SPOTLIGHTS ON THE RAMAYANA

Description: DedicatedTOMY HOLY MASTERSATGURU SRI SWAMI SIVANANDAJI MAHARAJContentsPublishers’ PrefaceForewordInvocationMy SubmissionThe StoryCosmic DramaThe Plot ThickensIn World LiteratureEsotericism of RamayanaFact or FictionRama GitaQuestions And AnswersPublishers’ PrefaceInstruction by way of narration through heroic poems written in stimulating language has been in all countries an effective medium of awakening the drooping spirits in man to a vision of the forces that operate in the universe. The Ramayana of sage Valmiki, which had its immortal successor as the great work of Sant Tulsidas and several others in the languages of India, is regarded as the first Sanskrit poem ever, which recounts the deeds of Rama, his exploits, forming the various scenes of his life.The work is a reservoir from which flowed countless streams of powerful poetic works touching upon some one or the other of the incidents and episodes of the epic. The importance of the Ramayana is in its perennial appeal to the spirits of humanity in general, whose different sides are ably touched by the deft imagery of Valmiki, and the line of poets who followed in its wake.The present publication throws some light on certain aspects of the Ramayana, which presents an interesting reading to students and the public who are devotees of the valuable scripture. The approach departs markedly from the usual devotional and religious reading common among the Ramayana circles, not because the holy epic is not a superb masterpiece of religious literature, which it really is beyond doubt, but because the supernatural features of the epic seem to call for a novel study these days in the light especially of western thinking for which a natural interpretation might provide a diversion well expected. The work also includes a few pages on questions and answers on different themes.Shivanandanagar,27th August, 1980The Divine Life Society.ForewordOMSalutations to Holy Master Gurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj.Worshipful homage unto Lord Rama, divine incarnation of the Supreme Deity, Bhagavan Narayana. May His perfect personality representing the perfect ideal human individual, inspire all beings to strive to improve their own character and conduct and to emulate the noble behaviour of Maryada Purushottama, Bhagavan Sri Ramachandra.When I was approached with a request to give a brief foreword to this present work, I was somewhat nonplussed and a bit puzzled as to what I could write about a scripture that is being read by millions of people all over India and many other parts of the world and which has been translated into numerous languages and upon which very many writers have written numerous books over the past centuries. I felt as one would feel if he was asked to give a foreword to a book like the “Old Testament” or the “Illiad” or the “Odyssey”.However, after reading the Publisher’s Preface and the author’s own statements in the first ten or twelve opening pages, I became aware of the very special approach and the analytical nature of this present work. This made me aware that it has a unique value as a manual of human conduct and a guide to righteous living to every individual in general and to aspiring spiritual seekers who are striving for a higher inner unfoldment, in particular.The narrative has also been interpreted as an allegorical work, somewhat similar to Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress.” Vedantic Wisdom is also to be found within its pages in such versions that contain most illuminating and instructive dialogues as in the conversation between Lord Sri Rama and his brother Sri Lakshmana in the “Rama Gita”. Revered Sri Swami Premanandaji has done a valuable service in culling together, within the covers of this present work, all these precious aspects of the great divine drama of the “Ramayana” for the benefit of the English-knowing public who may not have access to the original versions either in Sanskrit “Valmiki”, or in the other Indian vernaculars like Hindi “Tulsidas”, Tamil “Kamban”, etc.Readers will find a rich treasure in this work, “Spotlights On The Ramayana”, by Sri Swami Premanandaji who has himself delved deep into the well-known “Sri Ramcharitmanas” and who is himself a great Ramayana-Premi. I wish the book wide circulation and careful study.May the abundant Divine Grace of adorable Lord Sri Rama ever be upon Sri Swami Premanandaji and may the Lord’s blessings make him shine as an ideal person adorned with all sublime virtues and Divine spiritual qualities. May the Lord’s Grace grant unto all the readers joy, peace and spiritual illumination. Salutations, again, to Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda. Victory to worshipful Lord Rama.Sivanandashram (Rishikesh)Dated: 11th September, 1980Swami Chidananda.InvocationSalutations to Lord Ganesha who removes all impediments and