lakshmana 10

[Guest guest]

Post 10

 

 

 

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

 

 

In the previous 9 posts, we saw 'lakshmaNa' donning 7 roles, that of

 

- bhaalya sakha to raama – playmate in young days,

- vazhith thuNaivan to raama – companion in long trekking,

- husband of oormiLaa

- assistant administrator in ayOdhyaa,

- angry young brother to raama

- the boat or barge or raft builder / oarsman.

- The Engineer to construct a wooden house with leafy roof – parNa

saalaa

 

Now we will see the next role of lakshmaNa – the scavenger [vettiyaan] to

dig the pit for burial of the body of viraadhan, and burning of kabhandhan

[may be in 2 or more posts]. Connected with that viraadhan burying, here

is the last slokam of that 4th sargam in aaraNya kaaNdam – chapter 4, part

3, of sreemadh raamaayaNam, in which the journey of raama and lakshmaNa

[after killing of viraadhan] in the forest is compared with the journeys of

'sun and moon' by Sri vaalmeeki. Who is sun – is it raama – or is it

lakshmaNa - is the point discussed in the note at the end of this slOkam in

*www.valmikiramayan.net* <http://www.valmikiramayan.net/> website. Since

that note is so beautiful, I want to share that first, with you all, and

then take up our main topic on lakshmaNa.

 

 

 

thatha: thu thou kaanchana chithra kaarmukou nihathya rakshasa: parigruhya

maithileem |

 

vijahrathu: thou mudhithou mahaavanE dhivi sthithou chandhra dhivaakarou iva

|| 3-4-34

 

 

 

Meaning: Then the two, who have dazzling golden bows, having eliminated that

demon [viraadhan] and retrieved Seethaa, and gladly journeyed on in that

great forest like the two entities abiding on the skies, namely the Moon and

the Sun. [3-4-34]

 

 

 

Quote the Note in website: The simile of Sun and Moon is of some importance..

It will not be clear as to, who is compared with Sun and who with Moon,

unless some ancient commentaries are touched.

 

 

 

Raama is compared with Chandhra, the Moon, because, Moon will not travel

without his wives. All the celestial stars are the wives of the Moon, and

they twinkle before the Moon's arrival, in order to welcome him into the

night. Hence Raama is suffixed with Chandhra, compounding the name to Sri

Raamachandra.

 

 

 

[MGV adds - now it is clear how the name 'raama' has become 'raamachandhra'..

Perhaps readers may recall Sri Harikrishnan in one of his mails earlier

stated that vaalmeeki never used the name raamachandhra in his epic.

 

Further the order used by vaalmeeki 'chandhra dhivaakarou iva' also gives a

clue. But the flexibility allowed in Sanskrit language of placing any word

anywhere in a slOkam might give us a different lead also. Hence better to go

for commentaries.]

 

 

 

On the other hand, Sun does not travel along with his wife, namely Chaayaa,

the Shadow, but she always will be at his hind. We, the living beings are in

between the Sun and his wife Chaayaa. If we face the Sun in the morning

times, she will be at our back, and in the evenings, when the Sun is at our

back, Chaayaa, the shadow will be in front of us, reminding us of our

lengthening shadow of life. Thus we are in between the 'light and shadow'.

 

 

 

The Sun is also called karma saakshi - witness of deeds. Our own shadow,

shortens with the ascending Sun and lengthens as the dusk of our day or life

increases. Hence Sun's travel is wife-less one, and Lakshmana is thus

compared with the Sun, for he does not have his wife travelling with him

now. And Lakshmana is another karma saakshi [Witness of Events] in the

RaamaayaNam.

 

 

 

Commenting in another way, it is said that both of them are said to be

moon-like in their appeasing personalities and sun-like in their radiant

valour. -- Unquote --

point: see the beauty – raama - the 'ina kula thilaka' as thyaagaraajaa

describes raama – meaning the embellished jewel of that sun's clan - soorya

kulam – the shining one - is compared with moon, that reflector of the sun's

light. LakshmaNa, who is a shadow or a reflection of raama is placed in

sun's position for comparison. Oh, what a beauty. Is it not a contradiction?

Apparently yes. But that is 'poetry' and enjoy that. Even when raama is

described by naaradha in reply to vaalmeeki's question of 16 qualifications

of a man, in the very first sargam of baala kaaNdam, naaradha describes

raama as 'sOmavath priya dharsana' – to look at or see he is like moon – so

cool, so beautiful, so comforting, so much likable etc. Now coming back to

the story on lakshmaNa's role as scavenger – to dig a pit for burial of

viraadhan – viraadhan carried off seethaa away first when the trio were

travelling in the forest. When the two raama and lakshmaNa rushed to

safeguard seethaa, viraadhan left off seethaa and then carried the two long

away from where he left off seethaa.

