Kaikeyi; Blessed or Cursed

While turning pages of our pauranik/ancient yarns, oftenly we come across with events that excites our minds with extraordinary instances and larger than life characters. And why not, with legends those are truer and that too divine, its quite obvious. One thing that is pretty usual or causal that we find is boon(vardaan as we popularly know). Sometimes the whole saga revolves around such episode or episodes and sometimes, such episodes immortalize the particular character. Vishwamitra's austerity pleased Brahmm Dev and he blessed the former with 'brahmmrishi' position. Youngling Dhruv penanced for Narayarn's affection and his fame went immortal. Iksha-Mrityu, a boon given by a loving father to his virtuous son, Bheeshm, initiated the epic, Mahabharat. Most of the incarnations taken by Bhagwan Vishnu were due to these boons only; demons like Hirarnyaksh, Hirarnyakashapu, Raavarn obtained boons from Brahmm Dev and became invincible and were finally eliminated by the avatars to install dharm.

Now, when the boonathon is currently in play and my last two posts were on Shri Ram's exile, I recollect an episode of two boons that actually were curses in disguise and hence resulted catastrophically.

Kaikeyi; Dashrath's favorite queen, had those two boons with her that did turned the tides in distant future. How she received those boons? Well the story goes like this - once, Indra, king of devas pleaded Dashrath's help in the war between devas & asurs. Dashrath agreed and fought bravely in the war, his vigorous display of strategics helped Indra winning the war later. But during the war, there came a situation when he got severely injured and lost his consciousness, it was the charioteer who not just saved his life but also  treated all his injuries and helped him getting his strength back. The charioteer was no one but Kaikeyi who accompanied Dashrath to the war. Beholden to what she did, Dashrath granted her two boons and asked her to wish whatever she aspires for. The benign queen averted those boons for future course as she cared for nothing more but her husband's long life which she already took care of.

Quite a legend, ain't so; there's more to it if we read between the lines. Before that, or rather to understand that better we will learn about Kakeyi.

Daughter of King Ashwapati, she was the only princess of Kaikeya. Her alluring beauty was renowned everywhere. She also had a brother named prince Yudhajit. The wise King Ashwapati treated both of his children equally and made sure that the prince and the princess are endowed with education uniformly in different streams. Kaikeyi proved to be a great scholar along with her brother and mastered all genres that included the warfare(yes, she was a warrior too). Later she was married to King Dashrath of Ayodhya, she proved to be an ideal wife who accompanied her to the great war where she saved his king's life. She mothered the great Bharat, for whom she dared to play the woman she wasn't in actual.

Now if we compile the above stated, we can comprehend that Kaikeyi was not any usual princess but a great intellect, an enlightened soul and certified adventuress. The war where she saved Dashrath's life wasn't any regular one. Indra is the king of the devas and he himself was a mighty dev, but he had to ask for Dashrath's help as this time it was Shambar, a very powerful being and king of the rakshasas fighting against him. Indra was aware of the enimity between the suryavanshees and the rakshasas read : http://srirom.blogspot.in/2015/06/the-uncrowned-king-khar.html and was helped consequently. Dashrath took kaikeyi as his charioteer knowing her presence of mind and she proved working in great co-ordination with him. It is pretty clear that when Dashrath was wounded badly, he was encircled between the rakshasas, a mere charioteer would have failed in saving him. But Kaikeyi was not any mere, she not just safeguarded her king but efficiently fought the enemies. This again proves that there was gender equity in those times read : http://srirom.blogspot.in/2015/07/ayodhya-prime-and-eternal-ii.html

When Shri Ram's coronation was announced, whole Ayodhya was decorated and were celebrating. Kaikeyi was unaware of such news as earlier Shri Ram was only being promoted as Yuvraj. When Manthara informed her about the crowning, she was ecstasized and presented a necklace to the her. Manthara threw the necklace in fury and explained why and how the coronation may harm her and Bharat's future(baseless). Kaikeyi tried her best to resist but Mathara gained over her motherly love and brainwashed her, totally. She reminded her of the two boons that Kaikeyi let go once. Now the ball was in Kaikeyi's court and her hidden aspiration for Bharat's kingship pushed her towards the path she regretted her whole life. She wasn't herself anymore but transformed into hideous berserk woman and put those two boons in front of Dashrath; Bharat's crowning and Shri Ram's exile for fourteen years. Dashrath was ripped inside out, he was shocked as suddenly what turned her love and affection into hatred towards Ram. At the end, her firmness won and the exile was commanded that ended up taking Dashrath's life.

