Nonviolence and Truth or honesty.

द्वावेव कथितौ सद्भिः पन्थानौ वदतां वर।

अहिंसा चैव सत्यं च यत्र धर्मः प्रतिष्ठितः॥

इन्दिश्चे स्प्रूचे ३०१५ ४२२८ रामायणे

dvāveva kathitau sadbhiḥ panthānau vadatāṁ vara|

ahiṁsā caiva satyaṁ ca yatra dharmaḥ pratiṣṭhitaḥ||

indiśce sprūce 3015 (4228) rāmāyaṇe

Kausalya tells Dasaratha.. “Oh my Lord, the best among learned men, There are only two paths or highways leading to the destination where righteousness rules. These are the paths of Nonviolence and Truth or honesty.”

Ravana

 

Ravana was defeated only because two great forces, that of Rama and Hanuman joined. The first meeting of Ravana and Hanuman is revealing.. Ravana wonders whether, Lord Shambu or Bhagavan Nandi has appeared before him in disguise. Hanuman is wonderstruck by the splendour of Ravana.. He confesses in His mind that if Ravana had not committed the wrong deed of abducting Sita, he would have been unconquerable- according to Hanuman's thinking only adharma was going to be the killer of Ravana.. One has to read the Eulogy Rama pays to Ravana after the latter's death to know how much he respected the strength of Ravana..

Every soldier should have a Ravana in Him. - One of the bravest soldiers ever lived- greatest leader-dignified even in his death.. Rama orders a soldier's honour to Ravana at his funeral..

The battle between devas and asuras and rakshasas have a different dimension.. I have read Uttarakandam to Ramayanam too. Of course, there is discussion in literary and academic circle whether that part of Ramayanam is integrally connected to the other six Kandams. However, what I wanted to say was that devas were always out to decimate their own half-brothers and cousins that were asuras etc. Ravana for example is the half-brother of Kubera. If Ravana and his uterine brothers had not moved with sense of purpose and defeated devas, they would have annihilated them. At least Ravana and other demons left devas alive. So in a battle, we cannot escape witnessing cruelty... be it in ancient wars or even in the latest wars.. Was Hiroshima any better? I am not justifying wars but we can easily understand the actions of the warring faction in annihilating even with cruelty the rival players..

And regarding Sita in captivity, no thinking person can deny the fact that the Lady was in captivity and absolute control of Ravana for all that period of captivity, and he could have thought of anything and acted on it.. So other questions on that issue are not very relevant.

characters in Ramayanam

 

Ravana is one of the most intriguing characters of Hindu lore. Very difficult to understand his motives. In fact how can one explain his keeping Sita pure under his captivity for almost one year, when he fully knew he could have done anything he wanted if pleasure was his motive?

Actually if we study Ramayana in depth, we would find that the contenders for the number one position in the epic are running very close to one another. The fore runners being Rama, Hanuman and Ravana--running neck to neck, with Bharatha, Kumbhakarna, Lakshmana etc following at very short distances behind.

easier to help others with materials than give physical protection

 

हेमधेनु धरादीनां धातारः सुलभाः भुवि।

दुर्लभः पुरुषो लोके यः प्राणिष्वभयप्रदः॥

hemadhenu dharādīnāṁ dhātāraḥ sulabhāḥ bhuvi|

durlabhaḥ puruṣo loke yaḥ prāṇiṣvabhayapradaḥ||

We can find lots and many good people who are ready to help the needy with gifts of cows, gold and even land. However, it is indeed very difficult to find people with strength and willingness to give protections to living beings facing great threats to their lives and existence.

It is easier to help others with materials. However, it takes a lot of strength and character to stand up against adversities and offer protection to people in peril.

the avaricios person loses sense of propriety

 

लुब्धः कार्यमकार्यं वा न कीर्तिं निरयं न च।

न धर्मं वापि चाधर्मं वेत्ति नैव हिताहितम्॥

इन्दिश्चे स्प्रूचे २६७४ रामायणे

lubdhaḥ kāryamakāryaṁ vā na kīrtiṁ nirayaṁ na ca|

na dharmaṁ vāpi cādharmaṁ vetti naiva hitāhitam||

indiśce sprūce 2674 rāmāyaṇe

𝐀 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐲, 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨, 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝. 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧, 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐮𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬.

𝐀 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦.

