Raghuveera Gadhyam: Yuddha KhAndham--Part 12

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GS 61: aprathidhwandhva pourusha ! Jaya! Jaya!

 

(meaning ) : O Raghuveera of unmatched Valour !

Hail to Thee ! Hail to Thee !

 

(Background ) : the extraordinary heroism of Rama in dispatching

two lakhs of foot soldiers of Mula Balam is still very much on the

mind of Swami Desikan . He is also thinking about the other heroic

deeds such as the destruction of mighty KumbhakarNa . Overpowered by

these thoughts, Swami Desikan eulogizes Rama as the warrior

whose performance in the battle field can not be matched by anyone.

 

GS 62 : Trayambhaka samadhikha ghorAsthrAdambara ! Jaya! Jaya !

 

(Meaning ) : O Lord , who has the assembly of arrows that are

fiercer than that of Parameswaran himself !

 

(Background) : At the end of the destruction of the Mula Balam ,

Rama said : " Yethadh asthra balam divyam mama vA trayambhakasya vA ."

-- Yuddha Khaandham 93. 38

 

Rama was conversing with the assembled SugrivA , VibhishaNa ,

HanumAn , JaambhavAn , MaindA and DwividhA , who were standing

near him witnessing the frenzied fight between the foot soldiers of

Mula balam . It is here he said : " Such wonderful power of using

divine missiles exists either in me or in Lord Siva ( TryambhakA ) . "

 

Rama's power in using the mystic weapons was greater than

that of Lord Siva and yet he compared himself as equal to Lord

Siva out of his generous nature to give credit to others . Further ,

as a "human being " , he did not want to set an example of

just praising himself as being far superior to a God known for his

skills in handling virulent asthrams such as Paasupatham .

 

GS 62 : saarathi hrutha ratha sathrapa sAthrava satyApitha

prathApa ! Jaya ! Jaya!

 

(meaning ) : O Raghuveera , whose prowess was certified to be true

by your enemy RavaNA , when he was led away from the battle field

in shame by his charioteer ! Hail to Thee !

 

(Background ) : RavaNA lost more generals and mighty warriors

following the death of his beloved son , Indrajith . He came hence to

the battle field once again and there was a mighty battle between Rama

and RavaNA .

 

Displaying unmatchable martial ardour , Rama sent many weapons to

put an end to the evil ogre . RavaNA could not cope with the onslaught

and became bewildered . RavaNA's charioteer sensed the danger to

which his master was exposed to . He quickly turned the royal chariot

of his master away from the battle field to a safe destination. RavaNA was

enraged by the well-meant act of his charioteer and chided him . RavaNA

acknowledged Rama's undisputed valour to his charioteer , while berating

him for his initative to take him away from the battle field . RavaNa 's words

captured by Sage Valmiki in the one hundred and fourth canto of

Yuddha Khaandham in this context are :

 

" While my adversary (Rama) , whose prowess is widely known , and who

deserved to be gratified through feats of valour , stood looking on ,

myself , who was covetous of fighting was made a coward of by you ."

 

The key words of this verse of Valmiki are : sathrO: PRAKHYAATHA

VEERYASYA ranjaneeyasya vikramai : " RavaNa then ordered his

charioteer to take him back to the battle field .

 

GS 64 : sitha sara krutha lavana dasamukha mukha dasaka

nipathana punarudhaya dhara gaLitha janitha dhara taraLa harihaya

nayana naLinavana ruchi kachitha kathala nipathita surataru kusuma

vitathi surabhitha ratha patha ! Jaya ! Jaya !

 

( Meaning and comments ) : O Raghuveera ! You had the path of your

chariot made fragrant with the showering blossoms of the celestial Kalpaka

tree! That fragrance of the blossoms joined with the beauty of the agitated

eyes of Indra , which resembled the assembly of red lotuses in a lotus

forest . Indra's eyes were agitated first with fear over the sight of the

falling of

the ten heads of RavaNA as they were being severed by your arrows and

their immediate reappearance as though nothing had happened .

You removed the fear of IndrA by using BrahmAsthram and cut off the evil

RavaNA's head once and for all. That heroic act of yours was appreciated

by the celestials and they showered Kalpaka flowers on You , which

collected under the path of your chariot and made that path fragrant .

Indra , the king of celestials was joyous over the destruction of RavaNA

and his eyes lit up with happiness . At that time , his multitude of eyes

looked like the assembly of blossomed red lotuses in

a lotus forest . Indra has 1,000 eyes according to the PurANAs .

When all of them lit up , it was like the multitude of simultaneously

blossoming lotus flowers . Swami Desikan salutes here the MahA Veeran ,

who dispatched RavaNA to the abode of death and made the Devas and

their king joyous through his victory over the evil ogre .

 

GS 66 : abhigatha sathamukha huthavaha pithrupathi nirruthi

varuNa pavana dhanadha girisa mukha surapathi nuthi mudhitha !

Jaya ! Jaya !

 

(meaning ) : O MahA VeerA who was made happy by the eulogies of

IndrA , Agni , YamA , Nirruthi , VaruNA , Vaayu , KubherA and Siva ,

who approached you at the end of your succesful battle with RavaNA !

Hail to Thee! Hail ot Thee !

 

(Background ) : VibhishaNA rushed to the side of Sita Devi at AsOka

vanam and brought the tidings of RavaNA's destruction at the hands of

her consort. VibhishaNA brought SitA dEvi to the side of Rama in the

battle field. RamA harshly asked Sita to prove her innocence by

stepping into fire , since he wanted to counter any doubt on the part of

citizens over her staying in the stranger's(RavaNA's ) house for many months.

At that time , Indra, Agni , Vaayu, YamA , SivA , KubherA and other celestials

approached You , eulogized You and begged You not to abandon the MahA

pathivrathai SitA and to accept her without any doubt. Swami Desikan

says here : " O Maha VeerA ! you were pleased wiht the eulogies and

appeals of the celestials ."

 

GS 67 : amitha mathi vidhi vidhitha kathitha nija vibhava

jaladhi prushatha lava! Jaya ! Jaya !

 

(Meaning and comments ) : O Raghu Veera ! After the eulogies of the celestials ,

Brahma Devan began to praise your glories. Brahma had limitless intellect

and comprehension. Even he could only fathom a very small portion of your

vast glories and his eulogy resembled the small drop of a mighty ocean .

If this was the fate of BrahmA , there is no need to describe the pitiable

plight of other celestials as they attempted to eulogize your kalyANa guNAs .

Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee !

 

GS 68 : vigatha bhaya vibhutha paribhruta vibhothitha veerasayana

saayitha vaanara pruthanowka ! Jya ! Jaya !

 

(Meaning and comments ) : Indra's long -held fear vanished , once

RavaNA was killed by RamA in battle. Indra wanted to express his

gratitude to You and asked you about what kind of service he could

render . You requested him to bring back to life the monkeys , which

lost their life in the battle . Indra made that wish come true. The dead

monkeys rose up and moved with alacrity like rapidly flowing floods .

O Maha VeerA! Is there any limit to Your compassion ?

 

Sri Raghavam Ramachandram RAvaNArim RamApathim I

Raajiva lochanam Raamam tam vandE RaghunAyakam II

 

Sri VaishNava Daasan ,

 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan