lakshmaNa 33

02-20-2007, 07:16 AM

Post 33

Dear Sri vaishnava perunthagaiyeer,

In the previous 32 posts, we saw 'lakshmaNa' donning 10 roles. The 10th role
as a great warrior is continuing. We are continuing the topic of 'indhrajith
vadham'. LakshmaNa started fighting with indhrajith. When vibheeshaNa felt
lakshmaNa is a bit tiring, he motivated the army lead by hanumaan to fight
effectively. Let us continue from there onwards.

sa dhathvaa thumulam yudhdhham pithruvyasya indhrajith yudhhi | 6-90-27

meaning: that indhrajith gave vibheeshaNa – his uncle - a confusing war [and
continued fighting with lakshmaNa]

*point:* please note, since vibheeshaNa motivated raama's army, indhrajith
then confused his uncle, by doing a war with him – vaalmeeki says 'it is a
confusing war' – 'thumulam yudhdhham'. May be he is also not really
interested in fighting with his uncle, or killing his uncle, but wanted to
show others that he actually fought with uncle, so made a tricky scene that
he fought with him.

*Continuation:* Both lakshmaNa and indhrajith fought fiercely. At one stage
lakshmaNa shot arrows on the horses yoked to the chariot, and killed the
charioteer. In spite of that indhrajith continued running the chariot
himself as well as fighting with lakshmaNa. He was such a great warrior.
Then 4 of vanara leaders killed the 4 horses of that chariot. LakshmaNa
destroyed the chariot also. Since that fight was during nighttime, at that
stage indhrajith motivated his army to make a deception of a fight with the
vaanaraas, so that he could use that darkness. He returned to lanka to bring
a new chariot with driver and horses.

When he arrived back after some time, LakshmaNa and his team were surprised
to see indhrajith on the new chariot. They continued fighting. Since
vaanaraas were almost facing a defeat, they sought refuge in lakshmaNa and
surrendered to lakshmaNa "soumithrim *s*araNam praapthaa prajaapathim iva
prajaa: | 6- 91 –17"

*point:* vaalmeeki describes that as how people surrender to brahmaa, these
vaanaraas surrendered to lakshmaNa. Why suddenly 'brahmaa' is brought into
picture? Why not naaraayaNa or sankara? For brahmaa will grant the boons
easily. And brahmaa cannot really give mOksham – complete liberation. But he
can give good relief with his boons - varams. So these vaanaraas also sought
some relief in that fight - from lakshmaNa – for lakshmaNa may not be able
to eliminate raavaNa. That is why comparison to brahmaa and not to
naaraayaNa. See reaction of lakshmaNa --

thatha: samara kOpEna jwalithO raghunandhana: | 6-91-18.

meaning: lakshmaNa was very angry and shone like fire due to that anger.

*Continuation:* Then both fought very valiantly. LakshmaNa, when hit by 3
arrows of indhrajith in the face - lalaatam – his face, was bright and shone
like a hill with 3 crowns or peaks - says vaalmeeki – see slokam -

raNa agrE samara *s*laaghee thri *s*runga iva parvatha: | 6- 91-36

Meanwhile indhrajith hit vibheeshaNa. VibheeshaNa also retorted by smashing
the horses of chariot. When indhrajith wanted to hit vibheeshaNa with a
weapon given by yama, with the intention of killing him, lakshmaNa
intervened and smashed that weapon. After that, the two, lakshmaNa and
indhrajith, exchanging asthrams like roudhram, vaaruNam, maahEswaram,
aasuram etc, fought bitterly. Then lakshmaNa set the asthram 'aindhram' on
his bow and said -

dharmaathmaa sathyasandha*s*cha raamO dhaasarathi: yadhi |

pourushE cha aprathidhvandhva: *s*ara: Enam jahi raavaNim || 6- 91- 76

meaning: if that raama, son of dhasaratha, is a valiant, dharmaathmaa-
truthful, and lives true to his word, hey asthram, kill that son of raavaNa..

That asthram killed indhrajith by cutting off his neck. Every body including
the dhEvaas and maharshis who have come to the skies for witnessing this war
appreciated lakshmaNa. And the remaining raakshasaas ran helter-skelter to
save their lives. The vaanaraas celebrated lakshmaNa's victory saying -
lakshmaNa: jayathi ithi Evam vaakyam vi*s*raavayamsthadhaa. | 6-91- 99

*Point:* Why suddenly all these qualifications to raama? And why send an
arrow in the name of raama? The answer to these is – lakshmaNa is an amsam
of that vishNu, naaraayaNan as already seen. If these conditions are laid
then that asthram or arrow or weapon becomes a raama asthram or a naaraayaNa
asthram – which never fails. That is why.

