----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2008 7:29
AM
Subject: [Oppiliappan] seethaa raama
kalyaanam 20 and concluding
Post 20
Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,
We are in the
marriage hall of 'seethaa raama kalyaaNam' wherein the 'paaNi grahaNam' and
'thee valam' is just over. In previous posts, we saw how the 7 paasurams of
'vaaraNam aayiram' padhikam of aaNdaaL, matchingly describe 'raama's marriage
with seethaa' or aaNdaaL's 'dream thinking about her marriage' goes in lines
of 'seethaa kalyaaNam'.
We go into next
3 paasurams of aaNdaaL together - to study the above 3 paasurams together in
tune with vaalmeeki's description perhaps we don't have much in vaalmeeki –
since vaalmeeki puts in half slokam – 'yathaa ukthEna and vidhi poorvakam
thathaa chakruh' - as directed by vasishTa and as per customs raama and his
brothers did.
immaikkum
EzhEzh piRavikkum paRRaavaan
nammai
uDaiyavan naaraayaNan nambi
semmai
uDaiya thirukkaiyaal thaaL paRRi
ammi
midhikka kanaak kaNDEn thOzhee! naan – 6-8- NT
variSilai
vaaL mugaththu ennaimaar thaam vandhiTTu
erimugam
paariththu ennai munnE niRuththi
ari
mukhan achchuthan kai mEl en kai vaiththu
pori
mugandhaTTa kanaak kaNDEn thOzhee! naan – 6-9 NT
kunkumam
appi kuLir saandham maTTiththu
mangala
veedhi valam seidhu maNa neer
angu
avanODum uDan senRu angu aanai mEl
manjanam
aaTTak kanaak kaNDEn thOzhee! naan – 6-10 NT
see that slokam -- 1-73-35b, 36
krthvaa = on performing;
pradhakshiNam = circumambulations;
saha + bhaaryaa = with, wives;
agnim = to Ritual-fire;
vEdhim = to Altar of Fire;
raajaanam + Eva + cha = king Janaka, also, that way;
risheen + chaiva = to sages, also thus;
mahaathmaanaH =
great souled [bridegrooms];
raghu +
udhvahaaH = Raghu, emerged from;
thathhaa +
chakruH = thus, performed [the deeds of ritual];
vidhi +
poorvakam = custom, consistent with;
yathaa +
ukthEna = as, said [directed by Vashishta]
vivaaham =
marriage [they wed]
meaning: On performing circumambulations along with
their wives around the Ritual-fire, and around the Altar of Fire, and that
way, around king Janaka, [the awarder of wives,] and around sages as well [for
they conducted the marriages well,] those great-souled bridegrooms that have
emerged from Raghu's dynasty, on performing the deeds of ritual consistent
with custom as directed [by Vashishta, and thus they are wed.] [1-73-35b, 36]
point: But while doing preparations in the
marriage hall what all vasishTa did – that slokam elaborates the details like
he kept ready the laaja – pori, akshathai, paaligai etc.
21b-22-23a.
alam + chakaara
= promptly, sanctified];
suvarNa +
paalikaabhiH + cha = with golden, concave-lids, also;
[Chidra = with
holes – this is G's paatam]
chithra +
kumbhaiH + cha = with variously coloured, handy vessels, also;
sa + ankuraiH =
with sprigs;
ankura +
aaDhyaiH = sprigs, full of;
s araavaiH + cha = concave earthen-lids,
also;
dhoopa +
paathraiH + sa + dhoopakaiH = incense, censers, with, fumes;
s ankha + paathraiH = conch-shell like,
vessels;
shruvaiH = with
short-handled scoops;
srugbhiH
=long-handled scoops;
paathraiH +
arghyaadi + poojithaiH [poorithaiH] = vessels, oblatory [items,] and others,
sanctified [filled with];
laaja +
puurNaiH + cha = toasted rice flakes, filled with;
paathreebhiH =
with vessels;
akshathaiH +
api = with sacred rice, even;
samskrthaiH =
well treated [with turmeric powder.]
meaning: Vashishta
promptly sanctified
- the golden and earthen concave-lid-like vessels, and
- variously coloured handy vessels also,
- all full with [just sprouted] sprigs [MGV adds
paaligai],
- and the censers with fumes of incenses,
- conch-shell like vessels, and
- short handled wooden scoops [for scooping oblatory
items from vessels for putting it in long-handled scoops, and]
- long-handled wooden scoops [to drop those oblatory
items into Ritual-fire,] and
- other vessels filled with oblatory items [like ghee,
water, milk etc.,] and
- the other vessels that are filled with toasted
rice-flakes and
- holy yellow-rice duly treated with turmeric,
- [and sanctified all articles of wedding ceremony, by
sprinkling that holy-yellow-rice, as a kind of dry-ablution.] [1-73-21b, 22,
23a]
Of course the
commentators like govindaraja adds on this slokam 36 as
"athha laaja
hOma poorvakam sva sva agni pradhakshiNaathrayam dharsayathi" – for the 4
brothers 4 agnis.
–
a doubt may come wherefrom 'sva sva agni'
came?
