Dasaratha

Dasaratha

Dasaratha, the ten chariot king represents the human body with the five senses of perception and five senses of action. He had three wives representing three Gunas or disposition, Satwa, Rajas and Tamas- named Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. He had four sons, who embodied in themselves the four goals of human life, Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. Rama is the very embodiment of Dharma. The other three goals can be achieved only by steady adherence to Dharma. We find, therefore, the brothers Lakshmana, Bharatha and Shatrughna following the footsteps of Rama.

Selfishness lives by getting and forgetting. In this context, Dasaratha is a perfect example of one who had taken the path of Truth. He also had a title of Sathya Parakrama. There was also another title for Dasaratha, i.e., one who was bound by Dharma. Atirathi was another title for him and this meant one who could give happiness to a large extent. He was also called a Rajarishi. A king and yet a Rishi (sage) shining with brightness because of the several great qualities in him. He was taking the support and advice of eight ministers of his kingdom. These eight persons were such that they always practiced the highest Dharma. The last one of these eight persons was Sumantara. He had also accepted two sages Vasishta and Vamadeva as his Gurus. In Dasaratha daily life, he was guided by these two gurus as his purohits. In addition, when Dasaratha had some doubts or when he found that the people’s prosperity was being obstructed or when he wanted some advice, he also retained six people as his principal advisors. The first among these six people was Suyagna, the others included Jabali, Kasyapa, Pascheya, Markandeya and Gautama. Dasaratha was ruling the whole of Bharath. There was no injustice, there was no untruth, there was no crime in the whole of Bharath during his rule.

The rule of that day was such that Dasaratha looked into the prosperity of the people. If we look at the situation in some depth and try to understand the significance and the inner meaning, we could note that man has got five working organs and five sensory organs. Altogether he has got ten Indriyas (senses). Dasaratha literally means the human body which has got five working organs and five sensory organs. Dasaratha symbolises this charioteer of the human body which has got ten organs. Dasaratha also attracted three Gunas (qualities) in the form of Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. The four Purusharthas viz., Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha are symbolised by Dasaratha’s four sons. Dasaratha was one who proclaimed such a significant inner meaning to the world and he urged the people to lead an ideal life.

There will be echo and a reflection for all that we do. For this, a good example was demonstrated by Dasaratha. On one occasion when he was young, he went for hunting in the forest. While he was waiting at a spot during the night, he heard some sounds and being an expert hunter, he could locate the object by the direction of the sound. He shot an arrow in the direction of the sound and soon he found that the arrow which he shot had killed the son of a Rishi (sage). He felt very sorry and he took the dead body to the father of the boy and requested that he be pardoned. When the Rishi (sage) realized that his son was dead, he was steeped in sorrow and was weeping with the dead body by his side. In his agony, the sage cursed Dasaratha and said that for this sin, he would suffer in a similar manner and die when his son was not near him. Dasaratha recognised that whatever one does, the consequences will be inevitable and unavoidable. Dasaratha purified himself by telling himself that he must suffer the consequences for the sin he had committed. He realised that sorrow is something which comes and goes and he set an example to the world by his own life.

When Dasaratha realised that he was growing old, and that his strength and vitality were diminishing, he showed to the world that he should no longer undertake the task of being a ruler. One night during his sleep, he felt thirsty and he took out water to drink. But he found that when he was pouring water from the jug into the tumbler, his hands were shaking. He did not sleep that night at all. As soon as the day dawned, he sent for the Gurus Vasishta and Vamadeva. He told the Gurus that the vitality and the strength of his organs had diminished and, therefore, he could not rule the country. He requested them to make all preparations to install Rama on the throne. Here he established the truth that an individual who has no control over his own organs had no right to rule over the country. In the matter of ruling over the country, Dasaratha realised the proper code of conduct for the king, and the proper code of conduct for the people. Whoever the individual may be, however great he may be, he must recognise the condition around him and must adjust himself to the surroundings. But in certain instances in Ramayana, especially when Rama was going to the forest, it had been said that Dasaratha could not bear the sorrow and that he fell down in a swoon. Here also Dasaratha was proclaiming that such sorrows are incidental and they come because of our relationship and attachment to the human body.

Sorrows and difficulties come half-way in our life, and they are not natural to us. Because Dasaratha understood this truth, he could bless Rama when he was about to go to the forest. He could bless Rama not to have any difficulties in the forest, and that he should come back quickly and happily. This is the blessing which he gave because he knew the situation. Rama was adhering to the truth at all times and because of these qualities, he did not have any problems in the forest. Rama was an ideal son. It is only when the sons take to the right path good will come to the parents.

To establish the truth of such statements to the world, it was Dasaratha who told Rama in Ramayana, "Go to the forest for the sake of adhering to the truth". Dasaratha had no kind of attachment and he had the ability to discriminate between the right and wrong. He was not an ignorant person. Dasaratha recognised that all attachments are only relationships between one body and another and such is a purely worldly attachment. On one occasion when the sage Durvasa visited Vasishta. Dasaratha was asking him for the chronology of his own dynasty. Dasaratha put the question to Durvasa with a view of finding out whether his family would uphold truth and Dharma. At that time, Durvasa told Dasaratha that the sons he was going to have would be the embodiments of Dharma, and that they would protect Truth and would have several good qualities. From that day, he was thinking that even if he had only one son, that could satisfy him provided that his son would bring him reputation and glory.