Raavan - The Ultimate antagonist

Raavan

 

Raavan – the name invokes image of fearsome and a ferocious personality. And as presumed by some, mothers were telling their children “so jaa bête varna Raavan aa jayega”. But that was not the case. Mandodari fell hopelessly in love with him. And she was considered one of the “Miss worlds” of her times. 

 Mandodari - Queen of Ravana

His ‘tejas’ (nearest word can be aura. Tejas can be understood as a brilliance that one gains or has because of energy field around him) was so powerful that many wouldn’t be able to see him directly. This ‘tejas’ can’t be bought or manipulated. It is earned only through intense tapas and penance.

That goes to prove that he had great self-restraint and an even greater determination to do penance for thousands of years – because of which he got his tejas. Moreover, his concentration powers were beyond normal levels. Otherwise, how could he please Lord Shiva so much with his penance that he appeared before him and granted a boon that he would be called “Greatest Devotee of Shiva”.

 

Not only that he again did penance to appease Lord Brahma for thousands of years to seek a boon of immortality and he got it too.

 

Ravana as a Bhaktha : some scriptures state that he constructed “Golden Lanka” to gift it as a abode to Lord Shiva. Others state that he sought Lanka from Shiva. Either way, just imagine his intimacy with the Lord. Even devas were afraid of his anger and were always wary of Him, that Lord Shiva he had audacity to gift or seek his abode from him. Call it his arrogance, closeness or stupidity but the fact remains that he was so close to Lord Shiva that he could seek anything from Him and even Shiva was so amused and pleased with his bhakthi that He entertained his requests.

Once to prove his strength he lifted Mount Kailash along with Lord Shiva and his followers. Lord to teach him a lesson pressed the mountain with just his toe and Raavan was stuck under the mountain. All the worlds shook with his cry of pain. 

Realizing his folly, to appease his Lord he in that intense pain sang one of the most beautiful and excellent piece of poetry in Sanskrit called “Raavana Tandava Strotam”. Click  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4Vqrvjezbc  if you are interested to listen. 

And to know its sanskrit lyrics click : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvUF4LkmwKo

And to see its meaning click ……https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYNFTxyyc4k

...contd....

Thoughts and Truths!

You Choose how you want to express yourself!

You use situations to express who you are!

Desire, emotions and thoughts decide what you want to be!

Change these three and you change who you are , how you are and with who you are ! 

Do your duty and leave the rest to God!

…contd…

Now that we’ve addressed the reasons and fears that delay, stop and decide our decision, let’s know what we can do to work on our decisions once we take them.

·         Do intention reiki

·         Do re-birth meditation with fear, confusion

·         Do reiki that you are given strength to take decisions and to stick to them.

Last but not the least once decision is taken, don’t sit on it. Just do it!

Dreamers were never successful.  All achievers are the doer’s. so do it! No one can take that for you. You have to do it only you own.

What if I face problems in this path? What if I fail?

 

Just look at the brook, it just flows in the direction that opens up in front of it. If a boulder stands in front of it, it goes around the boulder and yet flows. It doesn’t stop to crib, complain and analyse about the boulder. It doesn’t sit there arguing with boulder to prove that it is doing wrong by being a block to it. It doesn’t sit to transform the boulder. Learn to let go and take a diversion in case of need from the brook. Learn flexibility from it. Just as its target is to reach the sea, yours should be to move towards your goal – whatever it is. It doesn’t sit to calculate the distance to sea and worry about the time taken to reach it. It doesn’t say “now, I’ll flow at this speed but there in the city I may be blocked by a dam, so what’s the use of taking up this journey.” It doesn’t worry about all that. It just flows. It faces the situation as and when it crops up. Always remember between the strength of the rock and the persistence of the stream, the stream wins – always. It is very delicate before rock yet it wins with its simple attitude – persistence. It’s a very good and important quality. Learn it from brook.

Many rivers get dried up in the deserts en route to sea. But still it keeps flowing from its source towards the sea continuously. Don’t bother about the goal. We can only do our best and let events unfold on their own. As Krishna said in Gita “karmanye vyadhi ka rasya, maa phaleshu kadachana” Do your actions and do not be bothered about the results”.

 

So arise awake and rest not till the goal is reached!

Men didn’t become inspirational stories because they worked for it. They become so because they followed their heart, dream and worked to make it come true!

Don’t search for inspirational stories. Create one!

Concluded….

You are always wrong!

 

…contd….

 

For a person to whom you don’t matter, it doesn’t matter what decision you take. You are always wrong. And the one who loves you (not one you says he does but one who does) it doesn’t matter what you do, he’ll always be with you. Let me tell a story which you must have heard before but still….

Donkey, father and his son

 

 

Once, a father and son were walking through a village with their donkey. How stupid of father to be walking along with the donkey when he can let donkey carry his son! I’ve never seen such a stupid father ever in my life.”

Father felt bad and let son climb the donkey. They covered some distance, when they heard someone say “what a son! No respect for his father at all! He is young and his father old. Can’t he walk and let father climb the donkey?”

 

Hearing this, son got down and father climbed the donkey. After sometime they heard “now-a-days parents no longer love their children. Just look at that father. So selfish!

Then both father and son got on to donkey and after having covered little distance they heard people say “how merciless are these people! Two people sitting on that poor dumb animal”

 

Both father and son got down and started carrying donkey on them. People passing by started laughing at them calling them mad. In the fit of anger, they threw the donkey in the river.

 

 

 

So, that shows that tum milo na milo, mananeko boora manathe hai log….

So, don’t work to please others. Others are just nameless faces of the crowd who don’t stand by you both in your bad times and in your suffering. So take a decision that is good for you. Don’t confuse yourself about others opinion. And never fear losing their love and respect. There never was! Instead work on your attitudes and get to know yourself. See that you are ‘right’ and not hurting others. Prestige etc. will follow.

…contd…

others impact on decisions

…contd…

He is jealous and is suffering, so how can I be happy?

It’s such a stupid sentence. When I say ‘other’s suffering’ I don’t mean their imaginery suffering. “thanks maam, I never supported my wife or stood by her when my people were talking ill of her and abusing her. But that was because, it was her karma and why should and how can I come between her karma and she? And she says I hurt her by not standing by her. Today I am glad to know that her pain is imaginery.” No way!

In this case reason for pain is not at all imaginery. You did a wrong – I repeat wrong by not fulfilling your responsibility as a husband to support her. There is no doubt about that and you owe her an apology. She not suffering or suffering is her option. But you being wrong is 100% fact which can’t be denied. It does affect your karma for sure. And you will reap its fruits. And if you wish not to heal it by seeking her forgiveness – in person and in public if you really want to be condoned for that sin. So please get this point clearly – work for your happiness as long as you are not responsible for other’s pain, suffering correctly.

Prestige, name, fame – all this means only one thing “what will others think of me?”

 Others are anyhow going to talk about you either way!

“tum milo no milo, mananeko bura manathe hai log”

 Whether you meet or not is immaterial, they are going to believe what they have decided to believe.

Always remember “Those who matter don’t mind and those who mind don’t matter”.

…contd….