lakshmaNa 13

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Post 13

 

 

 

Dear Sri vaishnava perunthagaiyeer,

 

 

In the previous 12 posts, we saw 'lakshmaNa' donning 8 roles. Just for

recollection, the different roles are

 

- 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

- The scavenger to dig pits and bury / burn viraadhan, khabhandhan.

 

Incidentally we also saw he donned the role of a good non-veg chef also.

That one perhaps is a very minor role. Now we are continuing the role of

lakshmaNa – the envoy or emissary or messenger or 'officer on duty' to carry

out certain protocols. Protocol is observance of certain formalities, or

procedures, or rules or etiquette when two or more dignitaries meet.

 

 

 

Whenever a king or head of a state or such a great personality meets another

king, there are certain and definite rules to be followed in

 

· receiving the visitor,

 

· meeting each other,

 

· the subjects to be talked between them

 

· issuing a joint communication or proclamation etc

 

Even the way one great greets the other has a formality involved in it, like

whether it is hugging each other, or handshakes, or simply bowing down the

body with a half bend to each other [or a saasthaanga namaskaaram like what

we vaishNavaas do].

 

 

 

To understand these subtleties in the procedures involved called the

protocol, since it varies from

 

· party to party,

 

· country to country

 

· culture to culture,

 

between the parties involved, each party sends their trusted assistants or

emissaries to the camp of other party, so that these emissaries first meet

each other, get introduced to each other, then finalise the details of the

protocol to be used, when their two kings or high dignitaries meet each

other.

 

 

 

Here, we are going to see how lakshmaNa acted as that envoy and carried out

that protocol on occasions for and on behalf of raama.

 

..

 

*Occasion for the roleplay:* raama, lakshmaNa and seethaa wanted to meet

sage agasthya after entering the forest and after settled down at

chithrakootam, building the leaf house and all that. Before meeting sage

agasthya, the trio met agasthya's brother, and then took leave of him and

came down where agasthya's aasramam is located. In fact that brother only

informed raama the route to reach agasthya's place.

 

 

 

*Role assignment:* just at the entrance of agsthya aasramam, see the command

of raama to lakshmaNa -

 

aagathaa: sma aa*s*rama padham soumithrE pravi*s*a agratha: |

 

nivEdhaya iha maam praaptham rishayE saha seethayaa || 3-11-94

 

 

 

meaning: raama says, 'We arrived at the threshold of the hermitage, oh,

Soumithri, you enter first and submit to Sage Agasthya about my arrival

along with Seethaa, at this place.

 

 

 

*Point:* So the envoy role is assigned by the order of raama to lakshmaNa.

[Again this also form part of servant role since he obeys tocommands of

raama]. Now that envoy has to

 

· go and meet the sage's assistant or envoy or precisely the sishya

first,

 

· inform him about arrival of raama and seethaa,

 

· inform the very purpose for which they want to meet

 

· seek the sage's permission thru the sishya

 

· sage's points if any to be conveyed before meeting raama

 

· time and place of meeting with the sage,

 

· then come back and inform raama that the sage is ready or not, to

receive / meet him.

 

 

 

May be the sage is in penance – 'thavam' or 'nishtai', or 'yoga samaadhi',

or doing some of his routines [like anushtaanams and yagyams] and not ready

then to meet raama – to find out all these only lakshmaNa is assigned.

 

 

 

Of course since raama and lakshmaNa are, by now, familiar with 'procedures

in meeting sanyaasis', that portion of the protocol perhaps can be skipped.

For they have already met and interacted with sages like visvaamithra,

gouthama, sadaanandha, bharadhwaaja et al, apart from the regular 8 great

sages or rishis who are the members of [or representing] king dhasarathaa's

super cabinet.

 

 

 

*Role play: *

 

sa pravi*s*ya aasrama padham lakshmaNO raaghava anuja: |

 

agasthya *s*ishyam aasaadhya vaakyam Ethadh uvaacha ha || 3-12-1

 

 

 

meaning: On entering the hermitage LakshmaNa, the younger brother of

Raaghava, reached Agasthya's disciple and spoke this sentence to him.

 

 

 

*Point:* see here he meets the sage's assistant – sishya - and introduces

who have come to meet the sage, followed by his own personal introduction.

After that, the purpose of the visit is also mentioned - It is only to see

the sage.

