Post 29
Dear Sri vaishnava perunthagaiyeer,
In the previous 28 posts, we saw 'lakshmaNa' donning 10 roles. The 10 th role as a great warrior is continuing. When raavaNa appeared in front of raama, lakshmaNa took the initiative of offering himself to fight. We saw raama was advising lakshmaaNa to be vigil, then lakshmaNa paid his abhivaadhanam and started to the battle field. We are continuing from that stage.
lakshmaNa had a good look at raavaNa. Meanwhile hanumaan entered into fray and started fighting with raavaNa. raavaNa fatigued hanumaan. Then raavaNa turned towards neelan, the son of fire god. After hurting neela, raavaNa turned on to lakshmaNa.
tham aaha soumithrir adheena saththvO visphaarayantham dhanur apramEyam |
abhEhi maam Eva ni saachara indhra | na vaanaraams thvam prathi yOddhum arhasi || 6-59-94
meaning: LakshmaNa of indomitable courage spoke to that RaavaNa who was lifting up his unfathomable bow (as follows): "O, King of Demons! Now enter into combat with me; cease from fighting with the monkeys!"
point: So lakshmaNa is inviting him to fight with him and not get distracted with the oncoming monkeys. May be as advised by raama about studying the 'SWOT' of raavaNan, perhaps he has finished that job nicely in the time gap - when raavaNa was engaged in fight with hanumaan and neelan. So he asserts now –
jaanaami veeryam thava raakshasa indhra balam prathaapam cha paraakramam cha |
avasthithO aham s ara chaapa paaNir aagachchha kim mOgha vikaththanEna || 6-59-98
meaning: lakshmaNa to raavaNa - O, King of Demons! I know your valour, strength, energy and courage! Come! I now stand here, with my bow and arrows in hand. O, what use are vain boasts."
Speaking thus both started hitting each other with arrows. See lakshmaNa shining as a warrior in front of raavaNan --
sa baaNa varsham thu vavarsha theevram raama anujah kaarmuka samprayuktham |
kshura ardha chandhra uththama karNi bhallai: saraamscha chichchhEdha na chukshubhE cha ||
6-59-101
meaning: Lakshmana, however, caused a well-aimed rain of missiles from his bow to fall on RaavaNa and nay, even broke RaavaNa's arrows with his arrows called Khura, Ardhachandhra, the excellent Karni and Bhalla. He did not feel perturbed.
After being hit by lakshmaNa's arrows, raavaNa swooned, his bow broken, and streaming with blood. Dear readers, it is not my glorification of lakshmaNa, but of vaalmeeki – in slokam 106 and 107. Then raavaNa got wild and sent a special 'spear' weapon obtained from brahma to hit lakshmaNa – it is sakthi aayudham as said in tamil.
thaam aapathantheem bharatha anujO asthrair jaghaana baaNai scha hutha agni kalpai: |
thathaa api saa thasya vivE sa saktir bhuja antharam dhaas arathEr visaalam || 6-59-109
meaning: LakshmaNa the younger brother of Bharatha struck that weapon falling upon him with arrows and darts, as if it were a sacrificial fire. Nevertheless, that spear entered LakshmaNa's broad chest.
Point: dear readers, any significance to say suddenly bharathaa's brother? All the while lakshmaNa was described as raama anuja, soumithree, mahaa bala, veeryavaan etc – but why suddenly the description changed to bharatha anuja? Any poorva aachaaryaa's comments on this sudden change of addressing – elite readers can give.
My presumption - so far bharatha has not faced any war. As such when he has to face for the first time a formidable enemy like raavaNa, perhaps he is likely to be hit badly or fail. Hence when lakshmaNa was hit, description changed from raama anuja to bharatha anuja.
Whereas raama has already faced a major war single handedly in elimination of khara and raama anuja also likely to be in same mould – continuing to win. Even though lakshmaNa is the same person, two ways of addressing him signifies the difference.
sa s akthimaan sakthi samaahatha: sanjajvaala bhoomou sa raghupraveera: |
tham vihvalantham sahasaabhupEthya jagraaha raajaa tharasaa bhujaabhyaam || 6-59-110
meaning: The mighty LakshmaNa, struck by the spear, lay on the earth, breathing fire. The king [raavaNan], rushing suddenly on him, who was yet insensible, seized him brutally in his hands.
