March 25 - Sargas 77, 78 and 79 of Uttara Kanda.
Sage Agastya tells Sri Rama stories of how that divine ornament was gifted to him, and so on.
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Sage Agastya begins. "Sri Rama, long ago in Treta yuga, there was a huge forest of a hundred yojanas, peculiar as it had no animals, birds, or creatures, even though lush with trees and creepers. I went there intent on performing my penance. There was plenty of fruit and root for me to subsist on. The forest had a huge, placid lake. That lake was attracting birds of many kinds! The lake was full of lotuses and lilies, too. The water was crystal clear and tasty.
There was a beautiful but deserted hermitage near the lake. I stayed in that hermitage one summer night and proceeded to the lake in the morning. Amazingly, I found a human corpse on the bank, radiant. I was wondering about this when all of a sudden a celestial vehicle descended, carrying a divine person of radiance, full of adornments, surrounded by many apsaras tending to him. They were singing and dancing, too.
That divine person alighted from the celestial vehicle impressively like the sun-god himself setting on the edge of a mountain peak. He went directly to that corpse on the bank of the lake, and started eating it!
After feasting on that corpse, that person washed himself clean, proceeded to board his vehicle to go away. I stopped that person and spoke.
को भवान् आहारश्च विगर्हितः त्वयैव भुज्यते "Oh, sir, why did you eat this polluted and unsuitable food, being a celestial?"
He replied.
"Oh, noble sage, here is my story. My father was a famed king of Vidarbha by the name of Sudeva. I am Shveta, his son, and my step-brother is Suratha. I succeeded my father as the king, and having ruled well for a thousand years, I handed over the kingship to Suratha and proceeded to the forest after coming to know when I was going to die. I went to the forest in preparation. I also came to this forest as it had no sentient beings. I stayed in the hermitage on this lake for long, doing tapas. By my tapas, I earned the honour of going to Brahmaloka on my passing.But I was strangely tormented by hunger and thirst constantly in heaven. I asked Lord Brahma why this unjust suffering. Brahma replied that even though I had always taken good care of my needs including food, even while in this forest, I had omitted to do any charity. Since I was totally self-centred even in my austerity, and never did anything for anyone else, I was in this suffering.Brahma suggested a remedy. I had left my dead body on this lake shore. I should go and satisfy my hunger by coming here and eating that same corpse! I have been doing this for long now, as the corpse gets restored everyday. Lord Brahma had told me that this strange predicament and unsuitable diet would end when the great sage Agastya would come here. Now, oh great sage, you are here, kindly free me from this! I have brought also a gift of gratitude to you, this divine ornament. This ornament also has the power to bestow any wishes for wealth, fine clothes, good food, and so on."
Sage Agastya accepted that gift and released Shveta from that curse, and the corpse disappeared. Shveta went happily to heaven.
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Well, you guessed it. Sri Rama now wanted to know from the sage why that forest had no animals or birds in the first place.
"Sri Rama, the original ruler of this entire world was Manu, during Krita yuga. He had a worthy son by the name of Ikshwaku. Before leaving his body and proceeding to heaven, Manu crowned his son and advised him on the duties of a ruler. He also told him that he was going to produce all the lineages of kings of the world, and would be called their progenitor. ( Even today, the Thai and Vietnamese kings claim descent from Ikshwakus).
दण्डेन च प्रजा रक्ष मा च दण्डमकारणे
अपराधिषु यो दण्डः पात्यते मानुषेषु वै स दण्डो विधिवन्मुक्तः स्वर्गं नयति पार्थिवम्
"Son, know that you should use the force of law, symbolized by the royal staff, and rule well. However, never punish or be cruel to anyone unnecessarily. The royal staff of power, wielded well, to punish the deserving culprits, will take the ruler to heaven."
Ishwaku kept this in mind and ruled well. He also, as advised by Manu, begot a hundred sons, all future kings. The last son, however, was dull-witted and given to indiscretions. Ikshwaku realized that his last son was perhaps a future culprit for the danda (डण्डा पडेगा) and named him Danda only.
Danda was appointed by his father to a dense, forested region between Shaivala and Vindhya. Danda went and established himself well there, creating a beautiful country with its capital called Madhumanta, and appointed Sage Shukracharya as his preceptor. He ruled his kingdom well as Indra was doing in heaven with Brihaspati as his preceptor.
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॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
