SRI MADHWAVIJAYA - TRUTEEYAHA SARGAHA SHLOKAS 43 TO 46

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA – TRUTEEYAHA SARGAHA SHOLKAS 43, 44, 45 AND 46

(A few more instances that epitomises the outstanding character of Vasudeva or Lord Vayu have been explained in these stanzas. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

AnaDhikaishcha vayasyaThO bahuBhiraDhyayanOparamAntarE|

AvikaTE vaTuBhihi paTuBhirgurOho sa vijahAra suKhee saKhiBhihi samam||43||

SUMMARY: Vasudeva, who was always happy, roamed about in all the places with his smart seniors as well as juniors during the leisure hours of his studenthood.

Padamudeerya javEna yiyAsitam drutasaKhEShwaBhavat sa purahasaraha|

AyamayamatnatayEti na vismayO nanu manOjavajit pavanO hyasau||44||

SUMMARY: It wasn’t surprising that among the seniors, who used to indicate the targeted spot and run to reach it, Vasudeva was always the first one to reach it with utmost ease and comfort. After all, was he not Lord Vayu whose speed was more compared to the speed of the mind?

PlavanatEjasi hanta na kEvalam vijitavAn sa tadA sakalAn janAn|

PraBhunidEshakarO Hanumattanau nanu jigAya sa VAlisutAdikAn||

SUMMARY: It wasn’t new in the case of Vasudeva when it came to his capacity to leap that he could overtake his fellow beings; during his incarnation as Hanuman, did he not, while obeying the orders of Sri Rama, overtake Vali’s son Angada and others in jumping?

In this stanza, there is a clear indication that Vasudeva was an incarnation of Lord Vayu. He was Hanuman when Sri Vishnu took the incarnation as Rama and he was Bheema when Vishnu took the form of Lord Krishna.

JalavihAraparAjayiBhihi spruDhA saKhiBhireeritavAriparishritam|

VadanamAkulalOchanamAdaDhE smitamamuShya hi kanchana viBhramam||46||

SUMMARY: Even when his friends, who used to splash water into his eyes after getting defeated in swimming and his eyes, were turning red, his smiling face was shining with a divine and transcendental radiation.

In this stanza too, Sri Narayana Panditacharya shows that in every field of activity, be it sports, games or studies, Vasudeva was a winner by a great distance and that he used to excel quite easily. No one could match him in any manner at any point of time.   

 

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

(In this issue, the end of Tataka and transfer of Astras from Vishwamitra to Rama and Lakshmana have been given. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

As advocated by Vishwamitra, Sri Rama took the bow in his left hand and pulled its string with the right. The sound produced by that string was horrible and it reverberated in that dense forest. Tataka heard that sound and appeared in front of Sri Rama almost instantly wearing a dreadful form. She launched a fierce battle. She used to disappear but continued to pound a rain of lethal arrows. Following the sound of her screams, Sri Rama easily spotted her location and fired an arrow at her chest. She died immediately. Lord Indra and other deities came to that spot and praised Sri Rama and his bravery. Lord Indra told Vishwamitra to hand over all the Shastras he had obtained from Lord Rudra to Sri Rama. This instance has been indicated in the original story with the statement “TATakAm GhAtukaha” and the commentary reading “LOkOpadravakAriNeem TATakAm hatwA”.

It has also been stated:

Astram BrahmAdyam prApya…| SiddhAshramam prApya VishwAmitrOktamantrajAtam sweekrutya||

Meaning: Sri Rama came to the Siddhashram and received the Mantras related to Brahmastra and other Astras presented by Vishwamitra.

When Sri Rama came to Siddhashrama with Lakshmana and Vishwamitra, the sages present in that Ashram worshipped Sri Rama with devotion.

