Coronation of The Sandals (An Old And Rare Book)

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

Born in the year 1935 at Razola, a village in East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, Shri Bulusu Lakshmi Prasanna Satyanarayana Sastri comes from a family of Vedic scholars. His father, the late Bulusu Somanadha Sastri, was a Telugu Pandit and Litterateur and he performed several "Ashtavadhanams' before he joined service in Revenue De- partment in East Godavari and later retired as a First Class Magistrate in Andhra Pradesh.

Shri B.L. Satyanarayana Sastri had his education at Kakinada and at Bombay. He retired from Government service in Andhra Pradesh. His earlier work Mandukyopanishad : A Study in English was published by us. He is the author of Mandukya Geetham 'a study of Mandukyopanishad' in Tel- ugu. Two of his novels "Vividisha" and "Vasudevamurthi' in Telugu, have already been published.

The present work Coronation of the Sandals, based on the episode of Ayodhya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, brings out the events which subtly change the courses of the lives of human beings and project the sublime nature of man.

The Ramayana Mahakavya (epic) of Saint Valmiki has been the ideal poem from times immemorial. No poem ever written by anybody in India or abroad, in any language of the world can stand comparison with this celebrated poem from any point of view or any angle of vision. It is called Adi Kavya (first eipic). It calls it the Anadi' Ananta Kavya, which has been prevalent from times immemorial and prevails for ever and forever. It remains the greatest poem throughout all the Kalpas read, sung, danced and spoken highly of. Its precepts, its characters, its sentiment, its sublimity, subtlety of thought, beauty of words, their magic and music, its grandeur, its ethics, its philosophy, its history and mystery, its mastery of principles of prosody, its divinity, its naturality and supernaturality, its perennial flow of words and ideas, its spontaniety and its avowed purpose, in a word its immortality is guaranteed by the passing of endless time. It has been offering material for poets to sing in poetry and songs, for dramatists to dramatise its incidents, for novelists to write a good number of novels taking strips of its theme and for critics to offer their criticism, good and bad. Thus great poets lived on it. Great dramatists flourished on it. Great novelists had drawn sustenance from it. Even beggars lived on it, devotees attained salvation by it and even perverted people drew inspiration from it. It is translated into innumerable languages of the world. Rama and Sita have become household names throughout India. Even in the smallest villages, there are Rama temples for worship and veneration. The glory of the Ramayana transcended all borders and barriers of language, caste, colour and creed and the boundaries of countries and continents. The Ramayana is ever fresh, ennobling, entertaining, instructive, interesting and inspiring. It remains to be so far infinity.

Great poets and dramatists like Bhasa, Bhavabhuti, Dignaga, Kalidasa, Murari and a host of others weave the threads of the Ramayana story into immortal poems and dramas. The theme is the life-blood of the drama. The glory of the drama depends upon the glory of the theme. The drama or novel having Rama as its main character or hero was, is and ever shall be successful. The Ramayana story is unsurpassed, unparalleled and supreme.

Ramayana is essentially a story of sublime love. The first bard Maharshi Valmiki sings the glory of the Divine love between parents and children, among brothers and sisters, between husband and wife, between the preceptor and his pupils, between the benevolent ruler and the ruled, between the master and the servant, and between the aspirant and the God- head, in ecstasy.

The greatest purpose of life is realisation of the Self through surrender to the will of the Almighty. This is related in the most enchanting and ennobling manner in the epic.

This epic Ramayana has a message of universal appeal to all ages. It is also important as a living monument of Hindu thought, culture, religion and philosophy preserved in the original great language, Sanskrit.

The "Coronation of the Sandals" of Rama, the Prince of Ayodhya, by his brother Bharata, on the Chtrakuta Hill, is one of the most soul-inspiring episodes in the epic.

Mother, father, preceptor, family elders and guests are to be treated as Gods according to the injunctions of the sacred Vedas. The wooden sandals (padukas) that adorn the feet of the revered teachers (Acharyas) are wor- shipped even to this day by all Hindus.

This ancient Hindu religious tradition is the source of two commend- able concepts in Indian culture; man touching the feet of woman as mother in reverence--and human birth deemed not a burden or accident but a Divine dispensation towards higher pursuit.

The fervent longing for children by King Dasaratha of Ayodhya, who remained childless for many years, from his three queens--Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi--was fulfileld by the Divine at the end of a special Vedic sacrifice (Putra kama Ishti) he performed with the help of the renowned sages and seers.

The eldest queen of King Dasaratha gave birth to Rama; Sumitra bore the twins Lakshmana and Satrughna; Kaikeyi, the favourite of the King, had the child named Bharata.

Of the four sons of King Dararatha, Rama was the eldest and the offspring of the crown queen Kausalya. All the four sons of King Dasaratha grew up into Princes of excellent qualities of head and heart. exuding sweetness and light under the tutelage of Sage Vasishta who was their Kulaguru (family teacher) and Purohit.