Sunday, January 14, 2024

Loving Sri Rama as a child and Srirangam

Loving God as a child! A wonderful relationship with divinity indeed! What will make a puny human being, given to imperfections, given all diseases and uncertainties, given all ignorance and possible errors ? It is really a bold dash due to pure love. Love knows no fear or hesitation. The trembling being becomes a terrible being of love and affection. When the heart begins to talk, all calculations and account-keeping are thrown away. Not only by the human being but also by the Paramatma itself, so say the great masters of commentary in the world of Divya Prabandham. 

They compare it to the instance which used to happen in the King's Chamber or King's Asthana Sabha. If a person becomes close to the Royal heart, then the official in charge removes all the accusation-olais from his bunch. Or even if he ventures to take it out to the King's attention, the King shows his dissuading gesture and never again the rejected olai sees the sunlight. 

If such is the case, what to say about the greatest supreme authority, Bhagavan? To become close to God is understandable. But to consider Bhagavan as one's own child and show concern and extreme love as its father or mother! What is that psychology! Kulasekara Alwar does exactly that in the case of Sri Rama. Not only he rants as his father on separation. But more so Kulasekara puts the toddler Rama, RamLalla into the cradle and sings Talaattu for him in the Bhava of Kausalya. 

Bhaktas have sung many songs to Child Krishna. But singing as a mother or a father to the Child Rama is rare, at least in the South. In the North it is more prevalent. Even persons are named after the child Rama, Ramlal. The brother of Sri Ramakrishna was named as Ramlal. And a sadhu came to Dakshineswar who used to have constant experience of Sri Rama as Ram Lalla. But the Child Ram on seeing Sri Ramakrishna clang to him never leaving him. The Sadhu became reconciled to the fact after realising the avatar nature of Sri Ramakrishna. So Child Rama is not so strange in the North. 

Embar Vijayaraghavacharya used to say in humour in his Katha Kaalakshepa. "This Valmiki happened to be an astute and austere ascetic, that he rarely talks about the childhood pranks of Sri Rama. He is so irritatingly sober and serious-minded. Whereas, see our Suka! Actually he must be totally unmindful of child pranks and domestic details, being an ecstatic person of supreme spirituality. But this Paramahamsa is so meticulous in his details about the Bala Krishna, so much so, we are blessed to have such a log book on the childhood pranks and naughty events." 

So in this context, Kulasekara is a very happy alternate voice talking about Ram Lalla or Child Rama. In his ten verses, which Kulasekara sings, taking the standing Krishna in Kannapuram as Sri Rama in his bhava, Kulasekaraa swings between the identities of himself and Mother Kausalya. It is this frequent shift between two states of feelings that make this Tirumozhi of ten pasurams very absorbing.

Perumal Tirumozhi 8 'Mannu pugazh kausalai tan..' 

1. 

Talelo Raghava ! Talelo my everlasting amruta! 

You have blessed the precious Kausalya by your birth 

You have cut the ten heads of the King of Lanka 

You are the blue gem in Kannapuram of unsurpassed ramparts. 

Talelo Raghava! Talelo the ruler of all directions ! 

You created all the worlds through your Navel Lotus 

You vanquished the demoness Tataka by tilting your bow 

Whoever has darsan of you in Kanapuram, their wishes you fulfill 

Such a miracle gem are you! 

Talelo Raghava! Talelo you sweet amrutha of our royal clan! 

You are the great child born to bless the clan of Kausalya 

And you are the worthy son-in-law of the famous Janaka 

You are like your father Dasaratha! 

You are the wonderful blue gem of Kanapuram 

where the rivers are holier than Ganga 

Talelo Raghava! Talelo You the wielder of ever vibrant bow! 

You created the creating deity Ayan on the lotus 

You the great child of Dasaratha! 

And you the great consort of Mythili! 

You the bluish gem of Kanapuram 

Where the bees are humming the Kamara tunes 

Talelo my Dasarathee! Talelo your ruling hairdo! 

The rule of the wide world, you gave unto your brother Bharatha 

And you went to the forest along with your loving brother 

Sri is always ruling your chest. Oh King of Kanapuram! 

Talelo Sri Rama! Talelo you obeyed the words of your step-mother 

When you went to the forest all the clans followed thee thither 

You are the precious medicine for the austere renunciates 

You are the Lord of Ayodhya for ever 

You are my wonderful blue gem of Kanapuram 

Where reside the learned who ever reap their learning in Thee. 

Talelo You King of Ayodhya! Talelo you Lord of Alinagar ! 

Being a child on the leaf of banyan your swallowed the whole universe ! 

And you killed Vali and gave the rulership to the next brother 

Like windfall the gems are poured by rivulets into the main streams 

And you are the wonderful blue gem ruling my heart. 

Talelo Sri Rama! Talelo the Valient ! Talelo the dextrous wielder of bow ! 

Making a bridge with mountain you vanquished the walled-in Lanka 

Churning the turbulent seas you extracted the immortal amrutha 

And gave to all the Devas 

Scholars excellent in all the arts live cherishing thee in Kanapuram, my blue gem! 

Talelo Raghava! Talelo you make all who resort to you, your own kith and kin. 

So full of grace are you. 

Dasaratha with swaying locks of hair.. and you his great heir 

Curving the bow you crushed the walled-in city of Lanka 

Weeded out Sengazhuneer blossom forth as it is 

So rich is thine Kanapuram and you are the wonderful Blue gem 

10 

Talelo Raghava! Talelo the dextrous wielder of vibrant bow! 

You created the Devas, Asuras and  all the space around 

And reclined in yogic sleep in Srirangam, all devotees worshiping Thy Lotus Feet 

Kaveri, the river is jubilant everywhere 

And you are the wonderful blue gem in Kanapuram 

11 

Whoever learns these ten verses deep of Kulasekara 

Who seeing Kakusta, Sri Rama in the deity standing at Kanapuram 

And as a mother has sung this lullaby on the Lord 

Residing within the unsurpassed walls of Kanapuram, 

These verses of Kulasekara, holding the spear under the arching royal umbrella,

Whoever learns deep in heart, such are devotees becoming and proper. 

In the tenth verse we can see Kulasekara suddenly brings in Srirangam in the voice of Kausalya. Why? 

Kausalya singing so far on the child in the cradle, suddenly becomes concerned about RamLalla and wants to do Raksha for the child's welfare. So she is invoking the Kula Devata of Ikshwakus, who is none other than Sri Ranganatha of Srirangam. 

Let us meditate on Sri Rama and Mother Kausalya and Kulasekara Alwar and pray for Ram Lalla! 

Srirangam Mohanarangan 

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