angadhan thoodhu - post 1

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

Whenever two parties are loggerheads, there has to be a messenger or a

go-between to mediate to bring them both together for a rapprochement. When they

are placed geographically apart, then this mediator has to travel more than once

to meet each separately and convey the second person's side to first, then again

travel to the second from first's place and convey him the first's view points.

Such mediator is also called ambassador. There are many such mediators or

ambassadors in the history.

 

Such ambassadorial work is exemplarily done by my krishNa in the mahaa

bhaaratham. Another famous envoy is sanjayan the charioteer of king of kouravaas

dhritharaashtran, again in same mahaa bhaaratham.

 

In the raamaayaNam two persons very nicely carries out this envoy's role. One is

hanumaan [as is well known]. The second is angadhan, the son of vaali, the

prince of monkey kingdom.

 

Some non- human ambassadors are naarai - the crane, kiLi - the parrot, mEgham -

the cloud, hamsam - the swan, vaNdu - the bees etc, which we find in 4000 dhivya

prabhandham, mEgha dhutham, and hamsa sandhEsam et al.

 

This not much noticed ambassador is angadhan, the son of thaara and vaali. Raama

sends angadhan just at the beginning of the war after landing in lanka. That

angadhan thoodhu - the ambassadorial work is not described / touched by

aazhvaars much as I could understand. Bhaagavathaas can add information so that

I can learn.

 

The following paasuram talk eloquently about this ambassador's work by the

supreme lord krishNa combining the two avathaarams raama and krishNa but lies

now as 'evvuL kidanthaan' - veera raaghavan at thiruvaLLoor.

 

munnOr thoodhu vaanaraththin vaayil mozhindhu - arakkan

mannoor thannai vaaLiyinaal maaLa munindhu - avanE

pinnOr thoodhu aadhi mannarkkaagip perunilaththaar

innar thoodhan ena ninRaan evvuL kidanthaanE - 2-2-3

 

meaning: during raama avataaram, He could not bear the pangs of separation from

seethaa piraattii and sent a monkey as His messenger to lankaa where none can

dare cross the barriers of Oceans and enter into the kingdom of raavaNan.

RaavaNan - the one who was granted such strengths by dhEvaas, was effortlessly

finished off by the anger of lord raamaa. The same Lord (after seeing hanumaan's

success as a messenger for Him to seethaa piraatti) wished to become a messenger

Himself and went to the kingdom of dhuryOdhanan, as paaNdava dhoothan. The same

Lord drove the chariot for arjunan in kurukshEthra battlefield. This Most

Wonderful Lord is having His yOga Nidhraa at Thiru evvuL. [taken from bhakti

list archives - translation by sri v.madhavak kannan swamy of Singapore - May 99

message 0048]

 

On this "Or thoodhu vaanaraththin vaayil mozhindhu" - I present the following

point for your consideration and elucidation by learned bhaagavathaas. First

just a little rearrangement of words as below - considering the raama avathaaram

portion only - viz. the first two lines of the paasuram

 

munnOr thoodhu avanE vaanaraththin vaayil mozhindhu - avanE arakkan

mannoor thannai vaaLiyinaal maaLa munindhu -

 

Then the meaning changes - who went as ambassador on raamaa's own advise - it is

angadhan - not hanumaan. To substantiate this - please refer sargam 41 of

kishkindha kaaNdam

1. king sugreeva directs who are the persons to go in south direction.

2. Raama just hands over the ring considering sugreeva's commendation

3. Whereas later raama directs angadhan to go and say to raavaNa what raama

wants to convey raavaNan just before beginning the war with him .

 

See slOkams [4 is kishkindha kaaNdam - 41 is sargam 1 is sloakm number]

 

thatha: prasthaapya sugreeva: than mahath vaanaram balam |

dakshiNaam prEshayaamaasa vaanaraan abhilakshithaan || 4-41-1

 

thatha: + prasthaapya + sugreeva: = then, on transiting, sugreeva;

thath + mahath + vaanaram + balam = that, great, vaanaraa, force [to East];

dhakshiNaam + prEshayaamaasa + vaanaraan = to South, started to transit,

vaanaraas;

abhi + lakshithaan = well, chosen [tried and true vanara-s.]

 

meaning: Then on transiting that great Vaanara force [to East,] Sugreeva started

to transit tried and true Vaanaras to South. [4-41-1]

 

neelam agni sutham chaiva hanoomantham cha vaanaram |

pithaamaha sutham chaiva jaambavantham mahOjasam || 4-41-2

 

neelam + agni + sutham + cha+ iva = Neela, Fire's, son, also thus;

hanoomantham + cha + vaanaram = Hanumaan, also, vaanara;

pithaamaha + sutham + cha + iva = Grandfather's [brahma's,] son, also thus;

jaambavantham + mahaa + Ojasam = Jaambavantha, of great, vitality.

 

Meaning: Thus the son of Fire-god Neela, Hanumaan [the exceptional] vaanara, the

son of Brahma, the Grandfather, namely Jaambavantha of great vitality. [4-41-2]

 

suhOthram cha -- suthou ubhou || 4-41-3 and 4 [ slokams combined since these

two gives a who's who list of monkeys sent]

 

meaning: Also suhOthra, sharaari, and thus only sharagulma and like that gaja,

gavaaksha, gavaya, sushEna, vrishabha. Thus, mainda, dhvividha, sushENa,

gandhamaadhana, and the two sons of ritual-fire oolkaamukha, ananga [are called

for...] [4-41-3 and 4]

 

angadha pramukhaan veeraan veera: kapi gaNa eesvara: |

vEga vikrama sampannaan sandhidhEsa visEshavith || 4-41-5

 

angadha + pramukhaan + veeraan = Angadha, and other prominent, valorous ones;

veera: + kapi + gaNa + eesvara: = brave, monkey, troops, lord [sugreeva sent];

vEga + vikrama + sampannaan = in dash, dare, full-fledged;

sandhidhEsa + visEsha + vith = directed, specialties, knower of [well-informed

Sugreeva.]

 

meaning: Sugreeva, the well-informed and brave lord of monkey troops directed

angadha and the other prominent and valorous ones who are full-fledged in dash

and dare. [4-41-5]

 

thEshaam agrEsaram chaiva bruhadh balam atha angadham |

vidhaaya hari veeraaNaam aadisadh dhakshiNaam dhisam || 4-41-6

 

thEshaam + agrEsaram + cha + iva = those, as chief, also thus;

bruhath + balam + atha + angadham = marvelously, mighty, then, Angadha;

vidhaaya + hari + veeraaNaam = ordained [Angada as chief,] for monkeys, valiant

ones;

aadhisath + dhakshiNaam + dhisam = ordered, southerly, direction.

 

Meaning: Also thus, the marvelously mighty angadha is ordained as the chief of

those valiant monkeys and they are ordered for southerly direction. [4-41-6]

 

So it is now clear that king sugreeva only directs the army of monkeys to go in

the south direction. We will continue in next post.

 

Dhaasan

 

Vasudevan m.g.