SRI RAGHAVENDRA SWAMY'S SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

(Some more details about the roots of Vishwamitra are mentioned in this episode by Royal priest Shatananda. Please read, comment and share. SDN) 

Distinctly clever and eloquent Vishwamitra replied to King Janaka, who had openly enquired about the antecedents of Sri Rama with a pure interest and sane wish: “Oh King! He is none other than Lord Hari, who has taken the incarnation as a super human to accomplish a task for the deities. Born as son of Emperor Dasharatha, he has been making everyone happy with his good virtues and character. That is why, he has made the name “Rama” christened by his father as most sensible and meaningful. Boy standing next to him is his younger brother named Lakshmana, who matches Rama in all aspects of virtue, quality and character. I brought these two brothers from Ayodhya to Siddhashram. Sri Rama killed the demons quite gamely and protected the sacrifice I was performing from getting spoiled. Greatest of all archers in the universe, Sri Rama has come here to see the Great Bow in your possession. As he can put test all archers and identify the best like the grinding stone that tests gold for purity, I wish he be your son-in-law. Just the King of cosmic ocean of milk attained glory by marrying his daughter Goddess Lakshmi to Vishnu you too can achieve greatness and glory by marrying your daughter to the Supreme Human.”

Royal priest of King Janaka and son of Gautama and Ahalya, Shatananda heard these words of Vishwamitra, turned towards Sri Rama and said: “Oh Ramadeva! Jagannatha! I welcome you and your brother. You have bestowed kindness and saved my mother. I and my parents are grateful to you. This entire universe has been complimented by your incarnation. The fact that you have followed  Vishwamitra from behind like his disciple has made him great and glorious.

A Rishi called Sri Rucheeka approached the king of Gadhi and asked him to marry his daughter Satyavati with him. Gadhi said that if the Rishi could give him a thousand horses with their bodies appearing like Sun and having one of the ears in white, he would give Satyavati in marriage with the Rishi. Rucheeka requested Lord Varuna to provide him with such horses, gave them to Gadhi and married his daughter Satyavati. Both Satyavati and her mother, who did not have a son, requested the Rishi to bless them with sons. Sri Rucheeka gave a cup of ghee to each of them separately by chanting different hymns and went to have a bath. Then Satyavati and her mother exchanged the cups of ghee between themselves and consumed it. As a result, Vishwamitra was born as a Kshatriya, who should have become a Brahma Rishi by birth, to the mother of Satyavati. This Vishwamitra achieved the status of Brahma Rishi by doing penance. The complete grace that you have blessed him with is now evident by the fact that you are now walking behind him like his disciple. There can be no greater surprise to your kindness than this instance.”

Sri Rama looked at Vishwamitra and pretended as though he was surprised to hear the revelation of Shatananda. Did the same Rama not pretended to have been astonished after hearing different stories from Vishwamitra? It was only to make the demons believe that Rama was not aware of all these stories and was actually surprised to hear them from Vishwamitra and Shatananda. Darkness can never block the Sun, who is self-luminous. Similarly, omniscient Rama cannot imagined to be unaware of anything that happens in any corner of this Brahmanda.      

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA - CHATURTHAHA SARGAHA SHLOKAS 29 AND 30

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA – CHATURTHAHA SARGAHA SHOLKAS 29 and 30

(In these two stanzas, Vasudeva secures the permission of his mother to become a saint. The manner in which he became a saint will be explained in the next and bynext stanzas to be furnished in the next episode. Please Read, Comment and Share. SDN)

Iti bruvANE tanayE kadAchidapyadarshanam tasya mrutErnidarshanam|

Vichintya paryAkulitA chikeerShitam sutasya kruchChrAnnyaruNanna sA shuBhA||29||

SUMMARY: With the son telling that way, she thought that if he were not to be seen at all, it is as good as not having him alive, the pious mother of Vasudeva controlled her grief with great difficulty and abstained from restricting her son have his own way.

Sri Chalari Achar substantiates this point: “SA mAtA pUrvOktam putravAkyam shrutwA BheetA satee jeevataha putrasya adarshanam maraNatulyamEva matwA duhKhAn sutABheeShTasya niShEDham na chakArEti BhAvaha|

Meaning: Hearing the sentence stated by her son earlier, that mother was alarmed as she thought that out of sight was nothing short of being dead and therefore, somehow controlled her sorrow and did not raise any objection for fulfilling his desire.

