SPOTLIGHTS ON THE RAMAYANAM -13. Sri Swami Premananda
=====================================================================
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, May 19, 2020.
SPOTLIGHTS ON THE RAMAYANAM -13. Sri Swami Premananda
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
Before returning, Hanuman was caught by the henchmen of Ravana who tried to burn him alive but Hanuman assumed a huge form and in turn caused enormous damage to Lanka. WhenRavana’s brother Vibhishana advised Ravana to return the captive, Ravana disgracefully turned him out of the court. Thus Vibhishana surrendered to Lord Rama and became his devotee for ever.
-------------------------------------------------------
2,
Rama did not take any precipitate action. An emissary, Angada, son of Bali, was sent to the
court of Ravana asking for the return of Sita to avoid bloodshed. Angada was told by Ravana that he would prefer a fight to avenge the dishonour done to his sister than to patch up by returning Sita.
--------------------------------------------------------
3.
Vibhishana had joined the forces of Rama and with the help of king Sugreeva, a huge army
was raised and a bridge laid across the sea to reach Lanka. Feverish preparations followed on both sides but before starting the war Rama sought the blessings of Lord Siva for his success. Hanuman was asked to bring the idol of Lord Siva from a particular holy place but the Brahmins said that the Yajna could not be performed by Lord Rama unless his wife was by his side. Amessage was sent to Ravana to spare Sita for a short while so that worship could be performed according to the scriptural rites. There lies the greatness of the foe who agreed to send Sita temporarily and equally the magnanimity of Rama who duly returned her after the Lord had been worshipped.
----------------------------------------------
4.
There are instances after instances which point to the ideal character of not only Lord Rama
but of many individuals, especially the main actors who participated in this drama. It is difficult to
decide who excels whom. Even a tribal woman who wanted to entertain Rama by offering him
plums, tasted each to ensure that only the sweet ones were eaten by the Lord, although it is refuted by some scholars giving a different meaning as Lord Rama is considered Maryada Purushottama. Friends, foes, brothers, devotees and others all leave an indelible impression upon the mind of the reader and tender ideal advice about one’s duty in a variety of human situations. In fact almost all conceivable situations have been covered and without being didactic, the advise dawns upon the person through a concrete example.
--------------------------------------------------
5.
I leave it to scholars to conduct research and find out the veracity of various incidents,
persons and places. The grain is to see how a particular individual acted in a given situation, and
draw lessons therefrom. As Longfellow sang :
Lives of great men all remind us.
We can make our lives sublime.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
6.
The day of reckoning arrived and the great battle began between the forces of good and evil.
There were many ups and downs in the battle. At one point Lakshmana was mortally wounded and there were less chances for his survival. But he was revived by the Sanjivini herb brought by
Hanuman from the Himalayas. Thousands of Vanaras of Rama’s Army were killed by Meghnatha, the son of Ravana, who at last was slain in the battle by Lakshmana. Ahiravana, another son of Ravana, who was in the Patal Loka took away Rama and Lakshmana through his Maya to be sacrificed at the altar of Devi. However, they were rescued by Hanuman, and Ahiravana was killed by Hanuman. Kumbhakarana, a great warrior and brother of Ravana, was also killed by Lord Rama on the battlefield.
----------------------------------------------------------
7.
Ravana was a bitter foe and a man of miracles. It is said that he could assume many forms
and bodies. Rama was hard put to finish him off. Eventually, his brother Vibhishana let out the
secret that Rama should shoot an arrow at his navel which contained the elixir of his life and unless the elixir was drained off Ravana would not die.
----------------------------------------------------'
8.
At last the end came and Ravana fell dead on the ground. Sita was rescued and taken to
Ayodhya in Pushpaka Vimana, an aerial car. They were received by the people of Ayodhya and brother Bharata who had ruled the country in his absence as a regent. Rama was crowned king amidst great rejoicings.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next- IV. IN WORLD LITERATURE
To be continued ...
