Episode 01 - Chapter 3 - Canto on Sage Agasthiyar.

Chapter 3 – Canto on Sage Agasthiyar - அகத்தியப் படலம்

 

The three of them come across the ravishingly beautiful endowments of Mother Nature on their course:

 

 மலைகளும், மரங்களும், மணிக் கற்பாறையும்,

அலை புனல் நதிகளும், அருவிச் சாரலும்,

இலை செறி பழுவமும், இனிய சூழலும்,

நிலை மிகு தடங்களும், இனிது நீங்கினார்.

 

“They trudged through lovely hills, thick cover of shady trees, rock surfaces embedded with precious stones, rivers with frothing waves, soothing water falls, groves dense with greenery, deep water bodies – all making their trudging actually a pleasant experience.”

 

The numerous sages and ascetics of Dandakaranya saw Rama, Lakshmana and Sita arrive and received them with delight and affection. Kamban equates the joy of these sages on seeing the three divine entities arriving in their midst with the sudden flow of cool, life-giving, crystalline water for those who are being torched and fried by a raging forest fire.

 

Enveloped in fear and mute suffering, unable even to utter the names of the Rakshasas who had been haunting them all along, these sadhus looked upon Rama as the mother cow emerging to relieve them from this raging, blistering life comparable with a surrounding and fierce forest-fire.

 

தீ வரு வனத்திடை இட்டுத் தீர்ந்தது ஓர்

தாய் வர, நோக்கிய கன்றின் தன்மையார்

 

Rama paid obeisance to the sages. And the sages blessed him, his younger one and Sita. They then led the three to a comfortably placed, lovely, hermitage and bade them to use that calm and captivating home for themselves. As the three settled down, the sages returned to brief Rama about their torments at the hands of Rakshasas.

 

'இரக்கம் என்று ஒரு பொருள் இலாத நெஞ்சினர்

அரக்கர் என்று உளர் சிலர், அறத்தின் நீங்கினார்

நெருக்கவும், யாம் படர் நெறி அலா நெறி

துரக்கவும், அருந் தவத் துறையுள் நீங்கினேம்.

 

“There are, around here, evil creatures called Rakshasas, whose minds are totally bereft of mercy; they are completely divorced from Dharma; because of their targeted tormenting, we are unable to follow the prescribed dharmic routines and have had to give up our ascetics.”

 

இந்திரன் எனின், அவன் அரக்கர் ஏயின

சிந்தையில், சென்னியில், கொள்ளும் செய்கையான்;

எந்தை! மற்று யார் உளர் இடுக்கண் நீக்குவார்?

வந்தனை, யாம் செய்த தவத்தின் மாட்சியால்,

 

“We had no refuge from this torture; even Indra (who is supposed to protect the sadhus as the Lord of the Devas), tends to take on himself the orders of these Rakshasas as his foremost duty; Our Lord! Who else is there to protect us? Because of the accumulated ascetic value of our past, You have arrived (amidst us.).”

 

‘உருள் உடை நேமியால் உலகை ஓம்பிய

பொருள் உடை மன்னவன் புதல்வ! போக்கிலா

இருள் உடை வைகலேம்; இரவி தோன்றினாய்!

அருள் உடை வீர! நின் அபயம் யாம் ‘என்றார்.

 

“Oh! Rama! The son of that great and powerful Emperor Dasaratha who protected the whole world with his command chakra, we do not want to continue to live in this endless darkness. You have emerged as the (darkness-destroying) Sun! Oh! Warrior with compassion! We take refuge unto thee!”

 

Rama equates the grief and pain that was caused by his leaving Ayodhya with the recompense of this opportunity for him to accord protection and solace to these sadhus.

 

வேந்தன் வீயவும், யாய் துயர் மேவவும்,

ஏந்தல் எம்பி வருந்தவும், என் நகர்

மாந்தர் வன் துயர் கூரவும், யான் வனம்

போந்தது, என்னுடைப் புண்ணியத்தால்' என்றான்

 

“I left the city of Ayodhya causing the demise of King Dasaratha, causing distress to my mother, causing agony to my brother Bharatha, causing untold misery to the people of Ayodhya – but (it seems) that my arrival into these forests (giving me an opportunity to protect and help such highly evolved sadhus),is a consequence of the ascetic values of my past.”

