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Summer Course Discourse - 18 May |
“ He who
has ego is not loved by anyone;
He who has anger ceases to discriminate;
He who has excessive desires cannot control his mind;
He who has greed cannot taste happiness ”
Embodiments of love!
As long as man has ego nobody will love him. Even his own wife and children will
shun him. When anger erupts in man he ceases to be happy. Excessive desires make
him lose control over his mind. The day man distances himself from greed he will
enjoy happiness.
Today's discussion on Ramayana will be liked very much by the ladies. Rama
and Lakshmana along with Vishwamithra reached Mithila.
After Rama broke Lord Shiva's bow, Janaka sent an
invitation to Dasaratha to come to Mithila. This meant that Rama and
Lakshmana had four days at their disposal. When only one day was left for the
arrival of their parents and brothers, Lakshmana approached Sage Vishwamithra
and said, "Master, my parents and brothers will be arriving tomorrow. If
you permit, on this last remaining day, we would like to see the city of Mithila".
Sage Vishwamithra consented to the request.
Rama and Lakshmana soon walked along the streets of Mithila.
Like a powerful magnet at work, the gaze of all citizens was attracted towards
the two princes. Even the women working inside their houses came out to catch a
glimpse of the two boys. Children at school too came rushing out. Everyone
stared at the two brothers without batting an eyelid. They wondered, "Oh!
What a heavenly beauty these boys have. They are resplendent like the sun and
the moon. Where have they come from? What have they come for? Who are
they?" Thus they kept wondering among themselves, but none of them knew the
answers.
Finally a young house wife appeared and explained to the women thus, "My
birth place is the city of Ayodhya. Since I am married into a family in Mithila,
I now reside here. These handsome boys are the sons of emperor Dasaratha.
They are extremely handsome and bear the names Rama and Lakshmana. Even in Ayodhya
wherever they appear they would instantly attract everybody's attention."
In this way the lady gave the other women all the details of the attractive
princes.
Meanwhile though they were the center of intense attraction, Rama and Lakshmana
never raised their heads. They were enjoying their walk with their heads bowed
down. Some women, in order to attract the attention of the princes, threw
flowers on their path hoping that at least then the princes would look at them.
They made every attempt possible to catch the eyes of Rama and Lakshmana.
Some even waved the sacred Aarathi. However, the princes remained unperturbed
and would not look at anybody. The youth of those days had such sacred vision.
At that young age none of them ever looked at women.
Rama and Lakshmana finished their tour and returned to their
palace. Meanwhile their parents and brothers had already arrived. When the four
brothers assembled they shone like the moon amidst the stars. The citizens of Mithila
were amazed by the beauty, gait and looks of the four brothers. The following
day the bow of Lord Shiva was to be displayed. A big function was
organised. Rama came to the assembly along with his brothers. There were several
other powerful kings and emperors in the hall. On seeing such a gathering, the
wife of King Janaka, Sunetra, while watching from behind the curtains started
thinking thus: "There are so many handsome and valiant young princes in
this assembly. Will it not be better to select one of them, marry my daughters
to them and quickly discharge the responsibility? Why does the emperor need to
complicate the issue by announcing that the one who bends the bow of Lord Shiva
would be the eligible groom? Several heroic personalities have attempted in the
past and have failed. Will these youngsters assembled here succeed? How will
their tender bodies bear the burden of the heavy bow?" She was very much
worried about the issue and was discussing it with her companions.
Her fears came true when no one in the assembly could even lift the bow.
Finally, Sage Vishwamithra gave permission to Rama to lift the
bow. Rama went up to the box in which the bow was kept and opened the
lid. The moment he did that a severe turbulence struck and shook everybody. Lakshmana
then got up and with one foot pressed down firmly on the earth. Even
Vishwamithra didn't know what Lakshmana was up to. He asked, "Lakshmana,
what is happening? What are you doing?" Lakshmana humbly bowed the head and
said, "This is the help I must render to my elder brother". What
Lakshmana meant was that, when Rama raised the bow, there was a sudden tilt in
earth's balance leading to the turbulence. By pressing down on the earth
Lakshmana was balancing the shift.
