The Ramcharitmanas 1
Page 13
Again and again she clasped her lord’s lotus feet;
Folding her delicate lotus-like hands,
Her heart steeped in love,
Girija sweetly spoke.
(119)
‘Listening to your words that were as cool and soothing as moonbeams,
My deep perplexity, that was like the sultry heat of autumn, has vanished.
O merciful one, you have removed all doubt,
And I have understood the true nature of Ram.
My husband, by your grace my distress has disappeared,
And by your favour, I am now happy.
Now look upon me as your bondswoman,
And even though I am an ignorant woman, by nature stupid and dull,
Answer the question that I had asked before,
If you are pleased with me, my lord.
Ram is the Supreme Absolute, he is pure consciousness, indestructible
He is removed from all, yet dwells in every heart—
Why, then, did he assume the body of a man, lord?
Explain it to me, Brishketu.’
Hearing Uma’s gentle and demure words
And perceiving her pure love for Ram’s story,
The conqueror of Kamdev rejoiced in his heart,
Shankar, all-wise and easily pleased.
After praising Uma in many ways
The all-merciful Lord spoke.
(120A)
‘Now listen to this auspicious story, Bhavani,
The clear and pure Ramcharitmanas,
Which Bhushundi related at length
And which the king of the birds, Garud, heard.
(120B)
How that great conversation took place
I will tell you later.
Listen now to Ram’s descent upon earth and his deeds
Most beautiful and sinless.
(120C)
Hari’s attributes and names are infinite
His stories and forms, incalculable and immeasurable.
I will relate these according to my understanding—
Listen, Uma, with reverence.
(120D)
Hear then, Girija—Hari’s charming deeds,
Profound and pure, have been sung by the Vedas and the Shastras,
And it cannot ever be precisely said
That the cause of Hari’s descent to earth was ‘this’ or ‘only this’.
Ram is beyond discussion or speculation through intellect, mind and speech—
Such, wise one, is my opinion.
Yet as the saints and the munis, the Vedas and the Puranas
Explain according to their respective understanding,
In the same way, O lovely woman, I will now explain to you
The cause as I have understood it.
Whenever dharma is diminished,
And vile and arrogant demons increase in number
Committing such injustices as cannot be described,
And Brahmans, cows and gods become distressed, and the earth itself is troubled,
At such times the all-merciful Lord assumes diverse forms
And removes the pain of the good and the virtuous.
He destroys the demons, reinstates the gods,
Protects the bridge of sacred knowledge that he himself revealed,
And spreads his pure glory across the world—
This is the reason for Ram’s incarnation.
(121)
Singing his glory, the devout cross this ocean of existence,
And it is for their sake that the ocean of compassion assumes a body.
The causes of Ram’s incarnation are many,
Each more extraordinary and marvellous than the other.
I will relate one or two of his earlier incarnations—
Listen carefully, wise Bhavani.
Hari had two beloved doorkeepers,
Jay and Vijay, as everybody knows.
By a Brahman’s curse, both brothers
Were reborn in the bodies of the dark and malignant Asurs,
Kanakakasipu and Hataklochan.
They became renowned in the world as the destroyers of Indra’s pride,
And, victorious in battle, were celebrated warriors.
Taking on the form of a boar, the Lord got rid of one;
Becoming Narhari, he slew the other,
And spread the glory of his devotee Prahlad.
These same two brothers were born again as night-wandering demons,
Most valiant and very strong,
The great warriors, Kumbhakaran and Ravan,
Who defeated even the gods, as all the world knows.
(122)
They did not attain liberation from rebirth even though they had been slain by the Lord,
For the Brahman’s curse prevailed for three births.
So, once more for their sake,
The Lord, who loves his devotees, assumed bodily form.
In that birth, Kashyap and Aditi were his father and mother,
Renowned as Dasharath and Kaushalya.
This was how, in one particular cosmic cycle of creation, the Lord descended to earth
And through his deeds, purified the world.
In another kalpa, seeing the gods unhappy and distressed
Having lost all battles against the demon Jalandhar,
Shambhu waged a fierce and unending war against him,
But the Danuj was extremely strong and could not be killed.
The wife of the demon prince was supremely chaste,
And it was because of the strength of her virtue that Purari could not win against him.
Through deceit and trickery, the Lord broke her vow
And so helped the gods;
When she discovered the secret,
She was furious and in her anger cursed him.54
(123)
Her curse Hari acknowledged and made true,
He, the playful and compassionate god.
So Jalandhar was born as Ravan,
And Ram killed him in battle and gave him the supreme state that is salvation.
So this was the purpose of one birth
For which Ram took on a man’s body.
The story of each of the Lord’s descents upon earth,
Has been sung by poets in many ways—listen to it, O muni.
Once, Narad cursed him,
Because of which, in that particular kalpa, he descended to earth.’
Girija was astounded to hear this—
‘Narad is a devotee of Vishnu and very wise and learned.
Why did the muni curse him?
What offence had Ramaa’s lord committed?
Tell me this story, Purari,
It is astonishing that a muni’s mind should be thus subject to illusion and folly.’
Then said Mahesh with a smile,
‘There is no one wise or foolish—
Whatever Raghupati makes anyone at any point in time
That is what, at that instant, one becomes.’
(124A)
‘I will now relate the story of Ram’s virtues,
Listen with reverence, Bharadvaj!’
Worship Raghunath, the destroyer of the perpetual cycle of birth and rebirth
Says Tulsi, abandoning pride and arrogance.
(124B)
In the Himalaya mountains, there was a cave most sacred,
Near it flowed the graceful stream of the divine River Ganga.
Seeing this abode most pleasant and holy,
The divine rishi Narad was greatly pleased.
Gazing upon the mountain, the river and the forest groves,
Great love for Ramaa’s lord arose in his heart.
As he remembered Hari, Daksh’s curse upon him was broken,
And his inherently pure mind became absorbed in intense meditation.
Seeing the muni absorbed in such deep meditation, the king of the gods became afraid.
He summoned Kamdev to him and doing him every honour, said,
‘For my sake, go with your helpers to where Narad sits in samadhi and break his meditation!’
He who bears a fish upon his banner, set off gladly to do Indra’s bidding.
In Indra’s heart was the fear
‘The divine rishi wants to rule over my kingdom!’
The greedy and grasping in this world
Are, like the dishonest crow, afraid of everyone.
Just as a foolish dog, seeing the king of the beasts
Runs away with a dry bone
For fear that it will be snatched from him—
In the same way, the king of the gods was shameless in his suspicion of Narad.
(125)
When Madan reached that hermitage where Narad sat in meditation,
Through his own maya, he created spring.
Trees burst into flowers of many colours,
The kokil began to call and the bees to hum.
Pleasing breezes, cool, soft and fragrant, blew
Fanning the flames of desire.
Rambha and other celestial courtesans, ever youthful
And skilled in all the arts of love,
Sang all kinds of songs and melodies
And, ball in hand, amused themselves with games and sport.
Madan, delighted by his helpers,
Employed once more his many tricks and illusions.
But Kamdev’s skill had no effect on the muni,
And the mind-born god, guilty as he was, began to fear for himself—
Can anyone trespass within the boundaries
Of one whose protector is Ramaa’s lord himself?
Afraid and apprehensive, together with his helpers,
Kamdev acknowledged defeat,
Then went and clasped the muni’s feet,
And spoke to him in abject, humble tones.
(126)
In Narad’s heart there arose no anger,
And he reassured Kam with affectionate words.
Bowing his head at the muni’s feet and receiving his permission,
Madan, with his companions, left.
The muni’s good-natured forgiveness and his own doings—
He related it all in Indra’s court.
Hearing this, the gathering was astonished—
They praised the muni and bowed their heads to Hari.
Then Narad went to Shiv,
His heart full of pride at his victory over Kam.
He related to Shankar the doings of Mar,
And Mahesh, holding him in deep affection, advised him,
‘Again and again I entreat you, muni,
Never, on any account, repeat to Hari
This tale that you have related to me!
Should it come up in conversation, even then keep it secret.’
The advice that Sambhu gave for his own good
Did not please Narad.
Bharadvaj, now listen to the amusing and curious events that took place—
Hari’s will is truly mighty!
(127)
Whatever Ram wishes to do, that alone happens,
And no one can make it otherwise.
Shambhu’s words did not please the muni,
And he departed for Viranchi’s heaven.
Once, with his cymbals and his divine vina,
And, with great skill and proficiency, singing the virtues of Hari,
The great muni went to the Ocean of Milk
Where Shrinivas,lvii the pinnacle and summation of the Vedas, lives.
Ramaa’s lord met him with joy,
And seated the rishi by his side;
Smiling, the Lord of all creation, moving and unmoving, said,
‘You have graced us with your presence after many days, muni!’
Narad related all the doings of Kam,
Even though Shiv had earlier forbidden him.
Most mighty is Raghupati’s maya—
Who, born in this world, can resist it?
With a stern face, the Lord
Spoke sweet words.
‘Reflecting upon you, Narad,
Illusion, lust, pride and arrogance disappear.
