by Tulsidas
7. Tribikram (literally ‘three strides’)—this alludes to Trivikrama or Vaman, Vishnu’s fifth avatar as the dwarf, who with three strides broke the power of the Daitya king, Bali.
Book V: SUNDARKAND (THE BEAUTIFUL)
1. Once, all mountains had wings and could fly through the air. Then Indra clipped their wings with his thunderbolt, and they became fixed to the earth. The only mountain to escape this fate was Mainak, who, helped by the Wind god, was able to fly faster than Indra’s thunderbolt, and hide himself in the sea. The ocean now asks Mainak to hide no longer, but to rise out of the waters and help the Wind god’s son by allowing him to rest upon its peak.
2. Lankini is often regarded as the personification of the city of Lanka itself.
3. Tulsi plants are used extensively in the worship of Vishnu, and therefore Ram—so their presence signified the home of a believer.
4. A single braid is a sign of mourning for an absent husband.
5. Chandrahas, literally, ‘deriding the moon’; hence, a glittering sword that ridicules the moon by its own, greater, brilliance.
6. South is the direction in which lies the abode of Yamraj, the god of death, so dreaming of a person travelling towards the south is considered to foretell that person’s death.
7. The serpent snare was a special kind of noose to entangle an enemy, and was stolen by Ravan from Varun.
8. Ram is the Supreme Spirit, and Brahma, Vishnu and Shiv its part-manifestations—each of the countless universes that Ram’s maya brings forth has its own triad of the three gods.
9. Once, Ravan tried to conquer King Sahasrabahu’s capital city, but the king took him prisoner effortlessly; he let Ravan go on the request of the rishi, Pulastya. And once, as Baali, king of the monkeys, was deep in prayer, Ravan tried to sneak up behind him and grab him, but instead, Baali caught him under his armpit and kept him pinned there while he completed his worship; he let him go only when Brahma interceded on Ravan’s behalf.
10. According to Hindu belief, there are forty-nine winds, each presided over by its own deity. Collectively these forty-nine deities are known as the Maruts. It is only at the time of dissolution, when creation comes to an end, that all forty-nine of the winds blow together.
11. This is often taken to give weight to the belief that Hanuman was actually an incarnation of Shiv—that since Shiv himself had been Hanuman, as he remembered that moment, he was once again immersed in bliss.
12. This refers to the legend that says that once all the mountains had wings and could fly and move about, till one day Indra clipped their wings. Sumeru, chief of all the mountains, also had its wings cut off by Indra.
13. Sagar was a king of the solar race, and so one of Ram’s ancestors. It is said that his sixty-one thousand sons dug the bed of the ocean and so, it is from his name that the ocean is also called ‘sagar’.
14. This incident is properly explained in Valmiki’s Ramayana. The ocean complains that on his north shore live the people of the Abhira tribe, who are so impure a people that he cannot bear to receive into his bosom any river or stream from which they have drunk. So Ram, with his arrow of fire, dries up every river and stream in their land, but gives them instead a never-ending supply of subterranean water and makes the region exempt from disease.
Book VI: LANKAKAND (LANKA)
1. Madhu and Kaitabh were two demons who sprang from the ear of Vishnu as he lay asleep at the end of a cycle of creation, and were about to kill Brahma, who lay asleep on a lotus that grew from Vishnu’s navel. Vishnu killed them—and hence he is also known as Kaitabhajit, and Madhusudan.
2. Ghamoi is a prickly shrub that bears yellow flowers, and which, it is believed, destroys bamboo. So Prahast is as destructive to their lineage as ghamoi is to bamboo. Ghamoi is also small and easily destroyed, while bamboo is tall and strong and resilient—so, according to some commentators, this metaphor means that Prahast is as unlike his father, Ravan, as possible.
3. A game similar to hockey, but played on horseback.
4. In some versions of the story, it is stated that when Lakshman left to follow Ram into the forest in pursuit of the golden deer, he drew a line in the earth which he told Sita not to cross for her own safety. When Ravan came to her forest dwelling disguised as an ascetic, he first asked her for food, and when she offered it to him, he insisted she step out of her hut, and step over the line, which he did not dare cross. Tulsi does not mention this incident of Lakshman drawing a line in Aranyakand, but interestingly, refers to it here.
