SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

(Platform for the incarnation of Srirama laid. Please read, comment and share.SDN)  

After hearing the words of Sumantra, King Dasharatha obtained the permission of Sage Vasishtha, went to the hermitage of Lomapada personally  and brought Rushyashrunga to Ayodhya with him. He took the pledge of performing Ashwamedha on the banks of Sarayu River. The Ashwamedha Yaga was successfully and effectively performed under the leadership of Sage Vasishtha and Sage Rushyashrunga. After the completion of Ashwamedha, Rushyashrunga got Putrakameshthi also performed from Dasharatha. When Indra and other deities personally came through the sacrificial fire to receive the offerings, Rushyashrunga requested them: “ This king has invoked and propitiated all of you with a desire to beget children. He wants very good children. It is time for Lord Hari and other deities to descend on earth to destroy evil powers like Ravana and other demons. Therefore, I request you all to bless this king with righteous and worthy sons.”

Indra and other deities bestowed upon Dasharatha the boon to beget children. Then all the deities went to Brahmaloka, saluted Lord Brahma with devotion and reverence. They appealed to Lord Brahma: “Oh Lord Brahma, we are all suffering a lot due to the atrocities of Ravana and demons. There is none to protect us now. Ravana is  swallowing all the animals by killing them with his twenty arms. He has been chasing all of us away like a lion chases other animals away from the forest. He is spoiling the fidelity and chastity of married and unmarried women. He is obstructing and destroying sacrifices. Unless he is killed now, he would soon destroy the universe which is actually the responsibility of Lord Rudra. Therefore, kindly initiate appropriate steps to end the life of this demon.”

Lord Brahma was moved by the plight of deities and said: “We are all devotees of Lord Hari and he alone takes care of all of us. He will certainly protect us.” Along with all the deities, including Lord Rudra, Lord Brahma arrived at the northern shores of the Milk Ocean. He narrated all the woeful experiences of deities, the problems they were facing and appealed to Lord Hari to take birth as the son of Dasharatha and relieve them from the misery and sorrow they were facing due to the misdeeds of Ravana. Lord Hari replied: “Do not worry, my children. I will kill your enemy soon.” Lord Brahma, Indra, Rudra and other deities were pleased with the assurance of Lord Hari, saluted him and returned to their respective abodes.    

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA – TRUTEEYAHA SARGAHA SHOLKAS 10, 11 AND 12

(Sri Madhyageha is overjoyed by seeing his son and sheds tears of happiness. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

VirahadUnatayOdgamanOnmuKham nyaruNadashru purA sa yayOrdrushOho|

ATha tayOho pramdOtThitamapyadaha pratiniruDhya giram gururabraveet||10||

SUMMARY: Madhyageha, whose eyes were filled with tears earlier due to the disappearance of his son but had controlled it from flowing out of the eyes, again controlled the tears of joy that was overflowing after seeing Vasudeva and said: 

Ayi sutEdamudAhara tattwatO nanu samAgatavAnasi sAmpratam|

SwajanatArahitasya tu kO(a)tra tE sahacharO(a)rBhaka deerGhatamE paThi||11||

SUMMARY: “Son, tell me the truth. You have travelled such a long distance now. Who was there with you especially because none of your dearest was there with you?”

It must be realised here that Vasudeva was hardly three year old when this incident happened. This information has been mentioned in Anu Madhwavijaya.

It must also be said that the question and anxiety of Madhyageha was understandable because it is highly unimaginable that a three-year-old boy could walk a distance of over Two Yojanas, alone, say the scholars.

JanakavAchamimAmavaDhArayan kalamudAharadamburuhEkShaNaha|

SwapadamAvrajatO vrajatO(a)pyatO nanu saKhA mama kAnanagO viBhuhu||12||

SUMMARY: Hearing those words of his father, the lotus-eyed Vasudeva averred in broken words “Till going up to him and then proceeding further from him, Kudavur Narayana was giving me company!”

