We studied last post about the grievance received by Rama from none but a lone dog. It can be worth noting that everyone in the kingdom is extremely content with their lives that none had any issue or dispute to complain to the king for resolution. This is the ideal kingdom which was being ruled and presided over by a noble king Rama for whom the subjects and their happiness is paramount than his own. We also learned few posts back how he left his own spouse Sita over baseless rumors circulated within his Kingdom. A king who gives so much importance to his base doesn’t find any surprise when no one turned up to complain or submit a grievance. It all turned to one lone dog who is waiting for justice in the great kingdom of Rama. This is the status of affairs in the matchless country presided by a spotless king. This should be the biggest takeaway and lesson for modern nations and rulers. But is it the case in present world, at least in judicial sense. We are living in complete opposite world in present times. Take the case of India where Rama once ruled very long back on the very land. Indian judicial system is grappling with a significant backlog of cases. As of 2025, there are over 52 million pending cases across all levels of courts, including the Supreme Court, High Courts, and District Courts. There are more disputes, more cases and millions of backlogs across all levels of judiciary. This includes more than 180,000 cases that have been pending for over 30 years. It turns out that 5 crore people or 50 million people are waiting at the gate to be heard, leaving the millions who are already being heard inside the courtroom. Leaving the ruler at the top, what kind of society are we living in and what kind of society do we aspire it to turn into and how many light years are we behind in creating that Rama’s rule to practically take over.
Rama, beside an ideal son, ideal husband and ideal father is more than an ideal ruler. In addition to looking at the backlog, we need to look at number of cases not filed and number of disputes already resolved. This turns out to be one land of complaints where no one is happy and content with the state of affairs and everyone has a problem or grievance to resolve. The 5-crore backlog is attributed to factors like shortage of judges, inadequate infrastructure, and a high volume of litigation. For instance, India has only about 21 judges per million people, far below the recommended ratio. Yes, we need to ramp up judiciary, appoint more judges so that people can file more cases and quarrel more. What a state are we progressing towards slowly. The same is the case with U.S. but with a less count. For example, in federal courts alone, there are over 400,000 pending cases. The backlog is particularly pronounced in immigration courts, where over 1.5 million cases are awaiting resolution. Nothing to take away from the ruler or nothing to abuse but as a matter of fact, the President has been involved in over 4000 legal cases throughout his career, spanning personal, business and political matters. Nothing to point finger at and nothing to wrong anyone but this is simply amazing and great going America and also my home nation. Once again, we really need to look inwards, make amends and try to herald that ideal rule in our nations.
Rama’s administration was rooted in the principles of dharma, the sacred duty of righteousness and justice. His rule was marked by an absence of poverty, disease, and social strife. The land yielded bountiful harvests, and natural resources abounded, ensuring that the needs of the people were met with ample food and security. This abundance was not merely material; it extended to spiritual and social well-being as well. In Rama Rajya, the subjects experienced a balanced life, free from the corruption and exploitation that often-plagued other kingdoms. In this land, there is no one with a complaint or a grievance and all the people lived happily with one another. We can study all other aspects of Rama Rajya in another detailed post but let us reminisce Rama, chant his name and aspire to become a citizen of His kingdom.
In the continuation of the epic, we looked at the grievance of the dog in last post and how Rama administered justice. When Lakshmana checked the city gate, he encountered a lone, wounded dog whose persistent howling caught his attention. Compassionately, Lakshmana urged the dog to voice its grievance before the revered Rama. The dog, with wisdom beyond its station, acknowledged Rama as the protector of all beings and extolled dharma as the guiding principle of righteous rule. It lamented its own lowly birth, which barred it from entering holy spaces such as temples, royal palaces, or the abodes of brahmins, while recognizing Rama’s virtues as akin to celestial deities. The dog then revealed its grievance: a brahmin named Sarvartha-siddha had struck it on the head without cause. Rama summoned the brahmin, who confessed that, overcome by hunger while seeking alms, he had struck the dog when it hesitated to move. Though the brahmin admitted his fault and sought punishment, Rama’s learned ministers insisted that a brahmin should be exempt from corporal punishment. In an unexpected twist, the dog requested that instead of punishment, the brahmin be appointed head of the holy assembly at Kalanjava Monastery. Rama acceded to the dog’s plea, and the brahmin was honored with the appointment. However, the dog then disclosed its own past life as the assembly’s leader, warning that an unworthy, angry man in power would bring disgrace for seven generations. It concluded by cautioning that misusing authority brings severe karmic consequences. Astonished, Rama listened as the dog departed for Kashi to undertake a waterless fast, seeking spiritual liberation. We can look at other tales in the following chapters.
