Ramayana Chapter 13 Videha

Chapter 13

Videha

Janaka’s Videha was a well-ordered and a well-administered state. It was near the foot of the Himalayan ranges. People living close to mountains are generally sedate by temperament. Janaka himself was averse to splendor and regalia. He belonged to a dynasty that had a tradition of spirituality. He was more of a philosopher than a king. With a mind that was at ease with himself and the world, he was always a good companion to everyone around. When Vishvamitra arrived in Mithila with Rama and Laxman, Janaka was preoccupied with the sacrificial rites that kings used to perform in order to remain in harmony with the gods in heaven and the rivals and friends on earth.  Vishvamitra had arrived just a little before the completion of the ceremony. Rama and Laxman were enjoying this little break from the expeditions of forests. As they were Vishvamitra’s protégés, and very young among the guests of honor, they were doted upon by sages, priests and the attendants of the king. One day Janaka himself invited them to his palace with Vishvamitra.

“Tell me what I can do for your holiness,” he said to Vishvamitra.

Vishvamitra who saw an opportunity in all such meetings with great kings, said, “We have heard about the great ancient bow in your custody, and it  is said to be the most difficult bow to handle.”

Janaka looked up at Vishvamitra warily. Vishvamitra noticed his hesitation. He proceeded in a circumspect manner.

“Your Lordship, these young men are adept at handling missiles of war. They are eager to see this great bow. They will be content to have a look at it before returning to their capital. “

Janaka looked at them with interest. He said, “Your Holiness, let me tell you all about this great bow. Let me also tell you why it has been kept here. This bow had been entrusted to one of our ancestors for safe custody. It is said that Lord Shiva, after he had destroyed the sacrificial fire of his father-in-law, King Daksha who had tried to humiliate him by not inviting him to the ceremony of the great yajnya, picked up this bow and threatened the gods who were guests of honor there.  He threatened to kill them. After the gods had appeased him he let them go unhurt. But he did not revoke the threat. The remorseful gods propitiated Shiva and asked for this bow. Shiva’s anger had subsided by then. He gave the bow to the gods who in turn gave it to our ancestor Devrat.”

Rama had heard this old myth of Shiva’s wrath. He was amazed to learn that the bow in Janaka’s possession had belonged to the mythological times.

Janaka was watching Rama. He had begun to like these two young men from Ayodhya. After a pause he proceeded testily, “I have two daughters, but no son.” He was addressing Vishvamitra as he said this. Laxman looked at Rama from the corner of his eye.

“The elder of the two is Seeta,” Janaka said.

Just then two young girls peeped in on some errand and finding three strangers seated there, vanished in the adjacent chamber. One of them caught Rama’s eye briefly. She seemed nearly of his age, while the other one seemed a little younger. For a split moment, she looked at Rama and withdrew behind the curtain.   

Janaka was not aware of this coming and going. He continued,”Seeta is a foundling, very precious to me for that reason.  I found her encased in a basket when I was tilling earth. I simply called her 'Seeta’, that is, one who came out of the tilled soil. Though adopted, she is my first child. Urmila was born a year later to my wife.

There was gentleness and peace on Janaka’s face as he related this.Rama looked around the room where they were seated. Everything seemed to be warm and composed. He wondered which of the two girls who had peeped in was Seeta. Destiny smiled—an ascetic born to a king and an earthling gifted to another king!

Janaka said, “Now it’s time for me to get my daughters married to the right men. Seeta is much sought after. Many kings have personally come here to ask for her hand in marriage. But I have decided that the one, who will be able to lift this bow, string it and get it in a ready position, will marry Seeta.

Laxman was amused, and only upon being secretly chided by Rama, gained control over his laughter.

Janaka noticed this and said, “This is not an ordinary bow. None of the kings could do even so much as lift it up from the ground. You will understand what I am saying when you have a look at it.” 

Vishvamitra looked at Rama meaningfully. Rama closed his eyes meditatively. Laxman looked on curiously.

