February 22 - Sargas 9 and 10 of Uttara Kanda.
The birth of Ravana and his siblings, their tapas, and the boons they got from Lord Brahma.
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Psychologists increasingly believe that everything about one's life can be traced back to the circumstances of one's birth. This is borne out in this story.
Sumali, happily living in Rasatala (one of the patalas, the netherworld), had a daughter by the name of Kaikasi who was of marriageable age. He decided to travel along with her on earth, looking for a suitable groom for her.
As they roamed the earth, in the vicinity of Sage Vishravas/Paulastya's ashrama, they saw Vaishravana/Kubera arrive in his Pushpaka Vimana to pay his respects to his parents.
He looked godly and prosperous and glorious in every sense. Sumali was highly impressed.
Later he told his daughter Kaikasi,
पुत्रि प्रदानकालोऽयं यौवनं व्यतिवर्तते । प्रत्याख्यानात् न प्रतिगृह्यसे । त्वं हि सर्वगुणोपेता श्रीः साक्षादिव पुत्रिके।
कन्यापितृत्वं दुःखं हि मातुः कुलं पितृकुलं यत्र चैव च दीयते । न ज्ञायते कः वरयेति ।
सा त्वं मुनिवरं श्रेष्ठं प्रजापतिकुलोद्भवं भज विश्रवसं पुत्रि पौलस्त्यं वरय स्वयम् ।
ईदृशास्ते भविष्यन्ति पुत्राः तादृशोऽयं धनेश्वरः ॥
"Dear daughter Kaikasi, you are of marriageable age and getting on in years. No groom will come seeking your hand out of the fear of rejection (and our terrible reputation 😒). But you are no less than Goddess Lakshmi in beauty or qualities.
"The biggest worry of a parent is getting his daughter married off suitably. This is so because on that depends the reputation of the father's, mother's, and the in-law's families.
"I have a great suggestion. You approach that great sage Vishravas whom we saw and seek his hand. If you succeed, you will have sons from him that will match his son Vaishravana/Kubera in glory and prosperity. Remember how he looked when we both saw saw him the other day!"
Kaikasi obeyed her father and dutifully went to the hermitage of Vishravas. Just as he completed his agnihotra, looking like the fourth sacred fire (we mentioned the three before), he looked up and saw a beautiful damsel standing right in front of him, scratching the earth with her toe and looking down coyly.
Vishravas asked Kaikasi courteously who she was, whose daughter she was, and what had brought her here. She replied, 'Oh great sage! I am Sumali's daughter Kaikasi and he sent me to you. The rest you can figure out by your spiritual powers!" Vishravas took a moment, and said, "Yes, I understand. I am happy to accept you, the embodiment of beauty and virtues, Kaikasi. But the time when you have chosen to come to me bodes evil. I am sorry to say that the children I shall give you will turn out to be terrible monsters of terrible deeds with terrible associates. दारुणान् दारुणाकारान् दारुणाभिजनप्रियान्."
Kaikasi managed to say, भगवन्नीदृशान् पुत्रान् त्वत्तः ब्रह्मवादिनः नेच्छामि प्रसादं कर्तुमर्हसि ॥
"Oh, great Brahmic sage! I don't wish to beget such terrible sons from a great sage like you. Please be gracious and avert such progeny."
Vaishravas felt compassion and love for the damsel. He replied, "Well, the best I can do, lady, is that I promise you your last child will be full of Dharma and make my lineage proud."
And so, eventually, Kaikasi bore
a ten-headed ugly monster whom the father named "Dashagriva" (one with ten necks). His birth occasioned terrible omens that signalled his future evil ways;
a huge child Kumbhakarna who was the biggest rakshasa ever born in the three worlds;
a daughter who was extremely ugly, Shurpanakhi;
a son, the fourth and last child, whose birth was heralded with showers of flowers from heaven and exclamations of benediction. He was named Vibhishana.
Dashagriva and Kumbhakarna got into mischief early, living in forests and tormenting everyone that they came across. In fact, Kumbhakarna had insatiable hunger and ate up lots of rishis and other docile people in the three worlds on a daily basis.
Vibhishana was radically different. He was constantly engaged in the study of Vedas and meditation and ascetic practices.
Once, when they were with their mother in the ashrama, their half-brother Kubera came there to meet his parents. Pointing to that glorious Vasihravana/Kubera, Kaikasi told Dashagriva, "look, child! Look at Vaishravana, your half-brother, with his radiant glory! How I wish you should become like him! But look at yourself... Do something, son, and become an equal of Vaishravana. That is my ardent wish."
Dashagriva was highly provoked by his mother's words. He swore a terrible oath: "Mother, worry not! I hereby vow that I shall excel Vaishravana in every way."
Dashagriva at once went with his younger brothers to Gokarna Kshetra to perform the most terrible penance to win boons.
