One day, a magician appeared in King Krishnadeva Raya'scourt seeking the king's permission to perform magic in court and enthrall the courtiers. Initially the king was not favourably inclined towards it but at his courtier'sinsistence, agreed to grant permission. The magician performed one trick after another and held the audience thrilled. The courtiers could be seen smiling, nodding their heads and looking with pride at the magician. Finally, the magician moved towards the king and said, ?Your Majesty, here is a pebble in my hand. Your Majesty may feel it.?
The king felt it and said, ?What is there to feel? It is simply a pebble.?
The magician covered the pebble with both his hands, blew into it and chanted some mantra. Then he produced another pebble and handed it to the king.
The king took the pebble and saw that it was a glittering diamond. He was stupefied at this. This courtiers exclaimed aloud, ?Wah! Wah!?
The magician now began to boast of the extraordinary powers he possessed and even asked, ?Is there anyone in this kingdom who can match me in my magical powers??
So thrilled were the courtiers at the magician'sfeat, that they wanted him to be employed in the kingdom. Meanwhile Tenaliraman had been witnessing the entire show with a grain of doubt and wanted to test how far the magician possessed the magical powers.
So seeking the king'spermission. Tenaliraman whispered something in the ears of his servant and said to the magician, ?Can you do something even with your eyes open what I can do with my eyes shut??
The magician was stung at such a question and replied stoically. ?What is there that I cannot do and you can do with your eyes shut??
Tenaliraman replied, ?If you lose, you shall be prepared to give up your head for execution and if I fail, the same fate shall befall upon me.?
By now, Tenaliraman'sservant arrived with a large dish covered with a red cloth. Tenaliraman uncovered the plate. It was full of red chilli powder. He took two fistfuls and rubbed it over his eyes with his eyes closed. Then he took out his handkerchief and wiped his eyes clean. He opened his eyes and said to the magician, ?Now it is your turn to do the same with your eyes open.?
The petrified magician realised what he had got into and refused to take the powder and rub it on his eyes. He conceded defeat and said morosely, ?I accept defeat. Here you can take my head.?
But the large-hearted Tenaliraman refused to take his head and said, ?I do not want your head to be chopped off. All I want is the reward the king promised to give me.?
As a parting gift the king gave a word of advice to the magician, ?Do not ever be too proud of your capabilities because you can always fail in whatever you may be adept in. Learn to be humble and mild; in future do not boast about your powers.?
A journey through Sri Ram'sfootprints
A number of books have been published to movingly and realistically depict Sri Ram'sjourney through miles and miles of forests. Poet Valmiki in Ramayana and Goswami Tulsidas in Ramcharitmanas describe the places made holy by the touch of Sri Ram'sfeet during his two journeys one with Maharshi Vishwamitra and the other during his vanvas with Mata Sita and Sri Laxman.
Dr Ram Autar, in a small booklet, Jahan jahan Ram charan chali jahin, very touchingly narrates that whenever he read the Ramacharitmanas, he got lost in a world of thoughts where he begins to imagine about the dense forests that Ram trudged through.
The booklet is a brief description of the divine itinerary through the thick forests, mountains, caves and ravines through summer, monsoon and winter, a solid record of the great pilgrims? progress. It is interesting, illuminating, instructive and gripping. This is a record of the places he covered when he was under the tutelage of Guru Vashishtha; from Ayodhya to Janakpur along with his Guru Vishwamitra and back after Sita swayamvar; places he visited during his exile from Ayodhya to Lanka and finally the places of pilgrimage he visited after he was pronounced the king of Ayodhya. Come children, from this week onwards, we shall take you on a descriptive journey of the sites that Ram visited and which constitute the pillars of our cultural heritage. For more information children you can log on to www. shriramdarshan.org.
1. AYODHYA
Ayodhya was the capital of king Dashrath'sKingdom. From there the Saint Vishwamitra took Lord Ram and Laxman for the protection of his ?yajna? (Holy fire).
2. SHRINGI ASHRAM
Ancient Shringi Ashram is situated near Sherva Ghat on the banks of River Saryu, three kilometres north of Mehboob Ganj. It is approximately twenty kilometres along the Saryu River from Ayodhya. This is the abode of many saints and rishis. It is a common belief among the saints that Rishi Vishwamitra had educated Sri Ram about ?Bala? and ?Atibala? at this very place. It is also believed that at that time, lots of rishis were living there. Rishi Vishwamitra stayed in their ashram along with Sri Ram and Laxman.
3. BHAIRAV MANDIR
It is believed that they stayed in the ancient Bhairav Temple, which is situated near Maharajganj. Since they proceeded on their journey along the Saryu River and made night halts, it can be said with certainty that they went along this way. Whether they had stayed here or at any other place during the night is a matter of further research.
4. SALONA TAAL
There is a huge pond on the banks of River Saryu near Azamgarh. This pond is still full of water. As per the common belief, Rishi Vishwamitra had gone along this way with Sri Ram and Laxman. There is a Ram ?Vatika? (Garden) near this pond and many temples of Lord Ram and Shiva are situated there. This place is situated towards the North-East of Azamgarh and is about 25 kilometres from there.
Comments