Pearls from the Ramayana
The stories of the Lord are thrilling to listen to. Over the years we had the
good fortune reading several great and poetic accounts by great sages and
saints of the Lord's earthly sojourn as RAMA. Valmiki, Tulsidas, Kamban..just
to name a few.
But what if God himself were to tell his own story? The exact intentions of His
actions? What if He were to dive deep into the ocean of His leelas and give you
the pearls of wisdom? You would consider yourself extremely fortunate, won't
you? Well, you and me are indeed fortunate. Because, in the next few pages, we
have Swami Himself speaking to us on the Ramayana! Go ahead! Enjoy!
WHEN YOU RECOGNISE THE SUPREME REALITY
When Rama, along with Lakshmana and Sita, was moving in the forest and talking
to severalRishis, there used to be congregations where the women used to sit on
one side and the Rishisused to sit on the other side and discussions used to
take place. In the place where all the women were sitting, Sita also joined
them. Rama and Lakshmana, because they were living in the forest and because
they were wearing clothes appropriate to the forest were also looking like
theRishis. However, between the two, Rama was showing a certain amount of
Divine Light.
In the place where Sita was sitting, some of the women went to her and asked:
"Have you come alone or have you come along with your husband as well?" She
replied that her husband too had come. With the women wanting to see and find
out who her husband was, they were asking her many questions. Sita, a sacred
woman given to righteous conduct all her life, would not get up when all the
Rishis were present and say, "Here is my husband," by way of introduction. She
would not do that; and knowing what was passing through Sita's mind and
recognising her reluctance to get up and point to her husband, one of the women
asked Sita by pointing at one of the men, "Is that person your husband?" She
then replied in the negative by just nodding her head. Another woman came and
asked her, "Is that person whose hair is tied up in knots your husband?" She
again nodded her head in the negative. In this way, when many women came and
asked Sita, pointing at the wrong person and asking the question, "Is that your
husband?" she was nodding her head to indicate a negative reply. When Rama who
was sitting there was actually pointed out, Sita said neither, "yes" nor "no."
She simply exhibited a significant, happy and pleasant smile.
Our Vedantha teaches us something which is exactly similar to this story. If
you point at the wrong thing and if that is not the supreme reality, then you
say "no." Anything that is shown and is not the right thing should call forth
the comment, "this is not that," "this is not that," and so on. When you put
your finger on supreme reality, the Brahman, then you are in supreme bliss and
happiness. Such is the nature of Vedantha that we are able to give today to
you, young students, with pure and unwavering hearts. I am glad that you are
attempting to acquire the good things of our culture and the teachings we are
giving you.
ON MAYA
You are also being told a few things about Maya. Just as our own shadow will
always accompany us and will not separate from us, so also Maya will always
accompany God and will not separate from Him. There is a very good illustration
of this fact in the Ramayana. At the time Rama, accompanied by Lakshmana and
Sita, was moving in the forest. The forest was a thick one and there were no
wide roads and they could only follow a narrow path; the way they were walking
was such that Rama was going in front, immediately behind him was Sita, and
Lakshmana came behind Sita. In this way, all the three, Rama, Sita and
Lakshmana were moving forward along a narrow path. In order to be able to
recognise and understand this situation, you hold up your three fingers. The
first finger represents Rama, God or Paramatma. The second finger immediately
behind represents Sita or Maya. The last finger in this row of three,
represents Lakshmana or theJiva.
Paramatma, Maya and Jiva, these three are going along in a narrow path in the
wild forest of life. After a little while, Lakshmana, whom we have symbolised
as Jiva, has got the desire and the ambition to have a look at God or
Paramatma. What is it that he has to do in order to fulfil his desire? There
are only two ways of looking at Rama or getting his darshan. One is for Sita,
who is in between, to move away a little and let Lakshmana have the darshan of
Rama. Alternatively, if Sita insists on staying where she is, Lakshmana has to
move aside a little. To get Sita to move away, he may have to push her out from
the place where she is standing, but then he will be offending Rama. So what
Lakshmana did was to pray to Sita in all humility and ask her to give him a
chance of having darshan of Rama. Sita, in all her graciousness and in all her
kindness, said, "Yes, certainly you can have the darshan of Rama," and just
stepped out a little. So if you get angry with Maya, and if you want to use
force and your own strength on Maya and push her out of her place and then have
the darshan of the Lord, you will not succeed. Maya then will play tricks with
you. Not only that, God will not allow such a thing to be done. The only way,
therefore, to fulfill your ambition is to recognise that Maya is the
inseparable shadow of God Himself and pray in all humility and ask for an
opportunity by which Maya will stand aside.
HANUMAN AND DHARMA
In Ramayana, we have the story of Hanuman. He sets an example to all of us by
the manner in which he conducts himself. When he comes close to Rama, he shows
extreme humility and respect. What is the reason for Hanuman exhibiting such
humility in the presence of Rama? The reason for such behaviour lies in the
description of `Ramo Vigrahavan Dharmaha' of Rama. Rama is the embodiment of
dharma and therefore in the presence of dharma, he shows humility. The same
Hanuman, when he went to Lanka, had put himself on a pedestal higher than that
of Ravana, because Ravana asked him to squat on the floor like a monkey. The
reason for this is that while in the presence of dharma, Hanuman is humble and
obedient but in the presence of a boasting king he would not show any humility.
In the same manner, you should bow down todharma, and show respect to teachers
and elders. On the other hand you should show courage and prudence when placed
in a predicament which is adharmic. Even then, you should not take to anarchic
methods.
HOW TO BE NEAR THE LORD
When Rama was going to the forest, he told Sita to stay back and serve his
parents. He said that he would come back in fourteen years. But Sita gave up
all her comforts to accompany Rama to the forest. Because she sacrificed
everything, she could have the company of Rama. What is the reason? Sita
thought, believed and put into practice the ideal that to a wife, her husband
is of utmost importance. This is the essence of the culture of our land.
However, the enticement of Maya at times is irresistible. In the forest, it so
happened that Sita was attracted by the golden deer, although she gave up much
more valuable things earlier in life. Rama went after the golden deer to secure
it for her. The final result was that Sita had to leave Rama and go away. Sita
had to lose the sacred company of her husband, and she was taken away to Lanka.
It implies that when she gave up kama, or lust, Rama was near her; but the
moment she was attracted by the desires, Rama became distant from her. If you
want Rama to be with you, kama has to be given up. If you have worldly desires,
then Rama will not be near you. You have to choose between Rama or Kama, that
is, either you cling to God or to his Maya.
THE IDEAL OF LAKSHMANA
During all the years of his service to Sita and Rama, Lakshmana was sitting at
their feet and did not even look closely at Sita's face. When Sita was being
carried away by Ravana over the Chitrakoota Mountain, she dropped several of
her jewels so that people could find them and convey the news to Rama. When
Rama and Lakshmana became friendly with Sugriva, he brought the jewels, which
his followers had gathered and showed them to Rama. At that time Rama asked
Lakshmana if he could recognise the jewels. Lakshmana said that while he could
not recognise the other jewels, he could certainly recognise those which Sita
wore on her feet. When Rama asked how he could recognise these, Lakshmana
replied that every morning he used to go and touch her feet; hence he was quite
familiar with them.
Lakshmana was looking at the wife of his brother as his own mother and was
looking only at her feet. He never looked at her face. Lakshmana would always
bend his head low if he found some other woman coming in front of him.
Lakshmana was a person of exemplary character. The vision and the eyes of the
young people today do not bend even if we bend them by force. If they use their
vision for unsacred purposes, disturbance of the mind will surely follow. The
first importantsadhana is to control our vision. Lakshmana had such sacred
thoughts and mind. If only he is taken as an ideal example and we follow him,
there will be no doubt of our own elevation.
WHEN YOU THINK OF GOD YOU BECOME GOD
As soon as Rama, Lakshmana and Sita arrived, Bharatha prostrated before them
and, as a result of his being overjoyed, he went and embraced his brother Rama
and felt exceedingly happy. He made his brother Rama sit in the chariot and he
himself was leading the chariot. When Rama was sitting in that chariot and
Bharatha was leading the chariot through the streets of Ayodhya, the citizens
of Ayodhya could not distinguish between Bharatha and Rama. The reason for this
was that Bharatha was also wearing his clothes and his hair was like
Ramachandra. Moreover, the brilliance in Ramachandra's face was exactly the
same as the brilliance in Bharatha's face. Their bodies were different but
their ideas, their thoughts and their views were identical. Bharatha was
continually thinking and uttering the name of Rama. Consequently, Rama's form
and Rama's brilliance entered Bharatha's body.
That is why it is said "Brahma vid Brahmaiva bhavathi." One who has the
knowledge of Brahmanwill become identical with Brahman. As he was continuously
thinking of Rama, he was transformed into Rama. Citizens who came to garland
Rama could not recognise who was Rama and who was Bharatha. They put all the
garlands on Bharatha thinking that he was Rama.
ADHYATMA RAMAYANA, The spiritual essence of the Rama Story
Man has got five working organs and five sensory organs. Altogether he has got
ten indriyas, and Dasaratha literally means the human body which has got five
working organs and five sensory organs. Dasaratha symbolises this chariot of
the human body which has got ten organs. Dasaratha also attracted three gunas
in the form of Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. The fourPurusharthas: dharma,
artha, kama and moksha are symbolised by Dasaratha's four sons. Dasaratha was
one who proclaimed such a significant inner meaning to the world and urged the
people to lead an ideal life.
Sita is the daughter of the king of Mithilapura whose name was Videha. Videha
means one who has no body or one who has no consciousness of his human body.
The capital of Dasaratha was Ayodhya. Ayodhya means a city into which enemies
cannot enter. Dasaratha had such noble qualities and ideals that he was
carrying on the rule of his country in an exemplary manner. Sita can be
identified with wisdom, and Sita marries Rama or becomes one with Rama who is
dharma. When wisdom comes together with dharma, in the ordinary course, such a
good event will meet with some obstacles. It is customary and quite natural
that every good thing is met with by some obstacles. As I state often, pleasure
is only an interval between two pains. If there is no pain at all, there is no
value for pleasure. Sita is the embodiment of wisdom and she had been taken
away by Ravana, who symbolises selfishness and ego.
If one wants his little wisdom to disappear, all that one has to do is to
promote his selfishness, jealousy and ego. Ravana symbolises selfishness,
jealousy and ego. To make a search for Sita, who had been taken away by the bad
qualities, selfishness, jealousy and ego, Rama, in the form of dharma, along
with the other Purusharthas, i.e., artha, kama and moksha, makes a journey.
Here Lakshmana is to be identified with the mind. We should notice that Rama,
the embodiment of dharma, combines with Lakshmana, who is identified as mind,
and goes to the forest, which signifies life. In that forest of life, Rama
searches for wisdom in the form of Sita. In this context, there is an argument
between the two brothers Vali and Sugriva. Sugriva can be compared to the
ability to distinguish between right and wrong. Here the inability or the
weakness which is called dhirathwa has been destroyed in the form of Vali; and
Sugriva, who symbolises the ability to distinguish between right and wrong,
comes out victorious. Along with Sugriva, who symbolises viveka, or the ability
to distinguish right from wrong, we have Hanuman. The combination of Sugriva
and Hanuman is like the combination of viveka and courage. The vivekaand
courage went together in search of Sita, the wisdom. They meet with one
obstacle in the form of an ocean of moha. Thus the ocean of moha had to be
crossed and this crossing was effected with the help of courage in the form of
Hanuman.
After crossing the ocean, they encounter the three gunas: the rajas, thamas and
sathwa on the opposite bank of the ocean. They are Ravana, Kumbha-karna and
Vibhishana representing the three gunas respectively. The rajas and the thamas,
Ravana and Kumbhakarna, were removed from the scene and finally the sathwa Guna
gets the upper hand in the form of Vibhishana. He has been crowned the king.
After making Vibhishana the king of Lanka, Rama has the vision of wisdom born
out of experience, in the person of Sita. Rama, prior to finding Sita, could be
called a Brahmajnani but when he found Sita, symbolising the knowledge of
experience, there is a reunion of the knowledge of experience with the pure
Brahma Jnana, and the culmination was the coronation, the story which we called
Sahasrartha Ramayana. This description which has now been given can also be
called Adhyatma Ramayana. It is only when we can understand this interpretation
of Adhyatma Ramayana, there is some benefit for us and a possibility of the
realisation of the nature of Atma. If we keep on thinking of Ramayana in the
human form of a king Dasaratha, a son Rama and look only superficially, how can
we know the real significance?
NONE CAN SEPARATE A DEVOTEE FROM THE LORD
Lakshmana, Bharatha and Satrughna one day went to Sita and made a complaint and
said that Hanuman was with Rama all the twenty-four hours, and that he is not
giving them any opportunity for doing service to Rama. They requested her to
arrange that whatever services have to be done to Rama, be distributed
equitably amongst them. Then they made a long list of services to be rendered
to Rama from the morning till the next morning. They also prayed to Sita that
all these services be approved by Rama. Rama looked at the list and approved
all the services and suggested that they be distributed amongst themselves. He
suggested that they go and tell Hanuman that nothing is left so far as Hanuman
is concerned. When these brothers met Hanuman, they told him that the entire
list of services has been drawn up and that they were distributed amongst
themselves. They said that no service was left for him and that he would have
nothing to do from the next day.
Hanuman thought for a little and thought of the name of Lord Rama and then he
asked Lakshmana that if any other service was left over, it may be allotted to
him. The three brothers looked at the list very carefully and came to the
conclusion that nothing was left. They agreed that if anything is left, Hanuman
may take the service. Hanuman said, there was one service, which was left over
and he requested that this be given to him. When kings or elders or wealthy
people yawn, at that time it was customary to make a noise with the fingers in
front of the mouth. Hanuman asked that this service be allotted to him. From
that time, Hanuman insisted that wherever Rama went, whether it is in his
bedroom or in the bathroom, Hanuman must be present. Thus he insisted, because
one does not know when Rama would yawn. When Rama yawned, he should be present
there. Thus, it so turned out that the little service which was left to Hanuman
necessitated his continuous presence and made Hanuman stay close to Rama always.
What we should see here is that in spite of all the attempts made by Lakshmana,
Bharatha and Satrughna not to leave any service for Hanuman, it is the
sacredness of Hanuman that has resulted in his getting a service by which he
could be with Rama at all times. No one can separate a real devotee present
from his Lord.
PARTICIPATE IN THE LORD'S MISSION
Once upon a time Hanuman met Vibhisana. Vibhisana conveyed his anguish to
Hanuman. "Hanuman, how fortunate you are. I am constantly thinking of Rama, but
I have failed in getting Rama's darshan. From the moment I wake up, throughout
the day, till I go to bed I chant Rama's name incessantly. But I have not been
able to see Rama." Hanuman replied, "Vibhisana, you are merely uttering Rama's
name by mouth. But you do not participate in his work and mission. It is not
sufficient if you chant Lord's name. But you should contribute in his work. It
is ten months since Sita has come to Lanka. Have you made any efforts to free
Sita? Rama's name can be compared to current and participation in His service
is compared to a bulb. Name is the current; service is the bulb. You can attain
Divinity only when you combine chanting of Lord's name with participation in
His service."
The Rama Story
The Rama Avatar is the first of the three great Avatars. Thousands of years
ago, the Lord took birth in Ayodhya as the eldest son of Emperor Dasaratha,
choosing the Emperor's senior-most wife Kausalya as His mother. Aspects of Him
were born as His brothers (Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrugana) to the other two
wives of Dasaratha.
When the Princes were in their teens, Dasaratha sent Rama and Lakshmana along
with Sage Viswamitra to the forest, to guard from demons the sacred rituals
then being performed by the Sage. Later in the court of Emperor Janaka, Rama
lifted the mighty bow of Siva, winning thereby the hand of Sita, the foster
daughter of Janaka. Along with the wedding of Rama and Sita, the marriages of
the other Princes were also celebrated.
Years later, Dasaratha decided to step down and crown Rama as the Emperor. But
just hours before the auspicious ceremony, Kaikeyi the third wife of Dasaratha
cashed an old promise given to her, and made Dasaratha banish Rama to the
forest for fourteen years, while her own son Bharata was nominated to the
throne.
Bharatha the surprise beneficiary was unaware of the scheming of his mother, as
he was then in his grandfather's kingdom. Rama happily obeyed His father, and
at once left for the forest, with Sita and Lakshmana accompanying Him.
Unable to bear the separation from Rama, Dasaratha breathed his last and
Bharatha was immediately sent for. He hastened back to learn that his father
had died of grief and that his dear Brother had been banished to the forest,
all for his sake! Bharatha refused to ascend the throne, rushed to the forest,
and pleaded with Rama to return and rule. But Rama was firm in standing by His
word given to His father and step-mother. Bharatha returned disappointed,
donned the garb of a hermit, lived in a village, and administered the kingdom
on behalf of Rama, symbolically deriving authority from the sandals of Rama,
reverentially placed on the throne.
After Bharatha's departure, Rama, along with Sita and Lakshmana withdrew deep
into the forest. There one day, Sita was abducted by Ravana, the evil ruler of
Lanka, even as Rama was engaged in capturing for Sita, a golden deer.
Rama and Lakshmana then began their long arduous search for Sita. In the
process, they befriended Sugriva, the Vanara (monkey) leader. Hanuman, a
minister of Sugriva, became a great devotee of Rama. Sugriva offered help in
the search for Sita. As a part of the process, Hanuman jumped across the ocean
to the island of Lanka, and there located Sita held captive by Ravana in a
garden.
Rama then invaded Lanka along with the Vanara warriors, building a bridge
across the ocean for the purpose of crossing it. A lengthy battle ensued at the
end of which all the evil doers perished, including Ravana, who was slain by
Rama. Sita was rescued, and Rama, Lakhsmana and Sita triumphantly returned to
the mainland, flying in the very same aerial chariot of Ravana in which Sita
was earlier carried away. After reunion with Bharata who was counting the days,
the entire party entered Ayodhya, much to the joy of the people.
The exile having been duly completed, on an auspicious day Rama was duly
crowned, a ceremony that had to wait for fourteen years because the Avatar had
a promise to keep. Rama ruled righteously for several years. His reign is
symbolic of peace, prosperity and justice, and even today is held up as a model
for governance.
Rama was God Incarnate, but He never proclaimed His Divinity. In every respect,
His life was an emphatic message of how one ought to live, always adhering to
Sathya and Dharma. Rama was an ideal son, an ideal brother, an ideal friend, an
ideal master, and an ideal King.
The Rama Avatar proves that the one who protects Dharma and stands by it, will
himself be protected by that very same Dharma.
The accompanying paintings have been done in the traditional Karnataka style.
