Rama: The Lord of Ayodhya

Ramayana in brief

A concise narration of Lord Rama's divine pastimes - His birth, exile with Sita and Lakshmana, Sita's abduction by Ravana, the alliance with Hanuman and the vanaras, the bridge to Lanka, and the defeat of Ravana. Rama's Rama Rajya becomes the ideal of perfect governance.

The Crown Jewel of the Solar Dynasty

Of all the kings who graced the Solar Dynasty, none shines brighter than Lord Rama - the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu, the embodiment of dharma, and the ideal upon which all subsequent kingship would be measured. The Bhagavatam presents His story in condensed form, for the full Ramayana comprises twenty-four thousand verses.

Shukadeva Goswami spoke:

"From Bhagiratha descended many kings, until the line reached King Dasharatha of Ayodhya - devoted to dharma, mighty in battle, and blessed with the fortune of becoming Lord Vishnu's father."

The Divine Birth

Dasharatha ruled Ayodhya with righteousness, but one sorrow clouded his heart - he had no heir. His three queens, Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra, shared his grief.

Acting on the advice of sage Vasishtha, Dasharatha performed the Putrakameshti Yajna - a sacrifice for obtaining sons. From the sacred fire emerged a divine figure bearing a vessel of celestial payasam (kheer).

"Give this to your queens," the being instructed. "The Lord Himself will take birth in your family."

The queens partook of the offering, and in time:

The four princes grew up together, but Rama and Lakshmana formed a bond that would become legendary. Where Rama went, Lakshmana followed. When Rama ate, Lakshmana first tasted His food. When Rama slept, Lakshmana kept watch.

Vishwamitra's Request

The sage Vishwamitra arrived at Dasharatha's court with a request that pierced the old king's heart.

"O king, demons are disrupting my sacrifices. Send Rama to protect the yajna."

Dasharatha trembled. Rama was barely sixteen years old. How could he send his beloved son against rakshasas? But Vasishtha counseled compliance, and Rama departed with Lakshmana.

In the forest, Rama accomplished what armies could not:

• He killed the demoness Tataka with a single arrow
• He received divine weapons (astras) from Vishwamitra
• He protected the sage's sacrifice from Maricha and Subahu

The Bow of Shiva

Vishwamitra then led the princes to the kingdom of Mithila, ruled by the wise King Janaka. There, a great bow stood in the assembly hall - the bow of Lord Shiva Himself, which no king had ever been able to lift.

Sita, Janaka's daughter born from the earth, had been offered in marriage to whoever could string this bow.

Rama approached the bow with quiet confidence. Before the assembled kings could comprehend what was happening, He:

1. Lifted the massive bow as if it were a flower garland
2. Strung it with effortless grace
3. Drew the string back - and the bow snapped in two

The sound of its breaking was like thunder. Kings who had come hoping to win Sita watched in awe as the young prince of Ayodhya accomplished what none of them could.

Sita - beautiful, virtuous, the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi - was wed to Rama. Bharata married Mandavi, Lakshmana married Urmila, and Shatrughna married Shrutakirti - all daughters or nieces of Janaka.

The Exile

Years passed. Dasharatha, feeling his age, decided to crown Rama as crown prince. The kingdom rejoiced - all except one.

Manthara, a hunchbacked maidservant, poisoned the mind of Queen Kaikeyi:

"If Rama becomes king, your son Bharata will be nothing. Remember the two boons Dasharatha owes you? Use them now!"

Kaikeyi, under Manthara's influence, demanded:

1. Bharata be crowned king instead of Rama
2. Rama be exiled to the forest for fourteen years

Dasharatha was shattered. He begged, wept, and pleaded. But he had given his word, and a king's word cannot be broken.

Rama's response to this catastrophe revealed His divinity:

"Father, do not grieve. I shall gladly go to the forest. Let mother Kaikeyi's wish be fulfilled. A son's duty is to honor his father's word."

Without a trace of anger or regret, Rama prepared to leave. Sita insisted on accompanying Him:

"Where you go, I go. The forest with you is heaven; Ayodhya without you is worse than hell."

Lakshmana refused to stay behind:

"I shall serve you in the forest as I served you in the palace. Where Rama is, there is my home."

Fourteen Years of Exile

The three departed, leaving behind a broken-hearted Dasharatha, who would die of grief shortly after. Bharata, returning to find chaos, was horrified at what his mother had done.

"I want no kingdom gained through such sin!"

He pursued Rama into the forest, begging Him to return. When Rama refused - for dharma demanded He complete the exile - Bharata took Rama's sandals.

"I shall place these on the throne and rule as your regent. The kingdom belongs to these sandals, not to me."

For fourteen years, Bharata lived as an ascetic, governing on behalf of Rama's footwear.

Meanwhile, Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana wandered the forests of Dandakaranya, living simply, visiting sages, and protecting the hermits from rakshasas. Their presence sanctified every place they touched.

