lotus failed 8

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Post 8

 

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

We are studying sage vaalmeeki's `andha raama soundharyam' in

conjunction with kamban, basing that on the krithi by poet

aruNaachala kavi, wherein we have hanumaan's description of raamaa's

physical features. In the previous slOkam hanumaan said `raama has 3

features raised etc. now we have a slOkam stating he has 14 pairs of

features. `What are the details?' – that is given here.

 

chathurdhasa sama dhvandhva: chathur dhamshtra: chathurgathi: |

mahOshtahanu nasascha pancha snigdha: ashta amsavaan || 5-35-19.

 

chathurdhasa sama dhvandhva: - similarity in 14 pairs of features

(eyebrows, nostrils, eyes, ears, lips, nipples, elbows, wrists,

waist, hands, legs, buttocks, testicles, knees)

chathur dhamshtra: - with 4 incisors [teeth]

chathur gathi: - with a walk like 4 animals (lion, tiger, elephant,

bull)

mahaa Oshta: hanu nasa: cha - with thick lovely lips, cheeks and nose

pancha snigdha - shining 5 features (hair, eyes, teeth, skin, sole of

feet)

ashta amsavaan - with 8 long features (body, hands, legs, fingers,

nose, eyes, male organ, buttocks)

 

meaning: raama has similarity in 14 pairs of features, 4 incisors,

walks like 4 animals [viz. bull, lion, tiger, and elephant], thick

lovely lips, cheeks and nose, shining in 5 features and long in 8

features.

 

Point 1: what these 14 similar pairs are? To answer that – the 14

pairs are

1. Eye brows – right and left – like a mirror image

2. Nostrils - right and left – like a mirror image

3. Eyes - right and left – like a mirror image

4. Ears - right and left – like a mirror image

5. Lips – top and bottom - like a mirror image

6. Nipples - right and left – like a mirror image

7. Elbows - right and left – like a mirror image

8. Testicles - right and left – like a mirror image

9. Hips - right and left – like a mirror image

10. Arms - right and left – like a mirror image

11. Legs - right and left – like a mirror image

12. Raising in buttocks- right and left – like a mirror image

13. Wrists - right and left – like a mirror image

14. Ankles - right and left – like a mirror image

 

The 5 shiny features or parts of body are

1. Hair – black shiny hair

2. Eyes – white and black shiny

3. Teeth – white shiny

4. Skin – blue or dark green shiny

5. Inside of feet – uLLankaal – lotus like pink

 

The 8 long parts of body are

1. Backbone

2. Body as a whole

3. Arms

4. Legs

5. Fingers

6. Nose

7. Eyes

8. Genital

 

Point 2: Now a doubt comes – how hanumaan would have felt or measured

or realized that the genitals are long and the testicles are similar,

smooth etc, to describe so, for it is all `private' parts of a person

and `intimate'. Also is it correct to describe like this without

having seen these or measured? Or is it that since all the exposed

parts of the description are assuredly correct he has imagined the

private parts will also be like this and then described. To answer

this question, it may be a difficult one.

 

But my guess is – since hanumaan carried both the brothers raama and

lakshmaNa in his shoulders, chances are there that these parts of

raama and lakshmaNa rubbed against hanuman's body and he got a

feeling of these to describe so. Bhagavathaas can comment on this, in

private mail, if not in forum.

 

Point 3: The number game: by now we have the numbers 1 to 10 [except

7] in

one raama's

two are white in colour

three parts having a specialty in level, strength, equal etc

four types of walking style

five shiny parts of body

six parts are unnatha: - outstanding [ this comes in next slOkam]

eights parts are long

nine parts are smooth

ten parts are like lotus, and another 10 are thick.

 

So we have the numbers in serial order upto 10. The numbers 7,11, 12

13 are missing but 14 appears in the list. Why all this number game?

It is hanumaan's genius in describing his lord. Or is it that

vaalmeeki, since has not described his hero in the beginning, he

satisfies himself describing his hero, through this character of

hanumaan. [already we have seen in post 3 how raama is being

described which is more or less a repeat in sundhara kaaNdam also]

 

That also helps us what is `chaamudhrika lakshaNam' of a man – or how

to identify the specials in a human body and what are the features,

which are to be in what level, raised, lowered, thich thin, shiny

glossy etc.

 

dhasa padhmO dhasa bruhath thribhir vyaapthO dhvi suklavaan |.

shad unnathO nava thanu: thribhi: vyaapnOthi raaghava: || 5-35- 20

 

dhasa padhma: - has lotus like 10 features (face, mouth, eyes,

tongue, lips, jaws, chest, nail, hands, legs)

dhasa bruhath – with 10 thick features (chest, head, forehead, neck,

shoulder, upper arms, navel, sides, buttocks, voice)

thribhi: - in the 3 ie. luck, fame and wealth

vyaaptha: - well endowed

dhvi suklavaan - with 2 white features (eyes and teeth)

shat unnatha: - outstanding in 6 features (stomach, chest, nose,

upper arm, forehead, arm pit)

nava thanu: - smooth in 9 features (hair, moustache, fingernail, body

hair, skin, fingers, male organ, brain, eyesight)

thribhi: - with the 3 ie. dharma, artha, kama and in all 3 times ie.

morning, noon, evening

vyaapnOthi - observes.

raaghava: - raaghava:

 

meaning: Raghava has 10 lotus like features, thick in 10, well

endowed with luck, fame and wealth; white teeth and eyes; outstanding

in 6; soft in 9; and 3 times a day performs the rituals.

 

With these vaalmeeki's description of raama's physical beauty ends

but we have to see some more points before concluding. That we will

have in next post.

 

Dhasan

Vasudevan m.g.