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                                  SrIH
SrImate raângarAmAnuja MahA deSikAya namaH
SrImate SrInivAsa rAmAnuja MahA deSikAya namaH
SrImate VedAnta rAmAnuja MahA deSikAya namaH
SrI raânganAtha divya maNi pAdukAbhyAm namaH

AcArya rAmAmRtam  - (from SrI raânganAtha pAdukA  dt. May 08  Part 1)

               English Translation of 
  SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam in tamizh by SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan

        As published in SrI raânganAtha pAdukA by
SrI u.ve. nATTEri KiDAmbi rAjagopAlAcAriyAr  (Editor of SrI raânganAtha 
pAdukA)

(Please set your encoding to Unicode UTF-8)
SrImad ANDavan tiruvaDi,
kalyANi kRshNamAcAri
=====================================
            SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavanâs SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam

tathetyuktvA tu janakaM vasishTho bhagavAn RshiH |
viSvAmitraM puraskRtya SatAnandaM ca dhArmikam  ||  (bAla. 73.21)

prapAmadhye tu vidhivat vediM kRtvA mahAtapAH ||  (bAla. 73.22)

The order was given to make the preparations for sItA kalyANam.  daSaratha was 
asked to do godAnam, ashTa vratams (eight religious formalities to be conducted 
before the wedding) etc.

VasishTha did the ashTa vratam for the four boys.  With the help of ViSvAmitra 
and SatAnanda, the priest in the bride's side, VasishTha readied the wedding 
mantapam with four homa kuNDams. 

ala~ncakAra tAM vediM gandha pushpaissamantataH |   (bAla. 73.22)

The ceiling of the wedding hall was decorated with fragrant flowers. 

SuvarNa pAlikAbhiSca chidrakumbhaiSca sA~nkuraiH (bAla. 73.23)

They brought golden pot pALikai-s (pots for germinating grains during the 
auspicious ceremony).  It was not clay pot like in our houses.  Some people 
don't even have the clay pot; they bring dry plantain leaf pAlikai containers.  
Am I right or not!

suvarNa pAlikAbhiSca chidrakumbhaiSca sA~nkuraiH |

A person came to the ASramam to perform pooNal [sacred thread] ceremony and 
brought dry plantain leaf pAlikai containers!  I asked him why he is using dry 
leaf container for pAlikai!  

It is said that paLikai container must be sacchidram (with holes to let excess 
water drain).  He said, "these containers all have holes; you can see, water 
will leak through!!â  What can I do after that response?  (Laughter in the 
audience).  I said - 'Okay, proceed'.  Some marriages are carried on like that. 
 Some don't even buy good vessels for pAlikai.  Here, it was golden pAlikai 
container.  What if someone says, 'Anyway, we are going to drop the pAlikai in 
a water tub later in the afternoon; why should we waste clay containers for 
this?' (Audience laughs).

Sprouted lentils were added to the golden pAlikai-s.  

juhAvAgnau mahAtejA vasishTho bhagavAn RshiH |  (bAla. 73.25)

daSaratha completed godAnam and ashTha vratam for the four boys.

All the four boys wore pa~Nca kaccam [traditional manner of wearing the dhoti 
for the wedding] and double sacred threads; collyrium had been applied to their 
eyes.  They were all ready for the weddings.  daSaratha came.  He said: 'The 
girl's side has not come to invite us for the wedding'.  He can go in only if 
he is invited.  So, King Janaka was informed that the formality has not been 
observed.

kaH sthitaH pratihAro me kasyAj~nA sampratIkshyate |  (bAla. 73.15)

Janaka said: âWhom can I send to extend the invitation? Is it the gatekeeper? 
The watchman?  Who is going to listen if I ask?    Who can I ask to go and 
invite?  There is no one around that listens!â  Why?  kas sthitaH pratihAro 
me! âNo one is listening to me!  I do not have anyone to spare!â

There are so many people there!  Where were they?  The whole crowd had gone to 
watch the beauty of the bridegroom!

