7 - Kingdom by Horse

Summary

In this episode of Stories from India, host Narad Monei narrates the legend of King Dasharath's quest to expand his kingdom and obtain heirs through ancient rituals. The tale includes intriguing elements like a wandering horse, sacrifices, and divine interventions. The story also introduces Rani Lakshmi Bai, a fearless queen who defied gender norms and British colonial power in the 1800s. The episode blends mythology and history, providing rich cultural insights. For more details and interactive content, visit SFI podcast's website or follow their Twitter handle.

Takeaways

• 🎶 The podcast 'Stories from India' covers myths, legends, and folktales from India.
• 👤 The host, Narad Monei, is a mythological character with eternal life and knowledge of past, present, and future.
• 🐎 The episode continues the story of the Ramayana, focusing on King Dasharath's horse sacrifice ritual to expand his kingdom.
• 👑 A historical queen, Rani Lakshmi Bai, who broke stereotypes to defend her people, is featured in this episode.
• 🌳 The city of Ayodhya in the kingdom of Kosala is described as a prosperous and well-infrastructured place founded by Manu.
• 💔 King Dasharath and his queens are childless, prompting the king to perform a ritual to have sons.
• 🕉️ The ritual involves the sage Rishyasringa and a significant animal sacrifice, culminating in a prophecy of four sons for the king.
• 🔮 Vishnu, one of the trinity gods, is born as the four sons of Dasharath to defeat the demon king Ravana.
• ⚔️ Rani Lakshmi Bai, a symbol of bravery and defiance against British colonial rule, is highlighted for her fearless actions.
• 📜 The podcast ends with a teaser for the next episode featuring a character known as 'Strong Armed' and encourages listener feedback.

Q & A

What is the podcast 'Stories from India' about?

The podcast 'Stories from India' is about discussing myths, legends, and folk tales from India.

Who is the narrator of the podcast 'Stories from India'?

The narrator is Narad Muni, a mythological character with the gift of eternal life and knowledge of the past, present, and future.

What is the significance of the city of Aoda in the script?

Aoda is a city founded by Manu, which is described as prosperous and unchallengeable in war, with rich infrastructure and content citizens.

Who was King Dasharath and what was his concern?

King Dasharath was the ruler of Aoda, known as a good king. His concern was that he had no children to inherit his kingdom.

What ritual did King Dasharath perform to expand his kingdom?

King Dasharath performed the Ashwamedha ritual, which involved setting a horse free to roam and submit the kingdoms it wandered into.

What is the Putra Kesh Yagya and why was it performed?

The Putra Kesh Yagya is a ritual performed to wish for sons. King Dasharath performed it because he had no children.

Who is Rishi Shringa and what role did he play in the story?

Rishi Shringa is a wise man who was recruited by King Dasharath to perform the Putra Kesh Yagya, which would result in the king having four sons.

What was the outcome of the Putra Kesh Yagya?

The outcome of the Putra Kesh Yagya was that King Dasharath's wives gave birth to four sons, who were part Vishnu.

What is the role of Rani Lakshmi Bai in the script?

Rani Lakshmi Bai is highlighted as a historical queen who defied stereotypes, fought against the British East India Company, and is a symbol of fearlessness.

What is the significance of the porridge in the story of King Dasharath's sons?

The porridge, delivered by a God, was consumed by King Dasharath's wives and resulted in them giving birth to sons, who were part Vishnu, indicating divine intervention.

What is the connection between the gods' complaint and the birth of King Dasharath's sons?

The gods complained about Ravana's powers, and Vishnu decided to be born as King Dasharath's sons to eventually confront Ravana, showing a divine plan behind the birth of the sons.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to 'Stories from India' Podcast

The podcast 'Stories from India' is introduced by Narad Muni, a mythological character with eternal life and omniscience. He is a traveling musician and storyteller who has transitioned from wandering with a vina to using podcasting as his medium. The episode continues the story of Rama, focusing on the historical queen who defended her people, breaking stereotypes. The setting is the prosperous city of Ayodhya, founded by Manu, with infrastructure including extensive roads, public musicians, and a rich populace. King Dasharath, known for his goodness, seeks to expand his kingdom through a ritual involving a horse and is concerned about his lack of an heir.

