Wednesday, April 21, 2010

SriRamayanam-II

There are two ways of looking at the Ramayana. One is to think of it as a story that happened millennia ago, if at all, and feel amused by various 'characters' of the story. And I fear this is the feeling in majority that it either happened long ago or that it was simply conjured up by some clever story tellers. Whatever, the fact is that this epic has penetrated into the Indian souls and Rama is very much a household name. A name that Indians utter in trouble or while sighing almost involuntarily. It has inspired scores of artisans to re-tell the story through every conceivable art form. Sample this, in telugu alone, there are tens of works that have re-told the Rama story. Not all of them follow the original of Valmiki as such. They add their own poetry and Bhakthi Rasa to it.

The second way of looking at Ramayana is internalizing it, relating to the story, the situations, the dharma and putting into practice a little of that and emerge as better human beings.

It is this second aspect that Sri Sathya Sai Baba emphasizes in the matchless book Ramakatha Rasavahini, originally written in Telugu and rendered into English by Late Sri. Kasturi. Baba prefaces the book with a very beautiful insight into the Rama story and says:

Rama is the Indweller in every Body. He is the Atma-Rama, the Rama (Source of Bliss) in every individual. His blessings upsurging from that inner Spring can confer Peace and Bliss. He is the very embodiment of Dharma of all the Codes of Morality that hold mankind together in Love and Unity

Baba tells the story of Rama in a concise and clear manner and as you are reading a paragraph from an episode, the undelying moral follows soon enough to make the reader understand and put the Rama story into perspective in our life. I quote the remainder of the preface as it removes the veil of the 'story' and gives the epic a more spiritual meaning. 

The Ramayana, the Rama story, teaches two lessons: the value of detachment and the need to become aware of the Divine in every being. Faith in God and detachment from objective pursuits are the keys for human liberation. Give up sense-objects; you gain Rama. Sita gave up the luxuries of Ayodhya and so, she could be with Rama, in the period of 'exile'. When she cast longing eyes on the golden deer and craved for it, she lost the Presence of Rama. Renunciation leads to joy; attachment brings about grief. Be in the world, but, not of it

The brothers, comrades, companions and collaborators of Rama are each of them examples of persons saturated with Dharma. Dasaratha is the representative of the merely physical, with the ten senses. The three Gunas - Sathwa, Rajas and Thamas - are the three Queens. The Four Goals of Life - the Purusharthas - are the four Sons. Lakshmana is the Intellect; Sugriva is Viveka or Discrimination. Vali is Despair. Hanuman is the embodiment of Courage. The Bridge is built over the Ocean of Delusion. The three Rakshasa chiefs are personifications of the Rajasic (Ravana), Thamasic (Kumbhakarna) and the Sathwic qualities (Vibhishana). Sita is Brahmajnana or the Awareness of the Universal Absolute, which the Individual must acquire and regain undergoing travails in the crucible of Life. Make your heart pure and strong, contemplating the grandeur of the Ramayana. Be established in the faith that Rama is the Reality of your existence.

I have tried to see the Rama story from this angle and when viewed thus it unearths lessons galore to be practiced in daily life, in short, how to be and how not to be! More later.

Friday, April 16, 2010

SriRamayanam-I

Sri Ramayanam as it is called reverentially in India is an amazing epic which literally means "the movements of Sri Rama". Sri Rama is celebrated as one of the avatars of MahaVishnu and there by God hood is accorded to Sri Rama. However, in this grand epic, one is unlikely to find many instances where Sri Rama is depicted as an omnipotent God. Instead, SriRama has been celebrated as being the best among humans, with unsullied conduct, extraordinary love and one with such attachment to dharma that centuries on, it still serves as a guiding light to man. After the conquest of Ravana, the Gods come over to the city of Lanka and extol Rama as verily Narayana Himself. He however says,

आत्मानं मानुषं मन्ये, रामं दशरथात्मजम

I think of myself as a man, Rama, the son of Dasaratha.

He wails pitiably when Seetha is kidnapped. He decides to give up is his life when Lakshmana is rendered unconscious in the battlefield. He displays the the most pristine human emotions and yet he weds himself to dharma at all times, at all places. Such was his adherence to dharma that compliments came from even enemy quarters. Maricha, twice bitten umpteen shy warrior hailed Sri Rama as

रामो विग्रहवान धर्मः

Rama is the very embodiment of dharma.

Sri Ramayanam is also a celebration of human relatioships in both their most ideal and most un-ideal states. Details of these another time. Sage Valmiki's rendering of the Sri Ramayanam is at once detailed, rich in poetic beauty and unparalelled in the examples it uses to convey the situations.

Having started to write this on a sacred note, I hope to get a chance to continue soon.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Ramayana

The idea of this pic is two fold.

First is that I've found great inspiration from the Rama story. Recently Bhakthi TV aired Ramayanam discourse by Brahmasri Chaganti Koteswar Ran garu. The amazing command this gentleman has over language and scripture influenced me a lot. I started to appreciate why Valmiki's praise is sung by all poets. So I figured that I need an outlet to express some of my thoughts. I shall start writing here verses that I like from Valmiki Ramayanam and take liberty to express my thoughts on those.

Secondly, due to restrictions at workplace, I'd like to explore the option of blogging from my phone starting with this.

Sree Rama Jayam!

About Me

My photo
Love to blog. Every time I turn joyous or in extreme pain, I blog. Huge believer of 'charity begins at home'.