Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta (Ram Chandra #3)

by Amish Tripathi

Why does the soul insist on hanging on to the body until the absolute last minute? Even when death is clearly the better alternative?

The Ballad of the Sun and the Earth

The Clouds rush to the Mountain, they caress him gently, they fight for his attention, they rise to kiss his lips. The Clouds believe the Mountain is smitten, that he stands so high to not let them pass, that he stands uncomfortably still, with rishi-like repose, because he waits for their return every year. There’s no doubt in their mind: The Mountain loves them. It’s sad that they’ll never know that the Mountain doesn’t care for them, he only wants the nourishing rain they carry,

he doesn’t nudge them up to kiss them, he does it to break them and get what he wants, and by the time they understand, it’s too late. It’s sad that no Cloud survives to warn the others. The River rushes to the Sea, her instincts tell her this is her destiny. She’s grown up on stories of love, on tales of blind and illogical passion, and she’s in too much of a hur...

she hesitates and meanders. But her innate romanticism wins, And she flows happily into his arms. It’s sad that she’ll never know that the Sea doesn’t love her, that the Sea is too lost in his own grandiosity to even notice the River. That her loving embrace doesn’t change the Sea, that the water she received as a gift from the Sea was actually g...

She’s already lost her identity. And then there’s the Earth. Unlike the others, she thinks more than feels, Her mind is more powerful than her heart, She sees the Sun, Luminous and spirited, alone and magnificent, Has so much and is so wasteful with it. The Earth, being smart, Uses the Sun’s wasted energy, Nourishes herself and grows, in character, in mind, body and spirit. She marvels at her own brilliance and what she’s done with her life. She fears the Sun and his immense power, and detests the way he lavishes his God-given gifts. It’s sad that she’ll never know that the Sun could have left, Yet he stands there all alone, so that he can give to the Earth. He burns himself, so she may benefit from it, He wants to come closer, but he knows he...

‘Yes, she lied to you. But she didn’t lie to the most important person in her life—herself!

Be clear about what you want. But hide it well. It will help you get what you want.’

‘Always remember why we are strong, why we are successful. Because we don’t fool ourselves that we are honourable or good. We know who we are. We accept it. We embrace it. That’s why we beat everyone. That’s why we will continue to beat everyone.’ ‘Yes, Dada.’ Raavan walked on, with Kumbhakarna ambling along beside him.

there was nothing worse than unrequited love.

But they were wrong. There was something worse: Unrequited love that was not even aware of it being one-sided.

‘All of us have been through times when life seemed unfair. In such situations, we can choose to see ourselves as victims and blame the rest of the world. We can drown ourselves in the false comfort of knowing we are not responsible for our difficulties and expect others to change our lives. Or, we can pick ourselves up. Be strong. And fight the world.’

not everyone’s troubles are the same. Some people are at a greater disadvantage than others. And they need our assistance. Of course, nobody should expect others to solve their problems entirely but the strong must help…’

There is a lion and a deer within each of us. Only if we nurture the lion will we make something of ourselves. If we indulge the deer, we’ll be running and hiding all our lives.’

‘There is no sight more painful than that of a powerful hunter past its prime.

‘Dharma is complicated. It is often not about the what, but the why.

field of dharma, intentions matter as much, if not more, than the act itself.

The possibility to turn negative into positive always exists.

Which great man does not have a monster inside him?’

‘What you term a monster is the fire every successful man has within him,’ continued Vedavati. ‘A fire that will not let him rest. A fire that drives him to work hard. To be smart. To be relentless. Focused. Disciplined. For those are the ingredients of success. That fire is like a monster that will not allow you to lead an ordinary life.

Does the monster control you or do you control the monster? Without the monster, you would have been ordinary. With the monster, you have a chance to attain greatness. Not a guarantee, but a chance. To seize that chance, you need to control the monster and use your unique and enormous abilities, in the cause of dharma.’

Have you noticed that there are no fish to be found in water that is too pure?’

‘You do have a warm heart, Raavan. Don’t use it just to pump blood through your body.

They say tears can wash away grief. They lie. There are some kinds of grief that even a million tears cannot wash away. Which haunt you for life. For all time.

They say time heals all wounds. They lie. Sometimes, the grief one is cursed with is so immense that even time surrenders to it.