Bala Kanda Part 9: The Sita Rama kalyanam

 Hari Aum.

Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Sri SitaRamabhyam Namah.

We are at that time in the year when Rama navami, the birthday of Lord Rama approaches. This occasion is celebrated by devotees in various ways, for example, through mantra japa, puja, bhajan and so on. The various versions of the Ramayana (including the original one in Sanskrit by sage Valmiki, and other versions in local languages composed by various Gurus and saints over the centuries) are read and reflected upon.

One special ceremony that is conducted in some parts of South India (such as Andhra Pradesh) to commemorate this day is known as the 'Sita Rama Kalyanam'. This involves a celebration of the wedding ('kalyanam' in Sanskrit) of Sita and Rama by re-enacting the entire experience. 

To conduct this celebration, a venue is selected and decorated beautifully. The wedding 'guests' are invited (these are the devotees of course). The presence of Lord Rama and Mother Sita is then invoked. They are thus 'brought' to the wedding venue and sacred mantras and hymns are recited by priests to conduct their wedding ceremony! This is usually accompanied by much music and dancing (and of course some good food)! (I am going to attend this ceremony for the first time in my life in around three weeks and am looking forward to it!) 

Therefore, I feel this is the perfect time to continue my study of the Valmiki Ramayana and to write about the next section-- which happens to be the wedding of Sita and Rama!

So let us begin!

In the previous section, we saw how Sri Rama won the hand of Princess Sita by breaking the great bow of Lord Shiva Himself. King Janaka, father of Sita, was overwhelmed with happiness and had sent messengers to inform King Dasharatha, father of Rama, of this wonderful event. 

Upon receiving this auspicious news, King Dasharatha was filled with immense joy. He immediately accepted the match for his son and the messengers spent the night at his palace. The next day, the King woke up in a state of great excitement and summoned his chief minister, the noble Sumantra. He declared that they must set forth for Mithila as soon as possible. And, in accordance with the royal custom, they would be accompanied by a sizeable portion of their army and a great number of eminent sages. 

Sumantra set about following the instructions of the King and quickly ensured that all these arrangements were made. They then set off for Mithila and arrived there after a journey of four days. Hearing of their arrival, King Janaka hastened to meet them. He greeted them with great affection, and declared that he felt very blessed that Sri Rama had won the hand of his daughter, Sita, in marriage. His family was greatly fortunate, he said, to have obtained such a valorous son-in-law from the noble and illustrious family of the Raghus!

King Dasharatha, in turn, stated that he was too was completely overjoyed at the prospect of the marriage of his son to the lovely Princess Sita. He humbly asked Janaka to tell him what needed to be done with regard to arranging the wedding ceremony, saying he would do as instructed. Janaka was astounded at the humility of the King and said that all arrangements would be discussed the next day after his guest had rested for the night. 

Sri Rama and Lakshmana, accompanied by sage Vishvamitra, then arrived. The two Princes bowed low and touched the feet of their father to express their respect and love. Seeing them, King Dasharatha was filled with immense happiness and blessed them. The sages on both sides also greeted each other with great affection. The entire atmosphere was one of great jubilation and rejoicing and everyone retired for the night feeling very happy.

The next morning, King Janaka summoned his family priest, Shathananda. He told the priest to tell his younger brother, Kushadhvaja, who lived in the beautiful city of Sankashya, to come forthwith to Mithila to participate in the upcoming wedding. Hearing of this wonderful news, Kushadhvaja travelled swiftly to Mithila and met with his brother. 

The process of formalising the marital alliance then began. King Janaka, seated in his court, surrounded by his family, ministers and sages, invited King Dasharatha to attend accompanied by his own entourage of ministers and sages. 

Then, the chief sages of both families, namely Vasishtha and Shathananda, were asked to describe the ancestral lineages of the two Kings in full to make it clear to all present that this was a noble and appropriate match. Sage Vasishtha described in detail the descent of the family of the Raghus, right from the demi-god of the Sun to the present. Shathananda then described the lineage of Janaka’s family who were descended from the great King Nimi.

After the lineages of both families had been heard by all, the sages Vashishtha and Vishvamitra addressed King Janaka. They declared that both families had great and noble ancestry and the match between Sri Rama and Princess Sita was entirely appropriate. This being the case, they suggested that the alliance be expanded to include their siblings! 

They suggested that Prince Lakshmana be wedded to Princess Urmila, the younger sister of Sita. And also, that Princes Bharata and Shatrughna be married to the cousin sisters of Sita, namely the two daughters of Prince Kushadhvaja! This, they said, would create a wonderful alliance between the two noble families! King Janaka and his brother, Kushadhvaja, were delighted by this proposal and gladly agreed. 

King Dasharatha then made arrangements to perform the pre-wedding ceremonies for his four sons. This involved conducting various sacred rites and giving much wealth and gifts in charity.

While this ceremony was being performed, Prince Yudhajit, the maternal uncle of Rama's brother, Bharata (son of Queen Kaikeyi), arrived at Mithila. He affectionately greeted King Dasharatha, saying that his father, the King of Kekeya, was eager to see his grandson, Prince Bharata. He explained that he had gone to see his nephew in Ayodhya, but upon hearing the auspicious news of his upcoming wedding, had come to Mithila to witness the joyous event. King Dasharatha was very pleased to see his brother-in-law and honoured him in every way. He said that Bharata could travel with Yudhajit to Kekeya after the wedding.

The auspicious day of the wedding of Sita and Rama, and their siblings, finally dawned. The wedding venue was decorated exquisitely in a manner befitting the union of the two royal families. Sage Vasishtha, the family priest of King Dasharatha, oversaw all the arrangements. He had pots of gold and silver placed at the altar where the wedding ceremony would be conducted. There were jars made of precious materials and of many colours containing rice, turmeric, darbha (sacred grass), ghee and other materials that were necessary to conduct the wedding ceremony. The wedding pavilion was covered in beautiful flowers and sandal paste. There were many lamps and the air was scented with incense. 

The wedding muhurtha (hour selected based upon astrological principles) arrived at last. Sri Rama, and His brothers arrived at the venue and the sages guided them to their places at the altar. Princess Sita and Her sisters then arrived, and the four brides were seated opposite the grooms. The entire atmosphere was divine and everyone watching was filled with immense joy.

It is an ancient custom for the father of the bride to give his daughter's hand in marriage to the groom (this is known as 'kanya danam' in Sanskrit). King Janaka, therefore, accordingly ascended the wedding pavilion. Holding his daughter, Sita's, hand, he placed this in the hand of Rama, declaring that he gave his daughter to Him in marriage. 

Requesting Sri Rama to accept Her as His wife, he declared that She was highly fortunate and would help Him conduct His duties in life. He stated that She would ever be devoted to Him alone and would follow Him faithfully like a shadow. At this moment, the demi-gods who were watching from the heavens, played celestial music and showered flowers from the skies upon the divine couple. 

King Janaka then placed the hand of his daughter, Urmila, in the hand of Prince Lakshmana, giving her in marriage to him. Then, as the head of the family, and acting on behalf of his brother, he similarly placed the hand of his niece, Mandvi, in that of Bharata, and of her sister, Shrutakirti, in the hand of Shatrughna, thus uniting them in marriage.

The sages then went on to recite the various hymns and wedding vows. Under the guidance of sage Vasishtha, the four Princes, holding the hands of the Princesses, went around the sacred fire, solemnising their marriages. As they did so, musical instruments were played in celebration both upon Earth and in the heavens. As the gandharvas (celestial musicians) played the most enchanting music, and the apsaras (celestial dancers) danced beautifully, the devas (demi-gods) showered heavenly flowers upon Sri Rama, Princess Sita and their families.

Thus was completed the joyous occasion of the wedding of Sri Rama and Mother Sita. This is perhaps the happiest moment in the entire Ramayana. As Their devotees, many of us would like to press the 'pause button' here if we possibly could. 

As Their well-wishers, we would say "Do not leave Mithila, O Rama and Sita! Remain here, where You are both safe and well, where You are happy! Do not leave this sacred land. Stay here just a little longer!"

However, the demi-gods had other ideas as we know. They needed some urgent work to be done by Sri Rama, and Sita played a very important role in this. As Their devotees, we wish They could have delayed Their work a little, that They could have remained in Mithila for some more time. However, this was not to be.

The day after the wedding, sage Vishvamitra returned to the Himalayas to continue his austerities. King Dasharatha then affectionately took leave of King Janaka and said that he would now return to Ayodhya accompanied by his sons and their brides. Janaka, lovingly bade his daughter, Sita, and Her sisters farewell, giving them much wealth and jewels as wedding gifts. 

