Rama and Ravana

….contd…..

Ravana had abducted Sita, wife of Rama and Vibhishana was that Ravana’s brother. Yet when he sought his (Rama’s) refuge, Rama gave him his protection. That’s the quality of Rama.

What’s the difference between Rama and Ravana killing Devas?

Ravana killed or vanquished Devas to prove his supremacy and to usurp their maidens and wealth. His was a war waged to satisfy his lust.

But, Rama’s wife was abducted by Ravana and it is husband’s duty to protect and save his wife. So, he waged war against Ravana. Even then, Rama did not wage war directly. He sent a ‘mediator’ to negotiate with Ravana stating that he releases his wife with respect and seek apology for his act. If Ravana had done that, Rama wouldn’t have killed Ravana, but Ravana drunk with arrogance made fun of that ‘option’ and lost his life.

Even after the war, Rama did penance seeking forgiveness for the sin of having killed a Brahmin as Ravana was a Brahmin. Only after intense penance and having been condoned of his sins, he marched towards Ayodhya to become its king. He did not justify his action as against that of Ravana’s. he killing him was Nyaya but Dharma says he should repent for the sin of killing Brahmin too! That’s clarity of thought! That’s being balanced and just. Right and wrong and Dharma and Nyaya so beautifully and completely explained! Our right acts also may contain a tinge of wrong in it. To bear responsibility for the same and not to justify our acts from one angle only and to act according to Dharma from every angle – well that’s something we need to learn from Rama. The day we start understanding this and living it on a day-to-day basis, Rama Rajya would come automatically. We need to bring that change from within. We need to place Ram in our hearts and mind should follow only Dharma to bring a change in society. We don’t need swords and saffron dresses to bring that change. In fact, it cannot be bought about by sword and dresses.

Ram did not speak cheap of Soorpanaka who openly declared her desire for him. He rejected her offer but with respect and due explanation that he was under the oath of ‘ekapatnivrata’ (one woman man). The same respect unless a man has for every woman regardless of what dress she wears or what time she goes out, that man cannot be a Rama Bhaktha. He cannot talk about saving ‘Hinduism’. Respect the woman first, then Rama Rajya would come automatically.

Do you want to bring RamRajya back?

…contd….

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….

Blessing that turned into curse – Me, My Guru

Contd….

Blessing that turned into curse – Me, My Guru

Few others too joined in saying “Yes, why are such people not punished in life? Why does God give them so much though they are wrong?”

“For many years, Lord Rama ruled the country with ‘Dharma’ and everyone was contended, happy, healthy and lived long without any disease or ailment”.

She had started her explanation even without a hint of the same. That was her way of answering and we had come to respect her no-nonsense way of getting to the point right away.

“After completing daily duties of attending the ‘Darbar’ (a hall where all courtiers met on daily basis – a la’ parliament session of today!) for the day and overseeing all the aspects of safety, progress, maintenance and futuristic plans for the country, Lord Rama had time allotted to meet his subjects who had any complaints – however small they were to address them. It was a long hectic day just as every day and yet he sent his younger brother Lakshmana to see if there was any one waiting to meet him with their demands and complaints.

Contd….

related posts : https://kantipadam.blogspot.com/search?q=rama+rajya

Me, My Guru - Ramayana and Rama - Indian Mythology

Contd.....

The main or sole agenda of Rama’s life was to kill ‘the pinnacle of asuric power – Ravana’. Ravana by way of his boon was not killable by any God, demi-God, Gandharvas, Yakshas – in short any celestial being. He didn’t mention ‘human and animal form’ when seeking boon of ‘immunity from death’ from the Creator – Brahma.

By way of his boon, he became unconquerable and arrogance drove him to molest and rape any women to whom he took fancy. So when all the Gods approached Lord Vishnu to protect them from Ravana he promised to take birth as a human and kill him. To assist him, all celestial beings procreated from monkeys and bears and made ready an army of very powerful and intelligent monkeys and bears. Because he was born a human he had to conduct himself as one. Ravana did not mention ‘human’ because those days humans were not that able of character and strength. So, they were not thought of as worthy rivals. To prove that ‘belief’ wrong and to

show to the world how high a human being can raise was the second agenda of his birth. That’s why he didn’t complete his Avatar immediately after Ravana’s death. He lived on to rule in just way for 11,000 years to show and set an example of how a man can create a wonder land called ‘Rama Rajya’ – which was free of disease, calamities, poverty, theft, untimely death and vices in character. He set an example of an Ideal which can be achieved by anyone. All that he did to reach the pinnacle of ‘human possibility’ was to live by ‘Dharma’. Anyone who lived by ‘Dharma’ – in word, thought and deed automatically rose to that height. But, as he lived and behaved as a human, he was also governed by human law of karma. He was faced with choices that you and I face on daily basis. He made choices and he faced the consequences. That’s what his life proves. However high your Ideal and intentions, however noble be your thoughts, however selfless be your life and acts, yet every act is tainted with some negative to it. Your highest good intention also

can give you brick-bats from every corner. Just because you are right doesn’t mean you’ll be understood by all, respected and loved by all. No. Even when you are ‘Right’ you could’ve failed in someone’s eyes. You could be held wrong by some one who has other priorities. But the question is not about pleasing all. The question is ‘Did you do what was needed of you with complete honesty and to the best of your ability, even if it pained you a lot?”

If yes, you are right. If no, even if you are happy doing what you wanted to do, you would still have ‘wronged as per Dharma’.

contd..... 

related reads : http://kantipadam.blogspot.in/search?q=what+various+incidents+mean+in+ramayana

How to get Ram Rajya?

…contd….

Well, if you want Ramrajya back then –

a)      Start respecting woman, regardless of her dress, profession, life-style and choices. Ram did not kill ‘Thataki’ (female demon) because she was a woman. Only when Sage Vishwamitra explained that she was killing innocent rishis and their families and it was duty of noble men to protect rishis did Rama kill her.

b)      He did not call his stepmother names like ‘-----‘ etc. he did not say ‘cheap woman, you enticed my father with your looks and how dare you want me to go to forest now.”

He respected her as much as he respected his mother. He himself was a ‘one woman man’ yet did not judge his father or his step-mother’s character because of their choice. He respected their right to lead their life their way and respected their choice still maintaining his principles. To understand that Ideal and to live that is being Rama Bhaktha.

c)      Stop torturing women in the name of dowry and stop killing girl child and wanting only male child.

d)     Start respecting your wife and be a one woman man before asking her to be like Sita, Savithri. Set an example of great character to others to follow. You can’t force someone to be good or moral. Be an example. Stop abusing women in your house and society. Stand for them, protect them and respect them if you really are a ‘true Hindu’.

e)      Read Vedas and Upanishads and work on you character as they claim that only thing worth working for is ‘enlightenment’. Become a rishi. Practice renunciation. People will flock to you. People will follow your foot steps automatically. Bring out the Divine within you. Meditate. Do penance. Work on your character. Others character will change automatically if you become pure from within.

f)       Stop working on breaking pubs and forcing people from taking to western customs and life-styles. The more something is forced on, the more people will revolt against it. If you are really interested in spreading ‘Sanatana Dharma’, then revive all the temples in remote places which are in ruins. Pay the priests good salary and let the ceremonies be performed regularly. Make arrangements for the same. Educate the masses. Work on these aspects. Revive the masses economically, socially and culturally. Be constructive in the fulfillment of your desire – not destructive. Not by force but by education only can real transformation happen. This way Ramayan teaches us to deal with various aspects of life and its situations the right way. Even if you forget that it is story of Lord Vishnu’s Incarnation – i.e., Rama and read it just as a life of an ordinary man who rose to pedestal of ‘Perfect Man’ or ‘Godhood’ by simply following ‘Dharma’. He never compromised on principles however much he had to suffer for the same. 

   Every character throws light on how to raise above the situations, how to use testing situations as an excuse to make penance and bring forth our divinity to the fore. Ramayan through its characters shows us how we can slip and given in to temptations and how they affect our lives. It’s a moral story so poetically told.

 ..contd....