Kumbhodara
Kumbhodara · kumbha-udara, “the pot-bellied one”
Kumbhodara is a muni who appears in the Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa, in both the Yātrā Khaṇḍa and the Yāga Khaṇḍa. In the Yātrā Khaṇḍa he told Rāma that he had not yet gone on tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage to holy places). This began the great pilgrimage of Rāma.
In the Yāga Khaṇḍa he came back to Rāma’s Aśvamedha Yāga. He explained that his earlier challenge was for Rāma’s good and for the teaching of the world. Then he recited the Rāma Ashṭottara Śata Nāma, the 108 names of Rāma, before the assembled devas and kings.
The challenge to Rāma
After Rāma’s coronation and the start of Rāma-rājya in Ayodhyā, the muni Kumbhodara came to the royal court. He spoke directly, without the usual courtly words. He said that Rāma was the ruler of all seven dvīpas (continents), saptadvīpa-pṛthivī-pati, and had a noble character. Yet Rāma had not performed tīrtha-yātrā, a duty for all householders and kings.
Rāma accepted the advice calmly and acted on it at once.
What the challenge led to
The challenge is presented as a gift, not as blame. Because of Kumbhodara’s words, the whole pilgrimage took place, with all its darśanas (sacred sights), its dānas (gifts) and the visit to Kailāsa. Rāma’s calm acceptance of the advice was also loka-śikshaṇa, a teaching for all the world. It showed that no one, however high, is free from the duty of pilgrimage. It also showed that wise advice must be received with humility, even when it is given to a king.
The Yātrā Khaṇḍa teaches that pilgrimage is a duty for kings who have the means. Kings who carry royal signs may travel by vehicle, by vimāna or chariot, and not on foot. This teaching was worked out in the questions and answers that followed Kumbhodara’s challenge.
At the Aśvamedha Yāga
Kumbhodara arrived at the great Aśvamedha Yāga at Ayodhyā while it was going on. The royal servants were alarmed. They remembered his earlier challenge and said: “This is the one who caused all the trouble. The tīrtha-yātrā and this whole yāga arose from his challenge.”
But Rāma himself walked five steps forward to meet the muni. He bowed fully at his feet, took his hand, led him to a golden throne and embraced him. The crowd was stunned.
Kumbhodara put down his daṇḍa (staff) and kamaṇḍalu (water pot) and bowed before Rāma. Then he explained why he had spoken so earlier:
“Rāma! I am the offender. Forgive me. I did not accuse you for my own sake, nor out of malice. For the benefit of others and for the increase of your glory, and to give loka-śikshaṇa to all the worlds, that is why I spoke as I did. If I had not challenged you, how would you have undertaken the tīrtha-yātrā? And wherever you went, those people had Sītārāma darśana. They call themselves blessed by my grace, that Kumbhodara’s action allowed them to see Sītārāma. Your Rāmeśvara liṅgas and Rāma-tīrthas will be celebrated as long as the earth lasts. Through my challenge, dharma was taught to the world: if Rāma himself needed to do tīrtha-yātrā, how could any lesser person claim exemption from this duty?”
How Kumbhodara looked
The text describes Kumbhodara’s appearance at the yāga in detail. He was very short, with a large, stout body, black ears and red eyes. He wore sandals and a kaupīna (loincloth) and had jaṭā (matted hair). He held his upper cloth in his hand. He had short legs, short arms, and a sparse beard and moustache. He carried a daṇḍa and a kamaṇḍalu. His look was so unlike the elegant royal court that it caused alarm when he arrived.
The 108 names of Rāma
After his speech, Kumbhodara recited the Rāma Ashṭottara Śata Nāma, the 108 sacred names of Bhagavān Rāma, before the whole assembly of devas, munis and kings. This is recorded in Sarga 5 of the Yāga Khaṇḍa. The text also says that Vishṇudāsa asked Rāmadāsa about these names, and Rāmadāsa told them. The list of the names is not given in the version available.
Sources
- Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa, Yātrā Khaṇḍa, Sarga 5
- Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa, Yāga Khaṇḍa, Sargas 4–5