The holy Ramayana, a masterpiece in Sanskrit classics of the great sage Valmiki, theAdi-kavi, is the first and foremost

specimen of exquisite poetry. There are other Ramayanas viz. Adhyatma Ramayana, Anand Ramayana, Maha-Ramayana, Adbhuta Ramayana, Ramcharitmanas and several others in different languages such as Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Marathi, South Indian languages like Tamil and others. The Valmiki Ramayana and Sri Ramcharitmanas of Goswami Sant Tulsidas, enjoy a unique place among the classics of the worlds literature. Valmiki Ramayana has since been translated, both in prose and poetry, in English, French, Italian, Latin and some other languages. Almost similar is the case with Sri Ramcharitmanas of Sant Tulsidas. As ancient Greece had two famous epics Odyssey and Illiad, ancient India had the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The Ramayana, which describes the wanderings of Prince Rama banished from his kingdom, has something in common with the famous Odyssey. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata together comprise the whole of the epic literature of ancient India, and they present a most graphic and life-like picture of the civilisation and culture, customs and traditions, the social and political life, the religious and spiritual thoughts of ancient India, which cannot be ignored in any way. Historical Facts Time lent higher and greater lustre to the achievements of these gifted races and the age in which they flourished appeared to their descendants as the Golden Age of Bharatavarsha. Dasaratha, the king of the Kosalas, is considered as an ideal king, who laboured for the good of his subjects. His capital was Ayodhya on the bank of the river Saryu. The ruins of his fort and palaces and Hanuman Garhi are still there, approximately six miles from Faizabad, in Uttar Pradesh. The king of Videhas, Raja Janaka is accepted as a monarch and a saint of high order. Lord Rama, the eldest son of Dasaratha is the hero of epic Ramayana, whereas Sita, the daughter of Raja Janaka is the heroine. Three brothers of Lord Rama are Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna and they were married with the daughters of the Videhas, namely Mandavi, Urmila and Srutakirti respectively. Their sons were founders of great cities and kingdoms as stated under i. Lava and Kusa, the two sons of Rama, ruled in Sravasti an old and famous historical town which was the capital of Oudh for sometime during the days of Lord Buddha and the latter founded Kusavati at the foot of the Vindhya mountains. ii. Bharatas two sonsTaksha and Pushkalafounded famous and flourishing kingdoms on either side of the river Indus, now in Punjab. Its Western part is now in Pakistan. On the East of the Indus river Taksha-sila (known to Alexander the Great and the Greeks as Taxila) was founded by Taksha. Pushkala founded his kingdom known as Pushkalavati to the West of the Indus. iii. Lakshmanas two sons, Angada and Chandraketu, funded the kingdoms of Karupada and Chandrakanti respectively in the Malwa region.

iv. Shatrughnas first son, Subahu, ruled Mathura and the second son named Shatrughati became the king of Vidisha. Sri Ramcharitmanas is considered to be the best work on Devotion by the Father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, one of the greatest men of the modern world. This immortal poem has an universal appeal and is accepted by all classes of people from Bihar to Punjab and from the Himalayas to the Narmada. The characters shown in it are the characters of flesh and blood, virtues and vices, ideals of devotion and truth, bravery and duty, sacrifice and greatness, struggle and success, womanly faithfulness, love for domestic life based on Dharma, respect for the values of higher life and the goal of human life in the end. The exemplary government is known as Ram-Rajya in the historic world. There is something indescribably touching and tender in the description of these characters. Deeper than all the other characteristics is the sense of Ramas duty towards his father, his consort and brothers, his mother and step-mothers, towards his subjects, his foes and friends and others, including even birds and beasts. For the pious Hindus, Rama is Lord Rama, whose life in the form of a man and king is the ideal life in all respects. His life exemplifies triumph of good over evil forces. It is a life of submission and service to sages and saints. It is the truthfulness, power of endurance and sincerity of Rama under suffering and privations which impart the deepest lessons to mans character. This holy book is also a treasure of higher philosophy of wisdom, devotion and Karma-yoga. The ancient ideal may seem to modern man far-fetched in these days, but one can never fully comprehend this great moral epic of the ancient Hindus unless one develops the requisite sincerity to know the Reality behind things. There Was a King There is an ancient city of Ayodhya on the banks of broad-bosomed river Saryu in the Utter Pradesh State of India. There lived a king called Raghu, so powerful, that he was invited by even Indra of Swargaloka to help him in his battles against the demons. Swargaloka is heaven, but interpreted these days as a land lying somewhere in the North amidst the hoary heights of the Himalayas and Indra, according to this reading, must have been a powerful king enjoying all the luxuries of life but constantly threatened by some other kings who were equally affluent and brave. The arts and sciences of that age are not well-known now. The elixir of youth, the devas Indra was their lordhad discovered is treated now as a myth. Their adversaries, the Asuras or demons, were anxious to get hold of the prescription of the elixir. A scion descended from this king was Dasaratha, king of Ayodhya. Dasaratha had everything that nature could bestow, but he had no progeny. Therefore he performed a sacrifice and was given the essence of that sacrifice to be distributed among his queens. This was divided by Dasaratha in three parts for his three queens, Kausalya the eldest, Kaikeyi the second and Sumitra the youngest. It so happened that the last one ate double the share. In course of time Kausalya gave birth to Rama, Kaikeyi to Bharata and Sumitra to Lakshmana and Shatrughna. Among the queens, Kaikeyi who came from the Kingdom of Kekaya was the most beautiful and well versed in the art of war. She often accompanied the king to battle and once when the kings

chariot was disabled due to a broken axle, Kaikeyi put her arm in the wheel to support the chariot so that the King could fight undisturbed. When the king discovered the kind of courage and determination displayed by her, he was very pleased and offered to grant her two boons. It is also said in some Ramayanas that the king of Caucasus had agreed to marry his daughter on the condition that the son born of her would be the crown-prince. Years rolled on and one day when Dasaratha discovered that his hair was turning grey, he decided to enthrone his eldest son, Rama, as the king. Rama was very obedient, loyal and handsome, dear to all the three mothers and the public of Ayodhya. The declaration was greeted with joy, but Manthara, the maidservant of Kaikeyi, became a fly in the ointment and she reminded the queen, of the kings promise that her son would be enthroned as king. Kaikeyi became wild with rage and dismissed her insinuations with contempt, but persistent persuasion of the cunning Manthara had the desired effect. When the king visited her in the evening, she expressed her desire to reclaim the boons to which the king agreed. The first boon Kaikeyi asked for was that Bharata and not Rama, should be made the king. Secondly, she asked for the banishment of Rama from the kingdom for 14 years. The king, after painful reluctance, agreed to grant the first boon but could not bear the separation of Rama for such a long period. The queen, however stuck to her stand and Dasaratha kept his word. When Rama left for the forest, his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana also insisted upon accompanying him. After their separation the king died of a broken heart. When Bharata who had been sent away to his maternal uncle, returned to Ayodhya and became aware of the developments. He reprimanded his mother. He went to Chitrakuta, where Rama with Sita and Lakshmana was staying, in order to bring back Lord Rama and enthrone him as king. After great persuasion by Rama, taking it as a command of the Lord, he agreed to rule the kingdom only as a representative of Lord Rama, his elder brother. The Inner Significance Of Ramayana Rama exemplified three kinds of righteous behaviour (dharma), namely, the dharmas relating to (1) the individual (2) the family and (3) society. To uphold this threefold dharma, Divinity manifested in a triangular flow, in the form of the Trimurtis (the Triune form). The Ramayana manifested to elaborate the human values. The period of the Mahabharata was well over 5000 years ago, and the Ramayana was enacted aeons earlier. Even after the passage of countless ages, if it is still occupying the hearts of the people at large, you can well imagine its importance. There are two kinds of messages dominating the Ramayana: One pertains to Rama and the other to Ravana. Sathya (Truth) is the very form of man; dharma (righteousness) is the innate propensity. Sathya and dharma are the two eyes of man. These eyes are the very forms of all the scriptures. Ramas message to humanity was to uphold dharma and sathya, to stay in the path of these and fulfill ones life. On the other hand, the two principles of sathya and dharma werethe very opposites of Ravanas propensities. At the point of death, Ravana sent the following message to his people: Oh my people, do not follow my example. I am the personification of all evil qualities. Falling into excessive desires, I have lost my progeny. Instead of establishing a good name for myself, I

have destroyed my entire kingdom. Ultimately, I have ruined myself.Rama achieved universal fame and I have ended up accumulating ill-fame. Fame and disrepute are cognates. There is no Rama without Ravana or Ravana without Rama. It is the bringing together of Rama and Ravana that is the Ramayana. Good and evil are always present side by side. Pitch-black hair surrounds a moon like face. What is the inner significance of this? The shining forth of righteous fame is intensified by the surrounding darkness of evil. It is necessary for you to recognise the inner significance of the events of the Ramayana. The Ramayana has very subtle truths embedded in it. The epic first of all expounds the duties of the individual. In the everyday world, any persons form is termed as the individual. The duties of the individual taught by Ramayana are not relating to this external form of the individual. The Unmanifest, immanent and hidden human values are the essence of Ramayana. The inner reality and the divinity resident in the heart constitute the true individuality. Individual does not mean the form; the individual in action is the true individual. Rama was exemplifying such individual values to humanity. To uphold the promise of his father, He went through the inconveniences of forest life, but He did not look on these hardships as hardships. In this way, he upheld his family traditions also. It is well known that the scions of the Ikshvaku family never swerved from their promises. Under any circumstances, upholding the values of ones parents, relations, and wife and children constitutes this three-fold dharma. How has Rama done this? Rama Was The Embodiment Of Dharma Wearing bark clothes, He came to Kausalya to take leave of her. Kausalya was astonished at the attire of Rama, who was about to be crowned as the emperor. Smilingly Rama told Kausalya. Today I have been commanded by My father to become the ruler of the forests. To rule the forests is also part of our family tradition. As this conversation was in progress, Lakshmana arrived there in a furious state. He said, Mother, this is not what happened. Father, compelled by the words of Kaikeyi, has caused this situation. I am only waiting for Ramas command. Let Him just give me permission. I will go immediately and destroy Manthara and Kaikeyi and restore Rama as the king. I am not constrained even by the words of father. Rama rushed up and physically closed Lakshmanas mouth. He said, Lakshmana, this evil way is not in keeping with our family tradition. Our family tradition is the upholding of dharma. We have to uphold the individual and family tradition. Nothing happens in this world without a cause. Father wouldnt give Me such an instruction without proper reason. Please keep your emotions under control. On hearing Lakshmanas version, Kausalya fainted. Later, she said, Rama, is it not a sons duty to equally obey father and mother? Do I not bear half of your fathers rights? Therefore, You have to fulfil your mothers orders also. So, I shall also come along with You to the forest. Then Rama pleaded to His mother, Father is highly distressed because of separation from Me. In this condition, it is not proper for you to desert him. You carry half his burdens. It is your duty now to support, sustain and protect him. The duty of a wife is to serve her husband first of all. Sita, who was standing by heard this conversation. She asked Him, Rama, You seem to be changing

words according to persons and place. You have asked me to stay back and look after father and mother, but to Your mother, You are telling that serving the husband is the prime duty of a wife. Is not my husband, my God? Are the norms different for the wife and the mother? Rama was pleased that Sita understood her duty well. When Lakshmana used abusive words against Kaikeyi, Rama advised him, Kaikeyi loves Me even more than Bharata. Such a mother should not be abused like this. Matru Devo Bhava, Pitru Devo Bhava (revere the mother and father as God). This is our family tradition. I am obeying the words of My father implicitly. I respect all My mothers. In this manner Rama expounded dharma to different people appropriate to the circumstances. Rama Upheld Dharma Even In Adversity Manthara was the personification of jealousy.Her jealousy was so potent as to change Kaikeyisgreat motherly love for Rama. Any amount of persuasion from Dasaratha was fruitless. Just then Rama entered, all dressed-up ready for coronation, to pay His respect to His parents. Looking at the situation there, He asked Kaikeyi, Amma, what is the problem? Kaikeyi did not reply, but Manthara told Him about Kaikeyis boons. She told Him, Your father promised that day, but is now going back on his promise. After hearing everything, Rama told Kaikeyi, Mother, I shall uphold the words of father. One should never go back on promises. Such an act will bring great dishonour on the Ikshvaku clan. So, I shall depart for the forest immediately. At once, Manthara came in with bark clothes for Rama to wear. Jealousy is so ready when it decides to act. Rama changed His clothes right there. Rama saluted His father, but Dasaratha was unaware of all that was happening. Kaikeyi then told Him, Rama, do you look on Your father and mother differently? As a mother, I am telling You to go to the forest straightaway. Rama complied without demur. Jealousy Is The Root Cause Of All Evils The Ramayana gives examples of Ravana and Manthara as both had evil propensities in them. Ravana was slain in the battle, but Manthara is alive even today in the form of jealousy. There is none who candestroy this Manthara. We have to ignore this Manthara and carry on with our duties. When Lakshmana wanted to kill her, Rama stopped him, saying, One should not kill a woman. Jealousy is the worst of all evil qualities. Three-fourths of the world is ruined because of jealousy. Jealousy has no limits whatsoever. People are jealous of others prosperity, beauty and education, and try to cause their downfall.One should not speak bad words, listen to bad things and indulge in evil activities. This is the main teaching of Ramayana. Manthara indulged in evil talk and Kaikeyi paid heed to her. What happened to them ultimately? They were put to disrepute. Today, do you find any woman bearing the name of Kaikeyi or Manthara? You come across women having the name Kausalya, but not Kaikeyi or Manthara. Keechaka cast evil looks on Draupadi, and consequently met his doom at the hands of Bhima. Do you find anybody having the name Keechaka? None. All those who indulge in evil talk and evil actions should be banished from this world. The Ramayana shows us the way to lead an ideal life. That is why people of all countries and all languages hold the Ramayana in high esteem. This sacred epic is ever new and ever inspiring. Its glory has not diminished even a bit with the

passage of time. It has stood the test of time because of the sacred ideals it stands for. Divine Will Is Supreme Once Anjana Devi, mother of Anjaneya, visited Kausalya at her residence. Kausalya enquired who she was. Anjana Devi introduced herself saying, I am themother of Anjaneya, who could cross over the mighty ocean in a leap. After some time, the mother of Sage Agastya also came there. On being asked, she introduced herself saying, I am the mother of the one who swallowed the entire ocean in one gulp. Then Kausalya said to them, Your sons could accomplish such stupendous tasks because of the mighty power of my son, Ramas name. As they were conversing, Rama appeared there and asked, Mother, what is it that you are discussing? Kausalya replied, Son, we are discussing the glory of Your name. Then Rama said, Mother, it is not because of My name, but because of My Will that they were able to perform such mighty tasks. There are many who chant My name, but are all of them able to reap its benefit? Purity of heart is very essential. The one with noble qualities of purity, patience and perseverance is verily God. Have the determination to uphold good and remain peaceful in the face of adversities. Dont aspire for name and fame. Keep your heart sacred. Have strong determination to do good. This is the sadhana you are supposed to do. Describing the greatness and grandeur of Ramas Divine power, Thyagaraja composed a beautiful song, Oh Rama, without Your Divine power, would a mere monkey cross the ocean? Would Lakshmana worship you! Would Lakshmi Devi, the goddess of wealth, become Your consort? Would the intelligent Bharata be subservient to You? Words are inadequate to describe Your Divine Power. People have been celebrating Ramas birthday for the past thousands of years, but are not able to give up their evil tendencies. Celebration of any festival becomes meaningful only when there is transformation in your heart.