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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00008 Nov 2004

 
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Dear srivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

In both the two major stories of India or the two ithihaasams, the two greats 
of all times - raamaayaNam and mahaa bhaaratham - both center on the same point 
"one bow is kept to win the heroine of the story". Whoever proves his capacity 
in using that bow wins the girl or heroine, and then the story builds around 
the bow and the lady till the end. 

In raamaayaNam we all know seethaa's 'kanya sulkam' - 'the deed to do to win 
the girl or the price to be paid' is the handling of the 'siva' dhanu: and 
raama broke the dhanu:. In mahaa bhaaratham dhroupathy's kanya sulkam again is 
another bow, with a tag, 'whoever can lift and use the bow to hit the whirling 
target of fish by aiming through its reflection in oil' will win the girl 
dhroupathy, [which arjuna only can do]. Each is a special bow and only the 
hero, the valiant, could use the bow and won the girls. 

In this and next few posts, we will see how this bow brought a special name to 
raama, given by none else than that girl seethaa, who was won through that act 
of bravery with the bow. Here is the story of that special bow, the 'Siva's 
bow', which was kept as the tool to test the capacity of the 'would be son in 
law' by the father 'janaka' of the girl 'seethaa'. The story of the bow will be 
as far as possible through the raamaayaNa slOkams.

Here we are starting with baala kaaNdam slOkams.

puthrou dhasarathasya imou kshathriyou lOka visruthou |
dhrashtu kaamou dhanu: srEshtam yath Ethath thvayi thishtathi || 1-66-5

putrau + dhasarathasya + imou = sons of Dasharatha these two 
kshathriyou + lOka + visruthou = Kshathriyas in world renowned
dhrashtu + kaamou + dhanu: + srEshtam = to see desirous bow marvellous 
yath + Ethath + thvayi + thishtathi = which [bow] that one in you [with you] 
have a place.

Meaning: In the palace of janaka, the king of mithila, sage visvaamithra, 
having brought raama and lakshmaNa there, says to the king janaka, "These two 
are the sons of king Dhasaratha, well-renowned Kshathriyas in world, and they 
are desirous to see that marvellous bow which has a place with you".

Ethath dharsaya bhadhram thE krutha kaamou nrupa aathmajou |
dharsanaath asya dhanushO yathaa ishtam prathiyaasyatha: || 1-66-6

Ethath + dharsaya = that [bow] show 
bhadhram + thE = bades well to you 
krutha + kaamau + nrupa + aathmajou = done [come true] desires king's sons [two 
princes] 
dharsanaath + asya + dhanusha: = by beholding that bow 
yathaa + ishtam + prathi + yaasyatha: = as they like return [back] they go

meaning: sage visvaamithra continues to janaka "You may show that bow, well 
bodes you, and on beholding that bow, the desire of these two princes will come 
true, and they will go back as they like.

Point: here in raamayanam, the hero raama is accompanied by a braahmaNa comes 
to the king's palace and expresses the desire to see the bow and finally wins 
the girl seethaa. In mahaa bhaaratham also arjuna comes in the guise of a 
braahmaNa, accompanied by his brothers in same braahmaNa's guise and expresses 
his desire to see the bow, finally wins the girl dhroupathy.

Evam uktha: thu janaka: prathyuvaacha mahaa munim |
srooyathaam asya dhanushO yath artham iha thishthathi || 1-66-7

Evam + uktha: + thu + janaka: = thus addressed but Janaka 
prathyuvaacha + mahaa munim = replied the great sage 
srooyathaam + asya + dhanusha: = I let you hear about that bow 
yath + artham + iha + thishtathi = by which reason here it has a place.

Meaning: Janaka replied the great sage Visvaamithra, when he was addressed 
thus, "I shall first tell by which reason that bow has its place here".

Point: dear raama bhakthaas, let us also hear the story of this dhanush, the 
bow for that is the topic, which we are going to discuss here. 

dhEvaraatha ithi khyaathO nimE: jyEshtO mahee pathi: |
nyaasO ayam thasya bhagavan hasthE dhaththO mahaathmanaa || 1-66-8

bhagavan = oh, godly sage 
nimE: = from Nimi 
shashta: [jyEshta:] = sixth [eldest] 
dhEvaraatha + ithi + khyaatha: = DhEvaraatha thus renowned 
maheepathi: = king 
ayam = this [bow] 
thasya + hasthE + nyaasa: = in his hand as custodial care 
mahaathmanaa = by sublime soul [siva]; 
dhaththa: = given.

