Sribhargavaraghaviyam
Encyclopedia
Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam (2002), literally Of Paraśurāma and Rāma, is a Sanskrit
epic poem
(Mahākāvya
) composed by Jagadguru Rambhadracharya (1950–) in the year 2002. It consists of 2121 verses in 40 Sanskrit and Prakrit
metres
and is divided into 21 cantos (Sargas) of 101 verses each. The epic is the narrative of the two Rāma Avatar
s – Paraśurāma
and Rāma
, which is found in the Rāmāyaṇa
and other Hindu
scriptures. Bhārgava refers to Paraśurāma, as he incarnated in the family of the sage Bhṛgu, while Rāghava refers to Rāma as he incarnated in the royal dynasty of king Raghu
. For the work, the poet was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit in 2005, and several other awards.
A copy of the epic with a Hindi commentary by the poet himself was published by the Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University, Chitrakuta
, Uttar Pradesh
. The book was released by the then prime minister of India, Atal Behari Vajpayee on October 30, 2002.
(milk-only diet). The poet chose 21 as the number of cantos due to several reasons. He composed the epic at the beginning of the 21st century, and it was the first Sanskrit epic to be composed in the 21st century. The number 21 is also associated with the narrative of the epic. Reṇukā, the mother of Paraśurāma, beats her chest 21 times after the Haihaya kings murder her husband Jamadagni
. Subsequently Paraśurāma annihilates the Kṣatriyas 21 times from the earth. One more reason cited by the poet is that the previous Sanskrit epics which are included in the Laghutrayī and Bṛhattrayī – Meghadūtam
, Kumārasambhavam
, Kirātārjunīyam
, Raghuvaṃśam
, Śiśupālavadham
and Naiṣadhīyacaritam – were composed in 2, 8, 18, 19, 20 and 22 cantos respectively; and the number 21 was missing from this sequence. The poet says that he composed the work as he intended to sing of both the Rāmas – Paraśurāma and Rāma, with the former being the Avatāra, the follower and the Brāhmaṇa
and the latter being the Avatārin (source of the Avatār), the leader and the Kṣatriya. Although there is no formal division in the epic, the poet indicates that the epic consists of a first part of nine cantos describing the nine qualities of Paraśurāma, and a second part of 12 cantos in which the brave and noble (Dhīrodātta) protagonist of the epic Rāma is presented with Sītā
being the lead female character.
Most of the events described in fifteen cantos of the epic can be found in the Hindu
scriptures including Vālmīki
's Rāmāyaṇa
, Tulasīdāsa
's Rāmacaritamānasa, Śrīmadbhāgavata
, Brahmavaivartapurāṇa
, Prasannarāghava (a play by Jayadeva
) and Satyopākhyāna. The narrative of six cantos is original composition by the poet.
on mount Kailāsa, the execution of his father's command to kill his mother and three brothers and their subsequent resurrection, his battle with the thousand-armed king Sahasrārjuna, the extermination of Kṣatriya ("warrior") race 21 times from the earth by him, and his confrontation with Śiva's son and the god of wisdom, Gaṇeśa
. The next five cantos describe the incarnation of Rāma and his consort Sītā, and their child sports (Līlā). The final seven cantos follow the Bālakāṇḍa of the Rāmacaritamānasa, starting from Viśvāmitra's journey to Daśaratha
's capital city Ayodhyā and ending with the marriage rites of the four sons of Daśaratha - Rāma being the eldest - in Mithilā
.
The summaries of the 21 cantos are given below.
Two examples of use of alliteration mixed with Yamaka (6.3 and 16.84) occur in the sixth and sixteenth cantos -
. These Rasas are - Śringāra (eros and beauty), Vīra (heroism or bravery), Hāsya (mirth), Raudra (fury), Karuṇa (compassion), Bībhatsa (disgust), Bhayānaka (horror), Adbhuta (amazement). Apart from this Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam also has the ninth Rasa as propounded by Mammaṭa - the Śānta Rasa (calmness), and the three new Rasas as - Bhakti (devotion), Vatsala (parental love) and Preyas (love).
Like the 10th canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam
and Bālakāṇḍa of the Rāmacaritamānasa, twelve verses in the seventeenth canto (17.42-17.53) of Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam have all the twelve Rasas used in the same context. Here the poet describes how twelve different groups of people in the assembly at Mithilā look at Rāma, each group feeling one of the above twelve emotions. The context is the same as in Rāmacaritamānasa.
, former Vice-Chancellor of Sampurnanand Sanskrit University
and winner of Sahitya Akademi Award in Sanskrit, writes in the introduction of the epic that in an age where the prevalence of Sanskrit is rare, several works in recent past have been published as epics which are devoid of the traditional features of a Sanskrit Mahākāvya, and have errors in grammar at many places. He thinks of Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam as an exception. He further says that this is an epic which nourishes the tradition of Ṛṣis, and with this composition the contemporary Sanskrit literature has been blessed.
Yogeshchandra Dubey, professor and head of department of Sanskrit at the Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University, writes in the Publisher's Note at the beginning of the book that he views Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam as having even more special qualities and features than the epic works of Māgha, Bhāravi, Śrīharṣa and Kālidāsa. At the end of the Publisher's Note, he presents a metaphor-
Dr. Vagish Dinkar, professor and head of department of Sanskrit at the R.S.S. PG College (Ghaziabad), and the author of the critique on the epic titled Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam Mīmāṃsā, writes at the conclusion of his critique that Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam is worthy of being considered with the Bṛhattrayī as the Catuṣṭayī (the quartet).
Elsewhere, in award citations and in the media, the work has been described as time-conquering and outstanding.
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
epic poem
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
(Mahākāvya
Mahakavya
Mahākāvya , also known as sargabandha, is a genre of Indian epic poetry in classical Sanskrit literature. The genre is characterised by ornate and elaborate descriptions of scenery, love, battles and so on — in short, everything that tests a poet's skill at description...
) composed by Jagadguru Rambhadracharya (1950–) in the year 2002. It consists of 2121 verses in 40 Sanskrit and Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
metres
Meter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
and is divided into 21 cantos (Sargas) of 101 verses each. The epic is the narrative of the two Rāma Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
s – Paraśurāma
Parashurama
Parashurama , is the sixth avatar of Vishnu and belongs to the treta yuga, and is the son of a Brahmin father Jamadagni and mother Renuka. He is considered one of the seven immortal human. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of...
and Rāma
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
, which is found in the Rāmāyaṇa
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
and other Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
scriptures. Bhārgava refers to Paraśurāma, as he incarnated in the family of the sage Bhṛgu, while Rāghava refers to Rāma as he incarnated in the royal dynasty of king Raghu
Raghu
The Great Emperor Raghu was a valorous king of the Ikshvaku dynasty. According to the Raghuvamsha, he was born to king Dilipa and his queen Sudakshina. His name in Sanskrit means the fast one, deriving from Raghu's chariot driving abilities. So celebrated were the exploits of Raghu, that his...
. For the work, the poet was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit in 2005, and several other awards.
A copy of the epic with a Hindi commentary by the poet himself was published by the Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University, Chitrakuta
Chitrakuta
Chitrakuta is a town and a nagar panchayat in Satna district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India....
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
. The book was released by the then prime minister of India, Atal Behari Vajpayee on October 30, 2002.
Composition
Jagadguru Rambhadracharya composed the epic in 2002 at Chitrakuta during his sixth six-month PayovrataPayovrata
Payovrata is the vrata or penance observed by Goddess Aditi to propitiate Lord Vishnu.-Ritual Activity:It is usually observed for 12 days, and during that time the devotee subsists on a diet of milk alone...
(milk-only diet). The poet chose 21 as the number of cantos due to several reasons. He composed the epic at the beginning of the 21st century, and it was the first Sanskrit epic to be composed in the 21st century. The number 21 is also associated with the narrative of the epic. Reṇukā, the mother of Paraśurāma, beats her chest 21 times after the Haihaya kings murder her husband Jamadagni
Jamadagni
Jamadagni is one of the Saptarishis in the seventh, i.e. the present Manvantara. He was a descendant of the sage Bhrigu, one of the Prajapatis created by Brahma, the God of Creation...
. Subsequently Paraśurāma annihilates the Kṣatriyas 21 times from the earth. One more reason cited by the poet is that the previous Sanskrit epics which are included in the Laghutrayī and Bṛhattrayī – Meghadūtam
Meghaduta
Meghadūta is a lyric poem written by Kālidāsa, considered to be one of the greatest Sanskrit poets.A short poem of 111 stanzas, it is one of Kālidāsa's most famous works...
, Kumārasambhavam
Kumarasambhava
Kumārasambhava is a Sanskrit epic poem by Kālidāsa; the first eight cantos are accepted as his authorship...
