by Tulsidas
5. The great muni referred to here is Shukracharya, the guru of the Asurs. The story of his curse is related in the Uttarakand of Valmiki’s Ramayana. Danda, the youngest son of Ikshvaku, founder of the solar dynasty, was cruel and wrathful. Ishkvaku, unhappy with his behaviour, banished him from his kingdom of Ayodhya. Danda left, taking with him some of his father’s wealth and subjects, and accompanied by Shukracharya, founded his own kingdom, called Dandak, in the south. There, with Shukracharya’s help, he ruled for a thousand years and was a just and righteous king. Then one day, while Shukracharya was away, Danda saw his beautiful daughter, Abja. She rejected his advances, but Danda, overcome by lust, raped her. When Shukracharya returned in the evening, his daughter told him what had happened, and in his wrath, he called forth a storm that destroyed Danda and his entire kingdom, and reduced it to a wilderness. In place of the kingdom, there grew a dense forest, full of Rakshasas and wild beasts, and which only hermits and munis dared enter.
6. This meeting is described at great length by Valmiki. It is at this meeting that Jatayu promises to protect Sita, a promise which later costs him his life.
7. In Hindu belief, all creation, and all that happens around us, is the Lord’s lila, his sport or pastime.
8. Hindus believe that a class of demons knows as Mandeha surround the rising sun every morning, and are dispersed only by the drops of water scattered into the air during the performance of pre-dawn prayers by the twice-born.
9. Ram put on a show of concern in accordance with the play he had set in motion. However, he was not worried, for he knew that the real Sita was safe within the fire, and that all that was happening was his lila, his sport, in order to accomplish the gods’ purpose, viz., the death of Ravan.
10. The birds, animals, fruits, flowers and other objects listed here by Ram are the ones used by poets to describe the characteristics of a beautiful woman: her flashing eyes are compared to the wagtail and to fish, her shapely nose to a parrot’s beak, her neck to that of a pigeon’s, her dark, curling hair to a swarm of bees, her eyes to those of a doe, her voice to the sweet and tuneful singing of the kokil, her teeth to jasmine buds and pomegranate seeds, the radiance of her skin and complexion to lightning, her eyes, face, hands and feet to the lotus, her radiant face to the autumn moon, her long, braided hair to a serpent, her captivating smile as impossible to break free from as Varun’s snares, her curving brows to Kamdev’s bow, her graceful gait to that of the swan and the elephant, her slender waist to that of a lion’s, her firm, round breasts to the fruit of the wood-apple tree, and her smooth, firm thighs to golden bananas. All of these were overshadowed by Sita’s incomparable beauty. Now that Sita is no longer there, all these were once again able to hear their own praise, and so, in her absence, rejoiced.
11. Kabandh was originally a Gandharva, and had been cursed by the sage Durvasa to become a hideous Rakshasa. When mortally wounded, he asked Ram to burn his body, and from that fire, he came out in his original form as a Gandharva. (See also Glossary.)
12. Sabari was a tribal woman, devoted to the worship of Ram. Her guru, the muni Matanga, had predicted before his death that the Lord would visit her. She lived in the forest as an ascetic for many years, waiting for Ram.
13. These are lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride and envy.
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.
Bana; Banasur: A powerful Daitya, the eldest son of the Daitya king, Bali; he had a thousand arms and was a devotee of Shiv and an enemy of Vishnu. He is also called Vairochi.
ber: The jujube tree and its fruit. This is cultivated as well as grows wild in India; every part of the tree has medicinal uses, and its small and somewhat acid fruit is very popular and is eaten pickled, cooked or raw. ‘Holding a ber in the palm of your hand’ signifies understanding something clearly and from every angle, just as the small and round ber fruit can be seen when held upon one’s palm.
Bhadon: The sixth month of the Hindu calendar, equivalent to August–September.
