Spolight on the Ramayana by Swamy Premananda

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SPOTLIGHTS

THE RAMAYANA

Sri Swami Premananda

Sri Swami Sivananda

Founder of

The Divine Life Society

SERVE, LOVE, GIVE,

PURIFY, MEDITATE,

REALIZE

So Says

Sri Swami Sivananda

Sri Swami Premananda

Dedicated

MY HOLY MASTER

SATGURU SRI SWAMI SIVANANDAJI MAHARAJ

PUBLISHERS’ PREFACE

Instruction by way of narration through heroic poems written in stimulating language has

been in all countries an effective medium of awakening the drooping spirits in man to a vision of the

forces that operate in the universe. The Ramayana of sage Valmiki, which had its immortal

successor as the great work of Sant Tulsidas and several others in the languages of India, is regarded

as the first Sanskrit poem ever, which recounts the deeds of Rama, his exploits, forming the various

scenes of his life.

The work is a reservoir from which flowed countless streams of powerful poetic works

touching upon some one or the other of the incidents and episodes of the epic. The importance of the

Ramayana is in its perennial appeal to the spirits of humanity in general, whose different sides are

ably touched by the deft imagery of Valmiki, and the line of poets who followed in its wake.

The present publication throws some light on certain aspects of the Ramayana, which

presents an interesting reading to students and the public who are devotees of the valuable scripture.

The approach departs markedly from the usual devotional and religious reading common among

the Ramayana circles, not because the holy epic is not a superb masterpiece of religious literature,

which it really is beyond doubt, but because the supernatural features of the epic seem to call for a

novel study these days in the light especially of western thinking for which a natural interpretation

might provide a diversion well expected. The work also includes a few pages on questions and

answers on different themes.

Shivanandanagar,

27th August, 1980 The Divine Life Society.

FOREWORD

Salutations to Holy Master Gurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj.

Worshipful homage unto Lord Rama, divine incarnation of the Supreme Deity, Bhagavan

Narayana. May His perfect personality representing the perfect ideal human individual, inspire all

beings to strive to improve their own character and conduct and to emulate the noble behaviour of

Maryada Purushottama, Bhagavan Sri Ramachandra.

When I was approached with a request to give a brief foreword to this present work, I was

somewhat nonplussed and a bit puzzled as to what I could write about a scripture that is being read

by millions of people all over India and many other parts of the world and which has been translated

into numerous languages and upon which very many writers have written numerous books over the

past centuries. I felt as one would feel if he was asked to give a foreword to a book like the “Old

Testament” or the “Illiad” or the “Odyssey”.

However, after reading the Publisher’s Preface and the author’s own statements in the first

ten or twelve opening pages, I became aware of the very special approach and the analytical nature

of this present work. This made me aware that it has a unique value as a manual of human conduct

and a guide to righteous living to every individual in general and to aspiring spiritual seekers who

are striving for a higher inner unfoldment, in particular.

The narrative has also been interpreted as an allegorical work, somewhat similar to

Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress.” Vedantic Wisdom is also to be found within its pages in such

versions that contain most illuminating and instructive dialogues as in the conversation between

Lord Sri Rama and his brother Sri Lakshmana in the “Rama Gita”. Revered Sri Swami

Premanandaji has done a valuable service in culling together, within the covers of this present

work, all these precious aspects of the great divine drama of the “Ramayana” for the benefit of the

English-knowing public who may not have access to the original versions either in Sanskrit

“Valmiki”, or in the other Indian vernaculars like Hindi “Tulsidas”, Tamil “Kamban”, etc.

Readers will find a rich treasure in this work, “Spotlights On The Ramayana”, by Sri Swami

Premanandaji who has himself delved deep into the well-known “Sri Ramcharitmanas” and who is

himself a great Ramayana-Premi. I wish the book wide circulation and careful study.

May the abundant Divine Grace of adorable Lord Sri Rama ever be upon Sri Swami

Premanandaji and may the Lord’s blessings make him shine as an ideal person adorned with all

sublime virtues and Divine spiritual qualities. May the Lord’s Grace grant unto all the readers joy,

peace and spiritual illumination. Salutations, again, to Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda. Victory to

worshipful Lord Rama.

Sivanandashram (Rishikesh)

Dated: 11th September, 1980 Swami Chidananda.

INVOCATION

Salutations to Lord Ganesha who removes all impediments and ensures blessedness and

success.

Reverence to Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge and learning, and Parvati, consort of

Lord Siva, bestower of strength and energy.

Prostrations to my Satguru Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj, an ocean of benevolence and

compassion, who removes defects of vision and purifies the eyes of understanding and guides on

the path of spirituality, wisdom and devotion and protects his humble disciples from all sides.

Adorations to Lord Mahadeva, over whose divine body the holy ashes are auspicious and

ecstatic and who narrated the sacred Sri Ramacharitmanas (Ramayana) to his holy consort Uma.

Veneration to Lord Rama and Janaki Sita, incarnations of Lord Hari and Goddess Lakshmi

respectively, who remove illusion and illumine the heart & mind with devotion and truth.

Obeisance to Hanuman, an ideal and faithful servant-cum-devotee of Sita Rama, by whose

blessings truth is made manifest and the Yugal-sarkar grant their darshan to a devotee.

Benedictions be from great sage Valmiki, the first author of Ramayana, and Sant Goswami

Tulsidas, an incarnation of Valmiki, who composed Sri Ramcharitmanas in Hindi for the

redemption of mankind, in this perverse Kali Yuga.

MY SUBMISSION

The holy Ramayana, a masterpiece in Sanskrit classics of the great sage Valmiki, the

Adi-kavi, is the first and foremost specimen of exquisite poetry. There are other Ramayanas viz.

Adhyatma Ramayana, Anand Ramayana, Maha-Ramayana, Adbhuta Ramayana, Ramcharitmanas

and several others in different languages such as Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Marathi, South Indian

languages like Tamil and others.

The Valmiki Ramayana and Sri Ramcharitmanas of Goswami Sant Tulsidas, enjoy a unique

place among the classics of the world’s literature. Valmiki Ramayana has since been translated,

both in prose and poetry, in English, French, Italian, Latin and some other languages. Almost

similar is the case with Sri Ramcharitmanas of Sant Tulsidas.

Someone told me that Ramayana has also been translated into Russian language and they

are now staging and screening some of the important scenes of the same—of course in their own

way and style. In fact, in India and the Far East, the great epic of Lord Rama, Jagatjanani Sita and

celibate Hanuman is not just an ancient classic; its mystique and mythology based on some facts as

well as history have inspired and influenced the entire cultural framework of South-East Asia for

four millennia.

As ancient Greece had two famous epics Odyssey and Illiad, ancient India had the

Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The Ramayana, which describes the wanderings of Prince Rama

banished from his kingdom, has something in common with the famous Odyssey. The Ramayana

and the Mahabharata together comprise the whole of the epic literature of ancient India, and they

present a most graphic and life-like picture of the civilisation and culture, customs and traditions,

the social and political life, the religious and spiritual thoughts of ancient India, which cannot be

ignored in any way.

The races which flourished in the Northern region of India, approximately one thousand

years before Christ, amongst them the Kosalas of Oudh, now in the province of Uttar Pradesh and

the Videhas of Bihar (now it is a province), were considered the most cultured races and their kings,

monarchs and priests were famous for their administration, bravery, learning and prowess. They

were glorious, righteous and truly Dharma abiding.

The great sages and distinguished priests in those times founded schools of arts and learning

which were well-known all over India and several students joined from surrounding countries for

study and research.

Our ancestors those days did a lot of research on several subjects including the mysteries of

the soul and into the nature of the One Universal Soul which pervades the entire creation, which are

still preserved in the holy and marvellous Upanishads. Besides the Vedas, the Upanishads,

Ramayana and Mahabharata and some other wonderful legacies are a most valuable heritage left by

the ancients to us.

Historical Facts

Time lent higher and greater lustre to the achievements of these gifted races and the age in

which they flourished appeared to their descendants as the Golden Age of Bharatavarsha.

Dasaratha, the king of the Kosalas, is considered as an ideal king, who laboured for the good of his

subjects. His capital was Ayodhya on the bank of the river Saryu. The ruins of his fort and palaces

and Hanuman Garhi are still there, approximately six miles from Faizabad, in Uttar Pradesh.

The king of Videhas, Raja Janaka is accepted as a monarch and a saint of high order. Lord

Rama, the eldest son of Dasaratha is the hero of epic Ramayana, whereas Sita, the daughter of Raja

Janaka is the heroine.

Three brothers of Lord Rama are Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna and they were

married with the daughters of the Videhas, namely Mandavi, Urmila and Srutakirti respectively.

Their sons were founders of great cities and kingdoms as stated under, which flourished in the

fourth, fifth and sixth centuries before the Christian era.

i. Lava and Kusa, the two sons of Rama, ruled in Sravasti an old and famous historical town

which was the capital of Oudh for sometime during the days of Lord Buddha and the latter founded

Kusavati at the foot of the Vindhya mountains. I have personally visited this place, which is now in

the Behraich district of Uttar Pradesh.

ii. Bharata’s two sons—Taksha and Pushkala—founded famous and flourishing kingdoms

on either side of the river Indus, now in Punjab. Its Western part is now in Pakistan. On the East of

the Indus river Taksha-sila (known to Alexander the Great and the Greeks as Taxila) was founded

by Taksha. Pushkala founded his kingdom known as Pushkalavati to the West of the Indus.

(Alexander and the Greeks called the same as Peukelaotis.)

iii. Lakshmana’s two sons, Angada and Chandraketu, funded the kingdoms of Karupada

and Chandrakanti respectively in the Malwa region.

iv. Shatrughna’s first son, Subahu, ruled Mathura and the second son named Shatrughati

became the king of Vidisha.

Sri Ramcharitmanas is considered to be the best work on Devotion by the Father of the

nation, Mahatma Gandhi, one of the greatest men of the modern world. This immortal poem has an

universal appeal and is accepted by all classes of people from Bihar to Punjab and from the

Himalayas to the Narmada. The characters shown in it are the characters of flesh and blood, virtues

and vices, ideals of devotion and truth, bravery and duty, sacrifice and greatness, struggle and

success, womanly faithfulness, love for domestic life based on Dharma, respect for the values of

vii

higher life and the goal of human life in the end. The exemplary government is known as

‘Ram-Rajya’ in the historic world.

There is something indescribably touching and tender in the description of these characters.

Deeper than all the other characteristics is the sense of Rama’s duty towards his father, his consort

and brothers, his mother and step-mothers, towards his subjects, his foes and friends and others,

including even birds and beasts. For the pious Hindus, Rama is Lord Rama, whose life in the form

of a man and king is the ideal life in all respects. His life exemplifies triumph of good over evil

forces. It is a life of submission and service to sages and saints.

It is the truthfulness, power of endurance and sincerity of Rama under suffering and

privations which impart the deepest lessons to man’s character. This holy book is also a treasure of

higher philosophy of wisdom, devotion and Karma-yoga. The ancient ideal may seem to modern

man far-fetched in these days, but one can never fully comprehend this great moral epic of the

ancient Hindus unless one develops the requisite sincerity to know the Reality behind things.

According to an old and respected Christian missionary “no one could hope to understand

the people of Upper India till he had mastered every line that Tulsidas had written.” This Ramayana

is deep like an ocean, vast like the infinite space, full of moral and ethical teachings and

soul-illuminating treasures. In order to reap the benefit, one has to dive deep to bring out the pearls

and to rise higher and higher in the realm of spirit with devotion and faith.

Difference Due To Ages

It is not just a facetious novel but contains within itself the novelty of human life, lofty

ideals and a record of the meritorious deeds of Raghuvansmani Rama, based on facts—as the

popular saying goes, “there is no smoke without fire.” The variance in the different Ramayanas

seems due to Kalpa-bheda (difference of age-cycles) according to mystagogues and mythologists

and religious pandits, and the varied approach by various authors at different times.

While concluding Sri Ramcharitmanas, Sant Tulsidas has warned;

This story however should not be repeated to a perverse knave, who does not listen

attentively to the story of Hari, nor should it be recited to a greedy, or lustful man who worships not

the Lord of all animals and inanimate creation.... They alone are qualified to hear Sri Rama’s

narrative, who are extremely fond of communion with holy men. They alone are fit to hear it, who

are devoted to the feet of their preceptor and are lovers of propriety and votaries of the Brahmans.....

So, generally, whenever I happen to talk on Sri Ramcharitmanas, I mostly touch upon the

philosophy and teachings of Ramayana and the beauty and meaning of the words and phraseology

rather than a narration of the mere story, events or exploits of Rama or other characters. I never

thought of writing a commentary on the Ramayana but this book has come up suddenly on its own.

Thus, my purpose of writing this “Spotlights On The Ramayana” is somewhat strange and may be

construed as a new approach.

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During my recent visit to the US and Canada, I was confronted with several peculiar types

of queries and arguments not only by the American and Canadian brothers and sisters but also by

the educated Indians who have settled there. It was an astonishing phenomenon. Of course such

Hindus are in India also. My mind therefore started thinking, how to place the picture of the epic on

a different footing without lessening the faith in Lord Rama, and naturally I prayed to Him and to

Satgurudev. Consequently, I first wrote an article titled “Esotericism in the Ramayana” However it

was later developed along the lines of a somewhat rational appreciative critique, which is now in the

hands of the readers in form of “Spotlights On The Ramayana”. At the end of the book, a chapter on

‘Questions and Answers’ has been added, which are of general interest to seekers and sadhakas.

Here it would not be out of place to add a few words on the role of the epics in the literature

of the world. The “Mahabharata”, the “Ramayana”, the “Illiad” , the “Odyssey”, the “Aeneid”, the

“Divine Comedia”, the “Paradise Lost and Regained” the “Shahnama” of Firdaus may be

mentioned as perhaps the greatest epics of the world. We may add the Iceland “Eddas” & the

Silappadikaram in Tamil as masterly specimens in this category. Translations of the “Ramayana”

such as that of Kamban stand, again, unparalleled in epic literature, and do they tell us only stories

for our leisure hours?

Travel Diary of The Soul

Far from being tales and legends, they rise above the ground of mortal comprehension to the

height of a majesty which can only be described as a travel diary of the sojourn of the soul in the

cosmos. Written in tumultuously powerful styles and with a virility that can brook no comparison,

the epics of the world are the depiction of the soul of man as the chief hero in the drama of creation.

Who can read these masterpieces without an electrifying touch of the supernormal, felt within

oneself? The epic poets are the messengers of eternity who speak in the language of man, charging

it with the force that they receive from the depths they have plunged and the heights they have

scaled.

Under such circumstances, it should look idle to cavil and carp at the messages of the epics

as a grandmother’s story, amyth, a fable, a fantasy, something ‘unhistorical’. And what is history to

the eye that can see all the details of creation with one sweep? How could events which have a

cosmic significance be regarded as unhistorical? Is history merely a record of events capable of

physical verification confined only to this earth? Are we, all-seeing men and there can be nothing

beyond the ken of human perception? Humility should be considered as the insignia of true wisdom

and insight.

Parading of modern empirical researches has often become these days a major theme in

many recent journals and papers, learned editorials which denounce the super-physical nature of

life and shout down anything that is superhuman. Man himself is more than man! He strides the

very heavens in an inner reach of his own being. These are the regions explored in the mighty epics.

One should wish more caution and patience from these distortions of modern scholarship.

This sevak is not a writer and his intellect is a poor match to the unlimited glory and exploits

of Lord Rama. I may even not be qualified to write anything by way of this exceptional approach. I

hope that the generous readers will hail this new attempt believing that there may be some divine

purpose, some play of divine Grace, behind this novel urge which has in one way or the other

inspired this sevak to undertake this task. I hope too that learned and devout readers will not wholly

denounce this new attempt and will forgive my impertinence and errors, if any.

Before concluding, I am eager to express my gratitude with reverence, to His Holiness Sri

Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj for favouring me so graciously in writing the foreword to this book.

Similarly, my heartfelt thanks naturally go to Revered Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj and Shri

Baldeo Sahaiji whose valuable guidance, suggestions and practical assistance encouraged and

helped me to place this book in this form before the readers. I am also very much thankful to Shri

Kailash Chanderji Sachdev and his entire family who worked hard and helped in bringing out this

book. Lt. Col. Birmaniji’s suggestions and assistance have their own place and I amgrateful to him.

May God Almighty and Satgurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj bless these families, who were

chosen by the Lord to fulfil this task. There are several others who have assisted me in this work in

one way or the other, and I thank them all.

Sivananda Ashram,

8th September, 1980 SWAMI PREMANANDA.

THE STORY

The story of Lord Rama has inspired millions over the centuries. It is said that the first

Ramayana, as the epic is called, was written by sage Valmiki in Sanskrit, much before the incidents

occurred. Valmiki was a contemporary of Rama and when Sita, his consort, was exiled by King

Rama. She stayed at the Ashram of sage Valmiki. The latest recension was done by Sant Tulsidas in

Avadhi, the language of the masses, in the 15th century.

In the present interpretation of the epic the main actors of the drama are personified by

various attributes common to the human race. This interpretation could, therefore, command

universal appeal. This is called Adhyatma or spiritual Ramayana which explains the esotericism in

the great epic.

Till very recently, none in India bothered to verify the veracity of the story. It was not their

concern to investigate the actual happenings in history—when Rama lived and ruled or the places

he occupied during his fourteen years’ period of banishment by his father. To Indians it was the

grain that mattered and not the chaff.

The modern period is the age of reason, not of faith—faith in tradition, in the past, in epics,

in authority, in parents, even in oneself. For everything the modern generation clamours for proof,

authenticity and verification. In the case of past events there can be circumstantial evidence,

historical support, archaeological proof and literary or even astronomical occurrences to support

dates and incidents. The Ramayana, i.e. the history of Lord Rama, in the light of the temper of

times, has also been subjected to detailed scrutiny. Historians have been busy locating various

places where certain events of his life took place.

Some are of the view that Lord Rama never went beyond the Vindhyas and the entire

episode occurred in northern India. Lanka of the Ramayana is said to be somewhere in Madhya

Pradesh. Mandu is pinpointed as the city where Mandodari, the wife of Ravana, lived. The demon

king Ravana is also said to have been living nearabout. As evidences are cited a huge brick-mound

known even today as Ravana Kursi or the seat of Ravana, a musical instrument played with a bow

on strings popular in the region is called Ravana-hattha. Panchavati is supposed to be situated near

Nasik and authentically shown round to visitors as the place where Sita lived with her husband and

his brother Lakshmana for a part of the banishment period.

The historians contradict these views and quote literary events in the Valmiki Ramayana to

prove that Lanka did lie across the seas and Rama offered prayers to Siva before launching the

construction of the oversea stone-bridge. At Rameshwaram there is a temple with the idol of Lord

Siva who was worshipped by the royal couple before they mounted an attack on Lanka. Since

Rama’s spouse Sita was in the custody of Ravana and the worship could not be performed without

the wife being by his side, it is said that Ravana agreed to send Sita for a short while so that the

worship could be performed according to the rites laid down in the scriptures.

There are historians who contradict all this since, obviously, it looks strange and incredible.

According to them, there was no Rama, Sita, Ravana, the battle, the banishment and a victory of

Rama over his rival Ravana. They say that the entire story is a tale told by elders from generation to

generation assuming the shape of history over the years. The story, like any other fiction, has been

so much ingrained in the race-unconscious that by constant repetition over a few thousand years,

people have started believing that it is a part of history which is far from the truth.

Be that as it may, we will not enter into an argument whether the story of Lord Rama is a

historical fact or otherwise. We would prefer to stick to the grain and start with the assumption that

the story is basically true. It has inspired millions of Indians all over the country to follow the right

path. It continues to inspire millions today, and will continue to do so in future.

Many epics have been written about the life and activities of Lord Rama. There are

hundreds of them written in the North, South, East and West of the country. Among these about 36

are considered to be important. One of them, the Adhyatma Ramayana, gives a symbolic

interpretation of the various characters and events of Ramayana. Since such an interpretation could

be of universal significance, we would concentrate here in giving a brief outline of the symbolism.

Before we do that it would be better to be acquainted with the generally accepted story of Lord

Rama.

There Was A King

There is an ancient city of Ayodhya on the banks of broad-bosomed river Saryu in the Utter

Pradesh State of India. There lived a king called Raghu, so powerful, that he was invited by even

Indra of Swargaloka to help him in his battles against the demons. Swargaloka is heaven, but

interpreted these days as a land lying somewhere in the North amidst the hoary heights of the

Himalayas and Indra, according to this reading, must have been a powerful king enjoying all the

luxuries of life but constantly threatened by some other kings who were equally affluent and brave.

The arts and sciences of that age are not well-known now. The elixir of youth, the devas—Indra was

their lord—had discovered is treated now as a myth. Their adversaries, the Asuras or demons, were

anxious to get hold of the prescription of the elixir.

In war there are descriptions of many weapons which could cause fire like modern Napalm

bomb, or whirlwind and a storm which are not known today. There were mnemonic formulae which

were recited to invoke supernatural powers to help one party to harm the other. These formulae

called mantras are also mostly on way out and have not been preserved in the original form. There

are descriptions of aerial cars, horse-driven golden chariots and palaces of gold and silver.

