Fw: Ramayana month ends today (16-8-2004)

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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 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 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 me.

 

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.

 

Wisha a Happy Malayalam New Year Chingam 1st.

 

Hari Om Tat Sat!

 

OM SANTI, SANTI SANTI!

 

 

 

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