The whole of रामायणम् (rāmāyaṇam) is explained in this single picture
Again, the whole of रामायणम् (rāmāyaṇam) is explained in this single verse
Entire श्री वलिमिक रामायणम् (śrī valimika rāmāyaṇam) in a nutshell rendered in the golden voice of Dr. K.J. Yesudas to the soul kindling tunes of Maestro Illayaraja.
द्विधमहाइतिहासशास्त्रे (dvidhamahāitihāsaśāstre – twofold major epic-scriptures)
A इतिहास (itihāsa - epic) is a special type of scripture which provides an historical account of the major incidents and also provides a record of the major philosophical and moral teachings that underlies those happenings. Literally, the Sanskrit term इतिहास (itihāsa) means इति ह आस् (iti ha ās – as it happened) while etymologically it is derived as इतिहास (itihāsa) = इति (iti – thus/as) + ह (ha – verily/is) + आस (āsa - happened).. A popular definition of the term इतिहास (itihāsa - epic) is given below
Thus, इतिहास (itihāsa - epic) is essentially deals with history of important events that occurred in the past. But more importantly it provides a record of the past teachings, particularly in terms of the चतुर्विध पुरुषार्थाः (caturvidha puruṣārthāḥ - four-fold human pursuits) viz. धर्म (dharma - morals), अर्थ (artha - wealth), काम (kāma - desire) & मोक्ष (mokṣa - liberation). This fact is testified by the following popular प्रसिद्ध श्लोक (prasiddha śloka – popular verse)
श्री
वलिमिक रामायणम् (śrī valimika rāmāyaṇam) and the श्री
व्यास महाभारत
(śrī vyāsa mahābhārata) are classically belong to the category of महा
इतिहास
काव्य
शास्त्र
(mahā itihāsa kāvya śāstra – grand historic
epic literature). Technically
speaking, these texts are specifically called इतिहास (itihāsa-
chronicle) because they provide historic account of some specific events in the
past. According to ancient Sanskrit etymology, the term इतिहास
(iti ) is derived from the roots इति (iti – thus/as) + ह
(ha – verily/is) + आस (āsa - happened). In other
words, इतिहास (itihāsa) means “thus-verily-happened” or more clearly defining “as it truly
happened”. Again, according to अमरकोश (amarakośa) one of the most
authentic thesaurus of Sanskrit, इतिहास (itihāsa) is a narrative
of the पूर्व वृत्त (pūrva vṛtta -past events).
These
epics are like the live biographical accounts of specific events in the life of
a historically important person. It is like writing a biography of Mahatma
Gandhi by some of his contemporary historians, i.e., biography written during
the hero’s life time itself. Similarly, in the case of தொழுவூர்
வேலாயுத
முதலியார்
(thozhuvUr vElaayudha mudhaliyaar) who captured various important spiritual
milestones and miracles in the life of the saint திரு அருட்பிரகாச
இராமலிங்க
வள்ளலார்
(thiru arutpirakaasa iraamalinga vaLLalaar), who was his contemporary (they lived during
the same time period).
Coming back to the case of the महा इतिहास काव्य शास्त्र (mahā itihāsa kāvya śāstra – grand historic epic literatures), the biographical recordings were recorded not just ordinary mortal scholars or historians but by saints who were themselves highly evolved spiritual visionaries – technically referred as a महऋषि (mahaṛṣi – supreme seer/sage). Again, according to science of Vedic etymology, a spiritual sage is called a ऋषि (ṛṣi) because he is able to ‘visualize’ events through his yogic दिव्य चक्षु / ஞான கண் (divya cakṣu / gnaana kaN - spiritual eye) from the highest states of spiritual consciousness viz. विज्ञानमय कोश (vijñānamaya kośa – gnostic realm) and beyond. महऋषि वाल्मीकि (mahaṛṣi vālmīki – supreme seer/sage valmiki) was a contemporary of Lord भगवान् श्री रामचन्द्रमूर्ति (bhagavān śrī rāmacandramūrti) who in turn is the महा विभव अवतार (mahā vibhava avatāra – supreme glorious incarnation) during the त्रेता युग (tretā yuga).
