sage kaNdu 1

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

Many of the sree vaishNavaas know the 3 charama

slokams, viz.

raama charama sloKam,

krishNa charama slokam

varaaha charama slokam.

 

All 3 are from the war scenes -

the raama charama slOkam is when war is about

to begin,

krishNa is exactly at war front,

varaaha just after war.

 

Just for reference that raama charama slokam, for

those whose 'computer' [brain] is a bit slow in speed, and their

'RAM' is a bit inactive at times,

sakrudh Eva prapannaaya thava asmi ithi cha

yaachathE || 6-18-33

abhayam sarva bhoothEbhyah dhadhaami Ethadh vratham

mama |

meaning: raama says to sugreeva while directing him

to bring vibheeshaNa so that raama can offer asylum to vibheeshaNa,

“He who seeks refuge in me just once, telling me that ‘I am

yours’, I shall give him assurance of safety against all types of

beings. This is my solemn pledge”.

Before sree raama talks about this assurance to all,

past, present, and future, via sugreeva, he talks about sage

kaNDu and his [kaNDu's] dharmam. Actually this sage's name

is brought into picture by raama himself – raama mentions twice

about this sage. [that is what comes to my mind – dear readers, you

can add if kaNdu is quoted by raama in more places].

Why I take this point is both are related to

'observing' dharmam by raama. Sree raama is 'raamO

vigrahavaan dharmah' as stated by maareecha. When raama

himself is the 'dharma swaroopam' – 'dharmam personified' [that is

what those 3 sanskrit words mean] - such a

raama takes guidance on dharmam from somebody else and quotes him,

that too at crucial moments. Is it not something a

surprise? That is the highlight here in this writeup. That too it

happens in contrasting situations.

First instance: Sree

raama is about to take leave from kousalyaa to go forest – raama

quotes - sage kaNDu killed a cow as per his father's orders and that

is 'dharmam'. And thus obeying father's orders is 'dharmam' to a son

as per kaNDu, even if it is to kill a cow. Whereas 'killing a cow' is

considered as a sin at all times and always.

Second instance: raama quotes same 'sage

kaNDu', when he is about to give asylum to vibheeshaNa – saying one

must give asylum to any one who seeks it - even if the seeker is his

enemy and even if it is at his personal risk, and that is dharmam as

per sage kaNDu.

Now let us see the exact situations, the slokams and

their meaning -

situation 1: when

kousalyaa says 'hey raama, you know dharmam', and insists that raama

should serve his mother. And she further states 'I will starve and

die, if you leave'. She says, [as per her own words], the king

dhasaratha did not treat her properly, treated lowly than servants of

kaikeyee, and when raama is not there she will be treated further

badly. Net result - raama cannot leave for forest and she does not

permit him to leave, and he has to serve her by being on her side –

that is the mother's wish. Fulfillment of a mother's wish is the

'dharmam' of the son. That too because the mother's position is bad,

if she is left with her husband and king dhasaratha.

dharmaj~na yadhi dharmishThah dharmam charitum

ichchhasi |

Sushroosha maam iha sthhah thvam chara dharmam

anuththamam || 2-21-22

meaning: kousalyaa to raama, “Oh, Raama! You are a

righteous man. If you desire to practice virtue, be a virtuous man,

stay here serving me, thereby practicing the

best morality in the form of serving your mother.

Point: 'serving the mother' is the

'established dharmam for the son'. And that is what kousalyaa the

mother insists. But raama insists obeying father's orders is 'more a

dharmam' than serving the mother. Now there is apparently a conflict

of 'established dharmam' – a son has to serve both the parents -

mother as well as father. Which one takes importance or which

overrides what – is it mother's wishes or father's orders? See

raama's position and KaNdu's position --

na asthi Sakthih pithur vaakyam sam-athikramithum

mama |

prasaadhayE thvaam Sirasaa ganthum ichchhaamy aham

vanam || 2-21-29

rishiNaa cha pithur vaakyam kurvathaa vratha

chaariNaa |

gour hathaa jaanathaa dharmam kaNDunaa api

vipaSchithaa || 2-21-30

meaning: raama says to kousalyaa, “I am not able

to violate my father’s words. I am bowing my head and asking your

favour. I shall have to go to the forest. A sage called kaNdu,

who knew dharmam - righteousness,

who performed religious vows, and,

who was a learned man,

 

killed even a cow, acting as per his father’s

words”.

Point: 1. which

is the correct one and overriding dharmam - is now being set

by raama - “obeying father's orders” is dharmam to a son

in killing a cow, if it is wished by father. [of course father has

his own reasons why he asks his son to kill the cow, which he knows

is an adharmic act.]

2. If that is the case,

'going against wishes of mother', is it 'dharmam' or 'adharmam'. In

a conflicting situation like this – on one side mother's wishes and

on the other side father's orders – to observe both or brush aside

one – which one is dharmam for a son?

Again raama shows the

way – see --

na aham dharmam apoorvam

thE prathikoolam pravarthayE |

poorvaih ayam

abhiprEthah gathah maargah anugamyathE || 2-21-35

meaning: raama says to kousalyaa, “I am not

setting any new contradicting customary conduct for your sake [by

ignoring mother's wish and obeying only father]. I am adhering to the

way agreed and followed by the ancient.”

point: That

too raama quotes it is in line with what ancients – poorvaih -

periyOr – did. And that is what bheeshma also said in 'maha

bhaaratham' – in case of conflicting situation go as per what your

own ancients did – poorvaih.

 

Let us continue

the second kaNDu reference by raama in next post.

Dhasan

 

 

-- Vasudevan MG