In the first twenty of 94 Churnikas, Desikar showcases the valour of Lord Rama in his teenage phase
Taking up the challenges of King Janaka and Sage Parasurama, Rama showed his extraordinary strength in the art of weaponry and a preview of what he was capable of
(This
series on Vedanta Desikar’s Mahaveera Vaibhavam is inspired by Shri. TE
Madhavan, a IIT Madras Research Scholar and a Theerthakar who presented a brilliant devotional rendering of this hymn in a fast paced style at the Madurantakam Eri Kaatha
Rama Temple)
In
the concluding decad of the Perumal Thirumozhi, Kulasekara Azhvaar captured the
entire story of the Ramayana in just those ten verses (http://prtraveller.blogspot.in/2017/01/kulasekara-azhvaar-thiru-chitrakoodam.html)
Centuries
later Vedanta Desikar through the unique Gadyam style presentation in the
Mahaveera Vaibhavam showcases the valourous acts of Rama highlighting his
dharmic deeds through the different phases of his life and how he always
protected the true devotees.
To
the devotees, Desikar says that reciting the Mahaveera vaibhavam in a sincere
and devoted way will give them a lot of confidence and courage towards leading
a dharmic life and fighting the evil forces.
Unlike
the story of Krishnan, especially as seen through the verses of Periyazhvaar,
where multiple cantos were dedicated to his childhood, the story of Ramayana is
very different with minimal insights into the childhood of Rama. Only a few
verses are dedicated to the childhood of Rama and even that to the greatness of
his birth and not to any activities as a child. It is only after Rama is into his
teens that Vedanta Desikar begins describing his valourous acts.
It
was in Thiruvahindrapuram (http://prtraveller.blogspot.in/2008/03/thiruvahindrapuram-devanathan_29.html)
that Vedanta Desikar composed the devotional hymns of Mahavira Vaibhavam
dedicated to the valour of Lord Rama after invoking the blessings of Hayagriva.
Through the 94 prosaic verses (Churnikas), Desikar extols the valour of Rama
providing relevant examples in each phase of his life as endorsement of his
valour that was exhibited as part of upholding the dharmic principles of life.
Birth in the Solar Dynasty
Vedanta
Desikar begins his Mahaveea Vaibhavam presentation providing one insights into
the purpose of his advent into this world. Just like the Sun that rises in the
morning to dispel the darkness of the night Lord Rama took birth to put an end
to the miseries of the people and to showcase the principles of Dharma.
ஜயத்தியாச்ரித சண்ட்ராச
தவாந்த வித்வன்சனோதயஹா
பிரபாவான் சீதையா
தேவ்யா பரமவ்யோம
பாஸ்கரஹ
With
Ravana creating havoc with his arrogance arising out of the immortality boon
given by Brahma, Lord Vishnu answering the prayers of the Devas agreed to be
born as Rama, the son of King Dasaratha who was performing a yagna seeking a
son.
தஷவதன
தமித தைவித
பரிஷதப்யர்த்தித தாக்ஷரதி
பாவ
Dispelling the miseries of True Devotees
In
the 6th verse, Desikar once again makes a comparison of Rama to the
glorious rays of the bright sun and praises him as enhancing the glory of the
solar dynasty. Sun is a special God as he illuminates the sky with his shining
glory. Similarly to be born in the Solar Dynasty was an indication that he had
come to dispel the darkness caused by the harassment of Ravana.
தினகர குல
கமல திவாகர
The story of how Rama cleaned up
King Dasaratha’s debts
திவிஷததிபதி ரண
சஹசரணசதுர தஷ்ரத
சரம ருண
விமோசன
For
long King Dasaratha had been childless and he was worried that not having a son
would continue to keep him in a state of debt despite being a famous ruler of a
large kingdom for it is believed that it is the son who discharges the debt of
the ancestors by performing the rites in a timely manner.
