Ramayana - The Divine Master Plan · Sathya Sai Speaks 2002

Ramayana - The Divine Master Plan

22 May 2002, Summer Course 2002, Brindavan

Published English.

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The principle of attracts everybody. Such a principle can be explained for days one end and still cannot be explained satisfactorily. As you keep hearing the song of the cuckoo bird, it may bore you after sometime. As you keep drinking, even the nectar may taste sour at some point of time. But the story of can be read any number of times and it would still feel new. He who sings, or reads, or hears, or gets to read this sacred story of will find it highly nectarine.

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No one knows the origin of the or from when it was being sung in public. However, based on certain evidences, scholars have made a few predictions. The conversation that was having with while abducting her gives a hint of the age of the characters in the epic, in that era. told , "My age is now 2000 years, your husband is just 40 years of age, and your own age is 39 years."

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is a daughter of Goddess Earth - . She is therefore also called . When went to lift Lord 's bow, rejoiced. The various kings and princes who had assembled were not of the right age for . Their looks were of no match to those of . Only looked extremely youthful. His physical features were beyond description. He was extremely handsome. decided that was the right match for . She saw to it that there was no obstruction on 's path to victory in the assembly. When lifted Lord 's bow, He used his left hand. This indicates that required just His left hand to accomplish something that others found impossible. This was actually the great strength of mother earth at work. She reduced the weight of the bow and enhanced 's strength. In this way, mother earth always conducted herself as occasion demanded.

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was abducting across the ocean to . He was highly materialistic and hence wanted to impress with glimpses of his riches, power, opulence, and acquisitions. With this intention, he took into the inner apartments of his palace. But didn't open her eyes to any of these.

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was very sad at the turn of events. She advised thus, "Oh! Lord! Why are you inviting your doom? Rightly is it said that as the time of destruction approaches, good sense takes leave. Why did you have to bring here such a chaste and pious lady like ? This is our fate. You are not making attempts to understand the true nature of mother . For that, you need to know and control yourself first. She definitely cannot stay in the inner palace. Instead select a peaceful location and put her there, so that she can derive some solace by thinking about Lord ."

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Paying heed to 's advice, set up a small house in the (small forest of Ashoka trees) for to live in peace.

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is ranked as an ideal wife because, like a minister who warns his king against danger, she gave timely advice to and made sincere attempts to prohibit him from going astray. She told him, "Lord! Instead of doing (thoughts about Lord ) you are doing (indulging in lustful thoughts). You will never face good times. Your doom is approaching. This is why you are entertaining such wicked, destructive thoughts. You should never cause a woman to cry and make her shed tears. If you do, for every tear that she sheds, you will have to shed a thousand. Never hurt a woman. She should never be made to worry." Thus tried her best to make realize his folly.

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One day, herself went to . She implored, "O daughter of Mother earth! Accept my salutations. You are a chaste and noble lady. You are highly sacred and pure. My husband is an evil man. His evil deeds are dragging him to his destruction. It is said that,

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His bad intentions are making him evil. Please forgive him and save me from widowhood." This episode of pleading with is not chronicled in any version of the .

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Meanwhile, was totally lost in contemplation of . 's pleas did not even register in her.

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At such a time, what was the situation in ? Just like the situation today, people were highly agitated. There was a strange sense of uneasiness and unrest amongst the citizens. They suppressed their sufferings in their heart and would not express them freely for fear of persecution by .

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Meanwhile, 's wife took upon herself the task of serving . She had several conversations with and tried to give her strength. She said, "Mother! I am indeed fortunate to serve such a holy person like you. Your pure character alone can lend some peace to . is no ordinary king. He is exceptionally wicked, and it is our misfortune that you have got caught in his hands." did her best to thus console and lift her spirits.

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One night, had a prophetic dream. She had a daughter named , who had an identical dream. The dream vividly showed as being totally dry and arid. It showed all the trees as having withered and fallen. The royal palace was seen utterly ruined, and was stumbling about without even water to drink. This was the dream. She understood that what she saw to be 's fate was a direct consequence of his own wicked deeds. At the same time, she could not but help feel sad.

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Meanwhile, appeared at the Ashoka gardens. He visited everyday to announce the countdown to the number of days left for her to accept him. would remain oblivious to all such threats.

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One day, approached , caught Her feet and prayed, "Mother! This has been a unique good fortune that I have had. My daughter also has been blessed by this opportunity. My husband is a person of sound character. He is also a devotee of . He has surrendered himself to at the seashore. I am thrilled that our entire family has had this unique opportunity of being at 's service."