, Kirātārjunīyam
Kirātārjunīya
Kirātārjunīya is a Sanskrit kavya by Bhāravi, written in the 6th century or earlier. It is an epic poem in eighteen cantos describing the combat between Arjuna and lord Shiva in the guise of a kirāta or mountain-dwelling hunter. Along with the Naiṣadhacarita and the Shishupala Vadha, it is one of...
, Raghuvaṃśam
Raghuvamsa
Raghuwamsa or Raghu race is a legendary lineage of warrior kings tracing its ancestry to the Hindu solar deity Surya. Kalidasa's famous work, Raghuvaṃśa depicts the legend of this race. The progenitor of the lineage was Raghu, son of the emperor Dileepa. Raghu was father of Aja, and thus...
, Śiśupālavadham
Shishupala Vadha
The Shishupala Vadha is a work of classical Sanskrit poetry composed by Māgha in the 7th or 8th century. It is an epic poem in 20 sargas of about 1800 highly ornate stanzas, and is considered one of the six Sanskrit mahakavyas, or "great epics". It is also known as the Māgha-kāvya after its author...
and Naiṣadhīyacaritam – were composed in 2, 8, 18, 19, 20 and 22 cantos respectively; and the number 21 was missing from this sequence. The poet says that he composed the work as he intended to sing of both the Rāmas – Paraśurāma and Rāma, with the former being the Avatāra, the follower and the Brāhmaṇa
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
and the latter being the Avatārin (source of the Avatār), the leader and the Kṣatriya. Although there is no formal division in the epic, the poet indicates that the epic consists of a first part of nine cantos describing the nine qualities of Paraśurāma, and a second part of 12 cantos in which the brave and noble (Dhīrodātta) protagonist of the epic Rāma is presented with Sītā
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...
being the lead female character.
Most of the events described in fifteen cantos of the epic can be found in the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
scriptures including Vālmīki
Valmiki
Valmiki is celebrated as the poet harbinger in Sanskrit literature. He is the author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text of the epic itself. He is revered as the Adi Kavi, which means First Poet, for he discovered the first śloka i.e...
's Rāmāyaṇa
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
, Tulasīdāsa
Tulsidas
Tulsidas , was a Hindu poet-saint, reformer and philosopher renowned for his devotion for the god Rama...
's Rāmacaritamānasa, Śrīmadbhāgavata
Bhagavata purana
The Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hindu literature, with its primary focus on bhakti to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna...
, Brahmavaivartapurāṇa
Brahma Vaivarta Purana
Brahma Vaivarta Purana, one of the major eighteen Puranas, a Hindu religious text, is divided into four parts. First part describes the creation of the universe and all beings, the second part relates to description and histories of different goddesses...
, Prasannarāghava (a play by Jayadeva
Jayadeva
Jayadeva was a Sanskrit poet circa 1200 AD. He is most known for his composition, the epic poem Gita Govinda, which depicts the divine love of Krishna-an avatar of Vishnu and his consort, Radha, and it is mentioned that Radha is greater than Hari, and is considered an important text in the...
) and Satyopākhyāna. The narrative of six cantos is original composition by the poet.
Narrative
The epic is composed in 21 cantos of 101 verses each. The first nine cantos describe the incarnation of Paraśurāma, his learning from the god ŚivaSiva
Siva may refer to:*Shiva, a major Hindu God*Živa , a Slavic goddess*A pro-apoptotic signaling protein*1170 Siva, asteroid named after the god*Siva , name of several rural localities in Russia...
on mount Kailāsa, the execution of his father's command to kill his mother and three brothers and their subsequent resurrection, his battle with the thousand-armed king Sahasrārjuna, the extermination of Kṣatriya ("warrior") race 21 times from the earth by him, and his confrontation with Śiva's son and the god of wisdom, Gaṇeśa
Ganesa
Ganesa can be:* Ganesa, alternate spelling of Ganesha, the Hindu god.* Ganesa , a genus of marine snails in the family Turbinidae....
. The next five cantos describe the incarnation of Rāma and his consort Sītā, and their child sports (Līlā). The final seven cantos follow the Bālakāṇḍa of the Rāmacaritamānasa, starting from Viśvāmitra's journey to Daśaratha
Dasaratha
Dasharatha was a king of Ayodhya of the Ikshvaku dynasty whose life story is narrated principally in the Hindu epic Ramayana...
's capital city Ayodhyā and ending with the marriage rites of the four sons of Daśaratha - Rāma being the eldest - in Mithilā
Mithila
Mithila was a city in Ancient India, the capital of the Videha Kingdom. The name Mithila is also commonly used to refer to the Videha Kingdom itself, as well as to the modern-day territories that fall within the ancient boundaries of Videha...
.
The summaries of the 21 cantos are given below.
- Śrībhārgavāvatāropakramaḥ (Sanskrit: श्रीभार्गवावतारोपक्रमः). The poet invokes the blessings of the goddess of learning Sarasvatī, Gaṇeśa, Śiva's consort PārvatīParvatiParvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
, Śiva, Sītā and Rāma, and finally the two Rāmas, the subject of the narrative. Bhṛgu, the seventh son of the creator-god BrahmāBrahmaBrahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
, and his wife Khyāti beget a son named Ṛcīka in the seventh ManvantaraManvantaraManvantara or Manuvantara , or age of a Manu , the Hindu progenitor of mankind, is an astronomical period of time measurement. Manvantara is a Sanskrit sandhi, a combination of words manu and antara, manu-antara or manvantara, literally meaning the duration of a Manu, or his life span .Each...
. Ṛcīka marries Satyavatī, the daughter of the Kṣatriya king Gādhi. Ṛcīka prepares two bowls of PāyasaKheerKheer also known as Payasam or Payesh is a rice pudding, which is a traditional South Asian sweet dish...
for Satyavatī and her mother, with Brāhmaṇa and Kṣatriya qualities, respectively. Satyavatī's mother stealthily exchanges the bowls to get a son with Brāhmaṇa qualities (this son would later become Viśvāmitra). On knowing her mother's act, Satyavatī beseeches Ṛcīka to transfer the Kṣatriya qualities to her grandson, as she is afraid of getting a fierce or violent son. Ṛcīka obliges her and the couple get a son named JamadagniJamadagniJamadagni is one of the Saptarishis in the seventh, i.e. the present Manvantara. He was a descendant of the sage Bhrigu, one of the Prajapatis created by Brahma, the God of Creation...
. Jamadagni marries Reṇukā, the daughter of the sage Reṇu. The couple have three sons. For the fourth son, the couple performs penance to please Rāma. Meanwhile a son named Arjuna is born to the Haihaya king Kṛtavīrya. Arjuna obtains the boon of a thousand arms from DattātreyaDattatreyaDattatreya or Datta is a Hindu deity encompassing the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, collectively known as Trimurti. The name Dattatreya can be divided into two words - "Datta" and "Atreya" referring to the sage Atri, his physical father.Various Hindu sects worship him differently...
, he is subsequently known as Sahasrārjuna ("thousand-Arjuna"). Sahasrārjuna terrorizes the whole world - he stops the flow of the river NarmadāNarmadaNarmada may refer to:* Narmada River of central India* Narmada district of Gujarat, India* The Narmada Dam Project, involving the construction of a series of large irrigation and hydroelectric multi purpose dams on the Narmada River in India...
, defeats and incarcerates the demon-king RāvaṇaRavana' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
(who is later released on the request of PulastyaPulastyaPulatsya was one of the ten Prajapati or mind-born sons of Brahma, and one of the Saptarishis in the first Manvantara....
), and takes over the SvargaSvargaIn Hinduism, Svarga is a set of heavenly worlds located on and above Mt. Meru. It is a heaven where the righteous live in a paradise before their next reincarnation...
("heaven") and the offerings of the YajñaYajnaIn Hinduism, yajna is a ritual of sacrifice derived from the practice of Vedic times. It is performed to please the gods or to attain certain wishes...
("fire sacrifice") from the Devatās ("gods"). The distressed Devatas go to Sāketaloka with Brahmā and pray to Rāma. Rāma tells the Devatās that his Aṃśa will incarnate as the fourth son of Jamadagni and Reṇukā to slay Sahasrārjuna. This Aṃśa would annihilate despotic Kṣatriya races, offer all lands to the sage Kaśyapa, and would finally reenter him in Mithilā. The Devatās go back convinced and Reṇukā becomes pregnant with Rāma entering her womb. - Dīkṣā (Sanskrit: दीक्षा). Reṇukā does not feel any weight, nor is troubled by the pregnancy. Jamadagni performs the Puṃsavana ceremony of Reṇukā, traditionally performed in the eighth month of pregnancy. All good omens happen for Reṇukā. The seven seers (SaptarṣiSaptarshiThe Saptarishi are the seven rishis who are extolled at many places in the Vedas and Hindu literature. The Vedic Samhitas never actually enumerate these rishis by name, though later Vedic texts such as the Brahmanas and Upanisads do so. They are regarded in the Vedas as the patriarchs of the...
