Ayodhya Revisited
Page 17
दुर्ल्लभो अयोध्यावासो दुर्लभं सरयूजलम्।
दुर्ल्लभा जन्मभूमिश्च दुर्ल्लभं रामदर्शनम्।।।।
मनसापि स्मृता येन अयोध्या नगरी शुभा।
न तेषां पुनरावृत्तिर्यावदाहूतसंप्लवम्।।।।
Rare are the opportunities to reside at Ayodhyā, to bathe in the Sarayū river, to visit the birthplace of Rāma and to have the darśana of Lord Rāma. Even if one remembers the auspicious pilgrim city Ayodhyā, he is bound not to be born till the deluge.
Since in the manuscript of Rudrāyāmala it is written दुर्ल्लभो अयोध्यावासो it is repeated here in place of दुर्ल्लभोऽयोध्यावासो - The former breaks the metre in the verse.
सरयूतीरमाश्रित्य शाकमूलफलैरपि।
तस्मिन् भोजितो विप्रो कोटिर्भवति भोजिता।।।।
He, who dwells on the bank of the Sarayū river and lives on vegetables, roots and fruits and feeds one Vipra, will get the benefit of feeding one crore Vipras.
सरयूतीरपूतानां जन्मभूम्याः विलोकिनाम्।
दर्शनात् पातकं तेषां कल्पकोटिशतायुतान्।।।।
All sins of those persons, who after being purified by bathing on the Sarayū’s bank visit the janma-bhūmi, are effaced, by its mere glimpse, for hundreds, thousands and crores of kalpas.
Here Pānini’s sutra कालाध्वनोरत्यन्तसंयोगे (Ashtādhyāyī- (२.३.५)) is used in कल्पकोटिशतायुतान्. The verb is latent.
राममन्दिरमासाद्य दर्शनं क्रियते नरै।
मनसापि स्मृं येन मुच्यते चरणत्रयात्।।।।
Having reached the temple of Rāma men, who have his darśana (glimpse) or even his rememberance, are liberated from the charana-trayam, i.e. birth, life and death.
दर्शनं जन्मभूमेश्च स्मरणं रामनामतः।
मज्जनं सरयूतीरे कृं वै पापनाशनम्।।।।
By a darśana of the Janma-bhūmi or remembrance of the Rāma-nāma or bathing in the Sarayū river all sins are destroyed.
अयोध्यानगरं पुण्यं स्मृं वै पापनाशनम्।
धान्यं यशस्यमायुष्यं पुण्यं पापहरं फलम्।।।।
He, who remembers the sacred Ayodhyā, is blessed with wealth, reputation, long life, virtues and destruction of sins.
सुखसौभाग्यमारोग्यं अयोध्यासरयूजलम्।
य इदं शृणुयान्नित्यं चरित्रं रामजन्मनः।।।।
दर्शनात् स्मरणाद्वापि सर्वपापै प्रमुच्यते।।।।
The water of the Sarayū river at Ayodhyā provides bliss, good luck and health. He, who listens to the story of the birth of Rāma or has a glimpse (of him or his temple or idol) or remembers him, is liberated from all sins.
इति श्रीअयोध्यामाहात्म्ये दरिद्रभञ्जनमाहात्म्यमहिमावर्णनो नाम द्वादशोऽध्यायः।।
(Here ends the description of the importance of the destruction of the poverty chapter).
(Folio no. 25r.)
The recto of 25th folio of the manuscript of Ayodhyā-māhātmya
of Rudrayāmala dated 1801 A.D. (BORI, Pune)
In addition, the following verses of this manuscript, too, highlight the merit of the visit of the Rāma-janma-bhūmi:
जन्मस्थानं ततो गच्छेदृषिदेवैर्नमस्कृतम्।।।।
यद् दृष्ट्वा मानवो भक्त्या गर्भदुखक्षयो भवेत्।
विना दानेन तपसा विना तीर्थैर्विना मखै।।।।
Then one should go to the Janma-sthana, which is saluted by sages and gods. By seeing which, one is liberated from all miseries and the cycle of birth. Without donation or penance or pilgrimage or sacrifices.
