Raghu Veera Gadhyam: Aaranya KhAandam--Part 1

[Guest guest]

Dear Rama Bhakthaas :

 

With Padhukaa Dhaanam to Bharathaa , Ayodhyaa khaandam

was concluded. Rama at this time was haunted by the memory

of the visit by his brother and his mothers.Hence , he wanted to leave

Chitrakutam . He paid a brief visit to the hermitage of

Sage Atri and his dear wife Anusuyaa. After enjoying their hospitality

and staying one night there, Rama ,Sita and Lakshmana moved

on and entered the Dandakaa forest . The events that happened there

are the subject of Aaranya Khaandam . Swami Desikan sumamrizes

those happenings in 14 brilliant salutations .

 

GS : dhandakaa tapovana jangama paarijaatha! Jaya! Jaya !

 

Here Swami Desikan salutes Sri Ramachandra as the abundant

boon -giving , celestial paarijaathaa tree that moved around the

Dandakaa forest which was ideal for performing penance.

 

Sri Rama entered the Dandakaa forest. The sages performing severe

penance there advised Sri Rama about the atrocities committed by

the Rakshasaas that interfered with their Tapas. Sri Rama came

to their rescue and moved from hither to thither in the forest and

protected them from the harm's way. These good deeds done by

Rama are described as the equivalent of the boons conferred by

the celestial Parijaathaa tree in Indra's garden.

 

GS 29 : Viraadha hariNa saardhoola ! Jaya ! Jaya !

 

O Lord who was like a tiger to the deer of Viraadha ! Hail

to Thee! Hail to Thee!

 

There was a Gandharvaa by the name of Thumbhuru ,

who committed Apachaaram to Kubheraa and was cursed in turn by

latter to become a Rakshasa. Viradhaa was causing a lot of mischief

in Dandaka forest and was making the lives of sages unbearable.

 

Viradhaa saw Sita with Rama and lifted Sita and began to run deep into

the forest. The brothers followed and engaged Virradhaa in a

fierce battle. He could not however be killed with weapons due to

a boon that he had obtained earlier . Rama then asked LakshamaNaa

to dig a big pit and bury him there alive . As he was about to die, Viradhaa

saluted Rama for helping him to get rid of Kubera's curse and

restoring him his former body. He also advised Rama that the

hermitage of a great Rishi by the name of Sarabhangaa was

near by and that Rama should go there . Sarabhanga was waiting

for seeing Rama before ascending to Brahma lokam . Rama was greeted

by the sage and obtained Moksham thereafter. The valour of Rama

in Dandaka Vanam is displayed first in the battle with Viradhaa.

 

GS 30 : viluLitha bahupala maka kalama rajanichara mruga

mrugayaarambha sambrutha cheerabrudhanurodha! Jaya ! Jaya !

 

The Raghu Veeran's many battles with the Rakshasaas of

the fearful Dandakaa Vanam are equated here to the hunting

down of beasts that destroy the crops . Penance of the sages

are compared to the crops here and the hunter is the Lord himself .

Sri Rama's welcome help to the sages wearing the processed

bark of trees as their dress ( Cheera Bruth ) . Sri Rama's blesssed

and heroic deeds are saluted here.

 

GS 31 : Trisira siras trithaya timira niraasa vaasara kara ! Jaya! Jaya !

 

O Lord who resembled a sun in banishing the deep darkness

caused by the three heads of the Rakshasa by the name of Trisiras.

 

After Viraadha vadham , Rama moves with his brother and wife to

the interior of the deep forest. They visit the hermitages of many

sages including that of Agasthyaa.Latter advises Rama to stay

at Panchavati .

 

During this journey Sita requests Rama not to kill innocent

animals of the forest and to observe Ahimsaa.

Rama commends his wife for the counsel and vows to kill only the ogres.

They arrive at Panchavati and LakshmaNaa builds a cottage for Rama and

Sita there.

 

SurpaNakaa arrives at the hermitage and invites Rama to marry

her and she insults Sita. LakshmaNa could not brrok that insult and

lops the nose and ears of SurpaNakaa for that offense. She runs in great

pain and humiliation and approached her notorious brother by the name

of Kharaa , who lived in Janasthaanam surrounded by an army of ogres.

Kharaa sends first fourteen ogres with his sister to kill Rama and they are all

swiftly dispatched to Yama lokam by Rama. Surpanaka rushes back to her brother

and now Kharaa himself comes for a battle to Panchavati with DhusaNaa and an

army of fourteen thousand ogres . Rama kills off the fourteen thousand

night-stalkers first. Dhushanaa is killed next. Trisiras , one of the major

commanders of Kharaa is killed next . Swami Desikan salutes the valour

of Rama here in killing the fearsome Trisiras , who caused so much havoc

to the sages of Dandaka Vanam .

 

The next three salutations are to the Raghuveeran , who killed

Kharaa and his retinue of fourteen thousand soldiers .

 

Sri Ramachndra Para BrahmaNeh Nama :

 

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan