"I was wondering, if ever there was a man, who was perfect in all respects, endowed with the best qualities of head and heart that Your Father in Heaven, the Creator, Brahma had created". The speaker of these profound words was a man well into the sunset years of his life, a deep and venerable man, a great Rishi , who had been a dacoit at some point of life, and who had transformed himself into one of the greatest sages of all time by the power of Chanting of God's name. He was in the august company of another ageless peerless Rishi, a Rishi who though much much older , still looked as if was in the prime of his Youth, a Rishi who was born out of the mind of Brahma, the Creator, at the dawn of creation . Thus begins the enchanting dialogue between Maharshi(The Great Rishi) Valmiki and Devarshi(Celestial Rishi)Narada , and what do they converse....They converse about the PERFECT MAN ..The Man, whose story would be immortal as long as the Mountains stood in their deep meditation, and the rivers flowed singing myriad tunes to meet their Lover, the Mahasamudra - The Great Ocean)..they converse in a world which was much younger and much less corrupted than we live, during the Treta Yuga.
"What is this perfection you speak of, What are these Qualities that you speak of, tell me those qualities, and let me see if I can tell you if ever there was such a man with all these qualities"....Devarshi Narad replied.
"Ok, so its this : Integrity, Bravery, Righteousness, gratitude, Truthfullness, dedication to ones principles, character without blemish, concern for all living beings, learning,skill, beauty, a pleasing appearance, courage, radiance, ability to keep anger under control,perfect control, absolute lack of jealousy at all times, undaunted heroism which can frighten even the Celestials", Valmiki , then added , "Too big a list, and certainly impossible to find in a mere mortal man".
Narada didnt reply immediately, he hummed onto to the strings of his vina, as if lost in a deep reverie. Then , slowly coming out of that meditative stillness, he draws Valmiki near to him, as if he wanted to say a Deep Secret... "Oh Valmiki, indeed in this very age, was such a man born, a man who has erased the thin Border between the Divine and the Human..He is God come down as Man, and also as Man who has elevated himself unto the beatitude of God".... Valmiki, was too stunned for a moment to even question about the identity of this man, finally gathering the courage of ages, he asked, "And who is this man"..."Rama, The son of The Great Emperor Dasharath, the Prince of Ayodhya"...Narada quipped.
Much time has elapsed after that conversation, Much water has flown down the River Tamasa, along whose bank Valmiki and Narada had this fascinating conversation. The present age , has different standards of gauging perfection, rather the bylines of our age read perfection as "Nobody is perfect, I am nobody"...Having been born and brought up in a land which has revered Michael Madhusudhan Dutta as one of the founding fathers of Bengali Renessaince, and as an extension have eulogised his magnum opus Meghnad Bodh Kabbyo(The slaying of Meghnad), I had all along heard glorifying accounts of Indrajeet and his father Ravana, and demeaning description of Rama .. Indrajeet was the brave one(although he fought from a thick cover of clouds using sorcery and Maya) and Rama the despicable coward(The prince who fought barefoot , on the ground without even a chariot, fighting for the cause of his abducted wife). Popular Urban Lore in Bengal,and sadly now even India, has potrayed Ravana as a noble, large hearted Dravidian king, who abducted someone's wife, only to avenge the humiliation of his little sister at the Hands of arrogant Aryan princes, and who treated the abductee with intense honour and compassion...Why then did our ancients portray Ram as none else other than the Supreme Godhead , the Paramatman of the Yogis, the Brahman of the Advaitins, the Ishwara of the Bhaktas.
Lets do some story reading now, leaving aside all Theorizing. After all why has this Man been revered by generations of humanity from India to Sumatra/Bali?
Rama the Compassionate : KarunaSagar(Ocean of Mercy) :
The great war in Lanka was about to start. Rama, the xiled prince of Ayodhya had assembled a rag tag army of monkeys and bears, built a rocky bridge across the ocean and crossed into Lanka, the very same Lanka, where not even the wind moved without the permission of the Great Ravana- The one who made the worlds cry out of fear. Ravana was stupefied, he had ignored his enemy as that of a few monkeys led by a princeling. He sent his spies to get every available intelligence about the enemy. The spies dressed up as monkeys sneaked into the Monkey camp. They were happily doing their recee, covert operation whatever U say, when they were caught by Vibishana, Ravana's disowned brother.The monkeys , the wild folks of the forest, quick to come to blows didnt let this opportunity pass. The spies were beaten up, tied to a flag pole, and were about to be executed. However Rama interceded. Leave them alone, he said. Let them go through our rank and file, let them see all that they have to see, and hear all that they have to hear. Then let them run away from here. Go my friends, go back to your King and Report all that you have to, and also tell him, that even if he were to put a ocean of Stars between himself and me, yet nothing will be able to save him from me. So said the Lord of an army which was, atleast resource wise , extremely disproportionate to one of the mightiest armies of that age.
It was the aftermath of the Great war between Rama and Ravana. Lanka was vanquished. Ravana, the terror of the three worlds was gone. The devas , came down from their celestial world , and out of deep gratitude offered Rama any boon that he desired, absolutely anything. The Prince of light could have the riches of heaven if he desired, the portals of Heavens were open for him. Not only did Rama not ask for anything for him, he asked the gods to bring back to life those numerous monkeys and bears who had died fighting for him. The thought of their wives wailing and their children orphaned, or their aged parents left at the mercy of fortitude sent shivers of pain in him even before the start of this war.
The Devas were only too happy to oblige, they got back the Vanaras to life , and also to oblige Rama they blessed them that wherever the Vanaras stay, they will never face shortage of Fresh Water and Delicious Fruits.
Such was the greatness of Rama, whatever He did, was always for the good of many, for the welfare of many.
Rama : The Epitome of Truth :
Even now, when we wish to allude to truthfulness, we refer to Rama . The Prince, who joyfully cast aside his claims to a Kingdom and embraced the life of a wandering hermit just to uphold the Truth. Just to ensure that his father didn't have to become untruthful by being overpowered by his great love for his Son. Well, the story is so common, that I wouldn't write it down again.
Rama : The equanimous :
Equanimity is a quality rarely seen in an individual. Gusts of joy and misery sway most of us dangerously, thus rendering us at the mercy of divergent emotions. In the life of Rama, we find an inspiration to be free from these vissictitudes of Life. Rama has been described by the Adi Kavi(Original poet) Valmiki as "Sada Prasannam"..Always Blissful, with a joyous face.
It was a momentous occasion in Rama's life. He had been declared as Crown prince of Ayodhya, his coronation was just round the corner. Everybody was rapturous with Joy. However Rama, was his usual self, not a trace of super-excitedness was visible in him. People just couldnt make out seeing him that something remarkable had happened.The scene shifts in the very next day. Message pours in that under pressure to keep his word to his second Queen, King Dasharath has agreed to Crown her son Bharata as the crown prince and Banish Rama to exile for fourteen long years. While the entire kingdon was weeping and wailing at this news, Rama was still "Prasanna Vadanam", there was no change in the joyfulness in his face. He was as unaffected by this news, as he was by the news of his coronation. And he didnt have even a word of regret; nor did he play up the victim. Rather , he was excited at this God given opportunity to spend fourteen long years in the company of sages and enjoy the wild beauty of nature.
Rama : The Selfless
The war had ended, and so had the 14 long years of exile stipulated for Rama . A victorious Rama was returning to Ayodhya, in order to honour his promise to his Little Brother Bharata, who meant more than his life to him. Bharata, who was as per Kaikeyi's condition to be crowned prince of Ayodhya, while Rama spent his time in the jungle, was leading a life of a hermit, while he ruled Ayodhya from a small village called Nandigram as the regent of Rama. Such was his Love and dedication for Rama. The lure of Power and wealth could never affect an iota the glory and greatness of this Great Soul. When the exile ended, Rama remembered that Bharata had told him at the beginning of his exile, "All these 14 years, I will serve as your regent and administer Ayodhya, while your Sandals will actually rule over it. But at the end of 14 years, if you delay for even a day to return and relieve me of this burden, I will give up my life". As Rama came near Ayodhya, he made a halt at the hermitage of a great Rishi called Vasistha.While the others enjoyed at the hermitage , at the August Spiritual presence of this great sage, Rama called aside Hanuman, and asked him to travel to Nandigram incognito and in disguise and meet Bharata. Hanuman was to convey to Bharata the return of Rama. He was to discreetly notice if any change came over Bharata at this news, if he let out even the slightest sign of disappointment. If that happened, Rama would immediately return to the jungle and spend his remaining days in the Blissful union of God and Nature; he would be more than Happy if his brother wanted to enjoy the kingdom.
Want to know how the story goes , how Bharata responded. When he got to know of this news, not only was there no disappointment in him, he went mad with joy..He literally smothered Hanuman with kisses. :) In this age, where we see two brothers fighting with each other for the control of a Business empire, such selfless love will be like a Light House beaming inspiration for ages to come.
Rama : The Unshakable One
Ayodhya had been plunged into an ocean of sorrow because of the foolishness of one woman; Driven to smite by the ill machinations of her servant Manthara, queen Kaikeyi had been succesful in banishing Rama .Sita and Lakhsmana to the forest for fourteen years, while securing the Royal throne for her son Bharata. The aged king Dasharata had died of a broken heart, taking the name of his beloved son Rama.
Elated and exuberant at her complete victory, Kaikeyi now waited impatiently for the return of her son Bharata, who unaware of this great tragedy , was spending His days at the kingdom of His maternal grandfather in far off Kekaya. On return , and after comprehending the enormity of what had happened, the Great Bharata felt like a mighty tree which had been chopped off with massive blows. His rage towards His mother was like the great fire of Pralaya that consumes entire creation. Not only did He not reject the throne, He amassed his entire army, and placing the Royal Guru Vasistha at the head of the retinue, along with the Queens of Dasharath and the citizenry of Ayodhya , along with His brother Shatrughna journeyed towards the Pristine forests of Chitrakuta, where Rama had set up His Hermitage.
Arriving there, Bharata fell at the feet of His brother with tears in His eyes like a forlorn child jumps to the lap of his mother . Rama took Bharata onto His lap and kissed His forehead, exactly like a Mother. The reunion of the four brothers was a sight for even the celestials to witness , such love, devotion, respect and selfleness was lacking even in the Devloka. After the initial reunion, the sharing of the heart breaking news of the death of their Father, the completion of the last rites for the deceased emperor, now the work for which Bharata and His retinue had come this far commenced. Bharata made an impassionate speech before all to Rama goading Him to return to Ayodhya. Every nuance of debate, logic , Dharma was put forward by the Great one to Rama. But all these were of no avail. Rama had counter arguments for everything that was said to Him. he was as great a warrior as He was a debater, He wielded the Celestial weapons with as great ease, as He did arguments and counter arguments. Bharata now tried a different approach, He reasoned with Rama, "This kingdom was given to me for the satisfaction of my mother. I am bestowing it back on you. Enjoy it without any obstacles.Like a dyke bursts under pressure by the great surge of waters during the rainy season, this vast kingdom cannot be sustained by any one except yourself.". Rama was now overcome by emotion witnessing this pure selfless love of His brother , but He was a Lord of His senses. After all Dharma was supreme to Him. What He said at that day, remains a ready reckoner for us all, "In a mighty ocean, two pieces of logs meet one another, float together and in due course get separated. In the same way wives, sons, relatives and riches remain together for some time and thereafter get separated. Their separation is certain. Thus O best of men, having seen the auspicious life of our father Dasharatha and his conduct, you also stick to your own duty.You will go back to Ayodhya, I will enter the Dandaka forest accompanied only by Sita and Lakshmana ".
The arguments went on and on, finally when Bharata saw that he was not able to make Rama change His mind, He drew His ultimate weapon, He pleaded with their Guru and the Royal preceptor Mahrishi Vashista, the sage who was worshipped even by the devas to intervene. The great Vasistha, who till now had been following with great pride the arguments and counter arguments of these two favourite disciples of his , now intervened. In measured tones, he told Rama that every Man has three preceptors, His parents and his Guru. Of these three the Guru is the greatest, because although the parents give birth and bring up the child, the Guru imparts wisdom, which ultimately helps a man cross the ocean of Samsara. Thus it was Rama's Dharma to accede to his request, and return to Ayodhya for the sake of His aged mothers, as also for the citizenry which felt like an orphaned child at His exile. But here also Rama proved to be of a different mettle altogether. Although He had always worshipped His Guru like divinity itself, He was Unshakable in His resolve to stand by the promise He had made to His father, and in a nuanced tone, He said that to Vasistha.
Bharata , who now understood that Rama wouldn't return to Ayodhya,instead took the sandals of Rama , anointed them as the emperor of Ayodhya and returned back to His Kingdom. Like Rama , He also started living like an ascetic in a small village near Ayodhya, from where He ruled the glorious Ayodhya as Rama's agent. Even He was unshakable in execution of His Dharma.
Well it has been said of Rama,"Vajradapi Kathorani,Mriduni Kusumadapi". "Firmer than the thunderbolt, softer than a flower". The Life of Rama shows us that a person must stick to His Dharma, the ideals which define her/him , even if the whole world tries to pull her/him away from it. Not even the gods in heaven should be able to deviate us from it. It is only the relentless pursuit of our Dharma, without compromise that makes a man a World Mover.
Rama -
The Valiant
It was
the 14th and final year of exile of the Kosala Princes. Shri Ram ,along with
his wife Devi Sita who followed him faithfully in weal and in woe,
just as the star Rohini always follows the moon, and His dedicated brother
Laxman, were spending their time peacefully at their serene
forest hermitage of Panchavati, on the banks of the pristine River
Godavari. The river was surrounded by trees with flowers in
bloom, filled with flocks of swans, ducks and ruddy geese. It was a veritable
piece of paradise.
One
day, at this abode of peace and serenity arrived the evil
Shurpanakha , the sharp nailed one, the Sister of the
Terrible Rakshasa King Ravana who was the scourge of the three
worlds and who made even the Devas shiver in fear in their high
heavens. Shurpanakha was carried away by the unearthly beauty of the two Kosala
Brothers, and decided to have the elder one as her husband at any cost. However
all her persuasion were in vain, and as revenge, she rushed to
harm Devi Sita. Quick as thought, Laxman cut off her nose, and
chased her away.
Roaring
with anger and pain , her heinous fiendish form washed with blood
sprouting from her nose, she arrived at Janasthana, a Forest city near
Panchavati, which served as an outpost for Ravana. Khara, and Dushana, the two
brothers of Ravana , ruled from this area. Seeing his sister's fate , Khara
burst out in anger. He sent fourteen ferocious Rakshashas, armed to the teeth
to avenge this injury and insult. The Rakshasas arrived with mighty battle
cries, but once they faced the effulgent Rama in battle, they were annihilated
into ashes in the wink of an eye. Shurpanakha who had led these wicked ones to
Rama, like delusion leads a man to destruction, flew back to Khara
and Dushana desperately screaming and shedding tears. Taunting her two brothers
and accusing them of cowardice and unmanliness, she provoked the two dreadful
Rakshasas to take the battle front themselves. Thus onwards marched
these two ill fated brothers with Fourteen Thousand Rakshasa soldiers to destroy
the Princes of Light . The fourteen thousand demons loyal to the
wishes of Khara, took in their hands, maces, piercing weapons, spears, sharp
axes used in battle, swords, wheels, splinters, iron clubs, powerful missiles,
dreadful iron bars of giant size, bows made of bamboo, clubs and frightening
weapons like thunderbolt and departed from Janasthana.Ill Omens
portening advent of great destruction appeared everywhere. Rama
who was an adept in the lore of such signs, understood the grave
danger that was on its way, and asked Laxamana to take shelter along with Sita,
in an inaccesible mountain cave.
