SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

(In this edition, the significance of Siddhashrama has been narrated. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

“SiddhAshramasameepE vidyamAnAm lOkOpadravakAriNeem TATakAm hatwA…|

Sri Rama killed Tataka, a female demon, who was residing near Siddhashrama and torturing everyone.

About Siddhashrama: Bali robbed the entire wealth of Indra and other deities. Divine Mother Aditi, who could perceive that all the deities, including Lord Indra, were facing problems, decided to somehow get her children relieved from the trouble. She appealed to her husband sage Kashyapa, who said that if she could impress upon the mind of Lord Sri Hari by observing Payo Vrat, he would himself take birth as her son and would relieve the children from all the problems.  Aditi observed the Payo Vrat by strictly adhering to the directions of Sage Kashyapa. Sri Hari took the incarnation as Sri Vamana and as desired by his mother, he reached the Yajna Shala, where Bali was performing a sacrifice. This Emperor Bali was not a sinner like Ravana and other demons, who had committed capitals sins like abduction of the wives of some others. On the contrary, he was a very dedicated devotee of Lord Vishnu and had indulged incessantly in spirituous and meritorious acts. Therefore, Sri Hari decided as follows: “I should not kill him with power or bravery like I did with Ravana and others. I should beg with him to part with all his wealth and hand it over to Indra. Then, I should bless him with the wealth in Sutala Loka, which would be more than the wealth in the heavens. I should bless him with the rights ot rule the Sutala Loka and be gracious and generous to him by taking charge as the doorkeeper of his nether world empire. Let him be there as king till the end of this Manvantar and up to the beginning of the next Manvantara called Savarni. During Savarni Manvantara, I should make him the next Indra.”

Sri Vamana gave huge quantity of wealth to Indra and other deities from one of his forms. With another form, Sri Hari went with Emperor Bali. To make the Brahmins aware that they could only realise the truth through penance, Lord Hari pretended to be doing penance. Learning about the penance undertaken by one of the forms of Vamana, hundreds of sages came to the place where Lord Vamana was doing penance. All of them launched a penance, alongside Vamana. Because of doing penance in the presence of Vamana, they attained realisation very quickly. In Sanskrit, Siddhi means realisation. Therefore, the hermitage in which the sages earned realisation, it came to be known as Siddhashram. On their way to this Siddhashram, Vishwamitra, Rama and Lakshmana reached a forest that was named as Malada and Karusha.               

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA - TRUTEEYAHA SARGAHA - SHLOKAS 37, 38 AND 39

(In these stanzas, a few instances that happened in the life of Vasudeva after the thread ceremony have been described. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

SapaTaKhanDamakinchanavat kwachit swaviBhavAnuchitam charaNAdikam|

BhuvanaBharturahO swanigUhanam surasaBhAsu kutUhalamAtanOt||37||

SUMMARY: Lord of the universe (Lokanatha) Sri Vayu sometimes caused surprise in the divine sessions by wearing a piece of cloth like a very poor man, which was quite contrary to the infinite wealth he was possessing.

Wearing of Kaupeena to cover only the private parts was a practice mandatory for young bachelors and religious heads of yore. Vasudeva followed this tradition to emphasise the importance and significance of this practice.

AviralairgaralOShmaBhirAkuleekrutasamastajanO vichachAra yaha|

Kwachidamum nijiGhAmsurashAntimAnupasasarpa sa sarpamayO(a)suraha||38||

SUMMARY: A demon, who was in the form of a serpent and was roaming about everywhere, stirring the peace of mind of people around by emitting flames of thick venom, came very close to Vasudeva to bite and kill him.

Some commentators are of the opinion that demon Mandimantha, who wanted to take revenge on Lord Vayu, might have appeared there in the form of a poisonous serpent. It is mentioned in “Sampradaya Paddhati” that this incident had happened at a time when the mother of Vasudeva had gone to Vimanagiri to have the Darshan of Durgadevi.

