The Ramayan- - Vaastuyogam · PDF fileA three part essay on the Ramayan on the ... One significant and popular element of the celebration is the Ramayana parayanaa, a ... Krishna ends

Ram Navami special

Greatness of Ram

A three part essay on the Ramayan on the

occasion of Ram Navami celebrated on 1st

April 2012.

One significant and popular element of the

celebration is the Ramayana parayanaa, a

discourse on the Ramayana, by a pundit or a

professional story-teller. It usually lasts nine

days, beginning on Ugadi and ending on

Rama Navami. A skilled story-teller who can

liven up the event by weaving in contemporary

events attracts massive crowds.

Vaastuyogam invites the Ramayan scholar

Shri Kowtha Lalith Manohar of Hyderabad to

present a small reading of the Ramayana.

If you give a donation to XYZ, they will surely

honour you and applaud you too. That is

common. But when your ardent enemy

praises you that is true greatness. That is

Rama.

To illustrate this I recount an interesting

episode involving Maricha, the demon who

escaped alive from Vishvamitra’s ashram

when Rama and Laxman mounted an attack

on the demons there.

Ravana, who was out for avenging his sister

Surpanakha’s humiliation by Laxman makes a

crafty plan. A golden deer would be used as a

decoy to lure away Ram and Laxman on a wild

chase. When both Rama and Laxman are

away from the ashram, Ravana will carry

away Sita. To execute this plan Ravana goes

to Maricha and asks him to join him in his plan

of abducting Sita by taking the form of

beautiful golden deer . For this Maricha says

“Why do you want to go anywhere near

Rama. He is the embodiment of dharma. If

you touch him, your entire dynasty will perish.

Moreover, he is without blemish! I besiege

you, Ravana, not to go near Rama.”

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The Ramayan-as retold by Shri Manoharji-Part 2

One must study the Ramayan texts and not just read them. The texts must be attended to with devotion, respect and discipline. We must read them as bhaktas (humble followers) and not as critics.

Lord Ram, Laxman and Ahilya

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The Killing of Vaali

Many questions are raised about the killing of

Vaali from behind the tree. People have

doubted the propriety of Rama killing Vaali

from behind the tree. Not just that, the point is

also made that Rama killed Vaali to buy the

allegiance of Sugreeva in his task of fighting

Ravana to get back his wife Sita. In

Ramayana, Vaali questioned Rama on this

and other principles of Dharma. Rama

answers all queries as per Dharma shastra to

the full satisfaction of Vaali.

Here Shri Manoharji offers a commentary on

the subject that highlights the fact that we

cannot escape from our

karmas.

In the Krishna avatar,

Krishna ends his Avatar

when an arrow shot by a

person from behind a bush

pierces his foot. At that time,

Krishna says that one

commits sins merrily, but

when the time to pay for

those sins comes, one starts

weeping. He adds, “I have

killed Vaali from behind a

tree in my avatar as Rama,

and now the time has come

for me to pay for that ” From

this incident, it will be clear that there is no

escape from your karma. You will have to pay

up in the next birth or the next or next to next

birth.

Unfortunately, most of the people do not know

Sanskrit and have to rely on translations,

comic books and television serials. There is

no harm in this, but the trouble is that much of

what Maharishi Valmiki – the poet author of

the work wants to convey is either lost or

watered down in these versions. In addition,

the translators cannot resist adding/altering

the text. The result is that the Ramayan that is

available in the popular versions and is the

How to read the Ramayana?

one that is read and known by the public

differs from the original work at some places.

I must clarify here that I have read only the

Sanskrit texts and I know that it is not possible

for everyone to do so. The next best thing is to

hear the Ramayan in a formal way by sitting in

a Katha(organised discourse) session being

held by a true and learned person who has

studied the original texts and immersed

himself in the Ramayan.

Having said that, I must add that to really

understand the life and times of Ram, reading

only the Ramayan by Valmiki is not enough.

There are other Ramayans available. Ananda

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Unfortunately, most of the people do not know Sanskrit and have to rely on translations, comic books and television serials. There is no harm in this, but the trouble is that much of what Maharishi Valmiki – the poet author of the work - wants to convey is totally either lost or watered down in these versions. In addition, the translators cannot resist adding/altering the text. The result is that the Ramayan that is available in the popular versions and is the one that is read and known by the public is very different from the original work.

Ravana

continued from page 9

The Rameshwaram Temple, Tamilnadu

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continued from page 10

Ramayana, Adbhuta Ramayana, Aascharya

Ramayana etc., authored by Valmiki. One

must study all these sacred texts and

corroborate the events.

One must study the Ramayana texts not just

for reading sake. The text must be attended to

with devotion, respect and discipline. We must

read them as bhaktas (humble followers) and

not as critics. We must analyse the texts

deeper and deeper to ensure that we get the

correct and complete picture. I am reading the

Ramayana for the 65th time now and each

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time I read it, my perception of the events

described matures.

During these studies, definitely, doubts will

arise and at such time, one can refer to some

excellent commentaries on the texts that are

available. I myself refer to – among others –

Commentaries of Govindaraja, Maheshtirdha

and Tilakam. In their different ways, they have

tried to understand and explain the great texts.

Here again, there are several areas where

logic will not work and one must then repose

faith in what is stated rather than arguing the

issue ad-infinitum.

There are no readymade solutions. You have

to enter first and then find your way.

Practical tips on reading the Ramayan

Most modern adult Indians nurse the misconception that India is a country of poverty, sickness and defeat because we have wasted time on religion and the reading of the Vedas and Puranas. Using this as reason enough, we have in a wholesale way thrown away true religion from our lives.