05:00

🐎 The Ashwamedha Ritual and the Birth of Rama's Brothers

King Dasharath performs the Ashwamedha ritual, a ceremony where a horse is set free to roam and its path dictates the kingdom's expansion. Soldiers accompany the horse, compelling other rulers to submit or resist. The king also plans the Putra Keshri Yagya, a ritual to beget sons, advised by his wise minister Sumantra. Sumantra reveals a prophecy about the king having four sons after the ritual, performed with the help of Rishi Rishyasringa. The ritual involves the sacrifice of 300 animals, and the gods are petitioned for blessings. Vishnu, in response to the gods' concerns about Ravana's powers, decides to be born as Dasharath's sons, with a divine intervention involving a jar of porridge distributed among the queens.

10:01

🌟 The Divine Birth of Rama and His Brothers

The gods, concerned about Ravana's invulnerability granted by Brahma, learn of a loophole that makes him vulnerable to humans. Vishnu, deciding to take action, plans to be born as Dasharath's sons to counter Ravana. A god delivers a jar of porridge, which when consumed by Dasharath's queens, results in the birth of his four sons: Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana, and Shatrughna. Each son embodies a part of Vishnu, regardless of the amount of porridge their mother consumed, highlighting the divine intervention in their birth.

15:03

🏰 Rani Lakshmi Bai: The Fearless Queen of Jhansi

The episode concludes with the story of Rani Lakshmi Bai, the queen of Jhansi, known for her defiance of British rule and her many accomplishments, including literacy, martial arts, and horse riding. After her husband's death, the British East India Company unjustly seized control of her kingdom. During a rebellion, she seized the opportunity to rule independently but was eventually besieged by the British. She famously escaped with her son and continued to fight, ultimately dying in battle. Her bravery and defiance of stereotypes make her a symbol of fearlessness and a role model.

Keywords

💡Narad Muni

Narad Muni is a mythological character from Hindu mythology known for his eternal life and omniscience. He is a traveling musician and storyteller by profession. In the script, Narad Muni serves as the narrator of the podcast, introducing the stories and providing context, thus playing a central role in the theme of storytelling and mythological education.

💡Ashwamedha

Ashwamedha is an ancient Hindu ritual involving a horse. In the script, it is mentioned as a ritual performed by King Dasharath to expand his kingdom. The ritual involves setting a horse free to roam, and the territory it covers is claimed by the king. The term is integral to the narrative of territorial expansion and the demonstration of power.

💡Putra Keshti Yajna

Putra Keshti Yajna is a ritual performed for the begetting of sons. King Dasharath performs this ritual to have children, as he is concerned about having no heirs. This concept is crucial to the script as it sets the stage for the birth of his four sons, who are significant characters in the Ramayana.

💡Rishi

A Rishi in Hinduism is a sage or a seer who possesses deep knowledge and wisdom. In the script, Rishi Shringa is recruited by King Dasharath to perform the Putra Keshti Yajna. The term is vital as it represents the spiritual and mystical aspect of the narrative.

💡Kosal

Kosal is the name of the country mentioned in the script, located on the banks of the river Seru. It is the setting for the city of Ayodhya, which is central to the story of King Dasharath. The term 'Kosal' is important as it provides geographical and cultural context to the narrative.

💡Ayodhya

Ayodhya is the capital city of Kosal and the birthplace of the main characters in the Ramayana. It is described as a prosperous and content city with rich infrastructure. The term 'Ayodhya' is significant as it is the epicenter of the stories being told and the place where many key events occur.

💡Dasharath

Dasharath is the king of Ayodhya and the father of the four sons born from the Putra Keshti Yajna. His character is central to the script as he is the one who performs the rituals to expand his kingdom and have sons, setting the stage for the Ramayana's narrative.

💡Ravana

Ravana is mentioned as the king of Lanka and the antagonist in the Ramayana. He is characterized by his arrogance and the powers granted to him by Brahma. The term 'Ravana' is important as it introduces the main conflict in the story and the character who will be defeated by the human avatar of Vishnu.

