Shri Swamiji's Ramayana Pravachanam

[Guest guest]

Jai Srimannarayana!!

 

HH Shri Shri Shri Tridandi Srimannarayana Ramanuja

China Jeeyar Swami Thiruvadigale Saranam!

 

My sincere apologies for keeping quiet, two months

after posting the first part of Shri Swamiji's Ramayana Pravachanam.

 

I am praying at Shri Swamiji's Lotus feet to grant me energy

and shraddha to perform His Seva and His smaranam everyday, every

minute;

do not make me skip my Vidhyukta Dharmas. I pray Swamiji to shower

His daya on me and allow to flow His pravachana amrutham without

interruptions. His divine grace is again making me start

this suspended activity.

 

Shri Swamiji said --

 

In Ramayanam Lord has come down to earth and showed to the whole world

how a human being should live. He is a model for all of us to follow.

We may not be able to have all His kalyana gunas. If we can start with

practicing at least one of those, it is sufficient.

 

Whenever we read/recite Ramayanam, what should we look in for?

Is it the story? Is it the Dharmas in it? Is it the beauty of

literature? Is it the divinity?

 

It has everything inside and we can get guidance from any angle we

see. So just read Ramayanam or recite it as parayanam, get whatever we

want and forget about it? No.

 

Swamiji says reading Ramayanam is for correcting ourselves in our

daily life. If we have a situation where we need a solution, think

what Rama would have done in such circumstances. While reading

ramayanam, reflect on our own past. Did we do our acts in the same way

as Lord Rama would have done in those circumstances. If not, had Rama

been in my place what He would have done? Is there anyway to correct

ourselves? In future can we correct our own behaviour if such

circumstances happen again?

 

Lord has a purpose in Ramayanam. He has very carefully chosen a person

to document his avatharam. Then preserved the document even till now,

after so many chaturyugas and pralayams, passing on the knowledge

from one generation to another for billions of years, irrespective of

benifit gained by the masses. It is amazing to believe that Ramayanam

is very fresh even after such a huge time period, and when we read it

we feel as if it is happening now. Why would Lord preserve it so

carefully? What could be His purpose?

 

Shri Swamiji says the purpose of preserving Ramayanam is --

 

"swam swam charithram sikshe:ran

pruthivya:m sarva ma:nava:h"

 

Whoever reads Ramayanam, may those people try to correct their

behaviour and samskaras. Let their charithram be judged and corrected

in accordance with Ramayanam. Let those people become Ramas. Let

everyone benefit from it.

Let those people who have read it spread the message and the fragrance

to all those who did not have a chance to do so and let the whole

world attain divinity. That is the purpose of preserving the avathara

katha so carefully.

 

Let everyone look into himself and say am I Rama? Why can not I be

Rama? What holds me from being a Rama? Let me examine myself?

What qualities of Rama can I start adopting practicing immediately

and improve? That should be the motto of reading Ramayana, reciting

Ramayana.

 

Try to practice at least one of His kalyana gunas and by one person

practicing it, innumerable people benefit from it. How? for example

one of Rama's gunas is "Smitha Bhashi" that means he talks with a

pleasant smile and appealing gesture. Think, if we encounter such a

person, even though we are not practicing it,

we feel very glad, happy and contented in our talk. Would it not be

wonderful if everyone starts practicing it! By one person practicing

such a great quality, every other person who encounters him benifits

from that behaviour, with shared happiness. Let us all remember,

happiness shared is happiness doubled, and sorrow shared is sorrow

halved.

 

In the Yuddha Kanda after Rama pattabhishekam, Valmiki briefly

describes how was Rama's governance.

 

"Ra:mo: Ra:mo: Ra:ma ithi praja:na:m abhavan katha:h

Ra:ma Bhootham jagad abhooth ra:me: ra:jyam prasa:sathi."

 

Every person was reciting Rama's name and reflecting His kalyana gunas

on himself, and correcting himself. Rama's story was repeated over and

over and over again and everyday there is something that is new that

can be learnt from his actions. The whole world, every being of it

became like Rama. That was how a Rama rajyam became so popular even to

date. Rama rajyam was in the actions of the people who tried to

follow Rama.

If we want Rama rajyam today, let us all be Ramas.

To startwith let us all read Ramayanam and start correcting ourselves.

 

Jai Srimannarayana!

(.. to be continued)

 

Murali Krishna Ramanuja Dasaha