raavaNa remembers garudan 1

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

The recent discussions on Garudan in the oppiliappan prompted me to search for "garudan's - the 'periya thiruvadi's" appearance portions or sargams or chapters in sreemadh raamaayaNam.

 

It is well known that garudan came in the great lanka war scene. When raama and lakshmaNa were struck with naaga paasam – the naaga asthram sent by indhrajith - which made both the brothers and many of the vaanara sEna bound by serpents. Exceptions were vibheeshaNan, hanumaan and jambavaan besides sushENan the doctor. All the vaanara leaders were in deep sOkham because the 2 brothers raama and lakshmaNa were made to fall down and lying unconscious.

 

At that stage garudan appeared and all the serpents vanished, thus relieving raama and lakshmaNa. In act when garudan embraced raama and lakshmaNa they became even better than earlier. Thyaagaraaja also has a krithi in raagam 'garuda dhvani' with pallavi starting 'thathva meruga tharamaa'. The lyrics of this krithi is linked to this naaga paasa stage of raamaayaNam. And I remember I wrote an article also on this krithi.

 

Of course the intention is not to reopen that topic. I want to give that portion of raamaayaNam where the 'great villain' raavaNa remembers 'garudan'. Surprised?

 

That too, this comes at a crucial stage – the stage where he is going to ask maareecha to help him in abducting seethaa. The story goes like this --

 

After soorpaNakhaa [not soorpanakhaa says Monier Williams dictionary – the 3 suzhi na in tamil] instigated raavaNa on marrying seethaa, raavaNa secretly starts to meet maareecha. When the chariot is on its way from lanka to aaraNya, in the sky, [please note it is not pushpaka vimaanam but a chariot] raavaNa sees the natural scenery down below – the ocean, the delta area, the towns and the forest wherein trees are in full blossom on the ground.

 

Vaalmeeki mentions number of trees like saala, thamaala, etc, and one such is a very big banyan - nyagrOdha tree.

 

[just also remember here - nyagrOdha, udhumbara aswaththa, all trees getting mentioned in sree vishNu sahasra naamam in that order – 826th and 827th naamam in bhattar's sequence]

 

when he sees this banyan tree he remembers garudan and his recollection runs like this –

[3 is aaraNya 35 is sargam 27 is slokam – as usual]

 

thathra apasyath sa mEgha aabham nyagrodham munibhir vrutham || 3-35-27

samanthaath yasya thaah saakhaah satha yOjanam aayathaah |

 

nyagrodham= Indian Fig tree [banyan tree, Ficus benghalensis - the branches spread and from which root sprout and ground themselves thus becoming small trunks];

 

meaning: There RaavaNa also saw a banyan tree, [named subhadhra as stated in slokam 36 below] which, in sheen, is like a black cloud, and the branches of which are stretching all over for 100 yojanaas in length, and on which sages made their abode for practicing thapas.

 

yasya hasthinam aadhaaya mahaa kaayam cha kachChhapam || 3-35-28

bhakshaartham garuDah saakhaam aajagaama mahaabalah |

 

meaning: raavaNa thinks -- This is the tree on the branch of which once highly mighty Divine Eagle Garuda swooped to perch, clawing an elephant and a mammoth tortoise, for the purpose of having a dinner of their flesh, out on that tree-branch.

 

Point: On this slokam in the website www.valmikiramayan.net the authors add notes which read – my all thanks to them --

 

The legendary version is that the elephant and tortoise are engaged in a fierce fight, though both of them are not a prey to each other. And seeing them fighting, and to teach a lesson to such 'causeless fighting living beings', Garuda flies in. He claws both and picks them up and is on the look out for a place to feast on them.

 

Finding this banyan tree worthwhile to have a leisurely dinner, he dashes on to one branch.

 

thasya thaam sahasaa saakhaam bhaarENa pathagOththamah || 3-35-29

suparNah parNa bahulaam babhanja atha mahaabalah |

 

meaning: While descending rapidly, due to the impact of his high speed, that best bird [among birds] Garuda broke that tree branch which is full with leaves, suddenly.

 

[suparNah = one with excellent wings - Garuda, the eagle – again recollect that SVSN naama 'suparNaaya namah' – no. 194]

 

thathra vaikhaanasaa maashaa vaalakhilyaa mareechipaah || 3-35-30

ajaa babhovuh dhoomraah cha sangathaah paramarshayah |

 

meaning: Adhering to that tree-branch there were eminent sages, like vaikhaanasaas, maashaas, vaalakhilyaas, mareechipaas, ajaas, and even sages like dhoomraas who thrive on fumes and smokes. They were collectively practicing thapas with body upside down by clasping the branch with their legs.

 

thEshaam dhayaa artham garuDah thaam saakhaam satha yOjanaam || 3-35-31

bhagnam aadhaaya vEgEna thou cha ubhou gaja kachChhapou |

 

meaning: in sympathy to those sages, Garuda flew up in sky from that tree, grasping that broken branch with his beak, [the branch which was of 100 yojana length, along with those sages] while holding both the elephant and tortoise, using his both claws.

 

Eka paadhEna dharma aathmaa bhakshayithvaa thath aamisham || 3-35-32

nishaadha vishayam hathvaa saakhayaa pathagOththamah |

praharsham athulam lEbhe mokshayithvaa mahaa muneen || 3-35-33

 

meaning: That virtue-soul Garuda consumed the meat of his prays, [viz. the elephant and the giant tortoise] while holding them on a single foot, and destroyed the province of tribesmen with the same broken tree branch. And thus that supreme bird Garuda gained an incomparable happiness in rescuing those great-sages.

 

The explanatory notes to this slokam in website reads:

[based on the 3 commentaries which is in Sanskrit – if some body wants I can give it -- since translated by the website authors – again with thanks to them]

 

Garuda held tortoise and elephant in two claws in the first instance. When he wanted to settle down on tree branch, he transferred one pray from one claw to the other and held both of them by one claw. With the other free claw he caught hold of the tree branch. Since the branch broke down of garudan's own weight, he clasped that branch with his beak and took to flight without allowing the branch to fall on ground, thereby avoiding the killing all those hanging down persons..

 

While flying in sky he transferred both the preys into one claw, and held the tree branch in the other claw. Then he started to eat his preys in the sky itself with one claw, while still holding the branch thus not allowing it to fall. Seeing this feat of Garuda, the sages clinging to that tree branch blessed him to be successful in his next mission and left that branch.

 

When that tree branch is free from sages, Garuda threw it down on a province of some antagonistic tribal community [nishaadha says vaalmeeki - see above, also recall that great slokam maa nishaadha with which raamaayaNam composing is started] by weight of which the whole of that tribal community is destroyed.

 

This is one way of explaining the myth, how could garuda do all that while floating in the sky.

 

That great raavaNa also thinks of 'garuda bringing amirtham - the nectar' in the same vein. [as a continuation of this veerach cheyal].

 

Since the length of the post becomes more, that we will have to see in next post.

 

Dhasan

Vasudevan m.g.