Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra
Mahadesikaya nama:
The Right-thinking Rakshasa
RAkshasAs, as a race, are demoniacal. All one tends to associate with
them are cruelty, torture and all sorts of murder and mayhem. They have always
been a clan of marauders, with more brawn than brain and making a profession
out of opposing the divine dispensation. They are always against the Lord and
His devotees, always on the look out for opportunities of causing harm to the
latter, in any and all ways. The very word ?RAkshasa? brings to our mind a
RAvaNA, a HiranyAksha, a Hiranyakasipu and others of their ilk. At the mere mention of the word, our
mind?s eye picturises a meaty hulk with bulging, blood-red eyes, a tangled
mane of hair falling over the shoulders, long and sharp protruding teeth
resembling those of a predator and a body which is a veritable moving mountain
of flesh, invariably dark in complexion, with a terrifying and blood-curdling
roar passing for a voice. And, somewhat inexplicably, all the pictures of
Rakshasas that I have seen, either on TV or in films, were with stripes of
VibhUti on their foreheads.
It is easy to conclude from the aforesaid that RakshasAs, without
exception, were a gang of rogues and murderers, who couldn?t bear the sight or
thought of good things happening. However, when we peruse the VAlmIki
Ramayana, we find several exceptions to the aforesaid stereotype picture that
is painted of a RAkshasa. We are told that there were several Rakshasas in
Lanka who were well-versed in the Vedas and were constantly reciting the
same-?SvAdhyAya niratAnschaiva yAtudhAnAn dadarsa sa:?. The houses of some of
these worthies were reverberating with the sound of Mantras??sushrAva japatAm
tatra mantrAn rakshO grihEshuvai?.
Several were engaged in the performance of YagyAs and were attired
accordingly??dIkshitAn jatilAn mundAn gO anijAmbara vAsasa:? Sri Hanuman is
also able to find among the residents of Lanka, those with beauty of physique
and character??nananda drishtvA sa cha tAn surUpAn nAnA guNAn Atma
guNAnuroopAn?.
Their wives too impress the Vanara VIrA so much with their good hearts
that he describes them as ?mahAnubhAvA:?, ?vishuddha bhAvA:? etc. They are also extremely attached to
righteous conduct, finds Sri Maruti??dharmaparA:?. Many of the inhabitants of
Lanka performed appropriate hOmAs during amAvAsya, PourNamAsya etc. (like
Darsam, PoorNamAsam etc.). These Rakshasas were profound patrons of the arts
and Lanka was filled with bewtitching music emanating from various instruments
as also from the sweet shAreerams of their women.
Having
said enough to establish that RAkshasAs were not entirely beyond redemption
and that there were indeed exceptions to the general rule of their being bad,
I should now do justice to the caption of this piece by dwelling on a
Right-thinking Rakshasa. Readers would invariably except me to write here
about the most obvious specimen of decency and Dharma that was to be found in
Lanka?Sri VibhIshaNa. Indeed, it appears difficult to think of anyone else as
rooted firmly in righteousness as this brother of Ravana, with his fearless
espousal of the right path despite very real threats to his life and limb and
his bold decision to leave all his earthly possessions, his princedom and all
his loved ones, to cross the seas and surrender at the Lord?s lotus
feet??tyaktvA putrAmscha dArAmshca Raghavam sharaNam gata:?.
However, I would not be obliging readers by doing the
obvious and writing about Vibhishana. The Hero of this piece is quite
different. Though it is difficult to picturise him as a right-thinking person,
he is indeed one, as Sri Valmiki demonstrates through his own words. The
amount of adulatory references to Sri Rama, emanating from this Rakshasa,
exceed the tributes paid by many of His admirers. Indeed, this worthy uses so
many imaginative similies to describe the Prince of Ayodhya, that even the
Lord?s regular devotees would have to hang their heads in shame. The encomiums
heaped upon the distinguished son of Dasarata, emanating from this unusual
source, make one wonder as to whether he was indeed a Rakshasa, or born in the
clan due to some mix-up at BrahmA?s creative factory.
?RAmO
vigrahavAn dharma: sAdhu: satya parAkrama:??Sri Rama is indeed righteousness
personified and is the best of people, with proven prowess. Whom do you think
is the author of these eloquent words of tribute to the Prince of Ayodhya?
None other than MArIchA, who is
the centerpiece of this article.
Enraged by the indignity meted out to sister
ShoorpanakhA, Ravana seeks the help of MarIchA for the abduction of Sri
Mythili, to wreak revenge on Sri Rama. The elder Rakshasa?s elaborate reply
and homilies to Ravana have been chronicled by Sri Valmiki in considerable
detail and each individual word of Maricha is worth its weight in
gold.
