Civilizational epoch!

(Picture from here)

On the 5th of August 2020, in the holy Indian month of SrAvaN when the honourable prime minister Narendra Modi lays the foundation to the rAma temple, popularly known as SilAnyAs,  at ayOdhya it will mark a civilizational epoch! I will present some points as to why I think so.

 rAma's life as documented first by sage vAlmIki has seeped into the psyche of Indian society like no one else's. The reason for such popularity of the epic is the celebration of rAma in the epic as an embodiment of truth, upholder of righteousness, stickler to principles, unfailing friend, beloved brother, able husband, terrifying foe and so on! In fact the first sarga of rAmayaNam begin by listing of sixteen qualities (some of which are listed above) by vAlmIki and asking sage nArAda about a wonderful being who has all those qualities. nArada tells vAlmIki about rAma and his qualities.

Entire rAmAyaNam can be said to be an elaboration of these qualities and exemplifying the same through the life events of rAma.  The Indian populace and several near by countries also celebrated this description of rAma and made his ideals as their own and thus rAma came to take the centre-stage in the people's lives. While the personal qualities of rAma were aspirational for the populace, his rule of law was a model for the state. 

The 128th sarga of the yudhhakAnDam (please check verses 98-106 in this chapter) gives glimpses of how great the rule of rAma was and how much people celebrated him and looked up to him. The uttarakAnDam gives further details of his great rule. rAmAyaNam is also replete with instances of administrative excellence, rule of law, diplomacy, excelling of citizens, might of a righteous army and accessibility of the leadership to the commoners.

By these two counts rAmAyaNam filled the space for the personal and social ideal of people and the state and led to a harmonious existence people for centuries. It can be arguably said that the foundations of a vibrant culture, logical thinking, aesthetic presentations, evolution of literature and philosophy actually lay in such a model administration which was dubbed as rAmarAjya in subsequent times. 

While the first epic by sage vAlmIki is in samskRit, as regional languages developed, each felt a need for rAmAyaNam in their own language and thus in India now the epic is re-told in various languages in hundreds of different ways. There have been lots of epics written in ancient India. The love for rAma's story is evident in the fact that it is only rAmAyaNam which has captured the imagination of people across generations because of it's ultra natural presentation of human behaviour and emotion and sticking to a principled stand in times of crisis. It won't be an overstatement to say that the love for rAma in people is in fact their love for goodness itself! 

Hence every new born in this country knew about ayOdhya to be the playground of the maryAda purushOttama SrIrAma. Association of ayOdhya with rAma was as obvious as association of sun rise to the eastern direction. It was to be, until we came across the courts of law which valued material evidence more than history of the civilization. In these times when both ideas as well as evidences can be manipulated with a sophistication which forces one to believe, it was becoming increasingly difficult to argue the case that rAma was actually born in ayOdhya and the land on which the 1992-demolished unused structure stood was sacred to the citizens of the country.

It took the people a long time to present their case in a manner the judiciary understood. While they diligently did so, the huge 2019 political mandate to a dispensation favorable to the rAma temple meant that judiciary can't pretend as if the case was not important for people. It examined the evidence  and also respected the pulse and the sentiment of the people and gave verdict in late 2019 giving absolute ownership of the land to the presiding deity rAm lalla virAjmAn. 

The government has been playing fair in not getting entangled in day to day operations at the site and gave up the operations to a trust which it formed under the directions of the honourable supreme court. 

A good nine months after the verdict, other formalities have been completed and we move in the direction of laying of the foundation stone for a grand temple at the site which is the birth place of lord rAma. It is an unbelievable moment for crores of our citizens who were pessimistic about the possibility that rAma will ever return to ayOdhya. 

On 5th August when the honourable prime minister Modiji does the SilAnyAs he would become the chosen child of destiny to have done so. What else can one say about it when rAma returns to ayOdhya after 500 years and this man does the honours of welcoming him. 

May the symbolic return of rAma usher the return of rAmarAjya in our sacred land. In this highly connected world it can influence even more countries to imbibe and adapt those values embedded in rAmarAjya.

