श्रीमद्रामायणस्तुतिः - भागः १

Any word or feeling (positive or negative) expressed by noble people will result in good only, which is not the case for ordinary people like, say me. What is the proof? The below verse conveys:

पुण्यश्लोकायनं जातं शोकात्तथापि शोभनम् ।

अथवा महतां सर्वं समंगलाय कल्पते ।। 1 ।।

पुण्यश्लोक a famous person or noble character (here Rama) अयनं story (contextual) जातं was born शोकात् from sorrow तथापि even then शोभनम् beautiful or auspicious अथवा or महतां of noble (for the noble) सर्वं all beginnings (good or not) समंगलाय for auspicious कल्पते turns out

Ramayana was born from an emotion of sorrow and anger (not a good omen) yet it is beautiful and divine. Or, of the noble, all beginnings, good or not, turn out to be good!

This is based on the verse from Ramayana

समाक्षरैश्चतुर्भिर्यः पादैर्गीतो महर्षिणा ।

सोऽनुव्यवहाराद् भूयः शोकः श्लोकत्वमागतः ।। 1.2.40

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Subject matter is Ramayana! tweaking a sruti verse and using it.

का श्रुतिर्नाम को धर्मः धर्मस्वरूप! तेऽयनम् ।

मदयनाय विद्येत नान्यः पन्था हि मे प्रभो!।। 2 ।।

The Sruti नान्यः पन्था अयनाय विद्यते has been tweaked a bit! Dharmasvarupa! (Rama)! What is Sruti? I do not know (I have not done Adhyayana, not that had I done I would have ...whatever) what is dharma? I do not know (the import of Sruti). My Lord! Let your ayana (Ramayana) be my rescue or redemption measure! There is no other go for me! In that, let the rest of my time be spent!

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Srimad Ramayana elucidates the doctrine of saranagati or surrender. It describes the movement (story) of the Saranya (sole refuge of all) in his human incarnation. The Brahman took a human form and the devas took the form of monkeys. It was a divine drama by them! I salute that Ramayana!

शरणागतिसिद्धान्तं शरण्यगतिवर्णनम् ।

वन्दे तद्ब्रह्मणा देवैः नरवानरनाटकम् ।। 3 ।।

शरणागति surrender सिद्धान्तं doctrine of शरण्य The supreme refuge गति movement वर्णनम् description of वन्दे I salute तद् that ब्रह्मणा by Brahman देवैः Devas (सह) (along with) नर man वानर monkey नाटकम् drama.

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For a person who is conversant to read the Devanagari script, Srimad Ramayana is relatively easier to read and enjoy than compared to Srimad Bhaghavatham. The latter is famous for dashama skanda that describes Krishna's birth and Lila! So we may presume the latter is about Krishna.

Here in this verse a reason is attributed for the easiness and toughness of both from a reading perspective!

चरणं सुलभं राम! रामायणमतो यथा ।

भगवन्! कृष्ण! नास्तीह श्रीमद्भागवतं तथा ।। 4 ।।

अन्वय: भगवन् राम! यथा (तव) चरणं सुलभं अतः श्रीमद्रामायणं सुलभम्। भगवन् कृष्ण चरणं (तव) तथा (यथा रामस्य) सुलभं नास्ति अतः इह (नः) श्रीमद्भागवतं सुलभं नास्ति ।

Lord Rama! Your conduct was easy to comprehend (relatively, a few questions are there for a common person) and therefore Srimad Ramayanam is also (here). Lord Krishna your conduct was not easy to comprehend (no answers for so many questions like rasa krida). Srimad Bhaghavatham is also not easy for us to read and understand!

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Ramayanam is full of noble characters preaching and practising dharma. Sumitra, mother of Lakshmana is one. While Kausalya requested Rama not to go to the forest, Sumitra boldly advises her son thus:

भ्रातरं जनकं मत्वा मातरं जनकात्मजाम् ।

शुश्रूषस्व वने वत्स! योवाचेति भजे हि ताम् ।। 5 ।।

भ्रातरं Brother (Rama) जनकं father मत्वा having thought मातरं mother जनकात्मजाम् Janaka's daughter, Sita शुश्रूषस्व serve वने in the forest वत्स child या who उवाच said इति thus भजे I salute हि indeed ताम् her

I salute her who said to her child thus: 'Think your brother (Rama) to be your father, Sita to be your mother and serve them always in the forest', (when he sought permission to go to forest!)

Valmiki Rishi's original verse (Ayodhya kanda 2.40.9):

रामं दशरथं विद्धि मां विद्धि जनकात्मजाम् ।

अयोध्यामटवीं विद्धि गच्छ तात यथासुखम् ।।

Know Rama to be Dasaratha, Sita to be myself, the forest to be Ayodhya, and go happily, my child!

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This verse salutes Lakshmana, who was the tanuja (son) of Sumitra, who was just an extension (taanaka) the svabhAva of Sumitra, who was the anuja (younger brother) of Rama hence Ramanuja and also his first sesha (kinkara)!

