“Those fourteen thousand Rakshasas of frightening deeds were eliminated by that one man, a foot-soldier, who was Rama.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 26.35)

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चतुर्दश सहस्राणि रक्षसां भीमकर्मणाम्
हतान्येकेन रामेण मानुषेण पदातिना

caturdaśa sahasrāṇi rakṣasāṃ bhīmakarmaṇām
hatānyekena rāmeṇa mānuṣeṇa padātinā

“I apologize if the question I am about to ask is out of line. I can’t believe I have to be afraid of offense in this situation, but I don’t ever see such questions brought up in formal settings, such as when a spiritual leader is visiting the area. Their talks tend to focus more on the internals of the devotional culture. It is like an auditor coming to inspect the operation. They fill out a report at the end, identifying the gaps. The issues have a priority to them. Some remedial measures need to be implemented immediately, for instance.

“The people in attendance are always worried about their own fate, it seems. They want someone to give approval to their behavior, to their habits, to their way of life. They keep mentioning the platform of ‘pure devotional service’ and trying to be a ‘pure devotee.’ That makes sense, don’t get me wrong. But I tend to be more in awe of the subject matter itself.

“For instance, if someone discusses the avatara of Shri Rama and His pastimes kindly documented in the Ramayana poem, my thoughts immediately go to comparison. I want to know where the preferences of the speaker lie. What is their favorite moment from Rama-lila, for instance? What about the same for the people in the audience? We are all aspiring devotees, are we not?

“Anyway, I do not feel comfortable asking such a question in front of others. I have attempted something similar before, and the speaker was not too happy about it. They wanted me to focus on the principles, on the topic at hand. It makes no sense to me, since in every other subject people tend to discuss their favorites. Which movie they think is the best. Which restaurant they like to frequent. Who makes the best peanut butter.

“So, very quietly, in almost a whispering voice, I want to know what you think. What is your favorite moment? Which incident do you meditate on? Late at night, when falling asleep, what do you remember? When stuck in a horrible dream, what image do you contemplate in order to find hope?”

The terse responses described above are to encourage the devotee to focus on improving their sadhana. Chant more rounds. Maintain association of other devotees. Strive for continuous sadhu-sanga, such that distracting questions such as these will not bother the mind.

“Our guru never divulged his favorite anything, Prabhu. So please do refrain. We should avoid speculating. The mind is fickle, after all. We should figuratively beat the mind ten times in the morning and ten times at night. Then such thoughts will go away and we can hope to stay focused on reaching the transcendental platform.”

If in a private setting, free of external judgment, one honest answer to the question of a favorite pastime is a number. Eka. One. It is a single person. Like a game of dodgeball or tug-of-war. There is only one person on this side. On the other side is an overwhelming force. You could say aneka, but there is a specific number. We know how many people were on that side.

Fourteen-thousand, to be exact. The side with one featured a man, manushya. The side with fourteen-thousand had Rakshasas. These are a species resembling ogres. At the time of the conflict, in that particular period of history, the Rakshasas were special in ability. They could change shapes at will. They could appear and disappear. Make no mistake, they were in a form considered inauspicious, but the characterization was not due to fighting ability. Rather, the Rakshasas are prone to sinful behavior. This means that their time spent within the manifest realm is like going backwards. Regressing instead of progressing.

The one man was actually Vishnu. It was Shri Rama. It was the Supreme Personality of Godhead having descended to this world. In most depictions, Rama is with others. There is Sita Devi by His side. She is the goddess of fortune. She is the daughter of King Janaka. She is the wife of Rama.

The three younger brothers might be with Rama. Shri Hanuman is sometimes within the image, in an intentionally diminutive stature, offering obeisance. Many of the events within Rama-lila feature these celebrated associates. Any of those images is sufficient for proper meditation. Dhyana on those images can bring liberation. Indeed, Goswami Tulsidas opens his Dohavali by choosing to focus on the setting of the Dandaka forest, where Rama is with Sita and Lakshmana.

राम बाम दिसि जानकी लखन दाहिनी ओर
ध्यान सकल कल्यानमय सुरतरु तुलसी तोर

rāma bāma disi jānakī lakhana dāhinī ora
dhyāna sakala kalyānamaya surataru tulasī tora

“Meditating on Shri Rama, who has Janaki to His left and Lakshmana to His right, brings all auspiciousness and is your wish-fulfilling tree, O Tulsi.” (Dohavali, 1)

The conflict with the Rakshasas in the Dandaka forest is one of the rare moments where we can remember Shri Rama by Himself. He stands tall in defense. He is not afraid, though the other side is of frightening deeds, bhima-karma. He can multitask, while the other side is singularly focused. He is beautiful to behold in battle, while the Rakshasas are grim-visaged.

In Closing:

With overwhelming confidence to brim,
Those Rakshasas of visages grim.

Fourteen thousand to that place assembled,
The unfairest of conflicts resembled.

Shri Rama just standing alone,
But bright as protector shone.

Despite formidable enemy attack,
Towards victory nothing to lack.

Categories: fourteen thousand, questions

Tags: dailyprompt, poem, poems, poetry, rama lila, ramayana