वाल्मिकि रामायण इतिहासकाव्य (vālmiki rāmāyaṇa itihāsakāvya)
वाल्मिकि रामायण (vālmiki rāmāyaṇa) is another महाइतिहासकाव्य (mahā itihāsakāvya – grand historic literature) narrating the legendary life history of Lord श्री राम (śrī rāma) who is the hero of this sacred epic, symbolizing the उत्तम पुरुष (uttama puruṣa - perfect being), an ideal role model of mankind who stood for the cause of धर्म (dharma - rightiousness) and perfection. In the words of Sri Aurobindo,
“The Ramayana embodied for the Indian imagination its highest and tenderest human ideals of character, made strength and courage and gentleness and purity and fidelity and self-sacrifice familiar to it in the suavest and most harmonious forms coloured so as to attract the emotion and the aesthetic sense, stripped morals of all repellent austerity on one side or on the other of mere commonness and lent a certain high divineness to the ordinary things of life, conjugal and filial and maternal and fraternal feeling, the duty of the prince and leader and the loyalty of follower and subject, the greatness of the great and the truth and worth of the simple, toning things ethical to the beauty of a more psychical meaning by the glow of its ideal hues”.
श्री राम (śrī rāma) represents the परमात्म (paramātma – Supreme Soul), while सीता देवी (sītā devī) known for her pious character and chastity represents an ideal जीवात्म (jīvātma – corporeal soul). The noble life of श्री राम (śrī rāma) was very beautifully captured by the poetic genius in sage वाल्मीकिमहऋषि (vālmīkimahaṛṣi) and later by other poets including the great Tamil poet கவிச்சக்கரவர்த்திகம்பர் (kavichchakravarththi kambar), तुलसिदास (tulasidāsa) etc.; His life exemplifies the best practices to be followed by every human being in discharging his धर्म (dharma - duties) towards father, mother, brothers, wife, children & society etc.
As an obedient son of his father and mothers, श्री राम (śrī rāma) was ready to fulfil his father’s commands without any hesitation, even at the cost of sacrificing the luxuries of his royal life as a king by taking up 14 years of tough exile into the forests.
As a responsible husband, he exemplified the noble dharma of एक पत्नीव्रत (eka patnīvrata - single spouse vow), which in
my opinion is one of the most critical morals that has been emphasized loud and
clear, particularly in a tradition when it was acceptable in those days for the
men of royal order to have multiple wives. श्री राम (śrī rāma), in this
regard is respected as one of the noblest of souls ever born - a true
gentleman.
Again, the bindings between श्री राम (śrī rāma) and his
beloved brothers illustrates the ideal relationship of brotherhood. लक्ष्मन (lakśmana), literally
accompanied his brother श्री राम (śrī rāma), all through the exile and the
struggles faced by his bellowed brother, giving him physical and moral support
in overcoming the tough periods - as the saying goes, ‘தம்பியுடையான் படைக்கு அஞ்சான் (thambi udaiyaan padaikkum anjaan – man
having a brother, fears not even an army)’! Similarly, भरत (bharata), who was the
other brother of श्री राम (śrī rāma), had so much regard and respect for श्री राम (śrī rāma), that he
wanted his brother’s shoes to take the prestigious throne, rather than himself.
Last but not the least, श्री राम (śrī rāma) also known for his just rule as a noble king. In fact, the term श्रीराम राज्य (śrīrāma rājya - Lord Rama's rule) has become almost de-facto standard to represent an ideal kingdom. The tenure of श्री राम (śrī rāma) has a king is supposed to be the golden era of ideal administration and governance where the whole society was clean and pure at heart. To quote Sri Aurobindo, once again,
And in the Ramayana we have an idealised picture of such a Dharmarajya, a settled universal empire. Here too it is not an autocratic despotism but a universal monarchy supported by a free assembly of the city and provinces and of all the classes that is held up as the ideal, an enlargement of the monarchical state synthesizing the communal autonomies of the Indian system and maintaining the law and constitution of the Dharma.
