Srisitaramakelikaumudi
Encyclopedia
Śrīsītārāmakelikaumudī (2008), literally The moonlight (elucidation) for the [childhood] pastimes of Sītā and Rāma, is a minor poem in the Braja dialect of Hindi
(with some verses in Maithili
) belonging to the Rītikāvya genre. It was composed by Jagadguru Rambhadracharya (1950–) in the years 2007 and 2008. The work is set in the backdrop of the Bālakāṇḍa
of Vālmīki's
Rāmāyaṇa
and Tulasīdāsa's Rāmacaritamānasa, and is an assortment of verses describing the activities, pastimes and major events during the childhood of Sītā
and Rāma
. Śrīsītārāmakelikaumudī consists of 324 verses divided in three parts of 108 verses each. The verses are composed in seven Prakrit
metres, namely Amātrika, Kavitta, Gīta, Ghanākṣarī, Caupaiyā, Drumila, and Mattagajendra.
A copy of the epic with a Hindi commentary has been published by the Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University, Chitrakuta
, Uttar Pradesh
. The book was released on October 30, 2008.
from Chitrakuta
on November 25, 2007. He was listening to the poetry of Raskhan
, being read out by his disciples. After reading some verses, two of his disciples asked him in why he could not compose such lyrical poetry describing the child forms of Sītā
and Rāma
, as Raskhan composed describing Kṛṣṇa
. The poet accepted their "ingenuous yet challenging" request and composed the first verse almost a month later, on December 23, 2007, in the Kandivali
(East) suburb of Mumbai
. Till April 2008, he had time to compose just 67 verses of the first part, owing to a busy schedule. Then he happened to travel to Bihar
for an 18-day long Kathā
programme in April–May. The poet completed the remaining 260 verses between April 19 and May 1, 2008 on the banks of the Kamala River
in the Mithila
region of Bihar.
, describing the manifestation, and childhood pastimes and events from the life of Sītā. The first half of the third ray is a description of messages exchanged by Sītā and Rāma through Nārada
, and the second half describes Rāma's journey from Ayodhyā to Mithilā and culminates with the marriage of the princes of Ayodhyā with the princesses of Mithilā. Most of the verses describe a sight or activity using various figures of speech, while major events of are Rāmāyaṇa are summed up briefly.
At the end of each part, after the 108th verse, is a concluding 109th verse in which the poet presents a metaphor for the work, wishing that the Vaiṣṇavas in the form of Cakora birds ever drink the moonlight of Śrīsītārāmakelikaumudī. In Indian literature
, the Cakora bird is said to subsist on moonbeams only. This final verse is the same in all the three parts.
The first ray begins with an invocation of Sarasvatī and the poet expressing that his only faith is in the infant form of Rāma (verses 1 to 3). Verses 4 to 5 state that it is the very same Supreme God (Para Brahman
) who is without any qualities (Nirguṇa Brahman
) that manifests as Rāma who is with qualities (Saguṇa Brahman
). The manifestation of Rāma as an infant from the womb of Kauśalyā
on the day of Rāmanavamī
is described in verses 6 to 18, with eight different similes from natural world forming verses 8 to 15. Verses 19 to 22 show Rāma in the care of Kauśalyā, while verses 23 and 24 show him in the arms of Vasiṣṭha
, the Guru
of the Raghu
dynasty. The features of the baby are the subject of the verses 25 to 27. Verses 28 to 30 describe the festivities in Ayodhyā. Verse 31 shows Rāma in the lap of Kauśalyā. The Nāmakaraṇa Saṃskāra of the four brothers takes place in verse 32, with their features described in verse 33. Kauśalyā and Arundhatī
play with Rāma in verses 34 to 38.
The next twenty nine verses (39 to 67) show various features, activities and pastimes of the child Rāma, like playing in the mud, bathing, baby talk, curly hair, clothes and ornaments, act of crawling, et cetera. In verses 68 to 70, the child Rāma falls ill and Kaikeyī
and Kauśalyā, thinking it to be the result of a Tāntric
charm, call Vasiṣṭha for a remedy. In verse 71, Vasiṣṭha chants the Narasiṃha
Mantra
and Rāma is cured. Verse 72 shows Rāma in the lap of Daśaratha
. Verses 73 to 80 form a conversation between Kaikeyī and Rāma, where the child Rāma requests Kaikeyī for the toy in the sky (the moon) – Kaikeyī makes up several excuses for each of which Rāma has an answer. Once again, in verses 81 to 94, the features, activities and pastimes of the child Rāma are described. In verses 95 to 98, Rāma begins to learn the art of archery, first using a bow made of wooden skewer, and later using an actual bow given by Daśaratha. Looking at his prowess with the bow, Vasiṣṭha predicts that the boy will grow up to be the slayer of the demons and Rāvaṇa
. Verse 101 shows Rāma playing with hsi friends on the banks of the Sarayū
river.
The Yajñopavīta Saṃskāra of the four brothers takes place in verses 102 and 103. In the next four verses (103 to 107), the four brothers go to the Āśrama
of Vasiṣṭha to study the Vedas and come back home after their Samāvartana Saṃskāra. In the 108th verse, the four princes are shown in the palace of Daśaratha, endowed with knowledge and a virtuous character.
and the place of Puṇyāraṇya as their subject. In verses 15 to 23, the manifestation of Sītā on Sītānavamī day as Janaka ploughs the fields of Puṇyāraṇya is described. The festivities in Mithilā come next (verses 24 to 28), followed by the description of the infant's features by the women of Mithilā (verses 29 to 31). Verses 32 to 35 deal with the infant Sītā in the care of Janaka and his wife Sunainā. The beauty of the baby and her activities are described in verses 36 to 45. Verse 46 is about her Annaprāśana ceremony. Two more verses on the child's charm (47 and 48) are followed by her Karṇavedha rite (verse 49), and then another five verses on Sītā's playful activities (50 to 54).
Verse 55 describes Sītā with her three sisters (Māṇḍavī, Ūrmilā, and Śrutikīrti) and eight companions. Her play on the banks of the river, with dolls and in the courtyard of Janaka is the subject of verses 56 to 60. In verses 61 to 67, Sunainā adorns Sītā with a Sari
and other ornaments, thinking about Rāma as her future groom. Verses 68 to 72 once describe Sītā's beauty, charm and glory. Sītā's devotion and love for Rāma is described in verses 73 to 76. Her mixing up with the children of the commoners in Mithilā form verses 77 to 79. The service of the cows and a painting of Rāma is described in verses 80 and 81. Verses 82 to 89 describe the interactions of Sītā with the girls, boys and women of Mithilā, along with her daily routine. The way the child Sītā eats her food is the subject of verse 90. Verses 91 to 100 deal with her love for nature – the rainy season, the trees and the creepers, and her disapproval of materialism and greed.
In verses 101 to 108, the dragging of the Pināka
by Sītā is described. Sītā sees the onerous bow of Śiva
being worshipped in Mithilā asks Janaka about it. On learning its history, she drags the bow and plays with it like a toy horse, to the great amazement of Janaka.
In verses 52 and 53, Sītā ordains Śiva to reveal the Rāmarakṣāstotra to sage Viśvāmitra. Viśvāmitra writes the Stotra as dictated by Śiva in his dream and goes to Ayodhyā in verse 54. The sight of Rāma by Viśvāmitra is forms the verses 55 to 58. In verses 59 to 63, Viśvāmitra asks Daśaratha for Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, who is first distraught over the demand but is then convinced by Vasiṣṭha. Nine events of the Rāmāyaṇa between the brothers departure from Ayodhyā and their arrival in Mithilā with Viśvāmitra are briefly summarized in verse 64.
In verse 65 Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa set out to see the capital city of Mithilā. The maidens of Mithilā, friends of Sītā, see the two princes and sing of their charm in verses 66 to 71. Early morning on the next day, Rāma requests Viśvāmitra to allow the brothers to get flowers for his service (verses 72 to 77). The next three verses (78 to 80) show the two brothers in the garden of Janaka. From verse 81 to 87, the conversation between Rāma and the gardeners of Mithilā is described. Sītā, sent by her mother Sunayanā to pray to Pārvatī
, enters the garden with her friends and comes face to face with Rāma. Their first meeting is the subject of verses 88 to 100, with the poet stating their Advaita (non-duality) in verses 96 and 97. In verses 101 and 102, both Sītā and Rāma leave the garden for the temple and Viśvāmitra's place respectively. In verse 103, the blessing of Sītā by Pārvatī, the breaking of Śiva's bow by Rāma, and the meeting of Paraśurāma and Rāma is briefly summarized. In verses 104 to 108, the marriage of the four Raghu princes – Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata and Śatrughna – takes place with the four princesses – Sītā, Ūrmilā, Māṇḍavī and Śrutikīrti respectively; and the couples come home to Ayodhyā.
