RAMA'S GRIFE.

RAMA'S GRIFE. after taking sita ravana crossed the vast see with sita and entered the island-city of lanka. and sita was in asoka vana it was a very beautiful park with plenty of trees and flowering shrubs and fountains. birds and butterflies.she was totally sunk in grief. after killing mareecha, rama has returned back to the hut. on the way he met lakshmana running towards him and he said quite angrily,''o lakshmana! why have you left sita alone and come here instead? oh , why did you leave her, let us go back quickly to the hut!''as they ran lakshmana told his brother how sita had accused him of all intention and had forced him to go to her husband's help as she had threatened to end her life otherwise.when they reached the hut they found it empty and saw the scattered rice, flowers and the upturned kamandalam. they knew at once that sita had been kidnapped by some one.''let us search for her.''on the way they huge figure lying on the ground. it was the wounder jataayu, the king of eagles.'' o rama! i saw ravana off with sita in his chariot and attacked him when she begged me to help.ravana chopped off my wings and i fell on the ground. i am waiting to tell you about ravana!''and died.then the two brothers moved on and searched sita.

RAVANA ABDUCTS SITA.

RAVANA ABDUCTS SITA.ravana waited till lakshmana disappeared from sight. he then assumed the form of a sannyasi who chanted holy vedic verses and called loudly for alms.sita , who was hovering near the doorway of the hut waiting for lakshmana to return with rama, saw the sannyasi and heard his request for alms. she went in to fetch a bowl of rice wich she held out.he said'' come, my daughter, come near and receive my blessings!''she said''i cannot cross the line and come out''''then i shall go else where to seek alms!'' the sannyasi remarked and turned as if to go away.sita felt ashamed of herself for trying to ignore a holy man's request, and slowly stepped over the line which lakshmana had drawn. at once the sannyasi revealed his true form. he grabbed sita's hand and pulled her forward.''come with me to lanka and live the life luxury!he said sita struggled in his grasp and said ''alas! why did i send lakshmanaaway!let me go at once. rama and lakshmana will come and soon slay you!''ravana just laughed and pushed sita into his golden chariot.sita cried as loudly as she could, ''o rama! o lakshmana! please help me!save me from this wicked rakshasa who is carrying me away to lanka! help, o rama! o lakshmana!''

THE GOLDEN DEER.

THE GOLDEN DEER.ravana and mareecha flew to panchavadi. ravana hide behind some trees and ordered mareecha to play his part.sita was busy plucking flowers for their daily worship, when she saw beautiful golden deer nibbling at the grass near their hut.she at once called rama and lakshmana to see the creature. they saw the golden deer said to sita that it was really a beautiful animal.'' please can you cath it for me, my lord! i want to take it back to ayodhya and keep it as a pet!'' sita begged.'' brother ,i do not think that it is really a deer, but a rakshasa!' he warned.sita begged rama once more to get it for her.'' lakshmana, you must stand on guard here. do not, on any account, leave sita alone!''rama said before he went.the golden deer, he sprang nimbly away each time rama came near.gradually the two of them went further and further in to the forest.then ,mareecha, tiring of the chase, stood still so rama's arrow pierced him.as he fell, he assumed his original rakshasa from and cried loudly in a voice wich sounded like rama's ''o lakshmana! o sita!'' at once rama realised that lakshmana's guess was correct.but rama felt confident that lakshmana would not leave sita alone even for a moment. but he ran back to the hut.lakshmana and sita hear the voice of rama crying.'' o lakshmana ! that was rama crying for help.do go quickly and find out what is wrong'' sita begged.''dont worry! rama can cope withany rakshasa single-handed. he will not need any help and will be terribly angry with me if i leave you alone.''lakshmana replied.sita began sobbing wildly.''now i know that you are rama's enemy. you pretended to accompany us to the forest in order to get rid of rama and then disgrace me . if you do not go, ishall end my life''he cried.lakshmana was deeply hurt by sita's unjust accusations. ''all right , i will go!but before that i shall draw a line out side the hut which you must not cross for your own safety!'' he said reluctantly and with the tip of hies arrow, he drew a wide circle around the hut.then he went away looking back uneasily.

SURPANAKHA MEETS RAVANA.

SURPANAKHA MEETS RAVANA.surpanska'' look at what rama and lakshmana have done to me!'' she wailed then she saw her brothers.''go and avenge my pain''.''do not worry, surpanakha !we have never been defeated in battle and will win now too. we will kill rama and lakshmana '' khara boasted as they set out .rama and lakshmana saw the rakshasa hordes approaching. within a shot time he destroyed the entire rakhasa army single-handed. then with sharp arrow he killed khara and dooshana too.the devas and rishis who were watching the battle, blessed rama by showering petals from above. in the meenwhile, surpanakha, who went to lanka. she created a sensation when she ran into the court. ''o brother ravana!, here you are sitting supremely unaware that your brothers kara and dooshana and all the rakshasas have been killed by mere humans, all because i tried to get rama's wife, sita,for you!'''' do not worry, surpanakha! i will teach rama and lakshmana a fitting lesson by kidnapping sita!'' ravana told his sister.he flew in his chariot to the place where his kinsman, mareecha, lived. mareecha,who was taataka's son, now lived like a hermit.'' o mareecha! i want to take revenge on rama and lakshmana who cut off my sister's nose, by kidnapping rama's wife sita''. he said.mareecha, advice ravana not to do that.but ravana would not listen.''o mareecha! i am not asking you to face rama's arrows. you hane magic powers and can any shape . all i want you take the form of a beautiful golden deer and prance about playful so that sita can see you .she will definitely want you ans will ask rama and lakshmana to catch you .i want you to move away from hut and so take rama and lakshmana deeper into the forest.then i shall take away sita''! ravana revealed his plan to mareecha.he once again change ravana's mind but he failed.he decided that it would be better if he died at rama's hand rather than at ravana's , so he agreed.