However, as someone who has been reading

the Ramayan for practically the whole of his

life I would recommend the following course

as a beginning:-

You should do the parayana(ritual reading

aloud of the Ramayan)aloud for half an hour

every day, preferably at the start of your day.

You could begin from Bal Ramayan. It

contains about a hundred stanzas and if you

can read the Devnagri scripts, plenty true and

impartial translations are available. My

grandchildren chant them regularly.

To complete the Ramayan – if you study it for

half an hour every day – could take you up to

40 to 60 days depending on your speed.

Nevertheless, the time taken for reading the

Ramayan is irrelevant. What is important is

how much you are reflecting upon what you

read, as you are reading it. Also, try retaining

the essence of the subject in your mind and

soul.

Most modern adult Indians nurse the

misconception that India is a country of

poverty, sickness and defeat because we

have wasted time on religion and the reading

of the Vedas and Puranas. Using this as

reason enough, we have in a wholesale way

thrown away true religion from our lives.

If you want to have nuclear scientists, or

metallurgical engineers how would you go

How can we regenerate sincere interest in the

Ramayan?

Shri Kowtha Lalith Manoharji of Hyderabad

Battle At Lanka Ramayana

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continued from page 11

about it? Apart from the infrastructure of high

quality teachers and well-equipped schools

and colleges, at a personal level we have to

give the child/person 12 to 14 hours of

intensive study for the first three to five years

and that to be followed by regular, systematic

application of mind and body. So too, we must

pursue the study of Ramayan with rigour and

enthusiasm.

However, for this to happen, the parents of the

new generation must be convinced that the

only way to salvation lies in our ancient

scriptures like the Ramayan. The root of the

problem is the parents themselves; because

it is they who are the true de-motivators. It is

they who won’t go for Sanskrit studies for their

children; it is they, who impress upon the child

that reading Ramayan will get him nowhere,

that apart from the curriculum studies of the

school - the child should first concentrate on

sports, cultural activities, travel and so on and

so forth , and that studying the scriptures can

wait.

The parents will have to inculcate in the child

the idea that money is not the be-all and end-

all of life. It is they who will have to encourage

the child to do things that do not necessarily

add up to a career move. It is up to them to

teach the child that money is only a means to

an end and not an end by itself. That true

happiness and well-being cannot be achieved

by merely chasing material goals. That the

first goal to be attained is contentment; that a

true happy life and after-life will be achieved

by regular and purposeful reading of

Ramayana and other holy scriptures and

imbibe the Dharmic thoughts and habits and

put them in daily practice.

The third instalment of this series shall appear

in our Dasera issue, later on during the year.

Under the tutelage of my grandfather, I started reading

the Valmiki Ramayan every day from my fourteenth

year onwards. From that day I have been reading it

daily, without a break. In fact, my day begins with the

Ramayan. I have already read 64 times and am on my

65th reading. ( Of course , I was able to read the Valmiki

Ramayan because , in my very early childhood I had

learnt Sanskrit in the traditional gurukula style.)

While this was going on , one day an eighty year old

gentleman knocked on the doors of my house with a

strange proposition. As I got up from my puja he fell on

my feet. I was startled and requested him to rise,

adding “Sir, you are an eighty year old man whereas I am only forty; please don’t

punish me like this!” (Our shastras say that if an elderly Brahmin falls at the feet of a

younger person, it cuts off the life of that person.)

He then made a most astonishing proposition. He said, “I want to give my daughter to

you.” I replied that I was married and had three daughters myself. I warned the

gentleman that my wife would be coming out any moment and should she get to know

of this conversation, both he and I would be thrown out of the house. Then he said, “I

want to give my Kaavya Kanya to you”. Then I said, please come inside the house we

will talk. After the initial formalities he began his story:-

“My father-in-law got the Ramayana written by hand . He read this for 108 times and

then gave it to me with the instructions that when the time comes I , too, must hand it

over to a deserving candidate; someone who would study it religiously on a daily

basis.”

“I have been searching for a deserving candidate for over six months now and in you, I

have found him. For seven days I have kept watch on you and observed you doing the

parayanaa (ritual reading aloud of the Ramayana) in the mornings. I had my doubts,

whether a wealthy person would have the discipline and humility to pursue the

Ramayana diligently, but now I have satisfied myself”

I had been told that doing the parayanaa on a handwritten scroll is 100 times more

powerful than doing on a printed book. Therefore, I was overjoyed at this prospect of

receiving a handwritten scroll for my parayanaa. I consulted my father and other

pundits. On a day with the star, Punarvasu the birth star of Sri Rama I went to the

house of this old man and received the scroll as a Maha Prasada from Lord Sri Rama.

As is my practice, before starting anything new I went to my mentor His Holiness Sri

Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Swami at Kanchi to take his permission and

blessings before starting the parayanaa on the scrolls. I must add here that the

Paramacharya of Kanchi stayed in my house for four months in 1968 and I have

observed him from close quarters and accept him as a living God. As it happened, the

Shankracharya was on a maunavrata ( not speaking to anyone)that day. However,

there is an exception to the maunavrata rules; speaking in Sanskrit. When I narrated

the whole story to him, immediately he asked, “Does it have six Kaandas or seven? I

replied that there were six. He was happy with the answer, as the seventh kanda is not

for study but only for reading to know the contents. The Shankaracharya then kept the

scrolls on his head and then gave them to me with some fruits that he put on the

scrolls. He said, “Go ahead! Do your parayanaa on this” After his blessings I returned

home and from then on have been doing my parayanaa on these scrolls.

The Handwritten Scrolls

Shri Manoharji

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