What makes Ramayanam so great?

[Guest guest]

What makes the Ramayanam great is not that it is a story about a prince (rama,

an incarnation of Vishnu) who gets married and who goes through various

hardships and defeats a demon-king (ravana) in battle only to win back the

kingdom and rule for 10,000 years. Poe is a far better and more interesting

writer than Valmiki if that was the case. What makes it great is the *inner

meaning* conveyed by the story, when seen from an Adhyatmic point of view.

Without this Adhyatmic understanding, the story remains a simple story, ...and

as I said, there are many stories (in literature) that are far more interesting

than the Ramayanam. With the Adhyatmic understanding of the Ramayanam, there

are no stories that are equal, or even in the same category. The story of

Ramayana is the story of the yogi - each character represents an aspect of our

reality - from the micro-cosm of our individual existing to the macro-cosm of

the universe in which we perceive ourselves

to exist. The process of yoga is described in detail in the form of a story,

which is easy to understand, and can be intuited as the yogi progresses in

His/Her yogic sadhana. The Ramayanam was composed primarily because it was so

difficult for ordinary people to grasp highly advanced philosophical concepts

such as " Atman " and " Brahman " and so on by mere hear-say. In the process of

meditation, yoga, etc. one comes across various questions regarding what one

sees, hears, intuits, or discovers within one's self, and these have a direct

relationship to various parts of the story of the Ramayana, and for one who has

developed their intuition through the practice of samyama (a manner of

meditation), these relationships become crystal clear, and act as aids in one's

personal sadhana.

 

Therefore, it behooves one to think deeply on the inner meaning of the

Ramayanam. Sri Swamiji has composed the Shatashloki Ramayana (108 most

important verses) of the Ramayanam, so that we can meditate daily and think

deeply on the meaning of the story. Do not worry about your " ability " to

understand. If you try, even a little, it will come - by Swamiji's grace. That

is, afterall, the very definition of grace, is it not? (i.e., it goes hand in

hand with self-effort, as grace is ever present, but *you* must be fine-tuned to

properly receive it...) It is your sincerity and passion of purpose alone that

will get you results - not your scholarliness, learning, or your education.

This serious-minded innocent pursuit of " trying to understand " itself is true

abhyasa (practice) and this itself is the necessary sadhana required of serious

minded aspirants, nothing else counts. There must be a burning desire to know,

to understand, and to make sense of

these things from a practical viewpoint - afterall, the ancient yogis were in

the truest sense of the word 'practitioners' and not mere theoreticians. They

described what they " heard " " saw " or " experienced " in the course of their own

sadhana... they didn't make up stories based on their imagination - hence, they

were known as " rishis " (seers) and " maharshis " (great seers) - depending on the

depths of their sadhana and attainment of true knowledge (jnanam).

 

 

Jaya Guru Datta.

 

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Gurorangripadme ManaScenna Lagnam tata: kim! tata: kim! tata: kim! tata: kim!?