Sita's Abduction

In the final year of exile, disaster struck. Ravana, the mighty king of Lanka with ten heads and twenty arms, had heard of Sita's beauty. Consumed by desire, he devised a cruel plan.

He sent the demon Maricha disguised as a golden deer. Sita, enchanted by the beautiful creature, asked Rama to capture it.

"That deer's skin would make a lovely seat for meditation," she said innocently.

Rama pursued the deer, leaving Lakshmana to guard Sita. When the deer cried out in Rama's voice - a trick of Maricha's - Sita forced Lakshmana to investigate.

In that moment of vulnerability, Ravana appeared disguised as a mendicant. When Sita stepped out to offer alms, he revealed his true form and seized her, carrying her away in his aerial chariot to Lanka.

Sita's cries echoed through the forest:

"Rama! Lakshmana! Save me!"

The vulture king Jatayu, an old friend of Dasharatha, intercepted Ravana and fought valiantly. But Ravana cut off his wings, and the noble bird fell to earth.

The Search for Sita

Returning to find an empty hermitage, Rama was overcome with grief:

"Sita! Where are you? O trees, O deer, O river - have you seen my Sita?"

They found the dying Jatayu, who with his last breath revealed:

"Ravana... took her... south... to Lanka..."

Rama performed Jatayu's last rites with the honors due to a father, saying:

"This noble bird gave his life for my wife. May he attain the highest realms."

The search led them to Kishkindha, the kingdom of the vanaras (forest-dwellers). There, Rama formed an alliance with Sugriva, the exiled vanara prince, by defeating his brother Vali.

In return, Sugriva placed his entire army at Rama's service. And from that army emerged the greatest devotee the world would ever know - Hanuman, son of the wind-god, whose devotion to Rama would become the model for all bhakti.

Hanuman's Leap

Searching parties went in all directions. Hanuman's group reached the southern ocean, where they learned from the vulture Sampati that Sita was held captive in Lanka, across the sea.

No one could cross the vast ocean. Then Jambavan, the ancient bear, reminded Hanuman of his forgotten powers:

"You are the son of Vayu, the wind. You can leap across the ocean. Have you forgotten your own strength?"

Hanuman remembered. Expanding his form to enormous size, he leapt from the coast of India - a single bound of a hundred yojanas (approximately 800 miles) - and landed in Lanka.

He found Sita in the Ashoka Vatika, a garden where Ravana kept her prisoner, threatening and cajoling her to accept him.

Sita refused:

"I am Rama's wife. Touch me, and you will be destroyed. Release me, and perhaps Rama will show mercy."

Hanuman revealed himself:

"Mother, I am Rama's messenger. He will come for you. Be of good courage."

He gave her Rama's ring as proof, and she gave him her hair ornament to take back. Before leaving, Hanuman allowed himself to be captured so he could deliver a warning directly to Ravana.

When they set his tail on fire, he used it to burn half of Lanka, then leapt back across the ocean.

The Bridge to Lanka

With Sita's location confirmed, the vanara army marched to the sea. But how to cross?

Rama worshipped the ocean-god, who appeared and suggested building a bridge. Under the direction of Nala, the vanaras built a bridge of floating stones - each stone inscribed with Rama's name would not sink.

The army crossed. The great war began.

The Fall of Ravana

The battle for Lanka was fierce. Ravana's warriors fell one by one:

• Kumbhakarna, the giant who slept for six months at a time
• Indrajit (Meghanada), Ravana's son who had conquered Indra himself
• Countless rakshasas of terrible power

Finally, Rama faced Ravana on the battlefield. The demon king, despite his ten heads and mastery of weapons, could not withstand the Lord Himself.

Using the Brahmastra - the supreme weapon - Rama pierced Ravana's heart. The tyrant fell, his ten heads finally silenced.

"Even as he died," the Bhagavatam notes, "Ravana achieved liberation, for he was killed by the Lord's own hand."

Rama Rajya

The fourteen years complete, Rama returned to Ayodhya with Sita and Lakshmana. Bharata joyfully surrendered the kingdom.

Rama's reign, called Rama Rajya, became the golden standard of governance:

• No one died prematurely; no disease afflicted the people
• Rain fell at the proper times; crops flourished
• No one experienced poverty, fear, or injustice
• Dharma was practiced in every home

"During Rama's rule," the sages declared, "the earth herself rejoiced. All beings lived in harmony, for the Lord Himself walked among them."

This is why, even today, when people dream of perfect governance, they speak of Rama Rajya - the rule of Rama, where dharma prevails and all beings flourish.

The Solar Dynasty continued through Rama's sons Lava and Kusha, carrying forward the tradition of righteous rule. But the standard had been set, and it could never be surpassed - for how can anyone exceed the Lord Himself?