SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

(In this episode, sage Vishwamitra continues to narrate his own story to Sri Rama. Further, Vishwamitra explains about the origin of Ganga. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

“Oh Ramadeva, I am the son of Gadhi. My elder sister Satyavati had married Brahmarishi Rucheeka. She was living with her husband in Himalaya Mountain. When her husband, who doing penance there, demised, she sacrificed her life too in his pyre and went to Satya Loka, along with her husband. Having born in the dynasty of Kusha, her body was transformed into a river called Kaushiki, which originated from Himalaya Mountains. Till then I was living here and because of my reverence for my elder sister, I shifted to Himalayas and started residing on the banks of Kaushiki. Now, with a view to attain the Siddhi through penance, I returned from there and arrived at this Siddhashram. I have attained the Siddhi because of your services.”

Next day, Vishwamitra, along with Rama, Lakshmana and other disciples, started off from Siddhashram and by afternoon arrived at the banks of Ganga, where sage Vishwamitra narrated the origin of Sri Ganga. “Oh Ramadeva, Himavanta had a wife called Menadevi, who was the daughter of Sumeru. From Menadevi, Himavanta had two daughters named Ganga and Uma. Of them, Lord Rudra married Umadevi and spent 3,60,000 years with her, roaming about and romancing with is wife in Kailas Mountain. Yet, his semen did not eject. The deities became worried and scared about the prospects of anyone taking birth from that semen of Rudra. All the deities came to Rudra and said: “Please stop this romance as we will not be able to bear the spirit of a son who might be born out of your semen. Please do penance with Umadevi.” Impressed with the appeal of deities, Rudra and Umadevi blessed them and assured them that they would not eject their semen. The semen that had moved from its original place till then was spilled out into the ground, as per the request of deities. High flames which started emanating from that semen began engulfing the forests and hills all over the earth. Prompted by the deities then, Fire God crashed into that semen, along with Lord Vayu. Due to the association with Fire God, that semen transformed into a white hill called Sharavana and it was sparkling like Sun and Fire.     

Umadevi was enraged since the deities had disturbed her romance with Lord Rudra. She was also angry with Mother Earth for conceiving the semen, which was actually her (Umadevi) right. Umadevi cursed the deities: “Since you have deprived me of the opportunity of becoming a mother, none of you will ever beget a progeny.” Umadevi went on to curse the Earth: “Since you have acted like a concubine by conceiving the semen I had to conceive, you will be owned by several men. As you have snatched my happiness of being a mother, you will never have the joy of having children.” Having watched all these scenes, Lord Rudra retired to Kailas Parvat, along with Umadevi, and did a fierce penance.          

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA - CHATURTHAHA SARGA SHLOKAS 1 TO 3

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA – CHATURTHAHA SARGAHA SHOLKAS 1, 2 AND 3

(In these stanzas, Vasudeva gets ready to enter sainthood. Please read, comment and share. SDN) 

AThaiSha sallOkadayAsuDhArdrayA sadAgamastEna nirAsakAmayA|

RamAvarAbAsaBhuvA vishAradO vishAla(a)chintayadAtmanODhiyA||1||

SUMMARY: After completing the term of his stay at the Gurukul, Vasudeva, who was soaked in empathy towards the virtuous, who wanted to destruct the thugs of sacred Scriptures, thought in this manner in his broad mind where Lord Sri Hari always resided.

The thugs in this context means those who had been misinterpreting the Scriptures and diverting the minds of good people from the real truth that Sri Hari alone is the supreme God. It is also indicated in this stanza that there was no room for confusion in the Scriptures. The confusion was created by exploiting the innocence and ignorance of masses. Vasudeva thought of lighting the light of true knowledge and re-establish the glories of Lord Vishnu.  

AnanyasangAdguNasangitA harErjanasya mAnam tu vishiShTachEtiShTitam|

AsangamasmAt prakaTeekarOmyaham nijam Bhajan pAramahamsyamAshramam||2||

SUMMARY: “It’s only when one departs from the association of bad people that a passion and compassion towards the infinite attributes of Lord Vishnu. For the present generation, the life style of ancestors is the lone model and proof. Therefore, by embracing the sainthood, I will exhibit my natural, instinctive and inherent quality of being an ascetic.”

‘Association with bad people’ in this context refers to the passion for worldly pleasures. General people lend their ears only to such a person who enters sainthood by sacrificing the family life and only then people will recognise the value of devotion to Lord Vishnu and the futility of worldly life. This is what Vasudeva was aware of and put the right step forward, say the scholars.