A genuine woman who fell prey to her hidden aspirations, without caring to know whether her own son wished for kingship or not. It is often said that Kaikeyi was right on her side and she was misguided. Accepted, but again revisiting the above stated, she wasn't the one who could be easily mislead, she had a brain and she knew how to use that. I remember to what Benjamin Parker said once, 'with great powers comes great responsibilities', she didn't cared for that and at the end came out as the biggest looser where her own son relinquished her. Moral or immoral, who are we to decide when she was revered by Shri Ram himself, as whatever happened, was his will after all.

"An opportunity to transform must prioritize societal benefit only"

'सियाराम'

Grammer Gyan - 

Hirarnyaksh:     he-rurn(n being silent)-yak-sha

Hirarnyakashapu: he-rurn(n being silent)-ya-kash-yup-oo

Bheeshm:         bhee-ishm

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Manthara's Mantra

MANTHARA; insidious, devious, amoral, unscrupulous and what not, words that come to our mind with a certain rage in order to define her vicious character whose trickery turned the tables overnight and the virtuous son of Ayodhya was enforced for exile. Such an evil woman was she; but wait, I mean if she hadn't been "the bad", then Shri Ram would have been coronated. Sweet, an ideal king would have ruled Ayodhya, but what difference could it made as Dashrath was also a great king by all means. How would have he became 'the one', the installer of dharm, annihilator of Raavarn, the very motive of Shri Ram's descent.  In fact, why would I have been be sharing my views with you as there wouldn't have been any epic created.
So, whatever happened due to Manthara; was it good, was she a moral woman who sacrificed herself only to be remembered as we recognize her at present. First, we should know what our legends tell about her:

• Manthara, a native of Kaikeya kingdom(present day Pakistan, to an extent), maid to the royal family. She was appointed as Kaikeyi's governess where they both found a mother-daughter affection towards each other.
• Her appearance was pretty unusual; hunchbacked and quite ugly.

Manthara, corrupting Kaikeyi's mind

• When Kaikeyi was married to King Dashrath; maids and servants were sent as dowry. Manthara also accompanied Kaikeyi due to the bond they shared and to guide her for her new responsibilities.
• She loved Bharat like a grandson and always aspired kingship for him. When Shri Ram's coronation was announced, she was fumed with rage and jealousy and thus brainwashed Kaikeyi's mind deviating her to enforce expulsion for Shri Ram.
• According to a theory, King Dashrath had promised King Ashwapati(father of Kaikeyi) that the son born from his daughter would be the heir apparent of Ayodhya, as Kaushalya; the senior queen failed to produce any son. But when Kaushalya gave birth to Shri Ram, being the eldest, he was announced as the future king. This was unacceptable to Manthara as it was unjustified the King breaking his promise.
• Manthara also saw it as a threat(unfounded), as the coronation of Shri Ram would devalue kaikeyi's position ultimately affecting her grounds.
• Post Dashrath's demise; when Shatrughan found the horrids that Manthara plotted, he decided to execute her for the offence she committed. It was then Bharat who interfered and saved her life.

The role of Manthara had been very critical and always has created curiosity among the minds of the curious'. She is considered to be the stimulus who actually triggered the whole set of events that proceeded afterwards and made the legend presumable. The above mentioned facts belong to different theories or sources, one theory also states that after Shri Ram's coronation was announced, Indra(king of the devas) requested her to corrupt Kaikeyi's mind in order to banish Shri Ram for the woods. But this theory along with the Ashwapati story described above are not mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayan, hence authenticity is doubted. According to V R, Manthara was a canny maid who was filled with jealousy and insecurity and hence fomented Kaikeyi. It doesn't matter much, whether Dashrath made any commitment or Indra requested Manthara, what matters is, a divine motive was accomplished in her guise. May be she was negative for planning the exile conspiracy, but her loyalty towards Kaikayi and Kaikeya can't be questioned and through that perspective, she was doing her job, where she went wrong? Well she went too far and conspired putting all the ethics aside that ultimately took the king's life. I say all this to present an open picture, where we can see as well as put our point of view.

