RAAMAAYAN

“Prasannataan yaa na gataabhishektah, tathaa na mamle vanvaas dukkhatah.
Mukhaambujashree Raghunanandanasya men sadaastu saa manjulmangalapradaa.”
‘May the beauty of the face of Raghunandan Raam be always graceful to do good to me, which neither became overwhelmed hearing to be invested regal dignity nor became dull hearing the order to go to the forest.’
Among the world’s epics, the character of Raam is the rarest. He never crosses the established social antecedence & dignities. The epic indicates about the idealism of brothers. The throne is rolling between the feet of brothers like football. It looks like soil-lump before the love among brothers, for which the latter princes killed their so many brothers. The idealism of relation between father and son, among brothers, between mother and son, between wife and husband has been shown perfectly in the epic, which is the rarest.
Ravan is the representative of all evils. He snatches the power of all gods and enjoys their shares. He does not allow saints to perform penance. Gods and saints went to lord Vishnu and told the anecdote of anarchism of Ravan. Lord Vishnu assured to take birth on the earth as the son of king Dasrath. He took birth as Ram. His other three companions became his brothers as Lakshaman, Bharat and Satrughna. Maan Lakshami (Lord Vishnu’s consort) took birth at another place in Mithila. Janak (the most gyani person) was the king of Mithila. He is called Videh (the person without body). When I think that I am the body, I live for the body and merge myself with the sorrows and joys as well as friends and foes of the body. Gyani thinks himself as the soul, which is seer only. The body is his home. He is the dweller only. The dweller is not the home. The relation between the body and the soul is similar to the home and its dweller. We ordinary persons also experience this fact in our daily life but the feeling remains for a short period. When we go to a famous temple, come in contact of a saint, or see the scene of death of some near and dear, we experience for a while. It vanishes after some time. Gyanis always feel the fact and remain in it all the time. Therefore, they are called videh. King Janak was param gyani and hence videh. Once there became a great famine in Mithila. The sages told that the rain could come if the king himself ploughed the field. The king ploughed the field in the village Punoura at Sitamarhi. While ploughing, he found a newborn baby girl in the field. He brought the girl to his palace. She was named Sita (also Janaki). She is the very Maan Lakshami whom Ram (lord Vishnu) married latter.
Once, Sita was wiping the floor. While cleaning, she lifted the Lord Shiva’s legendary bow by her left hand and cleaned the surface by her right hand, in a normal way. King Janak saw this. Shiva’s dhanu (bow) was so heavy that none could lift it except Lord Vishnu or his consort. He was overwhelmed. He promised to give her hand to the person who can lift Shiv-Dhanu and make it ready to throw the arrow to the target. When Jaankee became marriageable, Janakjee invited all the princes and kings. No one could lift the bow. At last, ten thousand kings started to lift collectively but they were also unable. Ram and Lakshaman had also come in the celebration with the famous saint Vishwaamitra.
Vishwaamitra is a famous saint known for his tough penance. Giants disturbed him in the forest. Once meditating, he perceived that Lord Vishnu had taken birth as the son of king Dashrath. He went to Dashrath and begged Ram and Lakshaman. At first, Dashrah saw negative view. When the sage made him aware with the fact that Ram is none, but Lord Vishnu himself who had come to kill the giants, he bowed and became ready. Both the princes went with the sage. They killed so many giants who came to disturb the sage during his penance. The sage made them skilled in all fields. Vishwaamitra heard about Sita’s bridal ceremony. By intuition, he knew that Sita is none but Ram’s spouse. He took the two brothers to the celebration.
Janakjee became desperate. He pronounced to all kings to leave hope and to go to their own place, Jaanakee would remain unmarried. ” Tajahu aas nij nij grih jaahoo; Likhaa na vidh Vaidehi vivaahoo.” Though Lakshaman is called the human form of the earth, there is a bit differences between the two. The earth never loses patience where as Lakshaman is short tempered. You can say that the role is allotted to him like that. Lakshaman represents us. In Jeev-Jagat-Brhma concept, Lakshaman represents Jeev, Maan Jaanaki is Jagat and Raam is Brahma. When Lakshaman (jeev) remains in the light of Raam(Brahma), he talks like gyani. When Maayaa captures him, he behaves like ordinary person. Hearing the version of Janak, Lakshaman roars proudly. Vishwaamitra knowing everything, requests Raam to do with Shiv-Dhanu. As soon as Raam touched Shiv-Dhanu, it cracked and was broken into pieces. Janakjee and all others became pleased. Raam married Sita, his permanent consort.
Latter Raam went to the forest for fourteen years by the order of his father. His father could not bear the departure of his son and died. Kaikeyee, Raam’s stepmother, was blamed for the event. Nevertheless, the whole story is linked with each other and everyone does his role ideally. Lastly, Raavan was killed with his whole family. His brother Vibheeshan became his successor, the king of Lankaa.
Ramayan is the mirror of Indian culture. Our rituals are based on the very epic. The marriage ceremony and its songs are the same as it was in the marriage of Ram and Sita. We keep our children’s name Raam, Lakshaman, Bharat, Saatrughna, Sita, Kaushalyaa, Sumitraa but not Kaikeyee, the villain. The story of Ramaayan is on the tongue of every person of India. Raamleela is acted in every village. Brothers want to copy Bharat and Lakshaman. Daughters copy Sita, Urmila, Shrutikeerti, Ansuiyaa, Damyantee and Mandodaree. Wives copy Sita. Kings copy Raam. Hanumaanjee is the favorite god of all Indians.
We can get all knowledge at a single place in this epic. The character Bharat shows the love among brothers and sacrifices. When elder is in the forest, younger also leads the same life. The elder is bound to do so; the younger willfully adopts the path. The great economist and prime minister of Chandragupta, Chaanakya lived in a cottage. Once a foreigner visited India and met Chaanakya. He asked about his living in a cottage. Chaanakya replied,”When prime minister lives in cottage, subjects (citizens) live in palaces.” This was the idealism of our ancestors Bharat, Chaanakya etc. That was the reason why, we were on top and tutor of the world. Another younger Lakshaman goes to forest willfully to serve his brother. Ram was ordered by the king to go to forest, not Lakshaman. See Lakshaman who has seen only the feet of his sister-in-law, Sita. Compare the character of present youths and sister-in-laws relation. See the character of Urmila. She becomes very pleased and sends her husband happily to the forest for fourteen years. Think the sacrifice of a woman of our old India and compare it with present. In the present context, it looks like imaginary story. Sita is ideal of all wives, sister-in-laws and daughter-in-laws. She does not need a tutor but Ansuiyaa teaches Sita the duties of a devoted wife. This is only for the present women. Ram is born gyaani(having all knowledges) but Sage Vashishtha gives Raam the knowledge of Gyaan-Marg. This is also for us only. Hanumaan teaches bhakti-marg. The role of Vibheeshan says that one can easily defeat the person who has differences with his brothers. The act of Ravan teaches that evils will surely be defeated. Raavan, Kumbhakaran, Meghnaad etc. represent the collection of ego and tamogun; which is to be ruined surely. Vibheeshan represents Satwagun, devotion to God and well adviser. There is always victory for those who have adopted Satwagun, dedication to Almighty and truth.
The story of the epic is blissful and remover of sin. The regular reader of this epic with full devotion is blessed and his all wills are fulfilled. This epic is worshiped in Hindu society like The Bible, The Quraan and Gurugranth Saahib. The original book was written by the great sage Walmiki , which is the world’s first book written in poetries. Tulsidas wrote Ram Charit Manas in rural poems of that time which became more popular in the society. The original was in Sanskrit, which was tougher to be understood by common people. You will find the book in every Hindu family.’ Siyaa-Raam may sab jag jaanee, Karaun pranaam jori yug paanee.’ May Almighty Raam (Ramana) pour grace on those who meditate Him in their hearts!