tēhi avasara bhan̄jana mahibhārā. hari raghubansa līnha avatārā. 7.
pitā bacana taji rāju udāsī. daṇḍaka bana bicarata abināsī. 8.
It was the occasion when Lord Hari (Vishnu) had revealed himself as a human being
(in the body of Lord Ram) in the family linage of king Raghu in order to eliminate the
burden of the earth^1. (7)
The imperishable and eternal Lord (i.e. Lord Vishnu as Lord Ram) was
wandering at that time (i.e. at the time when Shiva was on his way to his own abode
from the hermitage of sage Agastya) in the dense and un-inhabitable part of the forest
known as Dandak^2. The Lord had renounced his kingdom and had gone to the forest
attired like a hermit on the instruction of his father (Dasrath)^3. (8)
[Note—^1 This episode is narrated in Ram Charit Manas, Baal Kand, from Sortha/Doha
no. 183—to Doha no. 192. Briefly, the demons, led by their king Ravana, had
wreaked heavoc on earth, killing and plundering innocent living beings and
committing horrendous crimes. Peeved and disgusted, Mother Earth and the Gods
prayed to Lord Vishnu to save them. The Lord promised them that he will descend to
earth as a human being in the form of Lord Ram and take birth in the royal household
of Dasrath who had done severe Tapa in his previous life and had requested the Lord
to become his son. So, two birds would be killed with a single stone as it were—
Dasrath’s desires would be fulfilled, and the demons would be eliminated at the same
time.
(^2) Lord Ram’s stay in the Dandak forest has been described in Ram Charit Manas,
Aranya Kand, from Chaupai line no. 16 that precedes Doha no. 13—to Doha no. 46
which marks the end of this Kand.
(^3) The episode of king Dasrath being forced to agree to give his unwilling consent
to send Lord Ram to 14 years of forest exile due to family intrigue having its origin in
the selfishness of his third wife Kaikeyi who had thrown a tantrum is narrated in Ram
Charit Manas, Ayodhya Kand, from Doha no. 12—to Doha no. 79.]
ŒÊ0. NUŒÿ° Á’øÊ⁄Uà ¡Êà „U⁄U ∑§Á„U Á’Áœ Œ⁄U‚ŸÈ „UÙß–
ªÈ# M§¬ •flÃ⁄U©U ¬ ̋÷È ª∞° ¡ÊŸ ‚’È ∑§ÙßH 48 (∑§)H
dōhā.
hṛdayam̐ bicārata jāta hara kēhi bidhi darasanu hō'i.
gupta rūpa avatarē'u prabhu ga'ēm̐ jāna sabu kō'i. 48 (a).
As Lord Har (Shiva) was on his way home, he kept wondering how he would have an
opportunity to get a divine glimpse of the Lord (Sri Ram) here (in the Dandak forest).
The Lord (Vishnu) had taken a birth as a human being secretly (in order to eliminate
the demons), and though it was a secret for others, but every enlightened person (such
as sages and seers) was aware of this fact. (Doha no. 48 Ka)
[Note—The fact that Lord Vishnu had come down to earth in the form of Lord Ram
was kept a secret because otherwise if the demons got a hint it would be impossible to
get rid of them. Only those who had great spiritual powers were aware of the Lord’s
incarnation. Lord Shiva was obviously privy to this because it was he who had
directed the Gods and Mother Earth to pray to Lord Vishnu to overcome their
problems—refer: Ram Charit Manas, Baal Kand—(i) Chaupai line nos. 1-8 that
precede Doha no. 185; and (ii) Chaupai line no. 1 that follows Doha no. 48 Kha
below.]