Point: before somebody else could approach lakshmaNa to offer help, raavaNan wanted to seize lakshmaNa lying unconscious. He wanted to lift lakshmaNa and place him in his [raavaNa's] chariot and drive back to lanka – the intention may be to show to seethaa. Further raavaNa also knows raama is already suffering one separation – of seethaa, if lakshmaNa is also removed from the scene, raama will definitely become very weak.
Please recall soorpanakaa's suggestion – 'remove seethaa, raama will become weak, and, you can kill him easily'. Now if lakshmaNa is also removed? – that is the intention.
But see raavaNa could not lift off lakshmaNa and see the reason for it.
himavaan mandharO mErusthrailOkyam vaa saha amarai: |
sakyam bhujaabhyaam udhdharthum na sakyO bharathaanuja: || 6-59-111
Meaning: Though he [raavaNan] was able to lift up Himavath parvatham, Mandhara and MEru mountains as also the Three Worlds with the Gods on top, he could not lift LakshmaNa the younger brother of Bharatha.
Sakthyaa braahmyaa thu soumithristhaaDithO.api sthanaantharE |
VishNOr ameemaamsya bhaagam aathmaanam prathi anusmarath || 6-59-112
Meaning: LakshmaNa, though wounded in the breast by Brahmaa's weapon, recollected that he was an inconceivable fraction of VishNu Himself.
Point: this is vaalmeeki's slokam - see here at the required moment, raama and lakshmaNa prove who they are originally – that garuda coming also confirms that.
thathO dhaanava dharpaghnam soumithrim dhEva kaNTaka: |
tham peeDayithvaa baahubhyaam na prabhir langhanE ~abhavat || 6-59-113
meaning: RaavaNa, that thorn in the side of the Gods, was unable to bear him away with his hands, though overpowering that LakshmaNa [in war], that lakshmaNa removing the pride of demons,.
Meanwhile hanumaan, who was hit earlier by raavaNa, was now all right and he came rushing – seeing lakshmana and his condition, he gave a stunning blow in chest of raavaNan and that made raavaNan swoon in the chariot. Then -
hanumaan atha thEjasvee lakshmaNam raavaNa ardhitham || 6-59-118
aanayath raaghava abhyaa sam baahubhyaam parigruhya tham |
meaning: Then, the courageous Hanumaan lifting up LakshmaNa in his arms, whom Raavana, had wounded, brought him to Raama's presence.
vaayusoonO: suhruththvEna bhakthyaa paramayaa cha sa: || 6-59-119
SathrooNaam aprakampyo~api laghuthvam agamath kapE: |
Meaning: That LakshmaNa, whom his foes were unable to move, became light for Hanumaan because of friendship and great devotion Hanumaan, the son of Wind-God, has towards him.
Then, in the presence of raama, that spear of brahma left lakshmaNa's body and returned to raavaNan.
Point: what that mighty raavaNan could not do in lifting lakshmaNa, hanumaan could do it lightly. How is that? It means lakshmaNa is capable and can become very heavy to one and very light to another depending upon who touches him and what is his intention. Oh, great lakshmaNa.
Here a krithi of thyaagaraaja comes to mind – that hari kaambOji krithi entharaa nee – which reads in pallavi anupallavi and charaNam as --
entha raa nee thanakentha pOni nI chentha viDuvajaala
anthakaari nee chentha jEri hanumanthuDai koluva lEdhE
shESuDu sivuniki bhooshuDu lakshmaNa vEshiyai koluva lEdhaa
[how the krithi gets linked to the above and all in a separate article later]. But a simple meaning runs like this and hope you can get at it –
"Lord! Come what may. I will never stray from your proximity. Who else is Anjaneya, but an offshoot of Siva, the vanquisher of death! Has he not steadfastly attached himself to you and is he not serving you eternally? Did not the mighty serpent, the ornament of Siva, incarnate as Lakshmana along with you with the sole aim of serving and worshipping you?"
So, lakshmaNa, the great warrior, proves himself who really he is, in front of raavaNa. Let us continue more about this 'great lakshmaNa' in next post.
Dhasan
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