Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra
Mahadesikaya nama:
Made for Each Other
Those who peruse
the matrimonial columns in newspapers and magazines would be familiar with
the phrase, “A Suitable Bride wanted”. This is what every eligible bachelor
seeks—an ideal soul mate, suited in every way to harmonious matrimony. It is
thus every man’s dream (and every woman’s too) to wed his perfect match in
physique, temperament and demeanour. How blissful would life be, if one is
able to link up with a life partner who is in every way one’s alter ego!
However, this
appears to remain a distant dream, as far as most of the couples are
concerned. Whoever in heaven fixes up these marriages, doesn’t appear to be
very particular about pairing off matching individuals, with the result that
discord and disharmony often (and in some cases, permanently) plague marital
relationships. Right from trivial matters like difference in tastes (whether
in food, dress or reading) to major ones in arriving at decisions in crucial
family matters, lead to
differences cropping up between couples, with the result that their lives,
including those of their children, are affected adversely. While in normal
couples such differences are resolved or at least glossed over with mutual
give and take and tolerance, in many cases they assume irreconcilable
proportions, with disastrous consequences.
The point,
therefore, is that it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to find
perfectly matched couples.
The Lord is a
model of everything we aspire to be.
We look up to Him for inspiration, guidance and advice because He is
the Perfect Person, a veritable paragon of virtues, the repository of all
auspicious attributes and the antithesis of all that is bad. It is therefore
no surprise to us that He is the Perfect Husband too, a partner every woman
dreams of landing, but alas!
perhaps never does.
However, to be fair to the fairer sex, it is to be recorded that
Piraatti is in every way eminently suitable to the Lord, whether it be in
physical beauty, auspicious attributes or freedom from blemish of any
sort.
Acharyas tell us
that the Divine Consort is a Perfect Match for the Lord in all respects.
Says Sri Ramanuja in the Sharanagati Gadyam, addressing
Piraatti--
“Bhagavan
Narayana abhimata anuroopa
svaroopa roopa guNa vibhava iyshvarya sheelAdi anavadhika asankhyEya kalyANa
guNa gaNAm”.
Though it is
impossible to catalogue the aspects in which Piratti forms the perfect
counterpart for the Lord, it is worthwhile to go into some of them at
least.
1.Roopam—In
physical beauty, Piraati is in every way the Lord’s equal.
If He is a
“PuNdarIka VisAlAksha:” (one with broad, lotus eyes), She too is
“VisAlAkshI” and “Mriga sAbAkshI”, and sports broad, beautiful and deer-like
eyes.
If He is
portrayed to be a “Vidyut Prabha:” (resembling a
lightning)
by the DvAdasa
nAma Panjaram, She too is adulated by Sri Valmiki as “Vidyut
PrabhAm”.
If He is a
“PeetAmbara dhara:” (clothed in bright yellow silk), so is She adorned in
beautiful yellow silk, with swans drawn on it—“peetEna hamsAnkitEna
kshoumENa samvritAm”—Sri Valmiki.
If He has curly,
jet black hair falling on His forehead (“Mai vaNNa narum kunji”, “lalAta
paryanta vilambita Alakam” “kupyat chOLee vachana kutilai: kuntalai:
slishtta moole”) etc., then so does Piratti sport beautiful, black, long and
curly hair—“neela kunchita moordhajAm”, “neela nAghAbhayA vENI”, “Vakra
kEsAntA”, all of which are from the pen of an admiring
Valmiki.
If He is
“SAkshAt Manmatha Manmatha:”—the sole personification of handsomeness, She
too is incredibly and immeasurably beautiful—“DEvatAbhi: samA roopE SItA
Shreeriva roopiNI”.
If His
complexion is that of beaten gold (“ApraNakhAt sarva Eva suvarNa:” says the
Upanishad), She too is of the same colour—“HiraNyavarNAm HariNIm”, according
to the Sri SUktam.
If the Lord’s
soundaryam is such as to generate infinitely new varieties of bliss every
second, without the experience palling on the viewer despite any length of
time (“appouzhudaikku appozhudu en ArAvamudamE”—Sri Nammazhwar), so too is
Piraatti’s beauty capable of providing the onlooker such varied bliss every
second, says Sri Alavanadar—
“sadA
anubhootayApi apoorvavat vismayam AdadhAnayA”.
The Lord is a
veritable forest of lotuses—His eyes, face, hands, feet all resemble the
beautiful flower, says Sri Nammazhwar—
“SentAmarai
tadam kaN senkanivAi senkamalam
sentAmarai adikkaL sempon
tiruvudambE”.
