English Commentaries

Manisada 1.2.15

Manisada, the meaning of it in the form of a curse to the hunter who had killed the kraunca is very obvious. Manisada is Vishnu. Kraunca Mithunat means, ‘from the pair of Mandodari and Ravana’, you have killed Ravana who was lustful, so may you obtain continuous bliss of supremacy for many years. Here the poet suggests the story of the work, which is killing of Ravana, according to the dictum, ‘the plot of the kavya should be indicated briefly’. The benediction required at the beginning of the work is also suggested here. While he was witnessing the scene, he made up his mind that Manisada etc. should be a sloka. The idea is that the passage was fit to be sung to musical instruments. May it become a famous sloka. Artham means ‘the matter of the birth of the sloka’. Either the thought of the death of the kraunca or that of the sloka was created earlier. The sage had uttered a sloka in the form of a curse. Valmiki fixed his mind on the meaning of the sloka which was created effortlessly. Brahma was laughing because Valmiki did not know that Saraswati, Goddess of Speech, had come to him as per his desire that he propagate Rama’s story in the form of a poetic work. The first line implies Rama’s story should be told, the second states it should be according to Narada’s narration. So there is no repetition.
Rahasyam ca etc. suggests that the ability to write the Ramayana is given to Valmiki and also that his speech ‘Ma nisada’ etc., which emerged effortlessly will not go wrong. In all the worlds created by Brahma above and below, Valmiki will move unhindered and afterwards attain liberation this is the purport. The lines turned a sloka on account of their being chanted repeatedly by the disciples. They were neither too many nor too few. Sama is sweetness present in all on account of its being the material cause of everything; Madhura is one which is nothing but bliss. Upanata is one who is always perceivable by all. The Sruti says that which is directly perceived is the Brahman. Sri Rama is Brahman.