SrI rAmAyaNa thani SlOkam – 24 – ayOdhyA kANdam 99.12 – subhagaSchithrakUta:, AraNya kANdam 16.29 – bhavagyEna

_{SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:}

In this series, we are enjoying the vyAkhyAnams for important SlOkams in SrI rAmAyaNam given to us mercifully by periyavAchchAn piLLai. So far, we have enjoyed the vyAkhyAnams for bAla kANdam and ayOdhyA kANdam SlOkams.

This SlOkam is the last SlOkam in ayOdhyA kANdam that has been explained by periyavAchchAn piLLai in his vyAkhyAnam. This SlOkam gives a description of chithra kUta mountain where SrI rAma lived with sIthAp pirAtti just like kubEra living in indhirAa’s garden.

avathArikai (Introduction)

SrI rAmAyaNam kishkindhA kANdam 18-6 “ikshvAkuNAmiyam bhUmi: saSailavanakAnanA” (This earth, with the mountains, waterbodies, land, and forests, belongs to those in the ikshvAku dynasty).

chithra kUtam mountain, located within the ikshvAku kingdom consisting of cities, rural regions, mountains and forests, achieved great prominence when SrI rAma and sIthAp pirAtti came to live there.

subhagaSchithrakUtO’sau girirAjOpamO giri: I
yasmin vasathi kAkuthstha: kubEra iva nandhanE II

Word-by-Word meaning

nandhanE – in the garden of nandhanam ( indhra’s garden)
kubEra iva – just as kubEra resides
yasmin – in which mountain
kAkuthstha: – SrI rAma, one who is from kakusthstha lineage
vasathi – is residing
chithrakUta: – known as chithra kUta
asau giri: – this mountain
girirAjOpama: – comparable to thirumAlirunjOlai
subhaga: – has the greatness

Simple Meaning

SrI rAma is residing with pirAtti on the beautiful chithra kUta mountain, that resembles thirumAlirunjOlai, just as kubEra is living in the garden of nandanam.

Notes from periyavAchchAn piLLai’s vyAkhyAnam

subhaga: – with greatness that is unlike other places

chithra kUta mountain is considered great since it is desired by everyone – the entire ayOdhyA came to see chithra kUta mountain.

When SrI rAma came to stay in chithrA kUtam, the entire ayOdhyA came to chithra kUtam with a desire to see SrI rAma and remained there motionless, seeing perumAL. So, is the greatness solely because SrI rAma came to stay there? No. There are other attributes which also add to its greatness.

chithrakUta:

It is also great because of the nature of the region.

chithrakUta:

“ramaNIyO hyayam dhESa:” (It is indeed a beautiful region).

During his coronation ceremony, SrI rAma presented various gifts to everyone. He presented periya perumAL and namperumAL, along with the praNavAkAra vimAnam, to vibhIshaNAzhwAn.

vibhIshaNAzhwAn carried periya perumAL from thiru ayOdhyA. However, on the way to lankA, upon seeing the beauty of SrIrangam, periya perumAL decided to stay there without a desire to proceed further.

Just like that, SrI rAma, on the way from ayOdhyA to lankA came to reside in chithra kUtam.

SrI rAmAyaNam AraNya kANdam 11-24 “jagAma chASramAmsthEshAm paryAyENa thapasvinAm” (SrI rAma constantly visited all the hermitages of the rishis one after another).
perumAL thirumozhi 10-7 “thirumagaLOdu inidhu amarndha selvan” (perumAL resided mercifully, along with sIthAp pirAtti).

An enchanting place, suitable to provide an enjoyable experience for SrI rAma to live, along with sIthAp pirAtti.

chithrakUta:

chithra kUtam looked wonderful, filled with many kinds of minerals and gems ,which would leave one completely immersed in it. thiruvayOdhyai also looks similar to this with its wide colourful roads. But, is this description really about thiruvayOdhyai?

asau giri: – this mountain

periya thiruvandhAdhi 68 “kallum kanaikadalum vaigundha vAnAdum pullenRozhindhanagol” (Have the hills of thirumalai, milky ocean and paramapadham become deserted such that grass has grown tall?)

