Sri Rama : The Glory of Universe

Continued from Previous Page

The word Rama comes from the root rumm -, which means “to stop, stand still, rest, exult, and be happy.” When we say Rama, we are referring to God's most perfect incarnation, or God himself, as a youthful prince and later the king of Ayodhya, or the Supreme Personality of the godhead. Rama is the element that stays put in all animals, and in which all yogis, meditators, devotees, seekers, and ascetics, find pleasure in chanting the Ramnama, as the saying goes, ramante yoginonante nityananda chidatmani ।iti ramapadenasau paraṃbrahmabhidhiyate (The Parabrahman which is infinite, immeasurable, pure consciousness, eternal, and forever blissful, on which Yogis devote themselves and meditate continuously). Besides, as written in Padma Purana, the two letters Ra-ma are the greatest in the degree of the divinity of all the mantras. rametyaksarayugmam hi sarvaṃ mantradhikam dvija, yaduccharaṇamatreṇa papi yati paramgatim. ( These two syllabled mantras, Ra-ma, are greater than all the mantras, O Dvija, and even sinners can attain supreme nirvana by reciting them constantly).

Rama, in its true sense, denotes the supreme bliss, indisputably the dominant component of Ishwara, the incomparable majestic soul, all-pervading, the epitome of all spirits, and, as a result, definite consciousness. Furthermore, as Ishwara, he is a reservoir of inexhaustible good qualities, the first wellspring of incomparable joy, the first cause of all causes, the premier shelter of all Jivas (spirits), and thus the object of all Jivas' adoration. In this way, Ishwara Sri Rama is a param brahman, endowed with limitless favourable qualities. Sri Rama is one and Jivas are many. Sri Rama is self-sufficient and all Jivas are conscience. The triad of Ishvara, the cosmos, and the conscious being, which reflects the entirety of existence, is known as Brahman (the supreme, the absolute). Rama, the King of Ayodhya, the supreme figure in whom one should seek refuge, the object of everyone's worship and the centre of life, just as Ishwara is the object of all Jivas' adoration, and the most adored. Sri Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, and his story 'Ramayana' are well-known throughout the world. Every man, woman, and child in the sacred territory of Bharatvarsha speaks about Sri Rama.

When a tired traveller who has strayed from his path stops seeing a pristine place, he is in exaltation. 'Rama' is embedded in all the words we have coined to give the meaning of a pleasant stay, such as, viram, aaram, vishram, abhiram, uparam, gram. The blissful destination that the restless mind in the hustle and bustle of life is constantly in search of Rama. The Bharatiya mind is accustomed to witnessing Rama in every situation. 'Hey Ram' in sorrow, 'Ai Ram' in pain, 'Haay Ram' while blushing, ' Array Ram ' or "Ayyo Rama" of South India at a sad event, 'Ram Ram' at welcome, expressions like 'Ramduhaai' while taking an oath, 'Ram Jane' when one is ignorant, 'Ram Bharose' in a situation of uncertainty, 'Ramban' as a panacea for all ills and for infallibility, 'Ram Naam Satya Hai' for the ultimate travel towards heaven, 'Ram Rajya' for good governance. 'Ram' engulfs our life at every step. 'Rama' is also so simple and straight that he comes to our rescue everywhere and tells us to be fearless, come what may. Every Bharatiya takes pride in knowing him as though he is own family member. Rama is for the one who has no one in this world. Rama is the strength of the weak. Ram Katha, which has been read and acted upon innumerable times, never loses its charm and brings something new every time it is read. Rama is a kind of happening, again and again. Whatever is good within us, the Satya, Shiv and Sundar are Rama. The one who is eternal is Rama. Have you lost everything? No worries, Rama is there for you. The one who gets going amid extreme despair is also Rama. The infinite hidden between the boundaries is none other than Rama.

Rama comes for every occasion of life not only because he is God himself but most prominently as an ideal hero, the role model for everyone in the true sense and hence he is known as Maryada Purushottama (the best among men). Rama is the Supreme Purusha, the supreme personality of godhead eulogized by all Vedic scriptures in one voice. Sri Rama is famous for keeping his promises no matter what.

In his entire life, Rama never uttered a falsehood. He never led anyone astray. That is why he is said to be the protector of Dharma. Rama kept all of his promises to his devotees. He provides his shelter to a weak, a strong, a man, a woman, a beast, a bird, or any other living or non-living being. Only the Supreme Being has the ability to provide Abhay (complete fearlessness) from all forms of worries, fears, and anxieties. Because only Rama embodies such perfection in all pure, transcendental traits and pure character, the term 'Bhagavan' - the original personality of the godhead - is primarily applied to Rama.

Rama was Veeryavan, which is a Tamil word that signifies "powerful" or "aggressive, or Veer. Although Rama was a fearsome warrior with incredible strength and power, he never put his aggressiveness to the wrong use. We can learn how to be grateful from Rama. He expressed his gratitude to the Vanaras for their assistance in the aftermath of Ravana's death. He thanked Hanuman for his humanitarian support when Rama approached the end of His own avatar. Rama was relentless, unyielding. He happily acknowledged living in exile, banished by his father. When Bharata came and requested him to return to Ayodhya and assume responsibility of the realm, He politely rejected. Rama was no doubt an enticing man of a flawless character. The basic traits he had was inner sense of purpose, confidence, communication, and the capacity to connect with people. These characteristics are so essential for the tremendous success he achieved. Rama was a liberator. He made a conscious effort to be an emancipator. He performed Jatayu's last rites, liberated Ahilya from the curse of being stone, and ate berries tasted by Shabari liberating her. Blessed were the souls who came to meet Rama and attained nirvana. Rama is accurately represented as the Vidwan because he knew Astras and Shastras, that is weapons and all the four Vedas respectively, thus all subjects were under Rama’s control. Rama was capable of accomplishing everything in this world. He defeated the Demoness Taadaka on his own as a child. He lifted the Shiva Dhanushya effortlessly, which required tremendous strength that no one else could lift. Rama, a profound expert, was well aware of the term Atman, which means "internal soul." Despite the fact that Ravana was given Shiva's mighty Atmalinga, Rama is revered for his ability to remain calm in the face of adversity, unlike Ravana, who was always enraged and angry. Rama was not envious and had no desire for anything. Rama was far from enraged when Ravana assaulted him. However, when Ravana went for Hanuman, Rama became angry and marched off to fight Ravana in the struggle, eventually crushing him. When Rama was mistreated, he never exploded, but when his follower Hanuman was attacked, he did. He showed he does not tolerate the injustice being done to others and his devotees.

The Supreme Sage Naarada was created by Brahma. Naara means "knowledge," da means "awarder," and naarada means "rain cloud." Any cloud can rain on its own, without the call of the Mother Earth. So Naarada is one who gives knowledge about almost everything. He circumambulates the trilokas (Three worlds) in a super speed and gathers knowledge and disburses the same to the seekers. He knows not only about the universe but he travels in the multiverse also hence he knows about the absolute. As Vaaalmiki knows about the Naarada’s prowess, he approaches Narada and enquires about the man with godly qualities, who is full of virtues and if such a man exists, who is/was he and what is/was his name. Naarada tells him that such a person is none other than Sri Rama, the virtuouso. Sri Rama is the most heroic, compassionate, merciful, supreme shelter for all, the dharma-personified, the protector of whosoever surrenders to him and his people, the most truthful, possessor of noble character and of extremely mild disposition, and the storehouse of limitless fortunate characteristics. Sri Rama is the only one who embodies the word Purushottama. Sri Rama is the essence of all that is good, and no other person or divinity can compare to him in any way.

Thus, Rama is Parambrahm, eternal, invisible, Nityanandasvarupa. Rama is the ascending, sublime power of the human mind. He is the soul and spirit of the world. To be Rama means to be joyful, to be pleased. It also denotes openness of mind. Rama hides nothing. Rama owns him /her who remembers Rama with full faith and devotion. Ramnaam is the seed of fire, the power, the warmth, the joy, the brilliance, and the energy it produces is essential to sustain human relations, regardless of religion or caste.

Rama is much more than just the name of Hindu divinity. Rama's greatness stems from his character, not his name. Rama should be known as the resolute upholder of “Hindu ideals", not as one who advocated "Hindu identity." If that was the case, he could have turned all the populace of Lanka into his own clan, the Hindu Kshatriyas after defeating Ravana. On the contrary he requested Bibhishana, brother of Ravana to acquire the throne and continue as the king. He never even thought of proselytism. The conflict between he and Ravana was about beholding the principles, not about the demonstration of their respective identities. It is time we understood and inculcate these subtle signs of characteristics and, if at all we wish to engage in a fight, then we should fight over characters, truth, philosophy and the essence. It is high time to resurrect the standards of honesty, integrity, and sincerity and concentrate on nation building, a Ram-Rajya in a true sense.

II Charitam Raghunathasya Shat koti Pravistaram
Ekaikmaksharam Punsa Mahapataknashanam II
(The life story of Sri Rama has a vast exceedance,
and each letter is capable of destroying greatest sins).

NB - It is said that reading any chapter of Ramayana cleanses one’s mind and whatever sins have been committed by any one during the course of life, one attains salvation. It is also advised to write Ram Naam on a foolscap paper every day before going to bed in order to do the retribution for the sins committed during the day. For cleansing sins and ask forgiveness Christians have confession boxes, Patimokkha recitation in Buddhism, Istighfar in Islam, Kshamavani, Micchami Dukkadam in Jainism and Prayaschitta in Hinduism and so on. Writing about Sri Rama’s life , his name and listening to his stories are the means to seek forgiveness is asserted by Sage Naarada in Vaalmiki Ramayana.

What started as a simple salutation Ram Ram Ji by my dear friend Rajender Krishan and subsequent exchanges of few lines, Rajender Krishan inspired me to write a 5-part story of Sri Rama titled “In Search of Sanjeevani, Once Again”. Indeed, during these turbulent times of 21st century, when the world has become an abode of tumultuous disorderly dwelling one is in search of peace of mind, the Sanjeevani, and however hard one is trying to discover that land of solace, one is finding that such place is like a mirage for a deer in the scorching heat of a desert sand. I am indebted to Rajender Krishan for helping me find that peace and calmness in writing few events of life of our beloved deity Sri Rama. My prayers for the peace for all the mankind on this beautiful planet which once was abode of Sri Rama. Jay Sri Ram.

Concluded.