*Continuation:* Then all returned back to raama's side from nikumbila.
lakshmaNa bowed down – did praNaamams to raama and informed him of the
success over indhrajith. Raama pulled lakshmaNa and made him sit in his lap..
Since lakshmaNa felt shy, raama pulled him again, made him sit in lap,
embraced and smelt his head. Vaalmeeki's description here is worth enjoying

sa tham *s*irassupaagraaya lakshmaNam lakshmi vardhhanam |

lajjamaanam balaath snEhaath ankam aarOpya veeryavaan || 6-92-9

upavEsya tham uthsangE parishvajya avapeeditham |

bhraatharam lakshmaNam snigdham puna: puna: udhaikshatha || 6-92-10

*point:* Even though raama is elder and a grown up, lakshmaNa is an younger
brother, who will do all these? Only a person who has fatherly love to the
sibling – not an elder brother. Perhaps embracing may also be ok. Other acts
described here – only who treats his brother as his son, that fatherly
person will only do all these – now you get it?

Kindly recall bhaarathi's description

uchchi thanai muganthaal garuvam Ongi vaLarudhadee

mechchi unai ooraar pugazhndhaal mEni silirkkudhadee --

addressed to that young kaNNan in and as 'child kaNNammaa' in that song
"chinnam chiRu kiLiyE kaNNammaa'

raamaa, the father does all that and enjoys his son / brother's achievement..
Oh great description by vaalmeeki.

[in reality if you see, lakshmaNa is younger by two days

– punarvasu nakshathrE jaatha: – raama born in punarvasu

– aaslEsha jaatha: [or aayilyam] lakshmaNa – that sarpa nakshathram –
lakshmaNa born in aayilyam – two days after -

– but that 2 days younger lakshmaNa has become a son to raama – in
treatment - puthra vaathsalyam - raama showering love towards his brother
like a father – lakshmaNa also reciprocating his love and respects due to a
father and not an elder brother]

Why I bring this to notice is- this is that kind of love and affection
missing slowly in the real life - because of the reduction in joint family
system and large scale emergence of nucleus families.

*Continuation:* Raama appreciated vibheeshaNa and hanumaan also, saying a
great work was accomplished in that war with indhrajith, and now his success
is more or less assured. [re 6-92 17] Then sushEna the doctor was directed
by raama to treat lakshmaNa, vibheeshaNa, hanumaan and all others.

On the otherside raavaNa was so much sorrowful that the sorrow lead him into
enormous anger. –6-93-16 Since seethaa was the source for all these troubles
and resulting in this anger raavaNa wanted to kill her. 6-92-34. His son did
killing of maaya seethaa but raavaNa wanted to do on the original seethaa
herself – 6-92- 36,37].

Seeing him approaching seethaa wept saying, "I missed that opportunity and
declined those words of great hanumaan -

yadhi aham thasya prushtEna thadhaa yaayaam anindhithaa |

na adhya Evam anusOcha iyam bharthu: ankagathaa sathi || 6-92 –58

meaning: 'I should have gone by climbing on the back of him [hanumaan]
without hesitation so that today I need not suffer – I would have been happy
with my husband'.

At that stage raavaNan was advised by his minister supaarsvan – why do you
want to resort to a sthree vadhai – killing of a lady – start on krishNa
paksha chathurdhasee and ensure success on the amaavaasya day. [that slokam
we have seen already].

*Point:* though this weeping of seethaa and ravaNa's anger etc could have
been skipped in the topic of lakshmaNa – but in the process that late
'regret' of seethaa will also be missed. That is why I covered that.

*Continuation:* But raavaNa sent his army of commandos – to do that moola
bala yudhdham – on that chathurdhasee day. Since morning the war went on
says vaalmeeki – 6-94-9. The sainyam – army saw so many raamaas at the same
time and also only one raama - simultaneously.

See slokam 6-94-27.

thE thu raama sahasraaNi raNE pa*s*yanthi raakshasaa |

puna: pa*s*yanthi kaakuthsthham Ekam Eva mahaahavE ||

[dear readers, is this not similar to each gOpee seeing one krishNa with her
and simultaneously only one krishNa in the center in that great raasa leelaa
in sreemadh bhaagavatham. – may be this is a forerunner or a curtain raiser
of what is going to come in the next avathaaram – or can take the second one
as a repetition of this. Also ref that 'raama baaNa thraaNa' – savEri krithi
of thyaagaraaja in this context – in that article of MGV].

