Chapter
15
Among Hermitages
Thus,
Rama entered the hermitage of Bharadwaja taking Sita with
him and accompanied by Lakshmana and Guha. The sage
appeared at the doorway and walked forward to welcome
him, as if he was waiting since long to be blessed by the
Darsan;
seeing him, Rama prostrated before him, and when
Bharadwaja lovingly embraced him and invited him to enter
the hermitage, he was very happy to comply. The sage made
them sit on the seats he had spread on the floor, for
each according to his status.
He inquired after the
welfare of every one of them and declared that his
heart's desire was fulfilled that day. He asked his
pupils to bring fruits and roots, and placing them before
his guests, he pleaded that they might partake of them.
They spent the night in that hermitage, accepting the
sage's hospitality and service.
At the Hermitage of
Sage Bharadwaja
When day dawned, Rama
proceeded to the confluence of the three rivers at
Prayag, and requested the sage too to give him company.
Bharadwaja said, 'Listen, O Lord! I chose this holy spot
for my hermitage and austerities, since I knew I could
get here the
darsan I longed
for many years. To get the thrill of your
Darsan,
I undertook vows and performed Vedic
Yajnas and
Yagas.
I immersed myself in the chanting of Divine Names and in
meditation on the Divine Form, so that I might be
rewarded with the chance to converse with you. I was
awarded
darsan of all
three of you. I have no more wants. I am no more
concerned with bath or with food. I do not want to be
reckoned as a fool who continued consuming drugs, even
after he was cured of illness. I am free now from the
fell disease of birth and death. I have seen
God.'
Seeing him filled with
ecstasy, with tears flowing, Guha was overwhelmed with
surprise. He said to himself, "O! What great good fortune
is mine!" He was overcome by supreme joy. Meanwhile Rama
suppressed His Divinity and acted as if he was just a man
with common human attributes. While Sage Bharadwaja was
dilating delightedly on the Rama Principle, Rama
listened, as if it all related to another person called
Rama and not to himself! He replied, "O! Foremost among
sages! All those who are recipients of your hospitality
are, for that very reason, adorable. All such are full of
virtue and wisdom." The pupils, ascetics, sages and monks
of the hermitage who heard the words of Bharadwaja and
those of Rama were struck with wonder and filled with
joy.
After the holy bath
at Prayag, Rama left the hermitage with Sita,
Lakshmana and Guha, and entered the deeper
recesses of the forest. Bharadwaja followed them
as far as the river bank, and there he clasped
Rama in loving embrace, wishing for them a happy journey.
Rama prayed for the blessings of the Sage and
said, "Master! Tell us which direction is best." The
sage replied, with a laugh: "Lord! There is no
path unknown to you in all the worlds, is there? You are
playing the role of a mere man, in this habiliment. Well,
since I have been asked, it is my duty to reply to the
best of my knowledge." Thus saying, he beckoned to four
of him pupils, and sent them with Rama to show him
the track that led to the next hermitage
complex. Those boys were delighted at the chance they
secured to journey with Rama for some little distance.
They felt that it was a gift earned in previous lives.
They walked in front showing them the track. Behind them,
Rama went with Sita, Lakshmana and Guha. They went as far
as the bank of the Yamuna river, and there, they took
leave of Rama and turned back, without the least will to
do so. Sita, Rama and Lakshmana were very pleased with
the pupils for the help they rendered; they blessed them
with all their hearts and allowed them to leave. Then,
they got ready to have the holy bath in the sacred
Yamuna. Meanwhile, the inhabitants of the villages on the
bank noticed these visitors of extra-ordinary charm and
splendor, and gathered around them, wondering who they
were and whence they came and what their names were. They
were too shy and too afraid to ask. They were talking in
whispers among themselves.
Sita, Rama and
Lakshmana finished their bath, with out paying heed to
them, and, coming on to the bank, Rama called Guha near,
and said, "Dear one! It is a long time since you joined
us; it is not proper that you should spend so much time
with us. You must carry out your duties to your subjects.
