The Trial of Vishnu
Brahma (The Judge):
Ganesha, are you
prepared to offer your opening statement in the prosecution of Vishnu?
Ganesha (The Prosecutor): I am, Your Honor. Lords and ladies of the jury...
Long ago, a great battle had raged over control of the Earth. A host of Rakshasas had caused drought in the kingdoms of mankind. The forces of King Aja, ruler of Ayodhya, had joined with the forces of Heaven to destroy the demon hordes and restore prosperity to the world. But the demon forces were too strong. They repelled the army of gods and men. Just when it seemed that all hope was lost, Vishnu--the strongest of the gods--offered his assistance. He descended on the back of the great man-eagle, Garuda, and--using his bow--he defeated the Rakshasa army single-handedly. No one disputes that these were heroic deeds, but next Vishnu went too far, which brings us to his crimes.
In the midst of battle, a small band of demons fled and took refuge in the outskirts of the city of Ayodhya. There, they came to the house of a saintly brahmin and his wife, who--seeing the fear and hopelessness in their faces--took pity on them. She offered them sanctuary and reported it to King Aja gaining his bond of protection in exchange for the demons' surrender. But Vishnu's bloodlust was not sated. He had come forth to rid this land of the drought demons, and neither the promise of the king nor the protests of the brahmin's wife could stay his hand. In fact, he was so outraged that they would dare protect the demons that he slew the woman and beheaded every Rakshasa hiding in her husband's hermitage.
For these acts--We, the People, hereby charge Lord Vishnu with the crime of Adharma for killing the wife of the Brahmin. We also charge him with the crime of violating the word-bond of King Aja by slaughtering the demons who had been granted refuge in his land.
Brahma: Garuda, you are Counsel for the Defense. Are you prepared to offer your rebuttal?
Garuda: I am, Your Honor. If it pleases the court, I would offer my statement as personal testimony, for it was I who bore Vishnu down from Heaven to battle the Rakshasa army. He rode upon my back as he slew the enemy, and I was the only one present, besides Vishnu, for the entirety of these events.
Brahma: This is rather unusual, but I will allow it. However, if you enter these remarks as personal testimony, you will be subject to cross-examination by the prosecution.
Garuda: I understand, Your Honor. [Brahma nods, and Garuda turns to face the jury.] Distinguished members of the jury...
There was, indeed, a great war as Prosecutor Ganesha has told you. The army of men and god fought valiantly against the demons... but their might was not enough. At a crucial moment, when Rakshasa victory appeared imminent, Vishnu came to me. He commanded that I carry him forth to battle, to save both Heaven and Earth. I had never seen his face so stern nor heard his voice carry such conviction. Narayana, as I call him, climbed upon my back with his bow in hand, and we descended upon the battlefield. Many men and gandharvas lay strewn across the battlefield, bearing mortal wounds and unable to fight back the hordes of drought demons. Vishnu alone stood against them. There, upon my back, he shouted, "Let my voice be heard! No demon shall escape this promise... that before nightfall I shall slay every Rakshasa responsible for this carnage!"
Vishnu began firing his bow. I could hear him reciting mantras, which enchanted his arrows with powerful astras. Each arrow became thousands, each killing a dozen demons. The Rakshasa army crumbled before us. It was I who then saw the troop of demons fleeing from the battlefield. Fearing for the honor of my Lord, I cautioned, "Narayana! Those few who escape will break your vow. You have promised to slay them all!" He commanded me to pursue them. Narayana fired his bow once more behind us, to ensure that none survived in our wake. We searched in the failing daylight, desperate to find them before nightfall came.
Then, we came to the house of the brahmin. The brahmin's wife stood outside, as if standing guard. Her expression was one of defiance. She began to mutter something, but Narayana had already loosed his arrow. He knew her heart and said, "This woman has done no wrong in her life, but she cannot cause me to break my vow!" With that, the arrow turned into flame and consumed her completely. With my eagle eyes, I saw her spirit ascend straight to Heaven. Next, Narayana shot another arrow which by itself beheaded all of the cowering demons. Their bodies fell, headless. My Lord, Narayana, commanded me back to Heaven immediately. When we arrived, he found the spirit of the brahmin woman and blessed her with understanding. She knelt before him and shed a single tear for her husband who would be left without her until his death.
Brahma: [After a brief silence] Prosecutor Ganesha, do you have questions for this witness?
Ganesha: No, Your Honor. There is no need. Garuda's testimony has already proven the first charge against Vishnu, that he committed an act of Adharma when he killed the Brahmin's wife. [Turning to the jury] You see, Garuda admits that the Brahmin's wife had done no wrong. He further admits that the Brahmin spent the rest of his life deprived of her... all because of the overzealousness of Vishnu.
