Post 5
Dear srivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,
Let me apologise for this delay in posting the next post on the
topic `line of control'. I was away for 10 days and had other
commitments. Hence I could not pay attention to drafting the topic on
hand.
We saw, as per vaalmeeki, NO `line of control - lakshmana rEkha' was
drawn by lakshmaNa in protection of seethaa. When he left seethaa
alone in the forest, having already said, `hey vana dhEvathaas,
please protect her, I am going to the place from where the sound of
haa lakshmana haa seethaa emanated, by this I am leaving her
protection-less, though my master and brother raamaa said be in
protection to her', [though in the first instance said `I will leave'
actually left after a while, after repeatedly chided by seetha of
malafide intentions, not only of his own, but also from bharatha the
other far away staying brother].
The previous post was concluded with `let us see what kamban has to
say on this line of control'. Now we will have a good look at
kamban's version of `lakshman rekha'.
On the appearance of the golden deer, maareecha, the deceit
personified, in front of seethaa, kamban describes the deer with the
following verse -
than maanam ilaadha thayangu oLi saal
min vaanamum maNNum viLanguvadhu Or
pon maan uruvam kodu pOyinanaal
nan maan anaiyaaL thanai naaduRuvaan ? 43 maareechan vadhaipadalam
Because it is deceit, full of bad intentions, the brightness of the
golden deer ? min pon maan - minnum pon maan ? means golden deer
shining or bright like a lightning - the deer also had a cover of
dark spot ? like earth ? a bright moon and side by side a big dark
earth when seen from the space. Or, is it a contrast which enhances
the beauty of that golden shine ? deceit always has a illusory
brightness with inherent danger inbuilt. Since intentions are bad, it
is said simply `than maanam ilaadha thayangu oLi ? no self respect ?
so the brightness also has a limitation or thayangudhal ? a sort of
shyness or false covering - inherent in it.
The renunciation, lakshmaNa, immediately could use his real wisdom or
nature, be able to discriminate, and could put across his mind even
before raama could react ? as per kamban
kaayam kanagam, maNi kaal, sevi, vaal
paayum uruvOdu idhu paNbu alavaal
maayam enal anRi manak koLavE
Eyum iRai mei il enRa aLavE. -52 ? maareechan vadhaip padalam
LakshmaNa says, to raama and seethaa, the body of this deer is gold,
legs are gemmed, ears and tail are also gemmed or gold, all with a
capacity to jump like a real animal ? which is against such a deer's
nature. So it is nothing but a `false' or magic or illusion, in deer
form ? means this deer is NOT a true animal.
When seethaa asks raama to catch it and then raama reacts - like
maayamEl madiyum anRE vaaLiyin madintha pOdhu
kaai sinaththavarai konRu udan kazhiththOmum aagum
thooyadhEl paRRik kOdum solliya iraNdin onRu
theeyadhE? uraiththi enRaan - dhEvarai idukkaN theerppaan
- 63 maareechan vadhaip padalam
raamaa says, `ok, lakshmaNa, if it is false, it will die on my arrow
striking it'. Raama adds, `if it is true animal, then let me catch
it'. The last three words of this verse of kamban are more
significant here ? "dhEvarai idukkaN theerppaan" - enRaan
- who said that ? raama, who has come to remove the ills of the
dhEvaas.
- `What has to come in future or has to happen in future' is
said in these words - the reasoning - this appearance of golden deer
is going to solve the ills of dhEvaas. So this has appeared and I am
going to catch it says raama. A classic foretelling.
So raama leaves commanding lakshmana to stay with seethaa. That is
stated in verse ?
pOnavaL pulavi nOkki puravalan polankoL thaaraai
maan idhu naanE paRRi vallaiyin varuven nanRE
kaan iyal mayil annaaLaik kaaththanai iruththi ennaa
vEl nagu saramum villum vaanginan viraiyaluRRaan
- 68 maareechan vadhaip padalam
raama received the bow, and arrows [which make the vEl ? the striking
rod - trisoolam -to run away] and sped behind the deer ? telling
lakshmaNa ? `kaan iyal mayil annaaLaik kaaththanai iruththi ? be here
in protection to that forest peacock like seethaa'.
Again here this `kaan iyal mayil annaaL' is a special description
worth attention. In the forest the peacock is a free bird flying here
and there, as it likes, eats, dances when sees the cloud etc. seethaa
also enjoyed the 13 years of forest life like a free peacock bird,
with that cloud coloured lord raama, always by the side, when cloud
is nearby peacock always enjoys and dances freely, seethaa was also
enjoying the life freely with raama and lakshmaNa. A very apt
description of seethaa which also in a way indicate that happy ays
are slowly tending to end.
Suddenly seethaa hears the words of deceit, maareecha, calling haa
lakshmaNa haa seethaa. See how seethaa reacts ?
kuRRam veezhntha guNaththin em kOmagan
maRRu av vaaL arakkan puri maayaiyaal
iRRu veezhnthanan ennavum en ayal
niRRiyO iLaiOy oru nee enRaaL
- 4 raavaNan soozhchip padalam
hey lakshmaNa when that blemishless raama, my prince, has fallen at
the magic spell of that arakkan who came in disguise of the deer has
beenkilled ? still you are standing here please rush. The devotion
seethaa is slowly loosing her grips of good senses.
Then lakshmaNa says hey ? who in this world can really equal my raama
in power and valour. You are talking with women's mind and point of
view. Just recall vaalmeeki here ? his slOkam reads which gets
translated into tamil -
avadhya: samarE raamO na Evam thvam vakthum arhasi || 3-45-13
na thvaam asmin vanE haathum uthsahE raaghavam vinaa |
meaning already given in post 2
Also about that predominant `feminality' in seethaa's talking which
vaalmeeki puts in the following slokam ? simply kamban puts it across
as `peNmaiyaal urai seya' ? so not much weightage to be given is
understood fromlakshman's words. That slokam is here -
vaakyam aprathiroopam thu na chithram sthreeshu maithilee |
svabhaava: thu Esha naareeNaam Eshu lOkEshu dhrisyathE || 3-45-29
Since length of the post increases, let us see in next post, kamban's
version of how seethaa reacts further before lakshmana really leaves
her.
Dhaasan
Vasudevan m.g.
azhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyAr thiruvadigalE saranam
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