stories from indian mythology

[pramanisa]

Breaking the vanity of Gods

Conveying a message through stories and examples, is an age-old effective way of communication. The story you are about to hear was narrated by an unnamed Rishi (sage), to his disciples, that brings home the basic concept of one god, the Brahman. Other gods and goddesses are his manifestations facilitating the operation of this universe that He created. The moral derived from this story is the fact that our righteous acts need to be well guarded against the evils which constantly try to take over.

 

Long long ago, the tyranny of the Ashuras, the evil people, made this earth uninhabitable. The gods, or Devas, were defeated by the Ashuras and they were banished. The gods approached the all powerful Brahman, the creator of the universe and source of energy for all beings, to help them defeat the Ashuras and bring peace back to the earth. Brahman blessed them and asked them to pursue and fight even harder. The Ashuras were then finally defeated and they fled underground, preying on the opportune moment to rise above again.


The Gods began to celebrate their victory over the Ashuras and became boastful of their power forgetting that it came from the one and only source, the Brahman. In fact they forgot their duties and became engaged in drinking, merry making and licentious behavior. So, to give a lesson, Brahman sent a Yaksha (demigod) to the place where the gods gathered for their celebration party. Indra, the king of the gods and the god of weather, saw the Yaksha approaching them. He asked Agni, the god of fire to inquire who he was.

Agni came near the Yaksha and introduced himself as the powerful god capable of burning off anything that touches him.

The Yaksha said with false surprise, "Is that right?" Then he picked up a small dry grass and said, "Can you burn this?"


Agni, drowned in his ego, laughed, "Ha! Ha! Ha! You must be kidding!"

Yaksha calmly replied, "Why don't you try it?"

Agni took the grass in his hand and tried to burn it. But strangely enough, he could do nothing. He soon returned to the party without telling any one what happened. He couldn't help but wonder, "Who is he?"

After a while, Indra asked the wind god Pavan to go to the Yaksha and find out the reason of his visit.

When Pavan approached the Yaksha, the Yaksha asked him, "Who are you?"

"I am Pavan, the wind god" he said. "I can blow every thing away when I want to."

"Really!" said the Yaksha and gave him the small blade of grass to blow away. "Could you blow away this blade of grass?"

Pavan could not even believe that any one would challenge his power with a blade of dry grass. He callously put the grass on his palm and blew on it. To his utter shock, it stayed exactly as he had placed it on his palm and had not moved. He tried repeatedly to blow it away and finally gave up. Ashamed of his inability to stir a small blade of grass, he sneaked away.

Then Indra came himself. As he approached the Yaksha, it disappeared and there stood a woman. She was none else than Indra's conscience (self acquired knowledge), called Uma.

"Did you see the Yaksha standing here?" asked Indra.

Uma said, "Indra, being the king of the gods you could not recognize the messenger of Brahman, the Yaksha? The Yaksha carried the message that Brahman is the one and only source of power and none else. He taught to be humble and to stay away from the ego that destroys you. You have had enough celebration for your victory over the Ashuras, and now return to the duties entrusted upon you by Brahman."

The gods were ashamed of their foolish behavior. They returned to their senses and peace once again was restored on earth.

[pramanisa]

KRISHNA JANAMASHTHMI

The festival of Krishna Janamastami is the celebration of Lord Krishna's birthday. Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is an unique character in Hindu mythology. He was naughty in his childhood days, romantic as a young man, and proved to be a profound philosopher in his adulthood as illustrated by the Bhagwat Geeta.


The birthday of Krishna falls on the Astami of Krishna Paksh (the eighth day of the dark fortnight) in the month of Bhado (July-August), eight days after Raksha Bandhan. The exact date of Krishna's birthday has not been determined but is conjectured to be around 1400 B.C. when the Aryans got settled across the Indo-Gangetic plain. It was the rainy season in India and Krishna was born at midnight, in the prison of Kamsa, during the middle of a perilous rain and storm. Thus goes the story of Krishna's birth.

Kamsa, a despot, was then the king of Mathura. He had imprisoned his father in order to become the king. Devaki was his sister and was married to a noble man Vasudeva.

Kamsa one day heard a heavenly voice, saying, "Kamsa, your days of tyranny will soon be over, you will be killed by the eighth child of Devaki."


Kamsa got frightened. He immediately imprisoned Devaki and Vasudeva. He did not want to take any chance and killed at birth each and every child of Devaki, until the time came for the delivery of the eighth child. To feel more secured, Kamsa increased the number of prison guards, kept strict vigilance and put Vasudeva in chains. But God planned otherwise.

At midnight when the eighth child was born, the guards fell fast asleep and Vasudeva's chain fell off his hands and feet. Wasting no time, Vasudeva picked up the newborn baby, and carrying it in a basket, he started towards Gokul. Gokul was a village of cowherds, located across the Yamuna river, where his friend Nanda lived.


It was a dark stormy night with blinding rain continuously pouring from the sky. When Vasudeva reached the river bank of Yamuna, the river was in spate. The wind and storm were blowing wild, and Vasudeva was in a fix.

"Lord, what should I do," said Vasudeva in a hopeless voice.

Suddenly a miracle happened, the river parted and Vasudeva walked over the river bed. Throughout the way Vasudeva and the baby were protected from rain by the hood of the great eternal snake, Vasuki. Finally, Vasudeva reached Nanda's house.


Upon reaching Nanda's house Vasudeva found the mother, Yashoda, and her newborn baby girl in deep sleep. He had no time to think. He quickly exchanged the babies and returned to the prison with the infant girl, while the guards were still asleep.

As soon as Vasudeva entered the prison cell, the door got locked behind him and he was chained again as if nothing happened in between. The guards woke up and heard the cry of the baby. Kamsa was immediately informed and he came running to kill the child. But to his utter surprise he found it to be a girl and not a boy, as he expected. Devaki begged for the newborn baby's life from her brother.

"What can a girl do to you Kamsa? Spare her life, please!" appealed Devaki, lying at the feet of her brother.

The inhuman Kamsa did not pay attention to the appeal. As he was ready to kill the baby by smashing its head on a big boulder, the child slipped out of his hand and flew towards the sky.

At that moment, a heavenly voice was heard, "Kamsa, the one who shall destroy you still lives. He is growing in Gokul."

Next morning, Nanda and his wife Yashoda discovered the boy, left by Vasudeva, lying in the crib. They were a little puzzled but did not want to fuss about it because they might loose the baby. The baby was of dark complexion, so he was named Krishna.

Kamsa was frightened by the heavenly voice. He immediately sent for Putna, his wicked maid, and asked her to kill all the babies born on the same day when Devaki gave birth to the baby. Putna smeared poison on her breast and went around in the town of Gokul to breast-feed the babies born in the month of Bhado. In the beginning people, out of their goodness, did not suspect Putna's heinous plans, but as time passed, they found out that all the babies whom Putna fondled were dead. They began to search for Putna. In the mean time Putna reached Nanda's house and lovingly asked Krishna's mother, Yashoda, to give the baby to her to love and fondle. Yashoda gave the baby and, without any suspicion, went on with her daily chore.

Suddenly there was a loud shriek. Everyone came running to the courtyard and found to their surprise the dead body of Putna lying on the floor while Krishna was smiling and kicking. People now knew that Krishna was not an ordinary boy. Yashoda happily picked up Krishna and felt safe.

Krishna grew in Yashoda's house until he reached his teens. He later challenged Kamsa and killed him. Then he released his grandfather Ugrasena and reinstated him to his thrown. He respected and loved both his own parents, Vasudeva and Devaki, and his adopted parents, Nanda and Yashoda.

Janamashtami is celebrated with great pomp and show in Hindu temples and homes in India and the USA. The festival is celebrated for two days; on the day when Krishna took birth in the prison of Kamsa at Mathura and also on the following day to commemorate Krishna's presence in the house of Nanda and Yashoda at Gokul. Ardent devotees pray at the middle of the night celebrating Krishna's birth on the first day. Children join the celebration on the next day with worships (puja) and sweets (prasad). Decorations depicting Krishna's birth and his transfer to Gokul, are displayed very much the way Christ's birth is displayed during Christmas. This is called jhanki, a peek in the past. In Bengal, it is called, Gupta Vrindavan, meaning hidden Vrindavan, where Krishna spent time with his consort Radha. It is a great fun planning and executing the decoration that depicts Krishna's life in Gokul. The display is left for few days for friends and relatives to enjoy. The grandparents (or other elders) narrate to the children the interesting stories of Krishna, his pranks of childhood, romance with Radha in his young days, and finally, his days of kingship offering us the eternal truth of the great Bhagavad Gita. There is nothing in the world that can be compared with the profound philosophy of Gita written in that hoary past.

[pramanisa]

RAMAYANA- Part1 (Early Life)

Prologue
 
Valmiki is known as Adi Kabi, the first poet. He wrote an epic in Sanskrit, the Ramayana, which depicts the life of Rama, the hero of the story.

Telling the story of Rama at this time of the year bears a special significance. The present day celebration of Durga worship (puja) and Dasshera are related to Rama's life. The traditional Durga worship was performed in the spring season now known as Basanti puja. Rama worshipped the divine mother Durga and prayed to her to give him the strength to slay Ravana. Ravana was slain on the day of Dasshera, the tenth day of Navaratri. The coronation of Rama was held on the Dewali day, the following New moon day, that comes about three weeks after Dasshera.

Our story of Rama is divided into four parts –

Early life of Rama.
Rama's exile.
Abduction of Sita (Rama's wife) and
Slaying of Ravana, the abductor of Sita, and Rama's coronation.

The feature story
Dasharatha was the king of Kosala, an ancient kingdom that was located in present day Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya was its capital. Dasharatha was loved by one and all. His subjects were happy and his kingdom was prosperous. Even though Dasharatha had everything that he desired, he was very sad at heart; he had no children.

During the same time, there lived a powerful Rakshasa king in the island of Ceylon, located just south of India. He was called Ravana. His tyranny knew no bounds, his subjects disturbed the prayers of holy men.

The childless Dasharatha was advised by his family priest Vashishtha to perform a fire sacrifice ceremony to seek the blessings of God for children. Vishnu, the preserver of the universe, decided to manifest himself as the eldest son of Dasharatha in order to kill Ravana. While performing the fire worship ceremony, a majestic figure rose from the sacrificial fire and handed to Dasharatha a bowl of rice pudding, saying, "God is pleased with you and has asked you to distribute this rice pudding (payasa) to your wives - they will soon bear your children."

 
The king received the gift joyfully and distributed the payasa to his three queens, Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra. Kausalya, the eldest queen, gave birth to the eldest son Rama. Bharata, the second son was born to Kaikeyi and Sumitra gave birth to the twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna. Rama's birthday is celebrated now as Ramanavami.

The four princes grew up to be tall, strong, handsome, and brave. Of the four brothers, Rama was closest to Lakshmana and Bharata to Shatrughna. One day, the revered sage Viswamitra came to Ayodhya. Dasharatha was overjoyed and immediately got down from his throne and received him with great honor.

Viswamitra blessed Dasharatha and asked him to send Rama to kill the Rakshasas who were disturbing his fire sacrifice. Rama was then only fifteen years old. Dasharatha was taken aback. Rama was too young for the job. He offered himself, but sage Viswamitra knew better. The sage insisted upon his request and assured the king that Rama would be safe in his hands. Ultimately, Dasharatha agreed to send Rama, along with Lakshmana, to go with Viswamitra. Dasharatha strictly ordered his sons to obey Rishi Viswamitra and fulfill all his wishes. The parents blessed the two young princes. They then departed with the sage (Rishi).