सुमित्रातनुजं चापि तस्याः स्वभावतानकम् ।

आदिशेषं नु सौमित्रिं रामानुजं भजे हि तम् ।। 6 ।।

सुमित्रातनुजं Son of Sumitra चापि as well तस्याः her स्वभाव nature's तानकम् extension आदिशेषं first servant नु indeed सौमित्रिं Saumitri रामानुजं younger brother of Rama भजे I salute हि indeed तम् him

I salute him, Saumitri, who is the son of Sumitra, an extension of her nature, the first sesha, indeed, the younger brother of Rama!

The use of words tanuja, anuja, taanaka, Sumitra, Saumitri may be enjoyed!

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This one is on Shurpanaka! Someone asked me a question on why Shurpanaka was punished! She just desired to enjoy the pleasure of being with Paramatma, Rama! Can't it be taken that way? Just like Gopikas!

I do Srimad Ramayana Parayanam everyday and I waited for this day wherein the sarga (chapter) is about Shurpanaka meeting the trio!

Despite Rama telling her about his background and following of dharma, she makes advances by boasting her family background (porantha aathu perumai) and threatening to eat Sita and Lakshmana! This is purely rajasic and tamasic and rightly she lost her ears and nose!

या कामिनी चापि निशाचरी सा सीतासमेतं सततं सशेषम् ।

धर्मं विनाऽभून्ननु यातुकामा श्रुत्या च हीनाऽऽशु विनष्टनासा ।। 7 ।।

या who कामिनी the lustful चापि as well as निशाचरी demoness तं Him सीतासमेतं the one with Sita सततं always सशेषम् with Lakshmana धर्मं dharma विना without अभूत् became ननु indeed  यातुकामा desirous of attaining (सा she) श्रुत्या ears च and हीना without आशु very soon विनष्टनासा one without a nose (अभूत् became)

The lustful demoness who wanted to attain him (Rama), who was with Sita and Lakshmana, without any dharma, indeed ended up soon without nose and ears!

Since her approach was wrong and filled with Ahamkara she was punished! She was just like her brother - desiring another's spouse!

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What is Ramayana? It may be simply put like this!

A tiger among men, along with monkeys, kills an elephant on rut - this is indeed RAMAYANA - thus sings the cuckoo in spring! Rama, along with, Sugriva, Hanuman and others killed Ravana - This is Ramayana indeed - sings Valmiki happily!

कपिभिर्नरशार्दूलः हन्ति प्रमत्तवारणम् ।

एतद्रामायणं नूनं वसन्ते पिककूजनम् ।। 8 ।।

कपिभिः along with monkeys नरशार्दूलः a man-tiger हन्ति kills प्रमत्त on rut वारणम् elephant एतत् this is रामायणम् Ramayana नूनं indeed वसन्ते in spring पिककूजनम् cooing of the cuckoo thus!

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May be this sloka appears as a distant star in the horizon of Sanskrit poetry, if scholars agree.

Context: Rama killed Vali by hiding outside battle field. Tara, Vali's wife wept along with her son. Metre: upendravajra

ममार रामो हृततारचन्द्रः पतिं कपीनामरणे परोक्षम् ।

रुरोद तारा हृतचन्द्रतारा निजांगजेनेव सहांगदेन ।। 9 ।।

ममार kiiled रामः Rama  हृततारचन्द्रः like a moon without stars  पतिं lord कपीनां of monkeys अरणे outside battlefield  परोक्षम् hiding रुरोद cried तारा Tara, Vali's wife हृतचन्द्रतारा like a star without moon निजांगजेन with her own son सह along अंगजेन Angada...

Rama, shining like a moon without stars (stars are moon's wives, Sita not being there), kiiled Vali outside the battlefield by hiding. Tara cried like a star without moon (moon being the husband of stars) along with her son Angada.

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Context: Vali was killed and Sugriva was coronated and rainy season followed. Rama, the Lion he is, refused to go to Kishkintha (a town) owing to his vow and stayed in the cave (forest) previously occupied by Sugriva and spent the four month rainy season in sorrow. Sugriva, on the other hand enjoyed the same period as he got back what he lost.

गुहां परित्यज्य गृहं विवेश कपिस्सहर्षं स सवर्षकाले ।

गृहं विहायैव गुहां प्रविश्य हरिस्सशोकं च निनाय कालम् ।। 10 ।।

गुहां cave परित्यज्य having left गृहं home विवेश entered  कपिः monkey सहर्षं happily स that सवर्षकाले in rainy season गृहं wife (house as well) विहायैव without गुहां cave प्रविश्य having entered हरिः Lion (Rama) सशोकं in grief  च and निनाय spent कालम् his time.

Abandoning the cave, entered his home, that monkey (Sugriva) happily. Having left his wife (home), the Lion (Rama) entered the cave and spent his time in sorrow. There is a saying in Sanskrit गृहिणी गृहमुच्यते । wife is indicated by the word gruha...in Tamil also இல்லாள்.