the bow's story

[Guest guest]

Dear srivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

In both the two major stories of India or the two ithihaasams, the two greats of

all times - raamaayaNam and mahaa bhaaratham - both center on the same point

"one bow is kept to win the heroine of the story". Whoever proves his capacity

in using that bow wins the girl or heroine, and then the story builds around the

bow and the lady till the end.

 

In raamaayaNam we all know seethaa's 'kanya sulkam' - 'the deed to do to win the

girl or the price to be paid' is the handling of the 'siva' dhanu: and raama

broke the dhanu:. In mahaa bhaaratham dhroupathy's kanya sulkam again is another

bow, with a tag, 'whoever can lift and use the bow to hit the whirling target of

fish by aiming through its reflection in oil' will win the girl dhroupathy,

[which arjuna only can do]. Each is a special bow and only the hero, the

valiant, could use the bow and won the girls.

 

In this and next few posts, we will see how this bow brought a special name to

raama, given by none else than that girl seethaa, who was won through that act

of bravery with the bow. Here is the story of that special bow, the 'Siva's

bow', which was kept as the tool to test the capacity of the 'would be son in

law' by the father 'janaka' of the girl 'seethaa'. The story of the bow will be

as far as possible through the raamaayaNa slOkams.

 

Here we are starting with baala kaaNdam slOkams.

 

puthrou dhasarathasya imou kshathriyou lOka visruthou |

dhrashtu kaamou dhanu: srEshtam yath Ethath thvayi thishtathi || 1-66-5

 

putrau + dhasarathasya + imou = sons of Dasharatha these two

kshathriyou + lOka + visruthou = Kshathriyas in world renowned

dhrashtu + kaamou + dhanu: + srEshtam = to see desirous bow marvellous

yath + Ethath + thvayi + thishtathi = which [bow] that one in you [with you]

have a place.

 

Meaning: In the palace of janaka, the king of mithila, sage visvaamithra, having

brought raama and lakshmaNa there, says to the king janaka, "These two are the

sons of king Dhasaratha, well-renowned Kshathriyas in world, and they are

desirous to see that marvellous bow which has a place with you".

 

Ethath dharsaya bhadhram thE krutha kaamou nrupa aathmajou |

dharsanaath asya dhanushO yathaa ishtam prathiyaasyatha: || 1-66-6

 

Ethath + dharsaya = that [bow] show

bhadhram + thE = bades well to you

krutha + kaamau + nrupa + aathmajou = done [come true] desires king's sons [two

princes]

dharsanaath + asya + dhanusha: = by beholding that bow

yathaa + ishtam + prathi + yaasyatha: = as they like return [back] they go

 

meaning: sage visvaamithra continues to janaka "You may show that bow, well

bodes you, and on beholding that bow, the desire of these two princes will come

true, and they will go back as they like.

 

Point: here in raamayanam, the hero raama is accompanied by a braahmaNa comes to

the king's palace and expresses the desire to see the bow and finally wins the

girl seethaa. In mahaa bhaaratham also arjuna comes in the guise of a braahmaNa,

accompanied by his brothers in same braahmaNa's guise and expresses his desire

to see the bow, finally wins the girl dhroupathy.

 

Evam uktha: thu janaka: prathyuvaacha mahaa munim |

srooyathaam asya dhanushO yath artham iha thishthathi || 1-66-7

 

Evam + uktha: + thu + janaka: = thus addressed but Janaka

prathyuvaacha + mahaa munim = replied the great sage

srooyathaam + asya + dhanusha: = I let you hear about that bow

yath + artham + iha + thishtathi = by which reason here it has a place.

 

Meaning: Janaka replied the great sage Visvaamithra, when he was addressed thus,

"I shall first tell by which reason that bow has its place here".

 

Point: dear raama bhakthaas, let us also hear the story of this dhanush, the bow

for that is the topic, which we are going to discuss here.

 

dhEvaraatha ithi khyaathO nimE: jyEshtO mahee pathi: |

nyaasO ayam thasya bhagavan hasthE dhaththO mahaathmanaa || 1-66-8

 

bhagavan = oh, godly sage

nimE: = from Nimi

shashta: [jyEshta:] = sixth [eldest]

dhEvaraatha + ithi + khyaatha: = DhEvaraatha thus renowned

maheepathi: = king

ayam = this [bow]

thasya + hasthE + nyaasa: = in his hand as custodial care

mahaathmanaa = by sublime soul [siva];

dhaththa: = given.