From
Maricha?s accounts, it would appear as though he is the fittest person to tell
us about Sri Raghava?s bravery, prowess in war, tolerance and mercy, of all of
which he (Maricha) has been either a target or a beneficiary. In fact, the
Prince of Ayodhya?s very first encounter with enemies involves Maricha, SubAhu
and a host of others, when they arrive in force to create hurdles to
Visvamitra?s yagyA. Mistaking the
Prince to be a mere toddler playing with a bow and arrow, when Maricha
attacks, all that the Lord does is to let loose a single sharp arrow, which
not only renders the rakhsasa senseless, but the momentum of which also
carries him hundreds of miles afar, flinging him deep into the ocean. Readers
must appreciate the strategy behind the RamabANA?s sparing this rakshasa, when
all the others accompanying him are annihilated. Keeping in mind the important
role the rakshasa was to play later on, Sri Rama spares him with a warning
shot, so to say.
The
Rakshasa has a second encounter with the Prince, when he runs into Sri Rama,
Lakshmana and Sri Mythily during their initial sojourn in the DandakAraNya.
Misled again by appearances and failing to recognise in the deer-skin-clad Sri
Rama the Prince at whose hands he had almost met his nemesis, Maricha attacks
again, in the form of a deadly deer with lethal horns, intent on his habitual
pursuit of killing and consuming RishIs and dharmAtmAs. Again, the RAmabANa,
while putting paid to his equally blood-thirsty accomplices, spares Maricha,
with a sound thrashing.
Thankful to the Lord for having spared his life twice,
Maricha turns over a new leaf and leads a life of penance and renunciation,
adhering to the right path atleast towards the sunset of his
life?
?sharENa muktO Ramasya kathanchit prApya
jIvitam
iha
pravrAjtO yukta: tApasOham samAhita:?
It is
at this juncture that Ravana seeks out Maricha, for abetting the abduction of
Mythili. And Maricha, trying hard to dissuade DasagrIva from the foolhardy
endeavour, uses the opportunity to sing the praises of Sri Rama in delightful
detail. He tells the ill-fated Ravana that the one the latter was mistaking to
be a puny mortal to be easily triumphed over, was in fact a warrior of
matchless magnificence and peerless prowess. The similes employed by Maricha
are choice ones, portraying vividly the various and glorious aspects of the
Prince of Ayodhya.
?Rama
is verily the Master of all these worlds, just as Indra is for the dEvAs?,
begins Maricha, recounting the fame of the Prince of Ayodhya.
?He is
verily the Furious Fire (?RAmAgni:?), having unfailing arrows as its leaping
tongues, fed by the magnificent bow and sceptre, which form the fuel, and
totally unappraochable to opponents intent on attack.?
? Sri
Rama is indeed the God of Death personified, with a terrifyingly gaping mouth
represented by His splendorous bow Kodandam, sharp and lethal arrows forming
the deadly tongue, weilding a sceptre that verily is a lasso capturing
resisting victims and spelling death with every action of
His?.
Maricha uses several beautiful adjectives to describe
Sri Ramachandra?s glorius attributes, uttering each syllable with apparent
relish??MahAveeryam, guNOnnatam, MahEndra VaruNOpamam, DharmAtmA., Narasimha:,
Padmapatra nibhEkshaNa:. SrImAn, BAlachandra:, aklishta karmaNa:,? etc. If the complimentary references made
by Maricha are strung into a verse, they would indeed form a fitting accolade
to the illustrious son of Kousalya.
Maricha is also aware of the glory of SitA PirAtti and
tells Ravana that one who has Her at His side could never be won over, for His
glory would be immeasurable??apramEyO hi tat tEjO yasya sA JanakAtmajA?. She
is like the blazing fire, unapproachable by others??deeptasyEva hutAsanasya
Sita sumadhyamA?. The rakshasa is aware too of the inseparability of the
Divine Duo, likening Piratti to the brilliance of the Sun, which can never be
separated from its possessor??PrabhAm iva Vivasvata:?.
Sri
Rama is in Maricha?s constant contemplation and forms the unvarying subject
matter of his thoughts, both due to the terror occasioned by the former?s
deadly arrows, as well as the pleasure it affords the Rakshasa to think about
the splendorous divine form with the matchless attributes. Like the seasoned
BrahmagnAni, he is able to see the Lord in everything that he sets his eyes
on?
?Rama
bhootam idam sarvam araNym pratibhAti mE?. He sees not one Rama, but thousands
of Him, filling all directions, the earth and the skies
above?
?api
Rama sahasrANi bheeta: pasyAmi Ravana!?.
He
sees Sri Raghava in every tree and shrub of the forest he lives
in?
?VrikshE vrikshE cha pasyAmi cheera
krishNAjinAmbaram
girheeta dhanusham Ramam pAsa hastam
ivAntakam?
Maricha is blessed to see the Lord not only while
awake, but even in his sleep?
?Ramam
Eva hi pasyAmi RakshasEsvara!
DrishtvA svapna gatam Ramam udbhavAmi
vichEtana:?
So
much obsessed is the rakshasa with Sri Rama that all words beginning with ?Ra?
remind him only of the Prince of Ayodhya?
