The life and teachings of the Avatar Sri Rama is contained in a wonderful book called, "The Ramayana". It was written by the great poet/saint Valmiki. "The Ramayana" is one of four "Itihasa" in the Hindu religion. The other three are the "Mahabarata (which contains the "Bhagavad Gita" which is the story of Krishna), the "Yoga Vaistha", and the "Harivamsa".
The most famous and well known of these are the first two, the "Ramayana" and "Mahabarata" (Bhagavad Gita), for they tell the stories in poet and narrative form of India’ two past greatest avatars, Rama and Krishna. The third greatest Avatar since Rama and Krishna is, of course, living with us in the world today and he is His Holiness, the Lord Sai Baba.
Rama lived over twenty thousand years ago, and Krishna, approximately seven thousand years ago. Valmiki and Vyassa (Buddha), wrote these stories and in a more poetic, lyrical, and storylike form, out of compassionate understanding that many of the common people had not developed the abstract mind to be able to study the Vedas and Upanishads which are the more serious text of ancient Hindu teaching.
The Ramayana contains the essence of the more technical Vedic scripture, yet a child can still enjoy the story. It is a text book of morals and ideals for youth and people of all ages to enjoy and aspire to. It is not a book just for Hindus, it is a book for the whole world, just as the story of Jesus, Krishna, Buddha, Moses, and Sai Baba is also. The name Ram actually means God. Sai Baba actually goes by the same Sai Ram. It was Ghandi who chanted the name of Ram his whole life, and he said it was one of the secrets to his success. At his assassina-tion, after he was shot, it was the last words he spoke.
The Ramayana is very allegorical, however, Ram was, in truth, a great Avatar and did live in ancient India. Hindu scripture tells us that He was an incarnation of Vishnu. It has been recorded in the great Hindu text that Vishnu has incarnated something like ten or twelve times onto the earth. Both Krishna and Sai Baba are incarnations of Vishnu also. His greatest incarnation is in the form of Sai Baba.
Sai Baba is not only the embodiment of Vishnu, but also of Brahma and Shiva all in one body. Sai Baba has said that Rama came as the embodiment of righteousness. Krishna came as the embodiment of love. He also came as the embodiment of every social and domestic virtue. He was an ideal king, husband, father, and brother. He lived like a normal man, however, in truth was a spiritual Avatar incarnate on the earth. His wife, Sita, became the ideal of womanhood. She was put to severe tests, however, demonstrated purity, courage, love, patience, and the ideal of womanly virtue.
There lived a noble ruler whose name was "Dasaratha". He was a great king and hero of the people. He had three devoted wives. One of his many sons of the three of these wives was Sri Rama. His sons were considered to be part of Vishnu, however Sri Rama embodied all the divine virtues. One of his brothers, Lakshmana, was especially devoted to Rama.
At sixteen years of age one of the sages of the courts asked the king to send Rama and Lakshmana with him to slay the demons who were creating disturbances and problems for the other sages and priests. The king agreed, and Sri Rama, with his great skill in archery, and the blessing of the sage, killed all the demons. Sri Rama was blessed by all the sages for his great service to them.
The brothers were brought back to the Mithila, the capital of where the renowned King Janaka reigned. It was here that Rama demonstrated his great strength and skill by lifting and stringing the wondrous bow of Lord Rudra, which many mighty princess had failed to do. The king had promised that any great prince who was able to perform the miraculous task would receive his lustrous daughter, Sita, in marriage.
Rama and Sita returned home in marriage and loved for many years when the old king Dasaratha wanted to step down from his throne and pass it on to Sri Rama. Everything was set for this to happen when the cruel queen, Kaikeyi, found out from the maid servant what was about to happen.
The king, Dasaratha, had owed the queen two boons (favors) which he had promised her. The cruel queen asked to collect on these promises. The king could not refuse. What she requested was that Rama be banished for fourteen years and her own son, Bharata, would be installed as crown prince, which was what Sri Rama was supposed to become. Rama, realizing his father’s predicament left with Sita and Lakshmana, his brother, to the forest.
While living in the forest, Sita was abducted by the evil king of Lanka, whose name was "Ravana". Ravana tried to talk Sita into becoming his queen, however, she was totally absorbed in her love and service of Ram. Sita was, hence, imprisoned. Rama and Lakshmana, with the help of Hanuman (half man, half monkey, who embodied the divine quality of selfless service). When Sri Rama found Ravana, a great battle took place between the opposing armies. Ravana was killed and Sita was rescued.
Rama at first refused to accept Sita, for she had so long been, he thought, the concubine of Ravana. Sita, to prove her innocence and purity, entered into the bonfire, and Agni, the god of fire, came out with Sita declaring her to be unsullied and pure. He requested Rama to take her back as his wife. Rama’s joy knew no bounds at this turn of events. He returned back to the old city where they had formerly lived before fourteen years had passed. Rama and Sita were crowned king and queen of the city. This began a long and prosperous reign. Everywhere in the city and province there was great joy, health and happiness…."
I have not, in truth, done justice to the beauty of the story, however, this is its essence. Please do get the story and read it for yourself, for it is the eternal companion of almost all Hindu families, even to this day!
Ravana, the evil king symbolized the negative ego and lower self. His ten heads represents the ten senses. Sita symbolized peace. Rama was righteousness and knowledge. His act of killing Ravana was symbolic of killing the negative ego and mastering his senses. The recovering his wife, Sita, was the attainment of peace and the recovering of his soul which becomes lost on the account of desire. Knowledge is achieved through union with Rama, who was the embodiment of the Supreme Self. Sri Rama’s victory was the good and righteousness of God, overcoming evil, maya and illusion.
"Rama, the ancient idol of the heroic ages, the embodiment of truth, of morality, the ideal son, the ideal husband, the ideal father, above all, the ideal king, this Rama has been presented before us by the great sage, Valmiki. No language can be purer, none chaster, none more beautiful and at the same time, simpler, than the language in which the great poet has depicted the life of Rama." - Swami Vivekananda.
Sri Rama’s teachings in the Ramayana are so profound, I thought I would select some of the best passages, to let you share in the profundity of this great spiritual Avatar. "It is the shadow of the Paramatman (God) that you see reflected in all the living beings as Jivatman (Eternal Self or soul)"
"Paramatman (God) alone is real; This world is unreal. The latter appears as real in man’s vision, hearing and thoughts, but it lasts only as long as the things seen in a dream last."
"This Atman (Eternal Self) is certainly different from the body, senses, mind, and prana. It is blissful, supreme, non-dual, permanent, formless, sinless, and pure. The moment this realization comes to you, you are liberated."
"If you constantly think of the Atman, your mind will be purified and your ignorance will be uprooted along with the past tendencies, just as your ailments will completely disappear by your taking medicine daily. When the mind is pure, you will get unalloyed bliss."
"When one realizes the truth of the unity between the Jivatma (soul of man) and the Paramatma (God) whether by instruction from the guru or from spiritual texts, that every moment the source of ignorance, along with the cause and effect, will mingle with Paramatma. The state mentioned above is called moksha (liberation). The self is ever-free."
"Those who take shelter under me in this world, meditating on me and repeating the mantra of my sacred name, will surely get my vision, even unasked, as I know they have no other refuge."
"As a result of the spiritual disciplines you have undergone, you are even now liberated from all worldly desires. After your death, you will attain union with me." "Just as, even people possessing eyes, cannot see things clearly in the night, but they can see their steps well when a light is brought, so also in those having devotion towards me, the self becomes self-effulgent."
RSS 2.0