 

ஆவுக்கு ஆயினும்  அந்தணர்க்கு ஆயினும்,

யாவர்க்கு ஆயினும்,  எளியவர்க்கு ஆயினும்,

சாவப்பெற்றவரே, தகை  வான் உறை

தேவர்க்கும் தொழும் தேவர்கள் ஆகுவார்.

 

“Those (rulers having the responsibility to protect their people) who protect cows, protect (learned) Brahmins, protect vulnerable people (could mean women as well), and others  (who might need such protection), only those, who die attain divinity that is extolled even by the Devas.”

 

'சூர் அறுத்தவனும்,  சுடர் நேமியும்,

ஊர் அறுத்த  ஒருவனும், ஓம்பினும்,

ஆர் அறத்தினொடு அன்றி  நின்றார் அவர்

வேர் அறுப்பென்; வெருவன்மின் நீர்' என்றான்.

 

Look at Rama’s rousing assurance to the sages: “Even if Skanda, who vanquished Soora Padma, or Maha Vinshnu who destroys evil with his glowing Sudarsana, or Rudra who destroyed the three worlds (with his third eye), provide support to them, I shall completely root out thos who do not fall in line with Dharma. Do not fear!.”

Murga was Deva Senapathi – led the Devas against Soora Padma and covered himself with such glory. Rama, though incarnate of Sri Maha Vishnu, includes the latter in his challenge just to underscore his resolve. He includes Lord Shiva in this challenge – but leaves out Brahma. This is noteworthy: Brahma is neven involved in any confrontation between asuras and devas, is neven known to exert as an aggressive energy.

 

This verse also underscores the core theme of the epic – SARANAGATHA VATHSALAN. He shall not spare any effort or intent to protect those – anyone – who surrender and seek refuge in him.

 

Fully assuaged by this spirited offer of refuge by Sri Rama, the sages invite the three of them to stay amongst them for the rest of the duration of their abdication.

The divine three settle down amidst these adorable, simple, affectionate ascetics, spend a relatively quiet, serene TEN YEARS.

 

The poet crosses those ten years with just one line of one verse:

 

ஐந்தும் ஐந்தும் அமைதியின் ஆண்டு அவண் மைந்தர் தீது இலர் வைகினர்

 

On the advice and direction of these sages, the three set forth to meet Sage Agastya.

Enroute to Sage Agastya’s hermitage, they call on Sage Sudeekshana, stay in his hermitage for a night, accept his hospitality and seek directions from him for reaching Sage Agastya’s hermitage.

 

Like Sage Sarabhanga, Sage Sudeekshana also offered to Rama the entire wealth of ascetics he had accumulated through long years of disciplined yoga. Rama politely declined that offer, saying that the sage’s affection for them was much dearer than that offer. “இறைவ! நின் அருள் எத்தவத்திற்கு எளிது?”

 

 (Sage Valmiki though, quotes Rama as responding in this context that such ascetic value has had to be earned by him alone and not received.)

 

Sage Sudeekshana, next morning, bids farewell to the trio and directs them to the hermitage of Sage Agastya.

வழியும் கூறி வரம்பு அகல் ஆசிகள்

மொழியும் மாதவன் மொய்ம் மலர்த் தாள் தொழாப்

பிழியும் தேனின் பிறங்கு அருவித் திரள்

பொழியும் சோலை விரைவினில் போயினார்.

 

Sage Sudeekshana (and the other sages in the vicinity) offer infinite blessings to the divine trio who paid obeisance to them; they set forth (towards the hermitage of Sage Agasthya), through groves and rivulets filled with honey flowing from the flower-clad trees.)

 

Rama, Sita and Lakshmana arrive at the hermitage of the renowned sage Agasthya.

The sage receives them with boundless joy and affection.

 

ஆண்தகையர் அவ் வயின் அடைந்தமை அறிந்தான்;

ஈண்டு, உவகை வேலை துணை ஏழ் உலகம் எய்த,

மாண்ட வரதன் சரண் வணங்க, எதிர் வந்தான்-

நீண்ட தமிழால் உலகை நேமியின் அளந்தான்.

 

Kamban extols the contribution that Sage Agastya had made to develop and propel Thamizh as one of the literarily richest languages this world had seen. He says that Agastya measured this large world with his ever-reaching Thamizh.

