#sitarama

That Rama - was He not the eternal Vishnu who was born on earth as prayed by celestials to kill the egoistic Ravana?

śaṃkara uvāca | trayī sāṃkhyavedāṃtayogāḥ purāṇaṃ tathā pañcarātraṃ prabho dharmaśāstram | tavaivātimāhātmyamekasya nityaṃ prakārairanekairhi gāyaṃti bhaktyā || 3 ||

tvadeveśa śāstrāṇi caitāni bhūmno babhūvustvadekāśrayāṇyādikalpe | ramāsevyapādāmbujaṃ śāstrayoniṃ tamādyaṃ bhavantaṃ bhaje vāsudevam || 4 ||

Śaṅkara said:

3. O Lord! The Three Vedas, Sāṅkhya, Vedānta, Yoga, Purāṇa, Pāñcarātra as well as Dharmaśāstra—all these devoutly sing in various ways the supreme majestic glory of yours alone.

4. In the first Kalpa (Ādi-Kalpa), it is from you, the great one, alone that these Śāstras were born and they have you as their only resort, O Sovereign Lord. I betake myself to you and worship you, the Primordial One whose lotus-feet are served by Ramā, who are the source of the origin of Śāstras.

(Taken from Wisdom Library )

This is a small portion of Chapter 15 of Vaasudeva Mahatmya from Skanda Purana. The essence of these verses is to talk of how Vishnu is every little and every big thing in this Universe.

There is a constant struggle about whether the Puranas are right or not, through things I have read, that contradict with what I have learned as a child, which clash with some beliefs even- and it is actually very true that they have been interpolated heavily, over the years.

That is why, the first basis of reference and understanding comes from Itihaasa- that which has happened. There are two Itihaasas or epics in Sanatana Dharma, Valmiki Ramayana and Mahabharata. Of course, Harivamsa is included in this list, as it is a khila of the Mahabharata itself.

It sounds a bit crazy when I speak of how Itihaasas come first and yet I posted something from a Purana, does it not? Well, the reason for it is to remind people that Shastras originated from the ParaBrahman- be they Vedas, Upanishads, Itihaasas, Puranas and various other works. And every form of ParaBrahman are the origin of such, based on how one's own Ishta/Aaradhya.

Many months ago, I had asked if I should post something on Sanatana, and finally, I got the time to start. As always, I wondered where to start, and this specific tab was open. Hari, as always, gave me an indication.

I will be much more consistent with posting henceforth, so expect interpretations, rants, aesthetics, story snippets and so on to be shared.

Shri Rama Jai

Rama Jai Jai Rama

Dasaratha was bestowing his equal love to all his four sons who were best among men, as though they were his four hands emerging out of his own body.

I have read and seen so many interpretations which say Maharaja Dasaratha loved Rama the most. Yet, Maharishi Valmiki, the contemporary of Sri Rama seems to differ in this aspect, and says that the King loved his four sons equally.

The eldest son is the one who is the crown Prince, the heir, the first one nurtured, especially if the eldest is the first child in the family. In that way, of course Rama was very special and different. But it is clear here that Maharaja Dasaratha did not really see a difference between his sons.

Rama was beautiful in form, a hero of valor and without envy. By virtues, he was like Dasaratha. In this way, he was an incomparable son on earth.

siṃhāsanagataḥ śakraḥsaṃprāpya tridivaṃ punaḥ /

devarājye stito devīṃ tuṣṭāvābjakarāṃ tataḥ // 116 //

indra uvāca

namasye sarvalokānāṃ jananīmabjasambhavām /

śriyamunnidrapadmākṣīṃ viṣṇuvakṣasthalasthitām // 117 //

padmālayāṃ padmakarāṃ padmapatranibhekṣaṇām /

vande padmasukhīṃ devīṃ padmanābhapriyāmaham // 118 //

tvaṃ siddhistvaṃ svadhā svāhā sudhā tvaṃ lokapāvanī /

sandhyā rātriḥ prabhā bhūtirmedhā śraddhā sarasvatī // 119 //

yajñavidyā mahāvidya guhyavidya ca śobhane /

ātmavidyā ca devi tvaṃ visuktiphaladāyinī // 120 //

ānvīkṣikītrayīvārta daṇḍanītistvameva ca /

saimyāsaumyair jagadrūpais tvayaittaddevi pūritam // 121 //

kā tvanyā tvāmṛte devi sarvayajñamayaṃ vapuḥ /

adhyāste devadevasya yogicintyaṃ gadābhṛtaḥ // 122 //- Chapter IX, Book 1, Vishnu Purana

Seated upon his throne, and once more in heaven, exercising sovereignty over the gods, Śakra thus eulogized the goddess who bears a lotus in her hand:—

“I bow down to Śrī, the mother of all beings, seated on her lotus throne, with eyes like full-blown lotuses, reclining on the breast of Viṣṇu. Thou art Siddhi (superhuman power): thou art Swadhā and Svāhā: thou art ambrosia (Sudhā), the purifier of the universe: thou art evening, night, and dawn: thou art power, faith, intellect: thou art the goddess of letters (Sarasvatī). Thou, beautiful goddess, art knowledge of devotion, great knowledge, mystic knowledge, and spiritual knowledge[9]; which confers eternal liberation. Thou art the science of reasoning, the three Vedas, the arts and sciences[10]: thou art moral and political science. The world is peopled by thee with pleasing or displeasing forms. Who else than thou, oh goddess, is seated on that person of the god of gods, the wielder of the mace, which is made up of sacrifice, and contemplated by holy ascetics? 

A Mahadevi form a day (2/9)

"You are the knower of others feelings, knower of many skills, and the knower of what is right and honest, oh, Lakshmana, such as you are, being with you I deem that my virtue-souled father is not gone and forgotten. [3-15-29]