The reply of Vasudeva to his father is a clear indication, according to scholars, that even as a boy of three, he was aware that Lord Narayana will be protecting everyone and none can consider himself or herself as an orphan on this earth, though it depends entirely on the person concerned to have such a firm faith and belief. 

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

Sumantra continues his narration of what transpired at the meeting of the Munis. “Vibhandaka, a Rishi engaged in arduous penance, was the son of Kashyapa. Rushyashrunga, who knew very well how to maintain chastity, was the son of Vibhandaka. Rushyashrunga had never seen a woman from the day of his birth. Meanwhile, a severe famine occurred in Angadesha with no rains for several years. Brahmins told Lomapada, the king of that country, that rain would certainly come if Rushyashrunga could be enticed to visit the city and that the princess should be married to Rushyashrunga. As per their order, Lomapada deputed a few concubines to the hermitage of Rushyashrunga.  All of them enter the Ashram after ensuring that Vibhandaka was not in the hermitage. They managed to mystify Rushyashrunga and brought him to Angadesha.  It started raining heavily immediately after Rushyashrunga entered Angadesha. Lomapada too gave his daughter Shantadevi in marriage to Rushyashrunga. Since then, Rushyashrunga is living in Angadesha. Dasharatha, who was a close friend of Lomapada, went to Angadesha, appealed to Lomapada to send his son-in-law to Ayodhya for performing a sacrifice under the leadership of Rushyashrunga. Accordingly, Rushyashrunga arrived at Ayodhya, got the Putrakameshti Yajna performed by Dasharatha successfully. As desired, Dasharatha begot four sons, as told by Sanatkumara.”        

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA – TRUTEEYAHA SARGAHA SHOLKAS 7, 8 AND 9

(Significance of Vasudeva worshipping Anantasana, the panic his father experienced due to his absence and livelihood of Madhyageha Bhatta, has been described in these stanzas. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

Na hi Harim satatam na namatyasau na cha na pashyati nApi na vandatE|

Api taThEti viDhAya vishEShataha sa nanu sADhujanAn samashikShayat||7||

SUMMARY: It wasn’t that Vasudeva, who was Lord Vayudeva, was not saluting Srihari always. It wasn’t that he had not seen the Lord, nor that he had not meditated on him; yet, by doing it especially so now, he had taught the righteous how essential for them to do so.   

AnavalOkya sutam sutavatsalO mrugayatE sm maheesurapungavaha|

MuhurapruchChadamuShya gatim narAn paThi paThi pragatOnupadam drutam||8||

SUMMARY: Great Brahmin Madhyageha, who was very fond of his son, began searching for his missing son; he started off enquiring with everyone he met about his son, again and again. 

JanasadAgatisUchitavartmanA pratipadam vrajatA parayA truShA|

DwijamahAmaDhupEna manOharam smitamalABhi sutAnanavarijam||9||

Treading with hasty steps due to anxiety that was increasing at every step, the road was getting opened up through the air that was in the form of passers-by for the beetle-like Madhyageha, for whom the lotus face of his son that had blossomed with a solemn smile, was finally available.  

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

Meghanada: (In this episode, a brief note on Indrajit and the background of the incarnation of Srirama. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

Meghanada was the son born to Ravana from Mandodari, who was the daughter of Mayasura. At the time of his birth, he cried terribly that sounded like thunder. That is why he was named Meghanada, who later acquired the title “Indrajit” as he defeated Indra.

Having explained the prominent demons  and the trouble they created for deities and the universe. Severely tortured and tormented by these demons and their followers, the deities decided to seek relief from Lord Brahma.

Meanwhile, king Dasharatha descended in the Suryavamsha, a dynasty named after Sun. He was able to travel in his chariot without any obstacle or obstruction in east, south, seven nether worlds, the heaven in space and other worlds covering all the ten directions. That is why, he was being called Dasharatha, where Dasha means ten and Ratha means the chariot. Being the overlord of all the seven islands, he was living in Ayodhya. He was highly spirituous and culture-bound.  As he had no children, he summoned Sumantra and other ministers and discussed the matter with them so as to find a solution. He was confident that if he could impress upon ever-beloved of devotees Srihari, nothing was impossible on this earth. Therefore, he instructed his Ministers to make all the arrangements for the performance of Ashwamedha Yajna.  He procured the essential items needed for the performance of Ashwamedha.