Kamban narrates the genesis of Thamizh and its development in a captivating capsule:

 

உழக்கும் மறை நாலினும், உயர்ந்து உலகம் ஓதும்

வழக்கினும், மதிக் கவியினும், மரபின் நாடி,-

நிழல் பொலி கணிச்சி மணி நெற்றி உமிழ் செங் கண்

தழல் புரை சுடர்க் கடவுள் தந்த தமிழ்-தந்தான்.

 

Lord Siva – machete “மழு” in hand, of a glowing golden complexion, with his blistering third eye in the midst of his large forehead, gave Thamizh to the worlds. Sage Agastya enriched it with its splendid application in the ritual recitations (equivalent to the four vedhas), its delightful and purposive use as a universal communicating medium (through the world), its singular choice by both intellectuals and poets.

 

(Agastya is celebrated as the author of the foundational grammar for Thamizh. These are called “சிற்றகத்தியம், பேரகத்தியம்”.

Sage Agastya is also celebrated for his legendary initiative in raising the peninsular India on par with the Himalayan North and for having swallowed and digested the asura “Vaathaapi” “VAATHAAPI JEERANO BHAVA”

 

கண்டனன் இராமனை வர; கருணை கூர,

புண்டரிக வாள் நயனம் நீர் பொழிய, நின்றான்-

எண் திசையும் ஏழ் உலகும் எவ் உயிரும் உய்ய,

குண்டிகையினில், பொரு இல், காவிரி கொணர்ந்தான்.

 

Agastya – the sage that brought River Cauvery in his rituali kettle as the life-stream of this world, saw Rama arrive – with his lotus-like eyes filled with tears of joy. குண்டிகை = kamandalam.

 

That is another legend associated with Sage Agastya – that he was the progenitor of the life-giving River Cauvery.

 

Sage Agastya adores Rama:

 

"விண்ணினில், நிலத்தினில், விகற்ப உலகில், பேர்

எண்ணினில், இருக்கினில்,  இருக்கும்" என யாரும்

உள் நினை கருத்தினை, உறப் பெறுவெனால், என்

கண்ணினில்' எனக் கொடு களிப்புறு மனத்தான்.

 

Delighted to see Rama, the sage exclaims: “The One that is manifest in space, in this earth, in all the perceivable worlds, the One that arrives into jeevas who contemplate on him with one of his myriad names, the One that the Vedhas acclaim, that One I am so privileged to see in front of me!”

 

Sage Agastya invites Rama, with Sita and Lakshmana to live in his neighbourhood, in order that the sages could pursue their ascetics freed from the fear of rakshasas.

 

'வாழும் மறை; வாழும் மனு நீதி; அறம் வாழும்;

தாழும் இமையோர் உயர்வர்; தானவர்கள் தாழ்வார்;

ஆழி உழவன் புதல்வ! ஐயம்  இலை; மெய்யே;

ஏழ் உலகும் வாழும்; இனி, இங்கு உறைதி' என்றான்.

 

“Come! Live along with us here! If you do, the Vedhas would be nourished; rule of law would be sustained; dharma would prevail; the Gods who are suppressed right now (by the evil-deeds of rakshasas) would be ennobled again; the asuras would be subjugated. Oh! Son of Emperor Dasaratha! There is absolutely no doubt about it. All the worlds would be protected. Please do stay here with us.”

 

Rama responds: “Living with you would be of the greatest pleasure to us. But, should I not be go ahead further south and meet those rascaly rakshasas on their way itself ( in order that they do not come here to bother you all)! What shall be your command?”

 

Sage Agastya concurs and badd them to go the Panchavati, after conferring on them weaponry of incomparable potency – The huge and fearsome bow that belonged to Sri Maha Vishnu along with a quiver full of arrows; a majestic sword that would weigh out all the three worlds; and a dart that Lord Shiva used in turning the three worlds into ashes.

 

Kamban presents a jewel of Mother Nature that Panchavati is, to us through the words of Sage Agastya:

 

'ஓங்கும் மரன் ஓங்கி, மலை ஓங்கி, மணல் ஓங்கி,

பூங் குலை குலாவு குளிர் சோலை புடை விம்மி,

தூங்கு திரை ஆறு தவழ் சூழலது ஓர் குன்றின்

பாங்கர் உளதால், உறையுள் பஞ்சவடி-மஞ்ச!