Therefore what is going to happen on 5th August 2020 is a civilizational epoch which while celebrating our ancient civilization and values holds hope for a resurgence and celebration of values in our society.

rAmOrAjamaNi sadA vijayatE.... rAma, the crest jewel of kings is always victorious.

jAi SrIrAma.   

Read the Valmiki Ramayanam in English here.

Sankaracharya's lasting legacy

Sri Sankaracharya, also known as Adi Sankara was a phenomenon who unfortunately is not as widely known as he should be in India and the world at large. His single biggest achievement has been to traverse the length and breadth of India by foot, a whopping 18000 Km by very conservative estimates, writing up contemporary commentaries on the scriptures that dictated the way of life in bhArat, conquering in controversies, establishment of centers of excellence and creating a legacy that is alive today and by virtue of all those ensuring a spiritual integration of bhArat.

Talking of Sankara’s legacy, what is his most lasting legacy? Is it the number of treatises and commentaries that he has written, viz. commentaries on brahma sUtras, upanishads, bhagavadgIta ; hymns that are both poetic and philosophical such as saundarya lahari or SivAnanda lahari or bhajagOvindam; or are they the large number of eulogies he has composed on almost all gods; or is it the conquests against those who controverted with him; is it the establishment of centers of excellence for practice of sanAtana dharma aka mutts; is it  giving jnAna the highest place? This list of course is just the tip of the iceberg of his extraordinary accomplishments in course of a life that lasted but 32 years. Arguably, his most lasting legacy has been his approach to the goal of spiritual integration of bhArat.

His mission of the spiritual integration of bhArat involved the following key aspects, viz. Expertise, Communication, Listening, Influencing, Transforming and Creating – all key aspects of leadership that we think of today.

Expertise

Sankara’s prodigious talent saw him mastering everything he came across in no time. He mastered the scriptures at a very young age. Perhaps a very early testimony of his command over language and learning is the spontaneous eulogy of goddess Lakshmi in the form of the kanakadhAra stOtram – a eulogy that showered gold in the house of a poor lady. The versatility he displayed in his genius at a very early age was an ample demonstration of his expertise. This reflected amply during his stay with the guru gOvinda bhagavatapAda for whom he was a privilege to teach!

Communication

His guru clearly saw that Sankara was made for higher accomplishments and that his power of articulation should not be wasted upon. He also seems to have recognized that an able person should be in an ecosystem where his talents are appreciated and also provides him with a stage to test his ideas. Hence guru gOvinda directed Sankara to go to kASi which was a center of learning brimming with scholars and also urged him to write commentaries on the brahma sUtras and upanishads. Thus kASi became the center in launching Sankara to the national scene. There was a fertile ground of seekers available here and Sankara excelled in communicating his thoughts on the scriptures in a succinct manner which brought him many a disciple. vyAsa himself had a duel with Sankara here in form of an old man from whom Sankara faced the severest test of authenticity of his interpretations and he graduated successfully in this test. Thus this period of stay in kASi where Sankara communicated vEdic philosophy to humanity in a contemporary manner was the key not only to hand over these works to posterity but also to gather the human resource needed in further stages of his mission.

Listening

Authoring impactful and authentic treatises on scriptures resulted in several scholars surrendering to him as his disciples. It was now time for Sankara to travel the farther lands and bring people into the fold of sanAtana dharma. He met with leaders of diverse faiths in this sojourn. He controverted with them and in the process he listened to their view point carefully before calling their bluff. It is never possible to refute another argument convincingly unless one listens well. The tradition of debate that Sankara brought forth in his conquests far outshines any other conquest in the history of mankind. There was no imposition on a view point but logical discussions on view points with both sides listening honestly. Their commitment to pursuit of truth is really admirable and is a necessity of the times today.

Influence

That Sankara heard diverse viewpoints ranging from materialism to ritualism to nihilism but ultimately won them over and helped each one identify other as a pilgrim in the journey is Sankara’s greatest achievement. These people were no pushovers and were deeply steeped in their pursuits. The amount of influence that he could create with his precise articulation to achieve this is indeed stunning.

