Previous Story of Manthara

Why did Manthara spoil Kaikeyi's mind?

A tale from the Ramopakhyana of Mahabharata

We all know that it was Manthara who spoiled Kaikeyi's mind and made her ask Dasharatha to send Rama for exile and coronate her son Bharata instead.As per Valmiki Ramayana there was no reason for her to do so and she was basically a wicked lady who would not tolerate such happy events.However the Mahabharata gives an interesting story for this.In the Mahabharata,there is Ramopakhyana,or the substory of Lord Rama, narrated by Sage Markandeya to Yudhishthira to console him in the forest saying that previously too many people had suffered like him.In this story,it is told that when all the gods went to Lord Vishnu to ask his help to vanquish the evil Ravana,he said he would incarnarte as a human being.At that time,Lord Brahma told the gods to take birth in different beings like monkeys and bears from their parts to help Lord Vishnu.He then told a Gandharva lady called Dundubhi to take birth as a hunchback woman and told her what she had to do.Thus,as per his advice,she was born as Manthara, the maidservant of Kaikeyi, and brought about the stoppage of Rama's coronation by poisoning Kaikeyi's mind.As a result of this,Rama had to go to the forest and then with the series of events involving abduction of Sita by Ravana, he killed Ravana which was the main purpose of his incarnation.

Previous Story of Putana

Putana's previous story

We see in the Bhagavatam that Kamsa sent the demoness Putana to kill baby Krishna.Putana disguised like a beautiful lady and mesmerizing Yashoda and other gopis,she took baby Krishna to breastfeed him and thereby kill him by her poisonous breast milk.Krishna saw her like his mother and while sucking her breast,he also sucked off her life! Putana fell down taking to her gigantic form and died.Later Nanda and others could not lift her heavy body and hence cut her body into pieces and burnt them.As they burnt,a divine fragrance emanated indicating that Putana had become pure due to the touch of Lord Krishna and attained liberation.Thus though Putana was a demoness, she attained liberation since she was killed by Lord Krishna.The Brahmavaivarta purana continues the story saying that a divine chariot came and took her to Goloka, the supreme abode of Lord Krishna.It also narrates Putana's previous life story.Putana, in her previous life was King Bali's daughter by name Ratnamala.When Lord Vamana, the dwarf incarnation of Lord Vishnu came to beg three steps of land from King Bali,his daughter Ratnamala saw the small boy Vamana and felt motherly affection for him.She felt if she had a son like him she could breast feed him.Lord Vamana understood her mind and allowed her to breastfeed him in her next life as Putana.Once she breast fed the Lord,she got rid of all her sins and went to Goloka.

Some stories of fools from the Kathasaritsagara

Some stories of fools from the Kathasaritsagara

     Once there was a merchant who had a foolish son.He went to an island called Katahadweepa to sell fragrant aloe wood.But in that island since none knew about aloe wood,they did not buy his aloe wood.However,he saw that they were buying charcoal, and he burnt all his wood, and getting charcoal out of them,he sold the charcoal for it's rate.He then returned home and appraised himself for his'cleverness'!

        Once a foolish farmer ate some fried sesame and felt it was very tasty.He then, thinking that if he sowed fried sesame, the same would grow and sowed fried sesame.When nothing grew, people laughed at his foolishness!

          One night,a fool thought that since he required water for bath and fire for the insence to worship God,it would be good if both were together.He hence put charcoal in the drum of water and slept.The next morning he saw that the charcoal had lost it's heat and water had become dirty!

         Once a fool thought that his wife's nose was flat and his teacher's nose was long and straight.Feeling that his wife should have such a long and straight nose,he cut off his teacher's nose while he was sleeping and brought it.He then cut off his wife's nose too and put his teacher's nose in that place.Nothing grew there,but he made both lose their noses!

         Once a foolish cotton trader went to sell his cotton,but none bought it seeing that it was impure.He at that time saw that a goldsmith was selling his gold after purifying it by heating it in fire.Seeing this,he too tried to purify his cotton by putting it in fire and all his cotton got burnt, making people laugh at him!

          Once a foolish person went to his father in law's house for the first time.Seeing in the kitchen white plain rice kept for cooking by his mother in law, he got attracted to it and put a handful of it into his mouth! Exactly at that point of time, his mother in law came in, and he, out of shame, could neither swallow the rice nor spit it out!Due to this, his cheeks became swollen up! Seeing this, his mother in law thought he had some disease and brought in her husband.Seeing him,he brought a doctor.The doctor thought he had a swelling and made a slit in his cheek.And out came the rice grains, and people laughed at him!

Previous Stories of Ravana -5

Previous Stories of Ravana-5

Penance of Ravana and others

Dashagriva and Kumbhakarna, having taken birth, grew up in the forest being terrific to the world. Kumbhakarna especially was highly intoxicated, and would eat up great sages! And he was always dissatisfied even after eating too much! Vibheeshana, however,was always righteous, and self controlled.

      One day, Kubera came to see his father Vishravas in his Pushpaka Vimana plane. Seeing him shine with effulgence, Kaikasi went upto Ravana and said," O son! See your brother who is so effulgent! You being his brother are equal to him! But just look at your state now! You too are equally powerful like him! Hence,try to become as great as him!"

     Hearing his mother's words, Ravana became very intolerant and said,"O mother! I hereby make an oath that I shall become equal to or even greater than my brother! You don't worry!"

     So saying, Ravana in anger, decided to do a severe penance along with his brothers! He thus went to a pilgrimage place called Gokarna with his brothers to do penance. 

     All the three brothers began severe penance following holy rites. Kumbhakarna during summer, established four fires at four corners, with sun as the fifth fire and thus did penance sitting between five fires. In the rainy season,he sat below the showers of rain and did penance. And in the winter,he stood in cold water and did penance. In this way,he did penance for 10,000 years! 

    Vibheeshana did penance for five thousand years standing on one leg! His penance completed with this, the apsaras danced in joy and Devas praised him! They showered flowers on him from the sky! Vibheeshana then again continued penance on Lord Surya for another five thousand years! Thus,he did penance for ten thousand years!

    Ravana did penance for ten thousand years without taking any food! As he completed one thousandth year of penance,he sacrificed his one head in the fire! In this way,he did penance for nine thousand years and sacrificed his nine heads! After finishing his ten thousandth year of penance,he got ready to sacrifice his tenth head too! And Lord Brahma appeared along with gods immediately! 

     Lord Brahma said,"I am happy with your penance! Ask for any boon! Let your efforts not go wasted!"

     Ravana felt happy at this and said folding his hands,"O Lord! There is no other fear apart from death for all living entities! Hence I wish for immortality!"

    At this Brahma said,"Immortality is not for you! Hence ask for some other boon!"

         Ravana then said,"O Lord! I would then desire to be free of death from the hands of Nagas,Yakshas,Daityas,Danavas, Rakshasas, and Devas! I am not worried of other animals and humans! They are just like grass for me!"

        At this,Lord Brahma said,"O best among Rakshasas! It shall be as you said! I shall also grant you another boon! All your heads you have sacrificed in the fire shall sprout back! I shall grant you another rare boon! You shall be able to take the form you wish!"

       As Brahma said so,all the heads of Ravana came back to him!

      After granting boons to Ravana, Brahma went upto Vibheeshana and told him to ask boon. Vibheeshana, folding his hands,said,"O Lord! If you are pleased I am satisfied! The boon I seek is that, even if I am struck in the greatest misery my mind should be situated in Dharma! Let me get the knowledge of Brahmastra even without being taught! Let me follow the dharma of any stage of life I get into!"

      Lord Brahma felt very happy with him and said,"O son! You are indeed righteous!It shall happen as you said! Though you have obtained rakshasa life, your mind shall not get into adharma! Hence I shall grant you immortality!"