Accompanied by the sages, his sons and daughters-in-law, King Dasharatha then left for the kingdom of Ayodhya. As soon as they departed from Mithila, the various challenges began (I will aim to write my next post on the Ramayana in the next couple of weeks). 

To be continued......

Om Sri SitaRamabhyam Namah.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

 

Sri Rama: fear and courage

 Hari Aum.

In the last post on the Ramayana, we saw how Lord Rama, manifestation of Lord Narayana, reached Mithila, the place where Mother Sita, His wife-to-be resided. He took up the divine bow of none other than Lord Shiva Himself (they are One of course in reality though appear to be two separate forms) and proceeded to demonstrate His immense physical prowess by breaking it.

Imagine the scene, the drama! The bow of Lord Shiva, the great Lord, the great Destroyer, the One who is worshipped by Lord Rama Himself (and the One who worships Lord Rama in turn)-- put asunder! Broken-- just like that. The energy released, the deafening sound, the earthquake, the shock of the witnesses! The admiration at the sheer power and glory of the Divine avatar! 

Dear me, how amazing.

Yet, those of us who know the legend of Sri Rama, know some truths about Him that are less savoury. He will say that He was not to blame, but can we fully agree, can we entirely understand His perspective, and can we entirely empathise? 

Or do we feel that He should have shown greater backbone, greater courage, especially for One who can break even the bow of Shiva. 

(As devotees, there are times when we praise the Divine and times when we berate Him/Her. The moods of devotion have many flavours. Today, for some reason, I happen to be in a somewhat berating mood with regard to Sri Rama-- please do not be offended, this too shall pass!)

I am not going to explain the part of the Ramayana that I am referring to here; those of you who know the whole story will be aware of the portion that I am referring to when I ask these questions-- the events that took place towards the end in relation to Sita (this is because I am in the process of reading and writing on this blog, the entire Ramayana in a condensed form; will likely take some time though!). 

However, as I read the story, I reflect upon it, and various thoughts and feelings are generated. Some of these I feel I would like to share here (these may resonate with you-- or they may not, and that is ok. Everything does not need to resonate with everyone all the time).

So, let me continue my reflections on Lord Rama....my questioning of Him.....

Is this Rama, the divine bow-breaker, who was famous for His physical power, not the One who shivered and shook before the people of Ayodhya upon returning home from Lanka? Did He not tremble with fear at their unmerited criticism? Is He not the One who abandoned His own wife in the most appalling manner in the process?

Is this not the Lord, who is known as Satya, the embodiment of Truth, who did not dare to speak His own truth? Is He not the One who, not only tolerated and accepted the unjust public insult and humiliation of His own wife, but who actively participated in it?

An avatar with such physical strength but yet so weak at heart-- how extraordinary! He is often referred to as the 'ideal man' but is He really so?  

One who cannot even acknowledge His own Truth-- that He loved His wife and that She was not at fault (despite what the ignorant public thought)-- can there be anything more weak, anything more tragic, pathetic and pitiable than this? One feels compassion and pity, not admiration, for such a lamentably weak hero. 

To live His life pleasing those who did not deserve to be pleased, while inflicting endless pain upon His consort-- is this the nature of a true hero, an ideal man?

Can One who is so weak at heart, One who cannot admit His Truth, One who shivers and trembles within at the prospect of being criticised by others even when He has done nothing wrong and in fact, always acted in accordance with dharma-- can such a One really be called true and courageous? 

Is it possible, that His wife, Sita, so frail externally, One whom many in the world would call 'a weak woman' in appearance, actually had more strength in Her little finger that He had in the whole of His body? And was not Her heart a million times stronger and braver than His trembling, fearful one? 

After all, She underwent a trial by fire for His sake-- literally (in physical terms)! And, also mentally, emotionally and spiritually during Her lifetime. She may have been none other than an incarnation of Mother Lakshmi but She underwent a very human experience filled with some joy and tremendous sorrow. 

After undergoing numerous trials and tribulations in life, She emerged strong and powerful. In the end, though She loved Him, She had to leave Him forever-- and who can blame Her? 

For who can remain with One who is so weak at heart, so lacking in courage, so lacking in expression of His own Truth, and who inflicts such pain in the process? Who can remain with One who cannot face reality, who cannot stand up for Himself and His own divine consort and protect Her and His own honour? 

It is said in the Puranas that every man is a form of Narayana/Shiva and every woman is a form of Lakshmi/Parvati. Let us hope that this is not a reference to Their avatars as Rama and Sita. Because, it would be a tragedy for every woman to suffer as Sita did, and for every man to be as fearful and pitiably weak at heart as Rama was when it comes to living a life based upon love and truth (and facing unjust public criticism).

It would be far better if the men of the world could have the courage of Narasimha, another avatar of Narayana (who was strong both in body and mind/ heart; Who knew exactly how to protect His beloved devotee, Prahlada). And for every woman to have the good fortune of Mother Parvati, the divine consort of Lord Shiva.

I dedicate this post to Sri Rama; I know that He will not be offended by this-- because, I feel that, in His heart, He will Himself agree with every word that I have written here. I will give Him at least that much credit for acknowledging the truth.

Om Sri Sita-Ramabhyam Namah. Om Namo Bhagavate Narasimhaya.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Bala Kanda Part 8: Breaking the bow

 Hari Aum.

Om Sri Ramaya Namah.

I hope all readers had a wonderful Diwali celebration. Let us continue our study of the Ramayana of sage Valmiki.

In the previous post, we saw Sri Rama, Lakshmana and the sages arrive at the kingdom of Mithila (also known as Videha). 

Within this fortunate land, lived Sita, incarnation of Mother Lakshmi and daughter of the ruler, King Janaka. As the land was inhabited by an incarnation of the Goddess of spiritual and material wealth Herself, it was no wonder that it shone with an extraordinary divine splendour. 

The sages, accompanied by the Princes, entered the kingdom praising it for its great beauty. They made their way to an area where worship was being conducted by the King. Upon being informed of the arrival of the sages, King Janaka was filled with delight and hastened to welcome them. 

The King himself was no ordinary ruler; he was a 'rajarshi' (or 'raja-rishi'; in Sanskrit, 'rajah' means 'king' and 'rishi' means 'sage') , i.e. a kingly sage, a man of great spiritual wisdom (Self-Realisation). He embraced Vishvamitra and the other sages with great joy. Then, in accordance with tradition, he reverentially worshipped them, offering them a seat, food and drink.

After they were all well-rested, and had exchanged pleasantries, the King curiously asked about the origin of the two Princes. Remarking that they resembled the demi-gods in appearance and prowess, he asked sage Vishvamitra to tell him who they were.

Sage Vishvamitra explained that they were the children of King Dasharatha. He went on to tell the King and his entourage about the various valorous deeds performed by them including vanquishing negative forces and offering protection to the sages in the forests. He then went on to narrate the redemption of Ahalya that had occurred as a result of her meeting Sri Rama. 

The family priest and chief sage at the palace of King Janaka, Shathananda, was none other than the son of Ahalya and her husband, sage Gautama. He was overcome with joy and wonder upon hearing that his mother had received the fruit of her many years of penance, and that she had been reunited with his father.

Exclaiming that the arrival of Sri Rama was a great blessing, he praised both Him and sage Vishvamitra. Declaring that Sri Rama was very fortunate to have Vishvamitra as His Guru, he went on to tell Him about the greatness of His Guru. 

He explained in great detail how the former King Vishvamitra had decided to abandon his royal riches, and embark upon a very lengthy and extraordinarily intense course of austerities that had led to him finally becoming a great sage. (This is a long story and I am not going to explain it in full here as I want to remain focused mainly on the legend of Sri Rama Himself). 

In essence, Vishvamitra had discovered that sages had much greater powers than kings after foolishly trying to battle with one of them (the great sage, Vasishtha). He then decided that it was futile to continue to be a king and performed great tapas to become a sage. He finally succeeded after numerous  failures (including overcoming the loss of his spiritual power due to being seduced by the celestial dancer, Menaka, an apsara who had been sent by Indra to distract him from his penance).

After the narration of the great deeds of Vishvamitra was completed, King Janaka praised him greatly saying there was no end to his glories. However, as it was now dusk and time to perform the evening worship, he sought the sage's permission to depart, saying they should meet again in the morning. He then went around sage Vishvamitra along with his entourage as a mark of respect, received his blessings and left for his home. 

After a restful night, they met again the next morning in the outdoor place of worship. Vishvamitra then told the King that Sri Rama and Lakshmana were very eager to see the great bow of Lord Shiva and requested him to show it to them.

King Janaka was very pleased to hear this and told them a bit about the bow. This had been given as a gift by Lord Shiva to the demi-gods. They, in turn, had given it to King Devarata, an ancient ancestor of Janaka, for safekeeping, and the bow had remained in the care of their family ever since. It was exceptionally large and heavy and had been placed inside a strong chest made of iron. 

The King explained that he had declared that the man who could lift and string the bow of Lord Shiva alone would be a fit suitor for his daughter, Princess Sita (there is a legend that says the reason for this is that he had once seen Her lift the bow in play as a child while searching for a missing toy). 

Many kings and princes had attempted to this task desiring to win the hand of the Princess but their efforts had all been in vain. Far from being able to lift and string the bow, they had not been able to even move it. After their failure, some of them had become enraged at the perceived insult to their prowess and had attacked Mithila. The King had been compelled to seek the help of the demi-gods to defend his kingdom.

Janaka then told them about his daughter, Sita. One day, he had been ploughing a field in which some worship was due to be performed. In the furrow that he had created, he had noticed a tiny baby girl. As he and his wife had not had any children of their own at the time, they had resolved to adopt this little girl as their own daughter and named Her 'Sita' (this means 'furrow' in Sanskrit).  The baby girl had grown up unusually quickly (this was usually the case with divine beings) and was now a beautiful young woman. 

Saying that if Sri Rama could lift the divine bow, He would win the hand of his daughter, Sita, in marriage, King Janaka commanded the bow to be presented to Him. Several thousand strong and well-built men were required to perform the task of bringing the bow before Sri Rama. A large group of citizens from the kingdom of Mithila also gathered around with great interest to watch the events.

The chest was opened and the divine bow of Lord Shiva was revealed to Sri Rama. As He gazed upon it, King Janaka declared that when numerous beings with great divine powers such as the demi-gods, Gandharvas, Nagas and Yakshas had found it impossible to lift the bow, let alone string it, a mere human being could not be expected to achieve this task!   

Sage Vishvamitra now addressed Sri Rama saying "Dear child, behold the divine bow!".

Sri Rama, gazing at the bow, declared His intention to lift the bow, toss it in the air and string it! He then grasped the bow firmly in the middle, and lifting it, strung it with ease making the entire process appear like child's play. 

As He bent the bow while tying the string, it broke into two pieces due to the force that He had applied! As the divine bow broke, a terrific sound was produced (like an enormous crash of thunder) that reverberated in all directions. This was rapidly followed by a great earthquake that led to most people falling over except for sage Vishvamitra, Sri Rama, Lakshmana and King Janaka!

After everyone had recovered somewhat from the shock of these events, King Janaka addressed Sage Vishvamitra. He declared that it was simply extraordinary that this had taken place. Never in his wildest imagination could he have even contemplated such a thing happening he said! 

Saying that he was in no doubt about Sri Rama's power and glory, he declared that He would be a most fitting husband for his daughter, Princess Sita. Having secured Him as Her husband, She would no doubt be most fortunate, he declared!

He stated that he wished to immediately send his eminent ministers as messengers to King Dasharatha to inform him of the wonderful events that had occurred. They were to tell Dasharatha that Sri Rama had won the hand of Princess Sita in marriage and invite him to Mithila to have the wedding conducted without any delay!

Vishvamitra agreed to these plans and King Janaka's ministers were sent to the palace of King Dasharatha in Ayodhya. Upon hearing this news, King Dasharatha was filled with immense joy and excitement! 

He informed his own ministers, and they delightedly agreed to the alliance between Sri Rama and Princess Sita. King Dasharatha then declared that they would travel to Mithila the very next day! They would be accompanied by a number of sages and priests, carrying a great number of gifts and be protected by a sizeable portion of their army. 

The ministers of King Janaka were exceedingly pleased with the highly favourable response from King Dasharatha. They spent the night at the palace in Ayodhya while preparations were made for the journey the next day.

To be continued.....

Om Sri Ramaya Namah.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Vijaya dashami greetings and the comfort zone

 Hari Aum.

Tomorrow is the tenth day of celebration known as 'Vijaya Dashami' that occurs after the auspicious nine nights of Navaratri. This is a highly auspicious day according to the Vedic calendar. Any material or spiritual venture that commences on this day is said to have the blessings of the Divine and will be successful (according to the principles of Vedic astrology).

It is a perfect day (muhurtha) to begin a spiritual practice such as mantra japa or purascharana. It is a wonderful day to renew our spiritual resolves. On a more material level, it is an excellent day to start a new project or take up anything new related to our personal wellbeing.

This day is especially associated with the worship of Mother Sarasvati, the Goddess of wisdom, the One who presides over education and the arts. It is a day of great celebration across various schools of yoga as well as those related to classical music and dance in India. 

It is a day to express our gratitude to our Gurus, both in spiritual and material life. It is a day to celebrate our teachers, to pay our respects to them, and to please them by committing to study the subjects that they teach us with renewed zeal and enthusiasm.

Like many yogis everywhere, I hope to celebrate this highly auspicious day by worshipping Mother Sarasvati. I will also be attending my usual music and dance classes on this day and will have an opportunity to give thanks to my Gurus. I remember my spiritual Guru, Sivananda, in particular on this auspicious day-- he is the source of all blessings, both spiritual and material, in my life.

This is also a good day to challenge oneself, to take up something that we want to do but have not yet managed to, something that may place us a little outside our comfort zone. This may involve deciding to cultivate a new skill, take up a new hobby, or do something that challenges us in a positive way-- something that helps us to grow and develop further. This can help us in our spiritual lives by giving us opportunities to cultivate various positive qualities.

The universe has recently provided me with an opportunity to step out of one of my comfort zones; this is related to the field of dance. I am generally not too comfortable with the idea of performing anything on stage (this is related to various childhood experiences including being raised in a home where the expectation was that I would be 'seen and not heard' and also an unpleasant experience of public speaking at school as a young child!). While I am generally comfortable with chatting with people one-to-one or in a small group, I feel distinctly uneasy at the prospect of public speaking or performing before a larger group!

When I first started learning Bharatanatyam a couple of years ago, my intention was to take up a much-loved hobby for the improvement of my own wellbeing and health. It was also to be able to explore an art form that has a very beautiful spiritual and devotional dimension. I felt this could be a valuable addition to my bhakti yoga practice and this has indeed turned out the case (I practice dance at home in front of an altar or temple with various forms of the Divine and also my Guru-- I always feel that They are very supportive and appreciative even at this very early stage in my learning!).

As I was struggling to keep motivated with learning dance (due to various other commitments) while having only individual classes, I switched to learning in a group from late last year (and supplement this with individual classes too when needed). 

However, I had no intention whatsoever of taking any dance examinations (in fact, I firmly told my teacher at the outset that I would not do these as I was only learning dance as a hobby and not to obtain a qualification!). And I certainly did not anticipate performing for a long time to come! 

But we are influenced by the company we keep (a key part of spiritual life too of course-- hence the great value of satsanga!). 

And my fellow dance students are not only highly enthusiastic--some of them are positively eager to get onto the stage! It was because of my dance classmates that I felt inspired to take the dance examination in summer this year (this compelled me to practice more seriously so was very useful). 

And now, our dance teacher has announced, quite unexpectedly, that he wants our class to do a little performance on stage in a few months (this is a lot sooner than I had expected-- I was under the impression that we would not be expected to perform until towards the end of next year which felt like a long way away!). 

After this announcement, I privately shared my wariness of being on stage with my teacher; his response was to reassure me, saying there was nothing to worry about as he would train us all very well and I would be performing in a group (and not alone-- thankfully!). 

I have decided to trust him (and myself-- for now anyway!); this is because I have seen his other students perform, and I know he sets a relatively high standard and ensures his students are ready (regardless of their stage in learning)! So, I now find myself being swept up in a current of preparing for a mini-dance performance and have decided to simply go with the flow! 

I am trying to find time to practice dance in the midst of other commitments related to home and work. As the saying goes, 'where there is a will, there is a way'!  (Again, here too, I am inspired by my fellow students who also have other commitments based upon their own stage in life, including those related to family, work and education). 

As Lord Ganesha is traditionally worshipped first in any venture in the Vedic spiritual tradition, the first devotional piece we will be performing will be dedicated to Him. I am praying to Ganesha, the Divine remover of obstacles, to remove all obstacles in the path of my satisfactory performance of this piece as a form of devotion to Him!

And, as the auspicious Vijaya Dashami day approaches, I am also praying to Mother Sarasvati, the Goddess of the arts, to bless me with the ability to perform dance (and vocal music which I am also learning and which is mandatory for Bharatanatyam) to an acceptable level and in a manner that is pleasing to the Divine (with a decent level of skill, but without any unhelpful ego!). I would like Her to help me step out of one of my comfort zones (I feel this will also be of benefit to me spiritually). We shall see what She says-- only time will tell!

