Contents
Gita Govinda -Shri Jayadeva Gosvami
Act One : sämoda dämodaraù
The Delighted Captive of Love
Scene One
Song 1
Verse 11
Commentary
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The character of Shri Räma is being described in the seventh verse of this song. “My Lord, you have appeared as the tilaka of the Raghu dynasty, Shri Räma, to tolerate sufferings such as separation from your beloved.” Shri Bhagavän fought with Rävaëa, who had caused the whole world to weep. In that terrific battle, Bhagavän cut off Rävaëa’s ten heads and offered them as oblations to the presiding deities of the ten directions. In this way he brought peace to a world that had been overwhelmed with catastrophes created by the evil räkñasa dynasty. The sacrificial offering of Rävaëa’s heads was coveted by the presiding deities of the directions. This oblation signalled the death of Rävaëa and thus gave great pleasure to all the people of the world. Shri Jayadeva has expressed this with the words “dikpati-kamanéyam” and “ramaëéyam”. There are ten dikpälas, presiding deities of the ten directions, and the crowned heads of Rävaëa were also ten in number. Therefore this offering was kamanéya, immensely pleasing to the dikpälas, who each received one crowned head. Bhagavän has increased the bliss of the entire population of the world by killing Rävaëa because Rävaëa was habituated to inflicting pain upon others. In this verse the hero is dhérodätta näyaka. Bhagavän’s Räma avatära is the presiding deity of karuëa-rasa (compassion). The etymology of the phrase daça-mukha-mauli-balim is, daça-mukhasya ye maulaya tänyeva balim – “The crowned heads of Rävaëa are the offering.” Although the word mauli means both “head” and “crown”, the accepted meaning is “crowned head” in accordance with the impartial interpretation (taöastha-lakñaëa). |
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