RamarpaNam-93

File 93.

Dated: August 7th, 2012.

Jai Sri Ram.

Legend of Vishvamitra.

Lord VishNu cares both the worlds of Samsara and Paramapada gracefully and quite naturally with extra care for Samsara, like a mother who does favors to the lame child than to a physically fit one of hers. This is explained aptly in the following verse of Sri Venkatesa MangaLa slokam.

Sri Vaikunta Virakthaya Swami Pushkarineethate |
Ramaya Ramamanaya Venkatesaya Mangalam ||

Sugreeva makes a reference to Tirumala, while giving route map to Angada, Hanuman and others in their efforts to search Sita in the direction of Lanka.  The nature of Tirumala hills is that whoever reaches there will be free of wrong doing and therefore least chance for RavaNa to hide Sita there. In that sense advised his troupe to go further down south to search for Her.

After the formal introduction, Sadaananda started narrating to Rama LakshmaNa, the story of how a Kshtriya Kusika became the Brahmatejaa Vishvamitra.

vishvamitro mahaatejaaH paalayaamaasa mediniim |
bahu varSa sahasraaNi raajaa raajyam akaarayat ||

At one time the King went round the earth with his big army and happened to stay as guest of honor to Sage Vashishta. Exchanging pleasantries enquired about the fire rituals and the availability of the ingredients for the same.

tapo agni hotra shiSyeSu kushalam paryapRicChata ||
vishvaamitro mahaatejaa vanaspati gaNe tathaa |
sarvatra kushalam ca aaha vasiSTho raaja sattamam

Vashishta in turn enquired about the well being of the King, his subjects under his rule, suppressing the enemies, the rule of law, legitimacy of tax collection, equanimity in its distribution, the exchequers fair role in such matters.

kaccit te kushalam raajan kaccit dharmeNa ranjayan |
prajaaH paalayase raajan raaja vR^ittena dhaarmika ||

The King replied saying – everything was fine.

sarvatra kushalam raajaa vasiSTham pratyudaaharat |

Vashishta eager to be hospitable offered to entertain his entire contingent but the King not inclined to trouble the Sage for feeding the vast army, concluded that  hospitality was done by reverential words.

On repeated insistence, King Vishvamitra agreed quipping:

yathaa priyam bhagavataH tathaa astu muni sattama |

The safety, sovereignty, and economic independence of a Country revealed in the words of Vashishta is a fore runner to the mico and macro management of the basics of a strong and self sustained society, a model to be emulated in the narrowness of the present day governance.