Go home now, to your post of duty." He then gave him
permission to leave. Guha found himself helpless to
answer him. "Can anyone give up the wish-fulfilling gem
that he has come by? How unfortunate I am to be forced to
do so!" he wailed. He could not disregard the command of
Rama. So, he prostrated before Sita, Rama and Lakshmana,
and showered on his head the dust of their feet. He left
their presence, most unwillingly.
A short time after Guha
left them, the three resumed their journey. Soon, they
saw before them a City, which shone brighter than even
the City of the Nagas. As they neared the light, they
wondered which City it was. The nearer they came, the
more delighted they were at the grandeur and charm of the
City and its suburbs. Reaching quite near, they took it
to be Amaravathi, the City of the Gods and they were
still more delighted. They felt that the citizens must be
gods, not men. They sat under a tree in its cool shade
and admired its splendor and magnificence. The people
came around them and questioned among themselves whether
they had come down from 'heaven', and were the Immortals
themselves. They ran into the town and spread the good
news that some divine personalities were coming into the
City bringing great good luck with them. Every one who
heard them ran towards the visitors and vied with each
other in attending to their comforts. Some placed milk
before them; some spread fruits; all looked at them
without even a wink! No one could leave them and go back.
They stood unwilling to depart.
One of them, bolder
than the rest, came forward, and spoke; "Sirs! Your charm
and imposing personality make us infer that you are
princes of royal blood. But, you are journeying by foot
along these rough jungle paths, with this damsel. You are
climbing mountains and crossing rivers; you are hard
travelers braving all the dangers of the trek; so, we
have to conclude that you are like us, mere citizens. We
cannot understand how you manage to travel across this
forest where lions abound and herds of wild elephants
roam. And, you have with you this tender embodiment of
loveliness and beauty. Have you no kith and kin, no
friends and comrades, no well-wishers? If there
were any such, certainly, they would not have allowed you
to venture on this journey". He inquired into the nature
and cause of the journey and put a number of other
questions to Rama.
Meanwhile, a woman
advanced from the gathering towards them, and addressed
Rama thus; "0 Prince! I am placing a prayer before you.
Woman that I am, I am afraid to express it. Pardon my
effrontery. We are common folk, unacquainted with verbal
finesse. Your physical charm reflects the luster of
emerald and gold, which seem to be the source of your
brightness. One of you has the complexion of the
rain-cloud, while the other is resplendent white. Both
are as enchanting as a billion Gods of Love, moulded into
human bodies. Again, we are not aware how this sweet
damsel is related to you? She has the exquisite charm of
the Goddess of Love, Rathi Devi. Watching her modesty and
innate humility, as well as her charm, we women are
ashamed of ourselves. Kindly tell us who you are, and for
what purpose you have come thus wise."
Listening to their
prayers and watching their eagerness and joy, Rama and
Lakshmana were very much amused. Just then, Sita
turned towards the women and spoke to them thus:
"Sisters! This simple, sincere person with the golden
complexion is Lakshmana. He is my Lord's brother, a
younger brother. Then about the dark-blue person: he with
the Lotus-petal-eyes that enrapture the worlds, with the
long, strong bow-arms, (here, she turned towards Rama),
this is my Lord, the very breath of my life." Saying
this, she bent her head and looked at the
ground. Just then, a young maiden interjected, "Ma! You
haven't told us your name!" Sita immediately said, "My
name is Sita. I am known as Janaki,
the daughter of Janaka."
The women looked at each other in wonder and appreciation
and then, with one voice, they blessed Sita profusely,
saying, "May you both be as happy a couple as God Siva
and Goddess Parvathi and may you live together, as long
as the Sun and Moon, as long as the Earth rests upon the
hood of the snake Adisesha, in harmony and unbroken
joy."
