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.

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