[Advaita-l] A Lesser Known Story From The Ramayana

[V Subrahmanian]

A Lesser Known Story From The Ramayana http://ift.tt/2xchNIX

After a long journey, Sri Ramchandra with his vanara sena, reached the
southern coast of our vast land and beheld the expanse of water separating
them from Sri Lanka.

The search for Sita was over; Rama now knew where she was; it only remained
to redeem her from Ravana, by peaceful persuasion if possible or by war, if
necessary.

In line with our tradition of seeking Divine help, before commencing any
work, Sri Ram desired to consecrate and offer worship to Shiva.

Arrangements were soon completed, except finding a suitable priest to guide
the function. Sri Ram thought for a while and then decided on the best
person available nearby - Ravana the king of Sri Lanka.

Without hesitation he asked Hanuman to fly to Ravana’s palace and request
him to conduct the pooja !!

There was considerable shock and dismay among the assembly; to invite an
enemy to conduct a pooja, specially meant to conquer and destroy him! Will
Ravana accept such a preposterous invitation ?

But Hanuman as a loyal soldier implicitly obeyed the royal command and flew
to Sri Lanka to convey the message to Ravana. Men and women around him were
also deeply shocked, surprised and mystified at this strange invitation
from the prince of Ayodhya.

Ravana, true to his stature as a great pundit in Vedic literature, true to
the tradition that as a Brahman, he should never decline an invitation to
organize Divine worship, and true to his intense devotion to Lord Shiva
accepted the invitation.

He came with Hanuman to Sri Ram’s place, much to the consternation of
everyone. Soon the king of Sri Lanka made an inspection of all
arrangements, and turning to Sri Rama, said,

"O prince of Ayodhya, though you have made very satisfactory arrangements,
you are not qualified to install the idol of Lord Shiva in the absence of
your wife. Our edicts declare that no person, however high, can perform
such ceremonies without his consort nearby".

The mood of the entire assembly now changed from confusion to curiosity -
how would Sri Rama react ?

The noble prince smiled and calmly replied,

"We have invited you for the flawless performance of the ceremony. You have
pointed out a flaw in tune with your duty as a pundit; I thank you for it.
I now invite you to provide a solution, which also forms part of your duty".

This exposition of Dharmic postures and privileges between the greatest of
kings and the noblest of men , was becoming even a treat for the Gods !

The king of Sri Lanka was not only a great ruler but also a great scholar.
The scholar in him rose to the occasion now and Ravana said,

"O Rama, I can and shall provide a solution, since I do not wish to bear
the blame for non-performance of Divine worship, but on one condition. I
shall arrange to bring Sita here for the pooja but you should permit her to
return to my place after the function".

All around, were astounded and speechless at the clash of wit and fantasy
of words between the two great men and waited with bated breath for Sri
Rama’s rejoinder.

The noblest of men, simply and cheerfully accepted the offer, and the
ceremony was completed in all solemnity. As per Indian customs and
traditions, after viewing the couple, Ravana said “Let victory be yours!”
though he knew well, those words meant his own destruction. Here was human
values surpassing all constraints of Self.

Only one more formality remained, that of honoring the priest. Sri Rama
invited Ravana himself to suggest the fees for the function. It was at this
moment that the greatest and the most crucial episode of Ramayana unfolded
before an unbelieving audience.

Ravana, the king would not take any fees, not even from Sri Rama, as he was
always at the giving, and not the receiving end of fees or favors. But
again the vedic pundit in him came to the fore.

He said, "Sri Rama, knowing you very well, the only fees I solicit is that
you stand by me when my life departs".

And thus it came to pass, that when Ravana lay in his last moments Sri Rama
was near him. It only reveals that ultimate comfort for everyone high or
low is to have Divinity nearby at the moment of death.

Courtesy: The Awakening Times

Source: Veda Vyasa Ramayana