 

 

 

Esha dhaa*s*arathee raama: sathyavaan *s*eelavaan *s*uchi: |

 

raakshasaa roudhra roopENa hriyathE saha lakshmaNa: || 3-4-2

 

* *

 

meaning: He, that truth-abiding, virtuous, and the flawless Raama, son of

Dasharatha, is carried off along with Lakshmana by the demon with a

ferocious look.

 

 

 

Comment: When seethaa saw both the brothers were being carried away she

started crying, 'leave them instead eat me'. On that both started acting,

 

 

 

thasya roudhrasya soumithri: savyam baahum babhanja ha |

 

raama: thu dhakshiNam baahum tharasaa thasya raakshasa: || 3-4-5

 

* *

 

meaning: Soumithri [lakshmaNa] indeed severed the left arm of that ferocious

one, while Raama rent the right arm of that demon. [3-4-5]

 

 

 

sa: bhagna baahu: samvigna: papaatha aa*s*u vimoorChitha: |

 

dharaNyaam mEgha sankaa*s*O vajra bhinna iva achala: || 3-4-6

 

mushTibhir baahubhir padhbhi: soodhayanthou thu raakshasam |

 

udhyamyOdhyamya cha api Enam sthaNDile nishpipEshathu: || 3-4-7

 

 

 

meaning: When his arms are mutilated that demon similar to a dark-cloud is

frustrated, fainted, and fell on to ground, like the mountain demolished by

the thunderbolt of Indhra. [3-4-6] They battered that demon with their

fists, hands and feet, and even by heaving and hurling him again and again,

they entirely pounded on him on the ground. [3-4-7]

 

 

 

sa vidhDhO bahubhir baaNai: khaDgaabhyaam cha parikshatha: |

 

nishpishTO bahudhaa bhoomou na mamaara sa raakshasa: || 3-4-8

 

tham prEkshya raama: subhru*s*am avadhyam achala upamam |

 

bhayEshu abhaya dha: sreemaan idham vachanam abraveeth || 3-4-9

 

 

 

meaning: Though that demon is battered with many arrows, even sheared off

with two swords, and even though he is entirely pounded on the ground, he is

not killed. [3-4-8] On observing that the mountain-like demon is

ineradicable that easily, then Raama, the sublime one, and the bestower of

shelter to those who are in fear, spoke this sentence to LakshmaNa. [3-4-9]

 

 

 

*point:* please note the words of vaalmeeki here

 

– bhayEshu abhaya dha: – one who grants asylum for those who are in

fear.

 

- sreemaan - bestower of wealth.

 

- Actually viraadhan first carried off seethaa, left her, and then

carried these two off from seethaa. Why this kind of acts by viraadhan? For

that comments are given as – raama never kills anybody in front of seethaa –

for she may grant asylum to that person by her 'kadaikkaN paarvai' even

though he is a sinner and deserves punishment – so raama cannot go against

that and then kill that person. That is why viraadhan carried these two,

raama and lakshmaNa off from seethaa so that he will get killed and thereby

will be released from his curse.

 

- Perhaps a doubt may arise, whether viraadhan knows these two as to

who they are. The answer is yes – for he does a beautiful sthuthi, once he

attains his own 'gandharva' form of his yester period – kamban has given

beautiful verses of this sthuthi – [MGV has written a series on that sthuthi

earlier].

 

Now raama says to lakshmaNa -

 

thapasaa purusha vyaaghra raakshasO~ayam na *s*akyathE |

 

*s*asthrENa yudhi nirjEthum raakshasam nikhanaavahE || 3-4-10

 

* *

 

meaning: Oh! Manly-tiger Lakshmana, it is impossible to overpower this demon

with weapons in a confrontation, hence, let's bury this demon.

 

 

 

kunjarasya iva roudhrasya raakshasasya asya lakshmaNa |

 

vanE~ asmin sumahadh *s*wabhram khanyathaam roudhra varchasa: || 3-4-11

 

 

 

Meaning: Lakshmana, a very deep pit be dug for this furious and ferocious

reprobate in this forest, as though for an elephant.

 

 

 

Point: dear readers, please see the scavenger – 'vettiyaan' role is being

assigned to lakshmaNa by raama. That ardous servant in lakshmaNa does the

job – let it be dignified job like that of an engineer or undignified job

like this one. As sri sadagopan swamy puts it lakshmaNa has that

kainkaryasri . let us contnue in next post since length has already grown.

 

 

 

dhasan

 

 

--

Vasudevan MG