Dear srivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,
On the mail of Smt.Jayasree saranathan dated 29.11.04, I add my points as
given below.
Dhasan
Vasudevan m.g.
From: jasn sn [jayasartn@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2004 10:51 PM
Subject: RE: The Bow -Varuna's connection
JASN: The bow's story is becoming interesting. Sita tells Anasuya that the bow
broken by Rama to win her hand was given to her father by Varuna devatha in a
maha-yajna. Rama is telling a similar version too in Ayodhya khandam. In the
chapter dealing with Rama's dialogue with Lakshmana in asking him not to
accompany him to the forest, Rama finally relents to lakshmana's prayer and
agrees to take him along. He then tells him that king Janaka had given him 2
bows (roudhra-dharsana and divye) and other weapons that he got from Varuna
devatha in a maha-yajna. Since he (Rama) had left them in the custody of sage
Vasishta, he commands Lakshmana to go and fetch them so that they can carry
them when they go to the forest. (2-31-27, 28 & 29)
MGV: Before quoting the slokams referred by JASN, here is another interesting
point: The rishis and munis, [available in the conglomeration under the
leadership of visvaamithra in the forest for whose protection from thaataka
sage visvaamithra sought raama from dhasaratha], say to raama that the siva's
bow was given by gods [after he accomplished the mission of killing thataka].
thadhDhi poorvam narasrEshta dhaththam sadhasi dhaivathai: |
apramEya balam ghOram makhE parama bhaasvaram || 1-31-8
meaning: Oh, best one among men, in early times, indeed 'gods' gave that
awesome bow, which has an unimaginable power and which is superbly incandescent
in wars to an erstwhile king of Mithila in a congregation of a Vedic-ritual.
Point: These gods include the varuNan as already said. Why now this point is
that even before raama hears the story from janaka he is aware of the siva's
bow through these rishis.
thadhdhi yajna phalam thEna maithilEna uththamam dhanu: |
yaachitham nara saardhoola sunaabham sarva dhaivathai: || 1-31-12
meaning: Once dhEvaraatha, the grandparent of the present king Janaka of
Mithila, conducted a Vedic-ritual and he indeed prayed only for this supreme
bow with a best grip-handle, as the fruit of that ritual from all of the gods,
and oh, tigerly man, Raama, he got the same from them.
Point: it is not only janaka did a yagna to please the gods, but his ancestor
dhEvaraatha also. So what raama hears from janaka in the assembly of janaka is
a repeat story.
[Please pardon me for not looking into these 2 slokams earlier].
Now the slOkams referred by JASN are quoted. [my intention in quoting these
here is to bring to notice of bhakthaas how a simple language [Sanskrit] is
used and also to experience these interesting slokams in original form instead
of a translation]
yE cha raajnO dhadhou dhivyE mahaathmaa varuNa: svayam |
janakasya mahaa yajnE dhanushee roudhra dharsanE || 2-31-27
abhEdhya kavachE dhivyE thooNee cha akshaya saayakou |
aadhithya vimalou cha ubhou khaDgou hEma parishkruthou || 2-31-28
sathkruthya nihitham sarvam Ethath aachaarya sadhmani |
sa thvam aayudham aadhaaya kshipram aavraja lakshmaNa || 2-31-29
meaning: "Oh, Lakshmana! At a grand sacrifice performed by Janaka, the
great-souled Varuna (god of water) personally gave heavenly bows which are
dreadful to look at, divine impenetrable pieces of armour, quivers containing
an inexhaustible stock of arms, two swords decked with gold and with spotless
luster like that of a sun - all these were kept at the residence of our
receptor Vasishta, after paying due reverence. Take all those arms and return
soon."
JASN: The questions that we get are,
1) Do the adjectives 'roudhrou- dharshana' and 'divye' denote the outward
meaning like dreadful and divine or did they mean that the bows belonged to
Rudra? If so why Rama chose to mention only about Varuna and not Rudra, the
fact about whose possession is far more important? (The verses are available in
www.valmikiramayana.net)
MGV: if anvayam is done - viz. bringing to prose order is done - this will read
- janakasya mahaa yajnE yE dhivyE roudhra dharsanE dhanushee cha mahaathmaa
varuNa: svayam raajnO dhadhou.
That gives the meaning - in the mahaa yagnam done by king janaka, he received
from varuNan, these two bows. Many an armaments [listed now by raama] like
these two swords, the quivers, safety armour - kavacham etc are understood. How
it is - is from that word 'cha' - meaning 'in addition' or plus. As per slOkams
given above dhEvaraatha got siva dhanu: from a yagnam, janaka got these two
bows along with other articles in another yagnam, respectively during their
periods].
JASN: 2) What are these bows called? Which then is Kothandam, which we usually
associate with Rama?
