|| Om Namo Bhagavathey Vasudevaya ||

Chapter – 125-  The legend of Lord Rama -3

Emperor Dhasharatha in the clan of the Surya Dynasty had no offspring.  A grand Puthrakameshti Yaga was performed on the riverbank of Sarayu, by Rishyashrunga who was the son of Maharishi Vibhandaga.  At the successful completion of Yaga, the divine porridge from the Yaga was reverentially received by the Emperor Dhasharatha.  It was divided into two parts and offered to Devi Kausalya and Kaikeyi, and Devi Sumithra got equal halves from Devi Kausalya and Kaikeyi.   In due course of time, the Queens became pregnant with their child, Devi Kausalya gave birth to Rama, Devi Kaikeyi gave birth to Bharatha and Devi Sumithra gave birth to Lakshman and Shathrugna. 

Years have passed; Maharishi Vishwamithra arrived in the assembly of King Dhasharatha with a request to take Rama with him to woods to protect fire sacrifices.  King Dhasharatha tried to put off the plans of Maharishi Vishwamithra was intervened by Sage Vashishta, thus Rama and Lakshmana went to woods with Maharishi Vishwamithra, while in the woods they were taught with highly confidential hymns of ‘Bala’ and ‘Athibala’ to win over hunger and thirst.  They have also taught Asthra Shasthra Vidhya/knowledge of usage of armaments from Sage Vishwamithra.  On their way, Maharishi explains the isolated wood where the female demon ‘Thadaka’ resides and explores without any restriction, and instructed Rama to kill the demon ‘Thadaka’.  Rama who had a thorough knowledge of scriptures reveals his qualms to kill a woman.  Maharishi teaches him about the righteousness of a King, a woman is deserved to be killed if she is harmful, creates trepidation and turbulence to the society or the kingdom.  The demon Thadaka was illustrated as ‘Kamacharini’/individuals who soak in worldly pleasures, a symbol of possessiveness and attachment that causes grief and sorrows.  Rama killed the demon Thadaka. Later, it helped Rama to sacrifice Devi Sita who was fully pregnant with the child to the hermitage of Maharishi Valmiki for the welfare of the Kingdom.    King Nemi who was well capable to drive the chariot driven by ten horses in ten directions became ‘King Dhasharatha’, his over-attachment to his beautiful and intelligent wife Kaikeyi has become a reason for his sorrow.

 Rama killed Subhahu and numerous demons in the wood and protected the fire sacrifice of Maharishi Vishwamithra.  Devi Ahalya who was cursed by Sage Gautama turned into rock, was freed from the curse at the touch of the feet of Rama.     Sage Vishwamithra took Rama and Lakshman to the Kingdom of Janaka to attend the celestial wedding, where Rama skillfully tied the powerful bow of Lord Shiva and got married to Devi Sita.  Thus the four sons of King Dhasharatha were got married; Bharatha married Mandavi, Lakshman married to Urmila, and Shruthakeerthi was married to Shathrungna.

|| Om Namo Bhagavathey Vasudevaya ||

Chapter – 124-  The legend of Lord Rama -2

Sage Valmiki cursed the hunter who wrecked the happiness of Krauncha birds that were having pleasing time.  Later, he met Maharishi Narada and clarified his doubt, who is the virtuous and flawless man on the Earth?.  Maharishi Narada advises the supreme Purusha ‘Rama’ as the virtuous on the Earth. Maharishi Valmiki, composed the epic Ramayan which was later written in many languages due to its popularity and the fundamental nature of good living. Ramayan is divided into six cantos, such as Balakandam, Ayodhyakandam, Aranyakandam, Kishkindhakandam, Sundharakandam, and Yudhdhakandam.

Maharishi Vedavyasa depicts the three ideal characters in this legend, one is Rama in the Kingdom of Ayodhya and the second one is monkey King Sugrivah in the Kishkindha and the third one is Vibheeshana in the kingdom of Lanka as the example for the goodness.   The three characters Vali,  King Dhasharatha and Ravana were under the constant influence of the lower mind, Vali who was the ruler of Kishkindha,  seized the possession of the Kingdom of  Sugrivah and took custody of Sugrivah’s wife, King Dhasharatha who  was the  Emperor of Ayodhya, deeply attached to Rama, left his mortal coil in utter grief of separation from Rama,   Ravana who was the ruler of the city of Lanka, relentlessly seeking pleasure in evil doing, had no control over senses abducted Goddess Sita, ultimately faced brutal death in the hands of Lord Rama.

