“Killing the strong Vali, who was supported in strength by an army, and making His friend the king of monkeys, Tulsi says that the merciful Shri Rama is the protector of the poor, taking away their sorrows.” (Dohavali, 158)

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बालि बली बलसालि दलि सखा कीन्ह कपिराज
तुलसी राम कृपालु को बिरद गरीब निवाज

bāli balī balasāli dali sakhā kīnha kapirāja
tulasī rāma kṛpālu ko birada garība nivāja

1. He chose honor over the wellbeing of His father

“He is supposed to be Maryada-Purushottama. This refers to the ideal man. That is one of the reasons so many people follow Shri Ramachandra, who is an avatara of Vishnu. The person who perpetually resides in the Vaikuntha realm, who is the detail behind the otherwise abstract picture of the Almighty, who can be described as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, descended to the earthly realm to play the role of a mortal man, though certainly an extraordinary one.

“If Rama is supposed to behave in an ideal manner, should that not include the protection of the elderly relatives? Dasharatha was advanced in years when Rama was born. The king of Ayodhya was even older when Queen Kaikeyi made her outlandish requests. They were so ridiculous that no sane person would take them seriously.

“Except Dasharatha did. More specifically, it was Rama who seemingly jumped at the chance to leave the kingdom for fourteen years, passing down the throne to His younger brother Bharata, who was the son of Kaikeyi. Rama must have known that His absence would be the end of the father. How could Rama go through with the plan?

“That is cruelty. That is the exact opposite of kindness. Under some pretense of preserving the good name of the father, of showing that the king of Ayodhya is always truthful, the eldest son bailed. He left and soon after Dasharatha left too, except for good. The poor man could not tolerate the separation from His beloved son.”

2. He chased after a golden deer

“You are telling me that Rama is perfect? Dude, He chased after a freaking deer. A fake one, at that. It was a plan set up by the demon Maricha, working in tandem with his disciple, Ravana. The two of them played a trick on Rama, and that supposedly smartest of all personalities fell for it. How is that ideal behavior? What kind of protector is that if they can abandon their stance as soon as some shiny object comes running around, leaving others vulnerable in the process?”

3. He put His wife through a test of fire

“Never in a million years would I put my wife through a test of purity. I love her too much. I already have faith in her allegiance towards me. We went through a marriage ceremony, remember? Only a paranoid person would keep asking for validation. That Rama made Sita undergo a trial by fire, after she was staying in the kingdom of another man, against her will, is too much to tolerate. Rama should never be praised for such cruelty.”

4. He abandoned His wife

“Consider this. Poor Sita passed the test by fire. Her purity was indeed intact. It can never be separated from her, in fact. That is in the nature of the goddess of fortune. She is always with Narayana, her husband. Some fool might try to take her away, to think that the relationship can be invalidated, but nothing will ever happen.

“What was Sita’s reward for such allegiance? She was abandoned. Left to live at the ashrama of Valmiki. Poor Lakshmana had to escort her there, without telling her what was going on. Sita was more upset that others were upset. She was so understanding that she did not protest the grave injustice against her.

“But others certainly can protest, including me. That was not right what Rama did. He should not be praised as the ideal man when He caused others so much pain. And for what? To satisfy the complaints of some washer-man in His kingdom? Who cares what some fool has to say? Why is their opinion held in such high regard?”

5. He shot Vali in the back

“Rama left Ayodhya to uphold the honor of Dasharatha, but what kind of honor was there in the slaying of Vali? It was the wickedest move, in a cold and calculated setup. At least Rama spared Sugriva in that instance. All the blame is on the husband of Sita, who was helping Sugriva regain his kingdom.

“Rama shot another combatant in the back, while that person was already engaged with another fighter. This was the worst breach of etiquette for someone of the kshatriya occupation. Vali protested the move as his life breath was about to leave him, but Rama found some technicality to justify the action. I don’t know. I would hope that no one ever imitates such deception.”

…

In the Vedic tradition, one of the names passed down to describe the Almighty is Achyuta. This refers to a person who never falls down. In this respect, they are perfect. They never make mistakes, whereas we are prone to committing mistakes since the time of birth. It is like a defect that we inherit, along with imperfect senses, the tendency to cheat, and succumbing to illusion.

Is God indeed perfect? Or does He actually commit mistakes? The above reviewed incidents appear to show imperfections in even the one who is supposedly the ideal man. Sita and Rama are still worshiped, together, on altars in homes and temples throughout the world. The worship has been steady ever since their Divine appearances in this world.

We clear the confusion by understanding that God is neutral towards the material creation. There is so much that takes place, from the beginning stage of the pradhana to the final annihilation carried out by Mahadeva, that it is impossible to keep track of everything. The whole transformation then repeats in a cycle, again and again, which becomes even more bewildering to the mind.

न च मां तानि कर्माणि
निबध्नन्ति धनञ्जय
उदासीन-वद् आसीनम्
असक्तं तेषु कर्मसु

na ca māṁ tāni karmāṇi
nibadhnanti dhanañjaya
udāsīna-vad āsīnam
asaktaṁ teṣu karmasu

“O Dhananjaya, all this work cannot bind Me. I am ever detached, seated as though neutral.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.9)

How can there be imperfections when what gets created eventually gets annihilated? I have an empty container and decide to drop marbles into it. The marbles go this way and that. Due to gravitational pull, they keep changing states, and there are certainly collisions. I am not affected by any of it, and neither am I to blame if the marbles, if they should happen to be invested with some independence, move up or down based on their desires.

It is the same way with the material world, as living beings are moving up and down based on their karma. That karma is action. It is a choice to go in a certain direction. The results of that karma can manifest immediately or after many years. The results can remain manifest for a long time or vanish moments later.

पुरुषः प्रकृति-स्थो हि
भुङ्क्ते प्रकृति-जान् गुणान्
कारणं गुण-सङ्गो ऽस्य
सद्-असद्-योनि-जन्मसु

puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi
bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān
kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ‘sya
sad-asad-yoni-janmasu

“The living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life, enjoying the three modes of nature. This is due to his association with that material nature. Thus he meets with good and evil amongst various species.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 13.22)

God is not affected by the shifts, which only relate to the body. He descends to this world from time to time out of His causeless mercy. As described by Goswami Tulsidas, there is an exception for the devotees. The stance in neutrality changes. There is intentional action, in their favor, for their long-term benefit.

This was evident in the incident with Vali. Sugriva had nothing to his name. He was kicked out of his kingdom. Vali was ready to kill him, and only the area of Mount Rishyamukha was a safe haven. The presence of Rama, through friendship, was an even greater cushion, as Rama would intentionally absorb any blows resulting from willful violations of warrior etiquette.

Rama took this extraordinary step to protect His devotee. He uplifted the poor and helpless Sugriva, while taking down the powerful and strong Vali. In the grand scheme, we are all helpless, as we have no control over the transformations caused by nature. It is like we are lost in a vast ocean of suffering, which extends far beyond the visibility of the eye. But Shri Rama can rescue us, in an instant, if we turn in His direction.

In Closing:

Alone and without protection,
But changed when in His direction.

Like the greatest assurance to earn,
Only from that simple turn.

Like when Rama that arrow firing,
In midst of brothers quarrel transpiring.

Breach of etiquette worthy of blame,
But for the benefit of His devotee came.

Categories: the five

Tags: god, hare krishna, hinduism, poem, poems, poetry, ramayana, religion