Other legends
Two other legends
obtaining in certain versions of the Ramayana
may be mentioned in connection with Sita. These legends are significant in that
they do not endorse the mainstream view of Sita having been an avatara
of the goddess Lakshmi.
Vedavati
Some versions of the Ramayana
suggest that Sita was a reincarnation of Vedavati,
an orphan lady who had been ravished by Ravana. The legend goes thus:
Sage Kushadhwaja was a
learned and pious scholar residing in a remote hermitage. His daughter Vedavati
grows up in her father's hermitage to become an ardent devotee of Vishnu, and resolves early in
life to wed no one other than Vishnu.
Her father forbears from stifling her aspirations, and even rejects proposals
from many powerful kings and celestial beings who seek his daughter's hand in
marriage. Among those rejected is Sambhu, a powerful Daitya king.
Smarting under his humiliation, Shambhu seizes an opportunity and murders
Vedavati's parents on a moonless night.
Vedavati continues
perforce to reside at the hermitage of her parents, meditating upon Vishnu. She is described as
being inexpressibly beautiful, dressed in the hide of a black antelope, her
hair matted, the bloom of her youth enhanced by her austerities. Ravana, the ruler of Lanka,
once finds Vedavati seated in meditation and is captivated by her beauty. He
propositions her and is rejected. Ravana mocks her austerities and her devotion
to Vishnu; finding himself firmly rejected at evert turn, he finally molests
Vedavati.
Her chastity sullied
beyond redemption, Vedavati immolates herself on a pyre, vowing to return in
another age and be the cause of Ravana's destruction. She is duly reborn as
Sita, wife of Rama, and became the direct cause of Ravana's destruction at his
hands. In the process, Vedavati also receives the boon she so single-mindedly
sought: Vishnu, in
his avatara as Rama,
becomes her husband. In some versions of the Ramayana,
sage Agastya
relates this entire story to Rama.
Daughter of Mandodari and Ravana
A somewhat obscure
legend obtains in some parts of Kerala,
which seeks to explain Sita's birth. This legend goes thus:
Although they were
married at the end of a courtship of lyrical majesty, Ravana and his wife
Mandodari grow estranged from each other since the latter finds it impossible
to condone or ignore her husband's arrogance and misdeeds. In particular,
Mandodari is repelled and distraught at her husband's ravishment of the hapless
Vedavati. She soon afterwards finds herself pregnant, and fears that the child
within her could be the harbinger of her husbands doom, as per Vadavati's awful
oath. Despite her judgment of her husband, Mandodari is unable on the one hand,
to condemn him; on the other hand, she cannot do away with a child even if her
suspicions find confirmation, for, she may consider, how long can Fate be
defied? Both these considerations are quintessentially in the spirit of hindu
legend, as indeed is her chosen course of action.
Mandodari goes to her
father's home in mainland India,
and then on a series of pilgrimages, in order to prevent Ravana or anybody else
from discovering that she is pregnant. As her confinement grows near, Mandodari
seeks around for a suitable foster-home for her child. She discovers that Janaka, the pious king of
Mithila, a man of noble character and eminent lineage, is childless; the deeply
sorrowful king is intent upon performing a yagya to seek the boon of a
child. At this junctre, a female child born to Mandodari. Soon afterwards, just
before Janaka begins ploughing a field preparatory to the intended rituals,
Mandodari manages to spirit her baby into the field and into Janaka's path.
King Janaka duly discovers the child and adopts her. Gratified at this turn of
events, Mandodari returns to her husbands and resumes her everyday life. The child
is given the name "Sita" and grows up in king Janaka's household.
These legends build on
ancient Indian traditions which hold, in wry spirit, that one's worst enemies
are re-born as one's own children to fulfill the karma of one's sins.
Manthara
Manthara, in the Hindu
epic Ramayana,
is a servant who convinced Kaikeyi
that the throne of Ayodhya
belonged to her son Bharata and that Rama should be exiled from
the kingdom.
It is believed that Indra, the king of gods,
asked Manthara to convince Kaikeyi
to ask Dasharatha
to exile Rama,
because only when Rama is
exiled will he face Ravana and kill him. Although Manthara agreed to do Indra's
bidding, she cursed Indra that for the wrong he made to Rama, he would never be
prayed to by any Hindu family. This is the reason why Indra, despite being king of
the devas, is
never worshipped in any temple or family.
In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Jatayu
is the son of Aruna and
nephew of Garuda. A
demi-god who has the form of an (eagle),
he tries to rescue Sita from Ravana
when Ravana is on his way to Lanka after kidnapping Sita. Jatayu fought
valiantly with Ravana, but as Jatayu was very old Ravana soon got the better of
him. As Rama and Lakshmana
chanced upon the stricken and dying Jatayu in their search for Sita, he informs
them of the fight between him and Ravana and the direction in which Ravana had
gone (i.e., south).
In this context the
contribution of Sampaati, Jatayu's brother is worth mentioning. Jatayu and
Sampati, when young, used to compete as to who could fly higher. On one such
instance Jatayu flew so high that he was about to get seered by sun's flames.
Sampaati, his brother saved him by spreading his wings and thus saving from the
hot flames. In the process, he himself got injured and lost his wings. As a
result Sampaati lived, wingless for the rest of his life.
Surpanakha is Ravana's
sister in the epic Ramayana.
She is a hideous creature, as are the other rakshasas
of her race. She falls in love with Rama when she happens across him in the
forest and persuades her brother Ravana
to kidnap Sita.
Description of Surpanakha
She is ugly with a pot belly and is
cross-eyed.
She has coppery, dried out hair.
Her voice is harsh and she is old, cruel, and
deceitful.
She has a crude and wicked personality.
Rakshasa
Hindu mythology
The Ramayana
descrbes them as being created from Brahma's foot; elsewhere,
they are descended from Pulastya,
or from Khasa, or
from Nirriti
and Nirrita.
Many Rakshasa were particularly wicked humans in previous incarnations.
Rakshasas are notorious for disturbing sacrifices, desecrating graves,
harassing priests, possessing human beings, and so on. Their fingernails are
poisonous, and they feed on human flesh and spoiled food. They are shapechangers
and magicians, and often appear in the forms of humans, dogs, and large birds. Hanuman,
during a visit to the rakshasas' home in Lanka, observed that the
demons could come in any form imaginable.
The great ten-headed
demon Ravana,
enemy of Rama, was
king of the rakshasas. His younger brother Vibhishana
was a rare good-hearted rakshasa; he was exiled by his brother the king, who
was displeased by his behavior. Vibhishana later became an ally of Rama and a ruler in Lanka. Other notable
rakshasas include the guardian god Nairitya,
who is associated with the southwest direction.
A female rakshasa is
called a Rakshasi, and a female rakshasa in human form is a manushya-rakshasi.
The term has an
etymology in common with the term rakṣa, meaning 'defender'.
Maricha
In Hindu mythology,
Maricha was a demon who
played a very important part in twisting the tale of Ramayana.
He was thrown into a remote island by the arrow of Lord Rama when he tried to
interrupt Sage Vishwamitras yaga.
After that he became very much afraid of the very mention of the name Rama. (Rama is described as Maareechaadini
paataka Ram in Nama Ramayana - a Sanskrit
verse eulogising Rama )
Ravana wants to kidnap Sita and so asks for
Maricha's help, who then turns himself into a golden deer. The golden lustre of
the deer lures Sita so much that she wishes to have the deer for herself. So
she asks Rama to get it for her. Rama orders Lakshmana
to take care of Sita while he goes for hunting the deer.
Rama succeeds in hunting
down the deer after a long chase, but on its dying breath the deer shouts 'Sita
Save me, Lakshamana Save me' mimicking Rama's voice. Sita falls prey to the
trap and asks Lakshmana to go on a search for Rama. But Lakshmana says that no
one can harm Rama. Sita, still very much worried, implores Lakshmana to go.
Then follows the famous story of the Lakshman Rekha.
Lakshman Rekha
Lakshman
Rekha, in Hindu mythology,
is a line drawn by Lakshmana around their abode, to protect Sita, while he is away
searching for Rama. As
explained in the epic Ramayana,
Rama goes chasing a golden deer, which is actually the demon Maricha in
disguise, and does not return for long.
When Sita coerces
Lakshmana to leave in search of his brother, Lakshmana who cannot bear to see Sita cry
in grief, decides to go and search for Rama, subject to his condition that Sita
should not cross the line he draws, so that she would be protected in his
absence. Anybody attempting to harm Sita across the line would be singed by
flames erupting from the line.
Once Lakshmana leaves in
search of Rama, the Rakshasa
king Ravana
comes in the form of a sage and asks Sita for alms. Not expecting a trick, she
unsuspectingly crosses the Lakshman Rekha to provide alms to him and
Ravana kidnaps her in his Pushpaka Vimana.
Shri Ramacharitamanas,
the popular rendering of story of Shri Rama does not feature the Lakshmana
Rekha in the Aranya Kanda. However in Lanka Kanda Mandodari
rebukes Ravan on
his boisterous claims of valour by hinting that his claim of strength and
valour is shallow for he could not even cross a small line drawn by Shri Rama's
younger brother Lakshmana.
Radhey Shyam Ramayan
mentions that the crossing of Lakshaman Rekha by Sita was done absent-mindedly
by an anxious Sita only to honour the great Indian tradition of (Atithi Devo
Bhava): the guest is embodiment of a Deva (God). Sita crosses the boundary line
only to give alms to Ravana once he insists that alms cannot be accepted across
a barrier as having a boundary in between was against the principle of free
will of the donor.
Lakshman Rekha, in modern Indian parlance, refers to a
strict convention or a rule, never to be broken. It often refers to the ethical
limits of an action, traversing which may lead to undesirable consequences.
Example of use:
Pushpaka Vimana
Pushpaka
Vimana in Hindu mythology
was a vehicle that could fly in the air. It was basically a chariot that could
soar the skies for long distances. It indicates that even in ancient times,
people were curious about flight and might have attempted to design airborne
vehicles.
The vehicle was
originally created by Kubera,
the God of wealth, but was later stolen, along with Lanka, by his half brother,
the demon king, Ravana.
Kubera
This article
is about a Hindu deity. For the Buddhist deity of the same name, see Vaisravana.
Kubera (also Kuvera or Kuber) is the god of wealth and the lord of Uttaradisha in Hindu mythology.
He is also known as Dhanapati, the lord of riches. He is one of the Guardians of the directions, representing the north.
Kubera is also the son
of Sage Vishrava
(hence also called Vaisravana), and in this respect, he is also the
elder brother of the Lord of Lanka,
Ravana.
He is said to have
performed austerities for a thousand years, in reward for which Brahma, the Creator, gave him
immortality and made him god of wealth, guardian of all the treasures of the
earth, which he was to give out to whom they were destined.
When Brahma appointed
him God of Riches, he gave him Lanka
(Ceylon) as
his capital, and presented him, according to the Mahabharata,
with the vehicle pushpaka,
which was of immense size and ‘moved at the owner’s will at marvellous speed’.
When Ravana captured Lanka, Kubera moved to his city of Alaka, in the Himalaya.
Kubera also credited
money to Venkateshwara or Vishnu for his marriage with
Padmavati. Thats the reason devotees / people when they go to Tirupati
donate money in Venkateshwara's Hundi so that he can pay back to Kubera. According to
the Vishnupuran this process will go on till the end of Kali yuga.
Vanara (the race of the Monkey-King)
Vanara is a Sanskrit
word literally meaning "a human having the fur or tail of a monkey". It popularly
refers to the race of monkey-like humanoids
in the Hindu epic
Ramayana
who were brave and inquisitive by nature.
According to the Ramayana,
the vanaras lived primarily in the region of Kishkindha in present-day southern
India,
where Lord Rama met
them during his search for Sita.
The vanaras helped Rama in his search, and also in his battle against Ravana, Sita's abductor.
The characteristics of a
vanara, as described in the epic are amusing, childish, mildly irritating,
badgering, hyperactive, adventurous, bluntly honest, loyal, courageous, and
kind. They are at least a foot shorter than an average human and their bodies
are covered with light fur, generally brown in colour.
The most famous vanara
is Lord Hanuman, a
loyal devotee of Lord Rama. Some of the other notable vanaras were Sugreeva, Vali and Angada.
Sugriva
In the Hindu epic
Ramayana, Sugriva
also spelled Sugreeva, is a vanara
who was the younger brother of [[Vali (Ramayana) |Vali]], the ruler of the
vanaras. Sugriva was a spiritual son of Surya, the Hindu deity of the
sun.
Due to a serious
misunderstanding with Vali, Sugriva was unjustly thrown out of the vanara kingdom of Kishkinda by his elder brother, and they
became bitter enemies.
Sugriva was helped by Rama to destroy Vali. In
return, he, along with the vanara army, assisted Rama to find his wife Sita and rescue her from her
abductor, the rakshasa
emperor Ravana.
Hanuman
In the Hindu faith, Hanuman,
known also as 'Anjaneya', is one of the most important personalities in
the epic, the Ramayana.
He is a vanara who
aided Lord Rama
(an avatar of Vishnu) in rescuing His
Consort, Sita, from
the Rakshasa
king Ravana.
He symbolises the
pinnacle of bhakti,
and is considered to be the eleventh Rudra avatar of Lord Shiva. He is more
well-known as the (spiritual) Son of Vayu
deva, the Hindu
deity of the wind. He is believed by some scholars to be a source for the Chinese mythological
character Sun Wukong.
Hanuman is the epitome
of wisdom, brahmacharya, bhakti (devotion/faith),
valour, righteousness and strength. He is symbolized in Hinduism
for his unwavering dedication to righteousness, unstinting performance of
entrusted duties, and unfailing talents in serving his chosen master. His
indispensable role in reuniting Rama
with Sita is
likened by some to that of a teacher helping an individual soul realise the
divine. While the uninitiated may find it odd to worship "a monkey",
to believers, the idea is to revere and worship him for the astounding
attributes he represents — attributes that even most humans find impossible to
practice.
There is no blessing
that he cannot bestow — Sita granted him the power to bestow the eight siddhis
and nine types of wealth on others. However, it is believed that these pale
when compared to the greatest boon one can receive from Hanuman — the uplifting
spiritual qualities that Hanuman himself is known for. It is also held that
while Rama does
what is right, Hanuman acts out of compassion.
He is easily reachable —
just by chanting the name 'Ram'. Conversely, it is also held that the
easiest way to attain Lord Rama
is to worship Hanuman — verse 33 of the Hanuman Chalisa
begins, "Tumharae bhajan
Ram ko paavae", which means "by singing hymns about You, Rama is
reached".
Birth
Hanuman was born in the Treta Yuga,
as the son of Anjana a female
vanara.
Anjana was actually an apsaras
(a celestial being), named Punjikasthala, who, due to a curse, was born
on the earth as a
female vanara.
The curse was to be removed on her giving birth to an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Anjana was the
wife of Kesari,
a strong vanara who
once killed a mighty elephant that was troubling sages and hermits. He
therefore got the name 'Kesari', meaning lion, and is also called Kunjara
Südana, the elephant killer.
Along with Kesari,
Anjana performed intense prayers to Lord Shiva to beget Him as her
Child. Pleased with their devotion, Shiva
granted them the boon they sought.
Two stories are told
regarding his conception. The first is Anjana, at a later point, encountered
the wind god Vayu, who was taken by her charms (it is described that his
presence, accompanied by strong winds, blew aside part of her clothing). Vayu
made love to her, and subsequently, Hanuman was born of this union.
Another story is that at the time that Anjana was worshipping Lord Shiva, elsewhere, Dasaratha, the king of Ayodhya, was performing the Putrakama Yagna in order to have children. As a result, he received some sacred pudding, to be shared by his three wives, leading to the births of Lord Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna. By divine ordinance, a kite snatched a fragment of that pudding, and dropped it while flying over the forest where Anjana was engaged in worship. Vayu, the Hindu deity of the wind, delivered the falling pudding to the outstretched hands of Anjana, who consumed it. Hanuman was born to her as the result.
Being Anjana's son,
Hanuman is also called Anjaneya (pronounced Änjanèya), which
literally means 'arising from Anjana'.
Vayu is regarded as
Hanuman's father - biological or spiritual (depending upon the story of his
birth). As Vayu's son, Hanuman possessed the capacity to fly from birth, as
well as immense physical strength and invulnerability (Vayu is also the god of
strength).
Childhood, Education and Curse
Hanuman's spiritual
father is Vayu (also
called Marut, Pavan, etc...). So Hanuman is also called Pavan-putra (meaning
'son of Pavan') or Maruti. He inherited his father's qualities of quick flying,
forceful travel, and mighty strength. As a child, assuming the sun to be a ripe fruit, he
once took flight to catch hold of it to eat.
Indra, the king of devas
and the upholder of universal laws, observed this. He hurled his weapon, the Vajra (thunderbolt) at
Hanuman, who fell back down to earth, broke his chin and became unconscious.
Upset, Vayu went
into seclusion, taking the atmosphere
with him. As living beings began to get asphyxiated, to pacify Vayu, Indra withdrew the effect of
his thunderbolt, and the devas revived Hanuman and blessed him with multiple
boons. However, a permament mark was left on his chin (hanuhH in Sanskrit).
On ascertaining Surya to be an all-knowing
teacher, Hanuman raised his body into an orbit around the sun and requested that Surya accept him as a
student. But Surya
refused, claiming that as he always had to be on the move in his chariot, it
would be impossible for Hanuman to learn effectively. Undeterred by Surya's travel, Hanuman
enlarged his body; he placed one leg on the eastern ranges and the other on the
western ranges and with his face turned toward the sun, made his request again.
Pleased by his persistence, Surya accepted. Hanuman then moved (backwards, to
remain facing Surya)
continuously with his teacher, and learned all of the latter's knowledge. When
Hanuman then requested Surya
to quote his 'guru-dakshina' (teacher's fee), the latter refused, saying that
the pleasure of teaching one so dedicated was the fee in itself. But Hanuman
insisted, and it was then that Surya
asked him to help his (Surya's)
spiritual son Sugriva.
Hanuman's choice of Surya as
his teacher is said to signify Surya as a Karma Saakshi, an eternal
witness of all deeds.