Janaka said, “I have no hesitation in showing it to you. In fact, I shall be only too happy if Rama is able to do what no one else has done before.”

Rama came out of his momentary trance and looked at Janaka. Janaka said, “I am not jesting; I mean it.

Vishvamitra said, “Your Lordship, I request you, please show the bow to Rama.”

Janaka sent his ministers to the town-museum. They brought it in a cart moving on eight wheels. Several able-bodied men heaved up the iron casket containing the bow and placed it before them.

Janaka said to Vishvamitra, “Your Holiness, this is the bow. Let the two princes have a look at it.”

By that time the news had spread around. A crowd of several thousand had gathered outside the mansion. The casket had to be carried and placed on the ground outside. When every one of the crowd was seated peacefully and the important dignitaries had occupied their seats Seeta herself arrived, accompanied by her mother and sister Urmila. They sat a little distance away from Janaka.

The queen looked at Rama and Laxman: both clad in simple garments that allowed them to move about with ease. Vishvamitra used to take special care to see that they did not stand out among the foresters as princes. Still, there was an unusual grace and dignity in them. Unless called upon to spring into action, they moved about in a leisurely manner with no shred of worry or anxiety. They breathed evenly and their eyes sparkled with a sense of amusement which was quite in keeping with their age.

The queen looked at Seeta who hadn’t enough time to get decked up thoroughly for the occasion.  She was wearing a golden yellow garment and a few prominent jewels fit for a princess. Urmila was a shade fairer than her. Seeta could not be called a beauty exactly. But there was a certain intensity about her. She looked like a reflection of the sun in the ripples of a lake. Urmila who was standing beside her was viewing everything with a detached mind. She recalled how her father’s kingdom was under a siege for more than a year by the rejected suitors who joined hands to avenge their failure to win Seeta. She wondered how their father could offer a chance to this prince whose only companions were an old sage and a young brother. The two brothers looked like twins. However, the fairer one was a bit impulsive according to her because he nudged his brother whenever he found something ludicrous or pompous in the behavior of the courtiers. Rama who was going to pick up the challenge was composed and grave. A certain inwardness and silence seemed to be the mark of his character. He seemed to give an impression that he had gone through all this before, that he had known Seeta before, and was meeting her again here and now.

Seeta’s heart fluttered. She eyed the garland of fresh flowers which the gardener had made hurriedly for this occasion. He had come personally to deliver it to her and said, “My lady, I have made garlands several times before. But I have a feeling; this is the most precious of all. These flowers spoke to me.”

“What did they say?” she asked.

“They said, we are lucky; a god is going to embrace us!”

There were drops of tears in her eyes which she tried to hide.

The gardener was standing right now in the midst of the spectators, looking at the garland one moment and at Rama the next.

Rama took a few steps, came near the casket and stood there for a moment as everybody watched with bated breath.

Rama silently sought Vishvamitra’s consent. Vishvamitra spoke with great aplomb, “Go ahead, my boy, have a look at it.” He knew well that he was making an understatement. Rama looked in the direction of Seeta. Their eyes met. The anguish in her eyes told him that this moment was going to decide her fate; there was no time to lose. He bent; opened the casket; and before anyone could realize what was happening, the great bow was up in the air, turned and bent into a half-circle and all this seemed to have happened without a beginning. Nobody saw Rama making an effort to lift it and string it. What they remembered to have seen was Rama standing upright; with the string stretched back right up to his ear. And the next moment, the ancient bow cracked with an awesome twang. It was as if the earth had split into two and the very sun ran helter skelter in the sky.

It took people quite some time to realize that Rama had indeed accomplished the impossible. There was jubilation all around. It was as if the gods in heaven had come down to celebrate Rama’s victory.

Urmila embraced Seeta spontaneously. Janaka and his wife looked at their daughter. She was still standing where she was, lost to the crowd and lost to herself. The distance between her and Rama seemed immeasurable.