In his Sanskrit epic poem Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam
, the poet has composed seven such short-syllabled verses in the Acaladhṛti (Gītyāryā) metre.
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
(with some verses in Maithili
Maithili language
Maithili language is spoken in the eastern region of India and South-eastern region of Nepal. The native speakers of Maithili reside in Bihar, Jharkhand,parts of West Bengal and South-east Nepal...
) belonging to the Rītikāvya genre. It was composed by Jagadguru Rambhadracharya (1950–) in the years 2007 and 2008. The work is set in the backdrop of the Bālakāṇḍa
Balakanda
Bala Kanda , is the first book of the Valmiki Ramayana, which, with the Mahabharata, is one of the two great epic poems of India.-Structure:...
of Vālmīki's
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...
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 Tulasīdāsa's Rāmacaritamānasa, and is an assortment of verses describing the activities, pastimes and major events during the childhood of Sītā
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...
and Rāma
RAMA
Rama is a first-person adventure game developed and published by Sierra Entertainment in 1996. The game is based on Arthur C. Clarke's books Rendezvous with Rama and Rama II and supports both DOS and Windows 95. It is the second Rama game to be produced...
. Śrīsītārāmakelikaumudī consists of 324 verses divided in three parts of 108 verses each. The verses are composed in seven 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, namely Amātrika, Kavitta, Gīta, Ghanākṣarī, Caupaiyā, Drumila, and Mattagajendra.
A copy of the epic with a Hindi commentary has been 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 on October 30, 2008.
Composition
Jagadguru Rambhadracharya mentions in the prologue of the work that he was traveling to Madhya PradeshMadhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
from Chitrakuta
Chitrakuta
Chitrakuta is a town and a nagar panchayat in Satna district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India....
on November 25, 2007. He was listening to the poetry of Raskhan
Raskhan
Raskhan was a poet who was both a Muslim and follower of Lord Krishna. His real name was Sayyad Ibrahim and is known to have lived in Amroha in India. In his early years, he became a follower of Lord Krishna and learned the religion from Goswami Vitthalnath and began living in Vrindavan and spent...
, being read out by his disciples. After reading some verses, two of his disciples asked him in why he could not compose such lyrical poetry describing the child forms of Sītā
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...
and Rāma
RAMA
Rama is a first-person adventure game developed and published by Sierra Entertainment in 1996. The game is based on Arthur C. Clarke's books Rendezvous with Rama and Rama II and supports both DOS and Windows 95. It is the second Rama game to be produced...
, as Raskhan composed describing Kṛṣṇa
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
. The poet accepted their "ingenuous yet challenging" request and composed the first verse almost a month later, on December 23, 2007, in the Kandivali
Kandivali
Kandivali, or Kandivli is the name of a suburb of Mumbai, India. It is also the name of the railway station in Kandivali suburb, on the Western Railway line of the Mumbai suburban railway.- History :...
(East) suburb of Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. Till April 2008, he had time to compose just 67 verses of the first part, owing to a busy schedule. Then he happened to travel to Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
for an 18-day long Kathā
Katha (storytelling format)
Katha is an Indian style of religious storytelling, whose performances are a ritual event in Hinduism, and often involves professional storytellers called kathavahchak or vyas, who recite the Hindu religious texts, such as the Puranas, Ramayana or Bhagavata Purana, often followed by a commentary,...
programme in April–May. The poet completed the remaining 260 verses between April 19 and May 1, 2008 on the banks of the Kamala River
Kamala River
The Kamala River flows through Nepal and the Indian state of Bihar.-Course:The Kamala originates from Mahabharat Range near Sindhuliagarhi in Sindhuli District of Nepal at an elevation of .It flows in a southerly direction and after passing through a gorge above Chauphat it flows into the terai...
in the Mithila
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...
region of Bihar.
