 Rama – Dasaratha and Rama
What a choice!
Viswamitra’s arrival at the court of Ayodhya causes quite a flutter. Here is the king turned sage, whose penance had endowed him with such enormous power that he was out to help Trisanku ascend the heavens in his mortal frame; willed his way to create a parallel universe; did not stop with the attainment of the state of a ‘Maharishi’ or a ‘Rajarishi’ and pushed himself so hard until the very Brahma himself conferred him with the title ‘Brahmarishi,’ and persisted till Vasistha recognised it. Therefore, if at all there was somebody in the world that Viswamitra considered to be a step ahead of him; or a level above him was Vasistha, for his austerities could not be stopped even when the Creator himself conferred him the title; which had to have the stamp of approval by Vasistha and none other than Vasistha. Vasistha, the Master of the race of Ikswäkus was there in the court. Nobody else other than Vasistha could have read the mind of Viswamitra and the purpose of his visit. For the request that he placed before the king was strange indeed.
He had a problem. He was performing a sacrifice, which could not be completed. Every time he sits down for it, perform all the rituals and is about to conclude it, his efforts are marred by two ogres: Märïca and Subähu. “I stand consecrated for a sacrificial performance for the realisation of my aim, O jewel among men,” Viswamitra says, and complains, “Two ogres capable of taking any form at will interrupt the said performance in conjunction with their associates. Towards its conclusion, when the sacred observance had been gone through in a large measure, however, these two notorious Rakshasas, Märïca and Subähu, who are not only possessed of (great) prowess but are highly trained (in the methods of warfare) covered the sacrificial altar with a (large) volume of flesh and blood (dropped from the air).” (Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kanda, Canto 19, Sloka 4 and 5) With the purity of the sacrificial fire and the grounds getting fouled, the sages had to start the process once again from square number one, only to be faced with a similar situation again at the conclusion.
’I can handle the situation myself,’ says Viswamitra. ‘But I am forbidden from taking either a punitive or a preventive measure. I can stop them with a word of mine. But I am not supposed to stir until the completion of the sacrifice.’ “For such is (the character of) that observance no execration can be uttered in the course of it.”
‘There are only four places for us, sages, to take refuge when afflicted,’ begins Viswamitra, accepting the seat of honour offered by Dasaratha. ‘Where can we go? There are only four places that offer protection to sages in distress.
‘veLLip pani varaiyum, pAR kadalum, padhuma pIdatthu annagarum…. ayOdhi ennum ponnagarum…’ We can go to the Mount Kailash and seek refuge in Shiva, or the Milky Ocean to solicit the help of Vishnu or the Brahma Loka. Apart from these three places, there is one city in this world that we can look forward to for protection, Ayodhya.
‘sambaranaik kulathOdum tholaitthu nI koNdu andru aLittha arasu andrO purandharan indru aaLgindradhu’ What Indra is ruling over today is the kingdom that you won back for him, killing Sambara.
Fine. The sages in distress, whenever their askesis are interrupted by demonic forces can seek protection, and go either to the abodes of the Trinity, or to Ayodhya for alleviation of distress. Dasaratha has a track-record. He has assisted Indra and killed Sambara in his super-human effort. Indra, the most powerful head of celestials got his heavenly kingdom with the prowess of Dasaratha.
Dasaratha was immensely pleased. The first impression that he got was that the sage was calling him to personally guard his sacrifices.
‘karai seyya ariyadhu Or pEr uvagaik kadal peruga,’ A shoreless ocean of happiness overwhelmed his heart.
‘araisu eydhi irundha payan eydhinEn,’ said he. ‘I have attained the fruit of my kingship. This is the ultimate of duties that a king can perform. I am blessed today. Yes my revered sire, here we go.’
But, as we know, it was not the services of the much experienced battle-force, the slayer of Sagara that Viswamitra wanted. What he wanted was this inexperienced boy. Nor more than sixteen years old. Who has not seen a single battlefield until then. Who has, perhaps, attained a senior level training in archery and the use of other weapons; but still had to undergo training in the art of war. The enemies that he was supposed to fight was not other simpler, skilled human beings; but demons. Demons who were in the words of Viswamitra, “possessed of (great) prowess but are highly trained (in the methods of warfare)”.
What a choice! Leave alone a father, which king would be prepared to entrust such a sacred duty, which calls for a skill of a superior kind, experience of extraordinary nature, established track-record, to a slip of a boy! This boy is still in the process of learning. His skills were untested; unproved and unknown at that time, though he has been acknowledged to be the finest of archers, as a student. And the persons he was supposed to ward off, and kill were giants, literally as well as figuratively, in the art of war.
If Dasaratha shuddered at the very thought of sending Rama with Viswamitra, was he not justified! He would have felt the same way if Viswamitra had asked for someone else, who was equally inexperienced. But this was his ‘most endeared son’!
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