5. When in bloom, the kinshuk tree is covered with bright red flowers.
6. Brahma had granted Meghnad the boon that he could not be killed except by one who had forsaken food and sleep for twelve years. (He was finally killed by Lakshman, who had known neither hunger nor rest in the twelve years that he had served Ram in exile.)
7. In this case, it is Lakshman who is referred to as the Lord—reminding the audience that he, too, is divine, and along with Ram, a part incarnation of Vishnu.
8. This was the mark of the sage, Bhrigu’s foot. See Balkand, stanza 199, for the full story.
9. These are the Pramaths. Some of them are ascetics and yogis, but many are lovers of sensual pleasures and these are attendant on Shiv. According to the Puranas, the Pramaths in Shiv’s service number 36 crore.
10. Dying people were often taken by friends and relatives and laid on the banks of sacred streams and rivers, half in, half out, so that they may be washed by the sacred water in their last moments.
11. Joginis are witches or female demons with magical powers, created by and attendant on the goddess Parvati in her form as Durga. Chamundas are also female attendants of Durga. They are often portrayed as terrifying, black-bodied women wearing garlands of skulls around their necks.
12. Kalikas are female attendants of the goddess Kali (Parvati in her most terrible and terrifying form).
13. Dasharath does not wish to become one with the Lord—for if he becomes one with him, he cannot adore him. Therefore he had set his heart on ‘separation and devotion’.
14. To think of Ram at the moment of death, even if the thoughts be hostile, ensures salvation and union with Ram, who is the Absolute incarnate. This is what happened to the demons—at the point of death, their minds were focused on Ram. And they took on the form of Ram, i.e., their spirits were absorbed into Ram and became one with him.
Book VII: UTTARKAND (EPILOGUE)
1. ‘A home near me’—i.e., liberation by proximity to the Lord.
2. The four coats of bark are the four states of consciousness—waking, dreaming, dreamless sleep, and the state in which the soul has become one with the Absolute; the six trunks are the six stages of existence—conception, birth, childhood, manhood, old age and death; the twenty-five branches are the twenty-five categories of matter of which the material world is composed—Prakriti or primordial matter, Mahat or cosmic reason, Ahankara or cosmic ego, Manas or cosmic mind, Chitta or cosmic thought, the five sense perceptions of hearing, sight, taste, smell and touch, with the five sense-organs, the five Tanmatras or subtle elements corresponding to these, and the five gross elements or Mahabhutas of ether, earth, fire, water and sky. The innumerable leaves are the innumerable desires, the innumerable flowers are the innumerable actions to attain these desires, the two kinds of fruit are pain and pleasure, and the creeper clinging to it is maya.
3. The Ashvamedha was the horse sacrifice, which was performed only by the greatest and most powerful of kings.
4. Just as the Rishi Kumbhaj (Agastya) drank up the ocean, so Ram drinks up the ocean that is mundane existence.
5. The seven veils are earth, water, fire, air, ether, the cosmic ego and the cosmic intellect.
6. These are truth, compassion, penance and charity.
7. Parrots are caught with bait tied to a string, which is tied to a stick set in the ground so that when a parrot alights upon it, it revolves in such a way that the bird becomes confused and thinks it is tangled up in the strin
g—it is not, and can fly away if it tries. Monkeys are caught with the help of a large jar with a narrow mouth. The jar is filled with grain and when the monkey puts his hand in and grabs a fistful, it cannot draw its hand out again and believes it is trapped—though it is not, for if it lets go the grain, it can draw out its hand and run away.
8. Waking, dreaming and dreamless sleep.
9. When the soul becomes one with the Universal spirit.
10. The birch tree allows even its bark to be torn off, to be used for paper etc., and constantly renews itself for the purpose.
11. For the stories of the prostitute Pingala, the Brahman Ajamil, and the elephant, see Balkand 26; for the story of the robber Valmiki, see Balkand 19, for the vulture Jatayu, see Balkand 24.
12. The five types of ignorance are mistaking the unreal for the real, the transient for the eternal, the painful for the pleasurable, the impure for the pure, and that which should be discarded as worth acquiring.
Glossary
abir: Red powder, thrown into the air in celebration.