 

 

 

raajaa dha*s*arathO naama jyeshta: thasya suthO balee |

 

raama: praapthO munim dhrashtum bhaaryayaa saha seethayaa || 3-12-2

 

 

 

lakshmaNo naama thasya aham bhraathaa thu avarajO hitha: |

 

anukoola: cha bhaktha: cha yadhi thE *s*rOthram aagatha: || 3-12-3

 

 

 

meaning: A king named Dhasaratha was there, his eldest son and the dynamic

one, Raama has arrived along with his wife Seethaa to see the sage. I am his

loyal, dedicated, and adherent younger brother named LakshmaNa, if ever you

have heard of us.

 

 

 

thE vayam vanam athyugram pravishtaa: pithru *s*aasanaath |

 

dhrashtum icchaamahE sarvE bhagavantham nivEdhyathaam || 3-12-4

 

 

 

meaning: Such as we are, we entered the awful forest at the decree of our

father, and we wish to see the godly sage, let this be informed to him."

Said LakshmaNa to the disciple of agasthya.

 

 

 

*Point:* now there is reciprocation by way of receiving lakshmaNa and

consent by the other side emissary, the sage's sishya. Then message goes to

the chief and seeks his guidance on 'what to do next?'

 

 

 

thasya thadh vachanam *s*ruthvaa lakshmaNasya thapOdhana: |

 

thathaa ithi ukthvaa agni *s*araNam pravivE*s*a nivEdhithum || 3-12-5

 

 

 

meaning: On hearing that sentence of LakshmaNa, that disciple, who is

ascetically rich, replied 'agreed, ' and he entered the sanctum of

Ritual-fire to submit the same to agasthya.

 

 

 

sa pravi*s*ya munisrEshtam thapasaa dushpradhar*s*aNam |

 

kruta anjali: uvaacha idham raama aagamanam anjasaa || 3-12-6

 

yathaa uktham lakshmaNEna Eva *s*ishya: thasya agasthasya sammatha: |

 

 

 

meaning: He, that agreeable disciple of sage, quickly approached the

irrefutable sage, by his asceticism, made palm-fold, and said this to the

eminent sage about about the arrival of Raama, exactly as said by LakshmaNa..

 

 

 

 

puthrou dhasarathasya imou raamO lakshmaNa Eva cha || 3-12-7

 

pravishtou aasrama padham seethayaa saha bhaaryayaa |

 

dhrashtum bhavantham aayaathou sushrooshaartham arindhamou || 3-12-8

 

yadh athra anantharam thath thvam aajnaapayithum arhasi |

 

* *

 

meaning: Sons of King Dha*s*aratha, Raama and also LakshmaNa thus have

entered the threshold of hermitage along with the wife of Raama, namely

Seethaa. Those two enemy-destroyers have come cherishing to see and serve

you, hence it will be apt of you to order what next is to be done in this

regard." Said the disciple to the sage.

 

 

 

*Point:* having heard the sishya or the own side emissary, now the sage

gives his consent. Just see a small variation. LakshmaNa did not say, 'we

have come to serve the sage', but the sishya has added that extra thing.

Perhaps knowing raama's eagerness in meeting sages in the forest, and the

qualities of raama, the sishya might have added that on his own. Of course

the raama's emissary did not object to that or just kept quiet. For it is

wise to keep quiet at times, that too when one is playing the emissary role..

Further lakshmaNa also knows raama well and if given an opportunity raama

will be too glad to serve the rishi. That also made lakshmaNa not to refute

or resist to the words of sishya.

 

 

 

thatha: *s*ishyaath upa*s*ruthya praaptham raamam sa lakshmaNam || 3-12-9

 

vaidhEheem cha mahaabhaagaam idham vachanam abraveeth |

 

 

 

dhishTyaa raama: chirasya adhya dhrashTum maam samupaagatha: || 3-12-10

 

manasaa kaankshitham hi asya mayaa api aagamanam prati |

 

 

 

gamyathaam sathkruthO raama: sa bhaarya: saha lakshmaNa: || 3-12-11

 

pravE*s*yathaam sameepam mE kim asou na pravE*s*itha: |

 

* *

 

meaning: Having heard from the disciple that Raama has arrived with

LakshmaNa and with highly fortunate Seethaa, sage agasthya said to himself,

"My heart is indeed yearning for his arrival, and after this long a time

Raama providentially came to see me." the sage said this to the disciple, 'Go

forth and make welcome to Raama, Lakshmana and to Seethaa, and they be

entered here, why you have not invited them as yet?

