VALMIKI RAMAYANA
By Dr. Saroja Ramanujam, M.A.,Ph.D , siromani
Ayodhya kanda
7.Kousalya”s grief and laKshmana’s anger
Rama told Kaikeyi that she mistaken his character and did not attribute any
virtue to him as otherwise she would not have spoken like this. ‘na noonam
mayi kaikeyee kimchithaaSamsase gunam’ We find a slight anger and
contempt towards Kaikeyi in the Rama of Valmiki as compared with Rama of
Kamban, who is docile and obedient and says to Kaikeyi that he will do her
bidding as willingly as he would do that of his father.
Rama then came out of the palace and Lakshmana followed him angry and
tearful. Valmiki says that the face of Rama shone with great luster as that of the
moon and his mind was like that of a sage who has renounced the world. The
people outside never could h guess
what happened from the peaceful
countenance of Rama and Lakshmana also controlled himself
Rama went to the palace of Kousalya to inform his mother of the turn of events
and Kousalya, who was observing religious rites for the welfare of Rama looked
emaciated but happy. After blessing Rama she said, ‘sathyaparathijnam
pitharam raajaanam pasya raaghava,’ “ Rama, you see that your father will
never swerve from his words.” The dramatic irony of these words are denoted by
a what follows. What she meant was that once promised him the kingdom
Dasartha would certainly go ahead and crown him the very same day. But the
words quoted indirectly and unintentionally hint the real state of affairs to
follow. Being chaste and virtuous whatever comes from her mouth proves to be
true and here it means that Rama had to see that his father remains a
sathyavratha, though the real intention was entirely different.
Rama was hesitant to tell her knowing that it was going to give her a lot of pain.
He said that a fearful thing has happened which would grieve her, Seetha and
Lakshmana. What he meant was that even though it did not affect him he was
afraid of its effect on them all. Then he told her the news on hearing which
Kousalya fell on the floor like a chopped tree in the forest. Rama pacified her
and tried to console her.
Kousalya said that she was neglected by her husband and insulted by Kaikeyi
even though she was the crowned queen. She was hoping that once Rama
became the king she would be respected by all. It was cruel, said she, that after
blessing her with a son, the destiny is snatching him away. And it is better to
have been childless than to suffer like this, because ‘eko eva hi
vanDhyaayaaHSoko bhavathi maanasah,’
the loss of a barren woman is
only childlessness but to have a son and see him thus ill-treated is greater
sorrow. Then she asked Rama to take her also with him.
Here
Rama illustrated
the truth of the epithet ‘Ramo vigrahavaan
DharnmaH,’ Rama is the embodiment of dhrama. He advised Kousalya her
dharma as a wife and told her that her place is near her husband as long as he
lives. He also tried to pacify Lakshmana, who boiled over seeing the grief of
Kousalya and blamed Dasaratha for his injustice and said that he would right the
wrong even if it involved killing of his father, Kaikeyi and all who opposed
Rama’s coronation.
Rama told Lakshmana that it was not the fault of Kaikeyi but only fate that
made her do so. No one can conquer fate , to which Lakshmana replied that only
cowards fear fate and not the valiant ones and his arms and weapons are not
ornamental and he would defeat the whole world to secure the kingdom for
Rama. Then Rama convinced him that he did not want the kingdom and to him
dharma is more important than artha and kama. And he told Lakshmana to
make preparations for his going to forest and Kousalya also seeing that Rama
would not swerve from the path of dharma blessed him and gave him permission
to do so, though at first she tried to persuade him saying that to obey the
commend his mother is as in important as to obey that of his father and she
would not allow him to go to forest.
Rama, says Valmiki, was ‘naraiH iva ulkaabhiH apohya maano mahaagajo
aDhvaanam anupravishtaH, ’ like a great elephant obstructed in its path by
blazing wood thrown in its way. It was because he could not disobey her as per
the neethi sasthra which declares that of the seven mothers of a man, natural
mother, the wife of the preceptor, a brahmin lady, the wife of the king, the
foster mother and the earth, cow, the mother who gave him birth comes first.
But he explained to her that neethi sasthra is subservient to dharmasasthra and
she, being wise , could see the truth of it.
The words of Kamban, in describing Rama consoling Lakhmana is worth
examining. Rama says,
Nadhiyin pizhai anRu naRum punal inmai; attRE
Pathiyon pizhai anRu payandhu nmaippurndhaaL
Mathiyin pizhai anru;magan pizhai anRu maindha;
Vidhiyi pizhai nee idharku enni vegundadhu enRaan
“It is not the river’s fault that it is dry. Likewise it is not the fault of the king, or
Kaikeyi or Bharatha that I am going to forest but it is the work of fate.”
8.Kousalya blesses Rama
Kousaly seeing that Rama could not be swerved from his resolve to go to forest
accepted the situation and blessed him. She said,
gacCha puthra thvam ekaagro bhadhram the asthu sadha vibho
punsthvayi nivrtthe thu bhavishyaami gathavyaThaa
“Go to the forest my son with firm mind. May everything transpire towards your
welfare I will be free from anguish when you return..”
Knowing dharma Kousalya wanted to send him without shedding tears for the
sake of his safe return and uttered benedictory words. She said .
“ The dharma to which you adhere will protect you. The deities whom you
propitiate daily will look after you and the missiles he learnt from Visvamithra
will come to your rescue”
Kousaly invoked all the devas and all the natural elements for the welfare of
Rama and said that he would be free from the fear of wild animals and other
poisonous creatures and said she would pray that his path would be free from
obstacles due to animals and other adversities in the forest.
Then Kousalya performed fire ritual by the priests and she blessed Rama with
mangala vachakam. These slokas are often recited at the end of finishing the
chanting of Ramayana.
Yanmangalam sahasraakshe sarvadevanaskrthe
Vrthranaase samsbhavath thath the bhavathu mangalam
May you be auspicious as Indra was after destroying Vrthrasura.
Yanmangalam suparNasya vinathaa kalpayath puraa
Amrtham praarThayaanasya thath the bhavathu mangalam
May you be blessed with the auspicious words Vinatha said to Garuda when he
went to fetch the amrtha to free her from Kathru.
Amrthothpaadhane dhaithyaan ghnatho vajraDharasya yath
adhithiH mangalam praadhaath thathy the bhavathu mangalam
May you be blessed with the benediction bestowed by Adhithi to indra at the
time of churning for amrtha for him to destroy the asuras.
Threen vikramaan prakramatho vishNoH amitha thejasaH
Yath aaseeth mangalam raam that the bhavathu mangalam
May you be as blessed as Lord Vishnu who measured the three worlds with his
three steps.
This mangalasaasana or benediction done to the Lord by Kousalya paved the
way for that by azvars later, the main of them being the pallandu by Periazvar
who, on seeing the Lord presenting Himself to see the glory of His devotee ,
mounted on the elephant , sang pallandu fearing the effect of evil eye to the
Lord Himself.
Then Kousalya gave her blessings to Rama saying that she would see him
returning after fourteen years and be crowned as the king.