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Re: [SriRangaSri] shodasa ayuda

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swamy swarna • March 1, 2002 


hari om. thanks for the elaboration. can u clarify
whether the blade of grass used by Sri Rama will be
classified as Bana (Arrow) or as Astra? thanks.

Swamy SV


--- Hari Krishnan  wrote:
> 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
> | 
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
> 
> 
> 
>
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