        Thus granting boons to Vibheeshana, Brahma then went upto Kumbhakarna to grant him boon. At that time,all the gods folded their hands and said to him,"O Lord! Please don't grant any boon to Kumbhakarna! You know how much he is tormenting the world! He has already eaten seven apsaras in Nandana garden ,ten servants of Lord Indra and many sages and men! He has done so much havoc even without getting any boon! He shall eat up all the three worlds if he gets any boon! O Lord! Somehow bewilder him in the form of a boon so that all the three worlds shall be benefited also!"

       As the gods requested Lord Brahma like this,he remembered his wife Saraswati. She immediately appeared and folding her hands asked for any service. And Lord Brahma said,"O Saraswati! Stay in the tongue of Lord Brahma and fulfill the task of gods!"

     Agreeing to this, Saraswati entered Kumbhakarna's tongue. When Brahma asked him to beg a boon, Kumbhakarna said,"O Lord! It is my desire to be sleeping for many years!"

    "So be it!" Brahma said and left for his abode with the gods. Goddess Saraswati also left. Now Kumbhakarna got back his intelligence and chastised himself,"O! What mistake did I do? Why did I say so? Surely I must have been mesmerized by the gods!"

     Thus,all the three brothers took boons and went to a forest called Shleshmataka and lived there happily.

To continue

Previous Stories of Ravana -4

Previous Stories of Ravana-4

Birth of Ravana and others

Sumali lived with his family in the nether world,Rasatala for a long time in fear of Lord Vishnu. By this time,Kubera the treasurer of gods occupied Lanka. After some time,Sumali started coming out of Rasatala with his daughter Kaikasi and began wandering around the earth. At that time,he once saw Kubera going in his Pushpaka Vimana to meet his father. Seeing him so radiant like fire,Sumali got astonished. After coming back to Rasatala,he thought over," By doing what can we progress? How can we prosper?"

     He then called his daughter Kaikasi and told her,"Dear daughter! This is the right time to give you in marriage to a proper bridegroom! Youth will pass away! Many young men are not coming forward to marry you in the fear that you may refuse! We all are in fact trying to search a good bridegroom for you! Do one thing! You go yourself and marry Sage Vishravas, who is the son of Sage Pulastya and the grandson of Lord Brahma. If you marry him,you may beget sons as good as his son Kubera!"

    Accordingly, Kaikasi, respecting her father's words,went to the place where Sage Vishravas was doing penance and stood before him. It was evening then and he was performing a fire sacrifice. Kaikasi, without thinking that the period of evening was terrific for sensual thoughts, bent down her head and began scratching the ground with her toe nails. The sage, seeing her, asked her,"O noble lady! Whose daughter are you? Where have you come from? What can I do for you?"

      Kaikasi then said," O sage! You can know yourself! But I shall still tell as you have asked.I am Kaikasi, the daughter of Sumali. I have come here as per my father's suggestion. The rest of the matter, you can know yourself,O sage!"

     The sage went into a trance and by his divine vision,he understood why she had come. He then said to her,"O lady! I understand that you have come here to beget children from me! But the time you have come is not right! It's the evening time not proper for such thoughts. Hence, the children born to us will be cruel Rakshasas!"

    Hearing this, Kaikasi got scared and said folding her hands,"O sage! I don't want your children to be cruel like that! Please offer good benediction!"

     The sage then said again,"Since you requested,your fourth son will be a noble and righteous one befitting my clan!"

     Thus, Kaikasi married the sage Vishravas. After some time,she gave birth to a rakshasa who was of a terrific form! He had ten heads, twenty hands, big face,red lips, and big canine teeth! As soon ashe was born, female jackals started spitting fire balls! Birds of prey began circling in anticlockwise direction! Clouds thundered like donkeys and rained blood! Meteors showered from the sky! Earthquake occurred! Fierce storms blew! Sea gushed forth! Sage Vishravas seeing the child having ten heads named him Dashagriva. This Dashagriva became famous as Ravana later.

      Next was born Kumbhakarna,a great giant. There was no body as huge as his! And then was born a girl child called Shurpanakha,who had terrific face! At last was born Vibheeshana, the righteous. As soon as he was born, flowers showered from the sky! Gods played the kettledrums in pleasure! They said,"Great! Great!" from the sky!