💡Vishnu

Vishnu is one of the principal deities in Hinduism, known as the preserver. In the script, Vishnu decides to incarnate as Dasharath's sons to eventually defeat Ravana. The term 'Vishnu' is key to understanding the divine plan and the divine intervention in the narrative.

💡Lakshmi Bai

Rani Lakshmi Bai is a historical figure mentioned in the script, known for her bravery and defiance against the British East India Company. She is a symbol of fearlessness and a role model for her actions during the rebellion. The term 'Lakshmi Bai' is significant as it represents the theme of female empowerment and resistance against oppression.

💡Ramayana

The Ramayana is an ancient Indian epic that narrates the life of Rama, one of Dasharath's sons. The script revolves around the stories and characters from the Ramayana, making it the central theme of the podcast. The term 'Ramayana' is essential as it provides the overarching narrative framework for the episodes.

Highlights

Introduction to Stories from India podcast, featuring myths, legends, and folk tales from India.

Host introduction: Narad Monei, a mythological character with eternal life and knowledge.

Discussion of the city of Ayodhya, its infrastructure, and wealth.

Introduction of King Dasharath and his desire to expand his kingdom through rituals.

Explanation of the Ashwamedha ritual, where a horse is set free to roam and conquer.

King Dasharath's concern about not having children and his decision to perform the Putrakameshti Yagya ritual.

Introduction of the wise minister Sumantra and his advice to recruit the Rishi Rishyashringa.

Story of how Rishyashringa was recruited to end a drought in another kingdom.

King Dasharath's successful recruitment of Rishyashringa to perform the ritual for having children.

Details of the Putrakameshti Yagya and the sacrifice of animals involved.

Gods' grievance with Brahma about Ravana's invulnerability and Vishnu's decision to incarnate as Dasharath's sons.

The birth of King Dasharath's four sons, including Rama, with Vishnu's divine essence.

Introduction to Rani Lakshmi Bai, the historical queen who defied stereotypes.

Rani Lakshmi Bai's bravery and leadership during the rebellion against the British.

Rani Lakshmi Bai's escape from a besieged fort and her ultimate sacrifice in battle.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Applause]

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[Applause]

hello and welcome to stories from India

a podcast where we talk about myths

Legends and folk tales from India in

case this is your first episode let me

quickly introduce myself I narad monei

and I am a mythological character to

myself I have the gift of eternal life

and knowledge of the past the present

and the

future and I am a traveling musician and

a Storyteller by

profession I used to walk around with a

wiena for several Millennia but

podcasting has made my job so much

easier this week we'll continue the

story of the ram in which we'll see how

good things happen if your horse is in

charge of expanding Landing your

kingdom the character this week is a

real historical Queen who broke all

kinds of stereotypes to defend her

people a quick disclaimer there's some

reference to violence against animals in

this week's

story on the banks of the river seru was

the country of kosal and in it was the

city of

aoda the name aoda literally translates

to

the city no one can challenge at

war aoda was founded by Manu

himself this wasn't the same Manu from

the unicorn fish

episode Manu is a generic name for the

first person and as there have been

several cycles of Destruction and

rebirth the first person in each rebirth

cycle was called

Manu so the Manu being referred to here

was the first person from the current

cycle anyway to carry on the

infrastructure of aoda included 60 Mi of

roads with lots of flowers and mango

trees public musicians and singers

countless elephants and cattle and

camels and mules could be seen in the

city there were Jewel en crusted

buildings the people of aoda were Rich

if the jewel en crusted buildings wasn't

enough of a hint

Merchants came from far and wide to

trade there people were content no one

complained everyone had enough to

eat the Warriors who lived in the city

had been known to have killed lions and

tigers and wolves in single

combat audia's ruler was King dasharath

who was not just a good King but a great

one he had three wives kelia K and and

sumitra King dharat called his Council

of ministers and announced that he would

perform two

rituals he wanted to grow his kingdom

because what king doesn't want to do

that so he wanted to perform the asham

MAA ashwa means horse and the first part

of the ritual is an interesting

one the horse was set free and allowed

to roam wherever it chose whichever

Kingdom the horse wandered into the

ruler there had basically two

choices submit to King dharat or

resist to make it an even fight dashar

sent thousands of his soldiers with the

horse he the same ones who killed lions

tigers and wolves with their bare

hands this went on as the horse

continued its

wandering I don't know what they would

have done if the horse chose never to

return but then I suppose the thousands

of soldiers probably had instructions to

nudge the horse back at some

point remember how I said that people in

aoda were

content that did not include the king

and his

queens that was

because they had no

children and dharat wasn't getting any

younger King dashar had no sons and no

daughters either but waliki didn't

bother calling that

out the lack ofs worried dharat every

day as he had no Sons he would perform a

ritual that was tailor made for this

situation it was called the Putra kesi

yagya which literally means a ritual

because I wish to have

sons his chief minister was a very wise

man called sumantra

sumantra spoke to the king privately and

said you know what a wise man made a

prediction a long time ago that you

would have a

son a long time ago asked tarat and

you're only telling me now

because look do you want to hear the

prediction or not ask

sumantra okay okay don't get on your

high horse said

dharat it's real simple said sumantra

all you have to do is to recruit rishia

shringa Ria what asked

theat look I'm just going to call him

Rish said sumantra Rish is a Rishi that

should make it easy for you he lives in

a far away land if you haven't heard

earlier episodes you can think of aishi

as a wise man santra continued the king

of that land was called

lad which literally means clay feet clay

feet normally means having serious

faults that aren't apparent until after

you meet the

person but King clay feet was all fault

he lived a very moral life that's why

his people were punished for it with a

drought I don't get it interrupted

dharat why were his people punished if

he was

immoral sumantra ignored him and

continued King play feet advised by his

ministers and his Ries was told that if

he could recruit Rish the Rishi the

drought would end and Clay feet did

recruit Rish by doing what he knew best

by sending over rich food and girls from

his court over and also offering to

marry his daughter to

Rish now I'd like to think that King

clay feed's daughter agreed to the

marriage to Rish but I know I'm just

being too optimistic

here anyway the drought did end andrish

is staying over at King clay feed's

Palace said sumantra dasar said I don't

know seems pretty weak okay Rish may

have ended a drought but that's not

nearly the same thing as what we

need okay okay I won't interrupt he

added as sumantra glared at him the

chief minister then continued

the prophecy goes on to say that king

dasharath would make friends with Rish

and have him over at aoda and Rish would

help perform the Putra kishti yagya that

dashar was just talking about dashar

would then have four Sons as a result of

the

ritual you know that's weirdly specific

and I don't know why you didn't bring up

all of this earlier but we have no time

to lose let's go recruit Rish the Rishi

said dashar

and that's exactly what they did they

offered Rish a generous sign on bonus

and great

perks Rish who had already ended a

drought in one kingdom was more than

happy to build up his portfolio further

it would look really good on his resume

the next time a king came looking for

him rman to aoda the horse wandered back

to aoda about the same time

although if it knew what was in store it

would not have returned at

all as part of the ritual 300 other

animals Birds snakes and horses and

turtles had been gathered up Queen kelia

stepped up to the poor horse who had

only helped expand the kingdom she

