rama's age at crowning

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

My friend asked me a question "can you state the `age' of the couple

sree raamaa and seetha when sree raamaa was crowned as the king of

ayOdhya after raavaNa is killed".

 

I answered him sree raama was 30 and may be seetha was 23 or 24 since

in those days early marriage for women [to be precise girls] was

quite common.

 

Then he asked me how you arrive at that.

I started saying, `dear, here is the clue to start with, in the baala

kaaNdam, about age of raama'.

 

Sage visvaamithra approached the king dhasaratha and asked to send

sree raamaa along with him to help him in killing the demoness

thaataka and her sons maareecha and suBhaahu.

 

For this request king dhasaratha replies

oona shOdasa varshO mE raamO raajeeva lOchana: |

na yudhDha yOgyathaam asya pasyaami saha raakshasai: || 1-20-2

[one is baala kaaNdam, 20 is sargam 20 and two is slOkam number]

 

oona = less than

shOdasa varsha = sixteen years of age

mE raama raajeeva lOchana: = to my raamaa the lotus eyed

asya pasyaami = I foresee for him

saha raakshasai na yudhDha yOgyathaam = no warring eligibility or

capacity with demons

 

meaning: Age wise less than sixteen years is my raamaa, the lotus-

eyed, and I foresee no warring capacity / eligibility to him with the

demons.

 

I answered my friend, the conclusion from this slOkam is, since

raamaa is less than 16 as stated here. After going with visvaamithra

and killing thaatakha, raamaa went to mithila and marriage took

place. After marriage he returns to ayodhya along with parents

brothers and their wives. Thus ends baala kaaNdam.

 

In the ayOdhya kaaNdam, the first and second sargam are dealing with

king dhasaratha praising raama on his own first, then announcing it

to people, third speaking his mind of proposing raamaa as the crown

prince. As we all know this crowning did not take place and he went

to forest for 14 years.

 

So raama was 16 at the time of marriage + 14 years he spent in

forest and returned to ayodhya to be crowned as king after killing

raavaNa.

 

Immediately my friend floored me, saying `dear, please see slOkam 3-

38-6' where in it is said raama is only 12 when visvaamithra asked

dhasaratha for sending raama along with him.

 

prathyuvaacha mahaabhaagam visvaamithram mahaa munim |

oona dhvaadhasa varshO ayam akrutha asthra: cha raaghava: || 3-38-6

 

prathi uvaacha = in turn spoke [replied]

mahaa bhaagam mahaa munim visvaamithram = to the great-fortunate and

the great-saint visvaamithra

oona dhvaadhasa varsha ayam = he, [raamaa] is not more than twelve

years in age

raaghava: akrutha asthra: cha = raaghava has not performed [or not

practiced] in use of weapons also

 

meaning: dhasaratha replied that great-fortunate and great-saint

visvaamithra, 'he, this raaghava, is less than twelve years in age,

and not practiced in the usage of weaponry also.

 

Point: This slOkam appears in the narration of maareecha speaking to

raavaNa, when raavaNa sought the help of maareecha in abducting

seethaa.

 

Then I referred the website www.valmikiramayan.net site on this

slokam. A comment on the "oona shOdasa" slOkam in web site is

 

Quote - This particular statement `oona shOdasa varsha' [less than

sixteen years] has evoked a spate of commentaries in deciding the age

of raamaa at this juncture of going with sage visvaamithra, and at

the time of his marrying seetha, and, at the time of his exile to

forests. His age is said to be twelve years as of now. This is

confirmed by maareecha while advising raavanaa, that 'as a boy of

twelve raama, killed my mother and brother, and hit me out' as at 3-

38-6, oona dhvaadhasa varsha: [Or, baalo dvaadasha varSo ayam as per

other versions of the same slOkam]

 

A kshathriya of sixteen years or less age is not to war with any one.

But raamaa is still under sixteen, but he goes to war. But as stated

in another verse - tejasaam hi na vayaH sameekshyathE. 'dexterous

person's age is not to be reckoned'. This is as per gOvindharaajaa.

