Ramayana, page 6
9. VISHVAMITRA AND THE YOUNG PRINCES
Vishvamitra walked in front and he was followed by Rama with a bow in his hand, with a sword at his waist and quivers fastened to his shoulders. Attired similarly, Lakshmana walked just behind Rama and the citizens saw with their eyes wide with wonder at the beautiful spectacle: the rishi like a sacrificial fire and the two young men like smokeless flames leaping out of it. They looked like five-headed serpents, accoutred as they were for fighting. Several thought of the Ashvini twins following Brahma when they saw the two princes walking in behind the sage. Their fingers were protected by guards made of skin and their scabbards which had been set with precious stones gleamed in the sunlight.
Soon they reached the banks of the river Sarayu, the southern side of it. There, in a very sweet voice Vishvamitra called out: “Rama”. There was a wealth of affection behind it. He said: “Child, fill your palms with water. I will teach you the mantras, Bala and Atibala. Once you know them neither hunger nor fatigue nor thirst will trouble you while walking with me and there will be no trace of tiredness bothering you when you walk this long distance to the ashrama. You will not be at a disadvantage if the rakshasas should accost you when you are tired.
“Rama, I know there is no on the face of this earth to equal you in prowess, bravery, in all the many qualities that make up the ideal kshatriya. Why, even in the three worlds I am yet to see the like of you. There is no one to equal you in handsomeness, in skill, in wisdom, in the art of conversing with people. Fortunate indeed is Dasaratha to have you as his son and I am fortunate too that you will be with me constantly for a while.
“As for these mantras, Bala and Atibala, they will make you respected by everyone in all the three worlds. They are the daughters of Brahma. I know that only you are worthy of learning them. Listen to me carefully and learn the mantras.”
Rama touched water and mediated on the Lord with great humility. He then learnt the mantras from the rishi. Rama looked more powerful than ever after his initiation into the mantras. The young men then paid their respects to the great man as was the custom and they proceeded to make the preparations to spend the night on the banks of Sarayu. They spread dried grass and leaves on the ground and, after seeing to the comforts of Vishvamitra, the royal sons spent the night comfortably on the beds to which they were not accustomed.
When the night waned into daylight Vishvamitra approached Rama who was still asleep and paused for a while to drink with his eyes the beauty of Rama. He then said: “Rama, Kausalya’s beloved child, the first Sandhya is approaching. Rouse thyself from sleep and perform the morning ablutions.” The princes got up at once, bathed in the waters of the river and offered Arghya to the sun standing in the waters. They then approached the rishi and prostrated before him. They began to walk again in pursuit of the journey. They reached the spot where the Sarayu joined the divine river Ganga. They looked at the glorious sight with wonderment in their eyes. They saw there several ashramas and the rishis were bent on tapas. The princes approached Vishvamtira and asked him: “Whose ashrama is this holy place? Who dwells here? Please tell us.”
A gentle smile lit up the face of Vishvamitra when he saw the eagerness of the young men. And he said: “I will tell you how this ashrama came into existence. Aeons of time have passed since then. But then, there was a time when Kama, the god of love, had a form and features. Once lord Mahadeva was performing tapas here. He had lost his wife Sati and with his mind filled with anger and sorrow he came here, all alone, and was absorbed in mediation. Parvati, the daughter of Himavan was serving him. The devas were desirous that he should wed her since Parvati was Sati born again as the daughter of Himavan. The gods had been told that the son born of them would be the commander of the army of the devas.
“Indra asked Kama to go to the neighbourhood of the spot where Mahadeva was, and he asked to aim his arrows at the Lord. When Parvati was standing before Mahadeva he had just opened his eyes and Kama thought it was an opportune moment to shoot his arrows made of flowers. The Lord was hit and he turned to see who had the audacity to do this and his eyes lighted on Kama. Mahadeva was furious and he opened his third eye, the eye of Agni and burnt Kama. Kama was, from then, without a form and is now famed as Ananga, the formless one. The spot where his ashes were wafted to, is known as the country Anga. As for this ashrama, you must have guessed that this is the spot where Kama was burnt to ashes and these rishis are all disciples of Mahadeva. It is rightly named ‘Kamashrama’. Let me take you to the rishis there. They will be pleased to see you both and they will bless you. In the place where the two holy rivers become one, let us spend the night and we will cross the Ganga tomorrow. After purifying ourselves we will enter the ashrama.”
