ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN Part 8:
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
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SLOKAM 26: ?SUFFERING FROM SELECTIVE BLINDSPOT??

Tvam dakshiNasya nivasan udadhEstaTEpi
dooraantarOthara payOdhi mahaantarEpE /
daityaan nijaika sara paaraNayan, kim Etaam
lankaam sthitO atra kurushE na kila sma bhasma??

?Stationed on the shores of the vast seas in the far south, how come you
were able to direct a single arrow at the Northernmost seas to feed it with
the lives of some demons living there and yet you could not reduce to
cinders the city of Lanka that was so near at hand??

NOTES:

? When the Ocean king did not heed his prayers to help even after Sri
Rama
did ?pratisayanam?, Sri Rama got so mad at the Ocean king that he invoked
fire weapon ?agni astra? swearing to dry up the waters of the ocean. At that
moment, the Ocean King came along with his wives and pleaded to be excused
and surrendered to Sri Rama.
Prithivee vaayur aakaasam aapO jyOtis cha Raaghava/
svabhaavE soumya tishTanti saaswatam maargam aasritaa://
? While Sri Rama was prepared to excuse, he told him that once drawn, his
arrow cannot go in vain without hitting a target and asked him where to
direct his arrow.
? The Ocean king seized on the opportunity and replied that there were
quite
a few of his enemies who were encroaching his domain in a place called
?drumagulyam? in the northernmost corner of Bhaaratavarsha and they were
tormenting him along with demons known as ?dasyus? and ?aabheeras?.
? Sri Rama agreed and directed his arrow towards them and decimated them.
Due to the extreme heat of the agni astram, that portion of sea got dried up
and became a desert called ?marukaantaaram?.
? Sargam 22 of Yuddha khaaNDam describes this incident and even mentions
how a spring called ?VriNa koopam? appeared wherefrom water spouted from the
parched ground.
? Swami Desika mentions this incident in his ?Abhaya Pradaana Saarm? and
says that since the Ocean king surrendered and the Lord is compassion
incarnate, he directed the arrow against the enemies of the Ocean king like
diverting the sins of Prapannas towards those inimical to them.
?Samudrathaik kurithu toDutha ambai samudra abhimaani purushan
saanutaapanaai saraNaagatan aagaiyaalE - dvishattugaL pakkalilE aasritar
uDiaya paapa krityathai EriDum kaNakkilE samudra virOdhigaL aana paapishTar
pakkalilE Evinaar?
? It is clear, therefore, that it was Ocean king who really surrendered
to
Sri Rama and not the other way about. What Sri Rama did was just a
?pratisayanam? as already indicated.
? ?This has exposed your Paratvam? says Azhwaan and asks Sri Rama
?Were you suffering from selective blind spot that you could not see your
own enemy who was very much near at hand at Lanka and whom you could have
finished then and there? Obviously, your antics in constructing a bridge
with the help of the monkey battalion for crossing the seas was a ?make-
believe? and a drama. Who are you trying to fool??
? This is akin to the preposterous coronation of VibheeshaNa while on
this
side of the ocean with an unconquered enemy very much in power at the other
shore.
? Swami Desika links the two events in his SaraNaagati Baashyam.
?jeevatyapi mahaabalE RaavaNE agarOpya langghitE vibheeshanam abhishinchataa
darsitO ayam guNa:/ (StOtra Baashyam)
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SLOKAM 27: ?A MISSED OPPORTUNITY!?

Yat taadrusa aagasam arim Raghuveera veekshya
Visramyataam iti mumOchitha mugdam aajou //
kO ayam guNa: katarakOTi gata: kiyaan vaa
kasya sthutE: padam ahO! batha kasya bhOOmi: //

?Oh! Scion of the Raghu Vamsa! RaavaNa had done such immense and
indescribable harm to you. Yet, when he stood before you crestfallen, having
lost all his weapons (Nir aayda paaNi), you let him off saying ?Take rest
and come tomorrow fully prepared?. What is this quality of yours? How can it
be described?

