Self development through Ramayana
While doing the parayanam of Ramayana, my mind went into deep thoughts on the context behind a statement that Lakshmana made.
Lakshmanan was so angry at dasharata, he says भ्राता भर्ता च बन्धुः च पिता च मम राघवः, ie rama is my brother and lord, and he is my bandhu, and he is my father. I understand the repetition of 'च' as an effort to insist on the additional qualities. He could not have been so dedicated to his brother Rama if Rama was just a brother, a bhrata. Lakshmana did not surrender to his elder brother alone but to his all encompassing lord , ie bharta. Here Lakshmana is expanding the scope of an elder brother beyond being a good brother. When an elder brother shows the characteristics of a brother, a leader, a father and a valuable relative, it is easier for a brother like Lakshmana to perform saranagathi to his elder brother.
In many instances, we come across people who say you cannot be a Rama in this world because you don't have brothers like Lakshmana or wife like Sita. Similarly, we also see people saying we cannot be like Sita because husbands are not like Rama.
What we may understand from Ramayana itself is, no one can make his brother a Rama or Lakshmana by virtue of them being Rama or Lakshmana. Both of them should make themselves Rama and Lakshmana through self introspection and progress on dharmic development. Because even in case of Rama, Lakshmana's saranagati is unmatched. Bharatashatrugnas could not match Lakshmanas devotion even though they were also highly devoted to Rama. Ramalakshmanas alone is considered a benchmark for perfect brotherhood and not, for example, ramashatrugnas. Similarly, though many women were dharmapatnis, they did not necessarily get husbands with the virtues of Rama. Mandothari got Ravana as husband though she was perfect on her own. Hence, this applies to all relations like, a wife and a husband, a father and a child and so on.
Ramayana also shows that individual development is possible without dependency on the other half of the pair. From Lakshmana's perspective, he developed himself as the foremost devotee of Rama, though Rama was equally a good brother to all his younger brothers. From Rama's perspective, he demonstrated the qualities of a good elder brother to all his younger brothers irrespective of the maturity of their saranagathi towards him.
In essence, Ramayana shows that a good elder brother will guide others on righteous path, will practice righteousness and be a role model for his younger brothers, will show the dharmic path for development of his brothers. If one does this, he can be a Rama. A good younger brother will listen and act as per the righteous ways as guided by his elder brother, will be eager to follow the path of dharma, will follow the dharmic ways of his elder brother. If one does this, he can be a Lakshmana.
By applying the same dharmic svadharma principle to a pati patni relationship, we can understand that one needs be a good husband guiding the family in dharmic way respecting his wife and satisfying her wishes, even if he doesn't have a perfect dharmapatni like Sita. Udaiyavar Sri Ramanuja was like that, King Dasharatha was like that. Dasharata did everything he could to his wife Kaikayi as long as it was in line with dharma. When he had to satisfy her adharmic selfish wish, he continued to explain her many sessions with various dharmic reasoning until he died. He never ceased to be a bad husband who did not try to guide a wife in righteous path or who could not satisfy her wishes. Similarly, one needs to be a dharmapatni who is eager for leading a dharmic family life, who is devoted to the husband and supportive of his dharmic commitments, with control on selfish indulgence, even if the husband is not a purushottaman like Rama. When husband goes in adharmic ways, one needs to still be devoted to him while explaining the dharmic path. Like Dasaratha, Mandothari also explains her husband about his adharmic ways until he dies. In a similar but slightly deviated context, Kumudavalli, who was the wife of Tirumangai Azhwar, was a dharmapatni who succeeded in changing a laukika to a vaishnava husband.
Ramayana, being a great source of dharmic guidance for this world, helps us understand that there is absolutely no excuse to say that I will not try to be like Rama as I do not have a Lakshmana-like brother, or I will not be a Lakshmana because my brother is not like Rama, or I will not try to be like Sita because I do not have a husband like Rama, or I will not try to be Rama because my wife is not like Sita. Let individuals self introspect and self develop righteousness, as demonstrated by the great characters of Ramayana.
