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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00070 Dec 2006

 
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Post 8

 

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

In the previous 7 posts, we saw 'lakshmaNa' donning 5 roles, that of

 

Before we take up the next role, just I would like to add three slOkams on raamaa's meat eating in the forest. We have already seen that raama has assured to his mother that for 14 years he will live only as a 'saakhaahaari' – a pure vegetarian, living only on fruits, roots, and leaves. Towards that we have also seen that 'varam – boon' of brahmaa given to raavaNan that he can be killed by a person who lives on roots, fruits, and leaves, in the forest, living like a mendicant for 14 years.

 

See here in these three slokams raama says 'I will be a vegetarian' and also giving meat to his wife. There again vaalmeeki adds a word - which is very important for us.

 

upasprusam thrishavaNam madhu moola phala asana: |

na ayOdhyaayai na raajyaaya spruhayaami thvayaa saha || 2-95-18

 

Meaning: Raama says to seethaa [in the forest before bharatha meets raama in chithrakootam] – 'I, who does three times bath in a day and has honey, fruits, and roots as food, will not like other things – let it be for ayOdhyaa's sake or for the sake of kingdom'. [this is a sort of assurance given to seethaa]

 

thaam thathaa dharsayithvaa thu maithileem giri nimnagaam |

nishasaadha giriprasthE seethaam maamsEna chhandhayan || 2-96-1

 

meaning: Having shown Mandhakini River in that manner to Seethaa, the daughter of Mithila king, Raama set on the hill-side in order to gratify her appetite with a piece of flesh.

 

[in another book this 'maamsEna' is translated as 'the flesh of fruits' – may be fruits like mango which has lot of flesh – 'sadhaip paRRu udaiya pazham' in tamil]

 

idham mEdhyam idham svaadhu nishTaptham idham agninaa |

Evam aasthE sa dharmaathmaa seethayaa saha raaghava: || 2-96-2

 

Meaning: Raama, whose mind was devoted to righteousness, stayed there with Seetha, saying; "This meat is fresh, this is savoury and roasted in the fire for you."

 

Point: 1. Here it is seethaa, who is eating meat and not raama. That is why vaalmeeki adds that important adjective 'sa dharmaathmaa – that righteous person'. When raama gives an assurance, he sticks to it and does not violate that under any circumstance. 

 

So, in the discussion whether raama is a meat eater or not, the answer will be, as a kshathriya, yes,  he is a meat eater. But, he is not a meat eater during the sojourn in the forest. This will be the correct position.

 

This also gets corraborated by hanumaan to seethaa in sundhara kaaNdam. There again – when hanuman says 'madhu' – it may mean honey also. Perhaps raama has given up one more item – honey - for seethaa's sake. Why I raked this topic here is – this is a continuation of that 'brahmaa's varam topic' covered in earlier post.

 

2. Since the next role of lakshmaNa – that of 'ardous servant of raama' requires a lengthy dealing for lakshmaNa as an ardous servant on many occasions. So we will see the smaller roles on priority since these are , may be asingle occasion or two, and then take up that lengthy role. Thus I will take the next smaller role is that of an 'oarsman' – or 'boat builder'.

 

3. When the trio of raama, lakshmaNa, and seethaa started on their forest sojourn, lakshmaNa takes up this role to cross the river yamunaa. Sage Vaalmeeki says the boat [or craft] building is done by both raama and lakshmaNa, but kamban describes that as a full effort by lakshmaNa only. Since kamban's was lingering in my mind, I added that in the list of roles done by lakshmaNa, which shall stand slightly modified. [since vaalmeeki's raamaayaNam is more sacrosanct for us].

 

ithi thou purusha vyaaghrou manthrayithvaa manasvinou || 2-55-12

seethaam Eva agratha: kruthvaa kaaLindheem jagmathu: nadheem |

athaa saadhya thu kaaLindheem seeghra: srOthOvahaam nadheem || 2-55-13

chinthaam aapEdhirE sarvE nadhee jala thitheershava: |

 

Meaning: Deliberating thus, Raama and Lakshmana, the tigers among men, who were highly intelligent, headed for the river Yamunaa guarding Seethaa still in front. Having reached the River Yamunaa, running with rapid stream, all of them then plunged into a thought of how to cross those river-waters.