Transform

Sankara however didn’t make his opponents change their pursuits but only made changes which helped them to relate to the ultimate goal through that path which they gladly adopted and accepted him as their guru. Sankara seems to have influenced and integrated them using what is known as a “merger and acquisition” strategy well known in the contemporary parlance today. This helped him to achieve far more than what 32 years on earth could afford! The transformation he caused can be further gauged from the devout followers he commands millennia after his withdrawal from the physical world.

Create

All the above leadership qualities enabled Sankara to create institutions for eternity. He created institutions in various parts of the country, seemingly keeping geography in mind. These mutts served as local powerhouses radiating his teachings and helping people in course correction from time to time. Even more than building the institutions he institutionalized the ways of worship with a clear view of the goal of life which is still the guiding light for seekers of the sanAtana dharma. Thus every home became a torchbearer of sanAtana dharma.

His achievement

The sanAtana dharma defines self-realization as the goal of life. As life evolved and population became more diverse the paths of self-realization also got diverse. From this diversification emerged several ways of attaining salvation, viz. karma kAnDam – ritualism, patanjala – practice of yOga and pranayama, sAnkhya – enumerativism, charvaka – materialism, SUnyavAda – nihilism to name a few, by the process of reductionism. The reductionistic practices got so deep rooted over a period of time that they lost sight of the ultimate aim for which the path was laid down. This led to conflicts and claims of superiority over one another as is common in any society with multiple ways of life. This was threatening the very fabric of sanAtana dharma which is when Sankara was born.

The dating of his advent is highly variable and historians differ in their assignment of the period widely. But by conservative estimates Sankara reigned on this land no less than 1200 years ago. He was born in kAlaDi near the present day Ernakulam in kEraLa. His legend reconstructed through hagiographic accounts of his conquests is much of the basis to know about his birth and life. But a lot more comprehensive glimpse of his personality can only be gleaned through his works.

Coming back to the society of those days - torn with diverse practices arising out of a common goal of life, Sankara’s mission was the spiritual reunification of the faiths and people. He noticed that various faiths differed in practice but forgot the reason for the practice. It was akin to forgetting that it is actually the light of the same Sun that enables us to see the various objects in the world.

Sankara emphasized that it is the same Sun that is shining in the pot, puddle, pond as well as the river. Therefore, the different water bodies share the commonality of reflecting the same Object of illumination. If you want to see the Sun, you could see him in any one of them equally well. The same is true with the ultimate purpose of life which can be attained through any of the different practices provided the goal is clear.

Difference is seen when we concentrate on the waterbody but oneness is seen when we concentrate on the same Sun that is reflected. This practice of perceiving this oneness in the creation is advaita or non-dualism.

The back-to-the-drawing-board approach of Sankara was refreshing. With this conviction, he set forth on his conquests with proponents of the diverse faiths and won them over in vAdas - debates. The greatness of the debates is that the “loser” didn’t lose the debate, rather he was elevated to a higher purpose in the pursuit of his faith. No one feared a loss in this duel but it was an honest enquiry of truth which if it was convincingly different from one’s views was not only welcomed but embraced.

Sankara’s advaitavAda concentrated on the essence and goal of myriad practices and therefore gave each its own place in the pursuit of the truth. Thus no faith was coerced into sanAtana dharma by enticement or enforcement. They just re-assumed their pristine forms in the light of the conviction of the goal that Sankara shined upon them. Thus Sankara achieved the spiritual unification of the various faiths of this land and that of bhArat and established harmony in the society.

This achievement of reunification of bhArat by Sankara must rank among the greatest efforts in the world for it was not done by use of any force but by sheer vAda (debate and logic) and an honest pursuit of truth. This way of resolving conflicts by debate is the greatest gift of bhArat to the world. This is what marks as an ancient and intellectual civilization. And we owe much to Sankara for that.

In the second and concluding part of this article I will attempt to outline what modern day scientists and pursuers of truth can learn from Sankara. Coming soon. Stay tuned.