I hope you too will be inspired on this beautiful day to take up something new of value, especially related to spiritual life and possibly even comfort zones! May Mother Sarasvati bless us all with spiritual progress and grant us success in learning in all aspects of life!

Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah.

Om Sri Sarasvatyai Namah.

Om Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundayai Vicche.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

P.S. Vijaya Dashami is also celebrated as 'Dussehra', the day when Lord Rama defeated the demon-King Ravana and was re-united with His wife, Sita. It is a day of the victory of good over evil. It is a wonderful day to worship this great avatar of Lord Narayana. 

Om Sri Rama, Jaya Rama, Jaya Jaya Rama.

Hari Aum Tat Sat. 

Bala Kanda Part 7: The legends of Ganga and Ahalya

Hari Aum.

Om Sri Ramaya Namah.

In the previous post on the Ramayana, we saw Sri Rama begin the work of His avatar on Earth to protect the good and destroy evil. We see Him rid the forest of demonic beings and grant safety to the sages engaged in spiritual practices.

Sri Rama and His brother now set off with the sages to the kingdom of Mithila to witness the worship of the divine bow of Lord Shiva. 

Their journey through the forests took a few days and as they walked, they engaged in many interesting conversations with the sages and learned about various subjects. A lot of the conversations began by Sri Rama asking Vishvamitra to tell Him about the history of a particular place or river that they saw. 

During the course of these discussions, Vishvamitra told Sri Rama a bit about his own family (his sisters and their marriages; one of his sisters had taken on the form of a sacred river known as 'Kaushiki'!). 

They also passed by the sacred river known as the Ganga, which represents a form of the Divine Mother. Rama asked about Her origin, and this led to an extremely detailed discussion about the Ganga, Mother Parvati, Lord Shiva and Kartikeya. (This is explained in very great detail in the Ramayana; I will provide a relatively brief summary here).

The deity of the Himalaya mountain known as Himavan, and his wife, Menaka, had two daughters. The older was Goddess Ganga and the younger was Goddess Parvati. 

Goddess Ganga had the capacity to purify anyone She came into contact with. The demi-gods thus requested Her presence in their celestial realm, Svarga, and so She went to reside with them. 

Goddess Parvati performed severe penance, against the wishes of Her parents, and achieved Her desire of marrying Lord Shiva. Their union led to the birth of a son, Kartikeya, who became the leader of the army of the demi-gods. 

In the meantime, various events took place upon Earth that led to the Goddess Ganga being brought from the celestial realms to this planet (the Ganga is said to flow in three realms-- heaven, Earth and the underworld). 

This in itself is a long story but, in essence, Her waters were needed to purify and release the negative karmas of a group of royal princes who had been cursed by a divine sage. Three generations of kings of this royal family (who were none other than Sri Rama's ancient ancestors) performed intense austerities to please the divine Creator, Brahma to obtain the boon of having the Ganga come to Earth. The first two Kings were unsuccessful, but their descendent, King Bhagiratha, finally succeeded in pleasing Brahma with his austerities. 

After granting the boon to King, Brahma reflected that the Earth would not be able to bear the tremendous force of the direct descent of Goddess Ganga from the celestial realm. He therefore told King Bhagiratha that he needed to perform further austerities to obtain Lord Shiva's help regarding this matter.

After the King performed further intense austerities, Lord Shiva appeared and said that He was pleased with him. He told him that He would allow the Ganga to flow through His matted locks of hair to enable Her to make a safe descent to Earth.

Thus, the lovely Goddess Ganga, daughter of King Himavan, prepared for Her journey to the Earth. She now assumed the form of an immensely great and powerful river. As She was about to descend upon the sacred head of Lord Shiva and enter His hair, She privately wondered if He would truly be able to handle Her power. She doubted it and reflected that She would probably end up flowing directly to the underworld carrying Him with Her! 

Lord Shiva, seeing Her pride, was not at all pleased and decided to give Her a fitting response! And so, as Goddess Ganga flowed into His hair, She found Herself in a vast realm similar to that of the Himalayas. She wandered about for a long time trying to find a way out but discovered that She was completely lost!

Meanwhile, King Bhagiratha, who had been anxiously awaiting Her arrival on Earth to free his ancestors, saw what had happened. He then performed another round of intense spiritual practices to please Lord Shiva and secure the release of Ganga from His hair!

The King finally succeeded, and at long last, the moment came for the Ganga to flow upon the Earth. Knowing that this would be a unique and spectacular sight, the demi-gods, divine sages and other celestials gathered together in the heavens in great excitement to watch. 

They saw Goddess Ganga emerging from the matted reddish-gold locks of Lord Shiva, and entering the Himalayas. As She flowed onto the Earth, there was tremendous sound, and great sprays of water rose high up into the air, forming foam that appeared like little white clouds. Numerous fish, dolphins, snakes and various other creatures were seen within Her sparkling waters.

King Bhagiratha was overwhelmed with joy to see that his penance had finally borne fruit. He now set off, accompanied by the Ganga, to a faraway place within the underworld where his ancestors had been cursed by sage Kapila and reduced to ash. The Ganga became a broad and fast-flowing river as She followed him. When She flowed over the ashes of the royal princes, their souls were purified of all past negative karmas, and they entered the celestial realms rejoicing.

Sri Rama and Lakshmana were enthralled to hear about the legend of the Ganga and the efforts of their ancient ancestors in bringing about Her arrival on to Earth. As it was now night time, Vishvamitra said that they should all get some rest. They went to sleep and, upon rising the next day, continued their journey towards Mithila. 

On the way, they reached the wonderful city of Vishala where they would spent a night before reaching their destination. Rama wanted to know about the history of this area too, and this led to another interesting discussion with Vishvamitra. This place was connected to a divine lila of Narayana which involved the churning of the divine milky ocean by the devas and the asuras (I have explained this lila elsewhere on this blog--the post on eclipses dated August 2017-- so will not describe it again here).

King Sumati, the ruler of Vishala, was delighted to hear the news of the arrival of the sages and the two princes, and warmly welcomed them. After ensuring that they were all well-rested and had eaten a delicious meal, he curiously asked the sages who these two princes of divine appearance were. 

The sages explained that they were the sons of King Dasharatha, ruler of Ayodhya. They told King Sumati that the Princes had been of great help in ridding the forests of asuras and in granting them protection. The King was wonderstruck and delighted to hear of the valiant deeds of the Sri Rama and Lakshmana and they all spent a very pleasant evening together.

The next day, they bade farewell to King Sumati and set off for Mithila.  After walking for a while, they arrived at the outskirts of the kingdom which appeared to be filled with great beauty and splendour. 

As they all gazed upon Mithila and praised its beauty, Sri Rama noticed a small hermitage not far from where they stood and asked Vishvamitra to tell Him about it. The sage explained that it was a place associated with misfortune and went on to tell the tale.

The hermitage had been the home of the noble sage, Gautama, and his exceedingly pretty wife, Ahalya. The two of them had performed spiritual austerities there for many years. One day, the sage went to the river to bathe and perform some worship. 

Upon his departure, Indra, King of demi-gods, and husband of the demi-goddess Sachi, appeared at the hermitage. Using his divine powers, he now assumed the form of Ahalya's husband, Gautama. Entering the hermitage, he beheld the beautiful Ahalya and addressed her with charming words. 

Declaring that those who desired enjoyment did not care for rituals related to appropriate timing (it was the tradition then to have intercourse based on favourable times of the menstrual cycle), he declared his desire to sleep with her at once.

Ahalya, using her own divine powers, recognised that the person in front of her was Indra in the guise of her husband, rather than the sage himself. As she too desired Indra, she agreed to his request and they slept together. Afterwards, they felt very satisfied and pleased with themselves, but then wanted to avoid being caught by sage Gautama who was known for his tremendous ascetic power!

Ahalya therefore requested Indra to leave the hermitage immediately, saying that he should guard both himself and her from her husband ever finding out about their deed. Indra, who was highly pleased, laughed and declared that he would depart as unobtrusively as he had arrived. He then took leave of her, walking quickly and hoping to avoid encountering the sage.

However, just as Indra approached the door of the hermitage, he saw sage Gautama entering, carrying sacred grass and wood for a fire ritual. The two Gautamas now stood facing each other-- one filled with anxiety and with lowered eyes, and the other glaring with intense wrath!

Realising what had taken place, the enraged sage Gautama pronounced a curse on both Indra and Ahalya. For his misdeeds, he declared that Indra would immediately lose his masculinity (this led to Indra being instantly castrated; he later sought the help of the other demi-gods and corrected this with some difficulty!).

Turning to his wife, Gautama declared that she should perform intense penance at the hermitage for several years to expiate her sin. He told her to remain there without food or water, and surviving on air alone. Declaring that she should henceforth sleep on ashes on the ground, and be filled with remorse, he stated that her beautiful form would, from now onwards, be invisible to all beings in the material realms.  

He told her that Sri Rama would visit their hermitage in the future, and she would be purified of all sin only after meeting Him. After this had occurred, he said that he would accept her back as his wife. Sage Gautama then left the hermitage and went to the Himalayas where he continued his spiritual practices.

After narrating the legend of Ahalya, Vishvamitra led Rama to the hermitage. As Sri Rama entered, His eyes fell upon Ahalya, who by now had an extraordinarily bright divine aura as a result of years of penance. 

In accordance with tradition, Sri Rama and Lakshmana touched her feet as a mark of respect. She in turn, welcomed them and Vishvamitra to the hermitage with great reverence and offered them food, drink and hospitality. 

After meeting Sri Rama in this way, Ahalya regained her original visible celestial form, and the demi-gods and other celestials rejoiced and showered flowers from the heavens upon them all. Sage Gautama now returned to the hermitage and joined his wife in worshipping Sri Rama (they then resumed their life at the ashram and performed spiritual austerities together once again).

After this auspicious event, Sri Rama took leave of sage Gautama and Ahalya, and left for Mithila with Lakshmana and the sages.

To be continued......

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Bala Kanda Part 6: First combat with the asuras

 Hari Aum.

Om Sri Ramaya Namah. Let us continue our study of the Ramayana of sage Valmiki.

In the previous post, we saw Sri Rama and Lakshmana arrive at a dense and dark forest with sage Vishvamitra. The sage told the Princes about a highly malevovent being known as Tataka who lived there. She had been terrorising the inhabitants of the forest including the sages for a long time. He told Sri Rama that the forest needed to be freed of her so that the beings within it could live in peace.

Now, a key duty of kshatriyas (warriors including kings and princes) in those times was to uphold dharma or righteousness by protecting the good, destroying evil and ensuring justice in society. This duty included protection of those sections of society who were perceived as being more vulnerable, such as children, women and the elderly. It was generally regarded as being completely against kshatriya dharma (the warrior code) to harm women in any way (sometimes this included in battle too; for example, in the Mahabharata, we see Bhishma laying down arms before Shikhandi, a woman who had been reborn as a man due to strange twist of fate!).

Sage Vishvamitra therefore knew that Rama would be uneasy at the thought of harming Tataka who had been born as a yaksha woman (or yakshini). He therefore warned Rama that she was no ordinary woman and that there was nothing feminine at all about her. Her character was entirely demonic-- cruel, sadistic, perpetually angry and ever ready to kill. He warned Rama that she had demonic powers, including those of illusion (Maya). Far from being a frail woman who required protection, she was a very dangerous opponent who would not be at all easy to defeat.

Sri Rama had been feeling uncomfortable at the thought of battling a woman. However, He now recalled His father's parting words that He was to obey the sage's every command. He therefore bowed before Vishvamitra and agreed to follow his instruction.

Preparing for battle, He then lifted His bow, and pulled its string causing a great twanging sound that powerfully reverberated in all directions. The mighty sound, an invitation to battle, penetrated the dense forest and struck fear into the hearts of the evil beings within. Tataka heard the sound and was filled with intense anger.

She rapidly made her way towards where the sound had originated. Upon seeing Rama with His brother and the sage, she rushed at them with an intent to kill. She towered well above them and had powerful arms and a fearful roar; yet Rama was loath to kill her due to her being a woman. Instead, He decided to attempt to remove her capacity to physically harm others by causing her some limited injury.

He tried this tactic but it only served to enrage her further. She then used her demonic powers to attack Rama and Lakshmana. Flying into the air, she made herself invisible and then threw a large number of rocks and boulders at them. They defended themselves and she then began to use sorcery and powers of illusion to try to kill them (while they responded by continuing to attempt to injure rather than kill her outright).

This went on for about an hour and dusk began to fall. Sage Vishvamitra then told Rama to end the battle, warning Him that asuras (demons) gained great power with nightfall. He declared that Tataka's strength would soon increase severalfold, making her even more difficult to defeat.

"Have done with Your mercy Rama, and put an end to this wicked being now!", he exclaimed.

Rama, hearing this admonishment from the sage, bowed and accepted his wish. He then fitted a final arrow to His bow and released it. The arrow met its mark, hitting Tataka in the centre of the chest and she was slain.

Seeing that the demoness was no more, the watching demi-gods felt greatly relieved and joyful. After praising Rama and Vishvamitra, they asked the sage teach the Prince knowledge of divine weapons.

Vishvamitra happily agreed but as it was now night, he told the Princes that they should rest. They all slept well and upon rising the next morning, Rama's teaching related to the use of divine weapons began.

The sage told Rama that he was very pleased and satisfied with His service in ridding the forest of the menace of Tataka. He declared that he would now give Him knowledge of the weapons of the celestials and of the Supreme Being Himself. 

He then went on to teach Rama the mantras required to invoke the weapons of Brahma, Vishnu (Narayana) and Shiva, the demi-gods (including Indra, Agni, Varuna, Yama and others), and the other celestials (such as the Gandharvas and Vidyadharas). 

Some of these weapons were designed to take the life of their target, while others were able to stupefy, pacify or alter their mental or physical state in some way. They had a variety of different forms including chakras (wheel or disc), spears, tridents, swords, maces, javelins, nooses and thunderbolts.

As Vishvamitra recited the mantras (which were complex and difficult to remember for even the demi-gods), these great divine weapons appeared in shining, ethereal forms before him and Rama. Some were brilliant like the sun and moon, while others seemed to shine with a smoky light or appeared like burning coal. 

The weapons, in embodied form, now all folded their hands as a mark of respect and, after bowing to Rama, declared that they would be delighted to serve Him in whatever way He wished. Rama was very pleased by their appearance and addressed them affectionately saying that He regarded them all as His own. 

Turning to sage Vishvamitra, He said that He now wished to learn the art of calling back these weapons after they had been released and fulfilled their purpose (this was an important part of warfare-- knowing how to both release and call back a divine weapon). The sage then taught Rama another set of elaborate mantras designed to call back the divine weapons that had been released in battle. 

The weapons in living form now spoke in sweet tones to Sri Rama and asked how they could be of service to Him. Rama replied saying that for the present He wished them to return back to their homes. When in need, He said that He would summon them, and they should then appear and fulfil their duties. 

The divine weapons replied saying that it would be as He wished. They bowed again and went around Him as a mark of respect and then departed for their respective homes.

Vishvamitra, Rama and Lakshmana now continued walking and, after a while, came across a very beautiful region (it was quite different from the dark and foreboding forest of Tataka). It contained clusters of pretty trees filled with birds that sang sweetly. There were also various delightful species of deer living in the area.

Turning to the sage, Rama asked him to tell Him about this region. He also wanted to know where the sage's ashram (hermitage) was located (as this was where Vishvamitra had said he would require protection from the attack by asuras). 

Vishvamitra told Rama that this forest, filled with a divine atmosphere, had been the dwelling place of none other than the famous avatar of Lord Narayana known as Vamana (meaning the 'little one' as this avatar was a young boy-- not a 'dwarf' as some incorrectly say). He went on to tell Rama the legend of the Vamana avatar who had cleverly succeeded in winning back the lands of the demi-gods that had been unrighteously stolen from them by the demons (I will aim to write another post on this remarkable avatar as it is a very interesting story with useful spiritual lessons).

The place where Vamana had lived and meditated in the forest was called 'Siddha ashrama' ('Siddha' means a sage or one who is spiritually advanced). After the Vamana avatar had departed the Earth, the ashrama had been given to the sages living in the forest and it was here that Vishvamitra now resided.

The sage affectionately told Sri Rama that the ashram belonged to Him as much as to the sages who currently lived there (as Rama and Vamana were both avatars of the same Lord Narayana)! Vishvamitra then led Rama and Lakshmana into the ashram where they were received with great reverence and delight by the sages who resided there. 

After a restful night, the Princes awoke at dawn the next day and performed their usual morning worship (including recitation of the Gayatri mantra). They then greeted sage Vishvamitra, who had completed his own worship, and asked him to tell them how they could now serve him. 

The sage replied that two asuras known as Marichi and Subahu had been regularly disrupting his sacred fire ritual (one purpose of this type of ritual was to nourish the demi-gods, and so the demons were often eager to prevent this from taking place). He said that the demons would usually arrive suddenly at the ashram using their illusory powers, and they would then pour various impure materials onto the sacred fire thus rendering it unfit for use. He wanted Rama to slay the asuras and thus ensure that he and the other sages could perform their worship peacefully without any fear or disruption. 