Valmiki describes how Kumbhakarna did tapas for 10,000 years, surrounded by fires in summer, standing in ice-cold water in winter, drenching himself in rain, and so on.
Vibhishana stood on one leg, observing the most austere practices. He held up his hands and prayed to Narayana. His penance attracted blessings from the gods and celebrations by apsaras.
Dashagriva was the most determined. He ate nothing for 10,000 years. He offered one of his heads after every thousand years into the sacrificial fire.
It was 10,000 years, and Dashagriva was going to cut off his last remaining head. Lord Brahma hurried to the three brothers, accompanied by other gods.
तव तावद्दशग्रीव प्रीतोऽस्मि शीघ्रं वरय धर्मज्ञ न वृथा ते परिश्रमः "Oh Dashagriva! I am most pleased with your penance. Ask for boons! Your efforts shall not go in vain."
Dashagriva replied, with bowed head, gladness in his voice,
भगवन् प्राणिनां नित्यं नान्यत्र मरणाद्भयम् अमरर्वं वृणे "Oh Lord! The biggest source of fear for all creatures is death. Please make me immortal!"
Lord Brahma quickly replied. नाऽस्ति सर्वामरत्वं ते वरमन्यं वृणीष्व मे "Immortality cannot be conferred on you, Dashagriva. Ask for something else."
***
Sage Agastya continues his narration to Sri Rama.
"When Lord Brahma said this, Dashagriva replied. "Well, then, please confer on me the boon that I cannot ever be killed by birds, serpents, yakshas, daityas, rakshasas, and devas/gods. I am not afraid of other creatures!" तृणभूता हि ते मन्ये प्राणिनो मानुषादयः "I consider animals and humans as insignificant as blades of grass."
Lord Brahma said," Amen! Dashagriva, so be it! And I am so pleased with you that I shall grant you more boons. All those nine heads you sacrificed before shall be fully restored to you instantly. You shall be whole again. I will also give you one more boon. You shall have the power to assume any form of your choice at any time!"
Now Lord Brahma turned to Vibhishana. "Child, you have done a great penance and I am most pleased. You are full of righteousness and virtue. What boon do you want!?"
वृतः सर्वगुणैर्नित्यं चन्द्रमा रश्मिभिस्तथा भगवन् कृतकृत्योऽहं यस्मिन् लोके गुरुः स्वयम् प्रीतेन यदि दातव्यो वरो मे श्रूणु सुव्रत !
"Vibhishana, who exuded virtues like the full moon is surrounded by his cool rays, spoke: "Dear Lord! I consider myself already fulfilled to receive the grace of the guru of the world, yourself! Oh, Brahmadeva, if indeed you still wish to give me a boon, here is my request."
परमापद्गतस्यापि धर्मे मम मतिर्भवेत् । अशिक्षितं च ब्रह्मास्त्रं भगवन् प्रतिभातु मे ॥
"Oh, Lord Brahma! Deign to grant me that even in the face of extreme danger and difficulty, I shall adhere to Dharma. Also, kindly grant me that the Brahmastra becomes mine, even without due training."
"May I adhere to my Dharma in every stage and phase of my life (called the four ashramas - Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha, and Sannyasa)."
न हो धर्माभियुक्तानां लोके किञ्चन दुर्लभम् "For there is nothing that is beyond attainment for one adhering to Dharma."
Lord Brahma showed his happiness and replied,
धर्मिष्ठस्त्वं यथा वत्स तथा चैतद्भविष्यति । राक्षसयोनौ ते जातस्य नाधर्मे जायते बुद्धिः अमरत्वं ददामि मे ॥
"Oh, Vibhishana! You are so righteous. Your requests will all be fulfilled. In spite of being born a rakshasa, you adhere to Dharma, which is so praiseworthy. So out of my pleasure, I grant you immortality!"
Now it was the turn of Kumbhakarna. The gods standing next to Lord Brahma cautioned him, "Lord. this monster is an unprecedented menace already. Be sure to grant him a boon that removes his threat to creation!" Lord Brahma thought for a moment and summoned Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of intelligence and speech. She was briefed that she must ensure Kumbhakarna would ask for a boon that would neutralize his evil. Goddess Saraswati entered Kumbhakarna's mouth unnoticed by him.
So when Lord Brahma asked Kumbhakarna what boon he wanted, he blurted out,
स्वप्तुं वर्षाण्यनेकानि देव देव ममेप्सितम्! "Oh, Lord! I wish to sleep for long years at a stretch! Please grant me that!"
Lord Brahma gladly said, "Be it so!" and soon left along with Saraswati and the other gods. Suddenly Kumbhakarna realized that he had asked for endless sleep as a boon! He beat his head in utter distress.
He realized that this must have been a trick of the gods.
The three brothers then went to Shleshmataka forest and lived happily thereafter.
***
॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
