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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:





"Good Morning, Milord!"



An assortment of greetings is exchanged in various parts of the world by people 
for saluting each other at the beginning of the day. The English say "Good 
Morning!", the French "bon jour" and so on. In the north of India, people 
prefer to greet each other with the Lord's name-"Ram Ram" or "Radhe Shyam" or 
"Jai Sri Krishna!". This practice of greeting each other at the day beginning 
serves to break the ice and pave the way for a smooth interaction during the 
course of the ensuing day.



Kings of yore woke up to the pleasing tunes of mangala vAdyAs, accompanied by 
poets singing the Emperor's praises in mellifluous tones. The idea was that the 
Sovereign, when he breaks sleep, should do so in a manner that is pleasant to 
him. Since a king who woke up on the wrong side of the bed could be a source of 
danger for all who came into contact with him throughout the day, waking him up 
gently with music and paeans of praise appears to be a ruse to ensure that the 
King's servants and courtiers, who survive solely at his pleasure, have a safe 
and nice day.



Waking up kings thus was a regular practice, prevalent from time immemorial. 
Srimad Ramayana attests to this-

"toorya sanghAta nirghOshai: kAnchI nUpura nissvanai:

madhurai: geeta sabdaischa pratibudhyasva Raghava!"

While inviting Sri Rama to accept the Crown at the end of the vanavAsa, Sri 
Bharata asks Him to wake up every day to the sweet melodies of musical 
instruments and to the intoning of His praises by courtiers.



The very first Suprabhatam to the Lord can again be traced to

Srimad Ramayana. 



Sage Visvamitra takes good care of the Princes of Ayodhya entrusted to him by 
Sri Dasarata for Yaga samrakshanam. He ensures not only their physical 
well-being but also their adherence to schedules for anushttAnam (not that they 
need any prompting in this regard).



The sons of Dasaratha, unused to long walks in the jungle, are fast asleep at 
the end of a day of a long march in the company of Sri Visvamitra. As is usual 
when one is tired, the night just flies away and false dawn peeps out from the 
mountain peaks. Had it been anybody else, he would have just allowed the 
fatigued Princes to sleep on, but not Visvamitra. For him, the time for 
performance of Sandhyavandanam is approaching fast, and in tune with the dictum 
that a Brahmahari should not sleep too much ("mA sushuptthA:"), he wakes up Sri 
Rama.



We are used to our children pleading for five more minutes of sleep 
irrespective of the time they are woken up. Sri Rama, however, rises 
immediately, bathes in the cold river water and performs SandhyOpAsana.



Here is the beautiful sloka, which even children are acquainted with-

"KousalyA suprajA Rama poorvA sandhyA pravartatE

Uttishtta nara sArdoola kartavyam daivam Ahnikam"



Looking at the beautiful countenance of the latent Sri Rama, with His face 
reflecting peace and goodwill even in repose, Sri Visvamitra is struck by Sri 
Kousalya's good fortune in begetting a son like this, and with this thought 
fresh in mind, addresses the Prince as "Kousalya suprajA Rama!".



It is indeed surprising that whether it is to lull Him to sleep, or to wake Him 
up, His mother Kousalya's name is invoked! We have Sri Kulasekharazhwar 
devoting ten pasurams in an attempt to get Him to sleep-"Mannu pugazh Kosalai 
than maNi vayiru vAyttavanE..ennudaya innamudE RaghavanE tAlElO".



Sage Visvamitra wants to make the most of the hard-to-get company of the 
Paramapurusha and wants to drink-in the Lord's unmatched beauty, which is 
reflected in all His actions and even in inaction. So the Rishi wakes up the 
Prince, wanting to see the way Sri Rama's eyes look when opening up after 
sleep. And he is not disappointed, for the Prince's eyes unfasten slowly and 
softly, like the petals of a beautiful flower about to blossom.



As soon the Maharshi utters the word "Kousalya SuprajA", Sri Rama attains 
wakefulness at the mere mention of His mother's name, whom He hasn't been away 
from for any length of time so far in His life.

And at the spectacle of Rama's beautiful eyes, resembling a just-bloomed lotus, 
Visvamitra is moved by emotion and involuntarily cries out "Rama!", alluding 
not to the given name of the Prince, but to His bewitching nature, which could 
enchant and win over even the most hard-hearted. (The word "Rama" means one who 
enthralls, attracts, etc.-"Ramayati iti Rama:").



