Fw: a doubt on ramayanam

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Sri M.G.Vasudevan has provided insighs into Guhaa and Sabari as Raama BhaktAs . My

thanks to Sriman Vasudevan .

NamO SrI RaaghavAya ,

V.Sadagopan

 

 

Dear Srinivasa rajan

 

First of all let me say this – [may be a little hard to digest to 'theevra vaishNavaas' and I apologise to them] - 'guha was not initiated', 'sabari was initiated' 'sabari is a sri vaishnavaite, sabari had samasrayanam' etc are later day interpretations of 'staunch srivaishnava' aacharyas and their sishyaas [later to these aachaaryaas].

 

So these kind of interpretations and connected “knots” “twists” and “turns” may not be found in original vaalmeeki work, which I quite often refer.

 

Let me also see govindaraja's works if any comments are available in these lines as stated by srinivasa rajan - why govindaraja is - even staunch vaishnavaas also accept govindaraja's commentary than others' commentaries.

 

First let us see vaalmeeki's words.

 

tatra raajaa guho naama raamasya aatma samaH sakhaa |niSaada jaatyo balavaan sthapatiH ca iti vishrutaH || 2-50-33

meaning: There, a king named Guha was Raama’s friend dear to him as his own life. He was Nishada by birth, a strong man and well known as a ruler of Nishadas.

Note: when raama left the parivaaram of ayodhdhi, and advanced into forest just before crossing the river ganga, raama met guha.

sa shrutvaa puruSa vyaaghram raamam viSayam aagatam |vR^iddhaiH parivR^itaH amaatyaiH j~naatibhiH ca api upaagataH || 2-50-34

meaning: Hearing, Raama, the tiger among men, having come to his [guha's] territory, he [guha] approached the prince, escorted by elderly ministers and relatives.

 

tataH niSaada adhipatim dR^iSTvaa duuraat avasthitam |saha saumitriNaa raamaH samaagacchad guhena saH || 2-50-35

meaning: Seeing from a distance the king of Nishaada coming, Raama along with Lakshmana thereupon went forth to meet Guha.

Point: see here raama also going towards guha – which is a 'courtesy' to the other dignitary and a 'protocol' to be observed in receiving a dignitary. Even though vaalmeeki says 'aathma sama sakhaa' – a friend so dear like his own life – since guha is also a 'king' of nishaadhaas, raama observes the protocol. Kamban here deviates slightly and says guha was received by lakshmaNa – as in royal protocol. We, the common folk, have to learn such small courteous things in life from such incidents depicted by vaalmeeki in these slokams.

tam aartaH sampariSvajya guho raaghavam abraviit |yathaa ayodhyaa tathaa idam te raama kim karavaaNi te || 2-50-36iidR^isham hi mahaabaaho kaH prapsyati atithim priyam |

meaning: Closely embracing raama Guha who felt disturbed, spoke to raama, “This city too is as much as Ayodhya to you. What can I do for you? Oh mighty armed! Who indeed will get such a lovely guest?”

 

tataH guNavad anna adyam upaadaaya pR^ithag vidham |arghyam ca upaanayat kSipram vaakyam ca idam uvaaca ha || 2-50-37

meaning: Having brought pristine cooked rice of excellent quality and other dishes of various kinds, he [guha] then quickly offered him water to wash his hands and spoke as follows:

svaagatam te mahaa baaho tava iyam akhilaa mahii |vayam preSyaa bhavaan bhartaa saadhu raajyam prashaadhi naH || 2-50-38

bhakSyam bhojyam ca peyam ca lehyam ca idam upasthitam |shayanaani ca mukhyaani vaajinaam khaadanam ca te || 2-50-39

meaning: [guha to raama,] “Welcome to you, Oh, mighty armed [raama]! All this land is yours. We are your servants. You are the Lord. Rule over our kingdom in an efficient way. Here have arrived various kinds of dishes, drinks and syrups as also excellent beds (for you to sleep on) and food for your horses”

point: On this welcome and offering food, bed etc, raama embraced guha and said following – re slokams.