 

Coming back to our discussion, now it is more confusion. Whether

twelve is correct or sixteen is correct. In Baala KaaNda, the age of

raamaa as said by dhasaratha to visvaamithra is `oona shOdasa

varsha 'less than sixteen years.' In this slOkam maareecha is saying

that raama is less than twelve.

 

On this point I referred again the valmiki ramayan site. There it s

stated "Maheshvara Theertha another raamaayaNa commentator says -

maareecha lessened the age of raamaa only to intimidate raavanaa".

 

This also seems to have some logic. So both myself and my friend

agreed – yes there is some logic in this argument.

 

After some time my friend threw at me another set of slOkams, where

in seetha says as follows: [the following three slOkams are an

introduction of herself to raavana, her abductor, waiting at the

doors of her parNasaalaa]

 

ushithvaa dhvaa dhasa samaa: ikshvaakooNaam nivEsanE |

bhunjaanaa maanushaan bhOgaan sarva kaama samruddhinee || 3-47-4

 

ushithvaa dhvaa dasa samaa: = on residing twelve years

ikshvaakooNaam nivEsanE = in the ikshvaakoo's residence or palace

bhunjaanaa maanuSaan bhogaan = relished human prosperity

sarva kaama samruddhinee = I enjoyed all cherishes sumptuously.

 

Meaning: On residing in the palace of ikshvaakus [meaning in Ayodhya]

for twelve years, I have relished all human prosperity and all

cherishes, sumptuously.

 

thaththra thrayOdhasE varshE raaja amanthryatha prabhu: |

abhishEchayithum raamam samEthO raaja manthribhi: || 3-47-5

 

thaththra thrayOdhasE varshE = there in Ayodhya in the thirteenth

year

raaja amanthryatha prabhu raamam = the king [Dasharatha]deliberated

my lord raamaa

abhiSecayithum = to anoint [as Crown Prince]

samEtha raaja manthribhi = together with imperial ministers.

 

Meaning: In the thirteenth year, therein [in that Ayodhya] that

lordly king Dasharatha deliberated together with his imperial

ministers, to anoint my lord raamaa as Crown Prince.

 

mama bharthaa mahaathEjaa vayasaa pancha vimsaka || 3-47-10

aSTaa dasha hi varshaaNi mama janmani gaNyathE |

 

mama bhartaa mahaatejaa = my husband the great resplendent one

vayasaa panca vimshaka: = was of age twenty five

ashtaa dhasa hi varshaaNi = only eighteen years

mama janmani gaNyate = my from birth reckoned up

 

Meaning: My great-resplendent husband was of twenty-five years of age

[at that time] and to me, eighteen years are reckoned up from my

birth.

 

After going through these slokaas, now the age of raama at crowning

stage can be calculated as 16+ 13+ 14 =43.

 

Even if we consider the other calculation with 12, then it is 12+ 13+

14 = 39. [This figure of 25 goes well with the above slOka 3-47-10].

 

But only thing when raama is 25 and her age is 18, 18-13 = 5.

 

So the age of seetha at the time of her marriage is 5. This seems to

be a little odd. Learned bhagavathaas are invited to throw some light

on this.

 

I feel that 5 may not be correct. The reasons for this conclusion are

1. As stated in valmikiramayan web site for slOkam 3-47-10, "These

foots are said to be nonexistent in some more ancient mms. But

lengthy narration are there in calculating the age of Rama and

Seetha, at this point of legend, with these stanzas".

 

2. seetha is being addressed as kanya by his father janaka and

offered as veera shulkam for whoever is able to lift that dhanus in

mithila. Sri vasudev govind apte in his sanskrit english dictionary

says a kanya is a girl of 10 years of age.

 

Considering the twentyfive and eighteen as age of the couple, the

difference is seven. So seetha a kanya of 10, marrying 17 years raama

seems alright with the first slOkam oona shOdasa varshe.

 

For along with visvaamithra a long trek into forest, few days spent

in the forest, again a de-route to mithila. Considering those days

they have to either walk or go on horses all these might have taken

few weeks. So oona shOdasa varsham may have been completed and first

few week of age seventeen started.

 

With the above points, I request the learned in the group to throw

more light on the age at the crowning stage of raamaa. Of course the

interest is to know more in depth on `raamayaNam' and not anything

else.

 

Dhasan

Vasudevan m.g.