As said in the above pAsuram, the hills of thirumalai, milky ocean and paramapadham all became deserted when emperumAn came to reside in AzhwAr’s heart. So, is chithra kUta mountain also similar to these? No. chithra kUtam is not like those places which emperumAn deserted, he came to live here eternally with a desire to enjoy.

periya thirumozhi 3-9-7 “ugandhu inidhu nAL dhORum maruvi uRai kOyil” (He resides eternally with joy to give sweetness to his devotees)

girirAjOpama:

(Note from kAlakshEpam: Here, periyavAchchAn piLLai refers to thirumAlinrunjOlai (mountain where perumAL resides with pirAtti) as girirAja. This is to be considered as a sampradhAya artham (meaning as provided in our sampradhAyam). Commonly, in the northern parts of India, gOvardhana mountain is referred to as girirAja. periyavAchchAn piLLai says, chithra kUtam resembles such a great mountain – thirumAlinrunjOlai.)

Since perumAL and pirAtti are living together in chithra kUtam, this is comparable to thirumAlirunjOlai where azhagar and nAchchiyAr reside.

To be given such prominence, what is the greatness of this mountain?

yasmin vasathi kAkuthstha:

He eternally resides here, unlike mathurA, which he left soon after he was born.

thiruvAimozhi 10-7-4 “nangaL kunRam kai vidAn” (He does not abandon this divine hill that is enjoyable for us).

Who resides here?

kAkuthstha: SrI rAma, the one who increases the greatness of the kakuthstha lineage.

kAkuthstha: yasmin vasathi

The one who was born in the kakuthstha lineage and brought up in thiruvayOdhyA, left thiruvayOdhyA to stay in this mountain – chithra kUtam. Such is the greatness of this mountain.

kAkuthstha: yasmin vasathi

perumAL sitting on top of the mountain renders a visual image of kakuthstha seated on indhra in the form of the bull.

(Note from kAlakshEpam: SrI rAma is a descendant of kakuthstha, a ruler in ikshvAku dynasty.

indhra who usually seeks help from the rulers of ikshvAku dynasty during difficult times will take the form of a bull and serve as a vAhanam (vehicle) for the king during the battle. Since the king sat on the hump (kakuth) of the bull, he came to be known as kakuthstha.)

kAkuthstha: yasmin vasathi

thiruvAimozhi 3-3-8 “paran senRu sEr thiruvEnkatam” (The supreme lord went and reached the divine hill, thiruvEnkatam).

As such, SrI rAma came to chithra kUtam to live there happily.

But, SrI rAma, son of king dhaSaratha, came to the forest in exile. Under such circumstances, will this stay in chithra kUtam bring any happiness to him?

kubEra iva nandhanE

SrI rAma lived like how vaiSravaNan (kubEra) lived with the pride of his sealth in nandhanam.

kubEra’s garden is called ‘chaithra ratham’. nandhanam is indhra’s garden. But, why does the SlOkam refer to indhra’s garden, instead of ‘chaithra ratham’?

Although ayOdhyA had many beautiful gardens, perumAL left ayOdhyA and came to the gardens filled with honey, on the slopes of the chithra kUta mountains. Similarly, kubEra, in spite of having many gardens, came to live in indhra’s garden.

What is the purpose of describing the greatness of chithra kUtam?

Although this earth is spread over a vast 50 crore yOjana [approximately 500 crore miles], the places where perumAL desires to come and reside, those dhivya dhEsams should be desired by the devotees too.

(Note from kAlakshEpam: There are many places in the world with modern facilities, rich natural resources, etc.; living in those places will not be helpful for a devotee. Residing in places where perumAL has desired to stay, such as dhivya dhESams, purANa sthalams should be the goal for a devotee. chithra kUtam is desired by us because it is desired by perumAL)

This concludes the vyAkhyAnam for this SlOkam. With the completion of this vyAkhyAnam, vyAkhyAnam for all ayOdhyA kANdam SlOkams has been completed. Next, we shall continue with the vyAkhyAnam for AraNya kANdam SlOkams.

