Lord Ramacandra’s glorious examples
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Maisnam Ibohal Singh
Contd from previous issue
Such separation is spiritually understood as vipralambha, an activity of the hladini potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead belonging to the mellow of conjugal love in the spiritual world (srngara-rasa). But, unfortunately Lord Ramacandra's pleasure potency is misunderstood that the Lord is considered as an ordinary human being. In fact, Sita kidnapped by Ravana was not the real Sita, but an illusory (maya) Sita and also, it was actually impossible to take away mother Sita by Ravana. When the purity of mother Sita was tested in the fire, the maya- sita was burnt and the real Sita came out of the fire.
A glorious example is that a woman should always be protected, before marriage by her father and after marriage in her husband's house by her husband, as a woman can't protect herself independently.
Lord Ramacandra who assumed the form of a human being, but possessed with full opulences, performed the funeral ceremony of Jatayu who was killed by Ravana. He then killed the demon Kabandha and Vali and made friends with monkey chiefs for delivering the mother Sita. Lord Ramacandra reached the beach of the ocean and fasted there for three days for the arrival of the ocean. When the ocean failed to obey His order, Lord Ramacandra, as the master of the ocean exhibited anger glancing over the ocean. The personified ocean then fearfully expressed that the lord of ghosts being the mode of ignorance could understand the all-pervading Supreme Person only when punished severely by the modes of material nature. The personified ocean requested the Lord to please cross the ocean by constructing a bridge over it as a symbol of His transcendental fame and regain mother Sita from Lanka by killing Ravana, son of Visrava, as Ravana was the source of disturbance in the three worlds. Ravana was in fact no better than the urine because of his demoniac character.
Lord Ramacandra's transcendental pastime was not a common activity. Due to the Lord Ramacandra's potency the mountain peaks, trees and plants hurled by His faithful monkey soldiers into the sea were floating over the sea to form a bridge to cross it and proceed to Lanka. Even the sun moves by the desire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as said in Brahma Samhita.
With the help of Vibhisana, Ravana's pious brother, Lord Ramacandra along with Sugriva, Nila and Hanuman went to Lanka and the entire city of Lanka was destroyed just like a river disturbed by a herd of elephants.
Ravana ordered all his Raksasas and son Indrajit and finally Kumbhakarna to fight against the enemies. Lord Ramacandra, along with Laksmana and monkey soldiers headed by Sugriva and Hanuman, attacked the soldiers of the Raksasas who were fully equipped with various invincible and modern weapons, and killed Ravana's soldiers. The curse that mother Sita poured upon Ravana was in fact the cause for the defeat of Ravana's soldiers. Ravana helplessly started striking against Lord Ramacandra who was seated on the effulgent chariot driven by Matali, Indradeva's chariot driver. Ravana was then addressed by Lord Ramacandra. "You are the most abominable of the man-eaters. Indeed, you are like their stool. You resemble a dog, for as a dog steals eatables from the kitchen in the absence of the householder. So in My absence you kidnapped My wife, Sita devi. Therefore as Yamaraja punishes sinful men, I shall also punish you the most abominable, sinful and shameless, without fail."
Lord Ramacandra rebuked Ravana and killed him by releasing an arrow from His bow through his heart like a thunderbolt. Ravana vomited blood from his ten mouths and fell from his airplane on the earth just like a pious man falls to earth from the heavenly planets after the result of his pious activities are exhausted. Ravana was bound by the result of his karma as he offended an exalted personality, especially the Supreme Personality of Godhead by kidnapping the faithfully and chaste mother Sita who cursed Ravana.
The glorious example is that one like Ravana should not act thinking oneself independent of the laws of material nature. Instead one should remain fixed in one's devotional service free from false prestige. Mandodari, the wife of Ravana knew Ravana's cruelty. Indeed the meaning of Ravana is "one who causes crying for others."
Sita, Mandodari, Draupadi are all ideal chaste women. If any one who falls like Ravana under the influence of lusty desires of such chaste women or women faithful to their husbands, then he would be certaintly punished suitably by the nature's laws. Therefore an intelligent person looks upon another's wife as his own mother. Canakya said in his 10th sloka:
"matrvat para-daresu
para-dravyesu lostravat
atmavat sarva-bhutesu
yah pasyati sa panditah"
"One who considers another's wife as his mother, another's possessions as a lump of dirt and treats all other living beings as he would himself, is considered to be learned.’’
Lord Ramacandra said that Ravana, due to his deeds, made his body fit to be eaten by vultures and his soul fit to go to hell. Srila Prabhupada's commentary is that the destination of godless atheists such as Ravana, Hiranyakasipu, Kamsa and Dantavakra is a hellish condition of life. However, as Lord Rama-candra was merciful, Vibhisana, the pious brother of Ravana was allowed to perform the prescribed funeral ceremonies for his family members to save them from the path to hell.
Lord Ramacandra felt compassion for mother Sita who was found sitting in a small cottage beneath the tree named Simsapa in a forest of Asoka trees. She was exceedingly happy to see her beloved. Thus ending Lord Ramacandra's living in the forest of Dandakaranya and giving Vibhisana to rule Lanka for one Kalpa, returned to Ayodhya with Sita in a decorated airplane, accompanied by Hanuman, Sugriva and Laksmana. In Ayodhya, the demigods headed by Lord Brahma greeted Lord Ramacandra and others in great jubilation.
His brother Bharata who was living in Nandagrama in a very lamentable condition by eating barley cooked in the urine of a cow, covering his body with the bark of trees, wearing matted locks of hair and lying on a mattress of Kusa, came to Ayodhya carrying Lord Ramacandra's wooden shoes and received Him with all other paraphernalia befitting a royal reception. Bharata in ecstasy and tears in eyes fell at His lotus feet and offered the wooden shoes to Lord Ramacandra with folded hands. Lord Ramacandra embraced Bharata with tears for a long time. He then accompanied by mother Sita and Laksmana offered respectful obeisances unto the learned brahmanas and elderly persons in the family.
All the citizens also offered their respectful obeisances to the Lord. Then Lord Ramacandra accompanied by Sita devi, Bharata, Laksmana, Vibhi-sana, Satrughana, Sugriva, Hanuman, Angada and Jambavan entered the city of Ayodhya in the midst of a festival. He offered obeisances to mother Kaikeyi, His own, mother Kausalya and other mothers, and also to Vasistha, the spiritual preceptor. The family priest Vasistha performed abhiseka for Lord Rama-candra with the water from four seas and other substances. Lord Ramacandra thus accepted the throne of the state having pleased with Bharata for his full surrender and submission. He ruled the kingdom exactly as a father takes care of his children, and the citizens being obliged to the good government accepted Lord Ramacandra as their father.
Lord Ramacandra's Rama-rajya rule was based on the institution of varna and asrama, which arranges society in the varna divisions of brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra, and the asrama divisions of brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. Bhagavata-gita (4.13) confirms such form of the different varnasrama occupational duties. "catur- varnyam maya srstam guna-karama-vibhagasah." The purpose of varnasrama is to enable people to become God conscious and vaisnavas of any faith. A rajarsi chief executive can give a good government with good citizenship.
(To be contd)
Contd from previous issue
Such separation is spiritually understood as vipralambha, an activity of the hladini potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead belonging to the mellow of conjugal love in the spiritual world (srngara-rasa). But, unfortunately Lord Ramacandra's pleasure potency is misunderstood that the Lord is considered as an ordinary human being. In fact, Sita kidnapped by Ravana was not the real Sita, but an illusory (maya) Sita and also, it was actually impossible to take away mother Sita by Ravana. When the purity of mother Sita was tested in the fire, the maya- sita was burnt and the real Sita came out of the fire.
A glorious example is that a woman should always be protected, before marriage by her father and after marriage in her husband's house by her husband, as a woman can't protect herself independently.
Lord Ramacandra who assumed the form of a human being, but possessed with full opulences, performed the funeral ceremony of Jatayu who was killed by Ravana. He then killed the demon Kabandha and Vali and made friends with monkey chiefs for delivering the mother Sita. Lord Ramacandra reached the beach of the ocean and fasted there for three days for the arrival of the ocean. When the ocean failed to obey His order, Lord Ramacandra, as the master of the ocean exhibited anger glancing over the ocean. The personified ocean then fearfully expressed that the lord of ghosts being the mode of ignorance could understand the all-pervading Supreme Person only when punished severely by the modes of material nature. The personified ocean requested the Lord to please cross the ocean by constructing a bridge over it as a symbol of His transcendental fame and regain mother Sita from Lanka by killing Ravana, son of Visrava, as Ravana was the source of disturbance in the three worlds. Ravana was in fact no better than the urine because of his demoniac character.
Lord Ramacandra's transcendental pastime was not a common activity. Due to the Lord Ramacandra's potency the mountain peaks, trees and plants hurled by His faithful monkey soldiers into the sea were floating over the sea to form a bridge to cross it and proceed to Lanka. Even the sun moves by the desire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as said in Brahma Samhita.
With the help of Vibhisana, Ravana's pious brother, Lord Ramacandra along with Sugriva, Nila and Hanuman went to Lanka and the entire city of Lanka was destroyed just like a river disturbed by a herd of elephants.