Garuda: I object, Your Honor! The prosecutor draws conclusions which...
Vishnu (the Defendant): [Standing up to interrupt Garuda] Your Honor, jurors... Ganesha is right. There is no arguing that it was wrong to deprive the good Brahmin of his wife. This was my crime, and I take responsibility for it. [Gasps and whispers erupt from the jury and the audience].
Brahma: [With a sigh] Very well, Lord Vishnu. Then do you wish now to enter a plea of Guilty?
Vishnu: I do, Your Honor. I place myself at the mercy of the Court.
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Author's Note:
For depriving the Brahmin of his wife, Vishnu was destined to suffer the same fate. However, instead of separating Vishnu from his Heavenly wife, Lakshmi, it was decreed that one of Vishnu's avatars would pay the price for his act of Adharma. Later, it was Rama, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu who atoned for this act by banishing his own wife, Sita--herself an incarnation of Lakshmi. This was more balanced than eternally forcing Vishnu apart from Lakshmi, since the Brahmin was only deprived of his wife for a fraction of his life.
Garuda's testimony is my own adaptation of the events of the story. Vishnu's vow to kill every Rakshasa before nightfall was my way of countering the pledge of sanctuary the demons had obtained from the Brahmin's wife (and subsequently King Aja). I have been fascinated by the role that oaths and promises play in the Epics. Promises (even those made off-the-cuff) are binding, to the point of causing great tumult and suffering, both personally for the one who makes the vow and--in some cases--for the State if, for example, the pledgemaker is a king or prince. I chose to use one vow to offset another in order to show the difficulty (and to some extent absurdity) inherent in an honor system that requires one's every utterance to be upheld.
Glossary of Terms:
Dharma - The laws of proper conduct in Hinduism. Justice.
Adharma - An act that goes against Dharma. Injustice.
Gandharva - A celestial being. A defender of Heaven.
Rakshasa - A demon. The enemies of gods and humans.
Brahmin - In the Indian caste system, a person of the Priestly caste.
Mantra - A spoken sound or word(s) that carries spiritual power.
Astra - A supernatural property like an enchantment. It is generally placed on a weapon by the utterance of a mantra.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Links
Introduction Page
Back to Cover Page
The Trial of Rama
Image Source Vishnu On His Mount, Garuda at MythEncyclopedia.com
Bibliographical Information:
Ganesha (The Prosecutor): I am, Your Honor. Lords and ladies of the jury...
Long ago, a great battle had raged over control of the Earth. A host of Rakshasas had caused drought in the kingdoms of mankind. The forces of King Aja, ruler of Ayodhya, had joined with the forces of Heaven to destroy the demon hordes and restore prosperity to the world. But the demon forces were too strong. They repelled the army of gods and men. Just when it seemed that all hope was lost, Vishnu--the strongest of the gods--offered his assistance. He descended on the back of the great man-eagle, Garuda, and--using his bow--he defeated the Rakshasa army single-handedly. No one disputes that these were heroic deeds, but next Vishnu went too far, which brings us to his crimes.
In the midst of battle, a small band of demons fled and took refuge in the outskirts of the city of Ayodhya. There, they came to the house of a saintly brahmin and his wife, who--seeing the fear and hopelessness in their faces--took pity on them. She offered them sanctuary and reported it to King Aja gaining his bond of protection in exchange for the demons' surrender. But Vishnu's bloodlust was not sated. He had come forth to rid this land of the drought demons, and neither the promise of the king nor the protests of the brahmin's wife could stay his hand. In fact, he was so outraged that they would dare protect the demons that he slew the woman and beheaded every Rakshasa hiding in her husband's hermitage.
For these acts--We, the People, hereby charge Lord Vishnu with the crime of Adharma for killing the wife of the Brahmin. We also charge him with the crime of violating the word-bond of King Aja by slaughtering the demons who had been granted refuge in his land.
Brahma: Garuda, you are Counsel for the Defense. Are you prepared to offer your rebuttal?
Garuda: I am, Your Honor. If it pleases the court, I would offer my statement as personal testimony, for it was I who bore Vishnu down from Heaven to battle the Rakshasa army. He rode upon my back as he slew the enemy, and I was the only one present, besides Vishnu, for the entirety of these events.
Brahma: This is rather unusual, but I will allow it. However, if you enter these remarks as personal testimony, you will be subject to cross-examination by the prosecution.
Garuda: I understand, Your Honor. [Brahma nods, and Garuda turns to face the jury.] Distinguished members of the jury...