Aditi: The mother of the gods. In the Rig Veda, she is represented as being the mother of Daksh as well as the daughter of Daksh. She is addressed as ‘the mother of the gods’ and ‘the mother of the world’. She gave birth to eight sons, of which she abandoned the eighth, the Sun. The other seven became the Adityas. In the Yajur Veda, she is called the wife of Vishnu, but in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas, Vishnu is called the son of Aditi; therefore, he is also sometimes called Aditya. In the Vishnu Purana, she is the daughter of Daksh and the wife of the sage Kashyap, by whom she was the mother of Vishnu in his Vaman, or dwarf, incarnation, and also of Indra. In the Ramcharitmanas, Aditi is reborn as Kaushalya and Kashyap as Dasharath, and in that form, they are the mother and father of Ram, who is Vishnu in his seventh incarnation.
Agahan: The eighth month of the Hindu calendar equivalent to November–December.
Agastya: A rishi, and the author of several hymns in the Rig Veda. It is said that he was born in a water-pitcher as ‘a fish of great lustre’. He is therefore also known as ‘Ghatjoni’ and ‘Kumbhaj’ or ‘pitcher-born’. He is supposed to have drunk up the ocean because it had offended him, and because he wanted to help the gods in their wars with the Daityas when the latter had hidden themselves in the sea. He is therefore also called ‘Samudra-chuluk’ or ‘ocean-drinker’.
ages of the world; yuga: The duration of the world is said to be 4,320,000,000 human years (equal to a day for Brahma); this period consists of a thousand epochs, and each epoch is made up of four ages, or yugas. These are: (i) Krit or Satyayug (the golden age); (ii) Tretayug (the silver age); (iii) Dwaparyug; (iv) Kaliyug. The first age comprises 1,728,000 years; the second 1,296,000 years; the third 864,000 years; and the fourth 432,000 years. The duration of the Dwapar is twice the length of the Kali, that of the Treta is thrice that of the Kali, and that of the Satyayug is four times that of the Kaliyug. In the current epoch, the first three ages have already elapsed, while the Kali is that in which we live. Ram’s incarnation took place towards the end of the Tretayug.
Agni: Fire, one of the most ancient and sacred objects of worship in Hinduism. He appears in three places—in the sky as the sun, in air as lightning, and upon earth as ordinary fire. He is one of the chief deities of the Vedas, and, through the fire-sacrifices, the mediator between gods and men.
Ahalya: Wife of the Rishi Gautam, and a very beautiful woman. She was the first woman created by Brahma, who gave her to Gautam. Ahalya’s exceptional beauty caught Indra’s eye. Determined to seduce her, he enlisted the help of the moon, who turned into a cock and crowed at midnight. Gautam, thinking it was time for his morning worship, went off to the river to bathe. Then Indra, taking the form of the rishi, entered his hermitage and seduced his unsuspecting wife. The sage, returning, caught him and in his fury cursed him. He also threw out Ahalya from the hermitage, and depriving her of the prerogative of being the most beautiful woman in the world, turned her into a block of stone. She was restored to life by the touch of Ram’s feet.
Amaravati: Indra’s capital city, renowned for its magnificence and splendour.
amla: The plant known as the Indian gooseberry and its fruit. The fruit is small and green and quite sour, but greatly valued for its medicinal properties. ‘Holding an amla in the palm of your hand’ signifies understanding something clearly and from every angle, just as the small and round amla fruit can be seen when held upon one’s palm.
amrit: Nectar conferring immortality, produced at the churning of the ocean by the gods and demons.
Anasuya: The wife of the Rishi Atri, and by him, the mother of the sage, Durvasa. She was also one of the daughters of Daksh. She was exceedingly pious and practised intense austerities, which gave her miraculous powers.
anchal: The flowing, free end of a sari.
Angad: Son of Baali, the monkey king of Kishkindha.
apsara: The apsaras are the nymphs of Indra’s court. They are beautiful, fairy-like beings, and are the wives or mistresses of the Gandharvas. They are also famous for their liaisons with mortal men. The Ramayana and the Puranas attribute their origin to the churning of the ocean. It is said that when they appeared out of the ocean, neither the gods nor the Asurs could have them, so they became common to all. They are also called Suranganas, or ‘the wives of the gods’.
arghya: A libation of water and milk, flowers, kush grass and other auspicious ingredients made to a deity, or an honoured guest.
ark: The plant known as the crown flower. Native to India and South-east Asia, it grows to about 4 m in height, and has waxy white or lavender flowers. Its leaves and stem gives a thick, milky sap if broken. The seed follicles are small and hard. The plant is poisonous, but has several medicinal uses in Ayurveda. It is often grown in temple compounds and is believed to be particularly liked by Lord Shiva.
arti: A ceremony performed in welcome of an honoured guest, by moving circularly around his head a platter containing lamps, incense, flowers, etc.
