Balakanda
In the Skanda Purana, Sanatkumar explained about Valmiki to the sage Vyasa . The name of the son of a Brahmin couple named Sumati and Kaushik was Agnisharma . That Agnisharma did not have much interest in education, that is, the Vedas, etc. There was a famine in that kingdom and no one was doing charity to anyone. So Agnisharma went to the forest with his wife, children, and parents and lived on the roots and honey that were found there. Since he did not have much interest in education, he became friends with the thieves there and started stealing. Once, he stopped some sages who were passing by and said, "Give me what you have, or I will kill you. " Atri, one of those sages, asked Agnisharma, "Why are you doing these thefts?" Sharma said, "To support my wife and my parents who trusted me." If so, did you ask any of your family members to share the sins you have committed due to the thefts you have committed so far? Atri Maharshi asked. When Sharma asked the same question to his family their response was, "It is your duty to provide for us, so you should provide for us. You brought us, we will enjoy it. But, you yourself should face the result of how you brought us". Feeling very sad, he came back to those sages and asked them to tell him the way to get rid of his sins. Atri Maharshi said, "Meditate" and left. After 13 years, when those sages were returning on the same path, they saw a big ant hill there. Ant hills grew on Agni Sharma, who was immersed in meditation. Since he was in an unconscious state even after being surrounded with ant hills ( Valmika ) on him, they called him Valmiki and asked him to come out. This became his name. Then those sages told him to go north and meditate to God. Valmiki Maharishi went to a place called Kushasthali and worshipped Lord Shiva. Then Brahma gave him the fortune of being able to write the story of Vishnu. That is, he received the blessings of the Trinity.
The first verse was written by Valmiki Maharishi in the Ramayana. This means that the ascetic Valmiki Maharishi is preparing to question the ascetic, sage, and great orator Narada Maharishi . What did Valmiki Maharishi ask Narada? He asked, "If there is a virtuous, brave, and humble person in this world, one who is grateful, one who speaks the truth, one who has a strong constitution, one who has a history, one who seeks the good of others, one who is wise, one who is a warrior, who has so much aura that enchants everyone, one who is courageous, one who conquers anger, one who is radiant, one who sees the good in others, one who can use anger when necessary, tell me."
It is difficult to have all the qualities you have mentioned in one person, but there is one, I will tell you about him now, said Sage Narada. A man named Rama was born in the Ikshvaku dynasty. Narada told Sage Valmiki a summary of the Ramayana in 100 verses, and mentioned he had the 16 qualities you asked for. After saying this, Narada left. Hearing this, Valmiki was very happy. In the middle of that day, he went to the banks of the Tamasa River with his disciple Bharadwaja to perform the evening prayers. At the same time, he saw two cranes mating on a tree . Just then, a hunter who came there, determined to be a sinner, shot the male crane through the heart. The female bird circled around the fallen male bird crying. Until then, Valmiki Maharshi, who had been thinking about the Ramayana in his mind, was saddened by this incident and unexpectedly said something through his lips which meant,
"O wicked Hunter! the one who killed one of the two birds in a mating ritual, may you not live long because of your sin."
He finished his bath and left for the hermitage, but these words kept on circulating in his mouth, and those birds were still fresh in his mind. His disciples also memorized these words, and thus it took the form of a verse. Meanwhile, Four headed Brahma appeared there. Valmiki Maharshi, who was astonished, took Brahma to the ashram and made him sit down. Brahma said, "O Brahmin! That verse that came from your mouth is the story of the Ramayana. By the grace of my power Saraswati, you have recited the Ramayana today. My dear, I am giving you a boon. If you sit down and start writing the Ramayana, not only will you know what Rama, Lakshmana, Sita, the demons, etc. have said, but also what they were thinking. The Ramayana will last as long as there are rivers and mountains on this earth. Not a single word in it is false or fabricated. You should start writing the Ramayana," he said, and left.
When Valmiki Maharshi sat in meditation, he saw the entire Ramayana that had been bestowed upon him by Brahma. He started composing the Ramayana with a total of 24,000 verses, 6 chapters, one chapter more on top of the 6 chapters, and 500 sargas. Then he asked the Lavakushas there to sing this Ramayana. They then started singing the Ramayana and reached Ayodhya and sang in the presence of Rama as well.
The beginning of the story
Beginning the Ramayana, sage Valmiki says this:
In ancient times, there was a great kingdom called Kosala. Manu built Ayodhya, the capital of that country, with the power of his will. That city was 12 yojanas long and 3 yojanas wide (yojana = 9 miles). In the middle of that city, King Dasharatha lived in the royal palace. All the roads in that city were wide and always filled with fragrant incense. All crops like rice and sugarcane grew well in that kingdom. There was no unnecessary land in any house. Everyone in the city of Ayodhya was very happy, everyone knew the Dharma, everyone was satisfied with what they had, everyone gave charity, everyone spoke the truth, everyone was wealthy, the city was adorned with cows, horses, and elephants. There was no one in the city of Ayodhya who did not have earrings, a crown, a garland of flowers, or ornaments on his hands. No one was a thief or an atheist.
King Dasharatha was always assisted by 8 prime ministers, namely Drishti, Jayanta, Vijaya, Siddhartha, Ardhasadhak, Ashoka, Mantrapalaka, and Sumantra . Vasishtha and Vamadeva were the Ritvikas who always advised King Dasharatha . There were also other Brahmins and ministers. Those ministers were highly educated, knew how to work, controlled their senses, were wealthy, knowledgeable in the sciences, and had a clear mind. In that Kosala country, there was not a single person who was infatuated with an extramarital wife. Despite all this, King Dasharatha had one problem. He was sad that he did not have a son who would be the heir to the throne. He had already completed 60,000 years. He had the idea of performing the Aswamedha sacrifice, and immediately called Sumantra and asked him to call the Ritviks Vasishtha, Vamadeva and other priests. He told everyone his idea. Everyone agreed. They brought all the necessary ingredients for the Aswamedha sacrifice and built a sacrificial hall on the northern bank of the Sarayu river. King Dasharatha was the leader of the south and had more than 300 wives. But the queens were Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. Since he was starting the sacrifice, he asked his wives to take initiation. When Dasharatha was going to the inner sanctum Sumantra told the below.
Once upon a time, Sanatkumar told the sages that King Dasharatha, who was born in the Ikshvaka dynasty, having no sons would perform the Ashwamedha sacrifice. He would have four sons through that sacrifice. But along with the Ashwamedha sacrifice, he would also have to perform the Putrakameshti sacrifice . The one who could perform these two sacrifices was Rushyasringa. Sumantra said to King Dasharatha, "I heard Sanatkumar saying that only if he performs those sacrifices will children be born. Rushyasringa is in the nearby Anga kingdom, so go and get him."
Then King Dasharatha said, "Tell me in detail about that Rushyasringa." Sumantra started explaining: "In the past, when the sage Vibhandaka had been doing penance for a long time and went to a lake to bathe, seeing Urvashi who was going that way, the semen from the sage got into the lake. A deer that was drinking from the lake, became pregnant, and gave birth to a child with a horn on its head. Since he was born with a horn on his head, he was named Rushyasringa. That sage Vibhandaka taught Rushyasringa all the Vedas, scriptures, and sacrificial rites. But he raised Rushyasringa without any knowledge of the world, even not knowing that there are two kinds of beings in this creation, male and female. That is, he raised him without going towards sensual pleasures. He always stayed in that hermitage, next to his father. Due to the transgression of Dharma by the king of Anga (Romapada), the rains stopped falling in that kingdom. There was a famine in the country. Some sages said that if Rusyasringa steps into our country, rains will definitely fall.
When the king immediately called the ministers and told them the matter, they said that it was not up to them to bring Rushyasringa, and asked why would he come to our kingdom when he has no desires? But they suggested that Rushyasringa also has senses and a mind. They have not yet developed a taste for them and have not turned towards sensual pleasures. Therefore, if some beautiful prostitutes are sent, in absense of Vibhandaka, they will attract and tempt the mind of Rusyasringa. Then he will come with them, the ministers advised.
Due to the fear of the prostitutes towards Vibhandaka, they stayed away from the hermitage and started singing and dancing. One day, when Vibhandaka was not there, Rushyasringa, who heard singing, went towards the direction of the singing. Seeing the prostitutes there, he thought they were men and said, "Great men! Come to our hermitage, I will worship you." Everyone went to Vibhandaka's hermitage. When the prostitutes left the hermitage, they hugged Rushyasringa tightly and left. The next day, Rushyasringa felt sad and wanted to see the prostitutes, so he went to them. This time, they asked him to come to their hermitage, which was a little distance away. Everyone agreed and set off. As soon as he entered the land of Anga, A huge rain fell from the sky. Immediately, Romapada bowed to Rushyasringa, prayed, took him to the inner palace, gave him his daughter Shanta in marriage.
So, King Dasharatha himself went to the kingdom of Anga to call Rushyasringa. After staying there for 8 days, while leaving, Dasharatha said to Romapada, "There is an important work in our house, so will you send your daughter and son-in-law with me?" Romapada happily sent them. Dasharatha was very happy and took them to Ayodhya.
After some time, one day, King Dasharatha came to Rishyashrunga and said, "Sir! I am childless and very sad. What sin is preventing me from having children? To remove that sin, you should perform the Ashvamedha sacrifice prescribed by the Vedas." He clasped his feet and prayed. Rishyashrunga then said, "As soon as the thought to perform the sacrifice came to your mind, good things already began happening to you. Therefore, you will be blessed with four sons who will be brave and famous throughout the world." On the full moon day of the Chitra star in the month of Chaitra, the sacrificial horse was brought and tied to a pillar, and it was blessed, bathed, and after performing some other rituals, the sacrificial horse was released. It will roam like this for 12 months, and the great warriors follow it. Before the horse returns, that is, on the new moon day of the month of Phalguna, the king must enter the yagashala. Therefore, King Dasharatha called Rishyasringa and Vasishtha and asked them to start the yaga. He invited kings, people, folk, Vedic Brahmins, and scholars from other countries to that yaga. Meals were served to all those who came. Do not look at those who came from the villages with disdain, and serve everyone with care while serving food, Vasishtha said.
When ten people are having a meal, if some of them say something inappropriate in a fit of rage, you should smile and ignore them. The one sitting in line to eat is God in the form of a guest, so there should be no lack of etiquette, Vasishtha ordered. Similarly, he told the ministers to go to invite King Janaka, the King Kashi, the King Romapada, and the King Kaikeya, and ordered them to arrange accommodation for everyone. In this way, meals are being served to all those who came.
Among those who came there were the elderly, the sick, women, and small children. While eating, they all said, "Ah! How delicious the food is." They wondered when they would be able to eat such delicious food again. King Dasharatha looked at them all and said, "Eat more, eat more." Dasharatha donated money and clothes to all those who came. All those who came said, "Ah! What a delicious meal you have served, what great clothes you have given me, your wish will be fulfilled, you will have sons, and your family will prosper forever."
The yagashala was built very wonderfully. In the yagashala, 21 pillars were erected, 6 made of maredu sticks, 6 made of modugu sticks, 6 made of chandra sticks, 2 made of deodar sticks and one made of sleshmataka stick. Since Dasharatha belonged to the Shukla Yajurveda, the yagashala was built in accordance with it. The yaga was performed strictly as per the procedures. At the end, the horse was brought and tied to the pillar. Kausalya, the queen, killed the yagashava with three swords. That night, Kausalya had to sleep beside the horse that was laid down. The next day, the king has to donate 4 wives to the Ritviks who performed this sacrifice. First, he donates the queen, the wife, the concubine, and finally Phalakali. The Ritviks return the four wives to the king. Then the king takes his wives back and donates money and gifts to the Ritviks. Now, the vapa (the onion-like fat found under the belly of animals) is removed from the horse's body and put in the fire. The king has to inhale the smoke that comes out when the vapa burns in the fire, which is called Aswamedha Yagam. If he inhales it, any sin that prevents him from having children will be removed. Finally, the remaining parts of the horse's body are offered as Havisu in the fire. King Dasharatha then donated his kingdom to the Ritviks, and they said, "We cannot bear the burden of this land, you are the king, you should rule it yourself," and returned the kingdom to the king. Since a sacrifice without giving fee should not be performed, King Dasharatha donated 10 lakh cows, 100 crore gold coins, and 400 crore silver coins to the Ritviks. He donated one crore gold coins to all the other Brahmins who came there. Sage Rishyasringa got up and said "O king! In order for you to have children, I will perform a gigantic ritual that is nothing but putrakameshti as mentioned in the Atharva Veda.
While the ritual was being performed, all the gods, Yakshas, Gandharvas, Kimpurushas, etc., came and stood to receive their respective portions. Then Brahma also came there. Everyone went to him and said, "Great Father! You appreciated the penance of Ravana and gave him many boons. He is proud of the boons you gave him. The sun does not shine brightly due to fear of Ravana, the sea remains calm without waves, the wind blows softly by Ravana even when it is not needed. In this way, he torments the rulers, prevents the yagnas from being performed anywhere, tortures the sages, and enjoys the wives of others as his own. We are suffering so much, so please tell us the way to kill him," the gods requested Brahma. Then Brahma said, "I am also listening to his misdeeds. He has pleased me with his penance and has asked for a boon without death from the demons, the gods, the yakshas, the gandharvas, the kinneras and the kimpurushas, but due to his lighter demeaning view for humans, he did not ask for the exception from humans or apes." Everyone present was happy that a way had been found. Without looking at whether anyone had called him or not, the Supreme Soul, the embodiment of great kindness, Shri Mahavishnu, who was filled with everything, came to the midst of the assembly on his own.
With great intensity like the sudden appearance of a black cloud, With a beautiful form, a garland of Vyjayanti around his neck, and holding a conch shell, a chakra, a mace, and a lotus, Lord Vishnu made a vow. "Don't worry, I know all the atrocities that Ravana commits, and I have decided to be born as a human to kill him. He is cruelly tormenting the gods and sages who trust in me, so I will kill him and rule this planet for eleven thousand years, I would be born to King Dasharatha." said the Lord.
The Putrakameshti sacrifice being performed by Rishyasringa was about to be completed. Meanwhile, a divine man dressed in black and red clothes, holding a golden pot with a silver lid in his hand, walked like a lion and called out to King Dasharatha. Dasharatha bowed to him and said, "What can I do for you?" Then the man said, "My dear Dasharatha! I am called the Prajapatriya Purush. I was sent by Prajapati. The pot of sweet pudding in this pot was prepared by the gods. If your wives have this pot of pudding, you will have children. By accepting this pot of pudding, the people of your kingdom will be rich and healthy." He said and left.
Immediately, Dasharatha went to his inner sanctum to give the pot to his three wives. He called all three of them and gave half of the portion to Kausalya, and the remaining half was divided in half again, giving one half to Kaikeya and the other half to Sumitra. After the sacrifice was completed, he gave gifts to all the kings who had come there and sent them away. He paid homage to Rushyasringa, honored him, and sent the holy Rushyasringa away with all due respect. King Dasharatha honored all those who had come to the sacrifice in a befitting manner. After some time, his wives became pregnant.
The one who is Jagannath, the one who is worshipped by all the worlds, remained in Kausalya's womb for 12 months and in the month of Chaitra, on the Navami Tithi, in the Punarvasu star, in the Cancer zodiac sign, Ramachandramurthy was born. At the same time, Bharat was born to Kaikeya in the Pushyami star, in the Pisces zodiac sign . Later, Lakshmana and Shatrughna were born to Sumitra. Dasaratha was very happy to know that he had four sons. All the people of the Kosala country celebrated. At the same time, Brahma held a meeting with the gods. "Lord Vishnu has incarnated as Rama on earth. Create some people from your elements to help Rama in the destruction of Ravana. Due to the curse of Goddess Parvati, you will not have children from your wives, so give birth to monkeys who are equal in strength and valor to you, through Gandharvas, Apsaras, and Kinneras." All the gods were happy that it was our good fortune to be born for the work of Rama. Then Brahma said, "Once I yawned, and the one who fell out of my mouth, was Jambavan . Now you create." Vali was born from Indra's will, Sugriva was born from Surya's will, Tharu was born from Brihaspati's will, Gandhamadana was born from Kubera's will, Minda and Dwivida were born from the Ashwini gods, Neela was born from Agni's will, Hanuman was born from Vayu's side, Sharabha was born from Parjanya, and Sushena was born from Varuna. The sages, who saw the gods creating in this way, thought that they too would do it and created millions and millions of monkeys.
11 days after Rama's birth, the sage Vasishtha gave him a name. Since everyone would be overwhelmed by his qualities, he was named Rama ( Ra means the seed of fire, Ma means the seed of Amrit). Since Soumitri, the son of Sumitra, was immensely wealthy with Lakshmi (Rama's service was his Lakshmi), he was named Lakshmana. Since Kaikeyi's son had the quality of endurance, he was named Bharata and the other one could kill enemies(internal enemies), he was named Shatrughan.
When his sons grew up, Dasharatha became very happy with them. They learned all the Vedas and all the arts. They always worshipped their teachers. They wanted the welfare of everyone in the world. They always served their father. Seeing Rama walking on the royal road with his hair in a bun, Dasharatha thought that Rama was the same as he had been in his youth. The royal couple spent their time happily taking care of their children.
After some time, one day, King Dasharatha said in the assembly, "My children have crossed the age of 12, they are becoming adults, so I want to get them married. Just as Dasharatha was telling them to find suitable relationships, Vishwamitra unexpectedly entered the assembly. Immediately, Dasharatha got up, faced him and welcomed him. It is our good fortune that you have come to our kingdom. Great sages like you do not come casually, so I will happily fulfill your wish," said Dasharatha.
Then Vishwamitra asked, "Dasaratha! Are all the vassal kings subservient to you? are you doing charity properly? are all the ministers serving you?", and after asking many questions of wisdom he said, "I have a wish, which you must fulfill."
"Will you send your eldest son Rama with me, to kill the demons who are obstructing our sacrifices?" asked Vishwamitra. Hearing these words, Dasharatha fell down. Dasharatha, who slowly recovered, said, "My Rama has not even reached 16 years. How can he kill those demons? If you want, I will come with my armed forces and kill that demon. If only Rama himself would come, I will also come with Rama." Dasharatha pleaded. "You think that Rama is a child and cannot do anything, but I know who Rama is, and Vasishtha knows. Rama will definitely return after killing the demons. Since you are the father, you are unable to know because of your filial affection for Rama. Send Rama with me", Vishwamitra said.
Then Dasharatha said, "Please leave me and my son alone." Hearing these words, Vishwamitra became angry and said, "Dasaratha, he who cannot keep his vow and has broken his word, live happily and peacefully with your sons and grandsons." and was about to leave. Immediately, Vasishtha got up, asked Vishwamitra to sit down, and said to Dasharatha, "You have ruled for so long, and you have proved yourself a righteous man. Now, by breaking your word, do you want to be considered unrighteous? Keep your word. Do you know who Vishwamitra is?"
"Vishwamitra is the definition of all the virtues in this world, Vishwamitra is the definition of all the austerities in this world, Vishwamitra is the definition of all the intelligence in this world, by the grace of Shiva, he has read the entire Dhanur Veda, therefore he knows all the weapons and armors in this world. Vishwamitra, who knows all this, can protect himself. But he wanted Rama to get that fame and to impart all the knowledge he knew to Rama, why would you hinder him?" he said.
Dasharatha went to the inner courtyard and told Kausalya to bring Rama. Lakshmana also came with Rama. After saying goodbye, Kausalya sent Rama away. Rama entered the assembly and was blessed by all the sages present. Dasharatha kissed Rama's forehead. With great joy, he told Vishwamitra, "I am placing my son in your hands. Use him however you wish." He told Rama, "Do whatever Vishwamitra says," and set off. Thus, Rama and Lakshmana set out behind Vishwamitra.
Rama and Lakshmana were walking behind Vishwamitra, holding sticks. Valmiki compared it with how Brahma would walk with the Ashwini gods, how Visakha and Skanda would walk behind Shiva, the deity who is the seat of power. They traveled on foot for one and half yojanas on the southern bank of the Sarayu River, and after darkness fell, they rested in a place.
Then Vishwamitra taught Rama two mantras, Bala and Atibala, to Rama the daughters of Brahma. With these two teachings, you will not feel hungry or thirsty, demons will not be able to do anything to you whether you are sleeping or not, and you will have the power of time, memory, and intelligence, he said. Then Rama taught those mantras to Lakshmana. He spread a bed of grass and asked both of them to lie down on it. The two slept comfortably.
Vishwamitra got up early in the morning, performed the rituals of Sandhyavananda, and came to the two children. They were sleeping. Ah! What a luck, he thought to himself and spoke, "Rama, son of Kausalya, the sun is rising in the east, so you should wake up and offer the morning greetings. You are like Shardula among men, who have killed the demons. You should not miss the auspicious time to fulfill divine wishes, so Rama wake up!"
