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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00102 Apr 2005

 
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SrI:
SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:
Dearest Srivaishnavas,

Let us continue to enjoy Poigai muni?s anubhavam on
Srinivasan of ThiruvEnkatam. 

padaiyaarum vaatkaNNaar paarasin^aaL, paimpoon^
thodaiyalO dEnthiya dhoopam, - idaiyidaiyin
meenmaaya maasooNum vEngadamE, mElorun^aaL
maanmaaya eythaan varai.                              
 82

The spear shaped eyed- shining eyed- women folks in
the wee hours of Dwadasi day, collect flowers, make
garlands with the most fragrant flowers; carry dhoopam
[incenses]; reach ThiruvEnkatam mountain to pay their
obeisance to the Lord who resides there. This mountain
is the place where the Lord who had effortlessly sent
an arrow to kill maareechan.

Dwadasi day is the most auspicious day. A day after
Ekadasi Ekadasi is a day when we have to observe the
fast as a vratham. One needs to take sankalpam and
observe vratham and not simply fast. Also as per our
acharyas, only men need to observe this fasting and
ladies as they need to take care of household chores
and the children, they can eat broken rice?           

The Lord of ThiruvEnkatam is such sowlabhyan and
sowseelyan for being so easily accessible to women
folks also. In the early hours, they take bath in
Pushkarini, dress and decorate themselves and gather
flowers to make garlands to offer to the Lord and pay
their obeisance to the ThiruvEnkatamudaiyaan.

Why does AzhwAr refer to the Lord Sri Ramachandra
murthy here?
As he talks about womenfolks paying their obeisance,
AzhwAr refers to Rama who is their favourite. Not
Krishna. 

Rama is endearing to them. 
Rama is the one who is Eka patni vrathan; who cries
when the spouse was abducted; who was loving and
caring for SitA. 
Rama never ever wished to kill the enemies.

>From the very first thaatakai, he hesitated to kill
her as she was a woman; He let Maareecha go away;
while he killed subaahu;
He even wished to forgive Ravana and gave ample
chances for him to surrender. 
kaRpaar raamapiraanai allaal maRRum kaRparO?- asks
NammAzhwAr.. why would anyone learn anything but Rama?


This also echoes AndAL?s calling Rama as mantthukku
inyaan. 

Let us enjoy our dear Sri Satakopan Iyengar swamin?s
article on this subject..    

Sri Kodai Nachiar pays a rare tribute to Sri Rama in
Sri Tiruppavai- She calls Him ?Manatthukku iniyAn?, a
sobriquet She doesn?t use with regard to any other
avatArA, though several have been alluded to in
Tiruppavai. it must have been a question of
Honesty. An honest person endears himself to us much
more than one who is not. When we think of Sri Rama,
what comes to our mind immediately is the upright
figure, who would rather give His life, than speak
untruth. ?RamO dvir nAbhi bhAshatE? says Sri Valmiki,
confirming the Prince?s penchant for adhering to His
word, irrespective of the travails they may land Him
in.

Further, as He himself confirms, ?anritam na ukta
poorvam mE na cha vakshyE kadAchana?
(I have never told an untruth in the past, nor shall I
ever do so).

In comparison, Sri Krishna emerges a professional
fibber, right from childhood. No wonder Sri Andal
characterises
Him as ?ElA poygaL uraippAn?(Master fabricator of
untenable lies). Thus, vis a vis the dishonest Sri
Krishna, Sri Rama?s honest ideals shine, making Him a
?manatthukku iniyAn?.

Sri Rama was a paragon of virtues, and the
personification of ?Dharma? or righteousness. Even His
sworn enemies admit this, as is proved by MarIchA?s
words, ?RamO vigrahavAn dharma:? Nobody in their right
mind would ever accuse the Prince of Ayodhya of any
moral turpitude, however slight. It is impossible not
to love such a person. In contrast, Sri Krishna is
admittedly described even by His staunch admirer Sri
Periazhwar as a ?dharmam ariyA kurumban? (a
mischief-monger sans any appreciation of rights and
wrongs), and Sri Andal herself adds, ?puram pOl uLLum
kariyAn?(black of heart as of the body).

when it comes to a question of marital fidelity, Sri
Rama outshines Dwarakanatha. Prior to marriage, we do
not have any record of Sri Rama?s emotional
entanglements, and after wedlock, His devotion to Sri
Janaki is legendary, His grief at Her separation
intense enough to prompt Him to speak of taking His
own life. 

Another fourth reason for the sobriquet
?manatthukkiniyAn? must be Sri Rama?s unquestioned
valour, which is ever on display. His arrow is as
straight as He is, and as effective on His enemies.
And the wars He fought were all above-board, role
models of ?dharma yuddha?.

Sending back an un-armed, battle-weary Ravana to come
better prepared the next day, was indeed an act of
incomparable courage. He is thus the ?tOlAda tani
veeran? sung by Swami Desikan. 

As far as appearances go, Sri Dasarathi was infinitely
handsome, and capable of stealing the hearts and
sights of not only women, but of men too- (PumsAm
drishti chittha apahAriNam). Even Sri Periazhwar, that
avowed votary of Sri Krishna, reluctantly admits the
superiority of Sri Rama?s looks and His splendour
resembling a thousand Suns shining at their peak
simultaneously-?Kadir Ayiram iravi kalandu eritthAl
ottha neeN mudian-ediril irAman?.

The words, ?ediril iRaman?(the incomparable Rama) are
significant, for Sri Raghunatha was the perfectly
proportioned, virile male, as attested by Sri
Valmiki-? Sama: sama vibhaktAnga: snigdha varNa:
pratApavAn?. 

And lastly and perhaps most importantly, Sri Krishna
only preached while Sri Rama also practiced. For
prapannas like us, Sri Rama is infinitely dearer to
the heart, for His whole life was devoted to
Saranagata Rakshanam, as borne out by Sri Vibhishana
Saranagati and others portrayed by Srimad Ramayana. 

The reasons adduced by Sri Rama to the vAnara veerAs
for granting refuge to Sri Vibhishana are a classic
enunciation of the Doctrine of Saranagati. So much so
that Sri Sita refers to Him as ?SaranAgata Vatsala:?
And Sri Rama belongs to a line of Emperors, for whom
SaragAgata Rakshanam was a kula dharma, as the episode
of Sipi Chakravarty and the stray pigeon would
indicate to Sri Goda devi that there is none other
than Sri Rama who qualifies for the endearment
?manatthukku iniyAn??

AzhwAr ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Namo Narayana
dasan


                
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