The seers realised this.

In their desire to carry knowledge to the people at large,

they, therefore, composed the two great epics in later times. The two epics were The
RAMAYANA and The MAHABHARATA. The epics were written during the latter half of the
second millennium and the first half of the first millennium before the Christian Era.

Ramayana:
Ramayana was the work of Valmiki. It contains 24 thousand slokas and is
divided into ten parts. According to Valmiki himself, he wanted to carry
the essence of the lessons of the Vedas to the common people by singing
the virtuous deeds of Ramachandra.

Ramayana describes the life of Rama, the eldest son of the king of
Ayodhya, Dasaratha. When the old king Dasaratha wanted to place
Rama, the crown prince, on throne, Rama decided to go to forest for
fourteen years in order to fulfill his father’s promise to his second queen
Kaikeyee to keep her request at right time and Kaikeyee demanded the
banishment of Rama to forest so that her son Bharata could seat on the
throne; death of king Dasaratha in extreme sorrow for Rama’s departure;
Rama accompanied by his devoted wife Sita and younger brother
Laxman went away to forest; a shocked Bharata went to bring Rama
back, but on Rama’s refusal he brought his foot-wear to place on throne
and to rule the country on behalf of his elder brother; departure of Rama
from Chitrakuta to Dandakaranya and stay there in a hut at Panchavati
forest; abduction of Sita by the demon king of Lanka, Ravana;
constructing a bridge over sea, Rama’s invasion of Lanka; rescue of Sita
after destruction of the demons; after fourteen years of exile, return of
Rama, Sita and Laxman to Ayodhya; Rama’s paternal administration of
his people; the suspicion expressed by a subject about the chastity of Sita
while in Ravana’s custody; on report of the matter to Rama by a spy,
Rama’s order to Laxman to abandon Sita in a forest even though she was
pregnant; Sita’s stay in Valiniki’s Tapovan where her two sons Kusha and
Lava were born; taught and trained by Valmiki-, the royal sons grew up as
heroic boys; visit of Valmiki to Ayodhya with Kusha and Lava; Kusha and
Lava’s melodious song of Valmiki’s Ramayana before the assembled
gathering; on demands of all Sita’s return; in order to prove her purity
before all, her prayer to mother earth to take her back and her
disappearance when the earth split to absorb her; and at last, giving
Koshala to Kusha and North Koshala to Lava to rule as kings ; Rama’s
abandonment of his mortal body in the river Saraju. This is the substance
of the great epic Ramayana.

Valmiki described every episode of Rama’s life in great details. Side by

side he added many instructive stories to give the epic a vast shape. The
purpose was to keep mankind on a virtuous path. This epic has influenced
and regulated the Indian way of life like a social and moral constitution.
Ramayan depicts the values of truthfulness, morality and nobility as
supreme ideals of life.

It also reflects the spirit of that time, the spirit of the people, the nature of
ideal monarchy, patriotism towards motherland and human relations in
perfect form. For thousands of years, the people of India have derived
inspirations from the lessons of the Ramayana to live a nobler and higher
life.