In one muhoortham all the commandos failed at the hands of raama – similar
to that khara vadham earlier. Then raavaNa came with his deputies – another
virupaaksha, maha udhara mahaa parsvan et al. One by one they all failed and
got killed by sugreevan angadhan et al. Finally raavaNa himself came to the
forefront and started fighting. LakshmaNa hit him first –

tham ichchan prathamam yOdhdhhum lakshmaNO ni*s*aithi sarai: | 6-100-18

but raavaNa skipped him and went to raama

abhyathikramya soumithrim raavaNa samithinjaya: | 6-100-21

Then both raama and raavaNa fought a fierce battle. At one stage lakshmaNa
reentered the arena –and started hitting raavaNa –

EkasminnantharE krudhdhO raaghavasya anujO balee |

lakshmaNa: saayakaansaptha jagraaha paraveerahaa || 6-101 –13

LakshmaNa could cut raavaNa's two heads into pieces, and also killed the
charioteer – raavaNa's driver of the chariot – 6-101–14,15. Also lakshmaNa
destroyed the bow of raavaNa. Since vibheeshaNa was standing by side of
lakshmaNa, raavaNa sent a weapon to hit him. To save vibheeshaNa, lakshmaNa
hit that weapon with his arrows.

Since vibheeshaNa was saved raavaNa got wild and sent another weapon to kill
lakshmaNa [sakthi aayudham – second time against lakshmaNa]. When raama saw
that weapon coming he commanded that weapon 'you become wasted in energy and
let safety betide lakshmaNa' –

svasthi asthu lakshmaNaaya ithi mOghaa bhava hatha udhyamaa | - 6-101-34

LakshmaNa fell down hit by that weapon having a wounded chest. Raama pulled
out that weapon from lakshmaNa's body but during that pulling being done by
raama also raavaNa hit raama.

So raama advised hanumaan and sugreeva to safeguard lakshmaNa and continued
fighting with raavaNa. After some fighting raavaNa retreated. 6-101-65. [
vaalmeeki did not say the day ended at this stage or fighting stopped]

Raama returned to the place where lakshmaNa was lying and started weeping
saying

dhE*s*E dhE*s*E kaLathraaNi dhE*s*E dhE*s*E baandhhavaa: |

tham thu dhE*s*am na pa*s*yaami yathra bhraathaa sahOdhara: || 6-102 -12

meaning: in each country I can get a wife and relative, but not a country
where I can get a brother like lakshmaNa – who never ever leaves me in times
of distess.

Again the doctor sushEna sent hanumaan to that 'Oshadhi mountain' in
himaalayaas and got the herbs to cure lakshmaNa – for the second time.
LakshmaNa came back to normal life because of the treatment.

When lakshmaNa got himself back on heels, he said to raama – "before the
dusk today, I seek the death of raavaNa by you, if you desire the death of
raavaNa as well you have the love on that queen" – see slokam

yadhi thava raaja nara aathmajaa abhilaasha: kuru cha

vachO mama seeghram adhya veera: || 6- 102 -54

The war between raama and raavaNa then took up the fierce course – sage
agasthya came done that aadhithya hrudhaya upadhEsam – raama fought and
finally killed raavaNa. The description of that war between raama and
raavaNa in length here is not necessary as we are concentrating on lakshmaNa
and his contribution. But only one slokam I would like to include –

naivam raathram na dhivasam na muhoortham na cha kshaNam |

raamaraavaNayOr yudhdhham viraamam upagachchhathi || 6-109- 39

meaning: the war between raama and raavaNa did stop or took rest neither for
a second, nor a muhoortham nor in day nor in night.

*Point:* so this gives a clue that on that chathurdhasee day the moola balam
was sent, in one and a half hours time the whole moola bala army was
destroyed so raavaNa is forced to come out on that chathurdhasee day itself,
and continued – may be towards the evening lakshmaNa was hit and hanumaan
went came back and all that – on the amaavaasya morning lakshmaNa talked
about that matter in 54th slokam above, and before that dusk of amaavaasya
raavaNaa's story is over. Just see otherwise why lakshmaNa should talk about
the dusk, and why vaalmeeki should describe about night - raathrim, daytime-
dhivasam etc.

Similarly in that lakshmaNa's statement – note the word – raaja nara
aathmajaa – raajaa is king janaka – then why nara aathmajaa – she got just a
nara roopam – human form – that ayOnijaa – taken a human form – is it a
reminder indirectly – to raama – timely reminder appears so. I invite
comments on this.

With that the great warrior role of lakshmaNa is completed. We have already
seen that at different times the role was either taken by himself or
assigned by raama. The benefit what lakshmaNa got from this role is I can
even get a wife but not a brother like lakshmaNa – that statement from raama
– such a high position and recognition. Of course seethaa is irreplaceable
but raama says so. And that statement of his is also fulfilled in his next
avathaaram - he got 'dhE*s*E dhE*s*E kalathram in his next avathaaram. So
raama's statements are never a waste.

Dhasan

--
Vasudevan MG