winning ways - post 3

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Post 3

 

Dear srivaishnava perunthagaiyeer,

 

We are continuing the winning ways of raamaa. In this post we see king janaka

being bowled over simply by raamaa's beauty and see how he wishes raamaa and

then questions visvaamithra with whom raamaa and lakshmaNa are accompanying.

[just to remind on the identification - 1 means baala kaaNdam of sreemadh

vaalmeeki raamaayaNam, 50 is sargam and 6 is slOkam number]

 

visvaamithram anupraaptham sruthvaa nrupavara: thadhaa |

sathaanandham puraskruthya purOhitham anindhitham || 1-50-6

prathi ujjagaama sahasaa vinayEna samanvitha: |

 

visvaamithram + anupraaptham + sruthvaa = visvamithra's, one chanced [at

Mithila] on hearing nrupa + vara: + thadhaa = king best [Janaka] then

purOhitham + a + nindhitham = priest, not, reprovable one

sathaanandham + puraskruthya = sathaanandha keeping afore

vinayEna + samanvitha: = with deference, embodied with [in deference to

visvaamithra]

prathi + ujjagaama + sahasaa = towards [visvaamithra,] forged ahead, instantly;

 

meaning: Then on hearing that visvaamithra chanced at mithila, that best king

Janaka, keeping his un-reprovable priest, sathaanandha afore, instantly forged

ahead towards visvaamithra, in deference to visvaamithra.

 

thathO bhaaga arthinO dhEvaan dhrashtum arhasi kousika |

ithi ukthvaa muni saardhoolam prahrushta vadhana: thadhaa || 1-50-16

puna: tham paripapruchCha praanjali: prayathO nrupa: |

 

thatha: + bhaaga + arthina: + dhEvaan = then [after those 12 days] their due,

desirers of, gods; dhrashtum + arhasi + kousika = to behold, apt of you, oh,

Kousika;

ithi +ukthvaa + muni + saardhoolam = thus, on speaking, to sage, tigerly;

prahrushta + vadhana: + thadhaa = gladdened, face, then;

puna: + tham + paripaprachCha = again, him [at visvaamithra,] enquired;

praanjali: + prayatha: + nrupa: = palms-enfolded, pure-minded [august,] king.

 

Meaning: Oh, kousika, then it will be apt of you to behold them, the gods who

are the desirers of their due, [and who arrive at the conclusion of this

Vedic-ritual"] Thus on speaking to that tigerly sage visvaamithra, that august

king again enquired with visvaamithra, with his enfolded palms and with a

gladdened face.

 

Point: Dear bhakthaas - see here the word - prahrushta vadhana: - king with a

gladdened face. Perhaps you may argue that king was gladdened with sage's

appearance in the kingdom. But if you see next slOkam, the reason for the king's

gladdening is clear. It is because the king is simply taken back by the beauty

of these two young ones who have accompanied the sage - raamaa and lakshmaNa.

 

imou kumaarou bhadram thE dhEva thulya paraakramou || 1-50-17

gaja thulya gathee veerou saardhoola vrushabha upamou |

padhma pathra visaala akshou khaDga thooNee dhanur dharou |

asvinou iva roopENa samupasthitha youvanou || 1-50-18

 

imou + kumaarou= these two, youngsters;

bhadram + thE = blest, ye be;

dhEva + thulya + paraakramou = to god [Vishnu,] identical, in enterprises;

gaja + thulya + gathee = elephant, identical, in strides;

veerou + saardhoola + vrushabha + upamou = brave ones, to tiger, to Holy Bull,

images with;

padhma + pathra + visaala + akshou = lotus, petal, broad, eyed ones;

khaDga + thooNee + dhanu: + dharou = sword, quiver, bow, wielder;

asvinou + iva + roopENa = asvini -twin, like, in aspect;

samupasthitha + youvanou = oncoming, youthfulness.