नवमीदिवसे प्राप्ते व्रतधारिण मानवाः।
स्नानदानप्रभावेण मुच्यते जन्मबन्धनात्।।।।
If people fast on the Rāmanavamī day, bathe in the Sarayū and make donation, they are liberated from the bound of birth.
कपिलागोसहस्रं च यो ददाति दिने दिने।
तत्फलं समवाप्नोति जन्मस्थानस्य दर्शनात्।।।।
रत्नकोटिसहस्राणि यो ददाति द्विजातये।
तत्फलं समवाप्नोति जन्मभूमेश्च दर्शनात्।।।।
By a mere glimpse of the Janma-bhūmi one gets that much virtue which is accumulated by donating a thousand Kapilā cows everyday. By a mere glimpse of the Janma-bhūmi one gets that much virtue which is obtained by donating a thousand crore gems to Brāhmanas.
मातापित्रोर्गुरूणां च भक्तिमुद्वहतां सताम्।
तत्फलं समवाप्नोति जन्मभूमेश्च दर्शनात्।।।।
By a mere glimpse of the Janma-bhūmi one obtains that much virtue which is gathered by the devotion to mother, father and the Guru.
(Folio 17v. : Adhyaya 7)
Here it is important to mention that this is the briefest description of the Rāma-janma-bhūmi. Here merits of the visit of the Rāma-janma-bhūmi are enumerated but no direction or distance is given. In the development of the description of the Rāma-janma-bhūmi, the direction was first added and then the distance. But in this Ayodhyā-māhātmya no distance or direction is given. It indicates that this Ayodhyā-māhātmya of the Rudra-yāmala is the oldest version.
There has been a long tradition that the janma-sthana description in the Ayodhyā-māhātmya has been an integral part of the Rudra-yāmala. Though the first half (पूर्वार्द्धद्) of the Rudra-yāmala is not available at present, to the best of our knowledge and search; the second half (उत्तरार्द्धजामल) is available and it contains only Rāma-yantra. However, Lal Das, the saint who stayed at Ayodhyā and composed Avadha-vilāsa there in the 17th century, has written:
जामल रुद्र कथा इह पाई। लालदास तसि कहि समुझाई।।
जामल रुद्र अनंतहि होई। कल्प कल्प के भेद है सोई।।
Lal Das had not only seen the Rudra-yāmala but had based the Avadha-Vilasa in the Hara-gaurī-samavāda, i.e. a dialogue between Hara, i.e. Śiva and Gaurī i.e. Pārvatī. It is in the style of the Rudra yāmala.
In his famous book ‘The Śākta Pīthas’ the great scholar D.C. Sircar has written that a Tantra work entitled Rudra-yāmala seems to have been composed considerably earlier than 1052 A.D. because the Rudra-yāmala is mentioned in the Brahma-yām
ala, a manuscript of which was copied in 1052 A.D. (p.17) He further informs that a passage from this work Rudra-yāmala is quoted in the Kulārnava Tantra.
Thus, Rudra-yāmala is a work which is more than a thousand years old. And in this work not only Ayodhyā-māhātmya is described but there is a specific mention of a temple at the site also. Therefore, the Janma-sthāna has a written tradition for at least one thousand years. In the early tradition, there was a mention of the temple at this site.
From the analytical study it is clear that the Janma-sthāna is situated in the east from Vighneśvara, west from Lomaśa and north from VasishTha. There is no variance in the direction in any of the three recensions. In the Vrindaban recension as well as the Oxford manuscripts the measurements of the distances, too, are given. There is no measurement in the printed Skanda-Purāna edition.
According to both Vrindavana and Oxford recensions the distance between the Janma-sthana and Vighneśvara is 1000 dhanush, the distance between the Janma-sthana and Lomaśa is 500 dhanush and it is 100 dhanush between the Janma-sthāna and the Unmatta. The Unmatta may be identified with the Mattagayendra and the Lomaśa is identified with the Rāma Gulela Mandir in front of which a marker was placed in 1902 A.D. It reads “2 Lomaśa.” This identification has been there for almost 110 years and in the absence of any other identity based on any evidence, it should be accepted ungrudgingly. The identification of Lomaśa with the distant R+inamochana ghāta by the four historians is arbitrary and malafide. It is deliberately done to discredit the correct distance indicated in these three recensions.