) bless her and the nine planetsNavagrahaGraha is a 'cosmic influencer' on the living beings of mother Bhumidevi . In Hindu astrology, the Navagraha are some of these major influencers.All the navagraha have relative movement with respect to the background of fixed stars in the zodiac...
become favourable. Reṇukā gives birth to a child on the third day of the bright half of Vaiśākha month, known as AkṣayatṛtīyāAkshaya TritiyaAkshaya Tritiya, also known as Akha Teej is a Hindu and Jain holy day, that falls on the third Tithi of Bright Half of the pan-Indian month of Vaishakha....
. The deities, seers, and devotees rejoice. On the instruction of Bhṛgu, the child is named as Rāma by Jamadagni. Rāma is very fond of a toy-axe, and so he is also called Paraśurāma. The child tames and plays with wild animals like lions and tigers. Five years pass by, and ten SaṃskāraSamskaraSamskara may refer to:* Saṃskāra, Hindu rites* Saṃskāra , in Buddhism, mental and volitional formations* Samskara , a technique in ayurvedic medicine...
s ("rites of passage") of the child are completed. Then the UpanayanaUpanayanaUpanayana is the initiation ritual by which initiates are invested with a sacred thread, to symbolize the transference of spiritual knowledge .- Significance of the sacred thread :...
("sacred thread ceremony") ceremony of Paraśurāma is performed. Brahmā is the giver of the sacred thread, Śiva initiates the child in the Gayatrī MantraGayatri MantraThe Gāyatrī Mantra is a highly revered mantra, based on a Vedic Sanskrit verse from a hymn of the Rigveda , attributed to the rishi . The mantra is named for its vedic gāyatrī metre. As the verse can be interpreted to invoke the deva Savitr, it is often called Sāvitrī...
, and Paraśurāma begs Reṇukā for alms. The canto ends with Paraśurāma going to the Kailāsa mountain to learn from his guruGuruA guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
Śiva. - Gurūpasattiḥ (Sanskrit: गुरूपसत्तिः). Paraśurāma is welcomed by Śiva at Kailāsa. Śiva promises to offer all his knowledge to his disciple. Śiva tells Paraśurāma that he knows him to be the Avatāra of Rāma, who knows everything beforehand but is studying from a Guru only to set an example for others. The education of Paraśurāma begins. Paraśurāma masters all Vedic MantraMantraA mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
s on just hearing them once from his Guru. Śiva teaches him all the eighteen VidyāVidyathumb|[[Sarasvati]], Vidya goddess.Vidya, Vidhya is a Sanskrit name for knowledge. It is frequently used in Hinduism as honorific stemming from the Puranic conception of knowledge and learning. Vidya is an epithet of the Hindu goddess Sarasvati, consort of Brahma according to Hindu beliefs...
s. Paraśurāma serves Śiva like the ideal disciple, waking up early morning, getting water and victuals for his Guru, pleasing Śiva and his consort Pārvatī in every way. The Samāvartana Saṃskāra (end of student life) of Paraśurāma is performed by Śiva, who blesses his disciple by saying that may the eighteen VidyāVidyathumb|[[Sarasvati]], Vidya goddess.Vidya, Vidhya is a Sanskrit name for knowledge. It is frequently used in Hinduism as honorific stemming from the Puranic conception of knowledge and learning. Vidya is an epithet of the Hindu goddess Sarasvati, consort of Brahma according to Hindu beliefs...
s be ever with him, and may his weapons be ever virtuous. Śiva orders him to assume a furious form when Rāma breaks PinākaPinakaPinaka may mean:* The name of the divine bow wielded by Lord Shiva. Therefore, Lord Shiva is also known as Pinaki, the wielder of Pinaka. Legends of other Shiva bows exist, chiefly of the one Lord Rama broke- divine bow....
, the bow of Śiva, in Mithilā. Śiva further ordains Paraśurāma to surrender his bow and arrows to Rāma, and to merge his Avatāra into the Rāma Avatāra. For the rest of his life, Paraśurāma is asked to perform penance on the Mahendra mountain. Finally Śiva says that Paraśurāma will be among the seven seers (Saptarṣi) in the eighth ManvantaraManvantaraManvantara or Manuvantara , or age of a Manu , the Hindu progenitor of mankind, is an astronomical period of time measurement. Manvantara is a Sanskrit sandhi, a combination of words manu and antara, manu-antara or manvantara, literally meaning the duration of a Manu, or his life span .Each...
of Sāvarṇi Manu, just like his father Jamadagni is one in the seventh Manvantara of Vaivasvata ManuSraddhadeva ManuIn Hindu mythology, Sraddhadeva Manu or Vaivasvata Manu is one of the 14 Manus, and the son of Vivasvat, hence his other name Vaivasvata Manu...
. Paraśurāma bows to Śiva and asks permission to leave. - Samāvartanam (Sanskrit: समावर्तनम्). Most of the fourth canto deals with description of nature, especially the rainy season and the ĀśramaAshramTraditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
of Jamadagni in the forest. Śiva permits Paraśurāma to leave in order to returns to his parents' home. When Paraśurāma is leaving, Śiva requests the Rāma Avatāra to forgive him if he disrespected him in any way while instructing him as a guru. On hearing this, Paraśurāma has tears in his eyes. After bowing to Śiva and Pārvatī, and meeting their sons Gaṇeśa and KārttikeyaMuruganMurugan also called Kartikeya, Skanda and Subrahmanya, is a popular Hindu deity especially among Tamil Hindus, worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influences, especially South India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and Reunion Island. His six most important shrines in India are the...
, Paraśurāma sets out to return. The rainy season arrives as Paraśurāma is returning home, and it is described in 44 verses (4.7–4.50). Paraśurāma enters the Āśrama of Jamadagni, which is described in 21 verses (4.61–4.81). Jamadagni and Reṇukā are elated to see their son back. Paraśurāma starts living in the Āśrama and with his actions and character, pleases all the monks and hermits in the Āśrama. - Pitrājñāpālanam (Sanskrit: पित्राज्ञापालनम्). Jamadagni requests Paraśurāma to marry and enter the second stage of life, the Gārhasthya ĀśramaGrihasthaGrihasthya refers to the second phase of an individual's life in the Vedic ashram system. It is often called 'the householders life' revolving as it does around the duties of maintaining a household and leading a family-centred life.-Usage:...
("householder's life"). Paraśurāma respectfully turns the request down, saying he wishes to be forever away from the bondage of family. One morning, Reṇukā goes to a lake to fetch water. There she sees the GandharvaGandharvaGandharva is a name used for distinct mythological beings in Hinduism and Buddhism; it is also a term for skilled singers in Indian classical music.-In Hinduism:...
king Citraratha, taking delight in the water of the lake with his wife. Reṇukā is attracted to Citraratha and returns home excited, fantasizing about him. Jamadagni senses this and orders his three elder sons to kill their mother who he says has become impure by her adulterous thoughts. When the brothers refuse to carry out his command, Jamadagni asks Paraśurāma to do the same. Paraśurāma is caught between the command of his father, and the indebtedness to mother – he remembers the SmṛtiSmritiSmriti literally "that which is remembered," refers to a specific body of Hindu religious scripture, and is a codified component of Hindu customary law. Smṛti also denotes non-Śruti texts and is generally seen as secondary in authority to Śruti. The literature which comprises the Smrti was...
scriptures which says the mother is ten times the greater than the father. After a lot of thought and counter-thought, he decides to obey his father. Paraśurāma beheads his mother and three brothers. Jamadagni is pleased and offers Paraśurāma two wishes. Paraśurāma asks for the resurrection of all four as the first wish, and their loss of memory about their killing as the second one. Jamadagni grants both the wishes and Reṇukā and her three sons get up as if from sleep. Paraśurāma thus satisfies his father and also brings back his mother to life. - Sahasrārjunavadhaḥ (Sanskrit: सहस्रार्जुनवधः). Paraśurāma starts teaching the Vedas. He calls an assembly of BrāhmaṇaBrahminBrahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
s ("priest class") in which he discourses about the essential qualities of a Brāhmaṇa and asks them not to deviate from their duties. He then leaves for a desolate forest to perform penance. Sahasrārjuna comes to the Āśrama of Jamadagni when Paraśurāma is away. Jamadagni welcomes him and his army by using the services of the wish-granting cow KāmadhenuKamadhenuKamadhenu , also known as Surabhi , is a divine bovine-goddess described in Hindu mythology as the mother of all cows. She is a miraculous "cow of plenty" who provides her owner whatever he desires and is often portrayed as the mother of other cattle as well as the eleven Rudras...
