What’s interesting about Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead is that he is not boring. He is always part of some “lila”, or divine story, sometimes fixing a broken world or relationship, saving a devotee in peril, or removing a dangerous situation. His incarnations are said to be as numerous and unending as the waves of the ocean and although some of them are hard to understand, they never fail to charm and delight those who are directly involved in the lila or those of us hearing about them.
Lord Ramachandra is one of the best known and beloved incarnations of Krishna. Ramachandra, the heir to the throne, is unexpectedly banished to the forest for 14 years. During this time he saves his kidnapped princess from the hands of the uncultured Ravana, wins the hearts of all – including bears, monkeys and various other animals who join his army – and returns in triumph to lead his kingdom. This is a lila full of adventure, affection, chivalry, and hope. It is the quintessential battle between good and evil, and has story within story of envy, greed and hubris facing down with integrity, forgiveness, and the unmatchable power of love.
For those of us today, who don’t live in an age of kings and queens or knights in shining armor, what other qualities might the Ramayana be inspiring us to develop?
An invitation to read – the Ramayana reminds us that stories are important and we should read, and read often, the sacred stories of Rama and Krishna and all of Krishna’s incarnations. Such stories not only move us emotionally, but the reading of them is a form of prayer, of meditation, and a cleaning tonic for the mind and heart. It is perhaps the easiest and most pleasing of the practices of bhakti yoga – reading about Krishna purifies us and lifts the dense fog of material anxiety, unrest and confusion that lingers close by. Our soul, our very self, is awakened and refreshed by hearing sacred stories.
Happy and unhappy endings – Although Ramachandra rescues his wife Sita, returns to Ayodhya and all is well and happy in the kingdom, he later sends Sita away to the forest – much to the dismay not only of the citizens of the time, but of many readers today. Why couldn’t it be a happy ever after ending? Because, Lord Ramachandra reminds us, there is no happy ever after in this world. It is temporary and will come to an end, even if you are king of the world, or king of your own small kingdom. Our happiness is not only in knowing and accepting this, but a greater happiness is knowing why and how to step into a different concept of life – a sense of self beyond the body – real, personal, spiritual, eternal and full of life.
To fight the good fight – how much of our lives are drab, boring, and unfulfilling? Sometimes even our spiritual practices fall into that ditch. The Ramayana calls us to fight the good fight, to find what we can do to better ourselves and others. To find what needs fixing, helping, changing. To stop being comfortable, to send ourselves to the forest, to challenge ourselves to a mission, a vision, to face our own internal ‘ravana’s’ and take them down. Pray for inspiration and direction, and look out for it. It may pass you by if you are not paying attention.
Keep your word, your promise – More than anything else, Lord Ramachandra was a man of his word. It may not be the easiest path, the most glamorous, but the practice of keeping our word is perhaps the biggest test of character. It’s also the main component of building relationships of trust. It starts with being careful about what we say. It means being ready to apologize when we come up short, and being ready to change and realign ourselves. At the end of the day, keeping our word can make or break us. Better let it make us.
Perhaps the essence of who Lord Ramachandra’s is and what knowing Him offers us is to be found in the famous statement He made during the battle – “I proclaim today that if anyone even one time says to Me that ‘I am Yours’, whoever they are, I promise to protect them forever. I will accept that person as My own’.
And those are words that Lord Ramachandra keeps to this day, for all of us.
Comments