DIVINE KNOWLEDGE

Satyabodha Tirtharu

2010-03-02T03:35:00.002+05:30

Satyabodha Tirtharu

ಶ್ರೀ ಸತ್ಯಬೋಧತೀರ್ಥರು (ಸವಣೂರು)
ನೈವೇದ್ಯಗವಿಷಂ ರಾಮೇ ವೀಕ್ಷ್ಯ ತದ್ಭುಕ್ತಿಭಾಗ್ ಗುರು: |
ಯೋದರ್ಶಯದ್ರವಿಂ ರಾತ್ರೌ ಸತ್ಯಬೋಧೋಸ್ತು ಮೇ ಮುದೇ |

श्री सत्यबोधतीर्थरु (सवणूरु)
नैवेद्यगविषं रामे वीक्ष्य तद्भुक्तिभाग् गुरु: ।
योदर्शयद्रविं रात्रौ सत्यबोधोस्तु मे मुदे ।

SRI SATYABODHA THIRTHARU – click here

Ashrama Sweekara - 1744

Ashrama GurugaLu - Sri Satyapriya Thirtharu

Ashrama Shishyaru – Sri Satya Sandharu

Vrundavana pravesha – 1783

Aradhana - Palghuna Bahula Padya

Vrundavana at Savanoor

Satyabodharu showed Surya in the midnight to his students
A Grantha written titled “Satyabodha Vijaya” containing 21 sargas by Sri Kanchi Acharyaru.
“Naivedyagavisham” in his charamashloka – Once in the naivedya paramanna, poison was mixed by some people. The effect was reflected in the face of Sri Moola Ramachandra Devaru, as it turned black. Some shishyas requested not to take the naivedya. But the seer took it and nothing happened with the grace of Sri Ramachandra Devaru. As such, the charamashloka contained the words “Naivedyagavisham”
He had four disciples – all of them became sanyasees of UM parampare – They are Satyasandharu, Satyavararu, Satyadharmaru, and Satyasankalparu.
When he noticed that his Ashrama Shishya Sri Satyasandharu, has alpayushya, with his tapashyakthi, he made it to increase by 10 years

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2009-08-15T08:38:00.001+05:30

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2009-08-13T06:36:00.001+05:30

Janmashtami 2009 | Sri Krishna Janmashtami | Shri Krishna Janmashtami Krishna Jayanthi August 14th 2009 |

2009-08-13T06:25:00.002+05:30

Janmashtami 2009 | Sri Krishna Janmashtami | Shri Krishna Janmashtami Krishna Jayanthi August 14th 2009 | Sri Krishna Janmashtami sms | Sri Krishna Janmashtami ecord | Sri Krishna Janmashtami greetings

* Thursday, August 13, 2009, 11:37pm
* Festivals, Hindu
* Add a comment

Janmashtami 2009 | Sri Krishna Janmashtami | Shri Krishna Janmashtami Krishna Jayanthi August 14th 2009 | Sri Krishna Janmashtami sms | Sri Krishna Janmashtami ecord | Sri Krishna Janmashtami greetings

Krishna+Janmashtami+Ashtami+Rohini+Festival
When is Janmashtami?

Janmashtami celebrates the birth of one of the most famous Gods of Hindu religion, Bhagwan Krishna, on the eighth day (Ashtami) in the month of Sravana or Savana. Lord Sri Krishna was born on the ‘Rohini’ nakshatram (star). It is generally celebrated in the month of August-September according to the Christian Calendar. Legend has it that Sri Krishna was born on a dark, stormy and windy night to end the rule and atrocities of his maternal uncle, Kansa.

Position of Stars at the time of Birth
It was only on the eighth day of the second fortnight, in the month of Sravana when, the moon entered the house of Vrishabha in Rohini Nakshatra (star) that Lord appeared. According to Barhapatyamana, the month of Sravana corresponds to the month of Bhadrapada Krishnapaksha. Lord was born in the year of Visvavasu, appx. 5,227 years ago.

Celebrated for over Two Days
Janmashtami is celebrated for over two days as “Rohini” nakshatra and Ashtami may not fall on the same day. The first day known as Krishnashtami, as the birth of Bhagwan Krishna falls on the eighth day after Raksha Bandhan, which generally falls in the month of August. The second day is known as Kalashtami.

Welcome the Lord at Midnight
It is only at midnight between the first and the second day that birth of Sri Krishna took place. The actual festivities begin during midnight in this 48 hour period. The celebration reaches its peak at midnight, with the birth of Lord Krishna, with lot of hymns, arti taking place and blowing of the Conch (shankh), rocking the cradle of Lord. The idol of lord is bathed with Panchamrit (A mixture of milk, ghee, oil, honey and Gangajal). The Panchamrit is later distributed as Prasad to the devotees along with other sweets. While some Fast on the first day and break it at midnight for others the fasting continues for both days. The period coincides with rainy season.

Shri Krishna Janmashtami Day Date In Year 2008 2009 and 2010 :-

* Janmaashtami In 2008 – Sunday 24th August.
* Janmaashtami In 2009 – Friday 14th August.
* Janmaashtami In 2010 – Thursday, 2nd September.

sri-krishna-224x300

“As for Krishna, He is the Lord Himself”.

– The Bhagavata Gita

Gokulashtami marks the celebration of the birth of Bhagavan Sri Krishna. Lord Sri Krishna was born on the ‘Rohini’ nakshatram (star) on Ashtami day. This festival is also known as Sri Krishna Jayanti and Janmashtami. The actual day of celebration can be on two different days as the star ‘Rohini’ and Ashtami may not be on the same day. This occurs between August and September on the Christian calendar.

Krishna Jayanthi is also called as Janma Ashtami day, Gokula Ashtami and Sri Jayanthi.The birthday of Krishna, who was born to King Vasudeva and Devaki Devi is celebrated as a festival on the eighth day of the dark fortnight in the month of Sravana, which corresponds to the English month of August-September. Therefore Gokuashtami means Gokul – Krishna and Ashtami – eight.

Sri Krishna is Lord Vishnu’s eighth avatar (incarnation) on earth. He is considered to be the Lord’s most glorious incarnations. Even saying and remembering His name brings joy because Sri Krishna himself was a manifestation of joy at all levels and in all walks of life. No other God in the Hindu pantheon, or for that matter in any other religion, is associated with so many romantic tales and so fully radiating with all the divine attributes as Sri Krishna.

Since Sri Krishna lived in luxury throughout his life, Sri Krishna Jayanti is celebrated with pomp and splendor. Plenty of sweets are made. Among these are laddus (yellu oonde), chakli, cheedai, payasam (kheer), and so on. In addition, plenty of milk products especially butter, which was Sri Krishna’s favorite childhood food, are given in offerings. A wide variety of fruits are also offered. The most common sweets made laddus and payasam.

Great indeed are his many Leelas and the way in which he charms one and all. Several sages and seers have paid homage to him. Narada, Sri Kulashekara Azhwar, Andal, Tirumangai Azhawar, Nammazhwar have sung glorious verses in praise of Lord Krishna who embodies Shudda Satvam. The Bhagavad Gita coming from the Lord is the absolute truth which has withstood the test of time and has formed the basis and inspiration for many Acharyas and Azhwars.

The life and message of Sri Krishna is the most stirring saga of one of the greatest saviours and propounders of Dharma. Born in the dungeons of Kansa who was out to kill him at the very moment of his birth, Sri Krishna’s life is replete with many such mortal dangers which he successfully triumphs over. He was the unchallenged hero of his times both in terms of his bodily prowess and his intellectual brilliance.

Sri Krishna Jayanti, therefore, signifies not merely the birth of a great and Divine Teacher of mankind in some distant past but the lighting of the spark of the Divine Power in every one of us, which spurs us on to play our dynamic part in this world of practical and hard realities with a sense of high spiritual purpose. Krishna represents the total power of attraction (Aakarshna Shakti) like a magnet of infinite rise. Hence Krishna is the source of joy.

The cultural aspects are represented by the traditionally dressed devotees. The raas or dance is also done with devotees taking part with spiritual fervor. Sri Krishna who manifests all levels of joy, is also the source of spiritual joy, which overrides mental or emotional joy, just as emotional joy overrides physical joy. If all the three are integrated and interdependent, then the observance of the festival takes on the full meaning of Sri Krishnaarpanamastu – let everything be offered to Sri Krishna.

Janmashtami 2009

Janmashtami will fall on 13th/14th of August on Thursday/Friday in year 2009

SRI RAGHOOTHAMA SWAMIGALU

2009-02-21T00:45:00.001+05:30

SRI RAGHOTHAMA THEERTHA

He is ranked as one of the greatest celebrities of Sri Madhwa Siddhanta because of his five " Bhava Bodhas " which are the commentaries on the works of Sri Acharya. His guru Sri Raghuvarya Theertha of Uttaradhi Mutt consented to receive the ' bhiksha ' from a couple without children on the condition that the first born should be handed over to the Mutt on birth. He also sent them a gold plate just before delivery so that the new born might be delivered in it. After the delivery the child was taken to the Mutt where he was cleansed with abhisheka water of Sri Moola Rama. At the age of seven the boy was ordained into the holy order and given the name Raghothama Theertha.

After the death of his guru, Swamyji had a dream one day in which Sri Moola Rama in the guise of Sri Raghuvarya Theertha inscribed the ' beejakshara ' on his tongue and instructed him to start teaching his disciples straightaway. Instantaneously all Vedic texts and Philosophical truths flowed in torrents from the mouth of the young Raghothama Theertha; and then onwards he became the Acharya.

He wrote five commentaries and each is called "Bhava Bodha".
They are :

1) Geetha Bhashya
2) Nyaya Vivarana
3) Vishnu Thathwa Nirnaya
4) Brihadaaranyaka
5) Thathvaprakaashika

He spent his entire life in meditation, penance, puja and preaching the doctrines of Sri Madhwacharya. He was a great devotee of God. He lives in the brindavana at Thirukoilur and answers the prayers of his devotees who have full faith in him. His aradhana falls on 8-1-98 which is Vaikuntha Ekadasi day.

SRI MADHWACHARYA

2009-02-21T00:43:00.000+05:30

Consecrated by Sri Madhwacharya

The idol of Sri Krishna lifted from a clod of white clay (Gopichandanam) was consecrated by Sri Madhwacharya at Rajathapeethapura (Udupi) ; he conducted its puja and lighted two lamps which are kept burning to this day. With his 'danda' he created a well for its abhishekam. He made eleborate arrangements for the continued conduct of puja fourteen times a day by establishing eight Mutts viz. Phalimaaru , Adamaaru, Krishna pura, Puttige, Sirur, Sode, Kaaneiyuru and Pejawara headed by eight bala sannyasins; each performing puja for two months. This period was later changed to two years by Sri Vadiraja for administrative convenience. So according to this changed system each Mutt gets its turn after 14 years.

During this long spell they are to tour, preach and spread the tenents of Sri Madhwacharya. This is going on for about 500 years ! The whole gamut of succession is called as " Paryaaya ". At Udupi Paryaaya is celebrated with pomp and festivity. The present Paryaaya Peethadhipathi Sri Visvothama Theertha of Sode Vadiraja Mutt will be succeeded by Sri Vidyavaarinidhi Theertha of Kaaneiyur Mutt for the fourth time as the new Paryaaya Swamyji, on 17/1/98.

On that day he will be received on the outskirts of Udupi town and taken round in procession and the temple of Sri Krishna before reaching his Mutt. At this venue he is received by the Swamyji completing his term. After offering felicitations to the out going Swamyji, the handing over responsibilities to the new Paryaaya Swamji is made as per protocol. The function will conclude with the anugraha bhashanams by the Swamyjis, which will be a feast to the ears. They cover a wide range of topics on Sri Madhwa Siddhaantha. The nextday i.e on 18/1/98 the new Paryaaya Swamyji will not only do the Puja of Sri Krishna, but also undertake to administer the Krishna temple for two years.

It is, indeed, a memorable experience to be in Udupi during Paryaaya to see the teaming crowds of devotees, orderly arrangements, and above all, the darshan of Lord Krishna, the image of which was made by no less a person than Vishwakarma and installed by our Srimad Acharya !

SUNDARAKANDA NIRNAYAM

2009-01-08T23:58:00.006+05:30

Sundara kanda Nirnaya of MBTN (7th Chapter)

GV & Shobha Srinivasan on dvaita.org

Translation by Scholars of Sri Madhwacharya Seva Sangha, Chennai

hari Sarvottamma, vAyu jIvottamma

shrii gurubhyo namaha

praThamO hanumannAma dhvithIyO bhIma Eva cha |

pUrNapraj~JasthRithIyasthuBagavathkAryasADhakah ||

pR^ithvI manDala madhyasthAH puurNa bodha matAnugAH |

vaiShNavA viShNu hR^idayAstAnna masye guruunmama ||

Dear Krishnabhakthas,

Namaskara. We would like to bring out the word to word meaning, translation & some explainatory notes on Sundara kaanda nirnaya of Mahabharata Tatparyanirnaya.

Everything in this Sundara kaanda Ramayana is beautiful, the story, the characters, the music, the form of verses etc... In Sundara kaanda, Hanuman's jnana, bhakthi, power & prowess are all exemplified & give us a beautiful experience of enjoying a kind of bliss.

The upanishad proclaims that Sri Hari's grace is bestowed to those jivas who workship their Bimba Murthy, who also resides in the lotus heart of Vayu.The compassionate Vayu on our behalf prays Sri Hari thus enaM dInaM dUnaM anAthaM sharaNAgataM rakSha rakSha to release us from the shackles of samsara.The sutra also states Vayu alone leads us to Paramathma. Sri Vadiraja states madhvamAnasa padmabhAnusamaM that Paramathma in madhwa is to be meditated upon. In other words, meditation to be fruitful jiva should meditate on Brahman as present in Vayu.

Since this Sundarakaanda was written by Srimad Acharya as a part of Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya (MBTN) who was Hanuman himself in Treta Yuga, its parayana brings more merit than other sundarakandas for it is authentic. It speaks of the glory of devotion, the absolute master-servant relation between the soul & God. So, reciting it with understanding & devotion to Sri Hari, Vayu would earn their favor & take us to be coveted final purushArtha-Moksha.

