rana dheeran

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

Generally a person is called veteran in a particular subject, when he has

handled that topic numerous times and proved his expertise or mastery to others.

Many a times we hear about retired sports persons as veteran in basket ball,

tennis; army veterans having taken part in Indo Pak war, Kargil battle etc.

 

See swamy dhEsikan [sD] calling raama sound in war - a vetaran in war in the

very first encounter he meets.

 

See lines 9 and 10 of "raghu veera gadhyam"

koumaara kEli gOpaayitha kousika aDhvara !

raNa aDhvara Dhurya bhavya dhivya asthra brundha vandhitha !

 

meaning: one who has saved in a kingly manner the sacrifice of kousika [sage

viswamithra] as though it is a young ones' sport. One who had used the dhivya

asthrams [sacred weaponry] attentively or in a sound manner [means effectively

used the weapons like a veteran], which were bowing and waiting for him [to be

used in a war].

 

Father dhasaratha replies sage viswamithra "my son is not yet 16 years in age,

and, oh sage! You want him to accompany you to kill those mighty relatives of

raavaNa in a duel, that too in the night time when these raakshasaas have peak

energy levels", when sage visvaamithra wants raama to accompany him to save his

yagnaas.

 

The specialty here is that word "Dhurya raNa adhvara" - sound in handling the

burden of the war as though it is a sport for a youth - koumaara kEli - viz.

veteran in war.

 

Similar sentiments were echoed by saint thyaagaraaja [sT] in his krithi

"raghu veera raNa dheera" in raagam husEni. Now krithi and meaning

 

pallavi:

raghuveera raNadheera raaraa raaja kumaara

 

meaning: hey prince, come, the brave one from raghu clan, one who gets

delighted in a war, [or a brave one in a war].

 

anupallavi:

bhrugu soonu madha vidhaara, brndhaaraka dhaara [raghu]

 

meaning: hey prince, come, one who did remove the false pride of brughu soonu -

the son of bhargava - viz. parasu raama;

hey prince raamaa come, one who is the base [or foundation] of dhEvaas the

demigods.

 

charaNam:

raavaNa ghata karNa balaaraathi ripu naga nagaari

sthaavara jangama roopa thyaagaraaja hruth chaari [raghu]

 

meaning: hey prince raama come, who has removed the mighty raavaNa, the

kumbakarNa, and indhrajith [the mighty son of raavaNa] ;

hey raama come, one who is in the form of plants and forests etc,

hey raama come, one who resides and moves in the heart of thyaagaraaja.

 

This krithi is as though sage viswamithra addresses raama hey prince come.

 

Dear bhakthaas, note SD calls raamaa as raNa adhvara, ST calls raNa dheera.

 

When raamaa accompanies sage viswamithra, raamaa has not yet lifted the bow to

kill somebody in a war but being addressed but ST calls him 'raNa dheera'.

 

Sage valmeeki is even one step more. See his slOkam - compares raama to kumaran

- skandhan the general - sEnaapathi of dhEvaas, [krishNa also says I am skandha

among generals in vibhoothi yOgam of bhagavath geetha]. See slOkam

 

thathaa kusika puthram thu dhanush paaNee svalankruthou |

badhDha gOdha anguli thraaNou khadgavanthou mahaadhyuthee || 1-22-8

 

kumaarau chaaru vapushou bhraatharou raama lakshmaNou |

anuyaathou sriyaa dheepthou sObhayEthaam anindhithou || 1-22-9

sthaaNum dhEvam iva achinthyam kumaarou iva paavakee |

 

thatha: = then;

kumaarou = youngsters;

chaaru vapushou = charming, bodied ones;

svalankruthou = be-jeweled ones;

dhanush paaNee = bow, in hands;

badhDha godha angulee thraaNou = tied, leathern, fingers, covers;

khadga vanthou = swords, having;

mahaa dhyuthee = highly, resplendent ones;

sriyaa dheepthou = with worth, effulgent;

a + nindhithou = unreprovable ones;

bhraatharou = two brothers; raama; lakshmaNa;

anuyaathou = going while following;

paavakee = birthed by fire-god;

kumaarou iva = sons, like;

a + chinthyam dhEvam = not, thinkable - inscrutable potential, the god - siva;

sthaaNum iva = siva, as with;

kusika puthram sObhayEthaam = Kusi's son [viswamithra,] made to shine.

 

Meaning: Those two youngsters with charming and be-jeweled physiques are

handling bows and swords and their fingers have leathern covers. Both the

unreprovable brothers raama and lakshmaNa are highly resplendent and effulgent

by their worth. While they are following viswamithra they looked like the sons

of fire-god, namely skandha and visaakha, following the great lord with

inscrutable potential, namely siva, and thus the brothers have made viswamithra

to shine forth in even pose with lord siva. [1-22-8, 9, 10a]

 

Comment on this slOkam: The Supreme Being that is resident like an atom. Stha

means Being, aNum atom like. In every mobile or sessile being he is there. Here

it is siva. siva's sons are two, one being gaNEsa and the other kumaran.

kumaaran is the army general of dhEvaas. Also refer sreemadh bhagavath geethaa

where in krishNa says among sEnapathis - leaders of army I am skandha [or

kumaran as he is also called].