The three parts
The work is divided into three parts, called the three rays by the poet. The first ray is set in Ayodhyā and the subject is the birth (manifestation) of Rāma, followed by the pastimes and events from his childhood. The second ray is set in MithilāMithila
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...
, describing the manifestation, and childhood pastimes and events from the life of Sītā. The first half of the third ray is a description of messages exchanged by Sītā and Rāma through Nārada
Narada
Narada 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...
, and the second half describes Rāma's journey from Ayodhyā to Mithilā and culminates with the marriage of the princes of Ayodhyā with the princesses of Mithilā. Most of the verses describe a sight or activity using various figures of speech, while major events of are Rāmāyaṇa are summed up briefly.
At the end of each part, after the 108th verse, is a concluding 109th verse in which the poet presents a metaphor for the work, wishing that the Vaiṣṇavas in the form of Cakora birds ever drink the moonlight of Śrīsītārāmakelikaumudī. In Indian literature
Indian literature
Indian literature refers to the literature produced on the Indian subcontinent until 1947 and in the Republic of India thereafter. The Republic of India has 22 officially recognized languages....
, the Cakora bird is said to subsist on moonbeams only. This final verse is the same in all the three parts.
Ray One
Para Brahman
Para Brahman or Param Brahman - is a term often used by Vedantic philosophers as to the "attainment of the ultimate goal". Adi Shankara has said that there is only one Supreme Para-Brahman and all the other deities are the forms and expansions of this Para-Brahman...
) who is without any qualities (Nirguṇa Brahman
Nirguna Brahman
Nirguna Brahman, signifies in Hindu philosophy the Brahman that pervades the Universe, considered without form , as in the Advaita school or else as without material form, as in Dvaita schools of philosophy.-Advaita:According to Adi Shankara, the famous reviver of Advaita...
) that manifests as Rāma who is with qualities (Saguṇa Brahman
Saguna brahman
Saguna Brahman came from the Sanskrit "with qualities" and Brahman "The Absolute".-Advaita:...
). The manifestation of Rāma as an infant from the womb of Kauśalyā
Kausalya
Kausalya 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....
on the day of Rāmanavamī
Rama Navami
Ram Navami also known as Sri Ram Navami is a Hindu festival, celebrating the birth of Lord Rama to King Dasharatha and Queen Kausalya of Ayodhya. Ram is the 7th incarnation of the Dashavatara of Vishnu. Years later Lord Rama was married to Sita on the...
is described in verses 6 to 18, with eight different similes from natural world forming verses 8 to 15. Verses 19 to 22 show Rāma in the care of Kauśalyā, while verses 23 and 24 show him in the arms of Vasiṣṭha
Vasistha
Vashist in the seventh, i.e the present Manvantara, and the Rajpurohit / Rajguru of the Suryavansha or Solar Dynasty. He was the mānasaputra of Brahma. He had in his possession the divine cow Kamadhenu, and Nandini her child, who could grant anything to their owners...
, the Guru
Guru
A 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...
of the 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...
dynasty. The features of the baby are the subject of the verses 25 to 27. Verses 28 to 30 describe the festivities in Ayodhyā. Verse 31 shows Rāma in the lap of Kauśalyā. The Nāmakaraṇa Saṃskāra of the four brothers takes place in verse 32, with their features described in verse 33. Kauśalyā and Arundhatī
Arundhati (mythology)
Arundhati is the wife of the sage Vashishta, one of the seven sages who are identified with the Ursa Major. She is identified with the morning star and also with the star Alcor which forms a double star with Mizar in Ursa Major...
play with Rāma in verses 34 to 38.
The next twenty nine verses (39 to 67) show various features, activities and pastimes of the child Rāma, like playing in the mud, bathing, baby talk, curly hair, clothes and ornaments, act of crawling, et cetera. In verses 68 to 70, the child Rāma falls ill and Kaikeyī
Kaikeyi
Kaikeyi , in the Hindu epic Rāmāyaṇa, was the second of King Daśaratha's three wives and a queen of Ayodhyā. She was the mother of Bharata...
and Kauśalyā, thinking it to be the result of a Tāntric
Tantra
Tantra , anglicised tantricism or tantrism or tantram, is the name scholars give to an inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, expressed in scriptures ....
charm, call Vasiṣṭha for a remedy. In verse 71, Vasiṣṭha chants the Narasiṃha
Narasimha
Narasimha or Nrusimha , also spelt as Narasingh and Narasingha, whose name literally translates from Sanskrit as "Man-lion", is an avatar of Vishnu described in the Puranas, Upanishads and other ancient religious texts of Hinduism...
Mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
and Rāma is cured. Verse 72 shows Rāma in the lap of Daśaratha
Dasaratha
Dasharatha was a king of Ayodhya of the Ikshvaku dynasty whose life story is narrated principally in the Hindu epic Ramayana...
. Verses 73 to 80 form a conversation between Kaikeyī and Rāma, where the child Rāma requests Kaikeyī for the toy in the sky (the moon) – Kaikeyī makes up several excuses for each of which Rāma has an answer. Once again, in verses 81 to 94, the features, activities and pastimes of the child Rāma are described. In verses 95 to 98, Rāma begins to learn the art of archery, first using a bow made of wooden skewer, and later using an actual bow given by Daśaratha. Looking at his prowess with the bow, Vasiṣṭha predicts that the boy will grow up to be the slayer of the demons and Rāvaṇa
Ravana
' 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...
. Verse 101 shows Rāma playing with hsi friends on the banks of the Sarayū
Sarayu
The 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...
river.
The Yajñopavīta Saṃskāra of the four brothers takes place in verses 102 and 103. In the next four verses (103 to 107), the four brothers go to the Āśrama
Ashram
Traditionally, 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 Vasiṣṭha to study the Vedas and come back home after their Samāvartana Saṃskāra. In the 108th verse, the four princes are shown in the palace of Daśaratha, endowed with knowledge and a virtuous character.
Ray Two
The initial verses (1 to 14) of Ray Two have the region of Mithilā, the city of JanakaJanaka
Janaka or Raja Janaka were the kings of Videha Kingdom. Their capital was Mithila, which is believed to be present day Janakpur, Nepal...
and the place of Puṇyāraṇya as their subject. In verses 15 to 23, the manifestation of Sītā on Sītānavamī day as Janaka ploughs the fields of Puṇyāraṇya is described. The festivities in Mithilā come next (verses 24 to 28), followed by the description of the infant's features by the women of Mithilā (verses 29 to 31). Verses 32 to 35 deal with the infant Sītā in the care of Janaka and his wife Sunainā. The beauty of the baby and her activities are described in verses 36 to 45. Verse 46 is about her Annaprāśana ceremony. Two more verses on the child's charm (47 and 48) are followed by her Karṇavedha rite (verse 49), and then another five verses on Sītā's playful activities (50 to 54).
Verse 55 describes Sītā with her three sisters (Māṇḍavī, Ūrmilā, and Śrutikīrti) and eight companions. Her play on the banks of the river, with dolls and in the courtyard of Janaka is the subject of verses 56 to 60. In verses 61 to 67, Sunainā adorns Sītā with a Sari
Sari
A sari or sareeThe name of the garment in various regional languages include: , , , , , , , , , , , , , is a strip of unstitched cloth, worn by females, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular in India, Bangladesh, Nepal,...
and other ornaments, thinking about Rāma as her future groom. Verses 68 to 72 once describe Sītā's beauty, charm and glory. Sītā's devotion and love for Rāma is described in verses 73 to 76. Her mixing up with the children of the commoners in Mithilā form verses 77 to 79. The service of the cows and a painting of Rāma is described in verses 80 and 81. Verses 82 to 89 describe the interactions of Sītā with the girls, boys and women of Mithilā, along with her daily routine. The way the child Sītā eats her food is the subject of verse 90. Verses 91 to 100 deal with her love for nature – the rainy season, the trees and the creepers, and her disapproval of materialism and greed.
In verses 101 to 108, the dragging of the Pināka
Shiva Dhanush
Shiva Dhanush , also known as Pinaka, in Hindu mythology, was the divine bow of Lord Shiva gifted to King Janaka by Sage Parashurama for safe-keeping while the sage performed penances...
by Sītā is described. Sītā sees the onerous bow of Śiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
being worshipped in Mithilā asks Janaka about it. On learning its history, she drags the bow and plays with it like a toy horse, to the great amazement of Janaka.
