May 18 - Sargas 55 and 56 of Balakanda.
The confrontation between king Vishwamitra and Brahmarshi Vasishtha escalates.
***
When sage Vasishtha saw the Yavanas created by Kamadhenu being scattered by Vishwamitra's mantra-invoked weapons, he encouraged Kamadhenu to take recourse to Yoga Maya and create many more warriors. Propelled by his words, she resorted to her special powers and created a whole array of warriors by rending the air with her war cry HUMBHAA.
Here Valmiki mentions warriors historically associated with different parts of Eurasia. The Kambhojas (central Asia) came from her snort. They were radiant like the sun. From her udder came barbarians. From her yoni came Greeks. From her rear came Shakas. From her hairs came aborigines and others. They all combined to flatten the entire army of Vishwamitra - soldiers, elephants, horses, chariots - all within moments.
This enraged the hundred sons of Vishwamitra. They came armed and attacked together sage Vasishtha, repository of great spiritual power. A radiant Vasishtha uttered a Hoomkara and that was enough to reduce all of them to ashes in an instant.
An ashamed Vishwamitra took in the fact that his hundred sons had perished and his entire army had been wiped out. He was quiet like a still sea, a cobra without fangs, and an eclipsed sun. Like a wingless bird, he felt defeated.
Vishwamitra entrusted the kingdom to a son and went to do tapas to propitiate Shiva. He did tapas in the Himalayan forest. Soon Shiva came and answered his prayer.
***
यदि तुष्टो महादेव धनुर्वेदो ममानघ।
साङ्गोपाङ्गोपनिषदः सरहस्यः प्रदीयताम् ॥
यानि देवेषु चास्त्राणि दानवेषु महर्षिसु।
गन्धर्वयक्षरक्षंसु प्रतिभान्तु ममानघ ॥
"Oh Lord Shiva, the blemishless one, if you're pleased with my tapas, kindly give me the entire science of missile warfare, complete with all secret incantations and esoteric powers of the scriptures.
" Kindly bestow on me the entire array of weapons under the control of gods, demons, rishis, celestials, demigods - let them descend and shine in my armoury."
***
A pleased Shiva said, "let it be so" and left. Viswamitra acquired an incredible range of weapons and their mastery and he was arrogant with confidence. He thought, " Ha, now Vasishtha is finished! "
He attacked the asharma of Vasishtha, releasing a flurry of his weapons. The animals, rishis and other people the forest scattered in all directions in terrible fear. The ashrama was totally deserted within moments.
Sage Vasishtha called out to all, " Fear not! I shall eliminate Gadhi's son as quickly as the rising sun dispels the mist!" But nobody stayed back.
Sage Vasishtha shouted in anger to Vishwamitra, "Now that you have driven away everyone and destroyed this ashrama that has been flourishing forever, you shall see that you will perish this instant!"
He raised his tapas staff (of Brahmic power) and stood like the cataclysmic fire that ends all life.
Vishwamitra was all set to unleash his weaponry.
Then Vasishtha shouted to him:
***
क्षत्रबन्धो स्थितोऽस्मेष यद्बलं तद्विदर्शय।
नाषयाम्येष ते दर्पं शस्त्रस्य तव गाधिज ॥
क्व च ते क्षत्रियबलं क्व च ब्रह्मबलं महत् ।
पश्य ब्रह्मबलं दिव्यं मम क्षत्रियपांसन ॥
"Oh Viswamitra, I am now standing as a warrior, ready to counter you. Show what power you have. I shall destroy it and also your arrogance, oh son of Gadhi!
"Where is your kshatriya balam in front of the supreme Brahma balam!? Oh you meanest of Kshatriyas (as you have transgressed all rules), now witness my divine Brahma balam!"
***
Then Valmiki lists an astonishing series of weapons, all divine in nature and invincible, as released one after another by an arrogant Vishwamitra. The mind-boggling list of weapons points to a highly advanced civilisation that existed more than five millennia ago.
But behold! All those weapons were simply captured and extinguished by Vasishtha's Brahma Danda.
***
तेषु शांन्तेषु ब्रह्मास्त्रं क्षिप्तवान् गाधिनन्दनः ।
तदस्त्रमुद्यतं दृष्ट्वा देवाः साग्निपुरोगमाः ॥
देवर्षयश्च संभ्रान्ता गन्धर्वाः समहोरगाः ।
त्रैलोक्यमासीत् संत्रस्तं ब्रह्मास्त्रे समुदीरिते ॥
तदप्यस्त्रं महाधोरं ब्राह्मं ब्राह्मेण तेजसा ।
वसिष्ठो ग्रसते सर्वं ब्रह्मदण्डेन राघव ॥
Sage Shatananda continues, "Oh Rama, when Vishwamitra saw how all those weapons had died out, he launched Brahmastra itself.
(We should remember that Brahmastra is so powerful that Sri Rama hesitated to use it against Ravana too, knowing the collateral damage it inflicts on the entire creation).
Seeing the Brahmastra being launched, gods, the principal deities like Agni, celestials, divine sages (these are immortals liberated from birth and death), demigods, great serpents, the three worlds in fact, stood all stunned, fearing the very worst.
That most terrible weapon Brahmastra, created by Brahma himself as the ultimate weapon of masa destruction, was also tamed by Vasishtha's Brahmic spiritual power and meekly surrendered to his Brahma staff.
The scene of Brahmastra being countered by sage Vaishtha was simply terrible. The three worlds looked terrified beyond imagination, stunned and senseless.
Sage Vaishtha stood, every pore in his body spitting cataclysmic fire, with its smoke and tongues of flame lashing up to the sky, as the ultimate destroyer Kala and Yama.
The sages appealed to Vasishtha to please, please, cool down and draw back into himself his immeasurable power. They declared that the sage had defeated the powerful Vishwamitra and nothing more was needed. Let the world be now free from fright and distress, by Vaishtha's kindness and grace.
Vishwamitra uttered a loud exhalation of defeat and said:
***
धिग्बलं क्षत्रियबलं ब्रह्मतेजोबलं बलम् ।
एकेन ब्रह्मदण्डेन सर्वास्त्राणि हतानि मे ॥
"Fie upon military power! The true power is Brahmic power. We have just seen how all my weapons were brought to nought by just one simple Brahmic staff".
***
Vishwamitra pulled himself together. He decided to cheerfully embark on tapas in order to acquire spiritual merit that would confer on him Brahma-hood like Vasishtha's.
***
॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