The party of Viswamitra, Rama, and Lakshmana soon reached Dandaka forest where the Rakshasi Tadaka lived with her son Maricha. Viswamitra asked Rama to challenge her. Rama strung his bow and twanged the string. The wild animals ran helter-skelter in fear. Tadaka heard the sound and she became incensed. Mad with rage, roaring thunderously, she rushed at Rama. A fierce battle ensued between the huge Rakshasi and Rama. Finally, Rama pierced her heart with a deadly arrow and Tadaka crashed down to the earth. Viswamitra was pleased. He taught Rama several Mantras (divine chants), with which Rama could summon many divine weapons (by meditation) in order to fight against evil

Viswamitra then proceeded, with Rama and Lakshmana, towards his ashram. When they started the fire sacrifice, Rama and Lakshmana were guarding the place. Suddenly Maricha, Tadaka's ferocious son, arrived with his followers. Rama silently prayed and discharged the newly acquired divine weapons at Maricha. Maricha was thrown many, many miles away into the sea. All other demons were slain by Rama and Lakshmana. Viswamitra completed the sacrifice and the sages rejoiced and blessed the princes.

The next morning, Viswamitra, Rama, and Lakshmana headed towards the city of Mithila, the capital of the kingdom of Janaka. King Janaka invited Viswamitra to attend the great fire sacrifice ceremony that he had arranged. Viswamitra had something in mind - to get Rama married to the lovely daughter of Janaka.

Janaka was a saintly king. He received a bow from Lord Siva. It was strong and heavy.

He wanted his beautiful daughter Sita to marry the bravest and strongest prince in the country. So he had vowed that he would give Sita in marriage only to the one who could string that great bow of Siva. Many had tried before. None could even move the bow, let alone string it.

 
When Viswamitra arrived with Rama and Lakshmana at the court, King Janaka received them with great respect. Viswamitra introduced Rama and Lakshmana to Janaka and requested that he show the bow of Siva to Rama so that he could try to string it. Janaka looked at the young prince and assented doubtfully. The bow was stored in an iron box mounted on an eight-wheeled chariot. Janaka ordered his men to bring the bow and place it in the middle of a big hall filled with many dignitaries.

Rama then stood up in all humility, picked up the bow with ease, and got ready for the stringing. He placed one end of the bow against his toe, put forth his might, and bent the bow to string it-when to everyone's surprise the bow snapped in two! Sita was relieved. She had liked Rama right at the first sight.

Dasharatha was immediately informed. He gladly gave his consent to the marriage and came to Mithila with his retinue. Janaka arranged for a grand wedding. Rama and Sita were married. At the same time, the three other brothers were also provided with brides. Lakshmana married Sita's sister Urmila. Bharata and Shatrughna married Sita's cousins Mandavi and Shrutakirti. After the wedding, Viswamitra blessed them all and left for the Himalayas to meditate. Dasharatha returned to Ayodhya with his sons and their new brides. People celebrated the marriage with great pomp and show.

[pramanisa]

RAMAYANA -Part2 (Exile)

For the next twelve years Rama and Sita lived happily in Ayodhya. Rama was loved by all. He was a joy to his father, Dasharatha, whose heart nearly burst with pride when he beheld his son. As Dasharatha was growing older, he summoned his ministers seeking their opinion about crowning Rama as prince of Ayodhya. They unanimously welcomed the suggestion. Then Dasharatha announced the decision and gave orders for the coronation of Rama. During this time, Bharata and his favorite brother, Shatrughna, had gone to see their maternal grandfather and were absent from Ayodhya.

Kaikeyi, Bharata's mother, was in the palace rejoicing with the other queens, sharing the happy news of Rama's coronation. She loved Rama as her own son; but her wicked maid, Manthara, was unhappy. Manthara wanted Bharata to be the king so she devised a heinous plan to thwart Ramas coronation. As soon as the plan was set firmly in her mind, she rushed to Kaikeyi to tell her. 

"What a fool you are!" Manthara said to Kaikeyi, "The king has always loved you more than the other queens. But the moment Rama is crowned, Kausalya will become all powerful and she will make you her slave."

Manthara repeatedly gave her poisoned suggestions, clouding Kaikeyis mind and heart with suspicion and doubt. Kaikeyi, confused and distraught, finally agreed to Mantharas plan.

"But what can I do to change it?" asked Kaikeyi with a puzzled mind.

Manthara was clever enough to chalk out her plan all the way. She had been waiting for Kaikeyi to ask her advice.

"You may recall that long ago when Dasharatha was badly wounded in the battle field, while fighting with the Asuras, you saved Dasraratha's life by swiftly driving his chariot to safety? At that time Dasharatha offered you two boons. You said you would ask for the boons some other time."

Kaikeyi readily remembered.

Manthara continued, "Now the time has come to demand those boons. Ask Dasharatha for your first boon to make Bharat the king of Kosal and for the second boon to banish Rama to the forest for fourteen years."

Kakeyi was a noble-hearted queen, now trapped by Manthara. She agreed to do what Manthara said. Both of them knew that Dasharatha would never fall back on his words.

The night before the coronation, Dasharatha came to Kakeyi to share his happiness at seeing Rama the crown prince of Kosala. But Kakeyi was missing from her apartment. She was in her "anger room". When Dasharatha came to her anger room to inquire, he found his beloved queen lying on the floor with her hair loose and her ornaments cast away.

Dasharatha gently took Kakeyi's head on his lap and asked in a caressing voice, "What is wrong?"

But Kakeyi angrily shook herself free and firmly said; "You have promised me two boons. Now please grant me these two boons. Let Bharata be crowned as king and not Rama. Rama should be banished from the kingdom for fourteen years." 

Dasharatha could hardly believe his ears. Unable to bear what he had heard, he fell down unconscious. When he returned to his senses, he cried out in helpless anger, "What has come over you? What harm has Rama done to you? Please ask for anything else but these."

Kakeyi stood firm and refused to yield. Dasharatha fainted and lay on the floor the rest of the night. The next morning, Sumantra, the minister, came to inform Dasharatha that all the preparations for the coronation were ready. But Dasharatha was not in a position to speak to anyone. Kakeyi asked Sumantra to call Rama immediately. When Rama arrived, Dasharatha was sobbing uncontrollably and could only utter "Rama! Rama!"

Rama was alarmed and looked at Kakeyi with surprise, "Did I do anything wrong, mother? I have never seen my father like this before."

"He has something unpleasant to tell you, Rama," replied Kakeyi. "Long ago your father had offered me two boons. Now I demand it." Then Kakeyi told Rama about the boons.

"Is that all mother?" asked Rama with a smile. "Please take it that your boons are granted. Call for Bharata. I shall start for the forest today."

Rama did his pranams to his revered father, Dasharatha, and to his stepmother, Kakeyi, and then left the room. Dasharatha was in shock. He painfully asked his attendants to move him to Kaushalya's apartment. He was waiting for death to ease his pain.

The news of Rama's exile spread like a fire. Lakshmana was furious with his father's decision. Rama simply replied, "Is it worthwhile to sacrifice your principle for the sake of this small kingdom?"

Tears sprang from Lakshmana's eyes and he said in a low voice, "If you must go to the forest, take me along with you." Rama agreed.

Then Rama proceeded to Sita and asked her to stay behind. "Look after my mother, Kausalya, in my absence."

Sita begged, "Have pity on me. A wife's position is always beside her husband. Don't leave me behind. Ill die without you." At last Rama permitted Sita to follow him.

Urmila, Lakshamans wife, also wanted to go with Lakshmana to the forest. But Lakshmana explained to her the life that he plans to lead for the protection of Rama and Sita.

"If you accompany me, Urmila," Lakshmana said, "I may not be able to fulfill my duties. Please take care of our grieved family members." So Urmila stayed behind on Lakshmana's request. 

By that evening Rama, Sita and Lakshmana left Ayodhya on a chariot driven by Sumatra. They were dressed like mendicants (Rishis). The people of Ayodhya ran behind the chariot crying loudly for Rama. By nightfall they all reached the bank of the river, Tamasa. Early the next morning Rama awoke and told Sumantra, "The people of Ayodhya love us very much but we have to be on our own. We must lead the life of a hermit, as I promised. Let us continue our journey before they wake up."

So, Rama, Lakshmana and Sita, driven by Sumantra, continued their journey alone. After travelling the entire day they reached the bank of the Ganges and decided to spend the night under a tree near a village of hunters. The chieftain, Guha, came and offered them all the comforts of his house. But Rama replied, "Thank you Guha, I appreciate your offer as a good friend but by accepting your hospitality I will break my promise. Please allow us to sleep here as the hermits do."

Next morning the three, Rama, Lakshmana and Sita, said goodbye to Sumantra and Guha and got into a boat to cross the river, Ganges. Rama addressed Sumantra, "Return to Ayodhya and console my father."

By the time Sumantra reached Ayodhya Dasharatha was dead, crying until his last breath, "Rama, Rama, Rama!" Vasishtha sent a messenger to Bharata asking him to return to Ayodhya without disclosing the details.

Bharata immediately returned with Shatrughna. As he entered the city of Ayodhya, he realized that something was terribly wrong. The city was strangely silent. He went straight to his mother, Kaikeyi. She looked pale. Bharat impatiently asked, "Where is father?" He was stunned by the news. Slowly he learned about Ramas exile for fourteen years and Dasharathas demise with the departure of Rama.

Bharata could not believe that his mother was the cause of the disaster. Kakyei tried to make Bharata understand that she did it all for him. But Bharata turned away from her with disgust and said, "Dont you know how much I love Rama? This kingdom is worth nothing in his absence. I am ashamed to call you my mother. You are heartless. You killed my father and banished my beloved brother. I will not have anything to do with you for as long as I live." Then Bharata left for Kaushalyas apartment. Kakyei realized the mistake she made.

Kaushalya received Bharata with love and affection. Addressing Bharata she said, "Bharata, the kingdom is waiting for you. No one will oppose you for ascending the throne. Now that your father is gone, I would also like to go to the forest and live with Rama."

Bharata could not contain himself any further. He burst into tears and promised Kaushalya to bring Rama back to Ayodhya as quickly as possible. He understood the throne rightfully belonged to Rama. After completing the funeral rites for Dasharatha, Bharata started for Chitrakut where Rama was staying. Bharata halted the army at a respectful distance and walked alone to meet Rama. Seeing Rama, Bharata fell at his feet begging forgiveness for all the wrong doings.

When Rama asked, "How is father?" Bharat began to cry and broke the sad news; "Our father has left for heaven. At the time of his death, he constantly took your name and never recovered from the shock of your departure." Rama collapsed. When he came to senses he went to river, Mandakini, to offer prayers for his departed father.

The next day, Bharata asked Rama to return to Ayodhya and rule the kingdom. But Rama firmly replied, "I cannot possibly disobey my father. You rule the kingdom and I shall carry out my pledge. I will come back home only after fourteen years."

When Bharata realized Ramas firmness in fulfilling his promises, he begged Rama to give him his sandals. Bharata told Rama the sandals will represent Rama and he would carry out the duties of the kingdom only as Ramas representative. Rama gracefully agreed. Bharata carried the sandals to Ayodhya with great reverence. After reaching the capital, he placed the sandals on the throne and ruled the kingdom in Ramas name. He left the palace and lived like a hermit, as Rama did, counting the days of Ramas return.

When Bharata left, Rama went to visit Sage Agastha. Agastha asked Rama to move to Panchavati on the bank of Godavari River. It was a beautiful place. Rama planned to stay at Panchavati for some time. So, Lakshamana quickly put up an elegant hut and they all settled down

[pramanisa]

RAMAYANA -Part3 (Abduction of Sita)

Surpanakha, the sister of Ravana, lived in Panchavati. Ravana was then the most powerful Asura king who lived in Lanka (today's Ceylon). One day Surpanakha happened to see Rama and instantly fell in love with him. She requested Rama to be her husband.

Rama was amused, and smilingly said, "As you see I am already married. You can request Lakshmana. He is young, handsome and is alone without his wife."

Surpanakha took Rama's word seriously and approached Lakshmana.

Lakshmana said, "I am Rama's servant. You should marry my master and not me, the servant."

Surpanakha got furious with the rejection and attacked Sita in order to devour her. Lakshmana swiftly intervened, and cut off her nose with his dagger. Surpanakha ran away with her bleeding nose, crying in pain, to seek help from her Asura brothers, Khara and Dushana. Both the brothers got red with anger and marched their army towards Panchavati. Rama and Lakshmana faced the Rakshasas and finally they were all killed.

