Who could be the ‘Bala’ in the Balakanda?

Viswamitra in Valmiki Ramayana*

Sage Viswamitra’s role in Ramayana begins in Balakanda and ends with it. He leaves for the Himalayas after Sita’s wedding with Rama and does not reappear in the epic thereafter. But his influence is perceptible throughout the epic on Valmiki in as much as the structure of the Ramayana is conceived in the light of the Gayatrimantra, each of its 24 letters becoming the seed for a thousand verses. And, as is well-known, sage Visvamitra is the initiator of this incantation, which invokes the blessings of the Supreme immanent in that resplendent luminary the Sun, in illumining the mind of the spiritual aspirant for its proper functioning. The first sarga of Balakanda consisting of a hundred verses begins with the initial letter (Tat) and ends with the last letter (Yat) of the Gayatrimantra, thus making it a miniature Ramayana and condensing in it the significance of the entire epic. Again, the most illustrious prince in the Suryavamsa, to which the Ikshvakus claim descent, is Rama. And it is Visvamitra who initiates the process by which Rama’s virtues and excellences are brought out in all their splendour in the first canto itself. Thus the sage is responsible for the recognition of Rama by the world as a peerless prince of superb prowess and supreme excellence. Finally, it is clearly seen that only after Visvamitra visits Ayodhya seeking Rama’s help in the successful performance of his sacrificial rite does the story start moving along the course that finally culminates in the accomplishment of the incarnation.

The epic is divided into six cantos: Balakanda, Ayodhyakanda, Aranyakanda, Kishkindhakanda, Sundarakanda and Yuddhakanda. While the titles of the second, third, fourth and sixth cantos clearly indicate the nature of their contents, those of the first and the fifth raise doubts about their significance. Who could be the Bala of Balakanda and the Sundara of Sundarakanda? The Sundara of Sundarakanda is Hanuman. It may look odd that the title “Sundara” should be assigned to Hanuman. But the explanation is simple. It is universally admitted that Rama possesses entrancing beauty of figure and form that charms even men into falling in love with him. But who is the person that casts a spell on Rama himself in such a manner that the latter elects him to be his confidante and emissary to his beloved Sita?–Hanuman. And the beauty that attracts Rama is not the comeliness of the outward form but the purity and piety, loyalty and devotion ofHanuman. The Sundara of the universe elects for the most important mission of the fulfilment of his divine incarnation this Sundara among the devotees. What greater qualification does Hanuman need for his title ‘Sundara’ than being chosen by the Lord as the instrument to work out the purpose of his descent into the world? And be it noted that Hanuman dominates the action throughout the canto.

The question remains: Who could be the Bala of Balakanda? Could Rama be regarded as the Bala of this canto? In the incarnation of Krishna, the hero’s childhood is shown to be replete with magnificent pranks (resulting in the destruction of wicked Rakshasas beginning with Putana) and other wonderful feats of supreme strength and miraculous valour. Rama’s childhood is not marked by such mysterious pranks. There is nothing in this canto which shows any special or outstanding features or Rama’s childhood as different from those of his brothers. The four brothers have had a common schooling; and they have revealed almost equal talents in the various branches of study; and Rama may be said to be the first among equals. It is only after Visvamitra takes Rama with him and imparts to him all the Astras and Sastras that the prince excels in his encounters with Tataka, Subahu and Maricha. But these are the martial exploits of adolescence and not the miraculous pranks of childhood. Whom then are we to regard as the Bala of this canto?

I venture to suggest that is the Bala after which the canto takes its name. The Visvamitra that appears before Dasaratha, asking for Rama’s help, is a Brahmarshi; a repository of Brahmavidya, an accomplished Jnani and above all a Bala in innocence and integrity and in Paratantrya, absolute dependence on the Lord. He makes no effort at his own protection but surrenders himself to the care of the Lord. He initiates action and regulates it till it reaches its consummation in Rama’s wedding with Sita. From the moment he appears, he takes over the conduct of the story and dominates it till Rama becomes Sri Rama. Balakanda presents a survey of the various stages of Visvamitra’s spiritual quest for the Supreme; how from a Raja he becomes a Rajarshi, then a Rishi, a Maharshi, and finally a Brahmarshi and thus attains to Balya; how from Balya he grows with the intercession and aid of the Lord to Siddhi, fulfilment in Tapas; and finally, how he accomplishes release or Moksha for himself with the wedding of Rama with Sita. An attempt is made hereunder to trace this evolution in the spiritual stature of Visvamitra as revealed in the Balakanda.

An account of the efforts of Visvamitra to attain the status of a Brahmarshi is given by Satananda while congratulating Rama on his good fortune in having such a great sage for his preceptor. Starting his career as a valiant and upright king, he suffers a rude shock to his self-importance when Vasishtha refuses to part with the cow Sabala to which the former lays claim as the ruler of the land. Visvamitra’s covetousness (Lobha) suffers a deathblow when Sabala retaliates and proves the worthlessness of the might of the king’s armies. When desire is thus baffled, hurt pride provokes anger (Krodha) which drives him on to hard penance with the sole object of wreaking vengeance on Vasishtha. Visvamitra pleases Siva with his arduous Tapas and wins from him all the weapons known to Dhanurveda. He is elated with his newly-earned weapons and is sure of vanquishing Vasishtha with them. Intoxicated with the power of new arms, he demolishes the sage’s hermitage and challenges him to face his wrath. Vasishtha denounces his folly; nullifies Visvamitra’s weapons with his Brahmadanda and proves the futility of Kshatrabala when it confronts Brahmateja. Sabala has routed his armies; Vasishtha has shown up the impotence of Visvamitra’s weapons. Visvamitra realises the superiority of spiritual power over physical might; and he resolves to devote himself to penance till he attains the status of a Brahmarshi. In the course of his austerities, he meets with certain temptations which tend to check his progress to the desired end. Trisanku’s fantastic ambition to go to heaven with his body in tact meets with a repulse at the hands of his preceptor, Vasishtha. He passes him by and seeks the help of Vasishtha’s sons and when they refuse it threatens to seek a new preceptor; and as a consequence of his audacity, is cursed to become a Chandala. He approaches Visvamitra and entreats his assistance in the realisation of his ambition. The sight of the miserable king, transformed into a Chandala, rouses Visvamitra’s compassion; and he wastes the powers he has acquired by long penance in placing him in a heaven which he specially brings into being. Misplaced sympathy and support for unworthy causes results in an unnecessary outburst of wrath and avoidable wastage of spiritual power. But Visvamitra shows remarkable humanity towards Sunasyepa in saving his life without jeopardising Ambarisha’s sacrificial rite. He rises to a higher position in his Sadhana; and Brahma calls him a Rishi. But his ambition is much higher. Now a severe check awaits him; Menaka, the celestial danseuse, dazzles him with her charms; and Visvamitra yields to the temptation of sex in a weak, unguarded moment. Ten years pass like a fleeting moment before he realises his folly. Filled with remorse, he leaves for the north and renews his penance with greater vigour and tenacity. Brahma confers on him the title “Maharshi”; Visvamitra is neither happy nor sad with this recognition. He realises that he needs to subject himself to greater discipline to overcome the craving of his senses. He starves the senses to make them powerless; and almost succeeds in his effort when Rambha appears as a lightning-flash and disturbs his poise with her bewitching beauty. But Visvamitra checks himself; overcomes the passion of sex, but yields to an outbreak of rage and curses the celestial damsel to turn into a reptile. The next moment he regrets his impulsive outburst, takes pity on her and assures her of release from a pious Brahmin. Visvamitra has yet to gain control over some internal enemies like anger. He renews his penance with greater rigour and zeal. When he is about to take food after a long period of total abstinence, Indra appeals in disguise and begs for food. Visvamitra gives it away without hesitation, without even a trace of annoyance. Nothing now disturbs his equanimity. The penance continues unabated till Brahma recognises his stature as a Brahmarshi and Vasishtha welcomes him into the fold.

Attainment of spiritual wisdom (Brahmajnana) marks a big advance in Sadhana. Visvamitra has reached a stage in which has a thorough grasp of the nature of the Supreme (Paramatma) and of the Self (Jiva) and their inherent kinship; he cognises the enemies that bar his progress towards Him; and he is aware of the fruits that reward the culmination of his quest. The problem now is how to realise this theoretical knowledge in actual experience, howto attain fulfilment or Siddhi. He is keenly aware that his own endeavours cannot bring about the desired end. God alone, by His own grace, can bring about his release or Moksha from the never-ending encirclement of birth-and-death or Samsara. That is why he seeks Rama’s intercession in eliminating his enemies who have been foiling his efforts at Siddhi. He tells Dasaratha that he knows the true nature of Rama’s power; so does Vasishtha and other sages. It is this awareness of Ramatattva as identical with the Supreme phenomenon that provides the impetus to the process of illumination that finally leads to Siddhi. Visvamitra grows from Jnana to Balya. He becomes a child in innocence (Amayakatvam), integrity of thought, speech and action (Arjavam) and transparent absolute dependence (Paratantryam). No longer does he need to look after himself. He makes a total surrender into His hands. He finds no use now for the knowledge he has so laboriously acquired. It cannot take him further on his quest. He gives up all pretence of self-protection; God alone should take care of his Atma. He surrenders all knowledge acquired by him to the Source fromwhich he has got it. “Bala” and “Atibala” which represent the “para” and “apara” Vidyas, worldly knowledge and spiritual wisdom, are made over to Rama. This is the first stage of release, becoming free from the load of wisdom. Then Visvamitra narrates the story of Siva’s Kamavijaya, as he leads the princes, Rama and Lakshmana, through Angadesa. Manmatha is rendered Ananga by Siva’s consuming look, when the former presumes to disturb the Lord’s penance. The lesson to spiritual aspirants here is to destroy desire which is an implacable enemy to spiritual progress. Then the next stage is indicated in Tatakavadha. The mind is free from desire; but appetites and tendencies cling to it as latent influences (Ruchi and Vasana). The mind has to be cleansed of these impurities (Kalusha and Mala); and this can be done only by exterminating Avidya. Tataka represents Avidya which appears in myriad forms causing havoc to spiritual efforts. It is no good showing consideration to Tataka on any count; leaving her maimed or disfigured does not solve the problem. Such lenience only aggravates the menace. She has to be annihilated at any cost. And Rama alone is capable of destroying her. The Supreme alone can eliminate Avidya, which mistakes the physical body and its pleasures as the acme of life and ignores the existence of the soul. With the annihilation of Avidya, the way to Siddhi becomes clearer. Visvamitra now makes over to Rama all the potent weapons of offence and defence that he has acquired. He needs them not. The responsibility for giving protection to him is the Lord’s. He relinquishes all concern about himself. Then follows an account of Siddhashrama, the sacred place where Kasyapa has attained spiritual illumination and fulfilment of his wish to have Vishnu for son, the place to which Vamana repairs for rest after suppressing Bali’s overweening pride and egoism, by lording over his worldly possessions and spiritual attainments and denuding him of all his glory. To claim ownership of what does not at all belong to him constitutes Bali’s presumptuousness and vain-glory. In this episode is stressed how essential it is for an aspirant to give up the ego and recognise that God is the possessor of all affluence and that whoever temporarily holds it does so by His permission. It is a recognition of this truth that makes the sage declare that the Ashrama is as much Rama’s as it is his; or, to delve a little deeper, it is entirely Rama’s and not at all his.

Visvamitra’s penance starts in concentrated contemplation in utter silence–a climb from the state of Balya to Mouna and a preparatory exercise for Siddhi. The rite extends over six nights. “Night” stands for unwisdom; and six types of unwisdom are represented by the six nights: (1) Dehatmabhranti, the misconception that the body and the soul are identical; (2) Svasvatantryam, the mistaken feeling that the mind is absolutely independent of all restraint; (3) Bhagavadanyaseshatvam, wrong sense of belonging to some other than the Supreme; (4) Svarakshanasvaprayatnam, presumptuous endeavour at self-protection; (5) Svabandhupriti, mistaken attachment to the supposed kith and kin; (6) Vishayachapalyam, weak submission to the clamour of straying senses. It is these aberrations that are extinguished by the fire of Tapas. Then comes the impetuous attack of Subahu and Maricha, the former representing Sanchitakarma, the pile of works, both meritorious and otherwise, accumulated in successive births; and the latter of Agamikarma, of prospective works in the future and the fruits thereof. The demolition of Karma lies in the hands of the Supreme; none else has competence to effect it. The Sanchitakarmais like a pile of cotton; it is destroyed by a spark of fire. Subahu is reduced to ashes by Rama employing Agneyastra. Maricha is flung far away by Rama pressing Manavastra into service. Agamikarmawill not affect the aspirant; he will show absolute unconcern about it. The aspirant will be active without attachment to what he does, without expecting reward for it. His actions do not bind him in the same way as water-drops do not affect a lotus-leaf. Thus does the aspirant become free from the clutches of Karma and attains Siddhi or fulfilment with God’s gracious intercession.

But even after accomplishing Siddhi, the aspirant is still bound by Prarabdha Karma, that part of accumulated Karma which the individual self is ordained to endure during present life. The way a Siddha has to conduct himself till he reaches final liberation, Moksha, is implicit in the narrative that culminates in Sita Kalyanam. The story of the hundred charming daughters of Kusanabha, the king of Kausambi, and of their discomfiture at the hands of Vayu for their protest against his amorous overtures, and of the restraint they exercise in non-retaliation against the celestial and of their meek endurance of their transformation into ugly hunchs–is meant to glorify the quality of patient suffering and generous forgivingness even under great provocation. Such an attitude of Kshama is to be cultivated by a Siddha.