𝗸 𝘃 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗻

लुब्धः the greedy person कार्यं what could and should be done अकार्यं what could not and should not be done वा either न वेत्ति does not understand, distinguish कीर्तिं fame, high status in life, chance of attaining heaven निरयं hell, infamy, depletion वा च either too न वेत्ति.does not distinguish न not धर्मं righteous, just अधर्मं unjust, lowly activity , नैव neither too हिताहितं beneficial and harmful (in the long run) वेत्ति does not distinguish.

varios versions of the same epic

There are many versions of Mahabharatham in Sanskrit itself and the number of slokams contained in it totally ranges between eighty thousand to more than one and half lakhs.

There are versions of Ramayanam attributed to Valmiki discovered or published in different geographical areas, and in different centres of learning.. the number of Slokas vary substantially from about just above 20000 to 30000

This is the case with many ancient texts.

And in some texts, the Slokas are numbered differently too. For example in certain texts even ardha slokas are given one count, whereas in some cases even three or four lines are combined into a single sloka number.

Therefore the Number of Slokams, the Slokam number given as reference etc would vary. And in some slokams there could be minor rearrangement of words or letters too.

Noramally we read ancient texts as they come, and use the numbers as we get in the version we lay our hands upon

And in research articles and dissertations, when sloka numbers are given usually the edition, source of the text, the year of publication etc of the text too are mentioned.

But in general discussions, such hairsplitting is uncalled for. The number and annotation given in the available text can be used for reference purposes.

One chapter in Ramayanam might contain 43 slokas according to one version, 44 according to another and 46 according to yet another edition.

I ensure that I have seen and referred to the text I use, when I mention a sloka number. I can go back to that text for my own reference at any point of time

𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬

𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬...𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭?

𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐕𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬..

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲-𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐈𝐭𝐢𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐬, 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲-𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬 ..

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐮𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬..

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐠𝐡𝐮𝐯𝐚𝐦𝐬𝐚𝐦, 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐦, 𝐊𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐚𝐫𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐦, 𝐍𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐦, 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐭𝐢𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬..

𝐚𝐧𝐝,

𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐭𝐢𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐬..

𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐊𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐬𝐚, 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢, 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐡𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐚 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐦. 𝐀𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬, 𝐈𝐭𝐢𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐭𝐜.

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐕𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞..

𝐈𝐟 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐨, 𝐇𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐞..𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭.. 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬..

𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬..

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭?

𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬..

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐦.?.

𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐔𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞. 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞..

𝐇𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬..

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬..

𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐨 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐳𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐬 ( 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐌𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐦, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫.. 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐓 ) 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐦.

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐊𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬..?

𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐦, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬..

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬,, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐭..

𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥..

𝐈𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬.

𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐧/𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐝𝐬.. 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭

𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐢𝐭?

𝐎𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞,

𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲..

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭..

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐎𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐛𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐦 𝐨𝐫 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐚 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬..

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬..

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫..

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐑 𝐒 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐡𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐚 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐬.. 𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭... 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥.. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐡..

Ramayana of Valmiki is wonderful beyond words..

Ramayana of Valmiki is wonderful beyond words..

Not just as the story of Rama etc.

A very clear picture of what India....

from the Northern Plains to the South was at that period..

what was the lifestyle of all types of people

which were all the types of floweres, animals, trees,,

The Geogrpahy. of India of that period . name and . location of cities, forests, rivers, lakes mountains..

The Dharmas and jursiprudence of the period..

It is a really marvel..It is an Itihasam..

Of course Mahabharatham too covers all these.. But Vamiki looks more realistic and less given to exaggeration..

We see more down to earth people in Ramayanam while the characters in mahabharatham seem to have larger than life profiles.

Even Rama confesses that He is just a man or He is considering himself just as an ordinary man..

आत्मानं मानुषं मन्ये रामं दशरथात्मजम..

Reading the epic is a heartening experience..

One is awestuck at the genius of the author and chronicler, Sage Valmiki..

musings 259

One very important fact I noticed is that in India most of the people of Hindu origin who pray either at home or at temple or anywhere for that matter utter some slokams in Sanskrit completely unaware of what they are chanting.

Most of these prayers are sublime and with beautiful poetry and lyrical compatibility.

I think if the people who chant such slokams parrot like are encouraged to have some idea and meaning of that Sanskrit will get a fillip and more importantly the ones who pray will attain greater fulfilment in life..both religious and secular.

It is so easy..

Everyone knows gita Ramayana and Bharatham..everyone knows some prayers. Only a wee bit of polishing is necessary to work wonders

Hanuman is the avatar of lord Shiva..

Someone raises the question as to whether there is any statement in Ramayanam that Hanuman is the avatar of lord Shiva..
I can reply only like this.
------------------------------------
There are varying perceptions on this..
The birth and growth of Hanuman is part of Uttarakandam of Ramayana ..
and some treat Uttarakandam not as part of the mainstream Ramayanam at all
Then the level of Avataram.. it can be full avataram, part avataram, and even lesser avatarams..
Parashurama too is considered a partial avataram of Vishnu.
But he was defeated by Rama who is also a avatar of Vishunu.
In uttarakandam, the role of Bhagavan Shiva in the birth of Anjaneya is clearly stated...
and many believers trust that Anjaneya is the incarnation of Shiva..
And a scene in Sundarakandam where Ravana, is led to ponder whether the monkey Hanuman who was sitting in front of him was Bhagavan Nandi himself..
I answer the question in this perspective ..
But please note..
The puranas and itihasas are so wide they cover vast specte.. having so many versions..
Most of the inferences drawn will be from intelligent deductions from the contents of various texts and versions and also from the commentaries given by scholars and seers who lived over centuries..
If you are trying to argue out a fact in any one manner about the veracity of any of the contents of the ancient puranas and itihasas, you are likely to reach nowhere.. except creating controversies..
I would simply say I trust Hanuman was an incarnation of Lord Shambhu..
Even if I just assert that it is just my faith, I am not wrong in that..
Various scholars on Ramayanam have repeatedly asserted the power of Shiva in Hanuman..
And no one has ever denied that fact.. Is that not good enough?

Urmila

Tagore for one has waxed eloquent about Urmila.. that silent and self effacing girl.. the wife of Lakshman

Shatrughna gets a lot of coverage in Uttarakandam of Valmiki Ramayanam ..

especially in episodes like Lavanaasura Vadham..

In fact, Lakshmana and Bharatha were interested more in the service of Rama and they never held much of Royal office..

But Shatrughna was assigned many duties as deputy to Rama..

and strangely he was present in the Ashram of Valmiki in the night when Sita who was abandoned by Rama, gave birth to Kusha and Lava.

Shatrughna had reached the hermitage of Valmiki by chance while proceeding on a mission leading the forces of Ayodhya as per direction of Emperor Rama.

Of course how much Mandavi and Shrutakeerthi the spouses of Bharatha and Shatrughna would have sacrificed.. during the times of Ramayanam..

That hardly find any place in the minds of chroniclers.

History abounds in unsung heroes and heroines..

Eka Sloka Ramayanam

Eka Sloka Ramayanam  

ഏക ശ്ലോക രാമായണം 

पूर्वं राम तपोवनानि गमनं हत्वा मृगं काञ्चनं 

वैदेहीहरणं जटायुमरणं सुग्रीवसंभाषणं 

वालीनिग्रहणं समुद्रतरणं लङ्कापुरी दाहनम् 

पश्चाद्रावण कुम्भकर्णहननं एतद् हि रामायणं 

pūrvaṃ rāma tapovanāni gamanaṃ hatvā mṛgaṃ kāñcanaṃ 

vaidehīharaṇaṃ jaṭāyumaraṇaṃ sugrīvasaṃbhāṣaṇaṃ 

vālīnigrahaṇaṃ samudrataraṇaṃ laṅkāpurī dāhanam 

paścādrāvaṇa kumbhakarṇahananaṃ etad hi rāmāyaṇaṃ 

Rama abdicates and withdraws to forest, 

visits the abodes of great sages, 

kills a golden deer, 

Sita is abducted by Ravana, 

Jatayu the hero of an eagle is killed while defending Sita, 

Rama has a friendly discussion with Sugriva, 

Vali is assassinated, 

Hanuman crosses the southern ocean, 

he sets fire to the golden city of Lanka, 

and finally Ravana and Kumbhakarna and their ilk are killed.. 

This is Ramayanam in a nutshell. 

പൂര്‍വ്വം രാമതപോവനാനി ഗമനം ഹത്വാ മൃഗം കാഞ്ചനം 

വൈദേഹീഹരണം ജടായുമാരണം സുഗ്രീവസംഭാഷണം 

വാലീ നിഗ്രഹണം സമുദ്രതരണം ലങ്കാപുരീ ദാഹനം 

പശ്ചാത് രാവണ കുംഭകര്‍ണ്ണ ഹനനം ഏതത് ഹി രാമായണം 

പിതാവിന്റെ വാക്ക് പാലിക്കാന്‍ ശ്രീരാമന്‍ വനത്തില്‍ വസിക്കുന്നു.. 

അവിടെ മഹാതപസ്വികളായ മഹര്‍ഷിമാരുടെ ആശ്രമങ്ങള്‍ സന്ദര്‍ശിക്കുന്നു

സീതാദേവി കണ്ടു കൊതിച്ച സ്വര്‍ണ്ണമാനിനെ വേട്ടയാടി അതിനു പിറകെ പോകുന്നു 

ആ സമയം നോക്കി രാവണന്‍ സീതയെ അപഹരിക്കുന്നു 

സീതയെ രക്ഷിക്കാന്‍ പുറപ്പെട്ട ജടായു എന്ന പക്ഷിരാജന്‍ രാവണന്‍റെ വെട്ടേറ്റു വീരസ്വര്‍ഗ്ഗം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു 

സുഗ്രീവന്‍ എന്ന വാനര രാജാവിനെ കണ്ടുമുട്ടി രാമന്‍ അദ്ദേഹവുമായി സഖ്യത്തില്‍ ഏര്‍പ്പെടുന്നു 

വാലി എന്ന വാനരന്‍ വധിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു 

ഹനുമാന്‍ എന്ന വാനരസചിവന്‍ സീതയേത്തെ തേടി ദക്ഷിണസാഗരം ചാടിക്കടക്കുന്നു 

ഹനുമാന്‍ ലങ്കാപുരിയെ ആളിക്കത്തിക്കുന്നു 

പിന്നീട് രാമന്‍ ലങ്കയിലെത്തി യുദ്ധം ചെയ്യുന്നു

രാവണനും അനിയന്‍ കുംഭകര്‍ണ്ണനും അവരുടെ അനുയായികളും യുദ്ധത്തില്‍ മരണം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു 

ഇതാണ് രാമായണം

not much of difference between the dead and the destitute..

धनमार्जय काकुत्स्थ धनमूलमिदं जगत् ।

अन्तरं नैव जानामि निर्धनस्य मृतस्य च ।।

dhanamaarjaya kaakuthstha dhanamoolamidam jagat

antharam naiva pashyaami nirdhanasya mrithasya cha..

ധനമാര്‍ജ്ജയ കാകുത്സ്ത ധനമൂലം ഇദം ജഗത്

അന്തരം നൈവ പശ്യാമി നിര്ധനസ്യ മൃതസ്യ ച

Oh Rama, the Kaakutsta, Earn money, money is the root of existence of the whole universe, I do not find any difference between a person without money and a dead person

Some versions of Ramayana contain this sloka.. as an advice from Sage Jabaali and astute minister in the court of Sri Rama.

.( Vasishta, Vaamadeva, Jaabali, Kaashyapa Kaatyayana, Suyajna, Gautamam and Vijaya were the sages in his court)..

This advise, though it may jar the egalitarian and the avowedly noble sentiments of people who deify Rama in the modern liberal sense, was a very sound one from an economist and a realist.. who wanted stability in the kingdom..

When one has his cash box full, he can talk about charity and equality..

If a beggar talks about the same charity and generosity , he can be called noting other than a lunatic.

Rama is called Kaakutsa because one of his forefathers was a king named Kakutsa.. Kakudi Tishtathi iti Kakutsa.. Kakutsa earned tha name because he rode on the tall hump of a terrible bull and fought a battle for the Devas.. Maybe a prototype of Jallikattu.

