Post 11
Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,
First my sincere apologies – two mistakes happened in previous post.
Now continuing on that naama 'neeraja nayanaaya namah' – see here what soorpaNakha describes to her brother khara about raama and lakshmaNa – in the forest after her nose and ears have been sliced by lakshmaNa -
tharuNou roopa sampannou sukumaarou mahaa balou |
puNDareeka visaala akshou cheera krishNa ajina ambarou || 3-19-14
meaning: Those two [raama and lakshmaNa] are in adulthood, good-looking, gentle yet greatly mighty, eyes broad like lotuses, dressed in jute-cloths and deerskin,
point: here what struck soorpaNakhaa first - is the youth of these two raama and lakshmaNa, for she was a lustful mood to enjoy with them physically.
[is it really youth – no adulthood – for age now is 16 + 12 + 12 = 40 or 12 + 12 + 12 = 36. but considering their 1000s years of life this 40 or 36 can be said as youth]
Next to the fore comes their physical strength for she - that mammoth soorpaNakhaa was damaged so easily by lakshmaNa.
Third comes the eyes – those broad eyes – lotus like eyes – for it was so pleasing for her to be easily enticed by the very sight of them – so as to make her lovelorn first on raama, then run from raama to lakshmaNa and then once again to raama. – so for soorpanakhaa the youth, beauty and the strength – macho in these days language usage – strikes her.
Comment: A detailed note added to this slOkam in www.valmikiramayan.net is interesting and worth quoting here as it deals with the lotus eyed raama more elaborately
quote:
taruNau ruupa sampannau Though they scarred her on her nose and ears, she did not loose her heart for them.
This taruNou roopa sampannou is in accordance with Raama's aspect which is 'sadhaiva priya dharsanaH' 'the same pleasant persona at any time' as in Baala Kaandam at 1-1-16, as said by Sage Naaradha to Vaalmiki. This is the same situation with Hanumaan when Seethaa asks him to indicate some aspects of Raama so as to believe Hanumaan. There Hanumaan starts with
'raamaH kamala pathra akshaH sarva saththva manOharaH - sundara kaaNdam 5-35-8 – meaning - 'Rama is lotus-petal eyed one'.
[MGV adds here which we have seen this slokam with ref to first naama seethaa manOharah]
Further people in sleep, intoxicated or infuriated conditions, will speak their heart supramatta kupitaanaam bhaava j~naanam dR^iSTaH - So Soorpanakha who is also in a sleep like daze, she came out with her soulful feelings about Rama.
This narration has 3- fold meaning – viz.
1. Through the eyes of a lustful female;
2. To belittle Rama and Lakshmana's prowess only to extol Kara's pride;
3. To deride Khara's valour so that he gets incited to fight Raama and LakshmaNa.
1] Through the eyes of a lustful female: tharuNou 'came of age.' kanyaam varayate roopam Women's first criterion towards a man is age. But this wording is in dhwi vachana 'in duel number' so it belongs to both Raama and Lakshmana. Then the question comes 'is she leaning towards both of them?' Yes. She makes eyes at both. First she approached Raama, but he advised her to approach LakshmaNa. LakshmaNa in turn advises her to approach Raama, thus she got interest in both. This is as per anyOnya sadhrishou veerou 'those darers are similar to one another'. Raama and Lakshmana may be different among themselves, but to the onlookers they appear as one reality. Further, she has hate-thinking for both of them also. She says that 'this situation occurred due to both of them' as at 3-19-18. How can she fall after both at a time? She can, with 'either-or-single-or-both' syndrome because she is a demoness, and unseen are such brothers with their glorious aspects, so far by her.
roopa sampannou 'their aspects are ravishing' The syndrome is that angaat angaat sambhavasi 'offshoots derive parent's aspects.' So Manmatha, the Love-God derived all his aspects from VishNu. Then it is imaginable how much more that Vishnu might be in his lovely aspect. So Raama is with nirathisaya roopa samriddhi 'sublime features, endowed with' that which even Manmatha can borrow.
