May 5 - Sargas 29 and 30 of Balakanda.
Sage Vishwamitra explains the past associations of this place called Siddhashrama. Later the yajna resumes and Sri Rama deals with Mareecha and Subahu when they come to spoil the yajna.
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तपश्चरणयोगार्थमुवास सुमहातपाः ।
एष पूर्वाश्रमो राम वामनस्य महात्मनः ॥
अदित्या सहितो राम दीप्यमान इवौजसा।
देवीसहायो भगवान्दिव्यं वर्षसहस्रकम् ॥
O Rama, this place was sanctified by Vishnu Himself as He dwelt here doing great tapas for long. This led to his incarnation as Vamana also.
After Vishnu, it was the turn of sage Kashyapa who performed a great penance here with his wife Aditi for a thousand years.
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Pleased with his tapas, Lord Vishnu manifested Himself and blessed Kashyapa and asked him to ask for boons. The sage asked thus:
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पुत्रत्वं गच्छ भगवन्नदित्या मम चानघ ।
भ्राता भव यवीयास्त्वं शक्रस्यासुरसूदन ॥
Oh Lord, please grant us this boon - - be born as the son of Aditi and mine, as the younger brother of Indra, o vanquisher of asuras!
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There was a divine plan behind this. The son of Virochana, the asura named Bali, had conquered the three worlds and subjugated all the devas including Indra. His arrogant reign had to be ended.
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वामनं रूपमास्थाय वैरोचनिमुपागमत् ।
त्रीन् क्रमानथ भिक्षित्वा प्रतिगृह्य च मेदिनीम् ॥
आक्रम्य लोकान् लोकात्मा सर्वलोकहिते रतः।
महेन्द्राय पुनः प्रादान्नियम्य बलिमोजसा ॥
Lord Vishnu took birth as the son of Aditi and Kashyapa, in the form of a dwarf. He approached king Bali busy in his yajna, while the king had proclaimed a vow to fulfil any request for any gift by a Brahmin during the sacrifice. The dwarf Vamana disarmingly asked for the gift of land he could span in three steps. Bali was amused and granted the gift. At once Vamana asuumed his universal form as Vishnu= Trivikrama and measured heaven and earth with just two steps. Where to place His third step? He placed it on Bali's head, effectively ending his supremacy. Bali was shifted to the nether world as it's ruler.) Thus Vamana reclaimed the earth from Bali for universal good. He returned the kingship to Indra after taming Bali
by His brilliance.
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अत्र ते पुरुषव्याघ्र हन्तव्या दुष्टचारिणः।
अथ गच्छामहे राम सिद्धाश्रममनुत्तमम् ॥
Oh Rama, this place is thus blessed by the deeds of Vishnu and called Siddhashrama. I am now staying there and performing the yajna.
Let us go there now, to accomplish your mission of destroying those demons who are disturbing the yajna.
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Sri Rama and Lakshmana are received with due celebrations by the rishis who welcome the sage very happily in Siddhashrama.
The brothers urge the sage Vishwamitra to resume his yajna without any delay as they are ready and eager to complete their mission.
Next morning, after the morning rituals, the sage assumes yajna diksha. He will be busy for the next six days and nights. He will be observing silence. The rishis tell the brothers that any time those demons may come to attack.
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उपासांचक्रतुर्वीरौ यत्तौ परमधन्विनौ ।
ररक्षतुर्मुनिवरं विश्वामित्रमरिन्दमौ ॥
As the yajna progressed, the two brothers Rama and Lakshmana, brave warriors and supreme archers, patrolled around the sacred yajna fire and protected sage Vishwamitra with great vigilance.
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अध काले गते तस्मिन् षष्ठेऽहनि समागते।
सौमित्रिमब्रवीद्रामो यत्तो भव समाहितः ॥
The sixth day arrived. Sri Rama told Lakshmana to be ready and equipped for action!
मन्त्रवच्च यथान्यायं यज्ञोऽसौ संप्रवर्तते।
आकाशे च महान् शब्दः प्रादुरासीद्भयानकः ॥
As the yajna duly progressed with incantations, there was a terrifyingly loud blast of sound in the sky.
मारीचश्च सुबाहुश्च तयोरनुचरास्तथा ।
आगम्य भीमसंकाशा रुधिरौघानवासृजन् ॥
The demons Mareecha and Subahu along with their troops came in their terrifying huge forms and rained down blood on the yajna fire.
Rama told Lakshmana, watch as I dispel these rakshaasas with Manavastra (one of the astras that had been given to him recently by sage Vishwamitra).
मानवं परमोदारमस्त्रं परमभास्वरम्।
चिक्षेप परमक्रुद्धो मारीचोरसि राघवः ॥
Rama shot the extremely resplendent and infallible Manavastra at the form of Mareecha.
स तेन परमास्त्रेण मानवेन समाहितः।
संपूर्णं योजनशतं क्षिप्तं सागरसंप्लवे ॥
पश्य लक्ष्मण शीतेषुं मानवं धर्मसंहितम् ।
मोहयित्वा नयत्येनं न च प्राणैर्व्ययुज्यत ॥
After Rama discharged the Manavastra missile, it hit Mareecha and carried him off a hundred yojanas and cast him deep into the ocean.
Rama told Lakshmana, did you see the way this extremely sharp Manavastra, infallible because of its righteous power, incapacitated Mareecha, made him unconscious, and carried him off but spared his life? (In fact in the beginning itself Rama has told Lakshmana that he will drive away the demons but will perhaps not kill them.)
Thereafter Rama shoots Agneya weapon. It kills Subahu. He then deploys Vayuvya. That annihilates the rest of rakshasas.
ऋषिभिः पूजितस्तत्र यथेन्द्रो विजयी पुरा ।
अथ यज्ञे समाप्ते तु विश्वामित्रो महामुनिः ॥
निरीतिका दिशो दृष्ट्वा काकुत्स्थमिदमब्रवीत्।
कृतार्थोऽस्मि महाबाहो कृतं गुरुवचस्त्वया ॥
Sri Rama was then fecilitated by the rishis there, much like Indra had been in the past by the gods after his victory. Then, on proper conclusion of the yajna, sage Vishwamitra broke his vow of silence and said to Sri Rama, descendant of the Kakutstha dynasty, after looking in all directions that were now free from calamitous attacks, " I have fulfilled my vow of yajna and Rama, you have carried out the instruction of your guru well." He added, "you have upheld the name of Siddhashrama and great fame shall accrue to you, prince!"
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॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