Shatananda moved forward and ordered Seeta to follow him to Rama. She took a few measured steps and found herself standing in the presence of Rama. She was surrounded by the women of the royal family, every one of whom was trying to make her presence felt.

Shatananda made way for Janaka, the queen, and princess Urmila. He invited Vishvamitra and Laxman and led them to the spot where Rama was standing. The cracked bow was lying securely in the casket beside him.

Seeta had found her husband. She stood before Rama, holding the garland in her trembling hands. Rama stood before her, tall and unbending, not realizing that he had to bow down a little for Seeta to be able to garland him. Seeta looked up, raised her hands with the garland and made an effort to raise herself a little on her toes. Everyone was too excited to notice her effort except Laxman. He pressed his foot hard on Rama’s toes, which drove Rama to look down at his feet, bending a little in that process. Seeta caught that moment and quickly put the garland around his neck.

Ramyana Chapter 12 Arrival in Mithila

Ramayana

Chapter 12

 Arrival in Mithila

Vishvamitra, Rama and Laxman proceeded in the direction of Mithila, the capital city of king Janaka. The city was flowers, festoons and flags. King Janaka was performing a sacrificial rite. Thousands of learned brahmins from different parts of the neighboring states had gathered in the city. Their carriages were parked in the open grounds. Vishvamitra camped in an isolated corner of an open ground with the help of Rama and Laxman. 

On getting the news of Vishvamitra's arrival in the precincts of the sacrificial altar, Janaka, accompanied by his royal priest Shatananda, came to greet Vishvamitra in his camp. 

After the customary greetings, Janaka said, "Your holiness, in twelve days my sacrifice will be brought to completion. I request you to stay on till then." 

Vishvamitra accepted the invitation. King Janaka's eye fell on the two brothers standing modestly beside Vishvamitra all this while.

"Pray, who are these handsome young men?" asked Janaka. 

Vishvamitra said,"They are the sons of King Dashratha of Ayodhya. I am taking them along with me to the various parts of this country," said Vishvamitra.

Janaka and his preceptor Shatananda were looking at the boys curiously. Vishvamitra told them about the killing of Tataka and the meeting with Ahalya. Rama noticed that Shatananda was listening with rapt concentration while Vishvamitra was relating the incident of their strange meeting with Ahalya. Rama also noticed tears in Shatananda's eyes. When Vishvamitra was through with his account which he had given in a sultry, matter-of-fact manner, Shatananda looked at Rama with immense gratitude. Rama wondered why. Shatananda went to Rama and kissed his hands. Laxman watched, perplexed by what was happening.

Shatananda said to Rama, "My mother suffered a lot. There seemed no end to it." Rama was astonished. Vishvamitra said, "I did not tell you before, but Shatananda is Ahalya's son." He paused for a moment and added, "Ahalya's son by Indra."

Rama looked at everybody. Both Janaka and Shatananda were calm.Obviously, Janaka knew it. Rama looked at both again. He cherished that picture in his memory and whenever he thought of magnanimity, he recalled that picture.

Shatananda turned to Vishvamitra and asked, "Where is my mother and how is she?"

Vishvamitra said,"She has joined her husband Gautam and they are living together now."

Shatananda turned to Rama and said,"You are indeed lucky that Vishvamitra has chosen both of you as his disciples. He combines in himself the brilliance of Brahmanic knowledge and the valor of Kshatriya. Now that he has given up his kingly status, he cannot fight battles directly, but he has immense knowledge of weaponry and war. He can give you both- his yogic power as well as knowledge of war. I cannot stop recounting all his accomplishments.But it's time to continue our sacrificial rites as it is nearing sunset."

Janaka came forward, walked around Vishvamitra ceremonially to express reverence and left with his priests and preceptors.