Bhagirath: A king of the Ikshvaku dynasty, and a descendent of Sagar; he brought the sacred River Ganga to earth from heaven. King Sagar of Avadh married two women, the princess Keshini, and Sumati, the daughter of the sage Kashyap. With Keshini, he had one son, Asamanjas; through him the royal line was continued. With Sumati he had sixty-thousand sons. Now Asamanjas grew up into such a wild and immoral man that Sagar abandoned him. Unfortunately, the sixty-thousand also followed in their brother’s footsteps, and became so known for their impiety that the gods complained about them to Vishnu and to the sage Kapil. Once, Sagar decided to hold the Ashvamedha or horse-sacrifice. Though the horse was guarded by his sixty-thousand sons, it was carried off to Patal, the underworld. They dug their way to the underworld, where they saw the sage Kapil seated in meditation, and the horse grazing close by. Thinking that he was the thief, they threatened him with their weapons. This disturbed the sage in his meditation, and so enraged him that a single glance from him reduced them to ashes. Their remains were found by Anshumat, the son of Asamanjas, who begged Kapil that his uncles be raised to heaven through his favour. Kapil promised Anshumat’s grandson would be the means of accomplishing this by bringing down Ganga, the river of heaven. Anshumat returned to Sagar, who then completed the sacrifice. The deep chasm that his sons had dug became the ocean, which is called ‘saagar’ after his sons. The son of Anshumat was Dilip, and his son was Bhagirath. Determined to free the souls of his ancestors, Bhagirath left his kingdom in the care of his ministers and retreated to the Himalayas, where he practised severe austerities in order to please Brahma. After a thousand years of prayer and penance, Brahma appeared before him. When Bhagirath told him that he wanted to bring down the divine river, Ganga, so that he may perform the appropriate rites for his ancestors, Brahma told him to pray to Shiv, for only he could withstand the force of the river’s descent. So Bhagirath prayed to Shiv. The compassionate god was quickly pleased, and agreed to help him, promising to hold the Ganga in his matted locks and so reducing the force of her descent. Ganga agreed to come to earth, and as she fell, Shiv stood beneath her cascading waters and caught them in his hair, letting only a trickle escape. This trickle was as much as the earth could bear, and this became the mighty River Ganga upon earth. She followed Bhagirath, and he guided the river from the Himalayas, across the plains of northern India, into the sea, and from there to Patal, where the ashes of Sagar’s sixty-thousand sons were washed with her waters and purified.
bhakti: A many-nuanced idea meaning at one time all or any one of the following: faith, belief; devotion, adoration, worship; attachment, devotedness, service. In the Hindu context, it means devotion to and love for a personal god. There are nine forms of bhakti, which are explained by Ram to Sabari in the Aranyakand (35-36).
Bharadvaj: An eminent rishi to whom are attributed many hymns fr
om the Vedas.
Bharat: ‘He who supports, bears, or carries’; son of Dasharath and Kaikeyi, younger brother to Ram.
Bhogavati: The magnificent, subterranean capital city of the Nagas in Patal.
Bhrigu: A Vedic sage. He is one of the Prajapatis and the great Rishis, and regarded as the founder of the race of Bhrigus or Bhargavas, in which were born Jamadagni and his son, Parashuram. He officiated at Daksh’s sacrifice.
Bhringi: A sage, especially devoted to Shiv. It is said that Bhringi was so deeply devoted to Shiv that he even refused to honour Parvati, maintaining that he would worship Shiv and Shiv alone. He attempted to circle Shiv in homage, leaving out Parvati, so Shiv took Parvati upon his lap; Bhringi then turned himself into a snake and tried to slither between the two. At that, Shiv made Parvati a part of himself, taking on the form of Ardhanarishvar. Bhringi then turned himself into a bee and tried to separate the two. At this Parvati was so angry that she cursed him, so that he lost all flesh and blood and, turning into a bag of bones, collapsed upon the ground. Bhringi then realized that he could not separate Shiv from Parvati, for they were not separate, but together made up the whole. Bhringi was forgiven, and given a third leg by which to support himself.
Bhushundi; Kak Bhushundi: The crow, Bhushundi. He is a sage in a crow’s body, and a great devotee of Ram. He is also one of the four narrators of the Ramcharitmanas, and relates the story of Ram to Garud.
birth, modes of: According to Hindu tradition, there are four modes of birth: (i) born from the womb (such as man and other mammals); (ii) born of an egg (such as birds, fish and so on); (iii) engendered by heat and moisture (such worms, insects, lice, etc.); and (iv) born by sprouting or germinating (trees, plants, vegetables, etc.). From these four modes of birth are generated eighty-four lakh (1 lakh = 100,000) forms of life.