Rama and Lakshmana woke up and completed their duties. They set out again and went to the confluence of the Ganges and Sarayu rivers. There, seeing an ashram, Rama asked whose it was. Then Vishwamitra said, "Once upon a time, when Lord Shiva was doing penance here, Manmada was about to shoot an arrow. This is the place where Shiva burned Manmada with his third eye. This place where all the parts of Manmada were burnt to ashes is called Anga kingdom . When Shankara did penance that day, he had some disciples. From those who had been direct disciples of Shankara to this day, all of them are sinless. Therefore, Rama, sleep here with them tonight." The next day, the great sages present in that ashram arranged a boat for Vishwamitra, Rama and Lakshmana to cross the Ganges River. All three of them traveled in that boat. While the boat was going down the Ganges River, a loud noise was heard somewhere. Then Rama asked Vishwamitra what was the loud noise. Then he said, "Once upon a time, Brahma built a lake on the peaks of Mount Kailash with his mind. The name of that lake is Manasasarovar. The river Sarayu flows from that lake. The holy river Sarayu merges with the Ganges river in this area, and asked them to bow down to that river confluence once." After reaching the other bank, everyone got down and continued their journey through the forest.
As they were going, the chirping birds were making terrible sounds in the forest there, and tigers, lions, and elephants were roaming around. When Rama and Lakshmana asked Vishwamitra why this forest was so terrible, he said, "Earlier, there were two cities here, Malad and Karusha. These two cities, which should have been very happy, are no longer like this today. The reason for all this is a woman named Thataka, who was an Yakshini transformed into a demon and tormented all the people here, that's why there is no one here." Then Rama asked how these cities were formed, and Vishwamitra said, "Once Indra killed a demon named Vrittasura . Since Vrittasura was a Brahmin, Indra became cursed for killing him. Due to that, Indra got two symptoms, he started producing feces in his body, and he also felt hungry. Then he took refuge in the sages, who removed those two symptoms. But these symptoms reached earth at that places namely, Malad and Karusha, so Indra gave a boon that the people here would be happy and joyful.
In ancient times, a Yaksha named Suketu did penance to Brahma because he did not have children. Brahma appeared and gave him a boon that he would not give him sons, but a daughter, who would be very beautiful, and have the strength of thousand elephants. Her name was Thataka . When she reached puberty, he gave her to Sundu in marriage. They had sons named Maricha and Subahu. Because of the strength of thousand elephants, they were proud and roamed the forest as they pleased. One day, Sundu attacked Agastya Maharshi . He got angry and killed Sundu. Seeing this, Thataka came to Agastya Maharshi with her son to attack, and then he cursed Thataka, 'May you become deformed' and cursed Maricha, 'From now, you will become a demon.' Thataka roamed these two cities and she became used to eating human flesh, that is why the people of these cities have left. So Rama, you should now kill that monster. Even if you feel what you are doing is wrong, the king should kill those who are public troublemakers. In ancient times, when a woman like Mandara tried to kill the earth, she was killed, and similarly, when the wife of Bhrigu Maharishi started penance to kill Indra, Lord Vishnu killed her. You also kill this monster, "said Vishwamitra. Then Rama said taking his bow and making a huge sound with its string, "My father told me to do whatever you want me to do, and since you, the Guru, have said so, to save the world, to save the Brahmins, the cows, and all the living beings living here, I, the good kshatriya, will definitely kill Thataka". Hearing that sound, Thataka ran towards the direction from which it was coming and came to the place where Rama and Lakshmana were. Seeing the fierce Thataka, Rama said to Lakshmana, "If anyone sees this Thataka, their heart will stop beating and they will die, Lakshmana."
Thataka jumped on the Brahmarishi Vishwamitra, and he let out a roar and Thataka froze and stood still. It immediately rained stones with its magic, and the dust that the Thataka had thrown up fell into everyone's eyes. Then Vishwamitra said to Rama that there was no point in ignoring it any longer, and to kill it quickly. It is a woman, let's first kill its walking power, and then let's see if it will change. Rama cut off its legs, arms, and Lakshmana its nose and ears. Then the Thataka took on a magical form and disappeared. Just as the invisible Thataka was about to fall on Rama with its heavy body, Rama shot an arrow and killed the Thataka, and its blood flowed like rivers. The gods saw from above and were delighted that the dangerous demon had been killed. Immediately, those gods came to Vishwamitra and said, "Alas! A man of such courage must have all the weapons and armor, so teach Rama and Lakshmana all the knowledge of archery that you know."
Then Vishwamitra gave Rama and Lakshmana the mantra of the Hayashironama and Krauncha Astra. He also gave the mantra of the four ancient weapons, Kankalam, Ghoram, Kapalam, and Kankanam. He also gave the mantra of the Aindrastra, Brahmastra, Brahmashironamakastra, Manavastra, Varunastra, Indrastra, Aishikastra, Gandharvastra, Narayanastra, various thunderbolts, etc. He also gave the mantra for two powerful maces and a great sword called Nandanam . Then all these weapons took a male form and stood beside Rama and told, "We are your servants, what do you want us to do?" He ordered, "All of you go into my mind and keep wandering there, and come out when I call you." They entered Rama in the same way. The next day, Rama said to Vishwamitra. You have instructed me with so many weapons, please instruct me on how to withdraw them as well. After Vishwamitra told Rama the Upasanhara mantras, he also instructed him on some other weapons. After being instructed on all the weapons, they continued their journey. While going like this, they saw an ashram there. When Rama asked whose ashram that was, Vishwamitra said, "Once upon a time, King Bali, the son of Virochana, imprisoned Indra with his power. Then Lord Vishnu came in the form of Vamana and sent Bali to the underworld. This ashram is the ashram where that Vamana performed penance, which is called Siddha Ashram . It is here that Kashyapa Prajapati performed penance, and it is here that Vishnu was born as the younger brother of Indra, Upendra . I am also performing the yagna in this ashram," and everyone went to that ashram. The yagna began in that Siddha Ashram. This yagna will last for 6 nights and 6 days, so you must be careful all the days, and Vishwamitra went into silent initiation. The yagna went well for 5 days, and on the 6th day, the fire-pit suddenly rose. Immediately Rama told Lakshmana to be alert. Just then, Maricha and Subahu came from above with a few thousand demons and poured blood into the fire-pit. Immediately Rama struck Maricha with his Manavastra, and with that blow he fell 100 yojanas away. Subahu was hit with the Agneyastra, his heart was broken, he fell down bleeding and died. All the other demons were destroyed with the Vayuvyastra. After the yagna was completed, Vishwamitra got up and embraced Rama. That night, everyone slept peacefully. Vishwamitra told Rama that King Janaka was performing a great sacrifice in the city of Mithila, and he should also come to that city, as there are two things to see there. Everyone set out for the city of Mithila.
Thus they traveled until they reached the area of the Sona River, which appeared to be very beautiful with fruits and flowers. When Rama asked what made this place so happy and beautiful, Vishwamitra said, "In ancient times, Kush, the son of Brahma, ruled the kingdom. He had four sons named Kusamba, Kushanabha, Adhurtarajasa, and Vasuraja. When the four of them reached youth, Kush called them and ordered them, "You four should build four cities and rule them righteously." Then they built and ruled four cities named Kaushambi, Mahodayam, Dharmaranyam, and Girivrajapuram . We are currently in Girivrajapuram. This city was built by Vasuraja. This city is located between 5 mountains, and the Sona River flows between these 5 mountains, which is why the area here is fertile.
Kushanabha, the second son of Kush, had 100 daughters. All of them were born to the nymph Ghrutachi and to Kushanabha. They were all of extraordinary beauty, as beautiful as the stars. One day, when the daughters of Kushanabha went to the hill and were singing songs and playing the veena and were happy, Vayudev came there. Vayu saw them and said, "You are very beautiful, but since you are human, you cannot remain young for long. After some time, your youth and your beauty will also disappear. Therefore, marry me. If you marry me, you will also remain young forever." Immediately, those 100 maidens said in one voice, "We have immense power of penance, so we can protect ourselves, if we desire we can remove you from your godly position that you are proud of. If we want to marry, then we will marry whoever our righteous father shows us, but we will not decide for ourselves, the day should not come when any woman in this country will decide her own husband instead of her father", said all those maidens in one voice. Angered by their words, the god of wind entered the bodies of those hundred maidens and caused constriction in their organs, due to which they all lost their strength.
Later, all those maidens went to Kushanabhu and told him what had happened. Then Kushanabhu looked proudly at his daughters and said, "My Dear ones! You did not curse the god of wind who put you this position, you were patient! Patience is the jewel that a woman should have. A hundred people together had so much patience at the same time, not one of you got angry, this is beauty. Patience is a gift, the greatest glory of all is patience, there is no sacrifice greater than patience, there is no truth greater than patience, there is no virtue greater than patience, because of that patience this earth stands." At the same time, a Gandharva woman named Somada, the daughter of Urmila, used to serve a sage named Chuli . After serving him for a long time, one day the sage asked her, What can I do for you? Then she replied, "I am not anyone's wife, but from you, who have immense power of penance and the radiance of Brahma, I want a son without physical contact, but with the fruit of mental penance." Then that sage Chuli made a resolution and bestowed a son named Brahmadatta to Somada. Brahmadatta, who was a Brahman by birth, lived in a city called Kapilyam. Kushanabha gave his one hundred daughters to Brahmadatta and arranged their marriage. When they got married to Brahmadatta, their physical disabilities disappeared and they regained their former beauty. Then Somada came and held the hands of each of her daughters-in-law and praised Kushanabha," Vishwamitra told Rama. After hearing this story, everyone set out ahead. Those who set out thus approached the Ganges River, and everyone was very happy when they saw the Ganges. The sages and others present there offered tarpan to their ancestral gods in the Ganges, performed a fire ritual, sat on the bank, and ate the remaining Havis, considering it to be Amrit. Then Vishwamitra began to say this, "Kushanabha had one hundred daughters, but no sons. He started the Putrakameshti sacrifice to get sons for himself. While the ritual was going on, Kushanabha's father, King Kusha, came there and said, 'Your wish will definitely be fulfilled. A son named Gadhi will be born to you and will make the dynasty proud.'" Vishwamitra told Rama that. "I am the son of that Gadhi. I was born in the Kusha dynasty, so I am called Kaushik . My elder sister's name is Satyavati, and her husband's name is Ruchaka . After some time, my brother-in-law left his body. Then my elder sister could not bear it and went to heaven with him. My elder sister flows in the Himalayas as a river called Kaushiki. That is why I mostly stay in the Himalayas, close to my elder sister. Now I have come to this Siddha Ashram to perform a yagna, and I have been protected by your brilliance."
