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. 

The Ramayana of sage Valmiki: an introduction

 Hari Aum.

Om Sri Ramayah Namah.

As mentioned in a previous post, I have taken up the reading of the Ramayana (the original version composed by the sage, Valmiki). Like other spiritual texts, the Ramayana, or legend of Lord Rama, contains a number of teachings that are helpful for the spiritual seeker. 

I therefore thought it would be useful to write a bit about what I have read so far from the Valmiki Ramayana.

The Ramayana is lengthy and I obviously do not plan to summarise the entire book here (it is readily available online for those who would like to read the original). However, what I thought I would do, is summarise of the key aspects, and spend some time reflecting upon the spiritual teachings conveyed by the story. 

Before, we delve into the Ramayana, let us pause and reflect upon what is meant by 'Rama'? (I have written about this elsewhere on this blog but, as I am now starting to write about the Ramayana, it would be useful to remind ourselves of the meaning again).

In straightforward terms, 'Rama' is everything and more. It is impossible to define Rama, it is impossible to truly understand Rama-- with the human intellect, that is. The frail, little human intellect, with its many limitations, is incapable of truly grasping the essence of its Creator, who is Rama Himself, the Supreme Being, the One without birth or death, who is beyond time and space.

However, it is possible to understand to an extent, the activities of the avatar, Sri Rama. Our Gurus tell us that Rama can be known by the heart (but not by the head/intellect). Through the cultivation of devotion or bhakti towards Lord Rama, one can indeed come to know and experience Him in full. 

This is the declaration of many Gurus, saints and devotees since time immemorial. 

Rama is not a distant Being, a faraway God, or an ancient king of a time long gone by. No, the Gurus say emphatically, that is not all that there is to Rama.

Rama is here and now, within you and me. Rama is the essence of us all. All that we think, feel, say and do, is by the power and will of Rama alone. With that understanding, let us continue.

 An avatar is defined by the Gurus and yogis as 'the descent of divinity to help the ascent of man'. Rama is one such avatar of the Supreme Being where He takes the form of a human being.

Why did Rama appear on Earth? The Gurus say that the purpose of this particular avatar was to present before humanity the example of an ideal human being. Every avatar comes to protect the good and destroy evil-- but this avatar came with an additional purpose. That purpose was to set an example for humanity to follow.

Unlike the Krishna avatar, who showed an awareness of His own divinity from the moment He appeared on Earth, the Rama avatar appeared, in many ways, to be unaware of His own divinity. This avatar, though as powerful as any other manifestation of the Supreme Being, appears to throw Himself completely into playing the part of a human being with all the accompanying joys, sorrows, victories and challenges.

So, on that note, let us begin to examine the Ramayana written by sage Valmiki (I will sometimes refer to this by the popular term 'Valmiki Ramayana' here).

The Valmiki Ramayana consists of six sections or 'kandas' in Sanskrit.

These are as follows:

1. Bala Kanda: this describes Rama's childhood and early youth

2. Ayodhya Kanda: this describes events in the kingdom of Ayodhya

3. Aranya Kanda: this delineates the experiences of Rama during His exile in the forest

4. Kishkinda Kanda: this portion describes events that occur in the kingdom of divine monkeys

5. Sundara Kanda: this section is dedicated to the valiant actions of Hanuman (devotee of Rama)

6. Yuddha Kanda: this portion describes a great war between the forces of good and evil and the triumph of the Divine.

I have been reading the Bala Kanda recently and would like to write a little about this here. 

The Bala Kanda is a relatively happy section of the Ramayana. It is more lighthearted and cheerful than the other portions. In essence, it describes the birth of Rama, His training under His Gurus (the sages Vashishtha and Vishvamitra) and certain events that demonstrate His power and glory as an avatar of Narayana. It describes how He commences the key task of His avatar to destroy evil. 

It describes the great joy of His winning the hand of Mother Sita (who is an incarnation of Mother Lakshmi). This is perhaps the happiest event in the Ramayana. (The joyful event of the wedding of Sita and Rama is celebrated in many devotional circles even today with special pujas and singing of spiritual songs e.g. as the 'Sita Kalyanam').

One interesting and unique feature of this portion of the Ramayana is the description of the meeting of two avatars of Narayana-- Lord Rama and Lord Parashurama. It is quite rare for two avatars of Narayana to be manifest at the same time and even meet each other. This is not really seen in most of the other legends of the avatars but is seen here. And the encounter between them is quite dramatic and interesting and I will write about this in more detail in another post soon.

In addition to the description of the early part of the life of Rama and Sita, the Bala Kanda provides a detailed description of the lives and activities of other important figures connected with Them, for example, Their family lineages, the remarkable legend of sage Vishvamitra, the reason for the manifestation of the sacred river Ganga on Earth, and the saving power of Rama's grace (that redeems a lady known as Ahalya).

