Guest guest Posted August 6, 2008 Report Share Posted August 6, 2008 Pancha Devi Stuthi (Prayer to the five goddesses) Daily early morn,If one remembers the five devis,,Uma, Usha cha Vaidehi Rema, Gangethi panchakam,Prathameva smaren nithyam sowbhagyam vardhathe sada. The goddess Uma,The goddess of dawn Usha,Lord Rama’s wife Vaidehi,Lord Vishnu’s consort Rema,And the holy river Ganga,His good fortune will daily rise--- On Wed, 6/8/08, chirattapuram <anair1101 wrote: chirattapuram <anair1101[Guruvayur] Re: slokaguruvayur Date: Wednesday, 6 August, 2008, 12:14 AM The following is a commentary by a critic about the recent Seminar held in Kolkatta . The Siminar covered the subject of the Panchakanyaand various speakers contributed.This might throw some light on the importance and meaning of Panchakanya sloka.Hari-Om.------------ --------- -----Panchkanya==========Women of Substance A traditional Sanskrit exhortation runs thus:Ahalya Draupadi Kunti Tara Mandodari tathapanchakanya svaranityam mahapataka nashaka"Remembering ever the virgins five –Ahalya, Draupadi, Kunti, Tara and MandodariDestroys the greatest sins."Two things strike us in this verse: the epithet kanya (virgin, maiden), not nari (woman); and the unusual combination of names that redeem the sinner from transgressions, howsoever grievous. There is another traditional verse celebrating five satis, chaste wives: Sati, Sita, Savitri, Damayanti and Arundhati. Are then Ahalya, Draupadi, Kunti, Tara and Mandodari not chaste wives because each has "known" a man, or more than one, other than her husband? If so, why should invoking them be extolled as redeeming? Moreover, why is the intriguing term kanya applied to them? Of this group, three – Ahalya, Tara, Mandodari – belong to Ramayana, the epic composed by Valmiki, the first seer-poet. Draupadi and Kunti are celebrated in Mahabharata, Harivamsa and the Markandeya, Devi Bhagavata and Bhagavata Puranas. The first point to keep in mind is that Valmiki and Vyasa's great compositions are designated as kavya, truth perceived by a kavi, seer-poet. Hence, in evaluating the characters they have created, it is necessary to probe consciously beneath the surface reality to reach the eternal verities on which these are founded. Further, when an exhortation such as this has been handed down over a millennium, it cannot be dismissed as a meaningless conundrum. In the context of the powerful wave of feminism sweeping in from the West, we particularly need to comprehend what is sought to be conveyed through this intriguing verse.The name Ahalya itself has a double meaning: one who is flawless; also, one who has not been ploughed, i.e. a virgin. According to the myth of her origin [Ramayana: Uttarakanda, 30], having created this flawless beauty from what was unique and loveliest in all creatures, Brahma handed her over to the sage Gautama for safe custody. After a long time, presumably when she had reached maturity, Gautama handed her back to the Creator, who was so pleased with the sage's self-restraint that he gifted Ahalya to him as his spouse. Indra, lord of the gods, enamored of her beauty, had presumed that this loveliest of women was meant for him and resented that a forest-dwelling ascetic should become her spouse. In the Adikanda.48 Vishvamitra states that, assuming Gautama's form in his absence, Indra approached her saying, "Those craving coitus cannot wait till the fertile period. I crave union, slim-waisted one!" (48.18). Ahalya, despite knowing the disguised sage to be Indra, out of curiosity, kutuhalat – the same impulse that impels Kunti to summon Surya – consented to grant him sexual favors. Thereafter, she told Indra, "I am gratified. Now leave this place quickly, best of gods! Protect yourself and me from Gautama in every way" (48.21). As he was departing, Gautama returned. By the curse that followed, Indra's testicles fell off. Ahalya was condemned to perform penance in that terrible forest, hidden from all, fasting, subsisting on air, sleeping in ashes, tormented by guilt. Gautama ordained that by offering hospitality to Rama she would be purified of delusion and greed. Then, restored to her pristine form, she would rejoin Gautama (48.29-32). jai shree krishna !---------guruvayur@grou ps.com, "subramanian. p.s." <harkrips@.. .> wrote:>> > Radhe Krishna,Radhe Krishna> > Dear Sri devi JI,> > These five ladies in our puranas and idhihasas like Ramayana and> Mahabharatham, were said to be pure PATHIVRITHAS and all ladies shoud> live like these five ladies and if we think about their names, sarva> papas will get destryed by the power of these five ladies names.Ahalya> is a rishi pathni,Draupathi ofcourse everyone knows that panchapandava' s> wife,Seetha again no explanation required, Rama's wife,Thara Sugreeva's> wife.All these five ladies they have struggled a lot in their life, at> the same time they were very strict in their pathivrithyam.> > om namo narayanaya,> > subramanian and usha subramanian( madurai)> guruvayur@grou ps.com, NVP Menon <nvpmenon@> wrote:> >> > Respected Savitriji or any other devotee,> >> > During our childhood days, we were told to recite> >> > Ahallya, Droupadi,Seetha, Thara ,Mandodari panchakanya smaren nithyam> ,sarvapapa vinaasaney,> >> > Could some of the esteemed devotees here ,explain to me about the> importance of this sloka and what these 5 ladies share in common.> > I was reading the Kishkindha kandam in Ramayanam about Tara,So this> doubt camr ot my mind.> > Thank you very much in anticipation,> > namasthe,> > Sreedevi> >> Did you know? 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