Hanuman was mischievous
in his childhood, and sometimes teased the meditating sages in the forests by
snatching their personal belongings and by disturbing their well-arranged
articles of worship. Finding his antics unbearable, but realising that Hanuman
was but a child, (albeit invincible), the sages placed a mild curse on him. By
this curse Hanuman forgot his own prowess, and recollected it only when others
reminded him about it. It is hypothesised that without this curse, the entire
course of the Ramayana
war might have been different, for he demonstrated phenomenal abilities during
the war, despite the curse.-
Hanuman in the Ramayana War
The Sundara Kanda,
the fifth book inthe Ramayana,
focuses mainly on the adventures of Hanuman.
Hanuman met Rama when the latter was in
exile. He was with His brother Lakshmana,
searching for his wife Sita who had been abducted by the rakshasa
emperor Ravana.
Their search brought them to the vicinity of the mountain Rishyamukha, where Sugriva,
along with his followers and friends, was in hiding from his elder brother Vali, the vanara emperor with whom he
had had a serious misunderstanding. Refusing to listen to Sugriva's
explanation, Vali had
banished him from the kingdom, and was holding Sugriva's
wife captive in his (Vali's)
own palace.
Having seen Rama and Lakshmana,
Sugriva
sent Hanuman to ascertain their identities. Hanuman approached the two brothers
in the guise of a brahmin.
His first words to them were such that Rama said to Lakshmana
that none could speak the way the brahmin did, without having mastered the Vedas and their branches. He
noted that there was no defect in the brahmin's countenance, eyes, forehead,
brows or any limb. He pointed out to Lakshmana
that his accent was captivating, and said that even an enemy with sword drawn
would be moved. He praised Hanuman (in disguise) further, saying that sure
success awaited the king whose emissaries were so accomplished as him.
When Rama introduced himself,
Hanuman fell prostrate before him and Rama embraced him warmly.
Thereafter, Hanuman's life is interwoven inextricably with that of Lord Rama. Hanuman then brought
about a friendship and alliance between Rama and Sugriva. (Rama helped Sugriva
regain his honour and made him king of Kishkindha (the kingdom of the vanaras), and Sugriva
and his vanaras
helped Rama
defeat Ravana and
reunite with Sita, with
Hanuman playing an indispensable role in it all).
In their search for Sita, a
group of vanaras reached the southern seashore. Upon encountering the vast
ocean, every vanara began to lament his inability to jump across the water.
Hanuman too was saddened at the possible failure of his mission, until the
other vanaras, and especially the wise bear Jambavan
began to extol his virtues. Hanuman then recollected his own powers, enlarged
his body and flew across the ocean. Hanuman entered Lanka and found Sita. He
revealed his identity to Her, reassured and comforted her, and lifted her
spirits. He offered to carry her back to Rama, but she refused, saying
it would be an insult to Rama
as his honor was at stake.
Hanuman's conveying the
message of Rama to Sita is
likened by some to that of a divine teacher, teaching a pupil about the supreme
God.
After meeting Sita,
Hanuman began to wreak havoc and gradually destroy the palaces and properties
of Lanka. To
subdue him, Ravana's
son Indrajit
used the Brahmāstra.
Though immune to the astra (weapon), Hanuman, out of respect to Brahma, let Himself be bound
by the weapon. Deciding to use the opportunity to meet the renowned ruler of Lanka and also to assess the
strength of Ravana's
hordes, Hanuman allowed the rakshasa
warriors to parade him through the streets. Then, when brought before the court
of Ravana, he
conveyed Rama's
message of warning to the powerful rakshasa,
and demanded the safe return of Sita. He also informed Ravana that Rama would be willing to
forgive Ravana if
he returned Sita to Rama.
Enraged, Ravana ordered that Hanuman
be executed. However, Ravana's
brother Vibheeshana
intervened, pointing out that it was against the rules of engagement to kill a
messenger. Ravana
then ordered that Hanuman's tail be lit, instead. As Ravana's forces attempted to
wrap cloth around his tail, Hanuman began to lengthen it. After frustrating
them for a while, he allowed his tail to be lit and escaped from his captors
with his tail on fire. He then burnt down much of Lanka, extinguished the
flames on his tail in the sea, and headed back to Rama.
During the war, when Lakshmana
was severely wounded by Indrajit,
Hanuman was sent to fetch the Sanjivani,
a powerful life-restoring herb to revive him. Ravana realised that if Lakshmana
died, a distraught Rama would
probably give up, and so had his uncle tempt Hanuman with luxury. However,
Hanuman was tipped off by a crocodile and killed the rakshasa.
Unable to find the specific herb before nightfall, Hanuman again displayed his
might by lifting the entire mountain Dronagiri
and bringing it to the battle-field in Lanka, thus helping others
find the herb to revive Lakshmana.
An emotional Rama
hugged Hanuman, saying that he was as dear to him as his beloved brother Bharata.
In another incident
during the war, (the one that brought about Hanuman's Panchamukha form), Rama and Lakshmana
were captured by the rakshasa
Mahiravana
(also called Ahiravana), a powerful practitioner of black magic and the dark
arts, and held captive in his palace in Patalpuri or Patala
(the nether world). In his search for them, Hanuman reached Patala.
The gates to Patala
were guarded by a very young creature called Makardhwaja (known also as
Makar-Dhwaja or Magar Dhwaja), who was part fish and part vanara. The story of
Makardhwaja's birth is interesting — though Hanuman remained celibate all his
life, Makadhwaja was his son; when Hanuman had extinguished his burning tail in
the ocean, unknown to him, a drop of his sweat had fallen into the ocean. This
sweat was swallowed by a fish, which became pregnant. This was discovered when
the fish was brought to Mahiravana's kitchen to be cooked. Mahiravana raised
him and entrusted him with the job of guarding the gates of Patalpuri. Hanuman
was, all the while unaware of this. Although Makardhwaja knew that his father
was Hanuman, he did not recognise Hanuman since he had never seen him. When
Hanuman introduced himself to Makardhwaja, he sought Hanuman's blessings but
decided to fight his father since it was his duty to guard the gates of
Patalpuri. Hanuman subdued him and tied him up before entering Patalpuri to
rescue Rama and Lakshmana.