Ravana ordered all his Raksasas and son Indrajit and finally Kumbhakarna to fight against the enemies. Lord Ramacandra, along with Laksmana and monkey soldiers headed by Sugriva and Hanuman, attacked the soldiers of the Raksasas who were fully equipped with various invincible and modern weapons, and killed Ravana's soldiers. The curse that mother Sita poured upon Ravana was in fact the cause for the defeat of Ravana's soldiers. Ravana helplessly started striking against Lord Ramacandra who was seated on the effulgent chariot driven by Matali, Indradeva's chariot driver. Ravana was then addressed by Lord Ramacandra. "You are the most abominable of the man-eaters. Indeed, you are like their stool. You resemble a dog, for as a dog steals eatables from the kitchen in the absence of the householder. So in My absence you kidnapped My wife, Sita devi. Therefore as Yamaraja punishes sinful men, I shall also punish you the most abominable, sinful and shameless, without fail."
Lord Ramacandra rebuked Ravana and killed him by releasing an arrow from His bow through his heart like a thunderbolt. Ravana vomited blood from his ten mouths and fell from his airplane on the earth just like a pious man falls to earth from the heavenly planets after the result of his pious activities are exhausted. Ravana was bound by the result of his karma as he offended an exalted personality, especially the Supreme Personality of Godhead by kidnapping the faithfully and chaste mother Sita who cursed Ravana.
The glorious example is that one like Ravana should not act thinking oneself independent of the laws of material nature. Instead one should remain fixed in one's devotional service free from false prestige. Mandodari, the wife of Ravana knew Ravana's cruelty. Indeed the meaning of Ravana is "one who causes crying for others."
Sita, Mandodari, Draupadi are all ideal chaste women. If any one who falls like Ravana under the influence of lusty desires of such chaste women or women faithful to their husbands, then he would be certaintly punished suitably by the nature's laws. Therefore an intelligent person looks upon another's wife as his own mother. Canakya said in his 10th sloka:
"matrvat para-daresu
para-dravyesu lostravat
atmavat sarva-bhutesu
yah pasyati sa panditah"
"One who considers another's wife as his mother, another's possessions as a lump of dirt and treats all other living beings as he would himself, is considered to be learned.’’
Lord Ramacandra said that Ravana, due to his deeds, made his body fit to be eaten by vultures and his soul fit to go to hell. Srila Prabhupada's commentary is that the destination of godless atheists such as Ravana, Hiranyakasipu, Kamsa and Dantavakra is a hellish condition of life. However, as Lord Rama-candra was merciful, Vibhisana, the pious brother of Ravana was allowed to perform the prescribed funeral ceremonies for his family members to save them from the path to hell.
Lord Ramacandra felt compassion for mother Sita who was found sitting in a small cottage beneath the tree named Simsapa in a forest of Asoka trees. She was exceedingly happy to see her beloved. Thus ending Lord Ramacandra's living in the forest of Dandakaranya and giving Vibhisana to rule Lanka for one Kalpa, returned to Ayodhya with Sita in a decorated airplane, accompanied by Hanuman, Sugriva and Laksmana. In Ayodhya, the demigods headed by Lord Brahma greeted Lord Ramacandra and others in great jubilation.
His brother Bharata who was living in Nandagrama in a very lamentable condition by eating barley cooked in the urine of a cow, covering his body with the bark of trees, wearing matted locks of hair and lying on a mattress of Kusa, came to Ayodhya carrying Lord Ramacandra's wooden shoes and received Him with all other paraphernalia befitting a royal reception. Bharata in ecstasy and tears in eyes fell at His lotus feet and offered the wooden shoes to Lord Ramacandra with folded hands. Lord Ramacandra embraced Bharata with tears for a long time. He then accompanied by mother Sita and Laksmana offered respectful obeisances unto the learned brahmanas and elderly persons in the family.
All the citizens also offered their respectful obeisances to the Lord. Then Lord Ramacandra accompanied by Sita devi, Bharata, Laksmana, Vibhi-sana, Satrughana, Sugriva, Hanuman, Angada and Jambavan entered the city of Ayodhya in the midst of a festival. He offered obeisances to mother Kaikeyi, His own, mother Kausalya and other mothers, and also to Vasistha, the spiritual preceptor. The family priest Vasistha performed abhiseka for Lord Rama-candra with the water from four seas and other substances. Lord Ramacandra thus accepted the throne of the state having pleased with Bharata for his full surrender and submission. He ruled the kingdom exactly as a father takes care of his children, and the citizens being obliged to the good government accepted Lord Ramacandra as their father.
Lord Ramacandra's Rama-rajya rule was based on the institution of varna and asrama, which arranges society in the varna divisions of brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra, and the asrama divisions of brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. Bhagavata-gita (4.13) confirms such form of the different varnasrama occupational duties. "catur- varnyam maya srstam guna-karama-vibhagasah." The purpose of varnasrama is to enable people to become God conscious and vaisnavas of any faith. A rajarsi chief executive can give a good government with good citizenship.
(To be contd)