०१ बाल-काण्डम्

जय जय महावीर !

जय जय महावीर !

MAHAVEERA! This Gadhyam derives its name of Maha Veera Vaibhavam from this FIRST salutation.

Swami endearingly addresses Sri Raama, the destroyer of Ravana as the valorous one, who has no match regarding His heroic deeds in the battlefield.

महाधीर धौरेय !

महाधीर धौरेय !

MAHA DHEERA DHOWREYA! JAYA JAYA! Hail to thee, Hail to thee, who are in the front row of all known for their courage! In the last salutation, Sri Raama was hailed as a supreme hero. Here his courage and steadfastness in the battlefield is saluted. One who overcomes setbacks and fights on in the face of adversities is said to have the quality of Dhairyam, the key attribute of a Dheera. Raama is recognized as the supreme Dheera (Maha Deera) here.

देवासुर-समर-समय-+++(जय-)+++समुदित–
निखिल-निर्जर-निर्धारित–
निरवधिक-माहात्म्य !

देवासुर-समर-समय-+++(जय-)+++समुदित–
निखिल-निर्जर-निर्धारित–
निरवधिक-माहात्म्य !

O Lord, who was accepted and praised by all the Devas, as the one of unsurpassed valor, as a result of your help to the suffering Devas in the time of their battle with the Asuraas! Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee! (Many eons ago, there was a mighty battle between the Devas and the Asuras. The Devas were routed and prayed for the Lord’s help in their hour of distress. He responded to their call with alacrity and defeated the Asuras soundly. The elated Devas hailed Him as the Devathidevan and eulogized Him as the one with matchless glory).

दशवदन-दमित–दैवत-परिषद्-अभ्यर्थित–दाशरथि-भाव !

दशवदन-दमित–दैवत-परिषद्-अभ्यर्थित–दाशरथि-भाव !

O Mighty hero, who took the incarnation as the celebrated son of emperor Dasaratha, at the pleading of the assembly of the Devas tormented by the ten-headed Ravana! Hail to thee! Hail to Thee! (Sarga 15 and 16 of Bala Khaandam is summarized here. Sage Rysyasringa performs an Atharva Veda Ishti (sacrifice to bless Emperor Dasaratha with male progeny. The Devas approach Brahma at that very sacrifice and pray to him to destroy the evil Ravana. Brahma in turn pleads with Vishnu present at the same sacrifice to take the incarnation of the son of Emperor Dasaratha with the mission of destroying Ravana.

Lord Vishnu agrees to become the son of the Emperor and appears as Prajapati from the sacrificial pit and hands over to the Emperor a vessel containing Payasam and commands the Emperor to distribute the contents of the vessel to his wives to beget progeny. Dasaratha gave half of the Payasam to his eldest wife, Kausalya. She was blessed then to become the mother of Sri Raamachandra; the other two wives partook the other portions of the payasam and were blessed with LakshmaNA, Bharata and Shatrugna. The content of 66 slokas of these two sargas is summarized in six words here).

दिनकर-कुल-कमल-दिवाकर !

दिनकर-कुल-कमल-दिवाकर !

DINAKARA KULA KAMALA DIWAKARA! Hail to thee, who is the Sun for the lotus of Surya Vamsam! The Sun makes all the lotuses of the world blossom, as it rises on the eastern horizon.

Sri Raama was born in the solar race (Surya Vamsam). That Vamsam is proud to have had Sri Raama as its illustrious scion and shines with beauty just like a blossoming lotus in the morning at the sight of the rising Sun (birth of the Lord). Swami Desikan equates here the Surya Vamsam to that of a joyous lotus blossoming over the warm thought of having Sri Raama as one of its most famous descendant. Sri Raama is recognized as the Divine Sun that makes the lotus of Surya Kulam blossom.

Saint Thyagaraja revered as the incarnation of Adi Kavi Valmiki chose Suryakantam as a Ragam to set his Krithi “Muddhu Momu”, where he has a reference to the lustre of Sri Raamachandra’s face. He says respectfully: “The Lord’s face shone forth with the 11

Tejas of the Sun and was yet, as it always was, captivating like the Moon in its Kanthi, a rare combination indeed”. He continues on and points out that the all-comprehensive beauty of Sri Raama confounds the devotees, since they are not able to concentrate on any aspect of the Lord’s beauty by the fact that every aspect is equally fascinating.