He waited for some time to speak to Dasharatha, when he was alone. As soon as he got such an opportunity, Sumanta told Dasharatha: “Oh King, some time ago, I had participated in a meeting of Munis. At that meeting, Sanatkumar had indicated the way for you to beget children. I will now apprise you of that method.          

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

(Some interesting information is being shared about Kumbhakarna and Vibheeshana in this episode. Please read, comment and share.SDN)

KUMBHAKARNA:  Kumbhakarna did a fierce penance to appease Lord Brahma for thirty-six lakh years. Before doing the penance, he had swallowed seven female Apsaras, ten servants of Devendra and innumerable Rishis and human beings. As his past life was so horrible, the gods and goddesses feared that with the power of a boon, he might swallow all the three worlds. They met Lord Brahma and appealed to him not to grant any boon. Even if a boon were to be given, it should be such that it should not be of any use to him and that it should be in the interest of the universe. Lord Brahma too summoned his consort Goddess Saraswati. He told her to stay on the tongue of Kumbhakarna and make him seek a boon as being mentioned by the deities. Kumbhakarna opened his mouth to seek “NirdEvatwam dEhi”, which would have meant “No deities should be there”. When he was about to spell what he wanted to tell, Goddess Saraswati made his tongue aver “NidrAvatwam dEhi”, which meant “Give me an eternal sleep”. As a result, he had to be asleep always. He was three lakh yojana tall and his physical width was appropriate to his height. He contracted his body to live in Lanka. He slept in a cave that Ravana arranged for him. He married Vidyujjihwa, who was the daughter of one of the daughters of Emperor Bali.

VIBHEESHANA: Vibheeshana did penance for eighteen lakh years by standing on a single leg to appease Lord Sri Hari. Again, he impressed Lord Sri Hari by studying the Vedas for eighteen lakh years by staying beside Lord Sun and keeping his both hands joined above the head. Impressed with his penance, Lord Brahma blessed him by stating “May your faith and interest in Dharma remain unaltered under the most trying situations and your devotion to Lord Sri Hari increase.”  He married Sarama, a daughter of a Gandharva king called Shailusha. Sarama was born on the shores of Manas Sarovar. At the time of her birth, the Sarovar swelled.  Therefore, her mother said “SarO mA” that meant “Oh Sarovar, do not swell” and her name became “SaramA”.      

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

(Ravana experiences another defeat at the hands of Lord Vayu. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

Ravana advanced towards Lord Vayu, the son of Sri Hari to win against him. When he reached Lord Vayu, the latter displayed his three crore forms. He softly punched Ravana with the fist of one of those forms. Unable to bear it, Ravana fell on the ground. He also became aware of the impact of a single punch and started thinking about the possible impact of similar punch from all the three crore forms of Lord Vayu. Unable to imagine what would happen to him if hit by those forms of Lord Vayu, Ravana silently disappeared from the spot.

Thus, despite being put to shame on several occasions by several persons, Ravana was not prepared to learn lessons or alter his activities. He kept on increasing his arrogant acts. All the innumerable women from heaven and divine females he had forcibly brought to the harem were cursing Ravana every moment amidst tears of pain, insult and agony. While the hapless parents were crying, he kept on killing their children in front of their eyes. When a couple was seen together, he would barge into their privacy, separate them and kill one of them. Inducing  the cows with grass, he used to mercilessly massacre those cows as soon as they came near him. He was torturing and agonising all the people with similar acts of pride. He married Mandodari, who was born to Mayasura from an Apsara woman called Hema.

A brief about Kumbhakarna and other brothers of Ravana will be given in the coming editions.