(128)
Listen, muni, delusion arises only in the minds of those
Whose hearts are bereft of wisdom and detachment.
You are of steadfast mind and resolute in your vow of celibacy,
So how can the mind-born god cause you distress?’
Narad replied, but with conceit,
‘It is all your grace, Lord.’
But he in whom resides compassion reflected deeply and discerned
The first shoots of the enormous tree of pride in Narad’s heart.
‘I must quickly pull it out by the roots and throw it away,
For it is my vow to help my devotees.
For the good of the muni and for my entertainment,
I will for sure contrive a scheme.’
Then Narad bowed his head at Hari’s feet,
And took his leave, his heart filled with conceit.
Then Vishnu, Shri’s lord, pressed his own maya into action—
Now listen to the ruthless deeds it performed.
His maya created on the road a city
A hundred yojans wide,
Wondrously built and more splendid
Than even Vishnu’s city, Vaikunth.
(129)
Within the city dwelt men so handsome and women so beautiful
That they appeared to be incarnations of the heart-born Kamdev and his consort, Rati.
Over that city reigned King Shilnidhi, endowed with every virtue.
He had horses, elephants and soldiers beyond number,
His pomp and splendour were equal to that of a hundred Indras,
And he himself was the abode of beauty, magnificence, strength and statesmanship.
His daughter was Vishvamohini.55
Even Shri herself was captivated gazing upon her beauty,
For she was Hari’s maya, the accumulation of all virtues—
How can her radiance be described?
The king’s daughter was to choose a husband,
And to her svayamvar had come innumerable kings and princes.
The muni, always fond of a spectacle, also went to that city
And inquired of its residents the details of all that was going on.
Having heard what was happening, he went to the royal palace—
The king paid him homage and seated him with great respect.
Summoning his daughter, the king
Showed her to Narad and said,
‘Lord, after due reflection, tell me
All her virtues and faults.’
(130)
Seeing her great beauty, the muni forgot his vow of celibacy
And remained staring at her for a long time.
Perceiving her auspicious attributes, the muni was lost in thought—
He rejoiced in his heart, silently thinking to himself,
‘He who weds this girl will become immortal,
No one will be able to defeat him on the battlefield.
All creation, animate and inanimate, will worship the one
Shilnidhi’s daughter marries.’
Though he had interpreted her attributes and their indications, he kept his thoughts to himself,
And made up something to say to the king.
After telling the king that his daughter was blessed with auspicious attributes presaging good fortune,
Narad left, his heart full of anxious worry.
‘I must devise some way
To make the princess marry me.
In such a situation, prayer and penance are of no use.
O Lord, arranger of destiny, how can I get this girl?
On this occasion I need
Extreme majesty and exceeding good looks
At the sight of which the princess will become enraptured
And bestow the garland56 upon me, thus choosing me for her bridegroom.
(131)
I could ask Hari for the gift of beauty—
But going to him will cause much delay.
Still, I have no other benefactor like Hari,
So, on this occasion, let him be the one to help me.’
Narad at once petitioned and prayed to Hari in many ways,
And the compassionate Lord, who delights in playful deeds, appeared.
Upon seeing the Lord, the muni was reassured—
‘Now my work will be done,’ he thought, delighted.
With great humility he related his story.
‘Grant me your favour, and in your mercy help me—
Your own beauty, Lord, give to me,
For in no other way can I win her.
Whatever will benefit me, Lord,
Make haste to accomplish that, for I am your servant!’
Seeing the great strength of his own maya,
The Lord, ever merciful to the humble, laughed to himself and said,
‘Listen, Narad,
Whatever will your greatest good achieve,
I will do that and nothing else—
My promise is never untrue.
(132)
When a sick man, distracted by illness, asks for food that is not good for him,
The doctor does not give it to him, devoted muni.
In the same way I have resolved to do what is best for you.’
So saying, the Lord disappeared.
Under the spell of the Lord’s maya, the muni had become so dull and stupid
That he did not understand the hidden significance of Hari’s words.
Instead, that foremost of all rishis hurried at once to the place
Which had been made ready for the svayamvar.
There, upon their respective thrones, sat the royal suitors,
Dressed in all their finery, and with their attendants and servants.
The muni, rejoicing, thought, ‘My form is so handsome
That she will not, even by mistake, reject me and choose another bridegroom.’
For the muni’s good, the abode of mercy
Had given him such a hideous form as cannot be described,
Though looking at him, no could discern the change—
Everybody just saw him as Narad and bowed their heads to him.
But two of Rudra’s attendants were there,
And they had guessed the whole secret.
Disguised as Brahmans, they roamed about, observing and watching—