Hari Om.
Let us begin the first sarga of the araNya kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
jaya SrI rAma. Welcome to the araNya kAnDam – rAma’s mission is in motion! In this part of the rAmAyaNam, the sage vAlmIki continues from the book of dharma, the ayOdhyA kAnDam in which he chronicled the staunch and unwavering commitment of rAma to dharma and unconditional devotion that everyone in ayOdhyA and outside ayOdhyA held for him. The administration of ayOdhyA was done remotely by bharata from a suburb called nandigrAma where he lived the life of an ascetic and administered the kingdom diligently as a trustee. The sages of chitrakUTa begin leaving the hermitages in purported fear of demons! They caution rAma too! Bereft of sagely company on the hills, rAma moves as well from the hermitage at the chitrakUTa. The trio stop by the ASram of the chancellor sage atri. And then proceed into the forests. The mission awaits. Onwards…
प्रविश्य तु महारण्यं दण्डकारण्यमात्मवान्।
ददर्श रामो दुर्धर्षस्तापसाश्रममण्डलम्।।3.1.1।।
Having entered the treacherous forests of danDaka, rAma beheld a multitude of hermitages inhabited by the Rshis. The hermitages were dotted with the bright robes of the sages, auspicious marks and shone forth like the Sun in the skies. The premises of the hermitages were neat, clean, soil was leveled and watered, they were accessible to all beings and birds and beasts roamed around freely there. In the hermitages, there were large sacrificial pits or yajna vEdis, pots if ghee and ladles to offer the ghee into the fire, kuSa grass, pieces of wood, pots of sacred waters, fruits and roots. Celestial dancers offered their worship and talent in those courtyards. The hermitages reverberated with vEdic chants by resplendent and self restrained sages clothed in bark robes and subsisting on fruits and roots. There were flowers including lotuses and lilies strewn around. The sacred chants of the vEdas filled the air and made the hermitages resemble the very abode of brahma. The scholarly, committed, ascetic Rshis presented a sight to behold! rAma sighted them and approached them after duly loosening the string of his mighty bow.
ब्रह्मविद्भिर्महाभागैर्ब्राह्मणैरुपशोभितम्।
तद्दृष्ट्वा राघवः श्रीमांस्तापसाश्रममण्डलम्।।3.1.9।।
अभ्यगच्छन्महातेजा विज्यं कृत्वा महद्धनुः।
The sages blessed with divine wisdom were delighted to see rAma shining like the moon along with the illustrious sItA and lakshmaNa and received and greeted them warmly.
They beheld the handsome, glorious and auspicious form of rAma, well formed proportionate limbs, elegant, delicate and great disposition. The forest dwellers were delightfully surprised to see behold elegant trio and without battling an eyelid they gazed rAma, sItA and lakshmaNa.
रूपसंहननं लक्ष्मीं सौकुमार्यं सुवेषताम्।
ददृशुर्विस्मिताकारा रामस्य वनवासिनः।।3.1.13।।
वैदेहीं लक्ष्मणं रामं नेत्रैरनिमिषैरिव।
आश्चर्यभूतान्ददृशुः सर्वे ते वनचारिणः।।3.1.14।।
The sages received them warmly and made the benevolent rAma their guest in their leafy huts. They offered hospitality in the tradition of the hermitage to their great guest by offering water, fruits and roots. After the ceremonial welcome, they submitted with folded hands to rAma –
धर्मपालो जनस्यास्य शरण्यस्त्वं महायशाः।
पूजनीयश्च मान्यश्च राजा दण्डधरो गुरुः।।3.1.18।।
“O highly reputed one, you are the protector of dharma, you are the refuge of all of us. You are worship worthy, you are acceptable, you are the supreme and you have the ability to punish. O rAma, on the earth, the king is considered to be a quarter part of the lord indra and therefore deserves the choicest pleasures of life and is respected by all. And we are your subjects in this territory, we deserve protection. Whether in a city or in the forests oh lord of the people, you are the king. O rAma, we ascetics have laid down our weapons and live in a self restrained manner having overcome anger and attachment. Therefore the duty of our protection is yours. You ought to protect us like the mother protects the child in the womb”.
With these submissions for protection, the sages treated rAma and lakshmaNa with fruits, roots and other forest produce appropriately.
Here we conclude the the first sarga of the araNya kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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Next: 3.2. Entering the forest treacherous!
Previous: 2.119. So long says rAma
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 