winning ways - post 4

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Post 4

 

Dear srivaishnava perunthagaiyeer,

 

We are continuing the winning ways of raamaa. We saw in the last post how king

janaka was won over by our raamaa by his beauty. In this post we can see how

wins seethaa's hand in marriage. Since winning of seetha's hand is linked with

the breaking of siva dhanu: we will see few slOkaas on that also. Again here we

will mainly study how king janaka reacts, that 'karma and jnaana' yogi by the

sheer elegance and simple approach of raama. King janaka asks his assistants to

bring the bow so that raama can see it.

 

janakEna samaadhishtaa: sachivaa: praavishan puram |

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

 

nruNaam sathaani panchaasat vyaayathaanaam mahaathmanaam |

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

 

janakEna + samaadhishtaa: = by Janaka, clearly instructed;

sachivaa: + praavisan + [antha:] puram = ministers on entering [palace]

chambers;

thath + dhanu: + puratha: + kruthvaa = that bow [their] afore on keeping;

nir + jagmu: = out came [from palace-chamers];

a + mitha + oujasa: = not, limitable, energetic ones [wheel cart pullers, not

ministers];

nruNaam + sathaani + panchaasath = by men, hundreds, fifty [five thousand men];

vyaayathaanaam = tallish [men];

mahaathmanaam = high souled [ministers];

manjooshaam = coffer;

ashta + chakraam = eight, wheeled;

thaam = that [coffer];

samoohu: + thE + kathanchana = tugged they [ministers] somehow [very

difficultly]

 

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 eight-wheeled coffer, [in which that bow is ensconced,] and they the

ministers got it tugged by five thousand 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. [1-67-3, 4]

 

Note: The point why this slOkam is included in winning ways is to show how great

the siva dhanu is. Here one may tend to think sage vaalmeeki has exaggerated a

lot that when such a big lot of people had drawn the cart carrying the bow, how

raama as a sixteen-year boy could do it so simply. For that the reply is in the

second sargam of baala kaaNdam. This slOkam is brahmaa's words to vaalmeeki,

when he was in a troubled mood about the male bird killed by the hunter, during

the krouncha mithunam, [as a result of which raamaayaNa slOkams started flowing

in anushtuB meter of Sanskrit language] [because of which vaalmeeki is called

aadhi kavi].

 

na the vaak anruthaa kaavyE kaachith athra bhavishyathi || 1-2-35b

kuru raama kathaam puNyaam slOka badhDhaam manOramaam | 1-2-36a

 

athra + kaavyE = in this epic;

thE + vaak = your word;

kaachith = any one [word];

a + nruthaa = unfounded;

na + bhavishyathi = not, it results in

punyam = merit-yielding;

mana: + ramaam = heart pleasing;

raama + kathaam = Raamaa's legend;

slOka + badhDhaam + kuru = verse bound you make.

 

Meaning: You shall make the verses such that it is pleasing the heart and

merit-yielding legend of Raamaa, and not a single word of yours will be

unfounded in this epic. [means it is all true and as happened]

 

Dear bhakthaas, please note the words 'na thE vaak anruthaa'.

Then king janaka says to the sage visvaamithra, let this be displayed to those

two princes in slOkam 11. next slOkam sage says to raamaa.

 

visvaamithra: sa raama: thu sruthvaa janaka bhaashitham |

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

 

visvaamithra: + sa + raama: + thu = visvaamithra with raama, but;

sruthvaa + janaka + bhaashitham = on listening, Janaka's, sentence;

vathsa + raama + dhanu: + pasya = oh boy, raamaa, bow, you see;

ithi + raaghavam + abraviit = thus, to raaghava, said.

 

Meaning: But visvaamithra on listening the sentence of Janaka along with Rama,

said to Raghava, thus "oh, boy raama, you may see the bow" [1-67-12]

 

Point: on this "dhanu pasya" several comments are given. Since not coherent with

the topic on hand these are not touched upon. In the next slOkam raama asks

sage's permission to feel the bow with hands on it. On getting that permission

from both the sage and king janaka, see what happens next

 

baaDam ithi Eva tham raajaa muni: cha samabhaashatha |

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

 

baaDam = All right!;

ithi + Eva + tham = thus, only, to him;

raajaa + muni: + cha + sam abhaashatha = king, saint, also, equally [in chorus,]

said;

leelayaa + sa: + dhanu: + madhyE = playfully, he Rama, bow's, middle [grasping

at middle handgrip of bow];

jagraaha = snatched;

vachanaath + munE: = by word, of sage.

 

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

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

playfully. [1-67-15]

 

pasyathaam nru sahasraaNaam bahoonaam raghunandhana: |

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

aarOpayithvaa mourveem cha poorayaamaasa veeryavaan |

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

 

pashyataam + nru + sahasraaNaam + bahoonaam = while witnessing people thousands

of many of them;

raghu + nandhana: = raghu's legatee raama;

aarOpayath + sa: + dharmaathmaa = stringed the bow, he [happened to be a,] a

virtue [profound,] souled one;

sa + leelam + iva = with, frisky [friskily, effortlessly] as though;

thath + dhanu: = that, bow.

aarOpayithvaa + mourveem + cha = having stringed, bowstring, also;

poorayaamaasa + veeryavaan = started to stretch the bowstring [up to his ear to

see its tautness,] dextrous one;

thath + babhanja = that, he broke;

dhanu: + madhyE = bow, medially;

narasrEshta: + mahaayasaa: = best among men, glorious one.

 

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

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

effortlessly. 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.

 

Point: On hearing the sound of the breaking of the bow, and bewildered by that

raucous all the people swooned, except for that eminent-saint Vishvamitra, king

Janaka, and those two Raghava-s, namely Rama and Lakshmana says next slOkam.

Then king janaka reacts to visvaamithra and see how assures the winning of

seetha by raama.

 

bhagavan dhrushta veeryO mE raamO dhasaratha aathmaja: |

athi adhbhutham achinthyam cha atharkitham idham mayaa || 1-67-21

 

bhagavan = oh, god;

dhrushta = seen [evidently];

veerya: = gallantry;

mE = by me;

raama: = Rama;

dhasaratha + aathmaja: = dhasaratha's son;

athi + adhbhutham = highly wondrous;

a + chinthyam + ca = not imaginable;

a + tharkitham = not, reasoned [not hoped];

idham + maya = this [act] by me [for me]

 

meaning: Oh, god, I have evidently seen the gallantry of raama, the son of

dhasaratha and [the whys of this boy and wherefores of his stringing that

massive bow] are unimaginable [to me, more so, humans lifting it, how so?] An

act not hoped [act by me, besides, breaking it!] A highly wondrous [experience

is this for me]

 

janakaanaam kulE keerthim aaharishyathi mE suthaa |

seethaa bharthaaram aasaadhya raamam dhasaratha aathmajam || 1-67-22

 

mE + suthaa + seethaa = my, daughter, Seetha;

dhasaratha + aathmajam + raamam = dhasaratha's, son, raama;

bharthaaram = as husband;

aasaadhya = on coming by;

janakaanaam + kulE = for Janaka's, lineage;

keerthim + aaharishyathi = celebrity, brings about.

 

Meaning: My daughter Seetha, on coming by raama, the son of Dasharatha, as her

husband, brings about celebrity to the lineage of Janakas.

 

Dear bhakthaas, see how king janka reacts and assures the winning of seethaa for

the sportive act of raama - leelayaa - and leelam - in krishNa also you will

find this word 'leelayaa gOpa vEsha' is brought in. So these are all sports for

the lord for us to enjoy his winning.

 

Dhaasan

Vaasudevan m.g.