AThOpagamyaiSha gurum jagadguruhu prasadya tam dEvavaraprasAditaha|

SadA samastAshramaBhAk surEshwarO vishEShataha KhalwaBhajadwarAshramam||30||

SUMMARY: Subsequently, Sri Vasudeva, the Guru of the entire universe who is respected by Rudra and other deities too, went to the place where his Guru Sri Achyutapreksha was staying; he made his Guru happy; being always an ardent follower of all the norms of different phases or Ashram of life and a distinguished supreme deity, then accepted the sainthood in a special manner.

According to Hindu philosophy, there are four phases of life, which are denoted as Ashram or a period of life that prescribes certain mandatory norms to adhere to for human beings. They are called as Balya, Brahmacharya, Gruhastha and Vruddhapya or Vanaprastha. Deities in general strictly adhere to the norms of all these phases and they are considered as custodians of such phases of life. Since Vasudeva is an incarnation of Lord Vayu, who is the supreme deity, next only to Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi, it needs no confession or concurrence that he adheres to the norms of each phase of life. He is a distinct deity who can follow the norms of a saint without getting ordained into sainthood. He accepted sainthood to enhance the value of sainthood.

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

(Arrival of Srirama at Mithila and the astonishment of King Janaka over the charming stature of Srirama have been described in this episode. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

VidEshanagaram gatwA rAjAdiBhihi krutAm pUjAm sweekrutya:

From the hermitage of sage Gautama, Vishwamitra, Srirama, Lakshmana and other Rishis moved in the north-east direction. Srirama saw from a distance a sprawling Yajna Shala — it is a separate temporary hall set up exclusively for the performance of sacrifice with an altar for installing the sacred fire and with provision for people to watch the performance of the sacrifice — that King Janaka had set up. He could also hear the Vedic hymns that thousands of Brahmins, who had come there from different directions and countries, were reciting aloud. Sriramachandra, who is the Lord of Yajnas, the recipient of offerings made into the Sacrificial Fire, was delighted and sat there in a very sacred and highly purified place.

King Janaka came to know that great Sage Vishwamitra had come along with two rare and divine boys. Accompanied by the priests and preceptors, King Janaka rushed to the place and worshipped sage Vishwamitra. People who had come from different countries, the local women, youth, elderly and children looked at Srirama in utter bewilderment, without winking their eyes even once. In accordance with their individual capacity and status, everyone honoured Srirama, Lakshmana and Vishwamitra with devotion and affection. King Janaka then told Vishwamitra:

“Oh Vishwamitra, I have taken the Deekasha — it is mandatory for performers of the sacrifice to take Deeksha, which, once taken, forbids them from indulging in certain routine activities and warrants adherence to strict celibacy — for twelve days and pledged to complete this sacrifice. I am lucky that you have come at this auspicious hour. I believe that I have secured all the merits of performing this sacrifice just by seeing you.” Seeing Sriramadeva, he spoke with great delight:

“Oh Vishwamitra, who are these boys standing obediently by your side? His body has a celestial blue complexion that is reminiscent of a Gem. His eyes are in light red like the central portion of a lotus. Shoulders are like those of a lion and the chest is wide. His face is like full moon and the navel is deep. His neck has three grains as seen on a Conch and his voice is firm and stoic. His hands are long. He is young and energetic. He walks like a King Elephant and his face is adorned with a pleasant and sweet smile. The entire universe is astonished by seeing him. But, he does not seem to have been amazed by seeing others around him. He is like Manmatha for women and is standing like a servant in front of you. He appears like God of Death for enemies and Lord Hari for Yogis. He is like a spectacle and festivity for everyone’s eyes. His speech is limited but pregnant with meaning. I feel that this Earth does not deserve to be touched by his soft and cool feet that look like fresh buds. Who is he standing obediently with you? Who is the other boy standing beside him and looking almost like his replica in form and characteristics?”  (Vishwamitra’s reply in the next episode.)       

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA - CHATURTHAHA SARGAHA SHLOKAS 26 TO 28

(In these stanzas, the birth of another son to Madhyageha, appeal of Vasudeva to his mother to allow him to become a saint has been explained. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

NishAcharEriva lakShmaNaha purA vrukOdarasyEva surEndranandanaha|

GadO(a)Tha shaurEriva karmakrutpriyaha suBhaktimAn vishwavidO(a)nujO(a)Bhavat||26||

SUMMARY: Like in the past Lakshmana was there for Srirama, Arjuna for Sri Bheema and Gada for Sri Krishna, a very beloved younger brother, who could serve all-knowledgeable Vasudeva with devotion and dedication, was born.