Saint Thyagaraja and other Raama Bhakthas following the tradition of Swami Desikan have saluted the Surya Vamsam in their salutations. Two additional examples that come to one’s mind from Saint Thyagaraja’s eulogy of Sri Raama as the scion of Surya Vamsam are:

DINAMANI VAMSA TILAKA LAAVANYA! DHEENA SARANYA!

(RAGA HARI KAMBHOJI) And KAMALAABHDHA KULA KALASAABHDHI CHANDRA (RAGA BRINDAVANA SAARANGAA) In the last krithi, the poetic fancy of the Saint goes one step further. He says: “O Lord, who is the scion of the race of SUN, who is the friend of Lotus! You (in your captivating nature) are the Moon to the milky ocean, which rises with joy at the sight of your Moon-like countenance”.

One hears the echo of Saint Thyagaraja’s above salutation in Sri Dikshithar’s Manirangu krithi, Maamava Pattabhi Raama in the Charana Vakhyam:

PANKAJA MITRA VAMSA SUDHAAMBHUDHI CHANDRA MEDHINI PAALA RAAMACHANDRA.

Here, Sri Dikshithar salutes Sri Pattabhi Raama as the scion of the race that is the friend of the lotus; he equates that captivating ruler of the world, Raama to the moon that lifts up the milky ocean.

The central tribute in all these salutations is to Sri Raama’s birth in the Surya Vamsam as its crest jewel (Siroratnam or Tilakam).

दिविषद्-अधिपति-रण–
सह-चरण-चतुर–
दशरथ-चरम-ऋण-विमोचन !

दिविषद्-अधिपति-रण–
सह-चरण-चतुर–
दशरथ-चरम-ऋण-विमोचन !

Hail to thee O Lord, who through your birth liquidated the third debt of your father Dasaratha, who was famous for his help to Indra in his battles with Asuraas! 12

Here the reference is to the name of our Lord’s father, Dasaratha. His valor in driving his chariot in all the ten directions to chase the enemies of Indra and to come to the rescue of Indra earned him the name DasaraTa (Dasasu Dikshu Aprathihata Ratha:).

Like all mortals, he had the three debts to discharge. Emperor Dasaratha liquidated two of the three debts (viz), debt to Munis through Veda Adhyayanam and debt to the Devas through performance of Yajnaas. One debt however stood out without being liquidated (viz), debt to the Pitrus. When our Lord incarnated as the son of Dasaratha, the last debt was liquidated. Hence, our Lord Raamachandra is saluted here as “Dasaratha ChaRaama Runa Vimochana”.

कोसल-सुता–कुमार-भाव–कञ्चुकित–कारणाकार !

कोसल-सुता–कुमार-भाव–कञ्चुकित–कारणाकार !

KOSALASUTHAA KUMARA BHAVA KANCHUKITA KAARANAAKAARA! Hail to thee who hid his avathara rahasyam through your birth as the child of queen Kousalai! O Lord! The entire Universe emanates from you and therefore you are the root cause for every thing on this universe created, sustained and destroyed by you. Out of your mere Sankalpa (ideation), You could have destroyed Ravana and removed the worries of the Devas. You as the Supreme Being hid all of your glories and did garbha Vaasam in queen Kousaya’s womb as a mere mortal child. As a continuation of that play, you were born on this earth; breast fed at your mother’s breast, cried when you were hungry and played on the sands of Sarayu like an ordinary child. The people of Ayodhya and the world were unable to understand your divinity and supreme status as Sriman Narayana as a result of the deeds that you performed as a mere human child.

You thus hid your avathara KaaraNam and Rahasyam.

The Great Raama Bhaktha Kulasekhara saluted this “human child” and hastened in the same breath to salute the Sarvesvaratvam of the Lord of ThirukkaNNapuram in his lullabies addressed to Him. Some representative passages are:

MANNU PUKAZH KOUSALAI TAN MANI VAIYRU VAAITTHAVANEH TENNILANGAIKKOHN MUDIGAL CHINTHUVITTHAAI

(O Lord who chose to honor the blessed womb of queen Kousalai WITH UNDIMINISHING FAME, lullaby to you! – O Lord who shed the ten heads of the king of southern kingdom of Lanka on the earth in the battle field! Lullaby to you!)