The sages present there told, "Your lineage has become blessed by the birth of a man like you, your lineage has become extremely pure because of your elder sister."
Then Rama asked him how the Ganga got its name Tripathaga. Vishwamitra said this. "In ancient times, there was a mountain king named Himavant and his wife Manorama. Their eldest daughter was Ganga and their second daughter was Uma. When the gods asked Himavant that if he could send the freely flowing Ganga to heaven and they would use the waters of that river, Himavant said yes since it was a divine work. Thus, the Ganga flowed in heaven as a divine river. His second daughter became the wife of Shiva, and upheld her father's name as Hymavati. Ganga, who was extremely pure, was once brought to earth and reached the underworld. Since she flowed in three worlds, Ganga is called Tripathaga".
You can tell us things in a way that sticks in the mind, so tell us more about the Ganges the most holy of all rivers, which can wash away the sins of humans, Rama prayed to Vishwamitra. Then Vishwamitra said this, "Parvati Parameshwara were in union for 100 divine years in Kailash . Hearing this, the gods were surprised, and thought that the brilliance of Parvati Devi and Shankara is extraordinary, so they cannot bear the power born from their union. All these gods went to Kailash and prayed to Shankara. Then Shankara came out. They said to him, Dear Lord! You have been in union with Parvati Devi for 100 divine years, if your brilliance comes in the form of another creature, none of us can bear it, so you keep your brilliance within yourself and do penance with Parvati Devi. Shankara agreed and said, but my power has already started to take a form, now who will bear it, where will I leave it? Shankara asked. Gods told that the earth is filled with your radiance, it will bear, so release it on the earth, they said. Shankara released his radiance on the earth. The radiance he released spread throughout the earth. Meanwhile, Goddess Parvati came out and said to the gods, "You prevented me from having a child, and you made Shankara's radiance fall on the earth. Therefore, none of you will have children from your wives. Since the earth has agreed to bear the glory of my husband Shankara, from now on the earth will take many forms, the earth will have many husbands at the same time, and the earth will bow its head in shame because of its sons, she cursed. Hearing this, the gods bowed their heads and went to their respective places.
Even the earth could not bear the power of Shankara that spread. Then the gods asked Agni to gather with Vayu and absorb this power within himself. Then Agni absorbed that power within himself. Shankara went to the west to do penance with Goddess Parvati. At the same time, a demon named Tarakasura received a boon that he would die at the hands of the child of Parvati and Shankara. Knowing this, the gods went to Brahma, not knowing what to do. Then Brahma thought and said that there is no difference between Ganga and Parvati, the daughters of Himavanta and Manorama, so if this radiance is released in Ganga, the elder sister of Parvati, then Parvati will not get angry. So he asked that Shiva's radiance be released in Ganga. Then the gods went to Ganga and said that for the sake of the divine work, you should accept Shiva's radiance from Agni and conceive. Since it was a divine work, Ganga agreed. Then Ganga took the form of a beautiful woman and accepted that radiance from Agni. As soon as Shiva's radiance entered Ganga, Ganga cried out and asked, "I cannot bear this radiance, what do you want me to do?" Then, as Agni told her, Ganga released that radiance on the ground next to Mount Kailash. Thus, from the luminous form of radiance that fell on the earth, gold and silver were born, and from the feces of that radiance, tin and lead were born, from the alkali of that radiance, copper and iron were born, and from the remaining matter, all the other metals were born and formed into mines. There, golden bushes and saravana bushes grew. Finally, a child's cry was heard from the pond there. While the gods were wondering who would nurse the child who was born, Krittikas, an aspect of Goddess Parvati, said that the child should be called Kartikeya (son of Krittika), as their son, and if so, they would nurse him. The gods agreed to them. Hearing this, the Krittikas happily breastfed the child. The child was born with 6 faces, and since he drank milk from 6 Krittikas with 6 faces at the same time, he was named Shadanana and Shanmukha. Because of the radiance of Shiva that came out of the fire god, he was named Pavaki and Agnisambhavaha and as he was the son of Lord Shiva, he was called Kumaraswamy. Similarly, because he was born when Shiva's energy was released, he was called Skanda. Because he was as beautiful as Parvati, and because he had the beauty of his mother, he was called Murugan. Since he explained the meaning of life to Lord Shiva, he was called Swamimalai." Vishwamitra said, "I will tell you why Ganga originally came to earth." "Earlier, Sagara, a member of your clan, ruled the city of Ayodhya, and he had two wives, Kesini and Sumati." Sumathi is the sister of Garukmanta. Sagara, along with his two wives, went to the Bhrigu stream in the Himalayas and performed penance for 100 years in order to have sons. Sage Bhrigu, who was at the Bhrigu stream, was pleased and granted him a boon that out of the two wives, one of them would have a son who would be the heir to the throne, and the other wife would have 60,000 ultra energetic sons. When they asked who will be blessed with how many sons, Bhrigu asked themselves to choose. As they wished, the eldest wife gave birth to a son named Asamanjasu, and the second wife gave birth to a bottle gourd, which fell and broke, and 60,000 little children came out of it. They were raised in Ghee pots, and all of them were called Sagaras. Asamanjasu, the son of the eldest wife, took some children in the kingdom daily to the Sarayu river and left them in the water, causing their death. After some time, the king came to know about the matter.
He thought that the wrongdoer should be punished, even if it was his son, because he would cause harm to the people. He expelled Asamanjasu from the kingdom. The emperor Sagara took the son of Asamanjasu, Anshuman, into his care. After some time, Sagara started the Ashwamedha sacrifice and left the horse. Indra kidnapped the horse. Anshuman, who was following the horse, told Sagara about this. The scholars conducting the sacrifice said that if the horse was kidnapped, terrible results would come. Then Sagara called his 60,000 sons and said that this earth is 60,000 yojanas, so all of you should dig a yojana each, and search the entire earth. The Sagaras started digging the whole earth with their diamond-like finger nails. Seeing this, the gods went to Lord Brahma and asked, "O God! When the Sagaras are digging the earth, all the living beings are dying, what should we do?" Then Lord Brahma said, "Don't worry, this entire earth belongs to Lord Vishnu, so he is the one who will protect this earth, and currently he is doing penance in the underworld as Kapila Maharshi." When the Sagaras dug as much as they could, but could not find the horse, they went to their father and told him what had happened. He said, "I definitely need that horse, you should dig to the underworld" and sent them back. The Sagaras started digging to the underworld. While they were digging, they saw an elephant named Disha Gaja that was carrying the earth in the east. When they went ahead and circled around that elephant, they saw an elephant named Maha Padma carrying the earth in the south, and an elephant named Saumanasam in the west, and an elephant named Bhadram in the north . The horse was not found anywhere in the four directions. This time they started digging in the northeast. As they dug, they saw the eternal Lord Vishnu, in the form of sage Kapila, performing penance in an ashram. There was also a sacrificial horse next to him. So the Sagaras thought that he was the one who had stolen their horse and ran to beat him. Immediately, the Kapila Maharishi made a roaring sound and those 60,000 Sagaras fell to the ground in ashes. When the Sagaras did not come for some time, the King Sagara called Anshuman and asked him to search for them. Anshuman traveled through the path dug by his uncles and reached the ashram of Kapila Maharishi. He was saddened to see the ashes of his uncles there. Since he could not do the rituals, he went to bring water, but the Sagaras' uncle, Garukman, appeared and said that no matter how much water on this earth is offered to your uncles, they will not go to heaven. If they want to go to heaven, they should offer tarpan only with the waters of the Ganges flowing in heaven and asked to make an effort to bring Ganga to earth. Anshuman agreed and took the sacrificial horse and completed the sacrifice. Sagara was very sad to hear that his sons had been reduced to ashes due to the anger of Kapila Maharshi. After that, he lived for 30,000 years and left his body. After him, Anshuman became king. He did penance for 32,000 years and left his body while doing penance. After him, Dilipu ruled for 30,000 years but could not bring Ganga. After Dilipu, Bhagiratha entrusted the kingdom to his ministers and did penance for 1000 years in the Gokarna region, and Brahma appeared to him. Then Bhagiratha said, "I have no sons, so grant me a boon to have sons so that our lineage does not end, and also send the Ganga to earth so that our ancestors can go to heaven." Then Brahma said, "I will fulfill your first wish, but if you release the Ganga on earth, no one can control it, except Shiva. Therefore, you should perform penance for Shiva, and if he agrees, then I will release the Ganga."
Then Bhagiratha stood on his toes and did penance for Shiva for a year, then Shiva appeared and said, "As per your wish, I will let Ganga fall on my head." Then Shankara stood on the Himalayas, placed both hands on his waist, spread his legs, untied his hair and looked towards the sky for Ganga. Ganga thought, "I can take even this Shankara to the underworld with my flow, he can't catch me." Thinking so, she fell from the sky into Shankara's hair. Thus, the Ganga continued to fall for a year, but not a single drop of water fell from Shankara's head to the ground. Thus, it kept revolving on his head. When Bhagiratha prayed to Shankara, he released the Ganga into Bindu Sarovaram. Then the Ganga went east in three branches called Hladini, Pavani, and Nalini, and went west in three branches called Suchakshu, Sita, and Sindhu . The seventh branch went behind Bhagiratha. When Bhagiratha rode on his chariot, the Ganga flowed behind him. Crocodiles, turtles, and fish flowed along with the Ganga. All the gods stood in the sky to see this incredible event, and those who had committed sins drowned in the Ganga and washed away their sins. Some poured the Ganga water flowing near Shankara's feet on their heads and washed away their sins. The Ganga, which was flowing in this way, submerged the ashram of Jahnu Maharshi, where he was performing a yagna. Enraged, Jahnu Maharshi swallowed the entire Ganga. When Bhagiratha looked back, there was nothing behind him. Immediately Bhagiratha fell at the feet of Maharishi Jahnu and prayed to him, who released the Ganges from his ears. Since it came from the ears of Maharishi Jahnu, the Ganges was called Jahnavi. Then, it traveled behind Bhagiratha and flowed over the ashes of his ancestors in the underworld. As soon as the flow of the Ganges touched them, those Sagaras went to heaven. Vishwamitra told Rama that when flowing in heaven, Ganga is called Mandakini, on earth, Bhagirathi, and in the underworld, Bhogavati.
