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Wednesday 25 June 2014

A Journey of Learning - Lord ShriRam

            


              Anything we learn with our hard work can never be forgotten. Hence in olden days kings used to send their sons for training and gaining knowledge near Rishis deep into forests. There they used to serve the Guru and learn their teachings in return. It was believed that it helps the, to be ruler in building a very good attitude. The same way one of our gods, a real human with perfect attitude started his journey of learning from Ayodhya along with his brother Lakshmana and Guru Brahmashri Vishwamitra.



            Lord Shri Raam is the son of King Dasharath, he is fondly loved by his father. He was never away from his father and father was never able to stay away of him. But a sage Vishwamitra who knows the fortune (a fight with the undefeated demon Ravana) of the young princess decide to teach everything he knows. Oneday  Vishwamitra arrives the court of King Dasharath and requests for his help. King Dasharath assures him for anything he needs when he was asked to send out his son Shri Raam as the protector of Yagna to be performed. King Dasharath requests him to take anything but says he cannot send his son. Angry Vishwamitra wishes to leave the kingdom when Dasharath with no choice sends his son Shri Raam and Lakshmana as his protector along with him.

Their journey started across mountains, forests and the young princes who are never away from their fort gets thirsty. Vishwamitra asked the brothers to perform Aachamana (ritualistic sipping of water) with the water of holy river Sarayu and after it Sage initiates them two mantras (sacred verses)- Bala and Atibala ( Mother of all Knowledge) which will keep them fresh and free from fatigue also they will not feel hunger and thirst. Even Rakshas ( demon) cannot approach them though they are asleep. With the Sacred verses the strength of brothers Ram and Lakshman gets doubled. At night they take rest on river bank.


Story of Brahmarshi Vishwamitra

            The story begans when Brahmarshi Vishwamitra starts telling how to destruct ego first after being a king, he tells about himself to Lord Shri ram.


Brahmarshi Vishwamitra was none other than the great king Kaushika (descendant of kusha who is brain child of Lord Brahma).He is the founder of Gayatri Mantra , which is found in the Rig, Yajur and Sama Vedas. One day with his huge army he came across the hermitage of sage Vashista. When the peaceful sage requested him to be his guest. Kaushika thinking that sage cannot feed the entire army rejects his offer. Sage told him not to worry and informed him that he is having the Wish fulfilling cow (Kamadhenu) Sabala with him. He called out the divine cow and it had fed the entire army with a great feast. King thinking that it would be more useful for him than if it is near a sage, asks to give it to him. Sage Vashista smoothly rejects his offer when King gets angry and wishes to take it forcibly. Sabala made her own army to defend against the king kaushika and defeats him. King realizes that the real power is obtained only through penance.



            Defeated King leaves his kingdom in a thought to become more powerful than Vashista commences Penance for 12 years. With his deep Penance he made Indra to think that he will dominate his power. Indra sends Menaka an Apsara to seduce kaushika and disturb the deep meditation. Kaushika loses his concentration and lives with menaka for years. They gave birth to baby girl Shakuntala King after realizing the loss done to him. Menaka leaves her baby and leaves back to heaven. 



           Kaushika requests Sage Kanva to adopt his daughter, when he accepts. He curses Menaka that she will not possess her beauty in next birth. Kaushika continues his meditation again when an attempt to seduce him one more time is done again through Rambha. Kaushika curses her to become a stone for thousand years.


            King Kaushika continues his penance in severe at Himalayas for thousand years. He ceases to eat completely and his yogic powers becomes peak. Indra to test him again takes the form of a poor Brahmin and begs food near kaushik when he is about to eat after years of Tapasya. King Kaushik gives away his food and resumes his tapasya.Thus finally he masters his passions.

            One day Trishanku a friend of Kaushika came to him. He is the Contemporary king of him. Trishanku wanted to go heaven with his body but not with soul. So he goes to sage Vashista who is his guru and requests him to send him with body. Sage Vashista rejects him and hence he reaches Kaushika. Kaushika who is waiting for a chance to prove him more worthy than Vashista immediately sends him to heaven with all his yogic powers. Lord Indra king of heaven throws him down with all the force he have, replying that none one can enter the heaven with his own body. Kaushika holds him in midair and warns Indra for his doing. Indra replies he cannot make an exception to Trishanku. When the angry Kaushika creates another heaven for Trishanku and makes him king for it. His more powers make Indra so miserable and think a lot of him.

            Kaushika turned his name to Vishwamitra and started his penance again for attaining the status of Brahmarshi, to equal Vashista. When he came to know that he can attain it through Vashista and Brahma. He continues his penance and finally both Vashista and Lord Brahma appears before him and gives him the name Brahmarshi Vishwamitra. They reminds him that his fight is to fulfill the greed of having a cow. Vishwamitra thinks what he has done and finally gets into the control of nature. He understands what his ego has done and apologizes to Vashista. Sage Vashista accepts him as his best pal thereafter.. J


There were many stories with Lord Shriraam and Lakshman was explained with morals from Vishwamitra.

Another such story is of Ahalya where he learns how a women has to be respected, while crossing the hermitage of Sage Gautam.



                        Click here for Story of Ahalya a Livingstone…..

Vishwamitra reaches the confluence of Sarayu with Ganges. He says them the story of Ganga descending to earth through their ancestor Bhageeratha.



                        Click here for Story of Ganges ….

For anything on earth woman is the origin and for her Love man or god will do anything. Vishwamitra tells Lord shriram and Lakshmana about the marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvathi. Though shiva is god the obstacles faced by him and how they lived happily forever.



  Click here for Story of Lord Shiva and Parvathi Marriage ….

Vishwamitra teaches lord shriram and lakshman the usage of most powerful weapons such as Brahmastra too in their journey of learning. The young prince becomes more powerful with his new learnings. Vishwamitra tells them that the power can be used only against injustice. He says that any weapon which fights for justice through a truthful person is more powerful than even Brahmastra and hence the arrow of Raam have that power.

Lord Shriram learns what is justice in case of women and When to Kill a Women with the story of Tataki.Tataki is a women demon who is very powerful. She is the mother of Maricha and Subahu- who play a key role in separating Shri ram and Sita devi.



Click here for Story of Killing Tataki and getting rid of her sons….

Knowing the death of Tataki her sons act upon rage. They reach the Yagna place of Vishwamitra and tries to disturb it. When the young prince and his brother Lakshman builds a Chakra with arrows above the place which will not allow anything to come beyond from sky. The Yagna went undisturbed with the guarding of  prince Rama and Lakshmana and the proudful guru continues with them for the Sita Swayamwara of King Janaka. King Ravana listens to the name of Lord Shriram for the first time through demon Maricha.


 Click Here for complete story of sita,Videhi and Ravan seetaswayamwar

On a day sita was playing with her friends with a ball and it went under a huge table which is carrying the mighty bow of lord Shiva. This Bow is presented to Janaka through sage vashista which is used during a war between lord Shiva and lord Vishnu. It was very heavy to carry for even 50 best warriors of the country. Devi Sita moves it along with the table using single hand. Looking at the scene king Janaka surprises and decides to give her hand to a person who can really lift the bow and string it.
           
Ravana doesn’t get the invite but still he listening to the beauty of sita wish to visit the swayamwar. He tries to lift the mighty bow of lord shiva and fails. Looking at the failure of demon king everyone withdrew themselves from the competition. Lord Shri Ram takes the bless of his guru Vishwamitra and walks ahead to lift the bow. Before he try to lift it, he prays lord Maha shiv and easily succeeds. While trying to string the bow it cracks and thus he wins on the swayamwar announced. Demon King Ravan for the second time notices the strength of Lord Shri Ram.

            In a Superb manner their marriage is conducted and even today it is believed as the best marriage in India. Along with Lord Shri Ram his three brothers also got married to the sisters of Sita.


Thus Lakshmana is married to Urmila, Bharatha is married to Maandavi and Shatrughna to Shrutakeerthi.


                      *** JAI SHRI RAM***

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