Thursday, December 29, 2011

Lord Rama's promise to the surrendered souls

Lord Rama, Mother Sita and Lakshman were now walking
Lord Rama and Lakshman were alert, in case anyone was stalking
Since they left the ashram of Sage Sarabhanga, it was almost a day
Sage Sarabhanga, before leaving his body, had showed them a way

The Noble Three were walking the path showed by the sage
While, in their hearts dangled, the ripe sage’s pious image
Emotionally impressed by the sage’s miraculous departure
Their minds were filled with thoughts of philosophical nature

They came upon a beaten path and went by it
They came upon a sagacious man, old but fit
The man, pointed at Lord Rama, his index finger
Thoughtful rays, on his face, started to linger

The man’s face suddenly got brightened
His spirits too were instantly lightened
Wanting to know if his guess was right
He started to talk with a feeling of delight

“You must be The Noble Ram, Ayodhya’s favourite Prince
In whose acts goodness and love would always evince
She, Lady Sita, Janaka’s Daughter and Your fortunate Wife
And he, selfless Lakshman, who, to service, has dedicated his life”

Lord Rama nodded affirmatively with palms that were folded
Lord Rama’s palms, within his hands, the man lovingly holded
Lord Rama’s hands within the man’s hands looked like a lotus bud
That sprouted, not because of water, but the man’s affection instead

“Welcome to my place, Dear Ram, I’ve been expecting You
The changes in Your life, from birth, I always knew
I’m one of Your ardent fans, Sudeekshana, by name
I’ve always delighted in stories that speak Your glory and fame

At last the day has come, and I delight in Your Vision
I feel like I have accomplished my birth’s lifetime mission”
Saying thus Sudeekshana embraced Lord Rama like a friend
Though they just met, like lifelong friends they could easily blend

Sudeekshana greeted Mother Sita with folded palms
He patted and embraced Lakshman within his arms
Sudeekshana was a man very outgoing and jovial
He talked a lot about matters that were even trivial

In Sudeekshana’s ashram, for a night, The Noble Three stayed
On the mat given by him, Themselves, They comfortably laid
Next morning, The Noble Three, decided to move ahead
Their desire to see different places, to Sudeekshana, They said

To allow Lord Rama to go, Sudeekshana had no heart
He did not think, Lord Rama would want to, so soon depart
Lord Rama promised, on seeing his fallen face,
To return after the tour, and stay longer at his place

From there, They walked for a couple of days
In the thick forest, through difficult and unused ways
The Noble Three came upon a group of hermitages
Dedicated to spiritual practices for numerous ages

They were well received by ascetics, both young and old
The ascetics took them to their homes, in a loving hold
Into the chambers where Yagnas happen, they were led
With forest produce and ascetic’s food, they were fed

The Noble Three had stayed there for almost a week
They were approached by a group of sages, wanting to speak
To hear what they had to say, Lord Rama became keen
They explained how difficult, life in the forest has been

“These are places where we hermits live in peace
Performing difficult penances, we are never at ease
We have chosen this path to keep away from anger and greed
We are careful not to hurt anyone by our thought or deed

But there is a demon named Ravana, Lanka’s king
Alarm of fearful jealousy, in his heart, does ring
Whenever anyone tries to perform penance for long
Ravana fears that person would become better and strong

He has ordered his minions to spoil all penance on earth
His minions, like him, are all very cruel by birth
They disturb our pursuits and give us continuous torture
Deriving sadistic happiness is inbuilt in their nature

While we perform Yagnas, they put off the fire
Screaming and laughing, they make our enthusiasm tire
The Yagnas are fruitless, when ended halfway
We will have to start from zero, another day

Again, there is no guarantee, this will not repeat
Spoilt thus, spiritual pursuits have started to deplete
Rama! Worthy of surrender, You are the One
Numerous battles against evil, You have won

Stories about Your valour in fight we have heard
We know, evil, in Your presence, becomes a wingless bird
You have routed out evil right from Your mind
Even to a thought of evil, You are the deadliest kind

Both in your mind and the battle field
Victory against evil, You always yield
We helpless people surrender our lives before You
By accepting to protect, hopes into our hearts, please imbue

To protect any surrendered one, we know You have vowed
Considering You as our resort, to Your feet, we have bowed”
Saying thus, the sages shed inconsolable tears
Lord Rama decided to wipe out all their fears

“Rama’s arrows are always ready! Fear not!
Now, a promise from Me, you have got
For more than a decade, I have to be around
I’ll make those vicious creatures rest in the ground

From now, Lakshman and I will be your guards
Giving up fear, pursue peacefully, your spiritual rewards
You work for the world, not just for selfish reasons
I cannot allow such work stop due to greedy treasons”

Hearing Lord Rama’s words of assurance
The sages regained their natural endurance
In their minds, the dreaded demons became mosquitoes
Waiting to be smashed by Lord Rama’s fingers and toes

They went back to their places, happy and relieved
Lord Rama’s word and might, they doubtlessly believed
Mother Sita was unhappy about Her Husband’s promise
She felt, in that promise, something was amiss

Once the sages were all gone
Leaving The Noble Three all alone
Mother Sita talked to Her Husband about Her dubiety
She sought His forgiveness if Her talk was impiety