Mahabharata:
Great and glorious is the land of Bharata. To describe the deeds of the
dynasty of Bharata that Vyasa wrote The Mahabharata. No where on
earth is to be seen such a lengthy poetic-work as the Mahabharata. It
contains one lakh ten thousand slokas.
The most famous Hindu epic literature arose in India during the Vedic
period (c. 1000–c. 500 b.c.e), which helped define the essentials of Indian
belief and culture. While Hinduism is not the sole religion in the region,
these texts set forth many of the ideas and practices held sacred by many
people throughout the world. Hindu epic literature is still very much
treasured in modern times. It was during the Vedic period that four of the
most treasured sources of Hindu spiritualism arose. In the ancient
language of Sanskrit, veda means truth or knowledge. The Vedic library,
which lends its name to this era, contains hundreds of texts. Four of the
main texts of Hindu epic literature are the Upanishads, the Mahabharata,
the Ramayana, and Puranas. While the Upanishads are in fact religious
texts, when combined with the other two, the foundations of Hindu beliefs
are firmly expressed.
THE MAHABHARATA
The Mahabharata and the Ramayana are considered to be the two
greatest epics in Hindu literature, carrying on the ideas first expressed in
the Upanishads. The Mahabharata is an epic poem with over 90,000
verses, close to 2 million words. It is more than 10 times the length of the
Christian Bible. Considering the length of the epic, the amount of time
spent in composing it is under scrutiny. The composition has often been
subscribed to Maha Rishi Veda Vyasa, but the time span that many
believed was used in creating this piece ranges from 6 b.c.e. to the first
century c.e. The Mahabharata, which can be translated into the Great
Book of the Bharatas, is a tale of two warring families, both of whom
claimed to be descendants of Bharat, believed the founder of the Indo-
Aryans. The events described in the Mahabharata most likely took place
somewhere around the time of the 12th century b.c.e. The story both
begins and ends on the battlefield, although along the way there are
numerous digressions. Many of the ideas and the spirituality in texts such as
the Upanishads are related again in the Mahabharata. One of the
important aspects of the Mahabharata is often separated as its own text
called the Bhagavad Gita, which translates into the Song of the Lord. The
much revered Hindu God Krishna is mentioned prominently in the
Mahabharata, while previously left out of other Hindu texts. Krishna is one
of the 10 avatars of the Hindu god Vishnu, who often assumes a new form
in order to descend to earth in times of troubles.
THE RAMAYANA
Alongside the Gita, Mahabharata, and Upanishads is the epic tale the
Ramayana which translates often into, The Travels of Rama, or The Story of
Rama. Written in Sanskrit, the Ramayana is believed to be work by the
poet Valmiki, who produced the tale around 300 b.c.e. Over the following
centuries, even into contemporary times, the story of Rama has been told
and retold in various forms and languages. As in the Gita, and like Krishna,
Rama is an avatar of the god Vishnu. The principal characters in the
Ramayana are Rama; his wife, Sita; his brother, Lasksmana; Hunaman the
monkey king; and the demon Ravana. Ravana had received a boon
from Brahma, the principal Hindu god, that he could not be killed by any
other divinity or demon, in return for his penance of 10,000 years.
Immortality could not be granted to Ravana, and since he did not believe
a man could kill him, this was left off of his requested boon. Ravana, with
10 heads and 20 arms, becomes a feared demon, the king of Lanka, and
begins to lay waste to the earth. Vishnu again returns to earth in the form
of a man, Rama, in order to kill the demon. When Rama is born and grows
into a man he is immensely popular both within his household and within
the kingdom of his father, Dasaratha. Rama is to be the next king. Rama is
wed to the beautiful Sita, who herself is a reincarnation of Laxmi, the wife
of Vishnu. Dasaratha is tricked by one of his wives to exile Rama to the
forest for 14 years. As is revealed, Dasaratha once accidentally killed a
man and was told that he himself would be separated from his own son.
Rama accepts the exile and leaves along with Sita and Laksmana, who
refuses to abandon his brother. Ravana sees Sita and immediately falls in
love. Sita, however, is faithful. In using trickery of his own, Ravana kidnaps
Sita and takes her to Lanka. Despite being held captive, Sita never wavers
in her love and devotion for Rama. The rest of the story is how Rama,
Laksmana, and eventually Hunaman track down Sita and rescue her.
There are numerous epic battles along the way, and eventually Rama
slays the demon Ravana. Although they are reunited, Rama banishes Sita
to the very forest where they were once exiled together, where she
maintains her innocence and devotion to Rama and gives birth to twins.
At the end of the tale the two are reunited as they shed their mortal
bodies and return to their celestial world. The Ramayana still plays an
important part in contemporary religious beliefs. This is a tale of love,
devotion, and the battle between evil and good, as well as accepting
the consequences of one’s actions. Devotion to Rama remains as strong
as ever for many, as are the moral lessons embodied in the tale. In some
places the Ramlila, The Play of Rama, is an important annual event. In
terms of devotion to specific gods, Puranas takes the concepts and
characters explored in previous texts and expands upon them. Puranas is
believed to have been composed between 300 and 1200 c.e. When
compared to the other texts, the historical content in these writings may
not be as accurate or factual historically, but many of the concepts
remain the same, especially the epic battles between good and evil. Not
just gods are described, but also kings and sages. Some gods may have
from one to 12 different pieces dedicated to them.

Many parts of Hindu epic literature continue to be performed throughout

the world. The Mahabharata and Ramayana remain as popular as ever.
New translations of these works continue to be produced, although in the
case of pieces such as the Ramayana, finding a definitive text from which
to work is often a difficult chore. These works continued to be enjoyed,
and revered, by people everywhere. These writings help spread, and
preserve, Hindu beliefs throughout the centuries. In fact many believe that
it was not so much the Upanishads as it was the Mahabharata and
Ramayana that promoted Hindu spiritual beliefs and kept them alive for
so long, even though the historical accuracy or factuality is often in
question, something that is part of any religion’s background. Regardless
of these issues, Hinduism continues to be a major religious presence with
millions of followers worldwide.
savitri’s love
Savitri was the beautiful daughter of a wise and powerful king. The fame
of Savitri's beauty spread far and wide, but she refused to marry, saying
that she would herself go out in the world and find a husband for herself.
So the king chose the best warriors to protect her, and the princess
wandered throughout the country searching for a prince of her choice.
- - - -
One day she reached a dense forest, where dwelt a king who had lost his
kingdom and fallen into his bad days. Old and blind he lived in a small hut
with his wife and son. The son, who was a handsome young prince, was
the sole comfort of his parents. He chopped wood and sold it in the
countryside, and bought food for his parents, and they lived in love and
happiness.

Savitri was strongly drawn towards them, and she knew her search had
come to an end. Savitri fell in love with the young prince, who was called
Satyavan, and was known for his legendary generosity.
Hearing that Savitri has chosen a penniless prince, her father was heavily
downcast. But Savitri was hell-bent on marrying Satyavan. The king
consented, but a saint informed him that a fatal curse laid upon the
young prince: He is doomed to die within a year. The king told her
daughter about the curse and asked her to choose someone else. But
Savitri refused, and stood firm in her determination to marry the same
prince. The king finally agreed with a heavy heart.
The wedding of Savitri and Satyavan took place with a lot of fanfare, and
the couple went back to the forest hut. For a whole year they lived
happily. On the last day of the year, Savitri rose early and when Satyavan
picked up his axe to go into the forest to chop wood she requested him to
take her along, and the two went into the jungle.
Under a tall tree, he made a seat of soft green leaves and plucked
flowers for her to weave into a garland while he chopped wood. Towards
noon Satyavan felt a little tired, and after a while he came and lay down
resting his head in Savitri's lap. Suddenly the whole forest grew dark, and
soon Savitri saw a tall figure standing before her. It was Yama, the God of
Death. "I have come to take your husband," said Yama, and looked down
at Satyavan, as his soul left his body
When Yama was about to leave, Savitri ran after him, and pleaded Yama
to take her too along with him to the land of the dead or give back the
life of Satyavan. Yama replied, "Your time has not yet come, child. Go
back to your home." But Yama was ready to grant her any boon, except
Satyavan's life. Savitri asked, "Let me have wonderful sons." "So be it",
replied Yama. Then Savitri said, "But how can I have sons without my
husband, Satyavan? Therefore I beg of you to give back his life." Yama
had to give in! Satyavan's body came back to life. He slowly woke up
from the stupor and the two gladly walked back to their hut.

