Ram, Sita, and Lakshman left Ayodhya dressed as ascetics to honor their Father Dashrath's promise to Mother Kaikeyi. Read to find the real reason why Kaikeyi asked for Ram's exile to forests. The Ayodhyavasis couldn’t bear the pain of separation from their beloved Prince. They followed Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana out of the city for a little while.
Ram, Sita, and Lakshman finally arrived at the banks of river Ganga and needed to cross over to the other side. Only a single boat was seen on the waters, and on it stood Kevat (boatman) with joined palms. But he seemed to be rudely ignoring the call from Ram.
Kevat refuses to take Ram across the river on his boat.
Ram came closer to where Kevat was sitting and he said, “Kevat can you please take us across?”
Kevat kept sitting. He knows that Ram is Bhagavan. The whole tribe knows, but he is not willing to get up. Ram was perturbed at this rather unusual situation: neither was this boatman responding nor was there another boat in sight.
After being called by Ram a few times, Kevat responded boldly, “I will not take you Ram. I know your secret.”
Ram is astonished. Wondering, personalities like Shankar and Brahma don't understand Him, how is this Kevat saying that he fully understands Ram.
Kevat explains the reason why he would not take Ram across the Ganga, “I have got the news that your foot fell on the stone Shila and the Shila got transformed into a rishi patni (Saint’s wife), referring to Ahilya. This has come to me.
Kevat went on, “My boat is not as hard as a Shila (boalder). It is made of soft wood. If your feet fall on my boat and my boat turns into a woman, what will I do?
“I don't have any other means of livelihood. All I know is boating. If my boat is lost, then my livelihood is gone.
“And if she becomes an ordinary village lady then it is all right. But if she becomes a rishi-patni (Wife of a Sage), then she will have her own tantrums. How will I bear with her?
“Besides I've already got a wife, how will I take care of her? She will sure ask me to make a separate hut for her.
Ram is forced to request Kevat for Charan Seva (Washing of the Feet): A Gesture of Devotion
"So, if you want me to take you across, first I need to wash your feet and check that nothing is going to happen to my boat. And I am not going to beg you, ‘Oh Lord, please let me wash your feet...
“You are too used to people requesting and pleading with you. Your habits have got spoiled."
Now Kevat said something unthinkable and against all norms, “Ram, You yourself are going to request me, ‘please come and wash my feet’. Only then will I take you across and look Ram, if that is not acceptable to you, you can go downstream about 100 yards. Out there, the water is little shallow so you can try to wade across the Ganga."
“But let me tell you, it is very risky. You should only do it if you know how to swim and I know that you don't know how to swim. So, if you yourself don't request me to wash your feet, I take a wow on the name of Dashrath, I am not going to take you across.”
Hearing Kevat taking a wow on the name of Dashrath, Lakshman got extremely annoyed.
Lakshman tensed his bow, “You, what do you mean by taking my father's name.”
Kevat stayed calm and kept looking towards Ram, “Why is your brother having such Rowdy behavior. Is this the way to request? You want my help to take you across and you are showing this force. It's not going to work out here.
“Listen Lakhan, if you like you can kill me. But remember, when I die, my wife is going to come running and your heart will melt and there is no pundit out here to do the Antyeshti Kriya (last rites), so you and Ram will have to wait here and participate in the Antyeshti Kriya and Shav Yatra.”
Hearing all this, Lakshman stepped back and quickly put his arrow back, feeling embarrassed.
Ram started laughing and seeing Ram laugh, Sita is pleased, thinking that Ram is happy out here, Kevat has made Ram happy!
Ram's compassion is heart melting!
In fact - Ram had started smiling when he started comparing Kevat insisting on asking Ram to ask Kevat to do Ram's charan Seva with another event from the past when Lakshman and Sita were competing for Charan Seva.
Once Sita and Lakshman were at odds over who would perform the Charan Seva for Ram. Lakshman had traditionally performed this service prior to Ram’s marriage to Sita. Sita got the Charan Seva after getting married to Ram. This had saddened Lakshman. One day, he shared his sorrow with Ram.
Ram had suggested a solution to Lakshman at that time, "When holy comes, Sita will ask all the Devars(brother in-laws) what do you want as a gift. At that time you say I want Ram's Caran Seva.”
Lakshman started waiting eagerly for the Holi festival and when it was time for the Holi festival, As was customary, Sita went around asking all her brother in-laws what they wanted as a gift, and when she came to Lakshman, He whispered in her ear, “I want Ram's Charan Seva.”