Vishvamitra told Rama and Lakshmana that he was about to commence a fire ritual that would last for six days and nights. He asked the Princes to remain by his side and keep a look out for the demons as he performed the ritual and they agreed. He then began to conduct the ritual that involved pouring clarified butter and herbs into the sacred fire while chanting mantras in praise of the Divine.

On the sixth day of the ritual, there was a disturbance in the sky a short distance from them, and the two asuras suddenly manifested along with their accomplices. They all then rushed with tremendous speed towards the sacred fire and poured various impure and forbidden substances into it (including flesh, blood and pus), thus desecrating the place of worship completely. 

Seeing a rain of blood suddenly falling onto the sacred fire, Sri Rama and Lakshmana ran towards the source of the disturbance and saw the asuras in the sky. Declaring to Lakshmana that He would soon dispense with them, Sri Rama began to invoke some of the divine missiles previously given to Him by sage Vishvamitra.

Invoking the powerful weapon of Manu (the progenitor of mankind), He aimed this at Maricha and released it. The tremendous force of the weapon carried the demon a few thousand miles away and he was tossed unconscious into an ocean (he was not killed as Rama had stated that it was not yet time for him to die). 

Rama then invoked the weapon of the demi-god of fire, Agni, and released this at the demon Subahu thus slaying him. He then released the weapon of the demi-god of the air, Vayu, upon the remaining asuras which caused them all to be flung very far away.

Vishvamitra and the other sages rejoiced greatly at seeing the demons being removed far away from their ashram. They praised Rama greatly even as the King of demi-gods, Indra, was congratulated in the past when he had won battles over the asuras. The sages then completed their worship for the day and they all retired to sleep feeling extremely peaceful and contented. 

Upon waking the next morning and completing their morning routine of worship, Sri Rama and Lakshmana approached the sages. Saying that they felt deeply honoured to have served them by defeating the asuras, they asked if they could now be of any further help.

The sages replied saying that they were highly pleased with the help rendered by the Princes. They then explained that they were about to embark upon a very special journey to see the marvellous bow of Lord Shiva Himself. This mighty divine bow had been gifted to the great King Janaka after he had performed a most wonderful fire ritual in worship of the Divine. The King was himself a self-realised sage (a kingly sage or 'raja-rishi'/ 'rajarshi' in Sanskrit) and ruled over a neighbouring kingdom known as Mithila.

They declared that the bow of Lord Shiva was so extraordinary and powerful that not even the demi-gods, celestials and demons could dream of lifting it (much less mere human beings). A great worship was about to be conducted in Mithila in honour of this magnificent divine weapon. The sages said that they would be delighted if the Princes would accompany them to witness this unique ceremony.

Sri Rama and Lakshmana were greatly intrigued and fascinated at the thought of seeing the divine bow of Lord Shiva Himself and therefore happily agreed to travel to Mithila with the sages.

The sages then made preparations for their journey which included setting up a number of carts laden with various sacred materials required for worship. Accompanied by Sri Rama and Lakshmana, they set off joyfully for the kingdom of Mithila to participate in the wonderful ceremony of the divine bow. 

To be continued.....

Om Sri Vamanaya Namah.

Om Sri Ramaya Namah.   

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

P.S. The current lunar month known as Shravana is regarded as particularly auspicious for the worship of Lord Shiva via mantra japa, puja, homam and so on. Om Namah Shivaya. May He bless and protect us all.

Bala Kanda Part 5: Sri Rama's journey begins

 Hari Aum.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

I hope all readers are keeping well. I wanted to write this post much earlier but have been somewhat preoccupied by various commitments, not least, an upcoming Bharatanatyam dance examination in a few weeks. (I had promised myself that I would never do another examination if I could possibly help it after my last major medicine-related examination around ten years ago-- however, I have somehow ended up facing an examination again, and am currently grappling with memorising a large number of Sanskrit slokas from an ancient dance textbook while also trying to get to grips with various dance pieces-- which I am not finding at all easy!).

Anyway, having made a little progress on the exam revision front, I am glad to be able to finally take a break from it for a short while, and make my escape once again into the glorious world of the Ramayana. (By the way, these days, very likely due to the effects of reading the Ramayana, I particularly enjoy listening to this lovely rendition of the famous Bhavayami Raghuramam song-- am sharing this in case any of you would like to have a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sRQtVxdrH8.) 

Ok, so let us continue our study of the next portion of the Ramayana of sage Valmiki. In the previous post on this subject, we saw how sage Vishvamitra paid King Dasharatha an unexpected visit and requested the help of Sri Rama to protect the sages in the forest and rid them of some negative forces. Let us see what happens next.

Sage Vishvamitra followed by Sri Rama and Lakshmana left Ayodhya. After walking around twelve miles or so, they reached the river Sarayu (that encircled the city on three sides except for the south), and the sage decided that they should rest for a while upon its banks. 

Now, before becoming a Self-realised sage, Vishvamitra had been a great warrior king who had knowledge of many divine weapons. One of his main roles in the life of Sri Rama, was to act as His Guru in the art of warfare. (Although he and other sages were well aware the Rama was Narayana Himself, and thus, the Universal Guru, they faithfully played the roles that He had assigned to them in His lila as a human being).

The sage, therefore, lost no time in beginning his teaching. After Sri Rama and Lakshmana has rested on the banks of the river and drunk some water to quench their thirst, the sage told them that he wished to give them the knowledge of two key mantras that would impart great strength to a warrior. 

He explained to the Princes that these divine mantras, known as 'Bala' and 'Atibala', would protect and preserve all functions of body and mind. They would grant freedom from hunger, thirst, fatigue and weakness and would infuse great strength and vitality into the one who recited them. They also helped to ensure a sharp intellect and high levels of concentration which were vital for success in battle. Sri Rama and Lakshmana listened carefully to the teachings of their Guru and mastered the knowledge of the mantras with ease. 

As night had now fallen, the three of them made beds of straw, grass and leaves and slept on these by the river bank. Valmiki remarked that, although these beds were not really the sort that the Princes had been used to in the palace, they were delighted with them and slept very well. This was due to the joy of being in the company of their Guru, sage Vishvamitra and receiving his blessings.

As was the practice of sages, Vishvamitra awoke early at dawn to spend time in meditation upon the Supreme. In accordance with his duty as a Guru, he also awakened his two disciples and instructed them to meditate. He told them that it was important to begin the day with contemplation upon the Supreme and with the performance of spiritual practices including mantra recitation and study of sacred texts. 

Sri Rama and Lakshmana therefore arose from their beds, bathed in the river, and then sat down to meditate. They recited the great Gayatri mantra of the Vedas and studied the scriptures. They then proceeded to serve their Guru, Vishvamitra, by collecting wood for the usual sacred fire ritual that he would perform in the morning to worship the Supreme Being.

After all the morning rituals of worship were completed, the three of them set off again on their journey to the forests. On their way, they spent a night at a hermitage that was particularly sacred as Lord Shiva had spent much time there in meditation. Sri Rama asked Vishvamitra to tell him the legend of the hermitage.

The sage explained that this was the sacred spot where an extraordinary lila involving Shiva and Kamadeva had taken place a very long time ago. Kamadeva had, on the instruction of Indra, attempted to disturb the meditation of Shiva and had incurred His wrath. The mystical third eye of Shiva had opened in anger, and a great flame had emanated; this had burned the body of Kamadeva to ashes, leaving him in a formless state (he was later reborn as Pradyumna, the son of Krishna). At dusk, the sages who resided at the hermitage, performed worship along with their guests. They all felt very blessed to have encountered the human avatar of Narayana in the form of Sri Rama. 

They next day, the three set off again and encountered the sacred river, Ganga, which they crossed in a boat. After a while, they reached a place where the Ganga joined with the Sarayu river, making a great sound. Nearby, was a dense forest that appeared rather dark and foreboding. From within it, emanated unpleasant, loud sounds of birds and beasts of prey, including the harsh screeches of vultures and fearful roars of ferocious wild animals.

Sri Rama, upon seeing the forest, asked Vishvamitra to tell Him about this place. The sage explained that the area where this forest now existed was once a beautiful place comprising of two lands, known as 'Malada' and 'Karusha'. These lands had been blessed by the demi-god Indra and used to be very beautiful and prosperous. 

However, misfortune had struck the region many years ago when it had become inhabited by a terrible being known as Tataka. She had originally been a beautiful woman belonging to the Yaksha clan (a group of beings who possessed supernatural powers). However, due to her demonic nature that always sought to harm others, she had been cursed by the great sage Agastya, to assume a dreadful demonic form that reflected her true nature.

Vishvamitra explained that it was she, along with her two sons, who had been tormenting the sages and other living beings in the forest. Her malign influence had transformed the previously divine land into a fearful forest filled with vicious beings who struck terror into the hearts of all good people.