I will write another post (or a few, depending!) on the Bala Kanda of the Ramayana and describe some of these key events with reflections upon the spiritual teachings conveyed.

For now, I will conclude with the famous verse known as the 'Ekasloki Ramayana', i.e. the Ramayana in one verse. The recitation of this Sanskrit verse is said to give great spiritual merit as it connects one's mind and heart to Sri Rama and helps in the cultivation of devotion towards Him.

The Ekasloki Ramayana is as follows:

In Sanskrit (Devanagari script):

आदौ राम तपोवनादि गमनं हत्वा मृगं कांचनं । 

वैदेही हरणं जटायु मरणं सुग्रीव सम्भाषणं ॥ 

वाली निर्ग्रहणं समुद्र तरणं लंकापुरी दाहनं । 

पश्चात रावण कुम्बकर्ण हननं एतहि रामायणं ॥

इति एकश्लोकि रामायणं सम्पूर्णम् ॥

Transliteration of the above verse in English:

Adau Rama tapovanadi gamanam, hatva mrigam kanchanam.

Vaidehi haranam, Jatayu maranam, Sugriva sambhashanam.

Vali nirgrahanam, samudra taranam Lankapuri dahanam.

Pashchat Ravana Kumbhakarna hananam, etahi Ramayanam. 

Iti ekasloki Ramayanam sampurnam. 

This is my Guru Sivananda's translation of the Ekasloki Ramayana:

"Formerly Sri Rama went to the forest (where Rishis did penance) and killed the illusive deer. Sita was carried away and Jatayu was killed. (Rama) met Sugriva, killed Vali and crossed the ocean. The city of Lanka was burnt (by Hanuman). Ravana and Kumbhakarna were then killed. Thus (is recited) the holy Ramayana."

Om Sri Rama Jaya Rama, Jaya Jaya Rama.

May Lord Rama bless us all and grant us true devotion to Him.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

The legend of Valmiki: karma and Rama nama

 Hari Aum.

As Rama navami, the celebration of the birthday of Sri Rama, is coming up at the end of this month, I thought it would be good to reflect upon His life and teachings. As many of you would know, Rama is an avatar of Narayana. His name is one of the most beloved and popular mantras (that is said to have existed even before the avatar) and many Gurus since time immemorial have praised it and recommended it to their disciples for regular recitation. 

One of the first people to recommend the recitation of the mantra 'Rama' to somebody was a sage known as Narada. Many of you would be familiar with the name of this sage; he is a great devotee of Narayana and is said to travel freely within the various material realms of the universe reciting the names of the Divine. He is regarded as a talented musician and plays the veena (a beautiful string instument).

Narada is known to have provided spiritual guidance to many a person in distress (these stories are described in the ancient scriptures known as the Puranas) and the main spiritual practice that he recommends is recitation of the names and mantras of the Divine. Here I would like to describe the legend of one person whom Narada helped-- a person who came to be known as Valmiki. 

Valmiki is regarded as a great sage in his own right. He composed the 'Ramayana', an exquisitely beautiful poem that describes the life of Lord Rama. It is said that he was granted a special spiritual vision that enabled him to see the entire life of Rama so that he could describe this. He also met Sri Rama and played an important part in His Lila.

The sage Valmiki was not always a sage. His story is one of the most inspiring ones in terms of spiritual transformation. It demonstrates the efficacy of the recitation of the names and mantras of God. It is often narrated by many Gurus to encourage people to take up mantra japa (Sivananda too has written of this story). Many of you may know the story of Valmiki already, but for those who do not yet know, I will describe it here as I find it truly inspiring.

Once upon a time, a very, very long time ago, in a dense forest, lived a man known as 'Ratnakar'. Ratnakar was a criminal. He had been raised in a family of hunters. After growing up and getting married, he had had a number of children. He found it difficult to maintain his family through hunting alone, and therefore turned to crime.

Over time, he became well-known as a fearsome criminal, a man who would steal the riches of passing merchants and wealthy people, and if necessary, kill them in the process. He wandered about the forest every day armed with weapons looking for new victims. He became quite a successful criminal and his wife, children and parents enjoyed a comfortable life as a result.

One day, as Ratnakar was searching for someone to rob, he encountered the sage Narada. The sage was walking down a forest path, playing his veena and merrily singing the names of Narayana. The robber suddenly emerged from the bushes and told the sage to stop and hand over all his wealth. He threatened to put him to death immediately if he did not comply.

