Recap from last week: Sri Rama along with his three brothers was born to King Dasharadha and were named Rama, Bharatha, Lakshmana and Shathrughna.
Why was Rama specifically named Rama? "Ramayathi ithi Rama" meaning one who makes others happy. That is why uttering/writing "Rama", listening/discussing the story of Rama gives immense happiness and removes troubles from one's life. Rama comes from combining the "agni-beeja: 'RA'" and an "amrutha- beeja: 'MA'". "Vibharthi ithi Bharathaha" Bharatha the second son was named so because he took all the pain, he took blame when everyone accused him of conspiring along with queen Kaikeyi to send Rama to forests. Secondly, he ruled the kingdom for 14 long years with only one thought in his mind that this rajya belonged to Rama and not his and returned it to Rama the minute he came back from the forests and stepped down to a sub- ordinate position under Rama without hesitating. Third son is Lakshmana- "Lakshmi Sahitha" his Lakshmi was his eldest brother Rama. King Dasharadha did not ask Lakshmana to go to the forests along with Rama but he went, he went leaving his wife behind in the palace to serve his brother, he couldn't ever live without his eldest brother. The last son was Shathrughna "anthah shathru vijetha" a man who won over his Indriyaas.
Qualities of Rama:
Ramo rathikarah pithuhu: The most famous quality of Rama was "pithru- vakya- paripaalana". He was ever obedient to his father. He never asked any question in return when his father asked him to do something. One best example is; on one evening King Dasharadha called Rama and asked him to get ready to get crowned as the future king. Rama never asked why or when or never was excited. The next morning, King called him again and asked him to leave everything as is and walk out of the kingdom to live in the forests for fourteen long years. As per us, he should have at least then objected his father and override his rule but Rama did not do that! He didn't even ask the reason, he immediately left the palace. Even king himself asked his son Rama to override him and take kingdom into his hands and throw him into prison but Rama said all that he knows was to obey his father, which he will do by going to the forests.
Vishwamithra Shishya: Another great quality Rama taught us through his life was to be sincere and ever obedient to his teachers. When King Dasharadha sent Rama and Lakshmana along with sage Vishwamithra to save his yaaga from demons, Rama and Lakshmana were kids, still they never disobeyed their teacher, waited all six days and nights without food and water and not sleeping even for a minute. The demons tested their patience but the brothers were never agitated. They waited patiently for 6 days and nights and fought courageously against the mighty demons and saved the yaaga from being destroyed. All this because, their teacher said so.
This is one of the qualities that we are forgetting and even the movies today project that we could insult our parents and teachers and ridicule them! Is it not time to change? Is it not time to teach our kids about Rama and tell his stories so that they grow up with respect towards others and become good citizens? The society today is bad because we made it so. When a mother ignores her kid's lying to her she is raising a future con- man. If a mother ignores her kid being a bully and rude she is preparing the future rowdy. If a mother doesn't teach her son to respect a woman, a mother or a girl then she must be prepared to see her son as a future rapist. Pardon me, but that is what is happening today! If we don't teach our son/daughter how Rama behaved and change our kid's behavior to good; is this not what we get ultimately?! Studies are a milestone but not the ultimate goal. Shaping up a character is the goal. The pride you feel when everyone praises your son/ daughter is everything you would want. It is not too late. Let us teach Ramayana. Make the kids think and act like Rama and that makes a better tomorrow.
Pumsaam mohana roopaya: One other great quality of Rama was to be devoted to one woman all his life. His father had 360 wives, he was the King-to- be, He was so charming that even men were jealous of his beauty, he could get any woman he wanted if he would say yes! but no! never did he think of any other woman and more over he cried, controlled his bad anger and turned it to his strength, waged a war against the mightiest enemy with just mere monkeys, fought endlessly for a full year to win his wife back from the evil clutches but not even once did he think of leaving Seetha for another woman.
Firm was Rama about Seetha and equally rooted was Seetha about Rama. Ravana showed her every excuse to leave Rama and be with him, he has shown his strength, wealth, power, anger and promised her that she would be his Queen if she would agree. But Seetha stayed all one year without even drinking a drop of water from his Kingdom (This might not seem realistic to some of us but wait till we read SundaraKanda to know how deterministic she was and how she survived without eating/ drinking anything.) At a point even Sri Hanuman offered her that he would carry her to Rama that immediate second if she would agree. She said, "though you are like my son, I would not accept anyone other than Rama to save me." That is what devotion means. This is what all young adults- both men and women should learn today. Love is in the air these days but once you choose a partner let be married or to-be married; be devoted to that person. Cheating, abusing or two-timing is not what Ramayana taught us. Ramayana taught us pure love and devotion to that only one special person in our life.
Ramo dwir naa abhibhashathe: Rama never changed his stand from what he said earlier. "Oke maata oke baanam" as we say in Telugu. He taught us the power of word/ talking. He would never say anything casually. Every word from his mouth was thought about and spoken carefully. Never did he make shallow promises. Once he said it he would do it no matter what. Being deterministic but not egoistic at the same time is what we should learn from this. Why make fake promises about things we know we wouldn't do anyway? He promised queen Kaikeyi that he would live in the forests for 14 years and he stood on that word even when Kaikeyi and Bharatha pleaded him to come back. He said that he promised his father and step-mother that he would stay away 14 years and did the same no matter what.
Ramo Vigraha vaan Dharmaha: He was the walking form of Dharma. The best example for this is, Vaali while at the verge of death after fighting with Rama, asked Rama a simple question. He asked, "O Rama! why did you choose friendship with my timid brother Sugreeva instead of me? If you could have chosen friendship with me, I would instruct Ravana, who is scared of me, to return Seetha the next minute! She would have been beside you by now and you could avoid all this pain! Why? Why did you choose my brother instead of me?"
Rama replied, "O Vaali! I prefer Dharma over anything else in this world. You were against Dharma and threw your brother out from your kingdom illegally; on the other hand Sugreeva did not want to kill you just because you were his elder brother, even after you took away his wife. He stuck to Dharma. That is why I chose Sugreeva over you. Though I know you are mightier and stronger than Sugreeva, but you are not Dharmavaan (one who follows dharma) like Sugreeva."
Precap from next week: Rama and Lakshmana travel with Sage Vishwamithra.
Sai Ram
Vipanchi Krishna
