June 29 - Sargas 63 and 64 of Ayodhya Kanda.
We read the heart-rending story of the way Shravana kumara (his name is not mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana!) is killed by Dasharatha's arrow and the curse he gets from his father in the forest. Then Dasharatha dies.
***
One thing is very clear to me by now. Valmiki, called Adi Kavi, the original poet in Indian history, is a past master at describing three things: nature, human emotions, and how people strive to learn from life's experiences. Of course sometimes it is too late.
***
स राजा रजनीं षष्ठीं रामे प्रव्राजिते वनम् ।
अर्धरात्रे दशरथः सोऽस्मरद् दुष्कृतं कृतम् ॥
कश्चिदाम्रवणं छित्त्वा पलाशांश्च निषिञ्चति ।
पुष्पं दृश्ट्वा फले गृघ्नुः स शोचति फलागमे ॥
The king spent the sixth night after Sri Rama's going into exile in great unease. In the middle of the night he recalled a great misdeed that he had committed in the past.
The king then starts speaking about how people are bound to get the fruits of their actions good or bad. He gives the example of a man swayed by the most attractive looks of palasha flowers (indeed the red flowers set the forest aflame with their looks). Such a man expects some fantastic fruits from those trees and cuts down his entire grove of mango trees and plants palasha trees in their place. He is bound to regret his thoughtless act driven by pure greed because palasha yields nothing as good as mango fruits.
***
The king slowly recalls that terrible night when as a young prince he had gone out hunting. Swollen with pride over his capability to hit a target by locating it precisely on merely hearing its sound, he wanted to use this Shabdavedi skill and hunt an elephant or a wild buffalo.
Valmiki launches into a beautiful description of the mountains and forests and rivers during the monsoon. The rivers were muddy with gushing waters. It seems to be the best time for hunting.
Approaching the bank of the Sarayu river in the dark night, Dasharatha heard the sound that resembled an elephant drinking water from the river. He at once aimed and shot a fierce arrow (Valmiki says it hissed like a venomous snake) at the prey. What a shock when he heard a human scream at being hit by the arrow and falling into the water!
The unfortunate man was living in the forest, leading the life of a rishi, taking care of his aged, infirm, blind parents in their Vanaprastha days. He had now come to fetch water for his thirsty mother in the dead of night.
***
वृद्धौ च मातापितरावाहं चैकेषणा हतः ।
केन स्म निहताः सर्वे सुबालेनाकृतात्मना ॥
"My aged mother and father have been slain along with me by a single arrow! Who would be that fool that has committed this heinous act? As far as I know we lead a life of rishis in prayer and have not harmed anyone any time."
Hearing these words, Dasharatha drops his bow and arrow with mouth agape! Then he sees the rishikumara. He is terribly frightened and is unable to think. He reaches the ascetic on the bank and sees his body smeared in blood and dust, his matted locks dishevelled, and the water pitcher fallen from his hand. The ascetic burns him with his looks and says, "what a cruel act! why did you kill me oh king? I am a mere forest dweller fetching water for my parents!"
Writhing in pain, the ascetic takes in everything. He tells Dasharatha that indeed he is not a Brahmin so the king would not incur the ultimate sin. (The old man was a Vaishya and his wife a Shudra. They had gone to spend their last days in meditation in the forest, being tended by their ascetic son.)
However this act is mindless and bodes ill for the king for sure. Dasharatha has effectively killed him and his parents in one stroke. He tells the king to go at once ad break the news to his father in the hut a short distance away, and dies.
***
Dasharatha fills the water pot and walks full of dread and anguish to the hut. He sees the old couple wondering where their son has gone away.
तत्राहं दुर्बलावन्धौ वृद्धावपरिणायकौ ।
अपश्यं तस्य पितरौ लूनपक्षाविव द्विजौ ॥
"Oh Kausalya, there in the hut I saw an aged couple, very weak and blind. They were without anyone to support them. They were the parents of the rishikumara and resembled a pair of birds with wings cut off. They were leading the life of rishis."
The old man speaks as he hears footsteps. He says, "son, if I have said or done anything to upset you, do not take it to heart. You are our life. Please speak. Please give your mother water, she is parched and waiting anxiously."
Dasharatha finds it extremely arduous to bring himself to narrate the happenings. He tells how he is Dasharatha, the prince, come out hunting at night. How he mistook the rishikumara collecting water to be an elephant and killed him by his Shabdavedi arrow.
The old rishi is stunned. He then speaks, "Oh king, if you had not come personally to break the news, your head would have splintered to a thousand pieces. As a Kshatriya, if you had knowingly killed a forest dweller, you would have been ruined even if you were Indra. Killing an ascetic would make your head explode. Since you have committed this act unknowingly, your Ikshwaku race is saved.
"Take us to our son."
***
When Dasharatha takes the old blind couple to their dead son, their words as they embrace their son are simply heart-rending. It is obvious the couple no longer wish to live. The old man blesses his dead son to go to the higher world reserved for the most meritorious. He tells Yama that they would like to soon join their son there.
Indra himself comes and takes the young man's soul to the higher world. The aged couple perform their son's last rites and ascend the funeral pyre and lay down their bodies. Before going, the old ascetic pronounces a curse on Dasharatha.
पुत्रव्यसनजं दुःखं यदेतन्मम साम्प्रतम् ।
एवं त्वं पुत्रशोकेन राजन्कालं करिष्यसि ॥
"Oh king, just like I am dying now, sorrowing for my son, you too shall die grieving separation from your son."
***
Dasharatha completes the sorrowful tale. He describes how he sees his end is near, as he loses his sight and slowly loses control over his senses. He speaks increasingly incoherently, speaking of the glorious Sri Rama and how only the most fortunate will be able to see Sri Rama and celebrate his return to Ayodhya.
Dasharatha dies.
***
॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
