Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta (Ram Chandra #3)

by Amish Tripathi

Raavan and Kumbhakarna were the sons of Rishi Vishrava and his first wife, Kaikesi. Vibhishan and Shurpanakha were also the sage’s children, but by his second wife, Crataeis, a Greek princess from the island of Knossos in the Mediterranean Sea.

The lotus was a flower that retained its fragrance and beauty even while growing in slush and dirty water. It posed a silent challenge to the humans who visited the temple, to be true to their dharma even if those around them were not.

‘The only problem with women is their mouth,’ continued Raavan. ‘They talk. And what is more, they talk utter nonsense. You do know that in some parts of the world, they believe that heaven is above and hell is below, right? Well, it’s the exact opposite with women. With women, there is heaven below and hell above!’

Use people before they can use you. Most people in the world are contemptible. Many hide behind pretentions. The ones who succeed are the ones who are honest with themselves.

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.’

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It is ominous for a man to feel desire; for a man who is bound up in desire feels compassion and fondness. The unspoken truth: such a man would be weak.

‘But across the land today, dharma has been reduced to just rituals and talk. The philosophy that underpins the rituals, and the reason why we follow them, is being forgotten.’

‘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.’

Of course, nobody should expect others to solve their problems entirely but the strong must help…’

‘Dharma is complicated. It is often not about the what, but the why. If the lion had been hunting for pleasure—which most animals are not capable of—we might call it an exercise in adharma. Since he was hunting to feed his starving children, it’s fair to say he was following his dharma. If the deer had allowed circumstances to overwhelm her and not attempted to save her children, it would have been adharma.

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

Only if you put your duty above yourself do you even have a chance of attaining a life of dharma. Selfishness is the one thing that’s...

‘Life is unfair to everyone. As Sikhi Buddha said, the fundamental reality of life is dukha. There is no escaping the grief that permeates every corner of this illusory world. Accepting this basic truth is the first step towards trying to overcome it.’

The possibility to turn negative into positive always exists. But it takes a Goddess to inspire the change.

A person is defined by what he or she does. By his vocation or career. Karma defines the individual. A person without karma may as well be dead.’

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‘Because it’s very easy to counsel people that they should be calm and centred. But no one tells you how to do it!’

Basically, calmness and centeredness are always elusive because people assume they have to do something, gain good karma, to get there.’

how can you find peace of mind?’ ‘How?’ ‘Simply by Being what you are meant to Be. By staying true to your Swatatva.’

all you have to do is to accept who you are. And you will find peace.’

‘When you start on the most important journey of your life, you cannot be dependent on anyone else. For you would be binding your purpose, your swadharma, to the fate of another person. That is dangerous. Especially for someone as important as you are.’

‘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

Roar to protect the innocent, the poor, the needy. Be a true follower of the Mahadev. Be aggressive, but for the good of others. Be tough, but only to nurture the weak. Be fearsome, but only to fight for the virtuous. That is what Lord Rudra stood for. Follow the Lord’s example.’

The first step on the path for all true followers of the Mahadev is a ritual sacrifice of the ego.

He had heard it said enough times, that the tears of loved ones made it difficult for the departed soul to leave the world. The living had to control and suppress their grief, for the good of the dead.

Raavan knew that asti was the root for the Sanskrit word astitva, which meant existence. These bones, which had tenaciously refused to be consumed by the holy fire, symbolised the remnants of existence. They had to go back to the source of it all, to the Mother Goddess, in the form of the flowing, nurturing river. They would merge with the water, in the bosom of the Mother Goddess, so that even the residual bits of existence could find peace.

‘You didn’t answer my question. I’ll tell you why we have higher savings than they do, even though we earn less. It’s because the Sapt Sindhu wastes a lot of money on unnecessary wars. We don’t. War is bad for business, it’s bad for profits and wealth.

Experience had taught him that the best business deals were struck when both parties were honest about their own interests.

And people do reckless things when they think the odds are in their favour.’

You couldn’t allow yourself to be distracted and you couldn’t waste energy either. He

If we had killed Dashrath, we would have turned him into a martyr. And martyrs can be dangerous. They can trigger rebellions.’

‘If you spend enough time with anything, you start liking it, even sadness.’

Only someone who has loved can know the immeasurable agony of losing the object of one’s passion.

How a person treats those weaker than them is a good indicator of their character.

Raavan was dishonouring the ancient Vedic ways by encouraging such worship while he was still alive.

‘Dharma is complex. We could spend whole lifetimes discussing what it is and what adharma is. But what truly matters is whether our intentions are dharmic—the outcome is beyond our control and cannot therefore be a measure of dharma.’

Different people react to it differently. It hardens some and softens others. Is that your point?’

‘People respond to stress in much the same way. Those who are soft on the inside become harder with the right amount of stress, and those who are hard on the inside become softer. If you think about it this way, then the right amount of stress becomes necessary to balance your character. Too much stress is not good—it may break you. But no stress is not good either. You need the right amount of stress to balance your character and make you grow.’

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‘Swagruhe Pujyate Murkhaha; Swagraame Pujyate Prabhuhu; Swadeshe Pujyate Raja; Vidvaansarvatra Pujyate.’ A fool is worshipped in his home. A chief is worshipped in his village. A king is worshipped in his kingdom. A knowledgeable person is worshipped everywhere.