Namaste!
Recap from last week: Rama and Lakshmana help Sage Vishwamithra finish the yagna without issues and start their travel to Mithilapuri.
On their way to Mithila, in the evening, they rested at a place with a river named "shona". Rama requested his teacher to explain the birth and importance of this river. Sage Vishwamithra said, "O prince Rama! There was once a great king called Kusha and his wife was Vaidarbhi. Kusha is my great grandfather. They had fours sons- Kushambu, Kushanabhu, Adhurtharajasu and Vasuvu. He asked his sons to create four cities and rule them. Following their father's orders each one created a city. The place we are resting now is called the "Girivraja pura" built by the fourth son Vasu. Now, the second son Kushanabhu was a rajarshi and with his wife "Ghruthachi", he had a hundred beautiful daughters. Once Vayu deva asked all the girls to marry him. They immediately rejected him saying that it is their father's duty to find a suitable man for their marriages and they cannot and will never decide themselves about their marriages without their father's permission! This made Vayu angry and he cursed them to be paralytic (removing vayu(air) from a body leads to paralysis). The girls' father after knowing this gave all the daughters to a great Brahmarshi called "Brahmadatha" in marriage. As a marriage ritual when Brahmadatha touched each girl's hand (pani grahanam) she became normal again."
Why did Vishwamithra tell Rama this story when he asked about the birth of a mere river? He was preparing Rama- preparing him to understand a girl, importance of marriage, importance of being devoted to the relationship. Today, every man and woman getting ready to be married should learn these. They should refer Ramayana. Fight or divorce is not what we were taught. Understanding each other, commitment to a relationship is what we should learn. It does not mean that you cannot speak your opinion but understand the opposite person and value his/her feelings before speaking something that could devastate two lives. One has no right to play with the feelings of their partner! A girl is as delicate as a flower. Her parents might have brought her up with utmost love and care. A boy has no right to play with her heart or life. Acid attacks, suicides, forcing her for his wish are not the best things a boy could do. It could end up hurting her, her parents, his parents and ultimately leave him suffering. Understand her, respect her, ask her hand with the permission of her parents and treat her with dignity and she will be his forever. The same is with a girl. Threatening him, hurting his feelings is not what a man could appreciate in his partner. Being loyal, dignified and being a daddy's girl is what a man would appreciate in a girl- after all, that's what he would expect his daughter to be some day!
Vishwamithra again said, "Rama, Kushanabha then had a son Gadhi and I am the son of Gadhi. Since I was born in the clan(vamsha) of Kusha, I am also called "Kaushika". I have a sister "Kaushiki" who was married to sage "Ruchika". When Ruchika started his journey to Heavens to meet the Gods, my sister prayed and then became the river "Kaushiki" flowing in the Himalayas. I have built my ashrama at the banks of Kaushiki and live there. Also with your help I could come to Sidha Ashrama here and finish my yagna without any issues." Saying this sage asked both brothers to rest for the night.
Rama could not sleep soon due to the thoughts crossing his mind. He was constantly thinking about those hundred girls, their devotion to their father, their determination, the Kaushiki river, the greatness of his teacher's clan and slept sometime late in the night.
Precap next week: The sarga (chapter) which we discuss next week is considered to be the most important of all the sargas of Ramayana. Sage Valmiki who never talks about phalashruthi (benefits of listening/ reading), said that any pregnant women who would read this sarga will have beautiful kids and a less complication-less pregnancy.
Stay tuned next week for Ganga-avatharanam (birth of river Ganga), Parvathi Kalyanam (Marriage of Shiva- Parvathi) and Shanmuka- uthpathi (birth of Shanmukha/ Kumara swami)
Sai Ram,
Vipanchi Krishna.
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