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Stories of Krishna Krishna’s Birth
Old King Ugrasena of Mathura had two children, Prince Kamsa and
Princess Devaki. While King Ugrasena was a good king, Prince Kamsa
was a ruthless tyrant. Now Princess Devaki was to wed a nobleman named
Vasudeva.Kamsa out of the love he bore for his sister decided to be the bride and
groom’s charioteer for the day. While Kamsa drove the chariot bearing
Devaki and Vasudeva out of the wedding hall, a voice from the heavens
boomed informing Kamsa that Devaki’s eight child would be his slayer.Kamsa being the superstitious type would take no chances. He wanted to
strike down Devaki that very moment. Vasudeva intervened, he begged
Kamsa not to slay Devaki and show her some mercy. He further promised
Kamsa that he would hand over any child born to them, if he would let
Devaki live. Now Kamsa not wanting to have the blood of his sister on his
hands agreed and instead placed them under house arrest.Every time a child was born, the guards would inform Kamsa and he would
take the child and kill it. Six of Devaki and Vasudev’s children met their
death this way. It so happened that the seventh child was born at night,
and Devaki and Vasudeva seeing the opportunity decided to try to save
the child.The guards were asleep, so Vasudeva easily slid out of the palace
undetected. He went to neighboring Gokul and left the child with his
second wife Rohini and quickly returned to the palace (this child was
named Balrama). In the morning he sent word to Kamsa that the child was
still born.Kamsa was pleased, he knew the next child was prophesized to be his
slayer. Not wanting to take chances with the birth of the eight child,
Kamsa had Vasudeva and Devaki thrown into the dungeon chained.The eight child was born on the eight night of the month of Shravan. It
was raining heavily and the skies thundered as if the Gods were trying to
pay homage to the new born child. Then the miracle happened, Vasudevas
chains fell off and the prison door opened by itself. Vasudeva found the
guards to be asleep, so he decided that he would escape with the child
and leave him at his friend Nanda’s place in Gokul.Picking up the child, Vasudeva placed him in a basket. He then carried the
basket on his head and made his way to Gokul. Now Gokul was on the
opposite bank of the river Yamuna. Because of the thundering and the
rain, the river Yamuna was in a state of turmoil. Vasudeva, wondering how
he would cross the river prayed for a miracle. Then it happened!. The
waters of the Yamuna parted and made way for him. Vasudeva then
crossed the Yamuna and reached Gokul.On reaching Nanda’s house in Gokul, Vasudeva realised that Nanda’s wife
Yashoda had given birth to a baby girl. While Nanda and Yashoda were
asleep, he placed his child in the cradle and took Nanda’s daughter
instead. He presumed that since it was a baby girl, Kamsa would not kill
her. He then made the journey back to Mathura and he took the baby girl
with him. As soon as Vasudeva reached the dungeon, the dungeon doors
closed behind him and the baby girl started to cry. Awakened by the cries,
the guards rushed to tell Kamsa of the birth of the eight child.Hearing the news, Kamsa rushed to the dungeon and picked up the child
and was about to dash it to the ground. Vasudeva begged Kamsa not to
kill the child as it was only a girl and that a girl could do him no harm. The
wicked Kamsa paid no heed and dashed the baby to the floor. As the baby
was about to hit the floor, it suddenly flew up and told Kamsa that the
one who was born to kill him still lives and is in Gokul. Then she
disappeared.Krishna’s Life in Gokul
The next morning in Gokul, the word spread that Nanda had a little boy
and he was named Krishna. Now Kamsa knew that his would be slayer was
still alive and was in Gokul, so he summoned a wicked demoness name
Putana. He ordered Putana to go to Gokul and kill every baby born in the
month of Shravan. Now Putana using her magic turned into a beautiful
woman, she then applied poison on her breasts.In Gokul she then searched for all the babies of the right age. She would
act as if she was playing with them and then she would nurse them with
her poisoned breasts. In this way, she killed many babies. Finally she came
to Nanda’s house and found baby Krishna there. She acted as if she was
playing with the child, and then she picked him up and started to feed him.
Now baby Krishna being divine, instead of succumbing to her evil ways,
sucked the life out of her.Krishna grew up a playful, mischievous child. He grew up amongst the
cowherds of Gokul and even came in contact with his brother Balrama.
Another miracle Krishna performed as a teenager was the taming of Kaliya.
Kaliya was a poisonous snake with many heads, and inhabited a lake in
Gokul. Kaliya would devour any cow that would drink from the lake.
Krishna, angered by this, took a vow to tame Kaliya. He jumped into the
lake and fought Kaliya. Alarmed by this, his friends ran to the village and
informed his parents. Upon returning to the lake they found pools of blood
on the surface of the lake. They though that surely Krishna was dead.
After a while, the many headed Kaliya rose to the surface with Krishna
dancing on top of him. Kaliya was tamed. Krishna then ordered Kaliya to
leave the lake and the inhabitants of Gokul alone.The people of Gokul used to worship Indra, the arrogant King of the devas,
more out of fear than of love of him. Krishna thought that this was wrong.
He said that they should instead worship the Mountain Govardhana (Gokul
was on the foothills of this mountain) who had given them so much. The
people started to worship Govardhana, this made Indra really angry. Indra,
in order to punish them for their insolence, sent storms their way. It rained
for many days and Gokul was flooded. The people of Gokul approached
Krishna for help. Krishna lifted the entire mountain Govardhana with his
little finger and gave shelter to the people of Gokul under it.Krishna Returns to Mathura
Now stories about Krishna’s deeds spread far and wide. When Kamsa
heard about Krishna, he was sure that Krishna was Devaki’s eight born
child, born to destroy him. He, in turn, planned to invite Krishna to Mathura
and have him killed. He summoned an old minister by the name of Akrura and sent
him to Gokul with an invitation. Now Akrura was wise. He knew the real
story of Krishna. That Krishna was a divine being born to kill Kamsa. He
also knew that Nanda and Yashoda were not really Krishna’s parents. On
arriving in Gokul, Akrura told Krishna and his parents everything. Nanda and
Yashoda were horrified, they wondered how a teenager like Krishna could
take on a warrior like Kamsa. But Krishna insisted on going and he and
Balrama left for Mathura.In the mean time, back in Mathura, Kamsa was thinking of ways of having
Krishna killed. He asked an elephant trainer to have a mad elephant
trample Krishna. Failing that he was sure that his best wrestlers Mushtika
& Chanura could challenge Krishna & Balrama to a match and kill them.When Krishna arrived in Mathura, the elephant trainer was waiting for him
at the gate. He sent the mad elephant Krishna’s way. Krishna picked up
the elephant by its trunk, hurled it into the air and killed it.Krishna and Balrama then made way for the wrestling arena where Kamsa
was. Kamsa then told Krishna and Balrama that his foremost wrestlers
Mushtika and Chanura had heard of their strength and valor and would like
to challenge them. Balrama killed Mushtika in mortal combat and then
Krishna fought and killed Chanura.Krishna then rushed towards Kamsa, grabbed his sword and killed him.
Krishna then lifted the crown from Kamsa’s severed head and walked
towards the dungeon where King Ugrasena was imprisoned, freed him and
offered him the crown. King Ugrasena was touched that Krishna would
make him King again. Krishna then freed his parents Devaki and Vasudeva
and had a joyous re-union with them.The Story of Krishna and Rukmini
Bheeshmaka, the king of Vidarbha had two children, Prince Rukmi and
Princess Rukmini. Bheeshmaka had heard many stories of Krishna’s valor
and secretly wished him to be his son-in-law. He knew that it might not be
possible as Kamsa’s father in law, Jarasandha, was their overlord and he
was Krishna’s sworn enemy.Now Rukmi was a friend of Kamsa and owed his allegiance to Jarasandha.
He wanted his younger sister to marry Shishupala, the crown prince of
Chedi, who also was favored by Jarasandha.Rukmini had heard stories of Krishna’s valour from her childhood and she
had her heart set on marrying him. When she heard that Rukmi had chosen
Shishupala for her, she resolved that she would only marry Krishna or die.She sent for her trusted aid Sunanda, a wise old Brahman. She wrote a
note to Krishna telling him that he was the only husband for her and asked
if he would come and take her away. She wrote to him, that if he wouldn’t
have her, she would give up her life. She also begged him that he spare
the lives of her family whilst kidnapping her. She wrote that on the day of
the wedding, she would go to the temple of the Goddess Parvati (their
family deity) and if he would, that was the right time to kidnap her. She
sent Sunanda with the note to Dwarka (Krishna’s new fortress home).Krishna had heard a lot about Rukmini’s beauty too. He longed to have her
but wasn’t sure if he should approach her family, as they owed their
allegiance to Jarasandha. Upon receiving the message from her, he
resolved to kidnap her. Now Jarasandha who knew that Krishna might try
something like that to humiliate him, filled Vidarbha with people loyal to
him.Krishna went to Vidarbha first and Balrama followed with the army. On the
wedding day, when Rukmini was leaving the temple, she looked in the
crowds for Krishna. She did not see him. As she was about to enter her
chariot and leave, she felt someone hold her from behind. It was Krishna.
He lifted her into the chariot and sped away.Jarasandha was furious. He rallied all his men and ordered them to chase
Krishna. Jarasandha’s men followed Krishna but were ambushed by Balrama
and his army on the outskirts of the city. Now Rukmi managed to go
through Balrama’s army and catch up with Krishna and Rukmini. He swore
that he would not return to his city without his sister.Rukmi fired an arrow at Krishna, but it did not even make a dent in
Krishna’s divine armour. Krishna then fired multiple arrows, which first killed
Rukmi’s horses and then shattered his chariot. Rukmi then picked up his
bow again, but before he could fire, Krishna shot another arrow and
shattered Rukmi’s bow. Rukmi now mad with rage picked up his sword and
ran towards Krishna. Krishna fired another arrow and split Rukmi’s sword in
two. Krishna then picked up his sword and was about to attack Rukmi
when Rukmini begged her lord to spare her brother’s life. On Rukmini’s
saying, Krishna spared Rukmi’s life but cut half the hair on his head and
half the moustache on his face, the worst insult a warrior could face, and
then let him go.Krishna returned to Dwarka with Rukmini and made her his bride.
