The Book of RAM Read online

  It is Vishwamitra’s arrival that marks the end of Ram’s childhood and the beginning of his journey as a man.

  Vishwamitra was born Kaushik, a prince, just like Ram. He once tried to forcibly lay hands on Vasishtha’s magical cow, Nandini, which could fulfil any wish. This cow was a gift from the gods and Vasishtha protected the cow using his siddhi. Kaushik’s weapons and army were no match for Vasishtha’s spiritual powers. Humbled by the confrontation, Kaushik decided to become a Rishi himself by performing tapasya. Renouncing wife and children and kingdom, he went to the forest. Fearing that Kaushik would misuse the tapa that he would gather, Indra, king of the Devas, sent the nymph Menaka to seduce him. She succeeded but Kaushik refused to give up. Resuming his austerities, he once again controlled his senses and was able to discipline his mind, overpowering all temptations. Thus did he become a Rishi. It was then that he took the name of Vishwamitra meaning ‘friend of the world’.

  Indra, though the king of the Devas and god of the sky, is constantly shown as being very insecure. His abode, Swarg, the Hindu paradise, has the tree called Kalpataru, the cow called Kamadhenu and the gem called Chintamani. This tree, cow and gem fulfil all desires and manifest every dream. So in Indra’s paradise there is no hunger, no lack of anything. Indra even has amrit, the nectar of immortality. He thus suffers no disease and does not have to fear death. And yet, Indra is eternally anxious, terrified of losing all that he has. Thus the Ramayana concludes that material fulfilment does not grant contentment. That is why Vasishtha refuses to give his holy cow to Kaushik; he would rather share his wisdom that will help man outgrow the desire to possess any wish-fulfilling cow.

  But Kaushik does not believe this. He values material things. His transformation into Vishwamitra is based on his firm belief that siddhis attained through tapa can and should be used to help humanity cope with material discontentment, and this difference in approach is clear in the way he instructs Ram.

  As Dashratha’s guru, it is Vasishtha’s duty to educate Ram. The education is completed with a dialogue that is today considered the most sophisticated document on yoga known as Yoga Vasishtha. In it, Vasishtha introduces Ram to the nature of the world and advises him on what his relationship should be with the world. The dialogue reveals how to engage with the world without being attached to it.

  Yoga Vasishtha

  After completing his education under Vasishtha, Ram and his brothers went on a long pilgrimage. On their return, Dashratha noticed that Ram had lost all interest in things worldly. Since nothing is permanent, Ram wondered what was the purpose of life. When Dashratha informed Vasishtha of this, the guru said, ‘Now he is ready to receive the instruction on yoga.’ Vasishtha then taught Ram the doctrine of the soul and the body. Ram learnt how the body encloses the mind that senses the world and responds to it. He learnt how the immortal soul witnesses the sensations and responses of the mortal flesh. He was able to appreciate the purpose of an ever-changing world as a medium to realize the never-changing soul.

  Ram’s education under Vasishtha is barely complete when Vishwamitra storms into Dashratha’s court and demands Ram’s services. It seems as if Vishwamitra feels Ram’s education under Vasishtha is too theoretical and quite incomplete. Ram needs to see the world and gain practical experience. Ram must know the trials and tribulations of the material world that he has been sheltered from in his father’s palace and his guru’s hermitage. In other words, Vishwamitra comes to Dashratha’s palace determined to initiate Ram into adulthood.

  Vishwamitra’s yagna

  Vishwamitra said he was planning to perform a yagna in the forest and he needed the young prince Ram to protect the sacrificial precinct from attacks by Rakshasas. At first, Dashratha hesitated; he was willing to send his entire army to the forest to guard the yagna, but not Ram. ‘He is too young to fight the demons on his own,’ said the king. Vishwamitra was adamant and refused to settle for anyone but Ram. At this point, Vasishtha intervened. He advised the king to let Ram go with Vishwamitra for it was Ram’s duty as prince to serve and protect sages. Besides Vishwamitra would ensure Ram came to no harm. If pleased, the great Vishwamitra would even share with Ram the secret knowledge of celestial weapons. Finally, rather reluctantly, Dashratha let Ram go. Lakshman, as usual, followed Ram.

