RE: The Bow -Varuna's connection

[Guest guest]

SRIMATHE RAMANUAJAYA NAMAHA.

 

The bow’s story is becoming interesting. Sita tells

Anasuya that the bow broken by Rama to win her hand

was given to her father by Varuna devatha in a

maha-yajna. A similar version is being told by Rama

too in Ayodhya khandam. In the chapter dealing with

Rama’s dialogue with Lakshmana in asking him not to

accompany him to the forest, Rama finally relents to

lakshmana’s prayer and agrees to take him along. He

then tells him that king Janaka had given him 2 bows

(roudhra-dharshana and divye) and other weapons that

he got from Varuna devatha in a maha-yajna. Since he

(Rama) had left them in the custody of sage Vasishta,

he commands Lakshmana to go and fetch them so that

they can carry them when they go to the forest. (2-31-

27, 28 & 29)

 

The questions that we get are,

(1) Do the adjectives ‘roudhrou- dharshana’ and

‘divye’ denote the outward meaning like dreadful and

divine or did they mean that the bows belonged to

Rudra? If so why Rama chose to mention only about

Varuna and not Rudra, the fact about whose possession

is far more important? (The verses are available in

www.valmikiramayana.net)

 

(2) What are these bows called? Which then is

Kothandam which we usually associate with Rama?

 

(3) Are these bows in addition to the one Rama broke

in the swayamvaram? Is there any reference to Rama

using shiva-dhanush that he broke, after mending it?

 

Some thoughts:-

In the translation found in www.valmikiramayana.net,

there is no mention of number of bows. But in the

Tamil transliteration by A.V. Narasimhachar, it is

mentioned as 2. I think the original text in sanskrit

is in dwi-vachanam. I request devotees to confirm.

In the Tamil version that I have, foot-notes by the

translator and vyakhyanam by Sri Govindarajar are

given at some places. This particular verse is also

explained as a foot-note but I am not able to provide

the information on who has given this explanation

(owing to the condition of the book I have, where the

few pages on the details of the sources for

vyakhyanams are missing)

 

Now the notes:-

It is said that the weapons including the bows, given

to Rama by Janaka seem to be in pairs, perhaps to

denote that both Rama-Lakshmana would be in need of

them when they go to the forest.

 

Secondly, there is no mention in Bala khandam of this

information or even Varuna as having given these

bows to Janaka. This is perhaps to do with style of

valmiki’s narration. Similar kind of narration (of not

telling the incident when it had happened , but

telling about it at a later stage to give some impact)

is found in two other places. One is in not having

told about the ‘maNi-bhandhanam’ (the choodamani being

given at the time of marriage) in bala khandam but

telling about it in Sundhara khandam and the other is

in not having told about Kaakaasura vrudhantham in

Ayodhya khandam but telling about it in Sundara

khandam.

 

 

Regards,

Jayasree saranathan

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

SRIMATHE RAMANUAJAYA NAMAHA.

 

The bow’s story is becoming interesting. Sita tells

Anasuya that the bow broken by Rama to win her hand

was given to her father by Varuna devatha in a

maha-yajna. A similar version is being told by Rama

too in Ayodhya khandam. In the chapter dealing with

Rama’s dialogue with Lakshmana in asking him not to

accompany him to the forest, Rama finally relents to

lakshmana’s prayer and agrees to take him along. He

then tells him that king Janaka had given him 2 bows

(roudhra-dharshana and divye) and other weapons that

he got from Varuna devatha in a maha-yajna. Since he

(Rama) had left them in the custody of sage Vasishta,

he commands Lakshmana to go and fetch them so that

they can carry them when they go to the forest. (2-31-

27, 28 & 29)

 

The questions that we get are,

(1) Do the adjectives ‘roudhrou- dharshana’ and

‘divye’ denote the outward meaning like dreadful and

divine or did they mean that the bows belonged to

Rudra? If so why Rama chose to mention only about

Varuna and not Rudra, the fact about whose possession

is far more important? (The verses are available in

www.valmikiramayana.net)

 

(2) What are these bows called? Which then is

Kothandam which we usually associate with Rama?

 

(3) Are these bows in addition to the one Rama broke

in the swayamvaram? Is there any reference to Rama

using shiva-dhanush that he broke, after mending it?

 

Some thoughts:-

In the translation found in www.valmikiramayana.net,

there is no mention of number of bows. But in the

Tamil transliteration by A.V. Narasimhachar, it is

mentioned as 2. I think the original text in sanskrit

is in dwi-vachanam. I request devotees to confirm.

In the Tamil version that I have, foot-notes by the

translator and vyakhyanam by Sri Govindarajar are

given at some places. This particular verse is also

explained as a foot-note but I am not able to provide

the information on who has given this explanation

(owing to the condition of the book I have, where the

few pages on the details of the sources for

vyakhyanams are missing)

 

Now the notes:-

It is said that the weapons including the bows, given

to Rama by Janaka seem to be in pairs, perhaps to

denote that both Rama-Lakshmana would be in need of

them when they go to the forest.

 

Secondly, there is no mention in Bala khandam of this

information or even Varuna as having given these

bows to Janaka. This is perhaps to do with style of

valmiki’s narration. Similar kind of narration (of not

telling the incident when it had happened , but

telling about it at a later stage to give some impact)

is found in two other places. One is in not having

told about the ‘maNi-bhandhanam’ (the choodamani being

given at the time of marriage) in bala khandam but

telling about it in Sundhara khandam and the other is

in not having told about Kaakaasura vrudhantham in

Ayodhya khandam but telling about it in Sundara

khandam.

 

 

Regards,

Jayasree saranathan