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| Illustration by Gemini AI |
Dasharatha is preparing for the coronation of Rama as
the King of Ayodhya. It is the most joyous night of his life. His subjects
celebrating outside. Garlands adorn every doorway. Drums roll through the city
like thunder from the heavens.
But there is something ominous that
disturbs the King who is planning to retire. He steps out into the courtyard.
The sky is clear, but a thunder growls in the distance. There is a howling wind
that tosses the lamps and banners, and snuffs out the light. His horses whinny
unnaturally as if they sensed something that their master failed to perceive.
Even the palace elephants raise their trunks and trumpet into the darkness. Some
birds screech in the trees.
“My spirit trembles,” Dasharatha
mutters to himself, “though there is no enemy at the gates.”
The enemy was within. And the omens
were not for nothing.
Rama wouldn’t be the king. Kaikeyi
had other plans.
The Ramayana describes signs and
portends that appeared before certain significant events. These omens are
meaningful signals from the divine in the cosmos.
The golden deer that appeared to Sita
is both an omen and an instrument. Beautiful yet deceptive, Maricha the deer
portends the catastrophic tragedy that unfolds in the epic while, at the same
time, acts as the instrument that deceives the three major figures in the epic
drama. It is interesting to observe that the whole forest grows uneasy when the
illusory deer appears before Sita.
“When Maricha entered the forest in
the guise of a golden deer, the birds became silent, the wind ceased, and an
eerie stillness settled over the woods,” says the Ramayana. Did the nature
itself withdraw in fear at the sight of Maricha, the demon in a beautiful
shape? The deer and other playful animals huddle in fear. The trees seem to
droop as if mourning an unseen calamity. Vultures circle overhead, uttering
shrill cries. Jackals howl. The air grows heavy. The sun dims.
On the other hand, when Hanuman leaps
to Lanka, auspicious omens appear. The trees around Hanuman bow low as he
stands atop Mahendra Mountain and shower him with blossoms. The mountain shakes
in delight. The sounds produced by the birds and animals now are full of joy.
Even the clouds part to let the sun shine brighter. A cool breeze rises in the
air lifting Hanuman gently and also carrying the scent of heavenly blossoms.
Hanuman’s left eye twitches: a sign
of success for vanaras. The right side of his body feels light and strong –
signs of triumph. “His left eye throbbed, and his body shone with radiance. All
signs pointed to success.” (Sundara Kanda, Sarga 1)
The ocean turns calm. Hanuman’s leap
over the ocean is a cosmic event, a movement toward restoring dharma.
Omens appear when the war between Rama
and Ravana is about to start: intense, vivid, and symbolic omens. Dark clouds
gather in the sky without rain. The sun fades. Meteors blaze across the heavens
and fall like fire. Vultures circle the city, cawing harshly. Jackals howl at
the gates. Dogs bark furiously staring into emptiness. Horses shed tears and
refuse to eat. The earth itself shakes, and mountains tremble. The seas roar
furiously. Fire breaks out mysteriously in unexpected places. Thunder cracks
and the winds wail.
Unlike Hanuman’s, Ravana’s left eye
twitches as a bad omen. “Ravana’s left eye throbbed, his left arm quivered, and
the left side of his body trembled – all signs of impending calamity.” (Yuddha
Kanda, Sarga 5-6)
All such omens are an indication of
the universe’s longing for an order based on Dharma. The universe yearns for
Dharma. This idea pulses through the Ramayana like a sacred rhythm. The epic is
about the desire of the universe to restore order, truth, and righteousness.
Some sacrifice may be required to
bring back Dharma to the universe. Like Rama going into exile, losing Sita
(again and again), and the war with Ravana. Like Sita’s abduction by Ravana,
and abandonment by Rama. These sacrifices aren’t in vain. They realign the
moral compass of the universe. The omens that appear again and again in the
epic are symbols of the universe’s yearnings for order and harmony.
Once Ravana is defeated, and Rama is
crowned, the universe becomes serene in the epic. “The winds blew gently, the
sun shone with warmth but no harshness, and crops grew in abundance. People
spoke truth, and no one died before time.”
Personally, I am left with a doubt: is it the universe that longs for a moral order or the writer of the epic? Like Valmiki, I am left with a longing too.
PS. I’m
participating in #BlogchatterA2Z. This
series looks at the Ramayana from various angles.