ensures blessedness and success.Reverence to Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge and learning, and Parvati, consort of Lord Siva, bestower of strength and energy.Prostrations to my Satguru Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj, an ocean of benevolence and compassion, who removes defects of vision and purifies the eyes of understanding and guides on the path of spirituality, wisdom and devotion and protects his humble disciples from all sides.Adorations to Lord Mahadeva, over whose divine body the holy ashes are auspicious and ecstatic and who narrated the sacred Sri Ramacharitmanas (Ramayana) to his holy consort Uma.Veneration to Lord Rama and Janaki Sita, incarnations of Lord Hari and Goddess Lakshmi respectively, who remove illusion and illumine the heart & mind with devotion and truth.Obeisance to Hanuman, an ideal and faithful servant-cum-devotee of Sita Rama, by whose blessings truth is made manifest and the Yugal-sarkar grant their darshan to a devotee.Benedictions be from great sage Valmiki, the first author of Ramayana, and Sant Goswami Tulsidas, an incarnation of Valmiki, who composed Sri Ramcharitmanas in Hindi for the redemption of mankind, in this perverse Kali Yuga.My SubmissionThe holy Ramayana, a masterpiece in Sanskrit classics of the great sage Valmiki, the Adi-kavi, is the first and foremost specimen of exquisite poetry. There are other Ramayanas viz. Adhyatma Ramayana, Anand Ramayana, Maha-Ramayana, Adbhuta Ramayana, Ramcharitmanas and several others in different languages such as Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Marathi, South Indian languages like Tamil and others.The Valmiki Ramayana and Sri Ramcharitmanas of Goswami Sant Tulsidas, enjoy a unique place among the classics of the world’s literature. Valmiki Ramayana has since been translated, both in prose and poetry, in English, French, Italian, Latin and some other languages. Almost similar is the case with Sri Ramcharitmanas of Sant Tulsidas.Someone told me that Ramayana has also been translated into Russian language and they are now staging and screening some of the important scenes of the same–of course in their own way and style. In fact, in India and the Far East, the great epic of Lord Rama, Jagatjanani Sita and celibate Hanuman is not just an ancient classic; its mystique and mythology based on some facts as well as history have inspired and influenced the entire cultural framework of South-East Asia for four millennia.As ancient Greece had two famous epics Odyssey and Illiad, ancient India had the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The Ramayana, which describes the wanderings of Prince Rama banished from his kingdom, has something in common with the famous Odyssey. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata together comprise the whole of the epic literature of ancient India, and they present a most graphic and life-like picture of the civilisation and culture, customs and traditions, the social and political life, the religious and spiritual thoughts of ancient India, which cannot be ignored in any way.The races which flourished in the Northern region of India, approximately one thousand years before Christ, amongst them the Kosalas of Oudh, now in the province of Uttar Pradesh and the Videhas of Bihar (now it is a province), were considered the most cultured races and their kings, monarchs and priests were famous for their administration, bravery, learning and prowess. They were glorious, righteous and truly Dharma abiding.The great sages and distinguished priests in those times founded schools of arts and learning which were well-known all over India and several students joined from surrounding countries for study and research.Our ancestors those days did a lot of research on several subjects including the mysteries of the soul and into the nature of the One Universal Soul which pervades the entire creation, which are still preserved in the holy and marvellous Upanishads. Besides the Vedas, the Upanishads, Ramayana and Mahabharata and some other wonderful legacies are a most valuable heritage left by the ancients to us.Historical FactsTime lent higher and greater lustre to the achievements of these gifted races and the age in which they flourished appeared to their descendants as the Golden Age of Bharatavarsha. Dasaratha, the king of the Kosalas, is considered as an ideal king, who laboured for the good of his subjects. His capital was Ayodhya on the bank of the river Saryu. The ruins of his fort and palaces and Hanuman Garhi are still there, approximately six miles from Faizabad, in Uttar Pradesh.The king of Videhas, Raja Janaka is accepted as a monarch and a saint of high order. Lord Rama, the eldest son of Dasaratha is the hero of epic Ramayana, whereas Sita, the daughter of Raja Janaka is the heroine.Three brothers of Lord Rama are Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna and they were married with the daughters of the Videhas, namely Mandavi, Urmila and Srutakirti respectively. Their sons were founders of great cities and kingdoms as stated under, which flourished in the fourth, fifth and sixth centuries before the Christian era.i. Lava and Kusa, the two sons of Rama, ruled in Sravasti an old and famous historical town which was the capital of Oudh for sometime during the days of Lord Buddha and the latter founded Kusavati at the foot of the Vindhya mountains. I have personally visited this place, which is now in the Behraich district of Uttar Pradesh.ii. Bharata’s two sons–Taksha and Pushkala–founded famous and flourishing kingdoms on either side of the river Indus, now in Punjab. Its Western part is now in Pakistan. On the East of the Indus river Taksha-sila (known to Alexander the Great and the Greeks as Taxila) was founded by Taksha. Pushkala founded his kingdom known as Pushkalavati to the West of the Indus. (Alexander and the Greeks called the same as Peukelaotis.)iii. Lakshmana’s two sons, Angada and Chandraketu, funded the kingdoms of Karupada and Chandrakanti respectively in the Malwa region.iv. Shatrughna’s first son, Subahu, ruled Mathura and the second son named Shatrughati became the king of Vidisha.Sri Ramcharitmanas is considered to be the best work on Devotion by the Father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, one of the greatest men of the modern world. This immortal poem has an universal appeal and is accepted by all classes of people from Bihar to Punjab and from the Himalayas to the Narmada. The characters shown in it are the characters of flesh and blood, virtues and vices, ideals of devotion and truth, bravery and duty, sacrifice and greatness, struggle and success, womanly faithfulness, love for domestic life based on Dharma, respect for the values of higher life and the goal of human life in the end. The exemplary government is known as ‘Ram-Rajya’ in the historic world.There is something indescribably touching and tender in the description of these characters. Deeper than all the other characteristics is the sense of Rama’s duty towards his father, his consort and brothers, his mother and step-mothers, towards his subjects, his foes and friends and others, including even birds and beasts. For the pious Hindus, Rama is Lord Rama, whose life in the form of a man and king is the ideal life in all respects. His life exemplifies triumph of good over evil forces. It is a life of submission and service to sages and saints.It is the truthfulness, power of endurance and sincerity of Rama under suffering and privations which impart the deepest lessons to man’s character. This holy book is also a treasure of higher philosophy of wisdom, devotion and Karma-yoga. The ancient ideal may seem to modern man far-fetched in these days, but one can never fully comprehend this great moral epic of the ancient Hindus unless one develops the requisite sincerity to know the Reality behind things.According to an old and respected Christian missionary “no one could hope to understand the people of Upper India till he had mastered every line that Tulsidas had written.” This Ramayana is deep like an ocean, vast like the infinite space, full of moral and ethical teachings and soul-illuminating treasures. In order to reap the benefit, one has to dive deep to bring out the pearls and to rise higher and higher in the realm of spirit with devotion and faith.Difference Due To AgesIt is not just a facetious novel but contains within itself the novelty of human life, lofty ideals and a record of the meritorious deeds of Raghuvansmani Rama, based on facts–as the popular saying goes, “there is no smoke without fire.” The variance in the different Ramayanas seems due to Kalpa-bheda (difference of age-cycles) according to mystagogues and mythologists and religious pandits, and the varied approach by various authors at different times.While concluding Sri Ramcharitmanas, Sant Tulsidas has warned;This story however should not be repeated to a perverse knave, who does not listen attentively to the story of Hari, nor should it be recited to a greedy, or lustful man who worships not the Lord of all animals and inanimate creation…. They alone are qualified to hear Sri Rama’s narrative, who are extremely fond of communion with holy men. They alone are fit to hear it, who are devoted to the feet of their preceptor and are lovers of propriety and votaries of the Brahmans…..So, generally, whenever I happen to talk on Sri Ramcharitmanas, I mostly touch upon the philosophy and teachings of Ramayana and the beauty and meaning of the words and phraseology rather than a narration of the mere story, events or exploits of Rama or other characters. I never thought of writing a commentary on the Ramayana but this book has come up suddenly on its own. Thus, my purpose of writing this “Spotlights On The Ramayana” is somewhat strange and may be construed as a new approach.During my recent visit to the US and Canada, I was confronted with several peculiar types of queries and arguments not only by the American and Canadian brothers and sisters but also by the educated Indians who have settled there. It was an astonishing phenomenon. Of course such Hindus are in India also. My mind therefore started thinking, how to place the picture of the epic on a different footing without lessening the faith in Lord Rama, and naturally I prayed to Him and to Satgurudev. Consequently, I first wrote an article titled “Esotericism in the Ramayana” However it was later developed along the lines of a somewhat rational appreciative critique, which is now in the hands of the readers in form of “Spotlights On The Ramayana”. At the end of the book, a chapter on ‘Questions and Answers’ has been added, which are of general interest to seekers and sadhakas.Here it would not be out of place to add a few words on the role of the epics in the literature of the world. The “Mahabharata”, the “Ramayana”, the “Illiad” , the “Odyssey”, the “Aeneid”, the “Divine Comedia”, the “Paradise Lost and Regained” the “Shahnama” of Firdaus may be mentioned as perhaps the greatest epics of the world. We may add the Iceland “Eddas” & the Silappadikaram in Tamil as masterly specimens in this category. Translations of the “Ramayana” such as that of Kamban stand, again, unparalleled in epic literature, and do they tell us only stories for our leisure hours?Travel Diary of The SoulFar from being tales and legends, they rise above the ground of mortal comprehension to the height of a majesty which can only be described as a travel diary of the sojourn of the soul in the cosmos. Written in tumultuously powerful styles and with a virility that can brook no comparison, the epics of the world are the depiction of the soul of man as the chief hero in the drama of creation. Who can read these masterpieces without an electrifying touch of the supernormal, felt within oneself? The epic poets are the messengers of eternity who speak in the language of man, charging it with the force that they receive from the depths they have plunged and the heights they have scaled.Under such circumstances, it should look idle to cavil and carp at the messages of the epics as a grandmother’s story, a myth, a fable, a fantasy, something ‘unhistorical’. And what is history to the eye that can see all the details of creation with one sweep? How could events which have a cosmic significance be regarded as unhistorical? Is history merely a record of events capable of physical verification confined only to this earth? Are we, all-seeing men and there can be nothing beyond the ken of human perception? Humility should be considered as the insignia of true wisdom and insight.Parading of modern empirical researches has often become these days a major theme in many recent journals and papers, learned editorials which denounce the super-physical nature of life and shout down anything that is superhuman. Man himself is more than man! He strides the very heavens in an inner reach of his own being. These are the regions explored in the mighty epics. One should wish more caution and patience from these distortions of modern scholarship.This sevak is not a writer and his intellect is a poor match to the unlimited glory and exploits of Lord Rama. I may even not be qualified to write anything by way of this exceptional approach. I hope that the generous readers will hail this new attempt believing that there may be some divine purpose, some play of divine Grace, behind this novel urge which has in one way or the other inspired this sevak to undertake this task. I hope too that learned and devout readers will not wholly denounce this new attempt and will forgive my impertinence and errors, if any.Before concluding, I am eager to express my gratitude with reverence, to His Holiness Sri Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj for favouring me so graciously in writing the foreword to this book. Similarly, my heartfelt thanks naturally go to Revered Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj and Shri Baldeo Sahaiji whose valuable guidance, suggestions and practical assistance encouraged and helped me to place this book in this form before the readers. I am also very much thankful to Shri Kailash Chanderji Sachdev and his entire family who worked hard and helped in bringing out this book. Lt. Col. Birmaniji’s suggestions and assistance have their own place and I am grateful to him. May God Almighty and Satgurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj bless these families, who were chosen by the Lord to fulfil this task. There are several others who have assisted me in this work in one way or the other, and I thank them all.Sivananda Ashram,8th September, 1980SWAMI PREMANANDA

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