The Story of Krishna and the Syamantaka Gem
The Story of Krishna and Jarasandha
The Story of Krishna and Narakasura
Stories from the Ramayana
Vishwamitra Makes a Difficult Request
This legend begins in the ancient city of Ayodhya. This fair city, capital of
the powerful kingdom of King Dashratha, stood on the banks of the holy
river Sarayu. Ayodhya was a beautiful city with wide tree-lined streets,
markets filled with skilled artisans, dancers and musicians. It was also a
great seat of learning, sheltering many scholars willing to share their
knowledge with eager pupils. The citizens of Ayodhya lived in peace and
harmony. The lands were fertile and the harvests rich. The people of
Ayodhya never went hungry. It was a happy place.King Dashratha was a benevolent monarch, kind and generous. His people
loved him and his kingdom was prosperous. He had three beautiful and
loving wives (for that was the custom in days of yore).Yet, the king’s
heart was heavy as he longed for a son who would succeed him and carry
on their noble name.King Dashratha decided to perform a holy sacrifice in the hope that the
gods would be pleased and grant him a son. During the sacrifice, a being
appeared out of the sacred fire holding a bowl of sweet gruel. He told the
king to feed the gruel to his queens so that they would bear him sons.One day, the king’s dreams came true. His prayers were answered fourfold
and he was blessed with four sons. The king was overjoyed. Ram was the
first-born, son of Kaushalya, the senior-most queen. Queen Sumitra had
twins, Laxman and Shatrugan. Bharat was the son of King Dashratha’s
favourite queen – Kaikeyi. But Ram was the king’s favourite son.The four boys were groomed in the true tradition of princes. The wisest
teachers in the land taught them skills such as archery, horsemanship,
swordplay as well as the courtly manners expected of princes. They were
taught the values of courage, truth, piety and respect for elders. They
were not just brothers, but friends. The queens loved all the princes
equally. Their sweetness and goodness made them beloved in all the
kingdom.The years passed and the princes grew to be fine, upstanding young men.
Then one day, the great holy man, Vishwamitra, came to the court of King
Dashratha. The King welcomed him with great honour. He asked
Vishwamitra if he could be of service to him in any way. He promised the
sage that he would do anything in his power to help him.Being a powerful man, the king could not imagine that Vishwamitra could
make a wish that he would find difficult to fulfil. But this is exactly what
happened. Vishwamitra asked for something dearer to the king’s heart than
his kingdom and all the riches in the world – his son Ram.Vishwamitra told the king that he had been trying to conduct a sacred
ritual at his hermitage in the forest. Unfortunately, he had never been able
to complete it because two troublesome demons sent by King Ravan used
to come and disrupt the rites. The demons would overturn the altar and
scatter the offerings. The sage was a master of warfare and could have
crushed the demons as if he were swatting a fly. But being a holy man, he
had vowed not to use his skills of combat in anger. He wanted King
Dashratha to send his son Ram to protect the sacred rite.The king was horrified. The thought of sending his favourite son, only
sixteen years old, to fight two demons, sent a shiver down his spine. He
tried to argue with the sage, begging him not to ask such a difficult thing.
The king offered to go himself or to send the whole royal army instead.
Vishwamitra was greatly angered. He chastised the king saying that he
was not a man of his word.King Dashratha’s was reminded of an incident that occurred when he was
very young. One day when he was hunting in the forest, Dashratha
thought that he heard a gurgling sound of an elephant drinking water at a
pond and he let loose an arrow in that direction. Dashratha was a superb
archer who could pinpoint his target just by sound. This time, things went
horribly wrong. His target turned out to be a young hermit filling a pitcher
with water, not an elephant at all! Speechless with guilt, his heart filled
with sorrow, Dashratha went to break the news to the hermit’s old, blind
parents. The old couple was devastated, the hermit’s father cursed
Dashratha saying that Dashratha’s son would also be parted from him, and
he too would die grieving for his son.The Princes’ First Adventure
The king was very agitated and upset. He turned to his trusted counsellor,
Vasishta, for help. The counsellor knew the prince Ram well for he was
also the prince’s teacher. He advised the king to send Ram with
Vishwamitra because he was confident that no harm would befall the
young prince. On the contrary, the prince would benefit and learn many
useful things in the time spent with the sage. He reminded Dashratha that
he could not break his promise and offend the great sage.And so Ram left the palace of Ayodhya to accompany the sage
Vishwamitra. Prince Laxman insisted on accompanying his older brother.When they reached Vishwamitra’s hermitage in the forest, he showed them
a huge arsenal of weapons gifted to the sage by the gods as a reward for
his severe penance. An array of shields, spears, bows and arrows, tridents
lay spread out before their eyes. The sage trained Ram and Laxman in the
use of these mighty weapons.The day of the sacred ritual dawned. Ram and Laxman kept watch day and
night, without sleeping a wink. Suddenly, on the last day of the ritual, the
sky darkened and two fierce demons appeared. Ram crushed the first with
a wind missile that hurled the demon a distance of 800 miles. A flaming
discus put an end to the second demon. Laxman vanquished the lesser
demons. Vishwamitra was pleased and invited the young princes to go with
him to visit King Janak in the neighbouring kingdom of Mithila.Prince Ram finds a Wife
King Janak of Mithila had a fair and beautiful daughter who was the apple
of his eye. She was no ordinary princess. Her life had an unusual
beginning. One year, the kingdom of Mithila was facing a terrible famine.
Times were so bad that the king himself had to work in the fields. On one
such day, when King Janak was ploughing a field, he found a baby girl
swaddled in cloth in a furrow in the field. King Janak took this as a sign
that the child was a gift from Mother Earth and named her Sita after the
furrow in which she was found.Now, when Sita became of marriageable age, King Janak was determined
that her hand would only be given in marriage to a man worthy of this
precious jewel. He devised a test for the prospective suitors. The king had
a bow, extremely heavy and almost impossible to lift. He announced that
he would give his daughter, Sita’s hand in marriage only to the man who
could string this bow.Suitors came from far and wide to win the fair princess’ hand, but to no
avail. It seemed that there was no suitor worthy of the lovely princess
Sita. It was at this time that Vishwamitra, Ram and Laxman came to the
court of King Janak. Ram decided to take up the challenge. The courtiers
waited with bated breath, wondering if this mere slip of a boy would be
able to accomplish what many brave warriors before him had not. Ram
lifted the bow effortlessly. As he bent the bow to string it, the bow
snapped in two! The court resounded with cheers as the courtiers
showered praises on the young prince. King Janak declared that he would
give Sita’s hand in marriage to Ram as he had more than surpassed his
expectations. The news was quickly conveyed to King Dashratha. He was
delighted and immediately set out to attend the wedding at Mithila.The
wedding was celebrated with much pomp and ceremony and the festivities
continued for several days and nights. Finally, King Janak was ready to bid
farewell to his precious daughter and the newly-marrieds left for Ayodhya.Ram goes into Exile
For twelve years Ram and his brothers helped their father to rule Ayodhya.