Now
Rama stood facing the massive army of demons, like the Sun faces the deepest
darkness. He was splendour personified. The demons, under the leadership of
Karana and Dusana, resembling ominous clouds, sent down streams of arrows on
Rama just like clouds downpour on mountains. Wounded all over the body,
bleeding through the wounds caused by weapons, Rama looked like the evening Sun
covered with clouds. The gentle Rama of pleasing looks, was now like
the Kalagni, the great fire at the end of times , which consumes all creation.
From Rama's bow bent into a cirle, countless fierce arrows able to take the
lives of demons were released. Each arrow was like the noose of the god of
Death, the great Yama. Within seconds a whole host of Rakshashas were dead.
Just as a forest fire reduces to ashes even the deepest and darkest jungles, so
also did Rama, raze down the army of the Nischaras, the ones who thrive in the dark.
The helpless Rakshasas rushed to Dusana for succour and refuge. Dusana rushed
towards Rama with his host of soldiers, like a firefly dives towards the fire
and its eventual death. He covered Rama with a barrage of arrows, like a
mountain being hit by Thunderstrikes. But Rama was unfazed. Golden feathered
arrows from His bows, cut assunder the bow of the demon, his horses and
charioteer was killed by Rama, Dusanas chest was pierced with a set of three
arrows,his arms were cleaved off by few more arrows. Dusana fell dead on the
ground like a mighty tree, his commanders and followers tried to avenge his
death and they met with the same fate. Rama continued the carnage till all that
remained of the fourteen thousand were Khara and his commander in chief Trisiras,
the three headed one. The devas in heaven watched this super human display of
strength with wonder and joy. Trisiras came to face Rama with much fanfare,
only to meet the same tragic end as Dusana. His three heads were
hewed away by mighty arrows from Rama’s great bow.
when he saw Dusana and Trisira killed, Khara was overtaken by fear at the prowess of Rama.He drew his strong bowstring in anger and
released the bloodhungry arrows, which appeared like venomous snakes. Rama ,
Undaunted and unafraid of this mighty demon , also released sharp arrows from
the Vaishnava Dhanusha, the great bow of Vishnu given to Him by the Great sage Agastya
.He covered the directions by sharp arrows, Rama and Khara now fought like a
lion and an elephant. However it was not long before, Rama with thirteen mighty
arrows, broke the yoke of Khara's chariot, killed his horses and charioteer
and splintered the bows and arrows of Khara. Helpless like an infant,
Khara now stood on the ground with only a mace. He hurled the mighty mace at
Rama, who destroyed it without any effort, and with a slight smile on His
handsome face. Sensing that the end of the demon had to be accomplished without
any further delay, the effulgent Rama released a barrage of arrows at Khara.
Like Rudra, who burnt Kama deva, the mighty arrows reduced to ashes the
invincible Khara, the terror of Danadakaranya, predator of Rishis and holy men of
this forest.
With Khara and Dusana dead, and the hoardes of evil
vanquished, all creation rejoiced. The Devas of heaven, and the great sages
rained showers of flowers on this brilliant jewel of Raghu clan."Oh, what
a great deed has this son of Dasharatha achieved", they proclaimed. The
divine bards sang songs of glory about this Greatest of all
Kshatriyas. In the mean time, heroic Lakshmana accompanied
by Sita came out of the mountain cave happily and entered the
hermitage. Then victorious Rama having been worshipped by the seers and
also by Lakshmana entered the hermitage. Sita, the daughter of Janak, whose
face resembled the moon , out of joy and pride for Her husband, embraced Him
again and again. It was indeed a very happy ending to the great danger that
they had all faced.