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felt a little peaceful when she heard this from ; she realized that she had someone She could trust, around her.

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At that moment, entered the scene. He had been searching for all over . He was constantly censuring himself at the predicament he was in. To find , he was forced to look amongst and at the ladies. He hence entered the inner apartments of the palace. He could feel the evil vibrations from the cruel demonesses who inhabited the rooms. Their actions were most grotesque. scolded himself, "Alas! What a sin I am committing! Are these the scenes I am expected to see? These eyes must see the divine form of Lord and not such ugly spectacles. Yet, I am forced to do so if I must succeed in finding . I must not allow these situations to overcome me." So strengthening his resolve, climbed over the walls of the inner chambers and continued his search.

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At the time when was captured and brought before , an interesting conversation took place between the two. was holding a court in a gigantic hall of the palace. looked at the captive and demanded, "You are a monkey. You have destroyed entire gardens. Who has sent you here, O foolish fellow?"

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was no ordinary being! He replied using the same harsh language, "Foolish fellow! The same hero who chopped off the ears and nose of your sister has sent me here!"

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was angry at this. He threatened , "You impudent fellow! No king has dared address me in such derogatory terms! Watch your tongue, or I shall silence it forever!".

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shot back, "Maybe none has dared to demean you like this. I am 's servant, and I will definitely talk to you in this tone for you deserve nothing better!"

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This was the conversation between and . had already got the news of visiting and the exchange of messages between the two. When set fire to and went back, started worrying that would definitely come, anytime from then on. He looked at the possible defeat at 's hands. These were the effects of his own guilty conscience! It led him to hallucinate all such scenarios and did not give him a moment's peace!

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We shall now go back to 's search for . was on the rooftop of the inner apartments, and from a distance, he espied the tall trees of . He jumped and reached the gardens. And there, under a tree, he finally saw the forlorn form of Mother . She was definitely very sad. climbed the tree under which she sat and started singing the glory of 's son from the beginning.

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was perplexed and looked up in astonishment. She wondered, "Who is this monkey?" She had never seen a (monkey) before. Hence, was a total stranger to .

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As an answer to her enquiring look, respectfully folded his palms and said, "Mother! I am a servant of Lord . I am here to serve Your lotus feet."

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's arguments didn't have any effect on . She didn't acknowledge his presence or his explanations. It was her bitter experience that the demons acquired a variety of forms and were masters of illusory tactics. She suspected that too was a part of such a ploy.

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jumped down from the tree. Constantly chanting the name of , he addressed , "Mother! Here is proof of my identity." He then handed over to the ring given by to him.

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respectfully pressed the ring to her eyes. She told , ", how lucky you are! Did Himself give you this ring? This was a gift to my Lord from King at the time of my wedding. Where is now? How is He?" She eagerly enquired about the Lord in this way.

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gave her courage by saying, "Mother! Be brave, He is coming shortly. He shall definitely come and take you back with Him. You must not worry. If You are anxious and permit this humble servant, please sit on my back. I shall fly you to immediately."

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smiled and said, ", if I was to sit on your back and go back to , you would be accused of committing the same sin of abduction as . I don't want you to get such a bad name. Himself must come. He must kill and release me from this prison. Till then, I shall wait and put up with this torture. Kindly carry this news to my Lord ." With great reluctance and sadness, she gave permission for to leave.

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couldn't bear to see the sadness in . He decided to teach the demons a lesson and proceeded to lay the beautiful gardens to utter waste, . He was finally captured and brought before .

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accused of being a sinner and a wicked king. He told that it was the misfortune of the citizens of to have him as their king. If the ruler was so wicked, he wondered, what could be said about the ruled? poured scorn on thus.

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Later, when he reached , conveyed the good news to Him. , , , and all other (monkeys) were waiting eagerly on the seashore. landed in front of them. He was greeted with congratulations and benedictions of victory from the ecstatic battalions of . They praised and said, "! It is by such timely, helpful and sacred spirit of service to that you have won His heart. You have indeed brought good news. May all auspiciousness greet from now on."

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Before took leave of , she gave him her crown jewel. This was one among several that were presented to her by Sage 's wife, . was aware of this jewel. The moment handed over this to ; was both joyful and agonized. He heard the news that was safe. This gladdened His heart. explained to everything that had occurred in .

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Oh! , listen to my prayers! Accept the sacred jewel has sent for you. I have seen shivering like a parrot in a cage. Surrounded she is by a number of fierce demonesses. Oh! How they scare her by their threats and weapons. Poor mother can only bow her head in fear and anguish. Oh! , listen to my prayers! Firstly, there is . Then comes the commander in chief, . The vast courtyards, the palatial bungalows, The big markets, and the dazzling orchids, I have seen them all! Oh! listen to my prayers!

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In this way, described in great detail everything that he had seen in . Hearing about 's plight, immediately grabbed his bow and arrows. He urged his brother to get up and act immediately. He said, "This is not the time to rest even for a moment. Let us proceed immediately and put an end to Mother 's plight and bring Her back safely."

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calmly replied, "Peace, peace, peace! One should not act in haste. Without proper enquiry, investigations, and planning, any action can produce only negative results. Let us therefore proceed cautiously."

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sent instructions to his friends and kinsmen to mobilize a huge army. He instructed that the army enter , destroy , and only then return.

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With such enthusiasm and vigour, the army, comprising experienced heroes like , , , and others, soon reached the shores of . The entire city was panic-stricken. The army was all over the countryside around . They were on the hills, on the treetops, on the plains, and everywhere! The Lankans were strangers to monkeys till they saw . The memory of the destruction that caused during his previous visit was all too fresh in their minds. They were wondering among themselves.

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Oh! Where from has this terrible monkey come? Who has sent this messenger of destruction to ? Our houses are in ruins, our families are homeless. All the houses are on fire, oh! Where are we to take shelter? We hear he is 's messenger come to see . He is contented with the cooling vision of . But his anger has heated up our ! Oh! What destruction! What a calamity! Our city lies in ruins, thanks to the monkey! Oh! Where from has this terrible monkey come? will face certain ruin. He has abducted chaste and pious . If the messenger be so strong, Oh! What to say of the Master!

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In this way, the citizens of were terror stricken. The monkey that had caused tremendous destruction earlier had now reappeared with more of its kind! 's ministers, courtiers and allies were at a loss as to what to do.

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How did the (monkey) army cross the ocean? The mighty could do it, but what about the entire army? propitiated the God of Ocean with an arrow. The deity responded and facilitated the crossing.

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The were raising war cries against the demons. could not stand the noise. A fierce battle was imminent. was sure to meet his end in the war. This was also the popular sentiment of the citizens of . They all wondered, "Why is this wicked person so keen to meet his doom? He is aiming to burn to ashes not just himself but his entire kingdom as well". Everybody was thus criticizing within themselves. None of them entertained any pleasant feelings for .

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War commenced. It was a fierce pitched battle. , the son of , who had defeated himself, entered the battle. He was the eldest son of . It was the second day of the battle. He was geared splendidly in the war attire. The mistook him to be himself. He caused a great deal of havoc and destruction in their ranks. There was none in the army equal to him in might and valour.

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approached and explained, "! You must kill him somehow. If you kill him, it is as good as striking at himself. is a mighty support for 's army. If you hit his thumb, he is sure to fall".

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And so it was done as told. fell. was observed wiping his tears. was surprised. He asked , "So many have died in the battle. But why do you weep for alone?"

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replied, "Lord! He was like my only son. It is with this filial attachment that I weep. But in truth, it was vital that be removed from the scene. 's arrogance was primarily based on the might of . There are several more such heroes on whom depends".

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In this way, gave a brief account of several warriors in 's army. Gradually started losing each one of his celebrated generals.

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Soon, entered the fray. But he too met his end. How can one expect a person to fight when he is always either eating or sleeping? A poet once explained an interesting aspect in the names of the three brothers. These names are written as, , , and . The second syllable in all the names is that of ''. The syllable '' signifies 'AH'. Hence, it is indicated that they would all be burnt to ashes.

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Finally, himself came to the battlefield. Deep within himself he was worried; but he hid it and fought. As each of his head was knocked off, another took its place. It was proving to be impossible to vanquish .

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Once again, it was who revealed to the secret of 's invincibility and directed where the arrow had to be shot. He said, " ama! There is no sin in betraying such a wicked person. His death is highly beneficial for the world. I don't aspire for or desire to rule the kingdom. But this evil must be killed."

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followed 's directions and shot his arrow. fell on the battlefield.

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came running and wailed in agony, "Lord! I warned you several times not to meddle with chaste and pious married women. I told you not to cast lustful eyes on spiritually accomplished women. You are now reaping the consequence of your sins. You have accumulated plenty of vices. I tried to dissuade you. But you would never pay me any attention." It is rightly said,

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Of what use is one's accomplishment if one doesn't listen to good advice? One is bound to be ruined. too could not escape this fate, and he paid for it with his life.

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The rejoiced at 's fall. They had also lost a number of their own members.

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was brought to . Strangely, wouldn't raise his head to look at . was highly anxious and eager to catch a glimpse of . She had been away from her husband for ten months and wanted to see Him at least once. did not seem to show any interest. Instead, He ordered to light a fire for to prove Her chastity. It was 's intention that pass through the fire and prove to the world that She was blemishless, sacred, and pure. It was only after this proof that was willing to accept Her.

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knew about 's innocence, but the world was bound to spread rumours about Her character. If were to prove Herself with a trial by fire, none would dare open their mouths.

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saluted , circumambulated the fire thrice, and hurled Herself into it.

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The Fire God appeared. He proclaimed, "! is innocent. She is a highly accomplished, sacred, and virtuous lady. There is no need for you to prosecute Her. I am withdrawing and extinguishing Myself."

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Thus was brought to . The monkeys were all agog to catch a glimpse of Mother and fell one over the other in total disarray in their eagerness to see . accepted as His own.

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Meanwhile brought the aerial vehicle - - and put it at 's disposal. This vehicle belonged to the stepbrother of . had vanquished him in battle and usurped it. , , , , , and all others boarded the vehicle and proceeded to fly toward .

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At the same time, was eagerly awaiting 's arrival. The deadline had given him for His reaching was over that day. He was disturbed with anxiety as to whether would come or not. He had a chariot kept ready to receive and take Him to . Shortly, to his great joy he saw approaching in the sky. The citizens of were overjoyed. Their hearts were dry without seeing for fourteen long years. The state of the women was beyond description. They had spent fourteen years in great despair. They were unable to relish their food. They had all become almost skeletons in appearance. They had spent their time chanting 's name and consoling themselves.

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Meanwhile, arrived from with garlands for his brothers and sister-in-law. landed, and everyone alighted from it. And then a wonder occurred. had not seen for a very long time, since was on a self-imposed exile at . He was astonished to see that and looked identical! This wonder was witnessed by one and all. Since had spent every moment of the fourteen years in constant contemplation of , he had acquired 's features and attributes. As everyone was wondering, came to 's rescue. was garlanded, and one garland was presented to . The entire group moved in a procession toward .

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At , there was gaiety and happiness all around. Functions were organized everyday. The populace was extremely happy to get back after fourteen years. This was all due to the power of His Mother's blessings. blessed , "Son! May you pass the fourteen long years like you spent just fourteen minutes. No obstacle will obstruct You because You are the incarnation of Lord . None can trouble You. You will definitely reach safe and sound." She lovingly embraced on His return.

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It was now 's turn. She is a good friend to all. Her virtues cannot be described. She too was thrilled at the victorious return of . She was confident all through that none could harm or cause Him an iota of trouble for the simple reason that no such person could be born. She brought her daughter-in-law to .

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It was fourteen years since and had seen each other. She fell at her husband's feet and said, "Lord! It was your total dedication to that has saved and protected you so far. You would always think of . It was that sacred name that guarded and guided you." She was overjoyed and applied vermilion to 's feet, as was the custom in those days.

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too arrived on the scene. She was not wicked, as is commonly depicted. She was fully aware of the purpose of 's incarnation. She praised that it was her good wishes and blessings that had kept her son safe and secure. The house of was indeed fortunate to have four gems of sons and four equally virtuous daughters-in-law.

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gathered the four couples together, blessed them contently and retired from the scene. She told , "I spent fourteen years life thinking of You. It was my cherished desire that I see You after fourteen years. I have seen You now and sanctified myself. My life's purpose is served." There was nothing else she wanted from life, and she soon died peacefully.

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was also highly contended and at peace with herself. She was subjected to malignant attacks. But she did not heed any attention to them. She was fully aware of the mission that was to undertake. When was very young, she was teaching him archery. had then already cautioned her, " Mother! I incarnated to put an end to the demons. You must plan to be a part of this mission".

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This is the reason that went on to ask the two seemingly heartless boons from . She pretended to succumb to 's wicked promptings and asked to banish . All that was now past. had returned victorious, and everybody was singing praises of His glory. also passed away, contented with her role in the master plan. was decked in all frenzy and rejoiced at the return of her princes.