bow's story -post 13

[Guest guest]

Post 13

 

Dear srivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

First please excuse me for stretching this bow story [of raama] even

after saying completed in part 8 itself. But since some more points

came up I thought it is wise to share those interesting points. Here

is one such. Of course I earlier thought this is not that much

important to include but since certain points came up during the

exchange between the learned smt. Jayasree saranathan, I thought it

is prudent to include this also.

 

Sage visvaamithra gave lot of asthrams to raamaa after raamaa

successfully eliminated thaatakaa, subhaahu by killing and maareecha

by beating him into the ocean. What are the details about these

asthrams? Is it worth including as part of bow story? I thought

definitely that will form part of it and hence including it here.

 

The details of these are as follows.

 

dhaNDa chakram mahath dhivyam thava dhaasyaami raaghava || 1-27-4

dharma chakram thathO veera kaala chakram thathaiva cha |

 

vishNu chakram thathaa athi ugram aindhram chakram thathaiva cha || 1-

27-5

vajram asthram narasrEshta saivam soolavaram thathaa |

 

asthram brahmasira: cha Eva aisheekam api raaghava || 1-27-6

dhadhaami thE mahaa baahO braahmam asthram anuththamam |

 

meaning: O raaghava, I am going to give the highly divine dhanDa disc

[Punisher disc]; next, oh, best one among men, Dharma disc [virtue

disc,] and like that kaala disc [time-disc]; then oh, brave one,

vishNu disc; similarly oh, dextrous raama, indhra disc and

thunderbolt missile; the best trident pertaining to siva; the missile

called brahma-sira [brahma's crest]; the missile called the aisheeka

missile [grass-blade missile,] and that way oh, raaghava, I am going

to give the unexcelled and highly formidable missile called brahmaa

missile.

 

Point: This aisheeka missile is a `dried blade of grass', which by

invoking with relevant manthrams will become a projectile weapon.

raama used this only on the kaakasuran for the offence he committed

on seethaa. Here perhaps you will have the doubt whether it is

brahmaasthram or this aisheeka. The slOkam here is

sa dharbhasamstharaadh gruhya bramhaNO~sthrENa yOjayath ! - 5-38-29a.

 

In Mahaa Bhaaratham, ashvadhdhaama also uses this at the final stage

of war, which Krishna nullifies – to destroy all the young

paaNdaavas – viz. sons of paaNdavaas including the uththarai garbam

[pregnancy of the wife of abhimanyu].

 

gadhEe dhvE chaiva kaakuthstha mOdhakee sikharee subhE || 1-27-7

pradheepthE nara saardhoola prayachchaami nrupaathmaja |

 

meaning: Oh, manly tiger prince raama, I am going to accord 2 maces

that are brilliant by their radiance called, the modhaki, [the

beater,] and shikhari, [the tower of protection]

 

Another point comes to mind is – is it the same koumOdhakee, the mace

which we have in sree vishNu sahasra naama slOKam 107 – which

addresses the lord as `gaDhaa dhara', one who adorns the gadhai named

koumOdhakee as per bhattar's vyaakhyaanam – here given back to the

lord by sage visvaamithra for use in war.

 

dharma paasam aham raama kaala paasam tathaiva cha || 1-27-8

vaaruNam paasam asthram cha dhadhaami aham anuththamam |

 

meaning: Oh, raamaa, like that I will be giving 3 nooses called

Dharma paasam and kaala paasam and varuna paasam, [virtue noose and

time noose, rain god's noose] as well as an unequalled missile called

varuna asthra, rain-god's missile.

 

asanee dhvE prayachchaami sushka aardhrE raghunandhana || 1-27-9

dhadhaami cha asthram painaakam asthram naaraayaNam thathaa |

 

meaning: Oh, raghu's scion, I will also give 2 projectile bolts, one

called sushka, [the drier] and the other aardhra, [the drencher,] and

even the missiles of pinaaka and that of naaraayaNan, [the missiles

of god sivan and naaraayaNan,].

 

aagnEyam asthram dhayitham sikharam naama naamatha: || 1-27-10

vaayavyam prathamam naama dhadhaami thava cha anagha |

 

meaning: Oh, impeccable raama, thus a well-known missile sikhari [the

tower,] and another the fond of fire-god known as prathama [the

blower,] and a missile of air-god too, I will be giving.

 

asthram hayasira: naama krouncham asthram thathaiva cha || 1-27-11

sakthi dhvayam cha kaakuthstha dhadhaami thava raaghava |

 

meaning: Oh, raaghava of kaakuthsthaas, I will give you 2 missiles

named haya-sira [the horse-head] and krouncha [the wrester,] and two

Impellers, one presided over by the power of vishNu, and the other by

the power of rudhra.

 

kankaalam musalam ghOram kaapaalam atha kinkiNeem || 1-27-12

vadhaartham raakshasaam yaani dhadhaami Ethaani sarvasa: |

 

meaning: I will be giving all those weapons that are wielded by

demons, namely the deadly pounder named kankaalam, and rods named as

kapaalam and kankanam, for the elimination of those very demons.

 

vaidhyaadharam mahaa asthram cha nandhanam naama naamatha: || 1-27-13

asi rathnam mahaabaahO dhadhaami nruvaraathmaja |

 

meaning: Oh, mighty armed son of the best king, I am giving a great

missile named vaidhyadhara by its name, and a gem of sword named

nandhana.

