Retold by DKM Kartha
इन्द्रं द्व्यक्षं, अमन्थ पूर्वं उदधिं, पञ्चाननं पद्मजं
सिन्धुं शुद्धजलं, शिवं सितगळं, लक्ष्मीपतिं पिङ्गळम् |
शैलान् पक्षधरान् , हयान् अपि तथा, कामं च सद्विग्रहं ,
सर्वं दृष्टं अहो ! मया रघुपते, दत्तापहारं विना ||
This stanza was, the legend says, uttered by Chiran^jeevi Jaambavaan in answer to a question by SRee-rAmachandra in the celebrated epic story:
After the war in Lanka, SRee-rAma was ready to return to AyOdhya with SRee-seetAdEvi. As they were stepping into the Pushpaka VimAnam, SRee-JAnaki needed a stepping stone, and VibheeshaNa brought out a ChandrakAnta stone for that purpose.
This was a magical stone that oozed cooling waters when the moon's rays hit it and King rAvaNa used to wash his feet in its refreshing waters.
When SRee-rAma heard the story and saw the stone, He looked at it for a long time somewhat awe-struck. King VibheeshaNa saw that the Lord might want to take it to AyOdhya, and therefore he offered it to Lord SReerAma, who had given the whole of Lanka to VibheeshaNa as a gift after destroying his evil older brother.
Before accepting the gift, Lord rAma wanted to consult with an Elder about the propriety of accepting the gift. JAmbavAn came forward and spoke to SRee-rAma in the SlOkam that forms the crux of the legend. (Let us bear in mind that JAmbavAn was a Chiran^jeevi -- an immortal -- and therefore he had been around in the world for a long time and had seen many events that others have only heard about and so his role was often to remind others of important events and ethical principles as he does in the following verse.)
इन्द्रं द्व्यक्षं , अमन्थ पूर्वं उदधिं , पञ्चाननं पद्मजं,
सिन्धुं शुद्धजलं, शिवं सितगळं, लक्ष्मीपतिं पिङ्गळम् |
शैलान् पक्षधरान् , हयान् अपि तथा, कामं च सद्विग्रहं ,
सर्वं दृष्टं अहो मया , रघुपते ! दत्तापहारं विना ||
indraṁ dvyakṣaṁ , amantha pūrvaṁ udadhiṁ , pañcānanaṁ padmajaṁ,
sindhuṁ śuddhajalaṁ , śivaṁ sitagaḷaṁ, lakṣmīpatiṁ piṅgaḷam |
śailān pakṣadharān , hayān api tathā, kāmaṁ ca sadvigrahaṁ ,
sarvaṁ dr̥ṣṭaṁ ahō mayā , raghupatē ! dattāpahāraṁ vinā ||
O SReerAma! Lord of the raghu-s ! I have seen Indra with two eyes (before he was cursed and became thousand-eyed).
I have seen the Milk Ocean (before the Great Churning by the Deva-s and Asura-s).
I have seen Lord Brahma with all His five heads (before one of them was removed by Lord Siva).
I have seen the ocean filled with pure water (before it turned salty).
I have seen Lord Siva with His neck perfectly fair (before the drinking of hAlAhalam turned the color to blue.)
I have seen Lord Vishnu with a golden wheat color (before He became bluish in hue).
I have seen both mountains and horses with wings (before they both became wingless and stationary).
I have seen KAmadEva with His handsome body (before Lord Siva turned Him into the bodiless form, anan*ga).
I have seen everything, but I have never seen any truthful person taking back a gift that had been given away before as a voluntary dAnam
DattApahAra--dOsham, the action of taking back something that had been once given out as a dAnam is a terriblly evil thing -- that is what Jamabavaan was reminding Lord SReerAma about, and readily BhagavAn SRee-rAma, the perfectly divine human being --MaryAdA PurushOttama -- who followed the rules laid down by the elders took JAmbavAn's advise and did not take the ChandrakAnta stone with Him to ayOdhyA. He returned to AyOdhya, bringing only His beloved VaidEhi and brother lakshmaNa with Him -- and nothing else. And upon arrival He sent back the VimAnam to VibheeshaNa.
The word JAmbavAn uses is apahAram = stealing to mean "taking back something given out previously as a gift."
Note: Each of the events mentioned in the verse has a PourANika story that goes with it such as Indra cutting off the wings of mountains using his VajRAyudham to stop them from flying around at will, and causing havoc, etc.