. Sahasrārjuna requests Jamadagni to give Kāmadhenu to him, saying that being the king he deserves all the treasures in his kingdom. When Jamadagni refuses, Sahasrārjuna takes Kāmadhenu away by force to his capital Māhiṣmatī. Paraśurāma is enraged to know this when he returns, and sets out alone to Māhiṣmatī to get Kāmadhenu back. On reaching Māhiṣmatī, he challenges Sahasrārjuna to war, which Sahasrārjuna accepts. Paraśurāma kills Sahasrārjuna's whole army. A fierce battle between Paraśurāma and Sahasrārjuna follows in which the two use divine arrows. Paraśurāma then decides he has let Sahasrārjuna entertain him for long in the theatre of war. Paraśurāma at once splits each of his five hundred bows asunder. Then he destroys the chariot of Sahasrārjuna. Sahasrārjuna then goes and attacks Paraśurāma in a duel. Paraśurāma chops off all the thousand arms of Sahasrārjuna with his axe before using the axe to behead him. The deities extol Paraśurāma for ending the menace of Sahasrārjuna. Paraśurāma returns victorious with Kāmadhenu to his Āśrama and is welcomed by everybody. - Tīrthāṭanam (Sanskrit: तीर्थाटनम्) Jamadagni advises Paraśurāma to go on a pilgrimage of various holy places in Bhārata ("ancient India") in order to calm his mind which has been perturbed by the killing of Sahasrārjuna. Paraśurāma first visits the Vaiṣṇava pilgrimages of CitrakūṭaChitrakutaChitrakuta is a town and a nagar panchayat in Satna district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India....
, Ayodhyā, Mathurā, VṛndāvanaVrindavanVrindavan also known as Vraj is a town in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India...
, HaridvāraHaridwarHaridwar is an important pilgrimage city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India...
, Māyāpurī (KanakhalaKankhalKankhal is a small colony in Haridwar in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand state in India.Mentioned in the Vayu Purana and the Mahabharata as Kanakhala , Kankhal is one of 'Panch Tirth' within Haridwar, with other spots being Gangadwara , Kushwart , Bilwa Teerth and Neel Parvat...
), Kāśī, KāñcīKanchipuramKanchipuram, or Kanchi, is a temple city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a temple town and the headquarters of Kanchipuram district...
, Raṅganātha, Avantikā and DvārikāDwarkaDwarka also spelled Dvarka, Dwaraka, and Dvaraka, is a city and a municipality of Jamnagar district in the Gujarat state in India. Dwarka , also known as Dwarawati in Sanskrit literature is rated as one of the seven most ancient cities in the country...
. Then he visits the Śaiva holy places - the twelve JyotirliṅgasJyotirlingaA Jyotirlinga or Jyotirling or Jyotirlingam is a shrine where Lord Shiva, an aspect of God in Hinduism is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam or "Lingam of light." There are twelve traditional Jyotirlinga shrines in India....
of SomanāthaSomnathThe Somnath Temple located in the Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval in Saurashtra, on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of the God Shiva. Somnath means "The Protector of Moon God". The Somnath Temple is known as "the Shrine Eternal", having been destroyed...
, MallikārjunaMallikarjuna SwamySri Mallikarjuna Swamy is one of the twelve Jyothirlingas of Lord Shiva situated at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh state, India. It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams.-Story:...
, Mahākāla, OṅkāreśvaraOmkareshwarSee Omkareshwar, East Nimar for town of the same nameOmkareshwar is a Hindu temple dedicated to God Shiva. It is one of the 12 revered Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva....
, VaidyanāthaVaidyanath JyotirlingaVaidyanath Jyotirlinga temple, also known as Baba dham and Baidyanath dham is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the most sacred abodes of Shiva. The location of Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga is disputed. The claimed locations are:...
, BhīmaśaṅkaraBhimashankarBhimashankar Temple is located in the village of Bhorgiri 50 km north west of Khed, near Pune, in India. It is located 127 km away from shivaji nagar in the Ghat region of the Sahyadri hills. It takes four hours to reach there. Bhimashankar is also the source of the Bhima river, which...
, Viśvanātha, Tryambakeśvara, KedāranāthaKedarnath TempleKedarnath Mandir is one of the holiest Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located atop the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand in India. Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open only between the end of April to Kartik Purnima...
, Nāgeśvara, RāmeśvaraRamanathaswamy Temple, Rameswaram- External links :* *...
and GhuśmeśvaraGrishneshwarGrishneshwar, also known as Ghushmeshwar, is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the sacred abodes of Shiva. The temple is located eleven km from Daulatabad, near Aurangabad in Maharashtra India...
. After this he visits the pilgrimage of PuṣkaraPushkarPushkar is a town in the Ajmer district in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is situated at 14 km North West from Ajmer at an average elevation of 510 metres , and is one of the five sacred dhams...
. Finally, he visits Prayāga and bathes at the Saṅgama. The poet remarks at the end of the canto that by visiting all these places, Paraśurāma makes the entire land of Bhārata a pilgrimage. - Nyastadaṇḍam (Sanskrit: न्यस्तदण्डम्). While Paraśurāma is on his pilgrimage, Sahasrārjuna's sons - the Haihaya princes, attack the Āśrama of Jamadagni to avenge their father's killing. The princes run down everything and everybody that comes their way. Jamadagni is in deep meditation when he is beheaded by the princes, who take his severed head with them to Māhiṣmatī. When Paraśurāma returns, he sees the Āśrama strewn with corpses. He then sees an inconsolable Reṇukā crying near the torso of Jamadagni. When Reṇukā sees Paraśurāma, she beats her chest 21 times saying how could the Haihaya kings kill her husband with Paraśurāma still alive. Paraśurāma places Jamadagni's torso in a boat filled with oil and asks Reṇukā to protect his father's body till he is back. The enraged Paraśurāma goes to Māhiṣmatī all alone and calls out to the Haihayas. He kills their entire army and annihilates the Haihaya race. He then brings back Jamadagni's severed head and attaches it to the torso. Jamadagni is resurrected. Paraśurāma annihilates the race of Kṣatriyas 21 times from the earth, leaving out the dynasties of Raghu and YaduYaduYadu is one of the five Indo-Aryan tribes mentioned in the Rig Veda . The Mahabharata, the Harivamsha and the Puranas mention Yadu as the eldest son of king Yayati and his queen Devayani. The prince of King Yayati, Yadu was a self-respecting and a very established ruler...
. After killing 12,000 kings, Paraśurāma creates five huge lakes of blood in KurukṣetraKurukshetraKurukshetra is a land of historical and religious importance. Historically the land belonged to Punjab now a district in Haryana state of India. It is a holy place and is also known as Dharmakshetra . According to the Puranas, Kurukshetra is named after King Kuru, the ancestor of Kauravas and...
. Finally, on the request of the sage Kaśyapa, Paraśurāma gives up anger and gives all the lands on the earth to Kaśyapa. He then goes to the Mahendra mountain to perform penance. - Ekadantanāśanam (Sanskrit: एकदन्तनाशनम्). On the Mahendra mountain, Paraśurāma meditates on the form of Śiva. He decides that his axe would be calmed only on seeing Śiva. When Paraśurāma reaches Kailāsa, he meets Śiva's son Gaṇeśa at the entrance. Gaṇeśa asks Paraśurāma to wait, as Śiva is performing the afternoon SandhyāSandhyavandanamSandhyavandanam is a religious practice performed by Hindu men initiated into the rite by the ceremony of Upanayanam, and instructed in its execution by a Guru . Sandhyavandanam consists of excerpts from the Great Vedas that are to be recited thrice daily...
ritual. Paraśurāma gets angry and starts boasting about his valour and axe, to which Gaṇeśa responds by mocking his axe that was used to kill his own mother and infant Kṣatriyas. Paraśurāma is further infuriated and tries to force his way inside, but the elephant-headed Gaṇeśa throws him back using his trunk. Paraśurāma tries to injure Gaṇeśa by throwing his axe at him, which breaks the left tusk of Gaṇeśa. The BhūtaBhutaBhūta is a Sanskrit word that has several meanings:* true, matter of fact, reality, existing, present, being or being like anything, consisting of, mixed or joined with...
s (goblin attendants) of Śiva attack Paraśurāma to kill him, but Gaṇeśa stops them. Pārvatī arrives and chides Paraśurāma for breaking the tusk of the son of his guru. She curses Paraśurāma by saying that his axe will disappear in Rāma just as the lightning disappears in the clouds, and his bow and arrows, along with his Kalās will all be transferred to Rāma. She further says that the single-tusked Gaṇeśa, who showed restraint by not avenging the breaking of his tusk, will be worshipped everywhere. Paraśurāma pleases Pārvatī and apologizes to Gaṇeśa. He then bows down to Śiva and returns to his Āśrama. - Śrīrāghavāvatārapratijñānam (Sanskrit: श्रीराघवावतारप्रतिज्ञानम्). Paraśurāma returns to the Mahendra mountain and contemplates on his past actions. He regrets his acts of rage and fury, and decides to perform penance to atone for the killings in his past. He starts meditating on the form of Rāma. With Sahasrārjuna killed and Paraśurāma putting down his weapons, Rāvaṇa's might is unchallenged and he terrorizes the whole earth - he lifts the Kailāsa mountain, torments the eight Diggajas, wins the kingdom of IndraIndra' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
and terrorizes everybody who performs DharmaDharmaDharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
. Unable to bear the menace of Rāvaṇa, PṛthvīPrithviPrithvi is the sanskrit name for earth and its essence Prithivi Tattwa, in the form of a mother goddess or godmother. Prithvi is also called Dhra, Dharti, Dhrithri, meaning that which holds everything. As Prithvi Devi, she is one of two wives of Lord Vishnu. His other wife is Lakshmi. Prithvi is...
takes the form of a cow and goes weeping to the Sumeru mountain. Brahmā has a discussion with Pṛthvī and Śiva. Brahmā then goes to Sāketaloka to see Sītā and Rāma. He eulogizes Rāma in 31 verses (10.56–10.86), beseeching him to take an Avatāra to slay Rāvaṇa. Rāma assures him that he will be soon born as Rāma with his three Viṣṇu AṃśaVishnuVishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
s - the Viṣṇu in Kṣīrasāgara as BharataBharata (Ramayana)In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Bharata was the second brother of the main protagonist Rama, and the son of Dasaratha and Kaikeyi. Dasaratha was the Emperor of Ayodhya and belonged to the Suryavansha or Solar Dynasty...