Ramayana Chapter 11 Back In Ayodhya : Dashratha and Kaikeyi

Chapter 11

                                                        Back In Ayodhya: Dashratha and Kaikeyi 

          

Back in Ayodhya, Dashratha slept peacefully after he came to know about the success of his sons in their contribution to Vishvamitra’s mission. It was time for him to retreat and trust his kingdom to his sons. But what kind of kingdom would it be? He knew Rama’s aversion for ruling a kingdom, and Laxman was inseparable from his brother. Could he then think of Bharata as his successor? No, he must not take Rama for granted. Besides, Bharata was alienated from the place of his birth because he had lived away from it since childhood. Dashratha knew that Bharata would be only too happy to see Rama crowned. Rama can be persuaded to accept the crown. It is his right and responsibility.

Kaikeyi’s thoughts were difficult to understand. She had always concealed her feelings from him. All these years she had held aloof. She was taken for granted when her father gave her in marriage to Dashratha. Dashratha always had a feeling that she concealed her resentment behind custom and protocol. Nevertheless, he was held captive by her rugged charm and athletic beauty, both of which belonged to this world. She was not the legendary angel to whom poets would pay tributes. She had no fear. Her language and manners were often brusque and offensive. The traditional festivities and Queenly fanfare never interested her. However, she was a very dependable person in times of crisis. Her physical courage and insight into the world of politics surprised those who did not know her well.

However, her feelings for Rama were never accessible to anyone, not even to Rama himself. She was undemonstrative to the point of appearing hostile at times. Dashratha was fond of all his sons. Every one of them had a character of his own. But Dashratha had misgivings about Rama’s future. Rama would not speak his mind; but when he did, it was with utmost clarity and ruthlessness. Added to this was his lack of interest in statecraft. Dashratha was sometimes amused to notice that in some respects Rama and Kaikeyi were similar and in other respects they complemented each other. Both were aloof to the point of haughtiness for those who did not know them and yet took them for granted. Both were undemonstrative of their feelings and when they did express them, it was without effusion. Sometimes their sense of humour was sardonic. They differed in one respect. Rama had no interest in the matters of kingdom. He stayed away most of the time from the conferences of ministers. But Kaikeyi had an innate insight in the matters of political diplomacy. Her insights were strengthened by her pragmatism. Dashratha would often discuss his problems with her and her opinions which were often tersely expressed, would suddenly open up new ways of looking at the problems in hand. When Bharat grew up, he realized that his mother was a strange alchemy. He had nicknamed her as ‘the wise one in the palace’, though he disapproved of her acerbic tongue very often.

If Rama was an ascetic, Kaikeyi was an atheist. She never worried about the good or bad consequences of her actions. In spite of all the complexity in their relationship, Rama and Kaikeyi did not hate each other. Rama according to all those who knew him was incapable of hatred. But none could vouch that for Kaikeyi, for behind her unruffled exterior; neither love nor hatred could generate any passion. Kaikeyi was simply inscrutable. Only Rama knew that Kaikeyi, for some unknown reason, perhaps a reason she herself did not understand, could not express her feelings in an appropriate manner. Next to Laxman it was Kaikeyi who was capable of understanding the depth of Rama’s mind. Kausalya and Dashratha were the perennial mother and father figures. Their sons had never grown up in their eyes. Kaikeyi had silently followed their growth from childhood to adolescence and from there to adulthood. Dashratha would get perturbed by her sullenness whenever he indulged Rama in the days of his childhood. However, he had also noticed that she would secretly send some small gift or sweets to Rama through Manthara. This change in her behavior was noticed by Dashratha after Rama’s return from his pilgrimage when he had given up all interest in the life of the palace. It comforted him to think that with the passage of time Kaikeyi had mellowed down perhaps. He remembered how, when Rama had a fall from the horseback once while learning to ride, she who was watching from her window, had rushed to the scene barefoot. But on reaching there, she coldly rebuked the trainer and told him to be more careful in future. Beyond that, she did not pause there to speak to anyone.

However, she explicitly disapproved of Dashratha’s fondness for Rama otherwise. Over time, Dashratha had learned what displeased her. Generally, he would not speak about Rama in her presence. He had never opposed the decisions she took regarding Bharat and accepted her prerogative in those matters. When she sent Bharat to be brought up in her father’s palace, everyone thought it was an act of expressing contempt for the way of bringing up princes in her husband’s palace.