There was an interesting myth on the scripture ‘Ramayan’.  Lord Bhrama composed the great epic Ramayan which comprises one hundred crores of verses,   was handed to Lord Mahadeva to distribute among the deities, demons, and humans equally. The deities, demons, and humans approached Lord Mahadeva and requested for those beautiful verses were equally distributed with thirty-three lakh of verses each.  The remaining was kept in the custodian of Lord Mahadeva.  Once again, the deities, demons, and humans approached Lord Mahadeva for the remaining one lakh verses, were distributed thirty-three thousand each.  The deities, demons, and humans were too impressed with the verses, once again approached Lord Mahadeva for the remaining thousand verses were distributed three hundred and thirty verses each.  The remaining ten verses were distributed to deities, demons, and humans three each.   Finally, Lord Mahadeva got hold of the verses of 32 Anushtup that too distributed among the deities, demons, and humans ten each.  The remaining two letters ‘Ra Ma’ has the core spirit of the one hundred crores of verses of ‘Ramayan’ remained intact with Lord Mahadeva. 

|| Om Namo Bhagavathey Vasudevaya ||

Chapter – 123-  The legend of Lord Rama -1

The human intellect and mind are completely under the constant influence of evilness and goodness as well.  The sacred scripture ‘Adhyathma Ramayan’ is considered as the highest management tool in the modern world. The glorious legend of Lord Rama is the victory of goodness over the evil; Ravana represents evilness that causes utter grief and agony.   Every individual mind has the ability to become Rama as well as Ravana, it is absolutely the personal choice of individuals.   Srimad Ramayan is also known as ‘Adikavya’, it was the first scripture composed by Maharishi Valmiki/Moola Ramayan who was a hunter Rathnakara, seizing wealth and money from the travelers in the woods, constantly engaged in creating troubles to others.  He met Saptha Rishis in the wood; it was an eye-opener for him, thus he had learned the highest of the truth that every action has an equivalent and opposite reaction.  Rathnakara who was committing various sins with the hope that the punishment for the sins can be shared with the family for whom he was earning, but in reality, they refused to take up the punishment for the sin, thus he understood none of the punishments for the sin can be shared with others.  He realized his foolishness and fallen at the feet of the SapthaRishis, seeking a way for keeping himself free from miseries and sorrows of his sin.   In this way, he has changed his mind from misdeed to contemplating the supreme Lord Rama.  He was advised to meditate upon supreme Lord with the utterance of ‘Ma Ra’, and the Rishis left the place cautioning him to continue the meditation until their return.  Rathnakara continued recitation for several years, in this way he elevated soul, when the Rishis returned, saw a huge anthill in place of him.  The Rishis broken the mold and took Rathnakara out of it was the beginning of ‘Ramayan’.  Rathnakara who was taken out of the anthill/Valmeeka was named ‘Valmiki’.

Once, Valmiki with his disciple Bharathdhwaja went to have a bath in the river Ganga.  He witnessed two birds were having pleasing time together, they were completely wrapped up in their world of enjoyment, did not take notice of the hunter who was aiming an arrow at the female bird.  Immediately the female bird fell down with a thud.  Valmiki who was witnessing the whole scenario felt extremely sad and uttered for the first time ‘Ma Nishadha’/No hunter. It was one of the greatest messages to humans “do not live like a hunter who takes pleasure in killing and consuming the meat of animals.”  

|| Om Namo Bhagavathey Vasudevaya ||

Chapter – 122- The legend of Surya dynasty -6

The celestial bird Garuda/Eagle is the representation of Bhakti/devotion, Gnana/wisdom and Vairagya/dispassion, its two wings and the tail is the symbol of Bhakti, Gnana, and Vairagya, it has attained the status 0f the celestial vehicle of Lord Vishnu with its immense power.  These are the prime tools for the attainment of the serenity of mind, even the bird Garuda has achieved the highest state of spirituality, and therefore it is indisputable that the human intellect also has the skill to achieve the same with the practice of devotion, wisdom and dispassion.  Unfortunately, the human intellect get soaked in the material world, it easily gets attached to the worldly bondage and matters eventually lose its serenity, it causes repetitions of cycles of births and deaths.  The contemplation upon  the absolute Bhramam is possible through the sounds and appearance, thus the ‘idol worship’ has come in to existence, the worship of the ‘formless’ one with the ‘form’ followed by the recitation of sacred texts which represents ‘sounds’ has come into existence.  The friction of the two objects produce ‘sounds’ and ‘ light’,  like the  lightning and thunder causes  while the clouds rubbing each other, thus it produces sound as well as the light.  In this way, the human mind and intellect undergoes various thought processes and emotions in the presence of the supreme soul.