Surpanakha was terror stricken. She immediately flew to Lanka to seek her brother Ravana's protection. Ravana was outraged to see her sister mutilated. Surpanakha described all that happened. Ravana was interested when he heard that Sita is the most beautiful woman in the world, Ravana decided to abduct Sita. Rama loved Sita very much and could not live without her.

Ravana made a plan and went to see Maricha. Maricha had the power of changing himself into any form he wanted along with the appropriate voice imitation. But Maricha was afraid of Rama. He still could not get over the experience he had when Rama shot an arrow that hurled him far into the sea. This happened in Vashishtha's hermitage. Maricha tried to persuade Ravana to stay away from Rama but Ravana was determined.

"Maricha!" shouted Ravana, "You have only two choices, help me to carry out my plan or prepare for death." Maricha preferred to die in Rama's hand than be killed by Ravana. So he agreed to help Ravana in the abduction of Sita.

 Maricha took the form of a beautiful golden deer and began to graze near Rama's cottage in Panchavati. Sita was attracted towards the golden deer and requested Rama to get the golden deer for her. Lakshmana warned that the golden deer may be a demon in disguise. By then Rama already started to chase the deer. He hurriedly instructed Lakshmana to look after Sita and ran after the deer. Very soon Rama realized that the deer is not a real one. He shot an arrow which hit the deer and Maricha was exposed.

Before dying, Maricha imitated Ram's voice and shouted, "Oh Lakshmana! Oh Sita,! Help! Help!"

Sita heard the voice and asked Lakshmana to run and rescue Rama. Lakshmana was hesitant. He was confident that Rama is invincible and the voice was only a fake. He tried to convince Sita but she insisted. Finally Lakshmana agreed. Before his departure, he drew a magic circle, with the tip of his arrow, around the cottage and asked her not to cross the line.

"As long as you stay within the circle you will be safe with the grace of God" said Lakshmana and hurriedly left in search of Rama.

From his hiding place Ravana was watching all that was happening. He was glad that his trick worked. As soon as he found Sita alone, he disguised himself as a hermit and came near Sita's cottage. He stood beyond the protection line of Lakshmana, and asked for alms (bhiksha). Sita came out with a bowl full of rice to offer to the holy man, while staying within the protection line drawn by Lakshmana. The hermit asked her to come near and offer. Sita was unwilling to cross the line when Ravana pretended to leave the place without alms. As Sita did not want to annoy the sage, she crossed the line to offer the alms.

 Ravana did not lose the opportunity. He quickly pounced on Sita and seized her hands, declaring, " I am Ravana, the king of Lanka. Come with me and be my queen." Very soon Ravana's chariot left the ground and flew over the clouds on way to Lanka.

Rama felt distressed when he saw Lakshmana. "Why did you leave Sita alone? The golden deer was Maricha in disguise. "

Lakshman tried to explain the situation when both the brothers suspected a foul play and ran towards the cottage. The cottage was empty, as they feared. They searched, and called out her name but all in vain. Finally they were exhausted. Lakshmana tried to console Rama as best as he could. Suddenly they heard a cry. They ran towards the source and found a wounded eagle lying at the floor. It was Jatayu, the king of eagles and a friend of Dasharatha.

Jatayu narrated with great pain, "I saw Ravana abducting Sita. I attacked him when Ravana cut my wing and made me helpless. Then he flew towards the south." After saying this, Jatayu died on the lap of Rama. Rama and Lakshmana burried Jatayu and then moved towards the south.

On their way, Rama and Lakshmana met a ferocious demon, called Kabandha. Kabandha attacked Rama and Lakshmana. When he was about to devour them, Rama struck Kabandha with a fatal arrow. Before his death, Kabandh disclosed his identity. He had a beautiful form which was changed by a curse to the form of a monster. Kabandha requested Rama and Lakshmana to burn him into ashes and that will bring him back to the old form. He also advised Rama to go to the monkey king Sugrive, who lived in the Rishyamukha mountain, to get help in regaining Sita.

On his way to meet Sugriva, Rama visited the hermitage of an old pious woman, Shabari. She was waiting for Rama for a long time before she could give up her body. When Rama and Lakshmana made their appearance, Shabari's dream was fulfilled. She washed their feet, offered them the best nuts and fruits that she collected for years. Then she took Rama's blessings and departed for the heaven.

After a long walk, Rama and Lakshmana reached the Rishyamukha mountain to meet Sugriva. Sugriva had a brother Vali, the king of Kishkindha. They were once good friends. This changed when they went to fight with a giant. The giant ran into a cave and Vali followed him, asking Sugriva to wait outside. Sugriva waited for a long time and then returned to the palace in grief, thinking that Vali was killed. He then became the king upon the request of the minister. After sometime, Vali suddenly appeared. He was mad with Sugriva and blamed him to be a cheater. Vali was strong. He drove Sugriva out of his kingdom and took away his wife. Ever since, Sugriva had been living in the Rishyamukha mountain, which was out of bound for Vali because of a Rishi's curse.

On seeing Rama and Lakshmana from a distance, and not knowing the purpose of their visit, Sugriva sent his close friend Hanuman to find out their indentity. Hanuman, disguised as an ascetic, came to Rama and Lakshmana. The brothers told Hanuman of their intention to meet Sugriva because they wanted his help to find Sita. Hanuman was impressed by their courteous behavior and removed his garb. Then he carried the princes on his shoulder to Sugriva. There Hanuman introduced the brothers and narrated their story. He then told Sugriva of their intention to come to him.

In return, Sugriva told his story and sought help from Rama to kill Vali, otherwise, he could not help even if he wanted to. Rama agreed. Hanuman then kindled a fire to bear witness to the alliance made.

In due course, Vali was killed and Sugriva became the king of Kishkindha. Soon after Sugriva took over the kingdom of Vali, he ordered his army to proceed in the search of Sita.

Rama specially called Hanuman and gave his ring saying, "If any one finds Sita, it will be you Hanuman. Keep this ring to prove your identity as my messenger. Give it to Sita when you meet her." Hanuman most respectfully tied up the ring to his waist and joined the search party.

As Sita flew, she dropped her ornaments on the ground. These were traced by the monkey army and it was concluded that Sita was carried southwards. When the monkey (Vanara) army reached the Mahendra Hill, located on the south shore of India, they met Sampati, the brother of Jatayu. Sampati confirmed that Ravana took Sita to Lanka. The monkeys were perplexed , how to cross the huge sea that stretched in front of them.

Angada, the son of Sugrive, asked, "Who can cross the ocean?" silence prevailed, until Hanuman came up to give a try.

 Hanuman was the son of Pavana, the wind god. He had a secret gift from his father. He could fly. Hanuman enlarged himself to a huge size and took a jump to cross the ocean. After overcoming many obstacles, at last Hanuman reached Lanka. He soon contracted his body and alighted as a tiny insignificant creature. He soon passed through the city unnoticed and managed to enter the palace quietly. He went through every chamber but could not see Sita.

Finally, Hanuman located Sita in one of the gardens of Ravana, called Ashoka grove (Vana). She was surrounded by the Rakshashis who were guarding her. Hanuman hid on a tree and watched Sita from a distance. She was in deep distress, crying and praying to God for her relief. Hanuman's heart melted in pity. He took Sita as his mother.

Just then Ravana entered the garden and approached Sita. "I have waited enough. Be sensible and become my queen. Rama can not cross the ocean and come through this impregnable city. You better forget about him."

Sita sternly replied, "I have repeatedly told you to return me to Lord Rama before his wrath falls upon you."

Ravana got furious, "You have gone beyond the limits of my patience. You give me no choice than to kill you unless you change your mind. Within a few days I shall be back."

As soon as Ravana left, other Rakshashis, who were attending Sita, came back and suggested her to marry Ravana and enjoy the enviable wealth of Lanka." Sita kept quiet.

Slowly the Rakshashis wandered away, Hanuman came down from his hiding place and gave Rama's ring to Sita. Sita was thrilled. She wanted to hear about Rama and Lakshmana. After conversing for a while Hanuman asked Sita to take a ride on her back to return to Rama. Sita did not agree.

"I do not want to return home secretly" said Sita, "I want Rama to defeat Ravana and take me back with honor."

Hanuman agreed. Then Sita gave her necklace to Hanuman as an evidence confirming their meeting.

Before departing from the Ashoka grove (Vana), Hanuman wanted Ravana to have a lesson for his misconduct. So he began to destroy the Ashoka grove by uprooting the trees. Soon the Rakshasa warriors came running to catch the monkey but were beaten up. The message reached Ravana. He was enraged. He asked Indrajeet, his able son, to capture Hanuman. A fierce battle ensued and Hanuman was finally captured when Indrajeet used the most powerful weapon, the Brahmastra missile. Hanuman was taken to Ravana's court and the captive stood in front of the king.

Hanuman introduced himself as the messenger of Rama. "You have abducted the wife of my all powerful master, Lord Rama. If you want peace, return her with honor to my master or else, you and your kingdom will be destroyed."

Ravana was wild with rage. He ordered to kill Hanuman instantly when his younger brother Vibhishana objected. "You can not kill a king's envoy" said Vibhishana. Then Ravana ordered Hanuman's tail to be set on fire.

The Rakshasa army took Hanuman outside the hall, while Hanuman increased his size and lengthened his tail. It was wrapped with rags and ropes and soaked in oil. He was then paraded through the streets of Lanka and a big mob followed to have fun. The tail was set on fire but because of his divine blessing Hanuman did not feel the heat. He soon shrank his size and shook off the ropes that bound him and escaped. Then, with the torch of his burning tail, he jumped from roof to roof to set the city of Lanka on fire. People began to run, creating chaos and hideous cries. Finally, Hanuman went to the sea shore and put off the fire in the sea water. The he began his homeward flight.

When Hanuman joined the monkey army and narrated his experience, they all laughed. Soon the army returned to Kishkindha.

Then Hanuman quickly went to Rama to give his first-hand account. He took out the jewel that Sita gave and placed it in Rama's hands. Rama burst into tears when he saw the jewel.

He addressed Hanuman and said, "Hanuman! You have achieved what none else could. What can I do for you?" Hanuman prostrated before Rama and sought his divine blessing.

Sugriva then discussed in detail with Rama their next course of action. On an auspicious hour the entire monkey army set out from Kishkindha towards Mahendra Hill, located on the opposite side of Lanka. Upon reaching Mahendra Hill, Rama faced the same problem, how to cross the ocean with the army. He called for a meeting of all the monkey chiefs, and sought their suggestions for a solution.

[pramanisa]

RAMAYANA -Part4 (Slaying of Ravana and Rama's Coronation)

When Ravana heard from his messengers that Rama had already arrived at Mahendra Hill, and was preparing to cross the ocean to Lanka, he summoned his ministers for advice. They unanimously decided to fight Rama to his death. To them, Ravana was indestructible and they, undefeatable. Only Vibhishana, the younger brother of Ravana, was cautious and opposed to this.

Vibhishana said, "Brother Ravana, you must return the chaste woman, Sita, to her husband, Rama, seek his forgiveness and restore peace."

Ravana became upset with Vibhishana and told him to leave the kingdom of Lanka.

Vibhishana, through his magical power, reached Mahendra Hill and sought permission to meet Rama. The monkeys were suspicious but took him to Rama as a captive. Vibhishana explained to Rama all that happened in Ravana's court and sought his asylum. Rama gave him sanctuary and Vibhishana became the closest adviser to Rama in the war against Ravana. Rama promised Vibhishana to make him the future king of Lanka.

To reach Lanka, Rama decided to build a bridge with the help of the monkey engineer Nala. He also summoned Varuna, the God of the Ocean, to cooperate by staying calm while the bridge was in the making. Immediately thousands of monkeys set about the task of gathering the materials to build the bridge. When the materials were piled up in heaps, Nala, the great architect, started to build the bridge. It was a stupendous undertaking. But the entire monkey army worked hard and completed the bridge in just five days. The army crossed over to Lanka. 