Kaikeyi never explained her actions or motives. She never sounded visionary or philanthropic. Dashratha did not spend much time in finding out how her mind worked. But his instinct always told him that by some uncanny predetermination, her seemingly absurd ideas yielded beneficial results.

The news of the killing of Tataka and other rakshasas was too good to be true. Vishvamitra’s confidence in the two princes was not misplaced. Dashratha’s initial apprehensions and trepidations were put to rest. On the day when his messengers brought the news to him, he went straight to the quarters of Kaikeyi. She too had received the news.

She met him at the gate of her palace and walked in with him. He could feel the controlled elation in her gait. When they sat down they beamed at each other. Her eyes sparkled as if to say, “Didn’t I tell you?”

Dashratha said, “Finally they stood the test of time. The princes of Ishvaku dynasty have done me proud.”

“Indeed!”said Kaikeyi.

Dashratha was glad that she shared his feelings.

“They must come back now, “said Dashratha. Kaikeyi laughed. “Vishvamitra is not going to let them,” she said.

“He has no right to decide that. He extracted a promise out of me. I kept it. That’s it. They are my sons.”  

“So what do you have in mind for them? Are they going to stay in the palace all their lives?”

“They are my sons. That’s all. I don’t want them to put their life at risk when my armies are there to fight for every sage and king on earth”

“So your armies will fight. They will fight for their livelihood and get killed so that your sons will live in palaces, perform sacrifices, get married, perpetuate the dynasty, pass on the kingdom to their heirs and die?”

“My sons will live long; my Rama will live long unless you think otherwise for him.”

The last sentence inflamed her.

“Why do you attribute that feeling to me always?”

“It’s because you have never loved any of them. You never loved Bharat either. Otherwise, you would not have insisted on sending him to your father in spite of my express disinclination.”

Kaikeyi was speechless.

As Dashratha watched for further signs of a flare-up she stormed out of the room.

Dashratha decided to let her alone. He decided to hold a conference with his ministers. He wanted his sons to have the best of life and he was sure his ministers wished so too.

Ramayana Chapter 10 The Path of Destiny

When Vishvamitra set out in the direction of river Sharayu, he was accompanied by Rama and Laxman. They had left Ayodhya far behind now. When they reached the south bank of the river, it was time to rest. Vishvamitra told Rama and Laxman to drink the water of the sacred river. It was a solemn ritual. As they held the water in the cup of their hands, Vishvamitra held his hands above their heads and chanted mantras in a deep, sonorous voice. They absorbed the vibrations in reverence. After the chanting of the mantras stopped, there was a profound silence.  The brothers waited in expectancy. Vishvamitra said, “I transmitted indomitable courage, alertness and immense strength to you by means of these mantras. Their power will stay with you always, at all times and at all places. Henceforth you will never be troubled by fatigue, sickness or anxiety.  Your enemies will not be able to take you by surprise while you are asleep. You will have no adversary.  Good luck, presence of mind, intuition and intelligence will always come to your aid. I have blessed you with those powers of the mind which give rise to all knowledge. You will conquer hunger and thirst. I have attained this state of mastery by devoting all my life to penance and austerity. Now I am endowing you with my power so that you may use it for the benefit and protection of the helpless on this earth. “

On that night, Rama and Laxman slept on a bed of grass and listened to Vishvamitra. His words carried tremendous assurance and gave them a glimpse of their mission.

The next day, they reached the place where the river Sharayu merges with the great river Ganga. The sages living on the bank of the river had grown fond of the grave sage Vishvamitra and his young disciples who had conquered their hearts by their unworldly charm. As soon as Vishvamitra mentioned to them that they were going to cross the river, the sages arranged for an elegant and comfortable rowing boat for them. As they reached midstream, they listened to a roar of two streams clashing with each other. It was like a gong of thousands of huge bells clashing together. The impact was tremendous. On reaching the middle of the stream, Rama asked, “Why is the sound of two great streams, when they meet each other, so awesome? There is a terrible beauty in it.”

