Concordance with Self is Dharma: Rama-Gita, Part I

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Rama-Gita

Two Rama Gitas.

Rama-Gita is a chapter in the second book, known as Ayodhya Kanda, of

Valmiki Ramayana. It is almost a lecture, given by Rama to Bharata at a

crucial moment in the development of the epic story.

[Note: If any reader is unfamiliar with the story, a one-paragraph summary

of this epic story is available in:

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/itihasa.html ]

 

This lecture of Rama talks about the transience of everything in this

physical universe of experience, stresses the importance of a spiritual

pursuit while it is still not too late in this life itself and sets up a

norm of right and wrong in terms of Concordance with the Journey of the

Soul. The whole set of ideas is contained in an unforgettable sequence of 27

verses. There is a larger Rama Gita, which is in fact a philosophical

treatise in all its technicality, found in the Adhyatma Ramayana and is more

well-known as Rama Gita. It is a long sermon given by Rama to Lakshmana

almost on the eve of their life-span. We shall not be dwelling on it here.

 

Rama, the ideal Person of the Gita.

 

The combination of the two words Rama and Gita may itself look strange. Gita

is naturally associated with Lord Krishna because it was He who preached the

Gita to Arjuna on the battlefield at the crucial moment when the latter

collapsed at the beginning of the War, overcome by the dilemma of right and

wrong. In line with the spirit of the origin of the Gita, any scripture or

literary work which takes a philosophical view of things and becomes an

advice at a crucial moment, is also called a Gita in a symbolic way. This

is how we call Rama's advice to Bharata a Rama-Gita. In fact it is Krishna's

Gita that is 'the Gita'. But look at the life of Rama, who lived millions of

years before Krishna lived. The entire life of Rama as he lived it, is a

model for everything that is preached in the Gita (Krishna's, that is).While

Krishna talked to Arjuna about the ideal person, the 'sthita-prajna' - the

man of enlightened Wisdom, the man who acts in this world without being

affected by pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, censure and praise - He did

not cite any specific example of that ideal person, except in a casual way

where he referred to 'King Janaka and others' . (B.G. 3-20)

 

Working Laboratory of the Gita.

 

Of course He could have cited Himself as that ideal person - which He in

fact implies in (3-22): "There is nothing in the three worlds, Arjuna, that

I have to get done; I have nothing to achieve that I have not achieved.

Still I am engaged in Works". But, for us ordinary mortals, to take

Krishna as the model for an ideal man is pretty difficult, because our

conviction that He is a full Incarnation ('PUrNAvatAra') of the Supreme

Absolute precludes our accepting Him as an ideal 'man'. On the other hand,

Rama not only behaved as an ideal man but he was also careful not to

declare himself as an Incarnation of God and for this purpose he went

through the ups and downs of life, suffered them and even appeared overcome

by them at certain times. Thus the entire Ramayana (of Valmiki) can be

considered as a working laboratory for the Gita. We shall take just one

chapter out of a total of 600 chapters of the epic.

 

Bharata's Reaction.

 

Bharata has just come back from his uncle's place, having been called from

there by the chief priestly sage Vasishta, who takes over control in the

crisis situation created by King Dasaratha's death. Bharata gets to know all

the tragic events that took place in his absence, namely, Rama having been

exiled for 14 years, Sita and Lakshmana following Rama to the forest and the

aged father no more. They come to him as lightning shocks one after the

other. His anger and disgust at his mother Kaikeyi who masterminded all this

know no bounds. He rejects everything that she says, comes to Vasishta,

proclaims that he is going to the forest to bring back Rama and request him

to take the throne. The whole city marches with him to the forest in this

fond hope. The two brothers meet in one of the most dramatically set scenes

of the Ramayana. Rama asks a series of questions as to the conduct of

kingship by Bharata. Then Rama learns of the demise of the father. After

bemoaning the fate which prevented him from being present at the last

moments of his father, they all discharge the obligations of their duties to

the departed king, in the form of religious rites. After all that is over,

they rest for the night.

 

Father's word is Law; That is Dharma

 

In the morning when all of them meet together as an assembly, Bharata brings

up the point of Rama's immediate return to the kingdom. 'It is your

kingdom', he says: 'In the Ikshwaku dynasty, it has always been the eldest

son who succeeded to the crown; it has never been otherwise. Our father

intended it for you. He nurtured the whole Ayodhya and you for this purpose.

Ayodhya cannot thrive under any other person. Nobody else has the

competence. My mother will only go to hell for the crime of sending you to

the forest. Please accept to come back and take the kingdom'. For all this

plea Rama replies in only one sentence: "mAtA-pitRbhyAm ukto'haM

katham-anyat samAchare" (Valmiki Ramayana II-104-22) - 'Our father and

mother have told us to do it this way; how can we do it otherwise?' ,

implying thereby there should be no second opinion about it. Rama had

nothing more to say and Bharata nothing to reply. It appeared as if the

matter was over with it. The argument that the father's word should be

protected, come what may, was one that could not be questioned by any one

present in that august assembly.

 

Scriptural Authority

 

In fact the entire scriptural literature with all its purANas, legends and

stories, are one on this point that a father's word is law for the son. The

oldest authoritative scripture which has talked specifically about this

point is Manu-smRti which says: "There is nothing in the three worlds which

can compensate for the pains and sufferings that the parents, mother and

father have gone through in bringing up the son both at the time of birth

and after. Even in one hundred years one cannot repay the debt which one

owes to them. To these two and to the Guru one should always do what is

pleasing to them. If these three are satisfied all Dharma, penances and

obligations are fulfilled". This is the supreme-most Dharma, says the

scripture, everything else is only a secondary Dharma.

 

(To be Continued)

 

PraNAms to all advaitins.

profvk

 

 

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