If we take some people from our village homes to a wedding in order to help us, 
none of them will stay with us; they will go and serve the bridegroom in the 
in-law's house!  This was like that!

kasyAj~nA sampratIkshyate!

Everyone has gone to look at the beauty of the groom.  "tOL kaNDAr tOLE kaNDAr 
toDu kazhal kamalam anna tAL kaNDAr tALE kaNDAr taDakkai kaNDArum ahdE" [those 
who were looking at His shoulders could not take their eyes off of the 
shoulders; the same experience with His lotus like feet and long arms].  The 
eye that looked at one part of SrI RAma's body could not move on to another 
part of His body.  Onlookers were mesmerized thus.  âThere is no one here, 
svAmi!  What can I do?  He has to come here himself.  No one is listening to 
me.â

If anyone was reminded that the 'muhUrta nEram'  [actual wedding time] was 
nearing, the response was, "Wait a little!  I am looking at the bridegroom'.  
When is this looking going to end?!

svagRhe ko vicAro'sti (bAla. 73.15)

Janaka said: "Everything here belongs to the bridegroom.  There is no 
difference.  The grooms' side can come on their own to receive kanyAdAnam [get 
the bride in marriage].  We are ready and waitingâ.

daSaratha was informed thus.  He brought the four sons happily.  The four boys 
stood in the wedding hall in the most enticing manner.  ala~ncakAra tAm vedim - 
the wedding dais had been adorned with great taste. 

bhrAtRNAm eka jAtAnAm  - it is commonly said in SAstram that brothers must not 
be given in wedding at the same time; how were they doing it here?

SAstram says - sons born to the same mother must not be given in marriage at 
the same time.  What is the rule for sons born to different mothers and to the 
same father?  They can be given in marriage at the same time.

Yet, lakshmaNa and Satrughna were born to the same mother!  How can they be 
married at the same time?

SAstram says - prapAm kalpayitvA - Do not do it at the same time, but if you 
have to do it, do it in different wedding halls.

So, the four brothers had four different wedding halls.  When it is said, 'four 
homa kuNDam-sâ, it is not just four homams next to each other; women draw a 
design [called paDikkOlam in Tamizh] with four corners to keep the aupAsanak 
kAl  (the place set up for the worship of the consecrated fire both in the 
morning and evening, a duty prescribed for a married person); it was not like 
that [not adjacent to each other, in the same hall]. There were four separate 
wedding halls by themselves. After everything was readied, sItA was brought 
there, beautifully adorned.

iyaM sItA mama sutA sahadharmacarI tava |
pratIccha cainAM bhadram te pANiM gRhNIshva pANinA || (bAla.73.31)

MahArAjA Janaka kept sItA on his lap.  He repeated the wedding mantrams as 
prescribed.

Even I am astounded when I look at the veda mantrams!  I like only divya 
prabandham.  But when I look at wedding mantrams and upanayanam {thread 
ceremony} mantrams, they are so amazing. Every mantram has astonishingly deep 
inner meanings!

If  the veda mantrams are chanted with the correct words using the right 
pronunciation, they will definitely confer the prescribed  benefits.

Daughter is sitting on her father's lap.  In dhAnya rASi, the father will be 
sitting on a bag of rice kernels.  That rice kernel bag should be given to the 
purohitar (officiating priest) at the end of the ceremony!  So, some will place 
a big bundle of grass and just add a handful of rice kernels to the bundle!  
What a generosity!  That bundle of rice kernels will go to the priest!  How 
much rice kernels can be given away to the priest?! (laughter)  The bag should 
be filled with rice kernels.  That is what is called dhAnya rAsi.  A blanket 
will be thrown over the rice kernel bag.  That blanket does not go to the 
priest.  It does not have to be given to him.