 

“My Son! In the midst of tall, shady trees, filled with lofty peaks of mountains and sand dunes, brimming with flower-clad, cool groves, with frothing rapids of rivers all round, adjacent to a hill, is this (rapturous habitation) Panchavati!”

 

Thus briefed and blessed, Rama, accompanied by Sita and Lakshmana, trudged further southwards – targeting Panchavati.

Sage Valmiki has Agastya tell Rama that Panchavati is at a distance of two yojanas from his hermitage:

 

 इतो द्वि योजने तात बहु मूल फल उदकः |

देशो बहु मृगः श्रीमान् पंचवटि अभिविश्रुतः

 

It is amazing how we, followers of this ancient and one of the grandest epics, keep finding accurate corroboration for the geographical details that the epics present, several millennia after the time the epic was supposed to have played out. We found earlier that the various hermitages that we came across, beginning from Sidhasramam, on to Bhardwaja Asramam, to Sarabhangasramam, Sudheekshanasramam and now Agastyasramam and going on to Panchavati. Panchavati’s location is presented with pinpoint accuracy! “Pravachana Vachaspati” Sri Velukkudi Krishnan had done some yeoman service in retracing Rama’s divine journey across India, together with thousands of bhaktas; not just for the benefit of those who were on those journeys but for the whole aasthika world. The illustrations he had used in the narratives and presentations were, refreshingly, modern and in touch with today’s context and today’s geography.

 

Comments - from Mr.B.S.Raghavan and responses:

 

The narration with the help of gems of quotations is absolutely charming...couldn't take my eyes and mind off from it...

 

I must share with the group one aspect of Kamban's unique, unparalleled poetic genius ....and that is that he makes sure that his choice of the metre, rhyme, rhythm and cadences exactly fits the context and occasion. Valmiki has adopted the anushtup chanda throughout regardless of the event or occasion described. Whereas, Kamban will choose a solemn, sombre metre to describe, say, a tense occasion, a slow moving chandas for a sad occasion, a tumbling cascade of cadences to describe a fight, a lilting rhythm describing the beauty of a forest or a rapidly flowing metre to portray a river, an uplifting chandas to bring out the awe of a mountain  etc etc. He does the same thing in his Ramayan. This cannot be explained in words. It can only be brought out by means of recitation in oral exposition. The nearest example I can think of is Tennyson's Brook or Robert Southey's Cataract of Lodore.

 

BS Raghavan

 

That was really fabulous, Raghavan. So enriching. Touching base with one of the main ingredients of this initiative: find glittering nuggets of literary delight, placed in the wider universe of poetic literature. We are beholden to you, really.

 

I thought of the framework of linguistic structure in the two great languages that the world has been endowed with - Sanskrit and Thamizh. If one could boast of Kalidasa , Jayadeva, for emotional flow in Sanskrit,  the other could outmatch it with Kamban, Nammazhwar, Andal, Manickavasagar, not just for matching emotional flow but integrated with rare and stunning expatiation of vedantic truth.

 

As you have pointed out Sage Valmiki chose anushtup chandas for his epic. I find that much of the two epics (including Srimad Bhagavad Gita which is a part of Mahabharata), use this metre - that has nearly zero room for improvisation. (In fact recent day scholars have tried to identify possible interpolations in these great works by picking verses or lines that do not answer the strict structure of this metre.)  Two other metres, Gayatri and Trishtup share this unique honour. While appreciating - comparing is beyond our ken I suppose - the poesy  and nuances of delivery in these two great literary works - the Aadi Kaavya and that Kamban , we should keep this discipline in mind. Kamban, I think had a much wider licence. He was to use sanskrit words either wholly or "thamizhised" liberally sprinkled all over his 12000 verses. And, while Valmiki narrated from the pedestal of the Ikshwaku regime and its cultural environs, Kamban had a much much wider field of play including the Thamizh (especially the Chola) cultural and social mores. And, he had at his disposal a vastly rich and creatively accommodative language - Thamizh. As you have said, this tool in his hands made it possible for him to delineate the epic virtually as a drama - filled with real-time emotions

 

That said, Kamban seems to excel because of the induction of his deep bhakti for Sri Maha Vishnu and its emotional offshoots. Valmiki, on the other, stood out as a contemporaneous narrator for whom Sri Rama was a divine child. If I might use an (inadequate/inappropriate?)  allegory, Kamban looked at Rama as a two-year-old would look up at his father with awe and adoration; while Valmiki considered Sri Rama as his very special grandchild, divinely gifted.

