Balakanda - Doha 111 to 120

Doha - 111

For an hour or so Siva was lost in the ecstasy of meditation. He then recovered Himself and thereafter began joyfully to tell the story of Rama.

''Due to luck of knowledge about Sri Rama even the unreal passes for real, just as ignorance about a rope leads us to mistake it for a snake. Even so the moment we know Him the world of matter vanishes, just as the delusion of a dream disappears as soon as we wake up. Him do I reverence in the form of a child , the repetition of whose Name brings all kinds of success within our easy reach. May that Home of bliss and Bane of woe take compassion on me-He who sports in the courtyard of king Dasaratha. After thus paying homage to Rama, the Slayer of the demon Tripura joyfully spoke in mellifluous accents as follows; You are indeed blessed and worthy of appleuse, O daughter of the mountain -king; there is no such benefactor as You You have asked Me to repeat the history of the Lord of Raghus, which is poten are full of love for the feet of the Hero of Raghu's race ; You have put questions to me only with an eye to the good of the world.''

''By the blessing of Rama , O Parvati, not even in dream can grief , infatuation, doubr or error enter your mind, so far as I can judge.''

''Yet you have expressed the same old doubts again , so that all those who repeat or hear this account may be benefited thereby. The ears of those who have never heard the stories of Sri Hari are no better than snake-holes. The eyes in a peacock's tail. The heads that bow not at the soles of Sri Hari or of one's preceptor are just like bitter pumpkins. Those who have cherished not in their heart the spirit of devotion to Sri Pumkins. Those who have cherished not in their heart the spirit of devotion to Sri Hari are as good as dead, Though living. The heart which does not sing the praise of Rama are is just like the tongue of a frong . The heart which does not rejoice to hear the tales of Sri Hari is hard as adamant and cruel indeed. Hear, O Girija, the exploits of Sri Rama, which prove benficial to the gods and mystily the demons.''

''Like the cow of plenty, the story of Rama bestows all blessings on thouse who devote themselves to it; and the assemblages of saints are the various abodes of goods. Knowing this, who would not listen to it?''

''The story of Rama is the lovely clap of hand-palms which scares away the birds of doubt. Even so the story of Rama is an axe to the tree of Kaliyuga (the impurities of the Kali age); listen to it with reverence, O daughter of the mountain-king . The charming names of Sri Rama ,as well as His virtues are , stories, births and deeds have all been declared by the Vedas to be beyond numbet. As there is no end divine Rama, even so His stories, glory and virtues are also endless. Yet , seeing your great love , I will tell them tell them even as I have heard of them to the best of my intellectual capacity. Uma your inquiries are naturally winning and delightful and such as are approved of by the saints; glory and virtues are also endless. Yet seeing your great love , I will tell them even even as I have heard of them to the best of my intellectual capacity. Uma your inquiries are naturally winning and delightful and such as are approved of by the saints; as for myself I am particularly pleasef to hear them. But there was one delusion; you suggested that the Rama whom the Vedas extol and on whom the sages contemplate is someone else!''

''Such words are spoken and heard by those vile men alone who are possessed by the devil of infatuation , are impious and averse to the feet of Sri Hari and know no difference betweeen truth and falsehood.''

''Foolish, ignorant and blind wretches, the mirror of whose heart is clouded by the film of sensuality, lecherous, deceitful and grossly perverse, who have never seen an alone make statements which are repugnant to the Vedas. The mirror of their heart is soiled and they have no eyes to see; how -then, can those wretched sould behold the beauty of Sri Rama? For those who have no knowledge either of the unqualified Brahma or of qualified Divinity, who indulge in indulge in fantastic utterancess of various kinds and who spin round in this worlds under the influence of Sri Hari 's deluding potency, no assertion is too absurd to make . Those who are delirious or mad, those who are possessed and those who are inebriated do not talk sense. None should give ear to the ravings of those who have drunk the wine of infatuation.''

''Thus assured in your heart, discard all doubt and adore Sri Rama's feet. O daughter of the mountain-king hear my words, which are sun-beams as it were for the darkness of error.''

There is no differnce between qualified Divinity and the unqualified Brahma: so declare the sages and men of wisdom, the Vedas and the Puranas. That which is attributeless and unborn , becoms qualified ? In the same way as water and the hail -stone are non -diferent in substance . Infayuation is out of the question for Him whose very Name is like the sun to the darkness of error, Sri Rama , who is Truth , Consciousness and Bliss combined, is like the sun ; the night of ignorance cannot subsist in Him even to the smallest degree. He is the Lord whose very benig is light ; there is no dawn of understanding in His case (For the dawn persupposes night and night there is none in the sunlight of Sri Rama). joy and grief , knowledge and ignorance, and egoism and pride-these are the characteristics of a jiva (finite being). Sri Rama is the all-pervading Brahma; He is supreme bliss personified, the highest lord and the most ancient Being . The whole world knows it.

