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
Once upon a time, the great warrior-prince Rama defeated an enormous horde of rakshasas, led by Subahu and Maricha. The battle was fierce, but with the help of celestial weapons called down the sage Vishwamitra, Rama was able to defeat them. However, despite this victory in battle, he had another problem, one that was more suitable to a king: the jealousies and intrigues of his subjects.
Once returned to their world, the weapons rejoiced at the victory over the rakshasas. They hadn’t been used in thousands of years and it was finally good to help defeat evil and serve a great warrior. That is, most of them rejoiced. There were a few among them who felt as though they hadn’t received enough credit for their valor. The most vocal among these was the celestial spear. He had been through most of the battle and was jealous when he saw the other weapons praising Rama. He took some of his closest friends to a private spot and told them his concerns. They were wary at first but, after a persuasive speech, they began to agree with the spear’s point: that the weapons hadn’t received as much credit as they deserved for defeating the rakshasas.
The spear called together a meeting of all of the weapons. They were confused as to why the spear would call a meeting. He was generally standoffish and rarely spoke to any who wasn’t his friend. Even then, he spoke without manners and was wont to use uncouth words.
After calling the meeting to order, by rattling himself against his best friend, the dagger, the spear spoke up. "I’m sure you’re wondering why I, the spear, would bring together a meeting. I assure you that it is a most important topic. I'm not sure Rama is giving us the proper credit for our bravery. We were actually the ones who killed the rakshasas. Rama only aimed us. He only pointed us in the direction of the rakshasas."
To this, the saber, who held the spear in low esteem, replied, "But Rama is a brave and clever warrior. Surely we must give him most of the credit. We are, as we promised him, but tools in the defeat of evil. Are you not happy, spear, about our defeating evil? Would you rather have rakshasas overrunning ever place on earth? Do you know how dreadful such a world would be?"
At this, a few of the other weapons applauded and shouted their approval. This only infuriated spear, who replied angrily, "I never said that I wanted the rakshasas to overrun the world, You've seriously mischaracterized my argument. You’re putting words in my mouth." 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.”
At this, the rest of the weapons took up a series of cheers. It was all the spear could do to bring the meeting back to order. It was growing red with anger and rattling a great deal.
"What we are discussing,” the spear shouted over the crowd, “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 wouldn’t go anywhere."
"Yes," cried the staff, "but where would the wind be without the ship? It wouldn’t have anyone to help. All it would do is brush against trees and bushes. How useless the wind would be!"
The mace, who was close friends with the spear and stood beside it, said, "It would scatter the seeds of plants and help to grow forests!" The mace struggled to make itself heard above an audience which was growing increasingly restless.
After some time, the spear managed to gain control of the meeting. "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. We would be no better than twigs from a tree."
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 foretold.
The spear turned to the crowd and said grudgingly, "What my friend the mace says is true: We need Rama in order to gain glory."
“And Rama needs us,” the mace agreed. “Neither we nor Rama can work alone. We are both great, but a warrior without a weapon is like a house without walls, open and exposed to the elements. A weapon without a warrior is like the frame of a house without any inhabitants: useless.”
The weapons, having debated at length and now agreeing on the fundamental point, decided to send 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. We each have our place, We do not have a choice in our position. Dharma is not to be changed by man or weapon. We must accept it as it is. Be happy that you, the weapons, and I have been granted such esteemed roles.”
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 recognized the role of dharma in their lives and were glad to be placed so high. They expected even more good to come of their partnership with Rama.
Author's Note
In contrast to the first version of this story, I decided to detail more of the complaints of the weapons and how these concerns were finally put to rest. Dharma plays an important role in Hinduism and Buddhism, among other religions and philosophies. While dharma has broad and often varying definition, it can be generally described as the idea that each person has a position that has been determined for them. Rama is destined to be a warrior and king, while, say, Jatayu was destined to help Rama fight Ravana. Dharma is also a moral consideration in that to accept its directives is itself a moral deed.
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 are sentient and thus would 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.
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