Following
the praise of Rama’s role in discharging his father’s debt, Desikar refers to
mother Kausalya and how by being born in hier womb he concealed to the entire
world his real identity. Desikar also praises the greatness of Kausalya for she
was the chosen one to given birth to Rama.
Praising the Mother
As
seen in Perumal Thirumozhi, Kulasekara Azhvaar too begins his decad of lullaby
with a praise of Kausalya (http://prtraveller.blogspot.in/2016/12/kulasekara-azhvaar-lord-rama.html)
கோசலசுத குமார
பவ கன்சுகித
காரணாகார
The
1st set of churnikas relate to the birth of Rama. Desikar then moves
on to the teenage phase of Rama and describes the first valorous deeds of Rama.
Rama’s first act of Valour – a playful
gesture
The
9th churnika recounts the first display of valour of Rama. Not yet
16, he is directed hesitatingly by King Dasaratha to accompany Sage Vishwamitra
who sought the help of the young boy to protect his sacrificial rites that he
was performing. Rama demolished the asuras with effortless ease that Desikar compares
this treatment by Rama to a child spending his playfully with his friends.
கௌமார கேலி
கோபாயித கௌஷிகாத்வரா
Initiation into the art of
Weaponry – kills Tataka, throws Mareecha away
Desikar
then takes one through the story of the Sage’s initiation of magic weapons that
he believed would be relevant to Rama at a later stage in his life. In this
verse, Desikar refers to the weapons as ‘Bhavya’, one that would simply listen
to the words of the master.
Soon
after the initiation, Desikar provides glimpses into how Rama put it into
practice by using the small arrows to demolish the demons in the forest. Rama
put an end to Tataka who had been a hurdle to the sacrificial rites that Sage
Viswamitra had been performing. And his next arrow sent Mareecha into the
ocean. He was still a young boy but even at that age showed his special skills
of handling the weapons to protect the good from the evil.
Desikar
showcases here the great learning abilities of Rama. Having absorbed the
teachings of the great Sage in the art of weaponry, Ramya displayed his
learnings in the destruction of Tataka and her son Mareecha.
ப்ரணதஜன விமத
விமதன துர்லலித
தோர்லலிதா
தனுதர விஷிக
விதாதன விகடித
விஷராறு ஷாராறு
தாடகா தாடகேய
A soft Churnika – Ahalya’s
Liberation
Desikar
then turns soft in his narration of the episode of liberating the beautiful Ahalya
from her husbands’s curse. In his narration, Desikar says that just a mere
touch of his lotus foot on the stone was enough to liberate the beautiful lady.
On
the way to Mithila, while at the Ashrama of Sage Gautama ,Viswamitra directed
Rama to place his foot on the stone lying in the ashrama. Immediately the stone
turned into a beautiful girl much to Rama’s surprise. Ahalya in a thanking
gesture invoked his blessings with folded hands.
In
this verse Desikar also describes the event of Shiva stopping the Ganga with
his matted hair that purified the Ganges.
ஜட
கிரண ஷகள
தரஜடில
நடபதி மகுட
தட
நடன பது
விபுத சரிததி
பஹுல மது
களன லலித
பத நளின
ரஜ உபம்ருதித
நிஜ
வ்ரிஜின ஜஹதுபல
தணுருசின
பரம முநிவரா
யுவதி நுத
Nava Stories to Rama and
Lakshmana
Deskiar
then presents the important story of Sage’s educative messages to Rama. When in
the forest, he describes Nava stories of Gods, Demons and human beings with the
intention of carrying Rama through the forest forgetting the hardship of the
journey for it was the young lad’s first real long trip.
As
they entered the beautiful town of Mithila, Rama was the cynosure of all eyes.
The dames had never seen such a handsome man. He was as beautiful as the large
moon on a full moon day and they did not take their eyes off him.
