The Ramcharitmanas 3

by Tulsidas

  paan: Betel leaves prepared with areca nuts, etc., used as a mouth-freshener after a meal and served to honoured guests.

  pakar: The Indian fig tree, also called gular in Hindi.

  Panchavati: A place in the Dandak forest, near the River Godavari, where Ram lived for a long period during his exile. It was here that Lakshman cut off Supanakha’s nose (nasika). Hence, it is often identified with the modern city of Nasik.

  Parashuram: ‘Ram with the axe’, the sixth avatar of Vishnu. He was born in the Tretayug, as the son of the Brahman, Jamadagni, to deliver the world from the tyranny of the Kshatriyas. His weapon is the axe. The Mahabharata relates that, at the command of his father, he cut off his mother’s head. She had so infuriated her husband by her thoughts that he had asked each of his sons in turn to kill her. They had all refused, except Parashuram. His obedience pleased his father so much that he told him to ask a boon. Parashuram asked that his mother be restored to life, and that he himself become invincible in combat and enjoy a long life. When his father was pitilessly slain by the sons of Sahasrabahu (Kartavirya), king of the Haihayas, Parashuram vowed to wipe out the whole Kshatriya race. It is said that he cleared the earth of Kshatriyas twenty-one times. (See also ‘Sahasrabahu’.) As foremost amongst the descendants of Bhrigu, he is also called Bhrigupati, Bhrigunath and Bhrigunayak, ‘lord of the Bhrigus’; and Bhrigubar, ‘the best of the Bhrigus’. He is also known as Parashudhar, ‘he who holds an axe’.

  Parvati: ‘Of the mountains’. She is the daughter of Himvat (the Himalaya mountains personified), and his wife Maina. She is the consort of Shiv, the reincarnation of his first wife Sati. She is also Shiv’s cosmic energy or Shakti. She is worshipped in different forms and is known by different names. Her forms and names invoked by Tulsidas include Ambika, ‘the compassionate’; Aparna, ‘deprived of leaves’; Bhavani, consort of Bhav (Shiv); Gauri, ‘the brilliant goddess’; Girija or Shailaja, ‘born of the mountain’, and Girinandini, ‘daughter of the mountain’. She is also Shakti Shiv’s cosmic energy; Shivaa, consort of Shiv; and Uma, ‘light’ or ‘splendour’. In her fierce, demon-slaying form she is called Kalika, or Durga. As the supreme goddess, she is called Jagadamba or Jagadambika, ‘mother of the world’.

  Patal: One of the seven subterranean regions, and the abode of the Nagas; hell.

  pathin: A large freshwater fish native to India; it is also known as the pahina or parhina fish.

  Payasvini: ‘Water-giving’; another name for the River Mandakini.

  persuasion, methods of: There are four methods of persuasion: (i) sama (argument, calm words to win someone over to one’s own point of view); (ii) dana (inducement in the form of money or gifts); (iii) danda (punishment, corporal chastisement); (iv) bheda (by causing dissension).

  pipal: The holy fig-tree, Ficus reliogiosa.

  Prahlad: The son of the Daitya king Kanakakasipu, and an ardent devotee of Vishnu. Kanakakasipu grew so powerful that he declared that his subjects must worship him, and him alone. Prahlad refused, and continued to steadfastly worship Vishnu, despite all the punishment that his father heaped upon him. In his fourth avatar, as Narsingh or Narkeshari (half-man, half-lion), Vishnu killed Kanakakasipu, and made Prahlad king of the Daityas as a reward for his devotion. Prahlad was also given a status equal to Indra for his life, and finally united with Vishnu upon death.

  Prajapati: ‘lord of created beings’, the ten mind-born sons of Brahma, from whom all mankind has descended.

  Prayag: The modern city of Allahabad, the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Jamuna and the subterranean Sarasvati, and one of the most important places of pilgrimage for Hindus. Krishna, as Madhav, is its presiding deity. Prayag is also supposed to be the site of a banyan tree famous in legend to be imperishable.

  Prithuraj: In the Vedas and the Puranas, he is the first consecrated king. He taught men agriculture and to cultivate the earth, and it is from him that the earth derives her name of Prithivi. It is said that he prayed for hearing as sharp as though he had ten thousand ears so that he could hear all of the glory of God.

  Priyavrat: A son of Svayambhuva Manu and Satarupa. He was dissatisfied that only half the earth was illuminated by the sun at any one point, and so followed the sun seven times around the earth in his own flaming chariot. The ruts made by the wheels of his chariot became the seven oceans; and so the seven continents were formed.

