Thiruvaheendhrapuram RathnAngi Kaimkaryam Special: Part 197/Sundara KahANDam/2004 SrI Raama Navami Series : Seventh Day .

[Guest guest]

SrI Raama Jayam

 

Dear Raama BhakthAs:

 

Sathyavaadhee madhura-vAgdEvO Vaachaspathir-yaTA

roopavAn Subhaga: SrImAn Kandarpa iva MoorthymAn

 

---Sundara KaaNDam 34.29

 

na thu dharmOpasamhAram adharmO Phalasamhitham

tadhEva phalam anvEthi dharmascchAdharma-nAsana:

 

--Sundara KaaNDam: 51. 29 ( HanumAn"s UpadEsam)

 

(meaning): The phalan for Dharmam is Sukham; the fruits of

adharmam is sorrow . They do not come together . DharmA's

phalan comes on its own.That dharmam will destroy adharmam.

"DarmENa Paapam apanudhathi " says Vedam. Therefore Dharmam

chases away adharmam and not vice versa.

 

Summary of Sargams 41-52: Coverage of 385 SlOkmas

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After locating SeethA Devi and concluding His conversations with Her,

HanumAn set about on His efforts to assess RaavaNA's strength and thoughts.

He wanted therefore to invite RaavaNA's attention and started to

engage in activities that will surely invite RaavaNA's attention :

 

1. Burning of AsOka Vanam (Sargam 41)

2. Destruction of the 80,000 choice warriors of RaavaNan sent by latter

to teach a lesson to the rampaging HanumAn at AsOka Vanam ( Sargam 42)

3. Destruction of the temple for the Kula dhaivam of RaavaNan inside

the AsOka Vanam known as Chaithya PrasAdham ( Sargam 43)

4. HanumAn's Destruction of the Son of Prahasthan , JamBhumAli in

battle(Sargam 44)

5. HanumAn's Destruction of the seven sons of RaavaNA's

Ministers ( Sargam 45)

6. HanumAn's vadham of the five commander-in-chifs ( Sargam 46)

7. HanumAn's vadham of AkshakumAran , son of RaavaNan(Sargam 47)

8. Binding of HanumAn by Indhrajith ( Sargam 48)

9. HanumAn experiencing the grandeur of RaavaNan ( Sargam 49)

10. PrahasthA's questions to HanumAn in RaavaNa sabhA (Sargam 50)

11. HanumAr's upadEsam to RaavaNan ( Sargam 51)

12. VibhIshaNA's counsel not to kill HanumAn , the Raama DhUthan( Sargam

52).

 

Let us highlight the dozen individual sargams of the day now !

 

1. Fourty First Sargam: Destruction( Banjanam) of AsOka Vanam

****************************************************

There are 21 slOkams here , where HanumAn strategizes the ways

to attract RaavaNA's attention so that He can assess his military strengths

and his disposition . HanumAn has now completed one of the goals of

His mission to LankA (viz) the location of SeethA PirAtti. He started on

His second goal by destroying the trees of the beautiful AsOka vanam

and set fire to them and thereafter sat on the entry gate of the AsOka

Vanam to await the onslaught of RaavaNA's warriors.At AsOka

Vanam , HanumAn spared the site , where SeethA PirAtti was residing .

Rest of the forest was reduced to ashes.

 

2. Fourty Second Sargam: Kinkara Vadham (43 slOkams)

************************************** *******

The raakshasis of AsOka Vanam ran to RaavaNA's palace

and reported on the destruction of AsOka Vanam by a giant

monkey. The angry RaavaNan sent 80,000 soldiers well trained

in warfare to kill HanumAn , who announced Himself to the army

with the famous slOkam :

 

dAsOham KosalEndhrasya RaamasyAklishta-karmaNa:

HanumAn chathru-sainyAnAm nihanthA MaaruthAthmaja:

 

(Meaning): I am the servant of the King of Kosala dEsam

known for His anushtAnam of PuNya karmAs.My name is

HanumAn and I am the son of Vaayu BhagavAn . I am the One ,

who destoys the armies of enemies.

 

HanumAn now took the giant iron latch of the entry door of AsOka

Vanam and went after all of RaavaNA's army and destroyed most

of them.Those who escaped from HanumAn's anger ran back to

the palace and briefed their king on the mighty destruction by HanumAn.

RaavaNan sent next the son of Prahasthan to kill HanumAn.

 

43rd Sargam : Burning down of Chaithya-prasAdham (23 slOkams)

*****************************************************

Chaithya PrasAdham was the temple of the Kula dhaivam of RaavaNan.

HanumAn pulled the golden pillar of the temple and used it as a weapon to

destroy the RaakshasAs protecting the temple. Before destroying them ,

HanumAn's message was:

 

nEyamasthi puree LankA na Yooyam na cha RaavaNa:

YasmAth IshvAkunATEna Bhaddham vairam MahAthmanA

---Sundara KaaNDam: 43.23

 

(Meaning): Since enimity has been displayed to the Lord of IshvAku

kulam by the residents of LankA , the city of LankA will not survive.

You wont be here anymore as well. Your king , RaavaNan will cease

to exist .

 

44th Sargam: Destruction of JambhumAli , the son of Prahasthan (22 slOkams)

*************************************************************

HanumAn engaged next the heroic JambhumAli in a fierce battle and destroyed

him with the same door latch that He used to dispatch the KinkarAs before.

 

45th Sargam : Manthri Puthra Vadham ( 17 SlOkams)

*******************************************

RaavaNan sent the seven brave sons of His minsters to battle

with HanumAn next.They rained clouds of arrows on HanumAn.

With His mighty speed , HanumAn escaped those arrows.He

killed them all and sat again on the steps of Gate awaiting

the next group of warriors.

