ANANDA RAMAYANAM - I

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Sri RAmajayam

 

Stories from SRI VALMIKI's ANANDA RAMAYANAM

 

Charitam RaghunAthasya satakOti pravistaram

Ekaikam aksharam prOktam mahApAdaka nAsanam

 

Sri Rama's history has been depicted in hundred crores of slokas.

Every aksharam in Ramayanam is considered holy. It has the power to

dissolve all the sins and bestow happiness in this and other worlds.

 

Valmiki Ramayanam (24,000 slokas), Ananda Ramayanam (12,252 slokas),

Adyatma Ramayanam etc. are all said to be part of the Satakoti Ramayanam.

Ananda Ramayanam was written by Sri Valmiki himself. It is believed that

Sri Valmiki felt sad that he left out some important details of Sri Rama's

life in his original work, and wrote Ananda Ramayanam to get more peace

of mind. There are 9 kandams in Ananda Ramayanam:

 

1. SAra KAndam (has the sAram or the juice of Rama charitam)

2. YAtrA KAndam (Sri Rama's yAtras after His pattAbhishekam)

3. YAga KAndam (Sri Rama's asvamedha yAgam)

4. VilAsa KAndam (Sri Rama's and Sita's daily life)

5. Janma KAndam (Birth of Lava and Kusa)

6. VivAha KAndam (Weddings of Sri Rama's and his brothers' sons)

7. RAjya KAndam (fights with other asuras, expansion of kingdom, rajya pari-

palanam)

8. ManOhara KAndam (slokas, Rama nama mahima etc.)

9. Poorna KAndam (Sri Rama and others leaving for Sri Vaikuntam).

 

Today (4/16/97) is Sri Rama Navami (Birthday of Lord Rama). I had indicated

in my earlier posting that I wanted to write some interesting stories from

Ananda Ramayanam. I would like to start doing that on this auspicious day,

seeking the blessings of Lord Sitarama and Lord Hanuman. The stories have been

taken from "Ananda Ramayanam" - Prose version (in Tamil) of Valmiki's

Ananda Ramayanam, rendered by Mahakavi Subrahmanya Bharathiyar (a great

poet of South India).

 

I beg forgiveness for spelling, grammar and other mistakes and also

inconsistencies in marking pronunciations.

 

 

1. Stories from Sara Kandam - Chapter 1:

 

1.1 Story about Dasaratha and Kausalya:

 

Valmiki's original Ramayana starts with Dasaratha ruling Ayodhya as a great

king and desiring to do asvamedha yaga with his wives (Balakandam 5-8 sargas).

Ananda Ramayanam goes many years prior to that and starts with Dasaratha and

Kausalya's marriage.

 

It is the time when Dasaratha's marriage with Kausalya is being fixed.

Dasaratha is enjoying himself on the Sarayu river in a boat.

 

Ravana calls for Brahma and asks Him who will cause his (Ravana's)

death. Brahma tells him that Lord Narayana will be born to Dasaratha

and Kausalya as Rama and will kill Ravana. He also tells him

that Dasaratha and Kausalya are going to be married in 5 days.

 

Ravana gets on his pushpaka vimana with several asuras and goes to Ayodhya,

fights with Dasaratha and breaks the boat Dasaratha is in. Dasaratha and

Sumantra somehow escape holding on to a piece of the boat and float down

the Sarayu river, reach the Ganges and eventually the ocean.

 

Ravana proceeds to fight Kausalya's father (the Kosala king) and abducts

Kausalya. On the way to Lanka, he decides to hide Kausalya in a safe

place and leaves her in the custody of a shark, after placing her in a

box. The shark carries the box in its mouth. Sometime later, the

shark happens to encounter another shark. It places the box in a nearby

island and starts fighting. In the meantime, Dasaratha and Sumantra, who

are floating in the ocean, discover this box and open it. They are

surprised to see Kausalya. Dasaratha marries Kausalya immediately in

gandharva vivaha fashion and all the three stay put in the box, exchanging

stories. The shark carries the box again into the ocean.

 

Ravana calls Brahma and boasts that he has killed Dasaratha and abducted

Kausalya. Brahma laughs and tells him that they have already been married.

The angered Ravana calls for the shark and opens the box; out come the

three people. The scared Ravana tries to kill them with his sword. Brahma tries

to console him saying, " You put only one girl in the box and now she has

become three. Is it not possible that many more will be coming out of the box?

Rama could be one of them. Just close the box and send it to Ayodhya".

 

So, Ravana asks his servants to leave the box near Ayodhya. The box is

discovered by the people of Ayodhya. The Kosala king gives his daughter,

Kausalya, in marriage to Dasaratha in a formal ceremony.

 

Thus ends this episode with a happy ending, as will be the characteristic of

most events in Ananda Ramayanam.

 

1.2 Story behind the two boons given to Kaikeyi:

 

Valmiki's original Ramayanam version:

 

Once, Dasaratha helps the Devas in their fight with asuras. Dasaratha

takes Kaikeyi with him. Valmiki Ramayanam - Ayodhya Kandam -

9th sargam sloka 16 states that Kaikeyi takes Dasaratha away from the

battlefield when he becomes tired and swoons in his chariot. She attends to

him and gets him back to good health. Dasaratha subsequently wins the war

with the asuras. The pleased Dasaratha grants her two boons, which she

chooses to use later.

 

Ananda Ramayanam gives a different story.

 

During the Deva-asura fight, the stick or support that holds the wheel to

the chariot, breaks in Dasaratha's chariot and the chariot is about to

collapse. Kaikeyi places her left hand in the place of the wheel-holder,

in order to help her husband proceed without interruption. Finally, Dasaratha

is victorious and being pleased with Kaikeyi's help, grants her two boons.

 

Connected to this story is the following anecdote about Kaikeyi:

 

Once, Kaikeyi, when she is very young, makes a paste out of coal and applies

it on the face of a sage, for fun. He curses her saying "later in life,

you will be put to shame - no one would like to see your face even". Kaikeyi

gets scared and brings a stick to him, so he can punish her. The pleased

sage grants a boon - " you left hand will be as strong as iron and will

never fail in any instance".

 

More to come,

>From Kalyani Krishnamachari