the Month of Ramayanam..

In Kerala, the Karkitakam (Aadi in tamil) month which starts today is celebrated as the Month of Ramayanam..

Rama, is the benchmark of our fondest dreams and expectations, hope and vision..

Just repeating what I wrote a few years ago.

यावत् स्तास्यन्ति गिरयः सरितश्च महीतले

तावद् रामायणकथा लोकेषु प्रचरिष्यति

yāvat stāsyanti girayaḥ saritaśca mahītale

tāvad rāmāyaṇakathā lokeṣu pracariṣyati

वात्मीकिरामय्णं फलश्रुति

vātmīkirāmayṇaṁ phalaśruti

യാവത് സ്ഥാസ്യന്തി ഗിരയഃ സരിതശ്ച മഹീതലേ

താവദ് രാമായണകഥാ ലോകേഷു പ്രചരിഷ്യതി

as long as there exist on the face of this earth the mountains and rivers the story of Ramayanam will be established here on this earth .

my respected friends, this is a repetition. not exactly because I have gone dry of themes..

From today onwards, for the month of Karkidakam, we pay tribute that great epic Ramayanam...

It is the living monument of the purity, loftiness, truth and all that is great for which our Bharathavarsha stood for. Ramayanam is not a fiction, not a string of words, not merely the worship of the parabrahmam in mortal human form but it is a testament of faith for an Indian.

We believe there was a millennium here which stood for dharma alone, and the everlasting promise of hope that, even though truth and virtue may be eclipsed for a limited period, great values always triumph in the end.

Let me quote a beautiful couplet from Valmiki ramayanam

स रामः पर्णशालायं आसीनः सह सीतया

विरराज महाबाहुः चित्रया चन्द्रमा इव

sa rāmaḥ parṇaśālāyaṁ āsīnaḥ saha sītayā

virarāja mahābāhuḥ citrayā candramaa iva

vaatmeeki ramayanam Aranyakaandam canto 17 (part of slokas 3 and 4)

the man born to be the emperor of the world, Rama, along with Sita the Goddess of wealth incarnate, sat in a hut made of wild leaves and they radiated their brilliance like the full moon in Chaitra.month...where the constellation of Chitra stars come in union with the full moon in Vasantha rtu*the Spring season).

Yes, the greatest being ever born on this earth, took this form only to uphold dharma, no,

He is the embodiment of dharma

रामो विग्रहवान् धर्मः

rāmo vigrahavān dharmaḥ

may the mere utterance of the name of that Lord of Lords, Rama wash away all our sins and establish dharma in this world.