Purpose of Rama's birth

…contd….

I hope you have written down the answer. Your honest answers should’ve included –

I work because –

·         I am supposed to

·         I want money

·         I want recognition

·         It gives me status and respectability

·         It betters my image in others’ eyes

·         It gives me a sense of achievement

·         It increases my self-esteem

·         It gives my life a purpose

·         It boosts my self-confidence

The following answers would be rare but also possible –

·         I want to share my know-how with others

·         I love to work

·         I want to express myself through my work

There can be few other reasons too which I could have missed. When ordinary going to office has so many reasons – more than one major reason then for His Act – do you think there’ll be only one major reason? We can deduct few of the reasons to know His Grace and to benefit out of it.

Let’s go through the characters you mentioned….

Jaya and Vijaya were cursed at the start of creation and hence their first birth in Satyauga as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashyap. Their three births spanned in three yugas that is very long time. Because period of satyayuga – 17,28,000 years, Thretayuga-12,96,000 years, Dwaparayuga-8,64,000. So, the curse was lifted in approximately 38,88,000 years. Certainly not short span of time. So, you see every wish gets fulfilled – when though is the question! For it to fructify so many factors should be conducive. Yes it applies to each of our desire/wish too!

Ahalya - beauty without a blemish - beauty personified

Ahalya was created by Lord Brahma from all the elements of beauty and she was beauty personified. Ahalya in Sanskrit means a+halya means one who is without blemish. Her beauty became her curse and Indra fancied her and stalked her. There are different versions to this story though. So, I’ll keep it straight for our purpose. One night Indra roasted like cock and Sage Gautama, Ahalya’s husband thinking it to be early morning left for river and Indra in his guise returned to enjoy conjugal bliss with Ahalya. When sage Gauthama came and realized as to what has happened, he cursed both Indra and Ahalya.

 Ahalya and fake Gauthama (Indra in disguise) cursed by Sage Gauthama

When Ahalya sought his forgiveness, his anger having come down he shows a way to get redeemed of her cursed. He says when Lord Rama forgives her and blesses her with his touch, he being Sri Vishnu Himself, her curse would be lifted and she would become woman once again but till then she has to remain a stone. 

 

Ahalya redeemed of her curse when Lord Rama visits the Ashram

Mother Ahalya agreed to this and started her penance and it took sixty thousand years for that day to come – the day Lord Rama came to visit Sage Gautama’s Ashram and redeem her of her curse.

Sabari was actually old woman but an accomplished Siddha as referred to by other sages who asked Rama to visit her. She had served many rishis with lots of dedication and they pleased with her ‘seva’ (service) taught her various techniques of penance. All these rishis before to ‘siddha lok’ (Siddhas don’t die a natural death. They through a special technique ascent to a special world in their astral body and continue their penance there) blessed her saying “do penance and develop purity and your penance will bear its fruits when Sri Rama would come to pay visit to you.” And Lord Rama did come to visit her from ‘Panchavati’. They had told her that he and his brother Lakshmana would come to visit her and they did accordingly.

Mother Sabari serving Lord Rama and Lakshmana

What do we get to know from these 3 cases?

...contd....