Ramayana

by Vālmīki

(Ayodhya means that which cannot be subdued by war).

With joy unbounded, Dasaratha received the bowl as he would receive a child and distributed the paayasam to his three wives, Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. He asked Kausalya to drink a half of the paayasam and he gave a half of what remained to Sumitra. Half of what was then left was drunk by Kaikeyi, and what remained was given to Sumitra again. Dasaratha's wives were happy, even as a, beggar suddenly coming upon buried treasure. And in due -curse all of them were expectant mothers.

The birth of Ram

In proportion to the quantity of paayasam drunk by the respective mothers, the sons are traditionally considered to be parts of Vishnu. Rama was thus half-Vishnu. But such calculations have no meaning, as it is impossible to measure the Infinite arithmetically. Sruti tells us that even a fraction of the Supreme Being is whole and complete by itself. "Om Poornamadah Poornamidam Poornaat Poornamudachyate Poornasya Poornamaadaaya Poornamevaavasishyate." "What is whole, this is whole; what has come out of the whole is also whole. When the whole is taken out of the whole, the whole still remains whole.”

The honest, when they happen to go astray, should evoke our sympathy. It is however the way of the world-but it is not right -to condemn in strong terms casual lapses of the virtuous, while tolerating habitual wrong-doers.

"Whatever avataar I assume, my play must go through the feelings and experiences appropriate to that incarnation."

May everyone that reads this chapter receive by Raama's Grace strength to bear the sorrows that have to be faced in life.

Let us pause a while at this stage when Raama's forest life begins, and pray that we may be purified of our sins. Truth, courage and love is the gospel of the Raamaayana to us. To give it to us was Raama born. We shall gain these gifts if we meditate on the Princes and Jaanaki in the bark habiliments as they left the city.

From this we can understand the meaning of what the Shaastras and Kural say about Truth. Truthfulness should be such that it needlessly hurts no being in the world. The test for right conduct including truthfulness is harmlessness. This does not mean that truth is underrated.

The story of Bharata in the Raamaayana portraying a character of unrivalled purity and sublime selflessness is something, more than an episode, and stands out by itself even in that noble epic, as holy shrines do on the banks of the Ganga. It uplifts the heart, and gives one a glimpse of the heights to which human nature can rise when cleansed by love and devotion. Whether Raama and Bharata were incarnations of the Deity or merely supreme creations of a nation's imagination this episode is among the masterpieces of the world's literature.

Now begins the Aaranya Kaanda.

Jataayu was the brother of Sampaati, the son of Aruna the dawn-god, who was brother to Garuda the great Eagle-vehicle of Vishnu.

"Have you heard of Raavana, the heroic son of Visravas and the king of the Raakshasas? I am his sister. My name is Soorpanakha. My brothers Kumbhakarna and Vibheeshana are also renowned warriors. The lords of this region, Khara and Dooshana, are also my brothers. They

How did Raama all alone perform these feats? If one observes a cow guarding her calf and scattering a whole crowd of men, one can realise the power of love. Love is a supreme quality which according to occasion manifests itself in diverse heroic forms such as valour and self-sacrifice, just like gold which can be changed for silver or goods or other things of value. When God assumes human form and is engaged in fulfilling His promise to save the helpless, His limitless power comes into play.

millions of men, women and children in India, the Raamaayana is not a mere tale. It has more truth and meaning than the events in one's own life. Just as plants grow under the influence of sun-light, the people of India grow in mental strength and culture by absorbing the glowing inspiration of the Raamaayana. When we see any helpless person in danger or difficulty, let us think of Jataayu and with firm mind try to help regardless of circumstance. Raama's losing health and lamenting in sorrow may be compared to the behaviour of another incarnation honoured by another faith. It is said in the Bible that Jesus, nailed to the cross and about to give up his ghost, cried with a loud voice, "Eloi! Eloi! lama sabachthaani!" which is Hebrew for "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

This incident between Vaali and Sugreeva is a good example of the moral leaching conveyed in the Puraanas. There was nothing terribly wrong in the conduct either of Vaali or of Sugreeva. Anger confuses the mind. One who yields to anger loses the capacity to see the truth. That way lies destruction. Vaali's anger led to his end. Sugreeva humbly confessed the truth, but Vaali would not listen. He was beside himself with rage. Sugreeva too, was guilty of imprudent haste. He concluded too quickly that his brother had died. He was afraid that the Asura who was victorious would come out and kill him also; so he closed the entrance of the cave and returned home. At first he was not keen on becoming king and yet he allowed himself to be persuaded by the people. He yielded to a sub-conscious desire without sufficient thought. So difficulties came upon him. Thoughtless action leads to unhappiness. This is what we learn from the story of Sugreeva. One should not desire what belongs to another. One has to exercise great care, and control one's desires. In contrast to Sugreeva, when the ministers and subjects in Ayodhya pressed Bharata to accept the crown, he was firm in his refusal. Bharata's strength of character was great. But Sugreeva was different. He was weak, and suffered in consequence. Bharata had the courage to refuse and his name lives, forever.

