The History of Earth
The Indian Version
Dr Prashobh Karunakaran
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to thank my wife, Sreeja and my three children, Prashanth, Shanthi, and Arjun for
putting up with my absence, while I wrote this book. I would also like to thank my parents, Mr.
Karunakaran and Ms. Premalatha for imbibing knowledge of this subject matter to me, as a
child.
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PREFACE
I will first introduce why I wrote this book. My dad was insistent that my four siblings and I
come back from playing at 6 pm every evening so he could tell stories from the Puranas from
his very thick book. In those times, before TV, we could be up to a km away from home daily.
Since we were from a lower middle-class family and all five brothers ended up as very
successful engineers, I thought it would be good for me to also tell such stories to my three
children. Therefore, I told the stories narrated in this book to my three children as I drove them
to school in the mornings and before sleep at night; some nights I could be so tired but if I do
not tell stories, all three of them will chant, “story, story, story…” I thought, if my children
were so interested in these stories, maybe others could also be, which is why I have been writing
this book since 2005. Well, it worked, two of my children are now engineers and the third one
is in university studying to be one.
The events elucidated in this book starts from prior to the Big Bang all the way to the future of
the earth. This book dwells quite a bit into Hindu scriptures but it is in no way an attempt to
make it look like a better religion. This writer firmly believes that each human has his or her
own religion. Each human gathers facts from their surroundings and books and makes his or
her own religion. It is impossible for two Christians, Muslims, Buddhist, or Hindus to have the
same conscience so why are we segregated into religions? This work is written in the hope
that one-day humans will look at knowledge gleaned from various religious texts as
philosophies of various people who have attained the same higher state of consciousness of
realizing they are God themselves. They stem from the likes of the Maya, Inca, and Aztec all
the way to the Middle Eastern religions (Christianity, Islam, and Judaism) and to India, China,
and Japan. By the same token there are also examples from all religions who have become
ruthless criminals. It is however important that all humans understand the various religious
practices to live in harmony. The various religions should be looked upon as different rivers
which all lead to the same ocean of God. Hopefully one-day different religions will be viewed
as different sciences like chemistry and physics. Just as advanced chemistry and physics are
merging, the doctrines of the various religions will merge. People who believed that their ways
are the only truth have caused much cruelty and suffering over human history. When such
people finally realize they have been thinking incorrectly all their lives, they become very
disappointed and demonic, not minding hurting others selfishly. The ego that one is doing all
correctly; reading only holy books, doing service activities, only engaging with similarly
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“holy” people and always following all injunctions of holy books are dangerous. The greatest
spiritual aspirant should have a humble attitude; always aware that all around them are taking
different pathways to eventually realize that they and all around them is God.
Much of the facts gathered for this book are from the very south of India, where destructive
foreign rule has failed to penetrate. Here the temples are extremely ancient. Rituals, which were
performed by priests thousands of years ago, are still performed in the same spot by the direct
descendants of the former priests. This is the only place in the world where an ancient culture
is preserved to such an extent. Of course, this culture is finally being neglected as the
descendants of these great priests enter the high technology industries which Southern India
have moved into. However, there are also many projects to stem the tide of neglect, and this
book is one such enterprise.
This book illustrates the history of earth from facts gathered through modern science as well
as the ancient scriptures of India. The timelines discovered by these two streams of thoughts
are surprisingly similar. Scientifically established facts like the Big Bang, Darwin’s theory of
evolution, and the theories of the formation of earth, blend very well with those enshrined in
the ancient scriptures of India.
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Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................................................................. 2
PREFACE .................................................................................................................................................. 3
CHAPTER 1 .............................................................................................................................................. 7
1.1 FORMATION OF THE UNIVERSE .................................................................................................. 10
1.2 FORMATION OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM .......................................................................................... 11
CHAPTER 2 ............................................................................................................................................ 12
FORMATION OF THE EARTH.................................................................................................................. 12
2.1 FORMATION OF THE VARIOUS LAYERS OF THE EARTH .............................................................. 12
2.2 THE CORE .................................................................................................................................... 13
2.3 MAGNETISM OF THE OUTER CORE ............................................................................................. 13
2.4 THE MANTLE ............................................................................................................................... 14
2.5 THE CRUST................................................................................................................................... 15
2.6 FORMATION OF THE MOON ....................................................................................................... 15
2.8 THE CREATION OF THE FIRST LIFE FORM .................................................................................... 17
2.9 PRODUCTION OF OXYGEN BY CYANOBACTERIA ......................................................................... 17
2.10 OTHER LIFE FORMS EVOLVED FROM CYANOBACTERIA ............................................................ 18
CHAPTER 3 ............................................................................................................................................ 19
THE VARIOUS AGES OF THE UNIVERSE ................................................................................................. 19
3.1 THE CYCLE OF BIRTH OF DEATH .................................................................................................. 21
3.2 THE AVATARS .............................................................................................................................. 25
3.3 GOD IN THE BIG SCHEME OF THINGS ......................................................................................... 26
3.4 TRAVELING THROUGH SPACE ..................................................................................................... 27
CHAPTER 4 ............................................................................................................................................ 29
MATSYA ................................................................................................................................................. 29
CHAPTER 5 ............................................................................................................................................ 32
KURMA .................................................................................................................................................. 32
CHAPTER 6 ............................................................................................................................................ 37
VARAHA................................................................................................................................................. 37
CHAPTER 7 ............................................................................................................................................ 40
NARASIMHA .......................................................................................................................................... 40
CHAPTER 8 ............................................................................................................................................ 45
VAMANA ............................................................................................................................................... 45
CHAPTER 9 ............................................................................................................................................ 53
PARASHURAMA..................................................................................................................................... 53
CHAPTER 10 .......................................................................................................................................... 67
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RAMA .................................................................................................................................................... 67
CHAPTER 11 ........................................................................................................................................ 118
KRISHNA .............................................................................................................................................. 118
CHAPTER 12 ........................................................................................................................................ 142
BUDDHA .............................................................................................................................................. 142
12.1 JESUS CHRIST........................................................................................................................... 149
CHAPTER 13 ........................................................................................................................................ 154
SAI BABA ............................................................................................................................................. 154
13.1 THE FIRST SAI BABA................................................................................................................. 157
13.2 THE SECOND SAI BABA ............................................................................................................ 162
13.4 SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................... 179
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................ 188
ABOUT THE AUTHOR........................................................................................................................... 190
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CHAPTER 1
The Force, the Great God of all, named Brahman by Hindus, was the beginning. He split
himself into three, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva who are the guardian deities of creation,
perseverance, and destruction respectively. It all began with the Big Bang which made the
sound A….….….U….…….…..M…..……….. (the sound of God); the scriptures state that
Aum not just represents Brahman, it is Brahman. The Big Bang is an ongoing process, and its
Aum sound can still be detected with modern scientific instruments. Some may question the
fact that sound cannot travel in vacuum, but sound in Indian culture means vibrations, as in
electromagnetic vibrations. The purpose of creation was so that God could love the universe,
and the beings of the universe were given free will to love him/her back (there is no gender).
Because humans are naturally outward looking, they must be conscious of the humongous size
and age of the universe so that they will realize that no matter how much physical wealth they
(or their countries) accumulate, it is totally insignificant compared to the universe. With that
realization, they will be forced to focus within and thereby eventually realize that they are
themselves God.
Initially Brahman thought, “Nobody was there before me and nobody knows who I am,” so he
thought of creation. He first became Iswara (or Shiva). Iswara created Maya Shakti (the female
aspect of God) who created the material world; initially as Hiranyagarbha which was an eggshaped gaseous cloud. Within this gaseous cloud, reactions began to happen, and manifested
forms came about named Virata. Eventually these manifested forms were given intelligence
and individualism and named Jiva.
Brahma is the law giver as well as the law administrator. Out of their fear, we can see that the
sun sets on time, wind blows, fire burns, and Indra and all his Gods do their jobs properly.
Indra is the king of the Gods and is often equated to the Greek, Zeus, the Roman, Jupiter, and
the Norse, Thor. All the planets do not bump into each other because of Indra and the other
Gods. Rewards and punishments are used in serious militaries just as is used by God to ensure
all runs well in the universe and large destructions to creations do not happen.
This apparently solid world is actually empty. God is like the string in a garland of pearls; the
“string” that holds the universe together. The universe we live in is just space with forces
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making things look real. If things are broken down, the current smallest particle is the God
Particle or the Higgs Boson which is the smallest possible ripple in the Higgs field which
provides mass to particles. The Higgs field permeates the entire universe providing mass to
particles that interacts with them. Electromagnetic fields do not interact with the Higgs field
which is why they have no mass.
Space is filled with forces currently classified as the Unified Field Theory consisting of
electromagnetic force, gravitational force, weak nuclear force, and strong nuclear force. If the
nucleus is the size of a football, the closest electron will be 15 km away. The fact that electrons
do not crash into each other or into the nucleus is due to the forces that hold them in place.
Since the atoms are mostly empty, if the earth is squeezed it will fit in a 1” X 1” X 1” cube as
scientists describe. But since even within an electron or proton there is vast empty space, the
universe is not physical at all. It is just an interaction of forces. It is these forces that prevent a
human hand from going into a solid material.
The Sages of old determined all these truths by being God themselves, just as the sun is visible
via the ray of the sun itself. If one focuses on something, over time the answer will be apparent.
The Sages of old focussed on the primal questions of why and how this universe happened and
became Gods themselves to understand the whole sequence of events leading to us being here.
Similarly, most scientists of today made discoveries by focussing on something for long
periods of time.
Here on earth, nuclear arms, pollution, the hole in the ozone layer, and the host of problems we
have today, are things we need to work on, but they will not destroy the earth. It is just not
scheduled to happen; God has canceled the sure destruction in 2012. The 2012 destruction was
predicted by numerous cultures and seers. The earth has entered a new yuga (Sathya yuga)
starting much earlier than the scheduled time by direct divine intervention on 10/23/2015,
12:15, hence we are now living in the Sathya yuga. Prior to that date we were in the Kali yuga
where selfishness and hate were the norm and after that date, beings will start becoming
increasingly spiritually powerful. The transition from Kali to Sathya yuga has not been felt by
humanity at large yet because it is analogous to switching off power to a fan, where the blades
will keep turning for a while.
Right after creation, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva had a discussion. They decided to hide
divinity, since attaining it is the goal of all humans. Humans can attain anything else, but they
need to make it hard for them to attain the ultimate goal of life here on earth which is the
realization that we have always been God ourselves. Brahma suggested that it should be hidden
on the moon, where they will never reach. But Vishnu said they will reach not only the moon
or Mars; they will even reach the sun so that is not a good plan. Shiva then suggested hiding it
at the bottom of the ocean. But Vishnu said, like fishes they will reach the bottom of the ocean,
making it too easy for them. Finally, Vishnu came up with an idea that since the human mind
was designed to be outward looking, divinity should be hidden within them; this was agreeable
to all three and was implemented.
The detailed sequence of the initial events of the universe was as follows:
1) Initially there was Brahman who is the ultimate consciousness, the Purusha who is neither
manifested nor unmanifested.
2) Next came Iswara who is the thinking Brahman.
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3) Iswara created Prakiti (nature) or Maya Shakti (the creative energy which can create
anything). This is the Avyakta-Purusha who is the unmanifested Brahman.
4) Next came the Hiranyagarba or the material Brahman or the Cosmic Golden Egg consisting
of energy and matter.
5) Next came the Virat Purusha or the Cosmic Being. The Cosmic Being pervades the entire
universe in which the divine natural forces have emerged as faculties. The Hiranyagarbha
or Virat Purusha is known as the manifested Brahman.
6) Next came the Indriyartha or the sense faculties which brought about hunger and thirst.
7) Next came the Indriya or the senses. The senses were housed in a physical being through
which the divine forces can be expressed. This is also known as the Jiva or the individual
manifestation or the body.
A human must love God as a person to eventually realize he/she is part of that God. Just as a
boy and girl fall in love and eventually merge to become one; the existence of the two sexes is
to practice the loving relationship with God. God does not like atheists who do not
acknowledge the existence of God.
Love and truth are powerful forces that run the universe, and women are driven by the power
of love while men by truth. It is for this reason that women are endowed with beauty and
softness to enable them to nurture love while men are endowed with rugged strength to decipher
truth.
God does not like a girl who does not acknowledge the existence of a boy or vice versa. A girl
who prefers to just be with another girl indefinitely (lesbian, gay) is a person not following the
process God created to eventually have a relationship with God. It can be visually observed
that those who go in the lesbian or gay tract do not become physically proper girls or boys.
Most humans have a vision of a perfect girl or boy. This is talking purely physically, just as
cattle farmers will judge cattle and bid higher or lower prices for them. For this author, being
an electrical engineer, the analogy would be the authority specifying the current carrying
capacity of various cross-sectional areas of wires which is equivalent to the perception built up
in our minds of how a female or male should behave. But various factories around the world
cannot achieve those exact current carrying capacities. Therefore, each factory will publish
their own slightly different current carrying capacities.
Analogically all girls or boys have a built-in perception of how the ultimate girl or boy should
behave but cannot achieve those ultimate characteristics. But a girl or boy must follow typical
characteristics of females and males as much as possible just as the earth diligently rotates
around the sun every 356.25 days and rotates on its axis every 24 hours to enable life on earth
to flourish. All living and supposedly non-living things (by Western standard) must follow their
duties; the Hindu view is that all things are alive in some form.
When this author sent the above, one person commented that Vishnu who turned to into Mohini
married Shiva. So that is a male-to-male marriage. The answer was: “Vishnu turned into
Mohini before he married Shiva. You got to play your role. When I die, I may be reborn as a
female, so I got to do my dharma of marrying a man. Previously I was a student, so I studied,
now I am an engineer, so I do engineering research. I could not do engineering research while
I was in primary school. And I cannot go to primary school now and hang around with other
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primary classmates. All need to do their duty (dharma) according to their body types, age,
education etc.”
Another commented that what Vishnu did by changing to Mohini was like transgender, but the
reply is, “Mohini had a full female body meaning every of her six trillion cells had the XY
gene. Transgenders of today just get some body parts of the other gender and claim they have
changed sex.”
1.1 FORMATION OF THE UNIVERSE
At first, the universe was an infinitely dense and incomprehensibly small fireball. Then the Big
Bang occurred to form the fabric of the universe in a process called ‘inflation’, which lasted
for only one millionth of a second. The universe quickly formed the basic forces in the sequence
below 1 - 4 where 1 and 2 are within the nucleus where 1 overcomes the repulsive forces of
protons within the nucleus and 2 allows some protons to undergo a decay into a neutron,
releasing a positron and an electron neutrino. And 3 is the force keeping the electrons in its
place and 4 keeps the planets and stars in their place. Going from 1 to 4 the force is strongest
in 1 and weakest in 4. But the distance over which the force can exert increases and is greatest
at 4.
1) Strong nuclear force
2) Weak nuclear force
3) Electromagnetic forces
4) Gravity
Today’s scientists know that there is a conscious force that is keeping the universe together and
not allowing it to collapse and call it the “Hard Problems of Consciousness” which can be
summarized as the things you cannot program a computer to do. The physical body and its
surroundings form the conscious aspect of a person, and the conscience is the ability to
differentiate right from wrong. The conscious and conscience together form the consciousness.
The sages of old reached the same conclusion as modern scientists, but through intuition and
being given the answers during meditation rather than experimentation. But even modern
scientists are given the answers after long dwelling into problems but tend to not admit that
some higher forces gave them the answer.
Later the universe started to expand but at a much slower pace. This can be imagined as an
explosion happening in free space, there is nothing stopping the movement of particles or
electromagnetic waves except the small interaction between these particles. When the energy
of the first explosion was spent, the rest of the movement of the particles was not dependent
on the initial force of the explosion which gave acceleration, thenceforth the particles moved
increasingly without acceleration at a constant speed.
After the first second, the universe was made up of electromagnetic waves, and particles like
quarks, electrons, photons, and neutrinos. After three seconds, nucleosynthesis began to occur
forming protons and neutrons which combined to form the nuclei of simple elements,
predominantly hydrogen and helium. Even after 100,000 years, there was no matter, as we
know it today. Light, X-rays and radio waves dominated the universe.
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Atoms were then formed by nuclei linking with free electrons. After 200 million years, galaxies
and stars started to form out of pockets of gas, which condensed due to the force of gravity.
Scientists today, like Stephen Hawking have calculated that the universe is continually
expanding and contracting, which is the Big Bang, Big Crunch, Big Bang, Big
Crunch,…………. which happens over billions of years.
According to calculations, contraction will happen when the critical density is reached. This
figure is 1.1 x 10-26 kg per cubic meter or six hydrogen atoms per cubic meter. Thus, the density
of the universe decreases to a certain critical value after which it will contract. The ratio of
actual density / critical density is equal to Omega. The universe expands when Omega is less
than one. When Omega is greater than one, the universe collapses, in a Big Crunch.
Hydrogen and helium are the main composition of the luminous component (the stars), which
is continuously decreasing in density value. But there is also a dark component, which can be
detected only by its gravitational influence on luminous matter.
Ripples caused by the shock waves of the Big Bang have been observed and measured.
Observations using today’s instruments show that the universe is flat. The reason for this can
be understood from the following analogy: if three tiny ants are placed on a balloon, and the
balloon is suddenly (before they can move) blown up, each ant will observe the other ant
moving away from it. As the balloon gets to be very huge, each of the three ants will think they
are on a flat surface and cannot see the other ants. Current observatory instruments cannot
detect the curvature of the spherical universe.
Later stars made of atoms formed the universe as modern scientists and instruments can
observe. But the initial light traveled even further. This light formed the universe of light, which
is very much bigger than this universe of matter. Even beyond this universe of light is the
universe of truth, because the first particles out of the Big Bang are truths. The universe of truth
is very much larger than the universe of light. Some modern scientists also believe that the
universe is more of a thought than a physical existence.
1.2 FORMATION OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Among the zillions of particles that are moving away from the epicenter of the explosion, is
the sun. The sun was a huge mass of heated gas, larger than the orbit of the current solar system.
As the sun contracted, nine concentrations of swirling heated gas and dust became the nine
planets of today. It is the gravitational force of the sun that keeps the planets in their orbits.
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CHAPTER 2
FORMATION OF THE EARTH
The third planet away from the sun is the earth we live on. It now has a diameter of 7908 miles
(12,728 km) and has a mass of 6 X 1024 kg. The earth was formed about 4.3 billion years ago.
Today, the earth spins at a very fast rate of 1038 miles/hr (1670 km/hr, the Indian scripture
figure is 1000 miles/hr). To determine this speed, a few factors are used. The earth rotates on
its own axis once every 24 hours. The radius at the equator is 3954 miles (6363 km) so the
equatorial circumference is 24855 miles (40000 km), thus the speed of the earth's surface, at
the equator is 24855 / 24 = 1038 miles/hr (1670 km/hr). The earth moves around the sun at
66,487 thousand miles per hour (107,000 km/hr, the Indian scripture figure is 66,000 miles/hr).
The sun moves in its own orbit through the Milky Way galaxy at 400,000 miles/hr. The Milky
Way galaxy moves at 2.2 million miles/hr. The bold numbers above are to enable seeing the
difference in the numbers. From these numbers, one can notice that the earth is moving slower
than the sun, which moves slower than the galaxy. And the earth has less mass than the sun
and the sun have less mass than the galaxy. Einstein said, as we increase our speed of
movement, mass will increase and will reach infinity at the speed of light. Therefore, to travel
fast you need mass and since a rocket has the lowest mass among these, it will have the least
speed. This means traveling throughout space on rockets can be predicted to fail. The solution
of humans’ desire to travel through space is given in 3.4.
2.1 FORMATION OF THE VARIOUS LAYERS OF THE
EARTH
As the molten earth spun, dense material, predominantly Iron (Fe, about 80%) and Nickel (Ni,
about 4%) and the heavy metals at the bottom of the periodic table moved to the center and
lighter material like molten silicon moved to the surface. This seems counter logical because
heavier material will go to the outside in a blender. But there are two forces at play here,
initially centrifugal force will push the heavier material out but as the mass of the earth
increases, gravitational force will increase and eventually exceed the centrifugal force causing
the heavy material to move to the center.
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In the early days of earth, there was constant bombardment by meteorites, intense volcanism,
and a poisonous atmosphere. The nuclear fusion reaction (which keeps the sun hot) gradually
ceased on the surface of the earth and the earth cooled down.
After millions of years, the top surface cooled to become the crust. Today there are four distinct
layers of the earth, the inner core, the outer core, the mantle, and the crust. The core is a solid
ball of iron and nickel. Then comes the outer core which is made of liquid iron and nickel.
Surrounding this is the mantle, which is a hot and slightly viscous matter mostly made up of
silicon dioxide. On top of this, is the part that has enabled life, the cooler crust.
2.2 THE CORE
The core of the earth is about 1,800 miles (2,900 km) below the earth's surface. The inner core
of the earth is slightly smaller than the moon. It is a dense ball of iron (95%) and nickel (5%),
which constitutes 30% of the earth’s mass and has a diameter of 3,029 miles (4,872 kilometers),
which is almost twice the distance between NY and LA. It is divided into two layers, the inner
core, and the outer core. The inner core has a diameter of 1,516 miles (2,440 kilometers), is at
the center of the earth and is a crystal of mostly iron with a little nickel and trace amounts of
heavy metals at the bottom of the Periodic table; this diameter is slightly less than the distance
between NY and LA. The pressure at the center is 3.5 million times surface pressure, which
causes iron to solidify, even though the temperature is believed to exceed 11,000 degrees
Fahrenheit which is hotter than the surface of the sun. This solid crystalline iron core spins
faster than the earth. The outer core, which is 1402 miles (2,259 km) thick and is always molten
due to the lower pressure experienced at this point.
2.3 MAGNETISM OF THE OUTER CORE
The outer core is made of the same elements as the inner core but is in the molten state
because of the lower pressure experienced here compared to the inner core.
In ferromagnetic materials, unpaired electrons spin to line up with one another in regions
called domains. Within the domains, the magnetic field is quite strong but the orientation of
the electrons in different domains may not be the same, so the overall magnetism is canceled
out. Ferromagnetism is caused when a permanent magnet or electromagnet is used to cause
the magnetic fields in all the domains to line up with each other or the electrons in all
domains are spinning in the same direction, either clockwise or anticlockwise. This is also the
reason that when electrons move in the same direction in a coil of wire, the coil becomes a
magnet (electromagnet). This is the process that causes the ferromagnetic material to be
magnetized.
Another fact about magnetism is the Fleming's Right Hand Rule, where the thumb, forefinger
and middle finger are placed at right angles to each other representing F, B, I respectively,
where F is the Force of the direction of movement of the magnet or the direction of
movement of the varying Field density, B is the direction of the magnetic field, and I is the
direction of movement of the current generated. As a magnet passes at right angle over a
wire, current is generated in the wire. If the magnet is more powerful or is moved faster, more
current is generated in the wire. The copper wire placed at right angle to the direction of
movement of the magnet sees a changing magnetic field density. Say the magnet has 10 field
lines, the wire below it will initially see zero field lines than 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 field lines as
the magnet is above the wire and then 9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 field lines as the magnet moves away
from the wire. It is the change in magnetic field density that enables the generation of current
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in a copper wire placed at right angle to the direction of movement of the magnet. Most
teachers in schools teach that F is the direction of force of the magnet but this author wrote an
electric book where he calls F the variable Field density, where the F can still be used.
But even if the most powerful magnet on earth is placed over the wire, no current will be
generated in the wire. The magnet must move back and forth over the wire, or it must vibrate
over the wire. Therefore, as in the first paragraph of this book where it was stated that the
vibration which made the electromagnetic sound “Aum” created the universe, it is vibration
of the magnet over a wire that enables the electrical world humanity depends on today.
Vibration is important in this universe in all aspects right down to copulation. Note that the
God Particle or the Higgs Boson is not a particle is it the smallest possible ripple or vibration
in the Higgs field which provides mass to particles. The Higgs field permeates the entire
universe providing mass to particles it interacts with. It is because electromagnetic fields do
not interact with the Higgs field that they do not have mass.
Magnetism is an intrinsic property of ferromagnetic materials like iron, nickel and cobalt. But
the iron at the inner core does not cause the earth’s magnetism because it is too hot. Heating
up a permanent magnet will make it lose its magnetism as the electrons in all the domains do
not align anymore after that. However electric currents flowing in the earth’s outer core,
which is made mostly of liquid iron, causes the earth’s magnetism.
In the earth’s outer core, liquid molten iron flows just as current flows within a wire coiled as
a solenoid. Iron atoms easily release electrons from the valence shell of iron atoms. These
electrons flow in parallel to each other like electrons in a coil of wire that turns it into an
electromagnet. This creates a magnetic force shield around the earth which is called the
magnetosphere which protects the earth from extra-terrestrial electromagnetic waves and
plasma (charged particles), mostly from the sun but also from other stars. This
electromagnetic force must be differentiated from gravity which is another force of attraction
which is proportional to the mass of an object.
Scientists today are looking for earth-like planets by observing their distance from their stars,
but it is not just the distance of the earth from the sun which enables life on earth. The
coincidence of the magnetic force shield, the peculiar composition of the atmosphere, gravity,
and lots of other factors must be just right to enable the pervasive life seen on earth.
2.4 THE MANTLE
The Mantle is about 1,800 miles (2,900 km) thick and makes up nearly 80 percent of the Earth's
total volume. Note that the inner core is 2,440 km, the outer core is 2,259 km and the mantle
is 2900 km or all three, the inner core, the outer core and mantle are ≈ 2500 km. The inner core
is solid, and the outer core is more liquid than the mantle. The material of the Mantle is at about
1000-2000°C and flows like a very viscous fluid equivalent to caramel or thick honey. Its
viscosity is about 20 times higher than that of water thereby moving at only a few centimeters
per year. It must be noted that the deepest hole ever dug was done by the Russians (Kola
Superdeep Borehole) and it is 7.6 miles (12.3 km) deep while the crust of the earth is 19-43
miles (30-70 km) thick. Therefore, humans have not dug holes to reach the Mantle yet. It would,
however, be incredible to dig towards the Mantle and utilize that heat to drive steam engines
to help produce electricity for the needs of humanity without incurring pollution. It is already
being done, mostly in earthquake prone regions, where the heat is closer to the surface of the
earth’s surface, and this is called geothermal energy.
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2.5 THE CRUST
The Crust is the upper layer of the earth. The Crust is fractured into more than a dozen
overlapping tectonic plates. These tectonic plates have different thickness at various places on
earth. The Crust under the oceans can be only about 4 miles (7 km) thick, of dense and heavy
ballast rock, while the Crust under the land mass can be about 19-43 miles (30-70 km) thick,
of lighter granite rock. These tectonic plates continuously slide atop the hotter layers below.
The overlapping points between plates are called subduction zones which are where the biggest
earthquake strikes, destroying whole cities or causing huge tsunamis and changing earth's map
slightly each time. The eruption of volcanoes also most often occurs at the boundaries between
the plates. However, thankfully most of the meeting points of the plates are beneath the oceans
and therefore do not affect the population above it as much; the infamous Aceh earthquake is
an exception where an earthquake in one of these subduction zones causes tsunamis which
killed over 200,000 people.
The Crust moves at a rate of about one inch (2.5 cm) per year. The strength of this movement
is tremendous. As an analogy, a hit on a person by a toy car driven by a child will not really
hurt, but a hit by a truck at five miles/hr could break a bone. The collision of the Indian Plate
onto the Asian Plate caused the formation of the Himalayas. This collision is still going on
resulting in the current growth of the Himalayas by two inches (five centimeters) every year.
Another case is the Pacific Plate, which is drifting northward, scraping along the edge of the
North American plate. The result of this tremendous force is the San Andreas Fault, which cuts
vertically through the state of California for nearly 700 miles (1,125 kilometers). This 100million-year-old crack in the crust between these two plates is 20 miles (32 km) deep.
2.6 FORMATION OF THE MOON
After the earth cooled and formed its final structure, a meteorite, which had 10% of the earth’s
mass collided with the earth and deposited most of its mass onto the earth. This collision
increased the speed of the earth such that the length of a day was only five hours.
This collision was at such an angle that 1/81 of the resulting earth’s mass went up to a particular
orbit. There was one major concentration of mass in this orbit and other particles spewed in the
same orbit over earth due to the same initial force exerted. Eventually all the particles collided
with the largest mass to form the moon as we see it today.
The diameter of the moon is 400 times smaller than the sun, but the moon is also 400 times
less far away. This coincidence causes the moon and the sun to appear roughly the same size.
The moon’s composition came mostly from the mantle and crust of the earth, which explains
why it lacks iron (and other heavy metals) which lowers its mass and therefore has a gravity of
only 1/6 that experienced on earth.
The probability of such an impact happening is very small anywhere in the universe. It is this
collision, and the formation of the moon that stabilized the tilt of the earth and caused a whole
host of incredible coincidences which enabled the evolution of life-forms on earth. Table 1
shows the composition of Earth's and Moon's soil.
15
Table 1: A comparison of a typical earth’s soil versus the moon’s soil:
Elements
H
C
O
Al
Si
K
Ca
Fe
Mg
Others
Earth's soil Moon's soil
2.10%
1.60%
57.70%
5.00%
27.10%
1.30%
4.10%
1.10%
42.00%
7.00%
21.00%
8.00%
13.00%
6.00%
3.00%
The lack of H, C and K on the moon could be explained either by the fact that it got burnt away
in the explosion or the moon acquired more of the composition of the meteorite that collided
with the earth. Table 2 is a comparison of the dimension of the earth versus the moon.
Table 2: A comparison of the dimension of the earth versus the moon:
Earth
12742 km
5.97 X 1024 kg
9.8 m/s2
510 km2
1.08 X 1012 km3
Moon
3474 km
7.35 X 1022 kg
1.62 m/s2
38 km2
2.19 X 1010 km3
% of moon vs earth
27
1
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7
2
2.7 THE ATMOSPHERE
The original atmosphere of the Earth consisted of hydrogen and helium. These light elements
were, however, heated by solar radiation and escaped.
Initially the earth was like the sun, a ball of fire where nuclear fission and fusion continuously
occurred. Subsequently it became a ball of ice because space is cold (-270.45oC) and the earth
did not have the air layer to insulate itself against that cold. Eventually as there was a build-up
of atmosphere, portions of ice covering earth melted into water and life started evolving.
The volcanoes formed the atmosphere by spewing out effluents in the proportion of water vapor
55%, carbon dioxide 24%, sulfur 13%, nitrogen 5.7%, Argon 0.3% and chlorine 0.1%. The
constant collision of water holding meteorites on earth in these early days also contributed large
amounts of water to earth. Most of these effluents became clouds surrounding the earth. The
large amount of carbon dioxide, which emitted from the volcanoes, is now mostly locked up in
rocks such as limestone.
The effluents from the volcanoes became heavy clouds that enveloped the earth in darkness for
millions of years. Then a downpour started, which lasted for a few 100,000 years. This caused
the formation of rivers, seas, and oceans.
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2.8 THE CREATION OF THE FIRST LIFE FORM
The few hundred thousand years of rain also came with a continuous stream of lightning
bombarding the surface of the earth. This was caused by the collisions of the clouds which
consisted of dust and water vapor. This lightning caused reactions, which fused various
combinations of gases and elements to eventually form the first simple bacteria. Tidal forces
caused by the newly formed moon were also a key in promoting the first stages of development
of life.
Cyanobacterium was among the first microbes formed. It is the simplest single-celled life form
known. This microbe first appeared at the bottom of the sea about 3.5 billion years ago. They
were unicellular bacterium, but some can be up to 0.5 mm long.
Today cyanobacteria are a relatively substantial proportion of the marine plankton, which are
tiny organisms, which wander in the oceans, they could be bacteria, plants, or animals like
jellyfish. In the tropical seas, there can be up to 100 million cyanobacteria in a liter of water.
They have a cell structure called the prokaryotic cell. The cell wall encloses a liquid called
cytoplasm, within which a single strand of DNA is attached at one point to the plasma
membrane. There is very little internal organization within the cell.
These prokaryotes multiply by simple cell division, forming clones or exact copies of
themselves. The offspring has the same genetic code as the parent; imagine looking exactly
like the rest of your family. This explains why, even though the earth was filled with
cyanobacteria, evolution to other life forms happened only after a billion years. Thus, for a
period of one billion years, cyanobacteria were the main life form on earth.
The cyanobacteria gathered on rocks, which are now called stromatolites. Later as other life
forms evolved, cyanobacteria became food, and their numbers decreased. Today one can still
find this moss like stromatolites thriving in Australia, at Shark Bay.
2.9 PRODUCTION OF OXYGEN BY
CYANOBACTERIA
With an atmosphere and sufficient warmth, cyanobacteria became the dominant life all over
earth. There was no other lifeform to disrupt its growth. It was the cyanobacteria that enabled
other lifeforms to exist on earth, because after a billion years, they produced enough oxygen
through photosynthesis to satisfy the absorption by the minerals on the earth’s surface
(oxidation), as well as to change the composition of the earth’s atmosphere. Cyanobacteria
changed the earth's atmosphere from a sulfur dioxide, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide rich mixture
to the present-day air composition of gases as shown in Table 3.
Table 3: The composition of gases on earth currently
Nitrogen
78.08%
Oxygen
Argon
Carbon Dioxide
20.95% Total N2 & O2 = 99%
0.93%
0.04%
Other less common atoms and molecules include water vapor (which can range from 0 – 4%),
hydrogen, ozone, methane, helium, neon, krypton, and xenon.
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2.10 OTHER LIFE FORMS EVOLVED FROM
CYANOBACTERIA
Eventually the source of food (sunlight) became scarce as the whole earth was covered by
cyanobacteria. The struggling plants at the losing end, just below the “fat” top layer, were
desperate for food and evolved the ability to move to spots where there was sunlight. An
example is the common plant called Mimosa pudica whose leaf closes upon touching it; there
is also a pitcher plant that moves to trap insects inside.
Over time, even the spots of sunlight became scarce and some plants out of desperation took
the big step of being “cannibals” (herbivorous) by eating the neighboring plants. After millions
of years, these moving plants became small animals, which evolved to become fishes. Since
food was plentiful for these fishes, they eventually became huge. The proliferation of
herbivorous fishes resulted in a reduction of plant life, resulting in food deprivation for the
smaller fishes. Out of desperation in their search for scarce plant food, some herbivorous fishes
took a giant step of being “cannibals” (carnivorous) by eating their fish neighbors.
The herbivorous fishes which were now pursued by carnivorous fishes eyed the plentiful
vegetation at the beaches. This vegetation grew after the poisonous volcanic atmosphere
cleared into a fresh oxygen filled one, thanks to their (and our) ancestors, the cyanobacteria.
Some desperate herbivorous fish took a giant step of wriggling over the hot beaches to have a
mouthful of this vegetation and wriggling back each day. Over time, these fishes evolved hard
backs and bottoms to withstand the heat of the beaches thereby evolving into tortoises. From
the tortoises evolved the other land-based animals.
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CHAPTER 3
THE VARIOUS AGES OF THE UNIVERSE
When Brahma wakes up, creation comes to live and when he goes to sleep there is a temporary
suspension of activity. Brahma started life with the Big Bang and will end his life with the Big
Crunch after 100 Brahma years. With each Brahma year having 365 Brahma days, each day
has 12 Brahma hours of night and 12 Brahma hours.
Of the four ages, Kali yuga = 432,000 years, Dwapara yuga is double that and Treta yuga is
triple that and Sathya yuga is four times that. That is 1+2+3+4 = 10 Kali yuga spans of time is
one Maha yuga which is 430,000 X 10 = 4.32 X 106 years.
1000 Maha yugas is one day for Brahma and is called a Kalpa and is 4.32 X 106 X 1000 =
4.32 X 109 years
Another 1000 Maha yuga span of time is one night for Brahma and is called a Prayala.
Therefore, a Brahma day & night is 4.32 X 109 X 2 = 8.64 X 109 years
A year of Brahma is 8.64 X 109 X 365 = 3.1536 X 1012 years.
Brahma’s lifespan is 100 Brahma years is 3.1536 X 1012 X 100 = 3.1536 X 1014 years. After
which the Big Crunch occurs.
Note that 3 +1 + 5 + 3 + 6 = 18 and 1 + 8 = 9. Many Hindus in India do such calculations for
their home or car plate number and prefer it to add to 9. This is because 9 represents God since
multiplying anything with 9, even a giant number and the sum of the digits of the answer will
eventually add to 9. Meaning God is 9 and whatever you do to 9, it ends up back to 9.
Coincidentally modern-day scientists determined that the earth to be 4.54 billion years ≈ 4.32
billion years which is the Hindus scriptures’ span of time since the beginning of the last Kalpa
since we are currently living on the 1st day and 1st month of the 51st year of Brahman’s 100
Brahman year lifespan.
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Therefore, the last Big Bang happened 3.1536 X 1014 X 51/100 = 1.608336 X 1014 years
ago or 160833.6 billion years ago and not 13.8 billion years ago as our scientist has currently
determined. Coincidentally 1+6+0+8+3+3+6 = 27 and 2 + 7 = 9.
There are four types of pralayas, namely, nitya prayala, naimittika prayala, praktika prayala
and atyanti pralaya. Nitya prayala is when you go to sleep and the world you know of
disappears. Only when you wake up, you remember everything. Next is naimittka pralaya
when Brahman wakes up from his night, the end of his sleep. This starts with the Big Bang.
Next is prakrtika prayala when Brahman ends his day, the end of his wakeful state. This is
the Big Crunch which Stephen Hawking talked about. Next is atyantika prayala when you
realize divinity, and everything disappears, when your world crashes to nothing because you
have become God.
In each of the 4.32 billion years, there are 14 Manus. A Manu is a beginning being who starts
one set of creations which could be human beings or others [1]. The last Manu that is
acknowledged by Christians and Muslims to be Adam.
Changes occur in the thought processes of beings of the world through the four sections of the
4.32 million years which are Sathya, Treta, Dwapara and Kali yugas. For the first period of
1.44 million years or the Sathya yuga, beings of the world are in full consciousness. Beings get
less conscious over the next three yugas, as if getting gradually more and more drunk with
desires. An analogy is a table with four legs. In the Sathya yuga all four legs of their
consciousness are present. In the Treta yuga, the table of consciousness stands on three legs
and in the Dwapara yuga the table of consciousness stands on two legs and, in the Kali yuga
the table of consciousness stands on only one leg. Thus, beings are more realized at the first of
the four yugas and less realized towards the fourth yuga which is of 4.32 million human years
[1].
This explains why during the Kali Yuga; many cruel humans overlook the future consequences
of their actions either in this life or in future lives. The stories illustrated in this book indicate
how pure and superior in intelligence as well as physical might, human beings were in previous
yugas when they had more than “one leg” of consciousness.
However, of the four yugas, the Kali yuga is far more congenial than the previous three (Sathya,
Treta, and Dwapara) for the acquisition of wisdom and the cultivation of discrimination
because humans have many simple paths for liberating themselves. In the Kali yuga, the
simplest spiritual activity of all can be used, which is always reciting the name of God or by
always thinking of his glory. But some who read about the Kali yuga are scared because they
believe the ultimate disarray will occur (like the movie 2012) and others call it the age of
conflict. But through this apparent mess, there will be a few heroes among humans who can
learn the difference between right and wrong. The Kali yuga was stopped on 10/23/2015, 12:15
by direct divine intervention and the current yuga is Sathya yuga.
A human soul disappears during the Brahman night and reappears again during the Brahman
day. Just as we disappear during a dream and appear back when we wake up. For example, a
person named John knows his name, knows how his body looks. But as he sleeps and dreams,
he forgets that his name is John, does not remember his body form, his home, family,
community, country, earth and its surroundings. When he wakes up, he remembers everything.
But in the dream as well as in the wakeful state only one thing remains true and that is his
consciousness; how he behaves in both states are the real him. For example, this author has
been reminding himself that he is God since 2011; everything was created by God therefore
20
everything is God and the realization that we are God is the final achievement of a human
being. Because of that long practice of reminding himself that he is God, even in one of his
dreams, he was telling someone else that he is God.
The soul must continue to be reborn till it becomes Brahman, and this must happen right
through Brahman’s day and night. When you attain Brahman in this earth’s daytime you are
called Jivamukti and when you attain Brahman upon death you will be called Videhamukti.
Jivamukti is superior to Videhamukti.
There are 14 lokas, starting from the top they are named: 1) Brahma 2) Tapah 3) Janah 4)
Mahah 5) Suvah 6) Bhuvah 7) Bhuh (EARTH), 8) Atala, 9) Vitala, 10) Sutala 11) Talatala,
12) Rasatala 13) Mahatala 14) Patala-loka.
If a human passes away in the daytime, they will generally go to the higher lokas and if they
die at night, they will go to the lower lokas. Of course, this cannot be artificially induced like
remaining on a ventilator till the appropriate time. But if a human did great deeds and ended
up in the Brahma loka, they must come back upon finishing their merits. Non-earth lokas are
just rest time, the real exam is here on earth. In non-earth lokas, they may enjoy various things
like dancers (Apsaras), food and music. The higher lokas are generally preferred by people to
attain. But the time you spend in any of these lokas are limited. One of the greatest learned
scholars was a child named Nachiketa who told Yama (God of death) he is not interested in his
offer to him of living in Svargaloka (Suvah loka or a heavenly place where one can enjoy
pleasures for a specific period) enjoying dance, music and pleasures for 1000 years because it
has to end. Nachiketa was only interested in being a Jivamukti. It is possible that in the
Abrahamic books, heaven is referring to this place. But the books mention living there forever
because the typical period of living there is in thousands of years.
For those praying and loving a God form there are subset lokas. Praying to Vishnu will take
you to Vishnu loka, praying to Rama will take you to Saketa loka, praying to Krishna will take
you to Brindavan loka, praying to Brahma will take you to Brahma loka, praying to Shiva will
take you to Kailasa loka and so forth. But the time a human can spend in these lokas are limited
according to the merits accumulated while on earth. The Jyanis do not care for any of these
lokas, they just focus on how to become God themselves.
Humans must know the real goal of life is always thinking of God as we perform duties. We
should realize the value of this attitude and not be like a monkey which is holding a valuable
diamond; you throw a stone at it, and it will throw the diamond back to you.
3.1 THE CYCLE OF BIRTH OF DEATH
Upon dying, a being will go to the universe of light (heaven) and enjoy the merits of activities
one performed while on earth. Or he/she may suffer in hell which is deep below earth as well
as a portion of the universe of light.
As an example of the weightage of punishment for crimes, there is a case in the scriptures of a
man who told only one lie in his life. He was sent to hell for one hour before proceeding to
heaven. His story comes in Chapter 11.
A great boon for a human is to be born again in a family which inculcates spiritual energies.
One must avoid the draining of energies and one of the biggest drains of energies is sexual
energy. To illustrate this, Vishwamitra was a great sage with so much spiritual power that he
created another universe. Prior to being a sage, he was a great king who got defeated by a great
21
sage named Vasista. From this, he realized spiritual pursuits are far superior to military
capabilities. Vishwamitra then started delving deeply into spirituality and achieved the
capability to even create a new universe which led to Indra (the king of Gods) putting a stop to
his activity. To achieve this, Indra sent an agent goddess named Menaka to seduce him, and it
actually worked, and they had a child named Shakuntala. Of course, he eventually found out
what was going on and abandoned her, refusing the emotional blackmail of the need to take
care of their child. Vishwamitra then went to the Himalayas to continue his spiritual pursuits.
And Menaka went back to heaven; secretly she was just an agent of Indra and did not have
motherly feelings for her daughter, Shakuntala. Shakuntala was brought up by Sage Kanva in
his ashram. She later married king Dushyanta and their child, Bharata expanded the Indian
empire to the furthest extent in history, spanning from Europe to all of Asia. The Sanskrit name
of India is Bharata, named after that emperor of India.
A common span of time a person spends in heaven is 10,000 years. After spending this time in
heaven, the person will come back to earth (rebirth) as a being in accordance with the merit
accumulated in the past lives. It is common for a man to come back as a woman or vice versa.
But it is very rare for a human to come back as an animal other than a human unless they lived
an extremely cruel or adharmic (not according to your calling or unrighteous) life.
To be born as a human is a very great achievement in the universal scheme of things. Even
very cruel humans generally come back as human but with numerous medical or social
problems. Here on earth, he or she will try again to achieve the goal of self-realization that we
have always been God. It may take millions of births but reaching this goal must eventually
occur.
Why then do we not have the memory of our past lives? Some people do have memories of
their past lives. There have been many recorded cases of people all over the world remembering
a previous life. Some young children, for example, can go to a strange home and tell the family
things which only members of that family know. Highly evolved beings have full memories of
their past lives. But for most of us, this amnesia is very useful. If a person was a great murderer
in one life, he would have filled his mind with all the tactics of being cruel. Even as a baby he
will have memories of murderous tactics and will not be able to turn over a new leaf.
There is a growing realization among top scientists that the universe is more a thought process,
which manifests itself as the physical world rather than a physical universe on its own.
Everything started with the Big Bang, so everything is God; the difference lay only in the
varying degree of consciousness that we are God. A human being is God as much as a cow, a
bird, or a stone. A human being breathes 21600 times a day making the sound, “so ham” which
means, “I am That” in Sanskrit. Thus, we tell ourselves we are God 21600 times over every 24
hours.
Realizing this unity of all creation is a will of God. This author experienced his hockey team,
which was the most multiracial in his city, always coming out as champions; therefore, God
favours those who promotes unity in diversity. Then there is the multiracial USA being the
largest economy on earth. Unity in diversity is divine which pushes away sorrow. The verse in
the Bhagavad Gita which indicates this is that God will take care of the needs of those who see
divinity in everyone and everything. Therefore, if we see divinity in all the different races of
people and all the variations seen on earth, we will be specially taken care of by God.
The world is always changing depending on time, space, and circumstances. The early human
thinkers were not satisfied with the temporariness all around. They wanted to be happy. The
22
objects of the senses were all temporary. Say you liked some dish but after consuming it, the
happiness leaves you. Like a child who is given ice cream. For the first cup he will be very
desirous of it and will be even happier to get a second cup and a third cup and a fourth cup. But
by the fifth cup, he must be persuaded to eat it, and he will totally refuse to eat the sixth cup.
The happiness and desire to consume ice cream which was so high before the first cup and even
higher before the second cup has disappeared. This is the same boy and the same ice cream,
but the desire has disappeared. This is the same for all objects of desire like wealth, fame, name,
and progeny. By increasing it beyond a certain limit, there is no further happiness. Humans
were not getting permanent happiness; every joy was temporary. The early thinkers realized
this. Of course, there are also humans who keep hankering after the material source of joy till
they destroy themselves, like drug addicts. Their desires are like a fire burning a pile of wood,
they keep satisfying the fire with more wood (more drugs) till the fire consumes them. Some
justify getting into desires (like intoxicating drugs) to eventually get rid of that desire, but the
truth is that indulging in it can consume the person.
The early thinkers then thought the forces of nature must be the source of power to which they
can turn to get answers in their quest to get permanent happiness. So, they prayed to the wind,
oceans, rivers, mountains, earth, and lightning. These forces became their Gods. They gave
reverential names to them and started worshiping them as Gods. But eventually they realized
all these forces have connections to each other. Man, for example, came from the five elements
(earth, water, fire, wind, and ether) and will eventually merge back into them. The early
thinkers then realized that there is an underlying unity in the existence we see.
For example, electricity may power a light bulb to give light, a fan to provide wind, an oven to
produce heat or an air-conditioner to produce cool breeze. But the underlying electricity in the
wire is the same. These seekers of old analyzed this way and cannot find the divinity outside,
due to a lack of guidance. For example, Isaac Newton pondered about the apple dropping.
Everyone knows that an apple will fall from a tree, but Isaac decided to ponder on why it
happens. He called it gravity (he shifted the meaning of an existing word). This unbiased
questioning is critical in science as well as spirituality. But Isaac’s quest was external which
led to his mental problems later in life. The moment a human question who he/she is, they start
their spiritual journey. These ancient seekers were trying to find the basis for everything and
finally realized the answer was not outside. They started with concentration like observing the
apple falling, then they began to contemplate and finally began meditating.
They finally realized that there is tremendous intelligence in everything in the world. So, the
basis for everything must also be extremely intelligent. This super intelligent being is managing
things, bringing about things and taking it back. Finally, they decided to look within themselves
and were so happy to find all the answers.
The source of everything has three characteristics, which are truth, auspiciousness (intelligent
and always seeking to do good without self-interest) and beauty (Sat, Chit, Anadam in
Sanskrit). Most of these successful seekers were so happy to find the answers and just kept it
to themselves as it was difficult to communicate such ideas in human languages to others.
But a few decided to code it, and this became the Vedas. So, the Vedas is not one book or
written by one person, it is a whole array of knowledge attained by these seekers over thousands
of years who all reached almost the same understanding themselves via self-inquiry.
Some later seekers decided to write a compendium of all the previous discoveries. It is like the
ever-growing knowledge of physics, chemistry, and biology of today. Some ideas are being
23
debunked over time. But to disregard all those intelligent thoughts and solutions which were
discovered by these great seekers is like throwing away all the research found by modern
scientists in physics, chemistry, or biology because some scientific facts have been proven
wrong over time. Humans have engaged in such crazy activities like book burning. For example
the burning of the Nalanda university which had a huge library where the books took three
months to completely burn.
One seeker named Veda Vyasa decided to compile all this knowledge based on the inputs given
by other seekers. He categorized it into four categories. Vedanta (the realization that we are
God ourselves) is a deeper experience within all these truths and is contained in the Upanishads.
Sanatana Dharma came out of this, and Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism are
offshoots of Sanatana Dharma. This is just like different schools having different dress codes
and some unique cultures for students, but the knowledge acquired is the same.
The Vedas are inside of everything, from a stone to animals to humans. The stone is not able
to consciously understand it, the animals are better at realizing it and humans have the greatest
ability to be conscious of it.
The Vedas are the full knowledge of everything, ranging from the rudimentary knowledge of
basic living and relationship with others, to science, including the ultimate knowledge, which
is that we ourselves are the all-powerful God. The earliest codification of the Vedas is the
Rigveda which is a collection of Sanskrit hymns.
As beings get more intelligent from stones to fishes, terrestrial animals, and finally to humans,
the Vedas within become increasingly liberated or less tied down by the ropes of attachment to
the material world. Among human beings also, there is a varying degree to which the Vedas
are exposed to the mind. Basically, the Vedas are tied down by ropes of material attachment to
the world in lower manifestations of God (stones, trees etc.), as the manifestations increase in
quality; the ropes of desires are cut, thereby exposing the real God within.
For very highly evolved beings, the thought process is so powerful that they can see beyond
the normal three dimensions that we normally perceive. They can travel through the fourth
dimension of time. They can create any physical objects, out of thin air, just as Brahma’s
thought created the Big Bang and the universe. They can cure people of any medical condition
as their minds cause the appropriate movements of organs within their patient’s body to achieve
the cure. Thus, their minds can replace all the complex instruments and procedures of a typical
hospital operation. They can get things to move, replacing the multi-million lines of software,
electrical wiring and mechanical fabrication engineers normally perform to achieve the same
result.
These feats are possible due to the knowledge they gained through meditation and penances
which had cut specific ropes of desires which previously tied down the Vedas within them.
Note that the penances recommended for achieving this state vary in different yugas as below:
For the Sathya yuga – meditation.
For the Treta yuga - mantras (or a particular string of words pronounced correctly,
to unleash power).
For the Dwapara yuga - ritualistic worship of God.
For the Kali yuga (current age) - the repetition of the names of God.
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3.2 THE AVATARS
The earth is the most special place in the entire universe. It is an incredible coincidence that
enabled life, the perfect distance of the earth from the sun, the magnetic force shield, the
formation of the moon, the oxygenation of the atmosphere by cyanobacteria. It is the only place
in the entire universe where beings can change their destiny from a lowly evolved soul to a
highly evolved soul.
There are life-forms on other planets or moons of the universe wherever temperature, e-m
radiation and other environmental factors fall within a certain range, but it is only on earth
where a change of spiritual destiny can happen. To understand this, just go to a very advanced
city and you will feel like a machine and less human. Similarly, beings on other planets may
be advanced but lack human spirituality. Even Gods need to come to earth to increase their
spiritual levels.
To ensure beings of earth do not stray from the right path, highly evolved beings have come
down to earth as guides. During each of the 1000 four-cycles-of-yugas, beings of the earth have
contact with these highly evolved beings for the number of times listed below:
800 for the Sathya yuga
600 for the Treta yuga
400 for the Dwapara yuga
200 for the Kali yuga
Top spiritual leaders of the world are among 200 highly evolved spiritual beings that came
during the Kali yuga. So, who is the Almighty God? God in the full form (the Avatar) has come
down only ten times. The infinite, indescribable and indefinable God is called by various names
in different languages. He split himself into three, namely:
1) Brahma (the creator)
2) Vishnu (the preserver)
3) Shiva (the destroyer)
The infinite aspect of God as Vishnu has incarnated nine times, and the infinite Shiva aspect
has incarnated as the tenth incarnation to guide beings on earth whenever they go astray.
Vishnu came down in bodies according to the needs of the time, following Darwin's theory of
evolution. The first form of God was that of a fish, then as animals gradually began to move to
the lands, God incarnated as a tortoise. Later as tortoises evolved into pigs which began to
populate the lush vegetation filled surface of the earth, God incarnated as a pig to eat the
flattened fruits that fell from 300-400 feet tall trees with their flat mouths. Later as all animals
of the forest evolved, God then came as a half-man-half lion creature, to bring about stability
in the jungles. Even later, Homo floresiensis like humans or three-feet-tall humans evolved out
of chimpanzees or Bonobos, which required God to come as a three-feet-tall human, the oldest
hominid ancestor to human beings. Then God came as a 23 feet tall human when humans had
lots of nutritious food due to their invention of farming in the highly nutritious land which was
recently volcanic. The next incarnation was 13 feet tall as the fertility of the earth’s soil
depleted. God will take the form of the main beings of the earth to be relatable by the majority;
that is the only way they will accept him as a teacher or guide. This explains why some of the
ancient structures (ancient Hindu temples, Cambodian temples, and pyramids) were made with
huge stones as bricks; it is not logical that humans of our size will choose bricks of those sizes.
Thenceforth God incarnated as human beings of reducing heights as the fertility of the soil was
further depleted.
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3.3 GOD IN THE BIG SCHEME OF THINGS
When the last Big Bang made the e-m AUM sound, truth emerged from the AUM and moved
at an incredible speed. This formed the universe of truth. Next came the initial bright flash
which moved at the speed of light. This light became the heavens which are in the universe of
light. In the heavens, the particles are light photons. Then only came the denser atoms; initially
mostly as gas, especially H2 which later turned into other heavier atoms. The heavier atoms
formed from the high pressure and temperature at the center of planets or stars. In a blender,
one can observe that heavier particles move to the outside. Similarly in the formation of the
earth heavier particles initially moved through the initial gaseous and later liquid earth to the
outside. Later the earth gained enough mass and gravity (gravity is proportional to mass) which
exceeded the centrifugal force. Thus, there was a “tug of war” between centrifugal force and
gravity which was won by gravity. This caused heavier particles to move to the center. Here
light atoms like hydrogen and others coalesce to form heavier atoms; eventually forming all
the atoms at the bottom of the Periodic Table.
A single human being has a mind which has a memory capacity so humongous that the whole
computer storage of earth today will look like a virus by comparison. Most humans only
remember what they did in this life as explained previously in “The cycle of birth and death,”
but within the human mind are stored memories from all the millions of lives they have lived
through. In dreams we remember or even relive our past lives. Of course, we also create
dreams; for example, we could be bashing up our bosses in our dreams because during the day,
they have been bad bosses. Opening our memories, including that of past lives, have been
successfully done with hypnosis techniques by experts.
One scientist and medical doctor, Dr Allan Somersall stated that a single human cell is more
advanced than all the scientific discoveries and inventions humans have come up with so far.
A single strand of DNA can store information of the growing characteristics of every, of the
six trillion cells in an adult human being; a human body also has 380 trillion viruses and 60
trillion bacteria. The Hindu scriptures state that the human body renews all cells every seven
days. Current day scientists state that this is true of only the skin and gut cells but not the blood
or muscle cells which can last for months.
Results from the Human Genome Project have shown that there are 3.1 billion base pairs within
23 pairs of chromosomes (22 autosomes and the X and the Y sex chromosomes). These DNA
codes contain information stored in a very advanced algorithm, compared to the 0,1 binary
system that we use in computers today. And all this information is stored in a tiny strand of
DNA within an invisible human cell. Basically, we are light years away from achieving the
technological levels of the human body.
Of those three billion base pairs, only a tiny amount is unique to us, making us about 99.8 %
genetically like the next human. A physicist, Riccardo Sabatini stated that if human genetics is
printed it will take up 262,000 pages and only 500 of those pages are unique to any individual.
That means only 0.19% (remember it as 0.2%) of a human’s gene is different from another
human; yet humans have fought horrendous wars, and enslaved others based on this 0.2%.
Most contemporary humans think of the brutality of the Western world towards the equatorial
and tropical humans, but these brutal fights and enslavement, based on this 0.2%, have been
going on for millenniums.
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After a human being or any being dies on earth, one may travel to heaven in the universe of
light and enjoy the beauty and freedom of the huge space where one is free to wander beyond
the restricted imaginations of humans on earth.
If one’s merit is even greater, one may live for a long time in the universe of truth, enjoying an
even greater freedom of expansion of the mind to an even larger space. A human can become
as large as a galaxy enjoying unrestricted freedom in the universe of truth.
Therefore, as humans evolve spiritually, they free their minds of blocks and restrictions till
they reach their ultimate potential where there are no restrictions at all and realize they have
always been God themselves.
An analogy of how these blocks clamp down on human abilities is a young elephant which is
tied with a small rope to a piece of wood hammered into the ground. As it grows older it can
easily break the rope but believes it cannot do so and stays near the wood. Similarly, as humans
break their mental bonds, they can acquire immense power.
Humans or all other animals have blood vessels as well as complex systems of nerves but what
cannot be seen with the normal human frequency perception range is a very complex system
of energy pathways. 101 of them emerge from the heart from a thumb-sized source of life of
each human. Each of the 101 splits up to 100 channels and each of those 100 channels splits
into 72,000 channels. Out of the 101 that emerges out of the heart region, one goes to the crown
of the human head and the sages who focus on spiritual pursuits will have this energy pathway
well developed. When they pass away their lifeforce travels up this energy pathway and they
do not need to come back to earth to strive again; they have full realization that they are God.
Some do with the sole purpose of guiding the rest of humanity to God.
3.4 TRAVELING THROUGH SPACE
As mentioned in the beginning of Chapter 2, the fact that the Milky Way galaxy moves much
faster than the sun and the sun moves much faster than the earth indicates that fast moving
objects have higher mass.
The specific speed of the earth, the sun and the Milky Way are 66,000 mph, 460,000 mph and
2,000,000 mph respectively. From this data, one can observe that as the mass of these three
bodies increase from the earth, the sun to the Milky Way Galaxy, their speed increases. And
Einstein stated that mass will increase as speed increases till it reaches infinity at the speed of
light. Einstein’s equation of relativistic mass is:
𝑚𝑜
𝑚=
2
√1 − 𝑣2
𝑐
where:
• m is the relativistic mass
• 𝑚0 is the rest mass
• v is the velocity
• c is the speed of light
As the velocity approaches the speed of light, the denominator approaches 1-1= 0 and therefore
m or mass of the particle approaches infinity.
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The speed of light is 670,616,629 mph (≈ 671,000,000 mph). Since rockets have a very low
mass compared to the earth, the sun or the Milky Way, it can be predicted to fail to reach even
the nearest star (Proxima Centauri) which is the 4.24 light years away; meaning once we reach
the impossible speed of 670 million mph it will take 4.24 years to reach the next star.
Upon the Big Bang, the atoms moved at a relatively slow speed compared to what emanated
initially, which was truth and light. Atoms formed the universe of matter, which is where we
are now living. The current size of the universe of matter, with all the stars, is humongous but
the universe of light is very much bigger. Similarly, the universe of truth is very much bigger
than the universe of light. Beyond the three universes is the pure empty space which is God.
The human mind is the most incredible creation in the entire universe. It is a biological
machine, which can, in a dream, travel an incredibly huge distance to the universe of light. In
deep thought or meditation, the mind travels to an even further distance to the universe of truth.
Therefore, humans can already travel incredible distances all over the universe with the body
we have, and this can be controllable with meditation techniques. Some secret government
agencies are already utilizing these techniques to spy on other countries. Therefore, there is no
need to build rockets to make observations of the universe. Rockets should be utilized only to
help put satellites in space as an aid to mankind here on earth.
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CHAPTER 4
MATSYA
At the end of the previous day of Brahma, about 8.6 billion years ago, he was getting sleepy.
The Vedas, or the entire knowledge of the universe or in computer language, the entire
software, was flowing out of Brahma’s mouth. Hayagriva, a demon, decided to take this
opportunity to absorb all the Vedas into his mouth. Everything in the universe, prior to this
current one, was a creation of Brahma, including Hayagriva. But he was just like a bad son,
turning against his father. Or just like a robot revolting against its maker. Vishnu observed this
and decided to put a halt to his dangerous plans of ruling the universe.
There was a sage called Satyavrata (or Noah to the Christians or Muslims; for the rest of the
book, I will use the name Noah) who was very devout. He was alive during the previous day
of Brahma, in the previous universe, in the previous earth or the previous most preferred place
in that universe. The previous earth, just as the present earth was the only place in the universe
where changes to one’s fate could occur. Noah spent most of his time meditating and praying
on the previous earth.
In the universe of light or the universe of truth, we just enjoy or suffer the fruits of our good
deeds previously done on earth until God decides to push us back to earth. Here we will be
reborn as a new being, without the memory of our past lives.
Because the previous earth was a desirable place to be on, Hayagriva was on this earth and not
anywhere else in the incredibly huge universe after successfully stealing the Vedas.
Every morning Noah would stand in the river on the previous earth and take some river water
in the palm of his hands and offer it back to the river as an offering to God. This is to indicate
that nothing is ours, everything belongs to God, and we can only offer part of God to God
himself.
One morning, in the clasped palms of his hand, he noticed a fish with a small horn above its
head. This fish spoke and pleaded with him not to throw it back to the river because a bigger
fish will eat it.
So, Noah put the fish in his water container and brought it to his hermitage. The next morning,
the fish grew too large for the container. So, Noah put the fish in his big jar of drinking water.
But barely an hour after that, even that vessel was too small for the fish. So, Noah put the fish
into a large pond near the hermitage. In no time, the fish grew too large for the pond. The fish
asked the sage to put it into a deep and large lake. Through his spiritual powers, Noah carried
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the fish to several larger and larger lakes, but the fish kept growing ever larger. Finally, Noah
put the fish into the ocean.
Noah then realized that this is not an ordinary fish. He asked the fish, “Who are you? I have
never seen or heard of a wonderful creature like you. In a day, you have grown larger than the
largest lakes”. Noah then realized that the fish is Vishnu himself. The fish is named Matsya.
Noah asked forgiveness from the fish and asked him why he has come down to earth in such a
lowly form. The fish answered that in seven days the three universes will dissolve. At that time,
he will send a spacious ship. Noah was to collect all the seeds, plants, and animals, which he
felt was necessary to bring about peace in the next universe. The seven great sages should also
get into the boat. Incidentally the Bible also states that there were eight humans on this ship.
Matsya specifically instructed that Vasuki; the king of the serpents, must also be on the ship.
Matsya then set out on his mission of retrieving the Vedas from Hayagriva. The very sight of
the approaching Matsya terrified Hayagriva. Matsya soon killed Hayagriva and retrieved the
Vedas. Matsya decided to restore the Vedas back to Brahma after his long sleep of 4.3 billion
years.
Meanwhile Noah had got ready all the animals, plants, and seeds, which he felt were necessary
to bring about peace on the next earth. He also called on the seven great sages. As the ship
created by Matsya approached, all boarded it. Some of these creatures were elephants, cows,
deers, and a host of other creatures.
After defeating Hayagriva, Matsya went to the filled-up ship. Matsya instructed Vasuki, the
king of the snakes, to tie itself from the horn of his body to the hull of the ship. Matsya blessed
the creatures on the ship so that they will not die for the next few billion years of travel ahead.
As dissolution occurred, Matsya pulled the ship full of creatures, and seven sages for a period
of more than six billion years. This span of time covered the period during which Brahma slept
as well as the initial moments of the Big Bang, when volcanic and atmospheric conditions on
the new earth caused it to be inhospitable.
Matsya revealed the entire knowledge of the Vedas to the inhabitants of the ship. Of course,
the seven sages and Noah were paying the most attention. But all the creatures that listened had
a part to play in keeping the peace in the new earth.
When Brahma woke up, and the Big Bang occurred, creation started as planned. Creatures
formed after close to one billion years in the oceans. Then, Evolution occurred according to
Darwin’s theory of evolution. As cyanobacteria improved the atmospheric conditions,
vegetation that evolved in the deep oceans started to grow in the shallow waters, which had
more sunlight and is now cleared of poisonous chemicals. Later the vegetation started to creep
onto the beaches and land which had much more sunlight. Soon the land was lush with
vegetation.
Fishes that evolved in the deep oceans also started moving to the shallow waters. From the
shallow waters, they could notice the lush vegetation near the beaches. To devour this food,
they gradually evolved into land creatures and increased in number and size at a much faster
rate.
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Once the cyanobacteria produced enough oxygen for the earth’s atmosphere to be livable,
Matsya landed the boat on the higher plateaus of this new earth. The inhabitants of the boat did
not procreate much; the main population expansion was occurring in the oceans.
In the oceans of the earth, the struggle for survival was becoming intense because over time
food had become scarce. Many of the fishes were huge, and their fights caused terrible
movements of water, resulting in the death and destruction of smaller life forms. Because of
their humongous sizes, the problems of this age are equivalent to the destructive power of manmade pollution and weapons of today.
The groups of fishes scientifically known as placoderms were huge with frightening looks and
were terribly vicious. They are extinct now, but their slightly less vicious and smaller
contemporaries, the chondrichthyes, are the sharks of today.
Note that none of the creatures which evolved so far had any contact with incarnations of God.
Everyone and everything are God but without being reminded, beings will forget. Especially if
they stray too long and far into the abyss of the physical world. The terrible fights of the fishes
were so bad that it became Matsya’s mission to bring about peace in the oceans. Thus, this
became his third mission. Therefore, Matsya's missions were:
1) To retrieve the Vedas from the demon Hayagriva.
2) Save a few important creatures and sages to ensure that peace will prosper in the
new earth.
3) To subside the violence in the oceans of the newly formed earth.
Why were these the missions of Matsya? Basically, Matsya was the incarnation of Vishnu or
the preserving aspect of God. Brahma can create any creature, which can later evolve over
time. But it is Vishnu’s function to ensure preservation. Peace must be propagated, and the
selected creatures of Noah’s ship will help to ensure this. These creatures will guide the
naturally evolved creatures.
Matsya was huge and comparable to the largest fish in the oceans of those times. His size and
physical power gave him the respect of the wild creatures of the oceans. Using his multifarious
tongue, Matsya went around teaching proper ethics of behavior to all the creatures of the
oceans. They listened and adored him.
By the time he left, there was peace and calm in the oceans. Killing each other for food was
happening in a controlled manner. There was no more killing out of ego, pride, or sheer cruelty.
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CHAPTER 5
KURMA
The poisonous air of earth’s atmosphere has been replaced with hospitable, oxygen-filled-air
created by the cyanobacteria of the oceans. Plants grew rapidly on the lands, and in a short
while it was thickly forested.
Fishes began to thrive on the vegetation filled shallow waters of the oceans. One brave fish
began to venture onto the beaches to get trickles of food (grasses and plants), from the edges
of beaches, where the forest ends. That fish’s child evolved a better body structure to enable
venturing further into the lands. Over millions of years the descendants of this family of fishes
developed legs and the ability to survive out of water to a greater and greater extent. The hot
beaches were too much for them, so they eventually evolved shells to protect their backs and
bottom. They finally became tortoises, the first creatures on the land.
The animals brought in by Noah, just arrived and were placed on the higher plateaus because
Vishnu knew there would be a terrible flood, a few million years later. These “civilized”
animals were in small numbers and did not procreate as fast as the growth of the tortoise family.
One can easily observe that highly educated people generally do not procreate as fast as others.
On the other hand, the tortoises had a fun life surrounded by abundant food. They could swim
over the oceans and reach any beach in the world to eat and procreate without any fear because
their predators have not evolved yet. Comparatively the oceans had little sunlight even in the
shallow regions plus the waves of the oceans made it hard for plants to grow. But the fish
population accumulated in these shallow waters. Comparatively on the beaches, there was a
stable condition for plant growth which was food for the tortoises. The tortoises were also
mobile through the oceans, so they propagated to a huge number in a short time. They
eventually became the dominant population of the earth.
Over time, as food became scarce on the beaches, the tortoise began roaming further and further
inland for food. Just as for all forms of evolution, it took one brave tortoise to move away from
the sea and start eating leaves from plants which were deeper inland. Ancient trees were just
evolving the ability to grow tall and as they grew taller, tortoises which ate them also became
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bigger. As the trees grew taller, this family of tortoises gradually increased in size over millions
of years until they became enormous. They had lots of food (plants and trees) and an absence
of any predators. Smaller tortoises continued to live on the beaches and their descendants are
what we see today. But by the time of the arrival of Kurma (God incarnated as a tortoise), this
particular family of huge tortoises were huge as mountains and became a danger to earth. Fights
occurred among them causing pain to Mother Earth. A fight between two mountainous tortoises
will cause damage that is not much different from the damage caused by today’s pollution and
destructive weapons. It is because of this that God had to come as a mountainous tortoise, to
bring about peace to earth.
Kurma roamed the earth teaching the large and small tortoises’ correct behavior and counseling
them for a lengthy period. He taught them to keep away their ego, which was the main cause
of the hostilities. After some time, the tortoises were not fighting anymore. To this day, the
tortoises seem like the humblest creatures.
Just as the huge dinosaurs were more susceptible to major disasters such as the Ice Age, the
huge tortoises eventually became extinct, which is why we see only smaller tortoises today.
The Hindu view is that dinosaurs became extinct because of the Ice Age and not falling meteors
as the movie, “Dinosaur” depicts. God just decided that the age of dinosaurs was over, they
had lived out their lives and it was time for new beings to thrive on earth.
There was another problem occurring. Indra was the King of the inhabitants of the heavens (the
universe of light). The Devas descended from the sages on Noah’s ship, but due to their spiritual
powers, they lived in the heavens and ruled it.
Another descendant from the sages in Noah’s ship, Sage Durvasa was roaming the earth.
Through his spiritual practices, he became extremely powerful. One day, as he was walking on
earth, he saw a beautiful lady from heaven flying in the air near him. She was carrying a
beautiful garland of heavenly flowers. The perfume from the flowers was so strong that he
requested the lady to give him the garland. The lady said, “You can surely have it, because you
are worthy of it”. Sage Durvasa took the garland and walked on.
At that time, Indra happened to be moving with a small entourage on earth, and their paths
crossed with Sage Durvasa’s. Indra was mounted on the celestial elephant. Sage Durvasa
stopped Indra and asked him to accept the garland as a gift. Indra accepted it, but in an
irreverent manner, placed it on his elephant’s head. The elephant, being intoxicated by the
flower’s fragrance, immediately pulled it down to the ground with its trunk.
Sage Durvasa was very angry with this disrespect for his gift. He cursed Indra that his power
as a ruler would also crumble to the ground, just as the flowers of the garland crumbled to the
ground.
Indra asked for forgiveness, but Sage Durvasa said, he is by nature not a compassionate person
and will not forgive Indra. As Indra lost his power, the Gods of the sun, earth, fire, water, and
others also lost their power. Thus, the earth was reeling in trouble.
The Asuras also descended from sages of Noah’s ship and had already had lots of fights with
the Devas. Though the Asuras were descendants of the great sages of Noah’s ship, they have
decided to take to sensual paths. Even in modern times there are recorded events of normal
humans who went too far out of their natural divinity and acquired powers of Asuras. They
could change their forms and can cause harm to humans who are less divinely inspired but
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usually stay away from pious people or places of worship. Only those who think worldly power
is great think they have anything of value, great strength or power to harm others are not valued
by the spiritually inclined; the goodness is what prompts them, but if attacked, they will depict
even more power than the bad people and have luck on their side. But Asuras can change their
ways and revert to being Devas.
The Asuras noticed the weakness of Indra and the Devas and decided to attack, causing many
Devas to fall and those who survived, fled. They did not stop fleeing till they reached the
regions of Brahma. Brahma was at that time in his earthly home, at the top of Mount Meru,
which is located in current day state of Uttarakhand, India. Note that the earth is the most
desirable place to be living in the entire universe because it is the only place where a change in
one’s “spiritual bank” can be made. Therefore, even the Gods sometimes take up residences on
earth.
The Devas begged Brahma to release them from the curse of Sage Durvasa. He meditated for
some time and decided to ask Vishnu for help. Brahma led the Devas to the abode of Vishnu,
named Vaikuntha.
Vishnu advised them to stop the war and make peace with the Asuras for the moment. He also
advised them to negotiate with the Asuras to participate in a scheme to churn the ocean to
derive the nectar of immortality from it.
The Devas were concerned that once they got the nectar of immortality, the Asuras will take it
all for themselves. But Vishnu said this will not happen because he will intervene when the
nectar finally comes out.
The Devas set out on their dangerous mission of inviting the Asuras to join in this scheme.
They went without their weapons to the kingdom of the Asuras. The leader of the Asuras, King
Bali listened to this scheme and examined the plan that the Devas drew up. The Asuras agreed
to participate in this venture, but of course with an intention of keeping all the nectar once it
comes out. They figured that the manpower of the Devas was necessary to get the job done.
At the site, there was a discussion on what will be the churning rod. Vishnu had already told
the Devas to use Mount Mandara as the churning rod. The Devas informed the Asuras about
this idea.
The mighty Asuras and Devas started uprooting the mountain. Together they carried it with
their sheer determination and strength. But after carrying the mountain for a distance, one of
the Devas felt too tired and began crying out in pain that he cannot continue. This started a
chain reaction of Devas and Asuras having insufficient determination to continue lifting the
huge mountain. The mountain came crushing on all the Devas and Asuras below it. All of them
except those at the edges of the mountain’s bottom survived.
After this tragedy, Vishnu came on top of Garuda. Garuda is the king of eagles who decided to
be the perpetual vehicle of Vishnu. A glance by Vishnu revived all the dead Devas and Asuras.
Vishnu effortlessly lifted the mountain with one hand and placed it on the back of Garuda.
Vishnu also mounted Garuda and instructed Garuda to move Mount Mandara to the ocean.
The Devas and Asuras then went to meet Vasuki, the king of snakes. They asked him to be the
rope, which is to be wound around Mount Mandara so that it can be used to churn the ocean.
Initially the Devas proceeded towards the head of Vasuki to begin pulling. The Asuras in their
34
envy stopped them and insisted that they wanted to pull the head. So, the Devas went to pull
the tail. But without anything below the mount Mandara, it got loose of the Vasuki-rope and
started falling into the ocean.
Kurma came to the rescue; he swam below the mountain to raise it up again. Thenceforth the
churning was done with the mountain placed on top of Kurma’s shell.
As the churning resumed faster and faster, the poison from Vasuki’s mouth spilled out, killing
many of the Asuras nearby. Vishnu created a cool rain, which fell on the Asuras and Devas to
calm the effects of the poison.
But upon further churning, the plants and creatures of the oceans turned into a powerful poison.
There was a danger that this poison would kill all the creatures of the earth.
They cried to Shiva for help. Shiva, the God of destruction, is the one who determines who is
supposed to die. It was not in his plan for all creatures on earth to die yet. So, he came down to
drink up all the poison. Parvati (Shiva’s wife) squeezed Shiva’s neck to stop the poison going
into the rest of his body. The poison was so powerful that Shiva’s neck is colored blue to this
day. The Devas and Asuras thanked Shiva profusely and continued with their venture.
Things started coming out from the process of churning. First the divine cow, Uchchhaishrava
came out, then a horse colored like the moon came out, and then a few beautiful heavenly ladies
came out, next came a heavenly tree, and then came Varuni, the Goddess of wine. After further
churning the most beautiful Goddess, Lakshmi came out, holding the breath of both the Asuras
and Devas. She paced around the crowd and finally chose Vishnu as her husband.
Thus, this activity of the Devas and Asuras, in addition to satisfying their own aims also created
the wife of Vishnu. Lakshmi became the Goddess of wealth.
As the churning continued, finally, the nectar of immortality appeared in a jar, carried by a
man. The Asuras rushed to grab the nectar from the man. The Devas consequently rushed to
Vishnu to complain. Vishnu turned into the most beautiful lady the universe has ever seen,
Mohini.
The Asuras were already fighting among themselves for the jar of nectar. They stopped their
fight, as they observed Mohini’s breathtaking beauty. Everyone was asking for her hand in
marriage. In their earnestness, they wanted her to distribute the nectar to all, as this will solve
their quarrels among themselves for the jar. She initially told them this is not a good idea, but
the Asuras insisted on this. She complied and started pouring the nectar to the cups of the Devas
as she kept her glance and charm on the Asuras.
After most of the Devas have drunk this nectar, one of the Asuras, named Rahu, became
suspicious. He changed his form into a deva and moved to the row of the Devas. He got his
cup filled and started drinking the cup of nectar. But before the nectar could reach his body,
Mohini changed back into Vishnu and used a discus to chop off Rahu’s head. The head went
flying up to outer space. But this head of Rahu has got immortality. Today Rahu is not a planet
because its body was cut out. It is a particular point where the sun’s orbit intersects the moon’s
orbit, according to Indian astrology. The Rahu period is greatly feared because of the troubles
it gives to people.
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Two prime gods, Vishnu and Shiva were at this site and Vishnu turned into Mohini, the most
beautiful woman possible. Apparently, Shiva did marry Mohini and the child out of that
marriage is Ayyappan who is one of the main Gods prayed to in the state of Kerala, India.
A war ensued between the Asuras and Devas, which of course went in favor of the Devas who
had drunk the nectar of immortality. After a long fight, Brahma asked the Devas to stop the
fight. Brahma did not want to finish off the Asuras. Maybe that is his plan, so he can watch a
better 3D movie; how can it be a good movie without the villains. God created this entire
universe to be able to love himself. He separated himself from himself to be able to love
himself. So, love is a primary objective of this entire universe and God responds best through
love.
There must be a reason why Vishnu wants the Devas to drink the nectar of immortality at this
point. The earth was still volatile; volcanoes and earthquakes occurred frequently; the air was
still a little sulphuric. Vishnu decided to stabilize it by giving immortality to the Devas who
control each facet of the earth. There is the Sun God who must do his job, the wind God who
must do his job, Mother Earth who must do her job and the Goddess of wealth who must do
her job. This is like a CEO of a company deciding that the hard-working staff (like the sun who
works hard every day providing us live giving sunlight) of the company is indispensable and
writing a memo to the Human Resource department that everything possible must be done to
ensure the hardworking staff does not leave, thus giving stability to the company.
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CHAPTER 6
VARAHA
While some tortoises grew to humongous sizes, there were many which remained as small
tortoises. The only food they could survive on was the grass at the edges of the forest. The trees
were very tall and dense, causing the absence of grass within the forest, except by the beaches,
where the jungle ends.
When the giant mountainous tortoise thrived, there were pathways made by them to the in-land
but as they got extinct (probably due to some asteroid or climate change), the pathways were
quickly covered with vegetation. These pathways which were made by the giant tortoise were
a source of food (bushes) for the smaller tortoises and this food supply was quickly gone. So,
the population of small tortoises could not be fed by the short vegetation on these pathways.
This became a desperate situation. As usual, desperate situations are the key to evolution; one
brave tortoise decided to venture into the jungle to eat the fallen and rotting fruits. The jungle
had trees which were about 300-400 feet tall. Therefore, there were lots of fruits which fell
from these trees and flattened after such high falls. The tortoises eventually evolved flat mouths
to eat the flattened fruits and lost their shells in the warm jungle. The jungle was dark, causing
their skin to become fair because they do not need melanin to protect themselves from the
radiation of the sun rays. Their fin-like legs evolved into hoofs, which provided them greater
agility on the ground. They did not have sweat glands, so they liked to dig and wallow in the
earth or mud to cool their bodies. This evolution of their body structure over millions of years
caused them to become pigs. As pigs, they had a glorious time because there were plenty of
fruits on the grounds of the jungles. They were also doing a valuable service to the immovable
trees of distributing their seeds to further away locations in the forest. Some of these pigs
increased in size to become giants. Since the pigs had a huge hinterland of jungles and no
predators, they became the dominant population of earth, exceeding that of tortoises.
Greed was the nature of pigs. They did not have much dignity as they ate any rotting fruits that
came their way. Of course, just like the current day pigs, they eventually also played with and
ate their own dung. Their mode of thriving was optimum and thus there was no need to mutate
to other animal forms. They thrived this way for millions of years.
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For Brahma, the whole creation is a big life movie. Watching this movie of undignified pigs
was not pleasing, so he sought Shiva’s help. Shiva caused thick clouds to gather around earth
which caused a continuous rain all over earth. The clouds also caused a greenhouse effect which
warmed up the polar ice. The resulting floods killed most of the pigs except the ones which ran
to the plateaus or mountains.
After thousands of years, Brahma decided it was time to put an end to the drowning of the
earth. Life should go back to normal, as Brahma’s movie was even worse with most of the
earth covered with water. So, Brahma asked Vishnu for help because he oversees preservation.
Vishnu turned into a wild boar, named Varaha. He grew larger and larger till he became a
humongous pig. He jumped up to the sky and moved around so wildly that the clouds
eventually dispersed and disappeared. The sun began to shine on earth again, causing water to
evaporate. As the clouds dispersed, the heat on earth escaped. This caused more ice to be
formed in the Polar Regions, causing the oceans to recede. Varaha also bored into the earth to
drain some of the ocean’s water to the mantle, creating underground rivers. Eventually more
of the earth’s surface became land again.
The few remaining land animals, which survived on the higher plateaus, began flourishing.
These animals were mostly pigs, plus some descendants of the animals from Noah’s ship.
Of course, Varaha was not going to let history repeat itself. He moved around earth educating
and counseling the pigs. As a result, the pigs of the earth were more peaceful, forgiving and a
little more dignified. They pricked their ego and started living in harmony with nature.
There was a second mission for Varaha. There was a man called Hiranyaksha, who became too
powerful for the good of the earth. He was a descendant of the few sages of Noah’s ship (like
the Devas), but his inflated ego caused a deviation from the correct path.
Over the ages many people disregard Hiranyaksha as just a bad person as we today relegate
Hitler. But there is a very strong message in Hiranyaksha’s story. Here is a man who realized
that he is God and has all the power of the universe within himself. This is the state all humans
must eventually achieve. As mentioned previously in this book, every religion agrees that
everything in the universe was created by God, but most physical atoms, animals and humans
do not have the realization and confidence that we are actually God and have all the power of
God within us. We are like big elephants being held by tiny ropes. We can easily break the
rope if we tried. But because when it was young it could not break the rope; the elephant
believes it cannot break it when it has grown big and powerful. We put various degrees of
“ropes” in our minds which limit our realization that we have all the power of the God of the
universe within us.
Hiranyaksha is a man who achieved the realization that he has infinite power within himself
which is the final state of a human’s spiritual struggle. But did not put controls on his behavior
towards others. Throughout history there are cases of such highly spiritual people having an
ego problem.
Hiranyaksha was going around looking for a worthy opponent to fight as no one has defeated
him in battle so far. He found out from the God of the ocean, Varuna, that Varaha is a suitable
opponent for him to fight. Hiranyaksha obviously knew such a worthy opponent would have
practised the believe that he is God to a high percentage level and that is the only reason he
could acquire that much power. His attempt to challenge this new opponent in combat was to
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test if he or this new opponent has a higher percentage of belief that he is God. But did not
realize this new opponent is 100% believing he is God, he is Vishnu. Varaha is God himself
who incarnated to help with the direction of events in the world.
Hiranyaksha met Varaha at the bottom of the ocean, as he started digging underground rivers
to drain the ocean’s water. Varaha continued his task of digging unconcerned with the
approaching Hiranyaksha. Hiranyaksha thought that the soil that Varaha was throwing behind,
right at him was an act of battle, so he smashed each throw of soil with his mace with the vigor
he normally possesses during a battle. This smashed soil thus formed a solid wall for the tunnel
Varaha was digging. This story indicates that each act by anyone or anything is guided by God.
Even the violent intentions of Hiranyaksha were useful for the planet. Note that geologists
today cannot explain how the underground rivers were formed.
Once Varaha determined that there were enough underground rivers to sufficiently drain the
water of the ocean, he stopped digging and faced Hiranyaksha. In the ensuing battle, Varaha
easily overpowered Hiranyaksha.
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CHAPTER 7
NARASIMHA
Millions of years later, various animals evolved. Note that in the previous story, most of the
earth was flooded and therefore numerous pigs were suddenly packed in small areas on top of
mountains. Their livelihood suddenly changed from opulence to scarcity. Desperation had set
in. Desperate pigs had to find other means to feed themselves and therefore eventually evolved
into other animals with the guidance of the animals of Noah’s ship who were also packed on
top of the same mountain ranges.
Desperation is the mother of invention. Most animals evolved from the tortoises or pigs. Pigs
were a successful species for a very long time because there were plenty of rotting fruits in the
huge jungle all over earth for them to consume with their flattened mouths. Their hinterland
was much richer and larger than the beaches of the tortoises which surrounded only one mass
of land, the supercontinent called Pangaea. The current day continents have not split off from
it. The fishes of the oceans could not reach such numbers due to the low sunlight levels in the
oceans and therefore low vegetation levels.
One pig decided that it needed to climb a tall slanting fruit tree instead of waiting for the fruits
to fall. This was a huge struggle over many years for this pig, but it was a struggle to stay alive.
That critical decision to stray from convention forever changed the history of its family.
Eventually the descendants of this pig evolved into monkeys and later into humans.
Another pig started eating grass as a last resort renegade diet; there was no choice. The
descendants of this pig became cows and other herbivores.
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Another pig became an outlaw; it broke the final honorable barrier within its mind. It had to
commit murder and kill another pig for food, becoming a cannibal. The descendants of this pig
evolved into lions and other carnivores. Eventually the jungles were full of animals. A variety
of dinosaurs, and other creatures roamed the earth.
All these evolutions were guided by the animals of the ship which themselves did not procreate
much. The humans of the ship became the Gods (both the Devas and the Asuras).
Over-time, great violence occurred on earth, as the animals disregarded noble virtues and
turned their lives into a simple game of killing or being killed. Morality was lost, and Mother
Earth was pained again. No more was killing justified in their minds as just to feed their belly
but to satisfy their ego that they are the most powerful creature around. One great sage stated
that God will not see who you are, what you are or where you came from on earth. God
examines the motivation in your mind for all your actions and gives marks for them. The
motivations of some of the worst of these animals have gone from reasonable to out of control
ego.
There were furious battles going on in the jungles. Animals with lots of muscles, claws,
powerful jaws, and sharp fangs were fighting it out to be the leader to whom all animals will
have obedience to. Narashimha’s peculiar skill set which was a top half being lion and bottom
half being human was superior to any fighting skills of the animals of the jungle, thereby being
acknowledged by all to be the king. Being the king, he could bring about righteousness among
all beings of the time.
In all this turmoil, God incarnated as Narasimha. Nara means man and Simha means lion.
Narasimha had a terrifying form, with an upper half body of a lion and a lower half as a man.
Narasimha roamed the earth, teaching all the animals the primal truths. He brought about peace
among the animals, and installed the lion, with its stature and mane, as the king of the jungle.
Killing for the sake of satisfying ego ended and the motivations for actions of killing henceforth
was only for satisfying their hunger.
Another problem was brewing at that time. Hiranyaksha’s brother, Hiranyakashipu, was the
king, living in the southern Indian state of Kerala, India. Hiranyakashipu, like his brother, was
a descendant of the sages originally brought in by Noah. Therefore, he could live for so many
millions of years. The original sages were granted life spans of billions of years and their
descendants lived gradually decreasing life spans.
Hiranyakashipu always held a grudge on Vishnu for killing his brother, Hiranyaksha. He
wanted to subdue or kill Vishnu himself. He wanted to be as fully God as possible such that he
could match God himself. Such an intelligent person as Hiranyakashipu would have obviously
known he cannot take on the ultimate God split into three (Vishnu). Therefore, his obvious
objective was to fully realize he is God by making Vishnu kill him; this is one method written
in the ancient shastras. Hiranyakashipu’s story is the third attempt by a created being to attempt
to kill the creator himself. The first to attempt this was Hayagriva of the Matsya story and the
second was his brother, Hiranyaksha.
Most of us have read or seen movies of robots created by man conquering and subduing
humans. The stories of these three men are proof that it is not possible to be greater than the
creator himself.
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Hiranyakashipu like his older brother Hiranyaksha are people with supreme confidence that
they have all the power of God within themselves (just as all of us actually have). The Devas
have got immortality in the Kurma story, so the Asuras were losing in their regular battles, and
he knew to overcome this situation he has to overcome the root of this problem which is Vishnu.
But he knew that the power he needed to kill Vishnu was immense, so sending his men to attack
all those who worshiped Vishnu, he went to the top of a mountain to perform severe penances
to obtain a boon from Brahma. For Brahma, there are no good or bad people, all are his creation,
all important to his big life movie, which he enjoys.
Hiranyakashipu stood on one leg and meditated with steadfast one-pointed attention on
Brahma. He continued this severe penance for a couple of years till ants made his body their
home and built ant hills all over his body. After a while his determination and concentration
grew till heat was generated. The heat increased so much that it scorched everything around
him for thousands of miles. Terrible tornadoes and tsunamis occurred in the oceans, and
earthquakes and volcanoes caused death and destruction to the people and animals.
The beings of the earth were in disarray. They prayed to the various Gods in heaven for help.
The Gods (Devas) were caught in a dilemma. If they approach Brahma, he will solve the
problems by giving Hiranyakashipu what he wishes for. But if the Devas don’t approach
Brahma for help, everyone on earth will die. They eventually approached Brahma as the
conditions on earth got too bad for the survival of beings.
Brahma approached Hiranyakashipu and reverted him to the premeditation times. Brahma told
him that whatever boon he seeks will be given. Hiranyakashipu said, “I want to be
immortal.” Brahma said, “That is not possible because birth comes with
death.” Hiranyakashipu was feeling dejected that all his efforts were in vain but quickly
maintained his determination to acquire the ability to conquer the universe. He said, “Let not
death come to me either by man or beast, by day or by night, indoors or outdoors, on earth or
in the sky and grant me undisputed lordship over the material world.” Brahma said, “So be
it.”
When Brahma left, Hiranyakashipu was sniggering and thinking he was now effectively
invincible and could even take on Vishnu. Also, as the result of the meditation, Hiranyakashipu
became a master over the material world, becoming the greatest scientist the world has ever
known or will ever know. He fully understood the secrets of the atom. He took a research trip
to the sun and the nearest star, Gruha (Proxima Centauri). His aim of going to Gruha was to
adjust its course to favor his personal astrology, but this attempt was unsuccessful. But this
attempt caused movements of the earth and started the chain of events that led to his eventual
downfall. He was basically the ultimate powerful rich man; nobody has ever been as rich or
will ever be. So, the story of Hiranyakashipu is a story of what will happen when one has the
ultimate material power in his procession.
Filled with ego, Hiranyakashipu instructed his hordes to conquer the earth, the heavens (the
universe of light) and the nether regions. He became the king of the heavens, replacing Indra.
He decreed that everyone on earth as well as in heaven should worship only him. All the priests
including the Devas started to worship him but within their minds, they were constantly
appealing to Vishnu for help.
Hiranyakashipu was therefore the first to start monotheism, the original predecessor of the
Abrahamic faiths, with himself as God. This must be the point after which Vishnu decided to
interfere. Forcing people to pray to him will suffice for humanity; practicing this religion
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diligently, even with Hiranyakashipu as God, they will eventually reach the ultimate realization
that they themselves are God. But monotheism is bad for the world. Imagine the creator,
Brahma, watching his creation and all are praying to Hiranyakashipu. This is not an
entertaining “movie” to watch. There is no randomness in this movie; it is too predictable and
therefore boring. God likes multiplicity and variety. Imagine going to a flower garden and
seeing only one type of flower, would you want to go there?
The Devas approached Vishnu who said, “Hiranyakashipu has acquired great merit through his
penances, but when he tries to kill his own son, who is my devotee, he will be killed.”
But how did Hiranyakashipu’s own son turn out to be a Vishnu devotee? Prior to setting out
on his mission to obtain boon from Brahma, Hiranyakashipu instructed his men to attack all
people on earth who worshiped Vishnu. The Devas retaliated and attacked his capital city,
routing his men and eventually captured Hiranyakashipu’s pregnant wife.
Indra was transporting her to heaven when Sage Narada approached and told him that she is
innocent and is going to be a mother. Indra said he would let her go after he had slain the son
that will be born from her. But Narada informed him that this son is going to be a Vishnu
devotee. So, Indra released her to the care of Narada. Narada is famous for being the greatest
devotee of Vishnu. As he recited the greatness and adoration of Vishnu, the baby within
Hiranyakashipu’s wife (womb) absorbed all this devotion. This was how the baby, Prahlada
became a very staunch devotee of Vishnu.
As Hiranyakashipu took control of the entire three worlds, he dictated that all should worship
only him. All at least pretended to follow his edicts except his own son who insisted that Vishnu
is the supreme power. Hiranyakashipu was aghast and gave special instruction to Prahlada
Prahlada’s teacher to grind into his head that the only power in the universe is his father. The
teacher did as he was told. But, when Prahlada was a little older and brought to see his father,
he again stated that Vishnu is the greatest of all powers. Fuming with anger, Hiranyakashipu
instructed his men to slay Prahlada.
As instructed by Hiranyakashipu, his soldiers at first attempted to throw Prahlada down a
mountain but God saved him. They then tied him to a heavy weight and cast him into the ocean,
but he survived. Next, they pushed him into a pit of poisonous snakes, but the venomous snakes
decided not to bite him. The soldiers were then asked to trample Prahlada with elephants.
Prahlada never had a fear of elephants, he saw God in them and continued to chant the name
of God with all his heart (note chanting the name of God mechanically is useless, it must be
from the depth of one’s heart). Next, they threw him into the fire but he was unscratched.
Once Prahlada told his mother, Lilavati, “Mother, there is only one difference between me,
who is a devotee of Vishnu and my father, who hates Vishnu. Ever contemplating on the
nectareous sweetness of the Lord, repeating his name, and constantly remembering him, I am
immersed in the bliss of love of the Lord, like one intoxicated. My father, in his hatred of
Vishnu, has turned his heart into stone and installed him in it.”
Soon other children of the kingdom approached Prahlada to discover the source of his powers.
They decided to consider him as a guru. They sang and danced with joy to the sweet songs of
the name of Vishnu. They also armed themselves with axes to defend their leader.
Hiranyakashipu was fuming with hate at this turn of events. He summoned his son. When
Prahlada arrived, Hiranyakashipu shouted angrily at him, “Is your aim the destruction of me
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and my people”. Hiranyakashipu screeched, “The three worlds fear and respect me, but you do
not respect me, what is the source of your power?” Prahlada replied calmly, “Vishnu is the
source of his power as well as of all things in the universe.” Hiranyakashipu asked his son
Prahlada, “Where is God? You are always chanting Narayana, Narayana. Who is Narayana?”
Prahlada replied, “Man himself is Narayana. Wherever you see, you see only Narayana. He is
in me, he is in you, he is in all others.” Hiranyakashipu asked, “Is he there in this
pillar?” “Surely, he is there in it,” replied Prahlada.
Hiranyakashipu took a mace and smashed the pillar. Out of that pillar came the manifestation
of Lord Vishnu named Narasimha, big as a lion. Narasimha’s lower half was shaped as a human
being and his upper half was a lion. In the short battle that ensued, Narasimha easily
overpowered Hiranyakashipu.
To overcome Hiranyakashipu’s invincibility which he acquired through penance, Narasimha
had to overcome the conditions, so he was neither man nor beast. He manifested at a time which
was neither day nor night (it was the evening time). Narasimha picked up the still living body
and brought it to the doorstep which was neither in nor outside of the palace. Here he did not
use any weapon to make the final kill; he used his nails to tear the stomach apart.
Prahlada approached the uncontrollably angry Narasimha to try to calm him down. Narasimha
was so pleased that he picked up Vamana carefully with his clawed hands and put him on his
lap and licked his face with the huge lion tongue as a show of love to him. The claws which
just recently tore apart his father’s abdomen apart was gently holding this young boy so as to
not hurt him. With great compassion Narasimha then said, “I am so happy, ask me for
something.” Prahlada replied, “I don’t want anything.” Narasimha insisted, “No, No,
something you ask today.” Prahlada said, “If at all you insist that I must ask, then give me the
boon that never in my life I should ask you for anything”.
The moral of Hiranyakashipu’s story is that however cleverly one may specify one’s wishes to
achieve an unworthy aim; God is infinitely cleverer in duping that effort. Hiranyakashipu has
almost achieved what all human beings must eventually achieve, the confidence and realization
that he is God of the universe and has all the power of God of the universe within himself. But
that realization came with an ego. Whenever a fully realized person develops ego, God will
have to come down to rectify the situation.
Narasimha went on to solve the problems of violence of the great beasts in the animal kingdom
and the earth was at peace again. Predator animals went back to killing only for food and living
out their family lives in dharmic ways.
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CHAPTER 8
VAMANA
A couple of million years after the lions taught by Narasimha brought calm to the earth, trouble
developed again. Unsuspecting to the individually mighty leaders of the earth of that time, a
being similar to the Homo floresiensis evolved from chimpanzee-like monkeys. Bonobos seem
more ancient than the chimpanzees, but the latter seems more popular among humans today.
Note that Bonobos are native to the rich equatorial portion of Africa (exclusively south of the
Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo) and Chimpanzees are native to the forest
closer to the deserts of Africa. Bonobos are almost exclusively fruitarians but do consume
leaves sometimes but the Chimpanzees being from less vegetation dense regions consume
fruits, leaves and occasionally a little meat. Both Bonobos and Chimpanzees have 99% (exact
number is 98.7%) of human genes, the highest percentage of any animal.
It's important to note that the human and monkey form is adapted for a fruit-based diet, a point
emphasized by a doctor who conducted in-depth research on the matter and wrote a book about
it. He argued that humans lack the long canines characteristic of carnivores, and possess
medium-length intestines which are ideally suited for fruit consumption. In contrast, lions have
short, highly acidic intestines designed for meat digestion, while cows have long intestines
adapted for digesting grass. He said we are a species of monkey.
Therefore, humans most likely originated in the equatorial forest. A hypothesis can be made
here that the equatorial forest is the most suitable climate for humans because our ancestors
probably spent millions of years there before migrating out. It can be subsequently deduced
that humans all over earth today must take vacations to equatorial regions occasionally to get
back to their natural roots.
Evolutionarily, the two strengths of the monkey-like form are the ability to access fresh fruit
on trees and the ability to escape predators up the trees. Comparatively pig-like ancestors had
to be contended with fallen fruit, which could be rotting. These three-feet tall humanoid are the
oldest ancestors of humans. They conquered the earth with the weapon of teamwork. A team
of Homo-floresiensis-like-species became more powerful than the mightiest animals. If they
cooperated and stayed in their teams, they could consume all the food they hungered for. And
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the utilization of tools made them superior to the wolf and hyenas; the other animals that also
work in teams.
As their team culture evolved, their intelligence had to grow because being in a team is a cranial
activity. The intelligence they gained made them even more invincible and soon the leaders of
the earth. An example of their advantage in when functioning in teams is the fact that just one
Homo-floresiensis-like-species needed to climb a tree to plug fruits for a whole team. If they
were hunting a prey, the victims usually do not stand a chance against a well-organized and
communicating team. And the animal they hunted can feed a whole community of Homofloresiensis-like-species compared to just a few lions or a few wolves. Other animals eventually
came to respect their team power and acknowledged the Homo-floresiensis-like-species as
undefeatable.
Another advantage of the Homo-floresiensis-like-species is that they were predominantly
omnivorous, making their food source immense. Thus, they multiplied in greater numbers and
were soon the species with the largest population on earth.
At this time, the descendants of the sages brought in the ship of Noah also roamed the earth.
They became people like Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, and good sages of the ancient times.
Their numbers did not increase much, just as highly educated populations of the earth tend not
to procreate much. From accounts in the Hindu scriptures, these descendants had a
characteristic of having very long lives; some had life spans of millions of years and some
intermarried and merged with the human beings who evolved from the Homo-floresiensis-likespecies.
Over time, just as primitive cultures of today’s tribes seem to have spiritual progress stunted
by inhibiting habits, the Homo-floresiensis-like-species later started developing these bad
habits. Note that, this is a problem of too much thinking in the wrong direction rather than too
little. Monkeys do not stray from their natural paths and neither did the early Homofloresiensis-like-species.
One can observe these bad habits in some of today’s tribes. Some extend the necks of ladies
by placing ornaments around their necks, and this is considered beautiful! For some tribes,
their lips hold cylindrical pottery, which is almost two inches in diameter! Some tribes prefer
wives to be fat, and thereby unhealthy. Some put painful tattoos all over their bodies. There
were tribes in Borneo that put sticks through their penis as a cross! Some tribesmen smoke
drugs and others take alcohol. Most of these practices just destroy the human physique and
limit their ability to reach the goal of life on earth, which is self-realization that they themselves
are God. Their thinking is probably that the natural human is too simple, so they complicate it
with habits, which cause physical disabilities.
This author is a professor in electrical engineering and has interacted with students for a long
time. There are students who even use drugs assuming it will make them good in their studies
and intelligent. They assume top scholarly achievers used these “secrets” thereby complicating
their lives to achieve academic excellence. But this author is sure that being as naturally
yourself as possible is the best route to achieve great academic excellence. Of course, common
sense will tell you that you just need a good work ethic to achieve academic success. And for
this author, having gone through university with the bare minimum of money and having
worked in the canteen, distributing newspapers and going to larger cities to work during
summer holidays, it was imperative that he had a diary to plan each day to achieve the
completion of all work as well as homework. His budget for food was just USD1 per day of
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raw food which was cooked once a day for dinner and that was also consumed the next
afternoon. While American students would spend USD30 a day eating at the canteen or outside,
which was basically one month of his food budget. This was enabled by the fact that raw food
from farms was cheaper than in Malaysia while cooked food using American labor was very
expensive. The top students in his classes are the ones who simply listen clearly to what was
taught and give back that knowledge during exam time. While studying in the USA, the very
top student classmate in electrical engineering, got straight 'A's' all his university life but was
a team member in the school American football team, where he had to practise from 1 pm to 5
pm everyday. He would then go to the university library at about 7 pm and seems to study for
a short time before disturbing other students. But the questions he asked the lecturers during
class time were quite high level, such that even the lecturers were a little scared of him. The
bottom line of that scenario is that that top student seems as natural a human as possible and
not using any “secret” ideas.
Without spiritual guidance, modern men are not much different from the tribesmen in this
aspect. One can note the Hippies of the 1960s disregarded any of the established religions, and
took to drugs, drinking alcohol, and free sex. All these resulted in physical deformities and the
spread of venereal diseases, thus moving the goal of life further away. Even today, modern
humans pierce their bodies in various places, including their tongues. Excessive alcohol and
drug consumption is also a serious threat in many modern societies. The hippies probably saw
some obvious defect in the established religions and how it was practised over time and
therefore rejected them. This probably explains the fact that the acceptance of communism was
also at its height in the 1960s and was adopted by many leaders of countries which just got
independence from colonial powers. Obviously, these leaders saw that the colonials were
Western powers who were not communist, so they had to be on the other side and adopt
communism. During this period in the academia of India and most of the world , the
communists had the loudest voices and the rest who rejected it mainly due to the irreverence it
envisages, had to be quiet about their distaste for it.
But all streams of thought can be faulty especially in this Kali yuga. There even could be
additions to holy books by nefarious people, like kings to achieve their worldly objectives. But
this author has come across the truly devoted in all streams of religion who became truly
spiritual, and God seems to like them. An example from a Christian individual from the place
he lives, was that he was studying for exams with a friend and took a 10-minute break every
hour. Later they decided to read the Bible in those 10 minutes. Eventually they read the Bible
more than they studied and eventually did not study and even started preaching the spirituality
they discovered to all in the village. But that year’s final examination. But students who took
that government examination that year achieved the best result in the history of that village.
The bottom line is that all religious books may have been tampered with but despite that if they
bring a sense of closeness to God via in any form, it is an advantage. The books are guides but
the spirituality of lighting up the spark of divinity within a person is independent of any book;
that is an internal adventure to the God within us.
People must realize that the natural human is the most powerful form in the universe; one only
has to be themselves and not complicate things. The need to complicate things with things like
tattoos and taking drugs is a worldly fad and has no bearing to human development either
worldly or spiritual.
Many humans were not taught that spiritual penances could give far sweeter joy to the human
mind than alcohol and other forms of substance abuse. The Hare Krishna movement starting in
1965 in the USA did bring potential drug abusers to feel greater joy than drugs while singing
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songs about Krishna. Of course, there are restrictions even in the spiritual path. Without
guidance, even spiritual practices can go wrong. It is to prevent these potential imbalances, that
God sent the sages of Noah’s ship to guide the inhabitants of the new earth.
Among the Homo-floresiensis-like-species, quarrels and fights started, as they had no proper
role model so far. The descendants of the sages of Noah’s ship looked different and were few
in numbers, so the Homo-floresiensis-like-species did not relate well to them. The education
imparted by the descendants of the sages of Noah’s ship was helpful, but it was not enough.
Greed and ego began to rule the more powerful clans of Homo-floresiensis-like-species.
One-day Aditi, the wife of the great Sage Kashyapa (a descendant of the sages of Noah’s ship)
asked her husband, “My dear! We do not have children. You have surrendered everything of
yours to the Lord. Why don’t you pray to Him to bless us with a child?” Sage Kashyapa
complied, and a child was born to them. He was a Homo-floresiensis-like-species baby named
Vamana.
Vamana had a physical body with the exact physical limitations as the other three-feet-tall
Homo-floresiensis-like-species, purposely to gain acceptance among them. His body can get
injured and bleed just like the other Homo-floresiensis-like-species men. Some people question
how a divine being can get injured, but it is necessary to get acceptance among the beings they
came to guide. Vamana brought about great changes in behavior to the Homo-floresiensis-likespecies man. They started worshipping and loving God; peace and calm was restored all over
the earth.
There was another problem brewing on earth. The grandson of Prahlad, or the great grandson
of Hiranyakashipu, Bali Chakravarthy was the king of Kerala in Southern India. Prahlad started
a spiritual culture, but his son turned out to be a cruel king but luckily his grandson, Bali was
a good king. Previously, Hiranyakashipu had immense confidence in the truth that the God of
the universe was within him; this is a correct and ultimate goal of all humans, but his confidence
was tainted with ego. He wanted to make everyone pray to him (monotheism). On the other
hand, Bali was a pious person. His people were the happiest, as everything was running
perfectly in his empire and especially in his original kingdom of Kerala. But Kerala was only
the headquarters of his Kingdom; this family has brought more and more people under them,
that Bali was ruling the entire earth, heavens, and nether regions. Therefore, the story of Bali
is for all humans to study because the ancestors of every single human on earth today was at
one time ruled by Bali.
However, as time went on, wealth and power brought about a tinge of ego within Bali. He
acquired various powerful weapons through the science of mantras and yagnas. Mantras are
words, which if pronounced correctly, strung together in the correct manner, and repeated the
correct number of times, results in various material things appearing, disappearing, or
reshaping according to the initial wish. Basically, it is a technology of concretizing one’s
imagination. A yagna is the feeding of a flame of fire, while reciting the correct mantras, as if
feeding the tongue of God.
Bali’s family were exceptionally outstanding and intelligent. It is a family that included
Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu. Basically, God had to take on three avatars to solve problems
created by this family. But there is a lesson this family can teach the world and that is, God
will not let ultimate worldly wealth and power go out of hand. Bali successfully acquired the
knowledge and weapons to conquer the three worlds.
48
Meanwhile, after accomplishing his first mission of educating the Homo-floresiensis-likespecies, Vamana set out on his second mission of extinguishing the ego of Bali. Bali had
already completed 107 yagnas and was just completing his 108th yagna.
It must be noted that today we live in the age of Vaishyas having the most power on earth and
in the near future when computers take over, Shudras will have the most power on earth. But
in these early days Brahmins and later Kshatriyas had most of the power. The power of
Brahmins was prominent just prior to the age of Bali when things all humans needed were
acquired by yagnas.
All humans at that time had full faith that yagnas work. It must be the forgetting of the mantras
chanted by the Brahmins sitting around the yagnas that reduced the efficacy of yagnas such
that Kshatriyas took over the power over humans at large with their military might.
If Bali had successfully completed the 108th yagna, his power would be too powerful for the
good of the universe. Indra appealed to Vishnu to address this issue and therefore he took birth
as Vamana. After Bali had distributed gifts to all the people of the empire, Vamana went to the
yagna hall disguised as a Brahmin. He was holding an umbrella made of Palmyra leaves.
Despite his small stature, the effulgence emanating from him was so bright that Bali went to
the door to welcome him.
Bali’s daughter Ratnamala saw him and was captivated by his beauty and effulgence. She was
lost in deep contemplation, thinking, “How fortunate it would be if I had a child like him!” She
basically fell in love with Vamana.
Vamana walked towards the altar making everyone in the sacrificial hall happy. Bali proceeded
to reverentially wash his feet and garlanded him. Bali then asked Vamana to sit on an ornate
chair and asked, “Who are you? Where did you come from and why did you come? Vamana
replied, “I have heard that Emperor Bali is doing several acts of charity. I too have a desire to
be fulfilled.” Bali asked, “What is it?” Vamana replied, “I don’t need much. I will be happy
if a small piece of land measuring three of my feet is given to me in charity.”
Taking measurements with the size of the foot seems to be the norm during Vamana’s time,
millions of years ago. The currently accepted theory is that it started in Greece or Egypt, but
this story indicates that it seems to have a much earlier beginning. Bali asked, “What! Such a
small request! I thought you would ask me for some big things. I am surprised at your small
request. Is that enough? You may ask for something more.” Bali even offered a part of his
Kingdom to Vamana, but he replied that he wanted only land which three of his footsteps would
cover. Vamana reaffirmed that that is enough.
Bali was immediately ready to give this charity to Vamana, but his preceptor, Sage
Shukracharya knew that Vamana was the incarnation of Vishnu. Shukracharya advised Bali
and his wife, “Please do not give anything in charity to this short Brahmin, much less the three
footsteps of land. Do not underestimate him. He is not an ordinary Brahmin. He is an Avatar
of Vishnu. He is born to Sage Kashyapa in fulfillment of the boon granted by Lord Vishnu to
him.” Shukracharya had already foreseen that Vishnu would not allow this 108th yagna to be
completed.
But Bali said, “Guruji, if this is Vishnu, I cannot consider myself greater in terms of my fortune
and blessings. The hand of the giver is always on top, and the receiver’s is at the bottom. When
God himself comes to me and asks for something, his hand will be below that of mine. That is
49
enough for me.” This statement is a sign that Bali had ego in him, which he would not have if
he has learnt that even though he conquered the three worlds, it is insignificant compared to
the size and age of the universe.
Shukracharya again pleaded with Bali, “Oh King! You consider this person as an ordinary
Brahmin. No, No. He can fill the entire universe. Bali replied that he cannot go back on his
words. He said, “I gave my word to this Brahmin boy, I am prepared to face any eventuality in
fulfilling my promise. Shukracharya tried to convince Bali by stating that in the defense of
one’s life he can take back his word.
But Bali said, I will offer the fruits of all the yagnas I have performed, including the one I am
now performing, to this Brahmin boy. If the one who has come is Vishnu himself, then what
greater fortune than to give him whatever he asks? Bali also said besides, if this is Vishnu, he
previously defeated and killed my great-grandfather and gave back the kingdom to my
grandfather, Prahlad. Therefore, “Vishnu already owns all that I have. It is out of his
compassion for me that he has come to ask or else he could have as well taken it all away
forcibly by tearing me apart, like he did to my great-grandfather, Hiranyakashipu! Why should
he stand like a beggar at my doorstep?” It is his compassion that allows me to give him
something. I am here and he is asking me, what greater fortune can I have. God asking me for
a boon. Here I am going and giving.
Many people are reluctant to give up everything to God. Some may say, “I just got married”,
“I just got children” or “I have to make sure my children grow up alright” and later “I have to
ensure their children are alright.” Bali was not like that, in the middle of a huge function and
critical 108th yagna, he just gave up everything immediately. He knew that if he goes to God,
all else will be taken care of by God. Long back, Bali’s grandfather Prahlada was asked by
Narasimha to ask for any boon. Prahlada replied that he should be given a boon that he will
never ask for anything. Bali outdid Prahlada by asking God what he wanted.
He then put a garland representing the 108 yajnas performed by him on the neck of Vamana.
Bali asked Vamana, “Sir, what else can I do for you?” Vamana replied, “Oh King! I do not
need anything. Just give me three footsteps of land.” Bali asked, “Why come all the way to
ask for just three feet of ground?” Bali also smiled and looked at Vamana’s tiny feet.
But Vamana said, “That is all I want.” So, Bali took a teapot shaped gold container of water
to officially hand over everything to Vamana. This was the custom in those days. That was the
equivalent of today’s court document to solemnize the offering. The three steps asked by
Vamana are representative of the past, present, and future of Bali, which means giving up his
form and name.
Sage Shukracharya transformed himself into a small size to block the spout of the container
such that the water would not come out. But Vamana used a wooden straw he was carrying to
poke into the mouth of the water pot. With this, Sage Shukracharya’s eye was permanently
damaged. The two morals of the story here is that if a guru wrongly advises a student, they will
get physically ill and that we should always live listening to God’s will, trying to deceive the
obvious God’s will is foolish considering how powerful God is.
Many people who acquired great power in the history of earth either with military might or
spirituality as Shukracharya did, still underestimate the power of God and thereby made wrong
decisions. If Shukracharya had full knowledge of the age and size of the universe, he wouldn't
have tried to deceive God. An analogy of a lack of full knowledge in recent times is the fact
50
that IBM, which invented the hard disk drive, lost its entire hard disk business. IBM due to a
lack of complete knowledge, made a decision to move to glass hard disk platters while hard
disks made by other competitors were aluminium plated with nickel phosphorus. Just because
of this decision, IBM, the inventor of the hard disk with by far the highest market share at that
time, lost its entire hard disk division. The lack of true knowledge here was that their scientists
had all the knowledge of aluminum, nickel and phosphorus and humans had a long history and
data base for metals. Moving to glass meant their scientists needed to learn the fine
characteristics of a totally new material and still be equivalent to a Michael Jordan playing
basketball in terms of modifying it to achieve an ever-increasing data capacity of a hard disk.
The hard disk industry tended at that time to make a jump in hard disk data capacity every three
months and IBM failed to achieve the jump.
When a devotee wants to go to God, to become one with God, nothing should come in the way,
advice from others, family or relations should not come in the way. Like a river heading for
the ocean, if a mountain comes in the way, it just takes a detour and continues to the ocean. If
a person feels that God wants them to do something, he/she should do it immediately. One
should have the confidence that God will take care of all for them.
Vamana then grew and quickly his head was in the sky. He covered the earth with one footstep.
He then covered the entire heavens with the second footstep. Thus, there was no further space
in Bali’s empire. At this, Sage Shukracharya said, “Oh Emperor! You did not pay heed to my
advice. You underestimated this Brahmin boy and got yourself tricked by his innocent looks.”
Shukracharya was still exposing wrong advice of going against someone he knew was a divine
incarnation. He already lost the use of one eye but was still behaving like this. The moral of
this story is that teachers with great knowledge must impart it correctly or else they will be
punished by nature.
Bali spoke to Vamana, “Dear one! You covered the entire Earth with one footstep and the
heavens with the second. Now there is no space to set the third footstep. Hence, put your foot
on my head if you wish.” Bali bent his head low before the boy. Vamana then set his foot on
Bali’s head, who was pushed down to the nether world specifically to Patala Loka (further
description of the lokas is at the end of this chapter). Bali realized that the lord had come to
relieve him of his pettiness, his ego, and his attachments.
Vamana said, “You are a great person, ask for any boon?” Note that, immense as God is, he is
moved by the feelings in the now tiny heart of Bali. Bali requested that once a year he would
like to come back to his kingdom to visit his people. Vamana asked Bali to rule the nether
world, and Vamana will be his doorkeeper in his honor for this great surrender that he was
doing. Vamana said, “Come back once a year on this day (the Onam day), do what is required
for your devotees and be happy.”
A representative of the people in the audience spoke to Vamana, “Oh God! Our Emperor is no
more with us. He used to rear us like his own children. He is our protector. How can we live
without him?” Bali then declared from the nether world, “Oh my dear children! You are all
very dear to me. I will always look after your welfare, wherever I am. I will see that you do not
undergo any trouble. I will protect you. You need not feel that I am away from you in a different
world. Every year on this day, I shall come and see you. Commemorate this day of my coming
as a festival. Take a head bath, wear new clothes, and enjoy a feast with a variety of dishes on
this day."
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To this day, millions of years later, the people of Kerala will place flowers at the entrance of
their homes to welcome Bali on the Onam day. Therefore, Bali is to this day, the king and guide
of the people of Kerala.
In Hindu scriptures there are three worlds, the earth, the heavens (the universe of light) and the
nether world which is below earth. The nether world is divided into seven realms. They are
named in accordance with the depth below earth’s Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Talatala, Mahatala,
Rasatala and Patala.
Below Patala is Naraka which is the hell where human souls must go to get punishment for
their crimes. This all makes sense because obviously at such depth the earth is hot, and larva
filled. The Bhagavata Purana describes the seven realms as subterranean heavens. The realms
are also regarded as planets with a planetary system below earth. The life in these realms is
described as filled with pleasure, wealth, luxury without distress. There are palaces, temples,
houses, yards and hotels for foreigners. And all these are constructed with jewels. These
‘jewels’ in the literature could be a description of light sources like light bulbs of today; in
these ages before Edison, anything that emitted or reflected light were called jewels. The
natural beauty of the seven realms exceeds that of heavens. Beings in the realms do not
experience sweat, disease or old age. The first of the realm, named Atala, is located many miles
below the earth’s surface, note the earth’s diameter is 7,918 miles so has a circumference of
49,750 miles. The realms are located one above the other and each realm has a width of 10,000
miles.
Sage Narada who visited all these realms described them as filled with splendid jewels,
beautiful groves and lakes which are filled with lovely maidens. One can smell sweet fragrance
and can hear sweet music in the air. The soil can be of colors, black, purple, sandy, yellow,
stony, or golden (actually made of gold particles). These realms seem like places where people
who have merits on earth go to. That is, people who do lots of good deeds for the world but did
not develop spiritually. The ones who develop spiritually (realized they are themselves God)
go to the seven realms above earth in the universe of light (heavens), the universe of truth and
finally God.
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CHAPTER 9
PARASHURAMA
The Homo floresinsis were surviving much like their ancestors, the small chimpanzees. They
ate fruits wherever they found them on trees or hunted other animals to eat. The chance of
finding fruits on trees or finding animals to hunt was not that high. Therefore, the high activity
level required in their pursuit of food caused the mean height of Homo-floresiensis-like-species
to remain at about three feet. The Homo-floresiensis-like-species were a mobile group of
humans, so the discovery of farming was not easily made. They therefore maintained their
hunting and gathering livelihood for millions of years. It must have taken a situation like that
of an oasis, or a small place with food, within a large area of desert, where the discovery of
farming was made. Here they ate fruits and threw the seeds on the ground and observed them
growing fast in the plentiful water and sunshine. These Homo-floresiensis-like-species
eventually discovered that growing plants was easier than searching for fruits or participating
in the occasional extremely exhaustive hunt for wild animals.
As humans started farming, food became plentiful. The earth at that time had fertile and mineral
rich soil from all the volcanoes which erupted prior to this age. In addition, soil-depleting
farming was never done previously. Generally, a shifting-cultivation was used, where a piece
of land was re-cultivated only after about 12 years. The yields and nutrition of food grown on
these farms were extremely high. Wild cows and other animals strayed into these farms for
food and eventually got domesticated. Having consumed this rich nutritious harvest for
millions of years, the Homo-floresiensis-like-species evolved to become bigger until they
reached a mean height of 19.5 feet by the time the next avatar had to come to solve problems
that arose. A proof that humans were tall at one time is the fact that ancient structures like the
numerous temples in India, Angkor Wat, Borobudur, the Pyramids, and Stonehenge were all
built with huge bricks, which intuitively must have been built by huge humans. Why would
humans of current day sizes choose such huge bricks? If people near these sites are
interviewed, they will unfailingly tell you, they were built by huge humans. Two reasons why
19.5 feet human skeletons are not found are that it was a culture to burn the bodies after death
and secondly even if they were buried, they are too far down because topsoil of earth increases
by 1” per1000 years; most of the earth were Hindus and slowly started following Abrahamic
faith which Hindus will take as a form of Hinduism but not vice versa.
53
Hunting would not have been preferred by these early humans because after all the accidentprone work they did in hunting (probably chasing the animals for miles); without refrigeration,
they cannot keep the meat beyond a day. This author highly recommends going vegetarian (he
has been one for 27 years) for people who originated in places where it doesn’t snow. Eating
meat came from Westerners or Arabs. In ancient Sarawak, Malaysia, if a group of hunters killed
a deer to be brought home for their families to eat, there will be lots of wild animals which can
smell the blood and kill the hunters and eat the deer meat. Even if the hunters managed to avoid
that, there would be flies and other insects all around the deer meat as they walked through the
jungle to reach their home. Worms, bacteria, and viruses will also start consuming the meat.
Therefore, it would be way too hazardous and difficult to be a hunter in ancient Sarawak to kill
and take home an animal.
Comparatively, for up to six months of snow in Western countries, even a single hunter can
put the killed deer on a sleigh and glide it home easily and there were very few animals in their
jungles especially during winter. Worms and other bacteria are not a problem for the meat since
it would be frozen especially at the point of the wound where the fur does not warm up the
body anymore. And there are zero insects all throughout winters. Ancient Europeans have long
used underground places to preserve food because if they place meat there with some ice, the
surface summer temperatures do not affect the temperatures underground. In fact, the USDA
recommends that steaks can be stored frozen for up to a year.
Similarly in Arab countries where there is a severe lack of vegetation, it would be more efficient
for goats and sheep to digest this vegetation with their long intestines, and the people consume
the meat from these animals. Humans and their flock of animals lived in one place and after
the animals had consumed the little vegetation found, it was time for the whole group of
humans and animals to move to a new region with fresh vegetation.
In Sarawak, Malaysia where vegetables grow all year round, just outside their homes, it is
highly unlikely that ancient Sarawakians needed to consume animals. It is a historical fact that
ancient Sarawakians never domesticated animals as was done in the Middle East because food
in the form of fruits and vegetables was always around them. Therefore, animal eating must
be an imported culture and relatively new to the human bodies of native Sarawakians.
This author went to a Longhouse deep in Sarawak to repair a micro-hydro project. At night,
food was prepared for the team but it was all meat and so he said he cannot eat any of these
because he is a vegetarian. Two ladies in the longhouse looked surprised because they probably
never met a vegetarian. They just walked down the longhouse and plucked some vegetables
from the garden outside and within half an hour, prepared a few dishes which were one of the
tastiest dishes this author had all his life (no fertilizer or pesticide used). This author then
thought, if they can cook such a nice dish within half an hour, there is no way their ancestors
would have hunted animals with a bow and arrow or blowpipe for a few hours and carry home
a heavy animal they killed for food.
Another proof this author has is that in 1984, he worked in the construction of Kuching port.
He was amazed by the strength of an Iban worker who could lift things that he could not,
despite his small body frame. This author asked him what he ate, and he replied, “saya dari ulu
ulu, hari hari makan sayur” (I am from deep in the jungle and ate only vegetables every day).
1984 was quite long ago and he was from deep in the interior of Sarawak where European or
Arabian influences have not reached. So, he most probably followed the ancient Iban culture
as far as eating is concerned.
54
Mad Cow Disease struck in 1993-1993 where 4.4 million cows needed to be culled. The Mad
Cow Disease was traced to the UK, where farmers who saw that nobody was purchasing the
head and feet of the cows, grinded them and fed it back to the cows and the cows went mad.
Therefore, animals or humans must eat what their ancestors ate, or else they will get seriously
sick. Animals (including humans) bodies are built by their ancestors, therefore should eat
according to their ancient diet. Europeans and Arabians can naturally eat much more meat than
a person whose ancestors were from Sarawak. Not knowing this is one of the main causes of
health problems for the people of Sarawak.
This author went for a First Aid course where a staff of the Sarawak Government Hospital
(SGH) taught. He was working at SGH for a very long time, starting as an Ambulance staff
and later took up a degree course to become an executive. He said, in the 1970s when almost
100% of adult males smoked cigarettes, the health issues were much less than now. Diabetes
and heart attacks were only happening to people after they had reached their late sixties and
seventies. Now, patients are dying of such diseases as young as in their late twenties. He asked,
“what is the difference?” He answered himself, stating that in the 1970s he only ate meat during
Chinese New Year (he is Chinese). Today people eat it three times a day. He said in the 1970s,
chicken can be brought up for up to five years before being slaughtered for food. But today
they are factory farmed and are slaughtered one month after being hatched from eggs; this is
enabled via hormone injections. All those hormones are being consumed as people eat meat.
Below are some interesting data:
•
Humans’ closest relatives are Bonobos and Chimpanzees. They share approximately
99% of their DNA with humans. Orangutans share 97% of their DNA with humans.
Why do we always bring fruits to our sick relatives and friends at the hospital?
•
Bonobos originate from equatorial Congo (0o N).
•
Chimpanzees originate from the less vegetation dense savannas of tropical Africa (1520o N), near the deserts.
•
Therefore, Bonobos are fully fruitarian to vegetarian, preferring fruits to vegetables.
•
There Chimpanzees eat about 2% meat (mainly insects) and consume meat in fruit
stressed seasons.
It seems obvious that the Bonobos was the origin of humans and they were fruitarians and as
they moved to more desert like places they needed to eat vegetables and meat.
People prior to the advent of Parashurama started the caste system as advised by the great sages.
Non-Hindus, worldwide tend to have a narrative that Hindus are as practitioners of racism of
one caste towards the other, which is even taught in their syllabus in their schools.
The four castes described in the scriptures are categorized as different portions of the body of
society namely the: 1) Legs, 2) Stomach, 3) Shoulder, 4) Head. Different portions of a body
abusing each other is like a comedy skit, but it did happen in India.
The scriptures clearly state that the supreme goal of human life (realizing we have always been
God) can be attained by all, from the leg people to the head people. From the women who have
only done household work all her life diligently, the workers who worked hard digging ditches
55
for the good of the community, the profiteering businessmen, the ultimate warrior and the sage
[1]. There has been falsehood taught or written in other scriptures that states that a human must
be reborn through a particular hierarchy of lives to attain the supreme goal. But the actual aim
of this Hindu scripture is to inform that there is a need for labor specialization for a country to
reach great strength, but this division should never be taken as a hierarchy. It is like there being
various races in a country and one race has the concept that they are superior to the other, the
whole country can take a downward spiral into economic disaster and chaos. As an example,
this author previously worked as an engineer in a factory in Kuching, Malaysia where the
management were to a very high percentage of one race and the workers were of the other
races. Initially all were friendly but by the 14th year, there were dissatisfactions, and the workers
decided to start a Union to fight for their rights. But this factory was from Silicon Valley, USA
where there was never a Union. If the top management in the US agreed to the formation of a
Union in the Kuching factory, it needed to allow all workers worldwide to do so including the
workers in Silicon Valley. Here, the few large customers will be angry with that company for
introducing Unions to Silicon Valley and refuse to purchase their products; thereby killing the
company instantly. So, the number two of the whole company flew down to the factory and
talked to all the Union leaders and gave a speech to the 200 plus executives, stating that if you
don’t make friends with the workers, we will shut down the Kuching factory. The local top
management, close to local politicians, did not believe this would happen and took no action
to rectify the situation. The result was the closing down of the factory of 2500 employees. A
few years later, a neighbouring American factory closed due to the exact same scenario.
Therefore 5000 employees were out of job, leading to a very big impact to the city and state;
car and home loans cannot be paid, food vendors and other shops lost customers. The moral of
this story is that discriminatory practices can have devastating consequences.
For Hindu unity, no caste is superior. The legs may be physically lower in the body but try
cutting off your legs and see what happens. It should be like musicians in a band, no instrument
player is superior, it is only when all come to play together that the music is beautiful. Unity
does not mean uniformity just as five fingers are different, but they can be united. That means
there is no need for Hindi Imposition in India. The caste system is further described in the next
paragraph.
Sudras (Leg) who are adept in following instructions from others, including computers. They
will be the most sought after and wealthy people soon when computers do most work and need
their skills of following instructions and thereby providing consciousness to computers.
Vaisya (Stomach) who produced for the country (farmers, artisans, engineers, doctors,
businesspeople). They are the most powerful today because businesspeople decide the fate of
the earth.
Kshatriyas (Shoulder) who protected the country with their warrior skills.
Brahmins (Head) who got involved in spirituality.
This author is from the OBC (other backward caste) and agrees that anyone with a Nair, Menon
name at the end of their names is totally wrong. This author thinks it should be criminalized.
Imagine Whites in the USA having names like “John Slave Owner '' or “Jack Torturer of
Blacks” which is the same as Shyam Menon; except the Menons were more brutal to the OBCs
than the Whites towards the Blacks. Just as the Whites of the USA have moved on, Indians
who are descendants of abusers of other castes need to move on to realities.
56
That racism still exists today but has mellowed down a great deal over the past 75 years due to
modern Indian governments’ step in preventing racism. Today the Indian cabinet (2024) has a
record of 27 ministers from OBC (other backward castes). The current Prime Minister of India,
Modi is from the OBC and so is the President of India, Draupadi Murmu. Therefore, things
have improved immensely.
Caste racism started as a fissure 2500 years ago and the Muslim and Christian conquerors of
India made it a big crack to control India more easily via their ‘Divide-and-Rule’ policy; this
was the Kali yuga when such disorientation was supposed to happen.
This author was once confronted by an Iban (a race in Sarawak, Malaysia) who said something
negative about Indians. This author rebutted, “You, lousy son of a head-hunter.” He was a very
modern Iban, Christian but the shock in his face and deep thoughts within him can be perceived.
He will not bring back whatever perceived defects Indians had. The learning from this episode
is that Indians need to take a stand and not just let others abuse them.
The best rebuttal against Westerners who keep categorizing Indians as practitioners of caste
racism is to bring about all the atrocities of colonization and slavery. Just as Whites have moved
away (to a high percentage) out of racism, Indians have also moved out of caste racism. As an
indication of the usage of the “Divide-and-Rule” policy by the British colonizers in Sarawak,
Malaysia are the two races, named Iban and Bidayuh. The people of the two races look the
same and have the same traditions but hate each other and will try their best not to marry each
other. When asked why? They replied that their ancestors were enemies; this must have been
the work of the British who ruled this region for 150 years. The British were scared if all the
locals united and kicked them out.
Another modus operandi of colonizers was the intoxication of the local populace. The natives
of Sarawak, Malaysia where this author lives tend to get intoxicated but are still not able to see
the bigger picture, that it was a policy of the British all over the world to intoxicate people who
could potentially cause harm to them. This can be seen especially among the Native Americans
(Red Indians) in North America and Aborigines of Australia, the Māori of New Zealand, and
all regions they controlled.
The killing the British did in India via outright murder or orchestrated famines, will make Hitler
and his men look like angels by comparison. Just as Hitler did not consider his victims as
humans, the British looked upon Indians as animals who could perform activities a little better
than animals; but they definitely treated their pets with a huge quantum of higher respect than
Indians. A colonial period sign read, “ROYAL SIMLA CLUB no DOGS or INDIANS” another
read, “DOGS AND INDIANS ARE NOT ALLOWED.”
An American historian, Mike Davis did research and published that there were 31 serious
famines in the 120 years of British rule compared with 17 famines in the 2,000 years prior to
the British rule. With a proper enumeration of all the Indians murdered by the British, the
number will be much more than killed by Hitler, Stalin and Mao put together. It is as simple as
2+2 = 4. British ruling India = famine. British left = no famine. A Hindu today can explain the
racism of the British over the last few hundred years with the fact that in any system there will
be historically recorded defects, especially considering the much longer time Hindus were
living in civilized societies compared to most other humans.
The caste system is part of Hinduism but as a labor division not an avenue for discrimination.
When foreigners first came to India, they were amazed at the skill levels which the caste system
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brought about. It got messed up over time, but one cannot say things are not getting better in
modern India.
From this author’s experience as a professional engineer and professor, specialization in jobs
has advantages. This author still does wiring contracts and knows that every single turn of a
screw has a skill and failures of projects will happen if they are not turned properly. This
author’s dad was an electrical technician who was trained to fight the Japanese in Burma. But
he was still doing a Vaisya job during the war because his main task was to parachute down
from planes carrying heavy Morse Code equipment on his back into the battlefield and
communicate with central command. Later when he had children, he had electrical books, parts,
and tools in his home so all five of his children got interested in that field and became very
successful electrical engineers. Similarly, this author has lots of electrical engineering books,
parts, and tools at home so two of the children are currently working as electrical engineers and
the third one is studying in university to be one. This author’s family members can go astray
away from electrical engineering because Vaisyas/Sudras (not sure) range from being
electrical, mechanical, civil engineers, businesspeople, farmers, or artisans. The family will try
not to be priests, police, lawyers, or soldiers. But of course, if someone attacks, the family
needs to get out of nature and give severe retribution as Parashurama did, where he killed all
warriors in his path despite being born of the Head caste. If professions continue over many
generations, there will be perfection in professions which is what the country needs.
When caste racism started 2500 years ago. Buddhism and Jainism started to fight this trend.
This author believes India is a holy land and God let the invaders conquer India to solve the
issue. Just as Parashurama killed 21 generations of warrior people during the previous time this
caste egoism happened, about 21 generations of the tormenting caste were killed off by the
invading Muslims and Christians. These Muslim and Christian conquerors did not kill that
many Stomach or Leg castes because they needed them to produce food, clothes, machines,
and artifacts for the country or else it would have been an unprofitable venture to rule India.
There is no such thing as lower or higher caste. Ignorance is a bane for humanity. For example,
most terrorists have no clue of the reason they committed their crimes. A Shudra can reach the
ultimate goal of human life which is to realize we are God ourselves just as a Brahmin can.
Examples of Sudras who did it are Valmiki and Vyasa, the authors of the Ramayana and
Mahabharata respectively. Then there was Hanuman who was an outcast being born as an
animal but became absolutely divine with temples all over India built to worship him. If one
studies the backgrounds of the 1000 greatest sages of Hinduism, most are from the Shudra
caste. It is simple, only the poor put in the necessary efforts to reach greatness. This author
worked for a long time as an engineer in the field and subsequently worked as a university
lecturer teaching electrical engineering for the past 10 years. It was noticed that the very top
students (who only got straight A’s) lived very humble lives, one of them did not have any
furniture in his home.
Each person doing the best they possibly can in their chosen field is itself a worship to God.
The ultimate farmhand who tends the crops with love, the ultimate machine maker or trader,
the ultimate warrior, and the ultimate teacher about Brahman. In the original caste system, the
other castes need not pray, they just achieved as much as Michael Jordan plays basketball or
Usain Bolt runs the 100 m. In the back of their minds, they know the prayers for the society
are being taken care of by the Brahmins.
This author is officially characterized as an OBC (other backward caste) Indian who was born
and brought up in Malaysia. But his ancestors were leaders of their region in Kerala, India, and
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the reason for this is that in the early 1800s there were five brothers who were grazing cows
near an ashram and listened to the teaching of a sage whose voice traveled far outside the
ashram in the quiet jungle. That sage eventually found out that these five were absorbing his
teachings and took them inside the ashram; it must be noted that the Muslims just conquered
this portion of Kerala at that time, wiping out most of the Head and Shoulder caste of the region.
The remaining Head and Shoulder castes escaped deep into the jungles. This probably explains
the humility of that sage in inviting those ancestors into his ashram.
These five brothers focused mostly on Ayurvedic medicine knowledge because they believed
in the caste system as a labor division and needed to do work in the Shudra or Vaisya field.
One day, the king of the region was severely ill, and help was sought from all the Brahmin
Ayurvedic doctors, who failed in their attempts to cure him. The king did not want to invite
any of the five brothers because they were from the OBC, though their success as doctors was
well renowned. But when he knew he was about to die, out of desperation, one of the five
brothers was called in and the king was cured immediately. The king then gave him a handsome
reward which made the whole gene pool wealthy. But this author’s line was not wealthy
because granddad gambled away his wealth in Burma. That was on dad's side. This author’s
mom’s side was also heavily in Ayurveda. This author went to India for the first time at the
age of 31 to get married, and his mom took him to her dad’s home and said, “See all the
surrounding mountains, all the coconut plantations below those mountains belonged to my
father.” This vindicates the statement of P.T. Satish Sharma who said that Sudras had quite a
lot of power prior to the arrival of the British [2]. It was the artifacts of the Sudras that were
exported worldwide that made them wealthy. The Roman government of ancient times wrote
in their records that their stock of gold was diminishing because it was sent to India for saris
and other artifacts from India which was highly valued especially among Roman women. The
manufacturers of these products were Shudras [3].
What the British did wherever they colonized, was to find existing divisions and enhance it
since their policy was to ‘Divide-and-Rule.’ But some OBCs like the ones described above
managed to fight off the transfer of wealth from the Leg & Stomach castes to the Shoulder &
Head castes. But this author’s immediate family struggled from nothing in Malaysia because
his dad was a World War II soldier who fought on the Burma Front (on the British side) was
later transferred to Singapore and then to Sarawak, Malaysia.
In all the colonies, the British found a small community and gave them wealth and used them
as an extension of themselves. In India, they transferred much wealth from the more numerous
Leg & Stomach castes to the less numerous Head & Shoulder castes. Many today consider the
Moplah rebellion of Kerala of 1921 as a Hindu-Muslim conflict but if the issue is studied
properly, it will be revealed that it was a case of the British doing a massive transfer of wealth
from the Leg & Stomach castes to the Shoulder & Head castes which initially caused the
situation.
One of the justifications of the AIT (Aryan invasion theory) is that Brahmins are on average
whiter in skin color compared to other castes. But when ancestors of Brahmins were meditating
and teaching in shades of homes or ashrams for millenniums, they will be lighter skinned than
people whose ancestors were farming in the sun with little to no clothes (it was too hot to wear
many clothes in India), and thus the melanin production of their bodies increased as a protection
from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. But occasionally one can find Brahmins who have a very
dark skin tone: as dark as an African. Actually, if a lighter skinned man works in a rice field,
his skin will turn much darker within a few months.
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One of the denigrating narratives of Westerners against Hinduism is that in ancient Kerala,
women had to pay tax to cover their breasts. But it is too hot to wear many clothes in India.
Almost all statues of women in ancient India depict women who do not cover their breasts. In
1662 a European man named John Nieuhof met the queen of Kollam (Westerners called it
Quilon). He mentioned that the queen has 700 soldiers around her, and she only had a piece of
cloth wrapped around her waist with the upper portion including her breast being naked. He
sketched a picture of this meeting which can be easily found on the internet [4]. Therefore, it
was a culture to not cover the breast, even for the queen in 1662. The Breast Tax idea was
started by a writer not too long ago to defame Hinduism. There was a Breast Tax, but it was a
tax levied upon women which was lower than what men had to pay. Women were referred to
as breasts because if a woman did not cover their breast, it would be a significant portion of
her overall structure. Actually, in Bali, Indonesia, even in the 1950s, women would cover up
much of their bodies but would leave their breasts exposed; therefore, these young women
exposed their breasts as an enhancement for their beauty. Marco Polo landed in India in 1290
in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. He wrote that it was very hard to find a tailor in India because
everybody only wore a loincloth which covered their genitals and buttocks; men or women did
not cover their chest. He also mentioned that parents put sesame oil on their children to make
them darker since darker people had more respect in society probably because Agastya,
Parashurama, Rama, Krishna etc had dark skin. All idols in temples of Tamil Nadu were black.
It must be noted that profession classification and segregation was practiced in many countries.
Even in Western countries people have names like Smiths, Bakers, Cook, Fisher, Hunter, and
Knight. Doctors have their children being doctors, priests have their children being priests and
engineers have their children being engineers.
Systems work if there is love for each human being for another. In the good times, the Brahmins
will be so happy and filled with so much love for a Shudra lady who served him food because
he was engaged in spiritual activities and could not take time off to make food for himself. And
all castes will have so much love for the Kshatriya for defending the country against a ferocious
enemy who would have killed and maimed most of the country's population. And the Vaisyas
and Sudras will be filled with great love for the Brahmins who educated their children about
the soul and other sciences; it was true that Brahmins taught children of all castes prior to the
conquest by people following Abrahamic religions. It is when love disappeared over the last
2500 years and hatred moved in, that suffering among Indians became a norm. But such
disarrays had to occur because this is the Kali age.
There was no superiority in the castes, all four are totally equal parts of the body of society. A
Shudra can attain God realization by performing his or her duties perfectly just as a Brahmin
can. Some say they must go through the chain of castes to attain self-realization which is totally
not according to the original Vedas. Just as some words in the Bible have been tampered with,
some Hindu writings have been changed especially in this Kali Yuga; the real knowledge
(Vedas) is not in books, but within the heart of each human. Can a person say his hands or legs
are less important than his head? Will he chop off his legs because of the feeling that it is
inferior?
Caste racism developed as a corruption of the caste system, just as any system can get corrupted
over time if proper safeguarding is not done by the citizens. This can be compared to liberals
introducing totalitarian rules in the USA because there are insufficient Americans safeguarding
the tenets of the constitution, especially the First and Second Amendment. The ideas of
‘politically incorrect speech’ (against the First Amendment) and the attempt to take away arms
from Americans (against the Second Amendment) are directly against the very foundation of
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the USA. The founding fathers of the USA were the first to think deeply about how to achieve
an egalitarian and free society which was a revolutionary concept at that time when only kings
and emperors ruled countries. The algorithms they came up with required the right to bear arms
as a prerequisite to prevent authoritarian leaders from taking over the USA. In 1776 they were
well read of the characteristics of totalitarian leaders, the likes of Hitler, Stalin and Mao. Some
point to the school shootings as a defect of the right to bear arms, but such shooting will not
happen if the Second Amendment was followed strictly with all adults in schools carrying guns.
This is practiced diligently in South Dakota, USA where this author studied his Bachelors and
Masters for six years. Here adults carry guns even while shopping in supermarkets. Guns and
bullets were placed on shop racks next to shirts and socks. There was no murder in the six years
this author lived in Brooking, South Dakota, USA. If someone wants to harm another, that
victim can harm the aggressor back, therefore nobody tries.
Another observation from the six-year-stay in SD, USA (which also relates to caste
discrimination), was that nobody was proud because everyone is just one bullet away from
death from all the gun-wielding people around them. When this author came back to Malaysia,
a friend informed that he knew three of the richest people in the city. They were drinking in a
pub, and one asked the waitress to crawl on the floor. When asked why he did that, he replied,
“because I am rich.” In SD, she or her boyfriend would have shot that rich man. While this
author studied in the USA, the National TV telecasted President Clinton jogging in the early
morning with the secret service tagging along with their black specs (don’t know how they see
through those specs in the darkness). But at the end of each morning jog, Clinton would stand
in queue at McDonalds; this is the most powerful man on earth standing in a queue at
McDonalds, which is an indication of the humility the guns brought about. This author went to
the USA without money and worked to survive. During the summer holidays he would go to
California to find work. When he worked at Taco Bell in Los Angeles, the conversation during
break time was, “how many M16 or AK47 do you have” and “how many inches is the barrel
of your gun”. People working at Taco Bell or McDonalds are typically among the poorest
people of LA, but all have multiple machine guns each. There is a law against the Second
Amendment in California where if one purchases a gun, they can only collect the gun after two
weeks as a vetting process. But all the colleagues of this author bought their guns on the black
market. An enemy country will not choose to attack the USA with almost everyone having
guns; the impossibility of attacking the USA was stated by the Japanese Admiral during WWII
who stated that there will be a gun behind every blade of grass if they choose to attack
California.
Some Americans state that the Founding Fathers of the USA were wrong because some of them
owned slaves. Using that logic, all science and other learning of old should be abolished (book
burning) because the culture of the last few hundred years was different and there must have
been things they did which are not acceptable to humans of today. It must be noted that even
White slavery was a thing in the last few hundred years and women were given the right to
vote in Switzerland only in 1971! while Hindus were praying to Goddesses since time
immemorial.
Any form of government like democracy, socialism or communism can seem optimum on
paper but are empirically always corrupted over time. The justification for the caste system is
like the justification for democracy, in that it has problems, but it is better than totalitarianism.
In a democracy, certain segments of the population go to poverty and others become filthy rich,
and there is associated corruption. The right to fail and face the consequences and thereby gain
in character is its greatest advantage. This has made an elected-leadership-system statistically
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much better than totalitarianism (communism, fascism, or kingdoms). Statistics of the last few
hundred years have shown that economic disaster or human genocide happened each time
communism other forms of totalitarianism was implemented; most often due to the requirement
for totalitarian leaders to inculcate fear among citizens.
Similarly, the power abuse of one caste over the others will happen from time to time.
Sometimes it may even get bad enough for God himself to correct it, but the caste system is
the best way to ensure excellence is maintained in the various professions. It is just like
Darwin’s theory of evolution, where animals get specialized in acquiring a certain set of foods.
In this case, humans get specialized in their job functions so that they excel in it over time;
thereby increasing their spiritual levels.
The caste system argument is like that of the equality of the sexes. This author is a full supporter
of equality in status as a human being whether male or female. Being a Hindu, this author
reveres powerful female Gods with great love. It is simply not possible to discriminate against
women as a whole when one of the powerful Gods one reveres is female.
A famous story in India reflecting this, is of a great sage who went to a simple home asking for
food. Because the work of Brahmins is selfless spirituality, all provide food for them such that
they do not have to deviate their activities away from spirituality. So, the sages ask other
householders to feed them. As this sage was walking, a bird’s excrement dropped on his head.
He got angry and looked at the bird and it got burned. Then he went to a house and shouted out
for food. The lady of the home said, “You wait, I have to serve my husband and then I will
come and serve you.” The sage got angry and said, “You know who I am, you know how
powerful I am, how can you make me wait, you have no respect for me.” She replied, “Don’t
try to show off to me, I am not a bird to get burnt by your anger.” The sage was shocked and
said, “How did you know that I just burnt a bird?” She replied, “What is there to know, it is
natural for me to know.” She was doing her job diligently and has acquired more spiritual
powers than the sage. This sage who was struggling to climb up his hierarchy by sitting under
trees to meditate for years did not realize that performing duties diligently as a householder can
take a person to even higher spiritual levels than him. This story indicates there are a variety
of pathways to reach the ultimate goal of realization that a person is God themselves, just as
many rivers (paths) reach the same ocean (God).
Another Hindu story is about a young girl who brought the needs of a sage every morning from
a village across a river. One early morning it was raining heavily, and the boatman was missing
so she waited and crossed the river late. The sage reprimanded her for being late and she
explained that there was no boatman to cross the river. The sage rebuked that if you had faith,
you could walk across the river. The next day, it was raining, and the boatman was missing
again. She decided to walk across with faith as instructed by the sage and gave the needs of the
sage. The sage asked her, “Today it is raining like yesterday, how did you cross the river?” She
replied that she walked on the river with faith as was instructed the previous day. The sage did
not believe it and went to the river with her. She demonstrated walking on the river. Seeing
this, the sage pulled up his cloth from his legs and started trying it himself and drowned; he did
not have as much faith as his student.
Hinduism teaches that not only every human being should be revered as God but even animals,
plants and rocks are basically forms of the supreme God and therefore deserve respect. India
has solved the problem of caste discrimination with proactive laws and whatever remnants of
the discrimination among castes will disappear in a short time.
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There are no practicing Hindu who can say they don’t recognize the Ramayana. The Ramayana
was written by the worst character in India, Valmiki. His name was Ratnakara who was a
person who murders people at whim, just to steal their belongings. He survived by hunting and
cooking the meat from his hunts. One day he was finally approached by a great sage named
Narada (who was also from the Shudra caste). Narada realized this criminal cannot say any
mantra, so he asked him to just chant, “Rama.” But he was so stoned, he couldn't even say that
word and decided to chant, “mara '' (kill) which is the word he shouts as he kills people. Having
chanted, “Mara'' over many years, the continuous chanting of “Mara, Mara, Mara, MaRa, mara
….” eventually became “Rama.” By this time, ants built an anthill over his body which is how
he was renamed, Valmiki, meaning anthill. Valmiki is considered among the greatest sages in
all of Hinduism. There are two morals of the story here, one is that the absolute trash of
humanity, for whom no human being would respect, can be the greatest sage and the second is
that whatever religion of path a person takes, even the religion of, “Mara'' or killing, if done
with dedication and love will lead the person to God. Hindus do not proclaim that they are
following a particular path; Hindus are a group of people who accept any path to God as
legitimate. There are even Hindus who are atheist. Deep thoughts to discover the God within
oneself is pretty much the definition of Hinduism.
Untouchability was never part of the Vedic literature. It is one of the abuses of the system
which required God himself to come to solve. This fact was enshrined by the avatars, Rama
lived and worked with the monkeys. Hanuman’s statement about monkeys is “I am not versed
at all in the Shastras. As for asceticism, I have no idea what it means. I have not repeated
according to prescribed rules, the names of God, nor have I gone on pilgrimages seeking holy
rivers! How then has Rama blessed me? Because he heeds only the love that animates, and
the feelings that activate people.” Later Krishna grew up with the cowherds who were from the
Shudras caste.
How can the Supreme Being’s head or hand refuse to touch his legs? Each of the various castes
can mingle as much as they can, knowing the profession most suited to their bodies so they can
excel in their profession to the maximum which is a spiritual exercise itself, “work is worship.”
Together they can create an orchestra where the members mingle and perform a beautiful
melody together. The violin player cannot suddenly insist on playing the drum just because he
feels it is a more prestigious instrument. He has been playing the violin all his life and cannot
compete with a drum player who has been practicing on the drum all his life. In the caste system
analogy, a startup fisherman cannot compete with a fisherman who hailed from a community
of fishermen who has been practicing that trade over untold millenniums; the new fisherman
may not be able to compete even in the small sub activity of swimming. Some may say
technology can overcome some of these deficiencies but give that technology to a member of
the fishermen community and they will excel far higher.
This author just submitted a paper, and the journal had numerous instructions. It took a whole
morning to follow every step of their instructions, this is a job which a Shudra can do like a
fish in water. You simply cannot make a mistake because a computer is receiving the answers
and computers are not like humans who may forgive mistakes a little. In future, a Shudra will
have a good life following all these instructions from computers.
A military person in Hindu culture will know that their main spiritual duty is to be the ultimate
warrior. With that aim in their mind, he may not get engaged in any spiritual activities. He will
have the awareness in the back of his mind that the religious rituals will be properly done by
the Brahmins for the good of the country and the production of food and other necessities will
be taken care of by the Vaisyas and Sudras.
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Vivekananda said something like (paraphrasing a lot): When mantras gave people all they
needed, Brahmins were the most powerful humans, when the Brahmins forgot their mantras,
the Kshatriyas took over for a long period of history. When fighting stops due to the
increasingly destructive power of weapons, the Vaisyas and Sudras will be the most powerful;
imagine going to fight with a person with the assured knowledge that both of you will die, will
you choose to fight? Today the Vaisya businessmen are the most powerful. When computers
take over the world, the Sudras who can follow instructions of the computers the best will be
the most powerful on earth.
In Parashurama’s age, the warriors were very powerful because the powerful people of the
previous age, the Brahmins, forgot many of the mantras which previously provided food,
shelter and clothing for people. Now the warriors provided security which enabled the people
to keep their basic needs. But eventually the ego of these people took over and they got
entangled in warfare. It became so bad that Mother Earth was forced to request help from
Vishnu to solve her problems. This is a repeat of the previous cases, where whenever things
get bad beyond a certain limit, Mother Earth must ask for help. Vishnu promised to incarnate
on earth to solve her problems. The name of this incarnation was Parashurama.
Parashurama was born the son of Sage Jamadagni and Renuka. Though born a Brahmin, he
had a Kshatriya grandmother, named Satyavati. Satyavati was the only daughter of King Gadhi.
A hermit sage named Hrshika saw her passing by his hermitage, with her entourage. He was
enamored by her, and asked king Gadhi for her hand in marriage. Of course, the king was not
immediately ready to give his daughter to a hermit. He asked the hermit to give him a dowry
of 1000 brown horses: following family customs. Sage Hrshika easily procured the dowry
using his mantras. The marriage was duly conducted, and princess Satyavati began her life in
the hermitage.
Sage Hrshika’s father was Sage Bhrigu, who was a very powerful sage. Sage Bhrigu came for
a visit to the new couple’s home. Since Satyavati took good care of him, she was asked to
request any boon she needed. She asked for a son and a brother. Sage Bhrigu gave her two
containers of sacred rice mixed with milk and sugar (payasam), one for her, and another for
her mother. They were to consume it to get her wish. But Satyavati accidentally interchanged
the containers and drank the payasam, which will give her a Kshatriya son and her Kshatriya
mother drank from the container, which will give her a Brahmin child. Sage Bhrigu saw this
via his spiritual vision and informed his daughter-in-law of her mistake. She pleaded that her
son must be a Brahmin and let her grandson be a Kshatriya. Satyavati must have felt that being
a Kshatriya herself, she wanted to give her husband a Brahmin child.
So, the son was born to the couple, and was named Jamadagni, which means one eye, signifying
the third eye which is a spiritual eye which can see more than the other two eyes. Jamadagni
mastered the Puranas. He married a lady named Renuka, whose son is Parashurama.
A few common words which are Sanskrit words but used even in English books about
Hinduism are Vedas, Puranas, Sastras, buddhi, dharma and siddhi. The Sastras are a
combination of the Vedas, Upanishads, and Puranas. Sastras is the closest to the English word
logy; for example, jīvaśāstra is biology. Of the Sastras, the Vedas are what was mentally
recorded and later written by sages after intense meditation. The Upanishad focuses on
philosophy and spiritual enlightenment and the Puranas are mythological tales which provide
philosophical insights. The Vedas are within everyone but are locked by the senses. It is locked
up in a range of percentages among various humans by “ropes” of the senses. It is locked up
with more “ropes” animals. And even more “ropes” in plants and fully locked up in stones.
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Buddhi means intelligence. In Hinduism, it is taken as a separate portion of the
“microprocessor” of the brain, the other portions being memory (Smṛti). Therefore, in
Hinduism as well as in computer engineering, the intelligence (microprocessor) is
differentiated from the memory (RAM, ROM, or hard disks drives (HDD)). Dharma means
duty but not in the sense of working for someone but more in line with what Americans tend
to call, “their calling;” a sense of what they are supposed to do according to divine will. Siddhis
are powers each human can acquire via constant practice; an example would be like the
miraculous way Michael Jordan manages to get balls in the hoop. By constant practice on a
certain aspect of life, miraculous powers can blossom within humans. But such powers are not
the aim of life here on earth. A famous story illustrating this is that a person after long practice
could walk over the Ganges River. On the other side of the river sat a great sage, and he boasted
to the sage that he used his siddhi to walk across the Ganges. The sage asked him how long it
took to acquire that siddhi, he replied, 25 years. The sage said you could have paid 25 cents to
the boatman to get across the river; by comparatively the siddhi Micheal Jordan acquired is
vastly more profitable.
Parashurama, though born as a Brahmin, behaved as a Kshatriya due to the incidents above.
He always preferred physical exercise and turning the only tool in a typical hermitage, the axe,
into a weapon. Axes were needed in hermitages for the acquisition of dried wood for fire.
Parashurama mastered all the lessons that a Brahmin child needed to learn but when he grew
up, he told his father that he wanted to go to the mountains to do penances to obtain the divine
axe (Parashu in Sanskrit; hence the name Parashurama) from Shiva.
Jamadagni’s wife, Renuka used to collect water from the river and mix it with mud to be used
in the fire sacrifice. One day, as she was doing this, she heard the sound of the aircraft of the
king of the region, Kartavirya Arjuna. She thought in her mind, “What a handsome person!
Can there be such a handsome person in the world!” Kartavirya Arjuna was a king of high
renown, who was blessed by Dattathreya, who was a partial incarnation of God. Later that day
when Jamadagni used the water to prepare a Lingam out of the mud, he noticed that the water
did not mix with the mud properly. He called out his wife and said, “There is some fault in you,
without your fault, the water and mud will not remain like this.” He asked her what happened
when you went to fetch the water. She replied, “On my way back, I heard some sound above
me and when I looked up, I saw a very handsome king flying his aircraft. I was attracted by his
beauty and hence the purity was lost, that is why the water brought by me would not mix with
the mud.” Jamadagni replied, “I cannot have a wife who has such an unholy mind.”
He instructed his son to cut off her head. Parashurama obeyed and cut off her head without
asking a question. His father was very happy and granted him two wishes. Parashurama first
asked for her mother to be brought back to life. The second wish was to have everlasting life,
which is why Parashurama appears again in the story of Rama and Krishna who came many
thousands of years later. Though Parashurama did not face any enemies in the hermitage where
he lived but was innately preparing himself for battle; now he has got immortality to enhance
his invincibility as a warrior.
In the cities all over earth, things are not going on as smoothly as it was in his hermitage. This
is because the Kshatriyas felt superior to the other castes and were abusing the power they
acquired with military might. One day, when Parashurama was in the forest, Kartavirya Arjuna
and his army visited his hermitage and were served delicious food and milk from kaamadhenu
(a divine cow) residing in the hermitage. This is an innate nature of living things. If the people
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of a household are living for noble causes, the children will excel, plants will grow better and,
in this case, Kaamadhenu will produce lots of superior milk.
The king asked Jamadagni for Kaamadhenu, but Jamadagni refused stating that the cow was
meant for Brahmins and not for warriors. Angered, the king got his soldiers to capture the cow.
The cow pleaded to the sage to save her, but he said, “It is your responsibility to take care of
yourself, I am not in a position to save you.” So, the cow sent forth soldiers from her body.
The cow’s army defeated the king’s army. This angered Kartavirya Arjuna even more, so he
chopped off the head of Jamadagni. Parashurama, who was out in the jungle gathering
firewood, heard ethereally his mother cry out “Rama, Rama” (the name Parashurama was given
at birth). Parashurama noted that his mother cried out his name 21 times and therefore he
decided to kill Kartavirya Arjuna and 21 generations of Kshatriyas.
A king killing an innocent sage in this manner is an indication of the level of egoism the
Kshatriyas have reached. The Kshatriyas are duty bound to fill their lives with fighting skills
and politics of managing people, often with fear. Prayer, helping the downtrodden and other
spiritual activities are not within their scope. But if the Kshatriyas get too powerful, they can
be a menace to the world. Only two kings survived Parashurama’s wrath, Dasaratha, the father
of Vishnu’s next incarnation, Rama and Janaka who became Sita’s father. When Parashurama
came to their kingdoms to kill them, Dasaratha was getting married and Janaka was performing
the fire sacrifice. The remaining warriors of the age were finally humbled and did not let their
egos disturb their duties.
Parashurama later came to his ashram and prayed to his ancestors to bring back his father’s
life. His ancestor, Sage Bharadwaja appeared in front of Parashurama and placed Jamadagni’s
head in the right position above the body and brought him back to life.
Parashurama has given up killing all warriors. The purpose of his advent was over and gifted
all the lands he conquered to Sage Kashyapa. After giving all the land to Sage Kashyapa, he
felt he should not remain on the land therefore he threw his axe to reclaimed land from the sea
and settled down in that territory. This land is known as Parashurama Kshetra and in modern
times it is the land of the state of Kerala, he is currently doing penance on a mountain named
Mahesha Peak in Kerala (named Mount Meeshapulimala in Kerala).
A contemporary king during Parashurama’s time was Koushika. He was a very powerful king
but was later defeated by a great sage named Vasista. From this defeat Koushika learnt that
spiritual pursuits provide far greater power than all his weapons and armies. Therefore, he went
into spirituality and changed his name to Vishwamitra to acquire this power. He eventually got
so much power that he created another universe but was stopped by Indra before he could
complete it.
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CHAPTER 10
RAMA
By the time the next incarnation of God, Rama, arrived, the Kshatriyas were incredibly noble.
They would not dare go against the dictates of righteousness (dharma). The story of Rama,
which happened about 20,000 years ago, is called the Ramayana. It is acknowledged
internationally as the second longest epic in the world after the Mahabharata. Perhaps the fact
that people of those times had long life spans helped make it a long epic. The main objectives
of Rama were:
1)
2)
3)
One wife – a man must have only one wife, even if that wife has left as Sita did.
One arrow - which is to tell the truth which is described as one arrow.
One word - which means once a word is spoken it must be followed to the end. There
should not be any twisting around.
The Ramayana places before the fathers, mothers, wives, husbands, brothers, and friends the
best lines of behaviors expected of them, how each of them must keep their promises and tend
their virtues. The Ramayana spells out correct conduct in all situations and under all conditions.
It teaches how to justify human birth, how to carry on the government, how to regulate the
reactions of the people and how to design the laws that can control and consummate the wishes
of the people.
20,000 years ago, humans were tall. Humans of Rama’s time averaged at 9.8 feet tall. Rama
was taller, probably at around 12 feet. This decrease in size compared to Parashurama’s time
can be attributed to the less fertile soil after millions of years of farming.
People of the Sathya yuga were very God fearing and good compared to today. But God had
to take birth at that time for a few important reasons:
1)
2)
To show an exemplary way for humans to live in a community.
To destroy the Asuras, especially their king, Ravana.
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These Asuras or ogres are humans who evolved into creatures who disregarded all virtues.
They thrived in the forest disturbing the sages in their austerities.
Being called a Hindu can mean a wide range of characteristic behaviors. Hindus who live even
next to each other or even the same family may pray to different Gods. For Hindus, it is the
love for his or her chosen form of God that is important. Intense love for any particular form
of God will lead one to the Almighty God who actually resides within us.
The whole idea of performing spiritual activities like prayers, meditation, rituals in temples and
performing service to fellow beings etc. are analogous to the various activities that a boy or a
girl delves in to show their love for each other like dating, presenting each other flowers,
candies etc. As they get married, their love is joined as one and eventually they have children,
thereby further expanding their love. As their children get married their family ties grow,
eventually engulfing all of humanity in their love. Soon after, they will engulf the universe in
their love. In the same way humans need to perform rituals to develop love for God.
Praying directly to the Almighty God, who is indescribable and formless is difficult, because
being human we need a form to love; just as a boy, in a faraway place, will find it hard to love
his girlfriend without a picture of her. Husband, wife, and children, within one family may each
choose a different God to love. But there are two characteristics common to all Hindus; one is
the tolerance by leaders of families to allow each member to pray to his or her chosen God, as
well as the knowledge or acknowledgement of the Ramayana. There are no practicing Hindu
that can say they don’t recognize the Ramayana.
The Ramayana was written by the lowest and worst character in India, Valmiki. His name was
Ratnakara, a person who murders people at whim just to steal their belongings. One day, as he
was about to rob a few sages including Narada (a sage-like heavenly being), Narada asked him
why he was doing this crime. He said this needs to be done to feed his wife and children as it
is his duty (dharma) as a husband. Narada asked him to go to his wife to ask if she will partake
in the sins of what he is doing. Even criminals of those days knew that they would suffer for
the sins they were committing unlike today’s criminals. Ratnakara warned the sages that if this
was a trick to escape from him, he would track them down and kill them. He went to his wife
and asked, “Dear one I worked for you, you know that? She replied, “I know”. “I love you
very much and the children, you know that?” She replied, “Yes of course I know.” Ratnakara
then asked, “So my question to you is this, because I do everything for you and look after you,
but you know how I do it, I kill people, I loot people, rob people, are you going to share the sin
with me, since you are my wife?” She said, “Why should I, why should I share, that is your
duty as a husband, how you earn is your problem, you married me, that is your responsibility,
you got children with me they are your responsibility, as a father you are supposed to feed.
How do you feed, you kill somebody, rob somebody, you work hard, how does it matter to me,
that is none of my concern, my concern is that you should feed us because you married me. I
should not share the sin, nor should the children share the sin.” Ratnakara got a shock and went
back to Narada, depressed, and informed what his wife said. Narada knew this criminal cannot
say any mantra so asked him to focus on something he loved but there was no form he loved,
being a vicious criminal who just had a falling out from his wife. So, Narada asked him to just
chant, “Rama.” But he was so stoned that he cannot even say that word. He decided to chant,
“mara” (kill) which is the word he shouts as he kills his victims. So, he chanted, “Mara” over
many years. The “Mara, Mara, Mara ….” Became “Rama” while being chanted continuously.
By this time, ants built an anthill over his body which is how he was renamed, Valmiki,
meaning anthill. Valmiki is considered among the greatest Sages in all of Hinduism. There are
two morals of the story here, one is that the lowest and absolute trash of humanity, for whom
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not a single human being on earth can respect, can be the greatest Sages and the second is that
whatever religion of path you take, even the religion of, “Mara” or killing, if done with
dedication and love will lead you to God. Hindus do not proclaim that they are following a
particular path; Hindus are a group of people who accept any path to God as legitimate.
Reciting the name of God is recommended for people of the current age (the Kali age), where
being evil-minded is almost a trend. As Ratnakara meditated, he gradually cut the ropes of
desires, which bound the Vedas within him. Thereby, all knowledge, especially about Rama
whose name he was reciting became known to him; Hindus generally understand that words
have power. Being the foremost expert in the Rama story, he composed the Ramayana. Today
some scientists are researching and theorizing the possibility that people are connected to
universal knowledge, and we can tap into the minds of others halfway around the earth. The
world is what it is because of the collaborative minds of all her citizens.
Rama was born a prince in the Solar (Ikshvaku) dynasty. His father was the king after a long
line of virtuous kings, all guided by the everlasting Sage Vasistha. Many sages of the age
invited themselves to Ayodhya because they knew through their vision of future events that
God will incarnate in Ayodhya. Some of these great and powerful sages were Vasista,
Vishwamitra, Garga, Agasthya (a sage who was around since Kurma’s time) and others.
The kings of this age were also immersed in thoughts of the divine. They constantly consulted
with the sages on how to keep the population happy and content. As a result, there was no lack
of food, clothing, housing, and good health. The people had full faith in their rulers. Even Gods
in heaven wanted to live in such an empire.
Among the ancient kings and queens of the Ikshvaku dynasty it was Khatvanga’s son, Dileepa
and his wife Sudakshina, who first brought in the Sage Vasistha to the palace as a permanent
advisor. They first approached Sage Vasistha because they did not have a child, despite being
married for quite some time. Following the advice of Sage Vasistha, they worshipped in an
appropriate way and got a son named Raghu. The long-living Sage Vasistha lived right through
the rule of all the following Kings after that, till the rule of Rama and beyond.
Raghu was a mighty and virtuous king who was later succeeded by his son Aja. Aja was
married to Indumathi. After installing Aja as king, his parents went to the forest to do penances,
as was the custom in those days. They normally do these penances till their death. Imagine a
wealthy owner of a giant corporation of today, giving up all their wealth and moving to the
forest in simple clothes, eating fruits and roots of trees, to pray and meditate till they die.
Aja was married to Indumathi who was a Deva from heaven. Their son was Dasaratha, the
father of Rama. Dasaratha was a powerful warrior, to whom every contemporary ruler paid
homage. He also defeated many Asuras. He married Kausala and had a daughter who was
named Santha. But Dasaratha wanted a son to continue his dynasty, so he gave away Santha to
a close friend. Santha later married a great sage named Rishyasringa. It was Santha and her
husband who later helped Dasaratha to have other children via a yagna.
Meanwhile, Ravana was the king of the island of Lanka. The main concentration of his
Kingdom was in between Colombo and Batticaloa of present-day Sri Lanka. Ravana’s palace
and fort was located there, and Rama’s army eventually also camped between these two cities.
Lanka was a prosperous kingdom. People of Lanka were very advanced in the science of
spirituality. The air was thick with the sacrificial fires and the recitation of the Vedas was done
every way to achieve various goals. They knew with confidence that the recitation and sacrifice
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gave them physical benefits just as scientists today are confident that the machines of science
give them benefits. But sadly, most of the people of Lanka wanted to achieve worldly goals
rather than internal realization that they themselves are God.
Ravana conquered most of the earth, the heavens, and the nether regions, except Dasaratha’s
Empire. The city of Ayodhya was designed by a divine architect, in such a manner that enemies
like Ravana cannot enter it. Ravana was a very learned man but was envious of Dasaratha. He
was determined to destroy Dasaratha. He sent a messenger to Ayodhya informing Dasaratha
that unless a tribute was paid to him, he would have to meet him in a battlefield.
Dasaratha laughed and shot an arrow, after quietly reciting some mantras. The arrow flew from
Ayodhya into Lanka. This arrow fastened the main gates of the city. When Ravana’s envoys
returned to relate what happened, he was shocked to find the gates shut. All his men including
Ravana himself could not reopen the gates. When Ravana was finally struck with shame, the
arrows returned to Ayodhya, and the gates could be reopened.
Undeterred, Ravana was determined to conquer Dasaratha’s empire. So, he went to the depths
of the forest to select a favorable auspicious spot to do penances. The penance of Ravana was
so intense and satisfying that Brahma came before him to grant a boon. Ravana was worried
that Dasaratha, being as powerful as he is, will beget a son even more powerful, who could
defeat him. So, Ravana asked Brahma, “Lord! Bless me with this gift of grace: Let no child be
born from the loins of Dasaratha.” Brahma said, “So be it” and disappeared quickly to avoid
another foul boon from Ravana. Though a learned man, Ravana did not learn or imbibe the
lessons of history, which foretold that no one could ever dupe the rules of righteousness.
As per the boon from Brahma, Dasaratha did not have any children. So, after some time he got
the consent of Kausalya to get a second wife, Sumitra. But he still did not have any children.
So, he married a third wife, Kaikeyi.
In one of his military exploits, a demon injured him badly, but his third wife, Kaikeyi, nursed
him back to life on the battlefield. Dasaratha asked Kaikeyi to ask for any two boons for saving
his life. Kaikeyi said she would ask for them later. The major twist in the Ramayana story was
the result of Kaikeyi finally requesting for these two boons later in her life.
Due to the boon given to Ravana, Dasaratha did not have any children after the first daughter,
Santha, even after quite some time of marriage to three wives. The king and his three queens
were beginning to become old and anxious about the future of Ayodhya. They consulted Sage
Vasistha, who after meditating for a while, instructed the king to perform a yagna. A yagna is
a religious ritual where various seeds, ghee and other materials are poured into a fire, while
continuously reciting mantras. This feeding of the flames of the fire is equivalent to feeding
God’s tongue.
The great Sage Rishyasringa and his wife, Santha (the first child of Dasaratha) were requested
to perform the yagna. After a while, a divine person with blinding splendor arose from the fire
carrying a bright vessel. The person said “Maharaja (King)! Accept this vessel and give the
sacred payasam (a sweet viscous drink) brought therein in appropriate shares to your three
queens.” He placed the vessel on the hands of the king and disappeared.
Vasistha instructed the three queens to take a ceremonial bath before entering the family shrine.
Vasistha then poured the payasam into three golden cups. He instructed Dasaratha to give the
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cups to the three queens, first to Kausalya, next to Sumitra, and the last to Kaikeyi. Then
Vasistha completed the ceremony of worship.
Kausalya and Kaikeyi kept their cups safely in their respective shrine rooms thinking that their
child will be the king. Kausalya had this view because she was the eldest queen and Kaikeyi
because Dasaratha promised her father that her son would be the heir to the throne. Sumitra on
the other hand did not have any hope of her child being the next king so her earnestness in
drinking the contests of the cup was not that great. Some women are anxious about their child’s
future with a loving relationship and inherent joy of parenthood being a priority in their minds.
Sumitra placed the cup on a short parapet wall and moved to the terrace to dry her hair in the
sun. After a while, an eagle swooped down and snatched the cup and flew far into the sky. The
cup was left on the Mantanga Mountain. A female monkey by the name of Ananja Devi was
meditating at that time on that mountain. She spotted the cup and drank its contents. She
became pregnant and gave birth to Hanuman.
Sumitra was worried about the reprimand she will face from her husband for being careless.
She rushed to Kausalya to tell her what happened. Just then Kaikeyi also came in. They hugged
and consoled her saying, “Sister why are you so much disturbed? We three are one, and we
will share our portion of the payasam with you." They had another golden cup brought in.
Kausalya and Kaikeyi both poured into Sumitra’s new cup a portion of their payasam. The
queens took their respective cups and went to Sage Vasistha and Dasaratha to obtain their
blessing before drinking the contents. Sage Rishyasringa was pronouncing his blessings, and
the other elders and scholars were chanting auspicious Vedic hymns. The queens fell at the feet
of Sage Rishyasringa and proceeded to their own palaces.
In the tenth month, in that city of Ayodhya, the first child was born to Kausalya. He was born
with a very dark skin complexion and was named Rama. The next day, Bharatha was born. On
the third day Sumitra delivered twins named Lakshmana and Shatrughna.
The babies, Lakshmana and Shatrughna, were crying all day and night and were not drinking
milk. Lakshmana was wailing unless he was close to Rama. Similarly, Shatrughna was
melancholic, averse to food and play, resulting in his weakness and tiredness.
Sumitra consulted Vasishta who closed his eyes and divined all that transpired with the cup.
He said to Sumitra, “As you partook of the sacred pudding given by Kausalya, you gave birth
to Lakshmana who is a part of Rama. Similarly, Shatrughna is born out of the share of pudding
given to you by Kaikeyi, so he is a part of Bharata. Put Lakshmana by the side of Rama and
Shatrughna by the side of Bharata. Then they will rest peacefully.”
One day, Kausalya bathed Rama and Lakshmana. She then carried them to their golden cradles
and rocked them to sleep, singing sweet lullabies. She asked her maid to keep watch and went
to her rooms to prepare the daily food offering to be placed in the shrine room for God.
Sometime later, she went to the shrine room to give a little of this food to the children. But to
her surprise she saw baby Rama sitting on the floor of the shrine room, eating with delight the
food offered to God. She ran towards the cradle and found Rama still sleeping. She went back
to the shrine room and found the vessel of payasam empty. After consulting Vasishta about the
incident, he told her it was not a delusion and that her son was indeed God.
The three mothers pampered the children till they were three. Then Dasaratha commanded that
they should start their schooling. Thenceforth they lived in Vasishta’s home, giving up costly
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royal clothing and wore a simple cloth wound around their waist and another thrown over their
shoulders.
Rama, out of the four turned out to be an excellent student and could recite any mantra after
hearing it once, but often he would recite it even before the teacher recited it the first time.
The mothers knew they should not disturb, because studies cannot progress well if children are
in the atmosphere of parental love. They however came to the teacher’s home occasionally and
were happy to note their children's progress.
On the east of Ayodhya, there lived a sage named Vishwamitra who was engaged in rigorous
penances. But whenever he starts a yagna, the Asuras would desecrate it by showering pieces
of flesh on the sacred area, fouling its sanctity.
Vishwamitra went to Ayodhya to ask for help. Dasaratha, knowing who Vishwamitra was,
immediately agreed to offer any help. But Vishwamitra requested that Rama and Lakshmana
come and kill the Asuras in the forest. Dasaratha was shocked. He said they are mere teenage
boys, and that he was more than willing to vanquish the Asuras himself. But Vishwamitra
insisted that only Rama and Lakshmana could accomplish this task. Finally, Dasaratha agreed,
more because he has given his word and kings in his dynasty cannot go back on their word.
The trio walked from Ayodhya to the place where Vishwamitra was performing his penances.
The first demon Rama had to kill was Tataka. Through her terrorizing ways, the once peaceful
land where she lives had become a wasteland. She could transform herself into any form she
desired. She had the power of a thousand elephants. Once she disturbed a great sage named
Agasthya who cursed her with ugliness and cannibalism. She had a son named Maricha who
was as strong as Indra (king of Gods) himself. Together, they caused tremendous havoc to the
people of the region. This mother and son disrupted all the yagnas (notable that of Sage
Vasishta) and penances of the sages around.
Rama knew that killing a woman is a heinous sin but if this is done for the protection of the
whole world, it is acceptable. The sages in the forest do penance and this helps the whole world,
so it is his duty to protect them.
Rama took out his bow and tested the tightness of its string. The sound that emanated from the
bow echoed in all directions. The entire jungle was awakened. Tataka was enraged by this
sound and searched for its source. Rama saw her rushing towards him like a mountain. He told
Lakshmana, “Look at that mass of ugliness.” Tataka was rushing towards Rama with
outstretched arms intending to eat him as a piece of cake. As she moved towards Rama, she
felt a strange kind of shock and retreated a few times. This is because she was able to perceive
that Rama was God and not an ordinary foe. In all these movements, she stirred a lot of dust,
turning the whole area dark and suffocating.
Rama shot an arrow at her, but she kept rushing towards Rama. Her two arms were then cut
off. Lakshmana cut off her legs one by one. But Tataka could adopt other forms.
Vishwamitra informed Rama not to delay killing her, due to their compassion that she is a
woman. This is because as nightfall comes, her power will increase. Rama then shot an arrow
fast at the target, which paralyzed her. Tataka wanted to fall onto the brothers, but Rama shot
another fatal arrow right to her chest and she fell dead, creating a huge crater where she fell.
Vishwamitra asked the brothers to take rest and listen to his stories till it was sleeping time.
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The next morning Vishwamitra gave all the weapons he has always carried astrally (he says a
manta and they appear for his use) to Rama, together with the mantras to propitiate them. He
had acquired all these weapons through great penances to fight the Asuras that frequently
harass the sages in the jungle. Now that Rama is here to protect them, he felt no use for them
anymore. Vishwamitra brought the two brothers to Siddhashram, a holy place where Sage
Kashyapa achieved the victory of realizing he is God, through his penances. Vishwamitra
wanted to conduct a yagna at this place. He needed to sit by a fire and say all the appropriate
mantras and pour the right offerings to the fire. On previous attempts to do this, the Asuras
have always foiled it. This time Rama and Lakshmana stood guard. They did not sleep for five
days. On the sixth day, the sons of Tataka, Maricha and Subahu came with their scary devilish
magic. Rama shot two arrows, after reciting a mantra. These arrows mortally struck the two
powerful Asuras and sent their bodies next to their mother’s body.
Today at the Nandi Hills of Muddenahalli, Karnataka, her body is the biggest of the three hills
there, the smaller hills are that of Maricha and Subahu. Today a clock tower stands at the
position of the hermitage of Vishwamitra, where Rama and Lakshmana stayed. Rama then
killed all the rest of the Asuras. Thus, the jungles were henceforth rendered safe for the sages
to continue their penances.
One day, a young resident of the ashram ran to Vishwamitra with a message written on leaves.
The message on the leaves informed that King Janaka of Mithila had resolved to perform a
yagna and wished Vishwamitra would attend.
At this, Rama said, he will take leave to go back to Ayodhya. But Vishwamitra said that he had
promised His father that he would bring the brothers back himself. Rama replied that his chief
vow was obedience to His father so he will comply. In addition, Vishwamitra also told the
young princes of the many God-given weapons in the city of Mithila. Being of the warrior
group of people, the princes were naturally fascinated. It is just like telling a current day
engineer of the latest machines developed.
The next day, they started their trek to Mithila. Vishwamitra decided that he and all the
residents of the ashram would move permanently. As they walked away from Siddhashram,
thousands of animals followed them. But Vishwamitra told these animals that the place to
which he is heading for is not their natural habitat, and they all should remain around
Siddhashram and God will bless them.
Upon reaching Mithila, King Janaka welcomed the entourage. Sage Vishwamitra described the
princes’ valor to King Janaka. The king was amazed and explained that Shiva’s bow was in his
kingdom for generations. It weighs thousands of tons.
King Janaka then related that one day, as he was clearing the grass in preparation for a yagna,
he found a vessel in a small drain, below the grass. In this vessel was a charming female child.
He named her, Sita, which means small drain. Unknown to King Janaka then was the fact that
Sita is Mother Earth’s daughter. King Janaka brought her up as her own child.
One day, Sita’s toy rolled underneath the long box, which held Shiva’s bow. Her companions
tried to retrieve it by using various contrivances, but it rolled further underneath the box. Just
then, Sita came and just pushed the few-thousand-tons box with her tiny tender hands to recover
the toy. Thus, King Janaka resolved that he would give Sita away only to one who can string
that bow.
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Many princes tried and failed. The humiliated princes ganged together and attacked Mithila.
They surrounded the city for a full year. Having exhausted his armaments, King Janaka
conducted yagnas to derive various weapons from Gods.
King Janaka said, since there were many princes in Mathila at that time, he would like to again
conduct a ceremony where princes can try to string the Shiva’s bow.
King Janaka then left the entourage to prepare for the next day. He assigned the strongest
people in the city to move the bow to the appropriate hall. A big number of the strongest men
were needed to move the eight-wheeled box, which held Shiva's bow.
The next day King Janaka announced in the main hall that anyone who can lift this bow can
marry his daughter, Sita. Many princes tried, but all failed. Even Ravana was in the hall. He
walked toward the bow with a big ego and tripped and fell, resulting in the laughter by the other
princes. He got himself up and moved to the bow. He tried to lift it with all his might but could
not even budge it.
Finally, Vishwamitra smiled at Rama to give it a try. Rama walked towards the bow, lifted it
up and strung it. He fixed an arrow, drew the string back to his ear. At that moment, the bow
snapped making a thunderous noise, which reverberated in the whole region. The thousands of
people in the hall were terrified. But Sita was overjoyed and fixed her gaze on Rama.
King Janaka approached Sage Vishwamitra to inform him that he would give Sita’s hand in
marriage to Rama. Vishwamitra said it is better to let this news reach Rama’s father first and
the marriage can be conducted after he comes to Mithila. Rama will not marry unless he gets
the approval from his father anyway.
Upon hearing the news, Emperor Dasaratha, and practically the entire Ayodhya (minus his
three wives) headed for Mithila. They spent two days and two nights on their long journey to
Mithila.
Dasaratha was glad to see his two sons whom he missed for quite some time; he hugged them.
The proposal was made to have not only Rama wedded, but all the four brothers also.
Lakshmana will marry King Janaka’a another daughter, Urmila. King Janaka’s brother’s
daughters, Mandevi will wed Bharatha and Sruthakerthi will marry Shatrughna.
A grand marriage was conducted. King Janaka first went to give the hand of Sita to Rama, then
he went to give the hands of Urmila to Lakshmana, then he proceeded to give Mandevi’s hand
to Bharatha and finally gave Sruthakerti’s hand to Shatrughna.
The four bridegrooms held the hands of the four brides and circumambulated first the sacred
fire and then Janaka and Vasishta. They then prostrated before them. While they were doing
this, showers of flowers were thrown upon them in accompaniment with music from many
instruments. Then court musicians sang the traditional wedding songs. The festivities
continued right into the night for three days. One of the songs the men sang is preserved till
today the translation is:
Welcome to all for Rama's wedding; together we shall witness the joyous scene. Many have
gathered already, decked up in all their finery. With necklaces, the ladies are adorned with
jewels pure and gleaming. Rama shall tie the knot today to beauteous Sita. Oh, what a fine
match they make! It is said that by wedding Sita, Rama acquired supreme wisdom or the
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awareness of the supreme God. The philosophy of this statement is that a person can gain the
supreme awareness by being involved with nature whom Sita represents (being the daughter of
Mother Earth). These men consider Sita to be the daughter of Mother Earth because she was
found as a baby in a hole in earth, but the actual truth is that she is actually Goddess Lakshmi.
The women of the kingdom came to participate in the wedding and joyfully sang some songs:
Come let us go and see the marriage of Rama and Sita, the sight shall confer great merit.
Blessed are those who see this scene. Oh, come one and all; watch with joy the sacred marriage.
Kaikeyi’s brother approached Dasaratha and said, “Father is waiting to see me back. He would
have been very happy to be present here during these festivities. He does not know about the
wedding of Bharatha. He would be very disappointed when he comes to know that the marriage
of his grandson was celebrated in his absence. That disappointment can be assuaged to some
extent if Bharatha is sent with me now, so that some festivities might be arranged there for his
satisfaction and pleasure.” Dasaratha did not agree and said, “Bharatha will go only after
reaching Ayodhya, and not straight from Mithila.”
On their way home, the clouds were dark, and a fierce cyclonic storm uprooted giant trees and
there was alarming noise all over. Even the mountain peaks rolled, and explosions were heard
all over. The dust all around was so thick that visibility was very low.
Out of all this, a dreadful figure with terror-striking eyes stood towering over all the rest in
height. His head had a crown of thickly matted hair. He had a giant double-edged axe on one
shoulder and on the other shoulder he had a bag of arrows that shone like lightning. He was
Parashurama, still alive because his father granted him a boon of immortality. He roared, “Who
is the one who broke the bow of Shiva?”
Parashurama has given up killing all warriors and has long since been meditating on the
Mahesha Peak (Mount Meeshapulimala in current day Kerala). He spoke to Rama fiercely. “O
Son of Dasaratha! I have listened to your exploits being praised by a thousand tongues; I heard
also how you broke the bow of Shiva, as if it was just child’s play. But all that is hearsay not
directly seen by me. I have come now, so that I can personally examine your valor. I have
brought this divinely consecrated bow. It belongs to Jamadagni, my revered father. Show me
your might by stringing it and fixing an arrow on it. Or else, come, engage in fight!”
Dasaratha pleaded with Parashurama not to harm his son, but Parashurama paid no heed to his
words. He said, “The bow that you broke and this one both, have come from heaven;
Viswakarma the divine artificer made them both. One was offered to Shiva, for use against the
Asuras of the Triple Fortress; the other was entrusted to Vishnu. Once the Asuras were
destroyed, Shiva sent it to emperor Devaratha together with the arrows that were used for the
fight. Perhaps that bow had become frail and feeble since the purpose for which it was offered
has been accomplished. It is no proof of might and heroism if such a bow is broken. This bow
has work yet to do, and so it still retains its vigor and vitality. This bow is surcharged with
efficacy and power. Take this, string it, and break it as you did the other. That is the way to
prove your strength and heroism. Do not strut about in pride that you have broken the bow of
Shiva! Break this and write your name in the annals of the brave. You may doubt my words
that this is the bow of Vishnu. Vishnu himself kept this in the custody of Hrshika, a great sage.
He handed it over to his son, Jamadagni. Jamadagni is my father. He was the repository of
tremendous merit acquired by austerity; he was so pure-hearted that he had no trace of hatred
or vengeance in him. My father had renounced the use of weapons; yet the wicked Kartavirya
Arjuna killed him. It was a crime of unprecedented cruelty; no one had killed another so
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atrociously. I decided that I should not show mercy; I had to teach him a lesson; I vowed that
I would destroy not only that monster, but all unrighteous kings. From that day, I have been
cutting them to pieces and playing ball games with their heads. This bow was with me in all
those campaigns. I killed many wicked monarchs. I subjugated the entire world. My anger at
those who had killed my father cooled a little with this. I gave up the vendetta and started a
Vedic sacrifice. I invited Kashyapa for the yagna, since he was a great saint immersed in
meritorious activity. I gave him the earth, which I had conquered as dakshina (ritual fees), for
supervising the yagna. Since then, I have been spending my days on the Mahesha Peak with
my mind immersed in peace and my intellect in spiritual splendor. Mahesa Peak is Mount
Meeshapulimala located in Parashurama Kshetra or current day state of Kerala which he
reclaimed from the sea by throwing his axe; he could not live anywhere else because he had
already given all lands to Sage Kashyapa.
Your father asked me why I have again taken up this weapon and put on a challenging pose,
despite renouncing the path of vengeance and hatred. I shall answer him now Rama! Two
bows were created in heaven and came upon earth. You have broken the Shiva Bow. This bow
alone remains intact now. If this too is broken, then my renunciation will be complete; so, I
wish that this too is broken or retained by you. I am waiting for this consummation. The
moment has come, I am determined to utilize it, rather than let it go by, or allow it to be
misused. Perhaps, you doubt whether fighting is the best use that time can be put to? But the
significance of the fight must be investigated; it may be for the progress and welfare of the
world; it may promote the suppression of the unrighteous and the encouragement of the good.
You cannot pronounce it as undesirable, judging from a superficial point of view. Analyze the
purpose. When a knife must be sharpened, one must hone it on a grindstone. No one will
condemn the process as injurious to the knife. If the body is to derive strength from food, the
food must be placed between rows of hard teeth and ground into paste, mercilessly. No one can
condemn this process as violence exercised on the material. It may become necessary to
provide Sathwic food (vegetarian food that is not over cooked, too salty, or too spicy which is
needed for spiritual progress) for either the body of the ‘body politic’, to recourse to struggle,
conflict and apparent infliction of pain. Well. We are in the middle of the road, halfway through
a journey. It is not proper to indulge in talk, standing here. Let us get to action. It is imperative
we should start straightway. Come on! Either string this bow and break it in the process or
fight a duel with me!”
Finally, Rama spoke. He said, “Parashurama! You are a Brahmin. For a Kshatriya, you are an
object of worship, based on caste. I don’t feel it proper to kill such a Brahmin. Nor is it proper
to aim this holy weapon against you. You yourself declared just now that it belongs to the realm
of the Gods, that it has so far destroyed every enemy, city fort against which it has been used,
and that it can overwhelm and defeat the strength and pride of whomever it encounters. Is it
not sheer waste to make it unserviceable? So, choose any one of these two alternatives and tell
me: shall I use it to prevent you from moving about on your feet? Or shall I prevent you from
attaining the higher worlds that you have earned by means of austerities?”
When Parashurama heard these words, he lurched at Rama. Rama used his left hand to catch
hold of the bow that was slung on Parashurama’s shoulder and started laughing. This hurt
Parashurama’s pride, but Parashurama could not move as soon as Rama caught hold of the
bow. Brilliance emerged from Rama, which was so bright that everyone had to shut their eyes.
When the actual owner of the bow held it, the bow acquired added luster and lightning streamed
from it. Rama took the bow and using his left hand, strung it, and armed it with an arrow.
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Parashurama was very happy, he said, “Rama! Did you notice what happened! I have
experienced the delight of the divine manifestation, your divine splendor. In the days gone by,
I gifted this earthly region to Kashyapa. Receiving it, the Sage Kashyapa declared that I should
not enter his dominion again and even if I did, I should not spend a night therein: he pronounced
a curse upon me on these lines. Well. It is already getting dark. I can no longer be present here.
I must hurry fast to Mahesa Peak. Through my incomparable austerity, I have won high
heavenly regions. By arming the bow, you have broken all the power I had won. All the power
I have in me is yours. O Rama, watch this, I am offering to you the power earned by me.
Rama! The world cannot easily understand the majesty of the divine; even those like me who
have earned great power through denial and detachment and ascetic practices rely more on their
own spiritual achievements, ignoring the influence of the divine strategy of Vishnu. I have
therefore set about to make known your reality and genuine power to the world; I will give you
as an offering the powers I have; I have also proved once again that you are the mighty Vishnu,
the God endowed with unique powers, the God who directs the drama of the universe. There
is nothing that is devoid of you, nothing that is not you. You are all. Yours is all. I had the good
fortune of wielding for some time your divine bow and consequently, I earned some reverence
from the world. That is the merit I have won. This is my offering.”
Rama was born with twelve Kalas (attributes of divine) and each of his brothers had one Kala.
Parashurama also had one Kala, and he gave it to Rama and left. Thus, Rama and his brothers
have the full sixteen Kalas.
Note that Vishnu incarnated with attributes. He can take many forms at the same time. For
example, he was at the site when the churning of the ocean was being done, while Kurma (his
incarnation) was also at the site, holding Mount Mandara. Here also two incarnations of the
same Vishnu were interacting to show the people of earth the proper path.
Upon reaching Ayodhya, the people who were there were rejoicing at seeing the princes and
their wives approaching. The three mothers, queens Kousalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi were
waiting at the entrance to the palace. They hugged their children, and their new daughters-inlaw prostrated before them.
After the joyous celebrations, Dasaratha summoned Bharatha and told him, “Son! Your
maternal uncle, Yudhajit, had come to take you with him from Mithila itself. I did not agree. I
have come to know that your grandfather is very anxious to see you. So, make yourselves ready
to accompany him.” Bharatha answered, “Father! It would be very good if Shatrughna too
comes along with me.” So, Dasaratha ordered Bharatha, Shatrughna, and their wives to prepare
for their journey to Kekaya (current day Kashmir). But after a few days, Dasaratha was greatly
saddened and regretted sending these two sons to Kekaya. His sadness grew as the days went
by.
One night, Dasaratha was thirsty and decided to drink a little water at night. He did not want
to wake up the sleeping queens, so he went to take the water himself into a small cup. But he
noticed that his fingers were shaking. He could not sleep after that, realizing that he had become
old. He decided then that he should give up being the emperor and pass the throne to Rama.
He wanted the power to be transferred to Rama immediately.
Everyone in the kingdom was overjoyed at having Rama as their emperor except Manthara,
the maid of Kaikeyi. She was an old and ugly maid who had brought up Kaikeyi since she was
a baby. Manthara cajoled Kaikeyi into stopping the coronation of Rama. But there was also a
secret plan of Rama that happened prior to this. Kaikeyi was very devoted to Rama and loved
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him more than her own son Bharatha. Rama approached Kaikeyi and informed her that many
people will do things to get a good name and requested Kaikeyi to do something for him even
though she will get a bad name. Rama asked Kaikeyi to request Dasaratha to crown Bharatha
as the king and send him on an exile.
Kaikeyi could do this because Dasaratha had given her two boons, and her father gave her hand
in marriage to the much older Dasaratha, on the condition that her son will become king. The
lengthy cajoling by Manthara succeeded in making Kaikeyi submit to this proposal. The key
point raised by Manthara was that Kaikeyi had the habit of decorating herself with expensive
clothing and jewelry which she cannot easily acquire when Kalsuya is the queen mother.
Manthara was only apparently the mastermind behind the upcoming evil scheme. Everything
was planned. Kaikeyi was to mess up her room and throw her jewels all over the floor and
pretend to be in great mental stress, lying on the bare floor. She will then ask for two boons,
namely, Bharatha should be crowned emperor and Rama should be sent to the forest for
fourteen years. The devious plan was conceived in this manner because there was an existing
law in those days that stated that whoever had unhampered ownership and enjoyment of a
property for twelve consecutive years, will get ownership of the property. This law in the
modern world is call adverse possession and is still practised in India, United Kingdom. United
States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Dasaratha was agreeable to crown Bharatha as the king but sending Rama to the forest was too
much for him and he was crestfallen. When Lakshmana learned of this, he became very angry
and wanted to kill Kaikeyi and Manthara. Rama pacified him, saying that it is their duty to
carry out the command of their father and not do anything that will bring disrepute to their
father.
This devious plan worked, and Rama was sent to the forest. His wife, Sita and his brother,
Lakshmana insisted on coming along. Lakshmana got the approval of his wife, Urmila who
said, “It is your greatest good fortune. Consider Sita and Rama as your mother and father and
serve them. In Ayodhya you have Kausalya, Sumitra, and Kaikeyi, but in the forest, you have
only one mother, and that is Sita. Forget me and serve Sita and Rama with total
dedication.” Rama pretended to object to this, and finally reluctantly agreed but he knew that
all these incidents were meant to happen. The drama of Sita and Lakshmana following him to
the jungle must happen for the benefit of the world. He knew the past, the present and the
future. Lakshmana’s devotion to Rama is like that of a baby cat. He surrendered to the will of
God even if he had to die. Prahlad’s devotion (in the Narasimha chapter) is like a baby monkey
which holds on to the mother’s stomach despite the jumping she must do.
Shortly after Rama went for his exile, Dasaratha died of sadness. All this misfortune had a
reason; it is due to a curse of an aged parents of a young boy named Sravana. One day,
Dasaratha went to the forest for hunting. He reached near a bank of a river where he heard a
noise and thought it was that of an animal drinking water. He shot an arrow which found its
mark, but the sound turned out to be that of a boy taking water in a container for his aged
parents, who were blind and helpless. This boy was the only support for his parents. He used
to carry them in sacks on both sides of a bamboo stick, to pilgrimage sites. Before the boy died,
he asked Dasaratha to carry the water filled container to his aged parents. Dasaratha was griefstricken and slowly took the water container to the parent’s home. He explained to them what
happened, and they cursed him that he will also die due to separation from his son.
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A messenger rushed from Ayodhya to Kakeya (present day Kashmir) to inform Bharatha to
come back immediately. Because it was not appropriate for a prince to ask further details from
a messenger, he did not do so. He and his brother rushed back to Ayodhya and found everyone
in gloom; all the doors to homes were shut as if no one was welcomed. Even the horses and
elephants in the stables were standing with their head bent down, eyes streaming with tears and
not moving a muscle.
Kaikeyi rushed out to greet her son. She said, “Son! What shall I say? I was very happy that,
with the help of Manthara, I was able to achieve all that I desired; but, with the very first step,
my success has broken into bits; the Gods cast an unpropitious eye on it. The emperor, your
dearly beloved father, has left for heaven”.
Upon hearing this Bharatha fell onto the floor as he cried out, “Alas, Father!” Shatrughna also
fell to the floor. Bharatha thought, at least Rama and Lakshmana were here when he died.
Bharatha was about to go to see Rama when he asked, “Mother! Tell us where Rama is
now?” Kaikeyi replied, “Son! If Rama was here, your father would not have breathed his last,
don’t you realize that? Rama is not in the city, don’t you know? We have no time to relate
and listen to that long story. First, busy yourself in arranging for the last obsequies of your
father!” From this answer, Bharatha knew that she was hiding something. Bharatha then asked
the whereabouts of Sita and Lakshmana. Kaikeyi replied, “They have both followed Rama into
the forest, they will not be returning to this city until after fourteen years. Thus, did your father
command?” Kaikeyi continued, “Your duty now is to follow the ideal he has set before you,
to earn similar fame by meritorious deeds and rule over the empire happily.” Bharatha knew
that he did not get the absolute truth from his mother. He approached his stepmothers but was
not able to get the correct answers from them either.
Finally, Vasistha gathered all the ministers, the feudatory rulers, the vassal kings, sages, and
wise men of the empire in the palace. Vasistha saw through his spiritual vision what transpired
and announced the exact details of the tragedy that befell Ayodhya. Upon hearing this,
Bharatha and Shatrughna became very angry, sorrowful, and ashamed. They went straight to
the palace of Kaikeyi. They saw Manthara at the entrance decked in jewels. Shatrughna could
not tolerate this; he dragged her down by the hair and rained blows on her. She called out in
pain, “Ayyo, Ayyo.” This cry reached Kaikeyi’s ears, who ran to the spot and reprimanded
Shatrughna.
Then Bharatha shouted at Kaikeyi, “Fie upon you, sinner! You placed faith in this wicked
woman’s words and committed despicable sin. How was it that your heart did not break in
twain when this woman’s disastrous counsel entered it? How could your tongue pronounce
those baneful boons? Did it not turn into ashes, when it uttered those abominable
desires? Aren’t you ashamed to move within its precincts? Alas! How did the emperor place
his faith in the words of a person so evil as you are? Blinded by lust, he agreed to barter away
the son, to win the wife; the conspiracy you hatched was mean and fraught with misery. You
polluted the pure heart of the emperor; you set the kingdom on fire; you have destroyed the
dynasty and its glory; you have brought eternal disgrace on the royal line of Raghu; your
crooked, poisonous heart has achieved all this ruin. To declare you as my mother is a dire sin.
How could you decide that, when you harm another, your son will attain good fortune? Are
not the children of others as dear to them as yours are to you? Women who plan ill for the
children of others are only accomplishing evil for their own children. How did you miss this
great truth? It must be due to the sins you have committed in previous lives. No. All this is due
to me. Or else, why should the pure, the steadfast, the undefiled Rama, my loved brother, and
the crown of chastity and goodness, Mother Sita, wander about in the fearsome forest? O, what
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a cruelty! How dreadful! Fie on you. That I must speak to such a foul-hearted sinner is itself
the result of sins I have committed in my past lives. O, I wonder what dreadful sin I have
committed to deserve this punishment, this disgrace, of being born of your womb. Sinners get
only sinners as sharers and companions; how can they be associated with good men, men
engaged in meritorious activity? This Solar dynasty is as holy, as pure, as the celestial swan,
with no trace of blemish. But really speaking, you are like your mother; she had her husband
killed, to fulfill her ambition. You too have killed your husband, to realize your selfish wish.
Can the younger son ever rule over the Empire, overstepping the eldest son contrary to the
established practice of the royal line? You did not get this fatal idea now; it was there, latent,
as a seed, since the very beginning, or else it would not have manifested as a giant tree
suddenly. Endowed with such a wicked nature, you could have smothered me dead as soon as
I was born and saved me, and this empire from all this misery. Of what avail is it now to bewail
what is past? Alas! Your intelligence directed you to hew down the trunk and water the
branches, your reasoning faculty instructed you to promote the lives of fish by bailing out the
water from the tank. I am unable to decide whether I must laugh or weep at your banal stupidity.
Instead of fouling these minutes conversing with you I would rather proceed to the presence of
Rama, and pray to him to come back to Ayodhya, so that I can return with him. In case he
declines to return, I am determined to stay with him as Lakshmana has done and be happy
serving him. I shall not look at your face again.”
Kaikeyi planned all these activities to keep her opulent lifestyle and it is only now that she
realized that it was all in vain. She did not have it in her planning that her own son will not
only refuse to go along with her ambitions, but also disown her in the end. Material wealth
must go someday, so detachment and a simple lifestyle even while wealthy is the best route to
take. An example of how this can be done is the statement of Steve Jobs who said, he lives
every day like it is the last. That is, to live assuming you will end your life in the night and face
God; did your positive and negative activities add to a positive value at the end of the
day? Humans will have to part with their wealth someday, that is a given. This may have to
happen upon their death. She repented and finally realized that the Godly way, or the precepts
of righteousness that Rama was strictly following is the only lasting lifestyle for a human being.
Since Rama’s time, no parent who heard the Ramayana story will ever name their children
Kaikeyi or Manthara. The story of Kaikeyi, the daughter of a great king from an illustrious
dynasty following the advice of a servant and destroying everything about herself, is equivalent
to a modern person being a slave of desire and destroying themselves.
Bharatha and Shatrughna informed the ministers that they were leaving to see Rama. When the
mothers heard of this, they insisted on following, and soon all the people of Ayodhya wanted
to follow. Bharatha agreed that the major portion of Ayodhya can follow him. The huge
entourage took a long journey through the forest. Bharatha and Shatrughna decided to walk
barefooted even while the queens and ministers and sages all used chariots.
Upon reaching Rama’s dwelling, Lakshmana was getting ready for battle against Bharatha and
his army, thinking that Bharatha came to finish off the job started by his mother. Rama consoled
him, telling him, one born of the Ikshvaku lineage can never have such evil intentions.
When Bharatha asked Rama to come back to rule the kingdom, he said, “We have to follow
the command of our father. Without that, our life itself is a zero.” Rama advised Bharatha to
rule the kingdom for fourteen years. He will come back and rule after that. He then said,
“Condemning one’s mother will be committed only by those unfortunates who have not been
trained either in the society of the virtuous, or at the feet of preceptors.” Later Rama went to
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the repenting Kaikeyi and said, “You have rendered much help for the fulfillment of the
purpose for which I have incarnated, and the task I have set before myself. Do not grieve over
what has happened; if you do so, it will cast a shadow on my task; it will make my days
inauspicious. Bless me, Mother! Shower your affection on me. Mother! Bless me.” Rama
prayed and fell at the feet of Kaikeyi. The citizens of Ayodhya spend six days near the residence
of Rama, praying, pleading, consoling, explaining, assuaging, weeping and imparting solace.
Bharatha could not be persuaded to rule Ayodhya, so Rama removed His sandals and gave
them to Bharatha. Bharatha reverentially accepted them in his palms and placed them on his
head. Rama then gave a directive for ruling the empire. He told Shatrughna, “Consider
Bharatha as Rama himself. Be his support and counsel and help him to establish peace and
prosperity in the empire.” He then spoke to the queens, “Do not worry in the least, and be
engaged in the correct performance of your duties and responsibilities. Have before you ever,
the wishes and ideals that father has lain before us.” Rama fell at the feet of Kaikeyi and told
her, “You do not have an iota of responsibility for my exile, you are worthy of reverence and
worship. Bharatha had spoken rashly in a fit of fury, please pardon Bharatha.”
Back in Ayodhya, Bharatha renounced the luxurious life there, which even Indra, the King of
heaven praised as unattainable by him. Bharatha placed the sandals of Rama on the throne, and
touched the feet of Kausalya, Sumitra, Kaikeyi and Vasishta. He then walked out of the city of
Ayodhya. Bharatha lived thereafter in a tiny village in a grass-thatched hut. He wore his hair
braided into a knot just like Rama and Lakshmana, his apparel was made of barks of trees. He
only ate roots and fruits from the jungle. He vowed that he would not look at the face of any
one until Rama returned. Ministers asked him for advice on matters of the state and he would
give it without looking at them. He focused his mind on Rama and did not care to feed his body
well. His body grew weaker, but his mind became spiritually strong.
As Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana spent their time in the forest, one day, Sage Athri and his wife
came to visit them. Sita who was conversing with the sage’s wife, explained the Rama
principle. She said, “Rama is the incarnation of the one and only masculine principle in the
universe. In him, there is no trace of duality, of mine and thine, of grief, or joy. He is the
embodiment of fearlessness; he is strength personified. The eternal masculine has wedded
nature, the eternal feminine.” Sita is Goddess Lakshmi, the daughter of Mother Earth. “Though
nature appears manifold and variegated, it is really one undifferentiated unity.”
On various occasions Rama and Lakshmana vanquished the Asuras who were haunting the
forest. They also met many sages and counseled them on spiritual matters. Rama, Lakshmana
and Sita went to the hermitage of Sage Agastya, a direct descendant of the sages of Noah’s
ship, who was alive since the time of Kurma. When Rama came, he said, “Lord! I am convinced
that there is no one more blessed than I am. The Lord Narayana has himself come to me; he is
staying in my hermitage! Is this true? Is it a dream? No. It is clearly a fact of
experience.” Rama said, “O Monarch among Monks! I have nothing to hide from you. You
know too well the reason why I have come to the forest. Direct me, how I can destroy the brood
of Asuras, who obstruct the austerities of sages and monks, and how I can protect and preserve
from danger, the dedicated servants of God; I shall act; accordingly, I am waiting for your
advice? In the cold Hemantha season lotuses shrivel up and die. The season has approached
for the shriveling of the Asuras.”
Sage Agasthya knew Rama’s questions were just to enable him to have a conversation. How
can God be asking for advice? But upon persuasion by Rama and to explain it to Sita, he
explained that two curses by great sages caused the forest to be in such a dilapidated state.
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He explained the curse. “O, director of this eternal play. Once upon a time, famine raised its
head in the Panchavati area. All the monks and ascetics who lived there took refuge in the
hermitage of Sage Gauthama. He gave them all they needed through the powers he acquired
because of his austerities! When the famine was over, the monks decided to return to their own
dwellings. But there were some pseudo monks who wanted to bring him to infamy. They
brought a cow that was in the throes of death and made it enter the hermitage garden, on a
particularly green and attractive patch. Gauthama saw it was about to bite a beautiful flower
away from its stem; he attempted to drive it away. But, at his very first push the cow died. The
conspirator monks immediately called him a cow-murder, which was considered a sin.
Gauthama desired to discover whether the cow died because of his push, because its allotted
span of life had ended. He sat deep in meditation, exploring the answer to this vital question.
Soon it was revealed to him that it was just the plan of the nefarious pseudo monks. He
pronounced a curse, “May this forest polluted by such low-minded persons be out of bounds
for the good and saintly. May it become the haunt of Asuras.” Another incident added to the
effects of this curse. The ruler of the region, Danda by name, violated the chastity of the
daughter of his own preceptor, Bhrigu. Bhrigu listened to the pathetic story related by his
daughter and in the extremity of his anger he overwhelmed the region with a downpour of dust.
Therefore, this area has deep sections of mud. Over time it became a thick jungle from end to
end. The region is called Dandakaranya, after that infamous ruler. Rama! Crest-jewel of the
Raghu dynasty! I am certain that when you take residence in that forest, the Asuras will be
decimated, and the curse will be lifted. Monks can once again dwell there and progress in their
austerities. Humanity everywhere will benefit by this cleansing and this consummation. I may
tell you that the sage who cursed will also be rendered happy by you, for he is sad as a
consequence of his anger.” Rama said, “Well. So be it. I shall reside there.”
Rama, Sita and Lakshmana walked through the Dandaka Forest. Rama was in front, Sita in the
middle and Lakshmana behind. Lakshmana always looked at Sita’s feet as a form of devotion.
Suddenly Lakshmana started cursing himself, cursing his fate and cursing this idea of being in
the forest, complaining that Sita’s feet are bruised and that his feet are bruised. This led
Lakshmana to question aloud why he was in the jungle and leaving his wife. Then Sita tapped
on Rama’s shoulder to ask what was going on. Rama replied to just keep quiet and don’t say
anything. Just after they crossed the Dandaka Forest to the point where Rama wanted their
residence built, Lakshmana fell at Rama’s feet and apologized profusely about all he said.
Rama explained that the Dandaka Forest is inhabited by Asuras and because of this there is so
much negative energy there which has influenced his mind. This must be the same jungle Rama
previously killed Tataka. Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are recorded to have lived in exile in the
same jungle where they previously killed Tataka; probably for the purpose of clearing the bad
vibes of the jungle after all the atrocities committed by the demons. Therefore Rama,
Lakshmana and Sita living here was like completing their mission of killing Tataka where they
also had to clear off the vibes of the jungle. The moral of the story here is that even Lakshmana
who was divinely born can get influenced by negative energy. So, all humans should avoid
negative places, even if they think they are advanced spiritually. The second deduction from
this story is that Sita is far more advanced spiritually because her mind was not influenced by
the negativity of that forest.
Rama then asked Lakshmana to choose a place to build their dwelling, but Lakshmana asked
Rama to not doubt his devotion to him stating that only Rama should decide. Sita was new to
this family and did not understand what was going on between the two brothers. Rama asked
the question to Lakshmana to also prove to Sita his devotion. Lakshmana then built the
dwelling and spent his days concentrating on the truths expounded by Rama.
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One day, as Lakshmana was carefully and lovingly digging up a lime plant, to plant it closer to
the cottage, the wicked and vicious sister of Ravana, Surpanakha came. She was attracted by
the halo of goodness that illuminated Lakshmana’s body. She suddenly transformed herself
into a beautiful damsel and tried to attract him. Lakshmana was not at all interested in her and
concentrated on his task. She came even closer to further attract him, but he was not smitten.
Surpanakha lost patience and was about to pull Lakshmana to herself, but he drew back, saying,
“Mother! I am the bond slave of Rama, I am not a free man; whatever I do, however small a
job it may be, is done only as he commands.” Hearing the voices, Sita and Rama came out of
the cottage. Rama knew who Surpanakha really was. Supanakha, who till then did not notice
Rama spoke. “O most charming! Wed me and be happy. I can delight you and serve you most
loyally.” Lakshmana said, “Pretty women! I am a slave; if I wed you, you will have to live like
a slave.” Then he continued, “Well. There is my master, Rama; if you wed him, I will be your
slave.”
She looked towards the cottage and there she saw the beautiful Sita and the masculine Rama
laughing. Surpanakha was smitten by love and ran towards Rama, weeping and crying, “God
of Love! God of beauty! Accept me as yours.” Rama said “O beauteous woman! I cannot wed
you, for I am under the vow of monogamy. I have my wife here, my brother, Lakshmana there,
has a wife but she is not here. So, wed him and derive fulfillment. He is the proper person for
you; approach him.” She was sent back and forth from Rama and Lakshmana several times
until she was blinded by passion and relapsed into her demonic character but kept her beautiful
form.
She felt that Sita was in the way of her success, so she fell upon Sita to kill her. Lakshmana
stood ready to accept the orders of Rama. Rama looked at Lakshmana and raised his hand up
pointing to the sky and counted four fingers. Lakshmana immediately understood the meaning
of this from his knowledge of the Vedas. Lakshmana rushed towards the demonic woman with
his sword, pulled her to the ground and slashed her ears and nose. Surpanakha yelled so loud
that the forest quaked and quivered.
She assumed her real form as an Asura and yelled, “Is this just? How can you deform a woman
so cruelly, a woman who has come to you? I shall bring my brother, Ravana here and inflict
retribution for this cruel act.”
Khara and Dushana of the Dandaka Forest were the first to be informed by Surpanakha. They
rushed to Rama’s cottage, with fourteen thousand Asuras. So far, these Asura have not known
retreat and defeat. Surpanakha, with her bleeding face, walked in front of the entire army. These
Asuras did not see the bad omens around them at the start of their march; they depended only
on their physical might and frightening weapons.
Rama directed Lakshmana to keep Sita in a cave. Rama stood in front of the cottage. As he
passed his hand gently over his matted hair, the Asuras saw billions of blinding flashes coming
from the crown of his hair. The Asuras were fascinated and have never seen a form with such
beauty. Their anger towards Rama disappeared. Khara sent his messenger to Rama, to whom
Rama said, “Listen, fellow! I am a Kshatriya, come to the forest to hunt wild animals like your
master. I am not afraid even of the God of death. If you feel you have the capacity, come, give
me battle and win. Or, else, return home, every one of you, and save yourselves from
destruction. I shall not kill those who run away from the field.”
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Khara and Dushana instructed the Asuras to aim their arrows and start showering it on Rama.
Rama cut all of them with a single arrow. The other arrows from Rama caused havoc among
the Asuras.
The Asuras were starting to flee. Khara and Dushana shouted “Do not flee from the fight.
Whoever is found running away will be killed.” At this, the Asuras told each other, “It is far
better to die at Rama’s hand, than at someone else’s or anywhere outside his presence.”
Rama let loose the arrow called Sammohana. This arrow blinded the enemy such that they saw
each other as the person they were deputed to destroy. Thus, the remaining soldiers killed each
other with a vengeance. Vultures and crows flocked above, eager to consume all the
dismembered body parts.
The next few days, sages from all around the region came to thank Rama for ridding the forest
of the wicked Asuras. And it was all enabled by the angry Surpanaka; or else Rama and
Laksmana would have had to spend lots of time killing one by one the hundreds of thousands
of Asuras of the forest.
Surpanaka survived and rushed to Ravana (her brother) covered with blood. She said to him,”
Brother! If you are a genuine Asura, if the superhuman powers gained by you after years of
asceticism are real, then come, the moment has arrived to use your valor, your courage and
your heroism. Arise! Do not ignore the calamities that await you and let things go by, lost in
the intoxication that drink provides. You have paid no attention to the events that are taking
place at Panchavati, who has come there, for what purpose, and for what task. Princes
determined to destroy the Asuras have entered the Dandaka Forest. They are falling to the
ground hundreds of thousands of Asura soldiers. They have cut to pieces the brothers Khara
and Dushana. They have wiped out of existence, in the wink of an eye, thousands launched
against them. Their heroism is beyond description. Their personal beauty-Ah!” Suparnakha
stood silent contemplating the splendor of Rama’s and Lakshmana’s form.
Ravana was angry and boasted of his exploits to the leaders in the hall. But Surpanakha
interrupted him saying, “O mass of wickedness! When your archenemy is dancing on your
head, you are sitting here like a coward extolling yourself and your invincibility! This is no
sign of an emperor worthy of his throne. Perhaps, you do not know that sages are ruined by the
company they keep, emperors are ruined by ministers they employ, wisdom is ruined by desire
for appreciation, and the sense of shame is destroyed by imbibing drink. Well, brother; do not
neglect fire, illness, an enemy, a snake, and a sin on the grounds that it is small and
insignificant. When they grow big, they are bound to inflict great harm. Therefore, hasten; do
not hesitate.”
These words enraged Ravana. Kumbhakarna, the humongous and powerful brother of Ravana
asked, with a smile on his lips, “Sister! Who sliced your ears and nose?” Surpanakha replied
with a loud wail of cry, “Alas! This wicked deed was done by those very princes.”
Kumbhakarna is a terrifying warrior. After doing penances for a long time, he successfully
propitiated Brahma. Brahma asked him to request for any boon. But instead of asking for might
and power, Saraswati, the Goddess of speech, made him ask for sleep. Ravana who was
performing penances nearby pleaded to Brahma, that that is not his real wish. Brahma said he
cannot change it, but can modify it a little, so Kumbhakarna sleeps for six months, wakes up
for a day, and then sleeps for the next six months again.
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Ravana consoled Surpanakha a little, and then continued, “The nose is on the face; the ears are
on the sides of the face. They cannot be sliced at one stroke. Now, tell me, were you sleeping
soundly when they cut them off? This is indeed surprising.” Surpanakha replied, “Brother! I
lost all awareness of my body, why, of the region where I was, when those sweet soft hands
touched me. When my eyes were drinking the charm of their beautiful faces, I was not
conscious of what they did. The very sight of those princes rendered me so entranced that I lost
all awareness of myself and the surroundings. What shall I say of the ecstasy I derived by
conversing with them! They bubble over always with joyful smiles; not knowing any other
attitude or reaction. Even masculine hearts will surely be fascinated by their charm. They are
really enrapturing representations of the God of love. I have never so far set eyes on such
beauty. Fie upon our Asura prowess, our vile stratagems, our abnormal figures, our ugly
appearance! We are indeed disgusting. Look upon them once; you will swear I am right.
Why? Khara and Dushana, who died in the battle, were reluctant to fight with them. They were
protesting and pleading with me, “how can we feel enmity and fall upon these embodiments of
auspiciousness and paragons of beauty?”
The courtiers and ministers in the hall, and even Ravana were amazed by her description. The
description by Surpanakha dissolved the anger within Ravana a little. He said, “Sister! Tell
me, do those two brothers live at Panchavati all alone? Or are there others with them? Have
they no followers, companions, or courtiers?” She replied, “No, they have no band of
bodyguards or kinsmen or warriors. The elder of the two, named Rama, has a woman with him,
who is endowed with superlative beauty. She is even more charming than they are; she is the
very Goddess of Love in human form. The two brothers are resident at Panchavati, with this
woman; they roam about freely and without fear in the forest glades and valleys. In fact, I have
never so far set eyes on such perfect feminine beauty; the like of her does not exist on heaven
or earth.”
Ravana’s passion was aroused, the hatred towards Rama and Lakshmana turned into lust for
Sita. Ravana was a great devotee of God, who had fallen from his spiritual heights and had to
be born as an Asura. He knew deep inside that the supreme power was with God and Rama
was no other than God himself. But he had no other route to reach God; he had to cultivate
violent hatred, to invite Rama to kill him. He knew that to be killed by Rama, would enable
him to exit the cycle of birth and death. This is because it is written in the scriptures that if God
kills a person, that person will be fully realized that he/she is God.
He hastened to Maricha. Maricha, who already had a fight with Rama, knew who the enemy
was and decided against joining Ravana in his stratagems. But Ravana threatened to kill him if
he did not comply. Maricha thought it would be better to die at the hands of Rama. Ravana and
Maricha proceeded to the Dandaka Forest.
While Ravana was waving his web of evil stratagems, Sita and Rama were in the cottage
knowing that the moment of fulfillment of their task had come. Rama sent Lakshmana to collect
tubers and fruits for the day. He then said to Sita, “Companion! You know it all. Both of us are
aware why we have come on earth and what our task is. That task is now calling us; we must
enter upon it, in right earnest now. Your nature and characteristics are noble and holy beyond
measure. We both have assumed these human bodies, through rites associated with the Fire
Principle. My body arose from the offering brought out of the flames of the sacrificial fire by
the God Agni (fire God) himself. You rose from the earth that was furrowed by the sacred
plough to consecrate it for the fire-altar, where a yagna had to be performed. Our bodies are
born in fire and are being sustained by the warmth of the fire. Therefore, Sita, deposit all your
divine attributes and splendor in the fire and act as an ordinary human being thereafter. I too
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shall move and act as an ordinary human being and exhibit sorrow and anxiety on your account,
the pangs of separation and the pain of loneliness. The world would keep in mind only these
modes of behavior and take us as human. They will accept them as worldly conduct and natural
reaction. Remember that the smallest act of ours must be ideal for the householders of the
world. We must hold forth models in the relationship between the husband and wife; they must
be quite in consonance with the principles of truth and righteousness. Our activities must be in
conformity with the guidelines laid down in the sastras (the written spiritual texts). We must
shape our lives, in an exemplary manner, so that the common man can follow the ideals
elaborated therein. We must enact this drama until the final consummation, namely the
destruction of Ravana and the Asuras. Therefore, place your divine splendor in the keeping of
the God of fire, Agni and move about as an ordinary woman caught in the coils of illusion. For
there can be no effect without a cause. We must consummate the effect, namely, the destruction
of Ravana and the demon brood. So, we must manipulate a cause to justify it or bring it about.
Ravana has a basic fault in his structure, namely, his lustful passion. We must highlight it before
the world. So, we must prepare such a situation that it will appear as if he kidnaps you in a fit
of passion. The world must realize that his dedication and devotion to God are not of the highest
order, for, of what use is that sense of surrender if it is tarnished by the craving for sensual
pleasure and immoral yearnings? Activities and behaviours emanating from a consciousness
that is not pure are tarnished; the devotion to God that is polluted by lust is as foul as dirt; these
truths must be emphasized now, for the benefit of mankind. It is also imperative to announce
for the benefit of mankind that any spiritual practices or asceticism, or religious rite or ritual
undertaken with the intention of gaining superhuman powers are paltry and pernicious. We
must hold forth Ravana as a warning to mankind that however many divine rites and acts one
may do, if one does not give up one’s demonic passions and impulses, they add up to only one
result: rendering them unholy and sterile. Over and above all this, Sita, there is one
overwhelming consideration we must place before ourselves. There is a curse that has been
pronounced on Ravana, and he has also been assured of a means by which he could end its
consequence. We must see that the means is fulfilled. The beginning of his end has arrived.
Today or tomorrow, we must be separated from each other. Of course, we are inseparable
entities, and nothing can keep us apart. Yet, we must pretend that it has happened, to render
the make-believe effective. Go now and deposit your divine form in the keeping of Agni (God
of fire). It is time for Lakshmana to return with the fruits and tubers. And Ravana is ready with
his perverted intelligence. I must inform you of another secret, too. You must perform your
part in the destruction of the Asuras. Though you might be apparently under the surveillance
of Ravana, since your power is immanent in fire, you will have to burn Lanka to ashes emerging
from the fire where your self is dormant from now on. Lanka must be turned to ashes, not by
fire, but by you as fire. And Rama must kill Ravana; that is the divine will. This truth must be
proclaimed. This mystery is to be kept from Lakshmana also. He is our instrument in this
endeavor. When this task is accomplished and we must re-enter Ayodhya, I shall accept you
again from the fire, where you reside. That act too, I will transform into a lesson for the world.
The drama starts now.”
From that moment onwards, the pang of separation, the gasps of anxiety, the sighs of pain and
the groans of grief of Rama and Sita are not genuine at all. Even the Sita henceforth is not the
real Sita, she went into the fire of Agni and out came a duplicate Sita. The real Sita only came
back after Rama rescued the duplicate Sita from the captivity of Ravana. Some of the readers
know of the story of Shiva and Sati. Sati’s father was angry that his new son-in-law (Shiva)
did not bow to him not knowing that the great God Shiva bowing to a human will reduce him
to ashes. Similarly, Sita who is the mighty Goddess Lakshmi cannot be treated as a captive of
Ravana, the story will end in a flash as her power is humongously greater than the whole Lanka
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kingdom. It must be remembered here that as a baby she moved Shiva’s bow to retrieve her
toy as a baby and it is this same bow which Ravana could not carry even a bit during the contest
where many kings tried to do so to win her in marriage.
Nearby, Ravana was instructing Maricha what to do. Maricha was thinking, he is going to see
the most charming individuals on earth, and when Rama kills me, I will be looking at Rama
and shouting his name. How lucky can a person be (calling the Lord's name at the last breath
guarantees merging with the Lord). As Maricha dwelt on these sweet thoughts, he turned
himself into the most beautiful, golden skinned deer and walked towards the cottage, as per
plan.
Upon seeing this deer, Sita said, “If only I could have this deer with me, I could spend time
happily in its company. When you two are engaged in things concerning you alone, I could be
happy playing with this unique pet. Please catch this bright little animal for me. Can you not
fulfill this tiny wish of mine, so that I can entertain myself when alone, fondling it and watching
it play about?” Lakshmana rose from his seat saying, “Mother! I shall get it for you.”
Rama stopped him saying, “It must be caught, without inflicting any wound or injury. So, I
will pursue and catch it. I will myself fulfill this wish of Sita.” Rama chased the deer and
finally shot it. Maricha then exclaimed, “Ha! Sita! Ha! Lakshmana!” in Rama’s voice and
collapsed to the ground.
Even before the sound of the call reached Sita, she said, “Lakshmana? Did you hear? That is
the voice of your brother. He is calling you for help. Go, go immediately; do not delay. These
Asuras are experts in magical transformations and tricks. They cause profuse calamities,
changing their shapes and natures.” Lakshmana said, “Mother! No calamity can ever happen
to Rama, no demon, however crafty, can harm Rama. You have seen, haven’t you, how he
destroyed in a trice, thousands of these very Asuras? Do not be anxious, muster courage and
be calm.”
As soon as Lakshmana finished his sentence a Rama-like voice, “Ha! Sita! Ha! Lakshmana!”
arrived. And Sita said, “Lakshmana! Why is it that you are behaving so heartlessly? I do not
understand your intentions. Go soon. Go out and put an end to the danger into which your
brother has fallen. Help him; go.” Lakshmana continued to assure her that nothing can happen
to Rama. But Sita insisted, stating that if he does not go in aid of Rama, she will go to help
Rama herself. Sita was acting, she knew Ravana was near, and she had to be captured by him
to give justification for Rama to finish off the whole horde of Asuras in Ravana’s kingdom.
Therefore, she used all those harsh words to get Lakshmana to leave. Ravana was a spiritual
person who performed many spiritual activities, but he had one defect which was lust, and the
capturing of Sita will be the proof of his character to the world.
Lakshmana finally compiled. He used a stick to draw four lines on the ground, around the
cottage and recited some mantras to invoke mighty powers upon them. Today this is commonly
called “Lakshmana Rekha” in India and colloquially means a line people cannot cross. Like
the red line in Western usage. He asked Sita not to step beyond them whatever the
circumstances. He then walked away with a heavy heart.
As Lakshmana left, Ravana transformed himself into a sage and approached the cottage. He
called out loud, “Oh Mother, give me food!” The sages of olden times normally ask for food
from others because they are always engaged in spiritual endeavors and have no time to procure
food themselves. Even though Sita knew it was Ravana, she brought out tubers and fruits in
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her palms and stood at the door. Ravana said, “I shall not come close to any hermitage; this is
my vow.” Sita said, “No, I cannot cross the line drawn by my brother-in-law, come yourself,
revered guest! Receive it from me here.” Ravana said, “Lady! I will not cross the line and
come beyond it. Nor can I accept alms given from beyond a line. It is not proper for ascetics
like me. Come. Give it to me, I am hungry; I am hungry.”
So, Sita crossed the line carrying the food in her palms. As soon as she crossed the line, Ravana
caught her hands and lifted her into the waiting chariot (flying vehicle) and drove off, at a
terrifying speed. Sita screamed out, “O Rama! Lakshmana! Come and save me from this
wicked monster.” She repeated this cry throughout her journey rendering sorrow in all the
denizens of the forest. Sita said to Ravana, “Ravana! You are building a royal road for your
own destruction. You are effacing your empire, your subjects, your dynasty, completely,
without trace. You are perpetrating this vileness with a laugh on your face; but the day will
come when you pay for it with tears in your eyes. Mean wretch! This vicious act is unbecoming
of a person who has practiced austerities like you.”
The king of eagles, Jatayu, heard her cries. He decided that despite his old age he had to
sacrifice his life, if need be, to try to save Sita. Jatayu circled overhead and called out to Sita,
“O Sita! Have no fear, I shall destroy this cruel villain and release you. I shall place you in the
presence of Rama.” He flew in the chariot’s path and hit Ravana many times with his sharp
beak. Ravana was bleeding profusely. He fluttered his giant wings to create a terrific wind to
slow down the flying vehicle.
Finally, Ravana had to stop the chariot and helped Sita to dismount and sit under a tree. Then
Ravana engaged Jatayu in battle. Jatayu pulled down Ravana’s crown and plucked a few
bunches of Ravana’s hair. He pecked at his body so fiercely in so many places that Ravana was
turned into a mass of bleeding flesh. Ravana was hurt quite badly, and his pride was very much
humbled. But Ravana managed to cut Jatayu’s wings using a sharp disc. Wings are the very
breath for eagles, so he cried out Rama’s name and fell to the ground. But he willed that he
would stay alive till Rama comes, so he can convey the message.
Back at the hermitage, Lakshmana was distressed upon discovering what happened. He said to
Rama, “Brother! You are, I know, the director of the drama, which the cosmos is. There is
nothing you cannot do, nothing you do not know. Everything that happens follows your will
only. These events could not have happened unknown to you. I will not take a denial. I firmly
believe. By these incidents, I believe you are designing to promote the peace of the world and
destroy the demon race. My mind is whispering this to me and asking me to be firm in that
faith. This must be the truth behind this play. Pray tell me the truth and give me peace of mind.”
Rama replied, “Lakshmana! You are a limb of my person; so, what can I keep from you? You
have hit the truth. I have incarnated to uphold and foster righteousness. To do so, I must enact
many scenes of righteous and unrighteous conduct. A baby that wails must be comforted into
quiet joy by means of prattle and play, toys and jingles, songs, and swings. The mother must
devise many stratagems on the spot, to persuade the baby to drink the milk it needs. The
purpose is the giving of the milk feed. But consider how useful these means are, the songs and
swings, the toys and talks, the tricks and tickles. These methods help the quenching of hunger
and the stoppage of wailing. That is their reason, too. You must add them up to discover how
the hunger was quenched and the grief ended. Similarly, dear brother, I who am the mother of
the universe, have to act in this manifold way to reestablish righteousness and demolish
unrighteousness. These incidents have been designed to secure the twin aims of the removal of
grief and the winning of bliss; they are not just meaningless exercises. Ordinary folk base their
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conduct on the ideals presented to them; so, as master and leader, I must practice what I intend
to place before them as ideal conduct. Unless I practice what I hold forth as the ideal, I cannot
claim to be the master and leader. When masters and leaders who do not deserve, the positions
appear and exercise authority, righteousness declines, and unrighteousness run wild. Therefore
brother, remember that those in authority as masters or leaders must prove their advice right,
in actual practice; they must help realize the ideals they preach by their own genuine effort.
This is the way for them to earn the grace of God and the gratitude of man. Sita knows the role
she is playing. These two bodies, mine and Sita’s evince the joys and pangs of union and
separation, only as bodies! The pain and pleasure, the weeping and wailing are all illusory and
unreal. They follow the needs and compulsions of the incarnation I have taken upon myself,
along with other limitations. I am taking you into confidence regarding my reality; take note
that you too will have to act in conformity with time, deed and cause, space, occasion, and
recipient, as the story unfolds. This divine mystery is beyond the intelligence of others. So, you
must also keep mum on this and play according to the rules. We must concentrate on the
mission on which we have come.”
After walking for a distance in their search for Sita, Rama and Lakshmana met the bleeding,
Jatayu. He was barely able to talk. He said, “Lord! While the wicked Ravana, yielding to
maleficent motives, forsaking justice and uprightness, casting away powers acquired by years
of asceticism, was carrying away mother Sita, in a chariot, through this forest, as a dog goes in
stealth and as a fox goes cunningly, the mother of all the worlds, the daughter of Janaka wailed
aloud, ‘Rama, Rama’, covering the entire forest in gloom. I heard the wail but did not know
who it was that raised the sad cry. I flew near and discovered to my great surprise and sorrow
that Mother Sita was the person in distress! I could not remain quiet. Though old and decrepit,
I pronounced your name and derived strength thereby and courage to give him battle. I pecked
at him so furiously that his body streamed with blood all over. He placed Sita in the shade of a
tree and fought ferociously. He drew his wheel weapon and slashed my wings into shambles. I
could not do anything to stop his onward journey with Sita; so, I lay here, weeping over my
defeat, and waiting for your arrival. I am most unlucky, for though I saw mother being taken
away by that ruffian, I could not save her.”
Rama said, “O Chief of birds! I shall never forget your help. The good deed you have performed
will give you bliss in the next world. Do not feel sad.” Lakshmana gave Jatayu some water to
quench his thirst, Jatayu said that he was very lucky to be able to see Rama in his last moments,
he called out “Rama” and drew his last breath.
As they kept on walking, they approached the Rishyamuka Mountain range. Sugriva, a monkey
king, was here with his ministers and courtiers. Due to a misunderstanding with his brother,
Vali, he was chased out of his kingdom. Vali was always trying to track him down, to kill him.
Sugriva saw the two brothers approaching the hill and has vaguely heard they were two
powerful warriors who in his estimation could help him take back the kingdom from Vali.
He called on Hanuman, “Mighty hero! Have you noticed those two effulgent
personalities? Do not delay any longer; go; inquire who they are and why they have come and
from where. Bring me all the news you can gather. If by some chance, they happen to be
persons sent by Vali, give me a signal. I shall be watching for it, bend your head low over your
chest. That will do. I shall immediately arrange to give up this hill for another.”
Hanuman quickly reached the strangers by quick leaps. He turned into a Brahmin yogi and
approached them. Hanuman was not sure of their first impression if a monkey approached
them. Lakshmana was half suspecting this was a Asura turned into a yogi because there are no
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other yogis in this Asura infested forest, but Rama calmed him. Hanuman fell at their feet in
great reverence. He said, “O Shining Ones! You aroused deep wonder and curiosity in me.
Your charming forms are attracting my mind with a strange yearning. You look so tender and
innocent. Indeed, you are not mere men. Of that, I am convinced. I guess you are the divine
pair Nara-Narayana, come down to earth. Won’t you tell me why you are going through this
jungle, with no others to serve or guide you?” Hanuman questioned them in great humility and
reverence.” Rama explained the situation they were in. Hanuman shed tears on hearing their
story. He fell at their feet again. Finally, he explained the situation Sugriva and his entourage
are in. Hanuman promptly brought the two brothers to see Sugriva.
Rama assured Sugriva that he would destroy his fear and remove his distress. Sugriva also
promised to sacrifice everything, even his own life to serve Rama. Rama told Sugriva about
the kidnapping of Sita. Sugriva said, “Master! One day, while I was engaged in exchanging
counsel with my ministers, I heard a cry, ‘Rama! Rama!’ from the sky, from within the
Pushpaka chariot, which we saw flying through space. While we were watching this strange
scene, she threw a bundle tied in cloth down to where we stood. It was a bundle of jewels; and
so, we have preserved it intact and safe. It is very likely that the demon called Ravana has
carried her away. For there is no iniquity that Ravana has not committed so far.”
Rama recognized the fiber cloth that covered the bundle. It was thrown by his stepmother,
Kaikeyi towards Sita, so she might wear it while in exile. Rama opened the bundle and asked
Lakshmana if these were Sita’s jewels. He said, “Brother! I never looked at the face of Sita and
therefore I do not know whether these ornaments belong to her or not. I can recognize only the
anklets, as I have seen them while offering my obeisance to her feet every day.”
Rama asked Sugriva to explain why he was in the forest, and he explained that his clan of
monkeys was specially created by Brahma to defeat the Asuras. They had special powers of
changing their forms like the Asuras and are stronger than the Asuras. Brahma created
Ruksharaja who was given great physical strength. Brahma asked him to remain in the forest
and kill Asuras if he meets any of them. One day he drank water from a lake and saw his image
and thought it was his enemy. He waited for it to come out of the lake to kill it and in frustration
finally jumped into the lake to kill it. In the lake, he turned into a female. As she came out, she
prayed to the sun for grace and then prayed to Indra. Due to these acts, Surya gave him a son
which is Sugriva, and she had another son from Indra’s grace who is Vali. Immediately after
these two births she became Ruksharaja again.
One day, both went to fight a powerful Asura that was residing in a cave. Before Vali went into
the cave, he told Sugriva that if he did not come out after fifteen days and nights, he could
consider him defeated. Sugriva waited for a full thirty days but Vali did not come out. Since
Sugriva knew Vali was stronger than himself, he would not be able to defeat that Asura. So,
Sugriva pushed a boulder to cover the entrance of the cave to prevent the Asura from coming
out.
He went back to the kingdom and was crowned the king. But Vali finally came to the Kingdom
and seeing Sugriva being the king, he chased him out of the Kingdom. He also took Sugriva’s
wife to be his own. Vali went into further bad ways by being in the company of Ravana.
Previously he also dethroned his father and forced him into the jungle. Vali and his warriors
have been hunting Sugriva down, but the hill on which they are finally staying is safe for him,
because through a curse of a great sage, Vali cannot enter that hill.
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Rama told Sugriva, “Vali will not escape punishment for relying solely on physical strength
and material power ignoring the strength and power that one should earn through righteousness
and devotion to God.” Then he said, “O Sugriva, do not grieve. I shall come to your rescue, to
the fullest extent of my physical, verbal, and mental capabilities.
What does it matter how strong Vali is? You are not aware of your strength; you are bewildered
by your estimate of his strength that is all. That is the bottom of your doubt and fears.” To give
him confidence, Rama asked Sugriva to ask him to perform any task to prove that he is superior
in might than Vali.
Sugriva said, “Rama! Once upon a time, my brother and I agreed to test our strength and skill
on a line of seven giant palm trees, trying to fell them one after the other, shooting a single
arrow right through them all. I felled only three; but my brother Vali hit five and they all rolled
on the ground. His capacity had that maximum measure. To defeat Vali, one should have
strength beyond this. I am most eager to find out whether you have that extra might, and to see
how many palm trees you can fell with one arrow.”
The monkeys took Rama to a place where there were seven giant palm trees piercing the sky.
They thought to themselves, since these trees were four to five times bigger, if Rama could fell
them, he would be capable of defeating Vali. Rama shot a single arrow, which felled all seven
giant palm trees and carried all seven up a mountain quite a distance away, blasting the rocks
away. Rama could have easily defeated Vali, but wanted to build up Sugriva’s confidence, so
Sugriva was to fight Vali.
Sugriva got the confidence he required. He went with Rama and Lakshmana towards the main
gate of Vali’s kingdom and shouted for battle. Vali’s wife cautioned him, because she knew
that the two brothers who are helping Sugriva are not ordinary. But Vali said, “If Rama kills
me, well, I shall believe my birth and years of life have been fulfilled thereby.”
In the initial fight, Sugriva was severely wounded by Vali, forcing him to run away to the
forest. Rama told Sugriva that he could not distinguish between the two, as they looked exactly
alike. Sugriva understood this statement as meaning Vali has the same Godly yearning as he
had.
Rama passed his hands over the body of Sugriva and the wounds were instantly healed. At this,
Sugriva said, “Lord you can achieve anything you desire, creation, preservation and
destruction, I do not want the Kingdom, I only want you.” Rama replied, “I care only for
feelings that arise from the heart. There are many devotees who forget everything when they
experience the sport and the supreme might of God and believe that there is nothing higher
than God. But, after some time, or when their mental cravings do not bear fruit, they develop
doubts, even about what they experienced or saw! These are the veils that hide, the curtains
that distort the truth in the minds of those with weak faith. I know how it all happens and so I
do not attach much value to these sentiments. You must get ready to confront your brother once
again.”
Once Rama was reclining his head on Sugriva's lap while the monkey leaders were around him.
The moon was shining overhead in full glory but there was a spot on the moon which marred
the fullness of the effulgence. Rama asked the monkeys around what the spot indicated. Each
one gave a different explanation. One said it was the reflection of the sea; another said it was a
deep pit on the moon, another said it was a mountain range on the moon. Finally, it was
Hanuman’s turn. He said, “It is Your reflection I see on the moon, Your color, nothing else!”
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That was a simple example of his devotion. Everywhere, every time, in every person, he only
saw Rama. One must dedicate all tasks as offerings to the lord. Rama was the very life-breath
for him. Rama staged this incident as a teaching to the monkeys of the source of strength in
spirituality and physical might of Hanuman.
It was time for the rematch between Sugriva and Vali, this time Rama got some wildflowers
and strung them into a garland, which he placed over Sugriva’s neck. Sugriva stood at the gates
of Vali’s kingdom and shouted for a fight again. When Vali rushed out, Sugriva fought with
all his strength. When the first sign of exhaustion appeared, Sugriva called out, “Rama!” Rama
shot an arrow, which went right through Vali’s heart. There is a reason Rama had to be not
visible as he shot the fatal arrow, Vali had a power of absorbing half the power of the opponent
in any battle. But to get rid of evil this had to be done.
Rama came near Vali and granted him the divine vision. Thought struck by the arrow, Vali
through sheer determination rose and assumed a sitting posture, with folded legs and folded
palms.
He asked Rama to explain what his misdeeds were. Rama said, “How unjust was it for you to
infer that Sugriva closed the entrance of the cave with evil intention to kill you! You said you
will come out in fifteen days, at the most, and asked him to wait at the mouth of the cave until
then. Yet, he waited there, anxiously awaiting you, for one full month! Finally, when he was
assailed by the smell of blood, he was grieved that his brother was killed by the Asura; he
hesitated to enter the cave, for to the Asura that destroyed you, Sugriva would certainly be no
match. When he placed the boulder up against the mouth of the cave, his intention was to
prevent the Asura from coming out, and to see that he is confined within the cave itself. The
citizens pressed on him the rulership, and he had to accede to their wishes. What crime has
Sugriva committed when he acted thus? When you send him out, you should have allowed his
wife too to go with him. Instead, you chose her to be your wife, the person whom you should
have treated as your own daughter. Do you call this a sin, or don’t you? There is no sin more
heinous than this. Besides, you occupy the position of the ruler of this region. You must
protect and foster your subjects. How can you punish those who commit crimes when you
yourself revel in the same crime? ‘As is the King, so are the subjects’, says the proverb. The
people will be such as their rulers are. Therefore, what you have done becomes more heinous
and more reprehensible. Doesn’t it?”
Vali replied, “As a result of looking at you and your words, I have overcome all sense of duality
and distinction. I have acquired the vision of the one, apart from all the rest. The mass of
‘consequence’ I have earned through my sins has been destroyed.” Vali asked Rama to foster
his son, Angada. Rama drew Angada towards him and blessed him with great love. Vali looked
upon the face of Rama and happily passed away, merging in him.
One of the best morals of the Ramayana is the conversation of Rama to Tara who is the wife
of the slain Vali. Vali’s wife came in great anguish at the death of her husband. Rama consoled
her by saying, “Tara! Why do you weep so? You are a heroic wife; do not behave in this
manner, for it brings your role into infamy. Be calm. Control yourself. The body is a temporary
phase; it is contemptible. Vali himself regarded this body as debased! Its fall, its end, might
happen any day, it cannot be avoided. It is but an instrument to achieve the supreme goal, and
if that end is not kept in view, and attained through it, the body is but a lump of coal whose
destiny is the fire. Weeping for Vali as this body is foolish, for, the body is here (pointing to
Vali’s dead body). Do you weep for the soul that was in this body? That soul is eternal; it
cannot die or decay, diminish or disintegrate. Only those who have not realized the soul
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principle suffer from the delusion that the body is themselves; until then, even the most learned
are led into error. Being enamored of the body as if it is you, is ignorance; being aware of the
soul, which you really are, is wisdom. Hearing these words calmed Tara.
Rama did not want to go to the capital city, because he is supposed to stay in the forest for
fourteen years, so he sent Lakshmana to the city to install Sugriva as the King. Sugriva decided
to wait for the rainy season to be over before searching for Sita. But even much after this, he
did not dispatch his soldiers in the search. Lakshmana was angry with Sugriva and told him,
“You can never cleanse yourselves of the sin of ungratefulness and breach of promise. Your
conduct is so reprehensible that even vultures will desist from feeding on your
corpse.” Sugriva pleaded with Rama for mercy. Rama said, “Lakshmana! Safe and happy on
the throne, Sugriva is blinded by pride, power, and ignorance. Misery alone can open the eyes
of people to the values they have neglected. He was holding on to the trivial and the temporary
which intoxicates man with fleeting joys. How can such a person follow the path of
righteousness?” Hanuman, who heard this, immediately advised Sugriva to repent. Sugriva
did so and was forgiven by Rama.
Hanuman was entrusted to lead the search for Sita. They searched the Gandhamadana
Mountain range, the Sumeru Peak, the Arjuna Mountain and the Nilagiri range. One day, they
reached the shore of the ocean. They were running out of the time allocated for the search for
Sita and were in despair.
There they met an eagle who is the brother of Jatayu, named Sampathi. His son Suparna saw
the twenty-handed and ten-headed Asura racing fast in his chariot with the kidnapped Sita.
Suparna also tried to stop the Asura but failed. He mentioned that the Asura was taking Sita in
the southerly direction. Sampathi immediately knew that Asura is none-other than Ravana who
resides in Lanka. Lanka is situated on the Triple-Peak-Hill by the shore of the ocean. In the
city of Lanka, in the garden named Ashokavana is where the moaning Sita is. This author does
not know where this is but the only three peaks that are close to each other in Sri Lanka are Sri
Pada (Adam's Peak), Kirigalpotta and Thotupola. And they are all close to Kandy which in a
previous statement of Baba is the approximate location of Ravana’s Kingdom.
Sampathi, till that day, was unable to fly due to damaged wings. His son fed him so far. He
knew that the meeting of the monkeys and relating to them the whereabouts of Sita will cause
his wings to grow back again as mentioned by a famous sage a very long time ago. Sampathi
told them to save Sita one among them must jump 100 yojanas from current day Tamil Nadu
to Ravana’s Kingdom. Sampathi has lived for thousands of years. Suddenly his wings grew,
and he took to the air.
The monkeys discussed among themselves who can jump the longest distance, Vikata said he
can jump thirty yojanas (one mile), Nila declared he can jump forty yojanas, Durdhara said he
can jump fifty yojanas, Nala said he can jump sixty yojanas. Angada, the crown prince said he
can jump all the way to Lanka, but he will not have the energy to jump back. The distance
between India and Sri Lanka is about 100 miles, not counting the obvious growth of the land
area near India and Sri Lanka due to the stoppage and therefore silting of the sea caused by the
bridge. Therefore, yojanas must be miles. The official history of the miles is that it was first
used by the Romans, but it could be an ancient measurement used 20,000 years ago and
probably earlier.
Angada looked at Hanuman and said to him, he was the first monkey to approach Rama, he
should have the most strength. Hanuman went up a hill and raised his folded arms in salutations
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before the vast gathering of monkeys. As the monkeys shouted, “Victory to Rama”, Hanuman
pictured in his mind the glorious form of Rama and leapt into the sky over the ocean. The
pressure of his leap was so powerful that the airflow caused trees on the hill to be uprooted and
carried along in flight. The peak on which he stood sank into the Nether regions.
During this flight, the ocean was thinking, “This Hanuman is a servant of Rama; he is
proceeding on the mission of Rama. Ah! How lucky is he! He has strength and intelligence
necessary to win victory in that mission of Rama; he is indeed the foremost among devotees of
Rama.” The Mainaka Peak, which was submerged in the ocean, rose over the waters, to serve
the person who was doing Rama’s duty. Hanuman heard the plea of Mainaka, but he did not
stop, he just touched the peak, as a token. A short distance further, an Asura serpent named
Surasa, and a demon named Simhika obstructed his passage, but Hanuman easily overpowered
them.
Hanuman finally reached Lanka. Within Lanka, Hanuman found many gardens, parks, and
pleasure centers. He saw magnificent multi-colored birds that flew here and there. Hanuman
climbed a beautiful mound and thought to himself, “This success is not due to my skill or
strength; it is entirely due to the grace and blessing of Rama only.” He saw grand houses, long
wide streets, and attractive gardens in the city. So much so, that he thought that this was a
replica of heaven itself. Well-built Asura soldiers paraded the streets. He searched for Sita but
among the women he saw were Asura women, female Devas, Nagas (female serpents),
Gandharvas (female celestial musicians) and many damsels captured by Ravana who were
wailing from the palaces. The Aura women who were famous for being able to assume any
form they wanted were engaging in sexual sports without restraints and were in awkward
postures. Feeling that he has failed, Hanuman lamented, “I have searched for her in every house
and even in flower gardens. I am yearning to see her.”
Hanuman would obviously look different from the vast crowd in the streets of the city, so he
changed himself into a tiny monkey form and entered the city. Being a great devotee of Rama,
Hanuman is sensitive to the chanting of Rama’s name, and he heard that chanting in a very soft
voice. He followed the voice and reached a house which was surrounded with Tulsi plants
which is a plant whose leaves are used during worship. The house looked like a temple of
Vishnu. The name of Vishnu was written on the door. Hanuman thought, “How came the name
of Vishnu over this door? Surely this is a holy spot.” He noticed a man who woke up from bed
pronouncing the name of Vishnu and doing devotional singing of Rama’s name.
Hanuman turned into a Brahmin priest and approached the man. Upon seeing Hanuman, the
man prostrated before his feet and said, “You are a servant of Rama, please enter.” He then
said, “Master! Which is your native place? Where are you coming from? How could you
avoid being noticed and harassed by the Asuras in the streets?” He then described the horrors
indulged in by the Asuras. Hanuman replied, “I am the servant of Vishnu. My name is
Hanuman. I have come because Rama sent me”. He continued extolling the virtues of Rama.
Vibhishana said, “I am chanting the name of Rama, but I have never had his darshan (seen in
physical form)”. Hanuman said, “You are only chanting the name, but you are not doing the
work of the lord. Mother Sita has been here for many months. Did you ever go to see her and
enquire about her welfare? On its own, just chanting the name of Rama will not achieve
anything; you must also offer service to Rama.” Tears flowed down the cheeks of the man.
There is a deep meaning here, Vibhishana is a typical human today, we aspire for God and his
help, but God is in everyone just as Rama is in Sita, but Vibhishana chose to chant the name of
Rama instead of helping Sita who was the embodiment of Rama, situated near his home. Love
all, serve all is the injunction for all to reach God. Hanuman then asked, “Sir, how is it that you
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can live without fear in this vile atmosphere?” The man replied just as the tongue must live
amongst the sharp teeth, he has to live in Lanka. He said he is the brother of Ravana, and he
cannot recite the name of Rama freely. Hanuman explained who he was, and Vibhishana was
so overjoyed that more tears streamed from his eyes.
He said, “My tribe is demonic. Can I have the chance to see Rama?” At this, Hanuman said,
“Vibhishana! Rama heeds only the heart; he will not be affected by family affiliations,
religious affinities, or spiritual attainments. He is pleased by feelings and their purity. He will
bless you for the loftiness of your ideals and cleanliness of your daily life. He will grant you
the view of him that you are yearning for; do not grief. Why, you can take me as the best proof
for what I am saying about his compassion and grace. I am a monkey; waywardness is the
hallmark of my tribe; the word ‘monkey’ has become a by-word for a prankish, playful, petty
mind. I am not versed at all in the Shastras. As for asceticism, I have no idea what it means. I
have not repeated according to prescribed rules, the names of God, nor have I gone on
pilgrimages seeking holy rivers! How then has Rama blessed me? Because he heeds only the
love that animates, and the feelings that activate people. In your case also, he will pay attention
only to the purity of feelings. Be confident; do not doubt.”
Relieved on hearing these words, Vibhishana informed Hanuman the details of how Sita was
captured and brought to Lanka. Vibhishana also informed of the strengths and weaknesses of
Ravana’s empire. Hanuman left, and in his haste forgot to ask where Sita was. He entered many
mansions looking for Sita, Hanuman had certain clues of how Sita looked, such as she was a
woman with noble qualities, had a divine beauty and would not mix with the people who are
not divinely motivated. During his search, he came across ladies who were scantily clothed and
had fallen on their beds, intoxicated by drink, dance and the banalities of luxury. He was
unaffected by all the displays of loose behavior and focused on his work of finding Sita. His
supreme stability of mind in this environment is unmatched in the world. He is a true celibate,
focused only on God’s work. He observed every woman but could not find the Sita which had
been described to him. Then he saw a beautiful garden in the distance.
Hanuman rushed back to Vibhishana and found him immersed in reciting Rama’s name.
Vibhishana informed him of the route to take to reach the Ashoka Park where Sita is. He said
his wife and daughter are with her, serving her.
Hanuman rushed to the garden. The Asuras noticed him and were shouting, so he assumed a
very small size. In the garden, he saw Sita sitting under a tree, weak and worn out because she
refused to partake of much food. The fierce Asuras who were sitting around her, were
threatening her to change her will, and marry Ravana.
Then he saw a royal personage bedecked in jewels and robed magnificently. This was Ravana,
for he was pleading Sita to offer her love to him, or else cruel punishments will befall her.
Hanuman heard him asking those around him to inflict pain to Sita. The weak Sita did not raise
an eye upon Ravana even once. She said, “Fool! Vile vicious fellow! Rama alone has rights
over me: no one other than Rama has any. I shall reduce this body to ashes in the flames of
sorrow at separation from him. I shall never stray from my resolve. Believe in this and
beware!” Ravana became angry and violent in his speech. He gave her one more month to
accede. Then Ravana and the big entourage of maids left.
Now Sita was left alone. Sita looked up to the sky and sighed: “Rama! Has not compassion
yet entered your heart? Why have you condemned me to this torture? When am I to be freed
from this?”
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By now Sita has been kidnapped for a period of ten months. Over these months, she frequently
laments her crazy desire for the golden deer. She thinks, “Oh! Why did that sinful animal come
to the vicinity of our hermitage? Why did I develop a fascination for that golden deer? Why
did I request Rama to catch that deer and bring it to me? Of what use is all this repentance at
this stage?” All these ten months Ravana did not dare to touch Sita because he would be
reduced to ashes if he touched her without her consent. Ravana kept on pleading with her to
accept him. Much earlier, Ravana was at the contest to win the hands of Sita in which Rama
won. So, he knew the story of how Sita could move Shiva’s bow to retrieve her toy as a baby
and it is this same bow which Ravana could not carry even a bit during the contest. Thus, he
knew the power latent in Sita and approached her with caution.
Is it possible that all ladies have this immense power latent in them which they do not depict
due to the norms and culture of the world? In 1982, a lady lifted a 1964 Chevy Impala car to
save her teenage son who was crushed under it after he shook a part to loosen it, and the car
came off the jack. She lifted the car for five minutes before neighbors jacked up the car to move
out the boy.
Hanuman took this opportunity to drop Rama’s ring right in front of Sita. Sita took one look at
this ring and recognized it immediately. Then she started having doubts that it could be a trick
played by the Asuras. Hanuman came down and fell at her feet and spoke of the glory of Rama
and all that transpired after Sita was kidnapped.
Rama had informed Hanuman to tell Sita an incident that only she and Rama knew about.
Hanuman said, “Mother Sita! He has asked me to tell you of the attempts made by the wicked
crow to cause injury to you, and of his attempts to save you and kill that Asura.” At this, Sita
wept, “Hanuman! Why is Rama who was so kind to me then, delaying releasing me from this
torture? Rama is the ocean of mercy. Yes. But why has he become so hard-hearted at my
fate? No. No. I am wrong. Rama is the embodiment of compassion. He must play a role that
involves all this apparent hard-heartedness that is all. Hanuman! You are no ordinary
individual! For Rama will not associate himself so close with ordinary individuals. Nor will he
send his ring with inferior persons. How fortunate you are to be his messenger! Show me once
your full stature and form.”
Then Hanuman jumped to the ground and stood before Sita with folded palms. He grew into a
huge terror-striking size. She slightly suspected that Hanuman might be one of the Asuras.
Hanuman realized this, and told her, “Mother! I am neither Ravana nor any one of his devilish
Asuras. I am the faithful servant of Rama with the pure sacred body of unequaled splendor. He
is the very breath of my existence; believe me, I am speaking the truth. Guessing that you may
not have faith in my being his authentic messenger, he took off his finger, this golden ring and
placed it in my hands to be given to you. With me, there came Jambavan, Neela, Angada, and
thousands of others of extraordinary heroism. But I alone was able to cross the ocean through
the grace of Rama. The others are all on the other shore. We were able to hear from Jatayu, and
Sabari the story of your having been brought here by this villainous demon King. When we
came to know three days ago, from Sampathi news confirming your being here, we felt as
happy, as when seeing you before our eyes. Rama and Lakshmana are awaiting my return with
the good tidings. If you permit me, I shall get back immediately and communicate to them
news about your welfare.” Sita then said, “Hanuman! I do not know whether you will be back
at this place or when. Please stay for a day more and delight me, by telling me about Rama and
Lakshmana.”
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Because the demoness woman guards were coming back, Hanuman quickly turned back to a
miniature size and hopped onto the branch of the tree. That day Sita had no hunger she did not
touch the fruits and drinks kept for her because hearing the stories about Rama delighted her.
Hanuman heard the harsh words the demoness was using on Sita. He gnashed his teeth in anger.
After a while, Vibhishana’s wife and daughter came with another lady. They were the ones
who kept Sita’s sagging morale up with their comforting words and enabled her to bear the
ordeal with courage. Sita told them about her encounter with the monkey and showed them
Rama’s ring that he brought. They pressed the ring on their eyes in adoration. Sita also showed
them Hanuman who in the form of a small monkey perched on the tree.
When they left, Hanuman approached Sita again, and asked if he could carry her on his back
to Rama. Sita replied, “Hanuman! I am indeed very glad to hear you speak thus. I am sunk and
struggling in the sorrow of separation; your sweet words give me solace like a boat on a stormy
sea. But do you not know that I will never contact a person other than my Lord? How can I sit
on your back; consider that.” But Hanuman replied, “Mother! Am I not your son? What is
wrong when the son carries the mother on his back? What evil consequence can follow from
that?” Sita replied, “Hanuman! Of course, for me and for you, the feelings of mother and son
are real; but imagine what the world will think of it. We must consider that aspect, also, don’t
we? We must live so that we are ideals for the lives of others. We should not draw on ourselves
by our acts, the ridicule, contempt, or condemnation of others; no one should point the finger
of scorn at us. And above all, we must derive self-satisfaction, because of our acts. Even if my
life departs, I don’t need or crave for another’s assistance. Moreover, my Rama must destroy
this vile demon who tortures me; he is the person who must discharge the responsibility, no
one else can. He must come himself into this Lanka, kill this Ravana, and lead this Sita back,
holding her in his hand – that is the sign of the true hero that he is. That is the sign of genuine
valor. Look at this Ravana; he came like a thief in a false form and stole me from my Lord. But
Rama is the embodiment of righteousness; he observes the norms of right behavior. He honors
the spoken word. When news spreads that this Rama sent a monkey, and brought away this
Sita, without the knowledge of Ravana, it would be dishonoring him. Getting out of here in the
way you suggest will surely be treason. We should not resort to mean stratagems. We should
guard the fair name of Rama as our very breath. His fame is the deity we adore in our hearts.
We must preserve it unimpaired by thought, word and deed. Your proposal has not given me
satisfaction for this reason.” Hanuman said, “Mother! Pardon me. Since I saw with my own
eyes the tortures you are undergoing and the pangs of separation, which Rama is suffering, I
entertained this idea to take you as quickly as possible to Rama. Pardon me if it was wrong.”
Sita then asked what the condition of Rama and Lakshmana is. Hanuman said, “Why worry
about men? They can bear any burdens or travails. They can bear separation from women with
fortitude. Women suffer most, for it is terror for the wives to live apart from their husbands.
Mother! Rama and Lakshmana are keeping well, of course; but do not compare them with
ordinary males. It is not fair. Alas! Every moment, Rama is spending thoughts of you, and of
separation from you, and so he is not paying heed to either thirst or hunger. He does not eat or
drink, unless pressed lovingly by Lakshmana to partake of a few fruits or a little drink. I do not
remember a single occasion on which Rama drank a gulp of water on his own initiative. Do
not be under the impression that they have forgotten you or are neglecting you. Lakshmana is
spending his days watching over Rama, as the lids guard the eye; he is the breath of Rama; he
is overcome by agony of separation from you and of witnessing the anguish of his brother; he
has become a rock, unaffected by any feeling other than concern for Rama. He is the source of
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courage and sustenance that is unfailing and full. He has not slept these ten months, nor has he
taken food.”
Sita showed amazement at the love and affection that Rama had towards her. She said, “Yes,
you describe only the misery of the men; what do you know, how can you gauge the sorrows
of women?”
Hanuman pleaded again, “Mother! Why this feeling of separateness? Why spend days and
months in agony and pain? Please sit on my back and I shall take you in a trice to the presence
of Rama.” Sita said, “Hanuman! Are you, or are you not one who obeys strictly the commands
of Rama?” Hanuman replied, “Yes, I would rather give up my life than go against the
commands of Rama, or disobey his orders,” while banging his fist on his chest to emphasize
this point. Sita said, “Well. Consider this. Did Rama command you to seek me out and bring
him information about where I am after seeing me, or did he ask you to bring me with
you?” Hanuman replied, “Mother! I did not think so deep into the consequences of my
proposal. I ask pardon again,” then he folded his arms in reverence and asked for permission
to leave. Sita said, “Go. Go safe and soon. Tell Rama to come soon and take me with him,” as
she shed tears.
Hanuman gave her courage by saying, “Very soon, Mother, Rama will lay siege to this Lanka,
with his monkey hordes, he will destroy these demon forces, rescue you and restore you to
Ayodhya.” Sita had her doubts, “Hanuman! What is it you say! Can monkey hordes fight
against and destroy these Asuras who have mastered many mysterious stratagems and
subterfuge, and who are themselves much stronger? How can the two brothers, Rama, and
Lakshmana, stand up against these Asuras and win? Victory over the Asuras is an impossible
dream. This can end only in my death. Rather than causing the death of so many of you on the
battlefield, I would breathe my last and save all your lives.”
Hanuman consoled her thus, “Mother! Do not weep. We of the monkey horde are the bond
slaves of Rama. All of us believe that Rama is our strength and our courage. We take in as our
breath the name, Rama. We have no other source of life. Therefore, even if each of these Asuras
increases a thousand-fold in devilry, we monkeys can easily destroy them. We can win victory
over them despite their wiles and wickedness. You are doubting the extent of our strength and
skill since we appear in our wonted forms. Let me show the form I can assume in
battle.” Hanuman rose sky high. On seeing this majestic form, Sita said, “Hanuman! Stop!
Stop! Enough! Limit yourself. If the eyes of the Asuras fall on you, you may not be able to
return soon to Rama.” Hanuman resumed the form of a quiet little monkey.
Hanuman went out of the garden. On the way out he saw an orchard and plucked some tasty
fruits. He was in such a joyous state of mind that he started pulling down fruit-bearing trees
and deforming the beautiful garden. A demon guard sighted him and wanted to frighten him,
but Hanuman gave him a blow, which felled him to the ground. This guard woke up and ran in
terror to inform his superior, this superior reached the master. Finally, the news reached the
ears of Ravana, who ordered a few hundred Asuras to overwhelm and catch this animal.
All hundred Asuras failed in their mission, so Ravana sent a few thousand trained and heavily
armed soldiers to the garden. The thousands of missiles, which were directed against him, were
fended off by a dry twig, which he broke off from the tree, while he recited “Ram, Ram,
Ram….” This indicates the power of love of God, which can even turn dry twig into a powerful
weapon. Hanuman later stated that the power which enabled him to jump across the ocean also
stems from the love of Rama. The leaders of this contingent rushed to Ravana to report that,
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“When the monkey roared once, hundreds of our men died of sheer fear. The earth shook under
our feet.”
Ravana sent his own son, Akshayakumara at the head of thousands of seasoned warriors. But
Hanuman slaughtered them in a short time, including Ravana’s beloved son. Fear swept
through the entire Lanka. Many in Lanka feared that the monkey was the manifestation of the
vengeance of Sita
Ravana then commissioned his other son, Maghanada to destroy Hanuman. A huge army went
behind him. Thousands of arrows were shot at Hanuman. Hanuman jumped down from the tree
and roared. He plucked a giant tree by its roots and waved off the raining arrows, at such force
that the arrows rained back at the Asuras killing a huge number of them. In fact, there were
very few left to carry out the fight after that.
One of the arrows that sprang back from Hanuman’s actions caused Meghanada to fall.
Meghanada woke up and resorted to the sacred bow of Brahma which he had acquired thought
austerities. The Brahmaastra arrow was released with the appropriate ritual formula. Hanuman
had great reverence for this weapon and decided not to counteract it. He reverentially prostrated
before it and thus fell. This enabled Meghanada and his men to tie up Hanuman with a rope
and proceed to the palace hall.
The happy news was carried to Ravana. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets to
see the valorous monkey. Hanuman moved, calm and collected watching the crowd with an
amused smile. Ravana asked him, “Hey, you monkey! Who are you really? Whose might you
have been exhibiting and using? Why did you destroy the orchard and the park? Though
bound, you have no shame; you look around with your head high up. Come. Give me the right
answer.”
They had a small conversation and then Ravana performed some magic feats to demonstrate
his invincibility. Hanuman said, “Ravana! I know your prowess. I have heard that you fight
with a thousand arms. I am also aware of your famous fight with Vali. But what wrong have I
done? I was hungry; I plucked a few fruits; it is my nature. I was in my element, my natural
habitat, the treetop. Of course, each one has the desire and the determination to safeguard his
own life. To protect his own body. Your soldiers are awfully wicked. They hurt me; so, I hurt
them, and unable to bear the hurt, they died. I fought with them to save myself. The arrow of
your son forced me to enter his bondage. But I was not trying to deceive you in return. My only
desire is to carry out the orders of my master. Listen to me carefully. Give up all sense of
personal pride and reputation. Reflect on the grandeur of your clan, the family to which you
belong. Remember, you are the great-grandson of Brahma. You are the grandson of the great
Pulastya. You are the son of Visravas. Give up this delusion of accumulating pomp and power;
adore in your heart, the destroyer of fear within the hearts of those devoted to him, the crown
jewel of the Ikshvaku dynasty, the precious gem of the Raghu dynasty, Rama! Surrender to
him and take refuge in him. Even time shivers in fear before him. It is not good for you to
harbor enmity towards him. Listen to me: Place Sita at the lotus feet of Rama and meditate on
the grace that flows from those feet. Strengthened by that grace, rule over the state of Lanka
forever and ever. Make the glory of your grandfather, Pulasta, reach the far corners of the
world, without blemish, so long as the sun and moon illumine the sky. The fair name of your
line should not be tarnished by you in the least. Give up your pride and your delusion. O,
Emperor! Rivers taking birth on mountain ranges get flooded in the rainy season and fall
furiously along; but within weeks, they run dry with just a trickle of water. Your power and
wealth will soon dry up and vanish. Adore Rama as the source of power and wealth; then, they
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would never get dry, for he is the inexhaustible spring of peace and prosperity. He is ever full.
He won’t lose, but you will benefit from him. O Ravana! I am telling you with nothing held
back, with an open mind. No one can rescue the unfortunate person, who is blinded by hatred
towards him. Accept my advice.”
Ravana replied, “You monkey! No one, not even kings, dared to address me in such humiliating
language. I will see that your mouth is shut right now.”
Hanuman retorted, “You are an Asura, whereas I am a servant of an emperor who rules the
fourteen lokas (worlds). You cannot do anything to me.”
Ravana replied, “Fool! Dare you advise me what to do? Fie on you, fie! Death has drawn near
you; or else, you would not have the courage to lecture long thus in my presence. Enough of
your prating, keep your mouth shut!”
Hanuman did not obey. He retorted “Ravana! These words of yours spell your doom. Alas!
You have become insane. You will know the truth of my diagnosis as time passes. In a few
days, you can know to whom death is drawing near, to you or to me!”
Ravana was enraged, he asked his henchmen to kill the monkey. Just then Vibhishana,
Ravana’s younger brother came in with his retinue. He prostrated before his brother and said,
“Master! It is not right to kill an emissary; the laws of righteousness of kingdoms will not
approve this deed. Punish him in any other manner, but do not pronounce the sentence of
death.” The ministers supported this stand.
Ravana laughed at their absurd ideas of right and wrong, but said, “Well. Mutilate him and
send him off.” They thought for a while and decided that monkeys are proud of their tail, so
they should wind sheets of cloth on the tail, pour oil until it soaks and drip, and then set fire to
the tail. Hanuman then burst into a thundering laughter. The Asuras started binding the tail with
old clothes and soaked it in oil, but the more they did this, the longer the tail grew. Miles of
cloth and tanks of oil had to be ordered. People from all over Lanka came to observe this
miracle.
Bands of musicians were brought to lead a procession. Hanuman was led along the streets with
an oil-soaked cloth wound around his tail. At last, the Central Square of Lanka was reached.
Here a flame was applied to the tail.
Hanuman started jumping around with his flaming tail. He jumped to the top of a golden
mansion and shouted “Rama, Rama.” The burning tail kept growing, as he jumped from one
mansion to another, inflaming them all. A strong wind came from nowhere to increase the
strength of the flames which burned the buildings. As their homes burned, Asuras fled
desperately with their wives and children. To add to their problems, cattle, horses, and
elephants broke away from their sheds and ran in a rampage. The people of Lanka were asking,
“Who is this monkey? Where did it come from? Who sent it? Our entire city is burning. Where
can we go now?”
Kumbhakarna’s (Ravana’s brother) wife prayed to Hanuman to spare her sleeping husband
from the inferno. Hanuman obliged and spared Kumbhakarna’s home. Hanuman also spared
the home of Ravana’s devout brother, Vibhishana.
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Sita got the news of the events that transpired and saw the smoke that covered the city. She
called upon the God of fire and prayed with compassion that Hanuman should be saved. At
this, Hanuman suddenly became cool. In just under a wink, the city of Lanka was burnt to
ashes. The only homes standing were those of Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana.
Hanuman reached the ocean and dipped his tail to put out the flame. Then he assumed the form
of a miniature monkey and went to Sita. He prostrated to her and said, “Mother! I shall relate
to Rama all that you have asked me to. Give me something, so that I can prove that I have met
you.” Sita thought for a while, and took a gem set jewel from her head and placed it in
Hanuman’s hand. Hanuman pressed it on his eyes reverently and prostrated before her again.
Sita said, “Hanuman! You saw with your own eyes the torture Ravana is inflicting on me and
therefore there is no need for me to dilate on that. Tell the Lord that he must grant me the
fortune of seeing him: tell him that I prayed for it again and again. Tell him that, with
Lakshmana, he must lay siege to Lanka, within a month. Hanuman! These three days I spent
happily speaking to you about Rama. My heart has become calm and cool. I cannot imagine
how I will spend both night and day, hereafter, when you are gone. I shall be a fish in a dry
pond. Of course, the omniscient Lord is always watching over me; but, when, O when shall I
feast my eyes on those lotus eyes of his?” Hanuman tried to infuse faith and courage in her.
Before Hanuman left the Ashoka Park, he bellowed a farewell roar, which shook the earth, and
made the population of the island shiver in terror. Then he reached the shore, and concentrating
on Rama’s name and form, he leapt across the ocean.
Hanuman approached Rama and said, “O Lord of my life. It is impossible to describe. Sita is
reduced to bones, for she does not take food, nor does she sleep. She is counting every minute,
praying to see you. She has no other thought than the recitation of your name. She wanted me
to inform you of her countless prostrations. She remembered Lakshmana often and shed
profuse tears. The sharp verbal-thrusts that Ravana administers every morning and evening,
when he comes to her and speaks to her, I have heard with my own ears. Mother does not listen
to his prattle in the least; she is ever melting away in the agony of separation and in the thoughts
centered on you. Save Sita this very moment!”
Rama said, “Hanuman! What is the nature of the rule that Ravana has established in
Lanka? How did you set Lanka on fire?” Hanuman replied, “Lord! There is nothing you do
not know. What shall I say of the strength of monkeys! We are only monkeys that jump about
from branch to branch. How can we jump from one shore of the ocean to the other? How can
we overpower the Asuras? How can we destroy the city of Lanka through fire? All these were
due solely to your grace and glory. The strength and courage that your name confers helped us
to achieve those things. I am unable by myself to do anything. The ring of yours, that I had
with me, guarded me, and guided me aright. Lord! Seeing the ring and holding it in her hand,
how happy was Mother! ‘Is this a dream? Or was it really sent by Rama to me?’ She wondered
thus, doubted thus, and finally became firm in her faith. Lord, her grief, the extreme anguish
of hers, they set fire to Lanka and destroyed it, not I. You chose me as an instrument, and you
achieved these great tasks with me as your tool. All this is a blessing bestowed on me since
you have great affection towards devotees. Lord! Nothing is impossible for one who has won
your grace.”
Rama then spoke to Lakshmana, “Brother! Prepare for the campaign, without delay.” Sugriva
and Jambavan soon assembled the army. They cheered off and on, “Victory to Lord Rama”
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In Lanka, the Asuras were worried, they exclaimed, “When the servant is capable of such
tremendous heroism, what would be the measure of the onslaught the master can inflict!”
Mandodari, Ravana’s wife, spoke to Ravana advising him to save the empire and release Sita.
Ravana spoke angrily to her for coming up with such a suggestion.
Kumbhakarna, Ravana’s brother, woke up and entered the hall. He shouted at Ravana, “Hello!
You boasted that there is no hero equal to you in all the three worlds; you challenged the worlds
and desired anyone to face you. And now, I hear a tiny little monkey entered the city and burnt
it to ashes! Shame! Shame on you! How did you allow it to escape alive?” With these words,
he left the hall.
But in the hall of the empire, all the ministers supported Ravana. Each talked about their valor
and ability to vanquish the enemy. Later Ravana’s other brother Vibhishana walked in. He gave
a long lecture to Ravana advising him to give up Sita, as it is the right thing to do by moral
standards. Ravana was enraged and kicked him. Vibhishana continued to plead with him,
holding the very legs that were kicking him. He continued to chant Rama’s name till he was
breathless.
Vibhishana finally went across the ocean to meet Rama. The monkeys, led by Sugriva were
very suspicious of him and they told Rama about this.
But Rama spoke to the monkeys thus, “Friend! Your words are correct. You spoke in
accordance with the injunctions in the ancient scriptures about defection. Yet, listen to my vow.
It may be opposed to your advice. My vow is to protect all those who surrender to me. Even if
the person surrendering is our enemy, to make an exception in this case is wrong. I shall not
give up any being that surrenders to me, even if it involves the sin of slaying a billion Brahmins.
May be, he has been sent by Ravana to sow the seeds of dissension among us. Well, why should
we be afraid of him even if this were true? Or he has come frightened by his brother, if he
surrenders to me; I shall guard him and foster him as my own life breath. Therefore, bring him
in quickly.”
When Vibhishana arrived, Rama said, “Vibhishana! You possess all the desirable excellences.
Or else you would not have earned this vision of me, this chance to touch me and contact me,
and this opportunity to converse with me.” Rama asked Vibhishana to go and take a ritual bath
in the ocean. Rama then instructed Hanuman to bring from the ocean a pot of water. When
Vibhishana came back, Rama took a handful of water from the pot and sprinkled drops on his
head. Rama said, “I am making you by this rite, the ruler of the kingdom of Lanka.”
Rama’s army wondered how to cross the ocean. Various suggestions were given to Rama. They
spent several days contemplating and praying about this. Finally, Rama asked Lakshmana to
bring the bow and arrow. He said, “Haughty persons deserve no kindness; mischievously cruel
persons deserve no softness; misers by nature deserve no moral teachings; egoistic persons
deserve no advice, greedy persons cannot benefit from insistence on renunciation; persons
stricken with anger deserve no counsel on being at peace; lust-crazy victims deserve no
scriptural readings; saline fields deserve no seeds of grain. So too, this ocean that does not yield
to soft requests deserves no mercy.” As he said this, he fitted an arrow to his bow. Lakshmana
was afraid of what the consequences would be for the ocean. Even before the firing of the
arrow, the ocean was hot. The denizens of the deep were suffering extreme agony. Waves were
screaming as if terror-stricken. Wave after wave rolled towards Rama’s foot as if praying for
mercy.
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Then the voice of the ocean God was heard saying, “Lord! There are two generals in the
campus, Nala and Nila, who are targets of a curse pronounced by a sage. That curse can now
be used as a blessing, listen. The story can now be told. There are many hermits living on a
riverbank in hermitages. While young, these two entered these hermitages; while the sages
were immersed in deep meditation, seizing the holy icons, which they worshiped, they cast
them into the waters of the river. The sages were enraged at this sacrilege, and they cast a curse
on them, in this manner; ‘Boys! May all things that you throw on water never sink; may they
float instead. And may they remain just where you have thrown them, even if the waters flow
fast in floods.’ Therefore, every rock they throw will float at the very place; have your name
inscribed on every slab and rock. Your name is light, not heavy at all. Thus, even huge
mountain peaks when thrown would float and form a bridge. I shall also contribute my share
of help, for, when the search is for truth; all nature must serve the seeker.” At this, Rama
decided not to let go of the arrow he had fitted. But since an arrow, which has been fitted, must
find a target, he aimed it at a forest area in the far distance; as a result, this region became a dry
desert.
Sugriva had only 6,000 monkey soldiers who could only use sticks and stones while Lanka had
100,000 fearsome soldiers who had lots of weapons. They even had a fort to fight from. Rama
told Sugriva, “I cannot manage with 6,000 monkeys. We don’t have weapons. We don’t have
chariots. How can we fight such a big army of Ravana?” Sugriva said, “Rama if you command,
I will go across the country, talk to all the monkey kings and I will collect all the monkeys
possible in the country and bring them to your feet.” Rama then said, “Yes, while some
monkeys build the bridge, you go around the country and collect as many monkey soldiers as
possible.” Sugriva set out immediately jumping from tree to tree until he reached from South
India all the way to the Himalayas. He brought back 60,000 monkeys: some of them from as
far away as Borneo. Their strategy was that two monkeys would attack one demon; one would
hit with a stick, and another would throw a stone at him. The Asuras were 8-9 feet tall, and
some were 12 feet tall while the monkeys were only 2-3 feet tall.
Construction of the bridge started. This is the 100-mile bridge between India and Sri Lanka
which today’s scientists have determined to be man-made. Everyone stood in line, and boulders
were inscribed with Rama’s name, passed from hand to hand, and finally thrown into the ocean
by Nala and Nila. On the first day, 14 yojanas of the bridge were completed. On the second
day, the bridge was extended by a further 20 yojanas. The next day a further length of twentyone yojanas was added. The fourth day a further twenty-two yojanas were added. On the fifth
day, a further 24 yojanas were built. Thus, they completed the hundred-yojanas bridge (100
miles). The reason I can conclude a yojana is one mile is that the distance from India to Sri
Lanka is about 100 miles minus the obvious land formed due to the bridge causing silting of
land around it.
One can see the bridge in Google Maps. It is officially called, Rama Setu or Adam’s bridge,
which is a shallow (3.5 meters) line of coral reefs stretching from India to Sri Lanka, dotted
with islands, even though such islands are remarkably absent from the east coast of India.
When Rama was informed that the bridge was completed, He instructed that the message be
passed along the long line of monkeys, the order that each one should drop the hill they were
carrying at the place he stood.
Hanuman was at that moment carrying a mountain from far north. When he heard the news, he
dropped it down. But the mountain cried, “Alas, I have lost the chance of service to
Rama.” Hanuman informed Rama of this incident. Rama asked Hanuman to go back and tell
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the mountain that, “I will come back and will hold that mountain in my palm, for seven days
and nights. On hearing this, the mountain will be happy.” This mountain was named the
Govardhana Mountain and was lifted by the next avatar, Krishna to save the population of the
area from the heavy downpour of rain.
Vibhishana came to Rama’s presence and said, “Lord! We must enter Lanka tomorrow; so, I
have a prayer to place before you.” Rama replied, “What is it? Tell me.” Vibhishana said,
“Ravana is a devout worshiper of Shiva. He has intense attachment towards that aspect of God.
Yet, it is certain he will meet death at your hands. I pray that, to commemorate his devotion to
Shiva, you may, on the eve of moving towards Lanka and entering it through this bridge, install
a Shivalinga (a statue representing Shiva) here, so that in coming centuries, when people enter
Lanka along this route, they can worship the Shivalinga and remember these events. They
would indeed be fortunate to have such experience. The Linga would be extolled by them as
the idol installed by Rama. And even when the bridge is eroded, and crumbled by time, the
spot could be identified by future generations by means of the idol worshippers here.” Rama
was pleased with this suggestion and said, “I shall fulfill your wish. You are the future ruler of
Lanka, and to please you, I am ready to carry out your wishes, whatever is involved.”
Today, the idol representing Shiva, installed by Rama 20,000 is currently in a temple called
Rameswaram, which is located on the 15-mile-long Pamban Island, the longest island along
the stretch of the remnants of the bridge. It is also the hometown of the former President of
India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. This is possible though the Muslim hordes ruled India from
around1000 AD till the 1800s (a span of almost 800 years), destroying most temples in northern
India and infusing their language (Hindi, Urdu & Hindustani), they generally failed in their
military expeditions to conquer the two southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The Muslim
hordes also sent huge armies to defeat the Hindu Ahom Kingdom five times and were defeated
each time. Similarly, the Travancore Kingdom of Kerala was attacked by huge Muslim hordes
led by Tipu Sultan two times but were defeated both times with a far lesser number of soldiers.
Therefore, Travancore region was the only area in southern India, which was never successfully
conquered by the Muslim hordes. They managed to conquer Tamil Nadu and ruled it only for
brief periods of time; but were extremely brutal in those short periods, such that even the
Muslim traveller Ibn Battuta, from Morocco, wrote in his journal that the Muslim king of Tamil
Nadu was mad because of the way he treated Hindus. The people of these two states held on to
their culture and caste systems (high specialization in the four main categories of job functions),
which enabled them to fend off the invaders. Therefore, in the temples of these two southern
states, the rituals performed by Brahmins are the same as those performed by their direct
ancestors thousands of years ago. The British East India Company finally took control of these
two states but had a policy of non-interference in the religious practices of India and hence
restricted Christian missionaries from proselytising in India. However, when the British
government took over the East India Company, after the first war of independence of India in
1857, Christian missionaries started converting Hindus to Christianity. Therefore, it is likely
that Kerala and Tamil Nadu are among the few places on earth where an ancient culture
survived over mellinniums, devoid of book burning.
Angada, Vali’s son, and the crown prince approached Rama to volunteer to be the messenger
to see Ravana. Rama agreed, and he walked towards Lanka. He faced some initial resistance,
but he easily killed the Asuras in his way. After this, no one dared to stop him till he reached
Ravana. The inhabitants were thinking this is the same monkey who vanquished Ravana’s son
and his hordes and razed the city.
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Ravana seemed like a conscious mountain to Angada. His twenty hands were like branches of
a giant tree. Angada pleaded to Ravana to give up Sita or face death. Ravana sneered and
shouted at him. At this, Angada did not follow accepted conventions of those days and rented
verbal abuses onto Ravana. Ravana boasted, “Angada! Know that I am the hero, the
redoubtable stalwart, who lifted the Kailasa peak (Shiva’s residence in the Himalayas) by sheer
physical power and courage; this Ravana is the person who laid, not flowers, but his own head,
plucked by him from his body, as offering at the feet of Shiva; this is the devotee whose might
has been acknowledged by Shiva himself; this is the warrior whose name strikes terror in the
bravest, whose picture spreads panic; stop your prattle, praising yourself and your patrons.”
But Angada did not stop. He said, “O you conceited fool! Don’t chatter away like this; use
your breath for some good purpose; sing some songs in praise of Rama. Surrender to him. Or
else, the arrow of Rama will make your head leap like balls from the shoulders where they are
now resting. And the monkeys will gleefully kick them about, as in a ball game (football must
have been played even 20,000 years ago). I happen to be the messenger from Sugriva, our ruler.
I have, unfortunately, no orders from Sri Rama; and I do not desire to deprive them of the
chance, or else, I would have put an end to your life in a trice and cast your carcass into the
ocean.” Angada’s body form changed into a fierce phenomenon as he uttered these words. He
slapped his feet so hard, causing the earth to shake so hard that the crown on the ten heads of
Ravana fell to the ground. Ravana too rolled off his throne. Ravana regained his composure
and instructed the demon heroes to, “Lift him by the legs and throw him on the floor; splinter
his head.”
Meghanada rose to perform the assigned task. But he could not budge the leg. Many others
tried together, but Angada’s leg could not be moved. Finally, Ravana himself attempted to lift
Angada’s legs. Angada laughed and said, “Ravana! No, these are not the feet you have to hold.
Place your hands on the feet of Rama, in a genuine gesture of surrender; that will liberate you
from fear and bondage.” With these words Angada shook his legs to loosen the hold, the
impact was so great that Ravana hit the floor and lost consciousness, destroying his glory and
splendor. The sense of shame covered his face. Angada decided it was time for war, for Ravana
will not listen to counsel.
Ravana retired to his room where his wife gave him counsel, “Lord, pardon me for these words.
You are badly mistaken when you consider Rama a mere man. He is the master of the universe;
he is an invincible hero. You are already aware of the extent of his might and valor, aren’t
you? Recollect the facts related by Angada, quietly within yourself. Remember! You were
seated in the gathering of kings in the hall of Janaka, to exhibit your strength and skill; but you
failed even to shift a little, the position of the bow of Shiva. Rama lifted it as if it were a spurt
of playfulness and cast it aside in broken halves. This demonstration of might was seen with
your own eyes. If you still do not give up your foolish tenacity, it is an indication that your
destruction is imminent. What could you do when the nose and ears of your own sister,
Surpanakha, was sliced off? Are you not ashamed to proclaim and boast about your strength
and your heroism, after all these experiences? Rama killed Vali with a single arrow. Was Vali
an ordinary foe? Rama has now come with his army of monkeys and encamped on the Suvela
Hill. Rama is the very embodiment of righteousness and morality; or else why should he send
an envoy to you, as he has done, to advise you how you can still save yourself? This envoy
has tried to turn your mind towards accord with Rama. But you do not give up your sense of
pride; you do not appreciate the moral sense that moved Rama; you do not understand the
virtues that animate the supremely sacred person who has sent the envoy. And you are causing
the downfall of your own kingdom! What could you do now to throw out Angada, the envoy,
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who entered the audience hall? There are in their camp, thousands, nay hundred-thousands of
monkeys, mightier and more destructive than this one. Listen to my words; give up this
demonic passion; go and surrender to Rama.” But as expected Ravana did not pay heed to her
words.
That evening, Sugriva, the leader of the monkeys, Jambawan, the leader of the bears and
Vibhishana, the leader of the Asuras, met to decide how to divide their army into four to attack
the four gates of the city.
Early in the morning, Ravana made a replica of Rama’s head and placed it on a plate, to show
Sita that Rama had been killed. Sita was taken aback for only a short while. Then she reminded
herself that no one in the universe could defeat Rama. She said to Ravana, “Ravana! Surely
your destruction has arrived. Or else, such abominable thoughts would not have come into you.
You have no courage even to approach Rama; how then you ever hope to kill him? Even in a
dream, you cannot realize that hope. This is a dirty magic trick, which fails to deceive me.”
Just at that moment, the monkeys started their attack with the shouts, “Victory to Lord Rama”,
coming from all around. Ravana hurried back into his palace.
The first day went well for the monkeys, but there was a little setback at night. The Asuras are
by their nature stronger at night. As the monkeys called out to Rama for help, Rama shot the
Agneyaastra (the fire-arrow), which gave effulgence that destroyed the darkness. The monkeys
and bears then proceeded to hack the Asuras down. Thousands of Asuras were slain on the first
day.
Meghanada was determined to bring about reverses the next day. Lakshmana and Meghanada
were involved in a deadly combat. Meghanada took out the Dakti weapon, which was gifted
by Brahma. He aimed at the heart of Lakshmana. This arrow found its mark, and Lakshmana
fell. Meghanada tried to lift the body of Lakshmana to his own camp, but he could not.
Countless demon warriors tried to lift Lakshmana together, but they failed to get the booty of
the day. Lakshmana was the primeval serpent on whose coils Vishnu normally rests. Only those
who have won the grace of Rama could lift Lakshmana.
Rama noticed that Lakshmana did not return from the battlefield. After a while, he saw
Hanuman carrying Lakshmana over his shoulder. Upon seeing the fainted Lakshmana, Rama
said, “I may get a wife like Sita, but I cannot get a brother like Lakshmana.” The old Jambavan
spoke, “Lord! Let us not lose time; let us not delay treatment or hesitate. It is best we get
Sushena here, the physician, from Lanka; he knows the remedy.” Hanuman rushed to Lanka
to Sushena’s residence. Not knowing if Sushena would agree to come with him, he carried the
whole house of Sushena, with Sushena inside it, to near Lakshmana.
Sushena told Rama, “There is a herb called Sanjeevani on a mountain in the Himalayan region.
If you bring that herb, Lakshmana can be revived.” The herb lies on a mountain of the same
name. Rama delegated Hanuman to do this job. Hanuman left in one big jump.
Meanwhile a spy reported to Ravana of the turn of events. Ravana sent Kalanemi to overcome
Hanuman in the Himalayas. Of course, Kalanemi, who knew the strength of Hanuman, was
sure it was a suicidal mission. But just as all the rest of Ravana’s soldiers, they would rather
die at the hands of Rama’s hordes than at the hands of Ravana.
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Kalanemi assumed the form of a sage on the Himalayas. Hanuman was thirsty because he just
had a fierce battle with Meghanada. Kalanemi was reciting the greatness of Rama. So,
Hanuman fell at his feet and informed the sage that he was thirsty. The sage asked him to drink
from the lake nearby. As he stepped into the lake, a crocodile caught his leg. This is an
especially vicious crocodile, which in Kalanemi’s estimation should be able to kill Hanuman.
But instead, Hanuman easily killed the crocodile.
The crocodile’s soul informed Hanuman that he and Kalanemi were residents of heaven. He
said, “One day, the Sage Durvasa, known for his short temper, arrived at the court. When our
eyes fell on that wild ferocious figure, we burst into laughter, and he cursed both of us to be
born on earth as Asuras.” Hanuman’s killing of the crocodile released it from the curse. Upon
hearing this, Hanuman rushed to Kalanemi and tore off his head.
Hanuman approached the Sanjeevani peak and started looking for the herb. But he could not
identify which one it was, so he uprooted the whole mountain and carried it on his palm and
jumped back.
On the way back he passed the city of Ayodhya where Bharatha was awake in the night
watching the sky. Assuming Hanuman’s figure was a demon, he shot an arrow, which found
its mark. Hanuman fell crying, “Rama.” When Bharata heard this exclamation, he knew only
a good person could say that name, so he rushed to Hanuman and learnt the story about the
mission and the fate of Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita. Bharatha immediately prayed reverently
so that Hanuman would be cured instantly. Getting renewed energy because of Bharatha’s
prayers, Hanuman rose up and jumped again to Lanka. Bharata informed the rest in Ayodhya
of the fate of Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita.
In Lanka, Sushena immediately secured the Sanjeevani herb from the mountain peak.
Lakshmana sat up exclaiming, “Brother! Brother! Where have you been these hours?” Rama
said, “Lakshmana, my life is meaningless without you. You have always been with me and
protected me in many ways. There is nothing dearer to me than you in this world. In fact, you
are truly my life.”
Meanwhile, because of contact with the vitalizing airs that blew from the Sanjeevani Peak, the
monkeys who had died during the days of battle recovered their lives. Rama ordered Hanuman
to carry back Sushena and his house to the place in Lanka where he was taken from. Rama
gave Sushena assurance of protection from Ravana. Rama also ordered that the Sanjeevani
Peak should be deposited near Sushena’s house (in Lanka) in memory of his service to
Lakshmana and the other monkeys.
The battle went on, Hanuman killed Dhoomrasha the demon general the next day. Akampa
stepped in only to be killed by Angada. Prahastha then came in only to be killed by Nila.
Mahodara came in next. Hanuman cut him to pieces. The two sons of Kumbhakarna, Kumba
and Nikumbha were killed by Hanuman. Makaraksha came next and was killed by Lakshmana.
Ravana wailed and wept. Thinking his sleeping brother could turn the tide, he rushed to his
house instructing large crowds of Asuras to beat drums wildly, near his ears. Hundreds of
boxers were brought in to hit the sleeping Asura. Others dwelt heavy thrusts on his thigh with
gigantic maces. At last, his eyes opened. Ravana related all that had happened, including the
death of Kumbhakarna’s own two sons. Kumbhakarana said, “Fool! Can victory be ever
achieved by you? You have tarnished yourselves unpardonable by the sin of stealing and
bringing away Sita, the mother of the universe. Your wicked act is inexcusably heinous. Your
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viciousness is bringing destruction to Lanka. Go, surrender to Rama at least now, regardless of
your absurd sense of prestige! Was it right, for a ruler charged with the high duty of maintaining
righteousness and suppressing unrighteousness in his kingdom, to cast off propriety and good
conduct and abduct another’s wife? Does this have the approval of ethics? Is it conducive to
spiritual progress? You must suffer the fruits of your actions. Ravana! Rama is no ordinary
mortal. Surpanakha, our sister, was maddened by lust; she planned to achieve her selfish desire,
and she suffered the consequence of her wickedness. She set your instincts on fire and induced
you to enact this barbarous crime. Listening to a wily woman, you cast aside all discrimination
and brought upon your head this calamity by the mischief of your own hands.”
Studying these words, one realizes that the reason for war and destruction from this period
20,000 years ago till today like the events leading up to World War One and World War Two
are simply the ego of just a couple of people. To ensure peace, leaders should always follow
the dictates of not having desire, anger, greed, delusion, and pride (the six enemies which
together become ego).
Kumbhakarna knew it was useless to educate his brother at this juncture. So, he got up to ready
himself for battle. Barrels and barrels of wine, and mounds of meat were placed before
Kumbhakarna. He gulped it in a moment and proceeded to the battlefield.
Kumbhakarana met Vibhishana on the battlefield. Vibhishana told him, “Brother! Ravana
insulted me in open court and kicked me out of the hall. I considered all aspects of this affair
and counseled him in various ways. He discarded my advice and gave ear to the power-mad
foolish ministers; he hurled unbearable abuses on me, within the hearing of those persons. I
could not suffer the shame of it. I surrendered to Rama, and knowing that I was helpless and
innocent, he accepted me and gave me refuge.”
Kumbhakarna replied, “Well, Brother! The shadow of death is already on Ravana. How then
can he pay heed to good counsel? Surely, you have done well to fulfill the goal of your life.
You are not Vibhishana now; you are Vibhushana (the shining jewel) of the Asura clan! You
have ennobled and purified the clan by serving so adherently the very ocean of happiness, the
crown of the Raghu Dynasty, Rama. Go. Serve him with sincere zeal. Brother! I must engage
in battle regardless of the fate in store for me. I am also nearing death. Ravana knows that my
heart is not with him. I advise you to give up loyalty to this side or that but confine yourself to
loyalty to Rama.”
Vibhishana promptly went to Rama and told him, “Lord! That mountain of a demon is
Kumbhakarna; he is a ferociously brave warrior. He has come to engage you in battle.”
Hanuman gave Kumbhakarna a majestic blow and he reeled. But Kumbhakarna recovered and
returned the blow causing Hanuman to fall to the ground unconscious. Nala and Neela tried
but they too fell. Then Sugriva and Angada tried attacking him, but they too fell. Kumbhakarna
picked up Sugriva and squeezed him under his arms and carried him off the battlefield.
Hanuman regained his consciousness and ran towards Sugriva, but Sugriva who had by then
regained consciousness managed to free himself. He bit off the ears and nose of Kumbhakarna.
This made it hard for him to breathe. The horde of monkeys yelled, “Victory to Rama” “Victory
to our master” and rained rocks, hills, and trees onto him. Kumbhakarna became extremely
agitated and started causing havoc among the monkey army.
Rama told Lakshmana that it was time for him to enter the battlefield. He said, “Lakshmana!
Bring that inexhaustible arrow-sheath hither.” Rama entered the battlefield and shot numerous
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arrows, which did their job and came back to him. The Asuras were in disarray. Kumbhakarna
charged at him, and Rama sliced off his hands, at the shoulders. But he kept on charging. Rama
shot a string of arrows at his face; Kumbhakarna reeled but did not fall. Rama then severed his
head, but the trunk continued to run. To stop the trunk, Rama shot another arrow. Then the
splendor (soul) emerged from the body and continued charging towards Rama and merged in
him. A drop of sweat flowed down from Rama’s head as this happened.
This is an example of a demon, who lived a vile life, but achieved the ultimate aim of life on
earth which is the realization that we are ourselves God. Most people need to be reborn on earth
numerous times and via performing prayers, service to fellow beings and so forth, they can
slowly climb up the ladder towards this realization. But Kumbhakarna achieved it in a few
seconds of sheer determination via concentration-meditation in the belief that Rama is God,
and he is no different. He did not have an iota of doubt that Rama is God as he rushed toward
him. He did not weigh the pros and cons; he did not consider his history or having lived a vile
life so far. All guilt and doubt that Rama would pardon him for his crimes were totally absent.
For these few seconds, he was totally positive as he rushed with powerful determination
towards his goal. This simple and sheer determination and belief is all he used to achieve the
ultimate goal of life here on earth, which other people take thousands of births and years of
prayers, service to society and meditation to achieve. Some scientists have realized that their
greatest innovations came about in a few seconds within their minds, while long and tiring
processes achieved only incremental progress. As an example, a flash of light within Nikola
Tesla’s mind gave him the idea of the induction motor which is driving almost all things from
our homes to the biggest industries in the world. It is for this same reason that it is
recommended that only a few seconds of intense concentration-meditation per day is enough
for humans. The Kumbhakarna story has another value. He was an ultimate warrior, it is said
if he woke up on the one day per year he normally wakes up, no one can overcome him in
battle. He was huge as a mountain in size but someone much smaller who is spiritual could
overcome him. One may work very hard to achieve a huge wealth of martial arts to be the
ultimate warrior, but the rewards of spirituality are even greater. What is the whole purpose of
spirituality? It is for us to realize we are God ourselves. Through numerous lives we were lied
to that we are not God so most people on earth believe so. But our breath which we do 21600
times a day is actually a mantra, “So-Ham'' (I am That in Sanskrit).
This author just talked to the chairman of the world Taekwondo organization, who said the
whole purpose of martial arts is spiritual gain. You may be the toughest warrior via Taekwondo
but the gains made by being spiritual are far greater; you can have miraculous powers, like the
Amish farmers who seem to have the weather always cooperating with them. Anyone doing
any job located anywhere on earth can be closer to God than the person physically next to
Rama. They can achieve this state by showing full dedication in Taekwondo. A brain surgeon
can get there by standing for 10 continuous hours operating on a brain. A homemaker can
achieve it by performing perfect household work with love for the family. The hierarchy in the
current day religions turns us into slaves of the people we perceive to be above us (slaves
respecting the chains above us). We must turn away from body worship of Rama, Jesus etc.
We are God and should get messages from the God within us. If the voice within us is distorted,
we need to be more spiritual to reduce the attenuation of this voice. If everyone does this, there
will be no more religious wars because everyone is God themselves.
With Kumbhakarna gone, Ravana lost his greatest warrior. Meghanada, his son, was the next
general. He came out with the best of the best soldiers among the Asuras. They fought gallantly.
Meghanada created a pseudo-Sita in his flying chariot. He sliced off her head and tore her to
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pieces. Hanuman was plunged into vengeful rage. The monkeys followed him into the city to
exterminate the Asuras. Hanuman rushed to Rama and told him what happened, and gloom and
despondency fell on everyone.
Just then Vibhishana rushed to them to inform them that the Sita who was slashed was a fake,
because only Ravana has access to Ashoka Park, where she is kept. Hanuman wanted to
confirm this fact, so he went to Sita and found her well.
Meghanada used his illusory powers to create invincible soldiers who caused havoc among the
monkeys. He then rained arrows at Lakshmana, Sugriva and Vibhishana, piercing them all, but
they continued fighting. Meghanada then shot the Sarpastra (the serpent weapon) towards
Rama, which overpowered him. It may seem strange that God in human form can be
overpowered, but Rama came with human attributes, qualities, and limitations so that other
humans can relate to him and thereby follow his precepts. If Rama came with an illogically
powerful Godly form which is the actual nature of God, humans will be scared and will not be
able to relate to him. For example, Rama could easily wipe out the entire demon army in a split
second, the very moment Sita was captured by Ravana, but there would not be much teaching
to humankind if that was done. This drama must be played out, the victory or loss by various
warriors on this battlefield is an example of the fights every human must go through to
eventually achieve the ultimate victory of realization that we are ourselves God. The Ramayana
is a long story where most humans all over the world can get inspiration to achieve greater
heights in whatever task they are doing. A sudden vanquishing of the Asuras on the other hand
will not provide such inspiration.
Jambavan (the king of the bears) shouted, “O you vicious worm! Stop!” Meghanada shouted
back, “Fie on you, I had ignored you so far, as too old to deserve attention. Of what avail are
your words to me? Move away.” He threw a trident at Jambavan, which was caught by
Jambavan and thrown back at Meghanada, piercing his heart. Jambavan rushed to him and said,
“Now, say, whether I am old. Judge whether I have the strength of old age.”
Meghanada did not die, he got up with great difficulty and rushed to a special garden (in his
flying chariot), where many Asuras in the past performed penances to survive injuries. Spies
informed Vibhishana about this, and the information was carried to Rama. Vibhishana told
Rama if he completes his prayers, he would be hard to defeat. Rama told Hanuman and Angada,
“Brothers! Go! Disturb, and disorganize the yagna which Meghanada is observing. You must
defeat this fellow on the field of battle. Note that the Gods are grieving on account of his
iniquities.”
Lakshmana led the small team to kill Meghanada. At the place of the ritual, flesh and blood of
buffaloes was being offered in the ritual fire. Hanuman and Angada fell on Meghanada but he
proved to be stronger, and they fell unconscious. Meghanada then turned invisible. Having lost
his patience, Lakshmana fixed the sacred arrow (which will find Meghanada wherever he is)
on his bow and invoked Rama’s name onto it. This arrow went straight to Meghanada’s heart
and killed him. Lakshmana lifted the dead body over his shoulders and placed it at the City
Gate of Lanka and left. Meghanada’s last thought was that of Rama and Lakshmana thereby
attaining the purpose of life on earth. This is because it is a universal rule that the very last
thought in one’s life is where one will end up in the next life.
Meghanada’s wife Sulochana went to Ravana and blamed him for the death of her husband.
Ravana was moved and went to the Shiva temple to pray. His other son, Ahi-ravana who lives
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in the Nether region, below the earth’s surface could sense the sorrow of his father above as
Ravana prayed to Shiva.
What is this Nether region? It is mentioned in many scriptures all over the world. Some
scientists’ estimate, by density calculations, that these are big air pockets within earth. These
underground air traps could be where the Nether world is. There is also a recorded scientific
venture by the Soviet Union to bore down to earth the deepest well. After drilling 12 kilometers,
the scientists heard what sounded like cries coming from the microphones attached near the
drill bits. The scientist involved in this project decided to shut down the well after that.
Why would beings be living in the Nether world? When Noah’s ship landed on earth, there
could be insufficient breathable air on the surface of the earth. Cyanobacteria may have not
done their oxygen producing job yet. It is possible that the inhabitants of the ship preferred to
live in the air pockets within earth. Later as there was sufficient oxygen in the earth’s
atmosphere they moved out of the Nether regions to the surface of the earth. The indication
that the people of the Nether regions are from Noah’s ship is the description in the scriptures
that people who lived in these regions had powers beyond normal human beings.
Ahi-ravana was surprised because in his estimation, his father was invincible. However, he
rose to his father’s presence in the Shiva temple. Upon hearing the story, he also blamed his
father for all that happened, but he went ahead to wage war against Rama’s army. He invoked
the spirit of darkness, which fell upon the monkeys. They could not see anything.
At night, Hanuman extended his tail to surround the whole camp. He sat alert at the entrance.
But Ahi-ravana turned himself into Vibhishana’s form and told Hanuman, “Friend, I must go
into the presence of Rama. With his approval, I had gone outside the camp to perform my
evening prayers and rites. I have finished them now. If I do not go in without delay, I would
incur sin of disobeying his command. So, allow me to enter the camp.” Hanuman let him in.
Ahi-ravana went in and found most of the inhabitants sleeping after a hard day’s battle. He
promptly put the sleeping spell on all, such that everyone went to a deeper sleep. Rama knew
what was going on, but he let it happen, because he needed to solve the problems of the Nether
regions also.
Rama and Lakshmana were bound and kidnapped. A short while later the real Vibhishana
appeared to Hanuman, requesting permission to enter the camp. Hanuman was surprised to see
him again. He rushed in to find Rama and Lakshmana gone. He woke up the rest of the
monkeys. Everyone fell into despair upon hearing what happened. Vibhishana said, “Monkeys!
There is no need to be anxious. Ahi-ravana, the son of Ravana is a master in such tricks. He is
living in the Nether regions. Judging from the depth of this pit, I am sure it is he who carried
Rama and Lakshmana to his own place underground. I have no doubt on this point. For, no one
else can assume my form. Do not be disheartened. It is best that someone from among us who
is mighty proceed thither.” He gave Hanuman directions to proceed promptly to the Nether
regions.
At the entrance he saw a monkey guard called Makaradhwaja. They had a small conversation,
where he informed Hanuman of the whereabouts of Rama and Lakshmana and the fact that
they will be sacrificed to the Goddess Kamada by the cruel king of the Nether regions. But
after the conversation, Makaradhwaja said, being duty-bound, Hanuman must fight him. After
a fierce fight, Hanuman encircled his tail around Makaradhwaja and threw him far away.
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After traveling a while in the Nether regions, Hanuman noticed a florist carrying a garland into
the palace. He turned himself into a molecular form and jumped onto the garland. This garland
was placed on Goddess’s idol. Lot of dishes were also placed in front of the idol. Hanuman
consumed all this. As the food was disappearing in front of the idol, the Asuras were excited
that the Goddess was consuming it.
Later Rama and Lakshmana were brought in and placed near the altar. The henchmen had their
swords near Rama’s and Lakshmana’s heads, ready for the sacrifice. This act of sacrificing or
chopping off the head of humans or animals as a prayer ritual to God is typical of today’s
humans who commit horrible acts which will displease God while believing they are trying to
please God.
Hanuman jumped and took the sword from the idol of Goddess Kamada and slashed AhiRavana into pieces. The other Asuras thought that the Goddess had emerged and did not do
anything. But the pieces got back together to reform Ahi-Ravana. Hanuman quickly slashed
off the head and threw it into the sacrificial fire.
Ravana had another son, Narantaka who had 720 million Asuras with him. He was summoned
and came for battle. Hanuman was the main person who attacked him. He killed Narantaka and
vanquished his huge army.
After a sleepless night Ravana had to go to the battlefield. He threatened his soldier that while
the battle is on, if they run away, he will personally kill them. As his army marched forward,
the monkeys and bears fell upon them with their teeth and nails. They threw hills and huge
trees on the enemy. Ravana’s army was in disarray. They started fleeing but Ravana shot arrows
to kill the fleeing Asuras.
Ravana rained a huge number of arrows at the monkeys, and they started fleeing. Lakshmana
went to attack Ravana. He said, “You villain! What benefit can you gain by slaughtering
monkeys and bears? Gaze at me, standing before you like death itself, the spirit of time comes
to finish your earthly career.”
Ravana replied, “O! Don’t I know you? You are the destroyer of my son. I was looking out
for you for many days.” Ravana let loose many arrows, but Lakshmana cut them into pieces.
Lakshmana rained arrows in deadly groups of a hundred or more. These arrows caused Ravana
to fall unconscious. He recovered and went back to Lanka to do penances just as Meghanada
did.
Vibhishana informed Rama that these penances should be halted. Hanuman and Angada went
on to disturb the prayers. They shouted to disturb Ravana’s prayers, Ravana finally attacked
the monkeys, but they proved too strong physically for him.
The next few days Ravana gradually took his entire army to the battlefield. Each and every one
of them were killed. At last, Ravana was all alone. He used many magic tricks to subdue the
monkeys. Rama shot an arrow after invoking some mantras, and all these magic spells were
diffused.
Finally, Rama engaged Ravana in combat. This battle lasted for 18 days. Even the Gods came
down to observe this great fight between good and evil. Rama sliced off his heads, but a new
one would appear immediately after it was sliced.
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Vibhishana's wife, Thrijata told Sita of this phenomenon and Sita’s face paled at the news and
sank in sadness. Tarijata said, “Do not yield to anxiety. His heart has your form enshrined in
it; that is the reason why the heads grow.” Sita became a little happy and sad at hearing this.
Thrijata continued, “Sita! Have no doubt. His end is imminent. Rama will triumph. Rama too
is remembering you every time he shoots an arrow; he too has your form in his heart. So, the
end is prolonged until the moment comes when Ravana gives up your memory for a short
while. That moment will spell his doom; he will be killed that instant.”
Being Vishnu incarnate, Rama could have killed Ravana immediately, but he dragged it for
eighteen days because there were eighteen days to complete the fourteen years exile in the
jungle. On the eighteenth day Rama fired a bunch of thirty-one arrows. They darted like cobras.
One entered the nectar jar that Ravana had underneath his navel which is the source of his
magical powers as informed to Rama by Vibhishana, the rest of the arrows sliced off his hands
and heads.
Though Rama was a Vishnu incarnate, he came to the earth to live a life as a human and enjoy
and suffer the ups and downs of a typical human life. His task was to live as an ideal human
for the rest of humanity to follow thenceforth. Today we revere the likes of Abraham Lincoln
as one who made a giant impact for the whole earth for his initiatives to free the slaves. The
only explanation of the actions of Abraham Lincoln is that he is a highly spiritually evolved
soul but had to live as an American for humanity to accept his precepts. Similarly, all humans
should revere Rama for showing the world how to correctly live in a family. God cannot come
with a form described as Vishnu; humanity would attempt with all their might to capture him
and put him in a cage and collect money for the rest of humanity to see him.
Rama then went to get Sita from her prison. Rama asked all his soldiers to stay back and
witness. Then he told Sita, “I give you the freedom to go wherever you want. You don’t have
to come with me since people will doubt your chastity.” He said all that as a duty-bound king
who needed to always consider the prerogative of the citizens. He questioned Sita’s chastity on
behalf of all those who were present so that once for all it will be settled that she is pure. Sita
then asked Lakshmana to create a pyre and jump into it. Lord Agni (God of fire) brought her
out of the fire stating that Sita is absolutely pure, do not doubt about her purity, take her back
with you, I command you. And Rama happily accepts her. It was just for the sake of proving
to everybody that she is pure that he put her through this. This whole episode is for the people
of the country in which Rama will be the king. In any country if infidelity runs rampant,
countries can be destroyed. Rama’s message is that one man should have one wife and vice
versa; harmonious nuclear families are the strength of any country. If a man or woman gets
involved in infidelity, they cannot put full attention on their respective tasks. The act of hiding
the infidelity itself may fill up their minds and cause them to be inefficient in their main duties.
This author, being a professor, has realized that the students who are couples tend to do better
at their studies; it must be that their minds are settled and not disturbed by the game of joy or
depression of finding a husband or wife and can therefore concentrate on their studies. It is
interesting to note that the current Google CEO, Sundar Pichai married his college sweetheart,
who is his first girlfriend. The current Microsoft CEO, Satya Nandella married his highschool
sweetheart, who was also his first girlfriend.
These days, there are many narratives putting down the nuclear family. Governments should
nurture it and take it as the biggest treasure of any country. The current decline of the nuclear
family could have its roots in communism which seems at war with nuclear families and takes
women as baby making machines to produce people for their enterprises and war initiatives. It
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should be noted that the communist ideal is that the whole world be communist because Karl
Marks knew that subjugated citizens would escape to a freer place if there was one.
Rama and Sita are two halves of a single body. The proof of Rama’s deep love for Sita is the
thousands of miles he walked in search of her and eventually defeating Ravana and his
330,000,000 soldiers, with just monkey and other animal soldiers. Rama’s army of monkeys
were on average about a third the size of the average Ravana’s soldier. In fact, Ravana tried to
entice Sita to fall in love with him by boasting that he and his 330,000,000 giant well-armed
soldiers were invincible. But of course, Sita had a full conviction that the spiritual strength of
Rama will overpower all that and waited 11 months before Hanuman confirmed that Rama is
at the outskirts of Ravana empire. The defeat of Ravana also relieved many people who were
tormented by Ravana and his hordes.
Rama then installed Vibhishana as the king of Lanka. By this time, 14 years have passed and
Bharatha who was always counting the days for Rama to come back decided to immolate
himself on a pyre. Rama foresaw this and instructed Hanuman to proceed ahead to Ayodhya to
inform Bharatha that he was on his way back. Rama, Lakshmana and Sita used the flying
chariot named Pushpaka, which was captured from Ravana, to get back to Ayodhya. This
chariot was previously acquired by Ravana from heaven, as he conquered it. Soon after his
arrival in Ayodhya, the jubilant people crowned him as the king.
All four brothers shared in the administration of the Kingdom. One day, Hanuman offered his
services to Rama. Rama turned to Lakshmana and said, “Brother! Listen! Notice how
Hanuman has mastered the Vedas. His speech is saturated with humility and dedication which
the Rig Veda embodies, the retentiveness and reverence that the Yagur Veda promotes and the
intuitive vision that the Sama Veda grants. Hanuman knows all the scriptural texts. He is a
genuine devotee. Sugriva is fortunate to have him as a minister, Hanuman whose thoughts,
words and deeds are offered to God.”
Hanuman’s spiritual practice was of total devotion to his master, but he did not go to the stage
of realizing he himself is God. As a child he was so sure he was the all-powerful God and
jumped to swallow the sun. The elders around him were fearful of this and chanted some
mantras to defeat this sureness a little, such that he would not try that again. One day, it was
night and time to go to bed. Hanuman followed Rama and Sita, but Sita said, “You should not
come inside.” Hanuman asked, “Why should I not come inside.” Sita could not explain to him
so, she pointed to the vermillion on her forehead, saying, “I have vermillion on my forehead
and because I have vermillion and you do not, you cannot come inside.” Hanuman replied, “I
will come back in a minute.” He came back with his whole body covered in vermillion and
said, “Now I can come in as I have vermillion all over my body.” So, Rama had to ask him to
sleep at the door. Hindu scriptures state that Hanuman was blessed to live forever but his body
will grow older.
After being the king of Ayodhya for a while, and Sita was pregnant, Rama who always had
spies to inform him of the conversations of the citizens on the ground. One day, a spy informed
Rama that a citizen of the country was complaining to his wife that, “He is not like Rama who
let his wife Sita be with another man.” Most contemporary people will think, why bother with
the loose talk of one citizen. But this was the Treta yuga where people tended to speak the truth
and live honorable lives, and the Kings should listen to the comments of all citizens and not
just egotistically brush it aside as kings did in the Kali yuga. It must be noted that Rama’s
kingdom stretched from Europe to all of Asia and if a rumor like Sita’s infidelity spreads, there
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would be repercussions to the whole world in terms of the stability of the most prized asset of
the country, the nuclear families.
Rama and Sita discussed this issue, and Sita said it is time for them to separate again. Sita
always loved the jungle, and she wished to go back to the jungle. Rama asked Lakshmana to
send Sita to Valmiki’s hermitage at the other side of the Ganges River where many devotees
and especially Valmiki himself would take care of her. It is also always better to bring up
children in the simple and rough but serene jungle. It must be noted that Rama and his brothers
also grew up in the far away jungle hermitage when they were little boys.
There are some versions of Ramayana that state Rama told Sita to, “Get out of the house and I
don’t want to see your face again, etc.” There are many non-Hindus and even some Hindus
(especially women) who complain that Rama’s character was not optimum because he
abandoned his pregnant wife in the jungle. But for one thing, Sita wanted to be in the
atmosphere of the jungle for the sake of her unborn child. She knew that pregnancy should be
spent in a place of serenity. And later young children are always more successful when they
are raised in the toughness of the jungles compared to palaces. Rama never married again,
while other kings, even his own father had three wives. He performed many yagnas with a
golden statue of Sita beside him. Rama sacrificed the greatest joy of his life, his wife, and kids
for the sake of his family as a king, which is every citizen of the country.
One can be sacrificed for the sake of the family, the whole family can be sacrificed for the sake
of the community. Whole community can be sacrificed for the sake of the nation and the nation
can be sacrificed for the sake of the world and the whole world can be sacrificed for the sake
of self-realization. Every citizen should perform their work for the greater good of all.
The actual sequence of events is that. Rama informed Lakshmana to leave Sita on the other
bank of the river Ganga where Valmiki’s ashram is located (he probably went there in the
Puspaka). Rama knew Valmiki would take care of Sita and educate his child. Lakshmana took
her and the next morning revealed to Sita the instructions Rama gave him about leaving her in
the jungle because the citizens were questioning her purity. Her first reaction was to be sad
saying, “Why should I go through this, it seems like all the misery is my lot in this world. I was
separated from Rama, somehow, I got united again and now I am being separated for some
reason.” Then she concludes by saying that Rama must keep up his name, he is the king, and
he has a greater responsibility to look after the kingdom so tell him it is alright. She is also the
queen, who also must look after the needs of the country.
Later Rama came across Sita and her twin children because the two teenage sons of Rama
(Lava and Kusha) captured a Sacrificial Horse belonging to Rama’s kingdom. The Sacrificial
Horse with insignias on it was let free and anyone or any kingdom which captures it must fight
with Rama’s army. The two lads captured the horse and when Rama’s soldiers asked them to
release it, they chose to fight to keep it. The soldiers kept pleading with them thinking they
were children making a big mistake. Surprisingly Lava and Kusha vanquished the entire
Rama’s army, not knowing it was their own father’s army; even Rama was eventually defeated
in that battlefield.
This is the proof of Sita’s conviction and dedication to her children, her decision to raise the
children in the forest, and having a good teacher like Valmiki paid off in her children proving
to be the best there can be.
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Rama then called for Sita and his sons to come back to Ayodhya. But Sita decided that she
wants to leave because her work in the world is over. She left the world and became Goddess
Lakshmi again. Soon after, Lakshmana and Rama also left the earthly plane. Lakshmana retook
his role as Asishesha, the snake bed of Vishnu. Rama also ended his earthly career by going to
the Serayu river and disappeared to become Vishnu again. The only river named Serayu on
earth today is in Java, Indonesia. Is it possible that the river Rama disappeared 20,000 years
ago in the Indonesian portion of his Kingdom?
The mighty sons of Rama, Lava and Kusha ruled the northern and southern empires. The
northern one stretching all the way to Europe and the southern one from India all the way to
the Southeast Asia’s countries of Indochina, Malaysia, and Indonesia. So, the Hindu way of
life or Sanatana Dharma was in all these countries for tens of thousands of years. Currently
scientists are discovering undersea kingdoms and statues in Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, Italy,
Greece which dates to up to 20-30 thousand of years ago.
The essence of the Ramayana is that we should develop peace. Once this is done, love will
follow. When love gets entrenched within us, we will have no enemies. Everyone will become
friends. We will consider everyone as brothers and sisters.
Rama should not be looked upon as a religious icon. He is a national hero. National heroes are
celebrated no matter what their religion is. Rama should be looked upon just as the world
respects heroes like Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson
Mandela. Because of their noble lives, today there is a huge sculpture of Abraham Lincoln on
Mount Rushmore, SD, USA and one more in Washington DC, USA. In one Rama’s life he
taught how to be a good brother, son, friend, husband, King, father and even enemy (having
kindness for the enemy without malice).
The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was inaugurated on 1/22/2024 as a symbol of his idealism
(dharma) or heroism. That inauguration marks the coming back of Rama’s principles in the
ruling of the billion Bharatias and later the whole world. The sign of Rama’s principles
manifesting will be when all people are honest to their professions. Doctors who are dedicated
to their professions and not the money to be made from the health misfortunes of people.
Engineers who will develop machines which will truly help humanity and not to deceive people
with shoddy and dangerous products. Farmers and cooks are dedicated to the proper
nourishment of all citizens ensuring as much as possible the nourishment of people is balanced
with sustainability of their lands. Sweepers do their jobs with dedication and spiritualists who
impart lessons to humanity without any trace of ego.
The Ram Mandir also unites most of the Hindus of India, there is no Hindu who disregards
Rama, people from the very south to the very north and from the very east to the very west of
India. All Hindus have a common devotion to Rama therefore the building of the Ram Mandir
is critical for the unity of 80% of India.
This author however believes Ayodhya is not located where it is in India today. Madhu
mentioned that Muddenahalli, Karnataka is the place where Rama killed the demoness Tataka.
Vishwamitra requested the help of Rama to do this to enable him to continue his yagnas in
peace. In that battle, Tataka was killed, and her body is the biggest of the three Nandi Hills in
Muddenahalli, Karnataka, India. The two smaller hills are that of her sons, Maricha and
Subahu. The smaller hill with a clock tower is where Madhusudan Naidu is staying today
20,000 years later; it was the hermitage of Vishwamitra. It must be noted that in the Ramayana
story which was written by Baba while he was still in his body, this place is to the east of
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Ayodhya, therefore Ayodhya is west of Muddenahalli at the latitude somewhere north of
Mangalore. It is an accepted fact among Hindus that Narasimha, Vamana, and Parashurama
lived their lives in Kerala and Baba also confirmed this. So, the next Avatar, Rama was born
20,000 years ago in Ayodhya which is located just above Kerala, near Mangalore.
Another legend believed by the Koreans is that in 48 A.D., King Kim Su-ro married a princess
from Ayodhya named Princess Suriratna. Six million Koreans today trace their ancestry from
this union. But the Korean language is not related to any northern Indian language but finds a
high connection to Tamil, which is another proof that Ayodhya was located in South India.
Most of the recorded events of the Ramayana took place in South India and Sri Lanka. Ancient
travelers from China for example did not record Ayodhya as a place in north India. These
travelers were assigned by the Chinese emperor to find and record spiritual truths from India.
Therefore, if Ayodhya was in north India at that time, they must have visited it, being one of
the holiest places in India. But they recorded their actual route taken in India, and it included
going very close to current day Ayodhya but did not enter Ayodhya.
On the other hand, Kerala had a place whose name sounds like Ayodhya, namely Ay. Why did
the powerful Pandyas and Cholas decide not to disturb the Kingdom of Ay for most of her
history? A guess is they did so because they knew Ay (as in Ayodhya) was a spiritual kingdom
of Rama 20,000 years ago.
The reason why Chinese and Korean literature must be referred to is that there were huge book
burnings that happened in India during the Muslim and later Christian conquest of India. The
Nalanda library book burning was so huge that it took three months for all the books to be
burned.
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CHAPTER 11
KRISHNA
Krishna was born in 7/20/3228 BC at 3 a.m. or over 5253 years ago in Mathura, India but was
raised as a child in Gokulam (Rapalle), which is not too far away. The story of Krishna and the
Kurukshetra War that came later is named the Mahabharata and is recognized worldwide as
the longest epic in the world.
After Rama, things were going on well for thousands of years till the warrior class decided to
get egoistic again. The major function of the early avatars, Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha
and Vamana was to kill a “bad person.” By the time Parashurama came, he had to kill a whole
kingdom and eventually a caste of people that came in the path of truth. Later Rama had to
destroy Ravana’s entire kingdom including the huge armies of his two sons in the nether
regions. Then Rama brought all kingdoms on earth within his realm bringing righteousness all
over earth. But by 3228 BC bad kings had become too numerous so killing a single bad king
and his gene pool was not sufficient; many bad kings had to be killed. And this was
accomplished at the end of the Mahabharata story in a big battle where most of the bad kings
and their armies were on one side and the good kings and the armies were on the other side.
The bad kings and their armies were numerically vaster than the good king’s armies.
In kingdoms 3228 BC, the people just followed the king; defection was unheard off and
normally led to death. So even if soldiers were good; they had no choice but to follow their
king to perform evil deeds. So, it became Krishn’s duty to kill off all the bad kings.
Parashurama, Rama, and Krishna all came to solve the ego problems of the warrior groups
(Kshatriyas). Buddha later also came to solve the ego problem of warriors (Kshatriyas) and
spiritual inclined people (Brahmins). Therefore, four avatars had to be born to solve the ego
problems of the Kshatriyas who ruled the world for a long period of time. Only in the last few
hundred years have warriors taken a back seat to businesspeople (Vaisyas), who are currently
ruling earth. And in the future when computers and AI become even more prevalent, the
instruction followers (Sudras) will be the leaders of the world.
In this modern age, kingdoms have mostly disappeared and have been replaced with democracy
and communism. In democracy, which is more prevalent today, individuals and not kings are
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accountable so the only way God can solve modern problems is by educating the masses. If the
killing method is used as was used in the past, most of the population of earth will need to be
killed.
Krishna had three missions, firstly, to take out Jarasandha and all the kings paying tribute to
him, then take out Narakasura who was the son of Varaha and Mother Earth, then take out the
Kauravas and all kings who paid tribute to them.
Vishnu initially had to send ahead a divinely bad king named Jarasandha who would unite all
bad kings of the day and engage all of them in 18 battles. After the first defeat, Jarasandha had
to source out new bad kings and so forth till the 18th battle.
Then came the final battle between good and evil which was the largest wars of the ancient
times. This 18-day Kurukshetra War occurred about 5127 years ago in 3102 B.C. caused the
death of 4 million soldiers. Such devastation may have occurred in other human conflicts later,
but the battle of Kurukshetra is most memorable because many Hindus take the Bhagavad Gita
as the main text of Hinduism. The Bhagavad Gita is a 700-verse (sloka) conversation between
Krishna and Arjuna in the middle of the armies. It is not possible to speak 700 sentences in the
middle of two armies which were eager to engage in killing each other. How all that
communication happened is that it occurred in another plane; just as in a dream of just 10
minutes a human can travel across the earth while it would take numerous hours in the earth
plane. Another analogy is that many people who died in hospitals for just a few minutes
describe activities that occurred to them which would take many hours. This conversation is
the highlight of the descent of the Krishna Avatar because the main aim of God’s descent is for
man’s ascent.
The five Pandavas were utilized to start the Mahabharata war to finish off the remaining bad
kings. Apparently the good and bad from a large region of earth came to fight in that battle.
Some researchers state that the soldiers and kings came from regions stretching Europe to
Southeast Asia.
It is highly possible the entire world were Hindus at a time as many researchers (even Western)
have concluded. But due to the caste discrimination problems, especially due to the egos of the
Kshatriya and Brahmins, God had to come down as Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, and later
Buddha. It is possible that large swaths of humanity changed to Buddhism and later to
Christianity and Islam due to this caste moving away from the original dictate that all castes
are equal but with different job functions (different portions of the same body of society). It
was never dictated in the scriptures to be a hierarchy. Most researchers state that caste
discrimination is the main reason for conversion out of Hinduism (initially to Buddhism and
later to Islam and Christianity) in India as well as Southeast Asia. But the ideals of Sanatana
Dharma are coming back in this age of Vaisya control as depicted by successful businessmen
like Steve Jobs following it. In the near future when Shudras take control of earth, there will
be no more the defect of the Brahmins and Kshatriyas abusing the other two castes therefore
the major defect of Hinduism will be removed and therefore the ideals of Sanatana Dharma can
spring out in full swing again.