Rama too spoke to the
men and informed them that they had come to see the
grandeur and beauty of the forests and that their journey
so far had been quite comfortable and useful, that they
were not in the least exhausted or in-convenienced. He
asked their permission to leave, and then, they turned to
the forests again. Having nothing left to do, the men and
women hied homeward. Sita, Rama and Lakshmana wended
their way, talking among themselves about the citizens
and the questions they asked, the affection they
manifested and the joy that glinted in their eyes.
Suddenly, Rama noticed signs of exhaustion on the face of
Sita, and proposed that they rest a while under a shady
tree. A cool broad stream flowed near by. Lakshmana
ventured into the jungle and soon gathered some fruits
and tubers, which all three ate with relish. They
spent the night there, quite happily.
At dawn they awoke, and
finishing the morning ablutions, they started off on the
next lap of their journey. Soon, they entered the
fearsome recesses of the forest. The towering peaks, dark
dreadful tangle of trees, and the deafening roar
or flooded streams, produced a queer feeling of awe and
mystery.
Valmiki and
disciples
Right in the midst of
that frightful area, they came upon a patch of garden,
nursed and fostered by man, and upon it, a hermitage that
was charming to behold. That was the ashram of the sage
Valmiki. On one side of the hermitage rose the cliffs of
a tall mountain; on the other side, far below, at the
bottom of a deep trough, flowed a murmuring stream. The
hermitage was a picture of beauty; it shone like a gem on
that green carpet. Sita felt considerably relieved and
assuaged when her eyes fell on that picture.
Learning from his
pupils that they had entered the garden Valmiki emerged
from the hermitage and appeared at the door. Sita, Rama
and Lakshmana hurried forward and fell at the feet of the
sage. The sage too, moved forward and, as if he had known
them long, he welcomed them, with fond embrace. He
invited all three to enter the hermitage. The sage
Valmiki provided comfortable seats for Rama whom he loved
as his very breath, and for Lakshmana and Sita; he called
for fruits and edible tubers and placed them before the
three. As desired by Valmiki, they partook of them, and
expressed their pleasure. Valmiki sat before them,
watching Rama and quenching the thirst of his eyes. He
was filled with inexpressible delight.
With utmost humility,
Rama addressed the great sage thus: "Most venerable Sage!
You are conversant with the past, the present and the
future of all; so, the reason why I have entered this
forest must be as clear to you as the berry in one's
palm. Nevertheless, I feel it right that I should
discharge my duty of informing you why I am here, with my
wife and brother." Then Rama described how Queen Kaikeyi
sent him into exile in the forest, and how brother
Bharatha was crowned as ruler of the realm,
according to the promise made by the father.
The sage listened to
the story, and communicated his joy with a face lit with
smiles. He said. "Rama! As you fulfilled their desires
then, you have satisfied my desire now. My austerities,
vows and yearning have at last yielded fruit today. I
must confer on Kaikeyi my heartfelt gratitude and a share
of the bliss I am now enjoying."
Valmiki sat long in
silence, with his eyes closed, while trying to keep
within control the emotions of gratitude and joy surging
inside him. Tears gathered in his eyes, tears of
Ananda,
and they rolled down his cheeks in big drops that chased
each other.
Rama broke the silence
and said, "We shall reside at the place where you direct
us to live. Indicate to us a place where we shall not
cause any trouble to any one and where we shall not come
in the way of hermits and hermitages; give us proper
advice. We shall put up a 'thatch' of leaves at that
place and spend some time therein."
These words from a pure
sincere heart moved the sage; he said, in reply, "0 Rama!
I am indeed blessed. You are as the Flag that proclaims
the glory of the Raghu dynasty. For what reason are you
voicing thus? You are the force that fosters the path
laid down in the Vedas; you are the power that safeguards
it from harm. Sita is 'the deluding half of your
personality, your Maya. She creates, maintains and
destroys (as you 'will') worlds beyond worlds. And,
Lakshmana is the very basis of the movable and the
immovable, the 'thousand-hooded serpent', the Primal
Sesha-Nag, which upholds the Universe. You have assumed
forms, in order to carry out the wishes of the Gods, that
you re-establish righteousness in the world. You will, I
am sure, destroy all demonic hearts, pretty soon. You
will protect the good and the compassionate. Rama! You
are the eternal Witness of the play named 'The World'.
