Saturday 22 February 2014

141. Lakshmana restrains Rama.

               Lakshmana was completely nonplussed and bewildered on seeing Rama's reaction. Being very close to him from his babyhood, Lakshmana had, of course, seen Rama getting angry. However, the anger of Rama he was now seeing was something like that of the God of all Gods namely Rudra. With the view to pacify him, Lakshmana told Rams with folded palms "Dear brother, this anger, in my opinion, is quite unbecoming of you. In the earlier occasions when you got angry, you were self-collected and self-controlled and delighted in the well-being of all the beings. But presently, slipping into such a fury you are discarding your own disposition, which is unbecoming of you.
                 "You not only have the grandeur of the moon, the splendour of the sun, the motion of the wind and the composure of the earth but also an unexcelled honour.
                "It will not be appropriate to destroy all the worlds for a single knave's felony. It is unclear as to whose combat-chariot is this, or by whom, or by what reason it is shattered with its weaponry and paraphernalia. This place looks very ghastly. By the look of the grooves made by the hooves of ungulates and by the wheels of a chariot and the wet earth wetted by blood, it is very clear that a fierce combat took place here. No army seems to have been employed here. The combat seemed to be between two antagonists. In view of these evidence it does not seem to be appropriate for you destroy all the worlds for the misdeed of a single person. 
                "You have avowed yourself that you always will be the protector for all beings. No one can view the abduction of  your wife as an act of grace.  All altruists are good and kind to you.
                "Oh, Brother, the most sensible and proper course of action for us would be to search for him who abducted Seetha. I am sure the sublime sages in this forest will suggest some useful pointers in this regard.
               "Let us search the oceans, rivers and forests. And also divers dreadful caves and different lakes. Let us intently search all the worlds including that of gods until the abductor of your wife is located by us. In case any heavenly lord is not going to bestow your wife propitiously, despite our utmost humanly effort, then we will crush him and his world.
               "In case you with your traits of sincerity, solidarity, simplicity, and scrupulosity are not able to get back Seetha, then you may throw the whole of the universe to turmoil with the torrents of your arrows which have swift egress as they are with golden-handles which are stuffed with eagle feathers, and which mirror up the Thunderbolts of Mahendra in their trajectories." 
                 It seemed to Lakshmana that Rama did not seem to be fully convinced of his point of view. He therefore, decided to press his point of view more forcefully. Accordingly Lakshmana stooped and holding reverently and affectionately the feet of his dear brother and said "Oh, Rama, as gods have reaped ambrosia after a prolonged churning of Milky Ocean, you are a reap of King Dasharatha's superlative ascesis as well as by his superior acts of benevolence etc.
                 "Our father was an enlivener of all and that king was beholden only to your rosy endowments.
                "If you, a man of great grit is unable to withstand this anguish chanced on you, then how an ordinary individual whose boldness and courage is ordinary can withstand it.
              "You know very well that an evil doer cannot escape forever. Let us therefore think calmly and rationally. I am positive that we will surely get a lead.
               "Your blazing away all the worlds will also affect innocent people and you surely would not like them to be affected. 
               "Brahmarishi Vashishta, who is also the priest of our father, lamented for sometime when his hundred sons were killed by Vishvamitra; he did not take any retaliation against Vishvamitra (for the reason that those sons were destined to be killed by Visvamitra). 
                "This Mother Earth who is venerated by all animate and inanimate, and also by celestial beings, undergoes tremors and earthquakes every now and then.
                 "Even the great sun and the moon are eclipsed periodically. 
                 "You very well know that these things happen because of destiny. Even very great incorporates like earth and such like planets and even the gods and all corporeal beings, cannot avoid destiny.
                  "We do not yet know exactly what happened to Seetha, killed or kidnapped. It is not proper for you to become sad and/or worried about what happened to her, like any ordinary commoner. Start thinking rationally. Persons of your like who are always equable in their outlook, will remain calm and composed even when they are undergoing desperate straits, and they will not just sadden like this. 
                   "Oh brother, what I was telling you were told me by you on different occasions. As your thinking process seemed to have been stunted, I am just echoing your percipience and not a harangue or a diatribe.
                   "There is nothing you gain by completely annihilating all the worlds because of a single soul's malefaction. Let us find him out and destroy him."
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1 comment:

  1. Lakshmana's way of calming Rama is quite interesting. Human history is full of instances where one nation or group or individual gets so upset at the wrong done that they do not hesitate to attack and destroy a whole nation, civilization or community!

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