Posts

Showing posts from March, 2015

THE RAMAYANAM : (Delivered at the Shakespeare Club, Pasadena, California, January 31, 1900)-3.

Image
Part-3 The eyes of the robber were opened. "That is the way of the world — even my nearest relatives, for whom I have been robbing, will not share in my destiny." He came back to the place where he had bound the sage, unfastened his bonds, fell at his feet, recounted everything and said, "Save me! What can I do?" The sage said, "Give up your present course of life. You see that none of your family really loves you, so give up all these delusions. They will share your prosperity; but the moment you have nothing, they will desert you. There is none who will share in your evil, but they will all share in your good. Therefore worship Him who alone stands by us whether we are doing good or evil. He never leaves us, for love never drags down, knows no barter, no selfishness." Then the sage taught him how to worship. And this man left everything and went into a forest. There he went on praying and meditating until he forgot himself so entirely that the...

Ramayanam : "Tattvam" -3.

Image
Part-3.  Sage Viswamitra is the first Guru of Lord Rama, who taught him the importance of a self disciplined, orderly life and discovering the leadership qualities to fight against evil and injustice. Thadaka is not a ‘woman demon’, but an evil mind which can destroy the harmony and unity in the society. Such a mind destroys the peace in others’ lives. In today’s world, Thadaka appears in the form of terrorists and racists. Let us discover the leadership  (Rama) in ourselves to unite and create a harmonious society. Now let us see the marriage of Rama and Seetha. When Rama broke the bow called Thrayambakam, Seetha garlanded Him and married Him. Marriage is not a union of two bodies and two minds. But it is the union of two principles guidance and leadership. The bow represents one’s own individual ego. When it breaks, selfishness in the mind transforms into selfless love. The role of woman in a married life is as a  guide and the role of man is to lead. That is...

Ramayanam : "Tattvam" - 2.

Image
Part-2 Ramayanam story begins from the kingdom of Ayodhya. King Dasaratha is suffering because of his impotency. Though he has three wives he was not blessed with children. Human psychology begins from here. All our sufferings are related to the lackness or some thing that we do not have in our lives. Spirituality is discovering or enquiring what we really have. Dasaratha conducts ‘Puthrakameshti Yagam’ and was blessed with ‘Payasam’ (holy offering). He distributed it among his wives. This blessing led to the birth of his FOUR children. This shows the importance of divine thoughts that manifest into the birth of noble children. The parents, as they constantly develop divine thoughts, their union gives birth to great and brave personalities. The importance of chanting and meditation is portrayed here. To be continued  ....

THE RAMAYANAM : (Delivered at the Shakespeare Club, Pasadena, California, January 31, 1900)-2.

Image
Part-2. The name of the poet or sage was Vâlmiki. Later on, a great many poetical stories were fastened upon that ancient poet; and subsequently, it became a very general practice to attribute to his authorship very many verses that were not his. Notwithstanding all these interpolations, it comes down to us as a very beautiful arrangement, without equal in the literatures of the world. There was a young man that could not in any way support his family. He was strong and vigorous and, finally, became a highway robber; he attacked persons in the street and robbed them, and with that money he supported his father, mother, wife, and children. This went on continually, until one day a great saint called Narada was passing by, and the robber attacked him. The sage asked the robber, "Why are you going to rob me? It is a great sin to rob human beings and kill them. What do you incur all this sin for?" The robber said, "Why, I want to support my family with this mo...

Ramayanam : "Tattvam"-1.

Image
Happy Ramanavmi to all  ... Part-1.  Though we know the story of Ramayanam, very few go deeper and think scientifically, logically or rationally about the characters in this Holy Text.Here we are making an effort to analyze Ramayanam psychologically and along with the social system so that we can learn and practise Ramayanam in our lives. In short, Ramayanam has got an important role and relevance in our present life.      Ramayanam contains so many characters. Each one’s behaviour, action, attitude and wisdom differs from person to person. This shows that every human mind is different and unique. Most people suffer because of their constant competition and comparison with other minds. So, discover your own inner uniqueness and potentiality. Don’t look at other minds and waste your time. You will miss a great opportunity to expand and explore.     Medical Science says, human behaviour varies because of the hormonal imbalance in the body...

THE RAMAYANAM : (Delivered by at the Shakespeare Club, Pasadena, California, January 31, 1900)-1

Image
Part-1. There are two great epics in the Sanskrit language, which are very ancient. Of course, there are hundreds of other epic poems. The Sanskrit language and literature have been continued down to the present day, although, for more than two thousand years, it has ceased to be a spoken language. I am now going to speak to you of the two most ancient epics, called the Ramayanam  and the Mahabharatam. They embody the manners and customs, the state of society, civilisation, etc., of the ancient Indians. The oldest of these epics is called Ramayanam, "The Life of Rama". There was some poetical literature before this — most of the Vedas, the sacred books of the Hindus, are written in a sort of metre — but this book is held by common consent in India as the very beginning of poetry. Swami Vivekananda To be continued  .... Sri Ramakrishna Mission