RAMAYANA : The Childhood

♛ SARAYU - THE BEAUTY OF KOSALA ♛

The Sarayu River is the beauty of the Kosala country. The country of Kosala does not go beyond morality and has the arrows of the five elements of nature that commit an abounding crime, and the women with breasts covered with ornaments and eyes that resemble the five arrows.

The white-colored clouds that resemble the ash-covered body of Lord Shiva, beautified the way they went and returned after drinking the seawater with the unique black color of Lord Vishnu who bears Goddess Lakshmi in his chest.

As the clouds approached the Himalayas, "The mountain of Himalayas, the father-in-law of the ocean, has become hot because of the sun. Let us bathe it with water," and it was seen that the ocean of this world rose the moisture of the vast Himalayas.

(The husband of the rivers is the sea as all the rivers merge into the sea. Rivers originate in mountains. Therefore, the mountain becomes the father-in-law of the ocean.)

Just as the Vaishnavas dropped silver veils between the sky and the mountain, considering the glorious and great Himalayas to be golden, the clouds showered down rain like great men who contemplated and happily gave away everything they had.

The flood in the Sarayu river has increased, like the praise of the king under the shade of a cool umbrella who acts according to the sense of morality and dharma, and like the alms given to the Vediyas who are skilled in the four Vedas and seek the path of wisdom.

Similar to how prostitutes pretend to show affection towards men by giving them attention, the Sarayu River swiftly carries away everything from the mountain's top to bottom.

That flood of Sarayu resembled traders, as it carried away pearls, gold, peacock feathers, beautiful ivory, and priceless sandalwood.

The flood resembled a multi-coloured rainbow, arrayed with many-coloured flowers, dusted with delicate pollen, mingled with honey, mingled with gold, and mingled with the scent of gigantic elephants.

By moving mountains, uprooting trees, and carrying nearby leaves, etc., the flood of the Sarayu was like the army of Vaanaras (monkeys) that desired to build a dam when Rama wanted to cross the ocean with elegant waves. 

It feels like the freshwater is filled with insects, and crossing the dam and border with excitement is like a drunk person stumbling into teak trees, abandoning their morals and behaving recklessly.

The Sarayu River's flood appeared as though it was challenging the sea in a grand battle, much like the majestic elephants accompanied by horses, colourful flags, and triumphant trumpets heralding their arrival.

The river Sarayu has the character of the virtue of innumerable kings who appeared in the Surya Clan and is like the mother's breast that nourishes all living beings in the whole world.

The floodwaters of Sarayu flow fragrantly as they carry the fragrant saffron fetched by women of Kurinji land, cardamom, cool sandalwood, West Indian jasmine, golden shower flower, grass, figs, various herbs, garlic, sweet beehives built on the hill, and Akhil wood.

Sarayu's flood is comparable to an army of kings, as the river is flooding with arrows and bows, causing the residents of small towns in the Hunting Clan to flee in all directions to escape the onslaught.

The Sarayu river is like the pure Lord Krishna riding on the spotted and striped serpent Kalinga, as both Sarayu and Lord Krishna entice with hanging and tight fragrant curd, milk, butter, and reddish ghee along with the sheaves that supported them, breaking the Kuruta tree and the Maruta tree and taking the clothes of the deer-eyed women with them.

Sarayu knocks on the doors of the shrine like the elephant banging the doors of the enemy's wall; Farmers raise their hands and rejoice at the flood like the soldiers raising their hands to tell the people walking in the streets to stand aside when an elephant approaches; The streams near Sarayu are like a raft worn on the forehead of an elephant.

The singing beetles eat the honey of Sarayu floods, and gnaw the elephant's body; Sarayu beautifies herself with pearls that flow in the flood like the elephant is decorated with bells; Pillars built to control floods are as strong as the poles to which an elephant is tied; The wave arms of Sarayu river are strong like the big trunk of an elephant.

Sarayu, which transforms the wild land into a mountain region, the agricultural land into a forest, the sea area where even grass does not grow into agricultural land, and transports the immeasurable goods of different lands to another land, appears to be the fate resulted by our sinful actions.

In the canal where the farmers were waiting for the sound of the bell to announce the coming of the flood, the waves threw away the accumulated water, gold, and pearls and the flood increased and rose with the waves.

God is one; Flood water is also one. According to the concept of various religious philosophies, God is interpreted in different names and forms; Similarly, flood water goes by many names like lake, pond, canal, etc.

Sarayu flows through the pollen-drenched oases, densely wooded redwood forests, sugarcane blossoms, fresh-sand lagoons, gourds, vine-fenced groves, and paddy fields. It flows like a life pervading many bodies all at once.