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Re: [SriRangaSri] shodasa ayuda

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Hari Krishnan • February 25, 2002 


As you mention the blade of grass could have kept pace with Jayanta and killed him in mid air.  But Rama's arrow does not touch a person who flees from it.  That is a testimony which Maricha gives, one who had first-hand-experience with Rama's arrows.  (I am not talking about 'astras' here, which are far, far superior to arrows and are initiated by mantras.)  Maricha advises Ravana against his desire to covet Sita and tells him of his second attempt to kill Rama in the jungle.  Here is what he says:

"Belittling Rama, who had retired to the forest, even though he was possessed of great might, thinking that he was an ascetic (only), and recalling my past enmity (with him), I rushed towards him, highly enraged, in the form of a sharp-horned deer, thoughtlessly seeking to kill him, remembering as I did the blow dealt by him.  Stretching at full length his very mighty bow, three sharp arrows - which were capable of putting an end to the enemy and which sped like Garuda (the king of birds and the carrier of Lord Vishnu) and the wind - were let loose by him.  All those three most dreadful and flat-knobbed arrows, which shone brightly as lightning, and were fond of sucking blood - sped (towards me) together.  Knowing as I did the prowess of Rama and having seen the peril (to which I had exposed myself) on a previous occasion, I slipped away, cunning as I was and was thereby saved (since the arrow of Rama never hits a fugitive) while both those ogres (my companions) were killed."  (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kanda, Canto XXXIX, Sloka 9-13)

This was discussed recently in the Religion column in ChennaiOnline.

Jayanta could flee no more and came back to Rama and sought his pardon.  We know what happened afterwards.

Though the Lord holds the Brahmastra, He advises Lakshmana not to use it, even under a crisis.  That was why Lakshmana had to fall when Indrajit used it against him.  When Lakshmana sets out for the final battle with Indrajit, he goes with the sanction from Rama to use it, ONLY to counter the effects of the divine astras of Indrajit, and nothing beyond that.  Indrajit was killed finally with an arrow and not an astra.

What can one say about the mercy of the One who could spare even Ravana in the first battle, one who could give him many, many opportunties to mend his ways?

Sincerely,
Hari Krishnan


----- Original Message ----- 
From: swamy swarna 
To: Rajaram Venkataramani ; Rajagopalan Narayan ; 
Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2002 12:07 PM
Subject: Re: [SriRangaSri] shodasa ayuda


| 
| Sri Rama used a blade of grass (with suitable mantra)
| to act as an Astra against Kakasura (Jayant, the son
| of Indra), when he was trying to trouble Sita Mata.
| The blade of grass took the form of a Divyastra and
| pursued Kakasura (it could have easily overtaken him
| and killed him, but that was not the intention of Sri
| Rama!), all over the worlds. Finally he had to
| surrender to Sri Rama.
| 
| Thank you for initiating discussion on a very
| interesting topic. Let us hope scholars will shed more
| light on Lord's Ayudhas.
| 
| Hari Om Tatsat.
| 
| Swamy SV
| 



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