“The man who reads and recites this narration of the Ramayana will be blessed with a long duration of life and after death will be welcomed and respectfully received in the heavenly region, along with sons, grandsons, and relatives.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kand, 1.99)

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एतदाख्यानमायुष्यं पठन्रामायणं नर:
सपुत्रपौत्रस्सगण: प्रेत्य स्वर्गे महीयते

etadākhyānamāyuṣyaṃ paṭhanrāmāyaṇaṃ nara:
saputrapautrassagaṇa: pretya svarge mahīyate

1. Patience

“Did you see that press conference from the other day? The guy snapped as soon as he received a tough question. I was surprised by that. Isn’t he the leader of everyone? Why is he so on edge? Is that how he conducts himself in negotiations with foreign leaders?”

2. Lack of favoritism

“Did you see who got named to that high post? No surprise, it is the cousin of the leader. It seems like this guy only hires his friends and family. They are the worst criminals, too. They take bribes. They get into trouble with the law. They smoke crack and hire prostitutes, with the excursions filmed and carelessly left on laptops.

“Except there are no ramifications. The honest citizen gets thrown in jail for years for sending in their tax returns late, but the protected class lives under a different set of rules, it seems.”

3. Courage

“Did you see the way those foreign leaders talked to him? He looked so scared. It was embarrassing. Don’t you have any self-respect? How is this person in charge of our country? He is a laughing stock. It is like he will run into a corner if he hears the sound of thunder. Just pathetic.”

4. Strength

“Our country is being attacked. There are problems everywhere. Our leader? He is on vacation. I think he is sleeping in a basement somewhere. He barely has enough energy to stand up and deliver a five-minute speech. You know, they speculated that this person only assumed office through a blatantly stolen election. I think those people are on to something.”

5. Fortitude

“Do you have any idea how difficult life is? It is one hardship after another. Even if you are doing well, there is this constant suspicion of trouble lurking around the corner. You almost have to forget about stuff in order to get by.

“Well, this leader crumbles at the first sign of adversity. They start yelling and screaming. They blame others for the difficulty. This is not someone to get behind. I don’t want our leaders to be this sensitive.”

…

The founding document for the government first implemented and still with highest jurisdiction in the United States is the Constitution. For some, this relatively short collection of words has become an informal “Bible”. It is their words to live by. It is the principles they value the most. It is the standard which they wish to uphold, whether in an official capacity as a government officer or as a dutiful citizen, respectful of the law and the law-abiding.

The Constitution is essentially the law of the land, but one of the primary criticisms is that the document defines liberty in a negative way. The Constitution essentially limits what government can do. It does not govern the behavior of the citizens. It attempts to put restraints on the ruling class. The amendments to the Constitution often begin with the words, “Congress shall make no law.”

The language implies that governments tend to make laws that infringe upon freedom. The areas of infringement cover speech, religion, political dissent, and general association to air grievances as a collective unit. The admirers of the Constitution say that this very tendency is what makes the document stand out. No other place in history will you find the government put in its place through the very laws that are of highest precedence.

The truth is that the Constitution is a document of rules, in the manner that a local association passes bylaws for its members. The specific words reference the issues of the time period. The people forming the government had a negative experience with a foreign power ruling over the local people, so in crafting the new document, they tried to prevent the same from happening in the future.

The document never governs by itself. There must be people willing to uphold the principles described. For instance, it might be against the written law to travel at a certain speed on the highway, but if there is no enforcement of that law, then it will be commonplace to find vehicles travelling at those prohibited speeds.

Whether the leadership is determined by a popular vote or through succession within a royal family, there must be cooperation. As described above, the average citizen expects certain qualities from a leader. They essentially demand this standard. They insist upon a certain way if the leader should expect others to follow.

You can have the most powerful person in the world. They may have everything going for them, but if others do not follow, then the post is meaningless. The king sits on the throne, but the citizens do what they want. Rogues and thieves run wild. Foreign powers buy influence through bribing the lower officials. The king is powerless since he has no authority to command others.

It is in this regard that we can further appreciate the example set by Shri Rama. He is a character from history who ruled over the kingdom of Ayodhya. Known to the wise as an avatara of Vishnu, Rama is divine in nature. His appearance and activities are transcendental, divyam. They are not ordinary, and so hearing about, studying, and appreciating Rama are all worthwhile and beneficial activities.

जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यम्
एवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वतः
त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर् जन्म
नैति माम् एति सो ऽर्जुन

janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ‘rjuna

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.9)

Narada Muni gives the highest endorsement to the Ramayana history. There is everything to be gained in reciting, reading, or hearing that collection of Sanskrit verses. Rama is the ideal man and also the ideal leader. Any king can impose their will through punishment, coercion, and brute force, but the better way is to exhibit good qualities. Others will then have a reason to follow.

Shri Rama has the best qualities, and so it is understandable that people would follow Him. The citizens were even prone to tagging along for journeys that did not involve them. If something bad happened to Rama, they wanted to share in the misfortune. The wives of the community once chastised their husbands for having too much attachment to home and family, when at the expense of Rama’s association.

किं नु तेषां गृहैः कार्यं किं दारै: किं धनेन वा
पुत्रैर्वा किं सुखैर्वापि ये न पश्यन्ति राघवम्

kiṃ nu teṣāṃ gṛhaiḥ kāryaṃ kiṃ dārai: kiṃ dhanena vā
putrairvā kiṃ sukhairvāpi ye na paśyanti rāghavam

“Of what use are wealth, comforts and pleasures, home, wives, and sons if one is not able to see Shri Rama?” (Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 48.7)

Lakshmana once remarked that not even the sinful could find fault in Rama. People would not say anything bad behind Rama’s back. Lakshmana should know, since he was the dutiful younger brother. He would certainly hear anything negative, if any concerns should be voiced in the kingdom.

न तं पश्याम्यहं लोके परोक्षमपि यो नरः
स्वमित्रोऽपि निरस्तोऽपि योऽस्य दोषमुदाहरेत्

na taṃ paśyāmyahaṃ loke parokṣamapi yo naraḥ
svamitro’pi nirasto’pi yo’sya doṣamudāharet

“I do not find in this world any man who can describe a fault in Him, even in His absence, be it an adversary or someone defeated.” (Lakshmana, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 21.5)

That leader of great qualities is still followed to this day. Though He returned to the spiritual world along with His associates, He is still here in spirit. Remembering Him is as good as seeing Him directly. This is the absolute nature of the Almighty, who is always wishing us well.

In Closing:

Never a bottom-feeder,
Should be the ideal leader.

Or one bribes to take,
Or compassion only to fake.

Highest qualities people expecting,
That standard in Rama detecting.

Who followed dutifully to this day,
Strength through His name to say.

Categories: the five

Tags: dailyprompt, god, hare krishna, leadership, poem, poems, poetry, ramayana