After crossing the ocean, Rama sent Angada, the son of Sugrive, to Ravana as a messenger. Angada went to Ravana's court and delivered Rama's message, "Return Sita with honor or face destruction." Ravana became enraged and ordered him out of the court immediately.

Angada returned with Ravanas message and preparation for the war began. The next morning Rama ordered the monkey army to attack. The monkeys rushed forward and hurled huge boulders against the city walls and gates. The battle continued for a long time. Thousands were dead on each side and the ground soaked in blood.

When Ravana's army was losing, Indrajeet, Ravana's son, took the command. He had the ability to fight while staying invisible. His arrows tied up Rama and Lakshmana with serpents. The monkeys began to run with the fall of their leaders. Suddenly, Garuda, the king of the birds, and the sworn enemy of the serpents, came to their rescue. All of the snakes slithered away leaving the two brave brothers, Rama and Lakshmana, free.

Hearing this, Ravana himself came forward. He hurled the powerful missile, Shakti, at Lakshmana. It descended like a fierce thunderbolt and hit hard at Lakshmana's chest. Lakshmana fell down senseless.

Rama wasted no time to come forward and challenged Ravana himself. Following a fierce fight Ravana's chariot was smashed and Ravana was sorely wounded. Ravana stood helpless before Rama whereupon Rama took pity on him and said, "Go and rest now. Return tomorrow to resume our fight." In the mean time Lakshmana recovered. 

Ravana was shamed and called upon his brother, Kumbhakarna for assistance. Kumbhakarna had the habit of sleeping for six months at a time. Ravana ordered him to be awakened. Kumbhakarna was in a deep sleep and it took the beating of drums, piercing of sharp instruments and elephants walking on him to awaken him. He was informed of Rama's invasion and Ravana's orders. After eating a mountain of food, Kumbhakarna appeared in the battlefield. He was huge and strong. When he approached the monkey army, like a walking tower, the monkeys took to their heels in terror. Hanuman called them back and challenged Kumbhakarna. A great fight ensued until Hanuman was wounded. Kumbhakarna headed towards Rama, ignoring the attack of Lakshmana and others. Even Rama found Kumbhakarna difficult to kill. Rama finally discharged the powerful weapon that he obtained from the wind God, Pavana. Kumbhakarna fell dead.

Hearing the news of his brother's death, Ravana swooned away. After he recovered, he lamented for a long time and then called Indrajeet. Indrajeet consoled him and promised to defeat the enemy quickly.

Indrajeet began to engage in the battle safely hidden behind the clouds and invisible to Rama. Rama and Lakshmana seemed to be helpless to kill him, as he could not be located. Arrows came from all directions and finally one of the powerful arrows hit Lakshmana. Everyone thought this time Lakshmana was dead and Sushena, the physician of the Vanara army, was called. He declared that Lakshmana was only in a deep coma and instructed Hanuman to leave immediately for Gandhamadhana Hill, located near the Himalayas. Gandhamadhana Hill grew the special medicine, called Sanjibani, that was needed to revive Lakshmana. Hanuman lifted himself in the air and traveled the entire distance from Lanka to Himalaya and reached the Gandhamadhana Hill. As he was unable to locate the herb, he lifted the entire mountain and carried it to Lanka. Sushena immediately applied the herb and Lakshmana regained consciousness. Rama was relieved and the battle resumed.

This time Indrajeet played a trick on Rama and his army. He rushed forward in his chariot and created an image of Sita through his magic. Catching the image of Sita by the hair, Indrajeet beheaded Sita in front of the entire army of the Vanaras. Rama collapsed. Vibhishana came to his rescue. When Rama came to senses Vibhishana explained that it was only a trick played by Indrajeet and that Ravana would never allow Sita to be killed.

Vibhishana further explained to Rama that Indrajeet was realizing his limitations to kill Rama. Hence he would soon perform a special sacrificial ceremony in order to acquire that power. If successful, he would become invincible. Vibhishana suggested Lakshmana should go immediately to obstruct that ceremony and slay Indrajeet before he became invisible again.

Rama accordingly sent Lakshmana, accompanied by Vibhishana and Hanuman. They soon reached the spot where Indrajeet was engaged in performing the sacrifice. But before the Rakshasa prince could complete it, Lakshmana attacked him. The battle was fierce and finally Lakshmana severed Indrajeet's head from his body. Indrajeet fell dead.

With the fall of Indrajeet, Ravanas spirit was in complete despair. He wailed most piteously but sorrow soon gave way to anger. He furiously rushed to the battlefield to conclude the long drawn fight against Rama and his army. Forcing his way, past Lakshmana, Ravana came face to face with Rama. The fight was intense. Finally Rama used his Brahmastra, repeated the mantras as taught by Vashishtha, and hurled it with all his might towards Ravana. The Brahmastra whizzed through the air emitting scorching flames and then pierced the heart of Ravana. Ravana fell dead from his chariot. The Rakshasas stood silent in amazement. They could scarcely believe their eyes. The end was so sudden and final.

After Ravana's death, Vibhishana was duly crowned as king of Lanka. The message of Rama's victory was sent to Sita. Happily she bathed and came to Rama in a palanquin. Hanuman and all other monkeys came to pay their respect. Meeting Rama, Sita was overcome by her joyous emotion. Rama, however, seemed to be far away in thought.

At length Rama spoke, "I am happy to rescue you from the hands of Ravana but you have lived a year in enemy's abode. It is not proper that I should take you back now."

Sita could not believe what Rama said. Bursting in tears Sita asked, "Was that my fault? The monster carried me away against my wishes. While in his residence, my mind and my heart were fixed on my Lord, Rama, alone."

Sita felt deeply grieved and decided to end her life in the fire.

She turned to Lakshmana and with tearful eyes she implored him to prepare the fire. Lakshmana looked at his elder brother, hoping for some type of reprieve, but there was no sign of emotion on Ramas face and no words came from his mouth. As instructed, Lakshmana built a large fire. Sita reverently walked around her husband and approached the blazing fire. Joining her palms in salutation, she addressed Agni, the God of fire, "If I am pure, O fire, protect me." With these words Sita stepped into the flames, to the horror of the spectators.

Then Agni, whom Sita invoked, arose from the flames and gently lifted Sita unharmed, and presented her to Rama.

"Rama!" addressed Agni, "Sita is spotless and pure at heart. Take her to Ayodhya. People are waiting there for you." Rama delightfully received her. "Don't I know she is pure? I had to test her for the sake of the world so that the truth may be known to all."

Rama and Sita were now reunited and ascended on a air chariot (Pushpaka Viman), along with Lakshmana to return to Ayodhya. Hanuman went ahead to apprise Bharata of their arrival. 

When the party reached Ayodhya, the entire city was waiting to receive them. Rama was coronated and he took up the reins of government much to the great joy of his subjects.

As of today, the celebrations of Navaratri, Dasshera and Dewali come sequentially. Navaratri marks the beginning of Rama's prayer to Goddess Durga to obtain the divine power to kill Ravana. Then Rama received the divine power on the eighth day of Navaratri (Ashthami). Finally, Ravana was killed on the day of Dasshera. Dewali celebrates Rama's triumphant return to Ayodhya and his coronation.

[pramanisa]

Upagupta - The Buddhist Monk

 Long long ago, in the time of Lord Buddha. there lived a dancer in the city of Mathura. She was known as Vasavadatta. She was well known for her beauty and dance. Although she had many a suitor, none had the character she was looking for.

One evening Vasavadatta was looking out through the window when she saw a handsome young monk passing by. He was none other than Upagupta, an ardent disciple of Lord Buddha.

Vasavadatta fell in love with him at once and asked her maid to call the young monk to her house.

 The maid rushed to the monk and said, "Vasavadatta, my lady, wishes to see you. Oh the holy one, will you come in?"

The monk gracefully replied, "No, not now, but I will see her in time."

Vasavadatta was disappointed. She thought that perhaps the poor monk was embarrassed to come bearing no gift. After all, the rich noblemen always came with gifts of gold and jewels. She asked her maid to run out and tell the monk that she wanted only his company and he need not bring any gift.

The maid once again conveyed to Upagupta Vasavadatta's wishes.

Upagupta replied gently but firmly, "No, I cannot. It is not yet time to visit Vasavadatta."

Disappointed Vasavadatta stopped dancing. The people were mad.

"What is the matter with her? She seems to be always unhappy" complained the nobles.

Vasavadatta's maid knew her sorrow and was sad to see her beloved mistress always brooding over that heartless monk who refused to visit her.

To get her mind off of the monk, the maid asked Vasavadatta to go an visit the exhibition of a young sculptor of Mathura. As Vasavadatta admired the works of art, the young sculptor was secretly admiring her beauty. His thought was interrupted when Vasavadatta found a sculpture that she liked.

Vasavadatta asked, "This is so beautiful. How much does it cost? Will you sell it to me?"

The young sculptor replied, "You might find the price too high."

Proudly Vasavadatta said, "Whatever its price, I am prepared to pay it."

"It is yours, if you agree to dance again" said the young sculptor.

Vasavadatta hesitated.

The sculptor said, "Are you going to go back on your word? You promised to pay any price!" Vasavadatta agreed to keep her promise by dancing again. The people of Mathura thanked the sculptor. The audience gave a thundering applause to Vasavadatta but in her heart Vasavadatta was still not happy.

She kept on thinking, "Why did Upagupta shun her when thousands of people long for a sight of her."

 In the days that followed, the chief sculptor got increasingly interested in Vasavadatta. He asked her to pose for him so that he could capture her image in stone.

Seeing his exquisite work, Vasavadatta commented, "My art will die with me but your art will last for centuries to come."

The sculptor remarked, "I am so happy to see my talent bring happiness to you."

A few days later, the sculpture vanished. Both Vasavadatta and her maid were worried. They thought he might have left town. To their horror his body was found buried, not far from Vasavadatta's house.

People reported that the young sculptor was last seen entering Vasavadatta's house three days before he was killed. The enemies of the sculptor, who were jealous of him for getting the favor of Vasavadatta, had killed him and secretly buried him near Vasavadatta's house so that she would be falsely accused of the crime.

The king called Vasavadatta for an explanation. Shocked Vasavadatta had nothing to say. He confiscated all her property and banished her from Mathura. People threw stones at her and she was badly wounded. Finally she took shelter in a crematory. Her dearest maid knew that she was innocent. Vasavadatta was deliberatelly framed for the murder.

Vasavadatta soon became ill as her wounds got infected. She received no sympathy or medical help from anyone except her faithful maid. The passers-by would often throw stones at her and asked the maid to leave her to die.

"She deserves that for the sin she has committed!" they shouted.

Then came Upagupta, the Buddhist monk. Vasavadatta asked her maid to cover her. She did not want to show her wounded face to her beloved, Upagupta.

Upagupta said, "Vasvadatta, I have come to you just as you always desired."

"Oh monk! You rejected me when all of Mathura admired me," said Vasavadatta.

"Why do you choose to come now when I am nothing but a mass of festering flesh, shunned by all?" asked she.

Upagupta smiled and said with great compassion, "At that time you did not need me, Vasavadatta. You do now. Come, let me take you to my monastery and allow me heal your wounds."

 In due course Vasavadatta recovered under the care and nursing of the young monk. But she lost her beauty and was always depressed.

Seeing this, Upagupta consoled her, "Vasavadatta, you are sorry for loosing your beauty which lasts only as long as you are young. You are yet to discover a beauty greater than that you have lost, the beauty of the self. Come with me and listen to Lord Buddha, it will bring you peace and eternal happiness."

Vasavadatta, curious to know more, began to attend the discourses of Lord Buddha.

"You can't call your body your own!" Buddha said in his discourse. "When the body is cast away, it becomes food for the vultures. Light the lamp within you, only then, will you find true peace."

