Story: The Celestial Weapons Recognized

Rama fires an arrow at a foe. Illustration by Evelyn Paul (1911).

Originally published in Stories of India's Gods and Heroes (1911). Source: Wikimedia Commons

After winning a fight against rakshasas, Rama was confronted with a problem that would prove fitting of a king: the jealousies and intrigues of his subjects.

It wasn't long after the celestial weapons had been called down to help Rama kill a band of rakshasas, led by Subahu and Maricha, that the spear, perhaps the strongest among them, made his concerns known. He called together a meeting between all of the weapons. None of them were entirely sure what to make of this. They had never had a meeting before, only having existed for several thousand years (a thousand years seeming like mere seconds to any supernatural being).

"I'm not sure Rama is giving us the proper credit for our bravery. We are the ones who killed the rakshasas. Rama only aimed us where we needed to go."

To this, the saber replied, "But Rama is a brave and clever warrior. Surely he is doing the work. We are, as we promised, but tools in the defeat of evil. Are you not happy, spear, about our defeating evil? Would you rather have rakshasas running around everywhere? Do you know how terrible this world would be?"

At this, a few of the other weapons applauded and shouted their approval. This reception only infuriated spear.

"I never said that I wanted the rakshasas to run free," the spear retorted. "You've mischaracterized my argument." A few more claps came from the crowd, these weapons having changed their minds on the subject at hand. "Of course I'm happy that there are fewer rakshasas. Whether we support the rakshasas' war of independence is another matter entirely."

Few among the weapons were in favor of such independence. Only the most radical among them supported rakshasa self-determination and even they were reticent to voice their support in front of so pro-Rama a crowd.

"What we are discussing is whether Rama deserves all this praise. I believe that he is simply the ship at sea, while we are the wind that pushes him. Without us, Rama would go nowhere."

"Yes," cried the staff, "but where would the wind be without the ship? All it would have to brush against are trees and bushes. How useless the wind would be!"

The mace, who was close friends with the spear, shouted, "It would scatter the seeds of plants and help to grow forests!" The mace struggled to make itself heard above an audience which had grown restless.

After some time, the spear managed to gain control of the meeting again. "Let's get back on track. When has Rama ever thanked us for saving his life? When has he ever acknowledged how vital we are to his mission?"

The saber said, "Why should he thank us? If anything, it is us who should be thanking him! Without Rama, we would never achieve glory in battle. Without Rama, we could never help create history!"

The mace whispered to the spear, "He's right, spear. Without Rama, we couldn't even consider ourselves true warriors."

The spear reluctantly agreed. He knew that, if it weren't for Rama, nothing would have happened. They would never have become part of the Ramayana, an epic of which Brahma had recently told them.

The spear turned to the crowd and said grudgingly, "This is true. We need Rama."

The weapons sent an envoy, the mace, to earth. There, it spoke to Rama.

"Blessed Rama, we wish to thank you for helping us achieve glory in both worlds. You are a courageous fighter and we are proud of having helped slain so many rakshasas."

Rama, courteous and honest as ever, replied, "I could not have won without you, my strong celestial weapons. We have all played a vital role in defeating the horde of rakshasas. Just as a flower cannot live without the bee, I cannot win without these weapons."

The envoy returned to the celestial weapons and told them what Rama had said. The weapons rejoiced in the knowledge that, not only had they played an essential role in the battle, but that Rama, prince and future king, had praised them so highly. They expected much good to come of this partnership.

Author's Note

The weapons, when called down by Vishwamitra, proclaim loyalty to Rama and pledge to help him whenever he needs them. Given this pledge of loyalty, it seems likely that the weapons have some thoughts of their own. I thought that it would be interesting to show some characters who, rather than simply adoring Rama or fervently hating, hold mixed feelings concerning him. It seems only natural that at least one of those beings (be it a man or a celestial sword) would be jealous or feel as though they weren't given enough credit. It's clear that the epic centers around Rama's exploits. By writing from the perspective of the celestial weapons, I've provided, not exactly a backstory, but an elaboration of those events surrounding Rama during his adventures. The reference to the rakshasas' war of independence suggests a more complex supernatural history. They are more than just evil demons.

Bibliography

Various authors. Ramayana (public domain). Source.