seethaa raama kalyaaNam 11

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Post 11

 

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

In previous post we saw how that phrase 'naaraNan nimbi nadakkinRaan' of aaNdaaL of vaaraNamaayiram suits well for 'raama'. Actually we can say even naaraNan and nambi are walking. NaaraNan is raaman, nambi – avan thambi – lakshmaNan, naaraNanum nambiyum – in poetry same can be naaraNan nambi – meaning two of them.

 

Again I quote a slokam of vaalmeeki to confirm this – when the messengers of king janaka conveyed the message of the king to dhasaratha – about the breaking of the bow and giving seethaa in marriage to raama that naaraNan – vaalmeeki uses a 'double' – 'dhvi' padham – instead of singular for raama -

 

1-68-8.

raajan = oh, Emperor Dasharatha;

 

saa = such as she is [well-known one];

 

iyam = this [girl];

mama + sutaa = my, daughter;

 

vishvaamitra + puraskR^itaiH = Vishvamitra, keeping afore;

yadR^ic Chayaa = coincidentally [serendipitous];

aagataiH = arrived [at Mithila];

 

tava = your;

viiraiH = valorous;

putrakaiH = sons / young son;

 

nir + jitaa = finally, carried off.

 

Meaning: Oh, Emperor Dasharatha, your young and valorous son, who arrived serendipitous [unexpectedly] at Mithila, keeping Vishvamitra at his fore, [along with his younger brother Lakshmana too,] finally carries off this girl, the well-known daughter of mine... [1-68-8]

 

 

Comment in website: Usually this verse gives meaning that 'two of your valorous sons won Seetha...' because of the usage of plural number viiraiH utrakaiH But this is counted as 'royal we' sort of expression to honour Rama. Hence this ka pratyaya, though used in the verse, will be read as singular. There is another shade of wording for this verse: seyam mama sut˜r˜jan viþv˜mitrsya þ˜þan˜t | purŸm im˜m sam˜gatya tava pureõa nirjit˜ || which uses only singular for Rama.

 

 

If I say 'That again shows how closely 'aaNdaaL' is to vaalmeeki in usage of words in her dream' perhaps I am not wrong.

 

Now comes next phrase - 'pooraNa poRkudam, puram engum thOraNam' – yes - in mithila at that time a vEdhic yagnam was going on and also the dhanur yagnam for selecting the prospective husband for seethaa – so the town of mithila was decorated well. So that also is ok. Any proof for that yagnam going on – yes – in the words of vaalmeeki -

 

 

1-31-5.

Evam + ukthE + thayOH + vaakyam = thus, said, by them, sentence;

sarva + Eva + maharshayaH = all, thus, great sages;

vi

svaamithram + puraskruthya = Visvaamithra, in front of;

raamam + vachanam + abruvan = to Raama, sentence, spoke.

 

1-31-6.

maithilasya + nara +

srEshTa = of Mithila, man, the best;

janakasya + bhavishyathi + yajnaH = Janaka's, will be there, Vedic-ritual;

 

parama + dharmishTaH = supremely, immaculate [ritual];

thathra + yaasyaamahe + vayam = thereto, travelling, we are.

 

 

Meaning: Thus that sentence when said by them, all those great sages spoke to Raama, in front of Visvaamithra. Oh, Best of Men, there will be a supremely immaculate Vedic-ritual of King Janaka of Mithila, thereto we are travelling. [1-31-5, 6]

 

 

1-31-7.

thvam + chaiva + nara +

saardhoola = your, also, thus, man, tiger;

saha + asmaabhiH + gamishyasi = along, us, proceed with;

adhbhutham + cha + dhanoo + rathnam = monumental, also, bow, gem of;

thathra + thvam + dhrashTum + arhasi = there, you, to see, expedient for you.

 

 

Meaning: Also, oh, Tigerly-man, on your proceeding along with us, to see that monumental gem of a bow there, that is expedient for you. [1-31-7]

 

 

Comment in the website on this 'invitation by sages': The sages are not insisting on Raama to come along, but advising him to have a glimpse of that marvelous bow of Siva, which none can lift and string, so far. The topic of Seethaa is also not brought out by them, either, because that matter is in the knowledge of Visvaamithra alone, not by these sages.

 

Kings and princes have their own protocol of proper invitation. Here a third party is inviting to some other king's ritual, which Raama may reject, himself being a prince. But it is suggestive to say the maxim '

an aahoothO adhvaryam gachChEth' 'even uninvited one can attend a Vedic-ritual' Thus the sages are tempting Raama to come to Mithila for the sake of a divine bow, of which any valiant prince would easily get excited.

 

 

Point: since 'the yagnam going on' is confirmed as quoted by the sages, it is but natural that the city is fully decorated. So aaNdaaL's 'puram engum thOraNam' is available. How about that 'pooraNa poRkudam' – see here that is given to visvaamithra and party by janaka

 

 

1-50- 6, 7a.

vi

svaamithram + anupraaptham + s

ruthvaa = Visvaamithra's, one chanced [at Mithila,] on hearing;

nrupa + varaH + thadhaa = king, best [Janaka,] then;

s

athaanandham + puraskruthya = sathaananda, keeping afore;

purohitham + anindhitham = priest, not, reprovable one;

prathi + ujjagaama + sahasaa = towards [Vi

svaamithra,] forged ahead, instantly;

vinayena + samanvithaH = with deference, embodied with [in deference to Vi

svaamithra.]

 

meaning: Then on hearing that Vi

svaamithra chanced at Mithila, that best king Janaka, keeping his unreprovable priest, s

athaananda afore, instantly forged ahead towards Visvaamithra, in deference to Vi

svaamithra. [1-50-6, 7a]

 

1-50-7b, 8, 9a.

rithvijaH + api + mahaathmaanaH + thu = administrators of Vedic-ritual, even, great-souled ones, but;

arghyam + aadhaaya + sa + thvaram= water, on taking, with, haste;

vi

svaamithraaya + dharmENa + dhadhou = to Vis

vaamitra, ritually, offered;

dharma [manthra] + puraskritham = ritual, [sanctified,] in view of [ritualistically];

 

prathigruhya + thu + thaam + poojaam = on receiving, but, that, veneration;

janakasya + mahaathmanaH = of Janaka, great-souled one;

paprachCha + kusalam + raaj~naH = asked after, well-being, king's;

yaj~nasya + cha + niraamayam = of Vedic-ritual, also, without, hindrance [unhindered proceedings.]

 

 

meaning: Even the great souled Ritvik-s, [the administrators of that Vedic-ritual,] on taking [holy] waters [arrived] with post-haste and offered [that water] to Vi

svaamithra ritualistically, and on receiving that veneration of that great souled Janaka, Vi

svaamithra asked after the well-being of the king, also about the unhindered proceedings of the Vedic-ritual. [1-50-7b, 8, 9a]

 

 

Point: see here arghyam being offered to the sage [and naturally to his party of the two brothers also] – which if done with proper rites – means – it is with "pooraNa porkudam" of aaNdaaL – so that part of aaNdaaL's verse suits well to raama's marriage descriptions.

 

 

We will continue in next post.

 

Dhasan

 

Vasudevan MG