What love the brothers had for each other! When they were once playing together Bharatha
came weeping and fell into Kausalya's lap. Kausalya lovingly
enquired, "Child, why are you crying? Did your elder brother scold you? Did
your brothers fight with you? In this way she tried to find out the cause of Bharatha's
grief. Bharatha replied, "Mother, none of my brothers would dream of
scolding me and fighting with me. They all love me very much. But in order to
make me win, despite my best efforts Rama always keeps losing the game.
He always wants me to win". The younger brothers should win and for that Rama
would deliberately lose. That was always Rama's aim. Every brother
followed this path and strove to make the other brothers win. Rama knew
that if his brothers won and were happy he would be happy too. In this way Rama
put himself to many troubles just to make sure that his younger brothers
prospered.
When Rama lifted the sacred bow of Lord Shiva out of its box,
strung the thread and twanged the string, a peel of thunder set out. Everybody
wondered as to how a boy of such a tender age could achieve such a stupendous
task. The bow could not be lifted even if thousand men were to make an attempt
to do so. Several elephants were required to pull the box into the hall. How
could Rama lift such a heavy bow? How could he manage to string it? News
of this wonderful feat spread throughout Mithila and created a sensation.
Janaka started making preparations for the wedding of his daughter to Rama.
Kushadwaja was the brother Janaka. He had two daughters by the names Mandavi
and Shrutakeerthi. King Janaka too had a second daughter Urmila. As the
marriage preparations were going on Sage Vashista approached Janaka
and said " O! King! Here are four resplendent youth shining like the very
sun. They are all valiant and heroic. Vashista then consulted Kushadwaja
and proposed that his two daughters be given in marriage to Bharatha and Shatrugna.
Kushadwaja promptly agreed. Janaka shed tears of joy at the turn of
events and was prepared to give his second daughter Urmila to Lakshmana.
The brides and the grooms were then readied and brought to the stage. As they
were all seated on the stage they appeared to light up the entire city of Mithila.
The ladies experienced unlimited thrill. They praised their good fortune at
being able to witness the wedding of not just Sita but all the four princesses.
This is divine will. If God so wills He can do anything. Who can do what God
does? Who can possess what God has? God alone is the eternal witness. His will
alone can accomplish anything.
The wedding was going on. But the four brothers would not raise their heads and
look at anybody. In the modern age on the other hand conversations and frivolous
behaviour begins much before marriage! But here the brides and grooms sat with
their heads lowered in humility and modesty throughout the ceremony. They
carried out the instructions of the priest without raising their heads. I am
narrating these incidents to you to highlight the high order of discipline and
idealism entertained in those days. Janaka stood beside Rama and
prepared to give away the bride. He offered him Sita's hand and said,
"Rama, here is my daughter, Sita" But Rama would not look at
Sita despite Janaka's entreaties. This was because the custom of those said
that, a woman would become a wife only when the sacred mangalasutra was tied
around her neck. Until then the bride and the groom were not expected to look at
each other. This was a strict discipline exercised in those days. Such
discipline will never appear either today or tomorrow. None can set or match the
ideals that were established by the four brothers.
The wedding took place. It was now time for the garlanding ceremony. The brides
waited with garlands in their hands, as did the grooms. The three brothers would
begin their tasks only after Rama started it first. The parents too
waited behind the children. They went up to Rama and bade him place the
garland around the Sita's neck so that other remaining brothers could also do
the same. Rama did so and all the brothers followed suit. It was now the turn of
the brides. Sita waited with the garland in her hands. Moments passed but
Rama would not bend his head! His was a valour and dignity that raised,
strung and broke the mighty bow of Lord Shiva. He therefore refused to
bend his head in order to protect His own honour. He kept standing.
Rama was tall, broad shouldered and valiant. Though young of age all the
brothers were tall and physically strong. The long break set people to start
murmuring among themselves. They wondered as to why Rama refused to bow
His head. Rama too was not keen to remain thus. He looked at Lakshmana
and made an almost imperceptible signal. The four brothers were always sharp and
alert. This was depicted in Thyagaraja's song.
“ Would a monkey cross the ocean?
Is it possible to tie you with a rope?
Would the goddess Lakshmi worship you?
Would Lakshmana willingly serve you?
Would the highly intelligent Bharatha offer his prostrations to you?
Oh! How great indeed is Lord Rama's strength ”
Lakshmana was the incarnation of Adisesha- the heavenly serpent that had
the strength to bear the entire world on its coils. He caught Rama's
signal and understood that Rama wanted him to raise the portion of earth
where Sita was standing. With an equally slight shake of his head, he indicated
that this plan would defy the laws of nature and was hence not suitable for
execution. If Sita was raised, so would everyone else! Rama signaled back
to Lakshmana to hit on some plan to break the deadlock. Lakshmana
hit upon an idea. He abruptly ran and fell at Rama's feet and would not
get up. Rama was forced to bend down and raise Lakshmana from his
feet. Grabbing this chance, Sita at once placed her garland on Rama's
neck. The moment Sita garlanded Rama, the other sisters too proceeded to
garland their grooms. This incident amply demonstrates the lofty, disciplined
and honourable style of functioning and behaviour of the brothers.
The wedding was soon performed. The party returned to Ayodhya. They were
received with much love and gaiety. What we need to look at is not merely the
virtues of the four brothers. The characters of Sita, Urmila, Mandavi
and Shrutakeerthi too need to be discussed and elaborated. They too were
highly virtuous. They came from a highly reputed family. King Janaka was
known to have mastered his senses. He was adept at Karma yoga. He was an
acknowledged expert in Gnana yoga. Daughters from such a family cannot be
ordinary mortals. Rama alone was given the order to go into exile. But
Sita would not agree to this idea. Rama meanwhile went to his mother. She was
shattered when she got the sad news of her son's exile in place of the joyous
news of his coronation. "Son you are merely obeying your father's command
and going away to the forests. What about your mother's wishes? I am your
father's "ardhangi"-his better half. What importance are you giving to
the words of this half? I shall too come with you to the forest", she said.
Rama then preached to her, "Mother! Husband is verily your God. There is no
other deity beyond him. He is now aged. Added to that, this sad state of affairs
has further crushed him. It is not proper for you to abandon him now, at this
stage. You must serve and support him. Comfort him. Give him strength and
courage to bear his pain". In this way, Rama dissuaded his mother
from following him to the forests.
Sita heard all these. When Rama returned to the palace to wear
ochre robes, she too started to wear them, indicating her desire to follow Rama
to the forests. Rama strongly prohibited her. In soft tones, she reminded
him, "Lord! Why is there one set of moral codes for your mother and another
for me? Is the code of conduct not common to all the married women? Is it not
the responsibility of a good wife to make her husband happy? She is supposed to
look after his welfare. Does it not become my responsibility as well to do the
same? I shall hence defy your prohibition and accompany you to the forest."
Urmila was a great painter. She was in her room, painting the scene of Rama
and Sita's wedding, which she wanted to send to her father. At that
moment, Lakshmana entered. He was in a very angry mood. Rama was
not agreeing to his pleas and was going ahead with obeying Kaikeyi's
orders. He called out to Urmila and informed her that he was proceeding to the
forests. Startled at the dramatic turn of events, Urmila got up in a
hurry and in the process, accidentally toppled the canvas and spilled colours on
it. She lamented, " Alas! This beautiful picture of Sri Rama's
wedding scene is totally spoilt now". Lakshmana said, " Urmila!
