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Yuddha Kanda Vibeeshana Sharanagati

 While the asuras are praising Ravana - Vibheeshana speaks truth and swims against the current tān gṛhīta āyudhān sarvān vārayitvā vibhīṣaṇaḥ | abravīt prānjalir vākyam punaḥ pratyupaveśya tān || 6-9-7 Mahatma Vibhishana (Ravana's youngest half-brother) restraining all those who were made to seize weapons, were made to sit again by saluting them with joined palms and spoke as follows: api upāyais tribhis tāta yo arthaḥ prāptum na śakyate | tasya vikrama kālāṃs tān yuktān āhur manīṣiṇaḥ || 6-9-8 8. taata = dear brother; yaH = which; arthaH = act; na shakyate = cannot; praaptum = be accomplished; tribhiH = by three; upaayais api = strategies too; tasya = that act; aahuH = is said; yuktaan = to be suitable; nikramakaalaan = occasion for displaying prowess maniiSiNaH = by wise men. "Dear brother! That act which cannot be accomplished by three well-known strategies (viz . conciliation, gift and sowing dissention) , is only then to be accomplished by exhibiting prowess, as stated by...
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Chapter 4: Principal Characters – Śiva Sankalpam

  Chapter 4: Principal Characters – Śiva Sankalpam   In the previous discussion we saw how bhārāvataranam is to be put into effect by Īśvara, with the advent of Nara Nārāyana and other deities, to counter the presence of asūric tendencies amongst human and sub-human beings. The popular story of Pāndava and Kauravas, is the front-end of the itihāsā – at ādi bhautika level (mundane/earthly level), while the underpinnings are at ādi daivika level (i.e. at mystical level wherein divine operates ~ namely bhārāvataranam and the advent of Nārāyana Himself). We see that several beings took part in this grand leela. For example, In Rāmāyana kāla, we saw son of Indra and Sūrya were on opposite sides, i.e. Vāli and Sugreeva respectively. Similarly in the era of dvāpara, we see Arjuna and Karna are on opposite sides. However, unlike the Rāmāyana kāla, in Mahābhārata, Arjuna is on the side of dharma (i.e. son of Indra), whereas son of Sūrya – Karna, is on the side of adharma. The five ...
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Chapter 3: Bhārāvataranam – the devarahasya

  Chapter 3: Bhārāvataranam – the devarahasya   The main characters of Mahābhārata be it bhīṣma, droṇa, kripa and so on, or the kuru princes like yudhiṣthira, duryōdhana, bhīma, arjuna and so on, or the wife of Pāndavās – Draupadi, were all born through divine sankalpam, at various points in the story. One of the key driving divine factors which determined the secret of their respective birth, their marriage, motivations behind their actions and the consequences of the actions – is the devarahasyam of bhārāvataranam {= bhāram (burden) + avataranam (removal) – i.e. unburdening} Hence, we shall first understand this background aspect first (i.e. about bhārāvataranam) before we move to studying Lord Śiva’s leela in making this bhārāvataranam unfold, through the principal characters of this itihāsā. The cycle of creation persists for the jīva so long as the jīva is ever entranced by the driśya prapancham (visible universe), due to the persistence of ajnāna (ignorance of on...
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