Adhyatma Ramayanam Day 2. Balakandham Contd.

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Ramayanam Kilippaattu Day 2 രാമായണമാസം - ദിവസം 2

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Adhyatma Ramayanam Day 2.  Balakandham Contd.

Sage Vasishta performed the ceremony of Upanayanam -initiating the boys in spiritual and secular education.  They were taught the four Vedas complete with their commentaries and subtexts.  It is a teacher’s great fortune to get such intelligent students that the princes were able to master the subjects in no time. The king was very proud to see his sons excelling equally in education, service, charity, and physical activities, including archery and royal sports.  Amongst the four, Sri Rama was the big brother who showed the other three how to conduct themselves. Sri Rama and Lakshmana were fond of each other, and Bharatha and Shathrughna became close, with Bharatha leading the pair. King Dasaratha was enjoying the company of his sons and wives making the palace a paradise on earth.

Rama and Lakshmana used to venture into the forest for the royal sports of animal hunting, fully prepared with a full pack of sharpened arrows and well-strung bows.  They were very successful in killing several wild animals and upon their return, they presented the trophy heads to the king. They showed maturity and responsibility in all their undertakings, right from their teenage, in doing their daily routines of ablutions, prayers, respecting elders and helping in the royal affairs, and serving the society. The citizens were thrilled to see the princes in action, and they thanked their gods for giving them such bright and benevolent princes. 

Sage Vishwamitra in Ayodhya 

One day the celebrated Royal Sage Viswamitra came to Ayodhya, and the king was thrilled to see the seer. He received the sage with the royal pleasantries and flowers, giving him his throne to sit and the queens to serve him. King Dasaratha considered it a great fortune to have such a guest show up at his doorsteps asked the sage if he could do anything to help him.  “Your wish is our command, my Lord,” the king said.

“King Dasaratha, thank you for your reception and service. You know how to please your preceptors and gurus. You may know that I do elaborate rituals, Yagnas, and fire sacrifice in my Ashram. But lately, the demons under the leadership of Maricha and Subahu disturb us by destroying the Yagna venue and the altar. I would like your sons Rama and Lakshmana to protect our Yagna by killing these demons.”

The king could not believe what he had just heard. His sons are such young teenagers and how can he send him to the forest to fight the demons? He is inexperienced and too young to conduct a fight. Perhaps he can go and help the sage. However, he sought advice from his Royal Guru Vasishta. “I would rather die than send Rama and Lakshmana to the forest. If I do not allow the sage’s wish, he will curse me for sure. The sage is known for his temper.  What should I do?”

Vasishta was unperturbed. He assured the king: “Dasaratha, do not worry. Rama is not just a human boy as you think. He is the Brahman personified, now appearing as your son and this is the divine will and plan. As per the gods’ behest, Lord Narayana has descended to earth as your son, Rama. This is also related to what you had wished in your previous birth as Kashyapa. Kausalya, your wife was Satarupa then. You both did severe austerities and got the boon that the Lord to be born as your son in the next birth. Now in Rama, your wish has been fulfilled! Lakshmana is none other than Adi Shesha, the mighty serpent. Bharatha and Shathrughna are the Conch and Discuss of Lord Vishnu.  Yoga Maya Devi is already there in Mithila as Sita Devi and sending Rama with the sage would be an opportunity for the two to meet. This is a divine secret only you and I know about. Please send your sons along with the sage Vishwamitra.

The boys set forth on the journey along with Vishwamitra having been blessed by their father, mothers, and Vasishta. They had their bows and quivers packed with the best arrows but wore the attire of young monks as they walked into the thick forest where the sages were performing their fire rituals. While traveling, Sage Vishwamitra blessed them and taught two special mantras as boons – Bala and Atibala – that would save them from thirst and hunger throughout the expedition.

The killing of the Demoness Tadaka

As soon as they entered the forest of Tadaka, Vishwamitra warned “people do not cross this area because they fear the ferocious demoness Tadaka. Her beauty is captivating, but she is a terrible one who deserves to be annihilated by any means”.  Hearing this, Rama took out his bow and arrows and kept them ready. Just the vibration of Rama's bowstring sent a fearful noise that woke up the demoness. She came charging near the princes.  Rama did not hesitate. He shot an arrow directly at her in close range that split up her chest. When she breathed her last, a beautiful lady emerged from the fallen body. She had become a demoness due to a curse she got in her past life. Now, after that life was over, she got liberated and returned to the world of Devas. 

They walked further and reached the sage’s hermitage where elaborate arrangements were underway for a fire Yagna for which their protection was requested.

Protection of the Yagna.

Rama assured the sages that they will provide the required protection and they can recommence the Yagna again. As soon as the sages started the Yagna, the Asuras started desecrating the altar and Yagna stage with animal blood and raw meat. Immediately Rama took out his arrow and shot two of them, one each towards the Asura leaders Subahu and Maricha. The first arrow hit Subahu, and he was dead on the spot. Maricha ran away escaping from the arrow, but the arrow was so magical that it would follow him wherever he went. Finally, he submitted himself to the arrow and sought refuge at the feet of Sri Rama.  Lakshmana killed several of their comrades and the sages were able to complete the Yagna without any trouble. Their purpose of coming to the forest has been complete, but they stayed in the hermitage for another three days when the sage narrated many scriptures to teach them spiritual values and to inspire them to become productive rulers in the future.

Sage Vishwamitra had other plans for the boys. He told them to join him on a journey to attend a major Yagna conducted by the illustrious king Janaka. There the king has kept a special bow -Trayambakam - gifted to him by none other than Lord Siva.

Liberation of Ahalya

On their way, they visited the hermitage of sage Gautama, by the banks of river Ganga. The surroundings were extremely beautiful with all kinds of fragrant flowers, creepers, flowering plants, and fruiting trees. But there were no animals to be seen. Rama asked the sage about the story behind this peculiar nature of the area. "Sage Gautama and his beautiful wife Ahalya lived there for a long time. They were made for each other in all aspects of life. She served her husband with love and respect, and he was pleased for having blessed with such a lovely wife. One day, the king of Heaven, Indra happened to see Ahalya and got smitten with lust. He decided to enjoy her body by hook or crook and devised a way of achieving that. He knew that the sage would be leaving to take a bath in the river at a certain hour of the night and decided to approach her then. Being the king of gods, he could take on any form he wanted, and he assumed the form of sage Gautama and went to the hermitage. Thinking that it was her husband, she obliged, and Indra had his lust satisfied. When he returned, he met with the sage returning from his bath. The sage understood what had just happened and was furious. He cursed Indra and Ahalya to suffer the consequences for having succumbed to such indiscretions. Indra was cursed to have one thousand phalli all around his body. Ahalya was cursed to do penance by living a stone-like existence without any movement. She would not need any food or drink to survive, and no animals will be there to disturb her penance. The sage asked her to meditate upon Lord Vishnu’s Rama avatar and wait for the Lord to appear one day, however long it takes. “You will be redeemed of your sin the moment Rama’s foot touches you. Then we can get together as before.” The sage left the hermitage and continued his austerities elsewhere in the Himalayas."

Sage Vishwamitra asked Rama to go near the Ahalya-stone and touch it with his foot. With folded hands in reverence, Rama touched the stone with his feet, and immediately Ahalya got up from the stone form and prostrated in front of the Lord she has been meditating upon for all these years. She would take in the divine form of Sri Rama who has adorned yellow silk, holding a bow and a quiver full of arrows. She started praising Lord Rama with a holy hymn later became the famous Ahalya stuti. Chanting this stuti is considered very auspicious and known to fulfill whatever one desires in life, be it wealth, progeny, or knowledge. Even the sinners who have committed immortal sins would be redeemed if they chant this stuti.  The sage Gautama and Ahalya continued their life’s journey filled with love and devotion.

Entering the City of Mithila

Sage Vishwamitra and the princes continued their trek in the forest. “Let us go to Mithila and see the divine bow of Lord Siva. Then we can return to your palace in Ayodhya.” They crossed the river Ganga and walked long and finally reached the city of Mithila. The moment the news of the sage’s arrival reached king Janaka; he ran out of his palace to receive the sage. They knew each other very well and respected each other. The sage was given a royal welcome and then the king asked about the two bright youngsters accompanying the sage. “Who are these bright young men who resemble the Sun and the Moon gracefully moving with a sage? Can I call them Nara and Narayana? Or are they anyway related to the Lord of love, Cupid?” he wondered.

The sage was happy to reply that they are indeed the princes of Ayodhya, Rama, and Lakshmana. He narrated the story of them helping the sages by killing the demoness Tadaka and the demon Subahu. He also narrated the incident of giving liberation to Ahalya from her stone-like existence. Janaka was happy to see the princes and received them with a royal welcome. When he heard that they were interested in seeing Lord Siva’s bow, he asked his orderlies to bring it to the royal court.  It took several thousand warriors to carry the bow to the central courtyard. “This gigantic bow is called Trayambakam. Many people have tried to string it, but they all failed. It is my decision that I would be giving my daughter Sita’s hand in marriage to the warrior who is capable of stringing this bow and breaking it.”

Breaking the Bow

As soon as Rama saw the bow, he stood up and bowed down to it in great respect. After all, it is the bow of Lord Siva. “May I touch it and try to lift and string it?”, he asked sage Vishwamitra. He gave his permission “please go ahead. It will bring good fortune and auspiciousness for sure.”

Rama, resplendent with the brightness of the sun, approached the bow, touched it with reverence, and then with a brisk movement lifted it with his bare hands. He pulled the bowstring and broke the bow into two pieces. The royal court could not fathom what had just happened. A pandemonium broke and the crowd cheered. King Janaka embraced the young prince and shed tears of joy, having found a suitable groom for his daughter Sita. Hearing the thunderous noise of breaking the bow, Sita was elated.  Sage Vishwamitra was pleased and congratulated Rama. The royal servants and the queen started arrangements for the Swayam Vara, wedding ceremony. Sita, bedecked in the finest of the jewelry and draped in the finest silks in bright colors, shone like a bright star. She had a flower garland in her hands, and she walked to see the brave warrior who broke the mighty bow. Upon seeing Rama, she garlanded him first with her gaze and then with the flower garland. Everyone in the royal court was mesmerized in joy. They have witnessed the most auspicious union of the Lord and the Maya Devi.

King Dasaratha Arrives in Mithila

King Janaka sent messengers to Ayodhya to inform the king about the news of breaking Siva’s bow by Rama, and the impending wedding ceremony. King Dasaratha and the queens were overjoyed to hear the news and without delay, they came to Ayodhya. Sage Vasishta and his wife Arundhati led the groom’s party. Several chariots filled with lots of gifts for the people of Mithila were there in the retinue. Bharatha and Shathrughna were also excited. As soon as they entered the city of Mithila, king Janaka welcomed them personally. No expenses were spared and the whole country was in the mood for a festival. The royal guru Vasishta and his wife were given a special reception and king Dasaratha received a royal welcome. Rama and Lakshmana came forward and prostrated before Dasaratha, Vasishta, and the mothers. The brothers embraced each other – this is the first time they have been separated for so many days, since birth.

Wedding of Sita and Rama

King Janaka called Dasaratha aside and proposed: "Oh great one, you have four brilliant sons and I have four beautiful daughters. Why don’t we firm up our relationship by arranging four weddings at the same time?” The first wedding was of Sita and Rama. Then came the weddings of Bharatha and Srutakirty; Lakshmana and Urmila; Shathrughna and Mandavi.  All these weddings were conducted by following the ritualistic and royal traditions of the land and everyone in both countries was ecstatic.

Story of Sita’s Birth

Janaka told the sages Vishwamitra and Vasishta the legend behind Sita’s birth. Janaka divulged the fact that Sita is not his biological daughter.  “When the land was plowed during the ritual of a Yagna, a beautiful baby girl was seen in the plowing channel. I took her as my daughter. When the celestial sage Narada came to visit me, he had mentioned that Rama will appear one day and take Sita’s hand in marriage. I wanted to attract Rama by setting up a challenge that is indeed tough enough for Rama. So, I set up breaking Lord Siva’s bow which would be an insurmountable task for mere mortals. Many princes have tried their luck on the bow but went back unsuccessful. Now it is our good fortune that Rama has joined Sita.”

Janaka gave gifts abundantly to all people gathered at the weddings and the grooms were gifted with special gold ornaments and precious stones. Janaka gave away horses, elephants, war materials, bows, maces, arrows, and other royal items to his heart’s content. The groom's party set forth their journey to Ayodhya with the four new brides. Everyone was enjoying the journey and the young couples were full of dreams of a new life ahead.

Lord Parasurama and Rama

As the entourage of chariots moved closer to Ayodhya, there were some bad omens in the sky. Dasaratha noticed the omens and asked his guru about them. Vasishta pacified the king and assured him that everything will be okay in the end. Suddenly there appeared the fierce form of Lord Parasurama, who was known as Lord Siva’s favorite disciple. He was in a rage after hearing the news that someone had broken the divine bow of his preceptor.  Dasaratha tried to pacify him by chanting hymns to praise him. He asked for forgiveness and sought blessings from the noble one. He was not going to yield. “Is there a Rama in the three worlds, other than me?” he yelled.  He was ready to engage in a duel with Rama. “If you are a warrior, come and fight with me. If you do not want to fight, you can string this bow of Lord Vishnu which is equally great as the one you broke. Let me see your prowess. Otherwise, I am going to destroy you all!” He showed his bow and stood there tall.

Everyone was afraid of the impending fight and destruction.  Rama approached Parasurama and said: “You are a mighty sage and a warrior, and I am just a young prince who did something that is upsetting to you. If great men like you are not kind to people like us, where do we seek refuge? I am not a match for you in knowledge or prowess in using arms. I am not attached to anything, and I do not have any foes. I am not capable of a big fight, but I will try to oblige you by lifting your bow. Please do not be upset with me.” Thus saying, Rama lifted the Vishnu bow and strung it. He held bow like a warrior and stood there, ready to shoot. He asked Parasurama to direct him to a target to shoot the arrow. Lord Parasurama was pacified and calmed. Then Rama sought his blessings. Parasurama started extolling the virtues of Lord Vishnu and narrated his story.