They have written that ‘according to verses 21.24, the birthplace is located 500 dhanus (910 metres) westward of Lomaśa and 1008 dhanus (1835 metres) eastward of Vighneśvara. They have further added that “according to local Hindu belief, Lomash or the place of Lomaśa is identical with the present Rina-mochana ghat.” On the basis of this incorrect assertion they have drawn this misleading conclusion:
“On this basis the Ramajanmabhùmi should be located somewhere west, in the vicinity of the Brahmakunda close to the bed of the Sarayù.”
When Hans Bakker enquired during his research, no one told him that Lomaśa was identified with R+inamochana Ghāta. On the contrary he wrote,
“Nowadays a math named Ramgulela is believed to represent Lomasa.”
When I contacted dozens of Ayodhyāvāsīs, everyone told me that it was Ramgulela and a marker is placed there. They advised me to see the marker placed there since 1902 A.D. I saw it and found their assertion correct. It is east of our Amawa Rāma Mandir across the road. Since all the texts mention the similar direction and there is no contradiction in the texts prescribing measurements; they should be accepted as correct propositions because at present some locations are difficult to be traced.
In the Vrindavana and Oxford manuscripts मध्ये तु राजभवनं ब्रह्मणा निर्मितं स्थलम्, i.e. in the middle exists a royal palace built by Brahma. It is not found in the printed version of the Skanda-Purāna. Otherwise, there is no major variation in the description of the Janma-sthana. It shows the continuous tradition of the māhātmya of the
janma sthana.
In addition, a text of the Ayodhyā-māhātmya from the Rudra-yāmala was published from Vārānasī in 1868 A.D. and a copy of it is available in the British Museum Library. In the “Catalogue of Sanskrit and Pāli Books in the British Museum” prepared by Dr. Ernst Haas in 1876 in London, on page 141 it reads:
“TANTRAS. RUDRAYÃMALATANTRÃ. Ayodhya mahatmyam. अथायोध्यामाहात्म्यं प्रारभ्यते [A description of Ayodhya and its sacred localities alleged to be a section of the R] ff. 16, lith. (काशी 1925 (Benares, 1868]”
(3) Satyopākhyāna
It was published by Venkateshwar Press, Mumbai in 1882 A.D. in lithograph by Shri Ganga Vishnu. It is difficult to say whether it is an independent work or a part of some Purāna. However, in two manuscripts preserved in the Sarasvatī Bhandar Library of Kāśī Raj Trust it is shown to be a part of the Brahmand+a Purāna. But it is not found in the present edition of the Brahmand+a-Purāna.
A manuscript of Satyopākhyānam scribed in 1865 A.D. is available in the Pennsylvania University Library which dates the text to the 13th century. For ascertaining the date I wrote to the Curator of Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania Libraries on 18th February, 2015 and requested him to send the details of the Satyopākhyāna. On the same day a prompt reply came from the Curator David N. McKnight, Director and I was advised to visit the indicated page of the University’s website which reads as follows:
Title: Satyopãkhyãna, 1865.
Physical description: 1 item (117 leaves): paper; 14 × 36 cm.
Summary: Manuscript is a thirteenth-century puranic retelling of the Rãmãyana that focuses especially on the Hindu figures Sìtã and Rãma, their backgrounds (such as place of birth, and assortment of adventures), and their amorous relationship. Presented as a dialogue between the legendary figures Suta (the epic bard) and Saunaka (a mythical sage). Though the manuscript is divided into two parts with separate foliation, the chapters run continuously between both: part one has chapters 1-49, while part two has chapters 50-79. Some folios are missing.
Language(s): In Sanskrit (Devanãgarì)
Notes: Title from colophon (Part 2: f. 41r).
Written in 11-14 lines per leaf.
117 leaves foliated 1-6, 12-26, 28-82 (chapters 1-49); 1-41 (chapters 50-79), upper left and lower right verso.
