Relevance of Ramayana to Modern Life
Ramanavami (the birth of the Ramavatar) falls on April 11 this year. In emphasizing the importance of Rama, Swami has said: “The entire universe is under the control of God. God is governed by truth. Noble souls are the guardians of truth. Such noble souls are verily the embodiments of divinity.” The following article is excerpted from Bhagavan’s discourse on Ramanavami day in which He explains the significance of the sacred occasion and how we should practice the values in the epic Ramayana.
All are essentially the embodiments of divinity. God dwells in all beings. God permeates the entire universe. Where is the need to search for such an all-pervasive divinity?
How can you search for Him who is moving about with thousands of feet, thousands of eyes, and thousands of ears? So, it is utterly foolish to search for God. God is within you. As you have forgotten your true self and are carried away by the temporary and transient physical body, you are unable to understand the Divine. When you get rid of body attachment and develop attachment towards the self, only then can you understand the divine atmic principle.
Values contained in Rama’s story
Embodiments of love! Life is like a game of chess. It also is like a battlefield. The story of Rama teaches us the three-fold code of conduct (dharma) pertaining to the individual, the family, and the society. You have to make every effort to understand the duties of the individual, the family, and society. Rama is the ocean of compassion. He is love personified. It is possible to understand His Divinity only through the path of love. Love is the undercurrent of human life. Man will be able to manifest his innate divinity only when he develops love within.
Modern society needs to follow the dharma that is contained in the epic Ramayana. What is the reason? Today, the son is not paying heed to his father’s advice, and the parents are not concerned about the future of the son. Devotion to the guru [preceptor] should be the aim of the students. But the students are not having regard for the teachers, and the teachers are not imparting anything good to them. In such a situation, everyone needs to follow the ideals of the Ramayana. The Ramayana speaks of the true identity of the individual, the real significance of the family, and the sanctity of the society. The Ramayana teaches the importance of human values. Today corruption is rampant in all fields, such as business, education, and politics. Under these circumstances, the principles of the Ramayana are very important. It explains in detail the relationship that should exist between brothers, father and son, preceptor and disciple.
All of us live on the same earth. The same sky is above all of us. We breathe the same air and drink the same water. Ignoring this underlying principle of unity, man visualizes multiplicity, which is a big mistake. The Ramayana centers on the principle of unity in diversity. Today, as man has lost the ability to see unity in diversity, he is immersed in restlessness. What we need today is to see unity in diversity and the Divine behind this unity.
The culture of Bharat says: Sathyam Bruyath, Priyam Bruyath, Na Bruyath Sathyampriyam (speak the truth, speak sweetly and softly and never utter truth in an unpalatable way.) Sathyam Bruyath is the moral value. Priyam Bruyath is the social value. Na Bruyath Sathyam-apriyam is the spiritual value. So, the moral, social, and spiritual values are all contained in the above statement. The Ramayana teaches these values in the simplest way. But man has forgotten the message of the Ramayana and is leading the life of a Ravana (demon). Ravana did not understand the principle of divinity. Although he had acquired all forms of knowledge and done severe penance, there was no transformation in him. He ruined himself on account of his excessive desires. Before his death, he gave a message to the people: “O people, with all my skills and expertise in different forms of knowledge, I became a victim of desires. I lost my sons, ruined my clan, and burnt my kingdom to ashes, as I could not control my desires. Do not become a victim of desires like me. Follow the path of truth and righteousness, and be like Rama. Experience divinity.”
Put Ramayana’s teachings into practice
The relationship that existed between Rama’s brothers is an ideal to the rest of humanity. They lived in unity in spite of troubles and turmoil. Mother Kaikeyi wanted her son Bharata to ascend the throne of Ayodhya, but Bharata never had any such desire. He went to Chitrakoota Mountain, fell at Rama’s feet and prayed that Rama, being the eldest, should take over the kingdom of Ayodhya. But Rama did not yield to his request. Quoting the Vedic dictum to worship your mother as God, worship your father as God, He extorted Bharata to obey their father’s command and fulfill his mother’s desire by becoming the king of Ayodhya. Rama promised him that he would render all help and support. That is why even today people extol Rama as the one who adheres to truthful speech.
Today, many people read the holy Ramayana, but few understand its essence. They spend their time in acquiring bookish and superficial knowledge, but fail to have practical knowledge. There are many who can explain the teachings of the Ramayana in a beautiful way, but how many of them obey their father’s commands in their daily life? Not many! What is the use of reading various texts, if we do not put into practice the message contained in them? Can anyone enjoy the taste of various delicious items such as Mysore pak, gulab jamoon, jilebi [names of Indian sweets], and such, by merely repeating their names? No. One can enjoy the taste only when one eats them. Mere textual information is of no use. But man, today, is interested only in information and not transformation. Intellect will blossom only when there is transformation.
If your ambitions are not fulfilled, do not waver or get depressed.
He is a realized one who is cheerful in the face of adversities.
(Telegu poem)
One has to face many obstacles in one’s life, but one should never get depressed. Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a game, play it. Life is love, enjoy it. Be cheerful and courageous in the face of adversities. Never give scope to any weakness whatsoever. The Vedanta declared: A weak-minded person cannot realize the atma. A weak-minded person cannot accomplish anything. So you should be strong-minded. Develop faith in that which is good. As there is no fear of sin and love for God, humanness is on the decline in human beings. This is the cause for lack of peace in the world. (Telegu Poem) Therefore, man should cultivate love for God, fear of sin, and morality in society. Though Rama and Ravana were equally well-versed in all forms of knowledge, sage Valmiki extolled Rama as Divine and condemned Ravana as a foolish one. What is the reason? Ravana did not translate into action the knowledge he had acquired, and, on the contrary, he used it for wicked purposes. On the other hand, Rama translated all his knowledge into action and gave joy to one and all. Rama was engaged in the welfare of all. He was the master of all forms of knowledge. He was the embodiment of all good qualities. These are the three aspects that declared Rama’s Divinity. Whoever has these three aspects is essentially divine. In fact, everyone is Divine. But because of attachment to the body, man is not able to understand his divine nature. Man can experience and enjoy divinity only by treading along the path of love. Love is God; God is love. So live in love.
Start the day with love.
Spend the day with love.
Fill the day with love.
End the day with love.
This is the way to God.
The best sadhana: love everybody
The cause for man’s suffering is that he has constricted his love to himself and his family. He should develop the broad feeling that all are his brothers and sisters. Expansion of love is life; contraction of love is death. All are the children of God. All are sparks of the Divine. Lord Krishna declared in the Bhagavad Gita: The eternal atma in all bodies is a part of My Being. So, man should have the broad feeling to identify himself with everybody. Humanity can never progress without broad feelings.
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, March 1999