Meaning: Oh, godly sage, there was a king renowned as dhEevaraatha, sixth one 
from Nimi, [the originator of our lineage,] and this bow was handed down to him 
for custodial care by the sublime soul, siva.

dhaksha yajna vadhE poorvam dhanu: aayamya veeryavaan |
rudhra: thu thridhasaan rOshaath sa leelam idham abraveeth || 1-66-9

dhaksha + yajna +vadhE = dhaksha prajaapathi's vEdhic ritual devastation 
poorvam = once; 
dhanu: + aayamya + veeryavaan = bow outstretching [bowstring] mettlesome [god] 
rudhra: + thu + thridhasaan = rudhra but to all gods 
rOshaath + sa + leelam + idham + abraveeth = rancorously, with, playing with 
[superciliously] this said.

Meaning: Once, during the devastation of the vEdhic-ritual of dhaksha 
prajaapathi, the mettlesome god rudhra, rancorously outstretching the bowstring 
of this bow, said this to all gods, superciliously.

yasmaath bhaaga arthino bhaagaan na akalpayatha mE suraa: |
vara angaani mahaaarhaaNi dhanushaa saathayaami va: || 1-66-10

yasmaath = whereby; 
bhaaga + arthina: = portion [of oblations in vEdhic-ritual] desirer 
bhaagaan + na + a + kalpayatha = apportioned not made 
mE = to me 
suraa: = oh gods 
vara + angaani = best limbs [heads] 
mahaa + arhaaNi = highly revered [heads] 
dhanushaa + shaathayaami = with bow I will shred 
va: = yours.

Meaning: Oh, gods, whereby you have not apportioned my portion [of oblations in 
vEdhic- rituals, as I am also] the desirer of such portion, [thereby] I will 
shred the highly revered heads of yours with this bow.' [So said siva to gods]

thathO vimanasa: sarvE dhEvaa vai munipungava |
prasaadhayanthi dhEvesam thEshaam preethO abhavath bhava: || 1-66-11

thatha + vimanasa: + sarvE + dhEvaa + vai = then dismayed all gods truly 
muni pungava = oh best saint 
prasaadhayanthi + dhEvEsam = on supplicating God of Gods [siva]; 
thEshaam + preetha: + abhavath + bhava: = of them glad He became Bhava [another 
name of siva.]

meaning: Then, oh, best saint visvaamitra, all gods are truly dismayed, and on 
their supplicating, Bhava, viz siva, the God of Gods is gladdened.

preethi yuktha: thu sarvEshaam dhadhou thEshaam mahaathmanaam |
thath Ethath dhEvadhEvasya dhanoo rathnam mahaathmana: || 1-66-12
nyaasabhootham thadhaa nyastham asmaakam poorvajE vibhO |

preethi + yuktha: + thu = glad having [gladly] but 
sarvEshaam + dhadhou = to all gave 
thEshaam + mahaa aathmanaam = to them great souled gods 
thath + Ethath + dhEva dhEvasya = that this God of God's 
dhanoo + rathnam = bow gem of a 
mahaathmana: = by sublime soul siva 
nyaasa bhootham = for custodial care 
thadhaa + nyastham = then given 
asmaakam + poorvajE = to our ancestor 
vibhO = oh, godly saint.

Meaning: That sublime soul siva gladly gave that bow to all of the great souled 
gods. Oh, godly saint visvaamithra, then those great souled gods gave this gem 
of a bow of siva, the God of Gods, to our ancestor [dhEvaraatha] for custodial 
care.

Point: Thus the story of how the siva dhanu: reached the ancestors of janaka is 
told by janaka to visvaamithra [includes raama and lakshmaNa for they were by 
the side of visvaamithra when all these are spoken]. But we have to see first 
how siva got this bow which is an interesting story. That we will see in next 
post.

Dhasan
Vasudevan m.g.

PS 1: [Very important point: please do not pick the thread how you can say 
"siva, the anya dhevatha, can be said 'god of gods' etc", for I have just truly 
reproduced what is in sreemadh raamaayanam, with slokam no etc.] 
PS 2: Sri.V.Anjaneyalu of Itarsi provided the important thread for this post 
and my gratitudes are due to him.






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