Hearing these words of Viswamitra, Dasaratha was bewildered and after a Muhurta (48 minutes), breathed the following words in a plaintive tone * My son L very young, being not yet turned sixteen. He has not fought up to now. Therefore he will not be able to cope with the Rakshasas of terrible prowess. He is quite ignorant of the tactics of war in meeting his foes. Therefore thy poor servant, will him self go in his stead with the four-fold army and fight with them. Should Rama, my eldest son, part from here, my other three sons will not find themselves alive afterwards. Nor is it likely, I shall outlive, one moment, his separation Now I am not afraid of any enemy other than Rdvana, though before 1 was not afraid of him too. Will the courage of warriors who make their enemies retreat before them, be ever a fixed quantity ? Time, in its revolution works mira culous changes in all things. The mighty become weaklings.
As I am old, I am grieved as to what I should do hereafter.” Thereupon, Viswamitra said with great wrath. “ Hav ing promised me first, thou hast overstepped truth. A war like leonine king like thee, to conduct thyself like a paltry beast ! Thou mayest live happily with thy wife, sons, and other relatives.
1 will repair to the place whence I came. Observing these events taking place, Vasishta interposed and said to Dasaratha: “Born, as thou art, in the race of Manu, and dubbed with the title, Emperor Dasaratha, thou shouldst preserve thy word inviolate. If thy tongue should err, who else will maintain his word P If thy subjects on this earth will unfailingly act up to the strict justice enunciat ed by thee with a spirit of true reformation, then a fortiori, oh king, thou shouldst not fail to act up to it. This Muni Viswamitra, will protect thy son Raghava completely, like ambrosia guarded by fire (in Devaloka), and therefore the Rdkshasas, who have war only as their avocation will not be able to inflict the least injury on thy son.” At these words of Vasishta, Dasaratha of puiss v an farms enquired of the fol lowers of Rama, as to what he, whom he obtained through the grace of the great Ones, was doing. Thereupon they began to describe in the following manner the grievous plight of their master, ever since his return from pilgrimage “ It is only after entreating him by falling at his feet, that he performs some of our daily ceremonies. He says of what avail are the pleasures-giving- offspring, wealth, house, &c., being, as they, are, only unreal ?
Our master has no incli nation towards valuable white clothes or dainties of six tastes or cool water or anything else. Like ascetics devoid of all egoism, he is free from all Abhimana (identification of self with objects), and has no inclination towards state- affairs ; neither does he rejoice at happiness, nor is he afflicted by pains. He grievously complains of his life being spent in vain in the many worldly actions that do not contribute to the Jivanmukti state wherein all sorrows are unknown. Thinking that his great wealth is a source of infinite danger, he has given up all longing for it, and gives it away indis- criminately to all. We are not able to divine the underlying thought in his heart. Oh ! for one in this assembly who will be pleased to instil, into our young king all the noble qualities that will befit him to be a ruler of our kingdom.
These are the characteristics which our prince evinces.”
At these submissive words of Rama s followers, Vasishta told them the following “ Go ye and fetch this greatly be loved Rama (unknown to others,) like a deer that has strayed away from its herd.” Then addressing the assembly, he sa id The great delusion that has now arisen in him, is un like any that springs out of (disappointment as to) any de sired object or out of a great accident ; but is only (the step ping stone to) the acquisition of Divine wisdom through (Viraggya) indifference to worldly objects, and (Viveka) true discrimination. Like us, he will attain the quiescent state of Brahman after removing from his mind, all his delusion (of doubts) through the many-sided reasonings of the stainless Atmic enquiry. Rama s mind will soon become full and then he will perform sweetly and nobly all actions on behalf of men.” While the Muni was saying this, Rama appeared before the regal assembly and prostrated himself at the feet of his father, and then at the feet of Vasishta, Viswamitra, Brahmins well versed in all departments of knowledge, and the teachers imparting learning.
Then having received the prostrations of his inferiors, he recognised their salutations with words of respect, and gestures of the eye. On the king asking him to come over, and sit on his lap in the throne, he merely spread his folded cloth on the ground and sat on it without going up to him. At which the king addressed him thus “ Oh My son of rare knowledge, why shouldst thou, whom all should look up to as the seat of eternal bliss, pine away thus with this body of rare bloom emaciated, and thy mind despondent even for a moment, like the ignorant ? Men like thee with a mind bereft of all desires have attained easily the Nirvanic seat, as stated by our Guru Vasishta, who is a revered sage and a Brahma-rishi. Then why art thou grieved thus in vain ? All those accidents that bring on pains will never approach thee, should thy present delusion depart.”
After Dasaratha, the crowned king of kings had said this, Vasishta began when Viswmitra interrupted him thus 4t Oh, thou redoubted champion, that hast conquered easily thy enemies of sensual objects, which are invincible, except through supreme efforts, drown not thyself in the ocean of delusion full of Ajnana which is befitting only the ever- fluctuating ignorant persons of the world. If thou wilt re veal to me the cause of the delusion, preying upon thee like a subterranean cat undermining a good house, then thou wilt be relieved of it, and be also able to attain thy longed-for ob ject. Moreover thy mental grief will thereby vanish to ap pear no more. Please therefore speak out.” At these words of Viswamitra, Rama relieved of all grief and quite jubilant like a peacock at hearing the thunder sound in the clouds, when the air becomes cool, addressed Viswamitra thus “ Oh Supreme Muni, the incarnation of grace and of great Tapas, as thou wert pleased to allow my ignorant self to relate the cause of my grief, I will do so. Now please hearken to the impediments in my way.”
“Born in the house of Dasaratha, my father, I became well versed in all departments of knowledge and conducted myself strictly according to the dictates of religion. Then I circumambulated this earth girt by ocean, bathing as I went in the many sacred waters. With my return from the pilgrimage, all my desires for this delusion of the universe have ceased. There is not even an iota of bliss in this world. Destruction (death) exists only for birth, and birth is for death again. Therefore all are illusory in this world. All worldly things are generative of pains only, fraught with all dangers, unrelated to one another, related to one another only through the Sankalpa of the mind, obdurate like an iron rod, and fruitful of great (material) wealth. Therefore of what avail are the enjoyments of objects and kingdoms? If we set about enquiring, whence came the * I or the body we have, we find that all those which are foreign to Atma, are nothing but unreal. All things being unreal, when I began to further enquire as to which generates which, among these things, I ceased to have any love for them, like a traveller, who, when he is convinced of the undulatory mirage in a desert not being water, never after craves for it. In trying to find out the path which will relieve me from the pains of the unconquerable sensual objects, I am burning within like an old tree which is consumed within, through the heat generated by it self through its old age. This unbearable dire delusion of mine is like a stone sticking in my gullets. Being afraid lest my relatives should condemn me for this grief of mine, (I tried in all manner of ways and yet) I am not able to get out of it though I cried aloud.”
