1 (Part 10) The accomplishment of Tatwa in Sundarakanda While reading Sundarakanda, the story will continue out side, and inside every Sloka (A couplet of Sanskrit verse) will give the secrets of upasana (A method of worship). Why should one do parayana (Reading of Scriptures)? We all have born as human beings. In this birth, one should know Parabrahmaswaroopa. What is Para Brahma swaroopa? It is the one who can neither establish with mind nor voice. If one really desires to tell, the voice is not sufficient. The exception is Sundarakanda, which enables to know Parabrahama, even if one desires to travel in the itinerary of any of the noted Sampradayas (Traditions) such as Srividyasampradaya, Advaitha, Dvaitha or Vishishatadvaitha. This is mainly a Brahmopadesa to every one who narrates it. This begins with Tat and ends with Tat. The entire vakhyana Tat denotes tatwamasi (That Thou Art) which is nothing but Parabrahma. Tat, twam, asi means that is you and you alone. When we analyse the mahavakya (Profound statement) Tatwamasi, it will lead us to the awareness I am that and That I am. So in both the sides, there is Parabrahma and in between, there are Hanuman and Seethamatha. As such, the entire episode which is in between the Tat will integrate into: Brahmamayam Jagtsarwam. Further for entire lokas Seetha has appeared as Seetha and Rama has appeared as Rama; but for Hanuman, Rama had appeared in Seetha. This is the achievement of a devoted Sadhaka (Spiritual aspirant) to find an advaithaswaroopa (non duality) of God. What is Advaitha Vedanta? The doctrine of advaitha Vedanta as expounded by Jagadguru Adi Sankara can be summed up in half a verse: Brahma Satyam Jagan Mithya JivO Brahmaiva Na aparah" Brahman (the Absolute) is alone real; this world is unreal; and the Jiva or the individual soul is non-different from Brahman. This is the quintessence of his philosophy.
2 According to Sri Sankara, whatever is, is Brahman. Brahman Itself is absolutely homogeneous. All difference and plurality are illusory. The philosophy of Tatwa of the chapter at a glance: This begins with the following Sloka: tato raavananiitaayaah siitaayaa SSatrukarSanaha, iyesha padamanveshtum caaranaa carite pati. 1. tatah = after that, 2. SatrukarSanaha = the destroyer of foes (Hanuman) 3. iyesha = desired to (travel in) 4. pati = the path, 5. caaranaa carite = tread by caaranas, 6. anveshtum = to search for, 7. siitayaah padam = Seetha s place, 8. raavana niitaayaah = taken away by Ravana. Outer meaning: After that, Hanuman, the destroyer of foes, desired to travel in the sky where celestials like caaranas tread, to search for Seetha, who was taken away by Ravana. Spiritual meaning: The king of ten indriyas (Senses) is mind - Ravana. Nature - Seethamatha, the guider of wisdom - Anjaneya, Charanas - philosophers, the path showed by them - idyllic path. Here the word Satrukarshanaha (destroyer of foes) is referred to Anjaneya. In Ramayana no where it is said that Anjaneya had fought with any body, prior to his leaping over the vast ocean. In such a case, what is the intention of Maharshi to use this word? Here the meaning is winning the indriyas (organs) which are called as Samam (tranquility) and Damam (temperateness). One is bahyendriya (external organ) while the other is antharyendriya (internal organ). By winning these, Anjaneya is considered as Yogi. Veda says Antharbhahitatsarwam vyaapya naaraayana stitaha
3 and Antarmukha samaaraadhya, bahirmukha sudurlabha. As far as Yogi or Sadhaka is concerned, he will always concentrate on internal look rather than external. Such concentration only enables sadhaka to see Athmaswaruupa. Here Athmaswaruupa is nothing but Seethamatha. The external look is quite different to that of internal meaning. On this Sloka, there are countless vyakhyanas by eminent scholars. One important vakhyana is that the second word of Ravana that is va and the twelfth letter of Gayathri Manthra is the same and this is considered as beejakshara. In the second Sloka of the chapter also, Maharshi had established Siva Tatwa, in his great epic of Vishnu avatar, in an unequivocal methodology. The Sloka reads as under: dushkaram nishpratidvandvam cikiirshan karma vaanaraha, samudagrasirogriivo gavaam pati rivaababhau. 1. vaanaraha = The monkey (Hanuma), 2. cikiirshan = who desired to perform, 3. karma = a deed, 4. dushkaram = (which is) impossible to do, 5. babhau = shone, 6. gavaam pati iva = like a bull, 7. nishpratidvandvam = without any obstacles, 8. samudagrasirogriivaha = with a raised head and neck. Hanuma who desired to perform a deed done by no one else shone like a Bull without any obstacles, with his stretched neck and raised head. Here Maharshi Valmiki used the word Gavampathi ivaababhau, which means Shone like a bull. How is the bull? It is with a raised head and neck. What is the similarity of Anjaneya and the bull? This contains a very special spiritual analysis, if it is looked into transcendental perception. The Bull is nothing but Nandi the vahana of Lord Siva and therefore connected to Siva Tatwa.
