Jivanandana of Anandaraya Makhin (Study)

by G. D. Jayalakshmi | 2019 | 58,344 words

This page relates ‘Analysis of Lord Parameshvara’ of the study on the Jivanandana (in English) which is a dramatic play written by Anadaraya Makhin in the 18th century. The Jivanandana praises the excellence of Advaita Vedanta, Ayurveda (medical science) and Dramatic literature as the triple agency for obtaining everlasting bliss.

Starting from the Nāndī, lord Śiva is seen pervading the entire play Jīvānandana. From the first Act, His grace is sought by the hero of the play Jīva, in order to elevate himself to the level of attaining liberation. In the process, maintaining the health of a body by perventing it from being attacked by diseases becomes essential. Without Rasa and Gandhaka, diseases like Rājayakṣmā cannot be cured.

Hence, Jīva is advised to pray to lord Śiva and goddess Pārvatī to procure them by their blessing since Rasa is the power of Śiva and Gandhaka is the energy of Pārvatī (I.39):

śambhorvīryaṃ raso nāma śarvāṇyā nāma gandhakaḥ |
tābhyāmeva prasannābhyāṃ tau grāhyāviti me matiḥ ||

Āyurveda texts hold that a human body becomes efficient and effective by the combination of Rasa and Gandhaka.

The commentary quotes Rasasamucchya in this regard and adds (p.47):

yathā rasaratnasamuccaye -“divyā tanurvidheyā haragaurī-sṛṣṭisaṃyogāt” iti |
haragaurī-sṛṣṭisaṃyogo nāma rasagandhakayoḥ saṃyoga eva ||

In this context the greatness of lord Śiva is brought through the conversation between Jīva, Vijñāna Śarmā and Buddhi. Many Puranic anecdotes extolling the greatness of the Lord and bringing out his various qualities are enumerated thus–

1. Bhaktavatsalatā:

Sage Mṛkaṇḍu’s son who was got by worshipping lord Śiva was saved by him from the clutches of Yama and obtained long-life.[1]

Lord Śiva gave pāśupata to Arjuna and paraśu to Bhārgava, both his staunch devotees.[2]

Śiva obliged Bhagīratha by withstanding the force of Ganges fully on his head. He curbed her pride by imprisoning her within his matted locks and fulfilled Bhagīratha's wish by letting her out with subdued force.[3]

2. Saviour of the world:

When the milky ocean was churned to obtain Amṛta, the Kālakūṭa poison came out. Its power being unbearable by all, lord Śiva gulped the poison, and saved the world.[4]

3. His Valour:

With Sūrya and Candra as wheels, Brahmā as the charioteer, the four Vedas as horses, the Earth as the chariot, Meru as the bow with serpent Vāsuki as its string and with Viṣṇu as the arrow, lord Śiva demolished the three Asuras along with their cities by his mere smile inspite of his military aids.[5]

Lord Śiva in the form of Vīrabhadra destroyed the sacrifice of Dakṣaprajapati as Dakṣa had insulted him by not invoking Him in the sacrifice.[6]

Śiva subjugated Rāvaṇa when he lifted Kailāsa by pressing the thumb of his foot down thereby crushing the twenty hands of Rāvaṇa that were lifting the mountain.[7]

Śiva controlled the spells of the Ṛṣis sent in the form of the deer and fire and thereby showed the Ṛṣis their errors.[8]

With Śiva’s blessings, Agastya killed Vātāpi, went to the south to stabilise the earth, made Vindhya stop his growth, and drank the entire ocean.[9]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

I. 39/40; 40:
śrūyate hi purā mṛkaṇḍurumāpatimupāsya putraṃ lebhe |
tatputro'pi tadupāsanayā mṛtyumukhāt mukto dīrdhamāyuralabhateti ||
pādāghātatruṭitayamunābhrātṛbāhvantarodyadraktasrotassamupaśamitāśeṣaśokāśrayāśam |
mārkaṇḍeyaṃ vyatanuta yadā sarvabhūtaistadādi stutyaṃ mṛtyuṣjaya iti yaśaḥ sphāramīśaḥ prapede ||