Narada, who had been immersed in his own world of spiritual thoughts, was surprised by the sight of Ratnakar. He honestly told the man that the only material possession that he had was his veena. He explained that his main wealth was, in fact, the name of Narayana (and this was a wealth that was freely available to all; there was no need to kill him to obtain this!). He said that Ratnakar could have the veena if he wished.

The thief was not interested in owning a veena (which he regarded as a worthless instrument). He was, however, taken aback by the composure of the sage in the face of being threatened with death. He was also mystified by the sage gazing kindly and affectionately at him (as this was not usual for his victims!).

Ratnakar asked the sage how it was that he was unafraid of death. Narada replied saying that he recited the names of Narayana and saw Him alone everywhere; what then was there to be afraid of? The robber thought that this did not make much sense and was about to walk off in disgust when the sage suddenly asked him a question in return.

"O Ratnakar" said Narada, "I would now like to ask you a question. You know you have committed many crimes and there will be a price to pay for this in accordance with the divine law of karma. Why then do you do this?"

Ratnakar turned and looked at him. "O sage", he said, "I have a family to feed. My wife, children and aged parents depend upon me. I am merely doing my duty as a family man to look after all of them".

"Really?" said Narada. "As your family are enjoying the spoils of your crimes, I wonder whether they will also partake of the punishment that will be meted out to you in the future. For the consequences of the crimes you have committed against humanity will be great indeed."

Ratnakar laughed "O sage", he said, "You are a wandering ascetic, therefore perhaps you do not know much of family life. Let me tell you that my family are all extremely dear to me and I am very dear to them. They are loyal to me and I am loyal to them. Each one of them would gladly partake of any punishment that may be meted out to me in the future." 

"We follow the motto 'one for all, and all for one'", he added proudly.

"Wonderful!" said the sage. "You are most fortunate. However, there is no harm in confirming this with your family, as it is so important. After all, you would be in dreadful trouble if they refuse to help you!"

Seeing Ratnakar look at him in surprise, Narada said, "I will wait here. Why don't you go and talk to your family and find out?"

"All right, I will" said Ratnakar, feeling sure of the answer that he would receive. "I will show you, O sage, that you were wrong to doubt my family".

He then went off to his home which was not very far away and the first person he encountered was his wife who was busy with household chores.

Ratnakar addressed her, "My dearest wife! I met a rather odd man in the forest just now! He seems to be a sage of some sort. He warned me that I would have to face suffering in the future as a result of the many crimes that I have committed to maintain my family."

"He also told me to ask if you would be willing to share a portion of this suffering with me as I do all of this only for you. My most beloved wife! Naturally, I said that I was in no doubt that you would share in my sorrows, as you share in my joys!"

Ratnakar's wife looked at him in surprise.

"Dear husband", she said, "What is this? You know very well that I have been a dutiful wife to you, and that I am a devoted mother to our children. Day and night, I toil and labour only for the sake of all of you. My future will be determined only by my own karma, why should it be determined by yours?"

She continued, saying, "I never told you to rob and kill people, that was entirely your decision! Naturally, as a husband and father, it is your duty to provide for your family. How you choose to do that is up to you! I cannot take any responsibility for your actions. I find it very unfair that you wish me to take on your negative karma and I will certainly not do any such thing!"

"Now, if you will excuse me," she said, "I need to go and perform my duties in the house. Lunch will not cook itself!" With these words, she swept off and disappeared from sight.

Ratnakar was completely devastated and shocked upon hearing these words from his beloved. "How could she be so cruel and unfeeling?! I wrongly thought that she would stand by me no matter what; what a dreadful mistake!" he thought.

"Never mind", he consoled himself, "My parents will help me. Nobody loves us as much as our parents". Speaking thus, he approached his elderly parents who were sitting and drinking a herbal brew.

"Dear mother, dear father", he began, and told them the same thing that he had told his wife. "I know you will always stand by your beloved son and share in the suffering I must face" he concluded.

To his dismay, his parents also looked at him in astonishment.

"Dear son", they said, "We did our duty and raised you to be a hunter as is the tradition in our family. We never asked you to turn to crime. It is your duty to care for us as your aged parents. You are a grown man now, and it is not our place to tell you what to do! It is up to you to make your own decisions and maintain your family as you see fit. We cannot take any responsibility for your actions. Your karma is your business entirely! Our future will only be determined by our own karma."

Ratnakar was appalled to hear his own parents speak in this way. Sadly, he turned away, and approached his beloved children. "Surely they will help their own father!" he thought.

However, unfortunately for him, this was not the case.  

"O father", they said, "We have our entire lives ahead of us, and our future will be determined by our own actions. How can we be responsible for the crimes that you have committed?! We are only children. You are our father, and you have a duty to care for us. We are sorry but we cannot share your negative karma!".

