THE FAMOUS CROW AND GARUDA SAMAVADA IN TULSIDAS’S RAMACHARITAMANAS

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THE FAMOUS CROW AND GARUDA SAMAVADA IN TULSIDAS'S RAMACHARITAMANAS

 

 

O Garuda, says the crow, now I narrate to you my experience of Self-

realisation. O lord of the winged creatures: Unless we adore Sri

Rama our troubles will not end. Listen, king of the birds: Without

His grace it is not possible to know His greatness. And without that

knowledge, faith is out of the question; and without faith there can

be no love. Shorn of love, devotion will not abide any more than the

lubricity produced by water.

 

The crow asks garuda: Is spiritual illumination possible without a

preceptor? Or, again, is it possible to acquire wisdom without

dispassion? Can one ever attain happiness without devotion to Sri

Raman? Again, Dear Garuda, can one find peace without innate

contentment? Can a boat ever flow without water even though we may

strain every nerve till our last breath?

 

The crow tells garuda: Without sanatosham desires cannot cease; and

so long as desires continue one cannot dream of happiness. Again,

can desires be got rid of without adoring Sri Rama? Can a tree ever

take root without soil? Can even-mindedness be acquired without

spiritual enlightenment? Can anyone get moving-space without ether?

Can anyone get odour except from the earth and spread one's glory

except through austere penance? Can there be any taste in this world

without water? Can the mind be at rest without experiencing the joy

inherent in one's own self? Can there be any sensation of touch

without air, and any success without faith? In a like manner, the

fear of rebirth can never cease except through worship of Sri Rama.

 

prof laxmi narain (prof_narain)

 

Source and courtesy: Sri Ramana Kendram, Hyderabad

This article was published in Sri Ramana Jyothi,

monthly magazine of the Kendram.