 

Meaning: Oh, godly sage, there was a king renowned as dhEevaraatha, sixth one

from Nimi, [the originator of our lineage,] and this bow was handed down to him

for custodial care by the sublime soul, siva.

 

dhaksha yajna vadhE poorvam dhanu: aayamya veeryavaan |

rudhra: thu thridhasaan rOshaath sa leelam idham abraveeth || 1-66-9

 

dhaksha + yajna +vadhE = dhaksha prajaapathi's vEdhic ritual devastation

poorvam = once;

dhanu: + aayamya + veeryavaan = bow outstretching [bowstring] mettlesome [god]

rudhra: + thu + thridhasaan = rudhra but to all gods

rOshaath + sa + leelam + idham + abraveeth = rancorously, with, playing with

[superciliously] this said.

 

Meaning: Once, during the devastation of the vEdhic-ritual of dhaksha

prajaapathi, the mettlesome god rudhra, rancorously outstretching the bowstring

of this bow, said this to all gods, superciliously.

 

yasmaath bhaaga arthino bhaagaan na akalpayatha mE suraa: |

vara angaani mahaaarhaaNi dhanushaa saathayaami va: || 1-66-10

 

yasmaath = whereby;

bhaaga + arthina: = portion [of oblations in vEdhic-ritual] desirer

bhaagaan + na + a + kalpayatha = apportioned not made

mE = to me

suraa: = oh gods

vara + angaani = best limbs [heads]

mahaa + arhaaNi = highly revered [heads]

dhanushaa + shaathayaami = with bow I will shred

va: = yours.

 

Meaning: Oh, gods, whereby you have not apportioned my portion [of oblations in

vEdhic- rituals, as I am also] the desirer of such portion, [thereby] I will

shred the highly revered heads of yours with this bow.' [so said siva to gods]

 

thathO vimanasa: sarvE dhEvaa vai munipungava |

prasaadhayanthi dhEvesam thEshaam preethO abhavath bhava: || 1-66-11

 

thatha + vimanasa: + sarvE + dhEvaa + vai = then dismayed all gods truly

muni pungava = oh best saint

prasaadhayanthi + dhEvEsam = on supplicating God of Gods [siva];

thEshaam + preetha: + abhavath + bhava: = of them glad He became Bhava [another

name of siva.]

 

meaning: Then, oh, best saint visvaamitra, all gods are truly dismayed, and on

their supplicating, Bhava, viz siva, the God of Gods is gladdened.

 

preethi yuktha: thu sarvEshaam dhadhou thEshaam mahaathmanaam |

thath Ethath dhEvadhEvasya dhanoo rathnam mahaathmana: || 1-66-12

nyaasabhootham thadhaa nyastham asmaakam poorvajE vibhO |

 

preethi + yuktha: + thu = glad having [gladly] but

sarvEshaam + dhadhou = to all gave

thEshaam + mahaa aathmanaam = to them great souled gods

thath + Ethath + dhEva dhEvasya = that this God of God's

dhanoo + rathnam = bow gem of a

mahaathmana: = by sublime soul siva

nyaasa bhootham = for custodial care

thadhaa + nyastham = then given

asmaakam + poorvajE = to our ancestor

vibhO = oh, godly saint.

 

Meaning: That sublime soul siva gladly gave that bow to all of the great souled

gods. Oh, godly saint visvaamithra, then those great souled gods gave this gem

of a bow of siva, the God of Gods, to our ancestor [dhEvaraatha] for custodial

care.

 

Point: Thus the story of how the siva dhanu: reached the ancestors of janaka is

told by janaka to visvaamithra [includes raama and lakshmaNa for they were by

the side of visvaamithra when all these are spoken]. But we have to see first

how siva got this bow which is an interesting story. That we will see in next

post.

 

Dhasan

Vasudevan m.g.

 

PS 1: [Very important point: please do not pick the thread how you can say

"siva, the anya dhevatha, can be said 'god of gods' etc", for I have just truly

reproduced what is in sreemadh raamaayanam, with slokam no etc.]

PS 2: Sri.V.Anjaneyalu of Itarsi provided the important thread for this post and

my gratitudes are due to him.