Upon entering Patala,
Hanuman discovered that he had to extinguish five lamps at once to kill
Mahiravana. Hanuman assumed the Panchamukha
(Pancha - five, mukha - faced) form with the faces of Sri Varaha, Sri Narasimha,
Sri Garuda, Sri Hayagriva
and his own, and blew out the lamps. Thus killing Mahiravana, Hanuman rescued Rama and Lakshmana.
After Mahiravana was vanquished, Rama
asked Hanuman to crown Makardhwaja the king of Patalpuri.
Hanuman continued to
play an indispensable role in the war.
When the war ended, the
fourteen year period of Rama's
exile had almost elapsed. Rama
then remembered Bharata's vow to immolate himself if Rama did not return to rule Ayodhya
immediately upon the elapse of the fourteen years. Realising that it would be a
little later than the last day of the fourteen year period when he would reach Ayodhya, Rama became very anxious to
prevent Bharata from giving his life up. Once again, Hanuman
came to the rescue — he sped to Ayodhya
and informed Bharata that Rama
was on his way back.
Shortly after he was
crowned emperor upon his return to Ayodhya, Rama decided to ceremoniously
reward all those who had helped him defeat Ravana. At a grand event in
his court, all his friends and allies took turns going up to his throne and being
honoured. Hanuman too went up, but not with any desire to be recompensed.
Seeing Hanuman come up to him, an emotionally overwhelmed Rama took him into a warm
embrace and said that he could never adequately honour or repay Hanuman for the
help and services he had received from the noble vanara. Sita, however, affectionately
insisted that Hanuman deserved honour more than anyone else, and asked him to
seek a gift. Hanuman then requested that Sita give him a necklace of
precious stones that adorned her neck. When he received it, Hanuman immediately
took it apart, and began peering into the stones. Taken aback, many of those
present demanded of Hanuman to explain why he was destroying the gift. In
reply, Hanuman said that he was looking into the stones to make sure that Rama and Sita were in them, because if
they were not, then the necklace was of no value to him. At this, a few
ridiculed Hanuman, and said his reverence and love for Rama and Sita could not be as deep as
he claimed. Upon this, Hanuman tore His chest open, and everyone was stunned to
see Rama and Sita literally in His heart.
Hanumad Ramayana
It is considered that
after the victory of Rama over Ravana, Hanuman went to the Himalayas to continue his worship of the Lord. There he
scripted a version of the Ramayana
on Himalayan mountains using his nails, recording every detail of Rama's deeds. When Maharishi
Valmiki visited Him to show Him his version of the Ramayana, he also saw the
Lord's version. So the saint was depressed. When Hanuman asked him the cause of
his sorrow, he said that his version was no match for the splendour of
Hanuman's, and nobody would prefer his version which he had created so
laboriously. At this, Hanuman took those rocks on one shoulder and Maharishi on
the other shoulder and went to the sea. There He threw His own version into the
sea , offering them to Lord Rama.
It is this version that is called the Hanumad Ramayana and is
unavailable since then.
Maharishi Valmiki was so
taken aback at the incident that he said he would take another birth to sing
the glory of Hanuman which he had then understated in his version. It is said
that Saint Tulsidas who composed Ramcharit Manas was no other than the
Maharishi Valmiki reborn to fulfill his desire.
Later one tablet is said
to have floated ashore, during the period of Mahakavi Kalidasa,
and hung at a public place to be deciphered by scholars. Kalidasa is said to
have deciphered it and recognized that it was from the Hanumad Ramayana
recorded by Hanuman in an extinct script, and considered himself fortunate
enough to see at least one foot (or pada)
of the stanza.
After the Ramayana War
After the war, and after
reigning for several years, the time arrived for Rama to depart to his
heavenly abode. Many of Rama's
entourage, including vanaras like Sugriva
decided to depart with him. Shunning the heavens, Hanuman however, requested to
remain on earth as
long as Rama's
name was venerated by people. Sita
accorded Hanuman that desire, and granted that his image will be installed at
various public places, so he could listen to people chanting Rama's name. He is thus one
of the chiranjeevis
(immortals) in Hinduism.
Thus Hanuman is
considered to be alive to this day. This is also reflected in the Mahabharata
(which occurred thousands of years after the Ramayana),
where he made his appearance on more than one occasion.
Presence of Hanuman
There have been numerous
saints who have seen Hanuman in modern times, notably Tulsidas (16th century),
Sri Ramdas Swami
(17th century),
and Raghavendra Swami (17th century).
Others have also
testified to his presence wherever the Ramayana is read: (in Sanskrit, not
transliterated)
Yatra Yatra
Raghunath Kirtanam Tatra Tatra Krita
Mastaka anjalim Bashpawari Pari purna lochanam Marutim nammascha
rakshas antakam
Which means:
That
wherever the deeds of Sri Rama are sung, At all such places does Hanuman cry tears of devotion
and joy, At all such places does his presence remove the fear of demons.
A temple to Hanuman near Nuwara Eliya[1] in Sri Lanka
There are numerous
temples for Hanuman, and his images are usually installed at all temples where
images of avataras of Vishnu are installed. Hanuman temples can be found in
many places for the reason that the area and the surroundings are free from
'Rakhshasas' and 'evils'. This was a presentational 'Varam' to him by Rama and
Sita. We can find Hanuman idols in ghat roads because it is believed that he
protects people from accidents.
Lord Hanuman and Lord Shani (Saturn)
In the Hindu faith, Hanuman and Vinayaka
are two aspects of God not
afflicted by Shani.
There is also a belief that all the planets are under the control of Hanuman's
tail. Whoever worships Hanuman is granted with fortitude and strength.
In the Ramayana, Hanuman
is said to have rescued Shani,
that is, the planet Saturn,
from the clutches of Ravana.
In gratitude, Shani promised Hanuman that those who prayed to Him (Hanuman)
would be rescued from the evil effects of Saturn, which in Hindu astrology, is
said to produce malefic effects on one's life when one is afflicted negatively
with Saturn.
Another version of the
encounter between Lord Hanuman and Shani
Bhagavan is that the latter once climbed on to Lord Hanuman's shoulder,
implying that He (Hanuman) was coming under the effects of the influence of Shani. At this, Hanuman
assumed a large size, and Shani
was caught painfully between Hanuman's shoulders and the ceiling of the room
they were in. As the pain was unbearable, Shani requested Lord Hanuman
to release him, promising that if a person prayed to Lord Hanuman, he (Shani) would moderate the
malefic effects of his influence on that person; following this, Lord Hanuman
released Shani.
Alternatively, one who
prays to Vishnu is
protected from Saturn as he is said by some to be a great devotee of Vishnu.
Quotes
Swaminarayan,
founder of the Hindu Swaminarayan sect, according to this site, [2],
said in verse 85 of the scripture, Shikshapatri,
that "and if disturbance from ghostly spirits is ever experienced, chant
the Narayana Kavacha (invoking Narayana
or God's protection) or Hanuman's mantra, but one should not chant the
stotra or mantra of any low deity."
Just for
Information:
Yojana
ŖŅA yojana is a Vedic measure of distance, possibly somewhere from 9 km
to 16 km.
Yojana is an ancient measure of distance, where one
yojana roughly equals to 8 to 10 miles. Its account is like this : 1
angula is 3/4 inch; 4 angula-s are = one dhanu graha - bow grip; 8 angula-s are
= one dhanu muSTi - fist with thumb raised; 12 angula-s are = 1 vitasti -
distance between tip of thumb and tip of last finger when palm is stretched; 2
vitasti-s = 1 aratni -s - cubit; 4 aratni-s = one danDa, dhanuS - bow height -
6 ft ; 10 danDa-s = 1 rajju 60 ft ; 2 rajju-s = 1 paridesha - 120
ft ; 2, 000 dhanuS-s = one krosha , and also called goraTa - 4, 000
yards ; 4 krosha-s = 1 yojana - thus one yojana is 9 to 10 miles. But the
British Revenue measurement scaled it down to 5 miles, and all the dictionaries
say that one yojana is 5 miles. But traditionally it is held as 10 miles. More
info on these measures can be had from The Artha Shaastra of Kautilya - a
republication of Penguin.
Vali
In the Hindu epic Ramayana,
the vanara Vali
was king of Kishkindha,
a son of Indra and
the elder brother of Sugriva.
He was killed by Rama, an avatar of Vishnu.
He was famous for the
boon that he had received, according to which anyone who came before him lost
half his/her strength to Vali, thereby making Vali invulnerable to any enemy.
Hence Rama slew
him with an arrow in his back. At first, Rama was troubled by the performance
of this dishonorable deed, but was later persuaded by Sugriva that
it had been right.
Vali had been known as a
good and pious vanara-king,
but had been too arrogant to listen to Sugriva after his brother had sealed the
entrance to a cave in which Vali was fighting a demon. Thus, when Vali had
emerged over the demon, he had found that the entrance to the cave was blocked
(not a problem for his strength), and had then discovered Sugriva ruling in his
place. Sugriva had thought that Vali was dead, and so had ruled in his stead,
but though he tried to explain the situation to Vali, Vali would not listen,
and had him driven out of the kingdom.
Vali is known for his
leaping abilities.
Vibhishana
Vibhishana is a Hindu mythological
character in the epic Ramayana.
He is portrayed as the brother of Ravana.
He was of a noble character and advised Ravana, who kidnapped and abducted Sita, to return her to Rama. When his brother did
not listen to his adivce, Vibishana went to Rama and joined him. Later, when
Rama defeated Ravana, Rama coronated Vibishana as the king of Lanka.
Vibhishana was an
individual, who possessed Sattvic Guna.
From the time of his early childhood, he was spending all his time in
meditating the name of the Lord. When Vibhishana was in penance, Brahma appeared and offered
him any boon he wanted. Vibhishana, inturn, said that the only thing he wanted
was to have his mind fixed at the lotus feet of the Lord. He prayed that he be
given the strength by which he will always be at the feet of the Lord. Because
Vibhishana had a sattvic mind and a sattvic heart, he could reach Rama.
Vibhishana gave up and broke his connections with all his brothers, to his
property and his wealth and reached the feet of.
Vibhishana is considered
to be an example of full self-surrender. Ravana had a gang of courtiers and
ministers who catered to his whims and flattered his vanity. While each of them
advised him to challenge Rama in open war and keep Sita for himself, only
Vibhishana, his brother, chastised him for his wilfulness and lust and urged
him to save himself, his kingdom and his kith and kin by restoring Sita
unharmed to her Lord. When Vibhishana went over to Rama, Rama knew that he had
a pure heart that could not survive in the poisonous atmosphere of Lanka. So He
took care of him and saved him.
Vibishana sacrificed all
his wealth and belongings in front of the Grace of Ramachandra.
Vibhishan
is the youngest son of Sage Vishrava,
who is the son of Sage Pulatsya, one of the Heavenly Guardians. He is
therefore, the younger brother of the Lord of Lanka, Ravana and King of Sleep, Kumbakarna.
Vibhishan
was one of the extraordinary people among the Rakshasas.
Even though he was born in a demon race, he was alert and considered himself a
Brahmin, since his father was one. He was very pious and when Lord Brahma was going to grant him
a boon, he asked that he gets the darshan
of Lord Vishnu and
always stay on the path of Dharma.
Due to his differences
with Ravana and
since he was against the act of kidnapping Sita, Ravana exiled him from Lanka
and by the orders of his mother, Kaikasi,
he went to serve Shri Rama.
Because of this act, Lord Rama,
anointed him the Lord of Lanka after Ravana's death.
In the Lanka War, Vibhishan
helped Shri Rama a lot
and divulged many important secrets which were unknown to anyone else except
someone from Lanka. He was also the person who gave the secret path to the temple of Mata Nikumbala, the family deity of the
Pulatsya Clan.
Even though Vibhishan
was from a demon clan, he, is used as a symbol to represent devotion to Shri Rama, showing the fact, that
the Lord does not distinguish between his followers, like Prahlada
with the Narasimha
incarnation. When he attained the position of the King of Lanka, he turned his
subjects from the path of evil to the path of good and Dharma. His wife, Queen Sarma also
aided him in this effort.
