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Raghu Veera Gadhyam: KishkindhA KhAndam-- Part 3

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • November 24, 1996 


GS : 44 dhruta gatitha kailaasa koti vikata dundhubhi 
kankALa kuta dhoora vikshepa daksha dakshiNetara
paadhAngushta dhara chalana viswastha suhrudhaasaya !
Jaya ! Jaya ! 

In this long salutation , Swami Desikan seems to suggest 
the long distance over which an object was sent flying with 
a miniscule exercise of the power of Sri Rama's left toe. 

(Meaning ) : O  Lord  who with the slight movement of the toe of 
your left foot sent the massive assembly of the bones of 
the gigantic Asura by the name of  Dhundhubhi flying over 
a vast distance and thereby lifted the hope of Sugriva and 
enhanced his faith in your prowess to destroy Vaali . Hail 
to Thee ! Hail to Thee ! 

( Background ) : During the conversations with Rama , the monkey
king SugreevA had some doubts about the prowess of Rama to 
match his brother Vaali"s strength in battle. SugriveeA narrated the
incident of Vaali making short work of the ogre Dhundhubhi , who 
challenged him in battle. After killing the ogre , Vaali lifted and hurled 
the body of Dhundhubhi . That corpse fell inside the precincts of 
the  hermitage of sage MatangA ( Matanga Vanam) and polluted 
the sacred site with the blood  and body remains .
Some  drops of blood fell on the body of the sage himself .

The angry sage cursed the perpetrator of that offense, Vaali , to lose
his life , if he ever  entered  the precincts of his aasramam .  Sugreevaa
explained to Rama that Vaali stayed away from Sage Matanga's hermitage 
because of that curse and that he(SugreevA) took refuge there to escape from 
the torments of his powerful  brother . 

On hearing that story and sensing Sugriveeaa's doubt about 
his ability to handle VAli in battle , Rama playfully kicked 
the colossal heap of bones of Dhundhubhi with his left toe. 
That assembly of Bones flew a distance of eighty miles 
as a result of that kick . Sugrivaa had only wanted Rama 
to show his power and strength by kicking the bones
over a distance of 800 arms length. SugreevA was impressed and yet he
had some lingering doubts. He addressed Rama and pointed out that
Dhundhubhi's massive body with flesh and blood  was hurled over 
a great distance by  an exhausted Vaali, when it was full of flesh 
and body weight . Sugreevaa was implying that the shrunken bones 
of the demon was no match to the weight of the corpse at the time
of Vaali's hurling it away. Thus SugreevA was questioning whether Rama's 
strength was a true match to that of his brother Vaali.

SugreevA then pointed out a set of seven gigantic Saal trees that Vaali
used to shake to denude them of their leaves to demonstrate his strength.
Sugreevaa asked Rama : " O prince of Ayodhyaa ! How will you be able 
to kill my mighty brother in combat ? " LakshmaNaa got angry at 
the continuing doubt of Sugreevaa and asked him as to what more 
Rama should do to convince him of  Rama's superior strength. SugreevA
replied that Vaali used to pierce the seven Saal trees with a single arrow 
of his and that he will be convinced of Rama's role as a killer of his brother,
if Rama could pierce even one Saal tree with his arrow. The incident that 
followed the request of SugreevA is the subject of Swami Desikan's
next salutation to Raghuveeraa .

GS :45  athi pruthula bahu vitapi giri dharaNi yugapadhudhaya 
vivrutha chitrapunkha vaichitrya ! Jaya ! Jaya !

(Meaning ) : O Hero whose fast-moving , powerful arrow with 
marvellous decorations that appeared at the same time in 
the seven Saal trees , mountains , earth and the nether world !
Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee !

( Background ) : When doubting SugreevA requested Rama to
demonstrate once again his prowess , Rama obliged him by 
sending  few arrows at the seven Saal trees. Those arrows moved like 
a band of  lightning. They pierced the  the seven Saal trees in a trice 
and continued on their way to neighboring mountains in their path
and broke the crests of those mountains, changed their direction
and travelled through the nether world (PaathALam/seventh of 
the lower worlds )  and then returned quickly to their 
home in the quiver of Rama. The awe-inspired and terror -stricken 
SugreevA could not believe his own eyes about what had transpired.
He fell flat infront of the Raghuveeran of unquestionable veeram 
and declared that his grief over the illtreatment of Vaali  and doubts 
about the adequacy of Rama's power to protect him from the wrath of 
his brother were  completely banished.  In the words of Adi Kavi Valmiki ,
SugreevA said :

tamadhyaiva priyArtham mE vairiNam braathru rupiNam I
Vaalinam jahi Kaakuthstha mayA bhaddhoyam anjali : II

(Meaning ) : O the illustrious descendant of Kaakuthstha !
Please make short work of my tormentor(enemy)  in the form
of my brother  this day to make me happy (and to release me form  my
terror) . My palms have been joined together in Anjali mudra
( Prayer with folded palms ) for that purpose . 

Swami Desikan in one of his Sillarai Rahasyam named 
Anjali Vaibhavam describes the power of Anjali as 
" Praarthanaa  poorvaka bharanyaasam of the Akinchanan "
( the saraNaagathi done  with the folded hands as a first  step 
for the helpless to seek the Lord's succor and protection ) . 
Swami Desikan goes on to describe Anjali mudrai as 
" Pala visesha vyanjaka mudrai " ( the gesture that symbolizes 
special fruits to be obtained from the Lord ) . Swami quotes 
the slokam of VishNu DharmOtthamam which states 
unambiguously that the anjali made in front of the Lord 
quickly helps one to receive  the Lord's immediate attention 
and lets one become the object of his  Dayaa :

ANJALI: PARAMAA MUDRAA KSHIPRAM DEVA PRASAADHINI 

On a future occasion , I will dwell further on Anjali Vaibhavam 
of Swami Desikan.

Sri VaishNava Daasan

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan