The Ramcharitmanas 2

by Tulsidas

22. Anasuya was the wife of the Rishi Atri. Intense penance and austerities had given her miraculous powers. She lived with her husband in a hermitage in the forest south of Chitrakut. Once, no rain fell in Chitrakut for ten years, resulting in a great famine. There was no food left for the sages who lived there, or the birds and animals. Anasuya, through the power of her penance, brought the river Mandakini down to Chitrakut from heaven and the area grew green and lush again. Here, Tulsi also plays on the name of the river, Mandakini, calling it a ‘dakini’, a witch whose evil eye causes miscarriages and who devours babies and young children.

  23. Since Chitrakut is one of the peaks of the Vindhya range of mountains, its glory is shared by the entire range—and so the joy of the Vindhya mountains.

  24. Basav is another name for Indra, whose capital is the city of Amarpur or Amaravati; Shachi is his consort, and Jayant is his son.

  25. Though Sumantra is displaying all the signs of one about to die, his life-breath refuses to depart in the hope of seeing Ram again at the end of his exile.

  26. In Hindu tradition, it is believed that a soul condemned to hell is given a special body which can endure every torment and does not perish till the condemned soul has made full reparation for its sins.

  27. The moon is believed to contain amrit, the nectar of immortality.

  28. Yayati was the son of Nahusha, and the fifth king of the lunar dynasty. At the end of his life, King Yayati gave up his throne to his son and retired to the forest to lead the life of an ascetic. His austerities earned him a place in heaven where he lived for a long time. One day, he went to meet Indra, the king of the gods, and in the course of conversation, Indra asked him to whom he was equal in the austerities he had practised. Yayati’s boastful answer, that he did not, in the matter of austerities, behold any who was his equal amongst men, gods, Gandharvas and rishis, led to a diminishing of his virtues, and he was hurled from the heavens back into the world of men. (Also see Glossary.)

  29. Sampati was the eldest son of Arun, the charioteer of the Sun, and the older brother of the vulture, Jatayu. In their youth, the brothers used to compete as to who could fly higher in the sky. Once, Jatayu flew so high that he was in danger of getting burnt by the sun. But Sampati flew higher, and spreading his wings, protected his younger brother from the sun’s fierce flames. Jatayu was saved, but Sampati’s wings were burnt, and he fell to the ground from the sky. He lived the rest of his life without wings. He plays an important role later on in the story, when he gives Ram’s monkey allies the important information that Ravan has carried Sita off to Lanka. His story is also related at that point in the epic.

  30. This incident is related in detail in Valmiki’s Ramayana. As a young man, Dasharath had been renowned for his skill as an archer and his ability to shoot by sound alone. One evening (whilst he was still only the heir-apparent and before he had met or married Kaushalya), he seized his bow and arrows and in his arrogance, set off in his chariot along the banks of the Sarayu in search of an elephant, tiger or buffalo to shoot—in the dark, by sound. As he waited by the river in the deep darkness of the night, he heard a gurgling sound, and believing it to be an elephant come down to the river to drink, he fitted an arrow to his bow and let it fly. A cry of pain rent the darkness, and Dasharath realized with dismay that he had shot a human being. He threw down his bow and arrows and ran as fast as he could towards the cry, to find a young boy lying by the river, mortally wounded by his arrow. The boy was dressed in hermit’s robes, with matted hair—and the sound that the king had mistaken for an elephant’s had been made by the young hermit filling a pitcher of water for his blind and aged parents. Dasharath realized he could not save the boy. As he stood there helplessly, the boy begged him to pull out the arrow that had so wounded him, and told him how to find his parents, who were waiting for him to return with water to slake their thirst. The boy implored the prince to go to his parents and tell them how their son had died, and counselled him to ask their forgiveness, lest their wrath destroy him forever. Dasharath stayed by the boy, aghast at what he had done. With his last breath, the boy assured him that he had not committed the sin of killing a Brahman, for though a hermit, he was born of a Vaishya father and a Shudra mother, and therefore not of the twice-born. As the boy drew nearer and nearer to death, Dasharath gently pulled his arrow out, and waited by his side till he died. Then, picking up the pitcher the boy had dropped, he filled it with water from the stream, and following the directions the boy had given, made his way to his parents’ hut. There, he found the old couple waiting anxiously for their son’s return. Hearing his footsteps, the father called out to him, believing him to be his son. Dasharath drew closer, and with tears in his eyes, told the old couple the sad story of their son’s death. The parents begged him to take them to their son’s body, and after performing the last rites for their son, the father turned to Dasharath and cursed him that just as he had deprived him of his son, so would Dasharath one day mourn a son, and of that suffering, die. But since he had killed his son unwittingly, the curse would take effect at a time far distant and not at once. Moreover, since he had voluntarily confessed his crime, he was spared an immediate death—else he and all his descendants would have perished forever. The name of the hermit boy killed by Dasharath was Shravan Kumar, and he is held as the epitome of filial devotion in India, even today.

  31. That is, Bharat persuaded them not to climb on to the king’s funeral pyre and perish with him as satis.

  32. Offering of sesame seeds—a handful (or double handful) of black sesame seeds mixed with water is offered to the deceased by his son (or by the person who has performed the funeral rites) after the cremation; it signifies the severing of all ties with the deceased.

  33. This refers to the dashagatra rites, performed over ten days after a cremation. Ten pindas, small balls of cooked rice mixed with sesame seeds, are offered to the deceased, one for each part of the body. This helps the deceased soul to build a new body, and cast off its connections with the old.

  34. Shiv often visits the homes of householders in the form of a beggar or a wandering ascetic; and so all such people must be received with courtesy as part of the worship of Shiv.

  35. The Mahabharata relates that, at the command of his father, Parashuram cut off his mother’s head. 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. (See also Glossary, and Balkand, Stanza 276, endnote 81.)

  36. For being unfaithful to his wife, King Yayati was cursed with premature old age and infirmity by her father, Shukra. This curse Shukra consented to transfer to any of his five sons who would agree to bear it. His youngest son, Puru, gave up his youth to his father and took on his curse of decrepitude. Yayati spent a thousand years enjoying the pleasures of the senses, after which he restored his youth to Puru and made him his successor. (See also Glossary.)

  37. The thunderbolt was fashioned from the bones of the sage Dadhichi. (See also stanza 30 and Glossary.)

  38. Here, Tulsi uses a folk saying—‘to hold the sweets of bliss in both hands’ derives from the custom of placing a laddu (a sweetmeat made of chickpea, lentil, or flour with sugar and ghee, and shaped like a small ball) in each hand of a faithful wife who dies before her husband; the laddus indicate her success in this world (where, by dying before her husband, she did not have to face widowhood) and her success in the next (where she attains bliss for her fidelity). In Guha’s case, if he wins against Bharat, he would have served Ram’s cause, if he is killed, he will attain eternal bliss for dying in the service of the Lord.

  39. These are forest tribes and other groups despised by traditional Hindus as ignorant, base and uncivilized and regarded as outcasts from upper-caste Hindu society.

  40. So that his right side was always, as prescribed by ritual, towards the object of reverence (in this case the grass mat).

  41. The waters of the Jamuna are dark, and of
the Ganga light. (The stream of the Sarasvati is invisible.)

  42. Bharat’s own dharma could refer to Kshatriya dharma, which allows only giving and never begging for anything from anyone, or it could refer to his dharma of devotion only to Ram, from which he swerves by praying to another deity.

  43. Soma, the Moon-god once became so arrogant that he carried off Tara, the wife of Brihaspati, guru of the gods, and refused to give her back, disregarding the entreaties of her husband as well as Brahma’s command. Soma was supported by the Daityas and Danavas and other enemies of the gods, while Indra and most of the other gods supported Brihaspati. The battle that ensued was so fierce that it shook the earth. At last, Brahma stepped in and stopped the quarrel and forced the Moon to return Tara to Brihaspati. Tara soon gave birth to a child, whom she declared to be the son of the Moon. The child was named Budh (regent of Mercury), and from him sprung the lunar dynasty. The Moon bears on his face the blemishes put their by Brihaspati in his anger. Another version of the story states that Brihaspati, returning from bathing in the Ganga, found the Moon with his wife, and threw his dripping garments at his face in anger, and this caused the blemishes on the Moon’s face.

  44. The Riddhis are attendants of the god of wealth, Kuber, and are wealth personified; the Siddhis are supernatural powers of which anima (the ability to make oneself infinitesimally small) is one. (Also see Glossary).

  45. The people are overcome with conflicting emotions—joy at the delights available to them, but dismay too, given their grief over their separation from Ram. (In Valmiki’s Ramayana, though, the people are so delighted by the wonders they see that they are ready to give up their search for Ram.)

  46. Brihaspati is referring to the use of divine maya earlier, when Sarasvati confused Manthara’s mind.

  47. The story is told in the Puranas: the sage Durvasa, known for his fiery temper and regarded by some as an emanation of Shiv, once visited king Ambarish, a devoted follower of Vishnu. The king welcomed him and invited him to dine with him. The sage agreed and went down to the river to bathe before the meal. Now it happened to be dvadashi, the twelfth day of the lunar fortnight. The king had fasted the day before, and ritual demanded he break his fast while it was still dvadashi. The king waited for the sage to return from the river, but the sage was taking his time. The king did not wish to eat without his guest, but it was necessary he break his fast within the prescribed time. His advisors suggested he take a sip of the water in which the feet of the Lord’s image had been washed—that way he would have broken his fast in time, yet not be guilty of disrespecting his guest by eating before him. The king did so, and just then the sage returned from the river. When Durvasa realised that the king had already broken his fast without waiting for him, he flew into a rage, and pulling out a hair from his head, turned into the Rakshasa Kritya, who rushed at the king to devour him. But Ambarish, who had dedicated himself to Vishnu, did not flinch. He did not run, nor did he make any attempt to defend himself. Vishnu, who was watching, then sent his own discus, Sudarshan, to help the king. After killing the Rakshasa, the discus turned upon Durvasa, chasing him all over the world for an entire year. No one gave the sage shelter, and even the gods refused to help, saying that nothing could be done for him until he went back to Ambarish and asked his forgiveness. Meanwhile, the king had been fasting since the sage left, and taking pity on his plight, prayed to Vishnu’s weapon to spare the sage. Sudarshan heard his prayer and returned to Vishnu. Durvasa now realised the king’s greatness, and fell at his feet in remorse. The king forgave him, and then, paying him every respect, entertained him to a lavish feast before seeing him on his way.

  48. Tulsi is probably referring to Kamadgiri, ‘the mountain that fulfils all desires’. In Chitrakut, the hill is regarded as a sacred site by Hindus even today.

  49. King Vena banned offerings and performance of sacrifices to the gods and the giving of gifts to Brahmans, declaring that he alone was worthy of receiving offerings. (See also Glossary.)

  50. Sahasrabahu, the ‘thousand-armed’, was king of the Haihaya tribe. In return for hospitality, he carried off the sage Jamadagni’s cow. For this offence, he was killed by Jamadagni’s son, Parashuram. Indra, king of the gods, seduced Ahalya, the wife of the sage Gautam. Trishanku, a king of Ayodhya, tried to ascend to heaven in his corporeal form. (See also Glossary.)

  51. The chatak subsists only on the drops of rain that fall in autumn, and loves the raincloud; the fish loves water and cannot survive without it.

  52. A complete or fourfold (chaturanga) army consists of infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots.

  53. As explained elsewhere, Videh is the title of Janak, king of the kingdom of Videha. It also means ‘bodiless’ or ‘disembodied’. His title, Videh, is untrue in these circumstances of overwhelming grief because had he been truly ‘videh’ or bodiless (i.e., detached), he would not have felt the grief he did.

  54. Or a face that pleases all his devotees, according to their inclination and what they seek in him.

  55. As per Indian tradition, it is not appropriate to accept food, particularly grains or cereals of any kind and in any form, in a married daughter’s home. So it would not have been appropriate for Janak to eat any grain-based food at the hermitage. Moreover, Ram is living as an ascetic, on roots and wild fruits.