raised her sword and struck the horse

until it

died others joined in and all the 300

animal anal were

killed that was followed by a garden

variety sacrifice the Putra KES yagya

which basically involved pouring a lot

of common household items and kitchen

ingredients in a large

fire once that was concluded it was time

to pay the holy men who had performed

all the rituals dharat magnanimously

offered his whole Kingdom to

them we don't want the white elephant

the holy man said give us instead gold

silver gems and the like you know liquid

assets so dharat gave them 100 million

gold pieces and 400 million silver

coins which is probably a lot to

carry in the end Rish assured the king

that he would have four

Sons meanwhile in heaven the sacrifice

had prompted most of the Gods to take up

a grievance with

Brahma Brahma if you recall is the

creator in the Trinity along with Shiva

the destroyer and Vishnu the

preserver you see Brahma frequently made

house calls to everyone who prayed to

him and granted pretty much anything

they asked for as you may recall from

many of the previous episodes also

Brahma just happens to be my

dad the gods were complaining about ran

ravan was the king of a and he's the

super villain in the

ram ravan had prayed for a long time to

Brahma and Brahma had as a result given

him practically unlimited powers and

made him invulnerable to all

gods the gods complained to Brahma that

ravan was a menace the gods he hadn't

killed were all terrified of

him Brahma thought a long moment and

said I've built a in a loophole and by

that I mean ravan did not ask to be made

invulnerable to humans he was probably

being arrogant or maybe he just

forgot doesn't matter what matters is

that he can be defeated by a

human this seemed to cheer up the gods

though it may seem like it shouldn't

because it's by no means easy for an

ordinary human being to take on a being

of phenomenal Cosmic powers like ravan

as it happened Vishnu happened to drift

around just then and the gods

immediately switch that attention to

him it may seem like instead of Vishnu

the preserver Shiva the Destroyer would

be a better choice when asking to you

know destroy

ravan but Vishnu may have just been in

the right place at the right time the

gods asked him to assume one of his

avatars and and Go destroy

ravan Vishnu at this point had already

used up six of his 10 avatars but had no

hesitation in using another one

up Vishnu pulled up the Playbook and

instructed many of the Gods to be born

on Earth as part of a monkey

Army we'll encounter them later in the

ramayan Vishnu himself decided to be

born as dharat Sons that's right Sons

Vishnu was a part of all four Sons not

just

Rah to set that plan in motion he sent

down one of the Gods with a jar of

porridge dashar and his ministers and

holy men did not even bat an eyelid when

the god suddenly appeared in the fire

with the jar of

porridge here's your package the God

said sign here to accept delivery all

you have to do is ask your Queens to eat

this

porridge Das was overjoyed and took the

Char which did not even burn his fingers

despite just coming out of hot

flames in what is going to sound like a

middle school arithmetic problem dharat

gave half the jar to kosela a third to

sumitra he then gave 1/8 to kaii and

gave the rest to sumitra

again don't worry I'm not going to ask

you how much sumitra

received

and not long after Dash's wives had sons

bhat was born to K lakshman and

shatrugna were sumitra and kelia gave

birth to

Rama all four Sons were part Vishnu and

in a Twist that shows you that

arithmetic can't solve all problems the

proportion of Vishnu in the Suns had

nothing to do with the amount of porish

each Queen

consumed that's it for this week we can

go into more details about Ran's origin

story in a separate Standalone episode

at some

point the character this week is Rani

Lakshmi Bay the Rani of chansi Rani

Lakshmi Bay was born in a marati family

and was known to do a lot of things that

weren't expected or even available to

girls during that time and by that I

mean Reading Writing shooting fencing

horse riding and even an acrobats of

yoga so yeah pretty much everything

there was to do in the

1800s she later married the Maharaja of

chi when the Maharaja passed away the

British East India Company used some

flimsy excuse to deny the queen and her

adopted son the right to manage the

kingdom and instead took on the task

themselves I'm sure they'll claim they

did it with great reluctance

a few years later when there was a major

Rebellion against the British and as

that spread to ji the resident British

forces were

massacred Rani lakmi Bai seized the

opportunity to rule herself and a year

or so later the British came back and

when she wouldn't give up the throne

they besieged her

fort she managed to escape with her baby

son strapped to her back by literally

jumping off the side of a

fort have a look at some of the forts

being able to survive such a fall is a

superpower by

itself she escaped to guer but within a

short time guer was itself attacked

Lakshmi B disguised herself as an

ordinary Soldier but was killed in

battle she's a symbol of fearlessness

and a major role model for everyone

because of her great and bravery and

because she defied a lot of

stereotypes next week we'll take a break

from the rayan and go back to Vikram and

Bethal where the Bethal is going to

throw out another lateral thinking

puzzle for

us the name of the character next week

literally means strong armed there's a

pretty big statue of him in Southern

India and he's not quite like how he was

shown in some recent blockbuster movies

since I'm several thousands of years old

my memory may be faulty at

times if you find any errors in my

podcast please Point them out to me if

you have any comments or suggestions

please leave a comment or a review on

the site it's SFI podcast.com and the

Twitter handle is at SFI

podcast again I'd like to thank my

family and friends for all of their

support the feedback that I have

received has been very useful in

improving the

show the music is from purp planet.com

that's

purple-planet.com I'll see you next

[Music]

week