Dasaratha

“ Do thou, O Brahmana, relate why the sons of Dasaratha—the brothers Rama and Lakshmana—went to the forest with famous princess of Mithila.'
"Markandeya said, 'The pious king Dasaratha, ever mindful of the old and assiduous in religious ceremonies, was greatly pleased when these sons were born. And his sons gradually grew up in might and they became conversant with the Vedas together with all their mysteries, and with the science of arms. And when after having gone through the Brahmacharya vows the princes were married, king Dasaratha became happy and highly pleased. ”

“ Rama answered in surprise, that for Dasaratha, his father and his king, he would leap into the fire, or swallow deadly poison. And when his mind was thus prepared, amidst the groans and sighs of her husband, she commanded the prince that day to leave the kingdom, and withdraw to the forest for fourteen years, there to live the life of the most pronounced ascetic, while her own son Bharata would ascend the throne and reign in his stead. ”

“ Then Daśaratha's thoughtful care,
Before he parted thence,
Bade trusty servants homeward bear
The glad intelligence:—
"Let all the town be bright and gay,
With burning incense sweet;
Let banners wave, and water lay
The dust in every street."
Glad were the citizens to learn
The tidings of their lord's return,
And through the city every man
Obediently his task began.
And fair and bright Ayodhyá showed,
As following his guest he rode
Through the full streets, where shell and drum
Proclaimed aloud the King was come. ”

“ Life in the forest had no terrors for her; the loss of a throne occasioned her no regret; if only she might follow her husband, and share his life and its hardships with him. And so at last it was arranged. Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, presented themselves before Dasaratha in full court, and there doing homage and saying farewell, they received from the hands of Kekai the dress of ascetics, and set out immediately for the life of exile in the forest. And it came to pass that some days later, when Bharata, the son of Kekai, returned to Ayodhya, he found that his father, Dasaratha, had died of grief. ”

“ An object of love with all the people, he was skilled in every science. And with senses under complete control, his very enemies were pleased to behold him. And he was terror of the wicked and the protector of the virtuous. And possessed of intelligence and incapable of being baffled, he was victorious over all and never vanquished by any. And, O descendant of Kurus, beholding his son—that enhancer of Kausalya’s joy—king Dasaratha became highly pleased. And reflecting on Rama’s virtues, the powerful and mighty king cheerfully addressed the family priest, saying, ‘Blessed be thou, O Brahmana! ”

“ They go forth to fight. In the end, the two Ramas turn very excellent friends. Parasurama departs.
Dasaratha now declares his purpose of relinquishing the kingdom entirely to his son Rama, Lakshmana announces the arrival of Manthara, and presents a letter from Kaikeyi, the purpose of which is to urge Dasaratha's fulfilment of his promise, and grant her as the two boons, the Coronation of Bharata, and banishment of Rama. The old king faints. Rama recommending his father to Janaka, departs for the forests, accompanied by Lakshmana and Sita. ”

“ In the splendid palace of the Rajah, at Oudh, lives Daśaratha, mourning in childlessness. He is one of the princes descended from the sun, and his line now threatens to become extinct. He determines to appeal to the Gods by the Asva-medha, the great sacrifice in which a horse is the victim. The rites accordingly are performed with unparalleled magnificence, and, at the close of the ceremony, the high priest declares to the king—
"Four sons, O Monarch, shall be thine,
Upholders of the royal line." ”

“ O thou of great glory, thy fourteen years (of exile) have been completed." Thus addressed by Dasaratha, Rama bowed to the gods, and saluted by his friends he was united with his wife, like the Lord of the celestials with the daughter of Puloman. And that chastiser of foes then gave a boon to Avindhya. And he also bestowed both riches and honours on the Rakshasa woman named Trijata. And when Brahma with all the celestials having Indra at their head, said unto Rama, "O thou that ownest Kausalya for thy mother, what boons after thy heart shall we grant thee?" ”

