||Sri Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram||

Chapter -21 - Uththarakandam

Lord Shiva’s boon on Sage Kakabhushundi/ Kakabhushundi’s birth as twice-born and meeting with Sage Lomasha/ The curse of Sage Lomasha

Sage Kakabhushundi speaks “The Supreme Lord Sarvajja heard the sincere cries of the Vipra, was highly pleased with his devotion and soon a voice heard from the sanctum “Oh! Mahabhramana, ask for a boon.” Vipra spoke “Oh! Prabhu, if you are pleased with me, kindly provide me intense devotion and faith at your lotus feet, Oh! Dheenanatha, I want one more boon, the dull-minded Jeevas are always wielded with the powerful Maya of yours and constantly hurled in the cycles of birth and death eventually undergoes endless sufferings, Oh! Kripasindho, kindly remove the curse on my disciple and shower your grace upon him. Oh! Shankara, Oh! Dheenadhayalo, let your curse become a blessing upon him. Oh! Kripanidhi, kindly shower auspiciousness upon him.”, the divine voice replied ‘Thadhasthu’,  further the divine voice spoke “Oh! Vipra, this wicked Shudra, committed a grave sin that instigated anger in me; my curse will become a boon for him in the latter years. Oh! Brahmana, the benevolent and innocent people are most dear to me as Kharashathru Sri Rama, my curse won’t go untrue, he will take thousands of birth, but he will be free from the miseries and sorrows of Janana and Marana.” The divine voice turned toward me “Oh! Shudra, listen to me, your wisdom will not leave you in each of your births, because you have born in the sacred city of Ayodhya, and you have served me.  You will have intense devotion and faith at the feet of Lord Raghupathi because your birth took place in the most propitious land of Raghupathi. Oh! Thatha, listen to my words, whoever serves the twice-born sincerely would achieve the grace of Lord Srihari. Do not humiliate Bhramin, consider the Sajjana as the supreme Lord who is eternal. The vicious weapon Vajrayudha of Lord Indra, the trident of mine, the disc of Lord Vishnu, Dhanda of Kala, cannot protect the person who committed disgrace to a Bhramin, you always keep this in your mind. You can achieve everything in this world, and you will have free access to all the worlds.” The Vipra highly pleased with the boon of Lord Shiva upon his disciple, prostrated before the Lord, and left to home.”

Sage Kakbhushundi speaks “Oh! Garuda, I have born in a Sarppayoni and lived in Vindhyachala for some time, and got rid of that body, after that with the grace of Lord Shiva, I have taken several births and got rid of it easily like the used clothes are thrown for wash and attired in fresh clothes, thus I have got rid of the afflictions of Janana and Marana. As predicted by the supreme Lord Shiva, I have taken several births as animals, humans, deities, but I have not got rid of my wisdom or knowledge of my previous births. I have worshiped Lord Ramachandra in all my births, but I could not forget that innocent and benevolent nature of my preceptor. The Vedas and Puranas affirm that the birth as twice-born is the final birth of a Jeeva when I was born as twice-born, I took great pleasure in singing the glories of Lord Ramachandra with my childhood friends, during my adolescence I have learned many things from my father, but those lessons were uninterested to me, I have lost interest in worldly matters, I took shelter at the lotus feet of Prabhu Sri Ramachandra. I have no interest in lessons or lead a normal life of a youth, my father lost interest in me as well, after the death of my parents, I have moved to woods and practiced meditation and contemplation upon Prabhu Sri Ramachandra. I have met several saintly people in the woods, I took great pleasure in listening to the glorious myths of Lord Rama described by those ascetics, in this way, I have spent the rest of my life. I have got rid of interest in having a family of my own, or children, I have lost interest in wealth and fame. All I had was the anxiousness to meet that Prabhu Ram and I was eagerly waiting for that fortune to fall at his lotus feet and attain fruitfulness of my life. I have shared my anxiousness to the Rishis and ascetics assembled, they pacified me that the supreme Lord is all-pervasive, he is omnipresent in Chara and Achara as well, and my mind was not satisfied with the idea of Nirgunaswaroopa of that Lord, my yearnings to witness that Sagunaswaroopa of that Lord has multiplied day by day.  I have remembered the words of my preceptor, and my love at the lotus feet of Prabhu Sri Ram gone beyond control, I have been wandering all over singing in praise of Ram, I have met Sage Lomasha who was seated under the Vatavruksha in Mount Sumeru, I prostrated before the Sage and revealed my anxiousness to him with folded hands. The compassionate Sage enquired about the purpose of my visit. I requested the Sage “Oh! Munishwara, Oh! Kripanidhe, Oh! Sarvajja, kindly teach me how to worship the Sagunaswaroopa of the supreme Lord.”

