Bengali Ramayana - A Curse

[Guest guest]

Seeing the old blind couple in front of him,

Dasharatha was scared. He started receding slowly. "Do not

play with us. Say something ", said the rishi's wife.

Suddenly the rishi started wailing. Concentrating, he had

seen what had actually happened. "So you have come

here to show me my dead son", he said, "I curse, oh

king. You will loose your life pining for your son. We

both will die along with our son, and then you will

know the pain a parent feels separated from its

child."<br>Suddenly Dasharatha was thrilled. "Oh lord, I am so

thrilled. You said, I will die pining for my son. That

means I'll have a son. Let me die, as soon as I see my

son's face. You are Narayana in a human form. Your

curse is like a boon to me. I should have been filled

with remorse, and here I am feeling happy". Andhaka

said, "My curse will not fail. Narayana himself will be

born in your house. As four sons Gadadhar will be

born. Let me tell you about my misfortune. Once Trijata

rishi came to my ashram to ask for alms. I was a young

man then, with eyesight. Trijata had elephantiasis on

both his feet. I felt reluctant to bow down before

him. I shut my eyes and touched his feet. So be it -

said the rishi. Since then, I am blind. This is beside

the point. My curse will act as a boon for you. Take

this fruit that I got from Lakshmi's own garden. In

the sacrificially pyre offer this fruit. You will

have children. Now get me my son." Touching his son's

dead body, the rishi said, "For long you have looked

after us. Your death ahs killed us. We will kill

ourselves beside you. You were the eyes for your blind

parents." Sitting in a trance, the blind rishi and his wife

left their bodies. <br>Taking the three bodies near

the river, the king cremated them. After that he

returned to Ayodhya. He looked for his priest Vashistha.

He wanted to confess to the killing and repent for

that. Vashistha was not around but his son was. The

king told the young priest about his problem. "Utter

Rama thrice, all your sins will go away". Dasharatha

was freed of the sin of killing a Brahmin. When

Vashistha returned his son told him what had happened.

Vashistha was enraged. "Uttering Rama once is enough to

attain salvation. You made the king utter the name

thrice. You are not worth being my son. Go roam around as

a Chandala. When Rama, who will be born as

Dasharatha's son, will touch you with his lotus feet, you will

be freed." As a Chandala, Guhak, the young priest

began roaming around praying for Rama to be born.