August 1 - Sargas 10 and 11 of Aranya Kanda.
Sri Rama responds to Sita and confirms why he has vowed to kill the troublesome rakshasas.
Along with Sita and Lakshmana, Sri Rama spends ten years in various hermitages of rishis. Then they go to meet Sage Agastya.
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Sita told Sri Rama that he was embarking on an unnecessary mission of violence against the rakshasas in the forest who had actually not shown any enmity towards them. Sri Rama now replies:
हितमुक्तं त्वया देवि स्निग्धया सदृशं वचः ।
कुलं व्वपदिशन्त्या च धर्मज्ञे जनकात्मजे ॥
"Dear Sita (he calls her Devi!), although expressed as an admonition to me and my lineage, you are a worthy daughter of the great sage king Janaka and you know Dharma. I can therefore see your affection and concern for my welfare in your words."
Sri Rama then goes on to respond:
"You said, क्षत्रियैर्धार्यते चापो नार्तशब्दो भवेदिति - a Kshatriya should hold and raise his bow (weapon) only to prevent cries of distress among his people.
ते चार्ता दण्डकारण्ये मुनयः संश्रितव्रताः ।
मां सीते स्वयमागम्य शरण्यं शरणं गताः ॥
"Those sages in Dandaka forest came to me, those who are engaged in severe austerities. They have explained their dire circumstances and how they desperately need my protection and how I have the responsibility to protect them by virtue of my being the prince of Ayodhya.
"They have explained the atrocities of the rakshasas. They have also explained why the sages will not depart from their vow of non-violence and in anger invoke curses on the demons. I am therefore their sole refuge.
न तु प्रतिज्ञा संश्रुत्य ब्राह्मणेभ्यो विशेषतः ।
तदवश्यं मया कार्यमृषीणां परिपालनम् ॥
"Therefore, after giving my bounden promise to those brahmin sages, my adherence is absolutely a must, taking care especially to carry out my word without fail.
सदृशं चानुरूपं च कुलस्य तव शोभने ।
सधर्मचारिणी मे त्वं प्राणेभ्योऽपि गरीयसि ॥
"Dearest Sita, your splendid advice is, however, befitting you, your high birth as the daughter of Janaka, and the daughter in law of Ikshwakus. You are indeed my equal consort in carrying out my Dharma and you are dearer to me than my life-breath itself."
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After taking leave of the sage Suteekshna, Sri Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana move around the forest and meet many ascetics in different hermitages in a large area of the forest full of rich fauna and flora.
They pass a very beautiful lake resounding with music and dance sounds. When no human is seen, Sri Rama asks the accompanying sage what is the source of those sounds. He is told the story of Mandakarni. After his extremely long and severe penance, the gods sent down five apsaras (celestial maidens born with beauty and artistic talent and irresistible charm) to disturb sage Mandakarni from his penance. The surprising outcome was that the apsaras all fell in love with him and he became young again by his spiritual powers. They all lived happily there and the sage had constructed invisible mansions for the apsaras in that lake. (The word apsara actually means one arisen from the waters).
Many ascetics request Sri Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana to stay with them. Sri Rama accedes. In the process, in the Dandaka region, they stay in many different hermitages for varying periods of time. After spending nearly ten years thus, Sri Rama, Sita and Lakshmana return to sage Suteekshna. The sage is happy to see them three doing well. Then Sri Rama asks for the way to go and meet sage Agastya. He has heard about his glory from almost every sage he has met.
This sage Agastya is one of the foremost sages in Hinduism. He is considered the guardian sage of south India. He was sent down by the gods to tame the pride of mount Vindhya who was growing constantly and disrupting the life of all creatures. Agastya requested the mountain to stop growing until he went down to the south and completed his mission and returned to cross the mountain. Vindhya paused his growth. Sage Agasyta settled down in the south with no plan to return at all.
Among the many astonishing stories of Sage Agasyta is the one about how he killed the rakshasa brothers Vatapi and Ilvala. The two demons had a strange way of killing ascetics and brahmins. They would accost them disguised as humans and request them to participate in a Shraaddha (ceremonies done to propitiate departed forefathers). Nobody refuses such a request. Then Ilvala would kill and cook a goat (which was indeed Vatapi, again in disguise) and serve the brahmins. After the food was eaten, he would call out "Vatapi, please come out." The demon would tear himself out of the brahmins and kill them. The brothers would then eat up the dead brahmins.
Sage Agasyta went to the brothers. When he was served the food, he used his spiritual power to digest Vatapi and hence foiled the plan. He also burnt down Ilvala with his power.
Sage Suteekshna is very happy to give directions to the ashrama of Sage Agastya and also his brother's ashrama which comes on the way.
Sri Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana make their way towards those ashramas.
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॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
