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Posted by Harsh Nevatia Nov 13, 2007 |
The exiled Rama, his brother Lakshman and wife Sita need to cross the river Ganga but the ferryman Kevat keeps them waiting.
Ramayana is an epic of destiny and every character has a mission carried over from his or her previous life. Rama is an incarnation of Vishnu and Sita that of his consort Lakshmi. Lakshman is an incarnation of Seshnag, the many headed serpent on whose coils Vishnu rests while Lakshmi massages his feet. A turtle wanting to touch the feet of Vishnu approached Seshnag. Lakshmi saw him and signaled to Seshnag, who flipped the turtle away with his tail. The turtle swam back only to be flipped away again. It kept trying but died without being able to achieve his mission. This turtle was reborn as Kevat.
At first Kevat refused to ferry the trio on the pretext that the dust of Rama’s feet could give life to inanimate objects. This was a reference to Ahalya. Then he put a condition that he should be allowed to wash Rama’s feet to free them of any dust. When Lakshman agreed, Kevat went to fetch water from home, refusing to use water from the river. After a long time he returned with the water and said that his wife too wanted to wash Rama’s feet and was getting dressed for the occasion. Sita would glare at Lakshman who would order Kevat to go home and bring his wife. Kevat would return alone saying that his wife was still getting dressed. Finally Sita asked Rama to intervene. Then Rama narrated the story of the turtle and told Sita and Lakshman that they were being paid back for their inconsiderate behavior. Sita and Lakshman apologized and then Kevat completed the rituals and ferried the three across Ganga.