Arundhati: The morning star, personified as the wife of the Rishi Vasishtha.
Ashvamedha: ‘The sacrifice of a horse’; a sacrifice performed only by the greatest and most powerful of kings. It was believed that the performance of a hundred such sacrifices would enable a mortal king to overthrow Indra and become the ruler of the universe. A horse was selected and consecrated by the performance of certain ceremonies; it was then let loose to wander wherever it wanted for a year. The king, or his representative, followed the horse with an army, and if the horse entered another country, the ruler of that country had to either fight or submit. If the king who had released the horse was victorious over the kings through whose lands the horse passed, he would return home triumphant after a year, with the defeated kings behind him; if he failed in this, he was ridiculed and disgraced. After a king returned home successful, a great festival was held, during which the horse was sacrificed, either really or metaphorically.
Ashvins; Ashvin twins; Ashvinkumar: Two Vedic deities, twin sons of the Sun by a nymph who concealed herself in the form of a mare (ashva in Sanskrit)—hence, Ashvini, and her sons, Ashvins. The Ashvins are ever young and handsome, and shine with the radiance of gold. Swift as falcons, they ride in a golden chariot drawn by horses or birds, and, as personifications of the morning twilight, they are the first bringers of light in the morning sky. They also have great healing powers, and are the physicians of heaven.
Astagiri: This is the western mountain behind which the sun is supposed to set; it is also called Astachal.
Asur: Literally, ‘not a god’, so ‘enemy of the gods’, or generally ‘demons’. The word is used as a general term for the enemies of the gods, including Daityas and Danavs, who are descended from the sage Kashyap. It does not include the Rakshasas, who are descended from the sage Pulastya. The Asurs are in constant conflict with the gods.
Atri: A rishi, and author of many Vedic hymns. In the Vedas, he appears in hymns in praise of Agni
, Indra, and the Ashvins; later he is regarded as one of the ten Prajapatis, or lords of creation, engendered by Manu for the creation of the world; and still later, he appears as one of the mind-born sons of Brahma. He is also one of the Saptarishi, the seven great sages who preside over the world, and as one of them, he is one of the seven stars of the Great Bear. He married Anasuya, one of the daughters of Daksh, and their son was the sage Durvasa. In the Puranas, he was also the father of Soma, the moon, and the ascetic Dattatreya by Anasuya.
Ayodhya: The capital city of the kingdom of Koshal. It was the city from which ruled Ikshvaku, the founder of the solar dynasty. It later became the capital city of Dasharath and then of Ram. It is also the city of Ram’s birth. It is also called Avadh.
Baali: The monkey-king of Kishkindha. He was the son of Indra, and said to have been born from his mother’s hair (baal), hence his name. He was killed by Ram, and his kingdom given to his brother, Sugriv. His wife was Tara, and his sons were Angad and Tar.
Baitarni: ‘(The river) to be crossed’; it is the river that must be crossed before hell can be entered. The river is described as being filled with blood, excrement and all kinds of filth. It flows fast and with great force.
bakul: A medium evergreen tree native to India. The tree gives thick shade and bears fragrant flowers. Its fruit is also edible and is used in traditional medicine. It is also called maulsari.
Bali: A good and virtuous Daitya king, he was the son of Virochan, who was the son of Prahlad, the son of Kanakakasipu. Through devotion and penance, Bali became so powerful that he defeated Indra and the other gods, and extended his rule over the three worlds. The gods appealed to Vishnu for help, and he took on his Vaman or dwarf avatar to restrain the king. (See Vishnu, fifth avatar.) He asked the generous king for three steps of land. The king granted him the boon. Vishnu then stepped over the earth with his first step, the heavens with his second, and when he asked where he should place his foot for the third step, Bali offered his own head. Out of respect for Bali’s goodness and generosity, Vishnu stopped short and gave him the infernal region of Patal to rule. Bali is also called Mahabali, and his capital city was Mahabalipuram.