bow's story - post 4

[Guest guest]

Post 4

 

Dear srivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

We saw the story wherein seethaa, as a six year old, has pushed the

bow and thus proved her mystic superiority. That also gave the clue

to father janaka to put this bow as the test to determine the

strength of the `would be son in law'. See here king janaka tells

visvaamithra, the birth of seethaa as an ayOnijaa and his decision to

test the capacity in bravery of the would be son in law by asking him

to string that mystic siva dhanu:

 

bhoo thalaath uththhithaa saa thu vyavardhatha mama aathmajaa || 1-66-

14

veerya sulkaa ithi mE kanyaa sthaapithaa iyam ayOnijaa |

 

Meaning: Hers is a non-uterine birth as she surfaced from the earth,

but fostered as my own soul-born girl and I determined [to giver her

in marriage to a bridegroom where his] bravery is the only bounty I

receive in the marriage [by putting the bow as the testing tool].

 

thatha: sarvE nrupathaya: samEthya munipungava || 1-66-17

mithilaam abhyupaagamya veeryam jijnaasava: thadhaa |

 

Meaning: Then all the kings convoked and on arriving at Mithila, then

they wanted to ascertain the calibre [of the bow, vis-à-vis their

own]

 

thEshaam jijnaasamaanaanaam saivam dhanu: upaahrutham || 1-66-18

na sEku: grahaNE thasya dhanusha: thOlanE api vaa |

 

Meaning: For them, those who wanted to ascertain the calibre of the

bow, that bow of siva is fetched to their proximity, but they are

incapable to joggle it, or even to catch hold of it.

 

Point: As a result of this trying and failing these kings fought with

king janaka and janaka did kept them out by the strength given to

janaka by the dhEvathaas on whom he did thapas. That he admits as

the "thapa praasadhaath". Information about this was in the course of

discussion given by janaka to visvaamithra. Since it is not so

important in this "bow's story" these six slokams are left out.

 

thath Ethath munisaardhoola dhanu: parama bhaasvaram || 1-66-25

raama lakshmaNayO: cha api darsayishyaami suvratha |

 

Meaning: Oh, tigerly sage this is that supremely radiant bow, and oh,

saint of sacred vows, I will show it, even to raama and lakshmaNa.

 

yadhi asya dhanushO raama: kuryaath aarOpaNam munE |

suthaam ayOnijaam seethaam dhadhyaam dhaasarathE: aham || 1-66-26

 

Meaning: If raama strings the bow, oh, sage, I will offer my

daughter, whose birth is non-uterine, to dhasaratha's raama." [so

said janaka to visvaamithra]

 

Point: Here by the use of word 'even' 'also', Janaka is not reckoning

raama or lakshmana as better than these other kings who tried and

failed in lifting the `bow' - [the hero of this series]. Janaka is

yet to consider any supreme-ness or super-humanness to raama and

lakshmaNa.

Somehow by asking visvaamithra 'what can I do next' in verse 3,

Janaka has sensed some thing new or wonderful is there, in

visvaamithra bringing these two royal looking boys on a long tiresome

route, that too by walk [or on foot]. So the sage visvaamithra asks

janaka to show the bow to raama and lakshmaNa.

 

janakasya vacha: sruthvaa visvaamithrO mahaamuni: |

dhanur dharsaya raamaaya ithi ha uvaacha paarthivam || 1-67-1

 

Meaning: On listening to the words of Janaka, the eminent-saint

visvaamithra indeed said to the king, thus as "let the bow be

displayed for raama".

 

Point: On being ordered by the king janaka, see how many men pull the

cart containing the bow from its original place to the place where

the king, visvaamithra and raama are.

 

janakEna samaadhishtaa: sachivaa: praavisan puram |

thath dhanu: puratha: kruthvaa nirjagmu: amitha oujasa: || 1-67-3

nruNaam sathaani pancaasat vyaayathaanaam mahaathmanaam |

manjooshaam ashta chakraam thaam samoohu: thE kathanchana || 1-67-4

 

meaning: Thus clearly instructed by Janaka, those high souled

ministers went out [from the ritual hall] and on entering the palace-

chambers, they came out with an 8 wheeled coffer, [in which that bow

is ensconced,] and they the ministers got it tugged by 5000 tallish

men of illimitable energy, who somehow tugged it very difficultly,

and they the ministers have re-entered [the ritual hall,] keeping

that bow afore of them.

 

Point: See even after bringing the bow in front of the sage and raama

and lakshmaNa, the king janaka expresses his mind again to

visvaamithra - "when people other than humans like raakshasaas

kinnaras et al have failed what these two human boys are going to do".

 

idham dhanur varam brahman janakai: abhipoojitham |

raajabhi: cha mahaa veeryai: asakthai: pooritham thadhaa || 1-67-8

 

meaning: Here is that exquisite bow, oh, Brahman, the time-honoured

one by the lineage of Janaka kings, and by which even the highly

forceful kings are rendered inefficient to take aim with it,

previously.

 

na Etat sura gaNaa: sarvE sa asuraa na cha raakshasaa: |

gandharva yaksha pravaraa: sa kinnara mahOragaa: || 1-67-9

kva gathi: maanushaaNaam cha dhanushO asya prapooraNE |

aarOpaNE samaayOgE vEpanE thOlanE api vaa || 1-67-10

 

meaning: None in all the assemblages of gods, inclusive of demigods,

not even among those of demons, or the best of gandharvaas, yakshaas

inclusive of kinnaraas and that of reptilian demigods, is capable

enough and all are rendered incapable, and then, in brandishing this

bow [for a proper grip,] or in bracing its bowstring [to the other

end,] or in twitching the bowstring [for its tautness] or in placing

the arrow on bowstring [at a proper place for a proper

stretchability] or even in taking a good aim with it. What will be

that capability of one, even among humans.

 

thath Ethath dhanushaam srEshtam aaneetham munipungava |

dharsaya Ethath mahaabhaaga anayO: raaja puthrayO: || 1-67-11

 

meaning: Oh, eminent-saint, such as it is, this nonpareil bow among

all bows is brought in, and oh, highly fortunate sage Visvaamithra,

let this be displayed to those two princes". [Thus Janaka said to

Visvaamithra.]

 

visvaamithra: sa raama: thu sruthvaa janaka bhaashitham |

vathsa raama dhanu: pasya ithi raaghavam abraveeth || 1-67-12

 

meaning: But visvaamithra on listening the sentence of Janaka along

with Rama, said to Raaghava, thus "oh, boy Raama, you may see the

bow".

 

Dear bhakthaas, we all know what happened after this command of the

sage. To see what happened as described by sage vaalmeeki we have to

wait till next post.

 

Dhasan

 

Vasudevan m.g.