, the Viṣṇu in Vaikuṇṭha as LakṣmaṇaLakshmanaLakshmana was the brother and close companion of Rama, and himself a hero in the famous epic Ramayana...
and Viṣṇu in Śvetadvīpa as ŚatrughnaShatrughnaShatrughna was the youngest brother of Lord Rama in the Hindu epic Ramayana . He is the twin brother of Lakshmana.-Birth and family:...
. When Brahmā returns assured, Rāma requests Sītā to also take an Avatāra after his Avatāra. He then decides to be born as the son of KausalyāKausalyaKausalya in the Indian Rāmāyaṇa epic was the eldest of King Daśaratha's three wives and a queen of Ayodhyā, she was the daughter of the King of the Kosala Kingdom. She was the mother of Rama, the king of Ayodhya, upon whom the story of the Ramayana is based....
in Ayodhyā.
- Śrīrāghavāvataraṇam (Sanskrit: श्रीराघवावतरणम्). The first fifteen verses glorify the city of Ayodhyā on the banks of river SarayūSarayuThe Sarayu is a river that flows through the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This river is of ancient significance, finding mentions in the Vedas and the Ramayana. The Sarayu forms at the confluence of the Karnali and Mahakali in Bahraich District...
. Daśaratha is the ruler of the kingdom of Ayodhyā. Daśaratha does not have any son for many years. He approaches his Guru Vasiṣṭha and expresses his unfulfilled desire. Vasiṣṭha assures him that he will soon get four sons. After performing the Aśvamedha, Viśvajit and Rājasūya sacrifices, Vasiṣṭha calls the sage Ṛṣyaśṛṅga to perform the Putreṣṭi sacrifice for Daśaratha. AgniAgniAgni is a Hindu deity, one of the most important of the Vedic gods. He is the god of fire and the acceptor of sacrifices. The sacrifices made to Agni go to the deities because Agni is a messenger from and to the other gods...
manifests at the end of the sacrifice with a bowl of Pāyasa. Daśaratha gives half of the Pāyasa to Kausalyā, a fourth to Kaikeyī, and two one-eighth portions to Sumitrā. The three queens become pregnant. Meanwhile various Devatās take Avatāra in Vānara families, with Śiva being born as HanumānHanumanHanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
. After twelve months of the queens' pregnancy, on the ninth day of the bright half of the CaitraChaitraChaitra is a month of the Hindu calendar....
month (Rāmanavamī), Rāma manifests as a sixteen year old, bearing bow and arrows. On the request of Kausalyā he assumes the form of an infant. Kaikeyī gives birth to Bharata, and Sumitrā delivers two sons - Lakṣmaṇa and Śatrughna. The deities and the subjects of Ayodhyā rejoice at the birth of the four princes. Paraśurāma regales in the meditation of Rāma's child form on Mahendra mountain, singing his glory in 16 verses (11.84–11.99). - Śrīmaithilyavataraṇam (Sanskrit: श्रीमैथिल्यवतरणम्). When the four sons of Daśaratha enter their sixth year, their Upanayana ceremony is performed. In the kingdom of Mithilā, the king Sīradhvaja JanakaJanakaJanaka or Raja Janaka were the kings of Videha Kingdom. Their capital was Mithila, which is believed to be present day Janakpur, Nepal...
, a disciple of the seer Yājñavalkya, rules his kingdom as a YogīYogiA Yogi is a practitioner of Yoga. The word is also used to refer to ascetic practitioners of meditation in a number of South Asian Religions including Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.-Etymology:...
. While performing the Somayajña sacrifice in Puṇyāraṇya with his wife Sunayanā, Janaka tills the land using a plough of gold on the ninth day of the bright half of the Vaiśākha month (Sītānavamī). Suddenly, the earth cracks open, and Sītā manifests from the earth as a sixteen year old, seated on a golden throne and being served by her eight companions. An Ākāśavāṇī (celestial announcement) declares Sītā to be the daughter of Janaka. NāradaNaradaNarada or Narada Muni is a divine sage from the Vaisnava tradition, who plays a prominent role in a number of the Puranic texts, especially in the Bhagavata Purana, and in the Ramayana...
arrives in Mithilā and eulogizes Sītā in 16 verses (12.45–12.60). Then Nārada requests Sītā to assume the form of an infant. The infant Sītā is taken by Janaka and Sunayanā to their palace and raised as their daughter. Once the child Sītā goes to the eastern part of the capital of Janaka. She asks Janaka aboout a bow that is being worshipped. Janaka tells her it is Pināka, the bow of Śiva, which was given by Śiva himself to his ancestor Devarāta. Sītā tells Janaka that old things should not be worshipped but thrown away, and starts dragging the onerous bow again and again, making it as her play-horse. On Janaka's request, Sītā puts the bow, which could not be lifted by any human or divine being, back in its place. Paraśurāma sees this in his SamādhiSamadhiSamadhi in Hinduism, Buddhism,Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools is a higher level of concentrated meditation, or dhyāna. In the yoga tradition, it is the eighth and final limb identified in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali....
on Mahendra mountain and then leaves for Mithilā, wishing to have a sight of the young Sītā. - Śrībhārgavamithilāgamanam (Sanskrit: श्रीभार्गवमिथिलागमनम्) In only her sixth year, Sītā's appearance is like that of a sixteen year old. Her beauty is described by the poet in 12 verses (13.9–13.20). Janaka realizes that his daughter is the Ādi ŚaktiShaktiShakti from Sanskrit shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe in Hinduism. Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes...
of Rāma and no ordinary girl, as she can drag the onerous bow of Śiva as a child. He is concerned about Sītā getting a deserving husband. He thinks about the doctrine of Avatāra, having heard verses about it in the Vedas, but his intellect and rationalism make him not believe it. After much contemplation, he concludes that the doctrine must be true. Just then, a doorkeeper announces the arrival of Paraśurāma in Mithilā. Janaka bows down to Paraśurāma. Knowing Janaka to be a noble king, Paraśurāma does not consider him to be his enemy, unlike the despotic Kṣatriyas. Paraśurāma expresses his wish to see Sītā. Janaka leads him to the sacrificial assembly (Yajñaśālā), where Paraśurāma sees Sītā playing with the bow of Śiva by dragging it like a play-horse. Paraśurāma asks Janaka to hold a Svayaṃvara for Sītā in which the prince who breaks the bow of Śiva will have the right to marry Sītā. Paraśurāma further predicts that Rāma, the descendant of Raghu, will break the bow. Paraśurāma tells Janaka that he will arrive again in Mithilā, pretending to be angry, so that he can have an excuse of seeing both Sītā and Rāma. At the end of the canto Paraśurāma bows to the child Sītā and starts to praise her. - Śrīsītāstavanam (Sanskrit: श्रीसीतास्तवनम्). The entire canto is a eulogy. Paraśurāma praises Sītā in 99 verses (14.1–14.99). He then experiences peace and pleasantly leaves for Mahendra mountain after bowing to Sītā.
