Rama and Lakshmana arriving to Mithila
Vanam Vasudasa Valmiki Ramayana-16
Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao
Rama along with
Lakshmana then journeyed towards north-east direction and ahead of them was
sage Vishvamitra. They then approached the place Nandam abounded with several
thousands of Brahmin Ritwiks and where King Janaka was performing the Vedic
Ritual. Then Rama sought to know about the campsite for their stay there.
Vishvamitra arranged the place as requested by Rama and said that all necessary
arrangements will be made there for their stay. On hearing that sage
Vishvamitra arrived in Mithila, King Janaka along with his Royal Priest
Shatananda reached him in reverence to the sage.
While Janaka was
engaged in exchanging pleasantries with Vishvamitra, he was assisted by the
Ritwiks in offering holy waters and other connected ritualistic formalities to
sage Vishvamitra. On receiving all that, Vishvamitra enquired about the welfare
of King and about the successful conduct of Ritual. He also enquired about the
well-being of saints and others there. Then Janaka offered them high seats and
he too took his seat. Later Janaka conversed with Vishvamitra and asked about
Rama and Lakshmana. Vishvamitra replied that they are the sons of King
Dasharatha of Ayodhya and came along with him on his request to his father to
safeguard his ritual. He also explained as to how they killed the monsters,
about their travel to Vishal, liberation of Ahalya from the curse of Gautama
and her reunion with the sage and likewise their coming to Mithila to see the
great Shiva Bow. On informing all this to Janaka and sage Shatananda who was
also son of Ahalya and sage Gautama, Vishvamitra took a pause.
Shatananda re-counts legend of Vishvamitra
On hearing the words of Vishvamitra and also on getting the
audience of Lord Ramachandramurthy to him, sage Shatananda felt immensely happy
and overjoyed and said like this to sage Vishvamitra. “Oh! Great Sage Vishvamitra!
Did you show my mother Ahalya to Sri Rama? Did my mother worship Rama with
forest flowers and fruits? Did you reveal the erroneous deed committed by my
mother to Rama? Did Rama receive well the worships and hospitality of my father
sage Gautama? Did my mother reunite with my father?”. Vishvamitra replied to
all his queries and confirmed that Ahalya was reunited with her husband
Gautama. Then Shatananda told Rama that sage Vishvamitra was an extraordinary
and undefeatable great sage and he was the one and only one who attained the
Brahma-Sage (Brahmarshi Title) by his great penance. The very fact that he
brought Rama to Mithila indicates that something good to him would happen. He
said that Rama’s arrival to Mithila is a godsend, not only to Mithila but to
the entire humanity and as long as Vishvamitra leads him, Rama’s mission would
be a grand success. Shatananda then narrated the quintessence of the great
legend of Vishvamitra, his competence and his qualities to Rama.
Vishvamitra the son of Gadhi
“Vishvamitra son
of Gadhi whose ancestor was King Kusha, a brainchild of Prajapati ruled the
earth for many thousands of years and became famous with his citizen friendly
governance. King Vishvamitra once went around the earth marshaling his army
with him and touched several places like towns, cities, hermitages, rivers,
mountains etc. Moving sequentially about these places Vishvamitra arrived at
the threshold of the magnificent hermitage of Sage Vasishta which appeared to
him like the worldly universe of Lord Brahma”.
Vishvamitra goes to hermitage of Vasishta
“Vishvamitra went
inside the hermitage and on seeing sage Vasishta he obediently greeted him with
all respects and honors. Welcoming Vishvamitra, sage Vasishta shown him a high
respected seat and offered fruits besides exchanging pleasantries. Vishvamitra
asked about the well-being of flora and fauna of the hermitage. Vasishta also
asked about the well-being of Vishvamitra and his people. Thus, exchanging
pleasantries both of them spent considerable time pleasing one another”.
Vasishta hosts banquet to Vishvamitra
“While the time
was passing like that, Vasishta said to Vishvamitra that, he would like to
offer a befitting banquet in honor of him and his military force since he was
an important guest to him, and requested to accept it. Vishvamitra responded
saying that the hospitality deemed to have been offered to him since he was
already entertained with his words and whatever fruits were available there.
Vishvamitra then requested for leave from him but Vasishta did not agree to
send him without feast. Finally, Vishvamitra accepted the offer of Vasishta.
Then Vasishta called his gifted, sacred and divine cow, the Kamdhenu as it was
known, namely Shabala and informed it that he wanted to accord hospitality to
Vishvamitra. He then instructed it to arrange choicest feast with highly
delicious items to king Vishvamitra and his army personnel”.
Vishvamitra asks Vasishta to give Kamdhenu to
him
“As instructed by
Vasishta, the Kamdhenu, Shabala Cow, bestowed each and every one in the camp of
Vishvamitra with choicest delicious food according to one’s own fancy. The king
and his army had the food sumptuously and were fully satisfied. The same was
told by Vishvamitra to sage Vasishta. Later, Vishvamitra expressed his wish to
Vasishta that the Shabala Kamdhenu Cow may be given to him for a barter of
hundred thousand cows since this type of a treasure better be the possession of
king. Vishvamitra also questioned the propriety of keeping the cow with Vasishta
since as a rule the cow belongs to the king. Declining the offer very politely,
Vasishta told the king that, he cannot afford to part with Shabala, neither by
the barter of hundred thousand cows nor by hundred million cows nor by heaps of
silver and gold. Vasishta made it clear that Shabala is everlastingly and
inseparably his and it makes journey of his life possible by all means and it
is the bedrock of everything. Vasishta mentioned umpteen reasons for not giving
the cow to Vishvamitra”.
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