Approach to Raamacharitmaanas

viji_53 · July 15, 2000

RAAMACHARITMAANAS contains seven contos. These seven contos are considered as seven steps to reach GOD.The highest goal of human life is to reach God.This can be easily attained by either reciting or listening to Raamacharitmaanas(Tulsidas's Ramayana).

BALAKAND is considered as GOD'S FEET.AYODYAKAND is GOD'S THIGH..ARANYAKAND is HIS STOMACH.KISHKIDAKAND is GOD'S HEART.Sundarkand is His throat.LANKAKAND is HIS FACE and MOUTH.UTTARKAND is HIS HEAD.RAAMAYANA as a whole is God's BODY.

Therefore these seven contos are seven steps to go forward in religious path to reach GOD realization and then to liberation.

Each conto has inner meaning.From Balakand we can learn that , if the people are innocent,good,polite and simple ( inspite of their position,richness ) like children ,they can easily attain GOD. Ayodyakand teaches us ,how people should love others.Raama set a typical example of good son,husband,brother,friend,guide and philosopher.Raama leaves Ayodya only when jelous enters KAIKEYi'S mind.Bharata's example shows how a person should love his brothers.Though he gets the kingdom he sacrifices it and lives like a tapasvi similar to RAAMA. Here we learn that a true wife should love her step children.(like KOUSALYA)

ARANYAKAND tells us without Aranyavasam (living with detachment)there is no meaning in life.Without it we wont get satva guna(good character).Here only you get the feeling that we have only god to help us. To kill lust vanavasam is a must.Only when we fully eradicate lust we will be able to attain GOD.

KISHKINDAKAND says, once you killed the lust(kaama);the union of jeevatma and Paramatma takes place.For this union we need the help of Brahmacharyam.That is shown by the role of Hanumaan.

Sundarkand teaches us , people who can cross the ocean of birth and death alone can meet the Mother of universe.Here Hanumaan meets SITA the Mother of universe.The place where Sita lived was called Ashokvanam ;because,there can be no sorrow where Mother of universe lives.

LANKAKAND means,Once the lust is overcome,we can kill Raavana(personification of kaama).That is what shown in here.All demons were killed and Sita was restored.

UTTARKAND:RAAMA's coronation takes place.This kand also explains ,who is real devotee and who can easily attain GOD.To make our life beautiful through out ,control lust from the earlier part of life.

Thus ,all the 7 kandas,like seven steps lead one to GOD.RAAMAYANA is like ocean.Like shiva,let us also keep RAAMA Naama in our hearts.Always think about RAAMA..Remember ,there can be no happiness,nor peace even in dream if we forget RAAMA's name.

We are fortunate to get this human body.It is a gate way for spiritual endeavours and liberation.People who devote their minds to the pleasures of sense even after attaining human birth take poison in exchange for nectar.Out of love God has given us this human form and only by HIS grace we can cross the ocean of birth and death.

THIS glorious,holy,purifying,blessed RAAMAYANA brings happiness;IT bestows both wisdom and devotion;wipes out lust,infatuation,and impurity.Men who with deep devotion recite or listen to It are never touched by the worldly illusions.

viji_53 · August 1, 2000

Bhagavan Vishnu took the Avathar of Rama just to show how a man should live during his span of life. A man should respect His parents, teacher & elders. He also showed that He can never forgive the injustice done to a lady. He proved that lust is the cause of fall however powerful one is. In this age of Kali yuga with out understanding this concept people are doing so many injustices to ladies by molesting etc. Even educated are blinded by lust. Only God should help them to realise their mistakes & become good.

shvu · August 1, 2000

I have a doubt here. Does it say in the Ramayana that Rama is an avatar ?

Because from what I know, it is the puranas which were written later by Vyasa that mention Rama as an avatar, alongwith a few more.

Also the Bhagavatam says that Kapila, Pritu etc were avatars of Vishnu. But why do we have a secific 'Dasha Avatara' to which they don't belong ?

viji_53 · August 3, 2000

There are 4 yugas which continues like cycle.After the end of Kali yuga Satya yuga starts. Lord Vishnu takes avatar to protect His devotees. While protecting His devotees it so happened He killed the evildoers. Only 10 avatars are taken to kill the evil doers in order to protect His devotees. That is dasa avatar. Kapila muni ect are His Amsas. Even Chaitanya Maha Prabu is also His Amsa. Of all the ten avatars Only two avatars Rama & Krishna are taken by God to show human beings how to live and what to do. Live like Rama & do what Krishna said , That is what His Avatars Rama & Krishna conveys.

viji_53 · August 3, 2000

There are 4 yugas which continues like cycle.After the end of Kali yuga Satya yuga starts. Lord Vishnu takes avatar to protect His devotees. While protecting His devotees it so happened He killed the evildoers. Only 10 avatars are taken to kill the evil doers in order to protect His devotees. That is dasa avatar. Kapila muni ect are His Amsas. Even Chaitanya Maha Prabu is also His Amsa. Of all the ten avatars Only two avatars Rama & Krishna are taken by God to show human beings how to live and what to do. Live like Rama & do what Krishna said , That is what His Avatars Rama & Krishna conveys. At the end of Kali yuga Kalki avatar will be taken and whole world will be destroyed, the world will be destroyed only when there is not even a single good soul is present.. Then the creation begins and it continues like cycle.

viji_53 · August 3, 2000

Dear Shvu,

Go through whole of Ramayana, there are so many instances where it is proved beyond doubt that Rama is Avatar. When He meets Jatayu while searching Sita, He asks Jatayu whether He can cure him but Jatayu refuses and He sends him to Vaikunta. Then He gives salvation to Sabari. He gives sapa vimochanam to Ahalya. Visvamitra knows Rama is Vishnu's avatar That is why he asks Dasarata to send Rama with him to kill Maricha & Subagu. There are so manymore instances. Rama accompanying Visvamitra conveys the meaning that who is friend to the whole world( Visva- world & Mitra- freind)will be accompanied by God Himself.

shvu · August 4, 2000

Well, Vamana and Buddha did not kill anyone. So we cannot say that the dasha avatars are the ones where evil doers where killed.

In the Bhagvatam, krishna says 'To count the number of times I have taken birth on the earth would be like counting the grains of sand on a beach'

Actually my question was, has it explicitly been mentioned in the Ramayana that Rama is an avatar ?

viji_53 · August 5, 2000

Yes Ramayana sung by Valmiki & Thulsidasa says Rama is Avatar of Vishnu. Vishnu takes Avatar as Rama to Kill Ravana & Kumbakarna who were Jaya Vijaya two Dwarapalakas of Vaikunta in their previous Janma & had been cursed to take the life of asura janma. As already mention many instances prove that He is Avatar.

viji_53 · August 9, 2000

Dear shvu,

God take avatars to protect His devotees. While protecting His devotees, the evil doers get punished. In some avatars the punishment is death. Coming to Vamana avatar Hari did not kill Bali because Bali was only greedy. Also Bali chakravarti was grand son of Prahlad. Hari promises Prahalad that He will not kill his decendents. Bali is given Pathala lok for ruling & been made Indira in his next janma for he completed 100 Ashvameda yagas & fulfilled the wishes of Hari even when he comes to know that Hari is the one who has come as a small boy. Budda is amsa of God & not His avatar. I hope I have cleared your doubt.

shvu · August 9, 2000

Now I am confused. I thought Buddha was the 9th avatar of Vishnu as mentioned in the dasha avatara.

Can you also please explain about how an amsa and an avatar differ from each other ?

Thank you

viji_53 · August 17, 2000

Dvine qualities of God(Vishnu) will be present in that person who is Amsa . Lord Vishnu is beyond janma & marana.But Lord Vishnu takes Janma(Avatar) for the sake of His devotees.

Jahnava Nitai Das · August 23, 2000

Different schools of philosophy may utilize these words in various ways, so sometimes it may be confusing as not everyone agrees on the same definitions.

Generally when the lord empowers a soul with a great oppulence indirectly it is known as "vibhuti". The Bhagavad gita lists many examples of vibhutis, and concludes by saying any extraordinary power one witnesses is a vibhuti of the Lord.

When the Lord empowers an individual directly to carry out his order it is called as "avesha" or "sakti-avesha" (empowered incarnation). Examples of this are Buddha, Sesha, Parasurama, etc.

The Lord's personal expansions are generally called as "amsa" or "kala", though sometimes amsa is subdivided into two categories - sva-amsa (personal expansions) and vibbhina-amsa (seperated expansions). The Personal expansions refer to the Vishnu-tattva category, or God Himself, whereas the seperated expansions refer to the innumerable living entities.