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Dharma Katha · Season 4: The Road to Diwali · Episode 130

A river in the forest. The water is so clear, the poet says, that it is like the mind of a good person: you can see all the way to the bottom. A sage has come down to bathe. He has left his water pot on the bank, and his disciple is holding his bark garment. He is standing on the bank, looking at the woods, in a kind of quiet happiness. And in a tree above the river, there are two birds. A pair of kraunchas, a kind of crane. They are together, absorbed in each other, calling softly. And then an arrow comes out of the trees.

Missed the previous story? Listen to Episode 129 first.

Source note. Label: scripture, with later tradition clearly marked. Valmiki's question to Narada, Narada's summary of Rama's story, the river Tamasa, the krauncha birds and the hunter, the verse mā niṣāda, its naming as shloka from shoka, and Brahma's command are in the Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kanda, sargas one and two. Valmiki as the son of Prachetas, and Sita's stay in his hermitage with Lava and Kusha, are in the Uttara Kanda, which many scholars regard as a later addition. The story of Ratnakara the robber is later tradition, found in the Adhyatma Ramayana, in Puranic and regional retellings, and in popular storytelling; it is rejected by many in the Valmiki community. The 2026 date is from published almanacs. The verse is quoted as commonly cited. The reflections are my own.

Note: this episode is narrated with an AI voice and the script was written with AI assistance. Sanskrit verses are checked against published editions; corrections are welcome.