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.

 

Without faith there can be no devotion, and Sri Raman never melts

except through devotion; and without Sri Rama's grace the human soul

can never attain peace even in a dream.

 

 

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.