Note: This is a second embrace by raama to others – first being - to seethaa - on accepting seethaa to come to forest – to pacify her when she demanded going to forest along with raama.

[may be there are several embraces between the husband raama and wife seethaa - about which seethaa says 'bunjaan maanushaan bogaan' – vaalmeeki did not record their private intimate moments – anthapura rahasyangaL - and connected embracing].

But he records these specific embracing instances – third to lakshmaNa, fourth to bharatha, then hanumaan etc and hence I mention same here.

 

yat tu idam bhavataa kimcit priityaa samupakalpitam |

sarvam tat anujaanaami na hi varte pratigrahe || 2-50-43

kusha ciira ajina dharam phala muula ashanam ca maam |viddhi praNihitam dharme taapasam vana gocaram || 2-50-44

meanng: raama replies to guha, “I know your affection by which all this is extensively well arranged by you. But I am not in a position indeed to accept it. Know me as under a vow to be an ascetic, wearing the robes of bark and deerskin and by piety, I am determined to live in the forest by eating roots and fruits only.”

ashvaanaam khaadanena aham arthii na anyena kenacit |etaavataa atra bhavataa bhaviSyaami supuujitaH || 2-50-45

ete hi dayitaa raaj~naH pitur dasharathasya me |etaiH suvihitaiH ashvaiH bhaviSyaamy aham arcitaH || 2-50-46

meaning: raama to guha, “I desire nothing but a little forage for the horses. being provided with this much at the present moment, I shall be take as duly satisfied by you. These horses were cherished by the king Dasaratha, my father. I shall feel honored by these horses being duly fed.”

ashvaanaam pratipaanam ca khaadanam caiva so anvashaat |guhaH tatra eva puruSaams tvaritam diiyataam iti || 2-50-47

meaning: Then Guha on that spot commanded his men as follows: “Let water for drinking and forage be supplied promptly to horses”.

tataH ciira uttara aasangaH samdhyaam anvaasya pashcimaam |

jalam eva aadade bhojyam lakSmaNena aahR^itam svayam || 2-50-48

meaning: Having worshipped the evening twilight appearing in the west, with an upper garment made of bark (on his person); Raama then took, for food, only water, brought by Lakshmana himself.

Point: Only comment from govindaraja on the slokam 48 is

 

uttara aasangah uttareeyam

anvaasya upaasya

anEna snaanam aakshipyathE

bhOjyam aahaaram

raama after having observed the 'saayam snaanam sandhyaa' etc, he took water only as his food. Which means he observed a 'upavaasam' by taking water only, for he began his vana vaasam - forest living – by observing a upavaasam – hunger.

The 2 other commentators say nothing more on these slokams except a detailing on the sanskrit words.

Note 1: Nothing of the sort of srivaishnavaite aachaaryaas - that guha is not initiated, had no samaasrayanam etc – which are later day interpretations – may be even later to govindaraja.

Note 2: that is the position – whatever brought by guha is not taken by raama but he took water only - that too brought by lakshmaNa himself. Why this 'lakshmaNa himself' is so specifically mentioned by vaalmeeki? Any comments from aachaaryaas? Srinivasa rajan can say.

Note 3: Is it because guha was nishadha – a soodhra? Nishaadha means a person of the 4th varna –- which is supposed to be servants only- thereby guha is a king of the servant clan. [as per varna classification prevailing those days – re chaathur varnyam maya srishtam of krishNa in geethaa] And a king raama can straight away accept it from the servant, without checking whether the servant is 'initiated' or 'uninitiated' etc.

Note 4: Further once he / she is initiated by an aachaarya, let it be of any varna - does he or she not become a vaishNava? [May be the varNa will not change – still he is a 4th varna only] But then where is the bar to accept or reject once initiated? Is it not?

