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Source: The Hindu (http://www.the-hindu.com)

 

Helping the oppressed was Rama's main duty

 

CHENNAI, MAY 3. Human weakness may manifest itself in different

forms. For instance, even in normal circumstances, a small sharp

weapon in the hands of a person accustomed to use force, is

enough to display his strength though there is no need to do so.

To draw attention to the catastrophic consequences of similar

misadventures, a fine story has been included in the Ramayana and

the narrator is none other than Sita. (The Divine Mother, as a

human being, relates another interesting tale at the concluding

stage of the epic).

 

A hermit was engaged in very rigorous penance. Wishing to put

obstacles in his way, the chief of the celestials met him in the

guise of a warrior, and entrusted him with a dagger for safe-

keeping. The innocent sage carried the weapon with him wherever

he went. Constant thought of the tool gathered momentum and

ultimately, he who was noted for his austerities, lost faith in

them and inured his mind to cruelty. Lapsing from virtue by his

association with the dagger, he found himself in hell.

 

This legend was quoted by Sita to Her Lord while the Divine

Couple, along with Lakshmana were passing through a forest. This

embodiment of gentleness and compassion had earlier witnessed how

a dangerous demon was hacked by the brothers and had listened to

reports of cruelty and torture inflicted on the harmless ascetics

conducting penance, by the evil forces. She also took note of

Rama's pledge to rid the forest of these violent elements. All

these produced a storm in Her mind and She then unburdened

certain sentiments while they were on their march.

 

Elaborating what Sita said, Sri V. S. Karunakaran, in a

discourse, referred to some of the temptations to which men may

usually fall victim. One of them is to utter falsehood. ``You

will never speak a lie'', Sita told Her Lord. The second is the

tendency to covet other women. ``This too is anathema to You.

Being constant in Your devotion to Your wife, such a desire will

not even enter Your thought.''

 

But the other evil is the infliction of cruelty on others who

have not harmed them and that too without provocation. ``Your

appearance as ascetics hardly goes well with Your bows and

arrows.''

 

It was in this context, Sita unfolded the tale of the sage as

above. In His reply, Rama insisted on His duty to the oppressed.

He declared firmly and resolutely that duty was paramount to Him.

The death of the frightful demon Viradha caused by the divine

princes testified to their strength to meet any type of

challenge.

 

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