4 Lord Siva appears as Ashta Murthis. They are 1. Sarva, 2. Bhava, 3. Bharga, 4. Rudra, 5. Ugra, 6. Bheema, 7. Pasupathi Mahadeva and 8. Esaana. These ashtamurthis are: 1.Prithvi Lingam -- Kanchi Puri, 2.Jala Lingam -- Jambukeswaram, 3.Agni Lingam -- Arunachalam, 4.Akasa Lingam -- Chidambareswaram, 5.Vayu Lingam -- Sri Kalahasti, 6.Chandra Lingam -- Seethagundam, 7.Surya Lingam -- Konark, 8.Yajamana Lingam -- Pasupathinath. (Yajamana is nothing but Jiva.) In all the Siva temples, Nandi appears in lying posture, where as in Pasupathinath temple, Nandi appears in standing position, lifting its head, keeping its half-tongue out and facing Lord Siva. The beauty is that every animal will see fruits, flowers or any eatables only. Where as Nandi in front of Lord Siva sees only Siva and nothing else in the universe. Even though Nandi has born with pasaas as an animal, due to its constant sight on Siva, it also becomes Siva and there will not be any difference in between them and therefore Nandi is called Nandikeswara. That is the reason; one should not go in between Siva Linga and Nandi and should not differentiate between Jiva and Brahma. Brahmajnana will not come by mere reading books. It should come by the vision of inner self. Whenever we want to have Siva darsana in any temple, the role of Nandi is well elucidated in the following Sloka. vrushasya vrushanam thrushtwa, SrungamadhyE Sivaalayam, drushta vaksanam naroyaathi, kailaase Siva sannidham. The vrushanas of Nandi should be touched with the right hand for a moment and leave. Then keeping the thumb and the index finger
5 of the left hand on the srungas (Horns) of Nandi, one should see the Sivalinga chanting Hara Hara Mahadeva Sambho Sankara. This is equal to Siva darsan in Kailas. If it is thought in terrestrial way, is it possible to touch the vrushanas of a bull? Will it allow? No. It should be taken in a spiritual way and then it comprehends that the bull had disorientated the worldly attachments by its interminable perception on Lord Siva. Coming to the subject matter, the vision of Anjaneya is engrossed on Seetha (Jaganmaatha) symbolizing Nandi to Lord Siva. If we go through the esoteric meaning of the chapter, each and every Sloka has incorporeal, metaphorical, celestial and tatwic composition. The chapter ends with the following Sloka which also begins with Tat. tato mayaa vaagbhiradiina bhaashinaa, Sivaabhi rishtaabhi rabhiprasaadithaa Jagaama Saantim mama maithilaatmajaa, tavaapi SOkEna tadaabhipiidithaa. 1. tataha = thereafter, 2. tava SOkEna api = though tormented with thought of Your sorrow too, 3. abipiiditaa = the tormented, 4. maithila atmajaa = Seetha, 5. abhiprasaadita = was smoothened, 6. mayaa = by me, 7. adiina bhaashinaa = through comforting works, spoken, 8. mama vaagbhir = and by my words, 9. Sivaabhir = which were well disposed, 10. ishtaabhir = and agreeable, 11. jagaama = obtained, 12. Saanthim = peace of mind. "Thereafter, soothened by me with comforting, well-disposed and agreeable words, Seetha, though tormented with thought of your grief, obtained peace of mind."
6 Thus completes 68th Chapter of Sundarakanda of the glorious Ramayana of Valmiki, a tatwic (Fundamental cosmic precepts) recitation and the work of a sage and the oldest epic.