  Ram is wrenched out of his zone of comfort when he sets out with Vishwamitra. The cutting of the umbilical cord begins with the horrific act of killing a woman.

  Tadaka

  The forest where Vishwamitra wanted to perform his yagna was the lair of a Rakshasa woman called Tadaka. Tadaka was once a Yaksha woman, daughter of Suketu, wife of Sunda. She attacked Rishi Agastya when the latter killed her husband following a confrontation in the forest. Seeing her rush towards him like a monster, Agastya cursed her to become a Rakshasa. Since then, Tadaka had terrorized all the Rishis in the forest. She was determined to stop Vishwamitra’s yagna. When she appeared before Ram, Vishwamitra ordered Ram to kill her. Ram hesitated; Tadaka was a woman after all. Vishwamitra argued that man or woman, a creature that harms the innocent must be killed for the larger good. Accordingly, Ram raised his bow and shot the Rakshasa woman dead.

  This story introduces us to two classes of beings: Yakshas and Rakshasas. These, along with another class of beings known as Gandharvas, repeatedly find mention in the epic. Typically, Rishis encounter them as they wander through the forest in their spiritual quest. The interaction is sometimes friendly with the Rishi either being accepted as guru or as a son-in-law. But often it is violent resulting in curses being hurled and pitched battles being fought. It seems most likely that these ‘magical creatures’ of the forest were those who did not follow the Vedic way of life based on the code of dharma. The relatively friendly tribes were called Yakshas or Gandharvas while the hostile ones were deemed Rakshasas, a term which eventually became synonymous with demons.

  Being a Rakshasa is reason enough for Tadaka to be killed by Ram. But Tadaka is a woman, hence Ram, a student of Vasishtha, hesitates. Women create life within their bodies. To kill a woman is to kill life. It is the worst crime in the Vedic world. Vishwamitra disagrees: gender does not matter, behaviour does. Tadaka must be killed because she is violently hostile to the way of dharma, an act that cannot be excused on account of her womanhood. And so Ram raises his bow and strikes her dead. For this, Ram is rewarded with mantras that can transform his arrows into deadly missiles.

  Magical weapons of Vishwamitra

  Pleased with Ram’s obedience, Vishwamitra gave Ram many shastras and astras, weapons and missiles. He taught Ram potent chants by which he could imbue the tips of his arrows with the power of fire and rain and wind. These were magical weapons with which he could fight alongside the gods and defeat any demon.

  Vishwamitra has clearly mastered the occult powers he once watched Vasishtha use against his army. And he shares this with a prince so that the prince can use it to make the world a happier and safer place.

  Maricha and Subahu

  As Vishwamitra’s yagna progressed, many Rakshasas attacked the sacrificial precinct hurling rocks and bones to stop the ritual. But they were all driven back or killed by Ram and Lakshman who kept a constant vigil around the site for six days and six nights. On the last day, the Rakshasa hordes, led by Maricha and Subahu, tried to pour blood in the fire altar. Ram released two arrows. With one, he pushed Maricha far away in the southern direction. With the other, he killed Subahu. Then both brothers dispatched the remaining demons with a rain of missiles. Thus under the protection of Ram and Lakshman, Vishwamitra was able to complete his yagna.

  In the Ramayana, Rakshasas represent a way of life where all behaviour is instinctual and self-indulgent, governed by fear and insecurity. Rishis represent the opposite way of life, where all instincts, be they sexual or violent, are regulated for the benefit of the world. Ram’s conquest of the Rakshasas is thus the symbolic subjugation of man’s primal instincts by more evolved values based on sharing and caring.

  Vishwamitra make