DhyAnam:
RAMAM PURAANA PURUSHAM RAMANEEYA VESHAM
RAJAATHIRAAJA MAKUTAARCHITA PAADHA PEETAM |
SITAAPATHIM SUNAYANAM JAGADEKA VEERAM
SRI RAMACHANDRAM ANISAM KALAYAAMI CHITTEH ||
—–SRI RAMA KARNAAMRUTHA SLOKAM
GS: 26 Pisitha ruchi vihita dhuritha valamathana tanaya balibhuganugathi sarabhasa sayana truNa sakala paripathana bhaya chakitha Sakala Sura munivara bahumatha mahaastra Saamarthya! Jaya! Jaya!
( Meaning ) : O Lord of incomparable valor whose skillsin endowing a mere blade of grass with the power of Brahmaasthram! You sent that blade of grass from your darbha mattress, when You were horrified to see the apachaaram done by KAkAsura to your Devi out of his desire for eating flesh. All the Devas and sages were afraid that the Darbham consecrated by you to have the power ofthe mighty BrahmAsthram would land on them, when KaaakAsuransought them as refuge. O Lord of such valor! Hail to Thee!Hail to Thee!
(Musings ) : KaakAsuran( Crow) was the son of Indran, the king of Devaas. Kaakasuran saw Sita Devi in Chitrakutam. She was holding the head of Sri Rama on her thigh as he was takingrest. The crow slowly approached the Jaganmaathaa and took asecond peck at her breast because of his desire for eating flesh. Blood poured out and fell on the sleeping Rama’s head. Sita Devi would not move since she did not want to wake up Rama by her movement. The contact of the warm blood however woke up Rama and he sized up the situation immediately.
Rama was outraged by the aparaadham of the crow and he consecrated a blade of Dharbhaa graas from his bed and directed it at the Crow, which was rushing away out of fear of Sri Rama. That blade of grass possessing the power of the mighty Brahmaastram chased the Crow in all the three worlds. Thecrow sought refuge at his father’s feet. Indra was afraid to give protectionto his own son for fear of the damage that will come to him from Rama’sarrow ( empowered Blade of grass ). The Crow flew off to the abodes of Brahma, Rudraa and sages. None of them wanted to get in the way of the Brahmaasthram for fear of their own lives. They saluted the power of the Lord’s blade of grass and were awe struck at the event of that blade of grass chasing the guilty crow acros the entire span of the Universes. The arrow chased the Crow with vigor,when it flew in a direction away from Rama and slowed down, whenthe Crow flew in the direction of Rama.
GS 27: DRUHINA HARA VALATHANA DHURAARAKSHA SARALAKSHA! JAYA! JAYA!
(Meaning ) : O Lord whose arrow’s aim can not be interfered with even by Brahmaa, Rudraa and Indraa. They could not protect the object of your arrow’s target with their power. Hail to Thee!Hail To Thee!
(Musings ) : The incident of the Apacharam of KaakAsuran took place in Chitrakutam. There is however no mention of this incident by Sage Valmiki in the Ayodhyaa Khaandam verses dealing with the life of the divine couple at Chitrakootam.This incident s mentioned by Sita Devi in Ashoka Vanamin Sundara Khaandam in her conversations with Hanumanin the 38 th sargam. She was recalling the anger of Rama at the ApachAram of the Crow towards her and was telling Hanuman that she could not understand how Rama is now indifferent to the heinous act of RavaNaa, who kidnapped her and held her as a prisoner away from Rama.
She recites at length the incident of the Crow hurting her and Rama’s rage at the crow. Swami Desikan in his Chillarai Rahasyam known as “Abhaya Pradhaana Saaram” dwells at length on Kakasuran’s Aparaadham and Rama’s Kaarunyam as SaranAgatha Rakshakan even in the case of the most undeserving KaakAsuran. Swami Desikan cites this incident as one of the many (VibhishaNa SaraNaagathi, Samudra Raja saraNaagathi et al ) to justify his insightful description of Srimad RaamaaYaNam as the SaraNaagathi Saastram.
Kaakasuran ran everywhere in the three worlds and could not escape from the Brahmaastram of Rama and could not gain the protection of any one to save him from the wrath of the blade of grass.He fell at the feet of Rama finally and sought his pardon. Sage Valmiki describes the plight of KaakAsuran and his SaraNaagathi in Sundara Khandam through Sita’s words :
THREEN LOKAAN SAMPARIKRAMYA TAMEVA SARANAM GATHA :
The SaranAgatha RakshaNam of the Lord is beautifully described by the Adi Kavi this way :
SA THAM NIPATHITHAM BHUMOU SARANYA: SARANAAGATHAM |
VADHAARHAMAPI KAAKUTSTHA : KRUPAYAA PARYAPAALAYATH ||
Sundara Khaandam Sargam 38 verse 34.
The crow had fallen at the feet of the Lord. That crow was fit to be killed (Vadaarhan ). He was begging for his life (PraaNarthi). The Lord gave him the boon of life ( PraaNa Dhaanam ). One of the reason for Rama’s saving Kakasuran’s life was due to the presence of the Parama KaaruNikatvaam of the Piraatti,who was standing next to Rama. This is the Rahasyam behind the fulfilment of the SaraNaagathi of Kakaasura by Rama according to Swami Desikan.
VARAM NA YAACHEH RAGHUNAATHA YUSHMATH
PAADAABHJA BHAKTHI: SATATHAM MAMAASTHU |
IDHAM PRIYAM NAATHA! VARAM PRAYACCHA
PUNA: PUNA : TVAAM IDHAMEVA YAACHEH ||
(MEANING): O Saranagatha Vatsala Rama! O Bhaktha Vatsala Raghu Naathaa!I am not asking You for any boon except one. May I be blessed with devotion for your lotus feet always! This is dear to me my Lord. please give me this boon. I will be asking you for this boon again and again.
Sri Jaanaki RamaNa Parabrahmaneh Nama:
Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan
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