One day, King Dashratha decided that he had become old and did not
want to bear the burden of running the kingdom any longer. He felt that it
was time that Ram took over the reigns as the crown prince. He
summoned all his ministers and courtiers and announced that he had
decided to put Ram on the throne as the ruler of Ayodhya. Everyone was
in agreement because Ram had shown himself to be noble, wise and kind.
More importantly, the people of Ayodhya loved him. The king ordered that
preparations be made for a grand coronation.Excitement and anticipation filled the air in Ayodhya. The streets were
washed and strewn with petals. Houses were decorated with colourful
pennants and lamps were lit. The wandering minstrels sang of Ram’s noble
exploits and people poured into the city from the four corners of the
kingdom to see the coronation of their beloved prince Ram.But a dark cloud appeared on the horizon in the form of the evil Manthara,
Kaikeyi’s handmaiden who had been at the queen’s side from the time she
was an infant. On seeing the festive preparations, Manthara hurried to
Kaikeyi’s bedchamber to whisper poisonous words into her ear. Manthara
told Kaikeyi that once Ram was crowned the ruler of Ayodhya, Kaikeyi
would lose her favoured position in court. She would be in a subordinate
position to Kaushalya, Ram’s mother who would treat her worse than a
slave. She reminded Kaikeyi that it was the Queen Mother that held the
power and put the idea in her head that her son Bharat would make as
good, if not a better ruler than Ram.Kaikeyi was convinced and she decided to take action before it was too
late. Now, Kaikeyi had once saved King Dashratha’s life on the battlefield.
As a gesture of appreciation, King Dashratha said that he would grant her
two wishes. Kaikeyi had not taken him up on the offer at that time.
However, she felt that this was a good opportunity to remind the king of
his promise made years ago. She told the king that her two wishes were
that her son, Bharat, be crowned king and that Ram be sent into exile for
fourteen years. The king was heartbroken. He begged Kaikeyi to make any
other demand but this. He reminded her that the law of the land said that
it was the eldest son who should succeed his father. But Kaikeyi was
unbending. The king, being a man of his word, had no choice but to
comply with her wishes.When Ram heard of the king’s decision he did not demur. Ram calmly
accepted that it was his lot to leave Ayodhya to live the simple existence
of a hermit, not to return for fourteen long years. Ram was so noble that
he did not hesitate to sacrifice his place as king to a younger brother. It
was clear that his father’s honour was of greater importance to him.
The Death of King Dashratha and the Return of Bharat
Ram went to bid farewell to his loved ones. His mother, Kausalya, was
deeply distressed. Ram did not know with what words he would explain the
situation to his wife, Sita. As it turned out, she solved the problem herself.
She was absolutely clear that her place was with her husband wherever
he may go. Ram tried to dissuade her from accompanying him describing
the dangers, the deprivation and discomfort of their life ahead. It was not
a life for a delicately nurtured princess. But Sita had made up her mind and
there was no way that she would allow Ram to leave Ayodhya without her.
In as great a show of solidarity, Ram’s brother, Laxman, decided to leave
the comforts of the palace and accompany his brother, in some way to
shoulder the burden of the hard life that lay ahead. So this threesome
bravely went forth into the unknown.King Dashratha became a shadow of his former self after Ram’s departure.
His heart was heavy with sorrow and he lost interest in life itself. His body
grew feeble and his breathing laboured and faint as his life slowly ebbed
away. The whole kingdom of Ayodhya was plunged into a state of
mourning when King Dashratha died.Now, prince Bharat had been away during this time of turmoil and was
unaware of these terrible developments in Ayodhya. He was summoned
back to Ayodhya on his father’s death. On his return, he was shocked by
all that had taken place in his absence. He was furious with his mother and
blamed her for King Dashratha’s death and for banishing his two beloved
brothers.He stated that he had no wish to be the ruler of Ayodhya. He believed
that this was Ram’s birthright that had been wrongfully denied to him. He
announced that he would call Ram back from exile to reign in Ayodhya and
go into exile for fourteen years himself.Bharat set out from Ayodhya at the head of a huge procession of citizens
to look for Ram and persuade him to return to Ayodhya to take his rightful
place as king. After several weeks, they finally found Ram. Bharat fell at
his feet, begging him to return to Ayodhya. But Bharat’s words fell on deaf
ears. Ram was firm in his denial. He said that it was his duty to keep his
father’s word and honour even if it involved staying in exile for fourteen
years.Bharat agreed to return to Ayodhya on one condition. He said that he
would rule in name only for fourteen years. The true king would be Ram.
