his dead body in the hands of the Bikshu.

KaaLidaasa was beside with grief and wondered as to why the King

should have invited his own death by acting in disguise and

conveying the false news of his own demise. He prayed to his IshTa

dEvata, KaaLi who appeared before him and asked him to repeat his

Slokam with slight alteration and said that the King would come back

to life but for a brief 3 ¼ naazhigai (about 1 ½ hours) only.

KaaLidaasa sang a slightly revised version:

 

adhya dhaaraa sadaadhaaraa sadaalambaa saraswatee /

paNDitaa: maNDitaa: sarvE bhOja raajE bhuvam gate//

 

"Today, the citizens of Dhaaraapuram got back their good governing

King BhOja, and Saraswati's again became filled with great poets and

other artists who lived happily ever after"

 

The King came back to life as if waking from a slumber and the duo

became closer still. Time was short and they had to accomplish

something before the 1 ½ hours of life granted to the King.

Together, they decided to compose "RamayaNam" that we now know

as "BhOja Champu" after the name of the renowned King.

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3.MAAL UGANDHA AASIRIYAR- Madhurakavi AzhwAr

V. Madhavakkannan

 

SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika Mahadesikaya nama:

Continuing on our AzhwAr life history and works –series, we now

enjoy Sri Madhurakavi AzhwAr's life and work.

AzhwAr Madhurakavi is the one who helped us by compiling the

outpourings of NammazhwAr;

 

Not just that, he also sang 11 beautiful "andhadhi" style pAsurams

starting with "kaNNinun siRutthAmbhu..." which do not have any

parallel to any other pAsuram/slOka for Acharya Bhakti. He sang

these pasurams only in praise of his Acharya "nammAzhwAr" and

claimed, in the end, that one can attain mOkshA certainly and

definitely after reciting just these 11 pAsurams. It is also told

that Nathamuni, who compiled 4000 pAsurams of AzhwArs, was blessed

with a darshan of nammAzhwAr and was given a set of all 12 AzhwArs'

pAsurams (by NammAzhwAr himself) after he recited Madhurakavi's 11

bhakti-laden pAsurams on nammAzhwAr 12000 times. (Brothers, that is

the dynamite packed power of Madhurakavi's pAsurams). Let us ber

blessed by the biography of this mahan.

Madhurakavi (meaning in sanskrit the sweet poet), a vainathEya

(divine bird) incarnate, was born in the year Easwara, chitrai month

and in chitrai nakshatram at ThirukkOLoor. He learnt Tamizh and

sanskrit and became a great scholar in both the languages. He was a

great BhaktA of Sriman Narayana and had an excellent conduct. He was

on visits to the North India and obtained divya Darshans of Ayodhya,

gaya, Badri, Dwaraka etc., and He chose to stay at Ayodhya as he

could not resist being attracted by the Holiness of Sri RAMA's birth

place. From there, he was dragged by an unconrolled desire to follow

the new Southern BRIGHT Star/Light appeared in the sky (as seen only

by his eyes at night) and found himself at the feet of the Greatest

AzhwAr "NammAzhwAr".

 

After a brief encounter (Please read the post on NammAzhwAr for

details), he prayed to NammAzhwAr requesting him to protect and

accept him as his disciple. From then on, he stayed with NammAzhwAr

and complied all pAsurams of NammAzhwAr. Madhurakavi was so much

devoted to NammAzhwAr, his Acharya, that he held him equal to

(higher than) Lord Sri Narayana (You will agree that the Lord asks

for that Bhagavatha Bhakti more than Bhagavadh Bhakti).

After NammAzhwAr departed from this earthly world, he was blessed

with a Golden vigraham of NammAzhwAr which he consecrated and

performed ThiruvarAdhanA and uthsavams in his honour. He was

impressed by nammAzhwAr's works so much that wanted to stage

NammAzhwAr's works in front of other scholars. the sangam poets

objected to such claims and praises NammazhwAr who had no connection

with Sangam ( a big deal!). Madhurakavi, it seems was saddened by

this protest and was weeping literally.

 

NammAzhwar, appeared as an old Brahmin and consoled him saying " Do

not woory about these petty issues, my child, You just place this

pasuram of "Kannan kazhaliNai..." on a boat (sangap palagai) and

watch the fun" and disappeared. Madhurakavi did the same and the

boat, it is told capsized throwing out all the jealous, haughty

poets while it retained only the leaf containing "Kannan

kazhaliNai.."

 

It is also told that each one of those poets struggled to reach the

shore and composed a verse dedicating to NammAzhwAr. And when they

were about to publish their verses, they were simply AMAZED to find

that each one wrote the same verse in same words; (What a marvel!

what a divine AzhwAr and Divine Disciple ! - simply made for each

other)

 

The sangam chief says " NammAzhwAr's works are superior and other

poets are like flies compared to Garudan (that is NammAzhwAr); fire

flies (minmini) in the presence of sun; dogs in front of the

ferrocious tiger; wolf before the Lord Narasimha, ugly clumsy dwarfs

dancing before the havenly beautiful Oorvasi- All their works are

not equal to even one utterance of nammAzhwAr."

 

Madhurakavi's eyes were full of tears for his (his Acharya's)

success; The eleven pAsurams are counted as part of 4000 verses

simply because the whole of 4000 pasurams is claimed to be Bhagavadh

vishayam while Madhurakavi's is on his Acharya which is the central

gem that sheds lustre on the other jems of the garland (so says

Manavala mamunigal). It is the work that holds the key to the

treasure of other pAsurams.

 

Needless to say, Nathamuni's thaniyans (Thaniyan means dedicated

verse) on this AzhwAr depict the glory of AzhwAr and it is necessary

for us to be blessed by such Great Bhaktals; Before we conclude

about this mahan who performed Acharya Nishtai and attained the feet

of mOksham, let us get benefitted by the rich two thaniyans of

Nathamuni (in sanskrit):

 

Aviditha Vishaya Antharas /

Sataarer Upanishadam Upagaana Matra Bogah /

Abhi Saguna Vasaath Tad Eka Seshee /

Madhura Kavir Hridhaye Mamaavirastu /

 

" Here is one who knew none other than Nammalwar; the one who made

it his mission in life to sing the Tamizh upanishadam of Nammalwar;

The one being overwhelmed by Nammalwar held him as his very God; Let

such Madhurakavi fill my heart" (our hearts, too)

 

VERonRum Naan aRiyEn Vedam Tamizh Seitha /

Maaran Sadakopan VaN Kurugur - YeRu EngaL /

Vaazhvaam EnRu Ethum Madhura Kaviyaar Emmai /

AaLwaar Avare SaraN /

 

Madhurakavi said -" I do not know anything other than Nammalwar also

known as Maaran(original name of NammAzhwAr) who rendered in Tamil

the essence of the Vedas and who is the head of Tirukkurugur. This

Madhurakavi is our master. He is the guardian of the group of

Prapannaas.

 

MadhurakaviAzhwAr thiruvadigaLE saraNam

Swami Nathamuni ThiruvadigaLe saraNam

Regards

Namo narayana

dasan

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To Continue

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