(YadA vimAnaKhyagirisThitAm nijAm didrukShurambAmagamanmahAmatihi|

VaTustadA vartmani pannagAkrutirdadamshaha tatpAdamasau jiGhAmsayA||9|| Courtesy: Sumadhwavijaya published by Dr. Vyasanakere Prabhanjanacharya)

Twaritamudyatavistrutamastakaha pratidadamsha yadainamavikShatam|

PraBhupadAruNachArutarAnguleevihrutipiShTatanuhu pratatAma saha||39||

SUMMARY: When that demon rushed by spreading his hood wide towards Lord Vasudeva, who had never got injured, and bit the boy’s foot, he was terribly upset as the boy with the feet adorned with red fingers stamped him (demon) down, softly. 

Dr. Vyasanakere Prabhanjanacharya cites another except from “Sampradaya Paddhati” wherein it is said to have been mentioned that with a view to make it clear to the world that he had descended on earth only to establish the proper philosophy, Vasudeva had once planted a dry club and made it produce buds. At that time, Manimanta assumed the form of a King Cobra and vainly tried to destroy that plant.

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

(Vishwamitra presents two powerful Mantras called Bala and Atibala to Sri Rama. The trio enter Tataka Vana. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

Once Dasharatha conceded, Vishwamitra took Sri Rama and Lakshma with him and began the journey towards his Ashram. After covering a distance of about one-and-a-half Yojanas, Vishwamitra told Sri Rama: “I know two Mantras called Bala and Atibala dedicated to the deities assigned with the power to bestow education and knowledge. These Mantras are named after the two sons of Lord Brahma with the same name. Whoever recites these Mantras will not be troubled by thirst or hunger. Besides, all the desires will be fulfilled. Please accept and acknowledge these Mantras.”

Sri Rama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is omniscient and he was himself aware of those Mantras. Moreover, Sri Rama did not require the power of these Mantras to be free from thirst and hunger. Still, he agreed to receive them from Vishwamitra with the sole intention of making the sage present those Mantras to a person of the calibre of himself so that Vishwamitra would benefit from that act immensely. Another intention of Sri Rama was that he wanted to show to the world that any Mantra or knowledge should be first presented by an eligible Guru to an eligible pupil or disciple and it is pertinent on the part of the learner that he received any knowledge through a perfect teacher or Guru. Only then, the Mantra will be effective and its power can be imbibed. They happily spent that night on the banks of Sarayu River. Next morning they arrived at a place called Ananta Vallabha, which was situated near the union of Sarayu and Ganga. It was at this spot that Manmatha, God of Love, had been burn to ashes with the fire in the eyes of Lord Rudra. The place has been named after him since Lord Rudra likes it most. All the sages there worshipped Srirama. After getting down the ship, Sri Rama entered Tataka Vana.   

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA – TRUTEEYAHA SARGAHA SHOLKAS 34, 35 AND 36

(Madhyageha performs the thread ceremony of Vasudeva and is elated after observing his son strictly following the principles of celibacy. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

VihitasADhanasADhitasatkriyO jwalanamujjwalDheerjwalayannayam|
UpaninAya sutam sukumArakam kushalinam kushaleekrutasheerShakam||34||

SUMMARY: That Madhyageha with a pure mind began peforming that holy ceremony by arranging all the requisite material; he lit the holy fire, performed the Homa and completed the thread ceremony of his son Vasudeva, who had a pleasant form and was shining with a tuft on the head.

ParicharAgnigurU charitavrataha sucharaNaha paTha sADhu sadAgamAn|
Iti gurOstrijagadgurushikShaNE sPhuTamahAsi suraihi krutasAkShiBhihi||35||

SUMMARY: The Sun, Moon and other celestial bodies, who are witnesses of the universe, mocked when Madhyageha, the father, told the Master of entire universe Vasudeva: “Serve well the Fire God and your Guru; perform as many Vrats as possible and study well Vedas and other Shastras by remaining charectarful and righteous”.

What this stanza clearly indicates is that Madhyageha had still not realised that his son Vasudeva was an incarnation of Lord Vayu. It also indicates that the celestial beings, gods and goddesses were continuously watching Vasudeva and were waiting for that occasion when he starts exhibiting his eloquence and preaching the correct version of all epics.