OM || rAmAya shAshvatasuvistR^itashhaD.hguNAya sarveshvarAya sukhasAramahArNavAya (balavIryamahArNavAya) |

natvA lilaN^ghayishhurarNavamutpapAta nishhpID.hya taM girivaraM pavanasya sUnuH || || 7-1 ||

NA || gÁªÀiÁ0iÀÄ ±Á±ÀévÀ¸ÀÄ«¹ÛçvÀ±ÀqÀÄÎuÁ0iÀÄ ¸ÀªÉðÃ±ÀégÁ0iÀÄ ¸ÀÄR¸ÁgÀªÀÄºÁtðªÁ0iÀÄ

(§®«Ã0iÀÄðªÀÄºÁtðªÁ0iÀÄ) |

£ÀvÁé °®AWÀ¬Ä±ÀÄgÀtðªÀªÀÄÄvÀà¥ÁvÀ ¤²àÃqsÀå vÀA VjªÀgÀA ¥ÀªÀ£À¸Àå ¸ÀÆ£ÀÄB || || 7-1 ||

Word to word meaning

sUnuH = The son;

pavanasya = of Wind God (i.e. Hanuman);

lilaN^ghayishhuH = was desirous of crossing;

arNavam.h = the ocean

natvA = After bowing down to

rAmAya = Sri Rama

shAshvatasuvistR^itashhaD.hguNAya = ***who always possessed six perfections (viz: knowledge, strength, prowess, lordship, virility & splendour) which were quite vast;

sarveshvarAya = who was the Lord of one & all

bala - vIrya - mahArNavAya = an ocean of strength (bala) and valor (vIrya) (sukha - sAra - mahArNavAya = an ocean of quintessence of bliss (sukhasAra) or an ocean of bliss (sukha) and richness of knowledge (sAra) or

strength (sAra))

nishhpID.hya = by pressing hard

taM girivaraM = that mighty mountain (Mahendra by name)

utpapAta = and rose high into the sky

The son of Vayu, bowed to Sri Rama who is superior to Brahma & Ramaa, known for his ***six qualities of excellance who stood like an ocean for Bala, Veerya, Vairagya, by pressing the great mountain Mahendra hard with his feet, he went up high into the sky to cross the ocean.

Explanatory notes:

Sri Madhwacharya's Sundarakanda is of special significance for in his previous avatara, he was Hanuman, the devoted messenger of Sri Rama; & so it confers merits great to devotees if they do parayana with true devotion. In Sundarakanda, Hanuman's role is to be viewed as a service to his master, Sri Rama rather than any help rendered to Sri Rama. To go up into the space, one has to control the breath, & he being the son of Vayu, he had no difficulty in going into space, & so he is addressed as pavanasya sUnuH. When he pressed the mountain Mahendra, majority of its part went into the ground which suggests that Hanuman is superior to all the mountains including Mahendra.

chuxobha vAridhiranuprayayau cha shIghraM yAdogaNaiH saha tadIyabalAbhikR^ishhTaH |

vR^ixAshcha parvatagatAH pavanena pUrvaM xipto.arNave girirudAgamadasya hetoH || 7- 2 ||

Word to word meaning:

tadIya - bala- abhikR^ishhTaH = Attracted by his tremendous velocity

vAridhi: = the ocean

chuxobha = become agitated

shIghraM = and at once

yAdogaNaiH saha = along with multitudes of aquatic beings,

anuprayayau = followed him (i.e. began to fly along with Hanuman)

vR^ixAshcha = and even the trees

parvatagatAH = which grew upon that mountain followed suit

girih = Mount Mainaka

xiptaH = who was thrown

arNave = into that ocean

pavanena = by wind

pUrvaM = in olden days (before)

ut.h - Agamat.h = now came up (from the waters)

asya hetoH = for the sake of Hanuman (for providing him a resting place)

The force with which Hanuman pressed the Mahendra mountain brought several changes in the ocean. Attracted by his tremendous velocity, the ocean along with multitudes of aquatic beings, followed him (began to fly along with him for some distance) and so did the uprooted trees on the mountain(as if one goes some distance before bidding farewell to known friends). Mount Mainaka, who was thrown into that ocean by wind in olden days, now came up (from the waters) for the sake of Hanuman (for providing him a resting place).

Explanatory notes:

The Mainaka mountain was once thrown into the ocean by Sri Vayu deva for its safety, rose above the waters with the help of the ocean to offer a resting place to Hanuman since there is no resting place for the on going journey of 100 yojanas. The ocean which induced the Mainaka to come up belong to Surya dynasty to which Sri Rama also belongs. Since any help that is rendered to Hanuman who is the servant of Sri Rama would be considered as service to Sri Rama, so the ocean helped Mainaka to come up to the surface.

Now, for the purpose of providing rest to Hanuman the son of wind God, Mainaka emerged, along with all his mountain slopes, breaking up (or pushing away) the ocean (waters).

syAlo harasya giripaxavinAshakAle xiptvA.arNave sa marutorvaritAtmapaxaH |

haimo giriH pavanajasya tu vishramArthamudbhidya vAridhimavarddhadanekasAnuH || 7-3 ||

saH = That

haimo = golden

giriH = mountain (i.e. Mainaka)

syAlaH = was the brother in law

harasya = of Siva (i.e. Parvathi's brother); and

giripaxavinAshakAle = at a time when the wings of all mountains were

being chopped off (by Indra)

xiptaH = he was pushed

arNave = into the ocean

urvarita - Athma- paxaH = and was thus made to save his wings

marutA = by the wind (god)

vishramArtha tu = and he, for the purpose of providing rest

pavanajasya = to Hanuman the son of wind God

avadhata = (now) came up

anekasAnuH = with all his slopes

udbhidya = breaking up (or pushing away)

vAridhim.h = the ocean (waters)

The mountain Mainaka was son of Himavan & Mena & brother of Parvathi & brother in law of Rudra Deva. It was made up of gold. In earlier days, all mountains had wings. Knowing such a feature would be harmful to the public, when Indra cut off the wings of other mountains , Vayu had thrown Mainaka into the ocean. This enabled Mainaka to save his wings.

Explanatory Notes:

Thus to show his gratitude & indebtendeness to Vayu, the Mainaka mountain came up to give a resting place to Hanuman who is the son of Vayu.

The above translation caters to the first half of the verse. for the second half, the following is to be added.

Now, for the purpose of providing rest to Hanuman, who is son of Pavana, Mainaka emerged, along with all his mountain slopes, breaking up (or pushing away) the ocean (waters).

naivAtra vishramaNamaichchhadavishramo.asau niHsImapaurushhaguNasya kutaH shramo.asya |

Ashlishhya parvatavaraM sa dadarsha gachchhan.h devaistu nAgajananIM prahitAM vareNa || 7-4 ||

Word to word meaning:

asau = He (Hanuman)

avishramaH = who was not tired at all

na aichchhat.h (or "na aichChat.h") = did not want

vishramaNam.h = rest

atra = on this mountain

kutaH = wherefrom

shramaH = tiresomeness comes

asya = to him

niHsIma pauruSha balasya = who was having unlimited valor & strength

saH = He

AshliShya = after embracing

ParvatavaraM = that great mountain

gachChan.h = started going

dadarsha = and saw (on his way)

nAgajananIM = the mother of serpents (surasa by name)

prahitam.h = who was sent (to thwart him

devaiH = by the gods

vareNa = after conferring upon her a particular boon

eva = for sure

Translation:

Hanuman did not rest on Mount Mainaka since he never gets tired. How could he rest when his valor & strength all are unlimited? One who is never edhausted never needs no rest (vishrAnthi).

He, as a kind gesture, embraced the mountain Mainaka & went up into skies. There he confronted Surasa, the Naga Janani, mother of all serpents, wife of Kashyapa & daughter of Daksha Prajapathi, who was sent by the gods (to thwart him) after conferring upon her a particular boon.

Expanatory Notes:

All Indriya Abhimana Devathas have resting time but not Vayu. He does not rest, if he rests, we cease to exist. Hence, he is rightfully called as Jeevottamma. He is first to enter into our body & the last to leave the body.

It also suggests that we are after the gold, God will be farther. So, a Sadhaka should make God nearer, so that gold may come near. The seeker of truth is always tested for his steadfastness by luring him towards worldly preasures. When he does not fall prey to such things only then he would reach his goal.

jij~nAsubhirnijabalaM tava bhaxametu yadyat.h tvamichchhasi tadityamaroditAyAH |

AsyaM pravishya sapadi praviniHsR^ito.asmAd.h devAnanandayaduta svR^itameshhu raxan.h ||7-5||

Word to word meaning:

pravishya = Entering

AsyaM = the mouth

amara- uditAyAH = of hers, who was told by the gods thus

tava = for you

yat.h- yat.h = whatever entity

tvaM = you

ichChasi = want

tat.h = that entity

etu = shall become

bhakShyaM = your food

saH = Hanuman

sapadi = at once

praviniH sR^itaH = came out

asmAt.h = from that mouth

rakShan.h = protecting (honoring)

svR^itaM = the boon

eShu = of the celestials (in this manner)

uta = also

anandayat.h = he delighted

devAn = the gods

Translation:

To test whether Hanuman was capable of overcoming the challenges by Rakshasa, Devatas had sent Surasa with a boon whatever object she desired to eat, it will fall into her mouth. Armed with such a boon, Surasa wanted to eat Hanuman. Sensing this, Hanuman in a small figure (sUkShmarUpa) entered her wide opened mouth & came out unharmed before she could close her mouth. Thus he not only saved himself but honored the boon given by the devathas. This act pleased all the devathas.

Explanatory Notes:

Devatas have sent Surasa only to test Hanuman. While Sri Rama is his boss, they are all his bhakthas. By this act, Hanuman not only satisfied all devathas but showed his bhakthi towards Sri Rama, his master.

dR^ishhT.hvA surapraNayitAM balamasya chograM devAH pratushhTuvuramuM sumanobhivR^ishhThyA

tairAdR^itaH punarasau viyataiva gachchhan.h chhAyAgrahaM pratidadarsha cha siMhikAkhyam.h ||7-6||

Word to word meaning:

dR^iShhT.hvA = seeing

asya = his (Hanuman's)

sura praNayitAM = affection (respect) for the celestials

cha = and

ugraM = awful

balaM = stength

devAH = the gods

pratuShtuvuH = praised

amuM = him

AdR^itaH = greeted

taiH = by them

sumano.abhivR^iShtya = with a shower of flowers

punaH = again

asau = he

gachChaN = started moving

viyatA eva = by the sky itself

cha = and then

pratidardasha = saw

ChAyAgrahaM = a demoness who could drag any flying being by its shadow,

down below

siMhikA AkhyaM = and who had the name Simhika

Translation:

Pleased by his affection towards them, & knowing Hanuman's strength, devatas praised him and showered flowers on him. Honored by devatas he again flew into the sky & there he at once confronted a demon by name Simhika. She had the power through the boon from Brahma to drag any flying object by its shadow to down below.

laN^kAvanAya sakalasya cha nigrahe.asyAH sAmarthyamapratihataM pradadau vidhAtA |

chhAyAmavAxipadasau pavanAtmajasya so.asyAH sharIramanuvishya bibheda chA.ashu || 7- 7 ||

Word to word translation:

vidhAtA = Brahma

pradadau = gave (as a boon)

asyAH = to her (Simhika)

apratihataM = irresistible

sAmarthyaM = capacity (power)

nigrahe = in arresting (or obstructing)

sakalasya = all living beings

laN^kAvanAya = for the protection of Lanka

asau = that demoness (Simhika)

ava AkShipat.h = dragged below

ChhAyAM = the shadow

pavana Atmajasya = of the son of wind God

saH cha = And he

anavishya = entering within

asyAH = her

shasIraM = body

Ashu = quickly

nibhada = split it to pieces

Translation:

Simhika has the irresistible power to protect Lanka because of the boon given by Brahma deva. She could obstruct anybody entering Lanka. When Simhika drew Hanuman into her mouth, Hanuman entered her body & cut it into pieces. Hanuman delibrately presented as if he was drawn by Simhika just to give respect to the boon bestowed by Brahma to Simhika.

Explanatory Notes:

It was very difficult to enter Lanka because of Simhika's constant vigil. She caught hold of Hanuman & Hanuman appeared to have been caught just to honor Brahma who had given the boon, & not because she had greater strength than Hanuman. He had the strength to avoid, but he did not. She is mere Simhika, but Hanuman is Jeeva & bhaktha of Narasimha.

nissImamAtmabalamityanudarshayAno hatvaiva tAmapi vidhAtR^ivarAbhiguptAm.h |

lambe sa lambashikhare nipapAta laN^kAprAkArarUpakagirAvatha saJNchukocha || || 7-8 ||

Word to word meaning:

saH = He (Hanuman)

iti = in this manner

anudarshayAnaH = displaying

AtmabalaM = his strength

nissImaM = which was unlimited

hatvava = and killing

tAM api = her also

vidhAtR^i vara abhiguptAM = who was protected by the boon of Brahma

nipapAta = landed

laN^kA prAkAra rUpaka girau = on a mountain which looked like the rampart of Lanka

lambe = which was called Lamba &

lambashikhare = which had a lofty peak

atha = afterwards

saMchukocha = he assumed a small body

Translation:

Even though Simhika stood protected by Brahma's boon, Hanuman killed her because of his unlimited strength, when he proceeded further he saw Lanka surrounded by several high mountains. He landed on one of the mountains called Lamba (Trikoota) has several peaks & appeared to be the entrance to Lanka. Till now, he had a huge body to fly in the sky, but now he assumed a small body.

Explanatory Notes:

Because of his unrivalled strength he killed Simhika although she had a boon from Brahma. The mountain is called Lamba because of its height. But when he landed on it, it also got into the ground because of his strength.This mountain was standing sentinel in guarding Lanka just as the ocean which was also guarding Lanka on all sides. Hanuman could reach Lanka by taking huge as well as small bodies by his mahima & anima siddhis respectively.

bhUtvA bilALasamito nishi tAM purIM cha prApsyan.h dadarsha nijarUpavatIM sa laN^kAm.h |

ruddho.anayA.a.ashvatha vijitya cha tAM svamushhTi pishhTAM tayA.anumata eva vivesha laN^kAm.h || 7- 9 ||

Word to word meaning:

saH = He

bhUtva = becoming

biDAlasamitaH = as small as a cat

prApsyan.h = desired to enter

tAM purIM = that city (Lanka)

nishi = during night

dadarsha cha = And he saw

laN^kAM = the city Lanka

nijarUpavatIM = assuming her original form

ruddhaH = prevented

anayA = by her

Ashu = quickly

atha = then

vijitya = he overpowered her &

sva muShti piShtAM = crushed her with his fist

anumata eva = Only after being permitted

tayA = by her

vivesha = he entered

laN^kAM = Lanka

Translation:

When Hanuman wanted to enter Lanka, it was already night; & so he decided to enter after becoming as small as a cat. A demoness named Lankini who was guarding the entrance to Lanka obstructed him from entering. He soon overpowered her with his heavy blows. Unable to withstand she permitted him to enter Lanka

Explanatory Notes:

Hanuman entering Lanka at night suggests his valor & strength because asuras are awake during night & not during the day. To kill them, when they are awake, one must have enormous strength which Hanuman alone had. Demoness Lankini was not killed because she was righteous but Simhika was killed because she was evil minded & unrighteous.

mArgamANo bahishchAntaH so.ashokavanikAtaLe |

dadarsha shiMshapAvR^ixamUlasthitaramAkR^itim.h || || 7- 10 ||

Word to word meaning:

mArgamANaH = searching

bahishchA andantaH = outside the city" means "in gardens, etc

sa dadarsha = he saw (located)

shiMshapAvR^ixa = shiMshapA tree (also known as shiMshupA tree) =

kaandaka-yukta-ashoka-visheshhaH = one kind of Ashoka tree which

has thorns;

mUla sthita = sitting under (it);

ramAkR^itim.h = the AkR^iti of Laxmi (Sita)

(which means that the image or replica of Sita is sitting under the tree)

Translation:

Hanuman, searched inside the city and in the gardens, etc. and finally spotted Sita's image or replica or Akriti seated.

