Ramayana : A Principle Of Sacrifice
A book which can literally treat your soul.
The Ramayana is one of the two major pillars of Indic civilization, Mahabharata being the other great Indian epic. Written by Maharishi Valmiki, Ramayana narrates the life of Rama. The name, Ramayana is an amalgam of Rama and Ayana which means the journey. It was not written based on religion but it was written for us, humans to uplift ourselves to light.
The story revolves around the journey of Rama, how he dealt and remained firm minded with the uncertain challenges thrown at him, how he remained calm and moral despite hardships. Rama’s fourteen year exile to the forest after his father, King Dasharatha advised him to go. Kidnapping of his beloved wife, Sita by the evil king of Lanka — Ravana, which resulted in war immorality. And, eventual return of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana to Ayodhya and to be crowned amidst triumph. It portrays the duties one should follow in relations and Ideal characters. Ramayana is considered to be a sacred story and read by millions of people all over the world.
You cannot count on the physical proximity of someone you love, all the time. A seed that sprouts at the foot of its parent tree remains stunted until it is transplanted. Rama will be in my care, and he will be quite well. But ultimately, he will leave me too. Every human being, when the time comes, has to depart to seek his fulfillment in his own way.”
― Valmiki, The Ramayana
Divided into 5 sections, Ramayana is one of the largest epics in the whole world. Ramayana, written by Valmiki consists of Bala Kanda, Ayodhya Kanda, Aranya Kaanda, Kishkindha Kaanda, Sundara Kaanda, Yuddha Kaanda, and Uttara Kaanda.
This epic has been retold in many other regional languages, and I personally love the Kamban’s Ramayana, also known as Ramavataram. Originally written in the 12th century, the translation is so easy to understand the minuscule of the details tried to ornate in Kamba Ramayana. It also has a poetic essence in it which makes it really beautiful.
The two versions of Ramayana, one written in Tamil by Kamban and the other written in Sanskrit by Valmiki are modernistic respectively but both the versions have many differences. One is that Valmiki Ramayana presents Lord Rama as a simple ordinary man whereas the Kamban Ramayana emphasizes on the holiness of Lord Rama.
The book is a must read for everyone as it brings into light many instances which are either not known or read anywhere else. The translation is really good that it is surely a treat for your soul.
Lessons to learn from Ramayana
Ramayana is not just a holy story but it’s a medium of education to illustrate the important aspects of life, such as loving and respecting everyone, sticking to your words, and fulfilling one’s duties. Other lessons which one should incorporate in life are-
- Differentiate between right and wrong
One must be fully aware of what is right and what is wrong and should always choose right over wrong, no matter if wrong feels more right. Only if that thing is not affecting or hurting someone in any manner, one can choose it.
2. Protecting the weak and standing for the needy ones
One must always stand for the weak and rather than being a spectator (which many people do), protect them. Fighting for the wrong and courageously handling whatever may come in our way and .
3. Stay away from vicious people
Not everyone is your well wisher. It’s better to stick on your thoughts and decisions. It’s very important to be firm and vigilant to avoid being scammed. Before making any big or small decisions, make sure you think about its consequences.
4. Sibling Relationships
In today’s time, where disputes between siblings is every household’s story, Ramayana explains to us the importance of strong sibling bonds. Being there for each other in good and bad, spending time with siblings and standing up for them is all what makes love between siblings strong.
Reading Ramayana is not enough, but to understand its essence and to inculcate it in our life is more important. It brings us many ideologies and values like, Rama being an ideal son, an ideal brother, an ideal husband and an ideal sovereign, epitomizing rightful behaviour to the society. Sita, refusing all the luxuries and opting to stay with her beloved husband Rama, offers a perfect example of marital bond. Dasharath fulfilled his promise to his wife, Kaikeyi and sent Rama to exile for fourteen years, which led to his own death. Lakshmana, prioritizing the sibling bond and respect over all the luxuries, preferred to go with Rama and Sita to forest for 14 years. Bharata sacrificed his kingdom and waited for his brother Rama, to rule Ayodhya, is something which is missing in today’s era.
Rama’s exile was full of ups and downs, and this is what our life is full with, which one should accept happily. How do you face challenges in your life? Do you fight for it or start blaming? Most of the time, we always tend to look out for someone whom we can blame, be it other people or god, we blame, but that’s a human nature right? Even if that’s the case, is it right to blame? All the bad things attract us easily, whereas all the good things fail to attract us. Similarly, Ravana’s ego, lust, desire to take revenge and to become supreme led to his own death. Understand the message of Ramayana, Stand up and fight for what’s right. Life will keep on throwing uncertain situations on you, It’s on you, how you respond to the bad times.
There are various versions of Ramayana, the one which is related to North India is different from one related to South India. Apart from India, Ramayan is also extensively based in southern asia as well. Tamil version, Jain version, Buddhist version, Sikh version and Nepali version are some of the versions of Ramayana in Indian literature and Cambodia version, Indonesia version, lao version, Malaysia Version, Myanmar version, and Thailand version are some of the versions of Ramayana in Southern asia.
Ramayana is an inspiration and a principle of sacrifice. Inculcate it rather than parroting it. Just like I wrote in my previous blog on The Secret, Reading and not practicing the creative process will give you no results. Similarly, reading Ramayana and not practicing it will not bring any change in your life.
Read it, Practice it and see the change.