The rishis who knew all that had happened in the past and who could look into the future beyond the Veil of Time knew who had come to their ashrams and were immensely pleased. They welcomed Vishvamitra with great affection and they were thrilled to see the young men who were so humble and so gentle in their speech and in their conduct.
The guests spent a happy time in the Kamashrama with the rishis and Vishvamitra entertained them with stories about the many spots which they were to visit.
10. TATAKA VANA
Day dawning, the warriors led by Vishvamitra reached the banks of the river Ganga. The rishis who were there secured for them a boat and told Vishvamitra: “Please use this boat to cross the river with the princes. Do not tarry.” “So be it,” said Vishvamitra and the three travelers sat in the boat and crossed the river Ganga which was flowing towards the sea.
When they were crossing, in the midst of the river they heard a great noise. Rama and Lakshmana were impressed by the thunderous noise which was continuous and Rama said: “Lord, where is this roar from? It is wondrous and, at the same time, fearful.” “I will tell you,” said the sage. Brahma once created out of his mind a lake which is rightly named Manasa Sarovara. This river Sarayu which flows all along the edge of your city Ayodhya, was born out of this saras. At this spot actually, she is blending with the golden waters of the Ganga. Salute the two rivers.” They did as they were bid and soon they reached the southern banks of the river. They resumed their walk.
After a while they reached a dark forest. It was dense and damp. No light from the sun could filter into the forest, so thickly were the tree branches intertwined. But what surprised Rama was the beauty of the forest and a strange lack of habitation there. This spot, which seemed ideally suited for any number of ashramas, was empty and there was an eerie and frightening silence pervading the entire place. Only animals seemed to make their presence felt. Rama said: “My lord, what strange noises! Beetles are making shrill music and the wild animals are roaring and making characteristic noises. Even the birds seem to cry harshly and there is no music emanating from their throats. The trees are all dense and they have darkened the place. I am not able to see anything. I cannot see the sun at all. Tell us what forest this is, and why it is deserted by human beings.”
Vishvamitra was pleased with the natural curiosity of the youngsters and he said: “I will tell you. This forest was not really a forest before. Two countries by name Malada and Karusha were existing here. They were fertile and they were well populated. Indra, when he slew Viritra, was guilty of Brahmahatya. He was purified by the heavenly host of rishis with waters from all the sacred rivers. And he was rid of the sin. This was the ground on which the waters flowed from the body of Indra and the lord of the heavens, pleased with the earth for having received the polluted water said: ‘I bless this ground. The countries will be called Malada and Karusha and they will be extremely fertile.’ The fame of these two was a byword in the three worlds since they had been blessed by Indra.
Now, several years later, a terrible rakshasi by name Tataka took possession of this place. She is ugly, horrible to look at, cruel by nature. She can assume any form she likes and she has the strength of a thousand elephants. She is the wife of a good yaksha by name Sunanda and her son is Maricha who will bring you fame in later years. This rakshasi has occupied the entrance to the two countries and no human being dares to enter here since she is extremely fond of human flesh. A yojana and a half from where we are standing now, is her dwelling place. I am asking you to kill her. Kill this Tataka and make this land habitable once more. You and only you will be the man who has the courage enough to enter the land occupied by the dreadful woman and, as for the number of human beings she has consumed, there is no count. This Tatakavana does not boast of a single inhabitant. Still she will not abandon this place and go elsewhere.”
Rama was listening to the words of Vishvamitra very carefully. He then asked in a soft and gentle voice! “My lord, you tell me that she is the wife of a yaksha. I have been told that yakshas are not so powerful as the other heavenly beings like the devas, for instance. How can a mere woman be so strong? You say that she has the strength of a thousand elephants. How can that be possible?