–
for in slokam 24, only one agni was prepared
by vasishTa.
So commentator govindaraja adds to slokam 33 which is
translated in website as below.
Comment: Firstly Vashishta enkindled the holy fire and offered
oblations in it for the wellbeing of Raama and his brothers, say the
bridegrooms. Next, another round of enkindling of holy fire took place in
which Rama and brothers have offered marriage time oblations. After accepting
the palms of brides, they made circumambulations, and then each couple
established its own ritual fire and offered oblations into it. Then each
couple had oblated rice-flakes into the fire, and again performed
circumambulations to that Ritual-fire, respectively.
With that the marriage comes to an end. So also says vaalmeeki -
1-73-38.
nanrithuH + cha + apsaraH + sanghaa = danced, also,
apsara, promenades of;
gandharvaaH + ca + jaguH + kalam =gandharva-s, even,
sang, tunefully;
vivaahE = in marriage;
raghu + mukhyaanaam = of Raghu, celebrated ones;
thath + adhbhutham +
adhri
syatha =
that, charming spectacle, envisioned.
Meaning:
Promenades of apsaraas danced on, and even the gandharva-s sang tunefully...
and because it is the marriage of celebrated bridegrooms from Raghu's dynasty,
such a charming spectacle is envisioned. [1-73-38]
Point: Except
by vaalmeeki and later aaNdaaL, who can describe the marriage of celebrated
bridegrooms from Raghu's dynasty, 'such a charming spectacle'. That is what
thyaagaraaja says in the krithi 'inthanuchu varNimpa tharamaa' in raagam
guNdakriyaa
–
for raaghavan – raghu vamsa raaman - did all wedding kriyaas in the
guNdam – under guidance of guru vasishTa – so raagam guNdakriyaa – the base on
which krithi is lyrically built.
–
In post 3, on this GuNda – I
said 'scirpus kysoor' – a kind of reed [page 358] by referring to Monier
Williams. Reed means stalk or grass or straw or stem.
–
Then I mentioned can it be
naayuruvi? After a good search in internet, I find
–
naaNal is 'sachcharum
spontaneum'
–
naayuruvi is 'achyranthes
aspera'
–
on this 'scirpus kysoor' I
find it is a grassy plant – it is available in tank beds and the plant's roots
are used as a famine food in 'kumaon region' of 'western himalayaas' – may be
present day UP. That is why this reed is used in yaagams to get rain – since
its root is a famine food.
–
Going back to thaayagaraaja
- is it possible for brahma and indhra asks thyaagaraaja – and it is not
possible for them - because they were standing in the sky and when they come
to 'bhoolOKam' the true identity of raama will be revealed. So they cannot do
that.
–
just recall raama seeing
indhra while he went to meet sage sarabhanga and indhra suddenly leaving the
sage and the scene without meting raama, saying to sage, 'I will meet raama
later'.
–
Further one more reason –
this marriage can take place hereonly - in bhoolOkam only. For if the supreme
lord and dhEvi are there in dhEva lOkam or sree vaikuntam – where is the need
for a 'marriage ceremony' to take place
–
there in that place they are
inseparable – so no need for any marriage - union of the two.
–
so when they come here to
bhoolOKam, then only a marriage and the grand spectacle here for us to enjoy –
so 'inthanuchu' - brahma and indhra cannot do that description for raama and
seethaa – otherwise their identity will be revealed – brahma an indhra - they
can only be a witness.
Ok – brahmaa and indhra cannot do that – how about siva
or vEdham – can they do
– no says thyaagaraaja - see charNam 3 of the krithi
-
vaageesaadhi surakOtlaku vEdha aagama
saasthramulaku ganagooDani
naagaraaja
bhooshaNuDaina sree thyaagaraaja sannutha needhu mahima -
intha
meaning: Oh,
raama, praised by [this] thyaagaraaja! Your glory is incomprehensible to even
several demigods [like Brahma], scriptures like Vedhaas, aagamams and even to
Siva who has serpents as his ornaments.
Is it the
mahimaa - praising of the lord – no – the marriage description of raama and
seethaa also - except vaalmeeki, aaNdaaL - how can vEdham describe that – that
is what ST says -- that is the conclusion for this krithi.
With this I conclude this series.
On Mrs. Saroja ramaanujam's comments of the 8 types of
marriages I have nothing to say since it is all as per 'manu saasthram'.
For those who want to know what type is raama' marriage
- it is 'praajaapathyam' type.
Dear bhakthaas, thanks to one and all, and specifically
to those who have responded for the earlier posts.
Special thanks to Sri K.P.Sarathy swamin for he is the
one who kindled that spark by mentioning about Godhaa. [But I am sorry he is
yet to respond with 'bhattar's lines and that oonjal song', which he mentioned
in his response].
A very specific mention must be made about Sri
Anjaneyalu of Itarsi, my good friend and thanks to him – this has to be done
by me – for he is the one who asked me to read 'seethaa kalyaaNa sargam' for a
different personal purpose. That resulted in a good series for all of us to
enjoy the celestial wedding of seethaa raama.
Dhasan
Vasudevan
MG