lakshmaNa 29

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Post 29

 

 

 

Dear Sri vaishnava perunthagaiyeer,

 

 

 

In the previous 28 posts, we saw 'lakshmaNa' donning 10 roles. The 10th role

as a great warrior is continuing. When raavaNa appeared in front of raama,

lakshmaNa took the initiative of offering himself to fight. We saw raama was

advising lakshmaaNa to be vigil, then lakshmaNa paid his abhivaadhanam and

started to the battle field. We are continuing from that stage.

 

 

 

lakshmaNa had a good look at raavaNa. Meanwhile hanumaan entered into fray

and started fighting with raavaNa. raavaNa fatigued hanumaan. Then raavaNa

turned towards neelan, the son of fire god. After hurting neela, raavaNa

turned on to lakshmaNa.

 

 

 

tham aaha soumithrir adheena saththvO visphaarayantham dhanur apramEyam |

 

abhEhi maam Eva ni*s*aachara indhra | na vaanaraams thvam prathi yOddhum

arhasi || 6-59-94

 

 

 

meaning: LakshmaNa of indomitable courage spoke to that RaavaNa who was

lifting up his unfathomable bow (as follows): "O, King of Demons! Now enter

into combat with me; cease from fighting with the monkeys!"

 

 

 

point: So lakshmaNa is inviting him to fight with him and not get distracted

with the oncoming monkeys. May be as advised by raama about studying the

'SWOT' of raavaNan, perhaps he has finished that job nicely in the time gap

- when raavaNa was engaged in fight with hanumaan and neelan. So he asserts

now –

 

 

 

jaanaami veeryam thava raakshasa indhra balam prathaapam cha paraakramam cha

|

 

avasthithO aham *s*ara chaapa paaNir aagachchha kim mOgha vikaththanEna ||

6-59-98

 

 

 

meaning: lakshmaNa to raavaNa - O, King of Demons! I know your valour,

strength, energy and courage! Come! I now stand here, with my bow and arrows

in hand. O, what use are vain boasts."

 

 

 

Speaking thus both started hitting each other with arrows. See lakshmaNa

shining as a warrior in front of raavaNan --

 

 

 

sa baaNa varsham thu vavarsha theevram *raama anujah* kaarmuka samprayuktham

|

 

kshura ardha chandhra uththama karNi bhallai: *s*araam*s*cha chichchhEdha na

chukshubhE cha ||

 

6-59-101

 

 

 

meaning: Lakshmana, however, caused a well-aimed *rain of missiles* from his

bow to fall on RaavaNa and nay, even broke RaavaNa's arrows with his arrows

called Khura, Ardhachandhra, the excellent Karni and Bhalla. He did not feel

perturbed.

 

 

 

After being hit by lakshmaNa's arrows, raavaNa swooned, his bow broken, and

streaming with blood. Dear readers, it is not my glorification of lakshmaNa,

but of vaalmeeki – in slokam 106 and 107. Then raavaNa got wild and sent a

special 'spear' weapon obtained from brahma to hit lakshmaNa – it is sakthi

aayudham as said in tamil.

 

 

 

thaam aapathantheem *bharatha anujO* asthrair jaghaana baaNai*s*cha hutha

agni kalpai: |

 

thathaa api saa thasya vivE*s*a *s*aktir bhuja antharam dhaa*s*arathEr

vi*s*aalam

|| 6-59-109

 

 

 

meaning: LakshmaNa the younger brother of Bharatha struck that weapon

falling upon him with arrows and darts, as if it were a sacrificial fire.

Nevertheless, that spear entered LakshmaNa's broad chest.

 

 

 

*Point:* dear readers, any significance to say suddenly bharathaa's brother?

All the while lakshmaNa was described as raama anuja, soumithree, mahaa

bala, veeryavaan etc – but why suddenly the description changed to bharatha

anuja? Any poorva aachaaryaa's comments on this sudden change of addressing

– elite readers can give.

 

 

 

My presumption - so far bharatha has not faced any war. As such when he has

to face for the first time a formidable enemy like raavaNa, perhaps he is

likely to be hit badly or fail. Hence when lakshmaNa was hit, description

changed from raama anuja to bharatha anuja.

 

 

 

Whereas raama has already faced a major war single handedly in elimination

of khara and raama anuja also likely to be in same mould – continuing to

win. Even though lakshmaNa is the same person, two ways of addressing him

signifies the difference.

 

 

 

sa *s*akthimaan *s*akthi samaahatha: sanjajvaala bhoomou sa raghupraveera: |

 

tham vihvalantham sahasaabhupEthya jagraaha raajaa tharasaa bhujaabhyaam ||

6-59-110

 

 

 

meaning: The mighty LakshmaNa, struck by the spear, lay on the earth,

breathing fire. The king [raavaNan], rushing suddenly on him, who was yet

insensible, seized him brutally in his hands.