?RakAra AdIni nAmAni Rama trastasya
Ravana!
RatnAni cha rathAschaiva trAsam
sanjanayanti mE?
What
an exalted state, which every aspiring seeker would covet! To see the Lord in
anything and everything one sets sight on, to hear the Lord?s sonorous and
stentorian voice in all sounds that fall on one?s ears, to have Him inhabit
one?s thoughts constantly and without intermission, in waking and in sleep, to
have each and every word in the lexicon remind one only of Emperuman, to know
His prowess in all its glory and to think, breathe, hear and do everything
with the Lord as constant companion!
If
this is not what Brahma gnAnam is all about, what else could it be! It is an
entirely different story that all this constant contemplation of the Lord was
caused in Maricha by his mortal fear of DAsarathi?irrespective of the
causative factors, we must admit that the rakshasa attained a state which
would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for any devotee to even think
of, leave alone achieve.
There
are two entities who claim to know the Lord?s glories in all their
immeasurable extent- the first is the VEda Purusha, who claims with confidence
to know the Lord for what He is??VEdAham Etam Purusham mahAntam? says the
Purusha Sukta. The other is Maharshi Visvamitra, who too employs almost
similar words to display his close acquaintance with and knowledge of the
Paramapurusha??aham vEdmi mahAtmAnam Ramam satya parAkramam?. And there is a
third too, a totally unlikely entity, none other than our Maricha, who says he
knows Sri Raghava in all His glory?? aham tasya prabhAvagya: na yuddham tEna
tE kshamam?. All these three knowers stand on an equal footing, in that they
know not the true extent of the Lord?s magnificence, but know it to be
immeasurable and beyond description.
The
dialogue between Maricha and Ravana can rank very well with other
conversations of scriptural renown as those between Sri Bhishma and Sri
Yudhistthira (resulting in the Sri Vishnu Sahasranama stotram) and the one the
latter had with Sri Vidhura?for, all these serve to bring out the many-faceted
splendour of Emperuman and His auspicious attributes.
Maricha?s monologue covers a lot of
ground in social, political and personal ethics and is a treat to the
discerning reader. Maricha prefaces his long sermon to Ravana with the remark
that holds good even today?that quite a lot of friends and relatives could be
found, who tell you only what you want to hear, what is pleasing to your ears,
irrespective of its being truthful or otherwise. On the other hand, there is
none to voice bitter truths or hard options, and even if there were to be some
such honest person, he would find no takers or listeners?
?Bahava: purushA RAjan! Satatam priya
vAdina:
apriyasya cha pathyasya vaktA shrOtA
cha durlabha:?.
One
might wonder?if Maricha was indeed a reformed rakshasa, cured of all his
bestial nature, why should he consent to assuming the form of the golden deer
and enable the abduction of Piratti by Ravana? Does this not prove that one?s
essential nature never changes, whatever be the lessons life teaches one? Can
a tiger ever change its stripes? And so on.
The
truth of the matter is that Maricha was able to discern the inexorable hand of
fate pulling him towards his end. He was aware too that if he didn?t oblige
Ravana, it would mean immediate death at the hands of the cruel asurA. He knew
too that to obey Ravana would mean certain death at the hands of Sri Rama, who
would definitely not spare him for a third time. So Maricha found that his
fate was sealed, with death a sure end-product of whichever option he chose.
And he preferred to die at the hands of one whom he admired most and whom he
considered a ?vigrahavAn Dharma:?. He says as much to Ravana
too?
?MAm
nihatya tu Ramascha na chirAt tvAm vadhishyati
anEna krita krityOsmi mriyE yat ariNA
hata:?
And
when, as expected, Sri Rama?s arrow pierces his heart, Maricha lets out a cry,
?HA SItA! HA LakshmaNA!?. Whatever be the motive behind these utterances, the
Rakshasa has the Piratti?s tirunAmam on his lips and that of mahA bhAgavata
Lakshmana, which must have ensured for him a place in the heavens above,
though Sri Valmiki is silent on this. If the parable of ajAmiLa is any
indication and it is true that he was taken to the VishnulOka merely for
calling out to his son Narayana (and not the Paramapurusha Narayana) while on
his death bed, it would appear that the efficacy of Bhagavan nAma is such as
to ensure emancipation, irrespective of the intention behind its utterance?as
such, Maricha too should have attained the good worlds inhabited by
meritorious mortals.
This
is not an eulogy to an unendearing asura, but a tribute to the Lord who is
able to enthrall and entice even hard-core offenders and die-hard demons like
Maricha. Inscrutable indeed are the ways of Emperuman, in bringing habitual
offenders to the path of righteousness?He attracts some through His bewitching
form, some through His magnificent kalyANa guNAs, some others through His
prowess. In the case of Maricha, the Lord did it through the very basic human
emotion of fear, making the asura so terror-stricken as to find the Lord
anywhere and everywhere, to see Him in every object, while awake as well as
when asleep.
Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka
SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
Dasan,
sadagopan