[MGV adds here – we have already seen that slOkam just as raama was born as child to dhasaratha wherein vaalmeeki says – raama is half vishNu -
vishNOh ardham mahaabhaagam puthram aikshvaaku nandhanam | 1-18-11]
sukumaarou 'delicate' like flowers. Raama is said to equal a delicate flower. aseetha pushpa samkaasam - Rama's body itself is a flower that which can be cherished by all. Or su 'excellent'
ku 'of earth'
maarou 'Manmatha-s'
joining together - 'two Manmatha-s on earth'
Manmatha, is only one god of love and without any form or body parts, but these two are having excellent forms and are evident on earth before eyes as per the attribute of kandharpa iva moorthimaan 'he has a form like that of Love-god'
Then her bother Khara may ask 'then why we demons shall hanker after some flimsy, fragile, feeble creatures?' For that she says mahaa balou 'greatly vigorous.' They have un-depleting vigour of manhood, which is what required by an aged demoness.
puNDariika vishaala akshau 'white-lotus, broad, eyed' 'Their eyes are not like ours while our eyes are samraktha nayanaa ghOraa 'bloodshot eyes of terrible look'
Or, unlike thamO guNa udhrEka 'ever persisting with stolid constituent of nature' and unlike rajO guNa udhrEka 'ever energetic with sprightly constituent of nature' but their eyes are saththva guNa sampanna 'serene with the pure constituent of nature'.
Though Raama says that he aatmaanaam maanuSyam manye 'in my soul I consider I am human' but as per shruti / scripture,
yathaakapyaasam puNDariikam evam akshiNii
'though the outward aspect is hiding his real Being, his eyes are telling the truth of His supernal nature', hence Raama is nether-worldly.
Or his white broad eyes are comparable with ksheera samudra Milky-ocean, his abode, with its unfathomable depths, so is his heart.
Or mahaa balau puNDariika visaala akshou 'Great mighty and white broad eyed ones' who by their great might annihilate vice and if the evildoer submits himself, their white eyes alone give salvation with a broad-mind.
sukumaarau puNDareeka visaala akshou 'Manmatha-like, white, broad eyed' if it be said that these two are Love-gods on earth, then it may be asked 'where are the arrows of that Love-god to these two?'. But the arrows of these earthly Love-gods are only their eyes and glances.
The lotus is but one among the five arrows of Manmatha. Even Seethaa under her direly distressed situation in Lanka says that 'gods, celestials, great-souls et al are sanctified with the look of this lotus-petal eyed one'
dhanyaa devaaH sa gandhavaaH siddhaaH ca paramarSyaH |
mama pashyanti ye naadhama raamam raajiiva locanam || sundara 26-41.
This verse takes its place in gayatri ramayaNa as its 14th verse out of total 27 verses.
Further they are excelling only by their nature but not by their dressings and outfits for they are just clad in ciira kR^ishNa ajina dharau 'jute-cloths, deerskin wearers of' Mahaakavi Kalidasa says in his abhij~naana shaakuntalam: says
iyam [shakuntala] adhika manoj~naa valkalena api tanvii
that, 'this Shakuntala is pleasant though clad in jute-cloths'
kimavahi madhuraaNaam maNDananam na akR^itiinaam
'nothing can beautify beautiful people' etc.
Though not adorned by any extra special ornamentation they by their nature are attractive, as discerned by sages at 3-1-13 of Aranya Kanda
ruupa samhanam lakshmiim saukumaarya suveSatam
as well by this Shuurpanakha or even by Ravana in part II of Yuddha Kanda, in 99th chapter 12th verse, who also extols these lotus eyes and the aspect of Raama on his first sight at Rama as padhma pathra vishaala aksham dheergha baahum arindamam
unquote –
dear all, any amount of description can be added for these lotus eyed – will it be enough – I think no – so let us continue in next post also.
dhasan
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia |
oppiliappan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the list |