“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)

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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

“Have you ever noticed the rigid requirements we place on public figures? I am speaking in terms of behavior, characteristics, temperament, and the like. They have to respond perfectly to every question. They can never lose their cool. They can never make fun of someone else. They can never be brash, angry, rhetorical, or even mocking in their tone. They have to live up to the standard we have created in our minds.

“I notice this particularly with athletes, but it also applies to politicians. The interviews take place mere moments after an intense match. The people in question are in competition, after all. Competition is for winning. No one wants to lose, unless there is some incentive in the background that the public is not aware of. In order to win, you have to defeat someone else. In order to finish on top, you have to exploit weaknesses. You have to also trick yourself into believing that you are the best, that no one is better. You have to carry the utmost confidence into the arena if you want any chance of a successful outcome.

“Well, that confidence tends to linger into the post-game press conference. You end up saying negative things about the competitors. You might come off as arrogant. People might think that you are full of yourself. Instead, if you are humble, if you praise everyone else, then the public will think that you are the best person. They will praise your kindness. They will highlight your honesty, in how you are so down to earth. You can relate to the average person, you see.

“Okay, but I would rather not have someone lie to me. Why should what they say make a difference in how I view them? Why should they have to live up to my standard? What difference does it make if they are arrogant or not? Do you see what I am saying? If they only speak nicely because that is what people expect of them, then how do you accurately judge their character?

“Of course, I bring this up to analyze the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If there is a God, just what is His nature? Does He live up to the standards of others? Is He arrogant or humble? Is He mean or kind? Just what should we expect out of Him? How will we know that we have found the best person, when so many others either fall short or have to fake their way towards approval?”

The Ramayana history kindly presented by Maharishi Valmiki takes us into the homes of people living in a particular city. It is a place governed by a royal monarchy. The current leader, named Dasharatha, is the latest in a long line of pious individuals, who trace their ancestry back to Maharaja Ikshvaku. We find mention of this leader within Bhagavad-gita, when Krishna gives a brief history of the sacred wisdom being presented to Arjuna.

श्री-भगवान् उवाच
इमं विवस्वते योगं
प्रोक्तवान् अहम् अव्ययम्
विवस्वान् मनवे प्राह
मनुर् इक्ष्वाकवे ’ब्रवीत्

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ
proktavān aham avyayam
vivasvān manave prāha
manur ikṣvākave ’bravīt

“The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikshvaku.” (Bhagavad-gita, 4.1)

What we find in those particular homes is sadness, despair, and also anger. In a kind of irrational tirade that is all too familiar to the seasoned husband, the women of the households ask a rhetorical question. They want to know what is the value of so many of the enjoyable aspects of their daily life. Mind you, this is the standard that most people aspire to. We want our children to grow up to be self-sufficient, to be able to support themselves. We hope that they have a family, a house, children, relatives, and plenty of resources. They should never be poverty stricken. They should never be without good association.

The wives in Ayodhya think all of those things have no value if there is one person missing. If Shri Rama is not around, then it is like everything becomes meaningless. They chastised their husbands for not feeling the same way. It is not that the husbands held a different view; the wives were more venting their frustrations regarding the situation at hand. You see, Shri Rama was away from Ayodhya. Rama was the eldest son of King Dasharatha. Rama was the leader that everyone wanted. Rama was also wronged. He was being punished for the crime of having taken birth from the womb of Queen Kausalya.

To answer the original questions, God would be the person that we would give everything up in order to please. He would be the kindest person, but at a level not previously experienced. He would exceed our expectations in terms of grace, humility, strength, and generosity. Rama was that person to the people of Ayodhya. They were ready to give up everything and move to the forest. This was to accompany Rama for fourteen years. This decision was abrupt. It did not take a long time to reach the conclusion. The wives wondered why their own husbands were not as eager.

In Closing:

If Supreme finally to see,
Just what kind of person to be?

Up to expectations to live,
Proper response always to give?

Or arrogant and of cruel mind,
Petty and vindictive to find?

From the wives in Ayodhya learn,
How Rama utmost allegiance to earn.

Categories: questions

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