Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – Sookti – April 11, 2020 – Mysore
Compiled by Parimala Eshwarla
Khalaḥ karōti durvŗttaṃ nūnaṃ phalati sādhuṣu
Daśānanōharat sītāṃ, bandhaṃ prāptō mahōdadiḥ ǁ
The wicked engage in notorious deeds. However, it so happens that at times the virtuous have to face the repercussion for the notorious deeds of the wicked. It was demon Ravana who abducted Sita, but for it, the ocean had to be hit by boulders during the construction of the bridge to Lanka! The person who committed the crime was different! The one who suffered due to it was different!
In this world, we come across both good and bad people. Thoughts, actions and words of virtuous are always good. Their deeds are always aimed at the wellbeing of society.
The other category are the wicked. Externally they utter sweet, melodious words. But their mind is filled with malice and ill-will. Their cruel deeds leaves others shivering in society.
The deeds of the virtuous causes wellbeing of the society. Due to the Vedic activities, homas, yagnas and other such good deeds, the saints ensure that the surroundings are lush green with plentiful crops, that rains shower plentifully and that life of all in that vicinity is peaceful and calm. There are no problems of thieves. Diseases vanish.
However, the places inhabited by the wicked are filled with impurity and bad influences. At times, the pious people suffer due to their wicked deeds. Their wicked deeds bring impurity to land, water, air and space as well. This sookti draws reference to the incident of Treta yuga to highlight the point.
Ravana was a notorious and most-degraded demon. He had even bound Indra and other Devatas and snatched away their kingdoms. Filled with lust, he went to the extent of abducting Sita, the righteous and chaste wife of Rama, the king of Ayodhya. Rama, who was searching for her, reached Kishkinda, befriended Sugriva and gathered a huge army of Vanaras. Together with the help of Vanaras especially Angada, Hanuman, Jambavan and others, he reached the banks of the Indian ocean. He then decided to build a bridge to cross over to Lanka.
In the process of building the bridge, thousands of heavy, large boulders were thrown into the ocean. The impact of the boulders being thrown led to huge waves to rise in the oceans. The muddy waters rose to the top. The ocean-god withstood this pain and offered services to Lord Rama. Although it was Ravana who committed the crime, the ocean-god had to bear the brunt of it.
This sookti teaches that the pious souls pay for the misdeeds of the wicked.