In chapter 59d, Rama resolves a dispute between a vulture and an owl.
In a verdant forest near the City of Ayodhya, atop a mountain threaded with streams and teeming with wildlife, a vulture and an owl had long coexisted until a dispute arose over the ownership of a nest. The vulture, claiming the nest as his, began a bitter quarrel with the owl. In their heated disagreement, both creatures agreed that the matter should be resolved by the lotus-eyed Rama, the revered king known for his justice and compassion. They flew to Rama’s court and, with humility, touched his feet.
Before Rama, the vulture extolled the king’s virtues, praising him as the protector of humanity, a paragon of beauty, wisdom, and strength akin to the moon, the sun, and the mighty Himalaya. The owl, however, countered with a measured tone, emphasizing that while a king embodies divine aspects, he also possesses human qualities. The owl stressed that Rama’s governance was based on fairness and righteousness, urging him to decide the rightful owner of the nest. Rama then summoned his ministers and learned counselors—scholars, sages, and noble men versed in the Shastras—to weigh the claims. He questioned the vulture about the nest’s origin. The vulture declared that he had occupied the nest since the time when humans first spread over the earth, while the owl asserted that the nest had been built when trees first covered the land, long before man existed.
Hearing these conflicting claims, Rama admonished his counselors for their untruthfulness and lack of wisdom. He declared that true religion must be founded on truth and righteousness, and only those who speak with integrity are worthy of guidance. The learned ministers concurred with the owl, asserting that the owl’s claim was just and that the vulture’s statement was false. Rama then recited a creation myth from the Puranas, describing how, in the primordial ocean, the sun, moon, stars, and earth were merged. Narayana existed as a cosmic Sumeru, cradling the earth with Lakshmi within his very belly. When Vishnu awoke after a long sleep, a golden lotus sprang from his navel, from which Brahma was born. Later, from wax in Narayana’s ears, two fierce Daityas—Madhu and Kaitabha—were born and, after a bitter conflict with Vishnu, their blood purified the earth, which was then named Medini. This myth served to illustrate that the owl’s claim, rooted in the ancient origin of trees and creation, was true. Thus, Rama pronounced that the nest belonged not to the vulture but to the owl, and that the vulture must be punished for its wrongful claim.
At that moment, a voice resounded from the sky, cautioning Rama not to slay the vulture, for it had already been reduced to ashes by the power of Gautama’s asceticism. The voice revealed that in a former life the vulture was a noble, truthful king named Brahmadatta. The story recounted how Brahmadatta had once graciously received Gautama, the personification of Time, and offered him hospitality. Yet, when flesh accidentally mixed with Gautama’s food, the ascetic, enraged, cursed the king, transforming him into a vulture. The curse would only be lifted when a future monarch named Rama, born in the Ikshvaku dynasty, touched him.
Hearing these words, Rama approached Brahmadatta, the vulture, and touched him, thereby releasing him from his curse. Brahmadatta, now liberated from his vulture form, assumed a beautiful, fragrant body, worshipped Rama, and gratefully proclaimed that he was saved from a dreadful fate. This divine intervention underscored Rama’s role as the ultimate dispenser of justice and compassion.
Thus, in the presence of his learned ministers and the assembly of sages, Rama’s decision not only resolved the dispute between the vulture and the owl but also restored cosmic order, illustrating that true authority must be exercised with fairness, responsibility, and a deep commitment to upholding righteousness.
This concludes chapter 59d of Uttara Kanda where we studied the continuation of justice being delivered by Rama. After resolving the complaint of a wounded dog, Rama also serves the dispute between an owl and a vulture. A vulture and an owl disputed ownership of a nest and sought King Rama’s judgment. Rama, consulting his ministers, ruled in favor of the owl, as trees existed before men which went against vulture’s case of living in the nest since humans inhabited. Before punishing the vulture, a divine voice revealed he was King Brahmadatta, cursed by a sage. Upon Rama’s touch, the curse lifted, and Brahmadatta regained his human form, thanking Rama for his mercy and justice. After this episode of conversation between Rama and Lakshmana, ascetics seek out Rama which can be seen in subsequent chapters.
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