The Temple of Hanuman
Da'ud ibn Tamam ibn Ibrahim al-Shawni
Published by Smashwords
Copyright 2009 Da'ud ibn Tamam ibn Ibrahim al-Shawni
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
Thank you for downloading this free ebook. You are welcome to share it with others. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form.
Cover Photograph Copyright Sadiq M. Alam
*****
The Garden Enclosed, the Fountain Sealed
The religion of God—the journey of Rama, the revelation of Krishna, the way of the Buddha—is a garden enclosed. In that garden is a sealed fountain above a well of fathomless waters. Why sound the depths of that abyss when the fountain pours forth without end? Let them be ashamed who say that fountain has run dry! If you drink from your hands or the bottle, from the cup or a jar of clay, it still quenches thirst. If you bow to Rama, or Krishna, or the Buddha, you bow before the One. If you call Him Vishnu, or Shiva or Brahma, you call upon the One.
This work is not a history, but is in the likeness of a history, or the recollection of a likeness. This work is the dream of a memory, not the dream made real. It is not the work of a scholar or even one well educated. This work is a niche in which I have placed a key carved of rosewood. This key is to a single door to a single chamber of the King’s treasury. I offer it to share with you a glimpse of what I have seen and this is the likeness. Let your heart, not your intellect, judge the value of this key and of the treasures in His keep. Judge its worth and assay its truth.
This is what I offer you. But what will we offer Him? What gift is best when He wants for nothing, and the worlds are but dust to Him? Would you carry water to the sea or bring light to the sun? Rumi says, “Bring Him a mirror.” But even this is not fitting except that you become the mirror. Surrender to Him what He gave you: your life, your will, all that you are or ever will be. The one who offers this becomes the gift and one with the Giver.
God has been kind to me, though I have deserved terrible punishment. Behind my every austerity are a dozen of His laws that I have transgressed. God has permitted this hand to write these words. This, however, is not a sign of His blessing, but of His mercy. While I am entirely in His power, He permits all men to err or to do right, according to their characters and capacities. Therefore, allow me to speak to your heart while blood still flows through these veins. Be kind and forgive me when I speak too boldly or when I am in manifest error. And if at any moment my words contradict the words of the Most Pure, follow God and obey Him, knowing that His way is better for you.
If She pleases, the Handmaid of God will correct me where I have gone astray, but I will not be alive to accept this correction. O daughter of Ahmad, sister of Moses, mother of Jesus, let me be the first to adore You, though I am the least of believers. Let me be among the first to love You. In that forest clearing, along the lantern-lit path, I imagined I saw Your home, its graceful gable crowning walls painted red and green. You held a lantern in Your hand. Did I glimpse You in misty dawn or in hazy twilight? O houri, O Janáb-i-Táhira, O Mona, O Kuan Yin, I saw Your pale face and Your sparkling eyes framed by black tresses. While the light of the world was failing, You shone like the moon. When You have arisen, I will be long dead. Let me be the dust at Your feet. Let me be the dirt upon the path You will tread, upon that path I have dreamed.
She cherished the scarf with which they choked her. She blessed the waters in which they cast her down. She kissed the noose with which they hanged her. O you who read these words, forgive me and seek God’s pardon on my behalf. I am entirely in His power.
*****
The Shadow Play
What caste are you that you are cast out by His command? What obligation will you fulfill if, by fulfilling it, you are distant from Him? You cannot uphold dharma if in your actions you have rejected Him or if by your actions He has rejected you. There is no dharma except that you must obey Him. If you turn away from His command, you have strayed from dharma, though you may be the father of every righteous act and the paragon of every virtue. O do-er, surrender the fruits of what you have done. Give it in the way of charity, but do not be proud in your liberality, for this is not submission. If they accuse you of idolatry, they are right, for by acting to achieve the rewards of your actions, you have achieved your ends and not His. There can be no “you” remaining. You cannot offer what you have also consumed. Such an offering is pollution itself. O widower, cast yourself into the pyre as the moth to the lantern. Let yourself be consumed in fire. Give up all hope for yourself. Cast away worthless ambition. Do not seek His pleasure for some mean reward. Serving Him is sufficient reward for you.
Remember the names of Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva and see that they are in truth One word, One voice, the One unalterable as He alters, invisible as He invests every atom of creation with His command, unknowable even as He is the source of all knowledge. From the lotus of His navel, He has created the universe.
In Kerala, where I stopped for a time, I saw a shadow play of the Ramayana. The day was warm. My eyes gradually dimmed. The shadows took on wondrous shapes in many colors. My mind drifted and I dozed to the sound of Rama’s wedding and exile, Sita’s abduction and rescue, Ravana’s defeat and death, and Rama’s coronation.
In his time, Rama was the best of creation, born the oldest of four noble brothers. He was the avatar of Vishnu; he was the presence of God on Earth. His brother Lakshmana was his dedicated friend. His brother Bharata was the exemplar of dharma. His brother Shatrughna was Bharata’s dearest companion. Rama was the favorite son of King Dasaratha of Ayodhya and was trained by Vasishta and Viswamithra. In a trial of strength, he broke Shiva’s bow and strung Vishnu’s bow and in this there are signs to be understood. He captured the heart of Sita; she became his only wife. After Rama came of age, his father stepped down from the throne hoping to see Rama crowned in his place. But Kaikeyi, Rama’s stepmother, conspired to give the throne to her son, Bharata. Calling upon Dasaratha to fulfill a promise he had once made to her, Kaikeyi sent Rama into exile for fourteen years. And though the people, and even her own son, cursed Kaikeyi, Rama was obedient and obeyed Kaikeyi and fulfilled his father’s promise. Renouncing the luxuries of the palace, Sita and Lakshmana followed Rama into forest exile. There they lived for many years as ascetics until Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, abducted Sita, carrying her away to his kingdom.
Searching for his wife, Rama killed Vali, who was king of the monkeys, and crowned Sugriva king in Vali’s place. Hanuman, a servant of Sugriva, set fire to Ravana’s city on the island of Lanka, returning to Rama with news of Sita’s whereabouts. Under Rama’s command, Sugriva and Hanuman led their army against Ravana. When Rama defeated the demon king, Sita proved to the people that she had been faithful. At the end of his fourteen years of exile, Rama returned to Ayodhya where Bharata had ruled not as king, but as Rama’s regent. Rama was crowned in his father’s city. He restored peace in his family, making Bharata his heir and granting Kaikeyi the forgiveness she sought saying, “Though you contrived against me, God made it for good. You are as much my mother as the one who bore me, therefore accept me again as your son.”
This I dreamed for nineteen days. I slept undisturbed in the shadow of the temple without food or water. On the evening of the twentieth day I awoke. The play was done. The audience had gone. The performers were packing away their puppets. The one who had played Hanuman said to me, “We have given you a fine gift in exchange for your austerities. Do not squander it.” I pressed my palms together and bowed my head to him. He held up his right hand and said, “You have heard the tale of Rama. Go to Sarnath and hear the tale and the teachings of Krishna.”
As I walked away from the temple grounds, a sliver of moon was setting in the west. The greater part of its surface, untouched by the sun, was awash in the light of the Earth. It glowed dimly and ghostly white. I saw in that moon the whole of the Ramayana; that splinter so well illuminated, bright like a struck match, and above it the full surface. I thought, “I will not let the brightest part distract me; I will look with deeper perception and see the whole of it, the entirety of it.”
By the ceremony of the cord, see how your actions are connected to Him. Perform your duty; honor the righteous who came before you, even as you seek a path like theirs; forgive the unrighteous, even as you repudiate them. Be careful that the cord not wrap around your neck. It is better to break the cord of duty than to be stillborn. A Brahmin stopped me on the road to Varanasi. He said to me, “Foreigner, why are you here?”
I said, “I am passing through.”
The Brahmin was not satisfied with my answer and demanded, “What is your name?” I told him, but he said, “No, your name is Shani and you bring bad luck with you in the dust that trails you, that you kick up. I won’t let you pollute the Ganges; I won’t let you enter Sarnath. Stay away from my people.”
I said, “I mean no harm to anyone.” But the Brahmin stood unmoving before me.
An ascetic, a man of great age, overheard our conversation and said to the Brahmin, “Let him go on his way. Shani may bring misfortune, but it is often only apparently so. When Rama was exiled for fourteen years, the world cried out at this misfortune. But in fourteen years, Rama restored dharma to the world. Though the Pandava were exiled for thirteen years, at the end of their exile they restored light to a world in darkness. Do you recall how Shani’s gaze caused the decapitation of Ganesha? Yet the head of that holy child was replaced by something better. Or was it misfortune that Ganesha broke off a tusk to write the story of our people? Though Shani may come to break our traditions, what use is the cord of tradition if it ties us to tradition’s corpse? Let him pass; we are the ones not moving on this road.”
After I entered the deer park, I wandered for many hours. Where the Buddha once stood among his disciples, I saw a television, which was garlanded, covered in flowers and wreaths, surrounded by statues. A hundred people gathered before it, intently watching a retelling of the Mahabharata, the story of the conflict between the Pandava, who were the five sons of Pandu, and their cousins, the Kaurava, the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra. In the field of Kurukshetra, the Pandava with their allies and their armies clashed with the armies of the Kaurava.
I did not sleep as I had done in Kerala. I listened and watched intently the story of the Pandava, the five brothers, and their wife Draupadi and their children. Yudishtira was the eldest son of Pandu. Yudishtira’s brother Arjuna was Krishna’s friend. Duryodhana, the eldest of the Kaurava, hated and envied his cousins. He cheated Yudishtira of his kingdom, humiliated Draupadi, and sent the Pandava into exile for thirteen years.
When they ended their exile, the Pandava sought the return of their kingdom, which was their birthright. Duryodhana refused, even as Krishna promised his defeat and destruction if he denied the Pandava. Seeking to avert war with his cousins, Yudishtira asked for only five villages, one for himself and one for each of his brothers. But Duryodhana still refused, even as the Pandava gathered an army of supporters, friends and allies.
Krishna, who was the avatar of Vishnu and the face of God on Earth, came as an ambassador, hoping to persuade Duryodhana and his allies, including Karna, Bhishma, and Drona, not to fight and to relent. But Duryodhana was stubborn and ignored the advice of Bhishma and Drona, who loved the Pandava and who knew the Kaurava could not win against them. Krishna’s final attempt was unsuccessful. The war lasted eighteen days. Krishna revealed himself fully to his friend Arjuna, to prompt him to fight, to kill even those he loved. After Bhishma and Drona were killed, Arjuna struck Karna down at Krishna’s command. And, with Krishna’s advice, Bhima killed Duryodhana. The Pandava defeated the Kaurava, though at heavy cost to themselves and their families. In this way, Krishna restored order to the world, defeated the wicked, and taught the yoga of wisdom.
The program ended and I stood up. In the crowd I saw the actor who had played Arjuna. I caught his eye and he approached slowly through the well-wishers and admirers who clung to him. When at last he stood before me, I pressed my palms together in greeting and congratulated him on his performance. He did not reply, but said to me, “Remember that I flew the flag of Hanuman in battle. Consider the meaning of this. Do not imagine that you are always aware of your duty or that your father’s obligations are necessarily yours. This is dharma: seek Him out in the world. Purify your heart and with the eye of detachment find your way not on the basis of what your fathers have done, but according to His will and His command. This is dharma: seek Him out in the world. You will find Him if you but look to Rama, Krishna, and the Buddha and discover that they are in truth One word, One voice, the One unalterable as He alters, invisible as He invests every atom of creation with His command, unknowable even as He is the source of all knowledge.
“After the river Ganges flowed over Shiva’s locks, it reached the three worlds. This sacred river flowed at once among devas, among men, among rakshasas. Though they have called this river by a thousand names, still it is one, it is the Ganges. Likewise, though He has walked among us with different names, performing different duties, teaching different lessons, consider that He has always performed only His will. The teacher does not teach a single lesson to his students, but teaches them differently every day according to their capacity and according to his goal. Why do men squabble and chatter among themselves and vaunt one lesson over another? They don’t see the source of those lessons. Honor the source of the Ganges, not the little part you have found or the first tributary in which you have washed, as though no other tributary existed. The river extends far beyond the range and realm of your vision.
To see the sea is not to deny the land,
To see the sun is not disbelief in the moon.
Lover of Truth, Truth has no need of you,
Nor does wisdom prefer the wise.
To wash in the Ganges is not an affront to the Indus.
“By His work, men perceive the illusion of the many, but He is and has been and always will be One. Do not doubt this. Do not allow your prejudice to cloud your judgment. Lift the veil of the illusion you have made for yourself and find Him within; open your breast like Hanuman and find Him revealed.”
*****
The Temple of Hanuman
To crush an uprising among the Hindus, the Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb, marched his army across the plains of southern India. His devotion to the letter of Islam was famous and he had no patience either for rebellion or for the paganism and idolatry he saw among the inhabitants of his empire. During his reign, Aurangzeb razed many Hindu temples and, using the same stones, built mosques in their place. Though he hesitated to put Hindus to the sword and did not often force conversion to Islam, he considered his empire a Muslim one and exerted himself to convert his subjects to the faith to which he and his fathers had sworn allegiance. But secretly in his heart he wondered at the proliferation of faiths among men and how so many millions could deny God and continue to crawl in dust before their worthless idols. He said, “Has the truth not come? Has falsehood not vanished away?”
As Aurangzeb marched with his army through the land, he came upon a temple to Hanuman, the monkey. According to the Ramayana, Hanuman served Lord Rama. Rama had been a king of Ayodhya many centuries before. The people believed Rama was an incarnation of God and that Hanuman, his servant, was a deva of great power.
When he came upon the stone temple, Aurangzeb ordered his soldiers to destroy it. The emperor found it offensive. He said, “Men should not worship a monkey, or make obeisance to idols, for there is no god but God.” As he spoke these words, and as his soldiers approached the temple, a young and beautiful Brahmin boy, dressed in saffron-colored robes, came out to greet them. He asked to speak to the emperor, but Aurangzeb’s soldiers worried that this was a ruse and that the boy planned some harm upon their master. So they tied the boy’s hands and bound his arms and legs in bark and brought him to Aurangzeb’s carriage where the Emperor reclined beneath the shade of the many branches of a golden rosewood tree.
Aurangzeb said, “What do you want, boy?”
The child said, “I am a friend, my Lord, and your subject. I am a supplicant. I’ve come to petition you to spare the temple. I make my home here and have nowhere else to go. Your great army has come and the ground trembles at their approach. Like devas they are arrayed in splendid armor; their arms as thick as the trunks of elephants, their weapons shining and glorious, like rays of the sun shimmering upon a restless sea. Their shadow clouds the world and their shouts terrify rakshasas and devas alike. What will become of those who would oppose this army or their glorious lord, the emperor of this world? Confronted by these men, your subjects are helpless and entreat your protection from them.
“O king of nations, as the black hair on your head and your face is tinged with white, so is your irresistible strength colored with wisdom. O conqueror of the world, you are a splendid jewel befitting both crown and throne. Your father named you properly. You are the greatest of your line. You are the noblest son of noble fathers. You are the strength of God on Earth, and I am terrified before you. I can offer nothing more than friendship and obedience. My poor home is worth less than the least jewel upon your breast; this ancient temple, less than a single stone set upon a ring on your smallest finger. You are the maintainer of what is proper and the keeper of dharma, and lord of the entire world. Allow me to pay homage to your sovereignty and to laud and glorify your name in my temple if you will but spare it.”
Aurangzeb said, “You speak sweetly. Your voice is the nightingale. Your words are honey and heavenly wine. Your beauty is soothing collyrium. But I am Muslim. What have I to do with dharma?”
The boy said, “My Lord, you are the hand of dharma, you are a god among the gods. What you say is law. Be wise as your fathers were wise, for your strength outstrips their own; let your mercy therefore outstrip your strength. This is dharma. Do what must be done and act according to righteousness and godliness. This is dharma. Spare this poor boy’s home upon the hill. This is dharma, O king, O master of the world and conqueror of the nations. I am a supplicant and a servant and make obeisance to you as Hanuman made obeisance to Sri Rama.”
Aurangzeb said, “I won’t spare this temple or leave one stone standing upon another. I will keep its foundation and you will build a mosque here, a place proper for the worship of God. This temple to a monkey is an offense to God. Idolatry is not permitted in my empire or among my subjects.”
The boy said, “Noble king, I’m not a worshipper of idols nor are those who come to this temple. It is holy and consecrated to God. So too would your mosque be holy, even as you built it with the stones pulled down from temples before it. Yet just as your sons are your flesh and blood, honor this temple as you would have your sons honor their father. Build a mosque nearby, for everywhere there are stones not yet used to build a house in which to worship God.”
Aurangzeb said, “This wretched and ruined shrine is not holy, nor was it ever. This temple is offensive. Islam is not the child of Hinduism nor should Muslims honor Hindu temples, for there is no relation between them. Idolatry is an offense. The worship of other deities is an offense. There are no devas; there is no god but God.”