The anecdotes concerning the birth of Kumaraswami, and the descent of Ganga to the earth and the nether world as a consequence of Bhagiratha’s great penance, are meant to impress the Sadhaka with the propriety of directing action in wholesome channels so as to promote general good. A Siddha cannot rest on his oars but constantly make his life subserve the larger interests of humanity. The story of the churning of the sea of milk for the heavenly nectar which makes life immortal underlines the ordeal of the aspirant in churning the vast sea of the spirit with the instrument of his own intellect so as to attain life-immortal with the gracious blessing of the Lord. Unless this process of churning is adopted, it is not possible to reach the core, the Paramartha, of all knowledge. Mere scholarship serves no useful purpose. It is knowledge that permeates into experience that turns out to be nectar; and in that the demoniacal elements are routed and the divine powers establish their supremacy. It is then that life enlarges itself, taking under its ken the entire universe as an integrated whole. It becomes Visala; and Sumati becomes its ruler. When life is infused with the spirit of God, the mind illuminated with perfect goodness ordains its course. The story of Diti’s penance for the birth of a son who can score victory over Indra and its disastrous end because of her lapse in the observance of conditions prescribed for it by Kasyapa, has its lesson for spiritual aspirants. Diti exults as her penance is drawing to a close; and assures Indra, who has been serving her during the period, that she will see to it that her prospective son will keep up amiable relations with him and not give him any trouble. In her over-confidence that her ordeal is reaching successful culmination, she violates one of the injunctions, by lapsing into sleep at noon; and thus gives scope for Indra to destroy the child in her womb. Spiritual life is like treading on razor’s edge. The aspirant should be ever alert and vigilant in observing strictly the injunctions of the preceptors in letter and spirit. Want of caution, to even a little extent or for a brief moment, is sure to land the aspirant in disaster. The last episode that is instinct with purpose and meaningfulness is Ahalya’s unfortunate lapse from chastity. Her’s is a case where, under the stress of momentary impulse, the gracious lady forgets her essential dependence for her existence on Gautama and falls under the influence of the superficial dazzle of Indra, Her relationship with the sage is akin to the affinity of Artha to Sabda. If there is no Sabda, then is no Artha either. When she ignores Gautama, she loses her entry and becomes inert. Ahalya is the child of Brahma, the creator, and thus stands for Prakriti and depends for her Chaitanya or life-force on Gautama who represents Sabda Jnana. Indra the Mind, serves this kinship by appropriating to himself the beauty of Prakriti, though for a brief moment. Gautama deserts Ahalya; Sabda withdraws and Artha falls, because their kinship is broken by the interloper, Mind. It is only after long expiatory penance that Ahalya recaptures the knowledge that the whole Jagat is instinct with the Supreme, and that that Supreme is Rama who is before her. With the attainment of this knowledge, Chaitanya revives in her; and she finds that her lord Gautama has returned to her side. Artha reestablishes connection with Sabda; Prakriti blooms once again with beauty and joy; what has so long remained a non-entity now gets transformed into entity with name (Nama) and form (Rupa). A spiritual aspirant has to feel the presence of the Lord every moment of his life and in every object before him. Then only will the Siddhapurusha qualify himself for Moksha; then only does he become worthy of entering Mithila, the capita of Videha, the land where people are blissfully free from the consciousness of physical body and its concerns. Visvamitra has reached fulfilment (Siddhi); but he has yet to earn his final release (Moksha) from the Sukshmasarira or subtle essence, in order to enter the Paramapada or Heavenly Abode. This he does when he imbibes the exhilerating nectar that flows from an intimate knowledge of Dhanurbhanjana and Sita Kalyana. The bow signifies Pranava, the name of the Supreme; and it bends to Rama as he represents the Supreme and answers to that Nama. The bow breaks when the bow-string connects its two ends; the Divine Mother links the Supreme and Jiva (God and Visvamitra). Visvamitra’s spiritual efforts have culminated in total surrender and in the enlistment of the Divine Mother’s gracious intercession; and thus has he earned admission into Paramapada, the abode of eternal bliss. Hence it is that Visvamitra does not figure in the epic after this event of Sita Kalyana. As an aspirant he has earned his release. As a preceptor, he has completed his mission of equipping Rama to accomplish his mission in eliminating the demoniac forces operating in the world.

It is covetousness: (Lobha), the desire to possess Vasishtha’s Sabala that gives the impetus to Visvamitra’s penance. And it is an arduous process by which he grows in stature as a sage and reaches the states of Balya and Mouna and finally attains Siddhi; redemption from Samsara. Moksha comes to him through the good offices of the Divine Mother. Balakanda devotes itself to the unfolding of this process of Visvamitra’s spiritual struggles and failures and successes till he reaches the culmination of admission to the Abode of Bliss. The Bala in this section of the epic is this sage who, while revealing through his life wholesome lessons to spiritual aspirants, initiates and carries forward the action requisite for the fulfilment of the incarnation of Rama.

* This essay is based on the points made out by Sri S. Appalacharyulu, M. A., Lecturer in Sanskrit, A. P. Educational Service. during his discourses in Telugu on Valmiki Ramayana.