The Ramayana in Your Heart
Rama – whose birthday, Ramanavami, you are celebrating today – exemplifies the way to save the self in the perilous journey from birth to birthlessness. Rama is the embodiment of dharma (righteousness). That is why he was able to re-establish dharma. Today is a sacred day because you get the chance to recapitulate the glory of God and His relationship with man. As a matter of fact, if you go deeper into the Ramayana (an Indian epic), you will find that Rama is the universal atma (soul), the atma in every being. He did not come down to kill the demonic ruler, Ravana. He is not the son of Dasaratha or of Kausalya; nor is he the husband of Sitha, weeping for her loss and gladdened by reunion.
Rama means that which showers ananda (bliss). That is all. What can give greater bliss than the atma? Rama is the ananda in your inner consciousness. You can understand the Ramayana only if you keep this aspect in view. An orange has a form and a name. When you squeeze it and make juice, the form is gone and the name, orange, also is gone. The taste alone remains. The sweetness, the flavour, the essence – these alone are experienced. It cannot be exactly described. It is beyond any vocabulary.
“The Ramayana In Your Heart,” Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. II
Difference between Raama and Raavana
Qualities of Rama and Ravana (a king with demonic qualities) are present in each human being. When people take the direction of unrighteous, they become a Raavana. When they pursue the path of truth and righteousness, they become Ramas.
Precept and practice should go together like medicine and proper eating. Meditating on God, one should engage oneself in godly activities. It is useless to study or listen to spiritual discourses without leading a spiritual life. Righteousness means living according to the dictates of one’s conscience. Acting in violation of the conscience is wrong. To realize this, one need not study books.
The truths propounded in the Ramayana are relevant to all mankind. Rama represents the exalted state of the human heart. Rama is the treasure-house of compassion. Where can you find such truth, compassion, and grace? All thoughts arise from the heart and lead to actions. Hence, for all thoughts, words, and deeds, the heart is the source. What should be the condition of the heart? It should be full of compassion. Today the devil has installed itself in the heart. The devil in the heart accounts for all badness, and for the absence of compassion.
“Let Rama Live In Your Hearts,” Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XXIX
Rama the ideal exemplar of righteousness
Rama is the supreme exemplar of how people should conduct themselves in the world, how a country should be governed, and how the integrity and morality of human beings should be protected. High-minded actions, ideal qualities, and sacred thoughts are basic foundations of character. Rama is the very embodiment of these three attributes. This means that every human being should cultivate sacred thought, right action, and good qualities. Rama demonstrated through his words, thoughts, and actions how such a life could be lived. Raama lived up to the ancient injunction, “Speak the truth. Practise righteousness.” Eschewing harsh words, Rama pleased everyone by his sweet speech. He countered the harsh speech of others with his composure, patience, sweetness, and smile. He never pried into affairs of others, he never took notice of their faults, he never indulged in ridicule, and he never caused pain to others by the way he spoke to them. It is essential for everyone to follow the example set by Rama and cultivate his many noble qualities and do righteous actions. People should entertain sacred thoughts.
“Install Rama Rajya In Your Hearts,” Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XXVIII
Turn your sight inside, to purify and clarify
In order to reach the goal, you have to proceed far. First, examine your present state. Discover its defects – whether it is damaged by egotism, greed, insincerity, waywardness, or sloth. With faults such as these, it is difficult to concentrate on thoughts of God, either within or without. You must also cultivate the positive quality of prema (divine love), for the embodiment of prema can be realized only through prema. That is the message the Ramayana gives all those who study it with sincere desire to learn. That is the message I wish to give you today.
“Ramayana For Everyman,” Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XIII
