Page 1 of 740 Book III : Aranya Kanda - The Forest Trek http://www.valmikiramayan.net/aranya_kanda_contents.html K. M. K. Murthy 10 July 2012 Page 2 of 740 Chapter [Sarga] 1 .......................................................................................................................................... 5 Chapter [Sarga] 2 ........................................................................................................................................ 14 Chapter [Sarga] 3 ........................................................................................................................................ 22 Chapter [Sarga] 4 ........................................................................................................................................ 29 Chapter [Sarga] 5 ........................................................................................................................................ 39 Chapter [Sarga] 6 ........................................................................................................................................ 51 Chapter [Sarga] 7 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.................................................................................................................................... 718 Chapter [Sarga] 75 .................................................................................................................................... 732 Page 5 of 740 Chapter [Sarga] 1 Introduction Rama, Seetha, and Lakshmana enter the great forest called Dandaka Forest and adore the eminent sages, who are in penance and hermitages in that forest. This canto is named as Aranya Kanda not just to show that Rama roved over just forests. The forests, as per Indian tradition, are the treasure houses of knowledge, and they are the ultimate in Vedic culture. Thus, until Ayodhya Kanda Rama's exile is in aaryavarta , the place of noblemen, from River Ganges to Greece. Now Rama is stepping into an area called janasthana ,meaning people's place. This janasthana is the place where Rama eradicated certain negative aspects of the then anarchic individualised dominions where jungle law was the only recourse and brought all of them under one roof. Though people lived there about along with sages and demons as well, demonic influence is said to be predominant, as per Ramayana or other Purana-s. These demons are narrated to be man-eaters, but not cannibals who eat their own tribesmen.Recent discoveries revealed that the first humans were cannibals. The Science magazine reported about the excavations at Neanderthals Neander Valley, Germany. In the words of Alban Defleur of the Universite de la Mediterranee at Masrseilles, France, "The finding allows us for the first time to demonstrate the existence of the practice of cannibalism by European eanderthals." It is not clear from the excavations of Neanderthals, whether the cannibalism was practised for survival or as a ritual.And even at Alveston in the western English country of Gloucestershire, recently found are such human thighbones, which had been split down the middle to remove marrow. Archaeologists of Bristol University are saying that the evidence indicated the victims could have been disabled and deformed people in society. They have been murdered and eaten, and the radiocarbon dating suggests these finds are about 2000 years ago. This practice is attributed to some underworld cults during the later Iron Age. That being the situation in Europe, in the knowable history, in Ramayana that has happened in an unknown era, the rakshasa-s are narrated to be man-eaters, but not as cannibals.But the accounts given in Aranya Kanda and elsewhere, in ancient India the rakshasa-s ate up humans neither for their own survival nor for ritual but to exhibit their tyranny and their barbaric supremacy. They never reported to have eaten their own clansmen, but have a palate for other breed. Hence it is not exactly cannibalism, but a barbaric act to exert savage scare. This is what the sages advise Rama, Seetha and Lakshmana when departing towards Dandaka Aranya, and indirectly suggest eradicating such a savage atmosphere in peaceful forests. When it comes to isms , it is said that the whole clash is between Vaishnavaites and Shaivites or Shaaktaites , because the raakshasa-s are invariably Shiva worshippers, where Vaishnavism is a later development. All the raakshasa-s or demons [in fact the term 'demon' do not suit them,] portrayed hereafter, are ardent worshippers of Shiva, and have every blessing from Shiva or Brahma. It is an ethnicity of its own which lived rich lives, pompous in attributes, wielded magical powers, and unabatedly performed anything that is beneficial for them.Their riches and glory will be reflected in Sundara Kanda, which will be burnt down by Hanuma, humbling this deleterious ethnicity, even before Rama's war with Ravana. Such an ethnic culture will be portrayed hereafter, in constant conflict with Rama, and Rama eradicating each and every member of such ethnicity that goes against any civility. It is said that Rama performed diina jana rakshana in this Aranya Kaanda, Miserable Page 6 of 740 People's Protection and mitra jana rakshana in the next canto Kishkindha Kaanda, i.e., Friendly People's Protection. The raksha means protection, and they protect their own culture and ethnicity, and if any outsiders to join them, they shall be subservient.For e.g., Ravana does not tolerate the insult meted out by his sister Shuurpanakha at the hands of Lakshmana.Ravana, though persuaded by Maareecha not to encounter Rama, does not listen to any advises but wished to abduct Seetha, because he wanted to possess that beautiful woman, like all other beautiful, pompous objects like Kubera's wealth, Lanka, the golden city and Pushpaka aircraft etc. Ravana even baits Seetha with queen-hood, if only she subjugates to him, and all these dictatorial aspects reveal the pride and vanity of Rakshasa culture. But the term 'demon' used in paucity of equivalent term may not be taken to mean just as a wicked demon or a devil, but a powerful antagonistic culture or ethnic dominions of Rakshasas, in Janasthana. Rama does much good in jansthana in wiping out those cultures of greedily dictatorial, magically overpowering, and ruinous to other forms of civility. In fact this Aranya Kanda is not explained in vivid terms by the ancient commentators, and if things are probed deeper in this book, Aranya Kanda, Rama did more social work than miracles.Hence much can be explored into this Aranya Kaanda, the Book of Forest, in terms of sociological, demographically and ethnological pursuits of Rama to establish one great orderly civil empire under one emperor, that is what we call Rama Raajya. Further, it will be narrated that Rama killed these Rakshasas in thousands, which is objected by materialists as how can an archer eliminate so many thousands of Rakshasas, with just a bow and arrows.It may be remembered that Sage Viswamitra accords many kinds of missiles to Rama, after the killing of Tataka, the demoness, in Bala Kanda.It may not be surprising for this generation to know that a single trigger can create havoc of Hiroshima or Nagasaki, and then in all its probability Rama also might have triggered in the same way, with the missiles endowed by Sage Viswamitra. 3 Uld` Uld` Uld` . l4