  Pulastya: One of the Prajapatis or mind-born sons of Brahma, and one of the great Rishis. He was the medium through which the Vishnu Purana was communicated to man. He was the father of Visravas, who, through three handmaidens, became the father of Ravaṇ and Kumbhakaran, of Vibhishan, and of Supnakha; all the Rakshasas are supposed to have sprung from him.

  Purana: Literally, ‘old’, hence an ancient legend or tale. The Puranas are sacred works comprising the whole body of modern Hindu theology and mythology. The Puranas come much later than the epics, and must be distinguished from them. While the epics tell the stories of heroes as mortal men, the Puranas tell of the deeds of gods. There are eighteen acknowledged Puranas. The Vayu Purana is regarded as the oldest, and dates back to the sixth century CE; other Puranas are considered to be as recent as the thirteenth or even the sixteenth century.

  Pushpak: A self-flying magical chariot, so large that it contains within it a palace or a city. Brahma gave it as a gift to Kuber, but it was carried away by Ravan, who then used it as his chief mode of conveyance. After Ravan had been defeated and killed by Ram, the latter used the Pushpak to carry himself and Sita back to Ayodhya. He then returned it to Kuber.

  Raghu: A prince of the solar dynasty. In Kalidasa’s poem Raghuvansa, on the ancestry and life of Ram, Raghu is said to be the son of Dilip and the great grandfather of Ram; it is from him that Ram gets the patronymic Raghav, and the title Raghupati, or chief of the dynasty of Raghu.

  Rahu: The ascending lunar node in Vedic astrology, and the cause of eclipses. He is also considered as one of the nine planets, the king of meteors and guardian of the south-west quarter. In mythology, Rahu is a Danav who seizes the Sun and the Moon and swallows them, thus causing eclipses. He is the son of Viprachitti and Sinhika, and is known by his metronymic, Sainhikeya. He had four arms, and his lower part ended in a tail. At the churning of the ocean, amongst the many precious objects that were produced was amrit, the nectar of immortality. The gods decided to keep this for themselves, and when it was time to distribute it, the demons were left out. Rahu, assuming a godlike form, seated himself amongst the gods and drank some of the amrit. The Sun and the Moon realized who he was and informed Vishnu, who cut off his head and two of his arms. But, since he had already become immortal by drinking the amrit, he was placed amongst the stars. His upper parts, represented by a dragon’s head, being the ascending lunar node, and his lower parts, known as Ketu and represented by a dragon’s tail, being the descending node. Since then, Rahu wreaks his vengeance on the Sun and the Moon by occasionally swallowing them. Rahu and Ketu are usually paired together.

  Rakshasa; Rakshasi (f.): A race of demons, of whom Ravan was king. According to some sources, they are the descendants of the sage Pulastya, like Ravana is himself; others say they sprang from the foot of Brahma. They are usually portrayed as huge, ugly, terrifying beings. They are skilled and powerful warriors, with magical powers and the ability to change shape at will. Most of them can fly and many of them are man-eaters who haunt cemeteries, forests and lonely places at night. They disturb fire-sacrifices, harass pious men and make life difficult for mankind in all sorts of ways. There are good Rakshasas too, such as Ravan’s brother, Vibhishan.

  Ram; Ramchandra: ‘Pleasing, beautiful, charming’; the eldest son of King Dasharath of Avadh, and his chief queen Kaushalya. His wife is Sita, princess of Mithila. He is the seventh avatar of Vishnu, and the protagonist of the Ramayana. As a descendant of the prince Raghu, he is called Raghav or Raghunandan. He is also called Raghunath or Raghupati, lord of the Raghus; Raghunayak, chief of the Raghus; Raghuraj, ‘king of the Raghus
’, Raghubar, ‘best of the Raghus’; Raghubir, ‘hero of the Raghus’; Raghuchand, ‘moon of the dynasty of Raghu’. As Sita’s husband, he is also called Sitanath, ‘Sita’s lord’; Janakinath, ‘Janak’s lord’. Sita is the incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi, who is also called Ramaa or Shri—as her husband or beloved he is therefore also known as Ramaakant, Ramaaraman, Shrikant, Shriraman. He is also addressed by all the names of Vishnu.

  Rambha: An apsara who emerged at the churning of the ocean; she is the epitome of perfect womanhood.

  Rantidev: A king of the Lunar dynasty; he was renowned for his piety and generosity. He was a great devotee of Vishnu, and believed that all he had came from him. He was enormously rich and extremely generous, and offered so many cattle in sacrifice that their blood formed the Chambhal river. He saw himself as Vishnu’s instrument to serve the poor and needy. According to the Mahabharata, he had 200,000 cooks and had 2000 cattle and as many other animals slaughtered daily for use in his kitchens, and had the meat fed to innumerable poor and needy people. One day, the gods visited Vishnu in Vaikunth and in casual conversation asked him, ‘Who do you think is your greatest devotee?’ Without hesitation, Vishnu replied that it was Rantidev. The gods, intrigued, decided to test Rantidev’s devotion, and caused a great famine to overcome his kingdom. The king, with his characteristic generosity and piety, opened the royal granary and treasury to his people. But the famine continued. The king then opened his palace to the people, and gave away all that he possessed. He shared whatever food he had with them, but soon even that finished. The people were starving, and, at his wits’ end, the king turned to Vishnu for help. Giving up all food and drink, he began to meditate on Vishnu. For forty-eight days he prayed and fasted. On the forty-ninth day, his ministers persuaded him to take some food, and brought him water and a dish made of rice boiled in milk. Just as he was about to eat the rice and milk, a Brahman appeared, hungry and starving. The king gave away part of the food to the Brahman. He was just about to begin eating again when a poor man appeared begging for food. The king gave away another portion of the food to him. Just then, a Shudra appeared before him, begging for food for himself and his dogs. The king gave away the rest of the food to him. He now had only water left, just enough to slake his thirst. As he was about to drink the water, a Chandal, an outcast, appeared and begged for water. The king gave even that away. The Chandal drank the water, and as he did so, the king felt refreshed and strengthened. He opened his eyes in surprise, to see the gods before him. They acknowledged him as Vishnu’s greatest devotee, and reversed the famine and its effects, restoring his kingdom to prosperity. And Vishnu, to honour his devotee, took him unto himself. Rantidev merged with his Lord, thus attaining the highest state. An alternative version of the story states that Rantidev, in his generosity, would every now and then hold a great sacrifice and give away all that he possessed. On one occasion, having given away everything he owned, he and his family remained without food or water for forty-eight days. The king accepted his condition, and lived only upon what he received without asking. On the forty-ninth day, as he lay on the ground, starving and semi-conscious, he was given some water and a dish made of rice boiled in milk. As he was about to share this food with his wife and children the gods appeared to test him, in the guise of the Brahman, the Shudra, the low-born man with his dogs and the Chandal.

  Rati: ‘Love, desire’; the goddess of desire and sexual pleasure, the consort of Kamdev, and daughter of Daksh.

  Ravan: The evil and powerful Rakshasa king of Lanka; the son of Vishravas by the Rakshasi Nikasha; grandson of the sage Pulastya. His chief queen was Mandodari. He was the half-brother of Kuber, and as Kuber was king of the Yakshas, Ravan was king of the Rakshasas. Through penance and prayer to Brahma, Ravan received the boon of invulnerability to gods and demons, but was doomed to die because of a woman. He was also able to take any form he pleased. He is described as having ten heads and twenty arms, copper-coloured eyes and teeth as bright as the moon. He was as dark as a cloud, and as enormous as a mountain. His body bore all the marks of royalty, but was marked by the scars of the wounds he had received in his battles against the gods. It was scarred by the thunderbolt of Indra, by the tusks of Indra’s elephant, Airavat, and by Vishnu’s discus. Tall as a mountain peak, he could stop the sun and the moon in their course across the sky. His strength was so great that he could lift up Mount Kailash in play. He terrorized gods and men with his evil deeds, till at last they appealed to Vishnu for help. Since he had been too arrogant to ask for invincibility against men, Vishnu took birth as Ramchandra, son of Dasharath, for the sole purpose of destroying him; the gods became incarnate as bears and monkeys to help him in this enterprise. For his ten heads, he is called Dashashish. He is also called Dashanan, ‘ten-faced’; Dashkandhar or Dashkanth, ‘ten-necked’; Dashmukh, ‘ten-faced’. As the enemy of the gods, he is known as Surari; as the king of Lanka, he is called Lankesh.

  riddhi; Riddhi: Prosperity, affluence, accomplishment. Riddhi is also prosperity, personified as Kuber’s wife, or, in some instances, as one of Ganesh’s wives. In the plural, the Riddhis refer to some of the attendants of Kuber, and signify riches.

  rishi: A sage; the inspired sages to whom the hymns of the Vedas were revealed; also used as a title for the seven great sages, and other wise and learned men.