 

Meaning: These two youngsters, ye be blest, are identical to God Vishnu in

enterprises, their strides are identical to [arrogant] elephants, and their

[impetus] images tigerish and their [impulse] bullish. These are brave ones,

[but pleasant are their] eyes, like broad lotus petals, these are wielding

swords, quivers, and bows [righteously and apparently for righteous reasons, and

instead of appearing impudently with this weaponry,] they in their aspect are

like the asvini - twin [brothers, at whose hands the whole world gets its

medicament, and yet, unlike the timeless asvini - twins] oncoming is their

youthfulness.

 

Point: These are the same words of king sumathi in the previous post we saw.

Perhaps sage vaalmeeki could have used some other words, for, later critics of

poems, which bring down the poet's rating and the poem's rating, could easily

accuse him of 'repetition'.

 

But here he could not be accused that way, for perhaps he could not put more apt

words than what is already stated once, to describe raamaa's beauty. And the

'flat' position in which king sumathi as well janaka were there, vaalmeeki was

also, when all were bowled over by raamaa by his appearance. For describing

janaka's position, [janaka the well acclaimed yogi as referred to in bhagavath

geethaa] repetition may be the better option than searching new words.

 

yadhruchChayaa Eva gaam praapthou dhEva lOkaath iva amarou |

katham padhbhyaam iha praapthou kim artham kasya vaa munE || 1-50-19

 

yadhruchChayaa + Eva + gaam + praapthou = at their will, alone [simply,] onto

earth [mortal plane,] chanced;

dhEva + lOkaat + iva + amarou = from gods, world [vault of heaven,] as though, 2

immortals; katham + padhbhyaam + iha + praapthou = how, on foot, here, chanced

these two;

kim + artham = what, for reason;

kasya + vaa = whose [sons] either;

munE = oh, saint.

 

Meaning: As though two immortals have simply chanced at will, from the vault of

heaven onto this mortal plane, how these two chanced hither, [that too] on foot,

oh, saint, for what reason? And whose [sons] are they, either.

 

Point: see the 'concern' of the king janaka - these two were on foot. Perhaps

the very look impresses the king that makes him to ask why these two came on

feet [means walked a long way as it appears]. For royal people do less walking

and that is why perhaps king dhasaratha was also a bit hesitant to send the

prince along with sage visvaamithra, for he knows that these sages do not accept

vehicles, but prefer walking. But the point is king janakaa's heart is

overwhelming on seeing the roopa youvanam of raamaa, and he is pained to see

these two having walked along with the sage.

 

vara aayudha dharau veerou kasya puthrou mahaamunE |

bhooshayanthou imam dhEsam chandhra sooryou iva ambaram || 1-50-20

 

vara + aayudha + dharau + veerou = best, weapons, brandishing, valiant ones;

kasya + puthrou + mahaa munE = whose, sons, oh, great-saint;

bhooshayanthou + imam + dhEsam = embellishing, this, province;

chandhra + sooryou + iva + ambaram = Moon, Sun, like, sky.

 

Meaning: These valiant ones are brandishing best weapons, oh, great-saint, and

they are embellishing this province as the Sun and Moon do the sky. Whose sons

are they?

 

parasparasya sadhrusou pramaaNa ingitha chEshtithai: |

kaaka paksha dharou veerou srOthum ichChaami thaththvatha: || 1-50-21

 

parasparasya + sadhrusou = each to each, clonal;

pramaaNa + ingitha + chEshtithai: = by postural [language] by facial [language]

by body [language];

kaaka + paksha + dharou = crow wing [similar jet-black curly hair] bearing

[having];

veerou = valorous ones;

srOthum + ichChaami + thaththvatha: = to listen, I wish, in actuality.

 

Meaning: Clonal each to other by postural-language, by facial-language and by

body-language, [they appear to be] valorous ones [but boyish in appearance as]

their curly hairs are crow-wing like [jet-black, thus whether they are immature

by age though mature by their valour or so] I wish to listen [about them] in

actuality.

 

Point: 1. present day management experts talk about "body language" and the

meanings they convey. Whereas we have evidence of high-class management that too

practiced in the royal assembly is expressed here.

 

2. Perhaps we have to turn to sri thulasidhaasa's "raamcharithamaanas" also for

a description of how king janaka being impressed by raamaa's beauty. .

 

Doha: sanga sachiva suchi bhoori bhata bhoosura bara gura gyAti|

chalE milana muni naayakahi mudhitha raau Ehi bhaaNthi || 214 baala

kaaNdam

 

meaning: [doha means couplet - or in tamil can say it as kuRaL] [On hearing the

arrival of sage visvaamithra with raama and lakshmaNa]

king janaka took with him his faithful ministers, a number of warriors, noble

brahmaNas, his family preceptor sathaanandha and the chief of his kinsmen and

thus went for the rejoice of meeting the prince of sages.

 

Choupaayee 1 below 214:

keenha pranaamu charaNa dhari maathaa dheenhi asheesha mudhitha muninaathaa

biprabrundha saba saadhara bandhE jaani bhaagya bada raau anandhE

kusala prasna kahi baarahin baaraa bisvaamithra nrupahi baitaaraa

thEhi avasara aae dhou bhaaee gaE rahE dhEkhana phulavaaee

 

meaning: placing his head on the sage's feet the king made obeisance to him. The

lord of sages, visvaamithra gladly gave him the blessings. The king then

respectfully saluted the braahmaNaas and congratulated himself on the good

fortune of receiving the sage, his entourage. Inquiring again and again about

the welfare of the king, visvaamithra led the king to seat. At that time arrived

the two brothers who had gone to see the garden, one dark and the other fair,

the lads were yet tender of age.

 

Ch 2: syaama gaura mrudhu bayasa kisOraa lOchana sukhadha bisva chitha choraa

utE sakala jaba raghupathi aaE bisvaamithra nikata baitEaaE

bhaE saba sukhee dhEkhi dhou bhraathaa baari bilOchana pulakitha gaathaa

moorathi madhura manOhara dhEkhee bhaya_u bidhEhu bidhEhu bisEshee

 

meaning: The delight of all eyes, they stole the heart of the whole world. All

those present around there rose, when the lord of raghus came and visvaamithra

seated him by his side. They were all delighted to see the two brothers. Tears

rushed to their eyes and the hair on their body bristled with joy. Beholding

raamaa's lovely and charming form king vidhEha was particularly beside himself

with joy.

 

Point: 1. There is a pun on the word vidhEha. The king of mithila enjoyed the

hereditary title of vidhEha because he ruled over the country vidhEha or mithila

[capital mithilaapuri]. Since king janaka was a man of high wisdom and hence had

no identification with body. At the sight of raama however he was completely out

of control and therefore he justified in a special degree his name vi + dhEha -

out of dhEha.

 

do. prEma magana manu jaani nrupu kari bibEku dhari dheera

bOlEu muni pada naai siru gadagada giraa gabheera || 215

 

meaning: finding his heart overwhelmed with love the king recovered himself by

recourse to reason and bowing his head at the sage's feet spoke the following

pregnant words in a voice choked with emotion.

 

Ch: kahahu naatha sundhara dhou baalaka munikula thilaka ki nrupa kula paalaka

brahma jo nigama nEti kahi gaavaa ubhaya besha dhari kee soi aavaa

sahaja biraagarupa manu moraa thakita hOtha jimi chandha chakOraa

thaathe prabhu poochha_um sathibhaaoo kahahu naatha jani karahu dhuraa oo.

 

meaning: tell me my lord are these two pretty boys, the ornament of a sage's

family or the bulwarks of some royal dynasty? Or is it that brahma, the

absolute, whom vEdhaas describe in negative terms such as "not that" etc, has

appeared in a dual form. My mind, which is dispassion itself in its natural

form, is enraptured at their sight even as the chakOra bird is transported with

joy at the sight of the moon.

 

Dear bhakthaas, do I need to add any points on these? As Saint thulasidaas

himself has described, about janaka, as well himself without which such nice

words will not flow, the emotion is so high here also.

 

Read again and gain with same emotion as reflected in these lines and visualize

that raama, the beauty personified, so that he wins your heart also as that of

king janaka.

 

Dhaasan

 

Vasudevan m.g.

 

PS: Thanks to sri V.Anjaneyalu of Itarsi, India, who gave the clue for this

"raama winning" posts so that we are now enjoying raama and his winning beauty.

pardon me for the length of the post as it could not contained in explaining the

beauty of raama.