Shuka Bhramam speaks “ Oh! Rajan, the Bhramam is subtle in nature, it is the highest philosophy that cannot be seen, it can be experienced with the constant contemplation upon the supreme Lord.  It is beyond comparison or description, it has an all-pervading nature.   It has no birth or death, it is eternal.  It has neither beginning nor end, it has no specific form.  This highest philosophy is addressed as ‘Vasudeva’ by the intellectuals.”

Shuka Bhramam describes the legend of the supreme Lord Rama that was described as Maharishi Vedavyasa in ‘Adhyathma Ramayan’ in which Maharishi Vedavyasa narrates Lord Rama as the absolute Bramham/not as the son of King Dhasharatha, Lakshmana as ‘Jeevathma’/souls, and Goddess Sita  as ‘Maya’/illusion/mind and intellect/ who is the female force of the supreme Lord engages in various amusements between the Jeevathma/soul and  Paramathma/supreme soul.  Upanishads repeatedly affirms the Paramathma Thaththva of supreme Lord.  The evil character ‘Ravana’ was depicted as the demon with ten heads, his real name was Dhashanan/Dhashamukha who had a wide perspective, had the awareness of happenings in ten directions, and was completely soaked in worldly matters from all directions.  Once, he prepared to lift the Mount Kailash, his hands got trampled at the weight of Mount Kailash, with the slightest force of the thumb applied by Lord Mahadeva, his two hands crushed under the feet of Mahadeva.   He produced a loud shriek followed with continuous cries, thus he was called ‘Ravana’ by Lord Mahadeva.  ‘Ravana’ represents utter selfishness, and immature seeks pleasure in worldly matters.  Maharishi Vedavyasa beautifully depicts the conflict between the unruly mind/Ravana with the serene mind/Rama as the battle between ‘Rama and Ravana’.  Ultimately, Rama wins the battle against Ravana and regains Sita/pure intellect and mind.

|| Om Namo Bhagavathey Vasudevaya ||

Chapter – 121- The legend of Surya dynasty -5

The confluence of river Ganga, Yamuna and the underwaters of Saraswathi are known as ‘Prayag’.  The river Ganga represents refined knowledge, river Yamuna represents Bhakti/devotion, and the river Saraswathi represents ‘Vairagya/renunciation/abandonment/dispassion.  Therefore the union of Bhakti/devotion, Gnana/wisdom and Vairagya/abandonment is known as ‘Prayag’/supreme bliss.  The true devotion is the constant contemplation upon the supreme soul who resides as a soul in living beings, and the understanding/wisdom, of the nature of supreme soul who resides as soul all the living beings/’oneness in all’, with the sense of ‘oneness-in-all’ practice humility, kindness, humbleness, etc. and Vairagya/abandonment is the serenity of mind/balanced state of mind to consider happiness and sorrows as the grace of Lord.

King Katvanga who was born in the clan of Bhageeratha was a great ruler.  Once, the deities approached King Katvanga and requested his assistance to battle against the demons.  A vicious battle held between the deities and demons, the deities won over the demons with the skill and assistance of King Katvanga.  The deities were highly pleased with King Katvanga and Lord Indra revealed his willingness to offer an abundance of boons.  King Katvanga said “ Oh! Lord, kindly enlighten me with the duration of my life on the Earth.”  Lord Indra has hesitatingly informed the King that he has two seconds/Muhurtha left for his life on Earth.  King Katvanga was unwavering, returned to his Kingdom, decided to elevate his soul contemplating upon supreme Lord.  He had a constant association with the Sadhus/saintly men from childhood, and he was thoroughly aware of the ultimate objective in life, he felt highly fortunate one to have the life he had with the saintly men.  He assigned the Kingdom to the heir to the throne; all the possessions were equally distributed among sons and for the performance of Dharmic rites, completely withdrawn from the wealth, kingdom, family, children and wives.  Even the deities, who are Vikshiptha Indhriyas/keen on the sensual pleasures, are incapable to realize the nature of the Supreme Lord who resides as a soul.  He immersed in the meditation upon supreme Lord Narayana who resides as supreme soul,   completely freed himself from the worldly matters and bondage, and took complete surrender at the lotus feet on the supreme Lord.

|| Om Namo Bhagavathey Vasudevaya ||

Chapter – 120- The legend of Surya dynasty -4

King Sagara who was born in the Surya dynasty had sixty thousand children.  Once, he decided to perform a grand Yaga for the welfare of the Kingdom, a high breed cow was kept to offer for Yaga.  Unfortunately, the cow was got lost; the sixty thousand sons of King Sagara has conducted a thorough search for the cow all over the Earth.  They conducted an excavation in search of the cow were became the oceans.  The sixty thousand sons continued their search; finally, they met Sage Kapila who was in a transcendental state.  The Sage got disturbed by the chaos created by them, opened his eyes in a fury.  Instantly, the sixty thousand sons were burned into ashes.   King Amshuman in this dynasty and his sons have tried all their efforts to liberate the souls of sixty thousand sons of King Sagara were miserably failed.  They decided to bring the sacred river Akasha Ganga on the Earth so that the ancestors could get attain liberation.  King Dilip attempted to bring river Ganda on Earth was failed. 

King Bhageeratha, the son of King Dilip conducted an extreme penance to bring sacred river Ganga on Earth.  Goddess Ganga pleased with the devotion of King Bhageeratha, revealed her willingness to come down to Earth, but the Earth cannot bear the powerful water current, was advised to pray to Lord Mahadeva.  King Bhageeratha conducted penance praying to Lord Rudra, thus Lord was pleased with Bhageeratha and agreed to hold river Ganga on his matted hair locks.  The river Ganga descended to Earth was safely locked in the matted hair locks of Lord Rudra.  Once again, Bhageeratha underwent severe penance praying to Lord Rudra and pleased him.  Thus, Lord Rudra opened a tiny part of tangled hair locks, giving way out for Ganga.  The powerful water currents of Ganga washed away the hermitage of Sage Jahnu, later she was released through his ears at the request of King Bhageeratha, thus the sacred river Ganga got the name ‘Jahnavi’.  Her beautiful watercourse paved way to the hermitage of Saptharishis, finally arrived at the hermitage of Sage Kapila where the heap of ashes of the sons of Sagara was accumulated, thus she liberated the souls of sixty thousand sons of King Sagara. 

Ganga asked “ Oh! Rajan, I have purified the souls all your ancestors on the Earth, and the people who people who took a dip in my waters, and received all their sins, how can I get purified myself?”  King Bhageertha said “ Oh! Devi, all the sins deposited in your water will get purified by the dip of saintly people who elevated their souls with the constant contemplation upon supreme Lord who resides as a soul in living beings.  You will get purified with their constant presence on your riverbank contemplating upon supreme Lord.” Thus the river Ganga has assumed her name ‘Bhageerathi’.

|| Om Namo Bhagavathey Vasudevaya ||

Chapter – 119- The legend of Surya dynasty -3

The Saubhari Maharishi and his fifty wives, contemplated upon supreme Lord with the constant remembrance of supreme Lord who is eternal, resides as soul in the living beings.  They thoroughly understood the impermanent nature of material well-being, and the permanent nature of the supreme soul, in this way they got freed from the fear.  Once, there was a huge wood fire occurred, Maharishi Saubhari and his fifty wives sacrificed their lives in the wood fire, eventually attained the abode of Lord.

King Mandhatha had a son named Thrishanku.  He had a desire to go to heaven with the human body; he approached his preceptor Sage Vashishta who refused to yield his desires.  Thrishanku approached the sons of Sage Vashishta, was rejected the plea of the King and cursed him for his ignorance.  Thrishanku did not leave his plan to go to heaven with the mortal body; he met Sage Vishwamithra, who was not in good terms with Sage Vashishta, agreed to fulfill the desire of King Thrishanku.  Thus, Sage Vishwamithra began the fire sacrifice and sends Thrishanku to the heaven, on his way to heaven, Lord Indra found Thrishanku ascending to heaven was given a spank with his Vajrayudha.  Thrishanku descends to Earth, upside down was stopped with the divine powers of Sage Vishwamithra.  Thus, new heaven was created named after ‘Thrishanku’. 

King Thrishanku had a son Harishchandra.  He had no offspring, so he conducted a Yaga praying to Lord Varuna with a promise that the infant born would be offered to Lord Varuna.   Thus a child was born to King Harishchandra,   was approached by Lord Varuna and reminded his promise.   King Harishchandhra had to offer the infant to Lord Varuna was delayed several times; finally, his son got married and had his son.  Later, he came to know about the father’s promise to Lord Varuna, returned to woods and underwent austerities.   He pacified Lord Varuna by offering the son of a Vipra, Sage Vishwamithra intervened and protected the son of Vipra from Lord Varuna.  Thus illustrious rulers of the Surya dynasty were highly intellectuals realized the fact that the material-wellbeing cannot help to elevate their souls had complete control over sense, therefore they underwent austerities and penance, finally attained union with the supreme Bhramam.