It is not yet dawn. However, once Sri Rama opens His eyes, a brilliant light 
spreads over the surroundings, giving the impression of mid-day. Visvamitra is 
dumbfounded-a second before, it was still dark, and now the entire forest is 
awash with radiance. The puzzled Sage then realizes that nothing less could be 
expected when the Lord's eyes open, for they are the progenitors of the blazing 
Sun ("ChakshO: SuryO ajAyata"). 



Visvamitra quietly smiles to himself, when he utters the words "PoorvA sandhyA 
pravartatE". In reminding Sri Rama about the impending daybreak, He knows full 
well that it is the Supreme Lord whom he is addressing, at whose beck and call 
Time, the Sun, the Moon and all natural phenomena subsist. It is out of fear of 
the Lord that all celestial bodies perform their functions punctually, says the 
Upanishad-"BheeshOdEti Soorya:". The irony of calling Sri Rama's attention to 
daybreak strikes Visvamitra, when he realizes that it is the Great Cosmic 
Timekeeper whom he is reminding.



Sri Visvamitra's ironical smile becomes a laugh when he says further that the 
time has come to propitiate dEvatAs through SandhyOpasana etc. ("kartavyam 
daivam Ahnikam"). The realization dawns on him that it is the Paramapurusha, 
who is the object of worship of all beings (from the exalted celestials to the 
lowliest mortals), whom he is asking to perform Sandhyavandanam. The Maharshi 
recalls the Shruti vakya "SarvE asmai dEvA balim Avahanti"(all deities 
propitiate the Parabrahmam) and realizes the folly of his injunction to the 
Prince to do Sandhyavandanam.



The beauty of the matter is that though the Rishi realizes the hollowness of 
his instructions, Sri Rama, on the other hand, carries them out with implicit 
obedience, demonstrating the conduct of an ideal disciple. Having taken a human 
form, the Lord ensures that His conduct is always above board and in tune with 
the highest standards applicable to His VarNa and Ashrama, setting an example, 
for people tend to fashion their own demeanour after that of their ideals-" yat 
yat Acharati shrEshtta: tat tat Eva itarO jana: Sa yat pramANam kurutE lOka: 
tat anuvartatE."



The reason Visvamitra wakes up Sri Rama is that the Lord is held to be the eye 
of the Universe ("Visvata: chakshu:") and if He Himself sleeps, the world would 
never wake up, as the following sloka makes clear-

"Veera Soumya vibudhyasva Kousalya Ananda vardhana!

Jagat sarvam svapiti tvayi suptE narAdhipa!"



The real purpose of the Suprabhata stotra is brought out by the Sri 
Venkateswara Suprabhatam-

"Uttishtta KamalAkAnta! TrilOkyam mangalam kuru"

We want Him to rise and shine because we want our welfare looked-after, and so 
that all things auspicious come our way. 



Does the Lord need to sleep and to awake?



We should not be misled by His apparent indolence. If He appears always to be 
half-asleep on His snake bed, it is not actual "nidrA", but "Yoga nidrA" He 
affects ("uranguvAn pOl yOgu puNarnda oLi MaNivannan Kannan" -Sri Nammazhwar). 
Even if His eyes are closed, it is our welfare and upliftment that are 
constantly in His thoughts. Thus, even if He appears to comply with Sri 
Kulasekhara Perumal's entreaties to sleep (ref, the decad of Perumal Tirumozhi 
beginning with "Mannu pugazh Kosalai than manivayiru vAyttavanE") He is always 
awake, devising newer and newer strategies for emancipating lost and 
uncooperative souls. It is said that the rich never sleep, kept awake by fears 
for the safety of their wealth- how then can Emperuman, with His vast riches 
encompassing all the Universes and the Nitya VibhUti? 



Shastras enjoin upon us to extend to the Lord all regal courtesies due to a 
Prince, befitting His stature. It is in accordance with the dictates of the 
Scripture that we "wake" Him up, with stotras, music et al, as the Emperors of 
yore described above. Suprabhata stotras have therefore been composed to ensure 
that when Lord comes awake, our stuti falls on His ears, always eager for 
praise ("stava priya:"). The "TiruppaLLi ezhucchi" of Sri Tondaradippodi Azhwar 
too is an uplifting exercise with the same object.



Srimate SriLakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana 
Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

Dasan, sadagopan.













[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





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