KONGUMALI KARUM KUZHALAAL KOUSALAI TAN KULA MADALAAI

— DASARATHAN TAN MAAMADALAAI –DEVARAIYUM

ASURARAIYUM DISAIKALAIYUM PADAITTHAVANEH– YEVAR VANCHILAI VALAVAA RAGHAVANEH TALELOH

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(O Lord who redeemed the kulam of Kousalya known for her perfumed dark tresses by your incarnation as her child! – O Daasarathi, the eldest son of emperor Dasaratha!–O Lord who created the Devas, Asuras and the directions for them to roam around; Oh Lord with the Bow, adorned with the powerful arrows set to destroy the enemies of your devotees, who had sought refuge at Your lotus feet– lullaby to YOU!) Thus the Kousalyaa Suprajaa Raaman becomes the object of adoration for Swami Desikan in this seventh Gadya salutation.

Our scriptures in Tamil reveal to us the Avathara Rahasyam of the Lord. Avatharam is based on the root Avatharathi to descend. He descends from Sri Vaikuntam out of concern for us, to transform us, the Nitya Samsaaris to Nitya Suris through the act of Prapatthi thru a proper Acharya. He demonstrates his Sowlabhyam or ease of access, while he takes the Vibhava Avatharams like Sri Raamachandra. Nammazhwar reveals that the Lord took the Avatharam not for killing Ravana and other evil-doers, but to overwhelm us with His charm and Kalyana Gunaas. The Lord could have easily destroyed Raavana by his Sankalpam alone. He had however other motives to descend down as Raama. Nammazhwaar states that he became Bhagavat PravaNan as a result of that Daya and Grace of the Lord. Chandogya Upanishad and Bhattar’s commentary on the Sahasra Namam “Vaamanan” refer to this aspect of the Avathara Rahasyam.

Vaamam means Kalyana Gunas. Since the Lord makes us through His Grace to have most of those Kalyana Gunas, He is called Vamanan and that Avatharam is Vaamanaavatharam. Although Raama says that he is only a mere mortal to hide His Avathara Rahasyam. The Lord, who is Sarvasmaath Paran and Sarva Rakshakan becomes accessible to us thru Vibhava avathaarams and Archaa State.

कौमार-केलि-गोपायित-कौशिकाध्वर!

कौमार-केलि-गोपायित-कौशिकाध्वर!

Hail to Thee, who protected the yagam of Sage Viswamitra as if it were a child’s play! Here Swami Desikan pays tribute to the extraordinary valor of Sri Raghavan even as a small boy. He destroyed the mighty foes of Sage Viswamitra (the Rakshasas and their leaders, Maricha and Subahu) with effortless ease, when they interfered with the performance of the sage’s Yagam at his hermitage. He sent Maricha spinning in the sky over enormous distance and dumped him into the ocean and yet spared his life this time. He killed the other demon Subahu. Sri Raama constructed a canopy of arrows over the site of the Yagam. Kamban the Illustrious Tamil poet describes the valor of Sri Raama this way: 14

MANNINAI KAAKINRA MANNAN MAINDHARGAL KANNINAI KAAKINRA IMAYIN KAATTHANAR

(The sons of the emperor Dasaratha, who protects the citizens of the earth, protected the Yagam of Sage Viswamitra like the eyelids protect the eyes).

This act of valor led Sage Viswamitra to praise Sri Raama this way: “I stand accomplished of my purpose (Kruthaarthosmi), O mighty-armed (Maha Baaho) and highly illustrious hero, in that the bidding of your Guru (me) has been carried out by you (Valmiki Raamayanam Sargam 30.26). Kamban salutes Sri Raama as Sundara Villi (the beautiful one, who handled his bow Kothandam to protect the sacred six day Yajnam of the inhabitants of SiddhasRaamam and Viswamitra).

Saint Thyagaraja who offered his Satva Sangeetham as his Naivedyam to this Raghuveeran all his breathing moments sang the praise of the lord in one of his Bowli Divya nama krithis:

DEENA JANAAVANA SRI RAAMA DAANVA HARANA SRI RAAMA

NIRMALA HRUDHAYA SRI RAAMA KAARMUKHA BAANA SRI RAAMA

RAGHU KULA TILAKA SRI RAAMA BRIGHU SUTHA RUPA SRI RAAMA

DASAMUKA MARDHANA SRI RAAMA SIDDHAJANA PRIYA SRI RAAMA

PRASIDDHA CHARITRA SRI RAAMA In the last two lines of the salutation, the saint pays tribute to Sri Raama of celebrated fame as the one dear to the residents of siddhaasRaamam (Tapovanam where Vishnu once did penance).

