and captivating to look at that it appears that he is like an endless ocean of beauty.
This fact has been reiterated elsewhere also in Ram Charit Manas. For instance, when
Manu and his wife Satrupa had prayed to the Lord, and the Lord had revealed himself
before them, the couple were enthralled by the Lord’s fabulous sight which was like
an ocean of beauty and charm—refer: Ram Charit Manas, Baal Kand, Chaupai line
nos. 5-7 that precede Doha no. 148.
And the question ‘how beautiful was Lord Ram that Manu and Satrupa were
dazed?’ is answered at the same place, viz. Ram Charit Manas, Baal Kand, from
Chaupai line no. 8 that precedes Doha no. 146—to Chaupai line no. 4 that precedes
Doha no. 148.
It was the same form that has now mesmerised Lord Shiva.^(^3) Why was it not the proper time to meet Lord Ram? The answer is that it was
essential to keep Lord Vishnu’s incarnation as Lord Ram a top secret so that the
Lord’s mission of elimination of demons could be accomplished successfully. The
demon king Ravana had to be killed by Lord Vishnu in the disguise of a human being
(refer: Chaupai line no. 1 that precedes Doha no. 49 above), and if it was revealed
that Lord Ram, whose wife Sita was stolen by Ravana, was Lord Vishnu in his form,
the whole planning would crumble. The demons must be kept in the dark about the
true identity of Lord Ram, and if Shiva went to bow before Lord Ram and pay his
respects to him, the demons would immediately come to know of this because surely
they must have kept watch over the movement of Lord Ram after their king Ravana
stole Sita. The cat would be out of the bag, and this was something which had to be
avoided at all costs.
Obviously, if Shiva went to meet Lord Ram, there would have been a lot of
showing of respect and affection between the two, such as mutually bowing their
heads and paying respects to each other. It would have been impossible to keep the
identity of Lord Ram concealed as Shiva would not bow to anyone except the
Supreme Lord of creation.
Earlier in Doha no. 48 herein above we have already read that Shiva was very
eager to have a divine vision of Lord Ram but was not sure how it would come to
happen. Then we read that even as he walked towards his abode, his mind was
occupied with this thought—whether he would be able to see Lord Ram, and whether
it would be alright to meet the Lord and see him up close—refer: line no. 1 of Doha
no. 48 Ka above.
It is always wise to have patience when the time is not proper (“Kusamaya” ∑ȧ‚◊ÿ
)—this principle is observed by Parvati’s mother later on in the story when she had
refrained her emotions at the time of departure of her beloved daughter with Shiva
after their marriage. Refer: Ram Charit Manas, Baal Kand, Chaupai line no. 6 that
precedes Doha no. 102.
(^4) We shall soon be reading this story of how and why Lord Shiva vanquished
Kamdeo. It appears in Ram Charit Manas, Baal Kand, from Chaupai line no. 4 that
precedes Doha no. 82—to Chaupai line no. 3 that precedes Doha no. 88.]
ø‹ ¡Êà Á‚fl ‚ÃË ‚◊ÃÊ – ¬ÈÁŸ ¬ÈÁŸ ¬È‹∑§Ã ∑Χ¬ÊÁŸ∑§ÃÊH 4H
calē jāta siva satī samētā. puni puni pulakata kṛpānikētā. 4.
Lord Shiva, accompanied by Sati, went on moving ahead on his path (for reasons
explained above), but the body of the Lord, who is an abode of kindness, graciousness
and mercy, was getting repeatedly thrilled all along the way (as he remembered the
divine sight of Lord Ram he had just seen a while ago). (4)
[Note—Shiva was moving ahead towards his abode in Mt. Kailash, but his thoughts
were fixed on Lord Ram. It ought to be noted here that Shiva was the greatest devotee