Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Lord Totsarot dies in grief

The Wedding ceremony;
(Continued from the Molee Bow Lifting Ceremony)

After Phra Ram succeeded in winning the Molee bow lifting competition, the Ruesi hermit sage Chanok sent a royal messenger to ayodhaya to invite ram's father Lord Totsarot to be present as a guest at the wedding of Phra ram and Naang Siidaa. Taaw Totsarot was delighted to recieve the news of his son's success, and set out immediately to journey to Mithila, along with the 4 royal Ruesi Swamitra and Phra Wamatep, Ruesi Gaasayaba, and Phra Chawalii in a majestic procession.



Rama Sita Wedding
Phra Prodt, phra sadtrut (the younger brothers of Phra Ram) along woth Taaw (lord) Gaiyages (grandfather of Phra Prodt) joined the procession to be also present at the wedding of Phra ram annd Naang Siidaa. Phra Intr (Indra) and naang Sujidtraa were present to preside over the wedding ceremony along with the company of Devas (angelic beings)and naang faa (female angels) as witnesses and to bestow their blessings on Phra Ram and Naang Siidaa. Once the wedding ceremony was over,Lord Totsarot and hs four sons, Naang Siidaa and Phra Sunisa returned to their home in Ayodhaya palace. On the way back there, they encountered Ramasun (Barasuram), who goaded Phra raam to fight with him, but was defeated by Phra ram - Ramasurn saw that Ram was the incarnation (Avatar) of Vishnu.

The Coronation of Phra Ram;

Taaw Totsarot was now reaching the age of 60 thousand years old, and decided that he wanted to step down from the throne and hold a Coronation Ceremony for Phra Ram. When Nang Kuchee heard of this, she went to her master Naang Gayagaesii to ask Lord Totsarot to give the Crown and Kingdom to her son Phra Prodt (Phra Ram's brother), and make Phra Ram have to wander in the forests in exile for a period of 14 years; This was due to the fact that Phra ram as a child had once made an ass out of Naang Kuchee by shooting a clay bullet into her hunchback and making it come out the other side, he then shot another one to put it back in place. Ther were a lot of witnesses to this and everybody laughed at her, for which Naang Kuchee had always held a grudge against Phra Ram.

Naang Gaiyagaesii was able to do this, because she had once helped Lord Totsarot in the war against Patut Tan, the ruler of the Asura demons. She helped Lord Totsarot to save the day by offering her hand as a replacement for the wheel which was brokenon Lord Totsarot's chariot. As a reward, Lord Totsarot had promised to fulfill any wish she may deem fit to ask for. She didn't take the offer back then but had saved it for a special need. Now was the time she decided to use the favour, and Lord Totsarot was forced to grant her wish with a heavy heart, broken at the thought of his son Phra ram having to wander the forests as a vagrant. When Phra Ram heard the news about what his father was going to be forced to do, he had compassion and went before receiving the order, to avoid his father beeing too hurt. He set out, accompanied by his brother Phra Laks and his consort Naang Siidaa, along with Sumandtan to watch over her as a valet.

When Sumantan went to tell Lord Totsarot that Phra ram and Lady Siidaa had already left and were wandering the forests, Totsarot was completely devastated by the news, and died of a broken heart.


Lord Totsarot dies in grief

Above Picture; A Ruesi (forest hermit sage), forbids Naan Gaiyagaesii and her son Phra Prodt from lighting the funeral pire.

As Phra Prodt and Phra Sadtrut returned from Gayages city to be present at Phra Ram's Coronation Ceremony (the brothers wer unaware of Naang Gaiyaagesii's plot), Only to find that their father Lord Totsarot had died as a result of a brokent heart because of Phra Ram having to be exiled to the himapant forest. Phra Prodt was extremely angry at his mother Naang Gaiyagaesii.
The funeral for Totsarot was held in the crematorium, which was Royally decorated with Chatras (pagoda like parasols) and entertainners from all the surrounding provinces. The Hermits Wasit and Swamitra were present to act upon Lord Totsarot's orders that Naang Gaiyagaesii and her son Phra Prodt were not to be permitted to light the funeral pyre (see above pic).

Chiwaha

Totsagan cuts of Chiwaha's tongue;

One day, Totsagan, the ruler of Langka city decided he wanted to go for a wander in the forests for a period of a week; so in order to do this, he told his brother in law, Chiwaha (who was married to Totsagan's sister - Naang Samanagkhaa), to watch over the city and keep it safe from any enemies, or an attempt of invasion. Chiwaha, being an extremely loyal and meritorious subject of his beloved brother in law, set upon watching vigil over the city constantly both day and night; he abstained completely from sleeping at all.
But then, on the seventh day,he was oversome by extreme exhaustions, and performed an act of "Plaeng Rit" (kind of like a superhuman mutation common with the heavenly beings in the Ramakian), and expanded the size of his tongue to cover the city like a canopy as a shield of protection, and fell into a deep slumber.


chiwha - ramakien



Shortly after this, Totsagan returned from his forest wandering in the early eavening as dusk was settling in.He was unable to find the city at all, so he ordered his soldiers tosearch out and call for Chiwaha, but Chiwaha gave no response due to being in an extremely deep slumber.Totsagan made the assumption that his brother in law had been attacked and killed by one of the many enemies of Totsagan, and became extremely angry (Totsagan was an extremely aggressive tempered being and was known to change into his ten headed, twenty armed demonic aspect easily upon becoming angry, which made him an extremely formidable and powerful entity);
chiwha
Totsagan pulled out one of his most powerful weapons:- the chakra disk "suragant' and threw it at the canopy that was covering the city of langka, which was of course in reality, Chiwaha's tongue!
The chakra disk sliced right throught poor old Chiwaha's tongue, which then recoiled and flew off separating from chiwahas life force and causing Chiwaha to die instantly.
Samanagkhaa was thus converted into a widow,whe she found out that her beloved brother Totsagan was responsible for her husband's death, she became extremely angry with him, but when Totsagan explaine how the accident had happened, she was able to be calmed down, and her anger receded.

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After this, naang samanagkhaa became very sad and lonely, and thus set out into the forest to wander in search of a new husband.
Chiwaha is one of the tragic stories of the Epic, as he was know for his good disposition and helpful and loyal nature, and did not really deserve such a sad and terrible fate for his self renunciation and loyal dedication to Totsagan.



Above pic; Thai Khone theater mask of the Yaksa Chiwaha

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