The youth said, “What makes your mosque holy and this shrine unholy? Our ancient texts commemorate the Land of the Seven Rivers and acknowledge the holiness of those rivers. What made these seven rivers holy? They were not intrinsically so, for what river is virtuous, or faithful, or loving? Recall the mighty Sarasvati, called by ancient priests and sages the best of all rivers, the best mother, the holiest goddess.
The Sarasvati flows; she is our sure defense, our iron fortress.
Like a chariot she hurtles forward; who could resist her?
“The river fed a million mouths, and drowned those careless in her current. Yet she went dry and nothing remains of her, except a few broken-hearted remnants and mentions in the Vedas. But can you claim that this extinct river never fed those millions or drowned those forgotten children? It was holy; this is true. But consider what made it so?
“Nothing is holy except that Vishnu accepts it, invests it with holiness. God is not for the river; the river is for God and commemoration of Him. If you circumambulate the ashram, remember the One for Whom the ashram exists. What dharma is preserved by a stroll around lifeless stone, except that God commands it?
“Muhammad prayed toward Jerusalem, but God commanded him to turn toward the Kaba. Jerusalem was not commemorated, nor the Kaba. These are but places. Yet you accuse of idolatry those who turn toward the image of Vishnu, or Brahma, or Shiva. Yes, some are in error by worshipping the images themselves. But not all are in error, for others turn to the three names of the One to worship God, just as you turn toward the qiblah, not worshipping the qiblah, but the One who established the direction of prayer.”
Aurangzeb said, “But the Holy Prophet destroyed idols! They were thrown down and cast into cleansing fire. Their presence made the Kaba unclean. Follow Muhammad’s practice and throw these idols down and help us wreck this shrine and accept a sweet reward. I will make you a prince; I will reward you on Earth and God will reward you in Paradise.”
The youth said, “I need no reward. Muhammad did not destroy every idol. Still an image of Mary the mother of Jesus he left intact. Though Christians were in error for their use of icons, Muhammad did not arise among Christians. He was born among Arabs who did not use idols to commemorate God, but to venerate the idols themselves. They worshipped fragments of senseless stone and rotting wood, seeing nothing above this, nothing beyond this. Yet I will allow that this idolatry is a danger and I will not resist your destruction of idols in this shrine, if you find idols within. But spare the shrine itself.”
Aurangzeb said, “I see no difference in your worship from their error. Don’t think I’m ignorant or unfamiliar with your fairy tales and fantasies of devas and rakshasas. I know the story of Rama and the monkeys that served him. No Muslim could accept these absurdities as true.”
The boy said, “Don’t reject those wise creatures who served Rama nor deny those devas and rakshasas. Just as Rama knew them and contended with them, so too did Solomon know the language of the animals and keep a bird as his closest friend. These Hindu devas, are they so different from angels and djinn and servants close to His throne? Those Hindu rakshasas, are they so different from those djinn and demons enslaved by Solomon, builders of the Temple?”
*****
The Road to Agra
Aurangzeb said, “You have been instructed in the faiths of people of the book. How is it that you remain enslaved to the false religion of my most ignorant subjects?”
The boy said, “O conqueror of the world, conquer your prejudice. It is founded on the slanders spread by ignorant and fanatical mullahs. Do not vaunt your faith too much over the faiths that preceded it, lest then you are unprepared for the faith that supersedes your own. Your venerable fathers saw a little of the light of truth within my faith. Open your eyes as they did.”
Aurangzeb said, “Their vision was clouded and they were in error. They prized peace with idolaters over holy war.”
The youth said, “O king, you must give up this prejudice and look with a heart purified of pride and without attachment to worldly things. You are a prisoner in the wheel of samsara; escape this world and you will see this evident truth. There is a road from here to Agra. If you are one mile upon that road or a thousand miles, are you not still upon that road? Though you may be upon that road surrounded by desert, or upon that road shaded by forest, is it not the same road? Though the sun may be shining upon that road, though the rain may be falling upon it, the road is the same. That stretch of the road does not contradict this stretch; nor is the first mile more offensive to it than the last. Rise up above the road and you will see that single path from here to Agra, from this temple to the door of your palace and to the foot of your bed. To deny this truth is to turn your back upon the unity of God. To deny this is to violate tawhid, to be an infidel!”
When the boy said these words, Aurangzeb’s mouth fell open in astonishment. His soldiers became angry and one of the emperor’s guards stepped forward and struck the boy’s mouth with the back of a clenched fist. The boy fell, unable in his bonds to catch himself, and blood dribbled from his lips. The guard said, “Do not speak impudently!”
Aurangzeb remained silent but composed himself. He held out his hands and said, “Do not beat him. Pick the boy up; put him on his feet.” When the boy stood again before him, the emperor approached him with a piece of purple silk and wiped the blood from the boy’s face.
Aurangzeb said, “Little Brahmin, you should be more careful than to speak this way to your betters. With bound hands what defense can you offer? But I am patient and I am sorry that those in my service sometimes act too rashly, without thought.”
The boy bowed and said, “My Lord, you are gracious and kind. And I sometimes speak too bluntly; it is the habit of my people. But we do so not in anger or to offend; we speak in affectionate anger, as one might chide those we love most.”
Aurangzeb said to his soldiers as much as to the boy, “Speak openly with me. This is my boon to you. But do not overstep these bounds. What you’ve said is clever, but cleverness does not make true. Sweet words are as much within the devil’s power as they are within the prophet’s.”
The boy said, “I don’t ask you to turn your back on Islam, for it is the religion of God. I ask only that you look with clear vision with a dilated heart upon the way of Rama, king of Ayodhya, and you will see within his life and his works signs of God. God reveals Himself to all peoples through many prophets and teachings; tawhid requires that you acknowledge not only the unity of God but also the unity of His messengers.
“O Lord, fear and desire, attachment and short-sightedness are the children of illusion and prevent men from obtaining what is best for them. Look through the lens of perception, with the eye of detachment. See to those distant shores that you too hastily deny exist. The world is far greater than our feeble minds perceive. Acknowledge that greatness while you are alive, though your denial will have no effect on its existence. Look, brave king of nations, and you will see clearly and perceive the beauty of God’s design and the operation of His will and the work He performs among all men, not just among your own tribe.
“Dasaratha, king of Ayodhya, fathered four sons who were loved by the people. They were the noblest sons ever given to a father. But the king loved nothing in the world more than Rama, his oldest boy. Even in his youth, Rama was handsome, wise, and strong, more even than his noble brothers. Rama possessed every virtue, loved and obeyed his father, and was a wise exponent of dharma. Rama was just and merciful and performed every duty and fulfilled every obligation. Rama knew no other path and was unacquainted with fault or failure, but was quick to forgive the faults of others. He sought no pleasure except to honor and serve his family, his teachers and elders, and he tirelessly looked after the welfare of the people of Ayodhya.
“In looks, Rama was a vision to every eye. His hair was the color of the raven’s wing, his eyes bright and lotus-shaped, his face shining, lighting up the eyes of others as the sun and moon light the sky. He was so handsome that, upon seeing him, the people of Ayodhya neglected their precious idols. They said, ‘Rama is, in every way, more worthy of veneration than any work of art, than any worldly masterpiece. We will pray to Vishnu through remembrance of Rama, for he is truly the face of God on Earth.’
“In warfare he had no equal. His skill with the bow was unrivaled and he could ride horses and elephants with ease and grace. Had the devas and rakshasas banded together to overcome him, they would have failed, for Rama was the strength of God on Earth.
“But Rama was most loved by his father. Dasaratha was overcome sometimes with fear that Rama might leave Ayodhya. Kausalya, the king’s wisest wife and the mother of Rama, consoled her husband saying, ‘Rama will never leave you unless you ask him to go. He is completely devoted to you and would do whatever you command, no matter how difficult and painful.’ Dasaratha replied, ‘I will never let him go.’
“One day, while Rama was still a young man, Viswamithra came to Ayodhya and sought an audience with the king. When Dasaratha heard the name of that venerable sage, his heart filled with joy. Viswamithra was no common ascetic. Once he had been a mighty king, possessing great wealth and power. But because he sought inexhaustible wealth and irresistible power, he threw off the mantle of kingship and the yoke of worldly possessions and became an ascetic, performing fearful austerities to gain the favor of the devas. He gave up the couch of repose for the cold ground and a stone pillow. He traded his beautiful consorts and their sweet caresses for scraps of bark that scratched his flesh. He swapped an army for the strength only of his own arms and legs. He said, ‘I have given up all things that many spend lifetimes to acquire. But what they seek leads only to suffering and blindness. What I have gained is far more precious than all the treasures of every king and all the conquests of every army. I have communed with Vishnu, the One God absolute from Whom all things have sprung and to Whom all things revert and upon Whom every man, god and demon is utterly reliant. God has shown me why I was born among mortal men and what duty I must perform. I am in God’s service. This is my single desire: to conform to His dharma, for there is no other dharma but His.’
“With his ministers and courtiers in attendance, Dasaratha greeted Viswamithra in his audience chamber. The king pressed his palms together in greeting and offered the sage water to refresh himself. Viswamithra thanked the king but turned away the water with his hand. He said, ‘Noble king, I’ve come to ask a favor of you.’
“Dasaratha said, ‘I’m honored by your presence and am blessed among men to have spoken with you. You are famous among the wise and I will personally fulfill your request, whatever it is. Who could refuse the request of one so holy and so pure?’
“Viswamithra said, ‘I’ve purified myself to make a sacrifice in the wilderness. Before I can complete this sacrifice, I must perform certain rites upon the altar. Yet two rakshasas have obstructed these rites by their presence. I am, of course, sufficiently strong to cast out these rakshasas, but cannot do so in my state of ritual purity, for violence is unclean.’
“The king said, ‘I understand you completely. I will lead my army to the place where you are performing this sacrifice. We will destroy these rakshasas for you and you may complete your sacrifice.’
“Viswamithra said, ‘No, you don’t need to trouble yourself, nor do I wish to keep your soldiers from their duty here in Ayodhya. I need only the assistance of one.’
“Dasaratha said, ‘Then I will come armed and alone and will defend your sacrifice personally. I’m old, but will risk my life to assist you.’
“Viswamithra said, “No, I can’t keep you from your work here as king.”
“Dasaratha said, ‘Then who can I send?” But the king’s face blanched. He suddenly knew what the sage desired. When the name of Rama fell from Viswamithra’s lips, Dasaratha lost consciousness. After his ministers revived the king, Dasaratha pleaded with the sage. “No, O Brahmin. Take me instead. Rama is still so young and I can’t bear that any harm should come to him.’
“Viswamithra became angry at this refusal. He said, ‘You have given your word!’
“Dasaratha said, ‘Rama is too young and inexperienced. He can’t face these rakshasas. Take me, master of dharma, and I’ll put these demons to flight.’
“Viswamithra stood up from his seat beside the king and said, ‘Enough! I expected the promise of Dasaratha to be worth something. Since it isn’t, and since I’ve failed in my mission, I will leave you and your family in peace.’
“The king, recognizing his duty, stood up and said, ‘Master, I will fulfill my oath and entrust Rama into your care. I ask only that his devoted brother, Lakshmana, accompany him.’
“Viswamithra smiled and agreed to this, saying, ‘Your love for Rama is honorable. No harm will come to him and he will return to you. You’re wise to follow dharma, for His way is irresistible. It is better to swim with the current, than flail and drown, for in either case the river has its way. But one day you will be parted from Rama again and he will not return to this city while you live. Beware your attachment. See that separation from him as the illusion that it is. Break the wheel of samsara and you will be reunited with Rama forever.’
