Ramayana for Life Skills: The Curse
Friday, May 20, 2022
  • Circulation
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
Organiser
  • ‌
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Defence
  • Sports
  • Business
  • More
    • RSS in News
    • Special Report
    • Culture
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • Education
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Obituary
SUBSCRIBE
No Result
View All Result
Organiser
  • ‌
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Defence
  • Sports
  • Business
  • More
    • RSS in News
    • Special Report
    • Culture
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • Education
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Obituary
No Result
View All Result
Organiser
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Culture
  • Defence
  • RSS in News
  • Subscribe
Home General

Ramayana for Life Skills: The Curse

Archive Manager by Archive Manager
Nov 10, 2014, 12:00 am IST
in General
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterTelegramEmail

Dasaratha addressed Kausalya and said: “My time on this mortal world is nearly over” and continued: “I have committed a grave sin and had a curse from a saint to the effect that I should die pining in grief in the absence of all of my sons. That time has reached at my door steps. Saints are pure souls and next to God. Their words of curse may not go false.”
The old king with remorse and repentance recounted the incidence to the queen:
“It was before my marriage. I was a very active youth and sport, particularly hunting, was my favorite pastime. I was a master in the rare art of Shrawanagrahi, hitting the arrow at the exact target hearing sounds in the dark.
One evening I was waiting impatiently amidst the forest for the sound of any wild animal. Time passed off and it was dense dark. Suddenly, I could hear a noise of an elephant drawing water through its trunk from the pond nearby. I aimed my unerring arrow to the destination of the origin of the sound. I darted my arrow.” Dasaratha stopped for a while, took a deep breath and continued:
“Providence changed my destiny. Instead of an elephant’s roar I was expecting, there was a human cry:
“O God, I am hurt…What a destiny! I am badly hurt…”
Dasaratha continued:
“All my enthusiasm and ecstasy vanished into vapour and perspiration. I ran towards the spot of origin of the human cry. It was a terrifying scene. It was a young ascetic. I, with supplicant hands, fell at his feet and apologised. I am Dasaratha, king of Ayodhya and my folly of inadvertent error may kindly be pardoned.”
“O king,” said the ascetic: “The pain that is inflicted by your arrow is intolerable. Please pull it out. I am the only son to my parents and they are waiting for me to return with water for their late evening ablutions. They are blind and very weak. Take me to them and narrate the entire event. They will not blame you. Be quick.”
Carrying the ascetic on his shoulder, the king walked hastily to the hermitage of the old saints. Both of them were waiting anxiously for the boy. As they heard the footsteps they thought that it was their son and said warmly:
“My dear son, why are you so late? Blind as we are, you know, we don’t have any support other than you. Please give the water you have brought so that we can finish our rituals. Why don’t you speak up? Are you tired of us?”
With an uncontrollable sense of guilt, sorrow and fear, Dasaratha told them in stammering:
“Maharishi, I beg your pardon. I am king Dasaratha of Ayodhya and I have unwillingly committed a crime that no one can excuse.”
Then he narrated the entire story. Hearing this, the old couple gave loud cries beating on their chests with fists:
“Our son darling, you have never hurt even an ant. Then how could you incur such a bad destiny? You are very soft spoken and respectful for others and many praised us for having a son like you. Now you have also deserted us. If you go to the heaven, leaving this old couple, who would care for us? Who will do our last rites? Without you we also renounce this mortal life.”
Then they asked Dasaratha to prepare a funeral pyre which he did very quickly. They took the body of their departed son and placed it on the funeral bed. When the fire flames lit large, the old couple also jumped into the pyre immolating them along with their son while Dasaratha helplessly looked on.
“Kausalya, dear, before jumping into the pyre they gave me a curse. They said: Dasaratha, may you die a sad death, with none of your sons nearby.”
“Haha…Rama…Rama…my son…O Lord Parameswara…” and he breathed his last.

-KK Shanmukhan

ShareTweetSendShareSend
Previous News

Education should be closely linked to ‘Character Building’—Venkaiah Naidu

Next News

Mahajan Tells The Story

Related News

Nikhat Zareen strikes gold in Women’s World Boxing C’ships

PM Modi lauds Nikhat Zareen for ‘fantastic’ gold at World Boxing C’ships

Nikhat Zareen strikes gold in Women’s World Boxing C’ships

Nikhat Zareen strikes gold in Women’s World Boxing C’ships

Hindus and other minorities face violent attacks on streets: CDPHR report on religious discrimination in US

Hindus and other minorities face violent attacks on streets: CDPHR report on religious discrimination in US

EAM S Jaishankar Hitting back hard: India schooling the biased West

EAM S Jaishankar highlights eight key points during BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

Supreme Court to hear Gyanvapi mosque case tomorrow

Supreme Court to hear Gyanvapi mosque case tomorrow

1,224 KM long Amritsar Jalandhar Highway Targeted To Be Completed by September 2023: Nitin Gadkari

1,224 KM long Amritsar Jalandhar Highway Targeted To Be Completed by September 2023: Nitin Gadkari

Comments

The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Organiser. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.

Latest News

Nikhat Zareen strikes gold in Women’s World Boxing C’ships

PM Modi lauds Nikhat Zareen for ‘fantastic’ gold at World Boxing C’ships

Nikhat Zareen strikes gold in Women’s World Boxing C’ships

Nikhat Zareen strikes gold in Women’s World Boxing C’ships

Hindus and other minorities face violent attacks on streets: CDPHR report on religious discrimination in US

Hindus and other minorities face violent attacks on streets: CDPHR report on religious discrimination in US

EAM S Jaishankar Hitting back hard: India schooling the biased West

EAM S Jaishankar highlights eight key points during BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

Supreme Court to hear Gyanvapi mosque case tomorrow

Supreme Court to hear Gyanvapi mosque case tomorrow

1,224 KM long Amritsar Jalandhar Highway Targeted To Be Completed by September 2023: Nitin Gadkari

1,224 KM long Amritsar Jalandhar Highway Targeted To Be Completed by September 2023: Nitin Gadkari

Egypt approves India as a wheat supplier, announces Union Minister Piyush Goyal

India defends ‘wheat export’ ban, says it always helped ‘partners in distress’

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann meets Amit Shah, discusses farmers and drone issues

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann meets Amit Shah, discusses farmers and drone issues

PM Modi to attend Quad Summit in Tokyo on May 24

PM Modi to attend Quad Summit in Tokyo on May 24

Universities should not be the arena of ideological battle: Amit Shah

Universities should not be the arena of ideological battle: Amit Shah

  • Circulation
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Defence
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Business
  • RSS in News
  • Special Report
  • Sci & Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Education
  • Books
  • Interviews
  • Travel
  • Health
  • Obituary
  • Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Circulation
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies