Saturday, March 13, 2010

sacrifice

रामं दशरथं विद्धि मां विद्धि जनकात्मजां
अयोध्यां अटवीं  विद्धि गच्छ तात यथासुखम्

raamam dasarathm vidhdhi  maam vidhhi janakaatmajaam
ayodhyam ataveem vidhi  gachcha thata yatha sukham

രാമംദശരഥം വിദ്ധി മാം വിദ്ധി ജനകാത്മജാം
അയോദ്ധ്യാം അടവീം വദ്ധി ഗച്ഛ താത യഥാസുഖം

this is from valmiki ramayanam.  the scene is where lakshmana seeks permission of his mother sumitra for accompanying his beloved elder brother rama to forest for a life of recluse for 14 years. Any mother would have been angry, remonstrated, cursed dasaratha for this situation as she was in fact losing two sons at a stretcn because Rama was even more beloved to her than her own son.  But she was wise. She knew wihout Lakshmanas company Rama cannot survive. Sita,was a good mother for lakshmana.  She says " My darling boy, you always consider rama as dasaratha and the daughter of Janaka as your own mother. You depart with ease of heart thinking that the forest is ayodhya.  There is a not so hidden meaning in this sloka...the title of Dasartha, deterous in running ten Chariots will suit more appropriately to Rama the Vishnu, and Ma  jaanki is none other than the universal mother Lakshmi. Once they depart from Ayodhya, the city will become the forest and wherever the divine couple are present is heaven. So the mother is sure of her sons welfare
Sacrifice is the keyword here. Rama is bound by a Royal Dicturm.. but why should Lakshmana choose to go to forest, a young married man leaving all worldly comforts? Why should a mother allow this with happiness...we cannot understand the nobility of human mind in its fullness even when we see open hearts.

This sloka is considered to be the one greatest sloka out of all the 24000  penned by Valmiki. 



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