[2]:

VII.11/12; p. 442:
ānitarasādhāraṇametasya bhaktābhīpsitapradānacāturyam |
yaḥ prasāditavate pārthāya pāśupatam āstraṃ pratipāditavān |
yena ca nikhilakṣatriyakulajighāṃsave bhārgavāya prasādīkṛtaḥ paraśuḥ |

[3]:

VII.11/12.12; p.443:
kapilamuni-kopānala-bhasmīkṛta-prapitāmahasaṅgha-samuttāraṇakṛta-prayatnabhagīratha-prasāditāyāḥ surāpagāyā bhuvamavatarantyā garvabhaṣjanaṃ nāma mṛtyuṣjayasya caritaṃ tadapi paramādbhutameva |
vegākṛṣṭoḍucakrānukaraṇanipuṇaśvetaḍiṇḍīrakhaṇḍāśliṣṭormīnirmitorvīvalayavilayanāśaṅkasātaṅkadevā |
vibhraśyantyabhragaṅgā vibudhajanamuvaḥ sarvadurvāragarvā nirviṇṇā dhūrjaṭīyodbhaṭaghaṭitajaṭājūṭagarbhe nililye ||

[4]:

I.41:
meghākrāntadigantadarśarajanīmūrchattamomecakaṃ tāpadrāvitadevadānavanaraṃ yaḥ kālakūṭaṃ garam |
jagdhvā jambviva bālakastribhuvanatrāṇaṃ tatānāṣjasātasya drāṅmahimā na vāṅmanasayoḥ panthānamārohati ||

[5]:

I.42:
sūryācandramasau rathāṅgayugalaṃ sūto vidhātā svayaṃ rathyāśvā nigamāśca yasya rathamārūḍhena bhūmīmayam |
meruṃ dhanvaviṣaktavāsukiguṇaṃ kṛtvā śaraṃ cācyutaṃtisrastena puraḥ smitena tu paraṃ dagdhāḥ suradveṣiṇām ||

[6]:

VII.13,14:
śūlāgrakṣatadakṣakaṇṭharudhiraiḥ śoṇe raṇaprāṅgaṇekīrṇo dantagaṇaścapeṭadalitādarkasya vaktrāntarāt |
vīraśrīkarapīḍanotsavavidhāvetasya vaiśvānaraprakṣiptojjvalalājavibhramakaro nāloki lokena kim ||
krodhārūḍhabhrukuṭiralike krūrakhaḍgaprahāracchinnagrīvatridaśanikaracchannasaḍgrāmabhūmiḥ |
śakraśrīdadruhiṇaśaraṇālābhavidrāṇavidyādānonnidraḥ praṇatajanatābhadrado vīrabhadraḥ ||

[7]:

VII.21.1:
devāsurāvadhyatādarpavegoddhṛta-tvatpadāṅguṣṭhaniṣpīḍana-stabdhakailāsamūlārtadorviṃśati-prastutastotra-puṣyaddayārakṣitonmukta-laṅkāpate niṣprapaṣcākṛte |

[8]:

VII.21.2:
ānupamitagṛhīta-tāruṇyalakṣmīnirīkṣonmiṣaddārukāraṇya-nārīvratabhraṃśakupyanmunīndrābhicārotthitaṃ tuṅganādaṃ kuraṅgaṃ jvalajjvālamagniṃ karābhyāṃ vahan dṛśyase sadbhirāmṛśyase |

[9]:

VII.21.3:
kalaśabhavamaharṣivātāpinirvāpaṇe dakṣiṇorvībharāpohane vindhyasaṃstambhane sindhunāthāmbuniḥśeṣapāne ca śaktipradāyisvapādāmbujadhyānamāhātmya śambho |

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