The moment Sita heard that, she fainted and fell on the ground. Everyone got worried and they started giving a harsh look to Lakshman, wondering what was it he said to Sita that made her faint.
Ram asked Lakshman, “What did you tell her.”
“I only said what you had suggested that I want Ram’s Charan seva.”
“You should have said you want only one Charan seva and not both.”
Lakshman then whispered again in Sita’s ear that he only wishes for single Charan Seva. Sita came back to consciousness and the problem was resolved.
Ram is comparing that event with the current situation with Kevat, “Here Kevat is getting Charan seva of both my feet and I have to actually request for him to do my Charan Seva."
Overly compassionate Ram caves in and invites Kevat, “All right, please come and wash my feet.”
Now Kevat got up, until then, he had not even gotten up. However, after getting up he came straight to where Ram was standing, and he continued walking past Ram.
Ram called him, “Where are you going?”
“Look anything good must be done with the wife, I am going to call my wife, so that together we will wash your feet.”
Ram was left with no choice but to agree with Kevat and requested Kevat to hurry up.
Simplicity of a devout heart pleases God, not opulence.
Kevat went to his wife, and he said, “I have a very good news! From whom this Ganga originates from, that Ram is here, and he has asked me to wash his feet. So, we must do this Shubh Karya, (good deed) together.”
Kevat’s wife panicked, “I don’t have any vessel of gold or silver to do the Charan Seva of Ram, I don't even have a vessel of copper.”
Kevat reassured her, stating, “Don't you bother, we will wash Ram’s feet in a wooden vessel. Because there's an advantage. It will soak his Charanamrit and we'll be able to preserve it.”
So now Kevat came along with his wife, he puts the vessel on the ground and he asks Ram to put his feet in there.
Ram follows Kevat's directions, though he in a hurry to cross over the Ganga, but Kevat has no choice for Ram but to follow along.
Kevat is happily and enthusiastically washing Ram's feet, so immersed in the act that the vessel is starting to tip. He is deliberately causing Ram to lose his balance.
Ram called out, "Kevat, please slow down! I need to find my balance, or else I'll fall off!"
Kevat was waiting for this moment, he snaps the opportunity, “Maharaj, if you are having little balance problem, you put your hands on my head so you can balance very well.”
Lakshman who had been patiently watching all this drama says, “That is a very good idea, at least you will get some sense in your head.”
Ram is now standing with his hand on Kevat’s head while Kevat affectionately continues to wash Ram’s feet.
Once Kevat has finished washing Ram's feet to his heart's content and feeling satisfied, he proceeds to dry them with his cloth.
Ram repeated his request, “Can you please take us across now.”
Kevat says in loud voice, “Wait wait wait, I have to share this Charanamrit with everybody.”
Kevat asked everybody to line up. Now all the villagers stood in line.
Sita decided to also stand in the line to receive Ram’s Charanamrit and asks Lakshman to do the same.
Lakshman was in denial, “We belong to Raghukul, and it is beneath our status to wait in line and ask for anything.”
Sita points out how Ram himself has started the tradition of asking, “This asking Parampara has been started by Ram himself. He asked Kevat first, ‘please take us across’, ‘please wash my feet’. “What is the harm in us asking for Charanamrit.”
Lakshman is convinced and both Lakshman and Sita also stood in line and they took the Charanamrit from Kevat and his wife.
Ram asks Kevat again, "Can you please take us across now, all your requests have been fulfilled!”
Kevat's devotion filled heart is fearless: enabling a mere mortal to make the Lord of the Universe dance to his tune.
Kevat still did not give the green light! He said to Ram, “Look, your number is in the line. When your number comes, I will take you across.”
Ram is puzzled and asks, "Who else is waiting in the queue?"
Kevat explains, "My ancestors, all of them! Out here, we did not have any pundit. We did not have anybody to do the ‘Antyeshthi’ kriya (last rites). Now you are here. Guru Vashishtha must have taught you some mantras, so please you need to help me do ‘Tarpan’ (water ritual) for all my ancestors."
Lakshman once again grabs his head in frustration, wondering, "What is he going to force us to do now?"
So nevertheless, there was no other option for Ram except to fulfill this wish of Kevat as well, “All right, you pour the water.”
Nonetheless, Ram found himself with no other recourse but to comply with Kevat's desire, responding, "Very well, you may proceed to pour the water for the tarpan (ritual)."
Kevat proceeded to pour the water from an earthen pot (ghada) into the Ganga, while Ram and Lakshman recited the mantras.
Now that the tarpan ritual also has been completed, Kevat extended a courteous invitation to Ram, stating, "You are all most welcome to enter my boat."
The Lord of Universe is at the mercy of Kevat to go across Ganga.
Kevat starts rowing the boat to the other side of the Ganga. However, just as they were about to reach the opposite bank, he abruptly turned the boat around, Then, right before they reached the First Bank, he did the same thing. And astonishingly, he repeated this pattern several more times.
In a state of confusion, Lakshman asks Ram, "Is Kevat unable to find his way?"
Ram intervenes politely, “Kevat we are getting tired, why don't you take us in the shortest possible way?”
A classic statement from Kevat, on behalf of all of us souls bound in the material consciousness.
“Hey Ram! Please do not mind, but You have been taking us round and round in the Bhav Sagar (material world) in chaurasi lakh Yonis (84 lakhs forms of species) and You don't think we are exhausted?
“And you Ram, are exhausted in just four- five rounds across a river?"
Directly following that sarcastic comment, Kevat lands his final punch to extend his time with Ram, asking, "But can you answer me this: did Kaikeyi give you a predetermined schedule, a specific date, when you must be present here, and another date when you have to be elsewhere?
"If not, then stay here for one week!"
Moreover, I have no desire to take any Utrai (fare) from you as you are presently in a tapasvi (ascetic) form. By serving you, I hope to accumulate good karma. Everyone desires to serve a tapasvi and accumulate some punya. So, in your tapasvi vesh (guise), I'll take you across the Ganga without any fare.
Lakshman became furious, "What haven't you made us do yet? "What is making you think that you have the right to charge us for ferrying us across?
Finally, Kevat had his heart's content and docked the boat on the opposite shore. When everyone had left the boat, Kevat came forward and humbly fell at Ram's feet.
This is the first time Kevat is doing pranam in the entire episode. Against the usual custom, he made the clever choice to skip the pranam at the start. Had he shown respect to Ram at the start, he wouldn't have been in a good position to force Ram into doing all that he got done.
The lord of the universe is embarrassed, he has nothing to give to Kevat.
Ram felt embarrassed that Kevat has taken Him across the Ganga, and the Lord of the Universe has got nothing to offer him in return.
Sita understood Ram's bhaav(sentiments) and she immediately took the Mudrika(ring) off her fingers and handed it to Ram.
When Ram turned towards Kevat and extended the ring towards him , Kevat started crying, he said,
Naath Aju Main Kahu Na pava
Mite Dukh Dosh Daridra Dava
Meaning: "Oh my Lord, What have I not gotten today, All my miseries and bad karmas are finished"
The Exchange of Gifts, Kevat asks for the ultimate thing.
“Maharaj I have got everything today, nevertheless, if you wish to give me, I will ask for two things.
"The first is, you are a mallah (boatman) like me. The only difference is that I am a mallah of ganga tatt and you are a Mallah of Bhavasagar (material existence).When I die, and I meet you at that time, you take me across the Bhavasagar.
And second wish, "When you return from the forest, at that time if you meet me, whatever you give at that time I will accept it!"
Watch Swami Mukundananda narrating the Kevat and Ram story from Ramayana:
Ramayana Story - Kevat and Ram
Reflections from the journey across river Ganga: More Than a Physical Crossing
This interaction of Kevat and Ram demonstrates the essence of bhakti, or devotion, where the devotee finds joy and fulfillment in the service of the Lord.
Kevat's outright refusal to take Ram across the river stemmed from a deep-seated reverence and an understanding of the divine nature of Lord Ram. His faith and surrender makes him fearless and he is able to make Ram fulfill all his wishes.
In addition, this Ramayana story highlights Ram as a symbol of compassion. Dancing to Kevat's tune, He reveals that God can be captivated by selfless love and surrender. Sita convincing Lakshman to stand in the line for Charanamrit indicates that God grace showers equally on all regardless of social standing. Kevat insisting on using an earthen pot instead of Gold, silver or copper reflects on the fact that God cares about love in our hearts and not the material opulence.
Finally, Kevat's action of navigating the boat in seemingly aimless circles symbolizes the soul's suffering through repeated cycles of birth and death. The two wishes he asks Ram to fulfill at the end highlight the need for divine grace in order to attain the ultimate goal of the souls - which is to cross over the ocean of material existence.
Experience the devotional essence of the epic Ramayana this Ram Navami 2024
Ram Navami will be celebrated in the divine presence of Swami Mukundanada at the JKYog US Head Quarters - Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas. See program details here.
More heart melting Ramayana Stories:
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Significance of Ram Navami and How to Celebrate