Musings 8

reminded of an incident in Srimad Valmikiramayanam.. Balakandam sargam 2

समाक्षरैः चतुर्भिर्यः पदैर्गीता महर्षिणा।
सोऽनुव्याहरणात् भूयः शोकः श्लोकत्वमागतः॥४०॥
॥श्रीमद्वाल्मीकिरामायणे बालकाण्डे द्वितीये सर्गे॥
samākṣaraiḥ caturbhiryaḥ padairgītā maharṣiṇā|
so'nuvyāharaṇāt bhūyaḥ śokaḥ ślokatvamāgataḥ||40||
||śrīmadvālmīkirāmāyaṇe bālakāṇḍe dvitīye sarge||


It is legend that Sage Valmiki went to the Ghats of River Thamasa to take bath one morning, and to his utter sadness, he found that a hunter shot an arrow at a male Kraucha bird perched on a tree in the company of his mate.. and while the male bird died, the female was crying her heart out..
Overcome by grief the sage uttered the sloka by way of contempt or curse.. to the hunter.. and maa nishaada was born..
But immeditately the sage was stricken by remorse.. Was it proper on his part to curse anyone or anything..?
But then Brahmadeva Himself appeared before the sage and explained that the verse in Anustup chandas in four padas was caused to be uttered by the sage by Vani the goddess of letters Herself, and that this verse was to become the basic theme of the epic Ramayanam..

That is explained in the above sloka.. verse 40 of Balakandam Sarga 2

Meaning
The verse sung by the great sage in four feet or padas of equal number of words ( the chandas is anushtup), since it has emanated from the sages mind expressing Grief and driven by mercy, would become an eminent Slokam ( that would become highly acclaimed for ever)

i JUST POSTED THIS TO SAY THAT MANY VERSES JUST COME OUT OF SORROW..

Shelley said.. Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.

MY EARLIER NOTE ON MAA NISHAADA....

maa nishaada
मा निषाद प्रतिष्ठां त्वं अगमः शाश्वतीम् समा
यक्रौञ्चमिथुनादेकमवधीः काममोहितं॥
श्रीमद्वाल्मीकिरामायणं
mā niṣāda pratiṣṭhāṁ tvaṁ agamaḥ śāśvatīm samā
yakrauñcamithunādekamavadhīḥ kāmamohitaṁ||
śrīmadvālmīkirāmāyaṇaṁ
maa nishaada pratishtaam twam agamah saaswatee samaa
yatkraunchamithunaadekam avadheeh kaamamohitam

This couplet in anushtup chandas was the harbinger of poetry in Sanksrit Language. The great Sage and poet Valmiki was on his way to the morning bath in Tamasa River near his aashram. On a lush tree there perched two lovebirds, holding tight to each other in ecstatic love. Suddenly came a hunter from nowhere and shot his arrow at the birds as is his wont. The honeymoon stopped and the male bird lay on earth writing in death, levaing his mate to eternal agony. The sigh of this hurt the sensitive heart of the Sage, who cried.
"Oh, hunter, curse on you who mercilessly slayed the male bird while he was in a session of intimate love with his lady love, and has left her in sorrow beyond consolation. May nothing good and praiseworthy ever happen to you."
The sage was aghast. He has uttered something sublime, the first ever poetic creation in sanskrit well structured in metre and formation of words. Why should it be a couplet of curse?
Then he remembered the story of Ramayana which was recounted to him just earlier by the Sage Narada. He though of the Maryadaa Purushotham, the embodiment of virtue, Rama.
The couplet appeared to assume a different meaning
"O(Rama), do not grieve. You have attained eternal and unchangeable place in the hall of fame due only for the greats for eternity.
You have done indeed right in slaying Ravana, the male of the demon couple, who, in his unquenchable lust had abducted and given grief to the Divine Mother Seetha."
The outpouring of great minds never become curses. The first ever epic poetry was born...this stanza finds a place in the first chapter of Ramayanam/
The Great Rama without any comparisom, the Divine Mother Seetha the epitome of love and purity and Sri Hanuman the embodiment of valour and faithfulness may bless us al