There was, indeed, a great war as Prosecutor Ganesha has told you. The army of men and god fought valiantly against the demons... but their might was not enough. At a crucial moment, when Rakshasa victory appeared imminent, Vishnu came to me. He commanded that I carry him forth to battle, to save both Heaven and Earth. I had never seen his face so stern nor heard his voice carry such conviction. Narayana, as I call him, climbed upon my back with his bow in hand, and we descended upon the battlefield. Many men and gandharvas lay strewn across the battlefield, bearing mortal wounds and unable to fight back the hordes of drought demons. Vishnu alone stood against them. There, upon my back, he shouted, "Let my voice be heard! No demon shall escape this promise... that before nightfall I shall slay every Rakshasa responsible for this carnage!"
Vishnu began firing his bow. I could hear him reciting mantras, which enchanted his arrows with powerful astras. Each arrow became thousands, each killing a dozen demons. The Rakshasa army crumbled before us. It was I who then saw the troop of demons fleeing from the battlefield. Fearing for the honor of my Lord, I cautioned, "Narayana! Those few who escape will break your vow. You have promised to slay them all!" He commanded me to pursue them. Narayana fired his bow once more behind us, to ensure that none survived in our wake. We searched in the failing daylight, desperate to find them before nightfall came.
Then, we came to the house of the brahmin. The brahmin's wife stood outside, as if standing guard. Her expression was one of defiance. She began to mutter something, but Narayana had already loosed his arrow. He knew her heart and said, "This woman has done no wrong in her life, but she cannot cause me to break my vow!" With that, the arrow turned into flame and consumed her completely. With my eagle eyes, I saw her spirit ascend straight to Heaven. Next, Narayana shot another arrow which by itself beheaded all of the cowering demons. Their bodies fell, headless. My Lord, Narayana, commanded me back to Heaven immediately. When we arrived, he found the spirit of the brahmin woman and blessed her with understanding. She knelt before him and shed a single tear for her husband who would be left without her until his death.
Brahma: [After a brief silence] Prosecutor Ganesha, do you have questions for this witness?
Ganesha: No, Your Honor. There is no need. Garuda's testimony has already proven the first charge against Vishnu, that he committed an act of Adharma when he killed the Brahmin's wife. [Turning to the jury] You see, Garuda admits that the Brahmin's wife had done no wrong. He further admits that the Brahmin spent the rest of his life deprived of her... all because of the overzealousness of Vishnu.
Garuda: I object, Your Honor! The prosecutor draws conclusions which...
Vishnu (the Defendant): [Standing up to interrupt Garuda] Your Honor, jurors... Ganesha is right. There is no arguing that it was wrong to deprive the good Brahmin of his wife. This was my crime, and I take responsibility for it. [Gasps and whispers erupt from the jury and the audience].
Brahma: [With a sigh] Very well, Lord Vishnu. Then do you wish now to enter a plea of Guilty?
Vishnu: I do, Your Honor. I place myself at the mercy of the Court.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Note:
For depriving the Brahmin of his wife, Vishnu was destined to suffer the same fate. However, instead of separating Vishnu from his Heavenly wife, Lakshmi, it was decreed that one of Vishnu's avatars would pay the price for his act of Adharma. Later, it was Rama, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu who atoned for this act by banishing his own wife, Sita--herself an incarnation of Lakshmi. This was more balanced than eternally forcing Vishnu apart from Lakshmi, since the Brahmin was only deprived of his wife for a fraction of his life.
Garuda's testimony is my own adaptation of the events of the story. Vishnu's vow to kill every Rakshasa before nightfall was my way of countering the pledge of sanctuary the demons had obtained from the Brahmin's wife (and subsequently King Aja). I have been fascinated by the role that oaths and promises play in the Epics. Promises (even those made off-the-cuff) are binding, to the point of causing great tumult and suffering, both personally for the one who makes the vow and--in some cases--for the State if, for example, the pledgemaker is a king or prince. I chose to use one vow to offset another in order to show the difficulty (and to some extent absurdity) inherent in an honor system that requires one's every utterance to be upheld.
Glossary of Terms:
Dharma - The laws of proper conduct in Hinduism. Justice.
Adharma - An act that goes against Dharma. Injustice.
Gandharva - A celestial being. A defender of Heaven.
Rakshasa - A demon. The enemies of gods and humans.
Brahmin - In the Indian caste system, a person of the Priestly caste.
Mantra - A spoken sound or word(s) that carries spiritual power.
Astra - A supernatural property like an enchantment. It is generally placed on a weapon by the utterance of a mantra.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Links
Introduction Page
Back to Cover Page
The Trial of Rama
Image Source Vishnu On His Mount, Garuda at MythEncyclopedia.com
Bibliographical Information:
- Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way