Lakshman Narrates Lord Rama’s Exploits

Lakshman and Guha collected leaves that were shed

And also some grass and made them into a bed

For the Lord of the Universe to sleep on it

Without feeling discomfort, the slightest bit

Lord Rama laid down on the bed made of hay

The full moon greedily touched Him with its ray

The clouds covered the moon as if to say,

“The Lord needs to sleep, you keep at bay”

Yet the moon, through the clouds’ gap, tried to peep

Hoping to get a glimpse of The Lord’s divine sleep

Mother Sita sat at His leg side, caressing His feet

Feeling privileged to perform this coveted feat

For the Lord’s feet, She made Her lap, a bed

And for His peaceful sleep, a prayer She said

She caressed, massaged, and softly pinched the toes

Which on worshipping would end its devotee’s woes

Like all other beings, The Lord too became Her child

And entered a serene sleep that was gentle and mild

After ensuring The Lord was well asleep

She too, beside Him, went to sleep

Lakshman and Guha were standing afar

In keeping a vigil both were at par

Guha recommended Lakshman to take a nap

Promising, he would watch all night without a gap

Lakshman thanked him for offering to perform the deed

But also apologized to him for being unable to heed

He had decided not to sleep for the whole exile term

In the decision he took, he was substantially firm

Lakshman spoke seriously in a pensive mood

To the ground before him, his eyes were glued

“He does not deserve to go through this, my friend

For this injustice, I do not know who would amend

He is the kind who would not hurt an ant

For the welfare of beings, His life, He would grant

I have seen Him deal with both friends and foes

Never in His actions does disrespect shows

I have seen Him both at play and at fight

He has never done a thing that is not right

I have never seen Him do anything without any care

Nor does He possess something, He would not share

He, to me, is goodness incarnate

Volunteered to be mankind’s subordinate

Only to teach men live a life of values

By leading a life bound by virtues

Look at Them, born with royal blood

Sleeping in the open, on grass and mud

At least my Brother is a strong, tough man

Look at my Mother, that noble woman!

She is the heat if my Brother is fire

She, His energy, never lets Him tire

Green, are those memories in the pastures of my mind

The auspicious day, She became His and walked behind”

Lakshman was lost in His memories with a smile

Recollecting the past, he paused for a while

At Guha’s request he began to recite

The incidents, with words, he brought before sight

“My brothers and I had just finished schooling

Brother Ram was learning the nuances of ruling

We were all enjoying our mothers’ foods after long

And spending our times, listening to music and song

We heard from a servant that there was a visitor

Sage Vishwamitra who was a Vedic reciter

A renunciate who had conquered his senses

By performing a number of difficult penances

Even the Gods would stand up in his presence

Afraid of his anger and cursing sentence

Such a sage was being received with reverence

By our father, unaware of an impending severance

The sage blessed my father and revealed his intent

Which made my father lose his calm and content

For the sage wanted Brother Rama to fight

The demons of the jungle for a good fortnight

My father was shocked, and stricken with grief

Fainted on the floor for a moment, brief

He offered himself and his entire troop

But the sage would not loosen the request loop

“Oh, venerable one, please pay heed

I would sent this entire nation for your need

As a warrior, Rama is just a sprouting seed

How do you involve Him in such difficult deed?”

“Like all fathers you too under estimate your son

To equal Him in valour, on this earth, there is none

I have at hand a Yagna to run

I cannot have a crowd around me, as if for fun

Send with me, your son Rama The Brave

My Yagna, for the world’s good, let Him save

I will return Him to you safe and sound

With fame and glory that you will astound”

My father was still reluctant to relent

Utterly baffled by the change of event

Vashishta my father’s preceptor and guide

Reassured my father not to hesitate but abide

“On behalf of Vishwamitra, I give my word

He is a genius full of reason and never absurd

To go with him would be Rama’s privilege

To this request of his, please do oblige”

My father then some how decided to yield

Gifted my Brother and me, weapons to wield

The sage was already out of the palace gate

My father took us to him in a measured gait

With both of us under his arms

Surrounded by people as per royal norms

With a heart half-full, he finally conceded

And along with the crowd he slowly receded

To me it looked like a wave coming to the shore

To deposit its precious pearls on the floor

And then going back to the sea reluctantly

Loosing its enthusiasm, and therefore silently

Our guru, my Brother, and I started to walk

While, above us, flew a wonderful hawk

We entered the forest not before long

Though old, the sage was still going strong

He only stopped in the evening nearby a river

Which proves that nature is a relentless giver

We offered water to the sun before it set

In gratitude for the numerous benefits we get

Our guru taught us two new mantras to chant

Immense strength those mantras would grant

Bala and Athibala they were rightly called

Which would kill hunger and thirst once recalled

We then ended the day and went to sleep

Talking about nature whose glories are very steep

The next day we again started our journey

Which to Brother and me was an exciting tourney

We came across a desert that was dry

Once we entered it, we heard a woman’s cry

Followed by which we saw the owner of the voice

An ugly gigantic figure making unbearable noise

At the top of her voice, she started to scream

Asking us how dare we trespassed her control realm

Stones, trees and boulders she started to pelt

Giving us no choice with the way she could be dealt

Yet my Brother stood like a moral flame

Deciding not to play the violent game

As the attacker was a woman by gender

Violence against women He would not render

Our guru cried, telling Him not to hesitate

And ordered Him for violence to perpetuate

Once He received His guru’s command

The demon could not meet His arrow’s demand

She fell to the floor, like a tree to an axe

Her blood flowed all over like molten wax

The guru appreciated Him with a pat and a smile

And asked me to locate a place to rest for a while

While we rested under a banyan tree

Our noble guru smiled at me

“Your brother is not happy with what happened there

He thinks, to kill a woman is very unfair

Yet because I ordered, He has finished the job

Now for the sake of that lady He wants to sob

This unique quality will earn Him eternal glory

Making men sing with craze His matchless story

Impeccable Ram, always keep this in mind

Towards a demon like that you cannot be kind

You have avenged a thousand widows of the past

Checking the number of widows from becoming vast

A few men like me were allowed to live by her

Since our emaciated bodies lack fat and fur”