Explanatory Notes:

The kidnapped Sita was not real but duplicate figure which was activated by the presence of Indra. This is mentioned in Kurmapurana.

naralokaviDambasya jAnan.h rAmasya hR^id.hgatam.h |

tasya cheshhTAnusAreNa kR^itvA cheshhTAshcha saMvidaH || || 7- 11 ||

tAdR^ik.hcheshhTAsametAyA aN^gulIyamadAt.h tataH|

sItAyA yAni chaivA.a.asannAkR^itestAni sarvashaH || || 7- 12 ||

bhUshhaNAni dvidhA bhUtvA tAnyevA.asa.nstathaiva cha |

atha chULAmaNiM divyaM dAtuM rAmAya sA dadau || || 7- 13 ||

Word to Word meaning:

11.

saH = He

jAnan.h = knowing

hR^id.h + gatam.h = the intention

rAmasya = of Rama

naraloka viDambasya = who was acting like a human being

kR^itvA = performed

cheShtAshcha = acts

saMvidaH = & possessed knowledge

cheShtAnusAreNa = in accordance with the acts

tasya = of Rama

12.

tataH = therefore

adAt.h = he gave

aN^gulIyam = the ring (of Rama)

tAdR^ik.h cheShtA sametAyAH = to the (Maya) Sita whose acts were identical

with those of (original) Sita

yAni cha eva = And whatever ornaments

Asan.h = were present

sItAyAH = on the person of the original Sita

tAni = those ornaments (were also present)

sarvashaH = fully

AkR^ite = on the person of that form also (i.e. of Maya Sita)

13.

bhUShaNAni = the ornaments

dviddhA bhUtvA = though they became doubled

tAni = those duplicate ones

Asan.h = were

tathaiva cha = exactly like the originals

atha = then

sA = she (Maya Sita)

dadau = gave him (Hanuman)

divyaM = the divine

chUDAmaNiM = Crest jewel

dAtuM = for passing it on

rAmAya = to Rama

Translation:

Sri Rama's intention throughout was to act as human being while on earth. So, Hanuman following Sri Rama also acted & spoke similarly as a human being. Even Sita (the duplicate) acted as a human being. Hanuman met this Sita in Ashoka vana, spoke to her & gave Sri Rama's signet ring (angulIyaM). Whatever ornaments original Sita wore on her body were present on Maya Sita in Lanka. All the duplicate ornaments looked exactly like the original because of the Divine will. After conversation with Hanuman, Sita gave him her Choodamani (head jewel) to be handed over to Sri Rama.

Explanatory Notes:

Sri Rama conducted himself as an ordinary human being, not as an avatara of God. Following his foot steps, Hanuman also behaved as a human being; in terms of meeting & conversing with Sita although he knew that she was not real Sita. All his conduct was not due to ajnana, but because of awareness of the purpose of Sri Rama's avatara.

Secondly, eventhough he was told by Sampathi that Sita was under Simsupa tree in Lanka, he followed the instruction of Sri Rama faithfully & consciously because of his unquestionable faith in his master which stands as an example for his bhAghavatha dharma.

The credit in duplicating the ornaments which the real Sita wore goes to her only. The Maya Sita while coming to Lanka with Ravana threw most of them, in a bundle among the Vanaras in Kishkindha except the Choodamani which she gave now to Hanuman.

The Abhimana devatha for the Choodamani is Mukhya prana. Sending this through its own Abhimana devatha to Sri Rama is of special significance.This crest jewel, Choodamani is worn on the head by Sita, & her sending it in return to the signet ring of Sri Rama suggests that she is the servant of the Lord. Sri Rama sending his ring suggests that he will extend his helping hand to all those who surrender to him with utter humility & devotion that He is the savior & protector of all.

yadyapyetanna pashyanti nishAcharagaNAstu te |

dyulokachAriNaH sarvaM pashyantyR^ishhaya eva cha || || 7- 14 ||

teshhAM viDambanAyaiva daityAnAM vaJNchanAya cha |

pashyatAM kalimukhyAnAM viDambo.ayaM kR^ito bhavet.h || || 7- 15 ||

Word to word meaning:

14.

yadyapi = Although

te = those

nishachara guNAH tu = multitudes of demons

na pashyanti = could not realize

etat.h = this fact

sarva = all

dyuloka chariNaH = gods

eva cha = as well as

R^ishhayaH = seers

pashyanti = could see it

15.

viDambanAya eva = Only for arousing confidence

teShAM = in them

cha = and

vaJNchanAya = for cheating

datyAnAM = the demons

ayaM viDambaH = this kind of drama

kR^itaH bhavet.h = was perhaps enacted (by Maya Sita) & Hanuman)

pashyatAM = in the very sight of

kalimukhyAnAM = kali purusha & others (to hoodwink them)

Translation:

All this happened only during night when all the demons were awake but did not know what was happening since all were drunk to the brim & not in senses. The devathas, jnAnis & Rishis residing in the celestial worlds were aware that Sita - Hanuman episode was only make believe drama played by Sri Rama & that it is meant to fool the daityas headed by Kali & his associates who were active during night.

Explanatory notes:

Hanuman although knew that Sita in Lanka was duplicate, he without revealing her identity, behaved as if she were real & gave the ring of Sri Rama which Sita received & in turn Sita too acted as if she were real Sita handed over her Choodamani to Hanuman. All this only to fool Kali & other daithyas. So, it is necessary to believe that Hanuman did this not out of ignorance, but want only to make known the daithyas that Hanuman, the servant of Sri Rama, met Sita in the Ashoka vana.

kR^itvA kAryamidaM sarvaM vishaN^kaH pavanAtmajaH |

AtmAvishhkaraNe chittaM chakre matimatAM varaH || 7- 16 ||

Word to word meaning:

pavanAthmajaH = Hanuman

kR^itvA = by accomplishing

idaM sarvaM = all this

kAryaM = work

vishaN^ka = without any fear

matimatAM varaH = that best among the wise ones (Hanuman), then

chittaM chakre = made up his mind

Atma AviShkaraNe = to disclose his identity.

Translation:

Hanuman, the son of Vayu accomplished this mission without fear; & he the greatest among the intellectuals made up his mind to disclose his identity as the servants of Sri Rama, & the greatness of Sri Rama to Daityas.

Explanatory notes:

Hanuman without a trace of fear, carried out this mission among the daityas & by his valor & strength, he not only revealed his nature but his master's as well.

In the sloka, the word AtmaviShkaraNe means, he unveiled himself. It also means Bhagavan Sri Rama, since Atma originally refers to Brahman. It is interesting to note that some words like Hari, Atma, Bruhathi etc. refer to Vayu & Bhagavan as well.

atha vanamakhilaM tad.h rAvaNasyAvalupya xitiruhamimamekaM varjayitvA.a.ashu vIraH |

rajanicharavinAshaM kAN^xamANo.ativelaM muhuratiravanAdI toraNaM chA.a.aruroha || 7-17||

Word to word meaning:

Atha = Then

vIraH = the valorous one

avalupya = destroyed

Ashu = soon

tad.h =that

vanaM = garden (Asoka by name)

rAvaNasya = of Ravana

akhilam.h = in its entirety

varjayitva = leaving untouched

imam.h = this

ekaM = single

xitiruhaM = tree (simsupa)

ativelaM = extremely

kAN^xamANaH = desirous of

rajani chara vinAshaM = destroying the demons

muhuH = he repeatedly

atirava nAdI = roared loud

cha = and

Aruroha = scaled

toraNam.h = the arch (at the entrance of the garden)

Translation:

Hanuman, the mighty destroyed the entire Ashoka vana well protected by Ravana. But he left Simsupa tree underwhich Sita was sitting. He scaled the elevated arches & gateways of Lanka & from there, he roared loudly like a lion desirous of destroying the demons.

Explanatory Notes:

This has spiritual meaning. Hanuman leaving one tree suggests that it represents our sastra & so he left it untouched; and uprooting other trees suggests uprooting such of those that are against our shastra. His destroying the vana, is to please Bhagavan who has taken avatara to vanquish the evil minded daithyas.

athAshR^iNod.h dashAnanaH kapIndracheshhTitaM param.h |

didesha kiN^karAn.h bahUn.h kapirnigR^ihyatAmiti || 7-18||

atha = Thereafter

dashAnanaH = the ten headed one (Ravana)

ashR^iNod.h = heard about

paraM = atrocious

kapIndra cheShTitaM = activities of the mighty monkey &

didesha = ordered

bahUn.h = a large number of

kiN^karAN = his servants

iti = as follows

kapiH = the monkey

nigR^ihyatAM = let get caught

kapiH nigR^ihyatAM = let the monkey be caught

Translation:

Ravana on hearing "through his 20 ears" that Askhoka vana was destroyed by a mighty monkey ordered all his servants to catch him & present it before him.

Explanatory notes:

After knowing such great destruction, Ravana instead of evincing bhakthi, he became angry with the monkey.

samastasho vimR^ityavo varAddharasya kiN^karAH |

samAsadan.h mahAbalam.h surAntarAtmano.aN^gajam.h || 7-19||

kiN^karAH = His servants

vimR^ityavo = who had no (fear of ) death

varAd = due to the boon of

harasya = Lord Siva

samAsadan.h = approached

mahAabalaM = the powerful

aN^gajam.h = son

sura + antarAtmanaH = of vAyu, the indweller of the celestials

samastashaH = from all directions

Translation:

All the servants who had no fear of death due to the boon granted by Lord Siva, went to bring Hanuman, the mighty son of Vayu who is the inner controller of all the devathas including Lord Siva.

Explanatory Notes:

The Rakshasas not with standing their boon from Siva who had fallen on him were killed by Hanuman who is the inner controller of all the devas including Siva.

ashItikoTiyUthapaM purassarAshhTakAyutam.h |

anekahetisaN^kulaM kapIndramAvR^iNod.h balam.h || 7-20||

Word to word meaning:

ashIti koTi yUthapam = consisting of 80 crore chieftains;

purassara = along with;

ashhTakAyutam.h = 80,000 warriors (8 times 10,000)

aneka heti sankulaM = carrying many kinds of weapons

AvaNAt.h = surrounded

KapIndraM = the great monkey (Hanuman)

Translation:

An army of 80 crore chieftains & 80000 warriors armed with various kinds of weapons were sent to kill Hanuman. Such a powerful army surrounded the lonely Hanuman, the great Kapeendra.

Explanatory notes:

The sending of such a huge army with weapons to catch Hanuman suggests Ravana's fear that if left unchecked, he could do more harm.

samAvR^itastathA.a.ayudhaiH sa tADitashcha tairbhR^isham.h |

chakAra tAn.h samastashastaLaprahArachUrNitAn.h || 7-21||

Word to word meanings:

saH = And he (Hanuman)

taThA = thus

samAvR^itaH = surrounded

bhR^isham.h = completely

taiH = by them, and

tADitaH = attacked

AyudhaiH = with weapons

chakAra = made

tAn.h = them

tala - prahAra - chUrNitAn.h = pulverized by blows with his palms

samastashaH = completely

Translation:

Although the army surrounded him with weapons of all kinds, Hanuman with his palm (Tala prahara) crushed them to powder.

Explanatory notes:

tairbhR^isham.h does not mean that Hanuman was greatly beaten, it means that their touching Hanuman is akin to an elephant being beaten with a flower garland. Also it means that they made full effort from their side, but it was futile on Hanuman as he is vajrasharIra.

punashcha mantriputrakAn.h sa rAvaNaprachoditAn.h |

mamarda sapta parvataprabhAn.h varAbhiraxitAn.h || 7-22||

Word to word meanings:

punashcha = further

saH = he

mamarda = crushed to death

mantriputrakAn.h = the sons of ministers

sapta = seven in number

rAvaNa prachoditAn.h = sent by Ravana

parvata prabhAn.h = they were like mountains &

vara abhiraxitAn.h = well protected by boons

Translation:

Seven sons of ministers of Ravana's cabinet were crushed & killed by Hanuman. They were like seven majestic mountains & were well protected by Brahma's & Siva's boons (varAbhiraxitAn.h)

balAgragAminastathA sa sharvavAksugarvitAn.h |

nihatya sarvaraxasAM tR^itIyabhAgamaxiNot.h || 7-23||

Word to word meaning:

saH = He (Hanuman)

vihatya = killed

bala agra gAminaH = those who were foremost in the army

sharva vAk.h sugarvitAn.h = and who were very haughty because of the boons

of Lord Siva

axiNot.h = destroyed

tR^itIya bhAgaM = one third of

savaraxasA = the entire Rakshasa army

Translation:

Hanuman thus by killing the seven haughty sons of ministers & other warriors, reduced the army to two third its number.

anaupamaM harerbalaM nishamya rAxasAdhipaH |

kumAramaxamAtmanaH samaM sutaM nyayojayat.h || 7-24||

Word to word meaning:

nishamya = Hearing about

balaM = the strength

hareH = of the monkey

anaupamaM = as something unparalleled

rAxasAdhipaH = the Rakshasa king, Ravana

nyayojayat.h = pressed into service

sutaM = his own son

AtmanaH samaM = who was equal to himself

kumAraM axaM = Aksha Kumara by name

Translation:

Hearing of the incomparable & matchless strength of Hanuman, Ravana sent his son Aksha Kumara, who was equal to Ravana in strength to nab Hanuman.

Explanatory Notes:

Aksha Kumara by being equated to Ravana suggests that he represents Ravana.At the same time, killing Aksha Kumara by Hanuman also suggests that Hanuman could kill Ravana inspite of his boons.

sa sarvalokasAxiNaH sutaM sharairvavarshha ha |

shitairvarAstramantritairna chainamabhyachAlayat.h || 7-25||

Word to word meaning:

shitaiH = sharp

vara astra mantritaiH = rendered powerful with sacred mantras

saH = He (Aksha Kumara)

vavarshha = indeed rained

sharaiH = arrows

sutaM = on the son

sarvaloka sAxiNaH = of Vayu, the witness of all the worlds

shitaiH = these arrows were sharp

vara astra mantritaiH = and were rendered as powerful missiles with sacred

mantras

na cha = but he was not

enaM = Hanuman

abhyachAlayat.h = able to shake

Translation:

On Hanuman, the son of Vayu, who is sarvalokasAxin.h, that is one who overlooks all the worlds & our activities, Aksha Kumara rained arrows & deadly weapons made powerful by sacred mantras. They could not shake Hanuman.

