Soundarya Lahari Sloka

Monday, August 07, 2006

Soundarya lahari - Sree chakra – the effect of kundalini sakti – 4

13. Sree Bhadraacala Raamadaasa from Bhadracalam Hyderabad:-

All of us know that Sree Tyagaraja swamikal is one of the sangita trimurthys’.Every year on the makara maasa pushya bahula pancami day, Saint Tyagaraja’s remembrance day is being celebrated not only in India but also in every place where Karnatic songs are being sung. For the Karnataka sangeeta, Tyagaraja has delivered immense treasure. Bhakti world bows to Tyagaraja for his contribution. He has sung the description of the decorating of a chariot by a most lovely karnatik song. He was the first one to do so. He was a staunch Rama Bhakta, we all know. His songs are referred as Tyagabrahma Upanishad.

Such a great giant Saint Sree Tyagaraja praised the great Saint Bhadracala Ramadasa. In one of his famous songs “brindavana lola”, he refers himself as Rama daasa daasa. In one of his songs “ksheera saagaraa sayanaa”, Sri Tyagaraja sings –“dheerudau raama daasuni bandhamu” and asks with deep interest and asks God – are you not going to release the brave Ramadasa from his bondage and release him thereby giving him moksha? Saint bhadraacala Rama dasa sings like this even when he was in jail-
“nannu brovumani ceppave seetammaa! Tallee
nannu brovumani ceppave - Tallee ! Tallee !”He sings in another song like this :-“sree raamula divya naamamu bhajana ceyucunna caalu”

14. Sree Daamaaji panditar from Bedari graamam, mangalapata :-
Bedari was a small beautiful village with lot of farms around. In that village lived a Brahmin called Daamaaji. He was a dharma seela; who ever approached him got what ever they wanted – money material or anything else. He was a kodai vallal like Karna in our puraana - Maha Bhaarata. He studied systematically the vedaas and chanted with devotion and became a pandit in vedic scriptures but still lived a very simple life. The people in that village took him to be a god, friend in need who offer help without fail, whatever be his condition. His ancestors were grama pancaayats but he did not accept it. Even then, the king in that country heard about this simple man and made him the head of a town called mangalapata.

The people in mangalapata were extremely happy about this.
Damaaji was able to give confidence to people and was able to develop god devotion among the people in mangala pata. But suddenly one time heavy draught embraced that place and due to that the crops were not available. But damaaji said to the people not to worry telling that this can be compensated due to god’s grace later and hence he issued all the stock materials available for future use then and there to the people.

Another testing came, as usual for all devotees. A Brahmin from pandaripura came there. Damaji offered him food to his satisfaction and pleased him. Then the Brahmin told him that he is suffering from poverty and hence require some money. Damaji gave him 500 vessel full of grain and ensured by sending a vehicle and protection so that it reached that Brahmin at pandaripura. But nearby village people heard about it and they approached damaji and begged him for food since he has helped even the Brahmin from pandaripura.

They went to pandaripura and took away the grains given by Damaji. The Brahmin came to damaji and told the fact. Damaji felt pity on that Brahmin and asked him to bring his wife and family to come to mangalapata and stay there. Hearing this, all the poor people around came to Damaji, and asked for help. But Damaji found to his surprise that there was no stock of rice to be given, as the ones available was to be earmarked for future use.

Any he and his wife took pity on the people and they gave away the stock which was available to be distributed later. All the future stock also got exhausted. Anyway Damaji was not at all affected by this and he was going on remembering god pandarinatha throughout the day and night asking him to help all poor people all around. But the king heard the news and he got angry and he sent the sipoys to arrest Damaji for his wrong deed of misusing the future stock that too without prior permission or approval. Anyway an enquiry as usual was conducted and the minister gave the amount to be remitted by the stock misused to be costing Rs. Eighty four lakh varaahan and hence Damaji was arrested and taken to the king’s palace.

But while he was being taken to the palace under urrest, Damaji stopped in between at the place of pandaripura and begged the sipoys to allow him to pray Pandarinatha. He got off temporarily out of the fold of the sipoys and ran to pandarinatha temple and embraced as markandeya did and started asking pandarinatha for justice since he has not done anything wrong as per his mind.

But in the palace in the mean time a black colored young person started to enter in and was stopped by the watchmen and taken to the king. That person told that he has come to deliver the price of the rice stock used by Damaji of Rs. Eighty four lakhs varaahan and told that Damaji wanted receipt for that. But king was taken aback because the amount was so huge that it has to come by a vehicle but this man says he has brought it in a small piece of cloth. But to the surprise of the king, ministers and all around when the small piece of cloth was unwounded they found the eighty four lakh varaahan [brand new] and they were taken aback.

By the time the black person disappeared Damaji was taken to the king arrested and then king found his folly. He fell at the feet of Damaji. He understood that the black person was nobody other than the great god pandarinatha.

This was the effect of the devotion of even a single person in a country as told by our great poet John Milton thus :-“How far that little candle throws its little beams, so shines a good deed in a naughty world”.