When Lakshmana and Indrajith faced each other in battle, none of Lakshmana's arrows had any effect on Indrajith. Finally, Lakshmana took an arrow from the quiver and said: “If it is a fact that Rama is an adherent of truth, let this arrow kill Indrajith.” And that arrow felled Indrajith. The Ramayana shows the power of truth, said M.V. Anantapadmanabhachariar.
There lived in Srirangam a great Vaishnavite Acharya called Nampillai, whose discourses on the Ramayana attracted huge crowds. Also living in Srirangam at the time was Naduvil Thiruveedhi Pillai, who never attended any of these Ramayana discourses, because he thought that he himself was quite knowledgeable, and there was nothing new for him to learn from Nampillai.
One day, he heard that the king was giving gifts to scholars. So he went to receive the gifts. Himself well-read, the king would not give gifts to anyone without checking their knowledge.
He told Naduvil Thiruveedhi Pillai that he would give him gifts if he answered his question. Naduvil Thriuveedhi Pillai agreed. The king referred to Lord Rama's statement that He was a man, the son of Dasaratha. If this were so, how could a mere man grant Jatayu moksha? Naduvil Thriuveedhi Pillai did not know the answer. He left the place and accosted a man who had been attending Nampillai's Ramayana discourses and put the question to him.
He said Nampillai had explained this by saying that it was not Rama who gave Jatayu moksha, but His words. Rama was the embodiment of Truth, and what He said had to come true. If anyone else were a staunch adherent of truth like Rama, his words too would have the same effect, said the man who had regularly attended Nampillai's lectures.
Naduvil Thiruveedhi Pillai returned to the king and gave him Nampillai's explanation. Pleased with the reply, the king gave him gifts in abundance. Naduvil Thiruveedhi Pillai took the gifts to Nampillai and told him that the gifts should rightly belong to him. All the gifts the king had given were for just a few words of Nampillai.
Thus the Ramayana establishes the significance of truth.