“It is a pertinent question,” said Vishvamitra. “It is because of a boon which she was granted. Once there was a powerful yaksha by name Suketu. He had no sons and so he performed a very intense tapas. Pleased with him Brahma granted him a daughter by name Tataka. She was granted the strength of a thousand elephants. But the yaksha did not get what he had prayed for – a son. But it was the will of the gods and so, satisfied with the gift which had been granted him, the yaksha brought up his daughter as he would, a son. She grew up to be a beautiful maiden and she was of marriageable age he gave her to Sunanda the son of Jarjara. In course of time she gave birth to a son by name Maricha.
“Sunanda died and, after his death, Tataka’s nature underwent a change. She went with her son to the ashrama of Agastya and began to harass that great man with her advances. She desired him and with this desire evident by her progress Tataka went towards Agastya. Looking at her and her behavior which was entirely against all modesty expected of a woman, Agastya, who was radiant as lord Agni himself, became very angry and he cursed her to become a rakshasi. ‘You will lose these attractive feminine looks and you will be ugly and formidable. You will eat human flesh and be despised by all,’ said the rishi.
“Furious with Agastya for this curse Tataka has occupied this country and she has been killing anyone and everyone who has been foolish enough to enter this forest without knowing about her. Rama, for the sake of protecting the human beings in the neighbourhood, the hermits, the cows and other gentle animals you are to kill this rakshasi. No one but you will be able to kill her. I know that you are not very keen. You are not happy about it since she is a woman. But then the duty of a kshatriya, as I know only too well, is to protect the oppressed and the good. It has been the glory of the House in which you are born that no one has shirked in his duty, which is doing good to others. Several people have killed women for the common good. Why, Indra himself killed Mandara, the daughter of Virochana who had been wanting to destroy this entire world. Bhrigu’s wife, the mother of Sukra, once desired that there should be no Indra and Lord Narayana himself killed her. Several other women who have been sinful have been killed in the past. Do not hesitate to kill Tataka.”
The prince stood humbly in front of the rishi and said: “My father, when he sent us with you, said: ‘Go with him and obey in all things as you would my commands.’ He spoke to me in the presence of the elders of his court and I will never disobey my father. I will certainly do as you ask me to. I will kill Tataka since you have asked me to. It is a command and it should be obeyed. For the sake of protecting the hermits and the cows and for the good of the country, I am prepared to do your bidding.”
11. THE KILLING OF TATAKA
Even as he was saying so, there arose the glorious noise of the bow string which he had been drawing. Rama held the bow in his left hand and his head was flung back. The entire forest reverberated with the sound. Hearing it Tataka was surprised. It was a long time since anyone had dared to enter her forest. She thought for a moment and, incensed beyond measure, rushed in the direction from which the noise came. From atop the hillock there appeared the frightening female who was ugliness personified. Looking at her looming up like another hillock, whose face was old and fearful to look at, Rama turned to Lakshmana and said: “Lakshmana, look at this dreadful woman. The very sight of her will make weak hearts stand still with fear. It will not be easy to subdue her. I am going to cut off her nose and ears at the tips and see the fun.”
As he was talking to Lakshmana, Tataka rushed towards them with both her arms uplifted. Vishvamitra made her halt in her tracks by scolding her and he said: “May the two sons of the Raghuvamsa succeed in their attempt.”
Tataka was spraying stones and mud on the young men and the sky was filled with the dust. It was dark for a long while and they could see nothing. She then sent a real rain of stones which made the gentle prince extremely angry. With his arrows Rama destroyed the stones and cut off her arms. Lakshmana, in the meantime, heard her roar with anger and pain and he cut off the tips of her nose and ears. Tataka suddenly vanished from their sight and, from out of nowhere there rained on them a number of stones hurled by her. Both the brothers pulled the strings of their bows and the noise was so frightening that she forgot all about her maya warfare and fell on the ground senseless. Vishvamitra said: ‘Rama there is no need for you to have any compunction about slaying this dreadful sinner. Evening is fast approaching and it is only too well known that the strength of rakshasas increase with the setting of the sun.”
Rama felt that the time had come when he should kill her. Not heeding the stones which were being hurled at him, Rama took an arrow, pulled it as near his ear as possible and released it. The arrow hit Tataka’s chest, entered it and she fell dead on the hill.
