lakshmana 2

[Guest guest]

Post 2

 

 

 

Dear Sri vaishnava perunthagaiyeer,

 

 

 

In the previous post we saw lakshmaNa, in the role of 'baalya sakhaa'. Now

let us continue. This 'baalya sakhaa' role changes slowly into a 'vazhith

thuNaivan' – a companion on a travel - when sage visvaamithra came to the

durbar of king dhasaratha, and asked for raama, to be sent along with him.

What visvaamithra asked the king is

 

 

 

sva puthram, raja saardhoola, raamam sathya paraakramam |

 

kaaka pakshaDharam veeram jyEshTam, mE dhaathum arhasi || 1- 19 – 8b 9a

 

 

 

*Meaning:* As such, oh, tigerly king, it will be apt of you to spare the

services of

 

- that brave one, whose valour itself is his truthfulness,

- that youngling whose hair locks are all the more jet black like crow

wings on either side of his head,

 

spare that eldest son of yours, namely Raama. [1-19-8b, 9a]

 

 

 

*Note:* After initial resistance, the king dhasaratha, when vasishta also

advised him, to send raama along with visvaamithra, knowing that raama will

not go alone, sends lakshmaNa also along with raama. This decision of the

king to send lakshmaNa is his own, no counseling by either vasishTa or

sumanthra.

 

 

 

See slokam

 

thathhaa vasishTa bruvathi raajaa dhasaratha svayam |

 

prahrushTa vadhanO raamam aajuhaava saha lakshmaNam || 1- 22 -1

 

 

 

*Meaning:* When vasishTa said that way, king Dhasaratha, with an air of

satisfaction, personally fetched Raama, along with LakshmaNa. [1-22-1]

 

 

 

*Point on above slOkam:* For the king knows very clearly by now, how

lakshmaNa will behave, when raama is not there in the palace. For, even when

raama goes for a 'game of hunting', lakshmaNa follows, even without raama

asking him to do so. See the slOkam below – that aspect -the king knows

fully well. Now that raama is on a mission for the sake of the sage

visvaamithraa, the king has come to conclusion, on his own, that lakshmaNa

has to be sent along with raama. So the 'vazhith thuNaivan' role to

lakshmaNa is 'assigned' by father cum the king. [whereas the baalya sakhaa

role lakshmaNa took on his own]. The 'vazhith thuNaivan' role has come so

naturally from father to lakshmaNa without any effort on his part, whereas

in baalya sakhaa role he dedicated himself.

 

 

 

yadhaa hi hayam aarooDO mrugayaam yaathi raaghava: || 1-18-31

 

atha Enam prushThatha: abhyEthi sa dhanu: paripaalayan |

 

 

 

*meaning*: Whenever Raghava mounts a horse and goes on a hunting game,

LakshmaNa rushes after him wielding his bow as a squire [squire meaning

attendant or escort]. [1-18-31b, 32a]

 

 

 

*Note:* Why this going even without raama asking lakshmaNa to do so? Sage

vaalmeeki puts that reason in the previous slOkam to this slokam

 

 

 

sarva priyakara: thasya raamasya api sareeratha: || 1-18-29

 

lakshmaNO lakshmi sampannO bahi: praaNa iva apara: |

 

 

 

*meaning*: LakshmaNa, who is endowed with the wealth of dedication,

dedicated himself to Raama with bodily service, and while performing all

agreeable deeds in respect of Raama, he behaved like Raama's 'alter ego'.

[1-18-29b, 30a]

 

 

 

*Point 1 on above slOkam:* Please note that in slokam 30 [seen or studied or

covered in previous post] the children do not even sleep separately. But in

slokam 29 vaalmeeki says lakshmaNa dedicated himself with bodily service to

raama, and acts as 'bahi praaNa' – life hanging out to than that within the

body – perhaps the 'shadow' of the body will be a word less weighty. As such

the extent of dedication of lakshmaNa towards raama is spelt here.

 

 

 

Also please note in the previous post, we saw lakshmaNa being addressed as

'laksmaNa, lakshmi vardhana' that is in slokam 28 – now it is 'lakshmaNO

lakshmi sampanna' – in slokam 29.

 

 

 

This is the benefit of that 'baalya sakhaa' role lakshmaNa got – promotion

from 'lakshmi vardhana' to 'lakshmi sampanna' and raama's 'bahi praaNa'. So

it is but natural that king decides to send lakshmaNa, the bahi praaNa of

raama, with raama, even without the sage asking. Perhaps this 'giving one

extra free' or 'bonus' concept came into force here and then.

 

 

 

*Point 2*: On the baalya sakhaa we do not have much to describe, for the

whole description of birth of children up to arrival of visvaamithra is

covered in 21 slokams, numbering 16 to 37 in sargam 18 of baala kaaNdam –

here also again description of raama gunam is covered more, than covering

the incidents or events in the time scale in their growth.

 

 

 

Again on 'laksmaNa, lakshmi vardhana' that is in slokam 28 – now it is

'lakshmaNO lakshmi sampanna' – in slokam 29. 'Why this promotion or change

in the next slOkam itself?' you may ask. For, as stated above, vaalmeeki

does not elaborate much on the childhood activities of the kids, – baala

leelaas of the four children, of raama in particular, about their growth

etc, like that descriptions of sage sukha brahmam, doing the baala leelaas

in krishNa avathaaram.

 

 

 

*Point 3:* What was exactly the role played or what contribution he made, if

one analyses, when lakshmaNa accompanied raama, [when raama went on

visvaamithra's 'mission kill thaataka'], perhaps he will be surprised. It is

practically 'nil' except that he gave company to raama – that is why I said

'vazhith thuNaivan'.

 

 

 

There was a great benefit accrued to lakshmaNa as a result of this vazhith

thuNaivan role. He got a wife, without any effort from his side, when raama

got his after doing that heroic breaking of siva dhanus.

 

 

 

*Point 4*: Also when visvaamithra taught 'bala athibala' manthraas to raama,

it is not clear or specific that lakshmaNa was also taught, for sage

addresses raama only. Similarly when he gave a lot of asthrams and

sasthrams, sage addressed raama only. Of course, since only these two, raama

and lakshmaNa, were there in front of the sage, when the sage taught raama

and gave raama, we can presume that lakshmaNa was also taught and given the

weapons. So these two are also, we can say, the benefits in this role of

vazhith thuNaivan.

 

 

 

Learned people in the lists can comment on this. To facilitate them I add a

note available in valmikiramayan.net website. Quote: "Throughout this

chapter Vishvamitra addresses Rama alone to learn the hymns. It may not be

construed that Lakshmana is eliminated or avoided but he said to be one with

Rama when it comes to education. Thus these hymn are imparted to Lakshmana

also, not to Rama alone" - unquote. [On the chapter of giving asthrams and

sasthrams]

 

 

 

Let us continue in next post, more on lakshmaNa

 

 

 

Dhasan

 

 

 

Vasudevan m.g.

 

 

--

Vasudevan MG