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...And So Begins The First Story of Yama, the god of death and justice...
Dasaratha: The Peaceful Soul
I had seen this death coming for a long time. It probably should have happened sooner, but Dasaratha served his people so well. He was a king of honor, nobility, and wisdom. There was no way I could take away Ayodhya's greatest King when he was still so young. He had such an important role to play in the world: raising Rama. Without Rama, Ravana, the Demon King, would have taken over the world by now. Come back in time with me, see how the death of Dasaratha all played out.
Do you see him? I know we are far up in the sky. Hold on, let me zoom in for you. Is that better? Does he look like a human now instead of a speck of dust? Can you hear his thoughts? More importantly, can you see his thoughts? Good, good. It is not yet his time so we must watch from up here until we take his soul tonight.
Darsaratha paced around the room. His heart was heavy with guilt, and burden. "How can I betray my son in this way? My perfect son? He has done nothing that could ever cause him to be exiled, but I have to send him to exile for fourteen years, or else I will break a promise. I have never went back on my word. It would be against Dharma. It would cause more problems in the world, I have to do it. "
The scene from a couple days ago played over and over again in his mind. "Dasaratha, you owe me two promises. I want to use them now. Make my son, Bharata, king, and send Rama into exile for fourteen years." Kaikeyi's words echoed in his ears.
"I have no other choice, I have no other choice." Thought Dasaratha.
Alright, Dasaratha's going to bed. It is our time to go! Hold on to me. This bull ride can be a little bumpy at times! I know, I know. You are wondering why he can't just live until the fourteen years is up, until Rama returns? Can heart break really be this bad, to kill someone? Well, obviously yes, it can be. There is more behind this story though. The reason Dasaratha is dying this way is because of something he did a long time ago.
Let me tell you how it happened. He was hunting in the woods for food. He was getting very impatient, and thought he had heard a deer drinking water from the river nearby. Although he did not have a clear view of it, he shot an arrow anyways. He heard a scream and stumbled upon a dying boy. There had never been a deer at the river. It was actually a boy getting water and supplies for his disabled parents. Dasaratha, of course, felt horrible. It was an honest mistake, an accident. He went straight to the house of the boy's parents to inform them of what he had done to their boy. They were so distraught. They asked him to kill them on the pyre with their son. Because of Dasaratha's true sorrow and regret for the murder, he was still able to live and rule over Ayodhya for all this time. However, it is his turn to feel the pain of losing a child. Just as the parents of the boy long ago could not bear the loss of their son and wanted to die, so too can Dasaratha not bear the heartbreak that came with losing his son. It was just too much to bear. It is his time. We must go now, while he sleeps. He was a noble king, and a good man. He deserves to be taken in his sleep.
The rope winds up - one, two, three - and I lasso it out for his soul. This was an easy grab. I do not have to use my club for this noble king. He knew it was his time, and why he had to go.
Alright, we have everything we need from this place. Remember, hold on to me, this bull takes off even faster than he started. We're going back to the heavens now. It is where Dasaratha belongs.
I am glad this was your first experience with me in the process of death. Dasaratha was an easy one to lasso. Some souls are not that willing to be taken, and at times others interfere and even trick me! Just wait, I will show you.
Author's Note: I used this story to show Yama's view of Dasaratha's death. I used it to reveal many different aspects of Yama. First, I used Yama to explain some background explanation about why Dasaratha's time on earth was up. Secondly, I thought it would be fun to have Yama show the reader Dasaratha's last couple of hours on earth, as viewed from heaven. I wanted to make sure the reader felt what it was like to be the god of death by having Yama explain all of what he can see from heaven. I had him guide the reader through the different details he could see, such as, looking at anyone he wants to on earth, and seeing and hearing their thoughts. I decided to have Dasaratha's thoughts be expressed in his own words, instead of having Yama tell us about that. This way you could feel sympthathy for Dasaratha as a person, before Yama comes to take him away. This showed how Yama and the reader were simply listening in on Dasaratha's last thoughts. Lastly, I wanted to reveal the god of justice which is also a part of Yama. I imparted this to the reader by having Yama explain the story of Dasaratha and the boy in order to show that Dasaratha was dying for a reason. I also decided to have Yama send Dasaratha to heaven to again reiterate Yama's part in judgement.
Story Bibliography: Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.
Image Information: Dasaratha shooting at the boy.
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