PirAtti is none
the less enamoured with the lotus, being lotus-complexioned, residing in a
lotus, lotus-eyed and holding lotuses in her hands—“Padma priyE Padmini
padma hastE padmAlayE padma dalAyatAkshi”.
If the Lord
sports a smiling countenance (“smayamAna mukhAmbuja:”) so does
Piraatti-:”ChArusmitE!” says Ravana, addressing Her.
We could perhaps
go on endlessly, matching each glorious part of the Lord’s tirumEni with
that of His Consort, who matches the specifications down to the minutest
detail.
Having found the
Divine Duo extremely compatible in physical features, we move on to verify
whether the concord extends to their attributes.
From a general
viewpoint, the Lord is renowned as “PurushOttama:”, the best among men in
all respects. Not to be left behind, Piraatti too elicits the description,
“nAreeNAm uttamA vadhoo:” from Valmiki, who claims the Divine Consort to be
the most excellent person of the female race.
When it comes to
the most important trait (from our view point) of Mercy and compassion, the
Lord’s distinction has been elaborately chronicled in DayA Satakam. He is
supposedly the sole repository and an ocean of Mercy—“karuNA varuNAlayam”.
Sri Bhattar says that Sri Mahalakshmi is no less than Her Husband and might
have, in fact, surpassed Him in exhibiting this virtue.
The Lord
protects people only when they seek His protection and refuge—“RakshApEkshAm
prateekshatE”. Piraatti, however, extends Her protective umbrella to cover
even those who haven’t sought the same and to the contrary, have caused her
harm, as in the case of the RAkshasIs of AshOka Vanika and the
KAkAsura.
The Lord is the
epitome of generosity and gives everything that He has to the seeker—“tamadu
anaitthum avar tamakku vazhangiyum tAm miga viLangum amaivudaya aruLAlar”.
The Divine Mother too is generous to a fault and, even after showering on
the devotee all that he can possibly ask for (and even that he can’t even
think of seeking) feels ashamed that She hasn’t done anything for the poor
child—“Tvam lajjasE amba! KOyam udAra bhAva:!” marvels Sri Bhattar at this
overwhelming generosity.
If the Lord’s
bounty knows no bounds, He being the Ishvara with all the sentient beings
and non-sentient objects forming His sole domain, PirAtti too is the
possessor of unlimited aishvaryam, says Sri KoorattAzhwan. So much so, says
the Acharya, that big or small, any bounty attained by anyone in this world,
is the result of a stray glance from the corner of Her broad and benevolent
eye. If all the world is His, He is the indisputable overlord of all that
moves and doesn’t (“tam IsvaANAm paramam MahEsvaram”), She too is the
unparalleled Empress of all worlds—“asyEsAnA jagata:”
Granting
Liberation is the Lord’s sole prerogative, say the Shastras—“MOksham icchEt
JanArdanAt”. His Consort too can confer the same, says Sri
Bhattar-“aishvaryam akshara gatim paramam padam vA”
If the Lord is
infinite, pervading all living beings and non-living things in all the
universes, PirAtti too is all-pervasive, Vibhu, says the Vishnu
Purana—
“YathA sarvagatO
Vishnu: tathA Eva iyam dvijOttama”.
If He is father
to the whole world, She is the most Merciful Mother, performing a
complementary and supplementary role in the process of raising JeevAtma
families—“MAtA DEvI tvamasi BhagavAn VAsudEva: pitA mE” says Swami Desikan,
addressing these perfect parents. She is the Universal Mother—“Samasta lOka
JananI”.
Boundless and
blemishless wisdom, (“GnAnam”) which is one of the Lord’s principal
characteristics is present in Piraatti too in the same measure. And in
bestowing the same on devotees too, both the Lord and His Consort are
equally capable. If He is a “neri ellAm edutturaittha nirai gnAnatthu oru
moorthi”, having enunciated all the guidebooks for good conduct, in the form
of Shastras in general and the Gita in particular, She too is responsible
for feeding Her infants with the milk of unblemished wisdom—“Chaitanya
stanya dAyineem”.
One might
suppose, albeit mistakenly, that Balam or Strength, being a masculine trait,
must be the sole preserve of the Lord. However, the episode about Sri Sita
lifting the box containing the Shiva dhanus casually (in the process of
retrieving Her ball which had fallen behind the same) makes us believe that
Her strength is no less, though She doesn’t chose to display the
same.
Power is
normally considered to be a masculine preserve. The Lord is reputed to be a
ShaktimAn beyond compare, with nothing beyond His achievment. Indeed, He is
said to be capable of making even the impossible happen, through His
“aghatita ghatana sAmarthyam”. Piraati too would appear to be none the less
endowed with this trait. She tells Ravana that She Herself is quite capable
of reducing him to a fistful of dust, in a proclamation of Her infinite
Shakti.