"It will be best to fulfil one's promise before the due date; in any case delay should be avoided. Fulfilment after the promised date is worse than useless. One should not wait to be reminded by one's friends of what had been promised to them. All this you know without my telling you. Remembering what Raama had done for us, we must take steps to fulfil our promise without waiting to be reminded by him. The rainy season is over. There is no ground for further delay. We can no longer postpone the task of searching for Seeta. Raama may be very patient, but that does not justify any further delay on our part. Did not Raama kill your foe promptly, not minding the danger or the blame involved? We should fulfil our promise with equal promptness." Thus politely did Maaruti convey his advice to Sugreeva. The latter accepted it and, thanking Hanumaan, ordered Neela to mobilise the Vaanara army. "All the world must be searched and Seeta found," he said. "Order therefore the most powerful Vaanaras to come and join up at once. Those who fail will be summarily punished." Having said this, Sugreeva went back into private apartments.

"I do not agree with Hanumaan," said Angada. "Sugreeva has no love or pity for me. He is sure to kill me. He is of a cruel nature. Remember how he killed my father. He does not want me to live. He will find some excuse or other for killing me. He regards me as an obstacle in his way and that of his progeny, who but for me would inherit Kishkindha. To break a promise is nothing to him. Did he not forget his solemn pledge to Raama that he would search for and recover Seeta? Was it not only for fear of Lakshmana and his bow that he sent us on this search? My poor bereaved mother has succumbed to fear and accepted Sugreeva's protection. She clings to life for my sake, Hearing that I am dead, she will end her life. Alas! I am miserable and know not what to do." "My death is certain", he said again, "if I return to Kishkindha. It is far better to fast to death here." He spread on the ground the kusa grass in the manner prescribed for the vow of death, bowed to the gods and the dead and sat facing east, determined to die. When Angada the Yuvaraaja took this vow and sat in the posture of a fast unto death, the other Vaanaras cried in grief and, resolving also to fast with him and die, sat facing east. From a neighbouring hill, Sampaati, the vulture King, saw this crowd of Vaanaras, resigning themselves to fate. Having lost his wings and being unable to move, Sampaati had been famishing for a long time. He now rejoiced, saying to himself, "So many monkeys are going to die here toge...

Story of Sampatti

Addressing Hanumaan in the hearing of the myriad's of gloomy Vaanaras, Jaambavaan said: "O Warrior, learned in all branches of knowledge, why are you sitting silent and apart? You are the equal of King Sugreeva, are you not? In strength and splendour do you not surpass all the rest of us? Why, are you not the equal of Raama and Lakshmana themselves? I have seen Garuda, the king of birds crossing the sea. The might of your shoulders is not less than that of Garuda's wings. You are not inferior to the son of Vinata in strength or speed, but you are not aware of your own prowess and intelligence. There is no equal to you in the whole world. Anjanaa, your mother, was a maiden among the goddesses above. By the curse of a rishi she was born as a Vaanari. One day, while she was wandering care-free on a mountain slope, Vaayu saw her beauty and fell in love with her and embraced her. She was wroth. 'Who are you, O wicked one’ she asked, 'who dares insult me?’ The Wind-God answered, 'Be not angry, your body is not tainted by my touch and loses not its virgin purity. Not in body but in my heart's desire did I embrace you and out of this ethereal embrace, a child will be born to you, equal to me in strength and vigour. He will be the mightiest and most intelligent amongst the Vaanaras.' Thus did the Wind-God pacify Anjanaa. "When you were a little child, O Hanumaan, you imagined the rising sun to be a fruit and flew towards it in order to pluck it. Seeing your effortless and fearless ...

Strength of Hanuman

Those who wish to avert some calamity or desire success in some great undertaking usually make a Paaraayana (devotional reading exercise) of the whole of the Sundarakaanda, the canto dealing with Hanumaan's expedition to Lanka. It is believed that the same result can be obtained even by a Paaraayana of only this chapter where Hanumaan relates to the Vaanara warriors all that happened between his crossing and recrossing the sea.

Critical Religious Point

In the Vaishnava tradition, this, episode, in which Vibheeshana is taken by the Prince into his camp and innermost council, is held to be as important as the Bhagavad Gita episode in the Mahaabhaarata. It illustrates the doctrine that the Lord accepts all who in absolute surrender seek shelter at his feet, regardless of their merits or defects. Their sins are burnt out by the mere act of surrender. This is a message of hope to erring humanity. It is the heart of the Vaishnava faith that there is hope for the worst of us if only we surrender ourselves to the Lord. But why should I restrict this doctrine to the Vaishnava tradition? Is not this the heart of all the religious traditions in our land, yes, and of all the religions in the world? Every world teacher stresses this certainty of relief and redemption. It is not to Arjuna only that Krishna said: "Have no fear, cast off all doubt, I shall destroy all your sins,” Wherever in the world God has spoken to mankind in a human voice, He has given this assurance.