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Sri Rama Navami
Today is Sri Rama Navami, the day on which Sri Ram is said to be born
and also the day is celebrated as His wedding day.
In this age of logic and reason, it has become very fashionable to criticise,
analyse faults and even slander each other, but rarely is the same logic used
to analyse good in others and evaluate how one can help more and not hurt more!!
If Valmiki, the Adi Kavi (First Poet) and one of the greatest sages, wrote
Ramayana, it must be for more than just inspiring devotion and rapturously
capturing the biography of Lord Rama. I learnt that, in and through the story,
spiritual significances are implied. The following is just an attempt to share
what I learnt, and it is by no means complete or comprehensive.
Dasharatha, connotes one who conquered 10 sense organs ( 5 "Gnanendriyas"-
organs of knowledge and 5 "Karmendriyas"- organs of performance). To such a
devotee who is master of all the sense organs, and in whose heart, there is
no FIGHT/WAR between the sense organs and the sense objects("AYODHYA"), does
Rama manifest. And Sita's desire for the golden deer represents covetousness
for materialism. And the great Ravana(Dashakanta) represents, the MULTI-HEADED
power of materialism. Ravana eventhough a great Bhakta himself, stands for the
value of life, in which getting things for his own pleasure with no concern for
helping others and making others happy, is the ruling dictum. And the three
lines of Lakshmana that Sita was asked not to cross, stand for our own
self-control limits. And when Sita was kidnapped by Ravana, she rejected
strongly, all the lurings of the materialism of splendourous Lanka.
Mere negation is not sufficent, but positive continuous remembrance of Rama
was accompanied. Even then, Rama will not appear immediately. But, first
there will be intimations from Him, like that of Hanuman. Also Rama did not
use the resources and army of Ayodhya to get back Sita. Only monkey-kingdom
was available in the forest and he instilled discipline in them and made
them to march even across ocean. Now, we have rulers who complain only
lack of resources, for doing anything. And finally Rama vanquishes the
Ravana and rules to make everyone happy, not just a democratic majority happy.
Sita, represents the seeker born to Janaka of "VIDEHA"(one who is devoid of
bodily urges). And the marriage of Lord Rama to Sita, thus brings the devotee
to the deity, and establishes auspiciousness of the entire world. Thus Rama
stands for ideal son, ideal brother, ideal husband, ideal king, and also
an ideal friend.
Now, we only want to find faults, but if we see how many of those noble
virtues are visible around us today, He does stand out in His inspiring
princely stature, inspite of some human frailties depicted.
-Srinivas Nagulapalli