So strong was the single-minded love and determination of Savitri that she
chose a noble young man for her husband, knowing that he had only a
year to live, married him with all confidence. Even the God of Death had
to relent, and bowed to her love and devotion.
The tale of Satyavan andSavitri is recited in the Mahabharata as a story of
conjugal love conquering death. But this legend is, as shown by many
features of the human tale, one of the many symbolic myths of the Vedic
cycle.
Satyavan is the soul carrying the divine truth of being within itself but
descended into the grip of death and ignorance;
Savitri is the Divine Word, daughter of the Sun, goddess of the supreme
Truth who comes down and is born to save;
Aswapati, the Lord of the Horse, her human father, is the Lord of Tapasya,
the concentrated energy of spiritual endeavour that helps us to rise from
the mortal to the immortal planes;
Dyumatsena, Lord of the Shining Hosts, father of Satyavan, is the Divine
Mind here fallen blind, losing its celestial kingdom of vision, and through
that loss its kingdom of glory.
Still this is not a mere allegory, the characters are not personified qualities,
but incarnations or emanations of living and conscious Forces with whom
we can enter into concrete touch and they take human bodies in order
to help man and show him the way from his mortal state to a divine
consciousness and immortal life."
Unending love ( rabindranath tagore)

I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times...

In life after life, in age after age, forever.
My spellbound heart has made and remade the necklace of songs,
That you take as a gift, wear round your neck in your many forms,
In life after life, in age after age, forever.

Whenever I hear old chronicles of love, it's age old pain,

It's ancient tale of being apart or together.
As I stare on and on into the past, in the end you emerge,
Clad in the light of a pole-star, piercing the darkness of time.
You become an image of what is remembered forever.

You and I have floated here on the stream that brings from the fount.
At the head of time, love of one for another.
We have played alongside millions of lovers,
Shared in the same shy sweetness of meeting, the distressful tears of
farewell,
Old love but in shapes that renew and renew forever.

http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/tagore/tagore.html

My Lord The Baby Summary

Rabindranath Tagore was one of the most celebrated Bengali-language

poets of his time, although he has received greater acclaim for his short
stories. His stories, including My Lord The Baby are reminiscent of an
eastern Anton Chekhov, another master of the form.
Part One of My Lord The Baby begins with a twelve-year-old boy named
Raicharan. He leaves his village and enters the home and service of a
man who shares the same caste as Raicharan. Raicharan becomes the
private servant of the man’s so, Anukul. From birth up until the day that
the boy leaves for college, he is Anukul’s personal attendant.
After Anukul marries, he makes Raicharan the servant of his new son, who
is called The Little Master in the story. Raicharan takes pride in his work and
finds great pleasure in the child. The story contains several passages in
which the reader sees Raicharan’s joy in reading to the boy.

When the child begins to walk, it is an “epoch in human history.” He plays

with the child night and day. When it utters the words “Ba-ba,” “Ma-ma,”
and “Chan-na” (this is what the baby calls Raicharan), “Raicharan’s
ecstasy knew no bounds.”

Anukul buys a small go-cart for his son, and drapes him in silks and finery,
including golden ornaments, bracelets, and more. When the rainy season
approaches, the child is dreadfully bored while confined indoors. One
day, on which the rain has lifted, Raicharan puts him in the cart and pulls
him down to the riverbank.

The boy sees a lovely tree covered in flowers, and Raicharan can tell that
he wants one. He tries to distract the boy by showing him birds and various
other diversions, but the child is intractable. Finally, Raicharan asks him to
stay in the cart, forbids him from going to the water, and wades in to get
the flower. When he returns, the child is missing.

When evening comes and Raicharan has not returned with the child,
Anukul and the mother go out searching. They find Raicharan running
along the banks, calling out “Little Master!” over and over, heartbroken.
Under questioning, he says that he knows nothing about what happened.
They promise him anything if he will tell them, but he has no answers. He is
sent from the house. The mother tells Anukul that she suspects that
Raicharan had stolen the child, possibly to sell it to the gypsies, who were
also rumored to be in the area at the same time. “The baby had gold
ornaments on his body,” she says. It is enough to convince her.

In Part Two, Raicharan returns to his village. His wife bears him a son
named Phailna and then dies. Raicharan initially feels an intense
resentment of the child, feeling that it someone intends to replace the
little master who was so recently lost. He feels extreme guilt at the
prospect of being happy about his own child in the aftermath of such
tragedy.