 

What I personally marvel, time and again, while traversing through Kamban's work is his remarkable comprehension of the very mystic and difficult to propound, vedantic truths and bring them out in really stunning phrases, phrases that both bewilder you and assault you. "வாராதே வர வல்லாய்" and  "நிலை இல்லாத் தீமையும் நீ தந்தது அன்றோ" are such scorching examples as we found in Discussions 87 and 88. In this aspect of the poet, I am inclined to rate him along with Nammazhwar who is reputed to distill vedantic truths in his countless dedications to the Lord with amazingly simple phrases. Would it be why, Lord Ranganatha desired Kamban to produce "SatagOpan Nootrandhadhi" and dedicate to Him before he was allowed to dedicate his "Ramavatharam"?

 

Dr.Robert Shulman, the celebrated Israeli commentator, would try and define Kamban's epic thus:

 

Quote: What is the book about? The cultural world revealed is of a different configuration. It is something about being human, human awareness, what it feels to be a human being, the mental awareness and experiences he goes through. He talks more about being alive, degree of aliveness, different intensities of human awareness.  South Indian culture, feelings, deeper sensual intensity, richness, fullness, all that becomes alive, because of the language used.  Walking among us is God; God too has different

intensities; the point of the text is to enhance awareness of God, to wake him up; with the ritual of words making God alive, working on the reader, making her aware of the living, breathing God. Unquote.

 

Going back a bit to the metres of Sankrit verses:

 

Chandas is regarded as an intergral part of the Vedas - one of the six angas of the vedas actually. The others being SIKSHA(PHONETICS) , VYAKARANA (EXPATIATION) , NRUKTA (ETYMOLOGY), KALPA (RITUALISTIC INSTRUCTIONS) AND JYOTISHA (THE ASTRONOMICAL DETERMINATION OF THE TIMING FOR THE VARIOUS RITUALS).

 

Of the seven chandas (metres) formally admitted in early (vedic) sanskrit structure, the Gayatri, Anushtup and Trishtup are the more widely used in the vedic verses. And as we noted earlier, Anushtup was also the medium of narration of the two epics as well as several puranas and the Bhagavad Gita. The other four were, Ushnih, Brihati, Pankti and Jagati.

 

Those who do Sandhyavandhana regularly would be versed in the following propiation:

 

oM bhuuraAadi sapta vyaahR^itiinaaM atri bhR^igu kutsa vasishhTha

gautama kaashyapa aaN^girasa R^ishhayaH

gaayatrii ushhNik.h anushhTup bR^ihatii paN^ti tR^ishhTup jagatyaH chhandaa{gm}si

agni vaayu arka vaagiisha varuNa indra vishvedevaaH devataa

 

The third line incorporates the seven chandas' as the dwija offering his oblations to, besides the seven rishis and the seven (elemental) prime gods.

 

And, Sri Maha Vishnu is adored as having Seven Tongues - allegory of the seven chandas - in Sri Vishnu Sahasranama:

 

Sahasraarchis Saptha Jihwa Sapthaitha Saptha Vahanah.

 

(Saptha Jihwa - Seven Tongues).

 

Parthasarathy

 

Parthasarathy, we see you at your awesome best.... simply brilliant...I just scratch the surface, and here is a whole oceans bursting out sky-high.....I am lost in wonder.

 

Now to Hari's question, a shrewd one from a worldly-wise person that Hari is. .This is by way of supplementing Parthasarathy's response....my addition is a speculative one, though:

 

If rishis displayed anger, or any base emotion, they lost all accumulated fruits of their tapas or penance...which involved unimaginably exacting severe austerities lasting thousands of years. In that situation, they have to start all over again to come back to the level where they were...so they restrained themselves from curses or any sort of infliction of punishment to the extent possible. There was a rationale also for this. The dharma of rishis was the furtherance of the world's well-being and implanting of noble values and seeds of knowledge. Punishment and getting rid of manifestations of evil was the dharma of a kshatriya. True to Krishna's dictum in the Gita स्वधर्मे निधनम स्रेय, पर धर्म भयावह (Better to die performing one's own dharma, straying into another's is fearful), the rishis stuck to their dharma, and enlisted the services of kshatriyas for performing their dharma.