During his previous incarnation as Bheema, a Kshatriya, Vasudeva, who is another incarnation of Lord Vayu, had established the power and spirit of Kshatriyas by killing Duryodhana and other Daityas. It was Dwaparayuga. In Kaliyuga, the scenario was different. As many persons, who had no real control over their senses, had devalued and derailed the status, sanctity and spirit of sainthood. Vasudeva took it upon himself the task of reviving those lost grounds of sainthood by embracing that state himself.  

Mama praBhOrnAparaThA hi shOBhatE dwiShatu ViShNum yadadanDaDhAraNam|

HariswasA nanvachirAdasadBhidE BhavEdatO nAsmi cha danDaDhArakaha||3||

SUMMARY: “Having born as a capable person, it is improper to leave the antegonists of Lord Vishnu unpunished. Yet, until Goddess Durga, a sister of Lord Krishna, who is about to descend as an incarnation to punish the illicit, descends on earth, I will not behold the sacred club.”

What is implicit in this stanza is that saints are not ‘authorised’ by Scripture to physically punish the sinners. Moreover, it had already been decided that Goddess Durga would take birth on earth only to physically assault and assassinate the Asuras. Vasudeva decides to set right the psyche of pretentious saints by logically disproving their reasoning and by gaining the confidence of ordinary people, he wanted to breathe a fresh lease of life.

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

(In this episode, Vishwamitra starts narrating details of his own birth. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

Sage Vishwamitra, who began his journey from Siddashram, reached the banks of Shonabhadra River by the evening. He decided to stay there overnight and started narrating the past history of that country: “Oh Lord Sri Rama, Kusha, a son of Lord Brahma, married Vaidarbhi and begot four children named as Kushamba, Kushanabha, Amoortaraja and Vasu. Judging those children as pious and righteous, he directed them to look after the subjects. Accordingly, they created four separate cities and were looking after citizens well. Of them, Vasu established two cities called Girivraja and Vasumati on the banks of this Shonabhadra River. The Vasumatipur is magnificently placed in the middle of five mountains and is adorned with a river called Magadhi. For Kushanabha, one hundred most charming baby girls were born from an Apsara called Ghrutachi. Lord Vayu saw those girls, who were highly virtuous. He made up his mind to make them very popular. Pretending to be a romantic person, he sought their love and they replied that without their father’s consent, they would not do any such thing. Lord Vayu again pretended as though he was angry and slowly entered through their bodies. He made them hunch backed and awkwardly shaped. On hearing what transpired between his daughters and Lord Vayu, he became proud as he conceived that his daughters had great reverence for him. He discussed the matter with his ministers.

At that point of time, a Brahmarishi called Chooli was doing penance. A girl named Somada, who was the daughter of a female Gandharva called Urmila, was serving that save with compassion, dedication and reverence. She thought that Brahmarishi Chooli was highly impressed by her services and asked him to bestow a vibrant and radiant son. She confessed that she was unmarried. Chooli obliged her and wished that she got a good son. With his wish alone, Somada gave birth to a very bright son called Brahmadatta, who was ruling over the country called Kampilya.

Prompted by his ministers, Kushanabha got all his one hundred daughters married to Brahmadatta. Lord Vayu appreciated the reverence those girls displayed towards their father, the devotion Chooli had towards Lord Sri Hari, the power of penance that Brahmadatta had inculcated and also the good qualities of Kushanabha. He withdrew his power from the bodies of one hundred girls, who had then married Brahmadatta. Instantaneously, all the girls got back their original shape, brightness and qualities.

After marrying off his daughters, Kushanabha performed Putrakameshti Yaga with the intention of begetting a son and promptly got a son, who was named Gadhi.                        

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA - TRUTEEYAHA SARGAHA - SHLOKAS 54, 54 AND 56

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA – TRUTEEYAHA SARGAHA SHOLKAS 54, 55 AND 56

(In these concluding stanzas of the third Sarga of this great work “Sri Madhwavijaya, the manner in which Vasudeva paid his Gurudakshina has been touchingly explained. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

ADhigatOpaniShachcha sakruchChutA prakaTaBhagavateeti na vismayaha|

ADhigatA nanu jAtwapi na shrutAha pratiBhayA shrutayaha shatashO(a)munA||54||

SUMMARY: It isn’t surprising that Vasudeva learnt the entire Sreemannarayanopanishat after hearing it only once because is it not more surprising that he could learn thousands of Shrutis without hearing any of them even once.  

PrakaTaBhAgavatee means SreemannArAyaNOpaniShat as mentioned in Bhava Prakashika:

“PrakaTaBhAgavatee - SreemannArAyaNOpaniShat|

SAkShAdaThOpaniShadO viBhuraitarEyyAha

pAThachChalEna vijanE(a)rTha rasAn bruvANha|  

ADhyApakaya vitatAra vimOkShabeejam

GOvindaBhaktimuchitAm gurudakShiNAm saha||55||

SUMMARY: Once in tranquillity, by explicitely explaining the special, rare and hidden meaning of AitarEyOpaniShat, which is embryonic of the path of devotion to Lord Hari which drove him towards salvation or Moksha, Vasudeva paid the Gurudakshana (tution fee) to his Master in a very distinct manner.  

The commentary Sri Madhwacharya has provided to Aitareyopanishat is even today considered a rare treasurehouse of excellent interpretation. In this sense, this can be considered as the first work authored by Sri Madhwacharya.

The place where Vasudeva spent his days in the hermttage of his Master Totantillaya is now popular as Danditeertha, which is about eight miles away from Udupi on the highway to Mangalore. A large building there has been identified as a Mutt. A pond called Dandateertha is there. This pond had been created by Vasudeva for feeding water to the nearby paddy fields. A heap of stone blocks, which Vasudeva is said to have been using in weight lifting exercises, also exists in this place. Those ascending the Paryaya Peetha first take a dip in this Dandateertha before reaching Sri Krishna Mutt, even today.

Sri Vishwapati Tirtha, in his critique on Sri Vayu Stuti, has cited a statement from a Purana that states that Vasudeva, immediately on attaining the age of seven years, had gone Badari, met Sri Vedavyasa there and learnt all the Shastras from him.

The stanza is as follows:

SaptasamvatsarAdUrDhwam gatvA BadarikAshramam|

PrapEdE sarvashAstrANi vEdAmshchaivAvyayAnapi||

ItTham hi sarvavidyAshcha VyAsadEvAnmahAtmanaha|

AvAptasarvashAstrO(a)sau vaTustadidamabraveet||

This information confirms that Sri Madhwacharya visited Badari thrice.       

Ayi swAmin duShTAn damaya damaya vryaktamachirAdguNAn

gUDhAn ViShNOho kaThaya swAn pramadayan|

TadA(aa)nandam tanwanniti sumanasAm

sO(a)nusaratAmanujnAmAdatta

triBhuvanagururbrAhmaNagurO||56||

SUMMARY: The deities serving Vasudeva told him: “Oh Swamiji, please punish the guilty, punish the bad pesons; please let us know, let us know the great attributes of Maha Vishnu, which have disappeared from this world. Please make your devotees happy.” With a view to fulfil their desire, Master of three worlds, Vasudeva, secured the permission from that Brahmin Guru to accomplish the task ahead.

There is an indication in this stanza that Lord Vayu took the incarnation of Sri Madhwacharya as per the wishes of deities.

Iti Sreematkavikulatilaka SreemattrivikramapanDitAchArya sutasreemannArAyaNa panDitAcharya virachitE SreematsumadhwavijayE

mahAkAvyE AnandAnkE Triteeyaha Sargaha|

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

(In this edition, as suggested by Vishwamitra, Rama and Lakshmana begin their journey to Mithila. In the next episode, the story of the birth of Vishwamitra will begin. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

VishwAmitrOkta SeethAswayamvaram shrutwA

After concluding the sacrifice, Vishwamitra told Sri Rama: “Oh Lord Sri Rama, brides in Kshatriya community can self-assess the qualities and status of prospective bridegrooms and choose anyone to be their fiancé. This is called as Swayamvara. King Janaka of the Sun Dynasty has now decided to hold a swayamvara for his daughter Seetha. He has announced his decision in all the ten directions through messengers. Princes and handsome youth from several kingdoms are reaching to Mithila, after getting to know about this swayamvara, to display their bravery and strength there. Rishis and ascetics are also reaching there to witness and enjoy this spectacle. You are young and you have all the qualities and eligibility to woe Seetha. Could you not try to get loved by Seetha? Being Brahmins, can we come there to have good meals?”

Sri Rama conceded with a smile to what Vishwamitra said. All the sages, including Vishwamitra, began their journey to Mithila, along with Rama and Lakshmana.       