MGV: 'Naming the bows' - is a very difficult question to answer. In slOkam
1-22-7, it is said raama and lakshmaNa started as dhanushpaaNi: along with sage
visvaamithra when they left ayOdhyaa. Also in 1-26-6, it is said raama held the
bow and made the noise - the dankaaram - the bow string pulled and a noise
created. [thus informing thaatakaa about the arrival of her killer before the
thaatakaa vadham]. No name for the bow is given in these two places.
As could be 'inferred' from the parasuraama episode, which takes place just
after the marriage, the bow received from parasuraama, [that vishNu dhanu:] was
NOT returned to parasuraama. Instead dhasaratha raama gave the bow to varunNan
as could be seen from
gathE raamE prasaantha aathmaa raamO dhaasarathi: dhanu: |
varuNaaya aprameyaaya dhadhou hasthE mahaayasaa: || 1-77-1
meaning: On the departure of parasu raama, that most glorious raama of
dhasaratha, who is now peaceful [or quietened] at heart, gave away that
longbow of vishNu into the hands of varuNan, the unequalled God of Rain.
So we can infer (is it correct?) the vishNu dhanu: what dhasaratha raama
received previously from parasu raamaa is the "kOthaNdam", which, when he
started to forest, got back from the house of sage vasishta.
May be the soul of 'saarngam' - the bow of sriman naarayaNan enters this vishNu
dhanu and performs all acts with the name kOdhandam. [this soul of saarngam
entering the bow in front of parasuraama, we saw in the bow story earlier].
JASN: 3) Are these bows in addition to the one Rama broke in the swayamvaram?
Is there any reference to Rama using shiva-dhanush that he broke, after mending
it?
MGV: This question by JASN is fairly easy. I feel I already answered above.
Further, generally, a bow, once broken, is not repaired and used, [like other
weapons what we see these days].
Also a note in www.valmikiramayan.net <http://www.valmikiramayan.net> after
sargam 76 of baala kaaNdam throws this very interesting point:
quote: Well known is Krishna's showing his Cosmic Form visva roopa to Arjuna,
while teaching Bhagavad Gita in Maha Bharatam. But that Bharatam records Rama's
display of His Cosmic form to Parasu Rama, only at this juncture.
In Ch. 89 of anusaasanika parvam of Maha Bharatam it is said in detail as:
pasya maam svEna roopENa chakshu: thE vitaraami aham |
tato raama sareerE vai raama pasyati bhaargava: |
aadityaan pavamaanaan rudraan saadhyaan cha sa marudh gaNaana |
pitarO hutaasana: chaiva nakshatraaNi grahaa: tathaa|
and a long account follows on this. But this has not been amplified or
explained in other texts, due to unknown reasons. However, it is not part of
Valmiki Ramayana. -unquote.
Point: hitherto I was under the impression raama never showed a visvaroopam for
aathmaanam maanusham manyE is his principle and code of conduct. This is
something new. Other knowledgeable bhakthaas of the lists can throw more light
on this.
.
JASN: Some thoughts: In the translation found in www.valmikiramayan.net
<http://www.valmikiramayana.net>, there is no mention of number of bows. But in
the Tamil transliteration by A.V. Narasimhachar, it is mentioned as 2. I think
the original text in Sanskrit is in dwi-vachanam. I request devotees to
confirm. In the Tamil version that I have, footnotes by the translator and
vyakhyanam by Sri Govindarajar are given at some places. This particular verse
is also explained as a footnote but I am not able to provide the information on
who has given this explanation (owing to the condition of the book I have,
where the few pages on the details of the sources for vyakhyanams are missing)
Now the notes:
1. It is said that the weapons including the bows, given to Rama by Janaka seem
to be in pairs, perhaps to denote that both Rama - Lakshmana would be in need
of them when they go to the forest.
MGV: a premonition for janaka?
JASN: Secondly, there is no mention in Bala khandam of this information or even
Varuna as having given these bows to Janaka. This is perhaps to do with style
of valmiki's narration. Similar kind of narration (of not telling the incident
when it had happened, but telling about it at a later stage to give some
impact) is found in two other places. One is in not having told about the
'maNi-bhandhanam' (the choodamani being given at the time of marriage) in bala
khandam but telling about it in Sundhara khandam and the other is in not having
told about Kaakaasura vrudhantham in Ayodhya khandam but telling about it in
Sundara khandam. Regards, Jayasree saranathan
MGV: It is seen that varuNan was the repository for siva as well as vishNu once
their fight was over. Varunan later acted in a similar way to raamaa, the
vishNu as could be seen from slOkam above. points of JASN on vaalmeeki are
fully in agreement.
Now I invite JASN and bhagavathaas to offer more points on this raama's visva
roopam to parasuraamaa.
Dhaasan
Vasudevan m.g.
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