“Those fourteen thousand Rakshasas of frightening deeds were eliminated by that one man, a foot-soldier, who was Rama.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 26.35)

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चतुर्दश सहस्राणि रक्षसां भीमकर्मणाम्
हतान्येकेन रामेण मानुषेण पदातिना

caturdaśa sahasrāṇi rakṣasāṃ bhīmakarmaṇām
hatānyekena rāmeṇa mānuṣeṇa padātinā

Vedic literature is so kind that there is appeal for all angles of vision. This should make sense as the origin of the Vedas is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Vedas exist to glorify Him. The purpose of education, of knowledge itself, is to align with the original Vedas. The Supreme Lord is there for everyone. He is inside of both the sinner and the saint, the landowner and the peasant, the officer and the prisoner, and the homeowner and the burglar. He is with us like a constant companion, a second bird on the tree that is the material nature, with its many branches of knowledge and leaves of enjoyment.

“The Vedas, like the Mundaka Upanishad, as well as the Shvetashvatara Upanishad, compare the soul and the Supersoul to two friendly birds sitting on the same tree. One of the birds (the individual atomic soul) is eating the fruit of the tree, and the other bird (Krishna) is simply watching His friend. Of these two birds—although they are the same in quality—one is captivated by the fruits of the material tree, while the other is simply witnessing the activities of His friend. Krishna is the witnessing bird, and Arjuna is the eating bird.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 2.22 Purport)

In a hypothetical situation, on one side you have the person who is philosophically inclined. They are ready for the full presentation known as Vedanta. This refers to the end of knowledge or the conclusion of education. This person is ready to discuss the different schools of philosophy, the purpose of rational thought, the meaning to an existence, and the ways to attempt to cross the barrier of temporary situations caused by the all-devouring force known as time.

On the other side you have the person who is interested in stories. They love reading books. Even with the advancement of digital production, with the rise in sales of e-books, this person is not enamored by imagery or appealing covers. They are more than fine with reaching for a printed book from the shelf. That book could have been published hundreds of years ago, but the stories described within it are incredible. The stories translate to something like a cast of characters putting on a production playing on the stage that is the theater of the mind.

The kindness of Vedic literature is evident within the descriptions of Rama-lila. Here, both sides of inquisitiveness are satisfied. There is direct elevation facilitated through association with the Supreme Lord in His avatara of Shri Rama. Though the events described took place thousands of years ago, the proper description is “nitya-lila.” The play of the Divine is always taking place; there is no end.

1. Kaikeyi banishing Rama

In this part of the story, the beloved prince named Rama is within the line of fire of a gross miscarriage of justice. Simply for the crime of having taken birth from the wrong womb, Rama must suddenly relinquish the throne and leave home for fourteen years. Kaikeyi, who is the youngest queen to King Dasharatha, wants her own son installed as the next king. She puts her husband in a bind by cashing in on two favors previously promised to her.

This historical incident shows that you cannot count on anything in life. We have followed the same routine for days and days. We have come to expect certain conditions. We are accustomed to the success, but the entire time there was a sort of invisible force coordinating everything. We required the cooperation of nature, and once there is a disturbance in the flow, our carefully considered plans end up shattering to pieces.

प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि
गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः
अहङ्कार-विमूढात्मा
कर्ताहम् इति मन्यते

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
kartāham iti manyate

“The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.27)

2. Rama lifting the bow

Shri Rama is known to have Sita Devi by His side. As Rama is actually Vishnu appearing on earth, so the daughter of King Janaka is Lakshmi Devi from the spiritual realm of Vaikuntha. Sita and Rama are eternally together; they have been worshiped since before anyone can remember. But within Rama-lila there is an amazing story in how they end up together.

Rama wins a contest held by Sita’s father, King Janaka. Rama is the only prince among the many assembled who can lift the heavy bow of Lord Shiva. Rama lifts it without effort. The victory occurs within the Sanskrit unit of time known as nimesha. This can be considered “the twinkling of an eye”, but Rama-lila provides an additional definition to that word. The proper understanding of time is a critical part of Vedanta study.