Soorpanakha Enters

SURPANAKHA ENTER. after bharata's departure, rama felt extremely sad. so, he decided to go further on and help the sages who were being troubled by rakshasas. rama,sita and lakshmana enter the dandaka forest,suddenly a hideous distorted figure of a rakshasas stood in their path.named ''viraada''. he had obtained a boon from lord brahma that no weapon could kill him.he give trable to them at lost they kill viraada and brake his bones.then they rid the dandaka forest of rakshasas who tormented the sage who lived there. a decade passes by in this manner.. rama , sita and lakshmana decided to move on . on the advice of sage agasthya, whose ashrama they visited , the three of them went to the forest,PANCHAVATI,on the bank of the godavari river. one day , rama and lakshmana were out hunting and saw a huge figure on a tree, on closer look, however rama and lakshmana found it was a eagle.'' who are you?'' asked rama ''iam JATAAYU, the son of the god of dawn,aruna. my brother is SAMPAAI.iam your father's old friend . whenever you leave sita alone, ishall look after her carfully!''he said some time after this , a rakshasi, named SURPANAKHA, came to panchavati.she hid behind a tree to see who was living inthe hut . when she saw rama, she fell in love withhim at once. she presented, and walked up to rama and asked him who he was. on learning that he was rama, she said'' '' iam surpanaka, the only sister of the mighty king of lanka, RAVANA.KUMBAKARNA,VIBHEESHANA ARE MY BROTHERS , while KHARA AND DOOSHANA, who live in the janasthana area,are also my brothers.''i have fallen in love with you. marry me at once. do not consider my ugly form, i can change my shape to look beautiful for you!'' rama laughted gently and said '' i am marry sita, how can i marry you?''so ,surpanakha went to lakshmana and asked him to marry her. he told ''iam also married how can i marry you go back ''. surpanakha second time go and asked rama to marry her.but rama once again said that he has already married. she grew angry and shouted that she would kill sita as she stood in her way. lakshmana immediately took out his sword and cut her nose off.surpanakha screamed with pain as blood streamed down her face and ran to janasthana.

BHARATA MEET RAMA

BHARATA MEETS RAMA. after all the funeral ceremonies were conducted, bharata called a meeting of sage vasishta and other ministers.'' i shall go to the forest and beg rama to come back to ayodhya.if he does not agree, i shall stay there performing penance for the worngs done!''he said.preparations began to go to the forest.accompanied by shatrughna, and the three queens, the ministers.and a large army, bharata went to the forest. as they reached the tamasa river, guha,the hunter chieftain become alarmed.he wondered if bharata was following rama with his army and had evil intent.after spoke to him guha was convinced. and told rama has crossed the gonga with sita and lakhmana he informed.then they reached the sage bharadwaja's asharam. the sage looked with pity at the repentant, queen kaikeyi and chided bharata for speaking harshly about her.''go to that direction!'' the sage pointed. lakshmana saw bhrata walking at the head of a large army, he at once ran to rama and told him that bharata was comming to kill him.rama told lakshmana ''you are wrong about bhrata, i know bhrata and his gentle upright nature, i am sure he is coming here to beg me return to ayodhya. so, do not take ill of him.'' bharata came with barefoot and fell at rama's feet with tears.'' how is our beloved father?why have left him to come here/""rama asked.'' o brother rama! our father is no more!'' he said.on hearing this, rama fell unconscious. when he recovered, he said ''o bharata! how unfortunate i am to be denied the right to perform his funeral rites!'' bharatafell at rama's feet and begged him to return to ayodhya and accept the kingship. rama told gently,''if i do so, i will be broke our father's promise. do you think that our father's soul will be happy?no, i cannot return ''then bharata requested ti give him his ''padukas''.and ''i wil go to nandigramam and leadthe life of an ascetic and do penancetillyou return.i shall rule from there on your behalf. but you do not return, i shall jump into the fire!'' bharata declared. then bhrata placed rama's ''padukas'' on his head and departed. the people of ayodhya realised now how much bharata loved rama and did not mind being under his rule.

BHARATA'S HOME -COMING

bharata's home- coming.
the ministers dicided to keep the body of king dasaratha immersed in oil till bharata returned to ayodhya.saga vasishta sent for messengers '' go and swiftly to kekayato fetch bhara here at once!do not reveal in your manner or speech, all that has happened recently in ayodhya-rama's exil to the forest leadingto the death of king dasaratha1!''bharata returneded ayodhya he was puzzled.he went to his mother's place and asked '' where is my father? i want to pay my respect to him!''he said .
''son bharata , your fother led a fulfilled life with the usual joys and sorrows.now he has gone to join his ancestors''.she said.bharata cry of grief and fell down weeping like a child.after bharata know rama also not beside when his forther died. bharata wanted to know why rama was in the forest.kaikyai compelled to admit the part she had played.
''what have you done, mother ? how can a younger son ascend the throne which rightfully belongs to the eldest son? you have caused the death of your own husband! iam ashamed to call you my mother ! i shall go to the forest and bring rama back to ayodhya'' bharata stated firmly to the forest.

IN AYODHYA.

IN AYODHYA.
sumanthra returned in the empty chariot with heavy heart. he went to the dasaratha's presence. ''have you come back after leaving my rama in the forest?o rama !how can i live without you ?'' dasaratha moaned and lapsed in to unconsciousness.kausalya and sumitra sat by the old king's bed side . he recalled an episode in his past and recounted it to the grieving women.
once, in his youth, he had gone hunting . he was skilled in shooting an arrow at game by mere sound. he heard a gurgling noice and thought that it was a elefent which had come to drink water at the river. he shot a arrow and ran in the direction of the noice.their he found that his arrow had hit a young ''rishi'', who had been filling a pitcher with water, and not a elefent as he had thought. ''sir please forgive me !who are yo?''he cried.
'' my name is shravan kumar.you have killd me . my old blind parents will be waiting for me to fetch water for them .take this pitcher to that hut there and go. ''the ''rishi'' fell dead.dasaratha picked up the pitcher and went inthe direction shravan kumar had pointed out.
''o shravan!why are you late in bringing the water?'' the old man called out when dasaratha entered the hut.'' please forgive me! iam king dasaratha and not your son.i was out hunting and by mistake, i shot an arrow at your son who was by the river side,he is dead .please forgive me for the terrible sin. committed unknowingly!'' dasaratha trembled with fear.
'' what !is our beloved son dead?'' they bouth said.''please take us to him atonce!.''dasaratha carried the sightless old couple to the spot they cried.
''o king! as you have caused our son's death and have broken the hearts of his sightless old father and mother , you too will suffer similarly wehn you are separated from your son in old age, and die heart broken with grief!''the old woman cursed dasaratha as husband and wife entered their son's funeral pyre.dasaratha now told kausalya that he was paying for his sin as he was separated from his beloved son in his old age and was losing his sense of sight too.
he moaned the name of rama and go to bed.his death was discovered only next morning.
']

RAMA MEETS GUHA.

RAMA MEETS GUHA.
as the chariot carring rama ,sita and lakshmana moved to the outskirts of the city ,the people swarmed behind it. they loudly cursed kaikeyi and even said that bharata would rule over an empty city.rama stopped the chariot and told the people to look upon bharata with the same love they showeredon him... that bharata was unaware of his mother's boons.
many people shouted that they too would leave ayodhya and spend their lives with rama. for them ayodhya was the place where rama was!rama decided to spend the night on the bank of the riverhe asked sumanthra to unharness the horses from the chariot.un known to the them, some hours later, rama awoke and wispered to sita ,lakshmana and sumanthra,''let us leave quickly. the people are fast asleep/ we shall go away before anyone seesus.harnessthe horses to the chariot.''
rama sita and lakshmana reached the bank of the ganga they disided to spend the night on the bank of the ganga river.there they meet the hunter chieftain of the region, guha,he had heard about the happenings in ayodhya. guha foled his hands and requested rama to stay with him during the 14 years of his exile, and that sita would be looked after comfortable too.
'' o guha! i know how much you love me! but it would not be fulfilling mother kaikeyi's wish that i should lead the life of anaasetic if i stay with you and enjoy some comforts.no, i accept your hospitality.but i will be greatful if you can arrange a boat for us to cross the ganga tommorrow morning.!''
next morning ,guha told rama that a lorge boat had been readied for them to cross the river.rama looked suanthra's sad face ans said consolingly,''sumanthra! the period of exile has began. go back to ayodhya and look after my aged father and my sorrowing mother. they need your support now!''
rama, sita and lakshmana got in to the boat, guha ordered the boatman to row it across the ganga. he stood with sumanthra and watched as the boat sped over the water and carried rama,sita and lakshmana away.

RAMA LEAVES AYODHYA.

Rama,sita and lakshmana entered the kaikeyi's royal apartment.king dasaratha raised his head and saw with agony, his beloved son,rama,clad in ascetic apparel. he cried broken-heartedly ,''o rama!forgive me for the great worng i have done to you!''
'' father, you have not done any wrong.we have come to take leave. sita and lakshmana have decided to go to the forest. do not grieve, father ,but comfort my mother in her sorrow. let bharata be crowned instead ,and be happy. the fourteen years of my exile will pass verv soon.
and i will back in ayodhya safely!'' rama said gently, his face betraying no emotion.dasaratha felt defeated.king dasaratharan after the chariot carring rama,sita, and lakshmana,also
queen kausalyaand queen sumitratoo followed the chariot.the people of ayodhya ran behind.waiting to catch a last glimpse of rama, sita and lakshmana, though many of them wanted to live inthe forest with the exiles. ''o rama, !if you leave me, life will depart from this body of mine!''dasaratha wept.

king dasaratha's anguish.

KING DASARATAH could noe believe his ears. ''i refuse to speak such unkind words to rama!''dasaratha groaned,kaikeyi laughed scornfully and said ''o king !it behoves a ruler of the solar dynasty to keep his word.''kaikeyi called sumanthra go and at once and send rama here!the king wishes to speak to him ''she said.rama came atonce .dasaratha saw his beloved son and cried ! ''o rama!''kaikeyi saw that dasaratha was unwilling to talk. so, she took matters into her hand.

''your father once gave me two boons and i have asked for them now.he does not know how to tell you.,so i shall do it for him! i want bharata to be crowned instead of you, in the first place. then i want you go in exile to the forestfor fourteen years and lead the life of an ascetic'' she said.'' o is that all?i will be very happy if my dear brother, bharata is croened.what is kingship to me if it can help my father to keep his promise?and ,i willgladly go to live in the forest. please tell father not to be so upset. i shall takeleave of my mother before leaving for the forest!''rama spoke caimly.

rama go to his mother's place.and tolled'' mother ,please give me your blessings! iam proceeding to the forest to fulfil my father's promise made to mother kaikeyi'' rama bowed to his own mother.kausalya exclaimed with surprise.''my lord ,i shall accompany you to the forest'' sita announced calmly.
'' you are a princess so you not used in the forest ''.rama tried to dissuade sita.'' no my lord, a wife's placeis her husband bothin joy and sorrow. so have diceded to go with you and share your difficulties. besides,i knowthat you will protect me from any danger!''.sita saidfirmly.''i too shall go with you ,brother ,to beof help in protecting you and serving you in any way i can. what is life here in ayodhya without you?''lakshmana said.
''osn lakshmana,go with my blessings with rama and sita and come back safely after the exile period of fourteen years!''sumitra said and looked at kausalya. ''do not worry, sister, my brave son loves rama more than his ownlife and will look after both him and sita!''rama ,sita ,and lakshmanagave away all their possessions and dressed in austere ascetic garb.then they went on foot to kaikeyi's apartmentto take leave of the king.

KAIKEYI DEMANDS HER BOONS

KAIKEYI DEMANDS HER BOONS.dasaratha went to kaikeyi's palace.the king was surprised to see her .he was even more upset to see her lying,clad in old garment ,on the bare floor.'' what happened? tell me and i shall punish him at once!''he sat down beside her. when kaikeyi did not reply, the king repeated his question and premised to do whatever she wanted.

kaikeyi sat up and said '' do you promised to do what ever i say?''''yes i swear on the head of rama that will obey you!''said king dasaratha.'' remember ,o king , that long ago, i had saved your life on the battlefield. in gratitude, you had offered me two boons. i told you that i would ask for them later.''''yes ,ishall certainly give you your two boons''.said dasaratha.''then my first request is that you should crown bharata isstead of rama. my second boon is that you should exile rama to the forest to live like an ascetic for fourteen years'', kaikeyi said.

manthara's'' bothanai''to kaikeyi.

manthara's'' bothanayi'to kaikeyi. when the king dasaratha had married kaikeyi, the princess of kekaya, she had brought with her to ayodhya, a hunch backed companion named manthara. she was disturbed when she saw the festive preparations going on .she ran as fast as she could to kakeyi's palace. she was lying on her cot. ''rise, o foolish kaikayi! do you know what is going to happen soon?''she screamed. ''what?''she smiled at her.'' the king dasaratha has planned to crown rama as his successor to the throne!''manthara informed her. kaikeyi arose from her couch and hugged manthara. '' what wonderful news you have given me! i love rama as my own son and he will be an ideal ruler! here, take this necklace''!kaikeyi took off her precious necklace and gave it to her as a reward for bringing good news.but manthara flung it aside angrily. '' do not be so confident and think of your own position!you always tell me that the king loves you best, but it is kausalya's son, rama, who is going to be crowned, not your own son, bharata! it will be a sad day for you if rama is crowned. he is the son of kausalya. you will have to bow humbly to rama and kausalya too. think of it ! the king has cleverly chosen a time when your son ,bharata, is absent! from now , you will have to be second to kausalya!''manthara said. '' o manthara ! what shall i do noW?''''listen to me ! i will help you so that your own son is crowned instead of rama! remember that the king promised you two boons.some time back when you saved his life on the battlefield?'' manthara realised that kaikeyi would now listen to her words and was very pleased.'' ''yes! me explain... how can it prevent rama's coronation?'' kaikeyi asked. ''let me explain... with teh first boon, ask that bharata should be crowned instedad of rama. your second demand should be that rama must be exiled to the forest for fourteen years'', manthara instructed kaikeyi.''listen to me -first cast away all your jewellery carelessly and dress in a garment. lie down on the floor and refuse to talk to the king when he comes to see you. ''all right, manthara ! i shall do exactly as you say!'' kaikeyi agreed, falling in to manthara's evil trap.

KING DASARATHA'S WISH.

KING DASARATHA'S WISH. RAMA AND SITA LIVED HAPPILY. sita was loved not only all the queens,but by the people too. king dasaratha's happniess knew no bounds. as he is getting old ,he had one desire left-to crown rama as his successor to the throne. so he told the desire to sage vasishta and his other ministers .all are agreeed.very happly. ''iam very happy you all agree with me!''exclaimed king dasaratha. ''it is a pity that bharata and shatrughna have gone to kekaya and will not be present!''said dsasratha.when kausalya heard the news ,she was very happy.''rama deserves the honour!''sumitra said. dasaratha sent for rama.''rama,iam getting on in years. i wish to anoint you as my successor to the throne'', he said. '' i shall be happy to do whatever you dicided!'' rama said and left the king's apartment to inform sita. dasaratha consulted his advisers and called rama again.''please begin preparations for your coronation right now''.dasaratha instructed. rama bowed and said ,''i shall be pleased to obey you''.

Rama weds sita.

Rama weds sita. in mithila the king janaka ''o great sage !iam indeed very fortunate that you have come to mithila to participat in 'yaaga'.i see that two royal princes have accompanied you here . who are they ?''he asked.''o king janaka !they are rama and lakshmana, the son of king dasaratha of ayodhya. they are accomplished warriors.'' i would like rama to test the great bow of siva wich you have replied viswamitra'' i will be very happy if rama can string the bow . after the 'yaaga' is over ,a' 'swayamvara'is t be held .many princely suitors have gathered here to test sivs's bow if anyone can string it successfully,he shall marry my daugrter, sita''.said king janaka. after the 'yaaga' over all are assembled janaka's court to see sita's ''swayamvara''.many strong kings and princes were seated in the great hall. sita looked on as each suitor including ravana tested siva's bow. she was secretly pleased when none of them could even lift the bow.to the utter astosishment of all present ,rama lifted the bow and balanced against his big toe to string it .there was a loud thounderous clap as the bow snapped in to two. sita was very happy that rama has succeeded and garlanded rama.king janaka was over joyed .''it gives me a great pleasure to announce that i will give my daughter ,sita to in marrige to rama, prince of ayodhya''!viswamitra convey the glad message to king dasaratha, who had been secretly very anxious to hear about rama's new conquest! he set out atonce with a lorge entourage for mithila king janaka received them all with full honours and befitting the members of the bridegroom's party.at very time rama was married to sita.lakshmana was married sita's sister ,urmila. the marrige celebrations went on for days as king janaka was desirous to make it truly grand.soon after the celebration come to an end,all are returned their place.

Sitas's Birth.

sitas'sbirth.the kingdom of videha,whose capital was mithila,was ruled by king janaka.once king janaka was ploughing the field before the start of ''yaaga''.he found a beautiful baby girl lying among the furrows. as king janaka was childless, he loooked up on the baby girl as mother earth'sgift to him.he named her sita.as she was found in the furrow at the ''yaaga' site!''exclaimed his happy queen, they did not know that the beautiful child was really the goddes lakshmi reborn as a human being.sita grew up to a very beautiful maiden, educated, talented and charming.as he reached marrigeable age ,king janaka and his queen decided that they could give her in marrige only to a man who was truly worthy in every respect. king janaka had a great bow given to him by lord siva.it was very big and so heavy that an ordinary man could not be able to lift it. a out standing man only do so.the king janaka proclaimed throughout his kingdom that great''yaaga''would first be held, followed by a ''swayamvara''for sita's hand viswamitra, who knew who sita was, decided to take rama to mithila and so unite the divine couple.on the way to mithila, they crass the sage gautama's ashrama.and heard about the curse of ahaiya.''rama only you can redeem ahalya from the curse. do release her quickly!''.said viswamitra.rama gently place his foot on the stone .and lo!at the touch of rama's foot the stone was transformed in to a beautiful women.it was ahalya.cleansed of her sin. ''o ahalya!you have been purified by rama's touch ,so i accept you as my wife once more!'' said gautama.rama was happy that he could help ahayla.and the they reached the city of mithila.

Rama and lakshmana arrives mithila.

Rama lakshmana arrives mithila.viswamitra teach how to uase the other weapons effectviely bouth rama lakshmana.and train them.the three of them continued the journey to sage viswamitras' asharama.they were all greeted by his many disciples who were ready to participate in the ''yaaga'', and were happy that rama would be there to helpthem against the rakshasas. the ''yaaga'' began.mareecha and subahu threw bits of flesh and blood in to the sacrificalfire.to stop the ''yaaga''rama shot a divine wepon he had learnt fromviswamitra.it did not kill them; but the face of the weapon hurled mareecha hundereds of milesaway in to the sea. subahu was killed by flaming weapon flung at him by rama.viswamitra and his disciples were overjoyed that tey conclude the ''yaaga'' in peace. '' all of us will be going to mithila in the kingdom of videha,ruled by the wise KING JANAKA.he is performing a great sacrifice and we wish to be preasent.besides, he has a great bow of siva, in his palace .accompany us and you will see the bow !''viswamitra said.rama and lakshmana agreed at once to go with viswamitra and his disciples to mithila.

Faith in God

Im not too much into religion or orthodoxed. I dont believe in the illusions prevailing in the world. Rather am more into reality. I have experienced God's presence through every walk of my life and thats i believe and my inner instinct more than anything else.

********* under construction *******************

TAATAKA'S VATHAM

TAATAKA'end. rama and lakshmana jourineyed along with viswamitra.theycrossed the gangariver and entered the danadaka forest. the whole forest was a wilrerness and there was no sightof humans. only wild animals lived there apartfrom sages who sought seclusion for ''tapas''. ramaasked why this was so?. the danaka forest is inhabited by a rakshasicalled taatak and her son mareescha.it a beautiful forest but now no one enter the forest because of the rakshasi.she is very hideous and has the strenght of a thousandelephants. she and her son have been harassing the sages here. so , i want yoy to kill taataka and restore dandaka to its former beauty!'' ''our father has told us to obey you!''said rama and twanged the string of his great bow lodley.taayaka hear the sound roared angrily and came out shouting ,''who dares to disturb me''? she saw rama and lakshmana and loughed, ''what !have you young lads come to fight with me ?HA! HA!! HA !!!''A FIERCE battle began between rama and lakshmana on one side and taataka on th other.rama was guite surprised to find her was strong for a woman.''rama !remember that rakshasasgrow stronger at night.the sun is about to set . so kill taataka at once without delay and do not hesitate because she is a woman!''warned viswamitra. so, ramashot an arrow which pierced taataka's chest. she fell down lifeless and the whole place shook with the impact.danadaka forest regained its lost beauty .the sages thanked rama and lakshmanafor ridding the of the rakshasi.

viswamitra's visit .

VISWAMITRA'S VISIT TO AYYOTHI one day sage viswamithra came to see the king dasaratha.the king was over joyed and he rose from his throne and came to meet the great sage.'' iam very fortunate to receive you as my guestis there anything wich i can do for you? command me and i shall obey at once !" said the king. ''o king ! i am greatly pleased to hear your gracious word."viswamitra began.''iam performing a great sacrifice.but two rakshasas mareecha and subhu defile the sacred fire .so i need your help''''please send me rama with me to slay the rakshasas''.iwill keep him for about ten days and then send him back to ayodhya!''."o sage how can i send a young boy like rama to face fierce rakshasas!?he cried.viswamitra became very angry.then vasishta came forward.''o king dasaratha !you need not fear about sending rama to kill rakshsasa.lakshmana can go with rama.viswamitra will protect them from danger.remember,o king ,that viswamitra was a great warrior and is skilled in the use of divine weapons, who performed severe'tapas' to attain to exalted position of 'BRAHMA RISHI'!''then king dasaratha pleased and sent rama and laksh mana.dasaratha blessed his sons and sent with viswamitra.

THE BIRTH OF RAMA.

THEBIRTH OF RAMA.AYODHYA was a beautiful well-planned city,protected by its storng forts and moants. the ruler of kosala was KING DASARTHAof the solar dynasty. he was a great king who cared deeply for the welfare of his subjects. the people of kosala were extremelyhappy under dasaratha's ruleand lived cintented lives.king dasaratha had three wives-KAUSALYA,SUMITRA, AND KAIKEYI. though dasaratha loved all his wives dearly, he was specially found of his youngest gueen,kaikey.but in the midst of their happiness, was a deep sorrow-they had no children.so dasaratha wants the advice of sage vasishta and his ministers.'' ogreat sage iam worring that there will be no son to inhoerit my throne. what can i do?''please give me your advice!''the sage ''o king !we all advice you to perform a' yaaga' for progeny to continue your illustrious line!''''please tell me ,who will conduct this yaaga?asked the king.''the great sage rishyashringa should be brought to ayodhya for the 'yaaga',sage vasishta replied.so, preparations for yaaga began in ayodhya.at that time all the devas held a conference in swargaloka.''the rakshshsa ravana is growing more power ful with the passing of each dayand is a menace not only to us ,devas ,but to all mankind as well!we must ask lord brahma for help!''they all went to satyaloka to see the creator.''o lord brahma! please can you save us fromthe wickedrakshasa ravana?'' they prayed with folded hands. ''o davas! i am totally helpless in this regad as ravana per formed severe'tapas' to optain o boon from me whichwould protect him devas, gandharvas and asuras'',said brahma. he thought froma moment and went on,'' but in his supreme arrogance, ravana did not ask for protectionfrom mankind! so we must ask lord vishnu to help us!'' lord brahma and the devas went to vaikunthamto see lord vishnu.they told him aboutravana and the boon he had obtainedfrom brahma. '' please help us somehow''!they begged.vishnu smiledat them. ''castaway your fears at once!the good king dasaratha is performing a 'YAAGA'for sons now .i will be born as his son, RAMA,and will slay the ravana''. the devas rejoiced greatly and went away.king dasaratha perform the 'yaga'with the help of sage rishyashringa.inthe yaga the god of fire, agnideva.came from the yaga flames.and gave the special 'payasam' and said ask your wives .''he gave the bowel to king dasaratha and sent.dasaratha accepted the bowl withgreat joy.he asked his queen'sto have the payasam.they did . soonfour sons were born to the queens of king dasaratha.kausalya gavebirth to rama(who was the incarnation),bharathawas born to kaikeyi,sumitra became the mother of the twins,lakshmana,and shatruhna(as she had partaken of the divine ''payasam''two times.)the royal palace came alive with the sound ofchildish laughter and play.king dasaratha loved all his four sons.but was specially found of rama,who was the eldest. rama was the apple of his eye and he could not bear to be apart from him for evena short time!