The sage told Sri Rama that he wanted Him to restore this place back to its original divine nature by ridding it of these wicked beings. This was to be the first battle between Sri Rama and the demonic forces and His first step in becoming a powerful warrior king who would go on to establish dharma on Earth.

To be continued.....

Om Sri Ramaya Namah.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Bala Kanda Part 4: Childhood and early youth

 Hari Aum.

Om Sri Ramayah Namah.

In recent posts, we studied the reasons for the manifestation of the Rama avatar of Narayana and the manner in which this took place. Let us now continue further and examine some of the childhood Lilas of Sri Rama.

Sage Valmiki writes that King Dasharatha and his Queens provided their four sons every possible love and care. Their sons, in turn, were extremely loving and obedient towards their parents. 

The boys were educated in a wide variety of subjects, both material and spiritual, by various teachers and this was overseen by the family Guru, the great sage Vasistha. 

Their parents were very pleased to see that they demonstrated exceptional excellence in their studies and were obedient to their elders and teachers.

Being born in the warrior clan (or kshatriyas in Sanskrit), whose duty is to protect the good and defend the land from evil, there was a special emphasis on all aspects of warfare ranging from the skill in archery and other weapons, to managing the various components of an army (such as the soldiers, horses, elephants, chariots and so on). They were also taught in great detail about all matters related to running a country (including the principles of statecraft, management of wealth, principles of justice and so on). 

King Dasharatha and his Queens were particularly glad to observe that the brothers were extremely loving and loyal towards each other. They ate, slept, played and studied together and were rarely a moment apart. 

Although there was great love between all four of them, there was a special bond between Rama and Lakshmana, and between Bharata and Shatrughna. Wherever Rama went, Lakshmana would follow, like a faithful shadow, ever intent upon serving Him. 

Thus, King Dasharatha was very happy as he observed his children grow up into excellent young people. He praised the Divine for granting him such a wonderful blessing. Although the King loved each one of his sons very dearly, he felt a particularly intense love for Sri Rama. 

Sri Rama was the embodiment of dharma, or righteousness. His father noted that He seemed to manifest every good quality to the maximum degree. He seemed ever intent upon serving both family and country. His father thus felt great satisfaction and happiness observing Him. 

As time passed, the King reflected that, since his sons had now nearly completed their education, it was time to give some consideration to the next stage of their lives, namely that of marriage! He decided to discuss this matter with his Guru, relatives, council of ministers and courtiers. One day, while speaking with them regarding this matter, a messenger appeared in the courtroom before him. 

The messenger informed the King that the highly illustrious sage Vishvamitra had arrived at the palace gates and desired an audience with him.

As it was a rare blessing to be visited upon by such a great sage, King Dasharatha arose at once from his throne and hastened to the gates to welcome him. He reverentially bowed before the sage and then greeted him warmly. He declared that he felt greatly blessed by sage's visit.

Dasharatha ensured that his noble guest was received with all the honour due to him. Then, (assuming that the sage had visited him for a reason), he declared that he would be delighted to serve him in whatever way possible and fulfil the purpose for the visit. The King praised sage Vishvamitra in many ways saying that his asceticism and excellences were widely known and that he and his entire family were greatly blessed by his vision.

The sage was very pleased by this appropriately respectful reception by the King. He was particularly gratified to hear him state that he was ready to grant him whatever he wished for. Praising the King in turn for his many excellences as a leader, he proceeded to explain the reason for his visit. 

Vishvamitra then told King Dasharatha that he had come seeking Rama. He needed the help of Rama to destroy some demonic beings who were troubling him and other sages in the forest. They were unable to perform their spiritual practices (particularly the sacred fire ceremonies) due to the malevolent acts of these wicked beings (who were in the habit of throwing impure substances onto the fire thus rendering it unfit for use). 

Declaring that nobody but Rama could defeat the demonic beings, the sage requested the King to permit him to borrow Him for ten days to accomplish this task (unlike Dasharatha, Vishvamitra knew of course that Rama was an avatar of Narayana).  

King Dasharatha, upon hearing these words of the sage, underwent a complete transformation! His hitherto cheerful and exuberant countenance was replaced by an ashen and cheerless one. He was filled with an intense and unknown fear, and this caused him to feel extremely dizzy and unwell. He actually lost consciousness briefly and upon regaining this, was filled again with a terrible sense of dread.

Seeing the sage before him awaiting his reply, the King summoned all his strength and spoke the following words (somewhat incoherently due to his anxiety!):

"I cannot part with my son, Rama", he said. "He is barely sixteen years of age and not capable of fighting demons! Instead, I myself, accompanied by a sizeable section of my army, shall accompany you to the forest and accomplish your task".

"My son is yet a child, He is not yet experienced in warfare. He does not currently have the knowledge of weapons required to deal with demons who are known for their use of deception and special powers in battle. I therefore do not feel my son can be of any help to you and you should not take Him away".

"If you insist on taking Him, I will also accompany you with a large army. Please tell me about these demonic beings who are to be vanquished. What are their names and origin? What powers do they have and by what methods can they be defeated? I must know all of this to be able to assist you along with my son Rama."

Hearing these words, the sage replied as follows:

"The source of the difficulty is a demonic being called Ravana. He has performed ascetic practices and thus obtained great power. He oppresses living creatures all over the cosmos and cannot be defeated by the demi-gods or any other celestial being. Human beings alone may be able to defeat him. He has sent two of his clan, the mighty demons Maricha and Subahu, to trouble us ascetics in the forest. It is these two demons who need to be vanquished!"

Now, King Dasharatha was a highly experienced and courageous warrior whose help the demi-gods had sought on many an occasion to battle the demons. He was not a man to shy away from battle but even he trembled upon hearing these words of the sage. He was well-aware of Ravana's reputation, of his cruelty, savagery and tremendous powers. He felt that any attempt to defeat Ravana's fellow demons could potentially be an invitation to battle the demon-king himself!

Therefore, in a trembling voice, he said:

"O sage, I am no match for Ravana and neither is my son Rama. I do not have the ability to counter that extremely powerful and wicked demon. And, my beloved son, Rama, is dearer to me than my own life. He is the apple of my eye and my most precious child. Under no circumstances, shall I ever consent to send my beloved boy to be slaughtered by that monster!  As you have said yourself, Ravana cannot be defeated by any demi-god, demon or other celestial being. What then can we mere human beings be expected to do!" 

"If you insist, I can come myself with my army and try my best to defeat the demons who are troubling the sages in the forest. But I will never permit my darling Rama to go anywhere near those vile demons, filled with great cruelty and delusive powers (Maya)! I absolutely refuse to give you my son for this dreadful purpose!"

Like King Dasharatha, sage Vishvamitra's countenance also now underwent a complete transformation. The benign, kindly, smiling sage was gone and in his place, appeared an incarnation of divine wrath (Valmiki says he resembled an enormous blazing sacred fire)!

Vishvamitra, highly incensed by the words of the King, now addressed him in a thunderous voice:

"O King!", he said. "Do you presume to go back on the promise that you just made to me! You had said that you would fulfill my wish but now refuse to do so! Your ignoble conduct, breaking your own word, will bring ruin upon your noble family."

"Having broken the code of dharma (truthfulness), you may remain here enjoying the company of your relations. I shall depart now without Rama!"  

The entire Earth quaked due to the great anger of Vishvamitra and the demi-gods were gripped with fear.  

At this critical moment, the Guru of Dasharatha, sage Vasistha, who was equal in every way to Vishvamitra in asceticism and power, intervened. He began by admonishing the King and reminding him of the vital importance of adhering to dharma (righteousness). He warned the King that all his spiritual practices and noble deeds would come to naught if he refused to be true and keep his word to the sage. 

Then to pacify the mind of the King who appeared highly agitated, he spoke the following soothing words:

"O King!" he said, "Fear not, for Rama shall come to no harm. Sage Vishvamitra is unparalleled in his knowledge of asceticism as well as weaponry (as he was a rare instance of a powerful king who had become a sage). He knows the secret of many divine weapons that are harnessed through the use of mantras; these have been taught to him by none other than Lord Shiva Himself!"

"Although perfectly capable of handling these demons in the forests on his own, he has come here only to bless your family and Rama. Let Rama go with him! He will learn much from Vishvamitra. He will acquire much power and knowledge of divine weapons that will serve him well in the future. You may rest assured that no harm will come to your son Rama as He will be protected at all times by sage Vishvamitra!"

Upon hearing these reassuring words from his Guru, King Dasharatha felt much better. The terrible fear that had gripped him departed and he felt joyful again. 

Without any further delay, he proceeded to summon his son Rama to the courtroom. Rama then arrived accompanied by Lakshmana who was always with Him.

"My dearest son!" said Dasharatha, embracing Rama closely. "I desire You to go now with sage Vishvamitra to the forests to serve him for some time. You must be ever obedient and follow his every command!"

