Bala Kanda - The Youthful Majesties
Chapter 20
Dasharatha's dissent to spare rAma's services
Introduction
On enquiring details about those dangerous demons that are ravaging sage's ritual, King Dasharatha refuses to send young Rama along with Sage Vishvamitra on many an account, and thus confronts the Sage's wrath.
तत् श्रुत्वा राज शार्दूलो विश्वामित्रस्य भाषितम् |
मुहूर्तम् इव निस्सज्ञः सज्ञावान् इदम् अब्रवीत् || १-२०-१
मुहूर्तम् इव निस्सज्ञः सज्ञावान् इदम् अब्रवीत् || १-२०-१
1. raaja shaarduulaH = king, the tiger; vishvamitrasya tat bhaaSitam shrutvaa = Vishvamitra's, that, spoken, on hearing; muhuurtam iva nissanj~naH = for a time, thus, became senseless; sanj~navaan idam abraviit = gaining senses, this, said.
On hearing what is spoken by Vishvamitra the tigerly-king Dasharatha became insensate for a time, and on redeeming senses he said this. [1-20-1]
ऊन षोडश वर्षो मे रामो राजीव लोचनः |
न युद्ध योग्यताम् अस्य पश्यामि सह राक्षसैः || १-२०-२
न युद्ध योग्यताम् अस्य पश्यामि सह राक्षसैः || १-२०-२
2. raajiiva lochanaH = lotus, eyed one; me raamaH = my, Rama; uuna SoDasha varSaH = is less than, sixteen, years [of age]; asya raakshasaiH saha = his, with, demons; yuddha yogyataam = warring, aptitude; na pasyaami = not, I see.
""Less than sixteen years of age is my lotus-eyed Rama, and I see no warring aptitude to him with the demons. [1-20-2]
This particular statement uuna SoDasha varshaH less than sixteen years, has evoked a spate of commentaries in deciding the age of Rama at this juncture of going along with Sage Viswamitra, i.e., at the time of his marrying Seeta and at the time of his exile to forests etc. His age is said to be twelve years as of now. And this is confirmed by Mareecha while advising Ravana, that 'as a boy of twelve Rama, killed my mother and brother, and hit me out' as at 3-38-6, uuna dvaadasha varSaH Or, baalo dvaadasha varSo ayam as per other versions of the same verse.
Ramayana has some bearing on the number twelve. The Books or Kaanda-s are 6, half of twelve. The total verses are 24 thousand, two folds of twelve thousand. Rama is born in twelfth month. Vishvamitra's arrival, or better said as Seetha kalyaNa , Seetha's marriage with Rama, is in the twelfth year. His stay in Ayodhya before crown prince ceremony and exile is for twelve years. The years of Rama's exile are twelve, plus two years stay in Panchavati, of the total fourteen years of exile. In Uttara Ramayana Seetha's exile in the hermitage of Valmiki is for twelve years. So on...
Some others said that because Rama has not yet attained all the sixteen phases like full moon, he is not a full-fledged person, chaaru SoDasha kalaa sahitaH Again in saying: raajiiva lochana lotus-eyed one - petals of lotuses close down by night, so Rama's eyelids too close by night for a boyish sleep. Then how can such a boy war with night-active demons? In answer to this Sage Vishvamitra uses the same wording in previous chapter at 1-19-18, dasha raatram; raamam raajiiva locanam where the wording raajiiva locana is used by Vishvamitra in the sense that the petals of a lotus spread out on the first rays of sun. So also the very opening of the lotus-petal eyelids of Rama will eradicate the nightly menace of demons with his Omniscient Sun-Moon-Fire eyes, suurya chandra agni lochana , that can see even in night.
A Kshatriya of sixteen years age is unfit to war with any one, as he is still a childhood baala aashoDashaat varSaa . But Rama is under sixteen, and he is being requisitioned for war. Can he combat even if he is under aged? Yes, he can, says Govindaraja as per the nyaya /syndrome, tejasaam hi na vayaH samiikshyate 'dextrous person's age is not to be reckoned' As such, though Rama appears to be under aged he can do wonders in eliminating the vice. This is again rounded off with Vishvamitra's wording in last chapter: aham vedmi mahaa aatmaanam raamam raajiiva locanam.
इयम् अक्षौहिणी सेना यस्य अहम् पतिः ईश्वरः |
अनया सहितो गत्वा योद्ध अहम् तैर् निशाचरैः || १-२०-३
अनया सहितो गत्वा योद्ध अहम् तैर् निशाचरैः || १-२०-३
3. puurNaa iyam akshouhiNii = full-fledged one, this one - here is, battalion [of ancient Indian warfare]; yasya aham patiH = for which, I am, the leader;iishwara = controller; anayaa sam vR^itaH = by this [battalion,] surrounded - fortified by; gatvaa = having gone; aham taiH nishaa charaiH yoddhaa = I will, with those, night, walkers [demons,] I can encounter.
"Here is the full-fledged battalion, called akshouhiNi sena , for which I am the leader and controller, and fortified by this army I will go there to encounter those demons. [1-20-3]
One pankti row, is the first unit of ancient military, which consists of 1 chariot, 1 elephant, 3 cavalry, and 7-foot soldiers. Multiples of this first unit become an akshouhiNitroop, which consists of 21,870 chariots and the same number of elephants, 65,610 cavalry, and 1,09,350 of foot soldiers.
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