A scion descended from this king was Dasaratha, king of Ayodhya. Dasaratha had

everything that nature could bestow, but he had no progeny. Therefore he performed a sacrifice and

was given the essence of that sacrifice to be distributed among his queens. This was divided by

Dasaratha in three parts for his three queens, Kausalya the eldest, Kaikeyi the second and Sumitra

the youngest. It so happened that the last one ate double the share. In course of time Kausalya gave

birth to Rama, Kaikeyi to Bharata and Sumitra to Lakshmana and Shatrughna. Among the queens,

Kaikeyi who came from the Kingdom of Kekaya (supposed to be the area near the Caucasus

mountains by moderns) was the most beautiful and well versed in the art of war. She often

SPOTLIGHTS ON THE RAMAYANA

accompanied the king to battle and once when the king’s chariot was disabled due to a broken axle,

Kaikeyi put her arm in the wheel to support the chariot so that the King could fight undisturbed.

When the king discovered the kind of courage and determination displayed by her, he was very

pleased and offered to grant her two boons. It is also said in some Ramayanas that the king of

Caucasus had agreed to marry his daughter on the condition that the son born of her would be the

crown-prince. Years rolled on and one day when Dasaratha discovered that his hair was turning

grey, he decided to enthrone his eldest son, Rama, as the king. Rama was very obedient, loyal and

handsome, dear to all the three mothers and the public of Ayodhya. The declaration was greeted

with joy, but Manthara, the maidservant of Kaikeyi, became a fly in the ointment and she reminded

the queen, of the king’s promise that her son would be enthroned as king. Kaikeyi became wild with

rage and dismissed her insinuations with contempt, but persistent persuasion of the cunning

Manthara had the desired effect.

When the king visited her in the evening, she expressed her desire to reclaim the boons to

which the king agreed. The first boon Kaikeyi asked for was that Bharata and not Rama, should be

made the king. Secondly, she asked for the banishment of Rama from the kingdom for 14 years. The

king, after painful reluctance, agreed to grant the first boon but could not bear the separation of

Rama for such a long period. The queen, however stuck to her stand and Dasaratha kept his word.

When Rama left for the forest, his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana also insisted upon

accompanying him. After their separation the king died of a broken heart.

When Bharata who had been sent away to his maternal uncle, returned to Ayodhya and

became aware of the developments. He reprimanded his mother. He went to Chitrakuta, where

Rama with Sita and Lakshmana was staying, in order to bring back Lord Rama and enthrone him as

king. After great persuasion by Rama, taking it as a command of the Lord, he agreed to rule the

kingdom only as a representative of Lord Rama, his elder brother.

COSMIC DRAMA

Events in this universe do not occur in isolation or individually. Incidents are inter-related

and interdependent. There is a flux in the totality of events and the whole drama is played on a

cosmic plane. Can a wave in the ocean claim to ride on the crest on its own or a whiff of wind blow

independently of the atmosphere?

You must have watched an army of ants going about their way in a disciplined manner as

busy-bodies. To be sure, if they had better brains they would feel being engaged in an enormous

task, marching in a row, contacting each other while moving, constantly engaged in a great task.

What do we humans feel about their work without rest? Perhaps we laugh in our sleeves at their

activity. So, are busy innumerable insects, birds and beasts exciting in us no more than a passing

attention.

THE STORY

So are millions of men, each engaged in his own task, governing a country, undertaking

construction, increasing production, serving the people and their own family. Each one thinks he is

engaged in a mighty endeavour. Suppose there was a better race of beings before whom we are no

more than mere ants, how would they view our ponderous plans and untiring efforts in

implementing them? But most men regard themselves as a class by themselves, superior to the

entire creation, plants, insects, animals and beasts.

If there is a cosmic plan and we are all like waves in an ocean, there is hardly anything that

we really can do on our own. In the ocean each wave impelled behind propels forward in rhythmic

motion. So in the atmosphere winds rise, go to the area of low pressure, rush out again, moving in a

continuous motion, urged on by the whiffs behind and whiffs forward.

We all go about our activities under the mistaken notion that we all act individually and

independently taking the credit for achievements and blaming the failures on others. Nothing

happens in this universe independently of other happenings. There is a continuous motion

sometimes rhythmic and at others not so rhythmic. It is all a part of the cosmic plan and we are all

mere waves rising and falling without any will of our own in this grand drama.

Rama knew this cosmic plan. He knew that he was merely a cog in the wheel of the great

universe. Or, to view him as an incarnation of Vishnu, he was well aware of the meaning behind the

play of the cosmos, of which he was the great central pivot. With this wisdom ingrained in him he

was not elated when his father proposed his name as a king. Nor did he sink into the abyss of

despondency when the next morning he was banished from the kingdom for 14 long years.

He accepted the command of his father gracefully and approached not only Kausalya, his

own mother, but also Sumitra and, of course Kaikeyi who was the cause of all this disaster. It was,

he felt, the cosmic will and he should accept its verdict cheerfully. Therefore Rama is always

referred to as one of the best specimens of the human race who always respected the right

cause—Maryadapurushottama Rama.

When he discarded his royal robes, put on the mendicant’s attire and prepared himself for

the forest. His wife Sita, herself the daughter of a great king, bred and brought up in luxury, sought

the permission of her in-laws to accompany her husband. There was a lot of argument, but she

convinced all that a wife’s place is always by they side of her husband—in prosperity or in penury.

Her arguments, according to Indian traditions, were incontrovertible. She was allowed to

accompany Rama.

But Lakshmana, Rama’s brother, who had his young wife Urmila, did not allow the couple

to go alone into the inhospitable forest infested with wild beasts and wilder tribals. A fire-brand and

rather aggressive, he had his way and formed one of the trio who finally left their luxurious life and

loveable surroundings for the hardships of the forest. Whereas Sita had the satisfaction of

accompanying her husband and being by his side, Urmila, Lakshmana’s wife denied herself even

that privilege and pleasure and stayed back to serve her in-laws.

SPOTLIGHTS ON THE RAMAYANA

Ideal Human Relationships

Ramayana is an epic which delineates with remarkable clarity and the precision of a

surgeon’s knife, how to conduct human relationships of all types. To my mind it appears to be an

authentic interpretation in sociology, a comprehensive directory of human relations. There is no

end to this variety of relations between man and man, man and woman and it may be surprising that

the ideal behaviour of almost every human relationship has been depicted in this epic. To name a

few: the relationship between father and son as represented by Dasaratha and Rama; son and

stepmother—Rama and Kaikeyi; husband and wife—Lakshmana and Urmila; king and his

subjects—Rama and inhabitants of Ayodhya; brother and brother—Rama, Bharata and

Lakshmana; married man and a wanton—Lakshmana and Surpanakha; God and devotee—Rama

and Sugreeva; king and his army—Rama and the Vanaras; master and servant—Rama and

Hanuman; sworn enemies—Rama and Ravana; ideal husband and wife relationship—Rama and

Sita. For every human situation, for every intricate relationship, there is an answer in the Ramayana

and it is an ideal answer worthy of emulation in all countries, by all people, at all times.

To continue the story, Rama had been sent to the forest as an actor as it turned out to be—to

fulfil a grand design and the troubles started very soon in Panchavati in Dandakaranya where they

stayed. The sister of Ravana named Surpanakha heard of the two princes and a lady living in the

forest and had the easy curiosity of having a look at them. She was a treacherous woman and visited

Panchavati in her best attire.

Almost at first sight she fell in love with the handsome Rama and dared to woo him. Rama

smiled and explained that he was accompanied by his wife and, in a lighter vein, suggested that she

should approach his younger brother Lakshmana who was much fairer and equally handsome.

Lakshmana lacked the sobriety and sanguinity of his elder brother. He also said that he was a

married man and that she should leave him alone. But the woman was equally adamant and when

she started making advances, Lakshmana was enraged and chopped off her ears and nose. She ran

away bleeding and cursing, to her brothers Khara and Dushana, kings of two small principalities.

She presented entirely a different story—that that the princes wanted to molest her and when she

took a stand, the younger brother disfigured her. Both the brothers raided Panchavati and after a

fierce battle both were slain. Thus, right from the beginning the stage was set for something more

ominous to occur which ultimately led to the wholesale slaughter of the demonic elements along

with their king of kings, Ravana.

As the story goes, after her brothers were killed, she went to Meghanatha and finally to

Ravana, instigating them to avenge her dishonour. Ravana was a clever king and when he heard that

the two brothers had been slain by Rama and Lakshmana, he could guess that they were no ordinary

warriors. He therefore set a trap and sent a man Maricha, who could take any form, to go near

Panchavati in the form of a golden deer, and beguile the brothers away. The plan worked and when

Sita saw the golden deer she asked her husband to get it for her, Rama saw the game and told Sita

that it was only a ruse and that she should not pay any attention to it, but cosmic plan had its

influence and Sita became restless and compelled Rama to bring the golden deer for her.

Rama instructed Lakshmana to look after Sita and started the chase. As planned, when

Maricha was dying he shouted for Lakshmana. Sita suspected that Rama was in danger and insisted

COSMIC DRAMA

upon Lakshmana’s going to his help. Lakshmana tried to convince Sita that nothing untoward

would happen to Rama and that it was all a trick to take him away from her. But a woman’s heart,

she was harsh on Lakshmana and went to the extent of imputing motives to him, which compelled

Lakshmana to go in search of his brother. Before departure, he drew a line on the ground with his

bow and told Sita not to cross the line, come what may. As soon as the two brothers had gone, a

mendicant appeared to beg for alms. He noted the line and knew that if he crossed it he could be

burnt to ashes. He therefore requested her to come out of the line, and as she did so, the mendicant

who was none else but Ravana, took her away forcibly in his aerial car.

III

THE PLOT THICKENS

While being abducted, Sita flapped her limbs like a caged bird, shrieked and shouted but

there was none to come to her rescue. On the way she left a trail by dropping her ornaments. When

Ravana was intercepted by Jatayu, a devotee of Rama, who put up a fight, the latter eventually lost

the battle and fell down. Ravana thereafter reached his capital without any disturbance and confined

Sita to a garden in his palace, called Ashoka-Vatika.

Rama returned to find Panchavati without its soul, its life, its Sita. He suspected foul play

and went round asking for the whereabouts of Sita from birds and beasts, plants and trees, wailing

and weeping like an ordinary man. Rama is never projected as the Supreme Lord of the universe

who knew the past, the present and the future, but as amere mortal, although as an ideal man. While

looking for Sita the trail of ornaments led the two brothers to Jatayu who told them all about the

abduction of Sita by Ravana and then he breathed his last on Rama’s lap.

Ravana was a strange foe. He was well-read knowing all the Vedas and Sastras, unbeaten in

argument and having great knowledge of various arts and sciences. Indian artists therefore show

him as a person having the wisdom of ten wise men—with ten heads. In spite of being so learned

and wise, he committed the contemptible act of taking away forcibly another man’s wife. Therefore

the artists add a donkey’s head to the personality of Ravana demonstrating his folly. Ravana

retained his propriety, however, in dealing with the captive Sita. She was put under the charge of

dreadful demonesses who cajoled her, compelled her, threatened her to accept Ravana as her

husband. Nothing availed, and Sita stood like a rock in her faithfulness and loyalty to Rama. Credit

must be given to the mighty king Ravana who on his frequent visits to Sita in Ashoka Vatika

always, awaited her acceptance and never for once touched her person.