“O emperor, see the way of God in Viswamithra’s austerities and his sacrifice, a clear path for you. You need not give up crown and throne, but you must give up your most precious notions if you are to see through the illusion. See in the fulfillment of Dasaratha’s promise the straight way and a road to true understanding. You have caught a scent of salt air, but this is not the same as a view of the ocean.
“The sage Gautam had as his wife a beautiful woman named Ahalya. Her skin was light and without blemish and her hair black as midnight. Her eyes, shaped like the leaves of the lotus, shone like stars and her gaze was mesmerizing. She spoke with a voice like the tinkling of bells and her breath was sweeter than any perfume. Her waist was slender and her hips slim and she walked with celestial grace. Ahalya’s beauty was so perfect, Indra, king of devas, desired union with her.
“Indra was very handsome and charming and more to her liking than her husband. Yet she remained faithful to Gautam and refused Indra’s advances. So one morning, while Gautam went to the river to purify himself, Indra came into her room, wearing the appearance of Gautam. Ahalya hesitated, but at last let him into her bed. When her passions were satisfied, Gautam entered the room. The sage was wise and saw through the illusion, recognizing Indra in his wife’s embrace. Gautam cried out and cursed the king of devas with a humiliating chastisement. Then he turned to his unfaithful wife.
“Ahalya cried out, ‘O husband, I was deceived by an illusion. How can I resist Indra, king of devas, when he comes to me with your appearance, in a form pleasing to me? Have pity on me and forgive my disgrace.’
“Gautam could not restrain his anger. He said, ‘The whole universe is illusion and professed ignorance is not innocence.’ So he turned her to stone.
“After many years, Rama came upon Gautam’s abandoned ashram and recognized the life within the stone. Having pity, Rama released Ahalya from Gautam’s curse and transformed her to her original state. She fell to Rama’s feet and blessed him. Rama removed the stain of disgrace from her.
“Through Gautam’s curse Ahalya realized Gautam’s wish—to lay eyes on God. Solid stone became flesh and blood by Rama’s grace, just as the world took form at God’s pleasure. Where illusion had robbed her of fidelity, and where stone had imprisoned her, Rama had restored her honor and opened her eyes.
“O king of the world, surrender the thing you most cherish and abandon fear. Give up your narrow view of Islam; it is a prison to you. You have overcome many enemies and obstacles and have mastered the world. Your strength of will is famous and your name will be remembered. Now you must choose how it will be remembered, with glory among your descendants or with shame and sorrow? Master yourself and see the truth of Rama’s station through the true prism of Islam. If your pride prevents you, then you will persist in error and your works will be to no good end and you will be a prisoner in the wheel, a victim of samsara.”
*****
The Mutilation of Surpanakha
Aurangzeb said, “You are devious in argument. Pious men should clasp their hands to their ears in your presence. I would accept these words as unalloyed truth, but men of learning and intelligence armed me in my youth. As I learned to fight from masters in the art of war, so too I was taught to reason and believe by the wisest of my father’s court. I am acquainted with your legends, as I am with the Quran. I see nothing in common between them. You build arguments on a weak foundation. You contradict your conclusions with the very evidences upon which you rest them. If Rama were a messenger of God, then tell me why his teachings differ from Muhammad’s? In fact, what teachings does Rama bring at all? What guidance has he provided? We have only the Ramayana, a wretched patchwork of shameful stories and monstrous half-truths. Consider Rama’s murder of Vali. I am aware of Rama’s strange self-justification, but this is poor solace for Rama’s unrighteousness and his thoughtless violence. He deserved punishment, not praise. But the tellers of the Ramayana are all Rama’s partisans and they put words even into Vali’s mouth praising their flawed hero.”
The boy said, “O king, if you had heard Rama’s reasons from Rama’s mouth, you would not slander him. And if you consider what I have said to you today, you would realize that Rama’s killing of Vali conformed to dharma and was consistent with Rama’s station. In this you might find Rama’s teaching.”
Aurangzeb said, “If I accept the validity of these tales of Rama, I cannot put aside Rama’s wrongdoing. I will not allow you to fly circles around this. Rama hid himself and attacked and killed one who had not offended him. He put Vali to death, not face-to-face, but secretly and maliciously.”
The boy said, “Rama’s wrongdoing was only seemingly so. When Rama accepted Kaikeyi’s wish, fulfilling his father’s oath, and went into exile, the people were distraught and wondered why their prince had put aside his royal robes and put on the rags of an ascetic. A few said, ‘Perhaps he has committed a crime and his exile is his punishment at the king’s command.’ When Rama’s brother, Lakshmana, heard this talk, he drew his sword and said, ‘Let me taste the blood of anyone who accuses Rama of wrongdoing! He has done nothing wrong. Imagine that he had committed a crime! Even so, a crime from Rama’s hand is a mercy and a blessing for those who perceive properly; it is no crime at all. It is only through Rama that we perceive and discern right from wrong. He decrees a thing “Be” and it is. Have no doubt about this, or you are lost. A thousand years of your righteousness will be accounted as nothing if you have not acknowledged the truth of this.’”
Aurangzeb said, “Rama’s expulsion was at the behest of the envious. In this, Rama was innocent. But I have asked about Vali and Rama’s murder of that mighty king.”
The boy said, “Your question is fair, but Rama’s reasons for attacking Vali are clear. Vali did not pardon Rama, but sought pardon from him. Through Rama Vali was revealed just as through Rama was Sita revealed. Without Rama, these two, the one condemned and the one devoted, would remain veiled; Sita’s beauty hidden to Sita and Vali’s ugliness hidden to Vali; even as we are hidden to ourselves without His intervention. We are not less beautiful or ugly in ignorance, but ignorance obscures all and this is the true source of samsara.”
Aurangzeb said, “Still you do not answer me! I have read the Ramayana and have found no meaning in it, except that Sita was beautiful but foolish and that Rama was at turns cruel and kind with no apparent motive. This is not scripture; it is a book of fairy-tales fit for children. Rama was merely a man who lost his kingdom to his brother and lost his wife to Ravana and then by prowess and trickery regained them.”
The boy said, “Though kingship was his rightful inheritance, only when the Ravana of opposition was overcome would he be proclaimed king. Rama was born to undo Ravana, and then he might be crowned before the people. Rama did not have to earn that right, but his mission was first to overcome Ravana in the world.”
Aurangzeb said, “Still, kingship was ultimately the consequence, and the motivating cause of Rama’s journey. This ‘face of God’ among men sounds like many men I have known, despicable in ambition and desperate for a crown.”
The boy said, “He has no use for ambition or crowns conferred by men. Rama was king before Ravana was born; Rama was king while Ravana lived; Rama was king after Ravana’s defeat. Rama was always king; but only after Ravana fell dead were the people able to recognize the king always in their midst. Only after you have put aside worldly desires will you see His face. Until then, there is only the Hanuman of prayer and hope. Though Hanuman may sometimes shrink to the size of a mouse, he may yet expand to fill the sky. Though Hanuman may be concealed in the trees, or be bound in ropes, he may yet set fire to the illusion that is the world. Be careful that if Hanuman burns down the world before your eyes you not hurry to rebuild it as Ravana did.”
Aurangzeb said, “You do not answer me, so let me be more direct. I know the story of Vali. Rama and Lakshmana came upon Sugriva and Hanuman in the forest. Sugriva was Vali’s brother, and Vali was the king of Kishkinda. But Vali had exiled Sugriva for usurping his throne. For whatever reason, Rama chooses to make Sugriva his ally and called upon the monkey exile to challenge Vali, to fight for the crown Sugriva desired. Now Sugriva knew that Vali possessed incredible strength. He knew also that Vali could not be defeated in a fair fight. Rama said, ‘Don’t worry. I will hide in the trees and when the time is right, while you and Vali are fighting, I will strike Vali dead with an arrow. Sugriva knew that such an ambush might succeed and accepted Rama’s shameful offer of assistance. The rest is as you know. Rama hid himself and, while Vali fought his brother, Rama killed the king of Kishkinda, fulfilling his terrible promise to Sugriva. Yet why? Surely Vali would have been Rama’s ally if Rama had come to him instead of his outlaw brother. What crime did Vali commit against Rama? How could any man think Rama was good or decent, let alone a messenger of God?”
The boy said, “When Rama’s arrow pierced Vali’s flesh, Vali fell to the earth, paralyzed. A moment before he was unmatched among mortals; no man or beast could contend with him; no deva or demon could subdue him. He was the undisputed king of Kishkinda, invulnerable and unconquered until he was struck by Rama’s arrow. In a moment, all his strength fled his body and he was powerless. In anguish he cried out, ‘The devas promised me invincibility. How is it possible that I am dying from a single arrow?’
“Rama stepped forward and said, ‘What devas may give, I may rescind at will and at any moment.’
“Vali realized that Rama was Vishnu and was the face of God on Earth and that nothing could withstand his power. But, as his life ebbed, Vali asked Rama why he had struck him down. Vali said, ‘My quarrel was with my brother. He betrayed me and attempted to take my throne. Why have you interceded? I was the wronged one, not Sugriva.’
“Rama said, ‘You imagine you know the truth of the matter, but you are wrong. I see inside all hearts and know all truth. Sugriva was crowned, at the insistence of the ministers who served you and the people who sought guidance, after you were absent for a year. All presumed you dead. Only Sugriva held out hope, because he loved you and was the most loyal of your people. But, when you remained missing after a battle with a terrible enemy, even he conceded that you had perished. Only then did he accept the throne; and even this he accepted with tears in his eyes. Yet when you returned, belatedly and tardy to your duties, you accused Sugriva of betrayal and treason and cast him out. You forced his wife to become your own. This is worse than that Sugriva took your throne. He did so not knowing that you were alive. You acted purposefully to harm your brother. And you would have killed him today had I not preserved him from your power. So, when I found Sugriva in his forest exile, I told him to confront you. I know you are stubborn and that you would attack your brother on sight. I told Sugriva that I would remain hidden from you, so that your heart would be revealed to him. And, as your heart was unchanged, I tipped it with an arrow. You wrongly exiled your brother and stole his wife, yet you imagine that you were the wronged one.’
“Vali continued to argue, ‘This all may be true, but I am not subject to the laws of your people, Rama. We are a primitive tribe and we have no such laws of marriage.’
“Rama said, ‘Do not quibble with me about my law. My word is the touchstone of right and wrong. To disagree with me about what is right is to abandon what is right. It is not for us to debate, but for you to obey. Do not say your customs differ from my law lest you be put outside of my law; mine is the highest and no custom however hallowed by time and usage supersedes that law. Though I have come before by other names with laws, even these are not now legitimate, except that I invest them again with legitimacy. When I come again by other names with laws, you are obliged to obey them accordingly, not by tying your neck to tradition but by submitting to me in every age and at all times. You are grown; do not wear a child’s clothes. You are dying; put aside your armor and don the shroud. You and your people are intelligent and sensitive and civilized; do not hide behind the lie that you have no moral code or that taking Sugriva’s wife was lawful. I alone am the judge of what is and what is not lawful.’
“Vali said, ‘This is right and what you say is right. This arrow is my reward for attacking my brother and usurping what was his and for accusing him when he was innocent. By your power I’ve cast off my ignorance. I was foolish; your arrow enlightens me. I renounce all things in this world and submit.’
“Rama said, ‘This punishment is the only punishment you must suffer, Vali. Return to me. You were created as my sign. I made you and have prepared a place for you near my side.’”