JitakumAraguNam sukumArakam nijakumAramavEkShya nirantaram|
SamuchitAcharaNE chaturam swataha kShitisurO mudamAyata shikShayan||36||

SUMMARY: After advising his son Vasudeva, who was a virtuous and spirituous son and was following the norms of celibacy, Madhyageha was delighted to see that his son had overtaken or outweighed Lord Subrahmanya in following the tenets of Brahmacharya.

Kumara mentioned in this stanza refers to Lord Shanumukha or Murugan, who is considered a model for following the principles of bachelorhood.

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

(Vishwamitra now arrives at the palace of Dasharatha. After initial opposition, Dasharatha agrees to send Rama and Lakshmana with Vishwamitra to kill Mareecha, Subahu and Tataka and thereby assist Vishwamitra in completing the sacrifice. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

After attaining the status of Brahmarishi by dint of penance spanning thousands of years, Sage Vishwamitra was doing penance in Siddhashrama, where Sri Hari was residing in the form of Vamana. The sacrifices he used perform at Siddhashrama was being spoiled by Mareecha and Subahu, who were the loyalists of Ravana and empowered with boons granted by Lord Rudra. Vishwamitra decided to bring Sri Rama and Lakshmana to Siddhashrama and get Mareecha and Subahu killed by the two princes. With that intention, sage Vishwamitra arrived at the palace of Dasharatha in Ayodhya. King Dasharatha exchanged pleasantries with the sage, honoured and worshipped him. He promised to Vishwamitra that he would do anything that the sage might order him to do. Vishwamitra revealed the purpose of his visit.

Dasharatha was flabbergasted by what Vishwamitra divulged. He told the sage: “Sri Rama is too young; he is unaware of war strategy; he has grown up with all comforts and luxury; all gods and goddesses, including Lord Indra, run away with fear if anyone spells the name of Ravana. Mareecha and Subahu are subordinates of that horrible Ravana. Therefore, it is unimaginable that Sri Rama can face such fierce demons. I will myself come with you as I have fought and won many battles. Even if I cannot defeat those demons of mystic prowess, I will try to confront them with this body of mine, which has been presented to me to safeguard cows and Brahmins, till my last breath. Please do not take my son.” Dasharatha pleaded with Vishwamitra in several ways. Vishwamitra was enraged by what Dasharatha said.

Vasishtha, who was watching everything that transpired between Dasharatha and Vishwamitra, told Dasharatha: “Maharaj, he is a Brahmin with a comprehensive knowledge of all philosophies and divine principles. He is a devotee of Vishnu. He has come to you for help. Moreover, you have promised to do whatever he asks. You are now refusing to follow his instruction. This is not fair. Please send Rama with the sage. If at all he becomes angry, Rama is capable of burning the entire universe into ashes. Rama will certainly kill those demons. Vishwamitra is also very powerful. He knows the hundred super Astras that were born to Krushashwa from a Daksha woman called Suprabha, besides several other Astras. If you have no faith in the strength and war skills of Sri Rama, please note that Vishwamitra will be there to protect him. Send Rama with him. Beware that Rama should go with Vishwamitra, kill the demons and protect the sacrifice.”

Dasharatha was convinced by the explanation of Vasishtha and happily agreed to send Rama and Lakshmana with Vishwamitra.     

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA - TRUTEEYAHA SARGAHA SHLOKAS 31, 32 AND 33

(Thread ceremony of Vasudeva has been mentioned in this episode. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

BahuviDhaisharitairiti chAruBhihi sakalalOkakutUhalakAriNam|

DwijavarENa vayasyuchitE sThitam tamupanEtumanEna daDhE manaha||31||

SUMMARY: While Vasudeva went on surprising and enthralling people around him with several such exemplary deeds, super Brahmin Madhyageha decided to perform the thread ceremony to him.

The word “BahuviDhaihi”, which means “several different acts” includes the creation of Vasudeva Teertha, making a dry beating club to sprout buds, jumping in one leap from the Durga hillock and leaving a imprint of his feet on the rock etc., say scholars.  

