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Re: Identity of Kshtrabandhu

From the Bhakti List Archives

Badrinarayanan Seshadri • December 9, 1995 


Jaganath asked:

* Is the Kstrabandhu referred to by Swami Desikar in the RTS the person
* who went on to become Valmiki?

Kshatrabandhu does not seem to be the person who later became Valmiki.
As I mentioned earlier in my mail, his name appears in thirumaalai.
periya vaachchaan piLLai provides a quote from a certain smriti called
Vishnudharmam :

sandhyakthE bandhulOkEna thasmin dhurvruththachEthasi   |
chindhaam chakaara sa muni: kshathrabandhow dhayaapara: ||
                                         -- vishnudharmam 97-38

In his explanation, piLLai says:

Just as a lowly brahmana is called brahmabandhu, a lowly kshatriya was
named kshatrabandhu. This mean person was roaming around the forests,
performing acts not befitting a kshatriya. Then he came across a rishi
who was kind enough to teach him the names of gOvindhaa and with the
help of the naama sankeerththanam, kshatrabandhu achieved moksha.

---

There is no mention of any relation to Valmiki anywhere.

--badri

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S.Badrinarayanan 
Graduate Student
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Cornell University
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