Aurangzeb said, “You are Rama’s partisan and will rationalize such an act. But what of Surpanakha? She fell in love with Rama and approached him demanding he take her as his wife. But Rama and Lakshmana taunted her for her ugliness and mutilated her, cutting off her nose and ears.”
The boy said, “Let me recount that story and you will see how this action was right and just. Surpanakha was not an ordinary woman, but a demon. Lustful desire for Rama’s looks drove her. She had no interest in Rama’s heart. She was a devourer of men, an eater of human flesh, a murderer of sages, and her lust for Rama was no penance on her part. She took on the appearance of a beautiful woman, for demons, like the monkeys serving Rama, may take the shape of any creature. So she concealed her monstrous appearance with the veil of deceit and demanded that Rama take her as his wife. Lakshmana could not see her true physical form, but both he and Rama at once recognized the monstrous disfigurement of her heart and her base motives. It was not Rama’s love that she sought, but his physical person and she would permit no one to live who might stand between her and the object of her base desire. When Sita appeared, Surpanakha rushed forward to kill her, and to tear her flesh from her bones. But Lakshmana intervened and cut off Surpanakha’s nose and her ears, just as you said. But to reveal Surpanakha’s true form was not mutilation at Lakshmana’s hands, but the outward revelation of the disfigurement Surpanakha had concealed. Rama knew Surpanakha’s true appearance and Lakshmana’s dagger made this hidden knowledge evident to all who had eyes to see. I doubt that Moses or Muhammad would have acted differently. When the earth opened up and swallowed Korah and his sons, the Hebrews marveled. But Aaron said, ‘This is but the outward sign. Korah’s enslavement to things of this world, like Pharaoh’s drowning, was hidden. God has merely revealed their true state to you.’”
Aurangzeb said, “You are a good defender of Rama. But how will you defend Krishna, whose wrongdoing was more evident still? If Krishna is the knower of right and wrong, if he is the exemplar of divine justice, why his dalliances, his lies, his dissimulation? I think only for a moment upon the women with whom he surrounded himself, many who were married to other men, and I can imagine no defense for him. What of the story that Krishna stole the clothing of the women of Vraj as they bathed in the waters of a lake? If Rama was violent, cruel, and foolish, he was at least not an adulterer, a keeper of whores, who sought nothing in his worthless youth than to indulge his worthless desires.”
The boy said, “Your slanders resound only with the uninitiated. Such weeds take root only in barren ground. These stories of Krishna are not as you portray them, nor as you imagine them. Consider only the Song of Songs, and recollect the stories of Solomon and Balamah; yet would you accuse Solomon of adultery, or Balamah of whorishness?
“When Krishna was still young, the daughters of Vraj fell in love with him. Each girl desired that Krishna would become her husband. So they undertook a vow to the goddess Katyayani to obtain what they desired. At the banks of the river Kalindi, where every morning they bathed, they fashioned an image of the goddess in the sand, decorating her with red dye. Each morning, naked before they entered the water, the girls made obeisance to the idol, and repeated their vow. For a month they performed this vow every morning, setting aside their clothes, praying to the idol, then bathing in the river Kalindi where they swam and sported and sang of Krishna.
“One day Krishna came upon the girls while they splashed in the river. By the riverbank he saw the idol and understood their petition as they sang of him. Yet they were oblivious to his presence. Stealthily he gathered up their clothes and climbed a tall tree. As they sang and played, he called down to them and said, ‘O ladies. I have heard your vow and understand the meaning of your idol in the sand. But I am here among you, and you have no need for idols. Come out to see me.’
“The girls were startled by Krishna’s voice out of darkness, but were overjoyed that he was with them, though he had their clothes and was in the tree above them, out of their reach. As Krishna called for them to come out of the river, the girls shrank deeper into the water to conceal their nakedness. Krishna called out, ‘Why do you hesitate? I am here, as you wished. Come out and let me see you.’
“The girls laughed and called back, ‘Please don’t joke with us. We can’t come out. Where are our clothes?’
“Krishna smiled and said, ‘I have your clothes. Come out and take them back from me.’
“The girls scolded Krishna, saying, ‘This is shameful. We love you and are devoted to you and yet you mock us with your teasing. Return our clothes to us, beloved, for you know the way of dharma.’
“Krishna said, ‘You say that you love me and are devoted to me and that I know the way of dharma, but this is not true. I am myself the way of dharma, yet you do not obey me. Come out and I will forgive you and will return your clothes to you.’
“The girls relented and emerged from the water, modestly covering themselves with their hands and arms. They were smiling, but were bashful and embarrassed. With their clothes over his shoulder, Krishna climbed down from the tree and watched them as they shivered in the cold air. They called out to him to keep his promise and give them their clothes. But Krishna said, ‘You undertook a vow to attain my presence, but you violated that vow by bathing naked. Fold your hands upon your heads and offer obeisance to me. If you do not, your rites and devotions will come to nothing. I am the remover of imperfection. Obey me and attain what I desire for you.’
“Without hesitation they forgot themselves and obeyed Krishna without shame. When they made obeisance Krishna returned their clothes to them. He said, ‘To attain me, don’t worship idols in the sand. Don’t call on Katyayani or Indra, or any of the devas. Yet I am patient with you. If men worship even devas with humility performing rites to obtain what they seek, they may acquire what they seek, but whatever they attain comes from my hand alone.’”
The boy said, “There are many meanings to this story. The literal meaning is the least of them. Krishna represents God, the girls His devotees. They have worshipped improperly to attain His presence, but He forgives them and removes their imperfections. Abasing themselves to the idol in the sand to obtain Him, He appears to them and reveals to them a way to approach Him, though they did not see that simply by His presence He had already granted to them what they sought. Once they obeyed Him, following His dharma, forgetting themselves, their rites were fulfilled and their vows accomplished. In this there are lessons not for young girls who are in love, but for the wise.”
Download this book for your ebook reader.
(Pages 1-23 show above.)