Quietly Vasavadatta began to think and repeat to herself, "Light the lamp within you, peace will come ---."

When the discourse ended, Vasavadatta fell at the feet of Lord Buddha seeking salvation.

Buddha blessed her, "So be it, my child. May you find peace."

[pramanisa]

Surdas

During the reign of Akbar, a great saint, Surdas, was born. He was blind and was beyond the parochial religious beliefs. His loving description of Krishna’s life in a folk language, known as Brajbhasa, is still today a treasure of Krishna’s bhajans.
In the village of Sihi near Delhi, in the house of a poor Brahman, a child was born in the year 1478. He was born blind. He had three other brothers. He was so neglected by his neighbors and his own family that by the time he was three, everyone forgot his real name and he was called Sur, which means blind. He was later known as Surdas.

Surdas would often go hungry because his mother would not bother to feed him. His brothers would receive new clothes at Diwali time but not Surdas. Surdas' parents thought he wouldn't be able to tell the difference anyway. It hurt his feelings.

 

Surdas' outside world was not very kind either. His playmates enjoyed teasing him and when he came to his mother for sympathy, she scolded him for going out. So, unfortunate Surdas stayed on the porch most of the time.

One day, a group of singers passed by his house singing in praise of the Lord. Swept up by the joy the music brought forth in him, he forgot for a moment that he was blind.

"One day I will learn how to sing," he told himself.

When Surdas joined his brothers to learn from their father how to read and write, his father said, "Go away. You are blind, you cannot read." His brothers teased him as he sat and wept.

A few days later, another group of singers came by, passing through the village, begging for alms and singing in praise of the Lord. They passed by Surdas' house. Surdas followed them. At night they stopped to cook and rest near a lake. One of them came to Surdas and asked, "Why are you following us?"

"I would like to learn to sing" answered Surdas.

 

They fed him that night but didn't want to be burdened with the blind boy. In the morning they left without telling him.

Where could blind Surdas go? He sat under a tree and began singing the Lord’s praise. He had a good voice and his feelings were expressed with utmost sincerity. Villagers passing by gave him food and he survived. The lake was a popular resting spot for those travelling to Mathura and Vrindavan. From their conversation, Surdas learnt a lot about the outside world.

By the age of fourteen, Surdas developed a keen sixth sense and could predict many things. People were amazed and he was called "miracle boy." If a villager lost an animal, Surdas could tell him where to find it. He was cosulted on the appropriate day to travel or to start any project. People from other villages travelled a long way to meet him and gave their offerings. One day, the landlord's little toddler wandered off and could not be found. Surdas predicted where the boy was and the boy was found. The landlord was so pleased that he fell at Surdas' feet and asked his men to build a cottage for him near the tree under which Surdas stayed. Shortly thereafter, people offered him a string instrument to accompany his singing. Some people became his disciples. They began to write the songs he composed. The disciples loved him and served him to the best of their ability.

One night, Surdas dreamt of Krishna and people praising Him through bhajans. Surdas woke up and was convinced that Krishna was calling to him. The next morning, he departed for Vrindavan. His disciples came running and were worried.

"Why are you leaving us? Are we at fault?"

Surdas consoled them and continued on his way to Vrindavan through the jungle. Wherever he went people wanted to listen to him sing and have him stay with them. They would beg him to stay in their village. They respected him, honored him and fed him. But Surdas kept moving.

 

"I am a traveling monk, I cannot stay at any one place," Surdas said.

One day, while he was resting at the edge of a shallow abandoned well, he fell into the well. Blind and injured, he did not know how to get out.

Surdas stayed in the well for seven days praying for help. Suddenly he heard a child’s voice, "Hold my hands, I will take you out."

Surdas came out of the well and the boy disappeared. He kept searching for the little boy who rescued him. In his imagination, the boy was none else but Gopal Krishna (Krishna's childhood name). People thought he was crazy.

One day one of his disciples told Surdas that the great learned saint Swami Balabhachari was going to visit Vrindavan. Balabhachari was famous for his writings about Krishna. Surdas keenly wished to see him. While Surdas was making arrangements to cross the river to visit Balabhachari, Balabhachari himself arrived at Surdas’s residence. Surdas was overwhelmed with joy. He fell at Balabhachari's feet and sought his blessing. Upon his request, Surdas sang a bhajan about Krishna. Balabhachari requested Surdas to dedicate his life to the praise of Lord Krishna.

Balabhachari stayed with Surdas for a few days and taught him about Krishna's scriptures. Then he initiated Surdas to his own religious order. Surdas went to Vrindavan with his guru, Balabhachari. Balabhachari appointed Surdas as the chief singer of Srinath temple in Govardhan, near Vrindavan. Srinath is another name for Krishna.

 

Surdas’ reputation as a singer and devotee spread far and wide. One day in the court of the mogul emperor Akbar, the court singer Tansen, sang one of Surdas' songs. Akbar was charmed. Tansen admitted that the tune and the lyrics were that of Surdas, the blind devotee of Krishna.

Akbar was a broadminded Muslim. He invited Surdas to his court. Surdas declined saying, "I am so very honored, but I sing only in the court of my beloved Krishna."

When Akbar heard of this, he gladly came to Surdas and listened to his prayer songs in the temple. He was very pleased and asked Surdas to ask for anything he wanted.

Surdas said, "Just do not ask me to go to your court to sing." Akbar agreed.

Surdas lived a long life and wrote many songs in praise of Krishna's childhood days. Surdas' songs are sung to this day

[pramanisa]

Sati and Shiva

According to Hindu view of life, Shiva, the principle male power, unites with his female counterpart in order to acquire the ability to create and destroy. The story of Sati and Shiva, described in the Purana, presents in simple language, the truth and beauty of such a lofty vedic concept.
In the days of ancient mythology, Brahma, the Prajapati, mentally created ten sons (manasa putra) to carry out his task of creation and destruction. Both Shiva and Daksha were the outcome of such a creation but Shiva had superior powers. Daksha, however, never liked the supremacy of Shiva. So, he took Shiva as his rival.

One of the daughters of Daksha, named Sati, was a great devotee of Shiva. She was beautiful and virtuous. Most of the time Sati immersed in the thoughts of Shiva and dreamed of being his wife.

Sati, through her sincere and devotional prayers, acquired the blessings of all gods and goddesses. Shiva finally yielded and appeared before Sati. She paid her reverence and kneeling down to Shiva chanted in praise of him.

 Shiva asked her to choose a boon. Shiva knew what she would ask but wanted her to speak for herself.

Sati was hesitant, "How can I say that I want nothing else but Him!"

After a while Sati gathered her courage and started to say, "Lord will you ----"

Shiva did not let Sati complete her question, and he blessed her, "Be my consort Sati."

Soon Sati was married to Shiva amidst numerous gods and goddesses.

After the wedding, Shiva took Sati to Kailas where they spent many a happy days.

Then one day, Shiva requested Sati to accompany him to Prayag, today's Allahabad, to attend a fire- worship ceremony or Yagna.

When Shiva entered the Yagna hall, every one stood up to pay respect.

After some time Daksha entered the Yagna hall. Everyone stood up to pay respect except Shiva. Daksha felt insulted.

"How dare my son-in-law, Shiva, did not stand up! This is a deliberate insult to me," Daksha said to himself.

Shiva, on the other hand, thought to himself, "Being a superior power, it will not be nice if I stand up, and harm may befall on Daksha." Shiva did not mean to insult Daksha.

Taking this instance as an exception, Daksha promised to insult Shiva in public. He hurriedly returned home and declared that he will hold a grand sacrificial ceremony. He invited all gods and goddesses, but deliberately excluded Shiva.

When Sati, Shiva's beautiful wife and Daksha's daughter, noticed a large procession of gods and goddesses passing by, she curiously asked Shiva, "Where are they going?"

Shiva replied, "To the grand sacrificial ceremony to be held by Daksha, your father."

Sati was amazed.

"Then why have you not been invited?" she demanded angrily. "You should have been the first to be asked."

Shiva smiled gently at his wife's loyalty and fervor.

"Daksha has always been hostile to me," Shiva tried to explain.

But Sati's disbelief increased, "Does my father not realize that you are the supreme power and no one can equal you?"

"You are a good and true wife Sati," Shiva replied gently, "but Daksha thinks differently, he takes me as his rival."

"Invited or not," Sati said furiously, "I think we should go. It is after all my own father's house and I atleast need no invitation."

"Then go with my blessings Sati," replied Shiva. "but do not forget that Daksha will shower insults upon me. You must be strong enough to bear it silently and not allow your rage to show in your father's presence. If you are unable to tolerate his insults, I fear you may come to harm."

Taking Nandi, the gentle white bull who was Shiva's companion and mount, Sati arrived at her father's grand sacrificial ceremony.

Daksha reluctantly received her and publicly condemned Shiva - calling him the demon of death and an impious haunter of cremation grounds.

"What place has the goblin lord of witches and foul spirits in a sacred ceremony such as mine?" Daksha boomed.

Sati was hurt by his insults to her husband and begged her father to stop, but Daksha could not contain himself.

"It is disgraceful for a so-called god to wear filthy rags, cover himself with snakes and dance like a madman at ceremonies ---" continued Daksha on and on until Sati could not stand any longer. She remembered her husband's caution, "Do not allow your rage to get over you."

Sati painfully said, "I am ashamed to be known as your daughter. As I have promised my husband not to take any revenge, much less upon you, I merely denounce you before this assembly. I shall consume myself in a fire and return to mother Earth until I am born again to a father whom I can respect."

 Daksha ignored the disappearance of Sati and ordered to continue with the sacrifice.

When news reached Shiva, through Nandi, that his beloved wife was dead, he let out a mighty roar that shook Heaven and Earth. He soon created a powerful demon, named Virabhadra, from his matted hair. Shiva also created a huge army of demons to accompany Virabhadra. They descended like a hurricane on Daksha's feast, destroying the sacrificial offering and killing all those who dared defend Daksha. Finally every one walked over to Shiva's side to seek refuge with him.

 Shiva was about to destroy the universe, when Brahma came with other gods to calm him down. Shiva was still quivering and shook with wrath and grief at the loss of Sati. All the gods soothed the furious Shiva and pleaded with him to forgive Daksha and allow him to complete the sacrificial ceremony, which he had started, otherwise he would go to hell.

Relenting, Shiva brought back to life all the people who had been killed in the battle and cured all those who had been injured. Finally he looked up, suppressing the power of his destructive third eye, and stated, "I will return Daksha to life, but he must bear the mark of his foolishness forever."

The gods agreed to Shiva's condition and Daksha was revived. The mark of his foolishness was clear for all to see for instead of his own head, he wore the head of a goat. Daksha fell at Shiva's feet weeping with gratitude, and finally acknowledged Shiva's supremacy.

With a mighty effort Shiva contained his grief for the loss of Sati, and he fell into profound meditation, waiting for the time when she would be reincarnated as Parvati and be his wife once again

[pramanisa]

Kacha and DEVayani

Prologue
Devayani was the beautiful daughter of Shukracahrya, preceptor to the Asuras, the demons. Shukracharya knew the secret of Mritasanjibani that brings back to life the Asuras, killed in the war with the gods, the devas. The devas also wanted to know the secret of Mritasanjibani. So they sent Kacha, the handsome son of Brihaspati, preceptor to the Devas, to fall in love with Devayani. This is the story of Kacha and Devayani and how the devas learnt the secret of Mritasanjibani.
Feature story
Long ago, the Devas and the Asuras fought all the time for the lordship of the three worlds. The Asuras were care free and happy as long as Shukracharya, their preceptor, was with them. The valiant Devas, tired of the unequal struggle, went to Kach, the handsome son of Brihaspati, preceptor of the Devas and asked him to go to Shukracharya and learn the secret of Mritasanjibani.

The obedient and dutiful Kacha immediately set out to meet Shukracharya. He humbly presented himself before the great wise man, introduced himself as the son of Brihaspati, and asked to become his disciple.