रावण संहार (rāvaṇa saṃhāra – ravana’s destruction)
Again, take the case of रावण (rāvaṇa), the महा असूर (mahā asūra – great demon) who confronted श्री रामचन्द्र (śrī rāmacandra) by abducting his beloved consort सीता देवी(sītā devī. Here, right at the beginning, रावण (rāvaṇa) had realized that श्री रामचन्द्र (śrī rāmacandra) who he was planning to confront, was none other than महा विभव अवतार (mahā vibhava avatāra – supreme incarnation) of श्री महा विष्णु (śrī mahā viṣṇu) the पर ब्रह्म (para brahma – absolute divnity).
The important point for us to understand is that, the all these episodes are are of a greater design, in other words, a beautifully dramatized ब्रह्म लीला (brahma līlā - divine play). For example, it has been pre-destined by ब्रह्म संकल्प (brahma saṁkalpa) of Lord महा विष्णु (mahā viṣṇu) Himself, that his two trusted द्वारापाला (dvārāpālā - gatekeeprs) at श्री वैकुण्ठ (śrī vaikuṇṭha) viz. जय (jaya) & विजय (vijaya), would be born repeatedly thrice in the असुर वंश (asura vaṁśa – demonic race) and in each birth would reach me back through विद्वेश भक्ति (vidveśa bhakti – confrontational devotion) as testified in the following verses of श्रीदेवीभगवतमहापुराण (śrīdevībhagavatamahāpurāṇa)
Accordingly, जय (jaya) & विजय (vijaya) were born as हिरण्याक्ष (hiraṇyākṣa) killed by वारह अवतार (vāraha avatāra) & हिरण्यकशिपु (hiraṇyakaśipu) killed by नरशिम अवतार (naraśima avatāra), as रावण (rāvaṇa) & कुम्भकर्ण (kumbhakarṇa) killed by राम अवतार (rāma avatāra), and finally as शिशुपाल (śiśupāla) & दन्तिवक्त्र (dantivaktra) by कृष्ण (kṛṣṇa). In each of these the confrontational episodes, the confronting जीवात्म (jīvātma – bound soul), when all the मल (mala - impurities) are cleansed in the hands of the परमात्म (paramātma - Divine being) finally unites with the same. This fact is testified in the अध्यात्मरामायणम् (adhyātmarāmāyaṇam) itself, where it is stated thus,
Again, in the युद्ध काण्ड (yuddha kāṇḍa – battle section), at the fag end of the युद्ध (yuddha - battle), just before the final onslaught of रावण (rāvaṇa), his chief consort मन्दोदरी (mandodarī) caringly warns him that he is actually fighting a losing battle as he is confronting श्री रामचन्द्र (śrī rāmacandra), who was none other the Almighty महा विष्णु (mahā viṣṇu) and who had earlier destroyed similar defaulters धर्म (dharma - righteousness) viz., हिरण्याक्ष (hiraṇyākṣa) & हिरण्यकशिपु (hiraṇyakaśipu). रावण (rāvaṇa) in response to his wife’s warning, reassures her of that he was already aware of these facts and yet decided to take the path of confrontation as a fast track to मोक्ष (mokṣa - salvation).
The above testimonies will serve to be very helpful for our undertsanding of the deep philosophy underlying the concept of विद्वेश भक्ति (vidveśa bhakti – confrontational devotion). First and foremost, it is a peculiar kind of संबन्ध (saṁbandha - relation) that develops between the पशु (paśu – bound soul) and the पति (pati - god) which eventually leads the former’s deliverance. It is peculiar because it is charecterized by क्षत्रुपक्ष वैकारिक (kṣatrupakṣa vaikārika – antogonistic emotion) between the two. In other words, the भक्ति (bhakti - devotion) here is disguised by तिग्मद्वेश (tigma dveśa – intense hatred) rather than प्रीति (prīti - love) and hence the modus operandi in the process of मुक्ति (mukti - liberation) is more उग्र (ugra – violent). Moreover, as the पशु (paśu – bound soul) resorts to अधर्म (adharma - unrighteousness) by misusing all his सूरत्व (sūratva - valour), the forceful (violent) rectification was needed, in order to correct the defaulting soul.
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