Colophon: iti Śrì satyopãkhyãne sùtasaunakasamavãde rãmabãlacaritre ekonãsìtitamo’dhyãyah+//Srìsamavat//1922 //(chapter 79, f. 41r)
Dated samvat 1922 (1865) (chapter 79, f. 41r).
Mistakes blacked out; some corrections and additions in margins. Non-Latin script record.
Indexed/Referenced in: Listed in H.I. Poleman, Census of Indic Manuscripts in the United States and Canada (New Haven, Conn.: American Oriental Society, 1938), Poleman 1492 (UP 347).
Cite as: UPenn Ms. Coll. 390, Item 347.
Subject: Rãma (Hindu deity), Sìtã (Hindu deity), Hindu mythology., Devotional literature, Sanskrit. Erotica - Religious aspects - Hinduism.
Form/Genre: Dialogues. Poems.
Manuscripts, Sanskrit - 19th century.
Manuscripts - India - 19th century.
Contained in: Collection of Indic Manuscripts. Item 347
Manuscript location: Rare Book & Manuscript Library University of Pennsylvania Ms. Coll. 390
Vernacular script: सत्योपाख्यान 1865
This description is available on the website: http://dla.library.upenn.edu/dla/medren/record.html?q= Satyopakhyana- &id=MEDREN_5804333&. The University of Pennsylvania has got the copyright of this document.
Father Camil Bulcke has profusely used the content of Satyopākhyāna in his book ‘Rāmakathā: Utpatti evam Vikāsa’. He has written thus about Satyopākhyāna:
सत्योपाख्यान (वेंकटश्वर-प्रेस) में वाल्मीकि-मार्कण्डेय-संवाद वर्णित है। इसकी कथावस्तु से पता चलता है कि इसकी रचना अध्यात्म रामायण के बहुत बाद हुई थी, जब रामकथा तथा राम-भक्ति पर कृष्ण-लीला का गहरा प्रभाव पड़ने लगा था।" (para 188)
In the Satyopākhyāna (Venkateshwar Press) Vālmīki-Mārkand+eya dialogue is described. From its plot it transpires that it was composed long after the Adhyatma Rāmāyana, when on the Rāma-katha and Rāma-bhakti Kris+na-Līla started having deep influence”.
But Satyopākhyāna seems to be the first work in the tradition of the Kris+na-Līla and the Bhushund+ī-Rāmāyana is a later inspired epic from this work. Apart from the printed version of the Satyopākhyāna in 1882 A.
D. by Venkateshwar Press, Mumbai, there are many manuscripts of the Satyopākhyāna in the country. In addition to two manuscripts of the Satyopâkhyāna in the Sarasvati Bhandar Library of the Kāshi Raj Trust, there are many manuscripts of this important book in the catalogue of the Sanskrit-Prakrit books published by Rajasthan Grantha-mala. In addition, there is one manuscript with Ganganath Jha Research Institute, Prayag.
One manuscript of the Satyopākhyāna was seen by Mahamahopadhyaya Hara Prasad Sastri, and Raja Rajendralala Mitra. In “Notices of Sanskrit manuscripts” in serial no. 714 सत्योपाख्यानम् the following details are given:
“Satyopakhayana. The Ms. examined is incomplete and embraces only a portion of the work (chapters 50 to 79), which has the distinctive title of Rama-rahasya Khanda. Apparently, the work is a compilation from one of the Puranas.”
Recently Satyopākhyānam has been published by Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Ganganath Jha Parisar, Allahabad. It has been edited by Dr. Shailja Pandeya but she has not discussed the date of its composition; nor its authorship.
The name Satyā means Ayodhyā and even in the Vālmīki Rāmāyana it is indicated in the following verse:
तां सत्यनामां दृढतोरणार्गलां
गृहैर्विचित्रैरुपशोभितां शिवाम्।
पुरीमयोध्यां नृसहस्रंकुलां
शशास वै शक्रसमो महीपतिः।।
(Bālakānd+a, VI. 28)
With gorgeous arches, castle-door-bars and with amazingly built houses, that city is magnificent and auspicious one, and full with thousands of provincial kings too, and king Dasharatha, a coequal of Indra, indeed ruled that city which is true (Satya) to its name.[1.6.28]