Tomorrow: Pushpak Vimana and Human Yearnings
Previous Posts in this
series:
Chitrakoot: The Antithesis of Ayodhya
Loyalty: The Silent Strength of Ramayana
oops, i need to dedicate every day for you I shall start over again. couple of things whose story are telling? ballads are sung of the person who wins the wars.You are bringing me back to questions I choose to forget.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I don't quite get you.
DeleteI think both the universe and the writer in the Ramayana seem to collaborate in conveying a deeper philosophical truth: that chaos is not random but meaningful. Omens become symbolic tools through which the universe hints at a moral design, while the writer interprets them to affirm dharma. This dual effort suggests a cosmos where events are not accidental, but guided by a moral rhythm. The writer uses narrative to express that the universe itself responds to virtue and vice, reinforcing the idea that dharma isn’t just a human ideal but a cosmic principle.
ReplyDeleteI understand that intellectually and can even accept it theologically. But practical observation doesn't support it. That's why I raised the final question.
DeleteThanks for adding more charity to the post.
This was so interesting to read. Didn't know about most of these. Unique topic & loved the writing style!
ReplyDeleteGlad you said this.
DeleteMy friend, Rev Jose Maliekal, gave me a beautiful philosophical framework to understand the cosmic harmony, from Bernard J Lonergan. I'll bring that over too on one of the coming days, because it makes a lot of sense.
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteI like Deepika's thinking... although, as you note, it only really works at the philosophical level, for the concept of morality is itself but a condition of our human mind. The cosmos has no perception of good, evil, ethical or not. What it DOES have is an order within its apparent chaos and it knows when things are getting out of order, thus things have to be shifted to reassert it. We see this all the time with Nature, which is but a small part of the whole.
As for the philo/theological writings... perhaps comparison with the book of Revelation is worth a ponder. Signs and portents are not the Ramayana's alone! YAM xx
"The cosmos has no perception of good, evil, ethical or not. What it DOES have is an order within its apparent chaos and it knows when things are getting out of order, thus things have to be shifted to reassert it."
DeleteThat's just what Lonergan would have said too - with my limited familiarity with him!
Hari OM
DeleteI confess that I did not know this name - so just looked it up and am grateful for the introduction! Yxx
The final question brought me down to reality! The whole blog with omens took me to different points in Ramayana! Well written on a unique literary topic in a unique style. Yes...all convey the writer's intent with such conviction! Your writing too...
ReplyDeleteAll classical literature has such omens, I think. Look at Shakespeare, for instance - since you're familiar with him. Great literary tools. But do they have meaning beyond that? I'm still pursuing that theme and may arrive at an answer by the time I hit the letter U.
DeleteThe way you illustrated the universe responding to the moral tides of the epic—like nature itself yearning for Dharma—was powerful. I was especially struck by the contrast between the eerie silence before Sita's abduction and the celebratory signs during Hanuman's leap to Lanka. Your descriptions made these moments feel alive, as if the cosmos were a character in the story. The idea that omens aren't just narrative tools but reflections of a deeper cosmic alignment really resonated with me. And your final question—whether it's the universe or the poet longing for moral order—left me pondering the layers of meaning in these ancient tales. Thank you for shedding new light on a story I've known since childhood; you've deepened my appreciation for its spiritual and symbolic richness.
ReplyDeleteThis A2Z exercise is helping me grow too in many ways.
DeleteThanks for being here with me every day.
Omens are so hard to parse, at least in the real world. In stories, they seem to make more sense.
ReplyDeleteSometimes in real life too there are omens. A sort of gloom that precedes a tragedy, for example. But they make more sense in literature, no doubt.
DeleteOmens & Signs are no doubt a predecessor to important events. Be it in literature or in reality. The question at the end is thought provoking and leads us to more complex issues like what in fact is dharma & Adharma as per the Nature!
ReplyDeleteExcellent blog post. Explore zoroastrian fire temple in pune. Asha Vahishta, meaning "Best Truth" or "Excellent Order," is a central concept in Zoroastrianism, representing the divine principle of truth, righteousness, and cosmic order.
ReplyDeleteIn literature, omens are useful tools for setting the mood. In real life, however, they can be either helpful or troublesome. Your effort in listing these omens makes this post both interesting and educational for aspiring writers.
ReplyDeleteThank you, sir. Please continue to engage us with your insights.
All the best.
I'm glad you manage to find time to vist this series of mine.
Delete