 

 

 

*Point:* before somebody else could approach lakshmaNa to offer help,

raavaNan wanted to seize lakshmaNa lying unconscious. He wanted to lift

lakshmaNa and place him in his [raavaNa's] chariot and drive back to lanka –

the intention may be to show to seethaa. Further raavaNa also knows raama is

already suffering one separation – of seethaa, if lakshmaNa is also removed

from the scene, raama will definitely become very weak.

 

Please recall soorpanakaa's suggestion – 'remove seethaa, raama will become

weak, and, you can kill him easily'. Now if lakshmaNa is also removed? –

that is the intention.

 

 

 

But see raavaNa could not lift off lakshmaNa and see the reason for it.

 

 

 

himavaan mandharO mErusthrailOkyam vaa saha amarai: |

 

*s*akyam bhujaabhyaam udhdharthum na *s*akyO bharathaanuja: || 6-59-111

 

 

 

Meaning: Though he [raavaNan] was able to lift up Himavath parvatham,

Mandhara and MEru mountains as also the Three Worlds with the Gods on top,

he could not lift LakshmaNa the younger brother of Bharatha.

 

 

 

*S*akthyaa braahmyaa thu soumithristhaaDithO.api sthanaantharE |

 

VishNOr ameemaamsya bhaagam aathmaanam prathi anusmarath || 6-59-112

 

 

 

Meaning: LakshmaNa, though wounded in the breast by Brahmaa's weapon,

recollected that he was an inconceivable fraction of VishNu Himself.

 

 

 

*Point:* this is vaalmeeki's slokam - see here at the required moment, raama

and lakshmaNa prove who they are originally – that garuda coming also

confirms that.

 

 

 

thathO dhaanava dharpaghnam soumithrim dhEva kaNTaka: |

 

tham peeDayithvaa baahubhyaam na prabhir langhanE ~abhavat || 6-59-113

 

 

 

meaning: RaavaNa, that thorn in the side of the Gods, was unable to bear him

away with his hands, though overpowering that LakshmaNa [in war], that

lakshmaNa removing the pride of demons,.

 

 

 

Meanwhile hanumaan, who was hit earlier by raavaNa, was now all right and he

came rushing – seeing lakshmana and his condition, he gave a stunning blow

in chest of raavaNan and that made raavaNan swoon in the chariot. Then -

 

 

 

hanumaan atha thEjasvee lakshmaNam raavaNa ardhitham || 6-59-118

 

aanayath raaghava abhyaa*s*am baahubhyaam parigruhya tham |

 

 

 

meaning: Then, the courageous Hanumaan lifting up LakshmaNa in his arms,

whom Raavana, had wounded, brought him to Raama's presence.

 

 

 

vaayusoonO: suhruththvEna bhakthyaa paramayaa cha sa: || 6-59-119

 

*S*athrooNaam aprakampyo~api laghuthvam agamath kapE: |

 

 

 

Meaning: That LakshmaNa, whom his foes were unable to move, became light for

Hanumaan because of friendship and great devotion Hanumaan, the son of

Wind-God, has towards him.

 

 

 

Then, in the presence of raama, that spear of brahma left lakshmaNa's body

and returned to raavaNan.

 

* *

 

*Point:* what that mighty raavaNan could not do in lifting lakshmaNa,

hanumaan could do it lightly. How is that? It means lakshmaNa is capable and

can become very heavy to one and very light to another depending upon who

touches him and what is his intention. Oh, great lakshmaNa.

 

 

 

Here a krithi of thyaagaraaja comes to mind – that hari kaambOji krithi

entharaa nee – which reads in pallavi anupallavi and charaNam as --

 

entha raa nee thanakentha pOni nI chentha viDuvajaala

 

anthakaari nee chentha jEri hanumanthuDai koluva lEdhE

 

shESuDu *s*ivuniki bhooshuDu lakshmaNa vEshiyai koluva lEdhaa

 

 

 

[how the krithi gets linked to the above and all in a separate article

later]. But a simple meaning runs like this and hope you can get at it –

 

"Lord! Come what may. I will never stray from your proximity. Who else is

Anjaneya, but an offshoot of Siva, the vanquisher of death! Has he not

steadfastly attached himself to you and is he not serving you eternally? Did

not the mighty serpent, the ornament of Siva, incarnate as Lakshmana along

with you with the sole aim of serving and worshipping you?"

 

 

 

So, lakshmaNa, the great warrior, proves himself who really he is, in front

of raavaNa. Let us continue more about this 'great lakshmaNa' in next post.

 

 

 

Dhasan

 

 

--

Vasudevan MG