Children you hear Ramayana story from your elders but children are never tiered of reading again. Rama is the ideal son and ideal brother. The story of ramayanais lost the mistsof time and goes back many hundreds of years. it was first handed down by word of mouth for generations. One day the great naradasage, visited valmikis'ashrama beside the flowing tamasa river. ''o great narada!'' valmikiwelcome'and he asked ''please can you help me to find the answer to a question which has been troubling me for a long time?' 'the sage smiled to himself as he knew throughhis supernatural power what valmiki!wanted to know. ''please aske me i will certainly tell you ''. he said in reply.'' yes o sage narada ! who among the great heroes of this world outstanding in virtue and wisdom?'' asked valmiki. ''the answer to that question is very easy! rama who belongs to the solar dynasty, and the king of ayodhya,and the greatesthero'' said sage narada.'' please can you tell me why?asked valmiki.he listened with great interest while sage narada told him in detailthe story of rama. even after the narada had left ,valmiki constantly thought of rama all day. as valamiki went to affer his morning prayears in the tamasa river, he saw two ''krauncha'' birds playing. suddenly an arrow hit the male bird and it fell to the ground .the female, chirped piteously. valakimi's heart melted with pity at the sight and he flew in to a great rage. he cursed the hunter,''o hunter !you have killed an innocent playful bird, so, you will wander homeless for long!'' as valmiki meditated deeply, he received a radiant visin of lord brahma, the creator. ''o valamiki! your pity for the died bird has found expression in a beautiful verse. in the same from, you will be able to compose the story of rama ,his joys and sorrows for the benefit of the world. as long as in this world, the streams flow and the mountains stand firm, narration of the great ramayana shall eddure! do not worry: i shall bless you with divine insight to see in your mind's eye every small detail of rama's story! now , i bless you to perform this important and great!'' said the creator. so valmiki composed the ''RAMANAYANA''and taught it to his disciples.

akbar and birbal

Akbar'scourt was crowded as usual.the emperor has just finished a serious discussion about state

affairs. he wanted some relaxation. akbar also wantedto test his courtiers.he looked at his cortiersand

suddenly asked''how many pigens are there in the city of Agra''?.every one was very surprised to hear this

unexpected questeion from the emperor. none of the courtires knew what the reply. they knew that the emperor would be very displeased if they laughted or said anything worng.

so they all kept quite.

emperor Akbar looked at birbal.''birbal!can you tell us how many pigeons are in the city of Agra?''
he asked .'' o lord!ther are twenty-one thousand and eight,pigeons in agra.''birbal repalied at once.
''how do you know the exat number?suppose there are more than the figure you given?'' asked akbar.''if there are more pigeons than the number i have
stated,it must be because many other pigeone must have come to stay with their relatives in agra.''birbal
explained promptly.''what!if there are less than twety-one thousand six hunderedand eight pigeone?''
the emperor asked again.
''in that case, some pigeons must have gone some where for a holiday''.birbal replied solemnly,''wellsaid!,birbal!''
the emperor clapped his hand.''you can always comeup with a sensible anwswer''.

akbar and birbal

akbar'scourt was crowded as usual.the emperor has just finished a serious discussion about state

affairs. he wanted some relaxation. akbar also wantedto test his courtiers.he looked at his cortiersand

suddenly asked''how many pigens are there in the city of agra''?.every one was very surprised to hear this

unexpected questeion from the emperor. none of the courtires knew what the reply. they knew that the emperor would be very displeased if they laughted or said anything worng.
so'they all kept quite.
emperor akbar looked at birbal.''birbal!can you tell us how many pigeons are in the city of agra?''
he asked .'' o lord!ther are twenty-one thousand and eight,pigeons in agra.''birbal repalied at once.

''how do you know the exat number?suppose there are more than the figure you given?'' asked akbar.''if there are more pigeons than the number i have

stated,it must be because many other pigeone must have come to stay with their relatives in agra.''birbal

explained promptly.''what!if there are less than twety-one thousand six hunderedand eight pigeone?''

the emperor asked again.

''in that case, some pigeons must have gone some where for a holiday''.birbal replied solemnly,''wellsaid!,birbal!''

the emperor clapped his hand.''you can always comeup with a sensible anwswer''.

