RAMAYANA-THE ETERNAL GUIDE
Many lessons can be learnt from the great epic Ramayana and contrasting parallels drawn from it to the present day strife-torn world.Here are a few....
case 1:
Rama had made fun of manthara,the hunch-back maid of Kaikeyi,when he was a small boy.Manthara never forgets nor forgives this slight she suffered.When Rama's coronation is announced,she decides it is time to strike.She poisons Kaikeyi's mind and sees that Rama is banished from the kingdom for 14 years.Little innocent acts done years ago bounced back.If elders developed the habit of forgiving,things would be different.
case 2:
Take the case of the ideal son,Rama.His father promises “the crown” moment;the next moment his step-mother announces his banishment.Respectfully and cheerfully Rama accepts the decision.
No arguments,no raising of voices.14 years later,when he returns from exile,he first salutes Kaikeyi.But for her,he would not have rid the world off Ravana.No ill feelings,no heart-burns.
case 3:
When Bharata comes to meet Rama in the forest,Lakshmana seeing him boils up.He says "Bharata is ambitious.He has not only got the kingdom but now wants to do away with you,Rama".Rama calms him down and says "Bharata knows his dharma and is beyond all this." There is abundance of brotherly love throughout the epic.Is this in sharp contrast to the present day situation?
Take for instance the popular movie Simba,the lion king.King Mustafa rescues his son from the obstacle created by his brother.He is himself trying to escape by climbing a cliff on the top of which his brother is standing.Instead of helping Mustafa,his brother pushes him down the cliff.
Where is brotherly love?
case 4:
Jatayu fights the mighty Ravana.It was a fight of age against youth,beaks against keen weapons.
Sri C.Rajagopalachari in his Ramayana book thus advised us: "When we see any helpless person in danger or difficulty,let us think of Jatayu and with firm mind try to help regardless of circumstances".
case 5:
Rama embraces Guha,the boatman as his brother.His family increases as more and more come into this fold.Jatayu,Sugreeva,Hanuman and vibhishana come into this category.All forms of life are dear to him.There is abundance of brotherly love throughout the epic.Is this in sharp contrast to the presentday situation?
case 6:
When Rama partakes food tasted and preserved by a tribal woman Sabhari,caste and creed do not seem to have stood in the way.Is this not a lesson for us in the present times when religion and caste are trying to tear us apart?
case 7:
All of us know that Hanuman was strong and brave besides full of wisdom.But he was also humble.Sage Naradha and Thumburu were talented in playing veena.They had a dispute that of the two,who was more talented?When they requested hanuman to judge them he said,”let me play,hear me,and decide if I am really qualified to sit in judgement with over you”.when hanuman played,naradha and thumburu closed their eyes and were soon lost in the music.After the music stopped,the sages opened their eyes and witnessed a strange sight!The rocks around them had melted and the rock on which hanuman was sitting had also become soft.Both naradha and thumburu realized that music of hanuman was far superior to theirs and felt ashamed of having argued amongst themselves.They thanked hanuman for teaching a lesson and went their way.The raga played byhanuman on this occasion is referred as ‘kundakriya’ or ‘hanuman thodi’.
This is a story which illustrates his humility.Now a days such humble heroes are rarely found.
case 8:
Vibeeshana who was one of the brothers of Ravana was a very noble person.He was against Ravana abducting sita from rama and he took utmost effort to advise ravana about his wrong doing.Although ravana was his brother,he surrendered at the feet of rama and helped him.Though born in a family of asura,vibeeshana was wise and noble and always stood by justice.Now a days,people favour corruption and bribery more than justice.
case 9:
When Sita was abducted by Ravana,though she was capable of destroying the whole place,being boomadevi’s daughter,she never did so,as it would be a slur on Rama’s strength.With immense confidence on Rama,she waited patiently for him to save her.In
today’s world,people never trust their closed ones too.
case 10:
In the battlefield,Rama is magnanimous when Ravana stands hopeless, shed off his arms Rama says, "Go back today and come tomorrow".No underhand dealings.Of course,the killing of Vali by shooting an arrow from behind a tree is a slur on Rama's name-but it was beyond him.Vali was arrogant.For this deed Rama in Krishna avatara as Krishna, is ,slain by a hunter,who mistakes Krishna's toe for a bird.Krishna as Rama,slayed Vali and the same Vali as the hunter in the next life kills Krishna.
That is the law of Karma.
case 11:
When Sita had to be sent to the forest all because the Dhobi spoke ill of her,Rama says "The king sets an example to his people" and decides to send her to the forest inspite of the suffering to her,him,and one and all around him.
That was Rama Rajya.
May the great epic Ramayana continue to guide us forever.
case 1:
Rama had made fun of manthara,the hunch-back maid of Kaikeyi,when he was a small boy.Manthara never forgets nor forgives this slight she suffered.When Rama's coronation is announced,she decides it is time to strike.She poisons Kaikeyi's mind and sees that Rama is banished from the kingdom for 14 years.Little innocent acts done years ago bounced back.If elders developed the habit of forgiving,things would be different.
case 2:
Take the case of the ideal son,Rama.His father promises “the crown” moment;the next moment his step-mother announces his banishment.Respectfully and cheerfully Rama accepts the decision.
No arguments,no raising of voices.14 years later,when he returns from exile,he first salutes Kaikeyi.But for her,he would not have rid the world off Ravana.No ill feelings,no heart-burns.
case 3:
When Bharata comes to meet Rama in the forest,Lakshmana seeing him boils up.He says "Bharata is ambitious.He has not only got the kingdom but now wants to do away with you,Rama".Rama calms him down and says "Bharata knows his dharma and is beyond all this." There is abundance of brotherly love throughout the epic.Is this in sharp contrast to the present day situation?
Take for instance the popular movie Simba,the lion king.King Mustafa rescues his son from the obstacle created by his brother.He is himself trying to escape by climbing a cliff on the top of which his brother is standing.Instead of helping Mustafa,his brother pushes him down the cliff.
Where is brotherly love?
case 4:
Jatayu fights the mighty Ravana.It was a fight of age against youth,beaks against keen weapons.
Sri C.Rajagopalachari in his Ramayana book thus advised us: "When we see any helpless person in danger or difficulty,let us think of Jatayu and with firm mind try to help regardless of circumstances".
case 5:
Rama embraces Guha,the boatman as his brother.His family increases as more and more come into this fold.Jatayu,Sugreeva,Hanuman and vibhishana come into this category.All forms of life are dear to him.There is abundance of brotherly love throughout the epic.Is this in sharp contrast to the presentday situation?
case 6:
When Rama partakes food tasted and preserved by a tribal woman Sabhari,caste and creed do not seem to have stood in the way.Is this not a lesson for us in the present times when religion and caste are trying to tear us apart?
case 7:
All of us know that Hanuman was strong and brave besides full of wisdom.But he was also humble.Sage Naradha and Thumburu were talented in playing veena.They had a dispute that of the two,who was more talented?When they requested hanuman to judge them he said,”let me play,hear me,and decide if I am really qualified to sit in judgement with over you”.when hanuman played,naradha and thumburu closed their eyes and were soon lost in the music.After the music stopped,the sages opened their eyes and witnessed a strange sight!The rocks around them had melted and the rock on which hanuman was sitting had also become soft.Both naradha and thumburu realized that music of hanuman was far superior to theirs and felt ashamed of having argued amongst themselves.They thanked hanuman for teaching a lesson and went their way.The raga played byhanuman on this occasion is referred as ‘kundakriya’ or ‘hanuman thodi’.
This is a story which illustrates his humility.Now a days such humble heroes are rarely found.
case 8:
Vibeeshana who was one of the brothers of Ravana was a very noble person.He was against Ravana abducting sita from rama and he took utmost effort to advise ravana about his wrong doing.Although ravana was his brother,he surrendered at the feet of rama and helped him.Though born in a family of asura,vibeeshana was wise and noble and always stood by justice.Now a days,people favour corruption and bribery more than justice.
case 9:
When Sita was abducted by Ravana,though she was capable of destroying the whole place,being boomadevi’s daughter,she never did so,as it would be a slur on Rama’s strength.With immense confidence on Rama,she waited patiently for him to save her.In
today’s world,people never trust their closed ones too.
case 10:
In the battlefield,Rama is magnanimous when Ravana stands hopeless, shed off his arms Rama says, "Go back today and come tomorrow".No underhand dealings.Of course,the killing of Vali by shooting an arrow from behind a tree is a slur on Rama's name-but it was beyond him.Vali was arrogant.For this deed Rama in Krishna avatara as Krishna, is ,slain by a hunter,who mistakes Krishna's toe for a bird.Krishna as Rama,slayed Vali and the same Vali as the hunter in the next life kills Krishna.
That is the law of Karma.
case 11:
When Sita had to be sent to the forest all because the Dhobi spoke ill of her,Rama says "The king sets an example to his people" and decides to send her to the forest inspite of the suffering to her,him,and one and all around him.
That was Rama Rajya.
May the great epic Ramayana continue to guide us forever.
The article what you have posted is well written. Still many of us would remember Ramayana better than the many of those. I would give my kind suggestion to explore Mahabharatha which has many stories interlinked with one another.Even today i couldn't recollect all the incidents of Ramayana/Mahabharatha and still the traces of warfare in Kurukshetra can be seen today. Nevertheless it's a good attempt.
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