The Pandava brothers were demigods with whom Krishna enacted a drama which is recorded
as an example of righteous living for the world. The Pandavas were sons of a King. They were
born in a jungle. They moved back to their father’s kingdom but later moved again to the jungle
as young teens because the people in this kingdom made a few attempts to kill them. They later
came back to the kingdom and were given a small area to rule over. They made this small area
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more prosperous than their father’s kingdom. This caused jealousy of the Kauravas, so they
had to move back to the jungle again. The Pandava princes therefore lived large spans of their
lives in the jungle. Most humans can relate to their unsophisticated lives in the jungle. And
being demigods and not full Gods, humans can more easily emulate their good behaviours.
The story of the Krishna incarnation of God started in the Dwapara yuga. Mother Earth was
unable to bear the atrocities committed on the good people by the warrior group (Kshatriyas).
Worse of all was her son, Narakasura, whom she bore as she married Varaha. Narakasura lived
from the time of Varaha till Krishna’s time which is billions of years. Mother Earth prayed for
long to the Lord Vishnu. Vishnu approached her and said, “Goddess! You may return to earth.
I shall do what needs to be done. You will be relieved of your burden.”
Around that time there was a king named Brihadratha who was childless. He went to a great
sage and asked how he could have a child. The sage gave him a mango to be given to his wife
to bring about pregnancy. But this king had two wives and wanted to please both, so he sliced
the mango into two and asked each wife to eat half. After nine months, each wife gave birth to
a still born half child. The still born halves were discarded in a garden behind the palace.
Smelling the flesh, an Asura came by to consume it. She decided to join the two halves using
her magic so it would be easier to carry away to be eaten. But as soon as the two halves were
joined, it became alive and started crying like a normal baby. The residents of the palace hurried
over and saw the Asura with the baby. They thanked her and named the baby Jarasandha after
her name, Jara. This baby grew up to be a powerful king who eventually became the emperor
of a large portion of India. He ruled from an eastern part of India. This was the purpose of
Jarasandha; uniting all the notorious kings of the time so that Krishna can vanquish them all.
Such strategic thinking is required by countries to win in the end.
The story of Krishna depicted in the Mahabharata epic was written by Vyasa. He was from the
Shudra caste. His father was sage Parashara and his mother was Satyavati who was a
fisherwoman. Sage Vyasa was unable to get satisfaction from his earlier writings, including
the codification of the Vedas into the Puranas. The Vedas are the full knowledge of everything
which is within everyone; locked by the senses to various degrees in humans, animals, plants,
or stones. The Puranas are stories of famous characters often written in poetry form. An
illustration depicting the oneness of knowledge (the Vedas) is that in science; quite often two
scientists who never contacted each other concurrently discover some truths, for example one
in Britain and another in Germany. The reason for this is that the Vedas are the knowledge of
all minds in the world and are available for anyone to tap into. One scientist probably tapped it
first and the other scientist found this amplified signal and tapped it also from the common
Vedas.
One day, on the advice of Sage Narada, Vyasa began to write with love about the glorious
incarnations of the lord, and this gave him serenity. No amount of scholarship will give one
peace unless one is filled with the love of God. It was Sage Vyasa who wrote the Mahabharata
by reciting it in his mind in one cave, but the actual writing was done by Ganesha in a faraway
place. Ganesha wrote the Mahabharata with his tusk, which he broke; this explains why statues
of Ganesha are depicted with one broken tusk. As per agreement between the two, Ganesha
would write whatever Vyasa thought in his mind. But Ganesha also extracted a promise from
Vyasa that he cannot stop the story. Therefore, if Vyasa needed a break, he would think of a
complicated story which Ganesha will have to think about for a while.
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Lord Vishnu summoned all the Devas and directed them to take birth as Yadavas. The Yadava
clan started with a man called Yayathi. His eldest son was known as Yadhu. The descendants
of Yadhu came to be known as Yadavas. Among the Yadavas, there was a chief known as
Aahuka, who was a righteous person who stood by truth. Aahuka had two sons named Dhevaka
and Ugrasena. Ugrasena became a righteous king of Mathura. But his son, Kamsa became the
evil king who overthrew his father and locked him up to become the new king. Devaki was the
daughter of Kamsa’s uncle, Dhevaka. Since Kamsa had no sister, he treated his cousin, Devaki
as his sister and had great affection for her. Later Kamsa married the two daughters of
Jarasandha (the emperor).
Prior to putting his father in prison, Kamsa, and his father (Ugrasena) chose a nobleman named
Vasudeva as a husband for Devaki. They choose Vasudeva after a great search. Vasudeva had
a reputation as one who stood by his word. Vasudeva already had a wife named Rohini, but
they had no child, so he agreed to marry Devaki.
Upon leaving her parental home, Ugrasena presented Devaki with many precious gifts
including a retinue of elephants, horses, and guardsmen. As she was leaving, Kamsa got his
chariot ready to take Vasudeva and Devaki to their home. Kamsa drove the chariot himself
with a heavy heart, overwhelmed that thenceforth he will be separated from his “sister.”
As the chariot was proceeding at the head of a big procession, a loud voice came from the sky,
“You fool! You do not know what is in store for you. The one who will slay you for all your
misdeeds will be born as the eighth child of your sister.”
Kamsa flew into a rage as he heard these words. He jumped down from the chariot, seized
Devaki by the hair and unsheathed his sword to cut off her head. Vasudeva held Kamsa’s hands
and advised him, “Why are you worried so much over the prospect of death? Death is
inevitable, whether today or in time to come. Whatever you may do to protect yourself, death
will come in its own time even if you hide yourself in a forest. All beings that are born are
destined to die. Kamsa! The ethereal voice declared that death would come to you from the
hands of the eighth child of Devaki, and not immediately. There are many years ahead before
the eighth child. It is not proper that you should lose your temper. Release the girl whom you
had loved as your sister. I shall hand over to you every child that is born to her.” Kamsa
mellowed and released Devaki from his hold. Kamsa returned to his palace without getting
back onto the chariot. It is because of Kshatriyas like these that God himself had to be born on
earth. Of course, today there are people with even worse character which is why God has come
back today.
Vasudeva and Devaki reached their home with heavy hearts. As the days passed, Kamsa was
immersed in worry about the prospect of death. Death is especially worrisome for those who
have engaged in bad activities all their lives.
Sage Narada (the greatest devotee of Vishnu, who lives in heaven) came to Kamsa one day.
They spent some time talking about world affairs in general. But before leaving, Narada told
Kamsa: “You are verily a fool. You are not aware of your real plight. The ethereal voice said
that Devaki’s eighth child will be your slayer. But you cannot know from which of her children
death will come to you. You cannot take a chance with any of them.” The reason Narada said
this to Kamsa was to initiate the events which were destined. Kamsa would fear his death which
was a punishment worse than death itself.
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From that moment Kamsa’s distress and fear increased. He commanded Vasudeva to hand over
every child to him. He killed six of the newborn children as they were handed over to him. He
just threw the babies and slashed them with his sword.
When Devaki was pregnant for the seventh time, Vishnu made all arrangements to carry out
his promise to Mother Earth. To promote the welfare of the world, to establish righteousness
among mankind, to uphold truth and instill devotion to God in humanity, the divine process
had to be set in motion. Vishnu summoned his all-pervading cosmic energy, Goddess
Mayadevi, and said, “Go forth immediately and enter the womb of Yashoda.” Vishnu
summoned the divine serpent, Shesha (on which he rests), “Go to Gokulam and enter the womb
of Rohini (Vasudeva’s elder wife). I shall be entering the womb of Devaki.”
In Devaki’s seventh pregnancy, a Goddess transferred the soul of the fetus from Devaki’s
womb to Rohini’s womb. Note both women are married to the same man, Vasudeva. The baby
that was born from Rohini is Balarama. And the baby born to Devaki was a still born child and
Kamsa was informed that Devaki had an abortion. Krishna made his advent as Devaki’s eighth
child. Vasudeva knew about the baby’s soul swap and perceived danger from Kamsa so he
arranged to send Rohini to Nanda’s home (husband to Yashoda) because Rohini and Yashoda
are sisters.
Before the eighth child was born, Devaki and Vasudeva prayed to Vishnu for help. Vishnu
appeared before them and said he himself will come to rescue them and the people of Mathura.
He asked Vasudeva to carry Krishna to Nanda’s house right after his birth. Here Nanda’s wife
Yashoda will have given birth to a daughter (which is Goddess Mayadevi). Vasudeva was to
place his child next to Yashoda and take the baby girl back to the prison. This exchange of
babies must have a reason; babies (male or female) are all the same in God’s view, but the baby
boy must be brought out to solve the problems of that particular time to vanquish the bad.
Expecting mortal danger to himself from the eighth child of Devaki, Kamsa kept Vasudeva and
Devaki in a heavily guarded prison. Vasudeva’s legs were bound in chains. He kept the key to
the prison lock himself.
Devaki gave birth on 20th July, 3227 B.C. at 3:00 a.m. in the morning. The child had all the
effulgence and insignias of Vishnu. Devaki and Vasudeva folded their hands in adoration,
blinded by the effulgence of the divine child though in skin color he was very dark. They felt
their lives had been redeemed by the birth of the Lord, whom they saw with their own eyes.
Approaching the baby and caressing his palms and feet, they prayed to the Lord, “Thanks to
our good fortune, you have taken birth as our son. But we are not able to protect you. You must
use your divine potency to get away from this prison by any means.”
Vasudeva sat beside the child and started praying. As he jerked his legs, the chains that bound
them fell off. A basket appeared before him, and he placed the divine child in it and saw that
the prison door was open. He stepped out of the prison and found all the guards sound asleep.
As he came out, everything looked very beautiful, as if nature was welcoming the divine child.
There was a heavy downpour, but a giant cobra opened its hood to shield the baby from the
rain. Vasudeva crossed the river Yamuna by holding the basket high above his head. The river
was so full of joy that the child was crossing so the trek across the river was made easy for
Vasudeva; even the waves of the water were trying to touch the child. Vasudeva eventually
reached Nanda’s house.
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As foretold by Vishnu, Yashoda had given birth to a child the same day. Yashoda was
unconscious. The child was Goddess Mayadevi who oversees all one sees in the external world
(Maya). When she was born, both Nanda and Yashoda fell unconscious.
Leaving the infant Krishna by the side of Yashoda, Vasudeva returned to Mathura with the
other child. The only witness to these events was Radha (Radhika in some Sanskrit texts), a
little girl who later became the greatest devotee and closest playmate of Krishna. She was 26
months old on Krishna’s birthday.
When Vasudeva left Nanda’s house, the child (Krishna) left beside Yashoda uttered a cry
waking up the parents from their trance. Vasudeva took the female child back to the prison.
Once in the prison, the child started crying. On hearing the cry, all the guards woke up. They
informed Kamsa about the birth of the child. Kamsa, who had been anxiously waiting for the
news, rushed to the prison. Seizing the newborn child from Devaki’s hands, he flung it up in
the air to slay it with his sword. The child, who is Goddess Mayadevi, spoke from above, “You
fool! The boy who is going to slay you is already born. He is growing up in a certain place.
You cannot escape your destined end.” Saying this, Mayadevi vanished. This is God’s way to
frighten a bad person, this fear is worse than death.
Having confirmation from Goddess Mayadevi that the child is somewhere else, Kamsa felt it
was not necessary to imprison Vasudeva and Devaki anymore, and he released them. From that
moment, Kamsa was engaged in finding the whereabouts of the child that was to be his slayer.
He ordered the killing of all babies born in Gokulam. Asuras were sent out to perform this task.
In Gokulam, demonic elements were always moving about actively. The first of them was
Puthana. She applied poison on her breast and breastfed Krishna. But instead of killing Krishna,
the poison entered her body and killed her. This Puthana, in a previous life, was Rathnavali,
the daughter of emperor Bali during the Vamana incarnation. Vamana appeared as an
extremely handsome small person at the sacrifice being performed by Bali. Rathnavali was
charmed by Vamana and felt how much she would have enjoyed rearing him as a son. As she
was having these joyous thoughts, she found that Vamana had placed his foot on Bali’s head.
Enraged at this sight, she was filled with desire to kill him. Because she desired at first to fondle
Vamana and later to kill him, she was born as Puthana who came to Krishna to breastfeed him
to kill him, but she died in the process. Thus, one must be careful of entertaining desires because
it will come true one day, probably in the next life. Therefore, people should always have good
thoughts and desires.
When Krishna was three years old, he saw an old lady carrying a basket of fruits from the
jungle. Krishna told her he would like to have some fruits. The old woman said he could get
them only if he paid the price. Krishna innocently asked the meaning of the word price. The
woman said that something should be given in return for the fruit. Krishna went in and brought
a palm full of rice. The woman placed the rice in her basket and gave Krishna some fruits. The
woman was charmed by the beauty of the child. As she was returning to her cottage, she felt
that the basket was getting heavier. When she finally placed it down in her hut, she was amazed
to find that all the rice grains had turned into precious gems! As she was brooding increasingly
on her way home about how charmingly divine the child Krishna was, she was gaining merit
and the rice gradually changed to gold. Considering herself supremely lucky, she invited her
neighbors to see the miracle.
On another day, Krishna was pleading with Yashoda that he should be allowed to go to the
forest with the other cowherd boys. Thinking that, if he was put to sleep, he would forget his
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desire to go to the forest, Yashoda gave him milk. While drinking the milk, he pretended as if
he was sleepy. He pretended to yawn and in that wide-open mouth of Krishna, Yashoda saw
all kinds of things, the universe in motion and many deities. She could not make out what it
meant. “Is it a dream or Vishnu’s illusion? Or is it some fantasy of mine? Or is it real? Am I
Yashoda? Have I gone somewhere?” These thoughts racked her mind. “My son is an infant.
How can all the worlds appear in his tiny mouth? It must be my imagination.” Doubts like
these arise in the minds of those who are caught up in the delusions of the body complex.
Finally yielding to his entreaties, Yashoda allowed Krishna to go to the forest with the cowherd
boys.
Almost every day Krishna encountered some ogre or ogress and slayed them. His playmates
used to describe these exploits of Krishna to their elders. Yashoda however used to say: “God
is taking care of my child, otherwise, how could he overcome these encounters?” The cowherd
boys replied, “When he himself is God why does he need anybody’s protection, Oh
mother!” Yashoda felt that the boys were naive in their judgment. “Will God come to one’s
rescue so easily? It is only because of my prayers that my child is protected.” Believing that
her prayers are what is saving Krishna, Yashoda used to perform various rites when Krishna
returned from the forest, to express her gratitude to God for saving him from the evil eye and
other dangers.
Dama and Subala were Krishna’s intimate friends among the cowherd boys. One day, Dama
told Krishna that he was feeling hungry and would like to have some palm-fruits from palm
trees a little far away. Balarama, who was close by, said he would fetch the fruits. Balarama
went near the trees and shook them. All the fruits dropped down. The cowherd boys hailed
Balarama as a hero and danced in joy. At Balarama’s naming ceremony (usually 28 days after
birth), a huge demonic donkey appeared, and everyone was scared. The donkey was getting
bigger and bigger. Balarama used his tiny hands to seize one of the donkey’s forelegs and
dashed it to the ground. It died on the spot. It is due to this incident that the name Balarama
was given to the child as advised by the Sage Garga.
There was great rejoicing among the Devas when they heard of the slaying of many Asuras on
earth by Krishna. On hearing these stories, Brahma wanted to verify the truth about Krishna’s
prowess and the miracles attributed to him.
That day, Krishna gave a directive to his mates. “Today do not take the cows for grazing. Let
us take only the calves. Come with the calves together with your respective musical
instruments. We must spend the day with music.” Most of them came with flutes on which
they could play well, holding a stick in one hand and a flute in the other. Only two boys brought
two mud-pots to be used as drums. Playing on the mud-pots is still done today in India after
more than 5000 years. The cowherd boys gathered on the bank of the Yamuna with calves. As
they played their flute and drummed their mud-pots, Krishna danced to the music.
Meanwhile Brahma created a huge cave and took all the calves into the caves, while the
cowherd boys were enjoying themselves in music and dance. Missing the calves, the boys
started searching for them, shouting “Krishna! Krishna!”. Krishna knew what was going on
and directed his mates to search in the caves nearby for the calves. Suddenly Brahma closed
the mouth of the cave. The boys and the calves were caught inside. They were there for a whole
year. Of course, Brahma took good care of them. Krishna wanted to teach Brahma a lesson. He
made duplicate boys and calves of those who were imprisoned in the cave. The elders assumed
that the calves and the boys were their own. Brahma wondered what was happening. Had
Krishna managed to free the boys and the calves from the cave? When he went into the cave,
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he found all of them inside. He was amazed to find that the same boys were inside as well as
outside and said, “How can anyone know you, Oh Krishna! You are subtler than the atom and
vaster than the vastest in creation. You dwell in all the myriad species in the entire world, how
can anyone know you?” He prayed to Krishna for forgiveness and released the calves and boys
from the cave. The duplicate boys vanished immediately.
Some may wonder how God could perform all these feats. One must look at it this way, if a
normal human being can, while sleeping, experience all kinds of things in the dream, including
his own movements, couldn’t the God of the whole universe have it all concretized? Seeing
the divine in human form, people can have doubts whether the incarnation can have such
miraculous powers, when he has the same body as themselves. This is the reason why when
the divine comes in human form there are only a few real devotees (Jesus had only 12 apostles).
Krishna’s sporting miracles were intended in one way or another to reveal his divinity. Once
Balarama teased Krishna by declaring, “You are not Yashoda’s son. You may ask why I say
so. This is because Nanda and Yashoda are of fair complexion, and you are dark. You are not
their child. You must have been born somewhere else.”
What Balarama said was true and Krishna knew it. But pretending to be innocent, Krishna went
to Yashoda and complained “Mother! Balarama is saying that I am not your son. Tell me the
truth. Yashoda replied: “Krishna! What does Balarama know? He is an innocent boy. You are
cute. You are highly intelligent. Don’t pay any heed to his words. You are truly my son. The
color given by God is permanent. Color as such is not important. Many people paint themselves
in different ways to conceal their identity. All these are momentary. The color given by God
cannot be changed by anyone. God likes the dark complexion. You have got the color of the
divine.”
Despite many occasions in which Krishna demonstrated his divinity to Yashoda, she continued
to regard him as a human child. Once when Yashoda asked Krishna whether it was true as
alleged by Balarama, that he was in the habit of eating mud, Krishna replied: “Mother, am I a
child, or a naughty boy, or a madcap to eat mud? People are mad about me. I am here to cure
the world of its madness.” With words like this, Yashoda began to realize that Krishna was no
ordinary child and is a manifestation of the divine.
Yashoda frequently got complaints from neighbors. She chided Krishna, “Oh Krishna! I must
face a lot of trouble on account of your mischievous pranks. You don’t have taste for the food
prepared in our house. You always like the items prepared in the neighboring houses. How
shall I manage with you?” At another time she asked, “Oh! My dear Krishna! You don’t eat
the food I prepared for you. You go to the houses of the milkmaids and stealthily eat the butter
stored in their houses. You are creating problems for me. Is it that the butter suffused with
mother’s love does not taste good for you?” After this incident, she tied Krishna to a mortar
with a rope. Krishna then said, “Mother, I am not stealing butter but the hearts of the cowherd
girls. Their hearts are pure and full of devotion. Their butter is filled with the devotion with
which they churn the buttermilk. Their bangles keep time as they sing Krishna’s name, while
churning. The butter that is got contains the essence of the Vedas.” Krishna asked Yashoda
whether this kind of churning was taking place in her house. This is how Krishna imparts
knowledge of his divinity to Yashoda. The butter symbolizes the pure heart which Krishna
looks for and takes it. The hearts of the cowherd girls were pure and sweet.
In those days, Nanda was the chief of the village and so people always lit their lamps from the
flame of Nanda’s home thinking that they would attain plenty and prosperity if they lighted
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their lamps from the home of the well-to-do. A newly married daughter-in-law by the name of
Suguna came to light her lamp. She could visualize Krishna in the flame and did not realize
that her fingers were burning. She was in total bliss. The other ladies were wonderstruck and
sang a song describing the incident. Yashoda came running and pulled the ecstatic lady’s finger
away from the flame saying, “Oh! Saguna! Did you not notice your fingers being burnt as it
contacts the flame? Do you wish to bring a bad name to us that if anybody goes to Nanda’s
house, their fingers will be burnt?” But nothing happened to her hand, whatever is done out of
love for God is free from injury. Thousands of devotees have merged in Krishna through
devotional singing. God is pleased by songs. The Krishna incarnation of God is hailed as the
greatest incarnation of God.
But not recognizing his divinity, many people reviled Krishna, calling him a philanderer and a
thief (of butter). These accusations do not affect his greatness. They are basically deluded.
People make the same mistake about themselves, forgetting their inherent divinity and
identifying themselves with their bodies. Krishna appeared in human form to teach humans to
transcend their body consciousness.
One-day, torrential rain poured in Gokulam, which put fear in the people. The young Krishna
just asked his playmates for help to lift the Govardhana Mountain to shelter the villagers from
the rain. Though crazy, the playmates had no doubt, they rushed with their small sticks to help
dig out the mountain as they would a litter bigger stone. They dug their sticks at one side of the
mountain to wedge it up and somehow it became light. Krishna then went beneath the mountain
and lifted it up with his finger. Krishna then passed the information to all the villagers via his
playmates to take shelter under the mountain for a period of seven days and nights. This is the
same mountain Rama promised to have a chance to serve God during the presence of the next
avatar. The main moral of this story is that upon getting an instruction from God, it just must
be followed, no matter how crazy it is. And when does the message from God come? Krishna
is not in his physical body today, but the voice of Krishna is the voice within oneself. A human
will know it is the voice of God within themselves when that voice causes their heart to be
in peace, calm and at rest.
Women were the first to experience the divinity of Krishna. On one occasion, some Brahmins
were preparing for a yagna. Krishna said he and Balarama were hungry and instructed the
cowherd boys to bring some food which is normally distributed after the yagna. When they
requested for the food, the Brahmins said, “Do you think this is a choultry to feed you as and
when you ask? No, wait till the yagna is complete. If there is anything left over after we eat
our food, then we will give it to you.” When the cowherd boys informed Krishna of this, he
instructed them to ask the wives of the Brahmins who were preparing the food.
They proceeded to the backside of the yagna where the food was being cooked, and asked,
“Mothers, our Krishna and Balarama are hungry, can you give them some food?” The mothers
were very glad to get such a request and lovingly packed food and handed it over to the cowherd
boys. They were very happy that they could be of service to Krishna.
Some Brahmin women questioned this offering of food to Krishna, a cowherd boy from the
Vaisya caste, before serving it to their Brahmin husbands. On coming to know this, all the
husbands scolded their wives for this sacrilegious act. But later as they sat in meditation, they
realized their mistake and apologized to their wives. They realized that their whole ritual of a
yagna was to please and feed the un-talking God. But God as Krishna came physically to ask
for the food and they refused. This was a sacrilegious act. It seems strange that these Brahmins
cannot deduce that a person who can lift a mountain and perform numerous miraculous feats
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in front of their eyes must be God. If they thought Krishna was a bad spirit or demon, he would
have killed many innocent people by now.
But this is a fact of life, did they not kill Jesus? Many Americans predicted that if Jesus walked
the streets of the USA or Europe today and told people he was Jesus, no one would believe
him, and some may even try to kill him for blasphemy. Most people believe in dogmas.
Humanity must move towards common sense. If a person is speaking good things and helping
people in need, he or she must be good. And if a person murders, they simply should be put in
prisons. There was a time in American politics where murderers and steelers were let free
because politicians lost their common sense. Then there are people on earth who would claim
non-Christians or non-Muslims are bad unless they convert. There could be Hindus of similar
behavior but to a high percentage it would not be because the person they discriminate against
are not following their religion because even within a typical Hindu family, each member
would choose a different God to pray to. However, the discrimination some Hindus practise is
towards some caste of people and they justify it by thinking associating with them will decrease
their purity. The Kerala state of India has statistically the lowest caste discrimination levels and
this is because of a Brahmin named E. M. S. Namboodiripad (or EMS) and a Kshatriya named
Achutha Menon. They basically took away land from the Brahmins and Kshatriyas and gave it
to the tillers of the land. EMS was disgusted that his own relatives were just sitting around
without effort and getting good rewards from their huge land holdings.
The main purpose of the above episode was to teach all Brahmins performing yagnas that God
is everywhere, and they cannot just do their rituals mechanically for God, their intellect and
sensors should be aware that God is in everyone and everywhere.
When God comes, most people decide to ignore his divinity for various reasons, they will
mechanically give reverence to a statue or other imaginary Gods whom they were brought up
to pray to and will disregard the living God standing right next to them even if that person has
performed tasks which are impossible for a human to perform like lifting a mountain to save
the villagers. Their wrapped minds can give explanations for anything. In the present day, it is
even worse, any explanation of an abnormal event other than the narratives professed by the
controllers of the earth are called “conspiracy theories”; the two words flung out to silence
dissent. As much as possible, Krishna acted like a normal person, so that humans will listen to
his teachings. If he depicted too much the power of God, the villagers would be very scared of
him.
The name Krishna has two parts. “Krish” + “Na” = Krishna. This means that he is one who
cultivates the heart (krish). Krishna attracts people not only by the matchless beauty of his
body. He attracts people by superb music, dance, words, and sports. Krishna would play pranks
on the cowherd girls but with his winsome ways could turn their resulting anger into an
enjoyable joke.
The cowherd boys and girls used to describe Krishna in many ways. Their love for Krishna
was entirely spiritual. Their feelings were pure. Once a few cowherd girls went to Krishna’s
home to meet him, but a watchman prevented them from going into the home, saying that
women cannot enter the home. The cowherd girls questioned him, “How come you are there?”
He replied, “I am a male.” The cowherd girls said, “You cannot call yourself a male merely
because you are wearing a male dress. The five elements and the five life principles are the
same in you and us. Merely because you are wearing a male dress, and we are wearing a female
dress; we can’t be different from each other. The same divinity is present in you and us. In fact,
Krishna alone is the male principle, all others are females.”
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Radha was the most devout to Krishna in the village. Radha’s parents were influenced by some
atheists who did not believe in Krishna’s divinity, despite seeing his numerous miraculous acts.
They thought Radha was having an affair with Krishna. She was 26 months older than
Krishna and their relationship was that of divine love. Together with Radha’s parents they
conspired to put Radha into a house and locked it up from the outside. Hearing her cries and
prayers, Krishna came to her rescue and chided the villagers, “Is this the way you treat a
devotee? It would have been all right if you had no devotion to me, but it is a great sin to harass
a devotee.” Krishna took Radha with him. Radha prayed to Krishna to play a song on his flute.
She said, “Sing a song Oh Krishna! With each word dripping with honey, talk to me to my
heart’s content. Take the essence of the Vedas, let it flow through your divine flute and
transform it into a melodious song. Sing a song O Krishna.” Listening to his melodious music,
Radha passed away in joy. From that day, Krishna never touched his flute again. It is stated in
the scriptures that the great devotee is greater than God himself.
It was the intense devotion of the cowherd girls which made Krishna dwell in their hearts.
Devotees must acquire the yearning that will melt the heart of God, just as soft butter melts
only when heat is applied. Likewise, the warmth of love of God must be applied to the butter
of the human heart to make it melt. The cowherd girls were God-intoxicated.
Once, when Krishna was 11 years old, he disappeared from their midst and headed to Dwarka
to accept a challenge suggested by Kamsa. In shock of not seeing Krishna, the cowherd girls
were searching for Krishna everywhere, among the trees and the bushes, oblivious to
everything else. They appealed to the creepers to tell them whether their Krishna was hiding
amongst them. This may seem hysterical, but it would be a good thing if such hysterical love
of God filled people’s hearts. The world will be a calmer and better place. Any mental asylum
would prefer such God crazy people than murderously mad people. Some people talked
caustically to Krishna devotees saying, “You have gone crazy over Krishna.” This craziness
is sublime madness which is infinitely better than the madness for money and other vices that
is destroying humans all over the world today. As mentioned in the beginning of this chapter
the cowherd boys and girls are Devas who incarnated to tell a story to the world.
Upon reaching Dwarka, Krishna finally killed Kamsa in a wrestling ring and reinstalled
Kamsa’s father, Ugrasena as the king. Some people have asked, “Was it not Krishna who killed
Kamsa?” Kamsa was ultimately killed by his own fears and thoughts of Krishna. Apparently,
Kamsa’s body would shake and shiver the moment anyone mentions Krishna’s name. Of
course, God played a role in ensuring Kamsa had this fear as the spirit warned him that the
eighth child of Vasudeva would kill him and to add salt in the psychological wound, Narada
reminded him of this fact. Therefore, his death was a result and a reaction of that fear. Man’s
thoughts determine their destiny. The grace one gets is the result of one’s own feelings; the
divine is beyond feeling and attributes. God is the one true, pure, and immovable fact. He is
the eternal witness in all minds. When the Lord seems to be punishing devotees, it is not God
who is punishing them; their own fears and fancies are the cause of their troubles. A true
devotee will recognize his sufferings as the consequence of his own bad thoughts and actions.
The craze for money is the cause of most of the ills in the world today, resulting in the decline
in the desire for God which thereby results in evil qualities like pride, envy, attachment and
hatred growing among mankind. Wealth is indeed needed, but it is the wealth of divine grace,
and the treasure of divine love alone that is lasting; all other things are transient. Instead of
focusing on this love, people these days are evangelizing and getting others to join them, more
for the financial rewards of the so-called religious organization. When will humans forget
religious organizations and value and respect the love each has for Gods like Krishna, Jesus,
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Allah and so forth? Valmiki in the previous Rama story has proved that his deep love for even
a word can take him to a superhuman state of spirituality; despite originally stemming from a
viciously criminal background. The Gods that we choose to love are immaterial, which is why
I stated earlier in this book that Hiranyakashipu’s plan that all should pray only to him as God
should be alright for all humans since all including Hiranyakashipu and even a cow, dog or a
stone is God. The only problem would be it will be a boring world with only one strict school
of thought and Brahma who is watching all this as a movie will not like it and will put a stop
to live on earth as he has done before with Shiva’s help.
One can have divine love for a mother, girlfriend, boyfriend, tree or stone. But choosing a God
who is variable too fast like a girlfriend or boyfriend might disappoint some, as the object of
love varies too much. A tree is more stable in this regard and would more likely outlast our
struggle to achieve a higher spiritual plane. There was one unique case of an American who
loved his dead wife so much that he attained a high spiritual level and was thereby able to build
one of the greatest homes in America single-handedly, the Coral Castle in Florida. The goal of
choosing to love an object or person is to eventually realize that the God of the whole universe
is within us because each of us is God.
Krishna had to leave the village to continue with the rest of his mission. Krishna later went to
school as he was still a boy. In those days school means leaving home for a few years and
staying with the teacher (guru). There were only two students for this guru named Sandeepani.
The other student was Kuchela. One day, both went to a forest to gather firewood as requested
by the guru’s wife. In the jungle, they lost their way. This must be a lesson-for-humanity-drama
of Krishna; there is no way God can get lost. Both climbed up a tree to sleep for the night. Inbetween sleep, Kuchela became hungry and realized that the guru’s wife had given them some
beaten rice wrapped in a cloth. He thought, since Krishna was asleep, he could eat all the food,
even Krishna’s share. Later Krishna woke up asking, Kuchela! I am feeling hungry. Did the
guru’s wife give us anything to eat?” Kuchela lied, “No, guru’s wife did not give us anything.”
Krishna said, “It’s alright! She might have forgotten.” Later as both finished their studies, they
went back home. Krishna became a king and Kuchela lived in poverty. One day, Kuchela’s
wife asked, “We are so poor and Krishna, your close friend, is a king. Why don't you go and
ask him for some help?” So Kuchela went on a trek to Krishna’s kingdom. Once he reached
Krishna’s palace, Krishna joyously received him and washed his feet and gave him all comforts
and food. Kuchela thought, “At some point in the conversation he will ask me if I need
anything.” which is when he will tell Krishna he is a miser. But Krishna did not ask if he needed
anything. And later Krishna asked, “What gift have you brought for me?” Kuchela replied, “I
did not bring anything to give you.” thinking, “If I give away the beaten rice to Krishna, what
will I eat on the journey home?” Therefore, he lied about his stock of beaten rice as a young
boy and when he became an adult. Krishna replied, “I know you have beaten rice with you. I
want that beaten rice; give it to me!” Krishna took it and ate it all up. Then he said, “Kuchela!
Now you can go home!” Kuchela was thinking, “Being a king, Krishna never took pity on me
in my plight. He has eaten all my beaten rice and is sending me back home empty-handed.
Krishna played these kinds of pranks all the time when he was young. Today, he is doing the
same thing. The stealer of butter has today become the stealer of beaten rice.” So, he walked
home with great sorrow, and blamed Krishna the whole way. When he finally reached his
village, he looked for his hut, but it was nowhere to be found. In its place was a big palace,
comparable to that of Indra. He thought he had gone to the wrong village and was about to
leave when his wife came running out. She was wearing many ornaments and looking
dazzlingly beautiful; previously she had a skin defect which made her look ugly. Kuchela did
not even recognize her. He said, “You are not my wife! My wife has never processed so many
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jewels.” She bowed to his feet and said, “This is the marriage thread you tied around my neck.
Look, here is the evidence.” Kuchela recognized the thread and finally recognized her. Then
she explained, “When you went to Mathura, Krishna came here and said, “I have a debt to pay
to your husband, because I ate up all his beaten rice. I am now giving you this palace. As a
child, he did not give me the beaten rice that belonged to me, that is why you were subjected
to so much misery.” The moral of this story is to always be true to yourself and anyone else
who are all personifications of God.
Krishna changed the hearts of many people through his immense love. The full form of God
incarnates from age to age for the purpose of protecting the virtuous, punishing the wicked and
establishing righteousness. Though Krishna seems to have destroyed many wicked people, it
is their own wickedness which destroyed them.
Having already killed Kamsa, the furious father-in-law of Kamsa (Kamsa married two of
Jarasandha’s daughters), Emperor Jarasandha, retaliated but was defeated by Krishna
seventeen times. Each time Krishna let Jarasandha go. This was Krishna’s plan to destroy more
and more wicked people as Jarasandha always went back to pull together another army of
wicked vassal kings. But Jarasandha’s army harassed the cowherders of Gokulam. The
cowherders prayed to Krishna, and he told them not to panic. He said, “Try to understand my
power and potential. Tonight, you sleep in Gokulam and tomorrow morning see for yourselves
where you will be.” The next morning, they woke up in Dwarka, a city Krishna created 1000
miles away on India's western seacoast. Krishna moved all his people from Mathura also to
Dwarka.
This had to be done because Mathura was being attacked by two armies in two different
directions. On one side was Jarasandha (his eighteenth time) and the other a barbarian king.
Balarama and the army engaged Jarasandha’s army while Krishna single-handedly engaged the
barbarian king. The king chased Krishna, but he would disappear at the very last moment each
time he approached Krishna. Finally, Krishna drew him to a cave and disappeared. The
barbarian king walked into the cave and saw a sleeping figure covered in a blanket. He thought
this was Krishna and kicked him only to find out it was a powerful sage instead. The sage
retaliated by turning him to ashes immediately. The moral of this story is to not disrespect a
beggar in the street, he or she could be a powerful sage. Later, Krishna and Balarama seemingly
ran up a mountain which was set on fire by Jarasandha. They both miraculously jumped down
from the burning mountain to escape. This caused the very much weakened emperor
Jarasandha to be finally satisfied that he had killed Krishna and overran Mathura (though empty
of people). He therefore did not launch another attack on Krishna again. This apparent victory
for Jarasandha was planned by Krishna because he wanted the Pandava brothers to later take
over Jarasandha’s empire and rule with highly spiritual ideas taught by Krishna.
The next great battle of Krishna was against Narakasura, a mighty tyrant who enslaved lots of
people. He was the son of Mother Earth, and his father is Varaha. Therefore, obviously
Narakasura was by far the most powerful opponent Krishna had to face in his lifetime.
Due to a boon granted to Mother Earth, her son will live a very long time. Narakasura also did
severe austerities and prayers to Brahma to propitiate a boon. Brahma finally gave him a boon
that only his mother could kill him. It is because of this boon that Narakasura lived from the
time of Varaha to 5000 years ago which is billions of years. Mother Earth felt it was finally
time to take out Narakasura, the invincible ruler of earth whom all kings paid tributes to.
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Narakasura lived in the kingdom named 'Prag-jyoti-sha-puram'. “Prag” means before, “Jyoti''
means light, 'Sha' means forget and “Puram” means kingdom. This means the inhabitants of
this kingdom have forgotten the ancient internal light which is the light of the soul (atman).
We should value the light of the soul and not that of the sun, stars, fire, or light bulbs. A blind
person will experience total darkness but there are small magical lights created by their soul
which they will experience. A blind person is practically forced to jump to this step of
spirituality as he cannot see external light and must develop the internal light.
Narakasura the king of Pragjyotishapuram was the pinnacle of forgetting the inner light because
he has lived billions of years, and all his views and philosophies were developed on external
light. Therefore, living too long a life is also a problem, especially for a king or Kshatriya.
Kshatriyas do not dwell in spiritual practices like sitting down, closing their eyes to limit
external light from entering them. The task of a Kshatriya is to hone their skills in battle and
become the ultimate warrior. That is their prime means to reach the realization that they are
God themselves. Therefore, it is important for a warrior to spend a little time meditating and
observing the internal light within themselves. But because Narakasura identified himself fully
with the body he lived a life full of ignorance. Attachment to the body is the cause of all
suffering. One living such a life is living a life of hell (Naraka means hell in Sanskrit). If
Narakasura had a Brahmin guru whom he listened to at least occasionally he could have
combined his warrior skills with a little spirituality; enabling him to be Godlier and an even
better warrior.
God created everything and therefore does not like to kill even such a bad person as Narakasura.
Therefore, Krishna weakened Narakasura by getting him angry. A bout of anger utilizes food
consumed over three months. Anger therefore weakens a person’s mental as well as physical
powers. After getting Narakasura to lose his strength, Krishna made Sathyabhama kill
Narakasura since Sathyabhama (Krishna’s wife) is an incarnation of Mother Earth who is the
only person who could kill Narakasura as per the boon of Brahma.
Among the many sins committed by Narakasura over his lifetime was to imprison thousands
of women and torture them. There were 16,108 ladies in his harem. Krishna released them from
their prison and asked them to go back to their respective homes.
But the ladies told Krishna they can neither live nor die and prayed to Krishna to take care of
them. Krishna agreed to be responsible for protecting them. Then the ladies sang a song as
follows. Krishna, it is impossible to describe your glory in words, even Brahma, the creator
cannot understand you. You freed Devaki and Vasudeva from prison. You protected the
Pandavas. You removed the poverty of Kuchela. You protected the Pandavas. You turned the
ugly hunchback Kubja into a beautiful lady. And now you freed 16,108 ladies from prison.
Some argue how Krishna made simultaneous appearances in 16,108 homes of the ladies.
Taking a modern perspective, a World-Cup football match is watched by billions of people
simultaneously, via their T.V. or phones. So, humans have built machines to enable that, what
is the problem with a far greater intelligence of God to use the power of a mantra to reach the
16,108 ladies’ homes simultaneously. The image of Krishna appeared in all 16,108 hearts of
those ladies. If the heart is pure this can happen. The Krishna image will not reflect in an impure
heart. There is no limit to the power of the divine.
Till today, the taking out of Narakasura is celebrated as India’s biggest festival, Deepavali
(from the original Sanskrit word, Dīpāwali), the festival of light. Symbolizing that people
should value the light within the soul and not the light viewed externally by the eye. Small oil
flames are placed everywhere at night symbolizing the internal light within the soul.
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But Sathya Sai Baba said Deepavali has a much earlier origin. In the Saraswati civilization,
there was total darkness for a few months just as experiences for up to four months by some
Norwegians today; the rotation of the earth must have changed from then to today such that it
is experienced only in the very north of the earth today and not in the Saraswati region of India.
Deepavali is a festival that had its beginnings to light up that totally dark period of the year.
Krishna then left to visit the Pandavas in the Northern part of India to accomplish his next
mission of destroying the evil Kauravas who were the cousins of the Pandavas.
The story goes that Kunti as a young girl loved to play in the sun. The sun God, Surya
approached her stating he was pleased with her love of the sun and gave her a mantra which if
chanted with a God’s name at the end, that God will impregnate her to have a child. When
Kunti was first given the mantra by Surya, she was just a teenager and out of curiosity tried it
out and propitiated Surya himself. This gave her a son. But she was too young to take care of
the child. People of those days were generally good, and she knew if she placed the baby (who
was born with an armor and earrings) in a small boat in the river, someone downstream would
find it and bring him up. A charioteer (born of the Shudra caste) found the baby and adopted
him. They gave him a name, Karna. He naturally became a powerful warrior. But he joined the
Kauravas who were evil; probably as a well-paying job and that led him to infamy.
There is a moral to be learnt here. Karna was a powerful person, the cream of mankind; he
could have easily started a kingdom at the outskirts of this kingdom and eventually taken over
other kingdoms. But he chose to take on a job with evil rulers of his home kingdom.
That was in those days, the age of Kshatriyas. Today is the age of the Visayas, businessmen
are leaders of society. There are many smart and gifted people who take on jobs sometimes for
evil businessmen. They could have started a small business elsewhere and triumphed even over
the current leaders of the business world. They may even get attacked by existing businessmen
but must FIGHT TO KEEP THEIR BUSINESS ALIVE. If businessmen focus their activities
on the betterment of society, then money will follow; this is an injunction of the Bhagavad
Gita. In the case of Karna, neighboring kingdoms could attack his budding kingdom but with
his fighting skills he could have easily vanquished them all. Therefore, the moral to learn from
the story of Karna is that the confidence a person has in themselves is of prime importance.
The Pandavas princes were born in the forest and lived their initial years there. Their father,
Pandu was the King but killed a deer couple in coitus. That deer couple happened to be a great
sage and his wife who cursed that if he ever tried to have coitus he would also die. So, Pandu
decided to head for the forest to practice austerities, probably to be able to get power to free
himself from the curse. But one day his wife, Kunti told him about a mantra given by Surya,
the Sun God whereby after reciting the mantra, she could say a God’s name at the end who
would impregnate her to have a child. Pandu was so happy and asked her to first propitiate
Dharmaraja who gave her the son Yudhishthira. Then she propitiated Vayu who gave her the
son, Bhima. She then propitiated Indra to give her a son, Arjuna. Pandu asked her to share the
mantra with his other wife, Madri who propitiated the Ashvin twins which gave her the sons,
Nakula and Sahadeva.
One day Pandu was enchanted with Madri and tried to have coitus which caused him to die;
Madri committed suicide after that, thinking she caused his death. Kunti and the five Pandavas
then returned to their kingdom which was ruled by their father’s blind brother, Dhritarashtra.
Dhritarashtra, though blind was enjoying the material aspects of being a king and was therefore
not happy that the rightful king’s sons returned. He therefore encouraged his 100 children to
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give the Pandavas a hard time. When a father asks his sons to do a bad thing there will be
consequences, they become evil and will face ends which nobody on earth will respect. For the
next 5000 years all Hindus know them as the evil Kauravas. A huge lesson to learn from this
episode is that fathers should always encourage their children to be noble above the physical
accumulation of wealth.
There is a story, full of values, told of how the Pandavas and Kauravas found their teacher,
Drona. Drona went to King Drupada to ask for a cow. The King refused and this angered Drona
who left the kingdom with his wife and child.
One day, as the Pandava and Kaurava children were playing, the ball they were playing with
fell into a well. Drona was walking by at the time and asked, “My dear children, what is the
matter? Why are you all standing around the well in this manner? What has happened?” The
children replied in one voice, “Swami, our ball fell into this well.” Drona said, “Do not worry;
I will take the ball out.” While saying that, he took out a bow and shot an arrow which struck
the ball. He then shot another arrow which struck the previous arrow and kept shooting arrows
into the previous arrow till he could use his hand to reach the last arrow and pull out the chain
of arrows with the ball at the bottom. The children were wonderstruck and fell at Drona’s feet
and later informed Bhishma of this. Bhishma immediately appointed Drona as the teacher of
both the Kauravas and Pandavas.
Among the children, Arjuna learnt the archery skills much faster than the rest and became an
expert in a short time. Drona admired him and began having a special affection for him. The
skills of Arjuna made Drona proud and famous. Even Drona’s own son Aswatthama was
jealous and developed a grudge against the Pandavas, particularly against Arjuna.
As time went on, a boy by the name of Ekalavya approached Drona to learn the skills of
archery. Drona refused, stating that the sacred skills of archery can only be taught to a kshatriya
for the protection of the world and not to a wandering tribal Shudra boy engaged in hunting
animals for food.
Undaunted, Ekalavya considered Drona as his guru in his heart. He molded a clay image of
Drona and started worshiping it daily. In a short time, he was able to derive all the skills of
archery. Basically, he tapped these skills from the Vedas within himself which has the universal
knowledge including all the knowledge Drona had.
One day, the princes were out on a hunting expedition with Drona. They brought some hunting
dogs with them. One of the dogs happened to be barking, suddenly an arrow struck its mouth,
and it died. Everyone started searching for the source of the arrow and finally found that it
emanated from Ekalavya’s bow. Ekalavya also confessed to killing the dog. Ekalavya then
prostrated before Drona whom he had considered as his guru in his heart. Arjuna immediately
realized that this boy was using a shooting technique called Sabdabhedi or shooting at a target
via sensing the direction from which the sound was coming from. Arjuna was jealous of the
boy’s skills and questioned Drona, “You had promised me that you would not teach this
technique of Sabdabhedi to anyone except me. I implicitly believed your words.” Drona
replied, “I am not Ekalavya's guru, nor did I teach this technique to him. You can ascertain the
fact if you wish, from him.” Ekalavya then said, “It is true that Dronacharya refused to teach
me archery. But by constantly contemplating on him, as my guru, I learnt archery including the
Sabdabhedi technique.”
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Arjuna was eager to somehow subdue Ekalavya in archery. He prompted Drona to ask for a
Guru Dakshina (a payment to a teacher). Drona bowed to the wishes of Arjuna. He asked
Ekalavya, “What Guru Dakshina would you offer to me?” Arjuna suggested to Drona,
“Ekalavya informed just now that he had learnt the skills from you, treating you as his guru.
Hence, it must be you again who should frustrate his efforts to excel in archery.” Drona then
asked Ekalvya for his right thumb. Ekalavya immediately cut off his right thumb thereby
ending his career in archery. Ekalavya was not worried about this because of the love he had
already developed for his guru. This seems like a cruel twist of fate for Ekalavya, but he will
be forever remembered as one who learned from his teacher via deep love even though the
teacher refused to teach him physically. His love for his teacher was so great that he was even
willing to cut off his finger for him. This story teaches mankind that a non-physical-contactlove for a teacher, a mate or a parent can be greater and more fruitful than if the object of love
is within physical proximity. Ekalavya learnt an archery skill “from Drona”, that even Arjuna
had not learnt despite being in physical proximity to Drona. Of course, Arjuna and Drona must
suffer the consequences for their actions towards Ekalavya. What this story also tells mankind
is that even an exemplary human like Arjuna has committed crimes for which he has to pay for
later. But overall, the good deeds Arjna performed over his life far outweigh the crimes he had
committed.
Over time, as the might and skills of these five brothers increased, their Kaurava cousins
became increasingly irate. The Kauravas were spreading heinous scandals about each of the
five Pandavas to create dissension among them but since the Pandavas always valued truth,
they cannot be swayed by lies. Later the Kauravas tried to burn them alive by presenting them
with a palace which was made of wax and other flammable material. There were spies all over
so they cannot be told by well-wishers directly that the house was a trap. Krishna sent a gift of
a small rat in a cage. The person who delivered the gift was a miner. Yudhishthira, being very
intelligent, immediately got the message and asked the miner to stay back that day to rest. But
Yudhishthira that night immediately started work on the tunnel because that night was the
scheduled burning of the palace. The Pandavas escaped and decided to remain in the jungle for
some time after this incident. Duryodhana and his people found five bodies found at the site
the next day were those of his guards, but he was satisfied that he finally managed to kill the
five Pandavas.
While living in the forest, the Pandavas one day went to another kingdom since there was a
contest there. Arjuna decided to get into a contest to win a bride. He had to shoot an arrow to
the eye of a revolving fish which was suspended on top of a high pole by looking only at its
reflection in a moat surrounding the pole. He easily won this contest and was given princess
Draupadi to marry. When the Pandavas returned home with Draupadi, they called their mother,
Kunti from outside to, “See what we brought home.” Thinking it was the usual fruits or other
food, Kunti just shouted out that they should share it equally among the five of them. Since
people of those days respected their mother very dearly, they dared not disobey her and decided
that all five will marry Draupadi!
When the Pandavas finally came back to their kingdom, they were given an inferior territory
(Indraprastha) to rule over. But they turned this territory into the greatest kingdom in India and
ruled it for about 60 years. Their lifespan at that time was about 180 years. The character and
heroism of the Pandavas and their association with Krishna attracted the best people in India
to move to their kingdom.
Over time, Krishna got one of the Pandavas, Bhima, to secure a one-to-one wrestling match
with Jarasandha. Bhima could not win even after 28 days of wrestling. Finally, Krishna took a
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twig and split it into two. Bhima immediately understood that the two halves of Jarasandha’s
body when joined were just too powerful; it needed to be split apart. Thereby when Bhima
found an opportunity in the fight to focus on this; he held one leg under his feet and pulled the
other apart, ripping the body into two.
One day, Duryodhana came for a visit to Indraprastha and was extremely jealous of their
progress, so he went back and devised a plan to topple the Pandavas.
Guessing that their connection to Krishna might be their secret to their success, Duryodhana
begged Krishna to come to stay in his palace. Failing in this effort, Karna also pleaded with
Krishna but to no avail. Then most senior and old Bhishma also pleaded with Krishna. Krishna
finally came but stayed with the sage of the kingdom, Vidura. Vidura, though officially a
minister, stayed in a simple hut. Vidura was so happy that Krishna came to his home that
instead of offering Krishna fruits to eat, he offered the fruit skin. Krishna actually ate the fruit
skin.
Duryodhana then invited the Pandavas for a game of dice where they hired their evil uncle to
play (cheat) for them. Duryodhana knew that Yudhishthira has only one weakness in his life
and that is the eagerness to play the game of dice. In fact, all five Pandavas were having a good
life in their successful kingdom of Indraprastha and forgot Krishna a little or else they would
have consulted Krishna before accepting to play the game of dice. How could they forget the
previous attempt on their lives? Humans in distress tend to remember their true Godly selves
more and therefore recognize the divinity of Krishna which is totally without desires.
In the game, the Kauravas were sitting on one side and the Pandavas on the other. The dice
used in the game was manipulated to enable the Kauravas to win each time. Yudhishthira first
lost his empire, then his brothers, himself and even the common wife to all the brothers,
Draupadi.
The Kauravas dragged Draupadi to the royal court. Her five Pandava husbands could not help
her as they were bound by truth that their rights were stripped in the game of dice. Bhima was
especially agitated, but Yudhishthira reminded him to follow the truth that they had no more
rights to protect her because they had lost in the game of dice.
Draupadi first tried to use her superior intellect to get out of the situation she was in. She
questioned the members of the Kaurava kingdom and especially the elders, “Did Yudhishthira
pawn himself first and then lose her or vice-versa.” She said this because if Yudhishthira
pawned himself first, he did not have any right to pawn her. She also stressed that she is the
wife of not only Yudhishthira but also all the four other Pandavas. She asked if they gave
permission to pawn her. No one in the hall dared to answer. As a lawyer in the modern world,
she would have won right there.
The mighty Bhishma and Drona allowed the righteousness within them to be subdued. Over
the next five thousand years, people cannot respect these elders due to this incident. This
incident had especially tainted the image of the powerful Bhishma who was almost invincible
in those days. He was powerful enough to take on the entire Kaurava army but decided not to
help Draupadi. He previously made a promise to defend the king of Hastinapura as a mental
activity but did not consider with his heart that he can break the promise of the mind if the king
is an evil one and that the sin of breaking a promise made by the mind is much less than the sin
of ignoring the heart’s perception that the Kauravas has crossed the serious line of immorality
that day. This story tells all of us that blind adherence to an evil ruler or supervisor in a company
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will cause the downfall of a person, a company, or an entire country. The bottom line is we
should always listen to the heart and not the mind. Bhishma and Drona lost their merit
accumulated over numerous lifetimes in those few minutes.
All the elders of the (including Duryodhana and Karna) knew deep inside that Krishna was
God but they let the egos take over their minds. There was no chance Arjuna could have
defeated any of those elders, even Karna, without Krishna’s help.
One Kaurava started stripping Draupadi of her sari. Failing in her valid arguments to change
her situation she knew that no one could protect her. She started praying to Krishna who was
far away in Dwarka. She initially asked Krishna of Dwarka to help but was not helped. Only
when she prayed, O Krishna, resident of my heart, came to my rescue!” did her sari grow longer
and longer till the puller of the sari had to give up. This event brought fear in the hearts of the
Kauravas. Everyone knew Krishna was there though he was not visible.
Following this, the Pandavas including Draupadi and their mother, Kunti had to spend 13 years
in the jungle and the 14th year incognito. If they were found in the 14th year, they had to spend
another 13 years in the jungle. One reason for this number of years is a law since ancient times
in India that if a person lived in another person’s land for 12 continuous years, he could claim
it as his.
Thus, the Pandavas spent three spans of time in the forest. They were born in the forest, were
hiding in the forest after the Kauravas tried to burn them alive and finally, because they were
cheated in a gambling game of dice. Of course, this jungle life made them very healthy and
powerful; surviving on only the leaves, roots, and fruits of the forest. They even had time to sit
in meditation to acquire superior mystical weapons to fight the coming battle which they knew
at the back of their minds was inevitable.
During this 14-year exile in the forest, Duryodhana had a nefarious plan to wipe off the
Pandavas for good. A powerful Sage Durvasa who was infamous for having a very bad temper
came to Duryodhana’s kingdom for a visit and he was pleased by the hospitality offered to him
and his disciples, so he asked Duryodhana what he wished for. Duryodhana said he wished
Durvasa, and his disciples would visit the exiled Yudhishthira and family in the jungle only
after they had finished their meals. So, one of Durvasa’s disciples came to Draupadi after her
family had their meal saying, “Sage Durvasa and 40 of his disciples will come here for our
meals. Get everything ready.” But Draupadi had no food in her home, so she prayed to Krishna,
Krishna immediately appeared at her doorsteps. Draupadi asked, “Why have you come here
now?”. Krishna said, “You called me, so I came.” She said, “There is a big problem. Durvasa
and his 40 disciples are coming. Since we don’t have any food to give them, I don’t know what
to do.” Krishna replied, “Don’t worry about that, I am hungry, give me something to eat.” She
said, “Lord, I don’t have anything to eat. I prayed to you, seeking your help in providing food
for Durvasa, but now you are asking me for food for yourself.” Krishna then said, “I can look
after the others after you satisfy my hunger, so first give me some food.” The anguished
Draupadi replied, “Lord, I am already anxious, as there is nothing in the house and the sage is
coming with his retinue. In addition to that, you are now teasing me with your divine
play!” Krishna then went to the kitchen area and found a small leaf in a bowl. He said, “You
said there was nothing, but see, there is a small leaf in this bowl; that is enough for
me.” Krishna ate the leaf and belched, indicating he was full. He then said, “I am very
happy! My hunger is satisfied.” Draupadi could not understand, she thought it was one of
Krishna’s pranks. Krishna then said, “My job is done, so I am going now.” The anguished
Draupadi replied, “You want to leave me and go. What do I do when Durvasa and his disciples
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come?” You have come here at a time when I have a real problem and now you are just going
to leave me. What should I do?” At that time, Durvasa and his disciples had just finished their
bath in the river and were getting ready to go to the Pandavas’s hut. But when Krishna’s hunger
was satisfied, all their hunger was also satisfied. Even while reciting, “Aum'' they were
belching. They could not understand how they were full. They knew Draupadi is a chaste wife,
devoted to her husbands, a woman of penance and a devotee of Krishna. Worried that they will
be cursed by Draupadi because they cannot eat what she has prepared, they went to Durvasa
saying, “Draupadi is no ordinary woman. By now she would have prepared all kinds of dishes.
If we go there and don’t eat, we will be shamed.” Having no solutions to their problem, they
decided to run away.
Later Krishna came back to Draupadi asking, “You said Durvasa and his disciples were coming
so, where are they?” She replied, “They have not come.” Krishna informed Bhima, “Go and
find Durvasa and his disciples and bring them here. They may not be very keen to come, Bhima
you will have to catch them and bring them here.” Durvasa and his disciples were finding it
hard to walk because their stomachs were so full, so it was not difficult for Bhima to track them
down. He respectfully asked Durvasa to come to their hut, but he refused, and Bhima pleaded.
So, Durvasa and his disciples decided to run away, and Bhima had to chase them. He finally
gave up and went back to the hut and informed Draupadi what transpired. This is when she
connected the dots and fell at the feet of Krishna, crying, “You protected me.” Krishna then
said, “If you make me happy, you give happiness to everyone.” The moral of this story is that
satisfying God is equivalent to satisfying the needs of lots of people. One can serve society or
serve God, and both are equivalent.
After the Pandavas completed their 14 years in the jungle, they came back for their kingdom.
But the Kauravas refused to give it to them. A war was the only solution. The Pandavas sided
with Krishna, while the Kauravas gathered most of the evil rulers of the time on their side. The
war that ensued was the biggest war of the ancient times, the Mahabharata war. 4,000,000
warriors eventually died in this battle.
Sage Vyasa who wrote the Mahabharatha was going to see the final showdown of the Pandavas
and the Kauravas. Both sides were his family, and he was disheartened. He noticed an ant
rushing across the road. Vyasa asked the ant why he was rushing. The ant replied, don’t you
know, Arjun’s chariot is coming this way. I don’t want to be crushed by it. Vyasa replied, you
are an ant, who cares whether you live or die? The ant was angry, it said, you think only you
have concerns for your family, I also have a wife and children. That changed Vyasa to realize,
all feel the pain of death.
Lifespan of humans during this time was about 180 years. Krishna was 89 years old during the
Mahabharata war. The Pandavas were around the same age. Thus, at 90 they were in their
middle age.
Krishna went on a mission to prevent the war. The Kauravas were underestimating Krishna; he
came because he knew in a war, the Kauravas will be wiped out despite the Pandava army
being small. People have always underestimated God since time immemorial. Krishna gave the
two sides a choice, “One of your armies can have me, who will not wield any weapons and will
only be a charioteer, and the other side can have my whole army.” Duryodhana, who was given
the first choice, chose the powerful army, thinking how lucky he was. For the rest of the
Mahabharata war, it was basically Krishna who enabled the Pandavas to win this impossible
war. There was no way Arjuna could have defeated Bhishma, Drona, Kripa (the later teacher
of the princes after Drona) or even Karna without the miraculous power of Krishna. The moral
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of this story is that even if you have nothing and only God on your side, you can win even
the most one-sided battles of life.
On the first day of the battle, Yudhishthira was eager to get into the fight and win the war and
the Kingdom back, including taking revenge. Bhima was also absolutely wanting to fight the
war. He has already decided to break the thigh of Duryodhana and tear apart the chest of
Dushasana (the person who tried to disrobe Draupadi), take out his blood, drink a little of his
blood and wash the hair of Draupadi with that blood. Nakula and Sahadeva did not have an
opinion of their own; they just followed their elder brothers. But Arjuna was having doubts
about killing all the elders of the Kingdom.
Arjuna’s chariot was driven by Krishna who purposely drove it right in front of the elders of
the Kingdom. Krishna did this to get Arjuna to express his doubts about the whole war so that
he can clear those doubts. Arjuna said to Krishna he will not fight, “I will go to hell, I would
rather beg, I will not fight my uncle, my Guru or my cousins.” Krishna’s reply and
encouragement in the middle of the battlefield is coded as the Bhagavad Gita. Many people are
wondering how Krishna narrated the long Bhagavad Gita in the middle of the battlefield
between opposing armies. The answer is that Krishna took Arjuna to another plane while time
on earth did pass but not as long as it would have to impart the whole Gita. The actual time
Krishna drove the chariot in between the two amies to narrate the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna
would take 18 days in the physical plane but only took 18 minutes in the physical plane. An
analogy is a dream where one goes to another country and visits a friend. In the dream one
would be sure the whole incident happened. In real life however that activity would take a few
days, but the dream happened in only a few hours.
The Bhagavad Gita is today one of the most important guidebooks for Hindus and many nonHindus as well. Notable non-Hindus who frequently read the Bhagavad Gita are Ralph
Emerson, Annie Besant Robert Oppenheimer, George Harrison, Abdul Kalam and Will
Smith Among the many words Krishna used to encourage Arjuna was that “You are not
killing, so don’t be conceited, they are deathless; the death sentence on their bodies has already
been pronounced and you are merely executing God’s will!” The essence of the whole
Bhagavad Gita is duty. Basically, imploring each human to perform their duty as best as they
possibly can. In this modern world one can be an engineer, a teacher, a doctor, a bus driver, or
a singer. Performing one’s duty to perfection is a form of worship, stressed in the Bhagavad
Gita. It states that God will be with you if you do your duty well and success in all forms will
be the result.
The Pandavas triumphed in the war, defeating an enemy, which was far larger in numbers and
experience. 4,000,000 soldiers, princes and kings lost their lives in this war.
During the Mahabharata war Aswatthama, the son of Drona joined the Kauravas to fight the
Pandavas. When all the Kauravas were killed, he stealthily entered the Pandavas camp at night
and murdered the children of all five Pandavas brothers, except one (Parikshith) whom Krishna
saved while he was still in the womb of his mother, Utthara.
Aswatthama was immediately tracked down by Arjuna, who dragged him to face Draupadi.
But instead of getting angry and cursing Aswattama, she fell at his feet and said, “It is at the
feet of your father Dronacharya that my husbands learnt all that they know. Being the son of
Dronacharya, is it proper to kill my innocent children? How could you have the heart to kill
them, who were unarmed, young, quietly asleep and not having any enmity against you and
were not contemplating any harm to you?” Bhima who was present was exploding with anger.
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He roared, “This Draupadi is a stupid woman, for she pleads for the freedom of this wretch.
She feels no anger against this murderer of her sons. This assassin is not a Brahmin; do not
release him, kill him. If you do not do that, I will kill with my powerful fist.”
Aswatthama was trembling with fear. Arjuna was also about to attack him. Draupadi raised
both hands and pleaded with Arjuna, “Oh, Phalguna! It is not righteous to kill a person who is
afraid or has lost courage, who is asleep or intoxicated, who seeks refuge or is a female. You
should not kill Aswatthama for he is the son of your preceptor.” Draupadi fell at Arjuna’s feet
and said, “Arjuna, will my sons be revived by killing Aswatthama? His mother would
experience the same kind of sorrow that I am now undergoing. Having studied the Vedas and
Sastras, how is it that you are not able to maintain your tranquility?” Arjuna replied, “You are
preventing me from keeping up my vow.” At this Draupadi said, “Tonsuring his head and
removing the crown jewel from his head is equivalent to killing him. There is no use brooding
over the past. Past is past; forget the past.” Arjuna finally suppressed his emotions and took
away Aswatthama and cut off and shaved his hair and let him so.
Yudhishthira was installed as the emperor and all the brothers served him. Yudhishthira is
known for his righteousness. He is famous for telling only one lie (he told that lie during the
war to achieve a critical victory) in his whole life. During the Kurukshetra war Bhima shouted
in front of Drona that he had killed Aswatthama and in a soft voice, “the elephant.” Drona was
shocked and moved to Yudhistera to verify if this is true. Yudhishthira shouted the answer,
“Yes Aswastama” then in a soft voice, “the elephant” then back in a loud voice, “was killed by
Bhima.” This episode was planned by the Pandava because they found out it was impossible
to defeat Drona in battle. Drona's main motivation of moving with the Kauravas was for his
son. One day, he saw children mocking his son for believing the glass of water mixed with
flour he was drinking was milk. Now that he perceived that his son is dead, decided to just sit
on his chariot and meditate and a soldier on the Pandava side sliced off his head. When
Yudhisthira eventually died, he had to spend one hour in hell for this lie.
The Pandavas initially ruled from Indraprastha where they previously ruled for 60 years and
later moved their capital to Hastinapura, which has always been the capital of the Solar
Dynasty. After all things settled with the new emperor, Krishna was leaving Hastinapura (the
capital city of the Pandavas) for Dwarka (his own capital city). He was bidding farewell to all
his kinsfolks and taking leave of Yudhishthira and others. Everyone silently accepted his
decision. The chariot was readied for his departure. But the strong devotion of people can
change the will of the divine.
After taking leave of all others, he went to Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas as well as the
sister of his father. Kunti told him, “Krishna! All the troubles we experienced were due to our
delusions. If Yudhishthira had not been lured by the game of dice, would we have been subject
to exile in the forest and all the troubles we went through? Hence my children were the root
cause of all our troubles. You are always our protector. During all our troubles, I always
remembered you. In the world, people remember God only in times of trouble and not when
they are happy. Therefore, Krishna, as long as I have a body, always give me difficulties.
However, having had you with us all these years, we are deeply distressed to see you part from
us. I have no power to change your mind. I only pray that you do not forget this aunt of yours.”
Krishna then went to Uthara the wife of Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna who perished in the
battle. Though young in years, Uthara was pre-eminent in her devotion. Aiding her devotion
was the fact that earlier in her pregnancy, Krishna entered her womb to protect the fetus (who
was later born as Parikshit the next emperor after the Pandavas left the kingdom) from a terrible
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missile named Brahmaasthra, shot by Ashvatthama. She had a vision in a dream of Krishna
entering her womb. From that moment, she was ceaselessly chanting the name of Krishna and
seeing Krishna in every person and every object. She fell at his feet and said, “Lord! Since
Abhimanyu’s death, I have been trying hard to bear the pain that is gnawing at my bosom.
There is a fire burning in my womb. I cannot divine the reason. You should not leave at all for
Dwarka now. You must stay. You have been the protector of my forebears for many
generations. You were the savior of the Pandavas. The child in my womb is the only hope of
the Pandava clan. If anything untoward happens to that child, the Pandava dynasty will be
extinguished. Therefore, you must not leave.” So, saying, Utthara firmly clung to Krishna’s
feet. Krishna was moved by Uthara’s deep devotion. The journey to Dwarka was delayed.
Krishna made an assuring promise to Utthara, “I will not leave for Dwarka till your child is
born.” The Pandavas, Draupadi and Subhadra (Arjuna’s wife and Krishna’s sister) were very
happy with the turn of events and praised Utthara’s devotion to the Lord.
One day, all the Pandava brothers and Krishna were sitting at the palace. The young child of
Uthara, Parikshit was let loose, and he tested everyone till he found Krishna and grabbed him.
Because of this, Krishna named him Parikshith as he tested everyone till he recognized Krishna.
Yudhishthira conducted a prayer including a yagna. All preparations were made, and duties
were assigned to everyone. Krishna was of course invited. He asked, “I must also do something
in this yagna, it is a sacred occasion, I must participate.” Yudhishthira said, “You are the Yagna
Purusha, you are the Deity, you are the God, how can you do any work. There is no work left,
we have given every work to everyone.” Krishna said, “No, one work is left. After people eat
their food, there is nobody to clear the leftovers, you haven’t assigned this to anyone, give it to
me.” Krishna bent down and started doing that; that is the humility of God.
The Pandavas ruled wisely for about 37 years after the end of the Kurushetra war. They brought
about peace and righteousness to the world. They ruled over an empire that stretched from
Europe to Indonesia.
One day Krishna sat under a banyan tree with his legs outstretched. A hunter mistook his dark
legs to be a deer and shot it and that killed Krishna. Krishna died at age 126 and was 89 during
the Kurukshetra war, therefore there was 126-89 = 37 years from the end of the Kurukshetra
war to his death. As Krishna reached 126 years old, the Yadavas (who were Devas who took
birth to aid Krishna) destroyed themselves by fighting each other in a drunken brawl. They had
to go because they had already accomplished their mission on earth. The worldly view would
be, “what a way to leave by killing each other in a drunken brawl?” But most humans cannot
see the big picture that they had to leave earth somehow and killing each other is an indication
that life on earth should not be too highly rated. It just has to be utilized by each human as
efficiently as possible to eventually achieve the state of realization that each of us is actually
God; after that, it is time to leave. The whole city of Dwarka where they were fighting, sank to
the bottom of the ocean. In 1983, this city was rediscovered off the coast of Dwarka, Gujarat,
India.
Having lost his clan, Krishna retired to a forest. He was resting on a tree when a hunter mistook
his dark skin legs to be a bird and shot it, killing Krishna. This happened in 3102 B.C. when
Krishna was 126 years old.
Arjuna performed the last rites of all the males of Dwarka and brought back the remaining
women and children to Hastinapura. There was only one male young Yadava male who
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survived, and he was totally ashamed that he survived. He was eventually crowned king of
Mathura.
On the way back, barbarians attacked the group. But Arjuna forgot all the mantras which gave
power to his arrows. His famous inexhaustible receptacle of arrows did not reproduce any new
arrows. The barbarians carried away most of the women and children, only a few around Arjuna
were saved from them. Arjuna fought them with just his bodily might and the few remaining
arrows he had. That gave him the realization that his mission on earth was over, and he had to
leave.
In Hastinapura, the emperor Yudhishthira quickly crowned the 37-year-old Parikshit. The five
brothers together with their common wife, Draupadi decided to walk straight north from
Hastinapura to the Himalayas. They made a vow not to eat or drink till they died one by one.
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CHAPTER 12
BUDDHA
This chapter covers Buddha as well as Sai Baba’s version of Jesus Christ who came 560 years
later. Both supremely evolved beings came and merged fully with God over their lifetimes.
They came to nullify the bad effects of the Kali age which is supposed to be marked by humans
who can be described as a table having only one of the four legs of consciousness. The Kali
age started when Krishna gave up his life in 3102 BC. Sai Baba stopped the Kali age abruptly
on 10/23/2015, 12:15. Therefore, the Kali age lasted for 5117 years. But just as a fan will turn
some rounds even after being switched off, bad activities will continue for a while. Currently
we are living in the Sathya yuga.
Many living in the later years of the Kali age felt things were alright despite the actions done
by the small percentage of humans who were overlords of the earth. Their actions were far
worse than any done by the bad of the past ages. The reasons why most of the rest of humanity
did not realize they were, “taken for a ride” was unlike the bad of the past yugas, the evil
overlords did most of these sinister actions in secret and with deceit. The human population
were too busy making ends meet and paying off their debts, so most people did little inquiry
into the reality around them. The elites’ created nefarious and long planned actions to turn
humanity to a state of happy farm animals; being bred so they can be slaughtered later. The
infamous concentration camps which were obvious during World War II went underground in
tunnels below most major cities. The overlords’ actions were often totally without human
conscience (not even one leg of conscience). These evil elites treated other humans as meat for
consumption or satisfying their physical or sexual appetite. Often the worst among these human
overlords put up a front of being respectable, well-dressed leaders of society. But those families
are way down the hierarchy, the top leaders are the bankers or money handlers of earth who
mostly resided in Europe. Sacrifice of children, cannibalism, and the mayhem of wars (their
planned sacrifice of young men for their perceived God) were hurled by these overlords onto
the population of humans on earth. These overlords had the false belief that what they are doing
is correct following their evil track of thought. They succumbed to the ideas of the absolute
worst among humans, the likes of Allister Crowley; but there were many others since the
ancient Egyptian times. However, the 1800s, especially towards the end of that century seems
to be the peak of Godlessness. Karl Marx won’t have been able to influence people if a large
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swath of humans generally had Godless thoughts. The totally inhuman Colonialism couldn’t
have survived in a world where most humans acknowledged God. Sai Baba stated that it took
a mighty Siva in the form of Shirdi Baba to put a stop to the irreverence of humanity. It should
be noted it was during Shirdi Baba lifespan that World War I occurred and during Sathya Sai
Baba’s lifespan that World War II occurred. The two wars that really broke the power of
Europeans over the rest of the world’s population.
Though God is within them, their minds chose to not listen to the voice within themselves
(God’s voice) and just followed waves of devious thoughts devised by their “spiritual” leaders.
Overall, this Kali age is marked by a bloody history where in some cases, rivers literally ran
red with the blood of humans.
One of the final plans of the evil overlords of the Kali age was to let only 6.42% of the earth’s
human population survive and kill off 93.58% of the rest. That is, they wanted only 500 million
people alive out of the earth’s 8,019,876,189 human population. This means killing about 13
out of every 14 people. They had a meeting and decided that the earth can only handle 500
million humans. Warfare was instigated. World War I, World War II, the Korean war, the
Vietnam war and the Cuban war (which failed to take off) and the Middle East wars (escalated
by their bringing down of the Twin Towers in N.Y.) were all plans to cause continuous warfare
to kill a majority of the earth’s human population. The evil overlords played both sides of wars,
hoping no one would win and it would be a continuous war till the number of deaths was to
their liking. However, despite the conflicts they initiated, either not enough individuals were
affected, or escalation was prevented by notable figures such as General John J. Pershing,
General Patton and General Douglas MacArthur. For example, General Douglas of the Korean
war realized that their military plans were known by the enemy, so he purposely did not report
his plans to his superiors.
Nuclear bombs were placed in various places but either did not go off or God reduced the
severity of the effects. An example was the 3/11/2011 nuclear attack on Japan. This was to be
such a dastardly huge explosion equalling to 1000 Hiroshima bombs which would have wiped
out Japan, China and even the West coast of the USA. In this case, Sai Baba had to personally
intervene, resulting in the deterioration of his body to such an extent that he had to leave it (die)
on 4/24/2011. Sai Baba is now using the body of one of his top students at his university
(Madhusudan) to continue his mission.
They tried hard to start World War III with nuclear weapons by blowing up the city of Seattle
and blame it on North Korea, but this plan was also defeated. These evil overlords planned to
survive a nuclear World War III by staying within their bunkers underground. They had food
storage and production with fast trains in an extensive tunnel network in the USA. One of their
final arsenals was a virus warfare with a virus called Covid-19 but even that failed. Even the
very top leaders of the USA stated that it was not them who won, it was God who intervened.
During this Kali age, nine Buddhas came to this earth but only the first was an Avatar. All nine
had the same school of thought. The first eight lived and meditated in the jungle for the good
of humanity, only the last Buddha lived among people to spread the message. Buddha’s
previous lives are recorded as the Jataka Tales. Some of the lives in these tales are of Buddha
in animal forms and others in human form; he did not ever go from human to animal form.
Some people cannot grasp that these first eight Buddhas meditating and attaining purity can be
as valued as service-oriented people serving fellow humans in the cities. But the fact is,
earthquakes, typhoons and other disasters can be averted by these few people meditating in the
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jungles. The Buddhas came at a time when Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism lost much of its
purity. In India, rituals became more important. The spiritual component was missing. For
example, sacrificing a goat in some rituals was practiced but the real spiritual teaching is to
sacrifice the animal qualities within us, therefore the proper sacrifice is to keep a goat’s picture
and perform the sacrificial ritual to get rid of the goat qualities within us.
Love of people for one another was lost and the various castes lost the sacred respect for each
other. The Brahmins took over control because of their ability to bless and promote a person
or even a group of people via their rituals. Of course, this is crazy thinking but was believed
by enough people to make Brahmins the leaders of society at that time. Even the warrior caste
played second fiddle to the Brahmins. But the Sudras had it very bad in those days, they were
not even allowed in temples and women were not allowed to participate in certain rituals. In
temples, empty rituals replaced devotion to God. So, when Buddha came to abolish the caste
system, the Shudra were especially happy. Women of all castes were made seemingly lower to
their husbands by these Brahmanical ideas. This caused most of India to turn to Buddhism.
Note that during the Kali age these sorts of disarrays were supposed to happen which is why
God must come occasionally to solve such problems.
Buddha was born in this sacred land of ancient India in the town of Lumbini (currently in
Nepal) to King Shuddhodhana and his wife, Mayadevi. Being childless for some time, the
parents performed many prayers and spiritual austerities to have a child. The night before
Buddha was born, his mother, Queen Mayadevi had a dream that a splendid star from the
heavens shot through outer space and entered her womb from the right. The baby is the ninth
Buddha who was born in 563 B.C. He was given the name Sarvartha Siddha or Siddhartha for
short. His mother passed away eight days after he was born. He was thenceforth raised by his
father’s second wife Gauthami. Therefore, he was also called Gauthama. He acquired the name
Buddha after he achieved enlightenment which is a title like Sir.
At birth, an astrologer told his father, King Shuddhodhana that Buddha will either be a great
conqueror or a great sage. Either way he will be a great person. The father wanted him to be a
great conqueror and not a great sage. So, his father forbade Buddha from ever leaving the
palace and all its luxuries. He also forbade anyone from mentioning death, decay, pain or
suffering in the presence of the young Buddha. Even the maids and animals were changed out
to younger ones such that Buddha was always around the young.
Most parents in the world tend to place various bonds on their children thus making them
miserable. For most parents, as soon as their children come of age, they try to get them married.
Parents themselves do not consider if their children will really be happy in a married life or if
their own married life is a happy one. Most parents do not ponder deeply if they have actually
gained physically, mentally or otherwise from a married life. Even eminent scholars tend not
to examine the statistics of how a married life has contributed to a person versus seeking what
is beyond the senses. Buddha was very unhappy that his parents and others combined to bind
him in a married life. Through their stratagem they forcibly got Buddha married to Yashodhara,
daughter of his father’s brother-in-law, Shuddhabuddha. His father and family felt that getting
him married will prevent him pursuing a spiritual life so he can take over the kingdom. Buddha
on the other hand felt that various human relations were the cause of bondage. He wanted to
be free. Buddha felt that parents were bonding their children in various ways and causing them
misery. He did not feel a human can get any happiness in marriage. He wanted to find
something that transcends parents, family, kinsmen, friends, and wealth. After marriage in his
teenage years, he had a child who was named Rahul.
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At the age of 29, Buddha escaped from the palace with a very trusted charioteer; a person who
has raised him since he was a boy.
As they went out, the first abnormal thing he saw was a man who was very weak and frail. He
asked the charioteer, who is this person, what is wrong with him. The charioteer said, there is
nothing wrong, he is just an old man. Buddha asked what this old thing is? The charioteer said
everybody will become old one day. Your eyes will become weak, your strength will leave
you, that is how you will live. Buddha asked, will I also become such, the charioteer replied,
of course you will become old one day. Buddha was very shocked.
Next, they came across a person who was sick, nobody was touching him. Buddha asked what
is this now? He doesn’t look old. Why is he lying like that? The charioteer explained that his
ailment is due to an illness that has afflicted him. Consequently, he is unwell, and others avoid
approaching him out of concern for contracting the disease. Buddha asked, what is this new
thing, is there something called sickness? The charioteer said there is sickness which gives
you a lot of trouble and pain. That was the second shock for Buddha.
As they continued, a corpse was being carried for cremation. Buddha asked why this sleeping
man is being carried on a platform by four people on their shoulders. The charioteer said, he is
not sleeping, he is dead. Buddha asked, what is death? The charioteer said, one day you must
leave this body. This body is temporary. Buddha asked, will I also die? The charioteer replied,
of course you will also die. That was the third shock for him.
After these three shocks Buddha was totally disturbed because for 29 years, he has not seen old
age, sickness, or any death. He thought life was one big party which will go on and on forever.
Something shook him from within. Buddha asked, you mean all these pleasures, health, and
vitality I am enjoying are not going to last forever. The charioteer said of course it will be taken
away. Everything will go one day.
So, Buddha kept on thinking within himself on the reason for all this. He was thinking why
should I live a life which is going to end in such misery and disease, decay, or death? He
thought, “I should not live a life like this.” As they were proceeding in the chariot, he saw a
sage who was sitting by himself, extremely peaceful, his face was radiant with self-knowledge,
and he seemed extremely happy. He asked, I have never seen somebody like this, who is
this? The charioteer said, he is a sage. Buddha asked why does he look so happy? The
charioteer mentioned that he has realized the transient nature of life and believes permanence
is found within oneself. Buddha asked, how can I know that? It is because he asked the
question earnestly that he eventually became Buddha; the answer will eventually come to one
who can ask the question.
Signs are everywhere for people to ask this question; there are others around who are constantly
getting old, sick and dying but for most humans the answer is that it is for them, I am young
and strong. It is only when these problems come knocking on their own doors that their
consciousness decides to brood about it. But it is usually hard or impossible to achieve
knowledge with a weakened body, suffering from pain during old age. Many people ask, “Who
are you?” but seldom do they inquire, “Who am I? What is my purpose here? Why am I
here?” Most people have this question in their mind but decide to postpone getting the answers
for it.
That night, Buddha knew he would not find the answer in the artificial palace because his father
will not allow him to do so. So, he decided to leave that night itself. By this time his son Rahul
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was about 12 years old. He knew his wife could handle their small family by herself within the
rich palace. He went to bed at the normal time but at midnight, he woke up, caressed his son
and left with just a simple cloth over his body. He took a horse and went sufficiently far away
and let the horse go back by itself.
In the meantime, Buddha’s parents were distraught. His stepbrother, Ananda who was the son
of Gautami, followed him in his pursuit. He undertook penance for several years, met many
noble souls, listened to spiritual discourses, and studied various scriptures. But He was not
satisfied. Man aspires for bliss, but how can he attain it?
Buddha did not like the religions of the day which seem to be confined by rituals. He therefore
did not study any of the standard religious texts of the day. He wanted to find the answer from
within himself. Of course, he did give the religious protocols of the time a try; approached
sages and so forth but could not find the answer.
He didn’t believe there is a particular God he has to worship. He just asked the question, who
am I? Realizing that all the accepted ideas for spiritual refinement did not work for him, he
decided to go within and search for the truth without following the rules of any of the
established religions of the day. And because he did not follow the established religions of the
day, others called him an atheist.
Undeterred, he followed his pure heart to find the right answer. He concluded, the end of all
the misery is when you give up all the desires. Only the desireless person will be happy, all
others cannot be happy. They can only be temporarily happy when they gain something and
the next moment when they lose something, they will again be unhappy. Permanent happiness
comes to those who understand that life is full of sorrow caused by desires. One who conquers
these desires overcomes all sorrows and ultimately realizes their true self.
Eventually, he just sat below a Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya in current day Bihar, India and
meditated for seven weeks (49 days). He became just a skeleton. He was tempted many times
to get something to eat but refused to give in to the temptation till he solved the riddle that was
in his mind; his enquiry could not give him peace.
Buddha asked, “What is this life? Birth is misery, old age is misery, wife is a cause of sorrow.
There is misery at the end of life. Therefore, be alert and awake.” He searched for something
permanent. 49 days later he attained the supreme knowledge (Nirvana) on the full moon day
of May 533 B.C. This was not long after leaving his family. When Buddha was on the verge
of attaining Nirvana, his stepbrother, Ananda was in tears of sorrow. Buddha consoled him by
asking him why he was sorrowful. He said he has been craving this state of Nirvana for many
years. Ananda understood the truth and eventually attained Nirvana himself.
People ridiculed and hurled abuses on him, but he told his ardent followers not to be perturbed
because they get as much joy and satisfaction in their activity that you get in pouring reverence
to me. Reminding them not to hate anyone which is an ancient ordinance. He declared nonviolence is the greatest of dharma.
He did not like the idea of parents forcing children to get married. In fact, he did not like adults
pressuring children in any way whatsoever. He stated that people should not cause hurt to others
(even animals) in any way whatsoever be it physical, verbal or others.
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Buddha taught that Nirvana can be attained only by cultivating sacred vision, sacred speech,
sacred listening, sacred feeling, and sacred action. Humans aspire for liberation or the freedom
from suffering of the body, mind, and soul. He said when you are hungry, you eat food, when
you are suffering from a disease, you take medicine. Hunger and illness can be controlled to
lessen their effect on you. But true liberation comes with understanding the soul (athma) and
this is called Nirvana.
One day as Buddha was walking, a person was taking an animal to a village and found out it
was to be sacrificed. Buddha went to the village and asked what was going on. They said this
animal is to be sacrificed. Buddha asked, why do you want to sacrifice this animal? The priest
said if you sacrifice the animal, its soul will go to heaven. Buddha replied, if that is the case
you can sacrifice yourself and can go to heaven as well. The priest replied, we don’t want to
go to heaven, but the animal must go to heaven. Buddha argued to them that they should be
vegetarians because the body is a temple of God not a tomb of animals. He preached nonviolence to all beings whether human or animal.
Buddha opposed the caste system as it deviated from its original purpose of labor division
benefiting society. Over time in the Kali age, the system evolved into a hierarchy, deviating
from the original principle of labor division with equal rights for members of all castes.
The superiority complex became an acceptable fashion. This is in contrast with the humility of
Rama or Krishna’s time. Rama was from the warrior caste but lived with the monkey tribes.
Krishna accentuated this attitude by living among cowherders belonging to the Shudra caste
though he was born in the warrior caste. The previous avatars showed by their examples, that
all should be treated as manifestations of God. This is why in India, people greet each other by
clasping their hands together in a prayer-like gesture, which replaces the hand shaking which
Westerners does.
The avatars inculcated that love was the rock around which we should live our lives. Everyone
and everything are manifestations of love. There should be no distinction or favoritism to
people or even things because everything is suffused with love. For example, Rama told
Hanuman to inform the mountain which wanted to serve Rama, not to worry, as it can serve
Krishna later.
In the Kali age when disarrays were supposed to happen, the Buddha incarnate helped to
alleviate the rampant hate among different compartments of people.
Buddha traveled far and wide. He had a brilliant and handsome form. One lady named
Ambashali approached him and said, “O great one, you look like a prince in ochre robes. May
I know why you don ochre robes at this young age?” Buddha said, “This body which is young
and handsome is bound to become old with time, will be made sick and perish ultimately. I
want to know the cause of old age, sickness and death.” Ambashali was impressed by his quest
for the truth and invited him to her home for a meal. Soon, all the people of the village began
advising Buddha against this, as she was, “not a woman of good character.” Buddha held one
hand of the village head and asked him to clap his hands. The village head said he could not
do so, as Buddha was holding one of the hands. Buddha then said, “Likewise, Ambashali
cannot be bad by herself unless there are men of bad character in this village. If all the men in
this village were good, this woman would not have turned bad. Therefore, men and their money
are responsible for the bad character of Ambashali.” The people of the village asked for
forgiveness and started paying respect to Ambashali. Ambashali herself went to the spiritual
path and led a pious life.
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Buddha preached that just as one yearns for and works towards securing property, welfare and
happiness for oneself, one must also yearn for and work towards securing these very things for
society. That is, we should consciously work for society as much as we work for our own
welfare.
Buddha was once asked, “Who is the richest man in the world?” Buddha replied, “He who has
much satisfaction (with what he has) is the richest man.” To the question, “Who is the poorest
man?” Buddha replied, “He who has many desires.”
There was a village headman who did not like Buddha. He felt that Buddha was getting people
to sit down and meditate and be lazy. Buddha, who was knowledgeable, visited his home with
his disciples to beg for food. The headman shouted, “You, lazy fellow! You don’t deserve any
alms. Get out! You have been wasting your time.” The headman kept on abusing Buddha. But
Buddha only smiled. The headman then asked, “Sir! I have a doubt. Will you clear it?” Buddha
asked, “What is your doubt? Speak out.” The headman inquired how Buddha seemed
unaffected by all the abuse he threw at him. Buddha explained, “I came to you begging for
food. Suppose you had brought the food, and I had refused to take it, what would you have
done with the food?” The man answered, “I would have taken it back.” Buddha retorted, “Now,
instead of food, you gave me all your abuse. I refused to receive it. What happens to it? It goes
back to you. I have no connection with it.” The headman learnt his lesson and realized that
Buddha is no ordinary mortal.
Almost all of India became Buddhist under the rule of Emperor Ashoka. A religion without the
caste system seemed better because the Brahmins were abusing the other castes. Even the
warriors were subdued to the Brahmins. And women of all castes were forbidden to participate
in some rituals, effectively treating all women as inferior. The disillusion with the system was
growing. And the root of the problem was that wide sections of humanity believed the lie that
the rituals of Brahmins can promote a person or even a group of people to higher spiritual
beings. People should strive to attain higher spiritual levels themselves and not purchase it from
a Brahmin.
Nevertheless, most Indians got disillusioned and felt that getting rid of the caste system which
was by then practiced over many millennia is the only way forward. The Buddhist religion
spread far into Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia,
China, and Japan.
Back in India, a great sage by the name of Adi Sankara, from the state of Kerala, in South India
brought back Hinduism. He taught that though the caste system was prone to abuse, it was
necessary to ensure society had proper specialists. A case in point was the bravery of just 24
soldiers out of the 5000 Travancore Kingdom (Kerala) soldiers who turned the tide in the war
and eventually caused the defeat of the 30,000 soldiers of Tipu Sultan in 1789. A few months
later as the furious Tipu Sultan came back with 60,000 soldiers to take revenge, the 5000
Travancore army was again able to defeat them by breaking a dam to flood the 60,000 soldiers
who used lots of French guns which could not work after it got wet. The Kerala soldiers then
wiped them out with their traditional old weapons and Kalaripayattu.
A country needs Brahmins who focused on spiritual practices, the Kshatriya soldiers who
trained to fight off invaders, the Vaisya who produced food and machinery and the Sudras who
helped all the other castes by following instruction.
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The Kshatriya focused on being a warrior did only the barest minimum in prayers, but it is
alright because their work is a worship, and they can attain supreme consciousness of
themselves being God as they become the ultimate warrior.
Similarly, as the Vaisyas focused on honing their skills in business or machinery building, they
did only the simplest of prayers. They can also, through this route attain the supreme knowledge
of being God themselves. A case in point is Michael Faraday who was a scientist and top
builder of machines but was wholly spiritual and even refused the “Sir'' title offered by Queen
Victoria, stating he must be simple to the end.
Similarly, the Sudras only did simple prayers as they toiled to follow the instructions of the
other castes to perfection. Note the Sudras will be leaders of society when obeying computer
instructions becomes the main skill needed by humanity. The Sudras can also attain the
supreme knowledge of being God themselves as they perfect their instruction following skills.
Many teens play computer games these days, the winner is the hero who can follow the
numerous instructions for the game perfectly.
Note the Vedas or the knowledge of the universe is already within every human. Some use
Brahmanical rituals or mantras to understand them, some become ultimate warriors to
understand them, some use building the greatest business enterprise (or greatest machinery) to
attain them and some use the ultimate instruction following skills (as in a computer game) to
attain them.
The Brahmin who can recite thousands of mantras continuously for hours could be only at the
same spiritual level of believing they are themselves God as a Shudra who has honed his skills
in listening to instructions to a high level of perfection.
Even the Brahmins can pursue their spiritual pursuits fully only when they are donated with
food and protection by the other castes and cannot truly attain spiritual development of God
realization when they are involved in cheating with fake rituals. Any caste or even any human
who does not do their jobs honestly has always brought their country to travails, sometimes
only by a little but sometimes drastically because their actions are related to a wide section of
humanity. A case in point is the action of the instruction follower pushing a button to fire an
ICBM to start World War III.
It was because the Brahmin deviated from that understanding that a new system was needed,
and Buddhism filled that void. Buddha died in 500 B.C. at the age of 63, 200 years before
Alexander the Great was born.
12.1 JESUS CHRIST
560 years after Buddha, Jesus was born in Israel in 3 BC. Both Buddha and Jesus were born
highly evolved spiritually but their activities later in life made them supremely realized. When
Jesus was born there was narrow pride and thick ignorance defiling humans. Jesus stood out
like a beautiful lotus out of the mud where it grows; he held the highest ideals. There was a
halo of splendor illuminating the sky over the village where Jesus was born. This meant he
who was to overcome darkness of evil and ignorance had taken birth and would spread the light
of love in all hearts and councils of all humanity. Jesus was an ideal figure. He was born to a
virgin mother, Mary. Three Kings from three different directions separately via divine guidance
went to the manger where the baby Jesus was born; they proclaimed that he is the son of God.
The followers of Jesus rightly take this mysterious birth as the result of a divine power and that
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made his mother, Mary a sacred woman. Like the fragrance in the bud of a flower, Jesus’s
divinity was evident since his boyhood. He displayed such sacred qualities as compassion, love
and sacrifice as guided by Mary. Mary taught him truth, kindness, compassion, and justice.
Jesus’s birthday should be celebrated by all humanity for such divine personalities are born to
help the whole human race. He came to save all humans. But his birthday should be celebrated
in the form of adhering to his teachings, being loyal to the disciplines, practicing them and
experiencing the awareness of the divine that he sought to arise within all. It should be a day
to purify one’s emotions and passions via meditation on the virtues and values that Jesus held.
Initially, Jesus searched for the divine outside but later realized that the divine is within oneself.
Jesus then took the world as a kaleidoscopic image created by one’s imagination and concluded
that God can only be found within oneself. He retired from the world to find the nature of God.
He contemplated on himself being a part of God or being related to God. He therefore
summarized that he was the son of God.
At the age of 12 he went to the Jewish temple and was disappointed at the system there where
a devotee must go through the ‘holy and noble’ priest to reach God. This degradation of religion
had infected all religions of earth over time. He knew God was within oneself. In the temple,
devotees spend only a second in spirituality and the rest of the time socializing and having a
good time. He was especially disappointed with the merchants’ selling trinkets within the
temple compound. He took a whip and whipped all the shopkeepers there; such was his courage
and conviction. The priest came asking who is this audacious boy? They tried to suppress him
and asked him, “Who are you to even say things like that?” That is when he said, “I am the
son of God. He is my father, this is my father’s home, you can’t make a marketplace out of it.”
He was telling off the high priest. Once Jesus’s parents heard of this, they thought if this son
of theirs kept going around talking things like this, nobody will let him live. They decided that
they should keep Jesus hidden.
At a tender age of 12, his father died. Mary asked Jesus to take up carpentry to sustain the
livelihood of the small family. He did this service in acknowledgement that the blood, food,
head, and money are all gifts of the parents. He depicted to other youngsters that service to
parents is ideal. Jesus had the innate knowledge that duty is God and work is worship. He
thereby did his duty with sincerity therefore produced fine carpentry. Mary also always taught
Jesus to think about God continuously. But this work as a carpenter only lasted for a year
because Jesus was determined to shatter the darkness that had enveloped the world.
At age 13, one day, Jesus went to a lonely hilltop to contemplate the teachings of the temple
priest. Due to his absence, Mary became depressed. But Mary did not want to oppose the
inclination of her son. She knew what he was discovering was good as she herself was very
devout to God. Therefore, with her permission, Jesus started wandering in the desert sands to
deepen his spiritual insights. Once he went missing for 12 long days, meditating on God, and
enquiring on the nature of attachment. He concluded that attachment is not God’s gifts, and
that bliss, peace and truth are the only gifts of God, and the rest are just passing clouds. Jesus
realized that humans came to this world as messengers of God. They do this by realizing their
God given destiny (the calling). Jesus spent many years practicing spiritual austerities to be
able to shower compassion and divine love on all humanity.
Jesus then took leave of his mother and just kept walking in search of truth. He was totally
immersed in the God within himself for a period of 12 years (till the age of 25). This period
drew him even closer to God.
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He finally reached the Himalayas to verify the great truth which he always knew in his heart
but there was nobody around him that thought the same way. He met a lot of sages, saints, and
seers. There was no Hinduism there, so it was not that he was being influenced to be a Hindu.
He was just among spiritually elevated souls. There was Sanatana Dharma where everybody
believed in the great truth that there is only one truth spoken by different people in different
ways. He continued this practice for five years, practicing intense spiritual disciplines after
which he realized that the embracing love of the father was the same as his own love. Thereby,
making the statement that I and my father are one. So, Jesus spent 17 years (12 in Israel and
five years in the Himalayas) before concluding that he and his father are one. After realizing
that he and the Holy Ghost are one, he made his way back to the West. He has been almost
completely alone for 17 years and thenceforth decided that he should be an example to others,
to show them the way for their salvation.
He started his trek back to Israel at age 29. He traveled to Calcutta and then on to Tibet where
he signed his name as Isa in a record book. He then went all the way to Malaysia before heading
back to Israel and reached home still within the age of 29.
Though Jesus was already supremely realized by the time he went back to Israel, he taught his
disciples via the same steps he went through, that is, initially being the messengers of God,
then to be sons of God and eventually getting them to realize they and the father are one. His
disciples can connect with him because everyone is God and can recognize these truths. One
of Jesus's most important teachings is that the truth will set you free.
Jesus manifested divine powers and miracles to instill faith in the validity of his teachings.
Among these miracles were instantly solving chronic medical problems, materializing objects
out of thin air as well as preventing natural disasters. Jesus was a master born to restore love,
charity, and compassion in the hearts of humanity. He had no attachment to self or paid any
heed to joy or sorrow, loss, or gain. His heart responded to anguish and preached the lessons
of love. Jesus transformed many sinners to saints. The teachings of Jesus were of infinite love
and compassion. And to achieve this, the heart must be purified by killing jealousy and
selfishness. Speech and every glance should be so sweet that it can shed comfort. The hands
must be dedicated to the service of mankind and never a slave of sensual desires. God takes
upon himself the pain and sorrow of the world to prepare human hearts for love. But truly in
God, there is no “suffering”, and you have no reason to suffer. If your love is full, there is no
reason for sorrow, pain, or suffering.
The heart of Jesus was pure and calm (sacred). We must similarly make our hearts sacred such
that either we merge in Jesus or Jesus merge in us. The oneness that feels for everyone and
loves everyone, sacrifices for all, forgives all, accepts all and punishes none. Sharing of one’s
wealth with those in need is a prime teaching of Jesus. Jesus taught all to have sacred vision,
speak good words, hear only what is good and only entertain only noble thoughts. Jesus said,
ask and it shall be given, call and it will be answered and knock, and it shall be opened. But we
must ask at the right door, the door of your heart. Ask for everlasting bliss and not for material
pleasures. Pray for peace without break to the God within you. It is because Jesus kept
indicating that humanity should focus on the heart that he is often drawn with his hand pointing
at his heart.
It must be noted however that some current followers of Christianity believe Jesus will take
away all the consequences of the crimes they committed but there is a universal law that even
for Jesus, if he absorbs a person's crimes unto himself, Jesus himself must come back to suffer
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for those crimes. All Gods who absorb others' sins must suffer it themselves, probably in
another life.
Jesus wanted all to be messengers of God by giving happiness to all and considering every
activity as God’s work. He wanted everyone to speak, act and think like messengers of God.
So, each human must perform selfless work, prayer, service to humanity and meditate. The
service rendered must be selfless, without any thought of return. Such service renders light in
the darkness of the interior of a human. Jesus always spoke of tolerance among the religious
communities and marked the path that can provide the sweet nectar of divine bliss. He told his
disciples to cultivate charity, compassion, forbearance, love, and faith.
The Christian cross is a symbol for the elimination of the ego of I. Jesus decided to sacrifice
his “I”; the happiness, prosperity, comfort, safety, and position and braved the enmity of the
powerful. He renounced his ego which is the toughest thing for one to get rid of. All humans
have taken birth to undertake this same mission of crucifixion of the ego. Only when the ego
is sacrificed can the divine in oneself manifest. “Mine” is death and “Not Mine” is immortality.
The golden key of non-attachment opens the door of heaven.
Jesus was the epitome of compassion and the refuge of the poor, needy and forlorn. Jesus
washed the feet of disciples. When they asked him why he was doing so, he replied that he was
washing their feet as their servant so that they may learn to serve the world. The service is a
manifestation of love. It can take the form of food for the hungry, solace for the forlorn and
consolation for the sick and suffering. Jesus wore himself out in the service to humanity. Jesus
sacrificed for the sake of those who followed him. Jesus is glorified all over the world today
because he served the lowly, the lost and in the end offered his life as a sacrifice. The teaching
of Jesus, of helping people in need is found in all religions and is the greatest virtue a person
can have. Practicing this virtue, the disciples called him, “messenger of God.”
As his disciples progressed further, Jesus told his disciples that they thenceforth are sons of
God, children of God and brothers and sisters of God. That way, the disciples should not do
anything that is contrary to the love that God represents. You will be welcomed by God only
when you become like a child, with a sense of wonder, fresh and free. Children have this simple
eagerness to know and have reverence towards knowledge. Jesus liked children and advised all
grow-ups to be like children to be saved.
Finally, as the knowledge of the disciples ripened, Jesus asserted that they must practice, “I
and my father are one.” They were told to proclaim this oneness with God. It widens the heart,
purifies the impulses, and confers lasting bliss. Jesus taught that you are God and God is in
you. You must be able to state with conviction that you are the spark of divinity. Similarly, you
must say with conviction that all around you are sparks of divinity. You must fill yourself with
the feeling that God is in you, beside you, around you and with you and wherever you go. You
must take shelter in the divine to escape from the storms of life. He propagated the truth that
service is God and sacrifice is God, stating that even if you flatter in your adoration to God, do
not flatter in your sacrifice to the living Gods around you. He said, be ready to sacrifice even
your lives for the sake of God.
Later many (including the priest) turned against Jesus due to his growing influence among the
people and laid obstacles in his path and even tried to kill him. Jesus foretold to his disciples
what was going to happen to him; that he would be crucified and would wake up on the third
day.
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Because Jesus knew he would be crucified, he had a “last supper” of bread and wine with his
disciples. Here he informed his disciples that the bread was his flesh and the wine his blood
which meant that all beings with flesh and blood are to be treated as himself. No distinction
should be made of friend or foe, we, or they. Every drop of blood flowing in every being is his
and is animated by the activity it produced, and their blood is represented by the wine. Jesus
said every being should be treated as divine and must be revered as such.
Jesus’s critics complained to the head priest against him. So, Jesus was taken to a Jewish
tribunal and eventually before the Roman ruling authorities and was found guilty. They
tempted his most beloved disciple, Judas with 30 pieces of silver to betray him. Judas yielded
to this low temptation and informed the Roman overlords that Jesus was asserting himself as
the king and therefore should be punished for treason. Greed for money is a demon that can
buy the weak. The priest knew Jesus was speaking only truths but did not support him to keep
his own position. At the insistence of the Jewish leadership, the Roman governor ordered his
crucifixion. Thus, after much preaching at age 36, Jesus was crucified due to the greed and fear
of the priest and rulers of the realm.
Jesus wished well for all who insulted and injured him. After reaching the stage of unity with
God, Jesus had no suffering at all. He was blissful and prepared for anything. Jesus was smiling
even at the time of his crucifixion because of his realization that he was not the body which is
just a vesture. He knew that the in-dweller within him is not affected by whatever happens to
the body; the in-dweller has no birth or death and is God. So, even while being nailed on the
cross, Jesus advised his disciples not to be angry at the injustice and to treat all as instruments
of God’s will.
The resurrection is to signify that divinity in Jesus and could only come with full realization of
the God within oneself, after spending years in contrition. Comparatively most humans were
accumulating wealth, thinking it would provide joy and calm. Humans should instead focus on
divine love which can remove anger, envy, and hatred. The entire world is a play of love.
Today the followers of Christ have broken up into multiple sects, but the teaching of Jesus is
one of unity. He taught that there is only one God, and all are his children. We need to recognize
in each human, the child of God and ignore all the limiting thoughts and prejudices based on
status, color, class, and nativity. Humans may appear different in terms of physical form but in
terms of spirit, all are one. There is only one God, and he is omnipresent. There is only one
religion, the religion of love, there is only one language, the language of the heart. The
followers of every religion, in their own way and style, call God who is omnipresent. And it is
the same God who confers to all humanity, health, prosperity, peace, and happiness.
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CHAPTER 13
SAI BABA
The disarray and fights in the oceans especially by huge and vicious fishes was a problem
before Matsya came. Then the fights of mountain sized tortoises were the problem before
Kurma incarnated. Then there were fights in the jungle among the viciously powerful wild
beasts that required the supremely powerful Narasimha to incarnate and transform their attitude
from a kill or be killed attitude to respecting each other. Later, huge and powerful humans
started engaging in mortal combats requiring huge Parashurama to descend. Then Ravana’s
abuses resulted in the incarnation of Rama, who also set out the ideal way a human husband,
wife, son, daughter, and a leader should behave. Later the abuses of the bad among Kshatriyas
required Krishna to incarnate. Even later Buddha had to incarnate because a hierarchy was
developing in the caste system, away from the originally stipulated flat labor division where
each of the four castes are an equally indispensable portion of the body of society (legs,
stomach, shoulders, and head).
Today the lack of love or even belief or acknowledgement of the “Almighty Force'' has brought
humanity to the brink of a nuclear conflagration and environmental disaster. The problems of
today are worse than ever before. And the seriously destructive wars and antagonisms today
are for seemingly childish things like racial, religious, or ideological superiority complexes
which humans use to justify their violence, pride, and greed. All these boil down to one plain
common-sense fact that no two humans can be the same even if they are from the same family,
race, religion, ideology, or army.
Take religious superiority for example. How can a person claim that he or she is superior just
because he “joined” a religion? Now that we all know how humongous the universe is, can the
leader of all this (God) value the miniscule piece of paper or book where one's name is
registered in that religious organization? Knowing this and still believing in the registration
criteria for religion should be the definition of insanity; all born before writing was invented
goes to hell? God examines each heart individually to find love, totally oblivious of the
situation they are in; whether they are dirty or wounded in the middle of a battlefield, collecting
rubbish, a child or a super-rich person.
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The various religions and their books should be treated just like the subjects taught in schools
like, physics, chemistry, or biology. Just as advanced atomic physics is merging with advanced
chemistry, the different religions are like different rivers which lead to the same ocean of God.
But people who do not think logically in this manner have increased in numbers such that
violence; far greater than was committed by Ravana (a figure of speech because he is
everyone’s favorite bad guy) is being committed by religious extremists and leaders of the
business world today.
Comparing the bad of today to those narrated in this book; at least the bad of old times can be
admired for their acknowledgement of God and their firm determination and strength of mind
to achieve their goals through their prayers. In the Kali yuga which just finished on 10/23/2015,
12:15, only 0.001% of humanity were following the spiritual path. In the Sathya yuga it was
the other way round where 99% were following spiritual paths and there were only a few
demons which sometimes became strong enough for God to incarnate to vanquish them. Most
of the scriptures came from the Sathya yuga when everybody knew the main purpose of life is
God realization.
In Sathya yuga Sages did penance to look after the welfare of the whole universe, in Treta yuga
the welfare of the whole society was looked after.
Later during the Treta yuga, people were getting married and the knowledge of how one should
behave in families with respect to the society at large became the teaching of Rama. There are
three primary values spelled out by Rama.
During the later period of the Dwapara yuga, conflicts began to emerge even within families,
and kings were taking multiple wives. Narakasura had 16,108 wives because lots of kings
around that time started valuing three Ws (women, wealth, and wine) and when Krishna killed
him, he had to officially marry all of them so they could be sustained. Wars became prevalent
and even stealing other’s wives became a common trend. Sensual pleasures seem to have risen
its head as the aim of leaders and the trend carried forth to the lower levels of the population.
Taking women as objects happened at various times throughout history. The sexes should be
understood. There are four powerful forces in the universe which are truth, love, peace, and
wisdom. The core force manifesting in men is truth, that of women is love, that of girls is peace
and that of boys is wisdom. On average women tend to be physically less strong because the
core force of love within their being doesn't need strength as much. A marriage is between the
forces of truth and love. Abusers of women who think they are physically weaker will
eventually get retribution somewhere in their lives because they are messing with powerful
forces of peace and love.
As a sign of bad behavior in the Dwapara yuga, Krishna’s uncle, Kamsa was only interested in
his own welfare and usurped the throne from his own father. Then Dhritarashtra encouraged
his 100 children to give a hard time to the five Pandavas who were the rightful rulers of the
country; leading to the eventual destruction of all his sons; bad fathers raise bad sons who will
destroy even large kingdoms.
5000 years ago, as the Kali yuga began when individuals became uninterested in their own
welfare. Getting drunk and having all kinds of wrong habits became the trend. The
Mahabharata was now being fought within each individual.
Summarizing in the Sathya yuga Gods and Demons were living on the same earth, in the Treta
yuga Gods and Demons were living in the same country, in the Dwapara yuga Gods and
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Demons were living in the same family and in the Kali yuga Gods and Demons were living in
the same person; each human is destroying themselves. People are going about as the senses
or worldly trends take them which is the root cause of depression. Suicides, medication, and
drug addictions. People do not know how to deal with their inner enemies. The enemy is within
oneself and should not blame others for their problems. Therefore, the bad of today are fenced
by nothing in their evilness. Is God turning a blind eye to all these atrocities of today?
No, God did come. In this Kali age with all the low-quality food and heavy pollution, the
lifespans of humans have reduced so much that God had to come in three lives. Firstly, as
Shirdi Sai Baba, then as Sathya Sai Baba and then as Prema Sai Baba to solve the worst
problems this earth has ever faced. Shirdi Sai Baba came to reveal divinity, Sathya Sai Baba
came to awaken divinity within human beings and the Prema Sai will propagate that we are all
divine ourselves.
Why is the great God who created this entire universe coming in a human form? The formless
and undefinable God needs to take the form of the dominant beings on earth of that age to take
them away from wrong trajectories. This way he will be relatable, and the majority can
comprehend the teachings; nobody can develop faith in a formless and undefinable God.
Humans were in the trajectory of total segregation and disrespect which if left unchecked could
have led to nuclear annihilation and environmental disaster before Sai Baba came. Sathya Sai
Baba stated that one of his main purposes was to prevent a nuclear conflagration.
God who incarnated in human form even adopts some of the frailties of the dominant beings
on earth to be more relatable. As an analogy, if we fall in love with a girlfriend or boyfriend
and that person is so perfect; we will feel our relationship to that person is just to destroy that
perfection. Therefore, God comes with seeming frailties. The frailties of Sai Baba included
getting sick and eventually dying.
The knowledge, which Sai Baba spelled out will soothe this and numerous ages (yugas) to
come. He says he has already switched off the Kali yuga on 10/23/2015 12:15 and we are
currently living in the Sathya yuga. But like a spinning fan whose electrical power is switched
off, the yuga will keep on going for a while. Basically, the Kali yuga became far too bad for
God to let it continue.
Somewhere in the late 1960s Sathya Sai Baba stated that the Mahabharata is still going on
today with India which stands for truth being Yudhishthira, Russia with all its strength being
Bhima and America with all its missiles being Arjuna. Note Baba said Russia even though it
was the Soviet Union at that time. In the opinion of this author, by extrapolation, Japan would
be Karna because of Japan’s association with the sun; the sun being on their flag.
He said it is possible for him to solve all the problems of the earth in a single stroke, but this is
not sustainable. He wants to educate and slowly spiritualize humans to ensure lasting peace
will endure and prosper on earth.
To understand this, villagers near where this author lives were given large sums of money as
compensation for the land taken from them to enable the building of a hydroelectric dam. But
the villagers were living in the jungle all their lives and did not know about the modern world.
Thereby even when money which can purchase 20 full meals dropped from their pockets, they
did not pick it up. Many of them spent all the compensation money buying expensive cars
which got destroyed in a short time on the dirt roads of the jungle. This analogy can give hints
on why Baba said it is not a good idea to solve humanity’s problems in a single stroke; the
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people of that tribe were given the money without the mental changes required to handle the
money. Similarly solving the problems of earth in a single stroke without developing the human
minds will last only for a short while before humanity falls back to square one. Therefore,
changing the human minds is very critical in any project in uplifting mankind.
Sai Baba’s first life was in Shirdi, India where he was known as Shirdi Baba (1835-1918). He
died and took a new birth in Puttaparthi, India as Sathya Sai Baba (1926-2011) and he
continued his life using the body of his university’s top student, Madhu where the focus of the
message is that we are all individual Gods ourselves and that if one Baba can do so much what
can numerous Babas do; meaning we should all be Babas. He then was reborn as Prema Sai
Baba in 2009 and will live till 2063. Prema Sai was born in Gunaparthi, a village in the Mandya
district (between Bangalore and Mysore) of Karnataka. He will only realize he is Prema Sai at
age 14 in 2023, just as Sathya Sai Baba realized he is Sai Baba at age 14 in 1940. The first Sai
Baba is an incarnation of Shiva, the second is an incarnation of Shiva and Parvati and the third
life is an incarnation of Parvati.
Sai Baba said Shirdi Baba laid the base for secular integration and gave mankind the message
of treating work as duty; all work can become modes of worship. Meaning all castes doing
their respective jobs with perfection as per the duties of their castes can lead one to the ultimate
realization that one is God.
Sathya Sai Baba’s function is to make everybody realize that the same God or divinity resides
in everyone, so they should respect, love, and help each other irrespective of color, creed, or
religion.
Finally, Prema Sai, the third Avatar, will promote the evangelical message that not only does
God reside in everybody, but everybody is God. That will be the final wisdom which will
enable every man and woman to become Gods. One can imagine a world where everyone
believes thy are God themselves, there will be no more religious wars.
Sathya Sai Baba has given his devotees a glimpse of how he will look like an adult in his Prema
Sai Baba life. One day, he gave a ring to an American Professor, Dr John S Hislop. The cameo
of the ring was a stone with a gradually growing picture of Prema Sai Baba. This form looks a
lot like Jesus Christ. Sai Baba said all the problems of the earth will be solved during this
second life including the Madhu phase of that mission. Prema Sai Baba will do just follow-up
work.
13.1 THE FIRST SAI BABA
Sai Baba was born as Shirdi Sai Baba in a village named Patri. Shirdi Sai Baba was born on
September 28, 1835, and died at 2:30 pm on September 28, 1918, in Shirdi, located in Northern
India, not too far from Mumbai and Pune. The place where he was buried is one of the top
pilgrimage sites in the world today. It has a daily inflow of about 20,000 and during festivals
millions throng to this place.
In the opinion of this author, Shirdi Baba was fully a Muslim and came for the Muslims. Some
Muslims have realized this and call him Mualana Baba. Mualana translates to a person
respected for his spiritual and religious attainments and Baba means father. The reason why
this is not well known is that the mosque that Shirdi Sai Baba made his residence has been
turned into a temple by the majority Hindus around the region. That mosque was named
Dwarakamayi by Shirdi Baba.
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One can imagine God coming to solve the problems caused by humanity, he can see a landscape
of humanity falling into three main religions, the Muslim religion, Indian religions (Hinduism,
Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism etc) and the Christian religions. Shirdi Sai Baba came as a
Muslim, Sathya Sai Baba came for the Indian religions and Prema Sai Baba for the Christians.
The two clues this author has that Prema Sai Baba came for the Christians are that he will spend
most of his life outside of India and the second clue is that he does look a little like Jesus. Baba
has said on many occasions that prayers of the pious of any religion will reach him and must
be answered by him.
Shirdi Baba’s mother was Devadiriamma and his father was Gangabhavadya. They were
childless and frequently prayed for a child. They were poor Brahmins. Gangabhavadya
provided the needs of boat owners in his village of Pathri in Aurangabad District. One night,
Gangabhavadya went out to take care of the boats, so Devadiriamma went to bed. At 9:00 pm
there was a knock on the door. Devagiriamma opened the door, thinking it was her husband.
But it turned out to be an old man who pleaded, “It is very cold outside. Please permit me,
mother, to stay inside.” As a pious woman, she allowed him to stay inside the veranda and
went in after bolting the door inside. After a while, there was another knock on the door. She
opened the door, and the old man said, “I am feeling hungry; give me some food.” She knew
that there was no food, so she mixed some flour in curd and gave it to the old man. After some
time, there was another knock on the door and the old man said, “My legs are aching, Mother,
will you massage them?” Devagiriamma went inside and sat in her prayer room and asked, “O
Mother! Why are you testing me like this? What should I do? Should I serve him or
refuse?” She went out of the house by the backdoor in search of someone who could do the
massaging, but no one was available. After a while the old man knocked on the front door again
but at the same time there was a knock on the back door also. She opened the back door and
saw a woman. The woman said, “It appears you came to my house and sought some help? I
was away at the time. Please let me know what service I should render to you?” Devagiriamma
felt that Goddess Parvati herself had sent this woman in response to her prayers. She brought
the woman to the front veranda to serve the old man and closed the door. This old man and
woman were Shiva and Parvati. Shiva told Parvati, “Fulfill the cherished desires of this lady”,
but Parvati replied, “You are supreme. Please shower your grace on her yourself.” Shiva said,
“I came to test her. You came in answer to her prayers. Hence you must bless her.” There was
a knock on the door again. Devagiriamma opened the door quickly because there was a woman
there. When she opened the door, she saw Shiva and Parvati in their divine form.
Devagiriamma was overwhelmed and fell at their feet. Parvati blessed her, “I grant you a son
to maintain the lineage and a daughter for kanyadan (a girl to be offered in
marriage).” Devagiriamma then fell at Shiva’s feet, and Shiva said, “I am immensely pleased
with your devotion. I shall take birth as your third child.”
Devagiriamma was ecstatic and awaited eagerly for the return of her husband to tell him this
story. He only returned in the morning. When she finally revealed the story, Gangabhavadya
said, “Devagiri! What is this fanciful tale! It is all a dream. Parvati and Shiva appear before
you and give Darshan! It is pure fantasy!”
Years passed and Devagiriamma became pregnant, and a son was born. A year later, a daughter
was born. Gangabhavadya was now convinced the story of Devagiriamma was true. He told
his wife, “You had good fortune. I did not have that luck.”
Then Devagiriamma became pregnant for the third time. When she was pregnant
Gangabhavadya developed a sense of total detachment and wanted to give up livelihood and
go to the forest in search of the divine couple. Devagiriamma decided to follow him though
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she was nine months pregnant, because she considered her husband as God. After walking a
short distance, she developed labor pains and delivered her third child, Sai Baba. She wrapped
the baby in a piece of cloth and left him by the roadside to proceed with her husband to the
forest.
A Muslim holy man (fakir) found the boy and brought him home since he had no children
himself. The fakir’s wife showered great affection on the boy. The boy grew up in the fakir’s
home from 1835–1939 (four years). After that, the fakir died. The boy was behaving in strange
ways which caused tensions in the already boiling relationship between the Hindu and Muslim
communities of the area. The boy would go to a Hindu temple singing songs in praise of Allah,
“I am God” (mein Allah ho), “Allah is the supreme lord” (Allah malik hai). Then he would go
to the mosque and sing, “Rama is God”, “Shiva is Allah.”
Representatives of both the communities went to the fakir’s wife and complained about his
behavior. Unable to deal with the situation, the fakir’s wife handed over the boy to a sage living
nearby named Venkusa. Sai Baba stayed in Venkusa’s ashram from 1839–1851 (12 years). At
Venkusa’s ashram, Baba was still dressed as a Muslim. Top Hindu sages will never ask a person
to give up their nature; Great sages will always ask a person to build upon a track they have
already taken. Venkusa’s fondness of the boy was seen by others in the ashram as giving
uneven priority to him thereby brewing jealousy amongst them. Therefore, in 1851, the 16year-old Sai Baba left the ashram one night.
He reached a small village named Shirdi and stayed there for two months. The first spot he was
heading for in Shirdi was a temple. The priest of the temple, Mahalasapati saw this teenager
dressed as a Muslim entering the temple and turned him away in fear of reprisal from the
Muslim community. So, Sai Baba started sitting under a neem tree nearby. No one knew his
name. If anyone asks for his name, he will not give an answer. He would retort, “Why do you
want to know my name?” Some villagers would visit him and get relief for their ailments. He
crushed some leaves to cure them. News of his success at curing people spread and soon larger
and larger crowds gathered around this 16-year-old holy man. But after two months of this, one
night, Sai Baba just left; his mission was not to be a medicine man.
He went wandering from place to place for a couple of years, till he reached Dhoopkheda.
While residing there, a businessman named Chandu Patel was walking home through a forest
because he lost his horse. Sai Baba called him and asked, “Hey, Patel! Come here.” The 23year-old Sai Baba liked to smoke Chilim (a type of local cigarette). As there was no water
nearby, Sai Baba hit the ground with a stick and water gushed out. He hit the ground at another
place again and there was a fire. He used the water and fire to enable him to smoke. He offered
Chandu to smoke with him, but he declined. Sai Baba asked him, “What is worrying you,
Patel?” But Patel asked, “How do you know I am Patel.” Sai Baba said, “I know everything”.
Sai Baba said, “You are worried about your horse. You are keeping your eyes on top of your
head! You must lower them to trace the horse. Your horse is grazing under the tree there.” As
anticipated, the horse was indeed present at that location. By now Patel was astonished by the
knowledge of Sai Baba and said to him, “Swami! You have rendered great help to me. Please
come with me and share my hospitality.” Sai Baba said, “All right, let us go.”
Patel wanted Sai Baba to join him in his nephew’s (brother’s son) wedding in Shirdi. This
happened in 1858 when Sai Baba was only 23 years old. Sai Baba stayed in Shirdi for the next
60 years till his passing in 1918.
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As they reached Shirdi in a bullock cart, the same temple priest who previously turned him
away greeted him, “Ayiye, baba! Ayiye Sai.” Thus, the name Sai was first used for addressing
Sai Baba by this priest, Mahalasapati. The “baba” he mentioned meant father in Hindi; the baba
part of the name got stuck later.
After some time in Shirdi, Sai Baba was a witness in a criminal case, where a gang of thieves
stole from a rich man’s house. The police caught the thieves and interviewed Sai Baba thus:
Police: “Fakir, did you give these articles to them?”
Sai Baba: “Yes”
Police: “Where did you get them?”
Sai Baba: “They have come from the same place from which all things come.”
Police: “Who gave them to you?”
Sai Baba: “I gave them to myself”
Pause – the police were confused.
Sai Baba: “I am the giver of everything. How can anyone get anything without my sanction?”
The police were perplexed but prepared a report. Sai Baba was asked to go to the magistrate
for further questioning, but Patel helped arrange the magistrate’s commission to go and
interview Sai Baba at the abandoned mosque in Shirdi where he resided.
Commission: “What is your father’s name?”
Sai Baba: “Baba” (Baba means father in Hindi and Baba was implying that his father’s name
was “father”).
Commission: “What is your religion?”
Sai Baba: “The religion of God.”
Commission: “Wherefrom did you come?”
Sai Baba: “I have come from the Atma (soul).”
Commission: “What is your caste?”
Sai Baba: “The caste of the divine.”
The result of all these questions was that Sai Baba got an official name, the first part ‘Sai’ from
the priest, Mahalasapati and the second part, ‘Baba’ from the answer to the magistrate’s
commission.
As an adult, Sai Baba was regarded by his Hindu and Muslim followers as a saint. He promoted
religious harmony and tolerance. This was a time in India where Hindus and Muslim were
boiling in conflict and Sai Baba was a great unifier through his deep knowledge of the truth of
everything. Because of the nature of the people of those days, Baba used to shout at people and
even throw sticks at those who went astray.
He spent a major portion of his life in this abandoned mosque. Sai Baba normally goes out to
beg for oil to light the small lamps placed all over this mosque. One day, all the merchants
collectively decided not to give him oil. So, he walked back to the mosque with an empty
container. The merchants followed him to find out what he would do without oil. The
merchants saw him filling up the container with water and began pouring it into the small oil
lamps. The merchants sneered at him for doing this apparently insane act. But Sai Baba
continued filling up all the lamps and lit them all! This event made the merchants realize his
divinity and begged him for forgiveness.
Baba’s appearance was that of a Muslim and the fact that he stayed in a dilapidated mosque
made the Muslims feel he is one of them. The Hindus would offer incense sticks. The Muslims
did not approve of this. This added to the antagonism among the Muslims and Hindus.
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The priest, Mahalasapati who at one time did not let Baba into his temple ended up doing
service to Baba whenever needed. The Muslims did not approve of a Hindu priest in the midst
of Baba. So, they beat him up with sticks. Mahalasapati cried out, “Baba”' each time he was
beaten and fell to the ground. Baba came out bleeding all over and roared, “Saithan! On the
one side you worship me and on the other you beat me. Is this devotion!?” The Muslims had
great reverence for Baba. They asked who beat him up. As Baba pointed to the few men who
beat up Mahalaspati, he asked, “Did you not beat me? Did you not beat me?” One of the men
replied, “We did not come near you at all. We only beat Mahalasapati.” Baba said, “Who is in
Mahalasapati? I am in him. He has surrendered to me and hence all his troubles are mine.”
On hearing this, the Muslims fell at his feet and asked for forgiveness. Baba called all the
Muslims and Hindus and declared, “Dear children, you are all the progeny of one
mother.” Baba wanted all differences in caste and creed to be totally removed. He said what
mattered for mankind is the heart. Only the person who is not bothered about his creed can
discover the divine. When one focuses on the divine within, it is imperative that race, religion,
and other attachments which relate to the body fall off.
One day, Baba was examining some coins. When others asked him why he was doing so, he
said, “Just as I am examining the defects in these coins, I am also looking for the defects among
the devotees who come to me. I am trying to find out what defects are there in these people and
whether, with those defects; they can really comprehend my truth. They want me, but all their
desires are related to mundane objects. How can they attain me with this attitude? How can
you reach your destination if you get into a wrong train going in some other direction? They
want me, but they don't try to realize me. Among those who come to me, it is only one in a
thousand who really makes the effort to realize me. The minds of the so-called devotees are
turned in the wrong directions. If their desires are fulfilled, they praise me. But once a desire
is not realized they go to the extent of even reviling me. Even while they are attempting to
understand me, they harbor doubts from head to foot. Some even leave me when their worldly
desires are not fulfilled. These are not sincere devotees at all. They are in fact the worst sinners.
How can they reach me?”
One day, a wealthy man came to see Baba. He boasted of his wealth. Baba asked him, “How
long will you be here?” He replied that he has come with a taxi prepaid for both the to-and-fro
journeys, thus he must return in a day or two. Baba said, “When you have greed for wealth,
how can you realize God? It is not a goal that can be accomplished in a fixed time. Get
away.” When Baba saw that he was still sitting, he chased him out with a stick.
Baba’s favorite food was brinjal curry which he ate with chapatis. Sai Baba spoke a language,
which took from the traditions of the Muslims as well as the Hindus.
Sai Baba died at 2:30 pm on September 28th, 1918. World War I ended just over a month later,
on November 11th, 1918. Though Sai Baba died on that date, the next day he appeared in a
faraway city of Simla (in those days three days away) to meet a devotee named Mataji Krishna
Priya. Sai Baba purposely asked around for her house so that others would also know that the
supposedly dead Sai Baba had come to Simla. Sai Baba asked her for some hot tea as it was a
cold snowy day in Simla. Then Sai Baba told her he was hungry, so Krishna Priya prepared
Brinjal curry and some chapattis which she knew Sai Baba liked very much. Sai Baba told
Krishna Priya, “The purpose for which I came is over and I am going away.” Before finally
leaving her home, Sai Baba whispered into Krishna Priya’s ear, “See me in 1926.”
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Thus, God incarnate was alive during both World War I and II which were together very likely
the worst wars in the history of humanity. Are the World Wars parts of God’s cleansing
process? It is obvious around that time that the power of the world was disproportionately on
the side of Europeans; therefore, humanity was unbalanced; decolonization and progress
against the horrors of White racism started immediately after World War II. The British left
India mainly because the numerous Indian soldiers who fought for the British or against them
began to agitate against them; they knew the small number of British couldn't hold on to the
colonized India.
Shirdi Sai Baba was later buried, and a temple was built around his grave, and it is named
Samadhi Mandir. A fire miraculously burns to this day above the place where he is buried.
13.2 THE SECOND SAI BABA
The second Sathya Sai Baba was born on 23rd November 1926, in a small village called
Puttaparthi, located in the middle of a desert-like place in Southern India. His physical body
passed away on 24th April 2011. After which he started using his top student from his
university, Madhusudan Rao Naidu (Madhu for short) to carry on his mission. Sai Baba is the
most powerful incarnation of God who has come to earth till today. Baba stated that he has
come not to kill the bad as the previous incarnations have done, because most people would
have to die if did that. He came to educate and bring about a transformation of all the hate in
humanity around the world into pure love.
On 4th July 1968, He gave a speech where he said; He has come to light the lamp within
everyone’s hearts and to ensure that it shines day by day with added luster. He did not come
on behalf of any exclusive religion, nor did he come on a mission of publicity for any sect,
creed, or cause. His mission is not to collect followers for any doctrine. He has no plans to
attract disciples or devotees into his fold or any fold. He has come to tell everyone of the unitary
faith and spiritual principle, which is the path of love, the virtue of love, the duty of love and
the obligation to love. And the best way to practice this love is by serving all other beings who
are actually manifestations of God.
Sathya was the eighth child of Easwaramma who was a poor, middle-aged tender-hearted,
pious and illiterate rural housewife. He was given the name of Sathya. Easwaramma explained
how Sathya was conceived in her womb as, “My mother-in-law had cautioned me that I should
not be frightened if something happened through the will of God. The morning when I was at
the well drawing water, a big ball of blue light came rolling towards me and I fainted and
fell. I felt the light glide into me.” Nine months later Sai Baba was born; it must be noted
that Sathya Sai Baba do not look like his parents. He has an Afro which nobody in the whole
region had. It is probable he took that form to be relatable to Africans who were abused for
almost a millennium and pleaded for God to save them. The only place Sathya Sai Baba went
outside of India was to Africa, specifically Kenya and Uganda.
As a child, he performed numerous miracles to help educate his classmates. He encouraged
them to sing religious songs and regularly pulled out sweets from empty bags and gave these
to all the children as gifts after the singing. Some people of the village feared his miraculous
powers and thought he was an evil spirit. The parents were forced to send him to an exorcist to
rid him of the evil spirit. This exorcist tortured him quite badly including poking holes in his
head. Some villagers tried to kill him with poisoned food (vadas) and even set fire to his hut
home after pouring kerosene into it. They also went about spreading propaganda about young
Sai Baba as far as they could.
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This author saw a show of two Americans publicly predicting what would happen if Jesus
Christ came somewhere in America today; they concluded that in the current atmosphere, he
would be killed somehow. At least in a rural Indian village which is steeped in Hindu culture
where all forms of God are accepted and the idea of sticking to an accepted conventional logic
is not as entrenched as in the USA. This must be one of the reasons God decided to incarnate
in rural India where Western influence was small.
When he was studying in middle school in Kamalapuram, near Kadapa, he was very short. A
village fair used to be held on a grand scale in Pushpagiri which is located between
Kamalapuram and Kapada. The drill teacher informed the whole class, “There will be a grand
cattle fair in Pushpagiri next week. Several people from all over the district and neighboring
villages will come to participate in that fair. We must send volunteers from our school to
regulate the crowds and do some service to them.” He also said, all the boys must participate
in the scout camp. He particularly told Sathya, “Raju! You must be the leader of this scout
camp.” Sathya said, “Sir! They are all older in age than me. How can I control those boys? I
cannot.” But all the boys unanimously supported Sathya being the leader. The next day the
drill teacher instructed that all the boys must wear khaki shirts, shorts, leather belts, boots, a
whistle, a stick, and torchlight. Sathya did not have any money to purchase these things. Two
of Sathya’s classmates, Ramesh and Suresh used to sit on either side of Sathya on a three-seater
bench in class. The short Ramesh (same height as Sathya) was the son of a wealthy revenue
official. He went to his father and said, “Father! I like the khaki dress very much. Please get
two pair of khaki shirt and knickers stitched for me.” He did not reveal the fact that he proposed
to give the extra pair to Sathya. The next day Ramesh brought one pair of cloth in a bag and
put it under Sathya’s desk along with a small note where he wrote, “Raju! You are my brother.
