desire 17

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

Since a lot of time gap has come into in this kaamam series, I wish to

summarise on

§ from where we started on the topic `kaamam'

§ what we saw upto this stage

§ whether we have covered at least partly.

 

In the previous 16 posts, we saw how kaamam in sreemadh raamaayaNam

started off

a. with a love making birds being killed and that led to start of the

kavyam, [post 1]

b. how kaamam when intensified becomes moham and that turns into a

tragedy and thereby leads into `karuNai' or sympathy – that comes to

sage vaalmeeki - and us the common folks after a very long time also -

on the characters involved like the two birds, raama and seethaa,

thaaraa and vaali [post 2]

c. the types of kaamam [post 3]

§ type A – more oriented on sex,

§ type B – other desires, and its sub classification

§ type C - a mixure of both A and B

d. then how vaalmeekee started off with maa nishaadha and describing

the synopsis in first sargam of baala kaaNdam and `vara naaradha'

krithi as naaradha guru vandhanam by thyaagaraaja [post 4]

e. then we dealt on the topic of kaamam – the `desire on seethaa'

laden raavaNa, the main villain, and pusher of story, talking with

maareecha on abducting seethaa the heroine, [posts 5 and 6] in which

maareecha praises seethaa and her resplendence – `prabhaa'.

f. In post 7 we saw how maareecha continued to talk to raavaNa and in

that course of talk, how sage visvaamithra was afraid of maareecha and

went to dhasaratha seeking raama to kill him [maareecha].

g. Amidst the topic of kaamam we also saw in post 8 `how to behave

with other's wife' by way of advice to raavaNa by maareecha.

h. While discussing with maareecha, raavaNa also describes raama in

`choice terms' [in a derogatory or adverse manner] like a modern story

villain and that was compared with naaradha's description of raama -

to vaalmeeki's question about " Evam vidham naram " . [post 9] to realize

the contrast.

i. In post 10 we saw soorpaNakha entering the story and about that

`porundhaak kaadhal' of her on raama.

j. In post 11, 12 we saw ayomukhi trying to make love with lakshmaNa –

the next kaama laden character – more from kamban than from vaalmeeki.

k. In posts 13 to 16, we saw about kaamam of sugreeva with thaara, how

sugreeva's kaamam came crossing his duty and resulting in a failure of

communication. While seeing this topic we also came into certain rules

regarding remarriage of ladies when her husband dies etc, and how

raama stuck to saasthram while rewarding and punishing kaamam driven

persons.

 

Thus we have covered type A kaamam – more oriented on sex. So we can

move on to type B – other type of desires. And now we have to start

with another main pusher of story of raamaayaNam – queen kaikEyee at

whose desire the `forest going' of hero raama happens and the `after

effects' of that forest sojourn.

 

This short summarizing also helps me, dear readers, to inform you all,

that I have not strayed with the topic, but stayed within – though

apparently many points touched on various other things like

management, rules of saasthram etc which may suggest straying off the

topic.

 

While starting on the kaamam of kaikeyee in post 3 we classified that

as `other type' – not oriented on sex - more political - saying – her

deep desire to get her son bharatha crowned as king of ayOdhyaa in

spite of her initial love on raama, her step son, which resulted in

failure on two counts

§ losing her beloved husband and as well

§ crown not being adorned by son bharatha " .

See again `kaamam' lead to `karuNai' – sympathy because she failed

with her desire.

 

Now let us go into details. See how kaikEyee reacts to reciving the

news of the crowning proposal of raama - through manthara for the

first time, even though mantharaa addresses the sleeping kaikEyee as

`mooDE'- `hey ignorant fool'.

 

mantharaayaa vachah sruthvaa sayanaath saa subha aananaa |

uththasthou harsha sampoorNaa chandralekhaa iva saaradhee || 2-7-31

 

meaning: Hearing mantharaa's words, that kaikEyee of charming

countenance, who was lying in bed, rose from her couch, full of

delight like unto the crescent moon in autumn.

 

Point: In many places in Sanskrit literature, this `saradh kaala

chandhran' – bright moon in autumn is a simile used for comparison

with bright ladies and the lord himself – krishNa, raama.

 

atheeva saa thu samhrishTaa kaikEyee vismayaanvithaa |

Ekam aabharaNam thasyai kubjaayai pradhadhou subham || 2-7-32

dhaththvaa thva aabharaNaan thasyai kubjaayai pramadhOththamaa |

kaikEyee mantharaan hrishTA punah Eva abraveeth idham || 2-7-33

 

Meaning: That kaikEyee, in the midst of her amazement and joy, gave a

graceful jewel to the hunch-backed Mantharaa. KaikEyee, the best among

women, gave a jewel to Mantharaa and spoke to her as follows:

 

idham thu mantharE mahyam aakhyaasi paramam priyam |

Ethan mE priyam aakhyaathuh kim vaa bhooyah karOmi thE || 2-7-34

raamE vaa bharathE vaa han visesham na upalakshayE |

thasmaath thushTaa asmi yath raajaa raamam raajyE~abhishEkshyathi ||

2-7-35

 

Meaning: " Oh, Mantharaa! You informed much gladdening news to me. What

else can I do for you, who informed such good news? I do not see any

difference between Raama and Bharatha. That is why, I am happy that

Raama is being anointed for crown by the king. "

 

na mE param kinchith ithah thvayaa api na | priyam priyaarhE suvacham

vachO param |

thathhaa hi avOchah thvam athah priya uththaram |

varam varam thE pradhadhaami tham vriNu || 2-7-36

 

meaning: " O, Mantharaa! You do merit every favor. I have no other

pleasant news than this. Hence, you cannot ever again inform better

loving news than this. I shall give you a good boon. Ask for it! "

 

point: dear all see how kaikEyee, the beloved queen of dhasarathaa, is

happy about crowning proposal of raama – even though addressed as

`moodE' by mantharaa. Let us continue in next post how kaikEyee is

changed by manthara planting the desire for crown for kaikEyee's own

son bharathaa. Slowly the desire takes over the goodness in her.

 

Dhasan

vasudevan m.g.

 

PS: it appears due to certain transmission problems the post 18 has

appeared in the list but not post 17. hence it is being resent.