Shukracharya was a true teacher. He immediately recognized Kacha’s brilliance as a student. Shukracharya did not differentiate between his students. He gave Kacha a warm welcome and accepted him as his pupil.

Shukracharya had a daugher, Devayani, whom he loved dearly. He introduced Kacha to his daughter saying, "Kacha has vowed to be my pupil till the period of his studies is over."

All learning in those days was handed down by word of mouth. The pupil lived with his guru's family as one of the household. In return for his education, the pupil served his guru with love and devotion. However, Shukracharya was very busy either at court or he was deep in meditation. So Kacha helped Devayani with her daily chores and watched after her.

 Within a few days of his arrival, Kacha found himself spending all his leisure hours in the company of the lively Devayani. Devayani was slowly drawn towards Kacha and they fell in love.

Shukracharya liked Kacha because he was an attentive disciple.

As the years passed, the Asuras became suspicious of Kacha. They wanted to get rid of him. One day as Kacha was attending Shukracharya’s cattle, the Asuras fell upon him and slew him. Then they cut him into pieces and fed his flesh to their dogs.

When Kacha did not come home at the normal hour, Devayani became alarmed. When the cattle came back without Kacha she ran in a panic to her father and told him that Kacha was missing. Shukracharya closed his eyes and to the great relief of Devayani, Kacha came back to life and appeared before her. When Devayani inquired about his disappearance, Kacha tried to explain in a puzzled voice, "I was killed by the Asuras but I do not know how I came back to life?" Shukracharya just smiled.

The love between Kacha and Devayani grew day by day. The Asuras were worried. They guessed right, Kacha was there to learn the secret of Mritasanjibani.

One day Devayani asked Kacha to get her a particular flower that only grows in the deep forest. Kacha went for it. The Asuras followed him and once again killed him. But this time they carried his body to a secluded spot, grounded up into a paste, and dissolved it in the water of the ocean.

Devayani waited and waited. When Kacha did not return she went again to her father. Shukracharya meditated and once again used the secret knowledge to revive Kacha. Devayani was overjoyed.

The Asuras were now at their wits end. "How can we kill Kacha? Every time we kill him, his guru brings him to life!"

They went to one of the senior Asuras and asked him how to destroy Kacha for good. The senior Asura gave them an idea. The next day, when Kacha went out with the cattle, they again slew him. This time then burnt him in the jungle. Then they took the ashes home and mixed it in a wine which Shukracharya was very fond of. They took the drink to Shukracharya for a taste. Shukracharya loved it. He immediately drank it and blessed the Asuras.

When the cattle once again returned home without Kacha Devajani knew what had happened.

"Will Kacha ever be mine?" she asked herself "The Asuras will never leave him alone!"

She went to Shukracharya and wept. "Father, without Kacha I am as good as dead, please bring him back to life."

Shukracharya waited for a while thinking. "It is no good to bring Kacha to life. The Asuras will only kill him again. "

He tried to console his daughter, "It is futile Devajani to bring Kacha to life. The Asuras are determined to get rid of him. A wise soul, like you, should not grieve at a loved one's death. You are young and beautiful and you have your own life to live."

 But Devajani was adamant. So strong was her love for Kacha.

" Father” she said, “Kacha was your best student. I am in love with him. I can not live without him."

Devajani stopped eating. Shukracharya could no longer bear to see his daughter in such agony. Again Shukracharya used his secret knowledge and called upon Kacha to come back to the world of the living. Kacha came back to life and spoke from inside the stomach of Shukracharya.

"The Asuras killed me but I do not know how I happen to be inside your stomach?" echoed Kach.

Shukracharya cursed himself for drinking the wine given by the Asuras. "Henceforth, wine shall be forbidden for those engaged in the pursuit of wisdom," declared Shukracharya in great frustration. Now Shukracharya had a real dilemma of his own. He could ask Kacha to come out but that would mean his own death.

When he told Debjani of his dilemma she was again adamant, "Father, I can not live if either of you dies."

After long deliberation Shukracharya thought of a way out. He knew now the real purpose of Kacha's visit. He addressed Kacha, "I now see why you came and truly you have succeeded. There is only one way by which both of us can ensure Devayani's happiness. I will have to teach you the craft of Mritasanjivani.

With his new knowledge Kacha emerged from Shukracharya's dying body and then immediately brought his guru back to life. Shukracharya could not have been happier with his pupil's progress.

When the Asuras came to offer him wine, Shukracharya shouted, "You fools! Kacha now knows my secret. You helped him learn by your foolish deeds. But rest assured Kacha will continue to live with me because of his love for Devayani.

But Shukracharya was wrong. Kacha too faced the troubling dilemma. Waiting for the period of his studies to come to an end, Kacha kept silent. While his love for Devayani was deep, his sense of duty towards the devas was no less strong.

 On the last the day of his studies, Kacha went to Shukracharya for his blessing. As a wise man and a dedicated teacher, Shukracharya concealed his grudge against Kacha but he was wondering how Kacha was going to bid farewell to Devayani.

Devayani waited for Kacha to propose marriage. But when Kacha broke the heart-breaking news that he was going to fulfill his obligations to his own people, her joy turned to tears. Devayani pleaded with Kacha to take her as his wife. But Kacha replied, "Peerless one! I was reborn in your father's stomach. I am therefore your brother. I can't marry you. I must return to heaven."

The broken-hearted Devayani cried out in her grief. She accused Kacha of using her to attain his goal. Distort she cursed Kacha, "You will never be able to use the craft of Mritasanjivani."

Kacha quietly listened and then spoke, "Devayani, it is wrong to curse me. I could have walked away without reviving your father. There is no doubt that my love was sincere and truthful. But, I also have a duty to perform towards my own people. Because of your unfairness to me, I am cursing you. No Rishi's son will ever marry you. I may still teach the craft of Mritasanjivani to others, even though I may not be able to use it myself." Saying this Kacha departed for the abode of Indra, king of the Devas. Shukhacharya gently led Devayani away.

With the passage of time, Devayani completely forgot about Kacha. She once again became playful and lived happily with her father and her playmates in the city of Vrishaparva, king of the Asuras. Of her playmates, the most important was princess Sharmistha, the daughter of king Vrishaparva. In our next story we will tell how Devayani fought with Sharmistha and married king Yayati, a Kshitriya, who belonged to the warrior race.

[pramanisa]

Aruni

In the next few weeks I will tell you two stories, Aruni and Uttanka. These stories are taken from Mahabharata that illustrate the special relationship that ought to exist between the teacher (guru) and disciple (shishya). In these stories, the faith of the student in his teacher is matched by the teacher's perception of his pupil's abilities.

Aruni of Panchala was a dedicated student of the ancient sage Dhoumya. In the days of yore, a student had to stay with the teacher and help in the teacher’s daily chores in order to receive the knowledge he sought.

It was a day of cold winter. Aruni was carrying the firewood he had collected for the sage's household. As he was passing by a field, which belonged to the sage, he noticed a breach in the embankment that was holding water in his teacher's field. He realized that the water would seep away and the field’s crops would die with no water.

"What should I do? If I stop to build the embankment I will be delayed and there is no firewood at the hermitage to keep the place warm. I better rush to the hermitage with the firewood and then come back to take care of the breach."

 Meanwhile the sage and his disciples had assembled for the day's lesson. Aruni was missing.

Soon Aruni rushed in, dropped the firewood in the courtyard, and informed the teacher about the breach of the embankment. Then he quickly rushed out.

Sage Dhoumya felt proud of his disciple, "It is hard to get such a responsible disciple."

Aruni ran all the way back to the troubled spot and tried to stop the leakage of water by putting some logs and mud. However, this did not stop the leak. The heavy pressure of water washed away the dam Aruni made. He felt helpless. It seemed impossible for him to stop the leakage without help. He thought for a while and then made a plan.

It was getting dark and the teacher became worried. He called his disciples and set out looking for Aruni. As he called out for Aruni, he heard a faint voice, "Here I am master!"

The teacher and his disciples rushed to the spot and saw Aruni lying on the breach, in order to hold the water in the field. The disciples quickly pulled Aruni out from the freezing water. He was repeatedly muttering, "The water is flowing out, the crops will die ---."

"Don't worry Aruni! We will take care of the breach," said the disciples.

"Never mind my son! You are more precious than the crop," said the teacher.

Aruni was covered in a blanket and brought home. Sage Dhoumya himself tended to Aruni. The sage then blessed his disciple with pride, "You shall, forever, be renowned for your unmatched devotion and obedience to your guru.

[pramanisa]

The Enlightened Butcher

This story from Mahabharata brings to light that our spiritual achievement is useless if we neglect our duties or Dharma.

Kaushika was his parents' only son.

"Mother," he said one day, " I want to go off into the jungle and devote myself to spiritual studies. " 

His mother said with concern, "But son, your father and I are very old. Your father is so sick he can hardly move. If you go away, what will happen to us? Who will attend to our needs?"

Kaushika did not listen. He was determined to study the Vedas. His mother cried in vain as she watched her son turn his back on her and leave for the jungle.

Eventually Kaushika acquired great mystical powers.

One afternoon, as he was meditating under a tree, a crane flew up, and perched herself on a branch above Kaushika. Some bird droppings fell on Kaushika's head. Kaushika furiously threw a fiery gaze at the crane.

The crane immediately fell dead.

The sage felt sorry for what he had done. "How could I have allowed my anger to take over me that way?" He mourned.

Later in the day, he went to a village to beg for alms. The lady of the house asked him to wait and went to get some food. Right then her husband arrived. She immediately set aside the pot of food she was taking to the sage and went to attend her husband.

After washing his feet, giving him food, and attending to his needs, she came back out to give the alms to the sage. The sage was very insulted. "You put your husband before a pious sage? Do you know the power of a Brahmin?"

She calmly replied, "Yes, a true Brahmin is he who has mastered his anger. Please do not threaten me, I am not a crane that will die by your fiery gaze."

The sage was amazed. "How does she know about the crane?" he wondered.

The lady continued, "Oh holy one! You are a learned Brahmin but you have not understood the truth about virtue. If you want to be enlightened, go to Dharmavyadha who lives in Mathura. Any one will tell you where he lives."

The sage thanked the lady and hurried to Mathura. "He must be a great and learned sage indeed," Kaushika thought to himself.

But when he finally reached Dharmavyadaha's place, he found it to be a butcher shop!

A very ordinary looking man came out and said, "Welcome holy one. I am Dharmavyadaha, the man you seek."

"How can a butcher be spiritually enlightened?" Kaushika asked in amazement.

Dharmavyadaha smiled and said with compassion, "I know the story of the crane and of the woman who sent you here. Come, let us go to my house. "

The sage could not contain himself and blurted out, "But butchering animals is such a sinful profession! Are you not ashamed?"

"I am not," the butcher calmly said. "I am engaged in a family trade. I work hard and honestly at it. There is no reason for me to be ashamed of my work!"

"Holy one," continued the butcher. "If I do injury to other creatures, so do you as you did to the crane. "

"As we walk on the soil, we are trampling on numerous creatures. Nor is the air devoid of creatures."

"You see that farmer tilling the land? He is killing so many animals that thrive under the soil."

They reached the butcher's house. The butcher's wife was doing her house hold chores and his two boys were playing.

The butcher introduced the sage to his wife and boys.

Then the butcher entered the house and touched his parents' feet.

"Here is a learned Brahmin who has come from a far-off place." the butcher told his old father.

"Welcome, holy one," the father said.

Before leaving the room, the butcher remarked, "My parents are my Gods. My wife and my children attend to them with devotion and love. We consider caring for them to be our greatest duty." 

"In doing one's duty cheerfully, lies true virtue. This is what the dutiful wife sent you to learn."

"Oh learned one!" the butcher continued, "You have run away from your responsibilities and deserted your aged father and mother. Spiritual achievement is useless if one has neglected one's Dharma, or duties."

The sage remembered his mother crying, "Who will look after us when you are gone my son?"

The sage apologized, "You have shown me the path of true virtue, the true meaning of Dharma, Oh pious one. I am deeply indebted to you."