The Universe is the 'seen'; you are the Witness. Even the
gods fail to gauge your Reality and your Glory. How then
can ordinary mortals understand your Mystery? Only those
who have received your Grace, namely, Wisdom, can claim
to have known something of your Truth and your Majesty.
You have taken this human form in order to promote the
peace and security of good men and the gods; as a
consequence, you are conversing and behaving like one of
us. Only fools are misled into behaving that you are a
man among men! We are all puppets who play about as you
direct, as you pull the strings. Who are we to direct you
to act thus wise or to stay at a certain place? Rama! Are
you planning to delude us, ascetics, by your words? 0,
how wonderful is your play! How realistic is your acting!
Don't I know that you are the Director of this cosmic
drama? I cannot understand why you are asking me to
select a spot where you can stay for some time in this
forest. Which spot can I choose and recommend? For, is
there any spot in the whole Universe where you are not,
already? Answer me this question, and thereafter, I shall
point out the place to which you can go and where you can
stay" Valmiki said, looking at the charming face of Rama;
in the extremity of his delight, words melted away on his
tongue. [See: Srîmad
Bhâgavatam]
Rama laughed within
himself when he listened to the revered sage. Meanwhile,
the sage spoke again, soft and sweet, with a smile
beaming on his resplendent face. "Rama! I know in reality
you reside in the hearts of your devotees. Now, I shall
tell you the best place where this form of yours can
stay. Listen. You can reside there with Sita and
Lakshmana. Select those whose ears, like the
ocean, receive gladly the streams of stories recounting
your exploits, and are ever happy, listening to the
narratives of your divine acts and words, whose
tongues are busy repeating your name and tasting
its nectarine sweetness, whose throats recite and
revel in the recitation of your praise and of your words
which are soft and refreshingly sweet, whose eyes
yearn to see your cloud blue form as the Chataka bird
yearns for the first cloudburst, whose ever-present
longing is to discover you anywhere, in any quarter, and
delight in the discovery when you find any such. O! Rama,
dwell there, with Sita and Lakshmana.
"Rama! If you wish that
I elaborate further, listen: Stay in the heart of
the person who discards the evil in others and loves them
for the good they have, who trudges along the journey of
life in the path of morality and integrity, who observes
approved limits of conduct and behavior, and who has
the faith in thought, word and deed, that the
Universe is your creation and that the entire objective
world is your body.
"Nevertheless, since
you have assumed now this human body and come here in
order to carry out the commands of your mother and
father, and questioned me in that role, I am venturing to
answer, as if that role is real. You can reside on the
Chitrakuta Hill. It has all facilities for comfortable
stay. It is a holy place, and a charming beauty spot. The
atmosphere is saturated with love and peace. Lions and
elephants roam together there, with no trace of rivalry.
The river Mandakini, extolled in the Vedas, flows round
the hill. Sages like Athri live there in hermitages,
which you can visit and render more sacred. Confer your
blessing on that sublime spot and on that dear divine
river."
As soon as Valmiki gave
this direction, Rama agreed and receiving his permission
to leave, he resumed his journey with Sita and Lakshmana.
Within a short time, they saw the Mandakini, and were
happy to bathe in its sacred waters, and perform the
prescribed ceremonial rites. They rested awhile under a
shady tree, and ate some fruits, before walking over the
grass for some distance, admiring the verdure and the
scenery.
Then, Rama spoke to
Lakshmana thus: "Lakshmana! I am at a loss to decide on
the exact spot where we can erect a cottage of leaf
thatch and bamboo for our stay in this place; I do not
find it easy to say which place is good and which is not;
so, select and fix upon a spot."
No sooner did these
words fall on his ears than Lakshmana crumpled on the
ground right at the feet of Rama. He was in evident
anguish. "What wrong have I committed that you should
speak to me thus! Is this a sentence for any sin? Or, are
you testing me, and my nature? Or, are you joking and
making fun of me?", he asked. He was in great sorrow and
he stood with his head bent with fear and
anxiety.
Rama was surprised at
his behavior. He went near him and clasped him to his
bosom. "Brother! What happened now to make you so sad? I
cannot guess why you are so heart-broken," he said. "Tell
me", he pleaded, "tell me the reason, do not prolong my
astonishment and sorrow."
Lakshmana replied
immediately. He said, "Brother! I have surrendered
everything to you. I have no likes and dislikes. What is
pleasing to you is, on that account, pleasing to me. You
know that this is the fact. But, yet, you now ask me to
select a place which I like and erect a cottage for you
thereon! My heart received a shock when you directed me
to exercise my will. Order me where it is to be raised; I
shall do so. Be merciful, do not speak to me in this
strain, bless me by accepting the surrender I am offering
at thy feet of all of me, the will, the intelligence, the
mind, the senses, the body, all with no exception and no
reservation. I am your servant, following you in the hope
of having the chance to serve you. Use me. Command me,
and have the command obeyed and the action
accomplished."
When Lakshmana prayed
and supplicated so sincerely, Rama consoled him and
pacified his feelings. "Lakshmana", he said, "Why are you
worried so much on this little matter? Do not take it so
much to heart. I gave you that direction in just a casual
way. I am not unaware of the loyalty that fills your
heart. Well. Come along with me. Right! I shall select
the spot myself." And, with Sita by his side, he took the
forest track, along with Lakshmana, and shortly, they
sighted the northern bank of the Mandakini river. That
length of bank was curved like a bow; it appeared as if
the bow was held by the Chitrakuta peak standing behind
it like a hero. One felt that the arrows it was ready to
let loose were Sense control. Mind control, Charity,
Renunciation, etc., and the target they were intended to
destroy was the Gang of Sin. Rama described the spot thus
and added: "This hero will not withdraw from the fight"!
He directed that the cottage be built on that captivating
spot.
Lakshmana requested
Rama and Sita to rest a while under a tree, and set about
collecting poles, leaves, creepers and fiber from
tree-barks to spin ropes from. In order to raise a hut
spacious enough for three, he dug pits, planted poles,
and labored quickly to complete the construction. When
Sita and Rama rose from the shade after some rest, they
found the cottage rising before their eyes, a thing of
beauty, certain to be a lovely home by all counts. Rama
felt that he too should give Lakshmana some help in his
work, and so, seeing his brother on the roof, giving the
finishing touches, he handed him from the ground bits of
string to tie the bundles of dry grass to the cross poles
in order to thicken the thatch. Sita too desired to give
a helping hand; she plucked long leaves from the tree
branches Lakshmana had brought, and gave sheaves of them
into Rama's hands to be passed on to
Lakshmana.
The house was ready for
occupation, even before sun set. Rama looked often and
long at the neat little cottage, and he praised the
devotion and skill of his brother to Sita, in high terms.
Sita too appreciated the house and said that she had at
no time seen a dwelling place of such charm; she had for
a long time yearned to live in just such a habitation.
She told Rama that her long-cherished desire was
fulfilled that day.
Meanwhile, Lakshmana
came down from the roof; he went round the cottage to
examine whether anything was wanting. Then, he asked
permission from Rama to proceed to the Mandakini for a
bath. A short while after, Sita and Rama both went to the
river and had their bath; they returned to the cottage
and partook of the fruits that Lakshmana had gathered
in the morning, and slept soundly on the floor of
their new home.
Before another day
passed, the news that Sita, Rama and Lakshmana had taken
residence on the Chitrakuta Hill spread among the hermits
of the forest and groups of them, bringing their pupils
and comrades, approached the sacred cottage, and after
taking Darsan,
left for their hermitages. Rama asked them about their
health and progress and also enquired about the
difficulties they encountered. Rama assured them that
whenever they required his service, he was ready, with
his brother, to go to their rescue.
But they mentioned no
difficulties and referred to no troubles. They said,
"Rama! The fact that we have been able to see you
is enough to make our lives trouble-free. We have no
difficulties, nor can any difficulty come into our lives.
Your Grace is enough protection for us." They sat
petrified with wonder at the charming personality of
Rama. Rama welcomed the ascetics and treated them with
affectionate regard. Seeing him and being in his presence
cooled the pining hearts of the ascetics and gave them
immense consolation and confidence. A deep calm descended
on their consciousness.
Rama is predominantly
Love. He made every one of the forest-dwellers happy. He
discoursed with them, and slaked the thirst for Love that
was tormenting them. Those who came to him, whether
ascetics or hunters, received from him instruction that
was appropriate to their aspirations. Rama elevated their
occupations into a higher level by his sympathy and
counsel. Those who went to him and returned from his
presence talked among themselves of his virtues and
compassion; they reached their homes extolling him and
congratulating themselves. The forest where they had
resolved to reside shone with a new glory and
thrilled with a new joy, right from the day they
entered the cottage. It was charming to the eye and
saturated with a coolness that delighted the mind. The
ascetic communities that lived in the forest had fear and
anxiety removed from their lives; in their place, Ananda
grew and flourished. Even the hard-hearted hunter clans
started observing the rules of morality; they soon became
ornaments of the human race. The Vindhyan Range was sad
that the Chitrakuta Mountain had won this fortune. Why?
Not the Vindhyan Range alone; all mountain ranges
continued to be sad, for they could not attract Rama to
select them for his residence.
Lakshmana had the
unique chance of feasting his eyes upon the Lotus Feet of
Sita and Rama, and imbibing the affection they bestowed
on Him; so, he forgot everything else, and immersed
himself in supreme spiritual ecstasy, Sath-Chith-Ananda.
His mother, Sumithra Devi, or his wife Urmila, or his
other kinsmen did not appear before his vision, even in
dreams. So austere was his refusal to remember them. Sita
too never recalled, even for the fraction of a second,
her relatives or parents, or the Cities of Mithila and
Ayodhya. She was fixing her eyes and attention on the
Lotus Feet of Sri Ramachandra. That was the veritable
festival for her eyes; she watched the stream of sages
and their consorts who came to Rama for instruction and
guidance. Time flowed by her without her noticing the
passage of night and day. The chakora bird delights to
the point of self-forgetfulness when the moon shines in
the sky; so too, Sita reaped delight, fixing her eyes
intently on the Face of Rama. For Sita, the lovely little
grass-thatched bamboo cottage was so attractive that she
forgot the palace of Mithila, where she grew up into
maidenhood, and the palace of Ayodhya where she spent
years as the Princely Daughter-in-law. That cottage was
to her more pleasing and palatial than all the mansions
she knew.
Off and on, Rama used
to relate stories of ancient heroes famed in Puranic lore
and describe the varied achievements of persons who had
mastered the mysteries of austerity. These were heard by
Sita and Lakshmana eagerly and with enthusiasm. In the
midst of these narrations, Rama used to remember his
parents, and remind them of their grief at being
separated from them; on these occasions, Sita had her
eyes filled with tears at the thought of her
father-in-law and mother-in-law. Drops rolled down her
cheeks when she pictured the plight of Queen Kausalya.
Suddenly, she pulled herself up, with the thought that
she was with Rama, the Lion among Men, that it was not
proper to give in to sadness or anxiety in the forest
while she was in his presence and that whatever happens
must be welcomed as the
leela (cosmic
play) of her Lord. Thus, Sita spent her days in undiluted
happiness in that cottage, with Rama and Lakshmana. They
too were guarding her like the lids of the eye against
the slightest disturbance or noise that might affect her
equanimity, and raise fears in her mind. No worry
affected them; no grief or pain or shade of sadness
marred their happiness at Chitrakuta.
contents
of this Vahini
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