Raghu Veera Gadhyam: Yuddha KhAndam--Part 2

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visAla nethram paripurNa gAthram

SitA kaLathram suravairi jaithram I

kAruNya pAthram jagadha: pavithram

Sri Rama Ratnam praNathOsmi nityam II

 

GS : 48 ahita sahodara raksha: parigraha

visamvAdhi vividha sachiva visrambhaNa

samaya samrambha samujjrimbhitha

Sarveswara bhaava ! Jaya! Jaya !

 

O Lord , who revealed your svarupam as the Lord of

all Gods during the occasion when you countered

the different arguments of the ministers of Sugreevaa and

energetically motivated them to drop their objections

to accept VibhishaNA as a SaraNAgatha at Your lotus feet !

Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee !

 

(Background ) : Sri RAmaa had learned about the place of

incarceration of Sita through HanumAn and thereafter arrived at the

Adhi Jagannatha Kshethram on the sea side with the army

of monkeys and bears to launch his invasion f Lankhaa .

At that time, the younger brother of RaavaNA known by

the name of (VibhishaNa) arrived at that site to seek

the refuge of RAmaa after failing in his efforts to persuade

his brother RaavaNaa to return Sitaa DEvi to her

husband and to seek latter's apology .

 

VibhishaNA cried out from his position in the sky and

described his plight to SugreevA this way :

 

" There is an ogre of evil conduct by the name of RavaNA , who is the

Lord of ogres. I am his younger brother known by the name of

VibhishaNA . My brother kidnapped Sita from Jansthaanam ,

killed Jatayu and has incarcerated the helpless Sita . I have

vehemently opposed his despicable deed and asked him to

restore Sita to Rama with apologies . My brother would not

listen to me and has discarded my good advise. I have

abandoned my sons and wife and have left his court and

flown over here to seek refuge at the feet of Rama.Hence, Please

let RaghuRAmA, who has the prowess to protect any one in all the three

worlds, know quickly that I am here seeking his refuge .

VibishaNA's exact words are :

 

tyakthvaa putraamsccha dhaaraamsccha Raaghavam saraNam gatha :II

nivedhayatha maam kshipram raaghavaaya mahaathmanE I

sarvaloka saraNyaaya vibhishaNam upasthitham II

 

Hearing these words of appeal from VibhishaNa , SugreevA

was alarmed. He thought that the brother of RavaNaa might kill

all of them including Rama and LakshmaNaa just as an owl would

destroy crows. He advised Rama to turn VibhishaNaa away on the

basis of his reasoning that VibhishaNaa was a Rakshasaa by birth and

a brother of an enemy to boot. The other members of Sugreevaa's retinue

with the exception of Hanumaan doubted VibhishaNaa's sincerity

in seeking Raamaa's refuge . Some of them felt that he intended harm and

therefore should be killed immediately.The ministers of Sugreeva such as

Sarabhaa, JaambhavAn, Maindhaa suggested intensive

interrogation of VibhishaNaa before taking a decision to

accept his plea for protection. They were really not in favor of

listening to VibhishaNaa's soulful cry for help.

 

Hanuman was the last of the ministers to speak. Valmiki

describes Hanuman at this point as the foremost of counsellors

and also as " Samskaara Sampanna : " ( One who is learned from

his study of scriptures and Dharma Saastrams ) . Hanumaan

pointed out brilliantly the falacies in the arguments of his fellow

counsellors and took the position that Vibhishana should be accepted

as a SaraNaagatha . Hanumaan ended his analysis by stating that

Rama is the best judge to decide on the next step and act on whatever

that needed to be done.

 

Rama was very pleased with the counsel of Hanumaan

since he felt the same way about VibhishaNaa and his

plight. Rama was very much moved by the counsel of monkeys,

who had his welfare very much on their minds. He thanked

them and then revealed his Sarveswarathvam by stating that he can not

refuse to receive under ANY circumstances one , who has

sought his protection and approached him in a friendly manner.

 

"mitra bhaavEna sampraaptham na thyajEyam kathamchana I

DhOshO yadhyapi tasya syaath sathaamethadhagarhitham II "

 

(Meaning ) :I can not abandon him , who has sought my protection.

Even if there is any concealed wickedness on the part of

the one, who sought my refuge, he has to be accepted

and that acceptance will not be considered as a reprehensible

act by good people.

 

Swami Desikan salutes here the prowess of Sri Rama as

the unfailing SaraNaagatha Rakshaka and his power

as the supreme Lord of all Gods to fulfill his pledge to

provide the protection to all , who sincerely wished for

his protection.

 

Raghukula Vara Rathnam Paathu maam Rama Rathnam .

 

Sri VaishNava Daasan ,

 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan