Saturday, February 18, 2012

The World of Valmiki-11

The World of Valmiki-11
funeral ceremony
उद्धृतं तैलसंरोधात् स तु भूमौ निवेशितम् ।
आपीतवर्णवदनं प्रसुप्तमिव भूमिपम् ॥
संवेश्य शयने चाग्र्ये नानारत्नपरिष्कृते।
ततो दशरथं पुत्रो विललाप सुदुःखितः ॥२/७६/४-५॥
The body of Dasaratha which had been placed on the ground after being taken out from the oil container was slightly yellow in colour  and it looked as if the king was just asleep. After placing the body on a prominent bed bedecked with gems the son who was greatly grieved lamented .

ये त्वग्नयो नरेन्द्रस्य चाग्न्यगाराद्बहिष्कृताः ।
ऋत्विग्भिर्याजकैश्चैव आह्रियन्त यथाविधि ॥
शिबिकायामथारोप्य राजानं गतचेतसम् ।
बाष्पकण्ठा विमनसस्तमूहुः परिचारकाः ॥
हिरण्यं च सुवर्णं च वासांसि विविधानि च ।
प्रकिरन्तो जना मार्गं नृपतेरग्रतो ययुः ॥
चान्दनागुरुनिर्यासान् सरलं पद्मकं तथा ।
देवदारूणि चाहृत्य क्षेपयन्ति तथापरे ॥
गन्धानुच्चावचान्श्चान्यान् तत्र गत्वाथ भूमिपम् ।
ततः संवेशयामासुश्चितामध्ये तमृत्विजः ॥
तथा हुताशनं दत्त्वा जेपुस्तस्य तमृत्विजः ।
जगुश्च ते यथाशास्त्रं तत्र सामानि सामगाः ॥
शिबिकाभिश्च यानैश्च यथार्हं तस्य योषितः ।
नगरान्निर्ययुस्तत्र वृद्धैः परिवृतास्तदा ॥
प्रसव्यं चापि तं चक्रुरृत्विजोऽग्निचितं नृपम् ।
स्त्रियश्च शोकसन्तप्ताअः कौसल्याप्रमुखास्तदा ॥२/७६/१३-२०॥
The fires of the king that had been taken out from the fire-chamber were duly offered oblations by the ritviks and those performing sacrifices. After placing the dead king on a palanquin attendants carried the palanquin in anguish with their throats choked with grief. People walked in front scattering Gold and Silver and varied garments. Others tossed sandal, aguru sap of tree, pieces of sarala, padmaka and devadaru wood and all kinds of perfumes (on the body). Afterwards rutviks placed the body on the bier, lit the fire and chanted. Those well versed in Samaveda sang sama psalms as prescribed. Accompanied by the elderly, king's wives came out of the city in palanquins and other transport as per their rank. Grief stricken women headed by Kausalya went round the lit bier anti-clockwise along with ritviks.

ततो दशाहेऽतिगते कृतशौचो नृपात्मजः ।
द्वादशेऽहनि संप्राप्ते श्राद्धकर्माण्यकारयत् ॥
ब्राह्मणेभ्यो ददौ रत्नं धनमन्नं च पुष्कलम् ।
वासांसि च महार्हाणि रत्नानि विविधानि च ॥
बास्तिकं बहुशुक्लं च गाश्चापि शतशस्तदा ।
दासीदासं च यानं च वेश्मानि सुमहान्ति च ॥
ब्राह्मणेभ्यो ददौ पुत्रो राज्ञस्तस्यौर्ध्वदैहिकम् ॥
ततः प्रभातसमये दिवसेऽथ त्रयोदशे ।
विललाप महाबाहुर्भरतः शोकमूर्च्छितः ।
शब्दापिहितकण्ठस्तु शोधनार्थमुपागतः ॥२/७७/१-४॥
Ten days having elapsed, the son of the king had his purificatory rites and on the twelfth day he arranged for the sraddh ceremony. He gave away to Brahmins gems, money and abundant food. As a part of obsequies, the son gave away to Brahmins valuable garments, varied gems and a herd of pure white goats and hundreds of cows. On the morning of the thirteenth day as he went to collect the ashes, grief stricken Bharata endowed with heavy shoulders lamented with his throat choked with grief.

Obsequies to Jatayu
या गतिर्यज्ञशीलानामाहिताज्ञेश्च या गतिः ।
अपरावर्तिनां या च या च भूमिप्रदायिनाम् ॥
मया त्वं समनुज्ञातो गच्छ लोकाननुत्तमान् ।
गृध्रराज महासत्त्व संस्कृतश्च मया व्रज ॥
एवमुक्त्वा चितां दीप्तामारोप्य पतगेश्वरम् ।
ददाह रामो धर्मात्मा स्वबन्धुमिव दुःखितः ॥
रामोऽथ सहसौमित्रिर्वनं गत्वा स वीर्यवान् ।
स्थूलान् हत्वा महारोहीननुतस्तार तं द्विजम् ॥
रोहिमाम्सानि चोत्कृत्य पेशीकृत्य महायशाः ।
शकुनाय ददौ रामो रम्ये हरित शाद्वले ॥
यत्तत्प्रेतस्य मर्त्यस्य कथयन्ति द्विजातयः ।
तत्स्वर्गगमनं तस्य पित्र्यं रामो जजाप ह ॥
ततो गोदावरीं गत्वा नदीं नरवरात्मजौ ।
उदकं चक्रतुस्तस्मै गृध्रराजाय तावुभौ ॥
शास्त्रदृष्टेन विधिना जले गृध्राय राघवौ ।
स्नात्वा तौ गृध्रराजाय उदकं चक्रतुस्तदा ॥३/६८/२९-३६॥
"With my consent you go to those worlds meant for those who regularly perform yajnas, who keep at their homes the holy fires burning, those who do not have to return to this world and to those who donate lands. O great-souled king of eagles, after I perform your obsequies duly go to such worlds. " So saying, Rama to whom dharma was the soul-spirit, burnt the king of birds after raising the bird on the burning pyre and grieved as if he had lost a kin. Along with Lakshmana, Rama of great fame went into the forest, killed large deer, made lumps of their meat, spread them on the beautiful green grass and offered them to the dead bird. He chanted those mantras which Brahmins chant for dead persons to enable them to reach heaven. Then the two sons of the king went to river Godavari, took bath and offered water to the dead king of birds as prescribed by scriptures.

Funeral of Vali
राज्ञां ऋद्धिविशेषा हि दृश्यन्ते भुवि यादृशाः ।
तादृशं वालिनः क्षिप्रं प्राकुर्वन्नौर्ध्वदैहिकम् ॥
अङ्गदं परिरभ्याशु तारप्रभृतयस्तदा ।
क्रोशन्तः प्रययुः सर्वे वानरा हतबान्धवाः ॥४/२५/३२-३३॥
Obsequies of Vali were performed in the manner similar to that for human kings. Tara and other monkeys who had lost their relative proceeded embracing Angada and lamenting loudly.
--
पुलिने गिरिनद्यास्तु विविक्ते जलसंवृते ।
चितां चक्रुः सुबहवो वानराः शोककर्शिताः ॥४/२५/३७॥
A large number of grief-stricken monkeys made a bier on secluded water-covered sands of a mountain stream.

सुग्रीवेण ततः सार्धमङ्गदः पितरं रुदन् ।
चितामारोपयामास शोकेनाभिहितेन्द्रियः ॥
ततोऽग्निं विधिवद्दत्वा सोऽपसव्यं चकार ह ।
पितरं दीर्घमध्वानं प्रस्थितं व्याकुलेन्द्रियः ॥
संस्कृत्य वालिनं ते तु विधिपूर्वं प्लवङ्गमाः ।
आजग्मुरुदकं कर्तुं नदीं शुभजलां शिवाम् ॥
ततस्ते सहितास्तत्र ह्यङ्गदं स्थाप्यचाग्रतः ।
सुग्रीवतारासहिताः सिषिचुर्वालिने जलम् ॥४/२५/४७-५० ॥
Angada along with Sugriva, crying and with his senses blunted by the grief, raised his father on to the bier. Having lit the bier duly he went round his father anti-clockwise who had started on a long journey  The monkeys, having performed the obsequies duly, went to the auspicious river to offer waters to the departed. Keeping Angada in front, they along with Sugriva and Tara, sprinkled water for Vali. 

Obsequies of Ravana
चितां चन्दनकाष्ठानां पद्मकोशीरसंवृताम् ।
ब्राह्मया संवेशयाञ्चक्रू राङ्कवास्तरणावृताम् ॥
वर्तते वेदविहितो राज्ञो वै पश्चिमः क्रतुः ।
प्रचक्रू राक्षसेन्द्रस्य पितृमेधमनुक्रमम् ॥
वेदिं च दक्षिणप्राच्यां यथास्थानं च पावकम् ।
पृषदाज्येन संपूर्णं स्रुवं स्कन्धे प्रचिक्षिपुः ॥
पादयोः शकटं प्रादुरन्तरूर्वोरुलूखलम् ।
दारुपात्राणि सर्वाणि अरणिं चोत्तरारणिम् ।
दत्त्वा तु मुसलं चान्यद्यथास्थानं विचक्षणाः ॥
शास्त्रदृष्टेन विधिना महर्षिविहितेन च ।
तत्र मेध्यं पशुं हत्वा राक्षसेन्द्रस्य राक्षसाः ॥
परिस्तरणिकां राज्ञो घृताक्तां समवेशयन् ।
गन्धैर्माल्यैरलङ्कृत्य रावणं दीनमानसाः ॥
विभीषणसहायास्ते वस्त्रैश्च विविधैरपि ।
लाजैश्चावकिरन्ति स्म बाष्पपूर्णमुखास्तदा ॥
ददौ च पावकं तस्य विधियुक्तं विभीषणः ।
स्नात्वा चैवार्द्रवस्त्रेण तिलान् दूर्वाभिमिश्रितान् ॥
उदकेन च सम्मिश्रान् प्रदाय विधिपूर्वकम् ।
प्रदाय चोदकं तस्मै मूर्ध्ना चैनं नमस्य च ॥
ताः स्त्रियोऽनुनयामास सान्त्वमुक्त्वा पुनः पुनः ॥६/११४/१०४-११४॥
They prepared a bier of sandal wood covered with woods of padmaka and ushira and surrounded by a woollen carpet as per procedure and performed the obsequies of Ravana in accordance with Vedic injunctions. They prepared a raised altar on the South-Eastern corner of the bier, placed the fire in its due place and poured a ladle of ghee mixed with curds on the shoulder of the body and placed a cart on his feet and a mortar on his thighs. They placed the wooden vessels, arani (lower piece of wood) and uttara-arani (upper piece of wood) and the pestle at their places as prescribed by the scriptures and approved by great seers. Having sacrificed a sanctified animal (goat) they placed a sheet smeared with ghee on the body. After decorating the body with flowers and perfumes they with tears in their faces threw puffed rice and clothes on the body. Vibhishana lit the pyre as per prescribed procedure. Taking bath and in wet clothes he offered sesame seeds mixed with grass in water to the departed and bowed his head low as a mark of respect. He consoled the women repeatedly.
- - - -

No comments:

Post a Comment