Soon he is as affectionate and loving with his own son as he ever was with
the little master. However, there is an unsettling development. As the baby
develops, begins to walk, and to do all of things that babies do,
Raicharan is reminded of the little master. His son’s actions seem uncannily
similar, and he manages to convince himself that it is the little master,
reincarnated in his own home. He considers the following three facts
“beyond dispute:”

1. The new baby was born soon after his little master’s death.
2. His wife could never have accumulated such merit as to give birth to
a son in middle age.
 3. The new baby walked with a toddle and called out Ba-ba and Ma-
ma.
The logic is far from ironclad, but he remembers that the mother accused
him of stealing her child. If this is truly the little master reincarnated, he
feels that he deserves her accusation.

In the final sequence of the story, Raicharan begins spoiling Phailna just as
Anukul did for the little master. He spends money he does not have to
clothe him in satin, and send him to fine schools. When he visits Phailna,
the other students are amused by his country manners and they wonder
how the elegant Phailna could have such a bumpkin for a father.

Soon Phailna is asking for more money and there is nothing Raicharan can
give him. He visits the city where Anukul is practicing as a magistrate and
tells him that he lied about the little master. He had kept him all along and
now wishes to make it right. Anukul is suspicious of the claim, as there is no
proof that Phailna is the little master. However, his wife’s reaction makes it
irrelevant. She accepts the child whole-heartedly, believing that he is hers,
and they send Raicharan away.

They story ends with Anukul sending money to Raicharan’s village, but
there is no longer anyone there with that name.

My Lord The Baby, and many of Tagore’s other short stories, is a precursor
to sprawling stories of Indian families such as Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine
Balance and many of the novels of Salman Rushdie. Its central themes are
duty—particularly the duty to one’s master and one’s son and father—
and sacrifice.
Tagore won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. His work has been
venerated by countless critics. His stories are sufficiently straightforward,
however, and therefore have not been dissected as more thematically
complicated, ambivalent tales like those of Kafka and Chekhov.

The Lion Makers,

a Story From the Panchatantra
The Panchatantra is a collection of ancient stories from India that were written
down more than two thousand years ago, though the stories themselves are
much older than that. They are the first fables ever told in the world. They’re
mostly humorous stories that have a very pointed point. Here’s one of my
favorites . . .

The Lion Makers

Four Brahmans lived near one another and were friends in a small town.
Three of them had been scholars their whole lives and had learned much,
but they had no common sense. The fourth couldn’t be bothered to
study from dusty dry books, but he had a great deal of common sense.

One day they got together to talk and decided that all their
accomplishments and learning were pointless if they didn’t go out in the
world to meet people, see places, gain a little political power, and make
a little money. So they decided to travel together.

They hadn’t gone far when the eldest said, “One of us is not smart enough
or educated enough, having nothing but common sense. He won’t make
it very far in the world without scholarship, so let’s not share our money
with him. He should go back home.”

The second said, “That’s true, friend, you should go home.” But the third
said, “No, this is no way to treat our friend who we have known since we
were small children playing together. He will stay with us and have a
share of the money we earn.”
 So they agreed and all four continued on
together. Soon they came upon the bones of a dead lion in the forest.
One of them said, “Here is a chance to show off how intelligent and
learned we are. Let’s bring him back to life through our superior
knowledge.”
The first said, “I can assemble the skeleton for I know how it should go.”
The second said, “I can add on the muscles, organs, and skin.” The third
said, “I can give it life.”

But the fourth, who was the man of no scholarship said, “This is a lion. If
you give it life it will kill every one of us.”

“The scholars replied, “We will not make all our learning pointless. We
must use it at every opportunity.” So the fourth replied again, “Then waits
a moment while I climb this tree.”

So the man of sense climbed a tree while the other three brought the lion
to life. The lion rose up and killed the three scholars. But the man of sense
climbed down after the lion had left and went home.

Scholarship is less than sense;

Therefore seek intelligence:

Senseless scholars in their pride

Made a lion, then they died.