रामः अन्तरात्मा

भगवता श्रीसत्यसायिनाथेन दत्त: रामायणस्य अन्तरार्थः

देहे देहे रामः विलसति अन्तर्यामिरूपेण । अस्माकम् अन्तरङ्गे सः अस्ति आनन्दधाम आत्मारामः। अन्तरङ्गस्थितायाः आनन्दनिर्झरीतः उद्गच्छन्ति रामस्य शीतलाः शान्तिसौख्यप्रदायकाः आशीर्वादाः । 

समग्रां मानवजातिम् एकेनैव सूत्रेण सन्धातुं शक्तयोः धर्मप्रेम्णोः विग्रहः अस्ति रामः ।

रामायणं द्वौ पाठौ बोधयति यत् निःसङ्गत्वम् अमूल्यम् इति,  प्रत्येकं प्राणिनि ईश्वरस्य दिव्यत्त्वं दर्शनीयम् इति। 

अयोध्यानगरस्य भोगान् परित्यज्य सीता वनवासे श्रीरामस्य सांनिध्यं , ततः काञ्चनमृगस्य मोहात् पतिवियोगं च प्राप्तवती। त्यागात् आनन्दः मोहात् दुःखं च प्राप्येते इति रामायणं ध्रुवीकरोति। 

लोकेऽस्मिन् जीवन्तः वयं लौकिकजीवने निमज्जिताः न भवेम  । 

रामस्य सहोदराः सहचराश्च धर्ममूर्तयः एव। दशरथः दशेन्द्रियसमायुक्तः भौतिकदेहः। तस्य तिस्रः पत्न्यः सत्वरजस्तमोगुणाः । चत्वारः कुमाराः पुरुषार्थाः। लक्ष्मणसुग्रीववालिहनुमतः क्रमशः बुद्धिः, विवेकः दुःखं धैर्यं च सूचयन्ति। भ्रान्तीति सागरस्योपरि सेतुबन्धनं कृतम्। रावणादि भ्रातराः त्रिगुणान् सूचयन्ति। अग्निपरीक्षया इव जीवनानुभवेन ग्रहणीयं सीतारूपि ब्रह्मज्ञानम्। 

रामस्य वैभवस्य चिन्तनेन हृदयं निर्मलं सुदृढं च करणीयम् । रामः एव भवति प्राणाधारं सत्यम् इति स्थिरविश्वासः वर्धनीयः। 

जय श्रीराम

मम मित्रं राजीववर्यस्य सहायेण

चतुर्दशवर्षानि

भगवान् वाल्मीकिः आदिकविः इति बिरुदेन लोके सुप्रसिद्धः। तैः प्रयुक्तानि उपमानानि अलङ्काराः च अद्यापि न केवलं संस्कृतसाहित्ये अन्यासु भाषासु अपि दृश्यन्ते। 

उदाहरणतः मन्थरया "गतोदके सेतुबन्धो", भरतेन "व्रणे क्षारमिवादधाः" इत्यादीन् प्रयोगान् ते कृतवन्तः। एतादृशानि उपमानानि

अद्यापि न केवलं भारतस्य भाषासु आङ़्ग्लभाषायामपि प्रचलन्ति। किन्तु वाल्मीकिरामायणं केवलं काव्यमेव नास्ति, एतत् तु

धर्मकाव्यम् अस्ति। 

पुरा वाल्मीकिना विरचितं काव्यं भारतस्य जनानां हृदयेषु विशिष्टं स्थानं प्राप्य तेषां जीवनशैली प्रेरिता अभवत् । ब्रह्मणः

वरात् वाल्मीकिनः ध्यानसमये रामायणस्य सर्वाणि दृश्यानि वचनानि  चिन्तनान्यपि च "पाणावामलकं" यथा तस्मै गोचराः जाताः।

अतः वाल्मीकिरामायणं प्रामाणिकमपि भवति अस्माकं इतिहासस्य विषये।

एतस्मिन् काव्ये सीतारामयोः दिव्यतायाः अपेक्षया तयोः उत्तमचरित्रस्य वर्णनमेव अधिकतया दृश्यते। रामोऽपि मनुष्यः इव

प्रवर्तते। परन्तु रामः तु स्वयं विष्णोः अवतारः खलु। ततः किमर्थं भगवता वाल्मीकिना रामः मनुष्यः इव चित्र्यते? 

किमर्थं इत्युक्ते रामायणकाव्यस्य रचनया वाल्मिकेः महर्षेः प्रयोजनं अन्यं। दुष्कर स्थितिषु अपि कथं धर्मः आचरणीयः

इति विषयः सीतारामयोः उत्तमचारित्रेण महर्षिः लोकेभ्यः प्रदर्शितवान्। तर्हि भगवतः श्रीरामस्य तथा सीतायाः दिव्यता

सर्वज्ञता च विषयाः साक्षात् तु वर्णनं अधिकतया न‌ कृतवन्तः। परन्तु एते विषयाः कतिपयसन्दर्भानां ते सूक्ष्मतया सूचयन्ति।

स्वाध्यायेन एते विषयाः ग्रहणीयाः। एकम् उदाहरणम्।

कैकेय्याः वराभ्याम् रामः चतुर्दशानि वर्षाणि वनं गतवान् भरतः अयोध्याराज्यं प्राप्तवान् च। महर्षेः चतुर्दश इति सङ्ख्यायाः

प्रस्तावः वैविद्यभरितः अस्ति। 

कैकेयी दशरथं यदा अर्थयति -

नव प़ञ्च च वर्षाणि दण्डकारण्यमाश्रितः।।2.11.26।।

चीराजिनजटाधारी रामो भवतु तापसः।

यदा कैकेयी रामं शासयति -

सप्त सप्त च वर्षाणि दण्डकारण्यमाश्रितः।

अभिषेकमिमं त्यक्त्वा जटाजिनधरो वस।।2.18.37।।

यदा रामः कैकेयीं आश्वासयति -

अनुक्तोऽप्यत्रभवता भवत्या वचनादहम्।

वने वत्स्यामि विजने वर्षाणीह चतुर्दश।।2.19.23।।

यदा रामः कौसल्यां सूचयति -

स षट्चाष्टौ च वर्षाणि वत्स्यामि विजने वने।

आसेवमानो वन्यानि फलमूलैश्च वर्तयन्।।2.20.31।।

यदा सीता रामं प्रार्थयति -

इमं हि सहितुं शोकं मुहूर्तमपि नोत्सहे।

किं पुनर्दशवर्षाणि त्रीणि चैकं च दुःखिता।।2.30.21।।

एवं चतुर्दश शब्दस्य स्थाने महर्षिः "नवपञ्चच", "सप्तसप्तच", "षट्चाष्टौ", "दशवर्षाणि त्रीणिचैकं" इत्यादीनां शव्दसमूहानां

प्रयोगान् कृतवन्तः। महर्षिः छन्दोबद्धतायाः निरूपणार्थमेव ईदृशाः प्रयोगाः कृतवन्तः वा परिसङ्ख्यायाः शिक्षणाय वा? 

अस्माकं पूर्वजानां स्वाध्याये वाल्मीकिरामायणस्य विशिष्टं स्थानमासीत्। सद्यापि बहवः श्रद्धालवः जनाः नित्यं रामायणस्य

पारायणं कुर्वन्ति। ते बुधजनाः वदन्ति एतस्मिन् काव्ये बहूनि मन्त्राणि गोप्यतया भवन्ति। अतः भगवान् वाल्मीकिः

सूक्ष्मतया सीतारामयोः दिव्यता विषयाः सूचयन्ति इति सामान्यमतः। 

एवमेव चतुर्दश शब्दस्य विषये अपि महर्षिः भिन्न भिन्न शब्दप्रयोगैः बहुत्र निगूढार्थान् निक्षिप्तवन्तः। सीतायाः

"दशवर्षाणि त्रीणिचैकं" प्रयोगः तस्याः सर्वज्ञतां सूचयति। सुदीर्घं चतुर्दशवर्षाणाम् वनवासे ते दशवर्षाणि यावत् आश्रमेषु,

त्रीणि वर्षाणि पञ्चवट्यां, एकं वर्षं सीता लङ्कायां रामलक्ष्मणौ किष्किन्धायाः समीपे अवसन्। सीता एनं विषयम् आदौ एव

ज्ञातवती तस्मिन् श्लोके सूक्ष्मतया सूचयति। एवमेव वहवः सूक्ष्माः विषयाः स्वाध्यायेन अवगतम् जायते भगवता अस्माकं

विश्वासः वर्ध्यते च।

जय श्रीराम

मम मित्रं श्री राजीववर्यस्य सहायेण।