Srimad Ramayana Tathva Deepika Balakanda # 159

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Sri Raghunandana Parabrahmane Namaha!

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha!!

 

(24th Sarga)

 

Soon it was dawn. Rama and Lakshmana finished their

daily rituals. They along with Viswamithra reached the

banks of the river. The sages there got a propitious

boat ready for them and told Viswamithra, “You please

board this boat along with the princes. Bless no

untoward things happen to you on the way. Don’t

delay.” Viswamithra, accordingly, worshipped them and

crossed the river along with Rama and Lakshmana. In

the middle of their journey they heard a loud noise

coming from the middle of the river. They asked the

maharshi thus, “Here the water is splashing high. A

loud sound is coming from there. What is this?”

Vishwamithra Maharshi replies them, “Once upon a time

Brahma, on his own intention, created a lake on the

Kailasa mountain. This is called ‘Maanasa Saras’ and a

river flowed from this lake. It is a sacred river. It

flows around Ayodhya. It is river Sarayu. That river

joins Ganges here. This sound is coming because of the

mingling of the rivers. Rama! Pay your obeisance

here.”

When Maharshi told them so, they both paid their

respects to the river. They reached the banks of river

Ganga on the west. There was a dense forest which was

devoid of any presence of humans. The whole jungle was

resounding with the sounds of birds called

‘chi:kuruvaayulu’. Wild dreadful animals and birds

were screeching frighteningly. Lions, tigers, bears

and wild elephants were moving there. Various birds

were flying. On reaching that forest, Viswamithra

started telling Rama about those woods.

 

(To be contd.....)

Jai Srimannarayana!

 

Ramanujamma Mudumbai rd.