Bharat would place Ram’s sandals on the throne of Ayodhya that would
serve as a reminder to the people as to who was the real monarch. The
sandals would remain in this position till Ram’s return. As for Bharat, he
would forego the comforts of royalty and live as a hermit in a mud hut till
his brother’s return.An Encounter with Surpanakha
The three exiles soon became accustomed to their life in the forest and
even began to enjoy it. Their royal life became a thing of the past, silk
cushions and splendid bedchambers were forgotten. Ram, Laxman and Sita
slept under the stars on beds of leaves and grass and lived on a diet of
fruits and berries. Far from the cares of the material world, they began to
take pleasure in the simplicity of forest living.And always through their travels a faint shadow followed them, watching
out for them, sheltering from the rain and blocking the unrelenting rays of
the sun. One day, the shadow identified himself as Jatayu, the vulture king
and a friend of King Dashratha. He had promised King Dashratha that he
would act as their guardian angel and protect them from harm and help
them in times of trouble.The hermits and sages that lived in the forests also offered Ram, Laxman
and Sita their hospitality. These were holy men that lived deep in the
forest where they could be at peace and spend their time in deep
meditation. They welcomed the weary threesome into their humble
abodes, giving them a chance to take the weight off their tired feet for a
little while. But tranquillity did not reign at all times in the forest. There
were several demons that lurked in the forest and disturbed the calm
existence of the sages. The sages were men of peace and they turned to
the two brothers to keep them safe from the demons.One day, the trio heard a blood-curdling scream and they came face to
face with a hideous demon. She had wild bloodshot eyes and tangled hair.
Her voice, when she spoke, was like a growl. She introduced herself as
Surpanakha, the sister of Ravan, the powerful ruler of Lanka and the king
of the demons. She had never seen such handsome young men like Ram
and Laxman in her life and she had fallen in love with their beauty at the
first glimpse. She invited them to come and spend some time with her so
that they could enjoy each other’s company. Ram refused her invitation
saying that he would not be able to accept as he was with his wife.
Enraged, Surpanakha rushed at Sita with bared fangs and outstretched
claws saying that she could easily get rid of such a small obstacle. Laxman
rushed to intervene and cut off the demon’s nose and ears. Screaming in
agony, the maimed demon rushed off into the depths of the forest.Surpanakha went straight to her brother, Ravan, the mighty demon king.
She demanded that he avenge her humiliation and the mutilation of her
face. She taunted him saying that were he to let Ram and Laxman’s
actions go unavenged, the other demons would only accord him the
respect due to a toothless tiger.Ravan promised his sister that he would not rest till Ram and Laxman had
been punished. He swore that they would suffer and die a horrible death.
He summoned all the cleverest demons for a meeting and together they
hatched a cunning plan. They all knew that Sita was Ram’s weak spot.
They told Ravan that the best plan would be to capture Sita and bring her
to Lanka. Ram would surely follow to rescue his beloved wife. Once Ram
was in Lanka, he would be in alien territory and at a disadvantage. Thus,
Ravan could catch him on the wrong foot and vanquish him easily.Ravan was pleased with this plan and decided to kidnap Sita himself. He
sat in his flying chariot, Pushpak and travelled with amazing speed to the
house of his friend, Maricha. Knowing that they would have to employ
some means of subterfuge to abduct Sita, the two demons disguised
themselves. Maricha took the shape of a beautiful deer and Ravan the
guise of a poor ascetic wandering through the forest begging for alms.
The Abduction of Sita
One beautiful morning, Sita spotted a lovely deer outside their hut. It was
truly an exquisite creature like no other deer she had ever seen before. Its
skin had a golden luminous sheen and it stood out from the rest of the
herd as it cavorted enticingly between the trees. Sita was charmed. She
requested Ram to bring her the deer as a pet that would keep her
company while they were away hunting. Ram could not resist his wife’s
plea and followed the deer into the forest to capture it and bring it back
for his wife. But before he left he cautioned Laxman not to leave Sita’s
side for a moment.Ram found the deer to be an elusive creature that led him a merry dance
deeper and deeper into the forest. Finally, Ram strung his bow and shot an
arrow that pierced the deer’s heart. In an instant the deer was
transformed into the demon Maricha who cried out for Sita and Laxman in
a perfect imitation of Ram’s voice. Sensing that something was terribly
wrong, Ram hastened to get back to Sita.Back at the hut Sita and Laxman were dismayed to hear what they
thought was Ram’s cry of distress. Sita was beside herself with fear and
begged Laxman to go to Ram’s aid. Laxman was in a dilemma. On the one
hand, he had promised his brother that he would not leave Sita alone
under any circumstances. On the other, he wanted to rush to help Ram if
he was in trouble. But Laxman suspected that things were not what they
seemed. He did not want to leave Sita, but she was adamant that he go
and find Ram. Against his better judgement, Laxman agreed. He drew a
circle around the hut with his arrow and told Sita that on no account must
she step across this line. As long as she stayed behind this boundary no
harm would come to her.As soon as Laxman had disappeared into the forest, a frail hermit
approached the hut begging for alms and food. Sita served him graciously,
being careful to stay within the line that Laxman had drawn. But the
feeble old man said that he could barely reach the cup of water that she
had set down for him and requested her to step forward. Sita could not
see what possible harm this weak creature could do her and she stepped
across the line. Instantly, she was caught in a vise-like grip as Ravan
revealed his true identity.Sita was terror struck. She tried to struggle, but her strength was no
match against Ravan’s brute force. She tried to warn Ravan of the
consequences of abducting her. She told him that Ram would move
heaven and earth to find her. When he discovered that it was Ravan who
had kidnapped his wife, his wrath would be terrible to behold and Ravan
would be destroyed. But Ravan merely laughed at this suggestion. He
bundled Sita into his magnificent flying chariot and sped off to Lanka. The
vulture king, Jatayu, tried to come to Sita’s rescue. But Ravan cut off his
wings and left him bleeding and helpless.Ravan was quite taken with Sita’s charms. He decided that if he could
persuade Sita to marry him, he could kill two bnirds with one stone. On the
one hand, he would acquire a lovely wife. On the other, it would mean the
ultimate humiliation of Ram. He gave Sita an ultimatum. He told her that he
would give her one year’s time to make up her mind to be his wife. If at
the end of this time her answer was no, he would have her cut up and
served to him as a delicious meal. However, Ravan decided that he would
court Sita in the period of one year. He would impress her with his wit,
charm, knowledge and wealth. Ravan cherished hopes that Sita might
even fall in love with him by the end of a year.Knowing the pleasure that Sita took in nature, Ravan ensconced her in a
beautiful garden. This garden was filled with wonderful trees, flowers, birds
and animals. But Sita felt like a bird kept captive in a golden cage for all
the time she was kept under the watchful eye of demonesses.The Search for Sita
Far away, Ram and Laxman had come upon each other in the forest. They
gazed at each other in dismay as they realized that they had been the
victims of a terrible deception. They hurried back to the mud hut only to
find their worst fears confirmed. Sita had disappeared. Laxman was
overcome with remorse and reproached himself for leaving Sita alone. They
hunted high and low for Sita, calling out her name till their voices were
hoarse. But silence shrouded the forest. Not a leaf moved and the birds
and animals were silent. Just when they were about to give up hope, they
stumbled upon the dying vulture. With the little breath that was left in his
body, Jatayu told them that Ravan was the villain they sought, but he did
not know where the demon had taken Sita. These were his last words
before his death. The princes were deeply saddened by Jatayu’s death. He
had laid down his life while attempting to rescue Sita.The disconsolate princes had no clue as to which way to turn. But help
was on hand in the form of the ‘monkey people’ led by their king Sugreeva.
Ram and Laxman unburdened their hearts to Sugreeva. The monkey king
offered to help them. The monkeys had a wonderful ability to climb to
great heights and to travel long distances jumping from branch to branch.
This would be a tremendous asset in the search for Sita. Sugreeva
promised a reward to the first monkey that discovered Sita’s whereabouts.
So hundreds of these nimble little creatures scattered in different
directions to look for the hapless Sita.Now Ram had taken a liking to the monkey, Hanuman. He had a feeling
that it would be this monkey that would discover where Sita had been
kept captive. Ram took the signet ring that he wore off his finger and gave
it to Hanuman. He explained that Sita would trust the bearer of this ring as
a true messenger from Ram.As it turned out, Hanuman was the first monkey to discover that Ravan
had taken Sita to Lanka. But help came from an unexpected source. A bird
with amazing eyesight that enabled it to see over high mountains, dense
forests and wide oceans. This bird had spotted Sita, captive in the Ashoka
grove in Lanka and he whispered this information into Hanuman’s ear.The mystery had been solved. But now a new obstacle presented itself.
An immense expanse of water separated Lanka from the land where Ram
and Laxman resided. The question was how to get across the water?
Hanuman volunteered to attempt the leap across the ocean. After praying
to the gods, Hanuman planted his feet firmly on the ground. He then
girded his loins, took a deep breath and launched himself into the air with
a mighty roar. He flew high up into the air, across the ocean, till he landed
lightly on the sandy beach of Lanka’s shore.Hanuman in Lanka
The city of Lanka was perched upon a triple-peaked mountain, fortified by
high walls and surrounded by a deep moat. Armed guards patrolled the city
night and day and stopped any strangers that happened by. Hanuman,
being a monkey, could enter the city unchallenged.Hanuman found Lanka to be an astonishingly beautiful city. There were
lush gardens, tinkling fountains, impressive monuments with towers that
reached towards the sky, crystal palaces with gem-encrusted doorways.
Everywhere there was wealth and prosperity.Finally, Hanuman happened upon Sita in the Ashoka grove. There she sat,
a forlorn figure, surrounded by demonesses. Hanuman managed to creep
up to her unnoticed. He told Sita that he was a messenger from Ram and
gave her the signet ring that Ram had entrusted to him. He told her how
her husband pined for her and reassured her that Ram would bring
reinforcements and rescue her from captivity. Sita was overjoyed to see a
friendly face after such a long time. She pulled a jewelled ornament from
her hair and told Hanuman to give it to Ram so that he would know that
she was alive and well.Hanuman realized that he must return to Ram in haste so they could make
preparations to rescue Sita and vanquish Ravan without delay. But being a
monkey, Hanuman had mischief in his blood. He could not leave Lanka
without first creating some kind of a disturbance. He took a deep breath
and as the air entered his body, he grew to an enormous size. He then set
about wreaking havoc in the city of Lanka. He uprooted trees and shook
the grand mansions to their foundations. He left a trail of destruction in his
wake. The news soon reached Ravan that a monkey was causing chaos in
the city. Ravan ordered that the monkey be captured and brought to him.
Scores of soldiers rushed to do their king’s bidding. Hanuman put up a
spirited fight, but ultimately he was subdued and brought before Ravan.Ravan was enraged by the temerity of the monkey that dared to disturb
the peace of Lanka. Knowing that his tail is a monkey’s pride, he ordered
that Hanuman’s tail be dipped in oil and set on fire. Hanuman allowed the
guards to have their fun for some time. He then took a deep breath,
breaking out of his bonds as if they were toothpicks. Seeing another
opportunity to wreak havoc, Hanuman darted about the city setting fire to
everything that cane across his path. Satisfied that he had caused
enough of a commotion, Hanuman took a deep breath and disappeared into
the sky with a thunderous roar.Ram Wages War on Lanka
When Hanuman returned home he was given a hero’s welcome. Ram
embraced him like a brother for he had breached the formidable walls of
Lanka and found Sita. But Ram was dejected because he was at a loss for
a plan to attack Lanka. How would they cross the sea? Sugreeva
reassured him saying that he and all the monkey folk were at Ram’s
disposal. Together they would find a solution to the problem and rescue
Sita from the clutches of Ravan. They pumped Hanuman for information
about the size of Ravan’s army, the strength and structure of the fortress,
the arrangements for defence, and the positioning of the sentries. The one
thing they all agreed on was the fact that time was of the essence.Finally, they devised a plan. They would build a bridge that would extend
to the shores of Lanka. Monkeys of all sizes, shapes and hues scrambled
to collect branches, stones and even large boulders and dragged them to
the shore and piled them one on top of the other in the sea. For once,
these mischievous creatures forgot their pranks and concentrated on the
task in hand. The work was back-breaking, but in five days the task was
complete. Ram, Laxman, and Sugreeva proceeded at the head of the
monkey army, across the bridge to Lanka.Lanka’s alert sentries soon spotted the invaders. When the news reached
Ravan’s court, the assembled courtiers gave out a bloodthirsty roar
exhorting Ravan to attack Ram and his followers and crush them. The only
voice of dissent was that of Vibhishan, Ravan’s brother. He tried to explain
to Ravan that he had committed a sin by abducting another man’s wife.