 

46th Sargam: Destruction of the five Army chiefs( 40 SlOkams)

************************************************

RaavaNan sent next his reputed five commanders-in-chief and

counselled them to be careful in the battle .He asked them to bring

the monkey alive to the raaja sabhA . HanumAn engaged these

war heros one by one and destroyed them with their armies and

vaahanams .

 

47th Sargam: AkshakumAra Vadham ( 38 SlOkams)

*****************************************

One of the young sons of RaavaNan was Aksha KumAran , a celebrated

warrior.He looked like the fire at the great deluge ( PraLaya Kaalam).

RaavaNan sent this son next in to the battle . HanumAn hit the chariot of

Aksha KumAran , pulverized it and then grabbed the opponent on ground

with His hands and whirled him around and dashed him to ground during

the act of destruction.

 

48th Sargam: HanumAn being bound by BrahmAsthram ( 61 slOkams)

******************************************************

It was now the turn of the elder son of RaavaNan ( Indhrajith) to avenge

his younger brother.RaavaNan praised his osn for his expertise in

war and told Indhrajith that he himself would go ahead to battle

with HanumAn except for the rules of war , the king sends his

warriors first.In the ensuing battle , HanumAn moved deftly to escape

the sharp arrows of Indhrajith.Now Indhrajith decided to use the mighty

BrahmAsthram to attack HanumAn. He knew that the asthram ( arrow)

will not kill HanumAn but can only immobilize Him . HanumAn

was now bound . The unintelligent servants of Indhrajith used

other ropes to tie HanumAn further. BrahmAstham can not

coexist with other ropes . As a a result , HanumAn was freed from

BrahmAsthram but pretended as though He was bound by the mere ropes

of RakshasAs. HanumAn was now eager to arrive at RaavaNan's

sabhA to take a measure of him.

 

49th Sargam: Assessing RaavaNan's glories ( 20 SlOkams)

**********************************************

HanumAn was very impressed with the roopam , courage, lustre

and other lakshaNams of RaavaNan and pitied him for the engagement

in adharmam such as the abduction of SeethA PirAtti to LankA and

commanding Her to be his wife.

 

50th Sargam: Minister Prahasthan's questions ( 19 slOkmas)

**********************************************

RaavaNan looked upward at the huge monkey in front of him ,

which had released itself from the ropes and formed a lofty throne

from its own long tail . HanumAn made up His own seat since RaavaNan

did not offer a seat.RaavaNan commanded his minister to ask the questions

to know the idnetity of the monkey and its purpose in causing such

destruction . HanumAn responded directly to RaavaNan and

asked RaavaNan to relate to Him as the ambassador of Raamachandran ,

the king of Kosala dEsam with immeasaurable tEjas and asked

RaavaNa to listen carefully to what He was going to say .

 

51st Sargam: HanumAn's upadEsam( 46 slOkams)

***************************************

HanumAn counselled RaavaNan on the self-destructive ways

he has chosen and asked him to desist and save himself from

the fury of His Master , Lord Raamachandran.He recounted

for RaavaNan , the Raama charithram , Vaali Vadham and

Sugreeva's crowning as the king of the monkeys and SugreevA's

command to his army to search in all the ten directions for

SeethA PirAtti abducted by RaavaNan. HnaumAn identified Hmself

as the Minister of Sugreevan and as the one , who jumped over

the broad ocean to arrive at LankA to search for SeethA Devi and

give RaavaNan the message of Lord Raamachandran.He asked

RaavaNan to listen to Him and return Jaanakee MaathA back to

Her husband and said that act will confer great mangaLam to him

at all times :

 

Tath-thrikAla hitham vaakyam dharmyAmarTaanubandhi cha

manyasva naradEvAya JAANAKEE PRATHIDHEEYATHAM

 

HanumAn instructed RaavaNan that his boons from DevAs and BrahamA

will not protect him from the wrath of Vijaya Raaghavan.He asked RaavaNan

to consider the benefits that will come by befriending His Lord and

returning SeethA PirAtti held in captivity by him at LankA.

 

HanumAn told RaavaNan that He can singlehandedly destroy RaavaNan and

His retinue but will defer to His Lord and asked RaavaNan to listen to His

unfailing words ( Mama Sathyam vachanam sruNushva). Please do not make

My Lord unhappy with Your despicable deeds (vipriyam ) if you want to

survive ( dhurlabham tava jeevitham ) . Not even Brahma , Rudran , Indhran

can

protect You . Please reconsdier and make amends to your aparAdhams said

HanumAn . RaavaNan heading towards his destructtion would not listen .

He ordered instead for the killing of HanumAn .

 

Fifty Second Sargam : Prevention of the killing of HanumAn (45 slOkams)

**********************************************************

When RaavaNan gave the orders to kill the messenger of Raaman ,

VibhishaNan , the righteous brother of RaavaNan was sitting in that

Raaja sabhA . He counseled patience for his elder brother, RaavaNan

and declared that a Messenger is not fit to be killed and only minor

punishments are in order for the Messenger :

 

Saadhur-vaa yadhi vaa asaadhu: parairEsha samarpitha:

Bruvan-parArTam paravAnna: dhUthO vadham arhathi

--Sundara KaaNDam: 52. 21

 

(Meaning): Whether the messenger is of good character or otherwise ,

he has been sent by someone else. He travelled here for that someone else.

He is controlled by that someone else(ParAdheenan) .Such a messenger

of someone else is not the right candidate for destruction was the line of

argument of VibhishaNan .

 

RaavaNan recognized the wisdom of his brother's words and

accepted that counsel.

 

SrI SeethA SamEtha SrI Raamachandra ParabrahmaNE nama:

Raama Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan