Madhava Madhura Charitam

My Little Rama

Chaitra Krishna Paksha Shashti, the first time ever, the four new born princes of Ayodhya were brought to Maa Badi Devakali for her blessings.

The kuldevi of Ikshvaku Kula. The first one to see the unborn Palanhara of entire Jagat, born as a human with no idea of his divinity. Outside the mothers, father, Guru Vasishta, Gurumata Arundhati, no one else had seen the boys. The first deity they are introduced to was Badi Devakali.

The first sight of the 11 day old Rama was extremely delightful to her. She was filled with so much love seeing him.

There were more often than not when Rama wouldn't sleep soon. It took so much to tire him out unlike the brothers who would be dropping with sleep in their eyes but tried to be awake just because Rama wasn't sleeping.

Seeing his brother be extremely sleepy, Rama would pretend to sleep but it remained absent from his eyes.

That's when Rama would see her. The ten-armed woman who came to him with a smile that filled Rama with such affection that he naturally opened his arms for her to pick him up. The weapons in her arms didn't scare him at all. Neither did the presence of three eyes scare him.

She would pick him up and take him outside for a walk. Surprisingly, all the guards would deep in their sleep. No one would see her or him.

"My little Rama, does sleep fear from reaching you?" She asked teasingly.

"Umhmm..." He nodded a yes. The bow in her hand catching his eyes. He tried to reach for the bow and she would chuckle.

"Does Rama like a bow?" She asked lovingly. Rama nodded a yes.

She opened one of her ten arms and a little bow appeared in them. A toy wooden bow. With toy arrows. She sat near the bushes of mandara in the garden of Dasharatha's palace. The smell was calming to Rama.

"Maa, sing lori?" He asked her. He couldn't yet form the coherent sentences but he could convert his wishes easily.

"If my little Shyama wants so, then yes."

Rama giggled, "Me Shyam. You Shyaamaa. I like it." He said playing with the little toy bow. She laid him down in her lap. He was absolutely happy. The little toy bow was mesmerizing to him. He set the little toy arrow and stretched the string. Then set it off.

Kali laughed as it bounced off the little bush. Then kissed his cheek.

Personally, Rama loved her smile. So, if his childish aim made her smile, he didn't mind.

Singing him a lullaby as she moved his leg over which his head was resting. A lullaby very familiar to her.

"Is my Kali not sleepy?" Seeing the neelameghashyama leaning in the cradle, the beloved daughter of the mountains, giggled excitedly urging him to pick her up.

Smiling brightly, he picked her up in his arm and showed her the moon, "You see that moon there? The darkness is the black jata of your Shiva. The moon there is his choodamani."

Parvati excitedly watched the moon. She then looked at her brother, "Bhrata..." She said in a childish tone.

"Oh, you want to go closer to the moon?" He asked. She nodded a yes. He sat on Garuda, the little Baalaa sitting on his lap and excitedly clapping her hands. He held her in place as Garuda took off really fast. As they went up, the moon got bigger and bigger.

Garuda got down in Mandara vana. Mandara flowers everywhere. Holding her against his chest, pushing her little head on his shoulders, patting her back softly, he sang her the lullaby.

She wrapped her little arms around his neck and slept peacefully. The song bringing sleep to Mahamaya herself.

Her mother's lullabies were sweet, no doubt, but Mohan had the most enchanting voice. It filled her heart with bliss. His soft patting on her back. His soft affectionate kisses as he sang for her.

Kali saw the little Rama and remember her brother bending on his fours and acting like a riding lion for her. Almost always bringing a contagious laughter on her lips.

All the affection he poured on her as her brother, he didn't remember. Rama only believed himself to be human. But she looked at him and it brought tears to her eyes. She had great love for him, no doubt, but when he was laying her lap, flapping his little feet and making sounds in the same rhythm as her song.

"Sleep, my little Rama. Sleep, my little dheera, the stars seeing your eyes might mistake them for the moon and abandon the sky... Sleep, my little Rama, dreams wait for your arrival with bated breath." She sang for him. She moved his leg to rock his head. He clutched the edges of her sari and slept peacefully.

Her heart filled with delight at his sight. He was the sweetest name on her tongue. The name that even her Shiva repeated. The brother who was forever her home. The brother who would place her hands in Shiva's when she marries him.

Kalika was large and terrifying to most people. The ten-armed Kalika was a fierce Goddess. She was Aadya Shakti. The first one.

But even the fierce Kalika melted at the sight of the little boy sleeping in her lap. Her magnanimous brother. Shri Maha Vishnu. The lord of Vaikuntha.

Just like every child, Rama clutched a bit of her hair. His thumb inside his mouth as his sucked like any common human child.

Her heart was overwhelmed by motherly love. She brushed the hair falling over his face. Rama had large eyes like that of lotus petals. They were paired with long eyelashes. He was as dark as her.

She bent down and kissed his head. The little ringlets over his head fluttered with the breeze. Kali who poured terror into the hearts of adharmis and rakshasas forgot every inch of her inherent rage as Rama slept on her lap.

"May no evil eye even look at you, my little sweet. May you be the most glorious King. May you rule the hearts of your people. May you reign supreme in the hearts of sadhus. May no enemy withstand your might. May your glory remain unchallenged forever."

Rama slept peacefully within her lap. Once assured that the little boy was deep in his sleep, Kali returned him next to Kaushalya who was lost in her sleep.

"Sleep well, my little Rama. I will always be around to protect you." She kissed his head one last time for the night and disappeared.

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Okay, okay, I know my obsession with Rama but I can't help it. Just imagine little tiny Rama sleeping in the great Kalika's lap.

Puranas say that Kanchi Kamakshi is the Kuldevi of Dashratha but Ayodhya has a temple of Devi Badi Kali who is called the Kuldevi of Rama.

So, according to tradition when a child is born, on the eleventh day since the birth of the child, he/she is brought to the Kuldevi's temple to receive her blessings.

So, Rama who was born on Chaitra Shukla Paksha Navami would be presented to Devi Badi Kali on Chaitra Krishna Paksha Shashti.

I've also written a small part of Shiva meeting baby Rama. I'm just too obsessed with the trio and their interactions.

Shiva and Vishnu are almost so dear to each other. Like so many times through Shiva Purana, they mention that Vishnu is extremely dear to Shiva. So many times it is mentioned that Shiva is extremely dear to Vishnu.

Then there is Vishnu and Shakti. They both are the most sweetest brother-sister duo. They both have many forms that are similar.