The brother among brothers

26 May 1977, Summer Course 1977, Brindavan

Professor Kasturi's English.

1

THE ideal of brotherhood as depicted in the is without parallel in any other epic anywhere in world literature. When, during the battle with the (demon) hordes in , fell unconscious and could not be revived, lamented the calamity, saying, "Alas! is the source of my breath; there is no brother like him on the whole earth." 's life and relationship with his brother are shining examples for mankind.

2

It can be said that is the A in the sacred syllable ; , the second brother, is the U; , the third, is the M and , the eldest, is the full . is the concretisation of the (Universal Absolute) that first emanated as the Primeval Sound, . When and were wading through the Jungle after the loss of , the sages who saw them described them as the 'Sun and Moon,' so majestic and magnificent was their mein. They shone with the splendour of courage and determination. When strength of body and steadfastness of mind reinforce each other, one's mein becomes attractive. Youth today has neither physical strength nor mental steadfastness, so young people appear old very early in life. When the body is weak, the mind, too, gets weak. You must try to develop physical wen-being and health, for a gem has to be treasured in a safe, strong box. The gem of Divinity that is your reality also has to be kept In a strong box, namely, the body.

3

Lesson for today's youth from the life of Even during their boyhood and were careful about how they dressed. During the period of their early spiritual apprenticeship, they discarded princely robes, even though tempted them to wear costly jewels and clothes. When in the forest as exiles, they wore deerskin and had their hair knotted on top. They argued that a dress must be worn for one's own satisfaction and not in order to imitate someone else. They were never slaves to fashion or convention. They laid down the norms for others and never Imitated others Just to earn their favour.

4

Heroism was the hall-mark of the brothers. They met every obstacle squarely and exhibited the necessary enterprise and ability to meet and overcome opposition. The youth of today have to 'learn this lesson. They quaff before the tiniest obstacle and lose heart at the first difficulty they encounter. Like the heroes of the they should march forward bravely, whatever the handicap, in either the secular, the moral or the spiritual fields of activity. When the truth of One Reality in all, the Reality of God, is revealed, then there will be no more room for anger or hatred. They will seek and see only the good in every one. At present the passion In their eyes colours their version.

5

could not tolerate separation from , while composing his epic poem, , wrote that the flowers in the gardens of were white. , who was present unseen, manifested himself, his face full of dissent, for he said that they were red and not white, as he had himself seem them: refused to amend the adjective, but insisted that the error be corrected. The argument almost turned into a scuffle and Himself had to intervene. He told that since anger against (demons) had reddened his eyes, the white flowers appeared red to him.

6

had a pure heart from his very birth. As he grew up he was able to overcome the urges of his senses and establish himself as their master. His character was above reproach. He eagerly welcomed any order from and enjoyed fulfilling it to the best of his ability. spent the first two days of his life wailing aloud in the lap of , his mother. She tried all remedies, magical and ritual, to console him, but the baby would not be consoled or persuaded to eat or to sleep. She consulted , the Royal Preceptor, who advised that be laid beside in the palace of . She did as directed, and in the company of 's child slept soundly and played most happily. He could not tolerate separation from . His greatest desire was-to be in 's presence. He followed like his shadow, never residing in a place where was not present. was all that he wanted, all that he cared for.

7

Steadfast loyalty of to When started out into exile in the forest wearing garments of bark, , too, did the same. For fourteen years he watched over his brother and his wife, guarding them day and night without any regard for his own comfort or even for sleep or food. pays great tribute to for this devoted service. According to him, when returned to after his period of exile, the citizens in cheered at the distant sight of the flag on top of the chariot which was bringing him. But they did not know, he says, that the pole which carried the flag of 's triumph was , the devoted brother. How could the flag fly so splendidly without the dedicated service, the undaunted courage and the steadfast loyalty of the brother who gladly shared the travails of exile with ? In the course of enactment as a (man) named on earth, He had a crucial role to play. laid down his life for the purpose of realising the Mission of the (divine incarnation). He never transgressed by as much as a step, the boundary laid down by . When ordered him to raise a fire into which was advised to step as part of the fire-ordeal to prove her chastity to the world, obeyed with a bleeding heart. When ordered him to take out into the forest and leave her alone and unguarded there, obeyed, though his heart was wrung with pain.

8

gave up everything to serve There were two occasions when had unfortunately to go against the specific orders of . When , after enticing a long distance away by assuming the form of a golden deer, was finally killed by him, he imitated 's voice and cried out before dying, "O ! O ! Help me, Help Me!" , knowing this to be a trick of the (demon) , and In accordance with 's instructions, did not leave 's side. However on 's firm Insistence to trace 's cry for help and on being accused by her of ulterior motives, he finally left her alone at the hut and went in search of .

9

The second instance occurred towards the end of the period. The Gods sent himself to , to remind him that his life as an could be ended and all the Divine participants could return to their Heavenly abode. When came into the audience hall, directed to be at the entrance and not allow any one to enter and Interrupt the conversation. He told him to be vigilant, on pain of death. While was keeping watch, the short-tempered sage, , approached him and demanded entry. He was furious on being stopped and threatened to lay a terrible curse of destruction on , its inhabitants and. on the entire clan. weighed the pros and cons and concluded that his death would indeed be a lesser calamity than the destruction of the entire population of . So he admitted and gladly received the punishment. decided every act of his on the touch-stone of either 's wish or the general good. He gave up everything - his wife , his mother and the princely life at - for the chance of serving and furthering His mission. When he killed in battle, embraced him with unbounded joy, and exclaimed, "Ah, dear brother! What a great victory you have achieved today. Now I feel as if I have already got back."

10

Humility, heroism and noble character of Between and there was never any trace of envy or suspicion. was supremely indifferent to what was happening around him If it did not affect . His greatness is immeasurable. He served every day for fourteen years, but never once raised his eyes to her face. His conduct was the height of righteousness. When the bundle of jewels that had thrown along the way while being abducted by was retrieved by the at Hill, they handed it over to . brought it before and for identification. When asked whether he could identify any of the jewels as belonging to , said that he could vouchsafe for the genuineness of only one jewel - that which wore on her ankles. He saw it every day when he fell at the feet of and so could recognise it as unmistakably hers. Such was the noble character of 's brother. When fainted during the battle with , the latter wanted to lift his unconscious body and carry him into as a hostage. But since was the incarnation of the cosmic serpent, , he was tremendously heavy and could not be moved. So gave up the idea and went away. Meanwhile arrived there, and on his uttering the name of , 's weight was reduced to that of a feather, so responsive was he to even in his unconsciousness. This is a measure of the humility and the heroism of this great-brother of .