Explanatory Notes:

This shows his unlimited strength & valor.hari sarvottamma, vAyu jIvottamma

sa maNDamadhyakAsutaM samIxya rAvaNopamam.h |

tR^itIya eshha chAMshako balasya hItyachintayat.h || 7-26||

Word to Word meaning:

saH = Hanuman

samIxya = looking at

maNDa madhyakA sutaM = the son of Mandodari

rAvaNa upamaM = who was comparable to Ravana himself

achintayat.h = assessed him

iti = as follows:

eSha = "He (Aksha Kumara) is

tR^itIyaH = the third

aMshakaH = division

balasya = of the army

Translation:

Hanuman looking at Aksha Kumara, the son of Mandodari, estimated to be equal to Ravana in strength but knows that he forms one third of the trio namely Ravana, Indrajit, Aksha.

Explanatory Notes:

Hanuman after annihilating one third of Ravana's army now readies himself to kill Aksha who is known for his physical strength, because of boons & by weapons. All this is denoted by the words "hi" and "cha" in the shloka.

nidhArya eva rAvaNaH sa rAghavasya nAnyathA |

yadIndrajinmayA hato na chAsya shaktirIxyate || 7-27||

Word to word meaning:

sa nidhArya: He (Hanuman) decided that

rAvaNaH = Ravana

rAghavAya eva = had to be left for Rama only

na anyathA = It cannot be otherwise

yadi = if

indrajit.h = Indrajit

hataH = will be killed

mayaa = by me

asya = his

shaktiH = martial prowess

na Ixyate = will not be witnessed & appreciated by others

atastayoH samo mayA tR^itIya eshha hanyate |

vichArya chaivamAshu taM padoH pragR^ihya pupluve || 7-28||

Word to word meaning:

ataH = Therefore

EshaH = this fellow (Aksha Kumara)

tR^itIyaH = the third among the trio (Ravana, Indrajit & Aksha)

tayo samaH = who is equal to the other two

hanyate = is to be killed

mayA = by me

vichArya = having reasoned

evaM = in this manner

pragR^ihya = catching hold of

taM = him

padoH = by his two feet, he

pupluve = rose high into the sky

Translation:

Although all the three are to be killed, Hanuman after giving a thought as to whom to kill first reasoned out thus. Ravana should not be killed since Sri Rama is to kill him. Indrajit also is to be spared for the time being since his dexteritty in wielding the weapons is to be seen & appreciated by other vanaras. So, the only person to be killed by him is Aksha.

Explanatory Notes:

Although Hanuman could kill all the three easily he did not do so; and spared Ravaa to Sri Rama, Indrajit to Lakshmana. Aksha, for him to kill. At once Hanuman caught hold of his feet & heaped to a high altitude inspite of Aksha continuously raining arrows on Hanuman. Thus Aksha could neither save himself nor harm Hanuman in any manner.

sa chakravad.h bhramAturaM vidhAya rAvaNAtmajam.h |

apothayad.h dharAtaLe xaNena mArutI tanuH || 7-29||

Word to word meaning:

saH mArutItanuH = Hanuman, the son of Vayu

vidhAya = having made

rAvaNa AtmajaM = the son of Ravana (Aksha)

bhrama AturaM = go round & round

chakravat.h = like a wheel

apothayat.h = threw him

dharAtaLe = to the ground

xaNena = in a moment

Translation:

Hanuman caught hold of Aksha, & whirled him round & round violently like a wheel & threw him on to the ground in a fraction of a second.

Explanatory Notes:

Aksha's body crumbling into pieces on throwing on to the ground suggests the great strength of Hanuman.

It is to be noted that this Aksha later on is to be born as Lakshana, one of the sons of Duryodhana.

vichUrNite dharAtaLe nije sute sa rAvaNaH |

nishamya shokatApitastadagrajaM samAdishat.h || 7-30||

Word to word meaning:

nije sute = When his son

vichUrNite = was smashed

dharAtale = on the ground

rAvaNaH = Ravana

nishamya = heard about it

shoka tApitaH = & was afflicted with grief

saH = He

samAdishat.h = ordered

tat.h agrajaM = Aksha's elder brother (Indrajit) to fight

Translation:

Ravana was afflicted with grief on hearing that his second son Aksha had been pulverized and killed. So, he decided to send Aksha's elder brother (Indrajit) to fight with Hanuman.

athendrajinmahAsharairvarAstrasamprayojitaiH |

tataxa vAnarottamaM na chAshakad.h vichAlane || 7-31||

Word to word meanings:

atha = Then

indrajit.h = Indrajit

tataksha = attacked

vAnara uttamaM = the mighty monkey

mahAsharaiH = with powerful arrows

vara astra saMprayojitaiH = which were backed by great missiles (mantras)

na cha = but he was not

ashakat.h = able to

vichAlane = move (shake) him

Translation:

Indrajit with his powerful weapons attacked Hanuman (vAnarottamam) the highest among the monkeys but could not shake him.

Explantory Notes:

Indrajit like his brother Aksha came to fight with Hanuman but in vain. It is to be understood that even Rudra & other devathas, the bestowers of boons on them could not overpower Hanuman.

athAstramuttamaM vidheryuyoja sarvadushhshhaham.h |

sa tena tADito harirvyachintayannirAkulaH || 7-32||

Word to word meaning:

atha = Then

yuyoja = he employed

vidheH = Brahma's

uttamaM = most powerful

astraM = missile (Brahmastra)

sarva duHsahaM = which nobody could overcome

tADitaH = Hit

tena = by that weapon

sa hariH = Hanuman

nirAkulaH = without any panic

vyachintayat.h = thought as follows

Translation:

Indrajit as a last resort, decided to launch the hallowed weapon Brahma astra to kill Hanuman. Unaffected by this astra even a little bit, Hanuman began to think about it thus.

Explanatory Notes:

Normally no body could withstand Brahma astra including Rudra, but Hanuman being the future Brahma bhAvibrahma could nullify it with ease.

mayA varA vilaN^ghitA hyanekashaH svayambhuvaH |

sa mAnanIya eva me tato.atra mAnayAmyaham.h || 7-33||

ime cha kuryuratra kiM prahR^ishhTaraxasAM gaNAH |

itIha laxyameva me sa rAvaNashcha dR^ishyate || 7-34||

Word to word meaning:

hi = indeed

varAH = the boons

svayambhuvaH = granted by Brahma (to others)

vilaN^ghitAH = were violated

mayA = by me

anekashaH = several times

saH = Brahma

mAnanIya eva = is certainly to be honored

me = by me (now).

tataH = therefore

atra = in this context

aham.h = I shall

mAnayAmi = respect him (by submitting myself to the Brahmastra)

iha = Here

me laxyameva = my goal here is only

kiM = what

ime cha = these

prahR^ishhTaraxasAM gaNAH = overjoyed Rakshasa crowds

atra = here

kuryuH = are going to do

sa rAvaNaH cha = and (by this act of mine) even Ravana

dR^ishyate = can be seen by me

iti = This is how he thought

Translation:

Indeed, many of the boons granted by Brahma (to these rAxasa-s) were violated by me several times (by killing them). Chaturmukha Brahma is certainly to be honored by me (now). Therefore, here in this context, I shall respect him (by submitting myself to the Brahmastra).

By my doing so (my becoming bound to BrahmAstra), what can these overjoyed Rakshasa crowds do to me? [On the other hand] in this manner, Ravana can be seen by me.

Explanatory notes:

Although Vayu & Brahma are equal in many respects, though Hanuman nullified the boons sanctioned by Brahma several times, this time he submitted to it. Ravana sena on catching him would take him to Ravana that will enable him to have an audience with Ravana.

idaM samIxya baddhavat.h sthitaM kapIndramAshu te |

babandhuranyapAshakairjagAma chAstramasya tat.h || 7-35||

Word to word meaning:

te = those rakshasas

Ashu = quickly

babandhuH = tied that

kapIndraM = mighty monkey

sthitaM baddhavat.h = as if he was made immobile

samIxya = after seeing

idaM = this Hanuman

anya pAshakaiH = with other ropes

cha = and

tat.h astraM = that weapon

asya = of Indrajit

jagAma = lost its hold on Hanuman & disappeared

Translation:

After seeing Hanuman, who stood still as if bound by BrhmAstra, those Rakshasas made bold and tied Hanuman with other ropes. This act of theirs [degraded the very efficiency of the astra]. The astra, sent by Indrajit, soon disappeared [and reached Brahma's abode].

Explanatory notes:

Hanuman knows that Brahma astra will do no harm to him. We must have full faith in Hari & Vayu. They are our saviors, without this knowledge, if we worship other devatas, it will be a asura puja.

atha pragR^ihya taM kapiM samIpamAnayaMshcha te |

nishAchareshvarasya taM sa pR^ishhTavAMshcha rAvaNaH || 7-36||

Word to word meanings:

atha = Thereafter

pragR^ihya = catching hold of

taM kapiM = the monkey

te = the rakshasas

Anayana +cha = brought him

samIpaM = to the vicinity

nishAchara + Ishvarasya = of the king of Rakshasas (Ravana)

sa cha rAvaNaH = and he, Ravana,

pR^ishhtavAN = questioned

taM = him (Hanuman)

Translation:

The Rakshasas after catching Hanuman the Kapi who only appeared to be subdued led him to the court of Ravana for questioning.

Explanatory notes:

They mistook Hanuman to be an ordinary monkey & even Ravana mistook him so.This suggests his total ignorance.

kape kuto.asi kasya vA kimarthamIdR^ishaM kR^itam.h |

itIritaH sa chAvadat.h praNamya rAmamIshvaram.h || 7-37||

Word to word meanings:

kape = O monkey !

kutaH = from where

asi = have you come?

kasya vA = and to whom do you belong?

kimarthaM = for what purpose

idR^ishaM = this kind of act

kR^itaM = was done by you?

IritaH = questioned

iti = in this manner

sa cha = he (Hanuman)

avadat.h = replied

praNamya = after paying obeisance to

IshvaraM = his Lord

rAmaM = Sri Rama

Translation:

Ravana thus questioned him by addressing him as monkey. Where from did you come? Whose messenger are you? What is your mission in destroying the Ashoka vana? Hanuman after paying his obeisances to Sri Rama, the Sarvottamma answered all the questions.

Explanatory notes:

Whatever is done by Hanuman, the great Bhagavath bhaktha it is only to please the Lord. So he prays, the Lord before the beginning of a work, in the middle, & at the end. That is why he is called ruju.

(Adau antecha, madhye cha, viShNuH sarvatra gIyate)

avaihi dUtamAgataM durantavikramasya mAm.h |

raghUttamasya mArutiM kulaxaye taveshvaram.h || 7-38||

Word to word meanings:

avaihi mAM = know me as

mArutiM = Hanuman, son of vAyu

dataM = messenger

raghUttamasya = of Sri Rama

duranta vikramasya = possessed of extraordinary valor

AgataM = that has come to you

IshvaraM = also understand that I am capable of

tava kulaxaye = wiping out your entire lineage

Translation:

Hanuman revealed his identitty as Maruthi, the son of Vayu & the messenger of Sri Rama. He told him that he was capable of wiping out his entire lineage.

Explanatory Notes:

Hanuman by telling Ravana, that he is capable of wiping out his entire lineage suggests that he is Yama to him since he is the messenger of Sri Rama.

na chet.h pradAsyasi tvaran.h raghUttamapriyAM tadA |

saputramitrabAndhavo vinAshamAshu yAsyasi || 7-39||

Word to word meanings:

na chet.h = if you do not

pradAsyasi = return

tvaran.h = at once

raghUttama priyAM = Rama’s beloved (wife Sita)

tadA = then

Ashu = soon

yAsyasi = you will meet with

vinAshaM = annihilation

saputra mitra bAndhavaH = along with your children, friends & relatives

Translation:

If you fail to return Sita at once to Sri Rama, you are sure to be killed along with your sons, friends & relations.

Explanatory Notes:

Hanuman telling that his sons relatives will be killed soon suggests the truth that all those who hate God are to be destroyed if not immediately at least ultimately. It is imminent.

na rAmabANadhAraNe xamAH sureshvarA api |

viriJNchisharvapUrvakAH kimu tvamalpasArakaH || 7-40||

Word to word meanings:

sureshvarAH api = Even higher orderlies of celestials

viriJNcha sharva pUrvakA = like Brahma & Siva

na xamAH = are not capable of

rAma bANa dhAraNe = withstanding the onslaught of Rama’s arrows

kimu = what to speak of

tvaM = you

alpa sArakaH = with insignificant strength?

Translation:

Before the destructive power of Sri Rama’s arrows Brahma. Rudra & other devathas could not stand what to speak of you with little strength.

Explanatory notes:

When Brahma & Rudra are no match to stand before Sri Rama. That Ravana who received boons from Brahma & Rudra is also no match goes without telling.

prakopitasya tasya kaH purasthitau xamo bhavet.h |

surAsuroragAdike jagatyachintyakarmaNaH || 7-41||

Word to word meaning:

jagati = In the whole world

sura asura uragAdike = comprising celestials, demons & serpents

kaH = who

bhavet.h = will be

xamaH = capable of

sthitau = standing

puraH = before

tasya = him (Rama)

achityakarmaNaH = of incomprehensible deeds

prakopitasya = once he becomes enranged

Translation:

Even the great powerful divine beings cannot stand before Sri Rama when he becomes angry what to speak of you, Ravana. Sri Rama is beyond our spoken word & mind.

Explanatory notes:

To become angry is not the quality of Sri Rama who is all merciful. Ravana thought he was all in all & could do anything. To correct him & remind him that there is one supreme being with supreme power above him & that he will not be pleased with heinous deeds & that they shall be punished severely, Hanuman used the word anger in this sense, & not as a natural attribute to Sri Rama.

itIrite vadhodyataM nyavArayad.h vibhIshhaNaH |

sa puchchhadAhakarmaNi nyayojayannishAcharAn.h || 7-42||

Word to word meaning:

itIrite = When Hanuman spoke in this manner

vadhodyataM = he (Ravana) decided to kill Hanuman

vibhIshhaNaH = However, Vibhishana

ni avArayad.h = dissuaded him from it

saH = So Ravana

ni ayojayat.h = ordered

nishAcharAn.h = the demons

puchchhadAhakarmaNi = to set his tail on fire

Translation:

Ravana angered by humiliation ordered his Rakshasas to kill the vanara. Seeing this, Vibheeshana the younger brother of Ravana dissuaded & suggested that a messenger should not be killed. So, Ravana ordered his demons to set fire to his tail.

