The Book of RAM Read online

  But it is not divine duty alone that makes Vishnu incarnate on earth. The Bhagavat Puran informs us that Vishnu descends not just to save mankind but also to liberate his doorkeepers from a curse.

  Jaya and Vijaya

  The two doorkeepers of Vaikunth would not let the four boy-sages, the Sanat Kumars, enter because Vishnu was asleep. Enraged at being kept away from God, the four Kumars cursed the doorkeepers that they would lose their exalted position so close to God and be born away from him on earth as two Rakshasa brothers—Ravana and Kumbhakarna. On learning that his doorkeepers had been cursed for doing their duty, Vishnu declared that he would himself descend on earth as Ram and to release his doorkeepers from their demonic form. No sooner were the two doorkeepers born on earth as Rakshasas than they began living a life with total disregard for dharma, in the hope that Vishnu would relieve them of their demonic life sooner rather than later.

  Another story informs us that Vishnu descended as Parashuram, Ram and Krishna to kill the greedy rulers of the earth after the earth goddess complained that she could not bear their weight any more. According to the Padma Puran, Vishnu himself is compelled by a curse to live on earth as Parashuram, Ram and Krishna, making God very much a part of the web of karma that makes the Hindu world go round.

  Beheading Kavyamata

  Once while Shukra was away performing a penance, the Devas decided to attack and kill the Asuras. Without their guru, the Asuras were helpless so they sought the help of Kavyamata, Shukra’s mother. She assured them of her support. She decided to cast a spell that would put all the Devas to sleep. As she was about to chant the magical mantra to make this happen, Vishnu hurled his discus and severed her neck. When Shukra learnt of this he accused Vishnu of stri-hatya-paap, the crime of killing a woman. ‘Only when you live as a mortal for three lifetimes will you be cleansed of this crime,’ said Shukra and so Vishnu was born on earth as Parashuram, Ram and Krishna.

  Although Parashuram, Ram and Krishna live in different ages and are involved in different crises, their tales are not independent of each other. There are deep connections between apparently disparate events in their lives thus driving home the point that all three of them are merely part of a much grander design. The story of Parashuram, for example, is curiously similar to that of Vasishtha and Vishwamitra found in the Ramayana.

  Parashuram annihilates the warriors

  King Kartaviryarjun coveted the wish-fulfilling divine cow called Kamadhenu that was in the possession of Rishi Jamadagni. When he tried to take the cow by force, he was stopped by Jamadagni’s youngest son, Parashuram, who hacked the king to death with an axe. In retaliation, the king’s sons killed Jamadagni. An enraged Parashuram, went about killing all the sons of the king and all their descendants and all their allies. He killed so many warriors that he filled five great lakes with their blood.

  Parashuram kills the king who steals his father’s cow. Ram, on the other hand, accepts as his teacher Vishwamitra who as Kaushik had stolen Vasishtha’s cow. This clearly indicates a shift in values from Krita yuga to Treta yuga.

  This shift in values is evident even in the way Parashuram and Ram deal with adultery. Parashuram beheads his mother, Renuka, for momentarily desiring a man who is not her husband. Ram, on the other hand, liberates Ahalya who is turned to stone by her husband when he finds her in the arms of Indra. In the Treta yuga, Vishnu seems to be making more room for human frailty.

  When Ram breaks Shiva’s bow to win Sita’s hand in marriage, he is challenged by Parashuram himself to string the bow of Vishnu. When Ram succeeds, Parashuram realizes his time is over. The young lad before him is, like him, Vishnu’s incarnation, but one who is more appropriate for the Treta yuga.

  Just as the Treta yuga is less perfect than the Krita yuga, the Dvapar yuga is even more imperfect than the Treta yuga. A new avatar of Vishnu is needed for this era—not Ram, but Krishna.