The stanza only conveys that a younger brother was born for Vasudeva.

The adjective “Vishwavit” (Vishwavidaha + anujaha + aBhavat) applies to Srirama, Sri Bheema and Sri Krishna, respectively and the adjectives Karmakrut, priyaha and suBhaktimAn related to Lakshmana, Arjuna and Gada in that order. Gada was born after Sri Krishna to Vasudeva from Rohini. He was a divine being belonging to Chandakas. Sri Madhwacharya clarifies this factor in his Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya: “Gadashcha nAmatO(a)nujO HarEhe sa ROhiNeesutaha| PurA sa chanDakO gaNO HarErnivEditAshanaha| It means: A brother of Sri Hari named Gada was born to Rohini. Earlier, he (Gada) belonged to Chandaka Gana. It is stated in Purananama Choodamani that Gada was a very brave person and an established warrior, who could wield and use any weapon with both hands, simultaneously. He was one of those survivors among the Pandavas after the Great War.

The great personality of Sri Vishnutirtharu, younger brother of Sri Madhwacharya, has been described later in the Fifteenth Sarga. Sri Madhwacharya ordained Sri Vishnutirtharu into sainthood. In fact, Sri Madhwacharya confirms in his Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya: “ArjunAdyAha krutE prajAtA haritOShaNAya”. It means that Sri Vishnutirtharu was an incarnation of Arjuna, who was an incarnation of Lord Indra.   

KadAchidApyAlayabudDhirAlayam nivEdayan pAlakamEnamEtayOho|

DruDhaswasanyAsaniShEDhanishchayAm DhavAnumatyEdamuvAcha mAratam||27||

SUMMARY: Sometime later, Sri Vasudeva, who had the remotest, comprehensive and divine knowledge, came to his house, told his parents that the newborn baby boy would take care of them in the future; turning towards his mother, who had decided to strongly oppose the decision of Vasudeva to become a saint, like her husband, and told her…  

Mother of Vasuddeva too had decided to stop him from becoming a saint and that is why he wanted to convince her.

VarAshramAptim mama samvadaswa mAm kadAchidapyamba yadeechChaseekShitum|

YadanyaThA dEshamimam parityajan na jAtu druShTErviShayO BhavAmi vaha||28||

SUMMARY: “Dear Mother, if at all you wish to see me once in a while, later then you allow me to accept sainthood. Otherwise, I will leave this country once for all so that you will never have a chance to see me again.”

By appealing to his Mother in this manner, Vasudeva once again stands as a model to society and he shows that children should respect their parents at all levels. He did not want to show any disrespect for his mother and therefore he appeled to her to permit him to become a saint.

SRI RAGHAVENDRA SWAMY'S SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

(Ahalya Shapa Vimochana: Sage Vishwamitra concludes the story of Gauthama, Ahalya and Indra. As requested by him, Sri Rama releases Ahalya from the curse. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

In the case of celestial beings with remote knowledge (Aparoksha Jnani), none of the sins can render them punishable and they do not attract painful, incongruous and negative stains or strain. Persons without such remote knowledge or divine power visualise invisible things cannot attain or long for the status of Indra nor can they secure powers to rule the Heavens. Therefore, Indra, who has the governing authority and power to rule the heavens, invariably possesses the remote power and consequently, it can certainly be perceived that no negative or punitive stain was attracted by him because of his sensuous behaviour with Ahalya. Moreover, deities cannot be said to have committed any sin by enraging the chastity of a woman of lower strata of beings. Going by this norm too, Indra did not attract any blot of sin due to his behaviour with Ahalya. Yet, Indra was distressed and worried for the misery that trustworthy Ahalya had to bear for a very long time because of his deed.

It is not right for devotees of Vishnu to hurt other devotees of Lord Hari. Sage Durvasa, an incarnationof Lord Rudra, tried to deceive King Ambareesha, who was in the lower strata compared to Durvasa, and became a victim of unsavoury situation. Similarly, Lord Indra had committed a great sin of offending Sage Gautama and his wife Ahalya, who were both lesser beings compared to him, because the couple was rank devotees of Lord Vishnu. For this reason too, Indra cursed himself and became worried.

Ahalya too had committed the sin by force and therefore, she had not wilfully done anything wrong. Still, being a highly committed and most loyal wife of Gautama, she assumed the form of a stone idol to get rid of some sin she might have committed in her previous births, for getting her chastity disturbed and for creating an atmosphere of distrust in the mind of her husband. But, she did penance in that form of rocky idol to erase all the stains.

