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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00042 Nov 2004

 
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Post 4

Dear srivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

We saw the story wherein seethaa, as a six year old, has pushed the 
bow and thus proved her mystic superiority. That also gave the clue 
to father janaka to put this bow as the test to determine the 
strength of the `would be son in law'. See here king janaka tells 
visvaamithra, the birth of seethaa as an ayOnijaa and his decision to 
test the capacity in bravery of the would be son in law by asking him 
to string that mystic siva dhanu:  

bhoo thalaath uththhithaa saa thu vyavardhatha mama aathmajaa || 1-66-
14
veerya sulkaa ithi mE kanyaa sthaapithaa iyam ayOnijaa |

Meaning: Hers is a non-uterine birth as she surfaced from the earth, 
but fostered as my own soul-born girl and I determined [to giver her 
in marriage to a bridegroom where his] bravery is the only bounty I 
receive in the marriage [by putting the bow as the testing tool]. 

thatha: sarvE nrupathaya: samEthya munipungava || 1-66-17
mithilaam abhyupaagamya veeryam jijnaasava: thadhaa |

Meaning: Then all the kings convoked and on arriving at Mithila, then 
they wanted to ascertain the calibre [of the bow, vis-à-vis their 
own] 

thEshaam jijnaasamaanaanaam saivam dhanu: upaahrutham || 1-66-18
na sEku: grahaNE thasya dhanusha: thOlanE api vaa |

Meaning: For them, those who wanted to ascertain the calibre of the 
bow, that bow of siva is fetched to their proximity, but they are 
incapable to joggle it, or even to catch hold of it.

Point: As a result of this trying and failing these kings fought with 
king janaka and janaka did kept them out by the strength given to 
janaka by the dhEvathaas on whom he did thapas. That he admits as 
the "thapa praasadhaath". Information about this was in the course of 
discussion given by janaka to visvaamithra. Since it is not so 
important in this "bow's story" these six slokams are left out. 

thath Ethath munisaardhoola dhanu: parama bhaasvaram || 1-66-25
raama lakshmaNayO: cha api darsayishyaami suvratha |

Meaning: Oh, tigerly sage this is that supremely radiant bow, and oh, 
saint of sacred vows, I will show it, even to raama and lakshmaNa.

yadhi asya dhanushO raama: kuryaath aarOpaNam munE |
suthaam ayOnijaam seethaam dhadhyaam dhaasarathE: aham || 1-66-26

Meaning: If raama strings the bow, oh, sage, I will offer my 
daughter, whose birth is non-uterine, to dhasaratha's raama." [So 
said janaka to visvaamithra] 

Point: Here by the use of word 'even' 'also', Janaka is not reckoning 
raama or lakshmana as better than these other kings who tried and 
failed in lifting the `bow' - [the hero of this series].  Janaka is 
yet to consider any supreme-ness or super-humanness to raama and 
lakshmaNa. 
Somehow by asking visvaamithra 'what can I do next' in verse 3, 
Janaka has sensed some thing new or wonderful is there, in 
visvaamithra bringing these two royal looking boys on a long tiresome 
route, that too by walk [or on foot].  So the sage visvaamithra asks 
janaka to show the bow to raama and lakshmaNa. 

janakasya vacha: sruthvaa visvaamithrO mahaamuni: |
dhanur dharsaya raamaaya ithi ha uvaacha paarthivam || 1-67-1

Meaning: On listening to the words of Janaka, the eminent-saint 
visvaamithra indeed said to the king, thus as "let the bow be 
displayed for raama". 

Point: On being ordered by the king janaka, see how many men pull the 
cart containing the bow from its original place to the place where 
the king, visvaamithra and raama are. 

janakEna samaadhishtaa: sachivaa: praavisan puram |
thath dhanu: puratha: kruthvaa nirjagmu: amitha oujasa: || 1-67-3
nruNaam sathaani pancaasat vyaayathaanaam mahaathmanaam |
manjooshaam ashta chakraam thaam samoohu: thE kathanchana || 1-67-4

meaning: Thus clearly instructed by Janaka, those high souled 
ministers went out [from the ritual hall] and on entering the palace-
chambers, they came out with an 8 wheeled coffer, [in which that bow 
is ensconced,] and they the ministers got it tugged by 5000 tallish 
men of illimitable energy, who somehow tugged it very difficultly, 
and they the ministers have re-entered [the ritual hall,] keeping 
that bow afore of them. 

Point: See even after bringing the bow in front of the sage and raama 
and lakshmaNa, the king janaka expresses his mind again to 
visvaamithra - "when people other than humans like raakshasaas 
kinnaras et al have failed what these two human boys are going to do".
 
idham dhanur varam brahman janakai: abhipoojitham |
raajabhi: cha mahaa veeryai: asakthai: pooritham thadhaa || 1-67-8

meaning: Here is that exquisite bow, oh, Brahman, the time-honoured 
one by the lineage of Janaka kings, and by which even the highly 
forceful kings are rendered inefficient to take aim with it, 
previously.

na Etat sura gaNaa: sarvE sa asuraa na cha raakshasaa: |
gandharva yaksha pravaraa: sa kinnara mahOragaa: || 1-67-9
kva gathi: maanushaaNaam cha dhanushO asya prapooraNE |
aarOpaNE samaayOgE vEpanE thOlanE api vaa || 1-67-10

meaning: None in all the assemblages of gods, inclusive of demigods, 
not even among those of demons, or the best of gandharvaas, yakshaas 
inclusive of kinnaraas and that of reptilian demigods, is capable 
enough and all are rendered incapable, and then, in brandishing this 
bow [for a proper grip,] or in bracing its bowstring [to the other 
end,] or in twitching the bowstring [for its tautness] or in placing 
the arrow on bowstring [at a proper place for a proper 
stretchability] or even in taking a good aim with it. What will be 
that capability of one, even among humans.

thath Ethath dhanushaam srEshtam aaneetham munipungava |
dharsaya Ethath mahaabhaaga anayO: raaja puthrayO: || 1-67-11

meaning: Oh, eminent-saint, such as it is, this nonpareil bow among 
all bows is brought in, and oh, highly fortunate sage Visvaamithra, 
let this be displayed to those two princes". [Thus Janaka said to 
Visvaamithra.] 

visvaamithra: sa raama: thu sruthvaa janaka bhaashitham |
vathsa raama dhanu: pasya ithi raaghavam abraveeth || 1-67-12

meaning: But visvaamithra on listening the sentence of Janaka along 
with Rama, said to Raaghava, thus "oh, boy Raama, you may see the 
bow". 

Dear bhakthaas, we all know what happened after this command of the 
sage. To see what happened as described by sage vaalmeeki we have to 
wait till next post. 

Dhasan

Vasudevan m.g.






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