How could it be measured? How could it be praised adequately? Who can
exhibit such a quality? For me, it looks as if you have missed a golden
opportunity?

NOTES:
? When Ravana stood before Sri Rama totally desolate and helpless, having
lost all his weapons in the battle, Sri Rama addressed him
?You are very tired, down and out today. I do not wish to dispatch a
defenceless person to the abode of Yama. Come back tomorrow fully armed and
ready to fight. Then you will witness my real prowess?
?Tasmaat parisraanta iva vyavasyan na tvaam sarair mrityu vasam nayaami /
Gachcha anujaanaami raNaarditastvam pravisya raatrinchara raja!lankaam//
aaswaasya niryaahi rathee cha dhanveee tadaa balam drakshyatsi mE
rathastha://?
? Azhwaan wonders in what category such a quality can be classified.
The Lord?s qualities are classified into two categories:
1. Those that inspire one to seek refuge in Him. These are called ?Asraya
guNas?. These include Souseelayam, Vaatsalyam, Soulabhyam etc
2. Those that are employed in affording due protection to one who has so
surrendered. These are known as ?RakshaNa guNas?. These include Jnaana,
Sakti, Balam, tEjas etc.
Yat taadrusa aagasam
? When referring to Kaakasura, ALavandaar felt his crime was
unmentionably
serious ? ?Raghuvara! Yad abhoot tvam taadrusO Vaayasasya? Azhwaan here
seems to imply that RavaNa?s crime was worse. Hence, he uses the word
?taadrusa aagasam? (That kind of crime)
Mugdam
? The word means Bewildered, flabbergasted, stupefied etc. That was the
condition of RaavaNa in the situation. He was totally nonplussed and dazed
at the valor of Sri Rama.
Thum vihvalantam prasameekshya Raama:/
Thum nirvishaaseevisha sannikaasam saantaarchisham
sooryamiva prakaasam//
Gatasriyam krita kireeTa kooTam brahmadaNda
prakaasaanaanaam vidyut sadrusa varchasaam/
smaran Raaghava baaNaanaam vivyathE RaakshasEswara: //

kO ayam guNa:
? What kind of quality is this? Asks Azhwaan.
Swami Desika answers: ?KaruNa kaakutstha:?

What is ?KaruNa??
Swami Desika explains in ?Dvaya Adhikaara? of his ?Srimad Rahasya Traya
saaram?:
?Parama kaaaruNikatvam aavadu ? svaarttha nirapEkshaiyaana para duhka
niraakaraNEchai. Idu anantha aparaadangaLai uDaiyavargaLaiyum ?mitrabaavEna
samopraaptam, yadi vaa RaavaNa svayam? engirapaDiyaalE oru vyaaja
maatrattaalE Kshamikkum engira teLivukku uruppaam?

?However serious the crime, if the offender falls at His feet, He will be
quick to overlook the faults and grant pardon instantly. Did he not say
?when one comes to me declaring oneself to be my friend, I will afford
protection, even if it were RaavaNa himself?

kiyaan vaa
? As Swami Desika would say ?uNDadu urukKaaTTaadE vayiru dhaariyaai? ?
The
Lord would ignore all faults as if there was ?no fault? at all and hasten to
protect. It would therefore be impossible to measure the extent of his
mercy? - Azhwaan seems to imply.

kasya sthutE: padam ahO!
? Who can do justice in praising this quality? None.
? ?Even a microscopic fraction of the quality cannot be fully described
even
if the four faced Brahma were to attempt to praise with a million mouths and
for the entire duration of his lifetime and in sound disposing state of mind
and mental alertness? - says Varaaha PuraaNa:
Chatur mukhascha aayu: yadi kOTi vaktrO bavEta nara: kvaapi visuddha
chEtaa:/
Sa tE gUNaanaam yutaikam amsam vadEnnavaa dEva vara praseeda //

batha kasya bhOOmi:
? Leave alone the attempt to praise. Can anyone know for sure the extent
or
the depth of this quality? - wonders Aazhwaan.
? The implication is that if Sri Rama were not Paramaatma, there is no
way
to explain this unique forgiveness.