There are times when all of us face evil and danger. It is in times of
danger, that we must bravely stand and face it, we must be valiant. The
life of Lord Ram shows us, to resist
evil, face it, be valiant in the face of it. Else , like the Rishis of
Danadakaranya, society has to be a sacrificial lamb to evil. Our ancestors
believed in nurturing brave men and women, who were honed to fight back and
resist evil. The history of India, has been the History of standing up
valiantly to hordes of barbaric invaders and oppressors. This is the
reason why, India has continued to
retain its original civilizational space, even though many other civilizations
fell down and were completely destroyed.
May the Valiant Ramchandra, wearing
a tree bark as His dress, with His hair matted, and with mighty bows and arrows
in His long arms, resembling the sun when against the army of evil, inspire us to stand
up with pride and glory against any evil that lurks for our Country and
Civilization.
Maryada Purushottam Ram - The Embodiment of Dignity
The great war of Lanka had come to a shocking end. Ravana, the lord of the three worlds, the Rakshasa whose very name made all creation tremble in fear, the Emperor who had the boon of invincibility from the creator Brahma, was killed by a mere mortal - Rama of Ayodhya. All creation basked in joy and relief, Jai Jai , went out the cheers of victory for Rama from the Devas in heaven. The body of Ravana, pierced by the Bramhastra released by Rama, lay couched in dust , still aglow with the brilliance that the Rakshasa was.
Seeing his valiant brother lying thus on the field, Vibhishana, who till now had despised his evil brother, was overcome with grief and sorrow. "Why are you lying thus on the field, O Noble one, You who had the loftiest of beds and the most exquisite of silks as its cover to put you to rest? Why does your long arms, which are bedecked with armlets, lie motionless? Your Crown, which was effulgent like the sun has been knocked down.
Oh valiant one, all your accomplishments have come to naught because of your arrogance and insatiable lust. Had I not warned you earlier of this fate , and yet you chose to ignore me. The Trail of your arrogance has claimed a whole host of great ones : Prahasta, Kumbhakarna, Atiratha, Narantaka, Aksha Kumar to name just a few." Vibhisana remembered the old times, of his brother who was like a doting father to him, who had a whole host of good qualities , and who unfortunately had ruined all of it due to the arrogance of power and the cheapness of looking upon women as objects to satiate his lust. Vibhisana remembered the countless women Ravana had violated, of the curse of the divine Rishika Vedavati, who violated by Ravana had cursed him of destruction. The scenes of yore flitted through his mind, he remembered that fateful day when Ravana abducted Sita and brought Her to his citadel of Lanka . Vibhisana had entreated him to return back Sita to Rama with respect and seek Her forgiveness. He had warned him , that Sita was all destroying time, Sita was his death, in the guise of a beautiful woman. All that he had got from Ravana in lieu of this sage counsel was ignomity and banishment from Lanka itself. His emotions now took a surge like a river in flood, his laments continued unabated, " With this great hero lying lifeless on the ground, an incarnation of virtue has left us for ever. It seems to me that the sun has fallen on the earth, the moon gobbled by eternal darkness and the fire extinguished. Ah what a tragedy has befallen us. Ah you look like a mighty elephant in rut, lying on the ground, mangled by a lion in the form of Rama. With Rakshasas for its tail, hump and horns; ficklensess for its ears and eyes, the mighty bull in the form of Ravana , the greatest of all Rakshasas, has been felled by Rama, the tiger among all humans".