When Shri Rama was about to leave Ayodhya on
the banks of the river Sarayu, Lord Rama
in his original form of Shri Vishnu
ordered him to stay on earth and serve the people and guide them to the path of
truth and Dharma, he
also ordered Vibhishan
to pray the family deity of the Sun Dynasty,
Lord Jaganath.
Varuna
In Vedic religion,
Varuna (váruṇa) is a god of the sky, of rain and of the celestial ocean,
as well as a god of law and of
the underworld.
He is the most prominent Asura
in the Rigveda,
and chief of the Adityas.
Vedic and Later Roles
As chief of the Adityas,
Varuna has aspects of a solar deity. As the most prominent Asura, however, he is more
concerned with moral and societal affairs than a deification of nature.
Together with Mitra – originally oath personified — being
master of rta, he is
the supreme keeper of order and god of the law.
Varuna and Mitra are the
gods of the oath,
often twinned or identified as Mitra-Varuna (a dvandva
compound). Varuna is also twinned with Indra in the Rigveda, as Indra-Varuna.
As a sky god, Varuna may
either correspond to, or rule over, the dark half of the sky — or celestial ocean
(Rasā),
hence being also a god of rain
— or represent the 'dark' side of the Sun
as it travels back from West to East during the night.
The Atharvaveda[1]
portrays Varuna as omniscient, catching liars in his snares. The stars are his
thousand-eyed spies, watching every movement of men.
In the Rigveda, Indra, chief of the Devas, is
about six times more prominent than Varuna, who is mentioned 341 times. This
may misrepresent the actual importance of Varuna in early Vedic society due to
the focus of the Rigveda on fire and Soma
ritual, Soma being closely associated with Indra; Varuna with his omniscience
and omnipotence in the affairs of men has many aspects of a supreme deity.
Varuna later became the
god of oceans and
rivers and
keeper of the souls of the drowned. As such, Varuna is also a god of the dead,
and can grant immortality. He is attended by the nagas. He is also one of the Guardians of the directions, representing the west.
Later art depicts Varuna
as a lunar deity,
as a white man wearing golden armor and holding a noose or lasso made from a snake. He rides the sea
monster Makara.
As a
theonym, Varuna quite likely dates from the Indo-Iranian
age, although no Iranian continuation of the name has survived. The Mitanni
names aruna and urvana may refer to the same early Indo-Aryan
god. The name Varuna seems to derive from the PIE root *wer- or *wel-,
meaning "to cover" (see also Vala, Vrtra).
Cognate names of gods in
other Indo-European languages have been suggested, but remain
uncertain: notably Uranos,
the sky god in Greek mythology, and also Vörnir,
a giant of Norse mythology (from *verunyos?), the Slavic god
Veles,
and velnias, the Lithuanian for "devil". Many of these matches
have been contested by linguists, particularly the connection with Uranos is
considered untenable.
Varuna may be loosely
connected to Poseidon
in Greek mythology or Neptune in Roman mythology.
The planet Neptune is
called Varuna in Hindu Astrology.Kuiper Belt object 20000 Varuna, discovered in
2000, is named after the god Varunna.
The Evil Villain
“Ravana.”
In Hindu mythology, Ravana
(Devanagari: रावण, IAST Rāvaṇa; sometimes
transliterated Raavana and as Ravan) is the principal antagonist
of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana.
According to Ramayana, he was a king of Lanka many thousands of years ago.
Ravana is depicted in art with up to
ten heads, signifying that he had knowledge spanning all the ten directions.
Birth and Early Life
Ravana was born Dasagriva (One
with Ten Heads) the son of the sage Visrawasa
by his wife Kaikasi,
a rakshasa princess.
Thus he is thought to have been either a brahmin or a mix of
the brahmin and kshatriya castes. The
name Ravana (He who makes the universe scream) was given to him
by Lord Shiva.
While it is impossible to corellate
the names of places mentioned in the ancient legends of India with modern-day towns and villages,
the entirely obscure village of 'Bisrakh' in northern India claims to be the birth-place of
Dasagriva.
Despite possessing aggressive
tendencies as a young man, Dasagriva becomes an exemplary scholar of the Vedas and religious knowledge under the
coaching of his pious father.
As a young man, Ravana proceeds to
perform a terrible tapas to Brahma,
the Creator, lasting several thousand years. Upon Brahma's appearance, he asks
a boon of him, namely, immortality. Brahma refuses him this boon, upon which he
asks for supreme invulnerability when facing gods, demons, serpents and wild
beasts. In his contempt for mortal men, he refuses to ask for protection from
them. Brahma grants him the same, and additionally, great power by way of
knowledge of divine weaponry AND sorcery.
Emperor of the World, and Evil
After winning these boons, Ravana
seeks out his grandfather, Sumali the Demon king of the Netherworld, and
assumes leadership over his army. He then sets his sights on Lanka.
Conquest of Lanka
Lanka originally belonged to Ravana's
half-brother Kubera, the Lord of
the Treasures of Swarga. Ravana demands
Lanka from him, and Ravana and Kubera's father Visrawas advises Kubera to give it up as Ravana cannot be
killed by any celestial being. Ravana is thus made king of Lanka.
Following his conquest of Lanka,
Ravana encounters Lord Shiva at his abode in Kailash. Unknowingly, Ravana
attempts to move the mountain on a whim. Shiva, pressing his toe on the same,
pins him firmly under the same. His ganas inform Ravana of whom he has crossed,
upon which Ravana becomes penitent. He sings songs praising Shiva, and is said
to have done so for years, till Shiva releases him from his bondage. Pleased
with his bravery and devotion, Shiva grants him further strength, culminating
in handing him the Chandrahas (Moon-blade), an immensely powerful sword.
Emperor of the Three Worlds
Using his now awe-inspiring powers
and strength, Ravana conquers and humiliates thousands of kings across India, building Lanka's empire and
dominion over the rest of the world.
Ravana also conquers the Yakshas led by Yama and his
half-brother Kubera. Ravana invades
the netherworlds, conquering many daitya,
danava
and asura races and making
an alliance with the powerful Nivatakavachas.
He then takes an army of millions of
rakshasas to conquer Swarga.
Even the devas, headed by Indra, Agni, Vayu and Surya are forced to submit to the power
of Ravana's army.
Violations of Women
Ravana's sexual prowess is important
to note as it plays a critical part in his legacy and downfall. Even as a young
man he shamelessly rapes women, and blessed with awesome strength, becomes an
immensely virile rakshasa.
He is a master of tantric vidya, or magical sexual arts.
Although Ravana is married to Mandodari,
the daughter of Asura Maya, he captures thousands of women from his conquests
and maintains a harem of unparalleled
size.
Ravana also raped Rambha, the queen of the Apsaras. He is thereby
cursed that if he ever forces himself on a woman again, his heads will burst.
This curse protects the chastity of Sita
when she is his captive.
There is also a discussed prophesy
in the Ramayana that Ravana had violated Vedavati, a young
ascetic who was performing tapasya
to win Vishnu as her husband.
Ravana's actions cause Vedavati to immolate herself, but she pledges to return
in another age to be his destruction. The Rishi Agastya explains that
Vedavati was born as Sita, and she is the
wife of Vishnu's Avatara, Rama, and the cause of Ravana's death.
Downfall
After gaining such immense powers
Ravana became corrupt and selfish; it was soon deemed necessary to rid the
world of his tyranny. Since the boon granted by Brahma prevented him from being slain by
anyone but a human being, it became necessary for the God Vishnu to assume human form. He incarnated himself in
his seventh avatar, Rama, a prince of Ayodhya. The story of
the life and exploits of Rama (and indeed of Ravana) forms the operative part
of the Ramayana. The story is
too complex to be detailed in full here. Suffice it to say that Ravana was
slain by Rama, an event
celebrated as the triumph of good over evil, and commemorated in north India by the Dussehra festival.
Assessment
Some, however, regard Ravana as
having been a wise and benevolent ruler. Another opposing argument can also
state that even tyrants may have some good qualities but their overall
character is bad. The notion of Ravana as good is a contested argument. In
fact, the view of him as good may only be a recent movement, for political
reasons. Nevertheless, from puranic sources, Ravana was a great devotee of Shiva and is supposed to have composed
the Shiva
Tandava Stotra.
His actions and behaviour, as told
in the Ramayana, though, show that "piety without virtue is useless".
The poem's characterisation of Ravana serves as an example of the dangers of
lust and ego.
The Ayya Vazhi religion, a
sect of Hinduism in Tamil Nadu believes that Ravana is indeed a manifestation
of evil and goes even further. First, the followers of Ayyavazhi differ from
other Hindus in that they recognise a Satan-like figure, Kroni, who is the primordial
manifestation of evil in this world. This same Kroni manifests in various
forms, for example, Ravana and Duryodhana, in different ages or yugas. In
response to such manifestations of evil, God as Vishnu incarnates in his avatars, Rama, Krishna, etc., to destroy this evil.
Kroni, the spirit of Kali Yuga is
said to be omnipresent in this age and that is why one of the reasons,
followers of Ayya Vazhi, like other Hindus, believe that the current yuga, Kali
Yuga is so degraded.
In Scriptures
The Ramayana is not the only
religious scripture that views Ravana as evil.
In the Bhagavata Purana,
Ravana and his brother, Kumbakarna
were said to be reincarnations of Jaya and Vijaya, gatekeepers at Vaikunta, the abode of
Vishnu and were cursed
to be born in Earth for their insolence.
These gatekeepers refused entry to
the Sanatha Kumara monks, who, because of their powers and austerity appeared
as young children. For their insolence, the monks cursed them to be expelled
from Vaikunta and to be born in Earth. The all-merciful Vishnu agreed that they
should be punished but agreed to mitigate their curse. He asked them whether
they would want to be undergo seven births as devotees of Vishnu or three
births as enemies of the Lord. Since they wanted to get back as soon as
possible, they agreed to be born in three births as enemies of God.
In the first birth, Jaya and Vijaya
were born as Hiranyakashipu
and Hiranyaksha. Vishnu
incarnated as Varaha and Narasimha and killed
them both. In Treta
Yuga they were born as Ravana and Kumbhakarna and were killed by
Rama. Then in Dwapara yuga, and in their final birth, Jaya and Vijaya they were
born as Shishupala and Dantavakra and killed by Sri Krishna. After the end
of three births, they returned to Vaikunta.
Ravana's family
This section deals with many members
of Ravana's family. Since they are hardly mentioned outside the Ramayana, not
much can be said about them. They are presented here as they are in the
Ramayana, which is viewed by some as being only the point of view of Rama
devotees, but is the most complete account of the story that is known.
Ravana's paternal grandfather was Pulastya,
son of Brahma. Ravana's
maternal grandfather was Malyavan,
who was against the war with Rama,
and his maternal grandmother was Tataka.
Ravana also had a maternal uncle, Maricha.
Ravana had six brothers and two
sisters:
Kubera
- the King of Uttaradisha and the Guardian of Heavenly
Wealth. He was an older step-brother of Ravana: they were born to the same
father by different mothers. He gave a curse to Ravana, that if he raped
another women, he would die that instant.
Vibhishana
- A great follower of Rama and one of the most important characters in the
Ramayan. He was exiled by his brother, Ravana for supporting Rama and opposing
the abduction of Sita. During the battle, he sided with Rama and provided him
with insights which ultimately led Rama win the war.
Kumbhakarna
- one of the most jovial demons in Hindu mythology. When offered a boon by Brahma, he was tricked into asking for
unending sleep! A horrified Ravana, who wanted to be able to avail of
Kumbakarna's immense strength, persuaded Brahma to amend the so-called boon and
grant that Kumbhakarna be granted a day of wakefulness every six months.
Khara
- King of Janasthan. He protected the southern kingdom
of Lanka in the mainland and his
kingdom bordered with the Kosala
Kingdom, the kingdom of Rama. He was well-known for his superior
skills in warfare. Dushana - Viceroy of Janasthan.
Ahiravan - made king of the Underworld ruled by
the rakshasas by Ravana
and Demon King Maya.
Kumbhini - the sister of Ravana and the wife of the demon Madhu, King of Mathura, she was the
mother of Lavanasura. She was
renowned for her beauty and later retired to the sea for penance.
Surpanakha
- the evil sister of Ravana. She was the ultimate root of the kidnapping of Sita Devi. She was the
one who instigated her brothers to wage a war against Rama.
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