Vishvamitra was looking at the waters in deep awe. He said, “The two rivers which are singing this awesome, sublime duet, are none other than the river Sharayu and the river Ganga. Sharayu springs from the heavenly lake ‘Manas’ on the crest of the mountain Himalaya. This is the river which flows by Ayodhya. She is pouring forth her waters in the stream of Ganga. The two rivers clash here. When two mighty phenomena greet each other, there is an illusion of war before we recognize it as love. All that we can do is bow down in reverence.”

The boatman circumnavigated the tumultuous merger of the two streams. They got off on the south bank of the river and walked ahead briskly. Their path cut across a thick uninhabited forest where there was no sign of human life. The eerie silence was pierced across by screech of owls and bats and they had to halt from time to time as they came across signs of wild animals crossing their path. Vishvamitra gathered the two brothers around him and told them to slow down their gait. The boys were curious to know about this land which they had never seen before.

“It was a fertile and prosperous land once upon a time,” Vishvamitra said, “until it came under the dominion of a woman called Tataka. She was still the undeclared ruler of this land. She was the only child of a Yaksha: a divine race closely connected to the devas. Once a very beautiful woman, she had now turned into a cruel ugly hag. The kingdom which had belonged to her Yaksha father was now devastated. She had married and borne a son. Her husband was a lackluster person and she would get him into trouble by her wayward conduct. Thus, by her arrogance, she offended a sage called Agastya and incurred his wrath. In the course of a long drawn out battle between Agastya and Tataka, the land suffered; Agastya’s curse put an end to the life of Tataka’s husband Sunda; her son lost his godly appearance and grew into a demon; and Tataka herself, once a beautiful woman of the godly Yaksha race, turned into an ogress. She vowed revenge upon Agastya and was bent upon making life a hell for him. The result was a perpetual state of war in which the people of this land had to pay with their life and property. She was still in command over this area which had already turned into a veritable inferno.”

Vishvamitra related the whole story to Rama and Laxman and said, “Rama, you must have understood the gravity of your mission by now. I want both of you to see the kind of world we are living in. Tataka is uncontrollable. Her greed for power and her love for her only son have made her what she is today. Insane anger, frustration and revenge have produced a devastation and terror called Tataka. She won’t change. The only way to restore peace and order is too kill her now. Vishvamitra was precise and uncompromising. Seeing Rama perplexed, he said, “Have no qualms about killing her because she has no qualms left in her. There were many instances in the past when mighty princes were called upon to kill female tyrants. You have my consent and order to kill her in a battle.”

Tataka was enraged when she learnt about the entry of Rama, Laxman and Vishvamitra into her domain. She marched angrily towards them alone because she was confident of her power. There was an exchange of missiles first between the two parties. A whirlpool of dust surrounded Tataka and her adversaries lost sight of her for a while. There was a hailstorm. But In The midst of all that turbulence Rama and Laxman slashed her hands. She was still invincible because she possessed occult powers of destruction.

Vishvamitra knew what kind of power she was using now. He said, “We must kill her before sunset because those who possess occult power are at their worst in the twilight hour.”

Rama allowed Tataka to come near and made himself appear non-resistant. As she closed in on him, he could feel her advance only by the sound because a screen of smoke covered her on all sides. He threw his missiles by the direction of the sound. Soon she emerged out of the screen and revealed her awful presence. Rama was quick and precise. His missile hit her on the heart and she fell on earth.

They spent the night in the forest which was the stronghold of Tataka until a few hours back. Vishvamitra imparted a lot more instructions to them on the art of war with rakshasas and asuras who were advanced in occult power and the art of warfare.

The next day they walked out of the forest. They could see a mountain ahead of them at the foot of which was lush-green wood’s cluster like clouds. The sight of those distant woods told them that they were well out of the bounds of the sinister domain of Tataka. 