"He who is universally known as the Spirit, the frount of light, manifest in all forms and is the lord of life as well as of matter, that jewel of Raghu's line is my Master.'' So saying Siva bowed His head to Him.

''Fools do not perceive their own error; on the other hand stupid creatures attribute infatuation to Lord just as on seeing the sky coverved with clouds, men of unsound judgment declare that the sun has been screened by the clouds. To him who sees with a finger stuck into his eyes the moon appears as doubled . Uma , infatuation is attributed to Rama in the same way as darkness , smoke or dust appears in the sky . The objects of the senes and their presiding deities as well as the jiva (embodied soul)-all these derive their illumination one from the other.(That is to say, the objects are illumined by the senses, the senses are illumined by their presiding deities and the deities presiding over the senses are illumined by the conscious Self) . The supreme illuminator of them all is the eternal Rama, king of Ayodhya. The world of matter is them all is the object of illumination while Rama is its illuminator. He is the lord of Maya and the abode of wisdom and virtues. If is due to His reality that even unconscious Matter appears as real through ignorance.''

''Just as a shell is mistaken for silver and a for water even though the appearance is false at all times (in the past, present and future), noboby can dispel this delusion.''

''In a like manner is this world of matter superimposed on Hari. Though unreal, it gives us pain nonetheless, just as it a man's head is cut off in a dream, he is not rid of pain till he wakes. Girija , He whose grace wipes out such delusion is none else than the benevolent Lord of Raghus. Nobody has been able. to discover His beginning or end. Basing their conclusions on speculation the Vedas have described Him in the following words. He walks without feet, hears without ears and performs actions of various kinds even without hands. He enjoys all rastes without a mouth (palate) and is a most clever speaker even though devoid of speech . He touches without a body (the tactile sense), sees without eyes and catches all odours even without a nose (the olfactory sense). His ways are thus supernatural in every respect and His glory is beyond description.''

''He who is thus extolled by the Vedas and men of wisdom and whom the sages love to contemplate is no other than the divince Rama, son of Dasaratha, lord of Ayodhya, the friend of His devotees.''

''When I behold any creature dying in the holy kasi (the modern Varanasi), it is by the power of His Name that I rid it of all sorrow (liberate it). He is my Lord, the Chif of Raghus, the sorvereign of all creation, animate as well as inanimate, the witness of all hears. If men repeat His Name even in a helpless state, sins committed by them in a series of previous existences are burnt away; while those who devoutly remember Him are able to cross the ocean of mundane existence as if were a mere hollow made by the hoof of a cow . Rama is no other than that supreme Spirit. Bhavani; your assertion that He subject of delusion is wholly unwarranted. The moment a man harbours such a doubt in his mind , his wisdom, dispassion and all other virtues bid adieu to him.'' When Parvati heard Siva's illuminating words, the whole structure of her sophistry collapsed. Attachment and devotion to the feet of the Lord of Raghus sprang in her heart and her shocking incredulity disappeared.

Clasping the lotus-feet of her lord again and again, and joining her lotus-like palms, Parvati spoke the following fine words, them as it were in the nectar of love:-

''Now that I have listened to Your words, which were refreshing as moonbeams, my ignorance, like the feverish heat of the autumnal sunshine , has faded away , You have removed all my doubt, O gracious Lord , and the reality of Rama has been revealed to me.By Your grace, my lord my gloom has been lifted and I feel happy now by the blessing of my lord's feet Now, regarding me as Youre slave , even though I am a woman, ignorant and stupid by nature, answer my former question , if You are indestructible Brahma (God), who is consciousness itself and who though bereft of all, yet dwells in the heart of all. Why did He take the form of a human being? Explain this to me , O Sankara. Hearing Uma's most polite words and seeing Her unadulterated love for the story of Sri Rama-

-The all-merciful and all-wise Sankara, the Destroyer of Cupid , was glad at heart and, extolling Uma in so many ways, said:-

''Hear the blessed story of the holy Ramacaritamanasa, which was narrated at length by the sage Bhusundi and heard by the king of birds , Garuda I shall tell you later on how that great dialogue took place. First listen to the most charming and sanctifying story of His descent . The virtues, names, stories and forms of sri Hari are all unlimited innumerable and immeasurable. Yet I proceed to tell them according to the best of my intellectual capacity; listen, Uma , with reverence.''

''Hark, O Girija : the Vedas and the Tanteas have sung numerous charming and sinless exploits of Sri Hari. The cause of Sri Hari's descnt cannot be precisely stated. Listen, O sensible lady : Sri Rama is beyond the grasp of intellect , mind or speech : such is my conviction . Yet, O charming lady, I tell you the reson as I understand it and even as the saints and sages , the Vedas and the Puranas have stated according to their intellectual level. Whenever virtue declines and the Puransas have stated according to their intellectual level . Whenever virtue declines and vile and haughty demons multipal and work uniquity that cannot be told , and whenever Brahmanas, cows, gods and earth itself are in trouble, the gracious Lord assumes various (transecndent) forms and relieves the distress of the virtuous.