Like I said once, destiny will happen no matter how impossible the conditions may look. Manthara was a maid, but a divine inspiration and her affection towards Kaikeyi pushed her to dare what even she had not imagined. Now consider the following incidents; association with Guh and the Vaanars, annihilation of the evil rakshasas in the dandkaranya, upliftment of the sages, redemption of Sugreeve and Vibhisharn, annihilation of Raavarn and unification of civilizations(arya and non-arya; humans with vaanars and rakshasas) all these that I have been discussing about in my blogs initiated here, from this incidence. You can now see how things are interrelated and hence the actualization has arrived.

Today we are celebrating Deepawali, Shri Ram's arrival after completing the exile; festivals of lights, luminosity everywhere where there would be no scope for dark. Take one more step and spread this cheer out of your circles, try to bring smiles to those who are not fortunate enough to do so themselves and the feel great will do the job for you. Remember, even a small diya can eradicate complete darkness, like the small episode of Manthara lead to the installation of righteousness.

नमोस्तुते श्री राघवम्, जिनकी माया से चराचर जगत मंत्र-मुग्ध है 

"your one small step can turn out to be an accomplishment, if your heart is at the right place and the timing of your attitude is right"

'सियाराम'

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The Exile

Last week we cognized various aspects of Bharat's character those were unknown to us, certainly he did set high standards of brotherly love and devotion, but there's a lot more of his mettle we are to know. Before that! before knowing more of him, I must put out the aspects of the exile first. Shri Ram was announced as the future king of Ayodhya, celebrations were on, every citizen was in a joyful state waiting for the coronation.

But suddenly the tables were turned overnight; that one night, turned a loving step-mother against his dear step-son, made an powerful king so weak that he couldn't defend his most valuable possession, his son and the commandment was out that changed everything. I am often asked a lot about Shri Ram's exile, for example why did Shri Ram chose the certain route for his exile over the other pleasant options, why didn't he stayed near Ayodhya?

To answer the FAQs and understand the working of the divine, let's get sorted one by one:

• The displacement of Mareech proved to be a logical shift. It showed that Shri Ram was already aware of destiny and in future it proved to be a reason good enough for choosing Chitrakoot followed by Panchwati where Mareech confronted Shri Ram again, only to get liberated of his hands.
• In order to forewarn the impregnable Rakshas empire, Shri Ram chose his stay at Mount Chitrakoot that was adjacent to Dandkaranya(outpost of the rakshas empire, current day region of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh{confluent}). There he met sage Valmiki who helped him selecting an ideal spot to build his hermitage as well as sages who aware him about the menaces of the rakshasas that wasn't much known to him(humane perspective).
• Though the Suryavanshees were efficacious in the whole Earth along with Aryavart, yet there wasn't much of an communication or territorial integrity among them. The rakshasas under Raavarn’s shelter had based in the forest regions of the Dandkaranya and were endorsing unethical practices along with tormenting the sages.
  While preparing for the exile, Shri Ram also prepared himself strategizing as to how he would approach this region. The persecution of the rakshasas was well known. It was time for him to execute the very motive of his incarnation as well as installing dharm and expanding the ambits of Aryavart for the world’s benefit with the elimination of Raavarn. 
• The varn-vyavastha followed those times was ideal, without any disparity. But that had a slight adverse effect, lesser participation from the cogent minds of lower castes due to lack of motivation from the regime. Also, there was negligible rapprochement between the Aryan kingdoms and the southern kingdoms including the vaanars. Shri Ram unified the Aryan kingdoms with the great Kishkindha through Lanka. The kingdoms of the south also were affected by that positively as due to the torments and the dread created by Raavarn the communications were gone null. Shri Ram's association with Guh, Shabri and the vaanars improved the interactions. 

