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Chitrakoot is all that Ayodhya is not. It is the land
of serenity and spiritual bliss. Here there is no hankering after luxury and
worldly delights. Memory and desire don’t intertwine here producing sorrow
after sorrow. Situated in a dense forest, Chitrakoot is an abode of simplicity
and austerity. Ayodhya’s composite hungers have no place here. Let Ayodhya keep
its opulence and splendour, its ambitions and dreams. And its sorrows as well.
Chitrakoot is a place for saints like
Atri and Anasuya. Atri is one of the Saptarishis and a Manasputra of
Brahma. Brahma created the Saptarishis through his mind to help maintain cosmic
order and spread wisdom. Anasuya is his wife, one of the most chaste and
virtuous women in Hindu mythology. Her virtues were so powerful that she could
transmute the great Trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva into infants when
they came to test her chastity.
Chitrakoot is the place where
asceticism towers above even divinity. It is to this haven that Rama, Sita, and
Lakshamana come in the initial phase of their exile from Ayodhya. Chitrakoot
becomes a place where Rama discovers a different aspect of his personality.
Here he is not a kshatriya warrior but a renunciate, detached from the luxuries
and conflicts of the palace. Rama the warrior has much to learn from Atri the
sage.
But Bharata arrives soon and changes
the destiny. With Bharata comes the burden of Ayodhya’s sorrow. Dasaratha died
of heartache after Rama’s departure. Bharata has not accepted the throne. Rama
should return.
Rama has to choose between his raja
dharma in Ayodhya and the liberation gifted by Chitrakoot. Rama is both a
warrior and a sage. He has both royal and spiritual responsibilities. He
carries the bow and arrows belonging to the warrior, unlike any inhabitant of
Chitrakoot. Chitrakoot can unfold the passage for Rama from his princely
grandeur to ascetic resilience.
Rama doesn’t belong to Chitrakoot, however. Ultimately, he is not born to be a sage. There is a mission that awaits him. So he will move on to fulfil his dharma. The burden of Ayodhya and the sorrows of its Sarayu River will have to wait. Right now, the Mandakini of Chitrakoot has to bathe Rama in her serene waters and prepare him for the turbulence that awaits him beyond the ocean.
The Sarayu is deeply intertwined with
the joys and tragedies of the Ikshvaku dynasty. It is on her bank that
Dasharatha, tormented by his own karma, breathed his last, longing for Rama. It
is the same river that will carry Rama later to the infinite, marking the end
of his mortal journey. The Sarayu is a witness to so many departures, exiles,
and farewells.
The Mandakini, on the other hand, is
tranquil. She nourishes a simple, harmonious life, untouched by the
complexities of palace intrigues. Sages sit on her banks in contemplation. The
divine milieu descends on her shores and envelopes all those who long for it.
However, there is destiny too. Your time for the mantle of the divine milieu has to come. Until then, you don’t belong to the Mandakini. And so, Rama moves on. On a rugged path that dharma and destiny will unfold for him.
PS. I’m participating in #BlogchatterA2Z. This series looks at the Ramayana
from various angles.
Tomorrow: Dharma and Destiny
Previous Posts in this series:
Intriguing. Love how you have described and expanded on Chitrakoot. Waiting for tomorrows post.
ReplyDeleteChitrakoot is a symbol in the Ramayana, I think. A symbol of spiritual serenity.
DeleteI couldn't but read this serene piece slowly, savoring every word of it. The piece reads just like the ambiance in Chiyrakoot and the serenity beside Mandakini. Waiting for more such pieces from you, Sir. - Swarnali Nath
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear this, Swarnali.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteI read this as I sit in my own version of Chitrakoot (New Lanark) with the birds and squirrels going about their lives unbothered by my presence. A kind of bliss as the world beyond spins in madness... but there are things to be done and by tomorrow, I must move back into the melee beyond those trees... YAM xx
You're lucky to have your Chitrakoot. But, yes, you too have to move on...
DeleteThere is a lush serenity in your description of Chitrakoot and once again, a uniqueness in your narrative. You should create a book out of these 26 posts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion. I must think about it.
DeleteThe comparison between Sarayu & Mandakini is my favourite & how wonderfully you have compared austerity with abundance ! Kudos !
ReplyDeleteMore interesting things are going to come.
DeleteThere’s something deeply serene about reading how two rivers, each with its own personality, flow alongside Rama on his journey; not just as a river, but as companions shaping his path.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the rivers have symbolic meanings. I'm glad you have discovered it.
DeleteGood to read about the Sarayu, Mandakini rivers along with Rama's story. I don't know about these earlier.
ReplyDeleteChitrakoot is a relatively less known chapter in the epic. I brought it here in order to contrast the two worlds: one of politics and the other of spirituality. The two cannot go together. When we mix religion with politics, the results are what we now have in our country: disastrous for many.
DeleteSounds like a good place, sort of. I'm sure not is all as it seems, though.
ReplyDeleteLiz, this series of mine is entirely based on India's great epic, Ramayana.
DeleteFelt the serenity of chirakoot while reading those lines . People have often stood in the situation of rama , the situation of being confused what to choose btw what you are born for and what you want to become . When we have to choose between what's right and what is kind , we are always asked to choose what's kind but sometimes we have to do what's right even if it's not kind .
ReplyDeleteYou've put it beautifully, Mary Ann. The choice between "what's right and what's kind" is tough, can be very painful too sometimes. One of the dilemmas that Rama faced. Rama Rajya is not so easy!
DeleteLoved your post on Chitrakuta, a peaceful and divine place; the comparison with Ayodhya was lovable. I think ex-royals deserve a less painful exit. Dasaratha, Rama on water, Dhritarashtra on fire..
ReplyDeleteKarma isn't quite kind, right?
DeleteYou've beautifully shown the contrast between Chitrakoot and Ayodhya. And in doing so you have also shown that Rama could have chosen to spend the rest of his life amidst the peace and tranquility of the Chitrakoot forest, but instead he eventually left all of that behind for the sake of dharma and duty.
ReplyDeleteThis series is a must read!
What's Dharma? That's my quest. The whole thing appears so absurd, weird.
Delete