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Sunderkand - Meaning of Sundara

Sundara has got several meanings.The word Sundara has different meanings Handsome,Beautiful,Pretty,Fair ,Lovely,Homely,Elegant,Good Looking etc.These are the equivalent words or synonyms that can be used as the meaning of Sundara.But in a Indian context the word has a deeper meaning. It is not merely materialistic or mundane .It has more sacred ,divine, altruistic  or spiritual meaning.They are related to different situations of life.For example the situation created and explained to get word the handsome is related to a male principle or a male person. The male principle is the masculine cause of creation where from the nature is created or originated.

According to Indian philosophy there are 2 aspects of function ,one is the stagnating function which is always tranquil it has no motion but the other is full of motions and here in our society we normally use the phrase  "a handsome young man" not "a handsome young lady". Only a beautiful young lady  and not  handsome lady .Spiritually here the man is the primordial cause or the first cause of the universe which is always explained in  literature as the masculine feature.

Kandam means a chapter . Sundara Kandam bears the meaning a handsome chapter .The word handsome signifies  Sree Ram. It bears the meaning Sree Ram. Why? because he is the masculine principle  for the creation of this world or he is the formless Brahman in form by name Sree Ram  He is the personified one and the Brahman is the impersonified. The incarnated masculine cause and force is Ram. The purpose of incarnation is establishment
of Dharma,the fundamental principle of the universe. The devotees know very well that Rama is Dharma Swaroopa .Swaroopa means a form. Dharma is always invisible, it has no form at  all. Hence Dharma Swaroopam means an invisible principle or ethic brought into a person that is Ram. Anything invisible or unseen should be brought to something visible otherwise we cannot explain the principle.We have our own body and life.We haven't seen our life but to say the man is alive, the invisible life though it is invisible  in our plane it is working through the body  and through the body which is visible we know that life is there. So the impersonal life is explained through the visible body like that the impersonality of the cosmos is explained through Ram. It is visible body. So here the principle or ethic is brought into a person that is Ram.

The word Sundara explores the meaning of both handsome and beautiful.Handsome stands for Ram the masculine principle or the cause of creation and beautiful stands for Sitaji in the form of Prakrthi or in the form of motion or in the form and name that we see everywhere.Ram is the cause and Sitaji the effect. The nature is with forms and names. Here the nature is personified as Sitaji.So Sudara Kanda is a personified chapter of Rama's life and then the  life of Maya Sita.

There are 18 different meaning for Sundara.Swamiji beautifully explains in detail all the 18 different meaning in the  video below.
  1. Handsome ,the masculine principle.
  2. Beautiful,the principle of Prakrithi.
  3. Ruchiram,beautiful and pleasant.
  4. Charu means that which occupies the mind or which enters to the mind or which is going towards the mind.
  5. Sushamam refers to one in which the contents are all glorious and shine.
  6. Sadhu relates to a story or chapter  that enchants the mind of a devotee and fascinates him.
  7. Shobhanam means bright or luminous.
  8. Kantam means worth having.
  9. Manoramam means that which entices or attracts the mind.
  10. Manojnam refers to something that is found out with a meditative mind.
  11. Manju and manjulam are one and the same are related to the character of pervading everywhere 
  12. Sudring athere-Mostly respected one.
  13. Su Undi kledane means melting the mind into nector of devotion.
  14. Sundarathe ithi sundara-Cleaves up off all the sins from the mind.
  15. "nashtaarthasya punar labhah sudarah pari keerthithah" - Regaining and retaining the property that  is lost 
  16. From Bhagavatham "Anandarasa sundaram"  - The soul and nectar of bliss
  17. From Narayaneeyam "saundaryOttaratO(a)pi sundarataraM"  - the beauty beyond the most beautiful.
  18. Sundara-the messenger
Meaning of Sundara taken from the speech of Jagadguru Swami Sathyananda Saraswathi Tiruvadikal. Listen to the concept in Swamiji's own words below.http://youtu.be/R8vjp3jDPqU




Comments

Unknown said…
I am really impressed by reading this post. Interesting post thank for sharing..
sunderkand
sathya said…
Thank you for a well articulated essay on the meaning of Sundra kandam...

will be sharing with due acknowledgement of the source.

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