Ray Three
Ray Three begins with the description of a young Sītā in verses 1 to 5. In verses 6 to 9, the sage Nārada visits Sītā in Mithilā and carries a message from her to Rāma in Ayodhyā. The description and glory of Ayodhyā is the topic in verses 10 to 14. In verses 15 to 20, the sight (Darśana) of the child Rāma playing with his friends and brothers is described, as seen by Nārada. The conversation between Nārada and Rāma happens in verses 21 and 22. This is followed by Sītā's message to Rāma in verses 23 to 31. In verses 32 and 33, Rāma sends a message in reply to Sītā through Nārada, the contents of which are in verses 34 to 42. Nārada returns to Brahmaloka in verse 43. Verses 44 to 51 deal with Sītā's feelings of separation and her longing to see Rāma.In verses 52 and 53, Sītā ordains Śiva to reveal the Rāmarakṣāstotra to sage Viśvāmitra. Viśvāmitra writes the Stotra as dictated by Śiva in his dream and goes to Ayodhyā in verse 54. The sight of Rāma by Viśvāmitra is forms the verses 55 to 58. In verses 59 to 63, Viśvāmitra asks Daśaratha for Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, who is first distraught over the demand but is then convinced by Vasiṣṭha. Nine events of the Rāmāyaṇa between the brothers departure from Ayodhyā and their arrival in Mithilā with Viśvāmitra are briefly summarized in verse 64.
In verse 65 Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa set out to see the capital city of Mithilā. The maidens of Mithilā, friends of Sītā, see the two princes and sing of their charm in verses 66 to 71. Early morning on the next day, Rāma requests Viśvāmitra to allow the brothers to get flowers for his service (verses 72 to 77). The next three verses (78 to 80) show the two brothers in the garden of Janaka. From verse 81 to 87, the conversation between Rāma and the gardeners of Mithilā is described. Sītā, sent by her mother Sunayanā to pray to Pārvatī
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
, enters the garden with her friends and comes face to face with Rāma. Their first meeting is the subject of verses 88 to 100, with the poet stating their Advaita (non-duality) in verses 96 and 97. In verses 101 and 102, both Sītā and Rāma leave the garden for the temple and Viśvāmitra's place respectively. In verse 103, the blessing of Sītā by Pārvatī, the breaking of Śiva's bow by Rāma, and the meeting of Paraśurāma and Rāma is briefly summarized. In verses 104 to 108, the marriage of the four Raghu princes – Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata and Śatrughna – takes place with the four princesses – Sītā, Ūrmilā, Māṇḍavī and Śrutikīrti respectively; and the couples come home to Ayodhyā.
Short syllabbled verses
There are three verses in the second ray (2.3, 2.4 and 2.18) of Śrīsītārāmakelikaumudī composed in the Ghanākṣarī metre using only short syllables. An examples is –
DevanagariDevanagariDevanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
तहँ बस बसुमति बसु बसुमुखमुख
निगदित निगम सुकरम धरमधुर ।
दुरित दमन दुख शमन सुख गमन
परम कमन पद नमन सकल सुर ॥
बिमल बिरति रति भगति भरन भल
भरम हरन हरि हरष हरम पुर ।
गिरिधर रघुबर घरनि जनम महि
तरनि तनय भय जनक जनकपुर ॥
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:...
tahaँ basa basumati basu basumukhamukha
nigadita nigama sukarama dharamadhura ।
durita damana dukha śamana sukha gamana
parama kamana pada namana sakala sura ॥
bimala birati rati bhagati bharana bhala
bharama harana hari haraṣa harama pura ।
giridhara raghubara gharani janama mahi
tarani tanaya bhaya janaka janakapura ॥
In his Sanskrit epic poem Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam
Sribhargavaraghaviyam
Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam , literally Of Paraśurāma and Rāma, is a Sanskrit epic poem composed by Jagadguru Rambhadracharya in the year 2002. It consists of 2121 verses in 40 Sanskrit and Prakrit metres and is divided into 21 cantos of 101 verses each...
, the poet has composed seven such short-syllabled verses in the Acaladhṛti (Gītyāryā) metre.