 

Now going to the second part of srinivasan rajan's points on sabari ---

while kabhandha asked raama to go to sugreeva and befriend him and advised about meeting sabari, kabhandha says

teSaam gataanaam adya api dR^ishyate paricaariNii |shramaNii shabarii naama kaakutstha cira jiivinii || 3-73-26

meaning: "Oh, Raama of Kakutstha, albeit the passing of those sages through the pearly gates, their maidservant, a long-lived one and an anchoress, named Shabari, can be seen there, even today [3-73-26] [anchoress means - A woman who has retired into seclusion for religious reasons as per www.dictionary.com]

tvaam tu dharme sthitaa nityam sarva bhuuta namaskR^itam |

dR^iSTvaa deva upamam raama svarga lokam gamiSyati || 3-73-27

meaning: "Oh, Raama, she who always stands by probity will depart to the sphere of heaven, on attending to you, for you are the referent to god, and a reverent for one and all... [3-73-27]

point 1: even while introducing sabari kabhandha says 'she is a hermit' – 'thapasvee'. The commentators – all 3 whom I refer - also says

 

 

shramaNee – parichaariNee – thaapasee or thapasvinee.

So the basic difference between guha and sabari is -- guha is only a nishaadha by birth and continues now also as nishaadha – but sabari though born in nishadha kulam having been in the aasramam of mathanga and initiated by him has become a thapasvee – means elevated into brahminhood. govindaraja says 'mathanga sishyaaNaam'. So raama accepts food her. It is not simply because of initiation by an aachaaryaa only, but added factor is her 'thapas'.

Point 2: raama also asks sabari

kaccit te nirjitaa vighnaaH kaccit te var.hdhate tapaH |

kaccit te niyataH kopa aahaaraH ca tapodhane || 3-74-8

meaning: "Oh, ascetically wealthy lady, perchance your deterrents in ascesis are completely overcome, somehow... your ascetic practises culminating, someway... your annoyances and ailments are adjusted, somewhat... isn't it! [3-74-8]

kaccit te niyamaaH praaptaaH kaccit te manasaH sukham |kaccit te guru shushruuSaa saphalaa caaru bhaaSiNi || 3-74-9

"Oh, suave speaker, mayhap your sacred commitments are achieved, any way, appeased is your self, anyway... and your subservience to your mentors brought to fruition, perchance... isn't it!" Thus Raama enquired with Shabari. [3-74-9]

note: a note as in valmikiramayan.net website after slokam 8 reads - The word kaccit is a phatic expression like 'isn't it?' but without question mark, as a statement of reasoning out as in hai naa, hai kyaa.../ illeyaa.../ kadaa... But it had to be said here in a roundabout way. The detrimental factors for loosing balance of mind, as asked by Rama, are

kaama, krodha, lobha: tri vidham narakasya idam dvaaram naashanam aatmanaH |

kaamaH krodhaH tathaa lobhaH tasmaat etat trayam tyajet || 16-21 Gita.

The Doors of Hell / Are threefold, whereby men to ruin pass,- / The door of Lust, the door of Wrath, the door / Of Avarice. Let a man shun those three! - Sir E. Arnold.

Point 3: on raama's question Sabari also replied --

adya praaptaa tapaH siddhiH tava sa.mdarshanaat mayaa |

adya me saphalam janma guravaH ca supuujitaaH || 3-74-11

meaning: "Just now, on your pleasing manifestation before me my ascesis is accomplished, and now only my birth is fructified, and now only my subservience to my mentors is well hallowed [3-74-11]

 

So sabari also acknowledges yes, my thapas is fulfilled. As such both guha and sabari are on different platter altogether.

 

Further on sri srinivasan rajan's point of “If this is true, then Perumal should ideally have granted the Darshan to Sabari along with Seetha Piratti as Sabari was an initiated Sri Vaishnavite, and our Sri Sampradayam stresses on Piratti and Perumal being together for any kainkaryam to be offered, especially after Samashrayanam” etc – I will have that 'aham maanusham manye' slokam only as answer.

Hope it is clear.

Dhasan

-- Vasudevan MG