 

[we see in sree vishNu sahasra naamam the sword's name is nandhakee,

and hence he is addressed nandhakinE nama: in the 107th slOkam, but

here it is mentioned as nandhanam]

 

gaandharvam asthram dhayitham mOhanam naama naamatha: || 1-27-14

prasvaapanam prasamanam dhadhaami soumyam cha raaghava |

 

meaning: Thus, the missile which is very much liked by gandharvaas,

namely mohanam, [the stupefier,] the missile called prasvaapanam [the

inducers of sleep,] and the gentle prasamana, [the pacifier of

enemy's anger].

 

varshaNam sOshaNam chaiva santhaapana vilaapanE || 1-27-15

maadhanam chaiva dhurdharsham kandharpa dhayitham thathaa |

gaandharvam asthram dhayitham maanavam naama naamatha: || 1-27-16

paisaacham asthram dhayitham mOhanam naama naamatha: |

pratheechCha narasaardhoola raajaputhra mahaayasa: || 1-27-17

 

meaning: Oh, highly fortunate raama, takes these missiles namely,

varshaNa, [the rainer] sOshana [the drainer] santhaapana [the

humidifier] vilaapana [the weep-inducers] and oh, prince, an

unassailable intoxicator and a dear missile of manmatha, namely

mOhana [the intoxicator] and another the fond missile of gandharvaas

namely maanava by its name, [the humane missile] and oh, tigerly man,

a missile dear one to pisaachas, monsters, namely paisaacha [the

monster missile.]

 

thaamasam nara saardhoola soumanam cha mahaa balam |

samvartham chaiva dhurdharsham mousalam cha nrupaathmaja || 1-27-18

sathyam asthram mahaa baahO thathaa maayaamayam param |

souram thEjaHprabham naama para thEjO apakarshaNam || 1-27-19

sOma asthram sisiram naama thvaashtram asthram sudhaaruraNam |

dhaaruNam cha bhagasya api sithEshum atha maanavam || 1-27-20

 

meaning: Oh, manly-tiger raama, greatly powered thaamasa and soumana

missiles, the indomitable missiles like samvartha, mousala, sathya,

and then the maaya-maya missile; like that oh, mighty armed raama, a

solar missile the sequestrator of others' brilliance namely thEja-

prabha; next, the missile of moon-god named sisira [the cooler]; and

a very deadly missile of thvashta namely sudhaamana; and even the

dangerous missile of bhaga namely seeta-ishu, these and the maanava

missile of manu, the earliest ruler of mankind, I will be giving.

 

Ethaan raama mahaabaahO kaama roopaan mahaabalaan |

grihaaNa paramOdaaraan kshipram Eva nrupaathmaja || 1-27-21

 

Meaning: These missiles are, oh, dexterous prince, disguise-wizards,

greatly powered, and highly providential ones, oh, raama, you may

take them forthwith - so said sage visvaamithra to raama.

 

sthitha: thu praaNmukhO bhoothvaa suchir munivara: thadhaa |

dhadhou raamaaya supreethO manthra graamam anuththamam || 1-27-22

 

Meaning: That pre-eminent sage visvaamithra on performing his

personal holy purifications, then gave the assortment of

extraordinary hymns to raama facing eastward.

 

japatha: thu munE: thasya visvaamithrasya dheematha: |

upathasthu: mahaa arhaaNi sarvaaNi asthraaNi raaghavam || 1-27-24

 

meaning: While that intelligent saint visvaamithra chanted the hymns,

all of those highly venerable missiles came nigh and stood accessible

to raaghava in their astral form.

 

oochu: cha mudhithaa raamam sarvE praanjalaya: thadhaa |

imE cha paramOdhaara kinkaraa: thava raaghava || 1-27-25

yadh yadh ichChasi bhadram thE thath sarvam karavaama vai |

 

meaning: All of those highly obliging missiles in astral bodies,

gladdening to come under the aegis of raama, then spoke to him making

anjali – folded palms, "here are your thralls, Sir, we are here to

accomplish whatever you bid us to do, let safety be with you" so said

the deities presiding over the missiles to raama.

 

thathO raama prasanna aathmaa thai: ithi ukthO mahaabalai: || 1-27-26

prathigrihya cha kaakuthstha: samaalabhya cha paaNinaa |

manasaa mE bhavishyadhvam ithi thaani abhyachOdhayath || 1-27-27

 

meaning: On receiving them with a pleased heart, then raama patted

them with his palm, and that raama of Kaakuthsthaas also spoke this

way to those mightily forceful missiles in ethereal bodies

saying, "you may manifest yourselves in my cognisance whenever I need

you," and he motivated them to take leave and to come back at his

beck and call.

 

Point: these asthrams and their athidhEvathaas like varuNan et al are

obedient to all those who know how to utter their respective

manthrams. That is why raavaNan also uses these asthrams. As per the

master or shooter's command they go and hit the target, irrespective

of whether it is raamaa their supreme lord or some such.

"Now that raamaa, our supreme lord is being hit by this wretched

raavaNan, the shooter, so let me not work at this fellow's command,

or let me hit him back", that position is not there. Simply they are

destined to obey the command of the shooter.

 

Further another wonderful point is that both maharshis visvaamithra

and agasthya gave all these asthrams and weapons to raamaa. May be,

in the case of visvaamithra, since he was a kshthriya and a king, we

may accept his acquisition of all these weapons.

 

But, how about agasthya? What was his need to acquire all these bows

and weapons and then pass them on to raamaa. In agasthya's charitham

like his presence during siva's wedding or in bringing kaavery to

earth etc, there is no trace of agasthya taking up any fight. Or is

it that like varuNan he also acted as a repository of all these

weapons from earlier times and passed on to raama when he came on

his `mission kill raavaNan'.

 

Again, like previous post, I invite learned bhaagavathaas to offer

points on these doubts.

 

Dhaasan

 

Vasudevan m.g.