Lakshmanan was so angry at dasharata, he says भ्राता भर्ता च बन्धुः च पिता च मम राघवः, ie rama is my brother and lord, and he is my bandhu, and he is my father. I understand the repetition of 'च' as an effort to insist on the additional qualities. He could not have been so dedicated to his brother Rama if Rama was just a brother, a bhrata. Lakshmana did not surrender to his elder brother alone but to his all encompassing lord , ie bharta. Here Lakshmana is expanding the scope of an elder brother beyond being a good brother. When an elder brother shows the characteristics of a brother, a leader, a father and a valuable relative, it is easier for a brother like Lakshmana to perform saranagathi to his elder brother.
In many instances, we come across people who say you cannot be a Rama in this world because you don't have brothers like Lakshmana or wife like Sita. Similarly, we also see people saying we cannot be like Sita because husbands are not like Rama.
What we may understand from Ramayana itself is, no one can make his brother a Rama or Lakshmana by virtue of them being Rama or Lakshmana. Both of them should make themselves Rama and Lakshmana through self introspection and progress on dharmic development. Because even in case of Rama, Lakshmana's saranagati is unmatched. Bharatashatrugnas could not match Lakshmanas devotion even though they were also highly devoted to Rama. Ramalakshmanas alone is considered a benchmark for perfect brotherhood and not, for example, ramashatrugnas. Similarly, though many women were dharmapatnis, they did not necessarily get husbands with the virtues of Rama. Mandothari got Ravana as husband though she was perfect on her own. Hence, this applies to all relations like, a wife and a husband, a father and a child and so on.
Ramayana also shows that individual development is possible without dependency on the other half of the pair. From Lakshmana's perspective, he developed himself as the foremost devotee of Rama, though Rama was equally a good brother to all his younger brothers. From Rama's perspective, he demonstrated the qualities of a good elder brother to all his younger brothers irrespective of the maturity of their saranagathi towards him.
In essence, Ramayana shows that a good elder brother will guide others on righteous path, will practice righteousness and be a role model for his younger brothers, will show the dharmic path for development of his brothers. If one does this, he can be a Rama. A good younger brother will listen and act as per the righteous ways as guided by his elder brother, will be eager to follow the path of dharma, will follow the dharmic ways of his elder brother. If one does this, he can be a Lakshmana.
By applying the same dharmic svadharma principle to a pati patni relationship, we can understand that one needs be a good husband guiding the family in dharmic way respecting his wife and satisfying her wishes, even if he doesn't have a perfect dharmapatni like Sita. Udaiyavar Sri Ramanuja was like that, King Dasharatha was like that. Dasharata did everything he could to his wife Kaikayi as long as it was in line with dharma. When he had to satisfy her adharmic selfish wish, he continued to explain her many sessions with various dharmic reasoning until he died. He never ceased to be a bad husband who did not try to guide a wife in righteous path or who could not satisfy her wishes. Similarly, one needs to be a dharmapatni who is eager for leading a dharmic family life, who is devoted to the husband and supportive of his dharmic commitments, with control on selfish indulgence, even if the husband is not a purushottaman like Rama. When husband goes in adharmic ways, one needs to still be devoted to him while explaining the dharmic path. Like Dasaratha, Mandothari also explains her husband about his adharmic ways until he dies. In a similar but slightly deviated context, Kumudavalli, who was the wife of Tirumangai Azhwar, was a dharmapatni who succeeded in changing a laukika to a vaishnava husband.
Ramayana, being a great source of dharmic guidance for this world, helps us understand that there is absolutely no excuse to say that I will not try to be like Rama as I do not have a Lakshmana-like brother, or I will not be a Lakshmana because my brother is not like Rama, or I will not try to be like Sita because I do not have a husband like Rama, or I will not try to be Rama because my wife is not like Sita. Let individuals self introspect and self develop righteousness, as demonstrated by the great characters of Ramayana.
posted by Unknown | 6:49 AM
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