|| om tat sat||

Sundarakanda
Sarga 31

Tattvadipika
वैदेह्या व्याजहार ह!

This Sarga starts with the line,
"संश्रवे मधुरं वाक्यं वैदेह्या व्याजहार ह !"
Here "ह" implies wonder and delight.
What is the cause of that delight?

To start with it is about "मधुरं वाक्यं".
That is wonderfully sweet lines
The wonderful sweet lines is the story of Rama.
The great Vanara sang the story of Rama.
Whom did he address?
"वैदेह्या" , meaning the daughter of Videha king .
It also means one who is free from the body - 'deha'.

In the twenty eighth Sarga we hear from Sita. ,
"शीघ्रं गमिष्यामि यमस्य मूलं",
meaning that she is ready to go to the abode of Yama, the Lord of death.
That Sita who lost her desire to live, has been given a life by this story of Rama.

Sita, who is also known as "वैदेह्या",
the one without a longing for body,
has given up the longing for the body,
That Sita is again made to look forward for reunion.
That is power of the story of Rama.
About Rama's story it is also said,
"मृतसंजीवनं राम चरितं".
Meaning that the Rama's story is like nectar for a dying person.

The joy and sorrow come with prompting of the mind.
Normally the story is heard,
the pros and cons are weighed in the mind,
Then the mind prompts the body to experience the joy or sorrow.
Appalacarylu garu says, that the story of Rama,
generates joy by simply listening ,
without waiting for prompting of the mind.
That is the power of the story of Rama.

In the Sarga sixteen we hear that
"नैषा पश्यति राक्षस्यः.. "(16.25).
"She does not see the Rakshasas"
That is the description of Sita by the poet.
He says Sita's mind is preoccupied with thoughts of Rama.
So much so that she does 'not see the Rakshasas in front of her.
Nor does see the beautiful flowers and trees.

Hanuman sang the song , "व्याजहार", to Sita
who is alredy preoccupiedwith thioughts of Rama
So that she may hear about Rama.
The word "व्याजहर" has a root " अजहार" too.
"अजहार" means "brought' some thing?
What is it that Hanuman brought to Sita ?
For the one who gave up 'longing' for the body,
Hanuman brought back longing.
That is the other menaing of "अजहार" .

The Story of Rama brings back joy to Sita who gave up longing for the body.

Valmiki visualizing the scene of Hanuman singing such a song of power,
embraces the feelings of delight and wonder and utters "ह".

Thus the story of Rama is sung by Hanuman in pleasing tones.
It is a known story.
Even then it is worth listening.
So now we hear Hanuman singing the story of Rama.

'There was a king by name Dasaratha
who has many chariots, horses and elephants,
who is steeped in merits,
who has great fame ,
who is the illustrious among all Ikshvakus.
He is the most virtuous one among sage like kings.
He is equal to Rishis in performing penance.
He is equal in strength to Indra and is born in the dynasty of emperors'.

'Dasaratha is magnanimous and compassionate.
He is committed to non-violence
He is the one whose strength is truth.
As chief of Ikshvakus, he is an embodiment of wealth.
And he is a grower of wealth.
Endowed with signs of kingship, he is a bull among rulers,
known on the earth surrounded by the four oceans,
he is a provider of happiness and is himself always happy'.

' His eldest son and a dear one is named Rama.
He is one with the face like that of a moon,
a scholar of all knowledge,
best among all the wielders of bow.
The destroyer of all enemies,
he is a protector of righteousness,
protector of his people,
protector of all beings and the righteousness'

Here we hear a familiar sloka about Rama through Hanuman.

"रक्षिता स्वस्य धर्मस्य स्वजनस्य रक्षिता
रक्षिता जीवलोकस्य धर्मस्य च परंतपः"(31.7)

Rama is a protector of righteousness,
protector of his people,
protector of all beings and the righteousness

The sloka is familiar because it appeared in the first Sarga of Balakanda,
The first Sarga of Balakanda virtually tells the full story of Rama..

Rama's principal charactrestic thus described is providing "protection".
Rama is an incarnation of the Supreme being.
A Supreme beings primary charactrestic is protection.
In Gita we hear the following.
"यदा यदाहि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारता ".
Supreme being is born again and again as a protector of Dharma.

As a king, Rama is a protector.
As a protector he has many responsibilities.
First protection of his own duty.
Second, he protects his own people.
Protection means removing the obstacles and fulfiling their needs.
This is the duty of the protector.

Third part of this charerstic is that he is also protector of all life.
He looks after the well-being of all.
Protecting his own and neglecting other is not the creed .
That is - रक्षिता जीवलोकस्य .

Fourth part of his duty is ensuring that people are free.
That is free to perform their duties.

Thus, Rama was seen as providing fourfold protection.
As a Supreme being " Rama" is a protector.
The principal characterstic of Supreme being is " protection"

The first sound of Sanskrit alphabet is 'अ'
'अ' is also another name for the Supreme Being. .
By "अवरक्षणे", what we understand is that , 'अ' is for protection.
'अ' is the first sound of the Sanskrit alphabet .
It is the starting point of all Sanskrit literature.
It is the other word for the Supreme Being.

This sloka is an elaboration of the universal charactrestic of the Supreme being.
While singing the story of Rama
Hanuman makes it a point to speak of Rama as a protector.
Hailing Rama as the protector of all beings in the universe
Hanuman is telling Sita that you will be saved from the sea of sorrows.

Hanuman continues the song of Rama's story.

'Honouring the word of his father who is ever steadfast in truth ,
he went to the forest along with his wife and his brother as a wanderer'.

'There in that great forest chasing animals,
he killed many Rakshasas who can take many forms.
Then, hearing about the killing of Rakshasas in Janasthana,
as well as the killing of Khara and Dushana,
Ravana abducted Sita out of anger,
having deceived Rama in the guise of a golden deer'.

'That Rama in search of blemish less Sita
found a friend by name Sugriva who is a Vanara.
Then the destroyer of foes and powerful Rama ,
gave the kingdom of Vanaras to Sugriva after killing Vali.
On the orders of Sugriva thousands of Vanaras
who are capable of assuming any form
went in search of Sita in all directions'.

Hanuma continues.

'In search of that wide eyed one ,
based on the words of Sampati ,
I have crossed the sea which is hundred yojanas wide.
I have seen here a lady,
lady of similar form,
similar complexion,
similar glow as described by Raghava'.

Having said this Hanuman stops.

Hanuman's strategy can be seen.
Hanuman first narrates the part too familair to Sita
and then adds the frindeship of Vanaras,
the search for Sita etc which she is unaware of.
Thus, increasing the credibility of the unknown story.

Hearing that story of Rama,
Janaki was also struck with wonder.
Looking all around, meditating on Rama , Sita was delighted.
Rama Katha makes one delighted.

This is the story related by the best of Vanaras.
This is what we too hear in the thirty first Sarga

|| om tat sat||
|| This is what we understood from Tattva Dipika of Shri Bhashyam, Appalacharyulu garu"||
|| om tat sat||