“I feel something is very wrong, dear Lord!
In Your promise to the sages that You’ll be their guard
Not wanting to hide My feelings, I will speak My heart
In case of mistakes, please forgive and correct My thought

Have You not said You love all souls alike?
And that You consider a deer and a tiger, both alike?
It surprises Me, You have taken, though pious, these sages’ side
And have vowed to kill people, who with You, have never vied”

Lord Rama smiled at Mother Sita and started to explain
Questions about His acts, He never looked with disdain
In explaining the pros and cons of things to His Wife, He always delighted
For He knew, a mind could be happy only when all doubts are alighted

“From the day I learnt warfare, My dear Love!
I’ve been waiting for a chance to take such a vow
Better than fighting for a cause, for a warrior boy
No other act on this earth gives so much joy

A tiger kills not for pleasure but for food
No animal is guided by evil, therefore good
The demons, disturbing the sages, who I have vowed to kill
Have no reason to do so other than their wicked will

‘Have they not been ordered to do so?’ You may ask
It is their duty to discriminate before accepting a task
They have got this job because their hearts are bent
Nobody takes a cow to the jungle while they go to hunt”

With Lord Rama’s justification Mother Sita was convinced
But one more doubt of Her Heart, Her mouth evinced
“Thanks for clarifying my doubt, My Lord
I remember an act of Indra, heaven’s god

Once, long time ago, it so happened
Indra felt his sovereignty was threatened
Not by any enemies, with weapons, who went to him hitting
But by a pious sage who was in his hermit, peacefully sitting

Since any successful ascetic can become heaven’s king, is the law
Indra was afraid. As in the hermit’s character there was no flaw
Indra approached the hermit in disguise like a cunning fox
And handed over to him a well decorated box

To keep the box in the hermit’s ashram for a while, Indra requested
Seeing no harm in that, the poor hermit innocently accepted
Considering his job half done, Indra went back to his place
Days and months went by fast as if they were in a race

Seeing, the owner not returning to get the box for long
To know what was inside the box, the hermit started to long
One final day, his curiosity grew too strong to be contained
The hermit opened the unlocked box to see what it contained

The hermit found a sword of silver with a handle, gold
On seeing its beauty, the hermit immediately wanted to hold
He weaved the sword, like a fighter, through the air with a smile
Indra, in heaven, put up a party for the success of his guile

Though the hermit put the sword back in the box and locked
The desire to use the sword within his mind got unlocked
Often the hermit took the sword out and played, cutting the air
Soon he wanted to know if its sharpness was as good as its glare

He took the sword out and, a branch from a tree, he hacked
The sword into the trunk of the tree he forcefully whacked
He appreciated himself for his sword-using skill
One by one, the animals of his ashram, he started to kill

He always carried with him, the sword, wherever he went
In picking up quarrels and threatening people, he became bent
He started killing people without mercy when they tried to yell
He lived on like this until he was killed, and went to hell

To become the king of heaven, the man had scope
But was dragged to hell tethered by the angry rope
All because of a weapon, the man started to wield
He lost all the merits he earned in the spiritual field”

Lord Rama enjoyed His Wife’s beautiful narration
He had lost Himself in Her talk for the whole duration
The message She tried to convey, once He understood
He explained to Her why, in His grounds, He firmly stood

“Dear! Are You not the Daughter of King Janaka, the wise
When You say such wonderful stories, it is no surprise
But, You need not be afraid that I will be affected by sins
For, a permanent place in the heavens, a dutiful person wins

I am a Kshatriya by birth and My job is to fight
For a cause that would be, by the scriptures, right
Only for such a purpose, My Gurus trained Me, taking pain
If I do not protect harmless people, all that would be vain

These sages are people who live strictly by the book
Vows, not to hurt any creature, they have undertook
They have subjected themselves to risk, believing in God
Can there be a better job than being their guard?

I am thankful to Kaikeyi for ousting Me, in fact
Only in the jungle, not in the city, I can keep my skills intact
Also, in the story You told, I see the side that is flip
You have given me more reason from Your own lip

Seeing no one comes to protect their interest,
What if they personally enter into a brutal conquest?
Just think about, what next happens
If these sages decide to wield furious weapons

Won’t they all run the same fate the hermit ran?
To stop that, should I not do all that I can?
Not involving in violence, if they all, to heaven, rise
My Self falling in hell would only be a smaller price!

For, to Me, the surrendered ones are the most precious
To protect them, I’ll take up jobs that are most dangerous
How can I let down some one who believes in Me?
Even if it takes, giving up My life, then it shall be!

When someone comes to Me in surrender
I become a mother to My faithful depender
I become his and he becomes Mine
And I will not rest until his life becomes fine”

Realising Lord Rama’s greatness, Mother Sita thanked
Once again in Lakshman’s heart, Lord Rama was highly ranked
To anyone who surrenders, this is the promise of Ram
Jai Shri Ram! Jai Jai Shri Ram!!

4 comments:

  1. Jai Shri ram. Let Lord Rama bless you

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jai Shri Ram.. It's written in a wonderful way.. May the great Lord Ram protect us all!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sri Ramesh Sadashivam Sir It is such Beautiful thing that you have posted in the Website about the Past times of the Supreme Lord Sri Sri Sita Ramachandra Bhagawan... My Pranaams unto you Sir...🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

    ReplyDelete