How did Dasaratha divide the Payasam that emerged from the Yagna?
1/2 was given to the Kausalya, the first wife, who drank it immediately, with the desire of giving birth to the 1st born who would be Yuvaraja.
1/4 was given next to the wise Vedantin Sumithra. Dasaratha interestingly chose her next, instead of his favorite young Kaikeyi. She, however held on to it.
1/8 was given to Kaikeyi. She drank it immediately, for the 2nd born had additional royal privileges.
The final 1/8 was given again to Sumithra. Here, Valmiki interestingly describes this last 1/8 as sweeter than Amritham. He didn't describe this for Rama's portion, or for his accomplished brothers. Why?
What follows is a theological (VisishtAdvaita) interpretation of this verse.
Sumithra would drink both together, with the intent of having brothers who would serve the elder two.
The babies are born. They are crying. For they want to be named.
Vasishta names them: Rama, Bharatha & the twins, Lakshmana & Shatrugna. Why these names?
Rama has multi-layered meanings. Valmiki describes Rama with a quality: once seen, one would desire to keep seeing him. When the mind experiences material pleasure, once the pleasure is attained, it seeks something different. How many times can we continuously rewatch our favorite TV series or movie? How many times can we eat our favorite dish continuously without wanting a change? How long can we see even ourselves in a mirror or photo?
The one difference is the eternal bliss that Dhyana (meditation) practitioners seek. The people who do Dhyana, strangely keep doing it. To us outsiders, it seems strange. Why are they sitting in one place, when there's so much fun to be had with partying, movies, drinks, travel etc? Clearly, they have experienced something that keeps drawing them back repeatedly.
Composers would use the term: Sadhu-Hrid or Yogi-Hrid as an abstract reference. This is again multi-layered. At a high level, this means the happiness in the heard of Yogis & Sadhus. This refers to the Anahata chakra in Kundalini Yoga.
Valmiki brilliantly symbolizes Rama as the ultimate truth, while explicitly repeatedly calling him human throughout.
Valmiki has symbolically brought out multiple elements of Yoga that are hidden like a puzzle in plain sight. Here is an earlier example on the secret of the Maya cave: http://vedham.blogspot.com/2018/09/ramayana-secret-of-maya-cave.html. Over time, more pieces of the puzzle become more evident.
Lakshmana has the good characteristics (Lakshana) & goal (Lakshya) of serving Rama.
Bharatha considered the kingdom a burden (bhAram) & ruled under duress.
Shatrugna means destroyer of foes. In the entire Ramayana, Shatrugna fights once, killing LavanAsura in Mathura. We see Rama & Lakshmana exhibiting supreme valor throughout. Bharatha also once brings down the mighty Hanuman. Doesn't Shatrugna appear misnamed?
Also, Shatrugna was the one born of the last 1/8 portion, which was 'sweeter than Amrutham'. Why not this description for Lakshmana, Bharatha or Rama himself.
After the naming, the babies' cries reduce. But they're still crying.
Vasishta then moves Lakshmana beside Rama, and Shatrugna beside Bharatha. After all, Sumithra wanted them to serve their brothers.
The cries reduce, but they are still crying.
Now, Vasishta puts Lakshmana in the same cradle as Rama, and Shatrugna in the same cradle as Bharatha. The babies stop crying.
Now to answer Shatrugna's mystery.
Lakshmana served Rama. Serving BhagavAn is called Bhagavath Seva. The one serving is called a BhAgavatha. Lakshmana's type of selfless service is called Seshatvam, or active service.
Bharatha also served Rama. How? Bharatha initially pleaded with Rama to return. After an interesting argument (here's an interesting definition of love, per Ramanand Sagar's interpretation: http://vedham.blogspot.com/2018/08/what-is-love.html), Bharatha yielded to Rama's will of honoring his father's word, and ruled as Rama's regent, sorrowfully separated from Rama. Bharatha's nature of devotion is called PAratantriyam. This makes Bharatha a BhAgavatha. This can understood through an analogy (AnumAna pramAnam). When we move a glass of water, it just moves. When we put it down, it just stays. It simply yields to our will.
Bharatha's PAratantriyam is superior to Lakshmana's Seshatvam, since he was simply executing divine will.
In the works of the Bhaktas (devotees), such as the Azhwars or the Nazhanmars, they repeatedly refer to themselves as the Bhakta of Bhaktas' Bhaktas' Bhaktas... (or in Tamizh: Adiyarukku adiyarukku adiyarukku... adiyar) up to multiple levels. An Azhwar has the name of TondarAdiPodi, meaning the dust of the feet of Bhaktas. BhAgavath seva (serving a devotee) is superior to Bhagavath seva (serving the divine).
But Shatrugna served Bharatha. Hence, Valmiki called the final 1/8 portion special.
Also, for Shatrugna, being in such close proximity to the divine, he had to overcome his own inner Shatru (foe) of wanting to serve Rama, and serve Bharatha instead. Hence, the name Shatrugna.
Valmiki also called this sweeter than Amritham. Mrithyu means death in Samskritam. It is related to similar words in the Indo-European language, like mort, murder & mortuary. Amritham is the state of conquering death, which is the final state of peace & happiness. Bhaktas (like Upamanyu in the Mahabharata) have expressed such intense pleasure in Bhakti, that they don't even wish the final ultimate state. For Bhaktas, serving the divine is sweeter than even merging with the divine.
Source: Velukkudi Krishnan's Upanyasam in the Sunnyvale temple almost two decades back.
Source: Velukkudi Krishnan's Upanyasam in the Sunnyvale temple almost two decades back.
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