Rama, ever dutiful, immediately bowed before His father and agreed to act in accordance with his wishes. He was then blessed by His parents, the family Guru, Vasistha, and placed under the tutelage of Vishvamitra. 

Sage Vishvamitra, accompanied by Rama and Lakshmana, now left the palace. The sage walked ahead, while Rama walked respectfully behind him. And, Lakshmana, in turn, walked respectfully behind Him! 

At the sight of the two Princes walking behind the sage, armed with their weapons, and embarking upon their first battle against the demons, the demi-gods in the heavens rejoiced greatly!

They played celestial music, beat divine drums and showered countless flowers upon the Earth to celebrate this auspicious event. A cool and pleasant breeze began to blow and the whole of Nature became exceedingly calm and peaceful. 

This concludes the description of the childhood and early youth of the sons of Dasharatha, and the commencement of the work of the Rama avatar!

To be continued......

Om Sri Rama, Jaya Rama, Jaya Jaya Rama.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat. 

Bala Kanda Part 3: The advent of Sri Rama

Hari Aum.

Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Sri Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama.

Today is the auspicious day of Rama Navami, the celebration of the birthday of the avatar of Lord Narayana known as Sri Rama.

A very happy Rama Navami to all readers; I hope and pray that Sri Rama blesses all of us and the world with peace and prosperity. May the wars everywhere subside and may much-needed calm prevail.

This is the perfect day to continue writing about the Ramayana and to narrate the birth of Sri Rama (many of you may be broadly familiar with this already but let us look at the details as described in the original Valmiki Ramayana).

In the previous post, we discussed King Dasharatha's intense yearning to have a child and his spiritual practice to obtain one. We also learned that the demi-gods (devas) were being plagued by a demonic being known as Ravana. They had sought help from Narayana who promised to protect them and other living beings by taking on an avatar.

Let us now continue our study of the Ramayana....

After pledging to manifest as the son of King Dasharatha to defeat the evil Ravana and establish dharma/righteousness, Lord Narayana disappeared from view. The demi-gods felt a sense of great relief having received His assurance of protection and praised Him with hymns.  

Meanwhile, King Dasharatha continued his fire ritual to obtain a child (blissfully unaware of any of these events related to the demi-gods; he had no inkling that he was about to become the father of an avatar!).

The messenger of Narayana

As the worship continued, an extraordinary being of divine splendour arose from the sacred fire. He towered above the worshippers, dazzling like the sun. His face had a slightly reddish tinge and he was dark in complexion. 

Dressed in red garments, and wearing divine ornaments, he had various auspicious marks upon his person. He resembled a lion both in strength and appearance (in that he was covered with soft hair, including a fine mane of hair on his head, and also had a moustache and beard!) and had a deep and resonant voice like that of a kettledrum!

In his hands, the divine being held a large covered vessel made of shining gold. Within this shining vessel, was a celestial sweet dish (called 'payasam' in Sanskrit) made of rice, milk and sugar. 

The celestial being gazed at King Dasharatha and addressed him, saying that he had come as a messenger from Lord Narayana (or Vishnu). The King, delighted at the appearance of the divinity, bowed low in greeting and asked how he could serve him.

The messenger of Narayana then replied saying that he had brought a divine blessing from the Lord Himself in the form of this divine sweet payasam. He explained that this had the power to grant not only children but also health and wealth! He advised the King to give this sweet to his wives, assuring him that, by this means, they would be blessed with the children they desired.

Dasharatha, filled with boundless joy, bowed again before the dazzling being. Accepting the golden vessel, he agreed to do as advised. He then went around the messenger clockwise as was the custom to express his gratitude and respect.

The divine being then vanished into the flames and the King, losing no time, hastened to the palace. Entering the women's quarters, he met with his wives and explained the wondrous event that had just taken place! They too were overjoyed that their worship had borne fruit and accepted the divine sweet dish with great delight.

The celestial sweet dish

Dasharatha gave a portion of the celestial sweet dish to each of the three queens, Kaushalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi (he gave one half to Kaushalya, then half of the remainder/a quarter to Sumitra. Then, half of the remainder/an eighth to Kaikeyi, and the remaining eighth again to Sumitra; this apportioning has some significance as we will see later). 

Thus were conceived the four sons of Dasharatha and his wives. The King and the Queens, delighted with the divine blessing that they had received, now awaited the birth of their children with great joy and excitement.

The divine monkeys

Meanwhile, unknown to them, great preparations were underway to create a powerful army to accomplish the extraordinary task for which the avatar was manifesting. Telling the demi-gods that Sri Rama would soon be born, the divine Creator, Brahma, commanded them to beget children who would play an important role in His task upon Earth. 

The demi-gods were told to have children filled with divine strength and power, exceptionally skilled in the art of warfare and who would be capable of changing their form at will. These children were to be born of the union of the demi-gods with various other celestial beings (such as apsaras, gandharvas, yakshas, kinnaras and so on). They were to reside upon the Earth, living in the wild forests and mountains in the form of monkeys. In time, they would be called upon to fulfill the purpose for which they had been born. 

Thus, before the birth of Sri Rama, a large number of celestial beings took birth upon the Earth (being born of the devas, their birth and growing up was very quick compared with human beings!).

They were possessed of great size, strength and valour and wandered about freely in the forests. In play, they could uproot trees with ease, agitate the ocean, shake mountains and leap huge distances across land and sea as well as into the sky. 

Apparently unaware of the purpose of their birth, these divine children of the devas, lived happily in the forests, mountains and by the sea.

These divine monkey warriors not only bore a resemblance to their demi-god parents but also possessed their natural skill and powers. For instance, the son of Indra, King of devas, was Vali, who became the King of monkeys. The son of Surya, the sun-god, was Sugriva, the younger brother of Vali, who was as glorious as his father. 

The son of Vishvakarma, the divine architect, was Nala who had a natural talent for building. The Guru of the demi-gods, Brihaspati, fathered Tara, a divine monkey of exceptional intelligence.

 

The demi-god of the wind, Vayu, was the father of Hanuman. Hanuman was unique in many ways-- he was as fast as the wind, of immense power, and blessed with great intelligence. Unlike many of the other monkeys (who tended to be somewhat haughty due to the awareness of their own power), he was also blessed with extraordinary humility (this was perhaps his greatest strength as we will see later). 

Thus, even before the advent of Sri Rama and His brothers, the Earth teamed with divine monkeys, the children of the demi-gods, who were ready to serve Him as He fulfilled the purpose of His avatar.

Birth of Sri Rama and celebrations

Now, let us return again to Ayodhya! Approximately a year after King Dasharatha's worship was completed, a particularly auspicious day dawned. It was the ninth day ('navami' in Sanskrit) of the lunar month known as Chaitra (April-May; and the various planets were powerfully situated in various zodiac signs in the sky, signalling the birth of a Divine being!). 

On this sacred day, the avatar of Lord Narayana known as Sri Rama was born of Queen Kausalya. Shortly afterwards, on the same day, Bharata was born of Queen Kaikeyi. Around a day later, Queen Sumitra gave birth to twin boys who were known as Lakshmana and Shatrughna. 

On the eleventh day after the birth of the children, their naming ceremony was performed in accordance with the scriptures by sage Vasistha, the family Guru. 

Although, Sri Rama was an avatar of Narayana , His three brothers were also divine in nature (they were part-manifestations of the various powers of Narayana; to an extent, their divinity was manifested in proportion to the quantity of celestial payasam consumed by their mothers!).

On the occasion of the birth of children of King Dasharatha and the Queens, there was tremendous rejoicing in the kingdom of Kosala and particularly, in the capital city of Ayodhya. As part of the great celebrations that took place, there was much music, dancing, artistic performance and worship. 

The streets of Ayodhya were filled with people in great spirits. In the heavens above, the demi-gods and divine sages also celebrated and showered flowers upon the city to express their great joy.

The King then gave away great quantities of wealth and jewels as gifts to various worthy recipients including sages, priests, musicians and dancers. The entire city of Ayodhya and the kingdom of Kosala seemed to shine with a divine splendour upon the advent of Sri Rama.

King Dasharatha in particular was filled with a unique ecstasy. With the arrival of his children, and Sri Rama in particular, he felt a peace and bliss that he had never felt before. Thus he regarded himself as being extremely fortunate and blessed.

Thus concludes the description of the birth of Sri Rama. To be continued....

Om Sri Ramaya Namah.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

P.S. Just to say, to those who have sent me queries regarding ishta devata and so on from the Vedic astrology chart, I am sorry for the delay replying. I am working my way through the requests received but have taken on some extra work and other commitments hence the delay (apologies but it may take me a month or more to respond to your queries currently).