- Ahalyoddharaṇam (Sanskrit: अहल्योद्धरणम्). Janaka fixes the day of Sītā's Svayaṃvara after counseling with his ministers and priests. Meanwhile in Ayodhyā, Daśaratha starts thinking about Rāma's marriage. The sage Viśvāmitra is interrupted again and again in his sacrifice by the female demon Tāṭakā. Viśvāmitra arrives in Daśaratha's court and asks for Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa for protecting his sacrifice from demons. Daśaratha is reluctant and desolate at the thought of Rāma leaving him, but Vasiṣṭha convinces him to relent. Viśvāmitra takes Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa to his forest where Rāma kills Tāṭakā when she attacks the three by raining trees and rocks at them. Viśvāmitra grants the two Vidyās names Balā and Atibalā to Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, which will enable them to survive without drinking, eating or sleeping. Viśvāmitra also surrenders all his divine weapons to Rāma. Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa protect the sacrifice of Viśvāmitra for six days and six nights. On the seventh day, the demon brothers Mārīca and Subāhu attack the sacrifice with a large army. Rāma uses the Mānavāstra to throw the elder brother Mārīca across the ocean, while he burns Subāhu to death by the Āgneyāstra. In the meantime Lakṣmaṇa kills the entire army of demons. Viśvāmitra is freed from the fear of demons and decides to take Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa to Mithilā for the Svayaṃvara of Sītā. On the way, Rāma sights AhalyāAhalyaIn Hinduism, Ahalya , also known as Ahilya, is the wife of the sage Gautama, primarily known for her sexual encounter with the god-king Indra, the resultant curse by her husband and her subsequent liberation by Rama – an avatar of the god Vishnu...
, who has been cursed by her husband Gautama for her adulterous transgression, in the form of a rock. Viśvāmitra narrates the history of Ahalyā to Rāma. Rāma touches Ahalyā by his foot and Ahalyā is freed of her curse and sin. Ahalyā praises Rāma with tears in her eyes and departs to the abode of Gautama. - Śrīrāghavapriyādarśanam (Sanskrit: श्रीराघवप्रियादर्शनम्). Viśvāmitra, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa arrive in Mithilā. Rāma is pleased to be in the city of Mithilā, but the other kings who have come in Sītā's Svayaṃvara are not pleased about his arrival. The people of Mithilā experience bliss in seeing Rāma. When Janaka asks Viśvāmitra about the two princes, Viśvāmitra introduces Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa to Janaka. Janaka takes both princes to his palace and welcomes them. Later Lakṣmaṇa wishes to see the city of Mithilā and Rāma accompanies him. The children of Mithilā take Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa around the city, and embrace Rāma in the end. Early morning on the next day, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa go to the royal garden of Janaka to get flowers for Viśvāmitra's worship. Sītā arrives in the same garden to worship Pārvatī on the day before her Svayaṃvara. Sītā and Rāma see each other for the first time when they come face-to-face in the garden. Rāma tells Lakṣmaṇa about the attraction he feels for Sītā. He tells Lakṣmaṇa that Sītā must be his wife in future, for even in his dreams his mind never longs for the wife of another. Lakṣmaṇa then bows to Sītā, thinking of her as his mother. Sītā worships Rāma in her mind and then departs for her palace after worshipping Pārvatī. Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa return to Viśvāmitra and worship him with the flowers from Janaka's royal garden. Rāma tells Viśvāmitra everything about the attraction he felt for Sītā. Viśvāmitra blesses Rāma and goes to sleep. Rāma is awake in the night, admiring the beauty of the moon which reminds him of the face of Sītā.
- Sītāsvayaṃvaram (Sanskrit: सीतास्वयंवरम्). Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa get up next morning and bow to Viśvāmitra. The three come together to the Svayaṃvara of Sītā. The children, youth and elderly, and the maidens of Mithilā are enraptured by the sight of Rāma. Janaka sees Rāma and prays in his mind that Rāma breaks the bow of Śiva. The twelve different groups of people in the assembly at Sītā's Svayaṃvara view Rāma with twelve different emotions (Rasas). The bards of Mithilā announce the vow of Janaka - the prince who is able to string the Pināka, the bow of Śiva, will have the right to marry Sītā. Many kings in the assembly, including Bāṇāsura and Rāvaṇa try to lift the bow but are unsuccessful. Ten thousand kings endeavour to lift the bow together but are not able to. Janaka is disappointed and asks all kings to go home, saying that he would rather Sītā remain a spinster if the earth has become devoid of the brave. On hearing Janaka's words, Lakṣmaṇa expresses his anger in the assembly but Rāma calms him down with the gesture of his eyes. Viśvāmitra orders Rāma to break the bow. Rāma lifts the bow as if it were a straw and breaks it into two instantly. Amidst the chanting of Vedic Mantras by Viśvāmitra, Sītā garlands Rāma. Janaka acclaims Rāma by bowing to him.
- Śrībhārgavalakṣmaṇasaṃvādaḥ (Sanskrit: श्रीभार्गवलक्ष्मणसंवादः). On Mahendra mountain, Paraśurāma comes to know that Rāma has broken the Pināka in Mithilā. He also senses that some malevolent kings are planning to take Sītā away by force and imprison Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, even though they failed to move the bow of Śiva. Remembering the words of his Guru, Paraśurāma comes in the assembly of Mithilā acting angry as a part of his final Līlā. His presence terrifies all the Kṣatriya kings in the assembly and they are tamed. Janaka bows down to Paraśurāma and makes Sītā bow down to him as well. Paraśurāma feigns ignorance and asks Janaka to show him the offender who broke the bow of his Guru. Rāma respectfully tells Paraśurāma that the destroyer of the bow could only be his (Paraśurāma's) slave, and requests his refuge. Paraśurāma tells Rāma to act like a slave and carry out his order of separating the offender from the crowd. Lakṣmaṇa is enraged on seeing Paraśurāma insulting Rāma and replies back mocking Paraśurāma. A verbal duel between the two follows in which Lakṣmaṇa replies with witty rebuttals to Paraśurāma threats. When Lakṣmaṇa repeatedly counters all threats by making fun of Paraśurāma, Paraśurāma raises his axe and lunges forward to kill Lakṣmaṇa. Just then, Rāma starts speaking to calm Paraśurāma down.
- Śrīrāghave Bhārgavapraveśaḥ (Sanskrit: श्रीराघवे भार्गवप्रवेशः). Rāma counters the rage of Paraśurāma by his gentle words. Rāma accepts that he has indeed broken the bow, but only on orders of Viśvāmitra. He calls Paraśurāma as his Guru and himself as Paraśurāma's disciple. Rāma aplogizes to Paraśurāma for the insulting speech of Lakṣmaṇa. While Rāma speaks thus, Lakṣmaṇa giggles again at Paraśurāma. This further infuriates Paraśurāma who now challenges Rāma to a duel, saying he is no ordinary Brāhmaṇa. Rāma respectfully tells Paraśurāma that duel is only between equals, and he is not worthy of having a duel with Paraśurāma. He tells Paraśurāma that he (Rāma) is omnipotent but still a slave of the Brāhmaṇas. Then Rāma reveals his Mahāviṣṇu form to Paraśurāma, showing the mark of Bhṛgu's foot on his chest. On seeing the footprint of his ancestor, Paraśurāma gives up the pretence of anger. He asks Rāma to string the bow of Viṣṇu named Śārṅga. As he hands over the Śārṅga to Rāma, his axe disappears, and all his weapons go and dissolve into Rāma. His aura also enters Rāma. Rāma strings the Vaiṣṇava bow and places an arrow on it. Paraśurāma's pretence of doubt is also over. Paraśurāma then praises Rāma in twelve verses (19.63–19.76). Rāma tells Paraśurāma that his arrow is infallible. He asks Paraśurāma if he should use the arrow to destroy Paraśurāma's ability to move freely on earth, or if he should destroy the fruits earned by Paraśurāma with his penance. Rāma again gently reveals his Mahāviṣṇu form to Paraśurāma, and then falls at the feet of Paraśurāma to ask for his orders. Amidst acclaims from everybody in the assembly, Paraśurāma embraces Rāma and asks hims to get up from his feet. He then asks Rāma to destroy the fruits of his penance and not his mobility. Rāma does the same. Paraśurāma starts to praise Rāma.
- Śrībhārgavakṛtarāghavastavanam (Sanskrit: श्रीभार्गवकृतराघवस्तवनम्). The entire canto is a eulogy. Paraśurāma praises Rāma in 100 verses (20.1–20.100). Paraśurāma ends the praise by pleading for his protection, wishing that Sītā and Rāma forever reside in his mind, and acknowledging his lack of knowledge and the omniscience of Rāma. He then ends his Avatāra, experiences bliss and then leaves after hailing Rāma.