Explanatory notes:

Vibheeshana by intervening did not help to save Hanuman, but by this act, he discharged his dharma only. Who can kill prana? If Vibheeshana had not intervened Hanuman could have killed Ravana. So his intervention in fact, saved Ravana's life & not Hanuman's life. Ravana ordered to set fire to Hanuman's tail since the tail is an important part in a monkey's body.

athAsya vastrasaJNchayaiH pidhAya puchchhamagnaye |

dadurdadAha nAsya tanmarutsakho hutAshanaH || 7-43||

atha = Subsequently

te = they

pidhAya = wrapped

asya puchChaM = his tail

vastra saJNchayaiH = with wads of cloth

agnaye daduH = and set it on fire

hutAshanaH = but Fire (god)

marut.h sakhaH = who is Vayu's friend

na dadAha = did not burn

asya tat.h = his tail

Translation:

They wrapped his tail with wads of cloth & then set fire to it. By this, his tail never caught fire.

Explanatory notes:

Agni is the friend of Vayu & so he had no effect on Hanuman's tail who is Vayu's son. Agni cannot exist independently whereas Vayu could do so.In Taratamya (grading) Agni is far below Vayu & so he cannot do any harm to Vayu & he could only serve as a subordinate to Vayu who is jeevothama.It means Mukhyaprana resides in Agni & assumes the name Agni & enables Agni to function.

mamarshha sarvacheshhTitaM sa raxasAM nirAmayaH |

baloddhatashcha kautukAt.h pradagdhumeva tAM purIm.h || 7-44||

Word to word meaning:

saH cha = And he (Hanuman)

baloddhatashcha = who was supremely powerful

mamarshha = tolerated

sava cheshhTitaM = all their nefarious act

nirAmayaH = with no sign of panic (quietly)

kautukAt.h = all this was due to his anxiety & eagerness

eva pradagdhuM = only to burn down

tAM purIM = the city (of Lanka)

Translation:

Hanuman with his supreme strength stood untouched & allowed Rakshasas to meddle with his tail since with that he could burn the city of Lanka.

Explanatory Notes:

When Brahma Astra itself could not affect him what to speak about this little meddling of his tail. He kept silent since he planned to destroy Lanka with this fire.

dadAha chAkhilaM puraM svapuchchhagena vahninA |

kR^itastu vishvakarmaNo.apyadahyatAsya tejasA || 7-45||

Word to word meaning:

saH = He

dadAha cha = burnt

akhilaM purIM = the entire city

vahninA = with the fire

sva puchchhagena = which was on his tail

kR^itastu api = Although the city was the creation

vishvakarmaNaH = of Visvakarma

adahyata = it was burnt

asya = by his

tejasA = splendour (power)

Translation:

With the fire in his tail Hanuman, made the city Lanka go into flames.Although the city had been built by Vishwakarma, it could not withstand the heat & fury of the fire from his tail, because of his splendour.

Explanatory notes:

The city of Lanka built by Viswakarma, the divine Architect, by the orders of Brahma, was said to be fireproof. But that it caught fire from the tail of Hanuman & was reduced to ashes suggests his extraordinary strength & greatness.

On this auspicious Vijayadasami/Madhwajayanthi day, I would like to conclude

Sundarakaanda Nirnaya.

suvarNaratnakAritAM sa rAxasottamaiH saha |

pradahya sarvashaH purIM mudA.anvito jagarja cha || 7-46||

Word to word meanings:

pradahya = Burning down

purIM = the city

saha = along

rAxasottamaiH = with the Rakshasa leaders

sarvashaH = completely

suvarNa ratna karitAM = which was built with gold & precious stones

saH = Hanuman became delighted

cha = and

jagajaH = roared

mudA.anvito = with delight

Translation:

Seeing the entire city built with gold & gems burning along with the Rakshasa leaders, Hanuman with full satisfaction roared like a lion.

Explanatory Notes:

He not only burnt the city but also the Rakshasa leaders who were the enemies of God. This act of Hanuman will please Sri Hari.

sa rAvaNaM saputrakaM tR^iNopamaM vidhAya cha |

tayoH prapashyatoH puraM vidhAya bhasmasAd.h yayau || 7-47||

Word to word meaning:

saH = and Hanuman

vidhAya = rendered

rAvaNaM = Ravana

saputrakaM = along with his son (Indrajit)

tRiNa upamaM = worthless as blades of grass

vidhAya = He reduced

purIM = the city

bhasmasAd.h = to ashes

tayoH prapashyatoH = before the very eyes of those two (Ravana & Indragjit)

yayau = and then he departed from that place

puraM and purIM both mean the same. They are pAThAntaras

Translation:

Ravana & his sons were watching helplessly while Hanuman reduced the city to ashes and Ravana and his sons to blades of grass. After this, he departed from there.

Explanatory notes:

While the city was burning, they were watching & could do nothing not even an attempt to put out the fire. Hanuman, therefore, made Ravana & his sons equal to straw (tRiNopamaM) by this act. Ravana with the boon from Rudra, & Indrajit who defeated Indra were helpless during the buring of Lanka. This suggests that Hanuman is greater than Rudra & Indra. He is therefore Jeevothama.

vilaN^ghya chArNavaM punaH svajAtibhiH prapUjitaH |

prabhaxya vAnareshiturmadhu prabhuM sameyivAn.h || 7-48||

Word to word meaning:

vilaN^ghya = He crossed

punaH cha = again

arNavaM = the ocean

prapUjitaH = was honoured

svajAtibhiH = by his fellow monkeys

prabhaxya = enjoyed

madhu = honey

vAnara IshituH = of the king of monkeys, Sugreeva (in his Madhuvana)

sameyivAn.h = and reached (came back to )

prabhuM = his Lord Rama

Translation:

Hanuman, after crossing the ocean, reached Kishkindha & after his fellow vanaras honored Hanuman & after all of them rejoiced to their heart's content by drinking honey from Sugreeva's Madhuvan, Hanuman quickly reached Sri Ramachandra.

Explanatory notes:

Sugreeva maintained Madhuvan well & he liked it. Hanuman and other vanaras, in order to rejoice their return to Kishkindha and to convey indirectly the good news of their successful mission, destroyed Madhuvana and drank the honey from Madhuvana. They symbolically suggested thereby to Sugreeva that Hanuman destroyed Ashoka vana of Ravana in Lanka."

This act did not displease Sugreeva, while destroying Ashoka vana displeased Ravana. From Madhu vana, Hanuman going to see Ramachandra suggests he is duty bound.

rAmaM sureshvaramagaNyaguNAbhirAmaM samprApya sarvakapivIravaraiH sametaH |

chULAmaNiM pavanajaH padayornidhAya sarvAN^gakaiH praNatimasya chakAra bhaktyA || 7-49||

Word to word meanings:

pavanajaH = Hanuman

sarva kapi vIravaraiH sametaH = along with all other Vanara leaders

saMprApya = approached

rAmaM = Sri Rama

sura IshvaraM = the Lord of Celestials

agaNya guNa abhirAmaM = who was resplendent with countless excellent

qualities

nidhAya = having placed

chUDaamaNiM = the crest jewel (of Sita)

chUDaamaNiM and chULaamaNiM both mean the same. They are pAThAntaras

padayoH = at His feet

chakAra = he performed

bhaktyA = with loving devotion

praNatiM = prostration

sarvaN^gaiH = with all parts of his body (touching the ground)

Translation:

Along with other Vanara leaders, Hanuman after reaching Sri Ramachandra, who is resplendent with countless excellent attributes an enchanting figure himself, placed Choodamani at His lotus feet & offered his obeisances with overflowing bhakthi in his heart, mind & soul.

Explanatory notes:

Hanuman's taking all other vanaras with him to see Sri Ramachandra suggests that he alone can take all devathas to God & recommend to Him to shower His Grace.

All vanaras could get the darshan of Sri Rama since all of them were behind Hanuman in his noble task of location Sita.

Similarly, if we as disciples of Sri Madhwacharya followw what he had said would certainly take us nearer to Him & be liberated.

rAmo.api nAnyadanudAtumamushhya yogyamatyantabhaktiparamasya vilaxya kiJNchit.h |

svAtmapradAnamadhikaM pavanAtmajasya kurvan.h samAshlishhadamuM paramAbhitushhTaH ||7-50||

Word to word meanings:

rAmaH api = and Rama

na vilaxya = unable to find

anyat.h ki~nchit.h = anything else

anudAtuM= to be given

amuShya pavanAtmajasya = to him (Hanuman)

atyanta bhakti bharitasya = who was full of immeasurable loving devotion for Himself

kurvan.h = performed the act of

sva aatmapradAnaM = giving away Himself (to him)

adhikaM= which was something extraordinary

paramAbhituShTaH= with utmost satisfaction & pleasure

samAshliShat.h= He embraced

amuM = him

Translation:

Sri Ramachandra fully satisfied & moved by Hanuman's immeasurable bhakthi unable to reward him befittingly with any gifts gave himself fully to (svAtma pradAna) Hanuman & embraced him & bestowed His Grace.

Explanatory Notes:

The service rendered by Hanuman & the reward Sri Rama bestowed on him are unique examples in themselves & they stand on their own without any comparision.

Here bhakthi exhibited by Hanuman is pure & exalted for it is shown by Jeevothama, & pleased with him is none less than Sri Rama, the Sarvothama.

This concludes the Sundarakanda Nirnaya in the Mahabharatha Tatparya nirnaya of Jagadguru Srimad Madhwacharya.

Our respectful pranams & thanks to Vidwan Hayavadana, Puranik, Pandit G. P. Nagarajachar, Dr. N. Venkatesh Acharya, Sri B. Nagaraja Rao, Sri A. R. Subbannachar, Sri Gururaja Acharya, Dr. M. Narasimha Acharya & others involved for giving us word to word meaning, simple translation, providing us with some explainatory notes.

We thank Sri Madhwacharya Seva Sangha, Chennai, allowing us to post the contents of the book.

Our thanks to our guru Sri Keshava Rao & Smt Meera tadipAtri in providing the ITRANS verses & also adding to the translations .

Namaskara.

With Kind Regards,GV & Shobha Srinivasan

References:

The sanskrit verses is available in pdf format. The whole of MBTN is available in www.dvaita.net.

The text is written in 4 different languages (Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil) with commentary in English. The publisher has published AnubhAsya, anumadhwavijaya, Sundarakaanda nirnaya, Adi-antya shlokas & many more (verses in 4 languages) with simple English translation.

Jagadguru Sri Madhwacharya virachita Sundara Kanda Nirnaya

Published by

Sri Madhwacharya Seva Sangha(Regd)

'Pajaka' # 2, Valmiki Street,

Gandhi Nagar, Saligramam

Chennai 600 093

Phone # 044-376 3002

bhAratIramaNamukhyaprANA.ntargata shrii kR^iShNArpanamasthu

SRI BADARINATH TEMPLE

2008-09-20T04:04:00.001+05:30

God won't ask: He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven

2008-09-05T20:05:00.000+05:30

Ten things God won't ask:

1...God won't ask what kind of car you drove;
He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.

2...God won't ask the square footage of your house,
He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

3...God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet,
He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.

4...God won't ask what your highest salary was,
He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

5...God won't ask what your job title was,
He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

6...God won't ask how many friends you had,
He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

7...God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived,
He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.

8...God won't ask about the color of your skin,
He'll ask about the content of your character.

9...God won't ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation,
He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates of Hell.

10...God won't ask how many people you forwarded this to,
He'll ask if you were ashamed to pass it on to your friends.

Read Carefully

Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God.

SRI VINAAYAKA CHATURTHI

2008-08-30T00:25:00.002+05:30

CHANT
"VAKRA THUNDA MAHAAKAAYA, SURYA KOTI SAMAPRABHA - NIRVIGHNAM KURUMEDEVA SARVA KAARYESHU SARVADA."

ಚತುರ್ವಿಮ್ಷತಿ ಕೇಶವ ರೂಪ to be meditated during Sandhya, Devarapuje, homAdhigalu:

2008-08-09T00:06:00.006+05:30

ಚತುರ್ವಿಮ್ಷತಿ ಕೇಶವ ರೂಪ
to be meditated during Sandhya, Devarapuja, homAdhigalu:

ओम केशवाय नमः- शंका चक्र गदा पद्मा

नियामक रूपा: केशव

रामरूप : श्री

नियामक: ब्रह्म-रुद्रध्यरिग इ

तत्त्व-*अभिमानी देवता*: अव्यक्त - राम

गयाथ्री- वर्ना अभिमानी देवता*: ता- अग्नि

अहारा- अभिमानी देवता: अन्ना- चन्द्र

द्वादशाक्षरा केशव रूपा

नियामक रूपा: केशव

नक्षत्र- राशिः: अश्विनी- मेष

मासा: मर्गाशिरा

रुत्हू: हेमंता

पक्ष: सुकला, लालातानमा

नदी: इडा

नित्याकर्मगालू: nature's impure excretions of the body like urine [mala mUthra visarjane]

अकरारुपा वर्ना: श्वेता

पापनाशना: ब्रह्म हत्या

Songs: ಈಶನಿನ್ನ ಚರಣ ಭಜನೆ ಆಸೆಯಿಂದ ಮಾಡುವೆನು ದೋಷ ರಾಶಿ ನಾಶಮಾಡೊ ಶ್ರೀಶ ಕೇಶವ (೧) ***

O Lord ! I worship Your feet with love & devotion. You are the controller of this universe. O Lord of Lakshmi devi ! You are the destroyer of the demon called Kesi & so You are known as Keshava. May you destroy the mountainous pile of my sins.

२. नारायणा one without any blemish whatsoever.

शम्खाम्भोजगदासु दर्शानाधारे नारायणे सर्वदा || (सृमाद्वादिराजायती क्र^इत चतुविम्स्ती स्तोत्र)

पद्मगादाचाक्राशन खाधारो नारायणो.अव तट.ह|

नारायनास्य महिषी लक्ष्मी स्यद्वारादा मामा || (श्री सुमातिम्द्रतिर्था क्र^इत)

(Meaning of Narayana from Vishnu Sahasranama)

सर्वजीवजडभिन्न ह इति नह, सदैव भिन्नः इति नह, सर्वदोषक्षयात. ह रह, सर्वोपेक्षया अधिकाक्सायाकारित्वत. ह रह, भक्तानाम दोषण.ह यापयातिती यह, सर्वदोशाविरुद्धाग उनरुपत्वत. ह नह | नह, रा, या, नह ||

The Lord bears the name नारायणः because He is completely different from all sentient beings & inert matter; He is free from all blemishes, much more than other 'faultless' beings; He removes the impediment of ignorance in His devotees; He is full of all auspicious qualities, each of which is in its complete measure & forms His very nature (svarupa).

