Sage Narda

 Sage Narda

Narda, born to Brahma, the Creator of the universe, through his mental powers and not by conjugation, Narada is also associated with Vishnu, the Preserver. He is often depicted as travelling to various realms, singing and chanting the name and stories of his beloved Vishnu. Known for his inability to stay in a place for too long, he conveys vital information to the gods and other beings and is key to the transmission of narratives.

In the Ramayana, Narada has a significant conversation with the sage, Vyasa, at the beginning of the Bhagavata Purana and emphasizes the importance of devotion. It is after this that the sage composes the Puranas, a key part of sacred Hindu literature.

The ever-wandering celestial sage, Narada, renowned for his storytelling skills and knowledge of the three worlds, visited the great ascetic, Valmiki, at his hermitage on the banks of the River Tamasa.

The sage was pleased to see him. He had been struggling with a question for some time, and thought that if there was anyone who would know the answer, it would be Narada.

So, he asked, "Who in this world is endowed with all exceptional qualities? Who knows dharma, the path of righteousness, and is truthful? Who is firm and has a good character? Who is so fierce that when he is angered in battle, even the gods fear him? And who, even being so, has conquered his anger? Who is wise and a benefactor of all beings? Who is both supremely capable and beautiful?"

Valmiki was not asking about historical figures or celestial beings. The object of his inquiry was a person who walked the earth as he spoke - "now, in this world".

In praise of Rama

Pleased with the question, Narada replied, "The qualities you list are rare, but I know of such a man. He is Rama, born to the Ikshvaku lineage." He began recounting Rama's qualities and they were even more spectacular than the ones Valmiki had asked for. Rama, the son of Kaushalya and Dasharatha, equalled the ocean in depth, the Himalayas in firmness, Vishnu in valour, the moon in beauty, the fire of death itself in anger, the earth in forbearance, and Kubera, the god of wealth, in charity. He was like Dharma personified in matters of truth. He was intelligent, just, eloquent, glorious, and a destroyer of enemies. He was beautiful, and had a pleasing complexion, large eyes, a beautiful forehead, broad chest, deep collarbones, and long arms that went down to his knees. He knew the essence of the Vedas and subsidiary disciplines. He was the protector of all beings and dharma.

Narada tells the story

The sage told Valmiki of King Dasharatha and his wish to install his eidest son, Rama, as the crown prince. He told him of Rama's 14-year exile in the forest and his great battle with Ravana, the Rakshasa king.

He narrated the details of Rama's return, still speaking of past events. Finally, Narada described how Rama's perfect reign would be, talking of the past, present, and then the future.

After ruling for 11,000 years, Narada said, Rama would go to Brahma's realm. He ended his account by saying, "This is a sacred account that will cleanse sins, bring good luck, and greatness." So, saying, the celestial sage finished reciting Rama's story.

Valmiki and his disciples paid their respects, and Narada left soon after, making his way back to heaven.

By the river

Sometime later, Valmiki decided to visit the banks of the River Tamasa with his disciple, Bharadwaja.

A tributary of the mighty and sacred River Jahnavee (Ganga), Tamasa flowed close to the hermitage.

On reaching its banks, Valmiki found himself drawn to the beauty of its waters, which were crystal clear with not even a trace of mud.

He turned towards his disciple, Bharadwaja, and said, "O son! This tirtha (pilgrimage), beautiful and clear, is like the mind of a righteous person, one who is devoid of any impurities, has goodness in his heart, and follows the prescribed principles."

He instructed his disciple to bring him a pot of water and his garment made of bark. Bharadwaja, always attentive and willing, handed him the garment and pot.

A cruel act -

As Valmiki walked towards the water, he glanced at the dense forest and noticed a pair of curlews. Devoted to each other, they seemed oblivious to the sage. As they made love, they were so engrossed in each other that they did not notice the Nishada (hunter) nearby.

As the great sage looked at the birds, the Nishada struck the male with an arrow. It fell to the ground, trembling and soaked in its blood. Seeing her dying mate, the female cried out in pathetic tones. Valmiki saw the struggling bird. desperate for life, and heard the cries of separation of the female.

The first shloka 

Shocked at this cruel interruption of love.

Valmiki, overwhelmed with grief, reacted with deep compassion and pain.

He spoke:

maa nishaada pratishtha

tvam/ agamah shashvatech samah//

yat-kraunca-mithunad-ekam/avadhih kama-mohitam //

("O Nishada! This couple of curlews was in the throes of passion, and you killed one of them. Therefore, you will possess ill repute for an eternal number of years.")

Astonished that he had spoken these words aloud, Valmiki wondered, "What are these words that I have uttered while overcome with sorrow?"

Grief, in verse-

Valmiki turned to Bharadwaja and said, "While overcome by pain, I spoke these words. This rhythmic statement, with quarters of equal syllables that I uttered, while afflicted with shoka (grief).

must be shloka."

In that moment, poetry emerged from the experience of the pain of another.

Later, as they walked back, Valmiki could not get the shloka out of his mind and wondered about its significance.

At the hermitage, Valmiki's disciples repeated the newly minted verse, and grief, crystallized in the verse, completed its journey to poetry through their participation and repetition.

Sugriva

 Sugriva

Sugriva, one of Rama's key allies, is to be decorated uniformly as a straightforward and virtuous being. However, the picture that emerges of the Vanara king, first during his exile and then later, is much more real and flesh and blood, with plenty of virtue, but not a trace of innocence.

Familial relationships

Sugriva has a complicated family situation, much before his encounter with Rama. It seems that his relationship with Vali, before the battle with Mayavi, is friendly. His intentions in closing the tunnel, too, do not seem suspect. It makes sense that on receiving news of Vali's death, Kishkindha's ministers want to quickly install somebody as the king. After all, it is made clear in Ayodhya Kanda that kingless kingdoms are magnets for danger. Sugriva is an obvious choice - it is not clear whether Angada, Vali's son, was born or old enough at the time.

Relationships become tense with Vali's return. After Sugriva's exile, Vali takes his brother's wife, Ruma, as his own.

Astute ruler

During his exile, Sugriva wanders across four quarters of the earth, enough to offer the armies a virtual map to follow and chooses to settle close to Kishkindha in a region Vali cannot enter, due to a curse. It is clear then that Sugriva has a real head for policy and has excellent advisers, including Hanuman.

He is also careful, a trait possibly from his time on the run. This compels him to find out more about Rama and Lakshmana when he first sees them. His alliance with the princes is a good example of his shrewdness, at least in Valmiki's Ramayana. He is not willing to accept Rama's skill on his words alone.

There is also the complication of how much he knows of Ravana when Rama first asks him. Many commentators have tried to understand why Sugriva does not tell Rama what he knows, but it seems that it is too early in their friendship for him to give away all his cards. All this suggests that he has the qualities to run an effective kingdom.

It is also obvious from the way the Vanara armies rush to him that they respect and fear him as their ruler. It is as apparent in his treatment of them, indicating that he deserves their respect as their commander.

A true friend

Sugriva puts everything he has at Rama's disposal until they find Sita and achieve victory, marking him as a true friend. He is also able to comfort Rama at a time when he needs it the most, lecturing him ever so gently for his growing hopelessness, while filling him with self-confidence and trust in their victory. Being in a similar situation allows him to address Rama in a way that Lakshmana. finds it hard too.

He is willing to bring his smartness to bear on Rama's decisions as well, as is clear in his suggestion when Vibhishana seeks refuge.

Sugriva's flaws

Sugriva is not without complexity, however, and his greatest flaw, which angers even Rama, is that he forgets his alliance as soon as he gets his kingdom. His relationship with Taaraa is also a cause for censure, for Rama killed Vali for a parallel crime. It is natural, too, that he has a complex relationship with Vali's son, Angada. After all, Sugriva was instrumental in killing his father and marrying his mother. Indeed, it is Angada whom Valmiki utilizes to present an alternative narrative of Sugriva's actions, bringing into suspicion Angada's coronation as the crown prince.

 

 "The Emergency: A Nation's Dark Night"

*(A Poetic Chronicle of 1975-77) *

 

The Midnight Decree

 

June’s cruel night—no warning bell,

The stroke of the pen became a knell.

"Internal Disturbance," cold, austere,

Locked democracy’s doors in fear.

 

No court could question, no press could cry,

As whispers drowned beneath the sky.

Opponents vanished into cells,

While censored ink spun empty shells.

 

Where were the judges? Where the laws?

The silenced crowds with muffled cause?

Who checks the hand that wields the pen

When power forgets it governs men?

 

The reel may twist, the page may lie,

But time’s own script will testify—

No halo dims what midnight wrought,

No song erases truths unsought.

 

Final Stanza (The Lesson Unlearned)

Beware the hour when leaders say,

"I am the state—no other way."

For chains, though gilded, chafe the same,

And fire, once lit, forgets its name.

Sundra

Sham Misri

Washington USA

Vali's Death

 Vali's Death

Hidden amid the trees, Rama took aim and felled the fierce Vali. As the Vanara king lay dying, he accused the prince of not following the rules of dharma. He could not have been further from the truth.

The two brothers, terrible and strong, advanced towards each other. Sugriva uprooted a sala tree and swung it at Vali, striking him like thunder upon a mountain. He retaliated, and the fierceness of his attack broke Sugriva's pride. At that moment, Rama shot an arrow at Vali's chest, and as it found its mark, he collapsed like a felled tree. Vali was like the moon, dislodged from the sky and no longer illuminating the earth. Even if he had fallen, Vali did not lose his splendour, as the necklace that Indra had bestowed upon him held it in place.

"Why did you kill me?"

Rama and Lakshmana walked up to the fallen Vali. He saw them and said, "You are known as one who is engaged in the welfare of people, firm in your vows. Taaraa told me of your alliance with Sugriva, but I was convinced that you would not kill me when I had been challenged by another.

Your adherence to dharma is well known. I now know that you are as vicious as a pit covered in twigs. I never harmed you or your realm.

Why kill me when I am faultless?" So, accusing Rama of abandoning the path of dharma, Vali fell silent.

The dharma in the act

And so, on Vali's deathbed began a debate on dharma, and Rama pointed out Vali's chief crime, for which he had to be punished

Rama said, "It is right to kill a man who acts with desire towards his daughter, sister, or younger brother's wife.

You acted this way towards Sugriva's wife, Ruma. Also, my love for Sugriva is the same as that for Lakshmana.

I gave him my word, how could I ignore that?" Vali eventually accepted Rama's words and, joining his hands in salutation, said, "Act towards Sugriva and my son, Angada, as you would towards Lakshmana and Bharata. Protect them. Instruct Sugriva so that his behavior with Taaraa is not harsh."

Rama consoled him as he said, "Having received your just punishment, you are devoid of blemishes and have established yourself in your natural state, which is in consonance with dharma."

Taaraa's grief

Taaraa heard that Rama had shot Vali, who lay dying, and rushed to be by his side.

She chastised his retinue who had fled fearing Rama's anger. She ignored their advice to consecrate Angada and said, "What do I have to do with the kingdom or with life when Vali, the tiger among Vanaras, leaves us? I will follow him as well." She sat beside her mighty husband and cradled his body. Sugriva, seeing Taaraa and Angada in such a state, mourned his dying brother as well. Taaraa lamented, "Your strength and valour remained undefeated in battle. Get up now, go to y well-appointed bed. Or is it that as a king you love the earth even more than myse that you do not abandon he even when I ask you to? Ho does my heart not split into thousand pieces?

"Angada, look at your father with care, for to see him shall become impossible. Sugriva, enjoy your kingdom without any agitation, for your enemy your brother, lies slain."

Hanuman consoled her, "The good or bad acts a being performs return to bear their fruit. And what is there to be grieved, and by whom, in this body that is as ephemeral as a bubble? The existence of all beings is impermanent.

Do not grieve, for Vali has attained the realm of those who are triumphant in dharma." He told her to take solace in her son who would soon be consecrated and said, "The Vanaras and these realms look upon you as their overlord."

Vali, whose breath was slowing, asked Sugriva to rule well and take care of Angada. He said,

"You are Angada's protector. Follow Taaraa's advice, and make sure you fulfil your promise to Rama."

He breathed his last and Taaraa lamented, "Look, royal glory does not abandon you even when your breath has ceased, even as the sun's rays do not abandon the great mountain as it sets."

Rama said, gently, "The departed soul does not attain peace and happiness through the pain of grief that the family experiences."

…

S-727 The Birth of the Ramayana and Its Composition

 S-727 The Birth of the Ramayana and Its Composition

Valmiki sat in solemn thought,
His heart with grief and anguish fraught.
Two birds, once singing, now lay still—
A hunter’s arrow struck to kill.

From trembling lips, a verse took flight,
A shloka born of sorrow’s might.
Then lo! A light divine drew near—
Brahma, the Creator, stood clear.

With folded hands, the sage bowed low,
Offered water, rice, and glow.
Yet still his mind, in turmoil deep,
Could not forget the lovebirds’ weep.

The Lord smiled, knowing all along,
This grief would birth a sacred song.
"Fear not, O Sage, the verse you spun,
By my will, this grace was done.

Now weave the tale of Rama’s grace,
His deeds in time and boundless space.
No truth shall hide, no act untold,
All secrets bright, in verse unfold.

Your words shall shine, forever true,
As stars in skies of endless blue."
Then Brahma vanished wisdom stayed,
And Ramayana’s song was made.

 

The Golden Trident of Ananta Mountain

 Ananta Mountain

The Golden Trident of Ananta Mountain

Deep beneath the swirling waves of the Soft-Water Ocean, where the light of the sun could not reach, stood a mighty mountain—Ananta Mountain, shining like pure gold. At its peak stood a golden trident, glowing with divine power.

This was no ordinary mountain. It was the throne of Ananta, the great thousand-hooded serpent, who held the weight of the world upon his head. His coils stretched endlessly, and his eyes shimmered like twin moons.

One day, a curious young vanara named Vali (not to be confused with Sugreeva’s brother) heard tales of the golden trident. "If I bring it to Lord Rama," he thought, "it could help us defeat Ravana!"

With a brave heart, Vali journeyed east, crossing terrifying oceans where fire-breathing demons lurked beneath the waves. Finally, he reached Ananta Mountain.

As he climbed, the air hummed with energy. At the summit, the golden trident stood tall—its three prongs blazing like captured sunlight. But as Vali reached out, a deep voice rumbled:

"Who dares disturb my rest?"

Vali turned and gasped—Ananta himself loomed before him, his massive hoods swaying like storm clouds.

"Great Serpent," Vali bowed, "I seek this trident to help Lord Rama rescue Sita from the demon king!"

Ananta’s eyes softened. "Rama… the avatar of Vishnu." He nodded. "The trident is not mine to give—it belongs to Shiva. But if your heart is pure, touch it, and see."

Vali stretched out his hand—ZZZT! A surge of energy shot through him! Visions flashed—Rama’s victory, Ravana’s fall, and a future of peace.

When he awoke, the trident was gone. But in his palm lay a single golden scale from Ananta himself.

"Carry this," whispered the serpent. "When Rama needs strength, it shall shine for him."

And so, Vali raced back, his spirit alight with hope. For he knew—even the gods were on their side.

The End.

The Lord of the Fly-Jumpers

 The Lord of the Fly-Jumpers

Once upon a time, in the great land of Kishkindha, King Sugreeva, the mighty lord of the vanaras (monkey warriors), stood before Prince Rama, the tiger-hearted hero.

"My noble Rama," said Sugreeva, "my vanaras are ready! They can leap over oceans, lift mountains, and change their shapes at will. They will find your beloved Sita!"

Rama’s heart swelled with hope. "Then let us begin the search!"

Sugreeva turned to his bravest captain, Vinata. "Lead an army eastward! Cross rivers, climb mountains, and search for every forest and cave. Look for Sita and the demon king Ravana!"

Vinata bowed. "We shall not fail!"

And so, the vanaras leapt into action—jumping over sparkling rivers, swinging through golden trees, and even peeking into strange lands where fish-tailed creatures and shadow-eating monsters lived!

At last, they reached the great Milk Ocean, where a golden mountain touched the sky. But beyond it lay unknown realms—where even the sun and moon dared not go.

"Return in one month," ordered Sugreeva. "Find Sita or face my wrath!"

With courage in their hearts, the vanaras vowed: "We will bring Sita home!"

And so, their great adventure began.