  Rishyamuk: A mountain in the south, near the source of the Pampa river and the lake Pampa, upon which lived the monkey Sugriv and his followers. Ram stayed there for a while with the monkeys.

  Sabar; Shabar: A tribal people of southern India.

  Sabari; Shabari: A woman of the Sabar tribe (hence her name). The daughter of a hunter, she was a devotee of Ram. She sought salvation upon the death of her guru, the sage, Matanga; just before he died, Matanga assured her that she would indeed attain salvation, and that Ram himself would grant it to her. Sabari waited faithfully for Ram, living for many years as an ascetic in the forest. During his exile, Ram, hearing of her devotion to him, visited her in her hermitage. There, she offered him fruits that she had collected especially for him in the forest, and which she had tasted herself before offering to check their sweetness. Lakshman protested that since she had bitten into the fruit, Ram should not eat them. But Ram saw only her devotion and ate the fruits she offered. He then granted her salvation.

  sachchidanand: Literally ‘Existence (or being or entity) or truth, thought (or knowledge or consciousness), and happiness (or bliss)’—a name for the Supreme Spirit.

  Sagar: A prince of the solar dynasty; king of Avadh. From Sumati, the second of his two wives, he had sixty-thousand sons. During the performance of the Ashvamedha, or horse-sacrifice, the king ordered his sixty-thousand sons to retrieve the sacrificial horse, which had been carried off to the underworld. They dug their way to Patal, where they found the horse grazing and the sage Kapil seated close by in meditation. Thinking him to be the thief, the sons of Sagar began to accuse and threaten him. This so enraged the saint that he reduced all of them to ashes. Their souls were finally liberated by the actions of Bhagirath, who brought the Ganga to earth in order to purify their ashes. Sagar finally completed his sacrifice, and gave the name ‘saagar’ to the chasm which this sons had dug (saagar means ocean).

  sagun: ‘With attributes’; possessing a form that has qualities, hence, the incarnate form of the Supreme Spirit.

  Sahasrabahu: ‘The thousand-armed’; he was king of the Haihaya tribe, and is better known by his patronymic, Kartavirya. As a result of penance and prayer, the divine saint Dattatreya granted him a thousand arms, a golden chariot to take him wherever he wished to go, the power of righting wrongs by dispensing justice, the conquest of the earth and the disposition to rule it righteously, invincibility and finally, death at the hands of a man renowned the whole world over. He ruled wisely and well for 85,000 years. He was a contemporary of Ravan, and when Ravan came to conquer his capital city, Mahishmati, he took him prisoner effortlessly; he let Ravan go on the request of the rishi, Pulastya.
One day, when out hunting, Sahasrabahu reached the hermitage of the sage Jamadagni. The sage and the sons were out, but his wife, recognizing the king, treated him with due respect. But instead of acknowledging the hospitality he had received, the king in his arrogance carried off the calf of the sacred cow, Surabhi, which Jamadagni had acquired through penance. When Jamadagni’s son, Parashuram, returned and heard what the king had done, he followed the king, cut off his thousand arms with his arrows and killed him. Sahasrabahu’s sons, in retaliation, attacked Jamadagni in his hermitage and killed him. When Parashuram found his father’s lifeless body, he laid it on a pyre and vowed to wipe out the whole of the Kshatriya race. He killed all the sons of Sahasrabahu, and cleared the earth of Kshatriyas twenty-one times. Sahasrabahu’s death at the hands of Parashuram was as per the boon granted him—to be killed by a man renowned the world over.

  samadhi: A state of profound meditation restraining the senses and confining the mind to contemplation.

  Sampati: A vulture, the eldest son of Arun, the charioteer of the Sun, and the older brother of the vulture, Jatayu.

  Sanak; Sanandan; Sanatan; Sanatkumar: The four Kumars, the four mind-born sons of Brahma; declining to create progeny, they remained forever boys, and forever pure and innocent. Sanatkumar was the most prominent of them all. They are also known by their patronymic Vaidhatra (from Vidhatra, or Brahma).

  Sanjivani: In mythology, a life-giving herb that is said to restore the dead to life.

  sanyasi: One who has renounced the world, abandoning all attachment; according to Hindu scripture, sannyasa is the last and fourth stage of life for a man.

  Saptarishi: The seven Rishis, the mind-born sons of Brahma. They form, in astronomy, the constellation of the Great Bear.