Rama - The one woman man

…contd….

When Ravana tried various ways to entice Sita, he also tried various roop (forms) to woe her. He would take forms of Gandharvas, Devas etc. One day Mandodari out of frustration said “why do you take so many forms to woe Sita? Don’t you know she loves only the form of Rama? Simply take that form and she’ll be yours!”

Ravana smiled and said “Don’t you think I know that? I know and I have tried that too. But the moment I take his form and turn to go after checking myself in the mirror, my heart stops me saying “Don’t go near her. She is ‘para-stri (woman who is not yours). And I am not able to take another step forward with that form. So, I give up.”

How much ingrained in every thought, cell of his being this thought that “every woman except my wife is a para-stri’ must be that Ravana who took his form also couldn’t commit an act as per his (Ravana’s) wish. This looks very down market and old fashioned to people who believe in ‘kal tujhe dekha to dil kho gaya, aaj dekha to love ho gaya…’

Yesterday, I looked at you and lost my heart and today. I fell in love with you….

just listen to last christmas song "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Uk_Fu8_UaQ

 

Last Christmas I gave you my heart is today’s way of living? One night stand, multiple partners is the hep thing for today’s generation. How can people with such standard understand what my Rama stands for!

At the same time he didn’t go into depression like some drunkard Devdas (fictional hero who becomes a drunkard when his love is married to some other person) but fulfilled all his duties as a king and son religiously and cheerfully. He did not hold his subjects responsible for his pain. The pain of separation was unbearable to him but he held it in his heart and suffered silently yet with total commitments fulfilled his duties to the best of his abilities. Infact, to this day, his era is called as ‘Golden Age’ and the best governance as ‘Rama rajya’. 

Rama rajya isn’t fanatical term as made up by some ignorant fanatics but it represents a state of governance when only subjects well-fare meant everything to the king and when prosperity was not a fact enjoyed by few but by one and all! He lived a life of a ‘karma yogi’. He lived in abundance and yet was untouched by it. That is “detachment”. Sitting, crying, complaining is not “detachment”. It is depression and tamasic in nature. To be in the centre of action, be centre of intense action and prosperity yet not be of it – that is being balanced. Anybody can run away from temptations and get good name. I have seen ‘good people’ who have never had any temptation in their lives and hence they didn’t go astray. That is no good! But being amongst temptations and not being moved by them – that is real renunciation. Epitome of that was my Rama.

If he loved her so, then why did he doubt Sita?  

…contd….