jaisriramramo.

RAMAYANA 'Lustful beast as you are, dead to all truth and righteousness, may your manhood fall away from you,' "Indra at once became an eunuch and went back to the Devas in ignominious shame. "Then the sage turned to his erring wife and prescribed a long penance for her. He said: 'Living on air, you shall stay here, unseen by anyone. After a long time, Dasaradha's son will pass this way. When he sets foot in this aashrama, you will freed from the course. Welcome him as a guest. You will then recover your last virtue and get back your own beauty.' The sage then left his violated aashrama for Himalaya to engage himself in austerities there." Viswaamitra said to Raama: "Let us enter the aashrama.  You will bring redemption to Ahalya and re-kindle the light in her as the sage promised." And they went into the aashrama, As Raama set foot in the aashrama, the curse was lifted and Ahalya stood before them in all her beauty. ...

RAMAYANA After a day's stay  in the City of Visaala, Viswaamitra and his  party left for Mithila. On the way,  not for from Mithila, they saw a beautiful aashrama which seemed untenanted. Raama asked V iswaamitra: "Whose is this aashrama with ancient trees? Why does such a beautiful abode stand deserted?" Viswaamitra replied: "This aashrama is subject to a curse.  Sage Gautama lived here with his wife Ahalya,spending his days in peace and holy meditation. One day during the Sage's absence from the aashrama ,Indra filled with unholy desire for the beautiful Ahalya, entered it disguised as Gautama and approached the lady with urgent solicitation. She was not deceived by the impersonation., but vain of her beauty and proud that it had won her the love of the lord of the celestial s, she lost her judgement and yielded to his desire. "When the sin had been sinned, realizing its heinousness and the and the fierce spiritual energy of her betrayed hu...

RAMAYANA Three of them flowed west and three east; and the seventh river followed Bhageeratha who was full of joy at the approaching salvation of his ancestors.  Ganga followed Bhageeratha's triumphal chariot; The waters danced and shone like lightning flashes as the river made its course and the Devas and Gandharvas assembled above to witness the grand sight. Some times slow and sometimes fast, now sliding down and now jumping up, The river went on dancing behind Bhageeratha's chariot and the folk of heaven enjoyed sight all the way. On her course, G anga damaged the yaaga platform of rishi by name  Jahnu, The rishi took the entire flood in his palm and sipped it off. Ganga disappeared again and Bhageeratha was sorely perplexed.  The Devas and other rishis approached Jahnu and begged him to forgive Ganga and allow Bhageeratha to reap the fruit of his great austerities and perseverance. The sage relented and let Ganga out through his right ear. The Devas w...

RAMAYANA Bhageeratha told him his two wishes. " If you have pity on me, bless me with a child to continue the line of my forebears. Secondly, Cursed by Kapilamuni, my ancestors lie a heap of ashes in paataala.  The ashes should be washed by the waters of Ganga so that their souls may ascend to heaven. May you be pleased to order Ganga to go down"  Brahma replied: " The Devas are pleased with your tapas. Your wishes are granted. But there is one difficulty. The earth cannot withstand the force of Gangas des cent ; Siva alone can stand it. Therefore direct your penance and prayers to him.  Bhageeratha renewed his tapas and continued  long without food or water, and at last won Siva's grace. Siva appeared and said  to Bhageeratha : " I shall fulfil your wish. i shall receive Ganga on my head. May her grace be upon you" When Mahaadeva promised help to Bhageeratha, Ganga began her descent as ordered by Brahma. In her arrogance, she thought she wo...

RAMAYANA Amsumaan rushed home with the horse and told the king all that he had found and learnt.  Sagara  was immersed  in sorrow at the fate that had overtaken his sons. However, the horse having been brought back, he completed the yaaga. Grieving over his lost sons and despairing of ever bringing Ganga down to the nether world, he died disconsolate. According to the Raamaayana, Sagara lived for 30,000 years.  Figures like 30,000 and 60000 need not confuse us, 'thirty thousand'  may mean either a very large number or just thirty. If we so like, we may take these figures literally. Amsumaan succeeded Sagara as king of Ayodhya and was, in turn, succeeded by Dileepa . Bhageeradha came after Dileepa.  Amsumaan and Dileepa, though happy and blessed in other respects, died grieving that they were unable to bring Ganga to Paataala for the salvation of their forefathers.  Bhageeratha was a valiant king . He was childless. ...

RAMAYANA King Saagara waited in vain  for the return of the princes who had gone in search of the sacrificial horse. After some days he called his grand son Amsuman and said ' I am anxious to know what has happened to the princes who went to paatala . You are brave go thither.,well-armed , find out what has happened and come back crowned with success. Amsumaan went closely following the path of the princes and reached the neither world where he saw and paid salutations to the mighty elephants standing at the four quarters. These guardians of the quarters uttered encouraging words and said he would succeed in his mission.  When in due course Amsumaan entered and went round paataala he was delighted when he found the sacrificial horse grazing contentedly there, but was perplexed and distressed when he saw heaps of ashes all over the place . Could they be all that remained of his valiant uncles?" Garuda, the bird-king, brother of Sumathi, Sagaraa's second...

RAMAYANA Eagerly the sons of Sagara proceeded to search the entire earth, but the horse was nowhere to be found. They even started  digging the earth as for buried treasure, and in their anxiety respected neither place nor person and only succeeded in earning the hatred of all the met. The horse was not to be found; and when they reported their failure to the king, he bade them ransack  the nether  world also. The princes did as they were told and in Paataala they saw the horse grazing in a corner of aashrama, not for from the place where Sage Kapila who was Vishnu sat in meditation. The princes at once jumped to the conclusion that they had not only found the stolen horse but the thief also, and they rushed on Kapila shouting " Here is the thief pretending to be a yogi." Kapila thus disturbed opened  his  eyes and the sixty thousand princes were reduced to a heap of ashes. Indra, the real thief , artfully left the Horse here with very intent. ...