On the way, Vishvamitra told them how, eons ago, in the age called the ‘Age of Truth’, Devas and Daityas, though belonging to the same origin, had parted ways. The Devas occupied the northern hemisphere and the Asuras and Daiyas were pushed to the southern hemisphere. They were literally poles apart in every respect. Devas were poetic by temper. They had an innate predilection towards beauty and luxury. They relished the good things of life and controlled the elements of nature. The highly spiritual of the humans were believed to have a place among the Devas after death.  

Daityas were the progeny of a divine being called Diti.  They had a demonic energy and great physical prowess but in respect of shrewdness the Devas took the laurels. The Devas and the Daityas had co-operated with each other only once. They had joined in a venture to delve deep into the oceans to investigate what was concealed there. Among the treasures which were discovered, (and Devas contrived to lay a claim on most of them) was wine, which was claimed by the Devas. As a result, the Devas came to be called Sura, that is, the beings who relish wine, and the Daityas came to be called Asura, that is, the ones who were deprived of wine. The most vicious among the Daityas came to be known as rakshasas. The uncivilized among them were man-eaters. The Devas were worshipped by humans who had to pray to them for protection against the rakshasas.

Some of the rakshasa dynasties were gifted with extraordinary accomplishments in architecture and technology and possessed knowledge of occult powers. They were envious of the humans who were ready to work hard and knew how to use the resources of nature for the well-being of their race. They were the protégés of Devas who were superior to both rakshasas and the humans by virtue of their divine astral existence. Devas belonged to the bright dimensions of existence and the humans attributed to them the grandeur and ethereal beauty they could envisage in the highest state of meditation. The sages would make it the goal of their life to attain the godly state in this life itself, or if not in this life, in life after the death of the earthly body.

Rakshasas lacked calm and serenity on the whole. Envy, pride and insecurity drove them to acquire power and more power with which they would strive to subdue Devas. Rakshasas had a great capacity to withstand physical stress and some of them followed the path of rigorous penance to acquire occult power. For them, penance was a means of propitiating Shiva who was the most impartial of the deities. He gave his blessings without discrimination. Shiva is purity incarnate: withdrawn from the duality of good and evil: leaving the choice between them to the discretion of his devotees.

Vishvamitra understood the importance of power. He was not a saint. He had outgrown personal ambition and pride, but he had not given up his commitment and responsibility to his people. After all, he was a warrior king before he became a sage in retreat. Rama and Laxman had begun to understand his vision and mission by now. They understood their own role in that massive project. Cocooned in Ayodhya, they were unaware of the threats which the foresters faced because of the growing menace of the rakshasas. Their encounter with Tataka had given them a glimpse of the life in the far-flung parts of the kingdom which were almost no-man’s-land.

On their way, Vishvamitra also told them how one of their ancestors, king Sagara had initiated a sacrifice to declare his sovereignty, and how Indra, the lord of the Devas of that time, stole the sacrificial horse in order to obstruct the completion of the sacrifice. The person who held the seat of power as Indra, was supposed to prevent the kings and the sages of this earth from asserting their power because then they might usurp his position. He always feared a threat to his position from the sages, kings and rakshasas, so he always set them against one another.  The result was that the kings and rakshasas were always fighting each other and Indra enjoyed his seat of power among Devas. Sages preferred to take asylum with kings rather than with Indra. Indra rallied kings and sages around him whenever it suited him, while rakshasas were always left high and dry.

However, this time, Indra had straight away challenged the sovereignty of Sagara who ordered all his sons to search the entire earth and bring back the horse. But nobody knew that the thief was none other than Indra. They all thought that it was the deed of some rakshasas.  The armies of Sagara spread in all four quarters of the earth. There was massive digging, aggression, atrocities and destruction. All the races living on earth feared extinction. The war-crazy soldiers of Sagara under the leadership of the princes reached the hermitage of an ancient sage called Kapila. Indra had left the horse there deliberately to mislead the princes. A terrible war began between Kapila and the princes in which the princes were reduced to ashes. By this time, vast terrains of this earth were devastated by digging and war. The face of the earth changed beyond recognition. The place where the princes lay in a heap of ashes had become a vast desert with not a drop of water in sight. The agrarian economy of earth faced a tremendous set back.