Kaushika immediately returned to his parents and served them lovingly till the end of their days

[pramanisa]

Uttanka

There was once a great sage named Gautama. Many disciples came to the sage in the pursuit of knowledge. Among them was Uttanka, who was exemplary in his devotion to Gautama. Uttanka did the household work for Gautama, helped him prepare for the sacrificial rites and knew exactly what his guru (teacher) needed at the right time. His knowledge of the Vedas was outstanding and the other disciples went to him for tutoring. Gautama had never had such a sincere and intelligent student before.

 Uttanka and his classmates graduated. All his classmates left the hermitage (ashram) but the guru loved Uttanka dearly and did not permit him to go. Year after year new students came, they graduated and left the hermitage in their independent search for knowledge but Uttanka stayed back as he was hesitant to hurt his guru.

As years passed by, Uttanka became old. He was unable to carry the load of firewood, his back ached and his hair began to turn white. One day when he was unable to do the household chores due to his declining strength. He came to his guru Gautama in frustration and poured his heart out.

“Gurudeva, you did not allow me to leave the ashram for all these years. Now, I am old and unable to take care of your household chores. I am unhappy that I could not enjoy worldly pleasures as other disciples did.”

Gautama replied, “My son, I kept you here because of my love for you. But if you wish to go, you have my permission and my blessings. With the power of your penance in serving me, you will become a young man again and I shall give my daughter to you in marriage.”

Immediately, Uttanka regained the looks and strength of a young man. He was very grateful to his guru. He married Gautama's daughter and was ready to lead his independent life.

Before his departure Uttanka wanted to pay tribute (gurudakshina) to Gautama. The sage said, "You have served me with devotion for all these years. No other tribute is necessary.” Then Uttanka went to Gautama's wife and requested her to ask for something that she had wanted all her life.

After repeated coaxing, Gautama's wife said, “Uttanka, if you insist, I want the earrings worn by king Saudasa’s wife. I have heard so much about these earrings that I yearn for them in my dreams.”

Uttanka promised to get the earrings. He knew that it was not an easy task and he would face many dangers. So, he asked his bride to stay with her parents while he set out in search of the earrings. Uttanka was confident that his sincere penance to his guru would help him in his challenging, forthcoming task.

When sage Gautama heard that Uttanka has left on a dangerous endeavor, he was concerned. He told his wife, “You should have not asked for the earrings, my dear. Uttanka will face many dangers that may even threaten his life.” Gautama's wife regretted her request, but it was too late. Uttanka had already left on his quest, eager for success.

King Saudasa was living in a remote forest. He had annoyed Vasistha, and was cursed by the sage to lead the life of a cannibal.

Uttanka trudged on until he came to Saudasa’s abode. As soon as Saudasa saw Uttanka he attacked him. Uttanka stopped him by saying, “Oh king, wait! I have come on an errand for my guru. It is against Dharma (righteousness) to injure someone who is on such mission. I promise that I will offer myself to you after I have completed my errand.”

Saudasa inquired what the errand was about.

“I have come to beg for your wife’s earrings.” Saudasa was taken aback. He admired the courage of Uttanka, in approaching him, a cannibal. He said, “Go to my wife and tell her that I would like her to give the earrings to you. This good act may reduce my life of suffering as a cannibal.”

Uttanka went to the queen with Saudasa's message. The queen immediately parted with her earrings with the hope that her husband would benefit by her good deed.

When Uttanka examined the earrings, he could not find anything special with them. Out of curiosity, he asked, “What is special about these earrings?”

The queen said, “This is a celestial ornament. The wearer will be free from hunger and thirst and will be protected from all dangers.”

The queen further warned, “The nagas (serpents) have coveted these earrings for a long time and will steal them at their first opportunity. So, guard them well. Hide them in the folds of your deerskin and never part with them.”

Uttanka thanked the queen and assured her, “I shall protect them with my life.” Then he left and came back to Saudasa as he had promised. He requested the cannibal to spare him until he had handed over the earrings to his guru's wife. Saudasa agreed.

Uttanka then added, “You helped me in getting the earrings and in fulfilling my promise to my guru’s wife. Your good deed will reduce the tenure of your life as a cannibal. Hence, I have also been of help to you. By helping each other, we have become friends. The scriptures say that one should not eat the flesh of a friend. So you would surely not like to eat me…..?”

Saudasa was struck by Uttanka’s logic, and could not disagree with him. There was even the possibility of leading a normal life soon! Uttanka quickly departed before Saudasa changed his mind.

On way to Gautama's hermitage, Uttanka felt tired. So he tied the deerskin, which was encasing the earrings, on the branch of a tree and lay down to rest in its shade. Unfortunately, the deerskin slipped off and fell on the ground. A naga was waiting for this opportunity. It quickly picked up the earrings and sneaked away. Uttanka saw the naga slipping away with the earrings and chased it. The naga disappeared into an anthill. Uttanka started digging the anthill with his staff. He continued to dig for several days without food or water. He was determined to give up his life in the search of the earrings rather than return to his guru's hermitage empty handed.

An old man suddenly arrived on the scene and asked “What are you doing, young man?”

Uttanka explained, “A naga stole the celestial earring that I was carrying for my guru's wife and went into this anthill. I am trying to find the naga.”

The old man said, “You must be joking! The naga may be hidden thousands of miles deep into the soil. It may take you your entire life to dig with your staff which can hardly make a dent in this hard soil.”

“I prefer to die here rather than face my guru's wife without fulfilling her wishes. I am so very ashamed”, said Uttanka, sorrowfully.

The old man was none other than Indra, king of the devas (gods). Appreciating the determination of Uttanka, Indra assumed his real form and asked Uttanka to strike his staff onto his bajra (the thunder weapon that Indra carries). Uttanka did as he was told and his staff was energized. The invigorated staff accelerated the process of digging into the anthill.

 Uttanka soon tunneled into the kingdom of Nagas (serpants). It was huge and well protected by the nagas. Uttanka was puzzled. “How can I search this place and where can I look for the naga who stole my earrings?”

Suddenly he saw a horse standing before him with blazing fire around him. Uttanka, overcome by awe, did not move. The horse spoke, “Do not be afraid, Uttanka. I am Agni (god of fire). You have served me well at your guru's hermitage. I am very pleased with you. Blow at me hard and I will emit smoke that will choke the nagas. They will come to you for rescue. Then, you can ask the naga king to return the earrings.”

Uttanka did as he was told and in no time the entire naga kingdom was filled with smoke. The nagas could not breathe and they were all forced to come out of their homes. They bowed before Uttanka. Uttanka asked the nagas to return the earrings. The nagas realized that they had to choose between their lives and the earrings. And of course, they chose to save their lives and quickly returned the earrings!

Uttanka returned to Gautama’s ashrama and gave the earrings to Gautama’s wife. Everyone was very happy at Uttanka’s safe return. Gautama and his wife showered their blessings on Uttanka. Uttanka fulfilled his obligation of giving gurudakshina and was finally free to lead his own life.

[pramanisa]

Mahabharata for children(Part 1)

Mahabharata is a literary treasure of India. It is the longest epic poem in the world, originally written in Sanskrit, the ancient language of India. It was composed by Vyasa several thousand years ago..

Mahabharata belongs not only to India but to the world too. It is a parable of the human race and carries a universal message - victory comes to those who stay on the righteous path. It is a real life drama that stands as a perennial spiritual strength to the people of India in all phases of their lives.

The story of Mahabharata starts with King Dushyant, a powerful ruler of ancient India. Dushyanta married Shakuntala, the foster-daughter of sage Kanva. Shakuntala was born to Menaka, a nymph of Indra's court, from sage Vishwamitra, who secretly fell in love with her. Shakuntala gave birth to a worthy son Bharata, who grew up to be fearless and strong. He ruled for many years and was the founder of the Kuru dynasty. Unfortunately, things did not go well after the death of Bharata and his large empire was reduced to a kingdom of medium size with its capital Hastinapur.

Mahabharata means the story of the descendents of Bharata. The regular saga of the epic of the Mahabharata, however, starts with king Shantanu. Shantanu lived in Hastinapur and was known for his valor and wisdom.

One day he went out hunting to a nearby forest. Reaching the bank of the river Ganges (Ganga), he was startled to see an indescribably charming damsel appearing out of the water and then walking on its surface. Her grace and divine beauty struck Shantanu at the very first sight and he was completely spellbound.

When the king inquired who she was, the maiden curtly asked, "Why are you asking me that?"

King Shantanu admitted "Having been captivated by your loveliness, I, Shantanu, king of Hastinapur, have decided to marry you."

"I can accept your proposal provided that you are ready to abide by my two conditions" argued the maiden.

"What are they?" anxiously asked the king.

"Firstly, you will never ask anything about my personal life, like who I am or where do I come from? Secondly, you will never stop me from doing anything or ask the reason of anything I do."

Shantanu was totally gripped by the maiden's beauty, now known as Ganga, and immediately accepted her conditions. They instantly entered into a love marriage (Gandharva vivah) and returned home.

Things went on quite smoothly for sometime and then queen Ganga gave birth to a lovely boy. As soon as king Shantanu heard of this good news, he was overjoyed and rushed to the palace to congratulate the queen. But he was astonished to see that the queen took the newborn into her arms, went to the river, and drowned him. The king was shocked and felt miserable, yet he could not ask the queen about her action. He was bound by his pledge, not to question or interfere with the her actions.  

Hardly had Shantanu recovered from the shock of the death of his first son at the hands of the queen when she became expectant again. The king felt happy and thought that the queen would not repeat her dreadful action again. But the queen again took the newborn into her arms, and drowned him in the river.

After seeing the ghastly action of the queen, the king was in immense grief again, but his pledge barred him to say anything.

This continued on until queen Ganga bore the eighth son and marched to the river as before. Shantanu lost his patience and as soon as the queen was about to drown the newborn, Shantanu stopped her. "I have lost seven sons like this and am left with no heir. I can no longer stand to see my flesh and blood decimated before my eyes."

Queen Ganga turned around and said, "Oh King, you have violated your pledge. I will not stay with you any longer. However before leaving you, I will open the secret that led to the death of your seven sons. Once it so happened that the saint Vashishtha got offended with eight gods known as Vasus. He cursed them to be born as human beings on the earth and undergo the mental torture of being a human. Hearing this, seven of the Vasus implored the saint to be excused but the eighth one, who was the most mischievous, kept standing rudely. "

Vashishtha was appeased and modified his curse, "Seven of you will die and come back to heaven as soon as you are born, but the eighth one will have to live on the earth for a long period and face the tribulations as a human."

Ganga continued, "Upon the request from the Vasus, I assume the human form and marry you. My job is now over and I must now go back to my heavenly abode. I am taking your eighth son with me and will bring him back to you after he is amply grown up."

After saying this, Ganga flew away into the sky along with the newborn. King Shantanu felt very disappointed and returned to his palace with a broken heart.

Many years after, when Shantanu was taking a stroll on the bank of the river Ganges (Ganga), Goddess Ganga emerged out of the river with a young boy.

Ganga spoke, " Oh King! Here is your eighth son, Deva Vrata. I have brought him up in order that he may be able to cope with what is to befall on him in his life on this earth."

The king happily brought the prince to the palace and celebrated his advent by declaring him the crown prince of his kingdom. Deva Vrata was brave, just and looked highly promising.

King Shantanu was getting old and announced his retirement. He was lonely and always missed Ganga. It was one day while he was taking a stroll on the bank of the river Ganges; he was attracted towards a charming maiden, Satyavati. She was the daughter of the chief of the fishermen tribe. She took the sages across the river on her boat. She had a divine aroma coming out of her body.