“ Vaśishṭha, bright with holy deeds,
Girt with these sages far-renowned,
Like Indra with the Gods around.
Joy! joy! for vanquished are my foes:
Joy! for my house in glory grows,
With Raghu's noblest sons allied,
Supreme in strength and valour's pride.
To-morrow with its early light
Will shine on my completed rite.
Then, sanctioned by the saints and thee,
The marriage of thy Ráma see.”
Then Daśaratha, best of those
Whose speech in graceful order flows,
With gathered saints on every side,
Thus to the lord of earth replied:
“A truth is this I long have known,
A favour is the giver's own. ”

“ Thy mother's fainting spirits sink in fear for thee; but thou, my boy, If aught to grieve thy gentle heart thy mother or thy sire do wrong, Bear with us, nor, when next we part, on the slow way thus linger long, The feet of those that cannot move, of those that cannot see the eye, Our spirits live but in thy love,—oh wherefore, dearest, no reply?' "My throat thick swollen with bursting tears, my power of speech that seemed to choke, With hands above my head, my fears breaking my quivering voice, I spoke: The Kshatriya Dasaratha I, O hermit sage, 't is not thy son! ”

“ It finds out means to multiply one's luxuries. Intense gross modern activity should not be imposed on Indian institutions, which have to be remodelled on ideals taken from Hinduism. Virtue as understood in India is not understood in foreign lands. Dasaratha is considered a fool in foreign lands, for his having kept his promise to his wife. India says a promise is a promise. That is a good ideal. Material activity is mischievous. "Truth shall conquer in the end."
"Emigration does no good to the country from which people emigrate. Emigrants do not return better moral men. ”

“ Reminding him, at last, of the necessity that both Sita and himself should pass the night in prayers and austerity, Dasaratha dismissed him, and Rama sought the presence and blessings of his mother, Kausalya, before returning finally to his own palace. There he was followed almost immediately by the priest of the royal family, with minute instructions for the evening observances, and the hours that remained were spent accordingly.
Now the news of the installation had gone out through all Ayodhya. The streets and thoroughfares were thronged with excited people. ”

“ As though, with every guardian God
Who keeps the land and skies,
The Father of all creatures trod
The earth before men's eyes.
Canto XX. Visvámitra's Visit.
Now Daśaratha's pious mind
Meet wedlock for his sons designed; [pg 033]
With priests and friends the king began
To counsel and prepare his plan.
Such thoughts engaged his bosom, when,
To see Ayodhyá's lord of men,
A mighty saint of glorious fame,
The hermit Viśvámitra138 came.
For evil fiends that roam by night
Disturbed him in each holy rite,
And in their strength and frantic rage
Assailed with witcheries the sage. ”

“ The second book is more generally read than any other part of the poem, and is the most admired by Hindu critics. The description of king Dasarath's death and the different leavetakings are quoted as models of the pathetic, and in a public recital there is scarcely one in the andience who will not be moved to tears. The sentiments that the poet depiets, and the figures that he employs to illustrate them, appeal with irresistible force to the Hindu imagination ”

“ Doing the will of your lord, do you become the refuge of us all. Do not incited by evil propensities, make your husband the lord of men endued with the prowess of the celestial chief, perpetrate an unrighteous deed. That sinless one will not for certain give practical effect to the promise jestingly made by you. O worshipful one, king Daçarātha is graceful, being furnished with eyes resembling lotuses. Let him install his eldest son, Rāma generous and able, maintaining his own religion—the protector of all men—and endued with might. ”

“ When any wrong is done we say that dharma is violated, meaning that the lie has been given to our true nature.
But this dharma, which is the truth in us, is not apparent, because it is inherent. So much so, that it has been held that sinfulness is the nature of man, and only by the special grace of God can a particular person be saved. This is like saying that the nature of the seed is to remain enfolded within its shell, and it is only by some special miracle that it can be grown into a tree. But do we not know that the appearance of the seed contradicts its true nature? ”

“ We must also consider how he managed to reconcile the apparently inconsistent positions of monk and monarch.
Dharma, or Dhaṁma, means to a Hindu the rule of life for each man as determined by his caste and station, or, in other words, the whole duty, religious, moral, and social, of a man born to occupy a certain position in the world. For many ages past this conception of dharma has been inseparably associated with the notions of caste. Each caste has its own dharma, and conduct most proper for the member of one caste is reprehensible in the highest degree for a member of another. ”

“ The first describes the events at the court of King Daçaratha at Ayodhyā and their consequences. Here we have a purely human and natural account of the intrigues of a queen to set her son upon the throne. There is nothing fantastic in the narrative, nor has it any mythological background. If the epic ended with the return of Rāma’s brother, Bharata, to the capital, after the old king’s death, it might pass for a historical saga. For Ikshvāku, Daçaratha, and Rāma are the names of celebrated and mighty kings, mentioned even in the Rigveda, though not there connected with one another in any way. ”

“ How see him who is capable of bearing in battle the onslaught of the gods and the Asuras combined, sleeping in a cave on grass? It is by virtue of mighty austerities and uncommon exertions that Daçarātha has obtained this son of his crowned with every auspicious sign. He being banished, the king shall not live long; and the Earth shall certainly be widowed soon. Having bewailed aloud, by this time have the women got exhausted; and surely the king's mansion is to-day still. I do not expect that either Kauçalyā or the king or my mother is alive. If they live, it can be for this night only. ”

“ Do thou, Oh sinless and auspicious one, live here engaged in religious rites and fasts, when I shall wend my way unto the forest inhabited by the great ascetics. Rising from the bed early in the morning, adore the deities every day, and then bow down unto the feet of my father Daçarātha, the lord of men. My mother Kauçalyā is old and much pressed down with sorrow; do thou show proper respects unto her, considering it to be a pious deed. Thou shouldst then bow down unto my other mothers who all minister unto me, with equal love and affection. ”

“ And those best of men, ever engaged in the study of the Vedas, were accomplished in the art of archery—and always intent upon ministering unto their father.
And once upon a time, when the virtuous king Daçarātha, surrounded by his priests and friends, was reflecting about the nuptials of his sons, unto that high-souled one engaged in thought in the midst of his counsellors came the mighty ascetic Viswamitra. And desirous of seeing the king, he said unto the warders,—"Do ye speedily announce that I, Gadhi's son, sprung in the Kuçika line, have come!" ”

“ And puffed up with pride in consequence of the boon he received from the Grand-sire, he commits ravages upon the three worlds and carries away the fair sex by violence. Therefore, O subduer of enemies, we have even fixed upon man for bringing about his death." Hearing this speech of the celestials, Vishnu of subdued soul chose even king Daçarātha for his father. And at that time, eagerly wishing to have sons, that destroyer of enemies, the effulgent king Daçarātha, who was sonless, was celebrating the sacrifice that conferreth male offspring. ”

“ Blessed are those children who have such a father enshrined in their memory. It is no wonder that a family in which a mother has once been worshipped as a goddess had a scion like Dwarkanath, so respectful to his mother in spite of the flame of persecution she kindled. It was for this excellent trait in his character, that during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, when the Christians in Agra — European and Indian — were foully massacred, Dwarkanath was screened from the fury of the fanatics by the Hindu residents of the city. ”

“ The city expects thee wearing a single woven braid. O king's son, enjoying costly regal pleasures, do thou sport in Ayodhyā, like Sakra in the celestial regions. Daçarātha is none unto thee, and thou too art none unto Daçarātha: He is quite other than thy sire; and thou hast no connection with him. Therefore, do thou act as I tell thee. A father is merely an instrumental cause (touching the generation of his child) . A father's semen coming in contact with a mother's blood, at the time befitting conception, a person is brought into being. The king hath gone the way he should. ”

“ The pride of ancient families supported a large number of genealogists. Hosts of skilled artisans of every kind contributed to the conveniences and elegancies of life, while an army [20] of doughty warriors protected this magnificent and opulent city from its envious foes. Over this wonderful and prosperous capital of a flourishing kingdom, ruled King Dasahratha, a man some sixty thousand years of age, gifted with every virtue and blessed beyond most mortals. But, as if to prove that human happiness can never exist unalloyed with sorrow, even he had one serious cause for grief ”