The Lord is said
to be sweet—to the onlooker’s eyes, ears, mind and other faculties too. The
MadhurAshtakam tells us that everything about the Lord is “madhuram” or
sweet. Sri Nammazhwar likens Him to honey, sugar candy, sweet milk
etc.—“enakku tEnE pale kannalE amudE”.
Piratti too is incredibly sweet, as could be learnt from the Lord’s
own words, for, if anyone could know, He should—“madhurA
madhurAlApA”.
If the Lord is a
consummate Actor, donning vividly various roles for dushta nigraham and
sishta paripAlanam, His Consort too adopts characters eminently suited to
and complementing His role, says Swami Desikan in Dasavatara Stotram—“Yat
dharmai: iha dharmiNI viharatE nAnAkriti: nAyikA”
It is well known
as to how the Lord was dismayed, dejected and saddened beyond measure by the
parting from Sri Mythily, during Ramavatara, with Sri Valmiki faithfully and
elaborately chronicling the depth of emotion Sri Rama exhibited for His
Consort. If such was the love lavished by the Lord on Piraatti, could Her
attachment for Him be any the less? We thus have Sri Nammazhwar telling us
that She is loathe to leaving Him even for a micro-second and, unable to
suffer any sort of parting, resides permanently on the Lord’s broad
chest—“agalakillEn irayum endru alarmEl Mangai urai mArba!”
Thus, in respect
of each of the 24 kalyANa guNAs listed by Sri Ramanuja as a sample of divine
traits, we can find that Piraatti stands shoulder to shoulder with
Emperuman, equal and eminently suitable to Him in every respect. In fact, in
every imaginable way, the Lord and His Consort are eminently suited to each
other.
Commenting on
the matchless match of Sri Rama and Sri Vaidehi, Sri Valmiki says,
“Tulya sheela
vayO vrittAm tulya abhijana lakshaNAm
RAghava: arhati
VaidEhIm tam cha iyam asitEkshaNA”
It is fine to
say that in flawless conduct and exalted birth, Sri Mythily equalled Sri
Raghava. However, would it be correct to say that they were of equal age, as
it is not the practice for couples of the same age to wed? Further, there is
any amount of internal evidence in Srimad Ramayana itself to show that Sri
Sita was younger than the Prince of Ayodhya.
Rushing to Sri
Valmiki’s defence, Swami Desikan says in his Stotra Bhashyam that the word
“tulya” in the aforesaid sloka, with regard to age, should be interpreted
with reference to the usual practice of the groom being elder to the
bride—“atra vayO lakshaNayO: tulya shabda: ouchityapara:--DampatyO: nyoona
adhika vayaskatvAt”. What is meant here is that the difference in their ages
was neither too small, nor too large, but just right.
However, in
digressing about age, I am missing the second half of the sloka, which
really carries the punch line—viz., Sri Raghava deserved Sri Mythily in
every way and so did She deserve Chakravartthi Tirumagan. They were indeed a
pair so obviously Made for Each Other, where none else would have suited the
Glorious Groom or the Blemishless Bride, but each other.
This Matchless
Match has been the subject of comment by any number of worthies, be they
Azhwars or Acharyas. We thus see Sri Nammazhwar telling the Lord that His
Consort is in every way the most suitable for Him—
“unakku Erkkum
kOla malar PAvai”. That this pasuram occurs in the very last decad of
Tiruvaimozhi indicates this conclusion being indeed the considered opinion
of the Azhwar, after adequate analysis and contemplation.
And when Sri
Bhashyakara tells us that Piraatti is THE suitable bride for the Lord in all
aspect, he only conveys the opinion of his master, Sri Alavandar, who too
comments with wonder on the rare perfection of the divine
match—
“SadA
tavaivOchitayA tava ShriyA”
“Ahu: svai:
anuroopa roopa vibhavai: gAdOpagoodAni tE”
It is perhaps to
remind us of this impeccable and ideal match and to showcase the same as the
ideal for every mortal pair to strive for, that till date, our marriages are
conducted mostly as a re-enactment of the divine wedding, with the groom
regarded verily as Mahavishnu and the bride attired with an “ANdAL kondai”,
with the recitation of “VAraNamAyiram” etc. to signify the fruition of the
bride’s dream of attaining a perfect match. With our penchant for copying
others’ conduct, (mostly the unsavoury aspects thereof) if only we import
into our marriage even an infinitesimal aspect of the impeccable match
between the Lord and His Consort, marital discord would be banished from the
earth, marriage counsellors would be out of jobs and the word “Divorce”
would lose its place in the lexicon.
Srimate Sri
LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra
Mahadesikaya nama:
Dasan,
sadagopan