Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
rAga - pantuvarALi - kAmavardhini.

¹ – kAcunA – this is how it is given in all the books. There is some doubt about this word. In my opinion, this should be ‘kAcu’ or ‘kAcE’ and not ‘kAcunA’. However, ‘n’ has been taken as sandhi and translated accordingly.

² – SabariyengiliccunA – SabariyengiliniccunA.
Top

References
² – Sabari engili iccunA - ‘engili’ means ‘leftover of eatables’ – As per vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, AraNya kANDa, Chapter 74 (rAma meeting Sabari), there is no mention of Sabari offering bitten and tasted fruits. The following verses are relevant -

pAdyam-AcamanIyaM ca sarvaM prAdAt yathA-vidhi | 7 ||

..and offered (to the honoured guests) with due ceremony water to bathe their feet and rinse their mouth with and every (other) form of hospitality, ...

Sabari said -
mayA tu saMcitaM vanyaM vividhaM purusha-rshabha || 17 ||
tavArthE purusha-vyAghra pampAyAs-tIra-sambhavaM | | 18 ||

“O Jewel among men! Produce of the forest of every description growing on the brink of pampA has therefore been gathered by me for you, O tiger among men!”
(Traditional version of Sabari offering tasted fruits.)

³ - candra dharuDu meccunA - The reference to Lord Siva is from phala ruti of vishNu sahasra nAma, where dEvi pArvathi asks Lord Siva the means for hearing the thousand(s of) names of vishNu recited by the learned every day. Lord Siva replies that simple repetition of the name of ‘rAma’ would be equal to reciting vishNu sahasra nAma.
Top

⁴ - abala svayamprabhA - The story of svayaMprabhA comes in the kishkindA kANDa of rAmAyaNa. During their search of sIta, AnjanEya and others reach a divine cave, where they find a wonderful city guarded by an aged ascetic woman by name svayamprabhA. She is daughter of merusAvarNi and has been granted boons by Gods. However, vAlmIki rAmAyaNa doesn’t seem to contain any further reference about her emancipation in the hands of SrI rAma. This is found in adhyAtma rAmAyaNa – kishkindA kANDa – 6th Chapter.
Top

⁵ - kapi vAridhi dATunA – Before leaping over the ocean AnjanEya utters these words to the monkeys –

"As an arrow loosed by SrI rAma would fly with the speed of wind, I too would likewise course to lanka guarded by rAvaNa. If I don’t find sItA in lanka, I shall certainly proceed with the same speed to heaven. If I don’t find sItA in heaven even after exerting myself, I shall bring rAvaNa, in chains. At all events I shall return successful with sItA" (SrImad vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, sundara kANDa, Chapter 1, verses 38 – 42).

However, in spite of his best efforts he could not locate sItA – even though aSOka vana, where sItA was kept as captive, was just in his sight. He becomes despondent and even contemplates of becoming an ascetic (ibid Chapter 13, verse 54). Then, drawing up courage, prays to rAma, lakshmaNa and sItA and other Gods before venturing into aSOka vana (ibid, verse 59). And, there, he finds sItA.
Top

It is indeed strange that the grace of the very person who sent AnjanEya on this mission (SrI rAma) and the person searched (sItA) should be sought. SrI tyAgarAja enjoys this contradiction in the kRti 'rAma rAma nIvAramu gAmA’ – rAga Ananda bhairavi wherein he states - 'marugu jEsukonunaTTi mahima rArA’ – ‘O Lord who seems as if His Might is screened’. SrI tyAgarAja worshipped SrI rAma as para brahman.

The great hari kathA exponent Brahma Sri TS Balakrishna Sastrigal explains (in his discourse on ‘Tyagaraja Ramayana’) the feat of AnjanEya leaping across the ocean as the effect of devotion of AnjanEya. But when the bhakta develops ego and thus boastfulness, the job undertaken does not fructify. The boastful AnjanEya at the beginning of the journey, realises his limits and hence prayer to SrI rAma and mother sItA for their grace – for searching sItA herself.
Top

⁶ - kaliki rOTa kaTTunA - The episode in kRshNAvatAra where yaSOdA ties SrI kRshNa – as a child – to a mortar is mentioned here. The following verses in SrImad bhAgavataM, Book 10, Chapter 9 are relevant –

sva-mAtuH svinnagAtrAyA visrasta-kabara-srajaH |
dRshTvA pariSramaM kRshNaH kRpayA AsIt sva-bandhanE ||
nAyaM sukhApO bhagavAn dEhinAM gOpikA-sutaH |
jnAninAM cAtma-bhUtAnAM yathA bhaktimatAm-iha || (18,21)

“Perceiving the over-exertion of His mother, whose body was bathed in perspiration, the wreaths tied around his braid fallen down, SrI kRshNa allowed himself to be bound by Himself out of (sheer) compassion.
Lord kRshNa is not so easily accessible in this world to those identified with their body or even to men of wisdom who have become one with Him; but only to those possessed of devotion to Him.”

Please also refer to kRti of Papanasam Sivan – ‘enna tavam saidanai yaSOdA’ wherein he wonders at the fortune of a milk-maid who could tie the Supreme Lord to a mortar.
Top

Comments