पुरुषोत्तम Purushottama

I share this short narrative only to verbalize the ideas that inspired this piece. The idea of art is to create the same bhava in the observer. Art makes you experience a bhava while language rationalizes it. Hence, language is, by its very nature, reductive. And if one is not careful, it can sometimes act against the very bhava that the art attempts to create. I pray that adding this description will only enhance the experience of the art:

वागर्थाविव संपृक्तौ वागर्थप्रतिपत्तये ।

जगतः पितरौ वन्दे पार्वतीपरमेश्वरौ ॥

COMMENTARY
Valmiki’s Ramayana starts with Rishi Valmiki asking Narada Muni “who is the greatest person in all the 3 lokas, who upholds Dharma, and committed to the welfare of beings?”. The shlokas on the art are part of Narada Muni’s reply describing Shri Rama:

“धर्मज्ञः सत्यसंधशच प्रजानां च हिते रतः ॥
यशस्वी ज्ञानसम्पन्नः शुचिर्वश्यः समाधिमान् ॥ १२ ॥
प्रजापतिसमः श्रीमान् धाता रिपुनिषूदनः ।
रक्षिता जीवलोकस्य धर्मस्य परिरक्षिता ॥ १३ ॥”

“He is the knower of dharma, upholder of truth, who puts the welfare of his subjects above all, proficient, learned (gnyan sampanna), clean in conduct (pavitra), and having self control (over indriyas).

akin to the lord of beings (prajapati), sustainer of the universe, eliminator of adharma (enimies - “ripu”), protector of all beings (jivalokasya rakshita) and the total guardian of Dharma (dharmasya parirakshita)!”

Narada Muni summarizes the entire life story of Rama in the first Sarga and asks Valmiki to compose Ramayana so that generations to come can benefit from it.

Rishi Suta explains subsequently that the purpose of reading/listening to Valmiki Ramayana is “to attain purusharthas & approach with a bhakti bhava”

धर्मार्थकाममोक्षाणां साधनं च द्विजोत्तमाः ।
श्रोतव्यं च सदा भक्त्या रामायणपरामृतम् ॥