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Musings on Raghuveera Gadhyam --Part 9

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • October 6, 1996 


GS 18 : PARIHRUTHA NIKILA NARAPATHI VARANA 
JANAKDHUHITRU KUCHATATA VIHARANA SAMUCHITA 
KARATALA ! JAYA ! JAYA ! 

Here Swami Desikan salutes the unique valor that  
Sri Ramachandra displayed at the Svayamvaram to
win the hand and heart of Sita Piratti . Since none of 
the assembled kings other than Sri Ramachandra 
were able to string the Siva Dhanus, Sita Devi had to reject 
(happily ) their wishes to marry her . O , Sri Rama ! You bent
and broke that mighty  bow and qualified yourself to engage 
in amorous and conjugal sports with your bride . 

GS 19 : SATHA KOTI SATHA GUNA KATINA PARASUDHARA
MUNIVARA KARA DHRUTHA DHURAVANAMATHAMA  NIJA
DHANURAAKARSHANA PRAKAASITHA PAARAMESHTYA !
JAYA ! JAYA ! 

Parasurama was the possessor of a mighty axe that 
was stronger than the Vajra  weapon of Indra by a hundred fold .
He used that to settle his dispute with the Kshatriyas  for the 
injustice done by the sons of one Kshatriya king by the name of 
Kaarthaveeryan . Parasurama used his axe as the battle weapon to
cut asunder twent one generations of Kshatriyas and made the 
earth devoid of Kshatriyas ( AKSHATRAAMIHA SAMTATAKSHA YA 
IMAAM TRI: SAPTHA KRUTHVA : KSHITHIM ) . 

Parasurama was a proud and  angry sage . He had in his possession 
a bow which had Vishnu Amsam. It was very powerful bow. No one 
could string it except Parasurama. 

When Parasurama heard about  the feat of Sri Ramachandra in breaking the 
Siva Dhanus at King Janaka's court, he shrugged it off as 
a simple act compared to stringing the Vishnu Dhanus he had. 
When Sri Rama was  returning to Ayodhya with His family after 
wedding Sita Devi , Parasurama confronted Sri Rama and challenged 
Him to prove His valor by stringing the Vishnu Dhanus and fitting it with an
arrow . King Dasaratha pleaded for the safety of his "juvenile " son 
from the anger of Parasurama. Turning  a deaf ear to the entreaty of 
the worried father, Parasurama reminded Sri Rama that it is the noble 
duty of a Kshatriya to accept the  challenge of a warrior (himself here )
to a duel in a righteous cause. Parasurama pointed out that Sri Rama
can qualify himself for such a duel only after stringing the bow of Vishnu
and fitting it with an arrow. Sri Rama was indignant over the arrogance
of the Brahmin and took the bow from the hands of Parasurama
and quickly strung it and fitted it with an arrow. Then, He asked the 
Brahmin as to where the arrow should be aimed since it was unfailing
once it was made ready to discharge. Parasurama was humbled and 
recognized then that Sri Rama is none other than Lord Vishnu . He 
appealed to Sri Rama to put an end to his title as one who can move 
in an unhampered  manner over all the worlds that he won through his 
severe asceticism . Sri Rama discharged the arrow to remove the 
title of Parasurama and let him retire to Mount Mahendra to resume 
his penance . Parasurama walked clockwise around Sri Rama 
and went on his way ( Valmiki Ramayanam Sargams 25 and 26 of 
Bala Khaandam ) . 

Swami Desikan salutes  here the Paarameshtyam ( the supreme
glory of Sri Rama showing his Lordship over all including 
the strutting Parasurama as Paramaathmaa.
Swami says that the prince of Ayodhya on the occasion of 
subduing the arrogance of Parasurama revealed his 
svarupam as the Paramaathmaa to the entire world. Sri Rama 
as Sriman Narayana pulled away the divine power that 
He had invested earlier in Parasurama and reminded him  that 
latter was not a sampoorna Avathara of Him . 

In the next Gadhya salutation, Swami Desikan's mind is
still occupied with Parasurama and the Extraordinary Valor of
Sri Ramachandra in subduing the arrogance of Parasurama . 
Swami provides a frame of reference to understand the valor of 
Parasurama first and then goes on describe the mighty arrow of
Sri Ramachandra put Parasurama in place .

GS 20 : KRATHUHARA SIKARI KANTHUKA  VIHRUTHYUNMUKHA 
JITAHARI DHANTHI DHANTHA DHANDHURA  DASAVADHANA DHAMANA
KUSALA  DASA SATHA BHUJA MUKHA NRUPATHIKULA RUDHIRA
JARA BHARITHA PRUTHUTARA TATAAKA  TARPITHA  PITHRUKA 
BRGHUPATHI SUGADHI  VIHATHIKARA NATHA PARIDHISHU  PARIDHA !
JAYA !  JAYA !

Swami Deikan's mind is still admiring the valor and kaarunyam of
Sri Rama in dealing with the arrogant outburst of Parasurama . Hence ,
he devotes one more (this )  gadhya salutation to Parasurama Garva Bhangam . 
In this salutation which its musical echos (Dahnthi Dantha Danthura
Dasavadana Dhaman---) , Swami gives an introdction to Parasurma's 
valor first . Parasurama destroyed the vamsam of the mighty king Kaarthaveeryan
,
who at one time defeated the powerful Ravana  in battle . Ravana's valor 
in the battle was well known. Once he lifted kailasa mountain and 
shook it . Another time , he humiliated Indra in the battle field and 
as a souvenir of that battle carried the wounds inflicted by the tusks of
Indra's elephant , Iraavadham . The king of Lanka, Ravana of such
valor was defeated soundly by Karhtaveeryarjunan  . When the thousand 
handed Karthaveeryarjunan killed the father of Parasurama , latter killed 
not only the offending king , but he destroyed twenty one levels of 
descendants of Karthaveeryarjunan in revenge . Parasurams performed 
Tarpanam for his father from the vast pond of blood of those Kshatriyas and 
settled the account . Such was  the valor of Parasurama . Sri Ramachandra
accepted the challenge of Parasurama and humbled him with his arrow from
fitted to the Vishnu Dhanus. As a result of this extraordinary and matchless 
valor displayed by Ramachndra, Parasurama lost acces to the Punya Lokas
that he had  earned earlier through his severe asceticism. Ramachndra's broad 
arrow resembling the lock for  a door put an end to the Sugathi or auspicious 
future of Parasurama . Thus Sri Ramachandra's valor surpassed that of 
Ravana , his foe Karthaveerya nd his tormentor Parasurama unambigously .