The Unsung Hero

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

 

 

 

The Unsung Hero

 

 

 

There is no doubt that of all the characters in Srimad Ramayana, Sri

Rama, as the Hero of the epic, is the most written-about, bagging a lion's share

of the slokas. Sri Mythily, Sri Bharata, Sri Lakshmana and Sri Hanuman have

their fair share of the limelight too. Even Ravana and Vibheeshana merit quite a

few sargAs, as do Sugreeva and others.

 

 

 

However, there is one person, who, despite his exalted stature and

contribution, is spoken about very little in this voluminous epic of 24000

slokas. From BAlakAnda to YuddhakAnda, perhaps the person least written of,

despite his princely status, is Sri Satrughna. Among the four sons of Sri

Dasaratha, he is the one attracting the least mention. This, however, is no

reflection on his importance to the epic or of his stature, but solely due to

his self-effacing nature.

 

 

 

Wherever we do find Sri Satrughna mentioned, it is as an inseparable adjunct to

Sri Bharata. He is extremely attached to Sri Bharata, as much as Sri Lakshmana

is to Sri Rama. Sri Satrughna's devotion to Sri Bharata is brought out by Sri

Valmiki thus-

 

" BharatasyApi ShatrughnO Lakshmana avarajO hi sa:

 

PrANai: priyatarO nityam tasya cha Aseet tathA priya: "

 

 

 

Speaking about Sri Lakshmana's inseparability from Sri Rama, Sri Valmiki is

reminded immediately of the similar bonds of affinity between the other two

brothers. The son of KaikEyi and Sri Shatrughna were dearer to each other than

their own lives.

 

 

 

Here, the great good fortune of Sri Sumitra has to be commented upon. First of

all, it was she who was blessed with two sons, against one each of Kousalya and

KaikEyI.

 

Further, both her sons preferred to play supporting roles to the main ones of

Sri Rama and Sri Bharata, though themselves none the less capable and gifted in

all spheres of life. The sons of Sumitra thus willingly let themselves be

overshadowed by their brothers, preferring the mantle of kainkaryam to that of

the kingdom.

 

 

 

The important difference between the two progeny of this Queen is that while Sri

Lakshmana preferred the service of the Lord, Sri Shatrughna plumped for the

greater pleasure of BhAgavata Kainkaryam, that is, service to Sri Bharata, who

was a great devotee of BhagavAn Sri Rama. All our Acharyas have been unanimous

in declaring the superiority of BhAgavata kainkaryam to Bhagavat kainkaryam.

Measured by this yardstick, Sri Shatrughna is twice blessed, compared to Sri

Lakshmana.

 

 

 

One puzzling thing for which we are unable to find a solution is this- while it

is natural for sons of the same mother (sahOdarA:) to be dear to each other, in

Srimad Ramayana, we find the strange phenomenon of the sons of Sri Sumitra being

attached, not specially to one another, but to sons of their step-mothers. To

adiyen's limited knowledge, there doesn't seem to be any mention of the

relationship between Sri Lakshmana and Sri Shatrughna, nor do they appear to

have any special attachment to each other, compared to the extremely cherished

bonds they had with Sri Rama and Sri Bharata respectively.

 

 

 

Sri Ramanuja is categorical that because of Piratti's inseparability from the

Lord, the Shruti doesn't mention Her separately at most places. However, for all

that, we must take it that all allusions to the Lord include His Consort too. A

similar logic appears applicable in the case of Sri Shatrughna. As he is but an

adjunct of Sri Bharata, all references to Bharata must include Satrughna too.

This is no idle claim, as the following sloka would demonstrate:

 

 

 

" GacchatA mAtula kulam BharatEna saha anagha:

 

ShatrughnO nitya ShatrughnO neeta: preeti puraskrita: "

 

 

 

Sri Bharata leaves for a visit to his uncle YudhAjit's place. On this journey,

he is accompanied by Sri Shatrughna too, who doesn't seem to have been invited

at all! A study of Srimad Ramayana reveals what sticklers for protocol the

rulers of Ayodhya and other kingdoms were. In such a scenario, if Sri Satrughna

were to accompany the son of KaikEyI to her brother's house, it shows the depth

of the relationship between the two, obviating the need for any invitation to

one who would automatically accompany the other. This is similar to Sri

Lakshmana going with Sri Rama to protect Sri Visvamitra's yAga. The Sage asks

Sri Dasarata only for Sri Rama. Unsought by the Rishi and unbidden by his

father, Sri Lakshmana chooses to accompany his brother on this dangerous

mission, ever protective and caring.

 

 

 

Coming back to the sloka cited above, Sri Valmiki provides a rare thumbnail

sketch of Sri ShatrughnA's character in the few words. This son of Sri Sumitra

has been named " Shatrughna: " by Kulaguru Sri Vasishtta, who appears to have been

adept at naming new-borns in a meaningful fashion, based on his reading of their

nascent characters.

 

 

 

One might wonder, what is so special in the name " Shatrughna: " (the slayer of

enemies), for all scions born into the royal household must necessarily be adept

at eliminating opponents. It is almost like christening a royal baby " RAjA " .

However, a deeper analysis reveals that this distinguished brother of Lakshmana

had conquered not merely external enemies but internal ones too. All of us know

how difficult it is to overcome the notorious foes of KAma, KrOdha, MOha, lObha,

Mata and MAtsarya, which, apart from pushing us deeper and deeper into the Sea

of SamsAra, make us abject slaves to our faculties. It is these adversaries that

Sri Shatrughna had conquered, apart from external ones like lavaNAsura. And his

mastery over such foes was not momentary, but permanent, says Sri Valmiki- " nitya

Shatrughna: " Thus, while we find even Sri Rama (touted to be a paragon of

virtues) losing Himself to bouts of anger and grief, while Sri Lakshmana appears

to be permanently on an extremely short fuse, while Sri Bharata's anger at his

mother (for exiling Sri Rama) is uncontrollable, we do not hear of any such

display of excessive emotions on the part of our Shatrughna, confirming his

mastery over his faculties and emotions.

 

 

 

Sri Valmiki remarks that Sri Shatrughna was " taken " by Sri Bharata to his

uncle's house. The word " neeta: " is extremely significant, for Shri Bharata

" took " Shatrughna with him, much like any other inanimate possession whose

consent for accompanying its master is never sought but presumed. This amply

demonstrates the way Sri Shatrughna put himself entirely in the hands of Sri

Bharata, in an endearing display of " PAratantriyam "

 

 

 

Again in the aforesaid sloka, Sri Shatrughna is praised as being blemishless

" anagha: " . Commentators have expanded this to say that he was without the

blemish of Rama bhakti. Would it not be blasphemy to term Ramabhakti a blemish?

For Shatrughna, the whole and sole purpose of existence was to be of service to

Sri Bharata. And since Ramabhakti would have definitely been a diversion in this

regard, Sri Shatrughna gave up this " blemish " of Bhagavat Bhakti and

concentrated on " BhAgavata Bhakti " or devotion to Sri Bharata.

 

 

 

Though an acknowledged master of his senses, Sri Shatrughna doesn't hesitate to

vent his anger when it is called for. When he and Sri Bharata return to the

palace after performing the obsequies for their dear father, witnessing Sri

Bharata's distress, Sri Shatrughna is consumed by anger at the deformed Mantara,

the root cause of all the sorrow that befell the happy royal family. He drags

her along by the feet and is back to his sober self only after Sri Bharata

points out that hurting her would never have Sri Rama's approval.

 

 

 

The love and affection Sri Shatrughna has for Sri Rama are brought out in the

following sloka, in which he praises Sri Rama sky high, as being the refuge of

all beings, the repository of all virtues, etc.-

 

" gati: ya: sarva bhootAnAm dukkhE kim puna: Atmana:

 

sa Rama: satva sampanna: striyA pravrAjitO vanam "

 

However, it should be noted that Shatrughna's adoration for Sri Rama was only

because the latter was the apple of Sri Bharata's eye. We thus find in

Shatrughna the perfect personification of " BhAgavata SEshatvam "

 

 

 

Again, when Sri Rama entrusts the arduous task of destroying the dreaded

lavaNAsura to Sri Bharata, Sri Shatrughna rushes to volunteer in his place,

recounting to Sri Rama the physical and mental rigours, which Sri Bharata

underwent during the fourteen years of Sri Rama's exile, and praying Sri Rama to

spare Sri Bharata another ordeal. This extreme concern for Sri Bharata's welfare

prompts Shatrughna to put his own life on a line and shows him up in all his

glory as a person who would spare no effort and to whom no sacrifice would be

too big, in the cause of service to the beloved Bharata.

 

 

 

Sri Shatrughna has another feather to his cap-that of being crowned the King of

lavaNAsurA's kingdom, by the hands of Sri Rama Himself. Placing the protesting

Shatrughna (protesting at the unwanted honour of coronation) on His lap, Sri

Rama adorns him with the crown, hailed by courtiers and ministers. As if to

compensate for his reticence in the first five KAndAs, Sri Valmiki waxes

eloquent about Sri Satrughna and his prowess in the closing chapters of the

epic, obviously stricken by remorse at his omission to eulogise this great

Prince.

 

 

 

The meagre glimpses Sri Valmiki offers us of this Unsung Hero are enough to make

him the object of our adoration. He might not have said much; his exploits might

not have found full play in the epic. However, what little we learn of him

imprints in our minds the picture of a warrior Prince, endowed with all

auspicious attributes, no less in beauty, bravery or glory than any of his other

distinguished brothers, but who consciously chose the path of selfless service,

eschewing all desire or claims for personal glory, preferring the glory of

kainkaryam to that of kingdom.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

 

Dasan, sadagopan