SRI MADHWA VIJAYA TRUTEEYAHA SARGAHA SHLOKAS 51 TO 53

(Exceptional skills in comprehension, grasping and reciprocation of Vasudeva have been described in these stanzas. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

GuNanikA charaNAdikagOcharA na mama hruddayitEtyuditE(a)munA|

Vada vishAradavAda yaThEpsitam twamupareetyavadadDharaNeesuraha||51||

SUMMARY: When Vasudeva replied that he disliked the way of teaching from the Charana or the very beginning of every lesson, the Guru yelled at him and asked: “You, who is speaking like a scholar, speak out something about the next lesson, let me hear.”

Charana in this context means commencing every session with the summary of the previous class and explaining every single syllable afresh every time. This method of teaching is very essential to ensure that the students byheart the Vedic Mantras. The Guru was worried that Vasudeva was not good at byhearting anything.

SakalalakShaNashikShaNamUlaBhUhu shrutisamAmananam sKhalanOjJhitam|

Na Khalu kEvalamasya gurOrvyaDhAt sumanasAmapi tatra kutUhalam||52||

SUMMARY: The perfect pronounciation and accent, which was just like the origin of all the features and attributes of pronounciation, uninterrupted and incessant delivery of Vedic Mantras by Vasudeva bewildered not only his Guru Totantillaya but also the deities, who were listening from the sky.

Totantillaya was of the view that Vasudeva was not paying as much attention to the studies as he was expecting or as other students appeared to be paying attention to the studies. Even the pronounciation, delivery and the pauses for punctuations etc., were so perfect that everyone, including the deities were surprised. This has been clearly described in this stanza.   

PriyavayasyashirOguruvEdanAmashamayat sahajAmapi du(hu)ssahAm|

Sa vipinE vijanE muKhavAyunA shravaNagOcharitEna kadAchana||53||

SUMMARY: Once, when Vasudeva was going along with the son of his Guru with same name, Vasudeva, who was very intimate, suddenly developed an inherited, unbearable headache, this Vasudeva completely cured it instantly by blowing air through that boy’s ear.  

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

(In this episode, Sri Rama removes all the obstacles created by demons and ensures completion of the Yajna that Vishwamitra had begun, without any hassle. SDN) 

The sixth important point in the first stanza of this great work of Sri Raghavendra Gurusaarvabhaumaru is “Nishicharanikaram hatwA yajnapAlaha”. It has been substantiated as “Vishwamitra yajnasamayE tadviGhAtArTham prAptadaityAn hatvA yajnam samApya. This means that while Vishwamitra was performing the sacrifice, Sri Rama ensured that the Yajna was completed without any trouble by killing the demons who had tried to disturb the rituals.

Vishwamitra took the permission of Sri Rama to start the Yajna. Along with Lakshmana, Sri Rama spent sleepless nights to keep a continuous vigil on the demons who were expected to pose a threat. On the sixth day, the sacrificial fire was dazzling. A deadly hue and cry was heard in the sky on that day. Suddenly, Mareecha and Subahu, along with a large contingent of their army, began producing a rain of insane material like meat, blood and urine. Sri Rama alerted his brother Lakshmana, instantly fired arrows and scattered away all the insane material before they could fall into the fire-pit.

Mareecha, son of Tataka, appeared on the scene. Sri Rama made up his mind not to kill him because he wanted Mareecha to play a significant role in the abduction of Seetha and other sins that the demons were supposed to commit in the near future. Therefore, he empowered an arrow with the Mantra of Vayuvyastra and fired it at Mareecha. That arrow rushed towards him at great speed. Mareecha ran to all directions to escape from the arrow. He ran to a distance of almost a hundred Yojanas and fell into the sea. He lost his consciousness for some time and even after recovering from that state, his head was revolving. He could immediately perceive the speed and efficacy of the arrow of Sri Rama. He was so frightened that he never returned to that forest. He began residing in an island. The fear of Sri Rama did not die in his mind. Therefore, he put on the attire of saints and started living there in the guise of a saint.

Meanwhile, a demon called Subahu, who had been blessed by Lord Shiva to be invincible, came there with a huge army. Sri Rama killed Subahu with an arrow bound by flames of fire. Sri Rama destroyed the entire army of Subahu with normal arrows. Some demons fled the scene to save themselves. The Yajna was completed without any further trouble. Under the pretext of blessing Sri Rama, Vishwamitra and other sages in that hermitage exhibited their devotion.