Story of Ekalaivan

From the great epic of Mahabharatha : story of ekalaivan-an epitome of a desciple. there lived during this perioda nishada youth.(underpriveleged.low,scheduled class community)his name was ekalaiva.he had a burning passion to master of archery,dronacharya,prostrated at his feet &begged the great masterto teach him archery.dronacharya was mighty pleased with the well behaved boy .but could not teach the art to any one other than royal family.so the master politely turn down his request.the boy dejected &depressed went away.he made an image of his master in mud worshiped it every day &learnt the art of archery.he attained astounding skill&incredibly fast too..one day the pandava &gouravaprinces went to the forest on a picnic.the pandavas hunting dog strayed where ekalaiva was practicing archery.ekalaiva was clad in leperd's skin.on seeing him the dog barked furiously.to still the dog he discharged arrows in terribly quick succession which made a lace like formation around the dog'mouthrendering the dog impossible to bark.the dog went back topandavas.they were amazed to see what an unknown archer had done.they felt it ought to be the culmination in archery.they were curious to see who it was,that had done the feat they traced ekalaiva.asked who he was.the boy said he was ekalaiva,a nishada &learnt archery under dronachrya..arjuna(pandavas)was unhappy that his master has trained another dicipleeven better than himself. dronachrya then asked for goru daksina(equvalant to tusion fees) which was ahumble offeringby a deciple to his master for a skill impared to him.the master demanded the right thumb of ekalaivan.

Akbar and Birbal Story

One day ,emperor akbar came to the court. his face looked a little grim.akbar sat on his throne and looked at the courtiers as if he was angry. they all trembled with fear and wondered. what was worng.''o god what happened toup set you?''raja todaramal,one of the ''nine gems''of his court asked akbar.''when i was coming to court,someone pulled my moustache. he spread his spittle all over my facealso.tell me how should he be punished?''akbar asked. ''he should be arrested at once!''acouritr said.''he should be beaten soundlyand his head should bechopped off''said another.''whatmade him pull the emperor's moustache and spite on his face!i think that he should be banished fromthe empire''_declared a courtier.''he should be made to walk on hot coals''suggested another.during allthis excited talk, birbal remained calm.he even smiled when he heardthe courtierd talking .akbarlooked at him ''well, birbal!tell me,what should be done to the offender'',he said.''o lord!you should hug the person and pat the hands wich pulled your moustache. you should put a sweet in the mouth which spat at you!''birbal smiled and repalied. ''what nonsense he is taking!'' the courtiers exclaimed.''yes birbal always says the oppsite ofwhat we says,you should not listen to him''.argued a courtier.but akbar looked calm.''birbal,yourreply is quite storng. can you explain why you gave that advice?''he asked.birbal laughted and said,''raja1!who else would be bold enough to pull your moustache and spit on your facebut your baby prince when you lifted him inyour arms?the child pulled your moustache.when you were about to kiss rosyckeeks, he spread spittle on your face as he laughed.so, who else can you punish him except by holding his hand and hugging him?''birbal explained. ''you are right, as usual, birbal!''akbar exclaimed. he told the court what birbal hadsaid had really taken place.the offender was the baby prince. the cotriers felt ashamedof themselves for not thinkingg deeply before replying.

tenali Raman Story

Many years ago, the kingdom of vijayanagara was ruled by a king calleg krishnadevaraya. Tenali is a small village in that kingdom. There lived a youth called Rama in the village Tenali.Rama was a very lazy guy , never helped his mother and would always find lame excuses to escape from working. He just idled the time away doing nothing. There was a period when the peaople faced a heavy draught in that kingdom.For about one whole year, the rivers dried up and the crops drooped under the sun. There arrived a saint one day to that kingdom of krishnadevaraya. Then it began to rain at once and the whole town was flourished back again. All the people believed that it was because if the saint's arrival. But Rama strongly thought it was foolish and even passed out some funny comments infront of the saint. The saint, inspite of Rama's critiscism , was humble as it was a saint's characteristic feature. But there emerged a thought in the saint's mind and he called Rama. He explained to Rama that he needs to pass over his preachings to someone , as he was already getting old. Therefore he taught Rama a special chanting to call the Goddess Mahakaali. He asked Rama to utter this chanting 1000 times , and that the Goddess will appear the moment he finishes the chanting and hence he can ask for a boon to the GOddess.Rama on hearing to the saint's speech, acted accordingly. And the goddess mahakaali also appeared infront of Rama. As soon as Rama saw Mahakaali with multiple heads and multiple hands, he was laughing out loudly instead of getting scared. Goddess wondered why? Rama answered the funny thought that came into his mind:" I find it real hard when i get cold and running nose with my single nose. How will the goddess manage with her multiple noses?" This made him laugh. The goddess got inspired by his fun and smiled. The goddess blessed him with the gift of making people to laugh.Goddess said " you shall be called a VIKATAKAVI, or a jesting poet''''a good word wich you can read both ways-vi-ka-ta-ka-vi!''RAMA EXCLAMIED.''BUT,MOTHER,IT WONT REALLY GIVE ME ANYTHING!.''H'h!'' the goddess nodded. ''i'll grant you anotherboon.here are two cups. the golden cup in my hand has the milk of learning and thesilver cup in myleft hand has the curds of wealth.choose whichever cup you want!''mahakali said.''i musthave both cups because one won,t be of use to me without the other'',rama thought to him self.he scratched his head as if he was puzzled.''oh, mother !how can t choose without first tasting each cup?''he asked.'' thats, true!''the goddessagreed and held out both hands. in a flash, rama drank the content of two cups!.the goddess was angry when she found that rama had tricked her. ''i'm sorry, mother'', ramasaid humbly.''but,i had to have bouth cups because what is the comfort of wealth?.''what you say is fair. but, rama your vit and prosperitu will win you both frinds and enemies.sobecareful in future!''the goddess mahakali blessed rama and vanished.