In another song, Saint Thyagaraja sitting at he banks of the river Cauveri at Thiruvayyaru saw with his inner eye (GyanakkaN) the beauty of the heroic Raama hurling Maricha into the ocean with his arrow (Maanavaasthram). Our Sadguru enjoys this scene in his Madhyamaavathi krithi:

ALAGALALLA LAATAKAGANI YAARANMUNI YETU PONGENOH CHELUVUMEERAGANU MAARICHUNI MADHAMANATHSU VELA

Sage Viswamitra’s joy is shared and experienced by Saint of Thiruvayyaru here. He says: How must have the heart of Sage Viswamira leaped with joy at the sight of the effortless heroism of Sri Raama when he destroyed the haughtiness of Maaricha. At that time this Sundara Villi’s face had no strain or pressure or marks of strain (Vikaaram).

He looked so beautiful during this effort of a mighty heroic nature.

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Swami Desikan celebrated with this Gadya portion, the heroism of the young boy Raama, who completed the assigned task as if it was a child’s game and received the gratitude of Sage Viswamitra and the residents of SiddhaasRaamam.

रणाध्वर-धुर्य–भव्य-दिव्यास्त्र-वृन्द–वन्दित !

रणाध्वर-धुर्य–भव्य-दिव्यास्त्र-वृन्द–वन्दित !

Hail to Thee! O Raghuveera saluted by the assembly of sacred and mighty arrows waiting humbly for your command to invoke them in the yaga known as the battle.

Here the allusion is to the gift of sacred and powerful arrows/missiles by sage Viswamitra to Sri Raamachandra at the conclusion of the destruction of ogress Tataka by him. Impressed by the valor of Raama and pleased with the destruction of the evil Tatakaa, the gratified Sage imparted to Sri Raama the secret knowledge about the use of never failing celestial missiles to destroy one’s enemies in the battle-fields. The sage also taught Sri Raama about the recall of these missiles once invoked and set in motion against a target (Bala KhAndam –sargas 27 & 28).

As the Sage recited the mantras for the missiles, all of them appeared before Sri Raama in their shining ethereal forms and saluted him humbly and offered their services. Sri Raama thanked them and commanded them to appear in his mind at the time of emergency to render assistance. Swami Desikan refers to this incident here.

प्रणत-जन-विमत-विमथन–दुर्-ललित–दोर्-ललित !

प्रणत-जन-विमत-विमथन–दुर्-ललित–दोर्-ललित !

Hail to Thee, O Raghuveera, shining with the fearsome shoulders that engage in the destruction of the enemies of those, who seek refuge at your feet! Swami pays tribute to the powerful and mighty shoulders of the Lord engaged in the battle with the enemies of those, who sought his protection. Swami points out that those shoulders of the Raghuveeran are unsurpassable in their beauty and majesty.

Hail to Thee, O Valorous one, who used tiny arrows to destroy Tatakaa and humiliate her sons not tormented until then by anyone.

Here, Swami refers to the killing of Tataka at the command of Sage Viswamitra and the controlling of the arrogant sons of hers (Maaricha and Subaahu) and making them powerless to interfere with the Yajna of Sage Viswamitra at SiddhaasRaamam.

JAYA! JAYA! This Gadya salutation is one of the two long passages in Bala Khandam providing an excellent example of the figure of speech known as onomatopoeia, where the rhetorical effect resulting from reciting merges with the meaning intended. Words flow from the tongue and mind of Swami Desikan as a result of the blessings of Lord Hayagriva, his Upasana Murthy. The other passage of Bala Khandam resonant with musical sounds is the twentieth Gadya salutation dealing with Parasuraama Garva Bhangam.

In the twelfth salutation, Swami Desikan visualizes the Lord of Dance, Siva and the dancing waves of fast flowing Ganga on His matted Jatai, which is also the home of the crescent Moon. That small piece of Moon is known for its cool rays (JATA KIRANA) and Siva is the SAKALA DHARAN (wearer of the crescent moon) on His JATILA (Matted tresses -Jataa Mudi). He is indeed the Lord of Dance (NATA PATHI - Nataraajaa). What do we see inside the Jataa (MAKUTA THATA) of this NATAPATHI? Swami Desikan visualizes the VIBHUTHA SARITH (the celestial Deva Ganga) there. What is Her name for Fame? She carries the sacred dust of the Makarantha (pollens) of the lotus feet (Charanaaravindham) of Sriman Narayana and she becomes thus holiest of holy rivers as a result of that blessing. The reference here is to her origin as a result of Brahma’s washing the feet of TrivikRaama with his Kamandalu water at the time of those lotus feet reaching Satya Lokam. She removes all the sins of mortals and Devas, who bathe in her waters. The Lord’s Paadha ThuLi is [[17]] the root cause of her sacredness.

Now, Swami connects the holiness and redeeming quality of the Makarandha dust particle originating from the Lord’s Paadhaambhujam. That speck of dust fell on the stone by the side of the road, which was Ahalya, the wife of Sage Gowthamaa. She had been cursed by her husband for her infidelity and was condemned to stay as a stone until the dust from Sri Raama’s feet came in contact with her stone form. That holy association with the sacred dust associated with Sri Raama’s feet transformed her back (JAHAT UPALA TANU) to her beautiful form (RUCHIRA TANU) as the beloved wife of the celebrated sage (PARAAMA MUNI VARA YUVATHI). Ahalya offered her salutations (YUVATHI NUTA) to Sarveswaran standing in front of her as a young prince for restoring her form to that of a beautiful woman. Ahalya Saapa Vimochanam is thus the subject of this salutation. Srimad Valmiki Raamayanam describes that Ahalya was cursed to be invisible due to her misconduct. Other sources refer to her form as a stone due to the curse.

O Raghuveera who heard many a novel story told by Sage Viswamitra as you walked with him to protect his Yajna and also on your way to Mithilai! Hail to Thee! Here Swami refers to the many stories that the Sage told to the brothers so that they did not feel the strain of the journey through the forest. You heard those novel stories with great intensity and desire. Sage told stories on the origin of Manmathan, history of Tatakaa, Sriman Naaraayana’s incarnation as Vaamana to curb the pride and arrogance of Mahaa Bali and the history of SiddhaasRaama, Siva Dhanus (Bow) in King Janaka’s possession, his (sage Viswamitra’s )own lineage, the birth of SubRaamanya and the story of the sons of Sakara and the birth of Ganga.

O Lord who is the life-giving moon to the beautiful eyes of the women of Mithila known for the beauty of their eyes! Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee! As Lord Raamachandra entered the city of Mithilai, the beautiful women feasted on your beauty just as the legendary chakora birds’ feast on the rays of moon, their only food. These women felt that the fruits of possessing eyes were realized that day.

Valmiki Raamayanam does not dwell on how the women of Mithilai feasted on the beauty of Sri Raama with their comely eyes. Poet Kamban however dwells on the scene that Raama and lakshmana saw on the streets of the city of Janaka. He describes the beautiful women and the youth of the city as seen by the brothers. Kamban describes at length the way in which the eyes of Sita and Raama met and how each was affected deeply by each other’s beauty.

AruNachala Kavirayar describes the wonder and bafflement of Sita seeing the divine beauty of Raama from the balcony of her palace (“YarO Ivar YarO Yenna perO ariyeneh”) in his Raama Naatakam. This is the famous piece tuned in Raga Bhairavi by Sangeetha Ratnaakaram Ariyakudi Raamanuja Iyengar.

Here, Swami Desikan pays tribute to the mighty shoulders of Raama and their valor in breaking the powerful bow of Siva. Hail to Thee O Raghuveera, who effortlessly broke into two the mighty bow of Siva through your matchless strength and heroism! “Effortlessly breaking Siva’s bow” It took five thousand men to draw the bow resting in its case to the court of King Janaka for the competition to string the bow. The winner in that competition was promised beautiful Sita’s hand in marriage by king Janaka. All the kings assembled for that Svayamvaram failed miserably in the contest. Sri Raama at the behest of Sage Viswamitra lifted the bow effortlessly and broke it into two, when he tried to string it.

Such was the power of his mighty shoulders (SHOWNDA BHUJADHANDA)!

The poetic skills of Swami Desikan are revealed here. He suggests that the Lord’s eyes stole the beauty of the fully blossomed lotuses that responded to the welcoming rays of their friend, the Sun. This DINAAKARA KAMALA KULA DIVAAKARAN had a special relationship to the lotuses.

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The Siva Dhanus was broken by now. Sri Raama was assured thus of receiving Sita Devi’s hands in marriage. Sri Raama’s joy knew no bounds. His eyes shone with a special beauty over the thought of being united with His Devi. On that occasion, the beauty of His eyes mirrored the joy of His “soul as it were and defeated the beauty of the just blossomed forest of lotus flowers (PUNDARIKA VANA RUCHI).

MOCHITA JANAKA HRUDHAYA SHANKAATANKA! JAYA! JAYA! O Raghuveera who banished the worries that resided in the heart of King Janaka about your power to string the Siva Dhanus and win in the Svayamvaram and fulfil your avathara kaaryam! Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee! “Sita-kalyana vaibhogam” 21