They spent that night there and the next day crossed the Ganges and reached the city of Vishala. When Rama asked about that city, Vishwamitra said this, "In the past, in the Krita (truth) era, the gods and demons, the offspring of Kashyapa Prajapati's two wives, Aditi and Diti, lived in great harmony and piety. After some time, they had a desire to live forever. So they planned to churn the ocean of milk, so that Amrit will be produced from it, and if someone drinks it, they will not be hungry or old. They brought the Mandara mountain to churn that ocean and started churning it. While churning like that, a vicious poison was first born from it and it began to destroy the gods, demons, humans, and the entire world. Then all the gods together went to Kailasha and prayed to Shankara to save them. When Shankara came out, Vishnu said, "Since this is the first fruit of the ritual, you, the most worshipped of all, should accept what comes first." Then Shankara agreed and drank that liquid with a smile. While Shankara drank that liquid that burned all the worlds, not a single blister appeared on his body, his eyes did not turn red, and even the baby snakes around his neck did not move here and there. He remained as he was. The happy gods again started churning with the Mandara mountain. While churning like that, the Mandara mountain drilled down to the underworld. Then all the gods prayed to Vishnu, who had been pulling the Mandara mountain with them until then, to lift the mountain up. Then he took the form of a tortoise and carried the mountain on his back and brought it up. Then they started churning again. Then foam came out of it, and from that foam came 60 crore Apsaras. There were also a few crore maid servants who served all those Apsaras.
Then from that came the divine Sura liquid Varuni the daughter of Varuna . Since the gods drank that juice, they are called Suras, and since the demons refused that juice, they are called Asuras. Since they did not accept that juice, the minds of the demons were never happy. Later, the demons accepted the horse Ucchaishravam that came, and similarly, Lord Vishnu accepted Kaustubha . After that, everyone fought for the Amrit that was born, and finally, with the help of Vishnu, the gods acquired that Amrit. After some time, Diti, the mother of the demons, said to Kashyap, "Your sons, the gods, have killed my sons, the demons. Now my sons have no kingdom, they are facing a lot of difficulties, and the reason for all this is Indra, the king of the gods. So she asked Kashyap that she wanted a son who could kill Indra. Kashyap said, if you can remain pure (physically and mentally free from any desire) for 1000 years, you will have a son who can rule this world and kill Indra. Diti agreed and went to a place called Shuklaplavanam and started doing penance. While Diti was doing penance, Indra came to her and said, "I will serve you, mother." When Diti agreed, he would bring fruits every day and touch his mother's feet every day. Thus 990 years were completed. One day, at noon, Diti sat with her hair disheveled. Being very tired, her head bent forward a little, and then her hair touched her feet. Due to this contact, she lost her purity. Indra, who was waiting for such a time, immediately entered her womb and cut the fetus into 7 pieces. The fetus shouted, "Please don't cut me!" and Diti heard that cry and said, "Please don't!" Then Indra came out and said, "Out of respect for you, I did not kill the fetus." Diti Said, Since I have lost my sanctity, you are not wrong in cutting my fetus, but I request that my fetuses be given the form of gods and be given the boon of being the supreme gods. Indra agreed and said, "I am giving you the boon of them being the supreme in the Brahma world, the Indra world, the space, as well as the the four directions." Those seven members are called the Maruts. "Rama! This vast city is the place where Diti performed penance for 990 years. This city was first ruled by King Ikshvaku. His wife, Alambusha, gave birth to Vishal. To that Vishal, Hemachandra, to Hemachandra, Suchandra, and to Suchandra, Dhumrashwa, Dhumrashwa had Srinjayus, Srinjayus had Sahadeva, Sahadeva had Kusashva, Kusashva had Somadatta, Somadatta had Kakutsa, and Kakutsa had Sumati, who is now ruling this vast city. Sumati, knowing that Vishwamitra had come to his kingdom, welcomed him respectfully. He paid him all the respects. Then Sumati asked Vishwamitra, "Who are those people beside you? They are like the sun and moon, and they are very beautiful." They are called Rama and Lakshmana, the sons of Dasharatha. They have come to protect my sacrifice." He said this and after asking his well being, and they left from there. When they came near the city of Mithila, they saw a very beautiful hermitage, but it was deserted. Then Rama asked whose hermitage this was, and Vishwamitra said, "This hermitage belongs to Gautama Maharshi, and the gods used to come to this hermitage to have his blessings. That Gautama lived a religious life here as an ascetic along with his wife Ahalya. Ahalya was the daughter of Brahma and was of wonderful beauty. Due to Indra's desire for Ahalya, one morning, while Gautama Maharshi was performing the Sandhyavandana rituals in the river, when he was not at home, Indra entered his house in the guise of Gautama Maharshi. Entering the house, he said to Ahalya, "I desire your confluence." Ahalya knew that it was not Gautama who came, but Indra, but she had a desire for Indra in her mind, so she had intercourse with Indra. Ahalya said to Indra, "I have been very happy with you, I have become a woman of merit, you go away from here quickly. Save yourself from Gautama." Then Indra smiled and said, "I am very happy, I will go away the way I came" and came out of the hermitage. Gautama Maharshi, who had immense power of penance and could control and command gods and demons, saw Indra coming out. Indra's face changed. Then Gautama Maharshi said to Indra, "You have committed an unpardonable sin by assuming my form. The reason for your lust for women is your pride in being a man, so may your testicles, the symbols of manhood, fall to the ground." He cursed Indra.Looking at Ahalya, Gautama said, "You will lie here for a few thousand years, doing penance, not taking food, eating air. You will be covered in ashes, so no one will see you. After some time, Lord Rama will come to this ashram. As soon as he enters this ashram, you will be freed from the curse. As soon as you are freed from the curse, you will take the place of my wife. Until then, I will remain in the Himavat mountain region." He said this and left. Meanwhile, Indra told the gods everything that had happened in the heavenly realm. Indra said, "I did not do this out of lust, Gautama Maharshi's penance power is increasing exponentially, I cannot do anything to him, that is why I did a disservice to Ahalya, and the enraged Gautama Maharshi cursed me and Ahalya, and he lost some penance power. To save you, I lost my testicles, so you should bring them back." Then they brought the testicles of a sheep and gave them to Indra. Indra regained his lost virility. Then he was called Mesha Vrishana. Vishwamitra entered that ashram along with Rama and Lakshmana. As soon as Rama entered that ashram, Ahalya, who had been cursed for so many thousands of years, rose up with an unimaginable radiance. On seeing her, Rama bowed down to her feet. Remembering what Gautama Maharishi had said and realizing that it was Rama who had come, Ahalya greeted Rama. She served them food. Then Gautama Maharishi, who had come there, went to do penance with Ahalya. Later, they reached the city of Mithila. That city was full of vehicles, sages, and those who performed yagnas. Janaka, knowing that Vishwamitra had entered his kingdom, ran to him with priest Shatananda. He worshipped Vishwamitra with great respect, saying that his sacrifice has been successful with their arrival. Seeing Rama and Lakshmana standing next to him, Janaka asked, "Who are these two children? They are holding swords and clubs. They are like the sun and moon. They are of immense brilliance. These children are with you. Who are they?" He asked.
Vishwamitra said, "They are both the sons of King Dasharatha. I have brought them for the protection of my sacrifice. My sacrifice has been completed under the protection of Rama and Lakshmana." Shatananda asked them, "Did you see my mother in the ashram when you were coming here?" Vishwamitra said, "As soon as the pure Rama entered that ashram, your mother's curse was lifted and she went with her husband Gautama." Shatananda was very happy. "Rama! I am lucky to have you here. My mother once succumbed to lust in her life, and because of that she suffered for many years. Did you accept the feast that my mother prepared? Is my mother happy?" he asked many polite questions. Then Rama said, "Your mother is very happy, she has gone to do penance with Gautama Maharshi." Shatananda was happy after hearing Rama's words and said, "You are blessed to have Vishwamitra as your teacher. He worked hard to become a Brahmarishi. I will now tell you his story," he began by telling about Vishwamitra's life.
Shatananda told Rama, "Vishvamitra, the son of Gadhi, ruled the kingdom for a long time. One day, he traveled all over the world with an Akshauhini army and went to the ashram of Vasishta, which was located in his kingdom. In the ashram of Vasishta, animals live in peace. Tigers and deer, rats and snakes, dogs and cats do not chase or kill each other. There are several thousand disciples in that ashram. The ashram was beautiful with many pavilions, trees and animals. In that ashram, there was a Kamadhenu named Shabala, which gave milk that was like nectar. With that milk, the yagna and sacrifice rituals were performed in that ashram. Vishwamitra Maharaja camped his army outside the ashram and went to the ashram, which was so sacred. Then Vishwamitra Maharaja asked Vasishtha "Sir! Are all the trees in your ashram fruitful, are your Yagna rituals going well, are the penances of the sages in your ashram going on without any hindrance, are you all happy?". Vasishtha was happy and said, "Dear one! I am happy, are you ruling with Rajadharma (Rajadharma means that the king should collect only the tax that is enough from the people. He should not misuse a single penny of the money collected, but should increase that money. Then he should give it to the needy and seek the welfare of the country), are all the vassals subservient to you, have you defeated your enemies, are your ministers helping you,?". After mentioning many things, Vishwamitra said that he will leave. Then Vasishtha Maharshi said, "You, the ruler of this earth, is the best of my guests, so I want you to accept my hospitality." "You gave me water to wash my hands and feet, to drink, you gave me honey and roots to eat, and I also had your darshan. What more do I need, I do not want to bother you anymore", said Vishwamitra. "No, you have to accept my hospitality", said Vasishtha Maharshi. Vishwamitra agreed. Then Vasishtha Maharshi called Shabala and said, "Did you see, today Vishwamitra Maharaj has come to our ashram, you should prepare the best food for him and his Akshauhini army. You should prepare whatever each one wants. Shabala understood what each one wanted in its mind, and prepared sugarcane sticks, honey, drinks, thin stacks of food as tall as mountains, snacks, drinks, vegetables, greens, soups, juices, milk, desserts, etc.
All the soldiers ate the food created by Shabala, everyone thought how good this food was, and they ate it with great enthusiasm, wondering when they would have such a delicious meal again in their lives. Vishwamitra was surprised when Vashishtha created enough food for so many people in a single moment. He gradually grew infatuated with that Shabala, and wanted to make that Shabala his own. Then he said to that sage Vasishta, "I will give you one lakh cows, you give me Shabala." But Vasishta realized that vishwamitra was trying to bribe him. Vasishta laughed and said, "I cannot give you Shabala." Vishwamitra gradually became angry and said, "If there are gems anywhere in the kingdom, they belong to the king. Anything valuable must belong to the king. If a gem is very valuable, then such a valuable Shabala is also a gem. You have kept that gem, which is my property, and that is why I am taking that gem away now", he said.
"My dear Vishwamitra! This cow is a gem, and you want to keep it as a valuable property. But this cow gives milk for the worship of gods and ancestors in our ashram, and my life journey is facilitated by it. The sacrifices and education in this ashram all depend on this shabala, so I cannot give this to you", said Sage Vasishtha.
Then Vishwamitra said, "I will give you fourteen thousand elephants with golden ropes around their necks, eight hundred golden chariots, each chariot will have four horses adorned with golden ornaments, eleven thousand horses of great and noble breeds, one crore cows, ask for the amount of gold and silver you want, and I will give it to you." Hearing all this, Sage Vasishta said, "I will not say anything more."
Vishwamitra became angry, saying, "Who is this man to give, he is just becoming adamant the more I request, this gem belongs to me." He tied a rope around the neck of the Shabala and told the soldiers to take it away. As they dragged it away, Shabala cried. Despite all this, Vasishta remained silent. Then Shabala thought Vashishtha left me, otherwise Vishwamitra would never have the capacity to take me away. If Vasishtha left me then I must have committed some sin or mistake, if I have committed any sin then I will apologize to Vasishtha, he is a Brahmarishi so he will definitely forgive me, and breaking the rope she started running towards Vasishtha.
Then Vasishtha said, "Shabala! I have not left you. Vishwamitra is the one who is taking you by force. He is the lord of this land, but today he is going in the wrong direction, if he does something wrong, that wrong will burn him. He committed a grave mistake by dragging you, and now his crime will burn him." But when Shabala asked if she could save herself, Vasishtha said, "Sure! Go ahead." Then Shabala made a thundering sound, "Moo," and created some spear-wielding Pahlavas army. They started destroying Vishwamitra's army. Seeing this, Vishwamitra took his sword and went into the battlefield and killed many Pahlavas. Along with the Pahlavas, Shabala created Yavanas, and together they started destroying Vishwamitra's army. Then Shabala said to Vasishtha, "Look! Vishwamitra has turned against me, and is now on the verge of defeat." "Now you can create an army as you wish", said Vasishtha. Then Shabala created the Kamboja dynasty equal to the brightness of the sun, a few thousand Pahlavas from her udder, Yavanas from her vagina, Sakas from the place where the cow dung falls, Haritas and Kiratas from her hair . Together, they completely wiped out Vishwamitra's army. Vishwamitra, who got down from his chariot and saw his army, became disheartened. Understanding that this was the greatness of Shabala, he looked at his 100 sons. Everyone grabbed their swords and ran towards Vasishtha, wanting to kill him, who had hurt their father. Seeing the hundred children coming towards him, Vasishtha, who was sitting, roared loudly, "Aa...", and the hundred children fell down in ashes. Seeing this, Vishwamitra was amazed and thought, "Isn't this the greatness of the Brahmarishi, when he said "Aa...", a hundred people turned into ashes, and that cow created a powerful army, and an incomparable meal just with its thought. The power of asceticism is much greater than kingship, and my power is not enough to destroy this Vasishtha. I should know all the weapons and armors in the Dhanur Veda". He placed one of his sons on the throne and told him to rule the kingdom, and went to the Himalayan mountains to do penance. He performed severe penance for the great god Shiva in the Himalayan mountains. Then Shiva appeared and said, "O Vishwamitra! Tell me what desire you have in your mind, I will fulfill that desire", he said.
Vishwamitra said, "Mahadeva! If you are truly pleased with my penance, please grant me the knowledge of all the weapons in the Dhanur Veda, including their secrets." Shiva granted him the boon. Just as the ocean swells on a full moon day, Vishwamitra, with his blooming confidence, boarded his chariot and reached Vasishta's hermitage. When he arrived, the hermitage was very holy with deer, birds, cows, and disciples learning the Vedas from their Gurus. Seeing this, Vishwamitra became even more angry. Without saying a word, he launched those weapons at the hermitage. He sent all the weapons one after the other, just like when an earthquake suddenly strikes. Before someone can blink, the entire hermitage was reduced to ashes. The teachers, disciples, deer, and cows in that ashram all ran headlong into the forest. Then Vasishtha said to those who were fleeing, "Stop, don't run away, I will save you." Seeing the arrows falling from the sky, everyone ran away in fear. Vasishtha was the only one left in the ashram. Then Vishwamitra used the fire arrow . The fire arrow was bursting into flames and was coming towards him. I have been taking care of this ashram for so many years, and today you have reduced this ashram to ashes due to your anger, Vasishtha sat down holding his Brahmadanda. When he was holding the Brahmadanda like that, it was like Yama holding the Yamadanda, which can rule all the worlds. Just as water cools down a burning fire, the fiery weapon cooled down and went into the Brahmadanda. Vasishtha, who had done so much penance, did not stop the weapon by using another weapon, but simply blocked it with his Brahmadanda, which made Vishwamitra very angry. Then he simultaneously threw various weapons at Vasishtha, including the Varunastra, Indrastra, Pasupatastra, Ishikastra, Manavastra, Gandharvastra, Brahmapasha, Kalapasha, Varunapasha, Pinakastra, Kraunchastra, Dharmachakra, Kalachakra, Vishnuchakra, Trishula, Kapala bracelet, various thunderbolts, Kankalam, Musala, and large gadhas. But all those he threw went into Vasishtha's Brahmadanda. Now, he was reciting the mantras to throw the only weapon he had, the Brahmastra, the oceans overflowed, the mountains shattered, and all the living beings in the world suddenly felt anguish in their minds. Vishwamitra cast a spell on that powerful Brahmastra and released it. The Brahmastra, which had killed many great men, silently entered Vashistha's Brahmadanda.
Then Vishwamitra thought, "Oh! Why is this Kshatriya's strength not enough in front of the strength of that Brahmarishi? I have learned many weapons and used them all. But he grabbed a stick and swallowed all my weapons". Frustrated, he got down from the chariot and left. He decided in his mind, "Since Vasishtha was a Brahmarishi, I could not defeat him, so I too will became a Brahmarishi". So Vishwamitra went to the south with his eldest wife and performed severe penance for 1000 years. During this time, four sons were born to him, namely, Havishpanda, Madhushyandhu, Drudhanetra and Maharatha. Pleased with his penance, Lord Brahma appeared and said, "You have conquered the worlds with this penance, Rajarishi, and from today onwards you will not be called Maharaja Vishwamitra but Rajarishi Vishwamitra." Vishwamitra was worried that after so many years of penance, he had become a Rajarishi, but when would he become a Brahmarishi? At that time, a king named Trishanku ruled in the Ikshvaku dynasty. Due to his obsession with the body, he had a desire to go to heaven with his body. He immediately told his clan teacher Vasishtha about his desire. "No matter how great a king you are, no matter how great a sacrifice you perform, going to heaven with your body is not in the Dharma. After a certain period of time, one's body has to fall, and only after that does one enter heaven. Therefore, going to heaven with a body is not possible", said Vasishtha. Then Trishanku went to Vasishtha's hundred sons and told them what he had learned. "Our father said that it was not possible, he knows everything, every body has to rest at some point, no one can go to heaven with a body", said those hundred sons. "Then I will look for another guru", said Trishanku. Then they cursed him saying, "You did not listen to your guru, you did not listen to us, his sons, and now you say you will look for another guru. Since you have such a bad mind, you will become a Chandala." The next day, when Trishanku woke up, the light in his face had gone and turned black, all the gold ornaments he wore had turned into iron ornaments, his hair and eyes were red. Seeing him, all the people in the palace and ministers fled. He wandered around in that form and finally sought refuge with Vishwamitra.
Vishwamitra thought that since he could not defeat Vasishtha with any weapons, he would fulfill Trishanku's wish so that the world will think that Vishwamitra did what Vasishtha could not do. Then he called his disciples and sons and said, "Go all over this universe and say Vishwamitra is performing a sacrifice that Vasishtha could not perform. He is sending Trishanku to heaven with his body. Bring Brahmins and sages. If anyone says they cannot perform that sacrifice, or will not come, take their details." Everyone came out of fear of Vishwamitra. Later, Vishwamitra's sons asked the sons of Maharishi Vasishtha to come to this sacrifice, but they denied and the same was said by a Brahmin Mahodaya who also refused to come. Though Mahodaya denied he said one thing, that the one doing the sacrifice is a Kshatriya, and the one who is making him do the sacrifice is a Chandal, so how can the gods take the Havissas? There is nowhere in the Vedas that one can be sent to heaven in their bodies, and he refused to come. Vishwamitra got very angry and said, "Sons of Vasishta Maharshi and Mahodaya, you will fall into ashes and go to hell. After that, you will live by eating the flesh of corpses for 700 births. After that, you will be born as Mushtikas and will live by eating the flesh of dogs for a few births. He also cursed that Mahodaya would be hated by people in all the worlds and would live in poverty." Everyone started the sacrifice together, but no god came to take the Havissas from the fire of the sacrifice. When no one came, Vishwamitra became angry and sent Trishanku up with his power of penance. Trishanku was traveling in the sky and was rushing towards heaven. When Devendra came to know about this, he said, "Trishanka, you have been cursed by the Guru, you will not enter heaven, go down upside down." Trishanka was thrown down upside down to the ground. As he fell down, he prayed to Vishwamitra, and Vishwamitra created a constellation in the southern direction with his remaining tapasya power, and created the seven sages. But when the gods did not come even then, he thought of creating the gods too, and fearing that it may happen all the gods came.
They said, "Great Sage! Please Calm down. Just because you have so much tapasya power, how can you create a different heaven like this, you know the science, you cannot send anyone to heaven physically. This is not something that people like you should do." The gods gave a boon that the constellation created by Vishwamitra would be beyond the astrological wheel, and this Trishanka would be upside down in it. Vishwamitra, who calmed down, agreed. He felt that he was not at peace there and went to the west to do penance in peace. Vishwamitra started doing great penance in the west. At that time, the city of Ayodhya was ruled by a king named Ambarish. Indra took away the horse that he had left after performing the Ashvamedha sacrifice. The sages said that if he could not find the horse, he would not be able to do well. They also said that if a man could be brought instead of a horse, the sacrifice could be completed. They also mentioned that it should be done in a fair manner. When Ambarish set out to bring a man, he found a sage named Ruchika sitting with his wife and children on the peak of a mountain called Bhrigutunga. Ambarish went to them and said that since his sacrificial horse had been stolen, he needed a sacrificial animal and bless him by giving one of the sage's children. Then the sage said, "Since the eldest son is a son blessed due to Dharma (the result of meritorious deeds in previous lives) I cannot give him. According to the scriptures, if I give the last son, my wealth will be lost." Then the middle son, Sunahshepa, said that he would come with Ambarisha. If the king lives, the kingdom will prosper, and if the king wants to live, the sacrifice must be completed, so the sage sent his son to complete the sacrifice. Ambarisha gave him a hundred thousand cows as a gift. Ambarisha, who was taking Sunahshepa, stopped at a place to rest after traveling some distance. Then Sunahshepa saw Vishwamitra's ashram nearby. Immediately, he went to the ashram and fell at Vishwamitra's feet and said, "I am your sister's son, and you are my uncle. My father said he would not give the eldest, my mother said he would not give youngest, and because I was born in the middle, I was given as a sacrificial animal. I want to live a long life, do penance, and attain heaven. Therefore, you must save me," he said. Then Vishwamitra called his sons and said, "A son must listen to his father and obey him, so any one of you go as a sacrificial animal in place of Sunahshepa." "Will you send your son as a sacrificial animal, will you save someone else's son, the dharma you have said is like eating dog meat", said Vishwamitra's sons. Enraged Vishwamitra cursed that you too, will be born in the lineage of Vasishtha's sons, would live for a thousand years eating dog meat like them. Then he said to Sunahshepa, "Do not be worried, they will take you and tie you to the Yupa pillar. Now I will tell you two mantras, when you are tied to the Yupa pillar like that chant those two mantras. Because of that Indra will be pleased and will appear even before sacrificing you, and he will give the fruit of the sacrifice." Later, Sunahshepa was tied to the Yupa pillar. Then, when he chanted the mantras given by Vishwamitra, Indra appeared and said, "I am pleased with this sacrifice. I will give you one crore times the result without sacrificing the sacrificial animal." Everyone was happy.
Vishwamitra felt sorry that he had cursed his sons in anger. This time, he decided to do penance without talking to anyone and started doing penance again for 1000 years. After some time, Vishwamitra went to Pushkara Kshetra to take a bath and found Menaka bathing there. Menaka appeared to him like when lightning appears between the clouds. Vishwamitra was enchanted by the beauty of Menaka. He said, "I have become infatuated with love. Come to my ashram and fulfill my wish." Menaka said okay. Ten years passed.
After ten years, Vishwamitra remembered why he had left the kingdom. He thought that the thought of this woman would be gone after a day or two, but he did not think that ten years would pass like this. He realized that the gods had sent this woman to distort his mind. He looked at her angrily, but he calmed down since it was not her mistake and asked her to go away. This time he wanted to do penance more carefully, so he went to the North and started doing penance. He sat down by the river Kaushiki in the North and did a lot of penance for 1000 years. After 1000 years of penance, Brahma appeared along with the gods and said, "I am very pleased with your penance, from now on everyone will call you a Maharshi." Hearing this, Vishwamitra felt neither pain nor happiness. "After performing penance for so many thousands of years, I have become a great sage by now, but when will I become a Brahmarishi? I have conquered my senses." Then Brahma said, "You have not conquered your senses yet, and it is not easy to conquer your senses." Slowly, Vishwamitra's anger shifted from Vasishtha to his senses. He realized that his senses were the reason for his unnecessary anger towards Vasishtha and his lustful indulgence. He again began to perform severe penance. This time in the dry season, he performed penance with fire on all four sides, raised his head and looked towards the sun with his hands raised. In the rainy season, he performed penance by standing in water up to his waist. Seeing this penance performed by Vishwamitra, Devendra sent Rambha to test him. Rambha was afraid and did not go, so Devendra assured and sent her telling various things. The next day, when Vishwamitra was going to take a bath, he saw Rambha coming out of the bath. All the trees were blooming with flowers, just like in the spring season, and he could also hear the song of the cuckoo. Vishwamitra became suspicious, because even though it was not spring, all the trees were blooming with flowers and the cuckoo was singing. However, realizing that all this was Indra's attempt to break his penance, he angrily said this, "O Rambha, who came to tempt me! You will turn into stone for ten thousand years", he cursed. After a while, he calmed down and thought, "What is the real mistake Rambha had made? I have become angry again. If Indra sends her, she will come." Without asking, he said to her, "One day, a Brahmin will free you from the curse."
Vishwamitra went to his hermitage and thought, "My enemies are not somewhere, they are within me. The reason for my anger and lust is my mind, which depends on my breath. Therefore, I will breathe in but will not release and do Kumbhaka (a process in yoga). Similarly, the reason why this body occasionally experiences desires is because my body is strong, so if I do Kumbhaka, my body will become like a thin stick." He went to the East and began a huge penance. After spending a thousand years in the Kumbhaka and performing penance, his body became as thin as a stick. While he was thinking of eating some food to sustain his body, Indra came in the form of a Brahmin and said, "Sir! I am very hungry. Can you give me some of what you have?" Vishwamitra understood that the person who had come was Indra, but this time he did not surrender to his senses. Thinking, "What if Indra eats it, what if I eat it?" he gave the food to Indra and went back to the Kumbhaka and began to perform penance. While Vishwamitra was doing penance, his penance energy emerged from his Brahmasthana like smoke. The smoke of his penance covered all the worlds, the oceans stopped moving, and all living beings became sad. In this state, no one could move Vishwamitra, he had no enemy or friend, he could see only the supreme everywhere. Then Brahma came along with the gods and said, "Oh Kaushik! I am pleased with your penance, you have become a Brahmarishi. Along with all the gods, I call you Brahmarishi, all your desires will be fulfilled. You will live a long life." Then Vishwamitra said to Brahma, "If what you say is true that I am a Brahmarshi, then I should be able to chant Omkara and Vashatkara automatically (If he chants Omkara and Vashatkara, he will become eligible to teach the Vedas to someone, and he will also become eligible to sit and perform a yagna. Because Vishwamitra was a Kshatriya by birth). Similarly, he said that he should be called Brahmarishi by the one with whom he had been angry for so many years, and by whom he had been determined to become a Brahmarishi. Brahma agreed. Then the gods brought Vasishta, and when he saw Vishwamitra, he called him Brahmarishi Vishwamitra. Then Vishwamitra washed the feet of Vasishta and worshipped him. Shatananda told Rama that Vishwamitra became a real Brahmarishi after washing the feet of the one with whom he had started being angry. He said, "How fortunate you are, Rama, to have such a guru who spent many years in struggle and penance to become a Brahmarishi and conquer lust and anger." Hearing Vishwamitra's story, Rama was overwhelmed. Everyone present bowed down to Vishwamitra. King Janaka asked Vishwamitra to give him darshan tomorrow after sunrise and left.
At the invitation of King Janaka, Vishwamitra reached the royal court along with Rama and Lakshmana. Then Vishwamitra said to Janaka, "I have brought them to show the bow of Shiva that you have with you. If you show it to them once, they will be happy and return home." Then Janaka began to tell how he got this bow of Shiva. Earlier, Daksha Prajapati started a sacrifice whose havissas would not be given to Shiva. Sati Devi (Parvati Devi), the daughter of Daksha, left her body in the Yaga fire, wondering how auspiciousness can exist in a place where Shiva is not there. Enraged, Shiva became Rudra. He asked why the gods had gone to such a sacrifice. He immediately took the bow but when the gods prayed him to calm down, he cooled down. The bow was kept as a gift (i.e. kept for a while) by a king named Devarat, who was born in the family of King Janaka. Then Devarath put that bow in Manjusha (big box). In order to carry the bow of Shiva in that box with wheels, about 5000 people were needed. Thus, the Videha family worshipped that bow of Shiva every day and kept it very pure. Once Janaka was ploughing the land to perform a yagna. While ploughing like that, a girl got hit by the ploughshare and rose up on her own. Since she came up after being hit by a ploughshare, and also because she had as much patience as the earth, we called her Sita (Janaki because she was the daughter of Janaka, Maithili because she was born in the city of Mithila, and Vaidehi because she was born in the Videha dynasty which has no illusions about the body). She was an Ayonija, a woman who was not born after being conceived in the womb. She was a woman of amazing beauty. All the gods, demons, and Yakshas who saw her became obsessed on making her their wife. Therefore, Janaka declared her as Virya Shulka (meaning one who should be won by valor) and said that he would give her to the one who would string the bow of Shiva. Thus many kings came to string the bow of Shiva, some of them fell down on seeing the bow, and no one could even move it. All those who came turned back with broken hearts. No one could win this test set by Janaka, no one could lift that bow, so they all decided to unite and go to war against Janaka. Everyone came together to fight against his kingdom. Then a big battle was fought around the kingdom. A big pit was dug around the kingdom and filled with water and gates were closed. After a year of fighting, the food reserves were depleted. Then Janaka performed penance. The gods, pleased with his penance, granted him their army. Janaka defeated those kings with that army of gods. Then Janaka said, "If this Rama can string Shiva's bow, I will give my daughter Sita as a bride." Vishwamitra said that if he brings that bow, the children will see it once. Then they brought an eight-wheeled box. "I don't think any man can actually lift this bow, pull it and tie it, but since you were asking we brought it", said Janaka. Then Vishwamitra told Rama to see that bow. Then Rama opened the box and found the bow lying in it, like a snake. When Rama, the Kshatriya, saw the bow, he became very excited and said to Vishwamitra, "This bow is very good. I will touch it and then I will string it."
Vishwamitra agreed. When Rama lifted the bow very easily and without difficulty, pulled it to tie the knot, the bow broke in the middle with a loud sound. When the bow of Shiva broke with the sound of thunder, everyone present there except Rama, Lakshmana, Vishwamitra and Janaka fainted.
Then Janaka said, "Great Vishwamitra! You know, that is why you brought these two children, Rama is the son of Dasharatha, this incident is wonderful, unimaginable, no one can argue with. Sita born in our family, got a suitable husband and upheld the honor of our family." However, Vishwamitra told Janaka to send some envoys to King Dasharatha first and tell him that Rama had broken the bow of Shiva and won Sita. Immediately, Janaka sent some envoys to Ayodhya, and it took them 3 days to reach Ayodhya on horses. When they reached there, they said that they had come at the behest of Janaka and went inside, and the old Dasharatha sat on the throne and seemed like Lord Indra. Then they told him everything that had happened. "Your eldest son Rama came to the city of Mithila with Vishwamitra and not only fixed the bow of Shiva that was near Janaka, but also broke the bow of Shiva. Therefore, he wants to give his daughter Sita in marriage to your son Rama." The envoys said that Janaka had sent an invitation to come to his city.
Immediately, Dasharatha gathered his teachers and priests and asked them what Janaka's journey was like. Then they said, "Great Dasharatha! Janaka, born in the Videha dynasty, is no ordinary man, he is not delusional about his body, he believes in God, and he has immense knowledge. We can definitely make that connection." Immediately, Dasharatha said that we should leave tomorrow without wasting a single moment. He called the treasurers and told them to leave first, carrying gems, diamonds, and bundles of money. He told them to prepare chariots and four-armed forces and the priests and ministers should leave with him, and they should all reach the city of Mithila. The next day, everyone left. As per the custom of the Ikshvaku dynasty, Dasharatha did not take his three wives with him. When King Dasharatha and his retinue reached the city of Mithila, Janaka welcomed them warmly and said, "Come in, my kingdom has become pure because of your arrival. I have declared I will give Sita to the one who can bend the bow of Shiva. Your son Rama has broken the bow of Shiva, so I think that my daughter should be given to your son Rama. Therefore, please bless me and accept my daughter as your daughter-in-law." Then Dasharatha said, "Oh Janaka, why do you say that? If there was a giver, there would have been a taker. You keep saying, 'Make Sita your daughter-in-law.' You said that you would give your daughter as a daughter-in-law to my house. The generosity is yours, you are the giver, and I am the taker. We are tired after traveling for so long, Let's talk tomorrow." He said. Bharata, Shatrughna, who had accompanied Dasharatha, met Rama, Lakshmana. All four of them happily talked about the journey they had been on with Vishwamitra for so many days. Along with Dasharatha, Vasishtha, Katyayana, Jabali, Markandeya, Kashyapa, Vamana, Vishwamitra, Shatananda, and all the other great sages gathered together. With so many great people, the city of Mithila was lit up that night.
The next morning, Dasharatha said to King Janaka, "With the permission of the great sage Vishwamitra, sage Vasishtha, who has been my priest for a long time and who desires the prosperity of our lineage, will tell about our lineage." Vasishtha began by saying, "I will tell you about the ancestors of King Dasharatha, who ruled the city of Ayodhya. First, Brahma was born. From Brahma, Marichi was born. Marichi had Kashyapa. Kashyapa had Surya. Surya had Manu. Manu was the father of Ikshvaka. Ikshvaka had Kukshi. Kukshi had Vikushki. Vikukshi was the father of Bana. Bana had Anaranya. Anaranya had Prithva. Prithva had Trishanku. Trishanku was the father of Dhundhumar. Dhundhumar had Mandhata. Mandhata had Susandhi. Susandhi had Dhruvasandhi and Prasenajit. The eldest son of Dhruvasandhi had Bharata. Bharata had Asita. They ruled the kingdom until this Asita. This Asita had lost kingdom to Haihaya, Talajangha and Sashabindva clans and was defeated in a war. Then he went to the Himalayas with his two wives. One wife became pregnant and the other wife did not have children. So the other wife poisoned her. Just then, the sage Chyavana arrived there and told him that one wife had poisoned the fetus in the womb of the other wife. Despite the poison, he was born with that poison, so the child was named Sagar (Garam means poison). 60,000 Sagars, the sons of one of the wives of that emperor Sagar, were turned to ashes by the sage Kapila. Another wife had a son named Asamanjasa, Asamanjasa had Anshumantha, Anshumantha had Dilipu, Dilipu had Bhagiratha, Bhagiratha had Kakutsa, Kakutsa had Raghu, Raghu had Pravriddha (Once Pravriddha behaved wrongly, Vasishtha cursed him, and when the king wanted to curse Vasishtha back, his wife stopped him and said, "Don't curse the guru of the clan." But since he had already poured the water from his Kamandala on his hands, he poured the water back on his feet, and that is why he was called Kalmasapada), Pravriddha had Sankhana, Sankhana had Sudarshan, Sudarshan had Agnivarna, Agnivarna had Sighragudu, Sighragudu had Maruvu, Maruvu had Prashusruka, Prashusruka had Ambarisha, Ambarisha had Nahusha, Nahusha had Yayati, Yayati had Nabhaga , Nabhaga had Aja, Aja had Dasharatha, Dasharatha had Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna . "This is the lineage of Dasharatha. The kings of this lineage ruled for thousands of years, performed sacrifices and went to heaven," said Vasishtha. Hearing all this, Janaka was very happy and started telling about his lineage. "The first in our lineage was Nimi Chakravarti, Nimi had Mithi (the city of Mithila was built by him), Mithi had Udavasu, Udavasu had Nandivardhana, Nandivardhana had Suket, Suket had Devaratha, Devaratha had Brihadratha, Brihadratha had two sons Sura and Mahavira , Mahavira had Sudhriti , Sudhriti had Dhrishtaketu, Dhrishtaketu had Haryashva, Haryashva had Maru, Maru had Pratindhaka, Pratindhaka had Kirtiratha, Kirtiratha had Devamidha, to Devamidha Vibudha was born, to Vibudha was Mahidhraka, to Mahidhraka was Kirtirat, to Kirtirat was Maharom, to Maharom was Swarnarom, to Swarnarom was Hrasvaroma, to Hrasvaroma were Janaka and Kushadhwaja, and to Janaka Sita was born as Ayonija, and after that Urmila was born," said Janaka.
Janaka ordered his younger brother Kushadhwaja, who was ruling the city of samkasya, to be brought. Once he came Janaka told to Dasharatha, "I want my two daughters, Sita and Urmila, to marry Rama and Lakshmana, and my younger brother's daughters, Srutakeerti to Shatrughna, and Mandavi to Bharata." Dasharatha happily agreed. Then he asked Dasharatha to perform Godana and Pitrukarya with his two sons in the city of Mithila. The sages decided that two days from today, when the star is Uttara Phalguni with the presiding deity as Bhagu, the marriage would take place. Dasharatha completed the rituals of the temple, ancestral rites, etc. Then he donated four lakh cows (with golden horns), one lakh cows through each son. He also donated gold and silver to the Brahmins. He called Vasishtha and Vishwamitra and asked them to prepare the fire altar required for the wedding. King Dasharatha was outside to receive the bride and sent a message to King Janaka. Janaka said, "Are there any gatekeepers stopping you there? There is no difference between Dasharatha's house and Janaka's house. You can come in straight forward." After preparing the fire altar, they gathered the holy rice, Sita was brought there. Then Janaka said to Rama: "Rama! You don't know who Sita is, this is Sita, she is my daughter. I am not giving her to you as a wife for lust, I am giving this child to practice dharma with you, so accept her as a Dharmapatni(wife), Rama. As a father, I said these words in joy, so forgive me, you accept her, and hold my daughter's palm well with your hand (for the people of the Sun Dynasty, touching and holding the palm with the palm is auspicious, they put cumin and jaggery for the auspicious time), from this moment on, whatever my daughter does, she will do it only for you. Rama! We are Videha clan, we have no illusions about the body, I have raised my daughter like that. If after a year my daughter comes to her parents' house with you and forgets the tradition I taught her, it will be because of you, Rama, because the husband should uphold what I have taught her, and if he makes a mistake in upholding it, it will be your fault, she will follow you like a shadow." Similarly, Lakshmana was married to Urmila, Bharata to Mandavi, and Shatrughna to Sruthakirti. As soon as the marriage was solemnized, divine trumpets rang out and flowers fell from above. All the gods rejoiced. All the worlds rejoiced at the marriage of Sita and Rama that took place that day. The next morning, Vishwamitra blessed everyone and left for the North. King Janaka gave them elephants, horses, clothes, pearls, corals, etc. as gifts. Everyone set off together towards the city of Ayodhya. Then, unexpectedly, birds were chirping fearfully in the sky, darkness was gathering in the directions for no reason, auspicious trees were falling to the ground, and the animals were roaming around in circles. Seeing all this, Dasharatha became afraid and asked Vasishtha what was happening. Vasishtha, who noticed the omens, said that some divine calamity was coming, but since the beasts were moving in a circular path, you would overcome that calamity."
Meanwhile, Parashurama, holding the bow of Vishnu, came like Rudra at the time of destruction and said, "I heard today that you broke Shiva's bow. I have heard about you, Rama, what is your greatness? If you are such a great person, then raise this bow of Vishnu and aim the arrow that is in your quiver." Hearing these words, Dasharatha was shocked and ran to Parashurama. "Great one! You have invaded the Kshatriyas on this earth 21 times and killed all the Kshatriyas. Now you are performing penance in the Himalayas. My children are getting married and going home. Forgive me." Even though Dasharatha begged to forgive him, Parashurama called Rama and asked him to draw the bow of Vishnu. Then Rama said, "Parashurama! You have been talking to me like a useless person, saying, 'Draw the bow of Vishnu, draw it.' But why did I remain silent? It is because a son should not talk much when his father is around. I will definitely draw it and he aimed the arrow. I can kill you with this arrow, but since you are a Brahmin and you are close to my guru Vishwamitra, I will not kill you. But once I have aimed the arrow, I will not take back, so I will strike your power of movement." Then Parashurama said, "Rama! I have donated the land I acquired by defeating the Kshatriyas to Kashyapa, and then he told me not to stay on this earth at night. It is getting dark now, so I have to go to the Mahendragiri mountain quickly. If you break my walking power, I will not be able to go, I will be a renegade." Then there are the worlds that you have earned through your penance, I will break them, Rama said. Parashurama agreed. Then Rama broke all the worlds that Parashurama had earned through penance. Immediately Parashurama left from there. While leaving, he said, "I have recoginzed who you are, Rama, you are the Shri Maha Vishnu, there is no need of me in this world anymore." Parashurama went towards the Mahendragiri mountains.
Dasharatha happily took them to Ayodhya. Kausalya, Sumitra, and Kaikeyi met them and welcomed them. They were delighted to see their daughters-in-laws. Then they took them to the houses of the deities of the clan and showed them where they should worship. The newlyweds spent their time happily. Rama was very fond of Sita, and the reason for his fondness was that his father had decided that she was a suitable wife for him, and that was why he was fond of her. He was also impressed by her immense beauty, and she had immense culture and qualities. After Sita and Rama had been in the relationship for some time, Sita did not openly express what she thought, and Rama did not openly express what he thought to Sita, but they spoke quietly from their hearts. Rama loved Sita as the wife chosen by his father, but Sita loved him as her husband.
Thus, time passed happily...
End of Balakanda
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