Didn’t King Dasaratha know how to divide the payasam among his three wives?The morning I got myself admitted to the hospital for my surgery, as usual I watched Vellukudi Krishnan’s Bagavadham. He was narrating the first chapter of Ramayana - The Conception. Listening to it, I suddenly had this doubt, “What is the explanation for Dasaratha apportioning the payasam among his three wives, the manner in which he did?”
I went into the hospital only with this question in my mind. Somehow I felt I would be able to find an answer while going through the experience of the surgery. That was on 28th Feb. 2011.
I had no confusion, conflict, worry, second thoughts about going through the surgery. I was in the best hospital; the surgery was to be performed by the most experienced surgeon. And as my luck would have it, all the needed research has already been done and the process tested out successfully by one of my brothers. I had full faith in his and his wife’s thorough analysis of any medical issue. The entire procedure went off so smoothly.
The highlight of my hospitalization was my elder brother Santhanam staying with me in the hospital for the entire duration of four days. As he was in Chennai at that time, I did ask him to come to Ranipet during my surgery. But I didn’t really expect him to move into the hospital with me. It was a great bonding experience for me. I laughed a lot - even as I read out loud the consent form for the surgery before we both signed it. We had our meals together, watched the same programmes on TV, took short walks in the hospital corridor, meditated together and slept and woke up almost at the same time. I remembered once my sister-in-law saying that ‘you both are alike except with a slight difference in degree’. It must be so. It was the most relaxing four days of my life. He brought me home, and with his mission accomplished successfully returned to Chennai that evening. He had only the one agenda; he was focused in it all throughout.
Of course the answer for the doubt I had about Dasaratha didn’t just come through. I felt Rajaji might have some explanation in his rendering of Ramayana.
Here I quote -
“The Devas complained to Lord Brahma that Ravana, drunk with the power acquired by the boon granted to him by Brahma, was causing them untold misery and hardship.
Brahma knew that he had granted to Ravana the boon prayed for by him that he should be invulnerable and invincible against Devas, Asuras, Gandharvas and other such beings. In his arrogance, Ravana did not care to ask for security against mankind. As Brahma revealed this fateful omission all the Gods rejoiced and turned to Vishnu and begged him to be born as a man and put an end to Ravana. Hari agreed and assured the Devas that he would be born as four sons of King Dasaratha who was then performing a sacrifice for progeny. From out of the flames came a majestic figure, holding a bowl and said, “Here is payasam sent by the gods for your wives. You will be blessed with sons if they drink this divine beverage”.
Dasaratha received the bowl and distributed the payasam to his three wives, Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. He asked Kausalya to drink a half of the payasam and he gave a half of what remained to Sumitra. Half of what was then left was drunk by Kaikeyi, and what remained was given to Sumitra again.
In course of time, Dasaratha's sons were born Rama of Kausalya and Bharata of Kaikeyi. Sumitra gave birth to twins, Lakshmana and Satrughna. She had drunk the divine payasam twice.
In proportion to the quantity of payasam drunk by the respective mothers, the sons are traditionally considered to be parts of Vishnu. Rama was thus half Vishnu. But such calculations have no meaning, as it is impossible to measure the Infinite arithmetically. Sruti tells us that even a fraction of the Supreme Being is whole and complete by itself.”
Unquote
My questions were answered.
1. Why did Dasaratha not divide the payasam equally among his wives?
Because it doesn’t matter how infinite is divided – it is still the whole.2. And why did he divide the payasam the third time?
Because Hari agreed and assured the Devas that he would be born as four sons of King Dasaratha.
What has this got to do with my surgery? Hari has decided to give me this extraordinary bonding experience with my brother. There is no question about it.
