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First Person Singluar

And Rest As they Say Is Ramayana?

Aroon Sharma
Oct 2010

Does Ravana interest you ? To me, he does ! He amuses me ! I concede failure on not being able to ferret out either his place or his date of birth. The farthest I reached was that his mother Kaikasi, daughter of a demon chieftain Sumali, had seduced a saint of repute and radiance, and had conceived. But the saint ( after the sin of conjugality ), cursed her:

Please note here, too, I do not know the place or date of seduction !!

‘The hour of dusk for a man-woman union is unholy; thus the child(ren) born of such an encounter would be monstrous !’ A frightened Kaikasi pleaded for mercy which moved the saint. Forecast he: ‘Fine, if more than one are born, one would not be vicious at all.’ Thus were born Dasagreeva, Kumbhakarana, Saroopnakha and Vibashana !!

I repeat ! I do not know where and which date were the four born ?

Not that the saint had been above earthly pleasures of the ordinary mortals. Earlier, he had a wife, too who had given birth to Kubera – a ruler of dignity and distinction. Kaikasi was aware that Kubera was her stepson and her monsterous progeny’s stepbrother ! Once when Kubera called on his father, the saint, Kaikasi, was smitten with jealousy.

Here, too, I do not know when and where was Kubera born ?

Yet she ordained her own very four to proffer their due reverence to their older step brother – Kubera. Led by Daasgreeva, all the four offered the customary salutations. However, after a few years, the monsters walked up to their father wanting to know how come their step brother Kubera had a reputation, a status amongst the emperors of time ?

Need I repeat that I don’t know the place or date – where was it ?

The saintly father ( may I say that saints then were not expected to co-habit ? ), looked heavenwards and said: ‘what else but meditation ?’. These words of wisdom had an effect on the three cousins except Saroopnakha ( could be women in those ages were not suppose to pray for prominence ). Each demon brother meditated for thousands of years.

Here too, I do not know the place and date of their meditation ?

Daasgreeva, I deliberately did not mention earlier was born with 10 heads and 20 arms because the heads had more relevance to this segment of the saga. I continue: To keep a count of each 1,000 years spent in rotational meditation by the three, Daasgreeva would slice off one head till one was left. An impressed Brahma the Creator appeared.

I have no idea where the heads nine heads fell or Brahma appeared ?

Brahma to Daasgreeva: ‘The penance has moved me. Ask for a favour ?’

Asked Daasgreeva: ‘Immortality my lord !”

Brahma: ‘No ! Mother Earth’s law is that one who is born must die !’

Argued Daasgreeva: ‘Then grant me indestructibility ?’

Questioned Brahma: ‘Indestructibility from what and from whom ?’

Answered Daasgreeva: ‘From Gods, celestial earthly and heavenly powers !’

Chuckled Brahma: ‘Tathastu (granted) but what about from human beings ?’

Smiled Daasgreeva: ‘I need no immortality from the contemptible worms ?’

Daasgreeva: ‘Also if any head is ever severed, it should be back on my neck ?’

Brahma was benign a second time: ‘Tathastu ( granted )’

How I wish I knew the exact date and place of these tales of tathastu ?

I come to the climax ! How did Daasgreeva came to be called Ravana when all it means is a ‘scream’ ? Well, of all the peaks he attempted to move Mount Kailash. Atop it Shiva and Parvati were amidst conjugal bliss. Shiva flew in rage, held firm the swaying Mount Kailash with his toe. Beneath lay a crushed Daasgreeva screaming ‘save, save !!’

What a scene it must have been ? No theologian tells me the date ?

Daasgreeva’s plight was pathetic. Seeing no relief, his courtiers suggested to invoke the origin of music of -- SAMA in a prayer of relief ! The 10-headed monster did. The sound of music soothed the frayed nerves of Shiva. It was in stark contrast with the echo of screams. The boon Shiva offered was to rename him Ravana. And the rest as they say is Ramayana.

Mythology it is. I neither have dates of Daasgreeva’s 2nd naam sanskar ?

~ends~

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