Sagara’s grandson Anshuman went in search of his missing uncles and the lost horse. He realized what had happened, saw the extent of the damage and came back with the horse, but without his uncles. A prophecy was made by great visionaries when he had left that he would bring the horse back and the sacrifice would be completed, and so it was. King Sagara died soon after. Anshuman came, ruled, and passed away, leaving the kingdom to his son Dileep.  After Dileep his son Bhageerath took over.  With superhuman engineering effort, he diverted the flow of the river Ganga and built seven canals, three of which started flowing in the direction of the east of Himalaya. Three more were in the direction of the west and the seventh stream was channelized by Bhageerath to flow over the dry terrains until it reached the sea. That was how the land devastated by Bhageerath’s forefathers was restored to its ecological balance, peace and prosperity.

Bhageerath’s superhuman endeavor was inspired by a greater vision than the ambition for sovereignty which had driven his ancestor Sagara to devastate the land.

Rama and Laxman were now eager to hear more stories from the ancient past. These stories belong to the age of mythology. Myths are encrypted truths and only those with subtle minds can decode their meaning. 

Vishvamitra told them another story.

“Long ago, at the beginning of time immemorial, the two mighty races of Devas and Daityas were not at war constantly as they are now,” said Vishvamitra. “Both the sisters were married to sage Kashyapa.  Devas and Daityas were equally mighty. They used to meditate a lot over the prospect of living a life without malady, ageing and death. The ocean was, according to them, an untapped source of untold mysteries, one of which might unlock the secret of conquering old age and death, they thought. Together, they began to explore the depths of ocean. The experiment continued over centuries. It yielded some valuable findings. The first among those was a deadly poison. The Daityas did not know what to do. But the minds of Devas worked quickly in such crises. They appealed to the greatest of all powers in the universe: Lord Shiva. Shiva was unaffected by good and evil, joy and sorrow, desire and aversion, all alike. They also appealed to Lord Vishnu who was known to be their protector always. But somehow, they saw to it that Lord Shiva would arrive first on the scene. Lord Vishnu, who was in collusion with them, arrived a little later. He smiled and said to Shiva, “The precedence of claim over the first finding of this experiment goes to you, since you are the greatest of all powers. Please accept this poison.” Saying thus, Vishnu disappeared. Shiva, who was always amenable to prayers, consumed it and saved the earth from the deadly pollution which experiments often lead to. The mighty experiment continued for years and mountains arose and sank in the ocean under its terrible impact. This time Lord Vishnu came to the rescue of the experimenters and raised the level of the land beneath the ocean. They called Vishnu an almighty tortoise and continued the churning of the ocean. For some years the power of Vishnu lay dormant beneath the ocean. But a time came when Lord Vishnu was himself curious and instead lying passive he decided to add his power to the efforts of the experimenters. That was a stroke of good fortune which experiments see sometimes. The experiment now began to yield good results. By now, they found out many medicinal herbs and developed a science of remedies. The person who developed it came to be known as Dhanvantari. There were many minor discoveries in the process. Then they found a wine called Sura. They thought it to be the best potable water they had known because it tasted divine. So they attributed it to the god of rains: Varuna: and called it Varuni: the daughter of Varuna. However, the leader of the Daityas became wary when he felt dizzy and lost his power of thinking upon tasting it. He was all the more suspicious because the taste was very tempting. He suspected some crooked design of the Devas behind it and told his followers to drop it forthwith. Devas relished it. They knew Daityas’ propensity for declining the good things of life and were quick to claim it for themselves. Thereafter they were nicknamed ‘Sura’, the connoisseurs of wine, and the Daityas—‘Asura’--- that is, the abstainers. But the best was yet to come.