Raavarn-Vaddha wasn't the only motive of incarnation, the exile was meant to serve a lot more purposes and the above stated points brings our attention to that. The commandment for exile was meant to be only for Shri Ram but Devi Sita stressed on her going she was aware that without her the actual motive won't be accomplished, together, they both planned the exile and succeeded. Lakshmarn, though not aware of the divine also went along as without him it would have been difficult.

Thus started the chain of events, that resulted in the installation of Dharma. 

"Destiny, this way or that way, it will happen to you"

'सियाराम'

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The Crown Conspiracy

Last week, we celebrated Dusshera followed by Bharat Milap and the festivity will continue to cheer us till Deepawali. While we celebrated the former to recollect the victory of good over evil, the very next day we celebrated the brotherly love between Shri Ram and Bharat that became immortal, it is said, that the occasion of Bharat Milap marks the comeback of Shri Ram where he reunited with his dear brother Bharat in Nandigram. Shri Ram's care and affection; Bharat's unquestioned devotion, such was the bond they shared that stands at the pinnacle of kinship. We are aware about Lakshmarn; his devotion towards Shri Ram, the sacrifices he made, his gallantry in the great war of Lanka in order to serve Shri Ram's purpose. But very less is known or said about Bharat and Shatrughan and their accomplishments. When Dashrath decided to crown Shri Ram as the prospective king of Ayodhya, Bharat and Shatrughan were in Kaikeya. This was seen as a conspiracy plotted by Dashrath to sideline Bharat as the latter was also considered eligible by some. Was it so, today we will try to unravel the actual reasons, if there were any. But first, let's get to know Bharat:

• According to Valmiki Ramayan, Bharat was born to Dashrath and Kaikeyi. Unlike Shri Ram, he wasn't the complete incarnation of Bhagwan Vishnu, but carried an ansh/portion of his radiance.
• An epitome of righteousness, when came to know about his mother's felony, Bharat condemned Kaikeyi for her selfishness and renounced the throne.
• After he came back from Chitrakoot with Shri Ram's sandals(an episode to be discussed in one of my future posts), he placed those sandals in the king's seat and left for Nandigram(adjacent to Ayodhya) and administered the kingdom for the coming fourteen years, the same amount of time Shri Ram was on exile.
• Not everyone knows that Bharat also decided to quit the royal clothing and lifestyle even before he met Shri Ram and that was the reason he stayed outside the kingdom, as these were the terms of exile being imposed on Shri Ram and so he decided to undergo similar conditions.
• He was an acclaimed warrior and coversant in deploying divine weapons like his elder brother. In Uttar Kaand, Bharat attacked the kingdom of Gandharws, Gaandhaar(Kandahar of current day Afghanistan) where he annihilated the enormous army of Gandharws with the assault of a single weapon, The Samvart(a divine weapon that belonged to kaal, the lord of death). This very much elaborates his vigor.

Going through the above stated points, it is clear that Bharat never aspired the throne nor there would have been any animosity with regards to it. But then, there are people who have nurtured intense rage as to why such partiality with poor Bharat(really?), declaring it as the crown conspiracy.

'Don’t you think if Dashrath would have been patient and intimated Bharat about the coronation, then he would have lived, Ram with no hassles might be coronated. Why was he in such a hurry, did he sent Bharat on purpose?’ a friend of mine asked me once.

Dashrath only wished to promote Ram to yuvraj/crown prince not to coronate him as the king and that is why no one was intimated, not even Bharat. The coronation was planned after a particular time till Ram is accustomed for the kingship and there not only Bharat, but also Janak, other kings of Aryavart and non-aryan kings would have been intimated, it wasn’t a regular occasion you see.

However, Dashrath was also witnessing some very bad omens which were only visible to him or rather noticed by him only; those omens signified his sudden possible demise that would occur anytime. He sensed it and so rearranged the event and decided to coronate Ram instead of promoting him to yuvraj position. It was impossible to inform Bharat and Shatrughan in such a short span of time now. Even king Janak and other relatives were not informed as it wasn't viable.

Though Dashrath knew Bharat would understand as he was devoted to Ram, still, those omens scared him as they also indicated conflict of interest. The king read those omens right but sadly, doubted on the wrong person as he never imagined it would be Kaikeyi and why would he, as she was brainwashed by Manthara.

At the end, destiny made its move and circumstances took place as per those omens and Shri Ram was banished to the woods.

So this was it, we are through now. It is good to doubt to raise questions, contradictions are fine as only then we discover the causes, the answers; provided, they should come with a right spirit and will.

"Focus on your deeds and character, as your conduct will never go unnoticed no matter how hidden/low profile you are"

'सियाराम'

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The transcendence of Shri Ram

"The dread of Raavarn was over, serenity has risen and the sky was now clear. Darkness was over and light was everywhere; Earth was now stabilized after quivering of the Great War. The world could now breath without any fear. The wind started flowing with divine odor as justice was delivered and truth had finally prevailed. The devtas showered flowers at Shri Ram, they praised him and blew trumpets and conch shells"

[Valimiki Ramayan; Yuddha Kaand; Chapter- 108; Verse- 32]

जय श्री राम

My greetings on today's joyous occasion of victory of dharm over adharm, Vijaydashmi. This noble day is marked as Shri Ram's conquest over Lanka, the unassailable rakshas king Raavarn was eliminated on this very day and the world saw a new dawn. Dawn of truth, righteousness and virtue; those being installed by Shri Ram to guide the being towards the path of dignity.

But then there exist a distinct genre of "intellects" who don't shy away portraying the heroics(really?) of Raavarn which I seriously don't know when happened, they question the caliber of Shri Ram doubting his muscle as well as his intelligence. In one of my initial blogs, I gave some fact those were loaded with enough info to prove the divinity of Shri Ram. Today, on this glorious occasion I take this opportunity to acquaint you as why he was the dearest prince of Ayodhya, how was he revered among the kings of the native states and why they approved as their future king:

• Shri Ram displayed tremendous possibilities in a very young age, the people of Ayodhya's expectations roused every time they saw their dear prince. His calm and soft spoken nature had already won a million hearts. In any situation, whether favorable or adverse, he remained tranquil. Even the associates of Ayodhya admired his kind heart that had compassion and love for not just the people of Ayodhya but for every good soul.
• Being satyapratigya, he was never indulged nor promoted corruption or bad-practices as he was a jitendriya, the one who has won all his senses, an aficionado of equity among the people as no one returned empty handed who went to Ram for fairness. His love and humbleness towards the beings were commendable, they all were bewitched by his charm and qualities.
• His enthusiastic participation in practicing arms showed his strategics and availability to lead the kingdom in any situation. His finest warrior skills and his implementation of strategies were so effective that no one, not even devas and asurs were at par with him. His potential was enough to defeat all of them at once, such was his strength.
• At the same time he was prudent enough to have company of the sages and the ministers conversing knowledge and dharm, as well as kingdom’s well being. Being a good learner he always welcomed opinions whether spiritual or practical in good for his kingdom and the world, his gurus and contemporaries praised his political skills.
• He was an amazing harmonist, his melodious voice could struck chords of billions. He motivated others to participate in gaandharwa-vidya, to help them fighting stress and creating a cheerful environment, as it helped them in opening themselves to others with their expressions.
• He showed special interest in commerce and economy. He regularly kept check over the officials, law system, over the traders so as to maintain the balance and prevent exploitation if any.

Shri Ram's divinity is unquestionable and above any criterion for those are man-made. As I once quoted, divinity cannot be questioned, you can either accept it or disown it, I would be fine with that. What annoys is hypocrisy; questioning his existence, yet criticizing self made accusations. Quite stupid, how can you criticize one whose very existence you deny.

Shri Ram's qualities stated above are pervaded throughout the epic, you pick any chapter and will find them, one got to have an eye for that:

• His friendship with Guh, Sugreeve and accepting the hospitality from Shabri clears the air that the varn-system was for balance and his compassion didn't differ between individuals.
• The episode where he didn't killed but transported Mareech to south proves his foresightedness and war strategics. The whole war of Lanka was programmed by him, where he  planted different phalanx/chakravyuh on time to time and in need himself entered the war-field to eliminate the rakshasas.
• His fairness even embarrassed Raavarn as when the demon king was unarmed by him, he let him go and asked him to prepare better next time.
• The war with Khar where he annihilated his grand army alone and the episode where he kicked the giant skeleton of a rakshas by his foot thumb (read: http://srirom.blogspot.in/2015/06/ram-supremacy-on-dock.html and http://srirom.blogspot.in/2015/06/the-divine-of-ramchandra.html) ensures us about his unparalleled strength.
• When Bharat arrives at Chitrakoot to take Shri Ram back with him, the latter educates Bharat about various aspects of rajneeti/politics.  Shri Ram was himself a logist of the vedas, an omniscient. This is a big time misconception that when he eliminated Raavarn, he send Lakshmarn to acquire knowledge from the latter, I don't see any sense in that, do you?

In my future posts I will keep posting the logical facts that will clear the misconceptions spread over the years to defame RAM. 

One last thing, there is a "inspirational" short story very prevalent where an expectant mother asks her daughter as whether she aspires for a brother and if yes, he should be like which great persona. The daughter answers - Raavarn(seriously?), the mother is astounded, then the daughter educates her about the "nobility" of the demon. The salient feature she elaborated is that even after keeping Devi Sita in his capture, the demon didn't touched her at once. Wow! kudos to our unawareness; I must share this - Raavarn was one womanizer who lusted any/every pretty woman he confronted, he was guilty of abduction of countless women after killing their husbands or family. He was also guilty of coercion to not one but two women namely Rambha and Punjiksthala. And that is the reason for not daring to enforce himself on Devi Sita, the curse of Nalkubar. Still an admirer? Also if he was so mighty then why abducted Sita by cheat, because he feared Shri Ram after what he did to Khar and his army.

There is no disagreement over his vigor, knowledge and other qualifications, but, he deviated himself towards unrighteousness and that is where his every positive side vanishes. 

"Ram and Raavarn, they both are inside us representing the good and the bad, and the festival of Dusshehra inspires us to suppress the evil within and taking the right call by choosing our conscience"

Satyamev Jayte

'सियाराम'

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Aadikavi Valmiki

Behind every epic creation, there is a creator. No great epic's mention is complete without its composer. Ramayan is one such composition that whenever remembered; Sage Valmiki's reference comes to our mind. He is revered as the aadi-kavi, i.e. maiden poet and  that means Ramayan was the first poetic creation by any being. I feel blessed being born in the holy land of Kanpur where he created the legendary epic and gave resort to Devi Sita; mother of all the cosmos, in Bithoor, Kanpur.

Distressed by the poignant incident; where a mating bird-couple is hunted by a tribal hunter, killing the male bird ultimately, following words came out of his mouth contingently:

Maa nishad pratisthamatv, magamah shashwatih samah.

Yat kroranch mithunat ek, mawadhih kaammohitam.

‘Oh hunter with such cruel intentions you killed the passionate male bird who wanted to mate with his wife with love, therefore, you will never be at ease, you shall never find peace in your whole life.’

Little the sage knew those cursed words would actually form the base of an historical epic creation, the curse he gave was actually a verse and delivered from his mouth through a divine inspiration. Brahmm dev himself arrived at his hermitage and enlightened the sage about it, he directed Valmiki to script the legend of Bhagwan Ram in order to direct the world towards dharm and the rest we know is history.

Sage Valmiki's biography revolves around the creation of Ramayan. When talking about his own life, there's not much to throw light upon or to talk about. People today don't know much about his life as there's a lot that is yet to be known or understood and what we know is.... may be not a complete version.

To know about him, let's first look at the general view; it is said, initially he wasn't the same sage Valmiki as the world recognizes him today. In his earlier life, he was a dacoit named Ratnakar, who used to rob people of their belongings. Once sage Narad was roaming that place and the dacoit confronted him. Narad actualized him of his bad deeds and oriented him towards righteousness. Ratnakar then penanced for years and with the almighty's blessings received divine blessings. Later he was famed to the world as Valmiki.

That is what we all know, but when I went through the Valmiki Ramayan, I found the following facts:

• There is no such mention of his dacoit life.
• In the Ayodhya-Kaand, when Shri Ram reaches Chitrakoot Mountain, he met sage Valmiki and introduces himself along with Devi Sita and Lakshmarn. The sage welcomed them warmly helping them in choosing an ideal location to reside.
• In the Uttar-Kaand, when he   for Devi Sita's chastity, he manifested his identity as the tenth son of Varurn Dev. 

Now there arises contradiction, above given points disown the dacoit theory of sage Valmiki as well as authenticates the fact that Valmiki was the contemporary and he is the actual composer of Ramayan, certified!

But again! yes, quite hilarious ain't so?
These two words('but' and 'again') occur repetitively keeping the plausibility of probabilities alive, as we must keep our reasoning open and explore the unexplored.

The reason I am implying so is due to the presence and prominence of sage Narad in both stories. Before the tribal hunter incident occurred, Narad ji visited Valmiki's hermitage and seeded the legend of Shri Ram in Valmiki's mind responding his inquisitive about a virtuous persona. It clearly depicts that sage Narad had a chief role in Valimiki's life and he enlightened his mind at various stages of his life like a true mentor.

We must also peruse that, how come son of a dev became a sage? Valmiki could have treasured a frolic life being Varurn's son, then under what circumstances he chose a life of a ascetic? As nothing much is given clear in our scriptures, here, it is also possible that may be, Valmiki wasn't a complete dev(mothered by a human for instance). May be! out of situations, an adrift Ratnakar became a dacoit who eventually was brought on the right track by Narad. He was destined for a higher purpose and Narad was his cicerone. The world will always beholden to sage Valmiki for composing Ramayan, portraying the actual character of Shri Ram which the world is not aware of completely.

Before signing off, let's bow to the divine feet of Devi Saraswati in this auspicious occasion of Navratra, who blessed sage Valmiki with true intelligence and foresightedness so he could deliver the saga of Ram-Janki.

The festival of Navratra is not just about visiting the temples and paying devotions to the nav-durgas, it is cognizing of SHAKTI within. Aadishakti, who is the prime source to the Gods and the creation, reveals herself in different forms to exhibit the various aspects of feminine, she is Bhagwati MahaLakshmi consort of Bhagwan MahaVishnu, preserving the balance.
Adishakti's element is present in every woman/girl, those who recognize it are virtuous and those who disregard it are damned for perpetuity. 

नमोस्तुते माँ 

"It does not matter where you are today, destiny will deliver you to your destination"

'सियाराम'

[Book is now available for your read:

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Avatar: conceptualisation

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य, ग्लानिर्भवति भारत।
  अभयुत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम्।।

परित्राणाय साधुनां  विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम।
धर्म संस्थापनाथार्य सम्भवामि युगे युगे।।

"Whenever there is decay of righteousness, O Bharat (Arjun), and there is exaltation of unrighteousness, then I myself come forth; for the protection of the good, for the destruction of evil-doers, for the sake of firmly establishing righteousness, I am born from age to age" - Shri Krishn.

[Bhagvad Geeta; Chapter 4; Verse 7-8]

Shri Ram's incarnation installed dharm i.e. righteousness

Even a deprived soul is delivered to fruition with hope and faith listening to Shri Krishn's quote. Even after 5000+ years, it's relevance has never been subsided, rather it has enhanced. The above stated verse is his pledge and commitment, where he promises to redeem the beings off their sorrows and in every yug/eon he incarnates to live up to his words.

In Tretayug, when Raavarn's dread was on its extreme, Bhagwan Vishnu incarnated as Shri Ram and re-installed dharm, disseminating truth and serenity. Talking about Ramayan and other ancient legends, there have been confusions with regards to the concept of avatar. Whenever we converse about Ramavtar, people get in perplexity about Bhagwan Vishnu's incarnating and the devas fathering sons. Unlike Shri Ram; Bali, Sugreeve and others were not avatars but sons of the devtas. So, what's the difference? We will try to analyze it today, but first we must know the meaning of Avatar.

Theoretically, Avatar means a manifestation of a deity or released soul in bodily form on earth. The very word is a association of two words: ava i.e. down and tar i.e. to cross. Coming along, the two form avatar, i.e. descent.

It can be so inferred that only a God or Bhagwan can incarnate, as he is eternal. There are actually two gods; Vishnu and Shiv, these two are the supreme deities, whereas third one i.e., Brahmma is a post , so the person in position of Brahmm Dev is also considered a God being the creator, but even he is mortal. According to our scriptures Brahmm Dev has a lifespan of 100 years and currently it’s his 52^nd year going on, his days and nights are usually a lot and lot larger than ours so there are plenty of eons to come before he departs and the next deity takes over the position. 

Another thing, talking about avatar; being the preserver, Vishnu ji incarnates in actual, as it comes under his domain. Shiv ji is the destroyer completing the trinity, but he doesn’t take any avatar as it is preserver’s incumbency.

But, there had been several instances like Kartikeya, Veerbhadra or KaalBhairav and others, they all shouldn’t be mistaken as avatar, rather, they emerged from his body or radiance, they were not avatars but his fraction, they can never be placed at par with Bhagwan Shiv.

In case of Bhagwan Visnhu's incarnations the case is different, they didn't emerged from his radiance, instead he reveals his radiance in avatar's form and when the purpose is accomplished, they merged in him and that is it. Bhagwati/Goddess Lakshmi is Bhagwan Vishnu's consort, in actual they are one and hence she also incarnates, here, in Ramavtar, she arrived in Sita's form and made it possible for Shri Ram to accomplish the motive.

But again, there is an constant insistence towards the subject of Bhagwan Shiv's incarnations. The most solid specimen being exhibited: Sharabh avatar of Bhagwan Shiv.

An illustrated view of Sharabh Avatar

A legend goes like this- when Bhagwan Vishnu incarnated in Narsingh's form to eliminate Hiranyakashyapu, he lost his composure and the whole world trembled with his wrath. Bhagwan Shiv then incarnated as Sharabh and suppressed Narsingh until he was stabilized. Various legends have further additions to it.

Okay, for once let's try to believe the legend. But then, there's one more legend that concludes the above mentioned story:

While the Sharabh felt confident that he was successful in suppressing the Narsingh, the latter took a more ferocious form, Gandaberunda and combat the Sharabh destroying him at the end.

Gandaberunda subduing the Sharabh

So, what to believe and what not to believe, if Sharabh avatar is true, then so is the Gandaberunda avatar. If you remember what I mentioned in my last blog; both Bhagwan Vishnu and Shiv are actually one. You worship Vishnu, Shiv's graciousness will fall upon you and vice-versa. The humans parted themselves into two groups and formed their versions.

So what actually happened - Narsingh was calmed by Prahlaad(Hiranyakashapu's son, devotee of Bhagwan Vishnu) and that's it, happy ending.

Why the devtas cannot incarnate? Very simple, they are the part of the creation like us humans and Bhagwan, well he is the alpha and the omega, every being exists on his will. Hence the devtas fathered divine children with the heavenly courtesans, monkey females.

I also come across to people who ask, if really God is there and such is his pledge then where is he. The world is suffering and the standards of morality are falling, hypocrisy has replaced precision and ethics, what is taking him so long, what exactly is he waiting for? It is so easy to raise your finger and question, rather trying from our very own end.

Bhagwan Ram's incarnation took place when everybody else failed. No human or dev or any other being had potentiality to face Raavarn's force. King Anaranya, forefather of Shri Ram fought bravely but at the end was killed. Bali and Kaartivirya Arjun who defeated Raavarn, befriended with him. It was then the Ramavtar occurred to guide the beings towards the right path, the path of righteousness.

What we can learn is that we have to fight our own battle, whatever state the world is at today, is been delivered by our ignorance and the tendency of following blindly, ultimately, we are responsible for our fate, whether good or bad. Reasoning and rationalization are becoming obsolete and that's the actual threat.

But things are not lost yet, from time to time, even today, there have been 'humans' who have lead humanity towards the right path. He will arrive for sure; when mankind will give up to adharm, he will descend and re-install righteousness. Until then, never stop trying!

We will end for today by commemorating the DASHAVATAR:

श्रीमन्नारायण

"He is always there for you, the only condition is - believe, never back down"

'सियाराम'

[Book is now available for your read:

Amazon(e-book): amazon.in/7th-Incarnation-Ram-Janki-Book-ebook/dp/B01E8LJ9HG (including other amazon domains)

For Paperback: https://pothi.com/pothi/node/188538]

Visit my website:

http://www.srirom.in)