re bow's story - interesting points

[Guest guest]

Dear srivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

On the mail of Smt.Jayasree saranathan dated 29.11.04, I add my points as given

below.

 

Dhasan

Vasudevan m.g.

 

jasn sn [jayasartn]

Monday, November 29, 2004 10:51 PM

RE: The Bow -Varuna's connection

JASN: 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. Rama is telling a similar version 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-dharsana 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)

 

MGV: Before quoting the slokams referred by JASN, here is another interesting

point: The rishis and munis, [available in the conglomeration under the

leadership of visvaamithra in the forest for whose protection from thaataka sage

visvaamithra sought raama from dhasaratha], say to raama that the siva's bow was

given by gods [after he accomplished the mission of killing thataka].

 

thadhDhi poorvam narasrEshta dhaththam sadhasi dhaivathai: |

apramEya balam ghOram makhE parama bhaasvaram || 1-31-8

 

meaning: Oh, best one among men, in early times, indeed 'gods' gave that awesome

bow, which has an unimaginable power and which is superbly incandescent in wars

to an erstwhile king of Mithila in a congregation of a Vedic-ritual.

 

Point: These gods include the varuNan as already said. Why now this point is

that even before raama hears the story from janaka he is aware of the siva's bow

through these rishis.

 

thadhdhi yajna phalam thEna maithilEna uththamam dhanu: |

yaachitham nara saardhoola sunaabham sarva dhaivathai: || 1-31-12

 

meaning: Once dhEvaraatha, the grandparent of the present king Janaka of

Mithila, conducted a Vedic-ritual and he indeed prayed only for this supreme bow

with a best grip-handle, as the fruit of that ritual from all of the gods, and

oh, tigerly man, Raama, he got the same from them.

 

Point: it is not only janaka did a yagna to please the gods, but his ancestor

dhEvaraatha also. So what raama hears from janaka in the assembly of janaka is a

repeat story.

[Please pardon me for not looking into these 2 slokams earlier].

 

Now the slOkams referred by JASN are quoted. [my intention in quoting these here

is to bring to notice of bhakthaas how a simple language [sanskrit] is used and

also to experience these interesting slokams in original form instead of a

translation]

 

yE cha raajnO dhadhou dhivyE mahaathmaa varuNa: svayam |

janakasya mahaa yajnE dhanushee roudhra dharsanE || 2-31-27

 

abhEdhya kavachE dhivyE thooNee cha akshaya saayakou |

aadhithya vimalou cha ubhou khaDgou hEma parishkruthou || 2-31-28

 

sathkruthya nihitham sarvam Ethath aachaarya sadhmani |

sa thvam aayudham aadhaaya kshipram aavraja lakshmaNa || 2-31-29

 

meaning: "Oh, Lakshmana! At a grand sacrifice performed by Janaka, the

great-souled Varuna (god of water) personally gave heavenly bows which are

dreadful to look at, divine impenetrable pieces of armour, quivers containing an

inexhaustible stock of arms, two swords decked with gold and with spotless

luster like that of a sun - all these were kept at the residence of our receptor

Vasishta, after paying due reverence. Take all those arms and return soon."

 

JASN: 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)

 

MGV: if anvayam is done - viz. bringing to prose order is done - this will read

- janakasya mahaa yajnE yE dhivyE roudhra dharsanE dhanushee cha mahaathmaa

varuNa: svayam raajnO dhadhou.

 

That gives the meaning - in the mahaa yagnam done by king janaka, he received

from varuNan, these two bows. Many an armaments [listed now by raama] like these

two swords, the quivers, safety armour - kavacham etc are understood. How it is

- is from that word 'cha' - meaning 'in addition' or plus. As per slOkams given

above dhEvaraatha got siva dhanu: from a yagnam, janaka got these two bows along

with other articles in another yagnam, respectively during their periods].

 

JASN: 2) What are these bows called? Which then is Kothandam, which we usually

associate with Rama?

 

MGV: 'Naming the bows' - is a very difficult question to answer. In slOkam

1-22-7, it is said raama and lakshmaNa started as dhanushpaaNi: along with sage

visvaamithra when they left ayOdhyaa. Also in 1-26-6, it is said raama held the

bow and made the noise - the dankaaram - the bow string pulled and a noise

created. [thus informing thaatakaa about the arrival of her killer before the

thaatakaa vadham]. No name for the bow is given in these two places.

 

As could be 'inferred' from the parasuraama episode, which takes place just

after the marriage, the bow received from parasuraama, [that vishNu dhanu:] was

NOT returned to parasuraama. Instead dhasaratha raama gave the bow to varunNan

as could be seen from

gathE raamE prasaantha aathmaa raamO dhaasarathi: dhanu: |

varuNaaya aprameyaaya dhadhou hasthE mahaayasaa: || 1-77-1

meaning: On the departure of parasu raama, that most glorious raama of

dhasaratha, who is now peaceful [or quietened] at heart, gave away that

longbow of vishNu into the hands of varuNan, the unequalled God of Rain.

 

So we can infer (is it correct?) the vishNu dhanu: what dhasaratha raama

received previously from parasu raamaa is the "kOthaNdam", which, when he

started to forest, got back from the house of sage vasishta.

 

May be the soul of 'saarngam' - the bow of sriman naarayaNan enters this vishNu

dhanu and performs all acts with the name kOdhandam. [this soul of saarngam

entering the bow in front of parasuraama, we saw in the bow story earlier].

 

JASN: 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?

 

MGV: This question by JASN is fairly easy. I feel I already answered above.

Further, generally, a bow, once broken, is not repaired and used, [like other

weapons what we see these days].

 

Also a note in www.valmikiramayan.net <http://www.valmikiramayan.net> after

sargam 76 of baala kaaNdam throws this very interesting point:

 

quote: Well known is Krishna's showing his Cosmic Form visva roopa to Arjuna,

while teaching Bhagavad Gita in Maha Bharatam. But that Bharatam records Rama's

display of His Cosmic form to Parasu Rama, only at this juncture.

 

In Ch. 89 of anusaasanika parvam of Maha Bharatam it is said in detail as:

pasya maam svEna roopENa chakshu: thE vitaraami aham |

tato raama sareerE vai raama pasyati bhaargava: |

aadityaan pavamaanaan rudraan saadhyaan cha sa marudh gaNaana |

pitarO hutaasana: chaiva nakshatraaNi grahaa: tathaa|

and a long account follows on this. But this has not been amplified or explained

in other texts, due to unknown reasons. However, it is not part of Valmiki

Ramayana. -unquote.

 

Point: hitherto I was under the impression raama never showed a visvaroopam for

aathmaanam maanusham manyE is his principle and code of conduct. This is

something new. Other knowledgeable bhakthaas of the lists can throw more light

on this.

..

JASN: Some thoughts: In the translation found in www.valmikiramayan.net

<http://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, footnotes by the translator and vyakhyanam by

Sri Govindarajar are given at some places. This particular verse is also

explained as a footnote 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:

1. 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.

 

MGV: a premonition for janaka?

 

JASN: 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

 

MGV: It is seen that varuNan was the repository for siva as well as vishNu once

their fight was over. Varunan later acted in a similar way to raamaa, the vishNu

as could be seen from slOkam above. points of JASN on vaalmeeki are fully in

agreement.

 

Now I invite JASN and bhagavathaas to offer more points on this raama's visva

roopam to parasuraamaa.

 

Dhaasan

Vasudevan m.g.