 

According to mahaa bhaaratham, kumaran is said to have become four in a

split-second, the four being known as 1- skandha, 2- visaakha, 3- saaka, 4-

naigamEsa. Here the first two aspects of kumaara, namely skandha and vishaakha,

are incorporated in simile to raama and lakshmaNa.

 

adhyardha yOjanam gathvaa sarayvaa dhakshiNE thatE | 1-22-10

raamaa ithi madhuraam vaaNeem viswaamithra: abhyabhaashatha | 1-2-11

 

adhyardha yOjanam gathvaa = one and half, yojana on going;

sarayvaa daskhiNE thatE = sarayu river's, southern bank;

viswamithra: raama ithi madhuram vaaNeem = 'oh, Rama', thus, in harmonious,

voice; abhya bhaashatha = spoke.

 

Meaning: on going one and half yOjana distance viswaamithra addressed raama in a

harmonious voice calling, 'oh, raamaa', on the southern riverbank of Sarayu.

[1-22-10b, 11a]

 

[Meaning and comment taken from valmikiramayan.net website]

 

Now detailed points:

1. kumaara - this word is explained in Monier Williams Sanskrit English

dictionary as "a heir apparent associated in the kingdom with the reigning

monarch". Of course the well known meanings such as a boy, a youth, a lad, name

of skandha are also there. So the word very aptly suits raama since he is heir

apparent to dhasaratha. Also it is in line with the comparison of muruga

accompanying siva as stated in ramayanam

 

2. adhvara - sri VS Apte in his dictionary gives the meaning of "sound,

attentive, for this word when used as adjective. When used as noun it means a

sacrifice or yaaga. Adhvara in raNa - sound in war means a war veteran or raNa

dheeran - means one who is brave in war. These two mean raama is confident of

his own strengths. Besides viswaamithra is also confident of raamaa's strengths.

 

3. Also raghu veera - brave one from raghu clan - why - already sage

visvaamithra says to dhasaratha "aham vEdhmi maahaa aathmaanam, aham thE

prathijaanaami" etc while dhasaratha hesitates and refuses. [Also sage vasishta

knows who raama is- as stated by viswaamithra].

 

4. Dear bhakthaas, you may ask how ST goes on to describe parasuraama garva

bhangam, raavaNa vadham etc means - he just puts these as sankshEpa raamaayaNam,

what all going to happen once raama started going out with the sage. Also go

back to "aham vEdhmi mahaathmaanam". So sage knows which is reflected by ST.

 

5. Also please note in all these authors use this word kumara [or its

derivative koumaara]. The comparison of "kumaarou paavakee iva" - hot like fire

- one who is raNa dheeran is hot for his enemies. The agni or pavakee is the one

who received the fire like hot outpour of siva which later assembled into kumara

or skandha. So also these two raama and lakshmana follows their protector

visvamithra who is the fire of brahma thejas..

 

6. ghatam is pot - kumbam is also pot. Ghata kaRna is one who has ears like pot

- or kumba karNan - who is brother of raavaNan the sleepy brother.

 

7. balaahaka: is rain or thunder clouds. Balaahaa is the king of clouds or

dhEvEndhran. His athi ripu is fiercest enemy - is one who has conquered indhran

- he is indhrajith, the mEgha naathan

 

8. ST selecting the raagam husEni is also some thing great. Hutoochishta

sEnaani ithi husEni. That which is offered as a offering - the raakshasaas

killed and offered as a sort of offering in visvamithra's yagaa - a beautiful

raagam.

 

Already we have seen and enjoyed how ST pours out parts of raamayanam as his

kuladhanam - vaachama gOcharam, hari dhaasulu krithis of ST describing certain

portions of raamaayaNam - though apparently the words may give certain meaning -

which he himself says in another krithi "neeve naa kula dhanamu".

 

So hereafter whenever you hear thyaagaraaja krithis, please try to link with

raamayanam and your enjoying the krithi will multiply the raama bhakthi

manifold.

 

Also who else is thyaagaraaja except the raama, for he did the biggest sacrifice

- one who renounced the kingdom at the behest of a word from father and went to

forest - the thyaagam of the raajyam - the biggest one can sacrifice so easily -

aptly raama is the thyaagangaLukku raajan - king for sacrificing - and not the

one who wrote the krithi. Of course for this writer can have the same name, but

the real thyaagaraajan is raama. raamaa raama

 

dhasan

 

vasudevan m.g.