Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:
The Eternal Embrace-2
Of all the auspicious attributes of the Lord, the most endearing are His
Soulabhyam and Souseelyam, His accessibility and His readiness to mix with the
lowest of the lowly. Despite being the Supreme Being, the omnipotent,
omniscient Lord and Master of all, He never minds descending from the high
heavens to this world of mortals, and to live and move with them as one among
them. If it is His mission to reform mankind and to instill in them the desire
and the eligibility for emancipation, He could very well do that without
lowering Himself to our level. What is more, in His avataras, He doesn't mind
in what form He is born-He assumes all sorts of odd forms- as a fish, a boar, a
turtle, a half-lion and what not. "uyiraLippAn en nindra yOniyumAi pirandhAi
imayOr thalaivA!" says Sri Nammazhwar, marveling at the Lord's simplicity and
His readiness to go to any extent to ensure our emancipation.
The moment we talk about Soulabhyam and Souseelyam, the deity who jumps into
our mind is Sri Krishna, the Lord who assumed the garb of a lowly cowherd,
reveling in His sojourn with cows and their masters, reeking of butter and
curds, consuming enormous quantities of these dairy products without minding
whom they belong to, getting caught in the process and beaten up by the irate
owners, and being tied to the grindstone by His own mother for His innumerable
infringements. It is again Sri Nammazhwar who is floored by such simplicity and
wonders whether the Parabrahmam could indeed be capable of such deeds-"etthiram
uralinOdu iNaindu irundu Engia eLivE".
It is the Supreme Lord, whom even Sages, with their unlimited penance and
meditation, are unable to have a glimpse of, the Lord who is beyond the ken of
even distinguished deities like Brahma and Shiva ("Sivanum Piramanum kANAdhu
arumAl eidi adi parava"), the Lord who is without a beginning and end, the
Primordial Cause of All, without Himself having a cause ("apramEya"), the Lord
who is bigger than the biggest known being and smaller than the smallest
("aNOraNeeyAn mahatO maheeyAn"), the Lord and Master and Provider of Sri
Vaikuntam and other worlds with their innumerable inhabitants- it is this Lord
who graciously consented to be tied up by a mere cowherdess, with the flimsiest
of ropes.
"KattuNNa paNNiya peruMAyan" says Sri Madhurakavi, making it abundantly clear
that it was not Sri Yasoda's efforts, but only the Lord's will that ensured His
being bound with the inadequate rope.
Thus Sri Krishnavatara appears to be the only avatara where Emperuman displayed
the sterling quality of Soulabhyam in abundant measure.
In contrast, there are those who accuse Sri Rama of being an unapproachable
paragon of virtues, a forbidding pillar of righteousness who cannot be even
thought of without fear of our thoughts sullying His pristine pure image. While
we are able to identify readily with Sri Krishna, somehow Sri Rahgava appears
too good for the likes of us. He is someone to be established on a high
pedestal and venerated, and not the easily accessible neighborhood boy with
whom one can be a chum, with whom one can share confidences, with whom one can
have fights and reconciliation, etc. He is the Prince of Ayodhya, whom one can
ogle at from a distance, and not a friend one goes arm-in-arm with.
Sri Bhattar, a vociferous votary of Sri Ramavatara, answers these accusations
of aloofness on the part of AyodhyAdhipati with the quip that the role
portrayed by the Lord during this avatara was such as to preclude any exuberant
mingling with the masses. He was the son of Emperor Dasarata, the Prince of
Ayodhya and a Magnificent Monarch, who could hardly be expected to indulge in
the sort of horseplay and socializing, which were the hallmark of Sri Krishna.
While it is no big deal for a cowherd like Krishna to mix with joy with people
of His society, it is quite a different cup of tea for the heir apparent to the
throne of Ayodhya to behave in any other fashion than one that befits a future
Emperor.
However, even with the constraints imposed by nobility of birth and the affairs
of state, we find Sri Raghunandana displaying occasional sparks of soulabhyam,
which are all the more sweet for their rarity.
One such instance is the interaction with the head of the hunting clan, Sri
Guha, who puts up Sri Rama for a night before the Prince, His brother and
consort cross the Ganga, en route to the forest to spend their exile of
fourteen years.
The image of the majestic Prince disappears the moment Sri Rama sets eyes on
GuhapperumAl, for the latter is valued by Raghava to be as precious as His own
life ("RAmasya Atma sama: sakhA"). Guha is delighted at the unexpected pleasure
of Sri Rama's enchanting company and marvels at his own good fortune, which has
blessed him with a guest of matchless distinction as the Prince of Ayodhya. The
depth of Sri Guha's friendship and devotion for Raghunandana is truly beyond
compare. He declares to Sri Lakshmana, " there is none in this world who is
dearer to me than Rama. I swear to this on all that I hold holy"
("na hi RAmAt priyatamO mamAsti bhuvi kaschana"). Prompted by the long years of
separation from the Prince and unmindful of the differences in their respective
social ranking, Guha rushes to embrace Sri Rama
Sri Valmiki, describing the embrace, uses the word "samparishvajya". While
"parishvajya" indicates the act of embrace, the term "samparishvajya" denotes a
comprehensive and comfortable embrace. Conscious of his own brute strength and
the delicacy of Sri Rama's physique, Guha embraces Raghunandana with care, as
one would handle a fragile article.
The boundless love Sri Guha has for Sri DAsarati and the high degree of its
reciprocation by the Prince, are evident from Sri Rama's reflexive action upon
setting eyes on the hunter chief. Overwhelmed by GuhapperumAl's adoration, and
in striking contrast to the care exhibited by Guha in his embrace, Sri Raghava
rushes to lock him in a bear hug, encircling Guha's body with His long and
strong arms-"bhujAbhyAm sAdhu vritthAbhyAm peedayan". Sri Rama's embrace is so
close, that Guha feels almost crushed. Sri Valmiki describes Sri Rama's
intimate interaction with the lowly hunter, unmindful of His own stature as the
Prince of Ayodhya thus-" saha SoumithriNA RAma: samAgacchat snEhEna sa:".
This act of the Prince of the famed IkshvAku dynasty descending to the level of
a common hunter and embracing him as He would an equal, finds few parallels in
the history of mankind, and is a standing testimony to the Lord's propensity to
disregard fetters of caste, creed, colour or race, when it comes to intimate
interaction with true devotees.
This embrace becomes all the more intimate when one considers the following
contrasts in the qualities of the embracer and the embraced-
1. First and foremost, Sri Rama is the scion of the Raghukulam, a lineage of
Emperors famed in all the three worlds for their bravery, justice and good
governance. Guha, on the other hand, is a mere chieftain of lowly hunters.
2. The auspicious attributes of Sri Rama are acknowledged by many and need no
recounting, whereas Guha, as is natural to his occupation, is a brutish, crude
and bestial hunter.
3. Sri Rama is mercy personified, "KaruNA Kakuttsttha:", whereas Guha's
avocation is one to which mercy is a dirty word.
4. In appearance too, Guha's is a frightening form, with bloodshot eyes, a huge
torso and an ungainly appearance, while Sri Ramachandra is handsomeness itself,
with perfectly proportioned limbs, beautiful lotus eyes and a bewitching
countenance.
5. Sri Raghava is a repository of boundless wisdom, while Guha is an ignoramus,
unlettered and unsophisticated.
Disregarding all these differences, Sri Rama joyfully embraces Guha, that too,
in a sincere and intimate fashion, unlike the perfunctory and phony hugs the
politicians of today favour each other with.
Marveling at this act of Souseelyam, Sri Thirumangai Mannan says,
"Ezhai Edhalan keezhmagan ennAdhu mattru avarkku innaruL surandhu"
Azhwar obviously refers to the intimate embrace bestowed on Guha, when he says
"innaruL surandhu". Expanding on these significant words, Sri Periavacchan
Pillai says "vatsa sakAsatthil dhEnu Anadhu ksheeratthai surakkumA pOlE
guNangalai surandhu". Emperuman was so emotionally attached to Guhapperumal
that He verily became a cow, whose udders fill up at the mere sight of its
just-born calf, brimming with the Milk of Mercy for the lowly hunter.
This embrace finds mention in Swami Desikan's Raghuveera Gadyam too, with Sri
Rama being addressed with affection as " nishAdha raja souhrida soochita
souseelya sAgara!"
We have heard too of the immortal lines of Kamban-"ninnodum iyvar AnOm",
whereby Sri Raghava, after bestowing a bear hug on Guha, also accords him the
coveted status of a brother, equal in rank to Sri Bharata, Sri Lakshmana and
Sri Satrughna. Can one find a better exposition of "Souseelyam" anywhere,
anytime?
Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana
Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:
Dasan, sadagopan
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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