Janaka is sitting on dhAnya rAsi.  He is chanting great veda mantrams.  In his 
role as a father-in-law, he offers respects to the groom with great dedication. 
AgatAya varAya apaciti karma karishye | 

ayam madhu parko madhu parko madhu parkaH |

This girl is sitting.  She is asked to take a good look at the bridegroom.  
abhrAtRghnIm varuNa apatighnIm bRhaspate | indrAputraghnIm lakshmyantAm asyai 
savitaH suva |

aghora cakshuH: apatidhyedhi SivA patibhyaH sumanAH suvarcAH jIvasUH, devakAmA, 
syonA, Sanno bhava, dvipade, Sam catushpade |

Very remarkable mantram. 

abhrAtRghnIm varuNa apatighnIm bRhaspate  | - apatighnI - This girl must not be 
hostile to her husband.

abhrAtRghnI - This girl must not be inimical to his brothers.

She must look at him with her eyes decorated with collyrium. Both bride and 
groom must look at each other in the eye.  The sUtrakAra says:   anyonyam 
apavIkshata,

aghora cakshuH: apatighnI edhi - girl's eye must not look ferocious.  She 
should be apatighnI.  patim na hantIti apatighnI - groom must have a long life; 
this girl must live to be a dIrgha sumaângali [ with her husband living for a 
long time].  SivApatibhyaH; patibhyaH SivA - let her be full of auspicious 
blessings.  jIvasUH - jIvam suvatIti jIvasUH - she should not have any 
abortion.  deva kAmA - deva-s must look at them and want to be like them.  
Those with two feet, four feet etc (people, animals like cows etc) must all be 
blessed.

When the groom is saying this mantram and the groom and bride look at each 
other with their eyes decorated with collyrium, the girl will live to be a 
dIrgha sumaângali [ with husband having a long life].  She will not have any 
abortion.  The children will also live long.  The mantra-s have so much power.

If you ask in some houses, 'your mate is so supportive', wife or husband will 
say, ' the time we woke up today was a good time'!  In some houses, you have to 
ask, 'there is so much noise in your house'; then wife or husband will say, 
'the time we woke up was like that'.

When this mantram is being chanted, the priest must say the meaning and then 
say, 'look at each other'.  The priest asks them to look at each other, and 
that they do, but he doesnât repeat the mantram.  Can't he chant the mantram 
and at the same time look also! (laughter)

A log of wood [called nugattaDi in Tamizh]  should be placed on the girl's 
head;  the tirumAângalyam [the sacred thread that is tied at wedding time 
around the brideâs neck]  should be placed in the hole in the log, and water 
should be poured so that the water falls through the hole and falls on the 
girl's  head.

khe na'saH, kherathaH, khe yugasya, SacIpate |

When this mantram is chanted, the girl will not have any disease in her mind or 
body.  Everything will go away.  Do you know how the water that falls through 
the hole of the log on the head should be?  That water must be collected from 
the ghat of a pond or river in which no one has ever fallen in and lost the 
life.  Priest is looking at his wristwatch.  Time is passing.  He tells his 
assistant - 'bring water from a ghat in which no one has died'.  The assistant 
brings water from the tap, saying no one has ever died in that water!  
hiraNyavarNAH SucayaH pAvakAH (puNyAha vAcana or sanctifying mantra) were all 
completed. 

Janaka said that he will do kanyAdAnam.  He calls - 'son-in-law, comeâ.  

iyaM sItA mama sutA sahadharma carI tava | 
pratIccha cainAm bhadram te pANim gRhNIshva pANiNA!  (bAla.73.26)

This Slokam has one hundred and eight meanings. On listening to periyANDavan's 
kAlakshepam, cuNDapALayam rAmabhadrAchAr has written these.  It was printed in 
KumbakoNam.  It is written using grantha script.  It is titled 'iyam sItA 
SlokArtham'.  I have a copy in the ASramam.  I have not brought it here.

iyaM sItA mama sutA - rAma!  This sItA is my daughter.  saha dharma carI tava - 
She will perform dharmam along with you.