 Shantanu did not know the secret that circled around Satyavati during her maiden days. Satyavati once had a bad fishy smell on her body. Sage Parashar, one of the sages who she took across the river, had a special liking for her. He was pleased and blessed her with a sweet aroma along with the boon of a son who was named Vyas. Immediately after birth, Vyas grew up quickly through his divine powers and left for the forest. Vyas, however, promised his mother Satyavati that he will come back whenever he was called for. Vyas, later known as Veda Vyas, had mastery of the Vedas but was extremely ugly looking and had a horrible smell. Veda Vyas authored the story of the Mahabharata, for the sake of the posterity. It is said that Vyas dictated the entire epic at a stretch while Lord Ganesh acted as the scriber. In addition, Vyas played a central role in his story appearing and disappearing on the scene whenever his mother or her family members sought his help. He had rare magical qualities to resolve their problems.

Shantanu, unaware of the secrets of Satyavati's maiden life, was charmed by her beauty. He went to her father, the chief fisherman, and asked him for the hand of his daughter. The chief fisherman, placed the condition that the son born of Satyavati will be the successor of the Kaurava throne and not Deva Vrata. Santanu was shocked to hear the condition and returned home disappointed and unhappy. Deva Vrata later discovered the cause of his father's unhappiness and went to Satyavati's father, to advocate his father’s position on marrying Satyavati. In return he promised to give up his right to the throne for Satyavati's son.

The chief fisherman thought for a while and showed his further concern by saying, "What about your children? They may not honor your promise?"

Hearing this, Deva Vrata took the terrible vow that he will never marry in his life, for he would remain as a brahamachari. From then on he was known as Bheeshma, the firm. Bheeshma brought Satyavati on his chariot to the palace and presented her to his father. Shantanu felt shocked when he heard of all that happened. He blessed Bheeshma with the power to choose his day of death.

In due course of time, queen Satyavati became the mother of two princes - Chitrangad and Vichitravirya. After Shantanu's death, Chitrangad succeeded the throne but was killed in a war. Vichitravirya, was then a minor, and was enthroned by Bheeshma as the king of Hastinapur. When Vichitravirya came of age, Bheeshma and queen Satyavati got him married to two princesses of Kashi, Amba and Ambika. Unfortunately, Vichitravirya died without a successor.

Bheeshma and Satyavati conferred and decided to call Veda Vyas. Vyas arrived in no time. Satyavati explained to him the grave situation that the Kaurava family was facing without an heir. He requested Vyas to bless Ambika, the elder of the two widows of Vichitravirya, to bless with a son who can succeed the deceased king. Vyas agreed.

When Vyas approached Ambika, she was frightened by his ugly face and shut her eyes while the saint uttered the boon. As a result, the son born to Ambika was blind. He was named Dhritarashtra. The queen was disappointed and asked Vyas to offer the boon to Ambalika, the younger widow. Ambalika could not stand his smell and turned pale out of fear while the saint was uttering the boon. As a result, the child born of Ambalika was pale and was called Pandu, meaning pale.

Queen Satyavati was puzzled, what can be done now? Requesting the saint for another chance, she sent for the elder widow Ambika once more to receive the boon from the saint. Ambika was so scared of the saint that she could not dare to go before him. Instead, without telling her mother-in-law, Ambika sent her maid to the saint after disguising her with stately garments. The maid remained fearless and greeted the saint, Veda Vyas, with great devotion. Feeling happy, the saint gave her a boon and she bore a perfect child called Vidur.

[pramanisa]

Part - 1 continued.....

In course of time Pandu ascended the throne as his elder brother Dhritarashtra was blind and Vidur became the prime minister due to his sagacity and distinguished talent. Dhritarashtra married Gandhari, the princess of Gandhar in Beluchistan, (today's Pakistan). When Gandhari came to know that her husband is blind, she, as a true wife, sharing the emotions of her husband, bandaged her eyes permanently with a cloth.

During the time of Pandu, the kingdom of the Kurus expanded far and wide. Pandu was married twice, first to Kunti and then to Madri. After many years of rule, Pandu decided to retire to Himalayas leaving the kingdom in the hands of Dhritarashtra and grandfather Bheeshma. There was no heir to the throne since none of the brothers had any children.

Later one day, when Pandu was hunting in the forest, he shot an arrow to a deer who was in the state of making love. Before dying, the deer cursed Pandu that he will die instantly when he will touch any of his wives. Pandu was shocked. After returning to the hermitage, he explained what happened to his wives. They all agreed to lead the life of an ascetic. They were, however, sad that any chance of having their children to succeed the throne of Kaurava dynasty was gone.

In Hastinapur, Gandhari called Veda Vyasa and requested him the boon to bear one hundred sons and a daughter. Veda Vyas very kindly agreed but informed Gandhari that it will take some time before they arrive. Gandhari was in no rush since she knew that Pandu could not have any children because of the deer's curse. However, things turned out differently.

In the forest, Pandu began to suffer from a deep depression, due to the deer's curse, Kunti painfully noticed it. Kunti was concerned and wanted to reveal a secret that she kept in her heart until then, in order to make Pandu happy.

Kunti said, "When I was a young maid, sage Durbasha came to my father's house. I served the sage devotionally and, as a result, the sage blessed me with a mantra through which I could invoke any god I desire to get a son. The mantra, however, can be used only five times."

Pandu was very happy. He can now have his sons without even touching Kunti. Kunti, however, did not disclose to Pandu that she has already used the mantra once. This happened when, after receiving the mantra, she became impatient to use it without comprehending the consequences. She called the sun god and was blessed with a son wearing earrings from birth. Now she realized that the child is born out of wedlock. For fear of infamy, she put the newborn into a basket and set it afloat the river Ganga. A charioteer who was childless, luckily discovered the basket. He brought up the abandoned child who was later named Karna because he was born with the earrings.

Pandu requested Kunti to call for Dharma, the god of righteousness. Kunti was blessed with Pandu's first son Yudhishthira. The news of the birth of first child reached Dhritarashtra and Gandhari. Gandhari was disturbed that she cannot be the mother of the future king. She immediately called Vyasa and requested him to force the birth of her hundred sons. Through his magical powers Vyasa shortened the waiting period and hundred sons of Dhritarashtra emerged along with a daughter Dushala. Duryodhan was the eldest son while Dushashan was the second. Gandhari was not happy that, in spite of her best efforts, Pandu's first son Yudhishthira would be the true heir to the throne and not her eldest son, Duryodhana.

In order to strengthen the Kuru dynasty, Pandu requested Kunti for getting more children. Kunti called the wind god Pavan and Bheema, the second son was born. Indra blessed Kunti with the third son, Arjuna. Madri was still childless. Pandu requested Kunti to pass on the mantra to Madri so that she can have a child. Madri called the twin god, Ashwins and was blessed with two sons, Nakula and Sahadeva.

Thus Pandu had five sons, Yudhishthira, Bheema, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. These five worthy children of Pandu were called Pandavas. They grew up strong and well behaved. They learnt the art of war games from their able father Pandu. The sages taught them the teachings of the Vedas.

It was one spring day while Pandu was strolling on the riverside, he saw Madri passing by. Aroused with passion he touched Madri and died instantly. Kunti and Madri were devastated. The news reached Dhritarashtra and he too was shocked. The body of Pandu was carried to Hastinapur for the crematory rites. Madri decided to ascend to the funeral pyre of Pandu and appealed to Kunti to take care of her two sons, Nakula and Sahadeva, like her own three children. The Pandavas, the sons of Pandu, returned to Hastinapur and joined their cousins, Kauravas, the sons of Dhritarashtra.

All the cousins, the Pandavas and the Kauravas grew up together under the direction of their grandfather Bheeshma. Kripacharya, an able teacher of martial art, trained them for war games.

Kripacharya in his childhood days, known as Kripa, came to King Shantanu, Bheeshma's father, along with his sister Kripi, as orphans from a Brahmin family. Shantanu was a kind-hearted person. He raised Kripa and Kripi with best care. Kripa, through his best effort became a master in martial art and was then known as Kripacharya. Kripi was married to Drona, the son of sage Bharadwaj; Sage Bharadwaj was the best archer of his time. He ran a school to teach martial arts to the princes. His father, Bharadwaj, personally trained his son Drona. During his student life, Drona became a close friend of prince Drupada who promised Drona that he would share his kingdom with him when he became king. But when Drupada became king, he forgot all about his childhood promises to Drona.

After the death of Bharadwaj, Drone took over his father's responsibilities and was known as Dronacharya. In those days, an ideal teacher provided free education to all of his students and was satisfied with the honor showered by his students and the community. As a result, he stayed poor in meeting his daily needs unless some royalty provided financial support. Drona was no exception. He had a son named Ashwathama whom he loved dearly. One day Dronacharya witnessed that his playmates mocked his son because he was poor. He decided to go to his former schoolmate Drupada for financial help. Drupada, drowned in his royalty, ignored his childhood promises to Drona. He insulted Drona in his open court. Drone took the vow that one day he will get even with Drupada and left the court in rage. He soon left his hermitage and arrived at Kripa's residence along with his wife Kripi and Ashwathama.

 Drona was passing by one day, when the princes of Hastinapur were playing ball. He saw the bouncing ball fall into a nearby well. The princes were puzzled as to get the ball out of the well. Then Drona came forward. He listened to the princes and then threw his own ring into the well. Then he boasted that he would get both the ball and the ring with the help of his archery. The princes were amazed to see that he kept his promise. They all requested Drona to see their grandfather Bheeshma. Bheeshma, the old warrior, heard what happened and was amazed by the ability of Drona. He immediately appointed Drona as the teacher of archery for the princes. Drona was very pleased with his position that considerably improved the economic condition of his family. He began to instruct the princes with great care and love. He was confident that his royal disciples will one day help him to defeat Drupada, and he will be able to fulfill his vow of getting even with him.

Of all the disciples, Drona loved Arjuna the most. He was most skillful and Drona promised Arjuna that he would make him the best archer in the world. One-day prince Ekalavya, son of king Nishad, came to Drona and requested Drona to take him as his disciple. King Nishad belonged to a low cast and Drona was committed only to the royal princes of Kuru dynasty. Thus, Drona refused to take Ekalavya as his disciple. Ekalavya was disappointed but did not lose hope. He went into a deep forest, made an idol of Drona and considering him as his guru, practiced archery daily. Through his devotion and constant practice, Ekalavya excelled in the game of archery.

One day the Kuru princes went hunting into the jungle where Ekalavya lived. Their hunting dog strayed from the party and saw Ekalavya. It began to bark while Ekalavya was busy with his practice of archery. Ekalavya shot a volley of arrows at the dog such that it corked its open mouth. The dog ran back to the royal party and the princes were amazed to see its plight. They all came to Ekalavya, along with Drona, in order to identify the person who has surpassed them in the art of archery.

Seeing Drona Ekalavya fell at the feet of his guru. Drona was highly pleased by his devotion and diligence. He soon recognized that Ekalavya will eventually become the indomitable rival of Arjuna and Drona may not be able to keep his promise. So, Drona asked for his right thumb as teacher's reward (guru dakshina) and Ekalavya obeyed, cutting his right thumb and placing it at the guru's feet. What a glorious example of obedience to teachers!

When the princes had completed their training, grandsire Bheeshma arranged for a competition in order to demonstrate their sportsmanship. Various dignitaries were invited in the grand ceremony. Arjuna surprised everyone by his feats of archery. When the tournament was about to complete, Karna arrived on the scene. No one knew that he was the illegitimate child of Kunti raised by a charioteer. He challenged Arjuna. At this point, Kripacharya objected.

"The competition is meant for royal princes only and is not open to ordinary people."

Hearing the objection, Duryodhan, a rival of Arjuna, came forward and offered Karna the state of Anga, making him a prince. Karna was as good as Arjuna and no one could decide the superiority of one over the other.

The day completed and the royal princes, came to Drona to pay respect and pay guru dakshina (teacher's reward). Drona asked them to capture Drupada, the king of Panchal, and bring him to Drona as a prisoner. Kauravas and Pandavas had no problem to run over Panchal and present Drupada to Drona.

Drona reminded Drupada of the insults he inflicted on him and said, "Drupada, as a friend I am returning half of the kingdom to you, but I hope that in the future you will remember the lesson and respect the promises that you make."