the bow's story - post 6

[Guest guest]

Post 6

 

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

We saw in post 4 of this bow's tory, how king janaka explained his ancestors got

the siva's bow after a small war between siva and naaraayaaNan, in which, by a

hoonkaaram - a whizzing noise - siva's bow was broken. That bow was with king

janaka and that is the bow which visvaamithra wanted rama to see - 'vathsa raama

dhanu: pasya'. On that command of 'pasya' of the sage, we saw few points in post

5.

 

We will see some verses of poet kamban - below - which just goes in line with

vaalmeeki. The situation is - when parasuraama meets raama after the raama's

marriage starts talking about the two bows and the broken stage of siva's bow -

 

maanam maNi mudi mannavan sOrvuRal madhiyaan

thaan annilai uRuvaan uRuvinai uNdadhu thaviraan

aanamudai umai aNNalai annaaL uRu silaithaan

oonam uLadhu adhan mein neRi kEL enRu uraipurivaan

- 25 parasuraamap padalam baala kaaNdam kamba raamaayaNam

 

[please note the words "umai aNNalai aanam uDai annaaL uRu silaithaan oonam

uLadhu" - means - the bow which has siva as its leader or owner - that bow some

handicap or defect in itself. So 'jrumbhitham' in 1-75-19 of vaalmeeki is taken

by kamban also as 'broken'].

 

see thae two bow's capacities are described here

 

oru kaal varu kadhir aam ena oLi kaalvana ulaiyaa

varukaar thavazh vada mEruvin vali saalvana

arugaa vinai purivaan uLan avanaal amaivanadhaam

iru kaarmugam uLa yaavaiyum Elaadhana mEl naaL - 26 ibid

 

a rough meaning - these two bows will spit heat and light [fire] as though the

sun if coming down in full force. These two bows moves like those days mEru

mountain which had floating clouds - like that they move - these bows were

created by that visvakarmaa who has incomparable skill in building.

 

[those days mountains were having wings and were flying at will which was later

cut by dhEvEndhran - this theory gets corroborated in raamaayNam by the mainaka

episode in sundhara kaaNdam when hanumaan travels in sky].

 

onRinai umaiyaaL kELvan uvandhanan maRRai onRai

ninRu ulagu aLandha nEmi nediya maal neRiyin koNdaan

enRu idhu uNarndha viNNOr irandinum vanmai eidhum

venRiyadhu yaadhu enRu virinchanai vinava annaaL - 27 ibid

 

[the two bows were taken one each by siva and vishNu. Here virinchan is brahma -

see another beauty of words - ninRu ulagu aLandha nEmi nediya maal - that

thirumaal who stretched himself and stood, measured the world, who has wheel].

 

seer idhu dhEvar thangaL chindhanai enbadhu unni

vEri am kamlaththOnum iyaivadhu Or vinayam thannaal

yaarinum uyarndha moolaththu oruvar aam iruvar thammai

moori vem chilai mElittu moi amar moottivittaan 28 - ibid

 

see here - that brahma only induced the war between siva and naaraayaNan with

the bow as the main bone of contention. Another verse -

 

oona vil iRuththa moimpai nOkkuvadhu ookkam enRaal

maanava maRRum kELaai vazhippagai udaiyan numpaal

eenam il endhai seeRRam neekkinaan enna mun Or

thaanvan anaiya mannan kola yaan saliththu mannO - 32 ibid

 

see here - the starting words themselves claim the bow is defective or broken.

Also the words - maanava - manidhaa - hey man - I have vazhip pagai - I have

enmity through coming from ancestors - since I also have a bow - that vishNu

bow. Also you are a kshathriya as a clan against whom I have enmity.

 

[Note: 1. dear bhakthaas - sorry - I am not giving full meaning or a rough

translation of the entire verses. That will increase the length of posts and

also not that much relevant to the flow of bow's story.

 

2. Why so much on that 'broken stage' of bow? That is mainly to substantiate

that it is not wrong to take govindaraja's commentary on that 'jrumbitham' as

broken since kamban also goes in line with govindaraja.

 

3. Again a 'Sorry', for I am unable to add any comment on 'time period' of

govindaraja vis-à-vis kamban and judge as to who followed the other].

 

Now we will go back to the royal palace where janaka and sage are giving a go

ahead to raama - as per vaalmeeki --

 

maharshE: vachanaath raamO yathra thishtathi thath dhanu: |

manjooshaam thaam apaavruthya dhrushtvaa dhanu: atha abraveeth || 1-67-13

 

Meaning: By the word of the great sage Vishvamitra, raama on opening [the lid

of] that strong box, wherein that bow is ensconced and on seeing the bow, then

raama said,

 

idham dhanurvaram brahman samsprusaami iha paaNinaa |

yathnavaan cha bhavishyaami thOlanE pooraNE api vaa || 1-67-14

 

Meaning: raama said to the sage - Oh, Brahman [sage], now I wish get the feel of

this supreme bow. Even I wish to become a man to try at the bow also, in

brandishing and even in taking aim with it.

 

baaDham ithi Eva tham raajaa muni: cha samabhaashatha |

leelayaa sa dhanur madhyE jagraaha vachanaath munE: || 1-67-15

 

Meaning: All Right! thus, the saint and king said to him in chorus, and raama by

the word of the sage, snatched the bow, grasping it at the middle handgrip,

playfully.

 

pasyathaam nru sahasraaNaam bahoonaam raghunandhana: |

aarOpayath sa dharmaathmaa sa leelam iva thath dhanu: || 1-67-16

 

Meaning: While many thousands of men are witnessing, he that legatee of Raghu,

Rama, for he happened to be a profound souled one, he stringed the bow,

effortlessly.

 

aarOpayithvaa mourveem cha poorayaamaasa veeryavaan |

thath babhanja dhanur madhyE narasrEshtO mahaayasaa: || 1-67-17

 

meaning: Having stringed the bow, he, that best one among men, raama started to

stretch the bowstring [up to his ear to examine its tautness, but] he that

glorious raama broke that bow, medially.

 

The main bow is now broken in bow's story. What kamban has to say on this

lifting stretching breaking etc we will see in next post.

 

Dhasan

Vasudevan m.g.