I am responsible for spoiling your painting. Kaikeyi is responsible for
ruining Rama's coronation as the emperor. Today, both of us have caused
only damage to others. I am leaving now." Urmila's courage and
strength of character now came to the fore. Lakshmana had already informed her
that Sita too was accompanying Rama to the forest. Urmila was thrilled
that her sister would accompany Rama and serve him. But she did not
insist on following Lakshmana. On the contrary she told Lakshmana,
"Lord! I know that you are proceeding to the forest with the sole objective
of serving Sita and Rama. May you succeed without any obstacles.
You must spend your days and nights in steadfast service to Rama and
Sita. You need not worry about my welfare or even think about me. Never be
concerned that you are not present by my side at Ayodhya to look after
me. Forget Ayodhya itself because henceforth, the forest is your Ayodhya.
This Ayodhya without you is the forest. Hence, do not give any scope for
concerns about me. On my part I shall happily contemplate on you and spend my
time here." Urmila thus gave tremendous courage to her husband. She also
foresaw the possibility of Lakshmana's service to Rama and Sita
being disturbed whenever he thought of her. Hence she extracted a promise from
her husband that he would not even think about her during the course of exile
for fourteen years. She supposed," In the forest, Rama will be your
father and Sita, your mother. Your primary concern should be to serve them
faithfully. Hence, forget all of us here." This was the promise she took
from Lakshmana and cheerfully sent Lakshmana to the forest. Kausalya
might have grieved a little, but not Urmila. This is the attribute of an
ideal daughter-in-law. She must always encourage her husband by giving him
strength and courage appropriately. A housewife is also called 'Grihalakshmi'and
'Dharmapatni'. Urmila discharged her duty as a Dharmapathni
by encouraging Lakshmana to tread the path of righteousness.
Bharatha, Shathrughna, Mandavi and Shruthakirthi
were absent when all this action was taking place. They were away on a holiday
to the Kaikeya kingdom. Mother Kausalya was highly distressed at
the turn of events. At this juncture, Sumithra's noble qualities had a
close inspection. As was her name, so was her character. She was verily the good
friend She had a pure heart. She did not weep at the turn of the events.
Instead, with joy, she consoled Kausalya thus, "Sister, why are you
so sad? Rama, who has incarnated for the emancipation of mankind, can
never come to any harm. If you are concerned about his physical welfare, my son Lakshmana
is anyway always going to be there with Rama. He will be Rama's
attendant and aide. You must not give any scope for fear or anxiety." Yet Kausalya
was the womb that bore Rama. Her pain at his exile was, therefore, immense. In
this context, the noble and courageous counsel of Sumithra to Kausalya
was much more laudable. However when dealing with the epic Ramayana, hardly
anyone discusses these noble attributes of Sumithra. She further told Kausalya,"
this entire drama is the master plan of God. You and me cannot add or change
anything in this. For the welfare of the world and the establishment of Dharma,
God has enacted this mission. Hence, sister! Do not cry. Your tears at the time
of departure of your sons will only prove inauspicious to them. With cheer and
joy, bless them and send them." Thus did Sumithra stand by Kausalya and
give her a great deal of courage. The princes and Sita soon left.
Meanwhile, Dasaratha regained his consciousness and recalled everything.
Utterly agitated, he rushed onto the street, shouting," Rama, are you
going? No, no! Please wait!" Sumantha was the charioteer. Dasaratha
implored, " O Sumantha! Stop! Stay a moment! Let me glimpse my Rama
just once." Rama neither asked Sumantha to stop, nor did he tell him to
move on. He merely told him to discharge his duty. Several scholars have
depicted at this point that Rama had asked Sunantha to utter a lie and
tell that he had not heard the king's plea to stop. On the contrary, he
maintained silence. In such matters of principle and discipline, both Rama
and Lakshmana were very strict. They are the ideals to be emulated when
it comes to attaining victory and obeying one's parents' commands.
Lakshmana resided in the forests with Sita and Rama for
fourteen years. Yet, not even once did he raise his head and observe the face of
Sita. On the Rishyamukha mountain, when Sugriva and Rama
met and talked, a bundle that contained all of Sita's jewellery was brought. She
had hurled the bundle to the ground when Ravana was whisking her away by
the aerial route to Lanka. Sugriva had preserved the bundle since he did not
know whom the jewellery belonged to. When Sugriva was now engaged in a
conversation with Rama and Lakshmana, he had the parcel opened and
showed Rama the jewellery. He enquired if they belonged to mother Sita or
if some demons had dropped them accidentally. Rama examined everything,
but was at a loss to identify any of them. Nowadays, the entire list of the
wife's jewellery, along with their appearance and shape is already available! Rama
passed the jewellery to Lakshmana and asked him to identify them. Of all of them
Lakshmana positively identified only the anklets as having belonged to
Sita. Rama asked, "How could you say so?" Lakshmana replied,
"Every day after my bath, I would offer salutations at my mother Sita's
feet. I hence know these by sight." What noble ideals! For fourteen years
they were together in the same hut yet Lakshmana never looked at Sita's
face.
Since they had such noble character, they were blessed with what has been
described as 'Lavanya'. 'Lavanya' in Sanskrit means a great
reputation. It is used as a mere name today. It actually means purity derived
from strict discipline and character.
This was the lofty standard of ideals established by Rama and Lakshmana.
Meanwhile, Dasaratha, unable to bear the agony of separation from Rama,
shed his mortal coils. There was now a dilemma as to who would perform his last
rites. Rama and Lakshmana were away in exile. Bharatha and Shatrugna
were in their maternal uncle's house at Kaikeya kingdom. It would take at
least ten days for their arrival. Hence, Vashista, Vishwamithra
and other sages decided that the body be embalmed and preserved in oil. There
was nothing like ice or morgue facilities in those days. And there remained Dasaratha's
body for fourteen days.
Bharatha and Shatrugna arrived. Shatrugna is another role
model that the Ramayana has to present. He matched Lakshmana in
every way. While Shatrugna would always serve Bharatha, Lakshmana
engaged himself in service to Lord Rama. The twins hence spent their life
in serving their elder brothers. Bharatha always relied on Shatrugna's
wisdom and sane counsel. True to his name, Shatrugna was one of tremendous
strength and valour-one who destroyed his enemies. There was none to surpass him
when it came to routing the enemies. It was his presence that enabled Rama,
Lakshmana and Bharatha to remain safe and secure. Shatrugna was
one who never talked. Even Lakshmana would talk and sometimes argue, but not Shatrugna.
Once, before the wedding episode, Rama, Lakshmana and Sage Vishwamithra
was proceeding to the sage's hermitage. They crossed the river Sarayu in a boat
and reached the other bank. There, they saw a beautiful ashram or hermitage. Lakshmana
was astounded and asked Rama, "Brother, what is this place? It
appears like a beautiful township." Vishwamithra replied,"
Don't be in a hurry. I shall explain. This hermitage is not an ordinary one. It
belongs to Manmatha. He was supremely handsome. He could attract everyone
to him. He developed his inner and external strengths and powers. He however
tried to influence Lord Shiva and was cursed by him to remain formless- 'Angaheena'.
That is why this domain is called 'Anga Desha'-the kingdom of Anga.
It is a sacred spot because Lord Shiva travelled here. It is hence the
gift of Lord Shiva and His very own place."
They then rested for the night in the ashram. At dawn, the residents of the
ashram made them board a boat and gave them a very warm send-off. They realised
that the princes were the sons of emperor Dasaratha. Hence they were honoured
accordingly and put on a well-decorated boat to proceed with their journey.
Shortly a terrific roar could be heard in the distance. A fearful forest, with
full of wild beasts, came into view. Lakshmana asked Sage Vishwamithra,
"Master! Where is this loud sound coming from? What is the name of this
eerie place?" The sage replied, "Son! The booming sound is of the
river Sarayu merging into the mighty Ganges. The sacred Ganges is like a huge
ocean into which this river Sarayu is merging. This is causing this huge roar.
This forest is infested with wild beasts and terrible demons."
They soon stepped into the forest. In all directions were seen wild beasts and
eerie sounds were emanating from all directions. This was the domain of Ravana's
sister- the demoness Soorpanaka and a sense of fear was stuck in anyone
who dared enter the forest, as every step was fraught with danger. Hence
Vishwamithra repeatedly blessed Rama," O Rama! May all
auspiciousness be added on to you."
Shortly, Lakshmana fell behind while Rama and Vishwamithra
walked on. Lakshmana who wanted to attend to his ablutions moved a
certain distance away. When he caught with them again, his mind has totally
changed. He suddenly burst out," Brother! What is all this trouble? Why are
you, one who is supposed to enjoy every luxury, suffering here? Why am I
supposed to suffer with you? I shall make remedies once we return. Let us go
back to Ayodhya now. Why should we proceed further in this terrible forest? How
are we expected to eat and foster ourselves?" This was the sudden burst of
anger from Lakshmana.
Rama merely smiled and expressed no reaction. Instead, he took
Lakshmana's hand and led him away from the forest and out of the forest. The
anger that erupted in Lakshmana stayed till they reached the borders of
the forest. The instant Rama led Lakshmana out of the forest, Lakshmana
at once calmed down to his usual self. As Rama let Lakshmana relax
and calm down under a tree', he explained to the perplexed Lakshmana, "This
is the kingdom of Ravana's sister, Soorpanaka. She roams freely in
this area. You two had stepped into that area. Hence, the vibrations of that
place - 'Sthalabalam', affected you. Soorpanaka's evil qualities
diffused into you and forced you to behave thus. We shall leave this place and
go away" Lakshmana felt thoroughly ashamed of his earlier behaviour "Alas!
What a shame! How could I utter such rough and uncultured words? It is not in me
to talk thus. This is definitely the vibration of demonic surroundings. They are
not my true feelings." So, consoling himself, he asked Rama's pardon
and proceeded on their journey.
Shortly, they could experience the pleasant vibrations of Siddhashrama.
The cool breeze and the vedic chants, charged the place with holiness. Vishwamithra
then explained, "Sons! This is our Siddhashrama. Lord Vamana
was born here. Lord Shiva resided here for a few days."
At Siddhashrama, Vishwamithra entrusted Rama and Lakshmana with a
job. He said, "Sons! You have come here to protect a Yagna. You should
undertake that responsibility. This was also the command of your father. From
this moment onwards you are expected to desist from eating and resting. This
itself is a big Yagna that you two shall perform. You should sanctify it and
emerge successful." Rama and Lakshmana were equal to the task. They never
displayed any tiredness, difficulty or weakness.
As the dawn broke, the great Yagna was started. The instant the mantras
were uttered, Rama and Lakshmana went into high alert and
patrolled the place. A huge roar could be heard. One of the sages told the
brothers, 'There come the demonic hordes. They will be lead by Chanda and
Amarka. Be ready." They were without food or water or sleep. Yet
they successfully discharged their duty and killed the demons and saw to it that
the Yagna was performed successfully.
The total dedication of Rama and Lakshmana to the task entrusted
by Viswamithra can be understood from the following episode. As the Yagna
concluded, a troop of soldiers came to the ashram. They handed an invitation to
Sage Vishwamithra. This was a personal invitation from King Janaka
of Mithila. He had sent similar invitations to all kings and princes to
try and lift the bow of Lord Shiva and win the hand of his daughter Sita. In
such an assembly, he prayed that the great sage too be present and shower his
blessings. Sage Vishwamithra was happy and with great excitement,
narrated to Rama and Lakshmana the qualities of the great bow of
Lord Shiva. He said, "Sons! You must come and see the bow. There cannot be
another of its kind in this world. It is a gift from the heavens. This bow is
not an ordinary one. It is worth going and seeing." Rama and Lakshmana
naturally developed a curiosity to take a look at the bow. However, Rama gently
reminded the sage, "Master! Our father had only asked us to come with you
and protect the Yagna. We have no instructions to go to Mithila and see the bow.
We cannot transgress our father's orders." For this Vishwamithra replied,
" Was it also not your father's command that you should obey my
instructions? Hence, you must obey my orders!" The princes could only keep
quite and make preparations to accompany the sage on the new journey.
For the welfare of this country, you all need to minutely scrutinize how
delicately, correctly and righteously Rama handled each situation. He killed all
the demons and safeguarded the righteous. All these are actually small parts of
a Divine master plan. It was willed that Rama, Lakshmana, Bharatha
and Shathrugna take births that they should cause the annihilation of the
demons.
Lankini, the guardian deity of Lanka, also made the prophecy of the doom
of the demons. When Brahma asked Ravana to pray for a boon, the
demon said, "My death should not be caused by the Gods, Yakshas, demons,
Kinchas or Kimpurushas. Grant me this boon." Rama had
expertly detected the fatal flaw in this boon. The name of man was missing from
the list! Since Ravana had made this omission, his death was certain at the
hands of a man. Lord Vishnu hence decided to incarnate in human form. Rama hence
prayed to Vishwamithra, "Ravana's death at my hands is certain. You
must therefore propagate to one and all that Rama is coming. He shall definitely
kill Ravana.
In the entire creation, Divinity assumes the role of being the vital substance. Rama
belonged to the solar dynasty. The Sun God was their guardian deity. Without the
sun's nourishing rays, life cannot thrive on earth. When creation first began,
it took a few crores of years for light to dawn. It was all darkness till then.
Similarly, after the birth of Rama, the sun could not shine for fifteen
days! Consequently, the moon too remained invisible. Both the sun and the moon
lamented that they could not catch the glimpse of the Divine incarnation of Lord
Rama. The Moon God performed a penance, praying to catch a glimpse of Lord Rama.
At that time, Lord Rama appeared before the Moon God and said; "I know that
you could not see me for the first fifteen days after my birth. I hereby grant
you a boon. In my next incarnation, you shall have my first darshan - even
before anybody else can see me." And it so proved to be. When the next
incarnation of Krishna took place, at the midnight hours, as Vasudeva
carried the baby to the safety of Nanda's house, it was the moon that had the
first darshan of the Divine child.
In this way, there are several intricate, secret and profound teachings in the Ramayana.
There are no contradictions or confusions in this epic. The story of Rama
is eternal and eminently readable. How many ever times it is heard, it still
does not satiate the desire to hear again and again. This sacred story can never
be forgotten. Rama's divine actions can never be ignored. Everything that
he did was steeped in righteousness. All that he spoke was only the truth. In
such a sacred epic, several scholars have introduced distorted explanations and
have painted an unholy hue about it. There can be no scope of perversions in Ramayana.
There can be no place in it for even an iota of untruth and falsehood. The
entire story, from start to end, is nothing but the truth - eternal, pure and
serene.
Today, we shall stop with the events of Siddhashrama. The nature of Rama,
Lakshmana, Bharatha and Sathrugna is quite unique and
wonderful. Sage Vashista has described it as follows:
“ They are wonderful; they are worshipped in all the three worlds;
They are so close to one's heart, they are one's true friends;
They are revered by the sages, men, animals and plants too;
Such is the beauty of Lord Vishnu's deeds! ”
It is only the ignoramuses that are blind to the inner significance of the
Lord's deeds and misinterpret them. This causes confusion and deviates the mind
of the true seeker from the sacred truth. The history of Lord Rama is highly
sacred. It is only when you hear the story fully that can you understand the
holiness associated with it.
- From Bhagawan's Discourse at Brindavan - Whitefield - Bangalore on 18 May 2002.
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