Sage Kakabhushundi speaks “ Oh! Pakshiraja,  Sage Lomasha described the glorious legends of Raghuram, the Bhramajjyani Sage Lomasha  began to narrate the beautiful description of the supreme Lord who is Aja, have no dualities, resides as a soul in living beings, he is beyond perception, impassionate, have no specific forms or names, attainable with intense devotion and austerities, he is inseparable,  beyond senses and comparison, inseparable from Prakrithi, he is pure, unblemished, eternal, desireless, and he represents supreme bliss, and made me understand that the vast ocean like Bhramam indifferent from the Jeevas, but I was not convinced, I prostrated before the Munisha and once again requested him to explain how to worship the Sagunaswaroopa. I have taken great pleasure in the worship of Lord Rama, without the worship, I felt like the fish out of the pond. I was adamant to witness the Sagunaroopa of that supreme Lord. Sage Lomasha described various legends of Prabhu, and insisted on the worship of Nirgunabhramam, but I did not leave my desire to witness the Saguna Bhramam, finally the Sage got irritated, I was not willing to compare the Jeeva which is wielded in Maya with the Parambhramam.”

Sage Kakabhushundi speaks “Oh! Pakshiraja I was immersed in various thought how did the Jeevathma could compare with that Paramathma who is beyond Maya and changes, eternal, unblemished, and beyond Thrigunas? Isn’t that desire for the material welfare and bondage causes anxiety and grief in Jeeva? The person who has the possession of Parasmani cannot be a beggar, people who take pleasure in the afflictions of others cannot be free from the cluster of redundant thoughts, person who is soaked in material well-being and bondage cannot be pure, the person who have disrespected the twice-born/Bhramin cannot survive, brings entire destruction to his clan, the person who has attained the Athmasakshathkara will not find pleasure in the Karma, people who have been in the association of wicked cannot be virtuous, a person who is interested in the other’s wife cannot achieve Sadhgathi, people who have attained the Athmasakshathkara will not hurl into the cycles of birth and death, people who disgrace Lord Srihari cannot attain peace, King without the knowledge Rajaneethi cannot rule the kingdom wisely. People who have engaged in singing in praise of Lord Hari and his glorious myths get freed from the sins, piousness cannot be achieved without the performance of righteous deeds, the performance of wicked deeds brings ill fame, Is there any biggest fortune other than the devotion at the lotus feet of Hari?  If a person does not worship that Lord Hari, won’t be disgraceful after attaining the body of a human? Is there any Dharma other than kindness and compassion?” Oh! Vishnuvahana, I have numberless thoughts raised in my mind. I did not pay attention to his speeches sincerely; it annoyed the Sage Lomasha, “Oh! Mooda, you are showing no interest in the highest of the knowledge, and arguing with me. You have no trust in my words, and looking at me like a crow. You will become a crow for your arrogant nature,” I have gracefully accepted the curse of Sage Lomasha. I did not feel scared or sad of the curse, immediately I have transformed into a crow, prostrated before the sage and contemplated upon the Raghuvamshamani I flew away from the hermitage of Sage Lomasha.