Rāma’s Aśvamedha Yajña (Padma Purāṇa)

After Bhagavān Rāma killed Rāvaṇa, he learned from Agastya that Rāvaṇa was born in a brāhmaṇa family, a grandson of Pulastya. Rāma was filled with grief. To remove the pāpa (sin) of killing a brāhmaṇa, called brahmahatyā, Agastya told him to perform an Aśvamedha yajña (a horse yajña).

Rāma carried out this great yajña with Vasishṭha, Agastya and Vālmīki guiding it. The horse was let loose under the guard of Śatrughna, Rāma’s youngest brother, and Pushkala, Bharata’s son. It crossed the whole of Bhārata-varsha. Śatrughna fought many kings who challenged it. The Pātāla Khaṇḍa tells this Aśvamedha at greater length than any other account in that khaṇḍa.

Agastya’s advice

Agastya told Rāma where Rāvaṇa came from. Rāvaṇa was born to Viśravas, the son of Pulastya, through Kaikasī, so he was a brāhmaṇa-rākshasa. Rāma was overcome with grief. He bowed down in his assembly and wept. He said: “I knew the Vedas and the sacred texts, and still I killed a brāhmaṇa. There is no prāyaścitta (act of atonement) that can make me pure. To which worlds shall I go? Even the unbearable naraka (hell) called Kumbhīpāka will be mine.”

Agastya comforted him. He said that Rāma is Parabrahman himself. Rāvaṇa was in truth Rāma’s own servant Jaya from Vaikuṇṭha, who had become a rākshasa through the śāpa (curse) of ṛshis. So Rāma had really set him free, not killed him. Still, Rāma held that he had done deliberate brahmahatyā, and he insisted on atonement.

Agastya then named the Aśvamedha: “He who performs a horse yajña overcomes every such pāpa. Your ancestor Dilīpa, and others such as Manu, Sagara, Marutta and Yayāti, performed it and reached the highest state.”

Preparing the yajña

Vasishṭha was the chief ācārya (teacher-priest), and Rāma began the preparations. A horse of special quality was chosen from Rāma’s stables. Its body was white like the water of the Gaṅgā, with dark ears, a red face and a yellow tail. It looked like Uccaiḥśravas, had auspicious marks, and was as swift as the wind. The stables were a wonder. They were filled with rows of crimson horses, dark-eared horses, golden horses, blue horses and spotted horses. Agastya looked on in amazement.

The yajña hall was built with eight auspicious gates, and two ṛshis guarded each:

• East gate: Devala and Asita.
• South gate: Kaśyapa and Atri.
• West gate: Jātukarṇya and Jābāli.
• North gate: Dvita and Ekata.

The priests had these duties. Vasishṭha was the presiding ācārya. Agastya was the Brahma priest. Vālmīki was the Adhvaryu. Kaṇva was the doorkeeper. Rāma took the vow of celibacy. Sītā was away, because she had already been left in the forest. So Vasishṭha made a golden image of Sītā to stand in the place of the yajamāna’s wife (the wife of the one who performs the yajña) in the rites.

Virtuous married women honoured the horse with turmeric, akshata (unbroken rice grains) and sandal paste. It was dressed with a pearl necklace, and a golden plate was fixed on its forehead. The plate told of Rāma’s glory and the purpose of the yajña. It said: “Rāma, the descendant of Raghu, is performing this horse yajña to remove the pāpa of killing the brāhmaṇa Rāvaṇa. The guardian of this horse is his brother Śatrughna, who killed the asura Lavaṇa.” Kings proud of their strength were invited to seize the horse, and Śatrughna was announced as its armed guard.

Śatrughna’s appointment and Pushkala’s departure

Rāma named Śatrughna as the protector of the horse. Pushkala, Bharata’s son and so Rāma’s nephew, joined him as a brave and brilliant warrior.

Before Pushkala left, his devoted wife Kāntimatī armed him with her own hands. She gave him his bow, two quivers of arrows that never ran out, armour bright as diamond, a helmet and a sword. She waved a lamp before him in ārati and said: “Act so that the wives of your brothers-in-law will not laugh at me. You are the warrior who leads. Let the twang of your bow deafen your enemies.” Pushkala comforted his weeping wife and left with joy.

Pushkala then bowed to his father Bharata and his mother and received their blessings. He joined Śatrughna’s great four-part army of chariots, elephants, horses and foot soldiers, which set out to guard the yajña horse. Rāma’s minister Sumati went with Śatrughna all along the journey.

The journey through Pāñcāla, Kuru and Daśārṇa

The horse moved freely through the Pāñcāla country, the Kuru country, Uttara-Kuru, Daśārṇa and Śrī Viśāla. Śatrughna gave necklaces, gems and wealth to all who came to him. Rāma’s fame was so great that no king dared to seize the horse. Many rulers of lands came forward with all their wealth and said: “This whole kingdom and this wealth, with my sons, animals and relatives, belong to Rāmacandra, not to me.”

Ahicchatra and King Sumada

The horse came to Ahicchatra, a rich city of golden and crystal mansions. Its king was Sumada. There Sumati showed Śatrughna the splendid temple of Kāmākshā Devī, whose devotee Sumada was.

King Sumada welcomed Śatrughna with great honour and spoke of Rāma. He made his son king in his place and joined Śatrughna’s army.

Cyavana’s āśrama on the Payoshṇī

The horse came to the āśrama (hermitage) of Cyavana on the bank of the Payoshṇī river. It was like a paradise: lions guarded cows, snakes played with peacocks, and elephants were friends with lions.

Sumati told Śatrughna the full glory of Cyavana’s tapas (austerity). Cyavana had won back his youth from the Aśvins after his wife Sukanyā served him faithfully for a thousand years. He had also brought the Aśvins into the Soma offering against Indra’s will. When Indra raised his thunderbolt, Cyavana made Indra’s arm stiff and helpless. Indra was forced to give the Aśvins the right to Soma for ever. Śatrughna visited Cyavana and honoured him.

The Gaṇḍakī river and Śālagrāma

On the way the horse came to the holy river Gaṇḍakī. An ascetic brāhmaṇa told the king of its glory. Brahmā made the Gaṇḍakī from drops falling from his own cheeks, to purify all beings. The stones found in it bear the mark of the cakra and are the very forms of Bhagavān Vishṇu, called Śālagrāma. Doing pūjā to a Śālagrāma every day ends rebirth. Bathing in the Gaṇḍakī, touching its water and drinking it purify the pāpa done in thought, in deed and in word, in that order.

The Nīla mountain and Purushottama

After Cyavana’s āśrama, the horse came to the region of the Nīla mountain, the home of Bhagavān Vishṇu as Purushottama. Sumati explained that this holy mountain, surrounded by siddhas, gandharvas and apsarās, cannot be seen by those who have done pāpa, by unbelievers, or by those who speak ill of Vishṇu. Only the pure of heart can see it.

King Ratnagrīva joined the Aśvamedha procession on the way. He could not see the mountain, even after bathing where the Gaṅgā meets the ocean. So he took up a fast. Then Bhagavān Vishṇu appeared before him in the form of an ascetic, blessed him and showed him the top of the mountain.

The battles with Damana, Subāhu and Vidyunmālin

As the horse went on, Śatrughna fought kings who challenged it.

• Damana was a powerful warrior who fought against Pratāpāgra. Pushkala defeated him.
• Subāhu drew up his forces in the Krauñca formation. A fierce battle followed in which warriors such as Lakshminidhi and Suketu fought and Citrāṅga was killed. In the end Subāhu was defeated and gave himself up to Śatrughna with his whole kingdom.
• Vidyunmālin was an asura king. Śatrughna’s army fought a fierce battle with him, and Vidyunmālin was killed.

Viramāṇi, Rukmāṅgada and the great battle

The horse entered the land of King Viramāṇi of Devapura. Viramāṇi’s son Rukmāṅgada was playing in a forest when he met the yajña horse. His playful friends urged him on, and he seized it.

Viramāṇi did not approve, but he took the matter to Bhagavān Śiva. Śiva told him: “Śatrughna is Rāma’s brother. Do not fight him for no reason. Let the horse go.” Even so, Viramāṇi chose to fight.

A huge battle followed. Rukmāṅgada fought Pushkala. Viramāṇi himself fought Śatrughna. In the end both Pushkala and Śatrughna were overpowered. Hanumān was sent to bring herbs from the Droṇa mountain to revive them. Then Rāma himself came down onto the battlefield. Before his divine presence Viramāṇi gave up and returned the horse.

The horse becomes stiff

After the horse was won back from Viramāṇi, it suddenly became stiff (sthāvara) on the battlefield. The ṛshis thought this was left over from a śāpa of the asura Śambara. Rāma brought the horse back to life by touching it and by reciting the proper śāntipāṭha (a peace-giving recital).

King Suratha seizes the horse out of devotion

The horse came to Kuṇḍala. The city was so devoted to Rāma that not one citizen had adulterous desire, not one man wanted another’s wealth, and no one gambled or did wrong. Even Yama could find no one to take from this city.

Its king was Suratha, a deeply devoted bhakta of Rāma. His whole kingdom thought of Rāma every day. Suratha deliberately ordered his servants to seize the horse. He did it not from pride but from deep longing. He said: “I will seize the horse so that Rāma will come in person. This is my gain: to see Rāma’s feet, which even Brahmā and Indra find hard to reach.”

Śatrughna sent Aṅgada as a messenger. A battle followed in which Campaka, a warrior of Suratha, took Pushkala and held him prisoner. In time Rāma himself freed the imprisoned heroes, and the horse was returned.

Lava seizes the horse and the end of the account

After all the other battles, Lava, Sītā’s young son, seized the horse near Vālmīki’s āśrama. Lava used the weapons Vālmīki had given him. He alone defeated the whole army and killed its general Kālajit. When Śatrughna himself fought Lava, Lava was made unconscious. Kuśa then came and fought Śatrughna, and in the end he too made Śatrughna unconscious. Rāma was then forced to come to the battlefield himself.

Rāma saw that the two boys looked like him. Vālmīki told him they were Sītā’s sons, born in the forest after she was left there. Rāma then sent Lakshmaṇa to bring Sītā back.

Sources

• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapters 6–8 (Agastya’s advice)
• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapters 9–10 (preparing the yajña, the golden plate)
• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapters 11–12 (Śatrughna and Pushkala; the journey)
• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapters 12–14 (Ahicchatra and Sumada)
• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapters 14–16 (Cyavana’s āśrama)
• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapter 20 (the Gaṇḍakī)
• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapters 17–23 (the Nīla mountain)
• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapters 23–29 (Damana and Subāhu)
• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapters 33–34 (Vidyunmālin)
• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapters 39–46 (Viramāṇi and Rukmāṅgada)
• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapter 47 (the stiff horse)
• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapters 49–53 (Suratha)
• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapters 54–66 (Lava and Kuśa)