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Saturday, December 19, 2015

The First Sloka Of Ramayana

The First Sloka Of Ramayana

Ma nishada pratishtam tvam agama shasvati sama / Yat krauncha mithunat ekam avadhih kama mohitam

(Desist O hunter! May you not get stability or peace for endless years, since you killed one of the pair of cranes, in love with each other.) 

Valmiki Rsi was very sad because he began with inauspicious verse by cursing a hunter. Lord Vishnu entered in this world to make auspiciousness. Lord Brahma console Valmiki rsi by saying do not worry. Valmiki told the first sloka has no mistake grammatically, spelling and arrangement but inauspicious.

To please Lord Rama, Valmiki Rsi stress that we should speak auspicious words, speak the truth, do not steal, cheat and be compassionate towards all living beings.

If we practice those instruction by Valmiki rsi, the world will peaceful and our life will be joyful.

While bathing in river Tamasa Valkimi rsi said

Ramaniyam prasanambu shan manusya mano yatha

We should have good heart without any bad intention. If we have steadiness in our heart there is no fear. How could we be without fear? Compassionate towards other living beings.

(Compassionate which mentioned here including avoiding meat eating. Later Lord Buddha confirmed this by saying "The eating of meat extinguishes the seed of great compassion" - Mahaparinirvana

The Inspiration for Ramayana:

One day, sage Valmiki was going to the river Tamasa for his morning bath. As he was walking along the river bank, he watched a pair of cranes (krauncha), sporting with joy on a tree nearby. Suddenly, the male bird fell down, killed by a hunter's arrow. The female bird, seeing its mate fallen to the ground, flapped its wings, and squawked piteously.

Valmiki's grief burst forth in a curse, "O cruel man, as you have killed one of these loving birds, you shall wander homeless all your life."

Ma nishada pratishtam tvam agama shasvati sama / Yat krauncha mithunat ekam avadhih kama mohitam

(Desist O hunter! May you not get stability or peace for endless years, since you killed one of the pair of cranes, in love with each other.)

Immediately, the sage recovered his composure. He wondered why he got so angry as to curse another person. Recalling the words of his curse, the rishi discovered that the curse had taken the form of a beautiful verse (sloka). He wondered "How mysterious is the play (lila) of God!" and sat down to meditate.

Then, Brahma appeared before him and said, "This incident happened only to inspire you to write the divine story of Sri Rama. From sorrow (shoka) was born verse (sloka). You shall sing the story of Ramayana in this very poetic metre for the welfare of mankind." This poetic metre is called Anushtub chandas.

It has 16 syllables per line and a total of 32 syllables for a couplet.

The true purpose of the Ramayana is to awaken its reader spiritually, and to send him forth on the great journey that leads to Moksha, to God.


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