SamuchitagrahayOgaguNAnwitam samavaDhArya muhUrtamadUShaNam|

PraNayabanDhurabAnDhavavAnasau dwijakulAkulamuttaramAtanOt||32||

SUMMARY: Madhyageha chose a suitable auspicious and specific hour of all good planets adoring their best position and performed the thread ceremony for Vasudeva amidst a large assemblage of his friends, relatives and Brahmins.

As per scriptures, it is very essential to fix an auspicious hour with certain specific planets in their exalted position. Ceremonies such as Thread Ceremony should be performed in he presence of as many Brahmins as possible.

It is mentioned in Anu Madhwacharita (Vayu Purana) as follows: PrAptE tu panchamE varShE brAhmaNam krutavAn pitA| This means that at the time of thread ceremony, the age of Vasudeva was five years.

It must be noted that for Vasudeva, who is an incarnation of Lord Vayu, there are no restrictions like auspicious hour, Guru Bala etc., By stating that Madhyageha fixed the time properly, a message is given to other people about the way important ceremonies like thread ceremony are required to be performed.

  

ViviDhavEdatayA vijiheerShavO vadanarangapadE(a)sya chirAya yAha|

SuravarapramadA api sapriyA aBhinandurahO viyatO maham||33||

SUMMARY: What a surprise! All the great female deities, who had been waiting to roam about on the tower-like face of Vasudeva in the form of different types of Vedas, had assembled there with their spouses to witness the thread ceremony of Vasudeva.

The poet has employed a figure of speech here to state that the deities in charge of different Vedas were eagerly waiting for Vasudeva to become eligible to pronounce the Vedas as they were aware that Vasudeva would provide proper explanation and interpretation of Vedas to mankind. It is indicated through this statement that without thread ceremony, men cannot pronounce or recite Vedic hymns.   

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

(In this episode, Vishwamitra continues his penance and finally secures the status of Brahmarishi. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

Vishwamitra again did penance for ten thousand years. At the end of one years of penance, Lord Brahma appeared and confirmed that Vishwamitra had become a Rishi. Dissatisfied with that status, Vishwamitra continued his penance for not attaining the Brahmin state. At that juncture, he was sensuously attracted by an Apsara called Menaka and spent 25 years with her. He then realised that he had been diverted by the deities to abstain from penance. He made up his mind not to fall prey to sensuous feelings. He sent away Menaka and did not penance for a thousand years. He was then conferred the state of being Maharishi by Lord Brahma.

However, Vishwamitra became very desperate for failing to attain Brahmin status and continued penance for another thousand years. During this period, he used to stay in neck-deep water in the winter and was getting soaked during rainy season. He used to set fire in four directions and stand at the centre to do penance during summer. He undertook such a fierce penance, this time around. Devendra wanted to disturb the penance again and sent another Apsara named Rambha to accomplish the task. She arrived at the hermitage of Vishwamitra and tried to divert his attention. Vishwamitra quickly perceived that she had been deployed by Devendra to disturb the penance. Vishwamitra instantaneously cursed her “You will stay as a rock for ten thousand years and will then be relieved of my curse from a Brahmin engaged in deep penance.” As Vishwamitra became furious and even cursed Rambha, he lost the power of penance he had secured till then. He repented for that mistake and decided not to get angry under any circumstances.

With a firm mind, Vishwamitra did penance in utter silence for one thousand years. He remained without food during this period. After completing the thousandth year, he was about to consume food, when Devendra appeared in the guise of a Brahmin and pretended to be very hungry. Vishwamitra gave away the entire food. He did not get angry nor say a word. There was no feeling in his mind. He just gave away the food to the Brahmin and continued his penance for another thousand years. During this period, Vishwamitra checked his breath as well. The spirit of deities started receding due to this severe penance of Vishwamitra. Lord Brahma, along with other deities, appeared in front of Vishwamitra and said “you have now become a Brahmarishi.” Although delighted by this pronouncement by deities, Vishwamitra insisted that the status of Brahmarishi be confirmed by Vasishtha. Accordingly, Sage Vasishtha reiterated that Vishwamitra had truly become a Brahmarishi.