Story of Rsyasrnga

The instructive story of Rsyasrnga is found in the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Rsyasrnga was the son of a sage (Mrgi, a son of Kasyapa) who was determined that his son be brought up as a spotless brahmacari. Accordingly, from his very birth the child was brought up in a forest atmosphere far away from women or even talk of women. He was trained in meditation, scriptural study and brahminical rituals. Thus, on reaching youth, he had no idea of even the existence of the opposite sex.



Meanwhile, in the neighboring state (Kingdom of Anga), a severe drought ensued, which caused great fear among all living beings. The worried king (Romapada) summoned the council of his learned brahmanas, who by their mystic insight were able to ascertain the only method by which good fortune could return to the land: the brahmacari boy-sage Rsyasrnga, a resident of the nearby jungle, must come to reside in the kingdom. The brahmanas also told how the boy could be brought: he must be enticed by beautiful women.



They said, "My dear King, since we desire your welfare, we have devised a mehtod for bringing Rsyasrnga to your kingdom. Have the most beautiful courtesans go there and allure him with their feminine ways. He has never seen another human being except his father. Because he has never beheld a member of the fair sex, he is completely unaware of the pleasure of their association."



Maharaja Romapada agreed to their plan and sent for the foremost of young & beautiful prostitutes. After being thus instructed by the king and promised sufficient rewards, the girls departed for the forest, determined to bring back the young rsi at all costs.



A few days later, when Rsyasrnga was alone at his father's asrama, he was shocked out of meditation by the sound of laughter and giggling. Opening his eyes, he was amazed to behold a group of young boys playing with a gay frolic and abandon he had never known before. How charming these boys were! Rsyasrnga's mind became captivated by the beautiful features of their faces and bodies, their attractive smiles and glances, the tinkle of their voices, and their exulting mood of enjoyment. "Who are you?" he asked.



"We are muni-putras (i.e. sons of forest sages)," they replied-for indeed, these young girls from the city were dressed as brahmacaris. "Come play with us," they invited. How could Rsyasrnga refuse? In the course of play, his body touched the bodies of the girls, and again his senses were attracted. The girls embraced Rsyasrnga tightly with great affection and fed him sumptuous sweets. The muni-putras shared their deliciously prepared food with Rsyasrnga. The boy, who had been brought up on forest roots and fruits, was now completely captivated. But all too soon his new-found friends went away.



When Rsyasrnga's father returned, he immediately noticed his son's disturbance of mind. Intuitively understanding that that which he had feared all his life had now come to pass, he demanded that his son relate all that had happened in his absence. On hearing the description of the muni-putras, he strictly forbade Rsyasrnga to talk with or even look at those boys again, and under no circumstances to go anywhere with them.



But the damage was done. Rsyasrnga could no longer concentrate on his meditation, for his mind was yearning after his friends. Rsyasrnga began to experience feelings of ease and restlessness within his heart. The seed of lusty desire, which had remained dormat within his heart had sprouted. Rsyasrnga began to constantly think about the beautiful women. He could hardly sleep that night. His mind & heart were overwhelmed by their sweet speech & tender embraces.



When his father went away again the next day, the muni-putras had little difficulty in enticing the boy-sage to come with them. A boat waiting on the nearby river took them swiftly to the city. Just as he arrived, Indra began to send forth rain, giving joy to all creatures. Before his father could arrive to protest, the king married Rsyasrnga to his daughter Santa whom he had adopted from King Dasaratha. Maharaja Romapada begged from him the benediction that neither he nor his father will show their wrath upon him and his kingdom.



It was Rsyasrnga only, whom King Dasaratha invited to Ayudya to perform the horse & Putresti sacrifice which led to the apperance of Lord Rama.



Some of the morals of this story are:



1) Association with the opposite sex awakens and aggravates sexual desire; 2) Whoever one may be, one should never consider oneself beyond the fascinating power of the opposite sex; 3) Mere avoidance of association with the opposite sex is not enough to overcome sexual desire; the negative process must be supplemented by the only positive process sufficient to conquer maya, namely Krsna consciousness and also knowledge about the dangers of associating with opposite sex; 4) Sexual desire is very deep-rooted and strong and is aroused even due a little association.