To Children - Tales from Epics -Ramayan

In response to a query from Naresh, sometime back, the origins of the Ramayana epic by sage valmiki, and the other by veda vyasa, going by the name “adhyathma Ramayana” were posted briefly.

Naresh and others, as also myself, have felt the need to post absorbing tales from these epics for not only for our own desire to know, but for posterity, for our future kaushika, vadoola, and other clans.

Arun is particularly of the view, that, our next generation, starting from Rishab,& Apporva, to Aditi, to Madhav in a few years from now, all of whom apparently have a limited access, should get exposed, preferably in such language as to make it not only easily understood by them, but make it interesting enough for all the others.

My earlier feeling that the blog is not adequately read, now appears quite misplaced, with Shruti, and earlier Dhruv’s responses, in the blog. As to the presentation of the pieces, I am beginning to feel that, the kids are much more intelligent and smart, than what we credit them with. The recent posting by Kanchu, about Anirudh,( to borrow from Sekhar) not only makes us speechless, but makes us feel humble about our ability to assess children.

As I was reminiscing on these, I came across another version of the origins of Valmiki ramayanam, in “yoga vaashishtam”; another huge epic by the same author, which I thought I would share, and hopefully, continue this series of “tales from epics” which are not the run of the mill but “jara hatke” and also not very well known. Hmmmm….. Enough preamble and time to get to the topic? Well folks, here I am yours truly and sincerely…………
Ramayana – Origins.

A royal sage by name Arishtanemi, decides to make over his realm to his son, and retires to the mountains to practice asceticism, and austerities to attain “nirvana”.

Indra sends a messenger to him to bring him to the Heavens, and being thus bid, the messenger goes to Arishtanemi, and gives him Indra’s message, to come to heaven and enjoy heavenly delights. The sage asks the messenger as to what good and evils that the heavens offer, so that once he knows these before hand, it will help him to choose whether or not to settle there.

The messenger says that in heaven (a) there is ample reward for merit and confers bliss to all (b) depending on the degree of this virtue, this can be either the highest, middle, or the lower rungs of positions. But adds a few caveats; if one is either impatient with the excellence of the ones who are better, or be haughty amongst equals, or enjoy being superior to inferiors, one will lose everything. And when this happens, one will have to go back to the abode of ordinary humans.

Arishtanemi is not impressed or enamored by this great heaven, He wants an end to the “birth and death” cycle, and therefore would prefer to continue his quest for liberation, with utmost devotion, and when time comes, shed his body, like a snake abandons its time-worn skin.

When Indra hears this, he is so wonderstruck at the sage’s steadfast determination to attain “mukthi” that he asks the messenger to take Arishtanemi to the hermitage of rishi Valmiki, and request the seer to help him in his self-realization. .

Valmiki, after writing an essence of Rama’s avatar, (as a preparatory step to salvation).gives it to his pupil Bharadvaja, and which is rehearsed by him in the presence of Brahma the creator. The latter on hearing it is so pleased, that He tells the former to ask for any boon he desires. Bharadwaja replies that, he would like to get the means of liberation for mankind from miseries, of the world.

To answer him, Brahma himself accompanies Bharadwaja, and goes to the hermitage of Valmiki. There He tells him to complete this great work for the benefit of mankind to help them to cross the ocean of samsara, adding that He has specifically come to see him in person to deliver this message, and then disappears from the scene.

Valmiki is spell bound, he asks sage Bharadwaja, to tell him about what transpired between him and the Lord Brahma. Bhardwaja then tells him all that happened, and asks the former to narrate the full story of Rama, and to complete his epic “Ramayana”.

I hope the children will be able to read and digest this. The only thing I will refrain from doing is to ask like a text book questions like

(a) What did valmiki say to Bharadwaja
(b) what did Bhardwaja do and what did Brahma say etc etc

For a starter, I think this should be passable.

Love

Vichu