==============================================================
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, May 19, 2020.
SPOTLIGHTS ON THE RAMAYANAM -13. Sri Swami Premananda
III.THE PLOT THICKENS -1.
Post-13.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
Before returning, Hanuman was caught by the henchmen of Ravana who tried to burn him alive but Hanuman assumed a huge form and in turn caused enormous damage to Lanka. WhenRavana’s brother Vibhishana advised Ravana to return the captive, Ravana disgracefully turned him out of the court. Thus Vibhishana surrendered to Lord Rama and became his devotee for ever.
-------------------------------------------------------
2,
Rama did not take any precipitate action. An emissary, Angada, son of Bali, was sent to the
court of Ravana asking for the return of Sita to avoid bloodshed. Angada was told by Ravana that he would prefer a fight to avenge the dishonour done to his sister than to patch up by returning Sita.
--------------------------------------------------------
3.
Vibhishana had joined the forces of Rama and with the help of king Sugreeva, a huge army
was raised and a bridge laid across the sea to reach Lanka. Feverish preparations followed on both sides but before starting the war Rama sought the blessings of Lord Siva for his success. Hanuman was asked to bring the idol of Lord Siva from a particular holy place but the Brahmins said that the Yajna could not be performed by Lord Rama unless his wife was by his side. Amessage was sent to Ravana to spare Sita for a short while so that worship could be performed according to the scriptural rites. There lies the greatness of the foe who agreed to send Sita temporarily and equally the magnanimity of Rama who duly returned her after the Lord had been worshipped.
----------------------------------------------
4.
There are instances after instances which point to the ideal character of not only Lord Rama
but of many individuals, especially the main actors who participated in this drama. It is difficult to
decide who excels whom. Even a tribal woman who wanted to entertain Rama by offering him
plums, tasted each to ensure that only the sweet ones were eaten by the Lord, although it is refuted by some scholars giving a different meaning as Lord Rama is considered Maryada Purushottama. Friends, foes, brothers, devotees and others all leave an indelible impression upon the mind of the reader and tender ideal advice about one’s duty in a variety of human situations. In fact almost all conceivable situations have been covered and without being didactic, the advise dawns upon the person through a concrete example.
--------------------------------------------------
5.
I leave it to scholars to conduct research and find out the veracity of various incidents,
persons and places. The grain is to see how a particular individual acted in a given situation, and
draw lessons therefrom. As Longfellow sang :
Lives of great men all remind us.
We can make our lives sublime.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
6.
The day of reckoning arrived and the great battle began between the forces of good and evil.
There were many ups and downs in the battle. At one point Lakshmana was mortally wounded and there were less chances for his survival. But he was revived by the Sanjivini herb brought by
Hanuman from the Himalayas. Thousands of Vanaras of Rama’s Army were killed by Meghnatha, the son of Ravana, who at last was slain in the battle by Lakshmana. Ahiravana, another son of Ravana, who was in the Patal Loka took away Rama and Lakshmana through his Maya to be sacrificed at the altar of Devi. However, they were rescued by Hanuman, and Ahiravana was killed by Hanuman. Kumbhakarana, a great warrior and brother of Ravana, was also killed by Lord Rama on the battlefield.
----------------------------------------------------------
7.
Ravana was a bitter foe and a man of miracles. It is said that he could assume many forms
and bodies. Rama was hard put to finish him off. Eventually, his brother Vibhishana let out the
secret that Rama should shoot an arrow at his navel which contained the elixir of his life and unless the elixir was drained off Ravana would not die.
----------------------------------------------------'
8.
At last the end came and Ravana fell dead on the ground. Sita was rescued and taken to
Ayodhya in Pushpaka Vimana, an aerial car. They were received by the people of Ayodhya and brother Bharata who had ruled the country in his absence as a regent. Rama was crowned king amidst great rejoicings.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next- IV. IN WORLD LITERATURE
To be continued ...
==============================================================
Comments
Post a Comment