Sai message for the day

[Guest guest]

You have shown to the world that the Ramayana presents the ideal of

true brotherhood. Would you kindly tell us about this aspect of the

Ramayana that indicates what brothers should be like?

 

There is a secret behind the advent of every incarnation of God. God

descends on earth as a human being to demonstrate how everyone should

behave and conduct himself in this world in the ideal way. One such

is Rama's way of dealing with his brothers. It is supreme love that

existed among the four brothers, Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and

Satrughna. But, today we don't find such supreme love among brothers,

but the kind of love that takes them to the Supreme Court over

property disputes. We can't describe in words how furious Bharata was

on coming to know that his mother Kaikeyi had been responsible for

Rama's exile. He couldn't control his anger, and was even prepared to

behead her. That was the intensity and magnitude of his love for his

brother. Satrughna followed Bharata like a shadow. That was the

unbreakable tie of love between them.

 

You know pretty well how Rama and Lakshmana were inseparable since

their early childhood. They had always been together. You know what

happened when they were infants. Rama was made to rest and sleep in a

cradle, and so Lakshmana was put in another cradle. The two babies

started crying nonstop. The three queens Kausalya, Sumitra and

Kaikeyi could not make them sleep or stop crying. When Sage Vasishtha

came there, the queens reported the matter to him. Then Vasishtha

advised them to place both the babies in the same cradle. The moment

they did so, they stopped crying and fell asleep. That was the

inseparable, intimate association between the two brothers right from

their early infancy.

 

You will also notice the anguish of Rama when Lakshmana fainted on

the battlefield. He said, " In this world, you can get anything back

if it is lost position, property, friends or even a wife. But one

can't get back a brother once he is lost. " Referring to his brothers,

Rama said, " Bharata is the greatest of them all. He is reigning the

entire kingdom from Nandigrama, keeping my padukas on the throne,

repeating my name, only supporting himself on tubers and leaves like

an ascetic and most anxiously waiting for my return. " We can

understand here two kinds of devotion; one is Lakshmana's devotion to

the form of God, sakarabhakti, and the other is Bharata's devotion to

the formless aspect of God nirakarabhakti.

 

When they reached Panchavati, Rama wanted Lakshmana to build a small

hut for them on a spot of his choice. Lakshmana fell at the feet of

Rama and started shedding tears. Then Rama asked him, " Brother! Why

are you crying? What has happened? Have I said anything that has made

you cry? " Then Lakshmana said, " Rama! You want to have a hut at any

place I decide. Do I have a preference, or a choice or a will of my

own? Your wish is mine too. I know only how to follow you and act

according to your command. " Such should be the loyalty, sincerity,

intimacy and affection among brothers. This is the ideal that Rama

set before you.