- Śrīrāghavapariṇayaḥ (Sanskrit: श्रीराघवपरिणयः). Rāma sends Paraśurāma back to the Mahendra mountain. Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa appraoch their Guru Viśvāmitra and fall at his feet. Viśvāmitra embraces Rāma. Janaka expresses his indebtedness to Viśvāmitra. Viśvāmitra orders Janaka to send invitations to Daśaratha. Janaka's couriers reach Ayodhyā and narrate the achievements of Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa to Daśaratha before inviting him to Mithilā. Daśaratha leads the marriage procession which is arraigned by Bharata. When the procession arrives at Mithilā, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa fall at Daśaratha's feet. Daśaratha embraces both the sons. Then the brothers bow down to Vasiṣṭha. Finally they meet their brothers Bharata and Śatrughna, and their companions. The fifth day of the bright half of Mārgaśīrṣa month arrives, which is the date fixed for the marriage of Rāma and Sītā. Sītā is adorned for the occasion by her companions. Rāma arrives to the Maṇḍapa (marriage hall) on a horse. Janaka performs the Pāṇigrahaṇa Saṃskāra of Sītā and Rāma. The other daughter of Janaka and the two daughters of his younger brother Kuśadhvaja get married to the three brothers of Rāma. Māṇḍavī is married to Bharata, Ūrmilā is married to Lakṣmaṇa and Śrutikīrti is married to Śatrughna. The people of Mithilā and Ayodhyā rejoice. The people of Ayodhyā leave for home with the brides, who are bid a tearful farewell by Mithilā. In the final verses of the canto (21.97–21.99), the poet briefly summarizes the remaining events of the Rāmāyaṇa after the marriage – the four brothers arrive at Ayodhyā with their wives and the mothers are delighted. Rāma spends the next twelve years in Ayodhyā and then leaves for the forest following the orders of Kaikeyī. Rāma slays Rāvaṇa for abducting Sītā, returns to the throne of Ayodhyā with SugrīvaSugrivaIn the Hindu epic Ramayana, Sugriva , also spelled Sugreeva or Sugreev, was the younger brother of Bali, whom he succeeded as ruler of the vanara or monkey kingdom Kishkindha. Ruma was his wife. He was the son of Surya, the Hindu deity of the sun...
and Hanumān, and is again bowed to by Paraśurāma.
Figures of speech
A comprehensive listing of the figures of speech used in Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam is provided by Dinkar. Some examples of figures of speech used in the epic are given below.Alliteration
An example use of alliteration (14.28) from the praise of Sītā by Paraśurāma has eleven consecutive words beginning with the same letter –
DevanagariDevanagariDevanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
रामप्राणप्रिये रामे रमे राजीवलोचने ।
राहि राज्ञि रतिं रम्यां रामे राजनि राघवे ॥
IASTIASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
rāmaprāṇapriye rāme rame rājīvalocane ।
rāhi rājñi ratiṃ ramyāṃ rāme rājani rāghave ॥
Two examples of use of alliteration mixed with Yamaka (6.3 and 16.84) occur in the sixth and sixteenth cantos -
DevanagariDevanagariDevanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
स ब्रह्मचारी निजधर्मचारी स्वकर्मचारी च न चाभिचारी ।
चारी सतां चेतसि नातिचारी स चापचारी स न चापचारी ॥
IASTIASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
sa brahmacārī nijadharmacārī svakarmacārī ca na cābhicārī ।
cārī satāṃ cetasi nāticārī sa cāpacārī sa na cāpacārī ॥
DevanagariDevanagariDevanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
वीक्ष्य तां वीक्षणीयाम्बुजास्यश्रियं
स्वश्रियं श्रीश्रियं ब्रह्मविद्याश्रियम् ।
धीधियं ह्रीह्रियं भूभुवं भूभुवं
राघवः प्राह सल्लक्षणं लक्ष्मणम् ॥
IASTIASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
vīkṣya tāṃ vīkṣaṇīyāmbujāsyaśriyaṃ
svaśriyaṃ śrīśriyaṃ brahmavidyāśriyam ।
dhīdhiyaṃ hrīhriyaṃ bhūbhuvaṃ bhūbhuvaṃ
rāghavaḥ prāha sallakṣaṇaṃ lakṣmaṇam ॥
Metaphor
In the following verse (6.97), the poet describes how Sahasrārjuna is killed by Paraśurāma, using the metaphor (Rūpaka) of a priest performing a fire sacrifice (Yajña).
DevanagariDevanagariDevanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
धनुःस्रुगभिमेदुरे भृगुपकोपवैश्वानरे
रणाङ्गणसुचत्वरे सुभटराववेदस्वरे ।
शराहुतिमनोहरे नृपतिकाष्ठसञ्जागरे
सहस्रभुजमध्वरे पशुमिवाजुहोद्भार्गवः ॥
IASTIASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
dhanuḥsrugabhimedure bhṛgupakopavaiśvānare
raṇāṅgaṇasucatvare subhaṭarāvavedasvare ।
śarāhutimanohare nṛpatikāṣṭhasañjāgare
sahasrabhujamadhvare paśumivājuhodbhārgavaḥ ॥
Pun
Yamaka is a kind of pun in Sanskrit and Prakrit where the same word occurs more than once and each occurrence of the word has a unique meaning. The following verse (3.26) from the third canto of the epic has the same four feet, but the same syllables stand for four different meanings, one meaning in each foot. Such use of quadruple Yamaka spanning the entire verse is also called Mahāyamaka.
DevanagariDevanagariDevanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
ललाममाधुर्यसुधाभिरामकं ललाममाधुर्यसुधाभिरामकम् ।
ललाममाधुर्यसुधाभिरामकं ललाममाधुर्यसुधाभिरामकम् ॥
IASTIASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
lalāmamādhuryasudhābhirāmakaṃ lalāmamādhuryasudhābhirāmakam ।
lalāmamādhuryasudhābhirāmakaṃ lalāmamādhuryasudhābhirāmakam ॥
Mudrā
In the Mudrā figure of speech, the metre used to compose the verse is indicated by the use of its name in the verse. This figure of speech is used eight times in the epic, with seven different metres as shown below.| Verse | Metre | Quarter | Devanagari | IAST | Meaning of Mudrā word |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.100 | Śikhariṇī | 4 | निजारामो रामो विलसति महेन्द्रे शिखरिणि ॥ | nijārāmo rāmo vilasati mahendre śikhariṇi ॥ | on the mountain |
| 11.83 | Śikhariṇī | 4 | जगौ द्यष्टौ भक्त्या रघुतिलककीर्तीः शिखरिणीः ॥ | jagau dyaṣṭau bhaktyā raghutilakakīrtīḥ śikhariṇīḥ ॥ | Śikhariṇī verses |
| 12.45 | Āryā | 1 | आर्ये रघुवरभार्ये | ārye raghuvarabhārye | O Noble woman! |
| 16.76 | Sragviṇī | 2 | भव्यनीलाम्बरा स्त्रीवरा स्रग्विणी । | bhavyanīlāmbarā strīvarā sragviṇī । | bearing a garland |
| 17.97 | Śārdūlavikrīḍitam | 4 | त्रैलोक्ये च विजृम्भितं हरियशःशार्दूलविक्रीडितम् ॥ | trailokye ca vijṛmbhitaṃ hariyaśaḥśārdūlavikrīḍitam ॥ | act like that of a lion |
| 17.100 | Pṛthvī | 4 | नमोऽस्त्विति समभ्यधाद्रघुवराय पृथ्वीपतिः ॥ | namo'stviti samabhyadhādraghuvarāya pṛthvīpatiḥ ॥ | earth |
| 19.85 | Puṣpitāgrā | 4 | त्रिजगति राम रमस्व पुष्पिताग्राम् ॥ | trijagati rāma ramasva puṣpitāgrām ॥ | flowered |
| 20.91 | Kanakamañjarī | 1 | कनकमञ्जरीकान्तिवल्लरी- | kanakamañjarīkāntivallarī- | golden creeper |
Prosody
The poet uses as many as 40 Sanskrit and Prakrit metres, namely Acaladhṛti (Gītyāryā), Anuṣṭup, Āryā, Indirā (Kanakamañjarī), Indravajrā, Indravaṃśā, Upajāti, Upendravajrā, Upodgatā (Mālabhāriṇī or Vasantamālikā, a type of Aupacchandasika), Kavitta, Kirīṭa (Meduradanta, a type of Sapādikā), Kokilaka (Nārkuṭika), Gītaka, Ghanākṣarī, Toṭaka, Duramilā (Dvimilā, a type of Sapādikā), Dodhaka, Drutavilambita, Nagasvarūpaṇī (Pañcacāmara), Puṣpitāgrā (a type of Aupacchandasika), Prthivī, Praharṣiṇī, Bhjaṅgaprayāta, Mattagajendra (a type of Sapādikā), Mandākrāntā, Mālinī, Rathoddhatā, Vaṃśastha, Vasantatilakā, Śārdūlavikrīḍita, Śālinī, Śikhariṇī, Śaṭpada, Sundarī (Vaitālika or Vaitālīya), Surabhi (a type of Aupacchandasika), Sragdharā, Sragviṇi, Svāgatā, Harigītaka, and Hariṇī.Short syllabbled verses
There are seven verses in the seventh canto (7.11 to 7.17) of Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam composed in the Acaladhṛti (Gītyāryā) metre, which consists of only the short syllables in Sanskrit. The poet remarks that Paraśurāma extols the forest of Citrakūṭa in short syllables only, due to the feeling of humility. Two examples are -
DevanagariDevanagariDevanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
त्रिजगदवन हतहरिजननिधुवन
निजवनरुचिजितशतशतविधुवन ।
तरुवरविभवविनतसुरवरवन
जयति विरतिघन इव रघुवरवन ॥
मदनमथन सुखसदन विधुवदन-
गदितविमलवरविरुद कलिकदन ।
शमदमनियममहित मुनिजनधन
लससि विबुधमणिरिव हरिपरिजन ॥
IASTIASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
trijagadavana hataharijananidhuvana
nijavanarucijitaśataśatavidhuvana ।
taruvaravibhavavinatasuravaravana
jayati viratighana iva raghuvaravana ॥
madanamathana sukhasadana vidhuvadana-
gaditavimalavaraviruda kalikadana ।
śamadamaniyamamahita munijanadhana
lasasi vibudhamaṇiriva hariparijana ॥
Prakrit metres in Sanskrit
The 20th canto has 63 Sanskrit verses (20.1-20.63) composed in Prakrit metres, namely Kirīṭa (Meduradanta, a type of Sapādikā), Ghanākṣarī, Duramilā (Dvimilā, a type of Sapādikā), Mattagajendra (a type of Sapādikā), Śaṭpada and Harigītaka. The language of the verses in Sanskrit, but the metres and the prosody rules follow Prakrit prosody. An example is the following verse (20.13) in the Ghanākṣarī metre, which consists of 32 syllables in every foot.
DevanagariDevanagariDevanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
अशरणशरण प्रणतभयदरण
धरणिभरहरण धरणितनयावरण
जनसुखकरण तरणिकुलभरण
कमलमृदुचरण द्विजाङ्गनासमुद्धरण ।
त्रिभुवनभरण दनुजकुलमरण
निशितशरशरण दलितदशमुखरण
भृगुभवचातकनवीनजलधर राम
विहर मनसि सह सीतया जनाभरण ॥
IASTIASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
aśaraṇaśaraṇa praṇatabhayadaraṇa
dharaṇibharaharaṇa dharaṇitanayāvaraṇa
janasukhakaraṇa taraṇikulabharaṇa
kamalamṛducaraṇa dvijāṅganāsamuddharaṇa ।
tribhuvanabharaṇa danujakulamaraṇa
niśitaśaraśaraṇa dalitadaśamukharaṇa
bhṛgubhavacātakanavīnajaladhara rāma
vihara manasi saha sītayā janābharaṇa ॥
Rasas
The principal Rasa (emotion or mood) of Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam is the Vīra Rasa (the emotion of heroism). Like the previously composed Mahākāvyas, Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam has all the eight Rasas as enunciated by Bharata MuniBharata Muni
Bharata was an ancient Indian musicologist who authored the Natya Shastra, a theoretical treatise on ancient Indian dramaturgy and histrionics, dated to between roughly 400 BC and 200 BC. Indian dance and music find their root in the Natyashastra...
. These Rasas are - Śringāra (eros and beauty), Vīra (heroism or bravery), Hāsya (mirth), Raudra (fury), Karuṇa (compassion), Bībhatsa (disgust), Bhayānaka (horror), Adbhuta (amazement). Apart from this Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam also has the ninth Rasa as propounded by Mammaṭa - the Śānta Rasa (calmness), and the three new Rasas as - Bhakti (devotion), Vatsala (parental love) and Preyas (love).
Like the 10th canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam
Bhagavata purana
The Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hindu literature, with its primary focus on bhakti to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna...
and Bālakāṇḍa of the Rāmacaritamānasa, twelve verses in the seventeenth canto (17.42-17.53) of Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam have all the twelve Rasas used in the same context. Here the poet describes how twelve different groups of people in the assembly at Mithilā look at Rāma, each group feeling one of the above twelve emotions. The context is the same as in Rāmacaritamānasa.
Single consonant verses
Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam has three verses composed using only a single consonant (Ekākṣariślokas). The three Ekākṣariślokas are in the 20th canto of Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam (20.92-20.94).
DevanagariDevanagariDevanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
कः कौ के केककेकाकः काककाकाककः ककः ।
काकः काकः ककः काकः कुकाकः काककः कुकः ॥
काककाक ककाकाक कुकाकाक ककाक क ।
कुककाकाक काकाक कौकाकाक कुकाकक ॥
लोलालालीललालोल लीलालालाललालल ।
लेलेलेल ललालील लाल लोलील लालल ॥
IASTIASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
kaḥ kau ke kekakekākaḥ kākakākākakaḥ kakaḥ ।
kākaḥ kākaḥ kakaḥ kākaḥ kukākaḥ kākakaḥ kukaḥ ॥
kākakāka kakākāka kukākāka kakāka ka ।
kukakākāka kākāka kaukākāka kukākaka ॥
lolālālīlalālola līlālālālalālala ।
lelelela lalālīla lāla lolīla lālala ॥
Comparison with other Sanskrit epics
Some features of the epic compared with previous Mahākāvyas are given below| Epic | Composer | Dated | Number of cantos | Number of verses | Number of metres used | Word at each canto-end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kumārasambhavam | Kālidāsa Kalidasa Kālidāsa was a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language... |
5th c. CE | 8 | 613 | 8 | — |
| Bhaṭṭikāvyam | Bhaṭṭi | 7th c. CE | 21 | 1602 | — | — |
| Raghuvaṃśam | Kālidāsa | 5th c. CE | 19 | 1572 | 21 | — |
| Kirātārjunīyam | Bhāravi Bharavi Bharavi was a Sanskrit poet known for his Mahakavya , the Kirātārjunīya in 18 cantos based on an episode from the Mahabharata.-Time and place:... |
6th c. CE | 18 | 1040 | 12 | Lakṣmī |
| Śiśupālavadham | Māgha Magha Magha may refer to:* Magha , a month in the Hindu calendar* Magh , the same month in the Bengali calendar* Magha , an 8th century Sanskrit poet, who wrote Shishupala-vadha... |
7th/8th c. CE | 20 | 1645 | 16 | Śrī |
| Naiṣadhīyacaritam | Śrīharṣa | 12th c. CE | 22 | 2828 | 19 | Nisargojjvala |
| Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam | Rāmabhadrācārya | 21st c. CE | 21 | 2121 | 40 | Śrī |
Reception
Critical Response
Abhiraj Rajendra MishraAbhiraj Rajendra Mishra
Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra is a Sanskrit author, poet, lyricist, playwright and the a former Vice-Chancellor of the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Varanasi. He has served as the head of department of Sanskrit in Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla...
, former Vice-Chancellor of Sampurnanand Sanskrit University
Sampurnanand Sanskrit University
Sampurnanand Sanskrit University is an institution of higher learning in Asian learning, Sanskrit allied areas, etc. that is located in Benares , Uttar Pradesh, India.- History :...
and winner of Sahitya Akademi Award in Sanskrit, writes in the introduction of the epic that in an age where the prevalence of Sanskrit is rare, several works in recent past have been published as epics which are devoid of the traditional features of a Sanskrit Mahākāvya, and have errors in grammar at many places. He thinks of Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam as an exception. He further says that this is an epic which nourishes the tradition of Ṛṣis, and with this composition the contemporary Sanskrit literature has been blessed.
Yogeshchandra Dubey, professor and head of department of Sanskrit at the Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University, writes in the Publisher's Note at the beginning of the book that he views Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam as having even more special qualities and features than the epic works of Māgha, Bhāravi, Śrīharṣa and Kālidāsa. At the end of the Publisher's Note, he presents a metaphor-
Dr. Vagish Dinkar, professor and head of department of Sanskrit at the R.S.S. PG College (Ghaziabad), and the author of the critique on the epic titled Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam Mīmāṃsā, writes at the conclusion of his critique that Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam is worthy of being considered with the Bṛhattrayī as the Catuṣṭayī (the quartet).
Elsewhere, in award citations and in the media, the work has been described as time-conquering and outstanding.
Recognition and Awards
The poet has been given several rewards for the composition of the epic since 2002. Some of them include –- 2007. The Sixteenth Vachaspati Puraskar by the K. K. Birla FoundationK. K. Birla FoundationThe K.K. Birla Foundation was established in 1991 by Krishna Kumar Birla. Its mission is to promote literature and the arts, as well as education and social work...
for published Sanskrit works. The award was announced in 2008. - 2006. BāṇabhaṭṭaBanabhattaBāṇabhaṭṭa , also known as Bāṇa, was a Sanskrit scholar and poet of India. He was the Asthana Kavi in the court of King Harshavardhana, who reigned in the years c. 606–647 CE in north India...
Award — Madhya Pradesh Sanskrit Board, Bhopal. - 2005. Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit.
- 2005. Śrī Vāṇī Alaṅkaraṇa Puraskāra by Ramkrishna Jaydayal Dalmiya Foundation. This was presented by the then Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Somnath ChatterjeeSomnath ChatterjeeSomnath Chatterjee is an Indian politician who had been associated with the Communist Party of India for most of his life, though he is currently an independent...
in 2006.