 

thou kaashTha sanghaatamathO chakrathusthu mahaa plavam || 2-55-14

sushkair vamsai: samaastheerNam uLeeraischa samaavrutham |

thatO vEtha sashaakhaascha jamboo saakhaascha veeryavaan || 2-55-15

chakaara lakshmaNaschhithvaa seethaayaa: sukham aasanam |

 

Meaning: Then, Raama and Lakshmana prepared a big 'barge' with pieces of timber fastened together, covered with a kind of grass and spread over with dry bamboo canes. Thereafter, the valiant Lakshmana made for Seetha a comfortable seat, after chopping branches of reeds and branches of rose apple tree [naaval maram in tamil].

 

thattra sriyam iva achinthyaam raamO dhaasarathi: priyaam || 2-55-16

eeshath samlajjamaanam thaam adhyaarOpayath plavam |

 

Meaning: Then Raama, the son of Dasaratha, helped Seethaa to mount the raft, his beloved consort, who was unimaginable to common people, like the goddess of fortune, and who was feeling shy a little.

 

paarsvE cha thathra vaidhEhyaa vasanE chooshNaani cha || 2-55-17

plavE kaThinakaajam cha raamaschakrE saha aayudhai: |

aarOpya prathamam seethaam sanghaaTam prathigruhya thou || 2-55-18

thatha: prathErathuryaththou veerou dhasaratha aathmajou |

 

meaning: Raama kept the two robes, the jewellery, a shovel and a basket by the side of Seethaa in the raft there, along with weapons. Those valiant sons of Dasaratha firmly held that raft, firstly helped Seetha to ascend it and then ferried across the river watchfully.

 

Point: here, perhaps, you may think wherefrom jewellery came, for raama did a lot of dhaanam – yaathraa dhaanam – and also seethaa, before they set off to the forest [ayodhyaa kaaNdam - sargam 32]. But, just at that time, when they took leave of dhasaratha – the king ordered the treasurer of the kingdom to give adequate jewellery and clothes to seethaa – not to raama. That is the jewellery which they carried – and get a mention here.

 

kaaLindheem atha seethaa thu yaachamaanaa kruthaanjali: || 2-55-21

theeram Eva abhisampraapthaa dhakshiNam varavarNinee |

thatha: plavEnaamsumatheem seeghragaam oormi maalineem || 2-55-22

theerajair bahubhir vrukshai: samthErur yamunaam nadheem |

 

meaning: Seetha of excellent complexion thus praying with joined palms to Yamuna River , forthwith reached the southern side of the river. Thus, by the raft, Seetha Rama and lakshmaNa crossed the River Yamuna, which flows briskly, wreathed with waves, with many trees born on its bank and having rays for it reflection.

 

thE theerNaa: plavam uthsrujya prasthaaya yamunaavanaath || 2-55-23

syaamam nyagrOdhamaasEdhu: seethalam harithachchhadham |

 

meaning: They, who have crossed the river, abandoned the raft and march through the river-forest of Yamuna and reached a cool banyan tree called Syama having green leaves.

 

Point: see here vaalmeeki placesboth contributed to the making of raft and crossed yamunaa. But see what kamban says

aaRu kaNdanar agam maghizhndhu iRainchinar aRindhu

neeRu thOi maNi mEniyar nedum punal padindhaar

ooRu melkani kizhanginOdu uNdu neer uNdaar

ERi Eghuvadhu enganam enRalum iLaiyOn

 

vaangu vEi kazhai thuNiththanan maaNaiyin kodiyaal

Ongu theppam onRu amaiththu adhin umbarin ulampOl

veengu thOl aNNal dhEviyOdu inidhu veeRRiruppa

neenginaan andha nedu nadhi irukaiyaal neendhi – vanam pugu padalam

 

meaning: once the trio relaxed after enjoying a bath in the yamunaa river and after having food containing fruits, roots, etc, thought of how to cross the river. Quickly the young one, viz lakshmaNa, cut bamboos and tied the bamboos with 'maaNaik kodi' – [a sort of creeper] and made a craft strong enough to carry the two – raama and seethaa. He acted as an oarsman by pushing water with both hands to push the craft, and swimming, to cross the river..

 

Please observe the variation between the two authors. So lakshmaNa is the boat builder and oarsman. This role forms part of that major servant also. Next let us see lakshmaNa as the engineer – to construct house according to vaasthu.

 

Dhaasan



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Vasudevan MG __._,_.___

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