The invincible city of Ayodhya!

Ayodhya city was surrounded with suburban towns on all sides. It was filled with beautiful, mesmerizing & soothing gardens & mangroves and girdled by sal trees. It was enclosed by strong fortifications & a deep moat. No enemy can ever enter and occupy Ayodhya. It had abundant elephants and horses, cattle, camels and mules. It was embellished with a host of tributary kings who used to pay tributes and with merchants from different countries

Like Indra's Amaravati, it was adorned by mountains & mansions were inlaid with precious stones. Groups of men and women lived in seven storied palaces. It looked wonderful like a board where the game of Ashtapada is played. It was rich in all kinds of gems & its dwellings were constructed on levelled ground with no space left unutilised. It was abundantly stocked with fine-grained rice & water which tasted sweet like sugarcane juice

The city echoed with the sounds of trumpets, mridangams, vinas and panavas. There was no city on earth superior to Ayodhya. Like an aerial car acquired by the siddhas in heaven through their austerities, the palaces were perfectly constructed in rows and inhabited by the noblest of men

Ayodhya city was inhabited by thousands of warriors known as maharathas, who were skilled archers with sharp hands. They would not pierce with arrows-solitary persons, persons without defence, fleeing foes who could be tracked down through hints from sound. With sharp arrows or with the strength of their arms, they would kill roaring and inebriated lions, tigers, boars etc. in the forest

It was in that city of Ayodhya that King Dasaratha lived. It was filled with excellent dwijas (brahmana, kshatriya and vaisyas) performing rituals of sacrificial fire, virtuous and well-versed in the Vedas & Vedangas. They were generous, truthful and dignified. They were almost equal to rishis and maharshis

From the city of Ayodhya, King Dasaratha ruled the entire world, following the tradition of Manu who was a highly powerful protector of the people. Dasaratha was well versed in the Vedas. He commanded all resources, was farsighted and possessed great prowess. He was dear to the inhabitants of towns & villages

Among Ikshvaku kings, he was a great charioteer capable of fighting with many maharathas singlehandedly. He performed many sacrifices & was devoted to the practice of dharma. He was in full control over his subjects. He was a great sage, a royal saint & renowned in the three worlds (Bhuloka, Bhuvarloka and Suvarloka). He was mighty. He was a destroyer of enemies. He had scores of good friends. He had perfect control over his senses. In riches, he was comparable to Indra and Kubera

Ayodhya was just not a place on the map of Bharat; it is also the space within us. If the Lord is not present in our hearts, it is a dark forlorn space with no love, happiness & prosperity. But if the Lord resides in that space, when we have devotion, it shines brightly

Krsna says in Gita

teṣām evānukampārtham aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ
nāśayāmy ātma-bhāva-stho jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā

To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance

Let us build our Ayodhya within ourselves!

 

Thoughts? #gameoflife