As he reached the outskirts of Ayodhya, Dharmaraja transformed himself into a brahmana. This, he thought, would help him reach Sri Rama more easily. But Rama, blessed with inner vision, recognised him and himself came to the palace gates to receive Dharmaraja. He took the brahmana inside and asked him the purpose of his visit. […]
Lord Vishnu knew that his avatara, the extension of his being, Sri Rama, had fulfilled his duties on earth, and wanted to return to his abode. He sent Devarshi Narada to call Dharmaraja, the god of death, also called Yama. Dharmaraja came and bowed to Lord Vishnu, ready to obey his command. Lord Vishnu told
Brahma himself came to tell Rama that he would now meet Seeta only in heaven. He had to fulfil his responsibilities first. Rama controlled his grief and returned to Ayodhya with his sons, his brothers, Hanuman and his entire army. The citizens celebrated the return of the king with the heirs to the throne. Everyone
Seeing Rama standing by silently, Seeta took her decision immediately. There was only one path open to her now. She was the daughter of Mother Earth, and her only refuge now was her mother. She must return to her. Rama had not said a word. Seeta did not wish to be an obstacle in the
Valmiki spoke up to say that he was aware of Seeta’s unfailing devotion to Rama. “You must go back now to Ayodhya with your husband. You deserve all the happiness now. That is what I wish for you, my child,” he said gently. Valmiki told Rama that he would stake all the merit of his
Sage Valmiki spoke with authority, “Rama, Luv and Kush are your sons!” Rama looked lovingly at his sons. Valmiki narrated how he had found Seeta helplessly crying near his ashrama. He had taken her into the ashrama. She had been pregnant at the time and the boys were born shortly thereafter in his ashrama. Valmiki
Aperschnalzen is a tradition, involving rhythmic whip cracking and is extremely popular in Bavaria, Germany and Salzburg, Austria. Do you know: The so-called ‘short-handled whips’ used for the event are actually more than 4 metres long. Held in the month of February, the Aperschnalzen originated from the tradition to ‘wake-up’ Nature and call on good
Spitting thrice is a common custom amongst people in Greece. Do you know: The Greeks spit in the direction of someone being given a compliment. The Locals believe that spitting three times wards off the devil and turns away bad luck. Hence, they always spit thrice such ‘ftou, ftou, ftou’ if a person in their
The next day, the boys reached the battlefield again. They challenged the King of Kaushala to battle if he wished to take the horse, or to leave it and go away. Rama smiled and checked their challenge telling them they were too young to throw out such challenges. “Return the horse and go home, my
The Vegetarian Festival is a tradition organized by people on the island of Phuket, Thailand. Do you know: The festival is held as a way for people to cleanse themselves spiritually. The Vegetarian festival, as the name suggests, is a festival where people eat only vegetarian or vegan food. The diet is considered a cleansing
Seeta was shaken completely. On one hand, she was upset that the boys had got into a battle with their father, but on the other hand she was extremely proud of their courage and skill. Her problem was how to stop the battle between father and sons! She asked the boys to untie Hanuman first.
The Katsina Dolls carved by the Hopi people are created for various purposes. Do you know: The Katsina dolls are said to contain the spirits of deities, natural elements and animals, and even the deceased ancestors of the Hopi tribe. The Hopi people believe that the spirits come down in the form of Katsinas to
The Cascamorras Festival is a tradition where two towns in Granada, Spain, start a mock war for a statue of the Virgin of Mercy. Do you know: The actual statue of the Virgen de la Piedad was found in 1490 in rubble outside a former mosque in Baza. The mock battle that takes place every
Kambala or water buffalo racing is a sport practised in the states of Karnataka and Kerala. Do you know: The buffaloes for these events are organized and categorized based on the number of their fallen teeth. Different races are organized as a part of this sport in the Puttur village in Karnataka. However, one of
This irritated Kush who turned to face his attack. Hanuman wanted the secret of the boys to be revealed, so he deliberately lost the battle to Kush! Kush promptly retaliated by tying Hanuman to a tree! “Let’s take this monkey to Mother, Luv. She will be very happy to see him!” he told Luv. Luv