If you don't mind, please take this dress. Do not return it to me. If you do so, I will feel very
bad and commit suicide.” But Sathya did not accept it because his policy is that friendship will
not last long on a give-and–take–relationship. Sathya therefore returned the package with a
note, “If you and I are to continue as good friends, take these clothes back.” Ramesh was in
tears at Sathya’s insistence and took back the clothes very reluctantly.
The boys started the journey the next day. The boys had to walk 11 miles, and each contributed
five rupees each for meeting the expenses during the period. Sathya had no money but had a
plan of selling his neatly kept books because he went through school with hundred percent
marks for all his subjects without reading any of those books. Poorer students used to purchase
second-hand textbooks at a reduced cost. The syllabus was heavy even for lower classes, with
subjects like history, geography, civics, etc. The cost of his sale was eighteen rupees. The boy
asked for a reduced price, Sathya said, “Don't feel sorry. Just pay me five rupees and take the
books.” The boy was happy and immediately paid the amount. Currency notes were rare in
those days and the payment was made with coins packed in a piece of cloth. The cloth used
was old and it gave way due to the weight and were strewn all over the room making a loud
noise. On hearing this noise, the lady of the house came and asked, “Where did you get all this
money? Did you steal from my trunk?” and started scolding Sathya. Sathya explained to her,
“No, mother! I sold my books to this boy. He gave me the coins.” The poor boy witnessing
this incident also told her, “Mother! I gave those coins to Raju towards the cost of his books,
which I purchased from him.” But the mother did not believe and punished him. She took
away all the coins.
The next day the boys who participated in the scout camp (all of whom were from rich
families), came to Sathya’s home to take him along. But Sathya was not able to go. Sathya
thought if he said he was having a fever; they would bring a thermometer to read his
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temperature. If he says he is suffering from an ailment, they will take him to a doctor and get
him examined. So Sathya informed them, “I am suffering from a stomachache. I cannot come
with you today.” The boys felt sorry and left reluctantly. Sathya however decided to walk by
himself that night in the moonlight. He walked for 11 miles and was tired, hungry, and thirsty.
He wanted to wash his hands and mouth and was looking around for water. The only water was
in a cement tank meant for bathing cows and buffaloes. The water was very dirty. But feeling
helpless, Sathya washed his face with that dirty water and drank some of the water as well.
There Sathya noticed that someone left behind a packet of cigarettes and one anna coin on the
edge of the tank. Sathya threw away the cigarettes. He took the one anna coin and exchanged
it for four smaller coins (bottu). As he was walking, he noticed a person sitting on the roadside
playing cards spread over a cloth and inviting passersby to bet on the cards, shouting, "club,
spade, diamond, etc." He invited Sathya saying, “Raju! You are a lucky boy. Come, come! Bet
some amount on any card of your choice and I will give you double that amount, if you win.” It
was gambling but Sathya was helpless at that time. He put one of his coins on a different card
at each time. He won each gamble and got double the amount each time. Sathya played the
game till he could make sixteen annas. Then he decided it was enough and left the game;
successful gamblers would know when to leave the game.
Sathya was hungry so he used one bottu to purchase three dosas which was one of the most
common dishes in South India. Thus, Sathya managed with two bottus a day which could buy
three dosas at lunch and another three for dinner. Though he was attending the activities
normally, in Sathya’s heart of hearts, he knew that gambling was bad and that he should not
have resorted to it. He remembers well what happened to Yudhishthira in the Krishna story
where he lost everything including his wife, brothers, and Kingdom due to gambling.
At the end of the scout camp, Sathya left with one bottu. He purchased some sweets, fruits,
flowers, kumkum, and some bangles for his sister-in-law. During this time, he was staying with
his brother (Seshama Raju) and his wife who had one son. Seshama Raju had gone for a
teacher-training and had just returned. As Sathya stepped into the house, his brother was
drawing lines in a notebook with the help of a wooden ruler. He was very angry that his wife
had to fetch water from the canal for the last three days, making her tired. When Sathya offered
his wife the sweets he brought, she threw them on the floor. She even refused to accept the
auspicious kumkum. Seshama Raju took the ruler he was using to beat Sathya on his forearm
which caused his hands to swell. Sathya did not mention the incident to anybody.
The next day, Seshama Raju’s son died. Seshama sent a telegram to his parents to come
immediately. Normally if a telegram was sent to Bukkapatnam, a messenger would take it to
Puttaparthi. Sathya’s father, Pedda Venkama Raju just happened to be in Bukkapatnam where
he was purchasing necessary items when the telegram came, so he got the message immediately
and rushed to Kamalapuram.
On arrival, he talked to the members of Seshama's family then asked Sathya why his hands
were swollen and bandaged. Sathya downplayed the incident, claiming he accidentally hit the
door and that it was nothing serious. But a lady in a neighboring house intervened and informed
Sathya’s father, “Sir! It is not an isolated incident. Your elder son beats the boy every day. We
are very much pained to witness his suffering.” Seshama tends to get angry with Sathya always
because his wife complains about him daily, saying Sathya did not attend to various work in
the house. Sathya’s daily work in the house included making hot water for bathing, preparing
coffee early in the morning for Seshama and his wife, doing odd jobs in the house and most
importantly fetching drinking water from a canal located quite a distance away twice daily, in
the morning and evening.
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To finish all these works, Sathya needed to get up at about three in the morning. Despite this
hectic schedule, Sathya was happy because the people of the village had a good nature and
used to love Sathya very much. They used to make affectionate enquiries about his welfare,
and they were fond of Sathya’s singing. When Sathya went to the scout camp, all these
activities came to a standstill. The neighbors were very considerate towards Sathya, especially
due to his hard working and good nature. But people in Seshama’s family could not put up with
his absence and all his daily work. They used to shout at Sathya even if he was a little late in
bringing water from the canal. But Sathya would ignore the shouting and carry on his work as
usual.
That night, Sathya’s father informed him that he had to go out to answer the call of nature.
There was no light so there was darkness all around. Sathya held a kerosene lamp in one hand
and a jug of water in another and accompanied his father to an isolated place. Sathya put those
things on the ground and was about to return when his father held his hand and with great
agony told him, “Sathya! Did I ever beat you on any day in all these years? You are undergoing
so much suffering at the hands of these people here. You come away from this house. Come!
Let us leave for our village early in the morning.” Sathya tried to pacify him saying, “It is not
proper for me to leave the house now, especially when they are immersed in grief at the death
of their son. Please go first. I will come later.” So, his father left for Puttaparthi very
reluctantly. On reaching home, he informed his wife of Sathya’s situation. She was shocked
and could not contain her agony and shed tears at Sathya’s plight. She told her husband, “Sathya
is a very good boy. I never beat him on any day. I now understand that Seshama Raju is beating
him regularly, listening to others’ words. I cannot bear this anymore. We can bring up Sathya
somehow, even by selling salt if need be. He need not depend on others for his upbringing.
Please go and bring back Sathya to our house.” Sathya’s father tried to explain that it is
difficult, but his wife was insistent. So, he sent a telegram, “Mother serious, come down to
Puttaparthi.”
Sathya’s father came to bring him to Puttaparthi. A merchant named Kotte Subbanna gave
some children’s tonic for the journey. At Anantapur a lawyer’s family who were devoted to
Sathya invited Sathya and his father for lunch in their home. They finally reached Puttaparthi
with great difficulty because both father and son had no money.
As soon as they reached home, Sathya’s mother held his hands and asked, “There is swelling
still. Does it hurt?” She applied several homemade medicines including rice bran and hot water
fomentation. She really did her best to make Sathya cheerful. Everyone around cried on seeing
the swollen hand. Sathya told them, “Nothing to worry; everything is healed up.”
After that incident, Sathya decided to stay in Puttaparthi permanently. Seshama came to visit
during the next school holiday. Both father and mother scolded him sternly, “You took this boy
along with you to get him educated; but you put him to great torture. What kind of an education
is this? Go away! We don't even give you food!”
Seshama was later transferred to Uravankonda. From there he took Sathya again to admit him
in High School there. All the teachers there were very fond of Sathya, especially Sri Tammiraju
and H.S. Ramana who were both English teachers. They especially liked Sathya’s melodious
voice as he sang. All the teachers liked the song composed by Sathya describing how tasty
brinjal is. Note that brinjal was also his favorite food in his previous life as Shirdi Baba.
Sathya also composed a song about the unity of all Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, Muslims
and Christians in India. The song states that all these religions made a garland of love. The
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teachers who stood next to Sathya when he sang in the assembly used to shed tears of joy at
his melodious singing and good voice.
By May 1940 Sathya started behaving differently. Seshama summoned his parents, and they
rushed to Uravakonda. Sathya would engage himself in non-stop recitation of the Vedas, which
he did not previously learn. He was even correcting elders on matters regarding spirituality.
The parents finally took him to an exorcist in Kadri. This exorcist caused him a great deal of
physical injury to exorcize him of his supernatural powers, but it was all in vain. So Sathya
was taken back to Puttaparthi.
On the morning of May 23, 1940, Sathya was in a better mood, He was materializing plenty of
flowers and sugar candies and distributing them to all those who came to see him. His father
heard about this and went to see him armed with a big stick. He asked, “Who are you? Are
you God, ghost, or devil?” Sathya replied, “I am Sai.” The stick slowly slipped from his
father’s hands, but he remained puzzled and asked, “What are we to do with you?” Sathya
replied, “Worship Me.” The father asked, “When?” And Sathya said, “Every
Thursday.” That is the beginning of all Sai Baba devotees worldwide praying to him on
Thursdays.
One Thursday, someone asked, “If you are Sai Baba, show us some proof.” Sathya then asked
for some flowers. A bunch of jasmine flowers were given to him. He threw them on the floor
and arranged themselves in the form of the words “SAI BABA” in Telugu script which was
Sathya Sai Baba’s mother tongue. Despite all this, Sathya was forced to go back to school in
Uravakonda.
In October 20th1940, Sathya left for school as usual but within minutes he was back. Standing
at the doorstep, he flung aside the bag containing books and declared, “I am no longer your
Sathya. I am Sai. I don’t belong to you. I have my work. My devotees are calling me. I am
going. I can no longer stay here.” He stated that his mission is to alleviate the suffering of all
humanity. He also stated that no one in the world can succeed in any attempt to hold him back
from his mission.
He then walked to a neighbor’s house and sat on a rock in the middle of the garden. People
flocked, bringing flowers. Then Sai Baba led the congregation in a spontaneously composed
song called, “Manasa Bhajare Gurucharanam.” The song translates to, “O mind! Meditate on
the Lotus Feet of the Lord! That alone will help you sail across the turbulent sea called life.”
In Sathya’s school, everyone cried aloud, unable to bear the separation from Sathya. The
headmaster, Lakshmipathi declared that day a holiday. The next day a Muslim boy was asked
to be a replacement singer for the school assembly. He was a good singer with a melodious
voice. But when he got up the stage, he became too emotional to sing. He wept uncontrollably.
He sat down and said he cannot sing. From then on there was no more singing in the school
assembly. The headmaster would just say a few words and the assembly was over.
Sathya gave up school when he was in third form or eight years of school from first grade. But
people all around felt that he was easily capable of getting a degree because he got 100% for
all subjects without ever studying but he did attend classes. Being a professor, this author feels
that a student attending class and listening clearly should be enough to get high marks.
After declaring his mission to his parents, he stayed with his parents for a few days and then
shifted to the house of a Brahmin lady, Subbamma. She did not have children of her own and
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therefore dedicated her life to Baba’s works. Subbamma was actually a wealthy lady because
the land of the entire Puttaparthi was in her name as her husband was a landlord. This husband
of hers however took to bad ways and left. She was a neighbor of Sai Baba’s family home.
Throughout Sathya’s younger life whenever his family decided to cook non-vegetarian food,
he would go to Subbamma to get vegetarian food. Subbamma and Sai Baba’s grandfather were
two people of the village who always had great faith in Sai Baba’s divinity.
Sai Baba would write poetry and kept himself aloof from people. He liked to maintain silence.
Even inside the house, he maintained the same composure. He would go into the home only to
have food and revert to sitting on the sands of the Chitravati river. There was a hill by the side
of the river where he used to go up and sit silently. Baba sometimes retires into the caves in the
nearby hills without informing Subbamma. She would pack different types of food in a
stainless-steel container and search for Baba. Once, upon finding Baba, he asked,
“Subbamma! What did you bring for me?” She replied, “Swamy! I brought the items of your
taste.” Baba asked, “Give me dosa.” She would place the dosa on a plate and serve Baba.
Baba teased her by saying, “Subbamma! I don’t like this dosa. Give me idli, upma, vada, etc
which are other South Indian dishes. That was Subbamma's dedication in waiting on Baba and
serving him. After a while, Subbamma’s home became a pilgrim center. She would get great
joy in performing her service of cooking and serving all the devotees who came by. She would
think that she was serving Baba’s classmates. Soon the number of people visiting Sai Baba
increased rapidly. Incidentally, because she served so many devotees, her farm turned out to
be very productive, yielding rich crops two or three times a year. This gave her lots of income
to continue her service further.
One day, a Harijan (outcaste) devotee, whose name was Ramulu, invited Baba to his home for
lunch. In those days, caste differences were strong in Puttaparthi. Ramulu was one of the more
educated Harijans because he studied till eight standard. This faulty way of practicing the caste
system still prevailed strongly in the 1940s in India, not as a labor division with equal rights
for all castes but as a hierarchy from Brahmins down to Kshatriyas, Vaisyas finally Sudras.
The different castes are supposed to be different parts of the same body of society. With the
Sudras as the legs, the Vaisyas, the stomach, the Kshatriyas being the shoulder and the
Brahmins being the head. There is no way a person will agree to cut off his legs because he
feels his legs are an inferior portion of his body. If one of the four castes is injured, the society
will be injured. The four castes can best be described as four groups of people playing four
different instruments. Together they make a nice tune but if separated, the music can never be
as good. But the players of the different instruments do interact with each other and are best of
friends.
Note that Buddha came earlier because of the downfall in understanding of the caste system.
During Buddha’s time it was specifically to prevent the accumulation of power by the
Brahmins; even Kshatriyas had to Kowtow to the Brahmins. The whole of India as well as all
of Southeast Asia turned Buddhist to deter that trend.
In the opinion of this author, India was eventually conquered for a thousand years by the
Muslims and then the Christians so that she can finally overcome this fault of the different
castes disrespecting each other; this being equivalent to Parashurama wiping out the
Kshatriya caste of his time to solve an earlier disarray of the caste system thousands of years
ago.
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There is documentation that the British transferred much wealth from the Sudras (Harijans
should be Sudras) to the Brahmins and Christians as part of their divide and rule policy. The
Christians, obviously to encourage Hindus to convert to Christianity and the Brahmins
because they were not a fighting group and could be utilized as an extension of themselves.
This explains why when the British left most important positions in the administration and
even in political parties were Brahmins. 98 % of government positions in Tamil Nadu for
example were occupied by Brahmins. Since 1947, most high positions of India have been
held by Brahmins. It is changing today with a Shudra chaste PM and President.
This can possibly explain why all the land in Puttaparthi belonged to Subbamma. The British
tended to use the smaller groups like the Brahmins, Christians and Parsis to control the majority
population. The British knew that it is unlikely that these small groups who they made the
majority hate will be involved in chasing them out of India. In Sri Lanka the British educated
the minority Hindus to keep the majority Sinhalese in check. This is what made the Sinhalese
hate the Hindus so much that they tried to wipe them out in wars and genocides from 1948 till
today (2025). They will be justification for hate but the remedy for hate is only love.
Baba accepted the invitation to have lunch in the home of Ramulu. Sai Baba Informed
Subbamma about this and she tried to dissuade Baba from going. Subbamma knew her
community of Brahmins would not approve of going near a Harijan. She told Baba,
“Alas! Swami! Will you go to the house of Harijans? Please do not go.” Baba insisted,
stating, “Why should I not go? Why should I not eat the food offered by the Harijans? I will
certainly go there.” Baba asked her to come along. She conceded saying, “I will do anything
for the sake of Swami.” So, all three decided to make the walking trek to Ramulu’s home.
Ramulu led the way followed by Baba and Subbamma behind. In the home, there was a divine
fragrance. Baba asked, “From where you brought this fragrance.” Ramulu replied,
“Swami! We did not bring it from anywhere. It is emanating from you.” Baba stepped into
the house and the 62-year-old Subbamma followed suit. Subbamma erased her superiority
complex as a Brahmin. She said to herself, “Fie on me! I should not entertain such feelings of
superiority.”
The people living in the Harijan village were very poor. They had no chairs or mattresses for
Baba to sit on. They spread old clothing (dhoti) on the floor and requested Baba to sit on it.
They were served rice on aluminum plates from which they ate happily. After eating, Baba felt
drowsy and fell asleep. After a while, a loud sound emanated from Baba’s navel as though the
roof of the building was being blown off. The residents of the home were terrified and ran
helter-skelter. This is just a divine happening which is not understandable to normal humans.
It spontaneously happens to Baba who is continuously cleansing the whole world. This author’s
opinion is that it was an expression of all the thousand years of injustice experienced by the
Shudras living in that village and all over India. This author being a Shudra cannot even
envisage how those who discriminate against the Shudras justify their superiority while it is
stated all over the Hindu scriptures that all are part of the divine. This author, probably because
he is a Shudra, cannot imagine feeling superior to another human being. All countries have
their defects and for India this is the main one.
Baba explained that there are peculiar divine powers in every human, and each should nurture
this. When people suffuse divine power in fine arts, like music or any other human endeavor,
it will reach great heights. By dedicating one’s efforts to God, the divine power will manifest.
When they returned to the Puttaparthi, the entire village was aghast, stating, “Subbamma has
become a Harijan.” They issued a statement that none should touch Subbamma. Subbamma
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retorted, “That is exactly what I desire. Let no one touch me. It is enough if Swami alone
touches me. I have no children. I need not maintain any relationship with any family. Neither
do I need to give my children to other families, nor do I need to bring their children into my
house. It is enough if Swami is with me.”
One day, Baba asked Subbamma what she wished for. Subbamma replied, “Swami! I have no
desire for anything. Before I leave my mortal coil, if you can graciously pour a few drops of
sanctified water into my mouth from your divine hands, it would be enough.”
Six years later, during World War II, Baba was on his way from Chennai to Bukkapatnam by
car when Subbamma died. Subbamma was earlier taken from Puttaparthi to Bukkapatnam
because of her sickness. The relatives were sarcastic, making statements like, “Sai Baba gave
word to her that he would pour water into her mouth at the time of her last moments. Did he
come? Where has he gone?”
Three days later, Subbamma’s brothers and relatives had finally made the difficult
arrangements to bring her body from the house to the cremation grounds; it was hard to procure
firewood during World War II.
As Baba was passing Bukkapatnam, he noticed people gathered in Subbamma’s house. He
asked, “Who is going to be cremated?” A washer man nearby replied, “Swami! Subbamma is
dead.” Baba continued, “Is it? When did she die?" The washer man stated, “Three days ago,
Swami.” Baba went over to the house. Subbamma’s sister saw Baba and wailed, “Baba! She
longed for your arrival. She yearned that you should pour water into her mouth before she
breathed her last. At last, she died without her wish being fulfilled.” Baba told her; it is not
possible that her wish is not fulfilled. Baba proceeded to her body and removed the cloth that
covered her face. Ants were crawling all over her body. Baba gently called, “Subbamma!” She
opened her eyes, held Baba’s hands, and wept. She inquired, “When did you come,
Swami?” Baba replied, “I came just now.” Baba wiped her tears gently with a towel and told
her, “Subbamma! Look here” as he poured a few drops of sacred water and tulsi leaf into her
mouth and said, “I am here with you, now, close your eyes peacefully.” She then finally died
and merged into Baba. In other words, she achieved the ultimate goal of human birth and rebirth
on earth, which is the realization that we are ourselves God. Subbamma was as much a mother
to Sathya Sai Baba and Easwaramma was. While Easwaramma gave birth to Sathya Sai Baba,
it is Subbamma who nourished him with vegetarian food most of his young life. So, the
difficulty in procuring firewood was Baba’s will because all had to wait for Sai Baba before
cremating Subbamma’s body; such is the play of the divine. And there were many witnesses;
the doctors who attended to her and relatives who were watching all these were shocked and
changed their perceptions about Baba. They were saying, “How come! Subbamma died three
days ago. There was no breath in her body. How is it that she opened her eyes now and spoke
to Swami? Perhaps it is a divine miracle of Sai Baba.” All these occurrences are ways by
which Baba develops the devotion of his devotees.
Upon hearing this story, Baba’s grandfather Kondamma Raju also wanted the same wish to be
bestowed upon him, which was duly granted to him as he died at the age of 112 in 1950. Thus,
he also achieved the ultimate goal of life on earth which is to achieve realization that he himself
is the mighty and powerful God.
On May 25th, 1947, Sai Baba’s brother, Seshama Raju wrote a letter to him as a caution not to
display his spiritual powers as spiritual leaders who do so will fall. Sai Baba wrote back a letter
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whose contents are summarized in the next few paragraphs. The letter describes him and his
mission.
He started his letter by stating that he found in his brother’s letter, surging floods of devotion
and affection coupled with doubts and anxiety.
He said it is impossible to analyze the characteristics of highly spiritual people. Various people
and media will judge them according to their own nature and mental attitudes. He reminded his
brother that he must stick to the right path, and use his own wisdom and resolution, without
getting affected by popular appraisal.
He reiterated that only the tree which is laden with fruits are the ones that will receive showers
of stones from people, the spiritually rich will attract the bad to throw verbal “stones” at them.
So, these people must be pitied, rather than condemned; their decisions are clouded with lust,
anger, and conceit. No value should be attached to their words. Though untruth may seem to
overpower truth, truth will always triumph eventually. This should be highlighted as a core
principle for all humans as they go about their daily life.
The great will not swell when people adore them and shrink when people scoff. Sacred text
does not lay down rules of habits and attitudes that the spiritually great should adopt. Only they
themselves know the path, which needs to be taken to achieve their goals. The spiritually great
have two special marks, self-reliance, and the performance of beneficial activity. The
spiritually great will also ensure the welfare of their devotees. Thus, if he is adhering to these
two, there is nothing to worry about. The praise and blame of the populace cannot affect the
soul; they can only affect the outer physical frame.
Sai Baba said he has a task to foster all mankind and to ensure they are always full of joy. To
lead all who stray from the correct path into goodness and save them. He is attached to the
work he loves, which is to remove the suffering of the poor and grant them their wishes.
He will rescue all who adores him. His definition of a true devotee is one who treats joy and
grief, gain and loss with equal fortitude. Being ever engaged in beneficial activities, his name
can never be tarnished.
Highly spiritual people do not acquire greatness by someone calling them so. They do not
shrink as people squeeze them. Those who are moved by praise and blame are the creed that
revels in opium, and quotes from spiritual texts, to justify their gourmand and pride. He is also
not the dry-as-dust scholar who uses his argumentative skills to claim to be specialists in
spirituality.
Sai Baba reminded his brother that he must have read books about saints and divine personages
who had even more heinous imputations cast upon them such as Jesus Christ who was nailed
to the cross and Joan of Arc who was burnt to death. Highly spiritual people will always face
these problems from communities, who are just like dogs that howl at the stars, how long can
they go on? False attitudes will eventually fade away and truths as was expounded by the
greats like Jesus lives on till today.
Sai Baba said he will not give up his mission or his determination. He will treat the honor and
dishonor, the fame and blame that will come consequently, with equanimity. He will not be
concerned internally. Sai Baba talks and moves about for the sake of the outer world, or else
he has no concern for them.
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Sai Baba said he will not be attached to any place or name. Nothing is his. He will answer to
any name and will go wherever he is taken by the power of love. He acts only for the sake of
mankind. No one can comprehend his glory, no matter who they are, whatever their method of
inquiry, or however long their attempt. His glory can be seen fully in the coming years.
Devotees must have patience and forbearance.
He concluded that letter by stating that he has no need to write the letter; He only wrote it
because he felt his brother would be pained if he did not reply.
Over time, even the Maharaja of Mysore came in his car up to Penukonda to see Sai Baba.
From there he had to use a bullock cart till Karnatanagepalli and from there he walked to
Puttaparthi. He pleaded with Sai Baba, “Swami! Why are you putting yourself to trouble,
residing in Puttaparthi? Please come to Mysore. I will arrange to build a big mansion for
you.” Sai Baba told him, “A tree must grow in the same place where it was born. If it is plucked
out and transplanted elsewhere, it will not grow. This tree must also grow in the same place
where it was born.” The Maharaja of Mysore asked the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, “Why
don't you lay a good road to reach Puttaparthi? How much money is being wasted on all and
sundry schemes! Please arrange to lay a good road to Puttaparthi immediately.”
After a protracted correspondence, an engineer was called to survey the project. The plan was
to make a bypass road direct to the Mandir, without touching the Chitravati road. The Maharaja
of Mysore offered to bear the entire expense of the project. Once the direct road to Puttaparthi
was completed even more devotees thronged to Puttaparthi. Maharajas, Rajas, and their
families frequently visited Sai Baba. Among the notable Rajas were the Raja of Bobbili and
Venkatagiri. They brought tents with them and stayed in them.
People from Puttaparthi used to argue with the visitors because of their fear that Sai Baba was
entertaining outside people like the Maharajas more over time and they felt neglected. Sai Baba
used to pacify them saying that all are his devotees, and he doesn’t differentiate between rich
and poor, and he had to work on world changing events. Later the Rajas of Bobbili, Trivandrum
and the younger brother of the Trivandrum Raja, who was a film director also came visiting
Puttaparthi often. They were keen to contribute for the welfare of devotees by building houses
for the visiting devotees. The former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Dr Bezwada Gopala
Reddy built a hospital in Puttaparthi. He made regular visits to Puttaparthi till he died of old
age.
Sai Baba announced in 1958 that his mission would unfold in three stages. In the first sixteen
years, he will make contacts with individuals. Following this, attention will be given to groups.
The next phase will be spiritual exhortation, and the final phase will be service to humanity at
large.
Over time, millions of devotees from all over India and around the world came to Puttaparthi
and into the ashram named Prasanthi Nilayam. Sai Baba said he did not come to deliver
discourses on any particular form of God. Some may call God by names like, The Almighty
God, Allah, Krishna, Rama or even Atma or Aum but they are all the same because God is only
one. One may contemplate on any form he or she chooses but one must stick to that form
through thick and thin.
In addition, the respect for mothers is very important. Over time as more and more devotees
thronged in, his mother asked him for three things, namely to:
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1)
2)
3)
Educate the girls of the village.
Build a well so that people do not have to travel long distances to get water.
Provide some medical facilities for the people of the village.
Note, as mentioned earlier in this book, God created everything to be able to love himself and
therefore responds best via love. And this love can be exercised by serving all who are
manifestations of God.
To solve the problem of illiterate womenfolk, Sai Baba started a small girl’s school. Today the
small girl’s school has grown into the 108th university in India. It now caters to both females
and males. In 2005, the President of India, Abdul Kalam (a devotee of Sai Baba) announced
that, the results of a survey conducted by the Education Department of India showed Sai Baba’s
university, the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning is rated the best University in all of
India. Students do not pay any fees in any of Sai Baba educational institutions all over the
world.
For the water shortage problem in this desert village, Sai Baba initially got a small well built
for the villagers. But he did not stop there, he went on to provide water to 750 villages which
can serve a population of one and a quarter million people, thus converting a whole desert into
arable land. The first time this author went to Puttaparthi in 1995, it was like a five-hour bus
ride through a desert but by the 13th time, it was like a five-hour ride through rich farmlands.
Sai Baba would just point to a spot to be dug and after digging a shallow hole, the civil
contractors found an underground river which provided all the water needed. He did not stop
at this either. The latest project was to provide water to the entire city of Chennai, the largest
city in Southern India whose population at that time was five million. This was successfully
completed on his birthday November 23rd, 2004. All the cost of the project was borne by the
Sri Sathya Sai Baba Central Trust.
To satisfy his mother’s third wish that some medical care should be provided to the poor
villagers of Puttaparthi, Sai Baba started a small hospital. Then the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of
Higher Medical Science, a Super Specialty Hospital, was built in a record time of six months,
in Puttaparthi. It was financed by Isaac Burton Tigrett, a Sai Baba devotee whom Sai Baba
guided to start the Hard Rock Café which became incredibly successful worldwide. Issac sold
the Hard Rock Café franchise to finance the Super Speciality Hospital. It was completed on
Sai Baba’s birthday in 1991. A second Super Specialty Hospital in Bangalore was also
completed in January 2001. These two hospitals have grown to be the two best hospitals in
India and among the top in the world, going by the numbers of successful and complex
operations (heart surgeries and so forth) that are routinely carried out here. Patients never pay
even a cent for all the medical services and drugs they receive; it takes a leap of faith that good
work will finance itself.
This author being a Sai Baba devotee also experienced the return from charity. We were
advised to provide shelter to the poorest in Malaysia. Two of us started, this author and a small
contractor named Charlie Chan. On Saturdays we would go on a search for the most dilapidated
home around Kuching city. We found one badly run down home and approached the owner
who is a single Malay lady whose husband abandoned her. She has three daughters. There is a
zinc roof over the house, but it had no purpose because it was totally rusted and there were
thousands of holes in it. So, they found plastic sheets from here and there and sellotaped them
and hung them such that there is a 2 X 3 m region safe from the rain for them to sleep. The
description of their condition was made at the Sai Baba Centre and one devotee decided to
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sponsor the MYR1500 (≈USD600) for a new zinc roof. After completing the project, the whole
team thought that was the first and last project because we cannot be asking that devotee for
more funds. But it turned out, 10 years earlier, this author was trying to marry a girl who
rejected him and put down the phone each time he called her. Exactly at that time, that girl
called this author stating that there is a rich man in town who has two boys who are bad in
mathematics and that since this author was an engineer in the local electric company, maybe I
could help. This author went to the rich man’s home and talked to him about providing tuition
to the two sons. But instead of asking for money for the tuition service, showed him the before
and after photos of the Malay lady’s home whose roof was successfully built. This author was
expecting he would sponsor the next home or maybe two. But he asked, “How many homes do
you want to build?” The answer was 70 because it was Sai Baba’s 70th birthday gift. He said,
“OK, I will sponsor it all!” So, the project kicked off and many more that 70 homes were
helped but we need not use only his funds since other rich people who heard about the activity
started sponsoring. And about the two sons, who sat on both sides of this author two times a
week went from D- grades in mathematics to A- within a few months. The parents knew this
author did not ask for money, so they gave a big hamper of goodies. The two sons later got
straight A’s for all subjects for the rest of their lives. The incredible thing is that an old
“girlfriend” can call this author though she never called him previously, to enable meeting this
rich man.
Another case which could be disputed by others is that Rockfeller who is recorded as the richest
man who ever lived in modern history was a strict Baptist who gave 10% of his income as
charity. When he became the richest man on earth, he still gave 10% as charity. His manager
said, “That is a lot”, but he replied, “If you don’t give, you cannot receive.” Then there is
Google which many claim is bad, has reduced the workload of billions of people and made
knowledge available for all, today being the fourth richest company by market capitalization.
The bottom line is that if the positive is higher than the negative, the result will still be a positive
value.
The miracles performed by Sai Baba are so numerous that people have come to accept them as
normal for Sai Baba. He has cured incurable diseases instantly. He has a famous phrase, “Your
cancer is canceled.” He materialized objects out of thin air and gave them to numerous people.
He distributed food to huge crowds from vessels which kept producing food till all were fed.
On some occasions, like his 70th birthday (November 23th, 1997), he gave free food to up to
three million people. Numerous influential leaders of the world are his devotees. In fact, the
list of his devotees reads like the “Who’s who” in the world.
Unlike the former incarnations of God who solved major problems of the earth by instantly
killing critical foes to peace, Sai Baba is gradually educating people to turn to the correct paths.
His focus is education, performance of service to fellow humans and prayers. Sai Baba came
at the right time because the evil rulers of this earth are cruel far beyond any of the evil rulers
of the past. These rulers have numerous minions and Sai Baba said, if he killed the bad as the
other avatars did; only a few people would survive.
For some who cannot understand the extreme demonic nature of some people today, the
following is the explanation. Humanity is supposed to get increasingly demonic as the yugas
progress from Sathya, Treta, Dwapara to Kali yugas. The Devas and Asuras have always been
on earth as leaders. These leaders have powers beyond a normal human, and it is just that in
the Kali yuga, the Asuras have increased in numbers and influence to such an extent that Baba
had to abruptly stop it on 10/23/2015 12:15 and we are now living in the Sathya yuga. The
reason some people are continuing their evil deeds is analogous to switching off electrical
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power to a fan, where the blades will keep turning for a while. But the evil people of earth are
surely being purged as these words are written.
This author has been a Baba devotee for the past 43 years. But Baba said only he can say if we
are a devotee or not. Basically, my religion is. “I am God.” That is what Baba has always
wanted from his devotees as indicated by beginning all his speeches with the words,
"Embodiments of Love.” This author was feeling down in 2011 upon Baba’s death but not
specifically because he died but because he said numerous times, he will leave only in 2022, at
the age of 96 years and had left early at the age of 85 years. This author knows that many come
up with the lunar calendar theory which will not work either. One lunar month is 28 days. Baba
lived from 1926 to 2011 which is 2011-1926 = 85 years physically. That is 85 X 365.25 days
=31,046.25 physical days. 31,046.25 / (28 X 12) = 92.39 lunar years. In other words, Baba
lived only 92 lunar years and 85 normal years. This author is sure Baba is using the calendar
used by everyone else which is the normal 365.25 days per year calendar.
If you go to all great gurus, you will find that they test their devotees. This is his test. Some
may remember the speech where he said he is separating the husk from the rice, the real
devotees from the fake or flimsy ones. Baba (God) only wants a few good devotees, the brave
ones. He never needed the whole world following him. If he wanted that, he could have easily
done so by taking over the current day’s world media or even with much greater spiritual
wonders. The reason he did not do so is that the real religion is not his body form. He came to
guide us to the real religion which is within us. Each of us must focus on something and
eventually realize we ourselves are God. This author did try various things, even my phone
charger and at other times, Baba’s feet; but the phone charger was more stable and less
susceptible to degradation than Baba’s feet. Anyway, after focussing on the phone charger for
a few months, he has a very clear understanding of how it works, just as Valmiki had a clear
understanding of Rama because he focussed on Rama’s name.
In Baba’s speech in March 2020 (in the form of Madhu), he suggested to look at two things
which have meaning to the mind and then focus on the thing in between, the nothing in between
which has no emotional value to the mind is what to concentrate on to calm the mind. That is,
the thing that has no value to the mind and so does not have strings of memories attached to it.
If you focus on a form, you will be asking that God form to give you this and that. You need
to focus on the nothing wall. This author looks at his laptop and a bottle of coconut oil and
looks at the wall in-between. Therefore, enabling one to focus on God within oneself. Since
this author is in two cities over the week, in one city, he looks at a bottle of coconut oil and the
laptop and then looks at the wall in between and focuses on that. In the other city he looks at
the pictures of Ganesha and Gayathri and then focuses on the wall in between.
Sai Baba left his body on April 24th, 2011, and is continuing his mission with one of his top
students from the Puttaparthi University, Madhusudan Rao Naidu (Madhu for short). Of course,
this has split the devotees into those who believe this and those who do not and many who have
left the belief in Sai Baba all together. Sai Baba is not at all concerned about losing devotees.
His mission is to get a few truly good people to dwell in spirituality till they become Gods
themselves. He said, if I can do so much, imagine what can be done with so many Babas.
A question many will ask is, why would Baba do this? Being God, he could have kept his
body alive till 2022. But as mentioned previously, the real religion is that we are God
ourselves and his devotees must move away from his physical body. Also, humanity has
become too physical and empirical so moving to another body will introduce humanity to
the spirit world which is much larger than the physical world. In one of his last speeches
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Baba made with his physical body, he insisted that devotees stop looking at his body as
God. This author read those words in his magazine at that time but decided that he can
have this one flaw of not following that advice and keep taking his body as God. But have
now realized his leaving his physical body early and later interacting with the world with
another human form had this particular purpose of getting humanity to not value his
physical form and search within themselves to find God; eventually becoming totally
independent of the external world. Such devotees can still be very efficient in the external
world, but their focus must be on the internal God within themselves. In summary, Baba
had to use his top student, Madhu to relate his words, to help each human realize they
are God themselves and move away from his body form.
Various former devotees whom Baba needed for the continuation of the mission were called
as Madhu was asked to go to their homes and give the messages of Baba, including telling
those devotees of interaction with Baba which only they and no one else knew about. Despite
this, some of the former devotees did not want to believe Madhu. But some only became Baba’s
devotees for the first time after Madhu interacted with them.
You must use your intellect (buddhi) and remind yourselves, “you are God,” then, eventually
you will get the intelligence of God. Can Madhu, a Puttaparthi University student from a lower
middle-class family build all those schools and hospitals. As of November 11th, 2023, the
organization led by Madhu is feeding 10 million school children every day in 40,000 schools
across 28 States of India and five countries. Built 11 Super Speciality hospitals, 28 educational
institutions, 12 centers to guide people spiritually in 11 countries (one of which is in Bau,
Malaysia near where this author lives). The Prime Minister of India, Narender Modi
inaugurated the Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in
Muddenahalli, India on March 25th, 2023, making it the first totally free medical university in
the world. All hospitals and educational institutions that Madhu built provide all services totally
free. Good financial allowances are also provided for students and patients to tide over the
tough times. Most of the students at the schools are from deep rural families who barely had
enough to eat.
Medical operations which normally cost Rs400,000 are reduced to Rs0. In fact, this author's
relatives in India depend on these medical institutions even though they are not Sai Baba
devotees. Some say conmen can do these, but where are the conmen’s free institutions? Those
relatives cannot find them.
On October 17th, 2023, Madhu was requested to address the House of Lords, UK Parliament
as shown in the flyer below:
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But even those are not his missions. Madhu is Baba, he is building all those things to get the
people building them to become Babas; as we become Gods we will have the power of God to
get more good things done. Also, those buildings will meet the requirements of Prema Sai who
has already been born and will come to the world stage in 2028.
For this author’s case, Sai Baba’s death was not at all a problem. This author seemed totally
unaffected by the death of his father and other friends. But the problem was Sai Baba stated
many times he will leave only in 2022, and his body died in 2011. But upon listening to Isaac
Tigrett (one of Sai Baba’s closest devotees) speech right after Sai Baba died, things mellowed
a little. Isaac Tigrett said, “Go back and read Sai Baba’s speeches; did he ever ask you to pray
to him.” No, he always wanted you to realize you yourselves are God. Immediately this author
changed his religion to, “I am God.” That mantra became more and more a central mantra for
this author over the years till today in 2025 it is the main mantra 99% of the time. That was a
help but the fact that Sai Baba left early was still a problem for this author. After searching the
internet, a discovery was made that Sai Baba is continuing his mission in India with the help
of his former student, Madhu. A trip was made to Muddenahalli, India in June 2015 and upon
listening to the speech, he was 100% convinced that Madhu was speaking Baba’s words. This
is because by 2015, he had been following and reading only Baba’s words for spiritual
advancement for a period of 34 years. He refused to even read words by others on Baba, except
for a few like Kasturi, Phyllis Krystal and Diana Baskin. Currently, in 2025, it will be 44 years.
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Others have different paths to find the ‘return of Baba.’ A lawyer in Kuching who is the leader
of the Kuching, Malaysia Centre said a Muslim Sufi master’s soul informed him that Baba is
talking through Madhu. In that conversation, the Muslim Master could not pronounce Madhu’s
name properly.
Initially Sai Baba was visible as a soul, meaning Madhu’s eye could see the particular
frequency of electromagnetic waves in which Sai Baba was present. But later in 2019, Baba’s
soul fully merged with Madhu’s soul, so Baba is Madhu. The mission is expanding much faster
now, and Baba said the reason is because he does not need to entertain huge crowds daily in
Puttaparthi and can therefore concentrate on the mission. He is building hospitals, schools, and
ashrams all over the world. How is this done? Like the Kuching, Malaysia ashram, the leader
(a lawyer) was asked to build it. He did it mostly with his and another contractor’s money; a
team of dedicated devotees from around the region also contributed significantly. After Baba
came to inaugurate it, he told the lawyer, you have spent a lot on all these, so I am going to
give you a lot of business, go and hire extra staff immediately. Soon after Baba left, some of
the largest developers in Kuching called the lawyer and asked him to take care of all their legal
matters. Sai Baba is God and can even materialize the ashram out of thin air, but his aim is to
develop people like that lawyer, the contractor, and his team. The contractor and his wife
donated the land for the ashram on behalf of a philanthropist named Lee Nyan Choi who
previously appointed them as trustees of the land. The same method is used all over the world.
In fact, in the initial years of Madhu’s interaction with Sai Baba’s soul, even Madhu was
doubtful if they could find the money to finance all the projects which even governments could
not finance. Then one day, a short man with a mustache appeared in front of Madhu with folded
hands; he is Kubera, the Hindu God of wealth.
In the book, “From the Heart” p127 onwards, Baba wrote a lengthy explanation after that
lawyer leader of Kuching asked him about quickly bringing his name to the entire world with
the latest advances in telecommunications. Baba replied that he is not at all interested in
quantity. A summary of that conversations plus other statements elsewhere of Baba are:
2009 – Prema Sai was born in Gunaparthi, a village in the Mandya district (between Bangalore
and Mysore).
2011-2015 (89th birthday) – Baba, through Madhu gathered the alumni he wanted for his
mission by going from home to home.
2015-2019 (93rd birthday) – Acceleration phase of gathering his flock via bigger gatherings.
2019-2022 (96th birthday) – Core team has been acquired, and the plane is taking off. The rest
of the work will be done by this core team. People from all over the world will come to
Muddenahalli. The biggest statue of Shiva will be in the sacred land of Muddenahalli. In a
previous book, Madhu mentioned that every sand particle in Muddenahalli is infused with high
levels of divinity, according to Shiva who came as an old man to inspect the construction work.
Muddenahalli is the place where Vishwamitra requested the help of Rama to get rid of the
demoness Tataka to enable him to continue his yagnas in peace. In that battle, Tataka was
killed, and her body is the hill on which Sai Baba’s ashram is built. It is among the Nandi Hills
of Muddenahalli. The two smaller hills are that of her sons, Maricha and Subahu. Note, in the
Ramayana story (Baba’s version when he was in the physical body), this place is to the east of
Ayodhya, therefore Ayodhya is west of Muddenahalli at the latitude somewhere north of
Mangalore. It is an accepted fact among Hindus that Narasimha, Vamana, and Parashurama
lived their lives in Kerala and Baba also confirmed this. So, the next Avatar, Rama was born
20,000 years ago in Ayodhya which is located near Kerala, just north of Mangalore.
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2021 – Prema Sai enters the Muddenahalli campus at the age of 12. But he will not know he is
Prema Sai and will go about with the name given by his parents. But by his 12th and 14th year
(2021-2023), he will be having strange spiritual experiences.
2022-2028 - We are to assimilate and be silent and get to the stage where we do not depend on
the flimsy support from outside. Madhu will be around till 2029; this is not surprising despite
Madhu already being fully Baba because Rama and Parashurama met each other according to
Baba’s version of the Ramayana (written when Baba still had his physical body).
2023 – Prema Sai will have a particular spiritual experience which will make him realize he is
Prema Sai at 14 years of age. He will continue studying at Muddenahalli from age 14 to 19 or
for a period of five years (2023-2028). He will be educated specifically to take over the mission
within these five years. He will not speak much; his presence is enough to elevate the
spirituality of those around him. It should be noted that Sathya Sai Baba also only knew he was
Sai Baba at age 14 in 1940.
2028-2034 – Prema Sai takes over the mission. He will travel around India and all over the
world.
2034-2059 – In 2034 Prema Sai will be 25. Between the age of 25 to 50, he will be in the next
phase of his life where he will travel around the world and stay at overseas ashrams which are
being built or already built as of 2020. The Kuching, Malaysia one has already been built. He
will come back to India only occasionally, for special festivals.
2059-2063 – Prema Sai will come back to India to retire for these last four years. He will leave
his body in 2063 at the age of 54.
2063 onwards – most people on earth will be divine.
No obstacle, no obstruction and nobody can stop His will.
13.3 THE AVATAR SONG
The names of the ten avatars that came over the 4.3 billion years, makes the song as follows:
Matsya, Kurma, Varaha,
Narasimha, Vamana,
Parashurama, Rama, Krishna,
Buddha, Baba Baba
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13.4 SUMMARY
Many in the world today see the accumulation of wealth and power over others as the main
aim of life and try to accumulate it even with unrighteous means. The stories in this book
indicate that the universe is so large and old that whatever you or your country accumulates, it
is not even a spec by comparison. But if we can focus on becoming God, we eventually get the
humongous power of the universe.
Koushika was a great king who was defeated by a great sage named Vasista and thereby learnt
that spiritual pursuits provide far greater power than all his weapons and armies. Therefore, he
went into spirituality and changed his name to Vishwamitra to acquire this power. He
eventually got so much power that he created another universe but was stopped by Indra before
he completed it. Similarly, Ravana conquered most of earth except Rama’s kingdom. Kamsa
and Duryodhana were very rich and powerful kings. But all these characters ended with
inglorious ends. The best track to follow is to become God who is compassion and love without
ego.
A human breathes 21600 times a day making the sound “so-ham,” which means “I am that” in
Sanskrit. Basically, God designed us to chant “I am God” so that we will eventually reach the
ultimate goal for life which is the realization that we have always been God ourselves who
loves everything and everyone who are manifestations of God himself. This knowledge is
already within us, a human just has to follow his or her heart which is the voice of God, there
may be various voices in our minds but the one that makes you happy is the voice of God and
the rest are noise signals which can be increasingly filtered out as one lives righteously serving
other humans as Gods.
This book fuses Western ideas of the Big Bang and the theory of evolution to Hindu
philosophy. God has come 10 times. 1) Matsya, 2) Kurma, 3) Varaha, 4) Narasimha, 5)
Vamana, 6) Parashurama, 7) Rama, 8) Krishna, 9) Buddha, 10) Baba.
God first came as a fish to solve the fierce battles in the oceans. If you look at skeletons of very
ancient fishes, they were built like war machines. Then some fishes moved to the land after the
atmospheric air became non-poisonous and gradually evolved into tortoises which eventually
became huge as mountains due to all the nutritious plant food that grew in the recently volcanic
soil of earth. These giant tortoises fought each other, so God had to come as a tortoise to solve
their fights for the good of the earth. Eventually when earthing changing events like a major
earthquake or meteorite falling incident happens, it is usually the bigger creatures that fall and
become extinct. It must also be noted that bigger businesses tend to be more affected in major
economic crises than simple families depending on merge earnings.
Some of the smaller tortoises that initially made the beaches their homes moved into the dark
jungles to munch the flatten fruits that fell from 300-400 feet tall trees. In the dark jungles, they
lost their shells and melanin which previously protected them from the heat and ultraviolet light
respectively of the sunny beaches. They also evolved flat mouths to eat the flattened fruits
thereby evolving into pigs. Some of these pigs grew huge and started fighting each other so
God had to come as a huge pig to solve their quarrels.
Later the rich jungles were filled with animals, including huge dinosaurs. They were fiercely
fighting it out so God had to come as a half-man-half-lion form who could control all the
animals of the forest. Later, monkeys evolved, most likely in an equatorial forest as inferred
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from their diet. Monkeys were a marvel of creation because they could climb up the trees to
eat fresh fruits and escape predators. The monkey form was a big upgrade from the pigs which
had to contend with fallen fruits which could be rotting. These monkeys eventually evolved
into three feet tall humans and got into fights making it obligatory for God to come as a three
feet tall human to solve their problems. Note, beings are given free will, and can go astray,
therefore God needs to come occasionally to guide beings just as there are cases of enlightening
teacher in schools of totally wrecked portions of cities who successfully changed students for
the better.
Later, humans started farming the recently volcanic and nutritious soil of earth thereby
becoming 22 feet tall humans who got into fierce fights, so God had to come as a 22 feet tall
human to calm them. God later had to come as a 13 feet tall human and later as a slightly shorter
human to solve major problems occurring on earth.
Then came the 13 Buddhas, with 12 meditating in the jungle; the first of which was an Avatar
and only the last whose story many know about, lived among other humans; all 13 had the
same thought process for spiritual upliftment.
Finally, Baba came as some call Kalki in three lives (Shirdi, Sathya and Prema) because the
lifespans of humans have reduced greatly with all the low-quality food from over-farmed lands
and pollution. In the opinion of this author, another reason Sai Baba came in three lives is that
humanity has formed three major religion groups, the Muslims, the Indian (Hindu, Buddhist,
Jain, Sikh etc) and the Christians. Shirdi Baba came for the Muslims, Sathya for the Indian
religions and Prema Sai will cater to the Christians. The two clues that Prema Sai will focus on
the Christians being that he will spend most of his life outside of India and the second clue is
that he does look a little like Jesus Christ. How Prema Sai will look like is known because of
the continuously changing image of Prema Sai on the stone affixed on a ring which Sathya Sai
Baba materialized out of thin air and gifted to Dr John S Hislop.
The depiction of the ten avatars is found in many Hindu temples all over India. Since the
supreme God came as animals initially and most Hindus know these stories, today India has
the highest percentage of vegetarians on earth.
But all throughout, since the beginning of earth, there were human looking people who guided
evolution. These are the descendants of the few people brought into this earth from the last
earth, like the Noah’s Ark story. The last earth existed before the Big Bang and Big Crunch
prior to that. Just as we experience day and night, the universe experiences the Big Bang and
Big Crunch. These descendants are called Devas and Asuras. The Devas and Asuras have been
leaders of civilization from the beginning; both groups originated from one man who had two
sisters as his wives who became the grand ancestors of the Devas and the Asuras.
In the Kali yuga that ended on 10/22/15, 12:15 the Asuras were the leaders which explains all
the violence in the last 5000 years. They look like humans so other humans do not know that
Asuras control the power centers of earth. The current yuga is the Sathya yuga where the Devas
will gradually displace the Asuras as leaders of society. Baba explained that the violence still
occurring on earth after 10/23/2015, 12:15 is analogous to a fan that keeps turning for a while
even if the electrical power to it has been switched off.
This earth is the only place in this humongous universe where beings can achieve spiritual
progress. There may be more advanced civilizations on other planets but if you go to a very
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advanced city on earth today, you will feel like a machine, that is how those civilizations are;
love is lacking. The next few paragraphs describe the 10 avatars in slightly more detail.
1) Matsya – Matsya came when fishes were the dominant population on earth as confirmed by
science. Evolution started in the oceans and eventually there were brutal fights in the oceans
and fossils of these early fishes indicate full armor of bones and sharp teeth and very strong
jaws. They were large and seemed like the ultimate predators of oceans. Humans who today
try to acquire fierce dispositions with their well trained and tough physical body must see the
overall picture that the bare human body is one of the weakest animals on earth but yet humans
have conquered the earth. Because of the fierce fights occurring in the oceans, it became
imperative that God incarnate as a fish to solve the problems on earth. When everyone is a fish,
you come as a fish to educate.
2) Kurma – When the atmospheric air changed to have an increased percentage of oxygen and
less poisonous gasses, fishes started scaling the beaches for the lush vegetation beyond the
beaches which was far more that the vegetation possible even in the shallow ocean waters due
to a much higher levels of sunlight on the beaches. These fishes evolved into tortoises as they
grew shells to protect themselves from the hot beaches and had dark melanin filled skin to
handle the ultraviolet rays from the sun.
3) Varaha - Some tortoises started adventuring into the jungle which had trees which were
about 300-400 feet tall. Fruits which fell from these trees flattened as they hit the ground, and
the tortoises evolved flat mouths to eat them. They also had to lose their shells in the warm
jungle; like taking off their jackets. They also lost the melanin in their skin, in the little to no
ultraviolet radiation of the ground of the jungle and became pale to reddish which is the color
of their flesh and blood vessels; thereby evolving into pigs. This is why pig meat is considered
white meat, like fish as opposed to red meat of cattle. The pigs had a huge hinterland of a dense
jungle where food grows much more densely than in the ocean or beaches. This made the pigs
the dominant animals of earth. When quarrels started brewing amongst them, God had to come
as a pig to solve their quarrels.
4) Narasimha – Lots of animals evolved and there were furious battles going on in the jungles,
with one of the best fighters being the Tyrannosaurus rex. Unearthed fossils from this period
indicate a violent structure of their bodies; animals with lots of muscles, claws, powerful jaws,
and sharp fangs were fighting it out to be the leader to whom all other animals will have
obedience to. This violence amongst animals can be compared to some failed states on earth
where most people can perceive that things are not right because of the corruption of money,
injustices all around, and deviation from the truth. That is when God has to come to solve the
problems, or he will send ahead humans who will correct it a little before he steps in.
Narasimha’s peculiar skill set with a top half being lion and bottom half being human,
combined intelligence with the best fighting body structure achieved the best fighting skills
among all animals on earth. The animals of the jungle gradually acknowledged him to be the
king. Being the king, he could bring about righteousness among all beings of the time.
5) Vamana – A small humanoid which evolved from the likes of bonobos or chimpanzees
became the most adept at finding food from the treetops and thereby becoming the dominant
population of earth. Earlier the pigs were eating flattened fruits from the grounds of the jungle,
which could be a few days old and rotting. But monkeys evolved skills to go up the trees to eat
healthier fresh fruits and evade predators. Therefore, monkeys and later the small humanoids
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which evolved from them became the dominant creatures on earth. This was when the threefeet-tall Vamana had to come to solve their quarrels.
6) Parashurama - Humans started farming in the rich recently volcanic soil and became 22 feet
tall humans, therefore the 22 feet Parashurama had to come to solve the high impact wars of
such huge humans.
7) Rama - At a height of about 13 feet, he had dark skin. In the Ramayana, Rama and other
humans were communicating with animals.
8) Krishna – Was less tall than Rama but black in skin color from around present-day Uttar
Pradesh and later moved his people to modern day Gujarat.
9) Buddha - Born in current day Lumbini, Nepal and therefore probably had Chinese looking
features. There were 13 Buddhas but only the first of the 13 was an Avatar. He and the next 11
meditated in the jungles and only the 13th Buddha lived in society and whose story is known to
the world. Some may question, why stay in the jungle? The reason is that the meditation in the
jungle by the first 12 Buddhas changed the overall frequency of earth for the better. In fact, all
good deeds done by any human adds to the overall happiness of the earth because the whole
earth is a living thing. A scriptural reference also states that via evolution, we came first as
gasses and later evolved into trees and from that to more complicated cities etc. To go back to
the divine, we must go the other way round and get back to the more ancient jungles, the airy
mountain tops, etc.
10) Kalki - Sai Baba who came as Shirdi Sai Baba (born in 1835), Sathya Sai Baba (born in
1926) and then Prema Sai Baba (born in 2009). He had to come in three lives because the
nutrition from food deteriorated and therefore humans cannot live as long lives as the previous
avatars. Basically, Baba started life on earth in 1835 and will leave in 2063 thereby influencing
the earth for 228 years. Of course, God can live to any span of life but he/she (note Prema Sai
is Parvati) must live and behave as the dominant beings he came to guide. Incidentally during
Krishna’s time, 5000 years ago, 170 years was an average lifespan. Krishna was shot by a
hunter mistaking his dark legs to be a deer at the age 126 and Buddha died at the age of 63.
Humans may pray to any form and when they leave their human bodies, they will reach whom
they prayed to. The forms they worship can range from ancestors, spirits, demigods, gods,
avatars or Brahman. It is generally difficult for a human to pray to Brahman because Brahman’s
form is basically everything. And without a concrete form it is difficult to love it. Seekers of
God should not be attracted to powers beyond the physical processes by some humans. Such
powers can be acquired by particular practices, just as top athletes achieve an almost
miraculous ability to play their games due to the zealous efforts they put in training. The aim
of human life is not to gain some miraculous power, it should be to become God.
There is a confirmed Hindu timeline not in terms of 50,000 to 90,000 years. Hindu myths go
back to billions of years. Even Rama was born 20,000 years ago. Having studied this history
for 44 years and combining it with the discoveries from DNA analysis, the following
hypothesis can be worked out:
From the map of Fig. 1 of the ridges under the Indian Ocean, India moved from the south of
Africa to Asia. Originally the Indian Subcontinent was probably also connected to Antarctica.
The dark-skinned Africans lived in the Northern portion of the Indian subcontinent when it was
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joined to Africa and they moved north and ended up in a cold place in Asia. It was also an Ice
Age so those African / Indians must develop lighter skin (shed their color pigment or melanin)
to adapt to the lack of sunlight, since melanin’s function is to protect humans from sunlight.
They also had to evolve longer noses to warm up the cold air as it entered their lungs. Their
climatic conditions were like the Scandinavian countries with total darkness for months at a
time and the Deepavali festival was started to bring brightness during the dark periods of the
year. Some may say Deepavali started 5000 years ago with the advent of Krishna, but Baba
said its origin was to light up the total darkness of winter such as is experienced for two months
in a year in Norway. Here they started the most ancient civilization on earth, the Saraswati
civilization. Some of these Indians moved to South India which was previously inhospitable
when it was joined to Antarctica, but now South India had similar climatic conditions to most
of Africa and they therefore evolved to have more melanin in their skin but kept their bigger
noses. The civilization that evolved in South India and especially Kerala became very
important because three of the first humanoid avatars, Narashimha, Vamana, and Parashurama
had to be born there to solve various problems.
For a long time, this author had a deep seeded thought that civilization started in South India
because the first three humanoid avatars, Narasimha, Vamana and Parashurama took birth in
Kerala which was joined to Africa and later split off, bringing the Blacks to Asia. Remember
that the avatars before the humanoid ones were animals, following the theory of evolution,
namely, fish, tortoise, and pig.
But even before discovering the map below, there was one intrusive problem with that
hypothesis, why do many South Indians have big noses which are so unlike Africans despite
having almost the same climate as the middle of Africa? Why would they evolve bigger noses
if their climate did not change?
Therefore, the map below depicts the real story which was confirmed by Baba in a speech
where he said the Saraswati civilization was indeed the oldest civilization on earth. Therefore,
there is no need for Africans to walk to India, populate it and then spread their genes, culture,
and language all over the world which sounds a bit illogical; why choose far away India to
radiate out from. It is more logical that as India split out from Africa and the Africans on the
Indian side continued developing their culture in the Saraswati regions of India and later spread
out. From India, they moved to the rest of earth.
This explains why Sanskrit is the base language of all non-African languages and Hindu statues
are found in all countries. Genetically, the proof that Africa was the source of all humans is her
having the most diverse DNA today. The-split-out India has the second most diverse DNA.
And DNA diversity decreases away from India.
To add weight to this hypothesis is the scriptural references which state that this earth is the
only place in this whole universe where humans can increase their spiritual levels; and only
humans were given this ability. If God made a machine for this purpose, why would he utilize
it only at the halfway mark of its existence; the universe has already gone through 50% of the
430 billion years between the Big Bang and the Big Crunch. Therefore, humans must have
been here from the beginning. Even Gods like the Sun God, Moon God etc. must take human
births on earth to increase their spiritual level, analogous to going from class six to class seven.
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Initially humans were on earth as the humanoid descendants of the people from Noah's Arc
(spaceship) story; these were the Devas and the Asuras. Later humans evolved from monkeys
who were guided by the Devas and Asuras who themselves did not procreate much, just as
highly intelligent people of earth today tend to have only one or two children. Some of the
Devas and Asuras married the evolved humans as mentioned on numerous occasions in the
Puranas. This is how the humans of today came about. The Devas and Asuras were always the
leaders of humanity.
Some Americans (independent of Hindu influence) did study the financial control centers of
the earth and concluded that the real leaders are super humans; these must be the Asuras and
Devas. The Asuras controlled the world for the last 5000 years (Kali yuga) which explains the
violence for the last five millenniums. The Devas have been taking over since 10/23/2015,
12:15 when the Sathya yuga started according to Baba.
Of late, there have been discoveries of human artifacts which were dated to be millions of years
old, providing further proof that humans were here from the beginning. Sages Agastya and
Kashyapa were among the oldest sages in Hindu culture and were known to be dark-skinned
African / Indians who lived billions of years ago when India was joined to Africa.
There is a very real possibility that even Rama was from South India because most of the events
of the Ramayana took place in South India and Sri Lanka. Most likely Ayodhya was the Ay
kingdom of South India. Why did the powerful Pandyas and Cholas decide not to disturb the
Kingdom of Ay for most of her history? A guess is they did so because they knew Ay was a
spiritual kingdom of Rama 20,000 years ago. The proof of this is that, in Sai Baba’s Ramayana
which was written while Baba was in his physical body, mentioned that Vishwamitra was
engaged in rigorous asceticism in the east of Ayodhya but was always disturbed by Asuras. He
asked for Rama’s help to kill the Asuras. And Baba in Madhu form stated that Muddenahalli,
Karnataka is where Rama killed Tataka. Therefore, the location of Ayodhya is at the latitude
slightly north of Mangalore. It can’t be Mangalore because there is no mention of an ocean
near Ayodhya in the Ramayana.
Also, ancient travelers from China for example did not write about Ayodhya as a place in North
India, despite recording traveling near current day Ayodhya. The reason why Chinese literature
must be referred to is that there were huge book burnings that happened in India during the
Muslim and later Christian conquest of India. The Nalanda library book burning was so huge
that it took three months for all the books to be burned.
The Indians who moved north became the Europeans due to climatic conditions. This explains
the fact that European features like blonde hair is almost non-existing among Indians while it
should be common if Europeans invaded India to become Indians. These features evolved as
Indians moved out to the northern regions and not the other way round. Note, there was no
such thing as India or Indians in those days, it was just a continuous shade of humanity with
increasingly European features going northward. The ones who went eastwards developed
increasingly Chinese features as in Calcutta and Assam and eventually migrated to China and
Indochina to become Chinese and Polynesians. Genetic studies of today also prove that all nonAfricans originated from India.
This author follows quite a few Americans (non-Hindus) who state that the Smithsonian and
other people in charge of History hid many discoveries that counters their narrative that humans
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came from caves and became civilized, and we are today at the pinnacle of civilization with
the Europeans and especially the bankers controlling the earth being the very top of human
civilization. They like this sequence of events and will destroy any evidence which counter this
narrative by throwing it in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Just look at the pyramids, they were made with huge blocks of stones which are hard for even
the latest cranes of today to carry. And then, there is no cement between the blocks, the blocks
were made incredibly flat and smooth which is very hard to do even with the latest machinery.
Why would ancient “primitive” people make blocks so smooth? One American suggested that
they wanted the whole pyramid to be one stone block and there are two holes on the two sides
of the pyramid which were to pour different chemicals into and there is a large container at the
center. Here the chemicals will react making mechanical movement just as boiling rice will
make mechanical movements. Since most stones are piezoelectric, the pyramids are large
generators of electricity. It is a confirmed fact that the top of the pyramid was originally capped
with copper, the second-best conductor of electricity after silver.
A 40,000-year-old artifact was found in a German cave in 1939 and was named,
“Löwenmensch” which means lion man. It was made from a hard mammoth tusk. German
scientists and artisans used tools which were presumed to be available at that time to recreate
the artifact and it took 200 hours. For a community living on the edge of subsistence, allowing
a person to take off for 200 hours can only be justified if what he was making is an idol which
the whole community can pray to for protection from the elements. Therefore, that idol is
Narasimha and the “pagan religion” all Europeans were following at that time was Hinduism.
Similar idols were found in the USA, South America, France, all over the Middle East,
Southeast Asia, China, and Japan.
The map of the ridges under the Indian Ocean also indicate that Arabia also came from
Antarctica but later than India because the lines in the direction of Arabia have overridden
those lines going to India. The map also indicates that Madagascar and Somalia seem to also
have split off from the moving Indian subcontinent. The ridge going to Madagascar is clear.
Somalia seems to have split off from India and was later hit by Arabia and ended up where it
is today. Therefore, if you want to look at a sample of ancient Indians over a few million years’
time span: Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 are a sample of the people of Madagascar and Somalians
respectively; of course, this is just a hypothesis waiting for evidence to be proven.
Some people in India believe in the Kumari Kandam idea. But the map shows that some of the
deepest oceans on earth are south of India, so this idea cannot be true.
Indian culture is immortal, having existed throughout history because it is based on the dharma
of love.
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Fig. 1: The structure of the ocean floor near India
Fig. 2: People of Madagascar
186
Fig. 3: People of Somalia
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr Prashobh Karunakaran is currently an Assoc. Professor in Electrical Engineering and a
Professional Electrical Engineer at University of Technology Sarawak (UTS). He also owns a
technical electrical engineering school and a consulting and contracting business in Malaysia.
He initially worked at a civil engineering company (Dragages Travaux), a Power company
(SESCO), an American computer hard disk factory (Western Digital) before starting his own
business plus lecturing Electrical Engineering at universities (Swinburne, Kuching, UNIMAS,
Kuching & UTS, Sibu). He hails from Malaysia and studied for his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees at
South Dakota State University, USA. He completed his PhD in engineering at University
Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). He is married to Sreeja Haridas, who is also an electrical
engineer, and they have three children of whom Prashanth and Shanthi are working as electrical
engineers and Arjun is studying to be one in Japan. Prashobh’s interest in the material of this
book stems from dedicated inquiry into the reason for life on earth, starting at the age of sixteen.
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