Gautama also realised that Indra had not committed any blunder as he was a higher being. He repented for cursing his innocent wife Ahalya and also Indra, in a fit of sheer rage.

Vishwamitra showed Ahalya in the form of a stone to Rama and told him the circumstances that had led Ahalya to such a sorry state. Vishwamitra told Rama: Oh Ramadeva, please look at this Ahalya Devi, who is your devotee, with sympathy and affection. She has not committed any mistake. She has been doing the penance to rid the negative effects of sins of past births. Please relieve her from all sins. Please fill the heart and mind of your dedicated devotee Gauthama with love towards his wife. Kindly clear their misery and grief. Devendra has been worrying for victimising Ahalya and Gauthama for no fault of theirs and for not being able to resolve the ill-effects of his act. He is a committed devotee of yours. He has been defamed because of his act. Bestow upon him the boon of calmness. Restore his mental peace. Gauthama too deserves to recover calmness. Let Devendra worship you with renewed conviction for clearing the curse that Ahalya has been suffering from because of his misdeed. Please save all of them from the ill-effects of their sin,” Vishwamitra appealed to Sri Rama.

Sri Rama listened the entire story, smiled affectionately with a positive mind-set and touched the stone idol that Ahalya had assumed with a toe end. She came out of the stone form, blazing with renewed charm and inexplicable beauty. Gauthama and Ahalya worshipped Rama with great devotion. Thus, after making everyone happy, Vishwamitra, Rama, Lakshmana and other sages proceeded from that place and arrived at Mithila.   

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA - CHATURTHAHA SARGAHA SHLOKAS 23 TO 25

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA – CHATURTHAHA SARGAHA SHOLKAS 23 TO 25

(In the stanza 23, Sri Madhyageha had played all his cards to divert Sri Vasudeva. Madhyageha had told Vasudeva that if he (Vasudeva) were to become a saint, then there would be none to look after them (elderly parents). The words of Sri Madhyageha were not out of context because it is stated in Bhava Prakashika: VrudDhau cha mAtApitarau sADhwee  BhAryA sutaha shishuhu| ApyakAryashatam krutwA BhartavyA manurabraveet|| This means that that Shastras mandate that aged parents, loyal wife and young son should be protected or taken care of even if it needs to commit a hundred sins or crime. However, in these stanzas 23 to 25, Sri Vasudeva convinces his father and secures the permission to become a saint. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

YadA viraktah puruShaha prajAyatE tadaiva sannyAsaviDhihi shrutau shrutaha|

Na sangaheenO(a)pi parivrajAmi vAmaham tu shushrUShumakalpayanniti||23||

SUMMARY: “The Shrutis have declared ‘sainthood is the right move when a person has renounced everything that is worldly’. Although I have become fully averse to worldly pleasures, I will not get ordained into sainthood till I provide you with a caretaker.”

This is the reply of Sri Vasudeva to his father. Sri Vasudeva has established two important facts in this stanza. One is that children should never disobey parens and secondly one should not show disregard to Shrutis, Smrutis and other holy Texts. He also clarifies that in the case of a person destined to serve the Lord, especially when he has renounced worldly pleasures, approval of parents is not mandatory.

Vasudeva, who had the knowledge of present, past and future, indirectly informs his father that he would beget another son soon. That is why, Vasudeva promises to his father that he would not embrace sainthood.  

BahushrutatwAdyadi tatsahE balAnna sA savitree viraham sahEta tE|

Iti dwijEnABhihitE(a)namat sa tam BhavAnanujnAm pradadAtwiti bruvan||24||

SUMMARY: “Being aware of everything, I may somehow bear this agony; but, your mother will certainly not bear the nostalgia that grips her with your departure,” said Madhyageha. Vasudeva just said that he wanted his father’s permission and saluted him.

In this stanza, in his spirited reaction, Madhyageha had indicated that he might or could bear the nostalgia caused by Vasudeva becoming a saint. Therefore, Vasudeva asks Madhygeha to first give his approval and that it was his responsibility to get the approval of his mother.

Vichintya vidwAn sa nirutareekrutastaThA(a)stu mAtA(a)nuvadEdyadeeti tam|

Udeerya kruchChrAdupagamya mandiram priyAsakAshE tamudantamabraveet||25||

As he could not reply, Madhyageha contemplated for a moment and said “I have no objection if your mother concedes,” with great difficulty; he returned home and reported everything to her.