January 8,2013.Day 55. Srimad Valmiki Ramayan - The First Epic Poem Of India. (Continued)

Book I : Bala Kanda - Book Of Youthful Majesties : Chapter 1(Continued)

उत्स्मयित्वा महाबाहुः प्रेक्ष्य च अस्ति महाबलः |
पाद अंगुष्टेन चिक्षेप संपूर्णम् दश योजनम् || १-१-६५

65. mahaa baahuH = great, armed [omni-dextrous Rama]; mahaa balaH = very energetic [Rama]; asti = skeleton of demon Dundubhi; prekshya = having seen; utsmayitvaa ca = reticently smiled, also; paadaa anguSThena [anguSTa agreNa] = foot's, by toe [by the tip of big toe]; sampuurNam dasa yojanam = wholly, for ten, yojana-s lengths; chikshepa = flicked it.

That omni-dextrous Rama looked at the skeleton, smiled in aplomb, then that very energetic Rama flicked that skeleton with tip of his foot's big toe wholly to a ten yojana-lengths... yet Sugreeva's confidence remained apathetic... [1-1-65]

Vali is able to throw that body, with whole of his foot, only up to two hundred bow-lengths, where the length of bow is said as six to seven feet. But Rama could kick that heap to ten yojana lengths, roughly ninety miles, only with a flip of his foot-toe's tip. But Sugreeva continued his grumbling, 'in those days this skeleton was with flesh and blood, now it became weight-less, thus show me more of your show of strength...' One Yojana is an ancient measure for distance, where that distance is covered in one yoking. Chambers dictionary puts it as five miles, and it is disagreeable for it is British-Indian revenue measure. Traditionally it is four krosha-s and thus each yojana is nine to ten miles. This is amplified elsewhere in these pages.

Govindaraja cleaves the compound utsmayitvaa to ut smayitvaa and takes ut 'to up...' and fixes it to cikshepa to mean ut cikshepa 'up-heaved and hurled...' andsmayitva comes to mean 'smiling self-assuredly, or smiling self-composedly...' And Maheshvara Tiirtha says that 'when all-wise-knowers are not able to know what I am, there is no surprise if a monkey in a remote forest doubts my capability... let him see a speck of it...' thus Rama smiled in aplomb...'

And the often repeated epithet to Rama mahaa baahuH means not just 'yards and yards of lengthy arms...dangling up to knees..' but 'one who does unimaginable deeds...' and his arms are the unusual instruments to perform such unusual tasks, hence ambidextrous, or omni-dextrous...