The Ramayana: 1. Rama's Initiation Summary & Analysis

Dasaratha spends his days in his assembly hall meeting with dignitaries and citizens alike. One afternoon, his messengers announce the arrival of Sage Viswamithra. Viswamithra used to be a king until he chose to become a sage. As a sage, Viswamithra is in complete control of his body and mind. Dasaratha greets him politely, and Viswamithra explains that he's planning a sacrifice at a holy place near the Ganges river. However, this location is filled with powerful evil creatures.

Dasaratha offers to protect Viswamithra during the sacrifice, but Viswamithra suggests Dasaratha send Rama in his place. This shocks the king. Viswamithra is offended, and states that he wants Rama to protect him. The king miserably says that Rama is too young, and offers again to send an army to protect Viswamithra.

Viswamithra ignores Dasaratha and begins to walk out of the assembly hall. Dasaratha's priest encourages Dasaratha to convince Viswamithra to return, and hurries forward himself to stop Viswamithra's exit. The priest reminds Viswamithra that he himself was once a king, and implores him to use his experience as an "ordinary man" to be more empathetic of Dasaratha's feelings. Viswamithra agrees to return and discuss the matter further.

The priest tells Dasaratha that there's surely a divine reason that Viswamithra asked for Rama. Dasaratha, still worried, seems to concede his position, and Viswamithra kindly reminds the king that people you love won't always be in close proximity, and he promises to keep Rama safe. Dasaratha asks if Rama's brother Lakshmana can go as well, and orders his minister to fetch the boys.

Rama and Lakshmana follow Viswamithra until they reach a spot where Shiva once meditated. Viswamithra explains that ever since then, saints who pray to Shiva have come here to perform sacrifices. Viswamithra and the boys stay overnight, and the next afternoon they come upon the driest, most desolate desert Rama has ever seen. Rama and Lakshmana notice animal bones and feel worried, so Viswamithra mentally transmits them two mantras on which to meditate. Through meditation, the boys feel as though they're walking through a cool stream. Rama asks why the desert is so awful, and Viswamithra tells the boys the story of Thataka.

Thataka was a demigod's daughter who married a chieftain and had two sons, Subahu and Mareecha. Her sons and husband delighted in destroying the landscape and its animals. Finally, this caught the attention of a minor saint, and the saint cursed Thataka's husband and killed him. Thataka and her sons went to seek revenge, but the saint cursed them as well to become asuras (demons). Thataka's sons left, while Thataka remained in this deserted place to breathe fire, harass hermits, and eat anything that crosses the desert. Viswamithra explains that this demon's presence destroys the landscape in the same way that meanness destroys a person's personality.

Rama asks where he can find Thataka, and she suddenly arrives. She spits fire and roars that she will eat the party. Rama hesitates, thinking that she's still a woman and therefore shouldn't be killed. Viswamithra tells Rama that "a woman of demoniac tendencies loses all consideration to be treated as a woman," and says it's Rama’s duty to kill Thataka. Rama agrees, and counters Thataka's attacks with his own bow and arrows. Rama successfully kills the demon, and the gods assemble in the sky and tell Viswamithra to give Rama all his knowledge. Viswamithra obliges the gods and teaches Rama about weaponry, and the asthras (supernatural beings that control specific weapons) pledge themselves to Rama.

Later, Viswamithra tells Rama and Lakshmana the story of Mahabali. He explains that the ground where they're walking was once where Vishnu meditated. While Vishnu was thus engaged, Mahabali seized earth and heaven and crowned himself the ruler of both. To celebrate, he performed a sacrifice to honor all learned men. The gods went to Vishnu to ask for help, and Vishnu decided to take the form of a Brahmin dwarf. When Vishnu in his disguise appeared before Mahabali, Mahabali realized the little man had power and greeted him politely. Vishnu flattered Mahabali, and Mahabali offered the disguised Vishnu to ask for anything. Vishnu asked for as much land as he could cover in three steps.

Mahabali agreed, but one of his advisors tried to steer him away from granting Vishnu's wish. Mahabali told the advisor that it would be improper to not grant this request, poured water on Vishnu's small hand, and asked him to take his three steps. Vishnu then grew to a massive size and took one step that covered the earth and another that covered the heavens, leaving no space for a third step. Mahabali offered his own head for the third step, and Vishnu stomped him down to the netherworld.

Viswamithra reaches the spot for his sacrifice and instructs Rama and Lakshmana to protect him and the other saints who mean to join Viswamithra in this sacrifice. The asuras assemble with deadly weapons and try to intimidate the humans below. Rama assures the saints of their safety, and he and Lakshmana begin shooting arrows at the asuras. Rama shoots Thataka's sons, killing Subahu and wounding Mareecha. The other demons leave in a panic, and Viswamithra thanks Rama for his help. Viswamithra explains that next they'll travel to Mithila City for a sacrifice performed by King Janaka, and he phrases it as a pleasant diversion for Rama.

By evening, Viswamithra, Rama, and Lakshmana reach the Ganges River. Viswamithra tells the story of Ganga, the goddess of the river. Long ago, a man planned to perform the "Horse Sacrifice," a very important sacrifice in which a horse is set free to run through kingdoms that then become vassal kingdoms of the horse's owner. Because the horse's owner can challenge the god Indra after completing this sacrifice, the gods become nervous when they hear that this sacrifice will happen.

This man's horse set out but was quickly abducted by Indra and taken to the underworld, where Indra hid the horse behind a sage. The man's sons began digging, discovered the horse behind the meditating (and innocent) sage, and tormented the sage. The sage turned the sons to ashes, and only one grandson survived. They did free the horse, however, and the horse sacrifice was completed.

When the grandson of one of the men turned to ash learned that his grandfathers' souls were stuck in limbo, he prayed to Brahma for a way to help the souls reach salvation. He prayed to Shiva and then Ganga for thousands of years. It soon became a war between Shiva and Ganga. Finally, Ganga descended to earth in a "roaring deluge." Shiva stood strong and absorbed Ganga's water into his hair. Shiva then allowed a trickle of water out of his hair, which the son used to wash his ancestors' bones.

When Viswamithra, Rama, and Lakshmana catch sight of Mithila City, Rama brushes a slab of stone that turns into a beautiful woman. She bows and stands aside. Viswamithra introduces her as Ahalya, and tells her story to Rama. Brahma created her to be absolutely perfect. Indra wanted Ahalya, but Brahma found a sage to raise her instead. When it was time for the sage to return Ahalya to Brahma, Brahma appreciated the man's purity of mind and told the sage to marry her. They married, but Indra remained obsessed with Ahalya. One day, Indra drew the sage away from the house, assumed the sage's form, and tricked Ahalya into having sex with him. Her husband returned and caught the two in bed. Ahalya stood ashamed, while Indra turned himself into a cat and tried to escape.

The sage cursed Indra the cat to be covered with a thousand "female marks," and Indra slunk away back to his world. The sage then accused Ahalya of sinning and cursed her to be a piece of granite that could only be returned to human form by Rama. Indra became a joke and refused to show himself, and was therefore unable to perform his duties as a god. Later, Brahma asked the sage to somehow remedy the situation. The sage then turned Indra's thousand “marks” into eyes.

Viswamithra addresses Rama, saying that he was born to restore righteousness and eliminate evil. Rama tells Ahalya to return to her husband. She joins Viswamithra's party and when they pass her husband's hermitage, Viswamithra tells the sage that Ahalya's heart is purified. Viswamithra, Lakshmana, and Rama then continue to Mithila City.