musings 64

Ramayana by Valmiki..is a mixture of facts and fiction and not necessarily historical narrative.
And poetry everywhere, in addition to beautiful language and imagery , contained speculations exaggerations and hyperbole too.
We know fiction or parable has to be viewed and enjoyed for the nice narrative rather than logic.
Even in real life in this apparently ultra scientific era we cannot put every incident into two separate and watertight baskets.. first one labelled rational or logical and second one labelled stupid or absurd.
The complexion of things vary and swing widely in between these two extremes.
And if we want to scan for exaggeration and lack of logic in an old narrative we can discover it even in the first stanza..and almost everywhere in its body.
Moreover we find similar absurdities even in what we claim as legal arguments and political speeches going the rounds today in press and media coverages and even in day to day transactions among people.
Facts are always watered down and exaggerated or underplayed.
That phenomenon is more pronounced in old stories.
Normally we value the nice and soothing messages conveyed by such texts and leave the fluff at arms length.
Human mind defies logic even where such illogicity spells real danger..
In this backdrop the narrative in an old poem cannot and need not be put for such an acid test of logical deduction.
We can take it that the narratives are used to portray human nobility and character at their best..but not at their logical best.

Learn from the core and just enjoy the fiction.. That is all..

raamaayanamahaanadee...

वात्मीकिगिरिसंभूता रामसागरगामिनी। 

पुनातु भुवनं पुण्या रामायणमहानदी॥

(वाल्मीकि is the correct usage as per majority view )

വാല്മീകി എന്ന മലയില്‍ ഉത്ഭവിച്ചു രാമന്‍ എന്ന സമുദ്രത്തില്‍ ഒഴുകിച്ചേരുന്ന രാമായണം എന്ന വലിയ നദി ഈ ഭൂമിയെ മുഴുവന്‍ പു ണ്യം കൊണ്ട് നിറയ്ക്കുന്നു ..നിറച്ചും കൊണ്ടേയിരിക്കട്ടേ

vātmīkigirisaṁbhūtā rāmasāgaragāminī| 

punātu bhuvanaṁ puṇyā rāmāyaṇamahānadī||

the Sacred River that is Ramayanam, 

which originates in the mountain names Vaalmiki 

and flows into the ocean which is none other than Rama Himself, may purify the entire world.. the entire earth with all its beauty..

Today starts the Month of Ramayanam.. 

The entire spirit of Ramayanam is eulogized in the above simple slokam..

The story of Rama is sacred for all.. even beyond religious boundaries.. 

For the South Asian Continent, Ramayana is a proud chronicle of a glorious past.. 

For everyone who is looking up for an ideal human being whose life he wants to emulate, Rama is always the first choice..

For efficiency, determination, strength and steadfastness, Hanuman is the ultimate benchmark

And for all that is pure, sweet and delicate and merciful mother Sita is the standard

And Ramayana is the Story, of these three and many others ..

For the lovers of Sanskrit, Ramayanam is the first ever Kaavyam, the beacon-light of enlightenment

It is time to pay our respects to the great poet, his sublime creation and to Rama, Sita and Lord Anjaneya too

for Sanskrit lovers 

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वाल्मीकिगिरि संभूता having her origin in the mountain named Valmiki 

राम सागर गामिनी flowing towards the ocean named Ramaa 

पुण्या the most sacred 

रामायण महानदी great river that is Ramayanam 

भुवनं पुनातु may purify the entire world..

ramayana masam ....

The month of Katakam or Karkitakam is a month of challenges in the shape of rains, and scarcity in Kerala..

The devout Keralite thought it fit that only God can help him to keep him in good shape during the times of difficulties..

And the best thing is that he deemed it fit to spend the days in praise of Sri Rama..

There is a Malayalam version of Ramayanam..

Adhyaatma Ramayanam

written and sung by the father of Malayalam language itself , the Revered Thunjath Ramanjuan Ezhuththassan..

The simple, melodic version of the epic is read and sung with utmost devotional fervour in every household in Kerala,

on all the days of Karkitakam..

And traditionally this month is looked with respect as the month of Ramayanam by every Keralite..

The month is from today to 16 th or 17 th July to 16th or 17th August every year..

Why Ramayana Masam

You know Aani and Aadi  (from mid-June  to mid- August) are months of scarcity all over the South..of India

and it is all the more so in Kerala where the difficulties are compounded by heavy rainfall..

We tend to pray and praise God more frequently when we face or anticipate difficulties beyond our control..

This is what is happening in respect of Aaadi maasam which is called Karkitakam in malayalam..

Usually special poojas are conducted in all temples,

and Bhagavati Seva in conducted in Devi temples..

Vigneshwara Pooja and Ganapathi Homams are conducted on daily basis during Aadi..

and special pooja to Elephants called aanayoottu

.ആനയൂട്ട്‌ .

where elephants are sumptuously fed and administered rejuvenating herbs too..

is a special feature of this month..

The air is normally damp and contaminated..

lack of Sunshine is also a problem..

So people take extra care to keep their homes clean.

. The climate prevents labourers from securing jobs and they too are confined to their own houses..

There would be depletion in savings too..

All these circumstances tend to create an air of depression and desolation among people..

So they have to look for some solace,

some inspiration,

and sure,

the story of Rama comes in as the best guide..

Rama, in spite of being an emperor himself had suffered.

having been banished to forest,

having had His wife abducted by a demon,

forced to seek company with wild animals like monkeys, boars etc..

and still He maintained His rectitude and through His prowess won back everything..

So we worship Him during our difficult times,, so natural, is it not?

And the composition of Ramayanam, by Thunjathu Ramanjuan Ezhuththassan,

the great poet and seer of our language Malayalam ,

is very simple,

lyrical and so soothing..

So we chant parts of Adhyatma Ramayanam every day during this Karkidakam or Aadi month..

And obviously  the month is called Ramayana Masam

respect for womanhood...

The rules of Hinduism are  crystal clear on the issue of paying respects to the wife of an elder family member, even if the lady is younger in age....

In Ramayanam, Lakshmana is younger to Rama by just two days.. Even though it is not clearly stated in the epic , Sita is presumed to be younger to Rama younger and therefore youngerto Lakshmana too... Laksjmana was born just two days after Ram ..

Rama on the Star Punartham of Chaitram and Lakshmana with his twin Shatrughna on the next Aashlesha or AAyilyam star..

And there is an occasion in Valmiki Ramayanam, where, Lakshmana is asked to identify the jewellery thrown down by Sita in Rishyamooka while she was being abducted to Lanka by Ravana..

Lakshmana Says.. 

नाहं जानामि केयूरे नाहं जानामि कुण्डले नूपुरे तु अभिजानामि नित्यं पाद्दभिवन्दनात I 

Naaham jaanaami keyoorey naaham jaanaami kundaley noopurey tu abhijaanaami nityam paadaabhivandanaat....

Meaning..

"I do not know how the ear-studs or the armlets of Sita would look like but I do recognize the anklets worn on her legs,, as I do see them when I prostrate on her feet every day.."

Here Lakshmana, by all means is elder in age to Sita.. but Sita is his elder brother's wife. and therefore he worships her feet..

Dharmasastras equate elder brother to ones own father and elder brother's wife to one's own mother..

Just as, if one's father marries a lady younger to the person, she assumes the status of mother. even if she is younger in age.

so devoted...

यत्र रामकथागानम् तत्र आस्ते हनुमान् यथा

संस्कृताध्ययनम् यत्र तत्र संस्कृतिदर्शनम्॥

yatra rāmakathāgānam tatra āste hanumān yathā

saṁskṛtādhyayanam yatra tatra saṁskṛtidarśanam||

Wherever the glorious story of Rama is sung, present there would be Hanuman the Aanjaneya 

Just like that, wherever teaching of the language Sanskrit is in progress, exemplary culture and behaviour are sure to be present..

Why is Sundarakandam so important?

Why is Sundarakandam so important?

The scholars of Sanskrit, both oriental and western, place the Sundarakandam of the Aadikavaya (Ramyanam), of Maharshi Valmeeki as an aesthetically sublime piece of literature..

Just as the fourth Act of Shakuntalam is the best in Kalidasa's literature in drama, Sundarakandam has similar place in the realm of Kavyams..

The story content of the piece of literature is simply beautiful..

It describes the discovery of something which was supposes to be lost..

नष्टार्थस्य पुनर्लाभः सुन्दरःपरिकीर्तितः..

Sundaram is acclaimed as the recapture or regaining of what has been lost..

Here Mother Sita is gained back

A messenger in olden days is often denoted as Sundara..

Here Anjaneya is the glorious messenger of Rama.. Similar is the case where, when there was a love quarrel between Lord Nataraja and Sivakama Sundari, Sundaramoothi Nayanar shuttled between them .. holding aloft olive branches..

Sun Dhara.. सुं दरति इति one who removes pain and unhappiness.. is called Sundara.. and the hero of Sundarakandam.

Anjaneya swamy has definitely done that..

In all realms of literary merit, like chandas, vrittam, phonetics, alankaram.. etc this part of Valmikiramayanam is outstandingly beautiful..

In many standard texts on the techniques of literary creation, the couplets from Ramayanam are cited as standard models or reference points..

In description of beauty of terrain, flora, fauna, and natural beauty, the contents of Sundarakandam are of great beauty in the field of literary creations..

In fact, the theory and the standards of treatment of subjects in a Kavyam either in Sanskrit, or even in the classical literatures of Asia and the West, have been set with our Adikavyam as the yardstick..

and genius of creativity is at its peak in Sundarakandam..

So sublime..

The description of the Hilly terrain of South India, the beauty of the Golden city of Lanka, the attractiveness of Pushpaka Vimanam, are all great pieces of literary creation where evocative imagination and acute and sensitive observation can be seen and felt at their peak..

Even the natural hilarity and love for fun which are natural for monkeys is described with elan where the monkeys ransack the forest of honey maintained on behalf of Sugriva, after hearing the glad tidings about Seetha, and the successful mission of Hanuman to Lanka..

Sundarakandam is a self sustaining treatise.. The entire story of Ramayanam upto the adventurous trip of Hanuman to Lanka is covered in this Kandam, though in an abridged manner.

.If Rama is the hero for the other parts of Ramayanam. in Sundarakandam, there is only one hero, Lord Anjaneya..

All the facets of an ideal living being, valour, resourcefulness, strength, oratory, to cite a few such qualities are revealed in its excellent manifestation in Anjaneyaswamy, the hero of Sundarakandam. It is the story of Hanuman the Sundara..

And for the devotees, reading of Sundarakandam bestow on them all that is beautiful and beneficial.

So, Sundarakandam is really Sundaram, beautiful with hardly any parallel in the annals of literature created by man...

commitment

commitment

sir, we require absolute commitment to our chosen path and also trained oblivion to criticism if we are to go forward in life to achieve our set goal.. 

One interesting fact I notice is that it is a fashion among modern managers to announce in loud terms about setting goals, paradigm shifts and all and make jargon filled and cliched write-ups...and the execution of the plan ends there.

The more obscure the manager is in his papers of plan of action, he is respected more, and his pay packets get fatter. 

Down to earth commitment and the willingness to go ahead against any odds alone can reallyhelp..

I am reminded of what Bharthruhari...

adhyaiva vaa maranamasthu yuganthere vaa...

nyaayaat param pravichalanti padam na dheerAH

अद्यैव वा मरणमस्तु युगान्तरे वा 

न्यायात् परम् प्रविचलन्ति पदं न धीराः 

let death occur today or at the end of the deluge but the tough man never swerves from his set path of righteousness. 

It is attributed to chanakya and vishnu sharma..

."gruheeta iva kesheshu mrutyunaa dharmamaacharet..

गृहीत इव केशेषु मृत्युना धर्मं आचरेत 

one should perform his ordained duties fully realizing that the god of death has already caught hold of his hair and is dragging him away and that he has no time to spare. I

If one just thinks or chants the name of Krishna or Rama at all during their spare times, 

and while chanting the holy names just think how great managers Rama and Krishna were as seen from Gita and Ramayana respectively , 

one would definitely never think of deviating from his set goal.

"Setting a righteous goal is an act of folly meant for old-fashioned people..".this appears to be the perception of the avant gadre...

Time? 

No human being was ever the master of his time...it is only a gift from God. 

He has sent us to this world to expiate our old sins by doing good and to perform His ordained work. 

You find time to eat, put on makeup... hairdye and false teeth to look like a thirty year old when you are seventy, 

you get time for flirting...et al...

why is there no time to do something really good ?

Of course there is one defect in the whole shape of things.. we do not and cannot know what precisely are our goals, we cannot know how to plan for all eventulities ,,, 

but if we are ignorant

we can present our ignorance before our master or guru in all humility and sure, our eyes will be opened. 

ajnaana thimiraandhasya jnaananjana salaakaya chakshurunmiilitham yena tasami sree gurave namah. 

अज्ञान तिमिरान्धस्य ज्ञानाञ्जन शलाकया चक्षुरुन्मीलितं येन तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः 

I may not really know what "really matters" but God and the sadguru knows it. 

Namaskarams.