The Hermitage of Sarabhanga
After killing Viradha, Rama wanted to go and visit the hermitage of the sage Sarabhanga. As they came closer, he saw Indra talking to the sage.
Indra saw him coming and hid, thinking he hadn’t been seen. Rama and his companions paid humble respects to Sarabhanga and talked for a long time; then Rama, curious to know what the king of celestial beings was doing there and pretending not to have recognized him, asked:
“Great sage, who was that noble character I saw as I approached?”
“It was Indra, the king of the heavenly planets,” he replied, “who came to persuade me to leave this world and go to Brahma-loka. For a long time, thanks to my austerities, I gained access to those celestial planets, but I knew you would come here and I always refused to leave this world without seeing you. I wanted to talk to you first. Now my wish is fulfilled. I can safely go to Brahma’s planet.”
Having said this, the wise man prepared a pile of wood and set it on fire. Then he entered the flames. The spiritual spark that left the body was visible to the naked eye and Rama offered him respectful obeisances. Sarabhanga had achieved the perfection of his austerities.
During their wanderings, Rama, always accompanied by Sita and Laksmana, met other hermits. They too asked him for protection against the Raksasas that infested Dandaka. To all Rama gave the same answer:
“Don’t worry anymore. I will destroy those evil beings. The world must be freed from all those who commit ungodly acts.”
This is a section of the book “The Ramayana”, in English.
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