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Meeting Narad
167
"Treat your body itself as the altar of the Yajna. Treat your Soul as the one performing the sacrifice. Tapascharya or austerity is the holy fire. Knowledge is the ghee. Your Karmas are the samiths or fuel. Anger, avarice, pride etc. are the animals to be killed and destroyed in this Yajna. Truth is the Stupa in this Yajna. Giving protection to all Jivas is the Dakshina or the money-offering. Knowledge (Jnan); faith (Darshan) and character (Charitra) are the three small altars for the Yajna".
"Oh king ! The Vedas say that a Yajna should be carried out in such a way that it can destroy your Karmas; but not in this manner, in which you are carrying it out. Those, who, like cruel monsters, commit violence at a Yajna have to go to hell after their death, Oh king! You are intelligent and powerful. You have taken birth in a noble family. This kind of cruelty to animals will not bring you glory".
Even before Narad had completed saying this a rain of blows fell upon him from all sides.
Narad went away from the Pavilion; rose to the sky; and went away traversing through the sky. Just at that time, Ravan's vast caravan was moving through the sky. He saw Ravan's Pushpak Viman speeding through the sky; and stood near it. He was panting for breath. On account of fear, his radiant face had grown black and dull. His words : "Give protection! Give protection !” echoed in the sky. Noticing the divine sage, in this condition, Ravan ordered his men to stop the Pushpak. He alighted from the divine air-ship; and folding his hands, he said humbly;
"Oh divine sage! What's the matter ?" "Oh king of Lanka. A serious outrage is going on”. “Who is doing it ? and why ?"
Narad narrated the entire story from the beginning to the end of the Yajna of King Maruth. Hearing it from the divine sage, Ravan began to rage with anger. At once, he landed his
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