At the other camp, once Rama came to know that Ravana had taken away Sita, a search was

launched to find the exact spot where she was confined. The job was performed by his great

devotee, Hanuman, son of Vayu (wind God) who had acquired several Siddhis (miraculous powers)

like assuming several forms ranging from the tiniest and the lightest to the largest and the heaviest.

He took the ring of Rama as a token to establish his identity and dropped the ring from a tree under

which Sita was sitting. Sita was delighted to receive amessage from Rama and gave an ornament in

return as a token of her message to her Lord.

SPOTLIGHTS ON THE RAMAYANA

Before returning, Hanuman was caught by the henchmen of Ravana who tried to burn him

alive but Hanuman assumed a huge form and in turn caused enormous damage to Lanka. When

Ravana’s brother Vibhishana advised Ravana to return the captive, Ravana disgracefully turned

him out of the court. Thus Vibhishana surrendered to Lord Rama and became his devotee for ever.

Rama did not take any precipitate action. An emissary, Angada, son of Bali, was sent to the

court of Ravana asking for the return of Sita to avoid bloodshed. Angada was told by Ravana that he

would prefer a fight to avenge the dishonour done to his sister than to patch up by returning Sita.

Vibhishana had joined the forces of Rama and with the help of king Sugreeva, a huge army

was raised and a bridge laid across the sea to reach Lanka. Feverish preparations followed on both

sides but before starting the war Rama sought the blessings of Lord Siva for his success. Hanuman

was asked to bring the idol of Lord Siva from a particular holy place but the Brahmins said that the

Yajna could not be performed by Lord Rama unless his wife was by his side. Amessage was sent to

Ravana to spare Sita for a short while so that worship could be performed according to the scriptural

rites. There lies the greatness of the foe who agreed to send Sita temporarily and equally the

magnanimity of Rama who duly returned her after the Lord had been worshipped.

There are instances after instances which point to the ideal character of not only Lord Rama

but of many individuals, especially the main actors who participated in this drama. It is difficult to

decide who excels whom. Even a tribal woman who wanted to entertain Rama by offering him

plums, tasted each to ensure that only the sweet ones were eaten by the Lord, although it is refuted

by some scholars giving a different meaning as Lord Rama is considered Maryada Purushottama.

Friends, foes, brothers, devotees and others all leave an indelible impression upon the mind of the

reader and tender ideal advice about one’s duty in a variety of human situations. In fact almost all

conceivable situations have been covered and without being didactic, the advise dawns upon the

person through a concrete example.

I leave it to scholars to conduct research and find out the veracity of various incidents,

persons and places. The grain is to see how a particular individual acted in a given situation, and

draw lessons therefrom. As Longfellow sang:

Lives of great men all remind us.

We can make our lives sublime.

The day of reckoning arrived and the great battle began between the forces of good and evil.

There were many ups and downs in the battle. At one point Lakshmana was mortally wounded and

there were less chances for his survival. But he was revived by the Sanjivini herb brought by

Hanuman from the Himalayas. Thousands of Vanaras of Rama’s Army were killed by Meghnatha,

the son of Ravana, who at last was slain in the battle by Lakshmana. Ahiravana, another son of

Ravana, who was in the Patal Loka took away Rama and Lakshmana through his Maya to be

sacrificed at the altar of Devi. However, they were rescued by Hanuman, and Ahiravana was killed

by Hanuman. Kumbhakarana, a great warrior and brother of Ravana, was also killed by Lord Rama

on the battlefield.

THE PLOT THICKENS

Ravana was a bitter foe and a man of miracles. It is said that he could assume many forms

and bodies. Rama was hard put to finish him off. Eventually, his brother Vibhishana let out the

secret that Rama should shoot an arrow at his navel which contained the elixir of his life and unless

the elixir was drained off Ravana would not die.

At last the end came and Ravana fell dead on the ground. Sita was rescued and taken to

Ayodhya in Pushpaka Vimana, an aerial car. They were received by the people of Ayodhya and

brother Bharata who had ruled the country in his absence as a regent. Rama was crowned king

amidst great rejoicings.

IN WORLD LITERATURE

Before we go over to explain the esotericism of the Ramayana, let me say a few words about

the prevailing criticism about the veracity of various events mentioned in the epic.

First, there is no doubt that early Indians had an approach to history which was rather

different from the present day attitude. The word for literature in India is Sahitya, i.e. which will

help in the progress and welfare of mankind. While writing history, maybe they kept the objective

of human welfare uppermost.

Secondly there may have been some intermingling of history and mythology. Although

mythology is said to be based on what C.G. Jung has called the ‘race-unconscious’ and therefore

projects the innate inhibited aspirations of a race; they did not draw any definite line of demarcation

between mythology and history. It is, therefore, possible that either some events were exaggerated

or new material interpolated which cannot pass the portals of history as is understood today.

Thirdly, some recent trends in Western thought had a great influence on the thinking of the

world, particularly on India which was a colony of the British for almost two centuries. In this trend,

the most important influence in recent times has been of Herbert Spencer who formulated the

theory of evolution much before Charles Darwin and Wallace. Spencer’s evolution has a wider

sweep and covers all physical and biological phenomena. According to him, the world is evolving

from worse to better. Conversely, as we go back in time, the civilisation would have been worse and

worse. As such, the state of affairs in India at present should be definitely better than they were a

few hundred or a few thousand years ago. Therefore it is just not possible that the people of ancient

India—or for that matter, of any country—could be more prosperous, more intelligent and more

advanced than at present. This philosophy cuts at the root of all ancient civilisations and treats the

facts of ancient world as fiction. India’s philosophy, on the other hand has an exactly opposite

approach than the evolutionary progressivism of Spencer. According to it, the world is going from

bad to worse—not necessarily in the material sense but in moral essence. The cycle of the universe

begins with Satyayuga the age of truth, benevolence and moral rectitude, but gradually degenerates

into Treta, Dwapara and the age of Kali, during which moral values gradually go down. After the

SPOTLIGHTS ON THE RAMAYANA

worst comes to pass and only little morality is left in the world, one cycle of creation is completed

and the whole world is dissolved into nothingness, rising again with Satyayuga.

This approach is nothing unusual to India. There are references in the literature of other

countries which speak of high civilisation in the past for which scientific explanations have yet to

be formulated. There are two courses open to us, either to reject them as fantasies or to undertake

research on modern lines to evaluate their truth.

Let me refer to the Babylonian Etana epic deciphered from clay-tablet library of the

Assyrian king, Assurbanipal (669-662 BC). The actual origin of the epic is unknown but parts of it

are included in the much older epic of Gilgamesh written in the Akkadian language.

The Sumerians began to write down their past in 2300 B.C. Just as Enkidu, the hero of the

epic of Gilgamesh was carried up above the Earth by a god, Etana also floats high in the air. Here are

the essential passages as quoted by Erich Von Daniken in his “In Search of Ancient Gods”. The

passages from the Etana epic say:

The Eagle said to him, to Etana:

‘My friend, I will carry thee to heaven—Anus,

Lay thy breast on my breast,

Lay thy eyes on the pinion of my wings,

Lay thy sides on my sides.....’

When he had carried aloft for a while,

The Eagle spoke to him, to Etana:

‘Look my friend, how the land has changed,

Look at the sea at the side of the world mountain!

The Land there looks like a mountain,

The sea has become like water course ....’

When he had carried him aloft a little longer,

The eagle said to him, to Etana:

‘Look my friend, how the land has changed.

The earth looks like a plantation of trees...’

Daniken comments, “I am firmly convinced that ‘gods’ in mythology can only be a

synonym for space travellers, for lack of a more accurate name for flying phenomena.” Daniken

gives many photographs from ancient scriptures found in different parts of the world which appear

to be not only strange but bizarre as they do not conform to anything the like of which we know

today. He quotes from a translation of Enoch published in Thubingjm in 1900.

It is said in chapter 14 of the Book of Enoch:

“They bore me up into the heavens. I entered and walked until I came to a building of crystal

stones and surrounded by tongues of fire, and it began to strike terror into me. I went into the

tongues of fire and came to a large house built of crystal stones. The walls of that house were like

unto a floor paved with crystal stones and its floor was of crystal. Its roof was like the paths of the

IN WORLD LITERATURE

stars and lightning, with fiery cherubs in between. A sea of fire was round its walls, and its doors

burnt with fire.”

It is said in chapter 15.

“And when I heard the voice of the most high: Fear thou not, Enoch, the righteous man and

scribe of righteousness—go thou and speak to the guardians of heaven who have sent thee in order

to intercede for them.”

According to Daniken there is little doubt that a ferry ship took Enoch from earth to the

command module which was orbiting around the earth. “The gleaming metal hull of the spaceship

seemed to him to be built of crystal stones. Through a heat-rejecting fortified roof he could see the

stars and meteorites and also observe the flashes from the steering jets of small spaceships.”

There are references of strange happenings in Mayan literature and stone reliefs. One

Mayan legend says that there was a civilisation in full boom 10,000 years ago, although

archaeologists question this early dating in their meagre ‘revelations’. It has however been proved

that Mayan cities were not destroyed by wars or natural catastrophes, they were simply abandoned

by their inhabitants. The Maya disappeared without a trace. Why did they leave their magnificent

cities which were built to last with massive blocks of stones? Only three Maya manuscripts, the

so-called Codices, were spared in the burning of the books.

Maya calendar was of an incredibly high calibre starting in the year 3117 B.C. South

American experts claim that the mysterious year has no connection with the actual history of Maya,

having only a pure symbolic value like the Jewish phrase ‘since the creation of the world’. The

Maya calendar operates with cycles of years that were only supposed to have repeated themselves

over 374,000 years—so similar to the four yugas of India.

If we follow the Aztec calendar, the present age is ripe for the destruction of the earth by an

earthquake. During construction work in Mexico in 1700, a round stone disc 3 feet thick and 12 feet

in diameter was found. A bass relief of faces, arrows and circles were carved on the stone. It was

discovered that these motifs were data for the secret Aztec calendar. But Aztecs, it is said, took over

the essential parts of the calendar from their forefathers, the Mayas.

We should, therefore, not be surprised when we hear of Vimanas or the aerial cars, in the

epic of Ramayana. These should have been the flying machines, navigated at great heights with the

aid of quicksilver with a great propulsive wind. These Vimanas could cover vast distances and

travel forward, upward and downwards—amaneuverability which may be envied even today. Here

is a quotation from the translation of Ramayana by M.N. Dutt done in 1801:

‘At Rama’s behest the magnificent chariot rose upto amountain of cloud with a tremendous

din...’