 

 

 

*Point:* so the chief says, 'hey, why all these formalities. I was just

longing to meet him. It is good fortune of me that on his own he has come

here. So, 'hey sishya, Why you have not invited him yet into the aasramam' –

means 'let the formalities be wiped out', for raama is such an important

guest, and hence no formalities are to be observed with him in his meeting

me'. This the sage can say because he is the host. But raama wanted to

observe the protocol since he is the guest and he had very hgh regards for

the sage.

 

 

 

When the sage said like this the sishya said 'as you say' to the guru, and

then turned on to lakshmaNa – his counterpart in observing the protocol -

 

 

 

thadhaa nishkramya sambhraantha: *s*ishyO lakshmaNam abraviit || 3-12-13

 

kva asou raamO munim dhrashTum Ethu pravi*s*athu svayam |

 

 

 

meaning: Then that disciple went out with a little perplexity and said this

to LakshmaNa, "Where is this Raama? He may come to see the sage and let him

enter hermitage on his own." Said that disciple to LakshmaNa. [3-12-13b,

14a]

 

 

 

point: Since permission in meeting is granted by the host immediately, then

both emissaries go together and bring the chief guest raama to agasthya. See

again the specific reference of lakshmaNa showing first raama and then

seethaa to the sishya. So the emissary lakshmaNa does his job so well that

the present day 'protocol observers' can learn such subtleties from sreemadh

raamaayaNam.

 

 

 

thathO gathvaa aa*s*rama padham *s*ishyENa saha lakshmaNa: || 3-12-14

 

dar*s*ayaamaasa kaakuthstham seethaam cha janakaathmajaam |

 

tham *s*ishya: pra*s*ritham vaakyam agasthya vachanam bruvan || 3-12-15

 

praavE*s*ayath yathaa nyaayam sathkaara arha susathkrutham |

 

 

 

Meaning: Then on going out to the exterior of that hermitage along with that

disciple, Lakshmana has shown him Raama and Janakaa's daughter Seethaa.

While that disciple repeated the obliging words of Agasthya that

reception-worthy Raama entered into the hermitage and on being received

well.

 

 

 

pravivE*s*a thathO raama: seethayaa saha lakshmaNa: || 3-12-16

 

pra*s*aantha hariNa aakiirNam aashramam hi avalOkayan |

 

 

 

meaning: And then Raama entered the hermitage with Seethaa and LakshmaNa

looking over it which is overspread with docile deer skin.

 

 

 

abraveeth vachanam veerO lakshmaNam lakshmivardhanam || 3-12-22

 

bahir lakshmaNa nishkraamathi agasthyO bhagavaan rishi: |

 

audaaryENa avagachChhaami nidhaanam thapasaam imam || 3-12-23

 

 

 

meaning: On seeing the brilliantly glowing sage among those sages, he, that

bold Raama, said this sentence to LakshmaNa, the fortifier of fortune, "Here

comes the godly sage, LakshmaNa, by his eminence, I comprehend him as a

depository of all ascesis."

 

 

 

*Point:* see here again raama says to lakshmaNa only, and neither to that

sishya nor to the sage directly. So the protocol observance is carried out

simply to the core. And vaalmeeki describing all these is highly attractive

and educative.

 

 

 

Evam ukthvaa mahaabaahu: agasthyam soorya varchasam |

 

jagraaha aapathath thasya paadhou cha raghunandhana || 3-12-24

 

 

 

meaning: That dexterous Raama on saying about that sun-like radiant sage

agasthya, he, that descendent of Raghu, fell on the feet of agasthya

touching them reverentially.

 

 

 

While taking leave raamaa says to the sage --

 

dhanyOsmi anugraheethOsmi yasya mE muni pungava: |

 

guNai: sabhraathru bhaaryasya guru: na: parithushyathi || 3-13-10

 

 

 

Meaning: I am privileged and blessed as our mentor and the eminent sage is

well pleased with the virtues of my brother and wife, which are similar to

mine.

 

 

 

*Point:* perhaps we have to learn this from raama – see even though he is

talking directly to the sage, rama says guru is pleased – he, being

addressed in third person. This is what today also we follow when we meet

srimadh azhagiya singar or aaNdavan swamigaL – 'swamy ippadi

saadhiththaachchu' when swamy says something.

 

 

 

Thus the first part of emissary role of lakshmaNa gets completed. Next time

when lakshmaNa acts as emissary is just before sugreeva sakhyam – making

friendship with sugreeva – the king in exile. The difference there is -

hanumaan comes and does the talking first, like what lakshmaNa did here.

 

 

 

Dhasan

 

 

--

Vasudevan MG