Helping the oppressed was Rama's main duty

CHENNAI, MAY 3. Human weakness may manifest itself in different forms. For instance, even in normal circumstances, a small sharp weapon in the hands of a person accustomed to use force, is enough to display his strength though there is no need to do so. To draw attention to the catastrophic consequences of similar misadventures, a fine story has been included in the Ramayana and the narrator is none other than Sita. (The Divine Mother, as a human being, relates another interesting tale at the concluding stage of the epic).

A hermit was engaged in very rigorous penance. Wishing to put obstacles in his way, the chief of the celestials met him in the guise of a warrior, and entrusted him with a dagger for safe- keeping. The innocent sage carried the weapon with him wherever he went. Constant thought of the tool gathered momentum and ultimately, he who was noted for his austerities, lost faith in them and inured his mind to cruelty. Lapsing from virtue by his association with the dagger, he found himself in hell.

This legend was quoted by Sita to Her Lord while the Divine Couple, along with Lakshmana were passing through a forest. This embodiment of gentleness and compassion had earlier witnessed how a dangerous demon was hacked by the brothers and had listened to reports of cruelty and torture inflicted on the harmless ascetics conducting penance, by the evil forces. She also took note of Rama's pledge to rid the forest of these violent elements. All these produced a storm in Her mind and She then unburdened certain sentiments while they were on their march.

Elaborating what Sita said, Sri V. S. Karunakaran, in a discourse, referred to some of the temptations to which men may usually fall victim. One of them is to utter falsehood. ``You will never speak a lie'', Sita told Her Lord. The second is the tendency to covet other women. ``This too is anathema to You. Being constant in Your devotion to Your wife, such a desire will not even enter Your thought.''

But the other evil is the infliction of cruelty on others who have not harmed them and that too without provocation. ``Your appearance as ascetics hardly goes well with Your bows and arrows.''

It was in this context, Sita unfolded the tale of the sage as above. In His reply, Rama insisted on His duty to the oppressed. He declared firmly and resolutely that duty was paramount to Him. The death of the frightful demon Viradha caused by the divine princes testified to their strength to meet any type of challenge.

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