‘Ramayana’ is generally attributed to the Great Hindu Sage – Valmiki. The Book is estimated to be written in 5000 B.C. The original ‘Ramayana’ consists of 7 books named as ‘Kandas’. Each ‘Kanda’ tells different legs of Rama’s Journey towards becoming ‘King of Ayodhya’ after a great battle against ‘Ravana – an evil King of Lanka’ to rescue his beloved wife, Sita.
Ramayana Month celebration started with prostration to Amma, followed by Dhyana Slokam , Ashtotheram and Gurusthothram. Students of Std V A and X A participated in the pooja and Ramayana recital
Amma Thoughts on Ramayana
Q: Wanted to know how we could consider someone who would treat his virtuous wife in such a way as the embodiment of dharma.
Amma :“If we interpret the inner meaning of Ramayana, Sri Rama, Sita and all other characters are within us,” Amma said. “Even when we look into the epic of Ramayana externally, Sri Rama was indeed an incarnation of dharma. And he did set a good example to his subjects.”
Amma then explained how, as the King of Ayodhya, Sri Rama was not just wedded to Sita but to all of his subjects and that, whatever he did, the well being of his entire kingdom was his top consideration.
“When one is the king of a nation, that person cannot act, merely thinking of the well being of his own family,” Amma said. “For example, suppose a war breaks out between two countries. A general should not stay back at home with his wife and children. He has to be there at the war front, leading his army. This is a general’s dharma towards the nation.”
Amma then quoted some advice given by Sage Vidura in the Mahabharata: “To save a family, sacrifice a man; to save the village, sacrifice a family; to save the country, sacrifice a village.”
Then Amma looked at Sri Rama’s actions from another angle, explaining how when a robbery or fraud takes place at a bank, the authorities will immediately suspend the manager and have the enquiry later. “Although the authorities may know deep within that the manager is innocent, still they will let the law take its own course,” Amma said. “Maybe in the enquiry the manager will be proven innocent. In that case, he will be reinstated. Such an action will increase alertness and awareness among the other staff too, and they will be extra careful in all their transactions.”
Amma said that Sri Rama’s actions were in a similar vein: “When there was some murmur among the people about Sita’s purity, Rama sent her to the forest. But later, when the people became convinced of Sita’s chastity, Rama was ready to accept her back. This shows how a king must be. For a king, each and every subject in his kingdom is important. He listens to each and every person. He doesn’t just stick to the words of his counsel. In his heart Rama knew that Sita was pure. Similarly, Sita also knew Rama’s heart.”
Amma then offered another interpretation, this one focusing on the fact that Sita was pregnant. “In India it is the custom to send a wife back to her parents’ house when she reaches her seventh month of pregnancy with her first child,” Amma said. “During her stay there, special pujas are conducted and Vedic hymns are regularly chanted, and the atmosphere is kept spiritually surcharged. This atmosphere will have a positive influence on the baby. After she gives birth, she is once again brought back to the husband’s house.
“Sri Rama did the same. He knew that Sita was going to stay in Sage Valmiki’s ashram. In the ashram, she was always hearing the chanting of Vedic hymns, inhaling the pure smoke from the fire rituals and was in the elevating presence of the Rishi. So the children born to her—the twins Lava and Kusha—were spiritually vibrant and courageous.”
Amma also pointed out how in those days a king could marry any number of times, yet Sri Rama never took even a second wife. Even when he performed the Ashwamedha sacrifice, which requires the presence of one of the king’s wives, he did not remarry but had a golden idol of Sita made and kept it in the place specified for the wife. “This clearly shows the love Sri Rama had for Sita,” Amma said.