The Sage Viswamitra  (continued)

Viswamitra was so impulsive,

That all his penance intensive,

Was lost every time he was angry,

Or over-powered by sympathy.

King Trisanku from Solar dynasty,

Wished to ascend with his body

To the Heaven, after his death,

Leaving this mundane earth.

This unnatural idea Vasishta opposed,

And to give it up, he was advised.

The Sage’s sons, he then approached,

But “Be you a chandala”, they cursed.

He roamed in the deep forest,

As his face turned ugly and worst

‘Cause of the curse spell cast on,

Right from the next day dawn.

He fell at Viswamitra’s feet,

And narrated about his defeat.

He earned the sage’s pity,

O’er his cursed destiny.

A sacrifice was performed,

Up on the air he was lifted,

But Indra pushed him down,

Back he fell upside down.

In the midair on the top,

The sage ordered his stop.

Thus a Trisanku Heaven

Came to exist in between.

The Devas were stunned

By the sage’s command

And accepted his creation

Of a new Trisanku Heaven.

His severe penance again

Went into the drain,

As he fell for Menaka

Sent by her master Indra.

Next he lost his years of penance,  

In the dancer Rambha's presence,

Sent by Indra to lure him down,

She was cursed to become a stone.

Controlling his breath once again

He did a severe penance so stern

That fire from his body source

Enveloped the entire Universe.

At the celestial Devas’ prayer,

Brahma was forced to appear,

And give him a title "Raja Rishi",

That made him not happy.

Until from the Vasishta's lips,

He heard these blessed words

That a "Brahma Rishi" he was,

He pursued this noble cause.

It was a sage of this kind

That Dasaratha received

And welcomed his presence

With all the Royal reverence.

 ~Rajaram Ramachandran~

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