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4-Paataal Khand

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7-Aaranyak Muni
2-Padm Puraan, 4-Paataal Khand, p 475-487

This Khand covers the pages 411-609 (220 pages) of the book.  It gives account of Raam's Ashwamedh Yagya, and Krishn's life.

Vidyunmaalee and Ugradanshtra Vadh

Shesh Jee said - "Thus millions of chariots were going with Shatrughn, Hanumaan, Subaahu, and Satyavaan etc following Raam's horse, that a darkness fell around. Vidyunmaalee Raakshas came there with his army. He was Raavan's well wisher (he was Taarak's son). He stole the horse and after a while the darkness was gone. They asked one another, "Where is the horse?". As they were asking one another, that they saw Vidyunmaalee sitting on his Vimaan and other Raakshas were around him on their chariots. One soldier said to Shatrughn - "A Raakshas has caught the horse. Do whatever you can do." So he asked his Minister again - "To who we should appoint to fight with this Raakshas?" Sumati said - "We have only Pushkal who can face him." Then Pushkal, Hanumaan including Shatrughn took vow to kill him and headed to fight with him.

Seeing them coming he said - "Oh, Where is Raam? He killed my friend. Today I will kill him and his brother and take revenge of Raavan's killing." Both parties started fighting. Pushkal felled Vidyunmaalee, so his brother Ugradanshtra came and hit his trident in Pushkal's chest. Pushkal fell down. Seeing this Hanumaan got angry and fought with him. Then Shatrughn came there and used Mohan Astra to cut his Raakshasee Maayaa. Then he used Vaayavya Astra which felled many other Raakshas. Then Vidyunmaalee used Paashupat Astra and Shatrughn used Naaraayan Astra which pacified all other Astra of Raakshas. Seeing this Vidyunmaalee used his trident which Shatrughn cut in a moment and then cut his neck also. Seeing his brother killed Ugradanshtra ran towards Shatrughn, but Shatrughn killed him also. After both Raakshas were killed their soldiers returned the horse."

At Aaranyak Muni's Aashram

Shesh Jee said - "Now the horse headed towards north and came to the banks of Narmadaa River. There Shatrughn saw an Aashram so he asked his Minister about that Aashram. Sumati said - "Raajan, Here lives a great Muni. He is very learned. He is a great devotee of Raam. Ask him only about him, he will tell you everything. His name is Aaranyak. So Shatrughn went to the Muni and greeted him. Muni asked them - "How and why have you come here, tell me everything." Sumati said - "Raam is doing Ashwamedh Yagya, so they are protecting His horse." Aaranyak said - "What is the use of doing various Yagya. These Yagya give only very little and momentary Punya. Only He Himself gives lots of Punya. He Himself is the giver of immortal status. Who worship any body else other than Ramaanaath, they are fools.

In earlier times, I was wandering in search of Tattwa Gyaan, but nobody told me anything about it. Fortunately, I met Lomash Muni. He came for Teerth Yaatraa from Swarg. I said to him - "I wish not to come back here." He said - "There are many ways not to come here - Daan (donation), pilgrimage, Vrat (fasts and vows), Niyam, Yog, Yagya etc, they all take one to Swarg, but there is one very secret way which destroys all sins. One should not tell this to an atheist. There is no greater Vrat than Raam, no greater Devtaa than Raam, no greater Yagya than Raam, no greater Yog than Raam. One can attain Parampad only by worshipping Shree Raam. There is only one Devtaa - Shree Raam; there is only one Vrat - His worship; there is only one Mantra - His name; there is only one Shaastra - His prayer."

I asked him - "How to worship Shree Raam?" He said - "One should meditate upon Him like this - there is a beautiful Ayodhyaa Nagaree. There is a Kalp Vriksh there and at the root of that tree a beautiful throne is kept on which dark complexioned King Raam is sitting. He is adorned with many ornaments. Who worships Shree Raam daily with sandalwood paste etc he attains all kinds of prosperity in this world and in the other world." I said - "I again ask you. Tell me, whoever you meditate upon, who is that Raam? Why did He take Avataar as a human being?"

Story of Raam

Lomash Muni said - "Knowing that the world was afflicted with various sorrows, Bhagavaan thought to spread His glory around so that by singing His glory people can get some happiness. He took Avataar in four forms along with His Shakti (Power) Lakshmee Jee. In earlier times, in Tretaa Yug Raam incarnated as Poorn Avataar in Raghu Vansh. His younger brother Lakshman always used to be with Him. Both went with Muni Vishwaamitra as per order of their father. On the way to his Aashram, Raam killed Taadakaa she-demon. Gautam Rishi's wife Ahalyaa who became stone because having contact with Indra, got her original form back by the touch of Raam's foot. When Vishwaamitra started his Yagya, Raam killed Subaahu and wounded Maareech.

He broke the Shankar's bow at King Janak's palace. At that time Raam was 15 years old. He married 6-years old Seetaa. Raam lived with Seeta in Ayodhyaa for 12 years. When He was 27 years old, Dasharath, His father, thought to appoint Him as the Crown Prince. In the meantime Kaikeyee asked Dashrath her two Var - Raam should live in forest, and her own son Bharat should be appointed as the Crown Prince. So Dasharath ordered Raam to go to forest. Raam took only water for three days, the fourth day He took fruits and the fifth day He chose Chitrakoot to stay. [Thus 12 years passed there.] In the 13th year He went to live in Panchvatee There He deformed Shoorpankhaa through Lakshman by cutting her nose.

In the meantime Raakshas Raaj Raavan abducted Seetaa, when Raam and Lakshman were not in their hut, on Maagh Krishn Ashtamee, in Vrind Muhoort. Seetaa started crying. Hearing cries of Seetaa, Jataayu came there to save Her but fell down wounded by Raavan. In the 10th month, on Maargsheersh (Agahan) Shukla Navamee* Sampaati informed Vaanar that "Seetaa was living in Raavan's palace.

* Note - This date is calculated as the month starts from Shukla Paksh, after Amaavasyaa; but according to present calculation, when month starts after Poornimaa, this date should be considered as Kaartik Shukla Navamee (9th day). see Calendar here.

On Ekaadashee (11th day) Hanumaan took a big leap from Mahendra Parvat and crossed 100 Yojan wide sea. The same night he searched Seetaa in Lankaa. He could see Her only in the last part of the night. He sat on the tree on Dwaadashee (12th day) on Shinshapaa tree. On the same day in the night, he told the story of Raam to assure Her [that he was the messenger from Raam]. On Trayodashee (13th day) he fought with Akshaya Kumaar (Raavan's son); on Chaturdashee he was tied by Meghnaad by Brahm Astra and after that the fire was set in his tail. He burned Lankaa with the same fire. He came back to Mahendra Parvat on Poornimaa. He spent five days on the way from Maargsheersh Krishn Pratipadaa (Agahan Krishn 1st) [to reach Raam]. On 6th day he destroyed Madhu Van. He came to Raam on Saptamee (7th day) and gave the token to Raam given by Seetaa.

He started for Lankaa on Ashtamee (the 8th day), in Uttaraa Phaalgunee Nakshatra and Vijaya Muhoort, in the afternoon. He took seven days to reach the sea coast. From Paush Shukla Pratipadaa (1st day) to Triteeyaa (3rd day) He stayed on the sea coast. Vibheeshan joined Him on Chaturthee (the 4th day). They consulted among themselves to cross the sea on Panchamee. Then Raam kept fast (no eating) for four days. Sea came and told Him the way to cross him. Building the bridge started on Dashamee (the 10th day) and ended on Trayodashee (the 13th day). Raam made the arrangements for His army to stay on Suvail Parvat on Chaturdashee (the 14th day). It took three days, from Poornimaa to Dwiteeyaa (the 2nd day), for Raam's army to cross the sea.

After crossing the sea, Raam's army surrounded Raavan's Lankaa. The army stayed there for eight days, from Triteeyaa to Dashamee. Shuk and Saaran entered Raam's army on Ekaadashee. Shaardool counted Vaanar army and described its chief Vaanar on Paush Krishn Dwaadashee. For the next three days, (from Trayodashee to Amaavasyaa) Raavan encouraged his army to fight with Raam's army. On Maagh Shukla Pratipadaa (the 1st day) Angad went to Raavan's court as Raam's messenger, and Raavan showed the severed head of Raam to Seetaa through his Maayaa.

Raam Raavan Battle

The battle between Raakshas and Vaanar continued for seven days, from Maagh Shukla Dwiteeyaa to Ashtamee. In the night of Navamee, Indrajit tied Raam and Lakshman with Naag Paash. Next day, on Dashamee, Vaayu Dev told Garud Mantra's Jap and the meditation of his form in Raam's ears. By doing this Garud Jee came on Ekaadashee. On Dwaadashee, Raam killed Dhoomraaksh. On Trayodashee, He killed Kampan named Raakshas. Neel killed Prahast in the next three days - from Maagh Shukla Chaturdashee to Krishn Paksh Pratipadaa. Then Raam pushed back Raavan from the battlefield in the next three days - from Maagh Krishn Dwiteeyaa to Chaturthee. Raavan woke up Kumbhkarn in four days from Panchamee to Ashtamee. Then he ate his food. Raam could kill Kumbhkarn in six days - from Navamee to Chaturdashee. There was no fight on Amaavasyaa because of the grief of Kumbhkarn's killing. 

Fight again started on Phaalgun Shukla Pratipadaa, and from Pratipadaa to Chaturthee, in four days time, five Raakshas (Vistantu etc) were killed. During the battle from Panchamee to Saptamee, Atikaaya was killed. From Ashtamee to Dwaadashee, in five days time, Nikumbh and Kumbh were killed. After this, in next three days, Makaraaksh was killed. On Phaalgun Krishn Dwiteeyaa, Indrajit won Lakshman. Again the fight discontinued for five days, from Triteetyaa to Saptamee, because of arranging medicines for Lakshman. After fighting with Indrajit for the next five days, from Ashtamee to Trayodashee, Lakshman killed Indrajit. On Chaturdashee Raavan took the Deekshaa of Yagya, so the battle was discontinued for one day.

On the day of Ammavasyaa, he again appeared in the battlefield. From Chaitra Shukla Pratipadaa to Panchamee, Raavan continued to fight. From Shashthee to Ashtamee, Mahaapaarshwa etc Raakshas were killed. On the day of Chaitra Shukla Navamee, Lakshman suffered from Shakti, so Raam backed Raavan off the battlefield. Hanumaan brought Drone Parvat to treat Lakshman. On Dashamee, Raam fought very fiercely. Next day, on Ekaadashee Indra's Saarathee Maatali brought chariot for Raam. Raam fought riding on the chariot Chaitra Shukla Dwaadashee to Chaitra Krishn Chaturdashee - 18 days, and killed Raavan.

There are 87 days counting from Maagh Shukla Dwiteeyaa to Chaitra Krishn Chaturdashee. During this period, battle discontinued only for 15 days, otherwise battle continued for remaining 72 days. The last rites of Raavan etc Raakshas was performed on the day of Chaitra Amaavasyaa. Raam stayed in the battlefield on Vaishaakh Shukla Pratipadaa. On Dwiteeyaa, Vibheeshan was crowned the King of Lankaa. On Triteeyaa, Seetaa was tested through fire (Agni Pareekshaa). On Vaishaakh Shukla Chaturthee, Raam started towards Ayodhyaa in Pushpak Vimaan. On Panchamee He came to Bharadwaaj Muni's Aashram; and on the completion of 14 years, on the day of Shashthee, He met Bharat in Nandee Graam. On the day of Vaishaakh Shukla Saptamee, Raam was crowned as the king of Ayodhyaa. When Raam took control of His kingdom, He was 42 years old and Seetaa was 33 years old.

When Raam will be ruling, Agastya Jee will come there, and Raam will perform Ashwamedh Yagya at the advice of Agastya Muni. His horse will come at you Aashram, you will tell Raam's Kathaa to them and will go to Ayodhyaa Puree. After the Darshan of Raam you will be free from this world."

Lomash Jee asked me again - "Now what else do you want to ask for your welfare?" I said - "I have got everything by your grace." And he went away. Since then I am always busy in worshipping Shree Raam. Now you tell me what for you have come here? Who is doing Ashwamedh Yagya? Tell me all these things and go to protect the horse and always remember Raam." Then they told him that at the advice of Agastya Muni, Raam was doing Ashwamedh Yagya, His horse has come here and they had come there following him. Aaranyak Muni got very happy to hear this and he remembered Hanumaan also.

Hearing this Hanumaan held his both feet saying "I am Hanumaan." Both started telling Raam's stories to each other. Then Hanumaan said - "Maharshi, Raam's brother Shatrughn is greeting you. Bharat's son Pushkal is also greeting you. And he is Raam's Minister Sumati, this is Subaahu, this is Sumad, and he is Satyavaan. All rested there that day. Next day, they took bath in Narmadaa River, sent Aaranyak Muni to Ayodhyaa and all proceeded following the horse. Seeing Ayodhyaa near Muni got down from the palanquin and walked towards where the Yagya was going to take place. He had Darshan of Shree Raam. Raam also touched his feet and said - "Hey Muni, Today I am blessed." Then He washed his feet, touched that water to His forehead and donated a cow to him."

Shesh Jee said - "In the meantime, there happened a wonderful event, Hey Vaatsyaayan, listen to it carefully. Aaranyak Muni said to Maharshi sitting there - "O Maharshi, Listen to me carefully. Who can be such fortunate like me on this Prithvi? Shree Raam Himself has greeted me and has asked my welfare. That is why there is nobody in the present, there has been nobody in past, and there will be nobody in the future like me. The whole world searches for whoever, He Himself has taken my Charanodak today." Saying this his Brahm Randhra (the hole in the skull) opened up, a light came out of it and got absorbed in Raam. Thus he got freed from this world."

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