The heavenly host rejoice when Rama accomplished this task which had seemed impossible. Indra with his attendants came to Vishvamitra and said: “All our gratitude for bringing the son of the great Dasaratha to rid the world of this sinful woman. You know there are many such tasks which have to be accomplished by him. May your blessings be showered on him fully.” The denizens from heaven went back. Evening drew near and Vishvamitra raised Rama who had prostrated before him and said: “Rama, we will spend the night here and in the morning we will be on the last lap of our journey. We will soon reach my ashrama.”
As soon as the rakshasi Tataka was killed the forest changed its complexion completely. It was a startling sight. When they woke up in the morning Vishvamitra and the young princes saw the forest freed from the taint of Tataka. Flowers were blooming everywhere: Champaka, Ashoka, Punnaga, and Mallika. Mango trees and Panasa trees and many palm trees could be seen bearing fruits. Ponds could now be seen everywhere with clear water and it seemed to be as beautiful as Chaitra, the garden of Kubera. Vishvamitra’s eyes rested lovingly on Rama. They strayed away from there to the beautiful surroundings and came back to Rama. He said: “I am extremely pleased with you. May you be famed the world over for your prowess. Accept my blessings. I am so pleased with you that I am going to make a rare gift to you.”
Rama and Lakshmana were intrigued by the words of Vishvamitra. They said: “You have blessed us and you have told us that you are pleased with us. Is there any other gift greater than this, my lord?”
Vishvamitra smiled and said: “You may know about it or you may not. But I am telling you now that I am in possession of all the divine astras you can think of. I will give them to you. With the help of these astras you will be able to vanquish all the enemies you will come across later. I will now grant all of them to you. Learn the incantations carefully from me and you will be able to master them very soon.”
Rama sat facing the east after purifying himself and the rishi taught him the astras which he had obtained from Mahadeva after performing intense tapas. Those were the days when he thought he needed them. He had passed those days and he needed them no more. Smiling to himself at his earlier struggles, the sage Vishvamtira taught them all to Rama one by one: the method by which he should invoke the astra, the manner in which it should be dispatched and the manner of withdrawing it. And all the presiding deities came and stood before Rama. Folding their palms they said: “Noble Rama, we are now your slaves and will do your bidding.” Rama told them: “Reside in my mind all the time and come to me when I want you.”
Vishvamitra asked Rama to teach the astras to Lakshmana now and he did so. The three of them hastened towards the ashrama of Vishvamitra with a chastened look. The young men were still under the euphoria of the sight of the presiding deities of the astras and the rishi, realizing this, gave them time to get used to the possession of the astras.
12. SIDDHASHRAMA
As they were walking along, Rama again asked Vishvamitra: “There is a beautiful mountain there and, nestling at its foot, is a grove which is pleasing to the eye. Even at this distance I can see deer dark as rain clouds. Birds with sweet voices are singing in the grove. This green grove of trees capture my mind. Tell us what the place is. We just came out of a forest which was so fearful and uninhabited and this is all the more exciting since it seems to be a happy place. How far away from here is the ashrama of your gracious self ? I have become very impatient since I am eager to see those sinners who are causing so much discomfort to you. When will I see those wicked rakshasas who kill hermits without compunction? When will I be able to kill them?” Vishvamitra was only too eager to answer the questions of Rama. He said: “This grove has a long history behind it. I will relate it to you.
“Ages back, the great Lord Narayana, the all-pervading, who is the cause of the creation, the preservation and the destruction of this entire Universe, performed tapas here. And again, this is the place where Vamana had his dwelling place and hence it is called ‘Siddhashrama’.
“Bali, the son of Virochana, was the emperor. He had defeated all the rival danavas as also the Maruts and Indra too. He was famed all the world over for his prowess and for his generous nature. He once performed a yajna. The yajna was to confirm his position as the lord of the three worlds. It was in this ashrama that the devas led by Agni approached Narayana and said: ‘Lord, Bali is well known for his generosity. He has never said ‘No’ to anyone who has asked him for anything. You must make use of this characteristic in him and help us to regain the world which we have lost to him.”
