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Raghuveera Gadhyam: Yuddha KhAndham--Part 12

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • December 14, 1996 


GS 61:  aprathidhwandhva pourusha ! Jaya! Jaya!

(meaning ) : O Raghuveera of unmatched Valour !
Hail to Thee ! Hail to Thee ! 

(Background ) : the extraordinary heroism of Rama in dispatching 
two lakhs of foot soldiers of Mula Balam is still very much on the
mind of Swami Desikan . He is also thinking about the other heroic 
deeds such as the destruction of  mighty KumbhakarNa . Overpowered by
these thoughts, Swami Desikan eulogizes Rama as the warrior 
whose performance in the battle field can not be matched by anyone.

GS 62 : Trayambhaka samadhikha ghorAsthrAdambara ! Jaya! Jaya !

(Meaning ) : O Lord , who has the assembly of arrows that are 
fiercer than that of Parameswaran himself !

(Background) : At the end of the destruction of the Mula Balam ,
Rama said : " Yethadh asthra balam divyam mama vA trayambhakasya vA ."
-- Yuddha Khaandham 93. 38 

Rama was conversing with the assembled SugrivA , VibhishaNa , 
HanumAn , JaambhavAn , MaindA and DwividhA , who were standing 
near him witnessing the frenzied fight between the foot soldiers of
Mula balam . It is here he said : " Such wonderful power of using 
divine missiles exists either in me or in  Lord Siva ( TryambhakA ) . " 

Rama's power in using the mystic weapons was greater than 
that of Lord Siva and yet he compared himself as equal to Lord
Siva out of his generous nature to give credit to others . Further ,
as a "human being " , he  did not want to set an example of 
just praising himself as being far superior to a God known for his 
skills in handling virulent  asthrams such as Paasupatham . 

GS 62 : saarathi hrutha ratha sathrapa sAthrava satyApitha 
prathApa ! Jaya ! Jaya! 

(meaning ) : O Raghuveera , whose prowess was certified to be true
by your enemy RavaNA , when he  was led away from the battle field
in shame by his charioteer ! Hail to Thee !

(Background ) : RavaNA lost more generals and mighty warriors
following the death of his beloved son , Indrajith . He came hence  to 
the battle field once again and there was a mighty battle between Rama 
and RavaNA .

Displaying unmatchable martial ardour , Rama sent many weapons to
put an end to the evil ogre . RavaNA could not cope with the onslaught 
and became bewildered . RavaNA's charioteer sensed the danger to
which his master was exposed to . He quickly turned the royal chariot 
of his master  away from the battle field  to a safe destination. RavaNA was 
enraged by  the well-meant act of his charioteer and chided him . RavaNA
acknowledged Rama's undisputed valour to his charioteer , while berating
him for his initative to take him away from the battle field . RavaNa 's words 
captured by Sage Valmiki in the one hundred and fourth canto of 
Yuddha Khaandham in this context are :

" While my adversary (Rama) , whose prowess is widely known , and who
deserved to be gratified through feats of valour , stood looking on ,
myself , who was covetous of fighting was made a coward of by you ." 

The key words of this verse of Valmiki are : sathrO: PRAKHYAATHA
VEERYASYA ranjaneeyasya vikramai : " RavaNa then ordered his 
charioteer to take him back to the battle field . 

GS 64 : sitha sara krutha lavana dasamukha mukha dasaka
nipathana punarudhaya dhara gaLitha janitha dhara taraLa harihaya 
nayana naLinavana ruchi kachitha kathala nipathita surataru kusuma
vitathi surabhitha ratha patha ! Jaya ! Jaya ! 

( Meaning and comments ) : O Raghuveera ! You  had the path of your 
chariot made fragrant  with the showering blossoms of the celestial Kalpaka 
tree! That fragrance of the blossoms joined with the beauty of the agitated 
eyes of Indra , which resembled the assembly of red lotuses in a lotus 
forest  . Indra's eyes were agitated first with fear over the sight of the
falling of 
the ten heads of RavaNA as they  were being severed by your arrows and 
their immediate  reappearance as though nothing had happened . 
You removed the fear of IndrA by using BrahmAsthram and cut off the evil 
RavaNA's head once and for all. That heroic act of yours was appreciated 
by the celestials and they showered Kalpaka flowers on You , which 
collected under the path of your chariot and made that  path fragrant . 
Indra , the king of celestials was joyous over the destruction of RavaNA
and his eyes lit up with happiness . At that time , his multitude of eyes
looked like the assembly of blossomed red lotuses in 
a lotus forest . Indra has 1,000 eyes according to the PurANAs .
When all of them lit up , it was like the multitude of simultaneously 
blossoming lotus flowers . Swami Desikan salutes here the MahA Veeran ,
who dispatched RavaNA to the abode of death and made the Devas and 
their king joyous through his victory over the evil ogre . 

GS 66 : abhigatha sathamukha huthavaha pithrupathi nirruthi
varuNa pavana dhanadha girisa mukha surapathi nuthi mudhitha !
Jaya ! Jaya ! 

(meaning ) : O MahA VeerA  who was made happy by the eulogies of 
IndrA , Agni , YamA , Nirruthi , VaruNA , Vaayu , KubherA and Siva ,
who approached you at the end of  your succesful battle with RavaNA !
Hail to Thee! Hail ot Thee ! 

(Background ) : VibhishaNA rushed to the side of Sita Devi at AsOka
vanam and brought the tidings of RavaNA's destruction at  the hands of 
her consort. VibhishaNA brought SitA dEvi to the side of Rama in the 
battle field. RamA harshly asked Sita to prove her innocence by 
stepping into fire , since he wanted to counter any doubt on the part of 
citizens over her staying in the stranger's(RavaNA's )  house for many months.
At that time , Indra, Agni , Vaayu, YamA , SivA , KubherA and other celestials
approached You , eulogized You and begged You not to abandon the MahA
pathivrathai SitA and to accept her without any doubt. Swami Desikan 
says here : " O Maha VeerA ! you were pleased wiht the eulogies and 
appeals of the celestials ." 

GS 67 : amitha mathi vidhi vidhitha kathitha nija vibhava
jaladhi prushatha lava! Jaya ! Jaya ! 

(Meaning and comments ) : O Raghu Veera ! After the eulogies of the celestials ,
Brahma Devan began to praise your glories. Brahma had limitless intellect
and comprehension. Even he could only fathom a very small portion of your 
vast glories and his eulogy resembled the small drop of a mighty ocean .
If this was the fate of BrahmA , there is no need to describe the pitiable
plight of other celestials as they attempted to eulogize your kalyANa guNAs .
Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee ! 

GS 68 : vigatha bhaya vibhutha paribhruta vibhothitha veerasayana 
saayitha vaanara pruthanowka ! Jya ! Jaya !

(Meaning and comments ) : Indra's long -held fear vanished , once
RavaNA was killed by RamA in battle. Indra wanted to express his 
gratitude to You and asked you about what kind of service  he could 
render . You requested him to bring back to life the monkeys , which
lost their life in the battle . Indra made that wish come true. The dead 
monkeys rose up and moved with alacrity like rapidly flowing floods . 
O Maha VeerA! Is there any limit to Your compassion ? 

Sri Raghavam Ramachandram RAvaNArim RamApathim I
Raajiva lochanam Raamam tam vandE RaghunAyakam II

Sri VaishNava Daasan ,

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri  Sadagopan