इत्युक्तस्तेन विप्रेण तद्धनुस्समुपानयत्
निमेषान्तरमात्रेण तदाऽनम्य महाबलः
ज्यां समारोप्य झडिति पूरयामास वीर्यवान्

ityuktastena vipreṇa taddhanussamupānayat
nimeṣāntaramātreṇa tadā’namya mahābalaḥ
jyāṃ samāropya jhaḍiti pūrayāmāsa vīryavān

“Hearing the words of the vipra, my father brought the bow forward. Bending the bow in the twinkling of an eye and applying string to it, the mighty prince Rama, who was full of valor, quickly drew the bow at full length.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 118.47-48)

3. Rama fighting fourteen-thousand Rakshasas

How can we properly understand the might of the person who is the original fire? How can we quantify His greatness when it is from that original fire that the entire universe comes into existence? We are like tiny sparks of that fire. We always have that link to the origin, and this distribution is one way to understand the omnipresence of the Supreme Lord.

एक-देश-स्थितस्याग्नेर्
ज्योत्स्ना विस्तारिणी यथा
परस्य ब्रह्मणः शक्तिस्
तथेदम् अखिलं जगत्

eka-deśa-sthitasyāgner
jyotsnā vistāriṇī yathā
parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis
tathedam akhilaṁ jagat

“Everything that is manifested within this cosmic world is but the energy of the Supreme Lord. As fire emanating from one place diffuses its illumination and heat all around, so the Lord, although situated in one place in the spiritual world, manifests His different energies everywhere. Indeed, the whole cosmic creation is composed of different manifestations of His energy.” (Vishnu Purana, 1.22.52)

The Sanskrit word Adhokshaja doubles as a name for Vishnu. This is because there is no way to accurately measure the features in the Supreme Lord. Still, Vishnu is kind enough to give a glimpse into His greatness through various episodes playing out on the field of the material world. As Rama, He once defeats fourteen-thousand ogres all by Himself. These were not like ants going against a taller being. These were the greatest fighters in the world, well-equipped with weapons and cunning in their tactics. Rama takes the fight by Himself and emerges victorious. He could have defeated fourteen million, if required.

4. Hanuman carrying the brothers

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains that another meaning to the Sanskrit word “guru” is “heavy”. The spiritual master understands the gravity of the situation facing the conditioned soul. The guru is heavy in the significance of the wisdom they carry. Because of this weight, not just any person can go up and take everything from the guru. They must be properly qualified in order to assimilate the wisdom.

An incident from history nicely symbolizes this truth. There is the first meeting of Shri Hanuman with Rama and His younger brother Lakshmana. Rama is the Supreme Lord and Lakshmana is like the original guru. After meeting for only a brief period, Hanuman is able to carry those brothers on his shoulders, leaping to the top of the mountain called Rishyamukha. Hanuman can do this because of his qualification as a devotee. He can hold up the weight of someone like Lakshmana, whereas a demon like Ravana cannot.

5. Rama building a bridge

What if someone could show us miracles? What if they could walk on water? What if they could make a juicy, ripe pomegranate appear from nowhere? What if they could read our mind? What if they could tell us about our most well-guarded secrets, ones that we have never shared with anyone?

We might consider such a person to be God, but in truth the potency of the Almighty is beyond anything we can comprehend. Rama shows this by having a bridge built to reach Lanka. The bridge is made with rocks that can float. The Vanaras helping Rama are the ones who build the bridge. It is due to the strength of their devotion, of their connection to the source of transcendence, that the law of gravity can be defied in such a flagrant manner.

In Closing:

To the timeless tales drawn,
Or philosophy to dwell upon.

With Shri Rama need not to choose,
From either side nothing to lose.

Since from every incident to take,
Both narrative and philosophy make.

Such that towards transcendence going,
Soon the Absolute Truth knowing.

Categories: the five

Tags: dailyprompt, hinduism, poem, poems, poetry, ramayana, vedanta