Rama, who had been hearing this incessant , heart wrenching lament of Vibhishana, was moved by compassion for this sage of a man. In a voice as gentle and compassionate as the nectar that the moon bestows, the prince of light spoke thus , "Ravana didnt fall in battle without making supreme effort, oh what gallantness he displayed; endowed with terrible prowess; he displayed zeal and enthusiasm of the most extraordinary type ; he remained confident all throughout and fell fighting as befits a great warrior. My friend, don't grieve for such an exalted person, who remained steadfast to his dharma as a King, who was highly learned, and feared by even the King of devas Indra. Even in the past, none has been ever exclusively victorious in battle; a mighty warrior will either get killed by his adversaries, or kill them. Thus has the shastras proclaimed ; don't grieve for a Kshatriya who has died not due to old age or disease , lying helplessly in his bed, but in the din of battle, fighting fearlessly. So oh Vibhishana , be you free from all grief and do that which is appropriate given the current circumstances." The kindly words and the presence of the person who spoke these words had its desired effect on the Noble Rakshasa. His heart was soothed, and clarity returned to his mind. Recounting the greatness of his just departed brother he said, "My brother who had never been conquered in battle even by the devas, was defeated by you. He was a Brahmin of the highest order, always maintaining a sacrificial fire. No one returned empty handed from his palace, he was gracious to his servants and dependents. He always kept a sacrificial fire, was a master of the Vedas , performed great austerities. For such a man as him, I wish to conduct, with your blessings , the rituals that are needed for a smooth passage to heaven". Rama, the epitome of graciousness and dignity , spoke with love and tenderness to this Jewel of the Rakshasa dynasty, " All hostilities end with death, our purpose has been accomplished. Ravana is as much a brother to me now, as he was to you. Please complete his funeral with due respect".
The greatness of a human being is demonstrated by how she/he treats her/his subordinates and a fallen enemy. The Indian army, which is regarded as one of the most professional and valiant forces of the world, maintains a high level of dignity in its dealing with even the enemy forces. During the Kargil war, the Indian army used to recover lot of dead bodies of Pakistani soldiers, and request the Pakistani side to take them back. However, the Pakistani side desisted from doing so. It was the Indian army which gave them a fitting burial, accompanied by the customary Islamic prayers. Dignity even in Enmity, this seems to be a buzzword for our armed forces. In this regard, our armed forces are carrying on the Legacy of Lord Rama. No wonder, that the war cry of the Indian Army regiment, the 8 Rajputana Rifles is "Raja Ramchandra Ki Jai" which translates to Glory be to the great King Ramachandra. No wonder our armed forces are the glory of our nation, and inspire us with high standards of a "Moral Force".
May the great Son of Dasharatha, who was so gracious and dignified, that even His enemies couldn't but help glorify Him, grant all of us the nobility of character to lead an exalted dignified life in our personal as well as public dealings.
The Ramayan lists out many many qualities that make Rama the Ideal Man, The Perfect Human Being. Rama is a beloved friend, a darling and doting son, a Romantic Husband, and an Ideal King. He is divine, yet intensely human. The Life of Rama dissolves the barrier between Divinity and Humanity. He is indeed God who came down as Man, and Man who became God. Generations of humanity have been saved from the bondage of worldliness by chanting HIS divine name. Everytime HIS story has been sung, people have lived their lives with HIM. they have seen HIM Love, they have seen HIM suffer. They have seen HIM destroy evil, and they have seen HIM cry at the abduction of HIS wife. This story has been repeated in various tongues, from Sanskrit, to Hindi, to Urdu and even Persian.
Let me end this story with a Quote on Rama from Swami Vivekananda, the Spiritual Ideal of this age "Rama, the ancient idol of the heroic ages, the embodiment of truth, of morality, the ideal son, the ideal husband, the ideal father, and, above all, the ideal ALL, the ideal king, this Rama has been presented before us by the great saint Valmiki."
"Namami Ramam, Raghuvamsha Natham"!!
