Holy Ramayan Retold 7

Holy Ramayan 

Lord Vishnu in Sheshasayi posture

Continued from part 6 : 

https://pilgrimsprogress22.blogspot.com/2019/03/holy-ramayan-retold-6.html

Chapter 46 begins to narrate the events on the aftermath of the Samudra Manthan through an elaborate allegory involving Lord Indra and Goddess Diti.This mysterious allegory requires a deeper understanding and any literal translation would be quite misleading.

According to this allegory narrated by Sage Vishwamitra,Goddess Diti was deeply aggrieved at the death of her Asura sons at the hands of the Lord Indra and the Gods during the Samudra Manthan and she wanted to kill Lord Indra. So she approached her husband Sage Kashyapa to procure a Magic Child who could kill Lord Indra. Sage Kashyapa advised her to undergo great ascetic penance for one thousand years to procure such a child and after consecrating the ritual ground and blessing the Goddess he departed to his abode for his own penance. Goddess Diti reached the consecrated ground of Kushaplava and began her ascetic penance. This Kushaplava was the place where the city of Vishala was founded and where Sage Vishwamitra and his entourage stopped by.

Lord Indra 

Diti and Kashyapa

The Vajra of Lord Indra

Lord Indra came to know about the ascetic penance of Goddess Diti and he came to serve her in order to appease her anger against him. He brought fire,firewood,Kusha grass,fruits,roots and water to assist her in the ritual. He also massaged her body to remove bodily fatigue. Goddess Diti was very pleased with his service and when only ten years remained to be completed out of of the stipulated one thousand years, she spoke to Lord Indra about her impending Magic Child. She told him that the Magic Child would be a brother to him and would be the conqueror of the three worlds. While she spoke to him the midday sun reached its zenith and she fell asleep under its influence keeping her feet head ward against the convention. She became impious by placing her feet head ward with her braid falling at her feet and lost her ascetic merit. Lord Indra was delighted to see the failure and taking advantage of the situation he hurled his Vajra weapon or thunderbolt at her womb. As a result the foetus in her womb was divided into seven fragments and she woke up from her sleep. Lord Indra asked for her forgiveness but said that it was necessary to fragment the foetus as her ascetic penance was a failure on account of her impious act of placing the feet head ward. 

Lord Indra wielding the Vajra weapon from His mount Airavat

The Vajra

Chapter 47 continues Sage Vishwamitra's narration of the allegory of Goddess Diti's fragmented foetus and the emergence of the seven MarutGanas from it. Goddess Diti was deeply aggrieved at the fragmentation of her foetus into seven parts and she confessed to Lord Indra that it was the result of her own fault and he was not guilty. She requested Lord Indra to accept the seven fragments and transform them into seven Wind Gods in charge of seven ethereal regions under his lordship. She further requested him to let one fragment permeate the abode of Lord Brahma, let another permeate the abode of Lord Indra and yet another permeate all the divine regions and let the remaining four permeate the four cardinal directions. She also requested him to name them Maruta or MarutGanas. Lord Indra agreed to the request of Goddess Diti and said that her seven sons would be renowned in the entire universe as the MarutGanas. Thus the stepmother Diti and stepson Indra reached an agreement in the region called Kushaplava and returned to their heavenly abodes. Sage Vishwamitra concluded the narration by saying that the city of Vishala was founded on the sacred grounds of Kushaplava,once blessed by Lord Indra and Goddess Diti.

Lord Indra

The Vajra of Lord Indra as a sacred object

This allegory has three different layers of meanings which are all true simultaneously. The three layers of meanings are AdiBhautikam or physical meaning, AdiDaivatam or divine meaning and Adhmatyikam or spiritual meaning. 

The seven Maruts

The MarutGanas

The Vajra 

The seven Maruts or Wind Gods maintaining the balance of the universe

The functioning of the winds in the atmosphere is the Adhmatyikam or spiritual meaning of this allegory. It is necessary to know the names of the MarutGanas to understand their functions. The seven Maruts are -

Avaha - the air pervading the clouds, rain and thunderstorms 

Pravaha - the pervading the solar orbit

Samvaha - the air pervading the lunar orbit

Udvaha - the air pervading the galaxies

Vivaha - the pervading the planets

Praivaha - the air pervading the constellation Saptarshi Mandal 

Paravaha - the air pervading the North Pole.

The seven Maruts are also known by the names -

Gagana 

Sparshana 

Vayu 

Anil 

Prana 

Praneshwara 

Jiva. 

Each of these Maruts has seven attendants and so the total number of MarutGanas comes to 7×7=49. It must be remembered that the MarutGanas are conscious entities with ethereal bodies and the balance of the universe depends on their proper functioning. During the Vedic era they were invoked through Sanskrit mantras to bring rainfall in times of draught. (Yes  you read it right ) . 

The constellation Ursa Minor

Ursa Minor with Constellation Draco

The animated diagrams below depict movement of constellations along the Celestial Pole

Please watch the videos below to understand the Precession of the earth 

The constellation Ursa Minor comprising seven stars with Polaris serving as the Pole star fixed to the celestial North Pole is the AdiDaivatam or divine meaning of this allegory. It must be noted that the constellation Ursa Minor or Little Bear rotates on the celestial sphere during the earth's Precession cycle of approximately 26000 years with the Pole star Polaris as the pivotal point. The 1000 year long penance of Goddess Diti is an allegory for the earth's Precession and ten years short of 1000 years when she fell asleep feet head ward under the midday sun is an allusion to a specific time when the constellation Ursa Minor or Little Bear faces the earth upside down or feet head ward. The fragments of her foetus is an allusion to the seven stars in Ursa Minor that are prominent in the night sky. The constellation Ursa Minor with Polaris at its pivotal point has been used by seafarers for millenia to find direction in the stormy sea and hence the obvious allusion to the Wind Gods, MarutGanas. The constellation can be seen in close proximity to the constellation Draco and hence the allusion to the aftermath of Samudra Manthan. The constellation Draco is an allegory for Lord Vishnu and Samudra Manthan as I have already explained in my previous blog in this series.

The view of the Celestial Orb from the northern hemisphere showing the Pole star in the centre surrounded by Ursa Minor and Draco among others

Star trails along the Celestial Pole

Soma Yaga Fire

The scale model of the Garuda or Syena alter and the necessary articles are prepared before the Atiratra Yaga

The creation of the Alchemical metal alloy Amrita during Soma Yaga is the AdiBhautikam or physical meaning of this allegory. The penance of Goddess Diti, the consecration of ritual ground and the assistance of Lord Indra with fire,firewood, Kusha grass and other articles are all allusion to Soma Yaga. The 1000 year long penance of Goddess Diti and ten years short of 1000 years when she fell asleep under the midday sun feet head ward is an allusion to a specific time of astrological significance when the Soma Yaga was performed on a massive scale over a long period of time. The massaging of Goddess Diti's body by Lord Indra to remove bodily fatigue is an allegory for the purification process during metal casting wherein raw metal is extracted from metallic ores. The fragmentation of the foetus in Goddess Diti's womb by Lord Indra's Vajra is an allegory for the creation of the Alchemical metal alloy Amrita on the Vedic fire alter.

The Garuda alter for Atiratra Yaga

The fire alter for Soma Yaga 

Kusha grass, firewood etc needed to perform Soma Yaga

The city of Vishala was built on the ritual ground of Kushaplava where numerous Soma Yagas were performed. Lord Indra's blessing is an allusion to the wealth generated by the production of Alchemical metal alloys through Soma Yaga. Soma Yaga produced Alchemical metal alloys which were highly valued and hence generated great wealth as I have already explained in detail in my previous blogs on Soma and Atiratra Yaga.

Soma Yaga in progress

The Kusha grass

Lord Indra assisted Goddess Diti by providing these articles for her Yagas

The Vedic ritual of Agnihotra in progress. All these rituals were regularly performed in the city of Vishala and thus it became properous

Sage Vishwamitra continued to narrate the history associated with the city of Vishala to Lord Ram. It is important to note here that the Sage was actually teaching Lord Ram the mysteries of Vedic rituals through the story. The Sage then narrated the genealogy of the kings of the city of Vishala. King Ikshvaku and queen Alambusa had a son called Vishala who constructed the city of Vishala after his own name. The genealogy of the Vishala dynasty is as follows -

Kung Vishala 

King Hemachandra

King Suchandra 

King Dhumrashwa

King Srinjaya 

King Sahadeva 

King Kushashwa 

King Somadatta

King Kakutstha 

King Sumati .

It is important to note here that king Ikshvaku and king Kakutstha from Vishala dynasty are different from the Ikshvaku dynasty of Ayodhya to which Lord Ram belonged.

King Sumati was ruling the city of Vishala when Sage Vishwamitra reached there with his entourage. The Sage decided to spend the night there before going to king Janak's palace. When king Sumati heard of the arrival of Sage Vishwamitra he went with his entourage to welcome the Sage.

In Chapter 48, Sage Vishwamitra begins to narrate the legend of Ahalya and Sage Gautam. King Sumati wanted to know the whereabouts of the royal prices of Ayodhya and Sage Vishwamitra duly narrated it to him. After spending the night at the city of Vishala the Sage set out for the city of Mithila along with his entourage. On the fringes of the city of Mithila Lord Ram saw a deserted hermitage and requested Sage Vishwamitra to narrate the history associated with that hermitage. So the Sage began to narrate the legend of Ahalya and her husband Sage Gautam who previously stayed in that hermitage. 

Ahalya in the hermitage

As per the legend, one day when Sage Gautam was not present in the hermitage, Lord Indra came to the hermitage in the guise of Sage Gautam and approached Ahalya for union. Even though Ahalya recognised Lord Indra in the guise of her husband she agreed to the proposal of Lord Indra. In the meantime Sage Gautam reached the hermitage and caught Lord Indra red-handed and cursed him to be infertile and as a result Lord Indra lost his testicles. Sage Gautam also accused Ahalya of infidelity and cursed her to remain stranded in the hermitage without food,costuming air alone and covered in ash for thousands of years. Sage Gautam further informed her that only after the arrival of Lord Ram she will be cleansed of her sin and reunited with her husband. Thereafter Sage Gautam left the hermitage and went away to the Himalayas to meditate. 

Lord Indra on his mount , the Airavat

Ahalya and Lord Indra 

Sage Gautam cursing Lord Indra

Chapter 49 continues Sage Vishwamitra's narration of the legend of Ahalya and Sage Gautam. Lord Indra approached the Gods for help as he had lost his testicles because of the curse and all the Gods came to his rescue led by Lord Agni. Lord Agni proposed the idea of cutting off the testicles of a ram and fixing it to the body of Lord Indra and it was duly accepted and thus Lord Indra got back his virility. 

Lord Agni on his mount, the ram. According to this allegory the testicles of this ram was cut off and fixed to the body of Lord Indra to bring back his virility. 

Lord Agni

Lord Ram with Ahalya

After hearing the legend Lord Ram entered the hermitage of Sage Gautam where Ahalya lived a secluded life unseen by the outside world. As soon as Lord Ram entered the hermitage Ahalya became free from the curse and came back to her original form. She appeared as a flaming fire cloaked by fumes among other things. She offered great hospitality to Lord Ram and Lakshman on being free from curse and Sage Gautam also accepted her back as his wife. Sage Gautam continued to practice ascetic penance along with Ahalya in that hermitage and Lord Ram took their leave and proceeded towards Mithila along with His entourage.

Lord Ram entering the hermitage of Ahalya

The legend of Ahalya and Sage Gautam is an elaborate allegory and any literal translation would be quite misleading and ridiculous.

Vedic fire alter for performing Soma Yaga

Vedic fire alter made of Copper

A piece of Gold pyrite or  fool's gold with impurities. This kind of metallic ores were purified by the Alchemical process of Soma Yaga.

Pyrite found on a quartz crystal

A cross section of a pyrite - these subtle features of the pyrite has been meticulously described in the Holy RigVeda albeit in a cryptic metaphorical way.

The Vajra as a symbol of Thunderbolt

The Vajra as symbol of Indragni or cosmic fire

Lord Indra

Lord Agni on his mount, the ram

This legend is an allegory for the Soma Yaga to create the Alchemical metal alloy Amrita. Sage Gautam and Ahalya were Vedic priests involved in Soma Yaga which transformed metallic ores into Alchemical metal alloy called Amrita through a process of purification. Lord Indra is an allegory for Indragni or fireball energized by sound waves during the Yaga. The infidelity of Ahalya is an allegory for the impurities in the metallic ores that needed to be purified before pure metal could be extracted. The losing and subsequent gaining of the testicles by Lord Indra is an allegory for the chemical compounds that were added and removed in the Cauldon over the fire alter to purify the metallic ores. The testicles of a ram is likewise an allegory for a metal compound used in the Alchemical process. The cursed state of Ahalya where she remained still covered in ash is an allegory for the cooling period after the completion of the Yaga. Ahalya's freedom from curse is an allegory for the Alchemical metal alloy Amrita that manifests itself on the successful completion of the Soma Yaga.

Ahalya offering hospitality to Lord Ram

Lord Ram freeing Ahalya from curse

Sage Kashyapa and Ahalya temple in Pushkar, modern India 

It is important to note here that in Chapter 46 and 47 Sage Vishwamitra taught Vedic Alchemy to Lord Ram through the allegory of Lord Indra and Goddess Diti. In this chapter Sage Vishwamitra tested Lord Ram's knowledge at the hermitage of Sage Gautam. When Lord Ram entered the hermitage He actually completed the Soma Yaga that was abandoned years ago and brought out the Alchemical metal alloy Amrita. The actual Sage Gautam and his wife Ahalya were put up there to test the Vedic knowledge of Lord Ram. Lord Ram successfully completed the task and earned the favour of the Gods as Sage Vishwamitra had envisaged. 

To be continued .......

In the end I just like to say that we need the Lord more than ever before. Five thousand years have passed since the end of the Kurukshetra war and our country has lost 80% of her territory and wealth. Only the Lord can make Bharat Varsha great again in the form of Kalki Avatar.

Come back O Lord and save us. 

NB : For more information on the scientific aspects of the Vajra please follow the blogs by the brilliant researcher Srinivasan Kalyanaraman

http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2015/06/vajra-ayasam-vajram-metal-weapon-rv.html


For more information on Vedic Alchemy please follow my earlier blogs on Vedic culture and Soma

https://pilgrimsprogress22.blogspot.com/2018/11/vedic-culture.html

https://pilgrimsprogress22.blogspot.com/2018/12/soma.html

All the photos and videos used in this blog are copyrighted materials taken from YouTube and other sites.