Raghurama Rama

“Mara”… “Mara”… “Mara”… “Mara”… “Mara”… Rathnakara began meditating upon this word, after the divine sages enlightened him.

The hot sands of the River Godavari made it impossible for Sanka to walk any further. He panted for breath unable to cover steps. The scorching heat was just a little away from burning his tender skin. He used his upper cloth to protect his exposed scalp from the heat. Just when he was adapting to the heat, a bandit crossed his path and stopped him.

“Give me all your belongings, else you will not leave alive”, the bandit threatened.

Sanka was no ordinary traveller. He was a man of knowledge and wisdom. He had mastered the various spiritual inscriptions and texts. He could see through one’s past, present and future so clearly, as if someone broadcasted it for him.

Sanka told the bandit that, he was a poor scholar who carried nothing but only knowledge with him.

“Robbing me or even killing me would serve no purpose for you”, Sanka confessed.

The bandit was adamant and began searching Sanka himself.

All that he found was a tiny copper coin strung to his holy thread, a few coins in his upper cloth and a few books. The bandit took away everything from him.

He commanded him to give away his sandals and used his upper cloth to tie the items he had collected into a knot.

Sanka handed it all over without resisting. He was left with his loin cloth and continued his journey. The heat of the scorching sun made it impossible for Sanka to walk barefoot. He began jumping on one foot at a time, favourably enough, and changing it at intervals as the sands of the Godavari burnt his foot. He was completely unsure if he would reach his destination alive. 

“Wait!” screamed the bandit aloud.

Sanka looked back unsure, as to what was in wait for him.

“Here, take your sandals and go”. “Be happy for I have spared your life”, he repeated.

The Brahmin scholar looked at him and said, “The good deeds of your past is responsible for sparing some sympathy in your present life and hence you offered my sandals back”.

“Can you read the past and present”, questioned the bandit.

“I can read the future too”, replied the holy man.

“I know what your past was”.  “I know what your future will be like”, replied Sanka.

“Recite to me my past and future”, the bandit ordered.

The bandit accompanied him on his walk, taking him to a grove. They rested there for a while and the holy-man took a dip in the pond to cool his body. Savouring on the wood apples, the bandit had got him; he began to tell him, his past.

“You were no ruffian, but a holy man. Indeed a man of great knowledge”. You had learnt grammar well and could recite the sacred texts without help. Your mastery over spiritual texts scared even the well learned. They feared you for your prosody. You gave expositions in grammar and literature”.

“Your wife was a pious and kind hearted woman. Your life was well lived and envious to anyone who saw you both together”.

“One day, you walked into a courtesan in a temple. You picked up the flower that dropped on the ground from her hair. She used this as a trick to attract wealthy men. When all others ignored, you fell for her fatal appearance”.

“You left your divine life for her. Your association with her ended your life of nobility. You left your wife and accumulated the package of bad sins”.

“You enjoyed great life with her for a few days,but, you developed a disease!”

“You developed inflammation in your skin. It slowly spread all over your body and face. They turned into blisters which oozed secretions and blood. Your skin turned dark and scarred.  Your hair and teeth began to fall. You looked no more youthful”.

 “She could not stand your appearance anymore. She kept you like a maid in the house”.

 “One day you were completely paralyzed”.

 “Even after neglecting your wife, she took you back in this state and nursed you”.

“She took the help of a passer-by physician who made a concoction of various herbs and fed you. You began to get cured slowly”.

“While one day she was feeding you, you recklessly bit her little finger and choked on it, as it obstructed your wind pipe. You died thinking of the courtesan”.

“Your wife gave up her life entering the fire”.

“Your past deeds have resulted in you becoming a bandit in this life. A life of being aloof and reckless, but the good deed  of knowledge, made you have sympathy towards me”, the scholar concluded.

The bandit looked helpless and shed tears. Sanka continued.

“The bad deeds that you have accumulated in this birth will continue into your next birth. But do not worry, you will meet good people and your life will change in your next birth”, Sanka assured.

Pracheta was a sage who was seduced by the Nagakanya. She bore a son and abandoned him. He was brought up by a hunter. He named him Rathnakara. He was well equipped in archery and his aim would never miss. His ever growing family and children, created an inadequacy to support financially. He became a highway man, robbing travellers of gold and money and murdered them, if they opposed to give him any.  

Once the seven great sages finished their heavenly journey and were travelling. When they passed the forest, Rathnakara stopped them and threatened them to part with their valuables.

“Does this materialistic world give you pleasure?” asked the divine sage to Rathnakara.

“Yes it does. I have growing family and I need the money to fulfil the duty of a husband and a father”, he replied.

“Does your wife and children share the sins of your birth with you?” The sage questioned again.

“Yes, indeed, when they share everything, I bring home, they will share the sins too”, he replied, rather confidently.

“Well then, we will wait for you to return. You may now go and ask your family, if they would share your bad deeds/karma?” the sage suggested.

“What if you run away?”  Rathnakara asked.

“Well, we are sages. We will not move an inch until you come back with the suitable answer”, the sage replied.

When Rathnakara returned, his face was tired and distressed.

“What should I do now?”

“My wife and children laughed at my question. My wife disagreed to take my burden of bad sins”, he replied.

“We have a solution to your problem”, the divine sages replied.

“Sit under this tree and chant Mara…Mara…Mara..”

“Do not stop until we return. But we promise to return”, they said so and left.

Mara… Mara… Mara… as he continued, the repetitions fused together to become “Rama” “Rama”… “Rama”…

He continued for many long years. (One cannot measure the passage of time in this context).

When the sages retuned they couldn’t see him anywhere, but the repetitions of “Rama” was continuously heard. They found an anthill in the vicinity from where the sound dissipated.

They broke the anthill and called him.

Rathnakara had become emaciated. His bones were visible. His face was covered with scalp hair and beard. He appeared radiant.

“When the materialistic world became a priority to Rathnakara, he was enlightened towards the path of righteousness”. 

He was named “Valmiki”- the one who came out of Valmika- “the anthill” (In Sanskrit Valmika stands for anthill).

Valmiki continued his penance and good deeds in a small ashram in the forest. One day he questioned the Sage Narada on the existence of the most virtuous, learned, compassionate, beautiful, humble, free from anger, respectful, honest and follower of dharma. It was on the insight he received from the sage that Valmiki composed the great epic in the form of Kavya (poetry) with Sri Rama in the lead role. The epic is not just the story of Sriman Narayana’s avatar, but also holds the substance of Vedas, Upanishads and Shastras, which is why the story of Sri Rama is called Srimad Ramayana

Born into the Ikshvaku race, the son of King Dasaratha, “Rama” beholds a very special place in the hearts of his devotees. His avatar is an amalgamation of numerous aspects of one’s life. “Right from showing obedience towards a father, respecting a step mother’s decision, vanquishing demons for a teacher/guru, being a gentle lover and husband to a wife, protecting the life of  a brother, paying a visit to his great devotee Sabari, fulfilling Jatayu’s desire to die on his lap, liberating demons and cursed maidens, becoming friends with Sugreeva, killing Vaali to keep up a promise, being affectionate and caring about his foremost devotee Hanuman, defeating Ravana and liberating him from his earthly form, to finally bringing back peace and harmony, the character Rama is brilliantly etched by the “Adi Kavi Valmiki”. 

The avatar of Sri Rama was Sriman Narayana’s fantastic portrayal of becoming a complete human and never showing himself as an avatar.  There were many chances for him to portray himself as an avatar with enough powers to destroy the evil and restore honour, but “Rama” never chose that path. He accomplished it all step by step.

The Ramayana is a master piece in the literary composition and it is enriched with life lessons on human actions, reactions and motives which are applicable for all times in life. Not only do we see the many Ravanas in day to day life, be it in political field or economic power or even in the humblest families, we also see many “Ramas” striving to establish a balance in the system.

Article by Dr. Anitha Chakravarthy