மைதில நகர
சுலோசனா லோசண
சகோர சந்திர
Janaka
like every father wanted a handsome man for his daughter Sita who had grown
into a beautiful girl. In a moment of haste, seeking the most valourous man on
earth, Janaka had thrown an open challenge to anyone to string the mighty
weapon of Shiva.
At
that time, he had hoped that he would get the bravest man for her. But as time
passed he grew anxious for no man could even lift the bow. He was now apprehensive
that he had thrown far too big a challenge and that he may now not be able to
find the right man.
As
Rama entered the court, Janaka wondered as to what the young boy was doing
there when several mighty warriors had even failed to move the bow. But he was
convinced that this was the man for his daughter such were his handsome
features. His eyes were as beautiful as a 1000 lotuses. Desikar also refers to ‘Stealing’
the beauty away from the lotuses as the entire Mithila glanced at the new man
who had arrived there.
மோசித ஜனக
ஹ்ருதய ஷாங்காதன்க
The
attendants in several hundreds were directed to bring the bow to the court. And
then in a dramatic moment the young lad lifted the seemingly strong bow of Siva,
strung it and broke it with ease into two pieces.
Barely
initiated into the art of weaponry, Rama displayed extra ordinary skill that
seemed to be outside the capability of normal human beings.
The
moment Rama strung the bow Janaka’s joy knew no bounds especially to have found
a boy belonging to the solar dynasty for his daughter. He believed that she had
done her clan proud by now being part of the clan of the Ishvakus.
கண்டபரஷு கோதண்ட
ப்ரகாண்ட கண்டன
ஷவுண்ட புஜதண்ட
After
the wedding, Rama returned to Ayodhya. But before his return he provided to-date
the most valourous display of his strength.
Extra Ordinary Strength
On
the way back, he had to face the taunt of that sworn enemy of the Kshatriyas
Parasurama, who suggested that he had managed to string what he called was a 2nd
best bow for he had the best one in the world, given by Lord Vishnu himself.
And that Rama’s real merit lay in trying to string this bow of Parasurama.
ஷாதகோடி ஷாதகுந
கதின பரஸுதர
முனிவரா
கரத்ருட துறவனம
தம நிஜ
தணுராகர்ஷண
ப்ரகாஷித பாரமேஷுத்ய
The
sage had offered the fruits of all his penances if Rama managed to string the
bowl. Rama took away all the fruits of the good deeds of Parasurama by
stringing the mighty bow and also thus got back his own bow. Sage Parasurama
too acknowledged Rama as the supreme power after this episode.
The story of Parasurama’s anger
and Rama’s greatness through this episode
As
King Kartavyarjuna had taken away the sacred cow from Jamadagini’s ashrama in
the absence of his son Parasurama, an angry son went after the king and killed
him with his axe. In retaliation the army of the king killed Jamadigni, once
again in the son’s absence. It was then that Parasurama took the vow to kill 21
generations of Kshatriyas and to perform the ceremonial rites with the blood of
the kshatriyas.
It
must be recalled that Kartavyarjuna had once held Ravana captive in his kingdom
having defeated him in a battle only to release him after the great Ravana
pleaded with him. Ravana himself had earlier shaken the great Mount Kailasa
while Shiva and Paravati were spending their time in leisure there.
This
final Churnika of Bala Kandam showcases to us the extraordinary valour of Rama as
one who strung the mighty bows of Shiva and Vishnu and in correlation of the
above set of events was a supreme power.
க்ருதுஹர ஷிகரி கந்துக விஹ்ருத்யுன்முக
ஜகதருந்துத
ஜிதஹரிதந்த தஷவதன
தமன குஷள
தக்ஷஷத பூஜந்ருபதி
குல ருதிர
ஜர பரித
ப்ருதுதர தடாக
தர்பித பித்ருக
ப்ருகுபதி சுகதி
விஹாதிகர நத
பருதிஷு பரிக
This
first set of 20 churnikas of the Mahaveera Vaibhavam relate to the description
of Rama’s valour leading to this marriage as a teenager and immediately after.
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