('Tatvasara' commentary on Brihatee sahasraM)

नारानाम इदं नरम अन्नाबलादी दतर^इत्वेना तदाश्रयात्वत. ह---नारायणः

Supplier of food & strength etc...Respository thereof

ಚತುರ್ವಿಮಷತಿ ನಾರಾಯಣ ರೂಪ
to be meditated during Sandhya, Devarapuje, homAdhigalu:

ಓಂ ನಾರಾಯನಾಯನಮಃ - ಪದ್ಮ, ಚಕ್ರ, ಗಡ, ಪದ್ಮ

ನಿಯಾಮಕ ರೂಪ: ನಾರಾಯಣ

ರಮರುಪ : ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮಿ

ತತ್ವ- *ಅಭಿಮಾನಿ ದೇವತಾ* : ಮಹತ್ವ-- ಬ್ರಹ್ಮ, ವಾಯು, ಸರಸ್ವತಿ, ಭಾರತೀ

ಗಾಯತ್ರಿ- ವರ್ಣ ಅಭಿಮಾನಿ ದೇವತಾ : ತ್ಸ- ಪ್ರಜಾಪತಿ

ಆಹಾರ- *ಅಭಿಮಾನಿ ದೇವತಾ* : ಪರಮಾನ್ನ- ಭಾರತೀ

ದ್ವಾದಷಕ್ಷರ ನಾರಾಯಣ ರೂಪ

ನಿಯಾಮಕ ರೂಪ: ನಾರಾಯಣ

ನಕ್ಷತ್ರ- ರಾಶಿ: ಭರಣಿ- ಮೇಷ

ಮಾಸ: ಪುಷ್ಯ

ಪಕ್ಷ: ಶುಕ್ಲ, ಉದಯಮಧ್ಯ

ನದಿ: ಪಿಂಗಳ

ಋತು: ಹೇಮಂತ

ನಿತ್ಯಕರ್ಮಗಳು: ವ್ಹಿಲೆ ತಕಿಂಗ್ ಮೆಡಿಸಿನ್ (ಆಸ್ಹಧ ಸೇವಿಸುವಾಗ)

ಅಕರರುಪ ವರ್ಣ: ಶ್ವೇತ

ಪಪನಷಣ: ಗೊಹತ್ಯ

Songs: ಶರಣು ಹೊಕ್ಕೆನಯ್ಯ ಎನ್ನ ಮರಣಸಮಯದಲ್ಲಿ ನಿನ್ನ ಚರಣ ಸ್ಮರಣೆ ಕರುಣಿಸಯ್ಯ ನಾರಾಯಣ (೨) ***

O Narayana. I take refuge in you. The shAshtras proclaim that one should always remember Lord Narayana & especially so at the time of departing from this world. Our next birth depends on our thoughts during the last moment of our life. Therefore, I beg You to grace me with Your remembrance at the time of my death. You are full of auspicious qualities & devoid of all defects. Hence, You are known as Narayana. You are the refuge of Sri Lakshmi herself. What then need be said of a mere mortal like me? Therefore, You are my only refuge.

Therefore, You are my only refuge.

Bhagavad Gita

2008-07-30T01:06:00.002+05:30

श्रीमद भगवतगीता

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"Gita" redirects here. For other uses, see Gita (disambiguation).

Krishna reveals his Vishvarupa form to Arjuna during the discourse of the Bhagavad Gita.

The Bhagavad Gita (Sanskrit भगवद्गीता, Bhagavad Gītā, "Song of God") is a Sanskrit text from the chapter Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata epic, comprising 700 verses.^[1]

Krishna, as the speaker of the Bhagavad Gita, is referred to within as Bhagavan^[2] (the divine one). The verses themselves, using the range and style of Sanskrit meter (chhandas) with similes and metaphors, are written in a poetic form that is traditionally chanted; hence the title, which translates to "the Song of the Divine One". The Bhagavad Gita is revered as sacred by Hindu traditions,^[3] and especially so by Vaishnavas (followers of Vishnu). It is commonly referred to as The Gita.

The content of the text is a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna taking place on the battlefield of Kurukshetra just prior to the start of the Kurukshetra war. Responding to Arjuna's confusion and moral dilemma, Krishna explains to Arjuna his duties as a warrior and Prince and elaborates on different Yogic^[4] and Vedantic philosophies, with examples and analogies. This has led to the Gita often being described as a concise guide to Hindu philosophy and also as a practical, self-contained guide to life. During the discourse, Krishna reveals his identity as the Supreme Being Himself (Svayam bhagavan), blessing Arjuna with an awe-inspiring glimpse of His divine universal form.

The Bhagavad Gita is also called Gitopanishad as well as Yogopanishad, implying its status as an Upanishad, or a Vedantic scripture.^[5] Since the Gita is drawn from the Mahabharata, it is included in Smriti texts. However, being one of Upanishads, it has a status of śruti, or revealed knowledge.^[6]^[7]

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SRI RAGHAVENDRA SAMY - After Sanyasa Sweekara

2008-07-15T22:14:00.002+05:30

The Sanyasa ordination was arranged to take place on the second day of the bright half of PAlguNa mAsa in the year durmati corresponding to the year 1621. The spot chosen was Tanjore, in order to avoid hurting the feelings of VenkaTanAtha�s young wife Saraswati. Finally, the grand day when VenkaTanAtha would relinquish his life as a householder and become a sanyAsi arrived. Saraswathi was required to stay home. However, at the last minute she was seized by a desire to see her husband�s face for the last time before he became totally inaccessible to her. With this feeling, she ran towards the maTha throwing caution to the winds. Unfortunately, she did not see an old and unused well on the way, and fell into it. She died instantly, but because her death was an untimely one, she became a ghost. Even as a ghost, her only desire was to see her husband and so she went to the maTha. By the time she arrived, the function was over and venkaTanAtha had become a sanyAsi with the AshramanAma of rAghavEndra tIrtha, the only solace for the downtrodden, the last resort for those without hope, the only court where every petitioner is guaranteed to get a patient and understanding hearing, the ocean of mercy that will never deny a deserving plea for help.

With his divine perception, rAyaru sensed saraswati�s presence, even though she was a ghost not visible to human eyes. His heart full of mercy, he sprinkled water from his kamanDala on her. The power of his penance was such that she was immediately granted moksha or liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. This was her reward for a lifetime of dedicated and selfless service to a noble soul.

Ascension as pIThAdhipati (throne of Asecitic)

Around 1623 sudhIndra tIrtha shed his mortal coils at AnEgondi. His brindavan was consecrated there and rAyaru became the Head of the maTha. Yadavendra, a senior disciple of sudhIndra tIrtha disputed this, but his claims were set aside by the Ruler of Tanjore, in favor of rAyaru.

RAyaru started his services by teaching all the works of shrImadAchArya to his disciples. He propagated right knowledge and vanquished several opponents. Apart from imparting knowledge and guiding his disciples,he composed works for the benefit of future generations

Collected by: U.D. Nagaraja

Pilgrimages

Soon after becoming the pIThAdipati, he began a series of piligrimages that took him to several places. Throughout his life, he kept visiting different centers of learning and religion inspite of the difficulties involved. Consider some of the odds he faced � lack of roads, lack of transportation means (other than palanquins), political problems (since there were so many different kings, some of the muslims, inimical to hinduism), hot weather, lack of maps etc. Inspite of all these difficulties, he covered a vast area geographically. Some of the places he visited are Rameshvaram, Madurai, Srirangam, Vishnumangala (where Trivikrama PanditAchArya had debated MadhvAchArya for fifteen days), Subramanya, Udupi, Bidarahalli, Pandarapur, Kohlapur, Bijapur, Malkhed, Tirupati, Srisailam, Kumbakonam, and Kanchi.
Wherever he went, his agenda was simple � spreading the message of shrImadAchArya, defeating scholars of opposing doctrines, converting deserving people to dvaita, continuing to write commentaries and notes, teaching shAstras to enthusiastic students, and encouraging local scholars. Examples of such events are provided.

He visited Rameshvaram and Madurai. Madurai was the seat of learning in those days, and one of the experts there was Neelakanta Dikshit. After seeing the lucid yet powerful style with which rAyaru debated, he was convinced that rAyaru�s master was really pUrNaprajna. When Neelakanta tried testing him on various sutras, rAyaru showed him the work he had just finished-Bhatta Sangraha. Neelakanta was so thrilled by the depth of this work and how well it propounded shrImadAchArya's philosophy, that he had it placed on an elephant and taken on a ceremonial procession.

At Bidarahalli he met ShrInivasAchArya who was a unique householder. The glosses that he had written were already well known. RAyaru examined his works and was filled with admiration for ShrInivasAchArya, who, though being a householder, dedicated himself completely to the spreading of knowledge and learning. RAyaru bestowed upon him the name shrInivAsa tIrtha, as a mark of his high learning.

He took a vow to write Tippanis for all the Tikas of shrI jayatIrtha. When he had completed tippanis for 17 of the 18 Tikas of ShrI JayatIrtha, his disciple LakshmInArAyaNAchArya showed him his work on Rig Bhashya. The great saint felt that his disciple's teaching should be shown to the rest of the world, so instead of writing a Tippani, he wrote a Rigartha Manjari, a vivritti, which gives the meaning of the first 40 suktas Even though he undertook extensive tours, he did not stop teaching his devotees or stop writing books.

Sri Raghavendraswamy had Power to revive the dead

On a hot summer day, rAyaru was on his way home from a pilgrimage. He decided to rest in the shade of a tree at Krishnapuram (near Hubli). While there, he saw the Nawab (Muslim king) of the are walking towards him, with a sad demeanor. The Nawab had heard of his miracles and had come to him as a last resort. He stated that his young son had died from a poisonous snakebite and been buried in a tomb close by. After hearing this, rAyaru contemplated silently for a few moments and then asked the king to take the body out of the tomb. When the puzzled Nawab did as he was asked, rAyaru sprinkled holy water from his kamanDala and prayed to his ArAdhya mUrthy (favorite form of the Lord). Lo behold, the young boy woke up as though he was getting up from sleep. The Nawab was beside himself with joy.

(Editor�s note: There are some very important points to note in this episode. Our shAstras talk about the concept of "Ayushya", defined as the total amount of time that a being is allowed to live on earth, in a particular body. Any death that happens before this time is untimely and is called "apamRutyu". Our shAstras say that once "Ayushya" is over death cannot be prevented, since that is Divine Will. However, "apamRutyu" is a different aspect altogether. Life-histories of oursaints and other great souls are replete with instances where they warded off untimely death in deserving cases. In this case, since the child had suffered apamRutyu, rAyaru used his divine powers to revive it.)

He did a similar thing in another instance. He was visiting the house of a village chieftain (called Desai). Hundreds of people had assembled for the occasion. As part of the food served to the guests, seekaraNe (a thick form of mango juice) was being prepared in a huge vessel. Unfortunately, when nobody was watching him, the Desai�s son fell into this vessel and drowned. When the Desai and his wife came to know about it, they were totally devastated. However, they wanted to hide the news because they did not want to inconvenience everybody who had assembled there. Being an aparOxa gyani, RAyaru sensed the tragedy and asked the grief stricken couple to bring the dead boy before him. When this was done, he sprinkled water from his kamanDala and revived the boy. The joy of the ecstatic parents knew no bounds.

Those who came to humiliate end up being humiliated

There were some evil people who were jealous of the greatness of rAyaru and were always looking for opportunities to humiliate him. When some of them heard of the above incidents, they conspired to come up with a plan to humble rAyaru. They chose a location that was very close to rAyaru�s location that day and asked a person to pretend to be dead. They covered his face and sat by his side wailing as if he was really dead. When rAyaru passed by, some of them approached him and entreated him to revive this �dead� man. RAyaru looked at the body and said �I cannot revive him since his Ayushya is over�. This was what the evil persons wanted to hear. They immediately started condemning him and trumpeted to the world at large �Look at this charltan. He does not know the difference between a living and a dead person. Our friend is pretending to be dead. He is now going to get up and denounce this fraud�. Nothing happened. Then they tried to wake him up, thinking that he was asleep. None of their efforts were successful as the person was truly dead! They realized their mistake and begged rAyaru to revive the person, but he pleaded his helplessness since the person�s Ayushya was really over. The men who came to humble rAyaru were themselves humbled and his greatness became even more enhanced.

A point to note is that rAyaru did not curse the man to die or punish the evildoers. It was again Divine will that the conspirators chose a person whose Ayushya was really over and the timing was perfect to humiliate them. The Lord well and truly protects His beloved devotees.

Three forecasts for the one who took three avatAras

Three famous astrologers, known for their ability to predict the future with unerring accuracy, once came to cast the horoscope of rAyaru. They did it separately and came with 3 totally startingly different numbers � 100, 300 and 700! Each was positive about his calculation, but could not explain the difference. When rAyaru heard about this, he laughed and said �They are predicting 3 different entities. One is predicting the lifespan of my body, another my tenure in the brindAvana and the third the influence of my granthAs (literary works).

Personality that influences even inanimate objects

Once some famous scholars came to meet with rAyaru. One the way they got lost and wanted to ask for directions. They noticed a washerman walking with his load on his head, but before asking him a question, they debated amongst themselves in Sanskrit if it was worthwhile asking somebody who looked like an ignoramus. Imagine their surprise, when the washerman interrupted their discussion by saying in chaste sanskrit �If all that you want to know is directions to meet rAyaru then I should be able to help you�. He then gave directions in chaste sanskrit to the embrassed scholars, and proceeded on his way. The scholars rested for a while and then proceeded to the river for their afternoon sandhya. They saw the washerman sitting on the bank. They politely asked him in sanskrit if it was okay to perform sandhyAvandana there. He gave them a blank look and told them rather crudely in the local language �Look, if you want to speak with me, then use a language I can understand�. Even from his tone and grammar it was obvious that he was an illiterate with little or no command over any language. The scholars were surprised since he had spoken to them in Sanskrit a few moments ago! They dismissed him as a madman and proceeded with their task. The washerman left with his load and started walking back slowly. After a while, the scholars passed him again on the road. This time, he politely asked them in chaste sanskrit if they had had any difficulty in locating the road and if they needed any help. The scholars were totally baffled and practically ran away from there.

When they reached the maTha, they spoke to a knowledgeable person and explained the curious phenomenon they had observed. The person laughed and said �Did the washerman have his load on his head when he spoke to you?� When the scholars nodded in reply, he continued �It was not the washerman talking to you. It was the clothes. He was carrying the clothes that our rAyaru had discarded. As long as he had the load on his head, he was a totally different person. Once the load was discarded he became his normal self�. Such was the power of rAyaru�s personality that even the clothes that he had discarded carried mystical powers.