Ratnakar felt completely crestfallen at these words from his family. "I thought they were all loyal to me", he thought, "but they have now revealed their true colours. In truth, they think only of themselves!"

Thus, the robber despondently returned to the waiting sage.

"Well?" said Narada, "What did your family say? Are they all ready and eager to share in your suffering as you had said?".

"No, they are not." said Ratnakar gloomily, "You were right, O sage. They are happy to enjoy the riches that I obtain through crime, but unwilling to have any share in the unpleasant future consequences."

"I do not know what to do! As you said, I am in very great trouble!"

Saying this, and suddenly feeling rather weak, he sat down on the ground holding his head in his hands and shed tears of grief and despair.

Narada sat down next to him and patted him kindly on the back. "There, there" he said, "Don't worry."

"I have a solution for your situation".

Ratnakar looked up hopefully, "Really?" he asked. "You have a solution for all my negative karma?"

"Yes", said Narada, "I do".

"And what is that?" asked Ratnakar.

"It is the name of God. It washes off all negative karma and creates new positive karma. In fact, it takes you to a state beyond all karma, a state of great peace and bliss", said Narada.

Ratnakar looked at him in bewilderment. "How is that possible?" he asked. "How can repeating a mere name wash off the effects of karma?"

Narada smiled. "It is not a mere name that I am going to ask you to repeat, my friend, it is the name of God Himself. The name of God is one with God. It is God Himself. Do you not think that God has the power to wash off all karma? There is none more purifying than Him!"

Ratnakar was unsure about this. However, he did not exactly have many other choices and therefore decided to give it a try.

"All right", he said, "I will try it. I'm willing to try anything at this stage!".

"Very good", said the sage. "This is the name of God that I recommend that you repeat-- it is Rama".

Ratnakar tried to say the word "Rama" but for some mysterious reason, he was unable to pronounce the name. (Some say it was because his mind had committed such heinous crimes, it was unable to even utter the name of God!).

The sage looked sympathetically at him and said, "Ok, if you cannot say 'Rama', can you say the opposite, that is, 'Mara'?" he asked.

"Of course I can!", said Ratnakar, "Mara!" (Mara means killing and death in Sanskrit so it was no wonder that he could pronounce it perfectly!).

"Well done" said Narada. "Now what I want you to do, is sit right here, close your eyes, and say 'Mara' repeatedly without a break. So it will sound like this-- 'MaRaMaRaMaRaMa'. That way, you actually end up saying 'Rama, Rama'!".

"I will be going away now for a while. Stay here and continue repeating the name. Do not move from this spot until I tell you to", said the sage.

"Ok", said Ratnakar obligingly. "Thank you, O sage, you are very kind. You have helped me when nobody else did. I really am most grateful!".

"That's all right" said Narada. "I'm glad to have met you!".

Saying this, the sage went off merrily singing the names of Narayana and playing his veena. Meanwhile, Ratnakar did as instructed. He sat still and repeated 'MaRaMaRaMaRa' many, many times in his mind.

Gradually, after a long period of time, as his mind repeated the two syllables 'MaRa' again and again, it became purified and he entered a state of deep meditation (the state of spiritual liberation known as samadhi). He remained very still in this state enjoying the experience of spiritual peace and joy. He realised his own God nature through the name of Rama.

As he sat still in the forest, various birds and animals looked at him in surprise as they went by but did not disturb him (he was protected by the name of Rama). A group of ants were looking for a suitable spot to build an anthill. They thought that Ratnakar's place of meditation had a nice, peaceful vibration and decided to build one here.

The ants built a large anthill and ended up covering the whole of Ratnakar, so he could no longer be seen! After a long time, sage Narada came looking for him. He noticed the remnants of the anthill in the place where Ratnakar had been sitting. 

He broke the anthill open and said "Arise O sage! The time has come for you to re-enter the world!".

Ratnakar opened his eyes and slowly emerged from the anthill. He looked at Narada and the two sages embraced each other in great joy.

"As you emerged from an anthill (known as 'valmikam' in Sanskrit), you shall henceforth be known as  'Valmiki', O sage!", said Narada.

Sage Valmiki bowed and gladly accepted the words of his Guru.

He then lived an austere life as an ascetic in the forest and remained immersed in the bliss of Rama nama. At the appointed time, he was called upon to play a key role in the life of the Rama avatar (who arrived on Earth later) and in composing the Ramayana.

This completes the story of the transformation of Ratnakar into Valmiki through the japa of the wonderful mantra 'Rama', a mantra that has been loved by saints and their disciples for countless centuries and is still loved and recited by many even today.

Om.

Salutations to the great Guru, sage Narada, and his wonderful disciple, sage Valmiki.

Om Sri Ramaya Namah.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat