Shooing off the demons
Volume 1, Chapters 29-30
Key pronunciations
1. Siddhashrama (Siddha-aashrama)
2. Patala (Paa-taa-la)
3. Bali - the ‘Ba’ with the short a
4. Manavastra (Maa-navaa-stra)
5. Agnesyastra (Aagneya-astra)
In the last episode, Rama and Lakshmana noticed an Ashrama and questioned Vishwamitra of its whereabouts. Vishwamitra then began with the story, which goes as follows.
“Oh yes. You both are right. This Ashrama looks quite different from the rest of them. It’s called as Siddhashrama. There is an interesting story about this place. Long ago, sage Kashyapa lived here. He was believed to be an essence of Lord Vishnu. He was a powerful sage with immense capabilities for Tapas. There was a day when all the lords came down to meet this sage and requested him for something. They wanted Lord Vishnu to be born as a son to this Rishi. And why did they want this? As you know, there are three parts to this world. The Bhuloka (Land/Earth), the Swargaloka (Heaven/Sky) and the Patala (another part southwards). The energy that is responsible for keeping all these three Lokas in Sync is Lord Indra. There arose a situation where Bali, the son of Virochana (also the grandson of Prahallada), grew more powerful day by day. It would have been okay if he just grew powerful; instead, he began to gain victory against different lords and finally was on a quest to defeat Lord Indra. If this had happened, it would have been a real big problem. To stop this guy, the lords requested sage Kashyapa. A son was born to him and his wife, Aditi. He was called Vamana. Bali was once performing a ritual before he set out to defeat Indra. In the last stage of the ritual, he was supposed to donate a lot of things, especially when asked for. Vamana, the young boy, who was an essence of Lord Vishnu, visited Bali and requested three small pieces of land. Bali accepted his request. When Vamana placed his first two steps, they occupied the two Lokas completely. This straight away indicated to Bali that this boy was no ordinary boy and would have been Lord Vishnu himself. Vamana then sent Bali to Patala, indicating his defeat. From then onwards, this Ashrama is quite famous. Another speciality of this Ashrama is that, by staying in this place, one loses all the tiredness in the body. This Ashrama has been disturbed by the demons Mareecha and Subahu. I would like you both to protect this place” Vishwamitra started moving towards the Ashrama with Rama and Lakshmana.
One of the most important rituals began at the Siddhashrama. Rama and Lakshmana questioned Vishwamitra as to how many days they would have to look after the ritual. When Vishwamitra did not answer, the rest of the sages immediately responded, “My dear boys. Vishwamitra is now involved in the ritual and won’t be able to talk to you guys until it’s over. You both are supposed to stay awake and alert for 6 nights, ensuring the complete safety of the ritual” Rama and Lakshmana quickly wore their armour and stayed vigilant. With the mantras they had learnt from Vishwamitra, they could stay awake day and night. 5 nights passed by, and there were no signs of the demons. It was the last night, and as the sun was slowly setting, the clouds suddenly turned grey. They became even darker, and there struck the lightning. With the clouds thundering, two demons, shifting their appearances, flew right out of the clouds, intending to attack the ritual fire. They threw blood, which fell on the ground close to the fire. It was Mareecha and Subahu. They were also accompanied by other demons. Rama immediately mastered a kind of weapon (something to do with archery itself) called Manavastra. One of the weapons was called Sheetamshu. He shot that at Mareecha. The result was something Mareecha himself could not have imagined. The arrow hit him so hard that he flew hundreds of kilometres away and fell at the sea shore. He was partially conscious and could not really stand the force at which the arrow was shot. Fear crept all over his body. Now was the time for another arrow. He used Agneyastra. This one pierced through the heart of Subahu, and he fell on the ground, lying dead. The rest of the demons shivered at the sight of Rama’s act and fled the Ashrama.
Vishwamitra was extremely delighted by their readiness to protect the Ashrama. Rama and Lakshmana adhered to Vishwamitra’s words and fulfilled his request. He blessed them, and later they spent the night at the Ashrama. The next day, when Rama and Lakshmana asked Vishwamitra as to what they had to do, there was something exciting waiting for them. Vishwamitra and the rest of the rishis told “RL, there is a place called Mithilanagara. Janaka is the king of that state. He is performing a ritual over there and has invited all of us. There is an amazing Bow over there. You would be extremely happy looking at it. Join us. Let’s go together”
What happens later on? Let’s see that in the next episode.