  Ram is maryada purushottam, the supreme keeper of rules, while Krishna is leela purushottam, the best game player. Both stand for dharma, but their approach is different. For Ram, the means is as important as the end; for Krishna only the end matters and the spirit of the law is more important than the letter of the law. That is why perhaps, only Ram is visualized as king while Krishna remains a kingmaker. Unlike Ram who is faithful to only one wife, Krishna loves many women, each with the same intensity. The reason for this is karma says one folk story.

  When I become Krishna

  As Ram passed through a forest looking for Sita, the trees, the birds, the animals and the sages of the forest were drawn to his beauty and august presence. ‘Come to us. Let us comfort you,’ they said. ‘No,’ said Ram, ‘none but Sita shall comfort me in this life. I am hers alone.’ Then, looking at their unhappy faces he assured them that in his next life when he would be Krishna, all of them would be reborn as milkmaids in Vrindavan. Together they would dance in the meadows of Madhuvan all through autumn nights. For as Krishna, he would be able to love more than one.

  According to another folk retelling, Ram asked Manthara to poison Kaikeyi’s mind. ‘Only then will I be able to go to the forest and kill Ravana,’ Ram explained. With a heavy heart, Manthara obeyed God. Pleased with her devotion he said, ‘In your next life you will be as hunchbacked as you are now. But while you cause Ram misery, Krishna will embrace you and bring you much joy.’ And so the Bhagavat Puran informs us that when Krishna entered Mathura he embraced a hunchbacked maid called Kubja or Trivakra with such passion that her back straightened and she became a beautiful woman. This Kubja was none other than Manthara reborn.

  Ram and Krishna are linked to each other through Hanuman also. While Ram is said to have ridden on Hanuman’s shoulders in battle in the Ramayana, Hanuman resides in the flag atop Arjuna’s war chariot that is driven by Krishna in the Mahabharata.

  Ram and Krishna are also connected to each other through Jambavan, the king of the bears, who joined Ram’s monkey army to rescue Sita. His daughter, Jambavati, becomes one of Krishna’s chief queens.

  It is said that as Krishna, Vishnu balances the imbalances created by Ram. Ram created an imbalance by killing Vali, son of Indra, by shooting him in the back while he was engaged in a duel with Sugriva, son of Surya. To balance the score, when Vishnu descended as Krishna, he had Arjuna, son of Kunti by Indra, shoot and kill Karna, son of Kunti by Surya, while the latter had his back turned and was busy pulling out his chariot wheel that had got stuck in the ground.

  When the tales of Parashuram, Ram and Krishna are compared with each other, we find that they reflect the different responses of Vishnu to social and spiritual values that are eroding with the march of time.

  The three incarnations of Vishnu are very different from each other in character and behaviour. Parashuram is an outraged priest; Ram is a straightforward warrior; Krishna is a charismatic, charming and shrewd strategist. Parashuram ruthlessly punishes those who fail to uphold dharma, sparing neither king nor mother. Ram acts with more empathy but gives utmost importance to the law. Krishna bends and breaks the rules when they lack the spirit of dharma.

  Parashuram is born a Brahman but is always visualized as a warrior carrying a bow and an axe. Krishna is born a Kshatriya but is always visualized as a cowherd or charioteer. Only Ram is born a Kshatriya and is visualized performing his caste role, as king and warrior.

  In each incarnation, Vishnu is accompanied by Lakshmi, his consort. While he protects her each time, her relationship with him differs with each incarnation. For Parashuram, Lakshmi is his mother, Renuka, and his cow, Kamadhenu, who must be protected from the lustful and greedy Kshatriyas. For Ram, Lakshmi is Sita, the faithful and domesticated wife, who has to be rescued from the Rakshasas. For Krishna, Lakshmi is Draupadi, who he has to rescue because Draupadi’s own husbands, instead of taking care of her, gamble her away and allow her to be disrobed in public.

  With each incarnation, Lakshmi’s situation worsens as she drifts away from Vishnu. Each time, Vishnu manages to rescue her, as son, husband o