My Brother, caressing the Guru’s feet, smiled shy

And nodded His head to show He understood why

That was the very first time, He ever killed

I could see very much that His face had dulled

I could see, for quiet sometime within Him He mulled

And then with reasonable acceptance He became lulled

My heart went out to my Brother more than before

His love wave had washed off my ego, ashore

I decided right then that I would offer Him my soul

And took up being His servant as my life’s only goal

The next day we traveled further witnessing important places

Some Ashrams where God’s had done penance and left their graces

We passed Kamashram where Shiva had burnt Manmathan to ashes

Opening His third eye in anger and emitting fire like flashes

Manmathan had tried to incite in Shiva the burning lust

Disturbed and angry Shiva had burnt him to dust

Some say Vishnu avenged his death by seducing Shiva

By taking the form of Mohini, a beautiful Diva

Shiva realised that conquering the sense

Cannot be done by becoming tense

His pride in being the killer of the love-god vanished

He appreciated the lesson though He was vanquished

We then moved on to Sidhaashram, our destination

And met ascetics who awaited us in anticipation

That was the Ashram where Vamana was born

Who was Maha Vishnu, taken a dwarf-like form

From there He had visited Bali’s Kingdom

While Bali was trying to achieve God-like stardom

By performing a difficult ritual and offering wealth

Which was stopped by Vamana by applying stealth

Vamana, as a Brahmin, went there seeking alms

Holding up in request His chubby little palms

Asked for just three foot steps of land by measure

Which was granted by Bali with utmost pleasure

But once the request was granted, the little man grew

Bali could not believe what he saw was true

The dwarf became a giant and measured the sky

None present there could ask him why

And then He measured the whole of the earth

For Him to take the third step there was dearth

To fulfill the promise, Bali offered his head

Vamana placed the third step on Bali’s head

Pressed Bali down to the world that was nether

This gave to the Devas, their long awaited breather”

Guha was enthralled in hearing such wonderful stories

Lakshman continued to elaborate Lord Rama’s glories

“Our Guru’s assistants set up the place to perform the ritual

Our Guru took up a vow of silence, which for him was habitual

With dexterity and care the Guru started the rite

My brother and I kept vigil, expecting a fight

We were told the demons would anytime arrive

We decided that this time they must not survive

Six days went by without any trouble at sight

On the seventh day we saw demons in flight

They came screaming and yelling, creating hell

My Brother finished all of them in just a spell

Only two of their leaders were left alive then

Who were devastated on seeing all their fallen men

One of them Maricha by name was hit by Brother’s arrow

And was thrown far from sight like a helpless sparrow

Subahu approached us yelping with vengeance and fury

But within a snap of a second Brother finished off his story

The ascetics celebrated their Protector, singing His glory

And carried Him all around the land, which was now gory

The Yagna was completed well with success

The guru praised both of us more than excess

He gifted us with divine missiles for later use

And advised not to use them before trying truce

He then said, “I have one more gift for you”

The smile, while he said that was very new

We followed him on a new journey further east

Completely unaware of the awaiting feast

While we traveled, we came across a hut

Uninhabited and forsaken it remained shut

In the veranda before it, was a frozen stone

Which looked like a woman sitting alone

Brother Ram went nearby to see it close

Wondering how a stone could give, woman’s pose

Some dust from His feet touched the rock

The stone became a woman giving us shock

She fell at my noble Brother’s honourable feet

And worshipped my Brother with a silent greet

My Brother got puzzled and moved behind

To accept worship from elders, He was not inclined

Anyway she remained on the ground with folded palm

With her eyes fixed on my Brother’s feet, she remained calm

My Brother looked at our guru for guidance to seek

While the stone-turned-lady started to speak

“My name is Ahalya, Sage Gauthama’s partner in life

I was cursed by him as I had failed as a wife

By giving in me to Indra’s sensual touches

And enjoyed myself though I knew it were glitches

Indra approached me, taking my husband’s form

Once He touched me I forgot marital norm

Though I realised it was not my husband’s touch

Aroused and in pleasure I remained as such

Realising I relented, my husband cursed me to grief

But considering I was cheated He offered relief

He told my redemption would come through a Holy Feet

That carries the Noblest Soul who would make sins deplete

Thou art that Person who would never flaw

The One taken birth to restore cosmic law

The One who would be the final resort to all

None would go unclean at Your Feet if they fall”

As she was speaking Gauthama arrived there

Giving up grudge and rancour he embraced her

Being re-united they started a life fresh and anew

Thanking my Brother for helping them renew”

My guru gladly appreciated my Brother

For making their heart light like a feather

He said my Brother’s limbs, like the sky, work wonders

Showering both loving rains and punishing thunders”

Awed by the qualities and exploits of Rama

Guha was eager to hear more of the Drama

Lakshman like a child expounded the glories of Ram

Jai Shri Ram! Jai Jai Shri Ram!!