Vibhishan told Ravan that he could still avert a disaster by returning Sita
to her rightful husband. He begged Ravan not to put the whole of Lanka in
danger merely to satisfy his lust for Sita.But Ravan would not listen to reason. Blinded by lust, he was convinced
that Ram was the only obstacle that prevented Sita from accepting him as
her husband. He was certain that once Ram was out of the way, Sita
would fall into his arms. He was infuriated at what he thought was his
brother’s betrayal. He told Vibhishan that if he was so concerned about
the enemy, it would be better if he joined Ram’s army. Knowing that he
was on the side of the right, Vibhishan did join Ram’s army.Now, the demons that made up Ravan’s army were great, fearless
warriors. They were confident of winning this battle because after all they
were fighting mere monkeys. Drumbeats and the blowing if conches and
trumpets signalled the beginning of the battle. The two armies charged at
each other. The monkeys hurled trees and stones at then enemy and
fought with their teeth and claws. The battlefield was a blood bath, but
still the monkey folk kept on despite the loss of many lives. Ravan’s army
was shocked at their inability to fight off this puny army. Ravan could not
believe his eyes as he watched his soldiers fall one by one on the
battlefront. He realized that he would have to summon reinforcements.Kumbhakarna and Indrajit Enter the Fray
Kumbhakarna was Ravan’s brother and had a truly formidable reputation as
a warrior. The gods had cursed him so that he slept for a stretch of six
months at a time. It was nearly impossible to wake him from his deep
slumber. But Ravan realized that he needed to introduce Kumbhakarna
onto the battleground to boost the morale of the demon army. Ravan had
great faith in his brother’s prowess as a warrior and was convinced that he
would be able to slay Ram and rout the enemy. He ordered all his officers
and servants to work on the difficult task of waking Kumbhakarna. They
made an enormous din, blowing trumpets and conch shells, beating drums
and shaking Kumbhakarna’s body vigorously. But still the giant slept on
undisturbed. Finally, when the servants had almost exhausted their
efforts, Kumbhakarna woke, yawning hugely, and shaking off the servants
like so many flies. He first sat down to eat the mountains of food that
were prepared for him for it was common knowledge that when
Kumbhakarna awoke from a deep slumber, he would be ravenously hungry.
His hunger satisfied, Kumbhakarna prepared to go into battle.Kumbhakarna arrived on the scene like a whirlwind. He made short shrift of
the monkeys, cutting through their defence like a knife cuts through
butter. Mnagled bodies of monkeys lay strewn all over the battlefield. But
Kumbhakarna’s aim was to slay Ram. He charged at Ram brandishing an
iron club in one hand and an uprooted tree in the other. Ram flung a wind
missile at the demon that took off both his arms. But the demon did not
seem to notice and charged on. Next Ram amputated the demon’s legs,
but Kumbhakarna hurtled on undeterred. Finally, Ram managed to
decapitate the demon. A shocked silence hung over the battlefield as
Kumbhakarna’s severed head fell to the ground.Indrajit, Ravan’s son, decided that he would take up the challenge of
defeating Ram’s army. Since Ram and Laxman could not seem to be
vanquished by ordinary means, Indrajit decided to use his magic powers to
make himself invisible. He hovered over the battlefield in his chariot and
rained down poisoned arrows on Ram and Laxman. The two princes were
bewildered. How could they fight an enemy they could not see? Finally,
Laxman and Hanuman managed to entice Indrajit onto the battlefield
where Laxman challenged him to single combat. Indrajit was confident that
Laxman would be no match for him. As it turned out, he was wrong and his
overconfidence cost him his life. The battle between Laxman and Indrajit
raged for a long time for they were both well matched. But as Laxman felt
his strength flagging, he prayed to the gods to give him a last surge of
energy to finish off his foe. The gods answered his prayers and he cut off
Indrajit’s head. Without a leader, the demon army fell into disarray and
they retreated helter skelter. Ravan was stricken by the news of the
death of his son, but he did not have the luxury of time to mourn.The Famous Battle between Ram and Ravan
Ravan decided that it was time that he took matters into his own hands.
All his brave generals and warriors had been defeated and he had lost both
his brother and his son. Ravan donned his armour and prepared to go into
battle. Ravan’s entrance on the battleground was a truly awe-inspiring
sight. Clad in dazzling armour made of solid gold and encrusted with
precious jewels, Ravan mounted his chariot drawn by four magnificent
black horses. With his ten heads and countless arms, Ravan’s appearance
was fearsome enough to strike terror in the hearts of the bravest soldiers.The monkey folk made a valiant attempt to attack the terrible demon, but
their stones and boulders rolled off his body like water off a duck’s back.
Ravan’s flaming arrows depleted the monkey ranks and unleashed terror in
their hearts. Laxman rushed forward to help his monkey friends, but Ravan
struck him down with a powerful thunderbolt. Ram feared for his brother’s
life when he saw him lying senseless in a pool of blood.Again the monkeys proved themselves resourceful in a crisis. They told
Ram that they knew of some medicinal herbs that could save Laxman’s life.
The only stumbling block was that these herbs were only available far
away in the Himalayas. Ram’s heart sank. This was as good as having no
cure at all. How would they able to collect the herbs from such a distant
place and return before Laxman breathed his last?Hanuman saved the situation one again. He was swift as the wind and
immensely strong. He flew up into the air and disappeared in the direction
of the Himalayas. When Hanuman landed on the mountain, he found a
million different varieties of herbs. He had no idea which were the right
ones that would save Laxman’s life. Hanuman felt that the only solution to
this quandary was to pick up the whole mountain and take it to the plain
where Laxman lay. That is exactly what he did! Once Hanuman returned to
Lanka with the mountain in the palm of his hand, the monkey folk quickly
went to work to revive Laxman. They made a potion out of the herbs and
made Laxman inhale the vapours. The potion worked like magic and the
strength quickly began seeping back into Laxman’s body.Ram decided that it was time that he took on the terrible Ravan in battle.
Both the warriors were evenly matched and both had access to secret
powerful weapons. Neither Ram nor Ravan had ever tasted the bitter fruit
of defeat.. They were both masters in the use of the bow and arrow. Even
the gods gathered to watch this magnificent battle. The air was thick with
arrows flying in both directions. Ravan’s twenty arms bristled with
weapons that he wielded all at the same time! Every time Ram managed to
cut off one of Ravan’s heads, another one would grow in its place. The
monster seemed indestructible. Finally, Ram remembered the
brahma-astra, a missile gifted to him by the Lord Brahma himself. Ram
uttered the spell that would summon the mighty weapon. Then invoking
the gods, he hurled the weapon with all his might at Ravan. A deafening
roar was heard as the brahma-astra exploded and the mighty Ravan was
destroyed.Sita's Trial by Fire
Sita had been confined to the Ashoka grove for the entire time that the
battle had been raging. She had lived through those days with her heart in
her mouth, worrying about Ram and Laxman. After Ravan had been
vanquished, Ram sent Hanuman to Sita to convey the good news.Sita’s reunion with Ram was not at all as she expected. His demeanour
was cold as he greeted her from a distance. Ram then told Sita that now
that Ravan had been salin, she was free to choose her path in life. He told
her that she could stay in Lanka with Vibhishan, or accompany Laxman or
may be Sugriva. She could also go to Bharat if she so desired. Sita was
bewildered by Ram’s behaviour. She soon understood when Ram explained
that he doubted Sita’s fidelity after she had lived with Ravan for a year.Sita was deeply hurt that Ram should question her loyalty in front of a
gathering of people. Insulted, she turned to Laxman and bade him to build
a fire. She reminded Ram that Ravan had kept her captive in Lanka for a
year against her will. He had tried to woo her in that time, but she had
been steadfastly loyal to Ram. She told Ram that she would prove her
fidelity by a trial of fire. She would walk through the fire that Laxman built,
and if she had been unfaithful to her husband in thought or in deed, the
flames would consume her. On the other hand, if her mind and heart had
never wavered from her husband, she would emerge from the fire
unscathed. After saying this, Sita calmly walked into the flames. The
assembled crowd gasped with horror as the flames enveloped Sita. But a
few moments later the people heaved a collective sigh of relief as Sita
emerged from the roaring fire unscathed. Not a hair on her head was
singed.There could be no greater proof of Sita’s fidelity. Ram embraced Sita and
said that he had never for a moment doubted her purity. But being a
monarch, he had a duty to satisfy the minds of his subjects on this issue.
Else, they would have no respect for him as a king. He praised Sita saying
that her trial by the fire had put to rest any doubts that might have been
raised in the future.The Homecoming of Ram
Finally the fourteen long years of exile were up and Ram, Sita and Laxman
were ready to return to Ayodhya. Vibhishan, who had been crowned king
of Lanka after Ravan’s death, offered the wonderful chariot Pushpak to
Ram so that they could fly home to Ayodhya. Ram gladly accepted his
offer and climbed aboard along with Sita, Laxman and their monkey friends.
They soon reached the outskirts of Ayodhya.As he had done so many times in the past, Hanuman was the messenger
that bore the glad tidings of Ram’s return to Bharat. Bharat was ecstatic
when he heard the news. He decided that the people of Ayodhya would
give Ram and his friends a reception the likes of which the kingdom had
never seen before. Once again the people of Ayodhya prepared for the
coronation of Ram. The streets were gaily festooned with flags and
washed with scented water. Colourful garlands hung over every doorway.
Musicians, dancers and acrobats performed in the streets. The people
paraded the streets dressed in their best finery. Everywhere there was
happiness and laughter as Ayodhya anticipated the homecoming of Ram.
When the weary threesome entered the gates of Ayodhya, a resounding
cheer went up from the gathered crowds. The three queens embraced
Ram, Sita and Laxman with tears of joy pouring down their faces. The
brothers were overjoyed to be reunited after such a long time.Ram presented Sita with a beautiful pearl necklace before the
commencement of the coronation. She sought out Hanuman and begged
him to accept the necklace as a token of her undying gratitude. Hanuman
was thrilled to have such an honour conferred on him.At last Ram’s coronation was complete. The gods smiled down on the new
king of Ayodhya. From then on prosperity and happiness reigned in the
land.