Raghuveera Gadhyam--Yuddha Khaandham: Part 6

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GS 53: praLaya sikhi parusha visika sikhA

soshitAkupAra vAripura ! Jaya ! Jaya !

 

(Meaning ) : Hail to You , O Raghuveera , who

evaporated the waters of the ocean with the

power of your arrows that resembled the fire

which destroys the world at the time of deluge !

 

(Background ) : The Sea-God did not understand

the significance of your SaraNAgathi to him and

ignored you . You were enraged by his indifference .

He would not open a passage for the You and your army

to cross the ocean . Then , You aimed frightening arrows at

the Sea-God and his territory. Those arrows were more powerful than

the assembly of flames that accompany the fire that

consume the world and its contents during the time of

MahA PraLayam . They spewed forth fire and started their work of

evaporating the waters of the ocean. Even then , the Sea-God

did not appear before You. Angered further by this affront ,

You aimed the most destructive BrahmAsthram at him

to destroy him and the denizens of his watery kingdom .

Now , the Sea-God was seized with fear about his folly and

the impending calamity . He rose out of the ocean and with

joined palms appealed to You , the RaghuveerA to spare him and

apologized. The Sea-God agreed to Your request for a bridge

to be built to cross over to LankhA .

 

Rama still had the powerful arrow in position to fly. He asked

the Sea-God as to where he should direct that arrow. The Sea-God

suggested that it should be aimed at a group of sinful marauders living

to the north of where they were standing . Sri Rama let his arrow fly to

where the Sea-God suggested , which is close to today's MarwAr and

Bikaneer in RajasthAn . Water gushed forth from the nether world .

The power of the arrow dried up the sea there and replaced it with

water from the netherworld , which resembled sea water in brackishness .

Rama blessed that land to become acharming region , now rthat the

sinful marauders were destroyed .

 

The Sea-God (VaruNA ) suggested that the glorious son of Viswakarma

( the celestial architect ) by the name of NaLA , a commander in the

monkey army of SugreevA build the bridge over him and that he will

sustain and support it . NaLA agreed to the command of Sri Rama

to build the Rama Sethu over the abode of the Sea-God .

 

GS 54 : prabhala ripu kalaha kuthuka chatula kapikula karatala

toolitha Hrutha giri nikara sAdhita sethupatha seemA semanthitha

samudhra ! Jaya ! Jaya !

 

( meaning ) : O mighty hero of the scion of Raghus , who created the

demarcation of the ocean with your bridge built by the mighty monkeys ,

who out of their eagerness to reach LankhA to fight their enemies

splintered huge mountains and threw them into the ocean as though they

were feathery bales of cotton ! Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee !

 

(Background ) : After the Sea-God gave the permission for

the bridge to be built by NaLA , latter requested the powerful

monkeys to collect the material for the building of the bridge.

Directed by Rama , the monkeys went into the forests nearby

and tore up rocks and trees and dragged them to the beach .

They threw the assembled material as suggested by NaLA at

the right places to construct the bridge. A well-constructed ,

magnificient , extensive , smooth and solidly -cemented sethu

arose from these efforts and the vast bridge across the ocean

looked like the parting of a woman's hair. Sri Valmiki's description

is as follows :

 

visAla: sukrutha: srimAn subhumi: susamAhita:

Asobhatha mahAn sethu: seemantha iva sAgarE

 

VibishaNa guarded the front of the bridge from the land

and SugreevA requested Rama and LakshmaNa to

mount HanumAn's and Angadha"s shoulders to travel

across the newly built bridge. The rest of the army headed by

SughreevA followed Rama and LakshmaNa

reached the other shore and arrived at LankhA .

The Devaas who witnessed that miraculous building of a bridge

across the ocean hailed the Lord and wished him victory

in the forthcoming battle with RavaNA this way :

 

" jayasva sathroon naradeva medhineem sasaagaram

paalaya saasvathi samaa: "

 

(meaning) : " O King ! Conquer your enemies and rule over

the earth including the oceans for numberless years ! "

Thus ends the twenty second canto of Srimad RamAyaNam

of sage Vaalmiki .

 

Kodhanda dheekshA gurum aadhimoolam

guNAsrayam chandhana kumkumAnkam I

salakshmaNam sarva janaantharastham

parAthparam Ramam aham namAmi II

 

Sri VaishNava Daasan ,

 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan