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Ramayana vignettes: Ramayana is an epic poem scripted by a humble self

The epic poem perpetuates itself through its perfect characters

Srimad Ramayana was scripted by the harbinger poet Valmiki Maharshi, extolling the lives of Sree Raman, the acharya of Thredayugam, and his consort Sita Devi. This epic poem runs through veins of Bharat a millennium after like the eternal Ganges. This is why Ramayana is relevant.

Ma Nishada (Nay wild hunter), the heart-rending call by Valmiki, is the unwrapping of the first sloka of Ramayana. Valmiki heard the wail of a male bird, darted down by the hunter. It fell to the ground, bathed in innocent blood. The piteous cry of its female companion melted the heart of Valmiki and it welled up in pity and grief and he uttered Ma Nishada in this state of shoka (patho).

Ramayana originated about 17 lakh years ago. Its crux is the compendium of actions and morals reflecting the lives Rama, the son of Dasaradha, emperor of Ayodha, and Sita. Rama walked in to the depths of Sarayu River, marking the finale to a life of extreme pain and suffering, unabated like waves of the ocean. Sita Devi sank into the bosom of mother earth.

It is interesting how this colossal tragedy, unlike tales with happy endings, came to acquire immortality. The epic poem perpetuates itself through its perfect characters. Ramayana is also the spectacle of the creation, ranging from Lord Ram to the unknowing monkeys of Kishkinta, accomplishing their dharma. Ramayana also reveals what is destined will happen and none other than God is perfect and ultimately goodness will triumph. Another hallmark of Ramayana is the stress on living in complete harmony with nature.

Athyatam Ramayana is like the sarvoar that supplies holy water to ordinary mortals, immersed in temporal matters. Reading Ramayana during Karkidakam has been an abiding tradition with us. It is also undisputed that this primeval epic bears out the dharmic dimension of human lives and it will forever remain in the soul of Bharat.

Ramayana also teaches us that whoever adheres to dharma and its attainment through trials, tribulations and uncertainties in this ephemeral life shall live forever.

(The swami is Organizing Secretary, Santhigiri Ashram)

( Source : deccan chronicle )
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