पातु वस्ताण्डवोड्डीनगण्डसिन्दूरमण्डनः ।
वान्ताभिपीतप्रत्यूहप्रताप इव विघ्नजित् ॥May Gaṇeśa, the destroyer of obstacles, protect you, the effusing vermillion on his temples during his tāṇḍava, looks like the fiery prowess of all impediments he has swallowed.
ಮಣ್ಣು ಕನಸು ಕಾಣುತ್ತದೆಯೇ? ‘ಮೃತ್’, ಮಣ್ಣು ಮೂರ್ತವಾದರೂ ಅಚೇತನ. ‘ಸ್ವಪ್ನ’, ಕನಸು ಅಮೂರ್ತವಾದರೂ ಚೇತನದ ಅಂಶ ಹೊಂದಿದ್ದು ಅರೆಕ್ಷಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಲೋಕಾಲೋಕಗಳನ್ನು ಕಾಣಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಮಣ್ಣು ನೆಲವನ್ನು, ಭೂಮಿಯನ್ನು, ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಪ್ರತಿನಿಧಿಸುವ ಪದ. ಕನಸು ಜೀವಿಗಳ ಮನಃಪ್ರಪಂಚದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಂಡುಬರುವ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ. ಮಣ್ಣು ಇರದಿದ್ದರೆ ನೆಲೆ ಇಲ್ಲ, ಬೆಳೆ ಇಲ್ಲ; ಜೀವನವೂ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಜಡದಂತೆ ಮೂರ್ತರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದರೂ ಕನಸು ಕಾಣಲು, ತನ್ನ ಕನಸನ್ನು ಸಾಕ್ಷಾತ್ಕರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು, ತನ್ನಿಂದ ಮೂಡಿಬಂದ ಜೀವಚೈತನ್ಯಗಳ ಸಹಕಾರದಿಂದ ಮಾತ್ರ ಸಾಧ್ಯ.
निशासु ताण्डवोद्दण्डशुण्डासीत्कारशीकरैः |
ज्योतींषि पुष्णन्निव वस्तमो मुष्णातु विघ्नजित् ||
May Vighneśvara remove the darkness of ignorance that envelopes you. He dances at night and lifts his trunk straight upwards. He sprinkles cool water through his trunk, giving the impression that he has added stars to the sky.
He is described as ‘smitapūrvābhibhāṣī’, someone who always has a smile before he talks. There are many instances which proves that he had a great sense of humour. We see that he had said, ‘ परिहासो ह्ययं मम (it was just a prank)’, to Trijaṭa.
When the enemies flung me in different directions, a certain divine woman picked me up and dropped me in a forest. I was greatly distressed and readied myself to jump off a ravine. However, a tapasvin stopped me, took me to his āśrama which was called Śivakṣetra. He heard my story and narrated about himself.
One night sleep eluded him, he was thinking, “I’ve been deeply interested in her, I’ve neglected others, where are my other wives? Where are my ministers?” he heard a female voice, “Alas! Such difficulty!” he turned towards the direction of the voice where he saw only the face of the woman through the window, resulting in a delusion that it might be the moon. As he kept staring bewildered, she extended her hand and signalled through her fingers, “Come to me!” Having seen Gandharvadattā asleep he went without fear.
The humour in Śrīmad-rāmāyaṇam has always appeared in the most appropriate places. Humour always demands an awareness of the world around us. Only someone who can understand the world and the whims and fancies of the people can handle humour well. In that respect, maharṣi Vālmīki is someone who knows the world well. The observation made by maharṣi Kaṇva in the play abhijñāna-śākuntalam, ‘वनौकसोऽपि सन्तो लौकिकज्ञा वयम्’ i.e.
तुष्टेन येन देहार्धमप्युमायै समर्पितम्।
स वो ददात्वभिमतं वरदः पार्वतीपतिः॥May Śiva, who has given half his body to Umā being pleased with her, grant your wishes.
निशि विघ्नजितो वोऽव्यात् ताण्डवोद्दण्डितः करः।
शोणश्चन्द्रातपत्रस्य तन्वन्विद्रुमदण्डताम्॥