---- Collected by : udnagaraja

Village bumpkin becomes prime minister!

Venkanna was a brahmin boy in a small village under the sovereignty of the Nawab of Adoni. Due to family problems, he was not tutored or taught any useful skills. He was assigned to the task of tending the family�s herd of cows, and thus used to spend his entire days in the countryside watching over the cows. He had heard of the greatness of rAyaru and was eager to meet him and seek his blessings. His prayers were heard because one day the retinue of rAyaru passed close by. He immediately ran to the palanquin that rAyaru was travelling in and prostrated before it. RAyaru looked at him and inquired about his antecedents. Venkanna explained his plight and stood with outstretched palms. RAyaru took pity on the boy and gave him some (mantrAkshate) consecrated rice and told him �When you are in real distress and need my help, put this on your head and think of me�. The palanquin moved on. Venkanna tied the precious rice into a bundle and always carried it with him.

One day, Venkanna was relaxing under the shade of a tree when he saw a noble man get down from a horse and rest under the shade of another tree close by. Curious, he watched him closely and immediately realized that the noble man was none other than the Nawab himself! Even as this realization dawned on him, he saw another man on horseback approaching the Nawab. The new person got down from the horse, prostrated in front of the Nawab and handed him a written scroll. Now, both the Nawab and the rider were illiterate and needed somebody to help them. When the Nawab looked around, he saw Venkanna. He also saw Venkanna�s tuft and his sacred thread and concluded that this was a brahmin. Since brahmins are usually literate, he felt that his problem was solved. He beckoned Venkanna and handing him the scroll, commanded him to read. Poor Venkanna was in a dilemma since he was also illiterate. He could not refuse a direct order of the Nawab since that would mean immediate death, nor could he tell the truth that he was illiterate because the Nawab would not believe him and would think that Venkanna was trying fool him. Caught in this deadly trap, he suddenly remembered the kind guru who had promised to help him in his hour of need. He took the consecrated rice and put it on his head. With this mind full of devotion towards rAyaru and his lips secretly muttering �rAghavEndra, rAghavEndra�, he boldly opened the scroll. Lo behold, the characters on the scroll began to make sense and he could read! It was actually a piece of good news, informing the Nawab that his wife had delivered a baby boy, thus making him a father, something that he was passionately yearning for. When he heard the news, he was overjoyed and immediately took out a pearl necklace from his neck and gave it to Venkanna. However, rAyaru sitting in Venkanna�s mind did not allow him to be satisfied with this. He boldly prostrated before the Nawab and told him �If your Highness is really happy with me, then please give me a good job in your administration. I will serve you faithfully and honestly to the best of my ability�. The Nawab was pleased with this answer and accordingly gave him a good job. Through hard work and diligence, Venkanna worked his way up the ranks and in a short time became the Nawab�s trusted divan. Thus a chance encounter with rAyaru transformed Venkanna�s entire life into a bed of roses!

Nawab tests rAyaru and loses

Once rAyaru visited Adoni and accepted Venkanna�s invitation to stay with him. Venkanna waxed eloquent about rAyaru�s prowess to his Nawab and forced him to visit rAyaru to pay his respects. Now the Nawab was skeptical about rAyaru and did not accept any authority other than Allah and his devotees. He wanted to expose rAyaru and score a point on Venkanna. He secretly ordered for three silver plates, full of meat, but totally covered with silken cloth to be prepared. He took this with him and accompanied Venkanna to the pUja. Along with the offering brought by Venkanna, he also offered his covered plates as naivedya for mUla rAma. RAyaru saw through his guile and sprinkled water from his kamanDala on the plates. Later, he ordered the clothes to be removed. The Nawab was waiting for this moment with bated breath. He was licking his lips in anticipation of unmasking this brahmin swAmiji. When the clothes were removed, they revealed 3 plates full of fresh fruits and flowers! The Nawab was astounded and instantly realized the greatness of rAyaru, and the great sin he had committed by testing this man of god. He immediately prostrated before rAyaru and with tears in his eyes begged his forgiveness. The kind and ever merciful rAyaru forgave him gladly. However, the Nawab was not satisfied, he begged rAyaru to accept some offering from him. rAyaru initially refused saying that he was a sanyAsi who had no desire for worldly things, but the Nawab kept on begging him, so finally he had to agree. He asked for the Nawab to give him the village of manchAle on the banks of the tungabhadra. The Nawab was surprised since that was barren land, yielding no crops or revenue. He tried to talk rAyaru into accepting more fertile land, but rAyaru would not accept anything other than manchAle. The Nawab immediately gifted that village to rAyaru.

2? 2? 2? enter brindAvana

RAyaru summoned his closest disciples and divan Venkanna and told them of his intention to enter a brindAvana live. The devotees were devastated but they could not change his decision since it was Divine will. They wanted to know when he would do so, but he told them that they would find out at the appropriate time.

One day, rAyaru was sitting outside under a tree, conducting a shAstra pATha for this disciples. He suddenly stood up, looked up at the sky and folded his hands in reverence. His disciples were surprised by this, but they also stood up and did exactly as he was doing. Within a moment, a fragrant tulsi garland fell around rAyaru�s neck. When they pressed him for an explanation, he told them �I just saw Krishna Dvaipayana going in a heavenly chariot to vaikunTha. I asked him when my turn would come and he held up his Index and middle finger three times. He finally blessed me by throwing this mAla on me�. The disciples were greatly intrigued by this and wanted to know the significance of this two-two-two. Rayaru smiled and told them �It means that I have 2 years, 2 months and 2 days left before entering the brindAvana!� The disciples calculated the date and concluded that it would be Virodhikruth Samvatsara, Shravana krishna paksha dwitiya (second day in the dark half of the moon, in the Hindu year Virodhikruth).

RAyaru select manchAle for his brindAvana

RAyaru summoned his closest disciples and announced his choice of manchAle as the spot for his brindAvana live in mantrAlaya. They wanted to know what was special about that spot. RAyaru explained the spiritual significance of manchAle as follows:

In one of his earlier incarnation, rAyaru as prahlAda had performed a large yagna in that spot, sanctifying it forever. When arjuna was on his victorious journey in connection with the rAjasUya yAga being conducted by dharmarAja he fought with a local king at this spot. Since the king�s chariot was positioned over that spot, he was invincible. In panic, Arjuna prayed to Krishna for guidance. Krishna appeared before him and told him to move his chariot a little backwards. The local king also foolishly moved his chariot forward and lost the battle immediately. Such was the power of the spot on which prahlAda had performed his yAga.

Venkanna had a beautiful brindAvana be built for rAyaru. But rAyaru did not want to use that and asked him to reserve it for a future personality. He then took Venkanna to a remote spot and showed a black rock. He wanted his brindAvana to be built using the rock. When venkanna wanted to know what was special about that rock, rAyaru explained �While searching for sIta, Lord rama came here. He rested on this rock for a while. Since it has been sanctified by His touch, this rock is the one I want�. The brindAvana built under Venkanna�s guidance was used for shrI vAdIndara tIrtha at a later date.

Visits manchAlAmma and obtains permission

Before entering the brindAvana in manchAle, RAyaru decided to seek the persmission of manchAlamma, the presiding deity of manchAle. Accordingly, he went to her temple and prayed to her. She immediately appeared before him in person and encouraged him to ask her for a boon. RAyaru stated his desire. The dEvi replied �Once your brindAvana is established here, millions will visit manchAle to seek your blessings. I will be totally forgotten and nobody will associate this place with me! My temple will fall destitute without anybody to care for it�. Rayaru replied �I will not let this happen. Here is my promise. If my devotees visit my brindAvana directly, without going to your temple first, then I will not help them. So, if they need my grace, they have to visit your temple first�. When manchAlamma heard this, she was pleased and immediately granted him permission to enter the brindAvAna in manchAle.

ShrAvana bahula bidige

On the day chosen (Virodhikruth Samvatsara Shravana krishna paksha dwitiya - 1671 A.D.), thousands of people had congregated in manchAle to see this rare event of a person entering a brindAvana alive. It had been done before only once � by vAdirAja tIrtha.

As usual, rAyaru got up before dawn, meditating on ShrI Hari and finished his bath during the early hours itself. After his japa and dhyana he gave a discourse on ShrIimadAchArya�s works to his fortunate disciples for the last time. His disciples were grief stricken at the thought that this was going to be their master's last discourse. The master was filled with an overwhelming desire to teach as much as possible and the disciples were anxious and eager to absorb everything. The subject matter was as usual ShrImadAchArya's Bhashya and ShrI JayatIrtha's commentary for it. That day's discourse was the culmination of his life's mission. For the thousands that had gathered there the realisation that they would not see such a treasure house of knowledge hereafter filled them with pain and agony. The discourse came to an end.

After bathing once again he started the puja of ShrI Rama and other icons of the samsthan. After going through all the details of the puja he blessed the entire gathering with tIrtha, prasad and phalamantrakshata. As the appointed time was nearing he went to the spot that was already chosen and sat in padmAsana. He had his japa mala in his right hand and in front of him were all the moola granthas, sarva moola, tikas and tippanis on the vyasa peetha. For a while he was lost in contemplation; then he started his soul-stirring speech.

RAyaru enters brindAvana

RAyaru then took up his veena and started to sing in Bhairavi raaga the famous song,"Indu Enege Govinda" where he extols the Lord as His only Saviour and that he should be pardoned for having led an irreligious life without singing his glories. He ends the song with His mudrika "Dheera Venugopaala Bhaara Kaaniso Hariye". Just as in His previous avatAra as VyAsaraja in this avatara also the blue darling of brindAvan in the form of an icon danced to the melodious of his darling who was going to enter the brindAvan.

After this rAyaru began reciting the pranava mantra. In a very short time he was lost in meditation. He reached the highest point in mediation. His face was serene. He was shining with a rare brilliance.

At one stage the japamala in the master's hand became still. Venkanna and other disciples who understood this sign started arranging the slabs around him. They arranged the slabs upto his head and then as per his earlier instructions they placed a copper box containing one thousand two hundred LakshmInArAyaNa shaligramas that had been specially brought from Gandaki river. Then they placed the covering slab over it and filled it with earth. They poured twelve thousand varahas (abhisheka) over the brindavan that they had built. A grand feast was hosted to commemorate this glorious event.

SAkshI haya syOtra hi

AppanAchArya was rAyaru�s beloved disciple. Most of the sanskrit hymns that we chant today in honor of rAyaru � rAghavEndra stOtra, mangaLAshTaka, danDaka etc � are his compositions. On the day rAyaru was entering the brindAvana, he was on the other side of the tungabhadra river since he had forgotten about the event. When he was reminded of it, he was aghast at his mistake and ran towards manchAle. As he was running, he was composing the famous rAghavEndra stotra (�shrI pUrNabOdha guru tIrtha payobdhi pAra ��). When he reached the river it was in full spate but he did not care and rushed headlong. The power of his devotion was so great that the river parted for him and he reached manchAle quickly. But even this was too late. Just as he came in front of the brindAvana, the last slab had been laid and his beloved guru had vanished from his sight forever. Tears started to gush from his eyes and his voice choked. The stotra had reached its final stanza � kirtir divijita vibhutiratula ..� but he could not continue further. Suddenly, a voice rang out from the brindAvana "sAkshi haya syOtra hI" (meaning that Lord hayagrIva is the witness to the statements made by appanAchArya in his stOtra, and that He would make them all come true). Even today, anybody reciting this stotra with full faith and devotion gets all the grace of rAyaru.

Last shloka of Raghavendra Vijayam.

Santam shrIramaNa priyam yativaram vyAsasya bhAvebrishan
DurvArAmitamAyi bhikshutimire paryasya chandram bhuvi/
Satsandasthutamishta dakshitiruham vandAruvi prAshrayam
Tam NatvA sakalo durUhasudrasham samyAti vidyAdikam//

Those people who bow to Shri Raghavendra, the beloved of the Lord of Lakshmi,
who is a venerable yati (saint), who meticulously follows the words of VEda VyAsa,

who dispels the unbearable, boundless darkness of ignorance caused by illusionist sanyasis just as the moon dispels the darkness,

who is always praised by the noble people, who is verily the wishing tree which satiates all our wishes and

who is always with devout brahmins will their material wants satisfied be endowed with spiritual wisdom, and ultimately get aparoksha JnAna. (Supreme Knowledge)

RAyaru�s literary works

There is a hidden side to the moon that most humans never see or know about. We have a similar side to rAyaru. Most of us know him only as the kind, merciful guru who is always forthcoming in our times of need. There are very, very few people who have not benefitted from his benevolence. One haridAsa says �dhareyoLu gurugaLa more iDalAgada narEre pApigaLella! (those who cannot or do not seek refuge in guru are truly sinners)�. This is the side that is well known. However, there is another side known only to scholars � the writer par excellence who gave us literary gems that would dazzle with their scholastic brilliance. Like the legendary bhagIrtatha maharAja who brought the holy ganga down to earth, rAyaru has made it possible, with his commentaries and notes, for ordinary people to partake of the ambrosia called madhva shAstra. That is why knowledgeable people call him as the �madhva matAmbOdhi chandra� (Moon of the ocean called madhva shAstra).

Over 40 works have been attributed to rAyaru. Most of these are commentaries on the works of shrI MadhvAchArya, jayatIrtha and vyAsatIrtha. The rest include a couple of original works and direct commentaries on the Upanisads and other works. Most of the works are available today, but some are not, and we know of them only through oral tradition i.e., some work or some stOtra mentions a work by rAyaru that is otherwise unknown.

ShrI Rayaru s works are characterized by remarkable clarity of thought, simplicity of expression and compactness. He has brought even very abstruse works of dvaita within the understanding of an average student of the shAstras. This is where the greatness of his success and fame and the universal popularity of his works lies.

The volume of his output is greater. And he brings to bear on the exposition of these texts a profound learning in different shAstras, a clear and simple style and a very lucid way of presenting even the most technical points. It may be no exaggeration to consider him as the foremost among the major nonpolemical writers of the Post vyAsa tIrtha period.

Extraction from gururaghavendra1.org's brief history of Sri Raghavendra

Collected by : udnagaraja

Sri Raghavendraswamy with his guru Sri Sudheendra Threertharu

2008-07-07T19:45:00.006+05:30

पूज्याय राघवेंद्राया सत्यधर्म रतायाचा !
भजतां कल्पवृक्षाय नमताम कामधेनवे!!

Return to sudhIndra tIrtha�s care
To add insult to injury, thieves raided VenkaTanAtha�s house one day and looted whatever little he had in terms of vessels, clothes. After this, he decided to seek refuge in shrI sudhIndra tIrtha as there was absolutely no way of maintaining his family.