Vishwamitra said: “I stole the Kamadhenu that was in the possession of Vasishtha. All my children were killed by the army created by Kamadhenu. I lost my cool. I did penance and worshipped Rudra and secured Astras from him. I tried to kill Vasishtha with those weapons. I was defeated yet again. I understood the power of the Brahma Tejas or the divine spirit of Brahma. I did penance and became a Brahma Rishi. If I had had used those weapons secured after a struggle to demolish the bad elements, I could have earned God’s grace (Punya). I did not do it as a Kshatriya. I also committed terrible sin by trying to kill Brahma Rishi Vasishtha. I had to do penance for thousands of years to get rid of the negative energy that seeped into my being due to that sin. Later, the deities and sage Vasishtha showered their love and affection on me and a sage of mutual reverence ensued. Having become a Brahma Rishi, I am now able to destroy the evil forces. However, these very weapons which had prompted me to commit worst crimes in the past will not be of any use in the future too. There is no point in keeping these weapons with me. Therefore, I will surrender these weapons to Sri Rama, who is born to punish the guilty, and Lakshmana, who is born only to serve Sri Rama. Being an embodiment of power, courage and valour, Sri Rama literally does not need any of these weapons. Yet, I wish these weapons be useful in crushing the criminal elements as I have secured them by doing deep penance. The deities present in these weapons may also earn divine grace by being instrumental in the destruction of the diabolic. Let my great efforts be fruitful in that manner.”  Vishwamitra spoke his mind with Sri Rama as well.    

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA - TRUTEEYAHA SARGAHA SHLOKAS 40, 41 AND 42

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA – TRUTEEYAHA SARGAHA SHOLKAS 40, 41 AND 42

(The end of Manimanta and beginning of studenthood of Vasudeva are given in these shlokas. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

GaruDatunDamiva pratipannavAn dwijakumArapadam sa mamAra cha|

Samuchitam charitam mahatamidam sumanasO manasEShTamapUjayan||40||

SUMMARY: Like a serpent caught in the beak of a golden eagle, that Asura, who was caught at the feet of Brahmin’s sonVasudeva, instantly breathed his last; the deities heartily worshipped and honoured that exemplary act of Vasudeva, which was an easy thing for great persons and very close to their hearts.

The spot where Vasudeva killed that serpent by pressing his right toe can still be found, as quoted in Sampradayapaddhati:

SwAnguShThAngulitunDEna VAsudEvAKhyapakShirAT|

MArayAmAsa tam sarpam tallakShyAdyApi drushyatE||10||

It is said that this spot symbolically exists at a place called Kurkalu near Vimanagiri. A stone chariot or Mantap has been created at the spot where the footprint of Vasudeva has been found.  

GirishagurvamarEndramuKhaishcha yachcharaNarENuraDhAri surADhipaihi|

KShitisurAnGhryaBhivandanamapUrvakam sa vidaDhEDhyayanam ChalamAnuShaha||41||

SUMMARY: Lord Vayu, the dust under whose feet is worn by Shiva, Bruhaspati, Indra and other great deities, who appeared in the form of an ordinary human being on earth as Vasudeva, saluted the feet of a Brahmin and started studying under his tutelage.  

In his work Sri Mahabharata Tatparya NirNaya, Sri Madhwacharya has said:

DharmO hi sarvavidhuShAmapi daivatAnAm prAptE narEShu jananE naravat pravruttihi|

JnAnAdigUhanamutADhyayanAdiratra tajnApanArThamavasadBhagavAn gurau cha||

With the sole intention of making the world know that whenever great deities assume the form of human beings on earth should compulsorily adopt and adhere to human etiquette and attitude, Sri Vasudeva began his studies under a Brahmin by saluting him with reverence.  

KaratalE Khalu kandukavat sadA sakalayA kalayA saha vidyayA|

AriDharENa samam sPhuritam gurOrmanasi tasya viDambayatO janAn||42||

SUMMARY: Does it not sparkle clearly, along with Sri Narayana, who is addressed in all the Vedic literature, Scriptures and all other branches of skills of art, were sparkling in the mind of Vasudeva like a ball in the palm, who was behaving like an ordinary human being?

This Shloka amplifies the fact that Vasudeva was a scholar of all subjects by birth because he was an incarnation of Lord Vayu, whose knowledge of the Lord is incomparable and unmatched. However, he assumed the studenthood with all magnanimity and without any bias or prejudice or ill-feeling. Pramana Paddhati, Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya, Tatwapradeepa by Sri Trivikramapanditacharya and Anuvyakhyana confess this aspect without mincing any word.

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.