The Story of Ramayana : 6. Sri Swami Premananda

23/12/2016.
6.
There Was A King.

1.
There is an ancient city of Ayodhya on the banks of broad-bosomed river Saryu in the Utter Pradesh State of India.

There lived a king called Raghu, so powerful, that he was invited by even Indra of Swargaloka to help him in his battles against the demons.

Swargaloka is heaven, but interpreted these days as a land lying somewhere in the North amidst the hoary heights of the Himalayas and Indra, according to this reading, must have been a powerful king enjoying all the luxuries of life but constantly threatened by some other kings who were equally affluent and brave.

The arts and sciences of that age are not well-known now.

The elixir of youth, the devas—Indra was their lord—had discovered is treated now as a myth.

Their adversaries, the Asuras or demons, were anxious to get hold of the prescription of the elixir.

2.
In war there are descriptions of many weapons which could cause fire like modern Napalm bomb, or whirlwind and a storm which are not known today.

There were mnemonic formulae which were recited to invoke supernatural powers to help one party to harm the other.

These formulae called mantras are also mostly on way out and have not been preserved in the original form.

There are descriptions of aerial cars, horse-driven golden chariots and palaces of gold and silver.

To be continued  ...