  56. Once, Lord Vishnu, moved by his austerities, appeared before the sage Markandeya and offered to grant him a boon of his choosing. The muni asked that he be allowed to witness the glory of Vishnu’s maya. Vishnu disappeared, with the assurance that his wish would be fulfilled. One evening, as the muni was engaged in penance by the Pushpabhadra river, it began to rain. It rained so hard that the rivers, the seas and the oceans overflowed, and the land disappeared. The muni, though an enlightened soul, grew alarmed and afraid as he was tossed about in the seething flood. Carried along by the flood, he saw at last a tree rising above the waters. This was the imperishable banyan tree of Prayag. In its topmost branches, the muni saw an infant, contentedly sucking its big toe. This was, of course, none other than Vishnu himself. At this sight, the muni’s fear and exhaustion disappeared, and he regained his equanimity of mind. The divine child then vouchsafed to the muni a vision of the whole universe, after which the infant, as well as the flood vanished, leaving the muni as he was before.

  57. The three places are Haridwar (where the Ganga enters the plains), Prayag (the confluence of the Ganga with the Jamuna and the Sarasvati), and Gangasagar (the mouth of the Ganga, where the river meets the sea).

  58. Once, the Vindhya mountains asked the Sun, who goes around Mt Meru every day, to revolve around it as well. The Sun refused, saying that his course had been determined by the Lord of the Universe. Enraged by the Sun’s refusal, the Vindhyas grew taller and taller every day, so that it became difficult for the Sun to cross it every day in his passage from east to west. Alarmed, the gods asked the sage Agastya for help. Agastya approached the mountain range and asked it to bend down so he could cross over to the south. The Vindhyas did so, and the sage crossed over, but made the mountain range promise that it would remain in that position till he crossed back to the north. The sage has still not crossed back, and so the Vindhays remain in that position.

  59. The Daitya Kanakalochan (also known as Hataklochan) had dragged the earth to the bottom of the sea. In order to recover the earth, Vishnu took the form of a boar (Varah, his third avatar), and after a battle that lasted a thousand years, he killed the Daitya and carried the earth back to the surface on his tusks.

  60. Commentators differ on what the two loves may be—some say it is the love of her parents and her mothers-in-law, others that it is the love of her parents and her husband.

  61. Their realms had been taken over by Ravan.

  62. It is said that bees shun the flowers of the champak tree despite their sweet and heady fragrance.

  Book III: ARANYAKAND (THE FOREST)

  1. Shachi is the consort of Indra, king of the gods. The reference here is to Vishnu�
��s fifth avatar, the dwarf Vaman, who, born as the son of Aditi and Kashyap, was thus the younger brother of Indra.

  2. ‘To attain one’s own eternal form’ is to become one with the divine, for the Supreme Spirit pervades all, and every being is but a manifestation of the Absolute.

  3. Tulsi was born as Vrinda, the daughter of the Asur Kalnemi. As Vrinda, she was the wife of the powerful Asur king, Jalandhar. Vrinda was a devotee of Vishnu, and because of her intense devotion to him, she was endowed with enormous yogic powers. She was also a chaste and faithful wife, and her prayers to Vishnu for his well-being further strengthened the already strong Jalandhar. Ultimately, Jalandhar became so powerful that he was crowned king of the Asurs. Very soon, Jalandhar had defeated every king on earth. Now, with the whole earth under his sway, he set about conquering the gods and defeated them easily. The gods realized that his invincibility came from his wife’s faithfulness. So, as Vrinda prayed for her husband’s success on the battlefield, Vishnu appeared before her in the guise of her husband. Vrinda was completely taken in by Vishnu, and overjoyed at seeing him safe and sound. She stopped praying and embraced Vishnu, as a result of which her power was broken, and consequently, her husband’s. At that very instant, Shiv killed the Asur king. Vrinda felt that something was wrong, and Vishnu, abandoning his disguise, appeared before her as himself. Angry and grief-stricken, Vrinda cursed Vishnu to be separated from his wife. It is for this reason that he had to take form as Ram, and suffer separation from Sita. The heart-broken Vrinda then died. Vishnu, grieving for his devotee, then transformed her into the tulsi plant (some versions of the story say that Shiv transformed her into the tulsi plant). No prayer to Vishnu is complete without an offering of tulsi leaves. (Vrinda and Jalandhar’s story is also referred to in Balkand, Stanza 123.)

  4. Here, the muni wants the boon of eternal devotion to Hari. He does not wish to become one with him—for if he becomes one with him, he cannot adore him. Therefore the boon of ‘separation and devotion’.