SrI rAmAyaNam thani SlOkam – AraNya kANdam 16.29 – bhAvagyEna

While perumAL, pirAtti and iLaiya perumAL live happily in chithra kUtam, bharathAzhwAn comes there to meet perumAL. iLaiya perumAL from a mountain top, spots bharathAzhwAn from a distance and becomes furious upon seeing him. He also sees the troops which come along with bharathAzhwAn. He instantly comes to perumAL and informs about bharathAzhwAn. He hypothesises bharathAzhwAn’s intention to fight since he is coming along with the troops and conveys the same to perumAL. perumAL becomes angry at iLaiya perumAL upon hearing those words.

perumAL says to iLaiya perumAL, “bharathAzhwAn would never do anything like that. Maybe secretly you have some intention of ruling the kingdom and hence you are showing your anger towards bharathAzhwAn”.

perumAL uses very harsh words towards iLaiya perumAL and expresses that he understands bharathAzhwAn’s love towards him. iLaiya perumAL then regains his composure.

bharathAzhwAn comes and prostrates in front of perumAL. Along with him, the entire army, ministers, their three mothers, and all the people of ayOdhyA also come to have SrI rAma’s dharSan. bharathAzhwAn does SaraNAgathi and requests SrI rAma to return to ayOdhyA. perumAL does not accept his request, and sends him back to ayOdhyA with his pAdhukAs (divine footwear) and asks him to rule ayOdhyA. bharathAzhwAn returns but stays in nandhigrAmam, adorned with matted hair and deer skin, rules ayOdhyA by keeping SrI rAma’s pAdhuka.

In the meanwhile, since the current location became well known to everyone, perumAL decides to move further south, even though perumAL, pirAtti and iLaiya perumAL were happy residing in chithra kUtam. He moves into dhaNdakAraNya (dhaNdaka forest) where many rishis await the arrival of SrI rAma. He meets them and makes a vow to protect them from the rAkshasas in that forest. During his stay in the forest, SrI rAma frequents the hermitages of the rishis in the forest. From there, he then goes to panchavatI.

Upon arrival in panchavatI, iLaiya perumAL requests detailed instructions from SrI rAma to build a parNaSAlA (hermitage).

But SrI rAma says, “Build it as per your wishes”.

On hearing that, iLaiya perumAL is saddened because he considered that (making a decision on his own) to be svAthanthryam (establishing independence/free will).

So, iLaiya perumAL says to perumAL, “Please give me orders and tell me all the things you want me to do. I will do them happily for you”.

avathArikai (Introduction)

“kriyathAm” – tell me what I should do. iLaiya perumAL asks SrI rAma, “tell me how the parNaSAlA should be built?”

perumAL praises iLaiya perumAL after he finishes the construction of parNaSAlA (hermitage), and says these words.

SrI rAma, looking at the beautiful parNaSAlA built by iLaiya perumAL, says, “You have built this very beautifully knowing my thoughts and knowing exactly what needs to be done. In spite of knowing my thoughts and having this ability, why did you ask me for instructions on how to build this?”

bhAvagyEna kruthagyEna dharmagyEna cha lakshmaNa I
thvayA puthrENa dharmAthmA na samvruththa: pithA mama II

Word-by-Word meaning

lakshmaNa – oh, lakshmaNa! (iLaiya perumAL)
bhAvagyEna – knower of (my) thoughts
kruthagyEna – knower of duties and responsibilities (of king dhaSaratha to SrI rAma)
dharmagyEna – knower of real nature of AthmA (dharmam)
puthrENa – one who protects father from falling into hell called puth
thvayA – because of you
dharmAthmA – a virtuous soul
pithA – father
mama – my
na samvruththa – is not dead (to me)

Simple Meaning

perumAL says to iLaiya perumAL, “You are the knower of my thoughts, knower of everything that is to be done for me (as my father would do), and knower of all dharmam. To me, my father is not dead since I have you”.