Entry into asceticism
shrI sudhIndra tIrtha was on the lookout for a suitable successor to carry on the glorious tradition of his maTha. The more he saw of VenkaTanAtha, the greater was his conviction that he was the right successor. One day, he received an indication in his dream that VenkaTanAtha would be the most ideal successor he could get. He was overjoyed and immediately acted upon this suggestion. He communicated his desire to VenkaTanAtha. VenkaTanAtha was on the horns of a dilemma since he was torn between 2 powerful forces � his respect for sudhIndra tIrtha�s words and his responsibilities as a householder. Finally, after great deliberation, he told sudhIndra tIrtha that he could not take up this responsibility as he had a young wife and a son who was yet to undergo upanayanam. sudhIndra tIrtha was disappointed but not disheartened as he knew ultimately Divine will would prevail and VenkaTanAtha would accede to his request.

Becomes sanyAsi after vidyA lakshmi requests him
That night VenkaTanAtha had a very strange dream. Vidya Lakshmi Herself appeared before him and told him, �After feasting on the intellectual treats provided by ShrI MadhvAchArya, jaya tIrtha, vyAsa tIrtha, vAdirAja and others, I am once again starving. The light of tattvavAda created by your beloved shrImadAchArya will be extinguished by the darkness of other philosophies. To prevent this from happening, noble souls like you should shed their material bondage and dedicate themselves to the cause of hari and vAyu. This is both your duty and your destiny. You are a great soul, destined to provide solace and succor to millions of needy people. Accept sudhIndra tIrtha�s request and take up sanyAsa. You are shrI hari�s beloved devotee and this is what He expects from you�. VenkaTanAtha woke up with a start. His dilemmas were resolved and he was sure where his responsibilities lay.

He convinced his wife and communicated his assent to sudhIndra tIrtha. Within a short time, his son LakshmInArAyaNa�s upanayana was performed and everything was set for his entry into asceticism.

Wife becomes ghost, obtains liberation:
The Sanyasa ordination was arranged to take place on the second day of the bright half of PAlguNa mAsa in the year durmati corresponding to the year 1621. The spot chosen was Tanjore, in order to avoid hurting the feelings of VenkaTanAtha�s young wife Saraswati. Finally, the grand day when VenkaTanAtha would relinquish his life as a householder and become a sanyAsi arrived. Saraswathi was required to stay home. However, at the last minute she was seized by a desire to see her husband�s face for the last time before he became totally inaccessible to her. With this feeling, she ran towards the maTha throwing caution to the winds. Unfortunately, she did not see an old and unused well on the way, and fell into it. She died instantly, but because her death was an untimely one, she became a ghost. Even as a ghost, her only desire was to see her husband and so she went to the maTha. By the time she arrived, the function was over and venkaTanAtha had become a sanyAsi with the AshramanAma of rAghavEndra tIrtha, the only solace for the downtrodden, the last resort for those without hope, the only court where every petitioner is guaranteed to get a patient and understanding hearing, the ocean of mercy that will never deny a deserving plea for help.

With his divine perception, rAyaru sensed saraswati�s presence, even though she was a ghost not visible to human eyes। His heart full of mercy, he sprinkled water from his kamanDala on her. The power of his penance was such that she was immediately granted moksha or liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. This was her reward for a lifetime of dedicated and selfless service to a noble soul.

Ascension as pIThAdhipati (throne of Asecitic)
Around 1623 sudhIndra tIrtha shed his mortal coils at AnEgondi. His brindavan was consecrated there and rAyaru became the Head of the maTha. Yadavendra, a senior disciple of sudhIndra tIrtha disputed this, but his claims were set aside by the Ruler of Tanjore, in favor of rAyaru.

Collected by: U.D. Nagaraja

SRI RAGHAVENDRA SWAMY

2008-07-02T00:01:00.002+05:30

पूज्याय राघवेंद्राया सत्यधर्म रतायाचा !

भजतां कल्पवृक्षाय नमताम कामधेनवे!!

Married life along with continued education
Upon returning from Madurai, VenkaTanAtha was married to Saraswati, who was from a noble family. The Shastras say that for one who has control of his senses, wedded life does not hamper learning. For VenkaTanAtha, most of his learning occurred after marrying Saraswati, through the blessings of Goddess Saraswati. So VenkaTanAtha went to Kumbhakonam, the seat of learning at the time. There he studied dvaita vEdanta, advanced works on grammer and other sastras under sudhIndra tIrtha. He used to stay awake past midnight to write his own comments and notes on the lessons that had been done. He engaged in debate and defeated several scholars of opposing doctrines; one of them was Venkatesvara dIkshita, a famous scholar of the Tanjore court in 1620. Though his victory was not unexpected sudhIndra tIrtha was surprised at his scholarship in grammar, profound knowledge and rare debating skill, and called him "MahAbhAshya VenkaTanAthAchArya". Similarly he explained the significance of taptamudra dhAraNa quoting several smR^iti-s that the opponents had to accept his arguments were irrefutable.

Married Life - utter, dire poverty haunts venkaTanAtha

VenkaTanAtha�s brother arranged for his marriage with saraswathi, a lady from a good family. Saraswathi proved to be an ideal wife to VenkaTanAtha, and the couple had a son whom they named lakshmInArAyaNa.

VenkaTanAtha was a skilled musician and a great scholar, but he never demanded any money for his services and accepted whatever was offered to him. Since this happened very rarely, he had little or no means to support his family and had to endure a life of utter, dire poverty. A description of the hardhips faced by him will melt anybody�s heart. If other families observed EkAdashi twice a month, VenkaTanAtha�s family did that several times in a week. His poverty was so stark that he could not afford a drop of oil to take an oil-bath on a festival day like dIpAvali. His family did not see new clothes for years. Inspite of all this, he never lost his equanimity or wavered in his faith towards the Lord. He continued his self-study, and free teachings, determined to live by whatever came to him unsought and unasked.

Playing with fire - disrespecting a true hari bhakta

VenkaTanAtha once attended a wedding. Since he was poor and not well dressed, the hosts did not treat him well. They thought that he had come for the free food and wanted him to earn his meal. To this end, they asked him to grind sandalwood and generate the paste, to which he readily agreed. Out of habit, he started reciting vedic sUktas while grinding. Soon, the task was done and the paste was handed over to the Brahmins attending the function. When they applied the paste to their bodies, they experienced a strong burning sensation. On further enquiry it was found that unknowingly VenkaTanAtha had recited agni sUkta while grinding the paste. The Brahmins immediately understood that the VenkaTanAtha was a divine personality and his recitation of agni sUkta had invoked the presence of agni in the paste. The host begged VenkaTanAtha for forgiveness and asked him to generate some paste while reciting varuna sUkta. When this paste was applied, the burning subsided. Such was the potency of mantras recited by VenkaTanAtha.

The point to note is that he did not deliberately do this out of anger or sorrow at the host�s disgusting behavior. He took everything with equanimity and did what came naturally to him � pray to the Lord through vedic hymns. It was Divine will that the world at large should learn about the greatness of VenkaTanAtha, and that�s why he ended up reciting agni sUkta.

Collected by: U.D. Nagaraja

BIRTH OF SRI RAGHAVENDRA SWAMY

2008-06-24T01:45:00.004+05:30

पूज्याय राघवेंद्राया सत्यधर्म रतायाचा !
भजतां कल्पवृक्षाय नमताम कामधेनवे!!

ShrI vijaEndra tIrtha and sudhIndra tIrtha:

shrI vyAsa tIrtha had many illustrious disciples, but shri vijayIndra tIrtha was his favorite. VyAsarAyaru was grooming him to be his successor, but destiny willed otherwise. vijayIndraru was handed over to shrI surEndra tIrtharu of vibhudEndra maTha (as it was known then).

Birth and childhood

The fall of the vijayanagar kingdom had an adverse effect on many scholars who depended on royal patronage. Most of them moved south with their families, finding refuge with southern kings and chieftains. One such scholar was Thimmanna Bhatta, grandson of Krishnabhatta, who had tutored King Krishnadevaraya in the veena. Thimmanna belonged to the gautama gOtra and was married to GopikAmba. Initially, this couple had 2 children � GururAja and VenkATamba. Later in 1595, by the grace of Lord Venkateshwara, a third son was born to this couple. They named him VenkaTanAtha (some books refer to him as Venkanna bhatta).

Education
VenkaTanAtha proved to be a very brilliant scholar. This greatness was visible even he was a child. For example, he is supposed to have questioned his father as to how a small object like �Om� could capture the infinite greatness of god. However, his father did not live long enough to see the greatness of his son, he passed away when VenkaTanAtha was still at a very young age.

VenkaTanAtha�s brother took care of his upbringing. The initial portion of his education was under his brother-in-law LakshmInarasimhAchArya of Madurai.

Collected by: U.D. Nagaraja

DIVINE KNOWLEDGE: About madhvacharya

2008-06-24T01:42:00.000+05:30

DIVINE KNOWLEDGE: About madhvacharya

SRI RAGHAVENDRA SWAMY – LIFE & TEACHINGS

2008-06-20T23:01:00.003+05:30

पूज्याय राघवेंद्राया सत्याधार्मारातायाचा !
भजतां कल्पवृक्षाय नमताम कामधेनवे !!

Introduction Antecedents:

It is popular belief, based on testimonials from aparOxa gyAnis, that the incarnations of rAyaru are as follows –

Sankukarna � PrahlAda � bAhlIka � vyAsa tIrtha �Guru rAyaru (Guru Raghavendra).

Let us take a closer look at each person in the lineage.

Sankukarna was a karmaja dEvata assisting chaturmukha brahma in the pUja of the Lord. One day, he was a little late in bringing flowers for the pooja and brahma cursed him to be born on the earth. Obviously this was a pretense since brahma is beyond flaws like anger, greed etc. The real intention of brahma was to pave the way for the incarnation of narasimha and also to show the world the greatness of sankukarna.

The story of prahlAda is very well known and needs no further elaboration. BAhlIka was a very pious king in dvApara yuga. He was a great devotee of Lord Krishna, but due to circumstances beyond his control he ended up fighting against the pAnDavas. He wanted to die at the hands of bhIma and so challanged him to a fight, but bhIma was reluctant to hurt a devotee of the Lord. BAhLika begged him to kill him so that he could take future births and serve him (bhIma or madhvAchArya) with devotion. BhIma agreed to do that provided bAhlika hit the first blow. When bAhlika did as directed, bhIma hit him gently with his formidable mace. Thus bAhlIka got the death he wanted, a heart full of devotion towards Krishna, and the divine sight of Krishna and bhIma at the time of his death.

BAhlIka was reborn as vyAsa tIrtha, one of the most revered mAdhva saints. He was an excellent writer with several great works to his credit, the chief ones being tAtparya chandrika, tarka tAnDava and nyAyamruta. He was the revered rAjaguru who helped king krishnadEvarAya through several major crisis in his life. He was the jeweler who gave us precious gems like purandara dAsaru and kanakadAsaru, and did invaluable service to the cause of haridAsa sAhitya. Above all, he was a very great devotee of hari and vAyu, who established over 732 hanumanta icons including the famous yantrodhdhAraka temple in hampi, personally worshipped Lord Venkateshwara in tirupati for over 12 years and composed hundreds of devotional songs.

vyAsa tIrtha was reborn as venkaTanAtha (who later became rAyaru), with the special grace of hari and vAyu dEvaru. This belief is based on the testimonial of aparOxa gyAnis and has never been questioned.

collected by: u.d.nagaraja

Vishwa Madhwa Maha Parishat

2008-06-17T22:33:00.000+05:30

Vishwa Madhwa Maha Parishat
VMMP has been started by H.H Sri Satyatma Teertha Swamiji

for the multifaceted socioeconomic programmes and

community welfare and medical projects.

Visit www.vishwamadhwamahaparishat.org (Site under construction)

Vishwa Madhwa Maha Parishat USA Branch
Visit www.vmmpusa.org

Madhwa Philosophy

An exclusive site dedicated to Jagdguru Sri Madhwacharya's life and works and siddhanatha by Srimad Uttaradi Matha and VMMP.
Visit www.madhwaphilosophy.org (Site under construction)

Satyadhyana Vidyapeetha (A Model Gurukula)

Founded by Panditratna Late Paramapujya SRI MAHULI R. GOPALACHARYA with the mission To teach and propagate, popularize Indian Philosophy and culture Satyadhyana Vidyapeetha is unique in many ways. Click here to know more about Satyadhyana Vidyapeethas. http://www.madhwaparishat.org / (An Uttaradimath Placement Site). This site is a gift to the Brahmin Samaj from Sri 1008 Sri Satyatma Teerth Swamiji . This is to uplift the down trodden unemployed youth by creating a contact between the companies/firms and the unemployed youth.

Vishwa Madhwa Maha Parishat Belgaum Branch
The Belgaum branch of Vishva Madhava Maha Parishat was inagurated with the blessings of Shri 1008 Shri Shri Satyatma teerth Swamiji of Uttaradi Math by Pandit Shri Jayatheerthacharya Malgi on 4th Auaust 2001, followed by a lecture by Pandit Shri Madhvacharya Mokashi

Click here to know more about http://www.VishwaMadhwaMahaParishat.org

Belgaum Branch.

The life and teachings of SRI Madhvacharya - "THE IT WAY"

2008-05-30T09:10:00.002+05:30

The complete life and teachings of Sri Madhvacharya is presented in a multimedia format, with a fully animated biography based on the authentic descriptions of Sri Madhva Vijaya.

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About madhvacharya

2008-05-17T15:37:00.000+05:30

DIVINE KNOWLEDGE

Satyabodha Tirtharu

Satyabodha Tirtharu

SRI SATYABODHA THIRTHARU – click here

Ashrama Sweekara - 1744

Ashrama GurugaLu - Sri Satyapriya Thirtharu

Ashrama Shishyaru – Sri Satya Sandharu

Vrundavana pravesha – 1783

I-Day Special Telecast

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Janmashtami 2009 | Sri Krishna Janmashtami | Shri Krishna Janmashtami Krishna Jayanthi August 14th 2009 |

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SRI VINAAYAKA CHATURTHI

ಚತುರ್ವಿಮ್ಷತಿ ಕೇಶವ ರೂಪ to be meditated during Sandhya, Devarapuje, homAdhigalu:

Bhagavad Gita

श्रीमद भगवतगीता

Contents

SRI RAGHAVENDRA SAMY - After Sanyasa Sweekara

Sri Raghavendraswamy with his guru Sri Sudheendra Threertharu

SRI RAGHAVENDRA SWAMY

BIRTH OF SRI RAGHAVENDRA SWAMY

DIVINE KNOWLEDGE: About madhvacharya

SRI RAGHAVENDRA SWAMY – LIFE & TEACHINGS

Vishwa Madhwa Maha Parishat

The life and teachings of SRI Madhvacharya - "THE IT WAY"

About madhvacharya