enAm pratIccha  - âAccept her.â  Is she his to start with, for him to give 
Her as dAnam?  She can be given as âdAnamâ only if She belongs to him;    
rAghavatve'bhavat sItA [When the Lord took incarnation as rAma, PirATTi took 
incarnation as sItA]  Janaka says:  âShe is Yours.  So, accept her.â  pANim 
gRhNIshva pANiNA â âGrasp her  hand.  Do pANigrahaNam.â    Doing 
pANigrahaNam is a superb act.  Extraordinary benefits accrue from this act of 
pANigrahaNam.  For this, it is said some religious acts like graha prIti 
[seeking the blessings of the planets] must be performed. Doing pANigrahaNam is 
not a simple act!

gotrajAyAH asyAH pANigrahaNa muhurte AdityAdInAm navAnAm grahANAm Anukulya 
sidhyartham bhagavatprItyartham ye ye grahAH SubhetarasthAneshu sthitAH teshAm 
grahANAm AnukUlya sidhyartham ye ye grahAH SubhapradAtRtva sidhyartham yat 
ki~Ncit hiraNya dAnam karishye - so saying  the priest will say he will 
distribute the gold to four people and then fold it in his dhoti (laughter in 
the audience).  

gRbhNAmite, suprajAstvAya - svAmi, why did you fold it in your dhoti?  Priest 
will say - this is a 'contract wedding'. (audience laughs).  gRbhNAmite, 
suprajAstvAya - this mantram must be chanted when pANigrahaNam is done. 

Janaka said, 'iyam sItA' â âThis sItAâ.  âAll along - after You left 
ViSvAmitraâs ASramam,You have been longing to see sItA as the Rshi-s have 
been describing Her to You;  This is that sItAâ.

iyaM sItA mama sutA saha dharma carI tava |
pratIccha cainAm bhadram te pANim gRhNIshva pANiNA || 

âmama sutAâ â âMy daughterâ - I also came from a lineage equal in 
status to the lineage of daSaratha!

saha dharmacarI tava - She will accompany You in all Your dharmams. Whatever is 
Your dharmam, will be her dharmam also.

pratIccha ca enAm â âReceive this girlâ.  It means âObserve your 
gRhasta dharmam as wellâ. The âcaâkAram (the letter âcaâ) after the 
word âpratIcchaâ is used to give this meaning.
 
There was a research student in Madras University.  He said he will do special 
research in rAmAyaNam and asked for three years time.  Ph.D. research can be 
done in English, Science etc.; Even Tirupati University has such programs.  He 
said he will do research in rAmAyaNam.  He got a stipend of 500 rupees per 
month.  I do not know what he wrote.  After he completed three years of study, 
a note was released â âIndia and China have had mutual relationships from 
long time back.  Even though there is a mountain in between, the relationship 
existed from ancient timesâ. What kind of relationship?  âIt involved 
inter-marriages between the Indian and Chinese girls and boys.   I have made a 
very special discovery of this in rAmAyaNam.  This girl sItA whom RAman married 
was a  girl from China.  pratIccha cainAm bhadram te (laughter in the audience) 
pANim gRhNIshva pANinA!  MahArAjA Janaka himself has said, 'take this girl who 
is from the country of China -
 ChainAm'.  Therefore, a relationship has existed between China and India for a 
long time; we should not be enemies.â

The University declared:, 'Award a Ph.D. degree to him.  A very special 
discovery has been made!â (audience laughs).

It is not 'ChainAm' ; It is âpratIccha ca enAmâ - enAm pratIccha ca â 
âTake this girl! Having done that, do your gRhasta dharmams along with her.â

Janaka saw sItA and then rAman too.  He felt that dRshTi (evil eye) will fall 
on them; so, he blessed them - bhadram te. That is how this Slokam is 
interpreted by pUrvAcArya-s.
=========== 
To be continued â..






      

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