Notes from periyavAchchAn piLLai’s vyAkhyAnam

bhAvagyEna – knower of (my) thoughts

It is possible that perumAL could give specifications such as creating a space for cooking or creating a space for performing yAgam etc. But he would not tell iLaiya perumAL to build a secluded space for him to spend time with pirAtti. But iLaiya perumAL, knowing perumAL’s thoughts, builds everything as per perumAL’s desire.

kruthagyEna

King dhaSaratha, who lived for 60,000 years, suffered for many years without a son, and then when he was blessed with SrI rAma, he was very careful and analysed all his preferences and circumstances. He always thought, “What will my dear son think?” “Will there be any situation that will cause him any worries?”.

Similarly, not only did iLaiya perumAL do things as per perumAL’s thoughts, but he also did things with love like a father. iLaiya perumAL, knowing what king dhaSaratha would have done for SrI rAma, executed them in the same way for SrI rAma, with such passion and care.

dharmagyEna

Even though iLaiya perumAL knows perumAL’s thoughts and has the ability to execute them in action, if he had thought, “I am also a prince; don’t I need a place to stay?” then, he would not have been able to build a beautiful hermitage.

But iLaiya perumAL, did not do anything for his own sake. Knowing his svarUpam (real nature) is SEshabhUthan (being a servitor for SrI rAma), he knew that doing things for perumAL’s benefit alone would reflect his real nature.

thvayA puthrENa dharmAthmA na samvruththa: pithA mama

SrI rAma says, “King dhaSaratha has left you for me, after he has left this world. While he was in this world, he did everything to me in his capacity as a father; after he left the world, he left you as his representative”.

puthrENa

A son is called puthran because he saves his father from entering the hell named puth, and there is nothing more hellish than losing something that is loved.

For king dhaSaratha, unhappiness is when SrI rAma is unhappy. So, iLaiya perumAL, by taking care of perumAL and making him happy, has also kept king dhaSaratha happy. Hence, iLaiya perumAL is called here as puthrENa.

dharmAthmA – one who has done good deeds (King dhaSaratha)

Immediately, upon talking about king dhaSararatha, SrI rAma says, “Oh, is there any one comparable to our father? He is unsurpassed!” As long as he lived, he did everything that I liked; after his death, he gave you in his place to do the things I want, just like setting up a waterstation”.

(A water station provides continuous supply of water even if one is not physically present to distribute the water. Similarly, even when king dhaSaratha is not present, iLaiya perumAL is like this water station who continuously does everything for SrI rAma in his absence).

mama – for me

mama pithA – my father. Why does SrI rAma refer to king dhaSaratha as pithA mama?

SrI rAma tells iLaiya perumAL, “You are now doing everything for me that father did, so I don’t think I have lost him; but for you, he is not alive anymore”.

King dhaSaratha is father for both SrI rAma and iLaiya perumAL, but SrI rAma, being appreciative of iLaiya perumAL’s services and out of love for iLaiya perumAL, says that he does not feel king dhaSaratha’s loss. Hence he says, “I have not lost my father”.

bhAvagyEna kruthagyEna dharmagyEna cha lakshmaNa I
thvayA puthrENa dharmAthmA na samvruththa: pithA mama II

vyAkhyAnam for the next SlOkam will be continued in the next article.

AzhwAr emperumAnAr jIyar thiruvadigaLE SaraNam

periyavAchchAn piLLai thiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Source – SrI rAmAyaNa thani SlOkam – 24 – ayOdhyA kANdam 99.12 – subhagaSchithrakUta:, AraNya kANdam 16.29 – bhavagyEna Audio Video

adiyEn chithrA rAmAnuja dhAsi

Proofreading/Curating done by – kOsalEndhra rAmAnuja dhAsan, krishNan rAmAnuja dhAsan

Artwork – namperumAL rAmAnuja dhAsan

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