English Commentaries


3.5.21

Indra spoke to Sarabhanga in a lonely place because what he said was an important secret.


Rama’s reverence 3.5.26-29


Rama held sage Sarabhanga’s feet. Even though Rama was the great incarnation of the supreme Lord he had appeared as a kshatriya. He shows to the world the proper protocol for the kshatriyas. According to the dictum, yadyad acarati sresthah tat tad evetaro janah other people just do what a superior person does. This is suggested by Rama’s reverence.


Sarabhanga offers himself to Srirama 3.5.30- 35


The idea is ‘I have nothing that remains to be enjoyed even in the Brahmaloka, leaving the supreme bliss of seeing you who embodies the eternal, unsurpassed, pure bliss and who is the wish-yielding divine Parijata tree for the devotees’. This has been said with the idea of offering all the results of karmas to Srirama. The desire of offering hospitality to Srirama is thus apparent.
Sarabhanga’s jumping into the fire is correct according to Dharmasastra which says, “An old person who cannot perform actions with his body may reject it and bring an end to his own body by jumping into a deep crevice or into fire or into water or by fasting unto death.”