We cannot help noticing that not only a flying machine is mentioned, but the chronicler

talks of a tremendous din. Here is another passage from the Mahabharata:

SPOTLIGHTS ON THE RAMAYANA

“Bhima flew with his Vimana on an enormous ray which was as brilliant as the sun, and

made a noise like the thunder of a storm.”

If it is all imaginary and mythological, then even imagination needs something to start it off,

says Daniken. “How can the chronicler give description that presupposes at least some idea of

rockets and the knowledge that such a vehicle could ride on a ray and cause a terrifying thunder?”

he asks. In another ancient treatise, a clear distinction is drawn between chariots that fly and those

that cannot.

The first book of the Mahabharata reveals the intimate story of the unmarried Kunti, who

not only received a visit from the Sun-god but also had a son by him who is supposed to have been

as radiant as the Sun himself. As Kunti was afraid of falling into disgrace she laid her child in a

basket and put it in a river. Adhiratha, a worthy man of the Suta caste, found the basket and the child

and he brought up the infant. It is indeed a story so remarkably like the story of Moses.

Like Gilgamesh, Arjuna, the hero of the Mahabharata, undertakes a long journey in order to

see the gods and ask for weapons. There are numerical data in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata,

which are so precise that one gets the impression that they were written from first-hand knowledge.

Be that as it may, at this point of time it is difficult for us to state with certainty how far the

events described in the Ramayana are factually correct and to what extent there is a mixture of

mythology. We thought it appropriate to invite the attention of the readers to the literature and

art-work in other parts of the world which speak of events on similar lines. These at least do indicate

that in the ancient world things might have not always been worse.

ESOTERICISM OF RAMAYANA

There is a spiritual interpretation of the story of Rama which would be found beneficial to

the entire mankind. According to the esoteric explanation of the Ramayana, man himself is the

battlefield where a constant war is going on between the good and evil propensities. Information

about the external world is collected through the five sense organs. These perceptions are turned

into impressions with the help of mental background, different in different individuals. On the basis

of these impressions the individual acts through the five organs of action. It is by controlling the

sense organs and disciplining the mind with the help of the intellect that man can take proper action

and lead a happy life. After continuous disciplining of the mind and the senses, ignorance is

dispelled and one is able to discriminate between good and evil.

A person who is able to command his ten senses is called Dasaratha. Among his wives,

Kausalya can be said to be an embodiment of Devotion, Kaikeyi of Attachment and Sumitra of

Detachment. Similarly, Rama represents Wisdom, Bharata Discrimination, Lakshmana

Renunciation and Shatrughna Thought. The knowledge contained in the Vedas is personified in

sage Vashishtha who first teaches and trains the four princes—Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and

IN WORLD LITERATURE

Shatrughna. It is only when wisdom, discrimination, renunciation and asceticism are combined that

universal brotherhood or Vishwamitra emerges who imparts further training and help to Rama and

Lakshmana to conquer evil forces like Tataka (Anger-lust combined), Maricha and Subahu

(Temptation). After that sage Vishwamitra takes them to Mithila, the kingdom of Raja Janaka, to

participate in Swayamvara, the, marriage function of his daughter Sita. On their way to Mithila,

Rama revives Ahalya who had turned into stone i.e. without feeling and sensation, due to a curse

which fell on her, and is again brought back to her full sensibilities.

There the contest was that whosoever lifts the bow of Siva, Sita will be married to him.

Many princes and kings competed for the hand of Sita but they were not able even to move the great

bow and were therefore disappointed. This bow, according to our allegory stands for pride and Sita

is an embodiment of Devotion. Now unless a man is able to rise above pride, he cannot attain

devotion. Parasurama is a devotee of the Lord and stands for Ego. He was enraged not only as the

great bow was lifted but broken into two. Whereas Rama tried to assuage the feelings of Parasurama

with sweet words, Lakshmana, his brother almost challenged the great sage for unnecessarily

interfering in the internal affairs of king Janaka.

As an embodiment of wisdom and being the eldest amongst the princes, Rama is rightly

chosen by his father to be crowned as king, but on account of the intervention of Kaikeyi, he is

compelled to banish Rama from the kingdom for 14 years. Thus Rama, Sita and Lakshmana left for

the forest and minister Sumanta (i.e. Sukarma—good actions) accompanied them but wisdom

(Rama) compelled him to go back to Ayodhya.

The trio (Wisdom—devotion—renunciation) proceeded further. The meeting of wisdom

(Rama) with skillful Nishada helped the trio to cross the Tamsa river (river of Brahma-Vidya) on

the boat of pure sankalpa and then accompanied with Nishad, the trio reached ‘Triveni’ the

conjunction of three rivers (Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati) which symbolically represent Ida, Pingla

and Sushumana. On the bank of Triveni they had the darshan of Pranav (i.e. Bharadwaja) and

afterwards of Valmiki Rishi (Discipline) who advised them (wisdom-devotion—renunciation) to

stay at Chitrakut, the place of reasoning and understanding, for sometime.

When Bharata returned to Ayodhya from his maternal uncle’s place, he is able to

discriminate and see the injustice of the whole episode. But he fails to dissuade Rama from

following the orders of his father as well as of Kaikeyi. Rama does not leave the kingdom alone and

is accompanied by Renunciation (Lakshmana) and Devotion (Sita). Then the trio left Chitrakut

also. On the way they met the great sages Atri (Truth), and Anasuya, wife of Atri, an embodiment of

loyalty and faithfulness.

The trio of Wisdom, Devotion and Renunciation occupy Panchavati—literally an abode

standing for an embodiment of the five sense organs. There Surpanakha, the sister of Ravana and an

embodiment of Desire, approaches Rama and Lakshmana for the satisfaction of her lust. But neither

Wisdom nor Renunciation are attracted or lured by Desire who is not only turned away but also

disfigured by Lakshmana. Surpanakha approached her brothers Khara and Dushana, who stand for

Pride and Evil. But in a battle royal they are not able to measure swords with Wisdom and

Renunciation. Whosoever makes use of wisdom before taking any action—and if that wisdom is

SPOTLIGHTS ON THE RAMAYANA

tempered with renunciation—pride and evil cannot stand before the combination, and

automatically disappears.

Then we reach the climax of the story where Ravana or Dasanana, literally a person with ten

heads, decides to avenge the dishonour done to his sister. Having analysed that the ascetic princes

are no ordinary individuals and have withstood not only Pride and Evil but also Desire, Dasanana

decides to organise an attack with the help of Deceit, in the form of Maricha. Maricha or Deceit

could assume a variety of forms and hence he was used by Ravana as a ploy to appear before Sita as

a golden deer so that she might be attracted towards him.

It is said that at this juncture, in order to save Sita—a Princess who had been brought up in

luxury—She was concealed by Rama with the help of Fire and in her place an illusion of Sita was

created by him. It was this illusory Sita who fell for the golden deer and asked her husband to bring

it for her. Rama, through his wisdom saw the game but on account of Sita’s persistence and to play

his part in the cosmic drama gave the deer a chase.

The deer enticed him away from Panchavati and as he was dying, he cried Lakshmana as if it

was Rama himself crying for his help. The illusory Sita heard the cry and asked Lakshmana to rush

to Rama’s help. Lakshmana tried to assure Sita that no calamity could befall the wise and brave

Rama but she insisted and even insinuated motives to Lakshmana who had to leave to find out facts.

When Sita was alone, Ravana approached Panchavati as a hermit, begging for alms and took her

away forcibly. He was intercepted by Jatayu, an embodiment of peace, who lives for others, but

who was fatally wounded.

Since Rama is depicted in the Ramayana as an ordinary but an ideal man, finding Sita

missing, he begins to lament and cry for help as any husband would do. Finally he runs into Jatayu

who tells him the truth. Several efforts are made to dissuade Ravana from evil path and to make him

return Sita, but nothing avails of. Finally, Rama strikes friendship with Sugreeva, who is

personified action, which has lost power and strength on account of the defeat inflicted upon him by

his brother Bali, literally a very brave man. Sugreeva introduces Rama to Hanuman who stands for

absolute renunciation, who is sent to find out the exact whereabouts of Sita. On the way, the

water-spirits—Surasa, Simhika and Lankini—standing for three attributes of Sattva, Rajas and

Tamas, which pervade the universe—try to hinder the progress of Hanuman. He rises above all the

three attributes and it is only after he masters all of them that he reaches Lanka and finds out Sita in

the forest of Ashoka trees. After delivering the message of Rama to her, he creates havoc in the city

and lets himself be caught by Meghanatha so that he is produced in the court of Ravana.

There he speaks of the valour and virtues of Rama and tries to dissuade Ravana from evil

ways. Ravana’s brother Vibhishana also tries to give good advice to the king and asks him to return

Sita so that bloodshed may be avoided. But the king strikes at Vibhishana and turns him out of the

court, who then joins the forces of Rama. Even the entreaties of Mandodari, his queen, do not

prevail upon the king. Wisdom (Rama) also sends another emissary, Angada, to persuade Ravana to

give up his evil ways. But Attachment and Desire, as personified in Ravana are determined to have

their way and finally a battle royal ensues.

ESOTERICISM OF RAMAYANA

Ravana had all the evil forces like Greed, Deceit and others on his side but they were all

destroyed by Rama, causing consternation in Ravana. But his Desire in the form of his son

Meghanatha, consoled him and succeeded in striking at Renunciation (Lakshmana) sending him to

sleep for a short while, but Good Actions in the form of the medicine-man Sukhena came to the help

of Renunciation and revived him with the help of the Sanjivini herb, i.e. determined good action.

Even Kumbhakarana standing for pride, could not stand before wisdom and was killed. Finally

Desire and Attachment (Ravana) were completely annihilated by Wisdom and when illusory Sita

came to Rama, Wisdom declared that he had no place for Maya and sent her back to fire.

Bharata had been ruling Ayodhya with great discrimination and once the period of 14 years

was over, Wisdom, Renunciation along with Devotion, Absolute Renunciation, Bravery and other

attributes returned to Ayodhya, to establish the reign of righteousness—Ramaraj.

FACT OR FICTION

Throughout the great epic of the Ramayana, the Adi-kavi, Sage Valmiki, the foremost poet

and the first author of the Ramayana represents Lord Rama as an avatara of God. But at several

places in the same work, the great sage alludes to Rama, merely his human character, with human

limitations. Yet he has unfolded the manifold excellences of Sri Rama’s wonderful character, the

various aspect of his life that one should dwell upon. Rama, from his very boyhood prepared

himself and his companions for the unique part they had to play in the Divine Drama. Sometimes

the sage heightened his character, and often glorified him in this cosmic play.

In all the Ramayanas, so far I have gone through, the life of Rama has been painted as of a

great heroic personality, a virtuous person a man of ideals and principles, possessing exemplary

character and fine conduct, righteousness, serene, brave, bold yet gentle and a king who took great

care of his subjects and their views; and in some places as a Superman with Divine Attributes. The

story of Lord Rama is even now prevalent in several South East countries especially in the islands

of Java, Sumatra and Bali of Indonesia—of course in different versions and with variations.

In India, the term ‘pre-historical age’ was invented by modern historians during the British

rule, declaring the Ramayana at best as a myth. Whereas the reality is something else, and the facts

differ. Even the myth which floats in a country, forms the real backbone of theology. Saint

Goswami Tulsidas is a man of history and his views and ways cannot so easily be discarded by

saying that he talks of ‘pre-history’. He never attempted to write or compose Shri Ramcharitmanas

till the age of 78 or 87. Tulsidas, after having the darshan of Hanuman at Chitrakut and inspired by

him, starts composing the Hindi Mahakavya, famous as Shri Ramcharitmanas from Tuesday, the

30th March, 1574 A.D. in Ayodhya, the holy abode and capital of Lord Rama during his

incarnation. He held Lord Rama to be one with Lord Vishnu and at a place as an incarnation of

Parabrahma.

SPOTLIGHTS ON THE RAMAYANA

Humanity, especially Indians, should be grateful to Sant Tulsidas, who raised the historical

Rama to the highest Divine status in order to share his realisation with one and all, for the benefit of

millions in India in particular, and of humanity in general. It is not merely an imaginative fiction but

something divine based on facts and his own experience. If one takes care to study the holy

Ramcharitmanas with devotion and faith, he is sure to reap the same fruit.

The advent of an Avatara, the incarnation of God upon the earth planet, is a law of nature. In

fact, it is the descent of God for the ascent of the Divine Ray of the Cosmic Mind or the Cosmic

Prana, the Life Force, and the One Ruler of the Universe, Iswara. There is a very firm and faithful

declaration that whenever righteousness decays and unrighteousness prevails wildly, God

incarnates Himself to vindicate the superiority of righteousness. For Sant Tulsidas ‘Rama’ was his

“Lord” of the heart, the deity—an incarnation of the Supreme Being. Hence his Manas has

influenced the hearts and the thoughts of a whole people, not those alone who have been able to read

his work but those unlettered millions of our countrymen who have always been there, even during

the earlier days of our culture.

Apart from the Ramayana of Sant Tulsidas there are several other works of the saints of

Bengal, South India and Maharashtra. The holy book of Samarth Guru Ramdassji Maharaj has its

own place who has retold the story of Lord Rama after having his darshan.

On the completion of the Navratri Puja, Hindus celebrate Sri Vijaya Dasami, which is

mostly called Dussehra in Uttar Pradesh, and is preceded by “Ramalila” for ten days and even in

villages of Uttar Pradesh. And it ends with the burning of the gigantic effigies of Ravana,

Kumbhakarana, and Meghanatha. You will wonder to observe that the entire countryside bursts

into life and activity with Ramalila fairs and plays held and performed at thousands of places, even

after Dussehra, for many days. These Ramalilas continue with joy and glory.

This is an occasion for the people to express their regard, respect, love and reverence for

Lord Rama by presenting dramas and pantomime shows depicting scenes from the great

Ramayana. I at least, do not feel happy to see in these days that the holy and inspiring Ramayana is

often misrepresented, misinterpreted and the occasion is misused by some people for insinuating

non-religious or even irreligious motives behind the nobler intention of the celebrations.

VII

RAMA GITA

The inspiring and illuminating story of Lord Rama in several recensions is known the world

over and is a part of life in every Hindu home in India. It is a vast ocean, very deep, and it is not

possible for this humble sevak to discuss the sacred story in a little book like this. I have, therefore,

touched upon some of the points and spots of the huge volume. My heart flows out to the modern

man, whose scepticism about Ramayana is understandable due to the impact of science and

distance of centuries between Lord Rama and us. No wonder, Einstien the greatest scientist of our

FACT OR FICTION

times had recorded the life of Gandhiji in these words: “Generations to come will scarcely believe

that such a one in flesh and blood ever walked on the earth.”

Before wisdom is able to achieve its goal of self-realisation it has to pass through tedious

tests posed by Satanic forces. Remember the evil dose of Mara when the Buddha was bent upon

achieving self-realisation under the Bodhi tree. So was the case with Jesus on the mount. Hence it is

necessary to look into the Ramayana as to what it teaches. Apart from the lessons which we can

derive from the instances and characters of the persons, there is much more in the Ramayana which

we can call as direct teaching, constituting the most impressive portion of the Ramayana,

well-known as the Rama Gita—the upadesa given at different places to different people, at different

times. Revered Gurudev Shri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj has referred specifically about this

illuminating portion of Rama Gita in his book titled Essence of Ramayana. The following extracts

are reproduced from the same book like a few dew drops from the sky for the benefit of the readers:

“Thereupon Rama imparted to Lakshmana that knowledge which is declared by the Vedas

for the eradication of ignorance. The aspirant should first perform in a disinterested manner without

caring for fruits all those duties which are enjoined upon by one’s own caste and order, and purify

his mind. He should acquire the necessary qualifications or the four means of Salvation viz. Viveka

(discrimination between the real and the unreal), Vairagya (dispassion), Shad sampat or the sixfold

virtues viz., Shama (control of the mind) Dama (control of the senses), Uparati (cessation from

worldly work), Titiksha (power of endurance), Sraddha (faith), Samadhana (one-pointedness of

mind) and Mumukshutwa (burning desire for liberation).

All actions lead to rebirths. Man does good and bad actions (dharma and adharma) and reaps

the fruits of his actions viz., pleasure and pain. Karma produces body and from body arises work. In

this way the course of worldly life (samsara) revolves like a wheel without an end.

The root-cause of it is ignorance (avidya or ajnana). Removal of ignorance is the only means

for destroying this course of worldly life. Knowledge alone is capable of annihilating this

ignorance. Action (Karma) cannot destroy it, because it is born of ignorance and is not its contrary

or opposite.

Let the wise man, therefore abandon all work. There can be no combination of Knowledge

and Work because knowledge is opposed to work.

As long as there is the notion of ‘I’, in the body and the like, due to the influence of Maya, so

long one is bound by the injunction of the Vedas for work. Let the wise man sublimate or eliminate

the whole of it through the doctrine of ‘neti, neti’ (nor this, nor this) and abandon all works,

knowing the Highest Brahman or the Eternal.

When ignorance is destroyed by knowledge it cannot produce actions which lead to further

births. When ignorance has been annihilated by knowledge which is pure and non-dual, how shall it

again arise?

It is only the intellect of one who superimposes the Self (Atman) upon the non-self

(Anatma) that entertains the idea of sin in the non-performance of action. The intellect of the sage

SPOTLIGHTS ON THE RAMAYANA

has no such idea. Therefore, the wise should renounce action which is enjoined as obligatory. It is

meant only for those, whose minds are attached to the fruit of action.

When the limiting adjuncts, viz., the pot and walls of the room are broken, the ether in the

pot and in the room becomes identical with the universal ether. When the body-pot is broken by the

dawn of knowledge, the individual soul becomes one with Supreme Self.

The crystal appears to be red when it is placed near a red flower. Even so this Atman appears

to be of the form of the five sheaths because of its proximity to them. When one meditates on the

saying of the Upanishads, “Asangoyam Purusha—this Purusha is unattached”—then he realises

that the Atman is unattached, unborn and without a second.

This Atman is neither an actor nor a thinker. All these are due to the action of the mind and

the Prana. Verily He is unattached. Dhyativa Lolayativa—He appears as if meditating, as if

moving.

The conditions of the intellect (Buddhi) are threefold viz., waking, dream and deep sleep.

They are due to its associations with the Gunas of satva (goodness), rajas (activity) and tamas

(inertia). They are not the true conditions of the Supreme Self, because one of them is absent when

the other is present. Therefore, they are all unreal. They cannot certainly be of the nature of the

Supreme Self which is unity and bliss itself.

The Atman never dies nor is born. It is not subject to increase or decrease. It is never new,

never old. It is beyond all additions to its greatness. It is of the nature of bliss, self-luminous,

all-pervading and one without a second. It is illimitable and undecaying.

To the Yogi who has practised samadhi, who has completely withdrawn all his senses from

their objects, who has conquered all enemies such as desire, anger, greed, delusion, fear and inertia,

who has vanquished the lower self, who has subdued by his Bhakti, the Lord of six attributes says to

such a yogi I reveal Myself.

Thus contemplating on his own Self day and night, let the sage abide free from all bonds till

his Prarabdha Karma which gave him this present body is exhausted. He is absorbed in Me on the

dissolution of his body.

Even though the sage lives in the world for the exhaustion of his karma he fully realises that

the world is false like the appearance of snake in the rope, of silver in the mother-of-pearl, of water

in the mirage or the appearance of two moons in the sky or the turning of the quarters through the

defect of sight.

So long as one does not behold all as My own Self, let him practise devotion, let him be ever

devoted to My worship. I do abide forever in the heart of him who has intense faith and devotion to

Om Tat Sat

(My humble salutations to the lotus feet of Sree Swamy Sivananda

and Sree Swamy Premanda of The Divine Life Society and also grateful

to other Swamyjis for the collection)

RAMA GITA

My dear Lakshmana! This essence of all the Vedas, this great mystery has been declared by

me unto thee. The sage who contemplates upon it, is freed from his load of impurities that very

moment.

My beloved brother, all this visible world is nothing but Maya. Withdraw the mind from it.

Purify it through meditation on Me alone. Do thou be happy, free from all sorrow and full of bliss.

He who meditates on Me with pure mind, thinking of Me as above all attributes or thinks of

Me as possessed of the attributes of Omniscience, becomes my own Self. He purifies all the three

worlds by the dust of my feet, just as the Sun purifies the world by his light.

This wisdom which is the essence of all the Vedas, has been thus sung by Me whose glory

all the Vedantins proclaim. He who reads it with devotion and faith in his preceptor and practises it

attains the final emancipation. He attains to my own form if he has faith in My teachings.”

The above Immortal Teachings of Lord Rama, itself show that he was an incarnation of the

Supreme Being, and not an ordinary man or a king alone. His holy Epic, the Gospel Divine, is

narrated by so many sacred souls. This is the story of a struggle between right and wrong, good and

evil, sura and asura hidden within us. The Epic struggle consists of controlling the senses and rising

above tendencies like desires, indulgence, and evils like anger, jealousy, hatred etc., so that with the

help of discrimination, knowledge may be converted into wisdom and human life may become

worth living.

May the blessings of Sri Rama be upon all.

Hari Om Tat Sat!

OM SANTI, SANTI SANTI!

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Some devotees sent questions to Swami Premanandaji Saraswati which he

answers here in his inimitable style.

Q. I have tried several times to get out of this illusory world, but am getting deeper into it

and ever new difficulties arise. Why it is so?

Ans. God’s plans are always for the good. His munificence flows fast. Get into the current

and establish identity with His Will. That will save you from drowning. Pleasure and pain are the

two sides of the coin of life. Do not be undone in sorrow and do not forget Him in happiness. Those

who go against His Will, have to suffer. But unless you destroy the ego, it is difficult to understand

His Will. So far as ego persists, He cannot reveal Himself.

Q. I find it impossible to follow the path of Truth and sadhana in spite of my earnest desire.

What is the way out?

SPOTLIGHTS ON THE RAMAYANA

Ans. You would not have raised this question, if it were not possible for you to do sadhana.

Analyse your thoughts. Avoid duplicity and deceit. Be simple, be content, and have faith in God.

Work without attachment and pray to God with a child’s heart. You are sure to succeed. In the path

of God-realisation there are three obstacles—wealth, sex and name and fame. Avoid them.

Q. Many People believe—eat, drink and be merry, Comment.

Ans. On the other hand I believe that the aim of human life is to renounce desire, serve

others, worship God, and consider everybody as equal. The contact of senses with their objects does

appear to give happiness, but it is not real happiness as it does not last. It only gives a fleeting sense

of pleasure.

Q. I am very sad; how to get rid of it?

Ans. It is a serious question, but you have not come out openly. The root of all sorrow in this

world is attachment—mamata, expressed in a variety of ways. If a person to whom we are attached,

does not listen to us, we are annoyed; or if another person opposes, we consider that man our

enemy. Also, if we are attached to a person, place or event, and it is taken away or destroyed, we feel

very sad.

To get rid of such sorrows, one should try to understand the real nature of persons, places

and events. And that is; everything in this world is subject to change and destruction, which is

beyond our control. Our own body is constantly undergoing change, and we have no control over it.

If this situation is well understood you will have less attachment with the body and concentrate

more on performing your duty. It will strengthen renunciation and faith in God’s will. Whenever

the presence of God is felt, there is no sorrow.

There are two ways of feeling the presence of God; through one’s efforts, and through faith

in God’s Mercy. The former path is hard to tread. Therefore, have faith in God and be happy in

whatever condition. Pray to Him with your entire being. Very soon you will see Light, and

wherever is light, darkness is dissolved and man rises above the duality of pleasure and pain.

Q. I do good to others and they return good with evil. Is this the way of the world?

Ans. To begin with, root out pride of doing good, rather thank God. He has enabled you to

help, and never expect that they should be grateful to you. You should be humble to those whom

you serve. Moreover, it may be only suspicion that people return good with evil, therefore banish

this idea. Nobody can harm you.

The cause of your present troubles may be the result of your past actions. The present is the

fruit of the past. Remember, you will not suffer without sufficient cause. Laws of Nature dictate that

effect cannot precede the cause. Whatever misfortune is, this is the result of one’s actions. It is only

to relieve you of past actions that God in His Mercy has devised the present chain of events. A

spiritual person and devotee of God should only think that the person causing pain is only an agent,

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

and therefore to be pitied, not hated. To be annoyed with him, to wish ill of him is not the right

approach—Pray like Jesus Christ for his good.

A person who returns good with evil is despicable, who returns evil with evil belongs to a

low category, who returns good with good is of average category, and the one who returns evil with

good deserves God-realisation.

Q. What are the impediments in God-realisation?

Ans. The biggest obstacle is ego which involves him in the worldly pains of opposites.

View each person, place or event in an unattached way—that will lead to salvation. A devotee

always tries to cleanse his consciousness by strengthening living faith in God. It is only

non-attachment that can annihilate duality and hate, and manifest love for God. An intense urge for

God, removes all impediments. I have no faith in artificial means. Fill your heart with love, worship

of God will follow.

Q. How to improve the falling standards of society, of government, of the world?

Ans. The whole plan of the world is being worked out according to God’s will. We view

certain events as favourable or unfavourable due to our own limited egoistic approach. We do not

want to understand the real nature of things, nor do we meditate on this reality. Think deeply, the

world does not belong to anybody. As to the shortcomings or the attainments of the society in which

we live, that is also due to our own approach because each one of us constitute a unit of that society.

It is not material attainments, cars, skyscrapers, aeroplanes, wealth and weapons that count in

society.

A society is to be judged on the basis of noble actions of individuals. We are fond of talking

of an ideal society but we do not care to become ideal individuals. If all of us behave well, the

society will automatically take care of itself; the government will become better. Finding fault in

others doesn’t help a society or a government. A disease can be uprooted only when we diagnose its

cause. A religious person should be a man of character. A society or a government composed of

such persons will only do good to the people, the country, and world. It is wrong to think that the

progress of one country lies in the fall of another. We should not neglect any part or any person of

this world. Our scriptures always speak of the good and welfare of the entire universe.

Q. Which is the greatest illusion of the world?

Ans. The greatest illusion is to believe in what I amnot and not to believe in what I am. I am

not this body and this body is not mine: to realise this reality is the way to get rid of the illusion. You

are wearing a shirt and a watch but you are NOT the shirt or the watch. So also you say my hand, my

feet, my body, and so on. The ‘I’ is different than all these. By change in appearances, the reality

does not change. It is so obvious but we are unable to appreciate it. Our entire behaviour centres

round the body. To realise the reality requires prolonged sadhana.

SPOTLIGHTS ON THE RAMAYANA

Now the strange thing is that you have no control or authority over the body which you call

your own. In the case of your shirt, your watch, you can give those to somebody, sell them, throw

them, destroy them. Please think, whether you have the same authority on your body? You do not

want your head to ache, your body to grow old, or die. But you can’t stop it. Even the wealthiest man

cannot put off death. The body therefore is not yours. But not only you call your body as your own,

you regard other bodies and things as your own. There can be no greater illusion than this.

Q. How to realise God?

Ans. You can meet God if just you want to, but you should pine for Him. It does not require

hard work; it requires Grace-A God who manifests Himself on account of devotee’s sadhana, hard

work, may also disappear instantaneously. It may be mere mental perception. God is said to be

Omnipresent Omniconscience, Omnipotent, Attributeless, Sat-Chidanand.

Q. If God cannot be realised through sadhana, then why waste time in sadhana? (Why not

just wait for his Grace?)

Ans. Sadhana should concentrate on purification of heart. Its objective should be

God-realisation. The Grace of God shall reveal itself according to the devotee’s conception. Since

God is not a distant goal He is Omnipresent. Therefore He is not to be seen through making efforts.

The more desires you have the more distant is He. The moment you are without desire and just pine

for Him, He will be there in front of you and the entire world of desire shall run after you. With our

back to the Sun we see the shadow cast before us, and the faster we run after it, equally fast it moves

away. Face the Sun and the shadow shall tamely follow you. Turn your face towards God, that will

lead to chitta-shuddhi. We have to do sadhana to realise what IS, by understanding the reality of

what IS NOT.

Q. There is a lot of hullabaloo in the name of religion. Reason?

Ans. Wherever there are fights in the name of religion there is no religion, no dharma, there

is adharma. Differences are created due to our short-sightedness and lack of understanding.

Religion and politics are declared poles apart by selfish people. Secularism does not mean being

irreligious, but to have faith and respect for all religions. Being fanatic is not the same as being

religious; it is a strange type of blind faith, an illusion. A handful of persons indulge in such

behaviour due to their own selfish motives by dragging politics into religion. They couldn’t care

less for the welfare of the society of the world, and then the honest and simple suffer the most.

The greatest religion is universal brotherhood. By neglecting humanity you make demons

of men who serve only themselves in the name of God. Every religion preaches service, love,

renunciation and salvation. By being religious, a man’s life, his emotions and actions, are purified.

That is the way to the progress of mankind.

In the United States every coin and note carries the legend, ‘In God We Trust’. But do they

practise it in daily life? I amnot sure. The motto of our constitution is, ‘Satyameva Jayate’ or ‘Truth

Triumphs’, but we and our Government do not believe in practising it.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q. Is democracy good and appropriate for India?

Ans. I am not a politician, and your question has a political ring. In my opinion all rules and

regulations are framed for the solution of certain problems. If these are followed firmly and

faithfully then these should result in good of the community. The cornerstone of democracy is the

principle that it is ‘of the people, for the people, by the people’. In practice, ‘of’ is substituted by

‘off’ , ‘for’ by ‘far’ and ‘by’ by ‘buy’. The line therefore reads, ‘off the people, far the people, buy

the people.’ The principle is right, but the practice is wrong.

We had been under foreign domination for long; that has brought about a change in our

religion, culture and way of life. Actually we were not really fit for freedom; it is due to the

patriotism and sacrifice of some great souls that we got freedom. Power went to the head of some

people and they went astray. We will have to make more sacrifices to make democracy real and

establish Ramrajya. In my view democracy is better suited to this country than other forms of

government. But whatever the form, it can only succeed when precept and practice are the same.

Q. I try my best to understand the nature of mind, intellect, consciousness and ego, I

philosophically analyse the real nature of my body and the world on the strength of scriptures and

the words of great saints. But neither physical attachment nor the futility of the world is really

understood; how to get rid of this attachment?

Ans. Most revered Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj laid great emphasis on “Serve, Love, Give,

Purify, Meditate, Realise.” The quintessence of his teachings are summed up in “Be Good, Do

Good”. Most revered Swami Sharnanandaji Maharaj with whom I had long contacts and am greatly

influenced by his teachings—also emphasised service, love and renunciation. In my view it is

extremely necessary to serve the community, to perform our duty to them. Service and performance

of duty are genuine only when done unattached. To expect returns from the family or the

community is to get involved in the world.

To be a sadhaka means not to give up action, or to become lazy, or not to perform one’s

duties. To be a sadhaka means to serve, to get rid of attachment. The ties of attachment are never

snapped with japa and worship alone, nor Asana. Pranayama can remove body-attachment. Service

helps in purifying the heart, so does pure love. Affection, attachment, desire, or lust is not love. In

love also—love everybody alike—all selfish motives have to be given up.

Give unselfishly unto others with a feeling that whatever you have is not yours. It is given to

you to serve others. Selfless Dhaan has a high place in our culture. It is improper to keep more than

what you need; it is also called aparigraha. But Dhaan often breeds pride, therefore it should be

practised anonymously. So if you practise service, love, charity, honesty, and leave the rest to God,

you will automatically rise higher, and higher.

Q. We have always seen you laughing, never angry. Don’t you get angry?

Ans. I also get annoyed but it is being automatically controlled. Sometimes I deign fake

anger; but when at times I am really angry, I punish myself later, Passion, whatever its form, is

SPOTLIGHTS ON THE RAMAYANA

harmful. Iron discipline is required. Anger only betrays your ignorance. It smacks of your desire for

your pound of flesh.

Q. Is it improper to pull up children when they commit mistakes so as to train them

properly?

Ans. In my opinion anger never helps anybody, it only harms you and others. Anger causes

tension, aggressiveness and other evils—which adversely affect the body and mind. Instead of

getting angry, or punishing the children, divert their attention from something wrong to something

right and more attractive. Anger is the sign of Dvesh, of duality, of attachment. It is by unselfish

love, above attachment, that children are properly trained. By sacrificing your rights and upholding

those of others you can conquer anger.

Q. It is said in Sri Ramcharitmanas that the only real thing is the worship of God, the world

is a dream. What is its implication?

Ans. The world is in a state of continuous flux. A discriminating analysis shall reveal it is a

long dream. We do not see dreams when in deep sleep or awake, these are seen in a state of half

sleep. As far as worship (bhajan) is concerned, it manifests itself with satsang, to keep the

consciousness of God alive, and awake in the midst of discharging your worldly duties in real

worship. This should be practised regularly, morning, evening, by strengthening association with

God and dissociation with the temporary self.

Instead, we are all the time involved in asserting the ego, having no occasion to examine that

there is anything beyond. We can only rise above the little self if we give prominence to satsang.

The same idea is expressed by emphasising unattached action and surrendering the fruits thereof to

God. Then we do not ‘do’ things as they happen. The feelings of ‘I’ and ego are eliminated, and the

God’s presence is always felt. That is the reality, all the rest is unreal, a dream.

Q. Some people oppose idol-worship, what do you say?

Ans. Worship is a means to an end. The body comprises five elements and in worshipping

we have to take the help of one element or the other. Some people block other senses and

concentrate on hearing sabd which is an attribute of akasa, that is these sadhakas take the help of

air-element. Others perform yajna with the help of another element—fire; and again some perform

various rituals connected with water element. Similarly, some sadhakas take the help of idols of

gods and goddesses where the earth-element dominates.

It is not the idol that is worshipped but the symbol to God that is worshipped

after—according to scriptural injunction. Life is infused (prana-pratishtha) in all the eight limbs of

that representation. Therefore, the devotee worships the God Himself who removes his difficulties

and lifts him up to a higher plane of God-realisation.

If that does not happen then we only worship a piece of stone indeed. The symbol is treated

like God Himself and serves as such. In modern times in the life of Swami Ramakrishna

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Paramahamsa there is a chapter, Ram Lala. Please read it with devotion, it will set your doubts at

rest. In the Age of Kali idol worship as explained here yields quicker spiritual results; but then the

devotee should have the feel of it.

Q. You had once said that sadhana-bhajan should be done secretly. How will then a devotee

achieve progress?

Ans. Sadhana-bhajan should be done secretly until all the shortcomings of a devotee are

completely eliminated. I had read somewhere or heard from some great man that worship should be

kept as a guarded secret as the love of a noble lady with the Czar. If a devotee proclaims his

devotion having all the human faults, then that only strengthens his ego, his pride; and ego is the

greatest stumbling block in sadhana.

If the world comes to know of a person as a great devotee—and he has no real devotion

within—that should create a lot of problems for him. Conversely, if a person is over-brimming with

the love of God, and people know nothing about it, that is wonderful,

Devotees should always examine two things:

(a) Whether his shortcomings are being reduced;

(b) If his fame is on the increase.

Name and fame cause the downfall and if it does come, the sadhaka should try to save

himself with humility. The sweet poison of fame has brought about the downfall of even great

sadhakas. One should always regard his sadhana as incomplete; that is how he progresses—quietly,

secretly. It is only after the consciousness is purified that real wisdom dawns and Guru’s and God’s

grace is felt.

Q. Some people speak ill of you and levy charges against you. Why don’t you talk it over

with them? What is your attitude towards these people?

Ans. The entire world is full of evil and good. It helps me if some people discover bad

qualities in me. But I shall be obliged if these gentlemen tell me about them as that would help me to

look at myself. If what they think about me is incorrect, I shall have an opportunity to explain the

position to them.

By the time their charges reach me through a third party the original version is garbled and I

am unable to get at the real opinion. Even then the criticism that reaches me serves as a soap to clean

a dirty sheet, and it helps. Whenever wrong motives are imputed, I do feel sorry, which I should not,

and try not to have bad feelings for such people.

I am wide awake not to think ill of anybody and I daily pray to God and Gurudeva that I

should never become a vehicle of thinking ill of any person, that I should not harbour a feeling of

hate, prejudice, jealousy and tit-for-tat.

SPOTLIGHTS ON THE RAMAYANA

If by abusing me some people try to tarnish the image of Gurudev or his institution then I am

often unable to put up with it. Gurudev Shri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj, even served those who

abused him. I try to do my humble bit—as an infant tries to trot. Those who talk good of me are

generous, others who talk ill are more generous—and I am grateful to them.

Q. How do you feel when people praise you?

Ans. I ama sanyasi sadhaka, not a siddha.Aliberated soul would be above abuse and praise,

my weakness is that sometimes I am delighted when people shower praise; this is poison to a

sadhaka. I try my best not to hear my praise, to adopt an indifferent attitude, but I do not always

succeed. Sometimes people flatter hoping I wouldn’t see through it—and that makes me laugh.

They may do so to serve selfish ends but by the God’s grace I am seldom fooled. My

constant effort is that my heart should brim over with the love of God. The river of life is the

pilgrimage of Discipline, Truth is its water, Mercy constitutes its waves, sobriety are its banks. I try

to take dips in this river by annihilating ego; that is real life.

Q. What are the signs of a liberated soul?

Ans. Liberated souls are those who have drunk at the fount of Godhead. Those who are

involved in minor miracles like anima, garima and so on, are not siddhas. Those who have

destroyed their self and realised the Universal Self, are great souls. They do not even accept or

bother about bhakti and mukti. It is said in Narada Pancharatra; Siddhis, like salvation and Bhakti

are always at the service of Mahadevi Hari Bhakti.

Q. The other day you had mentioned three ways of devotion; kindly repeat.

Ans. I do not now remember all that. The first thing is; there is God, have faith in Him. Then

the following three beliefs must be strengthened;

Tasya Vahiye—I am His

Tavey Vahiye—I am Thine

Twamey Vahiye—I am Thou

Q. Those sadhakas who adopt a posture of helplessness, do they not suffer from inferiority

complex.

Ans. There is a difference between helplessness (deen) and insignificance (heen). A

worldly man sacrifices his self-respect and begs of favours that generates inferiority complex.

When a person is assured of his helplessness and surrenders himself to All Powerful, then he gains

strength.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

All persons can do sadhana. If a person conducts his sadhana on wrong lines under the plea

he cannot follow the right path, then he is not honest to himself. Most revered Sri Swami

Shivanandaji Maharaj used to put it bluntly; A person who does nothing and who does everything

will both reach the same goal. Rather, a person who does nothing attains siddhi earlier that the other

one. A person who cannot do things rightly is capable. Both attain similar siddhis. But a person who

treads the wrong path, only gets sorrow.

Q. Doing everything and doing nothing—how can both mean the same?

Ans. When a helpless man knows his incapability, he calls to God. God answers to his

entreaties. But when aman thinks himself capable, he becomes unaware of his helplessness. That is

the illusion. He becomes proud of his capabilities that brings about his downfall and he drifts farther

and farther away from the Almighty God. But if he is convinced of his helplessness he gets

everything. When Gajendra and Draupadi realised their utter helplessness. God rushed to their

rescue.

Q. How man can rise above the world?

Ans. My experience so far is that it is very difficult to rise above the world. But in the light

of the assurance given in Gita by the Lord Himself, it should not be considered impossible. Once a

person surrenders to God, even the most difficult tasks become easy. Your questions have been

answered by the Lord in the 14th verse in the seventh chapter of Gita.

Q. What is most precious in the world?

Ans. Time inmy view is the most precious commodity because even a second lost cannot be

reclaimed at any cost. Someone has said that a person who respects time can win over death.

Q. Some Hindus are against sleeping with the head towards North. Is it a blind faith?

Ans. I do not think so, there is a scientific explanation for this. While sleeping with head

towards North, that is in the direction of Pole Star, the person loses his vital powers and there is

danger of his falling sick. If he persists, his life span is shortened.

Q. If that is so then why at the time of death his head is kept pointing to North?

Ans. It is done so that he is attracted toward Oordha Loka and goes to the higher plane.

Q. Once you talked about five muktis, what are those?

Ans. Salokya, Sarishti, Sameepya, Sarupya and Sayujya, respectively standing for

achieving worldly powers like God, name and fame like God, status like God, image like God and

oneness with God.

SPOTLIGHTS ON THE RAMAYANA

Q. A question was put about a quartet of Sri Ramacharitmanas and replied by Swamiji

Maharaj purporting to point out that according to Sant Tulsidas, devotion to God is as easy and

enjoyable as taking a morsel to the mouth and eating it. Food gives satisfaction and strength and

removes hunger. So devotion to God gives contentment and confidence and removes attachment to

the world. In the path of jnana, one has to renounce everything. In bhakti, a devotee can progress on

the spiritual path without giving up attachment—but the attachment should be to God alone. Once

you completely surrender to God, He looks after all your needs.

Q. What is the central point of a man’s approach to life?

Ans. Everybody wants his own good which on account of ignorance turns into his ill. The

centre of man’s objectives should be good of others. A person who does not have good of others at

heart and his conduct is not according to the precepts of Dharma, he does not deserve to be called a

man. Only a man of good conduct will work for the good of others. It is said in Uttar Kand of

Manas: parhit saris dharmanahim bhain.

Q. How dharma is turned into adharma?

Ans. Due to attachment and jealousy. On account of ignorance man is all along busy in

strengthening his ego, and associates that ego with the body. But self, the soul, is different from the

body. Becoming egoistic he is involved in the cycle of mine, thine, giving rise to attachment and

jealousy, and he is unable to distinguish between dharma and adharma. (Another question

involving the correct interpretation of a quartet from Sri Ramcharitmanas)

Q. A dream should be considered real or unreal?

Ans. Dreams do have an interpretation and persons, places and events appear to be real in

dream-state. Once a gentleman presented a beautiful watch to me—in dream. On waking up, the

watch wasn’t there. Now you tell me whether a dream is real or unreal.

Q. What is purity?

Ans. Purity is getting away from all that is extraneous to your real nature. And for a devotee

which takes him away from God.

Q. What are the functions of consciousness?

Ans. Like fire:

It illumines objects at a distance.

BUT

It destroys them on contact.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q. How to stimulate higher reason?

Ans. If the out-going tendency of the intellect is curbed and the inward-going tendency is

encouraged, the lower reason itself is transformed into the Higher Reason.

!!!End!!!

SPOTLIGHTS ON THE RAMAYANA

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Friday, June 29, 2012