Over the last couple of months, there has been a lot of discussion about the movie Adipurush, the Ramayana and Lord Rama. The Ramayana reading month is also approaching. Let me ask you a simple question. The Ramayana, Hinduism’s oldest epic, contains around 24,000 verses. Do you know which is considered its greatest verse?
Let me share an interesting story—one that many of you may not be familiar with. But for Malayalis, it forms an integral part of our Hindu tradition.
The best Verse of the Epic Ramayana
The Story of Vararuchi and the Greatest Verse of the Ramayana
This story is said to have taken place in the court of King Vikramaditya. His royal court was adorned with the Navaratnas — the nine jewels — and among them was the great scholar Vararuchi. There are many references to Vikramaditya and Vararuchi in different traditions, and honestly, even I find them a little confusing. I may not be knowledgeable enough to clarify those historical details. But let us listen to the story first.
One day, King Vikramaditya asked in his court, “Which is the greatest sloka in the Ramayana?” He announced a reward of 1,000 gold coins for the correct answer. In another version of the tale, the king directly ordered Vararuchi to find the answer within a fixed time. Either way, it became a matter of prestige for the scholar.
Vararuchi was highly learned and well-versed in the Ramayana. He knew every single verse by heart and could recite the epic flawlessly. Perhaps the king wanted to test his intelligence — or maybe to humble his pride. As we know, stories from ancient times were rarely documented and were passed down orally through generations. So there may be many versions.
Determined to find the answer, Vararuchi began his quest. He kept scanning all the verses of the Ramayana in his mind, again and again. Yet he could not decide which one was the greatest.
The final day arrived, and still he had not found the answer. Tired and worried, he reached a banyan tree at dusk and lay down beneath it to rest. Darkness slowly spread around him. According to our beliefs, holy spirits are said to reside in banyan trees — sometimes referred to as Vanadevatas, the guardians of the forest.
As Vararuchi lay there pretending to sleep, he overheard two such spirits conversing. One of them said, “Today, a girl was born in a pariah caste, and the man destined to marry her is sleeping beneath this banyan tree. He is such a fool that he does not even know the meaning of ‘Maamvidhi.’”
Being deeply familiar with every line of the Ramayana, Vararuchi immediately recognised the verse being referred to. He now knew the answer.
The next day — the final day — he appeared in the royal court and recited the stanza before King Vikramaditya. The king was pleased with his explanation and awarded him the 1,000 gold coins.
But what Vararuchi did afterwards was truly cruel.
Ramam Dasaratham viddhi, Maam viddhi Janakaatmajaam
Which is the famous stanza of the epic Ramayana, written by Valmiki?
“Ramam Dasaratham viddhi, maam viddhi Janakaatmajaam
Ayodhyamataveem viddhi, gaccha taatha yatha sukham”
These lines were spoken by Sumitra, the mother of Lakshmana. It was her advice to him before he left for the fourteen-year exile, accompanying Rama and Sita — a mother’s words at the moment of farewell.
The meaning of the verse is profound:
“From now on, consider Rama as your father Dasaratha, Janaki as me, your mother. Consider the forest as Ayodhya, your own kingdom, and go happily on your journey.”
What a beautiful piece of advice!
This verse remains relevant even today. It teaches us how to treat an elder brother with the respect of a father, and his wife with the affection due to a mother. It also shows us how to face even the most difficult situations with a positive mind. It speaks of love, duty, sacrifice, obedience and deep family bonds.
This stanza appears in the Ayodhya Kanda, Chapter 40, as the ninth sloka.
What Happened Next in Vararuchi’s Story?
With the help of the king, Vararuchi located the newborn baby girl. Believing he could change destiny, he cruelly drove a nail into her head, placed her inside a box, and set it afloat in a river. He was satisfied that he had altered fate. Years passed, and he gradually forgot the incident.
Several years later, while travelling, Vararuchi accepted an invitation from a Brahmin to stay at his house for the night. However, he agreed on one condition — that the Brahmin should prepare 100 curries for his meal. (Some versions say 1000, and some say 18, but the version many of us heard in childhood mentions 100.) Obviously, it was an impossible task to prepare so many dishes in such a short time.
The Brahmin had a daughter. Seeing her father worried, she calmly told him that she would handle it. She prepared a simple ginger curry and served it with boiled rice.
When Vararuchi questioned her about the promised hundred dishes, she replied confidently that ginger is equivalent to a hundred curries, as it contains many flavours within it.
Vararuchi was deeply impressed by her intelligence and presence of mind. He asked for her hand in marriage. The Brahmin happily agreed, and the two were married.
Time passed. One day, Vararuchi noticed a strange mark on his wife’s head and asked her about it. She explained that she was an adopted child. Her father had found her as a baby by the riverbank, with a nail stuck in her head.
In that moment, Vararuchi was stunned. The past rushed back to him. He realised, to his shock, that she was the very same child he had once tried to destroy to defeat destiny.
Yes — destiny cannot be changed.
And from here begins another fascinating chapter of Vararuchi’s story, one that later became an inseparable part of Kerala’s cultural folklore.
12 Children born to a Paraya woman
The full story appears in Aithihyamala, a well-known collection of centuries-old tales and legends from Kerala, written by Kottarathil Sankunni (1855–1937). Among all the stories in the book, the most popular one is undoubtedly that of Vararuchi and his twelve children born from this marriage. It is famously known as Parayi Petta Panthirukulam, which literally means “the twelve clans born to a Paraya woman.”
After learning the truth about his wife’s birth, Vararuchi was no longer able to love her as before. He was troubled and unhappy. The couple then set out on a long pilgrimage. During this journey, twelve children were born to them.
When the first child was born, Vararuchi asked whether the baby had a mouth. His wife replied, “Yes.” He then said, “God will provide for the one who has a mouth.” With those words, she was forced to abandon the newborn, and they continued their journey.
The same thing happened with the next ten children. Each time a baby was born, he asked the same question. Each time, hearing that the child had a mouth, he insisted that God would take care of it. The helpless mother had no choice but to leave each child behind.
When the twelfth baby was born, he again asked the same question. This time, deep inside, Vararuchi was thinking that perhaps she would keep the child. But fearing that she would lose this baby too, the mother lied and said the child was born without a mouth.
To their shock, the child indeed had no mouth and soon died. The earlier eleven children, however, survived and were brought up by families belonging to different communities. In a way, Vararuchi’s words had come true — God had provided for the children who had a mouth.
Vararuchi consecrated the twelfth child as a deity on top of a hill, and the couple continued their pilgrimage. Their story ends there, but the story of their children begins from that point.
The twelfth child came to be known as Vayillakkunnilappan — “the Lord on the Hill without a Mouth” — and is still worshipped in a temple at Kadampazhipuram in Palakkad district.
Perunthachan and Naranath Bhranthan – The prominent among 12 offspring
Among the remaining eleven children, Karakkalamma was the only girl. The sons were Mezhathol Agnihotri, Pakkanar, Rajakan, Naranath Bhranthan, Akavoor Chathan, Vaduthala Nair, Vallon, Uppukottan, Paananar and Perumthachan. Among them, Perumthachan and Naranath Bhranthan became the most popular. Pakkanar’s stories are also widely known. In fact, all the children excelled in some art or talent and became famous in their own way. Most of them led simple lives, adapting to the communities of their foster parents. Let me conclude by saying a few words about these two celebrated personalities.
Perumthachan was brought up in a carpenter family. He is regarded as a towering figure in Kerala architecture. Even today, when a traditional structure is built, the first pooja is performed in his name to seek his blessings. There are countless tales about his extraordinary craftsmanship. A central figure in Kerala folklore, many temples, palaces and even a famous pond are attributed to him. Several of his works still remain architectural puzzles.
The only dark shadow on his glorious life is the rumour that he killed his own son out of professional jealousy — by deliberately dropping his chisel while his son was standing below. The chisel struck his son’s neck, and he died on the spot. Was it truly jealousy, or just a tragic accident?
My favourite among the twelve is Naranath Bhranthan. What a philosopher he was! He, too led a very simple life and was believed to possess yogic powers. He was not truly mad, but behaved like a madman. Shabbily dressed, he would laugh without reason and speak profound philosophy. What made him especially popular was his strange daily routine. Every morning, he would struggle to roll a heavy rock up a hill called Rayiram Kunnu, only to push it down once it reached the top. As the stone rolled down, he would clap his hands and laugh loudly, while people called him mad. This was his daily ritual.
It is also said that he was suffering from elephantiasis in his left leg. Yet, even with this condition, he climbed the hill every day, carrying a heavy rock. He would reach the top by noon, only to push it down from the hilltop. For a normal person, climbing that hill would take at least one and a half hours. Still, he did it daily.
This act of rolling the stone up and throwing it down has often been interpreted as symbolic. Many see it as an allegory for life itself. We struggle throughout our lives to achieve our dreams and accumulate things. But when we leave this world, we go empty-handed.
I shall conclude this post by sharing an interesting tale about Naranath Bhranthan — the “Madman of Naranam” — which has fascinated me since childhood.
Once, Goddess Kali appeared before him and asked him to make a wish. He asked her when he would die. The goddess revealed the exact time of his death. He then asked if she could extend his life by one more day. She replied that she could not. He asked if she could reduce it by one day. Again, she said no.
Then came his strange request. He asked whether she could shift the elephantiasis from his left leg to his right leg, as it was difficult for him to walk. What an unusual wish! Truly madness at its peak. His wish was granted, and the goddess disappeared.
He could have asked for wealth, power, or a long life. But he did not.
Hope you have enjoyed reading. I have added a page with articles related to Karkidakom month. If you are interested in reading, click the link. Keep reading our old epics and explore new things.
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